#wendy marvells number one fan

[wendymarvellirl]

i saw someone post about wendy making bracelets with carla and erza with a lot of hcs so nowi need to post my wendy bracelet making hcs so bad - she uses kandi making bracelet stuff, so just very poor elastic string and kandi beads. - everyone adores every bracelet she gives them though. she made one for Natsu, and even thought it honestly does NOT fit on his wrist, he wears it all the time. - her and natsu have matching ones, and then she made matching ones for the entirety of team natsu. (but her and natsu have SEPERATE sibling matching ones) - she also has a lot she gives to natsu that r like "#1 big brother" "wendys big brother" and then she also gave one to gray thats "#2 big brother" RIGHT after giving natsu his LMFAO - made one each for the 12 zodiac keys too, with custom charms that look like their keys + symbols - made them all match up with one of lucys bracelets too - wears ALL of her bracelets she made for herself that match with other people in fairy tail, matching one with sherria, one with aquarius, etc etc. her main thing she has to do everyday before going out or getting ready for the day is putting on her multiple bracelets. - she also frequently fidgets with them and chews on them, she can easily lose them so she always tries her best to make sure she puts them back in a little jar she has. - soo many matching ones with sherria that contains hearts, some r like "I <3 sherria" and "I <3 wendy" etc etc. gay little girl bruh

[wendymarvellirl]

wendy marvell mentioned Real

life is good🩵

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Apologies—I meant to post this to another of my blogs. But since a few folks have liked it, I guess I'll leave it.

NYCB Attracting Younger Fans

The AP put out this story, which has run in many papers.

I've never understood why so many organizations prize young patrons over old. The old ones have more money, after all. But I suppose they're thinking of their future: today's young people are tomorrow's "sea of gray." 🙄

It's also news to me that Whelan is in charge of programming. I'm sure that Stafford has (a big) say in what goes on.

At 75, NYC Ballet is getting older. Its audience is skewing younger, and that’s the plan

By JOCELYN NOVECK Updated 12:58 AM EDT, May 24, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Alice McDermott settled into her seat at New York City Ballet on a recent Friday night, excited to see her first-ever ballet performance. The 31-year-old Manhattanite, who works in recruiting, was on a fun girls’ night out with three friends she’d met through work, starting with dinner.

“They told me I’d love the ballet,” says McDermott, who was also excited to realize she was already familiar with one of the evening’s performers, Tiler Peck, via the dancer’s popular Instagram feed. “They said you can put on a nice dress and just immerse yourself in another world, whilst marveling at what the human body can achieve.”

Seems they were right: At the end of the evening, McDermott, a new fan, went home and watched a ballet documentary.

Perhaps you could call it “Ballet and the City”? Whatever the term for McDermott’s ballet evening with pals, the scenario would surely be music to the ears of the company — which has been celebrating its 75th birthday with fanfare this year — and especially its artistic leaders of the past five years, Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan.

The two, both former dancers at the storied troupe founded by George Balanchine, have made it a key goal to bring in a younger audience to ensure the company’s long-term health — and more broadly, to guard the vitality of a centuries-old art form.

It seems to be working. Though some initiatives have been in place for longer, the last five years have seen a marked shift, according to numbers provided to the Associated Press: In 2023, 53% of ticket buyers were under age 50, and people in their 30s made up the largest age segment by decade. Five years earlier, in 2018, 41% of ticket buyers were under 50, and people in their 60s made up the largest age segment.

Now, longtime ballet followers note that on a bustling Friday evening you can look down from the first ring of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center and not simply see, well, a sea of gray.

`A GENERATION OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS’ A major factor in attracting younger people, especially those under 30, has been affordable pricing. There are also evenings targeting young professionals, including post-show receptions. And there have been collaborations with visual or musical artists with youthful followings — like the musician Solange, who in 2022 was commissioned to score a ballet by 23-year old choreographer Gianna Reisen.

The Solange collaboration was a significant moment, Whelan and Stafford said in a recent interview, surveying the past five years as the thumping of leaping dancers’ feet echoed through the ceiling above Stafford’s office.

“We sold out every show,” Whelan noted. “It was a little nugget, but it was memorable.”

Perhaps even more important was the fact, says Stafford, that about 70% of those ticket buyers were new to the company — contributing to ���a generation of young professionals in the city that are at our theater every night now.”

Wendy Whelan and Jonathan Stafford, Feb. 29, 2024. Photo: Bebeto Matthews via the AP

Katherine Brown, the ballet’s executive director, said the company had taken a look at the theater and vastly reduced the price of certain seats — and saw them fill up. She also noted the 30-for-30 program, where members under 30 can buy any seat in the house for $30. “That thing has just exploded,” Brown says, from some 1,800 members in the last full season before the pandemic-forced shutdown, to some 14,000 now.

One can’t discount the “pure economics” of an evening at the ballet, especially for young people, says Wendy Perron, longtime dance writer and former editor of Dance Magazine. “When I was in New York in the ’70s and ‘80s, I just couldn’t afford to go to the ballet,” she says.

GETTING BETTER ACQUAINTED Also not to be discounted: the effect of social media in promoting dancers as people with personalities.

“We’ve got this crop of really exciting but also relatable, approachable dancers, and through social media, audiences can connect to them in a way they couldn’t back when we were dancing,” says Stafford, who retired as a dancer in 2014.

Consider Peck, one of the company’s most popular ballerinas (and a rising choreographer), whose Instagram feed had reached McDermott before she ever saw her dance. Peck supplies her half-million followers with short, punchy videos about everything from her 10 favorite dance roles to how she applies stage makeup. Her videos often feature her partner onstage and off, rising principal dancer Roman Mejia.

It’s all very different from a time when — like Odette in “Swan Lake” — ballerinas used to be mysterious and, above all, silent.

Social media — whether used by the company or via the dancers’ own feeds — can also answer questions. If you attended a performance of “The Nutcracker” a few seasons ago, you might have wondered why dancer Mira Nadon, as Sugarplum Fairy, suddenly disappeared from the stage at a key moment. The answer was on her Instagram later: her pointe shoe had slipped off.

“See, you can get all your answers from Instagram now,” quips Whelan, who herself has an active feed.

ESTABLISHING A PARTNERSHIP A few months ago, Whelan, a much-loved former NYCB principal who also retired in 2014, got a congratulatory text from Stafford in the morning — it had been exactly five years since the two had taken the helm after a turbulent period when #MeToo accusations caused scandal.

Historically, the company had been led by one man — Balanchine until 1983, then Peter Martins. This time, the board tried something new: a duet. Stafford was already interim head, and Whelan had applied for the job.

“They put us in a room and closed the door, and we were like – ‘Hi?’” Whelan says. “They were like, figure it out! And we did.” Stafford, the artistic director, serves as a bridge between the creative and business sides. Whelan, associate artistic director, focuses on the delicate task of programming.

Company insiders describe a mood different from the days when one outsized, all-powerful personality ruled from above. For one thing, the pair says they’ve instituted annual taking-stock conversations with each dancer.

Diversity — ballet is slowly changing but still overwhelmingly white — is also a priority, they say, and that includes diversifying “the pipeline,” meaning students at the affiliated School of American Ballet.

Recently, the company heralded its first two Black dancers to dance Dewdrop, the second most important female “Nutcracker” role: India Bradley and guest artist Alexandra Hutchinson of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Yet to come is a Black Sugarplum Fairy. The company says 26% of of its dancers identify as people of color, whereas 10 years ago that figure was 13%. Stafford and Whelan have commissioned 12 ballets by choreographers of color in the last six years, it says.

“We know where the gaps are, and we take it seriously,” Whelan says.

She and Stafford say they’re also paying more attention to wellness, be it physical training to avoid injury, healthy diets, or a more frank discussion of mental health.

As for the company’s financial health, it is strong, Brown says, four years after the pandemic cost tens of millions in losses The 2024 budget is roughly $102 million, compared to $88 million in 2019. Audience capacity has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

As for new fan McDermott, she’s planning more visits, along with her friends.

“I think we have a new tradition between the four of us,” she says. “We’ll definitely be making it a bit of a thing.”

[roykleinberg]

Oh now you have me curious about your spicy takes! 👀

hooooo boy okay, some of this is about the franchise and some of this is about the fandom (which I love with all my heart okay please no one throw rocks at me lol)

90% of program/user ships give me the ick

continuing on the shipping train of thought, I don't actually find the Encom trio (Alan/Lora/Flynn) all that compelling as an ot3. and a lot of it is a personal pet peeve I've come across in a number of fandoms, but honestly most m/m/f ot3s feel like they're just a way for people to focus on the m/m dynamic while patting themselves on the back for "including" the female character instead of sidelining her completely........ even though said female character is rarely if ever a major contributor to the dynamic or a focus of whatever fanwork. but on a less meta side eye note I just find the perceived sexual component of Alan and Flynn's relationship to be the least compelling thing they could've had going on

and I know she's barely brought up in canon outside of Betrayal but uhm Jordan exists??? and perhaps it is an unpopular opinion but I would like to see more of her in things instead of relying on Lora to be the only human woman in the Tron universe

once again I might not be so harsh on Uprising if there was more to it, but taking it for what it is and how much of it exists -- a lot of the episodes were boring filler to me. also I don't like how they drew Tron

actually I don't like how Tron has been drawn in any rendered/animated media with the exception of maybe Kingdom Hearts

I don't think of Rinzler as a standalone character, and he's not at all interesting to me when removed from the fact that he is Tron with the serial numbers filed off. I feel like I've increasingly seen people portraying Rinzler as his own thing and it simply does not work for me. I think the whole point of his character / existence is that he doesn't have thoughts or feelings or any real personality of his own. he's a backflipping blank slate whose only real character moments are when Tron's overwritten personality peeks through

to that end I can't conceive of an ending where Tron or anyone around him would allow him to remain as Rinzler, and I can't imagine that Rinzler's capable of forming an autonomous opinion to not want to be Tron again

the fandom collective spends too much time talking about how hot the live action and animated men are and not enough time talking about how hot the Sirens are. or how hot Yori is especially in the deleted love scene. or how hot Paige is. or

Daft Punk (rightfully) gets a lot of hype for the Legacy soundtrack, but Wendy Carlos's soundtrack for 82 is unfairly slept on. love that those funky robots got to cameo, but we should be giving Carlos just as much credit for her work

for as much as it pains me to say it, I don't think Tron ever would've been a tentpole franchise for Disney even if they had treated it better. and it's mostly because of the sad fact that the general public has never been that into Tron. I see it tossed around a lot that Disney ditched Tron in favor of focusing on Star Wars and Marvel. A New Hope -- an original sci fi movie that had absolutely no brand recognition, so to speak -- made over $400 million in 1977. the original Tron made $50 million in 82. the first Iron Man movie -- which sure had comic fan recognition but was still a very early comic blockbuster -- in 2008 made over $500 million. Legacy made just over $400 million in 2010. and Disney advertised the shit out of Legacy, they didn't set it up to fail. yes it sucks that things like Uprising were dealt a bad hand (a garbage release schedule that lead to poor viewership that definitely killed the show), yes it sucks that capitalism impacts what art gets made, but the fact of the matter is that Tron has always had niche appeal, and niche appeal does not a successful franchise make. and while it'd be nice to live in the universe where Tron blew up, I look at what's become of Star Wars and Marvel and maybe I don't lament it all that much

[nkatr84]

Happy New Year! 2023

Once again it’s New Years Eve and my yearly tradition of wrapping up the year by reviewing things that have come out but I haven’t had time to write about. Here we go!

Doctor WHO: Wild Blue Yonder and the Giggle

Wild Blue Yonder was just the perfect amount of creepy, mysterious and suspenseful with pure nightmare fuel. And Neil Patrick Harris was perfection as the Doctor’s old foe the Celestial Toymaker. Plus a great regeneration scene to introduce Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor without having to say goodbye to David Tennant’s 14th.

The Marvels

I liked Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel so I knew I’d like this one. Is it a perfect movie? No. But it is fun. But you do have to watch Ms Marvel and Wandavision to know who everyone or it’s hard to follow along. As my parents found out. They still liked it enough but you have to be a super fan to really enjoy it.

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road

I am so hyped for Ncuti Gatwa’s fifteenth doctor! This was a fun episode and a great introduction to a new companion with a great mystery set up and I can’t wait to see what is next!

Migration

This was cute. Not amazing or super funny but cute. The little duckling Gwen is the best part. That’s it.

The Color Purple (2023 Musical)

It’s well performed and all the musical numbers are great, but if you saw the original you know it’s better. I do like how Sug and Celiy have a stronger friendship and I even like how Celiy forgives Albert in the end here. And the explanation of how she inherits her mother’s house and gets her business is better handled.

Wonka

I loved this. It’s so fun and whimsical with just enough of a dark edge to tie back to the original book and moreover Gene Wilder’s sarcastic chocolate maker in the 71 version. It’s not a direct prequel but it definitely feels like this story could lead to that one. Plus Timothee Charlamet surprised me by how good of a singer he was! And he’s very charming and ties the whole movie together. Plus it’s written by Simon Farnaby of the BBCs Ghosts so it’s got that clever writing in it.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

I don’t know why but I like this movie more than the first one. Maybe because I can feel how much fun Jason Mamoa had making it. Maybe because I’m a sucker for a reformed villain that helps his older brother defeat the ancient evil threatening their family (which is weird that’s it’s happened twice) but I do like the story and the action and that it’s got a happy ending.

What If Season 2

Here we go…the big one…one Episode at a time…

What if Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?

This was a fun neon noir mystery with one of my favorite new characters. And it really proves that one way or another Nebula was meant to become a hero.

What if Peter Quill attacked Earths Mightiest Heroes?

Or what if the Avengers assembled in the 1980’s? Basically Peter Quill is taken to his father Ego as a child. But once Peter realizes what his Dad is making him do, he returns to Earth because he’s still a good kid. He’s still a kid so he uses his new powers to make Coney Island his own playground so Hank Pym Antman, Goliath, Bucky Barnes Winter Solider, the Black Panther (Tchallas Dad) and Wendy Larson Mar Vel and Thor come in to take him in. It’s a fun team up. Especially when you add Peggy Carter and Howard Stark.

What if Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?

I’ve never seen Die Hard, but I’ll be happy to watch this every Christmas! This was fun seeing Happy be the hero for once. With a great return for a villain that we haven’t seen much of.

What if Iron Man crashed into the Grandmaster?

I loved this one! It was great seeing Tony taken out of his comfort zone on Sakarr. The Grandmaster does have that affect on people…lol. It was face paced and clever with jokes and story. Just great.

What if Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?

This whole episode was a sequel to Captain Carter’s story in season one. Basically it was her version of Captain America:The Winter Soldier but with the Red Room instead of Hydra. Captain Carter is always great and seeing her lose Steve again was sad but then the season plot comes a calling and she gets pulled into it.

