#look i grew up on disney and my parents took me to disney world a few times

[eggjaculations]

i genuinely do not understand when a grown ass person says “i’m a disney adult” what kinda white pride ass shit is that

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) - Thoughts

A little bit of brief background here; I’m a huge Peter Pan fan. I grew up loving the Disney animated film but the 2003 live action has always been the superior Peter Pan adaptation to me; Peter Pan holds a special place in my heart as my late nan who I was close with used to take me to the panto every Christmas, and my favourite ones were always Peter Pan.

So without further ado: I watched the new Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy that came out on Disney+ this weekend!

First, some live watching thoughts:

This movie is literally carried by Ever Anderson as Wendy, like no disrespect to the other cast but she literally carried this film in my opinion

By the way, anyone complaining about it being Wendy’s story is an idiot because the story has ALWAYS been Wendy’s story, ever since Barrie wrote the play and novels. Regardless of which version you watch, it always starts with her lamenting about not wanting to grow up and ends with her acceptance of the fact she must grow up - it’s HER journey, her development.

I have no idea why Disney/Lowery chose to cast two separate actors as Mr Darling and Captain Hook but I’m NOT a fan of that choice. Even in the animated film, they’re voiced by the same actor - it’s a part of Peter Pan tradition to have the actor play both roles, so it’s baffling that it’s not the case here.

I really wish this film had spent a little bit more time BEFORE Peter arrived to show us more of each of the children and also the relationship between the children and their parents. The film opens with a nice little scene of John and Michael sword-fighting whilst Wendy prepares to head off to boarding school, and then she joins them and their father scolds her for “this is how you choose to spend your last night in the nursery” and “you’re too old for this sort of fun”, which definitely works… but it’s very quick paced and it rushed by so quickly, like the film kind of just spends only a few minutes establishing “Wendy is being sent to boarding school the next morning; she doesn’t want to grow up; her parents want her to be a better role model to her brothers” and that’s it.

Also interesting to note that Wendy is not in a nightgown in this version but some kind of pyjama-ish undergarment outfit, plus a dressing gown

Wendy aggressively reading a book in her bed… same though

Nana appears but only in brief moments 😭 WE DESERVED MORE NANA! In this version she’s kind of more just a pet - they never mention that she’s the Darling family’s nursemaid and looks after the children, and there’s a brief flash where (I think) you see a young Wendy cuddling her as a puppy… like??? She’s not just a dog, she is not just a pet, she is the finest nursemaid on four paws because the Darlings can’t afford to hire one.

“I want things to stay the way they are.” “Perhaps I don’t want to grow up.” — same, Wendy, same

“Just imagine all of the things you would miss out on if you didn’t see where it took you… and all the things the world would miss if you weren’t there to do them.”

Mrs Darling’s lullaby was lovely by the way

Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell is BEAUTIFUL. I love her facial expressions, and even though there’s less attitude and she’s not jealous in this version, I still love her

I know that the film was supposed to film in 2020 but Covid shut things down so they didn’t film until a whole year later, and obviously children grow very quickly… but Peter’s voice is so deep in this version, you can tell Alexander Molony hit puberty during lockdown. I feel bad for criticizing a kid about it because it’s not his fault, but it can’t be denied that he’s older than Peter is supposed to be. Ever Anderson was also 13-14 when filming actually happened, and while it’s slightly less glaringly obvious with her, she’s definitely a tiny bit older than most versions of Wendy. I think it’s more obvious with Alexander though because of the deep voice.

This version makes it seem like Mrs Darling is the storyteller and Wendy isn’t, which kind of bugs me to be honest but oh well

Let’s be honest, no adaptation will ever top the “Flying” scene from the 2003 version - that was a whole masterpiece in itself. This version does do a nice enough job though, all things considered, even if the CGI doesn’t always look quite right

I don’t want to slam how Neverland looks because I’m aware it was filmed in Newfoundland in Canada, which I don’t doubt is a beautiful place - what I will say is that I don’t know if there was some kind of ultra real gritty filter added on it if it’s something else, but to me it just wasn’t colourful enough. Neverland is supposed to be magical and vibrant and like a dream, not 100% rigidly realistic. They could have made Skull Rock shaped at least somewhat like a skull for God’s sake, just as an example

“Smee, make a note my cabin needs a new door.” “Yes… might I say, captain, that’ll be your third door this month-“ “and it won’t be the last.” — okay, I had a little giggle here, I won’t lie

Jude Law’s version of Hook has heterochromia which is definitely interesting - I wonder why it was included though, like what purpose does it serve the story

Wendy meeting the Lost Boys changed from Tink telling the boys to shoot her out of the sky and them nearly murdering her, to her washing up alone and running into them and Tiger Lily, which is definitely a choice

AHHHHH TIGER LILY SPEAKING CREE, SHE IS ALSO LITERALLY A PRINCESS IN EVERY SINGLE WAY LIKE HOW SHE SPEAKS AND CARRIES HERSELF

I am genuinely still on the fence about the Lost Boys including girls but at the end of the day… whatever. It’s not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. I still find the “but you’re not all boys” “SO?!?” exchange cringey though, not gonna lie

Wendy’s response to the above being “well I guess it doesn’t really matter”, so true

I think it’s a good thing that the Lost Boys include non white and disabled kids (Slightly has Down syndrome) but also I really hope those kids stay off social media for a while because the absolute nastiness being flung around about them (especially Slightly) is disgusting

The Lost Boys being like “she’s too old” “she’s too grown up” 💀 that and Mrs Darling’s “darling, you barely fit in your bed” comment feel oddly meta and about the actors growing while filming was delayed

Wendy Moira Angela Darling realising her brothers have been captured by pirates: “…oh dear” 💀 the timing of it was perfect though lmao

Tell me that Smee did not just use the phrase “compatriots of you-know-who” in front of a man who played Dumbledore 💀

John: We don’t care about your rules, we came with Peter Pan! // the entire pirate crew eavesdropping outside: *groaning/gasping*

PIRATE SEA SHANTIES FTW

Peter Pan really disappears from this movie at about 20 minutes in (after appearing for the first time only 10 minutes beforehand) and doesn’t reappear until a whole 15 minutes later?!?

“I’ve found you guilty of being a child - and we can’t have children in Neverland” — IS HE FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!? (Hook was in fact deadly serious)

NOT TEDDY LOSING AN ARM 😭

Who the hell did Peter think he was tricking with that absolutely terrible disguise, it looks like stuck a mop on his chin for god’s sake?!?

Wendy being shocked that Peter is showing off as if that isn’t his whole personality summed up 😶

“Oh brother, Hook’s singing again” - I CACKLED IM SORRY

“Proud and insolent youth, have at me!” — I GASPED I TELL YOU, GASPED

PETER AND HOOK’S SHADOWS HAVING THEIR OWN SWORD FIGHT OH MY GOOOOODDDDDD

“Oh, Wendy… you’re still alive!” ASDFGHJKL

OH HOOK PLAYED DIRTY AND HE SAID HE LEARNED HIS BAD FORM FROM PETER DIXNDMALZPZOZL WHAT IS GOING ON

“For to die would be an awfully big adventure” - THAT’S THE MONEY LINE RIGHT THERE

“SHE’S A WENDY!!!”, and all that ran through my mind was the Barbie meme:

Wendy finishing Hook’s sentences and cutting him off each time ASDFGHJKL we love a know it all

AHHHH ITS TICK TOCK THE CROC, I was so scared they’d forget about the crocodile so I’m happy he’s here

THE SEQUENCE WITH THE MUSIC AS HOOK IS RUNNING AWAY FROM THE CROC ASDFGHJKL COMEDY GOLD

WENDY FUCKING SLAPPED PETER ACROSS THE FACE AND IT DID A MOVIE MAKER CIRCLE FADE OUT ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW WTAF-

“It was an adventure, wasn’t that what you wanted?” “Yes but I didn’t think it meant being shot out of the sky by pirates” — yeah, that’s a valid point I guess

Poor Tinkerbell just twinkling and getting absolutely ignored :/

“You have a magical fairy that makes you fly! And a gaggle of children that do your bidding with a princess that cleans up your messes while you’re off gallivanting with pirates” — OOF, also Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily both smiling and nodding their agreement of Wendy’s words asdfghkl love to see girls supporting girls

Wendy throughout this whole movie is pretty much just the “I came out to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now” meme

You’re telling me the Lost Boys hideout is no longer hidden in a tree but a GIANT tower?!? Not exactly hidden now, is it?!?

Wendy and Tiger Lily together having one of the best scenes in this movie, you love to see it ❤️

So what I’m getting from this adaptation is that instead of the Lost Boys actually getting “lost” and not claimed, Peter waits for them to say “I don’t want to grow up” then whooshes in and brings them to Neverland…

Okay so Wendy is still kind of seen as the storyteller in this version…? The kids ask her for stories so…?

“Wendy can be our mother” “goodness no! I don’t even know if I want to be a mother!” — I have thoughts about this??? On the one hand, I’m a book purist and for me I’m like “she does agree to be their mother tho??? That’s why she was brought to Neverland???” (And also she canonically has a daughter called Jane) but on the other I’m like “fair enough” because a) she’s a child and b) you can’t force people to have children if they don’t want them. Idk

Im 90% sure Wendy’s hair changed from a side parting to a middle parting at some point but I don’t know where or when it happened

Wendy singing a lullaby, which is actually a nice callback to her singing “Your Mother and Mine” in the animated film

You’re telling me Hook and the pirates have never found their huge ass tower hideout and that Wendy’s gentle singing was loud enough to reach the pirates and alert them of their location?!?

JAMES?!? As in Hook?!?

“It’s a kiss - I made it for you” — ITS AN ACORN NECKLACE IM-

Peter and Hook used to be best friends?!? Hook was the first lost boy in this version?!? Lowery doing his own canon at this point, oh my god

This film really missed a trick, like it could have really heavily leaned into the dark side of Peter Pan with the whole “you must never leave” stuff he says 👀

This film really wanted to be the 2003 version so bad, like the moment where Peter walks away after their conversation about Neverland not being what she expected and Wendy calls “Peter!”… it wanted to be the Fairy Dance scene WAY too bad

Imagine walking down their stairs into a room, turning around and seeing your brothers/the whole gang of lost boys tied up and gagged 😳

Hook saying Wendy’s full name and later dragging his hook over the door was creepy ngl

HE JUST SLASHED PETER ACROSS THE CHEST

“Captain Hook… I don’t think I like this adventure” *falls down 20 feet* — EXCUSE ME???

You’re telling me Peter survived a) a slash to the chest and b) a 20 foot drop?!? I mean I know he’s magical and all but…?!?

Eyyy Tiger Lily to the rescue, the women truly run this film

“Then listen… *hums awkwardly*” - I genuinely can’t tell if this film is supposed to be this weirdly hilarious or not

Mr Smee was the one who found Hook and rescued him, I’m-

“This is what growing up looks like.” “No. This is what it looks like when you grow up wrong.” - OOF

HOOK SNAPPING WHEN SMEE CALLED HIM JAMES 😭

“Execute every last one of them” sounds so much worse than “become a pirate or walk the plank” like sir all they did was be kids who haven’t managed to hit puberty yet and you’ve got them all screaming like they’re about to be mass murdered (which they are) 💀

Wendy offering herself instead, “they’re only children, let them live!” - ma’am you are also a child?!?

