#can you tell I finally watched Heartstopper Season 2?

[owlispls]

You ever just watch the cutest most whimsical stuff you‘ve ever seen and then just romanticize your little train ride to see friends the day after as if you were in a little queer film?

Only me? Okay, I‘ll carry on being gay on my own then~

[cookiescribble]

spencer x british!reader

as a brit i would love to see a fic of a reader with a british accent and spencer adores it and mimics her sometimes

Taking It In (Spencer Reid x British Fem!Reader)

A/N: Thank you so much for the request! This is a bit of a team effort because I’m a bit more knowledgeable about British culture (in no means an expert, I just had a hyperfixation on the Beatles and Doctor Who in middle school/ high school lmao) but Mod Angel is usually the one who writes for fem!readers. Also, we’re both American so we hope this is what you wanted! Sorry for the little wait - Mod Ghost

We also just binged season 2 of Heartstopper and tried our best to pick up on some of the language because we thought this was a really cute idea and wanted to write it as best we could! - Mod Angel

~~~

“Coffee? I thought that people from the UK drank tea?” Spencer piped up from behind as his girlfriend was pouring coffee into one of the paper cups she’d found around the canteen. 

“It heavily depends on who you’re talking to, Spencer. I feel you should know just as well as I do that everyone’s different. You didn’t profile me as soon as we started dating?” Y/N joked, to which he looked puzzled.

“Wha–no, I usually try to keep my job separate from…personal relations.” He replied sheepishly, starting to mix up his own mug of coffee. 

“That changed when we started dating, didn’t it, love?” She teased him, patting his shoulder.

It made him blush and stutter like mad, his hands waving around as he tried to scramble to find something to say. It was rare to see him speechless, but she couldn’t help but to smirk as she watched him struggle. It only lasted a few more seconds before she cut him off, reaching out and gently touching his hand.

“It’s alright, I was just being cheeky, that’s all. C’mon, let’s go back to workin’ on the case, okay?” She chuckled, leading him away from the counter with the hand that wasn’t holding her coffee resting at the small of his back as they walked. 

“I knew that!” He squealed in his own defense, which made her giggle loudly. 

*

A few weeks later, the BAU were out to dinner, taking a small break while in the middle of a case. Though, it wasn’t much of a break, considering they were still talking about the profile.

Spencer pointed to a plate in the middle of the table. “Can I have a chip?”

A confused silence fell over the table as they all looked in his direction. Spencer stared back at them, an eyebrow raised in his own confusion.

“What?” Spencer asked finally, breaking the silence.

“What did you just say?” JJ responded with a smirk, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“I asked if you could pass me a chip” he answered, pointing to the plate again.

“Where do you see chips?” Hotch chimed in, concerned for his mental stability. 

Still confused, Spencer pointed to the plate again.

“The fries?” Penelope clarified, gesturing to the same plate finally. 

“Oh.” He nodded awkwardly. “Yeah, can you pass me a fry?”

“You’re really spending too much time with that girlfriend of yours, aren’t you?” Morgan teased, grinning and playfully nudging his shoulder.

He smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said in a faux-English accent as he finally got the ‘chip’ he wanted as the rest of the table laughed. 

“Speaking of Y/N, where is she tonight?? I miss that girl.” Garcia complained from the other side of the table, 

“Oh, she went out with one of her mates–” Spencer started before Prentiss cut him off from where she was sat next to him, 

“Mates??” She asked incredulously, seconds away from giggling as he groaned and leaned back in his chair. 

“FRIENDS! Her friends.” he grumbled, finishing his food and making a mental note to not only tell but blame his girlfriend, Y/N, for everything he’d been through tonight. Not before giving her a kiss, though. The fact that she wasn’t here just made him realize how much he missed her, and it made him wonder if there was a correlation between missing her and talking like her.

The girls dropped him off at home a few hours later, where the first thing he said when he saw Y/N was ‘this is your fault’.

“Do you…want to elaborate on that or…?”

“Later.” Was all he said before he was hugging her and burying his head in her shoulder. 

