#its not BAD that its the emma swan show

[florida3exclamationpoints]

(I love you Emma Swan I mean absolutely no shade to Emma Swan) it's crazy to me that ouat was The Emma Swan Show??? I mean I know especially season 1 was centered around her pov but the entire show revolved around Rumple. Every plot revolved around Rumple. Every character had an important connection to Rumple. Emma's most important relationships came from Rumple. Everything is about Rumple. It's always about Rumple. He just tricks you in the first season by pretending to be Behind The Scenes when actually he is The Main Character.

[dykes]

user dykes is rewatching shows from 10 years ago that should have featured full frontal homosexual lesbian sex between the two main female leads

[marzipanandminutiae]

I see you talking about ouat and it unlocked thoughts that have been neatly filed away for years so here I am, yelling them at you.

I assume at this point spoilers arent a problem anymore for you but you said you originally didn't watch past the frozen but a warning just in case.

I kept watching for quite a long time, but I quit after the whole thing with ruby and Dorothy because what? it just felt so incredibly forced and badly written? and I'd gotten so annoyed because before we'd already had the whole thing with aurora and mulan, which I was rooting for but okay, that didn't work out, too bad for mulan. then we get a perfect set up for ruby and mulan. and it's just. never mentioned again???? ruby comes back eventually but wtf happened to mulan? it annoyed me so fucking much let me tell you.

also I remember trying to write out family/relationship trees and stuff for ouat to see how weirdly convoluted everything got. was very impressed that it seemed they managed to avoid accidentally having incest or something in the show with everything that was going on there.

I have so many more things but this has already gotten way longer than intended. do you have a favourite part of the show? I'm assuming your favourite characters is either regina or emma?

Oh man all of that brings back memories. I didn't stick around long enough for Ruby and Dorothy, but I got the sense that they were doing it to try and counteract the "avoiding Swan Queen because homophobia" allegations.

(I actually don't think they WERE avoiding Swan Queen because of homophobia, necessarily. I think it was never their intent to begin with; they just happened to attract a sapphic audience who were deeply on the Enemies to Lovers train. I do think they may have indulged in a bit of queerbaiting, though, because of some Emma/Regina moments that happened after the writers definitely knew the ship existed. I think it was never going to be canon, but they handled it poorly once they realized that people saw it as an option.)

I stopped watching around Frozen for a couple of reasons:

On a personal level, I just got sick of seeing the characters I shipped with other people. That's not an objective problem; it's my opinion and not everyone will agree. But to me, Hook was a whiny insecure manchild and Robin had the personality of Clippy the MS Word paperclip, and damnit, I wanted Emma and Regina to kiss each other instead of them!

On a This Is Bad Storytelling level, I HATED how Frozen was integrated. Earlier stories had been a nice blend of traditional fairytales with Disney adaptation elements- Beauty and the Beast where Gaston and Chip are both kind of there but in subtler ways, for example, or Cinderella where her dress resembles the 1950s animated version but everything else is different. Frozen, though, was just...Frozen. The entire plot of the movie Frozen had happened before the characters entered the OUAT storyline, their costumes were identical to those in the movie, and while I've heard that they added some different backstory- it just wasn't the "Hans Christian Andersen story with subtle Disney touches" that I would have expected from earlier seasons.

Personally, I don't think the initial curse should have been broken in a season. I feel like that locked them into a pattern of having to continually invent a new Darkest Evilest Most Powerful Magic EVER!!!!! to top the previous season, and that took them to some really weird places (I heard they went to literal hell at one point?). The show had a cool premise and some interesting ideas- I loved how they managed to give individual kingdoms distinct cultures and even fashions. You can tell the "look" of Snow White's kingdom from Cinderella's and Cinderella's from Ariel's, etc.

Everyone who would watch an entire season of Abigail's Ancient Greek Steampunk-ish kingdom, raise your hands. Seriously, so cool.

But something went wrong, IMO around season 4. I'm not sure if the show had just outlived its original concept or had outside pressures pulling it in different directions or what. All I know is, as far as I'm concerned, the show ends when Emma and Henry leave Storybrooke in season 3A. Pity It Was Cancelled So Soon, etc.

(although OOC Matronly SnowTM would have been perfect for live slug reaction memes, so there's that)

[darkcrowprincess]

Have you seen Once Upon a Time?

A few episodes here and there. Read a lot of fanfiction. Love Once Upon a Time fan videos on youtube. Though I heard it gets bad after frozen comes into it, and its all down hill later seasons. So I dont really want to know. I love Regina as a character (I want to be her but also find her hot. Plus her clothes!!). And the whole Rumpbelle ship (though I heard that gets ruined too) I kind of love to ship regina and james as a rare evil charming ship. I love that actor who plays charming the show. Hes so hot! I love him in manifest. The guy needs more roles. Hes so dreamy! Im not really a fan of the hook guy or emma swan very much or their ship. And snow white is either boring as a character or super mary sue. But what do I know? Again I've only seen a few episodes.

[shady-swan-jones]

Ten Fandoms; Ten Characters

It's difficult to not fill this list with women, but I'm gonna try. The characters I watched have shaped me, even if they couldn't make me a revenge genius.

tagged by @iamstartraveller776

Emma Swan - Once Upon A Time (my first role model, getting shit done while learning to care. and banging men in leather)

Shim Su Ryeon - The Penthouse (queen of intelligence, she's ten steps ahead of you and she'll take her revenge)

Halbrand - Rings of Power (just a dude from the Southlands, making eyes at a mouthy elf. nothing more)

Gilfoyle - Sillicon Valley (my prince of darkness and crypto defender, a puppy when faced with AI revolution)

Mick - Breaking Bad (he has a code but it won't save him. and the best one-liners)

Maura Isles - Rizzoli & Isles (she's what i imagined i would be when i entered STEM research. genius and stylish. i am now... neither)

Aragorn - Lord of the Rings (the perfect man: fighter, healer, humble. and he looks great for 87)

Heather - A.P.Bio (unapologetically chaotic, weird, i want to be her bestie)

Meave Milley - Sex Education (i like smart girls and i cannot lie. feminist literature and choosing ourselves)

Ruth - Euphoria (it says a lot that she's not the messiest one in that shitshow of a show. i can't tone down my empathy for her, though she's a little shit. the Zendaya effect)

tagging through my activity: @ofsinnersandsaints @slyreader07 @lizacstuff @eeveemoon @its-a-state-of-angst @sunbeamsandmoonrays @msstarlight @tehgreeneyes @coraleethroughthelookingglass @klynnvakarian

[seikilos-stele]

This is one of those questions that I want to ask a lot of authors, because I curious how many answers will be the same (if any)

The the basic premise is Do You Control Fic or Does it Control You?

What I mean by this is broken down into a few sub questions

Do you watch a show or read a book & fic ideas just pop into your head?

Are you watching/reading something and you are unsatisfied with the plot, but love the characters, therefore, set out to fix it?

Do you intend to write fic from the start, so you go in search of inspiration?

Have you ever completely lost interest in the canon, but still love the characters/fic (therefore, no longer revisit the original source of the fic?)

As is usual, this is just a guide. Answer any which way you would like - long answers are always welcome!

Wow, I think all of the above, multiple times!

The first type, where fic ideas just pop into my head — that’s the most difficult to write. I mean, it’s the most difficult to follow through 😆 sometimes I’ll write the ideas down, but once I’ve moved on to the next episode or book, I lose interest. So out of all these, statistically, this is the one you’d see the least.

#2 — setting out to fix it. Of course! I’ve probably written like, hundreds of post-Bilbringi fics and fics set in-between the Legends Thrawn trilogy, where I wished there was more character development with Thrawn and Pellaeon.

#3 — intending to write fic from the start, going in search of inspiration. This, probably more than anything else. When I first started writing on AO3, I made a kind of arbitrary goal to write a fic for everything I read or watched. Luckily when the stakes are that low you can basically just open a blank document and write whatever comes to mind, and it turns out okay — you’re like, “This ain’t my fandom, I’m just strolling through.” You don’t care if people even read it, so you don’t stress about prose or characterization 😆 it’s very nice!

I do this for fandoms I actually like too, because I usually want to write every day, but don’t always have a current idea. So I keep lists of interesting prompts and ideas, that way I never run out of material. Some of them get so stale that I never end up using them, but it’s still nice to have them there!

#4 — this happened with Once Upon a Time. I thought it was a bad show straight from Episode 1, but I loved Robert Carlyle’s character, so I watched it for him. All the way up until Season 3! At that point, Mr. Gold’s character arc was taking too many exhausting dips and turns, and the show wasn’t up to the task of explaining why. I stopped watching, but I kept up to date with the show’s shenanigans, read tons of fics, and wrote somewhere around 40 or 50 myself.

(It’s funny — I did write a few tiny fics BEFORE the show went bad; but it’s only the fics I wrote AFTER that I saved)

There are some great fix-its for that fandom btw 😆 I was also a huge fan of SwanQueen (main character Emma Swan x main villain Regina Mills) but in S3 they introduced a straight romance for Emma that I couldn’t STAND, so I read lots of fix-its for them too. My own fics weren’t really fix-its; they were AUs, almost always hurt/comfort. The show offered us plenty of material for that!

