#and i know SOMEONE will at least resonate with this whether they realize it or not

[casual-tarot]

Pick a pile: details about the day you'll meet your soulmate

Note: This is all just for fun! Take everything said here with a grain of salt! And excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes, I haven't proofread this lol.

Pile 1:

Birds keep popping up, I think you'll hear or see a LOT of birds that day, you might even see a nest of baby birds too.

Rainbows for some of you. It might be a day something good is happening at work, maybe a promotion or something?

I think it might be the opposite, getting written up or fired. Take what resonates, that's not a message for everyone.

I'm seeing a city? Maybe a walk in the city or going shopping.

For some I'm seeing a "bad" neighborhood lol.

I think it's likely going to be a sunny day.

I don't think you're going to realize it's a special day, you'll be too preoccupied with whatever else is going on that day that you won't be thinking about the potential for something like this to happen. It'll come as a surprise and you won't even realize the person you met is going to be special to you in any way.

I think this will be a day of growth for you, gaining experience and/or getting wiser.

I think on this day, you will either be very optimistic or need a lot of optimism, and I think this will effect how you will each meet your person. They might be drawn to your cheer or might give you a little pick me up.

Whatever is happening to you That day, good or bad, I think you're going to want to slow down and take a breath. Maybe to calm down or ease your excitement/anxiety.

Additional signs and details: The color dark blue. The night sky, Stars, North, Crystal's, Amethyst, Webs, Spiders, waning gibbous moon, full moon, 12, 10, 9, 99, 999

Pile 2:

I'm getting the vibe that you might be very busy?

For some of you I think it's going to be a sunny day, maybe in summer or spring?

But for some reason I think a majority of you are going to meet them on a snowy day. If it doesn't snow wherever you are when you meet them, then probably just a really really cold day.

I think you will be kind of stressed?

Even despite all these factors, I think that some of you will come across someone that could use some help(maybe someone homeless?) and you or your person will likely stop to help them in some way?

Maybe you meet because of this? Or at least one of you sees the other person doing this and it catches your/their attention.

You might meet them in the morning, maybe on your way to work.

I think some of you will be coming out of hermit mode, as in you'll get out of the house for the first time in a little while.

I think part of the reason you will be stressed is because you will be working really hard at your job, maybe aiming for a promotion or raise. This doesn't feel negative though, it feels determined. I think you will have that mindset the day you meet them.

For a small amount of you, I think you may meet this person on Christmas, or maybe even new years.

I'm seeing snowy night. Especially for those of you that work at night.

I think you might be called to get out of your comfort zone somehow. Whether that be talking to a stranger or taking the long way around to work, I think you'll have an inexplicable urge to do something different.

I think for a lot of you, your soulmate will be the one to help someone, and it will really make you stop and think, maybe even admire them. You might consider helping your community more.

I have a feeling that you'll just know that that day will be different. That urge pulling you out of your comfort zone, or that first conversation you have with them, I think something will tell you, "this is important. This is different. Something about this is different. "

Adittional Signs and Details: Coffee, Morning Coffee, Snow, Charity, Big Cities, New York, Night Shift, Christmas, Winter Holidays, New Year's, Snowy Night's, Under a Streetlamp, Light in the Darkness, New Moon, Starry Night, North, East, 3rd Eye, Ambitious/Ambition, Ambivert, "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun." 3, 4, 2, 12, 44, 444, The book "Strange Grace" by Tessa Gratton, Voice in teh back of your head telling you "this is right," the middle path, The Sun, A sunny day, The Sun between branches, creative block or work slump

Pile 3:

I'm called to use an extra oracle deck for this group specifically, so these are four messages I've pulled out for you:

Treat your body like the palace it is(Mirror, 4)

It's time for healing, not war(Castle, 30)

We're all just stardust(Universe, 31)

Every hurricane comes to an end(Storm, 44)

On to the rest of the reading!

You may have been drawn to one or both of the other piles, this reading shares similar messages to pile 1 and similar signs to pile 2.

I think it's going to be a very good day for you, even before meeting them

I think that you will have had a tower moment, something that had really rattled you in some way and forced you to deal with certain problems, and I think on this day you finally are moving past it. This is the first day you've happily come to terms with what has happened and can smile again.

For some of you, this may be cutting someone out. You will realize that someone in your life that has been bothering you in some way, really isn’t worth all the time you put into dealing with them. This doesn't have to be aggressive, it could just be a silent ghosting. On this day you will feel free from the shackles they've kept you in.

I think your hard work(emotionally/mentally)will be rewarded, likely the reward will be your soulmate. And you'll realize that there is still work to be done, but you are happy to do it and get past it.

I'm getting the vibe that some of you are going through a hard time right now and I want you to know it will pass. This is your future, whether that be today, or in a decade, and all the work getting there will be so worth it. I also think you need to know that this slump will pass soon.

I think you will finally be putting yourself first.

You will be full of positive energy on this day.

Your creative energy and/or ambitious will be at an all time high, you will be very passionate about what you're creating/your work.

You will be looking inside yourself and see the growth you've done, and you will be proud. You will pat yourself on the back for it.

You will be very present in the moment, and may have to remind yourself not to get lost in thought, knowing you may spiral. I feel like you'll be successful in that.

It will be a new beginning, and you will know it.

You are the main character of this story.

Adittional Signs and Details: Waxing moon, Castle, birds, rainbows(for some), nests, ocean, night sky, Knives and swords, the sunset, hard work, dirt, earth, fire, lava, volcano, tower, lighting, mirror, hands, black nail polish, stars, the universe, storms, 4, 44, 444, 4444, 31, 30, water Droplets, 8, 88, 888, 5 stars, first quarter moon, Libra, Pisces, Scorpio, Aquarius, Aries, Leo, April, Fire signs and fire sign energy, Mars, Saturn, The Sun, 1, 11, 111, 6, 7

#tarot reading #intuition #tarot #witchblr #free tarot #pick a card #pick a pile #pac #pick a photo #soulmate reading #soulmate tarot reading #love reading #love tarot reading #tarot love reading #free tarot reading #casual tarot reading

[sykestarot]

messages meant to reach you

1-2-3 (left to right)

I DO NOT OWN THESE IMAGES

Hi guys! heres your weekly reading :) ! I hope you enjoy this and it resonates for you, also I found these pics and thought they were so cute lol ! Thanks for stopping by! <3