She tugged him close, feeling him start breathing deeply against her shoulder as if he was falling asleep and tapped him to wake him up a bit so she could start leading him to their room. “Come along, darling, let’s get you into bed. You seem tired.” 

“I know that they’re fries but you say chips…it’s cute…” he mumbled as he walked, only adding to the confusion but she chalked it up to him being tired from a long day and let it go for now as she tucked him in with a smile at how cute he was. 

[newlabdakos]

Heartstopper, Season 2

I watched it over the weekend, and I noticed there were two scenes that did not go the way I expected at all...

(Obviously: spoilers ahead if you haven't watched it yet)

Both scenes are about people, who behaved badly towards our heroes, apologizing.

The first one is Harry, the bully who made lots of homophobic remarks. When Charlie and Nick's friend group of mostly LGBTQ kids and allies have a party in their hotel room in Paris, Harry and one of his cronies knock on the door and want to join the party. Harry apologizes for what he did and says he saw the error of his ways and wants to leave his homophobia behind, and while the group acknowledges the apology they nonetheless close the door in Harry's face.

The second scene is Ben. After being publicly dumped by imogen, he persistently tries to contact Charlie, who doesn't want to talk to him. When he finally manages to meet him, he apologizes for the way he treated Charlie when they were secretly seeing each other, but Charlie rejects the apology, saying he hopes that Ben will eventually become a better person, but he still doesn't want him in his life anymore.

In both cases, I expected that the apology would be accepted, that Harry would be allowed to join the party and Charlie would tell Ben something along the lines that he forgives him and hopes they can eventually become friends, and i believe that if Heartstopper was an US production, things would have gone that way. I may be wrong, but my impression is that Americans place more value on forgiving and forgetting, however Charlie's reaction as it is seems more realistic and healthier to me.

[ace-exploring]

To the person who submitted an ask but not anonymously

I'm answering this way because I wasn't sure if you wanted your account/name exposed.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, it can be a really tough time figuring out if you're ace. I can tell you two definitive things:

YOU ARE NOT BROKEN. Asexuality is a valid sexuality and you are not alone.

You can use whatever label you want whenever you choose. Feel ace today? Use it, if you want to. Don't feel ace next week? You can use another label. Or none at all.

I'm sorry, I'm not an expert. I'm a still-recent ace still trying to figure out why I didn't figure this out sooner.

Some resources I can direct you towards that I have found helpful:

The ace pages on the LGBTQIA+ Wiki.

I understand that Season 2 of Heartstopper on Netflix has some good ace rep (I am yet to watch it).

For the record I have been married for nearly ten years. When I finally figured out I was ace, I told my husband and he said, "Yeah, that makes sense." Identifying as asexual doesn't mean you can't be in a relationship or never have sex.

[sunflowergamer6]

Hello! I've decided to make a pinned post because I'm bored!!!!

So who am I? Well, online, I like to use the name Gamer(it was just bestowed upon me because of my username). I use he/him and I am a man enthusiast, and I'm a little bit silly and whimsical.

"Gamer, I have now become infatuated with you and want to know what you like." Thank you person reading this, I will now tell people what I like.

Generally speaking, I like a lot of mythology and video games. Besides that I like a lot of horror and action media, and I also like watching some youtubers/streamers like Grian, Mithzan, Snapcube. Now onto actual fandoms.

Webtoons(I have phases where I just marathon read a bunch of webtoons I need to catch up on and then I basically dont read them for half a year, damn this is gettting a bit long, I'm gonna list them now):

- Hero Killer(episode 145)

- Surviving Romance(finished)

- Spicy Mints(episode 72)

- Jackson's Diary(season 2 finale)

- Omniscient Reader(episode 76)

- more but I'm not too much into them.

Books(unfortunately, I barely read at all and I'm trying to fix that):

- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Games:

- Splatoon 3

- Hades

- River City Girls 1 and 2

- Zelda botw/totk

- Bayonetta(mainly 1 and 2, I was so disappointed by 3's story)

- Persona 5

- Persona 5 Strikers

- Pokémon, but I've played moon, let's go eevee, sword, legends arceus, and violet.

