#ilana says stuff

[katebihshop]

"no one is talking about this!" there are countless articles from various news outlets which you would see if you ever actually looked at the news. you can't expect to become an informed citizen of the world from destiel confession memes alone

#like....if you spend enough time on this site then you might first hear about major news through the destiel meme #but it should by no means be the last place you hear about them? or the only place you learn anything about current #events? like....maybe pay attention to the actual news once in a while? #do you genuinely never look things up? never seek out info on what's happening in the world? how are you not embarrassed? #like yes news sources can be biased which is why it's important to look at multiple sources! #sometimes it's not that (((the media))) is hiding things from you sometimes you just have to actually look for things instead of expecting #any important information to fall into your lap #text #ilana says stuff #especially relevant recently but there have been signs of this for a while #please like....actually pay attention to things that are happening? please?

[lunisfamily]

Tbh, Ilana is someone who should've been fleshed out more. Thanks to CN dropping the ball, we may not known where her story goes from here. Like rewatching the series again and I do like her introduction and the way she carries herself. I need to finish watching the series again.

[ok so its been a bit since i watched the whole series front to bottom as i've been occasionally been watching it out of order so take this opinion atm with a grain of salt]

ok for real i was so ready for the bigger Ilana episodes because she has some heavy survivors guilt, homesickness, and some balancing to do with being a selfless princess and being mildly overbearing sometimes and frustrated with her endeavors falling short.

i absolutely love the way she carries herself too and sbt has such a strong sense of personality for the m.c's that she has very good dynamics and never loses her place in the trio. she is fun and fascinating to watch.

but while the series does well in unwinding lance from thinking that he's useless if he isn't fighting at least by 50%[ developed by his strong relationship to the other 2 to help him get out of his own head and TRULY think of whats best for them all and WHEN to fight] , and octus growing into his own personhood has reached the nice middle point by the final episode with his face being the center instead of his metal core [and fresh unique dynamics with kimmy and meat to show how he can be more than whatever he was meant for], a lot of Ilana's stuff feels like it is in the seed and growing phase still. like more than them.

she wants to be the leader she is but its harder to do in this high school so...? how will this affect her arc because she is going to go back at one point because she's a princess? what is the more positive arc she's having by being here vs being at home?

she misses home!...something that will be handled in the future... but its middle ground atm is the ball with a galaluna theme that has her finding the homecoming committee to help her capture some peace for the moment

and again she remains an absolute unit of a character because even if some of the bigger questions are up in the air because she has such a strong personality and presence and does get some smaller problems worked on via group development because the group dynamic is strong <3

she feels like all she ever does is try with lance but they still work out their relationship due to octus stepping in and saying yeah... both of you keep trying but not by snipping at each other about how much you DON'T understand each other! and there is like so many points where its clear she's lost in interacting with him that feel like her status as a princess as a complication might be brought to the forefront later [like lance bringing up that he does feel that people "like her" could never understand him and Ilana does have his reputation at the ready in the starting episodes vs them being closer but being reminded that his job is to protect her]

as the series proceeds they HAVE become closer [stuff like the chill hangout/doing the project together/ and lance dancing with her because yes the princess misses her home/and close enough that ilana can try to be supportive of his passions like in disenfranchised...key word try.] they even are united in their love for octus. they have slowly been overcoming that idea that they could never have anything in common.

and maybe as a princess the war tore that one boy she liked away [ and the whole episode is even her turning into a monster against her will] but as a student she can try to have something low stakes and sweet [and again how is that going to measure to up to her having to return? what change has happened that will be more challenged by the return to galaluna or even just by who she used to be]

and again octus not just being a tool her father gave her but a true friend she loves

the minor "some rules are ok to break" episode and little moments like maybe her being demanding of lance's nightmare and then apologetic when she hears it or her leadership skills with announcing the phone number coming in handy even if lance does ask her to tone it down, all the support that octus gives her as her fellow bottom of the barrel pal

so basically its not like NOTHING is being done with her its just that the payoff to these developments isn't as super clear as octus and lance's atm [imo]...and never will be WHY CN?

partically because its easier to pinpoint why being on earth is good for lance and octus [again imo]

CN really did drop the ball because i heard somewhere the next 10 episodes were already written??! i want to seeeeeeeeeeeee T.T

i really do have to properly rewatch the series again.

#asks #sym bionic titan #sbt thoughts #remember grain of salt

[stillresolved]

💕 For all my blogs, uroborosymphony, geaesaekki, usuhan, yaoogui, devangelis

Dammit I sent without finishing my line : for all my blogs even though we already have many pairings and ships already<3 (2/2)

@uroborosymphony / send 💕 and I will tell you some muses...

HELLO LYNNIE nyahahaha, i'm here to enable you some more my dear friend bc we can never have too many plots/dynamics JFKSLDJFL :'D i'll talk about characters i have on my other blogs and to obligate myself to write out the new muses profiles, i will also include the muses i planning on add in the (hopefully) near future <3 i'll go in order here :3

@/uroborosymphony:

okay so i know that CALISTA is on hiatus, HOWEVER would she like a friend aka can YOOJIN be frends with her bc they are both immortals who lowkey wanna die (yoojin's just better at hiding it :'( )...but they cope with their immortality in opposite ways. whereas calista hides away from society in one place, yoojin is a nomad, can't stay in one place for too long. i could see something in calista resonating with yoojin when it comes to tru feelings....also just thinking yoojin randomly visiting her like once a century bc 'hi i know we haven't talked since like the 1900s so how have you been'. also more opposite vibes in that calista loves reading and you would have to pay yoojin to hold a book :'D

we did talk about this briefly but...ILANA?? being the lu*cy-gr*ey figure for my interpretation of SNOW 🤩🤩🤩 aka being the one person who haunts him for life bc she was the one person who escaped him....and who he could never control. i see them being like toxic lovers ( although the toxicity is probably coming from his side more :'D )...this is also to say though if we're doing something similar to the books, i would love...if ELISE, the mockingjay figure in our THG verse, could perhaps be a descendant of ilana since she had to have heard one of ilana's songs (the hanging tree) from somewhere....i don't think elise would have to be a grandchild of ilana, but you know ilana haunting snow would be a dream come tru of mine <3

still building on that though, PERHAPS?? in the crime verse, since i plan on SNOW being like the mastermind of ANACHRON, maybe he and ILANA could also have been lovers for a brief time too?? before she scams him and maybe it was a while back , but snow also suck at letting things which is probably why he ended up opening base in seoul aka subconsciously looking for her, but also wanting to hm, how should i say this, show her how much better off he is without her anyways if that makes any sense?? basically he's a boy having a temper tantrum about a situationship that didn't work out fjskldfjskl

also obviously GREY and ARA, still gotta work out most personality and backstory stuff for him, but grey would follow ara to the ends of the earth <3

@/geaesaekki:

we talked about this briefly in the dms, but STILL, GAYA in the THG verse being SNOW's wife by arranged marriage, but lowkey those two could be a power couple (panem needs more than just a despotic president uphold the system :'D) BUT ALSO in the crime verse perhaps, after her fall from grace (unless you have other plans for her of course), he offers a means of redeeming herself in the public's eyes aka ANACHRON's front is a charity organization so if you want her to pick the evil side again :3 they can casually date too if you're interested <3

i feel like GAYA and GA-RAM could probably have a connection of some sort too since most likely gaya would have heard of ga-ram's father AND probably about yo-han as well...maybe they were acquaintances since they're technically in the same field.

also i remember!! seeing a plot you once posted with the other muse killing someone and MARA being there to help them through it....what if that muse was ANNIE :3 ( although she might end up going to ARA instead though 🤔🤔🤔 ). this could also be NELL since she wouldn't want to tell myungdae or alfred about this :/ nell could also help mara with mask girl things since that does take place...over the net too!!

on a lighter note though, perhaps MARA could be acquaintances with SUKI since suki does drop by the gangnam police station often to visit her friend there...i think they could get along and also suki is....a fan of vigilantes so she would probably following the activities of mask girl bc she can 🤩🤩🤩

also if MARA is looking for more...illegal information, perhaps ALFRED could be a source of information. i have a thought about him opening up shop in seoul with a coffeehouse as cover for dealing with the exchange of information (it also acts as a community center in the neighborhood tho <3)

more MARA apparently :'D i think you also mentioned looking for undercover threads so perhaps since FELICITY is also undercover as an executive assistant for guess who, SNOW, she and mara could be allies of sort on the field? more on that later!!