“Let them live, they’ll be good pirates - especially those two” (meaning John and Michael)… I love Wendy stepping up and looking out for her brothers, especially given at the beginning of the film she full on blamed them for the whole mirror situation

Peter being super injured and unable to fly so Tiger Lily has to help him 🥹

Why does this pirate shanty as Wendy walks the plank actually slap hard though?!?

Tinkerbell lifting her little prison up and smashing Smee on the head so she can help Wendy, we love to see it

The fact that Wendy thinks happy thoughts stepping off the plank and it’s not just her childhood memories anymore (like in the flying to Neverland scene)??? She imagines growing up and the things she could do if allowing herself to grow up?!? 😭

The utter silence after she steps off the plank followed by Hook being like “… hang on, there was no splash?!?”

Tinkerbell damn near used every single bit of fairy dust in existence just to lift up the ship and play what is essentially a huge joke on the pirates is such legend behaviour lmao

“You have the boy’s magic.” “No, this magic belongs to no boy!” — HELL YEAH WENDY YOU ARE ALWAYS THE MAIN CHARACTER

I’ll be honest, for a film where Peter is billed first he has done VERY little besides a small duel, get stabbed and nearly die twice

The depressed pirate who goes “well wake me up before one of them kills the other… again” is such a mood lmfao same

It’s interesting that it’s Wendy with the flight skills as she fights and Peter without the flying I guess??

Wendy and Tiger Lily are literally saving every single other character’s asses at this point, like they’re the only reason anything has happened in this film

Rotating the entire ship was not something I thought I’d ever see and yet here we are

Peter falling off the upside down ship and Wendy catching him?!? And the fairy dust rubbing off onto him??? (Literally what even has Peter done in this film I feel bad for saying it but…)

I kind of like the idea that Peter and Hook intentionally don’t kill each other because both of them live for their battles and it’s almost like a game, a cycle, that Neverland lives off of? Idk if that makes sense lol

“Oh captain… Grow up.” - I CHOKED SHE GAGGED HIM

Peter grabbing Hook by the hook so he won’t fall and saying “I’ve got you James, just think happy thoughts”…???

“Peter… I haven’t got any…” AND THEN HE FALLS, DETATCHED FROM HIS HOOK?!? I KNEW HE DIDNT ASDFGHJKL BUT LIKE THIS?!?

I’ve literally only just realised that the Teddy has a fork as a prosthetic arm 💀

“It’s time to get these lost boys home” - what she REALLY means is “let’s take them back to my place and I’ll tell my parents I’ve adopted ten children on their behalf” 💀😂 that part always makes me laugh in any adaptation/version of the story, I won’t lie

So basically no time has passed in the real world while they’ve been in Neverland? No Mr and Mrs Darling keeping the window open for when their children return???

“Boy… why are you crying?” - IM SHAKING, CRYING, SCREAMING, THROWING UP I HAVE CHILLS

You’re telling me Peter lived in the exact same house as Wendy as her brothers???? That’s why he kept returning to that house, not because Wendy believed strongly in him or he liked her stories but because it was his old home?? 😶

“I’m just a story, told to any child who’ll listen” - oof true. Kids today don’t really know Peter Pan anymore, which is super sad - they know Tink but they’re not as familiar with Peter Pan these days

“You know, Peter… after all this… I think that to grow up… why, it might just be the biggest adventure of all. Just think of all of the things that could be right around the corner that you’re missing out on. Think of what the world is missing out on with you not being there to do them.” 👏👏👏

THE SHIP LITERALLY RIPPED THE CHIMNEY OFF GOOD LUCK PAYING FOR THAT GEORGE

Wendy crying as she says goodbye to Tink 😭 “and please don’t forget about me”

WENDY BEING ABLE TO HEAR TINKERBELL SPEAK ASDFGHJKL BEAUTIFUL… “thank you for hearing me” - I DONT CARE, THATS SO POETIC???

Wendy carving her name under Peter’s so now it says “Peter Pan + Wendy” 😭

Hook is still alive?!? I don’t know why I’m so shocked at this point lol

The way Hook and Pan smiled at each other when Peter returned, oh boy here we go again

The end credit animations are so pretty omg

So, overall… it’s not the worst Disney remake. It’s truly not that bad, at least not enough to warrant racist morons bombing it with one star reviews. It’s definitely not a patch on the 2003 version, at least not in my opinion - that one will always reign superior, at least to me.

Some things:

I definitely feel like this film was carried by Ever Anderson as Wendy, she literally did the most and seemed the most well suited for her part overall

Jude Law was actually better than I thought he would be as Hook, Jason Isaacs is still my favourite but Jude is alright

I think Alexander Molony had the right spirit, I just think that he wasn’t given all that much to do and also it was very noticeable that he was on the cusp of adulthood already. Had the film been filmed when intended and not delayed, I think his performance would have come across better

The other kids and the pirates were super fun too, but not really given a lot to do either, which is sad. Would have loved to see more of Jim Gaffigan as Smee though

Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell and Alyssa Wapanatahk as Tiger Lily were also amazing and big standouts, shoutout to them both!

Mentioned this above but will mention it again: I don’t understand what the point of casting a separate actor to play Mr Darling was. Yes, as I mentioned, there’s the dual casting thing - but also Mr Darling was in this film so little that there was zero sense in hiring a whole other actor to do the part??? He’s literally got a total of like one and a half minutes screentime?!?

Putting the crocodile in just the one single time was a fucking crime, I tell you! Why was he only in one single scene?!? 🐊

The CGI wasn’t the worst I’ve seen but it definitely could have been a bit better

Here’s the thing: the original animation was 1h21 and this one is 1h46… and yet this one felt way more rushed for some reason? It’s like the film hits the basic plots, like ticking them off, but doesn’t actually embellish or explore them properly. It’s just so rushed and the film suffers for it

I truly think this film would have benefited from letting us get to know the Darling children even better at the beginning before Peter arrived, because the most developed of the three is Wendy and all we know about her is she’s going to boarding school and her parents want her to be a better role model/set a better example for her brothers. All we know about John and Michael is that they’re Wendy’s brothers and they like to play fight - they don’t really feel like proper characters, they’re literally just there

I’m still waiting for a Peter Pan adaptation to just bite the bullet and give us that flash forward of Peter visiting an older Wendy, meeting Jane and taking Jane to Neverland - the 2003 version did film it but it’s deleted and the special effects aren’t done on it (you can watch it online but still)

I want to know where in Barrie’s text it says Wendy wanted to become an airplane pilot or that she actually fulfilled that ambition… ?!?!

The soundtrack was good - not the masterpiece that James Newton Howard’s is but still pretty good

Overall, I’d give it a 6/10 maybe. It wasn’t the worst Pan movie or adaptation out there but it’s not the best either, at least in my opinion. It IS one of the better Disney remakes though, and if it had been a bit longer and had a better budget then I’d say it should have had a theatrical release because the cinematography is STUNNING. It’s just that it very much feels like they rushed the story and had a smaller budget than hoped for.

[strwbrryvagabond]

wanted to get on here and yap about American Girl for some reason today

I'm far from a brand loyalist, and honestly, I was shocked I didn't grow up with the off-brand dolls you could get at Walmart or Target since I grew up poor until recently when my mom informed me that I would save money up for months and months at a time so that I could buy the dolls, and my parents only even actually purchased one for my birthday once we started to do a bit better financially, and after they saw how much I loved and took care of the dolls

I bought accessories for them myself as well, both from the actual company and from other brands like Target and Walmart ones, and even paid my mom to order me a bunk bed for them off of Etsy or something because I was so distraught that they didn't all have their own beds.

Anyways, I know brands are bad and stuff, and American Girl is not without faults and controversies, but tbh those dolls really shaped me as a kid, like I intentionally bought Rebecca Rubin as my first doll when I was a kid after seeing her in a catalog that we got sent by mistake because she was Jewish and looked like me. I had never seen a doll or character, or pretty much anything at that age who was Jewish like me and looked like me, and she wanted to be an actress, and at the time, I also wanted to act

I took that doll very literally everywhere, half the pictures of me from that age, she's tucked under my arm in a different outfit, her hair as well taken care of as I could manage for being so little. I accidentally messed up one of her curls while trying to fix her hair, and I cried for like a solid half an hour until my mom helped me fix it. even after I got other dolls, all of which I still loved and took care of religiously, Rebecca was the one who came everywhere with me

I'd already been a big reader before that, which is a whole other post, but I devoured those books, and I totally blame them for my current love of learning history and historical fiction. and the different dolls were all depicted as activists and feminists, and do not get me wrong here (I say on the 'taking things out of context' website) they were far from perfect with their diversity and activism, like oh jeez they did some very questionable things sometimes, but for the early 2000s and 2010s? revolutionary

the store closest to me closed a little before my birthday last year. I didn't know that it was even happening, and honestly probably still wouldn't have known if I hadn't been shopping with my friends at that mall like two weeks before my birthday since that was the only day we could all make work. Despite not having touched my dolls in a while, everything was super on sale, and I had been planning on taking Rebecca to college with me, so I figured I might buy her an outfit or something.

while the store was pretty ransacked, I was shocked and, no joke, teary-eyed over how many things they had for different cultures, different religions, and how many little girls I saw in there with big starry eyes looking at a doll that looked like them

I ended up buying a Channukkah outfit, and one of the friends I was with convinced me to, against my nature, let them buy a Lunar New Year outfit for me as well, which almost made me cry again. What really did it was seeing one of the previous Girls of the Year, Corrine Tan. Oh my gosh if they had had her when I was a little girl, she would've gone right beside Rebecca with how obsessed I was with her. I don't think I've mentioned it here before, but as a kid, I LOVED Mulan, and when I went to Disney World and the dress up boutique they had, I was DEVASTATED that they didn't have a Mulan costume. I latched onto her so hard for a very similar reason that I latched onto Rebecca so hard; because even though she wasn't the same ethnicity as me, Mulan was Asian, and so am I. I wore out I think three burned copies of that movie I watched it so often

I'm just weirdly sadder than I expected that American Girl is closing so many stores and not making as many sales I guess. I'm really fighting being a brand loyalist right now, because there are about a million other brands that make super similar dolls that I'm sure little kids all over loved, it's just always stuck with me that they at least seem to care about representation in the stories they make for these dolls

I mean, it clearly impacted me growing up, and I think it was for the better. I remember reading Addy's book being one of the first times I was exposed to the idea of children being slaves because they obviously didn't talk about that in an elementary school in the 2010s. I really just wanted to get all of my thoughts out, I've been thinking about it a lot recently since I took Rebecca to college, and I've now been hearing stories from girls who see her in my room about what doll or what toy shaped them as a child. Very excited to dress her up for Channukkah when it comes around, and tbh I've been looking for more outfits for her online. I just want her to be something I take with me throughout my life I guess. I mean, I took her everywhere when I was little, so it kinda feels wrong not to take her with me on this super big part of my life.

