#things to do in NYC 2021

[techandtravel]

Things to do in Tribeca 2023

Things to do in Tribeca Uncover the Top Things to do in Tribeca and Places to See in the Heart of Downtown NYC Statue of Liberty -Without visiting the famed Statue of Liberty, a journey to New York is not complete. This symbol of freedom and democracy stands tall on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and offers stunning views of the city skyline. Take a ferry to the island and climb to the top…

[tuckerwooley]

today, @thepeoplesjoker finally sees a theatrical release, starting in NYC and spreading like wildfire to theaters across the country and almost certainly beyond. here are some non-spoilery screenshots of my scene!

i’m honored to have been asked to be a small part of this film; i animated a scene right in the middle of the movie in 2021 while i was finishing my senior year of college, as well as matte paintings used as backgrounds throughout - and recently i got to animate the logo, designed by @michaeldeforgecomics!

all movies take a herculean collaborative effort to get made, but the people’s joker has been supported by the good will of so many people just to get seen. @veradrew22 and @brilerose have made THE true trans comic book movie, equal parts funny, thrilling, emotional, and reflective of modernity. it’s been one of the most artistically rewarding experiences of my life, and i’m beyond excited for y’all to finally see it. i’m obviously biased, but this is my favorite movie, and it would be even if i didn’t work on it. she’s finally free and getting her due, and i couldn’t be happier!

if you somehow want more of me waxing poetic about TPJ, check out the review i did on my letterboxd. and to see other people do it instead, peruse one of the fuckmillion articles that have been out in major publications throughout the production; it’s been in indiewire, variety, the hollywood reporter, polygon, @brokenpencilmag, even the goddamn new york times! that’s wild. the whole thing is wild.

do yourself a favor and see this movie; it represents the possibilities of embracing outsider art, and of a world where IP law is less “for narcs, by narcs.”

[nolita-fairytale]

bad moon rising | carmen 'carmy' berzatto x fem!reader

summary: in another lifetime, you meet mikey berzatto by chance one halloween night in nyc.

or, the fic based on this headcanon

warnings: angst, use of she/her pronouns, no use of y/n, second person pov, drug usage, high mikey b, swearing, family drama, depression, not a happy ending

wc: 3.7k

a/n: i wrote about grief again. shocking, i know. thank you all for your interest based on the headcanon it came from and thank you for your patience. i wanted so badly to post this around halloween and have been sitting on it since the better part of last year as one of my wips. finally, finally, it's here!! i took a slightly different approach than the headcanon, but i think it still does it justice. let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the carmy taglist.

this what-if fic takes place october 2021 because it's make my heart surrender-canon that mikey and reader never met; reader x carmy are best friends and colleagues but it has not gone further than that.

masterlist

Halloween, in another lifetime:

“Can I get hands, please!” Carmy shouts out to the entire kitchen, only to be met with a strong chorus of ‘hands’ in response.

His team works together like a well-oiled machine; a tight run ship, led by a captain near-suffocated under the weight of the chip on his shoulder. 

“Chef!” you hear the sound of your general manager’s voice ring through the kitchen, causing many a-heads to turn. She rarely comes into the kitchen during dinner service unless it’s serious. Her eyes lock with Carmy’s as he looks up from his expo, as if she’s about to deliver bad news. 

His mind races through the possibilities, preparing to solve the next oncoming crisis. Could it be an undercooked steak? An overcooked duck breast? Another complaint of ‘too salty’ or ‘underseasoned?’ 

“Chef, you uh… you have a visitor,” she says instead–the last thing he expects to hear. 

A visitor? 

“Wh-?” 

“Someone’s here to see you. Says he’s your… brother??” Carmy’s ears begin to burn, as he searches for your face amidst the chaos, your gaze there to catch him even from across the kitchen. Your presence feels reassuring, like a strong man in a storm. He doesn’t know what to do. He’s knee deep into service and he cannot get the sound of tickets being added to the expo out of his head. He opens his mouth to say something but he’s uncertain any words come out of his mouth, unsure of what he’d even say. You send him a reassuring nod, and it’s as if in one look, you’ve made the decision to go. 

“Chef, you good?” Carmy hears you ask the head pastry chef. 

“Yeah, we got it. But don’t take too long,” she answers with a curt nod of approval. 

He watches as you nod again, this time in recognition of your boss’ answer, as you pull the food-grade nitrile gloves off of your hands, discarding them in the nearby trash can. Without a word, you follow Kate closely behind, exchanging a few words with her as the two of you disappear to the front of house. There’s a war inside of Carmy as he watches you go–a pang of guilt and a feeling of relief–that whatever it is, you’ve agreed to take care of it. 

In all of the years that he’s been in New York, no one’s come to see him–the possibility of it happening now, let alone as a surprise, feels improbable. 

Must be a prank or some shit…. 

It couldn’t really be Michael, could it? 

As you seek out the answer, your feet carrying you faster than you anticipated, you realize that you’re searching for a face you’ve only seen in photographs. Kate follows closely behind while you push through the front door of the restaurant only to find a man pacing just outside of the restaurant, a ghostface mask in hand. You can tell he’s been sweating, the circles under his eyes just as dark as the ones you’ve become so familiar with in Carmy, with an anxious look in his eyes as his gaze turns towards you. 

He’s certainly not the larger-than-life older brother you’ve seen in the sparse amount of pictures that Carmy’s shown you.  

“I got this, Kate,” you mutter over your shoulder with a confident nod, letting your general manager know that you’re good on your own. “You sure?” she asks you quietly. 

“I’m sure,” you answer, watching as a disappointed look spread across Michael’s face as soon as he sees that: 

“You’re not Carmen.” 

“Uh… no. I’m not,” you reply, hearing the front door to the restaurant close behind you. The man swears under his breath, and you watch as face changes from disappointment to annoyance quickly, as you try your best to come up with an explanation that may satisfy him. “He uh… he can’t come out. Not right now. So he sent me.” 

Michael scoffs with a shake of his head, his eyebrows quickly rising and falling incredulously as he takes another drag off his cigarette. 

“Shit... the guy can't even make time to see his big brother?" he asks, the annoyance obvious in his voice this time. 

You take a step towards him, your arms folded across your chest. 

“I’m sorry. I-, I don't think he was expecting you,” you answer, much more compassionately this time. 

“Right,” Michael mumbles, barely loud enough for you to hear. You watch as he throws the butt of his cigarette down on the pavement, before stamping it out. 

“It’s just-. He would if he could. I know it. It's just a busy night. I-... we're doing 200 covers tonight and uh... well, he runs the kitchen so,” you try again, and you can practically feel the disappointment (and resentment) burying itself deeper in Michael. 

“Yeah, no thanks, lady. You don’t need to explain it to me. Jagoff can’t even make time to say ‘hi’ to his brother. Sends you to do his dirty work instead,” Michael dismisses you, bitterly. 

He takes a beat. And then another, as if he’s accepted that he’s not going to see Carmy after all. 

