#me and my brothers were OBSESSED with it back in like. 2015 or so. but i was never actually in fandom

[love-little-lotte]

A Look Into My New Guilty Pleasure: Poldark (2015 Series)

My biggest weakness is period dramas — especially period dramas with a talented cast, sweeping romance, terrific scenes (preferably set in some kind of country/provincial side), and lots and lots and lots of just sitting around and talking.

That's probably why Poldark has captured my heart. As a big fan of Outlander, it's no surprise that I fell in love with this show. Outlander and Poldark have so many similarities that I may make a lengthy post about it, but for today, let me just rant about my new guilty pleasure. I'm so obsessed with this show that I actually finished watching the entire five seasons in one week!

Poldark is based on Winston Graham's novels and adapted by Debbie Horsfield. I was so excited to start this show, with a male protagonist originally written by a man, created and written for a series by a woman. I haven't read Graham's novels (I'm going to one of these days, I swear!), so I'm not sure how well Debbie's adaption worked. I've read many Reddit threads, though, and some fans of the novel are not that impressed with how she omitted and added details to the show (will get back to this once I've read the books or at least the seven ones that were used in the show). The show has also been adapted in the 70s, so this was not the first time Graham's novels were seen onscreen!

Despite not having read the books, I fell in love with the story, the characters, and the cast! The show follows Ross Poldark returning to Cornwall after fighting in the American War in the 1780s. He looks forward to marrying his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth but, believing him to be dead, is now engaged to his cousin Francis. He then tries to resurrect his family's mining business and hires a young girl Demelza to be his kitchen maid (whom he eventually marries) while also crossing paths with the villain George Warleggan, a corrupted banker who stops at nothing to ruin Ross's prospects and personal life. As the show progresses, we also meet other characters, including Prudie and Jud, Ross's servants, Verity, Ross's cousin and Francis's sister; Ross's friend Dr. Dwight Enys and his love interest Caroline Penvenen; Sam and Drake Carne, Demelza's brothers, and Morwenna Chynoweth, Drake's love interest.

Yes, this show has a large ensemble cast, and trust me, there always comes a point when you hate or love them. Especially our protagonist Ross Poldark. Ross... is an interesting character. He's terribly, terribly flawed and many times times, I'm so infuriated with him to the point that I want him to suffer. I swear, you cannot go through this series without screaming at Ross. (When that moment came up in Season 2, I swear I had my middle finger ready every time Ross showed up on my screen from then on.)

But my favorite character in the show is Demelza, Ross's wife who started as his kitchen maid. She's the heart of the show, the voice of reason, and even though she makes questionable decisions along the way, you can't help but get on her side no matter what. She's the perfect fiery yet gentle match to Ross's stubbornness. He treats her like shit many times in this show, which makes me angry to no end, but they eventually grow to be understanding, loving partners.

And it also helps that Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson have one of the best romantic chemistries I've ever seen. They're terrific actors as well and they bring the characters to life so effortlessly. They just seem like they have the best time shooting this show. I kind of want to rewatch Loving Vincent now just because they're in that movie, even just in supporting roles.

Poldark is a roller coaster, with so many ups and downs (mostly downs, to be honest, please give Demelza a break!) My favorite season has got to be Season 1. Season 1 had the best Ross and I loved the early stages of his relationship with Demelza. It also has my favorite episode: Season 1, Episode 8. That episode broke me so much, thanks to Aidan and Eleanor's perfect performances. It's the only time I ever cried watching this show. I usually cry in period dramas (I've cried countless times in Outlander and Downton Abbey), but for some reason, I only cried once in Poldark. Most of the time, I'm annoyed and infuriated (hahaha but I still love it!)

The romance in Poldark is also quite unique, something I haven't seen before. Ross and Demelza emotionally hurt each other many times in this show, and they don't have the best communication. It's not an ideal marriage, but that's what makes it so raw and real. It hurts when Ross sleeps with his first love Elizabeth or when Demelza falls for the much-sensitive Hugh Armitage, but these are challenges people face all the time, and it's interesting to view it in characters and circumstances through 18th-century lenses. Plus, it can be very tiring to see perfect couples onscreen all the time. So watching Ross and Demelza's relationship thrive, suffer, and reconcile is very refreshing to me.

Nevertheless, Ross and Demelza are still able to work together. Seasons 2 and 3 showcase the worst moments of their marriage, from infidelities to insecurity, but the love between them still perseveres and they learn to forgive. In the end, they realize that they belong together.

And despite the unconventional marriage, Poldark is not a stranger to grand romantic gestures. Two of my favorite Ross and Demelza moments occur in Season 2:

A real funny, old-married-couple type of bicker in The Beach Scene:

And of course, showing all intimacy in The Stocking Scene:

(Let's just not talk about what happened 2 episodes after this!)

The romance in Poldark not only ends with Ross and Demelza. We also got two really good couples in the series: Dwight and Caroline and Drake and Morwenna.

And these love stories don't just happen! They're fleshed-out characters with proper backgrounds and their own problems, especially Drake and Morwenna's relationship. Morwenna is one of my favorite characters, and she doesn't deserve all the shit thrown at her. The last season of Poldark is not the best (bordering on bad, actually, especially the last two episodes), but watching Drake and Morwenna get their happy ending is worth it.

Finishing all five seasons is bittersweet. I enjoyed most of the story and fell in love with different characters. I kind of regret watching everything in one week haha. But what can I say? As soon as I finish each episode, I'm so tempted to start another episode. I think the last time I stayed up until 5 AM the next morning to watch TV shows was Yellowjackets. Poldark's just too good to binge! It's one of my favorite TV shows now. Maybe I'll watch Sanditon next...

I want to write more about Poldark soon, maybe a comparison with Outlander or maybe just a post about each character. I realized I hadn't talked much about Elizabeth, Francis, and George in this post; I was too preoccupied with the love story aspects and Ross and Demelza. We'll see!

[worfs-glorious-hair]

Pt. 2 Children of the kindly west (Kíli x Reader) — A tale of two dwarven hearts

Welcome back! <3 This is a translation, more of a re-write, of a fanfiction I wrote first in German during 2013 - 2015 when the Hobbit movies premiered and I was just as obsessed and enamored by that adorable prince like everyone else. And reading the Silmarillion for the first time this year in February brought me back to middle-earth and reminded me of my love of dwarves. And this brings me here today. Enjoy! If you feel like I've missed any warnings please don't hesitate to tell me! Cross-posted on AO3 here. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Warnings: Some thirst, mentions of a nice cleavage

Old Acquaintances (Ered Luin)

Your mother continued to yell your name, this time louder and even more impatiently than before.

You sighed and closed your book with a loud thump, louder than it was necessary.

Anger and irritation boiled up in you as you made your way down to the kitchen, it had just been the most comfortable and wonderfully cosy afternoon you had had in some time.

The soft falling snow on your window, your crackling fire and your favourite story…

A story of an enchanted princess who was turning into a green swamp monster after sundown and found true love and her true form when she was saved by another swamp monster from an awful arranged marriage…

But anyways, the adventures of the princess and her green true love had to wait for now, you had reached the kitchen and your mother already greeted you with a big straw basket, a pouch with money and a shopping list.

„Ah, here you are — could you please go to the market, I forgot a few things when I was out yesterday…“

Looking sullen out into the whirling snow you sighed once again heavily and glared at your mother.

„Do I have to?“

Your mother looked at you with a stern look, completely unimpressed by your glare and nodded.

„Oh yes, you have to!“

„Why? Why is it so urgent? We have plenty of food in the house, we will not starve until tomorrow…“

„Listen, Dís will come now any minute — she currently has a lot troubling her mind, troubles that are not supposed to get to your nosy ears, so I will kill two birds with one stone by sending you out of the house. We will get our needed foods and tools and you will be gone!“

Your mother smiled at you with her perfect smile that said that you are absolutely unable to find any mistake in her logic and you dropped your shoulders while breathing out.

„I see…“, huffing you took the basket from her and turned to put on your thick coat with the dark blue hood and your fur stuffed boots.

At the same time you were ushered out of the house by your mother was Kíli, Thorin Oakenshield’s nephews, storming out of his house, and he was fuming with anger.

The reason for his anger was a woman, a woman for ‚good times’ with whom his dear brother Fíli spent not only more time with than with him but who also mocked him, Kíli, for everything he does and is.

His spare beard, his lean body and the mere fact that he is not the first-born prince.

And whenever that woman was with Fíli she giggled like she was possessed by some old evil spirit, she pushed up her bosom into Fíli’s face and this was really something he did not want to see or hear. Because his dear brother was turning into a stammering, blushing caricature of himself when he was near this woman, which could have been hilarious if Kíli would not have been feeling so embarrassed and hurt.

So he had left in a hurry,  he had just wanted to flee from the house and the giggling woman and his brother or better the person his brother was, when she was with him.

He stamped through the roads, kicking the occasional stone or snow pile and he slowly calmed down, the frosty air cooling down his heated mind slowly and when he came back to his senses he found himself on the market and on a direct collision course towards another person.

There was no time to revert or turn, the other person was already too close and so they both walked right into each other.

„Oh I am so utterly sorry, I should have watched my steps…“, Kíli apologized immediately and also the other person mumbled her sincere apologies.