* * *

Maybe also worth mentioning:

1) when you’re reading a nonfiction book, but you’re thinking so hard about your favorite show that you end up with 7 plot bunnies all stemming from that single nonfiction piece that has nothing to do with Star Trek or Gargoyles or—

2) the private fanfics that you never bother to write down but replay in your head with minor tweaks each night before you go to bed. All of them are write-able! Many people would probably like to read them! But they seem somehow off-limits to me 😆 like, no, I’m only allowed to write fics based off stuff I think of in the shower, or at my desk — in bed??? That’s blasphemy

[wildlife4life]

Talk to me about Once Upon a Buddie, Love over Blood, and Eddie Grimm?

Once upon a Buddie is a fic that is actually up on AO3 and still in the works, but I am seriously considering taking it down and revamping it a bit. The basis of this fic is 911 mixed in the world of Once Upon a Time, with Buck essentially the Emma Swan of it all, the savior. Each 911 character (except for Buck and Maddie) are a fairy tale character brought to the real world, thanks to the dark curse cast by the Evil Queen (Margret Buckley). But I've added my own spin to a lot of it. Like how the entire storyline of Buck being born to be Daniel's savior is mixed in and how Maddie was sent along in the magical wardrobe with Buck. And so on. I'm just sort of bit off more than I can chew with it because the set up of this story alone is expansive. OUAT ran for 7 seasons (though I ignore the 7th season really, except for the Captain Swan baby) and I'm trying to pick and pull from each season of that with what has occurred in 911. Its alot, and its on the way back burner right now.

Love over Blood is my return of Buck's sperm donor kid (Kameron and Connor's son). Carson (the kids name) runs away from home to Buck when he finds out Connor isn't is real dad. Buck and Eddie are married now and have a second kid. The basis is teaching Carson (and his parents a bit) about how family doesn't mean blood relations, but the love of it all. Its a bit angsty and there is a small subplot of Carson wanting siblings and his parents reaching back out to Buck to ask for another donation and him turning them down. It has been pushed to the side a bit as I have been working on my NFL Buck and now my deranged secret fic that is soon to be revealed.

Eddie Grimm has less than 1000 words and in the very beginning stages. The basis is, Eddie is a Grimm, a person who can see the true natures and forms of Wesen, hidden creatures that appear humanoid, but shift into like werewolves, witches and so on. He moves to LA to get away from his family and his bloody path of basically killing any Wesen on sight. He becomes a detective for the LAPD, Chimney is his partner, and somehow most of his cases ended up being Wesen related (we'll learn later on its no coincidence). But on his first case, he meets the 118, an entire firehouse of different Wesen, including Buck. Buck is essentially a pureblood male witch (Zauberbeast), rare, powerful and considered basically pure evil. Eddie stalks him a bit afterwards, considering killing him because he becomes his first suspect in the case he's working on and he's never met a zauberbeast that wasn't a killer/evil. Buck catches onto him easily, traps Eddie with his magic showing just a glimpse of his power, then lets him go. Eddie returns to apologize and Buck is kind enough to help him with his case (and others later) while teaching him a different path to being a Grimm. They fall in love of course and I do have a big bad that will threaten it all.

Sorry for the long answer! But I hope it gives you insight of those fics.

[kmomof4]

I posted 2,210 times in 2022

102 posts created (5%)

2,108 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jrob64

@cssns

@hollyethecurious

@snowbellewells

@pirateherokillian

I tagged 2,199 of my posts in 2022

#cs ff - 551 posts

#captain swan - 299 posts

#killian jones - 234 posts

#otp forever - 161 posts

#captain hook - 147 posts

#enchanted swans - 139 posts

#colin odonoghue - 130 posts

#cssns22 - 118 posts

#krystal writes - 91 posts

#kwistowee - 76 posts

Longest Tag: 100 characters

#yeah emma… cos the natural thing is to grab someone by the waist and pull them tight to your body 👀

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Dance With the Gypsy: A Red Hunter story in the Universe of A Family Affair

I wanted to get Ruby and Graham posted in January, and here I am slipping it in just under the wire!!! Yay, me!!!

As you can see, Dance With the Gypsy is dropping as its own fic instead of simply a chapter in Love Between the Pages. When I saw how long this fic was and how long the OQ and Snowing portions were shaping up to be, I thought it’d be much better to make it a series instead. The series is named A Family Affair and will include the love stories of all the siblings introduced in LBtP. I cannot BEGIN to express the joy y'all have given me with all the love shown this verse. It means more than I can ever say!! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

And now to give credit where credit is due. DWtG wouldn’t be here without the love, care, and attention of @snowbellewells​, @jrob64​, and @hollyethecurious​. Both for the fic and for me. They were there to lend me their eyes, their ears, and their unending support. Thank you so so much, ladies!!

And to all of you readers. Thank you again for all the love you’ve already shown this verse. I hope you enjoy this new offering and let me know what you think!!

Summary: Graham Humbert swore off love long ago- determined never to fall in love, never to marry. And that worked great. Until he met Ruby Lucas. What's he supposed to do when she sets her eyes on him? Maybe falling in love isn't so bad after all...

Rating: M (smut)

Words: 11k

Tags: Inspired by Dance to the Piper of The O’Hurleys by Nora Roberts, Broadway, Smut

Fic on ao3

Series on ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

From a young age, Ruby was a dancer. When she got her first pair of tap shoes at the age of four, she began dreaming of a time when she would be a star on Broadway in New York City. All these years later, she was finally here.

She had come to New York at the age of eighteen, not long after Emma had left the family to marry NASCAR darling Neal Cassidy. Ruby supported herself by waiting tables in the theater district, in between dance classes and auditions, falling into bed in the wee hours of the morning before getting up and doing it all over again. She survived on Starbucks and reduced or free meals at the restaurants where she worked. She finally got her first chorus line contract after being in New York for three years, and her first lead about four years after that, allowing her to finally quit her waitressing job for good. Now she was on her second leading role after being in the show Six for two and half years.

Secrets would be opening in Philadelphia on the 4th of July weekend, bankrolled by Humbert Records, the producer of the soundtracks for legacy Broadway shows like Cats and Phantom of the Opera, as well as more recent hits like The Lion King and Hamilton. Ruby was thrilled to be a part of a show with that kind of clout behind it. Of course, there was no guarantee a particular show would be a hit, but with the kind of track record Humbert Records had, and her own instincts as to the viability of the show, she was pretty confident it would have a very long, very successful run. And would only open more doors for her down the road.

~*~*~

Graham Humbert was a second generation recording mogul in New York City, having taken over after his father finally retired from the business seven years ago. His father, Maurice had founded Humbert Records as a young man in the early eighties, when Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to take a chance on a young unknown with his new musical Cats. Humbert Records had been a powerhouse in the business for decades when Graham stepped into his father’s role, and that status had been confirmed when he’d landed the soundtrack for Hamilton not long after taking the helm.

Graham loved and respected his father tremendously and wanted nothing more than to make him proud, so when his father had come to him late last year with a recommendation for a new musical and a prospective leading lady- I have a good feeling about this one, he’d said with a grin and a wink- Graham hadn’t hesitated to pursue the recording rights. Now the musical was cast and in rehearsals, so Graham had decided to drop in to watch a portion of the rehearsal with the principals of the musical.

As he sat in the darkened theater with the director and choreographer, he watched as Ruby Lucas spun across the stage in a series of small turns before leaping into the arms of her co-star, Peter Wolffe, who’d just appeared onstage for a beautiful pas de deux. Graham knew who she was, of course, he’d seen her in Six and had personally approached her to offer her the starring role after his father’s recommendation, but watching her now, her strength and beauty took his breath away.

Once the rehearsal was over, Graham was invited on stage to meet with the stars of the show. He tried to school his features as he approached them and could only hope his nerves weren’t as obvious to Ms. Lucas as they were to him.

“Graham Humbert,” the choreographer, Cora Hart, began, “I understand you’ve already met Ruby Lucas,” she said, nodding at the star before turning to her partner. “May I introduce Peter Wolffe?”

He shook hands with Peter, commending him on the scene they’d just been rehearsing before turning back to Ruby. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Lucas,” Graham said, extending his hand for her to take. She was gorgeous, and he hoped his palms weren’t sweating. She smiled broadly, Graham was sure he could see every one of her teeth, and took his hand. Her green eyes sparkled and he couldn’t help but return her smile.

“Call me Ruby,” she countered with a wink.

~*~*~

Over the next few weeks, Graham made several appearances at rehearsals, and every time he did, Ruby’s heart beat double time. But she was a professional and couldn’t let this little infatuation interfere with her work. It took a few times, but when Graham made his fourth appearance in the space of about a week and a half, Ruby was finally able to put him in the back of her mind and concentrate fully on her rehearsal instead of half on what was going on around her and the other half on the handsome producer sitting in the front row.

She wasn’t blind to the way he looked at her, though. Every time she snuck a glance at him, he was entirely focused on her, sending a shiver of feminine pride down her spine. And when she was dancing with Peter, his stare about drilled a hole in her head. Since it appeared her attraction was not one-sided, Ruby decided to do something about it.

When rehearsal was over, Ruby approached him.

“Checking up on your investment?” she asked him with a grin.

See the full post

40 notes - Posted January 31, 2022

#4

Hotel Neverland: A New Fic for CSSNS22

Hello everyone!!! I am so thrilled to share my entry for this years @cssns​!!!! I’ve had this in my head for a while, and I’m so excited to finally post it!!!! 

All the love and thanks to the mods for hosting another FANTASTIC event, @hollyethecurious​ who helped me get it plotted back in May when I visited, and to @profdanglaisstuff​ for her beta services and her expert advice on how to make this a little more unsettling, a little more creepy, just a little more all the way around... Thank you all so much, ladies!!!

