#i just think like !! the classic princesses are so timeless

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

This is a post absolutely nobody asked for because 0 of you follow me for Takes on music, but one of the pop music podcasts I listen to has been all in on Pop Girl Spring, and they played a little game the other week where they did a draft for the top 10 songs from all the albums they’ve been covering – so that’s the new releases by Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Maggie Rogers, Gracie Abrams, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Ariana Grande, and Kacey Musgraves, plus the currently charting album-less singles by Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.  And while I don’t have the fun structure of a competitive draft to play with, it did make me sit down and hash out my own Top 10, and I have literally nowhere to put the fruits of all that effort except Tumblr, so here’s way, way more words than anyone asked for about POP GIRL SPRING.

Listed in not-exactly no particular order, but also not in This Specific Order, like, this is not a countdown, I’m not ranking them with great specificity or anything.  The 10 songs I need on my imaginary Pop League Team.

Good Luck, Babe! (Chappell Roan): Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a great album and I think Roan has a great career ahead of her (knock on wood), but this is the first song she’s released that feels like a Timeless Hit to me, like the kind of thing that’s going to show up in Buzzfeed quizzes in the 2040s about picking the best songs from this decade.  On god, this could be one of the best pop choruses ever written – starting with that fucking high note is such a flex! – and it’s such a poster child for how great, earwormy pop music can tell a fairly specific story and make it feel deeply universal.  Legendary.  No notes.

Espresso (Sabrina Carpenter): SONG OF THE SUMMER.  Is it a better pop song than Good Luck, Babe?  No.  Is it the Song of the Summer anyway?  Yes, because those aren’t supposed to be Timeless, they’re supposed to make you forever remember *this specific summer* in your life.  It’s a great song with an unbeatable hook, and I dig the fact that it makes just slightly less sense than it probably should – caffeine is the metaphor for…how you’re going to stay up nights thinking about Sabrina Carpenter?  Okay.  Whatever you say.  It’s not a song about anything, which sometimes is bad but in this case is amazing, and there’s something marvelously audacious about committing to lines like “walked in and dream-came-true’d it for ya.”  Bonkers.  Delightful.  Carpenter has put out like 4 albums which does not seem possible for someone I up until now only vaguely remembered as “was on that nostalgia-bait Boy Meets World sequel series,” but man, she came to play with this one.

BILLIE GETS TWO

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Hit Me Hard and Soft is a fantastic album, managing to edge further into straight-up pop territory without compromising the distinctive voice that’s made Eilish the Snobby Music Critic’s Pop Princess.  I have no idea how long she’s going to be able to (or want to) keep splitting the difference between these two identities, but she’s doing it right now, probably doing it better than anyone since Little-Earthquakes-era Tori Amos.  I chose this song because I think it does the best job of fusing those elements: it’s a right-down-the-middle love song in the classic pop vein of “i know my baby is a life-ruining trainwreck but honestly i do not care,” and it’s got good mid-tempo ballad structure with that little bit of haunted-ness that is Eilish’s signature sound, and I just think it’s probably the most solid song on the album.

CHIHIRO: This one is my *favorite* song on the album, which is why it’s here.  I don’t know what it’s about.  It’s not particularly “radio-friendly” (is that a thing anymore? What do we say instead of that? Digestible?)  It’s slinky and vaguely threatening and it just feels like a song that nobody else could do. It’s the one that’s been most consistently stuck in my head since I first listened to the album.  I feel like it’s flying under the radar a little, but I’m super here for it.

The Kill (Maggie Rogers): I feel like people sleep on Maggie Rogers because her marketing aesthetic seems kind of like, navel-gazing folky singer-songwriter, which is not all that Of the Moment right now.  But the thing is, that’s really not accurate at all!  Her music is just straight down-the-middle, strongly crafted pop, WHY is she not more famous?  She’s so good!  Don’t Forget Me is just so, so solid as a pop album, crammed full of songs that are massive hits in some alternate universe. “It Was Coming All Along” is my personal favorite, but for this list I’m sticking with The Kill, just because it seems to be the closest thing to a breakout hit off the album and I want to hype it up.  It’s a bouncy, incredibly sing-along-able song about a mutually destructive relationship, what is not to love.  Pop music was invented for this.

BEYONCE ALSO GETS TWO

BODYGUARD:  Look, I’m going to level with you, I wanted to like Cowboy Carter a lot more than I did. For me, the album has exactly the same flaw as Renaissance did, which is that it fundamentally feels like Beyonce has done a *ton* of research for her music history degree, stuffed every bit of it into the album, and by god you are going to listen to her senior thesis on the Black roots of popular music.  Both albums are like – so smart and so sincere and they just feel – a little bogged down to me.  I don’t know.  This may be entirely because I am just not on Beyonce’s level here, but there’s something about Cowboy Carter that makes it hard for me to really love as an album, rather than as a project.  That said, there were several tracks I really liked, and this one’s probably my favorite, maybe because it sounds the most authentically like a Beyonce track to me.  Whatever you think of Jay-Z or of the Carters’ marriage, it’s undeniable that a huge part of her as an artist and a human is tied up in this idea of being one half of their partnership, and when she does these “it’s me and my baby versus all the rest of you bitches” songs, she always strikes what to my ear is her most authentic, heartfelt notes.  BODYGUARD has a cool, California-road-trip kind of vibe that puts me in mind a little of “03 Bonnie & Clyde,” but appropriately, more grown-up now.

YA YA: After complaining that a lot of her recent music feels a little too overstuffed with References, I have to say that this is one of the worst offenders – but it fuckin works.  This feels deeply retro but not at all in a corny way, a great update of a certain kind of mid-century honky-tonk music that makes it feel vital and current.  I don’t think Beyonce has truly hit the same high in terms of weaving her politics and her music together since Lemonade, but to me this song stands up well alongside that album (which for the record, I think was a generational achievement, a truly transcendent work of art).  Also, as appropriate for a song whose theme is “shake your ass in defiance of a world that does not care about you,” the ass-shaking game is on point!  I honestly wish this song had received all the success that went to TEXAS HOLD ‘EM, which is a song I truthfully feel is hokey and try-hard.  This one covers the same ground but infinitely better.

Von Dutch (Charli XCX): I am a naysayer to Brat Summer, I’m sorry to say; I think Charli is a fairly decent pop musician and Brat is a fairly decent pop album, but I do Not get the hype.  It’s got some worthwhile tracks, and I do appreciate that she’s allowed some space to excavate less-common themes in pop music – songs about wondering if now is when she should be having kids, about wrestling with the way that other women bring out her personal insecurities – rather than just the genre staples of Love and Partying and Being Awesome.  That said.  I think the best song on the album is just a regular-degular banger about partying and being awesome.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

YES, TAYLOR ALSO GETS TWO (man, it’s a 31-track double album! Get off my back!)

Down Bad: One of the things I don’t think Swift gets credit for, due to being overshadowed by the Harrowing Constant Drama of her personal life, is that she legitimately has a dry, off-kilter sense of humor that brings much-needed levity to the Harrowing Constant Drama of her body of work.  TTPD is, among other things, a *funny,* self-aware album about how knowing full well that your emotions are absolutely unhinged vis-a-vis actual reality doesn’t actually do jack shit to keep you from drowning in those emotions.  A lot of the hate for this album has really come from people who Do Not get the joke, who are cherry-picking verses and single lines from deeply self-aware songs without providing the context of that self-awareness.  I love this song.  I love the chorus: crying at the gym is a detail that’s perfectly, wryly relatable in its absurdity, and “everything comes out teenage petulance / fuck it, if I can’t have him I might just die” in that swingy, chipper groove is exactly why no one does it like she does, packing all that ambiguity and frustration and self-loathing of your own irrationality into a great hook.  I love the fuckin alien abduction framing device to talk about a relationship whose impact inside your own head and heart is wildly out of proportion to its impact on the materiality of your daily life – a relationship that *might as well have* happened on an entirely different planet than the one everyone else lives on.  It’s great.  This is a great song.

