#there’s a quote from a book i read eons ago that i always think about when i read people saying how dazai doesnt care

[rosalinesurvived]

Yeah girl you are so *Dazai isn’t unemotional he’s never been unemotional he latches onto everyone and everything and clings so fucking hard he leaves claw marks on everything he lets go of; he leaves Chuuya and the Mafia for Oda and then gets thoroughly addicted to Kunikida who resembles them both so much, he ‘trains’ and ‘raises’ Akutagawa for survival in the Port Mafia and screws up so badly he obsesses over Atsushi to try and make up for it, Ango was his best friend and Dazai fucks him over just so he can hold onto him yet still leaves claw marks in Ango’s side, he is every age he has ever been and ever will be and what’s awful is that sometimes his love is too similar to his hate* haha lmao wanna fuck nasty?

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #456

“i don’t even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger, & that feels so rough”

What was the longest time you’ve had the hiccups for? I know at LEAST over an hour. I was in agony. What type of TV shows are your favourite? Animal docs. Have you ever been a complete fangirl/fanboy over anything? Bitch I still am lmao. Do you know anyone who has died in battle? No. When was the last time you went on an adventure? Bro, I could NOT tell you. I haven't had one of those in what feels like eons. What brand is your vacuum cleaner? I actually don't know. I don't pay attention. Are you good at rapping? Never tried, but I'm sure I'd be awful. I stutter too much. Name one world issue that upsets you. Just ONE????????? Well, I can name homelessness as very high on the list. How do you feel about tanning? I hate it. I can't stand the heat, so why would I deliberately go bake in it? Have you ever given a public speech? Yeah, in front of the whole 4th and 5th grade when I was innnn... one of those grades, idr which. It was for my D.A.R.E. essay. Do you read comic books? No. Do you force your way into conversations in which you are not involved? NOOOOOOOOOOO I'm way too awkward. Kiss with your eyes open or closed? Bro who tf kisses with their eyes open, that shit is creepy. Do you believe you can change someone? No. One can only change themselves. How did you react when your first pet died? I have no memory of our first pet. Have you ever drawn anime? No. Can you use a pogo stick? When I was a kid, I became a MASTER. I got one for I want to say Christmas and I was obsessed. When’s the next time you’ll see the person that you like? Idk, first he needs to get on Facebook and see I messaged him alsdkfjalkdj. He like never gets on there. Do you like bathing/showering? No. One, it's a chore, and two, it's actually painful for me, standing up so long and propping my legs up and stuff like that to clean myself properly. Have you ever considered entering a race? HEEEEEEEEEEELL no. Rihanna or Lady Gaga? Probably Gaga, idk. Who was your first good kiss with? Jason. What accessory do you want in your bedroom? I actually kinda want a TV now? What do you take the most pictures of? Flowers. What are you always in the mood for? Lately, Krispy Kreme donuts, lol. I haven't had one in a very long time, but goddamn does a hot glazed donut sound BANGIN' right now and has for days. What is something that you never turn down? Hm... how am I blanking??? What is something that you always turn down when offered? Certain foods or drinks, like tea. Name something sexy about your significant other. I don't have one'a those. What is one of your hobbies that you refuse to give up? Um, idk. As interests work, I may move away from any hobby eventually. If you could be a professional in any sport what would it be? Dance. If you could be a professional at any instrument what would it be? Violin. Would you rather be a surgeon or mortician? A mortician. That job doesn't even seem all that bad to me? I think it'd be kinda chill somehow???? I could NEVER be a surgeon. I'd be terrified of fucking something up. Have you ever been on a subway? No. Are you in love? No. Do you like having your lip softly bitten when you’re kissing? *eyes emoji* Do you want to get married when you’re older? Yes. What was the last band shirt you wore? PROBABLY my Metallica shirt? But I'm unsure, ultimately. You can have a milkshake right now. What flavor do you choose? Ugh, I've been wanting a nice chocolate milkshake for a while. Have you ever given someone flowers? For Mother's Day one year, I collected some wildflowers to put in a jar for Mom. I've also given Jason roses before. I really wanted to give Sara some when I surprised her for her birthday, but I didn't want to ask her parents to drive me somewhere where I could buy her some, ha ha. What day of the week is usually your busiest day? None. My days are all the same. Do you have any concerts coming up? No, but UGH, I was so hyped a few days ago because I saw Motionless In White was going on tour next year, but of course they're going to the big city on the OTHER end of the state versus the capital, which I'm way closer to. -_- Bands ALWAYS choose Charlotte on the super rare occasion they come to NC... Do you like or hate the smell of fish? Ugh, I hate it. What’s your favorite brand of chips? Doritos, maybe? Between Mountain Dew and those... I am such a fucking gamer stereotype lmfao. Have you ever written a poem and then read it aloud? I think I had to before in school? Idr. Do you like pineapple? Love it. Does your house have a dishwasher? Yes. A dishwasher is one thing I MUST have in my own future house. I cannot stand touching dirty dishes. Do you know anyone who has a flower tattoo? Oh, absolutely. Sunflower tattoos are especially popular around here. How many different languages can you say goodbye in? English, German, and uhhh Spanish? Agree or disagree: You like Adam Sandler movies. I don't mind them. I've never understood the hate, honestly? I think he's capable of being funny. Have you ever had to get a tooth pulled? If so, what for? Only by myself when I was a kid losing my baby teeth. Have you ever dated anyone while they were in jail? Nooooo. If you’ve ever babysat, do you like it? Fuck no, I hate it. What is your favorite flavor on sunflower seeds? I don't like those. Do you get cold easily? No, but I get hot extremely easily. Do you get a lot of spiders in your house? I don't think so, no. Do you admire nature? I positively adore nature. If only we treated it better... Name one naughty thing you’ve done. Done sexual things in places I probably shouldn't have, oops. Name two of your favorite things as a child. Pokemon and Webkinz. Do you own a Pillow Pet? No. They're cute, though. My niece has one. Do you tend to solve problems with violence? Absolutely not. Have either of your parents gone to jail? No. Do you know a hoarder? Yes. Do you wax, pluck, or leave your eyebrows? I just leave 'em be, honestly. Do you have any interesting scar stories? Not really. Do you hate the texture of meatballs? No, I love me some meatballs. Do you get migraines? Very, very rarely. They fucking suck. Do you like guns? NOOOOOOO guns terrify me alsd;kjfal;sdjfk Are turtles amazing creatures? All animals are. :') How much time do you spend taking surveys? A whole lot. It's just that I'm like... always bored and the randomness of surveys can add interesting little flares to the day, I guess. Would you rather visit: The Eiffel Tower or Egyptian Pyramids? Pyramids, for sure. Would you like to work at a candy shop? No. I don't want to work directly with people. Do you have feelings for someone? It's funny; now that I've settled the extreme indecision, I've come to realize that they're very strong feelings. How you go from being indecisive to really, really liking somebody, hell if I know. Which one of your guy friends is the best looking? Uhhh Girt is like my only real guy friend, so I guess it's by default him, ha ha. I'm not particularly attracted to him, but he's not ugly by any means. Do you have anything to say to your ex bf/gf? I'm so sorry. Which band do you have the most of on your iPod/music player? Either Ozzy or Metallica. Most likely Ozzy, though. Which song describes your mood at the moment? Hm. I dunno. Which movie(s) do you quote the most? None, really. Which one of your best friend’s friends would you most likely date? None; we don't share irl friends, being many states apart, and not even that many online ones. Would you ever let anybody else drive your car? I don't have my own car. Which one of your friends will be the most successful? I'm not psychic. What store did you last shop at? Mom and I picked up a Wal-Mart order the other day. Do you think telepathy is real? Absolutely not. When did you last draw something for fun? A few days ago, I started a drawing of Maieykio for Sara. Who makes the most in your entire family? I have no idea. Do you like writing essays? I don't mind, if the topic interests me. Do you think plastic surgery is no big deal? Nah. Well, I think you can take it to an visual extreme, but that's just my opinion. Do what makes you comfortable in your own body. Do you take your trash to the dump or have it picked up? It's picked up. When you sneeze do you sneeze into your shirt or your hands? The inside of my elbow. Do you usually have sex in the morning, noon or night time? It usually happened at night. Did you ever fail your learners/drivers test? Haven't taken it yet. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne? OH MY GOD NEITHER Name someone you’ve become a lot closer to recently: No one, really? Well, unless you count my change of feelings for Girt, but it's just that: a type of change. I've loved him platonically since high school, and it's like, I feel the same for him, just in a romantic way now? Does your car have a sunroof? No. Are you closer to your mom or your dad? My mom. Have you ever had a friend with benefits? Nope, not how I roll. Who’s the last person you cuddled with? Sara. Unless you count my cat. Are you friends with any of your teachers on Facebook? Former teachers, yes. I feel kinda bad for 'em now... They're all the sweetest, God-fearing people, and then there's my outspoken (online) and liberal ass sharing shit that's gotta disappoint them now lmaoooo.

[ahiddenpath]

My Favorite Writing Stuff

One of the best things about writing is that all you need is a pen and paper!  But we all have our favorite tools and luxuries, and I thought it might be fun to talk about mine below the cut.  Lotsa pics, long post.

Word Processors

Scrivener

The single writing item I use most is my word processor, Scrivener, by Literature and Latte.  At some point waaaaaay back in 2012, I found myself writing Growing Up with You in Microsoft Word...  And having to wait ten seconds for the screen to adjust and load new text as I scrolled.  It was just too danged long for the program to handle.  Just reading my manuscript was a nightmare, let alone copying and pasting to move text, shuffle paragraphs, etc.  Making a new doc for each chapter quickly became a clunky chore.

THEN I FOUND SCRIVENER, AND IT’S THE BEST.

Scrivener is... not very user friendly; there’s definitely a learning curve.  But it was immediately so much better for writing long fiction than Word that I bought a book on the program and read it from cover to cover, which...  I don’t think I’ve ever done before.  That’s how much of a game changer this was.

The feature I rely on most is the binder.

This is the binder for Four Years, which currently has...  Forty-eight chapters.  I corralled the chapters into two folders, one for the first year of college (1), and one for the second (2).  

If I click folder 1, all of the chapters appear, each snug in their own folder.  Once the Scrivener file loads, there is no further loading time.  Each folder can be moved by clicking and dragging, as can each text file inside each folder.  FREEDOM!

This feature alone was worth the price of the program.  They offer a free trial, so please check it out if you’re interested!

Portable Word Processors

I’ve mentioned these before, but I have two portable gadgets that allow me to write on the go, distraction free.

Alpha Smart Neo 2

This might look like the baby of a toddler’s toy computer and a keyboard, but it’s actually my baby.

Just kidding!  Sort of!  The Alpha Smart Neo 2 is a portable word processor that boots up in a second, is powered by three AA batteries for eons, and weighs about 2 pounds.  They are no longer in production (which is a crime), but there are oodles available on Ebay for about $20-30.  

(I used to own and talk about my Alpha Smart 3000.  The Alpha Smart Neo 2 is the latest model before the company shut down, and the keyboard is nicer; it’s quieter and easier on the fingers).

I honestly can’t say enough about this device.  I rarely draft on a computer anymore; it’s just too easy to find yourself surfing the web, falling down a research vortex, or even reading your manuscript instead of writing.  Alpha Smarts can remember what you wrote until you delete it.  That’s it.  That’s all they do.  It’s beautiful.

I write about 800 words/hr on a computer.  I write about 1,500 words/hr on an Alpha Smart.  Distractions are so, so real.

When you’re ready to port your writing from your Alpha Smart to your word processor, all you have to do is connect a printer cable to your Alpha Smart, then plug the usb end into your computer.  Open your word processor, turn on your Alpha Smart, select the file you want to transfer, and hit send.  If you forget any of this, it’s written on the back of the Alpha Smart.

I know that no one should blame their success or failure on their tools, but...  I wouldn’t be able to write nearly as much without my Alpha Smart.  And if you ever do writing meet ups, you’ll be the only person who isn’t fighting for a power outlet!  It also fits easily into a tote bag or backpack.

Oh, Alpha Smart Neo 2.  My partner and friend!

Freewrite

The Freewrite by Astrohaus is... um.  Well, it’s a lot like the Alpha Smart Neo 2, except that it’s waaaay more expensive, much harder to use, and has terrible firmware.

There are cool things about it, for sure!  For one, it has this weird...  Pseudo typewriter feel.  It’s much larger and heavier than an Alpha Smart, and I’m not sure that I actually consider it portable...  But the thick, angled base practically functions as a lap desk.  It’s comfortable to use and has a nice mechanical keyboard.

It has wifi capability, so you can send drafts directly to your dropbox/cloud/email, no cords or transfers needed.  The screen is an e-ink scree, like a Kindle Paperwhite, easy on the eyes and readable in the sun.  It’s also backlit, which is the one major win over the Alpha Smart.

I bought mine used off ebay for a fraction of the list price (this thing is NOT worth $600 on any planet, goodness gracious mercy dang!  I paid about $180), and, um...  I still don’t know if it was worth it, not when I can buy an Alpha Smart Neo 2 for $30 tops.  I mean, I like the e-ink and the backlit screen, but...  There’s a lag between typing and the words populating on the screen.  There are no arrows to fix a typo.  I had to send 10 emails back and forth to tech support to get it updated and working.  It was not broken, and I understood all the directions...  It’s just god awful firmware.  I also lost a draft because it wipes your device if you open their Sprinter program while using your Freewrite.  

I still use it, though!  The tactile sensation is really nice, the keys make a satisfying clickety clackety, the E-ink screen is lovely, I adore the option to write in a not-that-well-lit room, and the wifi transfer is faster than my Alpha Smart’s wired method.  But I still can’t recommend it as long as Alpha Smart Neo 2s are available, not unless you’re some combination of the following: a writing nut who writes so gosh dang much that these toys are worth it, someone who is big on tactile sensation, someone who likes hipster stuff, or someone who would love an Alpha Smart but can’t read the electronic screen well.  If this is you, make sure you also have a strong grasp on how to talk to and understand tech support, because you will need them.

Just never ever EVER open Sprinter...

Notebooks

Leuchtturm1917, hard cover, A5, dotted

MAY I INTRODUCE YOU TO MY LOVE, THE LEUCHTTURM NOTEBOOK.

WHERE DO I EVEN START.

The Leuchtturm is...  Just the best.  The hard cover takes abuse well, stickers hold onto it nicely, it has two ribbon bookmarks and an elastic closure, there’s a folder attached to the back inside cover...  The dot version is unobtrusive and encourages smaller writing, which helps the notebook last.  And it is available in a rainbow of colors!

The paper is lovely, the pages are numbered, and IT HAS AN INDEX.

I’m a scientist, and working in a Leuchtturm is just like working in a fancy, expensive lab notebook.  The set up is done already, man.  You just gotta jot down what pages contain what.  IT’S SO ORGANIZED, with almost zero effort!  Mi amor.

Sure, I could make an index page and number all of my pages manually...  But I’ve met myself.  I won’t do it.  When you combine all of these lovely features, you have one unbeatable notebook.

Plus, they’re easy to obtain in the states!  I order them off Amazon or buy them at my local Barnes & Nobles.

Midori MD Notebook, A5, grid

The Midori has even nicer quality paper than the Leuchtturm, but the cover can’t take abuse, and it lacks the nice features.  I truly appreciate the paper quality, but the other features bring me back to my Leuchtturms every time.

It’s a Japanese item and is more difficult to import to the states.  You can get them off Amazon, though!

Pens

I use Uni-ball Signo 207 gel pens.  They write comfortably, and using them feels satisfying.  They should be available in most Walmart/Target type stores, at least in the states!  

It should be noted that I’m just not a pen buff.  I tried fountain pens, and it was more trouble than it was worth for me.

Folios/Traveler’s Notebooks

Okay, so you found the perfect notebook!  Wanna make it SUPER DUPER FANCY PANTS?!  Well, you could try a traveler’s notebook.  

I only learned what a traveler’s notebook is about a year ago, so if you’re also in the dark...  It’s a leather cover that holds notebooks inside with elastic.  I own these chic sparrows, one for my Midori notebook (or whatever notebook I’m using at the time), and one for my journal.

My full name is etched into them, so please pardon my censorship XD

The chic sparrow traveler’s notebooks are so elegant and decadent and...  I won’t lie, I literally move one or both around the house with me, just so I can look at them.  

The one on the left is a Mr. Darcy deluxe, size A5, in the Wickham color.  The one on the right is an Enchanted Woods deluxe, size A5, in the Elderwood color.

They have lots of pockets on the inside, a pen loop, and elastics to hold multiple notebooks.  This one is strung with a Midori notebook.  I also have a smaller B6 one that I use as a wallet!  It holds a small notebook, so I can write down those ideas that always happen when I’m out and don’t have paper.  The pockets hold IDs, credit cards, and cash.

It’s just this... magical, opulent item.  While it’s likely the least practical thing on this list, it’s very special to me.

Lap Desks

I HAVE A HARRY POTTER RAVENCLAW STORAGE DESK FROM POTTERY BARN AND I FEEL LIKE A WITCH WHEN I USE IT.

Oh dear, I took a terrible picture, it looks so lovely in person.  

The top can slide in both directions, revealing enough storage for several A5 notebooks, pens, and more.  It’s a great way to cart your stuff into your favorite cozy nook for a writing session.  Plus, you’ll feel like a Hogwarts student!  It’s available in all four house designs, plus a Hogwarts crest version.

Pottery Barn puts these on sale occasionally.  I’d aim for 25% off before buying.

My Writing Bag

I decked out a tote bag in writing pins to carry my Alpha Smart, thesaurus, a notebook, and pens.  You can use any bag, as long as it accommodates what you need!  Here are my fave sources for writing-related pins:

Literary Emporium, who makes my favorite pin, “Still I Rise,” a Maya Angelou quote.  They have the most gorgeous pins.

When life gives you lemons, read them, advice for the ages

And fandom:

Digivice pin

My beloved Sailor Moon pin, the loveliest pin I’ve ever seen (not shown because it lives on my Sailor Moon jacket!).  All of the inner senshi are available!

THAT’S ALL, THAT WAS SO MUCH.  Please let me know if you try any of these out!

