#//exploring characters; probably my no. 1 favorite thing to do ever :33

[keeps-ache]

shoutout to the wobbliest lines in the world give it up for the wobbliest lines ever !!

[volivolition]

hi, how are your fic wips? ive been. thinking a lot about them lately lmao. if you dont wanna share any info thats fine feel free to delete this ask bdidndhx

HI ANON!! oH WAHH CRIES???? that means a lot, thank you for thinking of my stories omg?? :'] <33 im ALWAYS happy to share info about my fics, don't worry!! in this one, i'll talk about "Let's Make It (a) Home" and "Swept Up"!!

Preface, here's all my fic wips as explained before!! and all my writing can be found in my #inland drabbles tag! ask 1, ask 3!

Let's Make It (a) Home is a fic about the Hanged Man case, from the perspective of the skills learning to work together again and rebuild a home! current word count is 3042 :]

Swept Up in the Feeling is a character study fic from the perspective of Empathy hanging out with the other skills! current word count is 13116!! :D

RIGHT OFF THE BAT HERE'S A SNIPPET FROM MAKE IT HOME!

oN GOD IF I COULD JUST SHARE THIS ENTIRE SNIPPET?? i won't but IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY HJGKJG so like. skill check failures means that skill is unable to fulfill its duty. if this were, say, a hand/eye coordination check fail, he'd probably drop the sword or like. accidentally stab himself hkjgh BUT volition stands for self-restraint, serious business and acting responsibly, so WHEN HE FAILS THE SKILL CHECK…

god. i love volition. i love swords. it's just volition showing off to his heart's content, HE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY MAN HGKJG. writing the description following this was absolutely delightful, i love how poetic it turned out, THIS WHOLE SCENE IS SO DEAR TO ME..

this fic is probably my favorite out of all my fics, tbh? i love the skills man!! the dynamic of like... "i don't remember a lot of you or a lot of myself, and it's all so distantly familiar, but regardless we all have to work together right now." i think before this they were really dysfunctional, and that persists through the game, and in the fic. they bicker and argue and they don't always get along, but this is a fresh start for all of them and it helps them learn to cooperate better, learning to work as a team!!

the idea that they're also struggling through this, everything harry feels, but trying to keep it together, to work together for their core. in the end, they all want what they think is best for harry, y'know? im really excited to write for the dora dream, y'all know how the skills are in the dream, my GOD. SCREAMS. anyway thats hype hfjhg the whole concept of getting to see the game from the skills perspective, rebuilding, reforming bonds. its really sweet to me.

writing this fic requires replaying all of disco elysium, so i can write it from the skills perspective, which is a BIG ENDEAVOR hgkjg

NOW!! Swept Up in the Feeling, aka EMPATHY MY DARLING. my favorite guy i love him!! kisses his forehead lovingly!! i adoreee this volition chapter, it's a flashback chapter before a MAJOR EVENT happens in the fic and it's just there to showcase my volition and empathy childhood best friend propaganda, theeyyyyy make me so happy i'll cry hgkjg

it's just!! volition was the first skill empathy ever met and attached to!! and empathy was the first skill volition ever met alone, so he feels a sense of responsibility for him hkjg and they're playmates and they take naps and they grow up together and they care about each other.

oughhh i have MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THEM, and so many art wips of them too hgkjg <33 i'll get to it!!! eventually!! hgkjg

otherwise, I LOVE SWEPT UP!! i love skills character studies!! i love these guys as characters in their own right, and not just narrators or extensions of harry's thoughts!! i love exploring them from empathy's point of view, because thats EMPATHY'S WHOLE THING?? HJLKGJ that he'll know how the other skill feels, how they think, and he'll try to understand and empathize!! he's like, the PERFECT character to do character studies from?? i LOVE YOU EMPATHY!!!

every chapter makes me endeared to each skill hgkjg the drama chapter is fuckin cookin man, thats INTERESTING STUFF HKJGG the phys chapter RAUGH. I LOVE YOU COACH YOU'RE REALLY FUNNY AND ALSO I FEEL EMOTIONS ABOUT YOU HKJG i love all of them really, if anyone wants details on a chapter in specific, hit up the ask box bro hgklj i don't have everyone down yet, but even if i don't i'll probably just use it to brainstorm hgkj <33

OKAY THAT'S ALL!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK!!! i really love chatting about my fics, it just takes a lot to type it all out in words hkjgg i could ramble forever if anyone wanted to listen for that long hkjg ANYWAY THANK YOU CHEFS KISS

[maenecoon]

tagged by @obscurecurse, tagging @fairlylokai @jez-bez @a-soulofme @froginthesun @emberfaye @aylinaliens @iwantabluntrn @the-cookie-of-doom @ella-norah @awiderangeofgreen (some who i know, some who i find are vvvv cool authors <33 no pressure to do this challenge tho!)

Writing tag game

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 21

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 129,038

3. What fandoms do you write for? primarily kimchay (from kinnporsche), thought i used to write more for phayurain (love in the air) 1-2 years ago

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Honey where’s my omega (a/b/o phayurain) - this one stumps me bc i never understood how/why it's so popular. maybe it's the fic length/the fact that it's a/b/o?

2. Show me the ropes (kimchay au where kidnapper chay becomes the kidnapped when he tries to nab kim) - one of my most unhinged ideas

3. (Make me) your one and only (kimchay biological bdsm au) - one of my favourite ideas ever

4. Little bat (phayurain, where vampire fledgling rain gets stuck in bat form) - another cute/silly idea

5. The hyung plan (phayurain + hyung kink) - the hyung kink got me a lot of readers from outside the fandom lol

5. Do you respond to comments? i usually like to respond to them all at once so i wait for them to pile up before replying HAHA

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? none, all my fics have happy/hopeful endings

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? all! of! them! i read/write for escapism, the world is harsh enough as is. i want my blurbos to be happy!

8. Do you get hate on fics? i used to when i wrote other things, but now no. i do occasionally get an indirect from people who disagree with my ship dynamic preferences, though it’s not exactly hate/doesn’t really bother me. read/write whatever you like, friends.

9. Do you write smut? yes! love a pwp <33

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? i used to write kpop rpf and mixed a lot of groups together. now, the most i do is write aus. i usually don’t write crossovers bc i like to focus on the dynamics/characters within the shows/fandoms and explore their relationships with each other rather than outside of that.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? yes, it was stolen and translated to a whole different language which was bonkers to me. i wrote those fics on wattpad when i was 14. idk how people thought it was worth stealing and translating???

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? ^ yes

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? nope! if anyone wants to do something you can hmu!

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? way too many. though probably a lot of the phayurain blurbs sitting in the vault.

15. What are your writing strengths? one of the best compliments i’ve received is that i write with a “sleight of hand” - concealing things (that the character doesn’t know) from the reader as well, such that things unfold naturally/there’s a nice element of suspense. also writing character’s thoughts, ig. slipping into their headspace has always felt natural/fun for me.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? long sentences. procrastination. sometimes i explain scenes rather than just writing them, mostly bc I’m lazy/don’t think they’re necessary (but then realise that it would’ve been interesting to draw out afterwards). also a crippling sense of self doubt that i'm working on i swear- imposter syndrome is just a bit ch sometimes.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? as long as you know what you’re saying, lmao. and provide translations please!!!

