#no ones watching ggs for the drama its for the vibes

[allthisheaven2]

in an alternate universe dean forester mysteriously disappeared in s3 & someone struck asp on the head with a crowbar to rid her of her obsession with unnecessary conflict stemming from pathetic miscommunication and i got to watch 4 seasons of jess and rory grow as individuals and together until the show ended with them moving to nyc. however im stuck in this universe where rewatching s3 makes me sick to my stomach bc are u kidding me. this is what ur doing to the characters u painstakingly set up to be each other’s literal other halves. u spend one season building them up and developing their personalities and their relationship with each other and then u spend the next season systematically breaking them down bc….. what. a spin off that never even took off??? get real

[rainbowsky]

Hay 🌈☁️

I hope your doing good.You were eagerly waited to see BAH for a long time.Now we finally met Chen yu.What do you think about the episodes released till now and DDs acting ?

Do you remember GG and DD once told that, they wanted to play as a cop and villain or detectives on mission kinda roles in one of their interview?I feel like this drama is written for GGDD in mind with hidden LGBTQ vibes like "The untamed "(more than bromance) but cast changed to DD and Chen xiao.its sad we can't confirm my speculation.What do you think ?

Hi Anon,

Thanks, I hope you're doing well too. 💛

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

That's clownery on a level beyond what even I am capable of. 🤡

I don't think the show has anything to do with GG. It's an anti-drug cop show that DD was cast in because the director liked the look of him and felt that he had clear eyes and a youthful spirit, which the character of Chen Yu required.

I don't think it's possible the show was developed with both of them in mind. That's not how things generally work in the industry there. Once somebody has done a major CP project with another actor or actress, they aren't going to be cast in another intense drama that puts them face-to-face for a long time. Especially something that has a sort of propagandistic or nationalistic element to it.

There is a lot of government oversight that goes into a project like that, and the type of messaging that is allowed to be said around a police story is very tightly controlled. How the police and its members are represented is very tightly controlled.

Putting bromance or BL elements into a story like that would not be approved by the censorship board, especially not in the current climate there. It would never have aired had that been their intention.

I think it's important to remember that GG and DD are individuals with their own separate careers. The work that they do is their own and not connected with each other. As much as we would like to see them in a show like that together, it's something that is highly unlikely to ever happen.

As for the show itself, I'm not really going to comment much on anything about it until I write my review (once I'm done watching it all). I will just say that I am enjoying it a lot, and Chen Yu is everything I dreamed he would be. 🥰

[mego42]

What are some of your favorite GG song Moments. ? Here are some of mine.

1. Easy ft lorde- OMG this soong is such a bop. it just fits the scene so well. HONESTLY one of my fav scenes. HE IS LIVING HIS BEST LIFE IN THIS SCENE. I LOVE CHAOTIC RIO

2. Wild heart by SPELLES.- THIS SONG IS SO HAUNTING just fits the vibe so well. SO ANGSTY

3. The most recent song. Used in that Brio moment. Idk what its called . I know that Beth is having the time of her life but that song is just HEAVY. The lyrics 🙏😭😭❤❤❤ such a pretty song fr 😔

omg anon i love this question nearly as much as i love your taste. YES!!!! to Easy (i too love tf out of personification of chaos rio), YES!!!!! to Wild Heart!!!!  it’s SO HAUNTING and disorienting and PERFECT. and Y E S !!!!!!!!!!!!! to the most recent song (whole life by perfume genius). i am LIVING for the heavy ballad vibes, super agree it’s so pretty. 

in no particular order, my top 5 music moments:

blanket me / hundred waters

1x09 - beth makes the calendar laying out her kids future in case something happens to her

i’ve already exposed myself as an absolute loon when it comes to this song and you can read the whole breakdown here

but tl;dr it’s a song about relying too much on a person and needing to break free and be independent but not in a toxic sort of way, more in a for personal growth and the best for everyone because co-dependence holds everyone back and i really, really, really love that in context of beth and her children, her learning to step back and not smother them but also not give so much of herself that she disappears entirely because that’s not good for them in the long run

basically it’s sort of a thesis statement for beth’s underlying s1 arc

plus it’s just like, heavy and haunting and absolutely gorgeous and not to be like, unreasonably pretentious, moves me and i love it

notable lyrics: You're my blanket, you're my skin / You're everything within / You're my guardian, I'm your sail / A boat in your harbor / Gone under, capsized and sinking / Blanket me, blanket me, blanket me, blanket me, blanket me

-

whole life / perfume genius

4x06 - beth looking for a place to hide the wire/hooking up with rio

the song is all about leaving behind the things weighing you down and moving into a brighter, more free future and i love love love how that plays with the duality of beth hiding the wire and securing her source of information for the secret service BUT ALSO marking this moment as a turning point for beth and rio because it absolutely is.

(like not just the fact that they’ve resumed a physical relationship but rio’s invited beth deeper into his world and we’re seeing beth crack on a level we really haven’t before)

this season is leaning SO HARD into duality and the tangled up truths and lies between them and i am absolutely UNHINGED over it

i also really love the like, passionate ballad nature of it juxtaposed over this twisted, extremely sexy moment (intercut with dean joyfully trying to seize hold of his new hobby only to be IMMEDIATELY denied)

there are just so many layers to it and i love all of them

notable lyrics: The mark where he left me / A clip on my wing / Oh, let it soften / I forgive everything

-

ocean rain / echo & the bunnymen

4x04 - the beth and jane/rio getting the drop on fitz montage

the whole theme of this song is two people tearing each other apart and destroying the bones of their former intimacy which like, hello subject matter aptitude and it’s told through this GLORIOUSLY dramatic hurricane at sea imagery with ships being dragged below the waves by the hurricanes the two people have called down on each other set to a gorgeous over the top orchestral score

on a yrical note, i love that the song is basically the same verse over and over (interspersed with the chorus, obvs) and the only change is me vs you when it comes to who brought the storm down on them

basically, if you were challenged to come up with a song that represented two peak dramatique heaux nightmare factories locked in a never ending game of deadly cat and mouse, you couldn’t top this.

i am ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with the choice to pair it with a montage of beth finally pulling the trigger (with foresight and intent, shooting rio was p obvs a oh shit look what i did moment), a milestone rio’s been dragging her (down) towards since the beginning of s2 AND using him to do it, dragging him (down) into her mess (m ade all the more messy when you consider he was the target of it) (i just! love it! so! much!)

i want to live in johnathan leahy’s brain

notable lyrics: all at sea again / and now my[your] hurricanes have brought down this ocean rain / to bathe me again / my ship’s a-sail / can you hear it’s tender frame / screaming from beneath the waves / screaming from beneath the waves

