#hopelessly invested in this real fake family

[the-eternal-child]

So I was just singing Spy x Family's praises to my friend (as you do), and it occurred to me that the characters' backstories may be revealed in the order they were introduced: Twilight>Anya>Yor.

We know that each member of the main cast has had painful childhood experiences (honestly, I wouldn't even know how to rank who had it worse because each is its own brand of hell), it could make perfect sense to introduce the backstories sequentially or it could be introduced as leading themes into current plotlines. Who knows?

Chapter 90.5 has us all waiting with baited breath to see if we're getting Anya's backstory or not and I think if we are getting another look into someone's past, Anya's makes the most sense. Though Endo could be a complete tease and not give us anything for another 10 chapters 😭.

Twilight's backstory provided some great context into his past and what led to his current emotional struggles, setting the context for why he holds fast to his goal of 'creating a peaceful world' while fighting his losing battle of loving his new little family (especially the mole arc hoooboy!).

We already have in story context for Project Apple, we know it's existence, that there was human and animal experimentation (Anya and Bond) and that the subjects were being used for political goals somehow. We had the lead up of little bread crumbs along the way like she might have 'escaped the lab', her random knowledge of classical language, etc. Now would be a good time to start working toward weaving that story more fully into the main plot line (Random aside but has anyone ever noticed Desmond has 2 scars on the side of his head like Frankenstein's screws?).

I think Yor's backstory is still quite a ways off. There's still too much we don't know about Garden, I think, for them to introduce her backstory and how she met them. They're shady af, we don't know what their motives are, who they work for, nothing!

I mean, was anyone else worried when Yor mentioned Loid took a liking to Desmond and Shopkeeper was like 'oh really?'. That was so sinister, and it was never mentioned again! Makes me feel like a setup to him digging into Loid Forger or something.

Bringing in Garden's orgins seems like material leading up to identity reveals between Yor and Twilight, and the story just isn't there yet. So Anya it is and I'm so ready but I'm so NOT!

Anyhow, thank you for listening to me ramble about this series that has taken over my life! Have a good day! BYYYYYEEEEEEE!

[bangtiddies]

Strings Attached

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader Genre: Angst, a little bit of fluff, fake dating AU, college/university AU Rating: PG Words: 1.2k Warnings: alcohol consumption, mentioned cigarettes, pining, open ending, this turned out a whole lot more angsty than planned I’m sorry

Summary: What started off as a favour is now wearing away your heart.

Note: unedited because I’m a fool. Requested by @thinksshesawolf​​ for Drinks & Drabbles: hmm,,, you know, I think I'd like to place a mystery order for TaeTae please

Sometimes, in moments where you’re left to your own thoughts, you think back to when it all started — with pleading eyes and hands clasped together, begging in the tone of his voice as the birds behind him flutter together in the trees and sing their love for Spring. The season of love, as people call it, and some are more desperate than others to find their significant others. In Taehyung’s case, however, his friends and family were desperate to find him a significant other. Which somehow lead him to your usual study spot under the trees one morning, with a pleading request.

You’ll pretend to be his secret girlfriend for the rest of Spring, in an attempt to ward off those who spend too much time invested in his romantic life, or lack thereof.

When you think about it, it made sense that you were the one he went to. You had worked together on a project a month prior, having spent a lot of hours at each other’s places and in your preferred study spot. Because your relationship with Taehyung was strictly study, you were barely introduced to those close to him, only ever seeing glimpses of his flatmates from time to time when the two of you would talk a little too loudly in excitement over the development of your project. You could easily create a fake ‘secret relationship’ out of the time that the two of you had spent together.

In that moment, when you agreed to be his fake girlfriend for a little over two months, you thought that it was going to be easy. You got along with Taehyung well enough, and he seemed like the person you’d like to be close friends with in the near future. Your obvious shy nature would mean that public displays of affection wouldn’t be necessary to show off that you’re together. A little bit of fleeting touches here and there, plus a genuine friendly connection, would probably be enough to convince people around you that the two of you are dating.

There’ll be no strings attached, you had promised to yourself, and to Taehyung out loud.

But here you are now, lying down on a hotel bed and staring at the ceiling. Alone in your thoughts, trying to figure out the exact moment you found yourself completely, utterly, and hopelessly in love with Kim Taehyung. Maybe it was when you started spending more time together to prepare for his cousin's wedding. Maybe it was when he introduced you to his family with sparkly eyes and such convincing affection. Maybe it was way before then, when you first started working together for that project.

Perhaps figuring out when you fell in love with Taehyung doesn't matter. What matters is that over the last two months, you've found yourself pretending less. Longing gazes and love in your eyes started to project truthfully instead of the intended fantasy.

