#yes i did this one watching that netflix cat show documentary

[buckyalpine]

Hello, first I would like to say that I love your writing and it normally makes me really happy while I am at some boring classes at college, so thanks for that hahaha ❤️

Also, I saw your requests are open and since I am absolutely obsessed with your angst for bucky, I am here to request some.

My idea would be something like this: reader has been in the compound with the avengers for a while now and besides really caring for the team, she has some problems being more open with friendships and relationships in general, cause of some insecurities with her personality, but in somehow she feels really comfortable with Bucky and they are kinda of great friends?

And then she's just waking by the compound looking for him one day and she hears him speaking something bad about her? Something about how he feels like she's overwhelming him cause she just has him as a friend and no one else and it kinda makes her look for him a lot for comfort ( I actually have no idea what he could be speaking, so this is just an idea but it could be anything, really) maybe this could actually be a misunderstanding and he did not meant in that way? I would love if it had a lot of angst and a happy ending, but of course is up to you!

YES I live for miscommunication and comfort and this type of angst, this concept is everything!!

warnings: Angst, miscommunication, idiots in love/ friends to lovers, plenty of fluffff

-

"Hey sugar plum" You smiled, plopping beside Bucky on the couch while he scrolled through Netflix documentaries with a large bowl of m&ms in his lap. "Whatcha watching"

"Haven't decided yet, pick something Jellybean" He handed you the remote and candy bowl, throwing his arm around the back of the couch while you got settled in and flicked through the selection of tv shows.

"Of course" Bucky snorted, shaking his head with amusement as Unsolved Mysteries started to play. You grinned, comfortable nestled against his side while the rest of the team joined one by one; Sam swiped a handful of chocolate from the bowl only to have Bucky swat at his hand like a cat.

"Get your own candy pigeon pants"

"What, y/n gets some but I don't" Sam scoffed in fake offence while Bucky shrugged, throwing one at him.

"Well you're not y/n" Bucky shrugged while you felt your heart flutter. You loved everyone with your whole heart, you really did, but no one else made you feel safe the way Bucky did. Being around him felt like being constantly wrapped in a thick fluffy blanket. Ever since you had joined the team, you struggled to fully be yourself around everyone.

Not that anyone treated you differently; but being surrounded some of the strongest and most brilliant people on the planet gnawed at your insecurities. Steve was a sweetheart, Nat was incredibly skilled and drop dead gorgeous, Tony could charm his way out of just about anything. Everyone had something that made them exceptional and then there was you. You tended to be on the quieter side, fueled with self doubt over if you actually brought anything to the team.

Were you really all that interesting?

What did you really add to the group?

Did anyone even notice your presence when you were around?

Even if they did, did it make a difference?

You'd overthink your way into a quiet corner wondering why you were the way that you were. No one else could see the way you'd worry yourself into a ball of self-doubt, figuring you were just shy and they didn't want to mistakenly push any boundaries.

Then there was Bucky.

Being around Bucky was different.

Something about him was warm and welcoming. He didn't hesitate to pull you out of your hiding spaces around the compound, making sure you joined for team events and game nights. Any insecurities you had always melted away when you were around him because he made you feel special.

Made you feel wanted.

The night went by with everyone sharing their own conspiracy theories over what they think actually happened at the end of each episode while you stayed tucked by Bucky's side. Neither of you had any plans on calling it an early night, while the rest of the team eventually all went to bed as you switched to a new show.

"I'm going to grab more snacks, want anything sugar plum?" You were about to make your way to the kitchen when Bucky placed his hand on your thigh, making you stay seated.

"I'll get it, tell me what you want Jellybean" He shook his head, grabbing the throw blanket and tossing it over your legs so you'd be comfy for the rest of the night while he went to grab the snacks. You didn't have to actually say anything, Bucky knew exactly what you wanted. He came back with half the kitchen raided on a tray along with a beer, pulling you to his side, letting you snuggle against his chest.

You let out a content sigh, unwrapping a chocolate bar while Bucky snuck a bite, the warmth of his body making it difficult for you to stay awake like you'd planned. You eventually fell asleep, waking up to find yourself tucked comfortably in your bed as the sun poured into your room, your body still wrapped in the throw he had covered you with.

You felt your body warm up at the way he was so gentle with you, having carried you to your room without making you stir the slightest. There wasn't anyone else you'd feel so comfortable around.

He was your safe space.

You found yourself hopping out of bed with more energy than usual, deciding to train in the morning instead of your late night workouts, if you were lucky, maybe you'd run into Bucky after his morning run. You made your way to the kitchen, smiling when you heard his voice, along with Sam's, the both of them bickering over something irrelevant as per usual. The closer you got, the more serious their conversation sounded making you wonder if something had come up with a mission

And then you heard your name.

You stopped half way, staying as still as possible part of you wanting to run back to your room while covering your ears, the other part of you curious to know what they were saying. You wanted to move but your feet were glued to the ground, your heart hammering out of your chest.

"How about y/n?"

"Uh y/n..." You could hear the hesitation in his Bucky's as he contemplated his next words, his tone irritated. "She's whatever. It's not like that"

"Meaning?"

"Uh. I don't know, she sort of follows me around everywhere, there's not a day I don't see her but its not like I ask to see her"

You blinked, your stomach starting to churn. Did you follow him everywhere? You did see him everyday but you didn't realize you were following him.

"I mean she's only that way with you, she's definitely not that comfortable with Steve or me" You could hear Sam trying to reason with Bucky but all he did was scoff, your heart wrenching further.

"Yeah. It's overwhelming"

You wanted to run, wishing you had stayed in bed for an extra 5 minutes, your body now hot, not from how safe he made you feel but from embarrassment. Of course he was overwhelmed with your clinginess, he didn't want to have to deal with a burden like you. He had so much of his own issues to deal with and then there was you.

Guilt started to cloud your mind as you thought about all the times you spent time with Bucky, staying by his side while he reassured you or comforted you. How many of those times were actually annoying for him, how many times did he wish you would suck it up and leave him alone instead.

"She's not really friends with anyone else on the team, I'm not sure why she hangs out with me specifically that much" He sounded even more irritated than before; the rest of the conversation a melted into dull buzz, your heartbeat thudding in your skull.

Your eyes stung, hot tears flooding your lash line at his words. Your bottom lip, trembled despite how hard you were biting down on it; your forced your feet to move, slowly backing away from the kitchen until you were far enough to run to your room. You slammed the door shut, instructing FRIDAY to soundproof the walls and turn away anyone that came by before breaking down into sobs.

All of your insecurities were dialed to 100 along with more being added to the list.

How did you not see how annoying you were being. You felt awful, embarrassed, confused.

Why didn't he say anything?

Of course he wouldn't, he probably felt pity for you. A grown adult woman who struggled to open up and still struggled with her personality. An absolute joke.

You let the day go by, too ashamed to face anyone, let alone Bucky. If he felt irritated, there was no doubt the rest of the team knew exactly how annoying he found you. You couldn't bring yourself to see any of them, deciding to skip both lunch and dinner instead while burying under the covers.

****

Bucky frowned when he didn't see you the whole day, his worries growing more when he didn't see you come by for dinner either.

"Where's y/n?"

"I checked on her during lunch but FRIDAY said she'd requested to be alone" Nat looked at Bucky, confused over how he, of all people, didn't know where you were.

"Aren't you both joined at the hip, how do you not know Barnes" Tony wiggled his eyebrow while Bucky rolled his eyes, too worried about you to retort to Tony's comment.

"I saw her once this morning in the training room but not after that. She seemed fine then" Steve had seen you that morning, happy to see you brighter when he had spoken to you, not missing your shy smile when he'd mentioned Bucky's name. "No one else saw her all day?"

Bucky was immediately out of his seat, making his way over to your room to see you, only to have FRIDAY respond instead.

"Ms. Y/l/n has asked that no one disturb her until further notice"

"For fucks sake" He mumbled, knocking at your door one more time.

"I'm sorry Sergeant Barnes, Ms. y/l/n has asked to be left alone"

Bucky was taken aback when he was tuned away; in the few times you had locked your door from everyone else he'd always been exempt from that list. Why didn't you want to see him either? He reluctantly made his way back, his mind now racing over what could have possibly happened from the night before to now.

****

You had managed to avoid Bucky the next few days, purposefully staying away from the areas you knew he'd be around and staying in your room for most of the day. Whenever he tried to speak to you, you'd find a way to escape the conversation, his words reeling in your mind, reminding you he found you annoying. Overwhelming. Clingy.

You couldn't understand why he was going out of his way to try and talk to you when you were trying so hard to stay away, your heart in pain not being able to spend time with the person you felt the safest with. Your mind made it impossible to get a wink of sleep; you made your way down to the kitchen for a late night snack instead. You grabbed a bowl of popcorn, turning the TV on to your favorite comfort shows needing a temporary distraction.

"Jellybean?"

Bucky made his way through the living room after a late night workout, his heart jumping when his eyes landed on you. He was by your side in an instant, not noticing the way you froze when he sat beside you.

"Hi James"

Bucky blinked, his name sounding foreign on your tongue.

He didn't like it.

Not one bit.

Since when was he James.

"Uh, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine" You forced a smile, scooting over so you weren't sitting too close to him, your mind racing trying to find a way out of the conversation. Bucky could sense your discomfort but he had no idea why, his heart beating harder against his chest when he noticed your eyes shift, as if you were looking for a way to escape.

"Are-are you sure?"

"Yup!"

"Doll" He noticed the way your eyes continued to flick around the room, refusing to meet his. "Somethings bothering you"

"What makes you say that"

"I-you called me by my name-you never do that"

"What else should I call you" You avoided his gaze, fidgeting with a lose string on a cushion while Bucky felt his stomach drop.

Were you upset with him?

"You always call me sugar plum. Only you do" He shrugged sadly, his bottom lip jutting out into a pout. "You don't call me James"

"Oh" Was all you could muster, feeling your throat close up, hot tears threatening to spill from your lash line. You tried to turn away from him only to have him gently cup your cheek, tilting your chin to face him. His heart broke seeing your glassy eyes while you chewed your lip to keep from crying.

"Please tell me what's wrong, did I do something? Did I say anything?"

"No" You whispered, swallowing thickly, pulling away from him only to have him take your hands in his to keep you from running away.

"C'mon y/n, please?"

"I-I don't mean to follow you around and be so clingy. I'm just trying to give you some space Bucky" You tried to keep your voice steady, hanging your head so he wouldn't see the tears run down your cheeks. Bucky let go of your hands to cup your cheeks again, his thumbs wiping away your tears.

"Jellybean, what are you-

"I heard you talking to Sam" You spat, now annoyed that he was here trying to talk to you when he was the one who felt you followed him around. "I heard you tell him I'm always around you. That you don't even ask to see me but I'm there. I didn't mean to be so overbearing. I felt safe with you so I was closest to you, I didn't realize you felt like I was following you".

"Sweetheart, it's not overwhelming for the reasons you think"

"Then what else could it be Bucky? You could have told me you needed some space, I would've understood. I wouldn't have spend so much time hanging out with you-

"No! I like when you're around me Jellybean" Bucky almost sounded offended you'd suggest such a thing while you shook your head, sniffling.

"You don't have to lie to me-

"Y/n, no. I promise doll, this is just a misunderstanding, that's not that I meant when I was talking to Sam"

"Then what did you mean?" You whispered, confused over what else he could have possibly meant. Bucky felt butterflies in his chest, not fully thinking this through. Should he tell you what the conversation was about? Could it be worse than you thinking he didn't even like you when the truth was the complete opposite?

"I don't want to ruin our friendship if I tell you" Bucky suddenly looked scared, his eyes wide like a lost puppy, vulnerable and afraid. He sucked in a breath before speaking, inching a little closer to you. "Sam was asking about if I'm seeing anyone. He thinks I need to put myself out there"

Oh.

A sudden pang of jealousy hit your chest, the flinch in your face not missed by Bucky.

"He was suggesting..." He bit his lip, chewing it nervously before continuing. "He asked if there was anything between us. He thought maybe you liked me because we're always together" Bucky continued to look at you like a kicked puppy, his own emotions now all over the place. "I didn't think you did. At least not in that way but he kept saying there was something between us"

"It didn't sound like you liked me very much" You shrugged while Bucky frantically shook his head, mentally scolding himself. "I thought you found me too clingy"

"Never. You're never too clingy. M'so so sorry doll, I didn't mean for it to come out that way, you're the only person who I can spend the whole day with, I'm not comfortable around others like I am with you. I love when you come around looking for me. I guess a part of me was upset because Sam wasn't the first to ask me why we weren't together and ask if we were more than friends. I didn't think you'd like me and it's overwhelming for me because I feel so much and...well"

"and?" Bucky blushed, struggling to get the next words out while you anxiously waited for him to continue.

"and I really like you" He whispered, squeezing your hand in his while you shifted closer, letting him pull you onto his lap. His arms circled around your waist, holding you close to him both your hearts racing, his nose bumping against yours.