-

el musgo / gabriel bruce

3x04 - rio watches beth make money

UGH GOD when that high hat and bass kicked in the first time i was like oh shit we are in for some DRAMA and sure enough we were as well as a more sexual montage than anything you’d find in actual porn.

idk, the fact that they chose this deep, dark, mournful about lost love to an elongated montage slow motion montage of rio watching beth make fake cash and deciding not to kill her for nearly killing him doEs stuFf to me

all i’m saying is johnathan leahy ships brio harder than any of us and is a more dramatique heaux than either of them, which are two really impressive feats to achieve

AND THEN!!! AND THEN!!!!! they CHOPPED THE SONG UP!!!!! so they were able to take advantage of the dawning drama of the opening bars BUT ALSO include the closing stanza about wearing the marks the subject of the song gave the singer like a scar where they took his heart from him and the INTENTIONALITY of that creative choice puts me on the FLOOR

LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

notable lyrics: I'll wear this mark like a medal / But it's a scar / Where you took my heart from me

-

kimono hill / sophia kennedy

3x01 - rio leaves the hotel

honeslty, lowkey surprised this one made my top five. not because it isn’t a fabulous song deployed with johnathan leahy’s usual mastery, but bc i didn’t realize how much i loved it until making this list

i don’t really have like, a deep, lyrically rooted storytelling reason for loving it, i just think the way they used it in the show is Such A Vibe

the way the vibrating synthy tones and underlying organ kicks in while rio’s getting in the elevator has this beautiful held breath anticipatory quality to it that works SO WELL to set up the montage of rio strutting out back into his life while turner gets murdered (a scene i have some uh, complicated feelings about but setting those aside), and the bolands’ fresh start to the tune of bouncy drums and looping vocals

idk it’s such a shining note to end the first episode of a new season on, i remember feeling refreshed and super hype for what’s to come

notable lyrics: no lyrics, just the vibe of the opening bars

tl;dr i really, really, REALLY love how this show uses music. you can tell they put a lot of time and effort and thought into it and while i know the trajectory isn’t working for everyone, personally i love it. granted, as you can see from this list, i clearly love the shit out of a down tempo dramatic ballad, so. if you are more of a bangers and bops person, i would point you to @nickmillerscaulk’s inbox as she is a Certified Bangers Afficianado.

[commajade]

hii here's a nice/lighter ask, have you ever ranked an f(x) album? would you be willing to do pink tape or red light? id be curious to see!! have a good rest of ur day <3

YES THANK U!!! already did pink tape!! i like doing album rankings while i'm on a walk and my 12 year old brother came with me so there's 2 diff rankings for this now. we were on our way back and i made him sit at a park bench and watch the red light mv so he could get then complete ranking experience.

red light is truly an iconic moment in kpop history... pioneered the dark summer gg concept. remember when they released a halloween song in july. wow. also the mv is fantastic, tho i remember being upset they dressed amber so feminine this time around lol. baby gay me being upset in 2014.

1. red light - iconic iconic iconic and the rock version with luna's incredible solo bridge even more so. the military sounding clicking as percussion, the perfect build up, the buzzing sounds the rock guitar with the electro production. it's a very very korean song a very kpop song. honestly could be considered a perfect example of what to show when someone asks "what's kpop like?". the different sections are very different and distinct but put together with such slick confidence and it's a song that's meant to get u moving. amazing harmonies. and the song lyrics composition video all come together into a perfect cohesive whole.

2. dracula - i love halloween i love camp i love drama this song is so much fun. i love the harmonies.

when krystal pretends to bite that guy's neck!! perfection!! and released in july!!!!

3. summer lover - i love summer music... 시원해 it's all mountains and ocean road trip vibes i love it

4. spit it out - such interesting production honestly the most sonically interesting song in this album it's video game music and the central theme is clever korean wordplay. to gather courage in korean is "to eat your heart/put your heart in your mouth" and the song is like you were careless with my heart and ate it when you don't even want it, spit it out. not sure what genre of electro music the dance break is in (it's not quite dubstep) but i'm into it.

5. milk - love the analog sounds in the back and the experimental weirdness of the soundscape in general i can't say it's my fave but its v engrossing. that build up and back to chorus is so satisfying.

6. butterfly - reminds me of mr. boogie with the dark y2k club synths. the melody is soooo good i love the harmonies. sounds like a club bop but not quite. kinda sci fi space age sounding synths with i think repeated pentatonic scales?? deeply pleasing.

7. vacance - a little musical theater, a little rock, a lot retro, such refreshing harmonies and production. love luna's floaty effortless powerful high notes at the end.

8. all night - sooooo good such a good chill retro night time driving song. like a stripped down disco citypop sound. retro drumtrack and synth piano but has a lot of restraint when it comes to actual synths. i think the bass in this is real?

9. paper heart - very american sounding song

10. boom bang boom - i would put this on a work out playlist.

11. rainbow - 2014 clubbing song i don't think ever got any play at a club

my brother's ranking:

1. summer lover - feels 시원해, like refreshing

2. spit it out - the pew pew pew sounds r like they're spitting it out. sounds like a video game, 8 bit.

3. all night - i like this one because it reminds me of we ride by brave girls. i guess i like night themed songs and citypop. we ride is driving downtown in your car and all night is leaving the city at nighttime when most of the lights go out and streetlights and windows shining instead.

4. vacance - a montage song, a good one too. like they're getting their friends together to drive to las vegas.

5. dracula - halloween song

6. red light - the video was awesome. i like the lasers. and the projection. it has like a story. eyepatch. cat. the song was cool, it had tension. it was fast paced.

7. milk - the background beat is pretty cool.

8. paper heart - i wouldn't be good with a paper heart because i crease paper a lot

9. butterfly - sounds like an advertisement from a trampoline park.

10. boom bang boom - there's no explosions i was disappointed.

11. rainbow - i didn't like it. it didn't sound happy even tho it has rainbow as the title, i was expecting a happy summer song or a rainy song.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

(Previously, on GG rewatch...)

Yes, I know that I’m late to the party. No, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s dive into the most nonsensical episode of this show instead...

I love that Jeff and Mary Pat are such a happy couple that Mary Pat can wander around the house for a WHOLE DAY and not see him while he's supposed to be home as well, and doesn’t wonder sooner where he's at

We need more shots of the three girls staring into space. Petition to have this mood back for season 4!

Dean: “You are allowed to feel sad or angry.” The kids: “More presents, yay!”

Kenny: “Presents come from both of you so if you're not married we should get double.” God, this child REALLY needs a maths tutor!!

The kids lecturing Beth and Dean for not being able to sort their issues makes me want to see their opinion on Beth and Rio's drama tbh...