„I am so sorry, I was lost in my thoughts, are you alright?“

„Yes, yes“, Kíli patted down his coat, „I am alright. Are you hurt?“

„Me?“, the other person asked and looked up, for the first time and her answer subsided, when she saw his face.

„No, I am not… hurt…“, her eyes grew huge in surprise and she smiled happily.

„Kíli?“

He had not recognized her before, her face was partly hidden by her hood but now, as she pushed it back, was it clear as day!

He exclaimed your name just as excitedly as you had called him and you nodded and smiled even wider.

„Yes, it’s me. By Durin it is so good to see you again. How long has it been? Ten years? Twenty?“, you smoothed down your coat and dress and looked at him.

He smiled loosely and his eyes sparkled, even though there was no sunlight around, they shone bright from the inside out.

„Oh at least twenty“, he answered cheerily and grinned.

„That’s highly likely. What are you doing here? Also getting foods and supplies?“, you asked.

Kíli grimaced slightly.

„No, not really. I just had to get out of the house. Fíli has a lover“, he spat the word out as if it was something unpleasant, „and she mocks me and she annoys me and she is just overall very awful and I do not want to be near her!“

„That really does not sound like a pleasant person to be around. Do you want to come with me instead? I am sure that I am the more pleasurable company.

Mother sent me to get more food, she is probably afraid that we might starve to death within the next 24 hours with a nearly completely stocked pantry…“

You had grinned at him with your invitation and had then rolled your eyes when you told him about your mother’s foul attack on you.

„I would love to come with you, m’lady“, you both laughed at the fake poshness in his voice and he offered his arm to you, which you took.

And you laughed and talked about people you both knew, you remembered the games you played out of necessity while the adults talked when you were mere children and could not choose who to spend time with and most importantly you remembered the discussions on how to find a game that everyone wanted to play.

Your mother Ligunde and Kíli’s mother Dís were the best of friends and your family was generally close to Thorin’s family so as children you had to spent time with each other, when you were still too young to be on your own.

But as you all grew older you did not need to be with your parents all the time, so you saw the sons of Dís less and less. 

Only on special occasions. And there you had kept your distance, why should you spend time with the boys who had both became so tall and scrawny and oddly shaped in the face, rough edges on their chins and cheekbones and who started to grow out patchy beards as they grew older. And they also were not interested in playing fun games anymore, so no, spending time with either of the princes has not been on your list of preferred activities in the past years.

But catching up after all this time felt easy and natural and you could not remember the last time that you had laughed so much while buying food and supplies on the market.

Kíli was kind enough to carry the basket and while you would have carried it easily yourself, you were not denying his offer.

Especially not if it would mean that you could spend more time with him.

Why had you never realised how lovely his cheerful and lively laughter was?

Had his eyes always had this sparkle in them? Even without sunlight?

„Do you want to come in?“, you asked when you were back to your house.

„Certainly“, he grinned and you opened the door and let him inside.

You went to the kitchen and began putting away your freshly bought goods and wondered if you should make some mulled wine as you heard your mother’s cheerful voice in the kitchen behind you.

„Kíli! It is wonderful to see you again, when have we met the last time?“, she asked him.

„It was roughly 20 years ago, it was at Uncle Thorin’s big birthday party…“, Kíli answered with a toothy grin and your mother nodded.

„Seems about right“, she muttered to herself and turned then to you.

„Where have you two met today?“

„On the market. We got to talking and he was so nice to keep me company, while I was completing your shopping list.“

Later, the afternoon had turned into a frosty evening, you sat together with your mother, Dís, your younger sister Syniver and Kíli at the table, playing card games and drinking mulled wine and eating some fresh bread and cheese and some smoked meat.

It was currently Kíli’s turn to play and you took the chance of getting a close look at him.

Of course only to see if there were any tells on his next move in the game.

He furrowed his brows in concentration and took a long look at his cards in his hands and you noticed his fingers and hands, strong and thick with clean, short cut finger nails.

You also noticed how the fire painted golden highlights into his full auburn hair, that was splayed all over his back and on his forehead in shorter strands, how it also illuminated his creamy looking skin and his beautifully curved lips…

You saw the high arch of his eyebrow and a stray hair there that you wanted to smooth back into line.

But you kept your hands by yourself and fought your gaze back to your cards.

Has he always been that pretty?  Always been that beautiful?

Probably not.

You had been barely 41 and he had been 48 years old, when you had last seen each other,   an awful age to consider someone to be beautiful when you had known them for your whole life at this point. 

But now, as time has passed, and you both have grown, matured you could even say, you saw him with new eyes. 

He had sensed your burning eyes on his side, so he turned to you and grinned smugly at you and you shrugged, while batting your eyes as innocently at him as possible and then turning back to your cards as if nothing had happened.

You were surprised how easily you could flirt with him, despite your excitedly way too fast beating heart, it gave you confidence to see his reaction as he rolled his eyes slightly and played his cards in a way that would give you a problem later and his shit eating grin only grew wider as you huffed and declared war on him and his cards.

You did not know it but Kíli had watched you from the side as well, some time later in the evening, while you were dealing the cards for a new round. You were reaching over the table and he saw how your body moved in your dress and he may have lingered on your full cleavage a little longer than he should have and he thought to himself that your bosom was most definitely more beautiful than the one of that woman. And he would not mind to be near it.

The fire casted an intense golden hue over your beautiful full face and lips and long braided curls and neatly brushed and braided sideburns and beard and when you laughed with him or rolled your eyes playfully at him was he sure that you were Mahal’s masterpiece.

And the way you had offered him to come with you on the market, you were kind and funny and how could he had ever thought that girls are stupid? You were definitely not stupid, on the contrary. Your were clever and mindful and you shone like the sun, like the rarest gem ever unearthed.

[angelmichelangelo]

I read your answer about 07 Mikey and it also kinda gives the vibes of Bayverse Mikey, specifically the version of him from the second movie. His main thing is that he wants to be out in the world and meeting new people, and he actually cries when the police turn on them and call them monsters. Im genuinely so obsessed with that scene.

I'm kinda new to the fandom and as I understand the bayverse movies are so-so in most people's opinion. But those were my initial entry point into the franchise back in like 2015/2017, so they do hold a special place in my experience.

For the actual ask: thoughts on Bayverse Mikey?

OHH OHHHH BAYVERSE MIKEY!! i do actually very much like those movies. like yourself, a big part of it is just nostalgia because i got into tmnt like as they were coming out but. they aren’t like the WORST movies ever. they have their flaws and there’s definitely a lot of things i do not like about them but.. im one of the few that will hype this movie up so. thank you for enabling me.

off the bat i wanna say everything about bayverse mikey is special to me. completely ignoring and erasing the whole. awkward weird april crush he had going on. bayverse mikey is actually so enjoyable. he’s funny he’s just Typical little brother but oh my god is he so sad :( again he’s just the perfect culmination of that whole “sociable extrovert forced to be introvert” type that most of his iterations are but this one.. this version just hits different.

one of my favourite plot points ever is that when it’s revealed that there is a very real chance that they could become human and live normal lives, the first thing leo does upon discovering this is make it VERY clear that mikey is not to find out. of course, it takes all but 10 seconds for him to find out because raph has overhears and gets SUPER offended on his brothers behalf (again. something they do SO WELL is the mikey and raph duo in this movie vs leo and a begrudging donnie, something not often done!) and of course, mikey is just so conflicted the entire movie and it’s wonderful.

he’s so tortured in that sequel. he’s SO desperate for a normal life. he has the chance, right there and leo basically snatches it out of his grasp and he kinda just rolls with it because it’s his brothers or nothing at the end of the day, and that’s SO SAD!! but going back to the whole point of leo being up in donnie’s grill like “yeah ok whatever there’s a retromutgen keep that under wraps, mikey is to NOT find out about this” just proves that each of his brothers understand how much their brother is hurting for a life of normality. i think i made a list once regarding which turtles would be most likely to want to be human/live amongst the humans and mikey almost always came up on top.

he’s always the “cool party fun dude” which is often code for comic relief character but when you look into it. these are characters that are forced into a hard, cruel life away from society. characters that for a good 15ish years, only know each other and their father. imagine mikey spending all that time, desperate for normality and for friends… like yeah he has his bros but he knows there’s more out there in the world and he wants it so much more than the others do.. and that’s why leo gets hot on donnie about keeping the retromutagen a secret. he knows what mikey will be thinking. he’s watched him play it out a million times over as kids, and leo is just so afraid that in giving him a choice, he’ll lose his brother because of it…

and when mikey does get to experience the world for the first time, he’s called a monster and almost killed. leo warned him of it and yet he still had faith that he had a place in the world only to be proven wrong almost instantly.. that’s so devastating. i remember sobbing in the theatres during that scene and i still do shed a tear when i rewatch because damn!!! mikey being sad is so gutwrenching:(((

but yes. i don’t think we ever talk about bayverse mikey and all his trauma enough simply because those movies get a somewhat bad rep. again, im not claiming them to be perfect movies. sadly all of those points i just mentioned kinda fall flat when you remember the, ahem, shell tightening comment he made… but i digress. he’s a sad little turtle that deserves more love than he’s given. and i shall love him :P

[nerdyvocals]

Hi there! @look-at-those-niceass-rocks and I are back on our bullshit with some unhinged movie-night quotes, this time with the first Descendants film. Previously, we've had some shit to say about Rise of the Pink Ladies and Julie and the Phantoms. This is the first actual movie we've watched for these movie-night quotes, so it's a long one. Buckle up, and enjoy the ride!

