#my mother is forcing me to watch another romantic movie

[sekhmetpaws]

"Nuestros amantes" is really about what would happen if we paired two of the most insufferable people in the world togheder and called it a day?

[maidenofsophia]

The Magdalene

Who is She?

This is a question I've been asking since I was a little girl. Despite going to a Christian primary school, I have few memories of being taught about her, other than her being a penitent prostitute and the first witness to the resurrection.

When I was ten I watched an animation movie called the Miracle Maker starring Ralph Phiens as Yeshua and Miranda Richardson as the Magdalene. In that movie she's portrayed as being a mentally ill woman tortured by hallucinations, is healed by Yeshua and becomes one of his closest disciples. I should also add the two are VERY touchy feely with each other in that movie, it's a beautifully chaste semi-romantic bond.

In 2003, when I was getting into Wicca, I met someone in a Pagan chat room who called himself a Gnostic Christian Witch. He said that the Magdalene was his goddess, that she was the Holy Mother Spirit (Sophia) incarnate in her Daughter form, just as the Father was with the Son; Yeshua. This....blew my mind. And led me down a rabbit hole of a bunch of Gnostic and heretical texts.

Then the Da Vinci Code came out and this whole belief about Magdalene being Jesus' wife came into the mainstream. But while everyone seemed to be obsessing over their romantic and sexual life and what children they might have had, none of this really phased me because it the first Gnostic Witch I met already held this belief - but he stressed that it came secondary to who Magdalene was as a spiritual leader in her own right.

Since then I have heard so many different versions of who the Magdalene "really" was that it's hard to list them all but I'll give it a go:

- She was originally from Egypt and trained as a priestess of Isis. Yeshua met her on his travels as he was studying before coming into his role as a teacher himself and they formed a strong bond, she anointed him in the name of God the Mother and he in turn helped to heal her chakras (seven demons), something which he had learned after having travelled to the East. It was at Yeshua and Magdalene's own wedding where he turned water into wine, they had a daughter called Sarah who Magdalene escaped to France with following Yeshua's death.

- Another Gnostic path I came across believed she had no human birth but was Sophia come down in human form, just as the Logos came down as Yeshua. While the Logos returned to the heavens, Sophia remained incarnate as the Magdalene with the promise to keep returning in woman form upon her death until the Second Coming.

- Another believed her to have been a priestess of Asharah, whose temple was sacked and she was subjected to horrific abuse, SA and being cast out and nearly stoned to death until being saved by Yeshua.

- the Ecclesia Pistis Sophia have an oral tradition which was written down into a book by Tau Malachi which said she was born into a wealthy Jewish family, had great spiritual gifts but was forced to suppress them, was forced into marriage by her wicked father and then was attacked and assaulted. These "Sophians" believe that she accepted the spirit of Lilith into herself in order to survive and upon meeting Yeshua he healed her and she became the 'fulness' of the divine feminine with Eve and Lilith becoming one in her. She became Yeshua's "Holy Bride" and they had a son called Michael, rather than a daughter. The same story of her travelling to France occurs.

- Kaia Ra, author of the Sophia Code, claims to have channeled the spirit of the Magdalene who revealed her upbringing to her. That she was the daughter of wealthy parents who, as opposed to her origins in the Ecclesia Pistis Sophia, decided to nurture their daughter's spiritual gifts, that she was given lessons at her home but also travelled with her father to various places and connected with many faces of the divine feminine. She meets a fellow priestess, Mother Mary, who becomes like a second mother to her. She meets Yeshua and joins him on his mission of revealing gnosis but she is not beneath him in any way, it is very much a co-equal journey they go on but in the patriarchal society he is the one who is elevated. She and Mother Mary travel to France after Yeshua's death.

There are probably more that I've forgotten and sadly most of the websites I used to come across in the 00's are now lost.

But all of these stories have shaped my relationship with the Magdalene in some way. Parts I've agreed with, others that don't sit right with me. I don't know if we'll ever know the full truth. Even the ancient texts can only tell us so much, being written decades if not over a hundred years after the Magdalene lived and not even in the language those who knew them would have spoken.

The "canonised" gospels tell us that the Magdalene was the first to see Yeshua after his death. For me that at least speaks of his importance to her. His wife? His best friend? His co-preacher and partner in ministry? Personally I don't think it matters, it speaks of the same thing. Love. He loved her. Whether that love was romantic or platonic or something else, it was love and respect and the deepest trust.

They also tell us that she supported him and the men by her means, implying she was very wealthy, and yet she is not mentioned in relation to any man, neither as daughter or wife of mother. She is simply the Magdalene, ie from Magdala, a fishing village. The name also means Tower, which gives an image of strength and earnest faith.

Luke and Mark both say that Yeshua healed Magdalene of seven demons. I find it interesting how this event takes place off page, as opposed to a lot of other miracles we see Yeshua perform. For me this implies it was a rather intimate healing session between the two of them rather than one the public or disciples witnessed. But this could have been either some sort of exorcism as depicted in the Miracle Maker, or a healing of her mental and spiritual health with something similar to chakra healing as was believed by my Gnostic friend.

Interestingly the gospels do not say that she was the woman who anointed Yeshua's feet and head, this seems to have been either Mary of Bethany or the unnamed 'sinful' woman and it doesn't really make sense why the writers would name Magdalene specifically later but not state it to be her here. But given there is contradictions on where this happened as well as who did it, I don't think it's a stretch for anyone to still believe the Magdalene did anoint him herself at some point.

And then you get to the Gnostic gospels and the apocryphal texts and these just elevate the Magdalene even further when she was clearly already an important figure before. The Gospel of Philip connects her to Sophia and says that Yeshua would kiss her often and the disciples were jealous that he "loved her more than them". The Gospel of Thomas has Yeshua refusing to heed Peter's request to send Mary away as "females are not worthy". In The Dialogue of the Savior, it is said that she "spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything." In the Pistis Sophia, the Magdalene is constantly questioning and offering up her own visions to Yeshua who heaps tons of praise on her for her insight and says "You are more blessed than all women on earth, because you will be the fullness of fullness and the completion of completion." And again he becomes protective when Peter's sexism makes her afraid. And all of this culminates in her own Gospel, which very little remains but is so fascinating. In this text, it is the Magdalene who stands up and takes on Yeshua's role while the men weep in fear and loss of what to do. Peter voices that they all knew Yeshua loved her most among women and pleas for her to share her visions. Sadly most of what she shares with them is lost but what remains seems to be a vision of how the soul rose above the seven demons that struck her to its Higher Self. Peter and Andrew reject what she shares but Levi defends her.

What does all of this lead to for me in the end?

It leads me to see the Magdalene as any other goddess. As many have contracting legends and myths and origins, the same is true of Her. And to me she is a goddess, she is Zoe Sophia - the Divine Daughter - in a human form, an ascended master and high priestess. She is not the first or only instance of this, but she is the one I most connect with. Whatever the "true story" of who she was is irrelevant, at this point it's all these various beautiful legends that inspire the mind and spark the soul's ascension.

Many people focus on the Magdalene for her faith and devotion. Many focus on her "sacred marriage" to Jesus and see her as a figure of romantic and faithful love, as well as motherhood, as well as what intimate and potentially sexual spiritual experiences they may have had together.

For me, the Magdalene is a balance of dark and light. While many I see position her as just "Christ with a feminine face", or another form of Mother Mary as a loyal follower and caretaker, for me she has an energy and personality that is so unique to herself and separate from them. Though of course they are a huge part of her life and her story, I don't have either Yeshua or Mother Mary in my personal pantheon, and I don't believe it's necessary to in order to connect to the Magdalene. She was very much a powerful spiritual woman before she met either of them.

For me the Magdalene is passion, she is fire, she is strength and wisdom and courage. She is in no way passive, she is a constantly active eternal flame. She was not just a student receiving knowledge but also inspiring Yeshua and others around her, a seeker and dreamer, a spiritual shield maiden. I don't believe Jesus cast any demons out of her with a wave of his hand, I believe he taught her how to heal them herself. Because we all need help from time to time. I do believe she may have had traumatic experiences that impacted her mental health, this is something I very much connect with and feel her with me when I am at my lowest. She has met those demons and conquered them. And anyone who calls upon Her to protect them from demons, she will descend like a mother bear. The Magdalene is loyal but not submissive. Patient and caring but not meek and mild.

I do believe she loved Yeshua and was devoted to him, whether as a friend or lover it makes no difference, it was a powerful love. But while she called him Teacher out of respect, he revered her as a priestess just as much and they were fully equal. I do not believe as the Sophian Gnostics do that she subjugated herself before him. She was not his Holy Bride or Consort. Her relationship with Yeshua was her great love but not her only one. I believe she and Mother Mary loved each other as mother and daughter. I believe she had close and powerful friendships with female disciples such as Mary of Bethany and Salome. I also believe she had a daughter, Sarah, who may have been Yeshua's or not, but either way she would raise her as a single mother (with her community of friends). The Magdalene also loved God. In that, she is a goddess of divine love but in all its wonderful and various forms.

I felt compelled to write all this out for my own benefit as I've come to embracing the Magdalene back in path and my pantheon. Having tried my hardest to search around, most of those who claim to be Magdalene Priestesses all have their own beliefs about her and charge a fortune just to interact with someone looking for Her. In the end I felt called to save my time and money by trusting my own intuition and experience with her. I love having her back on my altar, only this time it's Cernunnos who sits opposite as the divine masculine. I respect Yeshua but he is not part of my faith and the Magdalene has told me that's okay.

Hail, Lady Magdalene. Blessed art thou.

[rey-jake-therapist]

Can someone explain why people think that celeborn is coming back in season 3. I’ve seen multiple people referring to this (including some lovely person in the haladriel tag claiming that the time of haladriel is over and the time of galaborn has arrived! Ok then…). As far as I’m aware there has been no confirmation from any authority as to when celeborn will appear, only a vague “at some point.” Seems like people are just assuming he’ll appear next season because they think haladriel has sunk (so OBVIOUSLY it’s time to move onto the next love interest for Galadriel…) That seems like quite an assumption to me, especially considering amazon has been going insane promoting the hell out of haladriel. Additionally, why do people think that the showrunners care that much about celeborn when every writing choice they’ve made indicates that they don’t.