Oh snap, I forgot that Turner came to mass too... Also Sara's deadpan inventory of missing cooking ingredients cracks me up every time.

There's literally no car dealership in the world that sells cars at fair price and has its employee high af like this (do you woo at work like this?? Do YOU???). This is science fiction.

So, does this mean that Mary Pat is still on witness protection despite Turner's threat? And they let her go to church?? I'm very confused...

Beth, facing something she can't open/bend to her will: hits it with a rock/a hammer/a roll of keys/a pool ball. Every. Single. Time.

Jesus, these church slogans are very inventive

Beth asking her phone back to a parenting Ruby because her crush didn't respond to her dozens of messages is a fucking mood tbh. Beth and Rio have the emotional maturity of early teenagers.

The girls facing Mary Pat gives me Once upon a time in the West vibes. Also Annie running after Mary Pat is one of my favourite moments ever.

Seriously??? A Brigitte Bardot song??? Someone needs to chill out with the vintage French pop songs asap...

Behold, the Greatest Inconsistency of all. Mary Pat telling her son that his father's death must remain a secret while she's been babbling all over town about it. Also. This says Four months ago??? So four (4!!) months happened ever since Mary Pat ran Boomer over?? @missmaxime does that fit in the timeline? So the dude's been hiding in an attic for months??? This show doesn't make any sense.

Forever in love with the edit of Mary Pat dragging a dead-ish body on a romantic 80s power ballad.

Please note that Boomer did NOT leave his phone on the tarp. Just saying...

Can someone explain to me why Mary Pat pretends that she killed and chopped off Boomer to the girls? I get that she wants to get rid of Jeff's body, but since she knows that Boomer's not dead, isn't it risky to claim having killed someone when this person might as well resurface the next day (and then the girls would realize she gave them the wrong body)???

So... That's Dean's excuse for scamming a customer? That he fucked up his marriage???? Jesus...

Annie saying that Leslie's alive, like... When exactly did it sound like a good idea to tell Marion that he was dead?? I mean, if some stranger came to me saying with certitude that one of my relatives is dead, I might instantly suspect them of being the murderer!

Those spaghettis and meatballs looked so yummy, though, I’m so sad they ended up on Dean’s shirt... Also I love that Dean is trying to have a dramatic breakdown moment but only gets an exasperated wince from Beth!

Now, Rio calling right after "How was your day, dear?" THAT'S a dramatic moment!! Dean must be so pissed haha!

Rio's comment about emojis is the foundation of my headcanon that Beth doesn't know how to use emojis right

Honestly, if I were watching this episode for the first time, I'd think that "I was at Legoland" was an ironic answer... Also am I the only one who's got Manny vibes during the Legoland description?? Like, he so WOULD say that on an interview...

"I'm about to be arrested for murder." "That sucks." Gosh, every line is perfectly hilarious. This whole scene would be peak comedy if they'd added warmer lights and a circus music instead of this dark, angsty setting.

In Rio's defense, he never said that Beth was work, only that her problem was. I love how she instantly narrows everything back to her and makes it personal!

Based on his pupils' angle, Rio's saying "pretty much, yeah" to Beth's vagina. Which... surprisingly ties up. Although it's clearly his most unsubtle way (and I mean, the bar was quite low) to let her know that she's everything but work. I just -- I can't with these morons!

In what Universe is this shower louder than Annie and Noah's voices???

I don't understand Annie's logic: if Boomer bought that vibrator, why would Marion point that expense out? And if the latter already knew about the credit card theft, why did she point it out anyway??? This makes no sense. Again.

Who has an attic in an apartment?? Does anyone on this show knows what an apartment is?

[greycoupon]

I’m back just in time for Golden Globe noms

Still can’t walk but I’m somewhat functional otherwise on good days.  And I’m testing fate by staying up all night.  Last time I did that I broke my ankle but only minor disasters so far today.  Onto business...

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)

Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”)

Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)

Nicole Kidman (“The Undoing”)

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)

So I’ve only seen Mrs America and Unorthodox but Cate was amazing in the best awful way.  She and Gillian have the same kind of vibe this year.  We love them.  We love watching them perform even when it is hard to see playing real life people who were so terrible.

Best Director – Motion Picture

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix)

Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Wait, THREE FEMALE directors got nominated?  And two are WOC?  I feel dizzy.  Is this reality?

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)

Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

Sarah Paulson (“Ratched”)

I can’t watch Ratched but here Sarah is amazing.  Olivia is great every season but Emma just blew me away.  Also maybe someone could tell the HFPA that there are WOC on tv but somehow they missed them all.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)

Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)

Julia Garner (“Ozark”)

Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Cynthia Nixon (“Ratched”)

I think most folks figured Gillian was a lock but it is good to see the incredible of work she put into this role recognized.  Hate she is up against Helena and if the Schitt’s Creek people sweep the awards again I may expire on the spot.  No offense to any fans of the show.  I’ve heard its good.  The Emmys were just a lot to deal with.

The Golden Globes will air live on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. PT on NBC. Virtual ceremony of course

PS watching the announcement live was a special level of fun wasn’t it?  It would have been nice to hear Gillian’s name pronounced correctly but meh, not really a big deal.  It happens.  The weird drawn up announcing them in chucks was certainly frustrating.  The full list of nominees for all categories went live on the GG official site 2 to 3 minutes before they announced it on tv..

[septiembrre]

GG Headcannons

Tagged by @sothischickshe. Thanks, boo ;-) 

Ship: Beth x Rio -- in honor of our lovebirds day for GGWEEK2020

38. What is/are their love language(s)?

Haha, this has already made its way into one of my ficlets. I am also writing love languages into my next chapter of Better Be Mine. I can’t let it go!! I don’t actually care about them as tool for my irl relationship but it’s so easily identifiable for Brio. So my headcanons here... 

Rio’s love languages: 

Rio prefers to receive love through Quality Time. 

Rio shows love through Physical Touch. 

Beth’s love languages:

Beth prefers to receive love through Words of Affirmation.

Beth shows love through Acts of Service

49. Do they have differing political opinions?

Lol, @sothischickshe I can’t believe you tagged me in this!!!! Stop reading into the underlying vibes of Beth/Rio conversations in my fics! 

So the short version of my response is: yes. 

Now the absurdly long response:

I think about Rio & Beth a lot. I think about them talking about politicized issues quite a bit and imagine them in conversation with each other, teasing their beliefs apart. I like picturing these conversations instigated by hard parenting moments, things in the news, and things that come up as they finally start saying more words to each other. I think Rio could also just directly ask Beth about her political beliefs (I can’t necessarily picture the reverse yet).  