“Why don’t you come inside? I’m sure-,” you offer, taking another step towards him. 

“‘S alright, sweetheart,” he dismisses you again, this time gentler. “You don’t need to make up for his bullshit.” 

You open your mouth to say something—anything in defense of Carmy—but you’re certain that nothing you have to say will be enough for your best friend’s older brother (save for Carmy coming out here himself).

With a nod, you accept defeat, turning to go back inside. But there’s something that stops you—like you just can’t just go back inside without trying to remedy the situation one last time. This time all you say is:

“I don’t know how long you’re in town for but… we should be off by midnight.”

Michael only offers you a sympathetic smile before you slip back inside. 

—---------------------------------------

It’s not until you and Carmy are packing up your things to head home that he brings it up—his mysterious visitor—hesitant to ask the question that’s been eating at him all night. 

“So uh… was it really him? Michael?” he asks you, cautiously, as he watches your face carefully for any kind of reaction. 

“Uh… yeah. I mean, at least the guy I recognized from your pictures,” you reply, hoping that the answer (or the fact that he missed his brother) won’t break his heart. 

A beat.

“What’d he want?” Carmy asks, trying to mask his curiosity as best as possible. 

“I don’t know,” you answer honestly. “Seems like he found himself in the city. I didn’t ask. I didn’t… know if you wanted me to.” 

Carmy tries again. 

“Oh no. It’s-, no I didn’t-, no, it’s okay.” 

He takes his time, making up his mind about what he wants to say next. 

“It’s weird, right? Guy can barely pick up the phone to say hello but… he can show up unannounced and just like-, expect me to drop everything?” he asks you—the look in his eyes telling you that his mind is miles away. 

“I- I don’t know, Carmy,” you reply, heavily. “Are you… do you wish you had gone instead of me?” 

Carmy’s quiet as he follows you out of the back door of the restaurant, thinking his answer over. 

“I don’t know,” he answers slowly, a lack of confidence as the words fall out of his mouth. “Maybe?” 

He’s not sure how he’s supposed to feel and right now he just feels… ambushed, which only makes him want to shut down. 

Instead, Carmy changes the subject back to your post-work plans, the two of you debating what kind of post-shift late night meal you’re going to have before settling on a few slices of pizza on the way back to your place. You and Carmy cut through the alley to the front of the restaurant so that you can begin your late-night sojourn, and it’s only when he spots something odd that he stops you. 

“What the fuck?” Carmy cuts you off, holding an arm out in front of you to stop you from walking any further. 

You follow his line of sight right over to a figure moving towards the both of you. In the brief glimpse you’ve gotten of the person moving towards you, all you can see is a quick flash of the ghostface mask they hold in their hands as a bus drives by, obstructing your view. 

Carmy’s heart stops, fear filling his chest as the bus speeds by, the person getting closer and closer until…

“Michael?!” Carmy shouts, squinting as he sees the man approach. His expression of pure shock leaves his jaw agape, rendering him speechless as he scrambles to try to find better words that: 

“What-, what the fuck are you doing here?” 

“Shit,” Michael scoffs playfully, with a chuckle, his breath uneven from the light jogging pace he’d kept. Michael takes note of the arm his younger brother’s extended, shielding you from him. “What? Can’t your big brother come surprise ya in the big city?” 

Carmy shoots him a look that says, ‘when have you ever done that’ and Michael nods knowingly, his eyebrows quickly raising, then lowering as he makes peace with the fact that he’s never been that guy. 

“Me and Deb… we came up for the weekend,” Mikey admits with a heavy sigh. “Tried to do something nice for her but, you know, broad’s been a real bitch-.” 

“Mikey,” Carmy warns, taking a tone you recognize—the kind he uses when he’s going to yell at the saucier for a broken mornay. 

“Right,” Mike course corrects at the volume of a mumble, heaving a heavy, yet disarming sigh. 

Carmy nods slowly as he allows some part of him to relax, his arm falling away from you as the two of you exchange a look. 

“We uh…. Got into another fight. She’s on her way back to Chicago now,” Mikey explains, the disappointment evident in his voice this time, almost as if it were an apology. 

“Sorry,” Carmy mutters quietly, as you exchange a look with him. 

“Nah it’s-, she’ll get over it,” Mikey brushes off with a shrug, his tone shifting as he extens an arm out to you.

“Fuck, where are my manners? I never properly introduced myself earlier. I’m Mikey. Mikey Berzatto,” he grins with a charm and confidence that’s been absent in both of your interactions with him till now. The smile that spreads across his face is contagious as he looks from you to Carmy, then back to you. “Shit. I’m sorry. ‘M fuckin’ jagoff, interupting your night like this. I should probably get-.” 

“No!” you protest, almost too quickly, earning a look from Carmy. “We weren’t-, we were just getting off work and were gonna grab a bite. Maybe even… a drink?” you suggest, a hopefulness in your eyes as you turn towards Carmy. 

“Yeah?” Michael asks, his interest piqued. 

“Uhm. Just gonna grab a bite actually,” Carmy forces out, sending a glare in your direction. 

“You know what’s crazy? I know a spot. With food. And drinks,” you challenge him, silently begging him to just go with it. 

“You cool with that, Carm?” Mike asks this time, looking from you to his younger brother once more. It’s the first time that Carmy thinks Michael’s ever looked to him for approval. 

Carmy’s quiet for a moment, torn between wanting to burn it all down or declare a gleeful ‘yes’ because at least Mikey wants to spend time with him. 

“Um. Uh. Yeah. Yeah okay,” Carmy finally agrees. 

“Alright, let’s fuckin’ do it!” Mikey rallies. 

And as he turns to go, your voice instructing him that it’s only a few blocks from here, you and Carmy fall into stride, just a few steps behind Mikey. 

“I’m gonna kill you,” Carmy threatens you—though there’s no weight to it—through gritted teeth. 

You shove him playfully, bumping your shoulder against his side as the two of you walk, answering with a promise that: “You’ll thank me later.” 

��---------------------------------------

You sit on one side of Carmy, Mikey on the other, and you can see why Carmy looks at his older brother like he hung the sun, the moon, and the stars above. There’s something different about Michael—something different than when you met him just hours ago outside of the restaurant—as he corrals the three of you into a round of shots. 

As the shots of tequila arrive at the bar, Carmy dismisses his, his attention fixed to the still-full whiskey on the rocks he’d ordered earlier, just to appease his older brother. He watches you carefully as you and Mikey clink glasses before throwing back your own respective shots. 

“Carm?” Mikey asks, nodding towards the third, untouched shot glass. 

Carmy hesitates. 

“It’s fine. I’ll take his,” you jump in, half as an attempt to give Carmy the out he so desperately desires, and half because, admittedly, meeting the great Mikey Berzatto makes you a little nervous.

Before anyone can protest, you reach out, picking up the shot glass, before tapping it down against the bar top, fearlessly throwing it back. Michael watches you with a sense of amusement, as your face crinkles in response to the sting of the liquor and the bitterness of the lime you chase it with. 