And finally, to my artist @thesschesthair​. Mandy is an ACTUAL SAINT for her GORGEOUS artwork for this fic and I am absolutely BESIDE myself for ALL of it!!! Please go give her heaps and loads of love for her work!!! She did several banners for the fic that I had a hell of a time choosing between, so I decided, why not use them all? And then, at the eleventh hour, she did another piece of work that sent me into TOTAL SCREAMING FLAILING CONNIPTIONS. It’s a bit spoilery, so it’ll be at the end of the fic.

But now, without further ado, here we go!

Fic Summary: A CS story for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer ‘22

Rating: M (smut)

Words: 6611

Tags: CSSNS22, Inspired by Hotel California, Ghost Story, Smut

On ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

See the full post

41 notes - Posted August 19, 2022

#3

Filming start June 6!!!!!! I can’t WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!

47 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

#2

Apologies, Dr. Jones- A New Fic by @kmomof4

Happy birthday @zaharadessert​!!!!! It’s not quite your birthday here yet, but I wanted this posted before you woke up on your special day, so here you go!! You are a dear friend and I’m so glad this fandom has brought you into my life!! I hope this fic makes your birthday even better! Love you, babe!!!

All the love and thanks to @hollyethecurious​ for encouraging me to write this in the first place and to @jrob64​ for an incredibly fast beta and for her help with the artwork! Thank you so much, ladies!!! Love y’all!!! 😘

From a post here on Tumblr by @lifeinahole27​ 

How do I explain to my professor that the reason I didn't show up to class is because in my dream I woke up and checked my email and saw that class was canceled and I believed it?

Rating: M (smut)

Words: 3865

Tags: Teacher-Student Relationship, No Power Dynamic Issues, Consensual Sex, Smut

On ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

 “Where were you?” Ruby asked, sitting down across from Emma at their usual coffee and breakfast spot. They always came here after their 9am British Lit class for the food they never had time to eat before class. And more coffee. Much more coffee.

“What do you mean ‘where was I’?” she asked, taking a bite of her bear claw.

“You weren’t in class,” Ruby said, incredulously. “Where were you?”

“I went back to sleep for a little while after the alarm went off, then came here,” she informed her friend. “I figured since you weren’t home when I got up that you must have gone to the library or something.”

“Nooo,” Ruby drawled. “I was in class. Where you should have been.”

Emma’s eyes got wide, as understanding dawned. “Class wasn’t canceled?” She pulled out her phone and frantically searched through her email.

Ruby grinned. “Did you dream that class was canceled?”

Heat flooded Emma’s cheeks as she looked up at Ruby. “I could have sworn…”

Ruby clapped her hands and threw back her head, laughing loudly. “Oh, Emma,” she howled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “No, class wasn’t canceled. And Dr. Jones stopped me after class to ask where you were. He seemed quite concerned about not seeing your face this morning, or the rest of you, for that matter.” Ruby’s eyebrows wiggled salaciously. “Mm mm mmmmmm,” she hummed. “If I were you, girl, I’d get me some of that…”

More heat flooded Emma’s cheeks at Ruby’s comment. “He’s my professor, Rubes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That’s not gonna happen.” Until the end of the semester anyway, she thought, trying to hide a smirk at the thought.

But Ruby wasn’t fooled. She knew Emma too well and wasn’t blind to the attraction between her best friend and their professor that’d been simmering all semester long.

Emma dropped her head into her folded arms on the table between them. “How am I supposed to explain this? It must have been a dream. I woke up, checked my email and saw class was canceled. So why wouldn’t I go back to sleep? Ugh!”

“Well,” her friend tried to console her, “at least you’re not gonna be penalized for missing class. And you can copy my notes.”

Emma looked back up at her. “Yeah, but I was so looking forward to today’s class. You know how much I love Tolkien.”

“And you can tell how much he loves Tolkien, too,” Ruby informed her. “I’ve never seen him so animated during a lecture. And you know, that’s saying a lot.”

“Yeah,” Emma agreed, thinking about her hot professor and how she’d never had another that kept her attention so easily, no matter what time of day the class was held, much less first thing on Monday mornings. He obviously knew and loved his subject and it translated into his lectures. But today was the introduction to several lectures on Tolkien himself, and Emma wanted to kick herself for missing it. “I’m gonna have to go and apologize to him,” she said standing and checking the time on her phone. “He’s in his office for another hour. I’ll see you later.”

Ruby smirked at her. “Uh huh,” she murmured, “an hour’s plenty of time.”

Emma rolled her eyes at her friend. “Shut up, Rubes.”

See the full post

72 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

A One Time Thing? A new fic for the CS Neverland New Year!

I am so excited to finally be sharing my new fic for @neverlandnewyear​!!!! This is a canon divergence from the kiss and was basically just an excuse to write Neverland smut. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!! 

Thank you to the mods for hosting another great event this year!! I’m thrilled to have something new to contribute! Thank you to @hollyethecurious​ for outstanding beta services and all the ladies of the CSNLNY and CSMM discords for their support and encouragement!

Summary: A canon divergence from the Neverland kiss

Rating: M

Words: 2,220

Tags: Neverland, Smut, Canon Divergence

On ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

A One Time Thing?

“Perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it,” he said, a sultry smirk on his face and popping the T.

Emma inhaled sharply at the way his voice dropped into a sexy croon, wrapping itself around every syllable the way she wished he would wrap around her. He made no move toward her, however, other than to hold her gaze, always letting her lead, his own eyes hooded, his cheeks and lips flushed red.

It only took a moment for her to make her decision. Grabbing the collar of that damn coat he always wore- how he didn’t melt in the Neverland heat with that blasted thing on, she’d never know- she hauled him to her and captured his lips with her own.

His stunned surprise melted as she released one side of the collar to wrap her hand around his neck, holding him to her. Her fingers buried themselves into the softness of his hair as his own hand tentatively brushed her long golden strands. The moist heat of his mouth tasted of rum with notes of leather, the sea, and sweat as their tongues tangled.

Oh, god.

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no, no, no, noooo.

Oh, yesss…

Killian’s own thoughts were barely coherent, simply losing himself in the moment. Oh, yesss… Oh, Swan… gods above, below, and all the realms between. Emma Swan, the gorgeous and bloody brilliant woman he’d follow to the ends of the earth, and had, was in his arms and she seemed determined to kill him with the way she fully possessed his mouth and held on to him as if she was drowning and he was her savior instead of the other way around. He pulled her closer into him, his hooked appendage wrapping around her waist and drawing her into where he was quickly hardening. She wasn’t relaxing her grip on his collar, her movements jerky and desperate, so he slowed his own movements down, determined to enjoy this brief interlude as much as possible in this hellscape.

Emma grabbed his collar again, her shoulders rising as she sucked in some desperately needed air before diving back in. His hook circled behind her and pushed her hips into his own, drawing a positively obscene moan from her mouth. His hard length was hitting her just right and it was all she could do to keep from grinding against him.

Her kiss grew more desperate, breathing him in as he tried to slow the pace down, his tongue caressing hers rather than dueling.

No, no, NO!!

This was not happening. She couldn’t allow it. He may be helping them find her son, he may have saved David’s life, but she would not fool herself into believing this meant anything. This was nothing more than a flirtation for him. She’d been burned before and she’d be damned if she let it happen again. But god, she really wanted him...

She grabbed his collar tighter as their lips barely parted. Killian couldn’t open his eyes yet, but their heavy breaths mingled in the space between them. Once he forced his eyes at least partially open, he couldn’t look away from her red swollen lips and heaving chest.

“That was…”

The words were barely a whisper against her lips. If she’d been any further away, she probably would have missed them. Their mouths were only millimeters apart, his nose brushing hers in the perfect position to dive back in, to hell with the consequences. But Emma couldn’t let that happen. She had to get away. She had to put some space between them.

“A one time thing,” she murmured into the moist air between them before releasing him and taking a small step back. In an instant, Killian’s gaze hardened.

“We’ll see about that, darling,” he all but growled, catching Emma off guard. He’d never been that forceful with her before, always letting her set the pace in their little dance. Sure, it didn’t stop him from flirting, but with her declaration, she would have expected him to back off, not assert himself like that.

See the full post

77 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

FINALLY!!!! Only took 2+hrs for the Post now button to light up...

But anyway, I'm pretty excited that most of my top posts were fics I wrote this year and that only 11 of my posts didn't have tags!

[storytimewithnova]

you were my mother too TW

It was a normal day inarizaki are practicing for an up coming match well are meant to be they noticed it was quite too quite Like 3 members are missing kita Search for them he also asked seijoh who are currently in the gym but not for volleyball practice

Kita:Where is the Triplets its quite to quite

Before anyone could answer the gym doors opened

Atsumu:guys lets hustle we're late

Osamu:We would of been on time if shona wasn't in front of the mirror

Sho:sit on a dick onii chan emma Natsu lets get you settled

The twins:Hai

She settled the twins down and said you sit here be good and watch me and your big brothers in action

Tooru:i will be staying with you too monkey's my team has a day off so you get the pleasure of Tooru Ni

The other miya siblings went to change leaving their youngest with Tooru the triplets then came out bowed to their captain and said

The miya siblings:Sorry we had to bring our siblings on such short notice normally we can get a babysitter or the will be in school but as their school is closed due to renovations they are home with us

Suddenly the door swings open again

Atsumu:oh fuck no not today satan

Aran:Miya atsumu kids present so language

Sho: let him be ojiro san he has a right to swear

Atsumu:twins get behind me Tooru samu and sho

The twins: Hai

Atsumu:why are you here?