I think Beth is definitely more conservative than Rio -- and that’s an assumption I make because Rio’s a Latinx guy who probably came up with lack of access to wealth, and Beth as a white woman in the suburbs who formerly perceived herself/her family as wealthy. 

Beth’s characterization is complicated -- sometimes it really leans into Karen stereotypes/white woman privilege (lol, I cannot believe they literally had her show up at Gil’s workplace. I CRINGE!) and other times her beliefs and actions positively surprise me. Personally, in my fic writing, I love leaning into an idea that Beth grew up more working class/experienced neglect from her parents. I don’t want to romanticize these experiences but trauma around financial insecurity & complicated family relationships personally resonates with me. Ugh, I love writing about it, and it’s something that I read in her childhood that I like to lean into. That flashback in Season 2 really humanized Beth for me and it really made me love her. 

Okay, that was a major digression about class, but her life experience must lend itself to her political beliefs. She married into a wealthier family -- a family that owned it’s own business, was financially stable and just... a family perpetuating all the harmful effects of white heterosexuality and problematic gendered labor. And she conformed to it! Beth diminished herself to make herself fit there, to find safety and stability, to feel worth. So, I think her politics as an adult are also “safe” and probably echo the popular moderate trends in normative, toxic parent groups. Honestly, irl as a queer WOC who is anti-capitalist and been forced to be political for my own self-preservation and preservation of folks I love, I would not seek out PTA Beth’s friendship for multiple reasons, but I still have such a soft spot for Beth as a character?

That being said, Beth in the context of Annie & Ruby is obviously a different Beth. She loosens up in these spaces, she speaks her mind much more freely and in these scenes she comes as a normal, relatable human and she’s funny and prim and awkward. I think she comes across as somewhat liberal but not particularly educated on the issues/progressive (as is the way most characters are characterized on network TV). In this vein, she throws around a lot of white privilege and because some of it has gone un-interrogated in the context of the show... I’m not sure how intentional these vibes are or if it’s just par the course of it being white-owned network TV. Obviously characters are allowed to make mistakes and do shitty things, but I wish there was more on-screen acknowledgement of race in the show, and more intentional naming of things. In regards to Ruby + Beth in particular, I feel like an American white woman can’t have a life-long/multi-decade friendship with a Black woman and not be intentional about acknowledging racism/the specific misogynoir that Black women face. But the show hasn’t really acknowledged this aspect of Ruby + Beth’s friendship... 

*stares at the camera like I’m on The Office* 

It would be such a rich opportunity to discuss the challenges of interracial friendship if done well. Also, what an opportunity to delve into what it’s like to maintain friendships across the years (um, it’s hard!!! Even with people you love so much! Tell us more about Beth & Ruby’s ups and downs!). Beth and Ruby care about each other so much. When they and Annie get friendship beats -- I cry! Just make it make more sense! If the show filled in these blanks, it would be so great. Beth is obviously awakening~ definitely so in regards to her gender and her power and it could shift her political opinions? The show definitely poked a little fun at her crime “wokeness” by having her push back on cultural appropriation with those other PTA parents. Just by the exposure of her own relationships, Beth has experience with the lack of American safety net, our terrible, impoverishing health-care system, and inaccessibility of higher education. 

So, on one hand the show tries to do a thing where they equalize and don’t name race in the context of the three leads, “they’re three women”, but then they play on racial tropes with Beth and Rio’s relationship... I would like for their interracial relationship to be more overtly discussed/acknowledged outside of Rio’s somewhat performative call outs of Beth’s white lady fragility. 

So anyway -- Rio’s politics. We don’t know a ton about Rio so we don’t have too much textual evidence to go off of. But, we do know that Rio picks at Beth’s facade of white women fragility all the time -- sometimes with more hostility and other times simply teasing. When I write him, I give him my own experiences of having to become well-versed discussing politicized issues by the default of growing up experiencing racism and xenophobia. Rio, like any Mexican-reading man, has probably been told to “go back to his country” throughout his life -- and I can’t imagine it not politicizing him... Though, conservative Latinx exist and constantly shock me with their assimilationist audacity. *stares at the camera like I’m on the office again* But, idk, it’s something about their characterization of him of being so worldly~~ I imagine him being informed and up-to-date on the American news. I want him throwing around his power and $$$ by donating to local, progressive candidates of color. But, this is all projection~ :-) 

Ha, I feel like this was too critical of my forever otp (and on ship day to boot)!! And of Beth. The show has a habit of putting Beth through the physical and psychological wringer, and what I want instead is for our baby to be out of harm’s way, financially stable, divorced and independent, and also forced to interrogate the more harmful ways she deploys her whiteness. Lol, no one would watch my show. I know. 

I love Beth & Rio. They thrill me. And like many others in the fandom,  I often want to remove them from the GG canon and make them have harder/real/necessary conversations -- and generally converse about anything/everything because they barely do that on screen. I love the drama of their scenes, but my happy place is skipping a year ahead and building headcanons about what they could look like in actual relationship with each other... and one of these daydreams is Rio pushing Beth on her politics. I’m in an interracial relationship with a white woman myself -- and one of the things I love is endlessly discussing political issues and processing and growing together, and I like transplanting that to Brio in my fic perhaps too much, and it makes them OOC in my writing at times. 

Okay!!! This got long again. Thanks for tangling with this if you’ve gotten this far. There were a lot of assertions up there and I’m happy to unpack something further (but, thats at your own risk y’know. Clearly I don’t know when to stop when it comes to writing these ridiculously long posts).

[humansofstarshollow]

Aside from all the obvious ones like season finales and the big relationship episodes, I always really liked 4x14, The Incredible Sinking Lorelais. I thought its style was really interesting, to see Rory and Lorelai so out of synch with each other and also thrown off course in their own life plans. I feel like it sets up some really compelling character drama and was a really honest portrayal of the kinds of difficulties I think we all experience.

personally, i am not too fond of that particular episode but you make some very good, valid points anon, thank you.

I understand what you mean and it certainly does show characters and plot developments.

I also must agree that it’s a nice change from the “fairy tale vibe” of certain GG episodes which often seems a little too fictional (yes, it’s a tv show but you know what i mean).

For example, People have complained, in the past, about Rory having it easy most of the time, just following a path that other people have cleared out for her with little to no struggle so, yeah, it is nice to watch her deal with the tough world of college and such.

Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts :)

[flairmagazineblog]

Weekend Watches- If You Have Already Watched Everything on Netflix

Everyone loves TV, and watching television is one of the most universal pastimes. With the plethora of shows available in every genre, it is hard to decide just what to devote your precious time to. Nothing is more aggravating than sitting down for some rest and relaxation to realize you don’t know what to watch. Like most of us, you have probably watched everything on Netflix already but don’t worry, we have put together a list to help you out. No spoilers, we promise! 

