#malteser for breakfast

[royalauggie]

🔥🔥🔥

[vidavalor]

Muriel and My Fair Lady

We've been talking a bit about The Maltese Falcon and North by Northwest and other film homages in the series and how what a bunch of them have in common is unique use of language-- verbal and visual-- to tell their story. There's another musical/film that I think S2 is referencing a bit that is all about language and that is My Fair Lady.

The romance in My Fair Lady is terrible-- I hope we all can agree on that in our modern era lol-- but that's not really the main aspect of the story that is being referenced in GO, I don't think. My Fair Lady is full of language jokes, including the titles of two of the songs-- "A Hymm to Him", which plays with homophony, and "The Ascot Gavotte", which is about the horse race setting of that part of the story-- The Ascots-- but is, additionally, a joke on the fact that an ascot is also a term for one kind of a secret language. It's also the only real gavotte in a famous musical and we know that's Aziraphale's favorite kind of dance. Much of the story of the film also leads towards a ball at an embassy-- though one that goes a bit better than S2's disaster of a party.

In S2, Crowley and Aziraphale are kind of a more likable version of Higgins and Pickering as Muriel becomes a bit of an Eliza Doolittle. I think the "cupperty" scene is something of a nod to the scene in which Higgins tries to get Eliza to pronounce "cup of tea" differently in My Fair Lady.

Additionally, later in the season, Muriel wants to try breakfast and gets rebuffed, which is kind of like how Higgins and Pickering don't think to give Eliza some of their afternoon tea. Eliza ends up looking at the tea, which is actually Muriel's preference when they first arrive in S2.

My Fair Lady is about a phonetics professor who places a bet with his friend as to whether or not he can change the speech patterns of a Cockney-accented woman enough to pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball. It's overflowing with linguistics jokes. Eliza agrees to try to undergo this change because she has her own aspiration-- she wants to work in a flower shop.

At the start of the film, she is homeless and selling flowers on the street. She lacks the social refinement necessary to be hired as a shopkeeper-- kind of like how Muriel is on the outside looking in on the Whickber Street shops in S2. Being able to work in a flower shop would give her a new lease on life and when Muriel is in the street on the night of The Meeting Ball, look at the flower market lit up behind them when a kinder and far more likable version of Professor Higgins-- the wordplay-happy Crowley-- approaches:

Unlike Eliza, who wished to sell flowers, Muriel loves books and, at the end of S2, Muriel is the one who winds up running the bookshop... which is a far better ending than Eliza Doolittle gets in My Fair Lady, if you ask me. (She should have gotten a job and married Freddy, dammit. Bonus points to Good Omens as well for recognizing that the real ship in My Fair Lady is Higgins & Pickering.)

Poor Crowley's also kind of a version of Freddy in S2, just with the romance not being with Muriel but the Muriel-paralleling Aziraphale. Madly in love and thrown over at the end for a grumpy old man-- despite being a total dish, a total gentleman, and having the best song in the film. (Not really in the long run but, ya know, kinda lol.) There's even a version of Freddy's gorgeous song by Crowley's favorite, Nat King Cole.

Can you hear a lark in any other part of town? Does enchantment pour out of every door? No, it's just on the street where you live...

[whatsernameinouterspace]

Food Log 18/03/2024

Breakfast: 0 cals

Lunch: 0 cals

Dinner: 0 cals

Water: 2,625ml

Total cals: 0

God I am hungover. Ended up drinking a bottle of Prosecco and five shots of vodka yesterday, and I was really ill overnight- however it worked to my advantage cause I weighed in today at 70.8! I’m so close to the 60s I can (figuratively) taste it! But god am I hungry, someone brought in a full buffet today- doughnuts, tiny cakes, maltesers, fruits, sweets… it was PAINFUL to not eat any of it, I was so desperate for it. But I need to stay focussed, I will hit the 60s by the end of this week.

My boyfriend was going through my Spotify yesterday and found loads of ana playlists and I had to think quick to give a reason for it- I’m hoping he believed me and won’t be suspicious.

[angelsanarchy]

Glass Houses: Jack Thurlow x Y/N Series CH 03 -> CH 04

"I'm not going to have to battle you to the death for my mom's dog right?" "I'm not even wearing pants. You would win."

Tagging: @roryculkinluvr @thatsthewrongwallcraig @icarus-star @cc-luvr @madamemaximoff06 @shady-the-simp

Jack had spent the entire night sleeping with his new little furry friend. He was in fact a very cuddly dog which brought some much needed comfort to Jack, especially in the night. He made sure to send a picture to Shanda in the morning letting her know the dog was in fact still alive and kicking.

The two of them ate breakfast together on the porch, Jack making sure to down his medicines and report in to his daily health check nurse. The pup had taken a liking to falling asleep in Jack's lap and he seemed to take comfort in the companionship. He had to look up the number for the vet since it wasn't something he had stored anywhere around the house.

"Hi this is Jack Thurlow, I was calling to see if anyone has reported a missing Maltese? He was roaming around alone near my house without a collar so I just wanted to see if anyone had called about him yet?" Jack called the vet and was told that no one had reported a missing dog yet but he could bring the dog in for a chip scan. He agreed he would try and find the time to bring him in but left his number if anyone called about the dog.

"Looks like it's going to be me and you for a bit buddy." Jack spent the rest of his day bagging up the rest of his parents room. Most of it was being donated, he kept a few things but he figured the more he held onto, the harder it would be to move on. The room looked so bare now that he had emptied it out. The pup sat on the windowsill while he cleaned, sunbathing and enjoying the breeze. The next room on his list was his dad's art studio. He knew that was going to be emotional so he wanted to hold off on that one.

The attic was just a no go on his list. He had bolted the door back up and refused to even venture into whatever else might be hiding in the shadows. He had survived the first bought of trauma, the last thing he wanted to do was have a redo a year out.

"What you think bud? Enough work for today, time for a walk?" The pup jumped down and followed Jack out of the room making him smile. Having a companion here with him gave him hope that this wouldn't be as hard as he thought it might be. He secretly hoped no one would claim the dog and he could just keep him as his own. These moments that they spent together, walking, snuggling on the couch or sitting on his bedroom floor just reading and listening to his little snores was peaceful. It brought him the contentment he truly desired.

Jack was thrown out of his thoughts as they returned from their walk and his phone was ringing from inside. He ran to pick it up.

"Jack Thurlow." He answered.

"Yes hi Jack, this is the Ridgeway Animal Clinic calling you back." Jack felt a sour pit in his stomach.

"Did you find the owners?" Jack asked disappointingly.

"Possibly. We gave them the address we had on file for you so they can come and see if you have their dog." Jack felt defensive.

"You just gave a stranger my address? That seems like a breach of privacy." He snipped. He listened to the young girl stumble over her words.

"I...I'm so sorry. I didn't realize they were a stranger since they literally live a few houses down." Jack let out a sigh ignoring her apologies as he glanced out of the window.

"I will keep an eye out. Thank you for calling." Before the woman could say anymore, Jack hung up, tossing his phone on the counter and plopping down on the couch. The pup hopped up into his lap and did a spin before settling into Jack's lap.

"Yeah I know bud. I'm gonna miss you too." Jack held onto the pup, petting him and feeling his anxiety ease slightly. He stayed sitting on the floor with him for a while trying to figure out a way to hide the dog or tell the owner that he was mistaken but he knew that was just his panic trying to fill his head with bad shit.

"I think it shows great progress that you've called Jack. The moment those thoughts become intrusive, it's always best not to be alone with them." Dr. Carty had been a really good therapist. Any time Jack needed something, he was always there to talk him through it or address whatever it was that came across his mending brain.