[battlestar-royco]

I was actually thinking about how SJM has never really done right by Dorian? In book 1 she has him fall in instalove with C/A to make her seem special, but she comes off as a user and him as dim. Then he pines over C/A because she likes Chaol, and they BOTH treat him like garbage and essentially abandon him. Then he gets happiness with Sorscha but she dies. Then he’s enslaved. THEN he falls victim to SJM’s Masculine Male Males complex. He’ll always be the one who was treated the worst for me.

Oh Dorian. He is one of many characters I wish SJ/M had written better. I’m still head of the Chaol Westfall Defense Squad, but that doesn’t mean I dislike (my memory of) Dorian. I originally liked Celorian and Chaolaena as foils to each other/as predecessors to Chaolaenorian ahahahahah if only that had ever been a viable option. Why Mess. WHY jfeoifoiipg. He’s a sweet boi in T0G-H0F. Despite the contrived scenario in which it was spoken, one of my favorite lines of his is “You cannot pick and choose which parts of her to love.” (My other favorite Dorian-related quote is WITCH KILLER THE HUMAN IS STILL INSIDE HIM. I love an iconic emo witch queen.) I honestly liked the exploration of his darker side in Q0S; one of my favorite tropes is when a softie/comic relief character goes through a dark stint (like Stiles in Teen Wolf or John Silver in Black Sails). I don’t remember the minutiae of the first books because I read them eons ago at this point, so I don’t recall Celery and Kale treating him badly, nor do I recall the way Dorian apparently exercised his class privilege over Sorscha in H0F?? But I take other antis’ word for it because a lot of you all have read the books more recently than I did. I still feel like Sorscha got the shorter end of the stick relative to Dorian, because ya know she lived and violently died in direct service of his arc, but I agree that he went through some Times in that fourth book. I absolutely hate what Mess did with Dorian in E0S. He’s barely even recognizable, and his journey becomes so fruitless. He never progresses from the self-hating, dominating, transphobic asshole; he never finds inner peace or makes amends with Chaol and everything they went through. It just ends. I can’t say with full confidence that Dorian got the worst treatment of the entire cast (I still think it’s Chaol, Nehemia, and Sorscha), but you could surely make a compelling argument for that. All the characters got fucked over, but in terms of the spotlight, narrative satisfaction, and characterization of the ones who lived through all the books, Dorian is probably in the top 3.

[rawbones]

2018 meme

i used to do this on lj eons ago so why not

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

2018 was essentially building upon 2017’s foundations so i don’t think i did anything new exactly

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My resolution was to take better care of myself and i’ve semi-consistently managed to do that

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

nope!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

nope!

5. What countries did you visit?

NONE traveling is a commodity being marketed as self-improvement

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

Physical fitness?

7. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

None because RARELY DO I REMEMBER DATES

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I guess getting the job i have now

9. What was your biggest failure?

The fact that i can’t think of anything indicates that this hasn’t been a bad year

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

[usual complaint about mental problems]

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I didn’t buy a lot that i didn’t absolutely need but i really like the floral oxfords i bought a few months ago

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My friends are gr8

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

lmao

14. Where did most of your money go?

Towards the essentials and probably too much wine

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Nothing

16. What song will always remind you of 2018?

The only thing i can think of off the top of my head is phaeleh - the mist but that’s only because i’ve listened to it a lot

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?  Slightly more content

b) thinner or fatter?  same

c) richer or poorer?  richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

reading!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

self-isolating

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Small family dinner

21. Did you fall in love in 2018?

I am always in love

22. What was your favorite TV program?

The only thing i watched this year was Miss Sherlock which is very gay

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nah

24. What was the best book you read?

I can’t think of one

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Chelsea Wolfe

26. What did you want and get?

A job and i got one

27. What did you want and not get?

AN END TO THE RENOVATIONS IN MY PLACE

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Honestly fuck movies they’re terrible

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

32 and i worked and was generally feeling a bit sad and disconnected so i didn’t want to acknowledge it

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Being better-paid

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?

I guess something like dark academia with pathetically few accessories

32. What kept you sane?

lmao

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

no

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Literally everything politically was fucking abominable this year how i can i pick one issue

35. Who did you miss?

Not getting into this

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I liked meeting the kids a lot but i’ve mostly just deepened my existing relationships and i’m satisfied with that

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018

I wouldn’t say i’ve learned it but i’m trying to be more at peace with the fact that i’m a WIP

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Yeah i don’t think in these terms so i never can come up with things like this sorry!

[thecostumeplot]

Episode 20: The Birdcage & The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Please consult these links for accompanying images: The Birdcage: Instagram, Pinterest Priscilla: Instagram, Pinterest

Both  

Welcome to The Costume Plot.

Jojo 

I'm Jojo Siu.

Sarah  

And I’m Sarah Timm. We're professional designers with a passion for costume design and the performing arts. Our podcast does contain spoilers. Accompanying slideshows for each movie are linked in the episode description.

Jojo

We hope you'll join us every other week as we delve into the wonderful world of costume design in The Costume Plot. [music]

Jojo

Hello, hello. And welcome back!

Sarah  

Hi! Welcome back. Nice to have you here.

Jojo  

Yes, definitely. Hopefully you guys have all been doing well since two weeks ago. It feels like an eon ago.

Sarah  

But it also snuck up on us, because we were like...

Jojo  

It did!

Sarah  

..."oh, god, we have to record!"

Jojo  

"Oh yeah, that's this week!" So funny.

Sarah  

We're gonna be more on top of it. It's gonna be great. [both laugh]

Jojo  

I know, we've already tried to schedule for the next recording ahead of time.

Sarah  

Yes. Yes. And we're not doing two today, so we won't get punchy toward the end. [both laugh]

Jojo  

Yes. Which is our norm. 

Sarah  

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Jojo  

All right. So Sarah, you want to tell us what our theme is today?

Sarah  

Absolutely. So we're doing a late Pride Month theme, because technically, this is coming out in July. But I think that pride is year round. There doesn't have to just be a month for it. So we we watched a couple of classic gay movies, basically. Yeah. And we're really excited to talk about them, you know, because it's important to.... Well, I personally think I watch a lot of stuff that references both of these movies. So like, it's good to know where those references come from, for sure.

Jojo  

It's so funny. Yeah, I will say I don't necessarily watch stuff that references these. But for my movie, at least, I've heard it referenced in many other ways so often. So I am starting today. 

Sarah  

Yeah!

Jojo  

So I guess I can introduce my movie, I will be covering "The Birdcage," the 1996 version with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams. And actually, this is based on "La Cage aux Folles." I think that's how you say it. I am not French. [laughs]

Sarah  

Sounds great. Oui oui. [laughs]

Jojo  

Which is basically how I heard it, because that's the one that's really well known. It's originally a French-- I believe a French play.

Sarah  

I think so. 

Jojo  

Or a musical? I can't remember if it's French, I have it somewhere in my notes. So I'm sure I'll come across them later. But that's what this was based off of. And the director, Mike Nichols, who was also very famous in his time...

Sarah  

He was very famous, yeah.

Jojo  

I was not as familiar with him. But of course, he was part of an improv stand up comedy act with Elaine May in the 50s and 60s, so they were really big comedy duo. And so he was a pretty big deal when this was made. So when Robin Williams signed on to the project with him, it was also kind of a huge deal for all the actors involved as well. So there's some some cool background information that I found about the movie. And it is actually their 25 year anniversary this year, I believe-- that this movie was made.

Wow, great timing on our part!

I know! I was like, "Oh, that's perfect timing." I think they actually made a bigger deal about it when it was the 20 year anniversary. 

Sarah  

Sure. Yeah.

Jojo  

So like, I didn't necessarily find a ton of articles about the 25th. But I just thought that was interesting. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

So again, directed by Mike Nichols. He really wanted to do a kind of very American version of "La Cage," so this was kind of his take at that. He's directed "Charlie Wilson's War," "Closer"... he did an "Angels in America" TV miniseries. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

And then he's also done some great classics back in the day, like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" 

Sarah  

Oh, wow. 

Jojo  

In 1966, like, way back when.

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

And then in 1970, the original "Catch 22" was also directed by him, and then he also did "The Graduate" in 1967. So...

Sarah  

Is he still alive? 

Jojo  

Ah, you know, that's a good question. I did not check that, which I probably should have. 

Sarah  

Hold on, lemme Google real quick.

Jojo  

But it's kind of crazy... I mean,, again, I didn't necessarily have this kind of previous attachment to Mike Nichols. 

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

But just hearing about all of these movies that I clearly know very well--and are really huge classics--it's pretty amazing, what he's done. And the interesting thing about this movie is that he really wanted to get improv actors, right. So when he hired Robin Williams, and he originally actually was going to hire Steve Martin for the role... 

Sarah  

Oh, wow! 

Jojo  

...that Robin Williams played. 

Sarah  

Oh, wow. 

Jojo  

And then scheduling didn't work out. But he wanted them both to be able to improv whatever they wanted in this movie. 

Sarah  

Cool!

Jojo  

And the only rule he had even, after he got Nathan Lane, as well... it was the same rule. The only big rule he had was that they always had to do at least one take just straight from the script. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

And then everything else was just, they could improv whatever they wanted. Which I was like, "That's insane!" Like, I can't even imagine as a-- you know, as someone who's trying to follow a script, especially nowadays you have like a script supervisor, right? 

Sarah  

Oh god, yeah.

Jojo  

If you're improving everything, I can't imagine trying to follow that, when nothing they're saying is in the script. [both laugh] 

Sarah  

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Can you imagine being in a room, though, with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane just improvising a whole movie? 

Jojo  

Oh, my gosh.

Sarah  

I'd be like, "This is the best day of my life," and forget to call "cut." [both laugh]

Jojo  

Yeah, absolutely. I just could listen to them riff all day.

Sarah  

Oh my God. 

Jojo  

The funny thing, too, is this was kind of Nathan Lane's big break too. 

Sarah  

Really?

Jojo  

So when he came on to this movie, there were a couple of interviews I was reading about-- I got really into the research for this, just about the movie itself, not necessarily even about the costumes. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

But Nathan was like, "I was just so enamored," because you know, he knew he was working with Robin Williams and Mike Nichols. And I was laughing because there were all these quotes about how Robin Williams didn't want to do Nathan Lane's role, because Nathan Lane is again playing the kind of "dressed up as a woman" and very matronly role. Which he was like, "I already did that in 'Mrs. Doubtfire.'" 

Sarah  

Oh, yeah. 

Jojo  

"So I don't really need to do that again." So of course, when he didn't take that role, and Nathan Lane just kind of stepped right into it so naturally, there was a little quote about how the both of them were really insecure about trying to figure out their character and figure out their humor. And I was like, "this is just adorable." I'm just picturing the two of them talking to each other. And then I think there was a quote Nathan Lane said about, like... "we're the most insecure men I've ever met." [both laugh] But yes, it just sounded like a really fun set all around. 

Sarah  

Oh, I'm sure it was.

Jojo  

And then moving on to the costume design. Sorry, that was such a long intro. 

Sarah  

No, you're good.

Jojo  

But this was by Ann Roth, who, of course, anybody in the costume world knows who Ann Roth is. She is...

Sarah  

I don't. [laughs] 

Jojo  

[laughs] Oh, sorry. She one of the oldest costume designers out there. And she's kind of done everything. 

Sarah  

Oh, okay. 

Jojo  

She's the oldest woman to win a competitive Oscar. That was what I wrote recently. 

Sarah  

Cool! 

Jojo  

She actually just won for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." 

Sarah  

Oh, damn.

Jojo  

Which I also want to cover at some point. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

She's been working since 1964. So even before Mike Nichols's first movie, which is crazy.

Sarah  

He has passed away, by the way. He passed away in 2014. I looked it up.

Jojo  

Oh, he has? Oh, man. Well, RIP Mike Nichols.

Sarah  

It's amazing that she's still working, though. Wow. 

Jojo  

Yeah, she is still working. It's pretty insane. But she-- one of the things that she is well known for, too, is that she actually was one of the first designers to really pull a lot of vintage stock, like truly vintage stock. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

Because I think she has some kind of a quote when she was working back in the day... she was like, "a lot of the West Coast designers at that time were mostly pulling from, you know, from stock--or costume stocks--and things like that. And I had like, authentic vintage pieces that I wanted to put into my clothing." And she says a lot-- and I think a lot of designers nowadays are really sticking to this, as well, of how authentic she wants the character to be. And how informed the character costumes are. She really delves really deep into, where did this costume come from? Is it something that they grabbed from, you know, a high school Goodwill? Where did that... where did that travel from to get to that Goodwill? Like, all the kind of backstory of really creating a character behind a costume was kind of... I wouldn't say she invented it, but she certainly takes a lot of care into thinking about all those details. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So anyways, so she's done "The Girl on the Train" in 2016. I'm kind of moving backwards at this point. She did "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" in 2011, "Julie and Julia" in 2009, "Mamma Mia" in 2008...

Sarah  

Wow. 

Jojo  

..."Stepford wives" in 2004. She also won an Academy Award in 1996 for "The English Patient." And then she was also nominated for the Academy Award for "Talented Mr. Ripley," but she's also done a lot of Broadway theater, she won many, many--and was nominated for many, many--Tonys. She did "The Book of Mormon," she did "Shuffle Along." 

Sarah  

Wow.

Jojo  

She did "Carousel," she won for the show "The Nance," which I don't know very well, but that's another one she's done. 

Sarah  

Yeah, I've never heard of that.

Jojo  

So yeah, so she's got a lot of like, really great credits under her belt.

Sarah  

Amazing!

Jojo  

So yeah, that's why a lot of people know her. She's just this tour de force lady.

Sarah  

Now I do, too. Now I can be like, "Yes, I know who Ann Roth is!" 

Jojo  

[laughs] Yeah, she was one of the names that I just constantly heard. She's, like, really scary to work for, is what I've heard. 

Sarah  

Oooh.

Jojo  

But she's pretty phenomenal. It's kind of like Julie Taymor, but of the costume world. [laughs] 

Sarah  

Oh, yeah. I feel like if you've been working long enough, and you had to kind of fight for your place and fight to have a long career, you kind of have a no-nonsense attitude that can seem really abrasive. And sometimes it is actually abusive. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And I don't want to excuse that, but definitely, I do think that-- especially women of a certain age, who had to claw their way...

Jojo  

Oh, true that.

Sarah  

...into that Hollywood career just have an attitude where they have to keep fighting, you know?

Jojo  

Yeah, it's kind of unfortunate, actually. But you know, it makes a lot more sense why they are the way they are. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

Because they've had to kind of trek through all of that. 

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

So anyways, I surprisingly-- and a little sadly, I did not find a lot of interviews with her about the costumes for this. So I will mostly be talking about how just pretty I think everything is.

Sarah  

Great. [both laugh]

Jojo  

But yes... so I'll give you a quick summary of the plot, for those of you who have not watched this movie. I kind of very briefly stole this off of another website because I didn't think I would be able to do this very well. But Armand Goldman, who is Robin Williams, he runs a successful drag club in South Beach, Miami, and he has a life partner Albert, who's played by Nathan Lane. Nathan Lane is also the star of his club, known by the name of Starina. Not very creative there. But so anyways, that's kind of where the start is. Armand's son Val, who's played by Dan Futterman... I don't know how to say that name either. 

Sarah  

I don't either.

Jojo  

...Is engaged, or gets engaged, to a woman named Barbara who's played by Calista Flockhart, who you might know better as Ally McBeal. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

And what ends up following is Armand and Albert's attempts at appearing straight laced--or straight--in order to try and meet Barbara's very conservative parents. The father is a senator, Senator Keeley, and he's played by Gene Hackman. And his wife is Louise Keeley, played by Diane Wiest. So really pretty big all star cast. I don't know if this is where they... well, I know at least Nathan Lane kind of got started here, but the rest of this cast is pretty well known. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

And one thing that I did write in an interesting quote by Nichols... or sorry, it was by the Gainesville Sun. Which, I don't know where that is, but it said, "Nichols wanted to shoot the movie as much like a play as possible without much editing." So again, it was just so interesting that not only does he have them improv-ing the whole time, but he wants to try and just shoot a straight shot of this movie. So I was like, "Wow, that's pretty amazing." So... anyway.

Sarah  

That's pretty cool, I like that. I like that idea.

Jojo  

Yeah. Agreed. It was a lot of fun to kind of find out more information about that. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

I had some fun facts, but I'm gonna kind of skip those because I think I want to try to move-- talked so much about this movie already. [both laugh] I wrote a lot of notes because I was just so curious and fascinated about everything behind it.

Sarah  

You have way more research than I have about mine. I watched mine late at night last night, and I was like, "This is good. That's enough info." [both laugh]

Jojo  

So funny. Okay, so I'm gonna start off with-- and I had to filter it out a lot. I was really sad. And I still had more than 10 costumes. So I apologize in advance. [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah. [laughs]

Jojo  

And I wasn't even able to focus on all of the characters. Because really, even just between Armand and Albert, there's so many costume changes, and they're all so fascinating and fun. So I didn't want to skip on any of them.

Sarah  

Yeah, because we don't have to focus on all of them, you know, but then you go, "Oh, I like this one. I like this one. I like this one, too." And then it becomes very hard to pick.

Jojo  

Pretty much! Okay, so I will start off with the opening scene. And basically we start off right in Armand's... in his club. And they're trying to convince Nathan Lane to get on stage. And he has this whole dramatic breakdown moment where he's like, "I can't go on," and he's sobbing. And he thinks he's ugly, and all of this other stuff. Eventually, they convince him to get on stage. And this is his first Starina costume. So his first performance costume. I just love it. I don't know, there's not much I have to say about it. I'm not even normally a leopard print person, but I just love that he's got this matching leopard print hat plus the muff, which he makes this whole joke about. And then he's got this beautiful kind of glitter, it almost looks like chiffon, just wrapped and draped around him.

Sarah  

I feel like it must be-- it looks like it's a reference to something, but I don't know what it is. You know, with the cowl?

Jojo  

That's kind of how I-- I feel like there were a lot of references in this movie that maybe I'm just too young to, like, get?

Sarah  

Sure. Yeah.

