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writer-in-theory · 11 months

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the best thing (that's ever been mine) — harringrove

Summary: When Steve and Billy run away from Hawkins together, they find out the story doesn't end at happily ever after. Prompt: B2 — Free Space Pairing: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove Rating: Mature (suggestive scenes) Word Count: 4k Content Warnings: Alcohol mention, Arguments Read On AO3: Here A/N: Here is my 6th fic for the Billy Hargrove bingo and the kick-off of my countdown to Speak Now (TV)! Thanks once again as always to @serenity-lattes for beta reading this in the middle of the night. @billyhargrovebingo

Billy Hargrove Bingo Masterlist | They Said Speak Now Collection

Spring 1986

The quarry was quiet.

Sometimes that wasn’t always the case, not since the new senior class moved their parties there since the Hawkins police busted the hangout at Benny’s old diner. Tonight, Steve was lucky, because there was nothing in sight except a blue Camaro that had been rebuilt from the ground up over the past year. Steve had spent plenty of time sitting in the Hargrove-Mayfield garage while Billy worked on the thing, handing over tools and reminding him to take breaks while he was still healing. He’d been healing for months, nearly a year now and still, there were times Steve wondered if Billy would ever get back to how he was before. Steve wondered that about himself too, if the deep wounds across his neck and abdomen would ever fade or if they’d last forever.

Maybe they would both be healing for a lifetime, but tonight that didn’t matter because the quarry was quiet. The quarry was quiet, and Billy was there, and nothing mattered in the entire world but this.

Billy was already sitting by the cliff, close enough for the toes of his boots to hang over the edge, knees pulled up near his chest. He was smoking despite the fact that all of his doctors told him it was a bad idea after the injuries he’d sustained. Though after all they’d seen, Steve couldn’t say he blamed him. Sometimes his hand still itched for one, but little Will Byers was allergic to the smoke so he couldn’t, wouldn’t.

“Those’ll kill you, you know,” Steve spoke, his words echoing out across the space carved out in the world just for them.

“Been there, done that, Harrington,” Billy said, putting out the cigarette once Steve sat down beside him. Steve sat a little closer to the ledge, letting his legs dangle out over the water below them. “How’re the little shits?”

“Still brats,” Steve laughed, bracing his hands on the ground just behind him so he could tilt back and watch the stars. There weren’t too many clear nights like these in Indiana, and Steve knew to appreciate them when he could. “They’re all at Hop and Joyce’s new place tonight. Eddie’s running their dork squad game again.”

“Dungeons & Dragons is not a dork game,” Billy automatically said. Though Steve couldn’t see the redness overtaking Billy’s cheeks, he knew well enough by now that it was there. “We literally fought half the shit in there; that’s badass, Harrington.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to defend your secret dorky side,” Steve said gently, his cheeky smile turning into a loud laugh as Billy shoved his arm. “Hey, hey! I get it, but I’m just saying they’d love to have you. They keep complaining about they don’t have a, uh, a, brute. You could be their brute.”

“Barbarian,” Billy corrected, trying not to look amused but the smile was peeking through anyway. “And if you want a barbarian, I’ll show you a barbarian.”

Steve was flat on his back in an instant, pulled far enough from the side of the cliff that his legs were back on solid ground. Billy was over him, one hand still left at Steve’s hip where he’d manhandled him, the forearm on the ground above Steve’s head to prop him up.

“Billy,” Steve spoke, eyes focused on Billy’s blues. “Mm, Billy, as much I love this, it’s not why we came out here.”

Billy’s forehead came to rest gently against Steve’s, his curls falling around them and tickling Steve’s ear. “Talk about a buzzkill, Stevie,” he said lowly, lips so close Steve could feel Billy’s breath against his own. “We could talk later.”

“Billy,” Steve groaned with a laugh, hands pressing against Billy’s chest until the latter sat up, their legs still entangled with each other’s. “We said that last time, and the time before that, and the ti—”

“I get it,” Billy chuckled. “Can’t help it, pretty boy, not when you come over wearing those preppy little polos—”

“Hargrove.”

It was too easy with Billy. It hadn’t always been, not back when both of them were terrified of everything they felt for each other, not when Billy’s dad was still around twisting him into something he never deserved to be. But now, sitting in the spot they’d told each other everything, in the place they had their first kiss and the place Steve promised to still be there after everything at Starcourt, it was like those hardships disappeared. Steve felt like he was flying, like he and Billy were above the clouds coasting across the world with nothing around to stop them. With Billy, here in the quarry with no one but the stars to witness them, Steve felt like they could do anything.

“We’re really leaving tomorrow.” Billy was looking out at the stars now too, eyes focused in on the sliver of moon still left in the sky. “We’re actually getting out of here. D’you know how batshit that is, Stevie?”

“Yeah, I have an idea,” Steve breathed out, sitting close enough that their shoulders brushed. “Can your car handle the drive?”

“Did you just ask me that?” Billy glanced back at the car and beamed. “She can handle anything, trust me on that. Can you handle it?”

They’d been talking about it for months. Billy had wanted to leave a year ago, right when they’d graduated. Before July hit and the Mind Flayer came back, before Billy was driving out of town to meet up with Steve because they’d been too afraid to get caught together, before Steve had nearly lost him before they could even start a future together. It had been Steve who had been the hold-up, terrified to leave behind the one town he’d always known. Hawkins was safe, known. California was across the country from everything he’d grown up with, was this giant question mark ahead of Steve that both terrified and excited him.

But now, after vanquishing the guy who’d created the entire Upside Down mess, after nearly losing everything and everyone he had ever loved, Steve was ready. Hawkins would always be a place he could return to, but Steve couldn’t wait to see what California had in store for them.

“Yeah, I brought my bag. Let’s go,” Steve spoke, sounding a little breathless now that there was nothing left to do but leave.

“Wait, now? You wanna leave now?”

“Why not?” Steve said back, standing and pulling on Billy’s hand until he stood too. “We’ve already said our goodbyes, what’s there left to do? I don’t need plans, or money, or things. I just need you beside me and I’ll be okay.”

Billy laughed, shaking his head with clear astonishment on his face. “God, you’re gonna drive me wild, Harrington. Let’s go.”

“I’m counting on it, Hargrove. Now c’mon, you’re driving.”

Summer 1986

“Hey, Billy? Lenny came by earlier to let us know that the rent is late agai—”

The first thing Steve noticed was that it was stiflingly hot in the apartment. They’d had the air conditioning off all summer, and by August it was so sweltering outside that there was no saving the inside despite how many windows they had open and ice cubes ready to shove down each others’ shirts. The second thing he noticed was that his partner was laying draped half out the one window in their main room, shoulders squeezed so tightly through the small space that Steve half-wondered if Billy was stuck. The third, and most attention-drawing, thing that Steve noticed was that Billy was hardly dressed—clad in only tiny green athletic shorts that looked suspiciously like a stolen basketball uniform from Hawkins High.

“Oh,” Steve said, all train of thought lost as he stared at his partner who hadn’t even reacted to him being home yet. “Trying to escape your tower, princess?”

“It’s fuckin’ hot as shit in here,” Billy huffed, pulling himself back inside and immediately tying his hair back up into a bun to get it off of his neck. “Think I’d rather be at work, at least they aren’t trying to boil us alive.”

“Hm, no you don’t,” Steve laughed in return, not needing Billy’s confirmation to know that he was right.

Although the older man running the diner was kind and had truly taken a chance on them, Steve knew that working as a waiter was never Billy’s dream job. But it promised decent pay and flexible hours while Billy was going through college classes, so really they couldn’t ask for much better.

“We just gotta get through your classes. Then you’ll be a hotshot teacher raising the world’s next greatest minds, and I’ll be your gorgeous trophy husband,” Steve said, looping his fingers into the waistband of Billy’s shorts to tug him closer. Billy could have held his ground easily, but he let Steve move him, pressing close enough that the familiar scent of his cologne and smoke took over Steve’s senses.

“Trophy husband, huh?” Billy teased, a warm smile on his face as he leaned in for a kiss. “So what, you’ll quit the garage and sit at home fanning yourself all day?”

“Hm, maybe I’ll find a hobby. Or maybe I can keep working at the garage. It’s kinda therapeutic, you know? I get why you like working on your car now.”

When Steve was a kid, all he’d ever known of his future was that he’d become a lawyer. He would take over his father’s firm and marry a young, gorgeous blonde who would make his life easier. Robert Harrington would have a stroke if he ever found out that his only son became a mechanic, despite the fact that it was the only job that ever made Steve feel content and like he was really helping people. He loved the calluses on his hands and the smell of oil and sweat that he needed to wash off at the end of a long shift. And while being a lawyer wasn’t in the picture for him anymore, Steve did find a blond who made everything feel worth it.

“How long did Lenny give us?” Billy asked then, expression morphing into something more serious.

It was harder than they ever thought, living on their own. This was the only apartment they could afford in San Diego, and even then it took all their effort to make rent each month. Most of their scant furniture came from finding items others were throwing away or were housewarming presents from their Hawkins family. Steve had never imagined living in a place like this, but it was theirs, without money with too many strings attached from his parents or hush money covered in blood from the government.

Steve sighed, patting Billy’s bicep once before moving to their little kitchen to scrape together something resembling dinner. “He said by Friday. Which means I can probably get him to hold out ‘til Monday, but other than that...”

“I don’t get paid ‘til next Friday,” Billy answered, following him into the kitchen to begin prepping the box of pasta Steve had sat out. “Len’ll have to wait.”

“He waited two weeks last month, he won’t go for it again,” Steve said back, feeling his heart begin to race. This all was so new to him. Never before had he dealt with having so little money to his name. Suddenly things that were once simple like groceries became a nightmare. At least he had Billy to lean on when it all got so hard. Besides, this was only their third month in California. It would get better, eventually. “I can ask Rodger if he’ll give me my check early. He might go for it if I agree to pick up some extra weekend shifts from now on.”

“We’ll never see each other. Those are my only days off of class,” Billy said but eventually nodded. “It’s our only option, I get it. Let’s do it.”

“Hey, we’ll make it work,” Steve promised, sitting up on the counter while Billy stirred the pasta. “It’s just for a little bit.”

“We’ll make it work,” Billy repeated, stepping in between Steve’s legs and resting his hands on Steve’s hips. “Until then, we’ll have to make every second count, won’t we, Mr. Hargrove-Harrington?”

“That we will, Mr. Harrington-Hargrove,” Steve returned pointedly. They’d talked about changing their names more recently, though couldn’t decide whose last name should go first. Steve didn’t really care, as long as there was some kind of proof that Billy had chosen him. “Are you gonna scandalize your husband right here on this counter?”

“Mm, I’ll do better than that,” Billy groaned into Steve’s neck, grunting a little as he picked Steve up off the counter and started walking toward the bedroom.

“Billy, the stove!”

“I got it, Steve,” Billy laughed, switching the heat off with one hand before returning it to its place on the back of Steve’s thigh. “Come on, a pretty thing like you deserves to be taken apart in a real bed.”

“Oh my, how chivalrous of you,” Steve laughed as he was dropped onto the mattress they had laying directly on the floor. “Really, you might as well be a kni—”

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“You talk too much,” Billy grinned before leaning forward to kiss him. Steve quickly wrapped his arms around the man, melting into the moment completely. “How am I supposed to ravish you properly if you keep running your mouth?”

“Well maybe if you got to it I wouldn’t have time to talk so much,” Steve teased, wondering briefly how he got so lucky as to have this. Sometimes it felt like a dream, like any moment Steve would wake up back in his luxurious bed in Hawkins alone, wishing he was back on this thin mattress with Billy in his arms.

Billy laughed at that, right against Steve’s jawline. “Hold on then, Stevie, I’ll take you on the ride of your life.”