18. First fandom you wrote for? kpop (specifically exo),,, my dark past

19. Favorite fic you’ve written? the bdsm au :))) i can yap all about the fic and the world building anytime of the day!! though i quite like the corruption kink fic too, it's definitely one of the most self indulgent fics i've written HAHA

if you've reached the bottom of this page, consider yourself tagged <33

[hmmpup]

What’s your favorite Erejean aus and hcs?

I’m gonna do a list because there’s so many AUs and HCs i have for erejean that are so fun to explore… starting with AUs..

Hannibal AU HAS to be in here!!! (really any crossover over mine are some of my favourite AUs), but hannigram x erejean just fit the most to me :3 It’s fun to think about them as cannibal murderers… 😅😅😅One of my favourite quotes from hannibal too; “Cant live with him, can’t live without him” is something i rlly like to associate erejean with… there’s a lot of experimentation and manipulating of eren and jeans characters u have to do to make this crossover rlly make sense but like. idk. it makes to me! if you’ve watched hannibal it MIGHT be easier to understand where i’m coming from…..

literally any modern AU erejean. The erejean angst from canonverse (and hannibal au) is really fun, but sometimes i wanna see them in a modern world! literally just doing normal daily things. I love thinking about them just getting to grow up normally with each other, hanging out in real world scenarios like a party or something.. Imagining them simply going to school is fun because i get to relate to them more (and project onto them😭😭 i’d like to see a bit more domestic erejean stuff cause they can be so cute and sappy 😢

This goes with modern AU but also band AU erejean is another top favourite!!! Specifically i like drummer eren, and lead vocalist/ guitarist jean :33 I think eren also would be able to play the bass and do backup vocals. It can create some reallyyyyy unique scenarios, especially when u put eren and jean in like a situationship or something…. It’s more fun to think about them being real desperate for eachother over them actually being together, especially in this AU because they could write songs about eachother, the drama would be crazy…

also!!!! Fake or Break erejean!!! if you have not read that fic you’re MISSING OUTTTT. its on ao3 by hollycal75💙💙💙

for my favourite headcanons!

1. they talk about eachother NONSTOP. their breakups would be an inconvenience to everyone around them, and even when they are together, they just will not shut up about the other

2. They LOVEEE holding hands.. especially when they’re younger!!! (liek when they’re 15 or smth) neither of them would’ve been in a relationship,,, and i’d imagine jean would probably initiate it because he’s seen couples holding hands in the movies and gave it a go. it’s probably a comfort thing too..

3. Jean sometimes refuses to go out with eren if he’s wearing an outfit he deems stupid. Jean is trying to take eren on a fancy date, and eren could pull up wearing a tshirt and jorts or something 😔 So i think jean would dress eren up for some of these occasions… although eren DOES gain a little sense of style from it after a while.

4. kinda random? but i think because i like to make them unbearably clingy, they always want to take showers together. but they’ll always go horribly wrong because jean takes freakishly cold showers ( he does it for the “benefits”) and eren takes burning hot showers. (probably to annoy jean. )And they can never meet in the middle… 😔 but as long as they’re w eachother they’re happy!!!

5. eren loves the feeling of jeans hair… it’d be very soft… 😭😭😭

6. Jean fell in love w eren first. and fell even harder. realising he was in love with eren jaeger was the worst thing that ever happened to him. (or so he says)

there’s definitely WAYY more but my mind has gone blank😔

[morimakesfanart]

out of all the chapters you wrote so far do you have a favourite?

You can pretty much tell which are my favorites based on how much art is in them, but my absolute favorite has got to be is either [33] or [34] because I've been wanting to write those scene since not long after I started posting the fic :3 The flirting, the doming Sinbad, the 'oh' moment finally happening. I have a bunch of favorites for different reasons. They are more groups of chapters since I tend to write 2-3 chapters at a time and have to figure out how to break them up for posting.

My favorite chapters in chronological order:

Chapter [4] & [5] are special because it was writing that version that made me want to start posting. I already posted the Dead End version of ch4, and I'll be doing the same with 5 soon. I'm trying to figure out how I want to handle the art since it's very talk heavy.

Chapter [9] has to be listed because it's the start of the first arc I couldn't shut up about to my family. Writing about my health issues was a big deal for me. It greatly helped me in respecting my own limits and letting myself rest. I over a bit more metical trauma every time I write about Mori being sick.

Chapter [11] is the first chapter I felt the need to turn almost completely into a comic. It was very much about the joy of unmasking around my favorite characters and nerding out X3

Chapter [15] is also a fave for having some of my favorite jokes and references in it, and it's also nerding out. It was really fun all the way through.

Chapter [24] is super special to me because it is the first chapter where the characters changed my plans so far I basically went on hiatus. Sinbad and Ja'far doing that much math was not in the plans and honestly, it's part of why I take so extra long between chapters now. I'm having to pull plot points that weren't supposed to happen until after Sinbad comes back from the Kou Empire.

Chapter [25] is another that I was just so happy with because of the jokes and references. I also used it as an excuse to study Jojo's more in recreating that Rohan scene using Mori UwU

The whole Gender, Jewelry, & Flirting arc [28] [29] [30] is extra special to for it being my coming out chapters. I thought I was going to have to introduce the concept of transness to the world before I found the side comic that showed the okama (Japanese gay and trans stereotype) was more than just antagonists in the canon. So much of chapters 28 & 29 were things I didn't think I'd be able to explore for several more years. I did get a ton of hate comments on AO3 for saying the trans women are women and therefore Sinbad would be attracted to them. It's why ch 29 has the added reminder that this is my fic. Don't like don't read. Ch30 is one I reread often because I love how smooth I got the flirting, and it's when I finally got to give Mori Sinbad's choker :D

Since I already explained 33&34, I want to give [36] for being the chapter with the fewest about of drafts and edits. I got it in 1 and then just tweaked the wording. The way everything fell into place was beautiful and convenient. Chapters [35] & [37] were the hardest to write, so 36 being so easy between them was really nice -u- 37 was the hardest so far and took over 30 drafts -the average is 8-12.

Bonus: My Least Favorite part of the whole fic is the transition between [16] [17]. I was way too stubborn about keeping to the character count per ch limit I gave myself, and too stubborn about getting rid of certain moments to accommodate that. I tried to use Ja'far as a plot device to transition the chapters but it was a total flop. If I ever went back and rewrote sections that would be the first, followed by removing all references to my synesthesia. I've been considering doing that for a while, but I'm not sure what to do with the older versions. I don't just want to delete them. Posterity is important to me. I'll probably move the old versions of scenes being changed to the end of the chapter for those that want to (re)read them.

[fandomfrolics]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @chainofclovers and @revolutionsoftheheart, thank you <3

Since I've only posted to AO3 for 2 fandoms and one is disproportionately larger than the other, gonna separate the two for my own curiosity.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

123 (77 Ted Lasso, 46 Marvel)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

567,878 (336,213 TL vs 231,665 Marvel over a...much shorter period of time😬)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently only Ted Lasso, previously Marvel (both MCU and comics)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Marvel

They Call Me Dad

In the Heat of the Night

Roll the Dice and Swear Your Love (for me)

what is (or what could be)

Situation Normal: All Fogged Up 

Ted Lasso

and in the morning we'll start all over again

Linger

lick me baby or leave me

my body fits just like a bruise

I don't wanna live like this (but I don't wanna die) 

Fun fact! My top Marvel fic has pretty much almost exactly 10x kudos as my top TL fic.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do but very, very slowly. As for why, idk I think it's just a nice way to engage with people. I like seeing authors' responses to my comments on their fics too.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

A <400 word established relationship Steve/Tony fic where one half of the pairing DROWNS and for what, who knows

Any angsty endings I had for TL were only chapter endings that were then undone by peer pressure (except, I guess, this one where Ted and Rebecca break up because his.....spoon.....is too big).