Jojo  

Or I just missed. So I wish that I had caught... I'm sure there are things that I missed, and wish that I had caught more but by itself either way, I just... it's just so fantastic. And I did find... I think this is it. Oh, it's very tiny. I'm really sorry. But this was the full, the whole getup. And there's even a whole joke that he makes about having the tail appear, and he just pulls the tail out of his muff.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So he's like, "Oh, I caught her by the tail." There's this big joke with that. And even like, the matching leopard boots, I don't know.

Sarah  

I love the boots. And I love that it has a tail.

Jojo  

Just... everything about it. Yes, so much.

Sarah  

So funny.

Jojo  

I need to start doing that with all my muffs. Not that I carry muffs around, but you know, if I did. [laughs]

Sarah  

I got my wardrobe of muffs that I just... one in every color.

Jojo  

My fur muffs. [both laugh] Okay, so moving on. The other character that I very briefly wanted to touch on--again, I did not have enough room to do all of these photos--was Agador. 

Sarah  

I love him. 

Jojo  

And I can't remember the name of the actor that plays him. I forgot to write that down.

Sarah  

Hector someone, right? Is that...

Jojo  

Yes. Hector...

Sarah  

Alon... sa ...

Jojo  

Ansari? No, that's not his last name. Ah. Anyways, they will come back to me at some point. 

Sarah  

Hector... 

Jojo  

I'm gonna look-- I'll look it up.

Sarah  

Alonzo. No, that's not Hector Alonzo... shoot.

Jojo  

What's his name?! 

Sarah  

Hank Azaria!

Jojo  

Hank Azaria. Okay, thanks.

Sarah  

He has the same initials as Hector Alonzo.

Jojo  

I was like, "I know there's a Z..." Oh, okay, that's why.

Sarah  

I get those names confused. Yes, I love him. He's great.

Jojo  

[laughs] But I wanted to pull all of... and again, this is only a few of his looks. Not all of them. But I love that Ann kind of gave him sort of like a Dukes of Hazzard look.

Sarah  

Yes.

Jojo  

Where he's always got the jean cutoffs, and the little crop tops. [laughs] Just that he's got this giant rip in the side of his jeans.

Sarah  

Mmhmm. Basically underwear. 

Jojo  

Showing off his legs. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

Basically. Yeah, exactly. So I just thought that was kind of funny. It was... you know, it's interesting. There's so many interviews about him and how he felt like he was worried about how he portrayed, you know, the gay Latino population at the time. And I think they were trying to do a sequel, and he refused because he was like, "I just don't think I can represent this culture, or this demographic correctly." 

Sarah  

Wow! 

Jojo  

And this was also-- I think it was this was more recently. 

Sarah  

Right, right, right.

Jojo  

Now that they've had all of these talks about representing the right group.

Sarah  

Well, yeah, because I mean-- this is definitely a conversation we can have about both our movies. It's that like, at the time, being an openly gay person was not really synonymous with being a successful actor. 

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

So like, anyone who was gay was usually closeted. So the people who portrayed gay people in media were usually straight, or at least straight-appearing. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And nowadays, people try to cast, you know, queer people to play queer people. And I think that that's generally pretty important, especially since it's hard for gay actors to get jobs. So they should be in those roles.

Jojo  

I think it's very similar to the same conversation we're having about diversity, right? 

Sarah  

Yes.

Jojo  

Like, you know, an Asian person should be playing an Asian, not that we have to stereotype it. But like, I mean, even in these, the straight people are also... these roles are very stereotyped. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

I mean-- and again, I don't necessarily... I mean, I know people that are homosexual, but not necessarily all of them act like this. 

Sarah  

Right.

Jojo  

So again, there's a lot of misconceptions about this. This is one of the first times they're really putting it out in the open. So, you know, how much of that leeway are they taking? And how much of it is Hollywood trying to create a persona, right? 

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

And, you know, it's the same problem that we're having even today with diverse voices and trying to represent equally all of those voices. 

Sarah  

Totally. And I've heard a lot of people be like, "Oh, well, you know, actors can portray... they're actors. They can, you know, they can dive into whatever role." And it's like, sure, but if it's "give this gay actor a job" or "give this straight actor a job," queer actors have a harder time getting cast. So they should be cast in these roles that are basically FOR them. They're made for other queer people to see themselves on screen. So... yeah, that's... that's it. [laughs]

Jojo  

Yeah. I think that's definitely an age-old argument that I'm sure will continue for a while. [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah. Yeah. 

Jojo  

All right. Cool.

Sarah  

Anyway! 

Jojo  

Moving on. We went on a very...

Sarah  

It's an important convo! 

Jojo  

...very important tangent, but yes. So this outfit is not necessarily in the movie, but I did want to pull this out because one of the first scenes that Armand is seen in, he's in this Versace, which he wears a lot of. He wears a lot of these kind of Versace shirts, which also is very Miami.

Sarah  

Very Miami, yeah.

Jojo  

So I thought that was really very appropriate. And I think, you know, not necessarily having lived in Miami or having had experienced that, but there is sort of a visual image of that. 

Sarah  

Well, 'cuz... 

Jojo  

...when you think of Miami from this time as well.

Sarah  

Yeah, 'cuz that's where he lived. That's where Versace lived. So...

Jojo  

Right, right.

Sarah  

...especially in the 90s, in the 80s and 90s. It was very Versace all the time. 

Jojo  

Yeah. And same with Dolce and Gabbana, I think?

Sarah  

I don't know. 

Jojo  

Is that correct? I'm not sure. But I know Dolce and Gabbana is also very well represented in this movie, so a lot of their clothes were used. 

Sarah  

Nice.

Jojo  

So again, you know, this idea of Ann Roth really taking realistic things that they want to pull from that area, and from the brands that are nearby. I just thought that was really appropriate. So anyways, I just really liked this shirt. And he-- Robin Williams is often portrayed in this kind of a silhouette, where he's always wearing this very loose open shirt over a white A-shirt. Or for many of you, it used to be called the "wife beater." We do not call it that anymore.

Sarah  

We do not!

Jojo  

We call it an A-shirt. [laughs] So that's what he's wearing most of the time underneath, or sometimes a black t-shirt, or a black A-shirt. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

And then he's always got these  really wide kind of... they're almost like palazzo pants? But they're very billowy and it's great watching him just like, run around everywhere and kind of inwardly panic. 'Cuz he's sort of the one that needs to be kind of controlled. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

I had this interesting quote from Nichols that said, "what I wanted in our mind was the kind of suppressed hysteria. Someone who could appear perfectly straight and ordinary, but with a little something just under the surface that he can't completely control."

Sarah  

Uh huh. 

Jojo  

"Robin played that brilliantly." So I think that was absolutely accurate. And I just thought that was so funny, that he really is obviously very, very flamboyantly dressed, but he still tries to kind of keep everything under control. Whereas Nathan Lane is kind of overly dramatic, always crying. 

Sarah  

Right. 

Jojo  

Always screaming, you know, so it was just kind of a funny contrast between the two of them. Okay, next one. So I pulled this image, and this is probably the only image I've pulled of the senator-- or sorry, the Keeley family. And the only reason I didn't pull more pictures of them is because most of the movie they are in these pretty conservative, you know, suits. The mom is always in some kind of a conservative suit dress. And then even Calista is-- she's always in these braids, and it's very preppy. There's one scene where she's in, like, a flannel. And I think that's her only time she kind of dresses down. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

But the rest of the time, very, very preppy looking until the very end. And so one of the things I wanted to do with this image is just to kind of show the color contrast. Because I think Ann did a really good job of keeping this family--this nuclear family--in a very Earth tone, kind of grays--and some monochrome charcoals and grays--but it was mostly in the gray family. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

Or maybe some beige, but that was about it. So like, you don't really see them go anywhere else. And then in contrast, when they arrive in Miami to meet Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, then it's this huge contrast of just colors, patterns, everything.

Sarah  

Yeah, Miami is a very colorful place, just like... on its own.

Jojo  

Yeah. Okay, moving on. So this is all within maybe the first, like, 30 minutes of the movie. [both laugh] So this is why I had such a hard time filtering, but I just love this outfit. Like, again, this is still him kind of not necessarily dressed as Starina, but it's another one of his acts in the performance, and he's supposed to be playing a clown. But I just love that he's got these-- the pink gloves are just like... I just think it's such a great touch. And then the top hat, and he's kind of got this clown... it's almost like a cross between a sailor with the striped vest. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

Versus like, you know, the traditional clown with the oversized flower and the patches on his jacket. And I also have a full body shot of this.

Sarah  

[laughs] Look at those shoes. 

Jojo  

I just thought it was-- I mean, you never seen his shoes in this movie.

Sarah  

Oh my god.

Jojo  

But I just thought it was so funny that, you know, they have the full look. 

Sarah  

Wow. 

Jojo  

But yes, what a character. I mean, Nathan Lane must have had so much fun with all of these costume changes. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So... not too much to add to that. Yet another Nathan Lane. And this is when they find out Val is is home with them. 

Sarah  

Uh huh.

Jojo  

So he goes out and basically is shopping in the... it's basically this really quick shot of him just walking through the marketplace in Miami. And I just-- I don't know, I just love this whole outfit. Again, there's not much notes that I have for any of these costumes really, except that they're just... they're just so great.

Sarah  

I love how his vibe is kind of... Golden Girls-y? 

Jojo  

Yes, very much so. 

Sarah  

He has a glasses chain and like, a little collared shirt. [both laugh]

Jojo  

It's so cute. Yeah. And then the little bag. And I think these are... I think they're pink, or like a peach color, kind of pant. And in the-- again, I don't know if this is Versace, but it looks very Versace pattern?

Sarah  

The chain. Yeah. 

Jojo  

In terms of-- yeah, the chain, and then the vest. It's kind of a vest. I don't know.

Sarah  

I mean the chain print, the chain print is very Versace.

Jojo  

Yeah, yes. 

Sarah  

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Jojo  

So I just-- I just love it. And then this is when he arrives home, and again Agador is just in his little Dukes of Hazzard jean shorts. [laughs] And again, this contrast of the two of them, obviously Robin Williams is still very flamboyant. But he's kind of-- he's got like, it's almost like a... it's not a smoking jacket. I know it's a robe. But it is sort of one of those things where I feel like he feels like the more austere of the two of them.

Sarah  

Sure. 

Jojo  

And Nathan Lane is just kind of like the flighty, always waving his hands everywhere and always saying something in high pitched voices.

Sarah  

But that creates a balance the relationship. Right? You can't both be like that. You need one... 

Jojo  

Yes.

Sarah  

...you need to balance each other out. [laughs]

Jojo  

Absolutely, absolutely. Even just  the little glasses, I think it's just such a great touch, all the little details that she includes on there. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

One of the other things that I wrote down, too, is that he's-- Robin Williams is always wearing these three gold chains. And both of them are always wearing a ton of gold rings. So I don't know if-- and again, this is kind of where I feel like I'm not the expert in terms of like, what is culturally appropriate for this group, or this community. But like, all the gold rings that they're wearing, it just felt like a very... I don't know if it was just something associated with their specific club, or just the two of them, or if it was something that is common in Miami in the homosexual community. I don't know. So that was kind of a question, I guess, that I had. 

Sarah  

Yeah, I don't have an answer. I don't know a lot about Miami or gay culture in Miami in the 90s. But if anybody does, feel free to tell us! 

Jojo  

Yeah, definitely. It was just-- it was an interesting choice. I mean, because it definitely worked with their character, but I wasn't sure if that was just a character thing.

Sarah  

I've definitely watched the "American Crime Story" on Gianni Versace. And I feel like he was constantly covered in rings. So maybe it's just like a style thing. A late 80s/early 90s Miami thing of lots of gold jewelry. 

Jojo  

Yeah, definitely, because Nathan also makes a comment about how he takes off all of his rings in order to become the straightlaced, conservative man. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

So I just, you know, I thought it was it was an interesting question that I had about, you know, the character. But back to the necklaces that-- or the chains that Robin Williams is wearing. It's interesting, because I couldn't figure out what two of them were, but there is one that's clearly a Jewish Star of David, which you don't really... I mean, they don't make any comment on the fact that they're Jewish until, like, the last maybe 10 minutes of movie. 

Sarah  

Interesting. 

Jojo  

But it's, you know... again, it's such a tiny detail. But like, clearly Ann Roth has thought about like, okay, even though he... you know, he doesn't necessarily exude like, "I'm this Jewish," whatever. It's like a little kind of commentary on what's important to him, and that he still wears that as a symbol. 

Sarah  

Right.

Jojo  

So yes, anyways, that I just thought that was interesting. Moving on. Okay, another great Nathan Lane look. [laughs] Again, just prepping for performance. But I also just wanted to pull in, even though this movie was made in in the late 90s, there's definitely a lot of late 80s references and the kind of-- you know, the leotards and the workout gear from the 80s. All of that kind of gets carried over. And again, you know, these are... they're clearly very flamboyant. And they're clearly very comfortable in who they are. But I just thought that it was so interesting that she had set a lot of their costumes in... back in the late 80s. And setting isn't really ever established in this movie. 

Sarah  

Right. 

Jojo  

But I think there's so much more fun prints, and things like that, that are happening in the 80s. So part of me wonders if they were setting it in that time, or if she was just trying to bring back those things, because it was so fashionable and trendy,

Sarah  

I think it's probably carryover. I think that we forget, kind of, because we look at the... we look at the decade as a whole and we say, "Oh, well, these are the hallmarks of this decade." But we kind of forget that a lot of things carry through, you know. It doesn't end at '89 and go into '90 and everybody's like, "we're gonna dress completely differently now." You know, things kind of bleed into each other. So I definitely think that aerobics gear was still happening in the 90s. It was probably just like, different colors, different cuts, kind of thing.

Jojo  

Yeah, definitely. So yes, I just-- again, I just love this look. Not too many notes, like I said, just really fun outfits for Nathan Lane. And just interesting seeing him in this kind of a role, too. I mean, I think he does play a lot of these kinds of roles. But I think it's just fun to see him, you know, really own this character. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

So there's another-- I think this is the Dolce and Gabbana shirt...

Sarah  

Mmkay. 

Jojo  

...that he's wearing, because I think there's actually... there was some kind of an auction that I found the same image on. And they were like, "there's a label that says 'D&G' on the inside." 

Sarah  

Hmm!

Jojo  

But he's also got these... you can't see it in the picture. But supposedly, they're actually silk yellow-and-green striped pants. 

Sarah  

Ooh.

Jojo  

So like, even though the color doesn't read as bright here, it's just... you know, again, this idea of really bringing in color. And the mix of patterns, I think, is so fun too. And again, still holding to that same silhouette. I think it tells us a lot about Robin Williams's character. And again, it gives us so much about who he is. And yet when he plays the character, because again, there's so many stereotypes about what a homosexual character acts like, and looks like, and all of these things. And I think Robin Williams really made a very balanced acting choice of kind of carrying him a little more subtle.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

As opposed to like, the traditional and stereotypical homosexual man. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So I pulled this image because this is one of the ones that I think was probably my least favorite. And not because I think it didn't add to the comedic factor. Like, I think that part of it was very successful. But this is when they're out on the beach. And it's this picture and, I think, this one.

Sarah  

Hmm. 

Jojo  

This is kind of a better idea of what they're wearing. 

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

But I think I was just a little confused about this. Like, it almost looks like pajamas.

Sarah  

Pajamas, yeah. [laughs] 

Jojo  

And I know, obviously, that is my contemporary look at this matching set. 

Sarah  

I don't know...

Jojo  

But I was also trying to find images of this in the 80s. And I was like, "everyone around them is wearing these..." you know, there's a whole scene at the end where senator Keeley is driving into Miami, and there's all these people rollerblading in little thong bikinis and stuff. 

Sarah  

Yeah. [laughs] 

Jojo  

And I'm like, "who is wearing this to the beach?!" Like...

Sarah  

Just, like, full long sleeved pajamas.

Jojo  

Yeah. And like, even Nathan Lane, I think when I first looked at him, it almost didn't register that the bottoms were white. It almost looked like he was wearing also a matching set of pink gingham and pink on the bottom. 

Sarah  

Huh.

Jojo  

So yeah, I think-- I mean, at least for him, when I see the full suit, it looks a little less weird. Like, he just kind of looks like he's trying to cover himself up at the beach. And maybe this looks a little more like "Miami Vice" or something? Like, he kind of was sort of wearing a suit? 

Sarah  

Yeah, it looks like maybe it's linen, you know, summer weight. But still, on the beach, you would think that they would look like they're on the beach. [laughs]

Jojo  

Right. And like, he's only in this outfit when he's under the umbrella. The rest of the scene, he's just in this. And I'm like... I'm very confused. [laughs]

Sarah  

It just seems like a lot of clothes.

Jojo  

With everything else they're wearing.... Yeah, with everything else they're wearing in the rest of the movie, I think this look for both of them... I was very just kind of thrown off. I was like, "this seems very 'not them.'" 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

So yes. I'd be curious to hear what Roth's thoughts were on this choice. 

Sarah  

Yeah. Me too.

Jojo  

Or like, where these outfits came from. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

Okay, moving on. So... another great look for the two of them. So halfway through when they basically are trying to meet Senator Keeley and his wife.... So the son Val basically doesn't believe that Nathan can play a straight man, because at first their idea is to have him play the uncle who's just kind of, you know, close...

Sarah  

Right.

Jojo  

...close to the family. And then they just-- they don't think that's gonna work. So Robin Williams--or Armand--ends up deciding to come up with this idea to contact Val's true mother, who was how Val was conceived. 

Sarah  

Right.

Jojo  

And so they try to get her to come for the dinner. There's all kinds of mishaps that happen with that as well, so Nathan Lane ends up dressing up as a woman to play the wife. However, when they go to visit the mother, this is the outfit that they show up in. And I just love that, you know, Nathan Lane's just-- I love the yellow, first of all. I think that that was a really nice touch of tying them together. And I think, again, Ann Roth does this really great thing about being able to tie groups together so you can really associate them together by color. So the fact that, you know, he's got this kind of matching yellow patterned shirt, and then he's got a little tie there. What did I write on my notes? Let's see. I put, "Albert's personality sort of reminds me of a little bit of a 50s/60s housewife." Still very "Golden Girls," I think, with the neckerchief. And even the little hat, and again, the rose-colored glasses. Or... I guess they're not really rose, they're kind of more yellow in this case. 