@/usuhan:

okay this is where i'll be talking a lot MORE about the muses to be added because i would like for SNOW in his modern verse?? to be a patron of La Rose because one, his favorite flowers are roses, two, he'd be rich enough to get in anyways, but also three, he's deprieved enough to want to be a member there :/ anyways, if you want, he could be casually hooking up with SERAPHINA while being 'pals' with DANTE ( although that might contradict the fact that in his THG verse, he's technically married to gaya...but then again he is a bastard so i'm not putting him above sleeping with sera before switching over to being lovers with gaya :// )

you know how GA-RAM hates rich people? you know how BELLAMY is a textbook example of 'rich people' so what if ga-ram was part of the fighting ring circle bel watches bc ga-ram needs a way to let off steam (they're already rich thanks to yo-han :'D)...maybe bel can sponsor them??

obviously we have SERAPHINA and AERI to develop, but also what about aeri and DANTE's relationship aka in-laws interactions, although i'm not sure what assumptions to make about dante quite yet...although perhaps mama kang made aeri go see dante for like 'therapy sessions' :'D i could see aeri at least begrudgingly respecting him....maybe dante sees her as amusing to be around if only to psychoanalyze her fjskldjfslk

also if SNOW is in la rose, i have a feeling he'd also drag FELICITY into the club too. maybe SERAPHINA and/or DANTE could be suspicious of her since her only connection is through snow and low key i could see felicity wanting to down la rose as well...also just an aesthetic thought but felicity in a fine dress and also pseudo flirt(ish cause she's technically only an assistant) with dante to try and get more information and felicity will be giving the popular girl vibes :D. no feelings on her end though bc she's already in love with you know who <3

@/yaoogui:

gonna be honest, i don't know if i have as many for the muses here since most of my muses aren't exactly involved with straight up ya*kuza crime life...that being said, i still would love?? for DAI and SUKI to like be friends kinda?? since i MUST continue the trend of suki being friends with the most unexpected of ppl...maybe she doesn't have to know about dai's history, but she could become a regular at the octogon club... dai probably invited her bc he thought she was funny and she was like 'well i like free alcohol, can you get me paper too' ...gonna be honest but i feel like this would be more of a crack dynamic :'D

oh!! but also perhaps DAI and ALFRED have a business partner kind of relationship/old comrades kinda relationship?? i'm thinking of alfred deciding to fly solo when it comes to information dealing and maybe he did a favor for dai and they became drinking buddies back in the day....so if alfred needs a favor, dai's the guy to go to unless it impedes on yamazaki clan business

@/devangelis:

alrighty we're on the last one, so obviously if she knows myungdae, then she would probably know about ALFRED and NELL....but also!! i would love for her to meet SUKI as well since suki is friends with myungdae aka the pigeon man ( obviously ONE DAY....i want deva and alex's hyuk to interact too bc those two are both important ppl to patrick :'D )....perhaps deva would be amused by suki as well

since deva is devoted to proper journalism, maybe she could have been looking into GA-RAM's father's death and the circumstances there and yeah there is ga-ram refusing to help at first but also 'c'mon don't you want to clear your family's name once and for all?'

also if DEVA is a friend of patrick, i could see FELICITY approaching her at least once just to say 'thank you for being there for him when i couldn't be' <3

adding one more to this, it's angsty one, but perhaps during the revolution let's say both PATRICK and deva's beloveds are kidnapped by the capitol so the both of them?? are literally just going stir crazy out of their minds with worry and wow, the only ppl who are going to be able to calm them down is each other :'D....either that or they take turns breaking down bc they are mom and dad someone has to keep it together for the rest of the victors :'D

okie that's all i got for now, but we don't have to do any of these if you are not interested!! THANKS FOR ENABLING ME AGAIN LYNNIE and cheers to the 48293048230 plots we will hopefully develop in the future 🤩🤩🤩

#suicidal ideation cw #uroborosymphony #( answered. ) #( ferre answered. ) #hahahaha this got SO long :'DDDD #i'd tag all your blogs but uh...i know that'd be more unneccesary notifications #so i'll just tag ur main one <3 #i started on this late and then i JUST COULDN'T?? STOP :'DDD i will regret this in the morning but it's okay <333 #it was worth it :D #lmk what you think of course #AND THANKS AGAIN FOR SENDING THIS IN FJSKLDFJSLKDJF

[anneapocalypse]

Anne's Dragon Age Fic

Stuff I've written! Favorites at the top, full list below the cut. Please check the tags on AO3 for warnings and additional content notes.

🐝 A Pot to Piss In 🐝A Sera backstory fic. Also featuring Lady Emmald, Shianni, Alarith, Slim Couldry, and the Friends of Red Jenny. 41,000 words, rated M.

👑 No Woman Rules Alone 👑 Anora/Female Tabris. Warden Tabris convinced Anora and Alistair to marry for the good of Ferelden, to unite the lands against the darkspawn. They have settled into a functional partnership and even friendship, but there is no love between them and they both know it. Over time, Anora finds that it is the Warden-Commander and Arl of Amaranthine who has won not only her respect, but her heart. 34,000 words, rated E

🏹 A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren 🏹 A Briala/Female Tabris longfic. In progress, not yet posted! See snippets and updates here.

Gen Fics

Someone Else's Story. Varric & Female Hawke, 1600 words, rated G. Varric anxiously awaits news after the events at Adamant.

Friendly Concern. Varric & Fenris, background Fenris/Hawke, 975 words, rated T. Fenris is drinking in public. Varric knows something's wrong.

Objects of Wonder. Lorien Lavellan & Sera, 800 words, rated T. Lorien and her friend find some unexpected common ground.

F/F

Gifts of the Hunt. Female Mahariel/Morrigan, 13K, rated M. Lyna Mahariel follows Morrigan through the eluvian, leaving behind her life with the Wardens and with her Dalish clan. With only each other, Morrigan's child, and the magic of a long-forgotten past, what kind of future will the two of them have together?

What We Can Do Together. Shianni/Briala, 2000 words, rated T. Briala has never called her away from Denerim before, so Shianni can only assume this is important.

In Darkness Enveloped. Cassandra/Leliana, 1800 words, rated E. The Conclave is destroyed. The Divine is dead. The Left Hand and Right Hand are at odds, and at loose ends. It's the worst of times. It's certainly the worst possible time for this.

Herald's Rest. Eleanor Trevelyan/Sera, 370 words, rated M. The Inquisitor finds a respite with her lover.

F/M

Warden's Retreat. Ilana Tabris/Zevran, 3200 words, rated E. After the festivities in Denerim, the Warden finally gets some alone time with Zevran at Soldier's Peak--though not without a moment of regret.

Looking Forward. Fenris/Alessandra Hawke, 1800 words, rated T. Hawke is not well. Merrill pays a visit.

Regret. Fenris/Alessandra Hawke, 1200 words, rated T.

Far From Home. Fenris/Alessandra Hawke, 400 words, rated G. On the run from Kirkwall, home is where Hawke is.

M/M

For You, Anywhere. Male Mahariel/Tamlen, 1900 words, rated T. Theron Mahariel finds his lost companion in the last place he expects.

A Certain Resemblance. Dorian/Male Adaar, 650 words, rated T. "Look, nobody's saying it," the Inquisitor says, setting down his waterskin with purpose, "but we're all thinking it."

Poems & Songs

Fear Not (Chasind Lullaby). Written as a part of Gifts of the Hunt.

Spindleweed. It is an old country saying that spindleweed grows best for the sorrowful.

The Night Streets. A lone hero wanders the streets at night. Hints of Male Hawke/Anders.

gently, lethallin. Merill/Male Hawke, unrequited. A caution to a charismatic hero.

---

I have also written for Red vs. Blue, Fallout, The Penumbra Podcast, Mass Effect, RWBY, and a few other fandoms, all of which you can find on my AO3.

Thanks for reading!

#pinned post #annefiction

[silent-dragon]

TWST OCs Profile ~ Vesper & Ilana

Duo bio post so long all info under cut 🐃🐄

Personal Info

Name: Vesper

Other Names: King Vesper,Lord Vesper

Gender: Male

Age: ??

Species: Bull Beastman/Dragon Bull God

Birthday: ??

Zodiac: ?

Height: 260cm/8ft'5in

Orientation: No Label (Likes Everyone)

Eye Color: Light Sky Blue

Hair Color: Dark Blue

Homeland: Ancient Kingdom of Vesper

Family: Ilana - Adopted Daughter

Twist of Askr from Fire Emblem Heroes

School Info

School: Hourglass Station Academy (@hourglassstationacademy)

Dorm: Falciette

School Year: 4th

Occupation: Former King,Retired God

Club: Sorcery

Best Subject: Light Artes

Other Info

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Veggie Sub-Sandwich 

Least Favorite Food: Meat (Is Vegetarian)

Dislikes: Mayhem,Unruliness,Modern Technology Beating Him,Shirts with Buttons,Under 7ft doorways,Negativity Moods

Likes: Open Shirts,Calmness,Mornings,Appearing Behind People,Cowbell,Funny Jokes,Youths Being Happy,Seeing Ilana Smile,Actors/Actresses,Gabrielle's sweet side,Slightly looking out for Tesadelle,Learning new things from Andrew

Talents: Light Magic,Physical Strength,Laughing Loudly,Father/Protector Figure,Being Charming,Making People Laugh

Unique Magic: Bonded Sight - Can see how weak or strong the bonds between people are at a time. Often sees a lot of weak to broken ones but doesn't interfere to help as must let them be naturally.

Personality: He is a positive and fatherly type. Always willing to help within mortal means to dissolve anything of malice. He is quite funny as well given he is unknowledgeable about alot of modern stuff but is learning. Maybe too good to a point. Loves catching people off guard to see reactions.

Fun Facts: His speech and knowledge of things don't hide the fact he is of ancient age. He tends to say he has been asleep for so long the world is so different.

Is so interested in what others are up to and has to be told what personal space is constantly as he will hover over you just to see what you are up to. He never remembers not to do this so people being spooked by this giant is common.

Wants to become a teacher/professor in the mortal sense so literally is in school so he has proper education records like others do. Magic History or Light Magic is what he wants to teach.

Is adjusting to life anew with mortals but often may slip up and do something he isn't supposed to that may be interfering but has his daughter to help him not do things and tell him it's ok if he does so long as it's small yet she will scold him for doing big no no things.

He believes even though he is a god he is as equal as a mortal which some other godly beings dislike him for as supposed to be higher than mortal beings so his mindset isn't liked much.

May likes to test his dorm leader's patience with him but for a good reason.