What if Kahori Reshaped the World?

This was a great story and it features a new character! Basically Asgard gets destroyed before Odin can hide the Tesseract but it ends up in North America where a Mohawk Indian woman named Kahori winds up getting powers from it. And she’s a great character who I’m sure fulfilled a power fantasy for native Americans and gets to see a superhero like them at last.

What if Hela Found the Ten Rings?

I liked this one too. This basically has Odin banish Hela to Earth instead of locking her away. And while she starts off her usual villain self, we see her change into the hero she could have been. Plus Odin is back to being the worst parent in the MCU since we learn Hela just wanted to rule to gain her freedom since her Dad made her a weapon against her will.

What if the Avengers Assembled in 1602?

Okay I loved this one too. It was fun seeing an Elizabethan version of the Avengers with Captain Carter pulled from her universe to save there’s. And after she meets Steve Rogers, our hearts get broken all over again when they don’t get together again. Basically I really hope they’re building up to having Captain Carter finding a happily ever after with another Steve Rogers that lost his Peggy.

What if Strange Supreme Intervened?

Which brings us to the finale. So this season’s storylines aren’t quite as intertwined as last seasons, but when Strange Supreme showed up in Kahori’s story and then at the end of the 1602 story I knew something was up. And sure enough he tricks Peggy into finding Kahori for him after she escapes him. Turns out he’s been collecting villains and heroes to power a spell to restore his universe. He just couldn’t escape his grief. It’s got a bittersweet ending and Captain Carter has more adventures in store…speaking of which…

Hey Peggy? See that big tree there? There’s a really cute God of Stories in there that needs to be rescued. Just drop him off on Earth 1218 and I’ll take care of him. Thanks Doll.

Happy New Year!

[bewitchingbooktours]

Banquets and Bootleg Bounty by Lily Barrish Levner #CozyMystery

Banquets and Bootleg Bounty 

Catskill Capers 

Book One

Lily Barrish Levner

Genre: Cozy Mystery. Historical. 

Publisher: Neversink Press 

Date of Publication: Nov. 11, 2024

ISBN: 979-8990895201

ASIN: B0DM1JFPQS

Number of pages: 222

Word Count: 50,000

Cover Artist: Jaycee DeLorenzo

Tagline: A 1944 Cozy Mystery with a Dash of Mobster Gold. 

Book Description:

It’s the summer of 1944 as Dotty and Abe arrive at the bustling Concord Hotel in the heart of the Catskill Mountains’ famous Borscht Belt. They are eager to start their new jobs as waitress and busboy but soon discover that serving demanding diners and dealing with unruly guests—including Abe’s impossible-to-please mother—is the least of their worries.

Rumors swirl that a notorious Murder, Inc. gangster has hidden a fortune in cash somewhere in the area. As Dotty and Abe are swept into the race to discover the whereabouts of the legendary loot, they find themselves dodging more than just grumpy guests. With dangerous characters lurking around every corner, the duo must stay one step ahead if they want to keep their future in the mountains from crumbling.

Will Dotty and Abe hit the jackpot, or will they become the next victims of a deadly game?

Fans of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will love Banquets and Bootleg Bounty, the first in the Catskills Capers series by Lily Barrish Levner.

Amazon     BN

“Mrs. Maisel meets Agatha Christie in this engaging debut!” ~New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub “This book is such a treat. Banquets and Bootleg Bounty is a fantastically fun romp through the height of the Catskills with spot-on historical accuracy. Author Lily Barrish Levner gives readers a bird’s eye view of the dining rooms at the Concord, with a dash of romance and a side of danger. Grab a bowl of matzo ball soup and enjoy the ride!” ~ Meredith Schorr, author of As Seen on TV “It’s really great that the golden era of the Catskills is remembered. This book brought back a flood of memories.” ~Steve White, Concord tennis pro/Arthur Winarick’s great-nephew “Lily Barrish Levner captures the Catskill Mountains of 1944 with love and longing for a by-gone era in this triumphant debut. Banquets and Bootleg Bounty is more delicious than Shabbat dinner at the Concord Hotel.”~ Marilyn Rothstein, author of Crazy to Leave You “If you want a taste of delicious food the Concord served to its guests while experiencing the thrill of a dining room mystery in the Catskills, it’s time to read Lily Barrish Levner’s debut novel, Banquets & Bootleg Bounty.”~ Patti Posner, author of My View From the Mountains “Mystery meets History in this engaging debut!” ~ New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub

Excerpt - Week 1, Friday

Dotty

“That sure is a fancy ride,” a passerby called and whistled while a black Buick Roadmaster rolled to a stop next to the curb on E. 167th Street.

Dotty fanned herself with one hand and clutched the handle of her large, olive-green bag with the other. She was winded and shvitzing after she schlepped from her family’s third-floor walk-up apartment during a Bronx heat wave.

Cars zipped past, and the elevated Jerome Avenue subway rumbled along the tracks. She said,

“Good riddance” to the concrete and brick buildings she was leaving behind. It was thrilling to escape the city heat for a couple of months.

Just last night, she had been surprised when Papa told her there was a seat available in the taxicab. She planned to take the bus. She waved goodbye to the neighborhood, flashing a sunny smile over her good fortune. A hack was such a decadent way to travel to the mountains.

“The middle seat is open,” said the driver, rearranging luggage in the trunk.

A gentleman stood outside the car so she could crawl into the center of the three-person bench seat. She rested her handbag on her lap and settled in for an adventure. “I can’t believe I’m going to the Concord!”

“Oh, the Concord,” the silver-haired woman sitting to her left said in a dreamy voice. “I’m going to the Heiden Hotel in South Fallsburg.”

“I’m visiting my aunt and uncle at the Hotel Evans in Loch Sheldrake for the weekend,” volunteered the gentleman, who was back inside the car, sitting to her right.

“We’ve got one more stop to fetch a wife staying at Sunny Oaks bungalow colony in South Fallsburg for the next two months. Her husband won’t be in the mountains until next week,” the driver said, speeding off.

“Are we in a vaudeville act?” Dotty asked a few minutes later. She watched the middle-aged woman bringing out suitcases, food, a lamp, an ironing board, dishes, pans, and sheets. It seemed she had packed her entire city apartment.

The driver huffed and puffed as he tied a rope around the roof rack. The lamp wobbled, a casserole dish crashed, and a flock of pigeons hijacked a loaf of bread.

Once everything was loaded and everyone was seated, the driver was chatty. “It’s the first year the Concord has been open year-round.”

“I’ve heard wonderful things about it.” Dotty shimmied her shoulders, gazing at the scenery roll by. “I’m one of the first waitresses under the new maître d’, Irving Cohen.”

The driver removed one hand from the wheel to snap his fingers. “You are going to a happening place. How’d you end up at Arthur Winarick’s masterpiece?”

“My papa said you can make real nice money in the mountains. So, I went to an employment agency down in the Bowery. Since most boys are off at war, they are desperate to hire workers.”

“I’ve stayed at Grossinger’s. Never at the Concord,” said the gentleman heading to Hotel Evans.

“The Grossingers are the reason I have such a thriving business. They attracted the vacationers to the Catskills. People love to stay under Jennie Grossinger’s roof. They don’t call it the ‘Waldorf of the Catskills’ for nothing,” said the driver.

Dozens of people had mentioned Grossinger’s to her after learning she would be waitressing in the mountains. She pictured a stately hotel sitting on sprawling grounds.

The driver snapped his fingers again. “Here’s a little mountain history for you. Grossinger’s was the most lavish resort until your new boss, Arthur Winarick, cropped up with a fortune in hand. One night he couldn’t get a room at the G because the hotel was booked. Right then and there he vowed to build a bigger and better hotel to lure the guests away. After the prior owner of the Ideal House defaulted, he lucked out and acquired it. Renamed it and rebuilt it. That’s how the Concord started. There were thirty guests in the beginning and look at it already—there are three hundred guests now.”

“It’s true. Grossinger’s has the name recognition, but the Concord has the finances,” said the woman heading to Sunny Oaks.

“Every building at the Concord was designed to meet Winarick’s vision of richness,” said the Heiden Hotel guest.

“Bet you didn’t know that Winarick bought concrete and steel structures in their entirety from the 1939 World’s Fair. He also purchased a ferryboat at 125th Street and dismantled it for steel.

He didn’t have to borrow a penny,” the driver said, veering to the left.

“How did he become so wealthy?” Dotty asked.

“Winarick was a barber during Prohibition. He’s one lucky son of a gun. On account of his profession, he had rights to alcohol, and his brother just so happened to be a chemist. They set up a basement barber shop. Sold bootleg liquor on the side and made a killing selling Jeris Hair Tonic—largely consisting of alcohol and perfume.”

“He’s a real clever man,” she said.The driver sang the jingle, “Jeris hits the jackpot for greaseless good grooming and healthier, handsomer hair.”

She had high hopes that her pockets would soon be overflowing with tips and she would be able to buy Papa some of the hair tonic for his birthday.

“It’s hot in here!” shouted the wife in the front, fanning herself with a handkerchief.

“Roll down a window!” shouted the gentleman in the back.

“The wind is blowing on me,” complained the wife.

Dotty raised her hand and caught the silver-haired woman’s pillbox hat before it flew out the window. The woman sighed in relief.

“Have you considered trying out for the Yankees with a catch like that?” asked the driver.

She smiled and leaned her head back. She remembered the one time her family had stayed at the Delano Hotel in Monticello. She loved playing the pinball machine there.

About midway through their trip, coasting on the narrow, two-lane Route 17 highway, the hack turned off and into the crowded parking lot of the Red Apple Rest. Dotty stared at the large red apple that sat on top of the roof as they waited for an overheated car’s engine to spring back to life. Once the parking space opened, she sprinted under the multicolored striped awning.

Astonished by the impressive roadside eatery, she surveyed the wide selection of hot and cold food. Papa had told her the washrooms here were the nicest public ones anywhere. He had also said Reuben Freed, the owner, showed genuine care for his patrons. The outdoor line for frankfurters and ice cream was long, so she settled on a root beer soda pop from inside. She did not have an appetite anyway. The lively waystation made her even more excited to reach her destination.

They drove through Chester and Goshen. In Middletown, the traffic became bottlenecked on the winding streets. From Middletown, they traveled back roads. At the bottom of the Wurtsboro mountain, the hack was so overloaded she feared they would not clear the hill. Abe

Riveted by all the billboards lining the country roads directing guests to the Catskill Mountain resorts, Abe kept his nose pressed to the window. As the black Buick Super wound through towns and villages that made up Sullivan County, he saw bungalow renters unloading their jam-packed vehicles and airing out their summer bungalows. They were his first glimpse of summer vacationers in the mountains.

A rectangular-shaped building painted a buttery shade of yellow with brown trim came into view. The Buick skidded to a halt in front of it, and the driver said, “You can make a real comfortable living here. Arthur Winarick created something special.”

Abe jerked forward and his glasses slid down his face. It was a grand version of the architecture he was used to back in Brighton Beach. He counted the windows on the four-story building that could stretch the length of three Brooklyn blocks as he crawled out of the back seat. He ran his eyes over the lush landscape, inhaling fresh mountain air, already filled with respect for this Arthur Winarick fella. Exquisite gardens and dense trees lined the pristine grounds. Crystal-clear Kiamesha Lake, to the left of the main building, faced the perfectly maintained nine holes of the golf course.

Three entertainers were wedged together in the backseat, surrounded by costumes and props that would not fit into the overstuffed trunk. He retrieved his bag from under wigs, cards, and a top hat. “My pockets might not be full yet, but I’m only returning home once they are overflowing,” he vowed, waving goodbye to the fella behind the wheel who’d given him a lift to the mountains. He spent the entire ride memorizing every piece of advice he received, determined to make a success of himself with the fortuitous opportunities in front of him.

He threw his shoulders back and held his head high. He fit right in. Back in New York City, the lack of men on the streets made him ashamed that people believed he was a malingerer not returning to war. The doors to the hotel were pulling him to something special. He followed the bustling bellhops and energized guests into the lobby.

Luggage began to pile up in front of the doorway while he waited for his room assignment in the staff living quarters. An unassuming man wearing a white shirt, suspenders, and faded pants hurried over to haul the suitcases to a corner, so Abe trooped over to help. He stacked suitcases one on top of another, presuming the man must be an older lobby porter and well-liked since everyone who passed by smiled his way.

After they stacked all the suitcases, the man stuck his hand out. “Thank you. I can already tell you’re a hard worker. I’m Arthur Winarick. Welcome to my hotel.”

His heartbeat doubled its normal rhythm. He expected a sharp-dressed gonsa macher, not just an ordinary fella with thinning hair and lackluster clothing.

Already counting his luck, he received his room assignment and trekked the short distance to the staff living quarters, a separate hotel called the Colonial. It sat behind the main hotel where the guests stayed. The white-painted building reminded him of an oversized bungalow. He let out a low whistle as he pushed into the first-floor room.

A boy with wavy brown hair and a polite smile said, “I’m Leon.”

Introducing himself, he took the bed on the left since Leon had already chosen the one on the right.

“Hello, Abe. Where did you travel from?”

“Brighton Beach. And you?” He inspected the empty drawers of the dresser. He omitted that he had grown up in Philadelphia, only moving to Brooklyn once his mother had reappeared.

“I’m from Warsaw. I escaped at the start of the war.”

Speechless, he unzipped his bag. He knew Poland was thousands of miles away and Leon’s journey must have been dangerous. His childhood in foster care had been no picnic, but Leon’s life in Europe had presented greater challenges. He tossed a pair of socks into the drawer.

Leon continued. “I was working at a luncheonette in Manhattan, struggling to make a living, when I heard they needed help in the hotels. Can you believe I was completely unaware that there were hills north of the city?”

He had previously traveled to upstate New York, so he was familiar with the countryside. He pulled more socks from his bag. “As soon as I heard about the high wages and all the luxuries that came with living in the mountains, I signed up on the spot. I prefer this to being cooped up inside my stepfather’s garment factory all day. I didn’t expect such a dandy space to call home for the summer.”

“How come you aren’t enrolled in the army?”

He shifted his eyes to the single window in the middle of the room. “They discharged me.”

Leon remained quiet. His kind eyes encouraged Abe to say more.

“I was a drill sergeant in Miami until a doctor diagnosed my eyesight as too poor to continue to serve.” He returned from duty, at 19 years old, with his brunette hair a shade more golden, his skin tanned, and his muscles bulging from a year of physical activity under the Florida sun.

“There is no shame in wearing spectacles.” He tapped the rim of his glasses. “My eyesight isn’t that terrible.”

Leon reached for his checkered newsboy hat; his voice was friendly. “Ah, a Jewish doctor who didn’t want to see another Jewish boy come home in a coffin.”