Pile 1

“does it ever make you sad to know that was 7 summers ago?” (The Lovers; 7 of wands; knight of cups (rx); knight of pentacles (rx); 9 of pentacles ; 6 of swords (rx))

Hi pile 1! Before I even started channeling, my cat was very interested in my tarot set up which usually he isn’t so maybe you have a kitty? Perhaps one that passed that misses you and wants you to know they are always with you. For you guys I feel a sense of heavy grief either in the recent past or the present. I also feel like you’ve been avoiding your own feelings about the whole situation. I feel a sense of disappointment from you that things didn’t work out the way you wanted. I feel like you either broke up with someone due to differences in worldviews or you might have had someone pass recently that you thought you had more time with. First of all if someone did pass recently, I am so sorry and I’m sending you so much love and light. But I do feel like this might've been a sudden thing, without warning, and you just want to continue on with life without processing just how traumatic it was for you. This person wants you to know that they love you so much and that when you're ready to unpack your grief and trauma they will be with you whether you realize it or not. Now if you had a break up recently I see this person really missing you. They dream about you and want you all to themselves again. I feel like they have pride though and won’t approach you again. I also feel like you’re genuinely done with this person though. Like this isn’t the first time you guys have had fights about this stuff and they really pushed you to your limit. This might’ve happened a while ago too and they’re just holding onto it and pulling on your energy. I really do feel like they’re wallowing in regret about how they treated you but like not enough to change. Like they regret it but they feel like they had to which is so fucked up in its own right. But I digress. I do think an energy cleanse would be best for you, however you choose to cleanse your energy and space will do. I also say get rid of any items they gifted/gave to you. I’m proud of you for knowing your worth and  letting bygones be bygones. Signs: nice house; highways; red rusty pickup truck; red in general; water; creeks; fireflies; old dock; tall can beers; sentimental views (?)

Pile 2

“i aint even got the miles to trip on you” (2 of pentacles (rx); THe Lovers (rx); 3 of pentacles (rx); Wheel of Fortune (rx); knight of pentacles; 9 of pentacles (rx)) Hi pile 2! So for you guys I actually had to restart your pile a few times it was hard for me to really connect and get a message for you guys but when I did I understood why. The message coming through is from someone you simply don’t want to hear from lol. It’s probably an old partner that’s begged and pleaded to be back in your life multiple times and you just don’t care, which is such a power move. But yea overall this person just throws a pity party for themselves and how they lost a good thing and it sucks to be them I guess. But I wanted to get a message for you from your guides at the very least so heres that! All in all your guides are very happy and proud of you!! You’ve really put in the work pile 2! I see you enjoying financial blessings and i feel like your heart and mind have found peace. Whether your with someone or not I see you ina state of stability that you never thought you’d get to. Maybe things feel a little monotonous for you but I do feel like you enjoy your life and where you’re at right now! I also feel like you guys are experiencing things you never thought you would, like an engagement or getting the promotion/job you always wanted! I keep hearing that you made life your bitch LOL!! I also see you guys paying no mind to wagging tongues and you let people think whatever they want about you because at the end of the day you just don’t care. You not only enjoy your job but you enjoy your hobby’s your house, your car, and so on and so forth. I see though that you guys should work on being proud of yourself because YOU did that! No one else did!! Go treat yourself to something nice and sit back and relax pile 2 you deserve it fr!! Signs: restart button; push to start car; nice handwriting; minecraft; jeans; interior design; iron; birch wood; big healthy plants; big windows; elevators; CAPRICORN 

Pile 3

"i'm in too deep and i'm trying to keep up above in my head instead of going under" (Judgment (rx); 6 of swords (rx); 4 of swords; 10 of swords; 2 of pentacles (rx); knight of swords (rx)) Hello Pile 3!! For you guys I see that you’re a really unique person and don’t really care about people's thoughts. I feel for your message though that you might be running in the wrong crowd or with the wrong people. I feel like you choose people based on whether or not they are in the same subgenre as you, or present the way you do. Which is understandable thinking if someone dresses the same they might have the same values but I see that the people in your life don’t. I also see that they just don’t care about you as much as you care about them. I believe that you know this somewhat or you have gut feelings about this, however I think you’re hoping one day they’ll pick you. I do see though that you know that they won’t and that you know you’re not meant to be there. I see that you just want to fit in with a group of people so badly, that you need validation that people like you. But honey, lots of people like you!! They just aren’t presenting the way you are. I see that for lack of better term “conventional” people admire your bold and unique expression of yourself. I see that you have prejudice towards these people and immediately put them in a box they you guys wouldn’t get along. Lemme tell you though as much as you advocate for not judging a book by it’s cover I feel you doing that to others. Maybe this is apart of your shadow that you need to work on. I get quite a youthful energy from you though, maybe you’re in highschool? You don’t have to change everything about your life tomorrow but you can make small steps. The only person who can make active change in your life is you! So get out there and do as much as you can without regrets! I promise you’ll enjoy the things that you didn’t think you would. Plus life is meant for mistakes and learning from them. Don’t let others perception of you ruin your experience on this earth! You got this pile 3, you’re a beautiful soul, let others see it. Signs: 111 ; wizard of oz; cheshire cat; leather; vests; studs; piercings; boots; alt fashion; old sedan; empty parking lots; cigarettes; nose rings; bleached hair

#spotify #pick a card reading #reading tarot #channeled message #channeled song #channeling #divination #law of attraction #pac #pap #spirituality #spiritual #spiritualgrowth #tarotcommunity #tarot reading #tarot #tarot cards #tarot card reading #channeled art

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Desert Hearts rewatch notes

Desert Hearts (1985) is one of my favorite movies, but as with most of my favorites, I've gone quite a while without seeing it at times. I put it on the other day for the first time in years and took some screenshots in the hope that I might get some folks on here to give it a try that haven't, or at least bring back some memories for those who’ve seen it before. Then, when I sat down to post the images, I found I had more to say than I realized.

This was my first time watching this movie since I got into the whole BL/QL genre and I was curious to see if it would seem any different to me after a period of being more immersed in queer stories than usual. Mostly it swept me up into its own world, something this film is really good at. But I did find myself thinking at times about how aspects of it mapped onto QL tropes and more general romance tropes. I also couldn't help but see some parallels to the actual lived experiences of myself and people I know.