"If you want to get techincally, I'm still very much alone." Jack blanketed his sadness with sarcasm.

"I suggest talking with the owner about possibly being able to take the dog for walks in the future. If you've formed a connection with him then terminating that contact so suddenly might be detrenmental to your healing." Jack thought the idea of asking a random stranger for partial custody of a dog he didn't even know the name of was ridiculous. He doubted he would be able to muster up such an insane thing to ask whenever they came to collect but in comparison to the idea of lying or hiding sounds just as ignorant.

"When will I be ready to get my own dog? People have services dogs for mental health shit all the time. Why do I have to wait?" Jack asked again as if he hadn't already known the answer.

"You've got a six month waiting period before I can recommend you taking on a responsibility like that. Dogs and other animals are great for mental health but you've got to maintain your stability on your own before you want to add something that can be a comfort but also a stressor." Jack rolled his eyes. He knew he shouldn't be annoyed by these rules. He did slaughter his own dog so why should anyone give him an animal.

Jack talked to his therapist for about 2 hours that night. He finally started turing the lights off downstairs to call it a night when someone knocked at the door. Jack froze, checking the clock to see it was 11:30PM. He looked down at the dog and sat him on the couch before approaching the door.

When he opened it, a woman was standing there looking slightly dishievled with a dog collar in her hands.

"Hi! Are you Jack? I'm y/n, I live a few houses down with my Mom. The vet called-" Jack cut her off.

"That was this morning. It's almost midnight." Jack cut through plesantries annoyed that someone had actually shown up.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't get away from the office until 6 and my mother-" Y/n could tell he was tired but being this cold to a stranger seemed a bit odd.

"Do you have any proof that the dog is yours? I mean you can't expect me to just hand him over to some stranger." Jack crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"To be honest, you're the stranger to him." Y/n wasn't going to let some long haired asshat be rude to her after the day she had.

"You know, suddenly I have no recollection of this dog." Jack started to shut the door and Y/n put her hand on it.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so late. I work at a clinic and when I get home, I have to care for my mother who is recovering from a stroke. You have no idea how much I appreciate you taking care of Ace." Y/n was trying to find some common ground but the only thing that calmed Jack was knowing that Ace was the name of the dog he had been hanging out with.

"Ace is better than Bud. Glad he has a proper name." Jack softened. Y/n smiled.

"Thankfully I named him. My mom wanted to name him Petey." Jack cringed.

"The best she could do was Petey? I guess he got lucky then." Jack didn't want to be an asshole. He just wanted to keep Ace a little longer.

"I'm not trying to be a dick or anything but do you maybe have proof he's your dog? A photo or something?" Y/n pulled her phone out of her pocket and pulled open her photos. She showed Jack a picture of her mom laying in bed with Ace sitting in her lap. She looked to be in poor health but the smile she had on her face triggered a memory in Jack's brain.

"Sunflowers...she brought sunflowers over when my parents died." Jack rememebered nothing outside of her stopping by and giving him sunflowers but Y/n's face lit up.

"She does infact grow sunflowers. I think she grows all the house wives favorite flowers to be honest. Did your mom like sunflowers?" She asked curiously. Jack nodded his head slowly getting lost in his own thoughts, trying to remember her name.

"I'm not going to have to battle you to the death for my mom's dog right?" Jack snapped out of it.

"I'm not even wearing pants. You would win." Jack pushed the door open before walking back to the living room and scooping Ace up into his arms.

"He looks a lot like my childhood dog, Rusty. I lost him last year." Jack explained walking back to the door with Ace snuggled in his arms.

"I'm sorry to hear about Rusty." Y/n frowned.

"He seems to really like you. He ususally doesn't like to be held like that by anyone but my mom." Y/n reached out to scratch Ace's head instead of taking him from Jack right away. He appreciated that.

"Alright Ace, party's over. Time to head home." Jack took one more long snuggle before handing him back to Y/n.

"Thank you againg for taking such good care of him. He's really been a huge help with my mom's recovery." Jack snorted at her response.

"Yeah I hear they're pretty good for that sort of thing." Jack watched her put Ace's collar back on and attach a leash.

"Hey...um I know this is weird and I was a total asshole when you knocked but do you think...maybe I could walk him sometimes? He was kind of the best part of my day for the last 24 hours so..." Jack had stepped out onto the deck, forgetting that he was in his boxers and a tshirt.

"Of course. I don't get to walk him as much because of work so I'm sure he would love that. You're welcome to come by any time. We're right down there in the blue house." Y/n pointed to the house and Jack could actually see the garden from where he stood.

"Thank you." Jack felt relief wash over him. He didnt' think he would ask but he was glad he did. Y/n seemed open to the idea of him spending time with Ace so that meant he needed to reel in the sarcatic condesention when he talked to people.

"Have a good night Jack." Y/n smiled at him before leading Ace down the steps into the street. Jack watched them walk for a few paces before going back inside. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and rolled his eyes at his appearance.

"Only I could look homeless in a large family home." Jack turned off the lights and headed upstairs to bed. Not having anything to cuddle up to meant he was back to snuggling with a pillow. Not as cute but for now, he had to hold onto future interactions with Ace and Y/n to get him through.

[amusingmusie]

do you have a music playlist for yours truly by any chance 👀 if not you should totally make one i would eat that shit UP

I do have one!!!! I used to have it posted publicly but sadly it contains A LOT of spoilers so I took it down :( I might bring it back up once I get closer to the end and more big reveals have happened!

If you want songs to jam to for now, here are a few:

Louise by TV Girl

Under the Table by Fiona Apple

Choke by I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Mx. Sinister by I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

I Can't Decide by Scissor Sisters

The Horror of Our Love by Ludo

Love Me Dead by Ludo

I Can't Tell What the Time is Telling Me by And the Kids

Pretty Boy by TV Girl

Posing in Bondage by Japanese Breakfast

Tongues and Teeth by the Crane Wives

Talk to Strangers by TV Girl

The Chain by Fleetwood Mac

You Don't Own Me by Lesley Gore

Everyone Adores You by Matt Maltese

Chateau Lobby #4 by Father John Misty

OKAY THIS WAS A LOT AND I AM DONE

[sheena-is-a-punk-rocker]

Sometimes a family is a girl, her pet rat, a traumatized soldier, and his feral girlfriend

Got a prompt over on AO3 that was basically just Sebastian being Rick's lil buddy and it turned into Rick and Harley accidentally adopting Cleo and Sebastian.

Rick jolts awake at the sound of a soft knock on the front door. He can just make it out over the sound of the torrential downpour that’s going on outside. The knock gets louder. Harley stirs beside him but doesn’t wake.

As a precaution, he grabs her baseball bat from the corner of their room and goes to answer the door. He cracks it open, bat hidden behind the door, and is shocked at what he sees.

Ratcatcher Two is standing out in the hallway, soaked to the bone and shivering. She’s got Sebastian the rat cradled in her hands.

Before he can say anything, Harley comes up and wraps her arms around him from behind. “Who’s at the door, baby?” she asks sleepily.

“Uh… It’s Cleo and Sebastian.”

“Hmm?” It takes a second for her brain to catch up but suddenly she’s wide awake and shoving him aside. “Oh my god! Get inside, hun, you must be freezing!”

Cleo sniffs and tells them, “I had to leave my living situation—it was becoming dangerous. We didn’t know where else to go. Sebastian figured out where you lived a while ago, Colonel Flag, since you saved him from Peacemaker.”

Sebastian waves from his spot in Cleo’s hands and Rick awkwardly waves back. It’s true that they’d saved each other back in Corto Maltese but it still feels weird to be waving at a rat.