The Albatross: So I wanted for the second TTPD track to pick something from the other side of Swift, the one that *is* deeply, irretrievably, uncomfortably emotionally sincere.  There were definitely some strong contenders, but I kept coming back to this song, which I actually have heard very little chatter about, but has snuck up on me as an album favorite.  I try not to get too lost in the labyrinth of Swift’s endless Easter eggs and self-mythologizing, but this is a song that I do think benefits from understanding its place in her personal biography; specifically I think it gains a lot from seeing it as a companion piece to “The Archer,” a softly agonized song from the beginning of a relationship about the duality of predator and prey, about wanting to go all-in but dreading the part of you that you know is capable of sabotaging this.  The Albatross is – a softly agonized song from the ending of that same relationship about the duality of destruction and salvation, about wanting so much to protect someone you used to love from the havoc *that same love* has ultimately inflicted on their life.  There’s a whole novel lying in the space between these two songs, and both of them feel raw and intimate in the way they expose the pain and vulnerability and shame that shadow the act of allowing yourself to love someone.  TTPD was, in my opinion, rushed out too quickly, an experiment in presenting Swift’s emotions in a more unprocessed, uncrafted way to make a statement about art as a survival mechanism during emotional times, but an experiment that doesn’t entirely work; it truly could have benefited from another six to twelve months of cooking and a strong editorial pass.  To me, this song is a glimpse of what TTPD could have been if instead of being rushed to press in the middle of her ginormous tour for the sake of her own catharsis, it had been given the space and attention that Folklore/Evermore were given.  The Albatross is truly (like The Archer before it) an optimal wedding of Swift as a chronicler of her own interiority and Swift as a generationally gifted musical craftsman.

(I had a couple of also-rans, so shout out to Dua Lipa’s “Happy For You,” a song I really loved off an album I thought was kinda phoned-in overall, and Gracie Abrams’s “Tough Love,” through which I learned that there could potentially be something interesting about Gracie Abrams, someday.)

[angel-with-paper-wings]

Modern!AU Phantom of the Opera Headcanons Part 1: Driving

I don’t know what possessed me to think of these, but here are some modern!AU headcanons of what kind of drivers the Phantom crew (Christine, Erik, Raoul, and Daroga/Nadir Khan) are. Enjoy!

Christine:

She is a BAD driver

Every ride with her ends in a wreck

She just gets distracted too easily and can’t focus (especially when her passengers are talking or playing music)

Is on first-name basis with the people at her insurance company, it’s that bad

Definitely eats and drives

ALWAYS wears a seatbelt and insists everyone else in the car do the same

The term “passenger princess” was invented for her

Can change a tire really fast (her dad taught her how when she was a kid and she remembers to this day)

Probably drives something cute like a VW Beetle or Mini Cooper, dream car is something vintage (Pontiac, Cadillac)

Has a couple punny bumper stickers

Erik:

Does not have a driver’s license (for good reason)

Drives like he’s in a car chase even if he’s just going to the grocery store

Daroga has lost years of his life as a passenger when Erik’s driving

He’s skilled, just reckless AF

Music is always turned up to the max

It’s giving Baby Driver (2017)

Seatbelt? Never heard of her, if we die we die

You haven’t seen road rage until you’ve seen this guy’s road rage

When he’s not driving, he is the WORST backseat driver

I’m thinking a black 1967 Ford Mustang (classic, sleek, timeless)

Raoul:

Family bought him his first car when he turned 16 (Porsche or something fancy)

He wrecked it like a week later while out with his friends, his brother made him pay out of his own pocket to get it fixed, he learned his lesson

Loves his car a little too much

Under NO circumstances can you bring food into his car

Christine spilled her coffee in his car once and they almost broke up over it

Pretty decent driving record, has a few speeding tickets and a suspension but that’s about it

Definitely the guy who insists he doesn’t need a GPS, but actually doesn’t know directions (Christine always has to pull up Google Maps and guide them back to civilization when they get lost)

Daroga:

Designated driver 24/7 (he’s the only responsible one)

Perfect driving record (he got a parking violation once, argued with the people over the phone about it so much that they just dropped it)

Usually it’s him driving, Christine in the passenger seat, and Erik and Raoul in the back fighting like siblings

“You two better behave or I will turn this car around!” - Daroga, at some point

Will yell at you for turning on the overhead light, complains he cannot see due to the reflection (he’s so dad-coded I swear)

Drives a Mercedes or some other fancy minivan

The other three always ask him for help when moving something heavy, since he has the biggest car (it annoys him but he does it anyway)

I’m thinking of making these modern!AU headcanons a series, so stick around for more or reply with ideas for more headcanons!

[artist-issues]

Hi! I just started following your blog yesterday and have read a good portion of your Disney meta, and I have to say that you are 100% on point with all of it, specially when you are comparing and contrasting the original classic animated films and their live-action remakes. I can't stand those soulless, stiff cash-grabs and how they stain the legacy, message and characters of the original movies and get the point of the movies and characters's personalities and motivations so awfully wrong, it actually infuriates me in a way. People will say that we are way too attached to these movies and that we need to let the newer generations enjoy these new version, but why would you want to introduce the newer generation to a remake of a far superior movie that gets its message across much better and doesn't shoehorn agendas down people's throats? Most of the remakes have done a disservice to the original animated classics and have no grasp of what made them timeless and magical, but the key is in heart, which is what the remakes, for the most part, severely lack. I won't underappreciate all of the people that have worked hard in these movies and I do believe they want to make the best product they can get out, but the problem mainly lies on the people who are part of the story team and the executives at The Walt Disney Company. You made an good point about how the newer Disney Princesses, specifically the ones depicted in the remakes, are more about independence and freedom than love and sacrifice. Like, okay, independence and freedom have been part of their stories to an extent, but it was never the main aspect of it. The essence of Disney Princesses is their heart and soul, how they are willing to see the good in others, how they will sacrifice for those they love, how they will help those in need, how they inspire change in others. That is what a Disney Princess is at her core to me: Love. It's never been about how independent, tough and fierce they can be, even though that can be a part of their character, ofc, but it isn't the main selling point of them for me and many others who truly love and understand these characters. That's the reason, imo, they have always been the pillar and heart of Disney. They represent the ideal of femininity, love, compassion, hope, faith and selflessness; sure, they aren't "perfect", but they are still examples of what we could and should be. That's why it's annoying when people criticize and attack them. They aren't ditzy, useless and weak hot prizes for a prince; that's such a gross interpretation of them that's far from true; their external beauty accentuates their internal beauty. That's the whole point. The princes fight for them because of their love, their nurture, their kindness, their selflessness, etc., not simply because they are pretty or whatever. I know this has gotten too long, but given that you are used to writing long passionate posts on these topics just like me, I don't think my "mini-meta-rant" will bother you too much hahaha. Keep up doing your own thing <3

Thank you! This is very kind! I like a lot of your blog’s content, too!

Yeah, I work with kids, and one of them was telling me that her favorite movie is Live Action Aladdin. And I was floored. Then she said “and it’s so much better than the original!” And then I was mad.

Because what Disney is doing is changing the values that the stories and characters were invented to represent. So now I’ve got a kid who prefers the version of Jasmine who isn’t all about faith—she’s all about empowerment. So. Not only is she learning a completely different (and worse) life lesson from a character who used to teach a great lesson, but her tastes are getting developed toward cinematic junk food.

What Disney is doing is pasting over their old characters’ values. And they’re getting the newer generations used to a low standard for storytelling. Those are two major, culture-shaping parts of a kid’s development—what they value, and what they have a taste for. It’s just all-around bad, and everyone is right to be up in arms about it, including you!

Anyway, thank you very much for your kind words!

[justnothings-posts]

Yoona

Face : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Body : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Personality : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Total score : 22/30

For me, Yoona is the definition of a classic beauty. She has the type of look that majority of people would collectively praise as good-looking and attractive, but rather in a modest way instead of a striking one.

1. Face

Her visual aesthetic is very clean and easy on the eye, giving her a somewhat traditional princess vibe, but at the same time, she also looks like a normal everyday girl that you could find at random places like the subway or the supermarket where you would instantly have a crush on upon laying your eyes on her.

None of her facial features are to be associated with sexiness in general consensus— cute small eyes, thin lips, small face.

Although, having all those qualities doesn’t make her any less feminine or attractive. In fact, if we’re talking about her status as a romantic partner, I think Yoona will be pretty high on the list among men of all age groups.

2. Body

Like previously mentioned, the only lacking of Yoona in her overall attractiveness comes from her physical feature. But don’t get me wrong, cause it isn’t all that bad. On a positive note, she has a really good height, long legs, tiny waist, and an ideal body proportion for a typical female model. In other words, she’s tall and skinny; that’s it.

But on the negative side, we can say that she has a pretty flat pair of chest and buttocks for a woman, giving her a pretty low score in the aspect of sexual appeal, which matters for some men, but not in most cases.

And because of this reason, everytime I see a picture of Yoona, I usually find myself admiring her beauty without any sensual thought racing through my mind. For me, her attractiveness is mainly carried by her face and personality, not by her sexual appeal, and this is perfect if you’re looking for a serious romantic partner.