“God, you’re cheesy,” Steve said before tugging on Billy’s curls to bring his lips up to meet his own. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, pretty boy.”

The next kiss was glorious, the beginning of something that special every time. Steve and Billy got lost in each other, their dinner completely forgotten.

Autumn 1986

Steve was exhausted.

It was like every bone in his body had been weighed down with stones, making every movement more and more impossible. By the time he got back to the apartment, all he wanted to do was pass out on the bed and sleep for a week.

It was supposed to be temporary, the long hours at the garage. But the bills kept coming and Billy’s classes got harder, meaning Steve had to continue picking up work shifts so Billy didn’t have to worry about it. Steve told him it was fine, that he preferred keeping himself so busy. And really, he didn’t mind so much when it meant Billy got to do what he’d always dreamed of. But there were days like this, when everything seemed too impossibly hard, that Steve wondered if there was a better way.

There wasn’t. All Steve could do was wait for the day when Billy got his degree. It would all be worth it then. For now, he would just have to deal with a little bit of tiredness.

“Hey, Stevie!” Billy cheered once Steve got the door to their apartment open. He wasn’t normally this loud, this excitable, unless...

“Are you drunk?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you were busy studying for that final all day?”

“I was,” Billy began to explain, knocking over an empty beer can with his ankle as he picked himself up off the couch. “But then Jamie suggested we go to this bar, and I couldn—”

“A bar?” Was Billy serious? This had to be a joke because there was no way responsible, level-headed Billy would go and spend their hard-earned money on something so frivolous, not now when they were just starting to stay afloat. “Tell me you’re joking. You didn’t go to a bar.”

“Just for a few drinks.”

“A few—Are you fucking kidding me?” Steve scoffed, wishing he were anywhere else but there. He could already feel his pulse building, the heat beginning to burn in his face and chest until it felt like he’d catch fire. This wasn’t how he wanted to spend his night, not after such a terrible shift full of shitty customers and bad attitudes, not when there were rarely nights anymore that he got to see Billy. “I can’t believe you. I worked hard for that money, and you’re off blowing it on booze!”

“You’re not the only one working, you know!” Billy shouted, his own anger catching flame. “I have every right to have a drink, have some fun. You know, since I can’t have any fucking fun with you anymore! And maybe you wouldn’t have to work so hard if you were actually smart enough to get into college too!”

“What does that mean? Huh? What the fuck does that mean, Billy?” Steve asked, feeling the words rip out of his chest in his yelling. “I’m not fun? Well, I’m sorry I’m mad that you’re sitting here drinking instead of working just like your d—”

Billy shut down then, entire expression blanking. “Nothing. It means nothing.”

“Come on, we have to talk about this!” Steve shouted, feeling his anger quickly getting out of control. He tried to wrap his hand around it but it only burnt, raging brighter and brighter until all he could do was watch. “Billy!”

“Not now, Steve,” Billy snapped, walking into the bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Steve didn’t see Billy again until the morning, when the feeling of a blanket being draped over him on the couch woke him up. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and slipping his glasses on so he could see Billy standing over him. He still looked upset, expression as closed off and guarded as the night before.

“We should talk,” Steve spoke, clearing his voice to rid it of the raspiness of sleep.

“We should.”

Steve sighed. This was harder than he thought. They never fought, not like this. There were times they disagreed, even when their voices raised with each other, but never once had they sounded so angry at each other.

It reminded Steve too much of his parents.

When Steve got old enough to take care of himself, it was the silence that was the most unnerving part. He could get over the nights alone and the dinners he had to learn how to make, but the one thing that never seemed to get better was the soul-crushing silence that pervaded the house. The Harringtons always put on a good mask for their dinner parties and business meetings, but the truth was that they couldn’t stand to be in the same room together for more than a few minutes. Robert and Linda Harrington were master lawyers and master fighters. They knew just the right words to hurl at each other to really make it hurt.

Steve inherited that trait too, it seemed.

“I’m sorry,” Steve whispered, feeling all of the guilt and shame hit him at once. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands, unable to look at Billy once the fight rushed back to him. “I’m so sorry, Billy. I didn’t mean it.”

“You’re not your dad.” Steve would hear himself say those words for years, knowing with complete certainty that he’d never be as wrong about something as he was then. Billy was everything that Neil Hargrove was not, and to even insinuate otherwise was a crime of the worst degree. “You’re not, and I never should’ve said it. I was tired and frustrated, but I shouldn’t have. You’re not that.”

Steve took a shuddering breath, scared of what was to come now. He would understand if Billy left after this. It was the one wound that hadn’t healed up from Billy’s past, and Steve had dug his thumb right into it just like his mother had taught him.

It would hurt, Billy leaving. It would tear something out of Steve’s chest that he’s not sure could ever be rebuilt again. But Steve was good at goodbyes by now. Everyone who’d gotten this close to him, who had seen this side of him that reminded them he was a Harrington, left, eventually. Some people took longer than others, but it always happened. Steve knew Billy would leave someday, too, when he finally saw the very worst of him. He’d just hoped he would have more time with this before that happened.

“Hey, I’m not leaving,” Billy told him, hand reaching out to grab Steve’s wrist. The touch made Steve gasp, the sound wet with the tears flowing steadily down his face. When Steve looked up, he saw Billy was crying too, lip wobbling as he fought to contain the emotion. “I’m sorry too.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, too,” Billy repeated, blue eyes hard with the kind of determination Steve always wished for. “We fought. We both were tired and stressed out and said shit we didn’t mean. But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving.”

“I said you were like your dad, Billy. How can we come back from that?” Steve asked, not quite sure that this was actually happening.

“And I said you were too stupid for college, so we both fucked up. But Steve, you are the best thing. The absolute best thing to ever be mine, there’s no way I’m giving you up after one fight,” Billy sighed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before facing Steve again. “Do you remember the night we left for California?”

“Yeah, out by the quarry.”

It felt like a lifetime ago. It was only November now, but if someone told Steve a year had passed he’d believe it. He couldn’t recognize the person he’d been back then, so filled with hope for the future, not realizing how hard the real world was.

“You remember what you said? ‘Cause I do.” Billy was smiling now, through the tears, as he recited words Steve had long since forgotten about. “I don’t need plans, or money, or things. I just need you beside me and I’ll be okay.”

“Sounds pretty smart for 19, huh?”

“Smartest damn thing you’ve ever said, Steve,” Billy returned, taking both of Steve’s hands in his own. “This shit is hard, way harder than either of us thought, but we’re not gonna make it through if we don’t work together. If you’re working too hard, you’ll burn yourself out. Lean on me, okay?”

“You’re so stressed with school. I wanted to make it easier.”

“I only see you for five minutes before we go to bed anymore. I miss what we had before, when we were struggling to make rent but we were doing it together. Cut back on your hours, and I’ll pick some back up at the diner. It’s okay, it’s going to be okay,” Billy told him. “I only want to do this together, there’s no other way.”

Steve nodded, taking another gasping breath as the reality of the conversation hit him all at once. Billy was staying. Billy was staying. They had seen the worst of each other all in one night, and instead of running they were staying.

“Together,” Steve repeated under his breath, slipping one hand from Billy’s so he could rub the tears off of his face. “Okay, we can do it. Together.”

It still felt terrifying in ways Steve didn’t know that he could handle. There was so much to worry about, so many bills and struggles to work through. It felt impossible even glancing at the future ahead of him, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered because Billy had stayed, and Steve knew with that behind them, they could get through anything.

Together.

#harringrove #steve harrington #billy hargrove #stranger things #billy hargrove bingo #writes in theory

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vineofroses · 4 months

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Hello Redshirt!!!

Happy Nice Ass(k) Week!!! Couple of questions for you.

1. Why red shirt? Why not, like, purple shirt? What does it meeeeeean? (Have I already asked you this??)

2. Do you have a nickname you would like us to call you or should we keep calling you Red Shirt? What about Red?

3. What’s your favorite movie?

Thanks!! 🍋

oh three nice asks??? thank you so much lemon :)

i have answered this before but i don't remember who asked me so no worries!! Red Shirt is a reference to Star Trek. Star Trek was pretty much the first fandom I started reading fic for (besides Twilight in like, middle school lollllll). I loooooooove Star Trek and some of my favorite fics ever are under the Star Trek tag. I don't read much of it anymore, but i chose this name to sort of remember that's where I started, fandom-wise. ALSO -- in college, I started watching a lot of TV. That's probably where my love for TV came to be. One of the first major shows I watched was Lost, and in the first season, there's a whole monologue from Boone i think about red shirts as devices in storytelling which stemmed from Star Trek. I always loved that scene for some reason, even though I hadn't quite yet dove into Star Trek.

2. I'm glad you asked this because i wasn't sure how to bring up how i wanted to be referred to as since i'm not using my real name. I like Red. I literally have never had that nickname IRL, but I've always kinda loved that nickname when I came across it in media. i might eventually decide to use a real name at some point, idk. but Red is fine for now!!

3. My favorite movie is Mad Max: Fury Road. Before 2015, I could not answer this question. But then I went to the theater by myself to see this and was transformed into a different person. I have loved it ever since. If I ever found out someone hadn't seen it before, I dragged them to my apartment to watch it lol. literally brings me to tears every time. i sometimes find action movies boring on repeat viewings but Fury Road is so economical in its storytelling that it's never boring and you pick up on some many things on repeat viewings. it also helps that each action scene is choregraphed so well that it's almost a dance and it tells its own story within the fight itself. no two fight / action scenes are the same in Mad Max: Fury Road.

#nice ask game

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blondiest · 3 months

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also what about the wammy boys guilty pleasure movies that they'd never admit to anyone they watched?

GREAT QUESTION. honestly i think Mello is the only one that has enough shame to have something that truly fits into this category. Matt and Near will just fully outright admit to theirs. also, i somehow ended up answering this for TV shows instead of movies bc for some reason that just came more easily to me (SORRY LMAO). that being said:

Near: imo really enjoys romcoms and / or romantic dramas. actually, here, have a snippet to this effect:

Upon deciding to become serious about his efforts to woo Mello, Near— brilliant though he was— made the dubious decision to turn to the world of romantic comedies and dramas to inform his methodology. Such media was popular, and Near thought it stood to reason that the popularity was an indication that the movies and television shows he selected would educate him on the typical progression of healthy romantic relationships. He focused on media which involved enemies or rivals who became lovers, as that was the very situation he found himself in. After obtaining DVDs of everything which he needed— having coerced Roger into purchasing them for him— Near was uncertain where to begin, and thus selected a TV series at random.

The television show, Near found, was absolutely brilliant. It was, he thought, the finest piece of storytelling he had ever come across in his life. In reality, it was mediocre at best, but Near was so ecstatic at the possibility of hatred turning to love being depicted onscreen that he was rendered incapable of critical thinking. Even better than the plot— which was, again, middling— was the idea that it bestowed on Near.

He wasted no time in implementing his plan. In fact, he paused the television show before the scene even ended; if he had watched the entire thing, he would have learned that the method which he was about to employ failed catastrophically and resulted in another five episodes of will-they-won't-they nonsense. Clueless to the fact that the action he was about to take was not endorsed even by the twisted minds responsible for his new favorite show, Near sought Mello out and asked to speak with him alone.

Mello: secret affinity for soap operas. when he's younger he would not admit this under threat of torture; by the time he's 25, he will literally remind Matt and Near that they need to stop playing Kirby Air Ride by 4PM because that's when his show comes on. i think it's charming if he got into telenovelas specifically during his time in Los Angeles; at first maybe he would tell himself it was just to unwind and practice his Spanish a little extra (not like he truly needs to) but he is for real deeply invested. since this doesn't answer your real question, i'll say i think he also (post-kira) really likes it's a wonderful life (for the second-chance sort of narrative etc) but he won't watch it with anyone bc it makes his eyes water very slightly for reasons he would rather not examine or unpack.