He can hear water running and then Harley’s back. “C’mon, sweetie, let’s get ya into the shower so you can warm up. Towels are on top of the toilet and I got dry clothes for ya when ya get out.”

Once Cleo silently slips into the bathroom, she turns to Rick and says, “Baby, I love you but you’re absolutely useless right now.”

“Right, sorry. Lemme get the couch set up for her.”

Harley helps him wrangle a fitted sheet over the couch and stack several blankets and a pillow on top of it. Once that’s done he goes into the kitchen to make some quick breakfast sandwiches—his specialty. He even makes a tiny one for Sebastian.

He brings them out to the living room and he sees Cleo sitting on the couch with Harley. She’s wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms. He can hear her saying, “I had to get out of there. We were fine until it started raining and we couldn’t find anywhere dry to sleep.”

“Well you’re stayin’ here as long as ya need to.”

He sets the sandwiches on the coffee table and Sebastian immediately starts eating his but Cleo looks wary. “C’mon, eat up. You must be starving.”

She reaches for the sandwich and takes a small bite. “Thank you, Colonel Flag.”

“Please call me Rick.”

He goes to the bathroom to clean up the wet towels and hang up Cleo’s soaked clothes, figuring that she doesn’t want an audience while she eats.

Harley’s tucking her into bed on the couch when he gets back, Sebastian fast asleep on the pillow next to her head.

She creeps back over to him, flicking the lamp off and bathing the apartment in darkness. They stand there and watch the pair for a second. She leans against his side and sighs, “Can we keep her?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, we can keep her. C’mon, let’s go to bed, Harls.”

----------------

Cleo awakens slowly from the best sleep she’s ever experienced. It takes her a second to recognize her surroundings but then she remembers last night. She stumbles towards the sound of voices and the smell of bacon.

“Sometimes I wish I had two of ya,” she hears Harley say.

As she walks into the kitchen she vaguely registers the couple wrapped up in each other’s arms as Harley sips from a coffee mug. “Why do you want two Colonel Flags?” she asks sleepily.

Harley promptly spits her coffee all over Colonel Flag, which immediately wakes Cleo up. Had she said something wrong? He’s now blushing furiously, which just confuses her more.

“I’ll tell ya when you’re older,” Harley manages to wheeze out once she’s done coughing.

Oh. Oh! That explains a lot.

Colonel Flag excuses himself so he can change his shirt and Harley busies herself with getting a plate down from the cupboard and loading it up with scrambled eggs and bacon. She sets it on the table and says, “Dig in!”

Colonel Flag comes back with a dry shirt on and says, “Okay, so we’re all just gonna forget the last two minutes and focus on finding Ratcatcher Two here a place to live.”

“Oh. No, that’s okay, Sebastian and I will be okay on the streets again.” It’s really all she’s ever known besides the four walls of a prison cell.

“Fuck that!” Harley says. “Sweetie, we can’t in good conscience just let ya be homeless again.”

“Why?”

“You… you literally told me you got threatened with a knife yesterday, hun.”

“Oh well we’re not gonna go back there obviously.”

She’d been squatting at the old orphanage with a group of homeless teenagers and that had been working out fine for the last month. That is, until things turned violent when one of them got too high and had a bad trip.

She doesn’t argue this time when Harley insists that she needs to be off the streets and that she thinks there’s a few units available in their building.

-------------

Cleo trails behind the couple as they make their way down to the leasing office. Her heart is pounding and she’s trying to keep her breakfast down. She already knows she can’t afford a place in this building—she doesn’t even have a job. She’s been resorting to petty theft to stay afloat but hasn’t tried anything big like a bank robbery again. The last thing she wants is to get thrown in jail again.

The property manager—a balding man in an ill-fitting suit—eyes the three of them as they approach. Cleo hangs back in the corner while Colonel Flag and Harley stand there imposingly.

“So, here’s the deal,” Harley begins. “Our friend Cleo here is lookin’ for a place to live. Got any openings?”

He snorts. “Sure, but I highly doubt she can afford them.”

She can feel her face heating. He’s certainly not wrong. She clutches Sebastian tighter, who squeaks at her soothingly.

“How much?”

“Fifteen hundred.”

“Nah, that ain’t gonna work. Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna rent a place to her for three hundred a month, no more than that.”

“Do you know how much money I’d lose if I did that? I’m already renting to you two assholes practically for free!”

“Ya say that like I’m supposed to give a shit. Listen, we’re the reason you don’t have more supervillains crawlin’ all over this place but if that won’t persuade you, I got a baseball bat with your name on it.”

The property manager pales and manages to stammer out, “Ah, I think I do actually have a unit. But, uh, it won’t be available ‘til next month.”

“Perfect!” Harley chirps. She turns to Cleo and throws her arm around her shoulders. “Looks like you’re stayin’ with us for a couple weeks!”

As they’re leaving the property manager’s office, Harley remarks, “Ya know, I think that License to Kill shirt I got ya for your birthday really helped our case.”

Colonel Flag sighs and says, “Harls, we really need to do laundry.”

“Not it!”

The couple continues to bicker about whose turn it is to do laundry as they make their way back to the apartment.

“I could do it,” Cleo pipes up from behind them. It’s the least she can do to thank them.

They immediately stop arguing and turn to look back at her. In unison, they say, “Abso-fucking-lutely not.”

Harley elaborates, “You’re our guest, hun. We’re not gonna make ya do chores. Especially because it’s his turn to do laundry!”

Colonel Flag pinches the bridge of his nose and says, “Harls, we’ve been over this. I gave you a break last week because you were hungover. It’s your turn!”

“Most of it is your laundry anyway!” Harley whines.

“Because you keep stealing my shirts!”

“… Okay, ya got me there.”

------------------

Cleo wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when she knocked on Colonel Flag’s door. She wasn’t entirely surprised to see him living with Harley Quinn, after their epic love confession in the ruins of Jotunheim. What she was surprised to see was just how domestic the couple’s life had become.

Over the next few weeks she listens to them bicker like an old married couple about some of the stupidest things but she also sees the way Harley comes up behind Colonel Flag for a hug every night while he cooks dinner, and how she’s always making sure he’s taken his meds at bedtime, and the way he carries Harley to the couch when she’s complaining of cramps and just wants to lay on the couch and eat raw cookie dough all day.

He’s even carried Cleo to the couch once when she embarrassingly fell asleep at the breakfast table—she really doesn’t function well early in the morning.

She’d woken up with her head on Harley’s lap and the TV volume on low.

“Mornin’, sweetie! Sleep well?” she’d chirped, just as Colonel Flag was carrying her abandoned breakfast plate over to the coffee table.

Having been homeless or in prison her whole life, she essentially needs a crash course in being a functioning adult in society. She’s never opened up a bank account, learned how to cook, or had a job.

The first order of business is opening up a bank account, which Harley helps her do. Ten thousand dollars magically appear in said bank account the next day and Cleo doesn’t question it. It’ll give her a nest egg to live off of until she figures out the whole job situation—if she even wants one, Harley comments. Being a criminal is a perfectly respectable career, in her opinion. Cleo needs to think on it.

While Harley is dragging her all over Gotham to various stores so she can buy things for her new apartment and clothes and other necessities, Sebastian is having the time of his life with Colonel Flag. It warms her heart to see them interact. Sebastian helps with the cooking and every Friday they watch football together.

“Baby, we’re gonna borrow the d-bag truck. Where’re the keys?”

“Stop calling it that,” Colonel Flag deadpans, without even taking his eyes off the TV. He rummages around in his pocket and tosses the keys over his shoulder, Harley catching them easily.