Miya Akemi:Atsumu please roberto and I want to start a family of our own

Atsumu:That's fucking great and all but here's an idea Akemi how about you finish this one first instead of swanning off with you new fancy man

Emma:Their taking my twin

Miya Akemi:Yes

Miya triplets: No!

Tooru:No nobody is taking anybody anywhere

Atsu walks up to his mom

Atsumu:You don't get to abandon your kids and then show up one day to take your pick of the litter

Kita:i'm sorry WHAT?! Shona honey is that true

Sho:sadly this Sadist  abandoned us Love

Aran:i see why you said atsu has  a Right to swear What kind of fucking mother does that

The siblings: OURS!

Sho:Trust me Ojiro San its ours just let Atsumu Ni Chan handle this he has been dying to say this to her for ages also he need to blow off steam just  listen to see how bad it is yeah we seem all smiles but in reality its fake

Haru:Oh now that not fair your mothers made mistakes but she's here now thats got to count for something 

Sho:shut the fuck up Haru what do you even know

Atsumu:she right what do you know plus this isn't about you its about you 

He points at his mother and continues

Atsumu:This is about you did or rather what you didn't do its about what I did and You know what I did a fucking great job

Tooru:hell yeah you did

Atsumu:our sunshine here is a  Model student she is in our volleyball team the only girl I might add we are going to Nationals because of her yes it's a team effort but she always has a trick up her sleeve to get us the win

Sho:❤️ Love you bro

Atsumu:back at ya sunbeam

Atsumu pointed to his twin and Tooru and said

Atsumu:Tooru and osamu they are top of their class Tooru is about to graduate osamu me and sho are about to go in to our 3rd year  we all set the cuve

Osamu and Tooru together:❤️ Thanks Tsu

Atsumu:Welcome brothers emma is a manager for her school basketball team  while also juggling  her band practice Also natsu made something blow up for her Science fair

Emma:❤️Love you Onii chan fight for us

Natsu:🥰 fight for me big bro

Atsumu:love you too and always will my honey bees And you know what they did it all no thanks to you because you weren't here

Akemi start to fake cry to get sympathy

Miya Akemi:Yeah I Appreciate that Tsumu but I'm here now

Suna:too little too fucking late don't ya  think

Kita:Tf  i'm about to stab a bitch you Appreciate it Atsumu has basically been a parent to his siblings with the help of shona osamu and Tooru well you basically screwed around and played the village bike

Sho:kita is not wrong mom you basically sleeping around while we are left holding the baby

Aran:Holy fuck and i though my family were messed up but your family makes mine look normal

Sho:Most people say that when they find the truth this is not the first time she has pulled this

Miya Akemi:Atsumu Natsu belongs with me

Atsumu:oh really because She doesn't even know who you are

Miya Akemi:I'M HER MOTHER

Atsumu:YOU WERE OUR  MOTHER TOO OR HAVE YOU FORGOT THAT AND YOU WEREN'T EXACTLY MOTHER OF THE FUCKING YEAR

Miya Akemi:Look maybe i will never be able make things right with you  osamu or Tooru or Shona but their still time with Emma and Natsu I'm so sorry if I hurt you please I love you so much please let me be your mommy please

Osamu pulls the twins  away and goes to Oikawa

Natsu:Onii-chan don't let me go with them please

Atsumu:not happening my little sunflower 🌻

Iwa:You got your answer lady you're  scaring the twins now please leave the way you came before i call the police

Akemi left upset and disappointed she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings she got knocked down Tooru looked at his boyfriend

Tooru: I-Iwa chan

Iwa:sorry baby i heard enough that i had to step in

The twins: iwa Ni

Iwa:hey girls

Haru:kids please just hear you mother out she wanted to leave you with something

Atsumu:METH

As soon as meth was mentioned the coach was on the phone to the police

Makki:DID I HEAR RIGHT

Sho:get why we are hostile towards our so called parents Now

Everyone:yes

Haru grabs Atsu and gets in his face

Haru:ATSUMU THAT ALL SHE HAD LISTEN UP YOU BRAT YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR MOTHER THE STUGGLES THE SUFFERING THE PAIN

Tooru hears this runs at Haru

Tooru:She was never here

Haru:She was a beautiful crazy Fragile Wonderful woman

Tooru:She deserted us

Haru:She loved us

Sho look at her siblings then at haru and said

Sho:That was love

Haru:YES YES IT IS

Sho:Buddy I think me and you have a different idea of love

Tooru:come on if she loved us as much as you clam she did  then why did she  leave why wasn't she here?

Kita:it's a reasonable question so it should be easy to answer

Haru:.... She tried she always tried

Atsumu:SHE WASN'T HERE

Tooru: SHE WAS NEVER FUCKING HERE SHE LEFT

Haru shut up trying to think what to say if he should say anything he know the kids were right there was no justify what she did but he wanted to keep defending her honour then Tooru spoke up again

Tooru: the triplets 9 and I was 10 seeiously Haru 9-10 9-10 and taking care of you taking care of all of us we were in 4th grade dragging your sorry ass passed out in from the yard so you wouldn't freeze to death  Atsumu and I staying up all night with  osamu when he had chicken pox Atsumu and I  washed Natsu's shitty Diapers and Atsumu and I pick lice out of Emma's hair we were here when Shona got her first Period not Akemi no Us.

Everyone in the gym was watching in horror and disgust at the kind of parents the miya siblings have

Atsumu:Yeah Tooru's right and it was never you here to help because you were to fucking loaded she was a junkie and a drunk

Haru:Enough

Tooru:It's time you grow a pair Haru and face the truth she didn't love us she didn't love you she didn't give a shit about anyone but herself

Haru:*sobs* please

Atsumu:I'm glad the bitch is dead at least now she can't fuck us over anymore come Tooru i suggest you fuck off too I don't want to see you near my family again Leave me and Tooru to be the parents like we always have been 

Osamu:before you leave you think our life is easy huh have you stopped to think it hasn't been a fucking barrel of laughs for us you think we haven't struggled shona is working two jobs modling and running her own small cafe tooru has a part time job that may become full time we have had to morgage the house and borrow loans just to keep a roof over us we are stuggling to keep up with payments we are kids we shouldn't know that kind of thing but here we are no thanks to mom and you

Haru  walks off atsumu and oikawa walks back in side to their siblings and hugs them

Emma:You kept your word thank you brothers and sis

Atsumu &Tooru:Always

Shona & osamu:aWe didn't do much but always

Natsu:Being with me and Em was enough Sho Nee san Onii chan

Suna:hayo Captain are we going to finish practicing or call time after todays drama of how to be a shitty parent

Coach walked up to Kita and said call it for today i have informed the police of the events that went down today

Iwa:babe do you and your siblings want to live with me i live alone so I don't mind having you guys around

Tooru:i- are you sure you have too put up with the triplets antics

Sho:hey don't lump me in with them

Emma:Atsu Ni chan i need to practice for my next band rehearsal can i use the music room i saw earlier

Atsumu:sure honey bee i get you later okay or do you want shona to go with

Emma:please

Sho:come on the sis lets get you ready i can even let you use the song i wrote because I want to  watch and cheer you  and the Promised Neverlanders perform

Emma:🤩 you wrote a new song thanks Nee san

Suna:Wait as in promised  neverlanders the Japanese Korean punk pop band

Emma:Hai that's my band

Suna:i think i just fell in love again with your sister

Sho:back the fuck off my sister you sly fox my sister has a Korean boyfriend

Emma:had sis past tense plus  its fine i am dating Rin already

They were at Iwa's house BTW

Iwa:we're gonna do about your sisters love life or you're gonna come and eat I don't spend this time making food just had to sit here and pretty

Iwa spoke up again

Iwa:Eat up everyone and atusmu samu I made Onigiri for you suna katsu kita yakisoba shona meatbuns

Sho:thanks Iwa Ni this all looks so nice also suna I know emma said its fine you and her are dating but hurt her make her or cry i will not only break your legs i will break your phone are we clear 

Suna:Crystal Shona

Kita:sunshine you can be scary you know that right

Sho: *Walks up to kita kisses him* fuck with me and my family its not The twins  you need to be scared of its me why do you think my family call me small but dangerous

The twins:trust us our sis didn't get that nickname for nothing kita-san

Sho:it was one guy okay he was my ex and he fucking deserved it no one i repeat no one touches my siblings let alone tries to grope my little sister

Atsumu:Wait What?! What  did you do to him how bad was it and is there a body we have to dispose of

Sho:Tsu tsu You make me sound bad  I just put him in his place aka the hospital with maybe fee broken ribs there is no bodies this time but if I see him around Natsu again i won't guarantee There  won't be a body next time

Everyone😰

Emma:the things big sis sho does for us

Sho:💕

They carried on with dinner when there was a loud obnoxious Knock on the door Roberto comes back but Haru is with him

Roberto:Atsumu I'm just here to fulfilling your mother wish so I am taking Natsu

Atsumu:like fuck you are and why are you here Haru I thought you were in jail

Haru: I was I got out

Tooru:you mean you broke out again didn't you

The rest of the seijoh four were their visiting their bfs

Makki:Shona I guess you want us to see back and observe again

Sho:yes and Shin love can you and Iwa  take my sisters if things get too heated

Kita:of course i will honey

Sho:thank you shin

Atsumu:mother died of an overdose of METH you think I am going to trust Natsu to you two your just as bad as her you know what your lucky I didn't bring the baby here Remember Hana failed excuse of a father of course you wouldn't because I'm her dad now legally