He smirks, sharing a knowing look with his younger brother that says, “I like this girl,” which in turn only causes Carmy to blush. Before Mikey can say anything more, the song that blares through the speakers changes, earning his attention as he hears the familiar words:

“I see the bad moon a-risin' I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightnin' I see bad times today”

“Alright, alright. Think it’s a little too on the nose if I admit that I love this song? On Halloween? C’maaaaaahn,” Mikey asks, almost as if it’s a confession in reference to the easily recognizable Creedance Clearwater revival hit. 

“No! No, I love this song,” you’re quick to assuage his hesitation as your eyes light up in response to his recognition. 

“You got good taste, kid,” Michael notes confidently, winking in his brother’s direction. “I like this girl, Carm.”

Only this time, he says it out loud. Carmy only shakes his head, the blush already running across his cheeks taking a deeper shade of red. 

“Yeah, yeah. Uh. You both uh.. Like music,” Carmy smiles, gesturing from you to his brother. At least this is going a lot better than he expected it to, he reminds himself. 

“Oh yeah?” Michael asks, clearly intrigued. 

“Oh that’s right!” you exclaim, simultaneously. The excitement that brews within you has you stumbling over your words as you manage to get out:

“You’re-, oh my god! The Lennon jacket!” 

“What?” Mike asks, shooting you a funny look. 

“I’m sorry. I just-. I realize I’m not-,” you stammer over your words, trying your best to explain your earlier exclamation over your own excitement. 

“You gave Carmy the denim jacket – the 1950s selvedge Wrangler!” 

“Just like the-,” Michael starts, the two of you finishing his sentence at once with: 

“... just like the one John Lennon had!” 

“Marry this girl, Carm. Marry her right now. Tonight! Or I will,” Michael encourages, slapping his hand down against the bar. He speaks with so much bravado and conviction that you can only imagine that there was none left for Carmy. “Fuckin’ christ. I never should’ve let you two meet,” Carmy groans on an exasperated exhale as he shakes his head once again. 

“Oh c’mon, Carm,” Mikey rouses him, with a playful eye roll. 

“It’s totally my favorite jacket of his! I-, well, it’s a long story but we actually became friends over the jacket because he spilled a drink on me and-,”

“Ahhh real smooth.” 

“No! No, it was okay, I promise. I-, I don’t know if we would’ve gotten to know each other if he hadn’t so-. Call it a lucky jacket, I guess,” you smile, stealing a look in Carmy’s direction. He shoots the smallest smile back to you, cognizant of the fact that Mikey’s observing the entire interaction. 

As you begin to tell Michael the story about the aforementioned Lennon jacket, it could be minutes, hours, or days that pass, once you and Mikey finish trading facts about music like they’re trivia cards. It’s almost as entertaining as watching Mikey and Carmy go at it, bouncing facts about the history of denim like you’re at the French Open. 

You excuse yourself to the restrooms—partially because you really have to pee and partially because it seems like this evening is going well—wanting to give both brothers some time alone. And as soon as you’re out of earshot, Mikey’s on Carmy like an FBI Investigation. 

“This your girl, Carm, or what?" he asks with a casualness to his voice that sets off alarms in Carmy’s head. 

"Mikey, stop it,” Carmy dismisses him, hoping more than anything for this to be the end of the conversation. 

Instead, Mikey scoffs, shaking his head as he downs another shot. 

"Then at least tell me you're hittin' that." 

“Michael!" Carmy hushes his brother, a warning and protectiveness in his voice this time. 

"Are you fuckin' serious right now, Bear?” Michael pushes further. “What, you're telling me you're not when she’s walkin’ around in your jacket, talkin’ about wearing your clothes to your big brother and I’m supposed to think-?" 

"She's not!” Carmy cuts him off. “She doesn’t do-, she’s.... my friend. Jus’ give it up alright.” 

"Shit. Wish I had a friend like that. Ya friends, kid, or are ya... you know... friends?" Mikey smirks, earning a venomous glare from his younger brother. 

Carmy shakes his head in response, jaw clenched, as he stares down at the bar top, a feeling inside of him that he doesn’t like when he even thinks about Mikey looking at you like that. 

"Shit, I thought I taught you better than that, Bear." 

There it is again.

That feeling. 

He’s not sure how to name it, but it’s enough to make Carmy want to deck his brother right then and there as it rises inside of him. 

"I'm serious, Mike. We’re just friends,” Carmy spits out. He’s much more serious this time. “Cut it out." 

But Michael’s too quick, his voice growing louder as he interjects on the tail end of Carmy’s insistence.

"Oh come on! The chick's smokin' fuckin' hot. And I can tell that you like her. I'm not blind, Carm. I see the way you-."

And if it’s as if something snaps inside of Carmy as he exclaims: 

"Don't talk to me like you know what's going on in my life! Fuck!" 

"Carm-." 

"Can't even pick up the damn phone and then you just... waltz into town acting like everything is okay?!” he fumes, standing up out of his chair. 

His face grows redder with each word, and it only confirms Mikey’s suspicions: that his little brother is absolutely a goner for you. He’s not sure he’s ever seen Carmy like this and he’s torn between feeling proud of his kid brother or pissed that the kid’s turning this around on him. 

"Well, if you ever bothered to come home. You know mom's been askin' about you since you never fuckin’-,” Mikey roars, eager to relinquish the hotseat here.

“Oh don't bring mom into this!" Carmy protests.

It’s your voice that snaps him out of it—brings him back to earth as he hears you ask:

“Everything okay?” 

Carmy can practically hear his heart pounding away in his ears; can feel the blood rushing through his head as he takes a deep breath. He swallows, takes a beat, then turns to you. 

“Yeah uh. I think we should go,” he states, his voice uneven and tense as you try to get a read on either brother. 

“Uh… yeah, I guess we can-, um,” you stammer out, wondering how things went from good to hell in a matter of minutes. Carmy mutters something about getting your stuff as you try your best to put the pieces together. 

“It was uh, nice to meet you, Mikey,” you say softly, as soon as you get your coat on. 

“Yeah. You too, sweetheart,” he nods, something distant in his voice. Carmen scoffs at his brother’s usage of the word before tugging on your arm. 

You wait a beat, in anticipation of some kind of goodbye between the brothers, but there is none as you follow Carmy out of the bar. 

—---------------------------------------

Halloween, again — in this lifetime:

When Carmy comes to, he can hear the faint sounds of an episode of Pasta Grannies in the background, uncertain of what time it is. 

“Hey, you. You fell asleep on the couch and I didn’t have the heart to wake you up,” you say, as he begins to sit up. Carmy blinks his eyes a few more times, watching as you make your way from the kitchen island over to the couch, taking a seat at his feet. 

“Did you still want to watch a scary movie? You know, in the spirit of the holiday?” you ask him with a soft chuckle. 