Matt: soap operas, too, but more than that, reality TV. i also think Matt would enjoy bad Hallmark movies, not necessarily in a fully sincere way but not in a purely ironic way, either. he knows they're stupid but for real finds them fun and entertaining. i think he has no problem admitting all of these.

#asks #meronia #mello death note #near death note #matt death note

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m-luce · 2 years

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Storytelling through color in Andor

Andor so far is a triumphant specimen of visual storytelling. Michael Wilkinson’s costumes are not only a treat to behold but utilize thoughtful details and inspired color pallets to deliver nuanced world building and character development. The use of color for storytelling is a quintessential element of Star Wars that goes all the way back to A New Hope and these first three episodes left me excited to see where Michael Wilkinson will take it.

I came to Andor with an open heart and middling expectations. Somewhere around three quarters into the first episode could feel it getting its hooks in deep. I wouldn't call it a gem by every metric, I was not for example riveted by the drama and found some of the writing choices a bit disappointing. however these are things for someone who is less of a glutton for eye candy than I am to dwell on.

Andor goes beyond eye candy, it is more of a full on visual feast. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for American Hustle (a deep dive into style of the seventies is probably an excellent primer for star wars costume design.) This show is taking its costumes seriously. Which it announces up front in a scene in which we are introduced to the central antagonist.

One of the reasons this excites me is that it feels refreshing. In the recent TV shows some of the visual choices have seemed lazy, like the Moncalamari in a cable knit in season two of The mandalorian or incongruous like the cyborg street gang in Book of Boba Fett. In interviews Michael Wilkinson has said that with each project he likes to improve on what has been done before and push the envelope a bit. Looking at Andor in the context of post Disney Star Wars I would call it a success on this front.

The level of care and attention to detail with the costumes render a result that is much more than visually pleasing. These elements lead the character development and world building. Syril Karn altering his uniform is an illustration of his character's contradictions. His veal for conformity sets him apart. He is so committed to his uniform that he takes it upon himself to make improvements resulting in individuality over uniformity. This choice foreshadows future ill fated choices when through his determination to value the lives of his colleagues he sends a dozen of them to their deaths.

On Ferrix we see a more motley representation of industry, unlike in Kanobe which showed us the process of meat cutting in near entirety, we only get a few brief shots of people at work but everything about their clothing, how they wear their clothing and the condition of their clothing suggests labor.

Many residents of Ferrix seem to be dressed in various company logos and uniforms, these serve to underline connections between characters like Bix and Timm. The clothing of other residents point to cultural elements within the society, we see for example several women dressed in head to toe blue with blue head coverings, It is also the only place we see nonhumans, suggesting a more diverse and open society.

When we are following the kids on Kenari who we find out are orphans of a mining accident through the forest they are wearing the remnants of work clothes that are far too big for them, made for adults and we can imagine once worn by their parents.

Many elements on their clothing seem to be mended or repurposed suggesting that the kids have been left to their own devices for a while. It is not only these details that are telling the story through the costumes of the charters but on a more elemental level the story is being told through color. Using a color pallet in this way is an essential element of the original series. In a New Hope Darth Vader's first confrontation with Princes Leia literally spells out the conflicts in black and white. The tension of Luke’s confrontation with the emperor in Return of the Jedi is amplified by Luke wearing black. Blue lightsabers have denoted youthful aspiration while green has signaled spiritual growth and maturity, yoda, luke's return of the jedi lightsaber and also Qi Gon’s lightsaber.

In Andor the Pallet is much more varied, with layers of rust, okra, mass, deep plumb and dark cherry. The colors are linked to people and places. From the lighting in the brothel on Morlana 1 to the Preox-Morlana corporate interiors everything adheres to a palette of blue and orange.

In the forest of Kenari the children are surrounded by green. The poisonous gas is yellow as are the faces of the poisoned crew members. Much of what the children on Kenari are wearing is lime, okra and chartreuse; green tinged with yellow, possibly alluding to the poisoning of their world.

Adult Cassian isn't wearing green but all of the people in his cercle are with the exception of Maarva.

when we see Maarva in flashbacks wearing brilliant red that is echoed in her droid and the head band of her partner but is not seen on any other speaking characters. In present Marrva’s red has deepened.

Cassian is not dressed in black but he is wearing the darkest hues of anyone on screen so far.

The colors are clearly linked to people and places but whether they will be linked to larger ideas remains to be seen as the series continues. Michael Wilkinson has used color as a narrative tool in other projects. In an interview about the costumes for Jingle Jangle Michael Wilkinson talked about draining the color out of a character's clothing to convey a loss of hope and vibrancy. Coming to Star Wars, which has a long history of leaning into symbolic color as a storytelling device, I am intrigued by what choices Michael Wilkinson will make and hungry to see more.

and I want this vest!

#star wars #andor #andor spoilers #micheal wilkinson #costume design #costume details #cassian andor #costume #the mandalorian #book of boba fett #fashion #design #Character Design #starwars #Clone Wars

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tenpintsof-sundrop · 4 months

Note

Favorite writing song/artist/album of this year and a fic you didn’t expect to write this year from the list you reblogged?

End Of The Year Fanfic Asks (send me some???)

oooh yay!!! thank you for sending me some (even if I am a bit late answering them)

13. Favourite writing song/artist/album of this year?

So - I am going to assume that this means music that you enjoyed listening to while writing or music that inspired your fics?

I don't usually listen to music while writing fics, because I like to clear my head of all distractions during the actual writing process. But usually while I am thinking of ideas or getting in the mood to write a specific fic, then I will definitely curate songs for it. Or sometimes, if I am just listening to a random playlist, then a song that comes on will give me an idea for a fic and inspire me.

And like 80% of my fics are titled after songs, so I love using song lyrics as inspiration and using song motifs and imagery when writing fics.

This year, the album The Jaws of Life by Pierce The Veil was literally top notch for me.

I also really loved So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy, but surprisingly - The Jaws of Life inspired way more fics for me. It came out in February of 2023 and actually - while I did have the middle school emo phase and the emo trinity has always been sacred to me, I didn't start listening to Pierce The Veil actively until I was in my 20s. Which is fucking wild.

But upon hearing the single from this album, Emergency Contact, I fucking fell in love with it - and it was one of the main inspirations for this Jason Todd fic, which I think is one of the greatest fics I have ever written. And the sequel is going to be titled The Jaws of Life - which is another song off the album and I am so excited about how both song titles suit the fics so well.

And there is several other fics I have named after songs off this album (I could have easily named a fic after each song off the album cause I love it so much, but I was trying to use restraint) - Shared Trauma (Gar Logan x Reader), and Damn The Man, Save The Empire (Vanessa Shelly x Reader). And because I was listening to more Pierce The Veil in general, this fic got its title - King For A Day.

I highly, highly recommend the album if you are looking for some fanfic inspiration - or just something good to listen to.

14. A fic you didn't expect to write:

Okay so - this could have a few different answers. Because I absolutely was not expecting to randomly get back into Harry Potter, have another hardcore fixation with it, and end up writing fics for it in the year 2023.

But something I absolutely did not expect - to be writing Spencer Reid fanfiction. Writing the Lessons For A Genius oneshot (and it's follow up, especially so quickly) - I was shocked with myself, because I thought that the first CM fic I ever wrote would be my last.

Idk how many of the people reading this were following me in 2021, but I wrote and posted my first ever Criminal Minds fanfic back then - and mentally, as an artist, it was one of the wildest fanfiction experiences I have ever had.

Burn The Witch - my feelings about it are almost indescribable.

I often have these fics that I call 'mutated oneshots'. Fics that started out as a oneshot, that were always intended to be a oneshot (around 20k) that end up having these mutations and growths - some scenes need more shading in, the emotional arcs of the characters need more time to be fully informed, and while in my head, it is still fully a oneshot, it's now at 40k and I know nobody is going to read that in one sitting in a digestable way. So I have to break it up into parts and I hate doing that because it was never intended to be a series.

It's more like a movie that is getting commercial breaks when you put it on TV (and I think of a writing a series like an episode style TV show).

Some examples of these mutated oneshots are - You Shook Me All Night Long (intended to be one short part, ended up as four parts with a bonus blurb series). No Place Like Home is a huge one - meant to be a oneshot, then in my head it turned into a three shot - ended up as seven fucking parts and currently it's the longest thing I have written, sitting at 90k. I'm Still Standing is another good example.

And it gets even worse, because when I split things up into parts, I'm like "I can add a bit more to this chapter, because maybe I want the mood of the chapter to be a certain way, or I wanna frame the ending of the chapter a certain way so the audience is left with something cool" - and then that adds on like 5k more in a hot minute.

So - how does this affect my feelings about Burn The Witch and Criminal Minds fanfics overall?

Burn The Witch was supposed to be a short, smutty oneshot. That is it. But in the finished version, the sex scene and the smutty themes fall so far into the background - because this turned into an emotional casefic. This fic got so far away from me, and I drove myself insane while writing it, because I wanted to 'hold back', but then I couldn't. And I thought the dark and gory elements were some of the best things I have ever written - but it was received as a flop when I first posted it.

And when I posted it on Tumblr, the chapter with the smut scene in it was the one that always consistently got the most likes - even though it's a chapter in the middle of the story. So I could tell that even though I slaved over making the whole fic consistently very good, as a whole, well-rounded story, a lot of people were only reading one chapter in the middle of it for smut, and that's it. And that made me really upset.

(Like if you want a oneshot for smut, just go find one. It made me regret even labelling it as 'the smut chapter'.)

And just the pure mental and emotional exhaustion I went through to get such little return from the readers - I vowed that I was probably never going to write a Criminal Minds fic ever again.

And I have so many ideas for a sequel to Burn The Witch, but I think if I actually try plotting it all out and writing it and make it how I envision it - it will put me in a mental asylum, because it will end up being like 100k and I don't know if I can write it how I envision it being. Or if I will go crazy in the process.

So generally, I have such a love/hate relationship with writing Criminal Minds fanfics. I think they're fun and I think they can turn out so good, but the readers can be so picky and demanding in that fandom specifically. So I often like to steer clear unless a particular idea is just haunting me. Which is why I am surprised that I ended up writing more for CM this year.

#anonymous #sundrop answers #about me #music #pierce the veil #jason todd x reader #vanessa shelly x reader #spencer reid x reader #ask game

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biitchcakes · 3 months

Text

@gammaragee asked: 🎥 - What’s your favourite tv show/movie? // ( accepting )

Okay, strap in ⸺ this is gonna get long I can feel it in my bones HGFDSGK I cannot. . . not talk about both of these things in a stupid amount of detail. I'm literally gonna just go ahead and stick the keep reading here.

Favourite shows ! I'll start off with SCRUBS. Oh, how I adore this show with every fibre of my being. My stepdad, someone pretty important to me, worked in the emergency room, and actually started his internship within a year of Scrubs beginning. So, watching it with him meant it was always going to cement itself into a special corner of my heart, but even with that aside ⸺ the show is just damn good. It's hilarious, it's heart wrenching, it's got a killer soundtrack each and every season. The characters feel so real, no matter how goofy they or the situations their in are at times.

I simply just think of the episode My Screw Up or My Fallen Idol and I feel a pit in my gut, I tear up. Everyone always brings those episodes up when talking about Scrubs, but there's a reason for that. MAN it's some good T.V. I hardly ever listen to podcasts, but the Scrubs rewatch podcast was one I tuned in for.

The way J.D. sees the world, his little fantasy cutaways, his rambles ⸺ hate to relate to the man LOL but boy does that hit home here. I was thinking about including a favourite scene but I couldn't. The whole show is just everything.