OH WAIT I forgot about this Rupodore one (but also the A/N does undo that angsty ending too sooooooo)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is a hard one because I'm not sure how to differentiate degrees of happiness but sorta related to the last answer, I'm going to say this established relationship Steve/Tony fic, where it SEEMS like Steve dies but he doesn't, mostly because of this comment that makes me emotional every time I remember it

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Just once I think, on a kinky TL fic (thanks Kyle!)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Unfortunately (though that's pretty much a new thing for TL fic)

Idk what the kinds of smuts there are but: PWP, emotional/feelingsy, kink (for exploring dynamics/psychology of it re: certain characters), kink (horny)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Borderline? Idk if this fake dating fic featuring an unnamed-but-hinted-at actor counts as Ted Lasso/Actor RPF crossover.........

That's probably the craziest one but actually I guess this Marvel one where the video game versions of the characters visit the comics universe counts.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not wholesale but bits yeah

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, a bunch of Marvel fanfic got translated to Chinese and Russian but my top kudosed fic got translated into I think at least 4 languages (including off AO3), which is really cool!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes with @thatsrightjohngoodman <33 and it was a blast, even though the number of words spent talking about the fic >>>> actual words in the fic. Also I only did like 15% of it, which is probably also why I had a good time.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I don't really get into fandoms through ships, usually more through specific characters so idk if I have a fave. I'm pretty loosey-goosey about ships.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

OH BOY okay, well I'm still holding out hope for some of the TL ones even though I haven't touched them in ages but from the (almost definitely) abandoned ones, there's one about Ted dealing with executive dysfunction that gets in the way of like really mundane things like mail he needs to do something about (e.g. his TV licence) or using groceries before they go bad and how Beard and Rebecca and others help him help himself.

On Marvel, I have a CarolJess coffee shop AU that is like 90% done and contains some bits that are very personal and reflective of that period of my life and it'd be nice to put it out into world but. I probably won't.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been given the impression that it's.......sad shit lmao. But also like conversations between people that feel realistic. And at this point, I think unfortunately also smut.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Settings I think? I like actions and dialogue and I always have to go back and fill in like...where are they, what are they sitting on, that sorta thing.

Also endings, I never know how to end a fic, especially short feelingsy one-shots.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have no real thoughts on this tbh

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, but only one fic that I posted on LiveJournal I think as part of an event

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

The first one that popped into my head was All Our Days Ahead, a Beard and Ted friendship road trip fic. It was written with more care than a lot of my other fics and idk I like it's energy when I reread it. I can remember exactly where I was when I wrote it too (and that it was raining lmao).

Honorable mentions from when I actually went scrolling through my works:

I like all my humour fics purely for how unhinged I feel when writing them but the body shots fic was particularly wild because of the insane live writing experience and Cannibal!Rebecca offshoot

I also have a soft spot for my episode tags. I don't really write a lot of fics that are related to specific moments in canon but I really like this Colin one about the impact of Nate's words on him, featuring my beloved actual Coach!Ted. Also one of the few fics where the title feels right and isn't just sorta there to fill in the field.

I think by now most people have been tagged in TL so ignore me if you've already done this but tagging some folks from both fandoms @theodore-lasso @howiehamlin @thatsrightjohngoodman @ishipallthings @onemuseleft @snoozingcat @bardingbeedle if y'all wanna do it

[cut-off-the-grain]

got sent this one today. of course you can ignore this, but i'm sending it anyway <33 - Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

@dobranocka It’s been three weeks since you sent this but let’s do it!

1 The Days Were Made For Running (And The Nights Were Made For Love) Lord of the Rings, Gimli/Legolas

This was such a fun one because it really let me flex my writing skills. Of course it was all still my style, but I tried to incorporate Tolkien’s style as well. Someone bookmarked it and tagged it ‘the sex was good, the angst was better’ and I consider that one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received on my writing

2 Don’t Be Shy (You’ve Been Here Before) Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hux/Kylo

This one makes the cut because of all the great friends I made because of it! I truly thought I would maybe get a comment and a few kudos, so I was overwhelmed by how people responded to this. I’m not even in TFA fandom anymore, but so many of the friendships I made have carried over, and that all started with this fic.

3 The Minor Fall, The Major Lift Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hux/Kylo

Is it egotistical to say I wish this is what had happened in The Last Jedi?

4 I Will Find My Home In You Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hux/Kylo

This was supposed to be a flip on the fake dating trope (they really are together but everyone thinks they’re making it up!) that somehow became an exploration of the weight and damage of family expectations and how to find yourself and love and free yourself from the role your family expects you to play. I reread it every Thanksgiving (hey, it’s like the author knew exactly what I like!)

5 let’s go, don’t wait (this night’s almost over) Be My Favorite, Pisaeng/Kawi

Truthfully this probably isn’t the strongest thing I’ve ever written, but it’s the first thing I’ve finished and been happy enough with to post in four (FOUR) years. Be My Favorite was a silly little Thai BL show I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did, and while I loved the ending, I found I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the characters. I wrote this on my phone at work while pretending to pay attention to a Zoom meeting. The words just burst out, and within and hour I was posting it on AO3. And anything that can remind me why I enjoy writing like this fic did deserves to be on this list. (yes the title is from a blink-182 song no i don’t feel as ashamed of that as i should)

I think I’ve rambled enough. All fics mention are posted on my AO3, link below.

And now it’s time to no pressure tag @fandomfix8 @glass-oceans @atlinmerrick @kyluxtrashpit @helliskylux

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

060 of 2024

The Brown Survey 🤎

by joybucket

1. List three random things you like that are brown. My older cat's nose, noses of tabby cats in general, gingerbread.

2. What is your favorite shade of brown? Whatever the tabby cat's nose is.

3. What is your least favorite shade of brown? All the rest. I'm not a big fan of brown.

4. Do you have brown hair? Yes, I do. It's dark brown by nature.

5. Do you have brown eyes? No, I don't. They're grey.

7. What are your favorite fillings for chocolates? For that, I prefer Polish and French chocolate because it has a variety of filling, my favourite is yogurt. Belgium typically has mostly hazelnut, which I'm allergic to.

9. Would you rather drink a chai latte, coffee, or chocolate milk? Chocolate milk. Very popular in my country.

10. List three random things you can see from where you're sitting right now that are brown. The couch, the cabinet, and chocolate-covered raspberry cookies.

11. Have you ever had an all-brown dog or cat? Dog yes (but he was more beige, I think), cat no.

12. What was the last thing you ate that was brown? Chocolate pudding.

14. Which of these names do you like best for a chocolate lab: Cocoa, Brownie, Hershey, Chocolate, or Cookie? Do you mean that dog breed? Cookie sounds cute <3 Brownie is not bad either.