yeah anyways uh, if you had one of these dolls go... idk kiss em on the forehead or something. remind the toys that shaped you that you love them for what they did for you and all that. yap session over

[world-cinema-research]

Short Essay: My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro), 1988

By Rachel Powers

When I was young, my parents would take us to Blockbuster every week to rent movies. My sister and I would scan the aisle of the children’s section to look for our next film adventure. One day in 1994, we came across a VHS case with cover art that drew us in completely, knowing nothing else about it. The movie was My Neighbor Totoro. Once we got home, loaded the movie into the VCR, and pressed play, we were transported into a magical world of nature, exploration, and adorable creatures. My imagination was sparked, and I wanted to crawl through the screen and explore this new world myself.  I wanted to walk through their Japanese home, which looked so different from my suburban American house. I remember trying to figure out the layout of the house, and wishing that I lived somewhere with sliding doors, a giant bathtub, and an endless yard. I imagined running through the tunnel in the bushes and sliding down the tree into Totoro’s den. Something different about this movie was its lack of a villain, unlike the Disney movies we were accustomed to watching at the time. The film focused on the bond between two sisters as they moved into a new house in the countryside, discovering the magic of their new surroundings. My sister and I were very close at this time, and we each identified with the characters in the film. As the oldest child, I was more like Satsuki – responsibly looking after my younger sister, and even scolding or making fun of her at times. My younger sister was so much like Mei. She always tagged along with me and was very stubborn and determined to keep up. Through seeing ourselves in this film, I believed that it had a much greater impact on us than other movies we had seen at the time.

Tonari no Totoro original Japanese poster, 1988. Source: posteritati.com

My Neighbor Totoro VHS Cover, English-language dub, 1994. Source: fandom.com

Originally started as a picture book story, Miyazaki set out to create something different with My Neighbor Totoro. As a story without heroes or superpowers, taking place in an “ordinary” landscape, it took 15 years from idea creation to filming. Miyazaki wanted to portray the beauty of the Japanese landscape that he grew up in, taking place during a time when children played outside and were not consumed with technology or television. Through these techniques, Miyazaki was able to appeal to children’s imaginations, highlighting the magic in the everyday nature around them.

“It was like sending a message to myself as a kid, that Japan is a beautiful country… I wanted the movie to reflect what I saw as a kid. In other words, the village in the movie was how a city kid would view a village.” -Miyazaki on Creating Totoro, youtube.com

My Neighbor Totoro was originally released as Tonari no Totoro in Japan in 1988. It was released simultaneously with Grave of the Fireflies, another Studio Ghibli film, as a double feature. Journalist Rayan Sayyed writes that this double feature release was a precursor to the marketing techniques of “Barbenheimer.”

The double feature release undoubtedly increased sales for both movies, especially because of the different tone between them. While My Neighbor Totoro is whimsical and lighthearted, Grave of the Fireflies is “a harrowing and heartbreaking film about two children who survive the firebombing of Japan during World War II.”

The English-language dub version of My Neighbor Totoro was released in U.S. theaters in 1993. Executives of the English dub version had planned to change the name of Totoro to a more American sounding name, but Miyazaki disagreed with this tactic and ensured that the name Totoro remained. Miyazaki reportedly said, “I could not name him Craig… because I would not want to be named Craig.”

Meanwhile in 1993 United States, Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States. Will Smith even hosted the Presidential Inaugural Celebration For Youth, which aired on The Disney Channel. Youth culture was growing in America, with an increasing prevalence of marketing towards kids, including the Presidential Inauguration.

My Neighbor Totoro has seen most of its success internationally. 92.7% of sales were from the international market, with only 7.3% domestically. With a budget estimated at $3.7 million, it has been a worldwide success, bringing in $30,695,952 worldwide. Through this success, My Neighbor Totoro paved the way for later Studio Ghibli films such as  Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and The Boy and the Heron.

When this film was released in the United States, it had mixed reviews. Many critics compared it to Disney.

“Displaying no more than adequate television technical craft, the simple family saga poses no threat to the commercial dominance of Disney cartoonists.” - Leonard Klady, Variety (2013)

As time went on, more and more critics began to praise Miyazaki.

“Despite the cuteness, there's little in the way of icky sentiment – indeed the spectre of death hangs over the story – but it's a captivating world you won't want to come home from.” -Steve Rose, The Guardian (2013)

Rotten Tomatoes currently gives My Neighbor Totoro a 93% rating, while IMDB rates it an 8.1 out of 10.

In my opinion, this film is a mix between both conventional and unconventional. It is conventional in its simplicity, as it is easy to understand and does not challenge or alienate the viewer. It is unconventional in its relatively small budget, as Studio Ghibli was a new and much smaller company at the time. The main characters do not have a goal, they are simply existing and wandering through their world. The style of the film is very noticeable, although familiar to other animated movies, many of the elements of animation are very distinct. The focus on nature, expressions, mannerisms, and other small details is apparent.

The clip "Mei Meets Totoro" shows how Miyazaki focused on small details to express the characters' sentiment. Mei's curiosity is clearly shown through her mannerisms, poking Totoro's tail and running in place with excitement. She crawls up onto his chest and tickles his nose. Totoro's whiskers move and he licks his lips, and sneezes Mei off of him. As Totoro slowly wakes up and tells Mei his name, loudly, his fur sways in the wind with the power of his voice.

The iconic "cat bus" is one of the most memorable scenes of this film. It is incredibly unique, and a concept that I don't think anyone else in the world could come up with. Once Totoro boards, the cat bus takes off at top speed. The wind blows strongly in response, suggesting that the bus is the source of all wind - whether it can be seen by humans or not.

After watching this film and researching its history as an adult, I am not surprised by how captivated I was as a child. The focus on nature was appealing to me both then and now. The detailed and artistic style sets My Neighbor Totoro apart from other animated films. The world of Totoro does not feel as vast as it did when I was a child, perhaps because I have lost much of my childhood imagination over the years. Still, the nostalgia that I feel in rewatching this film is able to reconnect my adult self with the fragments of childlike wonder that still exists inside of me.

[yellowcry]

Cornplate

I heard about Encanto from one of my friends. Luckily, my local shop just had cheap copies

A crack fic because why not?

I remember it as if it happened yesterday. Probably because it happened yesterday.

I was shopping in our local cheap convenience store, when my eyes spotted something. A CD with Encanto. A Disney Movie my friend didn't stop talking about. I was somehow intrigued as she really praised it. Part of me was surprised. It was 2024, who the hell uses CD disks in that time?

Luckily, my parents hadn't update our PC since before my birth, so it wasn't a problem.

For my huge relief, it was at markdown. How could anyone miss a chance like this?

The first thing that made me feel uncomfortable happened when I unpacked the box at home. Some idiots decided that, apparently, putting two covers was a brilliant idea. They looked exactly the same, only that the second was black and white.... Okay, maybe it FAR from exactly the same. But anyway, it was cheap. There probably would be some defects.

So, as I had beaten up the computer system unit to make it run and inserted a disk, the image immediately floated. CRAP! It's a virus... PC is probably dest—

"Hola," I froze, staring at the screen. Seeing a young man in here. "You had found a true version of the movie. The one that Disney had tried to destroy." Okay, what the heck? "Please, spread this version, the world has to knpw the truth about my wife and descendants."

Okay, why does it sound like I'm in some cheap creepypasta story?

I had leaned back in my chair, opening a pack of snack. Well, I had to do the best comfort, right?

A corn growing in a pot appeared on the screen.

"Open your eyes." An old woman asked, holding a girl. The magic corn of the Madrigal family? What? What are stories are they doing these days...

The visual was showing a young old woman (not really old then) and a man that I had seen in the beginning standing in a burning field. The entire food was destroyed. But then a man dropped dead because why not and one last corn grew bright and created a huge field.

"When my children came of age, the corn had given them magic gifts to serve our fields!" I listened to the explanation, intrigued. I wonder what would a girl's gift be.

Time switched to a years later. Pacing through the routine where a Tía Pepa rains on the crops. Julieta cooks. Dolores listens to the parasites. Camilo shapeshifts to have better physical strength. Isabela grows corn and Luisa plows the land. Such a good strong family! Everyone has a... What do you mean Mirabel doesn't have a gift??

Apparently, her door had dissapeared! Poor girl, but at least her family does really good even so. Mirabel is really sweet! She's such a good prima to Tonito! And she had even make a plush corn for him!

Gladly, Antonio got a gift. I breathed out with relief, knowing that the family was good.

But then... The family took a picture with corn... They took it all and Mirabel hadn't get any! Really sad... I wish her all corn in the world!

WHAT?? THE CORN IS WITHERING?? Oh no! What if they'll be left without any food? But once Mirabel calls everyone, everything looks fine. But it was definitely wrong ten seconds ago?

Honestly, this family just couldn't't catch a break. Abuela confirmed that the corn is indeed in danger. And at the next morning Luisa acted really off.

Oh, I guess being forced to work all day wasn't fun. I thought she was happy being useful, but she is breaking from the weight of a plow on her shoulders. At least we now knew about a vision.

Bruno's room looked awful. So abandoned. You can't grow anything in here. And lots of stairs! Too many for it to be legal! And the vision has Mirabel. Of course, it's always the protagonist in the centre of everything.

Tía Pepa told how her brother ruined her wedding corn but making ber rain too hard. She ended up flooding it. And while Mirabel was bisy with a vision the family did... something. Either preparing for the dinner or crying because her gift and corn are withering.

Mirabel in a empty field. Crap, it so tense! I bit my finger, waiting for the outcome.

The dinner was disastrous. All corn is rotting! Everyone saw Mirabel in a vision. And rats grabbed it taking it into the walls! Whre a strange man lives. Honestly, if I was Mirabel, I would immediately move the hell outta here. I mean, sure, it's her Tío. But why the hell does house have an apartment inside its walls??

No, dude, I understand everything, but how tf did you manage to live in the freaking walls for ten years? Oh, well, I probably should had expected that.

They take another vision where Mirabel hugs Isabela. Honestly, Isa was pretty rude through most of the movie. But that's what siblings are for.

Their talk grows into another musical number where Isabela makes a corn that looks like somebody had injected drugs into it. Pretty normal, I'm seeing it every odd Tuesday.

The moment where Mirabel and Abuela are arguing are literally makes me cry. And the corn is all dead! NO, NO, MIRA, SWEETY, DON'T GO!

At the next morning we get to see Abuela's story. The loss of her husband made her too closed and protective. And feeling like thay have to deserve the food. I had never thought Abuela had suffered so much...

But, together the family can make a new field even without their gift! And, what's even better, the entire village goes to help. They wanted to pay back after all those years of food supply from the Madrigals.

In the end of the day, they are family. And they are in it together. This movie needs to stop being so damn sweet, or I'm gonna flood my floor with tears like I'm Pepa.