Bee: "Elected king"? That's not how democracy works.

Bee: How is he inheriting the crown if his dad is still alive???

(Note: For those not aware, hi, I'm a costume designer and technician, I usually have Things To Say about costumes, including the following Several Minute Rant)

Me, two minutes into the movie: PAUSE, okay I have opinions here Bee: Okay? Me: Okay so this is a fitting, right? I appreciate the big stitch lengths, that's accurate, but this should be a mock-up, with muslin! Why is it made of the fashion fabric??? Bee: This is riveting

Me: Why are his sleeves finished off? Where are the pins? Is that a hand back stitch??? Bee: *cackling*

Bee: YOU CANNOT BELIEVE IN THE DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS AND DEMOCRACY

Me: Why did they give Ben a bust dart? Does he have tiddies??? Bee: TRANS BEN???

Bee: I'm gonna take a drink every time you go on a costume rant. Me: LISTEN

Bee (@Evie and Mal): So they're lesbians, right? Me: OH HO HO, YOU'D THINK SO WOULDN'T YA

Bee: You said Kenny Ortega did this, right? Me: Yep! Bee: That. SO very tracks.

Evie: *flirting* Bee: Ahhh, performative heterosexuality!

Me: Her love interest is so [HUSBAND]-coded; you're gonna lose your mind

Bee: Ah yep, Kenny Ortega choreography

Bee: IS THAT FUCKING KRISTEN CHENOWETH??? Me: YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT???

Both of us, anytime Carlos is on screen: He Baby

Bee: I bet AO3 had a field day with this franchise

Bee: Ohhhh, look at that shitty marching band, let me at 'em- NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE PLAYING THOSE INSTRUMENTS Me: *wheeze*

Bee @ Audrey: Oh THATS a lesbian Me: I COULD GO ON A RANT and I won't until we have more context!

Me: Look, Evie's love interest is a dude but I choose to believe that he's a he/him lesbian so it works

Mal: And I totally don't blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the whole world but my mother to their stupid christening! Me: Look, christenings were public events! They had to go out of their way to tell Maleficent not to come! Bee: Right! Like it was more work to have someone find her to tell her not to come! She would've stayed away if you just kept your mouths shut! Me: Not to victim blame, but don't fuck with the fae if you don't want the fae to fuck with you Bee: No I'm victim blaming in this one instance, that was fucking stupid

Doug: Hi-ho... Bee: Oh god he is [HUSBAND]-coded

Carlos: Die, suckers! Me: Let Carlos say fuck! Bee: He would say it constantly

Jay: *ninja kick through the door* Bee: Dumbass

Carlos: *trying to help Jay up* Me: *sobbing* He baby!!! Bee: He wants to help his brother!!!

Bee, already tipsy: I think every time we say "he baby" I need to drink water

Me: Hnng I remember being obsessed with Mal's outfits as a 14yo but looking at it now as a costume designer, I can't tell if I still love it or if I kinda hate it. Bee: Lemme take a drink and you elaborate. Me: There's something kinda off-putting about it and I can't tell if it's because it reeks of 2015 Disney Channel-which is not a bad thing!-or if I just don't think the design works. Bee: It looks like they were going for scene but didn't really know what scene was

Me: I think we should also take a drink whenever we say "that's gay"

Both: STOP BEING MEAN TO JANE SHE'S SO CUTE

Ben: *trying to convince Carlos Dude won't hurt him* Me: For the trans!Ben headcanon, I know that's just a weird fuckin' seam on his shirt, but it looks like a binder

Honorable mention: Us constantly screaming at evie that she's allowed to be smart

Bee: Hey, [HUSBAND], Wanna come see a character that's you coded???

Evie: *making clothes* Me: THAT SEWING MACHINE IS SEXY

Me @ Lonnie: I wouldn't call that cool hair Bee: Oh now she's cool, she ripped her skirt

Mal: I think it's time Benny Boo got himself a new girlfriend Bee: Girl he is right behind that door

Mal: *wipes Lonnie's tear* Bee: LOOK AT HER FACE, see that? That was a gay awakening

Me during Did I Mention: Guess what Bee: Huh? Me: That's not him singing Bee: *gasp* They Troy Bolton'ed that man

Bee: There are. Not enough trumpets in this band Me: Nerd

Talking about the Maleficent movie and how I've never seen it Bee: Oh god, you would've been like. 12 Me: Or 13 depending on the time of year! Bee: It came out in May Me: ...Okay yeah I would've been 12 Bee: I can do math! [HUSBAND], distantly: Citation needed! Bee: HEY!!!

Ben: Is this your first time? Bee: HUH???

Me: What was he trying to accomplish here? Like he didn't tell her they were going somewhere they might need swimsuits, was he trying to get her in her underwear??? Bee: If it wasn't a Disney movie I'd say yes Me: Horny teenage boy

Ben: *shirtless on the cliff* Me: Good for him, he's had top surgery since the last scene

Maleficent: Still doing tricks with eggplants? Bee: Idk, ask her husband

After the cover of Be Our Guest Bee: What. Was that. Me: I know Bee: That was so bad! Me: I promise the other covers are better

Me: I hate Mal's costume in this scene Bee: Drink! Me: The purple on her blazer matches too perfectly with her hair, there's no break in the silhouette Bee: Oh yeah, I see what you mean Me: I get what they're trying to do with the lighter palette, but I'd swap the blue and purple, personally

Queen Leah: My daughter was raised by fairies Me: That was your own fault Bee: Nowhere in that curse did it say you couldn't raise her

Insert the TEN MINUTE interlude of me dying over the obscene fit of Ben's suit:

(Please note: A) his jacket sleeve is caught on his elbow, which is what's causing that FOUR INCH exposed sleeve, B) who wears a pocket square and no tie? C) the buttons are STRAINING because the suit hasn't been tailored properly, it's way too small, you're the future king and I expect better from you okay you CANONICALLY have people tailoring your clothes, and while we're on buttons, D) NEVER button both buttons on a suit jacket! If the jacket has two buttons, the top is buttoned and the bottom isn't. If it's three, top is button sometimes, middle is always buttoned, and the bottom is never. Also: Unbutton when sitting or doing physical activity, such as croquet. This has been Levi's useless button PSA)

Honorable mention: I showed my mentor this picture the next day and he gasped like he'd been shot

Jane: He's never gonna make a villain a queen Me: WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU! Bee: WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!

Me: she's not ugly, she just has a fuck ass bob

Bee @ Beast: Oh why'd they give him glasses, now he's hot

Mal: How do you know that?? Ben: because I'm listening to my heart! Bee: Gay Mal: I'm listening to mine too Bee: DOUBLE gay

Bee: I love how you can soo very see all these frozen people moving

Maleficent: *Dragon Time (tm)* Bee: FOUND THE BUDGET

Jane: Guess I did get pretty lucky in the mother department Me: Speaking of mothers can someone please catch the lizard Bee: PLEASE

Side note, my internet was wigging out and the stream kept freezing, particularly during Set It Off Me, struggling with the connection: And what if I cry Bee: Limping toward the finish line Me: What if I cry and commit arson

Mal: You didn't think that was the end of the story, did you? Bee: Well that was fucking ominous We watched Descendants 2 as well!

[evansbby]

I don’t know about anyone else, but before I discovered Ari Levinson, I had Roman Reigns😭😭. Like that man is so fine for whatjskwksk😩. I didn’t even watch wrestling, but when I saw him once while my brothers were watching…I was a changed woman. Like yupppp, this is going to be my man now, no other option. I followed Smackdown here and there but I stopped in like 2017💀 Anyway, then my obsession with captain America came back and then Ari Levinson was born😻😻😻😻. I feel like a whore crushing on these older men like I’m not 22 yrs old😭

idk though, wrestling kinda used to be fun though. I haven’t watched in years😭 someone update me. Ikeep seeing tiktoks and I have no idea what’s happening.

Roman Reigns is so daddy like that man was literally carved by the gods themselves. He has five kids including two sets of twins 😭😭😭 literal daddy as well as figurative daddy 😌

But I’ve known him since I was a kid like ever since the shield debuted in 2013! Although that’s around the time I stopped watching the first time! So then in 2015 when I started watching again as a teenager, I didn’t really like Roman at all! At times I hated him! I found Seth Rollins more attractive 💀💀 (I hate Seth Rollins now)

Then I stopped watching in around 2017 buttt I started watching again this year! And let me tell you, it’s like actually really good?!? It got really big on tiktok and it’s the biggest it’s been since the 90s! And Roman is just…. Wow! As he got older and changed his hair (shaved sides) and became the villain, he just got a bazillion times hotter! He’s just… wow 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 but I would still pick Cody Rhodes over him I’m sorry

And honestly I think that’s why I gravitated so much towards Ari 😭😭 he’s kinda like a wrestler with his long hair and beefiness 😭😭

[sato-sakai]

This February 16 is very special for me, because I am celebrating 20 years since I came into the world and less than a month before the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 4. This is why I wanted to make a blog about Kung Fu Panda, like this great saga. He has been present in my life and how did I meet the TYPE.