The door of the hotel room clicks open and Taehyung walks in, jolting you away from thoughts. You sit up from the bed to see him looking a little too handsome in his outfit from the bachelor's party, hair sticking to his forehead from sweat, the scent of alcohol and cigarettes sticking to his skin.

"Hey," he says apologetically. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"It's fine," you whisper. "I was already awake."

"Thinking too much again?" he teases, a grin on his face.

You let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. I was thinking about how time moves so fast."

"I know. Jin-hyung is getting married tomorrow. I can't believe it," Taehyung says, slumping onto the bed next to you with a sigh. "Time is weird."

"Yeah it is."

"I'm excited for tomorrow though," he says, turning to face you, boxy smile on his face.

"Me too," you smile, before shoving him off the bed. "Go take a shower. You reek of alcohol and cigarettes."

Taehyung groans, but he gets up and drags himself to the bathroom with complaints spilling from his lips. You watch him take his jacket off before he walks in, closing the door, and you turn to stare at the ceiling again, trying to will your heart to calm down.

The wedding goes by smoothly, Kim Seokjin now a married man. The reception is lively and fun, fitting the married couple like a glove. Even though you've only known them for two months since you started being Taehyung's fake girlfriend, you feel an immense sense of pride and happiness for them. You probably even shed a few tears during the ceremony.

Taehyung ends up drinking one too many glasses of sparkling wine, and he stumbles around on the dance floor until Yoongi drags him to where you're sitting and talking to Taehyung's mother. You laugh a little at Taehyung's state, before agreeing with Yoongi's request and deciding to take Taehyung back to his hotel room. You bid farewell to Taehyung's mother as you leave, and try to keep out the bittersweet taste in your tongue that this may be the last time you'd be spending time with his lovely family.

The hotel rooms feels a little colder than normal when you arrive with Taehyung's arm draped over your shoulders. He mumbles incoherent words, before sitting down on the bed, dazed look in his eyes. You attempt to tell him to get changed into more comfortable clothes, but instead, you just remove his suit jacket with a sigh.

"How about you drink some water, yeah?" you tell him, moving to the sink in the kitchenette and pouring some water into a glass from the tap. When you hand it to him, he gulps the water down and stares at you with an intense gaze as he hands the empty glass back to you.

"Hey, Y/N," he mumbles, eyes not leaving your face. "If I asked you out for real back then, would you have said yes?"

You think back to what you thought of Taehyung back then, what you thought of dating and relationships back then. Despite being desperately in love with him now, you know that you would have rejected him.

"No. I wouldn't have," you answer with honesty, but your chest constricts when you say it.

Taehyung sighs, and you watch him take his eyes off you, but you don't miss the hurt in them. "Right. Of course."

You want to tell him that if he asked you now, you'd leap at the chance. That you'd let him hold your hand and shower you with kisses whenever he wants. That you want to continue spending time with him and his family. But when you finally work up the courage to say so, Taehyung is already snoring away on the bed.

The empty glass in your hand feels heavy, and you set it down on the bedside table before lying next to Taehyung in the bed. You stare at his sleeping features, overwhelming feelings of love suffocating your lungs. Letting the thoughts take over again, you look up at the ceiling, and plead silently to the blank nothing above you to help you make a decision.

You're afraid to risk it, you're afraid that you're too late, but you're going to bare your soul out to him tomorrow morning.

[sabraeal]

Hi! Could you write a modern fanfic of Izana and Haki? Maybe you should write a side story to “Give and take a Little More” In the fanfic, there was a line where it said “[Haki] was sixteen and saw a college boy flip his floppy hair and talk to her father like he was a child.” I want to see how that meeting with Izana might have gone with for Haki.

Wide Florida Bay | Next

Her father has outdone himself, Haki has to admit, even if he is an asshole.

She’s been attending these galas since she was thirteen; too young by most standards, but all the men who spoke to her that night – including those who said they hated children, including fathers of her classmates, which, to her surprise, was a much larger overlap than she would have believed – had told her she was her mother’s daughter. She had thought that meant she was mature, that she had the bearing and poise of her hopelessly elegant mother.

Makiri hadn’t let that misconception stand for long. It means you look sixteen, he told her, and they don’t feel bad for looking at you.

In any case, she can see the expense Father put into this: the antique chandelier, made with real diamonds; the fountains of wine and chocolate; the entirely over-the-top ice sculpture centerpiece of two dolphins twisted into infinity – all of it says elegance but also conspicuous consumption, which is what all of these seem to really be about, even if the ticket price ostensibly goes to charity. It will be the event on everyone’s lips, until someone else throws a bigger one, and then her father’s will be forgotten, little more than a vague memory in an endless crush of parties.