The magic returns? But, now, the Madrigals are imperfect! I hope they will get even better!

How could Disney lie about the true version? They so annoying! No, listen, guys, how about we sue them to make a true version of Encanto get the fame it deserves?

[lovelyshydahlia]

Ssoooo… this is the first time I’m posting my digital art. And yeah I kinda been having a tmnt hyper fixation/obsession recently. I kinda blame the fact mutant mayhem came out and I finished getting through rottmnt, which btw they are both amazing, I highly recommend them both. Rottmnt is rough at the start, but it gets better as you watch more, please give it a chance.

Anyway, I had recently been in terrible art block, I just couldn’t be motivated to draw for so long that I was actually beginning to forget how to draw. It was honestly depressing. But then one day for fun I decided to challenge myself, I wanted to see if I could make an oc love interest for each turtle. To make unique characters with interesting designs and backstories. Which helped me finally break out of that art block.

And I’m hoping to show more of these oc’s to continue helping with my skills, both in art and writing. Also I will now be starting to take questions for my oc’s. I still won’t take requests because I’m not ready for that kind of pressure, but I will love to hear questions like as simple as “what’s their favorite Disney movie?” to as complex as “what happened to them in Rottmnt bad future?”.

Also quickly wanted to say these designs don’t necessarily belong to a particular universe, this is sorta in general design. Other universe designs will probably look different.

Anyway, here’s a description for each girl. Hope you like all of this!🐢💚💙❤️🧡💜💚

🌸Hana Sakurai.🌸

Species: human.

Color theme: pink.

Weapons: tessen/war fan.

Love interest: Leonardo Hamato.

Backstory: Hana grew up loving ballet and she was very fortunate, in a wealthy and loving family. But unfortunately one day her parents tragically died in a fire, just barely surviving herself and coming out of it scarred. She then moved in with her grandparents in New York, her life changing forever as she’s healing from her trauma.

⚙️Joy.⚙️

Species: android/robot.

color theme: cyan/teal.

Weapons: depends, she can turn her hands into blasters.

Love interest: Donatello Hamato.

Backstory: I’m still figuring out her backstory. But basically she is a robot that had gained sentience. Much like the turtles, she grew up hidden from the world, until one day she was discovered and ended up on the run. Fortunately she stumbles upon the turtles and takes shelter with them.

🦊Kit.🦊

Species: Kitsune/fox yokai.

Color theme: black.

Weapons: kunai.

Love interest: Michelangelo Hamato.

backstory: Kit has grown up in a very difficult life. She is considered part of an endangered species that is unfortunately still hunted. Most of her life has been about nothing but survival. Until she meets the Hamato family, changing her life for the better.

🌹Grace Reyes.🌹

Species: human.

Color theme: white.

Weapons: typically none, but she eventually learns about handling a bow staff.

Love interest: Raphael Hamato.

Backstory: Grace grew up in a loving family, a brother, a sister, a mom, a dad and a grandmother. She’s the oldest of her siblings and her father works as a cop. But unfortunately her life went a little downhill when she ended up in an accident that took her sight. She learns and adapts to this new life, struggling but managing. But one day when going to therapy, she meets Hana who was also going to therapy and ends up getting into all sorts of adventures together.

[jsindij]

i no longer own pink.

yesterday i watched the barbie movie with my friend and, naturally, we wanted to dress up for the occasion.

as i sifted through my closet, i was hit with the realization that i simply don't own pink clothes anymore.

as a young girl, pink was my favorite color.

shirts, jackets, dresses, accessories - you name it. along with my love for disney, princesses, hello kitty, and of course: barbies.

i was such a doll girl.

i was blessed to have a barbie dream house and remote-controlled pink corvette in my collection of toys gifted over several christmases and birthdays.

i remember making little stop-motion videos of my dolls playing house or school and diy-ing more items for them to enjoy.

i never drew on them with marker or cut their hair in obscure ways.

i took care of them,

and i'd like to think they took care of me too.

when we were really young, my sister and i were very close

- back when being young meant your sibling was your best friend and spending time with them was free of conflict and true misunderstanding.

once we reached the age where our interests began to diverge and early indicators of the versions of ourselves we would eventually grow into finally emerged, i suddenly felt alone.

i remember at this initial shift, i had coped through my dolls

- too young to articulate how my first encounter with the realities of growing up made me feel.

but now that i'm older,

i can finally give it an earnest shot.

growing up is thinking your sister hated you because she didn't want to play dolls with you anymore, then realizing it was just because she was discovering other things in the world to be experienced.

it is thinking your sister didn't love you anymore because she stopped saying it and no longer let you hug her, then realizing it was just because there are other ways to express you love someone.

growing up is realizing you actually had a beautiful childhood

-that the things that forced you to mature too soon had obstructed vour memory of what it felt to be a kid.

because you grew up with an older sister and both your parents

and even had two grandparents in the house.

you celebrated birthdays and christmases and had gatherings with extended family where you got to spend time with multiple generations of family members.

growing up is realizing that on average, parents have eighteen years with their child.

that's 18 birthdays, summers, and holidays together before you leave and truly embark into the real world.

and that is a shorter amount of time than we realized while we were living through it.

growing up is realizing that that was why it was difficult for your mother to release you from her embrace when you left for college.

growing up is acknowledging that you could've expressed more gratitude, could've complained less or acted less annoyed when your mother wanted to take photos of and with you.

growing up is realizing the depth of the quote from the film:

"we mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they've come."

growing up is realizing how similar you are to your mom and finding more and more parallels between you and her as you get older.

growing up is looking through the photo albums on your mom's facebook page because she uploaded most of your childhood memories there and realizing you inherited your love for documentation from her.

it is realizing you should take more photos with your family while you still can (and having a genuine desire to do so) because you understand now how sacred time is and how precious they are to you.

to grow up is to realize the concept of growing up.

as we get older, time feels as though it passes faster because we become increasingly conscious of its value and its loss.

it is to grieve the past versions of ourselves while simultaneously stepping into our next one.

growing up is watching the barbie movie and its message piercing like a needle through the fabric of your adulthood, its thread coated with bittersweet nostalgia.

but it does not damage you with its puncture.

it gently pokes around,

as if tickling your inner child to wake it,

reminding you of how it felt to grow up as a young girl playing with her barbie dolls.

it is crying at the movie theater with absolutely no shame.

it is smiling at the young girl and her mother in the row in front of you when you walked in the theater and seeing the lone elderly woman in the row behind you who also sat through the credits, for you all came to watch the same film.

it is walking out in your skirt and the pink hair bow your friend let you borrow to take selfies with the movie poster before grabbing food for the post-movie debrief.

it is getting a message from a family member who happened to be at that same mall, and her coming by with your niece whom you haven't seen in years to say hello.

it is realizing she is ten now.

it is remembering when she was born.

remembering playing with her as she grew into a toddler.

it is remembering that you gave her and her sister your dolls once you 'grew out of them' at a certain age.

it is then remembering that you left your three-story barbie dream house in the trash room when you moved out of the apartment you grew up in because it was too big to conveniently give to them, and had a lot of missing or broken parts by then.

it is having a memory of the house with its layer of collected dust and not remembering what happened to the pink, remote-controlled corvette.

it is wishing you had kept at least one doll.

it is realizing the same thing applied to your childhood clothes: given to younger family members, donated, or (for the really worn-down pieces) simply thrown out.

growing up is realizing why you don't own pink anymore.

and it is wanting to go and change that.

-C.C.

(Credit: @cam.casi on TikTok)

[ebblogs]

Photographer's Eye: The Joys in My Life

Photographs are very important to capture memories in this time period. Photographs are memories and feelings frozen in time. When someone looks at a picture they have captured, those memories and emotions from that exact time start flowing back. The theme I have chosen for this topic is a few things that bring joy into my life. I have now realized that most of the things that bring me joy are those I have been experiencing and loving since I was a child. The photos below consist of things my family and I enjoy doing in our free time, along with some furry family members I can trust to bring joy into my day.

Pets:

No matter what part of my life I am talking about, I have always had a pet. My pets are a big part of my life and are considered family to everyone. I have a cat that is 16 years old, along with two dogs who are 8 and 10. Before my current dogs, I had a dog in the family before I was born. It lived up to 16 years old and sadly passed away when I was 7. The point of this section is every single one of my pets throughout my life has always been able to produce joy in my life. I tend to take pictures of them when I think they look cute or silly.

Disney:

For as long as I can remember, my family and I have been going to Disney. My parents joined the Disney Vacation Club before I was born in 1999, when it was “cheaper.” When I lived in New York, we would come down to Florida and visit Disney once a year. Now that we live in Florida, we visit two to three times a year. I love going to all the parks and riding all my favorite rides. I used to love meeting the characters and getting their signatures when I was younger, but we don’t do that much anymore. We meet friends and family there too.

New York Yankees:

My family has been a Yankees fan for my whole life. I remember walking into the house, playing outside with my friends any day with a game from spring to fall, and seeing a Yankee game on. We went to several games when we lived in New York and plan on seeing a World Series game if they end up making it. I’ve been to games on my birthday and even on holidays. They are my favorite team throughout any sport, and whenever the baseball season starts, it is a very exciting time in the family.

Video Games:

I was born into a family that enjoys video games. I have been playing video games for as long as I can remember and loved watching my brother and dad play video games. When I was a kid, we had the original Xbox, Wii, Xbox 360, DS Lite, and this console called the V.Smile consisted of video games but was more like an educational video game console for kids. As I was growing up, my brother got the PlayStation 4, and I got the Xbox One. Now I have a PC, a Nintendo Switch, and a PS5. I continue to play video games; they are how I keep in touch with many of my friends back home in New York. A lot of my favorite memories consist of having video games in them.

New York, Hometown, and Childhood Home:

Last but not least, everything in New York, my hometown, and my childhood home. I grew up about 20 minutes away from New York City WITH NO traffic, which was very rare, 45 minutes to an hour away realistically. I moved away when I was 15. It was all I've ever known where all my friends and family are. So many unforgettable memories were made that I could never forget. I last visited New York for the first time in three years in June for my friend's graduation at my old high school. The pictures shown below are some pictures I took while driving to my hometown, such as the city skyline and the highway sign stating my hometown. The photo on the bottom left is of my childhood home on moving day, so it may look a little dull, but so many memories that were made there. My family lived in that house for 21 years.

(I took all of these photos)

[zootplayz]

Family No More

Here we are officially Disney Villains which is quite bizarre for me because I like to give my sims the happily ever after life. So this is going to be quite a departure gameplay-wise for me. Damien set his sights on Strangerville for his new home. After all, he grew up in the desert the heat is his home. With the small inheritance, he was able to purchase a just as small home to get him started.

It's not much but it's his. Well, that's what most anyone else would say but not Damien.

He grew up in a life of luxury. First in the Landgraab mansion then his uncle's swanky apartment (with free maid service!). And yet here he is in (what he considers) a shack that is just infested with creepy crawlies.

Yeah, plasma bats! Thought they were only in the jungle... It's no wonder he takes up anyone on an invitation out.