To begin with, when the first movie was released I remember being 4 years old.  They bought me a Tigress figure (at that time I didn't know she was a woman xd), a McDonald's figure and a special thermos.  A film that marked my childhood without a doubt, endearing characters, a villain that you come to empathize with, and of course an epic soundtrack.  I never got to see the Furious 5 and Christmas shorts until I was a little older.

For the second one I was already 7 years old, on the birthday of who was my best friend at that time we went to see her.  Like every child that year, she was scared when they showed the images of the panda genocide, but from then on she was enjoyable.  To this day, the scene in which Po seeks inner peace with his past and remembers how his mother sacrificed herself so that he could live continues to give me feelings.  Also, giving us who for me is the best villain of the saga, Lord Shen.  He had the movie in pirated mode and I remember that he played it almost always.  I saw the short film Secrets of the Masters a few years later, an interesting story and it retains the voice actors from the films.

From 2011-2016 I lost interest in the saga.  The Nickeledeon series never hooked me, I saw the shorts a long time after their premiere.  But around 2014 or 2015 was where I met the GUY.  Honestly, at that moment it was something very strange for me that duo, but after several videos and having read a few fanfics, I came to like them a lot.  I had an Xbox 360 Kinect, where we bought the official video game.  However, I never got around to playing it because it was too difficult for me.

Already in the third one, when I was 12 years old, I went to see it with my brother on a classmate's birthday.  Although she wasn't bad, it wasn't what I expected, I feel like they could have improved a lot.  Kai was a decent villain on par with Tai Lung and Shen, but the rhythm and essence of this one felt very childish compared to its predecessors, a point to highlight in this one was the concept of Chi which at that time was new to my.  From this point was where my interest in TYPE began to grow more and became one of my biggest obsessions to this day XD.

At that time I explored and saw many artists who drew this ship.  If I remember correctly, one of the first was from Tigress and Po's children who were a panda and a white tiger named Hana or something like that, back in 2016 it was where I saw @ani-dragmire's drawings for the first time, @masterlan12 and @7oy7iger (although at that time Lan made another ship).  Without a doubt three great cartoonists with whom I have been able to talk on a couple of occasions.

When the Paws of Destiny series came out I had very high expectations (although I didn't have prime video at that time) but I ended up somewhat disappointed by the final result and the absence of the Furious 5.  Although, it has redeeming things such as the 4 constellations (I had already heard of these mythological creatures but in Japanese folklore) and Po's perception of Tigress as a friend and great warrior.  2022 was a heavy year, my entry into university and the news that an upcoming movie about our beloved panda was very close and that it would bring back the 3 previous villains of the saga, I was more than excited.

However, that same year, what for me and a large part of the fandom was released was a great lack of respect for Kung Fu Panda.  The Netflix series, my first mistake was thinking about the return of Jack Black as Po.  I remember that that year was one of the lowest in terms of quality of movies, series, video games and so on.  The idea of ​​getting to know the rest of the world outside of China in the lore of Kung Fu Panda was what blinded me from the nonsense I would see.  Po being clumsy and crouching in front of a hateful and empowered bear.  The worst of all was that I watched all three seasons on Netflix.

By December of last year I saw the first trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4, although it was exciting to see Tai Lung back (probably in a redemption arc) I must say that it was somewhat disappointing not to see the Furious 5.  At the time of writing this I am hoping to see Shen and Kai in a future trailer.

For me, Kung Fu Panda is not a simple saga of movies made for children, it is a saga that shows the evolution of a martial arts fan on the path to being the most legendary warrior in China.  Although it is not the best like the Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon sagas, it is one of the most beloved.  If there is something I admire about Po, it is how despite having a painful past, being rejected at the beginning, perhaps not being what Shifu expects of him.  Po never gives up and always maintains a warm smile and an optimistic attitude, kind of like Peter Parker.  And well, this is all for now, I say goodbye to you.

Note: No spoilers from March onwards.

[likeadevils]

2013 Lover Diaries Transcripts

Aug 14, 2013- Watch Hill, RI

This week, I spent most of my time watching TV, some of it swimming in the pool, a significant amount of time feeling incomplete, then wondering why because I have the life I’ve always wanted. Then hating myself for feeling in any way ungrateful for this mostly perfect life. But this mostly perfect life can feel a lot like being a tiger in a wonderful enclosure. It’s pretty in there, but you can’t get out. It’s peculiar to me that after all these years, I still get so anxious when I see a group of people staring, amassed outside my house, pointing, camera phones up … They could never imagine how much that feels like being hunted. And no matter how big my house is or how many albums I sell, I’m still going to be the rabbit. Because the hunters will always outnumber me. The spectators will stand by, shaking their heads, going “That poor girl.” But the point is, they’re still watching. Everyone loves to watch a good hunt. I worry for my generation and the ones after that because they will never truly experience a moment without attempting to capture it and own it. I am of the generation where you see a beautiful flower growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk, and you pick it. You take it with you to show everyone you know. Whereas I think our ancestors might come upon a beautiful flower and stop and think ‘Wow. That is really beautiful.“ Nevermind that picking a flower kills it, the same way taking a picture of a moment can ruin it altogether. They needed to possess things. They need photographic proof that they were there. They need to then post that photo online so their friends can see it. So that they can spend all day checking the comments underneath. That level of possession worries me. Taylor

Dec 3, 2013- Sydney, Australia

We played three shows in Auckland, New Zealand and they went so well. I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to snap right back into this show, but I actually feel like I’m putting on better shows now. My posture, my movement, it’s all so much more pronounced and I finally feel in control of my legs and feet. Ella (Lorde) came and hung out with me the day of the first show, at my hotel and we caught up. Today we all flew to Sydney. Christmas is right around the corner, so I’ve been obsessing over what to get Austin. And I decided on a sentimental gift rounding up all the hilarious texts and memes he’s sent me in the last year, and putting them in a scrap book called ‘Shit My Brother Says’. So I got a printer and I worked on the book ALL day in my room instead of going out. Tomorrow is the show!

(2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 & 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 & 2017)

[talkinfanfic]

Talkin' Fanfic Episode 303: MAD FER IT: Oasis, RPF, and Gallaghercest

🎙 LISTEN HERE! Or find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and everywhere else you can stream podcasts!

Summary:

Are ye mad fer it?! In episode 303 Sara and Laura crack open a lager and spend three hours indulging in their most problematic (or NOT) obsession yet– The Gallagher Brothers of Oasis! RPF, or ‘real person fiction’ is fanfiction based on the lives of real people. We figure, if you’re gonna get into RPF, you ‘might as well do the white line’ and in true rock’n’roll lifestyle Slide Away into the nitty gritty of one of the most complicated, fascinating, beautiful, ugly, loving, brutal, intense relationships maybe ever. D' You Know What I Mean? 

Gcest fans, this is for you. Turn your light on, take the shame out of your bread, sit back and enjoy! 

PS. Even in three hours we didn’t get to everything! If you’re interested in more gcest fic, we’ve got our recs listed below, and do check out Snickfic’s Gcest Primer, and the Livejournal communities “MFOK” community and quote archive. 

PPS. 🎵 Spotify Playlist of our Top Oasis and Gallagher Bros. solo tracks!

Timecaps!

0m - Episode Intro

4m - Cold open. Laura is forced to name all the Oasis and Gallagher solo studio albums in order

10m - HOW WE GOT HERE (RPF?! Incest?! On arrive à la problématique)

25m - IRL Timeline Walkthrough, “Who are the Gallagher Brothers?”

1h33m - The fanfiction! RPF, gcest, and our recs!

2h03 - The music and our Toppermost of the Poppermost of Oasis, Liam Gallagher, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

Episode References

Documentary on Oasis, “Supersonic” (2016) [Prime] [Official Trailer]

Documentary on Liam, “As You Were” (2019) [Prime] [Official Trailer]

Oasis on MTV Most Wanted (18th August 1994) - “Whatever” and “Live Forever” (Liam looking ethereally beautiful, music starts 1m40s)

Tumblr post ft. pics of the amazing and infamous 'Loch Lomond Kiss' 

“Gallaghercest, a Primer” by Snickfic (LJ)

“Mad for Our Kid” quote archive https://mfokquotearchiv.livejournal.com/ 

“Mad for Our Kid” LJ https://mfokquotearchiv.livejournal.com/ 

Oasis and Gallagher Brother Timeline (public Google Doc we made)

BE on Spotify (our fave Beady Eye album)

2015 Youtube video of Liam in an Irish pub playing early versions of ‘Bold’ and ‘When I’m In Need’

Liam Gallagher - “Once” Music Video ft. Eric Cantona, and Butler!Liam

Liam Gallagher - "One of Us" Music Video or, “I miss my brother, here is my heart on my sleeve.” Try not to cry! 

Beady Eye - “Ballroom Figured” acoustic studio. Liam’s voice is raw but beautiful here. Lovely.

Liam Gallagher - "Greedy Soul" Live at Air Studios BIBLICAL

Liam Gallagher - "All You're Dreaming Of" Live on Jonathan Ross CELESTIAL

Liam Gallagher - "Gone" MTV Unplugged MAJESTICAL

Noel Gallagher’s HFB - “Holy Mountain” music video (aka Hot Daddy NG in his tiny trousers)   

Noel Gallagher’s HFB - "Dead in the Water" Live at The Late Late Show RTÉ One 

Contact and Credits:

Music: Kyle Laurin "Oasis Supersonic Theme" (Twitter: @cobrakylemusic)

Tumblr: talkinfanfic.tumblr.com 

Instagram: @talkinfanfic

Email: talkinfanfic@gmail.com 

Fic Recs (3-5)

Sara’s Recs

time's slipping away (and what will it hold for me?) by mansgotalimit (young!Liam appears in older!Noel’s world. WIP. )

“A Lot Like Gravity”, by RedheadAmongWolves (Superhero AU, SO!MUCH!FUN!)