All Carmy can remember before falling asleep was what he was thinking about: what it would be like if you had met Mikey. It’s something he thinks of often, especially as the two of you grow closer—as your relationship gets more serious—and it’s something he hates that he’ll never be able to give to you. 

“This was his favorite holiday,” Carmy manages to get out, the sleep heavy in his voice. 

You’re not all that surprised. Carmy’s been on edge lately and you assumed it was because Mikey’s birthday’s coming up. But this… this makes sense too. 

“I wish I could’ve met him,” you smile, reaching out for one of his hands. 

Carmy nods. 

“Yeah. Uh. Yeah. Think he would’ve loved you.” 

Maybe a little too much, he thinks to himself. 

“You think so?” you ask with a vulnerability and a desire for reassurance that catches Carmy off guard. 

He nods with much more confidence this time, offering you a soft, sympathetic smile.  

“Yeah, sweetheart. I know so.”

[vieshiftsx]

talking about my drs (but i prefer calling them "lives") that are not based on movies/tv shows:

: ̗̀➛ cafe owner life

my name is blaire rosewood and i own a bakery cafe in a small town. on the ground floor, it's just like a normal cafe with tables and chairs. on the second floor, it's a blend of library and cafe, where people usually go to, to study or work. multiple bookshelves are also provided for anyone to borrow or read books in the cafe. while i work mainly as the barista, my (soon-to-be) s/o works as the baker. all his pastries and cakes he makes are really good and they always get sold out by the end of the day.

: ̗̀➛ singer/songwriter life

my name is phoebe webster and i'm 23 years old. my first EP, "dreamer" was released in 2018 and most of the songs were about my celebrity crush at the time: ruel (I LOVE HIS MUSIC AND I LOVE HIM). this first album had a fair amount of listeners, but it was the only album that i never got any award for. then, in 2021, i released my debut album, "goddess" and i won my first ever grammy. at the time, i was 2 years into my relationship with ruel (he was LITERALLY my celebrity crush and i ended up dating him AHHHH). ALSO, my artist besties are laufey, olivia rodrigo and gracie abrams!!! there's a lot of things that i scripted to happen in this life, but i'll refrain from explaining everything bcs i don't want it to be too long 😭

: ̗̀➛ fashion designer life

i'm genevieve estelle and i own a fashion brand, "estelle". all my designs are sustainable because they're mostly recycled from used materials. on top of that, 20% of the profit will be donated to organizations that contribute to taking care of the environment. there isn't much i can talk about for this life because i decided to just follow the flow and not script any major scenarios that could happen. this is one of the lives that i don't script an s/o in.

: ̗̀➛ youtuber life

my name is phoebe claire and i'm a youtuber who mainly posts vlogs on my channel. i live in nyc and i have an apartment of my own. in my current life, i've always loved watching vlogs (esp the alexander siblings, saranghoe, michelle choi, daiz, alex bondoc, etc.) but i know deep down i can't be a vlogger like them based on my current circumstances. at least i can do it in another reality. plus, vlogging looks so fun.

[thatflatenedfrogontheroad]

I made a tier list...

please make your own!! I need to see boomer nations opinions on our man!!!! I know the tiers are actually so vile so change them if you desire :)))

OK so my quick blurb on why they are their!! (working worst to best)

28. Identity Crisis #5 - HE WOULD KILL ME FOR THE FUN OF IT. It did bring about the most random rivalry between Tim drake’s fandom and boomer's which is very funny

27. Black Lantern - Oh no… he's back… like a boomerang. Ate his own son... RIP…. L skill issue

26. Sliver Age - Would actually call me a slur and say that I don't deserve rights. He would hate crime me and then solicit me for sex. He looks like he's wearing a dress… what a pretty lady.

25. Flash TV Show - EWWWWWWWW, he though he ate...

24. DC Online - He looks like he would punch me in face at a NYC bus stop

23. White Lantern - Don't look at me like that… stop. He's back from the dead like a boomerang?? Something about most of the New 52 boomerangs don't hit the same. the bride all in white :’)

22. Young Justice - Gave me the ick. You might be thinking... he looks identical to SS hell to pay, why is he down here?? Great question… HE WAS SO CREEPY TO ONE OF THE GIRLS IN YOUNG JUSTICE….. WHO IS A MINOR!

21. Injustice Movie - Just because your in the background… doesn't save you from this list!!!

20. New 52 - Ok he's kinda hot if you look through your peripherals…Why are you wearing skinny jeans… you millennial

19. Harley Quinn TV Show - He's fine… just fine. “We’ll stack out bingo… Boomer loves an older woman” NO HE MUST LOVE ME! I AM VERY VERY MATURE FOR MY AGE

18. Flash: Sins of the Father - Can you please stop talking in the 3rd person… you are starting to sound crazy.

17. Most Wanted - I know jack shit about him. That's probably because he is barely in a comic issues THATS NAMED AFTER HIM!

16. Flash Point Paradox - His fight scene actually ate. I'm a sucker for Boomer being with the Rogues. If cyborg can take his belt off… so can I

15. Suicide Squad 2021 - Wow they somehow gave him even less lines than his first movie. 1. He doesnt look like boomer. 2. His accent is so bad… and hes AUSTRALIAN 3. His acting low key kinda mid 4. They killed off two of the only OG suicide squad members they had on the cast 5. He dies in the first 20min and in the most disrespectful way

14. Suicide Squad 2016 - The only good thing to come from this man is the fanfiction he brought. THIS FUCKING MOVIE MADE HIM A CANON BRONY WHICH I CAN NOT FORGIVE. GET THIS OUT OF MY SMUT BEFORE FREAK THE FUCK OUT >:( Fuck him and pinky too, you son of a bitch!!!! (its not that serious lol... i just want him to stop fucking a toy horse... please guys)

13. This Goober Alien Guy - I know nothing. He just kinda showed up… and I'm not mad just a little confused. He looks like he needs a hot chocolate and a hug :)))) 

12. Lego Batman Movie - Low key an icon. What I would do to get my hands on one of these sets… I would come close to killing someone for it

11. DC Lego Super Villains - If he wasn't Lego I would propose (Shane Dawson style) Once again what I would do for the very discontinued Lego set tie in…

10. Batman: Brave and The Bold - Those cheekbones could cut someone. Why are you wear a mini skirt… take it off ;)

9. Suicide Squad (comic) - Yes I know he was drinking and driving but he's not real so it doesn't count!!! The beginning of the Boomer Mobile! THE GAP TOOTH DUDE!