OMG, leave me alone! But quite frankly the socializing is just plain unacceptable, so when his birthday came along he chose to celebrate it alone.

But there's no way his loving mother Daphne let the celebration go without a present. The pitter-patter of paws on his porch was all he needed to hear to know that his mother finally made good on her promise to get him a dog of his own.

Malcolm of course wouldn't allow pets in the house Damien promptly named him Lucifer, not knowing he was the proud owner of one of the sweetest dogs ever born. As for Damien himself, he grew into an ambitious adult and has taken quite an interest in gambling.

It has to be an easier way to earn money than the business world he's working in. Although there's always a way to make a quick buck for a sim who keeps his eyes and ears open.

Just as long as he doesn't start to blow his new simoleons on gambling debts we can avoid another run-in with the Fengs. He took his first real score and expanded upon his shack, giving him and Luci a bit more room.

Looks like that super-parent aspiration is starting to show even if his only child is a dog. For Summerfest Damien finally took his mother up on an offer to visit where she made him a promise.

"No matter what your father says this house will be yours one day and there's nothing he can do to stop it. There's a reason I run The Family's books and not Malcolm." Damien couldn't help but smile. His mother may be by all appearances one of the kindest and best sims you've ever met but boy could she be devious. But Damien couldn't let his mother see his reaction and quickly responded. "Yeah, whatever Mom. Just keep dad away from me today." Daphne was kind of surprised by his response. "I've never broken a promise to you before son." Realizing he hurt his mother Damien responded in a far softer tone than before and ended with a smile. "I know." As the temperature increased so did the tempers in the Landgraab manor.

And this time words just weren't enough and things took an unexpected turn.

Malcolm wasn't taking any lip from anyone, including his own son.

I'll wipe that smile off your face .... Dad The holiday events didn't end there. As the evening wore on and the juice took over Damien declared his own father an enemy.

Prequel Part 02 Read the full article

[notyouraveragebozo]

Note 7/21/2023

A small business responds to the NASA + AARO (All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office) UAP Independent Study Team Report of May 31, 202 Take -TWO (This is the Second, more reflective, response after the one posted here on tumblr on June, 2, 2023). From: the desk of Unique Destinations Enterprise –  CEO/COB

To: science.nasa.gov/uap and everyone who would like to understand better, and who read the following message,… (This message comes after a total of 5 full-listens, of the 4-hour long NASA YouTube presentation.)

We had a small following on the corporate tumblr account, but after posting the first – long – response to the UAP Meeting,… We found corporate tumblr account followers dropped-off. We apologize if anyone took offense. We (did/do) NOT intend denigrate those seeking to ‘grow in understanding’. We posted the Red Curtain Tour video to Our Home page (4/16/2023), – 836 days after  – We first went LIVE to the World – and 3 days before  – AARO spoke to Congress (4/19/2023). (We had hopes that this new material would have been  ‘mentioned’.  Harassment of truth seekers – was/is – not – Our aim. We have taken pains to try to be as transparent, and forthright as possible.)

Being a VERY small company, it is a daily challenge to distance and/or ‘filter’ business matters promos/plans/ and intentions, from – public ‘expression’ – of ‘personal views’ on things. (And proof-reading and editing – are big challenges – as well.)

Let me begin by saying to – all – that I have great respect for those who seek after knowledge. Those who advance Science, and those who serve in Academia, informing and inspiring future generations… I whole-heartedly endorse.

(The following is a short and incomplete bio.) I grew up with NASA and the Space Age. The oldest of four boys (with five years span between – first and fourth.) I was privileged to travel for three weeks each summer as a kid, (up until my senior year), due to my father’s Hospital Administration work. We traveled/camped in many State and National parks each summer, and traveled through many states, (about 23), and I visited many museums, libraries, and monuments. – I had a very enriched experience as a youth.) The asthma would make camping hard, at nights, but the things I saw and experienced,…I was very pleased and grateful, to experience – all of the things and places my parents enabled me to witness and take-‘in’

In elementary school, I had as a classmate – the niece of one the Apollo One crewmembers. I was the space cadet/class-clown and she was like – a movie star to me. (She was so pretty!) I was a slow-blooming student, with ADDHD, asthma, (and was socially awkward with peers - having so many brothers - to occupy my life.) I tended to be more comfortable with rocks than with people.

My asthma kept me ‘immobile’ a lot,… I grew up in front of the TV. Nature shows like: ‘Marlin Perkins and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom’; ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau’;   ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’; and many hours of Science Fiction TV shows, like: ‘Time Tunnel’; ‘Johnny Quest’; ‘My Favorite Martian’; ‘20,000 Leagues under the Sea’; ‘Twilight Zone’, ‘Lost in Space’; ‘It’s About Time’; ‘Star Trek’ – and many others. I brought the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons to my High School when I was a Junior. (My family was a family of ‘nerds’.) My brothers, coming-up, after me, learned from my mistakes – and each made Phi Beta Kappa in college.

I started my collegiate education by failing-out – after 1 1/2 years,… – but – after that VERY expensive ‘learning’ experience,…  I returned to school – and was made valedictorian of the third largest school in my state. (I had joined the Marines after ‘failing-out’ – in order to grow in discipline.) (I currently stand at having connections to 14 post-secondary institutions.)

I am also a life-long rock-hunter/fossil-collector/and artifact-seeker. It has long been my nature to look for ‘patterns’ and rationale, for ‘Why?’, ‘What?’, ‘Where?’,  and ‘How?  – and thinking about ‘What to do?’ – with what is noticed by my eye. The asthma, kept me ‘still’ and able to focus on my surroundings, and the ADDHD kept me ‘searching’.

When I rock-hunt – I search – with ‘intention’  – (as well ‘joy’ and ‘hope’, in serendipitously discovering things ‘special’ enough to go into my bucket.) I try to gauge the environment, I look for clues that might inform my searching. My eyes scan, and my brain ‘decodes’ the – ‘favorability quotient,…  – continuously ‘assessing’ – each rock’s ‘potentiality’ – against – the ‘leaverite’.

I have had to physically ‘weigh the merits’ of having a beautiful 68.4 lbs. boulder of fossil fern impressions at my home – versus – the ‘pressing’ reality of having to shoulder the boulder to the car, in 105 degree heat, a half-a-mile away,… – uphill – (But hey,.. it’s what rock hounds do.) – I’ve had to contemplate logistics, as many times as I have had adventures.

I am trying to say, that in my days, on this beautiful, blue, miraculous, marble,…  I’ve spent many long hours in silent contemplation, utilizing the elements of the Scientific Method:  – making observations; collecting data; and developing hypotheses – (by having my mind open, to take – second – closer looks – to scrutinize – clear my eyes,  look, again, and again, and again,… and, review, ‘it-all’,… and,… I come to revise the ‘angle’ of my ‘understanding’…. until I am either satisfied – that I figured something ‘new‘ – out, or,… if I can go no further at the moment, then I’m stuck at a point, and…   I’m left to question   – wanting more data,… more ‘input. This is how I process, make sense, and deal with my world.

55 months ago, while virtually wandering this World, as one would a beach – but utilizing satellite imagery – in place of eyes upon the ground,… potentially ‘novel‘ information – was first encountered.

This Intellectual property, is at the heart of the small, veteran-owned/operated company, A Urumalli, U Macinasar, G Entum – Unique Destinations Enterprise.

It took two years of patient, solo, silent study, and the deepest of cogitation, (and three website developers) – before finally being able to turn the website, UniqueDestinations.org  –  ‘On’, and…  an Opportunity – ‘the likes of which, the World had never known’,   was – first broadcast – to the citizens of this planetary paradise.

With that being said,… to the meat of the matter’ at hand… as to UAPs  – (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon)

Regarding UAPs,… Unique Destinations Enterprise and UniqueDestinations.org CANNOT talk about: ways to improve sensor and detector methods;  safeguarding air travel; mitigating space junk; or discussing the ‘goings-on’ in the sky today, that cannot be explained. However, We find ourselves in a position to contribute to the understanding, of a specific subset of UAP investigational lines of query.

Unique Destinations Enterprise and UniqueDestinations.org can offer insight into that, which is – proposed to be observable – at a certain, specific, geophysical, latitude/longitude location, – (in-situ!)

It is not a trivial side-point, to mention, that what appears - as ‘observable’, – appears to have 'occasioned' – a VERY long time ago! Should this be found evident,… (the possible – ‘vast’ – age),… it is conceivable to think,…  that – coupled – with the sightings of stuff moving around in the sky today,… – this OLD(?) thing – could inform us-all of – some (very interesting information).

I understand – that at the time of this meeting, Dr. Nadia Drake, was speaking, as she knew things to be ‘true’, when she iterated the corollary…  ‘to date in the referred scientific literature, there is no conclusive evidence suggesting an extraterrestrial origin, for UAP’.

Dr. Drake,… you spoke the truth, but just because certain supportive evidence for ‘claims’, are not ‘in-the annals’ or ‘in-hand’ (by the meeting date) – does not mean, that – evidence – does not – ‘exist’ – to be recorded in much clearer imagery in the near future.

During the May 31st, UAP Roadmap to Investigative Research – Framework Development meeting,… several phrases were mentioned repeatedly: ‘a needle-in-a-haystack’; ‘extraordinary claims requiring extraordinary proof’; and ‘without sufficient data, we are unable to reach defendable conclusions’.

In my life, also courtesy of NASA,   I have heard, (voiced in real-time 54 years ago!), the thrilling adage, – “One small step for a man, and one giant leap, for mankind.”

For 55 months now, I have been in a very unusual - and I feel very privileged position,… to be the ‘shepherd’ – of a new possibility – a new ‘opportunity‘ for everyone.

If you seek ‘possible’ leaps in learning,… regarding the nature of this Universe,… and to seek to find solutions to the pressing: Climate issues; Energy issues; and matters of ‘Food, Shelter, and the remedies to the Human ills of the ‘heart’ and of the mind,…besides looking – as far, far away as you can possibly see – to take it – all  – in… UniqueDestinations.org, would have it be understood, that amazing things abound – right here – under our noses! Things wondrous, and miraculous,   just wait to be discovered - and learned about.

To start to learn about any new thing, we all are taught the ‘basics’, and when we are informed,… it is from – a ‘certain point’ – a place of ‘beginning’,… – putting all growing/searching/hungry minds, on the ‘same page’.

The Home page of UniqueDestinations.org – is a great place to begin to learn about possible novel data.

We await the ‘validity test‘ – that We had ‘couched' in a ‘dream opportunity’ – for those who could ‘dream-without-restraint’. We had offered – a unique opportunity to entertain thoughts both –  boggling – and – remarkable. We offered an ‘Adventure‘ -(‘everything that it takes – to cobble together an expedition – actively wrapping one’s mind around the ‘What-ifs’?, and ‘What-nows’? that come about, when contemplating – ‘walking up and rapping on the door.’ (All that would go through such an ‘experiencing’ mind,…  that – experience,…  – will be the – ‘Tale‘ – they will tell – forever!)