3. Personality

She pretty much give a strong wifey vibe, all the way from her appearance to how she carry herself. She has a smile that can make you calm just by looking at them after a long day of work, and judging from her personality, she seems like a very kind and caring person; two things you would want to expect from your partner if you’re going to spend most of your life together.

She’s also not the type that you would concern to have a wild and socially adventurous lifestyle. For me, based on her looks, she’s giving a more conservative girl who prefers a calming walk at the park over partying at the club. As her boyfriend, you wouldn’t be too worried about her going to flirt with other men or gives herself away too easily over superficial thing, as she comes across to me as a person who values intimacy and building relationships in an organic, traditional way instead of a cheap thrill. Also, from what I’ve seen, she seems to have a good sense of humour too, which is a great quality to have for an already attractive woman. So basically, she’s the perfect embodiment of an ideal future wife is all I’m saying here.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, I think Yoona’s beauty can be best described as classic and timeless. People of all ages would agree on her being a beautiful person, and she doesn’t have to wear revealing clothes or acts a certain way to make herself any more attractive than she already is. Of course, boobs and ass are both strong contributors in female’s degree of attractiveness, but practically speaking, they only serves the purpose in bed during sex, and maybe keep you aroused in public. But based on my experience, once you get to hit it one or two times at least, then your interest in their sexual appeal will gradually reduce no matter how big and voluptous it is as the first time excitement of seeing what it looks like and testing what it feels to the touch has been lost.

[littlestarlost]

Ten Great Cover Songs That Aren't "Hurt" By Johnny Cash

I have a spotify playlist called "Total Coverage" and it's where I put the covers I collect. My parameters are strict but, I feel, fair: the song must be covered by a band that does its own material (so no covers-only bands), and they have to do something more interesting with the source material than slowing it down on piano and/or ukulele. There are over 100 songs on the list by now, and I do go back to add more when I find them, but apropos of nothing but my desire to procrastinate here are ten of my favourites, in no particular order, which are NOT the same old covers you see on every single covers list.

1: "Bittersweet Symphony" Originally by The Verve, covered by The Knocks and Foster the People

This track ended up on my most-listened to list of 2022, because it fucking rules. The original is fine, but there's something about how Foster the People elevates the vocals that just makes it catnip for my ears. It's great.

2: "Rosanna" Originally by Toto, covered by Weezer

I'll never forgive Weezer for what they did to "Africa", also by Toto. That cover sucks balls and I hate it. But equally as appalling is how great their cover of "Rosanna" is; they turned up the grit on the guitars and infuse it with edge and energy that the original simply lacks. Goddammit, Weezer.

3: "Jackie and Wilson" Originally by Hozier, covered by Jazz Morley

The golden rule of Hozier covers done by women is that you cannot, under any circumstances, change the pronouns of the song. Hozier writes about women like a lesbian, and either you respect that or you shouldn't cover his stuff. This version of "Jackie and Wilson" is gorgeous and lush, Jazz Morley's voice is great, and she sings it the way it should be sung: sapphically.

4: "Freedom" Originally by George Michael, covered by Christine and the Queens

As my friend Jill put it, somehow this is chill as hell and goes hard as fuck at the same time. Christine and the Queens needs to do more stuff like this; recontextualizing gender and sexuality is basically their bread and butter.

5: "Flagpole Sitta" Originally by Harvey Danger, covered by Elohim and AWOLNATION

This is the only reason I know the lyrics to this song and it's worth it. It's a very Lana Del Rey approach to the tune, with twinkling piano and sultry vocals, and it works incredibly well.

6: "Higher Love" Originally by Whitney Houston, covered by JR JR

Another one that I've listened to so much that it's crept into my regular rotation. Indie pop boys taking on the greatest voice of the generation might not sound very good, but as an OG hipster I can tell you that this is exactly the sort of bright poppy nonsense we ate the fuck up in 2012.

7: "I Think We're Alone Now" Originally by Tiffany, covered by Billie Joe Armstrong

I think Billie Joe always wanted to be a pop princess girlie, and now that Green Day is in the "whatever the fuck we want" phase of their career, he gets to do great covers like this one. Takes a somewhat dated classic and makes it sound absolutely timeless.

8: "Needle in the Hay" Originally by Elliott Smith, covered by Vanessa Carlton

As someone who had both an Elliott Smith and a Vanessa Carlton phase, this is just good synergy for me. But also, more women need to do covers of Elliott Smith. Let's get a trend going. He deserves to be reinterpreted that way.

9: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" Originally by ABBA, covered by Zachary Staines

This man really took a disco classic and made it sound like the best Ed Sheeran song that Ed Sheeran could never do. Outstanding.

10: "I Love You Always Forever" Originally by Donna Lewis, covered by Betty Who

I can't believe Betty Who didn't originate this song. It's literally perfect for her. A+, no notes.

[girl4music]

I miss with everything in me TV shows/movies and visual art/entertainment of any kind that are self-referential in a clever campy, fourth wall breaking, lampshading way. Basically visual art/entertainment that is able to and has the balls to take the piss out of itself and can admit where it goes wrong within the narrative itself. Honest, transparent clever meta TV.

Everything is just so fucking serious and dramatic now. Even when it’s a comedy, there’s still an urgency and a need to make you laugh that really takes the fun out of watching it. I don’t know if this will make any sense but I feel like TV visual media today just tries too hard. And it’s probably because it’s no longer just TV. What’s the word I’m looking for in explaining what I mean by this? I can’t think of it. Contrived? Forced? No, that’s not it. I don’t know how to articulate it.

It’s like you just can’t help but notice that there is a goal or an agenda to it while watching it so it takes you out of the experience of interacting/engaging with it when it’s supposed to pull you further in. ‘Xena’, ‘Buffy’ and ‘Charmed’ had it down so fucking well. Yes, all of them have their flaws and controversies but it was exceptional writing to the point where you feel like you’re part of it. Like you’re up close and personal with the characters and the environments and you feel like family. Like you belong with them and it. No TV show or movie has made me feel like that since. I’ve tried. I tried with ‘Sense8’, I tried with ‘First Kill’, I tried with ‘Santa Clarita Diet’, I tried with ‘Warrior Nun’. And I know that it was happening ever so slowly, but in the next second it was ripped away from under me. I didn’t even get chance to become a part of any of them, let alone let them become a part of me. I mean you wouldn’t really call fantasy or supernatural shows like Xena, Buffy and Charmed realistic storytelling. It’s some of the wackiest, most over-the-top, ridiculous shit ever for much of each respective show’s run. But all of them really feel more real to me than anything I could watch today on a streaming service of any kind. It feels real because it feels like me. Who I am, what I care about, how I perceive the world, where I stand. Makes me feel like I’m at home. When everything else I watch just makes me feel even more alienated. And it really is hard to explain how special these 3 are. How they’re just leagues ahead in my heart and mind over all else.

I both miss the realism in the absurdity in TV as well as I when it was about learning something significant. I miss the balance in the comedy and the drama. And I really miss when it never took itself too seriously yet was still able to get the point across without forcing it. You know, the way it both grows within and with you. The way it began with you and never leaves you. I guess what I really mean is I miss character-driven. I miss those episodes that had nothing to do with plot but told you more about the characters because of it. When the TV show wasn’t necessarily or specifically about anything. It was just the characters. They are that show. You know? Yeah, that’s what I mean. 😌

I’m always talking about how ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ especially doesn’t really have any point to it. What it means and what it stands for is entirely up to you. I always say that it’s magic is in its ambiguity. How you’re supposed to interpret it over just watch it. And it’s just one big fucking headcanon that never ends. And they’re all like that in their own ways. All 3 shows. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be such cult classics. People wouldn’t still be watching them years after the very last episode aired. So timeless and so special. Unlike anything you could even find in visual media today. You can put it down to nostalgia but I think it’s more than that. I think they’re lightning in a bottle. With amazing chemistry between the actors and exceptional writing in storytelling and metaphor meaning. And with the fact they gave you room to create in it all that matters to you as a sentient being. To say I’m passionate about them is an understatement. I feel like I’ll never know anything that knows and fulfils and satisfies me completely like these 3 incredible shows do: Xena/Buffy/Charmed.

[renyen808]

The Little Mermaid Remake Deserves to Exist

Hello everyone!! I don’t say this often, but I adored the live action remake of the Little Mermaid, which was released late May. 

(Credit: IMDb)

Now, I know how the internet itself feels about these remakes, so before we go into the review, I want to be transparent about my feelings when it comes to the live action remakes. 