Yes, even some big Haladriel accounts on Twitter are now actively discouraging shippers from hoping for anything romantic/close to romantic between Sauron and Galadriel coming forward, just because Galadriel said before Sauron stabbed her with Morgoth's crown, "the door is shut"; these same accounts also predict the arrival of Celeborn as if it was some evidence that he should come home now, because we can't have Galadriel staying without a love interest, right ?

From what I can see here and there, these people remembered what Galadriel told Frodo about Sauron who "gropes ever to see me and my thoughts" and her keeping the door shut, took Galadriel's line in episode 8 "the door is shut" at face value even though the show is fond of red-herrings and Sauron hadn't forced the bond between them yet, and decided that Galadriel's temptation for Sauron/power is now over, that she's now ready to embrace her Lady of Light arc, and to be a good wife and mother. Some of these people's ideal scenario is that she'll be too weak to fight because of the wound, will retreat in Lothlorien and do nothing in the show except building her realm and cocooning with Celeborn... No comment.

Maybe those who predict Celeborn's return are right, you know? They may have Celeborn come back in glory from wherever he is now. But it would still be foolish to believe that he's going to show up in the first or even the second episode, while Galadriel mentioned him only once in two seasons, and canonically fell very hard for another man, who also happens to be Sauron, of all people.

They'll first have to remind the casual viewers that this guy even exists. People who didn't read the books but just watched the movies do not care a bit about Celeborn. For them, he's just the guy from the "for I much desire to speak with him" meme. Before Galadriel so briefly talked about him to Theo, I was myself certain that she and Celeborn hadn't met yet, and it was very obvious at this point that she was "very much in love" with Halbrand. I didn't even ship Haladriel at all then, but it was as visible as a neon sign.

Meaning, introducing Celeborn at this point of the story won't be an easy task. If they have Galadriel claim she missed him terribly all this time, it will feel very off and OOC, considering that the show didn't show that at all. At the moment, she seems to have two big loves in her life : her brother (platonic, of course), and Halbrand lol All her thoughts are directed towards Sauron, and the love/hate she has for him. She doesn't seem to doubt that Celeborn's dead (she said she "lost him" to the war, which heavily implies that he's dead to her, and not chilling in Lothlorien like I see some people suggest on Reddit and Twitter), and she seems way more affected by her brother's death and by Sauron's betrayal, than by her husband's death. I'm sorry but this is a fact. Blame the writers for clearly not knowing what to do with Celeborn... Peter Jackson didn't know either, for the record lol

In conclusion, I think these people are fooling themselves if they genuinely believe that :

Haladriel has sunk because Galadriel said "the door is shut" to Sauron while he hadn't bound her to him yet

Galadriel will forget all about the feelings she had for Halbrand once Celeborn comes back. "Elves memories never dim", for the record. And Sauron literally put his mark on her so he's not letting her go anytime soon.

"The door is shut" was a definitive statement, and the wound Sauron gave her will be nothing more than a reminder of a past she's now fully ready to leave beind.

The show runners said that Galadriel passed one test in episode 8 : she will no longer be tempted to be Sauron's queen. And he will probably not propose her again, because as Charlie suggested, this time he knows it won't happen. But until now, Galadriel and Sauron weren't bound in the strict sense of the term : yes, they had a sort of connection, they knew each other's mind because they had spent time together, but they didn't have a free access to each other's thoughts yet.

So when she said "the door is shut", Galadriel probably meant that Sauron would never be able to manipulate her with his lies and his deceptions, because she knows his game and won't fall for it ever again. But when he stabbed her with Morgoth's crown, Sauron broke down that "door". Meaning he'll keep "slither in" Galadriel's mind, wether she wants it or not. He'll keep trying to influence her thoughts and actions, so she'll have to find a way to shut him off.

Somehow I don't think that her husband's undying love for her will be enough to help her fight against Sauron's intrusions, but I'm not a writer for TROP so... We can just wait and see.

[gyarucoded]

quick loki preview bc i have fallen down the rabbit hole since i have nothing else new to watch

the way loki used his magic was such a serve omg

i'm still in love with b-15 ♡

i appreciate the subtle humor, the jokes in other new mcu contents (minus the guardians of the galaxy) annoy me but here it's well balanced yet funny👍

when brad said "playing dress up" to loki idk what he fully meant but my mind wandered to teen loki switching fem presenting & borrowing [stealing] frigga's clothing to try them on for funsies n shit (i used to do that w my mom's wedding clothes as a child 2 lol)

when brad was messing w/ loki he had the opportunity to do the most suicidal thing ever and add sth like "who isn't even your real mother" after bringing up frigga (bro would have gotten ANNIHILATED Ijbol)

the slap was so funny & satisfying at the same time. i didn't saw it coming but i love this side of mobius

this ep's genuinely the most TERRIFYING loki has been in the mcu. in the chase scene and both of the interrogation. i absolutely support it idgaf !! he was more intimidating then he was in the first avengers movie which says a loooot

when loki mentioned the new york incident that was either lazy writing or babe got brain damage cuz i am pretty sure when he was mad at thor & odin that was in new mexico?? when he sent that metallic shit down or wtvt💀 to prevent thor from returning. but i forgive only because he mentioned tony lmfao

i love seeing sylvie finally being content. even if it was thru fuckass mcdonalds. i hope she won't be reduced to the "weird love interest" cuz her chara has potential and you can tell she's tired of this bs as well...

another episode of sylki being forced, toxic, keep disagreeing with & avoiding each other with rather tense chemistry instead of a romantic one they supposedly meant to have & being one sided as hell. their "romance" makes zero sense in this series' context & i could go off for longer regarding this topic but i'll save it for a seeperate post, later!

o.b & casey are so wholesome

bro i'm starting to ship lokius i think? (not in a fetishzing way i just like their dynamics and they just both happen to be dudes/male presenting) cuz i am sensing romantic & soulmate-ish undertones. sad that disney is a coward to make it canon...

overall i loved the 70s-90s vibes they seem to be going for. this show deffo has the best aesthetics we've seen in marvel phase 5 so far and i can't wait to see what's coming next.

[raineandsky]

A Date in Exchange

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

The villain turns up on the hero’s doorstep every week as promised after that. They always show up with a bouquet of burning reds and oranges and yellows, each bigger than the last, and the flames always find themselves face down in the hero’s bin.

Each week is something a little different—a movie night, a fancy meal, a game of Cluedo. The villain seems to get more and more disappointed each week. The hero takes enough pictures to appease their parents, and the villain enthusiastically escapes the disgusting cosiness of the hero’s house as soon as it’s over.

“It’s kind of cold, isn’t it?” the hero comments idly. It’s their night of stargazing, as far as their parents know, and the two of them are sitting on the cool grass of the hero’s garden. “Let me go grab a blanket.”

They haul themself to their feet with the dexterity of someone very good at pretending to not be in good shape, leaving the villain to sit on their shared little picnic blanket alone. It’s probably too small for two people, and neither of them are overly enthralled to cram onto the lackluster square—that much is obvious from how the villain contentedly spreads out the moment the hero stands. 

There’s a blanket draped over the sofa in the living room, and the hero grabs it without a thought. They turn back to the garden, fully prepared to step through the patio doors and hog most of its warmth for the rest of the evening, but they pause on the threshold.

The villain is leaning back on their hands, their gaze pointed to the sky overhead. Their lips are moving faintly, though from here the hero can’t hear what they’re saying. The hero’s mother was always so insistent on stringing fairy lights through her garden, and the hero had copied her in their own—they’re turned on tonight, washing the villain in a soft, heavenly glow. They look so serene, their focus fixed to the lights above, lit up like an angel, and the hero can’t help themself.

They raise their phone. They were always proud of the fact that it had such a good camera, and they couldn’t be more thankful for that as they frame their nemesis in its lens. With a hushed click, their phone preserves the moment forever.

They stand in the doorway for another solid minute, just watching; they’re not really sure why. They’ve never really seen the villain experience an emotion beyond violence, they suppose. It’s… a nice change of pace, they tell themself. Nothing more.

Eventually they force their legs to move again, crossing the grass with the blanket in tow. The villain glances up at them, still awash in yellow light, and the hero has to immediately revert to their usual ways to avoid saying wow.

“Are you talking to yourself?” they ask shortly, and the villain snorts.

“Constellations,” they say, as if that’s an answer. They clearly realise it’s not after a moment, adding: “My parents taught me the constellations when I was younger. You can see most of them tonight.”

The hero drops the blanket, landing half on the villain’s lap. They don’t bother to sit as they turn their gaze to the sky. “Big Dipper,” the villain points out, as if the hero can see where they’re pointing, “and the Little Dipper on the left.”

“Your parents astronomers or something?”

The villain smiles a little sadly, though their eyes stay fixed on the view. “They wanted to be. Too bad the agency had other ideas.”

Had. The hero doesn’t think they can do this. “Anyway, it’s late. You should go home.”

“Oh.” The villain glances at the clock on their own phone, and the hero notices the three people on their screensaver. “You finally realised you have all your little romantic pictures and I’ve overstayed my welcome?”

“Exactly,” the hero retorts shortly, and they don’t miss the slight frown their response receives. “Same time next week, [Villain].”

The hero can’t get their nemesis out fast enough. The villain seems to dawdle endlessly, picking their things up as slowly as humanly possible, but eventually the hero manages to slam the door in their face. They open their phone as they lean back against the door as if to keep them out, glancing down at the picture they took just minutes before. Some part of them can’t believe they never saw this before, another part disgusted at the thought. The villain is… pretty. It feels like a crime just to think that.

