#i loved her in the queen’s gambit <33

[must4rds33d]

i'm done reading emma by jane austen so now i can finally watch the 2020 adaptation starring anya taylor-joy (and other ones of course) 😁

[sunlitglycerin]

books of 2023

key:

🌔 reread

🪹 no thoughts no praise

🌊 i have to emotionally recover from this

💥 many thoughts not all praise

🌷 enjoyable

🫧 lovely

january

1. annihilation by jeff vandermeer 🌊

2. the uncoupling by meg wolitzer 🪹

3. the interestings by meg wolitzer 🌔

4. sorrow and bliss by meg mason 💥

5. the catcher in the rye by j.d. salinger  🌷

6. brown girl in the ring by nalo hopkinson 🌷

7. astrid parker doesn’t fail by ashley herring blake 🪹

february

8. little eyes by samanta schweblin 🌷

9. we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson 🫧

10. fight club by chuck palahniuk 🫧

11. salt fish girl by larissa lai 🫧

12. a visit from the goon squad by jennifer egan 🌊

13. wintergirls by laurie halse anderson 🌊

14. oryx and crake by margaret atwood 🪹

15. severance by ling ma 🌊

march

16. olga dies dreaming by xóchitl gonzález 💥

17. the hating game by sally thorne 🌊

18. second first impressions by sally thorne 🌷

19. american royals by katherine mcgee 💥

20. the worst best man by mia sosa 🌷

21. my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh 🌔

22. the change by kirsten miller 🫧

23. sealed with a diss by lisi harrison 🌔

24. fledgling by octavia butler 💥

25. the road by cormac mccarthy 🌊

26. intimacies by katie kitamura 🫧

27. le divorce by diane johnson 🌊

april

28. it happened one summer: a novel by tessa bailey 💥

29. fifty words for rain by asha lemmie💥

30. all my puny sorrows by miriam toews 🌔

31. speak by laurie halse anderson 🌔

32. the queen’s gambit by walter tevis 🫧

33. you will know me: a novel by megan abbot 🌷

34. the virgin suicides by jeffrey eugenides 🌔

35. the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse by charlie mackery 🌊

may

36. beautiful world, where are you: a novel by sally rooney 🌷

37. conversations with friends: a novel by sally rooney 🌊

38. a tree grows in brooklyn by betty smith 🫧

39. emergency contacts by mary h.k. choi 🌔

40. i’ll give you the sun by jandy nelson 🌔

41. if i never met you: a novel by mhairi mcfarlane 🌷

42. the girls by emma cline 🌊

43. confessions of a shopaholic: a novel by sophie kinsella 💥

44. second place: a novel by rachel cusk 🌊

45. convenience store woman by sayaka murata 🌔

june

46. the black presidency: barack obama and the politics of race in america by michael eric dyson 🫧

47. i’ll be you by janelle brown 🪹

48. the best american short stories (2020) 🌊

49. crazy rich asians by kevin kwan 🌔

50. the suitors: a novel by cécile david-weill 🌷

51. monster high by lisi harrison 🌔

52. elegance by kathleen tessaro 🌔

53. monster high: the ghoul next door by lisi harrison 🌔

54. monster high: where there’s a wolf, there’s a way by lisi harrison 🌔

july

55. monster high: back and deader than ever by lisi harrison 🌔

56. thin girls by diana clarke 🌊

57. eileen by ottessa moshfegh 🌷

58. china rich girlfriend by kevin kwan 🌔

59. composing a life by mary catherine bateson 🌷

60. in every mirror she’s black by lọlá ákínmádé åkerström 🌊

61. the invasion by k.a. applegate (animorphs) 🌔

62. less by andrew sean greer 🌊

63. the visitor by k.a. applegate (animorphs) 🌔

august

64. when katie met cassidy by camille perri 🌷

65. the message by k.a. applegate (animorphs) 🌔

66. the predator by k.a. applegate (animorphs) 🌔

67. the capture by k.a. applegate (animorphs) 🌔

68. the stranger by k.a. applegate (animorphs) 🌔

69. david kibbe's metamorphosis: discover your image identity and dazzle as only you can by david kibbe (who could have guessed) 🌷

70. the most fun we ever had by claire lombardo 🌔

71. earthlings by sayaka murata 🫧

72. pageboy: a memoir by elliot page 🫧

73. diary of an oxygen thief by anonymous 🌊

74. bridget jones’s diary by helen fielding 🌷

september

75. idol, burning by rin usami 🫧

76. cleopatra and frankenstein by coco mellors 🌷

77. kitchen by banana yoshimoto 🫧

78. addiction by design by natasha dow schüll 🌊

79. the fellowship of the ring by j.r.r. tolkein 💥

80. smashed: story of a drunken girlhood by koren zailckas 🌊

october

81. american psycho by bret easton ellis 🌊

82. all the lovers in the night by mieko kawakami 🫧

83. peace, love, and baby ducks by lauren myracle 🌖

84. if i had your face by frances cha 🌊

85. milk fed by melissa broder 🪹

86. legally blonde by amanda brown 💥

november

87. seven ways we lie by riley redgate 🌖

88. even the stars look lonesome by maya angelou 🫧

89. airhead by meg cabot 🌖

90. being nikki by meg cabot 🌖

91. runaway by meg cabot 🌖

92. wuthering heights by emily brontë 🌊

93. slouching towards bethlehem by joan didion 🫧

94. the heart principle by helen hoang 💥

95. in the shape of a human body i am visiting earth, edited by ilya kaminsky, dominic luxford, and jesse nathan 🌊

96. good for you by tammara webber 🌖

97. here without you by tammara webber 🪹

december

98. breasts and eggs by mieko kawakami 🌊

99. ender’s shadow by orson scott card 🌖

100. girlfriend in a coma by douglas coupland 🌊

101. altered states by anita brookner 🌊

102. i don’t know how she does it by allison pearson 💥

103. the hunger games by suzanne collins 🌖

104. catching fire by suzanne collins 🌖

105. mockingjay by suzanne collins 🌖

[amaribelt]

bianca my beloved

I lied I physically cannot draw anything more on biancas ref so I made a meme </33 I love my Victorian child

Name- bianca (ビアンカ）rosehearts（ローズハート）the name Bianca means white and is a reference to Casa Blanca lilies

CV- TBA

Age-14

Birthday- September 30th (libra)

Height- 155 cm

Dominant hand- right

Homeland- queendom of roses

Club- N/A

Best Subject- herbalism

Hobbies- making custom tea blends

Pet Peeves- incorrect usage of words

Favorite Food- Key Lime Parfaits

Least Favorite Food- Kiwi

Talent- oil painting

UM- Opening Gambit

can keep everyone in a 21ft×21ftspace from moving temporarily, the more people within that area the harder it is for her to keep it up for a longer period of time. she occasionally uses it to escape from uncomfortable social situations. blot production can very depending on how long its active.

lore?? bullet points?? something

°bianca lived with her mother for 5-6~~ years and even though her mother worked long hours leaving bianca home alone sometimes for hours at a time they were both pretty content with their sometimes chaotic schedule.

°the occasions when bianca was with kids her own age bianca would just hover around them instead of actually speaking to them unless absolutely necessary. bianca picked up chess along as a few other games to intertain herself and her classmates but the conversation wouldn't go any further than asking if they wanted to play a game.

°biancas health gradually got worse and though her mother tried everything nothing would make much of a difference

°biancas mother passed away when she was 7 and she was taken in by Mrs.Rosehearts and the smothering schedules took some adjustment but biancas health had a slight improvement

°bianca took up herbalism and gardening at Mrs.Rosehearts. bianca took immense interest in how toxic and poisionus plants can be used for health benefits. she has tried it multiple times and has gotten very sick from it before but hey trial and error (though Mrs rosehearts took all of the books away much to biancas dismay)

°although not the closest with riddle bianca would keep things from his mother so he would play chess with her and access to his mothers medical books

°although she's become a little reliant on Mrs.Rosehearts in certain aspects of her life bianca isn't completely dependent and will willing bend the rules and sneak around if she finds something she sees as worth it.

design notes and facts~~~~~~

°a very physically frail child a strong breeze would totally kill her, If it was her and a Victorian child she could barely pull though and Mrs rosehearts is not helping with that at all

°Mrs rosehearts does her hair in a fancy little bun I really tried to push the rose motif as hard as I could while still keeping the sickly Victorian child vibe

°the white queens daughter (lily) was the main inspiration behind bianca. Alice takes lily's place as a pawns. most chess openings use pawns to lure the player into a risky position to gain an advantage, in chess this is called a Gambit.

°the red streaks in her hair accidently made her resemble a cherry Parfait rose instead of the little colorful streaks that lilies have but I guess they both work out

°the area of effect for Opening Gambit is the dimensions of a chess board in feet

[saintobio]

Hey Saint, I loved this week’s chapter, Naoya’s ass too messy, can’t wait for the chaos he brings 🤸🏾‍♀️ As for Gojo 😐 I think at this point we’ve progressed past the need for Gojo (jk!!! a little) But I’ll let everyone else do deep analysis because I wanna talk fashion!!!

These are all my fashion related questions and hcs:

Do you think MC would begin to start wearing more layers and maybe even some gloves when around Gojo to symbolize that she is more closed off around him? Like she wants to hide from him? Something similar to some of Beth Harmon’s clothes from The Queen’s Gambit, of course with more modern silhouettes if you find these outfits to be too out of character (Last pick is Audrey Hepburn tho):

I also noticed that MC usually wears more structured pieces and matching top and skirt sets in her fashion post, so I was wondering if she would begin to wear more loose clothing to show how she’s beginning to stop keeping up her picture perfect appearance. Outfits that are more relaxed and flowy (first outfit with a longer skirt):

Which textile does MC like the most or least? I personally think she would enjoy silk but wear it only on special occasions but not like tulle as much because it’s a very showy fabric used to standout, which is the opposite of how she wants to present herself. I also think MC would wear fake piercings besides having the traditional pierced ears, and wear simple statement pieces like:

The Vivienne Westwood Pearl Choker

I also found some outfits I think would make a good revenge era, they have similar elements of matching blazers and skirt combos, just more figure hugging, but her usual classy and elegant (not too overtly because I imagine MC enjoys being covered usually during the work week):

And what if MC and Gojo begin to not match as much with their fashion to show how they’re drifting further away from each other? Like at an important event MC is (somehow) matching w/ Toji or Getou and Ieiri to show how she’s grown closer to them as she distanced herself from Gojo? She usually makes herself look complimentary to Gojo, but if she decided to step out in more bolder looks she’d be the moment 😮‍💨🤍

I have more thoughts, but I don’t wanna overwhelm u, have a nice night Saint! 🤍

BAEEE THESE ARE RLY GREAT CHOICES <33 they’re all very fitting to yn’s style and yes she’s starting to wear more black ensembles around gojo (i like the outfits you picked). ofc she still wears light coordinates here and there but the gradual change in her style is a symbolism of her growth <3

[itsmentalillness]

for ur ppl thing i have a few so u can pick n choose

victoria pedretti <33

andrew garfield

ben barnes

MAYA HAWKE

anya taylor joy

danielle galligan my beloved <3

i’m going to do all of them, to the best of my ability

1. Yikes, I Don’t See The Appeal || Not My Type || He’s Alright || I See The Appeal But I’m Different™ || Cute But On Alternating Wednesdays || He Has A Kind Face And That’s Good Enough || Pretty || Gorgeous || I— I Love? We Don’t Deserve Him.