Queer romance tropes in Desert Hearts

Three tropes stood out at me that I've run into in the QL world, some of which I've seen in hetero romance settings as well.

Fish out of water - Vivian goes from her life as an academic in New York City to staying at a ranch outside Reno in pursuit of a "quick" divorce. (Having to spend six weeks in a strange place in order to get a divorce was "quick" by 1959 standards.) Helen Shaver, who played Vivian, points out in a featurette included with the Criterion version of the movie that Vivian has been living a very cerebral life, living inside her own head while cutting herself off from her body from the neck down. This radical change of scenery is exactly what she needs to be able to open up to something different.

There’s a similar dynamic at play in hetero fish-out-of-water romances. But I find this trope a lot more interesting in a queer context. Queer identities have a more complex relationship to difference. Among other things, characters who seem to be at home in the environment of the story often turn out to be alienated from it due to others’ perceptions of their sexuality.

Age gap (with the younger person pursuing) - Cay, who is ten years Vivian's junior, is definitely the pursuer here. This isn't a specifically queer trope per se, but it can manifest in some specific ways in queer love stories.

LGBTQ+ identity can put people on unusual timelines in their lives. (This is an idea I first ran into in a book by Jack Halberstam in undergrad.) Sometimes this means being in a more "youthful" mode later in life than cishet people. Other times it means being a particular kind of late bloomer. And so on. So with life stages not conforming to typical expectations, what does it mean to love someone you have a significant age difference with?

In the case of Vivian and Cay, Vivian may be older, but Cay is poised to initiate her into practices and feelings that are pretty familiar for Cay and totally, mind-blowingly new to Vivian. This creates a kind of role reversal. At the same time, Cay has never felt this way about a partner before, so in many ways, their relationship is causing her to have some new and intense experiences as well.

The thing where a character figures out their sexuality for the first time because their feelings toward a love interest act as a catalyst - This is certainly a trope that comes up in stories about queer romance, but it's more debatable whether it's a queer trope in the sense of a trope that is used by and resonates with queer people. I guess I'd say the theme comes up in different ways when a story is very geared toward the "straight gaze" and when it's more authentically queer. With the "straight gaze" version you get things like "gay for you." With more authentic versions, well, I don't think I've noticed many commonalities there. But I will always defend the use of this trope when it's done well in a way that centers queer experience, if only because falling for a specific person is exactly what forced me to come to terms with my own sexuality.

Side note: Speaking of coming to terms with my sexuality, it really is an indication of how deeply in denial I was about my bisexuality in college that seeing this movie for a class didn't help me figure it out. I was deeply affected by it and fixated on it for weeks after seeing it, but it didn't get through the thick shell of obliviousness I had built up around myself.

A connection to personal experience

There are quite a few ways that Desert Hearts resonates with my own experience but one really stood out to me this time around. [Spoilers ahead.] When Cay goes to see Vivian at the hotel where she’s staying after she leaves the ranch, she goes for a last-ditch, Hail Mary move—she takes off her clothes and climbs into Vivian’s bed. At first Vivian tells her to leave, but then she softens a bit, clearly interested but conflicted. Then this moment happens.

I related to this so much. When I fell in love with a someone who was (at that time) presenting as a woman and it started to look like I might actually have a chance, I had so much anxiety about whether and how I could be intimate with my crush and whether I’d be able to “perform” decently. It turns out, as we learned when we compared notes sometime later, we had each had the same worry and we’d both bought an instructional book about lesbian sex (I think it may even have been the exact same book!).

I think part of my anxiety back then stemmed from the prospect of starting from scratch with a new set of practices and skills after being acclimated to sex with men. It made me feel like I was off balance. But when I actually did get close to my crush, another, much more pleasant side to my inexperience came up. It turned out that not having a familiar script for what to do made me much more present and gave me a sense of freedom. I remember thinking that it was like going from traveling down the same old route to exploring a new place that we had to write our own maps for. And that was pretty exhilarating.

Soon after that relationship happened, I read Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde. There was a passage where Lorde described something very similar from her own life. In this passage, she’s reflecting after her first sexual encounter with a woman after having a similar set of anxieties.

So this was what I had been so afraid of not doing properly. How ridiculous and far away those fears seemed now, as if loving were some task outside of myself, rather than simply reaching out and letting my own desire guide me. It was all so simple.

She’s so amazing at evoking these feelings, isn’t she?

I can’t think of any other places I’ve seen this type of experience discussed besides these two. (I’m pretty sure others exist, but the fact that I haven’t come across them suggests there aren’t very many.) There are plenty of stories out there about hetero sex performance anxiety and its eventual resolution, but I think the queer version of this kind of learning has some big inherent differences that go way beyond the genders of partners being different. So it’s really nice to see it come up here, and be handled in such a sweet way.

In case you’re wondering, once Vivian is able to “let her own desire guide her,” in Lorde’s words, she also finds that her fears were misplaced. The resulting love scene is beautifully executed even by current standards. It’s even more remarkable to see it in a film that was released in 1985. It’s equally remarkable that this sex scene was shown in rather explicit detail.

about, by, and/or for?

I'm also thinking about this movie in terms of the for/by/about queers typology that @wen-kexing-apologist came up with a while back. In my estimation, Desert Hearts belongs right in the center of WKA's Venn diagram. It's about queers, of course. I'd also place it in the "by queers" category. The director, Donna Deitch, who also co-wrote the screenplay, is an out lesbian. It's not clear whether the other co-screenwriter was queer. Her personal life was mysterious enough that it seems like a definite possibility. And the movie is based (somewhat loosely) on a novel by Jane Rule, who was also an out lesbian and whose work as a writer was very focused on lesbian characters.

I'd also consider this movie to be "for queers." It was marketed to a wider audience, of course. But as I watched some of the bonus material and looked at writing about the movie, I saw a lot of evidence that Deitch made the film for her community and they embraced it.

Shaver had a really lovely story in the featurette I watched about this. I forget the exact nature of it, but she described how she attended some kind of event with Deitch and Charbonneau where the audience was full of queer women who gave them an incredibly long standing ovation that she found very moving and helped her see how impactful the film had been.