16. List three random things you dislike that are brown. Poop (but I think most of people do), buts, and strong alcohols like whiskey (it's brown right?).

17. Which of these words would you say describes you best: chocolate lover, coffee lover, full of 💩, cookie lover, or chocolate lab lover? Coffee lover, but I can't drink coffee anymore due to health reasons.

18. When was the last time you drank hot chocolate? Today at work, right before my shift.

19. Do you like chocolate milk? I do. But again, I prefer Polish one to Belgian one because Polish chocolate milk is less sweet.

20. Which of these cartoon characters do you like best: Yogi Bear, Arthur, Sandy Cheeks (from SpongeBob SquarePants), Dora the Explorer, or Scooby Doo? I only know three of them and I'm gonna go with Scooby Doo.

21. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Auburn, Hazel, Willow, Oak, or Maple? Hazel. I know someone with this name.

22. List three things you like in nature that are brown. Sand (does it count as brown?), tree branches, some birds.

23. Which of these names do you like best for a dog: Peanut, Walnut, Hazelnut, Willow, or Oakley? Willow, I think.

25. Which of these names do you like best for a boy: Auburn, Hazel, Oak, Oakley, or Willow? Maybe Willow.

26. Have you ever gotten a henna tattoo? Yes, long time before I got the real one.

27. Are you wearing anything brown right now, and if so, what? No, I don't.

28. Do you think you look good in brown? I don't know. Never thought about it, but also, it's not the colour I'd choose to wear anyway, though.

20. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Harvest, Fawn, Amber, Oakley, or Coco? Amber. I know someone with this name, too.

21. Which of these names do you like best for a cat: Twilight, Harvest, Molasses, Mahogany, or Syrup? Twilight, the rest doesn't appeal to me.

23. Have you ever dressed up as an Indian for Halloween? No, but I don't celebrate Halloween anyway.

24. Have you ever driven a brown car? No. We never had brown cars.

27. Do you prefer pancakes 🥞 or waffles 🧇? Waffles are a part of my culture, but I prefer these thin pancakes that French people call crêpes.

28. What are three of your favorite things you own that are made of wood? 🪵 Probably the photo frames with photos of my cat, I can't think of anything else.

29. Have you ever taken a woodshop class? 🪵 No, but we had one lesson in school where we made something of wood.

30. Have you ever made your own chocolate fudge? Yeah, together with my dad when I was a child. My dad was making a lot of homemade desserts.

31. Do you know anyone who doesn't like chocolate, and if so, who? Yeah, myself. 

32. Do you ever get chocolate cravings? No, I don't.

33. Which of these careers sounds the most appealing to you: park ranger, dog walker, fudge maker, woodworker, or safari tour guide? I don't know, honestly. Probably woodworker, but I can't see myself doing that job anyway.

34. Have you ever been on a safari? No, I haven't.

37. Have you ever seen a kangaroo cross the road? 🦘 No, they don't exist in wild in my country.

38. Do you think hot chocolate tastes better with marshmallows or without? I never had hot chocolate with marshmallows, but I don't like marshmallows, so my guess is without.

39. Can you see a brown cardboard box from where you're sitting right now? 📦 A lot, to be honest. We have a little online shop and there are boxes all over the house.

42. When was the last time you ate a lunch that came in a brown bag? Never, I think.

44. Have you ever had a friend with the last name Brown? Not literally Brown, but I knew someone named De Bruyne, which means brown in my language.

43. What was the last thing you ate that was chocolate-flavored or had chocolate in it? Pudding, yesterday.

44. Do you like chocolate pie? Never tried it, sounds unusual to me.

45. Do you prefer chocolate cake or white cake? I'm not a big fan of cake.

46. Do you own a fondue fountain? Yes, I do. But we have used it only once.

48. Have you ever dyed your hair brown? No, my hair is brown by nature and I don't like it.

50. Do you own a brown dress? I don't wear dresses.

[foxelfprincess]

2022 in review, part 2: movie first watches

as you can probably tell from the fact that the vast majority of my top first watches were actually from this year, 2022 was an incredible year for movies. with that in mind, here’s my top 10 first watches.

1. kiki’s delivery service (1989)

okay, i know i said this was a great year for movies, and it was. but unfortunately for every other movie i saw this year, this 33-year-old stone cold classic was actually the first one i saw this year? saying that it set an impossible standard for the rest of the year is a bit of an understatement, considering that i recently did a long-ass movie tournament to officially crown it my favorite movie of all time.

for me, this is the ultimate realization of what a ghibli movie can be (and considering how incredible they all are, that’s saying something), and it also happens to have some obvious factors that make it appeal to me specifically (it’s witchy, there’s an adorable kitty, there’s an incredibly sensitive portrayal of what living with depression is like, etc etc). just a truly incredible movie.

2. glass onion: a knives out mystery (2022)

if rian johnson & daniel craig could just make another one of these things every few years until the heat death of the universe that would be pretty great. because i’m never going to get tired of them. i ran back to a movie theater again as soon as possible to see this again, which is just kind of a thing i don’t usually really do anymore?

3. the batman (2022)

this is the first batman movie that has really felt like a detective movie, gotham has never been seedier, but i think the real killer app here is that this one just blatantly has the best filmmaking any batman movie has ever had.

4. prey (2022)

hot take alert but this is the only truly good predator movie. and it’s not just good, it’s incredible. this one caught me completely by surprise.

5. everything everywhere all at once (2022)

one of my favorite performers turns in a career-best performance in an emotionally arresting, visually stunning, timely, and staggeringly smart titan of a movie.

this movie asks questions that i never really expected a movie to ask, and it doesn’t just ask them, it does its level best to answer them, or at least explore them in an honest, vulnerable way. this is a fearless movie.

i kind of feel like an idiot for not having this as my top movie that came out in 2022… and keep in mind it’s actually in the number 4 spot? we were unbelievably spoiled this year, y’all. movies are back.

6. nope (2022)

jordan peele is an institution unto himself. i know he came in to filmmaking with a ton of experience working on parodies for key & peele, and people super underrate how useful that can be for crossing over into serious filmmaking, but it’s still incredible to me that he hit the ground running as a staggeringly-good filmmaker and just hasn’t let up once.

7. avatar: the way of water (2022)

i’m not super sure where this one is gonna end up on this list when all is said & done, it feels like it needs at least a rewatch or two before i really have a full grasp of it, but this feels right for now. regardless of where i end up landing on it, it is refreshing to see this kind of blockbuster movie in an era where most tentpole movies are all commercials for the next one or for disney plus or whatever the fuck.

8. turning red (2022)

yeah so this is my favorite pixar movie ever and it isn’t particularly close. i’m still salty that disney forced pixar to take all the explicit queerness out of it, but even what was left made me feel more seen than anything they’ve ever produced.

9. sonic the hedgehog 2 (2022)

yeah okay i can’t argue that this is an artistic masterpiece like a lot of the others on this list, nor is it a movie without pretty obvious warts (just like 90% of the human stuff, basically). but look, i have some pretty exacting standards for how i want these characters and their relationships portrayed, and this movie shocked me by meeting & exceeding those expectations with flying colors.

i’m not going to try to force myself to be objective about the movie’s many & rather obvious flaws, because that’s just frankly not how i authentically experience movies anymore. i got exactly what i wanted to get out of this movie, and i consider that a minor miracle.