I don’t know who she is🧍

2. Yikes, I Don’t See The Appeal || Not My Type || He’s Alright || I See The Appeal But I’m Different™ || Cute But On Alternating Wednesdays || He Has A Kind Face And That’s Good Enough || Pretty || Gorgeous || I— I Love? We Don’t Deserve Him.

I don’t know anything about him, like he was in spider man and he’s attractive...that’s all I can say

3. Yikes, I Don’t See The Appeal || Not My Type || He’s Alright || I See The Appeal But I’m Different™ || Cute But On Alternating Wednesdays || He Has A Kind Face And That’s Good Enough || Pretty || Gorgeous || I— I Love? We Don’t Deserve Him.

I would like to thank my elementary sunday school teacher for making us watch the chronicles of narnia. prince caspian was the gay awaking. I could go on and on about him forever. so ben barnes, if you’re out there, and I know you are, I request marriage.

4. Yikes, I Don’t See The Appeal || Not My Type || He’s Alright || I See The Appeal But I’m Different™ || Cute But On Alternating Wednesdays || He Has A Kind Face And That’s Good Enough || Pretty || Gorgeous || I— I Love? We Don’t Deserve Him.

pleaseeee I love her sm....I can’t say much bc I don’t have any coherent thoughts about her, bc she’s quite stunning and she lives next door to me 😎

5. Yikes, I Don’t See The Appeal || Not My Type || He’s Alright || I See The Appeal But I’m Different™ || Cute But On Alternating Wednesdays || He Has A Kind Face And That’s Good Enough || Pretty || Gorgeous || I— I Love? We Don’t Deserve Him.

I saw her in emma and holy shit- and peaky blinders- and queens gambit- she 🥰

6. I don’t know who she is 🧍

[b1uejean]

I was tagged by @einsatzgroping and @istaravshan thanks guys <33

Rules : tag nine people you want to know better

Favourite colours : lilac and violets I like neutral colours too but more as a general vibe and I love deep blue as well

Currently reading : 1Q94 by Haruki murakami

Last series : the queen's gambit

Last movie : I actually don't remember lmao I wish I had more free time rn q

Sweet savoury or spicy : spicy :)

Craving : a break, time to draw, love lmao

Currently working on : I'm studying for uno , i have some drawing commissions actually this sounds serious and shit it's not some dude wants a drawing of his oc and asked me to do it for him and I'm not able to say no also job hunting and I have to """"model""" in the photography project of my cousin's best friend it's like Alice in Wonderland themed and I'm like the mad hatter lmao again it's not serious at all but it's fun to do and I'm helping her

Last song listened : the cure just like heaven so i could dance while brushing my teeth

And I tag (victims) : @fillle444 @elfmommy @theblondesoffantasies @moonymphes @lajthitje @mompilled and whoever wants to do it 🦋

[lananiscorner]

Verdant Wind is done!

I finally finished Verdant Wind!!!! Woohooo!!

My second FE3H playthrough, this time focused on getting all of Claude’s supports has just ended. Overall, I found it less emotionally engaging than Azure Moon and I missed my Blue Lions. I will give Nemesis credit for being the hardest boss in the entire damn game though (level 60 with 46 defense even after killing everything else... ON NORMAL... wtf lol). So… how did it go?

Total play time: 86:33 (a third of my Azure Moon run--then again I didn’t recruit EVERYONE this time)

S support: Claude (the first time ever I wished I could just ditch--like, yeah, just leave me alone with this broken, war-torn country, I love you too. traitor. I want a divorce yesterday. And before anyone points it out: yes, I know he comes back in the paired ending, but still, wtf, not cool.)

Most frequent MVP: Claude (9 times!)

Most battles won and fought: Byleth (999/999, hooray for broken weapon levelling!)

Shortest battle: Salvation at the Chapel (3 turns)

Longest Battle: The Gautier Inheritance (23 turns)

Favorite character in terms of gameplay: Raphael surprised me this time. Crits for days, dodged all the spells, tanked all the rest and shrugged off almost every gambit despite having the lowest charm stat of the squad. Respect.

Favorite character in terms of… character: Marianne

Final pairs:

Claude/Byleth (ughhh)

Ignatz/Raphael (very wholesome and well-deserved)

Lorenz/Marianne (not what I expected, but nice enough)

Forever Alone:

Annette (good ending)

Balthus (also a good ending)

Cyril (even more good endings)

Flayn (oh no, and I promised her she wouldn’t fall asleep again for centuries...)

Hilda (actually a very good ending for her, I like it)

Ingrid (same as Hilda)

Leonie (forever married to Jeralt’s memory)

Petra (all hail the queen!)

Seteth (decent)

Shamir (alright)

Next up: Crimson Flower with Dark Flier Bylass and dancer Edelgard + recruitment of Hannemann, Lysithea, Manuela, Shamir and Mercedes, so that I can get their supports with Edelgard/Hubert/Jeritza

[thecorteztwins]

@lgbtincomics - A pre-Marauders reading list for Shinobi Shaw! X-Factor (1st series) #67 - First appearance, kills his father (good for him) Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #281-283 - Bisexuality first implied. Tries to offer Fitzroy help with the Upstarts competition, Fitzroy responds by cutting off his finger and throwing the decapitated head of Donald Pierce in his bed. In revenge, Shinobi accidentally rescues Trevor Fitzroy from X-Men, thinking he’s in fact sabotaging Fitzroy killing the X-Men and gloats about that Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #299 - Other Upstarts are fighting, Shinobi just goes for the liquor cabinet while scolding “boys, boys!” X-Men (2nd series) #21-23: Shinobi invites a Japanese crime boss, Lord Nyorin, to his penthouse late at night. Nyorin is greeted with what I can only describe as an upskirt shot of Shinobi in a tiny towel, surrounded by scantily-clad men and women. Shinobi then stumbles around drunkenly while trying to convince Nyorin to kill the X-Men for him, saying “this is about your wants and my needs” and Nyorin calls him “unsutble”. Draw your own conclusions about that. He then attends a meeting with other members of the Japanese underworld to tell them just to leave his mother out of their schemes (what his mother had to do with this is never revealed) and then later Beast and Gambit burst in on him while he’s in the bath to interrogate him about the Upstarts. New Warriors (1st series) #43-44: Recruits Justice of The New Warriors as a lackey to do his dirty work because Shinobi is so damn lazy even other villains make fun of him for it. Justice takes him up on it in X-Men (2nd series) #29: Shinobi invites Archangel to attend a Hellfire ball. The invitation is written in loopy pink ink and has a lacey border. It’s also perfumed. Jubilee makes a “Liberace” comparison in case we’re still not getting it. We learn that Shinobi and Warren were childhood friends (well, friends from Shinobi’s POV, Warren just remembers him as this kid who was always tagging along after him) and now Shinobi wants him to be his White King. A confrontation ensues between Archangel and Psylocke, who came along, revealing in Psylocke’s powers revealing Shinobi’s traumatic childhood at the hands of his abusive father, and they leave Shinobi alone in the Hellfire Club basement. This one broke my heart, you guys. X-Force (1st series) #32: The Younghunt contest has begun among the Upstarts,in which they compete to kidnap other mutants. Not being one to do his own work, as mentioned, Shinobi asks Justice to bring him Firestar. Firestar is Justice’s girlfriend, but Shinobi points out that at least with him, Firestar is safer than she would be with the other Upstarts. New Warriors (1st series) #45  - Justice delivers Firestar to Shinobi, who promises him that they’ll use Firestar just like they discussed: as bait to get them inside the assassination parlor, and from there to use the other captured young mutants to overthrow not only the Upstarts but the Gamesmaster himself! Shinobi also makes the hilarious claim that he’s not an idiot. It’s hilarious because he absolutely is. X-Force (1st series) #33 : Shinobi once again gets ambushed and interrogated in the bath, this time by X-Force. They also throw Bantam, Fitzroy’s sidekick, in there with him. Bantam says he hopes Shinobi is wearing swim trunks...and I don’t think he is. [X-Men Annual (2nd series) #3: Being an X-Men villain, Shinobi of course has to try to brainwash Storm into joining him. Also he grows drug plants in his apartment penthouse, which surprises me zero, Shin absolutely strikes me as a pot-smoker at the least. Generation X Annual 1995: Cordelia Frost shows up in lingerie at the Hellfire Club trying to get Shinobi to give her Emma Frost’s former position of White Queen. Shinobi, who regards her as a child (and rightly so, she’s sixteen here) refuses, and she tries to buy her way in by offering him a powerful mutant, Mondo. This also does not work, and Shinobi lazily drinks his champagne as a bunch of other bad guys burst in and kidnap Mondo while Cordelia screams at him. It’s hilarious and I love them, I wish they had been a baby Hellfire Club together! X-Force (1st series) #62: Hearing that his father might not be so very dead, Shinobi fearfully begins funding a machine that can deprive mutants of their powers. As test subjects, Karma’s younger siblings are used. This is the first time I think we see Shinobi be truly evil/heartless---previously, he never actually hurt anyone in the Upstarts besides his abusive dad, and he comes off more as trying to make friends in a weird way. Likewise, his conflicts with the X-Men were from botched recruitment attempts. But this is straight-up hurting children because he’s afraid of the man who hurt HIM as a child. Also features the sole appearance of Mindmeld, his gender-ambiguous bodyguard. [X-Necrosha #1, X-Force (3rd series) #21-22: Poor Shinobi, it seems his father got him after all, because he turns up as one of the zombies that Selene resurrects during Necrosha. He comes after Sebastian, but alas does not succeed in killing him again. Uncanny X-Men (5th series) #20: Randomly alive again with no explanation, Shinobi and the other Upstarts kill the Nasty Boys so they won’t be manipulated by Emma Frost, and Shinobi kills himself for the same reason. No, it doesn’t make any sense and it’s very upsetting. X-MEN ‘92 (second series) This series, which was published in 2017 but takes place in 1992, is an alternate universe setting that nonetheless captured a lot of true Shinobi-ness in this portrayal, hence why I list it in addition to his 616 appearances #2: First appearance in this series, drawn with Wolverine hair because the artist seems to have mixed him up with MATSU’O TSURABAYA who was another Japanese X-Men character from the 90s. I wrote in about this and he was drawn probably ever since. I’m not saying it was definitely because of my letter but I like to think it was. #8: Shinobi Shaw and Trevor Fitzroy were presumed dead, it turns out Shinobi decided to fuck off on a Thailand cruise for weeks and bring Fitzroy with him and I LOVE THIS IDIOT SO MUCH. In his own words, “Who wants to spend all day thinking up ways to kill the X-Men when you could be playing shuffleboard with Miss November?”  And then Cassandra Nova and Apocalypse crash on to his boat. #10: The Upstarts join the X-Men to save the world. Shinobi, the voice of reason for once in his life, asks his teammate whether anyone has thought about what happens when this is over, and the X-Men remember that they have been trying to kill them. Shinobi is a delight and a personal fave of mine! He’s definitely a product of the time he was written in, and has done a lot of very bad things, but he’s also very much a stupid, harmless villain who is too dumb, cowardly, and traumatized to really take seriously as truly “evil” so much as very messed up and emotionally stunted due to abuse. At least that’s how I feel about him. But by all means, read and decide for yourself!

