#Dumplin

[fryingpan1234567]

shows and movies that are the same flavor, inexplicably

🍒cherry limeade🥤

Heartbreak High

Boo, Bitch

Do Revenge

Mean Girls (2024)

🍬saltwater taffy🍥

Mean Girls (2004)

Legally Blonde

Clueless

Mamma Mia

🍫dark chocolate and cinnamon🌰

13 Reasons Why

I Am Not Okay With This

Moxie

Ginny and Georgia

🍪graham crackers and molasses🥃

X

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2020)

☕️burnt black coffee🫘

It Follows

The Bye Bye Man

The Candyman

🍋‍🟩lime and honey🍯

Umbrella Academy

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Enola Holmes

Dead Boy Detectives

🍮white chocolate w coffee center🫘

Young Royals

Tiny Pretty Things

First Kill

🥯everything bagels w cream cheese🧈

Work It

Feel the Beat

the Kissing Booth trilogy

Dash & Lily

Dumplin’

Pitch Perfect

Red White & Royal Blue

Senior Year

🍓strawberries🍭

Heartstopper

the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy

The Prom

🍒zero sugar cherry coke🥤

Black Phone

Stranger Things

the Fear Street trilogy

IT (chapters 1 and 2)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

🥂champagne and buffalo sauce (don’t ask)🥡

The Adam Project

Red Notice

every Fast and Furious movie after the fifth one

Uncharted

Free Guy

🍬bubblegum lollipop🍭

Zombieland

Army of the Dead

Warm Bodies

Deadpool

Birds of Prey

Suicide Squad (2021)

Violent Night

🍯butterscotch and hot chocolate☕️

Harry Potter

Wonka

Mary Poppins

Magic Schoolbus

Winnie the Pooh

Paddington

Slumberland

Narnia

[catfindr]

[carriagelamp]

Early Spring (March - April) Books

My main takeaway from the books I read over the past couple months that by god if you're going to do something, at least commit to the bit. I would say the books I liked the most this month were the "cheesy" ones or the oddballs, and my least favourite were just... profoundly average. So basic and uninterested in its own premise as to be offensive. At least if you're over-the-top you're making me feel something! Which is more than I can say for some of the books on my list...

Dumplin’

I’ve seen this book frequently in bookstores, and I know it was fairly popular at the time so after my mom watched the film and recommended it to me I decided it was about time to read it properly. 

The plot follows Willowdean, a fat girl who is generally fairly comfortable in her skin — or who has always seen herself as such. But with her former pageant queen mom getting into the latest pageant season, her best friend getting more and more involved in romance, and Will finding herself enamoured with a coworker she is struggling more and more with complicated feelings about how she views herself and how others view her. In an effort to fight back against it, she decides to sign up for the most recent pageant.

It was decent! I can’t really complain. I got the audiobook and it was fairly chill, low-stakes listening. High school drama is never my first choice, but there were enough good things about this book. My biggest complaint is that the ending was very anticlimactic. This is the sort of book where I want the big, cliche, over-the-top satisfying finale! It's about misfits taking over a small town beauty pageant!! I want it in the style of Hairspray or Legally Blonde or something!!! But the book was so painfully self-aware that it really tripped itself up in “therapy talk” and "realistic" endings that just took the wind out of its sails, rather than asking what the satisfying ending is. Still, worth the read if you enjoy a YA coming of age story.

Fence v1

Christ all mighty folks. I feel like I’m being gaslit here. This comic had some rave reviews on goodreads so I grabbed the first couple books from the library and it’s? actually just awful? I figured, hey, this will probably be done in the style of a sports manga, right? I enjoy a sports manga from time to time, especially a queer one. And you can tell that that’s what it’s inspired by. But holy SHIT is it boring. Like the art is AGONIZING. It’s stiff and uninspired and emotionless. I’ve read manga that’s managed to make the fucking board game go look like a high-stakes action adventure, and this book managed to make TEENAGERS WITH SWORDS boring as hell. I don't know enough about the author to tell if this is indicative of her usual work, or if the fault lays in just the blandest art imaginable but seriously, what the fuck. Don’t read this. I’m gonna go reread Haikyuu instead and remind myself that some people know how to draw sports scenes that are capable of making me feel things. Jesus.

