#HAPPI BIRTHDAY TO MY NUMBER 1 HUSBAND | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

xxx-theartofsuicide-xxx · 4 months ago

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Took the weekend to celebrate my birthday. For those of you who care, I went to the playground with my mom, my sister and our babies (they're the same age, birth month twins, we shared a pregnancy) and got lots of sun and fresh air. The playground has an industrial strength adult-sized seesaw and it let's you touch the fucking sky, bless. After lunch at my favorite Chinese buffet that serves the best shrimp I've ever had in my life, we went back home and my best friend was sitting on the porch to surprise me with a case of fancy beer and two new games for the PS5 I got for Christmas 💕 Hollow Knight and Elden Ring, imma tear that shit up whenever I get sick of Fallout. Then my husband's parents came and they gave me $70 and this rad Beetlejuice T-shirt.

It's big too so I can cut it however I want 🥰

After everybody left, husband pulled this scrumptious strawberry krunch ice cream cake out of nowhere and solo'd me the happy birthday song 😊 with feeling.

Then I got dicked down professionally and got to indulge my insomniac tendencies and stay up all night playing video games with the reassurance that he had baby tomorrow, I could sleep in as late as I want. 31 is going to be a fantastic year for me. I have a lot of big things happening.

Now. For the angry mob in my ask box:

Didn't read a word of that. I muted Tumblr the night before my birthday and this morning my wonderful husband filtered through and deleted all the ugly ones for me so I wouldn't even have to skim any of your garbage. I am dearly loved.

Not looking at notifications either. In fact, consider Tumblr notifs off for me forever. Y'all can have my attention when I feel like giving it and only when I feel like giving it. Abusive reblogs will also be blocked and forgotten. Trying to communicate with you imbeciles is like trying to teach trigonometry to toddlers (say that five times fast), so let me spell this out as simply as I can for you single-celled organisms.

• I reblogged one of Spike's posts three times (our one and only conversation) before blocking him

• At this point, I began receiving nonstop anonymous harassment that went on for about 1-2 weeks. I did not retaliate in kind because I don't believe in it. I've been the recipient of anonymous harassment for many years due to my dead dove content. My candid responses are sharp and cruel enough on their own without need of anonymity. The very notion offends my pride. I cannot abide cowardice.

• I did not report Spike. Not once, not for any of it, not even the abusive anons that I fully believe came from him. Why? Because there's no proving it, I'm not going to waste anyone's time on a hunch, and I have gotten so much hate over the years that I don't bother with any of that frill. It's too time-consuming. If I reported everything that offended me, I would never leave this stupid app.

• If I had reported Spike, you can bet your simple ass I would be sitting here gloating and taking credit. He's a shitstain and he deserves bad things. But I didn't! It sure is fucking funny that it happened though, and it's unspeakably flattering that you utter buffoons legitimately believe I'm capable of this, that I even have that kind of power. Have y'all not seen my notes? What kind of numbers do you think I'm pulling? How many people do you think I have under hypnosis? Cause I'm tellin' you right now it's like 2-3 bitches and none of them would ever do anything like that at my behest. It would damage our mutual respect.

Real Rae and anon-answering Rae are two different people. The person I am when I am responding to anonymous harassment is a cold, ruthless cunt with no concern for your thoughts, feelings, or intentions. Once an individual has decided that they're going to hide their identity in order to manipulate me, I shut down and turn to stone. This is a carefully cultivated defense mechanism.

"Don't eat me. I'm toxic."

A simple way to avoid ever interacting with this character I put on is by never leaving anonymous harassment in my askbox. And no, I won't turn off anons for you to make you comfy bc wahh you don't like me and I'm a meanie lmao. Utilize that block button, child. Learn how to enforce boundaries and respect the boundaries of others. Neither Spike nor any of his braindead minions are entitled to my time and attention.

It's incredibly valuable.

Now onto the next order of business: Laura/Afterthefuneral? Who was in my server for a little while before I booted her after she was criminally obnoxious? Who is now buddying up to Spike and intentionally trolling, feeding his paranoia with complete and total fabrications? (I have never even visited Bluesky. I don't even know what the user interface looks like.)

Here's a screenshot of how she really feels about Spike. It's the only thing we ever agreed on:

And here's a video of her cussing out her sickly cat, Pumpkin, after he was incapable of consuming the salty processed meat she left out for him:

TW: Animal abuse, disturbing footage

Pumpkin is 20~ years old. Pumpkin has cancer and a whole host of other health issues, several of which clearly stem from neglect.

Laura insists that she is unable to afford treatment/euthanasia/nail trimmings for him despite how often (and it was miserably often) she showed off her newest Beetlejuice-themed swag purchases, price tag and all. Laura believes in supporting small creators, you see. Amazon isn't good enough for her. Anyone who shared space in Dante's with Laura can attest that her treatment of Pumpkin is nothing short of inhumane, and that we were all (with the exception of a special few who tried their best) peace-keeping cowards who never held her accountable in any real way. Pumpkin deserves better.

I never wanted to make this post, Laura, but I will not continue concealing your hideous truths while you perpetuate egregious lies. I wish you had just listened to us the handful of times you were gently encouraged to please ease his visible suffering. Instead, you paraded him. Thinking about him is painful. Thinking about you is repugnant. Thinking about my inaction, and how I had to be pushed this far to get just a drop of justice for that pitiful animal riddles me with guilt. The bitch I was five years ago would have chewed you up and spit you out the first time you posted a picture of his poor, grimacing face and those painfully ingrown claws with the audacity to call it "sexy" (much less endured the months of countless indignifying photoshoots and captions that followed) but these sensitive motherfuckers out here got me caring more about optics than justice ‒ and that's what's really wrong with all of us, ain't it?

Y'all want a confession out of me? This is what I'm guilty of. I ignored Laura's animal abuse because I was afraid that if I pushed it, our mutual friends would be upset with me. Cowardly shit. I'm sorry, Pumpkin. I don't know what I could have done for you, but I didn't do enough and it's selfish of me to use you now as a primary character witness.

I'm going to take some more me time to tend my garden and reflect on the type of person I want to be. It saddens and angers me greatly that I allowed fear of backlash to compromise my rigid moral compass. What was I even afraid of? That's not who I am and I refuse to ever play that role again.

To the nice, harmless folks in my askbox, thank you for the love and I'll be getting back to you...when I know how to gather myself enough to answer all that. For now, I think I want to write nasty beetlebabes. It's been too long.

#personal #long post #vent #tw: animal abuse #i fundamentally object to callout posts #and I dont like that i was forced to write this in self-defense

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talktomegooseman · 1 year ago

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Baby baby

Ship: Bob Floyd x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 678

Warnings: pregnancy, mention of childbirth (nothing graphic)

Authors Note: Not Proofread. Feedback is always appreciated!

You hear the door open, and listen to the pitter patter of feet as your two kids go to greet their dad. Bob walks into the kitchen with Eloise on one hip, Eden on the other. “Hey mama. You been feelin ok?” He asks, putting the girls down, watching as they run to the living room and placing his hands on your protruding belly, feeling the taut skin. He looks at you with concern, knowing you were near your due date.

“Bobby. I’m fine. Elijah has just been kicking for the most part. Up until an hour ago…” you broke off, grimacing as a contraction rolls through you. “Babe. Why didn’t you call?” Bob asks, pulling you close, his hands kneading your lower back. “Because this is baby number three and knowing my luck he’s gonna be late anyways.” You reply, voice muffled by his shirt. “Given the fact that you’ve been having contractions for an hour, I think we’re gonna have ourselves a valentines baby sweetheart.” Bob says. He knew that with the girls it progressed fast and he had a feeling that it would be the same with this one.

You on the other hand, didn’t want to believe it. That is until things got more intense in the middle of the night. “Bob. Bob. Robert!” You whisper yell, shaking your husband awake. “Sweetheart?” “It’s time to go. I’ve called Reuben and Maria. They’re on their way over to watch the girls.” Bob got up with speed and precision that only a Naval officer could have, and helped you to your feet, grabbing a pair of sandals for you, slipping them on.

You leaned on your husband as he lead you to the car, having to stop a couple of times for a contraction to pass. You meet Reuben and Maria in the driveway and tell them to go inside. You knew the girls would be happy to see them come morning. The pair of them knew that they would be watched by them when you left.

Bob made sure you were in the car, and hopped into the driver seat and headed towards the hospital. “You ready for this sweetheart?” He asks, his hand in yours, rubbing circles with his thumb on the top of your hand. “About as ready as I can be. Are you? Last baby and all?” “Yeah. I am. I’m ready to meet my son.” He says, as he pulls into a parking stall nearest the entrance. He gently leads you into the building and gets you checked in.

“Mr. and Mrs. Floyd, good to see you!” your doctor says, walking into the delivery room, and begins the routine checks. “You too Dr. Draper.” You say with a grimace, as you feel a pop and a gush of fluid. “Right on time doc.” Bob says, as she laughs. “Let’s get this show in the road!” She announces, as your nurses enter the room ready to bring your son into the world.