8. Justice League Unlimited S1 - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Ok the hairline is… bad…. But so is mine twin!! I LOVE THAT THEY GAVE HIM PROPER CLOTHES AND NOT RAGS DUDE

7. Agent of Oz - is this picture is my school profile pic...yes… and??HE'S COVERED IN BLOOD AND IM GIGGLING!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Stjepan Sejic's Boomer - Choke hold and choke me...  I want to hear his voice but he can't break his mewing streak…The ungodly things I would let him do to me

5. Dark: Apocalypse War - Constantine! Boomer! GIRLS! GIRLS!! ILL SLEEP WITH BOTH OF YOU!!! I was not expecting him in this movie so I started to freak out when he showed up DUDE. PLEASE LET ME SIT ON IT

4. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay - I'm a ride he wouldn't survive… I DONT HAVE WORDS TO DECRIBE HOW I FEEL DUDE… I WOULD DO ANYTHING HE ASKED FOR NO JOKE. Dead on the floor

3. Justice League Unlimited S2 - The glow up in REAL... had me on my hands and knees as a 3rd grader… and still on my knees today. I have never wanted someone to fuck me in the back alleyway of a shit bar so bad in my life

2. Batman: Assault on Arkham - The one that started it all… he is the reason I am this way. no lube, no protection, all night, all day, from the kitchen floor to the toilet seat, from the dining table to the bedroom BUT GREG ELLIS IS PUBLIC ENIME NUMDER ONE. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!!!

AND THE BEST ONE!!!!!!!! WE ALL SAW IT COMING

1. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - I AM GNAWING ON THE IRON BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE!!!!!! He has it all, the face, the VOICE, the look, the character!!!!! It is hands down the most consistently good representation of captain boomerang out their… and its canon that's he has a big dick :D I would sell my first born to get one night…

Thank you all for reading this word vom, I am sick in the head <3

if any of the comic issues are off or something please let me know :)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make your our and tag me!! i need to see them <3<3<3

[skepticalarrie]

hi! last year i'm not really updating on the fandom and i can't seem to find this on your blog. what's with the louis and harry and italy? they seem to be spotted there a lot and i think harry also have a house there or smth? is there something special about italy? sorry if you already explained it before.

Hi, dear. Yeah, it seems like they love Italy and don't like to waste any opportunities to be there together. I think this may have started in May 2019 when Harry went to Rome for Gucci and on the same day Louis showed up with Eleanor in Portofino for a pap walk and literally no other reason to be there.

It was so out of nowhere and such a big coincidence that even tabloids picked up and made crazy rumours about a 1D reunion. Pretty sure there is also a receipt from this time.

Harry went to Italy a lot of times, even during the pandemic, he they definitely has a house there. In June 2021 , when Harry finished shooting My Policeman in Venice (IIRC their last scenes were there) he stayed a few more weeks, precisely when Louis was MIA, which lead people to believe Louis also joined him and they spent a little time there together. Louis, of course, showed up with a beautiful tan and an Italian hat a few days later:

In September 2022, Harry went to Venice for the premiere of DWD the very same week Louis was there doing promo for the release of FITF. They were both incredibly busy at the time, so desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. All the blue and green is just a plus. The following week they were both also in NYC (twice in the same week, yes), they had shows on the same night. So they obviously planned things around this and went from Italy to NYC together. The timeline is great

And lastly, Harry will be done with LOT 2023 in July, in Italy. Louis will bring AFHF to Italy just a few weeks after that and he's not back on tour within a couple more weeks. Since they're both on tour they're probably going to spend a while away from each other and already planned their little annual Italian vacation. So I will not be surprised if one of them is completely MIA during this time while the other is in Italy.

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

December 2023 - part 1

December 1 - Taylor and Travis attend Christmas Party at a pop-up bar wearing matching Christmas sweaters featuring squirrels - or should we say "squirle"? IYKYK. (x) Kansas City

Twitter April 2011 - Travis

IG Halloween Oct. 2021 - Taylor

December 2 - Travis arrives ahead of Chiefs v Packers Game, Green Bay, WI

December 3 - Chiefs v Packers, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Defeated 19 - 27

Taylor attends the game bringing Brittany Mahomes & Lyndsay Bell with her on her jet. They return to KC immediately after the game.

December 5 - Taylor seen out for dinner with Jack Antonoff in NYC

December 6 - Taylor Swift is announced as TIME Person of the Year - 2023 (x) This is a brilliant article - go check it out!

Most recently, she’s been dating the NFL star Travis Kelce, as has been well documented when she attends his games. “I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in,” she says. “There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once.” She is sensitive to the attention that’s put on her when she shows up. “I’m just there to support Travis,” she says. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”

I point out that it’s a net positive for the NFL to have a few Swifties watching. “Football is awesome, it turns out,” Swift says playfully. “I’ve been missing out my whole life.” (A game she attended in October was the most-watched Sunday show since the Super Bowl.)

“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she says. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.” The larger point, for her, is that there’s nothing to hide. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she says. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”

Taylor attends the premiere of "Poor Things" in support of friend Emma Stone, Rockefeller Center, NYC. Taylor sat with Laura Dern, Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson

December 8 - Taylor seen out with Selena Gomez, Zöe Kravitz, Cara Delevingne, Anya Taylor-Joy in NYC

Go to December 2023 part 2

Return to the timeline

[majaloveschris]

Just like they were a secret in the beginning now they are private. That is why everything happened on his instagram.

Private or secret? They've never been either 😂

Their relationship could've been a secret if they hadn't decided to follow each other or like each other's posts. If his family didn't start following her and Tara didn't leave a comment, if they hadn't shared stories from his house, if they hadn't shared stories that indicated they were at the same place, They appear to have started dating in November 2021, and by December, the rumor had already spread. He knew what was going to happen; he knew people would immediately start rumors. If they wanted to lay low or keep their relationship secret, neither of those things should've happened. Nobody should've followed anybody, liked their posts, or left a comment. According to him, they lived in Atlanta together, so they were able to go unnoticed for months. The only reason most people believed something was going on was because of their social media activity, which could've been avoided, but they didn't want it. We all know why.

And they aren't private, either. Private couples don't post video dumps (scare videos, Valentine's Day videos). Private couples don't have like 50 articles written about their super secret, NDA-proved wedding. Private couples don't talk about their weddings at Comic Con. They are everything but private, so him doing whatever he did with his Instagram has nothing to do with "protecting her" or "keeping their relationship private." That ship sailed when they had a pap walk in NYC, but most definitely when we saw the inside of her mouth.

[matan4il]

Last post of good-natured silliness regarding Mile and Apo's trips! (the first can be found here and the second here)

Jul 28, Mile posted a pic from the car in Paris in the rain set to Jazz (his and Apo's fave music genre). Then he started posting from flying back to and landing in Bangkok. He was wearing the same cap with a big 'A' on it that he wore during departure on Jul 19, even though weather wise, that cap didn't make sense then and even less so now.

When he left:

And as he returned:

This is kinda similar to Apo, who wore his trinket necklace both when he departed Bangkok on Jul 19 and when he came back on Jul 25. It has two silver circle rings, joined by a heart pendant.

Apo when leaving:

And upon returning:

Back on Jul 6, when they went to Song Wat together, I noticed these joined rings and that, because most of the time the heart holds the two together, it makes them look a lot like Mile's double circle silver ring, which he has had for years, way before KPTS.