Haki frowns, fiddling with the clasp on her clutch. She didn’t used to think like this, not really. Even days ago she’d been excited to be here, to see what all her friends would wear – they had, of course, shown each other pictures, but dresses looked different on models than they did in real life – to talk about what they’ve been doing since school let out for the summer. She had spent all of last night watching the season finales for both One Tree Hill and The O.C., making sure she had scrutinized every detail so she would be ready for today –

But she hadn’t watched The Hills. She’d meant to, it was supposed to be the culmination of all of her TV watching, but – things happened.

And now instead of talking about how awkward it must be for Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush now that Lucas and Brooke are a thing again, she’s thinking about how everything here is – is fake. How all of it is just something Daddy threw money at to be perfect, without even taking an actual interest.

She doesn’t want to think about why that bothers her so much, why that feels personal now, tonight of all nights.

She sneaks a glance over her shoulder, watching Makiri with a bunch of other guys his age, corporate heirs just like him, and – and he looks miserable, caged. I don’t belong here, he’d said, meaning every word. I don’t want to be this person.

You’re my son, this is who you are. Daddy has never been wrong a day in his life. I made you this way.

Her hands slicked over the satin of her gown. I made you this way.

They had picked this dress out together after he had told her which designers to choose from, after she had narrowed down her selection to just a handful of options. She had curled up on his office couch, laying printouts across the glass coffee table, and they had debated the merits of each one, of what it would bring to her reputation, her image. He’d asked her, as she’d shown him similar styles from celebrities her age to prove that one gowns was age appropriate, if she had considered going into fashion design, whether that might be where her business interests would lie when she graduated in two years.

She’d been excited then, she couldn’t wait to tell all her friends the next time she saw them, that he’d mentioned his industry contacts, maybe even an internship, but now –

I made you this way. 

Things are different now.

“Haki.”

A touch at her shoulder draws her back into the moment, Tomomi’s dark, earnest eyes waiting for her. “Haki, are you all right?”

“Oh, me?” She hangs her brightest smile on her lips. “Yes, I was just looking at the dolphins. Daddy hadn’t mentioned he was going to have them, and ice sculpture is so fascinating.”

“Ice sculpture, huh?” Andalusia raises her eyebrows, mouth set in a knowing smirk. “I think I know what this is about.”

With actual surprise, Haki blurts out, “What?”

“What do you mean?” Cristal asked, eyes darting nervously between them.

Now that the attention is on her, or at least, where she wants it, Andalusia’s smirk widens into a grin. “I think Haki is looking for someone.”

Cristal cranes her neck trying to pick out someone important enough to get excited about. “Who?”

“Why, the ice prince himself,” Andalusia drawls, “Izana Wisteria.”

The name has the desired effect.

“Izana Wisteria?” Tomomi asks, jaw slack. “He’s supposed to be here?”

Andalusia shrugs. “That’s what my Daddy says.”

“Is it true?” Cristal bounces on her toes, her searching getting more frantic. “Is he here?”

Haki bites down on a sigh. A few months ago, the only thing they talked about who was getting Hilary Duff to sing at their birthday, and now – now it was which Jonas they think they could get to go to prom, or whether Jesse McCartney was single now, whether that mattered because Zac Efron was both single and hotter, or, well, anything about Izana Wisteria. Ever since he had that article in Seventeen, talking about what the youngest (almost) CEO in America liked in a girlfriend, he’s been the topic of speculation in every single one of their conversations.

She thought it had been pretty apparent from the tabloids: legs a mile long and a career where she’s only known by an animal name. Giselle. Paloma. Raven. Capybara.

Haki nearly spits out her drink at that one. “I haven’t seen him yet, but Daddy said he would. He apparently was already going to be down here to visit Haruto, and since she was planning on coming…”

She leaves it on a shrug. These girls can connect the dots well enough, even if they can’t tell that the kind of girl Izana Wisteria likes isn’t down-to-earth and funny.

“Oh,” Tomomi says, blinking. “Isn’t that him over there? With your dad?”

Haki twists around, and, god, if Tomomi isn’t right – there is the ice prince himself, pale hair swept over one eye, talking to her father as if he’s an equal, as if he isn’t half his age and none of his experience. He’s much thinner than he looked in Seventeen.

“You should go talk to him,” Andalusia doesn’t whisper at all, putting a hand on her back. “Get your dad to introduce you to him.”

“But I –” don’t really care, sticks on her tongue; a good thing since she gets a sharp shove from behind.

“Bring him over here,” Andalusia tells her, tone brooking no argument. She’s the baby of her family, used to getting her way, and between Cristal and Tomomi, she usually does.