They glance out the window to the side of the door—the villain has already pulled their hood up, a shadow against the evening, anxious to disappear into the city. Their gait is hurried like they’re fleeing the scene as they hop over one of the neighbour’s fences and vanish.

They turn their phone off with a disheartened sigh, their stare locked onto the bin in the kitchen beyond. It smells so floral, so enticing, and it guides the hero towards it like a lighthouse in the storm. They flick it open, looking down at the carefully tied stems and the splash of vibrance beneath, and after a moment of deliberation fuelled by the overwhelming scent of flowers they pull them back out.

There’s a decorative vase on the kitchen table, and after another hesitant inner turmoil they place the flowers inside, slowly, as if they’ll explode if they rush. They’re stunning—matching the autumnal tiles of the room, matching their own hero’s uniform, matching the villain’s usual fire for life. That’s been lacking recently, only dampening each time they appear on the hero’s doorstep, and they haven’t figured out why.

Not that they care, obviously. The hero doesn’t give a damn about the villain. Their parents might get suspicious if they start looking miserable, is all. They just need to fix it so that their mother doesn’t start crying again. That’s all there is to it.

There’s a picture on the hero’s phone and a bright bouquet of flowers on their table that suggest otherwise, though.

(Next part)

Taglist: @criohfreeze

[dramalets]

2024 Watch List pt1

Here we go again!

To sir, with love - This is a lakorn so it's appropriately dramatic. The mothers are absolutely foul and do an awful lot of scheming and yelling. Jam/Film are intensely watchable and make wet fish kisses look terribly romantic. Tongtong Kitsakorn as Yang was a revelation. I'm sad he's pm just a lakorn actor/pop star because he is so watchable. I loved that, though they were evil and insane, the mothers all felt fleshed out and realised. You understood why they were yikes. 3½/5 (2/1/23)

A Boss & a Babe - I quit this at episode 2 and then decided to go back to it. I don’t regret doing so. This isn’t top tier but it’s also not shit tier. Cher, the very dictionary definition of toxic positivity, and Gun, an autism coded cat man, enter into an extremely quick romance (like seriously, it’s taken hard worn lesbians longer to say I love you) the catch being they’re intern and company boss. Honestly in another drama that would have been the the huge hiccup of the series, keeping them apart, but it’s consistently shown to be more of an issue for others that it is for them. This is very low conflict, mostly romcom fluff with two weirdly intense, barely explored side stories for support characters. I didn’t loath Force in this and would actually like him to be given more roles where he’s just a soft simp and not a boring sarcastic one. Book does some good comedy work here. 3/5 (4/1/23)

The day I loved you - I know this won’t work for everyone. It’s a bittersweet ten episode love story between a boy with ASL and the ‘rebel’ exchange student at his school. Pinoy BL, for me, either really hits or really misses and this hit. It does use a questionable model of disability, namely the inspiration model, but I cant nit pick too much when this is only ten 15/20 minute episodes. I enjoyed it a lot, you may also if you’re okay with a bittersweet ending vs an out and out happy one. 3½/5 (12/1/24)

VIP Only - Well this was adorable. Slow as molasses and just as sweet. This probably won’t be for everyone, very slow and not much happens other than character growth and a love story, but it worked for me. The edit is horrendous in places and I do wish Taiwan did longer episodes, but those are my only gripes. 3½/5 (19/1/24)

I cannot reach you - I don’t really watch Jbl. There are just styles and tropes that I don’t enjoy watching that Japan uses a lot of. It’s a taste thing more than it is anything else. So keep that in mind. This is full of a lot of the things I don’t like; over action, randomly running everywhere, sudden non-con. But it’s also endearingly sweet and very well acted, so I did find myself enjoying it. I don’t think this’ll awaken a desire to watch lots of Jbl but it has made me consider some others. 3/5 (20/1/24)

Last Twilight - I had a lot of fun with this. The dialogue and acting were all top notch and, as ever with Aof productions, it was stunning to look at. It weaves the story of two broken people healing one another very well with Jimmy & Sea doing beautiful work as Mhok & Day. I think this came a little unstuck at points in the end. I liked most of the romance movie style ending but I remain a little unsure about Day’s ending. Still, this is a show that I enjoyed every week and will have no issues rewatching. 4/5 (26/1/24)

Old Fashion Cupcake - I’m working on trying out more JBL to get a feel for what I do and don’t like. This? This I like. We don’t have enough stories about older people anyway and this does it well. Togawa’s slow courting of Nozue through shared experiences and casual intimacy is delicious to watch. 4/5 (4/2/24)

Pit Babe - I love when I show wholly knows what it is and doesn’t try and be anything but that. This knew it was a big ol’ fanfic and leaned wholeheartedly into that. Whether it was the breeding program subplot or the consistently dumb toothpaste and sausage ppl it handled them both with equal aplomb. It’s also worth noting that was largely really well acted too! Pavel, Nut & Sailub particularly impressed me but there was nobody bad. 4/5 (9/2/24)

Our Dining Table - My journey into JBL continues and this was the best one yet. Soft pining between two sad boy leads with a gorgeous found family story woven in. The treacle slow courting between these two won’t be for everyone but it was wholly for me. 5/5 (17/2/24)

Cooking Crush - The edit on this was criminally bad at points, sometimes I truly felt I’d skipped a part and I hadn’t at all, but it still served up a good little story. If you’re visiting this for the romance it’s not really that, the story is in the friends and their lives more than it is in Ten & Prem’s romance. I loved the comedy in this, it hit those notes well and was never over the top. (Lots of puns that I expect are super good if you speak Thai.) Nobody is bad in this, everyone delivers, but OffGun are as watchable as they always are and the few kisses they do have are perfect. 3/5 (18/2/24)

The Novelist - When I say I don’t love JBL it’s usually because the tropes are just too tropey for my tastes. Apparently I’m a lying liar who lies because this is extremely Japanese and I loved every moody second of it. Kijima is a sad, lonely, messed up man who doesn’t think he’s deserving of anything good and it’s wildly compelling to watch. 4/5 (18/2/24)

Mood Indigo - Fucked up 4 Fucked up. Two broken, sad, lonely men mess up repeatedly, and erotically, that’s it that’s the show and I ate it up with a spoon. Deeply flawed assholes being toxic together, when it’s well written and well acted, is so disgustingly watchable to me and this certainly was. 5/5 (18/2/24)

The Novelist: Playback - Continues where The Novelist ends. I watched the clean version of this, it was what was available to me, and was still deeply entertained. So if you think people watch this series for the heat then you’re incorrect. This is another instalment of Kijima Rio being a horribly broken fuck up of a man. I loved it. 4/5 (21/2/24)

Tokyo in April is… - I love a good destined to be together trope when it’s done well and this is done beautifully. Kazuma and Ren fall in love as teenagers and are separated before finding one another again as adults. The pacing on this is a little rough, I get what they were doing with the sub-plot but it felt mildly unneeded and time would have been better given to exploring our leads generally or even Ren’s painful family issues. This is still a lovely drama that I wholly recommend. 4/5 (21/2/24)

[ariainstars]

Red, White and Royal Blue: A Movie Like an English Waltz with a Kick

I had practically given up on watching stories about same-sex relationships some time ago; for a while, I thought the reason for my growing indifference was that not belonging to the LGBT+ community, I am not directly involved. It took me a while to realize that I was simply sick of watching stories with sad endings, good as they may be otherwise.

Same-sex love stories in my experience very often have a tragic ending, with the possible exception of the Netflix show Heartstopper, which is nice and interesting to watch without being overdramatic. Also, there were Beautiful Thing and Maurice, two enjoyable movies that most viewers today probably hardly remember. Despite their positive ending they are serious in tone however, not exactly fun.

Red, White and Royal Blue burst into my world catching me by surprise and all but sweeping me off my feet; I immediately fell in love with the movie and am fully on page with anyone who is already asking for a sequel.

First off, I must say that this is one of the few cases where I found the movie to be better than the novel. I read it after having watched the movie, but I could not bring myself to like the characters.

The novel is told from Alex’ point of view, so we never get to know Henry’s; and I got the impression of following a bunch of rich kids without regular lives and routines having fun being noisy and obnoxious when they’re not busy with wanting to save the world, all of them equipped with their personal therapists and consuming this or another substance. I found it heartbreaking that Henry had been in love with Alex for a long time, never hoping that his feelings could be requited; and it did not shed a good light on Alex that for a long time, he did not realize that being intimate with Henry felt so good because he was with someone who actually cared for him.

The tone and story development of the movie is different and, in my opinion, superior. These Alex and Henry are about ten years older than in the novel: the actors are neither groomed to look younger nor do they act like they were. These are two adults, grown men who know what they’re doing; the feelings between them deepen very quickly (in the book, for Alex at the beginning it seems to be nothing more than a cross between a diversion and a challenge); and they soon take responsibility for each other and their families respectively political surroundings.

Nothing shows this more than the airport scene where they actually exchange ring and key, contrarily to the book where Alex keeps the ring together with the key around his neck. His official speech after their forced coming-out was much more straightforward and convincing than in the book, and he had written it himself, not his sister; also early in the movie, the Texas campaign is his very own initiative, contrarily to the novel where his mother sets him up to do it. All of these are narrative choices which in my opinion make the story much more enticing and the characters more relatable.

The movie Red, White and Royal Blue lives largely from the chemistry between the two protagonists; there is playful banter between them and lots of fun scenes and quips that I looked for in the novel in vain. (Except for a few jokes at Philips’ expense, pitifully.) Even in their most intimate moments, there always seems to be a twinkle in their eyes; the teasing begins when they’re not even friends yet. Their happiness is joyful and carefree, not founded on the intensity of feelings of couples who know they will be torn apart. The movie’s tone is a perfect balance: funny without being silly; serious without being admonishing; romantic without being sappy.

Some well-known clichés obviously are all there: having to talk to one another due to being locked in a room, a first kiss while both are tipsy, the lover hiding in the closet, the intolerant parent (grandparent in this case), the understanding sister… Nevertheless, the story is fresh, well-paced and never boring.