Iwa:wait so Haru is

Iwa:our poor excuse of a father yes and Hana is his daughter well  Atsumu's  daughter now and we have never corrected her when she calls onii chan dada as far as onii chan is concerned She is his daughter so if anyone concerned he normally tells people his a single dad but has the help of his siblings

Atsumu:Brothers sis help me out it's time they learn what we stand for

Tooru:oh are we doing it

Sho:excuse me guys this is my cue Emma get your ass over here we need you on base

Emma:yay thought you never ask

Atsumu:🎵listen up you too Family, family (family) I go to war with my family (raah, raah) Ups and downs (up) Wrong or right, this family (yeah, hey)🎵

Sho:🎵They think that we crazy🎵

Tooru:🗣(crazy)

Sho:🎵They say that we crazy, can't handle it 🎵

Osamu:🗣(crazy, yeah)

Sho:🎵My back on the wall🎵

Emma:🗣 (back)

Sho:🎵Who I'ma call? My family (brrr) We different (woo) We stick out🎵

Atsumu:🗣(stick out)

Tooru:🗣Wig out

Emma:🗣Bug out

Osamu:🎵 (hey) Pop out (ooh) Hop out (go) Ball out (hey) Show out🎵

Roberto:we just came for natsu not to start anything

Atsumu:🎵 Aye, this a party, let's not make a problem (no) Why you lookin' at me like you startin' somethin'? You should know it's not just me that you'd be wrongin' You wronged me so you better think twice🎵

Sho:🎵 You shouldn't mess with me You don't wanna mess with me 'Cause if you mess with me You're messin' with my family (yeah, yeah, yeah)🎵🔪

Kita:babe where did you get the knife

Sho:☺️

Natsu:That's big sis silent but deadly

Tooru:🎵 You shouldn't mess with me You don't wanna mess with me (no) 'Cause if you mess with me You're messin' with my family (uh)🎵🔪

Iwa:baby you too

Tooru:😇

Iwa:Angel my ass 😇

Osamu:🎵 Aye-aye-aye You might think that we all loco Aye-aye-aye Don't mess with my family But this family 'bout to go global We blowin' up🎵🔪

Suna:love

Osamu:😚

Emma:🎵 Raah, raah (aye) Raah Yeah, yeah (aye aye) Yeah, yeah take it Tooru onii chan🎵

Tooru:🎵 En mi familia si hay problema' no jugamo' (yeah, aye, no jugamo') Y si hay party hasta mañana celebramo' (celebramo, yeah) Si te dicen que estamo' loco', loco' estamos (yeah, loco' estamos) Y en las buenas y en las malas nos quedamo' (nos quedamo') No traicionamo' (don't mess with my family)🎵

Iwa:you can  speak Spanish

Tooru:🤪

Emma:🎵 Aye, this a party, let's not make a problem (no) Why you lookin' at me like you startin' somethin'? You should know it's not just me that  you'd be wrongin'🎵

Sho:🎵 You wronged me so you better think twice You shouldn't mess with me You don't wanna mess with me 'Cause if you mess with me (don't mess with my family) You're messin' with my family (yeah, yeah, yeah)🎵

The miya siblings:🎵 You shouldn't mess with me You don't wanna mess with me 'Cause if you mess with me You're messin' with my family (uh) Yeah, yeah, yeah (oh oh, yeah, yeah) You're messin' with my family La familia Hey, oh oh (yeah, yeah, yeah) Don't mess with my family (no) Aye-aye-aye (brrr) You might think that we all loco Aye-aye-aye But this family 'bout to go global🎵

Emma:🎵  They say that we mean (mean) They say that we rude (rude) They say we got problems (problems) But we say it's cool (we turning up) Family, family (family) I go to war with my family (raah) Ups and downs Wrong or right, that's family (uh)🎵

Sho:🎵Aye-aye-aye You might think that we all loco (don't mess with my family)Aye-aye-aye But this family 'bout to go global🎵

Atsumu:do we make ourselves clear mess with one of us you mess with all of us Tooru did you dial the police to tell them they are missing a prisoner

Tooru:I did indeed they are on their way now pardon my English Roberto but can you kindly fuck off and expect a restraining order coming your way Sisters  over here your older sister and brothers have you

Sho:always and forever

Atsumu:always and forever Oh shit since I mentioned Hana I need to go get her from her nanny so I will be back with my daughter

Tooru:do you want me to come with you

Atsumu:no its fine look after this lot i will be back as so as possible

With that said atsumu went off to get Hana by that time the police got Haru he was going back to prison and a restraining order was issued if Roberto went anywhere near the Miya kids he would be sharing a cell  With Haru as for he miya siblings they finally got the normal life the wanted living with one of Tooru's Bfs but it worked out for them

[ocenitram]

Regina chuckled , bouncing her granddaughter a little more. “ Oh you like that, Emma?” She said, tickling the big baby.

Henry grinned. “ I can’t believe it. I didn’t think I had a chance” he told Snow, before noticing Emma playing with the controller. “ Be carful!” He warned her.

Regina gave Snow a soft smile. “ Well I am glad you remember the times when I wasn’t so Evil” the former queen said, then sniffed. “ Hmm I’m pretty sure someone in here might need changing immediately. “

Emma giggled at being bounced and tickled "Yeah it's super fun nana I wike bieng bounced and tickled too." The blonde baby replied although she did try to tickle Regina once.

"You know your a mills a charming a Swan a Cassidy and a Gold your actually out of their leagues never doubt yourself you can win any girl you want just like I won David although it was during a robbery but don't worry about that. " Snow tried to hoist Henry confidence. " But dis fun I wanna pway," the blonde baby began to cry.

"Oh you know I remember all the things we've been through since the moment you started raising me and the moments you tried to kill me but I tend to replace the bad memories with good ones like the time you showed me how not to get bamboozled by salesperson I mean I would just give our money to anyone with a sad story. I was and I think I still am navie." Snow commented to her stepmom. "Its probably Henry he has a little crush and thinks he doesn't stand a chance anyway I know you mean Emma considering that she's crying." Snow explained.

[nitemirz]

a little drawing i did some time ago of dark swanqueen in vintage mugler

[this-is-krikkit]

i cant believe its 2022 and im crying rereading (excellent) sq fics like its 2014 and im still a full student and not someone who has to wake up in 6h and work for 24 straight (well, yk what i mean) ones

[teamhook]

Captain Swan Writers Spotlight

Hello, lovelies. I've decided to do a spotlight on Captain Swan writers. Fandom is not what it used to be, and we are lucky to have such a talented group. I want to highlight a new/underrated writer per post. We have new people, and I try to keep up, but sometimes I fail. Please, join me in showing them love. If you guys have any suggestions, let me know!

Up to the spotlight is:

She is not only a great writer but also an artist as her name says. Check out her work! I know she is not new but we all need to read her works.

TUMBLR

AO3 WORKS LINK

The Contract ~ MC - Complete

Summary: Emma had never wanted much in her life, despite being married to one of the richest men in the world. For ten years she has felt like a prisoner in her own marriage, denied the one thing she wants the most, but her husband cannot help but bargain her want like a cheap business deal. Enter Killian Jones, the Alpha her husband has hired to make sure she gets what she wants. And then some.

Okay, this one is an all time fave. I do love the A/O/B Universe thanks to her. This one is mostly complete. I believe it only needs an epilogue but it can be read as is.

--

But, There's Only One bed ~ One-Shot

Summary: Whilst trying to fly to Norway to visit his brother at Christmas, Killian Jones encounters a grounding snowstorm and a charmingly beautiful blonde who keeps him company at more than just the airport.

Just gotta say very sexy!!

--

Just One Yesterday ~ MC

Summary: Killian has always been in love with his best friend, Emma, but due to a childhood lost to crime, her brother and cop, David, is more than hateful towards him. When Emma turns up at his door and they share a night of passion, what follows, and the consequences, will test their love to the limit.

This one is super whumpy if you are into that but it's great. If you love Law and Order SVU you will enjoy this.

--

Sparking the Pavement ~ MC

Summary: Sparking the Pavement – When a motorcycle is leaned enough to drag the pegs, floorboards, exhaust or other metal parts on the road resulting in a shower of sparks.

Racing was like nothing else in the entire world. The rush of the wind as it hit the protective leathers, pushing the supple material into the limbs hidden inside, trying with all its might to dislodge a rider that would never let go. The rumble of the engine between thighs that gripped at the machine so tightly, muscles had formed on top of muscles there, powerful legs almost touching the ground on every corner, riders only braking momentarily before thrashing it out of the bend under the throaty roar of the bike.

They didn’t control the superbike. It controlled them.

OMG this one is so amazing! I love the idea of Killian being a bad ass Moto GP racer! Very sexy!!

--

Love Finds a Way ~ MC

Summary: Emma Swan is the Head of Operations for David Nolan’s exotic adventure park, Jurassic World. She has a son, Henry, and is loved and respected by her colleagues. Her life was perfect until a new dinosaur the park created, Indominus Rex, decided to escape. Oh, and her one night stand, Killian Jones - he’s there to help contain the asset. Just to complicate things even more. Jurassic World AU.

Well, if you are a Jurassic fan you will love this! I'm loving it!

--

King of My Heart ~ One-Shot

Summary: Emma Swan is the biggest star in the entire world, a world-class singer with a voice that had made sure she was seated at the very top. She is the Queen of music that speaks to so many, but there is one thing in her life she is missing, and with whole albums dedicated to him, will Killian Jones finally hear her words and take up the throne beside her as the King of her heart?