While Mile's ring is obviously not connected to Apo, I did wonder when Apo started wearing his trinket necklace which includes this pair of joined rings, and whether they might intentionally have been chosen for their similarity to Mile's (once locked together with a heart). I can't actually answer any of these questions, other than to tell you that Apo doesn't seem to have worn these rings before he re-met Mile in Oct 2020. At least I couldn't find any evidence that he did, not on his fingers and not on his necklace (though he did wear other necklaces). The first time I could find him wearing the joined rings on the trinket necklace is a pic Apo shared on Sep 13, 2021:

He's also wearing it in a pic he shared Sep 16, 2021, you can see it a bit better there (especially since on Jan 10, 2022 he posted another pic from the same occasion where the necklace with the rings and heart is even clearer). Also, as far as I can tell, Apo changes the trinkets he wears with the paired rings, but he always wears those. Make of all this what you will...

Mile posted a vid on Facebook from the plane as it approached Bangkok, captioned it with text about saving money to construct, buy and decorate a house, and added this post to his "Happiness during the day" album:

He also pasted the same text about saving money for a house onto a vid of an apartment with a view of NYC, which he shared on his personal IG, and we all know who loves that city and even lived there for 7 months...

After landing, Mile posted on IG pics and vids from the Eiffel Tower in the rain on Jul 27, and he captioned them with "Something is more romantic with rain... #LikeYou ^^". Within 13 minutes, Apo liked the post and commented, "Very romantic."

Mind you, the entire 10 days they've been apart, neither one of them used the word "romantic" in any of their captions. While Mile WAS ACTUALLY IN Paris, at the Eiffel Tower, in the rain, he didn't use the word "romantic," but he did right away after he returned to Thailand.

Apo posted on IG 15 minutes after Mile did, sharing pics from Jul 21 in China, and he captioned them "Sleep no more." Except unlike me, Apo capitalized every first letter of each word, which is what Mile always does with his own captions in English. Mile commented not long after with "Cool."

Another thing to note is the day before, Jul 28, as Mile was flying back to Thailand, Apo posted a pic from China, from Jul 23, where he's doing a half heart, and he captioned it, "Miss you."

Just as a bonus... On the same day, while Mile was flying back to Bangkok, his mom posted multiple pics and vids of herself in a green shirt (Mile's color) and yellow pants (Apo's color).

Wait, bonus #2! Mile also mentioned returning very soon. Pond replied to a photographer that he'll see him in September. The Paris Fashion Week 2023 starts on Sep 25, so we might get some more Mileapo in Paris then.

Did I miss anything? Probably, there's been a lot. But I hope this series of posts made you smile! You can find more of my Kinnporsche/Mileapo stuff under this tag. xoxox

[1863-project]

At this time of year, my thoughts always turn to my dad.

22 years ago, my dad had to fly out to Chicago for work. He went to Newark Airport and got to his gate and saw the people on the flight one gate over. He didn't think much of anything at that time.

He was, in fact, one of the last people to see the passengers of United Flight 93 alive.

My dad told me later that the pilot on his flight was cracking jokes an unusual amount. He and his co-workers found out why when they landed at O'Hare in Chicago and saw the news - they got there and saw the second plane hit live. They ended up renting a car to drive back home, because nobody was going to be in the air for a while after that.

My dad thinks about Flight 93 a lot. He wonders if someone had been on his plane one gate over and chose not to go through with it. Back in 2021, when we went on our tour of Pennsylvania to do train shit, we stopped at the Flight 93 memorial. My dad asked me if it was okay to visit, and of course I said it was, for his sake. He proceeded to recognize the faces of the people he'd seen two decades prior waiting for their plane with him. When you dodge death, those things get seared into your memory.

I don't really like talking about 9/11 much because I did grow up just outside NYC and people from my hometown did die horribly, but I do always make sure that every year without fail I check in on my dad. I know if things had been a little different I wouldn't have a dad to check on.

[hugheses]

what is your rarest/proudest find

oh man this is a good question LOL. i have like a gazillion miscellaneous selfies with fans saved some of which have never hit tumblr but those aren’t very interesting.

in general i would say the crumbs i find on facebook im pretty proud of bc its a nightmare to find anything on there and 99.9% of the time i walk away empty handed. for example this pic of jack and nico at the seattle ferris wheel that oomf posted i found in the trenches of that site

i also once found some pics of jack and quinn and josh at a bar in nyc in 2021 on fb that they weren’t tagged in or even mentioned in the post bc the devils went there and i scrolled their entire feed 😭😭😭 i have that in my queue or a draft i think but i suppose i could post it today.

also the stuff from damon’s wedding 😪 do u know how hard it is to find the ppl involved in a wedding when the people getting married have private instagrams 😭😭😭 i deserve an investigative reporting pulitzer for that.

alsooooo the jack bruins baby pic from getty 😣😣😣 it was like glitched so u couldn’t even see it on english getty images and i found it thru google to take me to the dutch site? i emailed with some getty rep but now the pic is gone completely 😭😭😭

also anytime i’ve posted like magazine pdfs omg i went thru a whole thing where i t*rrented magazines it was an ordeal

ooh and this pic of jack in a team canada jersey bc it’s funny lol

a lot of the favorite finds i have aren’t really pics or stuff i can easily post/explain but like. it’s really satisfying for me to like, go on a scavenger hunt. recently i was curious about a pic of jack and alex from when they were kids and i spent a few hours researching the tournament and at first hit dead ends until i came back to it later and found it! that kind of thing is just addictive to me and why i do this. i just love going on research binges 😭😭😭 i do it for non blorbo related stuff too.

[rougedraconteur]

I wanted to make a separate post about all the “clickbait articles” regarding Chris Colfer and his “comments” concerning being on Glee and being told not to come out. Many folks are upset at the media coverage, and, as fans, they are outraged on his behalf on what they see. Maybe they are right.

However.

It is a hard stretch to call entertainment media actual news reporting, but there are a lot of jobs and a lot of money attached to the industry, so these things are all carefully crafted and controlled at a certain level for desired results.

First of all, let’s look at the original interview. The View is a topical news show that also purports to be about entertainment, and contains a mix of women from various backgrounds as hosts. It is part of ABC’s NEWS division, not their entertainment division, and is overseen by that department’s executives. It has won 31 Emmys, and no less a respected news source than the New York Times has called it, at one point, “the most important political TV show in America.” In 2021, The View had become the most-viewed news and talk program in daytime tv. (Wikipedia, inc. sources and references.) most importantly, Disney is the parent company, as it is the parent company for 21st Century Fox. Just getting on this show is a big deal. But Disney has all the control (and power) here.