I’m also sure Deitch had queer viewers in mind (at least in part) when she set out to fill a glaring gap in Sapphic representation. In an interview with AfterEllen, Deitch said, “My goal was to make a lesbian love story that did not end in a bisexual love triangle or a suicide. Because that’s all that had been made at the time I set out to make Desert Hearts.” (Note: I’m not linking due to transphobia concerns regarding that site but folks should be able to find it easily if they look.)

In summary…

If you haven’t seen Desert Hearts yet I really can’t recommend it highly enough.

(And yes, that’s Denise Crosby from Star Trek: The Next Generation sitting beside Jeffrey Tambor.)

#desert hearts #queer cinema #donna deitch #helen shaver #patricia charbonneau

[m0ss-head]

Content Warning: Talks about eating disorders/disordered eating, just mentions, but I figure it's better to be safe! :]

I saw someone say food is freedom in One Piece, and like. Yeah. Even in this world, food is freedom, isn't it? So allow me to ramble about why One Piece's message, or at least how interept it, is so very important to me.

I think the reason One Piece hits and hurts so hard, for me, is because of how it talks about and what it insinuates about food and loneliness and freedom. The way those who love food have such a freedom to them, the way food brings so many together. I've struggled my entire life with loneliness, then I began to struggle with the freedom to be myself, and then I began to struggle with food. I lost my freedom again, just in a new and confusing way. I have found the freedom to be myself, but I still struggle greatly with food. Honestly, I've relapsed rather hard into my eating disorder lately. A bit before my relapse, I began watching One Piece and I think it didn't register with my how important food is in the OPverse but as I go on I begin to realize it more and more. Luffy's love for food, Luffy's kindness and willingness to give help to the ends of the earth when that food is shared. I think at first I found it a bit odd, but really, it makes sense. These people often struggle under an oppressive government or in deep poverty, and despite that, they are kind enough to share with someone who's hungry. It's almost a way to show that, though they aren't free, they have not lost the free will. And then, after the fight, once these people have gained their freedom, a giant feast the size of which they likely have no indulged on in so long is had. They dance and eat and enjoy each others company and bask in their freedom.

Or when Ace joins the Whitebeard pirates, his last conversation with Marco before officially joining, he is offered a meal despite all he's done. He's felt he was was being backed into a corner, so he snarls and shows his teeth, he shows them his worst. He tries to kill their captain for christ sake! But, still, they offer him food. I think food hold a lot of importantance towards Ace as well.

And, dear God, the thesis I could write on Zeff and Sanji's relationship with food. I could make an entire blog full of different eating disorders/disordered eating habits I headcanon Sanji with. But, I'll condense it a bit. Sanji's self-worth and his relationship with food is a symbolism I will never get over. I'm sure there is a part of him that battles with whether he is deserving of food or not, especially pre-WCI. I imagine Sanji is always the last to eat if he eats at all. A lot of what I have to say with Sanji's relationship with food is not canon or how interept it, so I'll just say. I think after WCI, when he truly has his freedom, he seems lighter. I've not made it all the through, but I think there is a sort of new willingness to allow himself food, from what I've seen and imagined.

I could honestly ramble about it all day and night, One Piece and food and freedom, but I'm at work on my break and I think if I were to go back on the floor sobbing, I may get a concerned look or two. So I figure I should conclude this with:

In One Piece, food is freedom, and everyone deserves freedom so therefore every deserves food. Food brings people together in a way that no other thing really can. I resonate with those ideals in a way that I can not begin to express properly. I wish that knowing that made me feel worthy of food and recovery, I wish knowing and seeing all that made me reach out, but it hasn't yet. So, I hope that one day, I will experience something close to what I imagine Sanji did. Realizing I worthy, beyond just hearing or saying it, but truly and wholeheartedly knowing I am worthy of companionship and food and freedom. I could honestly write a whole thesis on food and One Piece, I might, maybe it will help me truly realize these things, but who knows?

I honestly wish I could find the post again, but it's lost in my likes 😭 I would love to read more posts about it, so if anyone who sees this recalls any posts please tag the author post so I can read it!!! Apartently, "One Piece food symbolism" is too specific/niche a topic for Tumblr search bar to find many posts.

#one piece #luffy #sanji #portgas d ace #food symbolism #sybolism #eating disoder trigger warning #food is freedom #kinda a vent #one piece symbolism #hyperfixation #hyperfixation rant

[faecaptainofdreams]

---TRIGGER WARNING---

Animal death, brief violence against an animal

-----------------------------

"Fifteen was a tough age for me.

That was my angriest year, but also really important in terms of learnin'.

I unlocked a painful repressed memory, learned through trial and error that violence wasn't for me, but also, that neither was eatin' meat.

Growin' up, I was never a hunter; just a gatherin' type.

The only time I ate meat was if someone handed it to me or I could afford to buy it.

And truth be told I don't regret that, seein' as how I was always starvin'.

Those tidbits of protein no doubt pulled me through some serious drought!

But when I was fifteen, I remember walkin' a street somewhere and I saw this guy handing out samples of these little fish treats he'd made.

So I ate one, and bein' stuck up like I used to be, I asked him why he only ever handed out fish or seemed to cook fish.

No joke, he was out almost every day!

An' he told me that he only ever passed out fish, 'cos that was all he ate, meat-wise!

I was like...why?

An' he said it was because he had a policy; only eat what you could stand to kill.

Somehow, that resonated with me.

I'd never thought before about how I got the meat -- I just ate it, and appreciated it.

But it seemed, maybe I hadn't appreciated it enough.

Bein' on my own, I figured I needed to either put up or shut up, so I went out and...well...

A few nights later I was in some woods somewhere else, and decided to catch me a fish for the first time.

Because I thought about other animals, but anything more than a fish just made me feel sick.

I chiseled me a little stone carving tool, scraped a stick into a little wooden spear and waited by a river one evening.

Had mah fire ready and everything.

I remember my little heart was just poundin', I really didn't wanna do it but I had to know if I could.

I promised myself that no matter what, whether I could handle it or not, I would eat whatever poor animal I caught.

I was probably at that stream for half an hour or more, strikin' at fish and missin' em.

Until finally...

I got one.

A BIG one.

Had a rock with me because I figured it wouldn't just die instantly, and I was right.

My adrenaline was pumpin', heart was pounding, the fish was really strong so I had to really fight to pull it outta the water.