A sharp cry filled the room at 1:30 AM and you slumped back against the pillow, chest heaving. “He’s here sweetheart. Elijah is here.” Bob says, tears in his eyes as your baby is placed on your chest. “Hi baby boy. I’m your mommy. This here is your daddy.” You say, voice thick with emotions, tears running down your face. “Happy Valentine’s Day Bobby.” “Happy Valentine’s Day sweetheart.” He says, kissing you, as Elijah is taken by a nurse who cleans him and takes his measurements. “Little man here has a good set of lungs, ten fingers and toes, and a whole lot of love.” Dr. Draper says, as she exits the room, leaving the three of you alone.

“Happy birthday Elijah Robert. We sure do love you.” Bob says, cradling the newborn in his arms, swaying gently. “We love you. Your aunts and uncles love you. Your big sisters love you. It’s right that Valentines is your birthday baby boy. You’re so loved.” You say, as Bob perches on the bed, relishing in the warmth and love you share.

#robert bob floyd #robert floyd x reader #top gun maverick #robert bob floyd x reader #goose man speaks #goose man writes

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water-of-the-womb · 2 months ago

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After finishing “No Exit” (s2ep6), I have developed crucial lore that finally ties together my connections between Wren and Ellen and Jo:

In my canon, I am leaning into Jo being underage. It fits my purposes better if she’s the same age as Wren

Wren first meets Jo and Ellen when John takes that job with Jo’s dad. Ellen is more than happy to watch Wren for a while, sees a baby that’s so much like Jo, how could she say no? She doted on Wren like they were her own flesh and blood, especially the cryptic way Wren spoke of their mom and family (i.e. mother’s coven). Figured this child (perceived as a little girl) really needed a mother figure, was happy to provide the temporary role. She felt good about her husband not hunting alone for once. Something she’d later come to regret.

When Ellen finds out her husband died because what she perceived as John fucking up, she blew up. Had a screaming fit (of which John couldn’t even retaliate because he blamed himself, too) out on the porch, before shoving him off her property. Only then did John start to fight back, growling that he wasn’t leaving his kid here.

Ellen wouldn’t let John take Wren back. Shouted at him that he was a reckless fool, if he couldn’t keep a grown man alive, he was gonna get that BABY killed. She had a loaded and cocked shotgun so John had to leave. He kinda agreed with her. He’d uprooted Wren from their mother’s coven, put them in harm’s way because he naively and selfishly thought he and his sons were a safer home for them.

Wren was sitting up in Jo’s bed listening to the fight but not hearing the words while Jo snored softly next to them. Heard the Impala start and peel out of the parking lot with a hellish squeal of rubbed on asphalt and kicking up gravel down the patchy dirt road. When they asked Ellen about it the next morning, Ellen just said that John needed to go somewhere, so Wren had to stay for a little while longer. Ellen genuinely was this 🤏 close to just adopting Wren.

Wren lived with Ellen and Jo for somewhere between 1 to 2 years before John returned unannounced, catching Ellen unawares. He barged through the from door of the Roadhouse, ignored Ellen, beelined it for his baby who was just excited to see him, scooped Wren up, and left, glaring in the rearview mirror as Ellen chased after him with the wrath of a demon. He didn’t even pack Wren’s stuff, leaving Ellen distraught to hold the precious little life her surrogate child had built here, heartbreakingly little enough to hold in her arms.

Wren asked John about it once. John didn’t answer. They also asked if they could call Ellen and Jo just to say hi. He told Wren he didn’t have their number, which was an odd response because Wren had seen the number in the phone contacts when John handed them the phone to call Bobby while he drove one day. Even weirder that he didn’t answer them when they said that they remembered the number, had it stitched inside the denim jacket Ellen got them for their birthday.

In their first act of rebellion, Wren called Ellen from a motel phone once when John was out. Dean and Sam were in the kitchenette so Wren hid between the beds. Ellen was frantic, asking for as many details as Wren could give, that she was grabbing her keys and would be there as quick as she could. Wren just said they were alright and that they missed her and Jo before hanging up.

During the end of “No Exit”, when Ellen and Jo are alone in the Roadhouse, Wren also stuck around, because Ellen considered Wren to be her child and because she suddenly knew, when Jo pressed the issue, that Wren needed the truth of what happened that night.

It leads to a massive falling out. A fight that’s so loud it sets Dean and Sam on edge and immediately they’re on the porch, stopped only by Jo storming out. Jo drops the truth bomb on Dean while Sam stumbles into Wren shouting at Ellen, something they’ve never done before.

Wren finds out Ellen was keeping them from John for their safety. Okay, fine. But she was hiding that John was calling? Calling to at least talk to Wren? And she never told Wren? That’s what set them off. They almost trampled Sam on their way to get out of there.

What hurt so bad is that John just died. Wren thought he didn’t want anything to do with them as a kid, but to find out he was desperate to even just hear their voice… They’re devastated. They missed out on so much, absolutely destroyed that they didn’t have more time with him. That was still mostly John’s fault, but Ellen played a part in it too.

#🦇wren #📚writing #they do continue to have a familial relationship. wren just needs time.

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hooked-on-elvis · 1 year ago

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A filming day during the '68 Comeback Special production (June, 1968) 🎥⚡

— Recollections by ANN MOSES, editor of TIGER BEAT and NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS MAGAZINES, as published in her Facebook on January 8, 2024, Elvis' 89th birthday.

Happy Birthday in Heaven to ELVIS PRESLEY , born January 8, 1935. He would have been 89 today. I feel the best way to honor Elvis is to share some of my in-person memories from his incredible Comeback Special from 1968 — Ann Moses

THE CONTINUING STORY OF ELVIS AND ANN MOSES (EDITOR OF TIGER BEAT) FROM NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS:

ELVIS TAKES OFF TINY TIM AND RICHARD HARRIS

Last week I told you how I was chosen to sit on the steps of the stage when Elvis was performing before the tele-film camera in Burbank. They were recording the hour-long Spectacular to be seen in American on December 3. I promised to tell you about my further encounters with Elvis this week, so here goes: As Elvis left the stage, his face dripping with perspiration, his straight hair hanging over his eyes after such an energetic half-hour workout, everyone expected the end had – too soon – arrived. Wrong! After a few moments the executive producer appeared to inform us that this had been a dress rehearsal and Elvis would be back as soon as his leather suit dried out, and go through it all again.

Great News

It was great news because to have a small taste of greatness would have been cruel. The first set whet our appetites and the gathering was openly happy that the appetite might now be satisfied (if that’s possible)! During the half-hour break, Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ wife, descended from the seats where she was watching him and glided backstage to see her husband. She did not return. Meantime, the executive producer stayed on stage to entertain the audience by answering questions about El. I asked how much he had contributed to the creation of the TV Special. The producer said El had done about 75 per cent of the creating. He also said El was easy to work with and his professionalism had cut the time allowed for filming. To fill time and keep us occupied, as if we weren’t content to merely sit and wait for him to return, the producer called the Blossoms on stage to do a song. This Negro (remember this was 1968 and the correct way to describe the black girls) girl trio, who performed on the old “Shindig” show and have aided the Righteous Brothers on their tours, backed up Elvis vocally in the special. “We’d like to sing a gospel song for you,” one of the girls said. “You know, Elvis really loves gospel songs. Every time we’ve had a break in the past two weeks he drags us off to some corner to sing gospel tunes, isn’t that a groove?” she went on.

The Blossoms (American female group): Photo 1 from 1966 (left), clockwise from top: Fanita James, Jean King, and Darlene Love. The group's formation changed over the years but those are the female vocalists of the Blossoms that worked with Elvis.

On the '68 Comeback Special, the full group appear onscreen during the Gospel number (second picture from 1968 — from left to right, Jean King, Elvis, Fanita James and Darlene Love). Darlene Love also sings the female vocals for 'Let Yourself Go' song, used for the bordello scene.

The Blossoms also have uncredited roles on the film 'Change of Habit' (1969) on which they act as Elvis' character's neighbors performing as his backing vocals for the song "Rubberneckin'", right at the beginning of the movie, although the female backing vocals for the actual song was recorded by other female artists during the American Sound Studio sessions in January, 1969. I'm not sure if for the movie version they recorded the song again, with the Blossom's backing vocals, but probably no — if that's so, the girls participation on the "Rubberneckin'" scene is specifically with their acting, lip syncing the studio version recorded previously. The movie was filmed between March and April, 1969. Still for the "Change of Habit" movie, the Blossoms sing the female backing vocals for "Let Us Pray", song used during the closing scene in the church. The Blossoms recorded a few more songs with Elvis.

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Continuing Ann Moses' article:

Then they sang a gospel tune and it was a groove too. I would have loved to hear Elvis join with them, but anyway. . . A few more minutes, in which the executive producer introduced all of Elvis’ buddies and then HE was back. This time he was much more at ease in front of the audience. He began to joke with those of us close by, sitting on the platform. “I hope you don’t mind if we do a few of those numbers again,” he smiled, “I really goofed up some of them the last time.” The band was ready and it began again. But this time seemed even more exciting because it was likely we knew him better. That may seem hard to comprehend since we’d only been there a couple of hours, but that’s the way he makes you feel!