“Why do you call it a d-bag truck?” Cleo asks as they make their way to the building’s parking garage.

The car they stop in front of is a massive black pickup truck, and suddenly the moniker makes sense.

They come home from furniture shopping three hours later to find the boys sulking.

“Did your sportsball team win?” Harley asks.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Sebastian squeaks indignantly in agreement.

It’s with a mixture of sadness and hope that she receives the keys to her new apartment on the first of the next month. This place has become home for her. She’s never felt safer or more cared for than she has in the last few weeks. She’ll miss watching movies on the couch with Harley and watching Colonel Flag and Sebastian cooking together. She’ll even miss the couple’s constant bickering about who’s responsible for doing laundry (somehow the answer always seems to be neither of them).

The sadness doesn’t last long though. She’s been moved in for two days when the couple shows up on her front doorstep, inviting her over for family dinner, as Harley puts it.

She ends up at their place every Tuesday and Saturday night for dinner going forward.

[sushis-wild-imagination]

New Pet Parents (Mingyu x reader)

Seventeen Masterlist <3

Summary - Your recently adopted dog falls sick. TW: mentions blood and vomit.

"You're up?" Mingyu asks as you sleepily walk over to him sitting on the couch with your newly adopted Maltese dog 'Kong'. You go over and hug his torso, burying the side of your face on his chest and occasionally petting your dog.

"Did you sleep well?" he asks holding you closer.

You nod at that snuggling closer.

It was so white and fluffy. Convincing Mingyu to get a dog was such a task, you had to all your research, from how to care for a dog, and what do to to raise a dog, how to train a dog, everything. He has had a dog before that is now mostly with his mother.

Since you were working from home, you could completely look after the dog all day, that was one of the reasons why he agreed. He was worried about not being able to take care of the dog and put it up for adoption again, it didn't make sense to him, so you made a very informed decision together, over the time of 4 months.

You had adopted Kong 2 weeks ago, he was still getting used to the apartment and neighbourhood. You and Mingyu would walk Kong every night after dinner and that had also become a way you and your boyfriend spent quality time together.

"You didn't brush your teeth did you?" he teases and you become very defensive because you did.

"I did, I did" you say as he playfully gets away from you.

"Kong-ah, do you smell that?" he talks to the dog.

"I'm saying I did" you insist and try to blow on Mingyu's face to prove it to him.

"Get away" he says joking and gets off the couch, heading to the kitchen.

"I BRUSHED!" you yell and jump on his back, he carried you to the kitchen on his back effortlessly, like you were a koala. "Okay okay" he says while Kong follows you and Mingyu into the kitchen.

Kong was a small dog and could see up the counter, but what you realised is the little dog's liking for carrots. He absolutely loved them. If Mingyu was cutting carrots for dinner, even the sound of cutting them, "kch" would summon the little dog, jumping with his full might to get a few pieces.

Mingyu as usual, as every morning is now that Kong was here, his day started with some carrot treats. But this morning, something was different. Kong wasn't jumping, he didn't even pay attention to the carrot. He was just wandering around.

"Kong-ah, its your favourite" you grab a piece of carrot and try to get his attention. He smells it, but nothing.

"Did the kid eat yesterday?" Mingyu asks you.

You've been calling Kong 'kid' since you adopted him. There was this one time you mother was on the phone while Mingyu addressed Kong as kid, your mom was shocked the least to say. You had to really confirm he was talking about a dog and not a kid you and Mingyu had.

You stretch your neck until Kong's food bowl is in your vision. It was still full.

"I don't think he touched it, is it okay for dogs to starve like this?" you ask getting worried.

"Its okay for a couple of meals, I think" he speculates while continuing to make breakfast.

"kiddo's being extremely quiet, I think he's causing trouble" Mingyu says. Every time Kong was quiet, it meant trouble, last time he got into Mingyu's sock drawer which was a little lower, perfect for him. He made chaos. Gyu lost a lot of sock pairs that day. You smile at that memory while you walk around the apartment looking for the troublemaker.

"Kong-ah" you call out while you walk.

You see Kong on the carpet in your bedroom with ground coffee coloured vomit. This can't be good.

"Mingyu yah" you call out in distress, picking Kong up in your arms.

"He threw up blood"

"What?" Mingyu drops his spatula and wiped his hands on his teeshirt before walking to see what had happened.

"I'll clean it up, I'm getting worried I think we should take him to a vet" you suggest and he nods.

You were now in the car holding Kong as close as possible. Did you do something wrong? did you feed him something he wasn't supposed to have? is it your fault Kong was suffering? You couldn't stop thinking about it. These kind of thoughts welled up your eyes. You've always been someone that easily cried. Your emotions always got the best of you. Took you way too long to realise its not a flaw, it's a strength.

"Was it the chicken I gave him? What if it was? I shouldn't have given it to him" you mutter to yourself, loud enough that Mingyu could hear it.

Mingyu stole glances at you and was worried about you as well. His hand rubs your thigh in comfort.

"It's probably nothing y/n, don't worry, dogs have allergic reactions to food when they're adjusting to new environment" he says to reassure you.

You get his logic and it calmed you down to an extent but you were still worried about if it was something you did.

You finally reached the vet and your leg was bouncing up and down out of nervousness. They were running some tests on Kong.

Mingyu holds your hand to calm you down, and you only hold on to it tighter.

"Maybe you were right, maybe I wasn't ready to take care of a dog, gosh, I can barely take care of myself" you say turning to him. Your anxiousness got the best of you.

"There's nothing like that, dogs fall sick too, just like people, you can't keep blaming yourself" he rubs your hands to comfort you.

The doctor walks out with Kong in his arms. Both of you jump at your feet.

"Is he okay?"

"He is, it's acute Gastroenteritis, I've given him a shot of antibiotics, he should be okay, I'll write down some meds as well" the doctor says and you sigh in relief.

The doctor hands you Kong and you cuddle him while Gyu pets his face. "Who is the strongest little dog" Mingyu says in a baby voice.

"I am" you act like a ventriloquist putting both of Kong's hands up.

Mingyu chuckles.

You gather the meds the doctor prescribed and decided to grab some lunch and go to a park to eat.

You needed to relax a bit after the stressful morning you had. You set up on the grass. Kong laid on the grass next to you, getting his vitamin D, he was truly sunbathing. You and Gyu chuckle at that, he looked peaceful.

"Look at him" Mingyu says sounding envious of your dog.

"He has no worry in the world, I want to be that peaceful, Im so envious" he says without his eyes leaving your cute little dog.

"Im glad it wasn't something to serious with Kong, it really freaked me out" Mingyu speaks his mind as the laughter dies down.

"It worried me too, I think I'm gonna read up more on what to do when your dog falls sick" you promise yourself.

You unwrap your lunches.

"Is that good?" you ask Gyu eyeing up his menu while he gobbles his food. The boy ate damn well, it's like watching a mukbang. It made your mouth water.

"You want a bite?" You nod your head vigourously.

He extends the bowl to you but take its away right when you put your chopsticks in.

"YAH! just ONE bite" you ask again, correction, you whine.

"I was kidding" he says giggling. "But you have to pay"

"oh cmon, what kind of boyfriend charges their gir-"

"With kisses" he cuts you off.

You let out a laugh, smiling sheepishly you pull him closer by the nape of his neck to give him a peck. He ends up stealing a lot more pecks than one. You pull back giggling.

"This was payment for your full lunch, gimme it" you joke and he giggles again. You absolutely adored his giggles.

Alls well that ends well.

-----

Idek . dont ask.