Next, let’s look at who controlled that interview. Whoopie Goldberg runs that desk, and is the biggest draw. She is one of less than 20 living EGOTs, a Disney Legend, very respected in the industry, her Q score must be in the single digits, very high recognizability Quotient, she is recognizable and repected around the world, and appeared with Colfer in most of her scenes on Glee, which was heavily referenced in one of the clips chosen and shown in the interview. She is also a personal hero of his, in early interviews he cites his deep love of her in Sister Act as one of his inspirations to get into acting. The fact that he was able to get placement on that show for the one day he was in NYC is telling.

The clips that were shown, as well as the questions that were asked, and by whom, were all read from note cards and approved in advance. Alla, his well-respected publicist, was with him, as was his long-time agent, Rob, I am sure. They know what they are doing. They all chose together to talk about him coming out, and what he was told, and why. We feel it is all a tired rehash, but there are some slight changes in the actual WORDING, he finesses it a little more here. And it matters. This show contains seasoned interviewers, lawyers, political strategists, as well as celebrities who constantly deal with media. They know about spin, about what to ask, about when to ask it, about who asks what. Whoopie really did not ask much, yet I still felt she was entirely in control, along with Chris and his team, of this whole interview. They also know about legal lines and limits, actual news reporting standards, and what Bob Iger wants the message to be. They also know why Bob Iger wants the message to be a certain way.

Everything about that interview was very calculated, imo. Though, to most of us, I guess, it seemed like the same old rehash. But it wasn’t. For instance, he was told if he came out, it would ruin his career. But over the many years of speculation—was he outed? Was he forced into coming out, going back in, or did he choose for himself?—this is the first time I have heard him clearly say he chose this for himself, yes he was very scared, he did not know his character would be gay until he read the script, he came from a place where that was scary and dangerous, he was very young, etc.; but he acknowledged that his appearance and mannerisms and voice made it extremely hard to closet him in a believable way, so HE CHOSE to come out, though reluctantly and with some trepidation, and he included the story of the rainbow paper clip chain for his reason why, for emphasis. He WAS a debate state champion, after all, and is a seasoned writer now, he knows the power of language to shape perceptions. I have heard most all his live interviews since 2009, and I don’t think I recall that anecdote, or how memorable and sympathetic it is toward him, as a role model, which he specifically addresses as also a choice. Being a role model separated him from others in a very real way, he was a hero but also got death threats and hate mail, he required security, he was used by the show as an example of their progressiveness, but also separated from his peers in bts photos and invitations to events because he was openly gay and others could not be seen hanging out with him as it made them look gay, as well. He has said before he did not seek being a role model, for all those reasons. He is reshaping his coming out narrative regarding Fox and RIB and their roles in all this drama while still delivering an important message about the industry during Pride Month. He says if he wanted to be an action hero, he could not come out. He says he was told that.

That still holds true, for him and others, if he says too much. Conversely, if he did/does not, he would/will be rewarded, these things don’t change. This is their process, this is how it works for everyone, this is what they expect from team players, this is the industry, like it or hate it. And it does not always mean something sinister. (Although sometimes it does.)

There is a huge desire from Disney to reboot Glee in some way, it is still extremely popular on Disney+, and Dana Walden may have now found the gimmick to make that work, according to recent rumors. Now the job is to set up all the dominoes and remove any obstacles to reach that goal. And, based on that final look between Whoopie and Chris, whom she clearly adores, they understand this situation, what’s at stake, and what’s to gain here, and they expected this interview to get the results they both wanted. They, at least, delivered their end of the bargain, imo. I thought it was brilliant and subliminal and delivered a big punch for such a seemingly minor project, a new book, from a former actor. Glee, for him, was a long time ago.

The fact that Variety, an entertainment inustry trade publication, was the first to report on it, almost immediately, also matters, as does their headline. They set the tone for all the other articles, many publications of which are tied to Disney, their subsidiaries, or other major industry players with connections to that show, the showrunners, or the actors. Many of them included links back to the original interview. They want the buzz, and the reactions, to see how they read across media. Chris got a lot of coverage here because he still matters to not just his fanbase, but to the public, and to the industry, and to his community. Clickbait only works if people are interested, and this much is a crazy level of interest.

Again, Glee made BILLIONS for Fox, and Iger is looking to shore up Disney+ offerings to further entice new subscribers.

[twopoppies]

Hey Gina! Stan twitter got me into reading articles about TS jet usage, and it shocked me how much that woman is singlehandedly contributing to climate change. For perspective, to offset all the carbon she's emitting she would have to plant over 30 billion trees. It actually shocked me to read that she took her plane to do shows in Argentina, then instead of staying in Latin America like an logical person would do, fly back to NYC and then flew to Brazil for shows. Naturally, any criticism of this is met with "you're just picking on her because she's a woman!!!". Well I'm curious, do we know if the boys have private jets that they use excessively? Louis and Harry fly commercial most of the time right? Because we always see them at airports going on commercial planes. Do you know if they even own private jets? Because she owns at least two and even flies them empty around the U.S to pick her up. This makes me thankful the boys use tour busses when they tour the U.S at least.

As far as I’m aware, Harry and Louis don’t own their own jets. I honestly can’t imagine a bigger waste of money. I’m shocked that she owns two (if that’s true—I have no interest in looking up anything about her).

I know Harry flies private occasionally, and we also know he flies commercial (although I’m sure he’s not in economy with us plebes). I don’t recall Louis/his band talking about flying privately, but I may have just missed it. I’d imagine they do occasionally—but Louis must have a much smaller budget for that sort of thing and you know how he likes to go on about how much he loves the tour bus. 😆

Obviously, touring creates an enormous amount of carbon emissions, but we know Harry took steps in reducing his for Live on Tour in 2018 and again when Love on Tour began in 2021.

[watchfuldeer]

the nicholas braun stuff happened to coincide with a very difficult week in court that i’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics of publicly. needless to say, i currently have no patience for gossip, hearsay and rumour being presented as fact.

year-old comments from the subreddit for the gossip account/company/one woman and her inbox that is deuxmoi, that regularly insists verifiably false things are true (and indeed single-handedly created nick’s online reputation as ‘NYC’s boyfriend’ to 2 million followers) do not constitute credible sources. overstating the harmful content of what is clearly being presented (second hand accounts of consensual sex between adults being labelled sexual assault, for instance) is irresponsible and juvenile. the article that has been published does not feature a single first hand account, and seems to be functioning as something of a honeytrap for people who hooked up with nick, rather than a safe space for anyone. the author posted it to her twitter with an accompanying tweet suggesting that the article contains ‘many and serious underage rape allegations’, which it simply doesn’t. it’s sensationalist clickbait that completely undermines the credibility of the poster of the original tiktok, which has been deleted, and has little to no journalistic value. it is extremely weak, sub-tabloid levels of conjecture. no mainstream media outlet would publish this.

this isn’t to say i believe nick doesn’t have the capacity to do misogynistic, immature, deeply unpleasant things. i’ve always thought that the new york post article from october 2021 would be a great hit piece if the worm turned, and inevitably it has become one, because having alleged one night stands with the women who go to your lame af bar every weekend just for the opportunity of sleeping with you is extremely stupid behaviour and always has been. his M.O seems to be the cavalier attitude to women of a single straight guy in his 30s, compounded by being an ex-disney kid with apparently poor social boundaries, who treats his bar like an extension of a hookup app, and is probably constantly surrounded by awful mates doing the same. i see it every day in my generational cohort. it sucks.

i apologise if this upsets people. things might come to light that change my mind! i’m very open to that possibility. he may well be at the finding out stage of having fucked around. i simply don’t think much of the discourse this week has substance beyond the tiktok, and that’s actually truly unfortunate. if you publicly accuse an individual of a crime, you had better be fucking sure they did it. if you kick off a campaign to get potential victims of abuse, rape or assault to come forward, you don’t give equal credence to completely unverified, anonymous hearsay as you do first-hand accounts. be serious.