Some new twists

Some of the songs had been recorded previously and when he’d get to them in the medley he just cut up the original lyric. Like when “Love Me Tender” came around again he sang “. . .you have made my life a wreck and I hate you so. . .” then he’d laugh and go on to the next tune. Once through the whole medley and everything stopped for a prop change. A special set had to be set up for the finale. Instead of leaving this time, Elvis bent down to me (are you ready for that – me!) and said “What would you like to hear?” I blurted out, “Your Time Hasn’t Come yet, Baby.” * He gave me an inquisitive look and I said: “The new single.” “Right,” he said and started singing the song.

youtube

Movie soundtrack: "Speedway" (1968)

"Your Time Isn't Come Yet Baby" was released a few weeks before the movie, as a single, on May 21, 1968, with "Let Yourself Go" on the opposite side (the second song, is part of the '68 Comeback Special setlist, used during the bordello scene where Elvis acts opposite to Susan Henning). "Speedway" movie was released only a few weeks before the filming for Elvis' NBC TV Special had begin, on June 12, 1968 (although the film was completed in the early summer of 1967), while the videotaping for the "'68 Comeback Special" was filmed from June 27-30, 1968.

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Continuing Ann Moses' article:

The microphone was turned off. He called to have someone turn it on. Another girl said, “Sing ‘U.S. Male,’” and he said in a deep voice “I’m a U.S. Male. . ." but still the mic was off. Others ere calling out songs now and while he waited for someone to turn on the mic he bent down to sign some autographs. He got back up and strummed the electric guitar and tried again, but still no sound. So he left. It’s really awful to complain in light of what we were all experiencing, but to think we would have had private little 15-minute concert except for that rotten dead-mic, well. . . it would have been great. The set was ready. It was a black box some 25 feet long and as high and wide as a room. At one end there were flashing colored lights darting in all directions. At the open end was our platform and the microphone. Elvis returned, casually, but things were not quite ready. The mic was on now. Someone asked “How’s your daughter?” Elvis answered, “Oh, about this long,” he held his hands out about a foot apart as he smiled broadly.

I found this moment on Youtube Shorts (Elvis talks about baby Lisa Marie and also sings one verse of a song we'll talk about soon, recorded by Tiny Tim):

As we know, Lisa Marie Presley was born in February 1, 1968. By the time the '68 Special was being filmed, little Yisa was close to reach 5-months-old. An infant, the King's little Princess. ♥

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Continuing Ann Moses' article:

“How long have I got?” he questions the director, “I’m getting embarrassed.” There was no answer, so he began singing “Tiptoe through the tulips” in Tiny Tim style. It was hilarious and even he couldn’t help breaking into laughter.

youtube

“Tiptoe Through the Tulips” by Tiny Tim. Also known as "Tiptoe Thru’ the Tulips with Me", is a popular song published in 1929. Singer, Tiny Tim, release his version in April, 1968. It was a new tune when Elvis was singing it out of fun during the '68 Comeback Special filming, as Ann Moses remembered happening.

You can hear Elvis singing one verse of this song on the Youtube Shorts I shared previously when Ann Moses mentions Lisa Marie). What a funny guy, our Elvis. ♥

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Continuing Ann Moses' article:

“Well, how about. . .’someone left the cake out in the rain’. . .” He was now mimicking, in an extra-deep voice, Richard Harris’ hit record “MacArthur Park.” Again, he laughed.

You can listen to Richard Harris' song on Youtube, here.

Everything was ready now. He took that special stance and GLARED at the camera. The music started. . .”If you’re lookin’ for trouble. . .you’ve come to the right place.” Rough and tough, he was singing “Trouble,” twitching lip and all. But then he called, “wait, wait. . .” and the tape stopped. He looked at us and said: “Did you see that?” He was laughing again. “I got my lip caught on the microphone!”

youtube

This above isn't the take Ann is referring to (I didn't found it [:(], but one of the takes he sings "Trouble" during one of the '68 Comeback Special's stand up concerts). You got the picture.

Continuing Ann Moses' article:

He goofed the famous lip twitch. Of course, it had to be right. It all started again and this time it was perfect. In the middle of “Trouble” the tape broke into “Guitar Man” with Elvis singing “well, I’ve come a long way from the car wash. . .” and he sings about heading back down the road with a guitar slung over his back. He picks up his guitar, slings it over his back and walks off down the black corridor into the flashing lights symbolizing the future. The audience was hysterical and that’s good because the reaction is all on tape too. It was so spontaneous and so beautiful. What I gather the special is all about is sort of a life story of Elvis through his music, ending of course, with him walking into the unknown future, that for him can only get better. All I can say is I didn’t sleep for two nights and I’m still having dreams. I guess that’s what can happen when you’re touched by magic! — Recollections by ANN MOSES, editor of TIGER BEAT and NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS MAGAZINES, as published in her Facebook page on January 8, 2024.

Pictures 1-2: Elvis '68 Comeback Special. Picture 3: Ann Moses on "Elvis: That's The Way It Is" (1970, theatrical version).

ON ANN MOSES: Ann is one of the girls appearing on "Elvis: That's The Way It Is" (1970) documentary on the fan interviews portion of the film. In one of her interviews years later, Ann says that she was a fan of Elvis previous to the '68 Comeback Special but her love for him hibernated for a while during Elvis' Hollywood years (60s) due to all the new music for the youth that was happening at the time, but then ever since 1968 and Elvis' comeback to performing live in 1969, Ann was again a die hard fan, instantly — and that she is until today. Every now and then she talks about Elvis Presley on her Facebook page, sharing articles she wrote on him to the magazines she was an editor for back in the days, also about her experiences watching Elvis performing live, the time she visited him on a movie set in 1969, and so on. Ann Moses published a memoir book where she talks about her experiences as a young woman living among big stars in the 60s and 70s - obviously she mentions Elvis there. Her memoir book is entitled "Meow! My Groovy Life with Tiger Beat's Teen Idols", published in 2017.

Picture 1-2: Elvis and Ann Moses during and after his press conference at the International Hotel (August 1, 1969 - the press conference was held right after Elvis' opening night at the hotel's showroom). Pictures 3 and 5: Elvis performing at the International hotel on August 2, 1969, both photos by Ann Moses. Picture 4: Ann Moses.

#elvis presley #elvis #elvis the king #68 comeback special #elvis fans #elvis fandom #elvis history #60s elvis #1968 tv shows #60s tv #Youtube #tiger beat magazine #new musical express magazine #vintage magazines

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evolnoomym · 4 months ago

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MINA!!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 Congrats on 1 year babe! I am so happy that you have brought your positive, sun shiny (moon shiny?) self to this fandom. It has been an absolute joy getting to know you and watching you spread your positivity everywhere! 🌙💐

I'm very excited to participate in your birthday challenge, I will of course be picking everyone's favorite murder husband, Dave York, and I will take prompt number 9 please 🥺

Hello Kelsey😘😘😘

Thank youuuuu, but literally stoooopppp it🥹

All these kind words make my heart melt and I want you to know that it has been a joy for me as well to have met you 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Moon-Shiny sounds like a alcohol beverage, maybe you can pair that with some MinaMilk 🤣🫶🏻😏

Anyway, here you go, Murder Daddy Dave York with prompt/theme number 9:

Taking a yoga class 🧘‍♂️

Have fun my dear!!😘😘😘

#ask #Kelsey x Mina #EvolnoomymsFirstBirthdayCelebration #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #dave york #moodboard challenge

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loganremade · 1 year ago

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2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about.

tagged by @victoriaspriing thank you!!!

2024 is just around the corner, so unbelievable to me. it feels like no time has passed since the beginning of 2023. i was thinking, hm it doesn’t feel like i’ve made many gifs this year, but then i went looking back at all my favorite gifsets i made and i was pleasantly surprised to see quite a significant amount. my goal for 2024 is to create more gifsets, to share with the fandom and most importantly to let the creativity flow. okay, but i’m here to reflect on my gifsets from this year, so let’s get into that shall we? i’ll share some fun statistics and then my top 5 gifsets from this year, and totally copying joana here but i’ll also give a shoutout to my favorite creators who not only inspire me but make this fandom wonderful with their creations <3

fun statistics

in total i made 188 gifsets in 2023

99 are about louis (*pretends to be shocked*)