[thewidowstanton]

The Widow’s best of 2020

Well… during a year when we haven’t been able to see many live shows we’ve still managed to find lots of things we loved. Here are some of them; live shows are indicated, otherwise we watched them online – our grateful thanks go to all the companies that streamed their productions for free – listened to them or read them. You’ll notice that our list includes lots of women and the occasional man.

But before that we start with a new category…

PERSON OF THE YEAR: Circus director Carol Gandey (pictured) of Gandeys Circus. If UK touring circus – an artform championed by The Widow’s Liz Arratoon for more than 25 years – is to survive Covid-19, it will be in large part to her. Gandeys had produced three shows before the UK’s March lockdown, two of which never had a chance to open, incurring hundreds of thousands of pounds in costs. It then provided accommodation and living expenses for 33 stranded artists, and meanwhile developed an air-flow working model for circus – trialling an opening at Butlins – which gave the government enough confidence to allow circuses to reopen with reduced seating capacities.  

Carol constantly lobbied the government and the Arts Council for aid – as did other industry figures – and her application to the Arts Council Recovery Fund, which was said to be exceptional, resulted in a £1.1 million grant; the largest amount awarded to any UK circus company. Gandeys used some of the money to cover the losses due to the lockdown, and to fund a survival package that included some reduced-capacity performances this autumn, as well as funding the production costs for reopening in 2021.

From one strong and inspirational woman to another…

BEST EXTRAVAGANZA: Rhianna’s Savage X Fenty Volume 2 TV special for her lingerie range. Wow! What a mix! This was an explosion of creativity; part fashion show, part dance show, part gig, part circus, part ad, and included a simply stunning floral set. Add a cast of big names, a wonderfully diverse choice of dancers and models, no expense had been spared. Exciting, fresh and really impressive.

BEST LIVE SHOW: Zebra, a solo show by juggling genius Wes Peden, which was part of the London International Mime Festival at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room.

BEST CIRCUS SHOW: The really inventive CAPAS by Circo Eia (pictured) – so great to see so many new ideas, and here’s our chat with cast member Francesca Lissia. Plus the intricate and dazzling Twenty Twenty by Gandini Juggling. 

BEST DANCE SHOW: Faust by the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, featuring the spectral Bernice Coppieters (pictured) as Death; and Cia de Dança Deborah Colker’s super-stylish Belle, inspired by the novel Belle de Jour.

BEST KIDS’ SHOW: Little Angel Theatre’s hat trilogy, presented by puppeteer Ian Nicholson; an adaptation of the picture books by Jon Klassen: I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat and We Found a Hat.

BEST COSTUME: The Widow has always considered costumes to be extremely important. As Federico Fellini said: “Don’t forget that costumes, like dreams, are symbolic communication,” and frankly we wish more artists would make the sort of effort Dua Lipa made on Saturday Night Live!

Staying with costumes… slightly less glamorous, but an effort was made by Hot Mess in party-sketch work-in-progress Dirty Stop Outs.

MOST EXCITING: Meeting Marina Abramović in the foyer at London’s Barbican before the Efterklang gig.

BEST SHOWGIRLS: Seen in the 1972 film Un Flic; costumes by Colette Baudot. Also featured is a stunning black dress, worn by Catherine Deneuve, designed by Yves Saint Laurent.

BEST BURLESQUE: Lady of Burlesque, starring Barbara Stanwyck, who wears costumes by the great Edith Head.

BEST FILM CREDITS: Sudden Fear, starring Joan Crawford as a scorned – but impeccably dressed – woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown! 

BEST CASTAWAY: Hard to choose between Rupert Everett, Ian Wright or Daniel Radcliffe, who all washed up on BBC Radio 4′s Desert Island Discs.

BEST SHOWBIZ STORY: Catherine Russell – on Outlook, BBC Radio 4 – who has played the same role for 32 years and said the same lines more than 13,000 times. She holds the world record for the most theatre performances in the same role; Margaret Thorne Brent – a psychiatrist who might also be a cold-blooded killer – in the off-Broadway play Perfect Crime.

BEST TV SERIES: It was a close call with The Queen’s Gambit, but our choice is the utterly brilliant My Brilliant Friend; the adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s series of Neapolitan novels. 

BEST DOCUMENTARY: The Bee Gees – How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.

BEST CABARET PIC: The ever-lovely Eve Ferret at the Crazy Coqs in London. Picture: @marc_t_albert 

BEST SHOWBIZ MEMOIR: John Cooper Clarke’s I Wanna Be Yours.

BEST SHOWBIZ BIOGRAPHY: Jon Gresham: The Life and Adventures of a Sideshow Showman, Fire-Eater and Magician by Edwin A Dawes, Pat Gresham and Jon Marshall. This is a painstakingly detailed and enthralling account of Gresham’s life, lovingly compiled by his widow and friends from material written by Gresham himself. Want one? Details below.

BEST SHOWBIZ AUTOBIOGRAPHY: The heartbreaking Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy by Dorothy Dandridge and Earl Conrad. The revealing autobiography of Hollywood’s first African-American sex symbol and screen legend.

BEST GIG: Sevdaliza’s only show this year, streamed live from The Hague's Koninklijke Schouwburg (Royal Theatre) to a global audience.

BEST SONG: Désormais by Charles Aznavour, which was used as the title track for the film Chambre 212 or On a Magical Night.

BEST ALBUM COVER: Charles Aznavour’s Désormais. That hat!

MOST CHARMING: The sheep invasion during Isabella Rossellini’s show Sex and Consequences, which was streamed live from her farm in Bellport, Long Island, USA. Yes, her live sheep! 

BEST TWITTER CIRCUS PIC: The stunning Crystal Pyramids by Severus posted by @PablosCircus.

BEST LIVE COMEDY: Myra Dubois – star of Britain’s Got Talent – at The Poodle Club in Sydenham. Some of us recognised the greatness of Rotherham’s finest before she was famous!

GONE TOO SOON: Actor Chadwick Boseman (pictured) at just 43, funnymen Eddie Large, Tim Brooke Taylor and Bobby Ball, and dancer, choreographer and actor Ann Reinking.

MOST MISSED: Davenports magic shop that closed at the end of January – but you luckily can still order from it online – and a more recent casualty, after 96 years, London’s beautiful Café de Paris.

MOST DISAPPOINTING: Madonna’s Madame X show at the London Palladium. Goodness, this was shoddy! She was so incapacitated that she simply marked all the dance moves and had to be helped around the set, and up and down the stairs. The tickets were exorbitantly expensive and no one paid to see someone hobbling about onstage. We paid to see Madonna!

But let’s not end on a sour note…

BEST SHOWBIZ MASK: Shirley Bassey’s fabulous sequinned number!

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Some things we’re looking forward to include:  The 45th London International Mime Festival, which will be screening free-to-view videos of shows from past LIMF editions, running an extended workshop series with live and online classes, and hosting a series of talks.

We’re also awaiting the new series of Call My Agent, which starts on Netflix on 21 January 2021.

And, last but by no mean least, one of the world’s truly funny clowns, Gloria – also known as Mooky Cornish – has been busy training her chickens – Kukuruzza (pictured top), who has been taking piano lessons, and the athletic Galina – and will be touring the Canadian prairies with them next summer. Now that’s something we’d love to see! Picture: Nichole Huck

Better days ahead!

*Jon Gresham book is available via PayPal from jon@magiccarpettheatre.com: P&P incl, UK – £25, EU – £30, USA tracked – $52

[theheroheart]

New Years Meme 2020

@arqueete:  “This survey is a meme that has been passed around among my friends since back in LJ days. If you want to join in, please consider yourself tagged.”

I used to journal more, and stuff like this is really nice to look back on, because I have terrible memory for life stuff or the passage of time. So here, for future me.

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before? Uhhhh wear a mask to the grocery store? This was not a groundbreaking year for new experiences.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? I didn't have any. I don't make any. I mean, sometimes I make them in the vague "I want to focus on this in the future", but I'll already have forgotten by March, like I don't really PLAN my life in such a way. I just have goals that aren't tied to specific points in time. You get there when you get there, and you choose what you want to prioritise.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, but my brother got married, which was very exciting because he's 40 and has never had a girlfriend who he considered important enough for me to meet. (And my sister-in-law is delightful.)

4. Did anyone close to you die? My (half-)brother's dad died a few weeks ago (cancer), but I didn't really know him, so I wouldn't say he was close to me. I did spend almost a week at my brother's place to be there for him though. And honestly, I kept thinking about how my mom's dead this year, because in a way I'm glad we didn't have to deal with this year together. She already died from respitory failure, had poor impulse control and sense of safety, and I would've been CONSTANTLY worried about her.

5. What countries did you visit? I was gonna go to Malaysia (for my brother's wedding celebration), but that didn't happen. (Flatmates were gonna go to Japan.) So. Yeah. Home country all the way.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? A driving force to move forward in my life?

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I don't think... that there is one specific day? I guess the US election? Despite me being Norwegian, it's still fairly historic.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? /stares blankly at the wall I did do some nice art pieces? I coped? I managed to have good times and make friends despite everything else.

9. What was your biggest failure? I dropped out of two classes specifically because I couldn't do remote learning and self-structured study (BECAUSE ADHD YO), even though it wasn't even that HARD subjects, which was very frustrating. It hasn't set my study plan back, thankfully, but it still felt like a waste.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Only mental. And thankfully not as bad as it could've been, but hell yeah there was some strong anxiety in there.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I've bought some great video games this year. Animal Crossing brought 250 hours of fun, Hades brought 100 hours so far. Good investments.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? // 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Both of these are related to pandemic behavior so I think you can guess.