"You like me?" You felt your cheeks heat up when he nodded, his blue eyes shyly peeking up at you through his lashes.

"I like you jellybean. A lot"

"Even more than m&m's?" You felt him hug you together, your lips brushing against his.

"More than m&m's" He closed the gap between you both, pressing his lips to yours, kissing you sweetly as you gently carded your fingers through his hair. He kissed you until you both needed air, a dopey smile on his face while you snuggled into his chest.

"Does that mean I'm your sugar plum again?" He whispered hopefully making you giggle, kissing him deeply again.

"Always, my sugar plum"

"My jellybean"

****

"Fucking finally" Tony mumbled, his hair ruffled, stifling a yawn as he walked through the living room, grinning at you and Bucky sleeping on the couch.

"I told him" Steve rolled his eyes, snapping a picture of you both cuddled on the couch while Sam snorted, nodding in approval. "Took them long enough"

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[forever-rogue]

HI LOVE ok so I'm watching The Hidden Lives of Pets which is a Netflix animal documentary and there's this episode where a guy shows how he always goes camping with his CAT and the cat leads him to the car/camp after they go for a walk and at night the cat curls up on a chair and watches the guy cook dinner and then they both chill and stargaze until the fire is out and nOW IM YEARNING FOR CAMPING WITH FRANKIE AND A PET MY GOOOOOOODDDDDD

 AN | Okay, but this is so cute! I hope you guys enjoy a soft lil take on Frankie and some camping 🥰

Pairing | Frankie Morales x Fem!Reader

Warnings | None

Word Count | 2k

Masterlist | Frankie, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You’re not serious,” Frankie’s face fell as he glanced between you and the small harness in his hand. Oh. Perhaps he really had been serious after all. A bereft sigh passed your lips, “we’re n - we’re not taking Mr. Beans camping with us.”

“Why not?” the pout on his face alone was almost enough to get you to give in, instead you dissolved into laughter, “he wants to come! He’ll have a good time.”

“He’s a cat,” you took the small harness and tossed it onto the counter, “his joys in life are eating, sleeping, and sitting in a warm lap or window. Tell me why you’re so sure he’d like camping.”

“You are stereotyping him to be just all like all other cats,” as if on cue, Mr. Beans padded into the kitchen, circling your legs before rubbing against you and plopping at your feet, “see! He knows his mother is being mean.”

“I…did you and the cat really just gang up on me?” you shook your head before reaching down to scratch behind his ears. When you looked back up, Frankie’s expression was nothing short of pleading; you were surprised he didn’t break down and fall to his knees, “fine. Fine. Mr. Beans can come - but we’re going to have to make sure that we have everything for him and that we’re extra careful. I don’t want anything to happen to…our son.”

“Yes!” he pumped his fist before picking up the small, fluffy black cat and holding him to his chest, “we’re going to have the best time.”

“Yeah,” you leaned in and kissed cheek, shaking your head in amusement at the two of them, “I’m sure we will, Francisco.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“There, voila!” he looked so proud of himself for the tent he’d just put up. You gave him a small round of applause as he took a mock little bow. Mr. Beans had been underfoot the whole time, almost as if he thought he was supervising the tent construction himself. You had to admit, he did look pretty stinking cute in his red and black check harness, matching right along with Frankie in his signature flannel. Totally not planned babe, he had insisted, but you could see right through him. 

“Looks wonderful,” you stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his face before stroking his cheek, “I hope you remembered the air mattress and his bed. Can’t have the little prince be left to sleep like a peasant.”

“‘course I remembered,” he scoffed playfully as he walked past you and to the back of the car. He had definitely packed everything and anything that could even be remotely needed; by the time you’d left the house that morning, the car was a tight squeeze. You couldn’t even be mad - it was endearing that he wanted to make sure everything was perfect. He rummaged through what he had packed before making a little triumphant sound and pulling out two stuffed duffel bags, “everything we need for a comfortable tent experience!”

“Excellent, my liege,” you grabbed one of the bags before kissing him. It caused him to pause for a moment as he looked at you with soft eyes, a flush crept into his cheeks, “thank you for this, Frankie. It was a good idea to get away for the weekend.”

“Y-yeah,” he stammered lightly, still amazed by the effect you managed to have over him, despite how long he’d been lucky enough to call you his, “I thought it was a good idea too. Obviously…wait - maybe not obviously, but yeah. I think you know-”

“Shh,” you put a finger to his lips to stop his rambling, giggling lightly, “I know what you meant, love. Come one, let’s throw the bags into the tent and go for a hike.”

“Okay,” he agreed happily, as he helped you with your stuff, “sounds great.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Your little afternoon hike turned into an adventure that was both fun and almost too cute to handle. You were glad you’d remembered to bring your phone so you managed to take some good pictures. 

You were carrying a light backpack, filled with water and snacks and some emergency medical supplies while Frankie too had a backpack…for Mr. Beans. You were left breathless with how hard you’d laughed when he first told you that the backpack was for the - in case he gets tired. He’d started out on leash, strapped to his little harness, happily trotting along with the two of you.,

You had to admit that the small cat was extremely well behaved, as well as probably the sweetest little thing. Whenever another pair of hikers or someone with a dog would cross your paths, he was excited to make his way over to get pets, but he was so cute about it. When Frankie saw how good he was with dogs, it gave him the idea that maybe your little family needed a new member. It could be a brother or sister for him, that way he’ll never be lonely when we’re gone. And just how were you supposed to argue with that? 

At one point, the little black cat and his little legs had grown tired, causing him to stop and quietly meow at the two of you. Frankie wasted no time in reaching down and picking up, putting him delicately into the little carrier backpack. You said nothing but gave them both a kiss and took a picture to forever remember this moment.

“What?” he asked when he’d caught you grinned like a loon at him, “something on my face?”

“No,” you promised, “just love you lots is all.”

“Oh,” there was sht little smile you loved so much, “I love you.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The fire that Frankie had started was crackling merrily, as the two of you sat around it, drinking hot chocolate and talking about anything and everything. Mr. Beans was sitting at your feet, stretched out on a soft, fluffy blanket as he let the fire warm his belly. 

You couldn’t help but lean down to pet him, causing him to purr happily as he pushed his face into your hand. Frankie had a smug, playful little smirk on his face, “what? I can see that look, Morales.”

“Nothing,” he innocently shrugged, “just funny that you didn’t think he should come at first, and look at the two of you. Thick as thieves - even more than normal.”

“Well, it’s not that I didn’t want him to come,” you stuck your tongue out at him, “I just wasn’t sure that he would enjoy it…or that it would be safe! I don’t want anything to happen to him. Besides, Francisco, normal people don’t generally bring their cats camping. But then again, we’re not exactly normal…”

“What’s the difference between us bringing him,” he scoffed, not at you but in general, “and with other people bringing their dogs? More or less the same thing.”

“I suppose…” you agreed, scooting closer to him so your bodies were touching, “but luckily, it’s all going very well. But do you know what else we need?”

“I know that look,” he wiggled his eyebrows, “s’mores.”

“S’mores,” you jumped up and made quick work of grabbing the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. Frankie had grabbed a few sticks that were suitable for proper marshmallow roasting, as you had put it earlier. You fished a couple of the big, fluffy blobs out of the bag and pushed them onto the end of the sticks.

“For you,” he handed you one of the sticks and you both stuck the marshmallows near the flames. Frankie was softly explaining the best way to get the ultimate toast on the marshmallow, crispy on the outside but then gooey on the inside. You were sure that you were just watching him with actual heart eyes, which he seemed to notice, “everything alright?”

“Yes,” it was a soft promise as you pulled your marshmallow that had gotten a little too crispy with your quiet study of him, out of the flame and put it on the plate as you got ready to roast another, “I was just…listening to you and trying to follow along.”

“Either I was not explaining it very well, or you got very easily distracted,” he winked at you, “it’s okay, honey bee, you can look all you want, I’m all yours.”

“Hush,” you waved your stick at him before you both broke into a fit of giggles, “it’s not my fault you’re all handsome like that, and funny, and sexy, and everything.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” he almost broke the graham crackers in half at your statement, suddenly very interested in what he was doing. It was his tell every time he was flustered; he became incredibly invested in whatever he had been doing. 

“Flattery will get me everywhere,” you passed him the chocolate so he could assemble the s’mores, “you know it will, baby.”

“I need you to keep quiet,” his bark had absolutely no bite behind it, the smile that was pulling up the corners of his mouth evidence of that, “very important business at hand.”

“Clearly,” you agreed, “you’re not allowed to sleep in the tent if the s’mores are anything less than perfect.”

“No pressure,” he made quick work of putting together the sweet treats, getting the perfect ratio of ingredients that you liked. He handed you the plate, and you played along, inspecting it closely, “what does the queen think then?”

“Approved,” you leaned over and kissed him, tasting the sweetness of the marshmallows that he had already eaten lingering on his lips, “I guess I’ll keep you.”

“What an honor,” his hand found the back of your neck as he gently held you close to him so he could steal a few more languid, saccharine kisses.

“What was that for?”

“Do I need a reason to kiss you?”

“Never,” you beamed at him, “you taste good. Sweet.”

“I could never taste as sweet as you though,” that was enough to cause you to look at him with big, doe eyes as your entire face flushed with warmth, “what’s the matter? Cat - or I guess I could say Mr. Beans - got your tongue?”

“You’re a menace,” you took a big bite and pretended to glare at him.

“But I’m your menace.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You’re hogging the blanket,” you were grinning as you scooted closer to him on the small air mattress. There had already been very little space between the two of you and now it was basically nonexistent. He draped an arm around your waist as you rested your head on his chest.

“Better?” he kissed the crown of your head as you hummed in content. You yawned, closing your eyes as you felt sleep start to pull you into its sweet embrace.

Before either of you could fall asleep, a small meow reached your ears before the mattress shook gently. Mr. Beans, very small but mighty, padded over your body before settling in between the two of you. He circled around a few times before settling down, purring lightly. 

Frankie reached down and petted him for a few moments before he became too sleepy to do much of anything. You were smiling at him, at his softness for not just you but the cat. You were reminded all over again of just why you loved him so much. 

“Go to sleep,” he murmured softly, “I can feel you staring at me.”

“I would do no such thing,” you leaned up and gently kissed his nose, “I love you, Frankie. And you too, Mr. Beans.”

“I love you too,” he sounded too cute for someone that was seconds away from sleep, “both of you.”

Mr. Beans stretched before making a small sound, almost as if he was saying it back to both of you before falling asleep as well. 

#frankie morales #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x fem!reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you

[dayseternal-blog]

Hi Days! I just watched the Kabuki documentary with Ikuta Toma the other day and it was really interesting! I was surprised (and happy) to see Shun Oguri there too! I'm curious though if you've watched/followed other shows of any other Japanese celebrity? I also just finished watching "First Love" with Takeru Sato and Hikari Mitsushima the other day, it was a lovely series ❤️

Hello born!!! The Kabuki documentary was really, really interesting, right???? Finding out about how he was just coasting through being a trainee and realizing one day that everyone (Arashi ahhhh) was debuting except for him, it's like 💔 But he really found his own path!!! And I was also surprised to see Oguri Shun there! Just, like a surprise treat for all the fans??? I had no idea that they were such close friends.

*big sighs* I don't have the time to invest in regularly watching dramas. I do really, really want to watch First Love! Mostly because I want to support Netflix in carrying more Japanese dramas. Also who doesn't love Utada Hikaru.

I'm not sure if you're asking about current or in the past, but when I was a teenager, I watched

Hana Yori Dango starring MatsuJun, Inoue Mao, and Oguri Shun

Nobuto wo Produce starring Kamenashi Kazuya, Horikita Maki, and Yamapi

Kurosagi (2006) starring Yamapi - they've remade this recently starring Hirano Sho (King & Prince)

Gokusen 1, 2, and 3 starring Nakama Yukie

Kisarazu Cat's Eye starring Okada Junichi (ok did you watch him in The Fable on Netflix because if not, you absolutely must!!!)

Dragon Zakura starring Abe Hiroshi

Hana Kimi starring Horikita Maki, Ikuta Toma, and Oguri Shun

1 Litre no Namida starring Nishikido Ryo and Sawajiri Erika

Liar Game 1 and 2 starring Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika

Densha Otoko starring Ito Atsushi and Ito Misaki

Koizora (film) starring Miura Haruma and Aragaki Yui

Tantei Gakuen Q (film & drama) starring Kamiki Ryunosuke, Shida Mirai, and Yamada Ryosuke

Seigi no Mikata starring Shida Mirai and Yamada Yu

My Boss My Hero starring Nagase Tomoya

Ryuusei no Kizuna starring Ninomiya Kazunari, Toda Erika, and Nishikido Ryo

Chekaraccho!! (Check It Out Yo!!) (film) starring Ichihara Hayato, Inoue Mao, and Hiraoka Yuta

Hero SP starring Kimura Takuya

I am certain that there's others that I don't have listed here, but basically I mostly watched dramas that starred Johnny's idols in the mid-2000s. I was a big Toda Erika, Aragaki Yui, and Shida Mirai fan. By 2008, I was moving onto Taiwanese and Korean fandoms, so like Takeru Satoh? I didn't watch anything with him in it even though he's a big name actor now, he was only just starting to get name recognition in 2008.