50 are about harry

10 are larry

4 are ot5

1 about samia

1 about soyoon

the rest are 911 lone star, stranger things, only friends and first kill

28 (!!!) are elaborate gifsets

44 are or include purple

4 are about faith in the future

top 5 gifsets (in no particular order)

louis birthday gifset this has to be my favorite gifset i’ve made this year. i had so much fun making it, from trying a different color i’m not used to, to using new effects i hadn’t had the chance to try. everything came out as i had envisioned and it makes me so happy. i gotta say by the end of it i was tired. i think i spent a total of 10 hours on it, but it was so worth it

faith in the future anniversary gifset okay so this one was originally going to be blue and yellow, but the first gif (the one with the tv) wasn’t looking good, so i just did what i do best, make it purple and yellow. i’m glad i did, because not only do i love that combo, but i think it looks great. i had this vague concept of what i wanted to do. i knew i definitely wanted to include the spotify template. from there i just did what i felt in the moment. the edit with the tracklist was originally going to be in the form of a google search, but it looked so bad, so i just went for something more simple, which ended up looking so much better. the last edit was the second to last one. i was thinking, how can i include fitfwt into it? that’s when i realized i had a combination of one gifset, one edit, one gifset and one gifset, so i added one edit in the middle of the last two gifsets to create that pattern. i took my favorite louis picture from tour and just did a quick edit. with this one, less was better, and i’m very proud of how it came out

hlholidayexchange gifset i absolutely adore this one. the prompt was anything with 2014 larry. i had a very clear concept for this one. polaroids showing them together. while looking for videos i just gravitated towards their night changes performance, especially the prince and little one with the cheekbones, so that’s what i did. i was apprehensive about the blending, as it’s something i struggle with, but personally i think i did good. there’s always room for improvement, but i’m satisfied with it. the colors came to me right at the end, a combination of some of my favorite colors that are close together in the color wheel, so they look good together. it’s simple, but effective :)

louis tomlinson tinder this one was so fun to make. i especially loved coming up with hobbies and activities that describe louis. i knew i wanted to include numerology because this boy is obsessed with numbers and you can’t tell me he isn’t into numerology. as for the matches, i included his husband people who he’s potentially had a crush on based on interactions and interviews. i also love how the colors came out, i think it looks very pretty

harry’s house anniversary i love this one so much. i had a very clear concept of what i wanted to do. the cutout of the pictures plus the lyrics looked so much fun and i had a great time putting it together, and i just love the spotify template. i think everything about it is very pretty. the colors, the scenes, all of it. the only thing that makes me sad is how the video for daylight came out way later so i couldn’t include it, but other than that i love it so so much

bonus!!! this is louis tomlinson a very fun, very pleasant edit. i remember just wanting to do a gifset highlighting some aspects of louis and his career. i wanted something semi simple and visually appealing, so i did the google search overlay and from there just basic layouts. i had a lot of fun making it

shoutout to my faves!!!

@delicatepointofview @heroeddiemunson @wylanvannecks @505louis @anxiouspunk @ricky-olson @vinmauro @raypakorn @victoriaspriing @birthdaysentiment @robin-buckleys @perrieedwards @margarethcarter @neil-patrick @bobbiedebruyn @braverytattoos @justthinkingaboutlouis @loustyles @kiwikiwiandkiwi @finexbright @zourried @seatawinans @mcbride @jdeanmorgan @morgana-pendragon @niccolofares @sci-fi @benoitblanc @saw-x @binariesuns @oliviairodrigo @annacoleman @aliecenthightower @nelsonnicholas @curlyhairedprince @padme-amidala

sorry if i’m forgetting anyone. if you’re a gifmaker assume i love your gifs. tagging the people above and anyone else who happens to see this and wants to do it. no pressure!!!

#logan.txt #tag games

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gin110881 · 6 months ago

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In Another Life, chapter 11, New Students

I’ve just realised I made a bit of a mess with the chapter numbering. In my main document, Chapter 1 follows the prologue, but of course, on AO3, the prologue is Chapter 1. I’ve now adjusted that, so I’m writing Chapter 16 at the moment instead of Chapter 15. Sounds much better, doesn’t it?

Here’s a sneak peek at Chapter 11. But first, a little spoiler: in Chapter 12, Ron’s Birthday, something will happen that some of you have probably been waiting for a long time!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Next, a tall, dark-haired man stepped forward. "I'm Malcolm Whitby, and this is my son, Kevin. I'm a wizard, but I work with Muggles, so my wife, who's a Muggle, has been handling most of Kevin's magical education." He gave a short laugh. "Apart from the practical side, my Eloise knows quite a lot about magic."

His comment drew some amused chuckles from the group.

Finally, the mother of the sandy-haired boy introduced herself. "I'm Rosalind Pritchard, a tailor by trade," she said, her elegant appearance reflecting her profession. "I'm here with my son, Graham. My late husband and I were both wizards. I've had to raise my son alone while running my tailoring business to make a living. I was glad for the opportunity to let Graham learn alongside others." She hesitated briefly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. "Of course, I'm happy to help with the new school if needed."

So, Graham was his name, Emily thought, stealing another glance at him - only to realise he was watching her. Suddenly feeling warm, she gave him a small smile and quickly looked away.

At that moment, Dumbledore appeared, flanked by his house-elves, sitting in his comfy chair. Clearing his throat, his usual twinkle in his eyes, he let his gaze sweep over the group. Then, in a solemn tone, he began, "Welcome, everyone. We are gathered here today under somewhat unusual circumstances, but rest assured, you are all among friends."

As Dumbledore spoke, Emily's attention drifted back to Graham. He caught her looking again and returned her gaze with a warm, quiet smile. Feeling flustered, she turned her attention firmly back to Dumbledore, determined to focus on what was being said.

Ginny leaned toward Emily and whispered, "You know, Graham isn't that bad-looking." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

#hinny #hinny fanfic

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bonfire-at-the-crossroads · 5 months ago

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Worst birthday ever.

I’ve had 69 of them, so I should know.

Storm Eowyn wrecked the entire country of ireland - and she is not prepared to return it to any kind of usefulness.

I will recount the number of things which have gone horribly wrong in the last week - so there will be a record remaining when my rotting corpse is discovered sometime next July.

We knew the storm was coming. Bought wood, kindling, coal, topped up the old oil lamps, bought groceries - and drove down to deliver the framed prints to the MEE’s early afternoon. All of this was my idea and my insistence. Brian tried to purchase something online a couple days earlier, it was declined, a fraud warning was issued - and they shut down his bank card. It was instantaneous and irrevocable. Forty bucks worth of long distance phone call later - he was told they would send him a new card “it will arrive in three days”

It won’t. I’m guessing it will NEVER arrive, which leaves Brian with no money whatsoever.

The MEE’s owe me $ for the last month of work, so I figured I’d go get some cash. We arrived, everyone was in tears. Poor old Beau the dog had been run over an hour earlier. Awful stuff, and we spoke together for quite awhile.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Turns out that the MEE’s auctions are now a separate entity from Bryan and Katie - who have gone on to form their own antiques business. This is a wallop. Who pays me? Why are there awkward silences, and what smells like bad blood among the family members? I am really uncomfortable.

Holly transferred the money into the bank account. We drove home.

The storm hit at 4:00 AM. I’d insisted on parking the car along the gable end of the house for fear of falling trees. An enormous branch is now lying along the electric wires in front of the house. It rests on the high-tension cable AND the regular power lines - so nobody in their right mind is going to remove it. We must wait for the lads in Hi-Viz with the repair truck to deal with this.

The entire country lost power. Roofs are gone, entire forests are resting across power lines and roadways - and it will take months and months to get stuff cleaned up. If ever.

We have no electricity.

To be completely clear about this? No power.?

No refrigerator so everything is quietly rotting.

No heat. There is snow on the ground.

No internet

No phone service - the cell towers are down.

No way to charge the phones - unless you sit in the car and plug the little Jack into the cigarette lighter….as I am doing now.

No light

No tv

No running water - the pumping station pumps have burned out and “we are looking to source others. Sorry for the inconvenience “ (we are now flushing the toilet with buckets of water pulled from the pond. )

This will continue for at least another week - probably more.

———————————-

Gee. That sounds awful.

It gets better.

The car won’t start.

It just blinks. Bri got it going after screwing around with the shift about ten times. But refuses to take it to a mechanic “it’s fine. They won’t know what’s wrong anyway. ITS FINE.”

————————

Pat arrived late yesterday and gave us the loan of a generator! He potchkied a plug-strip onto it (the plug which comes into the generator is a peculiar configuration called a site-plug, and there’s no way to plug in any sort of household outlet.)

Brian has been obsessing over not being able to watch his football games. He actually planned to “go to a pub in Ballyshannon, and set up to watch the games there. First game starts at 6:00, last game ends at 1:00 AM.”

I had to tell him that this was SO FUCKED UP I can’t even believe he would think such a thing. “You plan on leaving me alone in the cold and the dark with no phone or way to find help - while you sit in a bar for seven hours, having a few beers - then driving home in the wee hours?”

This is the state of my husband. The mind reels….

Last night? He was so happy with the generator that he could watch football. He set up in his chair - tv on, internet plugged in. He added a lamp. He added a little space heater. But this was not quite enough for him. He added a SECOND heater.

And blew the generator.

I spent the next three hours pulling apart five different electric plug strips - and wiring them into the site plug. To no avail.

——————-

Have spent the afternoon galloping across the border to buy new strips.

Also more lamp oil. Matches. Cat food.. milk. And water. All of which are my idea, because apparently he is a child who cannot look at ANYTHING and extrapolate what is needed going forward.

I suspect all men are this hopeless? I wouldn’t know. I’ve spent 35 years with this one, so this is a limited sampling.