In my personal view, this movie will be remembered as marking a break in the storytelling of same-sex relationships: light-footed, entertaining and touching. While the book is a self-indulgent fanfiction, the movie is in its tone, set-up and storyline for all intents and purposes a fairy tale, except that instead of a princess we have a prince.

One of the things I loved most was that in the end, the couple does not reunite in a castle or a similar luxurious environment, but that for their happy ending they leave their wealth behind and retire to a simple, comfortable home and an everyday life.

I had a smile on my face almost the entire time while watching this movie. And I hope there will be many more light-hearted movies and novels centered on same-sex relationships following this, instead of the usual heart-wrenching dramas. It’s high time.

[guardianbee]

RE: your post about nashuri being compared to re//ylo

you're so correct. i think people get caught up in the whole "quite popular ship about enemies who might have a romantic connection" thing and ignore the fact that the romance in rey//lo is completely fabricated and unsubstantiated while namor and shuri are shown as mirrors of each other since the very beginning and the story cannot go on as it does without the connection between the characters.

kyle doesn't care for rey whatsoever and has no qualms with hurting and torturing her even after he realised they were a force dyad (which was so half assed and obviously only done to fabricate a romance that just wasn't there); on the other hand namor sees himself in shuri since the first meeting and never intended to hurt her, not even after the perceived betrayal of her leaving with nakia. him killing ramonda was a response to ramonda's own actions and a fulfilment of a promise he made to her, he never did it because he intended to hurt shuri and knew that would be the surest way (we know from tenoch's interviews that he never really thought about how shuri would see his actions as an attack to her)

it vexxes me when i see fanfictions about "dark namor" where he acts like an unfeeling asshole who hurts shuri on purpose just because he can and he "breaks" her because that's kyle, not namor. he's a king and a man of his word, his actions against wakanda were a reasonable reaction to them invading his country and killing two handmaidens, and he had warned ramonda what would happen if they did so. his actions might have been morally wrong but not unjustified, and if he didn't stick to his word he would seem a weak leader.

anyway, sorry for the big ask. didn't want to add onto a reblog because people on this app don't know how not to be rude lmao

No worries about the long ask! I like getting asks every now and again, so this was a nice surprise.

Oh my gosh, the part about Ramonda's death being a fulfillment of Namor's promise to her.... I completely forgot about that part of the movie hjsdfgsdh. I only watched the movie once so I'm forgiving myself here, but yeah, this makes total sense! Namor is truly a man of his word - he binds himself to it, for better or worse. Also, I've said this before and N'jadaka confirms it, but ultimately, Ramonda did not have to die - she chose to sacrifice herself for Riri.

And yeah, it also makes sense he wasn't thinking about Shuri in that instance - he was thinking about what was best for his people, how to protect them and keep them safe. He made a tactical decision - by submerging the throne room, he assumed either Riri or Ramonda would die. And hey, if both did, even better. Obviously, that had some unintended consequences since Shuri was devastated by the loss of her mother and wanted vengeance, and Namor is the outlet to lash out both her wrath and the unprocessed grief she still carried for T'challa. That's why the ending of the movie is just... MAN, I cannot wait until February 1 to bawl my eyes out yet again!

Their story is eons different to how Kyle and Reyy interact with one another in the ST. For one, Kyle does not seem to resepct Reyy until the very end of EP9 (I never watched it so I'm just going off the synopsis). Man literally told her she was nothing and came from nothing. Juxtapose that with Namor clearly respecting Shuri as a leader of her nation as well as her intellect and empathy.

Then you just have the differences in character - Kyle is quite literally, until the end of EP9, a fascist that will do whatever it takes to control the galaxy and plunge it into darkness for... really vague reasons like emulating his grandfather? He kills because he wants to, because he likes it, all in a quest for absolute power and control. Meanwhile, Namor is an anti colonialist/anti imperialist who loves his people and will protect them however he can. As an anti hero, that means getting his hands dirty and killing those he sees as a threat to his people's safety, whether they were good people or not, whether they deserved it or not (the contrast between him killing US soldiers plundering his ocean for vibranium vs Ramonda and possibly tens of hundreds of Wakandan citizens). While they both kill, their motivations are fundamentally different and incompatible. Namor would see Kyle for what he is - another white man thinking of only his desires, trying to take what is not his and subjecting communities to unspeakable violence and misery.

Then you got Shuri and Reyy. Both are motivated by love and grief, but in different ways. Shuri is motivated by the deep love she has for her family and her people. Reyy, however, is motivated by the absence of love - she wants love, she wants community. She grieves what she's never had. That's why the scene between her and Finn before Kyle finds them in TFA is so memorable to me. She thought she found someone who could be hers, who could be a part of her community, and Finn seemingly walks away from it. Contrast that with Shuri, who is grieving what she's lost, who is slowly hardening herself to these losses, who is allowing the grief to control her, to slowly consume her, until it might be too late. Shuri and Reyy are fundamentally different characters that tell two different stories about the human experience and its eternal quest to be loved and find purpose within that love.

In fact, the ST and BPWF tell two incredibly, fundamentally different stories. And sorry not sorry, but BPWF is just more impactful, more insightful, and more in-tune with the human experience and nature than the ST ever could be. While BPWF is about grief and honoring loved ones, it's also about rejecting the ideals and methods of a white patriarchal society, about communities of color building and healing and joining forces to combat the erosion of their cultures, their resources, and their rights. It's why Namor and Shuri have an honest albeit complicated connection, while Kyle and Reyy have hastily shoved in forced conversations to get them to a place where it's possible (but definitely not probable) that they can be allies and more.

Now, about dark!namor... I haven't read any fics like that and I'm not going to if I can help it, but that shows a writer's lack of skills in writing complex characters. They're most likely projecting and just place Namor in that "bad boy" cookie cutter mold because that's what they've known and read all their life. This is similar to when I read zutara fics as a kid - there were a lot of people who just could not write Zuko without turning him into a bad boy, obsessed with Katara, and cornering her until she fell in love with him. A lot of complex anti-heroes/villains can easily get watered down in fanfics, especially by people who don't care so much for the characters but rather the tropes they seemingly represent. I like Namor and Shuri both as individuals and as a ship, so shoving them into tropes and situations they canonically would not subject themselves to (unless it's a straight up crackfic) is a no-go for me.

You can make Namor darker, a little more unhinged without going against the character's very nature. He doesn't hurt people just to hurt them - if he did, I doubt his people would love him so unabashedly, or there would be some active resistance against him and his leadership. At the end of the day, people can write whatever they want to write and ship whatever they want to ship and consume whatever they want to consume, but if they write Namor as an abuser (which is problematic for a whole host of reasons other than he would canonically never do that) and Shuri as some hapless victim who will fall in love with him anyway, they are doing a disservice to the characters and are perpetuating the violent ideals BPWF blatantly emphasizes we need to dismantle.

[ghostflowerdreams]

Books Similar to The Lost Boys & Near Dark

If you like the 1987 films The Lost Boys and Near Dark you might be like me—on the hunt for books that capture a similar vibe. I’m talking about stories with non-sparkly vampires, set in the '80s with all its bold hairstyles, vivid colors, edgy fashion, and unique charm. Most of the books here are recommendations from others, so I can’t guarantee they’ll match the feel of The Lost Boys or Near Dark, but I’m giving them a try.

If you have any suggestions that truly fit, please share—I’d love to add them to my TBR list! So far, most of the books here are set in or around the '80s, though a few might stray into other decades. They’re also not in any particular order, and not all may be suitable for every reader.

The Lost Boys by Craig Shaw Gardner — A mother and her two sons move to a small coast town in California. The town is plagued by bikers and some mysterious deaths. The younger boy, Sam, makes friends with two other boys, the Frog brothers, who claim to be vampire hunters. Meanwhile the older boy, Michael, is drawn into the gang of bikers by a beautiful girl named Star. Michael starts sleeping days and staying out all night while Sam starts getting into trouble because of his friends' obsession.

Near Dark by Stacey Abbott — Isn't a novel but a scholarly book that analyzes the 1987 vampire film Near Dark, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The book is part of the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Classics series, where each book provides an in-depth look at the themes, cinematic techniques, and cultural impact of a specific film.

Near Dark is set in the contemporary American Midwest and follows Caleb, a young man turned half-vampire who must decide whether to embrace his vampire nature or try to return to his human family. Abbott explores how the film blends horror and Western elements, portraying vampires not as romantic figures but as gritty, violent outsiders in a desolate American landscape.

She also discusses how the film’s unique approach to vampire lore set it apart from other '80s vampire movies, such as The Lost Boys, and influenced later portrayals of vampires in media.

Until Summer Comes Around by Glenn Rolfe — When fifteen year old Rocky Zukas meets a mysterious dark-haired girl named November, his world is forever changed. The young couple falls under the spell of summer love, but not everyone approves.

November's brother, Gabriel, is the keeper of the family's secret, and big brother is always watching, growing more sinister as his bloodlust gets the best of him. Directing his attention to Rocky's family, Gabriel aims to make sure little sister knows who is in charge.

Mayhem by Estelle Laure — It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else. But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self.

There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

Mouth Full of Ashes by Briana Morgan — Mourning the sudden loss of her sister, Callie Danoff wants nothing more than to embrace a fresh start in a new town, leaving the haunting memories of her sister’s death behind. But when her brother Ramsay drags her to a spooky boardwalk, the two become entangled with a local vampire gang and its enigmatic leader, Elijah. Callie refuses to accept their existence... until she and her brother unknowingly ingest vampire blood. Now, they only have three days before they turn into vampires themselves.

With her carefree summer thwarted, Callie must trust a group she barely knows in order to save her family.

Nightfall by Suzanne Young — In the quaint town of Nightfall, Oregon, it isn't the dark you should be afraid of—it's the girls.

Theo and her brother, Marco, threw the biggest party of the year. And got caught. Their punishment? Leave Arizona to spend the summer with their grandmother in the rainy beachside town of Nightfall, Oregon—population 846 souls.