- Animal crossing

- Danganronpa(I hate to say it but I do love them games)

- Omori

- Resident Evil 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8.

- Silent Hill 1 and 2

- fnaf

- God of War 2018 and Ragnarok

- PS4 Spiderman 2018 and Spiderman 2

- Doom 2016/Eternal

- There's definitely a lot more I'm forgetting

Musicals:

- Heathers

- Six

- Beetlejuice

- I mainly try to avoid some musicals until I can actually see them so that's it.

Series/Animes/Movies:

- BEST ANIME EVER NYAN NEKO SUGAR GIRLS

- FAN SEQUAL TO THE BEST ANIME EVER, NYAN NEKO SUGAR GIRLS: MAYONAKA

- SERIES INSPIRED BY BEST ANIME EVER, HAIMI! SWEET AND SOUR BOYS!

- SERIES ALSO PROBABLY INSPI- you get it, it's called Sparkle On Raven! The life of Drillgirl

- Yandere Highschool(Samgladiator)

- Heartstopper

- Komi Can't Comunicate

- Way of the House Husband

- Stranger Things

- The Spiderverse movies

- Jennifer's Body

- Heathers(the movie this time)

- the newer Godzilla movies( I do wanna soo some of the older ones though)

- yeah as you guessed it, there's probably more I'm forgetting

Music artists:

- Melanie Martinez

- Rina Sawayama

- Mitski

- Jazmin Bean

- Poppy

- DeathbyRomy

So, uh, yeah, that's about it. Uh, you can ask questions if you want, but beware, you might be cursed by the wizard.

[suolakissa-old]

My thoughts about a particular scene in Heartstopper season 2

Content warning: This post discusses elements of sexual assault and abuse both in Heartstopper and my personal experiences. There are also light spoilers from season 2.

So I may or may not have immediately binged the entirely of Heartstopper's season 2 today as it came out. (Pun intended.) I fact I may have binged it 1,5 times, since a friend of mine was only halfway when I finished the last episode and I went back to the start of episode 5 and watched the second half again as we furiously texted each other back and forth.

Overall I adored this season. There were a lot of things that were in my opinion handled a lot better in the TV series than in the original comics – the most poignant being how they handled the fact that Tao was the one responsible for Charlie getting outed before the events of season 1 – and there were some things that I found lacking (mostly how they handled Isaac's character).

But one scene really stuck to me, and that was the scene between Ben and Charlie in episode 7, "Sorry".

Ben has been texting Charlie non-stop asking to talk with him, and he finally tracks him down outside the art exhibition in Lambert Art School. Ben wants to apologise for the way he was treating Charlie when they were in a "relationship" (HEAVY quotation marks there), claiming he is a messed up person and his parents wouldn't accept him being gay and he knows he treated Charlie like shit, but he still liked him and thought he was a good thing in his life.

Charlie's reply is what really hit me way harder than I was expecting to.

"Do you remember the first time you kissed me? You didn't even ask. You didn't pause to wonder whether it was what I wanted, and I went along with it because I had a crush, and I didn't know any better. I didn't realise that you had all the control. When I eventually did realise, I thought, 'this must be what I deserve'. Someone taking whatever he wants from me whenever he wants. Treating me like I'm nothing for the rest of the time. And now whenever anything good happens in my life, there's a little voice in the back of my head telling me I'm worthless and that I don't deserve it. And now you want me to forgive you so you can feel better about yourself? I'm glad you realise what you did was wrong, but you don't get to ambush me into forgiving you. 'Sorry' doesn't make up for everything you did to me. I really hope you become a better person so you don't hurt anyone else. But I don't want to be there to see it happen. I don't want to see you ever again."

I just want to say thank you to Alice Oseman for writing this scene, because it gave me words for something that happened to me when I was a teenager.

I was sexually taken advantage of by a person who I had a burning crush for and who basically used me as a tool for his own pleasure. Someone who knew exactly how I felt about him and who could pull my strings to do exactly what he wanted. He could have asked me anything and I would have said yes because I felt I didn't have anything else. He didn't technically do anything against my will and sometimes I even initiated things, but he certainly didn't seem to have any qualms about going through with them despite him being perfectly aware of just how messed up the power balance between us was. And after I managed to end things with him, almost immediately after that there was someone who I thought I was starting to form a connection with and who eventually confessed he just wanted something physical with me.