He raked his hands through his hair, swallowing hard. Here he was a young man in perfect health, while both of his brothers were still serving in the U.S Army. He never wanted people to think he was less patriotic. His Ma’s words rang in his ears. “Abe-ala, this means I won’t lose all three of my boys.”

That comment had stung.

“The Concord is lucky to have you.”He snapped back to the present. “I have had the pleasure of meeting the owner already.”

Leon’s eyebrows shot toward the ceiling. “Arthur Winarick? Making a good impression right away is smart.” He pointed to his head. “I made sure to use Jeris Hair Tonic today in case I bumped into him. That’s why my hair is so glossy.”

He scratched his ear, not admitting he did not understand the reference. “How come you speak such fluent English?”

“I had a neighbor back in Poland who was a diplomat and a resistance fighter. He taught English classes.” Leon placed the newsboy cap on top of his head.

Sprawled out on his mattress, stretching his legs and wiggling his toes, Abe knew he had made the right decision. And he was glad he had someone like Leon by his side. “I feel like a king.”

“There’s tremendous potential.”

His smile spread from ear to ear. “I think I can pave my own way up here.”

A whole new chapter was beginning. Dotty

Dotty tried to read every single one of the hotel billboards cramming the landscape. When they approached the sign that said, “Turn Here to Concord Hotel,” she was jiggling her legs.

The Hotel Evans guest hollered, “Can you drop me off first?”

“I have specific directions. She’s number one on the list.” The driver tilted his head toward the woman en route to the Heiden.

At the first drop-off, Dotty could not take her eyes off the Tudor-style building as the driver announced, “The Concord is the next stop.”

Now she could not sit still.

Minutes later, after zooming up the mountain, the driver said, “We’ve arrived. Good luck.” He handed her olive-green bag over.

“The Bronx has no space that compares to this.” She gawked in awe at the size of the building nestled in rich grounds.

The yellow paint on the exterior reminded her of their kitchen’s wallpaper at home. Oh, she could not wait to tell Ma and Papa about this exquisite place. Her parents, Merke and Isaac, expected her to write to them all summer long. She would send a postcard soon.

She took a moment to smell the sweet floral scent from the colorful flower gardens before she schlepped her bag through the entryway. People crowded the lobby, greeting each other as long-lost friends. Some staff were new hires, like herself. Others were returning for another season in the mountains.

A helpful bellhop tapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll carry your bag to the Colonial, where you’ll be staying.” He led her to another building.

She blinked hard. “I get to live here? It’s an entire hotel!”

“Staff living conditions like this certainly aren’t the norm. Nobody sleeps on a cot in a closet around here. Arthur makes sure we have the best.”

“I’m so lucky the Concord hired me.” She watched two fellas stride into the Colonial.

“It’s coed,” said the bellhop, winking.

She raised her eyebrows, never having stayed in co-ed living quarters. She stepped into her new home. The blue and white floral wallpaper caught her eye. Her papa, who worked as a wallpaper hanger, always made sure to do careful work. He would be pleased with the job done here.

Once she reached her assigned room, she straightened her skirt and blouse. A striking girl with chestnut-colored curls appeared in the doorway. “I heard you thumping down the hallway.

Welcome. I’m Eva. I’m a waitress in the main dining room. Do you play cards? How about poker?”

She plopped her bag onto the ground and sat on the empty bed to catch her breath. “I’m a waitress as well. Yes, I love playing cards.” She ran her hands through her dishwater-blonde hair, wishing it had as much volume as Eva’s.

“I’m organizing a Sunday night game, after we collect our tips, of course.” Eva touched the opal heart-shaped stone hanging on a gold chain she wore around her neck.

“I’ll be at the table,” Dotty promised. She would have to ask Ma for some hints since Ma played cards every day on the Grand Concourse back home in the Bronx.

“Very good. We’ll be working hard, but don’t worry, there’s lots of time for socializing.”

She began unpacking as Eva peppered her with questions. “Do you have experience waiting tables?”

“Oh, yes. I learned everything I know at the Lido Beach Hotel on Long Island. I spent a season there before the Navy turned it into an amphibious base and discharge center. I worked at a resort in Far Rockaway and another one out in Lakewood, New Jersey, after that.”

Eva put her hands on her hips. “How old were you when you started waitressing?”

“14,” she admitted. “I told the man I was 17 and he told me to say 18.” She chuckled at the memory. She had worn high heels and bright red lipstick, clomping down Skid Row to the employment agency in the Bowery. Today she was 18 years old and did not have to fib about her age to work at the Concord.

“You’re an old pro,” Eva said, sweeping her hand through the air.

“How long have you been waitressing?” Dotty, too, had questions.

“After I traveled over from Germany, Arthur Winarick hired me. That was Pesach (Passover) two seasons ago.”

“Are you a refugee?” She placed her hand over her heart.

“Yes. I’m very lucky to be here. My German mom and British dad raised me in Southern

Germany. I’m an English citizen. My parents wanted me out of Europe. They felt it was safest for me to come over to the States. Arthur has a soft spot in his heart for refugees. I landed at the right hotel.”

Glad about that, Dotty rested her head on the pillow, enjoying the comfort of her own bed for the first time. She stretched out her legs and closed her eyes. “I’ve shared the sleeper sofa with my sister and listened to the Jerome Avenue train my entire life.”

“You’ve spent the day traveling; a snooze before Shabbat dinner might set you right.”

She jumped back up and parted the curtains to gaze at the greenery. “I hope Irving Cohen isn’t too strict.”

Eva flung her wrist in the air. “People call him ‘King Cupid.’ How harsh do you think a man with that nickname can be?”

“What if, since it’s his first summer in charge of the dining room, he’s extra tough?” She took a deep breath.

“Bet you didn’t know he was recently married. Consider him still in the honeymoon phase. Act confident and you’ll do fine.”

“I’ve always received compliments from my bosses. I’m not worried.” She bit her bottom lip and watched Eva study her reflection in a handheld mirror.

Eva had a twinkle in her eye. “Stay away from Hershel. He’s my bashert.”

Suddenly, Dotty cared a lot more about her appearance as she slipped into her white waitressing uniform. For breakfast and lunch, the two dairy meals of the day, the required dress code was yellow dresses and white aprons. The meat dinner was served wearing white dresses and white aprons.

Eva wiggled into her uniform. “Don’t forget the trick is to stay ahead of everything and not lose control of your station. What are the three important terms to measure success?”

“‘A breeze’ means the meal ran smoothly, a ‘good meal’ needs no explanation, and a ‘bomb’ means everything went terribly.” She spritzed Chantilly perfume onto her right wrist. The fruity notes of orange blossom mixed with jasmine and other citruses filled their room.

“Very good. What’s the worst thing you can do?”

“Anger the chef. I must wait until several guests ask for things from the kitchen. I want to avoid making too many trips back there.”

“What’s the second-worst thing?”

“I can’t get hung up, or I’ll never meet all the guests’ demands, and I’ll fall behind the kitchen’s schedule.”

“I don’t have to tell you tips depend on how pleasant we are to guests and how quickly we feed them.”

Thankful for all she learned that first summer on Lido Beach, and confident in her food-serving abilities, Dotty swung the door open. The same two fellas she had seen earlier were now exiting their room a couple of doors down. They wore stark white jackets. I have a feeling this is going to be a very good summer.

About the Author:

Lily Barrish Levner comes from a family that cherished books and learning—her mother was a schoolteacher, and her father was the director of the Monticello library, so it’s no surprise that storytelling has always been a part of her life. Growing up in Kiamesha Lake, New York, Lily spent her childhood sleuthing around the iconic Catskills resorts with friends and soaking up the vibrant atmosphere. Her grandparents worked in the resort industry, a connection that inspires her stories.

As a fourth-generation Jewish American, Lily deeply connects to the Catskill Mountains and the Borscht Belt, where her heritage and childhood memories blend. Her fondest recollections are tied to places like the Concord, Kutsher’s, the Pines, the Raleigh, and Sunny Oaks bungalow colony—sites that have left an indelible mark on her writing.

With a BA in Creative Writing and a Master’s in Library and Information Science, Lily has spent the past decade as a copy desk researcher at Bloomberg Businessweek while working on her novel and contributing monthly articles to the Hurleyville Sentinel. She currently lives in the Catskills with her husband and their dog, Gus, where the magic of the mountains still influences her work. 

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Dotty and Abe when Book 2 of the Catskills Capers series is published in the summer of 2025.

Website: https://lilybarrishlevner.com/

Hurleyville Sentinel: https://hurleyvillesentinel.com/ 

[multifandomfix]

December Movie Wrap Up

X: 4/10. I was so expecting more from this, but all in all, very boring and predictable. Not a fan. For a slasher it was a snooze fest and for a plot, just amounted to basically nothing.

Pearl: 2/10. Essentially the same thing as X but set in the past. Nothing original here. Characters were boring. Really stopped paying attention and still got the whole story without even needing to.

MaXXXine: 3/10. This movie series was just not for me. There was nothing to keep my interest. Just a giant flop. Maybe it was too talked up for me, and my expectations got too high. Idk, but I wish I hadn’t wasted my time on them.

Book Club: The Next Chapter: 7/10. It was fun, kept me entertained, but I mean, Jane Fonda is reason enough for me to watch anything, and I did enjoy the first one. This one holds up too. Also, shoutout to Mary Steenburgen in that red dress. 🐺😙

Cottage Country: 9/10. You go in expecting a horror comedy, and you do in fact get that, but it turns into so much more. Wild ride, and I mean crazy, but so so good. I was very impressed.

Do Not Disturb: 10/10. It’s only 43 minutes, seems like it could have been a pilot for a dramedy, and I wish it was, because I could so use more of it. But anyways, truly amazing! If you’re into Catherine Tate, it’s basically Catherine Tate porn, so do yourself a favor and watch it. If you need a better reason, may I present the edit I made for it.

Gypsy: 7/10. The costumes were beautiful, Bette was marvelous! Didn’t love the musical aspect. The numbers on stage were fine, but the extra breaking into song at random bits always serve to take me out of the story. But it was a nice story overall. Gets one extra point for Bette’s ending number alone.

Jewtopia: 6/10. By title alone I thought it was going to be way more offensive than it was, but it wasn’t so bad. The cast was pretty good, shoutout to Rita Wilson and Wendie Malick. It was funny at times, interesting enough to keep my attention. Decent watch overall.

Maps To The Stars: 7/10. What a wild, fucked up little movie. I can’t say as I know what the actual point was, but it kept my interest the whole way through. The best bits were obviously Julianne Moore’s part, but the rest was good too. Weird ending, but fitting enough I suppose.

Martha Marcy May Marlene: 1/10. If you want a real slow reliving of cult trauma with absolutely no ending worth a shit, then maybe this is for you, but like, in all honesty, don’t waste your time. Not even Sarah Paulson or Elizabeth Olsen could save this. Waste. Of. Time.

Mr. St. Nick: 6/10. I’m not a huge Christmas movie fan, but this one was alright. Not great, but decent. I probably wouldn’t watch it again, but again if you’re looking for a less popular Christmas movie, this one ain’t bad.

Solace: 7/10. Engaging plot with a supernatural/psychic element. Anthony Hopkins was great, and a couple of familiar faces was a nice surprise too. If FBI thrillers are your sort of thing, I’d recommend giving this one a watch. A few good wtf/omg sort of moments. Definitely keeps your interest. Probably not one I’d rewatch personally, but it is good.

Stuff: 7/10. It was an interesting enough story, but not thrilled with how it turned out. Could have had a way better ending. That would have bumped it up a point.

[historyhermann]

The Indie Animation Boom Continues in 2022 [part 1]

In August of 2021, I wrote about the boom in indie animation, consisting of almost exclusively crowdfunded animations. Earlier this month, I expanded on that and wrote about various indie animations, specifically noting Hazbin Hotel and Wild Card which are in development. As storyboarder Amber Avara put it on January 7, “2022 is the year of sick indie animation, let’s make it happen!” Various creators are making it happen. Due to the number of indie animated series being produced, it is near impossible to mention all of them. Despite that limitation, this article will highlight over ninety indie animated series, giving you a snapshot into the existing boom of indie animation at the present time, with particular notice to those currently airing.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs, my History Hermann WordPress blog on Jan. 21, 2023, and Wayback Machine. This was the ninth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on January 27, 2022.

On January 27, the fourth episode of Gods’ School, a French indie animation about Olympian gods and Greek mythology, will air on YouTube. The series is created by one animator, Gaylord Cuvillier Philippe Libessart, on his own! In 2018, the series received support from the French National Center for Cinema and Animation, which gave Libessart the “opportunity to start the production and make the pilot episode.” The first episode aired in January 2019, telling the story of Eris, a goddess trying to find her place among gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. Gods’ School has been described as having animation as “gorgeous as classic Disney,” and it is adorable, really cool, an addicting and amazing cartoon that should be more well-known, and praised for its talented voice cast. Some have drawn fan art of the show’s characters. As of the writing of this post, three episodes of the series have aired.

Other indie animated series currently airing include Wisdom Nunn’s Bob’s World, Vivienne Medrano’s Helluva Boss, and Nico Colaleo’s series, Ollie & Scoops. Helluva Boss also includes several LGBTQ characters: Blitzo is pansexual, Moxxie is bisexual, Stolas is gay or bisexual, and Sallie May is a trans woman. In the latter series, there was an episode in October 2020 centered around a teacher, Binnie, admitting she liked a fellow teacher, Wendy. Just as prominent is Eddsworld, a long-running animated series which began in December 2004. It continues to rack up millions of views on its YouTube channel, even with its Eddsworld Beyond season, which began in 2021 with Matt Hargreaves as a showrunner.

Additional currently airing series include the spy mystery series SCP Origins, where incompetent spies try and take down villains, an adult animated comedy named Nora and Zin, and an ongoing series named The West Patch which describes itself as “a dark look at the side effects of consequence-free children’s programing.” For the latter series, at present, there have been two episodes so far. There are spinoffs also like Space Triage and The Following Call. Also currently out for viewing are the Instagram clip show Ronzilla, an original animated web series in which all the characters are dolls with the name of Project Infinity, and a murder mystery series named The Marvelous Adventures of Danny DeComp. The majority of these series air on YouTube. This again makes clear the preference of the video sharing platform as a place to share series, making it even more popular than somewhere like Newgrounds.