I have watched a few current films!! So actually I recently watched Mitsushima Hikari in Tang and Me starring Ninomiya Kazunari. She was so good. The plot of Tang was awful, but everyone's acting was SO HIGH TIER that the film was worth watching. I have high expectations for her in First Love. Also I watched The Fable film series on Netflix starring Okada Junichi, and yes. Yes. One of the best movies I've watched this year.

In terms of current dramas... I saw the first episode of Koi Nante, Honki De Yatte Dousuru No? (Who Needs True Love?) which stars Matsumura Hokuto and Hirose Alice. I really want to watch the rest of this because I think it will help me finish writing my fic "Genghis Khan." But. The Japanese is slightly too difficult for me to understand :( I heard from my friend that Hokuto's sex appeal is to-die-for in this drama. If I can't watch him in Koi Nante, I know that I'll at least get to hear him voice act in Shinkai's Suzume no Tojimari once it hits American theaters.

I also watched the first episode of Silent, which stars Meguro Ren and Kawaguchi Haruna. It comes highly recommended by my friends. It took a ton of brainpower for me to understand the first episode, though. My friends have way better Japanese comprehension than me. It really seems like Matsumura Hokuto and Meguro Ren are names to keep an eye on in Japanese entertainment these days.

My friends also really want me to watch Cherry Magic starring Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita. I feel like I've watched it already because I've seen so many clips of it here on Tumblr haha.

I'm sorry this was a huge response 😓 for a simple check-in. I guess I just summarized and relived several years of Japanese pop culture obsession in the past two hours of writing this out. Thoughts on anything I've written here? :D

#bornonthebreakofdawn #nice ask #i'm making a new tag for myself #fun ask

[casspurrjoybell-26]

Too Old For This - Chapter 9 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Leroy wasn't sure what he'd expected but not exactly what he saw.

It was a small room with a double bed pushed against the wall.

There was a study table that was pressed against the bed's lower edge with a chair on the other side but it seemed that Zac used it from the bed, for the most part, judging from what direction the stack of books and the laptop was facing.

The room smelled strongly of medical-grade pain relief cream and a hint of candles and essential oils.

"Hey," Zac said, making Leroy turn his gaze toward him.

There was a small smile on the older man's face... a bit unsure... maybe nervous.  

"Hey," Leroy said, walking over to the chair propped on the other side of the desk before sitting down.

He had wanted to sit beside Zac on the bed but he'd come to the conclusion that it would be a little weird.

Also, there was a cat right next to him and the cat wouldn't take too kindly to Leroy moving it out of the way.  

There was silence after that, with none of them saying much but random pleasantries.

Leroy had asked about Zac's sister and the older man had confirmed that, yes, that was in fact his sister before asking Leroy how his night was.

The younger man had shrugged, mumbling 'good' under his breath and just like that the silence returned.

They sat there awkwardly, both occasionally looking at their phones in between the odd staring contest they had established.  

"Erm, you said you wanted to watch a movie," Zac said after a while of awkward silence.

"I wasn't sure what to pick but I do have Netflix," he muttered, reaching for the laptop on the table before flipping it open.

He was on it for a bit, before flipping it to face Leroy.

"Whatever you want to watch. I don't mind," he added, giving Leroy another awkward smile before picking up his phone.      

"Sorry about the smell if it bothers you," Zac said, making Leroy look up from his phone.

The two locked eyes for a bit, before Zac, blinked and moved his gaze to the bedside table with a humidifier.

"I know it's strong but it helps."      

"It's okay," Leroy said, smiling a little, and Zac gave him an awkward smile back.

"So, do you want anything? A drink? A snack?" Zac asked, moving to get off his bed.

Leroy noticed his little wobble but the older man didn't make a fuss about it.

"I'm sure Avery has some Diet Coke in there somewhere."  

Leroy chuckled.

"I'll have Diet Coke, sure."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit. Maybe find a movie before I get back."

Leroy nodded, watching Zac slip out of the room before he turned to the screen of the laptop in front of him.

Just like Zac's phone, the laptop was questionably ancient with its compact keyboard and clunky mouse pad, though the software was updated.

Leroy scrolled through Netflix, looking for something they could watch together.

They generally had the same taste, so he didn't have to compromise as he did with his sisters or friends when they had video-call movie nights.

As he was scrolling, he noticed the 'continue watching' tab and raised a brow at the shows he saw.    

Err, there wasn't really any other way to put it besides that he noticed that they were a bit... a bit gay.

One show was a shrug worthy, two a coincidence but every single show with maybe two not being a bit gay was pushing the whole 'probability' thing he'd been going with was starting to push it.  

He took in a deep breath, debating whether he should just ignore the whole thing and keep scrolling for movies but his curiosity got the better of him and soon he had clicked Zachary's Netflix list, noticing the pattern of shows and documentaries he'd liked to watch.

Sure, they were in the same genre he liked as well but Zac had conveniently omitted that... well... he was really into gay media.

'He's gay.'  

Leroy felt the words buzz like white noise in his ears.

He wasn't sure why he felt stunned and a little self-conscious.

He had gay friends... he'd had them for years but learning that Zac was potentially gay made him feel awkward and a bit self-conscious.

Despite this mix of emotions, Leroy couldn't stop himself from snooping.

He opened up another tab and quietly went through Zac's bookmarks.

Most of them were innocent but some of them made him blush a little too hard.  

"Fuck," Leroy cursed under his breath, closing the new tab before returning to the one with Netflix opened.

"I shouldn't," he sighed, forcing himself to stick to what he was originally told to do... find a movie.

He settled on 'The Colony' and sat still for Zac's return.

'It's okay,' he told himself, nibbling on his bottom lip.

Zac was gay and so what?

The man had always been respectful, hadn't come on to him and seemed to keep it to himself quite successfully.

Zac didn't seem interested in him and their friendship had worked up until now, so it would keep working with or without the knowledge of his sexuality.  

Leroy nodded to himself, affirming all his internal statements but he couldn't quite rub off the fact that he felt a tad disappointed.

Maybe he was a little upset that Zac didn't trust him enough to tell him.    

It was definitely more complicated than that.  

In the rawest of terms, it was upsetting that Zac didn't want him.

Whatever the fuck that actually meant.

Leroy had no clue it just felt bad.

[maevekerrigan]

GODS: Life

Zeus: What’s your name or nickname? my name is stephanie; nickname is bebe

Hera: Where are you from? 🇺🇸 🇧🇷

Athena: How old are you? 33

Hephaestus: When is your birthday? aug 18

Aphrodite: What’s your relationship status? single, which is what i prefer always

Poseidon: What are your pronouns? she/her

Dionysus: Are you and extrovert or an introvert? introvert

Demeter: Do you have any pets? 3 cats. scout, maxine, and flint

Apollo: What kind of music are you into? all kinds. just depends on my mood

Artemis: What do you first notice about new people? idk

Hades: What’s a big fear of yours? losing my loved ones

Ares: What’s a big pet peeve of yours? people, in general really lol

Hestia: Where do you consider home? my house, in ohio

CREATURES: Lasts

Pegasus: Last movie you watched? a documentary on netflix, inside the mind of a cat

Mermaid: Last tv show you finished? grimm

Centaur: Last book you read? grimm's fairy tales

Siren: Last song you listened to? we don't talk about bruno

Gorgon: Last thing you ate? pasta ❤

Cyclops: Last time you cried? not sure

Minotaur: Last time you were truly happy? this past weekend, while vacationing in tennessee. the cabin we had was so perfect and the view was amazing

Sphynx: Last text you sent? "here" to jordan

Chimera: Last call you made? well my supervisor called me earlier, so i guess that. i pretty much never call anyone. i would rather text

Griffin: Last thing you did before going to sleep last night? snuggled with maxi

Nymph: Last dream you remember? hmm, i think me and jensen were having an affair ?? lmao

Satyr: Last time you couldn’t stop laughing? probably this past weekend too

HEROES: Experiences

Heracles: Have you ever had a dream come true? i think so. my kitties are all dreams that have come true

Theseus: What is your worst regret? unfortunately i have plenty of those

Perseus: Have you ever been arrested? i plead the fifth

Cadmus: Have you ever had your heart broken? yes

Achilles: Have you ever had to be hospitalized? yes

Actaeon: Tell about a memory you wish to forget. no thx

Bellerophon: Have you ever passed out? yea

Agamemnon: What is an achievement you’re proud of? idk really

Oedipus: Have you ever been in love? yes

Jason: Have you ever travelled abroad? Where? brazil

Atlanta: Have you ever stood up for someone else? yes

Hippolytus: Tell an experience you will never forget. the trip to tennessee first comes to mind bc it was so recent

MAGICAL ITEMS: Favorites  

Trident: Who are your favorite people? family

Lightning Bolt: What are your top three favorite movies? i can't pick favorites

Sun Chariot: What is your favorite mythological creature? mermaids & dragons

Lyre: What are your top three favorite songs? i can't choose. it just depends on my mood

Caduceus: What is your favorite color? green

Aegis: What is your favorite book or series? the maeve kerrigan series

Scythe: What is your favorite tv show? black sails, the originals, shadow and bone, etc

Bident: What is your favorite way to spend free time? watch TV and play sims

Harpe: What are your top 3 favorite places? brazil, home, countryside

Cornucopia: What is your favorite place to eat? bonefish grill

Winged Sandals: What is your favorite thing to do when you hangout with your friends? my only friends are my cats, and we play (:

Golden Fleece: What is your favorite animal? cats

PLACES: Goals and Wishes

Olympus: Describe your dream job. to not have to work for a living

Tartarus: What’s a short term goal you hope to achieve? hmm idk

Underworld: Describe your dream vacation. i need to be on a beach

Styx: How would you like your life to look like in 10 years? i want to be filthy rich and live on a farm with all of the kitties

Athuna: If you could live anywhere in the world for the rest of your life, where would it be? somewhere warm

Sparta: Do you have a bucket list? If so, what’s on it? just lots of traveling

Elysium: If you could have a superpower, what would it be? telekinesis

Ogygia: Describe your dream husband/wife/life partner? i don't want one

Troja: What is the craziest thing you wanna do before you die? nothing crazy

The Labyrinth: Have you ever died and came back to life as a vampire? yes of course

Delphi: Are you currently doing anything to pursue your dreams? not really

#qs

[nicknederson]

Paperback Nancy Drew Mysteries

#114 The Search for the Silver Persian

#ndedit #nancy drew #clue crew #yes i did this one watching that netflix cat show documentary #it's a wacky ass documentary and this is a wacky ass book #i've developed a new appreciation for the ending to this book #but the shirt is a reference specifically to a character being covered in cat hair when nancy bess and george first meet her #also yes i know that persian is not silver #i and the cover artist of this book both did not realize it wasn't a dark silver #we all make missnakes

[neon-junkie]

Hopefully it's not a bother, but could you write something about the Van Der Linde gang getting magically transported (Magic, Tardis, Marko, Science ) to the modern universe and having the gn! Reader help them adapt to this world? Maybe some of their reactions to new things (indoor bathrooms, new music, tv, memes) Thank you so much, love!

oh god this is a long post, and as always, im convinced i’ve missed one member out... minor drug warning on Johns headcanon, but the rest are tame. hope u enjoy!

Part 2 is here  |  Part 3 is here

Arthur finds your computer and figures out how to turn it on. Your face turns white when you find him on Tumblr, quickly shutting the tab and urging him up off the chair. "Hey! I was reading that! I was... erm, I think I was having sex with myself," he tells you. Yep, he's found the fanfiction. "Do they really mean that? That I got kind eyes and a, uh... fat ass, I think it was?"  You quickly show him the kitchen and run back to delete all your history. John goes rummaging through your cupboards for something to eat, and eventually finds the brownies in the fridge. You find him on the roof, his eyes red and his heads spinning. "Them.. them brownies..." he mutters. "I know, John," you sob back. You know which brownies he ate, and my god, he ate a lot of them. Arthur babysits him, his mind still questioning what he just read on your computer. Dutch finds the beast of a lawnmower you have in your garage, so you show him how to use it. Why not? He's mowing your lawn for free. Well, he did mow your lawn, but you eventually have to send a search party out after him, only to find him a couple of streets away, parked up next to a childs lemonade stand, insisting they should be selling this lemonade for more if they want to make a profit. 