My feelings are mixed about it. I sometimes don’t think they’re that bad. I can hear the booing as I write this, but I don’t believe they’re that bad. I think they’re bad when they don’t tell a new story. For instance, the 2017 Beauty and the Beast, although it did a lot from the animated version, gave Belle’s mom some sort of story and made Beast a bit more sympathetic. The 2019 The Lion King told the story word for word, so in turn, the magic is gone. I watched both of these in the theater by the way, and may I just say, the Lion King is my favorite animated movie ever, so you can sense my disappointment. 

The Little Mermaid is another favorite of mine. I loved the original, just the idea of being a mermaid amazed me. Especially living in Hawaii, I loved the water. Ariel’s voice was also incredible, being the best singer of all of the princesses. While Jodi Benson’s Ariel is timeless and will live on to inspire other girls to dream, Halle Bailey’s Ariel will do exactly the same thing, but for even more girls, girls that never saw the original and thought, that’s me.

(Credit: Digital Spy)

Halle Bailey as Ariel is the best part of the movie and it shows that director Rob Marshall made the best choice when it comes choosing our mermaid. She embodied Ariel so well, as this infectious, curious, adventurous girl who wanted to explore the above world. I love more so how the romance aspect was second to her true passion for the above world, exploration. Bailey did, in my opinion, the best job of elevating Ariel for newer audiences, showing that it is okay to explore on your own, take risks, and that you never need a man’s hand to be successful. In many ways, I prefer this interpretation of Ariel as opposed to the original because of its amazing message. 

The other characters are all great! Daveed Diggs as Sebastian was amazing! I already love Diggs as it is, so I was not surprised that he was great here too. I also loved Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. I know people were skeptical about her and I’m still on the side of she should have been played by a drag queen, but McCarthy did a phenomenal job. By the way, for my choice of performer for Ursula, it would have to be Ginger Minj. Awkwafina was good as Scuttle, though I have to say I would not feel comfortable if they made Scuttle the same way as the original. Jacob Tremblay as Flounder was okay, I was a little put off by his design still, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me. I was happy to see Javier Bardem in a role where he wasn’t the villain. I saw people say he was too strict on Ariel, but he’s the same way in the animated version. Jonah Hauer-King is incredible as Eric, taking a mid-tier prince into the top-tier charming man that Ariel deserves. Overall, all of the side and villain characters are incredible!

Established in my first movie review post, I rate things on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the absolute best, and 1 being the absolute worst. I don’t do 1 to 5 because I am afraid I will do some dumb rating like 3.3 out of 5. So, for consistency, I will only use whole numbers to rate things. 

(Credit: CNN)

For me, The Little Mermaid remake gets an 8 out of 10. The entire movie is magical, especially Halle Bailey as Ariel. From the minor characters to the changes to the story, and the timeless classics reimagined here, you will not have a bad time here. I will discuss some of my criticisms below, but it is mainly flow issues and drastic changes in character (*cough* Eric *cough), but I will share that with you later. Overall, it is a great watch for families and especially young girls and women, you will not regret it.

This is the end of my review, which means I am moving onto my spoiler summary below. For the remakes from Disney (and possibly DreamWorks), I will be doing something a little bit different. For these, I will be doing a Compare and Contrast with the original work. I want to do this because many argue that Disney doesn’t need to be making these remakes if the originals are still there. However, I believe that when we look at them side by side, sometimes the meaning is different, and in a way, they deserve to exist next to their animated counterpart. I know there will always be people that complain about not wanting to compare it to the original, but, this way I won’t be just retelling the whole story (since I am sure we all know the story) and that way, you can clearly see the differences between the two. So, with that, I am done with my explanation. If this is where you will be leaving us, I hope you enjoyed reading my review of The Little Mermaid remake. If you enjoyed reading it, share it with a friend who may also enjoy it. Comments are always welcome, but keep it nice. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and shouldn’t be attacked because of them. Thank you for reading! See you in the next post!

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! 

So, for our first difference, the remake starts out with a quote from the original story written by Hans Christian Anderson. It states “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more”. This quote opening the movie gives us an insight as to why Ariel’s suffering throughout the movie is much more emotional than it was in the original. Benson’s Ariel was crying throughout the movie, and while you are upset for her, it never really showed how much it affected her because she was always crying. Bailey’s Ariel, however, never could cry, until the very end, when she was finally human. She suffered so much throughout, making her pain even more upsetting, showing that even though she feels heartbreak, she cannot show it, like a mask. In the end, she was able to shed a tear, and finally express her sadness. The movie also has Eric in the beginning as well, sailing the seas and stopping the men on board from killing an innocent dolphin.

(Credit: YouLoveIt.com)

The movie is pretty much the same up until Ariel’s sisters and Triton show up. The sisters’ names are different from the original sisters. In the original, all their names started with A: Attina, Alana, Adela, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina. They were, honestly, kinda snobbish. I didn’t really care for them in the original. I mean, they acted like sisters, but I don’t have any sisters. I am one, just I don’t have any myself, if that makes sense. Okay, moving on. In the remake, we have Perla, Indira, Karina, Caspia, Mala, and Tamika. Each mermaid has a different ethnicity and rules a different ocean, so they are not home in Atlantica all the time, unlike Ariel. The reason they are all there is different too, as in the original, Sebastian held a concert with all of Triton’s daughters, minus Ariel since she never showed up. Here, there is no concert, but they are there for the Coral Moon meeting. Ariel misses this as well. 

Bailey’s rendition of Part of Your World is fantastic here as well. It shows off her playful spirit while also holding a sense of longing that Ariel desperately has for the above world. I cannot gush about her enough, she was just the best choice! If you have not listened to it before, DO IT! Everything is the same, she saves Eric and she climbs the rock while singing the reprise, but it is actually a bit different from the original. See, in the original, Eric was reviving while Ariel was just admiring him. In the remake, Ariel had to use her siren song to revive him, ultimately saving Eric from drowning. 

(Credit: Classic FM)

Afterwards, we reach one of the most recognizable sequences from the original movie. The Under the Sea portion is one I had a few issues with. First off, the lyrics should have been changed here. We will see later that some of the original songs had their lyrics changed, so it was possible. However, here, they just chose to leave it in when none of it was happening. There is a part of the song, where Sebastian is listing off sea creatures playing instruments (i.e. newt play the flute, carp play the harp). None of that was happening on the screen though, and it was just Ariel riding a sea turtle’s shell. You could have done one of two things here: either replace the lyrics with something else, or you show the animals playing the instruments. We are not looking for realistic storytelling here, it is a story about a mermaid, nothing is realistic. Another thing is Ariel singing here. I know Bailey has an amazing voice, and I love hearing her, but this song is about trying to convince Ariel to stay, why would she just be singing along? It was just a weird character choice that I did not agree with.

(Credit: Digital Spy)

Eric, however, is one that made me very happy. He gets a huge expansion in the remake, and I love these changes. First off, Eric is not just some dull prince that is eye candy for Ariel. Here, he wants to help the people he is ruling over, wanting to make things better. He also has a sense of adventure and exploration, wanting to sail more than be a royal. He also has a mother here, an adopted mom, Queen Selina, played by Noma Dumezweni. His mother actually forbids him from sailing after the accident and in his dismay, he sings the first original song Wild Uncharted Waters. This song, on first listen, was just a mid tier song for me, but after listening to it more and more, it actually helps to see and understand Eric. With Ariel’s voice stuck in his head, he cannot seem to shake her and return to the life he once knew. He has a control over him that is unlike anything he has experienced before, it’s new and it is the key to him escaping this life he feels trapped in. Hauer-King’s performance as Eric is another great casting choice, he not only played Eric perfectly, he exceeded expectations.

During the scene with Ariel and her sisters, instead of them getting ready, they’re all clear debris from a fallen ship. Ariel’s absent mindedness is apparent to her sisters, and this plays out like in the original, except after Triton destroys Ariel’s stuff, the remake Ariel does not cry, though she is clearly in despair. 

Ursula in the remake is also different. Here, it is clear from the get go that Triton and Ursula are related, and that she was banished from Atlantica for fifteen years. McCarthy’s rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls lives up to the original’s sung by the late Pat Carroll. This rendition, however, is not as sexualized and demeaning as the original was, with the remake choosing to omit that entire portion about men not wanting to hear women talk, or the importance of body language, which I was fine with. That is not the story they are trying to tell, and I can respect choosing to leave that out. Also, instead of signing a contract, Ariel was forced to pick a scale from her tail and throw it into Ursula’s cauldron. Another thing that was sneaky but also an intelligent way to get Ariel to not try to kiss Eric all the time was to give her a spell to make her forget. I love this twist because Ariel wasn’t just trying to kiss Eric the entire time, which I enjoyed, but it was aggravating at times to see her not try to kiss him.