Official art of Umi, Port, and Jolly Roger in Port by the Sea

In January of this year, non-binary Argentine artist, Moon, creator of the sci-fi series in development, Indigo, asked indie series creators to promote themselves. Many people responded. Georden Whitman shared news about his animated pilot in development, Port by the Sea, which focuses on two kids (Umi and Port) sailing the seas to “find pieces of their broken moon, before an ancient deity swallows the world in ocean.” Matt Acuña shared information about The Garden Age, a series in development focused on “cute bugs on their journey to stop a lawnmower from destroying their world.” Andre Grandpierre noted that he is developing Long Way from DelArte, an animated series about friends traveling around the world, in hopes of “achieving their artistic dreams.” Some said that they were developing hand-drawn animated films or animated series, all in distinct stages of development. [1] Of these creators, some had some prominence in the animation industry. For instance, Whitman is the creator of Nomad of Nowhere and Acuña is the Production Coordinator for Bob’s Burgers.

There is more “indie animated goodness,” as Whitman termed it. This includes series in development with a focus on magic and adventures like Warlocks of Wrath High, Century Park, True Tail, Stars Align, Wimp Witch, and Evelynne Doom. There are many other animated series in development. [2] One example is a series about a non-binary sheep who is making their way through high school titled Sheepish. Another is a cop buddy show between an ace cop and a succubus entitled Succubus Cop. Two others, Band of Mythix and Stellapie are action series, with the former a musical series as well.

In addition, Mugshot & Pollen is about two best friends hanging out, Starmakers, an action/adventure series, is about a bisexual girl named Astra who joins a guild and teams up with people to fight monsters after escaping those who want her as a “source of power.” There is a sci-fi, comedy, and horror series with the title The Heroes of Tomorrow and a series about wolves called Wolves of Cecila. It is one of the many wolf-related series out there, with those in development including Demon Soul, the concluded series All Lone Ones, and The Shadow Marked. An animated “homage to 8-bit retro gaming” named Bit Wars and a sci-fi series which may be released in June titled Monkey Wrench are just two more examples of potential upcoming indie animated series.

The creators of The Descendants said they would pitch their show this year. The series Lumi and the Great Big Galaxy had a fundraiser while the show was in pre-production. Amber Avara, mentioned at the beginning of this article, continued working on an indie anime named Nocturne, sharing information about the character, images of color tests, and character sheets with her followers. Alpha Betas is going ahead, according to its Twitter and listings on its YouTube page. It appears that Long Gone Gulch, by Tara Billinger and Zach Bellissimo, is also going onto the next stage of its development, either by submitting the pilot, or becoming an indie animated series beyond the pilot. It’s hard to know where Long Gone Gulch goes from here, whether it will stay on YouTube or end up on a major network.

Screenshot from opening of Wild Card

The indie, adult murder mystery series about lawyers set in a Boston where “elite legal universities rule the legal system,” titled Wild Card, keeps moving forward. A pilot episode is in development and there was even a webcomic created on Line Webtoon to generate interest in the series and tell some stories using certain characters. The series’ official Twitter account, and additional social media accounts associated with the series, shared news, test animations, and music in the series. The show features LGBTQ characters like the show’s bisexual protagonist, Jack, based on show creator Alex Bahrawy (who is also bisexual), and a non-binary character. Some called the series, which has been in the works since 2016, “one of the coolest indie productions,” and “really cool.”

Since my last post, Cartoon Connect‘s series Little Ron Ron, Gotta Be Mo, Lumen, or Loyalty High have not been continued. He appears to be working on a new animated series called Kenny Quick, asking for voice actor auditions in November 2021. The same is the case for Brandon Wright – it looks like his animated series Silver Lin is unlikely to continue. The same appears to be the case for Guardian Instance. Despite this, Diver appears to be on track, as a video this month noted that a new episode was being developed. The Quickening, with a pilot airing in July 2020, and Ascendants, a series which appeared to be in development, are dead in the water. [3] While those shows may be ending, unless something miraculous happens, Howdy Cloudboy, a Western genre series with a main cast who are “all black lqbtq+ folks,” is being developed by a Black and Queer led studio named Faeduck Studios.

The Far-Fetched Show, created by Ashley Nichols and Dave Capdevielle, who both previously worked on Hazbin Hotel, has gone ahead. The official account put out a call for more animators and clean-up artists at the beginning of this year. Far-Fetched is a horror comedy about Rue Cervello (voiced by Nola Klop), a young woman who loses her chaotic canine, Kira (voiced by Jazmine Luevanos), and joins a bunch of musical misfits (Quinn, Griff, Piper, and Warren) who are part of the band Sesamoid. They work together to fight and survive in a place where science clashes with the supernatural. There are two villains: Drain (voiced by Michael Zekas) and Blair (voiced by Lauren Landa).

At one point last year, there was a post of the show’s official Twitter, showing the characters holding LGBTQ flags. Rue holds a sweater saying she is questioning, Quinn Hickley (voiced by J. Michael Tatum) holds the demisexual panromantic flag, Griff (voiced by Jacob Takanashi) holds an asexual flag, and Piper Stubbs (voiced by Dani Chambers) holds a lesbian flag, while Kira and Warren Webber (voiced by Jonah Scott) are allies. This was clarified by Nichols. The show’s current route is to fully fund the pilot themselves, then launch a larger crowdfunding campaign and merchandising to give the series “longer episodes” and make additional “bonus content.”

Presumably, shows like Satina, a dark comedy, will include LGBTQ characters. Hopefully, Satina will premiere this year. Like Satina, which continues to be in development if anything can be gleaned by creator Hannah Daigle’s YouTube channel, once the episodes of Far-Fetched are finished, they will be on YouTube. Comics of the show’s characters will likely be released.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Hi! I love your stories! Can I req a story where Paddy has the biggest celebrity crush on you, and when Tom introduced you to his family, Paddy tried to get your attention all the time. It was cute at first but Tom later on gets jealous. Thank you!

Thank you! I love this idea. I made it way too long so I separated it into two posts.

My Girl

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Synopsis: everyone finds Paddys crush on your adorable. Everyone but Tom.

Part Two

Part three

Part four

Masterlist

Requests are CLOSED

The Holland boys had always been quite fond of you.

You were a child actor, and they grew up watching you on screen. The quickest way to stop them from screaming, crying, and running around was to put on a movie of yours. Like bugs to a light, the boys would circle around the TV and watch you with wide eyes and total silence. You were their Wendy, and they were your Lost Boys. Dom and Nikki would almost tear up with laughter when they saw their boys stare at you with awestruck expressions. It was like they were in a trance, watching your every move without blinking until you were off screen. Of course, a group of boys doesn’t stay quiet for long. There would be fights over who liked you more, who’d you like more, and who would be the one to marry you. Marriage, of course, being the ultimate goal for young boys in love. These fights always ended in tears, and Sam and Harry backing down. Paddy, a little too young to talk but plenty old enough to scream, would throw a tantrum until Tom gave up and let him win.

“I’m gonna marry Y/n.” Tom declare.

“No, me.” Paddy would yell and slam his little fists on the couch.

“She won’t marry you! You’re just a baby.” Tom stuck out his tongue.

“No.” Paddy would scream.

“Tom, don’t upset your brother.” Nikki’d call from the other room.

“But I want to marry Y/n.” Tom would whine. “Paddy is just a baby!”

“Thomas.” Nikki’d say sternly. “I’m going to count to three. Just tell him he can marry her so he won’t cry.”

“But-“ Tom would protest.

“No buts.” Nikki interrupted. “Tell him.”

“You can marry Y/n.” Tom grumbled.

“Good job. Now hug it out.”

As the boys got older, their feelings for you changed. You had gotten older too, and they took notice. Sam and Harry had lost their puppy love for you, claiming to be too mature to fawn over some girl. They stopped thinking you were the prettiest girl in the world, and started making comments that you were hot, as boys do. But that didn’t mean they didn’t see each and every one of your new movies, no matter how “lame” they said it looked. Tom, being the oldest of the bunch and your age, grew up with you. He noticed the baby face he fell in love with changing into the face of a beautiful teen, then young adult. He was a kid when you were a kid, a teen when you were a teen, and in his early twenties when you were. This left a special place in his heart for you. He didn’t have the puppy love anymore either, but a more mature, adult love. He admired your work, but differently now. He was an established actor himself, and was able to recognize the hard work you put into your job, and appreciate how you’d been doing it from such a young age. He prayed for the day you and him were cast as love interests in a movie. He hoped to see you at every award show, audition, and party, but your paths never crossed.

And then there was Paddy. Paddy was significantly younger than his brothers. They grew up, and you became more of a celebrity crush to them. But Paddy was a young boy with a big imagination. The age difference didn’t occur to him. The fact that you’d never met didn’t matter. He was wholly convinced you’d be married one day. He adored you. He’d watch your movies, even the girly ones, with the same awestruck expression as when he was little. He was enchanted by you. The way you moved, the way you spoke, everything. He had your picture as his background, your name as his password, and every fact about you engraved in his brain. In his mind, he was in love with you, what his 15 year old self knew love to be.

“Aww, look what’s on.” Nikki said nostalgically when she flipped through the channels of the television and found an old movie of yours. It was around a holiday, and a rare time when all her boys were home. “You boys used to watch this all the time when you were little.”

“Whatever.” Sam grumbled into his cereal, but managed to sneak a few glances at you when his mom wasn’t looking.

“We only watched it because Sam fancied her.” Harry snorted.

“You fancied her too.” Sam elbowed his brother, not realizing he just admitted to his secret love for you.

“Did not!” Harry protested.

“Did too!” Sam retorted.

“Did not.” Harry said again. “And who cares anyway? Tom still fancies her. He thinks they’re gonna play Romeo and Juliet one day and fall in love.”

“You’re just jealous because she said in an interview that she liked my movies.” Tom replied, too above the fighting to care.

“She said she liked Infinity War.” Paddy cut in. “She didn’t specifically say she liked you.”

“At least she knows I exist, and I’m not just some 11 year old kid in love with her.” Tom shot back, losing his cool. There was still a bigger resentment between the the oldest and the youngest boy over you.

“I’m 12!” Paddy slammed his hands on the table.

“Boys!” Nikki gasped. “Are you seriously still fighting over Y/n at your ages?”

“He started it!” They all yelled in unison.

“I’m tired of this. From now on, no one mentions Y/n, okay? No more fighting over that girl.” Nikki’d held up her hands, meaning she meant business.

So from then on, you weren’t mentioned.

Until one fateful, fateful day.

“Spider-Man!” Tom heard a sweet voice behind him as he made his way back to his seat at the Emmys two years later. He turned around and looked around for who the voice belonged to, until his eyes landed on you.

“Y/n?” He asked in disbelief. There you were. In person, not on a screen. After so many years of watching you and admiring you, Tom was at a loss for words. You picked up the train of your dress and hurried over to him.

“Hi.” You laughed in excitement as you pulled Tom into a friendly hug. He froze before wrapping his arms around you, careful of your gown. He couldn’t believe he wasn’t only speaking to you, but holding you. You’d been a fantasy, a mere dream, his whole life. You let out a happy sigh and brushed a curl away from your perfectly done up face. “I can’t believe we’re actually meeting. I’m such a big fan.”

“You’re a fan of me?” Tom sputtered. He looked around, expecting to see Ellen DeGeneres somewhere with a camera in an attempt to prank him. He didn’t see anyone, and realized this was actually happening. You actually came up to him. “I’ve been watching your movies my entire life. Your first movie was the first move I ever saw.” Tom admitted with a bashful smile.

“Really?” You smiled as if he’d just given you a compliment, which unknown to him, he had. “Because we’re the same age right?”

“Yeah, we are.” Tom said, shocked you knew his age.

“That’s so cute.” You giggled, making Tom laugh as well. “I’m so glad we’re getting a chance to meet. I love you in the Marvel movies. And you were so cute in In the Heart of the Sea. I wish you’d wear your curls more.”

“You’ve seen my non marvel movies?” Tom practically gasped, suddenly very aware of his straightened hair.

“Well duh.” You laughed. “You’re like my favorite actor.”

“You’re my favorite actor too.” Tom said sincerely. “I-I think you’re incredible.” You gave Tom a warm smile.

“Do you want to exchange numbers maybe?” You asked shyly. “The cameras are gonna start recording soon and I’d rather not having dating rumors flying when we’re just getting to know each other. Because I want to get to know you, Tom. As more than just my favorite actor.”

“I’d love that.” Tom said. He nervously took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to you. You took it and entered your number into it.

“There. Text me during the speeches. They’re so boring.” You let out a breathy laugh. You laughed a lot, Tom noticed. And he liked it. He really liked it.

“Where are you sitting?” Tom asked, making a bold decision.

“Over by Hugh Jackman.” You pointed your thumb and then rubbed your nails on your shoulder and pretended to yawn. “No biggie.”

“Did you-would you, maybe…” Tom stuttered.

“Want to sit together?” You finished for him.

“I was gonna get there.” Tom defended with a smile, making your scrunch your nose. “But yes, would you like to sit with me?”

“I actually have a better idea.” You quipped.

You didn’t sit together that night.

You left the Emmys all together, and ended up talking all night in a dinner. Tom was still in his suit, and you were still in your gown, but it was perfect. You shared a plate of French fries, and later, a kiss.

The rest is history.

“Tommy?” You asked as you laced your fingers through his, your head resting against his heart. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, darling.” Tom said, nuzzling his nose into your hair.

“Are you ashamed of me?” You asked, much to his surprise.

“What?” Tom sputtered shocked at your accusation. “No. Never. Why would you ask that?”

“It’s just, we’ve been dating for almost a year and you haven’t introduced me to your brothers. Yeah, I’ve met your parents a bunch, but not once have I met any of your brothers. I think I saw Sam getting into his car once, and that’s it. Do they even know about me?” You asked sadly. You’d met Dom and Nikki about three months in, when things got serious between you and Tom. Nikki was absolutely thrilled to see the two of you together. You didn’t know the full extent of Toms life long love for you, and Nikki was all too quick to spill it. She beamed every time you two held hands or used a pet name. Dom was just happy to see his son end up with such a great girl. Since then, you went on weekly shopping dates with Nikki and attended Dom’s stand up shows whenever you could. You were close with them, very close. But still had not once met a brother.

“Well-I…no. No, I haven’t.” Tom admitted, disappointing even himself.

“Why not?” You pried, a little hurt that they didn’t even know you were in Toms life. “Is there something wrong with me? Do you not them to know about me? About us?”

“Love.” Tom sat up and looked you in the eyes. You looked upset, but like you were keeping your emotions inside. Tom felt guilt seep into his heart. “I’m not ashamed of you. It’s the opposite actually. My brothers, they love you. Especially Paddy. And I really love you too. I don’t want to bring you home and have them get all weird about it.”

“Why would they get weird?” You asked.

“I know my brothers, okay? Harry and Sam would act like they’re too cool to care, but then probably invite all their friends over to brag about you. You don’t want a bunch of twenty year old guys vying for you attention. Hell, I don’t want a bunch of twenty year old guys vying for you attention. And Paddy,” Tom sighed. “Paddy would probably spontaneously combust. He’s been in love with you since he was in diapers. He’d kill me if he found out we were dating.”