"Let Me Be the One" by Savageandwise (angsty with happy ending, psychological excavation, amazing!!)

"don't you know you're life itself?" by liamnoel (early days, romantic, surreal, stylistic)

"Candy Floss Heart" by Jeevey  (lovely present day, Sonny meets Liam at the zoo)

Laura’s Recs

“Canter”, by cancellable (early days, short drabble, pretty, that one incredible line!)

“Trying to Find a World That’s Been and Gone” by storyshark2005 (Reconciliation, Sara’s Coma trope fic)

“Razorblade” by Jeevey (sexy, early days pre-band, rawr)

“you and I are gonna live forever” by StripySock, (sexy, first kiss, beautifully and sharply written, early days band) 

Filmstar (orphaned, A/N reads: "This was written by lonelyisourlife @ livejournal in 2014" FILMSTAR!!!! WE FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT FILMSTAR!! READ THIS FIC!! In our opinion, one of the best fics in the fandom.

Music Recs

🎵Spotify Playlist of our Top Oasis and Gallagher Bros. solo tracks!

Sara’s Faves

Oasis: Slide Away / Don’t Look Back in Anger / Supersonic 

LG Solo: “Once” / “Diamond in the Dark” / “When I’m in Need”

NG Solo: “If I Had a Gun” / “Dying of the Light” / “Holy Mountain”

Laura’s Faves

Oasis: Talk Tonight / Cast No Shadow / Don’t Go Away / Stop Crying Your Heart Out / Songbird 

LG Solo: Ballroom Figured (BE) / All You’re Dreaming of / Gone

NG Solo: Dead in the Water / Black Star Dancing / Alone on the Rope

[dontlikeadam]

Lover Album

*******

Lover Album with my personal 0-10 rating on how well it fits their storyline. 0= not at all, 10= totally fitting

Most of these songs were all always associated with Joe, but most are too broad to really nail down who they would be about.

I Forgot That You Existed (2/10)

Always assumed to be Calvin and really fits better. Mentions him being happy when her downfall before Reputation started.

"Got out some popcorn, as soon as my rep started going down"

Could be Matty. It would be very Taylor like to start an album saying she forgot that he existed, then continuing to write about him. Seems unlikely Matty was ever happy that her reputation suffered.

Cruel Summer (7/10)

"Bad, bad boy shiny toy with a price" - Joe was not considered a bad boy.

"Say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times. We're not trying"

"I don't want to keep secrets just to keep you" - could be Joe or Matty. Joe wanted her to keep them a secret, Matty and her would have needed to keep it secret.

"He looks up grinning like the devil" - generic, but never seemed like Joe

"I love you ain't that the worst thing you ever heard" - just seems like it would fit Matty to me. For no real reason.

Mentions the color Blue. Historically when Blue is used randomly it's a song that fits Matty and Taylors situation.

Does mention sneaking into his house all summer, which would connect more to Joe.

Lover (9/10)

Most likely Matty. The lyrics about loving him for 3 summers would date back to 2015/2016. Joe was 2017. Add to that Matty's Lover hat and The 1975 saying they tried to cover the song, all fits.

HOWEVER, would have been a really really bold move on her part. Could be a combination of Joe and Matty.

"My hearts been borrowed and yours has been BLUE" - another random BLUE reference.

The Man

Unrelated - Just Taylor

The Archer (6/10)

Nothing too specific, just one that I feel fits the situation fairly well

The train is mentioned

"I never grew up, It's getting so old. Help me hold on to you"

One of the songs removed from ERA'S tour on 2nd leg when TTPD added

I Think He Knows (4/10)

Fitting.... could be, but also fits Joe. Difficult because we have strong connections to both Matty situations in NYC and Joe obviously.

"I want you, bless my soul" being repeated over and over could be a reference to her being obsessed with Matty when she knows he may not be good for her.

Does mention indigo eyes, which would be Joe, not Matty

Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince (6/10)

Mentions Blue again.

"Heartbreak Prince" never seemed like Joe. Taylor being a bad girl for being with him never fit.

Mentions being crazy for someone for ages, film scenes, American glory.

"It's been a long time coming" - the first thing you would hear when Era's tour starts.

"You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes" - seems like they already broke up? Wouldn't fit Joe

"Voted most likely to run away with you"

At some point I recall she said this song was somewhat about the election. Which would fit parts of the 2nd verse.

Paper Rings (6/10)

Mentions Blue

"The moon is high, like we were the night that we first met. Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet". Joe wasn't really anyone when they started dating. HOWEVER it does say TRIED, maybe she couldn't find anything lol. Matty would fit better.

"Cat and Mouse for a month or 2 or 3"

"I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this" never fit the Joe storyline

"Which takes me back to the color we painted your brothers wall" - could work for either, but Mattys brother is obviously significantly younger than them, so a better fit.

"I want your complications too"

Always assumed to be about Joe for the fact he had no money and the joke was always that he was "poor", so a way of her saying she didn't care.

Cornelia Street (0/10)

Joe. Always was confirmed by all the small details in the song and timing.

Death by A Thousand Cuts (8/10)

On again and off again relationship. Never fit with Joe as far as we knew.

"I get drunk, but it's not enough. 'Cause the morning comes, and you're not my baby"

"I looked through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up" - she has boarded this up before....

"You said it was a great love, one for the ages. But if the stories over, why am I still writing pages" - Sounds like Matty

"Gave up on me, Like I was a bad drug"

"Our songs, our films, united we stand" American culture

"Gave you too much, but it wasn't enough" - fits with Matty

London Boy (1/10)

Joe. References to rugby, college, dimples etc.

Soon You'll Get Better (2/10)

Songly mostly always associated with Taylors mom and her battle with breast cancer. You could add in some context to possibly being Matty and his addiction as well and it would fit.

False God (5/10)

Generally a song everyone felt was way too sexy to be about Joe. It just didn't seem to fit the vibe they gave us, but overall fits him fine.

"We were crazy to think, crazy to think that this could work. Remember how I said I'd die for you?"

"I can't talk to you when your life this, staring out the window, like I'm not your favorite town, I'm New York City. I still do it for you babe"

"Got the wine for you"

"We might just get away with it" - get away with making their relationship work?

In addition, I believe Joe is decently religious (or at least goes to church with family) verse Matty who obviously is not. Not sure how much that would play into this song. Taylor is also not really known to go to church. Song is just loaded with religious/ Catholic terminology. Wine, Confessions etc but both Joe and Matty were raised Catholic-esque.

Mentions flying to him across the ocean. So one of the Brits, which is honestly not that helpful.

You Need to Calm Down (0/10)

Afterglow (5/10)

Mentions Blue.... but otherwise I am a little torn. I have a lot of history with this song and the storyline being Joe.... so this one is a little harder for me to analyze. Otherwise it does seem to fit Matty well.

"It's so excruciating to see you low. Just wanna lift you up and not let you go" - If Joe had bad depression, as it seems he did, would fit with either. It's not overly helpful that Joe and Matty have a decent amount of generic things in common.

"Chemistry till it blows up, till there's no us"

Me! (6/10)

Nothing overly specific, but would fit. And having Brendon on it would lead into their shared love of Emo.

Its Nice to Have a Friend (6/10)

Overall a song about marrying a long time friend turned husband/wife.

Alludes to a Church wedding.

"Call my bluff, call you 'Babe'"

Daylight (5/10)

Could go either way. Most likely Joe after Calvin. Calvin was also a smoker.

Her lyrics at the end in comparison to the concept that Matty speaks about is oddly similar.

"I'll tell you the truth but never goodbye"

"I don't want to look at anything else now that I saw you"

"Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke"

"Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down" Not sure how this would relate to Joe....

"I once believed love would be Black and White, but its golden"

"Back and forth from New York, sneaking in your bed"

"I wanna be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate"

Overall I feel like this album still fits best with all the intended people/ circumstances that we originally thought.

[lovemesomesurveys]

When was the last time you wore a mask, and what kind of mask was it? A few weeks ago when I went to my doctor appointment. It was just the common blue mask. Masks aren’t required anymore, but I still wear mine whenever I go somewhere and have no issue doing so.

Do you say "couch" or "sofa"? 🛋️ I say couch.

Have you found any gray hairs yet? if so, how old were you when you found your first one? I swear they started popping up the second I turned 30. I’m 33 now and haven’t had my hair dyed in a few years, in fact it’s all my natural color now cause I chopped my hair super short a couple years ago, and there’s several gray hairs currently. D: I blame the heavy amount of stress I’ve been through due to health stuff and the health stuff itself. I honestly never thought I’d be one to gray early like this. I have a bad habit of plucking them out and I’ve heard you shouldn’t do that but it drives me nuts. I’m allowing my hair to grow more before I finally get dye it again. I can’t wait.

Do you think you will dye your hair when you go gray, or will you let it be natural? Like I said, I’m definitely going to dye my hair again. 