When she gets her legs, Ariel is actually caught in the net of a local fisherman and taken to the castle as she sings an original song in her head called For the First Time. This song is an adventurous one, one that shows Ariel’s curiosity of this world that she has just been thrown into. She is getting ready to meet Eric, who has been frantically searching for the woman who saved him (i.e. Ariel), but when they finally meet, he is initially turned away due to her lack of voice. She is shown being upset, again not shedding a tear, and is initially heartbroken. Later on, she explores the castle and runs into Eric in his room full of items he himself has collected over the years, and they spend time together, with Eric explaining everything and Ariel showing him the secrets hidden underneath some of his collection. 

(Credit: Empire Online)

She and Eric go out, like in the original, where Ariel steers a carriage, and they make it to a market, where Jodi Benson ‘passes the torch’ to Halle herself. This scene made me tear up a bit, I am not going to lie. They also buy Eric a hat, and they dance with people in the courtyard. As they were making their way back, Scuttle steals Eric’s hat and leads them to a boat, where they row as Sebastian sings Kiss the Girl. Due to the forgetting spell, Sebastian is trying to convince Eric to kiss Ariel without Ariel realizing what is going on. We all know what happens here, and this is where I begin to have some issues. I know Scuttlebutt is here, and it is fine. That’s all I will say.

First off, before I talk about Vanessa, Ariel sings another reprise of Part of Your World here, and I think this is placed in the wrong part of the movie. I get that this song is supposed to show her heartbreak since she is seeing the guy she likes about to be engaged to someone else, but I honestly think it would have been better at the very end, when she was a mermaid watching Eric from afar. The lyrics fit better, it seems more sad because more than ever they are separated, and it just fits better here than right after learning about Vanessa. All in all, this was a misstep, and I feel it should be moved to where I suggested. 

Vanessa here is played by the wonderful Jessica Alexander, who makes herself very memorable for such little screen time. However, I am confused for so many reasons with her inclusion. First off, we have already seen how much Eric enjoyed having Ariel with him, and it is very clear that he is off put by this. I don’t really buy that he is hypnotized. In fact, I think when he first sees her, he is initially confused. I mean, I can relate bro so don’t worry. Secondly, her skin tone is nothing like Bailey’s skin tone, and I know he did not get a good look at her, but why couldn’t they choose an actress with a similar tone? I know it is cruel, but Halle has a sister. Overall, I felt Vanessa was way more forced here than in the original, and it just does not fit this story.

(Credit: Twitter User @aficianad0__)

I just have to bring up how much a king Hauer-King (ha!) is in this one compared to the original. As Ariel transformed back, he held her in his arms and tried to protect her, while the animated one just stood and looked at her, like what the heck dude? Protect her! You just found out she saved you and you just look at her like, Oh snap! You a fish, girl? What should I do?” Animated Ariel deserved better, ugh.

(Credit: The Canberra Times)

Anyway, everything happens the same from here on out, except, Ariel is the one to kill Ursula, not Eric. She is actually on the boat while Eric is being shot at from below, and I really enjoy this change. Remember, Ariel has her tail now, so she has to think of a way to use the momentum around her being out of the water to try and steer the boat. By the way, this sequence and Ariel saving Eric earlier was very hard for me to watch due to the strobing lightning effects. 

Everything happens the same, and my disappointment cannot be measured when I saw they did not give Ariel a new DRESS!! What the heck?! She only gets one dress from the movie when the animated one got three?! Ugh, I was so disappointed, but this ending did not disappoint. In fact, I’d argue it is better than the original.

In the original, we all know that she marries Eric and lives close to home in Eric’s castle. In the remake, however, I am not sure if they get married, I have no idea, but there is a ceremony, before Eric and Ariel begin to explore the world together. As they board the boat, Triton and Ariel’s sisters breach the surface to say goodbye, and I love this line from Javier Bardem, which says “You shouldn’t have had to give up your voice to be heard.” And at that moment, I cried. I cried so hard. Ariel finally sheds a tear, saddened about leaving her home and her family behind, but grateful that her father is on her side now. She embraces Triton before he pushes the boat away from them towards their ship, and that is the end. I love that they ended the remake this way as opposed to the wedding. The wedding would have actually been an insult to this rendition of Ariel and Eric and I really enjoyed that they get to explore now and live life the way they want to instead of living the ways of their parents. 

(Credit: DeviantArt User mintmovi3)

All in all, The Little Mermaid remake deserves to exist amongst the others. I have seen many people for different reasons trying to boycott this movie, whether that be for racist reasons, hating the remakes, and so forth. I will not tolerate racism in any fashion, and to everyone hating on the remakes, let’s not die on this hill where a fantastic actress of color just performed the best live action Disney Princess performance ever. Let’s not die on this hill, alright? Support this film, support Halle Bailey, support the amazing story they have made here! It is better than the rest, I promise!

With that, it is the end of my comparison and I thank you for reading this far! If you enjoyed reading my stuff, share it with a friend who may also like it as well. Comments are always welcome, but keep it nice. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and shouldn’t be attacked because of them. Thank you for reading! See you in the next post!

[impulsea]

what do you mean some people of the og creative team have bought the criticisms against ariel?

Hi friend! When I mentioned that even some of the original creative team behind Ariel has fallen prey the negative discourse surrounding Ariel, what I meant was in the 1980s, it was clear what was meant to be accomplished through Ariel. Production wanted to give voice to an independent, stubborn, proactive character who risked it all for a chance to explore life above the sea. Yet, a lot of the bad takes about Ariel that are inaccurate about the film and surfaced in the 2000s and 2010s have brainwashed some of the creative team that worked on her and got them to succumb to this flawed rhetoric. I would definitely say the worse of these would be Brenda Cha*pman. It's not super surprising because she's pretty misogynistic and hateful- she literally called Snow White an idiot and insults fairytales/classic princesses whenever she can. Even Jodi Benson though, as much as I love her and as much reverence as she's given Ariel, has kinda had to show her belly and say things like "of course Ariel isn't as strong as the princesses we have now because society's progressed, but she was appropriate for the decade in which she was released."

And Jodi's great, don't get me wrong, but that totally contradicts another quote she gave in the 80s about how Ariel would be a timeless portrayal because of the very human characterization they gave her and it gives off the impression that Ariel is, now, dated. "Ariel is a tomboy, feisty, fiery, and slightly rebellious, but a true romantic at heart, all things I can see in me. She was not an abstract character, and one strength I especially see is that Ariel is not trapped in a 1989 portrayal. I think she'll be just as believable in 20 or 30 years as she is now because the emotions she portrays are that universal." And I agree with her original take. A woman who displayed the qualities we mentioned above would still have the same qualities today. When society changes, it's the opportunities women have but not women themselves. It isn't as if women who were born at a certain time point were simpering idiots who waited for their fate to direct them aimlessly, lacking ambition entirely, and women who were born later were just magically more independent and intelligent. I think this is the line of thought a lot of critics have about women and the feminist movement though, and a lot of what's been displayed through the live action films we've seen so far- Rachel Z***** in the live action Snow White being the most aggressive about it in her most recent interviews- and I really hope that in a few years, we'll see how harmful these ideologies are and counterproductive to how we see and treat people.

[beananacake]

hi patch! just out of curiosity how did you come up with/choose louis and chelina's children's name? how did you also come up as well as kit and reader's children? thank you so much! would very much like to hear the thought on behind each names <3 (ps I feel like each name really suitable for their each own parents)

Okay, hold on to your socks because this is going to be a bit of a long explanation lol

Let me just preface this by saying that I have nothing against names like Amanda or Kayleigh or Stacy or other names in that same vein. They're really pretty names but in the context of a historical romance or a low-fantasy historical romance setting, I personally don't think they fit the theme.

What I do is i try to stick to theme of the story I'm writing. The Accidental Princess is set in this time period where some names weren't that common as they are now. And classic, timeless names like Charlotte, Amelia, Henry, Elizabeth, etc... always fit a low-fantasy historical setting; you just have to pick the ones that sound better in the context of the story.

The way I chose Kit and Reader's children's names, I always knew I wanted a very strong, royal sounding name for them. In my head, the kingdom is a European kingdom, with influences from English, French, and Germanic royal houses, so the names ought to be from those languages. Kit may not sound like a typical royal name but Christopher (origin: Greek) and Kittrick (origin: Old Norse, Scottish) are, so I have to draw inspiration for that too. Henry is a very typical royal name and I wouldn't pass on the chance to use that lol. Amelia, other than it coming from Queen Amalie's name, is German in origin so I had to use that one as well. Their third child, Edward, is another strong name that is suitable for a prince of the kingdom. Kit's father, I've decided to name Armand (quite late now because I never gave it in the story) because it has a very regal quality to it, and it matches the French tone of the kingdom.