Personal Info

Name: Ilana

Nickname: Little MooMoo & Daughter - Vesper

Gender: Female

Age: ?? (She would tell you if asked)

Species: Cow Beastwoman

Birthday: All of July according to Vesper as month he met her

Zodiac: Cancer/Leo

Height: 183cm/6ft

Orientation: Too shy to answer (Pansexual)

Eye Color: Sandy Peach

Hair Color: Silvery White

Homeland: Ancient Kingdom of Vesper

Family: Vesper - Adopted Father

Twist of Ash from Fire Emblem Heroes

School Info

School: Hourglass Station Academy (@/hourglassstationacademy)

Dorm: Falciette

School Year: 3rd

Occupation: Retainer to Vesper,Novice Seamstress

Club: Sewing

Best Subject: Light Artes & Art

Other Info

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Blueberry Pie

Least Favorite Food: Meat (Is Vegetarian)

Dislikes: Confrontation,Mayhem,How Scary Gabrielle is Sometimes,Her tops being tight in the chest,Being told she is cute(lie),Vesper getting into trouble,Having to explain how she in school with her Dad,Sewing Needle Pricks,Her little moo sounds she makes when scared or nervous

Likes: Berry Picking,Sewing,Cute Clothes,Seeing Dormmates(Gabrielle may spook her if upset),Picnics,Soft Cowbell,Protecting Vesper,Cow/Bull Plushies,Sweets,Tesadelle's cuteness,Andrew's art

Talents: Light Magic,Baking Sweets,Admiring Others,Taking care of Vesper(Somewhat),Talking too much if comfortable

Unique Magic: Happy Moo-dlet - Has a certain loud moo that is enchanted and will instill happy feelings into the ears of others making all calm for 30 mins. She only has used it when too many near her are angry or hostile. Using this though will make her go unconscious for a long time.

Personality: Shy at first to those she doesn't know but once she does she is bubbly and very talkative. Mildy she can get angry but it's often seen as adorable when she does as puffs up cheeks and flails. Vesper doesn't think it's cute when the anger is towards him though cute when to someone else.

Fun Facts: She is just as curious as Vesper is since not used to living by mortal means but has adapted faster due to watching/researching more.

Is learning how to sew to help her dad out by fixing his shirts so they stop ripping and popping buttons due to his chest size. Though she is confused on why some like his shirts doing this.

Loves sweets so much from the small ones to big giant cake sized ones. Her favorite shops are bakeries and other sweet making places just to smell the sweet scent. She loves pies the most with various fruits in them but blueberries are her love. Can bake ok but still learning from all the neat books about doing so.

Has a habit of doing little moos sounds randomly which means she may be nervous or scared. She stares at Gabrielle cause so pretty but moos and flees when she makes eye contact with her. Some moos are happy as when spending time with Tesadelle or Vesper she does happy ones cause with friends.

May have trouble saying no to friends asking for things as she loves helping out but might be taken advantage of cause of this.

Her horns are not coming from her head as is a fancy headband but the horns are real as they are pieces of Vesper's who broke em to make her the headband to symbolize she is his daughter now. His horns regrew of course but she sobbed for days cause he did that and looked so weird with broken horns.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst fanschool #hourglassstationacademy #falciette #oc profile #vesper #ilana #fire emblem twst

[exitmurderer]

SNM #31-33 19-20 Aug 2022

The era of "which old-timer/all-star is going to be in the show tonight?" is upon us. And I was happy to be there for it.

Dora Wolfe on as Lady Macduff! Drugged teetering and falling, A+.

Ilana Matron!!! Yeah, the joke about "you getting to hear Pagoda Woman tell you a story for the 12th time" is true ... and yet, her Matron is great in its own special way, and much appreciated.

Walking in to the ballroom and having to decide which OG cast member to loop: Jordan Morley as Boy Witch or Sophie Bortolussi as Lady M. (I chose Jordan.)

Confirming for myself that there is a stuffed bear in Hecate's lair. I'm always surprised by people who can describe what the lair or the hut look like inside, because I'm 100% staring into the eyeballs of whoever brought me in there, hypnotized.

Jenna Saccurato's Nurse, manipulated by forces beyond her control, so good.

I caught the very end of Marija Obradovic as Lady M, and made a mental note to follow her if I ever see her in that role again. As passe' as the Macbeths are for the enthusiast crowd, it's a loop I really enjoy.

Steph Amoroso playing in the Manderley on Friday night. Her voice and range just keep getting better and better; her originals are catchy as hell. Guest spot from Alec Funiciello, also fun.

Great to see old friends and new. S'more Rice Krispie Treats! Manderley inspired soap! Drinks at Gallow Green, Manderley, and Ovest! Lots of other stuff crammed into a short trip for unrelated biz! (Thanks especially to folks who came out for my unrelated biz.)

Like the man says, I can no other answer make but thanks and thanks and ever thanks.

#mckittrick #sleepnomore #sleep no more #sleepnomorenyc

[louisarchiver]

How Louis Tomlinson had to find his purpose again to make Faith In The Future

Ilana KaplanPublished: September 6, 2022

[Photos by Edward Cooke]

Louis Tomlinson is playing tour guide in London. He’s not giving a rundown of the best pubs, highlighting where to snag the best tea sandwiches or which museums are a necessary detour, however — he’s showcasing a misty, cobblestone passageway that could have easily been a part of the set of any Harry Potter film. “Lovely, innit?” he quips, balancing a computer in one hand while waving a cigarette around in the other. Yet this one — behind the renowned Konk recording studios, to be precise — is where he happens to be filming a documentary about his life and his relationship with his fans. In fact, Louis has spent most of the day propped up next to a piano, trying to recall long-buried details about his life. So a few drags were necessary, but he’s admittedly “buzzing” — both from talking all day and from the thought of his sophomore album, Faith In The Future, due this November. 

It’s taken a minute for Tomlinson, who was catapulted into being under the microscope of fame in one of the biggest boy bands of the world at just 18, to be genuinely at peace with where his career is headed. No longer is he letting the anxiety or fear of who others expected him to be — or who he thought he should be — define him. He is both a man at ease and one whose excitement about this very moment in life is so palpable it fills the room with a constant sly chuckle. 

But becoming this version of Tomlinson — one who's so unrestrained — has been a challenging process for him. Getting to a place where he could even make an album like Faith In The Future, which is primed for the energy of a live show and shies away from much of the acoustic aspects featured on his first record, has been a years’-long journey of learning to tune out the noise from others about what he should do, of quelling his own self-doubt, of really reconsidering who he wants to be as an artist.

“If I'm being honest, I could have made a second record that would be a bigger commercial hit than this will be. I am confident in that,” he says. Yet he craves something more meaningful. “If I can pull off an album, like I think I have, that is something I would actually listen to, sits in line with the stuff that I love and has references all over it that I think say something about me, that's so much more fulfilling than having a fucking No. 1 record. Because I got loads of them in a band,” he says. 

Getting to this stage has, inarguably, taken a lot of work. But to understand who Tomlinson is now — and who he wants to be — it’s necessary to return to January 2020 when he released his debut solo album Walls. 

Of One Direction’s four members, Tomlinson was the last to release one. Truthfully, the Doncaster, Yorkshire-born musician had long struggled to figure out what he wanted to say, who he was as an artist because he’d never really thought about what a solo career would look like. “I knew who I was in One Direction, but I'd never thought of who I am on my own as [a] solo [artist]. I was so in love with being in the band that I never really had those thoughts,” he says, settling back into the studio after his smoke break. 

He spent three years “just treading water.” But the record’s title track helped him find clarity. “That was a moment where I was like, ‘OK, I can see my lane now," he recalls. Walls, which evoked the soft, snarling tone of Oasis (Tomlinson even gave a songwriting credit to Noel Gallagher), attempted to stray from his mainstream pop days with hints of Britpop and pop punk — a callback to when he was 14 and singing Green Day and blink-182 covers in his first band. But just as he was beginning his first world tour, the pandemic forced everyone into lockdown, allowing him to perform only two shows in Barcelona and Madrid.

At the time, he recalls, it seemed “really unfair.” “I just thought, ‘Well, when am I gonna get a break?’ Because I felt like I'd worked really hard and deserved to have those experiences and those moments,” he stammers. He felt angry, frustrated, purposeless. “I wondered if this was going to be my narrative for the rest of my life, where I'm just constantly frustrated that life wasn't dealing me the hand that I wanted,” he adds. Still, it felt like another pain point in his life.

In the years since One Direction went on hiatus, Tomlinson had dealt with a series of family tragedies. In December 2016, his mother died from leukemia just a year after his son Freddie Reign was born; roughly two years later, his younger sister passed away from an accidental drug overdose. But the 30-year-old singer doesn’t like to dwell too much on any of that. Sporting a black-and-white colorblock hoodie and sweeping boy band hairstyle (the one visible reminder of his One Direction days), he’s a gregarious, larger-than-life personality whose eyes widen as if he’s unraveling a ribbon around a Christmas present whenever he speaks; he’s a self-described “not very serious guy.” 

Tomlinson was able to really embrace that part of himself when lockdown happened. After all, there had been little time to actually take a break during his years in One Direction, what with their five LPs and four world tours; and the years since had been flanked by working on his solo music and parenthood. “I've never had a moment in my career, where I felt the pressure that surrounded me had been loosened, and that was a really nice feeling because my life in One Direction and even post-One Direction, I'm constantly thinking about what the next thing is, how I can better myself as an artist and how I can get what I want,” he says. 

It helped that Tomlinson was able to spend some quality time with his son, journeying between the U.K. and Los Angeles where he lives with his mother. There, he could put his “dad hat” on and have a purpose. But back in the U.K., the musician was like the rest of the world “watching lots of shit TV and shit films.” (“I fucking hate Love Island,” he yells. “I got no time for that.”) His version of bad entertainment was actually watching something “amazing” — he became enamored with the 2003 Red Hot Chili Peppers concert film Live at Slane Castle, which he viewed five times throughout lockdown. While he admittedly didn’t learn any new skills during that time (“I didn’t do no banana bread!”), he was able to really look inward.