“Tommy, I don’t think your 15 year old brother is going to kill you over a girl.” You chuckled lightly.

“Then darling, you don’t know my 15 year old brother.” Tom laughed. “I mean it. He’d freak out. He’d try to steal you from me.”

“Well I think it’s safe to say that he wouldn’t succeed.” You smiled as you rolled on top of Tom. He pressed a kiss to your lips and flopped his head onto the pillow. “Please let me meet them? I want to know your family. I want to know where you came from and who you grew up with. I promise it won’t be as weird as you think it’ll be.”

“And I promise you that it will be.” Tom said through his teeth.

“Please?” You asked, looking at him through your eyelashes. He held out as long as he could before a dopey smile lit up his face. He had caved.

“How can I say no to you?” Tom smiled.

And so, you found yourself hiding behind a wall in Toms childhood home as he broke the news to his brothers.

“As some of you may know, I’ve been seeing someone. We’ve been together for ten months, and I love her very dearly.” Tom began.

“Mate, no one cares.” Harry said, trying to see past Tom to the TV.

“Bug off.” Sam muttered, also attempting to see around Tom.

“As I was saying, I have a girlfriend.” Tom said, slightly annoyed that his brothers weren’t paying attention. They’d be pay attention when they saw who it was, that’s for sure. “A serious one. She’s met mum and dad, and now she wants to meet you, though I have no idea why.”

“I’m gonna be really mugged off if you’ve interrupted our game to talk about some girl.” Harry said, moving the headset away from his mouth so his friends wouldn’t hear.

“She’s not some girl.” Tom said through gritted teeth. “You actually know her. Just, don’t freak out, okay? Act normal? I love this girl and I don’t want you buttwads messing it up.”

“Whatever mate.” Sam waved his hand. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Okay.” Tom sighed and looked at the wall you were hiding behind. “Y/n? Come on out.”

“Huh?” Paddy said and whipped his head around. You came out from behind the wall with a shysmile and a friendly wave. Sam and Harry looked shocked, then burst out laughing when they saw Paddy’s reaction. Paddy was frozen, jaw dropped and eyes wide, like the bug to the light. Harry couldn’t stop himself from applauding.

“Oh Tom.” He laughed. “You’ve really outdone yourself. This was well worth my time.”

“I can’t believe you got Y/n all the way out here to prank Paddy.” Sam laughed and gave Paddy a gentle shove. Paddy snapped back to reality and looked at you in amazement.

“Actually, it’s not a prank.” You laughed, a little awkwardly and interlaced your fingers with Toms hand. Paddy’s eyes fell to your hands, and felt his body fill with pure teenage rage. His life long idol was standing in his living room, holding hands with his brother.

“You…” Paddy lifted a weak finger and pointed it at your hands. You and Tom nodded, only making Harry and Sam laugh harder.

“It’s nice to finally meet you guys.” You spoke up. “I had to beg Tom to let me. He thought it’d be weird but I think this is going great.”

“You wanted to meet me?” Paddy asked in disbelief, disregarding the rest of your statement. Tom gave him a strange look.

“Oh is absolutely brilliant.” Sam declared. “Greatest day of my life.”

“Paddy is having a stroke.” Harry said between laughs.

“Am not.” Paddy defended, harshly. “Just surprised, is all.”

“Are you two actually together? Like a proper couple?” Sam turned back to you.

“We are.” You confirmed. Harry and Sam looked impressed. Paddy looked furious.

“Why him?” Paddy blurted, making everyone look at him. You were surprise, Tom was annoyed, and Sam and Harry were having a ball. “I mean, you’re the most beautiful girl in the entire world. You could do a lot better than Tom. You could have anyone.”

Harry and Sam doubled over on the couch at his words.

“Thanks Paddy.” Tom said sarcastically. “I love you too.”

“He’s so cute.” You gushed to Tom, who rolled his eyes. You turned to Paddy and gave him a smile. “Thank you for saying that, sweetheart, but I love Tom. I don’t want anyone else.”

“He brings up a good point though.” Sam pointed out. “Y/n, you can tell us if you’re being held hostage. You don’t have to be in this relationship anymore.”

“I’m not being held hostage.” You smiled as Tom shot daggers at his brother. “I’m actually the one who kissed him.”

“Gross!” Paddy exclaimed, the rage returning at full speed.

“Where did you two lovebirds meet?” Hardy pressed, learning his head on his hands.

“The Emmys.” You answered. “I went up to Tom and told him how much I admired him.”

“You what?” Paddy sputtered. “Him?”

“This just keeps getting better and better.” Sam said, giving Harry a high five.

“And how long did you say you were together?” Harry continued.

“Ten months.” Tom answered proudly, pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Ten months?!” Paddy almost shouted.

“God, I wish I had this on camera.” Sam cried.

“I think we’ve had enough for today.” Tom said when he saw the situation getting out of hand. “Y/n and I are going out now. See you all later.”

“It was nice meeting you!” You called as Tom ushered you out the door.

“Did that just happen?” Paddy asked is disbelief. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, chalking the situation up to be nothing but a nightmare.

“You mean is Tom dating your dream girl? Yep.” Harry confirmed with a devilish smile.

“What does she see in him?” Paddy said with disgust.

“Maybe there’s something wrong with her.” Sam shrugged.

“There’s nothing wrong with her.” Paddy was quick to your defense. “She’s perfect.”

“Yeah. She is.” Harry agreed. “She’s also dating Tom.”

“Bleh.” Paddy grimaced. He shrunk down in his seat and folded his arms. All he could do was wait to see you again.

“I’m home.” Tom called as he entered his childhood home. Paddy came bounding into the room with an ecstatic smile.

“Oh.” Paddy said when he only saw Tom in the doorway. “It’s just you.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” Tom said sarcastically as he stripped off his jacket.

“Where’s Y/n?” Paddy practically whined.

“I just dropped her off at home.” Tom told him, a little glad you weren’t there for Paddy to gawk at.

“You mean she didn’t want to eat dinner with us?” Harry called sarcastically from the other room.

“I can only imagine why.” Sam echoed.

“Why didn’t she come back here?” Paddy asked in disappointment.

“Maybe because I live with a bunch of HOOLIGANS,” Tom shouted the last word, “who don’t know how to behave.”

“I behaved.” Paddy folded his arms again.

“You just stared at her and asked why she was with me.” Tom pointed out.

“That’s a valid reaction.” Paddy held up his hands in defense.

“No it’s not.” Toms voice came out as a squeak. It was just as he suspected. They were getting weird.

“Come on Tom!” Paddy whined. “You just randomly dropped the bomb on us that you’ve been dating my idol for ten months. How was I supposed to react? You know I’ve loved her all my life.”

Before Tom could respond, Nikki called from the kitchen that dinner was ready. After dinner, and a few too many jaffa cakes, Paddy was bouncing up and down on the sofa in excitement.

“She called me cute!” He said through his ragged breathing. “Did you hear that Tom? She said I was cute. Did you hear it?”

“Yes.” Tom grumbled, not paying his little brother any attention.

“And you see when she called me sweetheart?” Paddy continued.

“Yes.” Tom said in the same tone.

“And how she said she was begging to meet me?” Paddy reminisced.

“Yes.” Tom said, a little louder.

“How hard did she beg? Did she want to meet all of us or just me? What did she say?” Paddy was begging to get on Toms nerves.

“Don’t get too excited.” Tom shot his brother down. “She wanted to meet everyone.”

“Did you hear that mum? She wanted to meet me.” Paddy exclaimed.

“That’s not what I said.” Tom grouched. He knew Paddy would react this way.

“Well, I think you did the right thing, baby.” Nikki smiled as she rubbed her thumb on Toms cheek. “I’m glad she finally met your brothers and got along with them so well.”

“If she got along with Harry, then she’s a keeper.” Dom remarked, glancing up from his newspaper.

“Why don’t you invite her over for dinner tomorrow?” Nikki suggested. “It can be our first meal as a family.”

“We’re not married, mum.” Tom laughed. “Not yet, anyway.”

“You guys won’t get married.” Paddy said, climbing off the couch and taking his seat at the table.

“Yeah, buddy, we will.” Tom told his little brother in the calmest way possible. “We’ve talked about getting married. I’ve even looked at rings. I’m just waiting for the right time to get one.”

“There’s no way you’re gonna marry Y/n. She’s-shes too good for you.” Paddy was getting visible upset. “She’s perfect. She can’t marry you.”

“Paddy, yes she can.” Tom said sternly, annoyed with his brothers reaction. “She loves me.”

“Boys.” Nikki interrupted. “I won’t have anymore fighting over this girl. Tom, don’t antagonize your brother. Paddy, Y/n is Toms girlfriend. I know she’s your favorite actress, but you have to respect them.”

“Whatever.” Paddy grumbled, having no intention of listening to his mother. “When can we see her next?”

Tom was about to respond with “never” when Nikki’s phone buzzed.

“I just texted her. She’ll be eating with us tomorrow.” Nikki informed the family. “Should I bake a cake? Does she like cake?”

“Can I sit next to her when she gets here?” Paddy asked.

“Only if you promise not to drool on her all night.” Harry teased.

“She’s my girlfriend. She’s sitting next to me.” Tom said firmly, attempting to set a boundary.

“Maybe I should make cupcakes instead.” Nikki whispered to herself.

“She can sit in the middle of us.” Paddy bartered. “Please? She’s my favorite person in the world, Tom.”

“Fine.” Tom gave in. “But don’t be weird.”

The dinner went perfectly, much to Toms surprise. It wasn’t until desert when the trouble began.

CONTINUED

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[tillidontneedfantasy]

A Track-by-Track Breakdown of Taylor Swift’s 8th Studio Album: ‘folklore’

Taylor Swift’s 8th studio album, folklore, starts off with the lie, “I’m on some new shit.” Perhaps to someone who hasn’t been paying attention this would seem to be true. But to those listening, folklore is the essence of her skill and success throughout her entire career stripped down for all to see, but more refined, enhanced, and impressive than ever.

Even prior to her pop-world domination with 1989 (2014), Taylor’s storytelling ability has always been her most compelling strength as a writer. In 2010, she released her third album, Speak Now, penned fully solo to prove to the cynics that she does, in fact, write her own music. And it’s damn good. Widely considered her best song, “All Too Well” from Red (2012) is a five and a half minute epic about love had and lost, all in walks through autumn trees, almost running red lights, dancing round the kitchen, and a scarf reminiscent of innocence, unreturned.  

Yet her pop prowess over the last six years perhaps leads to her storytelling being overlooked to those more focused on the music. There is a particular genius in writing a successful pop song, let alone three successful pop albums, that still has hard-hitting lyrics underneath the synth. Take the excellent “Cruel Summer” from Lover (2019) for example. The song is just under 3 minutes, and the production is so enthralling and infectious that it can take such a hold on you, you might miss the tale being told along with it about a fraught summer relationship that was actually just the beginning of her own love story.

But without the pop production, her stories on folklore demand attention. Swept up by a strong wave of creativity and inspiration, Swift secretly wrote and produced this album in around three months with Aaron Dessner of The National, one of Swift’s favorite bands, and long-time collaborator and friend Jack Antonoff. A surprise album is a new endeavor for Swift, as she generally spends months meticulously planning an album rollout. It is refreshing, and as a dedicated, long-time fan of Taylor, it is thrilling. Due to the album cover where she is standing in the woods, and the genre of the album itself, there have been think pieces regarding the “man in the woods” trope and what it means that Taylor seems to be embodying it. As a result of over-exposure, people are unable to stop focusing on her image and the way she presents herself. It’s understandable, as she is a very smart and deliberate businesswoman, and clearly cares about how she is perceived. But with this album, it is clear that none of that was at play. We are in the middle of a pandemic. Her mother has been battling cancer for years. Isolate a creative person in a dangerous world and they will dream up an escape. She understands more than ever how precious each moment is, and does not want to waste another one. The woods being the landscape for the photo-shoot is most likely attributed to the fact that it is the safest place to have one under these circumstances. She’s not pretending she removed herself from society and became enlightened, she didn’t dabble into a more alternative sound to prove anything; she is just sharing stories she wants to tell that she is proud of, and nothing more.

Of course the music of the album is important, but the lyrics are the heart of it all, and I wanted to focus on them. Upon its release, Taylor explained in a foreword that the album was a mixture of personal and fictional accounts. The beauty of stories is that once they are shared, they never live one single life; each person who consumes a story interprets it uniquely, and the story becomes a multiverse, with different meanings and outcomes than what initially drove the pen to the paper. As explained by Swift in a YouTube comment prior to the album’s release, three songs on the album are all one story, which she has dubbed “the teenage love triangle.” The three points of the triangle are “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” But if someone had not seen her say that, they might not have figured it out. Maybe they’d interpret each song as their own story, and connect it to their own. Taylor knows this. It is why she loves storytelling and is why she is so good at it. The album itself is a mirror ball, shimmering with every version of the stories being told, reflecting a bit of each person who listens. These are my interpretations, but they can mean whatever you make of them. 

1. the 1 The melody of this song helps set the scene; picture yourself skipping rocks on a lake, reminiscing on the one that got away. “the 1” is about learning to assimilate into a life without them, resentfully accepting that they might be moving on, too. She ruminates on what went wrong and what could have been. In a very Swift fashion, she puts the blame on herself when she sings, “in my defense, I have none / for digging up the grave another time.” Perhaps this song is fictional, perhaps it’s a revisit of a past feeling or relationship, but its relatability makes it feel real and present. She searches for explanations, restraining herself from asking, “if one thing had been different, would everything be different today?” But it’s good she didn’t ask, because she’d never find the answer, anyway. Best lyric: “We never painted by the numbers, baby, but we were making it count / You know the greatest loves of all time are over now.”

2. cardigan (teenage love triangle, part 1: betty’s perspective) “When you are young they assume you know nothing,” Swift sings in her smooth low-register on this Lana del Rey-esque single. “But I knew everything when I was young,” she asserts. They say wisdom comes with age, but there is wisdom lost, too, of what it felt like to be young; but she has held onto it. In this track, the narrator (Betty) is looking back on her relationship with someone she once loved (James, as name-dropped in “betty” later on in the album). Her insight on his character was always spot on; she knew he’d try to kiss it better, change the ending, miss her once the thrill expired and come back, begging for her forgiveness in her front porch light. As soon as she was feeling forgotten, he made her feel wanted, his favorite. The ending in question is unclear, whether she granted him her forgiveness or not. But what is clear is Taylor’s understanding of the pull of young love, the intensity, the immortalization of all the smallest of details, the longing to be someone’s favorite. It’s why we look back on it so often, read stories and watch films about it, even as we grow old. It’s the cardigan we put back on when we want to be Peter Pan and remember what it was like to fly with Wendy. Best lyric: “You drew stars around my scars / but now I’m bleeding.”