10. luca (2021)

there is so fucking much thematic gayness in this, just fucking make them gay, gods.

apparently they weren’t even originally going to be though, the thing that disney censored was their friend being a lesbian, but like are you shitting me how do you write these characters this way and not intend them to be gay? they are so gay, fucking hell.

nevertheless this is a beautiful movie. i hate disney as a company but there are clearly just so many smart & talented people working under their umbrella. the post-lasseter pixar era is looking pretty promising so far.

[ineedibuprofen]

1, 2, 11, 16, 19, 20, 49 it’s kinda a lot so u don’t have to do all of them if u don’t want <33

1. do u prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

one-shots bc i have commitment issues and not enough time on my hands 😭 i have so many mutli-chapter ideas that will never be written lbr. also like, idk i like exploring characters and such within a smaller time frame, it makes things more interesting imo.

2. do u plan each chapter ahead or write as u go?

oh def write as i go. which is probably why i dont do multi-chapter rip. the only time i've planned it out is with an unfinished work i'll never finish.

11. link ur three favorite fics right now.

okay! wasn't sure if this meant of mine or other people's so i did the latter (specifically in the pjo fandom). amicus certus in re incerta cernitur by aknosde, body gold by cruel highways, & unfinished pile by fuckin_rodent (specifically the chapter linked bc it's kind of like a one-shot collection.)

16. how many fics are u nurturing right now? share one of them?

okay so i have a whole bunch of plotbunnies/ideas/one or two paragraphs of fics, so ignoring all those and the fics i have unfinished and posted, i narrowed it down to all the individual docs i had (as opposed to the complete collection of random snippets i have) i have like 25. so yknow. somewhere between that and maybe 100.

19. what is ur most-used tag on ur ao3?

just looked thru them all it's either angst or hurt/comfort

20. have u noticed any patterns in ur fics? words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc.?

i feel like commas and em dashes are like my besties fr. and parentheses, depending on the fic. common settings are kinda obv since i write for the same fandom. i feel like i kinda take one sentence and then write a paragraph following that isn't really connected but also kind of is? tbh it's usually a trauma dump lmao. i also use actually and really excessively, my grammar hates me for it.

49. do u ever get rude reviews and how do u deal with them?

i don't! the closest thing i've ever gotten close to one is a comment w a lot of helpful constructive criticism (im actually writing a second chapter for the fic they gave it to me on to hopefully resolve some of it).

[sunshinemarauder]

hi wifey 3 12 18 23 mwah

hi babe <33

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

this is hard!! but I think I'll have to go with these lines from never quite awake ch 1:

Endings are nothing unfamiliar to Lily Evans; she’s seen the ends of sisterhood, of friendship, of innocence, all from miles away. But this is an end unlike any other. An end that was never supposed to happen.

He walks away. She doesn’t stop him.

12. favorite character to write about this year

obviously i'm big on jily (... in case y'all haven't noticed...) but i wrote some new characters for the first time this year that i really loved getting into the mind of!

my favorite is probably my version of parvati patil from my parvender fic (it will be shared someday... hopefully 2023). i love getting to write from the perspective of a fellow indian sapphic (lesbian?) and exploring a rare pair that lived during a time period that i, as a primarily jily writer, don't often delve into (second wizarding war, hogwarts occupation, etc).

18. current number of wips

ha. HA. are we counting stuff i've already posted and haven't finished (b/c that's 4), or what I'm writing and haven't shared yet but at one point i wanted to... and now i probably won't (lost track), or things that I'm writing and do plan to share? because the number will greatly vary. there are a lot of things that I've started and don't see myself finishing, but of the works i actually do want to finish in the near future:

never quite awake

killing me slow, out the window (<333 sel)

tears are for the brave

toute la nuit (bleur)

st. john's wort (hopefully!! it needs a lot of reworking, though)

i want you to want me (low priority but i just reread it today and went ... huh maybe)

head students (unnamed) perhaps?

and here are a list of the fic i might not finish / post for various reasons:

the old shakespeare (maybe i will just because it's already posted on ao3... but i will need a stroke of inspiration for that to happen)

enchanting to meet you (this one sits untouched and fully completed to this day lol. now that i reread it, it's not that bad but the premise just is a little bland. it does have the steamiest kiss I've ever written though)

haunt and ruin (Halloween fic i started in july 2021)

keep your eyes open (i had lofty plans for this one rip)

send me a fanfic end of the year ask!

[antigonewinchester]

i’d ask all of these if i could, but let’s go with 12, 13 (one/all of the winchesters), 16 AND a free choice!

hi! and thank you <33

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Is it cheating to say season 6? Dean/Lisa is clearly doomed but offers a glimpse into a softer life Dean might have had. Dean trying to be Ben’s dad and failing is a compelling look at how Dean could be like John, making some of the same mistakes. Cas’s antagonistic turn is a great character choice, and I like how it continues the questioning of angels as a force for “good.” soulless Sam is so low key funny.

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

I’ll talk about Sam and Dean together, since it’s a bit about how they contrast with each other: I read Dean as much more honest with what he’s feeling & what he wants as compared to Sam. Dean, it strikes me, can probably name what his emotions: grief, anger, depression, etc., where as I see Sam as struggling more with naming what he feels. Dean can often articulate his wants, too, but he doesn’t always then pursue them like Sam does. I really think of the exchange with Veritas in 06x06, where Dean says he wants out of hunting but that just isn't possible because what he's good at is hunting & killing. Compare this dark honesty to Sam’s resistance to getting back into hunting in season 1, and even season 8, both seasons where he talks about wanting a normal life while also really enjoying hunting. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Sam’s demon blood fears return in season 8 when it hasn’t been part of the narrative for a while. In both these seasons, I think Sam partially mistakes his desire to be “normal” as a desire for a “normal life,” which isn’t quite the same thing.

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

Godstiel should have been the season 7 Big Bad. such a waste to only have him in the first ep of season 7.

sometimes I really wonder about the show that SPN would have been if it'd gotten a full season 3, with Sam saving Dean from Hell (despite how much I love that storyline!). introducing angels and then the Apocalypse took the story in a much more epic direction, but also turned it into something more fantasy-esque, and the smaller scale family horror drama of season 1 - 3 is my favorite, tbh.

and the wildcard...

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

I was going to say Destiel here, but that's not actually completely true. I'm definitely not a fan of the more mainstream fandom, ~epic romance Destiel, because 1) I'm not usually into epic romances ship-wise, and 2) the epic (b)romance of the show is Sam & Dean, and trying to fit Dean/Cas into that same bucket doesn't appeal to me. however, I do think Dean/Cas is quite compelling as a ship when it hues closer to their canon dynamic, and in some ways because the fandom consensus is so removed from canon, there's a ton to explore in looking at their dynamic as more directly presented in the show.

(salty ask list here)

[fandomfoundmyart]

hiii love ur blog!! for the st asks if you'd like :

5, 11, 14, 18, 25, 32, 44, 47 (sorry a lot HAHDJSJD)

aww, thank you!! and its fine lol, i dont have that many asks anyways :))

5. Favorite adult?

JOYCE BYERS, i love her so much, shes badass and adorable

11. Which season had the best ending?

i really liked season two's ending, it was very ominous and i loved the snow ball. 10/10 very wholesome

14. Have you ever played a game on an arcade cabinet before?

ummm... does pac man count?