As for Louis and Chelina's children, the influences are Spanish and French sounding names. I always have this thought where they would name their children a name that sounds nearly the same in both languages. If not that, they would alter between naming one kid in a French name and the other in a Spanish name so it's all equal for both parents lol Isabella is Spanish sounding but Louis would call his daughter Isabelle sometimes because Louis is French. Philippe is the French spelling and Chelina sometimes calls her son Felipe. They have two more kids after them, named Rafael and Marie, respectively. And, if anyone's curious, Louis's full name is Louis-Etienne Toussaint. It's a very Louis-sounding name, as flamboyant as he is lol

Bottomline is, I always look into the time and place and context of the story and name them accordingly.

[whatsonmedia]

Music Monday Top 7 Spotlight: Roan, Billie Eilish & More!

Discover the latest hits making waves in the music scene! Roan’s vibrant queer anthem “Good Luck Babe!” explores love and self-denial, while Dutch duo Zonderling delivers an energetic dance track with “Variant.” Rae Khalil teams up with Freddie Gibbs for the soulful “Carpinteria,” and 34th Floor Experience captures listeners with “In The Morning.” Hard rock fans will love Banshee Banter’s edgy “Dead at Home,” and BT’s classic “Loving You More” remains timeless. Don’t miss Shaboozey’s chart-topping “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Billie Eilish’s potential summer anthem “Birds of a Feather.” Tune in and find your next favorite track! Roan’s “Good Luck Babe!”: A Queer Anthem Roan’s latest single, “Good Luck Babe!”, is a vibrant return since her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Co-written with Daniel Nigro and Justin Tranter, the song explores the complexities of queer relationships, focusing on the tension between love and self-denial. Roan's lyrics, such as “You can find a hundred boys in bars, shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling,” poignantly illustrate this struggle. Channeling the spirit of 80s gay pop, Roan showcases her vocal range from airy falsettos to powerful belts. The catchy chorus invites listeners in with “Well, good luck babe! (Well, good luck!),” while the climactic bridge delivers an emotional punch. The production enhances the narrative, creating a dizzying atmosphere that echoes the theme of longing and acceptance. https://youtu.be/1RKqOmSkGgM?si=xFnj0-FMYHfYhg0H Zonderling - Variant Heard this very recently, and by that I mean last night and enjoyed it so much that I decided to talk about it. A beauty of a dance track that's got a lot of energy from the Dutch duo Zonderling. Up until now I've never heard of them but am looking forward to hearing what they come up with next. https://youtu.be/mgh4ItpTZOc?si=2Jx41bfZgOwnX4qG Rae Khalil ft Freddie Gibbs - Carpinteria  When it comes to R&B and Soul America are absolute pros, they know how to make a great record, and one that you can call a listening pleasure. Only just heard of Rae and I have to say I've got something of a soft spot for her.  Listen on Sound Cloud https://youtu.be/TKIBeJvCYt8?si=GWlm-3bCf2rEE5zx 34th Floor Experience - In The Morning  These guys have only just caught my attention but after listening to In The Morning I am officially intrigued. Morning is like a flowing musical river where just when you think you know what's coming round the corner you reach a turn, which is actually nice  https://youtu.be/I6orJmogp9E?si=qLpzgxryeZ-EZoHn Banshee Banter - Dead at Home They may not have been on the British music scene for that long but they've definitely got an edge and are a beautiful fit for the hard rock/punk scene and i'm excited for them. Dead at Home is a great track  https://youtu.be/sKPZMQHP6LA?si=b2JFMqbSvDys90_D BT ft Vincent Covello - Loving You More  Released back in 1995, and yet it sounds like something that came out in the 00's. Produced by American DJ and Producer, Brian Wayne Transeau aka BT, along with vocals by Vincent Covello. Though I'm not a die hard fan I admit to enjoying this  https://youtu.be/ACmqeqSxO2U?si=ATfIKv9O27jgddFB Shaboozey: Breaking Barriers with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” Country artist Shaboozey hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his infectious track, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which samples J-Kwon’s 2004 hit. This achievement marks a significant moment in music history, as Shaboozey becomes the second Black artist this year to top both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts, following Beyoncé. https://youtu.be/t7bQwwqW-Hc?si=FAYyiHgG51hmwSRY Billie Eilish: A Summer Hit in the Making Billie Eilish is set to change the narrative with her new single, “Birds of a Feather,” from her upcoming album Hit Me Hard and Soft. With breezy production and dark lyricism, the track has summer anthem potential. Eilish’s vocal prowess shines in the chorus, showcasing her ability to transition from soft whispers to powerful belts. As she hits soaring notes, “Birds of a Feather” positions Eilish as a multifaceted artist ready to dominate the summer music scene. https://open.spotify.com/track/6dOtVTDdiauQNBQEDOtlAB?si=5IV_7j7JRsarG0pSXVvvDA Check out whatsOn for latest music updates Roan’s “Good Luck Babe!”: A Queer Anthem Zonderling - Variant Rae Khalil ft Freddie Gibbs - Carpinteria  34th Floor Experience - In The Morning  Banshee Banter - Dead at Home BT ft Vincent Covello - Loving You More  Shaboozey: Breaking Barriers with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” Billie Eilish: A Summer Hit in the Making Read the full article

[fracturedporcelaindoll]

Dear diary,

When you want to drown yourself in the waters of the ocean, by that I mean to feel the waves roll over you and not literally suffocate to death as water slowly fills your lungs causing asphyxiation and death~

But alas you find yourself unable to make to the beach and oceans tides so you turn on shower to colder setting hold your breath and dip under the waterfall and come out only when you can no longer hold breathe any longer~

Normally I love my showers like hot lava, the hotter the better, the way the heat turns my skin to reddish hue etc. But there are times when I long for the cold~

Maybe in another life I was mermaid or so the aesthetic quizzes I take regarding mythology creatures would have me believe~

By the same token I could be a princess that some royal family lost contact with during some catsophy or simply perhaps was abandoned~

Tho I am neither just a girl that rereads fairytales now and then along with romantic webcomics~

I am considering trying to update waredore to reflect elegant classic styles because those styles are timeless for no matter the era they are recognized as being elegant and beautiful~

I am uncertain tho as I do still enjoy the childish styles swiss doted prints, daisies, hearts, teddy bears etc~

I don't expect people to understand the struggle of wanting to be adorable, cute and beautiful~ I know such vanity how absurd but you know I can think of varying careers and never know with a certainly which I want to pursue~

Modeling, photography, pastry chef, teacher, artist, writer/poet/author, florist etc~

How am I to decide and time keep passes me by maybe I'll become one of this pro little old lady maids like in the Victorian novels that I read, everyone treats them with respect and they are professionally loved for the efficient top tier work they provide consistently~

Ice cream truck owner, librarian, dancer, singer, influencer, barista, administrative assistant, flight attendant etc~

[soundofmusicandfilm]

The Breakfast Club (1985) 

By Aiden McKinney

The film I chose is The Breakfast Club. This film was released in February 1985 and has become a timeless classic that several generations have grown to identify with. I had seen this film for the first time as a young child, but never really paid attention to it. During the Covid pandemic, I rewatched it in its entirety, and finally, as an older teen, realized what the film was really about. The way it impacted me was by showing me that high school social cliques and stereotypes, and expectations are something that everyone deals with. This film explained how all teens struggle with the desire to be oneself and comfortable in their own skin and just understood.  Yet, they are pressured by their peers, their parents, and their teachers to be someone they are not.

The movie is set in a high school library, where five students are spending eight hours in Saturday detention. They are all there for different reasons, and being that they are all from different socio-economic backgrounds and social cliques, the five strangers assume they know what each other are all about, based on the perceptions they have of each other. As the five just try to survive the day, they eventually begin to learn about each other and are surprised to find out they all have more in common than they thought. They are even able to overlook past judgements and begin to form friendships. 

With only a $1,000,000 budget and a cast of up-and-coming teen actors, I don’t think John Hughes anticipated the box office success he would have with this movie. It also received rave reviews from the critick  including a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.Rotten Tomatoes  Grossing $45,875,171 in the U.S. and Canada and $51,525,171 worldwide, IMDB The Breakfast Club became an iconic movie that has held the test of time. Hughes had already had great success with the likes of National Lampoon’s Vacation and Sixteen Candles, so he knew how to reach a specific audience. With a script full of character monologues that dove into the backstory of the five leads, the teenage themes of insecurities, peer pressures, abuse, and anxieties all create a common theme that the audience can identify with. Anyone watching can see themselves in one of the characters; a Brain, an Athlete, a Basketcase, Princess, and a Criminal.