I hooked my fingers into its gills so I could drag it out faster, and once I had it on the ground I took the rock I'd brought with me and just started beatin' the devil out of it, square in the eye.

I did everything I could to kill it as quickly as possible, and from start to finish the whole ordeal couldn't've taken more than thirty seconds.

But it was enough...

Once I was sure it was dead I just sat there, looked at it, and what I'd done suddenly washed over me...

And I cried.

Just like fightin' folks with my fists to solve issues, I learned that huntin' wasn't for me, either.

I just sat there bawlin' my poor eyes out, and felt like the scum'a the universe.

It was dreadful.

Now worst of all, I had to eat the darn thing!

And I didn't know how to prepare meat or what to do -- it hadn't occurred to me beforehand that I'd have to gut it or anything like that.

So, still cryin', I dragged it over to my little campfire and struggled to try and cook it.

No, I did not open it up.

No guts, no nothin', just cooked it as was.

Then dragged it back over so I could sit and eat.

And I just...bit into it...spit out scales, tried to just...eat it.

God help me, I really, really tried to eat that fish, but I just couldn't stomach it.

When I bit in and hit bone or tendon or SOMETHIN' i gagged straight away, and realized I couldn't do it.

So I got up again and dragged it far out into the woods, and just left it there.

At the very least, I knew nature wouldn't waste it.

I felt like such a fool, and a terrible person.

Didn't sleep well that night, i can tell ya that much.

A few days later, I found a fish trapped in a shrinkin', drying-out pond and quickly ran it over to a stream and let it go.

That helped me feel like I had made up for the horrible thing I'd done.

Now don't get me mistaken, I'm not sayin' this is how everyone should operate.

All groups of people have different tasks for different folks.

Some are hunters, some are gatherers, some are laborers, etc.

It's okay to enjoy meat when you yourself are not capable of huntin', killin' and preparing it.

Just make sure you appreciate it, understand how it gets on your plate, say thanks to Someone out there for lettin' ya have it.

Thank the animal, too.

Meat is part of most people's DNA, most of us are omnivores.

But for me as an individual, that "eat what you can kill" motto has stuck ever since, and I just can't do it.

That was the last time I willingly ate meat, and after that I got more serious about how I found food in the wild and how to be more resourceful.

Oh as for the fish, I made peace with that a long time ago, don't you worry!

I was just tryin'a survive.

Regardless of how it went down and my inability to eat it, I thanked the fish anyhow."

------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------

--------------------------

Someone on Tumblr posed the question of how they figured Wander came to be a vegetarian.

Thought i'd take a crack at it with my own story ;)

#wander over yonder #woy #tw animal death #vegetarian

[diam-etrical]

being an artist is humiliating

I don't think this is talked about enough.

When you put something out in the world, you have to accept the possibility you won't get anything back.

Maybe you laid your heart bare on a one-shot that got zero comments. Maybe it was a painting you spent hours working on that didn't get the engagement you wanted.

I think it might have been the reason I stopped creating, for a little while at least.

I got obsessed with the stupid little numbers and metrics. Got happy when people liked my content, got sad when it resonated with no one. My relationship with what I created was determined by my perception of how many people engaged with it.

I waited day and night for the dopamine rush of notifications. I refresh my inbox, thinking that one of these days, somebody will leave some kind of affirmation, and somehow that recognition will imbue what I created with more significance. More value, writ-large.

If it got crickets, then I've failed somehow. It just wasn't good enough, I say to myself.

For the longest time, I felt like everything I created had to prove it belonged. It all felt like a race, except I didn’t know who I was competing against, only that I always felt left behind and couldn't keep up.

That's my fault. I can't help but measure myself.

But isn’t that the universal tendency? To view our past achievements as a benchmark we have to constantly overcome? Isn’t that why we’re so satisfied to look at old works we made and see how far we’ve come?

I remember what my old teacher used to say. “You’re only as good as your last piece.” As if art exists only to constantly prove itself. As if art is forever doomed to fight for its place in this world.

Well, I'm sick of it.

And so I'm realizing, in real-time, that I don’t want to fight for my place anymore. I don’t want to pander to some stupid algorithm.

I want to create. 

I want to believe that a work of art is good simply because it exists out of necessity. Out of someone’s urgent desire to share a piece of their heart in the world because it would have been devastating to keep to themselves. That’s always been very beautiful to me. It's why there is so much heart in fanworks because of the sheer heart poured into it—a love that is as raw as an exposed nerve.

There are so many stories in your head, numerous in number and nebulous in form, that eventually come to fruition as these delicate, precious things you’ve been brave enough to summon into existence. To materialize in a timeline or dashboard. To somehow take up space in people’s minds if only briefly. 

Maybe that in itself is the miracle. That what you conjured in your head somehow made its way into something real. Whether in tiny strokes or tiny letters on a tiny screen.

Somehow, the numbers next to them don’t seem to matter as much.

#this is the opposite of a thinkpiece #this is just me rambling #Many Thoughts #these are definitely all words #me when i say things #i dont know where else to dump this #im just #tired of all the changes #writing #writing help

[undiscovered-horizon]

Imagine being Maverick's daughter and quickly catching the eye of both Rooster and Hangman, unknowingly starting a cutthroat competition. - SECRET ENDING

▷TOPGUN PLAYLIST

[Part 1] [Rooster's Ending] [Hangman's Ending]

Note: credit goes to @vintagecarsandrecordplayers for the idea

Maverick was pretty insistent on you tagging along for a few beers at The Hard Deck that night. Although you came all the way to spend some time with him, he was convicted it wouldn't be good for you to hang out only with your own father. Maybe the trainee pilots could also do with talking to someone their age but outside of the military.

After their vicious competition during dogfighting, Rooster and Hangman wanted that very evening to settle the score. Neither of them was willing to accept anything but the win - 'second place is the first loser', or so they say.

The bar, aside from people, was filled with the sound of Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright. Looking around the venue, Bradley and Jake finally spotted you in the least expected place imaginable - by the bar with Bob. You were practically glued to the timid pilot, staring at him with excitement and fascination. Hangman was ready to drop kick Bob when he saw him shyly touch your fingers, trying to help you with something. Phoenix was sitting in one of the booths, giving her friend a genuine 'thumbs up' whenever he nervously looked away from you. Together with Penny, the women exchanged giddy looks of happiness.