We offered – the opportunity to ‘dream’ dreams – in such a way, as to try to – ‘move and inspire, and fill one’s being, and life, with a renewed sense of awe, wonder, respect, and purpose,’… or,… just to have some new – EXPENSIVE – memories made.

We offered the ‘deepest of human dreams’. A supreme adventure – full of ultimate cogitation

After the recent tragedy at sea with those travelers into the cold, dark, unknown,… We are rethinking the logistics required, in a second  auction presentation. Do We repeat, as We had shared before? Or, might there be,… tweaks?         

With 99 pages of unredacted text, 11 more stills, and one more movie,… the Deep-Dive materials help provide for ‘clarity’ in one’s personal opinions.

Just how the Coordinates are moved upon, is still – up for consideration. In the eventual dissemination of my ‘dreamy’ directions – it is my most fervent hope – that this material not be swept under a rug, and hidden-away.

Any collaboration  would be with Science, Academia, Industry , here in America, and Internationally.  – (This is thinking – hypotheticals – out-loud.)

As one of 8,000,000,000 people on this planet, I felt a duty to share, what this ‘citizen’ saw. I felt everyone must have a chance to comprehend, if they so choose. So I was tasked to make things readable in many tongues – to minimize any miscommunication.

If you want to make some headway in Your UNDERSTANDING… You know where to go for the Coordinates of Conundrum – the Directions to a ‘Dream’  – an adventure – of rarest sort. We can point to where you begin your Journey into Tomorrow, – the place to start  – to learn more.

We have a new Facebook profile: ‘Unique Destinations Enterprise’ – (it is still in its early days and rudimentary.) I have been notoriously hard to contact,  We have email: manager@uniquedestinations.org We have tumblr @UniqueDestinationsEnterprise Plurk @UniqueDestinationsEnterprise, YouTube @uniquedestinationsenterpri7973; and @UniqueDestinations.org on TikTok.

For those who seek to understand how it – all – 'first began' – (whatever that means),… Remember the Bard – ‘There are more things in heaven,… and on Earth, Horatio,… than are dreamt of, in your philosophy.’ (FYI: When I had first experienced higher education, and had failed-out -I was studying Philosophy.) But,… like John Cleese, had eventually exclaimed,… ‘I got better’.

I have grown in my understanding over time. I have had wonderful experiences in my days - as I have had bad ones, – but – knowing what I do – now,… I would not use the ‘Time Tunnel’  to travel back in Time to tell myself – even – five words! I would endure everything – all over again – to be in the position – I find myself in – today.   I am not a comic book, or an AI fabrication. I am flesh and blood human that saw ‘something’ and took the chance. I created an opportunity to grow, and I shared it for free,  with everyone having a cell phone and access to the internet. In the time since going LIVE – 12/31/2020, I sought to improve comprehensibility in 104 languages and spoken English voice! I have added a verbal Back story element after the self-proclaimed ‘free speech absolutist’ SILENCED my CEO Twitter account.

I have added a Red Curtain Tour video, and have a Director’s Den page that reflects on the First auction attempt. Since Halloween of 2022 – I have shared one element of my Post Script messages – intended to be held back for after the GPS Coordinates sale, (but due to the human element of the message, I could not risk staying silent, in case of losing the human opportunity to ‘connect’.

As of this posting, I can offer coffee mugs to consumers – globally – (for reduced shipping and increased speed in problem resolution.)

With coffee mugs available,… the next step before the Coordinates are dealt with,… I am tasked with finding an Art gallery home for my image,  ‘Abstracting Enigma’.

 And then, to the meat of the conversation, as far as UAP go,…

Unique Destinations Enterprise and UniqueDestinations.org can address the extraordinary claim of – a ‘possible, ancient, crashed, flying-saucer’.

Validity and Verification await those bold enough to move forward and explore.

At the time-mark (3:53:44), Dr. David Spergel stated,… ’I think this is an opportunity for Citizen Science’. - I do not know if he was referring to me, specifically, but I know, We DO have the ‘GEEPS’ – (GPS data.)

Thank you for listening to this long post.  No slight is intended, however I am sensitive to those that belittle the pursuit of new information, and those who would amplify ‘fear’ and ‘loathing’, over making new discoveries and advancements.

This is the Second – (more studied) – response, to the NASA + AARO UAP Investigational framework-building, ‘Road Map’ for Studying  Anomalous Phenomenon presentation, of 5/31/2023.

I thank you for having the patience to read this message.

Respectfully, the small business Unique Destinations Enterprise and UniqueDestinations.org, – (The place where dreams and reality, may meet),… and,… –( a ‘needle’ – may be parted, from – a ‘haystack’).

(This letter is posted here for transparency and will also be directly sent to the NASA UAP website.)

[elliemuze]

So I don't normally post personal stuff or opinions. At most, I'll tack on a small anecdote on an existing post, and usually just in the tags. Rarely, if ever, do I create my own. But I feel a visceral need to reinforce something important.

I grew up on early Disney movies. That's my childhood. My first VHS was Bambi, when I was too young to even comprehend what a movie was. I was also an only child, quiet, autistic, and riddled with OCD. I disappeared into movies and books, felt like I was a part of them, and to this day can experience a meltdown at the slightest indication of change.

The Little Mermaid was my favorite. I'd pretend to be a mermaid almost daily, wrapping my legs in blankets or t-shirts, singing my tiny lungs out. In the course of growing up, I'd own a walkman and eventually a CD player. Each had the OST on standby, as cassette tape and CD. I never talked on the long bus rides, just put on my headphones and let the music take me. When I discovered Limewire, the OST was one of the first things I downloaded. My first real bed after the crib era was adorned with an Ariel comforter set, and I had Flounder and Sebastian stuffed animals that never left it until probably high school. In grade school, my mom spent months making me an Ariel costume for Halloween, of which I still have the tail skirt (obviously no longer fits). I don't much care for public performances, especially when they're loud and bright, but when my family took me to Little Mermaid on Ice, I could have stayed in that auditorium forever.

We had one luxurious* family trip to Disney World when I was in 4th grade. We were in Florida for a week, and other than getting placed in a baby stroller by Captain Hook to be comically wheeled around, my highlight of the entire trip was meeting Ariel. I spent most of our time there wondering where she was and when I'd get to meet her, and then if we could go back and talk to her again - I suspect ad nauseum lol.

*Luxurious to us. My parents saved up for years, I presume, and got lucky with some once in a lifetime deals and group discounts. (This was also 20+ years ago.) We were never rich or well-off, so this was a dream come true.

With all that being said... anyone up in arms over Ariel being Black should be ashamed of themselves. Anyone complaining that Disney is just trying to be "woke" should be ashamed of themselves. As if Black people are some ancillary customization that aggrieves the societal "default." What the actual fuck is wrong with you? Sincerely? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way, I have zero interest in any excuse you might conjure from your ass. Any bullshittery will be blocked.)

I truly believe you all need to take a serious look at yourselves, the words you're saying, and do some crisis-level introspection. Because this is embarrassing. It's senseless. As someone struggling daily with adulthood and wishing she could disappear back to the ignorant bliss of childhood, y'all desperately need to grow the hell up and act like real people.

How on earth can you look at all these little Black girls being over the moon to see someone like them, and still hold such vitriol in your hearts? How can you take something so joyful and innocent, and bend over backwards to make it ugly? Most of you I've seen behaving like this are grown ass men, too - as if you'd otherwise even care about a movie whose prime demographic was young girls.

Fucksake, aren't y'all tired? It's so easy, and free, to not act this way. Like you're all competing for the title of Most Contemptible Shitstain, but no one told you it's a defunct category.

-

I know she'll never see this, but Halle Bailey, you make a spectacular Ariel. Thank you for rekindling my childhood with such grace, and all in under two minutes. That trailer left me breathtaken and feeling like I was yeeted magically back through time.

I'm so excited to share this story and experience with all of you. I know it's an obvious sentiment and shouldn't even need to be said, but in case you ever need to hear it: you deserve nice things, you deserve magic, and you deserve the world.

❤💜💚

[darkcrowprincess]

My thoughts: fair warning to people who are following me. I'm a lunter shipper, I don't like Amity's character at all. Lunter just makes more sense to me. I'm not a fan of miraculous lady bug anymore do to bad writing and because I just don't like Marinette's character anymore(she's so annoying). I love sailor moon, especially 90s English dub because thats what I grew up with, usagis new English voice actor's voice is annoying, so I don't listen to the new English dub. Don't like sailor moon crystal because the animation sucks and they took out everything I loved about the 90s one. Don't understand why my little pony is so popular or ever will. I love catradora, and don't understand the hate on catra' character. I think catra had a perfect story arc. I love Shera and the princess of power as is. It's a great show. Plus it has Entrapta and she is my spirit animal. So don't get the hate for shera. I don't get new cartoons or new kid shows/teen show of today. They're all so bad, so sanitized, or just plain bad writing. I'm a zutara shipper(or just zuko finding happiness with anyone's besides mai. Don't like her character very much). I don't like legend of Korra, the writing was just really bad. Especially after season one. So never watched it after season one. I hate the cartoon movie Disney beauty and the beast and love the live action one so much. It's my favorite of the live action disney movies. Emma Watson was the perfect Belle and made her more relatable. The little mermaid is my Disney movie and don't get all the hate on Ariel. She's the best. Love all versions of the little mermaid. Even the original fairy tale and any movies based on the original fairy tale. I hate the frozen movies with the burning intensity of a thousand suns. The movies are just not good. Titanic is a good movie. I love that movie. I also love James Cameron's avatar movie(can't wait for the sequel) and never understood why it isn't more popular. I love 80s movies and 80s fashion( would not want to live during that era) especially 80s romance movies, or any 80s movies were the main character is female and relatable. Though I don't get the breakfast club or why it's so popular. I love criminal minds and true crime documentaries(especially ones with female criminals). I don't like the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus book series. Mostly cause theres not enough Artemis in it, Hades would never cheat on his wife Persephone ever! I loved Rachels character and never really liked Annabeth. I thought she was a know it all. I honestly would have picked lukes side. Because the gods as parents suck! The whole concept of demi god children sucks and its abusive. That's mainly why I stopped reading. I love movies on classic novels, but will never read them. Mostly because they just seem so boring. I will never read jane austen because her books are just so boring to read. The language is so difficult to understand. Sam Manson is a horrible character and I don't like her with Danny. Danny's parents are abusive, and he deserves a better ending. The ghost king deserves a better ending. The only Classic novels I've ever read are written by Agatha Christie. I love her writing! Clary from mortal instruments is a mary sue and just Cassandra Clare's writing just seem really bad. Especially her world. The shadows hunters world is very black and white thinking. So I'll never read her books. The show looks really good though. And I like it so far. I love Harry Potter but understand why it's problematic now. And that just makes me really said. I hate when creators turn out to be jerks. Why I strongly believe never meet your heroes. They always disappoint you. My favorite movie this year is "Don't worry darling". I thought it was brilliant and had a good twist. I love ghibli movies and my favorites are spirited away, whispers of the heart, the wind rises, and howls moving castle. If I don't like a part in a book I don't finish it. And if the first paragraph in a book doesn't catch my attention I don't finish it. I love the original dark fairy tales. I love happy endings.