The small town is cute, when it’s not raining, but their grandmother is superstitious and strangely antisocial. Upon their arrival she lays out the one house rule: always be home before dark. But Theo and Marco are determined to make the most of their summer, and on their first day they meet the enigmatic Minnow and her friends. Beautiful and charismatic, the girls have a magnetic pull that Theo and her brother can't resist.

But Minnow and her friends are far from what they appear. And that one rule? Theo quickly realizes she should have listened to her grandmother. Because after dark, something emerges in Nightfall. And it doesn’t plan to let her leave.

Less Than Human by Gary Raisor — The town of Carruthers, Texas, has seen its share of drifters and lowlifes. But never anyone like Steven and Earl.

They move from town to town. Hustling the pool halls. Raising a little hell. Drinking a little blood. They sleep by day and hunt by night -- the ultimate predators. The perfect life. Until now.

A barroom brawl ends in disaster. The soil from Steven's grave has been stolen. And a young boy's death sparks an all out war between vampires and mortals that will turn the local Frontier Day celebration into a blood bath....

Live Girls (Davey Owen #1) by Ray Garton — Seeking consolation after losing his job and his girlfriend, Davey Owen enters a small, dark club in the seedy precincts of the city and finds a world of uncontrollable ecstasy and unbelievable horror inhabited by savagely seductive vampires.

The Light at the End by John Skipp — The newspapers scream out headlines that spark terror across the city. Ten murders on the New York City subway. Ten grisly crimes that defy all reason -- no pattern, no m.o., no leads for police to pursue. The press dubs the fiend the "Subway Psycho"; the NYPD desperately seeks their quarry before the city erupts in mass hysteria. But they won't find what they're looking for.

Because they all think that the killer is human.

Only a few know the true story -- a story the papers will never print. It is a tale of abject terror and death written in grit and steel... and blood. The tale of a man who vanished into the bowels of the urban earth one night, taken by a creature of unholy evil, then left as a babe abandoned on the doorstep of Hell. Now he is back, driven by twin demons of rage and retribution.

He is unstoppable. And we are all his prey... unless a ragtag band of misfit souls will dare to descend into a world of manmade darkness, where the real and unreal alike dwell in endless shadow. A place where humanity has been left behind, and the horrifying truth will dawn as a madman's chilling vendetta comes to light...

Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite — At a club in Missing Mile, N.C., the children of the night gather, dressed in black, looking for acceptance. Among them are Ghost, who sees what others do not. Ann, longing for love, and Jason, whose real name is Nothing, newly awakened to an ancient, deathless truth about his father, and himself.

Others are coming to Missing Mile tonight. Three beautiful, hip vagabonds - Molochai, Twig, and the seductive Zillah (whose eyes are as green as limes) are on their own lost journey; slaking their ancient thirst for blood, looking for supple young flesh.

They find it in Nothing and Ann, leading them on a mad, illicit road trip south to New Orleans. Over miles of dark highway, Ghost pursues, his powers guiding him on a journey to reach his destiny, to save Ann from her new companions, to save Nothing from himself...

Blood & Dust (Vampires in the Sunburnt Country #1) by Jason Nahrung — Kevin Matheson works at his family’s service station in the Queensland outback. Life is all about cricket, fishing, the pub, his girlfriend. Then it all gets blown to hell – he’s caught up in a hideous, unbelievable world of cops and monsters in which two rival gangs of vampires vie for control, all while maintaining a charade of humanity.

Kevin has to cope with his new existence as a vampire, adapt to the destruction of his family and play the politics of the supernatural world. The biker Taipan and his lover Kala make for unlikely allies as they lead the nomadic Night Riders in their fight to be free of the control of the Brisbane-based Von Schiller group, led by the ruthless Mira and her pack of blood-addicted human servants.

Caught between vicious nomadic bikers and their brutal foes from the coast, Kevin fights to save not only those he holds dearest, but his own soul. In a world without rules, only one tenet holds true: blood really is thicker than water. But how far will he go to save the people he loves?

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl — When Elton Irving turned Holly Liddell into a vampire in 1987, he promised her eternal love. But thirty-four years later, Elton has left her, her hair will be crimped for the rest of immortality, and the only job she can get as a forever-sixteen-year-old is the midnight shift at Taco Bell.

Holly’s afterlife takes an interesting turn when she meets Rose McKay and Ida Ripley. Having also been turned and discarded by Elton—Rose in 1954, and Ida, his ex-fiancée, in 1921—they want to help her, and ask for her help in return.

Rose and Ida are going to kill Elton before he turns another girl. Though Holly is hurt and angry with Elton for tossing her aside, she’s reluctant to kill her ex, until Holly meets Parker Kerr—the new girl Elton has set his sights on—and feels a quick, and nerve-wracking attraction to her.

Song of the Vampire by Carmen Adams — Believing that peace has returned to sleepy Blue Mesa after dispatching the vampire members of the The Band, Megan and Iris find their lives disrupted again when a group of the undead invades the beach town of Turo.

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson — One night in 1980, a man becomes a monster.

Haunted by his past, Travis Stillwell spends his nights searching out women in West Texas honky-tonks. What he does with them doesn’t make him proud, just quiets the demons for a little while. But after Travis crosses paths one night with a mysterious pale-skinned girl, he wakes weak and bloodied in his cabover camper the next morning—with no sign of a girl, no memory of the night before.

Annabelle Gaskin spies the camper parked behind her motel and offers the cowboy a few odd jobs to pay his board. Travis takes her up on the offer, if only to buy time, to lay low and heal. By day, he mends the old motel, insinuating himself into the lives of Annabelle and her ten-year-old son. By night, in the cave of his camper, he fights an unspeakable hunger. Before long, Annabelle and her boy come to realize that this strange cowboy is not what he seems.

Half a state away, a grizzled Texas Ranger is hunting Travis for his past misdeeds, but what he finds will lead him to a revelation far more monstrous. A man of the law, he’ll have to decide how far into the darkness he’ll go for the sake of justice.

When these lives converge on a dusty autumn night, an old evil will find new life—and new blood.

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman — New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die. Joey Peacock knows this as well as anybody—he has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, perfecting the routine he now enjoys: womanizing in punk clubs and discotheques, feeding by night, and sleeping by day with others of his kind in the macabre labyrinth under the city’s sidewalks.

The subways are his playground and his highway, shuttling him throughout Manhattan to bleed the unsuspecting in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park or in the backseats of Checker cabs, or even those in their own apartments who are too hypnotized by sitcoms to notice him opening their windows. It’s almost too easy.

Until one night he sees them hunting on his beloved subway. The children with the merry eyes. Vampires, like him…or not like him. Whatever they are, whatever their appearance means, the undead in the tunnels of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were.

And neither are the rest of us.

[lost-technology]

I am asexual and am only into romance seldomly. There are a few ships I've gotten into, but it's hit or miss as to what makes me get into them. My last big ship was "dark overlord / mad scientist vibes" - another ship I came to like solely because I like my avatar in a video game to be a specific character's mother. (Sorry, fictional hubby, you're just around to breed my precious, precious daughter). Most of the time... I'm a gen person. I do and like to consume best gen fanart and gen fanfiction focusing on friendships and family, and / or upon philosophical stuff or plain out worldbuilding / expansion upon the worlds I'm presented with. And that's okay. I've been into fandom hobby for a long, long time and I know that it's the place where most people are mushing their dolls together and making them kiss and where the grand majority of fandoms will focus on the guy-dolls to make them kiss (and there are all kinds of theories people have presented for this). I think the only fandoms I've been in where the most popular ship hasn't been m/m was one where f/f between the main characters was canon, so it was girlship central and one long-running save-the-princess video game fandom where the creators / company themselves steers the audience toward het hero/princess shipping in at least half of the games. And, me, being "pheh!" about most shipping - pretty much all except my very specific ships that I get to liking for very weird reasons, I just... well, accept myself as a fandom minority. In other words "I knew the job was dangerous when I took it." It is honestly mainstream media that annoys me more with the rushed het ships in canons. At least with fanfiction, people are either writing "here's a romantic / angst-tragic take on this tragic scene of tragedy in canon, and I am writing them as established lovers or would-be lovers of star-crosssed fate - 20,000 fics have been written about this scene before, but here's mine, you know where you drop in" or "Here's something that doesn't make sense, but it's PWP, you know what you're clicking on," where when I'm watching a movie or even reading some novels it's a kind of mushed together forced thing between new characters where it doesn't even make sense or even feels like an aside to the main story and distracts from it.

I think the Evil Media Bias Against Platonic Relationships is one of those things tumblr loves to get worked up about despite, like. simply not being real.

[kimmysurveyblog]

42

What's for dinner tonight? We did breakfast for dinner! Pancakes, breakfast sausage and strawberries.

Do you prefer cold or room temperature drinking water? Cold.

How many different things have you had to drink today? Water, cold brew, iced coffee lol.

When you read a book, do you use a bookmark or simply dog ear/fold the top of the page? My boyfriend got me a super cute Stardew Valley bookmark for Mother's Day!

What's the nearest city to you with a population of at least one million? Toronto.

During the pandemic, did you use reusable or disposable masks? Both. I use disposable now if I'm forced to go out when sick or going to a crowded place during cold & flu season.

What is your favourite local restaurant? Not comfy sharing.

Have you ever been harassed while minding your own business walking down the street? I'm a woman, so yes.

Do you own a gun? Have you ever thought about getting one? Noooooo. No.

Do you know anyone who owns a gun? Perhaps for hunting?

What year is/was your 10 year high school reunion? Will you (or did you) attend? 2018. I did not attend.

Do you cut your sandwiches into triangles or rectangles? I don't cut them.

Have you ever seen a panda in real life? Where was it? No.

Are there any postcards hanging around the house? If so, where are they from? From a friend I met off of Twitch in England.

Does it snow where you live? Yes!

When was the last time you took a flight? Where did you go? I've never flown, nor do I want to.