3. the last great american dynasty The story of Rebekah Harkness and her destruction of the last great American dynasty, Standard Oil, is documented in this track, as each verse covers a different part of Rebekah’s life, going from a middle class divorcee to one of the wealthiest women in America by marrying into an empire. Swift paints Rebekah as an outcast, the Rhode Island town blaming her for her husband’s heart giving out. Rebekah used her inherited fortune on her ballet company, throwing lavish parties with her friends who went by the “Bitch Pack,” playing cards with Dali (Yes, as in Salvador Dali. It’s not clear if they actually played cards together, but her ashes were placed in an urn designed by him), and feuding with her neighbors. Then, fifty years later, Taylor Swift bought that very house and ruined the neighborhood all over again, bringing with her the triumphant return of champagne pool parties and women with madness, their men and bad habits. It’s a note on how women will be blamed for tarnishing what is sacred to men rather than celebrated, specifically when its related to wealth and power. They will call them mad, shameless, loud. But just like Rebekah, Taylor learned to pay them no mind, and just have a marvelous time. It is also interesting to note that Rebekah went by Betty. Perhaps Taylor felt inspired by and connected to her and gave her a whole backstory, and thus the birth of “the teenage love triangle,” or maybe it’s just a coincidence; but that’s the fun of it all. Either way, this track is a standout showcase of how Swift has truly mastered her craft as a songwriter. Best lyric: “Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / and then it was bought by me.”

4. exile ft. Bon Iver You know that feeling when your parents are fighting and it’s upsetting you but you can’t help but listen? That’s kind of what listening to this song feels like. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon co-wrote the track, and he lends his gorgeous vocals to play a man who has been exiled by his ex who has moved on with someone else while he desperately tries to understand where it all went wrong. The bridge is particularly poignant, both proclaiming, “you didn’t even hear me out,” while talking over each other. He thinks he was expected to read her mind, but she is adamant that she gave him plenty of warning signs. Miscommunication is one of the most common downfalls of a relationship, and the emotion in Swift’s and Vernon’s voices really draws you into the argument with them, transporting you back into your own exile from people you once called home. Best lyric: “I couldn’t turn things around / (You never turned things around) / ‘cause you never gave a warning sign / (I gave so many signs.)”

5. my tears ricochet Taylor describes this song in the foreword as “an embittered tormentor showing up to the funeral of his fallen object of obsession.” If you know enough, you can put the pieces together that the tormentor is Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Records, and the funeral is of their professional and personal relationship. Taylor was the first artist ever signed to Big Machine. Borchetta and Swift had to trust each other in their partnership for it to be a success, and oh, how it was. But prior to Lover’s release, Taylor announced that she would be signing to Republic Records as her contract with Big Machine had ended and Republic offered her the opportunity to own all of her masters moving forward and negotiate on Spotify shares for all their artists. It all could have ended amicably there, but then Scott Borchetta sold all of Big Machine, along with Taylor’s masters from every album prior, to Scooter Braun. Braun manages some of the biggest stars out there, and had previously managed Kanye West. Taylor publicly spoke out about this purchase, stating that she was not made aware of this before the announcement, and how much of a betrayal it was considering she had cried to Scott before about Scooter’s mistreatment of her. Taylor has continued to be vocal about this, and so she sings, “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace.” There is a lot to unpack in this song, but the main takeaway is that this betrayal hurts him just as much if not more than it hurts her, because his career was built on her achievements. He buried her while decorated in her success, becoming what he swore he wouldn’t, erasing the good times for greed, all just to be haunted with regret for pushing her out and stealing her lullabies. The pain is palpable, and it is notable that this is song is placed at track 5, the spot generally reserved for the most vulnerable on the album; it shows that there are different types of heartbreak that can shatter you just as much as those from romance. Best lyric: “If I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake? / Cursing my name, wishing I stayed.”

6. mirrorball On Lover’s “The Archer,” Taylor expresses her anxiety over people seeing through her act, her own grief at seeing through it herself, wondering if her lover does and whether he would stay with her regardless. “mirrorball” is about the act, one of the more obviously confessional songs on the album. She talks about how a mirror ball can illuminate all the different versions of a person, while also reflecting the light to fit in with the scene. Taylor’s critical self-awareness is heart wrenching, and it’s clear that the anxiety that surrounds the public perception of her is still prevalent. She describes herself as a member of a circus, still on the tightrope and the trapeze even after everyone else has packed up and left, doing anything she can to keep the public’s attention. It hurts to hear the desperation in her voice, but there’s hope in the song, too. She is speaking to someone (we can assume her long-term boyfriend, Joe Alwyn) and thanking them for not being like “the regulars, the masquerade revelers drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten.” In 2016, the height of Taylor’s fame and subsequently her farthest fall from grace, all the people who pretended to be her friends and attended all her parties celebrated her (temporary) demise, continuing to dance over her broken pieces on the floor. But he stayed by her side as she put herself back together. And so now, when no one is around, she’ll shine just for him, standing even taller than she does for the circus. Best lyric: “I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why / I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try / I’m still on that trapeze, I’m still trying everything / to keep you looking at me.”

7. seven Her voice gentle and haunting, Taylor recalls the freedom and innocence of her childhood in Pennsylvania. She asks to be remembered for how she was, swinging over the creek, before she learned civility when she would scream anytime she wanted, then letting out a very pretty one. She sings to her old friend soothingly about taking them away from their haunted house that their father is always shouting in, where they feel the need to hide in a closet, perhaps literally, or figuratively, or both. They can move into Taylor’s house instead, or maybe just to India, just be sure to pack their dolls and a sweater and then they’ll hit the road. She can no longer recall her friend’s face, but the love she had for them still lives in her heart, and she wants it to live forever through story. Just in the way that folklore itself blends reality and fiction, but the truth within it passes on, so will the purity of that love and friendship. Best lyric: “Please picture me in the weeds / before I learned civility / I used to scream ferociously / any time I wanted.”

8. august (teenage love triangle, part 2: the other girl’s perspective) If you had to assign the feeling of longing to a song, it’d be “august.” It’s when you’re teetering at the edge with someone, unsure of where you stand with them, clinging to anything they give you and doing anything just to raise your chances, “living for the hope of it all.” August, the last month of summer, its heat causing it to slip away the fastest in a haze before reality hits. This track is a display of how sometimes losing something you never had causes an even deeper ache than losing something that was yours, and Jack Antonoff’s signature production intensifies the emotion even more. It’s the story of shattered hope, and the longing for the days where it could still fuel you. Best lyric: “To live for the hope of it all / cancel plans just in case you’d call.”

9. this is me trying “this is me trying” is like a drive through a tunnel at night, hearing your loudest anxieties and insecurities echo all around you, caving in. The track is another apt insight into Swift’s struggles with her self-image, with the pressure she puts on herself, so much so that she sometimes pushes herself too close to the edge, her fears luring her out of the tunnel and down, down, down into her own cage, stunting her own growth and keeping those who care out of reach. She tells us how she was “so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere.” Every action has an equal, opposite reaction, meaning that she was pushing herself so hard, she rolled back to where she started, and now has to reset. This could be referring to the period between the end of the 1989 era and the release of reputation (2017), or a different time in her life, or just a general sentiment. It doesn’t really matter, though, because no one’s growth is a neat, straight line; growth is jagged. Just like any of us, Taylor will always have to face new obstacles, new pitfalls, new reasons to get back up. She sounds most vulnerable as she cries, “at least I’m trying,” and you feel comforted knowing someone so beautiful and successful has to push herself to try, too, and yet that motivates you more to try yourself. Best lyric: “They told me all of my cages were mental / so I got wasted, like all my potential.”

10. illicit affairs A quiet, slow-build testament of the passion, the tragedy, the secrecy, the inimitability of a romance that shouldn’t exist, “illicit affairs” demonstrates how you can ruin yourself for someone from just one moment of possibility or truth, quite like the narrator of “august” does for the hope of it all. An illicit affair can be many different things: infidelity, forbidden love, a love that can never be fully realized, a relationship that is inherently wrong but electrifying all the same. It’s a reminder of what so many of us would do just to see new colors, to learn a new language, even if the one moment of enlightenment destroys us forever. We might lose the iridescent glow but we don’t forget it; we carry it with us, but must be careful to remember its blinding effect, to remember how fatal the fall is from the dwindling, mercurial high. Best lyric: “Tell your friends you’re out for a run / you’ll be flushed when you return.”

11. invisible string Clearly the most outright autobiographical track, “invisible string” is the plucky pick-me-up needed. The song is like sunshine, as Swift endearingly links all the little connections between her and her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, since before they even met. She compares the green grass at the Nashville park she’d sit at in hopes of a meet-cute to the teal of his yogurt shop uniform shirt, and gives a nod to her smash hit “Bad Blood” from 1989 with the delightful line “bad was the blood of the song in the cab on your first trip to LA.” She reasons these coincidences as a fateful, invisible, golden string tying them together since the beginning, always destined to meet at the knot in the middle. She thanks time for healing her, (a callback to “Fifteen” from Fearless [2008]), fighting through hell to make it to heaven, transforming her from an axe grinder to a gift giver for her ex’s baby (the ex in question, Joe Jonas, and his wife Sophie Turner, happened to have their first daughter two days before this album’s release). As she has on her previous two albums, she uses the color gold to illustrate how prized their love is to one another. It’s sweet to know in all the gloom that the string has not been severed, and the trees are still golden somewhere. Best lyric: “Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart / now I send their babies presents.”

12. mad woman Throughout her entire career, Taylor Swift has defiantly defended female rage, all the way back from throwing a chair off a platform on her Fearless Tour during the impassioned “Forever & Always,” to her patient, vengeful reliance on karma in reputation’s lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” to her most recent tackling of the matter on Lover’s last and final single, “The Man,” where she explores society’s acceptance and encouragement of angry men yet disdain for angry women. “The Man” is catchy and upbeat, and a fun thought experiment into how Swift’s career would be perceived if she was a man, something that is even more interesting to think about now as she releases an album in a genre heavily dominated and lauded by males. But on “mad woman,” she further explores the creation and perception of female rage, though masked under a smooth, haunting piano melody, her vocals subdued, taunting. In the album foreword, she describes the inspiration behind this song as “a misfit widow getting gleeful revenge on the town that cast her out.” This could be the continuation of Rebekah “Betty” Harkness’s story at her Holiday House in Watch Hill, RI, and how she further alienated herself from the rest of the neighborhood as they cast stones at her for the collapse of the last great American dynasty. (Or perhaps Daenerys Targaryen’s descent as the Mad Queen played a part in the song’s inspiration, as Swift has spoken of her love for Game of Thrones and her character specifically.) Taylor herself could also represent the widow, her music and masters as her love lost, and the men behind the crime as the “town that cast her out.” In the first verse she sings, “What do you sing on your drive home? / Do you see my face in the neighbor’s lawn? / Does she smile, or does she mouth ‘fuck you forever’?” It’s the first f-bomb of Taylor’s career (though a much more playful one will come two tracks later in “betty”) and it speaks volume. Taylor has received a lot of condemnation for expressing her anger at their transaction, for calling out their greed for what it is. Some view Swift’s stance on the ordeal as petty and trivial; they see the men as orchestrating a good business deal, and Swift as the girl throwing a tantrum. Ask any woman, and they can tell you about a time a man told them they were crazy for being justifiably angry; it only makes us angrier. “No one likes a mad woman,” Taylor states, “You made her like that.” Swift underscores that here, how they will poke and poke the bear but then blame it for attacking, as if they had never provoked it at all, and how dare it defend itself. Just as they blamed Rebekah for her husband’s heart giving out, they somehow manage to blame Swift for not being allowed to purchase the rights to her own work. And yes, she’s mad, but the song is measured and controlled; she’s used to her anger now, and knows just how to wield it. Best lyric: “Women like hunting witches, too / doing your dirtiest work for you / It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.”

13. epiphany This is another track Swift provided some background on, stating it was inspired by her “grandfather, Dean, landing at Guadalcanal in 1942” during WWII. The first verse paints this image, while the second verse depicts a different kind of war, happening right now, fought by doctors and nurses. She speaks of holding hands through plastic, and the escape folklore has granted you suddenly lifts. Watching someone’s daughter, or mother, or anyone suffer at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic, just as watching a soldier bleed out, helpless, is too much to speak about. As she points out, they don’t teach you about that vicarious trauma in med school. We are living in a tireless world with barely any time time to rest our eyes, but too much going on while we’re awake to make sense of any of it. “epiphany” is a cinematic prayer, pleading for some quiet in order to find an answer in all the noise. We’re still waiting for that glimpse of relief. Best lyric: “Only twenty minutes to sleep / but you dream of some epiphany / Just one single glimpse of relief / to make some sense of what you’ve seen.”

14. betty (teenage love triangle, part 3: james’s perspective) It makes sense that a song reminiscent of Fearless would exemplify some of the best story-telling on folklore. The final puzzle piece of the teen love triangle, “betty” is a song sung by Swift from the perspective of the character of her own creation, James, attempting to win back his true love, Betty, who he slighted in some way. He proclaims that the worst thing he ever did is what he did to her, without explicitly stating it. Though the infamous deed is unclear, here’s the information we collect from this song: James saw Betty dancing with another boy at a school dance, one day when he was walking home another girl (from “august”) picked him up and he ended up spending his summer with her yet still loved Betty, and though he ended things with his fling and wanted to reconcile with Betty, he had returned to school to see she switched her homeroom (James assumes, after saying he won’t make assumptions. Classic men). So in order to make it up to her, he shows up at her party with the risk of being told to go fuck himself (the second and charming “fuck” on the album! Which is repeated!). Upon his arrival, there is a glorious key change (ala “Love Story”) and all the pieces fall into place for the listener; we realize Betty is the girl singing in “cardigan” as he lists the things he misses about her since the thrill expired, like the way she looks standing in her cardigan, and kissing in his car. He’s 17 and doesn’t know anything, but she knew everything when she was young, and she knew he’d come back. The way I see their story conclude is that she led him to the garden and trusted him, but as they grew older they grew apart, but the love she had for him never faded completely. Listening to this song is like being back in high school, whether you were the person who did someone wrong or the person so willing to forgive in the name of young love, or Inez, the school gossip, you’re right there with them. The other great thing about this song is that it is sung to a girl, and though it is set up so we understand it is most likely from a boy’s perspective, it doesn’t have to be. It’s really great that girls in the LGBTQ community can have a song in Taylor’s voice to fully connect to without changing the pronouns or names (even James, which is unisex and is one of the names of the daughters of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Taylor’s close friends, mentioned in this song). That is the beauty of folklore: the infinite ways a story can be told, perceived, retold from a different perspective, and told again. Maybe you’ll hear it from Inez. Best lyric: “But if I just showed up at your party / would you have me? Would you want me? / Would you tell me to go fuck myself, or lead me to the garden?”