The generator is running. The WiFi is up for now. He just asked me what my plans are for the rest of the day - this is Brian-speak for “I’m leaving now to pursue my own desires.” I told him I had a choice. I could sit in the cold and dark in the studio. Or I could sit in the cold and the dark in the house. “What do YOU want to do?” I ask.

“I’m going to take a shower” sez he. I am confused. There is no heat, ipso facto - no hot water.

“Ah” I figure it out. He’s going to go to the gym. He didn’t get to go yesterday - so “take a shower” is Bri-speak for leaving me here and going to work out.

Worst

Birthday

Ever.

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llittletingoddess · 2 years ago

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Borderline

"This is my job, I have no other choice."

Part 1

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Genre: AU, Psychology, Drama, Angst, Character Study

Words Count: 1.2k

IMPORTANT: English is not my first language so there may be some mistakes, please be patient. Also note that it's based on real occurrences but do not claim to be accurate. Everything described is merely the author's point of view ♥

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August, 2022.

An ordinary routine summer day. Summer in Vail is one of the most interesting times of the year. And even though the number of tourists decreases over time during this period, the nature, on the contrary, surprises with its colors: Rocky mountains are submerged in greenery, the sound of waterfalls perfectly complements the tranquility present here, and the distant chirping of birds somewhere in the forest seems to transport you to a fairytale. An ideal place to live… with your family.

The life of a housewife is vastly different from the whirlwind of events she experienced all these years. His tours, red carpets, camera flashes, and universal popularity - it was like Cinderella transforming from a stepdaughter into a princess. But all of it came crashing down in one moment.

There were no signs of trouble. Francesca was cutting onions for the soup she would eat alone - the kids had long scattered to various places, and her husband… when did he ever like onion soup? Somewhere in the background, MTV was on to somewhat alleviate the deafening silence of the place. This house used to be a family nest, into which she poured her soul, but now these walls weigh her down with their emptiness. As she finished chopping the onions, out of the corner of her ear, she heard those lines:

— "…rock legend James Hetfield… divorce…25 years…"

Her heart sank. Once again, journalists referred to him as a rock legend. He would mutter something discontented about how people in the industry can't even tell metal from rock, and then he'd start comparing himself to someone like Mick Jagger, assuring everyone that he'd still be rocking at 70. This made Francesca bitterly smile at her own thoughts. She knew very well that divorce was inevitable. All these years, she lived in self-deception, hoping he would change. For the sake of the family. For her. But the more he changed, the less of that James she fell in love with remained. The one who became the father of her children. And she blamed herself for it. After all, it was her idea to get him to go for treatment for his alcohol addiction. But getting rid of the problem came at too high a cost.

With a heavy sigh, she turned off the TV with a dry hand. Sabbath, their black cat, the one James named after one of his favorite bands, gently rubbed against her leg, and her eyes began to burn intensely. Francesca couldn't tell if it was the onions or the fragments of her broken heart. Pouring the onions into the pot, she lit the stove and sat down at the table. Sabbath, slightly offended by the lack of attention, climbed onto the nearby chair, gazing questioningly at her owner. Francesca wearily smiled, petting the cat's head.

— You are constant, Sabbath. Always been a silent psychologist for me at the right moment.

A couple of days ago, he celebrated his birthday. For the first time in almost 30 years, without her. Was he happy? She hoped so. At least, it seemed that way when he answered her phone call with a barely discernible joy in his voice. Usually, he didn't like to throw parties in his honor, but this time, it was a mini-party with his favorite tracks from the 80s in the style of the series "Stranger Things" - or so she was told by mutual friends. That was so unlike him… why would he suddenly chase trends? "Better to understand the kids," Francesca answered her own question. She had often told him that he should get to know their children's interests better.

— While you're sell out stadiums, your kids need their father.

— Everything will be fine, Fran. This is my job, I have no other choice.

He always said that, and what was the result? While finding common ground with Castor was easy, as their son followed in his father's footsteps and played in a young band, with Kali, their internal connection worked - Marcela was the most difficult one. At first, he was skeptical of her boyfriend, and then he criticized her for a revealing photoshoot for some designer. As a result, Sella cut off communication with her father, adding another crack to their family.

Children… sometimes Francesca wondered what it would have been like if she hadn't met James on that tour in 1991. She was immensely proud of each of her children's endeavors, but lately, she blamed herself for choosing such a father for them. They could have been much happier without all the money in the world that James tried to earn, the most important thing was his presence. That would have been better. But… for the children, or for herself?

Francesca's gaze fell on the family photograph hanging on the wall. They were all together against the backdrop of wintry rocky mountains. Young Cali, Castor, and Marcella looked adorable with their cheeks reddened from the cold, and she and James looked happy and… right.

She embraced herself. No matter how much she blamed James for his absence, she knew what she was getting into when he asked her to date him. For a star of his magnitude, there was simply no time for family in his schedule. And she missed him so much: his warm hugs before each concert, his pleasant voice vibrating in his chest when she lay on him, his tender words towards her, the way he affectionately called her "Fran," even though she was annoyed by that form of her name… but who could resist his smile and charm? No wonder he captivated hundreds of girls. But she became special to him.

"I'm so lucky to have you, Fran… if it weren't for you, I don't know where I'd be now…"

But now he's probably spending time in the studio with his guys, discussing the latest news and sharing inside jokes that only they would understand. Francesca felt that over the years they lived together, she couldn't become as close to him as his bandmates were. And it angered her. In the last few months before the divorce, they often argued about this. Well, it was one of the key issues in their fights. James tried to smooth things over, taking the family on tour with him, but it hardly changed the situation. The kids had their studies; they couldn't be a burden to their father throughout his entire tour! And he understood that.

Francesca rested her head on her hands, gazing heavily at Sabbath. The cat seemed to understand all her troubles and peacefully dozed off, closing its eyes and calmly observing its owner. Or perhaps the problem wasn't with him at all? Maybe she demanded too much. He couldn't cancel a concert, knowing that the entire fee would go to support their family. At her request, he went through alcohol addiction treatment twice, which became humiliating for him. At her request, he gave so much advice to Marcela, which made her resent him.

— It's my fault, Sabbath…

Tears rolled down her face on their own. How could she blame him when everything she saw as a problem was initiated by her? Her heart tightened in her chest, and the bitter truth suffocated her. What would happen to her life now? But she had no choice. She needed to be strong. For herself. For the children.

She need to get him back.

#james hetfield fanfiction #james hetfield fanfic #metallica #borderline

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the-rewatch-rewind · 2 years ago

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Here it is! My most frequently rewatched movie! Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

Script below the break

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today, at last, we reach the end of that list as I discuss my number one: MGM’s 1940 comedy The Philadelphia Story, directed by George Cukor, written by Donald Ogden Stewart with uncredited contributions from Waldo Salt, based on the play by Philip Barry, and starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart.

Two years after the disastrous end of her first marriage to childhood friend C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is preparing for her second wedding, to George Kittredge (John Howard), general manager of her estranged father’s coal mining company. Eager to cover this story but knowing that Tracy loathes publicity, Spy magazine editor and publisher Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell) enlists the help of Dexter to get reporter Macaulay “Mike” Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth “Liz” Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) to the Lord house the day before the wedding. In those 24 hours before her second marriage begins, Tracy is prompted to rethink not only her choice of husband, but also her entire attitude toward people and life.

This must have been one of the first old movies I saw in 2002 because the only thing I remember about my initial experience of it was that I expected Tracy to accept Mike’s proposal, and if I’d been an experienced old movie watcher by then I would have known that obviously Katharine Hepburn was going to end up with Cary Grant, not James Stewart. I certainly did not immediately fully appreciate this movie, although I was intrigued enough to keep revisiting it until eventually it became my favorite. I watched it five times in each year from 2003 through 2005, four times in 2006, twice in 2007, 2008, and 2009, three times each in 2010 and 2011, five times in 2012, once in 2013, once in 2014, twice in 2015, once in 2017, twice in 2018, four times in 2019, once in 2020, twice in 2021, and once in 2022. Part of why I watch this so much is because it has three stars whose birthdays I celebrate almost every year, so I often watch it for Cary Grant’s birthday and then either Katharine Hepburn’s or James Stewart’s (their birthdays are only about a week apart so I don’t usually watch it for both). I think part of why I didn’t watch it in 2016 is because I watched it in late December of 2015 for the 75th anniversary of its release, so Grant’s birthday in January felt too soon to revisit it, and that May I decided to watch through all the Fred and Ginger movies starting with Astaire’s birthday, so I was less focused on Kate’s and Jimmy’s birthdays that year. And then later in 2016 I was too obsessed with Poe Party to watch much of anything else. But to make up for that, the reason I watched it so many times in 2019 is because Mary Kate Wiles used to host readings of plays and movie scripts with her actor friends for her Patreon, and I offered to transcribe the script of Philadelphia Story so she could do a reading of that one, and even though I knew the movie very well by then I decided to go through it a few more times to make sure I got all the details right, so eventually my love of Poe Party led to more rewatches of this. And the current Shipwrecked project, The Case of the Greater Gatsby, takes place in December of 1940 so there are lots of Philadelphia Story references in it and they make me very happy. Anyway, I’ve put quite a bit of effort into not watching this movie too many times too close together because I don’t ever want to overwatch it to the point of getting tired of it, like I did with a few other movies I’ve mentioned on this podcast, and many more that I burned out before they could make it into my top 40. While the stars’ birthdays have contributed to the view count, mostly this is my number one comfort movie that I know I can always turn to when I need something to watch, and I’m afraid of pushing it to the point where that no longer works. Although the fact that I sat through it 51 times in 20 years – the same number of views as number two plus number 40 on this list – and haven’t come close to getting tired of it yet indicates that I probably never will.