[whoslaurapalmer]

@littlestsnicket tagged me in wip tuesday!!

right now my two main wips are the maltese falcon rewrite and another post-canon babybea Thing and both of them are in wildly different stages of planning (maltese falcon has a chart and is like. 50ish% planned? it's slow going but i do in fact make progress on it every day, so i feel good about it. babybea thing is coasting on vibes and i'm going back and forth on if a certain angst piece holds in it, bc it is ideally supposed to be fun but would regardless have to discuss some vfd trauma and the like SO. i look at it and sigh a lot. also mother of mercy mayo i have that wip to write for you about sunny and babybea, too. i will fit that in. sssssssomewhere. i got stalled on some dialogue that didn't even matter to the overall plot but mattered to the specific part of the scene. i will get there, she says, staring in horror off in the distance) ANYWAY i do have some potential lines floating around in all the planning --

maltese falcon rewrite --

detective ghede was not necessarily old enough to be my sister’s mother, however, that was how she acted.

i think this line will get to stay. i really like the thought that gifford and ghede would also, when presented with kit, try and act like a mother to her, too. also maltese falcon rewrite is from kit's pov but with lemony's narration, for Reasons That Will Become Clear During The Course Of The Story. Please Eye Every Single Sentence Of This Fic With Deep, Delicious Concern

babybea Thing --

on the shelf in her little room on the first floor of the bildungsroman bed and breakfast, beatrice kept Her Things. she took them home to the city with her every sunday evening, and brought them back every friday afternoon, and arranged them in order on the cream shelves above the bed, standing on her toes atop a pile of pillows. [ohhhhh yknow yknow, etc] and, last but of course not least, a portable radio she’d bought herself.

The Radio Has A Very Specific Importance And I Cannot Wait To Dig Into It. also i love that it's of course not least. nothing is least to babybea. god i love her so much. also, bildungsroman bed and breakfast my absolute beloved, although i do intend for the baudelaires to feature a lot more heavily in this too bc i do them a minor disservice in making babybea hang out with her uncles all the time. the [yknow yknow, etc] is bc i haven't come up with her other possessions and i did not want it to slow me down in the sentence because it CAN and WILL if i am in a mood that lacks the willpower to go 'figure it out later, girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

[erosmutt]

ᝰ.ᐟ ᴏᴄ ᴀꜱᴋ ɢᴀᴍᴇ : 𝓝𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓻𝓸𝓮

𖦹 ed mention, answers to this post

💭 Nina’s MBTI is ENFJ-T

🚗 Nina cannot drive, as her father will not allow her to learn

✈️ Nina loves traveling, and her favorite country to visit is Greece

🎮 Nina’s favorite hobbies are sketching, organizing, and online shopping

💍 Nina only has her ears pierced, considered getting a hand piercing but decided against it

🖊️ Nina does not have any tattoos

📚 Nina is about to graduate high school

🎻 Nina can play piano, flute, and cello

🩹 Nina has general anxiety, OCD, and anorexia with orthorexic tendencies

🩸 Nina’s blood type is AB+

🎶 Nina enjoys oldies, classical, and k-pop. Her favorite songs from each genre are: Emotions by Brenda Lee, Mazurka by Tchaikovsky, and Pied Piper by BTS

💯 Nina hates lizards, she prefers honey over syrup, she started learning Korean and gave up, then began learning again

💤 Nina is a light sleeper, and she repeatedly wakes up in the middle of the night due to anticipating her father will come in

🔱 Nina can swim, and enjoys doing it when she can

🔺Nina is afraid of weapons, and had never thought of using anything as one

🔶 Nina does not know CPR

🚫 Nina does not smoke, but she does drink on the occasion, when her father allows it. Things she’ll indulge in are: champagne, strawberry wine, and strawberry daquiris

🌈 Nina hasn’t ever explored her sexuality, but has always only been attracted to men. Her pronouns are she/her

🎄 Nina’s favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day, with Christmas as a close second

🐶 Nina doesn’t have any pets of her own, but cares for the stray cats around her neighborhood

🐈 Nina prefers to be alone, but when she’s out and about, she prefers to be with a lot of friends

🐷 Nina’s favorite animal is the ragdoll cat

🐉 Nina’s favorite mythical creature is Echidna

🍃 Nina’s favorite subject is English Lit

🌴 Nina most definitely enjoys gardening, and her favorite plant is the Peace Lily

🍎 Nina was born in Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, but she and her father moved to the United States when she was an infant. She currently lives in the business district of New York

❤️ Nina always keeps her promises, she goes out of her way to help others, and she’s very easy to get along with

🤍 she screws her dad lmao

💔 Nina blindly trusts everyone she meets, she can’t set boundaries, and she’s an airhead

💘 Nina considers her father the person closest to her

🧡 Nina prioritizes everyone before herself

💛 Nina speaks English, French, and is learning Korean, German, and Welsh

💚 Nina prefers to be outside

💙 Nina doesn’t have any special powers, as she’s human!

💜 Nina is 40% French and 10% Swiss (on her father’s side), 10% Maltese, 20% Polish, and 20% Dane (on her mother’s side)

🖤 Nina has never hurt anyone physically before, but has more than likely broken a boy’s heart without knowing by rejecting him

🎂 Nina’s birthday is December 26th. She’s 18 years old. Her sun, moon, and rising signs are: Capricorn, Libra, Libra. Her tarot card is ‘The Tower’, her ruling planet is Saturn, and her ruling number is 8.

🍝 Nina’s favorite food is Salade niçoise

🍰 Nina’s favorite dessert is cheesecake

🍦 Nina’s favorite ice cream flavor is Black Walnut

🍔 Nina is very good at both cooking and baking, but prefers to bake. Her favorite thing to bake is chou à la crème (cream puffs)

🥯 Nina’s usual breakfast is: one tangerine, one carton of soy milk

🥪 Nina’s usual lunch is: ½ cup of non-fat cottage cheese, 1 cup of raspberries

🍛 Nina’s usual dinner is: 4 oz silken tofu, ½ of a steamed yam, peach jam on the side

🍸 Nina’s favorite alcoholic drink is a strawberry daquiri

☕️ Nina prefers coffee, and her go-to order is a hazelnut latte

😊 Nina’s career goal is preschool teacher, but if that doesn’t work out, she would like to be a florist or veterinarian

😖 Nina is an extravert, and is way too trusting of others

🤔 One of Nina’s quirks is the more she talks, the more her words end up slurred. Another is she has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries, and if she doesn’t eat anything else, she’ll eat them - she considers them a ‘clean’ food. Another quirk of hers is she will brush her teeth repeatedly at one time in a specific order and has to do it 5 times before she feels her teeth are clean - this leads to her gums bleeding, and her father has ended up having to brush her teeth for her many mornings and nights to prevent this from happening.

🧐 Nina is very emotional

🤓 Nina is very chatty, loves meeting new people and making friends, and gets comfortable with others quickly

🤩 Nina is a planner, and makes a to-do list every morning. She won’t let herself do anything leisurely before she completes her to-do list

😥 Nina gets overwhelmed easily, which leads to stress, which then leads to her crying

😓 Nina is very open-minded, and she’s curious. Her father has compared her to a kitten due to her always venturing off to investigate things that catch her eye

😞 Nina attracts other people, and has many friends, though she only spends time with them at school

🤒 Nina is very prone to sickness due to her less-than-strong immune system - a side effect of her eating disorders

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 There is only one person in Nina’s immediate family: her father, John. She’s never known her mother, and her father always dismisses her when she inquires about her family on either side.

[mogwai-movie-house]

A Film A Year

Going through an old hard drive today I found this almost-completed list from 2015 in which I'd set myself the task of choosing a single film for each year of the preceding hundred. It was interesting to see in what ways my tastes had changed and just how many more films I'd discovered and fallen in love with in the meantime.