Next up: SUPERNATURAL. Man. I actually haven't seen much of the show past season nine. And even then, I haven't watched seasons 8 or 9 since they came out about ten years ago. And there's 15 seasons in total. That said, the first five seasons of that show. . . Holy hell. I can't begin to get into the way that show makes me feel 😭 It's so nostalgic, it's like coming home after a long time away. My one and only tattoo ( so far lmao ) is from that show. I know it can be cheesy at times, but that adds to its charm for me. I love how of it's time the first few seasons are.

The visuals of it, it's so aesthetically beautiful. And God, when the emotional scenes hit. . . they HIT. They punch through to the depths of my very soul.

There are things about both the brothers I find relatable. They're comforting to me, they're like family.

Last but certainly not least, THE GOOD PLACE. I nearly didn't watch this one. I got into it around the middle of seasons three, but I only knew the premise of "woman who should be in hell ends up in heaven by mistake". Which, if you've watched to show, you know is definitely not the only thing that happens DHGKSJ

I won't go into detail because I always want to avoid spoilers about it where I can because the twists the plot takes throughout the seasons are a lot of fun to experience first hand. And, even if you do know, the show is still super worth it. It sent me down my own philosophy rabbit hole for months. Already interested in it before, I've kept up on it since, I watch lectures whenever they pop up.

The finale. . . UUGGHGKSJDHGKS. One of the best on television. That show fundamentally changed me. I am chronically bad at finishing things, but I have finished both Scrubs and the Good Place. Boy am I glad I have. Best finales ever.

Alright this got away from me very quickly HGSDJK

I'll be brief here fhdskjfds so MOVIES ⸺ my top 7 are:

Willow

Meet the Robinsons

Shawshank Redemption

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Stardust

Here is my LETTERBOXD account.

A list of MY FAVOURITE FILMS.

( bonus ⸺ here are my favourite horror movies, as well as my ranking for animated Disney movies; I'm currently working on a list of Jessica's favourite movies for a post on here at some point. )

#i am so co-dependent on my media i know LOL #my deepest apologies this is the wordiest of the lot today😭#i just love my shows and movies 🥺#( o o c . )#gammaragee

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odetoviscera · 1 year

Text

Liveblogging Mission: Impossible, I Guess

alright let’s start with FOR THE RECORD this is ENTIRELY the fault of @leupagus, who always does this to me, i swear to god i have been onboarded to more media by this villain (affectionate)’s posts than any other, so goddamnit it here we go MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE I GUESS

I GOT A PARAMOUNT+ SUBSCRIPTION FOR THIS AND BY GOD I’M GONNA BLOG ABOUT IT

warning: liveblogging below.

FIRST MOVIE. 1996. I AM SIX YEARS OLD. I DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM CONTEMPORANEOUSLY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. i have a vague memory of watching it at some point in my teens, but remember almost nothing except a vague impression of like. A Claustrophobic Hallway. might not be from this movie. i’ll call it out if it’s real!

OH my god the paramount military drum roll is alternating left and right channel in my headphones. brain is flustered. inauspicious beginning.

(dead prostitute even less auspicious beginning.)

(undead prostitute/agent?)

ah I see they are spying on Russian Rocky Balboa and the (un)dead prostitute is a plant.

OH Tom Cruise is the cleaner, I was wondering why he wasn’t in the room with all the surveillance equipment. hang on, did MI INVENT the Suspiciously Lifelike Plastic Mask Gag? also yes that was the least horrific screengrab i could manage.

so undead prostitute and Mr. Cruise clearly have Chemistry. I do sort of wish undead prostitute’s first lines had not been in a ridiculous baby voice lol.

OPENING CREDITS. god, that was the logo? very b-average middle school powerpoint presentation. wait, tom cruise was a producer on this? on the FIRST one? damn, this really is the man’s anchor franchise.

these opening credits have TV Show vibes-- you know, “here’s a bunch of split-second clips of future episodes” except all for one movie. which is... oh right, movies used to be under 2 hours.

is this how we did movies on flights back in the day? a stewardess walks around with a tray of cassettes like she’s shilling the in-flight snacks??? nowadays to pull this stunt you’d have to have a coded conversation with a chatbot and convince it you know which squares contain stop signs before it would deliver your self-destructing message.

also the contrasting formality of codewords and passphrases and top-secret clearances and shit (displayed where any passing passenger could see it walking to the bathroom MY GUY WHERE IS YOUR OPSEC)-- paired with the Voice On The Radio calling mr. phelps JIM several times is kind of wild. everything is simultaneously deadly serious national security threat and “two dads discussing their respective divorces at a barbeque”. also i can’t tell them apart yet and their hair is too similar, which of these lady agents is undead prostitute and is it claire, jim’s wife (which, btw, seems like a conflict of interest) bc if so the divorce thing may be more literal, tom “ethan hunt” cruise was getting pretty soft-boy handsy with her face

mid-briefing YEP UNDEAD PROSTITUTE IS THE WIFE, also in person it’s very clear how much younger she is than jim, wonder how that relationship came about. also also SEEDS OF SUSPICION sown about why jim is always swanning off on “recruiting assignments” and the team doesn’t know where he is during these times. also maybe i’m paranoid I DID READ THE POSTS @leupagus

"if they're exposed, they'll be executed." bit of a buzzkill there jim

so much intra-team flirting! you’d think that would be counter-regulations but i guess jim is married to one of his operatives so the rules must be pretty lax lol

okay no mr. hacker/the team q making ethan a stick of EXPLOSIVE GUM when ethan has been chewing gum this ENTIRE set of scenes during the planning of the op-- that is a piss-take, lol. that is a loving piss-take. this is “here you dumb bastard i made something in your colour” energy. JUST DON’T CHEW IT. i’m love them. i know they die and i will be upset about it.

the first-person perspective is fascinating film-making. (obviously i, obsessive video game nerd, am making immediate parallels to video games that won’t come out for another half decade or so, lol.) this feels so disjointed and claustrophobic, though-- it’s a narrower FOV than you usually see in a first-person perspective, and we don’t have any of his peripheral vision. being trapped in ethan’s head (or more correctly, i suppose, in the camera on his glasses) seeing only what’s in his field of vision for these scenes is making me overanalyze everything lol. i feel like half the guests are staring at him.

oop, meanwhile jack is fighting elevators. i worry for my boy. i have known him five minutes. i should not have learned he had a name other than “mr. hacker” now i’m invested.

dslkfhas;ldkfhas;lkh stop roasting him ethan he’s in an elevator shaft! on a 1996 laptop!

elevator/spy tetris

oh my god this mark had a FLOPPY DISK on his person. the 90s were insane.

The Flirting Continues

ah, the classic Lover’s Embrace Distraction. kind of interesting to see this done with sarah, who is NOT ethan's flirtatious love interest (that's claire; sarah has something maybe going somewhere someday with jack, hypothetically) honestly it kind of reinforces that this is very much just an "it's part of my day job" move for them, i like it. and they both move into it very fluidly, without discussion or hesitation-- it's a standard play.

oh noooo jack. “i don’t have control” says jim, man who just had control. HMM I HAVE DOUBTS YOU ASSHOLE. :(((

…hang on, is the drunk laughing couple the pair i clocked staring at ethan earlier in the night or am i hallucinating bc i can’t tell actors apart

ooooh, ethan’s going off book. admittedly the book is bad but still, bad form.

“they’re covering this frequency, cut all radio communication” mmkay except what’s your evidence of that, bc we’ve seen nothing to indicate that’s the case-- jack was killed where he was supposed to be during the whole op, and you could have been spotted and shadowed from the safehouse. none of that had to be gleaned from radio communications

Convenient Les Miz River Death. also the angle on that gun ethan saw in his little camera watch was pretty sus, but he's under a lot of stress, so i won't hold it against him for not noticing.

ethan, babe, how you gonna call an abort right after ignoring an abort, of course she’s not listening to you. (however, heartbreaking: the tiny little “god!” when he takes off running back to sarah. guy is having the worst night of his life and it’s just getting started.)

WELL THERE GOES CLAIRE AND HANNAH

sarah's still following the mark so i assume she was too far away to hear that. and i KNEW there was something shifty with the drunk couple

damn the mark is getting got too. aaaand finally sarah. full house.

EVERYBODY got fucked on this op

kdfjal;skdhf;lakh god idk if i’m even supposed to trust the nice calm voice on the phone (Kittridge) like my dude ethan is focused on relaying the vital intel (little bit of shouting but the circumstances are, admittedly, DIRE AS FUCK) and you’re using your soothing kindergarten voice.

“one hour, i’ll be there myself” BITCH? HOW? YES ETHAN EXACTLY THE FUCK, WHY IS THIS GUY IN PRAGUE??? SUSPICIONS RAISED AGAIN

aquarium diner is kind of out of place/distinctive here. like, cool location, but damn, not what i’d call inconspicuous.

i think the shock is setting in, ethan’s walking like he’s half-dead already and so far the worst that’s happened to him physically is Running A Lot.

oooh, ethan spotted something. OH OKAY the drunk pair and the embassy pair were two differently suspicious pairs lol.

extreme dutch angle on kittridge. spooky boy. not the first dutch angle we've seen so far, even in this scene, but definitely the one i've noticed the most.

oof. whole team died for Nothing. ethan’s resistance to aborting the mission was AT LEAST partly predicated on the threat that had been presented-- literally dozens, if not hundreds, of lives directly in the crosshairs if that list got out. and it’s fucking. Nothing. and as far as ethan can possibly know at this point, the only reason the WHOLE team got wiped out is that he ignored the abort. sarah, at least, he could have hypothetically saved by keeping her with him instead of sending her after the mark.

“dying slowly in america, after all, can be a very expensive proposition.” BITCH. MURDER HIM ETHAN. SET THIS WHOLE PLACE ON FIRE. anyway, this was in 1996, nice to see capitalism hasn’t improved at all in nearly thirty years. doing great. oh the explosive gum, YES BABE, jack’s last gift to you! blow a bitch up!

“kittridge, you’ve never seen me very upset” ooooh the VENOM. ethan has been kind of a kitten so far-- soft boy, very few stunts actually! kind of a jokes boy! he’s a PERFORMANCE ARTIST, his role has been Wear The Mask and play a specific part. he is, in leverage terms, the SOPHIE, not the eliot. we have not actually seen a SINGLE instance of real violence from him yet-- even taking out Russian Rocky Balboa was with a drugged drink that sarah delivered.

alright admittedly blowing up the aquarium was probably the better move but i would have liked to see kittridge get it in the face

also holy FUCK ethan can run

now here's a logistical question: does this count as an Ethan Stunt? bc so far he hasn't done any of the characteristic No One Else Would Do This shit that is famously his hallmark. i don't think this does count, honestly-- it's fairly low stakes by the standards of an Ethan Stunt, and although obviously the fish are gonna be upset about it, the overall risk to ethan himself is not high. worst case scenario if he couldn't outrun the flood was getting arrested. i'm gonna call this Typical Spy Nonsense unless someone can convince me otherwise.

listen i know all this counter-espionage shit like crunching the lightbulb to make a broken glass noise trap and unscrewing the hall light is shit he was taught in Spy School however i would like to forward that my IMMEDIATE thought whenever he does something clever is just OH MY BOY IS SO SMART

i have trauma-bonded with ethan hunt. it took exactly half an hour. goddamn it, i get it now @leupagus

And Now He Has A Gun, let’s see if he uses it.

okay the emergency money not being in the safehouse is another dick move by jim.

job 314… job 3:14?