Gone was the knee-jerk reaction to the news that the tour wouldn’t be going as planned — he snapped out of it. Instead, he found gratitude for the two nights he had onstage. “There might have been an element had I not had those shows that, by the end of lockdown, I would have convinced myself that maybe I'm not going to be able to cut it,” Tomlinson admits. Luckily those two concerts he did do gave him somewhat of a foundation for what his live shows would look like. So he joined the many artists who had been forced off the road and decided to host a virtual concert in December 2020 — “Live From London” — that raised upward of $1 million for four different charities. The 18-track set, which was livestreamed on Veeps, sold 160,000 tickets worldwide and earned him a spot a Guinness World Record for “Most Tickets Sold for a Livestreamed Concert by a Solo Male Artist.” 

“It was fucking amazing. It was a moment where I'm just like, ‘Well, maybe I'm gonna have a good year when everything comes back to normal,’" he says awestruck. For the first time since the tour schedule had been jilted, he felt hopeful — inspired. “It was that first moment of, ‘If I could deliver a good album and I could deliver a good tour, maybe I'll have a good year because it looks like I've got people's interest,’” he says excitedly. The performance — the support from fans from afar — finally made him feel a little less lost. 

“I know every artist says this, but I've got a deep fucking connection with my fans. I think of it as one entity,” Tomlinson gushes. “I was 18 when I was first in the band [One Direction], and we've grown up together.” Self-doubt, worry and a lack of confidence have, at times, plagued Tomlinson, to the point where he’s become co-dependent on them. “There's genuinely been times in my career where I've really needed them, like the livestream,” he confesses. “To show their support on the level they did, to make me go, ‘I can do this at a high fucking level.’” The aforementioned documentary makes sense now: Truthfully, he might not have come to that conclusion on his own without them. 

With Tomlinson’s confidence gradually returning, he was able to take a step back and objectively analyze Walls — what he liked about it, what he didn’t. He found himself focused on how heavy the record was and how it didn’t fully represent who he was. “Although that was what I was experiencing in my personal life at the time, and I've always liked to be honest and quite literal in my lyrics, there was a weight to it emotionally, and that's not really how I carry myself as a person. I don't fucking like people feeling sorry for me,” he declares. The opinions — that noise — that came from being tied to the music industry machine for so long, he realized, had prevented him from taking risks. 

Take for instance his collaborations with Bebe Rexha and Steve Aoki, his two dance-pop crossover singles that came out after One Direction went on hiatus. “That was me doing what I thought I was supposed to do, essentially, and what maybe other people thought I should do,” he shrugs. Tomlinson, however, pauses — he wants to be clear how proud he is of Walls. He had, after all, spent years writing it. But he’s left with some frustration about how he played it safe.

“I just wasn't brave enough. That's the bottom line. I wasn't brave enough sonically, and I wasn't brave enough to follow my heart and what I really loved musically because I was so reliant on other opinions,” he sighs. Of the songs on Walls, “Kill My Mind,” the pop-punk-charged opener that happens to be his son’s favorite song, was what he felt was emblematic of his sound. “That was the first moment where I felt the kind of energy and intensity and tempo that I was looking for out of my music and out of my live shows,” he notes. From the livestream and the two tour dates he played, Tomlinson knew he couldn’t get onstage and play fans 12 ballads, even though, he hypothesizes, “they’d still be fucking dead loud.”

 That critical lens was instrumental in helping Tomlinson shape Faith In The Future, a title which he casually teased on social media last March. His goal with the record? To match the sweaty, screaming, enthusiastic fans in the crowd. “The thing I wanted to get out of this record, mostly, was to create a great live experience on the next tour,” he asserts. To do that, he had to trust his gut, which he found to be a daily struggle. 

Tomlinson decided he had to rethink the songwriting process for Faith In The Future, so he opted to collaborate more with artists than with professional songwriters on this record. “Some professional songwriters, their intentions are quite obvious. It's their livelihood, so they're looking for singles, and unfortunately, when you look for singles, and there's that intention, in my opinion, it can affect the song and the reason that you're making the song.” Working with artists, at least in his experience, Tomlinson was able to have more natural conversations and focus on the heart of the music. There was also more freedom and spontaneity to it—and most importantly, authenticity.

“Bigger Than Me,” his new project’s anthemic, arena-sized lead single, aligns with his vision, as he actively fights back against the noise that crowded his mental space during Walls. It had everything Tomlinson needed to reset — it was energetic, ambitious, had scale and a sing-along chorus. “The bottom line is I wanted it to feel like a statement of intent,” he says of the track. For him, it was always going to be what introduced the record. 

But within the record, Tomlinson isn’t afraid to toy with genre. While he was resistant to dance-pop music following his singles with Aoki and Rexha, he found a new appreciation for it thanks to the Australian rock trio DMA’s. “When I heard DMA's latest album that was produced by Stuart Price, those sounds were all over that record, but it's done in a very authentic, very credible way,” he notes. The fact that it was created in a way that wasn’t for radio play gave him “real food for thought.” “There were sounds that I would have maybe disregarded for the wrong reasons,” he explains. But dressed up by Price, his perspective shifted. 

That incorporation of dance melodies is something that erupts on “Out of My System,” a pulsating, punk-tinged Arctic Monkeys-inspired track that recalls the heyday of early aughts indie rock. The day Tomlinson made the track, he had been listening to “Teddy Picker” or “Dancing Shoes” (he can’t quite remember), but he knew exactly what kind of music he wanted to make. “I went in and said, ‘Let's try to write a song that is as punk as I can get away with,’” he recalls. And he led with that kind of intensity and energy from early Arctic Monkeys albums to craft the song. 

Tomlinson’s focus on intensity doesn’t extend to every song on Faith In The Future — at least not overtly. While he would have left the listener (hopefully) wanting more with “a wall of sound” on a record’s final track, he approached Faith In The Future’s closer “That’s The Way Love Goes” differently. The song, which was his take on the vulnerable simplicity of the Streets’ “Dry Your Eyes,” was the only track he could end the record on — one about a friend encouraging another friend to get over the fact that he’s not in a relationship anymore. “It's not the fact that you're not sympathizing. You're looking after him from afar, but you're not necessarily a shoulder to cry on,” Tomlinson explains.

Of course, Red Hot Chili Peppers, even if indirectly, influenced Faith In The Future. After watching their concert film, Tomlinson is convinced it’s affected his subconscious when he’s gone into the studio. But it’s a little more overt than that. Tomlinson sweetly bursts out of his chair while detailing how bummed he was to miss them perform with the Strokes and how he’d dream of collaborating with Flea (“Imagine him playing bass!”) and “next-level guitarist” John Frusciante.

The latter, he actually spent lockdown, doing a deep dive on, he explains: “I've pretty much top-to-bottom educated myself about his life and his journey and find that very, very interesting.” While much of Tomlinson’s self-doubt has dissipated, he’s hesitant to move too quickly on those. “I feel like I've got to show my own individual identity, embrace that and really drive it home before I would think about anything like that,” he notes. 

But identity is a funny thing. Tomlinson’s boy band roots are still very much in his thoughts. While the band doesn’t have a group chat (“We’re shit like that”), the musician is “really proud of what they're doing.” “We're all watching each other from afar,” he smiles. “When we do see each other inevitably, it feels like not a day has passed.”

For now, however, Tomlinson is much more focused on his future — even beyond his own personal music career. Back in March 2021, the singer tweeted he wanted to start his own music management company, something that he can envision for himself. “That’s long game for me,” he explains. “There's a lot of interest and excitement for me in that space.”

When he was in One Direction, he was told he could have an imprint through his label at the time, Syco. “It was a certain genre of label, let's put it that way,” Tomlinson says, carefully choosing his words. “So where I found frustrations was I'd have this long list of different bands, occasionally solo artists, and unless I was bringing a ready-made Taylor Swift through the door, their ears weren't that interested.” Ultimately, many of the artists he believed in were scooped by other labels. But Tomlinson’s artist perspective, he believes, makes him uniquely adept in this area. In fact, he just hosted a competition for a new band to open for the festival he created and curates, Away From Home.

“I can look a little bit deeper, and I can also trust that maybe the future is going to look more exciting than it necessarily does right now on paper, whereas unfortunately, often record labels want to see the finished product,” he explains. Tomlinson remains on the lookout for new artists, but for now, the venture will be something he works on behind the scenes: “Are you going to see anything from me in that space in the next two, three years? Probably not. But in the next 10 years? I fucking hope so.”

#louis tomlinson #alternative press #full interview #interview #faith in the future #September #2022

[theattainer]

I just read about the life-changing magic of tidying up

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https://theattainer.com/i-just-read-about-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up-2/

I just read about the life-changing magic of tidying up

  As someone who compulsively throws stuff out, I was thrilled to hear that the bestselling book worldwide right now is about throwing stuff out: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo.

You should buy that book right now because my husband and I both loved it. I knew I’d love it because I am compulsive about throwing things out. She gives me deep spiritual justification for throwing out stuff my kids look for three weeks later. My husband loves the book because it feels entirely illogical to him that we keep things we don’t use, and it’s a relief to have the logic for giving all that stuff away.

See that dresser in the photo? The dresser is empty. Everything I was storing in there, I gave away.  Marie Kondo defies sentimentality. Instead of saving things because they were there for us at an important time, we need to thank our stuff for serving us well, and then we pass it on to someone else.

But if you pass it to a friend, it’s just junk in their house. If you give it to a thrift shop then someone will like it so much they will pay for it. This is the type of analysis that appeals to me. Kondo also says we should only keep stuff that brings us joy. Now, each time I ask my husband to carry some oversized thing to the garage, he says to me, “Oh, does this bring you joy?”

That phrase reminds me to examine everything in the house and decide to either keep it in the house because I love it or to give it away. No halfway decisions where I just store things in the garage.

