dontblamemeforfalling

[dontblamemeforfalling]

You guys, I just had the BEST Hunger Games fanfic idea. And by “best,” I mean angst-ridden, heartrending, meta awesomeness.

So imagine this fic, and it introduces you to like, five of the tributes, all from different Districts. You get to know them and their families and their harsh lives and start to root for them. They get Reaped and then are off to the Capitol for the opening ceremonies.

Imagine seeing some of the interviews with Caeser Flickerman, the initial alliances forming, the reason some of them score low and high on their assessments, others remain hidden.

(All the while, the readers are asked to provide comments, who your favorite tribute is, who the deadliest combatant is, who you dislike the most. who doesn’t stand a chance at the Cornucopia, which characters you think are cute together…)

And then we’re into the Games. And it gets brutal. But after each chapter, the readers are encouraged and asked to comment. And these comments start subtly affecting the story. Characters that are shipped together, even those currently with feelings for a different character, are conveniently forced into proximity. The three in a love triangle get shoved together. The tribute who is the most hated is kept alive by Gamemaker interference, the tributes who are liked by the readers stay alive with timely sponsor gifts.

(keep commenting, keep sending in asks about the remaining tributes, keep sending in the stuff you like and who you care about and who you hate…)

Slowly the pool of tributes whittles down. Some chapters are about survival, some are alliance intrigues, but the combat scenes are the most ruthless, the most brutal. They start and end abruptly, a jarring reminder of what the Games are - these are kids killing each other for entertainment - but then you get hit with another segment that’s fluff and maybe a little triumph or something - a character enjoys a good meal from the sponsors or gets a weapon.

Abruptly, we start getting chapters of Capitol commentary. Betting rounds, people forming little internet squads in support of a tribute, big ad campaigns based on the Games, nervous mentors desperately haggling to keep their charges alive, brokering everything they can give - and some of the Capitol people restate word for word some of the earliest comments on why they’re rooting for a tribute. Asks that get sent in sad about certain deaths are restated here. And right now people think it’s a cute little audience payoff and nobody quite gets it just yet…

We’re down to maybe the final six (remember, we started with twenty-four) - it’s most likely at least one of our POV characters has died - maybe a brutal depiction of exposure or being taken out by the “villain” tribute. Which is when they start doing the home interviews. Now we get to meet the families of the tributes we don’t have POVs of. We see the “villain” has an adorable younger sibling who just wants their big sib to come home and hug them again because they used to cuddle and now they don’t sleep well at all - parents that proclaim how proud they are of their child in big false smiles, makeup barely hiding the dark circles under their bloodshot eyes.

NOW it gets even more brutal/emotional/heavy. The Captiol commentary cuts off for now - we’re back, submerged in the little microcosm that is the Game, and the tributes are getting pushed closer together, forced that way by the Gamemakers. 

There’s a vicious fight, people run away, but two or three tributes go down. We’ve got a final three situation. Hopefully that leaves us with two POV characters who have not had contact with the other and the “villain.” When that chapter ends, we get the two POV characters facing off, and the audience must then decide who will win. This time there’s no asking for comments, no desire for asks or commentary, just a “decide who will win.” Maybe it doesn’t hit yet.

That character wins in a thrilling, epic final combat appropriately set-dressed and with unexpected Games thrills added in. The forest bursts into flames, perhaps, or giant eagle muttations force the characters to fight for the last bit of cover, or a flood locks them into a final battle, all depending on what is liked most about a character. If they’re resourceful, that is given the chance to shine and lets them win, if combative, if persuasive, etc.

The character comes out of the games and reality hits hard. They have blood on their hands. And they have to be happy about it or else they and everyone they love will be punished. They flinch at the recap video, and then the audience punishment begins. The comments start getting repeated again but this time, the writing shows exactly how this affected everything. How YOU, the reader, are responsible for each death. The votes get tallied up for things the readers didn’t even know they were voting for, because sometimes the tribute YOU most liked got sabotaged by the Gamemakers for dramatic effect. Sometimes the love triangles or ships YOU liked got forced into occurring. Even which characters met their deaths at the hands of the “villain” was because of YOU.  It’s really laid on thick to get the point across - during the whole fic, the readers were the Capitol and the author was the Head Gamemaker, crafting this story to their liking and using these characters, these kids, as living props to be disposed of.

The Victor breaks down crying when alone, lost and brokenhearted. Even worse if they were in one of those love triangles and found out it was a Gamemaker fabrication. Basically just a complete deconstruction of all the tropes used in the story for dramatic effect and a powerful and horrifying conclusion.

Bonus ideas: Regular polls that seem just like the author wanting feedback but are just fuel for the above meta pain. 

Revealed interviews that you didn’t see originally that shows your favorite characters in a different light (the sweetest cinnamon roll you all loved is shown to be a ruthless manipulator; the broody tribute was playing a character to try and get sponsors, etc)

Final scene where the Victor directly addresses the reader for their “role” in the Games.