OH MY GOD IT IS

seriously is this what the internet was like in 1996. i was an aol kid, i missed the usenet era, but i also don’t trust hollywood to know what the internet was like lol

MY BOY IS SO SMART

although doing all this in what must be the compromised safe house maybe is less so

here begin the PTSD Nightmares

oh shit! claire’s not dead! alright maybe the gun wasn’t such a great addition to the inventory lol although i’ll given ethan points for what looks, to my very untrained eyes, like a pretty solid firing posture. maybe got his elbows locked a little but he’s Stressed.

the Aggressively Sexual Frisking i could do without. very 90s though lol, and i will forgive ethan’s behaviour bc he’s having a Very bad night and claire’s shock isn’t helping with his justifiable paranoia. STILL. BE BETTER.

claire still using that baby voice. ma’am please speak with your whole chest, you sound like a toddler, i can’t take you seriously.

Spy Shenanigans ahead. back in ethan’s limited POV for a bit! i like the framing on the pickup car responding to the match.

ooh, max is a maxine.

dutch angle on max. they like that technique a lot. and a very tight framing.

fkjha;djfh;lksh MA’AM. you haven’t even CLEANED THE BLOOD OFF, you’re gonna gunk up your disk reader

imf sure is efficient-- okay no i love the cleaning lady just “fuck it, i keep vacuuming”

Fucking Kittridge. this man has the most smarmy affect upon this earth outside of an actual british butler in a murder mystery. also what looks like an extremely fake tan. hate his guts. wish him death.

ethan has been 100% Manic Grin at max since the mask came off and i am not sure how much of that is a front and how much is ethan running at 100% capacity on 10% fuel. let this man have a nap.

lol max likes him. he’s Charmed her. “aggressive, but playful” is her type lol.

god are claire and ethan STILL staying in the safehouse? i mean I GUESS at this point imf must not know the location but this still seems dicey.

i get the impression claire actually loved jim, which makes this whole setup Wild. The Chemistry is there with her and ethan, but clearly nothing has actually come of it at this point, and if/when it does, it will be totally justifiable bc she is, to her knowledge, A WIDOW. really played yourself there, jimbo.

oooh, they’re gonna hook up with other disavowed ex-spies. …however, i will observe that it seems ULTRA FUCKING STUPID to keep a list of the people you’ve explicitly decided to cut ties with??? isn’t the point of disavowing/burning an agent that they can’t be legally tied to your organization? imf competency varying wildly lol

damn, they’re getting fucking leon on the team lol. hang on i have to google something-- yes, leon: the professional came out two years before mission impossible, this joke works.

ethan as mission planner is Much ballsier than he was as a point man/Face lol

oh my god luther’s Hacker Names lol

luther the fact that you know this much about the system already suggests you’ve thought about it lol

ethan: i’m hiring you for an impossible job the team: no such thing ethan: Let Me Explain

luther looks like his hopes and dreams are crashing down around his ears during this security breakdown lol

Theme Music!

we love an Emergency Services Scam. big bulky costume and everybody’s in too much of a panic to think too clearly.

oop, krieger’s a loose cannon, lol. (leon!) guess ethan is still hoping to get his job back, doesn’t want to Kill Coworkers. understandable. holding out hope for an exception being made for kittridge.

i wondered if this vent crawl might count as the first proper Ethan Stunt, but krieger’s doing it with him, so i think it’s still on the side of “a comparatively sane operative would do this”.

sidebar, tom cruise in this glasses headset getup is giving me farscape john crichton vibes, which is baffling given john crichton does not wear glasses.

oh we TRAP the laser instead of turning it off. Clever.

krieger sneeze into your ELBOW my guy.

and this is the iconic Hanging From The Ceiling Scene! oh holy shit i didn’t realize krieger was there to HOLD ETHAN’S BODY WEIGHT, damn.

excellent treatment of the tension with the silent shot and only luther’s whispered warnings. ethan is remaining REMARKABLY phlegmatic.

holy shit this guy would be the most annoying officemate. i mean i know he’s been poisoned but still. get thee to a cubicle nowhere near me.

that flip! my boy is BALLETIC

OOOOH NO WHY ARE THERE MICE IN THE VENTS OF THIS SUPER SECURE AGENCY. MOUSE THEY GOT LASERS HERE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING

df;lakddf;laklsh;lk aaaand the slip

excellent handling of the tension again

legit how did ethan get his hand into position for this catch with so little space

KRIEGER YOU DUMB BITCH SECURE YOUR KNIFE

and now there actually is an evacuation! lol. back to the safehouse.

krieger is gonna be a problem if you don’t communicate, ethan. ah, yes, and here we see him proving me right. we know a bastard when we see one.

MY BOY. IS SO. SMART.

i’ll be surprised if we keep working with krieger lol he doesn’t seem like he takes an insult well

OH HO. DRAKE HOTEL IN THE GIDEON BIBLE. the penny drops.

oh, i think ethan’s suspicious of claire again. jim’s wife, after all.

oop! kiss! but is it legit or is it to throw him off his game?

man, no one play poker with ethan hunt.

��i’m not gonna let this get out in the open.” luther for best boy

oh my god kittridge you fuckwit

seriously ethan do a murder you’ve earned it

holy shit is that jim in the phone booth next to ethan???

IT IS

blaming kittridge. couldn’t throw a nicer asshole under the bus, lol

oh excellent touch with ethan envisioning it with the knowledge that it’s actually jim. doesn’t fall for it for a second, but plays along, and lets the audience in on it. we get to see exactly how smart ethan is, without a doubt, but jim doesn’t get clued in. smart, smart movie.

oh shit! krieger was the assassin on the op! i missed that completely

and now ethan's debating claire’s involvement with himself.

my poor boy looks like he’s gonna have a breakdown right here at the table

“you got a lousy marriage and 62 grand a year” first of all, bitch, your wife is extravagantly attractive and doesn’t seem to be an idiot or an asshole, your marriage is probably fine; second of all, in the year of any lord 2023, NEVERMIND in 1996 money, i would kill for 62 grand a year. shut the fuck up.

okay, jim keeping the secret from claire PROBABLY clears her

love ethan continuing to write to max with bible verses bc she thought it was fun the first time lol

tasteful fade to black lol

honestly why are they bothering with having the shade pulled down to hide jim’s face lol

dlfkahsd;lkfhas;lk max enjoys ethan SO MUCH lol. i am undecided on whether she wants him carnally but i suspect she wouldn’t complain if he suggested it

oh no! overly helpful train attendant gave the game away!

oooh, max is playing both sides. unsurprising lol

i’m here for claire’s Itty Bitty Skirt.

oh shit! she DOES know about jim! damn it claire, i believed in you! fortunately ethan is more suspicious than me lol

“having tasted the goods” fucking classy, jim

eyyyy! foiled by the camera glasses! can’t believe i have to be team kittridge. offensive.

well, there goes claire. and ethan still isn’t quite at full Action Man, so he gets the shit knocked out of him.

okay i think ethan climbing the back of a bullet train with no assistive devices is his actual first Ethan Stunt. this is where this shit starts to get beyond “spy shenanigans” and into “i have no time to plan and no one else to rely on, so my improvisation is the WILDEST SHIT YOU’VE EVER IMAGINED”

fkha;ldkfha;lskhdl;kh he never did actually use that gun outside of pointing it at claire Once or perform any other acts of violence, so ethan’s first confirmed attempted murder is tying a helicopter to a train to fuck kreiger. of course.

the gum again! ethan did jack give you a whole PACK of that. also i’d like to point out that, while the circumstances are certainly warranting it-- he hasn’t got his hands free, he’s holding on to a helicopter-- when jack first presents ethan with the explosive gum, ethan handles it like it is a Very Delicate Grenade, and now he’s pulling it out of the packaging with his teeth. we are definitely past ethan caring much about his personal safety.

ethan legit came like. two inches from death.

wonder if luther’s gonna get reinstated for his part in this stunt

sounds like yes!

aaaand the chatbot stewardess is back and not taking no for an answer. guess ethan doesn't get to retire after all.

-----

ALRIGHT. LIVEBLOG COMPLETE. Claustrophobic Hallway never appeared, although there was a generally claustrophobic feeling to the whole film due to the very tight shots sometimes. i was haunted by the vague sense that i should know more about this movie than i did, lol.

in summary: ethan hunt is such a good boy and he is having SUCH A BAD TIME. literally at the end of his harrowing revenge/name-clearing adventure he just gets on a plane to england-- maybe back to those london apartments he liked? seems like it would have bad memories now, which has some interesting implications for how ethan deals with his traumas, namely “go roll around in them for a while and see if they start to feel comfortable instead of horrifying”. he’s so disillusioned with the whole pack of them that the tells luther he can’t imagine why he’d be doing it if he went back, and promises to remember luther as “disreputable”.

something i noticed while going back to get some screengrabs to illustrate a few of these points-- in the team briefing, the whole team is never framed together around the table. in fact, i believe this is the only time we’ll even see them all in the same frame. in the opening shots, sarah is on the other side of the room, pulling the shade down. claire is sitting next to ethan, and ALWAYS finds a way to be very close to ethan outside of the actual operations, which leads me to wonder how much of the Chemistry™ was being manufactured even this early on (and, by extension, earlier than the film shows us.) also poor hannah gets almost no job on this op and almost no characterization in this movie. they could have cut her out entirely and nothing would have been lost.

also in retrospect there were more clues about claire’s culpability-- she tells ethan later (during the Aggressively Sexual Frisking) that she walked away when the abort was called, but we SAW HER sitting in the car, watching ethan speedwalk past her with a frown, after she said she had already complied with that order. ethan says this when he's holding her at gunpoint, and she never actually produces a compelling explanation, she just kind of hustles us all past that by getting teary-eyed! excellent manipulation! she already knew the plan at that point, and presumably if ethan had complied with the command to abort the mission, he would have been somewhere else that claire and jim had predicted he’d be for their frame job to work. possibly claire’s Wiles would have come into things at some point there, instead of the 4am Frisk that ended up happening.

also also not to be "ethan hunt is feminine-coded" on main, but ethan hunt has quite a few Cinematically Feminine traits, especially in this action spy genre. he is the subject of violence, not the performer of it. he runs AWAY from confrontations instead of engaging them. his most successful grifts are Conversations and Disguises, and he mostly uses those tools to de-escalate. claire tells him how many bullets he has for his TWO GUNS at one point, and he never fires a single one. he is blind-folded, taken to the villain's lair, charms the villain with his good looks and witty banter. his one moment of really Macho Aggression is in a panic after a PTSD nightmare, is ultimately defused, and never recurs. will be interested to see how this develops in further films.

10/10, if ethan hunt was a dog he would be a border collie.

#will tag all of these with #ODE TO IMPOSSIBLE #so that my unfortunate followers can blacklist this saga if they so desire lol #mission: impossible

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awwyeah107 · 5 months

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Forays Into Fandom

I felt it would be appropriate for one of my first posts on Tumblr to be about fandoms, and I’ve had this bouncing around in my head for a little while, so I wanted to share it. Basically, it’s my timeline of discovering fandoms and hyperfixations on media as well as some thoughts on my experiences with fandom recently. Also, heads up, it’s pretty long XD

One day, when I was 8 years old, I was at over at my best friend’s house and found a book with an orange cat on the front of it. I was intrigued, and I asked to borrow it. From the very first page, I was captivated.

Thus, I was introduced to my first real fandom: Warriors (aka Warrior cats).

And the rest is history.

Over the years since then, I’ve had the joy of discovering many more fandoms. I was in many fandoms before I knew what the term was, and I wrote fanfiction and drew fan art before I was aware that those were things other people did.

Around the time I first found Warriors, I started discovering more fandoms, most of which were book-based and of the fantasy fiction genre. This kicked off what one might call my “fantasy phase,” which I would say is still technically going. Back when it started, however, it was marked by devouring any and all (mostly) age-appropriate fantasy books. As I said, I don’t think my fantasy phase ever stopped. But that time of my life was when my love for all things magical and mythical came alive. My tweens brought more fandoms, including bigger/more well-known fandoms like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as smaller fandoms like the Books of Beginning, the Land of Stories series, and Michael Vey.