I felt exactly the way that Charlie did in that moment. That I am just something that people can take their pleasure from and to hell with my feelings. Not even a human being, just some tool to be used and discarded.

It's been ten years and I have had one relationship since it happened. One. And I am definitely not aromantic since I have definitely had intense crushes on people, nor am I entirely asexual since there's definitely been times I've wanted to do stuff – though I am pretty sure I do exist somewhere on the asexual spectrum since it's definitely not as strong or frequent as I understand allos experience. That is how much those experiences fucked me up, and (as messed up as that is) I still consider myself "lucky" since technically nothing happened against my will or anything. I just didn't realise that I had a true choice back then, or that I shouldn't even have been responsible for making that choice. There is still that little voice in my head telling me that I don't deserve a happy relationship. (Though I have also since realised that there is a lot more to happiness that romance, but that's a topic for entirely another post.)

Anyway... As much as seeing that scene in episode 7 hurt, it was also strangely cathartic in a way. And it was just a beautiful scene in general. So I guess the point of this ramble was to just say thank you, Alice Oseman. Thank you once again for giving the queers something beautiful and painfully relatable.

[visionaxry]

TOP 10 TV SHOWS I WATCHED IN 2022

1. PANIC on amazon prime

i watched ‘panic’ at the very beginning of 2022, and have since rewatched it twice. i’m still surprised how it stuck with me and became one of my favorite shows, because typically i prefer more light-hearted stories. 

the idea of teenagers playing this high stakes life-threatening game is so intriguing. the mystery behind who started and runs this tradition adds so much suspense. there’s also the additional layer of poverty and family issues that’s pushing the main character. it’s so interesting to explore the characters’ motivations, their reactions to pressure. it makes for a colorful complex story. and, of course, what sells it is the main romance. the chemistry between the characters is off the charts!! (not me thinking i wouldn’t ship them before seeing the show phaha). 

even though ‘panic’ was cancelled after season 1 (which, sadly, is true for most of my favorite tv shows), i believe there’s a satisfying finality to the season that makes it work as a stand alone story.

2. QUEER AS FOLK on peacock

pure queer joy is what this show is. i’ve only experienced this level of happiness while watching “genera+ion” (which is my favorite show ever). and yes, “queer as folk” is more adult because - duh - it’s about adults, and one teen character. in a lot of ways it’s about forming your community and keeping it safe. it takes on serious issues, the characters are messy and make mistakes, yet it feels so warm and comfortable, like a home.

i’ve never seen the original show so i’m judging this show from a non-reboot perspective (which i’m pretty sure it is anyway, even though you can make parallels between some characters, it’s a new different story).  

trigger warning: there’s a mass sh**ting scene in the first episode (it’s not very graphic).

3. HEARTBREAK HIGH on netflix

the new aussie it show, move over h2o just add water! okay i’m joking, but heartbreak high really took over the world as it should have! it’s a diverse well-written gen z teen drama with amazing fashion. 

what you can expect: a lot of dramaaa, secrets & unexpected twists, sex scenes that don’t sexualize teenagers, actual ace representation (i’ve only seen it done this well in “genera+ion”), probably the best autistic representation i’ve ever seen, exploration of some dark themes (assault, police brutality) that are unfortunately a part of reality for a lot of teenagers, beautiful friendships and romantic relationships, teen angst and rebellion.

i fell in love with these characters and their dynamics, i can’t wait for season 2! plus, it turns out there was a lot of australian things i didn’t know about, so it was very cool to see australian culture represented in this fun bright series. 

4. REBELDE on netflix

look at all these pretty faces and tell me you don’t want to know more about them. this show is one hell of a fun ride. it’s like elite mixed with violetta. there’s so much colorful potential in almost (looking at you esteban) all of these characters. they fight, they perform, they’re friends, rivals and lovers, and for the big moments they’re each other’s family. they’re rebelde. i want to steal their wardrobe and be their groupie.