Bonus speculation on having to meet the families of the tributes and their mentors… especially having to meet that little sibling of the “villain” tribute who will never see their big sib again…

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Ok I am going to say this once, and only because it bothers me so much.  The Hunger Games films were excellent adaptations of their source material and the marketing surrounding them is no different than marketing surrounding other science fiction dystopia media like the Matrix.  The films had Suzanne Collins on as consultant and they’re far better than any of the Harry Potter adaptations and in my opinion the best adaptation of a YA property there’s ever been. They use visual storytelling exceptionally well, especially in the later films and they weren’t afraid to try and adapt the book’s weirder elements and they ESPECIALLY did not back down from the social commentary.  The marketing was not bad either. It literally was just actiony trailers with an eye towards selling world-building elements and music inspired by the film because at the end of the day, we gotta sell the property and make money for the people who worked on it. Like it’s a big budget action franchise, people wanted merch. That does not *ruin* the message of the story that the creative team was focused on. I even really like the marketing’s later tactic of releasing trailers and merchandise that were meant to look like Capitol propaganda, leaning in to the fact that trying to sell the films is ironic for a property so focused on media exploitation. Like this trailer I think is just stellar, it’s such a good idea.  What you all are complaining about is the MEDIA COVERAGE of the Hunger Games. No one working on the film pushed any of the Peeta vs. Gale stuff that was all teen magazines at the time who were going “how do you do fellow kids,”and male cinema critics who were laughing at all the teen girls lining up to go see the films and trying to find some way to say it was for Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson and not because Hunger Games is a legitimately good story. The public TRASHED Hunger Games as girly and stupid and shallow before it ever made it to the screen and for some reason all the book fans bought into it?

I’m just so frustrated by this because the films are just first rate adaptations—especially the second one—with some insanely good acting and cinematography, but nobody gives them the time of day because they assume it’s all corporate sell out action schlock without actually giving the films a chance!

[dontblamemeforfalling]

SPOILERS FOR THE BALLAD OF SONG BIRDS AND SNAKES:

LUCY GRAY DOESNT DIE

i saw some ppl say tbosas leaves a lot of questions, but it doesn’t. suzanne collins is a mastermind and wrote this story beautifully. (i have a lot more deep meaning & thoughts on tbosas let me know if you want them.)

lucy gray doesn’t die, & here’s why.

the whole setting and scene gives us little hints about the future, & collins LOVES foreshadowing.

when lucy & snow are in the lakehouse and she finally gives up on seeing the good in snow (if u look carefully she sees him for who he is from the get-go but she looks for the good in ppl and hangs onto it a typical narcissist-victim scenario that suzanne wrote beautifully by showing us how coryo literally tries to make everything he does just & someone else’s fault. never taking ownership & in his head thinking hes a good person for it. a narcissist.) she says “i have to go get some

katniss” & snows like “i thought it wasn’t ready” & she says “you’d be surprised what can happen in 2 weeks” thats when snow realizes she knows about sejanus bc his slip up in their conversation prior. anyways... when lucy is fleeing as we know she sings the hanging tree song. which she wrote “about billy” but was it just for billy? so the guy that was also going to escape w billy (his name has escaped my mind) said he knew about the ppl in the north, if he knew about them, he had somehow communicated w them or knew someone who had. as we saw in the arena katniss & rue used the mockingjays to symbolize that they were okay. i think lucy did the same. i think that the mockingjays were used for 13 to let them know someone was in the woods seeking freedom. not only did she use her song to confuse snow but to also let someone know she was out there.

here’s why.

when dr gaul tells snow that she’s erased the 10th hunger games and hes all “no one will remember lucy gray or her songs again”... there was one other recognizable name mentoring in the 10th games. a heavensbee boy. (and as we know in thg plutarch heavensbee helps the rebels) he would’ve remembered lucy & remembered the games. i think he was in contact w 13 bc as we know some of the capitol kids lived in the districts to help whatever their trade was that their family had money in. he must have heard of district 13 there. (by he i mean the heavensbee boy in the 10th annual games) so, therefore, lucy made it to 13 and shared her story. and her legacy lived on there.

thats why plutarch stresses that katniss HAS TO BE the mockingjay even when coin thinks she picked the wrong tribute.

she has to be because she is lucy’s mockingjay.

mockingjay’s do not repeat words like jabberjay’s, they repeat songs.

katniss & lucy are nothing alike in personality, but katniss repeats her songs.

katniss IS lucy gray’s mockingjay 60-some odd years later, that is absolute.

plutarch would stress so confidently that it had to be katniss because she is a girl from 12. just like lucy. & sings her songs. he chooses the propo’s to air. he chooses the clip of katniss singing the hanging tree AT THE SAME LAKE WHERE LUCY “WENT TO GO GET KATNISS” AND ESCAPED SNOW WITH SINGING THE HANGING TREE.

because he knows the story.

& he’d only know the story had his father or grandfather met lucy.

in 13.

[dontblamemeforfalling]

So one of the things to think about when we talk about why Everthorne wouldn't work and Everlark does is of course, what Katniss needs but also everybody's priorities.