Then your laughter resonated in their lovesick ears and, looking over your and Bob's shoulders, Rooster and Hangman saw the reason for your alluring radiance - origami llama made from a napkin. It wasn't perfect but still an impressive show of your handiwork.

"You're good at it." Bob's voice was tense, clearly showing just how nervous you made him feel. Despite that, he was doing really well.

"I have a great teacher," you answered with a smile and he swore he was about to get light-headed. "This is so cool." Bob was watching you carefully examine the napkin animal. Even a blind person could see the adoration in Bob's eyes, despite being covered with nervous shyness. He took Phoenix's words to heart, 'impress her with something', and hoped he made the right choice.

"I can make an armadillo too," he offered quickly. Bob was ready to make an entire zoo of origami animals if that meant spending more time with you.

"Really? Damn, where'd you learn all of this?"

Your and Bob's conversation continued and Rooster along with Hangman, but only for a moment, were considering whether this was some elaborate, greatly unfunny, practical joke. It's going to take them some time to realize that while they were busy cockfighting, someone made an actual effort to win your affection.

"What the hell?" Jake said under his breath. It had to be his first time seeing a guy trying to flirt with a girl by teaching her to do origami. What he wasn't willing to admit, however, was that this 'lame game', as he thought to himself, seemed to be working amazingly. "Library-dweller is trying to steal my girl."

"Your girl?" Rooster repeated before erupting with laughter. To Bradley, it was truly humorous that Jake even entertained the thought of you finding him attractive. "She probably doesn't even know your name. Lucky her."

They watched in their own private horror as you put your origami llama in the chest pocket of Bob's uniform. Then you leaned in and swiftly placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, making Floyd's face burn an even brighter shade of red. Suddenly, both of them finally understood why Maverick was so adamant about them steering clear from you.

"I'm gonna go throw up," Jake spat out. He was heading out when Rooster decided to rub his loss in.

"I don't know, man," Bradley said feigning ambivalence. In all honesty, he wasn't any less heartbroken than Hangman. "They're kinda cute together."

"Shut the hell up, Bradshaw." Jake's finger was a mere inch away from Rooster's face. Consumed by his anger, Hangman left The Hard Deck and Bradley would have laughed like has never before if the girl of his dreams didn't just kiss a different man. The only thing that made the whole ordeal a little lighter and less heartbreaking for Rooster, was the fact that Jake was absolutely livid. Maybe he didn't win himself but seeing Hangman lose was enjoyable enough.

#bob floyd x reader #fanfiction #fanfic #imagine #scenario #topgunmaverick #top gun maverick #top gun maverick fanfiction #bob x reader #bob x you #robert bob floyd #bob top gun #robert floyd #bob floyd #robert bob flooyd imagine #robert bob floyd fanfiction #robert floyd x you #top gun maverick fanfic #bob floyd x female reader #robert bob floyd x reader #robert bob floyd x you

[rabbitenn]

Imagine Toma x emotionless! s/o. Like this man always on the look out for people's faces to see their reactions of him but is dating someone who cannot convey emotions at all. He only know his s/o loves the things he do are from their body languages.

Also, how would the other members think of him dating someone so expressionless?

RESONATE.

Because, in the end, your actions speak louder than any expression ever could.

ft. Inumaru Toma x gn! reader.

cw/genre: fluff.

Helllo, anon, dear ! I’m deeply sorry this took so long to post </3 I still hope the fic matches your expectations and you can enjoy ! Thank you for requesting as well <3

Also, the title of this fic, “Resonate” is the title of a song by my good friend KataribeSan. Please, do give it a listen and support her !

— Toma is someone who, despite having a good heart, tends to jump into action all too quickly; he is good natured, so much so that at times it might backfire due to his impulsivity.

— He is impatient, and that leads him to search others’ expressions for an answer before they’ve had time to respond.

— However, once you came around, he found himself at an impasse.

— Toma just could not discern the thoughts flashing behind those steady eyes of yours.

— Your smiles were so subtle, at first he had trouble distinguishing whether they were just courteous or if you were genuinely happy.

— And your verbalized replies didn’t give him any better hints either.

— You were always so… polite, in a way? And your tone was always soft and even… How is he supposed to figure out if he’s doing well as your boyfriend?

— To all of this, Minami is having the time of his life smiling sneakily, since he picks up on your tenuous mannerisms, and it is clear how in love with Toma you really are.

— And you realize, how you’re not able to convey your emotions through your facial expressions.

— It’s frustrating. You appreciate Toma so much, and yet, he doesn’t seem to realize.

— That is when your lips slightly curl down in a pout, as you ponder the best course of action to make your boyfriend realize how happy he makes you.

— And the one to notice your rumination is Torao.

— Despite the facade he puts on, he is quite a caring guy, as well as perceptive.

— He suggests you express your feelings through physical affection.

— “Give him hugs, the guy will melt, there is no way he doesn’t pick up on your emotions then.” Torao tells you.

— Well, you’ll give it a try, at the very least; after all, Torao seems versed in the subject of love and dating.

— So that is how you start expressing yourself more.

♡

With the audience’s cheers muffled by the sheltered ambiance the backstage offers, you wait.

ŹOOĻ’s album being released today, they were doing a special concert to present it, and, of course, you were watching closely.

Your gaze is completely entranced as your eyes follow Toma around the stage, his notes and raps making your heart beat faster, the excitement enough to make you want to dance.

However, to the outside observer, you appear calm, impassive even, sitting with your hands crossed over your lap, intently listening to the group’s performance.

To those who are more perceptive, however, a new shine is present in your stare, and you exude a warmer aura, the happiness of seeing your boyfriend and his friends on stage, radiating off of you in calming waves.

Anticipation runs through your veins as you see ŹOOĻ thanking the crowd and waving their goodbyes.

Toma will be by your side soon.

And you are determined to let him know how well he did out there with his group mates.

So the moment your lover steps backstage, you run towards him, wrapping your arms around his waist.

His maroon eyes widen momentarily, your sudden action novel to him, you were always so reserved… it wasn’t often you initiated actions like this spontaneously.

Easing into your touch, ŹOOĻ’s leader leans against you, arms tightening around your form.

Unbeknownst to him (yet), his three friends are witnessing the scene with knowing grins, Torao nodding in approval.

♡

— There’s other times, you just thank Toma for being so caring and good towards you.