New and Highly Recommended 

Mare of Eastown- HBO: It is hard to find an HBO show that isn’t addictive but Mare of Eastown has lived up to all of the hype surrounding it. Featuring an all-star cast of Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, and Guy Pearce the show centers around Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) who is a small-town detective with a big city attitude. As she investigates the murder of a teenage mother, viewers quickly realize just how many wires are crossed in this small town and that being a hero can take its toll. 

Cruel Summer- Freeform: What happens when you mix teen angst, a forbidden romance, abduction, and courtroom drama? Cruel Summer follows the lives of two American teenagers over three summers in the 90s skipping from one timeline to the next leaving viewers desperate to know exactly who is guilty and who is full of lies. Beware, do not read anything about Season 1 before watching as even a hint will give away the explosive finale.

Old Characters, New Shows

Intelligence- Sky One: Almost everyone in the world has seen every single episode of Friends and if you are a mega-fan then you will be happy to see Ross Geller, I mean David Schwimmer in a new and hilarious role in the British comedy, Intelligence. The sitcom centers around an intelligence team fighting cybercrimes in the UK with Schwimmer being an ousted NSA agent who is begrudgingly assigned to be the American liaison. Hilarious cultural misunderstandings abound and even if you could care less about government offices or cybercrimes this show will make you laugh out loud. 

Why Women Kill- CBS All Access: Depending on how old you are you might remember Lucy Liu from the legal drama show Ally McBeal or the Charlie’s Angels Films but the Asian-American bombshell is back with an incredible dark comedy-drama called Why Women Kill. The first season follows three very different women across different decades who are only connected by their shared address. The Pasadena mansion where the show is set provides the backdrop for the three women to find out that their husbands have been unfaithful. Who will end up dead? You will have to watch to find out. 

Reality-TV 

KUWTK Final Season- E! Network: It is hard to believe that the franchise that launched the Kardashian-Jenner family into infamy started fourteen years ago with season 1 of Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! If you are a die-hard or a part-time fan that’s okay, Season 20 is the perfect way to say goodbye. Filled with fights, family trips, law school, and reconciliations; S20 is filled with nostalgia, to say the least. Hot tip, the season ends with a two-part interview with Kris, Kylie, and Kendall Jenner, and the power-trio of Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian. Bravo’s Andy Cohen is the perfect person to ask the hard questions and let us tell you—tea is spilled on all the hot button topics from the last fourteen years and it is piping hot! 

Shahs of Sunset- Bravo: This reality show follows the lives of Persian-Americans as they navigate life in sunny Los Angeles. Think along the lines of KUWTK or Jersey Shore but more…Middle Eastern. The crew is connected by their heritage and decades-long friendships but that doesn’t mean that each episode isn’t filled with sugar spice and things not-so-nice. Shahs is now in its 9th season on Bravo, so if you haven’t been familiarized with Reza, GG, Mercedes, Mike, Nema, and Destiny in the first 8 seasons…well, you better start binge-watching. 

Side-Splitting Comedy

Hacks- HBO Max: Jean Smart serves an incredible performance as Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance, serving Joan Rivers vibes and an addictive plot. The show tells the story of an odd mentorship between a 25-year-old writer and the legendary comedian who is self-centered, brutally honest, and fabulously rich. The Boomer vs Millennial subplot makes the show absolutely hilarious. 

Chad- TBS: Maybe the craziest concept on TV is dressing up a beautiful Persian woman as an adolescent boy but somehow the hilarious Nasim Pedrad has pulled it off. Nasim transforms herself into Ferydoon “Chad” Amani the very socially awkward, unfiltered, and hysterical 14-year old whose sole mission is to become popular. More than being a fantastic show, Pedrad who is the star, writer, and producer has created a space where Middle Eastern families on TV can just be, well, normal. The show is revolutionary in that it showcases the everyday lives of an Iranian-American family without venturing into politics or religion. Chad might make you cringe or laugh but the representation is absolutely necessary.

Binge-Worthy Dramas

Handmaid’s Tale- Hulu: Dystopian drama has reached its peak with Handmaid’s Tale based on the book by the same name by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The plot is not for the faint of heart as the show is set in a dystopian society that was once the United States but after a civil war, Gilead established rule and installed a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. Forced to live as second-rate citizens and unable to handle money, have jobs, or read the women of Gilead are the protagonists of this dark story and will make you rethink almost everything. 

The Chi- Showtime: The south side of Chicago is known for being poor and violent. This is no exaggeration, the city has been given the nickname “Chiraq” a mix of Chicago and Iraq due to the high level of violence. The show The Chi presents a coming-of-age drama series that shows the world through the eyes of the varied characters who are linked to one another through community, life, and love. Rather than hyperbolizing the lives of the Chicago residents, this show takes a deep dive into the everyday realities of multiple generations thanks to the brilliant writing (and Emmy award-winning) Lena Waithe. 

Weekend Watches- If You Have Already Watched Everything on Netflix was originally published on FLAIR MAGAZINE

[youthindecline]

New comics from Small Press Expo 2017

It’s been a while since I did one of these, but wanted to get back into the habit of sharing my favorite books and new discoveries at cons. As most of you know, Youth in Decline took a hiatus for a lot of 2017 to welcome our daughter into the world.  SPX is a fitting “first show back” as the setting and vibe feels like a high school reunion, packed full of our favorite cartoonists, old friends, and longtime readers. Here is me doing brief, quick, hot(?) takes on most of the new books I grabbed at the show.

Sex Fantasy by Sophia Foster-Dimino.  Sophia’s one of the best contemporary cartoonists working, and this chunky tome collects her multi-year series of mins into one thoughtful book. You can see Sophia working out cartooning decisions over the course of each book, with dialogue / camera / perspective experiments everywhere. The final two chapters haven’t been seen before. Just an incredible, amazing book from Koyama Press.

New things from my alltime favorite cartoonist (hands down), Michael DeForge. A new mini called Loose in his series of sketchbooks, and a massive, oversized new story from Koyama Press called Placeholders. It’s hard to even talk about Michael’s work, it’s so good.  Michael is an incredible writer, and the drawings (where, let’s be real, he can basically draw any & everything) exist to support the writing.  Special shoutout to the early YD logo sketch that made it into Placeholders as an evil startup / corporation, haha 

Two fantastic minis from my SPX tablemate, the incredible Lauren Weinstein.  Both of these comics, Normel Person and Perfect Maine Vacation, were nominated for Ignatz Awards and show the incredible and personal power of Lauren’s cartooning. Perfect Maine Vacation is gutwrenching (in a sweet way that kills me as a new parent) and Normel Person is a hilarious ongoing journal of life in Trump’s Amerika.  Did you hear that Lauren is doing a new comic for Youth in Decline for Frontier next year?  Dude, I know!!!!! (so beyond excited).