I start taking pictures of things in my house that are gone. I take pictures of emptiness.

Smooth surfaces. And uncluttered enclaves.

But just around the corner from this photo is a pile of books. Actually I have about two thousand books in the house. And they are sort of taking over, and I want to get rid of something, but for most of my twenties my only source of friendship and stability were my books, so they fall more into the love category than most stuff in my house.

But I notice a pile of books publishers sent to me to review. I throw out almost every book I get, but these books caught my eye and made it into my Read Now pile. Only they’ve been in the pile so long that it is slipping from important physical rendering of a to-do list into a symbolic tower of nagging and wishful thinking.

Still, I cannot give up the idea of reading them.

I tell myself if I read them I can box them up. So I spent the day reading my pile of books. These were the best of the bunch.

The first one I read seemed like it would be full of juicy tidbits for productivity: I Know How She Does It, by Laura Vanderkam. There were tips, but I found myself spending most of my time reading the detailed schedules of women who earn six figures and have kids. I learned the most by paying attention to what made me angry. I didn’t like that women were largely unable to figure out how many hours a week they worked because work was scattered throughout the day. Because if they don’t know how much they work, how will I know how much I work? Do I work enough?

I also didn’t like that many women called making breakfast “family time.” Probably because I spend so much time with my kids and it seems that I would not, with this daily log system, get credit for spending more than most women. It’s lame that I’m snippy and competitive. I liked the book for forcing me to see my lameness.

Next up was A World of Work, by Ilana Gershon. It’s a career guide, but I can assure you, as someone who receives every career guide published, this one is totally different. It’s about how to get jobs you didn’t know existed and the writing is half suspense novel and half anthropology treatise.

The chapter on the guy who fixes iPhones is a cliffhanger at every page turn. When the iPhone 5 comes out he imports screwdrivers from China and stay up 48 hours in a row in order to be the first to figure out how to take it apart and put it together again without destroying the hard-to-find, before-it’s-on-sale model he scored from a friend.

Gershon is an academic, so there are footnotes that take my breath away. For example, when the ballerina talks about ruining her feet for her career, the footnote is for Discipline and Punish by Foucault.

The best books make me want to learn more, and Gershon’s take on the underground economy of jobs you don’t know exist made me want to read Alexa Clay’s book The Misfit Economy. I have known for a while that people who do a good job running illegal businesses are generally good entrepreneurs, but with a morality chip askew. For example, drug dealers have always interested me.

Clay’s book takes a fresh approach to these unsung heroes of innovation. If you think of the fine line between legal and illegal, she is just one half a hair on the legal side, with chapter titles like Hustle, Copy, Hack, Provoke, Pivot. This is a great tool book for finding that elusive idea for a company.

Clay reminds us that we don’t need to invent a way to fly to outer space. And in fact, the person who invents the way probably won’t make a bunch of money. It’ll be the person who hustles, provokes or pivots in the most elegant way—that person will get all the kudos.

This book is really a great way to start the unlearning process we have to go through after eighteen years of school teachers banging into our head that copying and hacking are wrong.

Now that my reading is done, I want to give these books as gifts, but I know they will just linger in the naggingly high piles of over-booked friends. So I am giving them to the thrift shop.

I love that my pile is gone. So often our piles of books to read is so threateningly tall or dishearteningly intellectual that it exhausts us just to live with the books, and decisions need to be made. Which is why I am keeping the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Because it is life-changing, believe it or not.

What do you think?

#All #Happiness

[starsandthorn]

did a drawpile with @deadliestnat!! it was lots of fun ashfsdsgjk

#personal stuff #thorn art #nat art #that little ilana is. dare i say it. cute #[loves and appreciates nats ocs] [loves and appreciates nats ocs] [loves and appr #i love all of em sm #it does look like jon is giving a concern look @brian floating in the sun. this was not intentional but it works sahfsdjg #ms match: fashion disaster #couldnt find exact colors i wanted so i just went w whatever #she does look cute tho ashsjfd

[katebihshop]

"you can't be mad at people for not knowing" i'm not! i'm mad that you haven't made any effort to learn while you spread harmful bullshit and claim you're a poor innocent baby who can't be expected to know any better whenever you're called on it!

#text #'people just care so much they can't help being antisemitic by accident ://// why are you being so mean' #well the rhetoric you're repeating has literally gotten my people killed so there's that! #if you want to help instead of hurt you have a responsibility to know what the fuck you're talking about #if that's too hard you can always shut the fuck up! that's always an option! #like you can actually you know. listen to organizations that have been working towards peace for decades? figure out tangible steps to take #posting is not activism. posting misinformation isn't activism. spreading antisemitic rhetoric definitely isn't activism #unless the goal of your activism is to kill jews i guess. then i suppose it's helpful to your cause #ilana says stuff #i/p #antisemitism

[elijahs-wife]

🌙 hey y'all! we're almost at the very end of march so here's this month's reading list, to show some appreciation to all the amazing writers on this site. seriously, you're all absolute angels!

🌙 all the fics on this list are so incredible, please show these writers some support and reblog them if you enjoy them as much as i did! also a reminder to any minors to heed any 18+ warnings that some of these stories contain! 

🌙 and here's last month's reading list in case you missed it!

☁️ the vampire diaries/the originals

↠ clean up by @seraphictrash

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot] very very good elijah characterization and just all around spectacular!!💘 you’ll be seeing me rec a lot more of lauren in the future!!

↠ nsfw alphabet with klaus by @theeoriginals

[klaus mikaelson x reader, headcanon, smut] sweet lord this was so steamy and just... 10/10 man. its really that good 🥵

↠ can we make new orleans our paris? by @iliveiloveiwrite

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot, fluff] when i tell you my heart jumped when reading this!!💖 its just so sweet and fluffy i could die, also millie writes for a ton of other fandoms pls check out her stuff!!

↠ cockwarming with klaus by @nikmikaelsonswife

[klaus mikaelson x reader, headcanon, smut] read this for the second time and it still made me all 🥵🥵 bc goddamn who doesn’t want a klaus in their bed?

↠ eternity isn’t long enough by @imkylotrash

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot] absolutely beautiful, gorgeous writing style and such a warm happy ending, exactly what i needed💗

↠ remember me by @fieldsofmoonshine 

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot, angst] one of very few fics that actually made me cry, this is so horribly sad but beautiful at the same time💔

↠ for the quiet days in the the quarter by @klausownsmyass 

[kol mikaelson x reader, headcanon, fluff] absolutely hilarious platonic prankster kol content i will not say any more, just read this😂

↠ prophetess by @seraphictrash​

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot] this was so beautifully written!! i was sure it was going to be angsty as hell and it was, but fortunately there is a happy ending😌 lauren never misses, i’m telling you!!

↠ the club by @imgoingtofreakoutnow

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot] gentleman elijah content, we truly love to see it😌 go check out annie’s masterlist (and also follow her bc she just hit a milestone!!) 

↠ the notebook by @fieldsofmoonshine

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot, angst with a happy ending] absolutely adored this one, i don’t want to say anything so as to not spoil it so pls just trust me on this and read this one!!💘

↠ payback pt 2 by @mayans-sauce

[elijah mikaelson x reader, one shot, smut] oh my god oh my god i remember this one broke my brain lmao it was almost too steamy and good😂😭

↠ you and i by TheSushiMonster

[bonnie bennett x enzo st john, series] found this gem on ao3, don’t think the author is on tumblr but it’s a series of bonenzo drabbles and they are all absolutely incredible and beautifully written. this was published in 2017 but dont let that stop you from leaving all the kudos and comments!!💓

↠ keeping secrets by @imaginearyparties​ 

[davina claire x marcel gerard, drabble] ilana, all of your content is simply top-tier but i must say this might be my favorite that you’ve ever done💖 we are truly starved of davina x marcel content and you are our saviour😌

↠ elijah mikaelson imagine by @alwaysfangirlingish 

[elijah mikaelson x reader, drabble, fluff] an adorable little thing about elijah proposing to his girlfriend, absolutely adorable pls go read!!💗

☁️ marvel cinematic universe

↠ the cracks in our reality by @divine-mistake

[loki x reader, ongoing series] i really had to restrain myself from just putting your entire masterlist on here, but let’s start with tcor. i cannot rave on about this series enough, it is so wonderfully written and loki’s characterization and inner voice in this is like one of the best i’ve ever read. if you are a loki stan and not reading this, you’re missing out big time!!!💞

↠ deny (with love) my labor by @divine-mistake

[bucky barnes x reader, one shot, angst with a happy ending] the other fic on this list that actually made me cry😭 i was so, so moved by this story, it’s so painful and real and beautiful and UGH you are so talented how?? 

↠ the servant and the prince by @dizzydancingdreamer

[loki x reader, ongoing series] okay i am very behind on reading this but i adored chapter one so much!! as if i didn’t love soulmate aus enough, you went and added a cinderella theme to the story?? its outrageously good and i’ve only read chapter 1. pls everyone read dizzy’s story she is absolutely darling and so talented!!💖

↠ peaches by @buckycuddlebuddy 

[bucky barnes x reader, series] i didn’t really care for the dad’s best friend au before this series came into my life 😭😂 (mostly) filthy goodness, and i absolutely love it

↠ i like you better, than anything else in the sky by @ritesofreverie 

[sam wilson x reader, one shot, smut] my underrated king!!💖 i loved this, it was so sexy and sweet at the same time. he could really do whatever he wanted to me lmfao, thank you for providing us with delicious sam content😌

↠ groupie love by @burninmatches 

[bucky barnes x reader, one shot, smut] this is the first time i’ve ever read a rockstar!bucky au but god is it good!! so well written, so undeniably hot and i hate that i love how smug and douchey bucky is in this one😭😂

↠ oasis by @bubblebuckys 

[bucky barnes x reader, drabble, smut] when i tell you this made me gasp... i’m not even joking, this was just pure filthy goodness and i am so here for it🥴

↠ knife talk by @tripleyeeet 

[loki x reader, one shot, fluff] so cute and honestly so funny, i love that loki wasn’t mad at her either however i will not stand for the bucky slander lmao i refuse to believe he’s a bad kisser😂😭

↠ debt-free by @stormquill

[tony stark x reader, series] i’ve recently been on a bit of a tony streak and this,,, this really hits the spot🥴 only read the first chapter but i can’t wait to read the rest!! 