— However, because your face doesn’t reflect any emotions and is just a picture perfect neutral expression, it comes across as lackluster.

— In moments like this, is Haruka who comes to your aid.

— “That idiot Toma doesn’t realize your microexpressions, does he? It is clear you really love him and are happy to be with him.” ŹOOĻ’s double center sighs, as he sits next to you.

— Nevertheless, because Haruka is rather shy when it comes to expressing his emotions, he knows how you can convey your feelings.

— “Why don’t you get him a present? Something simple that you know he’ll like.” He suggests.

— You perk up slightly, thanking the group’s youngest member.

— You know exactly what you’ll get Toma.

♡

Hiding the newly acquired item behind your back, you make your way towards Toma.

The new CD of the rock band he loves premiered today, so of course you got him a signed edition.

He spots you, as you silently approach him, your heart loud in your ears, in contrast to your expression that betrays nothing.

Eyes of mauve and sunset look at you, his head tilted to the side in silent question.

You seem… shy right now, it’s a slight change in your usual utterly composed demeanor, but it seems that with time, he’s learned to pick up on it.

And yet, your facial features remain stoic, only your eyes widening slightly, the set of your lips less taut than usual. It’s akin to the warmth that dawn carries the moment it practically twins with dusk; only after experiencing the beauty of a sunrise, can one distinguish the warmth of its rays’ first light.

With care, you show the envelope to your boyfriend.

“I got this for you.” You state, tone unchanging but filled with warmth nonetheless.

The way you shift your weight from one foot to the other causes for Toma’s expression to soften, the pink of silent affection spreading through his cheeks.

He takes the package from you.

And right here and now, before even seeing its contents, your love and affection for him had never been so clear.

Strong arms wrap around you as you let out a surprised gasp.

Even when your expressions remain stony, Toma knows your love for him is just as steady and permanent.

And he couldn’t be happier.

#idolish7 #idolish7 x reader #idolish7 imagines #ainana #ainana x reader #i7 #inumaru touma #inumaru toma x reader #toma inumaru #idolish7 hadcanons #idolish7 fluff #idolish7 scenarios #idolish seven #idolish7 x you #idolish7 x y/n #anime x reader #anime imagines #anime fluff

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 27: Zurich Part 2

Okay, now that my face has loosened up from the grin it's been in for the last twenty minutes...

I think that it is important for me to say here that this is my favorite finale of anything ever (obviously in combination with Part 1). In any medium.* It's just so so perfect, emotionally resonant (which I don't need to devote SO much time to because as I noted JF did it perfectly here) and one of the funniest episodes JF ever wrote of anything.

It's also got some absolutely GENIUS plotting and impeccable attention to detail, including such tiny things as having Theresa establish in Part 1 that Martin has told her time and time again about the St Petersburg saga, and therefore she remembers enough about it to contribute when they're planning in Part 2 by pointing out that in St Petersburg Gordon would have been able to take anything small out of the aircraft. It's unnecessary- JF could have given the line to someone else- but the fact that he not only gave it to her but gave us enough information for it to make sense that she said it works so well. And then when there's "stop quickly" "that I can do," and Arthur screeches them to a halt, it's a perfect reminder from last episode about the brake pads, which is such subtle set up for Martin to suggest that they be given in lieu of payment. (Sure, if I were Bruce Fraser I'd be a BIT more suspicious that the guy who offered 14k only showed up with 12, but he's also the kind of guy who likes Arthur's Goofy painting so maybe it's just better all around not to trust his discernment.)

When I first listened to this episode exactly nine years ago, I was a couple of minutes late, and so it wasn't until months later that I first heard the amazing cold open with Tiffy. Which, by the way, is so so funny... I love it so much, it's just perfect as a recap-without-being-too-info-dumpy and as just a peek into Arthur's world. Which is fitting, because I really see this as Arthur's episode. There are very few episodes that feel that way- St Petersburg was KIND OF one, but it ended up being more about how the rest of them jump into action to protect him than him being able to do anything. But here... this is Arthur's moment! He's INCREDIBLY active in this episode, whether solving the ID problem or realizing that Gordon is trying to trick them. He doesn't usually get to be so it's really great

If I had to rank the others in terms of their relevance to the plot after Arthur, it would probably be Douglas, Carolyn, Martin. Douglas is definitely the key one, and I'd argue that without his key role, Martin would be basically irrelevant to the plot here- the episode tries to convince us that Martin might not take the job, but even once he has a real practical way to stay with MJN we kind of know he won't, and have known since Yverdon. But Douglas, as JF noted in Farewell Bear Facts, has to prove he's worthy of being captain and put himself on the line- and he has to be able to serve in a mentorly capacity for Arthur (where it's a bit more paternal, even) and Martin.

On that last note, I used to be a bit annoyed by Douglas telling Martin to take on his shtick, because I was like "Martin is fine just the way he is, imagine if he turns into DOUGLAS"- I still kind of think this way (though of course I'm sure it's more metaphorical than him pretending to be Douglas exactly) but relistening to the whole show, including some of my least favorites, reminds me that Martin could kind of use being someone else... who he used to be was really fucking annoying lol.

As far as Carolyn, I WILL add something about her journey here because JF doesn't mention it in his post. He talks about how her journey is to be more vulnerable to Herc, but I think it goes farther, in a way I've talked about here. The question she finally asks Herc- why does him saying he loves her mean something different now than it did to his previous exes- is her being vulnerable to HIM, but also an expression of an inability to be vulnerable that she'd shown to everyone, not just him. The whole time- til at least late S3, at least- she couldn't trust people, she felt like she needed to rule by fear, and it takes vulnerability for her to accept that eventually she's not the one in total control and people are doing things for her because they care about her and the company as something bigger than her and that it's not totally in her control. Maybe this episode it manifests itself in the question to Herc and being vulnerable to him... but it also manifests itself in her changing the name of the airline. It's OUR Jet Still.