5. WEDNESDAY on netflix

not suprised this show became such a hit, but i’m glad i watched it when it came out without any preconceived expectations. the style of this show is amazing and it’s an entertaining watch. there can’t be enough praise for jenna ortega’s performance. she’s outstanding in everything she does, and she carried this show.

6. HEARTSTOPPER on netflix

this is a fluffy warm ball of sunshine. comfort at its finest. i’m so happy this show exists and people talk about it. i just want to give every character a hug. oh, and i want those cute doodles in my life. 

7. THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY on amazon prime

such a cute summer show. i think the creators did a great job of adapting the book for the modern young audience. it could’ve easily turned into another kissing booth with a “not like other girls” protagonist. even though you can see the original outline of the characters, they feel more evoled in the show. and that’s what i hope will happen to the story later on as well. i like when adaptations improve on given material and find their own identity. 

i did’t really like nor understood the ending so i’m kinda tense about season 2. if it’s gonna turn into a belly x conrad love show, i’m gonna have to head out, and demand a jeremiah spin off (#teamjeremiah). 

8. SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE on freeform

so this is one of the more underrated shows on this list. it’s a dramedy that follows a young woman battling her addiction in a town full of people who are right there to remind her why she drinks. sam makes quite an appealing lead character. she’s messy, she’s selfish, she’s confrontational, but she longs for real meaningful connections, even though she’s afraid of them. there’s a diverse array of characters who go on this journey with her, and i love every single one of them. i think this show has a very good trailer actually, helps get the feel of the show and what it’s about.

9. DOLLFACE on hulu

such a beautiful entertaining show about female friendship and finding yourself outside of a relationship. the cast is incredible, including kat dennings as the jilted ex, brenda song and shay mitchell as her estranged besties, matthew gray goobler as a love interest, and brianne howey and lilly singh as a nice bonus on the side. 

the part that makes this show so unique is the daydream sequences that follow the main character. it shifts the rules of the world, makes it more fantastic and unpredictable. makes me wish i could get on a bus with the cat lady that would take me to my friends.

10. HEATHERS on amazon prime

no matter how much you like the original movie, THIS heather squad is way more memorable and charismatic. who wouldn’t want to watch an edgy dark comedy about teen phychopaths whose whole identity is “i’m not like the other people, i’m weird, i’m a weirdo”, toxic friendships, murderous romance & tumblr fashion circa 2016? maybe i’m just build different if it’s my jam and not yours. 

seriously though, i unapologetically loved it. kinda reminds me of “the scream queens” (which is outstanding) and “insatiable” (which i couldn’t get into). 

thanks for giving this a read <3 hopefully i convinced you to watch some of these!  

[alegje]

I just finished a BBC show called Jack and Alice. This is the third thing I’ve watched recently that made me cry like it was my grandfathers funeral all over again. The first on was a movie called All Of Us Strangers. I was not expecting it to end the way it did and it utterly destroyed me. I cried so hard that I was heaving by the end. I ran to Gary to comfort me, but he did the exact opposite. We were in a little fight right before and he was still pretty angry with me. So instead of him holding me while I ugly cried, I rolled over and it just made me sadder and I cried even more. Not a great way to end the night. The next thing I watched that destroyed me was the remake of the movie One Day. I know I watched the original movie, but I don’t think I liked it that much since I never re-watched it. They remade it into a Netflix series and I binged the whole thing in one night. Their relationship was messy and complicated which I found to be more realistic of what actual real life relationships are actually like. One of them died in a tragic accident at the end and once again I found myself crying in a ball in our living room. I didn’t run to Gary for comfort this time since it was like 1 am, and honestly I didn’t want a repeat of last time so I don’t think I would’ve anyway. I’m sure I disappoint him daily, but he disappoints me when it comes to any kind of comfort or intimacy every time I try for it, so I’ve resigned to give up trying most of the time. I started Alice and Jack a couple of weeks ago and have been avoiding watching the last episode. In the episode before the last one Alice found out she had stage 4 cancer after her and Jack had finally decided to be together after them trying and failing miserably at it for the last l5 years. I knew the last episode was gonna be Alice dying and I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to handle it until today. I was wrong of course because I blubbered through the entire episode. I appreciate how real these 2 tv shows and 1 movie have been, but for fucks sake!!! I can only take so much. And now I have to wait and see whether one of my favorite teen dramas is gonna disappoint me too. The final episode of Young Royals drops Monday. The last episode was Simon telling Wilhelm “Love shouldn’t be this hard. Maybe it just won’t work. I can’t take it anymore.” You and me both honey!!! I have this sinking feeling like they aren’t going to end up together in the end, but trying to be optimistic. This last season is so good but also devastating at the same time. They started out so happy to finally be together but slowly the happiness deteriorated because of all of the shit going on around. They have had completely different upbringings and now have so many rules to follow and expectations put on them that I’m afraid it will unravel their deep love for each other and they’ll decide it’s easier to not be together. I hope not. At least I know that Charlie and Nick are going to end up together since Heartstopper is based on books that have already been written. The news about season 3 will be coming next week. Maybe that’ll cheer me up. We shall see.