So for Gale it's:

Panem as a whole/society/freedom

His family

Katniss

Katniss's family

Friends and neighbors

Gale

For Peeta, it's a similar list in that he's also dead last, but the main difference is that Katniss is at the top of that list.

Now, Katniss would never ever resent Gale for that order. Actually, she'd be pretty mad if he ever put her needs above his family. But Katniss, like Peeta and Gale, is extremely selfless and is also at the bottom of her own priority list. So Katniss kind of needs someone to put her on top of their priority list to balance that out.

And Peeta is the only one in the series who puts Katniss above all else.

Now, this is not a diss on Gale. Because if it came between choosing Katniss and Gale, he would choose Katniss. Gale still loves Katniss more than his own life. And it's not like he ever tries to use, manipulate, or pressure Katniss into being the Mockingjay. But she's still not first on that list.

We have two clear examples of this and the contrast between the Gale and Peeta:

The cabin scene. Gale chose to stay when he learned rebellion was on the table. Peeta would have left with Katniss if that's what she needed from him

When Katniss suggests using herself as bait to lure Snow out. Peeta immediately shoots the idea down. Gale says only as a last resort. Oh, it would kill him, if he had to choose between Katniss and freeing the districts. And he would trade places with Katniss if he could. But, yeah, if it came down to it, Gale wouldn't interfere with Katniss's sacrifice. Peeta would never let Katniss sacrifice herself

There's also the deal Peeta struck with Snow when he was held in the Capitol: he lies on screen as long as Katniss is protected if all is lost. If the situations were reversed, I really don't think Gale would have made that deal. Not if he thought it could hurt the rebellion's efforts.

And this trend would still play out even after the rebellion. Let's say things were a little different. Let's say Katniss chooses Gale. She would naturally want to go back to D12. Gale wouldn't be so thrilled. But maybe he goes for her sake. Katniss wants to put the rebellion behind her and live a normal, quiet life. Gale? Not so much. Gale would want to be in the thick of things. Reconstructing, Rebuilding, not just like, buildings and stuff, but their new society. He might be happy with Katniss for a bit, but in the long run? He just wouldn't be satisfied.

And that's fine! There's nothing wrong with any of their approaches or priorities. If there weren't people like Gale, passionate for justice and working tirelessly for it, they would have never won the rebellio. But if there weren't people like Peeta, warm and comforting and that feel like home, then what were they fighting for at the end of the day?

Katniss and Gale are just not compatible at the end of the day and that's totally fine. Gale fell in love with the wrong person, but so? That's realistic.

In the end, those two are better off as best friends. And I fully believe that at the end of the war, after they both have some time to heal, they rekindle their friendship. And also Gale goes back to visit D12 once a month and those two go back to being chaotic besties who get up to trouble while Peeta sighs exasperatedly at their antics.

[dontblamemeforfalling]

“Why do you seem so familiar?”

• In which George reminds DreamXD of his past mortal lover (who is popularly hc’d as a forest guardian), while DreamXD reminds George of who Dream used to be (before he separated himself from the DTeam and was put in prison) •

[dontblamemeforfalling]

My thoughts on Folklore

This is about to be a long ass Taylor Swift post, so strap in for the ride.

I along with many others were going about their business (looking at Adam Driver gifs) before my phone alerted me to the notification that Taylor Swift was releasing her eighth studio album Folklore the very next day. Chaos everywhere, my sleep schedule went out the window as I went into the Swifties tag to see how everyone else was dealing with this news. So I eagerly awaited 2PM (Australian time) for the album to drop and after a few listens (sleep got the better of me through my first listen due to my previous sleep schedule), I eventually picked out some album highlights.

The 1 - I love how freely she’s cussing on the album (a point that will be reitriated throughout), and I know Gossip tabloids and casuals will be shooketh because they’d think Taylor & Mr. Alwyn have ‘broken up’ due to Taylor’s personable lyrics but this gave me Better Man vibes. Remember when the Bridge said ‘You might have bern The One if you were a Better Man’ and this is basically that without the angsty fire.

Cardigan - I LOVE how Alternative Folk fits Taylor’s voice, it sounds like she’s telling us a story and we are entrapsed by her. It also works perfectly with the love triangle songs, which I had to understand a bit through a few listens.

The Last Great American Dynasty - The moment I saw this track, I knew it would be epic. I pictured her taking the piss out of the Trump family, but what I got was an awesome song about the woman who owned Taylor’s Rhode Island house and the antics she got up to. I love the descriptors she used when describing the weddings and the party’s Rebekah & Bill had and especially the bridge of antics Rebekah got up to later in her time. The ‘And then it was bought by me.’ Part of the bridge, I love a good twist!

Exile - OH MY LORD. When I saw Skinny Love Bon Iver on this album, I knew this would be something and low and behold it was. The concept of the man in exile in her intro caught my attention but seeing it up close and personal was amazing. The vocals interlaced with each other was perfection, especially as Taylor responds to Bon Iver. I really connected it to the struggles of Seth Rollins in the latter half of 2019, how he seemed to be exiled from the WWE, how his Face opponent was having his flaws disregarded to drag him down, the ‘Always Keep Fighting’ shirt adding insult to injury for Seth, who had even deactivated his twitter following attacks from a fellow wrestler’s fan base. ‘I gave you every sign’ rings true here, the man was struggling and no one seemed to care.