Hosea also goes missing, but you find him during your search party mission. He's walking up the street back to the house with a paper bag in his hands, and he tells you he's managed to con the gas station clerk into giving him some free booze. You're not sure how, but he's done no harm so you let him enjoy his wine in peace. Bill found your anime figure collection, the ones with the big boobs. He asked you what they were, despite seeming rather flustered, but you tried to explain that it's normal and gave him a book to read. You catch him on your computer a few hours later buying himself a waifu body pillow because "I love her, dammit! Just let us be!" He also keeps pressing the squishy boobs on your anime mouse matt, and yes, he's still very flustered. Javier finds the TV in your room that has Netflix on it, so you show him how to use it and he seems happy distracting himself with that. You walk in a few hours later to see that Javier hasn't moved, but Molly is now by his side, also engulfed in the drag show on the screen. Javier has a thick pair of false lashes on that Molly managed to put on him, and the first thing he says to you is "can you believe this? They voted her off! I... I can't believe this." He's shaking his head and looks like he's about to cry. Charles discovers your computer, and you decide he'd be happy just browsing the web. You come back hours later to find 100 tabs open and your computer fan is louder than an airplane. The current tab open is on a 'where's Waldo?' piece. He's very close to the screen, and you decide to show him how to zoom in to help him find Waldo faster. He's very thankful, and not causing any damages so you leave him to it. Lenny also rummages through your kitchen and finds a pizza in the freezer. He asks you what it is, so you put it in the oven for him. He spends the whole 15 minutes sitting in front of the oven, briefly saying hello to Sean as he runs through. Lenny manages to get the pizza out without burning himself, turns the oven off, cuts up the pizza and takes it upstairs to enjoy with Jack. Yes, he also fed Sean a slice. Sean finds the energy drinks in your fridge that you keep for work. They tasted a little funny at first, but after the third one, he's decided he likes them. You catch him opening his fourth, his eyes are wider than the moon. He cries when you take it off him, and spends the rest of the day running around the garden with your dogs, followed by going to each member of the camp and personally annoying them until he crashes out under your dining table. It's a cozy spot for a nap. Kieran uses your computer after Charles comes off it, and discovers youtube. He starts off with simple cat videos and eventually moves on to fails and meme comps. By the time dinner rolls around, nobody can understand him, and you barely understand half the things he's saying. The only thing you do understand is "big mood," which is what Kieran says when he sees Sean asleep under the dining table. Pearson decides to avoid the kitchen and try something new, and you're quick to decide he'd enjoy rock music. You show him a couple of CD's and leave him to have a listen, only to come storming back up the stairs a few minutes later because he's turned the volume up to full blast and is having a rather funky jam session. "Now this, this is real music!!" He's really enjoying the classics. Trelawny is quick to figure out how to use the TV. He's seen "those moving picture shows" before, and he's mesmerized by how far they've come! You catch him up at 5am watching documentaries to help bridge the gap between his time and yours, and when you walk into the lounge, you're met by a very sleep deprived Trelawny. The only thing he says to you, with heavy bags under his eyes, is "terribly sorry to hear about all these wars you've been having, my dear." He finally goes to bed, but only because you make him. Swanson disappears, but there's a church down the road from you so you decide to check there first. He's inside, joining in on the ceremony, singing his heart out to all the hymns with a real bible in his hands, not the fake one he has back at camp. He seems content so you leave him to it. He thankfully returns just in time for dinner, and tells everybody how he's been blessed and that we can "never leave this land!" Strauss also disappears very quickly, and you have to search for him when you go to look for Dutch. He's also at the lemonade stand, trying to explain to Dutch that if the child sells the lemonade for more, then they're less likely to get customers as it's too expensive. The two of them are arguing, and the child seems rather confused. Strauss later has a breakdown at the noise your toilet makes, he informs you that he'll be using your outside bathroom, even if it is just the bushes. Micah says he doesn't need you to show him the ropes and swats you away, so you leave him to it. You've not seen him for a good few hours, so you run around the house trying to find him. You eventually find him in your room, going through your underwear draw. Arthur is quick to knock his lights out, and you leave him tied up in the garage so he can't do any more damage. Micah also pissed all over your toilet seat and didn't flush. Abigail joins Trelawny in the lounge, watching the TV after Jack tells her he's happy playing with the toys in your room. She and Trelawny have an argument over what to watch next, so you give her your laptop to watch TV on, along with a pair of headphones. She refuses to come off a few hours later because she's way too engulfed in the modeling show she's watching. You promise her you'll let her give you a makeover if she comes off, and she finally agrees. Jack discovers your big box of legos and he seems more than content playing with those. He ends up building a fort, with the help of Lenny, and the two fire pillows at you when you try and enter the room. The pillow canons are, of course, made from legos. At least they're not lego pillows! Jack also thanks you for the pizza, describing it as 'yummy.' Sadie finds your katana collection, and you're quick to take them off her and attempt to hide them. She spends some time pretending to be interested in something else, but as soon as you turn your back for a split second, she's found them again and is heading straight for Kieran. The room where you keep your katanas is now locked and Sadie is in time out. Susan comes across your sewing machine and you're happy to show her how it works. She picks it up quickly, and her eyes glisten as she realizes just how fast this thing is. You leave her be since she's not causing any harm, but come back an hour later to find she's made new a new dress for herself, and all the girls in the gang, including Sadie. They're all matching! Tilly finds your piano and tells you she's happy to be left to her own devices, she knows how to play. You eventually have to tell her and Susan to calm down after receiving another noise complaint, as Susan is attempting to sing opera, and Tilly is killing it on the piano. At least she hasn't damaged anything. She later joins Mary-Beth in time to watch Beauty and the Beast, also sobbing at the film. Karen goes into your garage and discovers your old golf clubs. You show her how it works in your garden, but just like everybody else, it goes wrong. Your neighbor knocks on your door, screaming, demanding to know why you keep firing golf balls through their window. That's when you find Karen and Sean (who is still on his energy drink high) having a contest to see who can smash the most. Mary-Beth discovers your kindle, and she seems rather content with being able to read. There's no way this could possibly go wrong? Well, you come back a little later to find that Mary-Beth is sobbing after reading Beauty and the Beast. She wants a sappy romance just like that to happen to her. She cries even harder when she watches the Disney film, along with Trelawny who hasn't moved from the TV for hours. Molly picks up your tablet, and after showing her what youtube is, you leave her to it. You find her a few hours later sat in front of your mirror with the most flawless, full face of makeup. She greets you by going "hey sisters!" and speaks to you like a vsco girl. You have no idea what she's saying, but she seems to be doing fine, so you leave her to it.

#i loved writing these ngl #rdrwriting #van der linde gang #VDL gang #headcanon #headcanons #rdrheadcanon #rdr2 #rdr 2 #red dead #red dead 2 #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #john marston #dutch van der linde #gn!reader #gender neutral reader #modern au #modern!au #reader insert #hosea matthews #javier escuella #bill williamson #Anonymous

[mollyphoria]

Moodboard #3

I was not able to make another moodboard since February because there's not much difference from what I was feeling from back then to now. It was pretty much all the same. Still wanting to get away and have freedom, yk same old shit but it wouldn't be a surprise that some things did change throughout this 5 mos like :

My lovely Calico cat Jimina gave birth to 5 kittens originally. She was pregnant at the start of this year and blessed the world with 5 cute mini jiminas on March 9 (same birthdate of BTS Suga)

3 of the kittens inherited her orange and white fur while the other one inherited the dark, striped fur completely devoid of any white fur. Only one kitten out of 5 got her triple color coated fur.

Sadly only 3 survived. Jimina hid the kittens briefly first and then abruptly one day she brought them up again already grown up, able to walk and with their eyes open but she only had 3 kittens with her. I never got to find out what ever happened with the other 2 babies with one of the missing of the kittens was the one that fully inherited the Calico cat status of Jimina which devastated me the most and I'm still heartbroken to this day that some of her babies didn't get to live like their siblings. I don't want to think that they died, I want to actually believe that they somehow survived without their mother miraculously but it's only the plausible reason why they never showed up at all 😞

The 3 surviving kittens tho is a lot of fun! They were rumbustious and full of energy. They were always playing and running around in my mom's garden. Climbing up a tree or an orchid branch, playing hide and seek through the plethora of plants. It was a treat to see them just having fun and I took lots of videos. I decided to name them after the BTS maknaes nicknames which is Kookie, Mochi and TaeTae. All 3 kittens have a very distinct personality from each other like you could immediately tell that Kookie is more introverted than the other two, his more reserved and prefers to be alone most of the time, TaeTae is more adventurous and playful but he doesn't trust that easily while Mochi on the other hand is the most extroverted and trusting out of all (FYI: I named them first without knowing their personalities believe it or not). Overall they brought so much life and extra joy in me. Now that they are 4 mos old, they don't play that much anymore, I guess it's really part of growing up regardless of what species. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now onto my summer. I was dreading it's arrival. It's not fun when you don't have an AC at your house in the hottest season. But anyways this summer I've been having this strong desire to experience Italian summers. I just wanted to be in Italy soooooo bad. I just want to ride my bicycle anywhere in rural Italy in a summer floral dress and eating a delicious gelato after while listening to Love my way by the Psychedelic furs. Yes this strong desire got even stronger after watching the movie Call me by your name. It envoked so much nostalgia within me which is weird because I've never set foot in Italy before but the feeling of longing that I experience just thinking about spending your summer in Italy is very strong.

Additionally, speaking of bicycles I successfully finished my remodeling or rather repainting of an old bicycle we have here which is perfect for summer aesthetics. I mentioned before on my previous moodboard back in February that I was in the process of painting this bike and I included a picture of a bike that I would like my own bike to look like after I'm finish with it. And I'm very happy and satisfied with the end result overall! And I would love love to ride it around Italy!...... perhaps.

These are 3 of the most impactful things that had rocked my world within the past few months and they are in a form of a documentary, an animated podcast and an anime film!

1. Grey Gardens

I first discovered Grey Gardens when I was actively looking for any good documentary to watch so I went to Reddit recommendations and one user suggested grey gardens. Its description peaked my interest enough to go check it out and luckily the full documentary is uploaded in YouTube for free. And I must say I'm glad that I took the chance to watch this wonderful hidden gem!

Little Edie quickly got my full attention on her. She's one of the most wonderful and fascinating people to exist in our world and her mother big Edie was just as interesting of a character as well. The way they live their life, spending most of their time in a rundown mansion near a beach was truly a sight to behold in a weird, peculiar manner.

What gives me the most profound impact about this documentary is the topic of wasted youth with wasted potential and the ironic part when your very own lifeline equally imprisons you as well. And we see this most evidently with little Edie. There was a part in this doc that stuck with me the most and it's when the mother-daugther duo was sunbathing in the balcony and little Edie mentioned about wanting freedom from her mother and the grey gardens then big Edie answered:

"you can't have freedom when you're being supported"

And this has struck a chord on me so strong because I relate to it so much especially with my current situation. I also crave freedom from where I am right now but I couldn't because I'm not capable of freeing myself.

What's more tragic was little Edies rebuttal to her mother's hotknife realistic take which was you can't have freedom both ways. That you couldn't have freedom when you're not being supported as well. And it's very true. If you decide to go out in the world by yourself you will definitely be freed from the shackles of your former home & life but you will subject yourself to another imprisonment.

Basically We're never truly free in this life.

2. The Midnight Gospel

I think I've heard of TMG when it was about to launch on its release year and I remember i was anticipating for it to come out because i just took one look at the official poster & I knew I would like the animation then I learned Pendleton ward is a part of it & I'm a huge fan of his creations so it's a double treat but I didn't had the opportunity to watch it back then bcoz of my busy shitty life & I actually don't have Netflix. But I remember i downloaded one of its ost first things first.

Now fast forward to this year. I now have the time to watch every content out there that I missed from all the years of slaving my life away for absolutely nothing. one of those is TMG & it was a perfect timing. Ever since i took an hiatus from the rat race I decided to strengthen my spirituality & this time I want to try delving deep to Buddhism and certain philosophies which I don't have the time and energy to learn before and TMG was a great and perfect medium for me to learn further about this subjects as they tackle topics like mindfulness and meditation and much more other significant things, not to mention the superb,epic, psychedelical, full of awesomeness animation on top of equally superb awesome soundtracks is*chefs kiss ( I still have an LSS to the prisoner's song.. 🎵drinking blood from a stump of a prison guard that I just chopped up....🎶)

I felt like the universe intended for me to watch this later than sooner because if I had the opportunity to watch it back then, I think I wouldn't/couldn't appreciate this show as much as I do now. So thanks universe!

TMG is honestly one of the best show to ever grace the planet imho. An easily perfect 10/10 for me.

3. To the Forest of Firefly Lights

Now I've watched a lot of animes last and this year and I can tell in full confidence that this is the best of them all. I'm sure it's subjective but this one checked all the box for the most compelling story & amazing artwork for me.

Maybe I long for something similar with the characters, It was just so fascinating and huntingly beautiful to have someone or something (whatever your preference is) from a different realm to be by your side. Maybe I would also like to look forward for summer season to come for once, to get excited and get rejuvenated on a hot summer that otherwise would make my life hell. Or maybe and most definitely I just needed someone like Gin as a source of my utmost happiness and comfort.