[symeraid-s]

2023 Retrospective: TV Shows, Movies and other Music

This is not being ranked. I’m just gonna talk about TV Shows and Movies I watched this year, as well as one artist that released a banger album, which I could not fit in anywhere else. So, let’s start out with:

Other Music

Måneskin

Yeah, the RUSH! Album is really fantastic. I don’t really know what to tell you. GOSSIP was randomly recommended to me, and I couldn’t stop listening to the entire album afterwards. My favourite song of it right now is probably either OWN MY MIND of GASOLINE, but it is a great all round package. If you like rock music, I really recommend you check this out.

TV Shows and Movies

Kamen Rider Geats

Technically this show started in 2022, but it finished in 2023, so I’ll count it regardless. This was the first Kamen Rider Season I watched while airing and honestly? I don’t regret it. It’s probably not my favourite Kamen Rider Season, that title will most likely remain with Build for a while, but God damn, is Ace just a fun main rider to watch. Because I can’t deny it: I love it when a character is an asshole with a heart of gold. He also gives me gender envy. I also really like the design of the rider forms (particularly Geats Mach 2 and Nago Fantasy) and the fact that there are multiple female riders that get a lot of screen time throughout the entire season. The fandom got really weird for a while though, which was not enjoyable. But hey, I guess that’s just normal with Toku shows.

Oppenheimer

Yeah, this might be one of the best directed movies I have ever seen. It’s 3 Hours of talking, but it never drags, and it never feels like anything should have been left on the cutting room floor. Cillian Murphy is also really fantastic as Oppenheimer, and I really hope he finally wins an Oscar for this movie. He would absolutely deserve it.

Barbie

It only feels right to put this one after Oppenheimer. I didn’t like it as much, but it certainly was one of the most movies to ever movie. I wish it had been a bit campier and actually stuck with the commentary they were doing, because it does backpedal at the end, when it gets to Mattel. It’s still their product after all, so you can’t portray them as irredeemable villains, but they really got of way too easy. Just saying. The set and costume design is off the charts though and Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are fantastic in their respective roles.

Nimona

This movie is just a delight to watch. It’ll make you laugh, but it’ll also emotionally destroy you and leave you weeping in a puddle by the end. According to fans of the graphic novel, it deviates a lot from the actual ending, but I really loved the conclusion, so I can’t complain too much about that. All of the voice actors did a fantastic job and the chemistry between the characters is perfect.

Bokura no Shokutaku/Our Dining Table

The Toku to BL pipeline is going strong with two main riders starring in this show. Both Iijima Hiroki and Inukai Atsuhiro are absolutely fantastic in this show and at this point I don’t know why I’m still surprised with Inukai’s performances. He always gives 200%. This show is really wholesome, but also sad. It explores how trauma can stem from the seemingly smallest thing, which is something that really needs to be explored more in media. It’s probably one of my favourite shows this year.