The Breakfast Club is conventional, with obvious character types, themes, protagonists and antagonists. It follows a very entertaining and easy to follow storyline. Through the stories told by the characters, the film addresses the many issues teens of yesterday and today face  However, it is a script from the mid eighties, and it does have its flaws that would upset today’s audience. It is made up of an all white cast, which in today’s social climate, would not be well accepted. Casting more diverse actors would be more applicable, as well as representing someone from the LGBTQ+ community or even on the autistic spectrum. As with many movies of this age, some of the language is outdated. There is use of one offensive word, in particular, that would definitely need to be replaced.

Official trailer: The Breakfast Club Official Trailer #1 - Paul Gleason Movie (1985) HD

Brian’s letter to Mr. Vernon: Dear Mr. Vernon… We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you’re crazy to ask us to write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us. John’s crazy and bad, Cathy’s beautiful and spoiled2, Andy’s strong and mature, Allison’s looney tunes and Brian’s brilliant. That’s pretty much how we see ourselves. What we found out, sir, was that we’re all crazy and bad and beautiful, and spoiled and strong and mature and looney tunes and brilliant. Take it or leave it… Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club. (Dirtyfeed)  

[adamgant]

15 festive holiday party outfits

15 festive holiday party outfits https://ift.tt/4Tx1nWQ Sharing a roundup of cute and festive outfits for holiday parties this season. Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning! We’re back in the swing of things after our trip and looking forward to upcoming holiday events, festivities, and travels. What are you looking forward to right now? I’m so excited for our annual staycation at the Scottsdale Princess and taking the girls to see the Nutcracker in Phoenix. For today, I wanted to talk about cute and festive holiday outfits! While I don’t *love* winter attire (give me summer dresses and sandals any day), I definitely love party clothes. The holiday season is filled with sparkles, plaid, red, leather accents, and I’m into ALL of it. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of 15 festive holiday party outfits! (this dress is from my Rent the Runway Unlimited subscription. My referral link to try it out is here – perfect for holiday events and formal attire – and the link to the specific dress is here.) 15 festive holiday party outfits 1. Classic nap dress with bow heels (I have these from Lulu’s and love them. This link gets you a discount) I just recently got on the Nap dress train and now I 100% understand the hype. The fabric is thick and flattering, it doesn’t wrinkle too easily, and I love all of the different prints, cuts, and colors. 2. Red jumpsuit The classic never dies. Love the polished style and extra tailoring on this one. 3. Leather skirt with a Merry sweatshirt and heels or flats This is cute for a more casual holiday get-together, like a Favorite Things party. I’m wearing a similar outfit to our squadron’s Christmas party, which is at a local brewery. 4. A red top with leather pants and black heels Love this girly yet edgy combo with the leather pants. I have a pair and wear them way more than I thought I would. 5. A sparkly top, cropped black pants, and ballerina flats I think I’m going to order this sparkly top for myself. I’m a huge fan of button-up tops – they always look put-together – and this one is fun, festive, and different. 6. A Somerset dress and heels I’ve accumulated quite a few Somerset dresses – short and midi length- and they’re perfect for everything. The cut is extremely flattering and the offer so many colors, prints, and fabrics. 7. An embellished mini dress with black tights and heels I love how unique and timeless this dress is; you could easily also wear it with booties, or for a date night. 8. This gorgeous velvet dress with black heels Tip: size up in Reformation. This dress has a crisscross back and would look amazing with a black bomber jacket. 9. This velvet blazer romper 10. Sequin mini skirt with a black sweater and booties 11. A-line plaid mini skirt with a white mock neck bodysuit and black blazer This is a cute preppy vibe that would look great with heels, flats, or loafers. 12. This drapy top with a plaid or black skirt and heels 13. This green dress with gold heels 14. This ribbed sweater dress with booties or heels 15. Sequins and fringe with silver shoes SO bling-y and pretty. Ok, friends: what holiday events do you have coming up? What are you wearing?! Please share the goods with us in the comments section. Also, you still have time to enter my epic Amazon giveaway here and little hint that Favorite Things giveaway starts this upcoming Monday! xo Gina The post 15 festive holiday party outfits appeared first on The Fitnessista. via The Fitnessista https://ift.tt/OMTW9Jv November 28, 2023 at 06:46AM

[dausy]

My review of Disneys Wish which isn't at all organized or even well thought out. I'm just spamming text at the screen and hope it makes sense. Spoilers

I went into Wish with super high hopes because the internet was already tearing it to pieces based on the character models alone. I had high hopes that just meant people were missing an artistic style choice that the trailer didn't show. I also had hoped it would be a classic Disney Princess fairy tale. I really just wanted that, the classic disney princess. I have not been a fan of the animated films that are more artsy or explorative on different types of villains that aren't just a traditional badguy. We've had a lot of puberty/growing up as the villain or generational trauma as the villain. Theres nothing wrong with those, I sometimes just want a film thats prince/princess + badguy. Heroes journey.

The last Disney movie (and I'm lumping both Disney and Pixar together) that gave me real feels was Tangled. Do I think Tangled was absolutely perfect? well no, but I was willing to ignore the magical true-loves-tear because I just loved the goofy nature of Rapunzel and Eugene together. It was perfect because its a timeless movie. It will age well.

So Wish unfortunately was a huge disappointment. It didn't so much as follow a classic fairytale recipe as obviously it was a nod to classic Disney films. I appreciated that. I didn't realize how many easter eggs were hidden within it until the movie was done actually and I saw somebody elses review. To a point this actually made me more upset.

I went in focusing on the animation primarily because everybody said it looked like something off of Disney Junior. I actually liked how they pulled the 2d/stylization off of classic films like Sleeping Beauty. People said it made it look dull and the color choices were ugly. I don't think so. I love the Sleeping Beauty style. I thought it looked very nice. The problem is that the characters didn't blend in. It was like Disney was trying to make the characters also 2d but also 3d at the same time and they didn't match. I actually thought the characters looked like they were floating around on a greenscreen rather than physically present within the environment. I understand what they were trying to do, I just think it didn't quite work and it added to the illusion that it was a low-res Disney Junior tv show instead.

I also really liked Asha and Magnificos characters designs. I even liked how the Queen matched the King. At the beginning too I thought the Queen and King had a decent healthy sounding relationship which was nice.

What I didn't like was all the rest of the characters were useless including the goat. I understand peoples complaints about Ashas personality being a quirky girl or being a combination of all the disney princesses combined and I dont think she stayed that way for long. She was a bit goofy at the beginning of the film but then wasnt. The "seven friends"..I was going to go on a long rant but now I don't feel like it anymore. Now that the movies done I understand they were supposed to represent the 7 dwarves but they were supid. None of them had a personality. None of them had enough screen time to even obtain a personality. I never would have known they were the seven dwarves until I saw somebody elses review, with the exception of the one guy "thats why they call me grumpy". That one made me do a double take, like I guess he's got a similar color scheme. They should have just been nixed. All of them were useless. The scene where they used teamwork to pull on the ropes to release the dreams. You could have given more screen time to the goat and just had him do it by himself. The movie was too crowded. The song of friendship at the end...don't even get me started. It was so stupid.

That poor goat. They were trying to use him as another animal companion silly pal but even he didn't have that much screen time to even justify his silly voice. His one liners also didn't mesh with the tone of the film. He was pushed to the side but all these other useless characters.

My biggest beef was, I didn't think the king was that bad enough of a villain to be a villain and I think he actually had a point to an extent. The monkeys paw affect. The king literally has a utopia going where everybody lives a nice life, he just offers every once in a while to grant your wish. If its too vague or dangerous he wont do it. The catch is you forget what your wish was and you carry on with your life. Asha is mad nobody gets their wishes back. In particular she's mad her 100 year old grandfather whos wish was "to inspire the young people", his wish was too vague so it couldnt be granted. So she decides to break in and release everybodies wishes and give them back. My qualm is I guess is that theres a song about "be your own star" you don't need anybody else. And technically grandpas wish came true anyway. He did technically inspire the youth, infact they formed a rebellion and overthrew the country. So if you can still accomplish your dreams, why are you overthrowing the country? It infact was actually a dangerous vague wish because the country was overthrown and yall are all happy about this. I mean I do get it but it just didn't feel like it was enough to form a movie about it. It wasn't enough to tip the villain over the edge to be the villain.