Singer!Emma and Drummer!Killian need I say more??

[films-for-the-gays]

Every lgbtq+ movie I have watched ranked!

Since I haven't watched a new movie in like 2 months I am going to rank ALL of the lgbt movies I have ever watched for content :) This can also be used as a reference if you ever want to recommend something and don't know if I've reviewed it already

Each film will be ranked based on how much I personally enjoyed it as opposed to how technically good it is as a film

Also the order may be different from what scores I've given before (eg something I gave an 8 might be below something I gave a 7) cause my opinion might have changed or my scoring at the time was a weee bit biased

I'll probably pin this and add to it whenever I make a new review

I will also be including the tv shows I have reviewed just cause

Black Swan - MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE FILM!!! I am unsure of the general consensus on whether this is an lgbt movie but I count it because the main characters is canonically bisexual basically

The Handmaiden - just found out there's two versions of this! the extended cut is the one I prefer and also the one I was talking ab in my review. it's only 20 minutes longer but the order of the film is different and better imo. the one on Netflix is the theatrical cut but the one on fsharetv is the extended cut and free!

Moonlight - *through tears* BEAUTIFUL

Brokeback Mountain - there's a reason this film is as influential as it is

Portrait of a Lady on Fire - I love the ending so much I know that's not a revolutionary opinion but I love it so much

The Perfection - I have a feeling no one I know would feel the same way as me about this movie

Disobedience - Every time I see Rachel McAdams in a movie I don't realise it's her until like 20 minutes in

Boy Erased - Distressingly good

Gods Own Country - Beware for dicks and dead sheep

Rocky Horror Picture Show - the review on my blog is short enough to go here 'Literally 100 minutes of the best fever dream you've ever had 10/10'

Young Royals - Boarding school upper echelon gays and scholarship(?) commoner boy gays

Holding the Man - be prepared to cry like a fucking baby

Duck Butter - I think this is the third most controversial ranking on this list

Breakfast on Pluto - I love you Cillian Murphy💜💙💚💛❤

Maurice - So ahead of its time

Your Name Engraved Herein - if I hear one more person say this is 'Asian Call Me By Your Name' I will burst into flames (in a bad way)

Pride - this movie will give you so much pride, the title is accurate

Paris is Burning - Best documentary ever made

I Told Sunset About You - So dramatic but worth it

Gia - The worlds first supermodel was a lesbian and that is a win for the lgbtqs

Ideal Home - MY ideal home

My Days of Mercy - Just really good I have nothing else to say

Miseducation of Cameron Post - I prefer the book😎

Beautiful Thing - This film is (a) beautiful (thing)

Call Me by Your Name - I actually watched a really good video essay on this film recently

Another Country - Colin Firth made me a communist

Carol - Arguably not Cate Blanchetts gayest movie (oceans 8)

Kill Your Darlings - Has a special place in my heart

Handsome Devil - I think I only like teen movies if they're not American

Dating Amber - Is it a coincidence that Fionn O'Shea plays basically the same character in two entries right next to each other? We'll never know

Big Eden - normalise fuzzy gay romcoms

My Summer of Love - Lots of style, lots of substance

Crush - gayest teen movie

Lost and Delirious - Boarding school lesbians for the win

Tales of The City - One day I will go to San Francisco and look at all the pretty buildings

Beach Rats - This film continues to baffle me. I truly don't know how I feel about it. I've put it here cause I like the aesthetic

Battle of the Sexes - Lesbian Emma Stone for all my Lesbian Emma Stone fans

Jongens - Who says gays cant do sport?

Booksmart - Best american teen movie

Imagine Me and You - from my review; 'Imagine your basic Hugh grant british rom com but with lesbians'

Love, Simon - Love Actually, Love Rosie, Love Island

Life Partners - The representation we all need

Heartstopper - cute and gay and cute and gay

Rafiki - Made me cry but at the weirdest times

4th Man Out - Even though its not in the middle the is the most average film on this list so use this as a centre point

The Imitation Game - My opinion of this film has gone down immensely since I found out how dirty they did Alan Turing

The Favourite - Most of my enjoyment of this film is just the casting choices

Tangerine - absolute chaos (in a good way) filmed on a couple of iphone fives

Alex Strangelove - The dudes actual name is Alex Truelove so true love is strange do you get it?

The Cakemaker - Type of film you'd watch with a bowl of tomato soup

D.E.B.S - I wish I liked this more I really do

The Way He Looks - Despite what I said in my review I was actually quite bored I'm sorry

Elisa & Marcela - All in black and white. Not fun

Colette - I wish this was more gay

The Power Of The Dog - unfortunately boring soz

The Half of It - It took me a week to finish this

Happy Together - I don't understand why this movie is so loved😭. Second most controversial ranking on this list.

Water Lilies - lets just say Adèle Haenel and Céline Sciamma (writer and director) showed their talents a lot better in Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Hurricane Bianca - The type of film you'd expect (no hate you might like it)

Ek Ladki Ko Dehka Toh Aisa Laga - cute but not for me

Happiest Season - From this point down are movies that I actively dislike

Liberty's Secret - SO disappointed in this. Wtf

The Feels - don't waste your time seriously

My Own Private Idaho - I have a personal grudge against this movie. I hate it so much. Most controversial ranking on this list

N/A The Living End - Didn't actually finish this so I won't rank but just know that I probably wont be finishing it

[snowbellewells]

Self-Promo Sunday: “Into the Unknown With You”

Another one shot from my assorted collection “Of Swans and Swords and Hopeful Hearts” - this one playing with some of the ideas I would rather have seen in 6x10 and 6x11, it certainly diverges from canon at that point...

Summary: As Emma searches for a way back home from the Wish Realm, help comes from a surprisingly welcome source...

{One more Author’s Note: The “awfully big adventure” bit is a tiny nod to J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.}

Can also be found on AO3 or ff.net 

“Into the Unknown with You”

by: @snowbellewells 

‘No, no, no!’ Emma’s mind reeled horrifically as she stared at the spot where only moments ago the portal had been whirling, her way home to her son and her pirate wide open. She wanted to scream; it couldn’t just be gone, and yet, a second too much hesitation, and the chance was lost. She looked to Regina anxiously, her fists clenched so tightly she felt the impressions her nails cut into her palms. It was all she could do not to rail at Regina, this whole twisted world, and her own bad luck.

‘What now?!?’ she wanted to demand, wanted to shake her former nemesis turned tentative friend, but one glimpse at the other woman’s stunned, disbelieving face staring across the shoreline at her presumed dead True Love, and Emma knew it would be a lost cause. Having stood beside a grave in grateful stupefaction at her own love’s miraculous return to life not so long ago, Emma couldn’t find the heart to remind Regina just yet that she had spent the last day preaching that none of their surroundings or those they encountered in the Wish Realm were real, and hurry her along. She too found herself blinking dazedly at this other – very convincing – version of Robin Hood for a few moments.

Even if her heart was still crying out for her home and her family, for Henry’s soft hair tickling her nose when she placed a kiss to the top of his head, and Killian’s arms enfolding her, she didn’t know where to go in this topsy-turvy version of the homeland she had never actually lived in, and so she had to wait – more impatiently by the minute – until one of these two, either queen or thief, snapped out of their spell and led the way…

As it turned out, Robin Hood was not the sort of outlaw who would truly do harm to two ladies passing through his territory. He wouldn’t have even made to steal their jewels and furs once the same trance that had overcome Regina seemed to strike him mute as well, but Regina offered him a pouch of coins that had been strapped to her waist and a ruby ring, pressing it into his calloused palm with a quirked smile and the assurance that “she insisted, she was much more partial to his cause than he knew”.

Emma wanted to snort at the ridiculous understatement those words were, and she only barely managed to hold back a roll of her eyes, which she sensed the thief saw but let slide with a conspiratorial wink.

Before she could make an argument for trying to catch up to Gold – or Rumplestiltskin here, she supposed – or ask where they were going to find another bean, it was evening, they were entering a forest in the gathering dark, and soon they had been welcomed to sit around a roaring fire with Robin’s motley crew, and even been offered the ale and venison passed around the circle as if they were part of the merry band.

“Now,” the archer began, seated beside Regina, his boy nodding drowsily on his lap. He looked around her to meet Emma’s gaze head on. “You must be thinking that I owe you an apology. Clearly you were about to leave this place, and because of me, you missed your ride.”

She tried to shrug it off nonchalantly, not wanting to get them kicked out in the cold, or to lay blame on him for something he couldn’t have known, but instead, to her own mortification, she felt hot tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. Though her sight grew glassy, Emma refused to let them fall. “So,” she tried for flippant, even if it fell horribly flat, “does that mean you know where we could get a replacement bean and want to help us get it?”