Anyways, I thought I'd finish it off and update it to the present: I very much tried to keep it to just one film per year, but the competition some years was just too high so they've had to share joint first places:

1915 A Night In The Show 1916 The Vagabond 1917 Easy Street 1918 A Dog's Life 1919 Sunnyside 1920 One Week 1921 The Kid 1922 Dr Mabuse, The Gambler 1923 Safety Last / Why Worry? 1924 Sherlock Jr / The Last Laugh 1925 The Gold Rush 1926 The General 1927 Sunrise / Seventh Heaven 1928 The Last Command / Steamboat Jr. / The Man Who Laughs / The Passion of Joan of Arc 1929 The Love Parade / Un Chien Andalou / Lucky Star 1930 All Quiet On The Western Front 1931 City Lights/ The Smiling Lieutenant 1932 Horse Feathers / Love Me Tonight 1933 Duck Soup / The Invisible Man 1934 It Happened One Night 1935 The 39 Steps 1936 My Man Godfrey 1937 Nothing Sacred 1938 Adventures Of Robin Hood / Pygmalion 1939 The Cat And The Canary / The Wizard of Oz / The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1940 His Girl Friday / Pinocchio 1941 Citizen Kane / The Maltese Falcon / Dumbo / Sullivan's Travels 1942 Casablanca 1943 Le Corbeau 1944 Arsenic & Old Lace 1945 Les Enfants du Paradis / And Then There Were None 1946 A Matter of Life and Death 1947 Black Narcissus 1948 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1949 The Third Man / Kind Hearts & Coronets 1950 Sunset Blvd. / La Ronde 1951 A Streetcar Named Desire 1952 Singin' In The Rain / Le Plaisir 1953 Calamity Jane 1954 Hobson's Choice 1955 The Night Of The Hunter /The Ladykillers 1956 The Searchers 1957 The Seventh Seal 1958 Vertigo 1959 North By Northwest / Ballad of A Soldier 1960 Psycho / The Virgin Spring / Two Women 1961 Breakfast At Tiffanys 1962 Le Doulos 1963 The Great Escape / The Birds 1964 Onibaba 1965 For A Few Dollars More 1966 Blow Up 1967 Le Samourai / Cool Hand Luke 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey 1969 Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid 1970 Le Cercle Rouge 1971 Get Carter / Harold & Maude 1972 The Godfather 1973 Don't Look Now 1974 The Godfather Part II / Chinatown 1975 Jaws / The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1976 Network 1977 Star Wars / Annie Hall 1978 Halloween / Superman 1979 Apocalypse Now / Alien / Life Of Brian / Manhattan 1980 Stardust Memories / Raging Bull 1981 Raiders Of The Lost Ark 1982 Blade Runner / The Thing 1983 The Dead Zone / Zelig 1984 Ghostbusters / The Terminator / Blood Simple 1985 Back To The Future 1986 Hannah & Her Sisters / The Fly 1987 Withnail & I / Wings of Desire 1988 Dangerous Liaisons 1989 Crimes & Misdemeanors / Dead Poets Society 1990 Goodfellas 1991 The Silence of The Lambs / Terminator 2 1992 Reservoir Dogs / The Player 1993 Schindler's List / Groundhog Day 1994 Pulp Fiction 1995 Se7en / Casino / The Usual Suspects 1996 Fargo 1997 LA Confidential / Grosse Point Blank / Boogie Nights 1998 The Truman Show / Happiness / Buffalo '66 1999 American Beauty / Magnolia / Being John Malkovich / Fight Club 2000 Memento 2001 Mulholland Drive / The Royal Tennenbaums / The Piano Teacher 2002 Adaptation / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2003 Lost In Translation 2004 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind / The Life Aquatic 2005 Me & You & Everyone We Know 2006 The Prestige / Perfume 2007 No Country For Old Men / There Will Be Blood 2008 The Dark Knight / Let The Right One In / Tropic Thunder 2009 Cold Souls / Up / Zombieland 2010 I Saw The Devil / The Ghost Writer 2011 The Hidden Face 2012 The Avengers 2013 Her 2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel / The Winter Soldier 2015 The Survivalist / The Lobster 2016 Like Crazy 2017 Coco 2018 Deadpool 2 2019 The Irishman 2020 Kajillionaire 2021 The French Dispatch 2022 The Banshees of Inisherin

[royalauggie]

Nude Auggie edition.

[lieblingspulli]

At Least I do: SKZ

w/c: 1.3k

Bang Chan x Reader

Summary: You come home to your boyfriend, happy as can be because you make a personal best and succeed after a presentation! Chan is so proud of you and makes sure to tell you that he is. 

A/N: I’ve been in a Chan mood lately, so here’s a piece I find super comforting. I listened to Everyone Adores You (at least I do) by Matt Maltese while writing this piece-- This is very much an indulgent and comfort piece, Enjoy! 

Masterlist!

SKZ Masterlist

You arrived at your apartment breathless and giddy. It was a hot afternoon, sticky from the humidity, but it didn’t bother you in the slightest. Your final examinations were over with and you were done with the semester! You hummed to your favorite song at the moment as you unlocked the door, ready to be greeted with the soft singing of your boyfriend and the smell of lunch. 

-

Things went well on your last day of the semester. You had one presentation that you had prepared all month for and a final exam. The exam was easy, the presentation– not so much.

Chan knew how much you had worked for a good grade in one of your most demanding classes. He had walked into the apartment, more times than he could count, to the sight of you asleep at your desk or you smashing your head on your keyboard. The amount of times he made dinner for you because you reported a granola bar and an orange as a worthy dinner was insane. He could practically feel the nervousness radiating off of you as you practiced timing your speech in front of him. In fact, Chan had to stop you several times and just remind you to breathe. 

He’d remind you, “Breathe, baby, just breathe. You got this. You know what you’re talking about. Trust that you are the most knowledgeable one on your speech. Just Breathe.” 

You found this a bit ridiculous coming from him, seeing as he consistently performed for hundreds, if not thousands of people every couple of weeks. But you tried, nonetheless. 

Chan could feel the stress spreading to him as you typed up your concluding statements at 4 a.m, on a Monday. He could feel it from the warmth of his bed, where even he had reached the bed before you. Every time you had extra changes and revisions to make, he’d have to remind you that you couldn’t type while eating dinner with him. Just the thought of this presentation was as stressful for him as it was for you. 

He tried everything to make you comfortable that morning. Luckily, Chan had gotten permission for a day off from schedules, just so he could sit in anticipation while you got up there and presented your butt off in that conference room. He made your favorite morning smoothie (no caffeine on presentation days! Chan believes it makes your nerves worse), played your favorite hype playlist while belting the songs out in the shower with you, gave you a firm shoulder massage as you ate a hearty breakfast filled with protein and whole grains for improved brain function, and even had all your presentation materials ready for you at the door. Seeing you off was the least he could do. Chan quickly went to work preparing for your return after sending you off with multiple good luck kisses and a very strong hug. 

As soon as the door clicked closed, he ran to grab his hat and keys. The agenda for the two hours you were gone would be to pick up your favorite lunch, buy some snacks to fit in the partially done congratulatory basket he had started, and pick up the azaleas he had ordered ahead of time for your return. Preparing everything made him giddy, Chan just wanted to know that this assignment would go well, great even. Chan sighed as he drove back home with all the care package items in tow. 

This presentation was the culmination of a semester’s worth of hard work, tears and a heavy workload for you. Just remembering the amount of nights you had gone sleepless made you feel stressed.

But all of that was behind you now. 