My Tears Ricochet - My WWE ass was happy to see another Wrestler reference after The Man. So this was an interesting look, but I got another story that intrigued me, a man having been involved in a tumultous connection with the songs narrator showing up to her funeral to save face. Listeners drew parraells with the recent Masters drbarkle with Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Records with whom Taylor was once signed to, and I have to say it’s a good perspective to take.

Mirrorball - This one took a while but I ended up loving the fact she could sing from a Mirrorball’s perspective and still make an epic song. I loved the part about always fitting in with the crowd because at functions/discos where mirrorballs are used, the lights will change to fit the mood and being a reflective surface, Mirrorballs will reflect the colour change.

Seven - This was a nice ditty about a past friend Taylor once had. I really loved the line ‘Please picture me in the weeds before I learned Civility’ it gives a more sophisticated parraell to Never Grow Up.

August - This is the second in the love triangle songs, and I loved the storytelling aspect as Taylor paints the picture of an affair that Summer Nights would quake in it’s boots if it heard about it. She sweeps up the adience in the Mistresses POV, showcasing the sweetness of love and the sting of toxcisity.

This is me trying - Where are those who said Taylor Swift plays the victim in her songs? Because this is for them. Taylor states in this her regrets of wasted potential, broken relationships etc. at the end of the day no matter how many awards she has, records she breaks, or money she possesses, Taylor Alison Swift is a human being, and we should give her boundries to grow and flourish.

Illicit Affairs - This track title also intrigued me, and whilst it does what the title says, and discusses the highs and lows of the secret passions of mismatched lovers, the second verse & bridge stood out to me the most. The way Taylor’s voice went up on him in the line ‘Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him.’ Drew my attention as she later did the same thing on the word high, this had to mean something. And given that we don’t know the narrators gender, this could also be a song about a closeted gay man who’s found love but is struggling to accept this relationship. Whereas the bridge reminded me a lot of the Adam & Hannah breakup in Season 4 of Girls in the episode Sit In where Hannah denounces Adam’s nickname of kid, which he had called her by since the first season, with the episode before that showing her heartbroken that Adam has gotten a new girlfriend behind her back and thus turns into a mess locked in her apartment for a day and two nights. it was a heartbreaking part of the show, one that shifted it into a new era for better or for worse, and the entirety of this reasonated with me.

Invisible String - Around this point was where melotonin kicked in for me on my first listen, so I’ve heard this less than the other songs, but I love how it discusses her relationship with Joe & how for better or for worse, he is hers. It continued the theme with them on Lover of not having a great picturesque love, but having ups and downs like any couple.

Mad Woman - The calmer sister of The Man, she won’t throw big production and actions around, she can take you down with words alone. The track stings brutally as Taylor takes down sexism as it exists in our world today, and even sadly paints a visual of how it must have been for women back in the day fighting for equal rights. ‘Does a scorpion sting when fighging back?’ Line was annother connection, as I was reminded of Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful and how the animal symbology that stuck with her was a scorpion, used to great effect in the Season 2 finale in a confrontation with Lucifer’s makeshift doll of her. The chorus line ‘And you’ll poke the bear till her claws come out, and you’ll find something to wrap your noose around’ stuck with me on my listens, and really shows how men will strike and then run away saying ‘it’s a joke, she’s hysterical’ etc. the part about women loving to hunt witches also reminded me of a Doctor Who episode called ‘The Witchers’ and also reminded some listeners of how Demi Lovato took Scooter Braun’s side in the Licencing debarkle. The part in the bridge about the wives knowing about their Spinster husbands having affairs and not wanting to show their anger for fear of being outcast like the titular woman is angsty but so lyrically genius.

Epiphany - I had to listen to this a couple of times but once I realised what it was about, I was in shock. This is about her Grandfather Dean who she mentioned in the intro who fought in a war. The song paints the war setting with the helmet, the flesh wound and the rifle within the first few words, and I especially loved the line ‘And some things we don’t speak of.’ because it talked about how some soldiers develop PTSD from their experiences, yet don’t want to discuss them for fear of being perceived as weak.

Betty - This is the final track in the love triangle story as it tells the story of James as he fights to earn back Betty’s love after he has an affair with Inez. The eventual pitfalls of Illicit Affairs have come for Inez which causes her to tell Betty of their affair, which is a nice link. This songs gives a classic Greese/Christine/Cheesy 80s Film meets Trixie Mattel vibe which I loved. I also loved the callbacks to August & Cardigan, along with the casual F bomb droppings.

Peace - This is another sweet love song for Joe which calls back to Cruel Summer, Cornelia Street & Dancing With Our Hands Tied as Taylor struggles with the connection she has established with Joe, and contemplates escaping, but eventually knows she’ll stay. How the entire world will be on them, but she’ll be by his side through it all. Similar to Invisible String but different all at once and a perfect penultimate track to lead to the last song.