Haki doesn’t usually care one way or another, but this dress is Donna Karan. 

With a lingering look at Andalusia, Haki sashays across the floor, making sure that she can see every step she takes – right to the refreshment table. She doesn’t need to look back to know that Andalusia is two steps from blowing her lid, and she takes her dear sweet time filling one of the champagne flutes with punch, making sure she never spills a drop.

No one shoves Donna Karan.

She side-steps over to where there’s shrimp on skewers and scallops wrapped in bacon, loading up one of the small porcelain plates as she enjoys the other advantage of her stance by the snacks: she can hear every word that her father and his colleagues are saying, without having to stand by his side like an awkward puppet, waiting for its puppeteer to give it something to say.

“Of course,” her father says, wrapping up his story, “now everyone is saying that we should stop offshore drilling, just because of Katrina.”

The men around him laugh; they may all be land magnates, making their money off condos and tourism, but everyone has stocks in oil. Cars will never go out of style, honey, he tells her, and she knows better to mention electric cars, or solar power, or, well anything that suggests change. If there’s one thing Axel Bergstrom knows, it’s what to do with his money.

“That seems like good business.”

Haki swings her head around, and – yes, Izana Wisteria had said that. That her father was wrong.

Her father is known for his wide smiles, and this one freezes on his face, a rictus grin. “Funny you should say that, boy. I thought you Wisterias had your money all tied up in that business.”

“We did,” Izana says simply, with a shrug that says he changes stocks like some men change their shirts. “Or rather, my father did. He was a bit of a relic about these things. Didn’t have good foresight about what would be the next big thing. Completely passed up on Google, and look where they are now!”

He tosses his head, flicking his floppy hair so he can see out both eyes. “I sold all of them and invested in tech. Clean energy, Apple, Amazon – have you heard of something called Tesla? They make electric cars. Exciting stuff. You see, gentlemen,” he smiles like he has a secret, “while you men are invested in the past, I’m investing in the future.”

“Well, we’ll see how that works out for you,” her father says, with that subtle condescension he’s so good at. “It’s good to take risks, but you have to have a solid grounding in reality.”

“I know you don’t really know me, Axel.” There’s no stress on the name, but she sees the way her father stiffens, his surprise at how someone as young as him isn’t even intimidated in the slightest. Izana places a hand on his shoulder. “But I don’t take risks. I play to win. If you would excuse me.”

He slips away from her father, disappearing into the glittering crowd, and –

Oh, she’s – flushed. That’s…odd.

An arm, long and slender, slips past her to pick up a plate. “Nice party,” Izana Wisteria tells her, very, very tall beside her, with very nice eyes, and he –

He winks.

“Eep!” she yelps, turning right on her heel and bee-lining for the hall.

Once Haki turns a corner, safe, she takes a breath, covers her face, and screams.

It’s fine, it’s fine. He doesn’t know who she is, and they – they will never have a reason to interact again, besides maybe being polite at parties. There’s no need to feel embarrassed.

Izana Wisteria might be cute, but he’ll never mean anything to her.

[serpenttailedangel]

I know I’ve said this before but I honestly can’t get over how disappointing the final arc of Fairy Tail has been. It doesn’t even feel like Mashima lost his touch. It feels like over the years, as Fairy Tail got more and more successful and it was easier for him to cost, he progressively cared less and less and this whole last arc has just been a grind for him to hit that total chapter count that he was given as his finishing point so he can collect a paycheck.

Like, holy shit. This guy has written amazing couples before. The guy who completely flattened Juvia and Levy’s characters to pander to shippers is also the guy who managed to make Let and Julia such a sweet and blatant couple without them ever having to affirm that they’re a couple. The difference between the moments building up Natsu/Lucy and Haru/Elie is staggering. How did the guy who wrote Celia end up deciding that Juvia was a good way to portray someone hopelessly in love? It was all good and fine when Juvia was a one off villain with a gag, but at some point you think she would have chilled a little.

King was such a wonderful villain death. Gale dying was brutal even though he was only in Haru’s life for like a day. Reina dying was brutal and holy cow is it sad that the bulk of Reina/Musica is just built around the lost potential from her dying right when they were able to connect. Fucking Jegan dying was brutal just for how utterly senseless it was. I could not care less about Jegan, and his death got me anyway. I’m still bent out of shape over Sieg’s death. The guy who did all that is now known as the guy who just writes fake out deaths for cheap, temporary shock and drama.