I don’t think I can really articulate what exactly it is about this movie that makes it my favorite to revisit, but I’m going to try. Certainly the fact that it features three of my favorite classic film stars helps, although a big part of why I love those stars so much is because of what they did in The Philadelphia Story. Every single member of the cast gives an absolutely fabulous performance. There isn’t a ton of action, but the dialogue is a perfect example of everything I love about the best Old Hollywood scripts: snappy and witty and clever on the surface, with real human emotion and intriguing philosophy underneath. The movie features many different kinds of brilliantly executed comedy, but the more serious moments still hit without feeling out of place. It deals with taboo subjects like divorce, infidelity, and alcoholism in ways that complied with production codes but still don’t feel too watered down. Basically, it has all the aspects I love about the other old movies on this list, only more so.

Several of my very favorite movie scenes of all time are in The Philadelphia Story. One is when Mike has had a lot to drink at a party and decides to visit Dexter in the middle of the night. The way drunk Jimmy Stewart and sober Cary Grant interact is hilarious and makes me desperately disappointed that the two of them never appeared in another movie together. At one point, Stewart makes a noise that’s kind of a mix of a hiccup, a cough, and a burp. Grant, thinking that Stewart has ruined the take, goes, “Excuse me,” sounding a little annoyed but trying to make a joke out of it, but then Stewart drunkenly responds with, “Huh?” indicating his intention to go on with the scene. Grant looks down, stifling a laugh, and then they continue with the dialogue, and I love that instead of reshooting it, or editing around it, they kept that in the movie. There may not be a blooper reel, but we still get to watch Jimmy Stewart almost break Cary Grant, and that’s good enough for me.

Another of my favorite scenes comes a bit earlier in the film, when Tracy and her younger sister, Dinah, played by Virginia Weidler, meet Mike and Liz for the first time. Tracy immediately saw through Dexter’s story that they were friends of her older brother’s and knows they’re reporters, but agreed to play along when Dexter informed her that Sidney Kidd intends to publish a story about Tracy’s father’s affair with a dancer unless he gets a story on her wedding. To protest the situation, Tracy and Dinah decide to put on a show for Mike and Liz, who don’t know that they know they’re reporters, and it is maybe my favorite comedic scene in any movie. First Dinah dramatically stumbles in wearing pointe shoes and some gaudy jewelry that was a wedding present she previously insulted. She then puts on an overly posh voice as she explains that she spoke French before she spoke English – “C’est vrai absolument!” – and boasts that she can play the piano “and sing at the same time!” She makes her way to the piano with the least graceful toe walk possible, and then bangs out a very silly rendition of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady,” a song mainly associated with Groucho Marx. While Mike and Liz are staring at her in bewilderment, Tracy peeks into the room and beams like she’s never been prouder of her sister. Once the song is finished, Tracy enters and praises Dinah in French, comparing her to Chopin, and then saying Dinah looks ill and she hopes it’s not smallpox, which freaks out Mike and Liz, but the audience knows it’s a private joke because earlier Tracy told Dinah that the only way she could postpone the wedding was to get smallpox. After Dinah leaves, it’s Tracy’s turn to confuse the reporters, and it is truly brilliant. The dialogue and the way it’s read, as Tracy turns the interview around and starts asking them invasive questions, is so good. Like when Tracy’s talking about how they don’t let any reporters in, “except for little Mr. Grace who does the social news. Can you imagine a grown-up man having to sink so low?” or when she’s welcoming them to Philadelphia and says, “It’s a quaint old place, don’t you think? Filled with relics, and how old are you, Mr. Connor?” It’s the seemingly accidental but actually very deliberate insults that get me. And then on top of that, there is some incredible yet subtle physical comedy going on throughout the conversation. Tracy accidentally-on-purpose pushes Mike and Liz into each other as she offers them seats, and there’s a whole very long bit between Tracy and Mike involving cigarettes, matches, and lighters that I didn’t even notice the first few times I watched it because I was too focused on what they were saying. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable scene all the way through, and every time I watch Tracy exit that room, leaving the reporters to ponder their bafflement, I have to applaud.

But the movie also excels at mixing some drama and seriousness in with the comedy. There’s a lot of focus on how Tracy demands perfection from herself and everyone around her, and as a result is missing out on the joys of human messiness. She makes a big deal about never drinking alcohol, although Dexter reveals that she did get drunk one time when they were married, and later remembered nothing about it. But after Dexter tells her that being married to her felt like being a high priest to a goddess, and George tells her that he worships her like a queen, and her father, who showed up uninvited, tells her she might just as well be made of bronze, Tracy gives in and starts drinking heavily at the party the night before her wedding, which was where Mike also got very drunk. Tracy and Mike meet up at Dexter’s house, then go back to her place, and dance and argue for a while until Mike kisses her and tells her that he sees her as a human being, which is a wonderful change of pace for her, so she suggests they go swimming together. Later, Dexter and George see Mike carrying Tracy back to the house, both of them in bathrobes, and George assumes the worst. The next morning, Tracy can’t remember what happened, but Dinah tells her that she saw Mike carry Tracy into her room – which is another excellent scene, Virginia Weidler was one of the best child actors of all time and people barely ever talk about her anymore, but she and Katharine Hepburn do a fabulous job of getting the point across that they both think Tracy slept with Mike the night before without breaking production codes. And then after that when Mike appears, he and Tracy have the most excruciatingly awkward conversation, and it’s so painful but so good. Dexter also shows up trying to comfort Tracy, and I love the way he doesn’t accuse her or condemn her or even ask her what happened, partly because he knows she doesn’t remember, partly because Mike told him nothing happened, but partly because you get the feeling that he wouldn’t think any less of her if she had drunkenly hooked up with Mike. And maybe that’s reading too much into this, but his reaction is certainly quite different from George’s, which I guess makes sense because technically she would have been cheating on George and not Dexter, but George doesn’t even let her explain before breaking up with her by note. He does finally show up in person as she’s reading the note aloud to Dexter, Mike, and Liz, and their confrontation is so well done – I particularly love Liz’s “Say something, stupid!” to Mike, who is just standing there listening to George accuse Tracy of having an affair with him. But after a while, Mike does eventually reveal that their so-called affair consisted of exactly two kisses and a rather late swim. Tracy and George don’t believe him at first, and then Tracy is offended, until he points out that she was very drunk and he didn’t want to take advantage of her. And like, I know that this movie was made in 1940, so the censors weren’t going to let Tracy actually have sex with another man the night before her wedding anyway, but I still can’t help loving the way they handled this. Tracy makes a bit of a fool of herself and learns that George is not the right man for her without going too far, and Mike demonstrates that it’s not that difficult to respect a woman’s autonomy and recognize when she is unable to consent.

I have a lot of mixed and complicated feelings about this story from an aroace perspective. On the one hand, it is very focused on romance and marriage. Also the whole thing about characters describing Tracy using phrases like “virgin goddess” and “perennial spinster, however many marriages” to illustrate her coldness and lack of human understanding is…not exactly an ace-affirming metaphor. On the other hand, I always appreciate stories about adults who have the chance to sleep together and choose not to, even when I know it’s at least partly because of production codes. And somehow, something about the way Dexter, Tracy, Mike, and Liz all interact give me hints of queer found family vibes, even though they end up paired off heterosexually. Maybe it’s the fact that it was directed by a gay man and features at least two probably queer actors that’s giving me that vibe, I don’t know. Another of my favorite scenes – I know, I have way too many – is when Dexter and Liz return to the Lord house after writing a blackmail note to Sidney Kidd. It’s a fairly short scene, but the way the two of them interact as platonic friends who understand each other but clearly don’t like each other romantically is not something I’m used to seeing in a scene featuring a man and a woman alone, and it makes me happy. Mike also has some great moments with Dexter, as does Tracy with Liz. I like to think that the four of them maintain their friendship after the events of the movie, rather than amatonormatively going off and doing their own thing with their spouse and forgetting about their friends. This movie does portray sex and romance as part of the human experience, but I don’t feel like it portrays them as the only important part. The message is all about pursuing the life that’s right for you, and not looking down on people who have different priorities, and when you look at it from that perspective, it actually is kind of ace-affirming, albeit probably unintentionally. But as I’ve indicated multiple times in previous episodes, asexual representation is so rare, and aromantic representation is even rarer, that if you can find an approximation of affirmation by tilting a story and squinting at it, even that feels exciting. That’s how low the bar is.