Overall this anime had made me feel so much warmth in my heart with its unadulterated poignancy and I just couldn't get enough of it. What a masterpiece ✨

Ps: I recommend listening to Warning Sign by Coldplay after watching to the Forest of Firefly Lights 🌹Check it out ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

#moodboard #grey gardens #the midnight gospel #anime movie

[madamewriterofwrongs]

May and the Rainbow Kingdom

911/Buck & May

Written for @cirrius-akiyo who wanted a Buck & May friendship.

The station was unusually quiet when she walked through the front door. The trucks were still in their place, being polished and restocked by other crew members – most of whom paid her no mind or recognized her as the ‘captain’s kid’. She’d only been called that once, but she remembered the uneasy feeling and the sneer of the probationary officer’s voice. A well-practiced eyebrow raised, and her best customer service smile, ensured he never bothered her again.

Today she wasn’t here as the ‘captain’s kid’, she was here as a friend in need of help from another – older and wiser – friend. A glance at the ambulance missing from its usual station dampened her expectations slightly.

“Hey, May.” She looked up to see a familiar face waving at her from the loft and she jogged to meet him.

“Hey, Buck. I was hoping to talk to Hen, is she around?”

The blond-haired firefighter returned to his task of tidying the upper floor (the table smelt comfortingly of bleach and lemon so he was nearly done) while she knelt on the couch to watch him work.

“Sorry; she just left on a call with Chim and Bobby. Is there anything I can help you with?”

She tried to keep the dejected sigh from her voice. “How versed are you on Bioethics of Non-Existence?”

It was almost comical, the way Buck paused in his sweeping to take in her question. “I definitely recognize some of those words.”

As she suspected; May turned to collapse onto the couch with a groan. “I really needed to talk to Hen.” Not that she didn’t trust the other adults in her life – Maddie had tried to help, but she’d been out of Medicine for too long – Hen was her last hope.

“School going that well, huh?” She didn’t have to look to hear the amusement in the man’s voice.

“It’s actually pretty good.” She admitted, still slumped half-off the couch. “I just have mt midterm on Friday and I really need someone who can test me on this stuff.”

“I’m sure you’ve got a handle on it. You were always a smart kid.”

May did smile at that. It was easier to accept being called a child from someone who actually knew her as a child. Granted, she and Buck weren’t overly close, but he was always nice to her, and Bobby seemed fond of him.

“I’ve studied this stuff over and over but I just don’t feel ready” she admitted to the ceiling. Maybe Buck should clean those rafters (he was certainly tall enough). Better yet, maybe she could do it. “I either need a distraction or another month of review.”

Maybe if she hid out at the station, she could lie to her professor and say she had a medical emergency. Or maybe, she could convince him to let her take her exam tomorrow and put her out of her misery. She hated the waiting game. The more she reviewed the material, the less secure she felt in her knowledge. It just needed to be over and done with so she could start stressing about the next thing. Her English essay was due next week. It could use a third rewrite.

“I don’t know about the review.” Visions of Buck peering over top of her, pulled May out of her spiral. “But if you’re in need of a distraction, I could use a co-babysitter tonight. I’m watching Christopher while Eddie’s out on a date and I’m sure he’d love to hang out with you.”

An evening spent with her stepdad’s friend, and her stepdad’s other friend’s son was not exactly what she had in mind for a Monday night, but it was better than nothing. Besides, she liked Christopher well enough; he was a cute kid with a sensible head on his shoulders. And Buck was nice – if a little bit accident-prone for the amount of times she’d visited him in the hospital – plus it was an excuse to get out of her routine for a few hours. Maybe she could come early and ask Eddie some questions (an army medic had to have some thoughts on ethics in medicine, right?).

“Sure,” she smiled up at him. “why not?”

Which was how May found herself squished between a surprisingly calm 10-year-old, and an overly-energetic 29-year-old, splitting the difference as she scrolled through their Netflix Kids’ queue.

Christopher had insisted that they didn’t need to use the kid’s channel as he was absolutely old enough to handle all the scary movies. She remembered Harry, not too long ago, with the same attitude (along with the same nightmare he’d had for weeks about a clown in a sewer). While Buck didn’t have the same experience, he was with her decision to stick to the lighter stuff for tonight. Perhaps he was being overly cautious as he always was with the boy.

Everyone in their circle knew about how Buck had saved Christopher during the tsunami and how close the three of them had become afterwards. It was no wonder he wanted to do everything in his power to protect him – even from the CGI monsters.

As they continued to scroll, she paused on their ‘Continue Watching’ bar, to see if there was anything they wanted pick up. She wasn’t about to watch whatever they chose for their post-dinner treat; she had her textbook and laptop in her bag all charged up.

Just as she was about to continue the search for the perfect movie, her eye caught one of the titles with a half-full red bar and shot a confused glance to Buck. The man kept his eyes purposefully trained on the screen, eyes darting to hers once, as a sign that he knew what she was looking at. Still, he showed no sign of explaining himself so she moved on. For now.

They ended up settling on one of the dinosaur documentary movies, but May kept her promise to herself and reviewed through the entire 90-minute event. It was easy enough to tune out, the graphics were fine, the story was predictable, but at least the boys on either side seemed to be enjoying themselves. Every once in a while, Buck would elbow her to pull her attention back to the screen but it never held her interest for more than a few minutes. Then Christopher would do the same, asking her questions or feeding her facts about the various dinosaurs. That did help for a little while, but even that kid’s endless enthusiasm couldn’t keep back the voice in her head that told her she should be studying.

As far distractions went, this night seemed to be a bust.

When she heard the water run in the bathroom, signally the beginning of Christopher’s bedtime routine, May found herself reaching for the remote once again; if only to keep her hands occupied while she waited to say goodbye to Buck. The least she could do was thank him for his attempt to distract her – even if it had failed.

That was when she found the ‘Continue Watching’ bar once again, and her curiosity got the better of her.

“What’s True and the Rainbow Kingdom?” she asked once her companion had returned. “’Cause it doesn’t seem like something Christopher would be into.”

Buck huffed as he flopped on the couch next to her. “Okay,” he began his confession by raising his hands in surrender. “I watched an episode to see if it was something that’d be appropriate for Nia, but I kind of started watching it on my own.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really” he matched her mocking tone. “Not all the time. But I’ll admit, when I’m having a bad day, it’s nice to turn my brain off with some mindless fun.”

She wasn’t laughing at him – maybe she was, but she wouldn’t tell him that – it was that the image of this grown man, sitting at home, watching what was clearly a Sophia the First carbon copy (if the design was to be believed), was very amusing to her.

“Wow, I see how it is.” Buck lightly pushed May as she shuffled over to create more space. “I try and help and instead you mock me. Very nice.”

Even as a joke, she saw his point and the laughter turned into a smile, which morphed into an eyeroll.

“You’ve got to admit, this doesn’t exactly fit your image.”

“I have no image” he protested. “I’m allowed to like whatever I like.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I text my mom that” she had barely begun picking up her phone from the coffee table, when he reached the device first.

“Don’t you dare.” More laughter did make her heart feel a little lighter.

He only handed her phone back once she’d half-heartedly agreed not to text her mom this fresh blackmail material. “I bet you’d like it. It’s about a girl and a cat, and she gets these wishes from a tree, and she uses them to help others.”

“The cat gets wishes?”

“Just” Buck rolled his eyes, grabbing the remote from the cushion between them. “we’re going to watch it right now.”

Without waiting for her response, Buck tapped the first episode and shushed her failed attempt to protest.

The first scene introduced a reasonably catchy theme song with bright colours, along with the main character True and her talking black cat named Bartleby. There was something about a party and a bitchy princess and a weird walking pill they called…something Banjo? Admittedly, when the cat said something sarcastic towards the girls, she cracked a smile, but her mind was still reviewing the differences between Potter’s and Callahan’s philosophies.

The next time she tuned back into the episode, they were sitting on mushroom stools under a tree, attempting to solve a problem as a group. When they took a deep breath, May found herself exhaling with them, and her forehead ached from holding tension for so long. Admittedly, it felt nice to relax her shoulders.

Okay, so this was clearly a kids’ show and nothing else. Mining wishes from a tree and using a book to decipher what all the wishes could do, as though they were Pokémon characters.  It was ridiculous, why was she still watching this? She needed to get home to study.  

“Sure, they get to use the ‘wishopedia’ but my professor won’t let me use Wikipedia as a starting source?” she grumbled under her breath.

“What was that?” She startled when Buck smirked at her.

May tucked back into the arm of the couch with a half-hearted glare. “Nothing.”

She really should be reviewing. The more time she wasted outside of the classroom, the worse her chances of success. She shouldn’t be wasting her time watching this kids’ monstrosity. This really was a stupid show. Why would True forgive Grizelda after she was such a bitch to Bingo-Bango? She was always so positive and patient. And she only used her special powers to help people. That was pretty nice.

That theme song was pretty catchy.

Before she knew it, she was four episodes in, watching two mushroom people win a motor race after everyone got detoured by falling crystals and Grizelda being a bitch (again).

“She should just toss the Cu-Bigly over the cliff and then throw Grizelda.” At Buck’s look of amused indignation, she shrugged. “What? She deserves it for sabotaging the race. It’s not like she’d die from that height.”

A quick glance at her phone told her it was after ten and she had a class in the morning. What astonished her most, was that she hadn’t thought about her course work in an hour. For the first time since starting university, she’d let herself escape her thoughts just for a little while; and honestly, she felt lighter for it.

Still unbelievably guilty for not spending every waking moment of her life preparing for her next test or assignment – but just a little bit lighter.

“Hey, Buck?” She turned to the man barely hiding the fact that he’d begun to doze off. May smirked when he awoke with a snort. “Thanks for your help, I really needed this.”

For a moment, she saw the ‘puppy dog’ that her mom liked to call him: the puffed chest and kind smile and excited eyes. She saw what won over her, somewhat cynical, mother; it made her smile brighter.

“Glad I could help.”

Buck was scrolling mindlessly through his phone two weeks later, when it buzzed with a new text notification, and his mood instantly improved.

87%

Also I may have finished the first season of TatRK

I totally ship True and Zee

Do you want me to wait for you to catch up?

“Hey, May passed her Bioethics Mid-Term” he announced to his friends sitting in the loft; the rest, he would keep as his own reward for a job well done.

Bobby looked up from his usual place in the kitchen, buttering a pan for some dish most of them wouldn’t get to eat. “Since when did May start telling you about her exam results?”

There was no honest answer that wouldn’t make him feel embarrassed, but Buck blushed regardless. “I, uh, helped her study.”

Eddie slapped his shoulder jovially as he passed on his way to grab a bottle of water. “Is there something you want to tell us? You have a secret Bioethics degree?”

Buck brushed him off with a smile. “No, but you do what you can to help out family, right?”

His eyes met with his Captain’s and there was a fondness he only saw with May and Harry. Something he hadn’t seen for himself in a long while.

“Yeah, kid, you do.”

#cj writes things #911 fox #911 fic #evan buckley #may grant #true and the rainbow kingdom #fire fam #friendship #cirrius-akyio

[boxboysandotherwhump]

Chapter 8 is finally finished and boi was it a fight. Thank you again for proofreading @haro-whumps <3 and for anyone else who might wonder, the dish Paxton is cooking in this drabble is a traditional polish dish called Zupa Mleczna

Tag list: @albino-whumpee @orchidscript  @finder-of-rings  @haro-whumps

CW: mentioned past abuse, institutionalized slavery, boxboy universe typical slavery, aftermath of conditioning, fucked up headspace of whumpee 

The week had simultaneously stretched into an endless expanse of getting to know someone new, and flown by like the flutter of eyelashes.

Paxton’s box had caught dust, halfway forgotten in the attic by now, and Paxton had grown used to sleeping wrapped in warmth, when he was particularly lucky even in his master’s arms, and he savored every second of it.

Life in the shared flat never ceased to amaze Paxton, every new day leaving him less scared, rather eager to learn more about his new master, this new world. He cherished every newly revealed facet of Amal as he tried to assemble them into something comprehensible, piecing together the most wondrous and complex puzzle he’d ever seen.

In those last days for example, Paxton had discovered that Amal drank his tea piping hot, risking to burn his tongue rather than waiting for it to cool. He seemed to be like that with most things, always in a rush to reach his end goal as quickly as possible. The only times Amal could be patient was while creating something or when he was with Paxton.

Amal also tended to snack half the dinner ingredients, getting full before dinner was even ready but eating a portion nonetheless. Maybe, Paxton had thought, it’s because Amal often forgoes eating for hours, so absorbed in his work projects he seemingly forgets he exists in a physical body at all. Perfectly still and focused, his only movements pencil strokes over paper while he works on new tattoo designs. At certain points he would suddenly jump up, run to the bathroom, and raid the kitchen to gorge himself on all the snacks and leftovers he could find.