14. Where did most of your money go? Entertainment? Also, god, I spent so much money on theatre tickets that are now just vouchers for non-specific future performances. I'll get my money's worth eventually, but right now it's hundres of dollars worth just sitting in vouchers. OH, and, digital D&D books.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I had tickets for Chess. Several tickets, for multiple performances. STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THIS PRODUCTION THOUGH. But they're still doing it so hopefully it will still happen.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2020? Not sure I have any specific ones, actually. No iconic music.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Last year I was feeling very accomplished. I was challenging myself, had befriended lots of classmates, had gotten through some stuff I was quite proud of managing. This year has been... not that. But on the other hand, I'm not as exhausted from school stuff, and I'm ready to actually go places and try to do things, as opposed to just wanting a month long nap.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? General life maintainance stuff. Not just school work, but like, focus more on money sensibility and try to get on disability, go to the dentist, work with my doctor more... All of that got a little bit just... postponed indefinitely.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Uh, can't think of any notable negative behaviour. It's mostly stuff I didn't do. Like, I had some bad anxiety in the spring, but honestly I think I did an appropriate amount of worrying.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? Had my first christmas with my flatmates (whom I love very much), and had my dad over as well. It was very lovely, and socially way less draining than usual.

22. Did you fall in love in 2020? lmao I'm aromantic

23. How many one-night stands? lmao I'm asexual

24. What was your favorite TV program? There were a few this year! Good Omens, The Queen's Gambit, Julie and the Phantoms, Avenue 5. There were more I watched and enjoyed, but I think those stand out the most. Also, does Critical Role count? OH, The Baby Sitters Club! A lot of good stuff.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nah. I don't hate a lot of people.

26. What was the best book you read? Don't think I read anything notable this year. Don't read a lot of books, I prefer to consume stories in other media.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Julie and the Phantoms. Not because the music is astounding or anything, but it was very feel-good and fun. Don't think I had a lot of new music.

28. What did you want and get? D&D campaigns? Have gotten really invested in one of them in particular, it's delightful.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? Hmmm. The only one that stands out was The Old Guard. I watch more series than films. 2 hours isn't long enough for me to get properly invested AND satisfied.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 33 and I don't know that I did anything special. I think I just chilled? Flatmates made me a nice breakfast!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having the energy for essays/exams, probably. Just feeling like I actually had some accomplishments. OR LIKE. If Norway did like New Zealand and just wiped the virus out.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? Pyjamas. Occasionally 'apocalypse chic'.

34. What kept you sane? My flatmates and my dad. Reliable social interaction with people I care about.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Matthew McNulty, which applies to every single year. But this year I started both a gallery website and a discord server for him, so it was a particularly good year for him.  (Special mention to Paul Spera, who I finally talked to face-to-face, through Zoom, but still.) Also I'm using 'fancy' platonically.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Ha aha hah all of them, oh god. BLM, probably, though. That was when I still had the energy to get invested.

37. Who did you miss? So many people. Like, come on. I don't know that it was even specific people so much just... being in a group? Like, my choir gang?

38. Who was the best new person you met? Met a guy I ended up playing a LOT of board games with. We haven't really talked in a few months now tho. And there's a friend I didn't MEET this year, but I really connected with, who's also now my DM, which was really nice.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: It's not necessarily new knowledge, but this year has really driven home the need for both community solidarity and governmental support/leadership.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: I'm alone in my apartment, that means I can do anything / I'm not wearing pants (alone in my apartment - Brian David Gilbert)

Summary: It's been a conflicted year, a lot has felt like it's been on stand-still, but there's still been some good things in there.

[smoochkooks]

movies I watched in 2020

1. parasite (2019) 9/10

2. the danish girl (2013) 7/10

3. corpus christi (2019, that's a polish movie!! it was nominated for best foreign picture, u should watch it!) 9/10

4. ted bundy tapes (netflix, 2019) 8/10

5. great gatsby (2013) 7/10

6. atonement (2009) 7/10

7. bohemian rhapsody (2018) 8/10

8. my beautiful son (2018) 6/10

9. loving pablo (2017) 5/10

10. green book (2018) 8/10

11. whiplash (2014) 7/10

12. little women (2019) 10/10 !! my absolute favorite

13. the notebook (2004) 7/10

14. once upon a time in hollywood (2019) 6/10

15. crazy rich asians (2018) 7/10

16. chernobyl (2019, hbo series) 8/10

17. ssang-hwa-jeom (2008) 9/10

18. lady bird (2017) 7/10

19. king (2019) 7/10

20. all the bright places (2019) 6/10

21. silver linings book (2014) 6/10

22. disclosure (2020, Netflix documentary) 9/10

23. Amanda Knox (2016, netflix documentary) 7/10

24. jeffrey epstein - filthy rich (documentary on netflix 2020) 8/10

25. Brooklyn (2015) 6/10

26. on the basis of sex (2018) 7/10

27. anna karenina (2012) 7/10

28. big eyes (2014) 6/10

29. tulip fever (2017) 6/10

30. diana: in her own words (2017) 8/10

31. wild wild country (netflix documentary series, 2018) 8/10

32. the whole twilight saga😶

33. yuri on ice

34. emily in paris (2020) 5/10

35. crash landing on you (2019) 8/10

36. reversing roe (2018, netflix documentary) 8/10

37. the Chicago seven's trial (2020) 5/10

38. the keepers (Netflix documentary series, 2017) 9/10

39. rainy day in New York (2019) 5/10

40. queen's gambit (2020) 8/10

41. about time (2013) 7/10

42. the story of diana (2017) 7/10

43. emma (2020) 6/10

[jondalars]

movies, tv shows, and books of 2021

((* is a rewatch/reread; currently watching; can’t get through))

Survivor (s17, s18, s19, s20 & *, s21, s22, s23, s24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, s34, s35, s36, s37, s38, s39, s40)

Bridgerton (s1)

Klaus (2019)

The Year of Spectacular Men (2017)

After We Collided (2020)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier *

Flower (2017)

The Queen’s Gambit (s1)

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

Fjords Vol. 1 by Zachary Schomburg

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!  (s1)

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (s1)

Mr. Sunshine (s1)

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

What We Do In the Shadows (s1*, s2)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson *

One More Time (s1)

To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)

Party Down (s1, s2)

We the Living by Ayn Rand *

Lost (s1*)

Love Island (s1)

I Care A Lot (2020)

Space Sweepers (2021)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller *

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo *

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer *

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo *

Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang

No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Troy: Fall of a City (s1*)

Two Weeks Notice (2002) *

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo *

Love Alarm (s1*, s2)

Eating Fire: Selected Poetry 1965-1995 by Margaret Atwood

Force Majeure (2014)

Nathan for You (s1, s2, s3, s4)

The Way of the Househusband (s1 & LA shorts)

Heaven Official’s Blessing (s1 & **)

Unreal (s1)

Why Did You Kill Me? (2021)

Modern Persuasion (2020)

Lords of Dogtown (2005*)

The Circle (s1, s2, s3)

Too Hot to Handle (s1)

Cheer (s1*)

Shadow and Bone (s1)

Strangers from Hell (s1)

Dawson’s Creek (s1)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo *

Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler

Next in Fashion (s1)

Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

Saint Maud (2021)

500 Days of Summer (2009) *

Are You the One? (s1, s2)

Tale of the Nine-Tailed (s1)

The Woman in the Window (2021)

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo *

I Told Sunset About You / I Promised You the Moon (s1, s2)

Ragnarok (s2)

Ultimate Beastmaster (s1)

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)

Word of Honor (s1 & *)

Bo Burnham: what. (2013) *

Dune by Frank Herbert

Because This is My First Life (s1)

Siddartha by Hermann Hesse *

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (s1 & *)

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

I May Destroy You (s1)

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden *

Vampire Academy (2014) *

Guardian (s1)

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden *

This Is Pop (s1)

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Good on Paper (2021)

Broken English (2007)

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (s2)

Santa Clarita Diet (s1, s2, s3)

Silver Skates (2020)

Love O2O (s1)

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis *

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Beast (2017)

Bad Trip (2020)

We’ll Take Manhattan (2012)

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

American Royals by Katharine McGee

Majesty by Katharine McGee

Advance Bravely (s1)

The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis *

Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021)

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021)

Major Grom: Plague Doctor (2021)

Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu *

The Mole (s1)

Blood Red Sky (2021)

Deep (2021)

Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Clickbait (s1)

Touch Your Heart (s1)

What If (2013) *

Two Night Stand (2014) *

Detroit (2017)

French Exit (2020)

School of Rock (2003) *

Level 16 (2018)

An Education (2009) *

Catch Me If You Can (2002) *

Ashes of Love (s1)

Kolyma Stories by Varlam Shalamov trans. Donald Rayfield

The Possessed: Adventures With Russian Books and the People Who Read Them by Elif Batuman

Squid Game (s1)

Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

Fire on the Mountain by Terry Bisson

The Circle France (s1)

Frisk by Dennis Cooper

The Circle Brazil (s1)

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy trans. Anthony Briggs

Paradise Hills (2019)

The Guilty (2021)

Fleabag (s1*, s2*)

All Good Things (2010)

Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (s1)

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion *

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson *

Nirvana in Fire (s1)

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson *

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton *

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) *

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin *

Insiders (s1)

Persuasion by Jane Austen *

You (s3)

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders

Nox by Anne Carson *

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The New Guy (2002) *

Knives Out (2019) *

Midnight Mass (s1)

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (s1)

21 Jump Street (2012) *

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Love Hard (2021)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach *

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

You by Caroline Kepnes

Train to Busan (2016) *

Community (s1*, s2*, s3*, s4*)

The Martian by Andy Weir

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert *

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Mine (s1)

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood *

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021)

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon *

Jingle All the Way (1996) *

Elf (2003) *

Death’s End by Liu Cixin

The Scum Villain’s Self-saving System (vol 1) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Mo Dao Zu Shi (s1*, s2*)

Single All the Way (2021)

[mid-youth-crisiss]

about me

name: zem/zemmy

age: 21

pronouns: she/her

zodiac sign: pisces

current brainrot: maya and carina from station 19

tv shows:

code black

station 19

movies (there's too many to mention but these are my main:

the old guard

jojo rabbit

parasite

les miserables

the perks of being a wallflower

v for vendetta

series:

the haunting of hill house

the haunting of bly manor

lucifer

queen's gambit

game of thrones

sherlock

the sinner

for the love of god i need to finish these:

the 100

the umbrella academy

new amsterdam

mindhunter

likes:

i watch a lot of musicals

i love me some mindfuck movies/series

true crime

folk music

music in general

taika waititi films <3

Hozier my beloved <33

knows medical stuff; undergrad: medtech

[ughfitz]

I was tagged by @jemmafitzsimmons​ - Thank you! Funny enough, many of my answers were similar to yours :) 

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? - pink

2. Name a food you never eat - cottage cheese

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? - too cold

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? - watching tv

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? - twix

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? - yes, many (baseball, football, soccer, hockey). Though not a professional team, much like @jemmafitzsimmons, I too have performed at a game with my dance team (and, it was on a military base to boot!)