The next major milestone in my fandom life came when I started watching the TV show Once Upon A Time. OUAT was the first fandom TV show I ever seriously watched, and it introduced me to my first OTP: Captainswan. I don’t think I have ever fangirled harder over a fictional couple nor shipped characters more intensely. I literally put their wedding anniversary (the date their wedding episode aired, that is) on my Google Calendar: May 7th, 2017. I love Once Upon A Time so much; I love how hopeful it is, I love the fantasy elements, and I love the characters and their relationships.

Then, my Tolkien hyperfixation started when I went to go see The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in theater. It was my first Tolkien movie, and although people often criticize The Hobbit movies (myself among them), I will always be grateful for that film. It drew me into Middle-Earth and kept me spellbound throughout the entire movie. I had read The Hobbit when I was younger, for a book club, so I was generally familiar with the story: I knew Bilbo and the dwarves journeyed to Erebor to take back the mountain from the dragon Smaug. Despite the changes in storyline that they made for the movie, I was able to follow along enough to enjoy it. This led me to watch the other Hobbit movies and some behind-the-scenes/making of videos.

Right around the time I started watching Once Upon a Time and saw The Battle of the Five Armies, my mom started letting me use her Pinterest account (and then shortly thereafter, she let me create my own). Pinterest was my gateway into social media, and more importantly in this case, fandom media. I knew Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook existed, but I didn’t know of Tumblr until Pinterest. I was surprised and delighted to find that people posted online about books, TV shows, and movies that I enjoyed. Tumblr posts on Pinterests were how I learned of the term “fandom” in the first place. They were how I learned of the “golden age of Tumblr,” of SuperWhoLock, of iconic Tumblr posts (e.g., none pizza with left beef), and of fandom overall.

This marked another turn: I stumbled across a piece of fanfiction. And I was enthralled. Most of my reading was Hobbit and Captainswan fanfics. However, I felt quite guilty for reading it, because my parents had told me that I shouldn’t browse any websites they hadn’t approved first. I didn’t ask them because I was scared they would say no, since they didn’t know what it was. So although I enjoyed reading fanfiction, I felt like I had to hide it from my family. Finally, after two weeks of summer camp and vacation where I didn’t have access to any electronic devices that I could read fanfiction on, the habit was broken, and I stopped reading fanfiction. However, I dreamed that perhaps one day, I could admit what I had done to my parents and I could read fanfiction again. (More on this later.)

Because I needed something to fill the gap that fanfiction left, I decided to dive into Tolkien’s stories. I read Lord of the Rings and then took on The Silmarillion. Those took me into my freshman year of high school, along with Marvel movies—I started watching those with some of my friends, and Marvel was one of my top hyperfixations for quite a while. I also discovered a few other fandoms in high school that I really enjoyed: two of the more well-known ones would be Fablehaven and The Selection (the latter was my first taste of a romance-focused series). I was still an avid Once Upon a Time fan, though my hyperfixation on it waned when season 7 aired (I didn’t watch past the first couple of episodes because the majority of the main cast was gone and the overall story was different).

In late high school, after Once Upon a Time had finally ended and my Marvel hyperfixation started dying down, I began watching Doctor Who. I had always thought the show sounded interesting, but it wasn’t until a friend of mine insisted I sit down and watch the first couple episodes with her that I decided I wanted to watch it. (I have never, ever watched a show for which I have gotten SO many spoilers. Never. Most of that was definitely my own fault, because I had seen lots of SuperWhoLock content on Pinterest and I wasn’t super careful about avoiding spoilers once I started watching the show, but occasionally I would just run into something on social media or a friend would tell me something. I still haven’t fully caught up on the show, lol.)

When I started college, I found a roommate who, among the many amazing things about her, shared a love of fandoms with me. We had a lot of big fandoms in common, but also some smaller or less-known ones too. Because of this, we have had tons of discussions about different fandoms, watched TV shows and movies together, and freaked out about new announcements concerning fandoms. To this day we still do those things; we’ve been sending each other stuff about the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series, and we watched the first two Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials together.

Another turning point came when I discovered the band Greta Van Fleet in 2021. Before this, I had enjoyed different bands, but I had never really found a favorite band, so to speak: one where I liked all the songs, where I knew all the members’ names, where I kept up to date with their tours, where I watched interviews with the band, where I knew lots of background info about the band, etc. Most times, I heard a few songs from a band and went “They’re cool, but I’m not hooked.” This time was different. I really liked their first song I heard, Talk On the Street, so I decided to check them out. I listened to their songs and thought, wow. Their songs match my taste in music SO well! I was like “YES, I’ve found a band that plays the exact kind of music I like to hear!”. Another reason I liked the band was that the songs were not all about drinking, drugs, and sex. Most of them were about other, more philosophical things, without any loss of rock ‘n roll. This, I would say, is really where music and fandom collided for me. A band fandom (“banddom”?) definitely feels different than a media/fiction-focused fandom, because these are real people, and as such, I’ve drawn different boundaries in terms of how I engage with it. My hyperfixation on Greta Van Fleet has calmed down a bit, but they still have a very special place in my heart.

My newest fandoms are Inkheart and Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows, which I discovered in 2022. Inkheart was one of the books that had been on my to-read list for forever, and I finally decided to read it. I absolutely loved it (and the sequels); the style really took me back to the start of my “fantasy phase” when I was younger. As for Shadow and Bone, one of my friends persuaded me to watch it, and one night when I didn’t have any schoolwork, I decided to watch a few episodes. After the third episode, I was invested enough that I had to finish the first season, and then I read the books before the next season came out. I hadn’t realized before what a large fandom the Six of Crows books had, but upon reading the books, I immediately understood why—the character arcs and relationships are so compelling, and the setting and plot aren’t what I would expect of the typical fantasy world in fiction. (Interestingly, Inkheart and Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows are the first two fandoms I have published fanfic for!)

Sometime during college, I started reading fanfiction again on and off. And I found myself comfortable with admitting to my parents/family that I used to read fanfiction, and that I read it now. I haven’t discussed it with them further, and still don’t really talk about it much (though sometimes I'll tell my sister about fics I’m reading). January 2023 saw me getting back into reading Tolkien fanfiction, especially Tolkien fanfiction. I found some of the old fanfics I had read during my first fanfiction era, and I felt like I was 14 again, reading the stories I had read back then. I reached out to one of the authors, and it gave me so much joy to tell this person, “Hey. I couldn’t tell you back then, but I read your stories years ago and they’re some of my favorite stories. Thank you.” I’ve kept reading Tolkien fanfiction since then, and weirdly enough, it prompted me to read The Silmarillion again (it was my third time through, and it was the easiest time I’ve had reading it by far). I’ve been in the grip of the Tolkien fandom all year, and I’m planning on sharing a “Fanfiction Wrapped” soon (well, it’s going to be a fic rec list, but now I’m thinking of doing a real Fanfiction Wrapped…lol) for my favorite Tolkien fics I’ve read this year, as well as the handful of fics for other fandoms I discovered in 2023. I’ve found so many great stories and wonderful authors this year, and I want other people to get to experience the joy of new stories and authors too. Plus I love finding fanfic rec lists, so I thought it would be fun to do a rec list of my own.

For so long, I didn’t realize how much of a community aspect there is to fandom—and I think that’s because my parents kept me safe from the internet. I understand that and I will always be grateful that they kept me protected from really nasty, dangerous things that are present on the internet. I don’t feel any resentment towards my parents for that whatsoever. But now, as an adult in my early 20s, I’ve discovered that I can make my own choices about the community side of fandom and how much I choose to participate in it. It’s still something I’m pretty tentative about, at least when it comes to posting publicly; I’m very aware that anything that is put on the internet may very well be there forever. Public Discord servers feel a bit more private, because you have to join them to see the conversations taking place there, but they’re still public. Especially at this point in time, internet safety and privacy is quite important. However, you can still have fun while being safe, so that’s what I’m hoping to do. I’ve created this blog, I’ve joined some public Discord servers for fandoms, and I’ve even posted fanfiction. I have no idea how much further I’ll go into the online world of fandoms and fandom community—or just into the world of internet interaction and posting in general—but I’m interested in seeing where the journey will take me.

And who knows, maybe there’s a kid (or teen, or young adult) out there like me, who is tentatively taking their first steps into fandom and figuring out what this is all about. If that’s you, hello! And if not, hello to you too!

At the start of the year, I discovered the song “Still Into You” by Paramore through a YouTube compilation of Hobbit TikToks. (Yes, I know, I’m literally 10 years late to the game on that song, lol.) But it made me think of all my fandoms that I’ve had hyperfixations on and that come up now and again, like the Tolkien fandom.

So, to my fandoms: after all this time, I’m still into you :)

#fandoms #my fandom journey #hyperfixations #Warrior cats #Once Upon A Time #Tolkien #Marvel #Doctor Who #Greta Van Fleet #banddoms #if that's even a word #Inkheart #Six of Crows #Shadow and Bone #Grishaverse #fanfiction #fandom community #discovering fandoms #to my fandoms: after all this time‚ I'm still into you

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sga-owns-my-soul · 8 months

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For the ask game A, C, F, H, U

ooh good ones! this one got a little long lmao whoops 😂

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

i'm obsessed with a mcshep queer platonic relationship (aroace!john and bisexual!rodney for the win tbh) and a ship i've been thinking about a LOT lately is ronon and woolsey idk why i just. idk that scene in the prodigal at the end where ronon is like 'i know it's not a mission but i made a report' and woolsey laughs at 'michael tried to invade the city. we stopped him. end report' BABES THEYRE SO CUTE

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

john/teyla. i just. i can't. the ONLY time i like it is ot4

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

19 years and counting babey!!!! i've been watching stargate since it came out (i was 6 years old!) and i've been a fan of it since i saw the first episode. fun fact i had a little "club house" in a small storage room in our basement when i was a kid and i PLASTERED the walls with art and posters that said "I LOVE _______" with all of the sga characters when i was like 7? 8? something like that?

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)?

i've been in fandoms for lots of different things but i think my favourite is probably tv shows/movies. i just love me some good cinema

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

absolute all time fav blorbo of forever is Doctor Rodney McKay PhD PhD he always has been he always will be forever and always he owns my heart. i love everything about him- he's smart, he's canadian, he's arrogant, he's hot, he's funny, he's competent, he's an asshole, he's selfless and heroic, he's literally everything. i'm actually genuinely in love with him i would give up my entire life if he asked me to zero hesitation no questions asked

i know it says three different fandoms but i'm also going with john sheppard even tho it's the same fandom bc those two are just so far above the rest in terms of being my fav characters that i can't not include him. john is a disaster human and i love him. i'm like, 95% sure my obsession with putting my friends first and making sure they're happy and comfortable (even at the detriment to my own happiness and comfort) above all else is because of john sheppard. he's selfless, he's reckless, he's charming, he's funny, he's smart, he's hot, he's perfect he's everything i'm obsessed.

and then last i'm gonna go with nick miller from new girl bc (no surprise) i have a Thing for grabage broken men. i fell in LOVE with nick when i was watching new girl for the first time he's such a fucking disaster he's a middle aged drunk who doesn't know what he's doing with his life for half the show and he's so FUCKING HOT IM OBSESSED god i just hnnnnng ugh he's everything honestly i love me a scruffy middle aged garbage man so good always

#thank you!!! these are so fun #i love ask games #always a good time #a good questions!!!#i love any excuse i get to talk about john and rodney so thank you #ask game #sga

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dhampiravidi · 11 months

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to those who have an issue w/drag (& tbh, queer/nonconforming people in general)

TL;DR: please don't follow me if you are the above. I'd be supporting ignorance. Here's my explanation.