Paxton had made it a point to cook whenever Amal got ‘in the zone’ as Miss Meryem had jokingly called it, and even if his master had told him he didn’t have to, Paxton thought that he wanted to. Especially when it meant he could watch Amal munch away with that grateful, delighted expression of his, whenever Paxton prepared some tea or food.

Even Mister Finnegan had grown fond of Paxton, and had started  dragging him up to the attic, teaching him all about the plants overwintering there, waiting for their replanting in spring. Or how to bind winter wreaths from twigs and dried berries. Mister Finnegan had been surprised, the first time, how quickly Paxton had learned, and had praised him so much his face was still flushed red as they climbed down the attic ladder some time later.

In moments like these, Paxton wished he could still read and absorb all the precious information from the plant care guide Mister Finnegan had given to him. He longed for a time where his head didn’t explode with pain whenever he squinted at writing for too long. For when he wouldn’t get catapulted to the limits of his body, or worse, the borders of his own mind. Pain reduced him to a prisoner of bone and flesh, misfiring neurons became his jailer. 

                         --

Paxton poured noodles into warm milk with a soft sigh, careful not to burn them. A strangely familiar smell filled the kitchen while he cooked, cinnamon and sweetness anchored him in the here and now. Snowflakes danced beyond the kitchen window, crystals of cold sending phantom shivers down his spine. Paxton unrolled the soft green sleeves of his wool-sweater, letting them cover his scarred hands, soothing itchy skin, gentle like a caress. Warmth bloomed in his heart, with every slow stir of the wooden spoon, creating ripples in the milk.

What did it matter if he couldn’t read anymore? He still had his intuition, could still find parts of himself in tastes and smells and muscle memories. No, with his master’s permission to experiment, ‘or go crazy in the kitchen’ as Amal had put it, he didn’t need books, or to learn new things. The only things that mattered were that he remained good for his master, cooked things his master would enjoy, cleaned satisfactorily, (which was easy enough with such lenient masters in such a small flat), and  kept his master happy. Which was the easiest part of them all, since Amal seemed to delight in everything Paxton did. Even if he just lied on the couch, curled under blankets he couldn’t ever truly earn. But the rules were different here and Paxton’s heart began to buzz whenever he saw his master, not only with anxiety but with a warmth he thought he’d lost in an ice-cold white room. 

Satisfied with the noodle’s consistency, Paxton stirred in cinnamon and sugar, turned down the heat and started to pull bowls from the shelves as his master suddenly burst into the room, some kind of oversized smartphone clutched in one hand and a pleased grin plastered on his face.

“Paxton.” ,he said beaming.

The sudden intrusion of his cooking space made Paxton flinch, despite himself.  

Even though Amal was often buzzing around him, trying to help while he worked, it still set Paxton on edge, feeling utterly improper. A Boxboy receiving help from his master, inconveniencing him with undignified tasks like cleaning or cooking, was unforgivable! Sometimes Paxton even found himself wishing for Amal to be stricter. Yearning to just be punished by him, to be shown his place instead of being constantly overwhelmed by this kindness he didn’t even deserve.

Something must have given his unease away. His master’s grin softened into a sheepish smile as he sat down, slowly, gently placing the smartphone-like device on the table.

“Hey. Hi.” Amal’s voice grew soft, sounding almost shy and Paxton couldn’t help but return Amal’s smile. His lips and heart and body reacted all on their own around Amal. Separated from his desire to act appropriately, to be a good pet that could serve his master without breaking down crying every other day or stealing all his master’s blankets at night.

“Hi…. Uhm, welcome back… sir.”

Paxton watched his master bite back a protest at the title, allowing him to use it like he’d promised.

“I came up with something for your reading… problem.”

Turning off the stovetop, Paxton turned around, hoping the hurried steps to his master’s side wouldn’t give his eagerness away.

The way Amal’s eyes glimmered up at him, crinkling with his smile, told Paxton he’d seen right through him. Like he always did.

Paxton looked down with warming cheeks, his stockinged feet shuffling over the polished kitchen floor. “And what, uhm, what… would that be? Sir?”

A bright grin lit Amal’s face up as he brought  the device to life with the press of a tiny button. “Tadaa. A friend gave me this tablet. Like, super cheap.” His master’s grin stretched even wider, and Paxton wondered for a second if his cheeks didn’t hurt. “And it has google voice search.”

He perked up. The term sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn’t quiete place it. “Voice search?”

“Yes. Yes, come here.” Amal scooted over, shoving the tablet under Paxtons nose as soon as he’d sat down. His master leaned closer and his small body pressed up against Paxton, green curls tickling his chin as Amal rambled, his face flushed with excitement.

 “Here see, I already set it up so that only the symbols are visible. There’s no writing if you don’t go in the menu. So the important apps first. This is the Netflix symbol. Netflix is awesome because you can-“

Amal rested his elbow on Paxton’s thigh as he explained the virtues of streaming platforms and Paxton’s head blanked.  His master was so close and small and warm and smelled so so good and Paxton was utterly unable to concentrate on the tiny screen symbols for a moment.

Focus! Focus! Focus! Master said this is important.

“Okay but what’s probably the most useful for you is youtube.”

Paxton watched him tap on the small red icon and big pictures with little texts under them popped up. Thumbnails, as master called them. If Paxton squinted a bit he could ignore the letters enough to evade a new impending headache.

“There are tutorials and documentaries  and video essays for basically everything you could wish for. You just have to press the little microphone and hold it while you ask.”

“Uhm, ask- ask what, Sir?” All this new information made Paxton’s head spin.

“Uh, I don’t know,” his master confessed as he scooted back with a bashful smile and Paxton swallowed a frustrated whine. The leg master had just leaned on felt suddenly, terribly cold. He wanted master to nuzzle back against him and continue to explain new things to him in this adorably excited way of his.

Stupid, stupid Pet. You messed up and now master is just going to leave and never show you anything he likes ever again because you’re too stupid to understand it. You useless-

“Anything that interests you I guess. Hm let’s see, something other than cooking maybe.”

Paxton’s heart sank. Was it not good that he liked to cook? Master always said he didn’t have to but-

Amal waved his hands apologetically “Not that there is anything wrong with cooking.”

His master had seen right through him. Again.

“But maybe we could search for more things you like?”

You’re a pet now. What you want is irrelevant 626.

Paxton gave an insecure little nod and Amal pressed the little microphone symbol with a smile as he demanded,. “Funny cat videos.”

Sure enough, thumbnails with cute little kittens plopped up just as his master had ordered. His voice had been direct but warm. Firm. Paxton really liked to hear his master order for something, and the hope that he would maybe at some point talk to him like that sent a pleasant shiver down his spine, right to- His leg twitched as he took the tablet from his master’s hands.

“I- I want to- to try.”

“Go ahead then.” A smile tinted his master’s voice but still, this could count as an order. Right?

Unsure, Paxton pressed the microphone symbol. “Uhm, could you, you please show me how to bind flower wreaths. Please?”

Unlike when his master did it, no thumbnails appeared. He stared at the thick black letters in confusion. He must have done something wrong and the letters were meant to punish his failure. Paxton could already feel the impending headache throb behind his eyes. He wanted to endure it, to force himself and look at those letters of damnation, but Amal took the tablet from him.

Now he must have messed it up.

Fearing for the worst Paxton glanced down at his master.  Amal’s eyebrows were drawn together and the corners of his mouth twitched as teeth dug hard into his bottom lip. White sunken into pink flesh.

Surely this was it. The moment of punishment had finally come. Even his master’s patience must have reached its limits after Paxton messed up such a simple order.

Bracing for the impact he froze as his master doubled over snorting.

“Oh god you’re so cute, you know that?!”

Paxton’s mouth opened and closed like a fish stranded on land. His head spun the same way it did when he had been choked for too long. Cute? He?! Had his master ever really looked at him?! “Wha- wha- wha- what?”

Amal swiped a little tear from his eye, as he grinned up at him, still giggling. “You can’t literally formulate a whole question, you know?! Just use buzzwords or the search engine gets confused.”

That wasn’t the only thing that was confused right now.

“Buzzwords, Sir?”

“Yeah.” Amal nodded. “Like: flower wreathes tutorial.”

“But, but,” Paxton gasped, flushing red like the soft new leather collar he had chosen in a tiny salacious shop with his master yesterday. “That would, would be utterly impolite.” His voice dropped into a whisper. “I behave improperly enough as it is.”

“Hey.” Amal’s hand came up and cupped his cheek, turning Paxton’s head gently to face him. He melted into the tender caress, eyes fluttering closed for a moment before he willed himself to meet his master’s soft smile. “You’re perfect, okay?! And besides, it’s impossible to be impolite to a computer program. So would you try again? For me?”

It was not fair. How could he ever deny his master if he asked like this?! Now it dawned on Paxton why Amal didn’t use any form of punishment or disciplinary measures. His master simply didn’t need to, with his dark big eyes blinking up at him like this, his full lips curved into an encouraging smile. Paxton knew he would cut his own hands open without hesitation if Amal would wish for it, so what was ignoring his training to always remain polite compared to that?!

Taking a deep breath he whispered, “Flower wreaths tutorial,” and just like his master had promised it worked. Amal rubbed soft circles in his back as pictures of artfully arranged flowers appeared on the screen. “See? I told you you’re perfect.”

Buzzing under his master’s praise, Paxton felt his own words vibrate in his chest, shatter some invisible barriere with the force of the first brick thrown June 28, 1969. A grin revealed a flash of white teeth as he whispered, “I did it.”

.

#paxton and amal series #paxton and amal #paxton the box boy #Box Boy #boxboy #boxboys #box boys #box boy universe #box boy whump #bbu #WRU #wru the series #pet whump #whump #trauma recovery #tw past abuse

[grasslandgirl]

okay so i've never seen American Vandal, that being said, poop crime?

YESSS ABBY PLEASE ALLOW ME TO ENLIGHTEN YOU

American vandal is a netflix original series mockumentary-style true crime tv show, kind of along the lines of Serial, only set in a high school! It’s basically a satire of the current influx of true crime content in media rn, but AV is fully acted and scripted. There are two seasons (we got cancelled 😔) and the first one follows a vandalism at the main characters’ high school where a kid got expelled and charged for vandalizing 28 faculty cars with spray painted ducks during a teacher work day (and the second season is about then investigating some anonymous person terrorizing a prep school with poop crimes- putting a diuretic in the school lemonade, firing cat poop out of a t shirt launcher at a pep rally)! Technically it’s a comedy show and it’s very light hearted and ridiculous for the most part, but it’s also got some of the most compelling writing and acting of modern day teenagers I’ve Ever Seen. Almost every character- teachers and students alike- has that energy of Oh I Know That Person, yk? Like they’re exaggerated but there’s a core of really compelling honesty to all of the performances. The show itself is side-splittingly funny, and also has a lot of really good emotional moments because you as the audience and the guy running the in-fiction documentary get really attached to the guy possibly framed for the vandalism (different guy in the first and second seasons) as you try to figure out whether or not they really did it. There’s also a really good commentary on teenagers’ relationship on social media and the internet, and it’s not one of those Wow The Internet Is Evil type sitches, it really plays both sides, about how we maybe depend on it too much but also it allows us so much freedom and self expression and opportunity for connection but too much of those freedoms online can become really stifling. It also has a really insightful look into the incarceration system on a lower level, and how faculty and adults tend to peg certain types of students into roles and expectations- the weird kid, the outsider, the fuck up, the burn out, etc- and how those things only serve to drive students further away and force them back into stereotypes they might not have been in, given better opportunities and support.

All that to say, haha yes poop crimes! American Vandal lives forever in my head rent free and I will never escape it it’s maybe the best show ever please watch it I’ll love you forever 💛💛

#American vandal #I should........ rewatch 💛 #also TECHNICALLY the main characters from my part of the post you’re talking about are not canonically gay or dating or trans 😔 #but also? there are So Many Vibes #(but the other character referenced in the addition to the post w the bit about poop crimes is a canonical lesbian!! #she’s a bitch and I love her so much!) #looking back this got VERY out of hand I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings ajdbsjdbsidb sorry

[thanatophobia-thoughts]

“Anyone else remember those so-called science documentaries we had to watch in school that were really just Creationist propaganda? Just me?”

Okay…let’s talk Surviving Death on Netflix. The tl;dr: this series is afterlife propaganda wrapped up in bad science, with no opposing opinions presented at all. It made me think of those terrible films I had to watch in various science classes about the beginnings of life and whatnot.

 This is going to be a long one, so I’m putting it under a cut.

The first episode was the one I had the most hope for. It discusses Near Death Experiences, and introduces various people who have had them, and then some scientists and doctors who have dealt with these people, this phenomena, or looked into it. This is, unfortunately, where it goes wrong – it brings in no dissenting voices. Every sceptic is a former sceptic. They lay out their reasons for why, of course, but there’s something about it that feels incomplete.