And like, the fights from the original chapters feel like so much more love went into them. There’s actual strategy, and emotional weight goes into the really hyped conflicts. Hell, even when the fights are short, a lot of the earlier fights live up to the hype because A) the enemies are built up to realistic levels of hype and B) it takes actual strategy or outside help to defeat them. Every fight for years now has not only been void of any tension because you know someone is gonna throw an extra strong punch while talking about friendship in order to win, but void of any actual meaning because even the characters don’t feel too invested in what’s going on. Erza couldn’t have cared less about meeting her birth mom. Natsu and Zeref’s fight was practically null because neither of them seemed to care about their relationship.

The consistency too. There were a few magic tricks early in Fairy Tail that had me call BS but I can think of exactly two moments in all of Rave that made me think that. (Silver Bonds not being clarified early enough and that time Haru screamed down Lucia’s attack, just for reference.) Throughout the series, nothing else in Rave made me thing that Mashima was going against what he previously established for convenience. When I reread Fairy Tail now, I’m so baffled by the early scenes where Lucy is negotiating contracts or where it’s a big accomplishment that she can close a gate by herself. Her spirits just pop the fuck out whenever they feel like it now. Do they even need her around to take place in a fight? I know she says they use her magic but despite the star dress stuff it really feels like they don’t even need her. And what is even up with Erza? It was one thing when she conveniently always had the armor that she needed, but she randomly pulls out abilities now that she then never uses again.

Lucia and Acne have the exact same goal and even that feels like a massive cop out comparatively. Like, Lucia had motives and a backstory and shit to justify his overly exaggerated rebellious phase, and there was actually something he accomplished by making the world go boom. He broke a curse his family was under and got to have a chance at a decent life in the original world, and he’d been raised to believe he was born for that. Acne just wants to break shit because he’s evil or something idk. I can’t even tell if he resents getting turned into a dragon or not. And I mean, there are little inconsistencies with Lucia’s writing that I like to think are him just not being forthcoming about his motives but JFC did Mashima make that contradiction thing up just as an excuse to write Zeref however he wanted in any given scene after realizing how much work would go into making sad!Zeref an active threat?

And his OP characters? Hardner could recover from literally any damage, so they had to beat him by wearing down his endurance until he couldn’t supply the energy for his Dark Bring to keep healing him. That’s an actual good way to overcome a threat that the hero shouldn’t be able to beat by conventional means. Like, I would have preferred to see Ogre go down with more strategy moves like when Reina tried to suffocate him, but at least Mashima made up a non-physical attack that could bypass his being immune to physical damage. With Juvia, he just gave the fuck up. Remember how Juvia’s whole combat shtick was that she’s immune to physical attacks? Mashima doesn’t. I think he just buried that memory because it was too much work to keep coming up with new opponents for someone with an ability that he classified as being the best ability in his previous series. A villain who’s not only immune to but empowered by all magic attacks is a great threat but let’s be real. Acne’s gonna get his ass beat by someone punching him hard enough while talking about friendship.

Even the freaking fanservice. Julia and Weevile’s fight is actually better from a narrative perspective because of the fanservicey situation it delved into. The torture scene worked well enough but there’s so many moments where it’s like... why? I’m not even offended by it. It’s just... It’s just that he can be classier about it. Or at least keep it to moments that are specifically about sexy times rather than throwing weird angles into otherwise tense moments.

I’m just rambling. This rant has no coherent structure. It just bugs me that Mashima is pretty much crapping out chapters at this point when I’ve seen him do so much better. I don’t think he’s a hack. I think he just stopped caring. I love a lot of older arcs of Fairy Tail enough that I don’t hate the series even though this last arc has been so disappointing, and I adore Rave Master, so I can only hope that this is like... fatigue from a series that went on too long. Fingers crossed that whenever he starts his next work, his heart will be back in it.

[misscrawfords]

So how bad is The Halcyon? I've been thinking about watching it when it comes to the States, but I'm a bit wary since the reviews keep comparing it to Downton...

Okay, I was waiting till I’d watched episode 2 to answer this in case it got better.

Episode 2 was pretty good. I mean, it is very Downtony in style but more is happening more quickly now that the characters are established and for all the reasons early seasons of Downton were engaging, so is this. Who knows how good it will be long term? But I’m hooked for now! (Also it’s eminently shippable and I already feel myself getting hopelessly invested in Mr. Garland and Lady Hamilton. Whoops.)

What annoys me - and justifies the negative Downton comparisons - is the way it’s made. It is taking the premise of the upstairs/downstairs life of a big house (hotel in this case) during a period of political change and uncertainty and following a large cast of characters. It switches constantly from one scene to the next with very short snippets of dialogue and trades on longing looks and an often cliched script about family loyalty and staff serving their masters well/trying to stab them in the back. Meanwhile every scene looks like a shiny, polished Vogue full page advert rather than anything approaching real life. There’s an overarching plot and then little subplots. We’ve seen all this before, both the style of writing and direction and the content. It feels like ITV is playing it safe.