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? - ‘you only get to bring one friend with you and it won’t be your basketball’ (to my dog, Poppy, who just got a new toy and wants to bring it with her everywhere, including bed, but it is loud!)

8. What is your favourite ice cream? - strawberry

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? - water

10. Do you like your wallet? - sure, though I don’t put too much thought into it

11. What is the last thing you ate? - pasta

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? - nope!

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? - The Queen’s Gambit

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? - cheese

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? - my mom

16. Ever been camping? - yes, many times when I was younger

17. Do you take vitamins? - yes, but only one

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? - no

19. Do you have a tan? - a natural one, but I’m pretty pale (for me) this year

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? - I enjoy both, just depends on my mood

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? - if it’s in a to-go cup, but otherwise, no.

22. What color socks do you usually wear? - whichever color best matches my outfit (I have quite the sock collection)

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? - no, not really (I think the fastest I’ve ever gone over was 15 and it freaked me out!)

24. What terrifies you? - bugs and heights, unfortunately 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? - a candle/the plant I took home from work at the start of WFH orders

26. What chore do you hate most? - drying dishes

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? - since I don’t hear it too often, I’m drawing a blank on my thoughts about one

28. What’s your favorite soda? - ginger ale 

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? - typically inside, just to walk around/people watch

30. What’s your favorite number? - 22 (double even)

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? - my mom

32. Favorite meat? - I really don’t enjoy meat, but I usually go for chicken above anything else

33. Last song you listened to? - hallelujah by HAIM

34. Last book you read? - been reading a ton of fic as of late, but I did last start (have yet to finish) Midnight Sun

35. Favorite day of the week? - Thursday

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? - yes. as someone who struggles with too many thoughts at night, I taught myself the alphabet backwards to distract myself (counting sheep just wasn’t cutting it)

37. How do you like your coffee? - non existent

38. Favorite pair of shoes? - it used to be this pair of fall boots because I thought they were really comfortable, but having since switched to wearing primarily my neon yellow running shoes, I found out that the boots were never actually comfortable. so, I’d say the running shoes 

39. Time you normally get up? - between 5:45-6:30a

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? - both

41. How many blankets on your bed? - two, with a smaller blanket to make sure my dog is warm

42. Describe your kitchen plates  - black, and two sets of pink/blue that are different shades

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment - quiet

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? - no, I don’t drink.

45. Do you play cards? - rarely

46. What color is your car? - red

47. Can you change a tire? - I’ve done it once, but I wouldn’t be able to do it now

48. Your favorite state or province? - I love where I live 

49. Favorite job you’ve had? - my undegrad/grad student employee job 

tagging: if you’re wanting to do this and have yet to be tagged, feel free to use me as your tagger ;) 

[itszephoria]

Saw this pop up and your followers ask you which ones they’re interested in. But people don’t really ask much when I post or they don’t ask the ones that might make you feel uncomfortable. And well, honestly I’m so bored that I’ve decided to break all the damn rules and just answer all the questions because I can. *shock horror*

So information dump on the ‘Be nosy’ that popped up in my feed today. If you’re interested.

Be nosy

1. What’s your sexual orientation? 

Straight. But maybe for the right woman I could sway but wouldn’t go so far as to call myself bi or bi-curious though.

2. What are you obsessed with right now? 

Obsessively obsessing about my health and how to get well and failing it all. Oh and anime movies on Netflix.

3. Ever done any drugs?

I do drugs everyday. But I assume this is referring to illegal. No and was strictly no up until recently. I now take marijuana oil on a regular basis for pain management. Also being stoned/high is not pleasant and I don’t understand why people would enjoy that as a leisurely pastime.

4. What piercings do you want?

I want to get my ears pierced again. Holes have closed up, but currently due to my health that’s not possible. I can’t even enjoy clipons :(

5. How many people have you kissed?

The massive number of 5.

6. Describe your dream home.

It’s tiny in the sense it has all the space I need. A cosy tiny-like home. But not one on wheels, fixed to the ground. And it would be made of all natural materials, stone and wood. It would be unique and resemble something out of a fairy tale. It would sit a beautiful clearing with only nature to view in the distance and all the animals and wildlife would stay well away because I’m pretty much terrified of all it, 

7. Who are you jealous of?

Healthy, painfree people. I am jealous of past me who didn’t realise how lucky she was and miss her.

8. What’s your favorite show to binge?

I don’t binge any show on repeat. I’d rather look for a new show to watch or enjoy, there are so many. The last shows I binged in two days was Queen’s Gambit and Emily in Paris.

9. Do you watch porn?

Yep. But struggle with it because it’s overdramatic, unrealistic and would kill or someone to make porn with a decent storyline with people that can act. 

I prefer to read it if I’m honest or maybe just write it for myself.

10. Do you have a secret sideblog?

Sort of? More like my other one I used I was known for all my slash writings in F1. But now I just hang out here.

11. If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

No where. The world is riddled with co-vid and well, I’m probably in one of the safest countries and I’m at risk of death should I catch it. So I’ll stay here in my safe bubble.

12. What’s one of your fantasies?

I wake up tomorrow and I’m not me. I wake up and I can take a deep breath without gasping for air, I wake up in no pain, I wake up and my body isn’t terribly scared, I wake up and can have a ‘normal’ life.

13. Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced?

Nope and no desire too. Won’t that just hurt?

14. How would you spend a million dollars?

I’d by that dream house I described, set everything up to be self sufficient. Pay and travel to try every cure available for my diseases. And then bank the rest and live off interest. Or maybe donate it. I don’t want money and I don’t really want a lot of things.

15. Are you in a relationship?

Yep and it’s a struggle and am constantly fighting to prove it’s worth continuing. Oh and that’s a relationship with myself.

16. Do you follow porn blogs?

No.

17. Are you angry with anyone right now?

No, I suppose it’s more disappointed and let down by people more than angry. I’m working everyday on letting it go but it’s not easy.

18. What tattoos do you want?

I have always wanted one, but have never found something that I really loved and haven’t been imaginative enough to create something unique. The older I get though, I’m not sure I want one. I did for the longest time though think about getting a Ferrari tattooed on my inner wrist, but pleased I never did that. I don’t love the sport or Ferrari enough anymore to want a permanent reminder of that.

19. If you could change your name, would you? What would you change it to?

I am changing name actually. Hoping to action that in the next two weeks. I would have done it earlier but they closed the borders. I have a dutch sir name that has two words. It confuses every one, systems don’t get it, it has caused issues with plane tickets. And well I’ve decided no more and am dumping a portion of it.

20. What is something you’re obsessed with?

This is a duplicate. Skipping.

21. Describe your best friend.

When you meet her for the first time she can be a little crazy and wild, and she kind of scared at me first because she’s so unlike me. But as you got to know her, the *real* her she doesn’t let people see, you realise how kind and soft she is, and she’s the most empathic person I have known. She gives so much of herself to everyone, thinks so little of herself and her needs because she’s one of the most selfless people I know. I love her more than most of my family and would do anything for her.

22. Tag someone you think is hot.

Is this followers? Uh most I don’t know what they look like? I assume they’re all hot!

23. Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists?

Don’t have any really. My music is varied and is based on my mood and really changes around. And with most bands, I generally lean towards one or two songs. This is one of those questions I really struggle with whenever I see it. Will say however, have been enjoying The Beatles recently and a bit of old school stuff.

24. What are three places you want to travel?

Japan. Norway. Canada.

25. Describe your perfect Friday night.

Generally hanging out with people I like. Enjoying a good wine, some cheese, either playing some board game or dungeons and dragons, or watching a really good movie. Good company makes any night a good night.

26. What’s your favorite season?

Autumn. One because I think it’s neglected as a choice and every season should be loved, and two because I love the colours of autumn and the colours associated with autumn. 

27. What’s your pet peeve?

I’m sure I have a heap of them, but currently it’s people that have an issue with you and instead of being an adult and talking to you about them choose to silence and blank you. I’m so tired of it, I’ve quit being peacemaker in those situations, those people are no longer worthy in my book.

28. Who is the funniest person you know?

Uh... I don’t think anyone I know is super funny. Friends and family all have a good sense of humor. But out of my circle of life people I’m always told I’m the funny one, which I find the biggest joke ever. 

29. What’s the most overrated movie?

Can not think of anything off the top of my head. I will say if I think a movie is getting too much hype I refuse to watch it, whether all the reviews are raving or not. It’s why I didn’t watch Harry Potter for like ten years or any of the new Star Wars movies. I just refuse to be apart of all the hype and jump on bandwagons.

30. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message.

I’d love to talk to everyone. I’m shy to start any conversations to be honest and I think all the people I talk to regularly were the first to message me, and I love them for it.

31. Do you like paper books or ebooks better?

100% love an old fashioned paper book. The texture of the paper. The smell of a book. That being said, I don’t think I’ve picked up a proper book to read in years. I live in fan fiction more than anything or am busy writing myself.

32. If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick?

Any of the disney worlds, anything from the past, or verging on fantasy like. I want a simpler time not full of technology which I grow to hate more each day. The older I get the more I’m pretty sure I’ve been born in the wrong decade.

33. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like?

I’d build the perfect wardrobe capsule. Everything would be of high quality, not necessarily brand name and all the clothes would be sourced from ethical businesses or be handmade.

I like classic pieces, love the fashion of the 50′s and 60s and while stylish it would be comfortable to wear and everything could be worn in public (sorry comfy tracky pants).

34. What’s your coffee order?

There ain’t no coffee order. I don’t drink it. Sorry @leoni-speedyf1 I know how addicted you are to it, happy to buy you anything you like though :P

35. Do you have a crush on anyone?

In real life? No one.

36. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes?

Not romantic. I have feelings in that I hope they’re doing well, achieving what they want and they’re all happy. I didn’t have any ‘bad’ breakups and all my relationships ended very amicably.

37. Have any tattoos?

No. See above for more on this.

38. Do you drink?

Rarely. Can’t with medication and condition. But on occasion I do enjoy a good glass of red. Pinot Noir is my preference. 

39. Are you a virgin?

Nope.

40. Do you have a crush on any of your mutuals?

Not in a romantic way? The ones I talk to regularly I love immensely though.

41. How many followers do you have?

99

42. Describe the hottest person you know.

Uh all the men I know I am not attracted to. Probably a good thing as they’re either family or partnered with a friend or family member.

43. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Can’t think of anything. I try not to feel guilt for anything I enjoy to be honest, whether it’s food or an activity. Life is too short for that.

44. Do you read erotica?

Yep. Even write it.

45. What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?

It was a few years back. I met this guy online and we went to the city and spent most of that time just strolling next to the river for our first meet up. Why was it the worst date ever? Well it wasn’t the location that’s for sure.

The guy had two kids, and I’m a firm believer all parents have favourites, though I have yet to meet a parent that will voice that aloud. This guy, had no qualms with telling me about this favourite kid, and that wouldn’t be a problem if didn’t spend just as much putting down his younger son. It kind of left me reeling and wondering how his son felt if his dad didn’t hide just how much he didn’t like him as a person. The kid was four and the reason his dad didn’t like him was because he didn’t like bikes.

And so the guy was a bmx rider so he spent the rest of the time on our walk just pointing out all the tricks he could do. He didn’t ask about me, only talked about himself. It was also lunch time and assumed we would get something to eat together, but nope, no food was offered. And when I suggested to get something to drink because it was so hot and we’d been out in the sun for like an hour, he just took me to a subway and told me to get a drink and waved me to the line. No offer to join me, no offer to pay (which doesn’t bother me btw, but this was capping off a terrible day), no offer to get food.

I was so happy to get out of there. Didn’t speak to him again once I had left.

46. How many people do you follow?

I currently follow 59 people. I don’t follow anyone that creates drama, and try and follow only people that post about F1 as that’s all I use tumblr for now.

47. If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick?

Either Sebastian Vettel or Ryan Reynolds. Both are married though, so I don’t think that’s going to turn into a reality anytime soon.

48. Describe your ideal partner.

I want someone that shares the same core values as me. Doesn’t want kids, isn’t super religious (grew up in a cult like religion so I avoid it now), is on the minimalist side and isn’t someone that needs new things things all the time or is desperate to replace something the moment they deem it out of date. Someone that doesn’t live their life on social media. Someone that prefers simple things, someone who is kind and giving, and someone that truly loves me - and it’s the last part that I struggle with finding more than anything with all the guys I have dated. 

I am currently not looking for a partner, I am not in a place for a relationship and am fully focused on myself. And I am very content with that decision.

49. Who do you text the most?

Currently my bestie.

50. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

Clear blue skies and a warm day to enjoy the sun. But there are times when I simply love the rain, hearing it on the room, watching it fall endlessly and knowing that everything will be green from it.

[afaimsblog]

Die 20(+) verrücktesten Episoden aus dem Arrowmultiversum (Update):

In wenigen Wochen geht es in der USA weiter, allerdings wohl um einiges ernsthafter als zuletzt, da „Legends“ erst im April auf die Bildschirme zurückkehrt und nach dem Spaß der „Elseworlds“ war, „Arrow“ wieder deprimierend wird, „Supergirl“ lustlos weiter geht und uns im „Flash“ das düstere Geheimnis einer Hauptfigur näher erklärt wird. Also Zeit für einen Blick zurück auf Zeiten, in denen das Arrowmultiversum einfach nur verrückt war:

 20.   Haunted/Seelenjagd (Arrow 4.5/74, Buch: Brian Ford Sullivan, Oscar Balderrama, Regie: John Badham)

 "Your sister requires a restitution, a restoration of her soul to her body."

 Worum es geht: Um Sara zu helfen wendet sich Oliver an John Constantine, den er einst unter ungewöhnlichen Umständen auf Lian Yu kennen gelernt hat, und der Sara dabei helfen soll ihre Seele zurückzubekommen.

 Hintergrund: Mit dieser Folge wird die kurzlebige Serie „Constantine“ rückwirkend in das Arrowversum eingebunden. In dieser Serie spielte Matt Ryan ebenfalls John Constantine. Obwohl die Serie selbst auch in einem Parallel-Universum spielen könnte, scheinen ihre Ereignisse doch auf Erde 1 spielen zu sollen.

 Was ist verrückt daran? „Arrow“ begann schon in der 3. Staffel mit mystischen Elementen wie der Lazarus-Grube zu spielen, aber in der 4. Staffel wurde Magie richtig eingeführt. Diese Folge geht weiter als alle zuvor (und eigentlich auch als alle danach), was dieses Thema angeht. Man kann diese Episode vermutlich nur lieben oder hassen, aber eines steht fest: Sie ist anders als alle anderen „Arrow“-Episoden davor und danach und gemessen an „Arrow“-Verhältnissen eine der verrücktesten, welche die Serie jemals zu bieten hatte.

 Bester Moment: Schwer zu sagen, aber so ziemlich alles mit John auf Lian Yu scheint aus einer vollkommen anderen Serien zu stammen, ist aber sehr unterhaltsam.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyEorkWCoPw

 19.   Mr. And Mrs. Mxyptlk (Supergirl 2.13/33, Buch: Jessica Queller, Sterling Gates, Regie: Stefan Pleszczynski)

 "Kara, sweetest, like I said, I'm your one true love, your soulmate, your one true pairing, as the kids say. My name is Mxyzptlk and I love you, Kara Zor-El. Tell me, will you marry me?"

 Worum es geht: Der allmächtige aus einer anderen Dimension stammende Mr. Mxyptlk  besucht Kara, da er sie dazu auserkoren hat ihn zu heiraten. Was sie natürlich nicht möchte. Und damit nimmt das Chaos seinen Lauf.

 Hintergrund: Passenderweise war dies die Valentinswoche-Episode, obwohl sie Valentinsepisode selbst erst die nächste war. Wie auch immer, das hier ist eine Episode für Comic-Fans. Wer die Q-Episoden der „Star Trek“-Serien kennt, wird sich unweigerlich an diese erinnert fühlen.

 Was ist verrückt daran? So ziemlich alles, was Mxyi betrifft.

 Bester Moment: Kara denkt Clark wäre ihr zu Hilfe gekommen, doch als sich Superman zu ihr umdreht, stellt er sich als Mxyi heraus.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmN1I62PCLc

 18.   Welcome to Earth-2+Escape from Earth-2/Willkommen auf Erde 2+Flucht von Erde 2 (The Flash 2.13-14/36-37, 36: Buch: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Katherine Walczak, Regie: Millicent Shelton, 37: Buch: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, David Kob, Regie: J. J. Makaro)

 "So which one of you lounge lizards is in the wrong universe?"

 Worum es geht: Barry und Cisco besuchen gemeinsam mit Harry Erde-2 um mehr über Zoom herauszufinden und einen Weg zu finden Harrys Tochter zu retten und treffen dabei auf die Doppelgänger, der Leute, die sie kennen, die vollkommen andere Leben führen.

 Hintergrund: In der 2. Staffel wurde das Multiversum in „The Flash“ eingeführt. Zoom, der Hauptfeind der zweiten Staffel, stammte aus einem Paralleluniversum das hier besucht wird.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Erde-2 ist dabei vollkommen anders geraten als Erde-1, vor allem deswegen, weil wie bekannte Haupt- und Nebencharaktere in vollkommen anderen Rollen als gewohnt zu sehen bekommen. So ist Joe etwa Sänger, Iris Polizistin und Cisco und Caitlin sind Superschurken.

 Bester Moment: Floyd Lawton, Iris Partner, wird auch auf Erde-2 Deadshot genannt wird, und als wir ihn seine Pistole laden sehen verstehen wir warum das in dieser Realität ironisch gemeint ist.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGnDX0fmXk0

 17.   Invasion! (2) (Arrow 5.8/100, Buch: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle, Regie: James Bamford)

 "There's Flash and—and Supergirl and—and people with actual powers now. Whatever needs to be done, they can handle it. We—we finally have a chance to be happy. I mean, why—why can't you just for a second accept that maybe this is your reward for all of the sacrifices you have made?"

 Worum es geht: Oliver und seine Freunde wurden von den Dominators in eine künstliche Realität versetzt, in der die Queen’s Gambit niemals unterging. Unterdessen arbeiten Kara und Barry gemeinsam mit Cisco und Team Arrow daran die Entführten zu retten und Star City zu beschützen.

 Hintergrund: Die 100. Episode von „Arrow“ findet Mitten im Vierfach-Crossover „Invasion!“ statt und ist ein unerwartetes Stück Charakterdrama.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Diese neue Realität unterscheidet sich deswegen natürlich sehr von der, die wir kennen, hält aber auch die eine oder andere Überraschung parat, denn offenbar muss es in jeder Welt einen Kapuzenmann geben (drei mal dürft ihr raten, wer es hier ist). Außerdem hatten die Autoren sichtlich ihren Spaß daran Kara und Barry schreiben zu dürfen.

 Bester Moment: Olivers Abschied aus der Scheinrealität, wo er zum letzten Mal all seine Lieben sieht, ist weniger verrückt (das auch), als vor allem extrem emotional und berührend.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6xN12PKuJA

 16.   Doomworld/Böse Neue Welt (Legends of Tomorrow 2.16/32, Buch: Ray Utarnachitt, Sarah Hernandez, Regie: Mairzee Almas)

 "My name is Eobard Thawne. With the help of Damien Darhk, Malcolm Merlyn, Leonard Snart, and Mick Rory, I've obtained the Spear of Destiny, An ancient artifact with the power to rewrite reality itself, and we haveIt's a brave new world."

 Worum es geht: Das Schicksal der Welt wurde umgeschrieben und die Legion of Doom hat sich eine Welt geschaffen, die so ist, wie sie sie haben will. Mick muss nun die in die neue Realität eingegliederten Legends finden und versuchen alles wieder gerade zu biegen.

 Hintergrund: Die vorletzte Episode der zweiten Staffel zeigt ns also eine Welt wie Eobard, Damien und Malcolm sie sich vorstellen (Leonard durfte auch ein wenig mitmischen). Das sagt wohl schon genug, vor allem, wenn man bedenkt, dass sie dazu überredet wurden die Legends am Leben zu lassen, sich aber trotzdem rächen.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Um die Legends klein zu halten und zu quälen wurden ihnen neue Leben geschrieben, die nicht unbedingt das sind, was man erwarten würde. Etwa gleich zu Beginn der Episode bringen Sara und Amaya einen bekannten Arrow-Charakter für Damien Darhk zur Strecke.

 Bester Moment: Rip hindert sich offenbar daran seinen Verstand einzubüßen indem er sich selbst zu Konditor ausbildet (oder hat er den Verstand verloren und macht das deswegen?). Nein, wirklich, das muss man gesehen haben.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOY1nA3NPwo

 15. Camelot/3000/Die Schlacht um Camelot (Legends of Tomorrow 2.12/28, Buch: Anderson Mackenzie, Regie: Antonio Negret)

 "All of these men are willing to die on the battlefield, not for some spear but for an idea. I get it that Camelot isn't about history. It's not even about dusty old books that got a lonely kid through childhood. It's about one noble idea: that we can all stand up for what's right, no matter what."