Hoax - The sweetness brings us to the double edged sword of a closing track. Giving a shattering realisation that love can be tricky at times, the references to Call It What You Want ‘I am ash from your fire’, The Archer ‘You know the hero died so what’s the movie for?’ & ... So It Goes ‘You knew you won so what’s the point of keeping score’. Taylor loves Joe so much that when they fight it’s as painful as when she became Pop Culture Enemy #1 back in 2016. But no matter what, she says herself ‘Don’t want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in this world would do’ relationships are always painful, there is no happy endings all round, but there is still love to be found.

All in all this is an incredible album & @taylorswift you have created magic and I hope you know that myself & all the Swifties are so proud of you for flexing your writing skill and crafting such a stunning album.

[dontblamemeforfalling]

taylor said hello would you like to do some actual meaningful analysis and embrace metaphors and allusions and Fiction instead of combing my social media for clues? and she’s so valid for that....... the power of taylor swift is the deftness with which she weaves fictionalized narratives in with her own life so that she’s constantly telling multiple stories at once and everything is simultaneously deeply about her heart and yet also it’s own tale... i think people are finally seeing that Taylor Swift the figure is just as much a Character as a betty or a james but that doesn’t mean she’s not also telling us the closest thing to her truth that she can articulate... its folklore and myth and narrative and pieces of her all wrapped up in one package... she’s always done that to a certain extent but albums like rep. and lover were sooooo deeply performative in the service of a self-making mythos while this is a quiet web of stories that both reveal and obscure, and she doesn’t care what it says about Taylor Swift the mega superstar, but rather about what it says about taylor swift the woman. ugh!

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Rewatching Sharkboy & Lavagirl and having thoughts:

They really went ham on the 3D effects and you know what? I love it. Give me that dumb, childish, in your face tech-demoing goodness.

Taylor Lautner is a phenomenal Sharkboy and I will accept no criticism.

I loved Tobor then and I love Tobor now.

The giants Max subconsciously created to eat all the giant cookies and dessert foods are his parents, happy and together.

“Dream a dream you little *bleep*.” How could you not love this kid.

Mr. Electric’s various puns are funny. Fight me.

The Plughounds are actually really cool and creative and if nobody stops me I will include them in a D&D campaign someday.

Lavagirl’s leg legitimately falls off at one point and she just hops back to it and sticks it back on like it’s nothing.

If you’re looking for it, you can definitely see where 3D objects composited over live action footage jitters and slips but if you just let yourself get caught up in the movie you really won’t notice that stuff.

The Ice Castle doesn’t look anything like what you’d expect from an actual castle - it actually looks a lot more like an iceberg. I really like that design choice.

Lavagirl can fall asleep on command? Gurl I wish I had that power.

Sharkboy’s fin snaps off when he’s nearly knocked off the ice bridge, but then reappears in the next scene. I’m not citing it as a bad thing - just a funny thing.

This boy’s name is literally ‘Linus’ no wonder he turned into a bully.

“Blah, blah, blah…threat, threat, threat…” I love this line and I will use it someday.

Flying into a rage because of overstimulation? Sharkboy is a mood.

I FORGOT THAT SHE CALLS HIM ‘SHARKY’ OMG

Linus sleeps with his eyes open? Boi you’re gonna need some eyedrops stat.

They finally get the Dream Journal and Lavagirl accidentally burns it…*sniff*…sHE JUST WANTS TO BE  G O O D.

Legit tho the sub-themes in this movie about characters coming to life and asking/demanding their creator for things/information about themselves is exactly how the creative process works for me and I feel a little called out.

Sharkboy is an overdramatic showboater and I love him.

When Sharkboy’s fin gets stuck in the ice pillar, he doesn’t try to struggle free or anything - he just sort of shrugs. Clearly, this is not the first time he’s gotten stuck like this.

The milk physics were a bit wonky but the ice for the ice guardians rendered bEAUTIFULLY.

The Ice Princess’ headdress is absolutely gorgeous and I want it.

“Father, you’re smothering me again.” They’ve had this talk before and I’m living for this healthy relationship.

The passing of the Crystal Heart is a modified wedding ceremony and that went over my head as a kid.

The Ice King let them leave the castle with no time left on the Apocalypse Clock fully knowing that their plan wouldn’t work. Jerk.

Hey how often do we see the female lead sacrificing herself for one of the male leads in a way that A) isn’t sexualized, B) isn’t permanent, and C) isn’t part of a tragic romance story?

“What do you do when your dreams have been destroyed?”

“Dream a better dream.”

Hahah this climax is ridiculously dramatic and silly and I absolutely love it.

Sharkboy is tiny Aquaman confirmed.

When Max reaches out to Linus in friendship it literally creates a bridge between them - that’s the kind of visual storytelling I like.

Some of my favorite twists are when the bad guy isn’t so bad….and when a minor villain turns out to be the BIG one.