Brief background (on me & my stance): I was born AFAB, to parents who, for most of my childhood, either took no stance or a liberal stance in conversations that became politicized/publicized by the media. My school didn't talk about politics until President Obama was elected (& ofc his election was seen as a historic, positive moment). Anyway, no one talked about sexuality, biological sex, or gender identity--all of which are different, sometimes overlapping topics.

Then my mom happened to have a young student who had 2 dads. I was confused. When they'd hug or kiss (nothing graphic, just regular couple stuff), I felt...weird. No, not aroused OR disgusted--I was maybe 8 at the time, anyway. But I was definitely not used to seeing or hearing about gay people. Whenever that good ol' scene where 2 sexy college girls kiss to appease a bunch of boys came on the TV, my mom would roll her eyes. When 2 men would kiss in a different scene, my dad would make an excuse and leave. Long story short, until I literally Googled what it was to be queer, I didn't understand what I had seen. I'd learn that my mom supported all queer people (going as far as to publicly support a student's efforts to transition in high school) and my dad, who is still learning, grew up exposed to extremely heteronormative ideals.

Now we get to my identities.

I started to question my sexuality at 10, but I wasn't "sure"* that I was bisexual/pansexual (I don't mind either term; yes, I "can" be attracted to trans people) until I was 12. Unfortunately, my parents initially tried to ignore my realization. They didn't want to talk about it. But I had friends who came out at the same time. (I was also a very salty high schooler.) So I kept pushing and pushing for the discussion, because I had a right to be heard. I had a right to be myself and not lie about who I was. My parents had always talked about how I should be proud to be a smart Black woman, so...I ran with that. I am lucky to have a family who (finally) accepts my sexuality.

Again, I'm AFAB. I don't mind my genitalia. I hate my body, but that (for me) is tied to my mental health, as I have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (I inherited a disposition to this), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (the result of several environmental and self-imposed factors), and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (due to some trauma experienced outside my home). I have thought about having traditionally-male genitalia, but I don't think I personally need it to be happy. However, I acknowledge that this is just how I feel, and it doesn't take away from how others feel.

I didn't even think much about my own gender until the last year or so. I only knew that I had always been unhappy with my social life. I currently have a badass handful of buddies who I love SO MUCH, but I still sometimes feel...wrong. When I look in the mirror, I don't just feel ugly. I don't think I look human. I hung out with boys throughout elementary school and I (mostly via the CW and Disney Channel) was exposed to a lot of what some call the "male gaze". For example, I remember all the shows that featured a girl (usually the male characters' crush(es)) getting splashed with water--enough so her petite hourglass form would show through her then-transparent clothes. So I had an idea of what beauty was. Somehow, I also had an idea of what being cool/handsome (my words for "beautiful in a masculine way" back then) was: toned muscles, the ability to intimidate anyone, wearing tight clothes, etc. Anyway, I started school early, meaning that until maybe the end of middle school, I was always shorter than everyone else. I didn't mind being called cute all the time, until my friends were getting asked out as teenagers. Suddenly, I wanted to be seen as attractive. I ended up basing my self-image on how many people had crushes on me (which appeared to be zero, according to how many people turned me down). My point is, I believed that I had to be pretty for men. Then I realized that I liked women TOO, which irritated me because even when I came out, it saddened me that I still wasn't getting asked out (despite me supposedly having TWO TIMES the chance to find love, in my mind). In the end...I found that I identify as nonbinary. I'm agender, possibly genderfluid, because I don't understand OR want to conform to society's standards for gender (at least, in the USA). (Also, a bunch of the people I had crushes on years ago were actually insensitive jerks, but that's not the point.)

Elon Musk has said one thing that I might actually agree with. Said loosely, he asked why people are bothering to look so closely at gender when we claim that Western Civilization has come so far in terms of gender roles. Why DO people have a problem if someone who is AMAB wears a dress or a skirt? Kilts are part of Celtic culture, for both men and women. The Ancient/Classical Greek civilization that is so revered by so many countries had a garment called the chiton, a knee-length tunic worn by both men and women. Plenty of cultures throughout human history have worn ceremonial and/or optional makeup. Why DO some Americans still take issue with men teaching kids in elementary school? Is that any worse than a woman becoming President of the United States?

I was inspired to write this because of all the recent ideological and legislative attacks on human rights, specifically those of trans people and/or drag performers. I thought about the friends I have who identify as trans, and who have expressed their joy at discovering their identity. They are so relieved and happy and they have the most beautiful smiles when they detail their journeys. Their happiness isn't hurting anyone. I also thought about drag in general. I haven't been to a live drag show (yet), but I've seen the show Legendary (a dance show featuring drag, among other elements of queer culture) as well as the Netflix documentary Disclosure (a film about how trans people have historically been depicted in media). Drag is art, and for some, it's a lifestyle. It might be a kink or fetish for some people, in the same way that intercrural sex or lingerie might be. What it is NOT is a way that people commonly commit crimes--as the media has often claimed in the past, by showing AMAB "transvestite" serial killers wearing dresses to seduce their victims. It is NOT encouraging children to have sex at horribly young ages. And as many have explained, a drag queen is most definitely no more dangerous than a person (of ANY gender) purchasing an automatic weapon. If anything, seeing someone in drag perform can be an awesome learning experience for kids. They'll be exposed to a marginalized community that they may find themselves as part of as an adult. They won't grow up like I did, feeling like something is wrong with them just because they didn't know their identity existed.

I am not perfect and I do not claim to be. I had to do a lot of research to learn what I know about various communities. I still research online and ask (thoughtful) questions when members of these communities allow it. Until this year, I had no idea that some nonbinary people choose to get top surgery and/or begin hormone therapy because they like the way it helps others view them as more androgynous individuals. I did not know how much hormone therapy could cost (it's a heartbreaking reality, considering the meaning behind the whole process). I did not know that drag, something that I always saw as a fabulous form of self-expression and pure happiness, would be demonized by so many people.

I don't think this IS an opinion, but uh:

Gender Identities: woman, man, agender, nonbinary, two-spirit (term exclusive to Indigenous North Americans), etc.

Sexualities: gay, straight, queer, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, etc.

Sex: AFAB/female, AMAB/male, intersex.

People who are transgender are absolutely valid, whether or not they get and/or disclose their thoughts on personal sexual reassignment surgery. The term transgender is difficult to evaluate as a word because it's somewhere between gender identity and sex. In English, we say that someone identifies as trans, but someone who is a transwoman, for example, is someone AMAB (or possibly intersex) who identifies as a woman. But again, these people still exist and deserve just as much respect as anyone else.

No one hates people who grew up unaware of the queer community. The problem are those who hate queer people for simply being different--in essence, for those who pose a threat to the fantasy of a forever-heteronormative society that promotes unrealistic ideals.

*stuff in parentheses includes terms that you may not agree with, but it's how the mainstream media and groups I've interacted with define certain concepts. I'm sorry if the phrasing isn't perfect--despite my Master's and Bachelor's in various sections of the English Department, choosing the correct words to define feelings is still difficult.

#admin #pride month #queer rights #queer represention #lgbtqia #lgbtq+

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justsomeoneunordinary · 9 months

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Hi, i saw your long post and other's reblogs on how weird Hashirama treats Tobirama and i cant help but notice something that kinda does not spark joy : the only times they SEEM like normal and close brothers aka the scenes where they both pouted like kids or when Hsrm was like ":D" and Tbrm "-_-" while hiraishin back to village are....all after they died. They did that as actual corpses of middle aged men. I think when analyse them we forget that they are veterans that has lived full lives, not youngsters, and there's plenty of changes two brothers could have in their 50 something years. And that's bittersweet because i cant help but feel like they were really not close, especially when they were younger. The only good thing is that it looks like their bond had had some development and gotten somewhat better, they understand each other more, and even so it looks like they, esp Tbrm. just got better by way of getting used to the weirdness and not really active changes. :(

Yeah, the thing about the founders era is, is that we can't do more but speculate and try to interpret the little bit we got as best as possible. Because we just don't know enough - the entire story is based around Hashirama and Madara's backstory and how the village came to be, and only from Hashirama's view at that. We don't know what happened between the confrontation at the river and Tobirama slaying Izuna.

We don't know when or how Butsuma and Tajima died, we don't know how it was for Hashirama to take on the role as clan head and Tobirama as his second in command or how they felt after their father died, we don't know what Hashirama thought of the war or even if he thought of trying to advocate for peace with the Uchiha before that fatal hit. I know in fanfics it's often described that Hashirama sent several missiles asking for a ceasefire or asks in the middle of the battlefield Madara to consider peace, but unless I have missed something, for all we know it could've been Tobirama wounding Izuna fatally that reminded Hashirama of their dreams and had him go "hey, it doesn't have to be like that". Of course, the fact that the Uchiha defected to the Senju, of all clans, speaks of a certain trust or respectively belief in Hashirama's words, which means he might've tried to ask for peace several times before, but we don't actually know for sure.

We don't know what the politics and paperwork behind the foundation of konoha looked like and what drew the other clans to join in, we don't know how Hashirama reacted after Madara defected, we don't know how he dealt with Madara's wannabe death after wannabe killing him - he definitely doesn't seem depressed at the Kage summit, which must've happened after Madara's not-death considering they got the bijuu sealed.

And we don't know how Hashirama and Tobirama's siblingship was. We barely see them interacting as kids, and in those scenes, we see Tobirama catching Hashirama when Butsuma slaps him (I know in the anime Tobirama goes in between to stop Butsuma but that's anime and therefore not canon to me. I assume they did that because showing cool fights go brrr on TV is one thing, but showing literal child abuse is another), we see Hashirama choosing his own brother and telling Madara that he will protect his last brother at all cost - but from the little bit we see of them as kids Hashirama and Madara definitely seemed closer than Hashirama and Tobirama. And the only times we see them interacting as adults it's almost always when they talk about Madara and the Uchiha in general - and they strongly disagree on that topic. So for all we know, from the little bit we have canonically seen, they didn't have a close relationship.

Which, again, is okay. Siblings don't always have a close relationship, and sometimes - oftentimes even - you form a closer relationship with someone outside of family. Hashirama and Madara had a stronger brotherhood than Hashirama and Tobirama, and that's okay.

But as I said, it doesn't fucking spark joy. Like, come on, this is such bullshit. They're each other's last living brother! They lived through terrible, traumatic events and they're all they have and Kishimoto wants to tell me they're not close to each other? After losing two younger brothers way too early to war? Really? Yes, they're two war-hardened veterans but consider: they're also human. Sorry, I just think considering their history they should be closer to each other than ever before. I want them to have undying loyalty to each other and I want them to have an unhealthy codependent relationship, I want Hashirama to have reacted just as maddening as Madara if it had been Tobirama who had died even if canon suggests otherwise because that's what fills me with satisfaction. A cold relationship does not, therefore I close my eyes and do not see it.

Also, this is where interpretation comes in: as you mentioned, there are a few times we see them act brotherly, and hey, would you look at that: those are the few times they don't talk about Madara and the Uchiha. So it's fair to assume that the Uchiha was just a subject they strongly disagreed about and had fights over as well, which is perfectly normal for siblings to have, but outside of this touchy subject? They might as well have been close. They could've had who knows how many great, loving brotherly moments! It's not like we know what they thought of each other, considering Hashirama only talked about his backstory with Madara, and Tobirama's thoughts were mostly only there to prop Naruto. So unless Kishimoto comes out of the woodwork to tell us that nah, they merely respected each other but weren't really close (in which case I will literally kill him with my bare hands), it's perfectly fair to assume that Hashirama and Tobirama could've been close and it was just the topic of the Uchiha they fought over. There's not enough canon to disprove that theory anyway.