At the end of your speech, the board of evaluators had given you their feedback immediately.  

“Your speech was great! Well thought out, well researched, and well defended. Great Job.” 

“Topic was well written and the speech well spoken. I’m looking forward to your future projects.” 

“Fantastic speech, engaging and well backed up. Well deserved full marks!”

“Couldn’t have done it any better. Good job.” 

Agh, to defend your thesis with great feedback? It was the best feeling in the world. You practiced so hard, and put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the making of your speech and paper. It was like a weight was lifted off your shoulders. You almost ran all the way home from the excitement. 

As you opened the door, you were met with the view of Chan waiting for you, waiting for the results of such an important day. Tears pricked at your eyes as you realized he had waited for you, and even bought flowers, knowing you had one of the most important days of your life today. 

You smiled at him and immediately put your hands in the air, to which he immediately gave you the cheekiest grin ever. With a squeal and a plop of your bag on the floor you ran to Chan and jumped in his arms. He grunted and picked you up happily.  

“I did it Chan! Oh my gosh.” You cried into his neck. He spun you around and laughed with you. 

“I’m so proud of you baby! I knew you could do it.” He said, putting you down and kissing your head.  “All that hard work paid off didn’t it?” Chan flashed a cheeky grin at you and your eyes teared up. You nodded and sniffed. 

“Hey now, no need for tears,” Chan gently cooed. “This is a happy occasion! Let’s celebrate! I’m so proud of you honey bun.” You laughed and leaned your head against his. You were so grateful that you had Chan to support you as you worked tirelessly for this. He was always there to make sure you were fed, well rested, cared for, and loved. When you didn’t feel like you were good enough, he was there to pick you up, dust you off, and set you on your way again. You giggled at the thought of the amount of times Chan would literally pick you up from your desk chair and place you on your guys’ bed to sleep. 

Chan pushed a sliver of hair out of your face and you cupped his hand with yours on your face. 

“Thank you baby. I really couldn’t have survived if I didn’t have you with me right by my side.” 

He gave you a sparkly gaze and nodded in response. “It’s my job honey. No need to thank me.” 

You scoffed. 

“No chan, really! How many times did you remind me to set my alarm? Or remind me to hydrate? Huh?” He blushed in response. 

“Chan, I’m pretty sure you kept me from starving, not even gonna lie.” You giggled and his ears got redder. He playfully scrunched his nose and wrapped his arms around your waist. You hugged his neck and kissed his cheek. 

“I think your name should be on that degree certificate right next to mine. I can picture it already: ‘Honorary contributor, Christopher Bahng.” 

“Oh stop, I was just there for you.” He giggled with you.  

“That’s exactly my point! You were there for me. I love you so much Christoper Bahng.”

“Oh my gosh, the government name.” He stuck his tongue out and you smiled even wider, if that was possible. His fingers gently rubbed your lower back and you sighed. All you wanted was this. This support, for the rest of your life. This comfort, this home. You could survive off of Chan’s love forever and still be more than happy. You hugged Chan closely. 

“I’m so proud of you, love. Now everyone will know you’re a genius and love your work,” he paused. “At least I do.” Chan whispered in your hair and squeezed you twice. His appreciation meant more for you than he would ever know. “Thank you baby. Let’s celebrate now!” You pulled away and searched his eyes. 

“Champagne?” 

“Champagne.” You nodded at his suggestion and he squealed like you had earlier. You knew he loved his occasional celebratory champagne, even if he wasn’t one to drink. He pulled away and ran to the kitchen while you laughed, truly appreciating his constant support and love.

[whatsernameinouterspace]

Food Log 06/02/2024

Breakfast:

Nothing- 0 cals

Lunch:

Nothing- 0 cals

Dinner:

Tomato and Bacon Pasta- 597 cals

Black coffee with vanilla- 34 cals

Half a biscotti biscuit- 80 cals(?)

Water: 3,225ml

Total cals: 711 cals

Feeling okay about today. We’re under 800 (aside from coffee and a biscuit my partner forced me to have, but I need it for the lax effect) and lots of water which is a win. I’m starting to slow and retain my weight now- haven’t 💩 in a few days and I am BLOATED to the point it hurts so I’m back on the lax again and hoping it’ll all just flush out again. I continue to maintain an average of 600 cals and I’m still avoiding temptation of sweets and chocolate despite having a HORRIBLE day at work so, small wins.

P.s. it’s torture watching my boyfriend eat my maltesers in front of me (I literally told him to but I so desperately want to grab one argh)

[lesbianwillbond]

i don’t think i really ate food today. i had two pieces of toast for breakfast and when i got home i think i had a handful of maltesers. um.

[notexactlyrocketscience]

Alright y'all, let's do this.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)

(no major spoilers!)

If you missed my long hate-rant about the book, here you are.

Jenny Han is a great contemporary author, I just feel like the book focused on the wrong (and often problematic) themes, and therefore didn't age well. Naturally, I was excited about the 2022 Amazon Prime adaptation for that reason—I binged it in one go, and I wasn’t disappointed!

What I disliked:

🥀 There's nothing particularly special or distinctly high-budget about the show (perhaps other than the marketing)—It definitely has that same old teen drama ambience with a generic original background music score, and sometimes doesn’t linger long enough on important scenes. The flashbacks are kinda eh because the characters just look like adults dressed like kids, so I'm glad they kept those to a minimum. (Some book fans were disappointed but tbh most of the flashbacks in the book were just depictions of Belly being bullied by the boys and then idolizing them for the bare minimum.)

🥀 Love triangles involving siblings are just icky, okay? I was hoping they'd tone it down a little in the show, maybe limit it to just a confession scene, some chaste and awkward dating, and then a heartbreaking rejection for the second lead, but ohhhhh no. ಠ_ಠ

🥀 Y'all ... it should be ILLEGAL for teen shows to depict PARENTS having sex or steamy makeouts. Look, I fully respect that all parents are individuals with their own lives, sexuality, et cetera outside of their roles as parents, but even for me as a grown adult it’s uncomfortable and traumatizing to watch, okay? WHY is it necessary??

🥀 It's looking like they're going to bring out further seasons, but man I hate the icky trash-drama plots of the sequels. I hope they heavily diverge from that, but really I wish they'd neatly wrapped up in one season while they were still ahead.

Okay, onto things I liked 💫:

🌻 THE CASTING?? The books made it seem like everyone was white, but the show is sooo inclusive! They made Laurel, Steven and Belly Korean-American just like Han, which I appreciated so much. ❣️ They're all amazing actors, perfect for each role and really brought the characters to life.

🌻 There's so much more content about the parents! (Aside from the unnecessary makeout/sex scenes) Laurel is an author (!! like Han!) and Susannah is an artist. The dads are around, too, and we get to learn so much about all the adults' dynamic!

🌻 BISEXUAL JEREMIAH! BISEXUAL JEREMIAH, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! This was so perfect for his golden retriever-like character, like a missing puzzle piece. 💖💜💙 There's also a side-character sapphic couple, and a bi middle-aged man main character. The queer inclusion is perfect and never feels artificial.

🌻 THE MUSIC SELECTION?! Sooo high-budget and inclusive of POC and queer artists: Lots of Taylor Swift, plus Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Baby Queen, HAIM, Japanese Breakfast, Phoebe Bridgers, BLACKPINK, Bon Iver, Matt Maltese, Doja Cat, Hayley Kyoko, Tame Impala, and so many others. Amazon Prime does such a phenomenal job of matching specific lyrics and vibes to a scene, but again sometimes the fade-in/-out is abrupt, probably because of screentime limits.