WHO JUST LEFT THIS CHILD SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF A TORNADO?!

Teacher: I can’t believe it…

Max: But it’s right there in front of you!

Teacher: I can see that! What I can’t believe is…you made him look like me!

There is a distinct lack of groaning and eye-rolling in response to all these bad puns.

Hey so uh, how is the class going to explain the three separate tornados, massive explosion, and spontaneous snow in the middle of a Texan August to the rest of the school?

Linus is drawing again!

Sharkboy and Lavagirl can’t touch, so they 'hold hands’ by holding pinkies mY HEART-

And Max’s parents helped him build a real-life Tobor at the end! I love it!!

[dontblamemeforfalling]

couple things (not really this is a long vent):

‪1. ZACH could’ve calmed alex down during the lockdown bc he literally nursed him back to health and having charlie do it was random‬

‪2. ZACH didn’t pull away‬ from the kiss

‪3. ZACH said he liked the kiss‬

‪4. ZACH gave alex a boner when no one else could (lmao)

‪5. alex brought up the fact that he doesnt dance too many times for it not to be connected back to s2 when ZACH taught him to dance ‬

‪6. ALEX couldve helped zach overcome his alcoholism bc of their shared trauma‬

‪7. alex talking about feeling safe in zachs arms and never forgetting that moment (all in front of his “boyfriend” sorry i mean charlie)

‪8. ZACH AND ALEX LOVE EACH OTHER‬

‪9.why erase all the chemistry & sexual tension build up of s2and3 just to have alex rush into a relationship with a guy that had no significance to the plot or alexs life in any way‬

‪10. chloe rejecting zach parallels the roof scene & zach shouldve realized he was in love with alex then ‬tell me i’m wrong

‪11. zach would never say “tell mrs walker im sorry” after winston said “tell alex i love him”. zach dempsey would say “tell alex i love him too”‬

‪12. they should’ve kissed when zach pulled alex onto the beach

‪13. bryce wouldntve died if zach only beat him up or alex only pushed him in the water they’re package deal murderers

‪14. alex wouldnt not do anything about zachs drinking problem after everything zach did for him in s2&3‬

‪15. alex & winston i can understand bc it was for info abt monty but charlie & alex kissed once and??at least winston and alex had more buildup and reason‬ behind their romance (charlie boring i’m sorry to say it)

‪16. to elaborate on 15 alex realizing his sexuality STARTED bc of zach and their relationship and winston was the first boy to like him back but charlie just had a crush on alex and it didn’t seem like alex was that interested. imo alex didn’t see any other options bc zach (who he was really in love with) rejected him and winston used him and was with monty so it would be a dangerous relationship

17. the stills gave false hope to zalex which isn’t the biggest deal bc they’re just pics‬ but they literally released SO MANY OF THEM

‪18. writers teased a big plotline that took zach unexpected places but he was just a side plot and his drinking problem was never resolved and some of his scenes were weird ‬and out of character at some points

‪19. alex brought up to winston TWICE that he killed bryce bc he threatened zach and if that isn’t a crime of passion idk what is‬

‪20. WHAT WAS THE EXPLANATION FOR ALEX KISSING ZACH WHY DID HE NEVER SAY “oh its bc i like you” OR “heat of the moment sorry” like why did they never discuss it afterwards (you can’t tell me zach wasn’t feeling the romance vibes from alex or GIVING OFF THOSE SAME VIBES)

and in conclusion:

its so weird to me that they decided to forget about all of the buildup of zalex when they wouldve made the most sense, and to have alex get with a random side character w no plot line and have zach act like he was in love with chloe even tho they agreed to be just friends at the end of s3‬

if you read this whole thing wow thank you i just needed to vent this out bc why give us a kiss at all if they weren’t going to be endgame? regardless, the rooftop scene is playing on a loop in my head rent free for the rest of time

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Some of the best Post-War Romione Stories

Australia by MsBinns.

Questions by TMBlue.

7 Years 6 Months 4 Days by TMBlue.

Thieves by TMBlue.

I Would Die For You by TMBlue.

Love Me Forever by Aloemilk.

To Bring You Back by Aloemilk.

Firsts and Lasts by wazlib88.

Take My Hand by wazlib88.

A Quiet Mind by Coyote Laughing Softly.

Sleepless by writergirl8.

In Love and War by keeptheotherone.

Anxious by jesrod82.

Right Here by R.W. plus me.

Everyday From Right Now by pacifickay.

I Saw The Light by holly1492.

All’s Fair in Love After War by magicalgold.

June by NotSoAwry.

Crossing Paths by Athenais777.

When I Have You by Fire The Canon.

All That Remains by wordsmithsonian.

A Family Comes in Different Forms by YoAngel4E.

The Time In Between by kjc1123.

Lost Memories by writemealetter.

The Ballad of Ron & Hermione by TheHalfBloodPrincess93.

An Unconventional Fairytale by ozzel1.

Australian R & R by HeRonFan.

Three Years Later by ScarletProphecy14.

A Stricken Lament by Muffliato.