Have you ever met anyone named Eden? No. 

Which name do you like better: Eden or Aiden? Eden.

What is your favorite type of meat to eat? 🥩 Chicken and turkey. With the turkey I’m referring more so to like sliced thin deli turkey for sandwiches. I like turkey we have on Thanksgiving, but it’s not my favorite. 

When was the last time you felt jealous of someone? Meh, for the first time in a very long time I’ve felt a little jealous of some people I mod with on TikTok for someone. It’s so dumb but sometimes it feels so cliquey and I feel left out and blah I’m too old for this.

What are three thing you think of when you hear the word "India"? 🇮🇳 *shrug*

Are there any bar stools in your home? No.

When was the last time you sat on a bar stool? I have no idea.

Have you ever been to a spa? 🧖♀️ Nope.

What is one thing you hate? My health situation. I really feel like I’m missing out on so much and life is just passing me by. Meanwhile, the rest of.the world goes on and people continue to live their lives.

Have you ever sprained your ankle? No.

Do you own an artist's palette? 🎨 if so, when was the last time you used it? Nope.

When was the last time you attended a religious ceremony? ⛪️ Physically, it was back in December of 2015. Otherwise, I’ve watched several sermons via live stream the past few years. 

If applicable, what is one trend you started when you were in school? I’ve never been a trendsetter. 

Have you ever done a craft project using a soup can? Possibly. 

Have you ever had a Sony product just stop working? *shrug* Also possible. 

What is your favorite type of tree? 🌳 Pine trees. 

Have you ever had a spaniel for a pet? No.

Do you like the word "iota"? Sure. 

What celebrities were you obsessed with when you were younger? Oh, I was totally the pre-teen/teen who had her walls plastered with posters of various celebrities popular at that time in the early to mid 2000s. Aaron Carter was my first celebrity crush, so I had a ton of his posters. Of course I was obsessed with the Jonas Brothers, so they took over a good amount of space on my wall. There was Jesse McCartney. Justin Timberlake. Various other celebrities. 

Would you rather sing or play an instrument? if you'd rather play an instrument, which instrument would you prefer to play? That sucks cause I’d love to be able to sing and play the piano. 

Were you named after someone, and if so, who? No.

Did you ever play with a yoyo as a kid? 🪀  >> I tried but they always just annoyed me in the end. << Same. 

Who is your current favorite celebrity? Alexander Skarsgard is my love, of course, but I also like Sebastian Stan, Pedro Pascal, and Oscar Isaac. I’m a fan of Jenna Ortega as well. 

What is one thing you aren't able to do currently, but you wish you could? I can’t travel or go anywhere, really, right now. The only places I can go are to doctor appointments via medical transportation on a gurney. :/ I can’t wait until I’m able to function somewhat normal and go places again. Just to the fucking grocery store would be nice. I really can’t wait to go to the beach.

What is one thing you think tastes good with granola? The only granola I eat is granola bars. And not those rock hard ones either, I’m talkin’ Quaker Oats chocolate chip or some other fun flavor. 

When was the last time you ate a granola bar? That being said, it’s been awhile since I’ve had one. I used to have them all the time. They made good snacks.

Do you prefer jelly or jam? 🥪 I think I’ve mainly only had jelly, but I’m not opposed to jam. Whichever. 

Have you ever met anyone named Cameo? No.

What was the last thing you sent in the mail? I have no idea. I haven’t sent something in the mail in a super long time. 

What is your favorite thing to do on the ice? >> I don't do anything on ice. <<<

Have you ever visited any of the Great Lakes? No.

Have you ever swam in any of the Great Lakes? if so, which of the Great Lakes have you visited? >> I can't swim, so no. the lake I live near is Michigan. <<< I can’t swim either nor have I been to any of the Great Lakes. 

What were you almost named? I’m not sure.

What was the name of the first dog you had as a pet? His name was Scruffy. 

Do you any of your family members have birthdays on a holiday, and if so, which one(s)? No. 

When was the last time you attended a kegger? 🍾 Never.

What was the last thing you wrote down? I don’t recall. 

What is your favorite type of bird? 🦜 I don’t have one.

Do you think of yourself as young or old? how old are you? I always say I’m old, but I’m only 33 lol. It’s weird like I do feel old in some ways, especially physically, and in the sense where I think like omg I’m almost 40. I also feel like a bitter old woman who has just been beat down by life for so long. But then I also feel like I’m emotionally younger and a child at heart in some ways. I feel like I’ve been stunted because of health issues. I don’t feel like someone almost in their mid 30s. Whatever that’s supposed to feel like, right? It’s confusing. 

Do you enjoy doing crossword puzzles? Sometimes. I had a crossword app I was hooked on for a bit. I like doing word searches more, though. 

[terastalungrad]

Feeling nostalgic, so I'm looking back at past Big Brothers. See how strongly I remember them.

2000: BB1

Caught the last two weeks of this, and was HOOKED. I learned of the existence of this show because a teacher built a school assembly around its popularity.

2001: BB2

Watched from launch, utterly obsessed. All the spin-offs, loads of live streams.

2002: BB3

Really into the metagame by this point. Love the nominations. Started studying psychology in school, now believe I'm brilliant at analysing people.

2003: BB4

Very cosy memories of this one. Watched it with my mother and brother, really rooted for lovely Cameron to win. My last summer before uni.

2004: BB5

Big Brother goes evil! My mother sends me VHS tapes so I can watch at uni. While watching the live stream one night, my brother steals my passport to run away to America. It's okay, we get him back.

2005: BB6

Doctor Who's back by this point, so Big Brother's no longer my favourite TV show. I find this one tougher to watch. I don't warm to many of the housemates.

2006: BB7

I auditioned for this one! So glad I didn't get in in retrospect. How different would my life have been? Can't imagine doing standup as a former Big Brother housemate.

Loved the series, though. Two Welsh speakers!

2007: BB8

Strong start to this series - I liked the idea of putting all the women in first, and slowly trickling in the men. But it's won by Brian Bello - very funny, I liked him, but his victory felt like a sign of reality TV becoming more constructed.

2008: BB9

Didn't watch this one. Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2009: BB10

Enjoyed the series, but once again annoyed by the winner. Which seems strange now! I think today, I'd love the series to be won by a glamour model. Would I? I still gravitate towards the freaks and misfits, but I take a lot more pleasure in the victories of people who incur the snobbishness of the public.

2010: BB11

Skipped this one. It had been too long since I'd really loved a Big Brother, so I decided the magic was gone.

2011: BB12

First Channel 5 series. I'm freelancing by this point, so two weeks before it ends, I watch it all in one go. Loved it!

2012: BB13

All-time favourite series. The winner's a grumpy trans man from North Wales, how could I ask for more? Such an exciting series. And the first one I watched in full while on Tumblr.

2013: BB14

Didn't watch this one. Why not?? Maybe BB13 had been so perfect for me, I didn't have room in my heart for another series. I suppose I was also taking standup a lot more seriously by this point. Maybe I was too busy.

Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2014: BB15

Very patchy memory of this series. I remember being extremely grumpy about the final. I was away visiting friends, so couldn't watch it live, and then had the winner spoiled for me in the most annoying possible way. Didn't love the winner either.

2015: BB16

Didn't watch this one. Too grumpy from last year. And I bet Jim Davidson had won Celebrity Big Brother by this point, an all-time low point.

I don't know a single thing about this series. Checking Wikipedia, turns out a Welshman came second. I turn my back -

Oh, except I did post a weird joke about this season. I don't think that was based on knowledge, though. I probably just saw people posting about BBUK and posted my own silly gag.

2016: BB17

Didn't watch. Don't know anything about it.

I wish I was a recation videos guy, because I just looked up this series and found out it launched the rise to fame of Andrew Tate!! Woah. First to be evicted, apparently.

In fact, omg - he's the first ever MAN to be the first evicted housemate.

2017: BB18

I weirdly DID watch this one, and I have no idea why. None of my friends were watching it. In fact, I'd forgotten I'd watched it until. I went to file my charts for the current season, BB20, and found that my folder included detailed data for BB18. I didn't just watch it, I kept my most detailed ever diagrams.

2018: BB19

Didn't watch this one. Who knows why?

A Welshman came second. I'm not even surprised at this point.

Pre-lockdown: BB1

Managed to get hold of this series and watched the whole thing. Really interesting to see it through modern eyes - how our values have changed!

2023: BB20

This one's on right now. I'm enjoying it a lot.

So let's recap my gaps - BB9, BB11, BB14, BB16 BB17, BB19. I'd enjoy watching some of these one day.

[collectingsparechangemadeeasy1]

Diary Entries of Ozpin Valiant

So I wanted to do these little “interlude” type things, just snippets into the thoughts and feeling and past of Oz! Hope you enjoy!

To begin, my name is Ozpin Valiant. I am writing in this diary for my sake and my sake alone. My friend Glynda has told me to write in this and to be honest. I trust her, she is a good person. Took a heartless wretch like me in. Now let’s see… where to start?

I was born in Vacuo, December 24, 1989. Today's date is April 12, 2015 and I live in the city and country of Vale. I am currently 28 years of age and I have a 1 year old son named Oscar.