🌻 THE BOYS AREN’T ASSHOLES!! Applauds wildly Steven is sometimes bossy, insecure and mean, but he's quick to see sense and apologise. Jeremiah is only reasonably protective and rarely immature; for the most part he's so, so selfless and adoring. The show does a MILES better job in portraying Conrad NOT as a selfish asshole, but as a usually gentle and attentive person who is very bothered (for GOOD reasons) and not himself this summer. He doesn't have the headspace to indulge in serious romantic pursuits, but his emotions often get the better of him and he acts impulsively, letting people down. He eventually realises his wrongdoings and always makes proper amends. Cam is the gentleman he always is, and the other boys respect that—any jibes they initially make at him are significantly more light-hearted. Toxic masculinity is NOT romanticised like it is in the book.

🌻 Belly is the exact character I wanted in the books. She knows what she wants—personal growth and respect from others. AND she stands up for herself several times. She is not a pick-me girl and calls out bullshit. Most of all, she doesn't mistreat Cam.

🌻 Women in general are portrayed better. There are many complex teen girls in the series, all with their own individual backgrounds. Taylor and Belly have their fights but then they talk things out like real friends. It's really refreshing and more accurate to real life.

🌻 New scenes were added with all the important conversations and communication between the characters that never happened in the book. It made the series so much more comforting and wholesome, and didn't leave me with that uneasy feeling.

🌻 The new plotline additions were highly appreciated! They're nothing ultra-original, but they subtly enriched the narrative and removed the overly serious focus on the romance that the book had.

🌻 The theme (or at least, one of the major themes) was the correct one!—That all teen girls (and anyone!) deserve to feel both pretty and independant whenever they want to, regardless of what they look like, what they're wearing, where they are. This does not make them less worthy of respect, and is not an excuse to infantilise or dismiss them. A true coming-of-age.

🌻 The summery beach setting really is soothing and lovely. 🌅

🌻 This time, I totally shipped Belly with whoever the show was going for. The sparks were there, and it felt warm and bright. It just worked and made sense, every time. They definitely did that part right. ✨

That's all from me, folks! It's not a must-watch show by any means, but definitely more worth your time than the book, especially since Jenny Han was involved in the writing process. 🌸 Have fun!

[nirvanaxrhodes]

"Said, I'd get sick of you, I kinda always wanted to" Let me die this little death

whoa! nirvana rhodes just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for three years, working as a/an occult researcher/therapist. that can’t be easy, especially at only 31 years old. some people say they can be a little bit intangible and sarcastic, but I know them to be adroit and dauntless. whatever. I guess I’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to the bronx ! 

►GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Nirvana Christine Rhodes NICKNAME(S): Vana, Ana, Rhodes LABEL: The Mystic AGE: 31 DATE OF BIRTH: October 30, 1992 ZODIAC: Scorpio Sun, Capricorn Rising, Leo Moon GENDER & PRONOUNS: Female; She/Her HERITAGE: English, Maltese SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): English OCCUPATION: Occult Researcher/Therapist SEXUALITY & ROMANCE: Bisexual; Biromantic

► APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Samara Weaving HEIGHT: 5'5" WEIGHT: 114 lbs. DOMINANT HAND: Right HAIR COLOR: Blonde (dyed from dark brown) EYE COLOR: Blue SCARS: None notable. TATTOOS: Black cat (right wrist), 'made of stardust' written in script (back of neck)

►PERSONALITY

POSITIVE TRAITS: Adroit, Dauntless, Beguiling, Open-Minded, Ambitious, Prophetic. NEGATIVE TRAITS: Sarcastic, Intangible, Arrogant, Sycophantic, Self-Sabotaging. LIKES: Stargazing, burning candles/incense, thunder storms, music on vinyl, horror movie marathons, deep conversations with strangers, solving a problem before everyone else, eureka moments, curling up with a book, conducting tarot card readings, making intention jars/journaling, baking. DISLIKES: Dogeared book pages, when people wave you off in the middle of passion-dumping, when people ask for advice but don't take it then complain.

►MENTALITY

PHOBIAS: None. DISORDERS: Not diagnosed. ALLERGIES: Seasonal (Pollen), Mold

►BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Sydney, AUS CURRENT RESIDENCE: Bronx, NYC, NY EDUCATION LEVEL: MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; is in a PhD program with an independent specialization/research in Parapsychology at NYU FAMILIAL CONNECTIONS: - Shayna Rhodes - 55, Mother, Not In Contact - Alexander Rhodes - 51, Father, Not In Contact

►FAVORITES

FOOD: Lavender shortbread cookies DRINK: English Breakfast Tea MOVIE: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Practical Magic, Scream TV SHOW: Bridgerton, Criminal Minds, Rick & Morty BAND/ARTIST: The Killers, Lana Del Rey, Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac SONG: Fall Out of Love - Salem

► EXTRA INFORMATION

JUNG TYPE: INTP ENNEAGRAM: The Troubleshooter (5w6) TEMPERAMENT: Melancholic MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral SIN: Ego VIRTUE: Wisdom ELEMENT: Air CHARACTER PLAYLIST

Well, there's a black hole inside of me, apathetic vacancy Even just a touch is war

► BIOGRAPHY

TW; Religion mention

Nirvana was born with a gift to appreciate the unusual. At least, that's how her aunt would explain her all-black attire and obscurely-colored hair phase at family events. She was always a square peg in a round hole. This was something she grew used to and actually favored her individuality. There was a part of her that pitied the other girls who attempted to fit in when she grew up being shamelessly herself. Though she was labeled as an outcast, she still had something about her that drew people in. She had a great group of friends, and her fair share of experimental relationships. In short: she didn't miss anything, but she wouldn't have cared if she did. Her aunt was the one who taught her about spirituality after Nirvana had a paranormal experience at the age of 5. Whilst being in a Catholic household, Nirvana and her aunt would often sneak in order to practice their own eclectic belief. Magic, tarot cards, seances, you name it - Nirvana has dabbled in it. What no one was expecting was for her to make a career move out of it. It started in high school, she helped assist her teacher in their paranormal investigation group. It was through this teacher that she learned about anomalies and the role of the paranormal in anthropology. Her job as an investigator was just the groundwork for her BA in Anthropology with a specialization in Women and Minority Studies where she learned more about the occult across various religions and cultures as well as witchcraft and the impact and power women have within interaction, at the University of Exeter. She then went on to gain a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Stockon University in NJ. Currently, Nirvana is working on her PhD at NYU with an individualized specialization/research concentration in Parapsychology. At this point in her career, she can be seen as an expert in the occult. She actually works to help victims/survivors of cults, is still a researcher for a paranormal investigation team, and is also hosts a podcast about horror movies, the paranormal and the occult.

► PERSONALITY (DEEP DIVE)

Nirvana is one of those people who can attract and attract and attract, but still feel alone underneath the surface. She loves knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge; If she could be a student her whole life, she would. This combination of coming across as approachable but also seeming highly intelligent, is very intimidating to most. Though, if one were to sit and speak with Nirvana, they would see she has a heart big enough to match her mind and is just an obscure nerd in her own right. She can be sarcastic and condescending if someone asks a question she deems as 'stupid'. She's known to bully as her type of flirting. She's actually not online, and prefers it that way. She's clever and witty and goes on passion-dump sprees pretty often about a new book she's reading, or about her research or podcast. She loves people who have a sense of humor. Nirvana is more introverted than extroverted and also has a busy schedule, so it may be hard to reach her at times and she's well aware of this. If she values someone, she makes sure she sets time aside for them. She's really a big mushy nerd guys, but she has so many phases and you never know what you're gonna get when you meet her. She's moon-coded, okay?