Having said that, episode 2 really picked up the pace and some of the characters became more interesting. If the script allows the characters to push, then it has potential to maybe tell some interesting stories. I mean, so did Downton and 90% of the time failed to follow through, so it’s too early days to judge it on that. I like the 1940s aesthetic and music, though I wish it was all a little less fake and shiny. Most of the characters are borderline devious which is nice as well!

It has a singular lack of a sense of humour, however. The script is… pretty flat. In terms of acting, Olivia Williams is acting her socks off as bitter, angry, vengeful, hopelessly sad Lady Hamilton and the entire show lifts when she’s on screen. Stephen Mackintosh (last seen as John Rokesmith in Our Mutual Friend) brings similar commitment to his role as the ambitious hotel manager. Otherwise, it all feels a bit forced and obvious in terms of characterisation though there are some points of interest.

At this point, I’d say it’s getting better and I’m definitely going to continue watching if only to watch two tragic, proud middle aged people from different classes fight each other.

Tentative recommendation.

[critically--thinking-blog]

While the media has never been reliable in representing the accuracy of reality, it’s influence on cultural norms and ideation is still significantly important to consider. Growing up, I remember watching a lot of movies that painted pictures of high school being this big, scary place - full of sex, drugs, and alcohol, and not a whole lot of actual school. I also remember seeing middle school being depicted as a hub of bullying and cliques, instead of showing the variety of other aspects involved in being in middle school. Both of which are not necessarily “wrong”, but were definite glorifications of what middle and high school really was like. And in reflecting back on my adolescence, and the influence of those movies, I can start to understand why I chose to act the way and think the way that I did, during those times. One of my current favorite movies about teens, is “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”. While I had many movies in mind to pick from in thinking about teen movies I enjoy the most, this recently released Netflix Original brought back many memories of other movies I used to watch. Meaning, that movies 10 years ago, and movies today, are largely still the same. There’s always a hopelessly in love teenager, and a popular boy who’s “out of her league” and – against all odds – find what love is, in each other. A theme that is often applied to a range of contexts to best fit the appeal of the movie, most usually in a school setting of some sort. Considering this lasting outline of teen movies, one can question both the positive and negative outcomes of such long lasting movie types. Because, are teens today really so similar to teens 10 years ago, that the movies for and about them, haven’t really changed? -- Movies like “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” seemed like they were helping at the time of my adolescence, but never really were. In my teens, I thought it showed me what love was, and how boys were supposed to treat me. Little did my teenage brain know that my life isn’t scripted like the movies are, and boys can’t read my mind, and my family members won’t always be built in best friends just because we live in the same household and share DNA. While it was still a “feel good” movie, that I found emotional investment in the characters, as I always have over the years, I can definitely pick up on the Hollywood Glamor that makes these depictions of life not quite so attainable. Something that today’s teens watching this movie about teens, might not be able to do just yet. While teenage me would’ve loved the idea of having a “fake boyfriend” that ends up turning into a “real boyfriend”, and that my dad would be super open about taking about sex with me at 16, neither of those are accurate or realistic. In the movie, Lara Jean’s (the protagonist) dad is very clear in setting boundaries with Peter (the “boyfriend”) about no sex, drugs, or alcohol, after Peter asks permission to take Lara Jean to a party. And later talks to Lara Jean, while dropping her off at school to attend a weekend long Ski Trip, notorious for being a weekend many couples have sex for the first time, about sex. He spews out many facts about sex that Chapter 6 in A Practical Guide for Raising a Self-Directed and Caring Child (Litchman 2011) covers and also then touches on the idea that expecting abstinence is a one-way road to teen pregnancy. In the end, he provides Lara Jean with protection, after his very confidently dominated conversation about sex with his daughter. Not only does this show a parent that is so deeply invested in his daughter’s sexual health that he shows no fear or awkwardness in having “the talk” with his daughter, in which she is very uncomfortable in participating in and begs him to stop talking about it. But it also shows a dad that is extremely knowledgeable on topics that most parents try to avoid, here in the real world. And this “perfect parent” characterization of Lara Jean’s dad continues in his diligent efforts to provide for his family by cooking dinner and working enough to afford a nice home, all while being a single dad with 3 daughters. Everything about the parent-child relationship in the movie is a textbook star example of the perfect parent and a perfect child, working perfectly together to have a perfect loving relationship. Making any real parent or child assume that having such a relationship would be effortless and easy; because if Lara Jean and her dad could do it, why can’t they? Such an assumption could lead to stress in the viewer’s parent-child relationships, because of the inability to recreate what the movie depicted. And this unfair assumption of a parent-child relationship -- that parent-child relationships are easy, effortless, and stable -- being highlighted in a new movie, would teach all the wrong messages about what the reality of parent-child relationships. Because, if the movies really wanted to show what a real parent-child relationship was all about, it would show the bickering, and the attitude, and the disobeying of rules, and the rollercoaster of teenage life effecting the day-to-day workings of the relationship, but not the general trend of the relationship. It would highlight these major trends that are taught in my Parent-Child Relationship lecture and the previously mentioned book, in raising adolescents. But instead give this falsified idea of the relationship, setting expectations in unrealistic places, and potentially negatively effecting the parent-child relationships of the viewers that the movie franchised sucked into thinking that perfect = attainable.