Fullmetal Alchemist

A reread ♥ I stumbled across an FMA fanfiction by pure chance at the beginning of March and it made me dig out my books and reread the first few volumes. Always a cozy story to return to. If you've never taken the time to read Fullmetal Alchemist... honestly I'm not sure what rock you've been living under but you should do it. An unshakeable classic for a REASON

Home of the Brave

I picked this one up because I really enjoyed Applegate’s free verse novel Odder and I heard this one was written in a similar style. I knocked it out in a single day, it was a very quick read but a very heartfelt story. I can't say that I think everything about it was done perfectly, but for the style and intended audience, it was pretty solid. Made you look at things from a different perspective, had some really heart-wrenching realities to consider, and a lot of feel-good heart.

It followed Kek, a young immigrant from Sudan who has come to live with his aunt since his father and brother were killed and his mother is missing. It explores Kek’s adjustment to living in the United States, how the trauma continues to affect him, and how he begins to make friends — with a neighbour living with a foster family, an old woman, and her cow.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid v1

I’ve seen gifs of this around, and found a copy of it in the used bookstore so I figured… why not. Is it a good book? No. Not sure I'd bother reading the second, but it was weird enough to have made it worth reading. If nothing else, the premise was strange, art took me by surprised at time, and managed to make me chuckle along from time to time.

Kobayashi helps out a dragon who is now determined to live with her and help her out in an effort to seduce her repay her kindness. The story starts with the dragon being completely heartbroken that Kobayashi would honest rather just take the train on her commute rather than ride a dragon to work because scales are frankly uncomfortable.

Murder Most Puzzling

A fun little book of brainteasers! Each mystery includes a short story description (based around a private detective and her harried assistant) along with hand-drawn art. Between these two things, you’re supposed to deduce who the culprit of each crime is, with all the answers in the back of the book. It was pretty to look at and fun to work through, especially with a friend.

My Happy Marriage v1

Quite enjoyed this one! Is it a really well-written book? No. It’s very simple. But the plot is exactly the sort of sweet, cheesy story that I enjoy.

A very Cinderella-esque story, Miyo is from a noble-born family but suffers under her abusive family: an indifferent father, a cruel step-mother, and a selfish, haughty step-sister. She is treated even worse than a servant, and has resigned herself to existing like a meek, cringing shadow in her own home — her lack of magic that people in her class are expected to have makes her feel like this is entirely earned and inescapable. The story kicks off when she is callously married off to a young nobleman who is notorious for scaring away brides within days; he is said to be cold and cruel. Miyo is perfectly prepared for this new home to be no different than her last home...

Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino 

A sequel to Old-Fashioned Cupcake, in which Nozue and Togawa begin to navigate the more complicated aspects of a relationship that has progressed beyond outings as friends and casual dates, to spending nights and a growing interest in living together. A homophobic society and their own hang-ups make this a complicated topic to navigate and there’s a lot of ups and downs, but it’s ultimately just as sweet as the first part.

Railsea

My favourite read from spring so far — absolutely deranged, I’m going to have to read more by this author. I saw a tumblr post that described this as a dystopian Moby Dick novel crossed with Treasure Island… with giant mutant moles rather than whales and trains instead of ships. Frankly, if that doesn’t also grab you by the throat and make you want to read it, I don’t know what to tell you. The author’s writing style is very distinct, and mimics what you expect from something like Moby Dick or Treasure Island, and he doesn’t bother holding your hand as he introduces this strange world to you. The world-building is really top tier, it’s completely bizarre and yet it feels very natural once you see how it works. The underlying themes are also just breath-taking. It was a masterfully written book and just a pure delight, especially once the second half kicks off.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Speaking of books that got rave reviews and that I feel are gaslighting me…

This came to me highly recommended and the goodread reviews seemed to agree… and guys, just wholly shit. Pure opposite of Railsea. Boring trite language, world-building that made absolutely no fucking sense, and characterization that felt like negative space. A pure void of characterization that sucked my entire will to live into it like a black hole. Like, this book so clearly did not actually give a shit about its own premise and didn't make a single effort to create a cohesive world or narrative... it leaned on tired tropes so heavily that it creaked. I had a couple mutuals that got to listen to me liveblog this and I couldn’t get through more than a couple paragraphs without losing my shit. Complete garbage, clearly riding on the coattails of A Court of Thorns and Roses without understanding what actually made that series compelling. I absolutely did not finish this book. The little bit I did read nearly killed me.