15. peace One of the most beautifully solemn songs of her career, “peace” echoes the same fears explored in “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” from reputation; will the person she loves be able to weather the ever-present storm that comes with the life of a superstar, but also dwells within herself? Will holding him as the water rushes in be enough? Will giving him her wild, a child, her sunshine, her best, be a fair consolation? Presumably another confessional track and about Alwyn, Swift puts him up on a pedestal, praising his integrity and his dare to dream. She proclaims that she would die for him in secret, just as she told him she’d be on her tallest tip toes, spinning in her highest heels, shining just for him in “mirrorball.” She highlights some of the greatest gifts of love, such as comfortable silence and chosen family. She knows what they have is special, but she also knows the value of peace, the ultimate nirvana, and does not want to deprive him of that. It is so deeply relatable- to me, at least- to feel like you can give someone so much of yourself but know it still may never be enough, and to fear either losing them or robbing them of something better. But looking at what they have together, maybe peace is overrated. Or maybe, she’s looking for peace in the wrong places. The calm is in the eye of the storm, and sometimes, there’s nothing more freeing than throwing away the umbrella and soaking in the rain. Best lyric: “I never had the courage of my convictions / as long as danger is near / and it’s just around the corner, darling / ‘cause it lives in me / no, I could never give you peace.”

16. hoax The truest enigma of the album, the closer, “hoax” is a devastatingly dark ballad about the uncertainty, or perhaps incredulity, of someone’s love for you, a love that is your lifeline. The lyrics are ambiguous, which gives way to a plethora of interpretations. Perhaps she is speaking about a hypothetical situation that has yet to happen (and hopefully doesn’t) in which someone she loves and trusts betrays her. Maybe she is talking about a relationship, real (hopefully not) or fictional, in which despite the torment it brings her she holds onto it for dear life. I’m most inclined to believe that the song represents her difficulty in accepting that someone is willing to love her through such dark periods, that their love must actually be a hoax, but she chooses to believe in it anyway and uses it as the motivation to rebuild her kingdom, to rise from the ashes on her barren land. And even through the downs that come at some point in every relationship, she can still see the beauty in it all. Yes, their love is golden, but waves of blue will crash down around any partnership, because life does not exist without them. So even when things are as blue as can be, she’s at least grateful it’s with him. Best lyric: “Don’t want no other shade of blue but you / no other sadness in the world would do.”

Although we still have yet to hear the deluxe track, “the lakes,” as a fan of Taylor for almost 12 years, it feels so obvious that this is her strongest work yet. The storytelling I fell in love with on Fearless as a teenager (which, much like folklore, was highly inspired by imaginary situations and real emotions) is even sharper now as we have both grown into adults. The music on this album might not be everyone’s speed, and that’s okay. But it allowed Taylor to dip back into what made Fearless such a success: using pieces of her own truth and the whims of her imagination to develop a multi-faceted narrative that becomes universal. During her Tiny Desk concert, before performing “Death By A Thousand Cuts” from Lover, Swift explained the anxiety she felt around the possibility of stunted creativity when people would ask her what she would write about once she was happy. Taylor has released an abundance of beautiful, fun, complex love songs since the start of her relationship almost four years ago now. But “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” which is a fan favorite, helped her prove to herself that she can still write a killer breakup song while being in a happy, fulfilling relationship; the song was the last track written for Lover and was inspired by the film Something Great on Netflix. And so it makes perfect sense that Taylor used folklore to continue exploring this new avenue for songwriting. All of her discography and all of her life experiences have culminated to the folklore moment: as all the best artists do, she will never stop finding inspiration in hidden corners of this dark, mystical, wondrous universe, and falling in love with new ways to share those wonders. And that love will be passed on.

DISCLAIMER - REVIEWER’S BIAS: I love Taylor Swift more than any person in my life, yes including my parents, they are aware and have accepted this fact long ago ❤️

[wendymarvellirl]

more people should make fairy tail ocs and we should all have a big community where we just gather around and talk about our fairy tail ocs and i really really love fairy tail ocs please please please talk to me about your fairy tail ocs

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

Tag Post

Movie/Bias Tag Game

Tagged by: @morningsunandnightsky

Rules: You're starring in a movie with the last person saved on your camera roll and the last song you listened to is the title. who and what is it?

BROOOOOO WAIT IMA WRITE THIS DOWN CUZ EVEN IF IT WASN'T JOHNNY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA FOR A 20K+ FIC-

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this!

Bias Type Tag

Tagged By: Same as Above

Rules: List nine of your biases and let your followers/moots decide if you have a type.

I can't fit the pictures for some reason lmao so I'll just list them out:

Kun (WayV)

Seonghwa (ATEEZ)

Namjoon (BTS)

Soobin (TXT)

Jaemin (NCT Dream)

Jaehyun (NCT 127)

Suho (EXO)

Ryujin (ITZY)

Somi (Soloist)

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this

Bias Height Compared to Mine Tag

I'm actually a little scared to try this one cuz I never really thought of it lmfaooo

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHA THEY COULD ALL DROP KICK ME- and i'd say thank you

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this

Get To Know Me Tag

Tagged by: Same as above!

Favourite colours: Burgundy, Dark Colors

Currently reading: Webtoons lmfao (rereading No Scope and Trying to get caught up on Cursed Princess Club)

Last song: "0X1=LOVESONG" by Tomorrow x Together

Last series: Doctor Who (I had to feel something again)

Last movie: "Eternals" (IT WAS A GREAT MOVIE)

Favourite musical artist: NCT (Specifically WayV)

Sweet, savory, or spicy: I'm personally a spicy person but I thoroughly enjoy savory as much, not too much of a sweet tooth though

Craving: Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets 😔

Currently working on: What am I not working on? Infatuation, Without a Trace, [Redacted] 20K+ fic, TSTL rewrite, etc...

Top 3 biases: Kun, Seonghwa, Soobin

Top 3 bias wreckers: Yangyang, San, Yeonjun

Most used phrase: "That's bullshit" and "Fucking hell" (send help)

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this!

Get To Know Me Tag Ver. 2

Tagged by: @i-just-like-goats

Rules: Answer questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better!

Name/Nickname: Crys

Gender: F

Star Sign: Scorpio

Height: 4'11 (151 cm)

Time Currently: 4:48 PM

When is your birthday: October

Favorite Bands/groups: NCT/WayV

Favorite Solo Artist(s): Somi

Song Stuck In Your Head: What You Waiting For (Somi)

Last Movie You Watched: Eternals

Last Show You Binged: What If...? Because I got behind LMFAOOO

When You Created Your (Main-)Blog: Last year around April I believe

Last Thing You Googled: "Na Jaemin Height" LMFAOOOOO

Do You Get Asks: Yes keep them coming I love all of you

Why I Chose My URL: Cause I'm a multi-fan hehe

How Many People Are You Following: Around 68

How Many Followers Do You Have: 600+

Average Hours of Sleep: 6 on a good night

Lucky Numbers: 4

Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, Otamatone, and a little bit of flute

What I’m Currently Wearing: A shirt that says Ah! The element of surprise in Periodic Table format

Dream Job: Pediatric Surgery!!!!

Dream Trip: Far away from here

Favorite Food: If you're familiar with filipino food Nilaga!

Favorite Song: At the moment it would be Favorite (Vampire).

Top Three Fictional Universes You’d Like To Live In: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pokémon, Harry Potter

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this!

[hermionegranger56]

ok lads its time for my breakdown of folklore, something absolutely no one is asking for but here we are!! this album. thIs ALBUMMMM. dear GOD. the intersection of my two favorite things, taylor swift and indie folk???? i feel like i’m dreaming. when she announced the surprise drop i literally burst into tears and evidently for good reason lol.

anywho here’s the thing. Red has been my all time favorite album for 8 years now. it holds such an important place in my life and i never thought anything she did could come close (though Lover almost did). but this. THIS IS BETTER THAN RED

the lyrical genius is unmatched here. taylor isn’t just writing songs here, this is POETRY. every song is nuanced, intricate, devastatingly beautiful, with words that’ll haunt me for a long time. and the fact that it’s stories, literal folklore, no longer just about her own life is incredibly creative and is executed so well for someone who has interwoven her life into her entire body of music thus far. folklore blends facts with fiction so seamlessly and is a true exhibition of taylor’s power as a songwriter.

and the vibessss!! from haunting heartbreak songs, to ethereal lost-in-the-woods vibes, to a comforting return to her old self, this album has everything. taylor is without a doubt one of the most versatile artists of our generation, having success and skill in multiple genres and folklore only solidifies this fact.

ALL RIGHT KIDS LETS JUMP IN

the 1: hell yeah explicit tswift give it to me lol you ARE on some new shit!! ok when i first listened to this i hadn’t read her statement about the other perspectives and i was about to RIOT about her and joe breaking up (like they could ever lol). this is such a catchy beat, such a casual?? look at such a painful feeling? a really good start to this album. the part where she goes another day waking up aLONE killlllllls me wow

fave lines: “in my defense i have none/for never leaving well enough alone”

cardigan: (don’t get me started on the mv it’s gorgeous) YES THE TEENAGE LOVE TRIANGLE suchhh a good concept!! the melody of this song is unreal, the chorus makes me want to scream it’s so beautiful, the i-i-i is SOMETHING ELSE. it’s crazy how just the melody makes betty’s pain so palpable, but so enchanting at the same time. it’s bittersweet and cinematic and i’m in love. PETER LOSING WENDY GOD. easily top 5 song here

fave lines: “when you are young they assume you know nothing”, “cause i knew you/ heartbeat on the high line/ once in 20 lifetimes i” “you drew stars around my scars/but now i’m bleeding”

the last great american dynasty: watch hill!!! her watch hill house!! i live near there!! oh i think this song is so clever and i love how it ties into mad woman as well as harkens back to starlight. i LOVE the way she ties her self in, “and then it was bought by me” like ughhh her mind? and its catchy AF

fave lines: “i had a marvelous time ruining everything”

exile: YOU KNOW HOW TO DO AN INDIE ALBUM??? BRING BON IVER INTO THIS SHIT!! wowww this song is haunting and is definitely the “i’m you but stronger” version of The Last Time. the overlap of both of them singing and their parallel lines are flawless. i could play this on repeat for hours and contemplate my whole existence

fave lines: “you never gave a warning sign/i gave so many signs”

my tears ricochet: ok somehow a track 5 with tears in the title is not the saddest song here but DAMN is it good. I love the visual of someone watching over their funeral and reacting. the music is stunningggg here. ALSO i am pretty convinced this is about the whole scott/scooter drama, like the lyrics fit so well? and she said it was the first song she wrote so the timeline kinda fits?? geniusss

fave lines: “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”, “and if i’m dead to you/why are you at the wake?”

mirrorball: ohhhh this one is so pretty!! it just makes me want to dance around the kitchen with the person i love??? its comforting, ethereal, happyyy ugh i love it. I also think it could be about her relationship with her fans? like her music shows us different sides of ourselves idk? or just absorbing into a relationship?

fave lines: “on my tallest tiptoes/shining just for you”

seven: i’m gonna call this now: this is going to be the most underrated song on this album. it is STUNNING. POETIC. HEARTBREAKING. the music is so hauntingly nostalgic. and the lyrics, holy absolute shit. they’re a delicate testament to childhood, memory, and innocent love. it’s gut wrenching and i love it so so much

fave lines: “i’ve been meaning to tell you/i think your house is haunted/your dad is always mad/and that must be why”, “and just like folk song/our love will be passed on”, “before i learned civility/ i used to scream ferociously” ALL OF IT

august: and now we get the girl james cheated with’s perspective, which i think is great. its sunny, wistful and sad underneath all that beautiful production. when she slides from the chorus to the “back when we we’re changing for the better” and hits that “mineeee to lose” GOD, it just fills your chest. i feel like even if you never have, this makes anyone feel like they know exactly what a summer fling feels like. one of my faves

fave lines: “august slipped away/like a bottle of wine”, “cancel my plans just in case you call/ and say meet me behind the mall”

this is me trying: the slow pacing of this melody serves to show these EXQUISITE lyrics here. this is so intimate and personal and i feel like everyone can relate to this feeling of just trying to hold on and put on a brave face?

fave lines: “they told me all of my cages were mental/ so i got wasted like all my potential”

illicit affairs: ok all you need to know about this one is a) I’m obsessed b) this is the closest she has come to creating a bridge that makes me feel like the All Too Well bridge has, like scream sobbing in the car type vibe??? its unreal. and this song makes me feel that shitty feeling of: “this was supposed to be casual but oops its very much not” hmmm maybe that’s where the scream sobbing comes from hahah

fave lines: “don’t call me kid/don’t call me baby/look at this godforsaken mess that you made me/you showed me colors you know i can’t see with anyone else”

invisible string: this. THIS is probably her most stunning love song. like. i thought it was Lover. i was wrong. this one is confidently from Taylor’s perspective, about Joe and dear lord i want a love like theirs. and shit does this song put the folk in folklore, the music is so simple and gorgeous and harkens back to her country roots without losing this new sound she has. and the first few notes remind me of Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens so instantly im sold. this and betty are tied for my number 1, it’s just too beautiful

fave lines: “time curious time/give me no compasses/give me no signs” “isn’t it just so pretty to think/all along there was some invisible string/tying you to me”, “cold was steel of the axe that i had to grind/for the boys who broke my heart/now i buy their babies presents”, “hell was the journey/but it brought me heaven”

mad woman: FUCK YOU FOREVERRRRRR!!! yes taylor said fuckkkk ugh i LOVE this vibe, the revenge of the mad woman that the town cast out is so eerie and powerful, i’m obsessed. it ties back into the maddest woman of TLGAD and it feels like a spiritual sequel to The Man, the same feminist thread weaving through it. the lyrics are razor sharp and biting, i love it

fave lines: “and you poke that bear/till the claws come out/ and you find something/ to wrap your noose around”, “it’s obvious wanting me dead has really brought you two together”

epiphany: so uhhh THIS is the saddest song on folklore. fight me. the seamless comparison between wartime and the pandemic and waiting for some epiphany that could make sense of all the horrors surrounding the both. idk man, as someone who’s been a covid nurse since March, i just….this one HURTS. similar to Soon You’ll Get Better tbh

fave lines: “hold your hand through plastic now/doc i think she’s crashing out/and somethings you just can’t speak about”

betty: OH I LOVE IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART! this is such a TRIUMPHANT return to old taylor, it is so joyful but sad at the same time?? the harmonica?? the last part of the love triangle?? it sounds like Taylor Swift and Fearless all grown up and it makes me ache for back then, but love where we are right now. tbh the first time i heard this i sobbed through the whole thing just out of pure nostalgia. she’s back but at the same time she never left. this feels like a love song to original fans and it. is. incredible. my favoriteeee goddd

fave lines: THE WHOLE CHORUS BABYYYYY

peace: it’s gorgeous, especially the guitarrr ugh. this feels like delicate’s quiet older sister. i think it’s definitely about joe and how taylor, despite loving him, still has these insecurities and fears about what a relationship with someone in her position could be like? like there will be struggles, but he’s her family and she “would die for you in secret”. stunning

fave lines: “i’m a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm”, “the devils in the detail/but you’ve got a friend in me”, “give you my wild/give you a child”

hoax: i’m surprised she ended it on a sad one (but we still have the lakes!!) but this song is hauntingly beautiful WOW. every line of this absolutely floors me. i think this one will also be largely underrated, but it is pure poetry and deserves so so much hype

fave lines: “stood on the cliffside/screaming give me a reason/your faithless love’s the only hoax i believe in”, “it still hurts underneath my scars/from when they pulled me apart/but what you did was just as dark” “my kingdom come undone/ my broken drum/ you have beaten my heart”

ANYWHO TAYLOR HAS PRODUCED HER BEST WORK TO DATE AND IM READY FOR SAD GIRL AUTUMN

[tessatechaitea]

Cerebus #18 (1980)

This is the kind of cover that probably kept me thinking this book was too adult for me and that I should just stick to Groo and Elfquest.