 Worum es geht: Dank des Schicksalsspeers werden Camelot, König Artus und die Ritter der Tafelrunde Realität. Artus-Fan Ray ist begeistert, Historiker Nate weniger und dann stellt sich auch noch heraus, dass Merlin ein bekanntes Gesicht ist (und weiblicher als angesichts des Namens gedacht), und Damien Darkh und der gehirngewaschene Rip Camelot mit Hilfe von Zukunftstechnologie bedrohen.

 Hintergrund: Trotz aller Verrücktheit hält sich „Legends of Tomorrow“ bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt bei seinen Zeitreisen meistens an die reale Geschichte bzw. die reale Geschichte gemischt mit der DC-Comicgeschichte. „Camelot/3000“ bricht dieses Muster erstmals.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Sara hat es natürlich auf Guinevere abgesehen und scheint die Inspiration für Sir Lancelot zu sein, Ray wird Ritter der Tafelrunde und Micks Gehirn ist eine bessere Waffe als das von Martin. Also ja: Eindeutig eine Episode „Legends“, allerdings eine die ziemlich weit geht – und das in jeder Hinsicht.

 Bester Moment: Ray, der uns erklärt, dass sein Lichtschwert nicht Lichtschwert heißen darf, weil das ein Copyright-Verstoß wäre.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGO5PF_Vcvo

 14. Witch Hunt (Legends of Tomorrow 4.2/53, Buch: Keto Shimizu und Matthew Maalaa, Regie: Kevin Mock)

 Nate: Well, I decided to extend my trip to 2018, and I may possibly be living a little bit at the Bureau.

Ava: You couldn't spring for a hotel?

Nate: Well, here's a fun fact about staying in the present: it costs money. And as a Legend, your salary is the... friendships you make along the way.

 Worum es geht: Während Nates Versuch sich mit seinem Vater auszusöhnen in eine ungeahnte Richtung geht, sind die Legends einer guten Fee auf der Spur, die sich zur Zeit der Hexenverfolgungen an ein junges Mädchen gebunden hat.

 Hintergrund: Mit dieser Folge wird John Constantine offiziell Mitglied der Legends, während Nate diese vorübergehend verlässt um einen Job beim Zeitbüro anzunehmen.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Die gute Fee ist ziemlich disney-haft und ziemlich böse zugleich. Und sehr sehr unterhaltsam. Und sie verwandelt Ray und Mick in Schweine, was dazu führt, dass Ray nackt in Nates Armen landet (unter anderen).

 Bester Moment: Jedes Mal, wenn die gute Fee singt, ist Begeisterung angebracht (es sei denn man gehört zu den Legends).

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE3QECTiXNo

 13. Elongated Journey into Night/In die Länge gezogen (The Flash 4.4/73, Buch: Sterling Gates und Thomas Pound, Regie: Tom Cavanagh)

 „I promised there wasn't a single case I couldn't crack. And a promise made is a promise kept. Dibny detects."

 Worum es geht: Auf der Suche nach weiteren Bus-Metas nehmen Barry und Joe die Spur von Ralph Dibney auf, einen ehemaligen Polizisten, der wegen Barry seinen Job verlor und nun Privatschnüffler ist. Und seit neuesten auch … dehnbar. Unterdessen lernt Cisco den Vater seiner Freundin Gypsy kennen.

 Hintergrund: Nach der vergleichsweise düsteren zweiten Hälfte der dritten Staffel versuchten die Macher in der vierten Staffel die düsteren Elemente mit mehr Comdey zu gegenbalancieren, was nicht bei allen Fans gut ankam, oft aber zu wirklich witzigen Episoden und Momenten führten, wie diese, in der mit Ralph Dibney ein Schlüsselcharakter der Staffel eingeführt wird.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Breacher will Cisco bis zum Tod jagen, während Ralphs Dehnkräfte grauslicher sind als Reed Richards es je war. Nuff said.

 Bester Moment: Als Barry und Joe die Wohnanlage verlassen und meinen Ralph hätte sich nicht verändert, während Körperteile von ihm hinter ihnen aus dem Fenster gleiten.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTjJ-Y8NSIU

 12.What’s Past is Prologue (The Flash 5.8/100, Buch: Todd Helbing und Lauren Certo, Regie: Tom Cavanagh)

 ·         Gideon : Good evening, Barry Allen. I was not expecting you this soon.

Nora West-Allen : She knows you?

Gideon : I know you as well, Nora West-Allen. Also known as XS.

 Worum es geht: Um Cicada zu besiegen beschließt Team Flash, dass sie eine Waffe bauen wollen, deren Bestandteile in der Vergangenheit versteckt sind. Barry soll sie nur schnell via Zeitreise holen, doch er nimmt Nora mit, und sehr schnell beginnt alles schief zu gehen.

 Hintergrund: Die ist die 100. Folge von „The Flash“ und hier werden noch mal die größten Böser Speedster-Hits durchgegangen. Die meisten anderen Charaktere werden durch Archivmaterial in die Folge geschummelt. Und die End-Sequenz leitet das diesjährige Crossover ein.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Zeitreisen ist im „Flash“ immer verrückt, doch diesmal wird es sogar noch eine Spur seltsamer als sonst, wenn Barry und Nora zu dem Zeitpunkt von Staffel 1 zurückreisen, an den Barry bereits in Staffel 2 zurückgereist ist, also gibt es ihn (wenn auch meistens ohnmächtig) dreimal in dieser Zeitperiode.

 Bester Moment: Tom Cavanagh dreht sein „bedrohlicher Eobard“-Spiel auf 100% in dieser Episode und beweist und noch einmal warum der Reverse-Flash der furchteinflößenste Flash-Feind ist.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEG2HL3j5sc

 11.The Virgin Gary (Legends of Tomorrow 4.1/52, Buch: Phil Klemmer und Grainee Godfree, Regie: Gregory Smith)

 „I don't want to die a virgin!“

 Worum es geht: Gerade als der letzte Anachronismus eingesammelt wurde, kommt es in Woodstock zu einer neuen Zeitanomalie. Aus unterschiedlichen Gründen finden sich alle Legends dort wieder und begegnen einen mörderischen Einhorn, gegen das ihnen nur John Constantine helfen kann. Und Gary. Aus titelgebenden Gründen.

 Hintergrund: Diese Episode etabliert die magischen Flüchtlinge und Neron den Dämon als neue Antagonisten für Staffel 4. Außerdem kommt Hank Heywood zum ersten Mal als Erwachsener vor und John wird angeboten den Legends beizutreten.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Das Einhorn und seine Auswirkungen dreht den Legends-Verrücktheitsfaktor noch einmal eine Spur weiter hinauf.

 Bester Moment: Die erste Begegnung der Legends mit dem Einhorn, als sie es noch für eine schöne Kreatur halten. Tja, so kann man sich irren.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd6Zhh6lkvc

 9.       Helen Hunt (Legends of Tomorrow 3.6/39, Buch: Keto Shimizu und Ubah Mohamed, Regie: David Geddes)

 „I assure you, I am something far more ruthless than a Hollywood agent."

 Worum es geht: Helena von Troja taucht in der klassischen Ära von Hollywood auf und wird zum umschwärmten Star, der Heddy Lamarr und andere Kolleginnen schnell überflügelt und von ihren Karrieren abbringt. Nun liegt es an den Legends das zu richten. Nur dumm das Martin und Jax gerade erst unfreiwillig Körper getauscht haben.

 Hintergrund: Die Folge wurde vermutlich vor der MeToo-Debatte gepitcht, passt aber perfekt zu dieser, da sie genau diese Thematik behandelt und zugleich Heddy Lamarr als Wissenschaftlerin huldigt.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Helena, die schönste aller Frauen, und ein Körpertausch, zum Beispiel. Und alles, was aus diesen beiden Faktoren erfolgt.

 Bester Moment: Als Martin und Jax im Körper des jeweils anderen aufwachen und sehr sehr verwirrt sind.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgrI7DWnykA

 9.Fellowship of the Spear/Die Gefährten (Legends of Tomorrow 2.15/31, Buch: Keto Shimizu, Matthew Maala, Regie: Ben Bray)

 "Now that the Spear is whole it will try to lure each of us to use it. It will draw on our weaknesses, our desires, our regrets. It will promise each of us that we can re-make the world just as we want it."

 Worum es geht: In den Schützengräben des ersten Weltkriegs treffen die Legends auf J. R. R. Tolkien auf der Suche nach einem Weg den Speer des Schicksals zu zerstören. Aber die Legion of Doom hat sich einen weiteren Mitspieler besorgt dessen Identität besonders Mick hart trifft.

Hintergunrd: „Fellowship of Spear“ präsentiert mehr Tolkien und Peter Jackson-Film-Referenzen als man glauben könnte. Hier wird keine Gelegenheit ausgelassen um Referenzen einzubauen und zugleich wird und natürlich eingeredet, dass Tolkien seine Inspirationen für seine Mittelerde-Werke durch die Begegnung mit den Legends gefunden hat. Das Ende der Episode läutet dann das große Finale der Staffel ein und hat nicht allen Fans geschmeckt, aber es war genau wie die Ereignisse in der nächsten Episode vorherzusehen, dass es so kommen würde. Auf jeden Fall ein Fest für alle Tolkien-Fans.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Herr der Ringe mit Speer statt Ring und den Schützengräben des ersten Weltkriegs statt Mordor. Und ein sehr verwirrter Tolkien.

 Bester Moment: Rips Rip-Off von Aragorns berühmter „Menschen des Westens“-Rede und Tolkiens Reaktion darauf.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT5f9NFdv1U

 7.       Luck be a Lady/Des einen Glück, des anderen Leid (The Flash 4.3/72, Buch: Sam Chalsen und Judalina Neira, Regie: Armen V. Kervokian)

„I'm sorry about that. But, maybe it's just their turn. Maybe for once, everyone else can feel for a second how bad I felt my entire life.“

Worum es geht: Becky Sharpe wurde durch den Bus-Zwischenfall zu einem Meta, der unglaubliches Glück hat, und allen in seiner Umgebung dafür Unglück bringt. Barry muss sie aufhalten, was gar nicht so leicht ist, wenn alles schief geht.

 Hintergrund: „Luck be a Lady“ ist die offensichtlichste Comedy-Episode von „The Flash“ in der durch Beckys Kräfte eine haarsträubende Situation noch der anderen entsteht.

 Was ist verrückt daran? So ziemlich alles, was durch Beckys Kräfte ausgelöst wird.