Well he’s not MY son. He’s the son of my sister, my best friend a very good friend. They died last year. I miss her. I can’t say the name yet. Or even look at it. It’s… too raw. Sorry Glynda, you’ll have to forgive me for that. Maybe one day but… not yet. Gods… She was so young, Oscar was barely a month old when she died… How unfair is that? A decent person like her should die, but some horrible old sack oh shit like me lives? How cruel destiny can be…

Anyways!

I am living with my friend Glynda! She and I were very close as children, but when I started trying dust… she and I got into a huge fight. I regret it now, regret trying those blasted drugs, regret screaming at her, leaving my mother… She’s dead now. My mother is dead and I didn’t even know. How horrible is that? That she and I used to be so close, she was my best friend, I was her world and… I didn’t even go to her funeral. I didn’t even know there was a funeral! 

Glynda said she’d take me to the grave another time. I don’t know if I’m ready. I broke that woman's heart when I left her home. I feel so awful… she deserved a better son than me. One who would have been by her side, held her hand as she left this world… Maybe I’ll see her ghost! That’s not uncommon and she was a pretty strong magic user! They usually have ghosts!

~

Journal Entry #2 Ozpin Valiant

Date December 25, 2015

I really gave this up quickly. Of course things have been a bit… Well, no. They haven’t been hectic, I just didn’t want to write. Honesty and all that, right? Well, things have changed a bit! I’m helping Glynda in her shop more! Potions aren’t my strong suit, but she lets me help with the simple stuff, and I’m very good at finding ingredients! Living on a farm will do that!

I wonder how my brothers are, and my fathers. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them. I suppose I should put their names down for posterity's sake. Heh, have you ever noticed how close that word is to posterior?  Posterity, posterior? Ha! I am such a child… Anywhosles!

My brothers are as follows. The oldest Ozma Valiant, he is 2 years older than me and should be 31! Ha! He’s old. 

I miss him.

The other brother is the second oldest! Which yes. Means I’m the baby. If you couldn’t tell already. His name is Ozmund Valiant, but everyone calls him Diggs! It’s a childhood nickname, since he used to be obsessed with digging holes when we were little. He should be 30 now. Actually that reminds me!

I’m officially 29 years old as of yesterday! Happy belated birthday! I didn’t really do anything, I haven’t really celebrated my birthday in a long time. But it was nice spending the day with Glynda and Oscar. Oscar is growing so much everyday it’s incredible! He took his first steps a week ago! I’m so proud of him! He was trying to walk to me for a hug and I will admit, I cried. A lot. Glynda teased me for being a crybaby, but I saw her eyes! They were misty!

But back to the topic at hand! My fathers! Ozymandias and Ambrosius Valiant!

Dad, aka Mandy, as he usually prefers to be called, is 40 years older than me, which makes me 69 this year. Nice. I’m sure Papa loves teasing him about that, he always had the silliest sense of humor.

Papa, aka Amby, as he hates being referred to so we do it all the time, is 37 years older than me, which would make him 66 years old by now! Bet he doesn’t look it though, that man doesn’t age I swear. I’ve known him since the day I was born and I swear he hasn’t gotten a single gray hair or wrinkle in all that time! Not one!

I haven’t seen them in years. I didn’t realize how much I missed them. I tried not to think about them after I ran away, I was so dumb back then, but I was only 17…

Maybe I should talk to them again…

[genderisareligion]

How long do you think this trans nonsense is going to last? Do you think people, especially women, will eventually realise how sexist, homophobic and racist trans ideology is? Or do you think society is just going to keep regressing? I had a discussion - not even an argument - with a girl recently about it all, she has a brother that calls himself a woman, and she cried when I said that I thought we should be abolishing gender stereotypes. I thought I was pretty moderate, I said that I think people should be able to dress and act however they like, but it just doesn't mean that men can claim and appropriate womanhood. She cried and called me a transphobe, and then stormed out when I said that it's inherently misogynistic. Most of my friends, both men and women, agree with me, but said that I shouldn't have brought it up. Which I think is just shit - so women are just meant to lie back and accept the erosion of our rights? This issue is occupying so much real estate in my mind, I'm constantly thinking about how absurd it is and I'm constantly angry. How long do you think I'm gonna have to be angry for?

I can’t say for certain how much longer it will be, but I can recall what ten years ago was like, so maybe things will have changed that drastically in another ten.

2012 Tumblr was peak what’s good about liberal feminism. It’s not all garbage it is still feminism after all. Consent was a huge conversation, used to see posts about male rape culture in the tens of thousands of notes, it was cool and on trend to call out “I’m not like other girls I don’t need feminism,” sexism in the workplace was being addressed. My in progress tag #notes is in part meant to capture what female solidarity used to look like on the site

because it’s taken a massive fucking nose dive and I’m trying to figure out where we went wrong. Going through archives of radblr blogs around 2015-16 is when I start noticing more of the trans/TERF conversion happening, although it always was just on a much smaller scale using different words. “Lesbians who don’t like dick” and sex industry critical women have always been attacked for one reason or another iirc they just used to call us “radscum” and other nondescript shit before landing on these handy -ERF acronyms

The thing is 2012 Tumblr was also peak Superwholock Fujoshi time and “supporting the gays” (voyeuristically living vicariously through them) was more on trend than liberal feminism. The two were seemingly in unison at the time but were going to be at odds inevitably. Mostly straight and male-pref bi women (with a sprinkle of closeted lesbians) coping with IRL men’s increasingly sadistic view of women by fantasizing about safe love between fictional men on an obsessive level. Fandoms and thus show creators going out of their way to avoid F/F slash and instead feeding the monster that is M/M until Tumblrinas felt like just “supporting” them wasn’t enough and they had to skinwalk lol and shame one type of SSA while worshipping another

Iirc by 2016 gay marriage in the US (where most of these people live) had been “won” and queer MOGAI was the shiniest newest trend thanks to a number of influences (Caitlyn Jenner and LaVerne Cox come to mind but it was definitely more than just them). Liberal feminism is capitalistic at the end of the day and the powers that be saw “queering gender” for the cash cow it’s ended up being and the powers were probably terrified that in the early 2010s under popular lib feminism hundreds of thousands of girls and women were openly in agreement online that male violence was the problem. Now it’s “gendered violence” and you can never tell who’s a male and no one can call a spade in a dress a spade

It’s inconceivable to me to cry about the idea of gender abolition like your friend did anon…..makes me like sad how convicted so many women are about this. But I’m also not surprised and don’t blame them all because anti feminist males will stop at nothing. The TERF wars are so fundamentally ridiculous like the topic is a distraction about something that’s not even real yet they’ve made it seem so real and threatening by using their male privilege to instill fear and angry infighting.

I would advise you to not let this shit take up too much real estate in your mind. As someone who sort of watched it all start or at least get this bad I try to remember when I wasn’t censoring my language this much and when misandry was a fun meme on here. Also try to keep in mind how many times the queer theorists change their mind on what language is appropriate for who and when. I will never forget how quickly writing trans* with an asterisk or transwoman with no space became crimes when before you’d get lynched for not doing it. Imo things that change that often have no foundation or could change into something unrecognizable someday. Hopefully whatever follows gender is better than this shit. Hang in there 🖤

[jeannahas]

Pathfinder Ancestries - From a First Timer!

Ok: I have to say - I love the sparks of creativity firing as I read the pathfinder ancestries. I've never looked at or opened Pathfinder 2e, but back when I first started to get into RPG's back in 2012-2015, I was introduced by means of Pathfinder 1e, and My brothers and I (Who never played an actual game) spend countless hours making character after character, checking it against the rules, and comparing builds and backstories.

Well, with this whole Debacle that's pushed me away from 5e DnD, I've delved back into Pathfinder with 2e, and oh am I enjoying myself already!

I just wanted to talk about some of my favorite ancestries:

First and Foremost - The ANADI!

I love Anansi, and I love the fact that this ancestry seems like a homage to that legend - Spiders, who become people! I cannot tell you the sheer number of role-play and storytelling options that come to mind with a race that learned how to shapeshift specifically so they could be less terrifying to other inteligent species in order to interact with the wider world - and their ancestral feats are fun, thematic, and fit in great! I have made two characters for Pathfinder 2e in preparation for some games, and one of them is and Anadi Gunslinger- this is going to be fun. Tons of options to customize your shapeshifting abilities, spider and human forms, and your abilities in both.

LESHY - Adorable! If I ever played one, I would love to play as a group of Leshy's out to tackle the world. Lots of tiny, cute plant-people trying to survive a wider world without dying - it would be a hilarious one / four shot.

NAGAJI - Yuan-ti ish, but not evil? Fascinating! I love the philosophical bent of this group of snake-people - they have a lot of the things I enjoy about the Yuan Ti, but the fact that their culture is completely unfamiliar, means that encountering them would be a novel experience for me - I don't know if I would rather play one, or play a normal character running into them, but I would love to explore the implications of this culture.

ANDROID - Always been a favorite of mine. When I took up DnD in 2018 I was sad they didn't have androids, and Warforged just didn't scratch the same itch - mostly but not quite humanoids trying to survive a world that doesn't understand technology? With a mind that uploads and then downloads a new soul every so often? Fascinating implications if your character's body was an adventurer as well, and you run into someone who "Knows" you.

FLESHWARPS- I AM SO EXCITED THIS IS AN ANCESTRY OPTION. I was low key obsessed with the flesh warping process in Pathfinder 1e, and the dark elves experiments, the fact that they could create entire other creatures by dunking people into their warping pits. I love that this is intentionally a very customizable class, and just...super creepy. Comes with automatic backstory too - if your character is a Fleshwarp, what were they before? How have they taken to their twisted transformation? I would love to explore these themes someday.