In Dave's Swords of Cerebus essay, he explains how he didn't know what the fuck he was doing when he was writing this story and I'll tell you a secret: it fucking shows. He explains how he wrote one idea but realized that idea wasn't going to work and then wrote some other ideas but they weren't going anywhere and then he went back to the first idea and wrote a small novella which still wasn't going to work so then he tried some other idea but couldn't really get anywhere and pretty soon his week that he plans for writing was over and he just had to start drawing one of the scenes. So he picked one and strung it out and then he needed a new scene and took the Lord Julius epilogue and stick that on page 5 and 6. By that time, he sort of had a new idea with the help of his brother-in-law and even though that new idea was pretty lame, what more could he do?! He doesn't admit that his new story is lame; I think he thinks he really pulled one out at the last minute. But it's really kind of lame. I get it though! He's written seventeen previous stories (plus some Cerebus stories that appeared in other magazines) and they were all pretty good and working toward building a portrait of Estarcion and Cerebus and some kind of weird aardvark mystery. He was due to slip up some time! I'm just glad he was honest about how the writing part when all wrong and since he couldn't fall behind on the art, he had to just kind of start drawing and hope for the best. I suppose in that regard, the comic wasn't so bad. It told a coherent story that moves Cerebus' plans for the invasion of Palnu ahead and Dave even gets some funny jokes in. But as far as the extended story goes, not much happens? Cerebus and the T'gitans took over Fluroc by murdering everybody in it and then needed more money for troops and they got more money for troops by conning a merchant that came to town. That's it! That's the whole story! Did we need this story? Probably not! But did we really need any Cerebus story so far? Almost certainly not (with the exception of all the stories that showcased new characters!). But what I really liked about this comic book was the Aardvark Comments section! Things are really getting good finally! It's not just a few nerdy nerds nerding it up for Dave Sim.

I mean, it is some nerdy nerds nerding it up nerdily!

The first letter is what I'm assuming was the introductory or cover letter from Marvel's Jim Shooter when he sent out contracts to prospective employees.

Is this the worst thing Jim Shooter ever wrote? Sadly, it is not.

If you're one of those people who like to describe 95% of everything as "cringe," you'll love Dave Sim's response:

Remember, this was 1980 and "written blackface as hyperbolic response" was probably just something taught in creative writing classes.

Casually whistling past the terrible method of his response the way you simply steer the conversation away from racist tirades every time your grandfather speaks up at Thanksgiving dinner, this feels like the first time Sim really calls out the two big publishers and how they conduct business. It'll become a hallmark of Dave Sim in his crusade for independent publishers. And this sarcastic and also racist response (I can only whistle nonchalantly for so long!) isn't his only response in this Aardvark Comments. But as his first response, I'll assume it's the most closest to how he truly feels about Marvel and DC. In 1980, he's already calling them out on their practice of stealing their employees' intellectual properties. Okay, "stealing." The contract is to make the "stealing" legal so they don't wind up in constant lawsuits and can continue to offer the artists whose creations make them scads of money little to no future compensation on their efforts. Dave Sim could think of no other attack on Marvel than to pretend he's a caricature of a slave. I'm not in disagreement with Dave here and, believe me, in 1980, I almost certainly wouldn't have thought the mintrelesque response was anything but a clever way of making his point. Although I was also 9 in 1980 so I probably would have had to ask an adult why the fuck Dave was writing like that. But as I said, there's more! The next letter is a bit of a response to Dave's crusade against the Big Two Corporations. And from his peers!

I guessed I missed the comments in Issue #15. I'd better go back and see what the Pinis were talking about.

Here's what Dave said in Issue #15's "Aardvark Comment": "Maybe Marvel can turn its corporate back on you. As they never grow tired of explaining, fan sales make up a very small fraction of their profits. They don't think much of your taste in comics, artists, writers or anything else." It's a little hard to parse this comment being that I don't know what was happening in comic books in 1980 concerning the fans and Marvel but doesn't this sound a lot like the Comicsgate argument of today? That Marvel doesn't give a shit about what its "real fans" want? Anyway, back to the Pini's letter. The Pinis' letter reads like Elfquest trying to talk Cerebus out of gutting a merchant. I suppose when you point out that artists and writers working for Marvel and DC are idiots for not publishing their work as an independent, I can see how they might get upset with you. I'm sure Richard and Wendy had a number of discussions with Marv Wolfman where Marv would say things like "I'm not dumb! You're dumb!" or "I'm not a piece of property! You are!" or "I'll show you who's a slave to the man! I'll kill Cyborg!" After that, the Pinis were probably all, "You know what? Criticizing work-for-hire in the comic book arts just isn't worth all these Marv Wolfman tantrums. Let's just bite our tongues." After a couple of letters from some nerd groupies in which Dave laments the target audience of comic books, he responds more in length to the . . . well, wait. Let's first look at his response about his core audience!

I'm offended! I always fix it immediately when a headlight goes out.

I mean, after seventeen issues, "Aardvark Comment" is finally getting interesting! Okay, so now to Sim's actual response to Wendy and Richard Pini.

Dave Sim being serious. Probably.

I'd like to point out the end of this letter in which Dave states fairly plainly the main theme of criticism behind Eee! Tess Ate Chai Tea for nearly a decade: "I just don't happen to think that the system in operation now is the best thing for this medium and that it is not the most conducive way to get the best from the creative talents that exist. Quite the opposite, it seems to encourage half-assed efforts in order to guarantee that you are not surrendering your rights to something of value. And how many of us, Steve Gerber included, could know in advance that our ducks were of any value?" This was as true in 1980 as it is now. It's just that in 1980, it was much harder and a lot more work to retain the rights to your creations through self-publishing. So most comic book writers and artists were doing their best work at DC and Marvel. What other reasonable choice was there? Dave and Deni have discussed multiple times across the last dozen and a half issues how hard self-publishing has been for them. Now imagine a company like Image exists or a place like Kickstarter. Creators now know to save their best ideas for places that will give them full control and full potential earnings on their creations. DC and Marvel can't help but be full of writers doing half-assed jobs with their half-assed ideas and saving their truly monumental and mind-blowing work for Image or another, now more easily accessible independent publishing venture. This was in 1980 and Dave Sim was seeing creators screwed out of future royalties on ideas that wound up making fortunes for the parent companies. Some people accept this as business as usual and would be able to garner no sympathy for a creator stiffed out of royalties. But those people are unimaginative, pitiable, and sad. Something being legal has never in the history of everything been a convincing argument that that something is ethical, moral, or just fucking compassionate. Hopefully this "Aardvark Comment" begins to stir some serious discussion with Cerebus readers because I'm eager to read a lot more of Dave's thoughts about comic book publishing and fandom. Eventually there won't be a whole lot of separation between the comic book and the letters page. I mean, when the author inserts himself into the story as both some sort of omniscient being and also another fictionalized author, it gets hard to separate what you believe from the ideas expressed within the story. Cerebus #18 Rating: B-. That rating was for the lackluster story! The "Aardvark Comment" page gets an A! Oh, and I forgot to mention "The Single Page!" Imagine my surprise when I turned the page and saw this:

Tim Kreider in 1989! (Remember, this is from the 1989 Bi-weekly reprints of the 1980 Cerebus #18.)

You can just see Tim's eventual style in these early characters. The main male character is basically a baby-faced version and immature style of his eventual renditions of himself.

This is from Tim Kreider's book of essays and cartoons, We Learn Nothing.

I can't recommend Tim Kreider's essays and cartoons highly enough. Read his books, We Learn Nothing and I Wrote This Book Because I Love You and maybe search the Internet for a cache of his old cartooning website. You probably won't be disappointed. I say probably because I've learned that a lot of people on the Internet aren't exactly like me like I expect you all to be. Idiots.

[winterwonderland3]

Favorite Folklore lyrics because the whole reason I became a TSwift fan way back when was because she writes some killer lyrics and I missed that about her older music:

But we were something, don’t you think so/Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool/And if my wishes came true/It would’ve been you

We never painted by the numbers, baby/But we were making it count/You know the greatest loves of all time are over now

We were something, don’t you think so?/Rosé flowing with your chosen family/And it would’ve been sweet/If it could’ve been me....But it would’ve been fun/If you would’ve been the one

When you are young they assume you know nothing

I knew you/Dancing in you Levi’s/Drunk under a streetlight....I knew you/Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy

There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen/She had a marvelous time ruining everything

Holiday House sat quietly on that beach/Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits/And then it was bought by me

You’re not my homeland any more/So what am I defending?

Those eyes add insult to injury

So step right out/There is no amount/Of crying I can do for you

If I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?

You turned into your worst fears/And you’re tossing out blame, drunk on this pain/Crossing out the good years/And you’re cursing my name, wishing I stayed

And when I break it’s in a million pieces

Hush, when no one is around my dear/You’ll find me on my tallest tiptoes/Spinning in my highest heels, love/Shining just for you

Sweet tea in the summer/Cross my heart, won’t tell no other/And though I can’t recall your face/I still got love for you

And I think you should come live with me/And we can be pirates/Then you won’t have to cry

Please picture me in the weeds/Before I learned civility/I used to scream ferociously/Any time I wanted

August slipped away/Like a bottle of wine/Cause you were never mine

They told me my cages were mental/So I got wasted like all my potential....I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere/Fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here

And that’s the thing about illicit affairs/And clandestine meetings and longing stares/It’s born from just one single glance

Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby/Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me/You showed me colors I can’t see with anyone else

And isn’t it just so pretty to think/All along there was some/Invisible string/Tying you to me

Time, mystical time/Cutting me open and healing me fine

One single thread of gold/Tied me to you

Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven/Time, wondrous time

Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy/What about that?....No one likes a mad woman/You made her like that

The master of spin has a couple side flings/Good wives always know/She should be mad, should be scathing like me/But no one likes a mad woman

And some things you just can’t speak about/With you, I serve/With you I fall down

Something med school/Did not cover/Someone’s daughter/Someone’s mother....Only twenty minutes to sleep/But you dream of some epiphany/Just one glimpse of relief/To make sense of what you’ve seen

The worst thing I ever did/Was what I did to you

If you kiss me will it be just like I dreamed it?/Will it patch your broken wings?/I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything/But I know I miss you

Standing in your cardigan/Kissing in my car again/Stopped at a streetlight/You know I miss you

A coming of age has come and gone

You know that I’d swing with you for the fences, sit with you in the trenches

Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other/Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother/Is that enough?

Don’t want no other shade of blue/But you

[remnantoforario]

RWBY V6 Premiere Thoughts

Back from the premiere. Rapid fire thoughts. Spoilers obviously.

About the Theater:

Decent size

A good number of people showed up for this thing

Even saw a couple cosplayers so that was nice. 

Onto the feature:

They are really showing the last three episodes of V5...really didn’t need to be reminded how bad that was.

Note to self: If I ever go to another RWBY premiere, show up one hour LATER so I don’t see crap I’ve already seen multiple times.

I swear the more I look at Cinder the more my blood boils, and not in a good way.

Raven too.

This is the longest hour of my life.

Thank god its finally over. Now we can get to the...what the hell is this?

RT I appreciate you letting the fans look behind the curtain, but I couldn’t care less about the staff right now.

Is this a special feature explaining the growth of CRWBY, or a help wanted ad?

Seriously they’ve at least mentioned three different times about people being promoted and new jobs being made.

They’re talking more about the animation than the storytelling...don’t know if that’s good or bad yet. 

FINALLY!

Starting out with a fight scene, RT? Someone’s ambitious.

I’m sure Weiss puked her guts out after that ride. 

I’m just glad they remembered that trains are a thing instead of trying to walk to Atlas. No I will never get over that!

Hey Ruby’s Semblance, that would have been useful at the end of V5, probably around the time Weiss was impaled, but what do I know?

Also, Ruby is a dick for spreading all those petals around the station. Someone has to clean that up.

I’m surprised Weiss isn’t making more of a fuss about going back to Atlas. The girl had to basically become Solid Snake to leave, now she’s just coming back via train. Talk about anti-climatic.

Speaking of anti-climatic, Adam took off his mask and dropped it in the woods at the end of his character trailer...only to immediately have it back on when V6 started. Way to waste that moment, RT.

I’m going to bring up my point from earlier now that he have a timeline between the end of V5 and start of V6 (two weeks). Why did no one bring a damn jacket for this trek through the snow?!

Honestly I got way more out of Ilia hugging Blake than Blake kissing Sun’s cheek, they didn’t even deem it necessary to zoom in on the latter. For all we know Blake whispered a joke into his ear or something. 

*salutes* Goodbye, Cherami Leigh. You will be sorely missed. 

Hey, Neptune, you’re back. The people in my theater were happy to see you...for some reason. 

The music fading out coupled with Neptune’s reaction illustrates just how unimportant Sun going back to Vacuo is. 

Back to the train!

That Blake/Yang moment was a decent appetizer, but I’m gonna need that yummy tension very soon. 

Guy should have lost that arm tbh.

So Jaune is basically the Wendy Marvell of the group...neat.

Did the relic get smaller or something? Pretty sure it was much bigger than that when Yang had it.

Ruby actually being a main character and team leader was nice. Let’s hope this trend continues.

Yes now that the important people are back together, JNPR can go back to being...whatever they were before V4.

I feel like they should have all died when that trash jumped the rails, but whatever.

This old woman is either going to be really great, or really annoying. Too early to tell.  

All in all it was a solid first episode. I give it a 3.5/5. Hopefully things get better from here. We don’t need another V5.