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

And then kind of comparing that to Armand's very masculine suits, which remind me a lot more of the very quintessential 80s. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So I just think it's so funny that he really does play the part of kind of the traditional housewife to a certain extent, and even when he dresses up as the woman, too. Obviously very opinionated about certain things, but I think he definitely plays the part very well. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So I think this is just another picture. Yeah. So just to show the bottom pants that he wears with this beautiful yellow outfit on top.

Sarah  

I love the yellow.

Jojo  

I do, too. I was like, "I'm not normally a yellow person." But this yellow just looks so great. And I love his little hat too, the little short brimmed hat.

Sarah  

You always say you're not into yellow, and then you always are excited about the yellow looks. [laughs]

Jojo  

I think it's really just-- it's like, there's specific colors of yellow that I really like. Like, I'm really into ochre. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

And I really like that kind of... it's almost like a buttercup yellow. 

Sarah  

Uh huh. 

Jojo  

Like, those two yellows, I think I'm more okay with. It's like, when you go into neon, that's usually when I'm like, "No thank you." [laughs]

Sarah  

Ooh, I love a neon yellow. I love neon anything. 

Jojo  

[laughs] Yes. Okay. So in contrast, I wanted to show a quick shot of Val. And then Armand when-- you know, when he finally dresses up to look like the straightlaced man. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

The sad thing is, they end up taking down all the decorations in their house. They basically take out all the inappropriate statues and artwork and all these things to basically try and make the house look a little more conservative, to try and trick the girl's parents. And this is Nathan Lane, when he's in his suit. [both laugh]

Sarah  

Oh my god.

Jojo  

So this is when he makes the whole joke about removing all the rings. And then, you know, it's so funny because he spent like five minutes trying to figure out how to sit down, because he doesn't know where to put his hands. [laughs] Without looking super femme. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

And then, of course, Robin Williams asked him about his pink socks. And he was like, "well, I just thought a pop of color would be helpful." [both laugh]

Sarah  

Aww. 

Jojo  

So yes, again, this was obviously-- he did not end up going and showing up like this. But it was just funny that he made this attempt to try and look like a straight man. And then of course, this is his female version, when he finally shows up as... you know, the missus. They pretend their name is Coleman instead of Goldman. 

Sarah  

Uh huh.

Jojo  

So then he comes in as Mrs. Coleman. And it's interesting, because I think when they interview Nathan, he mentioned something about being inspired by Mrs. Bush.

Sarah  

Oh, yeah! 

Jojo  

I just thought that was so funny. It was like, "Yeah, I can see that." 

Sarah  

Yep.

Jojo  

So like, you know, just the way that she's dressed, the pearls. But just the tie--the bow--around the neck. And yet, still a ton of pattern. So... So yes, I just thought this was hilarious, and I think this was just such a great moment, because he kind of just shows up out of nowhere and gives them no warning. Like, they are not expecting him to dress up like this.

Sarah  

Amazing. 

Jojo  

And then Senator Keeley and his whole family is like, totally just... they have no idea. They just totally think he's the wife and don't even bat an eye at the fact that he's dressed up as a woman. Like, they just think he's a woman. [laughs]

Sarah  

Love it!

Jojo  

It's great. Okay. And then the final scenes, there's a couple I just wanted to-- I wanted to show more of the performers in drag in the club, because there is a scene at the beginning where they enter as well. But this last scene I just thought was just so funny. Because this is also how they get the Senator Keeley family to escape. Because right when they're about to say like, "okay, no, we're not going to have you guys get married"... When they find out the ruse is all up, they find out Nathan Lane is actually a man. Val finally--the son--finally stands up and says "this is my mother." Whereas he's kind of a jerk throughout the movie. Because he's constantly like, "you have to change this. You have to be this other person. You have to... you know, you have to get rid of these, you can't do this." And then it's finally at the very end when he takes the wig off and basically says "this is actually my mother." And then Senator Keeley basically is like, "you can't marry my daughter." But then he gets stopped by the paparazzi outside and so, of course, to avoid even more scandal their idea is to dress up the Keeley family as drag queens and basically waltz them out the front door. 

Sarah  

[laughs]

Jojo  

So this is the final performance. I just wanted to show some fun photos for our audience and listeners. They decided to do a black and white theme, but it's also very like "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" kind of incorporated in there as well. There's a lot of glitz. And this-- I just wanted... I don't even know who this is. This is not anybody that shows up anywhere else in the movie. [both laugh] But he just somehow shows up at the very beginning...

Sarah  

That is quite a jacket. 

Jojo  

Sorry, at the.... Yes, I just really like his jacket. And also, I don't know what's going on with these pants. 

Sarah  

I don't either.

Jojo  

He's got like, I can't tell if it's on a side pocket or if that's actually how it closes? Or if this is just giant safety pins, or if he's just got rhinestone right at his crotch? 

Sarah  

Ooh!

Jojo  

Like, I don't know what's going on. But it's a lot. And then of course, all the ladies that you can see, varying levels of very 80s prom dresses, almost. 

Sarah  

Stunning.

Jojo  

With all the glitz and glam. And then the last three shots are just-- this is our Gene Hackman and his drag. [both laugh] He's clearly the most uncomfortable. But it's funny because actually, when they pulled him out in this first shot, I was almost like-- I almost didn't recognize him. I was like, "who... which... who is who is that? Which character is that?" But yeah, so I just thought that was really funny. And then the mom, Dianne Wiest, and each of-- it's funny because then Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Val all end up dressing up very gentlemanly. So Nathan Lane is in one of his more masculine looks for the very end, which I find ironic. 

Sarah  

[laughs]

Jojo  

So that they can pair with their drag queen to lead them out. 

Sarah  

Uh huh. 

Jojo  

So he ushers Dianne Wiest out. And then of course Val, at the very end, leads Ally McBeal. I'm gonna keep calling her Ally McBeal. [both laugh] He leads Barbara out in her outfit. And I think she's one of the ones that I was a little bit like, "I'm not..." I feel like they overpowdered her a little bit. Just a little more vampy, scary.

Sarah  

Something looks very severe about it. Yeah.

Jojo  

Yeah, definitely a little more powder and white makeup than I think was necessary, especially since the other two still look very... I don't want to say "normal," but they look a little bit more natural. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

So it's like, what's going on with this look? Was this an actor choice? 

Sarah  

Huh.

Jojo  

But I do love her dress. I love all the sequins and... 

Sarah  

It's cute. 

Jojo  

And just everything over the top. 

Sarah  

We love a sparkle. 

Jojo  

So yeah, that is my coverage of all the things "Birdcage."

Sarah  

Great job! Yay!

Jojo  

Thank you! Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Like I said, I think the biggest thing that was successful was... Ann Roth really did a good job about separating with color. The different families, and even  the two groups. 

Sarah  

Totally.

Jojo  

Minus Val. I think Val was probably the most normal looking. 

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

And yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I spent a lot of this movie just being angry at Val. 'Cuz he's kind of a jerk. [both laugh]

Sarah  

Well, yeah, it's... yeah, I mean, it's tough because at the time, I guess, it was normal to be ashamed if you came from a family like that. But like, nowadays, we're like, "come on, man." Like, it's your parents. Have some respect. 

Jojo  

So funny. But yes. So... I'm glad they redeemed him at the end. 

Sarah  

Me too. Me too. Okay, let's do it. So I'm very excited to talk about this movie. Oh... come on computer, you can do it. 

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

Because I had never seen it before. And when I said that at work, there were a lot of gasps in the room. Because it's both an iconic gay movie and an iconic costume movie.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So this is "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" from 1994.

Jojo  

I also have not seen this movie. So I'm excited.

Sarah  

It's... I went in not knowing what the plot was at all. And it wasn't about what I expected it to be about. 

Jojo  

Ahh, interesting.

Sarah  

'Cuz I saw the costumes and I expected it to be this fantasy thing. And it's not, it's about three drag queens--well, two drag queens and a trans woman--who are on a road trip, basically. 

Jojo  

Ooh, okay.

Sarah  

Like, that's kind of all it's about? The plot is not... like, not a lot happens. They're just on a road trip. That's the whole story. So it's from 1994. Directed by... I don't know if it's "Stephan" or "Stephen" Elliott. Sorry to Mr. Elliott. I don't know which one it is. 

Jojo  

[laughs] That's okay. 

Sarah  

So this is an Australian movie... so I pulled it up, because I have forgotten. Okay. I don't recognize any of his other titles. He did a movie called "Swinging Safari," "A Few Best Men," "Easy Virtue." These sound a little bit like they could be porns, not gonna lie. [both laugh] 

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

I don't think they are. I don't think they are. [laughs] Okay.

Jojo  

Yes, I definitely don't recognize any of them either. So...

Sarah  

Yeah, and I think that Australian... you know, some movies don't make it across to us from Australia or the UK or any other country. 

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

Some of them do, but not all of them. So the costumes were by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardner, they're a little team. Tim Chappel has done some "Masked Singer," a 2006 "Red Riding Hood," and he also just has a lot of credits as not the designer, but just in the costuming department. Or as the assistant, on things like "Miss Congeniality." 

Jojo  

Ooh!

Sarah  

And he is the associate designer on "The Dressmaker," which is a movie I've heard a lot about, it's a Kate Winslet movie. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And I have not seen it, but it's on my list. 

Jojo  

I haven't seen that one either. 

Sarah  

And then Lizzy Gardner did "Mission: Impossible 2," "Peter Rabbit," "Hacksaw Ridge"... so she works a lot. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And my first picture, actually... depending on how I can squeeze my images, this might not be on the Instagram slideshow. 

Jojo  

Okay. 

Sarah  

But this is Lizzy Gardner at the Oscars when they won. 

Jojo  

Whooooa!

Sarah  

So this movie won Best Costume Design at the Oscars. It is the last contemporary movie to win for the costuming Oscar. And we've talked about this a little bit, I talked about it in my "Roman Holiday" coverage, which is that there used to be a black and white costume design Oscar and a color film one. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And it used to be that the black and white movies were often contemporary. And then the color ones were the big spectacles, the fantasies, the musicals. So when they combined the two in '67, I think, contemporary movies basically stopped winning the Oscar because it's hard for them to compete against big spectacle movies. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm. 

Sarah  

Yeah. So, you know, this was in the 90s. So it's kind of wild to me that no contemporary movie has won since then. 

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

So... anyway, back to this dress she's wearing. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

This is... where's my note? Here we go. She gained worldwide attention when she picked up her award wearing an unusual dress consisting of 254 expired American Express gold cards. [laughs] So let's zoom in. 

Jojo  

Oh my god!

Sarah  

Look at that. 

Jojo  

Whaaaat! 

Sarah  

And they originally made this dress for the movie. And then they cut it because American Express was like, "You can't do that," basically.

Jojo  

[laughs] So she wore it to the red carpet instead.

Sarah  

Yes! And after the dress was worn by her, the company saw its marketing potential. And they were keen to showcase the dress throughout its travel offices in the United States. And then it was-- the dress was auctioned off for charity. And the proceeds went to AIDS research. And it has been cited as amongst the worst Oscar gowns of all time, which I think is a load of baloney, because it's great! [both laugh]

Jojo  

That is hilarious. 

Sarah  

Isn't it? 

Jojo  

I mean, it fits her super well. Like, maybe it was if it was on a different body and it didn't look right then it would be a different story. But I feel like...

Sarah  

It looks like a 20s sort of fantasy, just made out of gold cards. I could see maybe shortening it?

Jojo  

Yeah, yeah. 

Sarah  

To make it just...

Jojo  

I was thinking that too. Like a little sheath or something. 

Sarah  

Yeah, to make it just sort of less of a column. But I think it's iconic.

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

And does not deserve to be on any worst dressed lists. Okay...

Jojo  

So funny. So funny. 

Sarah  

So another tidbit is that there's an iconic scene where they are basically... there's like a scene where he's like, "I've always wanted to climb this one rock in full drag." In a showgirl costume, basically. Climb in the Australian outback in drag. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And initially, they tried to get permission to film on Ayres Rock, which has now been renamed to the indigenous name Uluru. But it was rejected by the organizations responsible for the monument, as it would have been in violation of Indigenous Australian religious beliefs. So basically, since it was a queer movie, they were like, "No, no, you can't film on our rock." 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

So I thought-- I just thought that was kind of interesting. So they had to-- like, in the script, it said... I think it probably said Ayers Rock. And they had to rewrite it to be a different... they filmed... I didn't write down where they filmed instead. But they filmed somewhere else.

Jojo  

Okay. 

Sarah  

So yeah. Okay. 

Jojo  

Interesting. 

Sarah  

Yeah. And it's like, nowadays, if someone did something like that they would get so much heat and flack for rejecting a movie just because it had gay people in it. 

Jojo  

Right, right. 

Sarah  

The budget for the costumes on this movie was $20,000. 

Jojo  

....WHAT?!

Sarah  

Which is... hardly anything. [laughs]

Jojo  

That's nothing! Oh my gosh. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

That's crazy.

Sarah  

This is a low budget movie. I don't have the numbers for how much the movie itself cost. But it was basically like an Australian indie flick that they didn't expect to blow up as much as it did. 

Jojo  

Right. Right.

Sarah  

So yeah, these costume designers were working with a budget. They were doing basically like dollar store couture. You know, thrifted sort of stuff. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Lots of DIY. 

Jojo  

Well, if they took American Express cards that were expired, I get it.

Sarah  

I know. It's like, okay, so where'd you get all those expired gold cards then? Where do you get those? [both laugh]

Jojo  

Sourcing everyone she knows! [laughs]

Sarah  

Okay. Oh, they later went on to design the stage show. So there is a stage musical of this story. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And they designed the costumes for it, which I think is wonderful. And their costume budget for the stage show was $1 million. [laughs]

Jojo  

That's crazy. I mean, that sounds a lot more closer to normal. [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah, could not be more different. And then, I actually watched some clips from the stage show. And I was like, "Oh, yeah, this is way more expensive." Like, so many more people are in drag and in huge looks in the stage show. 

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

Okay, what else do I have here before...? Oh, right. Just... I watch a lot of Drag Race. I'm a Drag Race fan. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So I know a bit about drag just from that. And I have seen this movie referenced more times than I can count, and so I knew some of the visual references to it. And I especially was struck by how similar it looks to the HBO show "We're Here," which is like a reality series with three "RuPaul's Drag Race" drag queens, who basically go into small towns, and they sort of do a "Queer Eye" makeover, except they do a drag makeover. And it's sort of like a little docu series. And so a lot of the shots of them basically walking through these small towns-- they literally get off a bus and they walk through small towns in full drag. I did not realize that that is a direct reference to this movie. So I just got really excited. 

Jojo  

Ahhh.

Sarah  

Because I was like, "dang, everyone references this movie!" 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

So yeah, that's my... 

Jojo  

Now it makes sense. 

Sarah  

Yeah, it totally does. Okay, so basically, your basic plot. It's not that complicated. There are three people--two drag queens and a trans woman--who are on a road trip because one of them... whose boy name... his nickname is Tick, but his drag name is Mitzi. He books a show. But what he doesn't tell the other two is that he has a wife, he's technically still married, and he has a son. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So they're basically going to... I did not quite catch some... okay. I don't know if I'm just, like, stupid. But some of the plot details completely went over my head. So I don't know if the wife runs the place that they go to. It's like a club, or like a hotel. 

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

She works there. I know that for sure. Also... the accents. A little bit, sometimes, hard to understand. [both laugh] 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

I'm very sorry if I get these details wrong. So basically, he tells them sort of after they're already on the road, like, "oh, also, we're going to see my wife and kid" and they're like, "wife and who what now?" So... yeah. And so then along the way, they kind of-- they break down and they meet people in these tiny little Outback towns. They have some incidents with homophobia, a lot of homophobia. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And basically, yeah, it's kind of just like a slice of life, almost, because nothing huge happens. It's just a roadtrip movie. Kind of like "To Wong Foo," which is also about three drag queens on a road trip, but that's an American movie. So... parallels.

Jojo  

Oh, okay.

Sarah  

It came out after this movie.

Jojo  

Interesting. 

Sarah  

Okay, costumes. Let's do it. This is Tick, a.k.a. Mitzi. 

Jojo  

Oh!

Sarah  

Yeah. And this is the quickest shot, which I was like... they made this costume for the smallest little scene. But I had to grab it because I'm obsessed with it. It's a chandelier.

Jojo  

Yeah! Oh, my goodness. 

Sarah  

And this is basically the scene it flashes back to when he finds out that his son is being born. So he's in the hospital. And he's clearly like, come from performing in this costume to go see his son be born. So he's standing in the hospital dressed as a chandelier, which I think is wonderful.

Jojo  

Is that an octopus on his head? 

Sarah  

It looks like... yeah, looks like a face. A face of some kind. And then it goes. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And then I was like, is it touching an actual chandelier on the ceiling? I don't know.

Jojo  

It's so hard to tell! It's pretty amazing.

Sarah  

I LOVE this. Ugh! 

Jojo  

That is insane. 

Sarah  

And it lights up! How did they... how did they make this movie for $20,000, costumes? I don't understand.

Jojo  

Yeah. Seriously.

Sarah  

Did they borrow this from someone? 

Jojo  

I feel like this one alone, cost... that's crazy.

Sarah  

I know. I think a lot of people involved in the movie didn't get very big paychecks either, you know.

Jojo  

Probably.

Sarah  

So like, maybe the cost was a lot of sort of unpaid people who were just working on it because they knew the people and were like, "sure, we'll work on a movie." 

Jojo  

Yeah, or volunteers or something. 

Sarah  

Yeah. Okay. So this is them. I kind of skipped over everything before the road trip, because it's not really all that interesting costume wise.

Jojo  

No worries.

Sarah  

These are the looks that I immediately recognized. I was like, "Yes, I have seen these before." So on the left, we have Mitzi. In the middle is Bernadette, who is the trans woman. On the right is Felicia, I can't remember his boy name because they, like, never say it, but played by Guy Pierce. And then this one in the middle, oh, I forgot...