Nov. 30th: Blog Post #4

[brothalynchhung]

2017 overview

FOR FUCKS SAKEEE IVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 5 YEARS LMFAOOOO anyways lets goo... this gone be a lot i learned a lot this year

the year started out...

kinda weird tbh like i was in a weird state

i was back to being obsessed following jk/gl lool

it was nice but i got to hopelessly obsessed

but they came back and it really motivated me it made me happy

hes so comforting until this day

he earned so much!! achieved so much! I'm so happy for him

i gained a lot this year too .. in a way

yeah 2017 was weird introspectively...

lot of internal rebuilding...

i did video 1 which was fun i got to make some cool shit and work hard on projects

i met my girl xy lol her talented ass

ate out a lot tbh i was a fatass beginning of 2017 wtf

still am tho wtf who am i kidding 🙄🙄🙄

jus classes with z as usual but winter 2017 was so weird cuz like.. i barely went to any of those classes LOL

video 1 was fun

adv com theories was ass idk how i got a B+ in that class i failed everything LMFAOO

phi was whatever

women and media was weird cuz of that weird girl but we got a good mark so whatever

quantitative LMFAOOO fuck that class and that bitch ass prof i didnt learn shit

other than that personally...i was going through some mental shit.. i felt alone. i felt out of it. i felt regretful

i felt so regretful i felt like shit

i fell into such a nostalgic moment like i just missed everything

jk kinda reminded me of like.. how i was? happy? in 2016 i kinda of left everything and secluded myself in a weird way other than fighting with ayt/mh on some bullshit i just was out of it.. i was chilling with weirdos lol

i was thinking like.. i miss how it is??? I'm not that different? i like all the people from my past why are we not that close

spring day came out.. that hit it. bullseye. 

childish gambinooo....

just really looking back, looking back on who i AM who I WANT to be truly. who i really want to be around and create

i valued my friendships

i was super creative... working on my book, investing in artistic pursuits.. 

i wanted to recreate everything i lost, i wanted to reclaim my trauma with that bitch.

i got to spend fun times with my friends, running around train tracks becoming closer again like how it should have been all along

jk had me looking forward to leaving to dubai

and so i did. 

i tried chasing him there but it didnt really work out

its not really meant to be sr...

he's just an inspiration for what you want and for who u are

the whole groups a blessing lol

even tho i left that shit cuz it got too much and too weird why bitches gotta make shit mediocre🙄

anyways dubai was kinda ass but i got to realize something important... who i miss, who i wanted/wished were with me, who actually cares about me..

WHO ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT ME

yo sr... if someone really cares.. they'll take the effort. STOP chasing people who don't care.. STOP damaging yourself and the people who love u for people who don't give a fuck

i dropped that bitch so hard i hope she fucking rots in hell

2017 . APRIL 2017 LAST TIME EVER I WILL EVER SEE THIS BITCH. NEVER AGAIN.

my life got so much better.

dubai was a detox but after i came back it was so good

hot as fuck

ramadan lol

fat as fuck -_-

dubai was just weird lol kinda realized its not my place but it was nice(ish)

need to learn not to rely so much on material shit lol

my family is the best

they really tryna teach u and care for u, u will never have another family.

also met nr!!! she was sweet kinda weird tho lMAO the cat shit jesus lol 

misk lol

WENT TO LONDON IT WAS AMAZING I LOVED IT

but fuck... lmao u know what the fuck u did yesterday -_- u DUMB bitch lmao who cares tho (...>_>)

came back... greeted by my friends who care 

chilled with them, adventures with them

but came back.. sorry. sorry to myself. sorry to the people i hurt

ayt, mh

i was thinking about it since winter i knew i had to make it right again, i knew i was wrong, that fucking bitch fucked shit up for us, we could have had so much memories in 2016 if shit didnt go sour

i gave the wrong person another chance they didnt deserve

so i reflected.. and swallowed my fucking pride

apologized. to who i needed to

and u know what? we good. like it was never bad. we good

...thats real. no flop shit, no fake shit, we good. loyalty. blessed.

u really gave the wrong bitch another chance u real did

stupid ass

then it was good.. adventures with my friends, rebuilding, forgetting, growing

together.

beach!! hiking!! badminton in the middle of the streets singing backstreet boys!! lol music!! 