Eternal Fight by oscarpaz00.

Missing Pieces by GingerWitchWriter.

The Ancient and Most Noble House of Prewett by SimplySwooningK. [In-Progress].

[dontblamemeforfalling]

mmmkay jegulus

hear me out right

regulus walking behind sirius in the train his first year and meeting James.

instantly thinking that he's beautiful

james seeing how gaunt and innocent he looks and wanting to protect him at all costs

regulus not being able to stop himself from staring at james laughing with his friends every night in the great hall

the two of them having small interactions whenever sirius and regulus talk because they're practically attached at the hip

their friendship getting to the point where james can playfully ruffle regulus' hair

regulus realizing he has a crush on james over winter break in his third year when he can't stop thinking about him

and knowing it'll never happen because james is in "love" with lily

james and regulus playfully flirting and teasing each other during matches

regulus only allowing james to call him "reggie"

james only letting reg call him "jamie"

sirius and remus shipping them from a distance and quietly chanting kiss kiss kiss when they interact

the marauders stay at Hogwarts during their fifth year

regulus stays too

the marauders throw a christmas party in the gryffindor common room for everyone staying which isnt that many but enough for a damn good party

peter and sirius sneak into hogsmeade to get butterbeer and firewhiskey

regulus, the lightweight that he is, getting extremely drunk and asking james to come with him to talk

james, slightly tipsy, goes with him outside the common room to an empty corridor

regulus drunkenly confessing that he's horribly in love with him and that he's known he was in love since that one moment after a slytherin vs gryffindor match when james makes the winning goal even after regulus caught the snitch and the face james made was of such pure joy and he looked so handsome that regulus fell hard.

james standing there shocked at the confession and realising that he might be in love with reg too

james leaning down so that their foreheads touch and whispering "I like you too reggie" and kissing him as hard as he could

after this they go through a term of making out in broom closets, toilets and empty classroom

they hide their relationship for a while until remus and sirius - also looking for a place to snog - burst in on the two of them

the marauders are of course very supportive of the relationship, peter having to hand over 20 sickles to remus once he finds out

they're more open about the relationship and everything is great, they go on dates like picnics under the stars and have little adventures in the forbidden forest together.

reg normally sneaks into the gryffindor common room so he can sleep with james and stop the might terrors

lily even becomes friends with james as she realises that without him constantly pestering her to go out with him, he's pretty cool to hang out with

over the summer, regulus' parents start to heavily encourage the idea of regulus becoming a deatheater

reg slowly becomes more distant as he listens to his parents more and more

a week before his owls he's taken out of school

james worries so much that he gets to the brink of exhaustion and has to be taken to the hospital wing

when reg finally comes back, the two of them have a talk in the astronomy tower

james notices that reg flinched everytime someone touches his left arm

regulus tells james they have to break up with no further explanation and leaves the tower before his own tears spill

james stays there, heartbroken, only managing to sleep after hours of crying into the night

lily finds him there, takes him back to the common room and becomes the shoulder he crys on

when regulus dies at 18, james is inconsolable. he crys for days and falls into a depressed state

He joins the order at 19, swearing he'll get revenge for regulus

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Permanent Damage

If you look long enough into the void, the void begins to look back through you.

Draco Malfoy will never be able to hold anything for long. Constant crucios over 3 years has damaged his nerves.Voldemort was most displeased with his inability to finish his task, the Carrow’s annoyed with his refusal to torture students for their detentions. His hands shake and shiver, nerves constantly shaking with invisible, imaginary pain that stopped years ago. He yells in frustration as his shaking body repeatedly clinks his teacup loudly against its saucer, another futile attempt to keep his hands steady, and smashes it against the floor, a thousand white shards glittering against the black tile.

Harry Potter breaks down every time he gets a headache. Hand clapping to his forehead as the pain sets on, muttering to himself that ‘hes not back.’ ‘I killed him.’ ‘Its over’ as he scans the room; flinching at too pale skin, hand twitching towards his wand as brown eyes reflect red in the flickering, fluorescent light. The cold tile beneath his fingers grounds him as he tries to convince himself that he’s okay. The feeling that some part of him died that day in the forest, surrendering before Voldemort’s wand never leaves, the hollow feeling leaving an aching, painful hole in its wake.

Ron Weasley finds himself scanning rooms over and over again. Planning exit strategies and ways to take out everyone in the room in order to escape. He imagines everyone as an enemy in disguise, subconsciously moving people like chess pieces and picking his small flat, not because it was cheap or because the neighborhood was good (its dismal really) but because it had the best strategic advantage in regards to the city and places around him, in order to hide in case of attacks. He once again comes to his senses after a nightmare and sighs as he realizes that in his delirium he once again had filled pages upon pages of his notebook with battle tactics and the floor plans of places hes been and fought (Hogwarts, the Ministry, the Burrow…). He rips them out and adds them to a growing folder before making a cup of tea.