↠ study date by @wand3ringr0s3

[peter parker x reader, one shot, fluff] i love my spidey so much and this is just such a cute fic!! like i was yearning for it to be real the whole time💘

☁️ chris evans + his characters

↠ you won’t play, you’re no fun by @gyllenhaalstories

[chris evans x reader, one shot, smut] professor!chris absolutely owns this 🐱 that man could order me around all day every day and you know i would obey him💀

↠ little doves don’t cry by @ritesofreverie 

[steve rogers x reader x andy barber, one shot, smut] excuse me this was so fucking hot and for what. for what. who thought it would be a good idea to put a steve and andy 3some fantasy in my head😐

☁️ miscellaneous

↠ air conditioning universe by @darthamidalas

[javier peña x reader, series] honestly can’t believe i only found this series like 2 days ago but i’m so glad i did bc it’s some of the best writing for peña that i’ve ever read, no joke!!💗

↠ settle by @duskholland

[tom holland x reader, one shot, smut] i already love tom... add a mob au and i’m an absolute goner. this was genuinely so fucking hot and i can’t deal with it i can’t😩

lastly, thank you to everyone here for sharing your stories with us! the world is so much better with wonderful fanfiction authors like yourselves in it 💖 i am immensely grateful to all of you! xx tay

#elijahs-wife reading list #march reading list #pls reblog all these amazing stories!! #give them the recognition they deserve!! #also i hope all the links i didnt check every single one

[survivingfmandcfs]

Hi, my doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and I was wondering if you have any tips or advice for finding a support group, things that help with pain and extreme fatigue, or just resources in general? I really don't know where to start to be honest.

Hi, friend! Welcome to the party, lol. Lemme see if I can find you some helpful advice.

Book Recs (I found all of these at my local library. If your library doesn't have them, you can always request that they get a copy! Or you can buy them yourself if you're able.):

The Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia

The Fibro Manual by Ginevra Liptan

Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness by Ilana Jacqueline

How To Be Sick by Toni Bernhard

Stuff that Helps:

Heating pad - sometimes the only thing that saves me from hours of literal agony

Shower chair - just got one myself and it has changed my life

a really good pillow - seems silly, maybe? But I got a super nice side-sleeper pillow that's made of some sort of memory foam that cradles my head just right and it has made a world of difference, especially on days when I'm bed-bound. Best $90 I ever spent.

Gentle (very, very gentle) yoga to stretch out tight muscles and limber up stiff joints. There are some fibro-specific practices on youtube and the ones I've tried have been quite nice. Also just gentle stretches in general can help.

Sit. Everywhere. Making dinner? Get a stool. Chatting with someone? Find a chair. Sit on the floor if you have to. Heck, lie on the floor if you have to. Does it look silly? Probably. But I am so far past giving a shit and frankly once you are it makes your life a lot easier.

Find 2-3 easy meals that you can make even on bad days, and keep the supplies for them on hand always. Also, separating leftovers into single serving sizes and storing them in microwaveable containers makes feeding yourself easier.

If you think a mobility aid would improve your quality of life, get a mobility aid and try not to worry about what anyone else thinks. If it helps you, then it helps you. There is no "you have to be this sick to deserve help" threshold.

Not all sleep advice works for everyone. Take what you need and leave what you don't.

Hopefully some of this helps you? Tbh, I'm still figuring it out myself. But we can figure it out together!

Speaking of which, I'm not sure what to tell you regarding support groups, because that's an avenue I've never pursued, myself. Tumblr is sort of my support group! I'm sure there are plenty out there, either online or in person, and I'd say the main thing is finding people that you mesh well with, who have similar health goals and communicate in a way that's helpful to you. If you feel good around them, and that you're all building each other up, then you're golden! And if not, you can always try again.

(But also, dear followers, if any of you have additional advice or know of an online support group that might be my new friend's jam, please chime in!)

#ask #fuji09 #fibromyalgia #book recs

[unworthyelevator]

Ok people I've gathered all the evidence I have right now that proves that Cartero is cannon

Btw this is probably gonna be a long post

Episode 9 - Bobby was at Camila and Danielle's and Camill talked about how the "had a moment". Camila was the only one who saw both of their faces at the end of episode 7 so she knows more than all of us

In Andi Mack Cyrus told Buffy that he had a crush on Jonah, but there weren't as many scenes of them together in season 2 and 3(they were all just scenes of them hanging out and stuff, not that meaningful) BUT there were plenty of season 2 and 3 Tyrus scenes cause the show was building up their relationship (how they helped each other out, bonded, became better people) until the finale when they became official (hope this made sense). Almost all of Bobby's scenes were with or about Liam. The show is building up their relationship

Some of the producers know about the Fandom "Cartero confessions on tennis court night" theory so maybe they found out about this early on while doing Cartero scenes? Or (probably didn't happen) they decided to do Cartero confessions because of how popular the theory became when the show first came out (I know this sounds stupid but let me get my hopes up)

We know there's an interaction between Bobby and Liam in which Liam says "Yiu good Bobby?" So maybe it has to do with Bobby coming out, or it could lead up to Cartero confessions

Brandon said that some of the theories were true so this could be one of them

He also said that there would be a lot of edits this season and a lot of people would be making edits if the theory came true

Remember the scene where Bobby talked to himself in the bathroom mirror? Ya well we might get another scene of Bobby trying to tell Liam how he feels because Ilana recently posted a photo on Twitter and she said that she had directed a bathroom mirror scene this season

Disney made a pride video and they included both Bobby and Liam, even though they could've just had Bobby in the video

PEREZ HILTON CONFIRMED IT (this is a joke but if you guys want me to share the screenshot I will)

Also look at them

#diary of a future president #doafp #disney #disney plus #cartero

[gxrlcinema]

just realized i never thanked you for explaining the whole g-d thing. is it weird that I think it's a super cool thing? my exact reaction was: "yay! i just learned a super cool jewish thing! this is awesome! ilana is so kind for taking the time!"

i have had zero contact with Judaism, aside from y'know, movies. but it always makes me wonder why isn't it more present where i live? according to my father our family was Jewish when we first arrived in my country? it was like the 1820's so i take it with a pinch of salt. but i do have a jewish nose and saw once in ur tags how ur glad u have it cause it's a gift from ur ancestors and i got emotional about it and it actually helped my self-esteem a little

now feel like those ppl who meet someone from a different ethnicity and go like i'M HalF ITaLIAn sorry I'll stop that

ok i just googled it, apparently it's the region I live in, the coast region has like at least 100 synagogues i just never saw one.

-pegging

okay, wow! i feel like i’m getting deep in the pegging anon lore!

a) i’m happy to explain jewish stuff and i’m so glad that you asked! my judaism is this huge part of who i am, even if it’s not the most forefront part of my identity day to day. i know that the g-d thing is a little weird for most people, and it’s natural to be curious! plus you asked like, so respectfully i really appreciated it.

b) i think having no contact with jews outside of media is really common! if you didn’t grow up around jewish people, judaism is sort of foreign and mysterious, the way any unfamiliar culture is. the problem sometimes with jewish portrayal in media (i find) is that it’s often very based in stereotype (even when it’s made by jews!). so i appreciate the desire to truly understand the experience.

c) on noses: i’m so glad i could make you feel better about your nose! so often my nose is used to estrange me from my judaism because it’s “not a jewish nose” (again, my nose is straight from my jewish ancestors). and it feels weird, to be complimented for “passing” as though my goal is to not look jewish. i’m proud of the ways in which i “look jewish”. say what you will about the jewish people, but our story is one of centuries of survival. my ancestors escaped pogroms and stole food during a war to feed their children and came to a new country for greater opportunities. time and time again people have tried to wipe out my people and our features, and yet these features survived all of that for generations to eventually took their place on my body. to me, having them is a triumph and embracing them is a revolution.

d) hey, i think it’s valid to be curious about these little parts of you and the complex tapestry of your identity. i’m not at all offended by your desire to learn and connect with your own jewish heritage, small and distant as it may be. we’re all trying to connect with ourselves and our histories. and i’m usually very happy to share💕

thank you for all these messages they’re very sweet and thoughtful.

#ilanswers #pegging anon

[popculturebuffet]

Green Eggs and Ham: Here (Patreon Review for Emma Ficci)

Hello all you happy people! And I have my first fully paid for comission and patreon review all in one! Yes my good friend Emma became a patreon and you can too, go to patreon.com/popculturebuffet. Even one buck a month helps and 5 a month nets you a review of whatever of your choice a month. An episode of any tv show I have acess to. It feels good to have more than one person paying my salary, though I sitll want to thank Kev, my other patreon for helping with that. 