“Actually, Princess Emma,” Robin winked, a knowing sort of mischief in his eye, “I just might.”

~~~OuaT~~~~~CS~~~~~OuaT~~~

The following morning dawned misty and cool, but fair, and Robin greeted Emma at the simmering coals of the previous night’s campfire with a welcoming grin, Regina at his side on the stump they used for a seat, looking as soft and at ease as Emma had ever seen her, her head resting on his strong shoulder seemingly still half asleep. She and Regina had talked at length the night before, and at long last Emma had accepted that Henry’s adoptive mother wasn’t returning with her yet. “I know he isn’t the same Robin, that this whole place is built on a whim, but I’m not losing him again,” she had whispered vehemently. “There has to be another way to get back…one that he could take as well…if he wanted to…” The emotion welling in Regina’s dark eyes had been raw enough that Emma finally consented to go on without further fighting to change her mind, only giving a nod in affirmation when Regina had asked, “You’ll explain to Henry? Tell him I mean to return as soon as we both can?”

“Ready, your Highness?” the sandy-haired outlaw asked, breaking into Emma’s recent memories once more and looking down at her from where he now stood at the ready. “We should make the harbor by noon, if we set out now.”

“The harbor?” Emma asked breathlessly, dazed for a moment by what this could mean. Her heartbeat kicked up in both anticipation and dread. Surely he wasn’t here too…was he?

“Yes,” Robin answered her spoken question with an amiable nod as he kissed the back of Regina’s hand in farewell and turned to head off with Emma on his heels. “I happen to know a pirate with whom I sometimes trade my less than lawfully acquired goods. He might have just the sort of thing you need to return home…”

~~~OuaT~~~~~CS~~~~~OuaT~~~

The sound of gulls crying and wheeling overhead and the creak and groan of the wooden docks as they reached the edge of the shore town and neared the sparkling blue harbor was enough to take Emma’s breath away. Robin took a step forward to lead her down the docks, already offering to make introductions, but Emma stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.

There before them, as recognizable as always, was the Jolly Roger, bobbing proudly at anchor. Though most might be intimidated by the sight, Emma drew in the first full breath she’d had since remembering herself in this strange realm – as if she had gotten her first real glimpse of home at last. He might still be the vengeful Captain Hook in this reality, but somehow she wasn’t afraid. He would never truly hurt her – and she only wanted to be at his side again without further delay.

Reassuring Robin that she could take it from there, Emma bid him goodbye. Though he looked uncertain, the archer took her at her word and left her with his best wishes. If she clutched his hand a moment longer and a bit tighter than would be normal and bid him be safe a little too fervently – well, she didn’t have to explain herself to anyone here…

At her first step onto the gangplank, a shudder of recognition ran through her, as if the vessel itself was welcoming her back aboard, shivers skittering along her spine. At first glance, the ship seemed deserted, her crew perhaps gathering supplies or unwinding at the nearest tavern, but the air around her wavered, charged suddenly, letting her know she was not alone. Emma felt even before she heard heavy footfalls on the planks or that deep, commanding voice at her back, asking who went there, that she had not gone undetected by the ship’s captain.

Turning, her eyes found him, hungrily drinking in the details; altered, but still without doubt the man she loved. The dark hair was windblown and unruly, practically begging for her fingers to delve into its soft abundance and brush the fringe back off his forehead. Though the strands might be shaggier and generously shot through with grey, it made him no less attractive to her starving eyes. In fact, she only wanted to stare at him all the more, to catalogue every difference, trace the deeper crow’s feet around his eyes and the added lines on his forehead. Those fathomless blue eyes were lined so liberally with the kohl she hadn’t seen him use for some time in their modern Storybrooke life that she almost wanted to chuckle at the effect until she registered the way the blue of his gaze also looked paler – as if washed out by too many tears shed alone and without comfort, or dulled by pain held back because he couldn’t afford to let it show.

Brandishing his moniker, and that dastardly, flirtatious mask he had long since let drop around her, to full effect, Captain Hook stepped well into her personal space. “And who might you be?” he questioned, breath warm on the shell of her ear as he leaned in, hook lifting the heavy rope of her golden braid and tucking it back over her shoulder. It was an achingly familiar gesture and he stood much too close for calm comfort, sending her pulse fluttering again, and yet no recognition lit his gaze as he studied her; the fond devotion she had come to rely on more than she could say was utterly absent, making her heart ache and crack in her chest.

“Princess Emma of Misthaven,” she answered as sturdily as she could, raising her chin and meeting his eye with as much confidence as she could muster. “I had hoped to speak to you on a delicate matter of some importance.”

“A delicate matter, is it?” he asked, his enunciation and the way his tongue caressed his words seductively had not been altered or diminished in the slightest, whatever else had changed. He stood back to his full height, fingers in his waistband, hips thrust forward and looking every bit as sinfully irresistible as he ever did, complete with that wide-open, chest-exposing red vest she had witnessed once in their trip to the past through Zelena’s portal. If she hadn’t known him so well, she might have been fooled by the bravado, but knowing his heart as only a True Love could, she saw the emptiness behind the lascivious look, the pain within the façade – the proper, honorable lieutenant he had been, hating the persona his course had forced him to adopt. Even as he ran his tongue across his lower lip, letting his eyes trace her curves from head to toe almost lewdly, she could see the regret clouding the pupils and the wistful longing – as if he could sense what might have been.

Unable to stop herself, Emma reached forward impulsively, grasping both his hook and hand tightly as she spoke, “Yes, very…but just maybe…I was meant to find you. Maybe you’re the only one who would believe me.”

~~~OuaT~~~~~CS~~~~~OuaT~~~

Another hour found them below deck in his cabin, seated at the scratched, weathered wooden table which had served him in his lonely meals for ages, Emma’s hand still clinging to his hook where it rested on his thigh, but the other reaching up tentatively to trace that faded scar she knew so well beneath his eye. Hook – though more and more her Killian with every passing moment – had scooted closer to her on the roughhewn bench, blinking in awe as she saw hope returning to his face. He appeared both afraid to believe her words, but also desperate for them to be true.

“So you’re telling me that all of this around us – this whole life – is an illusion?” he asked haltingly, not daring to move his eyes from her face, as though he thought she might disappear as quickly as she had come to him.

“Well, yeah, basically,” she tried to explain. “Or more like…it’s a possibility that didn’t actually come true. There’s this v-villain in my home, in the real timeline that I come from, who made a wish that reset things, and I was sucked into it. I have a son, family and friends, a-and another version of you…who’s my True Love…there missing me. And I have to get back to them.”

“There’s another me?” he breathed, and where anyone else would have been skeptical, he looked merely stunned, wanting. “And…we’re…together?”

“Yeah, we are,” she whispered, laying a hand over his rapidly beating heart and drawing comfort from its rhythm. She already felt stronger, more certain, even with this iteration of her pirate. Her watery smile quirked up into a bit of a smirk at one corner, “And don’t worry, he’s still devilishly handsome.”

Her captain’s eyes fell to their joined hand and hook in his lap, huffing out a laugh at her words. “More so than I, I’d wager,” he murmured.

Emma hummed under her breath, reaching out to run her fingers along a grey streak in his longer hair. “I don’t know about that,” she offered. “There’s something pretty appealing about this model, grey hair and all.”

“You flatter me, Milady,” he teased, that voice still a sinful purr rumbling from his chest as he lifted her hand to press a kiss to its back. Still, emotion welled up beneath the flirtation, making his magnetic gaze all the harder for her to escape. She was blinking, nonplussed and floundering for some audible response, when he straightened and pulled her to her feet with him. “Enough lollygagging then! I’ll prepare the old girl to set sail. It’s time we got you back where you belong!”

For a moment, Emma was stunned anew. This full-on piratical version of her True Love, who didn’t really even know her and had no reason to do anything she said, had not only chosen to believe her story, but was going out of his way to help her – just as he had ever since he turned his ship around to take her to Neverland. The lump in her throat was almost too much to speak around, but Emma managed to croak out, “You really would give anything to help me, wouldn’t you?” even as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Aye,” he affirmed, looking a bit like he was marveling at that fact himself. “I am not sure I fully understand, nor can I explain it to you, but I sense that I would – that I am almost compelled – to help you in any world or time you would appear to me.”

“Thank you,” was all she could really say in response, her wondering smile nearly blinding him with its brilliance.

“Come then,” he offered her his arm, his speech all business again, even while the pointed tips of his ear flushed, clearly uncomfortable with the gratitude and praise. “Above deck, and we’ll be off. I know someone who deals in nigh impossible to procure objects.”

~~~OuaT~~~~~CS~~~~~OuaT~~~

Standing beside him at the helm just a few short hours later, wind in her hair and the salt spray on her face, it struck Emma that though she was desperate to get home, to make sure her son, her family, and her Killian were alright, she didn’t want to simply abandon this pirate captain beside her. She didn’t know what would happen to him, if he would find something to live for, something to be part of, or if she was dooming him to his quiet desperation…even if he might simply vanish into nothingness with the rest of this ill-fated wish. She didn’t know what happened next, to be completely honest. Laying a hand on his forearm, she gazed up into his face, swallowing hard. “I don’t know what becomes of you, or this realm, when I leave here and go home,” she admitted. “I’m not sure if you all just go on like it never happened, if you cease to exist, if you wander here aimless forever…I just…I don’t know…”

Covering her hand with his, he guided the ship with no more than his hook rested capably on the wheel. “Worry not, Princess,” was his confident response, fervent resolve painted over his strong, careworn features. “We shall still set things right, as they should be. Whatever comes after this – infinity or oblivion – will be an awfully big adventure.”

Tagging: @kmomof4​ @searchingwardrobes​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @laschatzi​ @jennjenn615​ @tiganasummertree​ @optomisticgirl​ @spartanguard​ @therooksshiningknight​ @thislassishooked​ @winterbaby89​ @darkcolinodonorgasm​ @hollyethecurious​ @artistic-writer​ @stahlop​ @elizabeethan​ @donteattheappleshook​ @wefoundloveunderthelight​ @apiratewhopines​ @lfh1226-linda​ @xsajx​ @ineffablecolors​ @drowned-dreamer​ @thisonesatellite​ @kday426​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @xhookswenchx​ @hookedonapirate​ @blowmiakisscolin​ 

[letterboxd]

Chaotic Bisexual.