Hermione Granger finds herself hording food, slipping apples into pockets and bread into her purse. She comes home to find herself with pockets of tarts and a bag of crackers, handfuls of berries slipped between pages of paperwork and cereal bars snuck into file folders. The months of hiding and foraging have made her paranoid and hyper aware of how much food she’ll need to get through the day. She’ll find herself counting calories and balancing proteins, carbs and fats before she can stop herself and measuring how much she eats, intuitively leaving some over for Harry and Ron, forgetting that they are no longer on the run, having to ration food.

Luna is no longer as carefree and dreamy as she was. Her creatures turn from whimsical and delicate to horrifying. Claws and teeth grow to protect and attack. She won’t leave the house for days, wandering around inside with closed eyes to avoid Blibbering Humdingers who now have poisonous spines and Nargles with razor teeth, her mind having twisted them from cures for loneliness to share with her father, to weapons of destruction to protect her from the outside world. They are real enough to her that she convinces herself they’ve locked her inside her house and won’t let her leave, she thinks they’ve kidnapped and hurt her friends because ‘It’s  to protect you’ ‘They are spies’ ‘It’s not real Luna’ ‘They only want to hurt you’. The whispers follow everywhere and consume her, dragging her into the void. It’s when she locks Hermione in her basement under the influence of her broken mind, twisted by false images and under the guise of Hermione being someone else using polyjuice, that she gets a room in the Janus Thickney ward of St Mungos. She has moments of clarity but they are few and far between. her mind crumbled, her spirit broken, a twisted shadow of the young, bright girl who hummed happily as she waltzed barefoot through the halls.

Dennis Creevey perpetually has a broken, cracked, dirty camera on a shelf in his bedroom, never to be touched.

George Weasley has smashed every mirror in his flat and refuses to repair them

Percy Weasley takes to straight vodka and tequila out of the bottle because his guilt over Fred.

Kreacher forever wears a cracked and blood stained locket till the day he dies.

Teddy Lupin spends hours staring at pictures of his parents, shifting into one or the other or trying for the perfect mixture of both, never getting it quite right.

Minerva McGonnagal finds a dusty box under Severus Snape’s bed filled with cracked records; a flaky leather jacket; old Polaroids of a girl with a head of flames and eyes of shattered emerald, smiling, arms wrapped tight around a boy with inky hair and sharp, onyx eyes; a fractured glass figurine of a lily lying carefully on top of the pile; folded within an old letter. She sobs over a life spent hating and being hated as she pats the scratched lacquer on a string-less bass guitar

There will always be an empty seat at many tables all over the country as people mourn lives lost unfairly.

You can take people out of the war, but can you take the war out of people?

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Yesterday i lost my glasses. And decided to document my frustration until……… I really wish this was planned, but i gotta admit, I took a big L.

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Pics That Show How Differently Celebrities And Normal People Are Treated During The Coronavirus Outbreak

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Concept Playlists !!!

you’re curled up in the corner of your bed, trying not to take up any space. the curtains are drawn so the only source of light is a candle on your dresser that seems to be flickering in slow motion. all you want is someone to sleep next to and someone to remind you that this life isn’t a dream, it’s real and it’s tangible and it doesn’t always have to feel this lonely. 

you’re talking to him again. you shouldn’t be but his sweet words are dripped in honey and you can still feel his fingertips tracing the marks on your skin. he’s full of empty promises and poorly written story book endings. you’re trying to be cold and callous, but you both know that isn’t in your nature.

your body slips out of your dark room and into the brightly lit kitchen. you aren’t mad at the sunlight coming through the glass windows or the blaring music coming from your neighbor’s radio. you do simple tasks like doing your laundry and making yourself breakfast, and you’re proud. the colors in the sky are saturated and you finally feel good and whole from having a real meal. 

you’re not something they can just put in their pocket to carry you around and use you when it’s convenient for them. they can’t just reach in and grab you however they fucking want. they think you won’t retaliate because they called you beautiful and said it’s an honor to even be worth a fraction of their time. they still leave to be with their lover and even take a souvenir from you just to remember you by.  

their type of love is not something to flinch from. they don’t use their words to scare you into submission. they’ll hold you at night when you wake up and you can’t breathe. they give you slow kisses when you’re frantically getting ready for work and you’re searching for your car keys. they bring you to bed when you fall asleep on the couch. they make you breakfast in bed after a stressful week. they write little sticky note reminders and put them all over the house when they can’t be around you. they cry at all the right parts in the movies and laugh at your stupid jokes. their love isn’t hard. it’s soft and warm.

arms are wrapped around your waist. you avert eye contact and smile to yourself. you’re not afraid but you can hear your heart pumping in your chest. their kiss is soft and slow like an invitation. their lips find your neck, your collar bone, your fingertips. 

[dontblamemeforfalling]

Thinking about that guy that created a cleanroom in his local makerspace and built an entire gene therapy from scratch, making a virus that supposedly delivered the ability to digest lactose and then SWALLOWED IT LIKE A MAD SCIENTIST AND CURED HIMSELF OF LACTOSE INTOLERANCE, EATING TWO CHEESE PIZZAS TO PROVE IT

[dontblamemeforfalling]