18. Whats ur opinion on s4 so far?

i personally think im going to love it no matter what, bc the character development of el, the cali plot, and them leaning more into the horror aspect, i just think its gonna be amazing <33

25. Whats ur favorite mike and will scene

well first probably crazy together, and then "it was the best thing i ever did" i just loved that scene so much omg

32. Opinion on kali and her gang?

i actually really liked that episode and i thought it was an interesting thing to see what el was exploring about her past and expanding her abilities. kali was really cool, her powers are so amazing. funshine seemed nice enough, dottie was very interesting and axel was a bit much, he was kinda scary but at least he hates spiders too? mick was cool, i liked her flannel

44. What are you going to do in the wait between volumes 1 and 2 of stranger things 4

uhh, probably making theories and stuff, looking at various gifsets bc the gifmakers in this fandom are soooo talented <333

also reading some theories ppl have and scrounging for byler crumbs.

47. Favorite parent/child dynamic?

probably joyce and her kids :')

theyre so loving with each other and its so clear that they support each oher no matter what and i just love that so much bc my family isnt like that and i love seeing that love between families in media

thank you so much for the ask!! :)

[transhoverfish]

Just curious..

What do you like and don't like about each of the Subnautica games? (If there's anything to hate about these games, they're amazing)

tbh i dont have many complaints about either game, although i have felt that playing both quickly after the other does,,, make the differences super noticeable. things in sub1 i never had a problem w or didnt bother me much have become more bothersome now that ive played bz

like the battery meter on tools and the option to choose where each go in the slot? having to mess w all my tools to get them the EXACT order i wanted (for maximum efficiency of course) was always sort of annoying to me but nbd. now i can barely STAND how the tool menu works/looks in sub1 bc the bz version is.... so much better

I ALSO have a few gripes w bz that have slowly started to bother me more and more as i play. and by a few i mean one thing specifically. the CRASHING. obvs both games have a bit of a crashing and framerate and pop-in issue, but bz is just,,,, so much worse when it comes to crashes.

ive had sub1 on pc and ps4 for like, 3 years now?? and ive dealt w maybe around 5-10 crashes total in those three years, very sporadically? since ive bought bz less than a month ago ive dealt w at least 30 crashes. if i play for an hour it crashes at LEAST 1 time, usually 2 or 3 on average. i quit playing due to crashing more often than i quit after a save and exit. and although ive played sub1 considerably less on the switch, its still not crashed a single time, which makes me think it might be a bz problem and not a switch problem, but idk. i save often enough that i never lose more than 10 minutes at worse, but still,,,,,the crashing is constant. if the loading times were as bad as sub1's (which thankfully they are not), i would probably only play every once in a while bc i just cannot get more than 30 minutes in w/o a crash.

speaking of loading screens holy SHIT sub1 takes like 3 minutes at best to load in a NEW save. i could literally get up and make myself lunch and be back before it loads up on a save with more than 1 small tube of a habitat built in. bz has sped that up a lot which makes the loading screen feel even worse (once again, fixing a problem and then going back to that problem in sub1 just accidentally makes the game a bit more frustrating)

other than those few technical problems, most of which could very well be due to my own old ps4, laptop that doesn't quite meet the spec requirements, and attempt to play subnautica on a SWITCH of all things; the only genuine complaints i have about both is the ending in sub1 being 'make the rocket' after the lost river/lava zone segments is the worst part of the game and i almost never fully finish playthroughs bc that much resource collecting and grinding at the v end is hell! aaand the ice spires can compete with the dunes for "large open area full of death and bullshit that nobody ever wants to go to" bc i spent an hour and a half in the arctic spires the first time i went there in survival! and despite exploring it extensively in creative and having a base right outside in survival i STILL get lost constantly. for the record im usually good at navigating back to somewhere in these games w/o signals, esp if ive been there multiple times. i just get lost in the arctic spires constantly. the ice worms dont help!!!

I JUST REALIZED IVE TYPE. A LOT OF COMPLAINTS. SORRY ABOUT THAT AKRBKABRJRBS ILL GET TO THE THINGS I LIKE NOW I PROMISE

the soundtrack in both games is AMAZING and i geniuenly just listen to them both for fun and get the songs stuck in my head sometimes. theres one from bz in my head right now it plays in the lilypad islands and i cannot remember what its called rn.

the sound design is both games is also really good?? i sit on the bz start menu and listen to the pengwengs, and sub1 in particular is like my favorite sound design in anything ever. i go in creative and just chill next to the creatures SO OFTEN. crabsquids, warpers, and sea dragons specifically sound so nice i could fall asleep to crabsquid noises they're so nice??

the ways the pdas are used for story telling is super nice, and ive always loved the little insights into the characters lives it gives u!! figuring out what happened to sam in bz and listening to all the final pda's in sub1 is always one of if not the favorite part of the games, i listen to every single pda every single time i play, i always feel just as sad for ozzy and keen and fred and the mercury crew and AAAAAA im very attached to these characters <33

also marguerit maida. need i say more.

SO if i talked about everything i liked in these two games i would b here for 3 hours so know that there is much much MUCH more i adore about them and my complaints about the arctic spires and crashing and loading times very much pale in comparison to all the good from the two!! bz is still very recently released so i believe the crashing issues will be dealt w in the future!!

i have many strong feelings for both games AND ive heard that apparently they've already confirmed a 3rd in the making? 👀 didn't look that up admittedly but if it IS true ill 100% b backing it up bc i ADORE this universe and its silly little fish and the silly little people i wanna hug. im full of love and subnautica takes up at least 67% of that love its my whole entire world i cannot imagine shutting up about them and ryley and robin anytime soon <3333

[dulce-pjm]

30 Questions Tag Game

tagged by @softbobamilktae​ my beloved <3333333

name/nickname: call me naomi !! 

star sign: capricorn

height: 5′8″ (and getting closer to chim every day muhaha)

birthday: january 15!

favorite band: ummm bts, txt, twice, every day lol (and like any musical theatre cast ever lol)

time: 8:35 pm 

favorite solo artist: taeyeon, baekhyun, agust d, jhope, rm 

song stuck in your head: signal by twice :))

last movie you watched: the princess diaries !! iconic

free space!: hmmmm i’m giving you a big hug can you feel it !!!!

last show: the great british bake off (paul f*cking hollywood i hate him but i love the show)

when i created this blog: february 2021 (i think?)

what i post: bts fics and weird not quite shitposts?

last thing i googled: huening kai side profile (i was texting a friend it was relevant uh yeah)

other blogs: @naomis-library​ for fic recs !

do i get asks?: sometimes!! and i treasure every single one you guys make my day <3

why i chose my url?: @kidcoredreamz came up with it !! i explained a bit in this tag game

following: 43 blogs :)

followers: more than i deserve !!!

average hours of sleep: um like  5-7? but then i’ll make up for it once a week and sleep like 10 hours lol

lucky number: hmm 7, 10, 15

what am i wearing?: a hoodie and pajama shorts lol (i was dressed cute earlier though haha)

dream job: oh gosh i don’t know still figuring that out lol

favorite food: just one ????? probably my grandma’s cavatelli (alternatively cold pad thai i don’t know i don’t know)

tea or coffee: oh my gosh don’t make me choose >.< i guess tea bc it won’t give me the jitters?

nationality: american 

favorite song: seesaw !!!

top three fictional universes i would like to live in: ugh okay before i decide this is so annoying bc to me my motivation is more the characters and friendships and relationships but i feel like this has to purely like the universe itself so i’m gonna do that and probably explain why for each lol (but also all the worlds seem so scary if you aren’t connected right ahhh !!)