[green-socks]

What More Could I Ever Need prologue

Pairing: Benny Miller x F!reader (Tangled AU)

Summary: Tangled AU where Benny is in the role of Rapunzel (without the hair thing) and reader is basically a female Flynn Rider. A criminal running from the law and a boy who has lived locked up in a tower go on an adventure together. And yes, there is an animal sidekick.

Words: 1,012

Warnings: kidnap of a child

Notes: Why yes it is another Benny AU based on a movie where I have reversed the roles (I definitely have a problem). Presenting Disney prince Benny! And I sort of blame @madrefiero for making me obsessed with this idea because she keeps (unknowingly) feeding me with inspo pics but I truly love it. A billion thanks to @writeforfandoms who has listened me ramble about this way too much and read it through to soothe my nerves <33. Oh and the title is from a song that was supposed to be on the movie soundtrack but wasn't. I couldn't resist opening with "once upon a time" and I won't apologize. But after that I will get normal I promise.

The pic is pretty much what prince Ben looks like to me.

MASTERLIST

Once upon a time there was a prosperous kingdom, ruled by a beloved king and queen. They had everything they could want, but there was a piece missing from their lives. Their dearest wish was to have a child, not just to have an heir, but a child to love.

After several years of hoping, the queen finally gave birth to a beautiful baby boy with golden hair, sparkling blue eyes, and the brightest smile. The day of the baby’s birth the sun shone so brightly that everyone present swore the new prince had been baptized with little drops of sunlight.

They weren’t wrong.

-

The little prince’s cheerful nature and sunshine energy seemed to only grow as he himself grew.

The queen simply doted on her son and refused to give him over to a nurse for more than what was absolutely necessary. She even put him to sleep every night by herself, holding her precious son close to her chest, singing him to sleep.

The queen sang to her child all the time, in fact, and at just a few months old he started humming tunes after his mother, mimicking the melodies. The first time that happened the queen felt like she had just drunk a cup of very strong coffee. Such was the joy of motherhood, she thought as she beamed at her son.

Month by month little Benjamin’s singing got stronger and stronger. And then one time the queen’s flu just disappeared when she was holding Ben and he hummed a melody to her. That was when she started believing there was something truly special about the boy. And it kept on happening until the nurse noticed it, the maids noticed it - even the palace cat seemed much more energetic after being petted by the humming baby.

And the word spread - as it so often does in big palaces like that. The staff talked amongst themselves, and then someone went home and told their family, who told their friend at the pub, and so on and so on.

Word of the rumored magical golden boy who possessed some kind of healing powers reached even the farthest corners of the kingdom. It so happened that they reached a woman who was struggling with the health issues getting older had brought along, and she wanted to see for herself if it really was true.

So she searched work as a cleaning maid at the castle. That way she was free to roam the palace unnoticed and gather information on the young prince.

One night she sneaked into the prince’s room through the balcony and tried to get him to sing to her. She held the baby in her arms and croaked a lullaby she knew.

And the baby started humming with her.

Instantly, she felt her pains going away. She felt younger even.

In that moment the woman made a decision - she would take the baby with her and raise him far away from the palace. Train his singing even more so that he could keep her young for years and years. The king and queen didn’t need this child’s magical powers, she reasoned, they were healthy and easily rich enough to afford any and all remedies if they happened to get sick.

And so she grabbed the baby from his crib and ran.

A palace guard saw her running away from the palace, only her cloak billowing behind her. He heard the baby’s cries getting farther from him with every step the woman took and realized what must have happened.

He alerted the other guards instantly, and they chased after the woman, but she had vanished. They searched for days through all the kingdom, but they could not find the young prince anywhere.

Eventually the king and queen had to tell the people to give up the search and admit that their son was probably in a land far away by now.

But they never gave up hope.

Every year on the prince’s birthday, the king and queen along with all the people in the kingdom released lanterns into the sky at night, partly as a prayer that their son would someday find his way back home, and partly to thank the sun for blessing their son with that drop of sunlight when he was born, the biggest gift they could have asked for.

--------

Meanwhile, little Benjamin grew up away from his parents, locked up in a tall tower hidden deep in a forest. The woman, Dagmar, who had kidnapped him raised him as her own, and fed him a new life story. By the time Benny was a little older, he had no memory of his true parents or true home and believed everything Dagmar had told him.

He was told that he could not go outside, because terrible things would happen to him; mean people would try to harm him. For Benny knew he was special, that his song could heal, and he knew that his mother only wanted to protect him. She explained to him that people had tried to do bad things to him when he was only a baby, and the thought scared him.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t sometimes long to go outside. Oh yes, he was curious; he wondered what it would be like if he ever went outside - would he be brave enough to face it?

-

Every year on his birthday Benny snuck out of his bedroom at night to go to the window and watch these odd lights flying across the sky.

For some reason he was drawn to them. Maybe it was because they showed up only on his birthdays, or maybe because they proved to him that there truly were other people somewhere out there. He didn’t really know what the lights were, or what they meant, but sometimes he thought they looked like drops of sunlight floating back towards the sleeping sun.

Those mysterious lights, more than anything else, made him dream about someday venturing outside to the real world.

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

Chapter 1

tagsies @writeforfandoms @starlightmornings

[astoryinred]

Waiting for a happy ending from the other side of the world (why "Encanto" and "Coco" make me cry like a baby)

"One day she had a perfect marriage. The next day, she didn't have a marriage".

This was how my father and my uncles described my grandmother's story. In the 1960s, my grandmother was married to the love of her life. They had seven young children together, and planned to raise them in their "dream house" that they had just bought in a suburb. My grandfather was an up and coming lawyer, well loved and respected by his peers. My grandmother was his steady and sensible partner, the grounding influence to the vivacity that was my grandfather.

That changed when my grandfather was killed in a freak plane accident one afternoon. That was the first time that there was no knock at the big red door of their home at exactly 7:35 in the evening. My grandmother and all their friends searched for the plane wreckage, but only came up with bits and pieces. After some time, my grandmother had to accept that she was a young widow with seven children all under the age of ten. She would have to be both mom and dad to my youngest uncle and aunt--who were still toddlers then. She would have to fight to keep her dream home. She would have to go back to work, make ends meet, and somehow hold her head up high through it all.

She succeeded, with all the steel and vigor she didn't even know she had. This persisted into her old age, and by the time my cousins and I came along she was a formidable matriarch in our community. This was why in my mind she was to me what "Mama Imelda" was to the younger Riveras: an authoritative figure that would not, could not be crossed, someone who had built the family success, and raised a respectable family. The major difference of course between my grandmother and Imelda Rivera was that my grandmother did not obliterate my grandfather's memory. She spoke of him from time to time, with a fondness that grew wistful and tender over the years.

My grandmother passed in 2018, some time after the movie "Coco" came out. To get through the grief I looped "Proud Corazon" over and over again, remembering the times our family all had together. I took comfort in the fact that my grandparents were finally reunited in the afterlife. I believed that we would be okay.

But this is real life, and not Disney. In the first two years after my grandmother's passing, the extended family began to slowly drift apart. Grievances and differences that had never been apparent before now rose to the fore. While my older relatives struggled with their demons and ghosts, my generation had the challenge of making lives of our own---yet somehow remaining connected to a past that was turning more and more nebulous. It did not help at all when we finally had to give up the family home, for lack of the means to maintain it. Then the pandemic struck, further loosening the ties that once bound so well.

In the two years of being away from most of my family, I've had time to reexamine things---as one can do from a distance. It has allowed me to say "geez that was messed up" when looking back at things that were said or done to each other. It has sometimes made me a bit resentful or guarded of how my grandmother and her contemporaries parented ---and how these wounds on the generation of my parents were inflicted anew on me, my siblings, and my cousins. My friends and I have always tried to wave it off as "they are products of their time", but it's never been quite enough.

This was why I decided to watch "Encanto" , despite already being told what it was about. I thought I'd be able to get through it without crying, but of course I could not. How could I be okay when I saw my grandmother's story again, but in a different light?

She had grown up during the worst of World War 2. When she married, she envisioned a different life. She had wanted to grow old with my grandfather. But that did not happen, and she had to be strong for herself, for her kids, and the people around her. She knew her children were talented, and insisted that they do their best to serve their community. She literally fought to keep her home. But she did not have time to grieve, and perhaps never got over some of the things that plagued her nights and memories. And this was why she was so hard on her children and some of her grandchildren, and wanted to remain as respectable, dignified, and astute --- the way my grandfather was. She did a lot of good, but also got a lot of things wrong, only because this was the only way she knew how.

If this were a Disney movie, coming to terms with my grandmother's story would be enough to fix everything --- to bring everyone together and to keep a home. But this is real life. This is the more complex drama of several dozen people scattered across the world, with no more "Casita" to return to. I don't know if there is a happy ending in sight for this saga. But maybe the point of these movies is to believe that such healing can happen, magic or not. Maybe more than catharsis, there's something of a road map to be had in finding what was lost or rebuilding anew: imperfect but strong, flawed but beautiful

[nowlle]

Getting real sick of this.

See when Encanto came out a few months ago, tonnes of people loved it. It was relatable, had fun music, was beautifully animated, and showcased a culture that isn't typically portrayed as often.

Thing is, many people were openly bashing on "white people" for relating to a movie that "wasn't made for them". To be completely fair, there were a fair number of people who tried to take over the narrative and twist the original story into an LGBT one, that issue was fair to criticize. But it wasn't just that issue that people were getting high and mighty over. People all over social media were talking about how they needed to gatekeep the film from every white person because "it wasn't made for them." And they needed to stay out of south American spaces or whatever.

Now, Turning Red just came out. It's about a young "boy hungry" Chinese Canadian girl set during 2002 and it's a coming of age story for her. I and a number of other people didn't really click with this film. I can't really put a finger on why, but I felt like I was on the outside looking in on the film for most of it. I don't think it's a bad film I just don't feel like it suits me. Lots of people have shared this sentiment, and everytime someone shares the opinion, it gets met with people strawmanning and claiming that white people are awful because they suppossedly can't empathize with an Asian Canadian teenager and her plights due to racism and sexism, typical buzzwordy drivel.

But that's what gets me, in both scenarios the response is "it wasn't made for you" whether because they don't like that white people enjoyed/embraced the work, or because they want to get mad at white people for not enjoying the work. And frankly, the idea that people didn't like Turning Red is because 'muh racism' is silly considering the number of disney and Pixar movies that have come out in the past decade that depict cultures from around the world that people of all types loved. How is it that I'm racist for disliking Turning Red while Coco is my favorite Pixar film? I'm not exactly a young music starved Mexican boy but I could still relate to the story. I am however a young woman who grew up in the 2000s and went through puberty, had strict parents and all that stuff shown in the movie but I still didn't relate to Turning Red. I also didn't relate to Pixars "Onward" but no one took issue with that, or the Frozen franchise. It's all so exhausting.