Heaven Official's Blessing (TGCF) v6

I continue to be completely enamoured with Heaven Official’s Blessing. The only reason I’m not tearing through these books faster is because a) I don’t want it to end and b) it keeps making me want to stop and write fanfiction about it instead. Getting to learn more about Xie Lian's past, the fall of Xianle, and the complete collapse of his life was just... ouch. My heart. Had to stop and cry about Xie Lian and Hua Cheng a LOT during this one folks.

The Wild Robot Protects

The third installment of Roz’s life on her island with her son, Brightwing, and her various animal friends. This time a deadly tide is sweeping through the ocean, killing any living thing that comes in contact with it, putting enormous strain on the resources of the island as animals try to move inland to escape it. Roz takes it upon herself to venture north and find the cause of this tide.

It was… meh. A middling book. Not bad, good for kids who are enjoying this series, a good lesson about how pollution, the inter-connectivity of nature, and marine conservation. But given how good the first two books in the series were, I was a bit disappointed with this one. It felt long winded and boring, with nothing of note actually happening until literally the last couple chapters.

[canadaloveselenasblog]

Everyone swoons when he says "Willowdean I think you're beautiful, etc." I swoon when he says "But it doesn't really matter what I think" because that shows he has the emotional maturity to understand she needs to come to terms with and accept herself and that he respects her enough to let her figure it out on her own.

[rainybraindays]

Once again watching dumplin' and watching Will stuggle with her self-destructive behaviors and pitting everyone against her because without Lucy she feels unworthy of love because of her body and poor relationship with her mother while also loved so fiercely by her best friends, and this guy that she views as unattainable(even though hes not!!! Hes very attainable!!) hits so hard its not even funny

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - August 22nd - Realistic Characters

I always found the characters in the Dumplin' books very realistic. they all have sharp edges as well as soft ones, flaws as well as virtues

[fill-me-with-dirt]

Watched Dumplin for the first time. Either Hannah and Millie are in love or their actresses were.

[gayvampyr]

how many “diverse” beauty pageants and competitions do we have to have before people realize they’re fundamentally flawed and need to be abandoned altogether

[whatevertheywant]

Girl...that boy pretended he didn't know who Dolly Parton was...in the middle of motherfucking small town Texas...he desires you both spiritually and carnally

[mediamatinees]

“All of my favorite things start off as bad ideas.” The ladies of Dumplin’ are coming to the blog tomorrow. Stay tuned!

[sweaty-confetti]

rewatching dumplin’ god i forgot how good this movie is

[stanathanxoox]

Cold

gif not mine

A coldness took over their body that only the warmth of another person could erase. - Bo Larson x reader

You had been blasting the heat pump in your car to work, as temperatures were a measly 20 degrees (farenheit) in the city it was one of the coldest days so far this winter. And winter had only just began. You had on one of your thickest jumpers, and a woolen jacket on top of that and it was barely enough to keep the cold out. When you parked the car in the diner car park you sighed as you contemplated risking your job so that you could stay warm. A tap on the window has you rethinking that as you see the friendly smile of your boyfriend and co-worker, Bo, was standing there holding out a puffer jacket and waiting for you to step out of the car. You quickly gathered your things together and pulled the keys out of the ignition before jumping out and into Bo’s arms

“Hey there sweetcheeks, thought you might be needing this” he says as he wraps the puffer jacket around you as he pulls you into his arms and holds you as close to him as possible, you feel his body heat radiating through you and it wards off the chill.

“Hey Bo, thanks for meeting me out here” you say placing a kiss on his cheek

“Your very welcome, lets get you inside huh?” he suggests and you nod, grateful for this adorably caring man.

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[bardocks-tiddies]

i’m sorry to announce that they nerfed the fuckbox combo

[lovedaisy02]

Honestly from the trailer I thought Dumplin was going to be bad but it's actually pretty good, I really liked it a lot. It touched me a bit too.

[aj-ofmars]

Bo Larson is a mid summer nights dream

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - April 4th - Wish I Read It Sooner

I remember being really reluctant to read Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy but now, I can’t remember why I ever felt that way because it’s a beautiful, complex story full of beautiful, complex women ♥️😎💃