1. harry potter obvs i have always wanted to be a wandmaker !!! i have a fic in the works (she says, having like a bajillion wips and ideas lol) kinda about that but i just think it’s such a cool career and it sounds so rewarding !!! i also just love kids and helping people so i think i’d love it someone pls hire me as a wandmaker 

2. the mcu i guess ??? but i’d spend most of my time wandering nyc looking for a radioactive spider LOL having superpowers is the actual fun part (idk if i wanna be an avenger though that’s a lot of responsibility !!! i like the friendly neighborhood role a lot more i’ll take over for peter parker lol)

3. steven universe !!!! i really hope i could be involved with the gems but like even if not the whole show makes every scene and landscape and location look so gorgeous !!!! i’d love to explore that world if i could, but i’d also be just as content to hang with sadie at the donut shop <3 (but i’d very much like to move in with lapis and peridot at the farm LOL)

okay i went way too in depth with the last question but it was important and my answers would be different if i could like choose my life and friends and stuff haha (i ramble a bit more in the tags lol)

anyway~~~ i’ll tag @hyungieyoongi (sorry if you’ve done it already) and @kidcoredreamz my love <33

[popculty]

52 Films by Women: 2020 Edition

Another annual challenge complete!

Last year, I focused on diversifying my list. This year I kept that intention but focused on watching more non-American films and films from the 20th century. Specifically, I sought out Agnès Varda’s entire filmography, after her death in 2019. (I was not disappointed - What a filmmaking legend we lost.) 

I also kept a film log for the first time and have included some of my thoughts on several films from that log. I made a point of including reviews both positive and negative, because I think it’s important to acknowledge the variability and breadth of the canon, so as not to put every film directed by a woman on a pedestal. (Although movies directed by women must clear a much higher bar to be greenlit, meaning generally higher quality...But that’s an essay for another day :)

* = directed by a woman of color

bold = fave

1. The Rhythm Section (2020) dir. Reed Morano - Not as good as it could have been, given Morano’s proven skill behind the camera, but also not nearly as bad as the critics made it out to be. And unbelievably refreshing to see a female revenge story not driven by sexual assault or the loss of a husband/child.

2. Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962) dir. Agnès Varda - If you ever wanted to take a real-time tour of Paris circa 1960, this is the film for you.

3. Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig - Still my favorite Little Women adaptation. I will re-watch it every year and cry.

4. Varda by Agnès (2019) dir. Agnès Varda & Didier Rouget

5. Booksmart (2019) dir. Olivia Wilde - An instant classic high school comedy romp that subverts all the gross tropes of its 1980s predecessors.

6. Girls of the Sun (2018) dir. Eva Husson

7. Blue My Mind (2017) dir. Lisa Brühlmann

8. Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma - Believe the hype. This film is a master thesis on the female gaze, and also just really effing gorgeous.

9. Belle Epine (2010) dir. Rebecca Zlotowski

10. Vamps (2012) dir. Amy Heckerling - With Krysten Ritter and Alicia Silverstone as modern-day vampires, I was so ready for this movie. But it feels like a bad stage play or a sit-com that’s missing a laugh-track. Bummer.

11. *Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan - Where has this movie been all our lives?? Skip the next onslaught of Snyder-verse grim-darkery and give me two more of these STAT! 

12. She’s Missing (2019) dir. Alexandra McGuinness

13. The Mustang (2019) dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnere - Trigger warning for the “protagonist” repeatedly punching a horse in the chest. I noped right out of there.

14. Monster (2003) dir. Patty Jenkins – I first watched this movie when I was probably too young and haven’t revisited it since. The rape scene traumatized me as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate how that trauma is not the center of the movie, or even of Aileen’s life. Everyone still talks about how Charlize “went ugly” for this role, but the biggest transformation here isn’t aesthetic, it’s physical – the way Theron replicates Wuernos’ mannerisms, way of speaking, and physicality. That’s why she won the Oscar. I also love that Jenkins calls the film “Monster” (which everyone labels Aileen), but then actually uses it to tell the story of how she fell in love with a woman when she was at her lowest, and that saved her. That’s kind of beautiful, and I’m glad I re-watched it so that I could see the story in that light, instead of the general memory I had of it being a good, feel-bad movie. It’s so much more than that.

15. Water Lilies (2007) dir. Céline Sciamma – Sciamma’s screenwriting and directorial debut, the first in her trilogy on youth, is as painfully beautiful as its sequels (Tomboy and Girlhood). It’s also one of the rare films that explores the overlap of queerness and girl friendships.

16. The Trouble with Angels (1966) dir. Ida Lupino – Movies about shenanigan-based female friendships are such rare delights. Rosalind Russel is divine as Mother Superior, and Hayley Mills as “scathingly brilliant” as the pranks she plays on her. Ida Lupino’s skill as an editor only enhances her directing, providing some truly iconic visual gags to complement dialogue snappy enough for Gilmore Girls. 

17. Vagabond (1985) dir. Agnès Varda – Shot with a haunting realism, this film has no qualms about its heroine’s inevitable, unceremonious death, which it opens with, matter-of-factly, before retracing her final (literal) steps to the road-side ditch she ends up in. (I’m partly convinced said heroine was the inspiration for Sarah Manning in Orphan Black.)

18. One Sings, The Other Doesn’t (1977) dir. Agnès Varda – Probably my favorite classic Varda, this film feels incredibly personal. It’s essentially a love story about two best friends with very different lives. For an indie made in the ‘70s, the diversity, scope, and themes of the film are impressive. Even if the second half a drags a bit, the first half is absolute perfection, engaging the viewer immediately, and clipping along, sprinkling in some great original songs that were way progressive for their time (about abortion, female bodily autonomy, etc) and could still be considered “bangers” today.

19. Emma (2020) dir. Autumn de Wilde

20. Black Panthers (1969) dir. Agnès Varda

21. Into the Forest (2016) dir. Patricia Rozema - When the world was ending (i.e. the pandemic hit) this was the first movie I turned to - a quiet, meditative story of two sisters (Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood) surviving off the land after a sudden global blackout. Four years later, it’s still one of my favorite book-to-screen adaptations. I fondly remember speaking with director Patricia Rozema at the 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival after a screening, her love for the source material and desire to “get it right” so apparent. I assured her then, and reaffirm now, that she really did.

22. City of Trees (2019) dir. Alexandra Swarens

23. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) dir. Eliza Hittmann - To call this a harrowing and deeply personal journey of a sixteen-year-old who must cross state lines to get an abortion would be accurate, but incomplete. It is a story so much bigger than that, about the myriad ways women’s bodies and boundaries are constantly violated.