Ethan Rilly released the 5th issue of his fantastic series Pope Hats.  Ethan’s sense of his own characters and the knack for small moments and relatable, too real dialogue between friends really shines here. Pope Hats is such a dense and well-appointed serial drama, I’m a huge fan.

Everywhere Disappeared by Patrick Kyle.  Patrick’s new collection of short stories from Koyama Press.  A lot of my favorites from the last few years made it into the book.  Patrick mixes familiar shapes with hyper-present narration that does this weird trick on your brain and unfolds weird contemporary paranoias and ennui. Patrick’s short comics are almost like little polemics, or allegories... upsetting but also hilarious.

I’m Not Here by GG.  Another debut from Koyama Press -- Annie had an unparalleled and unprecedented SPX lineup, I’ve never really seen anything ever before at a show, the r a w  p o w e r of her team.  GG debuts her first long-form narrative, a quiet, slow burn of a story about identity and navigating the transition from un-responsible young adult to the burden of your own parents’ failings (health, decision-making, etc). Very restrained, withholding, and poetic. 

Language Barrier by Hannah K. Lee.  I LOVE THE SHAPE OF THIS BOOK. Both like, literally its formal size (small!) and the flow and design of the book. Included in one tome are Hannah’s incredible type experiments, her comics, her illustrations, and her personal stories. This feels like a true monograph, showing me the many sides and numerous formats of expression from an incredible artist. I loved this book.

Baby Let’s Cruise and We’re Together Now by Jasjyot Singh Hans. I’ve been a fan of Jasjyot’s stuff for a while and following his work on Instagram -- these two minis really brought together a lot of interssting threads. Baby Let’s Cruise is the size & form of an iPhone 7 Plus, and captures the furtive feeling of messaging with someone you don’t know, and navigating the power dynamic anxiously.  We’re Together Now uses an arch-metaphor to capture the earnest passion & paranoiac worry of a long distance relationship.  I’m really excited about what Jasjyot is doing (and will do next). 

The Look Book by Jeremy Sorese. A colorful, exploding collection of imagined (and observed) fashion and bodies and cute men. Jeremy depicts people with a weighty, playful, totally wild eye.  I stared at each drawing for 5 minutes, digging into all the little details.  Really loving the illustration and play Jeremy is doing between his longer works, so exciting to daydream about these outfits.

Starfighter Vol. 4 by HamletMachine!~  100% NOT s FOR w, the latest volume of my friend HM’s ongoing space sex opera is now out. I absolutely love Hamlet’s depictions of bodies, of tension between people -- she has an incredible skill for composition and the gnarly beautiful dance of bodies interacting.  HM has cultivated an incredible fanbase stayed true to her vision and worldbuilding. <3

Daises by Bjorn Daniel Miner.  A short collection of comics by Bjorn, created, conceived of, and produced on Risograph as part of his residency at SVA’s Risolab. Each spread is full of wild textures and color experimentation, pushing the risograph to ends I didn’t think were really possible. Melts your eyeballs, very nice!

A Modest Upbringing by Amanda Castillo.  A touching short story about families (and their pain + baggage) from an exciting young talent. Printed on Youth in Decline’s risograph this past summer as part of an internship helping us out!  <3

Summer Wasting and Sunset Lover by Sunmi.  Two minis -- one huge, one small -- from our friend and former intern Sunmi.  Summer Wasting includes a number of observational comics, sketches & poems, and a really thoughtful book design with little asides bound directly into the body of the comic.  Really exciting watching her work change and mature over the past few years, and so excited about her new press, Dandelion Wine Collective.  <3

Kissing, Waves, and I Can Love You Better From Up Here by Rebecca Kirby (aka reweki).  I somehow wasn’t familiar with Rebecca’s work before this SPX, but was really taken with her composition and use of color.  Her panel structures and experimentation in Waves reminded me a bit of Jesse Balmer and other controlled psychedelic pieces, while the bodies in Kissing and ICLYBFUH both showed an extremely confident and fluid sense of bodies (and color). Kissing was extremely NSFW and rad, while her short musing about a lost pet made me tear up a little. Great work from a creator I’m now following closely.

Drag Race Lookbook by Sasha Velour. Okay, so I didn’t get this at Small Press Expo but it was waiting for me when I got home. A lovely and thoughtfully designed book from the one & only... Sasha Velour!  Such a great recap and reliving of her incredible looks from RPDR, and the commentary at the back is the sort of thing I live for...  Who doesn’t adore Sasha? I have sweet but embarrassing memories of our second-ever proper meeting hungover at MoCCA a few years back as tablemates...  such a vibrant and incredible creator!!! ah

The Spectacularly Sad Surreptitious Spinster Snake Sister: Survival Spellbook by April Malig and The Untitled Queen.  This was an absolutely incredible gift from April!!!!  Sasha superfans will recognize this mini as featured in Velour Magazine #3.  That issue smartly photographed and captured this feature as an object mini-within-a-magazine... and this is one of the rare actual copies April made just for Velour.  Incredible risograph work and color composition... and it’s a little piece of comics/drag history. <3 

The Veggie Team by Ginger Craghead. 9-year old cartoonist creates wild mini about the pranks and misadventures of a team of wild veggies.  What more can I say?  This was legit hilarious (See the 2nd panel on the right page above, hahaha).

Yes by Tom Herpich. Final book from around SPX, this is a new mini from Tom... not exactly a comic, but a short story about isolation and gratification. It was startling and lowkey, and the storybook illustrations showed Tom’s incredible sense of framing and pacing. I’m such a huge fan of Tom’s work, it’s exciting as a reader to see him working through new work in his post-Adventure Time life. Available via his Tumblr still (I think?)

[mmecolbert]

What are the three things you love most about Gilmore Girls? And if you could change just three things about the series, what would they be?

ooh, great question! Thank you!!!

What I LOVE about GG:

 Tone. GG for me is a very comforting, nostalgic show. I come back to it when I’m going through a rough patch in life or when I just need a metaphorical blanket. Everything about the show –the aesthetics, the low stakes drama, the comedy, the music, the themes, etc. – gives me an “everything will be okay” vibe. 

Its focus on women and their perspectives. When I started watching the show, it was still on the air and I could just tell that there was something different about how it depicted women than anything else I watched. It’s what I now know it means for a media object to be created free of the male gaze. I think because it was created by a woman, the women are written to be so much more unabashedly complex, and to care about and think about things that women actually think about, and to have flaws and faults and make mistakes without being demonized by the script. The Gilmore women were written to be as close as possible to real, fallible, strong and soft, witty, smart women. Not necessarily heroes. Not necessarily saviours. But just…women. I think maybe because I grew up around men, this show was always really important to me to help process and understand my own thoughts and feelings and views on the world around me as a woman. And I’m eternally grateful to this show for helping to tap into that perspective and being “a big sister” to me during the formative stages of my youth, because I really need that. 