[harold231]

It wasn't real

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Posted: 04/30/2021

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: None? Maybe a lil angst just a lel bet.

A/N: I think it might be good? Idk You let me know. But like frfr, don't just give me feedback in your mind, put it into words. Also I apparently have a thing for Bucky in a dotted apron soooo yeah.

FYI: time zone/era is open for interpretation. Bucky never became an avenger/soldat and steve isn't part of this one.

The wind that blew around you was warm and sweet with the scent of freshly bloomed flowers. Perhaps it was an act of kindness from some God trying to distract you from the cold bitterness settling into your bones. Closing your eyes you conjure the very memory that left you so desolate.

The sun snuck it's way through the curtains to illuminate the room, effectively disturbing the sleep that you always seemed to be craving. Waking up is always hassle but whenever you remember that you get to spend your day with the only person who tolerates you and you him, getting out of bed is the easiest thing. Bucky is crazy and the damn boy is never in one spot for to long and he always has something to say, but you can't imagine how boring your days would be if you guys had never met. well technically if your parents had never met.

When you were a child you parents had to move to new york for business and they decided that Brooklyn was the place to be. You had been Bucky's neighbor and the first day you guys moved in his mom had dragged him over with the most delicious angel food cake that he so proudly claimed to have made mostly on his own. He just loved cooking and baking since forever, he would tell you that he just liked experimenting with foods but you knew the truth was that the boy liked to eat and didn't have the patience to wait for his mother to come home.

Only a few years after your family had moved to Brooklyn you and Bucky had already built an unbreakable bond. You guys had found a beautiful cherry tree one day when playing tag and had deemed it to be your's and Bucky's spot. Whenever you had a bad day or needed time away from the world you guys would go to the tree and just pick cherries, in the winter time you and Bucky would lay under the tree and kick the trunk so that the snow would fall from the leaves. It was the place where at only 15 years old bucky swore he would open his own Bakery and to quote him "I'm serving my ma's food my way doll, It's gonna be the next best thing to hit New York."

You were laying on the ground with your hands crossed behind your head looking up at Bucky swinging upside down from a branch when he told you all this. You felt something you had never felt before at that moment, looking up at the wild haired boy who loved to eat, loved his family, and had the most ambition you had ever heard from kids your age. Your heart felt full and your cheeks grew warm as you looked up at the same blue eyes you had know for years now, only this time you notice the way they twinkle in the sunlight and how rosy his lips are. Now 7 years laters you and Bucky were preparing to open the very bakery he promised you he'd open. Banners were beautifully strung along the walls and cute retro china was set out, ready to be filled for opening day. There was no hesitation from you when Bucky had asked you to run the bakery with him, you were excited to spend your days with the person you hoped you would spend the rest of your life with.

At around 6:30 in the morning you had arrived at the bakery but it seemed that Bucky had beat you to it. The smell of fresh angel food cake and cocoa danced up your nose as soon as you opened the door. Closing your eyes you smiled at the memories that it brought back. Moving to the back you grabbed your Disney themed apron and placed your bag and coat in its place before scurrying over to the kitchen while trying (and failing) to tie your apron. There in all his dorkiness was Bucky wiggling around to the chordettes. He knew that you loved the 50's aesthetic so he found a way to incorporate it without going overboard, by adding little trinkets, a jukebox, and even those cute little dining tables. In fact at the moment he was wearing a ruffly red polka dotted apron as he frosted some cupcakes.

Apron tied, you were finally ready to get to work. You walked up to Bucky bumping his hip as you reached for some cupcake pans, "Whatcha doin here so early Buck, we don't open until 12" he looks at you with squinted eyes, "The hell are you doing here so early." "Woah,woah,woah completely unprovoked. I'm just saying cuz' you were the one complaining about the opening time being set at 8. Like damn." Breathing out a huff of air he wipes his forehead with a towel "I'm sorry doll, I'm just super nervous and I couldn't sleep so I came to start baking things. I already frosted the ice cream cakes and I just finished the pies, but I was thinking that maybe we needed some cupcakes too, even though we already baked so many pastries and stuff last night I'm worried it won't be enough."

Setting down the trays you move to hug Bucky from behind holding him close to you. "Buck I know we'll do great your food is too good to pass up on especially when it's free." You place a soft kiss to his shoulder " I promise you'll do great, everything you do is amazing you try your hardest at everything Buck, You've worked your butt off and made mine considerably larger to get here, don't start losing your mind on me now." A cute little laugh from Bucky lets you know that he's hearing you and he isn't so stressed anymore. "I just want this to be perfect ya know?" with your head still against his back you nod, "I just want it to be a special day for my special girl."

You couldn't stop the slight blush that rose to your cheeks or the way that your heart suddenly started beating three times faster. You had also wanted to make him something special which is why you had got here so early. Finally releasing your hold on Bucky you straighten your apron out before gathering everything you need for some red velvet cupcakes. Bucky loved your red velvet cake so you loved making it for him. After hours of mixing, baking, and frosting had passed, you guys were rewarded with a bakery that looked as great as it smelled. "Alright doll, I'm heading out, I gotta go get ready. Meet you back here at 12 , Love ya." He didn't even give you a chance to answer as he ran right out the door. "Love you too."

You had stayed behind just a little while longer as you perfected your secret project. Carefully you added snowflakes to some of the cupcakes because you knew how much he loved snow even if he hated winter, some cats, flowers that reminded you of bucky, and one extra special cupcake. When you finish you decide to clean up a bit more and prepare some drinks for later before heading home to get ready. As soon as you got home you took a shower and did the simplest of make up with a light pink lip. You had decided to wear a dress to match the blossoming flowers that spring had brought. Pink with a yellow lace trim and flowers embroided all over the dress, matching it with some yellow flats.

You had decided that it was a perfect day for a walk so you grabbed a light scarf and slung it over your shoulders, grabbed Bucky's cupcakes, and headed over to the bakery. You felt as if a Hundred pounds had been lifted from your shoulders knowing that Bucky had felt the same way about you. You had decided that you would tell him today with your special cupcakes. As you rounded the corner you felt giddy and you couldn't wipe the smile from your face no matter how hard you tried. As you reached the bakery you saw that a majority of the people had already arrived and you knew that it would put Bucky at ease to see all the people enjoying his food. You stopped at the window, closing your eyes to take a deep breath to prepare yourself to join the celebration.

Opening your eyes you reached for the handle only to stop at the sight on the other side of the door. Bucky stood there arms wrapped around a woman eyes locked on hers as he leaned in for a kiss. It must have all happened in about 30 seconds but it felt as if time himself had slowed it down for you to watch the way he tilted her head and ran his tongue along her bottom lip before finally uniting their lips. Your heart dropped as quickly as your smile did and suddenly you felt so stupid for thinking this could be real. You willed yourself not to cry as you allowed your legs to carry you anywhere but there.

That's how you found yourself sitting underneath a blossoming cherry tree. A tree that held only happy memories because it wasn't a place you could be sad... back then. With your back against the tree and box of cupcakes full of unrequited love in your lap you realize how much you over romanticized Bucky. Opening the box you decide it would be a shame to let them go to waste. The first one you grab has a big red heart frosted in the middle, you let out a deep sigh before breaking the cupcake right down the middle. You shove half of the cupcake into your mouth and only then do you allow the tears to fall. You sat there for hours crying eating cupcakes, watching the sunset, and thinking about everything that Bucky did for you, as a friend. You realize you had no right to be angry at Bucky, after all you never told him how you felt you just assumed that he would feel the same way after so many years. With every broken memory another cupcake vanished.

He was always there for you, when no one wanted to come to your slumber party Bucky did and he even did all the girly things with you. Painting your nails, doing your hair, watching chick flicks, and pillow fights. once he even asserted that no one could protect you as well as he could, when you had decided to go camping with your friend from class so he insisted on taking you himself. Your friend was most noticeably gay so you had assumed he wanted to spend time alone with you. But now that you think back on those memories these are things that anyone would do for their bestfriend. And that's what you realized 8 hours and 11 cupcakes later.

The moon floated above you and as it's white rays settled upon the lake you decided it might be time to go home now. You get up and dust your dress off before leaning down to grab the mostly empty box. Turning around you are stopped again by what's in front of you. Bucky stands there brows furrowed as his eyes flash from you to the box in your hands. "Where the hell have you been, I've been calling you all day." swallowing the lump in your throat you go to answer but are interrupted. " everyone's been asking me about you all night and I had no damn idea what to tell them, but apparently you were just out here being inconsiderate. You go and tell me I can do great tonight, that you'd be there for me, but you weren't." You try to answer him but are again interrupted. "You could have told me something earlier instead of leaving me there like a dumb-" "SHUT UP!" this time it was your turn to interrupt him.

Taking a deep breath you look into his eyes before explaining. "Of course I was ready to be there today, you think I wore this dress to sit under a damn tree? Well I didn't. When I left my apartment I was ready and I was excited, so excited. I couldn't even stop smiling on my way over, but then I got to the shop and I saw-" Immediately you stopped as you realized what you were about to say. He cocked an eyebrow and shook his head slightly as if to say 'Hello?' "You saw what? What did you see that would make you abandon ship just like that?" Shame flushed through your being and you could no longer keep eye contact. "Nothing, you know what, it doesn't even matter. I'm sorry I was being dramatic I should have been an adult and dealt with it on my own time. And I'm sorry I abandoned you all, but the night was about you anyways."

"The night was supposed to be about the both of us so it does matter if you saw something that made you want to leave. Just tell me doll, what did you see?" his voice is soft as he pleads with you. "I saw... well I saw you kissing that lady and I just wanted get away and ended up here okay!?" You said it all in a jumble hoping that he wouldn't be able to understand what you had said. But luck wasn't your friend so of course he did. "So seeing me kiss another person was so gross to you that you had to run away, what the hell? are you 13 again?" You hadn't admitted it outloud yet and it seemed that the dumbass in front of you was going to force it out of you.

Stepping around Bucky you pull your scarf tight around your body as you focus on not crying anymore until you get home. You distract yourself by thinking of all the love you saw in all the little things Bucky did for you. Dancing around the newly furnished bakery body against body as frank sinatra brought you heart to heart, watching rom-coms and ugly crying together, but by the time you get home you force yourself to face the ugly truth. The Love was always in your head. It wasn't real.

A new wave of tears blurred your vision as teardrops fell perfectly to the ground. "It's because I have feelings for you Bucky, and I now know you don't feel the same way." Sniffling you don't bother looking up because your heart is to broken for that right now. "I'm Just gonna need a little bit of time and I'll be back good as new like nothing even happened." Still unable to lift your gaze from the ground you decide to focus on the last cupcake left in the box. 'I Love You' is written in tiny light blue frosting letters. "I uhm, uhh." That brought your attention to Bucky, as embarrassment pulsed as strong as ever through your veins. " You don't have to say anything Buck, It's fine, I'll see you next week, on monday" you hand him the box as you go to pass him "I think you would have a better use for this than me I ate 11 others already so."

Divider credits: @firefly-graphics