Jojo  

That's Guy Pierce?!

Sarah  

Yes!

Jojo  

I do not recognize him at all. That's insane.

Sarah  

Here, I have this. That's him. That's Guy Pierce. Isn't that wild?

Jojo  

Whaaat! That-- yeah, I totally did not... did not expect that

Sarah  

Yeah, my sister was like, "I don't know what I know him from," and I was like, "'Mare of Easttown,' the HBO show we JUST watched." [laughs] 

Jojo  

That's awesome.

Sarah  

I can't remember the actor who plays Bernadette's name, but he's a very well known British actor. Apologies to him. 

Jojo  

Okay. 

Sarah  

I don't want to look it up. And then this is Hugo Weaving of "Lord of the Rings."

Jojo  

Oh! Oh my gosh.

Sarah  

...And "V for Vendetta" fame.

Jojo  

I can definitely see that. I can see, it's his cheekbones.

Sarah  

And the brows, he has very angular brows. Yeah.

Jojo  

[laughs] Yeah, yeah yeah. 

Sarah  

So this is them basically in their first sort of like... small town stop. They're going to stay in a hotel. And I think they just decided to dress up just because this is how they live their lives. And they're like...

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

 ..."we won't be stopped from being fabulous." I like that Bernadette is clearly sort of... she dresses very purposefully and is always really made up. And I think she is sort of like old Hollywood glam inspiration. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And yeah, I think if this movie were made today, she would not be played by a cisgender man, I think she would be played by a trans woman. But this is from 1994. So. And then I love this flip flop dress. 

Jojo  

I do, too. I was just looking at that.

Sarah  

They said they made it for $17. [laughs]

Jojo  

I mean, they probably just took old flip flops... 

Sarah  

Yeah, yeah. I have a feeling that they were really scrounging, you know, whatever they could do.

Jojo  

This must have been a fun craft movie, almost.

Sarah  

Yes! 

Jojo  

Because you're essentially stringing together things-- like, found objects almost. 

Sarah  

Right. It looks like they're held together with maybe like a zip tie or something. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

This flip flop dress is what you will see recreated a lot. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Like, I just watched Australian Drag Race, "Drag Race Down Under."

Jojo  

Ohhh. 

Sarah  

And there were "Priscilla" references, including one of the queens... they always do a makeover challenge, where they make over-- usually it's a straight man. I can't remember who they made over, honestly, I have the worst memory. But she basically had the flip flop dress and this blue dress, little sort of like... homages to them. And they were very cute.

Jojo  

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Sarah  

And then this wig. I love it. What is it made of? 

Jojo  

Straws? 

Sarah  

Straws? It looks like phone cord or electrical wire?

Jojo  

Oh, yeah. Oh my gosh, I can't. 

Sarah  

I love it.

Jojo  

That looks so crazy. 

Sarah  

I love. Love, love, love. Okay, and then there are several scenes where the bus-- the bus is Priscilla, by the way. I had no idea. [laughs]

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

I just assumed one of them was Priscilla. 

Jojo  

Yeah, I definitely would not have known that.

Sarah  

But Priscilla is the bus. [laughs]

Jojo  

Got it. Got it.

Sarah  

She's a character. 

Jojo  

Thank you for explaining that. [both laugh]

Sarah  

You're welcome. They said that, and I literally was like, "Ohhhh..." I felt kinda dumb. 

Jojo  

Like, all this time I'm expecting a person. 

Sarah  

"Where's Priscilla? Oh, she's the bus." Okay. So basically there's two scenes where Felicia, Guy Pierce's character, is sitting on top of the bus in full drag while the bus is in motion. In these amazing-- so I'm gonna start with sort of the faraway shot. Look at that. 

Jojo  

Whaaat!

Sarah  

Yeah, and then this is sort of like the profile of it. I love it.

Jojo  

Oh my goodness.

Sarah  

I know. Oh, I should-- I'm gonna have to censor that when I put it on the Instagram. It has the F word on it. 

Jojo  

Oh, got it. 

Sarah  

As you can see, the bus gets vandalized by some homophobes. Oops, what did I just click on? Sorry. I'm sorry. Okay, there we go. [both laugh] Ohh, technology. Okay, so then this is what he's wearing as he's...

Jojo  

Oh my goodness.

Sarah  

It's just like a head to toe silver sequin.

Jojo  

Every time I see a new costume, I'm just like, "I can't believe they did this for $20,000!" 

Sarah  

It gets crazier as you go! I even-- I had screencaps of the second, because he does this two times. He does it in a pink look too. Oh, and he's sitting in a giant silver high heel. I don't think I have a picture of that. Oh, there it is. You can see, yeah.

Jojo  

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Sarah  

Giant silver high heel. 

Jojo  

I was trying to figure out what that was around him. That's insane.

Sarah  

Yeah, so he does it in a pink outfit too. I cut it because I had too many pictures. But... I just love. And the scene is like... for no reason, either. It's just for fun.

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

He's lip synching to a song. He's just living his best life. 

Jojo  

Oh my gosh. [laughs]

Sarah  

I also really like... so I didn't really pull any of their boy looks, except for him, because I loved his boy wardrobe. This is one of this outfits.

Jojo  

Ooh! Yeah.

Sarah  

This is when he's painting the bus pink. It's like, overalls, but then he rolls it down and... Guy PIerce is extremely hot, like... that really helps. [laughs]

Jojo  

He's got a good body.

Sarah  

Yeah. I just love-- I love the boots and these yellow glasses/goggles. And then the green plaid, I just thought was really fun. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

It's almost like he's like, "this is my work outfit," you know? 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

So then they do-- this happens, this is Hugo Weaving's character. [laughs]

Jojo  

Oh my goodness. 

Sarah  

This is them performing. They basically happen upon a bunch of people in the desert who are sort of like camping out, and they perform for them. And then they perform with them. And I think they're Aboriginal people [correction: Sarah should have said "Indigenous". Apologies!] because it kind of... they sing "I Will Survive." And then it sort of mashes that up with sort of a tribal sort of song. 

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

So they're performing together. And this is a wig made out of fake flowers, I think. And it's fantastic. I love it. And then they're wearing these, which are sort of like the other one where I was like, "I recognize this," you know. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

They're basically jumpsuits and they're bell bottoms, except they're-- the fabric of it is like... at the bottom of the bell bottom, it's stretched around something. And I have a picture of them walking. So you can see.

Jojo  

Yeah. Oh, my goodness. 

Sarah  

I've def-

Jojo  

It's almost like mini hula hoops or something. 

Sarah  

Yes! Yes, yes, it looks... 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And it sort of-- it shows the sole of it. And I had a picture of it, but once again, I cut it because I was like, "too many pictures." It's like, flat and sort of like a half circle. So it's like, when they stand together, it makes almost like a circle shape. Their two feet. 

Jojo  

Okay. 

Sarah  

And I really want to know what it looks like on the inside. Like... 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

...I want to know what sort of situation you have to do on the inside of this to...

Jojo  

To make it sit out like that.

Sarah  

Yeah! 

Jojo  

So crazy. 

Sarah  

It's so cool looking, and when-- you know, when they're dancing, it's super effective. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

In the stage show...

Jojo  

I'm laughing because the flower wig makes me think of the "Midsommar"...

Sarah  

Yeeeeeaaah!

Jojo  

...flower dress that you did-- or, that you were talking about. I was like, "Whoa, it's so weird." [laughs]

Sarah  

That's true. Oh, my gosh, callback. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

Callback to a previous episode. 

Jojo  

Not quite so scary on this one. 

Sarah  

Right. Right. And then in the stage show, the whole ensemble comes out in these jumpsuits. 

Jojo  

Whoa. 

Sarah  

Yeah. So it's quite a sight, to see a whole ensemble where the people are walking around in these crazy, crazy outfits. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Okay. So this is Cynthia. And I think that we need to have a discussion about her. [both laugh]

Jojo  

Okay. 

Sarah  

Because I learned... I was reading the Wikipedia, and the movie has gotten some heat and some controversy because of this character. She's basically the only character of color. Besides the Aboriginal [Indigenous] people that they talk to. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And she is Filipina, I believe. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And she's... I thought at first that she was like a mail-order bride or something. 

Jojo  

Uh huh.

Sarah  

But I think that they-- he meets her somewhere, and they're partying and drunk and then they drunkenly get married. This guy, he's sort of like a... oh, he's a mechanic, I think he works on the bus for them. So that's how they meet him. 

Jojo  

Okay. 

Sarah  

And she's basically portrayed as extremely erratic. She's like, very high and low. Like, she'll be really manic, and then be crying the next second. And she's kind of portrayed as just like a party girl and very weird. And so a lot of people have said that this is a really problematic representation of Filipina women. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And I think that that's probably a very fair criticism. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And I read-- on the Wikipedia, it said that the filmmakers were like, "Well, you know, everybody in the movie is a misfit. And we just saw her as another misfit." And it's like, okay, well, if you can't see it, then that's a bit of a problem too. Like, you need to at least be like, "okay, you might be right."

Jojo  

Or at least bring in consultation. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

I think that's something I've been... you know, I mean, I'm glad we're having this discussion, because that was something that... what was that new reality TV show? It's the one with all the Asian people in it, and I can't remember what it's called.

Sarah  

Oh! Is it the rich one... where they're really really rich? 

Jojo  

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sarah  

Oh shoot, what's that one called? I didn't watch it. Let me try to Google. 

Jojo  

But again, it's like all these Asian characters are portrayed as these kind of very vapid and sort of... you know, party people that do that do kind of go through all the different emotions. And there was a lot of conversation about, you know, "are we excited that this is how we are being represented as Asians? Or were we excited that we're even getting represented at all? And that we're showing that Asians can play any role, including maybe the not-so-likeable"... Or maybe the more vapid, you know, or stuck up or whatever.

Sarah  

Yeah. So the Netflix show is "Bling Empire."

Jojo  

Yes, thank you.

Sarah  

Yeah, I've seen clips from it. 

Jojo  

I was like, "I know there's a 'bling' somewhere." But yeah, so it is-- that's something that I think I've been... it's been making me kind of re-wrestle with my normal, like, "what do I normally think about Asian representation?" Because like, yes, we aren't represented enough. But also, we don't just want to be represented as the smart Asian or the fetishized Asian, or whatever, you know? Because we don't want to be stereotypes. So that means we should be able to play every role. 

Sarah  

Yeah. 

Jojo  

Just like a white person would be able to play any role. 

Sarah  

Exactly. Yeah. 

Jojo  

So I don't know, I guess that is something that I think I always... I still have a question about. So it makes me wonder, even with this role, that having her show a different side of Asian representation... obviously, if it's something that's not accurate at all, that's a totally different story. But yeah, I guess I mean... not trying to justify, necessarily, what the directors and producers were doing. 

Sarah  

Right. 

Jojo  

But it makes me wonder what the intention behind it was. 

Sarah  

Right. And the other thing that is problematic is... so this is her later, in the bar. 

Jojo  

Mmm. Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And at first her husband is like, "Oh, she's not coming to the show at the bar, because she has problems with alcohol." And then it shows her later, breaking into this locked cabinet in their house. And we're meant to assume that that's where the alcohol is. But it actually turns out to be full of ping pongs... ping pong balls.

Jojo  

[laughs] Okay. 

Sarah  

And then she shows up at the bar in this outfit and starts performing. And it turns out that she's doing a show with the ping pong balls. [both laugh]

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

I think by your face, you might know what I'm saying. We're keeping this a family friendly podcast. 

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

She does something inappropriate with the ping pong balls. 

Jojo  

[laughs] Uh huh.

Sarah  

So I think that was another part of the criticism, is that like, she's doing this weird exoticized... sideshow, almost. You know? And it turns her into sort of a caricature. 

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

And not a real flesh and blood human. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm. Yeah, I can definitely see that.

Sarah  

But... I do love this outfit. [both laugh] I love her zebra outfit. 

Jojo  

Yes. So funny. 

Sarah  

Yeah. So this pink dress is from when they're at dinner. And the first time we meet her, she's very dressed down. Almost like, you know, she's sort of acclimated to the bush, her Australian outback lifestyle. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

But then when she has people over for dinner, she's gonna dress up. And so she wears this very skimpy, little revealing hot pink dress. And this is also sort of meant to communicate to us, like, "Oh, she might be a little bit-- what's up with her?" Like, she might not be normal, or she might be a little... I don't want to say "slutty" because I don't use words like that.

Jojo  

Risque? 

Sarah  

Yeah, risque. You know.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

I feel like the audience is meant to judge her a little bit. And I'm definitely uncomfortable with with that. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

'Cuz I saw her and was like, "ooh, she's cool." And then my sister said-- so my sister has seen the stage show. And she said that she does do the ping pong ball number, but it's turned into a whole song. She gets her own song. 

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

And she has way more of a backstory in the musical, apparently. 

Jojo  

Ahhh.

Sarah  

So I think they fleshed her out a little bit more--tried to flesh her out more--and made her less erratic... made her behavior less... yeah, erratic-seeming. I don't wanna say "crazy" 'cuz I don't call people crazy. [laughs] Just dancing around all the words I'm trying not to use. Ah, anyway. Okay, so yeah, those are my thoughts on that. I really like her outfits. So she's got that going for her. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

When she leaves, she-- so her time in the movie is very short. She basically drives off and leaves him. Which it's like, "yeah, you probably should. He doesn't treat you well." She's wearing a very amazing silver spangled bra.

Jojo  

Oooh. 

Sarah  

Which I also didn't have space for in my pictures. [both laugh] 

Jojo  

Too many photos. 

Sarah  

I know. Maybe I'll throw it up on the Pinterest.

Jojo  

Pinterest board. 

Sarah  

Just add a bunch of bonuses to the Pinterest board. Okay, so all that we have left now is basically sort of the finale. And this is...

Jojo  

Oh my goodness. 

Sarah  

I know. This is their number that they perform at the hotel. They finally arrive, and they perform this number. And at first I thought that it was showing a passage of time, like they were doing the show multiple days. But then at the end of the scene, it's clear that it's the same night. So they do these quick changes that are literally humanly impossible. [both laugh] So it's sort of-- that is sort of a fantasy, where it's like, "oh, and suddenly they're in a different outfit," you know? 

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

These ones...? Not my favorite. They're... you know, they're very campy and fun, just like everything else. But I'm unclear how they relate to each other. 

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

And they're performing, you know...

Jojo  

Kinda looks like a dandelion in the middle.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

But like, crossed with a lion? [both laugh]

Sarah  

A dandy lion. Yeah, yeah, it looks-- it's clearly sort of floral. The theme with the two on the right is floral. But then Mitzi on the left is just wearing a flapper-y... 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

...sort of number. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

It's a little disjointed. 

Jojo  

RIght.

Sarah  

I like the looks... I mean, I like the yellow one the best. And then the other two are just kind of wacky, but fun. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And then change into these. [laughs] So these are like, ostriches or emus? I don't know. 

Jojo  

Emus, yeah.

Sarah  

Do they have...? It's emus, right, in Australia?

Jojo  

Emus are in Australia. Yes.

Sarah  

So that's amazing. I don't really have much else. 

Jojo  

I also love that they're different colored feathers. [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah. And it's like the feather of the breast of the bird is their wig. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Very nice. Very nice. They have really fun makeup in this, too. It's very frosty and blue. Love. ...Oh, I was-- I haven't been looking at my notes at all. And I forgot all these things I wanted to say. [laughs]

Jojo  

That's great. No, you're good. 

Sarah  

I want to briefly talk about sort of maybe how drag has evolved and changed since this movie was made. Because, A... obviously these--I think all of these actors are straight--men would not be playing, probably, drag queens in a movie if it was made nowadays. But also, I noticed that a lot of the drag looks are not heavily padded, there's not a lot of like, female illusion that is happening. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

You can tell, you can always tell, that they're not "passing" as women. 

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

And I think that drag nowadays... so in my extensive "Drag Race" watching, I've noticed that in the early days of drag race, queens used to get critiqued if they didn't wear a lot of padding, and if they still sort of looked like a boy. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

But nowadays, a lot of queens are not padding at all, and they're still... and they're excelling at drag. So it's like, we've gone from extreme to extreme. And then now it's like, they can all sort of coexist.

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

Because some queens really care about looking feminine, and then some kind of don't. So I think that that's really cool. Because like, it creates diversity in drag, you know, and diversity is important in all aspects of life. And all forms of drag should be acceptable forms of drag. So I found it interesting that like... the makeup, too, in this movie is like... it's not fooling you. [laughs] Does that make sense? 

Jojo  

Yeah. Right, right.

Sarah  

And this is pre... you know, I've heard older drag queens be like, "you know, before YouTube, before beauty tutorials, you kind of had to just figure it out on your own or learn from your fellow drag queens, your drag mother or your friends," you know? 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So it's like, they were kind of just making it up and going, "Well, this looks good." And ...it did. It looks good! 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So that's what I wanted to say. I just found it very interesting that like, it's never... the drag in this movie is not really about looking super feminine. Even though one of them is a trans woman. It's clear that she's being played by a cisgender man who is not on hormones or anything. 

Jojo  

RIght.

Sarah  

So he's still looks very masculine, even though he's playing a woman. So... that's that on that. I felt like that was really a long monologue. [laughs]

Jojo  

That's okay. 

Sarah  

I just really like drag, okay?

Jojo  

I think we both went on very long monologue today. [laughs] 

Sarah  

That's okay. That's good. That means that we're excited to talk. I also feel like when I clock myself, I'm always like... I always feel like I'm talking for a really long time. But lots of times, I could talk longer. So this is me talking longer.

Jojo  

Right. 

Sarah  

Anyway, okay. I only have a few pictures left. Okay, so this is also from the finale number. And this is like, they're lizards. Like, [puts on very bad Australian accent] Australian Outback lizards. [both laugh] That was my accent.

Jojo  

Thank you for that accent. [both laugh]

Sarah  

You're so welcome. So this lizard look is like... it's down, and then they like, put it over their shoulders so that it's like a... you know those lizards that have the crown... 

Jojo  

Oh, yeah, yeah. 

Sarah  

...that sort of puffs up?

Jojo  

Like the old dinosaurs? 