This one is very much related to reason 2, but I love watching the unfolding of the relationships between the Gilmore women. The show really captures how beautiful and fucked up and uniquely complex mother/daughter relationships are, and how they progress and change over time. There is so much psychology behind them! I get why each Gilmore does and acts towards the others the way they do, and how in any situation no one is ever completely right or wrong. As frustrated as I often get with ASP, I can’t deny that she captured some kind of fundamental truth about mother/daughter relationships that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anywhere, ever. 

Things I’d change:

season 6. it sucked. those things I love about the show detailed above? I don’t see em in season 6. nothing about this season makes a modicum of sense to me. I’d change all of it. 

the show’s attention to detail and story + character consistency. there are just SO MANY errors! it drives me bonkers. GG writers tend to change details, character traits, and history at fucking will, to fit into the plot of an episode. that is bad writing. for a show that clearly focuses on character development over plot, it forces characters to change to fit a story or bit way too often. it pulls me out of the story and makes me irrationally angry when a character does or says something and I’m like, “wait…that’s not right. three episodes ago there was a thing that completely contradicts what was just said/done.” (as exemplified by the existence of Anna + April Nardini). I’d have either put more thought into consistency/attention to detail, or hired someone who could catch those problems in the script. 

the development of Rory as a character. I feel like she’s ASP’s weak-link Gilmore girl. Her development is so wishy-washy to me. I feel like so many people debate who Rory is and whether or not what she’s like in AYITL makes sense because ASP did a bad job writing her throughout. I don’t know if ASP couldn’t pick a lane for Rory or if she just…didn’t put as much time and thought into figuring out “who she is” the way she did with Lorelai and Emily, but Rory is just not a consistently written character. Every trait that Rory has can be contradicted by another (rational/irrational, planning/impulsive, selfish/selfless, moral/immoral, determined/lazy, etc., etc.,….this is not “complexity” of character…it’s just a fucking mess). Consequently, every action or statement that she makes can be both read as in or out of character. And now that we know the final four words…I feel like they confirm that ASP cared less about Rory’s development and consistency as a character, and more about those words and the idea that “history repeats itself.” That reduces Rory to a plot device, and a badly written one at that. I just wish that ASP had put more deep, analytical thought into Rory and let Rory’s traits drive her development into adulthood. 

aaahh, I LOVED answering this! 

[valeriemperez]

@nikascott said:

The new do? More like this fan caught Grant before he had it styled by hair department 😉

LMAO, you’re probably right.

I could see them pulling something like Wally working with Savitar to save Iris. Savitar says if he does something, he'll spare Iris. (Wally kills Barry, Iris lives, perhaps? He wouldn't, but that could lead into Barry sacrificing himself.) Maybe Wally gets kidnapped (thus explaining KL being off-set), and when they find him, he's changed and is "working" with Savitar.

I love this idea, in the sense that it causes me pain and I could see it happening.

Also about Wally. Even though it is canon that Wally surpasses Barry in speed, he's been getting pretty fast at an alarming rate, too. He reached Mach 2 in less than an episode. That with Wally touching the stone to get his powers, Savitar using Wally from FP and FP itself as an idea to be free from the Speedforce. It seems that this whole time, he's more fixated on Wally with Barry ruining his plans. Killing Iris is added leverage for the interference.

:( Wally has definitely been getting pretty powerful in very little time, and I don’t think the show wants to keep people improving above and beyond Barry for too long.

Even though her CS storyline was seperate she actually go a lot of screentime during her kidnapping. She go all those scenes with E2 KF and Zoom in he first kidnap ep, then they went back to E1 and she had all those scene in the station and watching what was going on in Jitters and the scene with the metahumans. So yes, she was only really missing from 21

Wally sadly doesn’t get much screentime anyway when he’s not Kid Flash-ing.

Depending on whatever Savitar theory is true, maybe fake Barry is walking around the city?

That’s one thing I don’t expect is happening. But it would be cool to get another Barry impersonator soon! Just as long as they don’t kiss anyone, lmao.

My money is on that new hairdo is because of the movie GG is doing. But he could be using that hair for the show later. I've seen actors that would do movies with different hairstyles and episodes later on the show they film, they use the hairstyle from the movie.

He looked kinda preppy, but I’ll take it.

I'm not sure why he has a new look, but it looks cute

He looked happy, which is always good.

About the set pics from yesterday: Interestingly, in the photos/videos of them actually filming, his hair was in its regular style (there's even a video of someone styling it). But then after those scenes, his hair went into that different style. (And I believe there was scenes shot with it like that as well, but I could be wrong). Ngl, one of my [probably far-fetched] thoughts was that it's an alternate Barry, but I guess it might have also just fallen like that.

Nika’s got me thinking now that it’s just his regular hair falling weird, like you said haha.

Not to be a butthead, but, S3 of The ⚡️ seems to be progressing themes (largely) from S1. Barry is The ⚡️. Iris is a reporter. Barry+Iris are together [engaged]. Cisco is Vibe. Caitlin KF. Joe has (mostly) moved on from Francine. In talking about Wally+ these last few episodes I remembered that in 120 Eddie was kidnapped+121 Grodd kidnaps Joe as a distraction. Maybe Savitar uses KF like RF did Grodd and she kidnaps Wally? Everyone's distracted looking for them and Savitar takes Iris?

I think this is the first time someone has acknowledged my header in their ask, and it’s beautiful! This is an interesting suggestion... Hmm, it would explain his absence for sure.

Hey this is kinda random but I find it interesting that Riverdale and it's cast get a lot of buzz considering the ratings aren't that great. It seems like it gets more attention from media outlets compared to the Flash which is a higher rated show.

Riverdale has a large young audience that don’t watch TV live but do interact heavily on SM. Flash’s fandom is more lowkey even though more people are watching live.

Also genre shows aren’t really the ones doing photoshoots and whatnot, that’s usually for more glamorous teen dramas.

[haleyfury]

If you couldn’t tell by the title, today is my twenty-second birthday. To say the least, it’s definitely a weird birthday thanks to our current reality. I’ll be going out shopping – in mostly outdoor shopping outlets –  for the first time since January and I have plans to celebrate with friends later on this week. 21 was a big growing up year for me, and despite the events of the last five months or so, I loved being 21. I think 22 is going to be another big growing up year for me, as I navigate post-college life, real working world and grad school included. I’m trying to be more optimistic and less stressed in August, and I want to do my best to carry out this attitude this year!