It tries to offer up some compelling evidence, of course. It indicates what people share in common – a warm, bright light, a feeling of being loved, and the sense of time distorting – feeling eternity in a second. These are shared across the board.

Then they bring up how some patients can indicate what was happening in the room when they would have had no brain activity. Such as what words were said, what actions were taken, things they couldn’t have known due to the lack of consciousness. Is that compelling? In some respects, yes. It’s a wonder how they knew this, and it’s unclear what anyone would get by falsifying this, as I doubt most end up doing TV interviews and getting paid for it – not to mention what the doctors and others who confirm their stories, get for this.

Do I have an answer for that? No, not at all.

It could be fraud.

It could yet be some aspect of a dying body that we don’t understand, and I am inclined towards that. That leaves open room for, yes, an aspect of a soul, consciousness, or something other. It also leaves room for a hyperawareness in the last moments.

However, how quickly they seem to think the brain stops having activity does give me pause. We know plenty about the brain, and brain activity is measured, but we also know cells and processes don’t stop all at once. I’m not convinced that the Warm Light, Time Distortion, Loving Feeling aren’t caused by this process. In fact, I’m fairly certain they are, because DMT is released as you die – the very same thing that is released when you dream.

Here is just one article on it, which admittedly has a low amount of participants:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01424/full

I cannot explain how patients know about things happening around them, so that I will accept right now as something of a mystery until we understand it better. That’s what science is about: understanding things.

The next two episodes are about mediums, which, I’ll say it: they’re con-artists. I have been to enough Spirit-Mind-Body fairs (and still enjoy going to them for reasons outside of Mediums), have gotten enough readings, and watched my mom test enough people, to be fairly certain of this.

Mediums claim they can access the deceased person and provide messages to them, from the living, thus confirming an afterlife experience. Cold readers use obvious tricks: Use common names or no names, use things like ‘father figure’ or ‘masculine energy’ coming through, consider the age of the person you’re speaking with (when I was in my early teens and 20s, they always wanted to talk about my romantic life because young girls are always thinking about that, right?), and then they can usually draw the person they’re speaking with into giving them enough information that it seems like they know what they are saying.

There are also hot readings, where the medium has time to gather information on the person beforehand and can thus make it seem like they know a lot.

The show also did a séance with a “physical medium” – but the séance itself can’t be recorded, because of course, the ectoplasm that the medium would produce to create the physical sensations is sensitive to light. And did we mention the medium is in total darkness, and put away in a cabinet – tied to the chair, mind – but in a cabinet, out of sight, for the duration of the séance? Yeah, that’s not fishy at all. (And later they show her doing a non-physical mediumship and she’s not convincing, it’s very cold reading scenario).

Her Physical Mediumship was also questionable. She reached out to one of the people, Aman, and said there was someone on the other side for him that she couldn’t understand – she used the Hindi word for ‘Son’, beta. Aman then spoke to his father in Hindi, but RIGHT AFTER THIS, the medium suddenly knew exactly what his father was saying and gave the message without attempting to say it phonetically to the son. And the son believed this.

Also note, this man was signed up to take classes and such with her. She had time to research him and why he was there, so it is probable she looked up that one word to make a connection.

It also shows a medium speaking with a mother who lost her daughter – and of course, the message is to be expected for a grieving mother – “don’t blame yourself” “you couldn’t have done anything”. No details about how they died are offered, although they seem to know she “has an object” on her that’s important.

The following episode is then about signs, and how the dead communicate with the living – like sending a cardinal to them, leaving behind particular coins, having butterflies in weird locations, and things like that.

Basically, coincidences.

Of course, they all say you don’t know the difference until you experience it yourself. Here’s the thing: I have.

My cat passed away in in 2016, in the fall. A little after her death, there was a dead dove right besides the driver’s side door of my car. I had a pet dove once upon a time. This very cat got to the dove, in her locked cage, and killed her. There was a part of me that desperately wanted to believe, and clung to that feeling for a bit, but I know, the likelihood is it was an odd coincidence, a poor bird that hit the side of the garage my car is parked by, and slid down it to that position.

Signs are only just that – coincidences.

The next episode continues into the theme of paranormal investigators. It shows a duo going into the Morris-Jumel mansion, setting up recording devices, white noise makers, and motion sensors, and trying to communicate with the dead. They use the white noise makers because APPARENTLY the dead need background noise to be heard.

They APPARENTLY reach Aaron Burr. They only get his name, and then his footsteps. I’ll be honest – I didn’t hear ‘Aaron Burr’ at all in the recording, I think they just wanted it to be Aaron Burr. I’m also not convinced cat toy motion detectors are the best route. Those things light up for, literally, no reason.

It then goes into discussion of a polaroid camera, that took photos of light, that then became words and messages – which of course they can no longer replicate because the particular film doesn’t exist any longer. I don’t know enough about photography or photomanipulation, but my mother loves this stuff, and I know there are ways even polaroids can be manipulated to come out certain ways, so no, I’m not buying that, either.

The last thing it touches on are apparitions, like when you go out to look for someone, or think of someone, and at that same time they’d just killed themselves. That intuition that none of us really have a way to describe. It could be mere coincidence, though I imagine anyone with a mother who had that maternal instinct suspects it’s something more. I don’t have an answer for it, though, beyond mere coincidence. I am not convinced it happens often enough to be something supernatural.

Finally, we get to the last episode, which talks about reincarnation.

It looks mostly at children who believe they are reincarnated people, such as Marty Martyn in one case, and in “pre-internet” ages, or before they could reasonably know this information.

Their answers are compared and contrasted with the reality of those they believe they were reincarnated from, but in all the cases looked at, they begin to forget this other life’s existence around the age of 7. Some things stick, but not much.

This is another of those things I don’t have a good answer for – it’d be terrible to say it’s fraud on the parents’ part, coaching their kid on these things. It’s also hard to figure how the children, or even the parents, knew some of these things that line up fairly well.

I have my curiosities about Organ Memory. There is the possibility that if enough of the same material came together to form someone, theoretically, it could provide specific memories, but I doubt this entirely.

Some of it could be that the child was, somehow, exposed to a lot of this. Perhaps there was a documentary left on about the subject that they claim as their other life, perhaps they really are that good at googling at a young age – I’m still better than my parents at this, after all.

This is what the show fails to present, however: opposing views. It leads you in one direction, and even directly INSULTS those who don’t buy into this view. Do I know enough to answer these questions? No, I don’t. I’m able to say that.

I can suspect things like fraud or access to information. I can suspect coincidence, or even information we don’t yet have. I can hope there will be another series that focuses on the non-believer’s side, so that we get a fuller story.

Why do I think it’s important?

Because some of these quotes came from the series:

“For the believer, no proof is necessary. For the sceptic, no proof is possible.” (Attributed to someone else, but used as “proof”).

“I wanted to believe so I believed.” – a father grieving his daughter

“Sometimes we may not be able to say something here, but we’ll be able to say it somewhere else.” – a near death experience between a son and a father.

I find these quotes to be damaging. The last one in particular, because it tries to say it’s okay not to make these connections in life, it’s okay to wait until the next one. Please. Please don’t do this. Don’t believe this – and even if you do, don’t live like that. It’s not fair to those around you. It’s not fair to yourself.

The one who wanted to believe, well…that says it all, doesn’t it? He was looking for this, for comfort, and now he tries to see it. He’s living for a lie, and working his life around that. He has spent MONEY on learning how to contact the dead, on contacting the dead, and he lives his life around looking for particular signs. He has been scammed.

The first one is honestly just nonsense, though I can see why it gets to going around, especially in this time of COVID-19. It is hard to convince some people of things, and they will cling to their beliefs no matter what. I am not without bias – you can see I’m arguing this even with these so-called proofs presented to me, that there is no afterlife.

That said, that quote is just one of giving up.

They also do not say ALL about subjects, such as Franek Kluski, who supposedly made ectoplasmic wax hands, in environments where he could have easily hidden the wax hands already made, and where he’d been caught in a lie that involved “wax buttocks” when he was asked to have an ectoplasm face created (his own butt was burned), and who may have confessed to the fraud (this seems to be debated).

Overall, the Netflix series has an agenda, which is inherent in the title: it is here to convince you there is an afterlife. However, it’s science is questionable, and I think it could have done better by including actual opposition, not “former sceptics”.

#netflix #netflix original #netflix documentary #surviving death #surviving death documentary #not recommended #medium #mediums #mediumship #reincarnation #afterlife #near death experience #apparitions #ghosts #physical mediumship #ectoplasm #death anxiety talk #existentialism talk #signs from beyond #signs from the dead #aaron burr #yes aaron burr he's mentioned in here

[theliterarywolf]

2019′s Animation Hidden Gems

So, another year has come and gone. And, in regards to animated content, we had a sizable smorgasboard of offerings both on the mainstream end and the Indie scene. 

I figured I would go over some of the ones that caught my eye that I don’t see many people talking about or, if they are talking about them, they’re focusing on shitty e-drama rather than the content in of itself. 

So, let’s begin!

... Just going to use a ‘Read More’ break due to the length of this post as well as spoilers for certain things within.

Tuca and Bertie

So, we’re just going to acknowledge the fact that Netflix’s cancellation of this show before it even had the chance to hit its stride (which coincidentally timed in with the team behind it, the same team behind Bojack Horseman, getting the rights to unionize -- but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence~) was one of the shittiest things they did this year, right? Right. 

Anyway, Tuca and Bertie was one of those shows that, while it took me a good few days to finally watch it (due mostly to Netflix burying this show underneath those damn Ted Bundy movies and that fucking Beyonce concert/documentary/what-the-fuck-ever), was definitely a front-runner for adult-centered animation this year. 

While the wacky animation styles can sometimes throw initial viewers off, by the time the series is halfway through you’re fully engrossed in how it helps to tell the stories this show wants to focus on. 

While, yes, the show was a little heavy-handed in one of the early episodes about women in the workplace (that whole scene of Tuca screaming obnoxiously in the board-meeting to signal that no woman had spoken in 30 minutes was kind of grating even though the message is sound), the series as a whole is a great change of pace in regards to having adult animation centered on/aimed towards women. The characters work great together, the sound design works wonders, and Netflix cancelling this show despite they themselves not promoting it is such a damn crime. 

My personal favorite part/episode: While the episode “The Jelly Lakes” was a great, poignant display of showing Bertie opening up about her past trauma and sexual abuse, the episode that I always resonate with during rewatches of this series is “Plumage”. The way that it tackles not only reconciling with addiction but emotional/psychological abuse and how it often comes from sources that are on the outside beneficial hits so close to home. The fact that it was handled with tact and respect while still being in this wacky world of talking bird-people was amazing. 

Sound and Fury

I... am just going to come out and admit it, my brain still hasn’t 100% wrapped around the ‘what does it MEAN?!?!’ aspect of this animated album but, damn it all, is it a feast for the ears and eyes. 

I honestly can’t talk about it too much because half the enjoyment comes from watching it for yourself.

My personal favorite part/episode: I can’t quite remember what the song’s name was, but visually it was the section that focused on the homeless veteran basically being left outside to die while the city is about to be decimated by a nuclear bomb. The fact that the segment shows everything, right down to how the cat he tries to rescue agonizingly burns to death when the bomb hits, has stuck with me.

Love, Death + Robots

Well, you guys didn’t think I was going to let 2019 pass without me gushing about one of my favorite animation anthologies of the year, did you? 

Seriously, I am so glad that Netflix has greenlit a second volume for this project because it really is the type of stuff I like to see: collections of vastly different stories using different mediums and styles. 

While two of the entries aren’t as strong as the others (”The Witness” and “Ice Age” freaking suck, don’t @ me), the bulk of the anthology is immensely strong and well-executed and no amount of people whinging about ‘myeh, it’s too sex-filled and violent~’ is going to ruin that. 

My personal favorite part/episode: The segment “Suits” still takes my award for best in show, but I still like the series potential of “Shapeshifters” and the attempt at cosmic horror in “Beyond the Aquila Rift”. 

Satellite City

I hate, hate, HATE that my initial exposure to Sam Fennah’s creative world, much like other people’s first exposure, was via that DAMN Nostalgia Critic review for The Wall!

But, in all seriousness, Fennah’s web-series as well as the book that he’s been working on are so excellently crafted. 

The character design: I’ve gushed so much about the character design that doing so again here would be a crime. But it really is wonderful seeing monster designs that think ‘monstrous’ first and ‘marketability’ second. 

The voice acting: everyone in here does an exceptional job with their performances and giving life to not only the characters but the world surrounding them. Seriously, they’re all amazing and I can only hope that their talents are showcased in other projects. 

The animation: the fact that it’s all done and rigged by one person is awe-inspiring enough but the way that Fennah works to make sure that the characters don’t stick out too much from their real-world sets is incredible. 