Sarah  

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly like that. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

So that's what this is. And then I assume that those lizards also have black tongues, because their tongues are painted black. [laughs]

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

Very fun. This is my favorite, coming up here. So this is sort of like a Marie Antoinette homage?

Jojo  

Oooh. 

Sarah  

Light up wig up here, and then a cage crinoline with hardly any skirt over it. I love that. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And then they make the Sydney Opera House out of them!

Jojo  

Oh my gosh. 

Sarah  

Isn't that cute?

Jojo  

That is really cute.

Sarah  

So it's like, organza and some sort of hoop thing, and then they're holding it and they're dancing around and then they make this little formation and it's the Opera House. I think that's really fun.

Jojo  

Ohh, so cool. 

Sarah  

So Australian.

Jojo  

Is this a stage that they're on? 

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

Like, what's happening in the background? Okay.

Sarah  

This is at the...

Jojo  

Like, where are they?

Sarah  

...club/hotel that the wife works at, which is where he's booked the gig. 

Jojo  

Okay. Got it. 

Sarah  

Oh, and then basically at the end, she comes-- she and his son come with them back to... I think they're from Sydney. So like, they go back so that he can spend time with his actual son. And then Bernadette, the trans woman, actually stays behind with this guy who was married to Cynthia, but... his name's Bob. But they basically-- it's implied that they're like, going to start a romance and live together and so she stays with him. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm. Okay. 

Sarah  

It was sweet, but I was also kind of like, not really willing to forgive him for how he treated Cynthia.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

'Cuz he was not nice to her. Okay, only a couple more. So this is them finally doing the rock climb in drag. And I pulled these pictures because I love... I think what makes this movie iconic is the juxtaposition of these really extreme showgirl-y, campy drag outfits and the wilderness of the Australian outback. [laughs]

Jojo  

Mmhmm. Yeah.

Sarah  

There's just something so amazing about them in full getup just against, like, red rocks. I just love it. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

And then here's sort of a close up of those outfits. Very nice. Very nice. 

Jojo  

Oh, my goodness. 

Sarah  

And then I have one last boy look of Guy Pierce's to talk about because I'm obsessed with these pants.

Jojo  

Oh my gosh, those are great. 

Sarah  

Look at them! I would wear these.

Jojo  

They're like leggings. 

Sarah  

Yeah, yeah, they're clearly stretchy. Once again... 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

...his body looking very correct. Love it. 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

I love his lil' headscarves he wears. Oh, he's wearing a bracelet around his bicep, which I was like... 

Jojo  

Like a cuff?

Sarah  

Yeah, you can kind of see it in this picture right here. It's metal. And it's like, around his bicep. [laughs]

Jojo  

Oh, I see, I see.

Sarah  

Is that it? Yeah.

Jojo  

A fun one to end on.

Sarah  

Yeah. Oh, and I just wrote-- so they... at the end they change into outfits that are like, not as good compared to all the other ones. So it's definitely like, it helps you sort of... it keeps that sort of DIY. Like, clearly these are not rich people, but they love the art of drag. So they're just excited to wear sequins and stuff. I pulled them and then I had to cut them because I just...

Jojo  

Not enough. Not enough space.

Sarah  

...wasn't willing to sacrifice any of these. Exactly. 

Jojo  

Yeah. 

Sarah  

So yeah, that's it. That's "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

Both  

Woohoo!

Jojo  

Good job!

Sarah  

Thank you.

Jojo  

Those are some fun costumes for sure. 

Sarah  

It's super fun. And now I'm excited to be like, "Yes, I understand the reference completely," when other people reference it, you know.

Jojo  

Mmhmm. Yeah, I mean, even with "The Birdcage," I'm kind of like, "Oh, now it makes so much more sense." Like, I understand. 

Sarah  

Yes. My favorite part of that movie is when Robin Williams is in the dance rehearsal. And he's like, "Martha Graham, Martha Graham, Fosse, Fosse!" That's the best part. [laughs]

Jojo  

Yeah, that's the one that's, I think, quoted the most too. So I'm always like, "Oh, yeah, that makes a lot more sense." [laughs]

Sarah  

As a dancer, I always just really loved... I appreciate a little dance joke, you know? [laughs]

Jojo  

Yeah. I'm not gonna lie. The whole time. I was watching the movie, all I could think of is like, RIP Robin Williams. Like, why aren't you here anymore?

Sarah  

I know. It's...

Jojo  

Made me very sad. 

Sarah  

It's truly heartbreaking that like, someone who brought--especially people of our generation--so much joy, suffered from depression so much. 

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And it's just like a real reminder that like, even if someone is really good at comedy, and makes other people laugh, it doesn't mean that inside, they aren't suffering. I think a lot of people who are really funny actually, like...

Jojo  

There's such an inner struggle.

Sarah  

Yeah, yeah. I think that a lot of comedians struggle with mental health stuff. And it's like they use comedy as a coping mechanism, you know? 

Jojo  

Yeah. Scary and sad. But anyways, I did appreciate the movie.

Sarah  

Good! I'm glad you liked it.

Jojo  

Not to end on a sad note. [both laugh] But yes.

Sarah  

My friend Kayla and I, pre COVID times, were trying to get together and have gay movie nights. Just because we're both fans, you know? 

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And we watched... I think we managed to have two, because we're both really busy. We watched "Mamma Mia," and then we watched "The Birdcage." And we need to reinstate...

Jojo  

Oh, "Mamma Mia."

Sarah  

"Mamma Mia" is so good. 

Jojo  

That's a fun one, too. 

Sarah  

It's-- I mean, it isn't good, but it is. You know what I mean? [both laugh] 

Jojo  

Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, that is our episode for today. 

Sarah  

We did it.

Jojo  

How did we do on time? Oh, we went a little over. 

Sarah  

Yeah, we can cut... I'll, you know...

Jojo  

That's okay. We'll cut some things out. [both laugh]

Sarah  

We'll see what ends up getting cut. Yeah, don't forget to rate and review us. That's how people find us. And we are still donating $1 to Dress for Success for every review we get. And also, if you don't have time to leave a review, you can just hit that five stars and that counts anyway.

Jojo  

Yeah, absolutely. Still a review.

Sarah  

Yeah. So please do that. We appreciate it. 

Jojo  

Definitely. Well, thank you so much for listening. We hope to see you on the next one. 

Sarah  

Yeah. Take care! 

Jojo  

We'll see you soon. 

Sarah  

Okay, bye. 

Jojo  

Bye.

Sarah  

I almost pressed the "leave" button. [laughs]

Jojo  

I did too. I was like, "Oh, end!" [both laugh]

Sarah  

I was like, "BYE, Jojo!" [both laugh]

[OUTRO]

Jojo

Thank you for listening to The Costume Plot! You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @thecostumeplot. If you have a question, comment, or movie suggestion you can email us at thecostumeplot@gmail.com.

Sarah

Our theme music is by Jesse Timm, and our artwork is by Jojo Siu. Please rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

[ghostmartyr]

You seem to be a big fan of the Stormlight Archive series. How strong of a recommendation do you give it?

(I think I managed to do this all spoiler free.)

Very.

So the Stormlight Archive is a high fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson. I like most of his books, though his earlier work is a little too intent on wrapping things up neatly, in my opinion. Where he really shines is designing settings and magic systems. Even if the plots and characters weren’t engaging (they are), he creates insanely cool worlds, with a lot of variety.

World? As a Sanderson fan, I’m somewhat lacking, but from what I currently understand, all of his books take place within the same universe. You don’t need to read one series to follow another, but there are a lot of cool easter eggs if you do, and there are some fundamental consistencies to his various settings that come from everything being based in what is referred to as the Cosmere.

Anyway, Stormlight Archive. You’ve got the magic, you’ve got the massive battlefields, and you’ve got the motley collection of a cast expected to handle some great, nefarious evil from eons ago. You’ve also got a lot of separate story threads that don’t mind taking their sweet time to come together.

That’s something I’d actually warn about; these books are dense as heck. The first book in particular feels like its beginning is designed as a prologue for the entire envisioned ten-book series. There are currently three out. It’s all very worth reading, especially if you’re interested in the world, but it takes a bit to reach the perspectives of the characters who qualify as leads. On my first go I struggled some with the sheer number of names in the first few chapters, partly because I wasn’t sure which I needed to pay attention to.

Having spent some time observing other people talk about this series, that’s not a thing to worry about. There is always something to pay attention to, so the idea of picking the ‘right’ one is silly.

I could read this series a dozen times over, follow the plot just fine, and still miss something like a million tiny details that enhance the story. I know this because common discussion topics are things I didn’t even realize were there to notice.

If that sounds daunting, that’s because I don’t know how to recommend things without being overly cautious about what style of writing people are willing to put up with.

These books are long, but they’re wonderful for it. They themselves are a fitting example of one of the oaths that help structure the main story line; “Journey before destination.”

Because there’s so much to potentially focus on, I don’t know the best way to say why this series is so wonderful to me, but I’ll try.

One particularly appealing part to me is this world’s system of magic. It’s based on different sects of people swearing different oaths. They’re known as the Knights Radiant. Different Knights swear different oaths to beings called spren, who serve as their partners. The partnership and the oaths bind the Knight and spren together, bringing out incredible abilities.

Only the Knights Radiant no longer exist.

They abandoned their oaths.

Where the story picks up is the age where the evil the Knights were instrumental in facing is coming back, and there’s once again a need for them.

Except people are terrible, and the ideals that the Knights lived are as dead as their oaths. Worse, a broken oath kills the spren partnered to the Knight, so spren aren’t exactly inclined to try rebooting the whole system.

But some are still willing to try, and willing to work with people again.

This is a series where the main characters are largely broken. They make or have made horrific mistakes. They’re subjected to unimaginable cruelty. They fall into psychological pitfalls and don’t know how to fight their way out. They don’t know how they can possibly deal with all of the problems laid at their feet.

(The way the books are formatted, one main character per book gets consistent flashback chapters. The third book is pretty much one long string of “oh my gosh you were a terrible person wtf how.”)

So in a world of broken, tarnished oaths, people try to live up to them again.

And there are some masterpieces of promises in those oaths.

The original creed, which is the one oath all Knights share, is,

“Life before death.Strength before weakness.Journey before destination.”

As anyone who’s suffered knows, even that starting point can be difficult. Then the individual sects push even harder.

“I will protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

“I will put the law before all else.”

“I will remember those who have been forgotten.”

Ten orders of Radiants, each with their own philosophies, and a partner who will die if you turn your back on them. Not all of them have spiffy quotes yet (and one order demands truths instead of oaths), but the ones listed above are only Second Ideals out of several more, and based on what the characters go through to reach just the Third, they can be doozies.

This is not a series that is shy about the atrocities people are capable of.

It is also not a series that neglects the glory they can reach. The perspective characters are often people carrying the burdens of both.

I like reading about royally screwed up people, but I don’t like stories that beat on them with no point. This story is kind of about the redemption of a species, and about how hard it can be to be better when you have been the absolute worst of yourself.

You’ve got a member of the order who needs to speak truths for their bond to work, and she’s buried her own life history and self in lies so she can survive.

A person who bonds with an honorspren says that honor is dead, and by all accounts, he isn’t wrong.

This series just has such damn good characters, full of tragedy and heroics.

And severe psychological damage.

Depression, anxiety, trauma (lots and lots of trauma)… there really isn’t anyone who wouldn’t benefit from therapy, and all of those issues are active companions to the journey. Being kind of a mess myself, seeing characters swearing oaths, doing magic, and being all around badasses throughout their psychological woes is really neat, and adds to the relatability.

Other fun features include heavy class and race criticisms, Xtreme gender roles, and omnipresent religion. Just as part of the everyday setting. It’s all ripe for critique and discussion in-universe (one of the best characters is an atheist princess scholar who turns people into fire), and memorable enough to feel like a real society, with all the problems and neat concepts that civilization gets up to.

I go back to my “cool” comment. The magic’s cool, the worldbuilding’s epic, the people are damaged, and your word as your bond means something.

So… yeah, I really like it.

[tears-and-turmoil]

Afterlife

So this was thanks to a prompt by my only irl friend after I wanted to post something but couldn’t think of anything to write so she prompted, and I quote ‘Heaven Conversation’ after a really confusing - you guessed it - conversation about heaven we had a couple days ago. Anyways, I’ll stop rambling - here you go.

There’s a heart in my hand. It’s a medium one, snug in my palm, beating erratically as I carry it towards the scales. Open veins pulsate, expanding and contracting as the thing throbs in my hand. She’s nervous. They always are, innocent or guilty. The guilty think of what they’ve done, and the innocent are frantically going through their memories, picking through what they can to see if they can find anything that will weigh them down. They don’t seem to realise it doesn’t matter, in the end. But that’s not my place to say.

I step up to the dais, where the old-fashioned set of scales is set. Burnished bronze, curved edges warp my reflection, a familiar sight after eons. On the left plate lies a floating light source – a feather so bright it is the source of half the light in the room. The other is empty. Waiting.

Short huffs can be heard behind me, the only noise in the silent room. What could she have done, at such a young age? Or is it just nerves? Either way, I have delayed long enough. I raise the organ to where the empty plate sits, level with my face, and with great ceremony, drop the throbbing thing into the centre, and step back.

The contraption is still for a moment, holding every eye and breath in the room. With a jolt, the right side begins to swing downwards, and I can hear the girl’s terrified sob behind me, before it changes tack, moving upwards, then downwards again, as the feather balances her life, her honesty and her goodness, against its purity. Another huff of breath behind me as the organ dips lower, lower – then stops, perfectly balanced against the feather. As expected. I turn, to see the girl sag in her position against the stones, scroll falling limp in her hands with relief.

‘Sareen Alana-Muoss, your heart has been weighed against the Feather of Truth, and you have been pronounced as fit to enter the afterlife. Is this your choice?’

‘Ye- wait.’ The light in her eyes dims in confusion. ‘Choice?’

One of the scholars behind her crouches to point at the relevant section on the scroll. She skims it, brows furrowing, before looking back up at me.

‘Choice?’

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. The younger type always skim the scrolls, only looking for what will help them get into the afterlife. They are given more than enough time to read the whole thing and make a better argument, but in the end, this is always the result. I wave my hand, and a door appears to my right. I nod to the figure at whose steps she is kneeling, and gesture for her to follow me. She glances at him for confirmation and gets to her feet.

‘Where am I going?’

‘My duty is to inform you of decision you are making. Come with me.’

‘Am I going back to waiting? I’ve been here weeks, you know.’

‘No. This is merely information. We will proceed with your case after I have finished explaining.’

Again, she turns, looking at the figure. He nods, and with a final glance around the sombre room, she follows me.

---

Here, the place looks like an office. A modern one, with a leather chair, mahogany desk and oak shelving. There’s a potted plant beside the desk, and a recycling bin next to dark oak shelves. I would be impressed at my illusion, but I have more pressing matters on my mind. I plop down on the chair and gesture for her to take the one on the other side. She does, and I pull her scroll from a shelf. She stares, and there’s a second of frantic scramble as she looks for the thing under her arm, before a cough from me has her looking back up.

‘How did you-’

‘Never mind that.’ I smooth the scroll down, skimming my finger to point at the relevant section. I read aloud, ‘The deceased agrees and understands in full the terms of their choice on their death and their place in the afterlife. They agree to let go of human connection for the exchange of a life in Heaven. Any connection with the mortal world will be either taken away, with the inclusion of the deceased’s memories regarding those in the mortal world. Special circumstances are permitted [read section 84K] however the deceased must swear on their life and the Feather that they are not to come back and will not have any desire to come back to the mortal world. Should they break this agreement, another trial will be held in which the outcome will result in the devouring  of their soul or an expendable life in the mortal world.’

She blinks. Squints at the page. Looks back up at me.

‘What?’

I let go of the scroll, and it furls back tightly into its usual shape.

‘Long story short, you can choose to go to hell, heaven, or back to the mortal world. If you choose heaven, we get rid of your memories of the mortal world to prevent you from going back. You live a happy afterlife in a world of beauty, love and goodness. Hell, and you keep your memories and probably see most of your loved ones whilst getting tortured, since they’re the ones who care. And otherwise, you get your memories stripped and go back to the mortal world.’

She looks at me, seemingly stunned. ‘Why- wait- why would I want to go back to the mortal world?’

‘You normally don’t – well, you, I mean anyone who passes the trial. It’s mainly people who the feather weigh as unvirtuous and who don’t want to spend their time in a place of terror. They want another chance.’

She nods. ‘O-kay, what about that bit about stripped memories?’

‘The idea of heaven is that it’s happy. You can’t really be happy if you’re thinking of people you cared about who can’t get to the place where you are, how they might be getting tortured, going back to the mortal world, the fact that they need their memories stripped themselves for another chance at the mortal world. So we strip your memories. You live in a place without death, without sadness.’

‘But- wait- what? How – is that really happiness, then?’

I shrug. ‘That’s why we give you a choice.’

‘And the bit about – memories? You said we could keep them. Expendable – what does that mean? Like, I know what expendable means, but-’

‘If you choose heaven, but really, really want to keep your memories of Earth, we will let you. However, should you attempt to leave or try to – do anything, really, that upsets the balance of Heaven, you’ll be placed on trial for the second time. The outcome of this trial, however, is that either your soul is eaten by the Devourer, or you are given one last life in the mortal world, without the ability to come back here.’

She leans on the table, brow furrowed. ‘I thought Heaven was meant to be a utopia. This sounds more like brainwashing.’

I smile, leaning over arms crossed on the desk to look at her.

‘Nothing’s ever what it seems, Miss Muoss. Communism looks good in theory, but when you put it to practical use, it doesn’t work. Similar deal with the afterlife.’

She looks up.

‘And you?’

‘Me?’

‘Yeah. How do you fit in here? Heaven, hell?’

‘I spend my life in the Hall of Judgement, Miss Muoss.’

‘But – before? What did you do before that, who were you?’

‘Nobody. People – people die and experience the afterlife they believe in. I was created from this afterlife belief. I’ve been here eons. Just appeared one day with a script in my mouth and a job I knew better than my own self. It’s you who thought of me. It’s the thousands before you who thought of me. People try to have me empathise with them, to no avail, because I don’t feel the way you do. I have a job. That is my purpose.’