Heartstopper Season 2

The second season diverges a lot from the Webtoon, but in a good way. It expands the universe, so to say. It also starts to deal with more serious themes yet keeps you in this bubble of queer warmth which is beautiful. There is also a canon asexual character, so that’s also a win. My favourite character this season was Tao. Mostly because every time he opens his mouth I think: “He’s just like me for real.” William Gao really does a great job.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Amongst Thieves

This is just a really good fantasy movie, regardless of if you play DnD. I watched this one together with my DnD party though, which was really hilarious, because our DM constantly went: “You are just as stupid as them”. Aside from that, the technical aspects of this movie are also really great. The practical effects are really stunning and the VFX look just as good. Chris Pine is also the best Hollywood Chris.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

I watched this movie together with my colleagues because the company I work for contributed the COVID tests for the filming done in Germany. So, whenever we recognised a set, we would immediately point it out. Some shots from District 12 and the Capitol were filmed in Duisburg and Berlin respectively, in case anyone is interested. But yeah, I wouldn’t have watched this movie, if it wasn’t for that. To be fair, the performances were really good, and I liked the songs, but it does kind off feel… weird. Like, some of the plot advancements seem contrived.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

My father is a big fan of the franchise and Harrison Ford, so he dragged me and my mother to see this movie. It was not the worst, but god, was it a drag at times. The entire opening scene, where they de-aged Harrison Ford was so badly lit, that I almost couldn’t see any of the action. The main villain’s plan doesn’t make any sense. The ending seems purposefully left open, even though we don’t want or need a new movie. I can’t believe I’d say this, but just let Indy die.

[neowitcher]

3 Series I’m Currently Obsessed With

To be fair, there’s a great deal of series that are holding my attention far too well right now (Stranger Things, I’m mainly looking at you). But for my three picks, I’ll focus on seasons that aired and finished in the past couple of months.

1. Heartstopper (2022-)

Starting off with my biggest favourite out of the three- Heartstopper. This is easily the best LGBTQ series I have ever seen and I wish younger me had the chance to witness a series like this one. Relatable teen characters, aesthetically pleasing scenes and just overall heartwarming feelings. My ultimate recommendation to any queer teen out there (but I highly doubt anyone needs me to tell them that)! 

2. Outlander (2014-)

As a big fan of the Outlander series but having only read two of the books, I can’t speak for book accuracy but I can confidently say that season six was my favourite so far! It gave the episodes more room to breathe and have more character-focused scenes which I love. The ending was a bit abrupt but with a seventh season in the making, I’m not going to complain about that. 

3. Moonknight (2022) 

I remember watching the finale of Moonknight and then seeing the new Doctor Strange film the day afterwards and I swear, all that angst! I like the more mature direction that the MCU is taking and this was an incredible series in that darker situation. Especially the acting was phenomenal, Oscar Isaac manages to distinguish his characters perfectly and his addition to the MCU is very refreshing. More than excited to see where they take his character next! 

[leedee013]

Heartstopper (Netflix)

Oh boy oh BOY am I overjoyed to finally see this show!!!!

I’ve been following the comic fairly religiously since 2020, and the fact that the Netflix adaptation was so true to the original content was fantastic.

Because let me tell you, when I say that I watched the entire show while smiling like an IDIOT, I’m not lying. I was worried my face would be sore. It’s like, me watching Heartstopper was literally Nick when he’s watching Charlie play the drums UGH it was so good

I simply am so happy that something like this series exists. That it CAN exist. I’ve watched shows progressively open up to portraying LGBTQIA+ people as ACTUAL PEOPLE and I can’t even begin to tell you all how different my life would be and would have been if this had come out eight years ago. I never got these experiences in high school. I could have, but I was too afraid. I'm just happy that shows like these might make it possible for more people going through the same/similar stage in life to be able to accept themselves more readily. Back when I was in high school, That Steven Universe Episode and idk, Night Vale? were about the epitome of representation that I saw in media. But I think that Heartstopper is my favorite, for a lot of reasons.

For starters, the story of Nick and Charlie warms my whole heart. There’s a lot of love packed into it, and I have to be honest, I’ve read it so many times but I still feel like crying from how beautiful this is every time. To see 1. Trans 2. Bisexual 3. Questioning representation that’s so explicit and well done is rare. And that’s not even brushing on the topic of the diversity we see in these characters as well, considering that these characters are not only part of the alphabet mafia, but several are black, asian, mixed race, etc. as well.