Is there a flight path over your house? I think so.

Does your neighbourhood have a lot of hills? I'd say no but I had an online friend visiting from a different province and he told me it definitely does, so maybe.

Have you ever had Covid? What was your experience like? I think we've managed to avoid it somehow. We haven't tested the last few times we've been sick though.

Do you have any alcohol in your house right now? A few IPAs.

Do you tend to keep alcohol around the house for when you might want it? Not typically.

Has a romantic partner ever given you a pet as a gift? No.

Do you ever talk on the phone with friends? Sometimes! I do a every-few-weeks catchup with one of my friends, and an every-couple-of-months catchup with another.

What was the last thing someone said to you in person? My boyfriend complained about something one of our neighbours did.

Are you hungry right now? What would you like to eat? I'm still full from dinner.

How far away are your parents right now? They died.

Do you believe in aliens? Yes.

Have you ever been bitten by a spider? Perhaps as a child.

Do you own any clothing made from animal products like leather or fur? No.

What's the best vacation you've ever been on? I'm not sure.

Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Boyfriend's dad/stepmom/sister are coming over. His dad is helping fix a couple of things in our house and his stepmom & sister are visiting with my kiddo & I. :) I've been enjoying how much time we've been spending with them lately.

What's the longest movie you've ever seen?  Nooo idea.

What movies did you watch a lot as a kid?  ^

How many rooms are in your home?  Two bedrooms.

Do you ever experience imposter syndrome?  Sometimes.

What was the last place you rode to in a car?  Grocery store.

Do you have a PayPal account? If so, how often do you use it? Yup! Once or twice a month.

Are you cold right now?  Not really.

How old will you be at your next birthday?  33.

Before this one, when was the last time you took a survey?  Earlier today.

Can you skip rope?  Maybe. I don't know the last time I tried.

Have you ever participated in a charity fundraising event?  No.

What is your hair like at the moment?  In a bun, as usual.

Do you like cucumber?  Yes!

What do you like and dislike about your job? (or your last job)  I liked that it was super chill. I hated the night shift though.

Have you ever had a dream job? If so, did you give up on it, and why? Or do you happen to have that dream job? I really wanted to be a PSW and became one but couldn't handle it.

What's the last sitcom you watched? Friends.

What car did your parents or guardian drive when you were growing up?  I don't remember.

Do you have milk in your fridge right now? What kind?  Yes. 3.25% for my daughter.

Are you left or right handed? Right.

If you have your ears pierced, how old were you when you got them done?  I was a baby. I don't know what age.

Do you have any other piercings?  Not currently.

What was the last thing you wrote down in the notes app on your phone?  Added something to the grocery list I share with my bf.

Have you ever been on a winery tour?  Yes.

When was the last time you were hungover?  A few months ago.

Do you still have Facebook? If so, how often do you check it? Yes. Once or twice per day.

Are you wearing your favourite colour today?  No. I just want to add this because it made me smile today. I'm wearing a Pikachu shirt and I went grocery shopping this evening. A kiddo, probably 8 or 9, gasped when he saw me and said, "I LOVE YOUR POKEMON SHIRT!!" It was very sweet. :)

Would you ever want to visit South Korea?  Yes.

How many times in your life have you been in love?  Twice.

Do you like your name?  No.

[madchild-dennis]

So, I watched a movie called "A Sunday Affair" and it TRIGGERED ME. Ok not the whole affair and stuff. Yes I was upset and shouting at the TV and stuff at the drama. Ok maybe not all that but my eyes did water at the end.

But the BIGGER triggerment was what Toyin said that was relatable. Along the lines of:

After DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS. To then end up with the SHIT end of the stick.

That is my FUCKING LIFE, then God making it worst. The EASIEST to explain is me waiting to have sex till marriage. Being VERY picky and intentional with who I date, entertain or put my time and effort into romantically. Then God chooses an undeserving ASSHOLE AND HIS ASSHOLE MOTHER.

Then you have my FUCKING PARENTS. Throughout their BULLSHIT, I've turned the other cheek, I've forgiven, I've given them a 3rd+ chance which is far more than a 2nd chance. I've done the toxic christian shit. They got much more than they deserve as well.

The other cheek:

The 3rd+ chance:

That included their shit ass friends from the Adventist church I grew up in and neighbour:

I've been kind, forgiving and patient while they act all self-righteous or endangered my life OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I mean I worked at Seymour's bookstore for almost a year FOR FREE. Helping out when they needed me and fixed so many issues. Went to his wife's birthday while she plot plan my demise. Then you have the Cameron's smiling in my face lying to me when I was forced into the house I did not want to go into. THEN I was poisoned by them. While I allow them to use the washing machine over and over again. I went to help fix shit or more. That's even after I knew they poisoned me. They literally gave me a $1000 (which I returned) when they saw this post:

Talking about:

Mrs. Cameron: we are just like you trusting God for our meals and more. This is for the light bill for using the washing machine. *gives me $1000 in cash 5-$100 bills and 1-$500 bill."

Me: you know I don't need it. I don't even pay the light bill. You know what.

Mrs Cameron: just take it you know you need it.

I didn't realize what they used to poison me nor the full reason until now. Plus I figured it out, by time I thought it was too late for a test. Then I remember science is BEAUTIFUL. Guess who knows another way to get her proof long AFTER. These fuckers KNOW too. Hence why I'm being recommended to be at a nursing home for so long and more. They are hoping the time for that expires and that evidence is gone.

Or so they thought...

Anyways.

I've done the kind thing, the nice thing, the toxic christian thing. And ALL I got is BULLSHIT and more fuckery.

You know how long I've told ALL those bitch asses that I'm not mentally ill. Gave them proof upon proof and more.

Unlike Toyin from the movie, I can't just give up. I don't have a cope out like cancer, nor do these people let me live my FUCKING LIFE. I'M LITERALLY 27 YEARS OLD. Then, I am too much of a fighter to kill myself. Trust me the closest I've been is to let crocodiles eat me or someone try kill me if I fail defending myself (that's highly unlikely). I NEVER failed to protect myself, fight or dodge injury; no matter what.

So, what would piss me the fuck off is if I FOUGHT, FIGHT AND KEEP FIGHTING and all I get from my OWN FUCKING PARENTS, their friends, their minions and more not just get away scotch free plus continue and I'm in shit.

I will NOT tolerate it!!!

(God knows this, hence asking God for death in 2021. Life is unfair and more. Plus nothing good seems to be rewarded in this fucked up world. So, my decision to fight means I'm going to FUCKING WIN!!!)

Hence why I am NOT patient anymore with this lawyer. I already know something ain't right. Plus God lead me to him. Which means REPLACEMENTS WILL BE MADE, IF NECESSARY!!! The replacement is ALWAYS better than the first pick. That's seen with Jesus (replaced lamb sacrifice) and David (replaced Saul).

[artist-issues]

Interesting! Interesting! I totally agree that it’s grim, and it may be a tragedy. I don’t know where the end of the story is going to lead; even if they’re true to the books. But I will say I haven’t enjoyed the story so far, personally.

I don’t like the form of the movie: every actor and actress delivers every one of their lines (especially in the second movie) with a solemn gravity that feels like forced, pointless drama. When Paul has a conversation with his mother, his opening line seems intensely important. Deep, throbbing music behind it, a breath of suspense when he’s done speaking. And you think “man, he just said a mic-drop line.” …Until his mom responds, and then it’s another line delivered with this solemn gravity, leaving the audience like, “oh, what she said was a mic-drop line, too!” And so on, and on, and on, with no levity or humor or even simple character-building, normal-human dialogue to break it up. (The only humor is from Stilgar, who delivers his lines like a normal person, and sometimes humorously. It got to the point where I was hoping he’d come on screen to put me back in the movie.)

Every action taken in a sequence feels over-the-top solemn, too. And there’s this added…cinematic relish in all the violent scenes? A baby sand worm is being killed, so we get to watch it thrash in death throes to religiously solemn music for the better part of three minutes. Rabban walks into a room full of strategists during a battle just to yell a pointless one-liner, with about as much depth of meaning as “don’t let them get away!” but the whole point of the scene is really just so we can watch him slam a man’s skull into jelly over and over. And…every scene with Feyd-Rautha.

Plus, some story beats are so pompous in the second movie that nobody can connect with the characters. Why do Paul and Chani become romantically interested in one another? He has visions of her. That’s the basis of his affection. No audience member can relate to hallucinating a beautiful girl who might kill you or love you…and then getting to meet her in person, without knowing anything about her. That’s not a relatable basis for a relationship. And Chani? Why does she fall in love with Paul? They have no believable build-up in their relationship. There’s even less reason for her to attach herself to him, as an unbeliever in the prophecy and a hater of any House that controls her home planet. But they just glue together for…no reason in particular, and we’re asked to just believe they have this great love.

Since we don’t believe in that great love, there’s no emotional response triggered when Paul chooses the Princess instead of Chani. They never had much real depth of emotional connection, anyway. Not based on what the movie shows us.

So those are my issues with the “form,” how the movie is made.

My issues with the content, or the point of the movie, go deeper.

I hate the pointless plot device of Paul as Messiah. I hate that the only thing the audience can be sure of, when it comes to his Messiah status, is that being the Messiah is just a means to an end. And that end is controlling people. According to these movies, that’s all that a Messiah—myth, or reality—is for. Seizing control.

How Paul feels about that—whether he realizes it’s immoral to use his Messiah status as a tool of control, or not—is irrelevant to me. Who cares? The truth is, the movie asks the audience to believe that his “Messiah” status is not real. No actual higher power gave him anything—and Paul is certainly not a higher power, himself. Nope. “Messiah” is just an identity he assumes to fulfill the plans some super-smart group of people have been laying out for an impressive amount of time. And by fulfilling those plans, he gets to have power, and the sheep who think he’s a higher-being fall in line.