My one question is, how old is King Magnifico? if him and his wife created the country and they do a wish ceremony when kids turn 18..are they immortal? has grandpa been waiting for his wish since he was 18? or is the country like 10 years old? What I would have done (even though I'm not a story writer at all), what if Magnifico had been eating the wishes to keep himself young forever (I guess kinda like mother gothel) cause then I'd be a little mad if he wasn't giving wishes back. I think that'd be a little more understandable.

and then quickly, I cant remember any of the songs. The songs I do vaguely remember did have a very similar Encanto/hamilton vibe to them. Particularly the intro Welcome to Rosas song...I understand it was a different writer for this film but Im just not a fan of that style of music. Just the fact that I can't remember any of the tunes anyway...its just kinda..meh...

anyway, I could rant more but this is already too long and it may be full of mispellings but Im not going back to read what I just wrote. Ha.

[starslung]

bro dcoms are like princess movies for tweens/teenagers send tweet

[jadedvibes]

The Princess Buck

Summary: You and your new friend that you may or may not have a crush on, bond over the timeless classic The Princess Bride. [Modern AU]

Pairing: neighbor!Bucky x reader

Warnings: FLUFF, pining and a little swearing 

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing something, my love for Fall and comfort movies led me here. Please lmk if it is any good, and excuse my silly fic title! 🖤 

Autumn always brought you a spark of happiness that no other season could bring about. A slight chill in the air, turning leaves, spooky vibes, and pumpkin spice. The beauty of the season was endless. It also meant cuddling up in blankets with your loyal best boy, Ollie the orange tabby while peacefully binging away timeless movies. That was your plan and you had all the essential ingredients for a night at home including popcorn, candy corn and red vines. 

After some internal debate you decided to watch The Princess Bride, one of your favorites. You thought about going with a horror movie to fit the vibe of the season, but comfort and coziness is where your heart led you tonight. All that was left was to push play, but before you had the chance there was a knock at the door. 

“Who could that be, Ollie?” you asked the indifferent cat but received no useful response as usual. You got up and looked through the peephole to see your neighbor and new friend Bucky waiting patiently. The two of you formed a fast friendship after you took him in when he got locked out of his apartment a couple months ago. You ran into him as you overheard the end of his call with management and offered to let him hang out at your place until someone could come over to unlock his door. After that afternoon the two of you started to hang out more and more whenever your schedules lined up. 

Bucky Barnes was without a doubt one of the sweetest guys you had ever met. After years of meeting men with ill intentions, Bucky felt like a breath of fresh air. He expected nothing and only sought to be your friend. Sure he playfully flirted with you but he also treated you with the utmost respect. In comparison to the fuckboy’s of your generation Bucky felt like a man from another time. It was hard not to crush on Bucky, especially when his personality was all charm and his looks were all tall, dark and broody - just the way you liked it. But you knew dating was tough, and having been out of the game for some time you found yourself weary of seeking out romance. Friendship was what you needed right now, and it seemed like Bucky felt the same way. 

“Hey Bucky, what are you doing here? I thought your sister was coming over this weekend,” you said, leaning your shoulder against the door frame. 

“Yeah she was going to, but had to cancel last minute because of some big class project that her group needed to finish. I was wondering if you wanted to come over for some pie, because now I have a big apple crumb pie from Mia’s Bakery and no one to share it with,” he said, looking at you sheepishly. 

“I will never turn down pie, I’d love to but I was just about to start a movie. You wanna bring it over and watch with me?” 

“Yes, that sounds great, I’ll be right over,” he said with a warm smile. If your heart sped up a little at the thought of spending time with Bucky you decided not to worry about it. You chalked it up to the excitement of eating pie and not the tiny little crush you harbored for your neighbor. 

┈┈┈┈┈・・

“What do you mean you’ve never seen The Princess Bride? It’s a classic that is indisputably amazing,” you said in bewilderment. 

“I don’t know what to tell you, I’ve seen a lot of movies but the premise for this one never interested me. A romance between a farm boy and a princess? Talk about cliche,” he scoffed and playfully rolled his eyes.

“That is all you think the movie is about? I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong you are. It’s about so much more than romance. There’s comedy, action, adventure, suspense and so much drama too,” you exclaimed. “I’m just gonna let this play and you can see for yourself,” you muttered. 

His deep blue eyes like the sea after a storm meet yours and your exasperated heart calmed. “I didn’t realize you were so passionate about this movie Y/N, if you say it’s good then I trust you.” 

You smiled at him, “I’m just a little protective over this movie, Buck. Hopefully you’ll see why.” You grabbed your pie and snacks and pressed play. You didn’t see the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled at you watching the film begin. 

“I think it’s kind of cute how when Westley says ‘As you wish’ he really means he loves Buttercup. Ugh this movie makes me a hopeless romantic.” 

Bucky chuckled at that, “I’m not gonna lie, that scene was pretty cute.” 

As the movie progressed you wrapped yourself up in your big chenille blanket and moved the popcorn bowl that was between the two of you to your coffee table. Being the generous person that you were, you decided to share your blanket with Bucky too. Ollie decided to nap elsewhere and wasn't around to keep you warm so you leaned into Bucky just a little. He gently placed his arm around your shoulder, respectfully and due to the cold of course. The two of you were used to each other even though you hadn’t known each other that long - being close to one another felt normal and comfortable. 

Despite his initial hesitance, he was completely engulfed in the movie. By the time the main character Westley was stuck in the Pit of Despair, Bucky was all nerves as he sat up and watched the scene unfold. You gently grabbed his hand and intertwined your fingers. He lightly squeezed your hand and looked at you. You gave him a reassuring smile and he returned the smile right back. 

You tried not to think about how right this all felt. 

“This movie is light and dark at times, and I’m a little worried we might not get a happy ending,” he whispered to you before returning his gaze to the film. 

You wrapped your free hand around his forearm and pulled him a little closer. “I won’t give you any spoilers, but look at the general theme of the movie, Buck. They’ve gotten through a lot already and let’s not forget the true love thing that is also significant,” you whispered back.  

He let out a laugh and nodded, “Okay, you’re right. Solid points, Buttercup.” 

Your heart fluttered, but you played it off, “Oh gosh, is that my new nickname? Because if so I’m going to start calling you Humperdinck.” 

“Please don’t, he’s literally the worst,” Bucky pouted. 

You giggled, “Yeah okay, I won’t do that. Princess Buttercup is a worthy namesake, I’ll take it,” you teased him.

He laughed at that and settled back into the movie - content and happy to have you so close to him. 

Bucky knew from the moment he met you that your silly and fun-loving spirit was exactly what he needed. You quickly became the light and levity in his life. On top of that, you were undeniably beautiful. But when he first met you he knew that you weren’t keen on dating, and at the time he thought he felt the same way. He was initially delighted by the ease of your friendship. Not long after however, Bucky found himself feeling emotions he hadn’t ever felt before. He wasn’t willing to voice those feelings at the risk of losing your swiftly budding friendship, but they remained and continued to grow nevertheless. Now with you so close to him, he couldn’t help but feel like this was it. You’re the one he wants to –

“Hey Buck, do you think it’d be weird if I have someone give the Mawage speech at my wedding?” 

“No, I think that’d be pretty on brand for you.”

“You just get me,” you said with a beaming smile. Bucky chuckled and hoped that with enough luck maybe he could be the one to hear that hilarious speech right next to you at the altar someday. God what is wrong with me, it’s way too soon to be thinking like that. Get it together Barnes, she’s your friend. Your adorable perfect friend. 

┈┈┈┈┈・・

“So it was good, right? No regrets?” you asked once the movie ended. 

“I’m really glad we did this, you were right. I’ll never question your judgement again,” he said as he tilted his head and smiled. 

You smiled triumphantly, “See to it that you do.” 

“Do you think we can have another movie night soon?” 

Does Bucky sound eager to spend more time with you? No, you suppose that’s just what friends do. The idea of another cuddly night with him delighted you and you tried to respond with nonchalance despite your mild excitement, “Um, yeah of course, whenever you want. Just let me know.” 

“Great, maybe we can watch a horror movie next time.” Truly he’d take any excuse to have you close and in his arms again. 

“Ooh yeah, I love a good scary movie. We can go classic with Halloween or if you’d like to see Westley again we can watch Saw. So many choices,” you said, getting excited. 

“Sunday then? I can pick us up some more movie snacks,” he said, walking towards your door. “Any requests?” 

“That works, and maybe a little more pie from Mia’s?” you asked shyly. 

“As you wish,” he said sweetly with a twinkle in his eye - and with that he left. 

Leaving you and your heart to melt into a puddle. 

Part 2