24. Paradise Hills (2019) dir. Alice Waddington

25. *Eve’s Bayou (1996) dir. Kasi Lemmons – I’ve been meaning to watch Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut for many years now, and I’m so glad I finally have, because it fully deserves its icon status, beyond being one of the first major films directed by a black woman. Baby Jurnee Smollett's talent was immediately recognizable, and she has reminded us of it in Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country this year. If merit was genuinely a factor for Oscar contenders, she would have taken home gold at eleven years old. Beasts of the Southern Wild has been one of my all-time favorites, but now I realize that most of my appreciation for that movie actually goes to Lemmons for blazing the trail with her story of a young black girl from the bayou first. It’s also a surprisingly dark story about memory and abuse and familial relationships that cross lines - really gutsy and surprising themes, especially for the ‘90s.

26. Blow the Man Down (2019) dir. Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy - Come and get your sea shanty fix!

27. Touchy Feely (2013) dir. Lynn Shelton - R.I.P. :(

28. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020) dir. Madeleine Parry - If you thought Gadsby couldn’t follow up 2018′s sensational Nanette with a comedy special just as sharp and hilarious, you would have been sorely mistaken.

29. Girlhood (2013) dir. Céline Sciamma

30. Breathe (2014) dir. Mélanie Laurent

31. *A Dry White Season (1989) dir. Euzhan Palcy

32. Laggies (2014) dir. Lynn Shelton

33. *The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood – Everything I’ve ever wanted in an action movie: Immortal gays, Charlize Theron wielding a labrys (battle axe), kinetic fight choreography I haven’t seen since the last Bond movie…Watched it twice, then devoured the comics it was adapted from, and I gotta say: in the hands of black women, it eclipses the source material. Cannot wait for the just-announced sequel.

34. Morvern Callar (2002) dir. Lynn Ramsay

35. Shirley (2020) dir. Josephine Decker

36. *Radioactive (2019) dir. Marjane Satrapi – The story is obviously well worth telling and the narrative structure – weaving in the future consequences of Curie’s discoveries – is clever, but a bit awkwardly executed and overly manipulative. There are glimpses of real brilliance throughout, but it feels as if the director’s vision was not fully realized, to my great disappointment. Nonetheless, I appreciated seeing Marie Curie's story being told by a female director and embodied by the always wonderful Rosamund Pike.

37. *The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu - I feel like a real scrooge for saying this, but this movie did nothing for me. Nothing about it felt fresh, authentic or relatable. A real disappointment from the filmmaker behind the wlw classic Saving Face.

38. Mouthpiece (2018) dir. Patricia Rozema - I am absolutely floored. One of those films that makes you fall in love with the art form all over again. Patricia Rozema continues to prove herself one of the most creatively ambitious and insightful directors of our time, with this melancholic meditation on maternal grief and a woman’s duality.

39. Summerland (2020) dir. Jessica Swale - The rare period wlw love story that is not a) all-white or b) tragedy porn. Just lovely.

40. *The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) dir. Dee Rees – As rumored, a mess. Even by the end, I still couldn’t tell you who any of the characters are. Dee, we know you’re so much better than this! (see: Mudbound, Pariah)

41. *Cuties (2020) dir. Maïmouna Doucouré – I watched this film to 1) support a black woman director who has been getting death threats for her work and 2) see what all the fuss is about. While I do think there were possibly some directorial choices that could have saved quite a bit of the pearl-clutching, overall, I didn’t find it overly-exploitative or gross, as many (who obviously haven’t actually watched the film) have labeled it. It certainly does give me pause, though, and makes me wonder whether children can ever be put in front of a camera without it exploiting or causing harm to them in some way. It also makes one consider the blurry line between being a critique versus being an example. File this one under complicated, for sure.

42. A Call to Spy (2019) Lydia Dean Pilcher – An incredible true story of female spies during WWII that perfectly satisfied my itch for British period drama/spy thriller and taught me so much herstory I didn’t know.

43. Kajillionaire (2020) dir. Miranda July - I was lucky enough to attend the (virtual) premiere of this film, followed by an insightful cast/director Q&A, which only made me appreciate it more. July's offbeat dark comedy about a family of con artists is queerer and more heartfelt than it has any right to be, and a needed reprieve in a year of almost entirely white wlw stories. The family's shenanigans are the hook, but it's the budding relationship between Old Dolio (an almost unrecognizable Evan Rachel Wood) and aspiring grifter Melanie (the luminous Gina Rodriguez) that is the heart of the story.

44. Misbehaviour (2020) dir. Philippa Lowthorpe – Again, teaching me herstory I didn’t know, about how the Women’s Liberation Movement stormed the 1970 Miss World Pageant. Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters have a conversation in a bathroom at the end of the film that perfectly eviscerates well-meaning yet ignorant white feminism, without ever pitting women against each other - a feat I didn’t think was possible. I also didn’t think it was possible to critique the male gaze without showing it (*ahem Cuties, Bombshell, etc*), but this again, invents a way to do it. Bless women directors.

45. *All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) dir. Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes – 2020’s 13th. Thank god for Stacey Abrams, that is all.

46. *The 40-Year-Old Version (2020) dir. Radha Blank – This scene right here? I felt that in my soul. This whole film is so good and funny and heartfelt and relatable to any artist trying to walk that tightrope of “making it” while not selling their soul to make it. My only initial semi-note was that it’s a little long, but after hearing Radha Blank talk about how she fought for the two-hour run-time as a way of reclaiming space for older black women, I take it back. She’s right: Let black women take up space. Let her movie be as long as she wants it to be. GOOD FOR HER.

47. Happiest Season (2020) dir. Clea Duvall - Hoooo boy. What was marketed as the first lesbian Christmas rom-com is actually a horror movie for anyone who’s ever had to come out. Throw in casual racism and a toxic relationship treated as otp, and it’s YIKES on so many levels. Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, and an autistic-coded Jane are the only (underused) highlights.

48. *Monkey Beach (2020) dir. Loretta Todd

49. *Little Chief (2020) dir. Erica Tremblay – A short film part of the 2020 Red Nation Film Festival, it’s a perfect eleven minutes that I wish had gone on longer, if only to bask in Lily Gladstone in a leading role.

50. First Cow (2019) dir. Kelly Reichardt – I know Kelly Reichardt’s style, so I’ll admit-- even as I was preparing for an excellent film, I was also reaching for my phone, planning on only half paying attention during all the inevitable 30-second shots of grass blowing in the wind. (And yes, there are plenty of those.) But twenty minutes in, my phone was set aside and forgotten, as I am getting sucked into this beautiful story about two frontiersman trying to live their best domestic life.There is only one word to describe this film and that is: PURE. I’ve never seen such a tender platonic relationship between men on screen before, and it’s not lost on me that it took a woman to show us that tenderness. Reichardt gives us two men brought together by fate, and kept together by a shared dream and the simple pleasure of not being alone in such a hard world; two men who spend their days cooking, trapping, baking, and dreaming of a better life; two men who don’t say much, but feel everything for each other. The world would be a much better place if men showed us this kind of vulnerability and friendship toward each other. Oh, and it’s also a brutal take-down of capitalism and the myth of the American Dream!

51. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) dir. Patty Jenkins - My most-anticipated film for the past two years was...well, a mixed bag, to say the least. Too many thoughts on it for a blog post, so stay tuned for the upcoming podcast ep where we go all in ;)

52. *Selah and the Spades (2019) dir. Tayarisha Poe

I hope this gives you some ideas to kick off your new year with a resolution to support more female directors!

What were your favorite women-directed movies of last year? Let me know in the tags, comments, or asks!