I hate that. I hate that treatment of Messiah. I hate that treatment of organized religion. I hate it all. And I don’t think that the movie is telling you, “Yeah, but that’s where Paul and his mother went wrong. They pretended he was a Messiah, and look, now they’re kind of the bad guys!” No, that’s not what I mean. The movie is actually saying “there’s no such thing as a real Messiah, don’t fall for it. Look, even this charming, attractive young man played by Timothee Chalamet is a snake, pretending to fulfill a Messiah myth—don’t fall for it. There’s no such thing as a real Messiah, and anyone who tries to tell you differently is trying to control you for their own gain.”

Hate. That.

It would be one thing if there were a real and good “Muad-dib” that the movie has set up, who comes and dethrones Paul just when he’s turning villainous and laying false claim to the tittle. That would be movie language for “There is such a thing as a real Messiah or a real higher power; but don’t fall for pretenders.” But that’s not what it says. It builds a whole world around “these ladies made up prophecies to control people, and this young man has a superpower that allows him to see those prophecies so he can fulfill them and exploit anyone who believes in them.”

I don’t know if the books communicate a different message. But at this point, it doesn’t matter. That’s what the movies are communicating, so far. That’s my take. It’s mostly on the second movie, since the first one has a few more “human moments” and doesn’t carry itself with quite as much overdone solemnity as the second. Thoughts?

Let's do something new!

If you've seen Dune 1 or 2 or both and you follow me, I want to hear what you thought of it. Let's start a thread like we're all in the room together having a chat. Reblog and talk to me.

[strangeswift]

Katya/Goncharov Argument vs. MiIeven Argument Parallels (Hinting at the downfall of MiIeven and Mike and El's sexualities.)

The Duffers have confirmed that they took inspiration from Goncharov (1973) while writing Stranger Things 4. Given this information, the parallels between Goncharov and Katyas and El and Mike's relationships are undeniable.

Katya is in love with another woman, Sofia. While Goncharov has romantic tension with another man, Andrey. Katya and Goncharov are in a toxic, loveless marriage. What does this say about the Duffers intentions as far as Mike and El's relationship?

The most glaringly obvious parallel between Katarov and MiIleven is between the two couple's big arguments. Here I will point out how the MiIeven argument parallels the Katarov argument by presenting the Katarov argument and identifying the parallels.

The Duffers have actually paralleled Mike to Katya and El to Goncharov. For context if anyone hasn't seen the movie in a while and forgot, this is the scene after Goncharov is forced to kill Vasiliy in front of Katya.

Here we go:

Goncharov: You were never meant to see that.

Katya: I know what you do. I know how we make our money... What pays for this house.

Goncharov: Do you know what your mother would've said, if she knew I let you see something like that?

Katya: My mother is dead.

Goncharov: Yes, I realize. At your request.

Katya: It doesn't matter what she would've thought.

Goncharov: It matters what you think.

Katya: I don't think anything.

This section parallels Goncharov killing Vasiliy to El hitting Angela with the roller skate, as well as Goncharov feeling like a monster for being a mobster to El feeling like a monster.

When Goncharov says "You were never meant to see that." he is expressing concern about the way Katya specifically views him due to her seeing him kill Vasiliy. Just as El expresses concern that Mike thinks she's a monster after watching her hit Angela with the roller skate. And Katya's response is just as dismissive as Mike's.

"Do you know what your mother would've said..." is Goncharov expressing that Katya's mother perceived him as a bad person, as a monster. He is worried about other people's perception of him. Just as El is worried about other people's perception when she says, "Everyone looks at me like I'm a monster." Again, Katya is dismissive, simply saying "My mother is dead." and "It doesn't matter what she would've thought." Just as Mike is dismissive, saying, "Well they just don't know you."

When Goncharov responds, "It matters what you think." That is a direct parallel to "You think I'm a monster too." And Katya's response? Parallels Mike's reply.

Moving on:

Goncharov: You don't think anything of watching me kill a man, or you don't think anything of me?

Katya: You know I think the world of you.

Goncharov: (Pauses) All my life, I knew what I was. I knew what I'd become. I became what my father was. I did hope, that like him, I'd somehow still find a wife who loved me.

Katya: You have.

Goncharov: (shakes his head) No. I haven't.

Katya: I don't know what you want me to say.

Goncharov's "...you don't think anything of me?" Parallels El's, "But you don't love me anymore?"

Katya's "You know I think the world of you" parallels Mike's, "You know what I think of you. You're the most incredible person in the world." (Come on Duffers, this one was a little on the nose.)

Goncharov's "All my life, I knew what I was. I knew what I'd become." demonstrates his acceptance of what he is, what he sees as being a monster. Just as El does when she says, "I am different. I do not belong."

Moving on:

Goncharov: I don't want you to say anything. (Pulls gun, but doesn't aim it.) I want you to tell me where you were two nights ago. I know you weren't at Vasiliy's, he told me as much before I shot him in the face.

Katya: (boldy, showing no fear) I was with Sofia.

Goncharov: Do you know what people would say, if they knew...

Katya: They wouldn't say anything! You're Lo Straniero. What can they say?

Goncharov: (examining the gun) I don't want you seeing her.

Goncharov is concerned once again about other people's perception of him when he says, "Do you know what people would say, if they knew..." just as El is concerned about other's perception if her, as discussed earlier.

When Katya says, "They wouldn't say anything! You're Lo Straniero." she is referring to the fact that because Goncharov has power in the mob, he shouldn't worry about other people's perceptions. This parallels Mike's, "They're nobodies, and you're a superhero!" And Goncharov doesn't seem convinced by this, just as El isn't.

End scene.

Now, in this scene Goncharov is implied to be aware of Katya's amorous connection to Sofia. That raises the question of whether Mike and Will's relationship will parallel Katya and Sofia's, as well as whether El knows about Mike's feelings.

There are many more Goncharov (1973) parallels to dissect, but this is just the most glaringly obvious. I find it so interesting that nobody has compared these two scenes yet. Please go watch them both, you'll see the parallels in the staging and the actor's mannerisms as well.

[anyaeras]

Always there for me || N.Romanoff

Summary

Natasha comfort you over a fear and Nightmare, And you kinda give away your crush on her, but she feels the same and stays with you, helping you sleep again <3

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

friendly/romantic

2k words

Warning ( mention abuse, nightmare, and fluff)

[Reader POV]

I was Enjoying being an Avenger It was a way for me help other people, But It wasn't always this luxury superhero life I was living, Growing up in the midwest states with only my mother, it was her and I she taught me everything to read to write to fight, Defending myself if They where to come for us, when I was ten I was taken away from my mother, my home,  To become a "widow" The forced me into the "red room" and I know what you're thinking the red room isn't that in Russia? well once the American government found out how these girls were doing in Russia they decided to make their own prototype taking certain girls that showed up on the radar and putting them in but it wasn't the same as the Russian one it was different it was more like science experiments on objects then training, And every day was just another injection or experiment to see what you could do, they wanted these little girls to be The worlds best murderers pretty much, and that's what we were only 10 of us came out of it alive, and to this day, Only I still live,  in the middle of this all of these experiments and fighting in just the life that I have created for myself I have managed to show up on Furry radar, But not in a good way, I was Taken once again,but for some reason I didn't put up a fight, They sent someone who at the time I knew as Another widow by the look of her suit, She offered me something No one has ever, it was help, a New start, A Shield Agent, and Eventually an Avenger myself , as I continued I learned who this women was, Natasha, she did have a hard shell and a strong demeanor but if you got to know her super soft and caring, deep down inside she was always there for me when I need her, and I was there for her there was a small chance I developed feelings for her but I can brush those to the side we have a great friendship there's no need to ruin it, right? And that's where we are now

[Present day Readers POV]

We, meaning the Avengers and I were having a movie night, this type of thing happen often as a way of 'team bonding' It was fun most of the time, team bonding would change sometimes, From a movie to a game night, or a party things like that.

I walk down into the man room to find, Natasha, Clint, and Maria talking on a couch, Tony, Capt, and Bruce on the other, as Wanda and peter sat with blanket wrap around them on the floor, we waited for Vis and Bucky to walk in before starting.

I took a seat next to bucky who was like my best friend, he knew everything, Including my crush on Natasha, I would tur and lie and say it was small but when she gives me butterflies by looking at me, well- it's not so little.

Peter had gotten to pick the movie, which was not an Advantage to me, I might try and act like a badass, cold, assassin, But I just can't do Horror movies, and what did Peter pick, a horror movie! and damn Horror movie.

the movie had started and I was doing okay, I did my best to hide my fear, I really don't feel like getting picked on by the team for being weak, But as I watch the killer in the movie drag away one of the Movie characters and Kill them off, I let out a small yelp, quickly hiding my face, I knew the team saw this, and with that a group of Laughs. came my way.

Everyone but Natasha was laughing at me, I only knew this when she was the one to walk by me kicking me and bit before motioning for me to follow. I reluctantly got up, followed into the kitchen.

"you alright?" she asked a wave of concern in her voice as I nodded

"It's okay to be scared, you know that right?" she said after I just looked down, I wasn't gonna let my guard down so much for the whole team to see, and I was definitely not going to chicken out.

"N-nat can we go finish the movie please" I said giving here a small smile as it was now her turn to nod.

we snuck back to our spots in the Main living area, where everyone was still, eyes glued on the movie, other then Bucky who was smile at me, I rolled my eyes sitting back down. trying to not focus on the screaming and other sound affects coming from the movie.

finally it was over, 2hours later and I was quick to rush to my room, not wanting to be bothered, more so taunted about tonight, so I made the choice to sleep.

I laid down in my bed, It seemed like things we're staring at me and I couldn't get comfortable tossing and turning constantly, It was making me go crazy, until luckily I passed out in my bed

[A little later]

"No no stop...pl- NO!" I let out a murdering scream as I jumped up now sitting up in my bed, My room was dark, only the moonlight shining through the curtains brought a dim light into the room definitely not enough to light the entire room but a little light close by the window, I stayed sitting curled up in a ball, my legs pulled close to my chest Laying my head down on my own legs trying to quiet my sobs but it was a little late certain somebody who's room was just across the hall from mine at the compound had Heard me....