With that being said, as a teenager I definitely did relate to Tracy Lord, at least in terms of the way I was perceived. I think a lot of my peers thought that I thought I was better than them, when it was mostly that I just didn’t understand them. I don’t remember anyone calling me a goddess or a queen or a statue, but other middle and high schoolers definitely teased me for being “perfect”, which told me that they didn’t really see me as a person, so I felt Tracy’s pain and confusion when she got called out like that. I do think that like Tracy, I had a lot to learn about letting myself make mistakes and not judging other people too harshly for theirs, but I also still strongly feel that some of the criticism leveled at Tracy – and at me – was unwarranted. I can’t tell if the movie wants us to agree with Tracy’s father when he blames his philandering on not having the right kind of daughter, but I think that’s entirely unreasonable of him, and Tracy absolutely does not deserve that. And I’m not sure it’s fair of Dexter to blame her for contributing to his alcoholism, but at least Dexter takes some responsibility for his actions, unlike Seth Lord. I think my peers didn’t understand me any more than I understood them, but I probably could have cut them more slack and tried to get to know them better before writing most of them off as too different for me to possibly get to know. The circumstances in this movie are very different from being a high school misfit, but as a high schooler who often had trouble relating to movies that were actually about high school misfits, somehow this movie spoke to me. It was an escape from high school that also helped get me through high school. The story helped me become a less judgmental and more forgiving person toward others while also helping me feel better about being who I was unapologetically. I also got similar messages from other sources, so I don’t want to give this movie too much credit, but at the same time, I don’t think any single movie affected my teenage years more than this one, so I would certainly be a different person if I had never seen it.

The story of how this movie came about and what it led to is also very important to me. After appearing in several box office flops in the late 1930s – several of which made it onto this list – Katharine Hepburn left Hollywood for Broadway to star in and financially back the stage version of Philadelphia Story, which Philip Barry had written specifically for her. Howard Hughes purchased the film rights as a gift for Hepburn, with whom he had been romantically involved, although it seems like the romantic part of their relationship was over before that, so this is like My Man Godfrey in that it turned out the way it did partly because of exes who were still friends. Katharine Hepburn then sold the rights to Louis B. Mayer for only $250,000 on the condition that she would have input and veto power over producer, director, screenwriter, and cast. She got the director and writer she wanted, but her first choice for the two male leads – Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy – were unavailable. Gable reportedly hated George Cukor and was rumored to be at least partly responsible for the director being kicked off of Gone with the Wind, so it’s probably just as well that he wasn’t involved. Future lovers Hepburn and Tracy hadn’t even met yet at this point, so it would have been interesting if this was their first movie. But ultimately, Cary Grant came on board, under the condition that he would receive top billing, which feels a bit strange to see because Hepburn is clearly playing the main lead, but Grant also donated his entire salary to the British War Relief Society, so we can’t accuse him of too much selfishness. And James Stewart’s performance as Mike would earn him one of the film’s two Oscars, although he apparently thought that Henry Fonda should have won for The Grapes of Wrath, and that he had only received it as belated recognition for his performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington the previous year. Donald Ogden Stewart also won for Best Screenplay. The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Cukor was nominated for Best Director, and the performances of Katharine Hepburn and Ruth Hussey were nominated as well. The fact that Hepburn didn’t win – and lost to her rival Ginger Rogers, no less – indicates that Hollywood was still a little reluctant to welcome her back. But this movie crucially changed the public’s perception of Katharine Hepburn, transforming her from box office poison to a box office draw. They were calling her a has-been in 1938, but with The Philadelphia Story she showed them that she still had more to contribute, and her career took off in the 1940s, and lasted into the 1990s.

Even now, generations later, twenty years after Hepburn’s death, it’s easy to tell just by watching this movie why it was such a turning point for her. She completely embodies the spoiled socialite, but she makes Tracy sympathetic enough that when she is taken down a few pegs, as she needed to be, the audience feels sorry for her rather than gloating. Tracy is radiant enough that we understand why George worships her, yet she is down to earth enough that we understand her yearning to be seen not as an object of worship, but as a human being. Hepburn nails both the comedic scenes and the more serious dramatic scenes, with no hint of the desperately-trying-too-hard actress who comes across too often in some of her earlier films. While I obviously still love many of those films, watching this one feels like we’re seeing a Katharine Hepburn who has finally come into her own. There certainly was an element of trying to get the public to like her, but there’s no desperation about it. She gets this character, and knows how to make the audience get her too. I don’t think I could have found Tracy so relatable if she hadn’t been played like that. And listen, I’m thrilled that Ginger Rogers won an Oscar, especially because Hepburn would end up with four and didn’t really need this win, but if I had to pick one single all-time favorite film performance, I can’t think of any that would beat Katharine Hepburn’s Tracy Lord. Although I also have to say that I think Cary Grant’s performance as Dexter is incredibly underappreciated. I’ve said before that sometimes I have trouble taking him seriously in dramatic roles, but this was the ideal blend of seriousness and silliness for him, and he nails every emotional beat. He does an excellent job of showing the audience that he has grown and learned from the mistakes of his first marriage and is ready to move forward with healing his relationship with Tracy, which makes this a much better remarriage story than His Girl Friday, for example. There were a lot of movies made around this time about a divorced couple reconciling, mostly because that was the only way the Production Code allowed the scandalous topic of divorce to be addressed on film, but Philadelphia Story feels different from most of those. It’s more like Pride and Prejudice, if Pride and Prejudice started right after Elizabeth turned down Darcy’s first proposal. Both are about a couple who needed to grow and reflect before they could be happy together. I think those are my favorite kind of romances because they have less to do with attraction, which I don’t really understand, and more to do with trying to become the best version of oneself, which everyone can do regardless of how they feel about romance. Anyway, I’m a little sad that this was the last time Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn worked together, but I’m so glad they got to make this masterpiece before their careers diverged.

In 1956, The Philadelphia Story was remade as a musical film called High Society, which I watched 12 times. I enjoy that version too, although obviously not nearly as much as this version. It’s a fun romp, and the Cole Porter songs are great, but it doesn’t quite pack the same emotional punch as The Philadelphia Story. Strangely, considering I don’t think anything can touch Hepburn’s original portrayal, my favorite part of that movie is Grace Kelly’s performance as Tracy. She put her own spin on the character and was clearly having fun – probably at least partly because she’d already decided to retire from acting and marry a prince, and was wearing her actual engagement ring in the film. My biggest objection to High Society – and yes, I know I’ve complained about this too many times on this podcast but bear with me one more time – is the age gap between Dexter and Tracy. They’re supposed to have grown up together, but Bing Crosby was 26 years older than Grace Kelly, and their dynamic is just all wrong. The story doesn’t work if Dexter is old enough to be Tracy’s father! Whereas in Philadelphia Story, we’ve got Cary Grant who was born in 1904, Katharine Hepburn who was born in 1907, and James Stewart who was born in 1908. They were all basically the same age! It can be done! John Howard was born in 1913, so he was a bit younger, but I think that works for the way George looks up to and admires Tracy, and still that’s a relatively small gap. Anyway, we can add “getting actors of appropriate ages” to the long list of things The Philadelphia Story did right.

So there we have it. I’ve talked about all of my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies of my first 20 years of keeping track. Thank you so much for listening to all my rambling! I hope you’ve found this entertaining and informative – I know I have. I’m planning to do one more epilogue episode in a few weeks summarizing what I’ve learned from this project, so stay tuned for that if you’re interested. I also have lots of other ideas for movie-related podcasts that may or may not come to fruition, we’ll see. Since I don’t know what the next movie I’ll podcast about will be, I’ll leave you with one last quote from The Philadelphia Story: “We all go haywire at times, and if we don’t, maybe we ought to.”

#the philadelphia story #george cukor #katharine hepburn #cary grant #james stewart #i love this movie so much #this project has been a lot of fun #i'll be back with a conclusions episode soon-ish #but i'm going to take a break first

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changingplumbob · 1 year ago

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Villareal Household: Chapter 5, Part 5

In this part the birthday party wraps up, Joey is invited to move in and Luna's family comes for a stayover. Devin enters super mama mode to try let Luna work on her skills for promotion.

For ease of reading if the toddlers are trying to say real words I'll put the English in brackets when they do not use the whole word. Luna (mummy) and Devin (mama) use some German and Italian.

Schatz (German) meaning treasure Schnucki (German) meaning sweetie but doesn't have an exact translation Bambino/s (Italian) meaning male child/children Amore (Italian) meaning love Piccolo (Italian) meaning little one Caro (Italian) meaning dear Zia/Zio (Italian) meaning aunt/uncle Tante/Onkel (German) meaning aunt/uncle Nonna/Nonno (Italian) meaning grandfather/grandmother

Miriam: Happy birthday darlings

Rilian: Who you

Miriam: *laughs* so funny already, it’s obviously me, Tante Miriam

Alfred: Why *gestures to her sunglasses*

Miriam: All the smart people wear sunglasses inside, my husband, your Onkel Max, and I rarely see each others eyes

Rilian: *confused noises*

Deanna: That sounds depressing

Miriam: It works for us short stuff

Luna: Who wants birthday cake

Alfred and Rilian: We Mummy

Devin: Bambinos if it’s just yourself it’s me, not we

Alfred and Rilian are confused at this, far too many words, but they quickly forget the puzzlement when chocolate cake is in front of them. Luna bustles about the family company, making sure everyone is good while Devin steals Joey for a “House Tour”

Joey: An empty room, how… trendy?