So with that all in order, let’s talk about this thoroughly weird, thoroughly wonderful show from a couple years back. Green Eggs and Ham is modern adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book..... and I bet those of you who haven’t heard of this series before or it’s reputation just had your bowls clinch a bit. Yeah while I haven’t seen illumination’s takes on the maestro of children’s books, I haven’t heard the best things and the trailers and odd and counter productive marketing tie ins for the Lorax have made me want to stay 30 feet away from it at all times. Seriously you get certified Legend Danny DeVito.. and you waste him on “Dat’s a woman” a joke that I don’t have time to unpack all the ways it sucks. My point is Seuss really hasn’t had the best time with adaptations latey.  But leave it to Warner Animation and Netflix to pull out a great one. Yeah I wasn’t too excited about a tv adaptation of one book at first due to all this and even a celebrity cast wasn’t a good sign. They roped Danny DeVito into the Lorax. So even with a whopper cast containing Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton, my boy Adam Divine, Ilana Glazer, Kegan Michael Key,  Jeffery Wright, Eddie Izard and JIllian Bell.. I wasn’t convinced. But word of mouth was really good, and the animation looked downright gorgeous, perfectly mimicking suess’ work and feeling like an unabashed love letter. 

So I did what I tend to do.. and sat on it for several years because I simply forgot to watch it till my friend comissioned it and here we are. And off the bat.. the reputation.. is not remotely overblown. This is easily the best Dr. Seuss adaptation i’ve seen in some time taking the best of his ideas and whimsy, with what little behind the scenes stuff I could get saying they specifically took art design from his art of book, with a modern and intresting story behind it and an all star cast that this time around are used well instead of just being there for Name Recogntion. Not only that but it takes inspriation form, of all things, Planes Trains and Automobiles, but does so well so far, getting the oddcouple dynamic down perfectly. 

So join me under the cut as I cut this bit of green eggs and ham into bite sized pieces for you all and go into why it’s so delecitable. 

This episode’s mostly broken up into bits to introduce all the main players, so as I tend to do when there’s multiple plots, I will be covering each one at a time. 

Guy and Sam: The Failed Inventor and the Animal Thief

So our story begins with.. a ninja breaking into a zoo to steal the rare Chikaraffe. 

Neither was the narrator, played by Key.. and the narrator naturally for a work like this delightfully interacts with things and is one of the best parts of the whole episode. But this already shows how well the series updates things. There’s one or two things like Ninja Sam or a family making ducklips during a photo, there’s even a fairly obvious trump stand in we’ll get to.. but none of it’s SO overdone it takes you out of things or dates the projects. The tech is kept to about the 70′s or 80′s with cameras still used instead of camera phones, crt tv’s, and what have you, and most inventions seens are susian. It feels wholly in line with his books while still nudging it into our current decade here and there. In other words.. how you SHOULD do it: add in a few things here or there but no overt pop culture refrences and at most a take that at something Seuss would gladly take aim at. 

So we meet our other hero the next day, Guy-Am-I. Guy is the show’s version of the nameless harassment victim from the books, with a bit of a darker fur and hat, likely to help better distingish him from sam as well as sell him being older than his co-star. It’s a good change, and helps sell Guy as what he is.. a grumpy middle aged man who keeps failling in life as demonstrated by his way to the inventions: he falls in a puddle, signs no on a pettition because he’s in a hurry, reminds me of man in a hurry from hatchefield but I couldn’t find a good image of him saying that in time and takes a picture of the family “Say runing my life” “ruining your life!”. We later see after some of the following scenes Sam do the same.. but he hops over the puddle then dives ino for fun, signs an entire page of the pettition, and takes tons of pictures. It’s a nice establishing scene for both. 

Guy is presenting his invention for Snerzco, your standard megacorp given a delightful Seuss twist with LITERAL pencil pushers and beancounters, to present his invention, with other inventors presenting, witht he hopes of presenting to Snerzz himself, having such delightfully bonkers and seussian inventions as a reverse umbrella (it rains on you) and an automatic fingercrosser. It’s touches like this that really tell me the series really loves Dr. Seuss. 

Sadly things don’t go well for guy as he’s hoping his invention dosen’t explode, his invention being a backpack made of hands to help people fly. Most people are imprestted apart from Michelle a bean counter who.. randomly snarks she wouldn’t let her daughter fly on it.

Yeah it’s not a great introduction for one of your major characters to have her randomly mock something that hadn’t exploded yet, and to for no reason bring up what a paranoid and unfun parent she is. We’ll get to her more in a bit. But yes it does explode and Guy’s dreams are ruined. 

And this whole picture.. shows who guy is. He’s someone whose kept trying agian, and again and again only for it not to work, and to get laughed at by the public and spat on by god themslef. It’s easy to see WHY he’s such a bitter curmudgeon: life hates him, so why shouldn’t he hate it back. That’s a self defeating prophecy of course but this is episode one and tha’ts probably the point of the series: to explore this. That being said I could see this coming from a mile away and felt it to be the most unupsired bit of the episode. 

Guy enters a diner to get some Oatmush “The Sadmans Special” after the bus leaves before he can get to it because again, God hates him personally.  No the sadman’s special is a famous bowl from KFC. I should know as a professional sadman. Regardless Guy is miserable.. and in enters sam, whose fascenated their “Breifcase Buddies” because thier briefcases match.. and unlike the above I like how they call attention to them being identical. We know wha’ts going to happen there but the lampshading helps it go down easier and makes us wonder if they will swap. Sam is a regular, being friends with Donna the waitress and ordering his usual green eggs and ham.

So we get the expected bit: Sam asks Guy to try them, he says no, but the show makes a good choice. Instead of just.. stalking guy for the next 11 episodes to get him to try it.. he simply asks if he’s actually tried it, Guy says no and makes a great poop joke, and Sam leaves it. He apparently asks once an episode, but it’s made more into a character thing; Guy refuses because he hates to try new things outside of his inventing and that’s hit a wall. It’s also a nice suprise that Devine and Douglas just play perfectly off one another. The two are from vastly diffrent generations and backgrounds acting wise, but they just work perfectly together and it’s what makes their interactions work. 

Sam does leave it and the other inventors having ALL got the golden ticket, arrive and Sam treats them.. only to notice Guy’s paper and the fact guy failed, and asks donna politely to get guy his mush as he ordered first. It’s good setup for Sam. We saw him be nice and free and what not, but we also see that while he can be insietive (He asked guy what broken dream he had earlier in the scene) he does geniunely care and it isn’t just surface level. He loves people and helping them and getting to know them. 

Of course while Guy is greatful, showing that beneath his own exterior he’s not a bad guy just one made miserable by life, he’s not going to be best friends or anything.. that’s a lot to ask they just met and takes his case after gulping down his oatmush. 

That night Sam prepares to leave, having given Donna his adress.. multiple times. in the hopes someone comes over and hangs out. Can relate even if i’d never go that far. He does however reveal himself as the ninja and prepare to take the chikaraffe with him for whatever reason. 

Guy goes to his hotel room to sulk, not helped by the other inventors partying outside, and full of misery and self loathing throws his suitcase in the fire.. until it makes a noise. He quickly pulls it out to find the Chickaraffe. Will he surivive? I mean probably. We have 12 episodes left. And a full second season. God this is going to take a few years.. regardless, let’s move onto the subplots. 

MIchellee and E.B.

We meet Michelle’s daughter EB who just wants to live but her mom dosen’t let her have toys or shenaniagnas.. and comes off untetionally as really abusive. She’s SUPPOSED to be overprotective, but saying “I detect a hint of whimsy.. i’ll allow it” really just paints you as an overcontrolling psycho. Their headed on a trip and while EB wants to catch the chickaraffe for herself dosen’t have the time and her mom gives her a magnetic friendship bracelet.. that shackes her to her. Just... yeah Michelle has made me  hate her in one episode and she’s played by Diane Keaton. How do you do that? Hopefully she’ll get better but hearing about these two characters was part of the reason I procastinated so long. The other is my brain being kind of a forgetful swamp. 

Snerz: We meet Snerz himself who has someone bringing him the chickaraffe. Snerz is a cold, mean man with trump hair.. that in this case is a literal being he’s forcing to be his hair, has everything gold plated and keeps animals in a wall forcing them to stand on the other side and put their heads through like he mounted them because he’s a sociopath. And this is the refrence I meant. Snerz has many comparisons to trump, the hair, the gold platings, but it dosen’t really date the thing as Trump has been around since long before this and will sadly probably be around till his inetivitible jail sentence. But it’s not so overt or over the top that it takes you out of it it works. Okay one more. 

BAD GUYS:

Two mysterious agents, one old and one on her first mission, go to the zoo and interogate the guy running it holding him over a slapping turtle exhbit. Their after the chickaraffe and depart.. with the yougner agent accidently dropping him. Whoops. At least he gets to get hit into space by a turtle. Some of us never will “Sigh”

Final Thoughts:

This was an excellent first episode. It fleshes out the characters well, sets up the story without feeling too slow, and the show strkes the right ballance of being it’s own thing while still feeling Seuss. It’s a wubusoully wonderful good time and I recommend checking it out. I look forward to the rest of the series over the next year. 

Next on this blog: Sleepover time as Shadow into Light, my Lena Saberwing retrospective resumes. 

#green eggs and ham #sam-i-am #guy-am-i #michelle #e.b. #snertz #dr seuss #netflix

[letterboxd]

Beastly Baby.

False Positive writer and director John Lee tells Ella Kemp about causing chaos with his daughters, preferring to be in the kitchen at parties and using art to reckon with the darkest parts of life.

“Art is the history of destruction in many ways, so embrace that in your life.” —John Lee

Once upon a time, a woman called Lucy dreamed of having a little girl. She planned to name her Wendy. Struggling to get pregnant with her husband John, they sought help from miracle fertility doctor Adrian Hindle and, like magic, soon enough they were expecting a daughter. This is how director John Lee’s False Positive kicks off, but an opening shot of a blood-soaked Ilana Glazer suggests this fairy tale is of the darker variety.