Shiva Baby writer-director Emma Seligman tells Ella Kemp about expanding her wildly cringey short film into an even more anxiety-inducing feature, why Virgo and Taurus make the perfect producing pair, and the eternal conflict of being a good Jewish girl.

“If I can skip a bris to see E.T., I like movies!” —Emma Seligman

It sounds like a strange riff on a guy-walks-into-a-bar joke: a girl walks into a shiva and bumps into her secret ex-girlfriend, then her sugar daddy, then his shiksa wife, oh, and their baby—yet the payoff is so much more rewarding.

Filmmaker Emma Seligman’s debut feature is a new kind of teen classic: 78 non-stop minutes teeming with well-drawn traits and tropes that define the best coming-of-agers, the best Jewish comedies and the best day-in-a-life psychological roller-coasters.

Shiva Baby began as a grad project—a short film of the same name—and Seligman’s feature-length embellishment impressed at last year’s virtual editions of SXSW and TIFF, where it was quickly snapped up for international distribution. In a way, Shiva Baby was perfectly tailored to the times we were living in: Danielle, our reluctant heroine, is trapped in a claustrophobic family event she can’t escape, as people from her past and lies about her future make their way deep under her skin.

Fred Melamed, Rachel Sennott and Polly Draper in ‘Shiva Baby’.

Shiva Baby is very much the product of a wry school of emerging filmmakers who understand excruciatingly mundane horror and pin-sharp comedy as intimate bedfellows. Seligman’s writing finds a way to flesh out gloriously caricatural Jewish relatives, probing and overbearing and irrational. She does this both through dialogue and a visceral, haptic aesthetic that lurches in and out of focus visually, and has a nails-on-chalkboard unease sonically.

Coming in hot with a 4.01 average rating, Shiva Baby is striking all sorts of discordant notes with film lovers. “Combines some of my biggest anxieties: being asked if I have a boyfriend as well as what my plans for the future are and people talking with their mouths full,” writes Muriel.

The film’s “bisexual chaos”, which hinges on a haywire performance from Rachel Sennott as Danielle, opposite Molly Gordon’s overachieving ex-girlfriend, Maya, is also one of its great strengths. Glee star Dianna Agron is the shiksa threat, Kim, while Danny Deferrari is Danielle’s hapless benefactor, Max. If that’s not enough? Polly Draper, Fred Melamed and Jackie Hoffman are also just there.

What do you think defines a Jewish sense of humor? Emma Seligman: It’s morbid usually, and darker—generally uncomfortable and cringeworthy. I think about Curb Your Enthusiasm or Seinfeld, and A Serious Man. It borders on, “Is this funny at all?” I think Jewish humor leans into the darkly funny British sense of humor. I’m Canadian, so I feel like I’m halfway between the UK and the US in terms of their sense of humor.

Was it always your intention to make a comedy that feels like a bit of a nightmare? You’ve mentioned Black Swan and Opening Night as touchstones… Because I came from a short film, the question when expanding into a feature was, “How are we going to keep everyone interested in this day?” It’s got to be a significant day, it’s got to be that this young woman’s life has completely changed from this day. So what is it that changes? Why are we watching it? I watched a lot of movies that took place in one day, one of them was Trey Edward Shults’ first film Krisha. And then from there I realized that anxiety and this scary psychological feeling is a great way to have the audience stay there.

I watched Opening Night because there’s a shiva in it, but it was more the lobby scenes that were so claustrophobic and tense. And then each step of the way with each department, we were like, okay, it’s gonna be tense, but then we got to music, I was like, okay, this has become a full nightmare. Initially, I was just like, it’s got to be tense, but by the end, I was like, well, it does feel like a nightmare to a young woman sometimes.

Because you mention that, I have to ask whether you’ve seen Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade? I have, it’s incredible. It’s so funny, they’re both coming-of-age [films], and one of them is about a fourteen year old and then the same sort of feeling exists when you’re 22. When you’re fourteen is when it begins, and when you’re 22 you’re sort of at the end of it and you’re like, “Oh, I thought I figured out what I was supposed to do when I started feeling insecure this way at fourteen about sex and boys.”

Diana Agron and Danny Deferrari in ‘Shiva Baby’.

Let’s talk about Rachel Sennott, who you have describe as your “Virgo rock”. What do you bring one another in your creative partnership? She’s a hustler, and she sets goals like nobody else. I think she moves very fast, and I’m more detail-oriented. I don’t know if the movie would have happened without her because she was like, “What are the goals to achieve this film?” After we made the short film, she just kept checking in with me. She goes well beyond what an actor does, which is why she’s an executive producer, because she was very, very invested in seeing the movie get made.

I think she pushes. We joke that she brings me out of my depression and I help calm her down. I feel like Taurus is a little more chill. Virgos are also earth signs, but they run on a faster frequency. So I think I calm her down, especially when we’re writing and bringing it back to structure. But she’s way funnier, she’s able to give jokes so quickly. We balance each other perfectly, for sure.

Do you think your partnership with Rachel is the kind of partnership you could see yourself maintaining throughout your career? Definitely. I think it’s important to have a good friend and also a young woman. She’s got different career goals from me, but they’re aligned. And we’re not in competition with each other. I feel so grateful because so much of the time I feel like the world does make you feel like you’re in competition with your friends that are trying to do the same thing as you when you’re a young woman—or just maybe in general.

Rachel Sennott and Danny Deferrari in ‘Shiva Baby’.

Her character in Shiva Baby completely subverts the idea of a “nice Jewish boy/girl” which can be a trope in movies, but also very much a real thing in life. Is that something you consciously wanted to subvert, or did it come organically from the story you wanted to tell? I wanted to contrast that idea of a “nice Jewish girl” because every nice Jewish girl or boy has a sex life. I felt the sort of nice Jewish girl stressors on me were completely opposite from the NYU art school sugaring worlds, and hookup culture broadly. My family is such a huge part of my life and I think that those two sets of pressures are completely contradictory; to be a good girl or boy and have a stable career ahead of you, and to be finding, even if it’s at the very beginning, your eventual partner, or to just be in a relationship. And I felt like in school, no one wanted to date, everyone was hooking up. So many of my friends are sugar babies. I tried it super, super briefly.

I felt like the world was telling me to be like “an empowered, independent, sexy woman who doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, and doesn’t abide by any rules”, and I was like, “This is the opposite of being a nice Jewish girl!” And I just felt like those two things were screaming at me. So I did want to play on that. But I don’t even think it’s playing, just because that felt like what I was trying to battle within myself. And I think a lot of young people do, whether they’re Jewish or not. That’s their family’s expectations. And then the world is like, “But don’t care and don’t commit…”

Writer-director Emma Seligman. / Photo by Emma McIntyre

But then you still have to go home to your parents at the end of the day and they’re going to tell you what to do… Exactly.

What would you want viewers to take away from Shiva Baby about the sugaring community that you feel has been maligned in the past? I’m not a sex worker, so I don’t want to speak on behalf of this community, but I definitely feel like there hasn’t been many positive portrayals of sex workers. So I just wanted to show someone—because I knew so many friends of mine who did it—who enjoyed it, or purposefully did it and didn’t feel bad or shameful about it. I think maybe a lot of people think that it’s always something that comes out of dire circumstances. But whether that is the case or not, I think there’s a lot of people who enjoy it and enjoy what they do like any other job. So I just hope that they’re able to sort of widen their scope of what a sex worker looks like and acts like. Every sex worker has got a family, friends, a full robust life, as we all do.

It’s time for your Life in Film questionnaire. Can you give me a few must-watch Jewish films for people who don’t know where to start? Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl, Keeping the Faith, Kissing Jessica Stein, A Serious Man. Definitely Uncut Gems, and Crossing Delancey.

Shiva Baby has been described on Letterboxd, variously, as “Uncut Gems but make it chaotic bisexual”, “the most stressful Jewish movie since Uncut Gems”, “the chaotic successor of Uncut Gems”, “if Krisha and Uncut Gems had a baby”, and, of course, “Uncut Gems for hot Jewish sluts”… Amazing, I love that. Extremely nice comparison.

Who is your favorite promising young woman? Not Emerald Fennell’s film, but a young creative or performer who you think is making waves. I love Hari Nef—I think she’s amazing and am really excited to see what she does next. I loved her so much in Transparent and Assassination Nation, and I don’t understand why she hasn’t been the lead in a million movies.

Molly Gordon with Rachel Sennott in ‘Shiva Baby’.

What should people watch next after Shiva Baby? Those Jewish movies would be a great start. And then Krisha, although I think a lot of people have seen it especially if they’re on Letterboxd! But then those Jewish romantic comedies, and then Obvious Child, all those movies are very sweet and endearing and helped me make it.

Separate from film, if it’s shiva-related then Transparent. If I didn’t have Transparent I don’t think I would have seen world of grounded, nuanced Jews that I could do comedy with. It would have been more in the Curb vein, which is also amazing, but a little more schtick.

What was the first film that made you want to be a filmmaker? My parents are huge movie buffs so I’m not sure there was one moment, but I will say that when I was six there was a re-release of the 20-year anniversary of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and I was at a horribly packed bris and my uncle was like, “Fuck this, there are so many people here, I can’t even breathe. Let’s go see E.T.” That was the first moment where I was like, if I can skip a bris to see E.T., I like movies.

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Shiva Baby is now in select theaters and on VOD in the US. Film stills by Maria Rusche.