KENDRICK LAMARRR

i made friends w ht again amazing lol

really remade friends w a lot of people lol

kendrick was so good tho fuck he was amazing my eyes were tearing/shining i cried like 5 times LOVE.. PRIDE. fuck those got to me

my ass saw get low live?? by YG fuck i love him too 

best night

amusement parks x3.. lol mtl with my fams..

yo me and lina got so close

i love my family. always.

NTCCCLMAOOOO 

they gave me so much hope after i dropped stb cuz or their weird ass fandom.. i couldn't deal with that shit they're ruining my damn nostalgia. but whatever I'm not gon hate on their success.. jk is still jk to me i hope he reaches the stars with his success

but yeah damn ntc made everything sooo good damn how u not have 1 dime but like 8 LMAO in one group

literally lights of my lifeee

jn😤jh😤hc🍅😩m😤jn😭jm😭WTF BITCH so much possibilities tf

love them they made me so happy

also their fandom is so funnny love the bitches i been following and talking to

anyways i saved up my money a lot but now its like all gone cuz nadas work so idk

UHMMMM I BOUGHT MMM??? WTF BITCH WTF

I WIN IDC I WIN fuck all these bitches

glow up glow the FUCK up

lost a lil weight.. probably gained it all back idk fuck me -.-

since fall 2017.. i been happy.. i got my friends..my groups..

rm, mc, ys💘 

nz,suz,lul,mar💖

prgl,sr,joan💞

hct!

nm💗

ayt

zainb,rame

xiny, jelly

and more...

hearts 4 all I'm just lazy lol

nice to have friends, nice to know there are people who actually like u and care for u and are fun to hang with, nice to know people like u for who u really are unconditionally 

nice to know bitches i hate will never NEVER have that

stay lonely pitiful boring unsuccessful and fake . 

priorities straight. emptying out ugly shit, rebuilding myself and who i am. having fun, fixing my look. investing

music music music GOOD MUSIC

movies movies movies

books books books

those 3 things will never change

unbrainwashing myself

realized so much shit.. istg my glow up is associated with freeing my mind from all this bullshit...

RATHER BE PROUD OF WHO I AM RATHER THAN TRY TO BE SOMETHING IM NOT JUST TO FIT INTO SOME LOWKEY RACIST UGLY BORING BULLSHIT

crazy how deep into my coma i was

BITCH IM BACK OUT OF MY COMA

going forward.. going forward.. investing.. changing... 

mentality shifting.. my image of diserable.. who i want to be 

better important goals, fun goals, fun shit, cool shit, new shit

destroying the fuck bitches who tried to kill me

bunch of fucking losers. 

I'm better now I'm happy now i ended 2017 happy as fuck

i DONT have my gl but i don't need him rn. I'm loved. i love me. my family and friends got me. so until i act on some long awaited shit and gain more resources and achieve more personally UNTIL I'm ready and deserve some shit. then ill get gl. I'm going towards him. 

you're with me.. even when you're away.

hope u feel all this happiness too, hope you're warm, hope you know I'm not where u are right now and hope ur working your way towards me too

ill meet u in the warm .

happy. i spent many nights happy no fights no drama no sadness (other than not having gl i get hopeless being in love with someone i don't know yet but i cant help it)

soon tho dw.. it 2018 now lol

anyways!! i grew so much in 2017 I'm back to who i really am I'm motivated I'm happy I'm inspired I'm ready for the next year

i ended this year losing my bitch ass acne studios scarf!! like a dumb bitch!! so I'm still a dumb bitch!! but who cares -.-

need so stop buying dumb shit.. ill get the trousers when i get a job and the fucking scarf won't matter.. yo ass don't even like scarfs wtf -_-

lool see this optimistic dgaf mentality.. 

CAASH DONT LAST MY FRIENDS WILL RIDE FOR ME

and thats exactly what we did tonight, dance and sing to disney hits and sean paul . happy and careless af 

I GOTTED WHAT I WANTED RIGHT NOWWW 

GOD DOES IT FEEL SO GOOOOD

2018 lets fucking go. I'm ready . I'm going to make so much shit. I'm out my coma, i know what the fuck i want . no more dumb shit, we do dis. LETS FUCKING GOOOO.