[Natashas POV]

"No no stop...pl- NO!" followed By a screen was all that was heard before silence, I was confused but nonetheless quickly Rose from my own bed, A little startled from the odd awakening but made my way to the door, I slowly creep across the hallway sobs grew louder as an inch closer to someone's door

"Y/N?” are they- Crying? Was the only thought that came to my head at the moment, I took a moment to think what I was about to do through but I wanted to get to Y/N but I didn't want to startle them, I slowly pushed open their door.

"Y/N?" I said softly, not knowing exactly how they react I've never seen them cry they were always so strong and independent but still, Loving. I watched the small body that was curled up on the bed move to look at me before looking away.

"I-i'm sorry if I woke you, i'm fine" they said to me stuttering a bit in the doing of so.

I didn't believe that you don't need to be a train spy to see through something like that, it's quite transparent, slowly inching closer to them, still being careful of the situation, I sat down on the bed close by

"n-nat?" they questioned themself saying it to me

"yes Sweetie?" And like that I had pulled y/n onto my lap letting them cry into my chest. occasionally hushing them

"shh it's okay sweetie"

once's I had gotten them to calm down a bit Still siting in my lap, Rubbing her back as y/n sobs came down to small hiccups

[Readers POV]

I felt really bad about waking Nat with one of my Nightmares, But it felt great to be in her arms, She was comforting, I clung to her like a baby onto it mother,  she rubbed my back as we stayed there in silence until she finally spoke up once again

"wanna talk about it?" she asked me not pressing at all, waiting for me to open up

My response was to move back a little so she could see face as I took a moment to speak

"It was like the movie but you where with me, we were in the red room and the room you away and I had to watch them kill you, with all the things they did to me once, I didn't wanna lose you, I cant lose you" I paused as I realized what I just said and I looked up to her to see if she showed any emotion her face had one of her signature smirks, but I try to pretend I didn't just say that and continue

" they took me and strapped me down just like in the movie, and you were on the table as they injected you with who know what, you screamed and I lost you, Before I- i died, but it was so real, Like that was our real faith!"  I tried my best not to sob, I already looked so vulnerable.

"It's okay, nothing will happen, i-i'll be right here with you"  Nat said to me Laying me back down into my bed pulling the duvet back on

"Взаперти все мои мысли Дождь, внутри слепые искры Не вернешь своей улыбки Хэй, Хэй, Хэ, No way, way! Проснись, только проснись Не оставь меня одну здесь Не дай упасть вниз Верю в нас, ты коснись Только коснись Я лечу вниз Вниз" Natasha song softly

(Vzaperti vse moi mysli Dozhdʹ, vnutri slepyye iskry Ne verneshʹ svoyey ulybki KH·ey, KH·ey, KH·e, No way, way! Prosnisʹ, tolʹko prosnisʹ Ne ostavʹ menya odnu zdesʹ Ne day )

it was almost easy enough for me to go back to sleep, I was half asleep laying there when she stuck I felt movement in the bed and she laid me down out of her arms completely, as she started to leave, I went for her arm pulling her back.

"Stay please- I mean umm if you'd like of course, I'm so-" she cut my off but crawling back into my bed, and under the covers, pulling me into her arms as I snuggled more into her chest taking in her spicy sent

"Go to sleep Dorogoy" she whispered

"t-thank you, for always being there" I said sheepishly back to her before sleep over took both of us....

A/N two one shots one day score! i hope you are having a great day request are open!

[incomprehensiblelentils]

i need recommendations for some lesbian movies. My wife wants to watching something gay, but is tired of gay men's movies

oh gosh I am so sorry I'm just now getting to this - I was out of town the whole weekend and got back yesterday evening, when my brain was melting out my ears from the heat. without further ado!

I have categorized this list into a few sections:

Well-Made/"Good" Movies I Can Vouch For

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019): you have probably heard of this, but in case you haven't, it's a French historical drama about a painter who is commissioned to do a wedding portrait for a reluctant bride-to-be. It's lush, emotional, bittersweet, and breathtakingly shot. Content warnings: mention of a minor character's suicide, brief abortion scene featuring a secondary character, one scene of the leads doing drugs together.

Saving Face (2004): This is a lovely film about a young Chinese surgeon who is juggling her secret relationship with the drama her mother causes. Content warnings: intergenerational trauma.

Carol (2014): Again, you've probably heard of this one - it's another historical drama, this one based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt. A young aspiring photographer is captivated by a mysterious woman named Carol. After Portrait came out I find myself not as enamored of this one (I think Rooney Mara is not very good in it lmao), but it's a lovely film worth a watch. Content warnings: period-typical homophobia, Carol's shitty husband.

The Half of It (2020): From the director of Saving Face, this is a high-school coming of age movie inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac, in which a second-generation Chinese girl ends up volunteering to write love letters to her crush, "from" the jock who is also in love with said crush. Some really beautiful stuff about immigrant Chinese families in here, and I was really touched by the friendship between the two leads. Content warnings: racism, homophobia, bullying, intergenerational trauma.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017): This is based on the life of William Marston, creator of Wonder Woman, and his partners Elizabeth and Olive. I am given to understand that the relationship between the two women was probably not romantic IRL, but I really love the way the movie treats both the triad and the women as a couple. I also think the BDSM stuff is cute. Content warnings: age gap/power differential romance (two professors and their TA), homophobia including a brief violent attack, brief cancer subplot towards the end of the film.

Summerland (2020): A WWII movie about the bond between a reclusive writer and the young boy she is reluctantly forced to care for due to the London evacuations. I will spoil this for you because it gave me severe anxiety: the lesbians both live to the end, and they get to raise their son together! My main complaint is not enough Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Content warnings: WWII imagery/setting, parent death (offscreen but significant part of the plot), brief child peril.

The Favourite (2018): This is a weird little black comedy about two cousins who are vying to be the favored paramour of Queen Anne in 18th century Britain. It's some fun fucked-up drama. Content warnings: animal abuse/death (toward the end of the film), manipulation, non-consensual drugging.

I Can't Think Straight (2008): I haven't seen this one since college but I remember liking it - it's about two women, one Palestinian and one Indian, who meet and fall in love despite unlikely circumstances. Content warnings: cheating (one character is engaged to a man).

V For Vendetta (2005) - in case you forgot, this has lesbians! Content warnings: torture, attempted sexual assault, hanging, child death, panic attack, homophobia/dead lesbians

Birds of Prey (2020) - Harley Quinn is canonically bisexual! Also I love this movie. Content warnings: cartoonish violence, graphic torture including of a child, child death (implied/heard), implied sexual assault by the villain (of a minor character).

Booksmart (2019): High school comedy about two best friends who decide they're sick of being dweebs and want to go to a cool party before they graduate. I think it's largely delightful and I love the lesbian character's story. However, the subplot with the teacher who has sex with her (19yo) student is BAD and I won't defend it, nor will I judge anyone for wanting to skip based on that. Content warnings: extended non-con drugged sequence (played for laughs/nothing bad happens to them), aforementioned age gap/power differential romance (secondary characters).

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999): Clea Duvall and Natasha Lyonne star in a satire of conversion therapy camps, also featuring young Dante Basco. Personally I think it keeps things light and silly enough not to trigger me with the religious rhetoric. Content warnings: conversion camp setting and corresponding conservative Christian rhetoric, general homophobia, uh, RuPaul is here at one point?

In the Heights (2021): This movie is very much not perfect, chiefly for the colorism in the casting choices. BUT I like that Daniela and Carmen are gay now. Content warnings: racism, prejudice against undocumented individuals, grandparent death.

Movies I Think You Should Watch Maybe - Are They Good? I Couldn't Say!

D.E.B.S. (2004): This is a deeply silly movie about an all-girls' spy school in which the star pupil falls in love with international supercriminal Lucy Diamond, directed by queer icon Angela Robinson and featuring lesbian grandma Holland Taylor as the headmaster. Content warnings: cartoonish (PG-13) gun violence.

Imagine Me & You (2005): This was baby's first f/f movie for me, and so it has a very special place in my heart even though it is Problematic because it's about a lady cheating on her husband with Lena Headey, and also nobody remembered bisexuality exists so they say "lesbian" pretty exclusively and that sucks. Lena Headey and Piper Perabo are so good together though, and I genuinely like everyone in this movie. Content warnings: cheating (one character is married to a man).

Happiest Season (2020): Do not @ me this is MY movie!!! Kristen and Mackenzie are PERFECT. Content warnings: homophobia, manipulative behavior, one weirdly intense interrogation scene with mall cops that frankly should've been cut, mentioned fish death.

A Simple Favor (2018): This movie...it is batshit. If you like trashy drama, you will probably like this movie! Linda Cardellini plays a lesbian artist and I love her so much. Content warnings: manipulation, murder, incest (adult half-siblings not raised together), intense discussion of murder-suicide, gun violence

The Falling (2014): This movie is also batshit and not good, but I need more people to watch it, because I've seen it four times and I have no idea what it's trying to say. It features Maisie Williams and Florence Pugh as British boarding school teens who have an intense "friendship" and then suddenly everyone in the school starts having collective fainting spells. Please, I just need to find the person out there who gets what this movie is doing so they can explain it to me. Content warnings: unexplained medical issues (fainting), seizures, incest (consensual? sex scene), attempted suicide, grief, discussion of sexual assault and trauma therein (secondary character)

A New York Christmas Wedding (2020): This movie is ALSO batshit in a completely different way than the other two, and again, I need someone to explain it to me. It's, uh, sort of It's a Wonderful Life but with a bisexual heroine, and some batshittery along the way? Content warnings: suicide (secondary character), teen pregnancy, weird pro-life vibes, parent death, way too much church, homophobia, Chris Noth

Movies I Haven't Yet Seen Which Have Been Recc'd To Me

Crush (2022)

Pariah (2011)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

The Handmaiden (2016)