I wanted to bring some birthday cheer to the blog today, so I’ll be sharing 22 of my favorite things that have brought me so much joy this summer, in the forms of books, TV/movies, and podcasts – you’ll likely recognize a few repeats from my monthly wrap-ups but I can’t stop gushing about them so much! I also didn’t want to share strictly books because I recently shared my favorite reads of 2020, and let’s be honest yearly wrap ups or a summer wrap up will be here before we know it!

Books

Some books that I’ve LOVED but haven’t shared too many details about yet or full reviews for include: 

The Heir Affair (The Royal We #2) by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks – I feel like I’ve mentioned The Heir Affair in so many blog posts this summer, but I officially read & finished it last week… and I can’t stop thinking about this sequel to The Royal We! I actually got too impatient to wait for a physical copy from the library, so I borrowed a digital copy and devoured it on my Kindle in about 2 days. The Heir Affair was everything I wanted in this sequel, and while I’m really content with the way it ended, I seriously would not mind a third book. 

Anna K by Jenny Lee – Anna K is hands-down one of the best YA books I’ve read in 2020. I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to use the Gossip Girl meets Crazy Rich Asians comparison because while it has GG vibes (and honestly not really CRA), it is such a story of its own. I loved its Anna Karenina retelling, and it just felt so mature. I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on the upcoming sequel. 

Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman – I didn’t write a review of Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox, having just included in in my July wrap-up, but it definitely didn’t do how much I loved this memoir justice! This was another Kindle read because I didn’t want to wait for a physical library copy. I watched the Netflix adaptation back in March, and while I feel like the show captured the spirit of the book (Deborah Feldman was also a big part of the project), her memoir is just so, so good and so different from the show. Almost immediately after finishing it I borrowed her second memoir, Exodus, and enjoyed that read too. 

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon – I admit that I’ve become more critical about what historical fiction I pick up because of my coursework and reading in Holocaust Studies, but I thought From Sand and Ash was a really well-written and untold story set during WWII. The book follows a Catholic priest and a Jewish woman who were raised together pre- WWII and the efforts the two go through trying to hide Jewish people in WWII time Italy, while they also have feelings for one another. 

Books I’ve also loved, but also feel like I’ve been talking non-stop about include:

All Adults Here by Emma Straub – Seriosuly, everyone needs to give all of her books a chance and I think her latest release, All Adults Here, is the perfect one to start with.

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle – The BEST contemporary romance I’ve read this summer (and maybe ever??). 

Beach Read by Emily Henry – The.hype.is.true!!! Please take this one with you on your travels to the beach, pool, or bed this August! 

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – Such a must-read YA book. I loved Emoni’s story about raising her daughter and her dreams of going to culinary school. 

Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl – If you’re looking for a YA book with great discussions surrounding sex and religion (and want to transport yourself to summer camp), Have a Little Faith in Me is the perfect read for you. 

10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon – It really isn’t summer without a Sandhya Menon book, and her latest release is another must read, especially for those who love frenemies-to-lovers.

Some romance reads I’ve talked A LOT about and have really enjoyed include Colleen Hoover’s Verity, Hannah Orenstein’s Playing with Matches, Robinne Lee’s The Idea of You, & my reread of Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments. 

TV/Movies 

Below Deck Mediterranean S5 (Bravo) – Below Deck has pretty much been my reality TV obsession since stay-at-home life started back in March. The latest spinoff season, Below Deck Mediterranean, might just be my favorite season yet. I love the crew and its female leadership and the drama has me so hooked this season especially. 

Selling Sunset S2 & S3 (Netflix) – I really think Selling Sunset might be my favorite Netflix reality show. I watched the second season over Memorial Day weekend, and at the time I’m writing this post, I’ve watched the first 6 episodes of season 3. I know I’ll likely have finished the whole season by this morning! I admit that the drama between the women is way over the top, but at the same time, I can’t get over the extravagance of their lives & jobs. 

The West Wing (NBC/Netflix) – The West Wing has been my family’s watch since about June. I think because of Parks & Recreation, it often pops up on my Netflix recommendations. My parents decided to rewatch it, especially because major league sports hadn’t been on for a while. I’m still on the first season – we’ve slowed down since baseball came back on- but I’m ready to sneakily watch it on my own because I love it so much.

Sleepless in Seattle (Netflix) – You might know that I love movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s, so it might seem really weird that I’ve only just watched Sleepless in Seattle for the first time! I really loved it! I enjoyed it a lot more than You’ve Got Mail, but I still have to watch When Harry Met Sally so I can properly share my rankings. 

The Politician S2 (Netflix) – If you’re craving a slightly ridicuslous, but absolutely addicting watch, please go watch The Politician ASAP. I think I liked the first season more than this second season… but that doesn’t mean I didn’t finish it in less than two days and find myself listening to Ben Platt’s cover “Corner of the Sky” all the time. 

Sugar Rush: Extra Sweet (Netflix) – I’ve recently realized that Sugar Rush might just be my favorite baking competition show! I feel like it’s so refreshing from other American baking shows because the judges are just so nice and not super critical, and I really love the themes in this season. 

The Babysitters Club (Netflix) – The Babysitters Club is another thing I feel like I keep mentioning in posts, so I think that’s enough of a sign that it’s time for you to watch if you haven’t! 

Podcasts

Bad on Paper – Bad on Paper is definitely going to make it’s way on to my yearly favorites wrap-up. I’ve really ventured into the world of podcasts in 2020, but Bad on Paper is my absolute favorite. I specifically make time to walk or do some sort of activity (mostly baking or cleaning) so I can listen to their new episodes on Wednesdays. Their podcast is such the perfect blend of books and conversations about careers, life, shopping, pop culture and more. I also love reading Grace’s blog, The Stripe, and I loved the first season of Becca’s RomCom Pods. 

“Behind-the-Scenes of Book Marketing with Morgan Hot (@nycbookgirl)” Episode by Sarah Bookshelves Lives – Another favorite bookish podcast of mine is Sarah Bookshelves Live. She does bi-weekly episodes in the summer- I also think she’ll be starting the fall with bi-weekly episodes as well-, but my favorite so far has been with Morgan of the bookstagram, @nycbookgirl, who also works in publishing. I loved her insight on the industry.

What have some of your summer favorites been? Any I mentioned? Do you have any book, TV, or podcast recommendations for me? Share in the comments!

Happy 22nd Birthday to Me: 22 Favorite Books, TV Shows & More  If you couldn’t tell by the title, today is my twenty-second birthday. To say the least, it’s definitely a weird birthday thanks to our current reality.