As a fan of the webcomics and books, I’m really looking forward to how the rest of the series will be! If there’s another season, I know we’re in for some really heavy topics, and I’m curious to see how Netflix will handle it.

Also, can I just say that I ADORE the little animations of leaves or sparks or hearts that appear every now and then???! It’s such a great homage to the source material and makes the whole show radiate with that softer, more lively feeling. Also, WE SEE NELLIE?!!!!!

I also have to admit that I love how the show digs into other characters outside of Charlie and Nick. We get to see more of Tara and Darcy and more of Elle and Tao!!!! I love these sidelines, and I appreciate how they all mesh together so well. I really don’t appreciate the erasure of Charlie’s little brother so far, especially since it’s such a cool detail about him (middle child represent!) and I’m still confused about why Imogen is in there? Maybe I’m just forgetting her from the comics? She's a sweet human and I think her little crush on Nick is adorable (would it be possible for anyone in her shoes to NOT have a crush on him?????), and I really like how she's understanding and doesn't push Nick after he asks to stay friends.

I cannot stress enough how much I love this series and this show. It would have changed my life DRAMATICALLY if I had read this when I was 15, and I’m still finding myself changing because of it now. And that’s because I can see myself in every single one of the focal characters. For me, seeing Nick be an openly questioning kid who doesn’t want to announce that he’s questioning until he understands himself better? And then the recognition and acceptance of his bisexuality? That’s mind blowing and also so wild to see represented. I went through that. To see Tao’s fear of being left behind and out of the loop? I feel that. I had a friend of mine actually abandon me for “romance”. I put that in quotation marks because, to make a very long story short, it was an incredibly unhealthy foundation for a relationship. But both her and her boyfriend used my fear of being abandoned against me and gaslit me for a year. She stopped talking to any other person and eventually became so disconnected from everyone else at our school that she transferred. I lived Tao’s nightmare, and I can understand why he was so afraid for and protective of Charlie. I understand Charlie’s feelings of being a waste of space, or an unnecessary burden for others. There was a long stretch of time where it was my dream to just run away and be alone forever so that I couldn’t hurt anyone else. And part of me still wishes for that. I’ve been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety, and I understand all too well that desire to remove myself from the equation or being too sick with myself to eat. Tara and her discomfort in how the way people treat her changes after she comes out. Hell, I can relate to Charlie's dad because there have been plenty of times when I've picked up friends from bad situations.

^my actual face while watching this show (minus the times when I'm casually sobbing)

So please, for the LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD, watch this show, read the comics, and take care of yourself. 🍂🍂🍂

[theotheristhedoctor]

New Day, New 'Heartstopper' Moment to Break Me

Nick doesn't go through this alone. He's not alone. Oh my fucking god he's not alone.

This is rewatch X+2 (X being the maximum reasonable number of times you should rewatch a show before it officially becomes a problem), and I've finally figured out why I'm drawn to Nick's story so much.

I didn't have his life. I wasn't that popular, I wasn't sporty, and I was definitely a late bloomer.

But I DID have that horrifying period of discovering my sexuality. It was confusing, and traumatic, and has left all kinds of scars.

But the thing is, I did it alone. There wasn't anyone I could talk to about it - I didn't have any out friends, my community was ... not supportive in that way, and I had no role models to turn to. I had to figure it out for myself, which took far too long and let to a lot of hurt.

Nick, though? Nick has Charlie, and Tara and Darcy, and Mrs Singh.

When I first watched the scene with Nick googling about being gay, I felt a knife twist in my chest. I wanted to scoop him up and tell him it would be ok, that HE was ok. I wanted to spare him the same pain I went through.

Watching him then find someone to love, finding allies and role models so quickly? That was so affirming, so encouraging. Like, maybe the generation after me can be spared some of that pain?

And at the same time, the show so clearly showing that this is right, that this should be the normal? It's probably not meant to be, but in my head that's become an acknowledgement that I was let down. That I DIDN'T deserve to go through all that alone. That all the queers and waifs out there should get to have gentle childhood romances, and good friends, and that bullies SHOULD get punched in the face.

Nick Nelson has let me feel seen in a way I never even imagine I could be, and for that I love him and I love this show.

Bring on season 2!