The script, co-written by Lee and Glazer, deals with the twisty dynamics between men and women at a moment in life where trust should be more important than anything. Both Broad City star Glazer and Wonder Showzen co-creator Lee are best known for their work in television comedy. In making the leap to psychological thriller, the experience, especially for Glazer fans, feels increasingly unsettling. But it is a short walk from tragedy to comedy, so the reverse is usually also true—as many comedy creators before them have proven.

False Positive is about gaslighting, legacy, appearances, fairy tales and all the insidious feelings that get wrapped up in relationships that we often mistake for pure, true love. It’s also something of a contemporary homage to Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (more on that in a minute)—showcasing, here, female agency in a much more complex way.

“The tensions of sacrificing one’s body to grow another… allows for greater glimpses into the diminishment of women throughout pregnancy,” writes Claira Curtis, with Wes Lawson echoing this succinctly by calling False Positive “a horror movie that asks ‘What if your pregnancy was entirely dictated by men?’” It works because of just how awfully compelling these men are—our favorite clean-cut James Bond star Pierce Brosnan delivers a wickedly unsettling turn as Hindle, while Justin Theroux, as John, proves a good bone structure might just be the most untrustworthy thing a man can offer you.

But the film would be nothing without Glazer as Lucy. A million miles away from her effervescent, stoner comedy in Broad City, she’s showing a different side here: a vulnerable woman trying with all her might to keep control over her body, her job, her autonomy, her future.

John Lee spoke to us about Glazer’s intuition, the power of destruction and how Peter Pan is at the root of everything. This interview contains discussion of the film’s plot.

John (Justin Theroux) and Lucy (Ilana Glazer) during a visit to Dr. Hindle’s fertility clinic.

To what extent is Rosemary’s Baby the parent of False Positive? John Lee: I’m certainly standing on the shoulders of Rosemary’s Baby. In the history of cinema, it’s probably the most famous birth movie there is. But I just would say: let’s not continue down the path of Rosemary's Baby, let’s go the opposite way. I think one of the problems with Rosemary’s Baby is that it doesn’t quite get in the head of Mia Farrow as Rosemary. It’s a very removed movie, it’s equally about the two men in her life. I wanted to make sure that we were in Lucy’s head. I wanted you to experience what it means to be gaslit. Women know what that’s like, men rarely know what that’s like. I apologize! But that’s the truth.

Most men don’t know what it means to be debased in that way. I wanted to use cinema, which is so psychological, to really express that, because there’s a lot of psychological thrillers that don’t actually get into psychology. They explain things, and I didn’t want to explain things because I think sometimes evil’s not necessarily explained, it’s a feeling, it’s an experience. It’s that buzzy intuition that women, people of color and queer people have.

I wanted to do that in a way that is different than Rosemary’s Baby, in a way that I think is more reflective of an experience that my wife and I had. Before having our first kid, we had infertility issues, and so I wanted to really dive into that. And so it’s only Rosemary’s Baby in that it’s about birth. The joke that Ilana and I had is that we were making Rosemary’s Baby without the rape.

Speaking of Ilana, I’d like to borrow a line from the movie to ask you what she taught you, as a writer and actor, about female intuition? Ilana is a very fiercely independent woman—and so is my wife, partner and best friend, Alyson Levy, who I’ve also made stuff with. I grew up American so, you like sports, you play sports. And there would be parties and men would be in the living room watching football, and I would go in there, and it was just extremely boring. No one’s talking or saying anything. So I would go into the kitchen, and there’d be these women laughing, crying, making fun of each other. And I was just like, “Oh, this is the place! This is where sarcasm lives.”

I also have a sister who is a big influence in my life, and then seeing my wife who just doesn’t put up with any shit, I’m kind of intimidated by it, and I’m in awe. So in terms of our process on the movie, I think I’ve just been infused with that for a long time and brought that awareness.

When Ilana and I wrote the script, I would let her take the keyboard and write that stuff—because I can’t speak it. I know the feeling of it, but it’s not my voice. We would have discussions but it was all very mercurial and open and free and collaborative in a way that there was no pressure. Collaboration is about being vulnerable and truthful. It’s being an ego sometimes, but also knowing my place to let things be.

When it came to directing Ilana’s performance, was there anything that surprised you once your dynamic shifted as collaborators? I think the experience for Ilana was tough, because I took away all the things that make her a magical person. Her crazy hair’s gone, her sense of being a wild spirit is gone, her humor gone—all her tools. It’s brutal. I started to admire as we went on just how hard it was for her, so I would just try to give her as many hugs as I could! I would just try to support her in being able to be closed off, and then building up to the climax of the movie when she literally starts throwing punches.

We shot that at the end on purpose, so she couldn’t actually experience that, so she had to be in this tension. In terms of specific surprises, when Hindle inseminates her for the first time, and she and him have basically a sexual experience, I was really surprised by her version of it. It was so quiet and delicate and hopeful.

Lucy’s outburst at the end makes for one of a very small handful of moments in the film which features a very intense, guttural scream. These moments are extremely well chosen—how did you go about deciding which specific beats to give that visceral power to? My job as a writer is to create as much tension as possible. I don’t care about explanations in movies and I’m rarely surprised by a twist. What I really enjoy is the transition from one state to the next, a metamorphosis. And birth is a metamorphosis, pregnancy is that, so I was really into that experience of just really sitting in the quiet nervous tension, this nervous laughter in a moment when you can only laugh because you don’t know how else to respond.

I wanted to give a little bit of relief, because you have to go through a journey and she has to scream at some point. She has to throw punches, or the movie’s just dire and I’m not that dire of a person. I’m really also very optimistic and I wanted this movie to be. Even though it’s a bit aggressive, the screams were an exaltation of her independence. Screaming is good.

During the pandemic, I’ve told my daughters, “Let’s go be destructive a little bit.” You have to! So we get those bubble teas and shoot them at cars. I’m like, “Let’s go smash a bottle! No one’s gonna get hurt, we’re not causing damage.”

But you do have to let that out. You have to find a way, whether it be through creativity or music or art, or smashing a bottle, to express that. Art is the history of destruction in many ways, so embrace that in your life. Lucy embracing that was important. From screams to punches to blood, to smashing. Because the phrase “smash the patriarchy” exists—it requires a smash!

But there’s also a tenderness to False Positive. The only thing that stops it veering into the abyss and being destructive all the time is the reliance on fairy tales. It’s in the score and in the script, crucially through the relationship the film has with the story of Peter Pan. Before my wife and I had our kids we had a miscarriage, and I was reading Peter Pan at the time. In the book, there are chapters where the parents are sitting in the kids’ rooms staring out the window, waiting for them to return. I was reading that and I was trying to understand loss and memory. How do you get over something like that and just have a kid again? What does that mean to the kid you were about to have?

That notion of the parents staring out the window became one of the darkest things I realized, because there’s only two options: those kids were either thrown out the window, or someone stole those children. It really made me rethink Peter Pan—like, all fairy tales are actually dark stories. And then I started to realize the evil that men do is rape in every possible way: financial, physical, all kinds of control. The evil that women do is killing their babies. So I was like, “Oh my god, okay, that’s a movie, right there.”

So this movie is about that loss of innocence at your own demise, and what that means to try to understand the women who have done that, and why they did it. They had such a lack of support, institutionally, structurally and healthcare-wise. And what we do in this country is we just say, “Oh, that’s mommy brain.” We don’t actually say, “Hey, let’s give these people support for whatever they’re going through.” So all that is both profoundly dark and profoundly humorous, in the same way that when you ride a roller coaster, you either scream or you crack up. I want this movie to feel like that experience.

So if Lucy is a vague proxy for Wendy, who is Peter? John or Adrian? Peter Pan, the trickster, is the Beast that makes brief appearances throughout the movie—Lucy’s intuition.

Pierce Brosnan and John Lee on the set of ‘False Positive’.

Let’s move onto some quickfire Life in Film questions. Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! or as James Bond? Pierce Brosnan in Mrs. Doubtfire.

What’s your favorite unconventional fairy tale? It’s ‘The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was’ by the Grimm Brothers. There are three brothers, and two of them go to find something scary, but one can’t be scared. They do all these elaborate plots to make them scared, and the only thing that scares him is they put fish down his pants, and that gives him the shivers. They put fish down his pants on his wedding night, so it’s very clearly about sexuality.

I also love all these Asian fairy tales, in which I don’t think monsters have to be evil. They are a reflection of how you treat them. So if you treat them well, they will be well back to you. And so that’s Lucy’s intuition—there’s a monster in the movie, but it’s telling her to wake up. I really enjoy that kind of thing, you see that in a lot of Miyazaki films and I’m like, why don't we embrace that here? Why are we stuck in black and white?

What is the one film that made you want to be a filmmaker? Stranger than Paradise by Jim Jarmusch. My girlfriend in high school brought it home, and she’s like, “This looks weird. Let’s watch this.” And I realized I had seen some of it before but then was just like, “Oh my god, this is an option? You can do this.” I grew up in a really small town with half migrant workers and half hillbillies, Steinbeck country. And so I didn’t realize you could do something like that. I just thought: whatever that is, I want to go down that path.

Tinkerbell, Peter Pan and Wendy in ‘Peter Pan’ (1953).

And finally: what’s your favorite filmed version of Peter Pan? The Disney animated version. I think the song at the end, ‘He Can Fly’, is beautiful and we used a lot of references from it in the movie. All the other versions are a little hokey to me.

Related content

The ‘Good for Her’ cinematic universe: a list by Claira

Dogfood’s list of horror films in which pregnancy, insemination and/or childbirth are a major plot point

Body Horror: $am’s list of ‘something is wrong with my body’ movies

Follow Ella on Letterboxd

‘False Positive’ is streaming now on Hulu.

#false positive #ilana glazer #john lee #horror #body horror #films about pregnancy #thriller #horror film #letterboxd #pierce brosnan #jim jarmusch #peter pan #disney #miyazaki #wonder showzen