She’s staring at me again, mouth slightly open. ‘That got a little dark.’

I shrug. ‘However you would define it.’ Unfolding my arms, I reach out and tap the scroll. ‘Do you understand now, Miss Muoss?’

‘I’ve got a few more questions, actually.’

‘Go ahead.’

‘Hell.’

‘What about it?’

‘Do they get their memories stripped, too?’

‘No, actually, they do not. I mentioned that-’

‘Right, okay,’ she says brusquely. ‘Why not?’

‘Hell is a place of torture, Miss Muoss. There is no need for everlasting happiness, and so souls can keep their memories.’

‘So, say that – I don’t know, a good soul goes to hell because they want to keep their memories, and one of their loved ones does the same thing, and they end up together. Like, not – well, it could be, but it doesn’t have to be romantic, just – they see each other again. What happens then?’

‘Good for them, I suppose. Some of the deceased have done that, and a number have seen their loved ones again.’

‘Wouldn’t that make hell good?’

‘No place of torture is normally considered ‘good’, Miss Muoss. However, they may be content with their deceased friend, yes.’

‘So hell isn’t really hell, is it?’

‘It depends on your idea of hell. If you are a sentimental, loving person who thinks people are more important, then I suppose your idea of heaven would be what is hell here. And vice versa.’

She drops her head in her hands. ‘I’m so confused.’

‘Many are.’

‘This is nothing like I imagined it.’

She looks up at me, hands clutching the lower half of her face, before she lets go.

‘I thought this would be easy. Like, yeah, I was worried about not getting past the weighing bit, I kept thinking of how I stole books from the library and my friends and how I lied to my parents and stuff, but I figured that once I got past that part, if I was ‘declared virtuous’ or whatever, I’d be fine, you know? I’d see my dog again, finally meet my gran – I don’t know. It was a stupid vision.’ She drops her hands, which she had been using to gesticulate as she’d spoken.

‘But now, even if I see them, if I choose heaven and see them, I won’t know who they are, will I?’

‘If you chose heaven and so did they, then, yes, most likely they will not remember you. Some change appearances when they get to Heaven, which would also be a problem. And, thirdly, pets are not given the same afterlife and there are none in Heaven. So, the answer to your question would most likely be no, unless your grandma hasn’t changed and you both kept your memories, which is unlikely.’

‘What’s the chance that I’ll meet someone I know in Hell?’

‘Eons of this afterlife would make this a likely occurrence if one does not consider the fact that eons of afterlife and knowing people also results in eons of people.’

‘What?’

‘Possibly, but no. Lots of people have died. The place is bigger than your Earth’

‘What, hundreds of miles of torture? Just – red and black, fires and screams, and the few people who have managed to find each other hugging as they’re whipped?’

‘I should say yes. But I will also say something else. Nothing’s ever what it seems here, Miss Muoss.’

She squints at me.

‘Are you trying to say something?’

‘No. I am merely informing you of your decision, and what it might entail.’

‘I haven’t made one yet, though.’

‘You will. Now that you have understood, I grant you around fifteen minutes to make a choice. The trial will recommence straight after.’

‘Wait, what? Fifteen – how am I supposed to decide in- I just found out about this!’

I stand, and make my way towards the door.

‘Choose wisely, Miss Muoss.’

---

This is so fucked up. I drop my head to the desk with a muffled thump, and it registers somewhere to be vaguely impressed at the state of this illusion. Then again, the guy’s apparently been here eons, so he’s had time to practice. There has got to have been at least a couple people who he has had to explain to too, who didn’t read the scroll properly like me.

Fifteen minutes? How the hell am I gonna decide within that time? The suicide was a split-second decision, parents screaming, step of the bridge into oblivion. Apparently, it doesn’t end like that. I thought it’d be like the books or something, if there was really such as the afterlife. Then again, he’d said that I was here because I believed in it, or something along those lines, so the Kane Chronicles had apparently made more of an impact on me than I’d first thought. Never really thought of what would happen after, though. A field, with all my loved ones? Torture, getting put in hell? Reincarnation? I’d always wondered, and the choices are all there. Because of my musings or because this is how this world works, I have no clue. All I know is I apparently have to make a decision within fifteen – probably ten now, actually, minutes, on something I just found out about, and I have no clue what to choose because I have no idea what’s better or worse. Brainwashed happiness or torture with my loved ones? Or, there’s apparently happiness which wouldn’t be happiness because I keep thinking of said loved ones, or getting my memories stripped and going back to Earth.

I lift my head, run my fingers through my hair.

‘Nothing is ever as it seems.’

What the hell did he mean by that? I should pick hell? But then, he said – something about empathy. He couldn’t empathise with my situation, because he’s never been put in said situation. All he’s done is weigh hearts and give information. But the way he said it – Nothing is ever as it seems, the way he stared at me –

I’m thinking too much into this. I need to make a decision and get on with it. But I’ve never been good at decision making. Couldn’t even figure out what I wanted for breakfast in the morning, while my parents groaned about it in the background. Jumped off the damn bridge because I thought it would be a short decision. Didn’t think it’d end up like this. And now I have to make a decision that’s apparently gonna affect the rest of my eternal existence.

Then again, I could always go back to the mortal world. But the whole problem with my deciding right now is that I don’t want to forget my memories, however crap some of them might be. Self harm and suicide mixed in with laughter and happiness that somehow felt sweeter because of it, the idea that I could find happiness after something so crappy. What’s that saying? True happiness can only be found with sadness? Maybe it’s not even a saying, but – it’s what I think. Heaven’s eternal satisfaction would probably be nothing compared to the explosive laughter that came after a random comment, or a not-well-thought-through word. A bad joke after crying too long. Anything, really. But what if it was? And it would be, to me, since I’d lost all of my memories? And, yes, that would be sad, but I would be happy. Content. What’s the chance, anyways, that one of my loved ones would go to hell, meet me in that space that’s apparently bigger than earth, and we’d – what, willingly get tortured together? What kind of existence would that be? But for some reason, my mind keeps going back to the way he’d spoken, the careful way he’d seemed to word his – advice, I suppose.

Nothing’s ever as it seems.

Heaven is hell and hell is heaven and this desk isn’t real. My head hurts. What if nothing’s real? What if it’s all an illusion, that idea of seven minutes before you die? What if it’s really nothing, and I’m about to wake up in bed with some warped memory, or none at all, of a strange dream I had?

I hear a knock on the door.

‘Miss Muoss. Fifteen minutes is up.’

[royalbratprince]

20 SOME followers I’d like to know better

Tagged by: @sage-fire , somewhere around 182 million years ago (thank you!) Tagging: Oh hell.  Uh.  ...............Hey, look, IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS THEN CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED AND TAG ME BACK SO I CAN SEE, OKAY?!  I suck at the tagging.  ...And doing things in a timely manner, but I just remembered it was Monday and I’m trying to be less.  ...Absent.

Name/Nickname: Orin, but you may know me as The Angst Fairy, Prince of Angst, or Dirty Old Punk.  ...I think there was another angst-related one in there somewhere, but.  ..........Welp. Gender: Whatever/Gender-Meh/Decepticon (seriously, I just... forever shrugging; call me what you like, I won’t be offended and it won’t be wrong) Height: I still don’t know, okay.  Smol but fierce. Hogwarts House: I don’t know, the uh... t-the cool one..? Favorite Animal: All of them.  Haven’t met any that I really dislike, so. Hours of Sleep: ...I try for 6, alright. Dogs or Cats: Both.  ...Maybe not in the same body, but that’s a discussion for science. Number of Blankets: Currently, three.  Because I finally found a blanket that works because New England sucks in the winter but not being crushed under layers is nice. Dream Trip: The Cup Noodle museum in Japan while Chris Parson is also there because I want to see his child-like joy. Dream Job: To get paid for what I’m already doing more reliably.  ...Alternately, stunt driving.  ...This becomes funnier when you understand that I do not have a driver’s license for very important reasons.  BUT maybe that’s because stunt driving is the better option, right? Time: 10:00 PM because that’s when I’m finally queuing this. Birthday: December 22.  A long time ago.  .........Holy shit that’s in a few weeks. Favorite Bands: There’s no way in hell I could possibly list all of them.  A lot of them.  From the origins of rock to random little things I’m thrown now.  Rockabilly, do-wop, both UK and New York punk, New Wave, hard rock, glam, hair metal, ‘80s ballad assholes, electronica; I like a lot of things and too many bands.  Please do not ask me about my playlists. Favorite Solo Artist: Gonna steal Atreyu’s answer because... actually they’re mine too, so: Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie.  ...And also Peter Gabriel.  Trent Reznor.  The music chaos god Neil Cicierega. ...I get the feeling if I continue I will go on forever, so those folks. Song stuck In My Head: ...Right now, “The End” by Planet Funk.  Give it ten minutes, it’ll be something else. Last Movie I Watched: ...Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade last weekend.  Again.  Because bitches love Indy.

Last Show I watched: Crap, uh.  ......Um.  TV.  It was... recent.  ............I think Modern Family..?  Can you tell how often or how much attention I pay to TV? When did I create my Blog: Back in March.  ...What can I say, I gave in. What do I post/Reblog: Right now nothing, but when I’m not swamped with every other thing going on, RPs, drabbles, excruciatingly painful gif sets, and mostly polyship roadtrip support.  I mean, I gotta.

Last thing I Googled: ...the lyrics to “Wild Bird Flock to Me” (Peter Murphy) because I didn’t want to interrupt what was already playing to listen to one specific part. Why I chose My URL: ...I mean.  (No, I don’t honestly think Noctis is, or ever was, a brat.  But I will always call him that, because it amuses me.  ...Writing smut, though? 100000000% brat.) Original intent: RP blog for my very, very loud brat.  And sometimes drabble dump.  I mean I’m mostly successful when I’m not buried under exhausting offline things, so... score?

Other Blogs: Other active RP blogs: @stonecoldmeme (Prompto), @calamitysshatteredson (Sephiroth); art blog: @shinythingsbyorindrake ; personal blog can be found with digging

Following: 109 Followers: 148 (how... even) Lucky number: 13 Favorite Instrument: Guitar, probably.  I’m biased because that’s what I play.  ...But drums are fun too.  What am I wearing: ..................Fuzzy zebra pants and a Garfield shirt.  .........Don’t judge me. ...Fuzzy blue socks, too.  I like to be warm. Nationality: So recently my father delved into his side of the family’s history and discovered that while he’d been told his entire life that they were Irish, they were actually Scottish, and it hasn’t stopped amusing me since.  Alternately my mother’s side of the family is, I quote, “mostly French, I guess”, which amuses me for another reason.  I don’t know, I’m just pale as fuck man. Favorite Song: I could never choose one.  I couldn’t choose ten, apparently. Last Book I Read: Re-reading It by Stephen King.  Well, I was.  I tend to read when I travel and... not as much when I don’t.  If you don’t count fan fiction. Top Three Fictional Universes I’d Like to Join: I’m going to get stared at so hard if I say FFXV but.  Like.  ..........Bad shit’s happening and everything is on fire, but at least it feels like there’s some hop eon Eos. *cough*  Uh... Star Trek.  ...Pre-reboot stuff.  I’m old, kids.  That said, Next Generation and Voyager were my jam so.  Medium-old.  And finally... uh... Tron.  Because I am a giant nerd and Tron: Legacy is my aesthetic.  Also jfc will someone please send a fucking light submarine out and HELP MY BOY.  But in the end Disney brought the franchise back just to brutally murder it in front of everyone so I get to be bitter for the rest of my life.

[brywrites]

You Are Not Alone

Author’s Note: Finally finally got around to writing my piece for @reiding-and-writing‘s Classic Criminal Minds Quote Challenge! My quote was “No matter how awful you think it is - I can promise you, you are not alone.”

Summary: A few months after Emily’s funeral, Reid begins to pull away from the Reader. When she decides to confront him, what she finds is far from what she expected.

One thing she’s sure of: he is acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. Things have been difficult for Spencer since Emily’s death, but she had thought he was working through it. Completing his psych evals, talking it through with his team and with her. The smile had returned to his face, he was reading more often, and even his migraines seemed to be getting better.

Then things changed, without warning, as they are liable to do. She had woken up to three missed calls from him and not a single voice mail. When she called him to ask about it, he tried to brush it off and claimed it was just a leaking pipe in his apartment. Not that she believed him. That was only the beginning. Since then, she’s watched as he grows more distant from her, strangely detached from the man she has loved for the last six months. Moods of his are either sky high or rock bottom, and they fluctuate faster than she can keep up with. All too often something will set him off, and he’s more irritable than she’s ever seen him before.

The behavior she’s willing to deal with, but she doesn’t know what to do when he stops calling as often. Stops coming over and asking her out. He makes excuses to avoid plans, and she starts wondering what it is she did to send him away like this.

Having worked in communications with the Bureau, handling internal newsletters and editing reports, she’s spent enough time around members of the BAU to feel comfortable reaching out to them.

“I don’t know what happened,” she tells Morgan and Garcia over coffee. “One day we’re fine, and the next we’re worlds apart. Did something happen recently? On a case maybe?”

Neither can come up with a sufficient answer to explain Spencer’s erratic behavior.

“You should ask JJ,” Garcia says. “He’s been going to see her a lot to talk about Emily. Maybe she knows?” Ah, so that’s why he’s stopped calling her in the evenings. It’s not that she’s jealous, after all, she knows JJ has her own family whom she would never betray. But it hurts to know he doesn’t think he can trust her with whatever is weighing on his heart.

Morgan squeezes her shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry too much about, Y/N. Pretty Boy loves you. I’m sure you’ll get through this.”

Will they? And does he? It’s been so long since she’s heard those words from him. Whenever they do meet, it feels strained and tense, and inevitably ends in him deciding he has somewhere else to be and rushing off, leaving behind only passive-aggressive comments and an empty feeling in her chest.

The way she loves Spencer is unlike the way she’s loved anyone else before. Nobody has ever captured her heart this way, and nobody has ever made her feel the way he does. He looks at her like she’s all of the stars, and when he smiles at her nothing else in the world seems to matter. On her bad days, he tells her everything she needs to hear, and when she’s happy he’s the first one to celebrate with her. Even with the long-distance traveling he does for work, it doesn’t bother her. He leaves letters in her bag and on her desk, calls her almost every night with the sweetest of sentiments. They hardly ever fight, and when they do they always make up, with plenty of reassurances and soft kisses. He accepts her, never judges her, and makes her feel understood.

Spencer is the best chapter in her own story, and while she has wanted many people in her life, Spencer is the only she has ever truly needed by her side. Needed the way she needs to breathe, he’s as much a part of her as her lungs or her heart.

Despite their advice, Y/N decides she can’t go on this way any longer. It’s too damn lonely to be left wondering if there is still love left between them. All she wants is an answer. A chance to see him and get to the bottom of the abyss that’s opened between them, taking the place of the close bond they used to share. She misses coffee dates and library wanderings, the way he would lace his long fingers through hers, and the warmth of his embrace when they curled up on his couch. There was a time when she thought she could tell him anything, but that feels like eons ago. A different life, a different time.

She marches to his apartment after work and knocks on the door, praying he answers. For a long thirty seconds, it seems like he won’t, but then by some miracle it opens. Spencer stands in the doorway looking entirely surprised to see her there. It used to be so normal, meeting him like this. She realizes it’s been almost two weeks since she last came by his place. Then, looking him over she realizes something else.

He looks tired. So tired.

The bags beneath his eyes are heavy, his lips void of the goofy grin he often offers at the sight of her. He hasn’t even changed out of his work clothes yet, though he has discarded his cardigan and loosened his tie.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, and it doesn’t come out like an accusation. Genuine surprise in his voice. That’s enough to change her reply.

“I’m worried about you,” she says, deciding to put her own feelings aside for the moment. “Can I come in?” Spencer bites his lip, wavering on the edge of uncertainty before finally nodding. She follows him in and he shuts the door, looking defeated.

The living room is messy, the curtains drawn close and various books scattered on his couch and coffee table. It’s not a disaster zone, but it’s a red flag that something is off about him.

“I’ve hardly seen you in the last month,” she says, leaning against the back of the sofa. “And whenever I do, it’s never for very long and you’re usually upset about something. I’m worried. I know things have been hard since… since the funeral, but I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”

Spencer shoves his hands in his pockets and studies the floor intensely. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

Running her fingers through her hair, she sighs. It’s time to be brave. Ask the question, accept whatever the answer is. It’s just Spencer, the man she’s known and loved for almost half a year. She can ask him anything. And if he wants her to let him go, she’ll learn to be okay with that.

“Do you want to break up with me?” At that, he looks up, wide-eyed and startled. She inhales, the air trembling in her lungs, willing herself not to cry. “Is that it? Because I’ve spent the last few weeks trying desperately to figure out what I did wrong and I just don’t know why you don’t want to be around me anymore.”

Surprise turns to distress and he shakes his head back and forth. “No! No, you didn’t do anything wrong! It’s not – none of this is your fault. I just don’t want to hurt you. You deserve better than that, and right now I just… I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be around me.”

“Why not?” she demands.

“Because… because there are things you don’t know about, okay? Things that you shouldn’t have to deal with. I thought they were in the past but I’m not so sure anymore and I just… I love you, Y/N.” Any oxygen she has left is taken from her, his confession rendering her speechless. How she’s missed hearing those words from her lips. Relief is an emotion she can’t afford to let take over right now, though. Not when he’s clearly struggling with something. “God, I love you so much. I just don’t want to lose you, and I don’t want to hurt you, and if you knew… if you knew I just…”

The words stop and he swallows hard, wringing his hands. His lip quivers and she can tell he’s on the verge of tears and it breaks her heart. He still loves her. She still loves him. And he needs her now. Taking a step towards him, she reaches out to gently wrap her hands around his. His fingers tremble in her gentle grip as she meets his eyes, more steadfast than she’s felt in a long time.

“Spencer, listen to me. You can tell me anything, okay? Nothing you say will scare me away. I’m here. No matter how awful you think it is, I can promise you – you are not alone. Okay? You’re not alone.”