The writing: It would be so easy for a series like this to stick to wacky hijinks, violence, and toilet-humor, but no. We have excellently crafted, mature dialogue, we have incorporated world-building that doesn’t rely on exposition dumps, we have diction that rivals some of the commercial hyper-hits of the current year.

Seriously, I wish that more people watched this series; it’s so good..!

My personal favorite part/episode: This relies on some spoilers, but I have to talk about what I think the highlight of the series. While the episode “Slice of Life” gives a good display of the core cast in a day-to-day setting with Lucy Lacemaker giving an incredible monologue about the nature of life and immortality at the end, no where else does the work behind the craft of Satellite City shine more...

Than in Episode 20 - “The Order of Things”. Satellite City centers around the Kivouachians, a species of unworldly creatures who have been around for billions of years but, due to war and betrayal, lost their homeland and have been scattered across the Earth. 

During this war, many died, many were punished, many were tortured, and many were left to deal with horrific trauma and PTSD. 

While this episode has the connecting tissue of informing others that the series’ antagonist has escaped her prison, it also centers upon the heavy issue of destructive, toxic relationships and how people can let themselves waste away and decay just because they can’t find it in themselves to let go of something that may ‘make them happy’. 

We also get a dialogue from Lucy Lacemaker about the nature of art and imitation, but it’s simply the cherry on top of the sundae that the prior themes build up. 

... Seriously, j-just go watch the show; put has-been critics out of your minds and just go appreciate this series for what it is.

Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss/Holidaze

God, I can only be in awe of and respect Vivienne for getting to the point that she has gotten to. Two well-received animated pilots, an adorable holiday special, industry ties, and a portfolio that surely can fill two phone books at this point. 

Seriously, though, Hazbin Hotel is great: an adult animated show with an interesting art style, engaging characters, and a world that I really want to see more of. 

Helluva Boss is great too! That show has a more intimate cast and less insanity so if the barrage of visuals in the prior turned you off, then the latter would probably be more your cup of tea. 

Finally, Holidaze is fucking adorable. It boggles my mind that people were getting upset at this special for coming out and doing something different when most complaints against HH and HB were ‘ugh, she really can’t do anything aside from “offensive people in hell are offensive because HELL, lol”’. Well, here you go! Something wholesome and cute and heartwarming!

Some people just want to bitch and moan, I swear...

My personal favorite part/episode: See, here’s where it gets tricky. I love the feeling I get from Holidaze. I love the characters from Hazbin Hotel. I love the setting/premise of Helluva Boss. 

But I wouldn’t want all of those things crammed together. 

So, all in all, VivziePop and her colleagues have done an amazing job with these shorts and I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for them.

Dororo (2019)

Look, man! I get it, okay?! When it comes to anime where the main character in a feudal-era Japan setting goes around killing demons, everyone and their grandma was gushing over Demon Slayer. 

And, you know what? Demon Slayer is a good show; it has really good animation and Nezuko is best girl. 

... But fuck ALL OF YOU who slept on Dororo (2019), man! I get it, Amazon having the streaming rights to it made it all sorts of awful to try and keep up with, but even so this show was way too ignored by people.

Which is a damn shame because in regards to revamping classic anime IPs, this is right up there in ‘damn, they actually did a good job’ along with Casshern Sins and Devilman Crybaby.

My personal favorite part/episode:

... Have I mentioned that the theme song for this show is an absolute BANGER?!

That’s all I have for now. I still have yet to watch things like Klaus and I Lost My Body, and I was unfortunately unable to watch Promare due to not having the funds for it when it was in theaters, and -- Oh my fucking GOD, I’m just now finding out that Netflix has Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie after trying to find a way to legally watch it for ages. 

But I hope that I was able to introduce some of you to some animated pieces that got a little overshadowed this year. 

Here’s hoping for more amazing stuff to grace our eyes in 2020!

#animation #art #cartoons #anime #web series #film

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

Quarantine Q&A

Tangentially tagged by @onedivinemisfit and @jj-carstairs :D 

Are you staying home from work/school? Yup! I am one of those fortune ones who is employed and working from home.

If you’re staying home, who’s there with you? My assistant, Princess Buttercup, seen here sleeping on the job

Are you a homebody?

Mmm... depends. Generally speaking, yes, so I am adjusting well to the social distancing. I’ve got people to talk to on the phone and friends to DM with and books to read and fics to write. That being said, I am excited for the day when I can go out and, like, get a cinnabon or something again. (That being said, it’s probably better for my wallet that I am made to stay home, lol)

What movies have you watched recently? What shows are you watching?

I finally broke down and watched Pacific Rim last night! It was, like, a Transformers/Godzilla crossover fanfic and I adored it. I also finished watching that Netflix documentary about the Fyre Festival nonsense, which wasn’t nearly as interesting. But then again, not much can follow Tiger King in the ways of a flaming dumpster heap, now can it? XD

Did an event that you were looking forward to that got cancelled? I was going to go to a game night with a local anime fangroup, but alas, I must wait a bit longer.

What music are you listening to? My spotify. I tend to scan past the more emotional tunes these days, though, and stick to the upbeat stuff.

What are you reading? The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. I meant to read it last month, but everything was changing so fast minute by minute that I couldn’t focus on any books. Now I’m about 100 pages in and thoroughly hooked. (Even if I do roll my eyes occasionally at some... classic tropes, shall we say)

What are you doing for self care?

Mmm... basically the same thing that I do every day. I make myself food and I’m sure to eat it. I read. I write. I watch movies. I exercise and get plenty of sleep and take my medicine and I play with my cat. Oh, and friends. I make sure to talk to them bunches.

I tag... @claudeng80 @puffdragongirl @ruleofexception​ @jaygirl987 and.... @sabraeal. If y’all want to play, you’re up!

#ask bubbles #about me meme #covid 19 edition

[jaune-chat]

QUARANTINE TAG GAME

QUARANTINE TAG GAME

I was tagged by @princess-of-the-worlds

Stolen from the lovely @itsnotacrimetoloveyou

ARE YOU STAYING HOME FROM WORK/SCHOOL? Yes, right now I’m in the middle of a two-week work furlough because there’s not enough work to do in my department. I am dearly hoping the company realizes they need to send everyone home for two weeks, or the few cases we’ve had in the plant are going to snowball.

IF YOU’RE STAYING HOME, WHO IS THERE WITH YOU? Just my husband and my cat. My divorced parents are in the area, and both alone in their homes.

ARE YOU A HOMEBODY? Very much so. I miss being able to go to the movies and out to restaurants, but I like being plague-free better.

AN EVENT THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT GOT CANCELLED? Welcome to Night Vale was touring in a city near where I live, and it is going to be the last tour Cecil Baldwin was going to perform.  Nearly every cancelled performance was rescheduled but the one near by city, and one other. However, things being how they are, I have a feeling everything is going to get canceled again later this year. :(

WHAT MOVIES HAVE YOU WATCHED RECENTLY? Rewatched Surrogates last night.  And Sahara the night before that, which I hadn’t seen.  It’s a pretty ridiculous movie, may I say.

WHAT SHOWS ARE YOU WATCHING? Just finished up my TiVOed episodes of The Walking Dead, the finale episodes of which could be a while in coming as they weren’t done shooting them before quarantine measures were in place. And since those episodes would absolutely require crowd scenes, it could be a year before those happen. I’m also rewatching the Alola episodes of Pokemon on Netflix, because they never fail to make me smile.  Hubby has, in the past two weeks, rewatched at least three seasons of Grimm, the entire catalog of BBC Sherlock, the Valhalla Murders, the Galapagos documentaries on Netflix, and is now rewatching our DVDs of various seasons of Top Gear.

WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO? I’m actually listening to a sound app for role-playing games, Syrinscape, which is ambient sounds and music for fantasy, modern, and sci-fi games. So I can listen to everything from a summer’s day on the farm, to floating in a nebula in space, to being on a ship at sea during a kraken attack, to being in a flooded cavern, to a dragon’s lair, a cyberpunk street market, to a superhero battle. Since it’s wordless, it helps me when I write.

When I’m doing my morning walking, I listen to Lindsey Stirling, Lady Gaga, Panic! At the Disco, and a weird variety of other stuff.

WHAT ARE YOU READING? Just reread some of Mercedes Lackey’s books, specifically A Scandal in Battersea. And I’m about to start Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson. It’s a good book, historical but written like an engaging novel (according to others I know who have read it), with a strange family connection. It talks about and weaves together two things, the building of Marconi’s wireless radio, and a murder of one Dr. Crippen’s wife and his subsequent near-escape from the authorities.  The family connection, you ask?  The station for the wireless radio being built in the book is on the Isle of Wight, where some of of my relatives did and do reside, and some of said relatives (carpenters) helped build the station.  The ship Dr. Crippen escaped on? The exact one (though not the exact voyage) that carried my great-grandparents across the ocean to the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR SELF-CARE? Sleeping long sleeps. Preparing and running role-playing games. Writing and reading fanfiction. I have also done some cleaning and organizing I haven’t gotten a chance to do in a long while. I also got to bake a somewhat experimental but very tasty cake! (Sour cream coffee cake, but added cardamom to the cinnamon swirl and topping, and put toasted walnuts and chocolate chips in the cake itself. Yum!)

--

I’ll tag some folks, if they feel so amused to answer, or if anyone else would like to chime in, feel free! @rubynye, @knitmeapony, @taste-is-sweet

#quarantine #ask meme

[illustratedjai]

Quarantine Tag Game (tagged by @rubecso​)

---

Are you staying home from school/work? Until this past week I was working from home (my work took the sensible option to send us working from home the week before the lockdown was officially announced), but I’m starting furlough next week, so... yes??? I’m not really sure... how to answer that question, to be honest. 

Who is at home with you? My partner @izzetengineer, and his partner @theanachronisticengineer, who’re both working from home. 

Are you a homebody? I do tend to be - I’ve had a lot of energy issues over the last couple years, but I had made a goal of getting out more with my friends and saying yes to more things... but, uh, that’s... not going to really happen. 

Any event that you were looking forward to that got canceled? My weekly DnD game is actually the biggest one - none of us are really into doing our usual game over discord, at least partially because our DM puts so much effort into the minis, but also because I find voice chat these days drains me in a weird way... I’m not sure if the LARP event I’m booked in for in October is still going ahead, and I suspect neither do the game runners. We were also meant to be doing the M:tG Ikoria Prerelease, but that’s also been pushed into the future.

What movies have you been watching recently? Lots of documentaries on Netflix - I love me a weird-ass documentary. The most recent one I watched was ‘Three Identical Strangers’ - it’s well worth a watch, though there is discussion of suicide and mental health issues in the later half, so be prepared for that if you decide to give it a go. 

What are you doing for self care? I’ve taken up looking after our little back garden (mostly a concrete box with some greenery along one side) - I’m hoping to get some lawn furniture back there before the summer kicks off so that we can have suppers outdoors, and so that I have somewhere to sit outdoors and do art if all this continues and I can’t go sit in the park or at the LARP site like I usually would. 

I’m also planning a lot of art working, in order to keep up a steady schedule, so I don’t fall into the trap of just sitting on the couch all day every day and letting myself slide back into my depression, which I am already feeling clawing at the edges of my emotions.  We’re making sure to get out on our mandated once per day walks, and trying to get out the backdoor in the morning to at least simulate the walk to and from work that we all would normally have. 

What shows are you watching? Ms Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is my on-going evening ‘put an episode on before bed’ entertainment - I’ve probably watched the whole series at least a couple dozen times at this point. Continuing my documentaries theme, I’m slowly working my way through Tiger King (I get frustrated at the way some things are presented as ‘fact’ by some of the figures in it and need to take a break sometimes). I just finished Don’t Fuck With Cats (also on Netflix), which has some disturbing imagery and themes, but doesn’t actually show any of the actual footage, just has the interviewees give descriptions of it. Still, definitely one to watch when you feel particularly resilient. 

What music have you been listening to? Mostly John Prine the last few days, as he passed on the 7th, due to Covid-19. He was a huge part of my childhood (being one of my parents’ favourite musicians), and I’m really sad he’s gone. (If you want to give him a shot, start with ‘Please Don’t Bury Me’, ‘Flag Decal’ or ‘Illegal Smile’ to get a pretty good idea of what he’s like. For his sadder music ‘Some People Ain’t People’ and ‘Angel from Montgomery’ and ‘Paradise’ are all sure ways to hit me in the feels.) 

What books are you reading? I’m... not really reading much at the moment - I haven’t been for a while, related to the energy level issues I mentioned above. The most recent thing I’ve read was @copperbadge ‘s Six Harvests in Lea, Texas, which is a piece of really fantastic original fiction. It’s relatively short and left me wanting more in that world, and was an absolute page-turner of a book. Copperbadge did an amazing job of fitting writing style to setting and the voices of the characters are all super clear and unique.  Tagging: @panijeziora @puppetstringgallows @mychemicalseal @theredkite - anyone else who wants to do the thing. (No pressure for those who don’t want to do the thing.)