Devin: Temporarily empty. I was serious when I asked you to move in, it’s yours

Joey: Truly? I mean I know we’re best friends but you’ve got a family and kids now and I’ve got…

Devin: A high woohoo drive? So what? You’re my brother, we are family, always

Joey: You don’t worry... it’ll send the wrong message to your kids

Devin: Waltz through as many women as you like. Luna and I plan on teaching our kids that a persons worth is not tied to their woohoo life

Joey: It’ll take time to move all my stuff but I guess I can do a few shifts from the mansion

Devin: Perfect! You've agreed, no backing out now

Luna: Time to try potty

Alfred: Why

Devin: You’re both toddlers now, it’s time to learn

Rilian: Why

Luna: So you can grow out of diapers. Come on, let’s just try tonight huh

Devin and Luna help the boys pull down their pants, and diapers, and sit on the potties properly.

Alfred: Mama?

Devin: Try going number 1 or number 2

Rilian just looks around in confusion, really not sure what he’s supposed to be doing. How is he meant to do what happens in his diaper? It normally just happens without effort. Now he has to try go? Very bizarre.

Luna and Devin do their best to encourage the bambinos. In the end Alfred makes a mess over the floor but seems unbothered. Toddlers don’t clean after all.

Devin: Did you make a puddle huh?

Alfred: Mama, ugg ugg (huh hug)

Devin smiles as Alfred nestles into her shoulder.

Devin: I think Alfred likes being carried

Luna: How about you Rilian? You all finished? Ready to go to bed? However when Luna picks up Rilian he becomes angry at being restricted. He hates being carried! Guess he's no longer the loves to be held infant.

Devin: Time to go night night caro

Alfred: Why

Luna: So you can sleep. Snuggle down. Do you two want a story tonight?

Rilian: or ee? (story)

Devin and Luna pick the dinosaur book and both read to the bambinos. Devin does all the dinosaur voices while Luna reads the narration parts of the story. Alfred and Rilian giggle but before long begin to snore softly.

Devin: Night night my bambinos, mama loves you

Luna: Sweet dreams Alfred, sweet dreams Rilian, mummy is so happy to have you two

While they were taking care of the bambinos, Joey had begun to move some of his stuff in. He ran in to Luna's brothers Hugo and Max, as well as Max's wife Miriam, who are staying for a few days.

Devin: Welcome home

Joey: Thanks Devin

Devin: Oh here’s trouble, my sunglasses clan mate

Max: Nice to see you to

Devin: Thanks for staying, Luna’s missed having family around

Hugo: No problem, it’s not like any of us have jobs anyway

Joey: Stupid game code not working

Hugo: Umm sure

Devin: Don’t mind my brother, he just feels very connected to the watcher

Max: One of those religious ones is he

Devin: Gosh Lu, you didn’t tell me not believing in the watcher was a family trait

Luna: It’s just how dad raised us, maybe mum would have been different but…

Max: But we’ll never know because she abandoned us

Luna: Max! We don’t know that’s what she did

Hugo: Exactly! Dad probably killed her

Luna: Hugo!

Joey: And they say I’m paranoid

Luna: She’s got to be alive... somewhere

Luna: I do keep trying the genealogy research but, nothing

Miriam: Oh great, let’s spend more time talking about the woman who screwed you all over

Feeling the need to change subjects Devin channels her most charming self.

Devin: So Miriam, how are you keeping busy

Miriam: Not with a job, we have the big house and the inheritance from Jacques

Max: We’re good

Hugo: I want to say again, thanks for giving me your portion Lu

Luna: I don’t know why that jerk cut you out of the will, he’d clearly gone batty

Hugo: That’s not it. You may have implied you knew of his criminal streak but I definitely called him a murderer to his face once or twice

While Luna goes to do some research for her faculty Devin ropes the rest of the Villareal’s into helping her practice some lines for her next job.

Miriam: So we fight, but it’s a fake fight?

Devin: Exactly

Max: What did you say to my brother

Hugo: Chill out Max, it’s part of a script

Max: Oh, that’s fine then, verbally abuse him at your leisure

Devin: Buongiorno everyone

Max: Guten Morgen

Hugo: You doing breakfast

Devin: Indeed. Luna is busy tending the plants and I figured I could fit in some meal prep before the bambinos waken up

Joey: Need help

Devin: I thought group cooking was bugged

Joey: Not every time, just most times

Alfred: Zi jo, Zi jo! (Zio Joey)

Joey: Buongiorno Alfred

Alfred: Huh

Joey: It means good morning

Rilian: Zi jo, Zi jo! (Zio Joey)

Devin: I guess we’re all awake now. Bambinos it’s Zio Joey, Jo-ey, Joey

Twins: Zi Joey! (Zio Joey)

Joey: Finally, my own fans. I can see why you like this attention

Devin: *laughs* can we say hi to Onkel Hugo

Hugo: Guten Morgen boys

Alfred: *laughs* Onk Hu si si (Onkel Hugo silly)

Devin: Onkel Hugo is just speaking Windenburgish piccolo

Rilian: Why

Luna: Because sims can speak more than one language if they try really hard schnucki

Devin: Grab a plate bambinos

Hugo: They’re sweet at this age

Devin: Don’t I know it. But you know if you wanted to volunteer for diaper duty…

Hugo: I’m good Devin

Alfred: Onk hu, why bru la da (Onkel Hugo, why does breakfast exist)

Hugo: What

Rilian: Onk hu, why ga lee doo (Onkel Hugo, why do bowls exist)

Devin: Yeah, talking is a process. We’re getting there a step at a time. Okay bambinos, after breakfast we’re doing baths. Now mummy has a day off but she’s trying really hard to learn so can we stick together? Like a team?

Alfred: We te te (We're a team)

Rilian: Me MEME (I'm a team)

Joey chuckles to himself at their attempts to learn language.

After much nonsense is said it’s decided Alfred will be carried to have the first bath while Rilian will walk himself.

Devin: Look, you’re big enough not to need a seat now Alfred

Alfred: We pl… we pl… play?

Devin: Clearly we need to work on some basic needs today piccolo mio

Rilian: Me we here

Devin: *chuckles* great job caro, can you play while mama finishes giving Alfred his bath?

Rilian: We me play

Devin: Arms up Alfred, time to dry off

Rilian: mama me, mama me

Devin: Yes Rilian, it’s your turn. Remember Alfred, let mummy learn

Alfred: Kay *immediately wanders out in the yard*

Devin: Let’s get some- woah! Watch where the water is going piccolo mio

Rilian: I lo lo war tar, I lo lo mama (I love water, I love it mama)

Devin: You love water do you? That’s fun isn’t it?

Following baths Devin gets both bambinos in the hall and begins teaching them about basic needs. She works with Rilian first, then switches to Alfred. While she is distracted Rilian sneaks to where his mummy is practicing her lecture and listens in awe at her big words. Both twins reach thinking skill level 2.

Devin: And what’s this one

Alfred: No! I nee pee (I need to pee)

So Luna takes a break to help Devin try and coach using the potty again, Rilian is still very confused by the process. When they’re done Luna returns to study, Devin goes for a jog, and the bambinos get their first screens.

Alfred: Rili, what got (Rilian what do you have)

Rilian: Rab.. bab.. tablet Alfe (It's a tablet Alfred)

Alfred: pass we pass me (Pass it to me)

Rilian: No! not we, Alfe me (Not for you Alfred, for me)

Alfred grumbles but eventually picks up the other tablet to play his own game. The twins chat to each other while they play, making sense only to each other (and who else needs to follow their conversation but them anyway).

Devin: Applesauce for everyone

Alfred: YAY *plays*

Rilian: Why mama

Devin: Because it’s food time

Rilian: No like

Devin: If you don’t eat caro, you’ll be hungry

Luna: Do I hear someone being a picky eater?

Devin: Apparently. Come on caro, three more scoops

Luna: Will that work if they can’t count

Devin: Umm

After everyone has eaten the bambinos are scooped up and taken to bed. Again they get a double storytelling and happily fall asleep. It’s a good thing we managed it early as Alfred is an early riser and needs a long sleep. Afterwards Luna tries to learn a bit of Tartosian online and Devin practices her guitar playing.

Luna: Te amo Devin

Devin: *giggles* nice pronunciation Lu, but you don’t have to learn Tartosian

Luna: If the bambinos are going to speak it then I ought to try

Devin: Guess I better try learn some Winednburgish then

Previous Part ... Next Part

#sims 4 #the sims 4 #the sims #Rotation8 #ChangingPlumbobStorytime #VillarealHousehold #RilianVillareal #AlfredVillareal #DevinVillareal #LunaVillareal #JoeyYork #R0804

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