That's at least what I do because godamnit, I cannot stress enough how dumb I find it that considering their history they're supposed to have a cold relationship. Bullshit, if I close my eyes, they were loving brothers who showed their love in different ways, and that's on that. 😌

(I am, however, salty we never even got a hug. Come on, at least a hug!!! Come on Kishimoto, give me a hug between these two bröthers why is that too much to ask for it's literally all I ask for. (A hug would also definitely disprove that they weren't close at all.))

#may answers #anon #senju hashirama #senju tobirama

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bleachbleachbleach · 11 months

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Yknow your post about Don Kanonji and Aizen was really touched my soul. People might hate this whole episodes of Aizen strolling around Karakura Town and call it unnecessary. But I proudly declare IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE ARC. In these episodes/chapters we've got to see these tough kids like Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, even Chizuru ran for their life from Aizen, they even spent their time with chit chat. More specifically, this Mizuiro boy was CRAZY and talented. I appreciate this nee-san conqueror so much. Oh oh oh it's not over. We've also got to see this afro shinigami, the impressive guardian of Karakura Town, named Imoyama, no, Kurumadani with his energizing shikai, which has one of the best release command ever 'OHAYO', appeared amidst the chaos. Then when everything got worsened, when Rangiku ready to took her revenge and demanded for Gin's explanation of the whole circumstances, this legend stole the show! The one and only legendary Lord Don Kanonji! Fearlessly stood before Aizen and launched his holy tiny spiritual bomb, only to got Aizen frowned on how ridiculous it was. That moment when Ichigo came back with new hairstyle and mentioned his friends name one by one, including his dear Imoyama-san and the legend himself, waa astonishing and wholesome. Hopefully Aizen, far far in the middle of cold Muken, would remember it as a memento that warm his heart : 'MY ABSURD JOURNEY AT KARAKURA TOWN'.

*ngl it's indeed my favorite part since it was so random and funny despite the depressing battle.

Thank you for sharing your reflections! It was lovely hearing your enthusiasm for these scenes, and the way the final moments of this arc played out!

Because like, the arc is so long that I think by the time we get to the end, we're all a little shell-shocked. For those who were watching live, it'd been literal years and multiple filler arcs since the Arrancar arc began.

For people like me, during my first stint with Bleach I never made it that far. (I watched the anime through the Bount arc for sure, and maybe the first part of the Advance Team arc?) This watch-through is actually my first time seeing the full anime series in order, since during our initial descent in 2020 we did not watch in order. So during this episodes I was Having a Moment, for sure. XDD Relative to the journey there, this all went down super fast, and you don't really have time to process it all, which I think is fitting, given the nature of the situation.

But Don Kanonji et al gives us the opportunity for a perspective shift--takes us back to the ground, in some ways. There's a break in the drama for hijinks, but I think more than that we get out of the POV of the Gotei, and even (or perhaps especially) Ichigo's POV, who's been through so much at this point I don't think it's really possible for him to appreciate the enormity of what's going down. The guy was dead this morning! And then some!

But his friends can certainly appreciate that.

We love Keigo on B3, without reservation. But one thing I love about their gang here is that Mizuiro, exactly as he was introduced in his special chapter, is off being the protagonist of a very different manga, somewhere else. Keigo is the puppy friend in both Mizuiro's and Ichigo's manga, and he's the same character in both--exactly like Detective John Munch existing across the planes of American cop procedural TV.

(My definitely-not-crack theory is that Aizen stalked Ichigo's friends through the streets of Karakura because he spent so much of this arc basically just waiting on other people to have their narrative arcs he got bored and needed walkies.)

#asks #bleach anime #no brain just bleach #we will catch up on asks this summer we will we will we will #bleach

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darcyfangirlsfrequently · 2 years

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Some of my favorite comments I've gotten on Ao3

"Oh great Abby, possessor of The Braincell.I am in love with your fic, that is with" The Abigail Agreste AU

"Oh things are getting more emotionalEvery chapter you write outdoes your last. I can't tell you how excited I get when I get a notification that you posted" The Abigail Agreste AU

"BYE MIDDLE SCHOOL ME WOULD BE SO HAPPY TO KNOW THIS EXISTS" One Year Later

"anyway— this is so???? good???? like sjdjsjdj this almost made me cry???? the angst was *chef’s kiss* and legit what I imagine Eli to feel like after the factAND TULIP STOP <3<3<3 PLS I’M IN LOVE" One Year Later

"OMYGOODGODS ITS UP- amazing, fantastic, wonderful, show stopping, breathe taking, never the same- ALSO, I'm very happy my ideas helped so much to build this story :,) I'd love to help more (lemme go see how on earth to turn on co-creation) (EDIT: OKEY I AM NOW CO-CREATEABLE) ANYWAYS SO AMAZINGLY FANTASTIC THAT IT HAS BEEN POSTED DJLHBFVDBVJ" The Arrangement (from @whatsitzface)

"Im begging please release a full story this was my dream!!! You read my mind. I never read a fic this perfect!" The Future, Not a Wish

"Tendría que ser Bow quien descubriera todo de esta forma, solo espero que no esté cerca cuando esas dos tengan un momento más íntimo <3" Melog's Heart (this was my first comment in another language)

"I know absolutely nothing about the show or the characters, but great writing as always Darcy" For a Genius, You Can Be Pretty Stupid (from @whatsitzface)

"The dinner she makes is perfect and I love how you turned the "worrying" trope on it's head. So lovely" Really, Really (from @bacchicly)

"Lovely and sweet. Beautiful work! Merci merci!" At Sunset (from @bacchicly because she is the only one who actually commented on this one and I am grateful)

"BUDDY. This is so sugar." When Paths Cross (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"Ok, I came back to say, this is a super cute premise and i'm so excited to see what the other two parts are :DI love that in this world profilers who know them both extremely well couldn't figure it tf out because they didn't change how they act around each other." Unintentional Secret (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"QUEEN OF TOOTH ACHES 👑 "pulled out a little statue of a cat holding a gift box." <--- fucking LOVE it. NOOOOO open the box! "I was expecting her to open the little gift box so she would find the ring box inside" <--- me tooo "She pointed at the little gift box the cat was holding. "Does this open? Did he put anything in it?"" <--- THANKS, JENNA. "Yeah, you were supposed to open it at home." 😂 😂 "No, I'm not proposing to you if you're gonna call me Newbie. Absolutely not." <--Good on you, Luke, stand that sea-saw of a ground. 😆 "I love you," he whispered into her lips." <- Mush. absolute MUSH. Whisper kisses, my weakness. "see you again when I inevitably find the irresistible urge to write Garvez again!" <--- Tomorrow? 😌 😉 Full disclosure I mixed up this and Las Vegas Surprise Wedding and was really confused for a minute." Unintentional Secret (my first essay comment from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails 😌)

"OMFG I JUST LOVE THESE FANFICS OF YOURS!! THAT PART WHERE HE SAID HIS FAV COLOR IS BROWN BC IF GARCIAS EYESSSSSS😭😭😭🤌AND THE PART HE TEXTED DEREJ WAS JUST CHIEF KISSES!!! ISTFG HE'D DO THAAAAT!!" Many Tear-Stained Cheeks

"This is both really sweet and devastating. I loved that he was initially reluctant to call her but knew he needed her and the way she comforted him was perfect 💖 the ending was so lovely and hopefully next time she says it Luke will be awake" Many Tear-Stained Cheeks (from @whitecrossgirl)

"took her hand, placing it back on his heart. "This beating heart? It beats only for you."IM SCREAAAAAMING AND CRYIIIING AT THE SAME TIME!! I NEED TO SEE THIS SCENE LIVE ON TV! THE WRITERS DID US DIRTYYYYY😭😭😭😭" Heartbeat

"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR YOU"LL BE IN MY HEART IS FUCKING PERFECT FOR THEM!!!!! That whole plus one bonus section gutted me like a fish lmao I am literally ill with how much I love this, thank you for writing this!!!!!!!" To Sir, With Love (really all of @dungeons-are-too-cold's comments on this fic)

"Mate it is too early in the morning for this amount of feels 😭😭😭 they are such a fantastic duo and Rossi’s transformation from “The fuck is a team” to “These are all my kids” is my favourite thing about his character" To Sir, With Love (from @whitecrossgirl)

"sobbing. crying. shaking. sliding down a wall and poinding my fist on it. THIS IS SO STUNNING. I LOVE IT SO MUCH AND YOUR WRITING IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. THANK YOU FOR THIS MAJESTIC FIC." To Sir, With Love

"This was great, loved every minute of it, would snort this." Secrets Exposed (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"Why are you just the beeeeeest?! You angel you." Secrets Exposed (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"When you go to hit that kudos button and the red bar pops up. RUDE." Secrets Exposed (from, guess who, @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"I know this was a time consuming task and took a lot of work. So thank you for this, it's unique and fun. :)" Secrets Exposed (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"i'mdonei'mdonei'mdone i'm done i'm done i'm done i'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm DONE. wow. just wow. yeah so anyways this is canon now and explains A LOT about jj's faces in the show" Secrets Exposed

"You literally always know what I need in a fic before I even think about it, this is everything!!!!" Partner's Brunch (from @dungeons-are-too-cold)

"U really need to be the main writer of the revival for garvez ✨ my heart is flipping I was lit blushing the whole damn time!!!🥺😍🥰🤭" Two Can Play at This Game

"I really enjoyed this! I can completely see them trying to one up each other like this! (I swear, if the revival does them dirty…)" Two Can Play at This Game (Helsinkibaby on Ao3 left this comment… and they used to post so much amazing stuff, so I totally fangirled upon seeing this. Ao3 Garvezers, I guarantee you've read their stuff.)

"Ok, look, i'm one of those who will not read a pregnancy story, but this: "Well, it's comforting to hear you say that. Because Luke is the father." <---- perfect ending, perfect pacing my friend. And Krystall's voice *chef kiss*" Oh Baby, Oh Baby (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"Seeing a new story from you makes me happy! Loved the conversation between Penelope and krystal. Looking forward to reading more the last exchange with the was perfect." Oh Baby, Oh Baby

"i almost made a fool of myself while reading this in a mcdonalds" Welcome Home

"#It was a spite request your honor #because they were never friends your honor #certainly not best friends, Adam" (Not) Just a Friend (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"I am so honored. 😂 I love you I love you I love you. This was excellent. Platonic Morvez! Thank you for playing along with my asinine requests. 💗 💗 💗" Open Ears (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)

"I'm sorry I'm writing not having read the fic yet though I've been loving the works you did so far for this pairing but the "sorry it took me more than 24h hours"????? Mate, you've written so many pieces for this otp ate the speed of light what are u talking about??? Take your time, sweetie, do your thing don't feel pressured to do/write/create more than you feel comfortable with, we've been loving it so far just keep doing your thing! Thanks so much for writing for us! Xx" Girls' Night Out (this person thought snails was pressuring me to write and came RUNNING to my defense 😂)

"Oh my days, Luke calling her "Chica" as a term of endearment/pet name was something i wished so much that the writers kept in the show *deep sigh* guess that's one more thing left for the fans/shippers to take over. But i love it tho! 😫❤️" Girls' Night Out

"Luke Alvez's tool kit for keeping Penelope Garcia happy:1. Roxy 2. Allowing her to call him Newbie 3. Ice cream 4. Kevin Lynch's head on a spike (if requested)" Ice Cream and I Love Yous (from @whitecrossgirl)

"omg I'm literally DYING ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!! I'm obsessed with the way you write them, it's so like heartstopper, literally obsessed with the drama" We Fell in Love in October (from @dungeons-are-too-cold)

#These are just the Ao3 ones #Lmk if you want the tumblr ones #Fanfiction #Fanfiction author

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