GHORAN - PLANT PEOPLE! They remind me of one of the magical races from the Beyonders Series by Brandon Mull - plant-people with a seed that they can regrow from, giving them functional immortality so long as they can re-plant and grow the seed they stem from. A bit of personality shenanigans when they regrow too, which could be run to role-play if your character's personality shifts a little after "Dying" and being re-planted. I'd probably home-brew them a little bit to be more humanoid in some ways... but I'd have to play them as is first before making any changes.

KASHRISHI - RHINO BUG SURVIVALISTS! Hyper adaptable stubby rhino-people, which a magical ability to adapt to their environment with each generation. These guys would be cool to see, or role-play, I'd love to give it a try someday.

That's all, Might post on this topic randomly later. :D

[inevitablemoment]

Elle and Emmett Baby Headcanons because I'm new to the fandom and I can't control myself

So, I volunteered to scan tickets for a local production of Legally Blonde, so I got to see it three times, and I'm obsessed with it now! I have since watched the proshot about ten times all the way through, and my headcanons are gushing out like a waterfall. Also, I'm a little frightened of how attracted I am to Christian Borle.

Now, these particular headcanons pertain to Elle's pregnancy with their daughter, Julie, but prior to that, they have adopted three kids (they just strike me as the type to adopt).

Brief who's who of the older Woods-Forrest kids here:

Rosie (born April 2013, adopted April 2015) was the daughter of one of Elle's cousin whom Elle and Emmett took in after her biological parents were killed in a car accident. Elle and Emmett had to deal with some pushback from Rose's biological grandmother, but they were able to maintain custody and finalize the adoption.

Sophia (born 2001, adopted 2016) was fostered by them after Enid, who was Sophia's advocate, told them that she was still in a group home after her younger brother had been taken in by another foster family, and asked them to foster Sophia while she tried to reunite the siblings. Sophia rebuffed Elle and Emmett's attempts to integrate her into the family at first, but soon warmed to them.

Owen (born 2007, adopted 2016), Sophia's younger brother. Enid succeeds in reuniting the siblings, and Elle and Emmett decide to adopt him as well.

And now, headcanons about Elle's pregnancy below the cut:

Elle and Emmett had been married for about a year and a half before they began considering to start trying.

Only a few days later, Elle got the call about her cousin, and they moved their focus to taking care of Rosie and adopting her.

About seven months after Owen comes to live with them, Elle finds out that she's pregnant.

She's ecstatic, of course; but then she gets worried-- whether she and Emmett can handle another child at the moment, how the kids would react (especially considering that this baby would be related to her and Emmett by blood), etc.

Unsurprisingly though, Emmett is thrilled to hear this news.

Since he was an only child, he always wanted a big family (totally not projecting, you're projecting)

Telling the kids, though, is an anxiety that they both share... and it turns out not to be totally unfounded.

Sophia and Owen, despite trying to show excitement, are wary of this news, but Elle and Emmett do everything they can to reassure them.

Rosie has trouble understanding at first, but she does grasp that there's going to be a new baby, she's not going to be the youngest anymore, etc., etc. Once Elle starts showing, it begins to sink in for her.

Though they have plenty of hand-me-downs from Rosie and from Paulette and Kyle's kids, Elle does jump on shopping for this baby-- clothes, toys, gear, everything.

Elle has pretty awful morning sickness during the first twenty weeks, sometimes to the point that she has to stay home from work.

But one time, while in the middle of a trial, she rushes out to vomit, only to return completely composed and ready to resume.

While she enjoys buying maternity clothes, her personal favorite outfit is just one of Emmett's shirts as a nightdress. Once she's on maternity leave, it's pretty much all she wears around the house.

Both she and Emmett cry when she has her first ultrasound and they hear the baby's heartbeat.

Emmett cries tears of joy when they learn that they're having a little girl.

And he's so attentive. Whatever food Elle's craving, he's willing to drive to the grocery store or restaurant, and pick it up, even after a long day at work.

Speaking of long days at work, he always rubs Elle's back and feet once they're settled in at home for the night.

Out of every doctor's appointment, he only misses one and he feels so bad about it. He cheers up when Elle shows him the ultrasound picture that she had them take for him, though.

Emmett loves talking to the baby. The night that they're in bed after Elle told him that she was pregnant, he's already leaning over her belly, talking to the baby about how excited he is that they're coming, about her older sisters and brothers, and about how awesome their mom is.

Even before Elle starts showing, Emmett cannot keep his hands off of her belly. They both love feeling the baby kick together.

Sophia and Owen eventually warm to the idea of a new baby, especially once they're reassured that they won't be treated any differently from a child who shares DNA with Emmett and Elle.

Elle originally intends to work all the way up to her ninth month, but she ends up going on maternity leave earlier than planned so that she can rest and savor some quality time with each of the kids before she gives birth.

Emmett loves taking pictures of Elle during her pregnancy, particularly with her belly showing.

She goes into labor around midnight in her thirty-eighth week.

Emmett's mother arrives to look after the older kids.

While there aren't any serious complications during Elle's labor and delivery, it's not very pleasant.

It lasts for twenty-seven hours, risking an infection.

She's put on Pitocin to speed up the process, but she doesn't react well to it, and her epidural only works on one side of her body.

Thankfully, the baby girl is born healthy.

Emmett and Elle name her Juliet Anneliese Woods-Forrest, nicknaming her "Julie."

Appearance-wise, Julie is the perfect mix of her mother and father-- her father's eyes and her mother's hair.

Sophia and Owen take to their new sister immediately, loving on her as much as they can.

However, for Rosie, this is where the jealousy kicks in.

It takes a while for her to adjust to Julie being around, but she does love her little sister.

Even when his and Elle's leave wraps up, Emmett takes the option of extended leave to spend more time with the kids.

When he does eventually go back to work, he has a whole bunch of pictures on his desk of all of his kids.

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2024 - May

"Sophonias" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

"The kingdom of Juda is threatened with severe judgment." My brother in Yahweh, when is a prophet not talking about a severe judgment? That's all they did back then!

"Aggeus" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

"The people are reproved for neglecting to build the temple." See, it never ends! These prophets are driving me mad.

"The Traveller's Warning" by Beckett Jones (2023)

There's an end of the world, you just won't be there for it.

"The Pencilsword #10" by Toby Morris (2015)

Their secrets sit on a pedestal.

The Brief Return of Dr. Slump - "Nitro-chan's Birthday" by Takao Koyama, Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Akira Toriyama (1994)

Just... not into what happens later in these stories.

"they said she did it to herself" by Meg Johnson (2024)

You'll drive yourself mad with the question.

Dr. Slump - Volumes 1-7 by Akira Toriyama, Kazuhiko Torishima, Hisashi Tanaka (1980-1982)

I have been absolutely blown away by Toriyama's work in this first breakout hit, but also his impact on the world of pop culture and entertainment in general. I knew Dragonball was a big deal, and maybe Dragon Quest, but I just didn't realize how great his early comedic work could be. Anyone who grew up on cynical cartoon comedies like The Simpsons and Animaniacs, in which the adults are all idiots and comedy fodder, this is just your game.

Star Trek 25th Anniversary dev. Konami (1991)

A very strong showing from Konami in this handheld. Their clever use of shapes for different game modes is impressive.

The Fall Guy dir. David Leitch (2024)

Sorry to be such a guy about it, but it's the rare romcom that works for me because it's also an action movie.

Tarot dir. Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg (2024)

It'll find ya.

Mars Express dir. Jérémie Périn (2024)

I mean, you can tame the bear, but it's still a bear.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes dir. Wes Ball (2024)

Just something... too similar to before. And I don't need to know humans are gonna make it.

Abigail dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (2024)

You can trust a vampire ballerina.

I Saw The TV Glow dir. Jane Schoenbrun (2024)

It hit me as a TV watcher of the 90s, but it looks like it hits even harder when you throw gender puzzlement into the mix.

Castle in the Sky dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1986)

I'm shocked I never watched this. It's a genuinely gorgeous story and we're well into Miyazaki's ecology disaster themes by this point.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga dir. George Miller (2024)

I've had some things to say. I don't know if I'll get as obsessed over it as I did with Fury Road, but I've seen it plenty and I'm gonna keep going back for more.

The Dead Don't Hurt dir. Viggo Mortensen (2024)

A quiet, smaller Western, but it clicked with me. Perhaps the notion of finding the end of the world.

In a Violent Nature dir. Chris Nash (2024)

So weird! And it seems to want to appease the body count viewers, but then it goes off into a much more contemplative direction. Asking, what are we doing here?

Dr. Slump - "Arale is Born!!" (1997)

Nope. I could not with the spiky-haired 90s redesigns for everyone. Early 80s Toriyama designs had more charm to them.

Tales of the Empire (2024)

Some deeper pulls for this anthology series, but since I've caught up on everything I was glad to see what these people were up to.

Dr. Slump - Season 1 (1981-1982)

That's the stuff. Cute as hell and with that sense of humor I've never shaken off. Pink poops make my day.

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 5 (2024)

The season is kind of a roller coaster as some episodes bow to the budget, but the sendoff was good.