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

I just finished reading all of MrsCriss2012's works (I am completely devastated there's no new ones). Do you have any recommendations for authors/works similar to hers?

From a similar ask from January 2021 (which I can't tag) but Lynne recommended the age!gap tag, or these: ~Jen

Off Limits by munchkinpandas

For once in Blaine Anderson’s life he was pretty happy with how his life was going. He had an epic college experience with his best friend Jamie. They partied way too much, studied way too little and slept with their fair share of the best ASU had to offer. But one rejection letter later and Jamie was moving to San Diego to pursue his PHD while Blaine got accepted to the doctorate program at their Alma Mater. ASU without Jamie didn’t make sense to Blaine and he was not happy about it. To top everything off Jamie asked Blaine to look after his little brother Kurt who was starting his freshman year of college. Kurt wasn’t the little kid he pictured when Jamie asked Blaine to let him move in and it was clear things were about to change even more than Blaine had expected. In short, Blaine Anderson was screwed.

~~~~~

Pressed against the Glass by @gleefulpoppet

Is it possible that the most extraordinary love story ever told starts on a chilly October morning in New York with an impromptu twirl and an elbow to a stranger’s face? Kurt wouldn’t have thought so, but when it happens, his heart stops. It’s just one touch, but is that all it takes to believe? Should he take a chance and never look back? But what happens when the stranger runs away, even though he finally feels complete and brought to life? Is it just a dream—or will he let his walls come down? Will they live with regrets or find the love that will make them feel young forever?

AKA: The one about soulmates (by choice) and the italicized Oh.

~~~~~

Bite Your Lip, Pull me In by rayychelinfinity

Age difference: Blaine is 40, Kurt is 19, and this is the story of how a chance meeting between a successful businessman and a struggling young intern blossoms into something wonderfully unexpected.

~~~~~

Or MrsCriss2012 writes teacher/student relationships:

In The Key Of Us by  beautifulwhatsyourhurry

Kurt Hummel has an instant crush on the new English teacher, Mr. Anderson, at WMHS his senior year. Trouble is, Mr. Anderson might just have a thing for Kurt as well. How will they deal with the mutual attraction when Mr. Anderson offers to give Kurt piano lessons in his home, outside of school?

~~~~~

Consonance and Dissonance Verse by @whenidance

AU in which Blaine is four years older than Kurt and therefore they never meet at Dalton. Kurt ends up at OSU instead of in NYC, where Blaine is a grad-student-turned-professor, and also the object of Kurt’s crushing his sophomore and junior years. [Warnings: Student/Teacher relationship (both over the age of 18)]

~~~~~

Of Love And Literature by @star55

When Kurt Hummel started his senior year at Dalton Academy for Boys, he expected it to be normal. He would attend class, get good grades and graduate, all while being subjected to his two best friends being absolutely smitten with each other. He didn’t expect, however, to fall in love with his English teacher.

~~~~~

Walk The Line by canarian

AU where Blaine, who is 4 years older than Kurt and fresh out of college, comes to teach at McKinley. When Schue gets fired, Kurt asks Blaine to coach New Directions, but things get complicated when they discover their mutual attraction.

[practically-an-x-man]

Talk Shop Tuesday! How do you decide how much IRL is in your sroeiea? For example when Rose goes to NYC in the 80s and sees the twin towers, she has a reaction, but there is no Covid or Trump in the Hazelverse.

Thank you!

Thank you! Presuming that funky word in there is meant to say "stories"?

Talk Shop Tuesday

Oooh, that's a tough one, since the vast majority of my stories don't take place in the current present. For the most part, I tend to stick to the timeline established by the canon media, which means that most of my fics are at least a few years "behind schedule"

My X-Men fics take place between the 1960s-1980s

Vivienne's story takes place in the 1890s

My DC fics take place around 2021

Heartstrings takes place in 2013

Taking Flight takes place in the early 2000s

WWFA? takes place in 2014

Nom De Guerre (my other 6 Underground fic) takes place around 2019

Even when my fics do take place in the present (or near-present), I don't have a strict rule for what events I include and which I don't. I suppose I kind of fall into a similar vein as when I decide what's canon and what I'm changing when I write fanfic: if it's something that has a reason to be changed directly, I'll change it, otherwise I'll generally leave it be.

For example: Catch and Release takes place in 2024, but there's no mention of a COVID pandemic having taken place. Half the population Blipped during the prime years of COVID, plus the MCU has a fair bit more technological advancement than the real world, so even if COVID did still exist, transmission would be limited enough to not cause a worldwide event.

However, Heart in Your Hands also takes place in 2024, and I would say that the COVID pandemic absolutely did happen there. For one thing, there's not anything to really prevent that from happening; and for another, I think it can fit into the story in an interesting way. Coney Island is completely empty for the first time Jimmy's ever seen it, it's even more isolating than it was before... all over the world, people are being quarantined in their haunted houses and forced to interact with ghosts they weren't entirely sure really existed before... the Spenglers have just moved onto the Dirt Farm at the tail end of the quarantine period and things aren't quite normal yet... it works for the story, even if it's not overtly mention in the movies or HIYH.

Plus, I feel like there's a bit of a distinction in how the movies were made. Both the new MCU movies and the new Ghostbusters movies were made in a post-COVID world, but I think there's a difference in approach to their atmosphere. The MCU tends to focus on its superhero threats and uses the Blip almost as a stand-in for the COVID pandemic - there's symbolism there, how the world was suddenly changed and people had to adapt to a new way of living, but COVID itself doesn't exist in that world. And while there's no mention of COVID in the new Ghostbusters movies either, there's almost a feel that it still took place: again, not in any overt way, but there's just something about the atmosphere and the way people behave that tells me COVID still happened.

I feel like I'm not articulating this well, and I really didn't mean to focus solely on the COVID pandemic, that's just the main recent event that could go either way on whether or not I include it in my story - especially since most movies choose not to mention it, even if they were made in a post-pandemic world. The long story short is: unless there's a reason for it to deviate from the real-world timeline, it generally follows the real-world timeline. Otherwise you just have to balance a whole lot of Butterfly Effect stuff, and things just get way more complicated.