After a few shallow breaths, he closes his eyes and she swears she can see him playing out every possible response in his mind. Then he asks if they can sit down. She obliges and they take a seat on the couch, facing each other; she sits cross-legged while he pulls his knees into his chest like a self-made shield. Silence hangs heavy over them as minutes slide by before he begins.

“Do you remember what I told you about Tobias Hankel?” he asks.

Confused, she nods. “Yeah, that’s the unsub who abducted you and held you in a shack for two days. I remember.” How could she forget? They’d passed an open-air market together where a vendor was burning fish. Spencer had had a full-fledged panic attack there on the street, while she had gently coaxed him through it. When he calmed down enough, he explained that a few years back he’d been kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer with DID in Georgia. He didn’t like to talk about it very much, but she knew that he had killed Hankel in the end, and that he still had nightmares about it. She had always given him the space to say what he needed to and tried not to pressure him beyond what he was ready to explain to her. He had always given her the same respect, after all.

“There’s something I’ve never told you about that case,” he says quietly. “Something I don’t even think everyone on the team knows. Tobias had an abusive father, and to cope with the emotional and physical pain, he… um, he turned drugs. To Dilaudid. It’s basically heroin, which he used to lace with a hallucinogenic. “

That’s certainly something. It takes everything she has to keep a straight face, not to give him any sign that he should stop, though her heart has dropped and she hopes this isn’t going where she thinks it’s going.

“So when he was cognizant and aware, he would see what his ‘father’ had done to me, and he… he was trying to help me, but – and I told him I didn’t want it, but he didn’t listen and…” He drifts off, clenching and unclenching his fists in an effort to calm himself down. It doesn’t take much to fill in the blanks. “It was only two days, but Dilaudid is really strong and really addictive. He dosed me four times. When it was all over and the team found me, I should’ve just walked away but I – I didn’t. I couldn’t resist it. I stole what Tobias had left of the drug and I kept using.”

Spencer is trying so hard not to cry, not to let his voice break, and she’s fighting back tears as well, because it’s just not fair. It’s not fair that he’s had to go through this, not him. Not on top of everything else he’s been through He doesn’t deserve any of it.

“For five months I took it. I almost lost my job – and my friends. I just didn’t know how to stop. The last time I used was after Gideon left. I – I’ve been clean for a while. For…” He pauses to conjure up the number from memory. “Three years, ten months, two weeks, and twenty-three days. I thought I was fine, but after Emily – I haven’t felt like that in so long. I haven’t had cravings that bad in years, and it would be so easy to contact my old dealer or any dealer and start using again. And I just couldn’t put you through that. I’m so sorry.”

“No,” she says. “No, don’t you dare apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

Hazel eyes search her face frantically, bewildered. “You – you’re not mad?”

“Mad? How could I possibly be mad at you?” she asks him. “I love you, Spencer. I love you, and nothing – nothing – is going to change that. This isn’t who you are. It’s what happened to you. It doesn’t make you any less worthy of love.”

Water rises in his eyes, and before she can process it his arms around her and he’s holding her so tight against his chest as he cries into her shoulder. Once the shock passes, she reaches her arms out to hug him back, trying to tell him without words just how much she loves him, as they sit there on that couch in tears.

She loves him. She loves him. And she swears she’ll never stop proving it to him. He’s not alone. She won’t let him go through this alone. Every battle he’s ever fought has been done entirely on his own, but she’s here now and she has no intention of leaving him. If it means holding him after a nightmare, if it means sitting with him when a case has broken his heart, if it means tackling the tangled web of addiction, she’ll do it all. Because she knows that when she needs him, he’ll go to the ends of the earth for her.

Love is unconditional. That’s how it should be. That’s how it is, for them.

“Just let me stay with you, please. I promise we’ll get through this together.”

“Together,” he whispers back. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

There will be time, later, for making a plan. To talk of NA meetings and counseling and doctors. Those questions can wait. Right now, all he needs to know is that he’s not alone in this anymore. And all she needs is to stay right there in his arms.

[thetruthinlies]

( Flying at the speed of light, thoughts were spinning in my head. So many things were left unsaid, it’s hard to let you go. ) ( I just got a little bored, and wrote a little something about Mukuro's big brother Ian, and for my cute baby brother [lol, it sounds like a pun]. Another huge word splutter though, and I’m sure I forgot the main point. )

[ Word count: 1580 words ]

There was a curious thing that was considered by philosophers, by fools and sages, by the architects, even the scientists. Where logic had always come into clash with.

Then again, if logic is created by fellow human, what makes it any different? Aristotle had always said that human beings are social creations, this is only because they have a conscience, and that has pieces of unreasonable, indeterminable “facts”

If Merlin were to look with his magnified-lens that he had done as a hobby, even he would be in question as to what this is. Is it a feeling, something that is the reason of existence? Or is it something that serves as a hindrance, rendering you as a pathetic being.

Love.

When a child hears of this word, they always assume it has to do with physical contact with two older beings. The connection they have by means of fulfilling their physical attraction, generally “romantic”. When an adult hears it, he might be saying the same thing.

He, himself who was once a child so many times, repeating life over and over again, but with each time, falling into the dark of night, paraphrased love as something that was nothing more than a hindrance. Something that people think they need, but they do not. There is no need to fulfill “the void” because it will once more repeat, and the human soul would never be satisfied.

This being said, it almost made sense to why he thought so. For every instance he was chained by the threads of love with another person, within these simulations, within these lives he had lived, it ended with a guarantee of no survival. He couldn’t remember when was it a time where he had experienced love, and had not been slain later.

Short-lived.

That was how they describe the feelings of happiness. If that is the case, then why feel it to begin with? It is as if reaching Nirvana, only to realize another person has pushed you off, landing back into that miserable place.

What does a Seer of Heart view this as?

-o-

A seer is a clairvoyant person. A fortune-teller, the master of augury, effectively seeing through the things a “normal” person would not. Where opaque substances can be treated as something that is transparent. 

He had seen in one of those many simulations that his keeper loves to throw him into, that his friend is someone of that position. If he was someone who panicked about people getting to know him, he would’ve been terrified. Like a shrieking lamb, a scaredy cat, a dog who cannot face their master who they wronged against. A frightened child.

He’s probably seen eons worth of human emotion, the good, the bad, and the ugly. None of them would go out of the boy’s notice, for sure. This in comparison, put six past lives with every realm of hell as a child’s game.

This man sees through the exterior faces that people wear, the masks that everyone put on to secure their inner selves from being damaged, the one who makes a hole in the wall, piercing through. This was why he immediately found out Mukuro’s farce of an exterior. More than just hearing the heartbeats, and it wasn’t as though he was reading his mind, 

Did that mean he also pitied him? Looking at Mukuro as a lowly, broken and lonely being who needed someone who could snap the madness out of him. Maybe that was why he was looked on the brother standpoint. Mukuro was burdensome to him.

Well.. at least that was what the corpse would think. Assumptions.. assumptions.

-oo-

Read between the lines, of what’s (insert the f-word) up and everything’s alright. Even an idiot could tell there was something wrong with the expression the Seer, no Ian had. He pondered, questioned, worried, sinking deeper with every thought.

The human mind never ceases a thought, even if the person alive did not have any memories of the lives they lived before, it burdened them heavily. If thoughts were threads for a spindle, it would be a giant piece of cloth produced to show how thoughts constantly spun in people’s heads.

It wasn’t possible to never think. Even if it seems as you are not thinking, breathing alone is a decision made by the brain’s thought.

Ian’s knowledge was burying him alive. It gnawed at him. No matter how much he knew, it was not good enough to know the answer. More and more knowledge only brought question, more concern..

Maybe that was why they say ignorance is bliss. An irritating quote, but it seemed as though this fit the boy’s current state of mind.  The poor big brother of his probably couldn’t find the better choice of what he should do. Denying the roots that he was still a human, which would mean he would accept being the one who sees through all, unable to sit and create connections because it would interfere with carrying on his duty, keeping strong and perceptive.

Or was it better to succumb to human desire, lowering himself back to a weaker state that could be manipulated, hurt, maimed by the crutches of love.

“Emotions are scary, aren’t they, Mukuro?” the way he smiled, in effort of keeping the easy-going aura that had surrounded him for so long.. it was waning.  The falsehood that Mukuro didn’t bother picking at, because it kept Ian in a proper state of mind..

Almost like the smile and the misanthropy that Mukuro plasters to keep his sanity in check.

Ian was crying on the inside, he was bleeding, already harmed even though his knowledge exceeded any other human’s knowledge. Emotion was what kept a human to be a human, even the apathetic people had emotion, just lowered than a regular one. A psychotic man may not feel or comprehend it geniunely, but if he read a book, he’ll understand the way it goes. The process in it, while it may not strike the heart, it would make sense why it could strike another’s.

“You said it before too; they weigh you down” it was one of the first times that the blue haired man had ever seen a faltering expression on the Seer. He who always kept everything on the higher end of things.

It was irritating, teeth gritting to see even he fall. Even if Mukuro jested at him ever so often. 

“And you’re right. Kathy doesn’t.. she doesn’t deserve” if he looked enough, he would see Ian mouth out ‘me, a person like me’.  “It’s unfair isn’t it?” he questioned himself why was he so quiet, almost surprised by the sorrow that was evident, transparent, clear.

‘you hate me too, don’t you’

It wasn’t as though Ian had said that, Mukuro felt as though that was being implied. Clenching his fist, he raised it up. Ian’s glance shot up, with an expression unreadable.

Almost as if he was saying ‘even you think so..’

Though, as soon as it came down, it was unclenched, a tap on his head. Ian could’ve sworn that Mukuro looked frustrated, but the face he wore now was a troubled smile.

“Ortega, you’re overthinking”

His tone was a little higher than usual, like if he was caught a little in the bushes, and laughing at the same time.

“I’m flattered you take my word as serious as it could get, but..” now he was really laughing, moving his hand to Ian’s shoulder “you need to cease your insistent thoughts of being the only fool here”

‘maybe you were more unsuited for the realms of loneliness’

Ian glanced at him, a little questionable.

Mukuro though, continued “This is why she chose you. two sides of the same coin, two similar idiots.”

“You don’t want to witness her faltering, and she doesn’t want you to fall either. Those red herrings that you both seem to miss so often, I’ll smack to you, all day if I need to.” it was almost as if saying he was experimenting her conviction when he had Ian slain. A mistake, but an act he was willing to put up with, to reach a new conclusion.

Odd eh?

“Show her wonderful, as you share love” better than me, at least. 

It was Ian’s turn to smack him in the head, ruffling his rather flat hair, Mukuro tried swatting his hand away. 

“You know.. even if you have no idea what you could mean, it’s really great to have a brother like you”

“Breathren is a heavy word, Ortega”

Ian then laughed. Yeah.. that was definitely a better expression.

If Mukuro looked with the magnifying lens that Merlin possessed, he might just understand what the strong hold love truly has. Perhaps he really has mellowed down to such an extent, that he wanted to carry on this duty of a brother.

“Something you’re more than capable to carry, Mukuro”

Emotions, yes, were not the best to have, but it was a necessity to keep shards. A balance between the extremes, otherwise the human race would’ve ended eons ago.

He began to wonder.

Was there a possibility for the Seer to remain a Seer, but still be held in the loving arms of care?

He wanted to configure that, make a pavement for him to cross. It almost sounds benevolent. They never said a broken person cannot stretch their hand to help a plate that was breaking. And, that’s what brothers do.

[junco-partner]

All of em.

Oh fun something for me to do while I wait on laundry.

1: Full name. Beau W******d Boudreaux. 2: Zodiac sign. Virgo/Libra line. 3: 3 fears. Abandonment, lack of direction, spiders. (The last one is more of an intense hatred but I couldn’t think of a third one)4: 3 things I love. Music, nature, comedy. 5: 4 turn on’s. Red/brown/black hair, pale skin, pigtails, good music taste. 6: 4 turn off’s. Stupidity, southern accents, backwards hats, bad music taste. 7: My best friend? I’d tag him but his only blog that I know of is pornographic. 8: Sexual orientation? Hetero. 9: My best first date? 11/13/15. 10: How tall am I? 6'0. 11: What do I miss? Happiness and security. 12: What time was I born? 10:00 something pm. 13: Favorite color? Green. 14: Do I have a crush? I suppose. 15: Favorite quote? ‘Listen. Think. Calm down. Relax. Shut the fuck up.’ - Bill Hicks16: Favorite place? Where the good music is. 17: Favorite food? I can’t. 18: Do I use sarcasm? Nope. 19: What am I listening to right now? If You Have Ghosts - Ghost BC.20: First thing I notice in new person? Music taste, honestly. 21: Shoe size? 12. 22: Eye color? Blue. 23: Hair color? Blond. 24: Favorite style of clothing? Black. 25: Ever done a prank call? Deez nuts. 26: What color of underwear I’m wearing now? Grey. 27: Meaning behind my URL? It’s a Clash song. 28: Favorite movie? Seven Samurai. 29: Favorite song? Lol. 30: Favorite band? Queen. 31: How I feel right now? Filthy because I’ve been cutting grass all day. 32: Someone I love. Flop. 33: My current relationship status. Single. 34: My relationship with my parents. Good 35: Favorite holiday. The entire period of October to December. 36: Tattoos and piercing I have. 'Stärke’ on my left arm. 37: Tattoos and piercing I want. Possibly other German shit. 38: The reason I joined Tumblr. Because of a crush eons ago. 39: Do I and my last ex hate each other? No. 40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night” texts? Sometimes. 41: Have I ever kissed the last person I texted? No. 42: When did I last hold hands? I can’t remember. 43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning? I like to allow 90 minutes but like 20 if I’m not showering. 44: Have I shaved my legs in the past three days? Nah. 45: Where am I right now? My room. 46: If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me? Probably Cody, my aforementioned best friend. If not then probably Chris or Emily or Maurice or someone. 47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level? Loud, fucker. 48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad? No. 49: Am I excited for anything? Going to see Lee Ranaldo tonight. 50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to? Yes. 51: How often do I wear a fake smile? I barely even wear a real one. 52: When was the last time I hugged someone? Maybe a few weeks ago. 53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me? Let’s not go there. 54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not? Lol nah. Made that mistake recently. 55: What is something I disliked about today? Too damn hot, what else is new. 56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? Fenriz I guess. 57: What do I think about most? 'God, what idiots.’58: What’s my strangest talent? Vomiting words at a high volume. 59: Do I have any strange phobias? No. 60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Whatever. 61: What was the last lie I told? 'Yes, I know where this ENT’s office is.’62: Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? Don’t care. 63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens? If given sufficient evidence. 64: Do I believe in magic? See previous. 65: Do I believe in luck? See previous. 66: What’s the weather like right now? Fucking hot. 67: What was the last book I’ve read? Love All the People - Bill Hicks. 68: Do I like the smell of gasoline? Eh. 69: Do I have any nicknames? I don’t know. 70: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had? Probably falling down a hill as a kid and nearly cutting my face of. 71: Do I spend money or save it? Spend more than I should. 72: Can I touch my nose with a tongue? Yes. 73: Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me? Post-its. 74: Favorite animal? Pug. 75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM? Drunkenly watching Yu Yu Hakusho. It was amazing. 76: What do I think Satan’s last name is? I’m not supposed to tell. 77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it? I guess Wood Goblins by Tad because holy shit. 78: How can you win my heart? Lol. 79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone? We’ll see. 80: What is my favorite word?fuck. 81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr? 5 good ones. 82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say? Calm down. 83: Do I have any relatives in jail? No. 84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power? Time travel without LiS rules. 85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on? None. 86: What is my current desktop picture? Gorgoroth’s first album. 87: Had sex? Like 3 times. 88: Bought condoms? Yep. 89: Gotten pregnant? Lol nah. 90: Failed a class? Nope. 91: Kissed a boy? Yep. 92: Kissed a girl? Yep. 93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain? Yes. 94: Had job? Yes I have had 3 job thank. 95: Left the house without my wallet? Yes. 96: Bullied someone on the Internet? No. 97: Had sex in public? In a pool. 98: Played on a sports team? Long ago. 99: Smoked weed? Yep. 100: Did drugs? Not really. 101: Smoked cigarettes? Once. 102: Drank alcohol? Yep. 103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan? Fuck that. 104: Been overweight? Yep. 105: Been underweight? Lol. 106: Been to a wedding? Yes. 107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight? Probably. 108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight? Yep. 109: Been outside my home country? Got back recently. 110: Gotten my heart broken? Yep. 111: Been to a professional sports game? No. 112: Broken a bone? No. 113: Cut myself? Not intentionally. 114: Been to prom? Yep. Fuck that. 115: Been in airplane? Yes. 116: Fly by helicopter? No. 117: What concerts have I been to? Jesus Christ I’m not typing that list again. 118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex? No. 119: Learned another language? Yep. 120: Wore make up? Yes. 121: Lost my virginity before I was 18? Lol yep. 122: Had oral sex? Yes. 123: Dyed my hair? No. 124: Voted in a presidential election? No. 125: Rode in an ambulance? No. 126: Had a surgery? No. 127: Met someone famous? Yep. 128: Stalked someone on a social network? Yes. 129: Peed outside? Yes. 130: Been fishing? Yep. 131: Helped with charity? Yes. 132: Been rejected by a crush? Lol. 133: Broken a mirror? No. 134: What do I want for birthday? To be happy again. 135: How many kids do I want and what will be their names? 0. 136: Was I named after anyone? A town. 137: Do I like my handwriting? Sure. 138: What was my favorite toy as a child? There were too many. 139: Favorite TV Show? Yu Yu Hakusho at the moment. 140: Where do I want to live when older? Where I fit. 141: Play any musical instrument? Yes. 142: One of my scars, how did I get it? Falling down that hill. 143: Favorite pizza topping? All the fucking cheese. 144: Am I afraid of the dark? No. 145: Am I afraid of heights? No. 146: Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad? Yep. 147: Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end? All the time. 148: What I’m really bad at. Shrugging off bullshit. 149: What my greatest achievements are. Being happy. 150: The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me. Lol. 151: What I’d do if I won in a lottery. Buy things. 152: What do I like about myself? My misanthropy. 153: My closest Tumblr friend. I have none. 154: Something I fantasies about. I fantasies about be’s happys again. 155: Any question you’d like. Silence.