 Bester Moment: Die Art und Weise wie Iris‘ und Barrys Spontanhochzeit schief geht ist … sehr amüsant, wenn auch nicht für die beiden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb4XpqyUlDw

 7. Aruba/Zeitparadoxon (Legends of Tomorrow 2.17/33, Buch: Phil Klemmer und Marc Guggenheim, Regie: Rob Seidenglanz)

"Guys, I think we broke time."

Worum es geht: Die Legends wollen aus Doomworld fliehen, und beschließen, dass der einzige Weg die Zeitlinie zu retten darin besteht zu verhindern, dass die Legion den Speer je in die Hände bekommt und reisen dazu zurück in den ersten Weltkrieg zu ihrer letzten Mission. Doch damit verstoßen sie gegen die oberste Regel des Zeitreisens.

 Hintergrund: Das Staffelfinale der zweiten Staffel dreht noch mal so richtig auf mit Verrücktheit, Emotionen und Action. Und endet mit einem Cliffhangar.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Es gibt zwei Versionen von den Legends und mehrere Eobards. Was so verwirrend ist, wie es sich anhört.

 Bester Moment: Als Eobard der Legion auseinanderzusetzen versucht, dass die Legends angekommen sind, und damit aber die zukünftige Version der Legends meint, was Damien, Malcolm und Leonard so gar nicht eingehen möchte.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGIbe6uULEs

 6. The Good, The Bad and the Cuddly/Die Macht der sechs Totems (Legends of Tomorrow 3.18/51, Buch: Marc Guggenheim und Phil Klemmer, Regie: Dermott Downs)

All right. We're facing an army of Romans, Vikings, and pirates. But you know what today is? Today is the day that we prove that Rip did not sacrifice his life in vain. And today is the day that we prove that we are not losers. And today is the day that we earn the name "Legends"."

Worum es geht: Die Legends stellen sich Mallus im Kampf mit den Totems, doch sie scheitern und alles geht furchtbar schief. Während sie sich neu gruppieren, entwickelt Ray einen Backup-Plan und die anderen müssen lernen ihre Totems richtig zu nutzen.

 Hintergrund: Das Staffelfinale der dritten Staffel wirkt zwar teilweise etwas gehetzt, hat aber einen riesigen Beebo, der alles wieder gut macht. Hier werden viele Handlungsstränge oft sehr emotional abgeschlossen und manche weiterentwickelt oder neu begonnen.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Ein riesiger Beebo bekämpft einen riesigen Dämon.

 Bester Moment: Die Legends erschaffen ihren Champion mittels ihrer Totems – einen riesigen Beebo.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdmVW53Bhd0

 5. Raiders of the Lost Art/Der Speer des Schicksals (Legends of Tomorrow 2.9/25, Buch: Keto Shimizu, Chris Fedak, Regie: Dermott Downs)

 "Look, George, I don't care about movies, but guys like them? They do. So before you get in that car and drive back to Modesto, just think about them, okay? Them, and all the millions of other people that your stories will someday inspire. The future of the entire world is at stake. And you're our only hope."

 Worum es geht: Auf der Suche nach Rip, der sich als amerikanischer Filmstudent in den 1970’ern ein neues Leben aufgebaut hat, treffen die Legion of Doom (so von Nate in dieser Episode betitelt) und die Legends aufeinander und schaffen es dabei George Lucas so zu traumatisieren, dass er sein Filmstudium aufgibt, was unvorhergesehene Konsequenzen für Ray und Nate hat. Und dann stellt sich auch noch heraus, dass Rip keine Ahnung hat, wer sie sind, oder wer er ist, obwohl er einen Film dreht, der verdächtige inhaltliche Ähnlichkeiten zu den Ereignissen der 1. Staffel besitzt

 Hintergrund: Die Autoren selbst meinten über „Raiders of the Lost Art“, dass das entweder ihre beste Episode werden würde, oder der Punkt an dem die Serie endgültig in den Wahnsinn ab- und auf ein verfrühtes Ende zu -driftet. Und, ja die Serie verfällt mit dieser Folge endgültig dem Wahnsinn aber auf gute Weise. Neben dem offensichtlichen Liebesbrief an George Lucas, stellt diese Episode natürlich auch eine Art Meta-Kommentar zum Rest der Serie dar.

 Was ist verrückt daran? George Lucas-Zitate, ein verängstigeter George himself, eine verwirrter Rip, der sich für einen amerikanischen Filmstudenten hält, Nate der Yoga-Lehrer und Ray der Chirurg. Und Martin und Mick.

 Bester Moment: NATÜRLICH IST EINE GEHIRNOPERATION WONACH SIEHT ES DENN SONST AUS?!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3oNy16wZDQ

 4. Beebo the God of War/Beebo, der Kriegsgott (Legends of Tomorrow 3.9/42, Buch: Grainne Goodfree und James Eagan, Regie: Kevin Mock)

 "Beebo hungry."

"And your god hungers for battle!"

 Worum es geht: Als die Legends einen Anachronismus zur Zeit von Leif Erikson nachgehen, treffen sie auf einen jungen Martin Stein, doch nicht dieser ist der Anachronismus, es ist der neue Gott der Wikinger: Der immer hungrige Gott Beebo – ein sprechendes Stofftier aus den 1990wen.

 Hintergrund: Die Weihnachtsfolge aus der 3. Staffel nimmt Bezug auf den Cuddle-Me-Elmo-Hype der Neunziger, während die Eröffnungsszene aber fast so wirkt als wäre sie direkt aus „Versrporchen ist versprochen“ entnommen. Die Folge spielt nach dem „Crisis on Earth-X“-Crossover und setzt sich außerdem mit dem Fallout dieses Crossovers auseinander. In der letzten Szene gibt es einen überraschenden Gastauftritt.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Wikinger, die eine sprechende Beebo-Puppe anbeten. Geht es noch verrückter? (Ja drei Plätze lang).

 Bester Moment: Als klar wird, wer der neue Gott der Wikinger ist.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ-JBKn-aBY

 3. Legends of To-Meow-Meow (Legends of Tomorrow 4.8/59, Buch: James Eagan und Ray Utarnachitt, Regie: Ben Bray)

 Gideon: You missed calls from Barry Allen, Oliver Queen and Kara Zor-El.

Ray: Sounds like the annual crossover.

Nate: Ugh. Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass.

Worum es geht: John Constantine hat die Zeit zerstört und eine neue Zeitlinie geschaffen, in der die Dinge nicht zum Besten stehen. Da er und Charlie aber bekommen haben, was sie wollten, versuchen sie nur Schadensbegrenzung zu betreiben und geraten dadurch vom Regen in die Traufe. Während Zari den Großteil der Folge als Katze zubringt.

 Hintergrund: Das Mid-Season-Finale dieser Staffel setzt das Crossover aus, und crossovert stattdessen mit sich selbst. Von verrückter Zeitlinie zu noch verrückterer, erfahren wir hier, worum es im Lauf der weiteren Staffel noch gehen wird.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Jedes neue Szenario ist neu verrückt. Und weniger verrückt sondern beeindruckend ist, dass die Welt von einem True Love Kiss zwischen John und seinem Liebhaber Desmond repariert wird.

 Bester Moment: Das Puppen-Szenario.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t90ptFyjrY

 2. Duet/Die Macht der Liebe (The Flash 3.17/63, Buch: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, Greg Berlani, Andrew Kreisberg, Regie: Dermott Daniels Downs)

 "Everything is better in song. When you speak, it's just words. But when you sing, you open up your soul and let who you really are shine through."

 Worum es geht: Eine komatöse Kara wird nach Erde-1 gebracht in Verfolgung ihres Angreifers der seltsamem Music Meisters, der auch noch Barry ins Koma versetzt. Während Kara und Barry sich in einer Musical-Welt wiederfinden, müssen ihre Freunde den Music Meister in der echten Welt bekämpfen.

 Hintergrund: Dieses „Supergirl“- und „The Flash“-Crossover wurde von langer Hand vorbereitet und musste wohl irgendwann kommen, nicht umsonst besitzt das Arrowmultiverse eine hohe Anzahl an Tripple-Talenten unter ihren Stars. Also ja, die Musicalepisode –sie stammt aus der Joss Whedon-Schule, wie das gesamte Arrowmultiversum überhaupt, aber nirgends wird das deutlicher als hier, die Musicalstruktur ist ein Gimmick für eine hoch-emotioanle-Story. „Glee“-Fans können sich außerdem auf eine Mini-Reunion durch Music Meister-Darsteller Darren Criss freuen.

Was ist verrückt daran? Das gesamte Musical, in das Barry und Kara gezogen werden. Wo sonst könnte man zwei ein schwules Gangsterprächen als liebende Väter erleben? Ja, genau, nur hier in „The Flash“.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UPun57MMoU

 1.       Elseworlds Part 1-3 (The Flash 5.9/101, Arrow 7.9/147, Supergirl 4.9/74. Buch: Eric Wallace und Sam Chalsen/Marc Guggenheim und Caroline Dries/Mac Guggenheim, Derek Simon und Rob Rovner, Regie: Kevin Tancharoen und Tom Cavanagh/James Bamford/Jesse Warn)

 Barry: You gotta admit, this is a little cool.

Oliver: I will find it a lot cooler when I wake up in my own bed tomorrow morning.

Barry: You woke up in bed with Iris?

Oliver: Mm-hmm.

Barry: [suddenly serious] We have to fix this right now !!

 Worum es geht: Oliver Queen wacht eines Morgens auf und wird von allen für Barry Allen gehalten. Barry Allen wacht eines Tages auf und wird von allen für Oliver Queen gehalten. Sie suchen Kara auf, die ihnen bestätigt, dass sie Barry und Oliver und nicht Oliver und Barry sind und ahnen noch nicht, dass das alles Teil eines kosmischen Tests ist.

 Hintergrund: Das diesjährige Crossover verzichtet auf die Legends, zeigt aber deutlich die Eifersucht der anderen drei Serien auf die kleine Schwester und will hier scheinbar alles nachholen. Zugleich wird Batwoman hier in das Arrowmultiversum eingeführt und das Crossover für das nächste Jahr wird vorbereitet.

 Was ist verrückt daran? Vor allem der Barry-Oliver und Oliver-Barry-Teil ist besonders verrückt und spaßig. Danach gibt es eine neue Realität, in der ein falscher Superman die Welt regiert und Barry und Oliver Flüchtlinge sind, auch diese Realität ist ziemlich verrückt und inkludiert Supermans Worst Pal Jimmy Olsen und eine Erde-1-Version von Alex Danvers.

 Bester Moment: Das Intro zu Folge 2 mit Grant Gustin als Oliver, der alle entsprechenden Szenen noch einmal nachdreht, ist zum Schreien. Ich zumindest habe vor Lachen geschrienen als ich es gesehen habe.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrJF06hWX6s