A few smaller notes:

Martin, Douglas and Arthur all saying Yellow Car is my favorite thing ever

I use the phrase "a thousand strawberry lollies and the Princess of Liechtenstein" all the time and it's one of my favorite lines ever

The scene with Douglas-as-Gordon and Martin-as-Douglas is possibly the funniest exchange JF ever wrote (I feel like I say that kind of thing a lot)

And... "I hate flying into the sunset" is such a fantastic line to very-nearly-end on. It's a tie back to Limerick, but it's also an expression of how they literally are ending with a fairy tale ending, flying off into the sunset... which they'd all said wasn't possible in Zurich Part 1! Though Arthur was still right- it wasn't a totally fairytale ending, it was more like The Jungle Book. Martin's not there, he goes off with the girl to the human village. And so it's not a fairytale ending, where everything freezes at an unlikely ending point- it's BETTER. They're all in the best possible places for them, as characters, to continue, even if it's bittersweet, and it's amazing.

I do have to say- doing this every day has been such a joy. I may come back tomorrow to do a final thing but I'm not sure, but in the meantime, thank you for being here and I hope you enjoyed as much as I have!

*It used to be tied with the finale of Detectorists, and I still love the S3 finale, but they then fucked it up by doing that Christmas special last year which was honestly horrendous.

#cabin pressure #cabin pressure advent 2023 #cabin pressure advent #john finnemore #zurich part 2 #also for all who celebrate #merry christmas #or should i say #GET DRESSED YOU MERRY GENTLEMEN

[inkedroplets]

fanfic writer questions

Thanks so much for the tag @sideguitars

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

Twenty. A good mix of one-shots and longer fics that I will finish someday...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

534,441

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Supergirl but I've dabbled with Legends of Tomorrow and have a few unpublished fics for different fandoms that I might share

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Rich Girl With Issues (I swear I'm almost done with the last chapter. The flu kicked my ass but I'm finishing up. My weird Lena becomes a vigilante fic. I still am amazed that people like it as much as they do)

Maybe I'm Too Afraid to Admit It (Kind of cute Kara realizes she has feelings for Lena. I really don't know why this one resonated with so many people)

Somewhere You Can't Follow (My weird (and poorly written) Legends and Supergirl crossover. I would love to go back and actually rewrite large bits of this but the dialogue is on point, at least. Oh and Lena gets to see her mom again so that's a plus)

Denial is Not Just a River in Egypt (I have no memory of this place fic)

Nothing Gold Can Stay (My one and only kidfic but I love it to pieces)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do and I don't. I'm a lot more offline than I was when I first started writing and if too much time passes, I feel weird about responding since I feel like I'm bothering people but I am trying to be better about it. Because I really do cherish each one

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably nothing I've posted yet would count but I do have one that I plan to post soon-ish that's so angsty I took a year to decide whether or not to share it.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think all of my one-shots have pretty standard happy endings. I think I'll say that either Rich Girl or Nothing Gold Can Stay will have the happiest endings (in my opinion) Wait (a little longer) and see

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'll get the occasional weird comment. Nothing out of the ordinary. I did get a really rude bookmark once that kind of made me laugh. They hated the story yet still chose to bookmark it which is a choice.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I dabble in it. There's a snippet floating around somewhere on tumblr that I'm too lazy to find. I'll share it once I finish the first chapter. It's a bit out of my wheelhouse but its fun? Very different kind of writing than what I'm used to.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I write a lot of crossovers. I think when I write fic, I want to see something a little strange and unique that I can't find elsewhere. I'm working on a fic now where Kara meets Matt Murdock, that's not an interaction I ever envisioned myself writing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? To be fair, I haven't ever cared enough to check. I don't think I'm popular enough to get a fic stolen xD

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Someone translated one of my fics into Russian. I was incredibly flattered that they liked it enough to do so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, and I think it's mostly because I'm quite a selfish writer? I know what and how I want to write so collaboration is quite difficult. Maybe I still have some leftover trauma from all the group projects of my past.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Supercorp, if that wasn't very, very obvious.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'll finish them all!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I really don't know and that's not just me being modest. I don't really think I do anything particularly well?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Being succinct. Every ficlet wants to be a multi-chaptered story and every multi-chaptered story wants to be a novel

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think if implemented well it can be a great addition. If it's merely tacked on, however... I feel it not only doesn't add anything to the story but it makes the reader aware that they're reading a story. A bit of the magic is lost in the clunky execution.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

On AO3 Supercorp but I've dabbled in fandom for years and years. There's ancient Xena fic somewhere in my mother's basement

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Probably has to be Rich Girl but I really am fond of Swear Not by the Moon, as well. I've really enjoyed expanding the scope of Supergirl's world a bit and watching the characters slowly grow over the course of the story

No-pressure tags, of course: I never know who to tag in these until I finish these but if you like @rustingcat @vox-ex @sazernac

#ask game #this was a long one

[bird-inacage]

This is going to sound mean, but I think people are forgetting this isn't a BL.

In a BL, Ray would ultimately choose Sand. He would realize that his obsession with Mew is just that, that he wants Sand for real, and choose him, finally. Just to really hammer it home they'd have him doing something like calling Sand when he needs someone to be there for him again, like he called Mew two years ago. Bring the narrative full circle.

But this isn't a BL it's a queer drama trying to emulate real life. And unfortunately, most of the time in real life what happens is the person in Sand's position gets left. They get ignored. They get treated badly. And then hopefully they wise up and move on.

If Mew can manage to get over Top, I think it's very possible he and Ray will make a real go of it, whether it's good for them or not. Can't tell you how many times I've watched my friends make that mistake.

What I mean to say is I think some of this stuff is shippers understanding finally that this isn't the kind of thing they're used to, and that they can't expect a happy ending for their ship. That it's entirely likely that they won't get a happy ending at all.

I don't think that it was clear to some people until the last episode.

Hello Anon,

You make some interesting points here. At the end of the day, this is a fictional show that we all enjoy critiquing and discussing, so no hard feelings (at least not from my end).

And yes, I think this series has been so successful and resonated with so many due to it's intentional approach to not romanticise or sugar coat the queer relationships we're used to seeing in BL. It can be messy. It can be downright toxic. There is the real possibility our ships or 'couples' may not actually end up together. As you say, this series is perhaps trying to skirt closer to real life, but let's not forget that it's still ultimately a piece of entertainment.

People like to ship because it's part of the enjoyment of consuming a series. Expecting a certain outcome is not the same as hoping for a certain outcome. Shippers may hope for a happy ending but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not aware it may not happen, and it certainly doesn't mean they can't still enjoy the series either. Shipping was never bound to realism. Heck, that's why ghost ships also exist. Does the lack of any possibility those characters will ever couple up stop ghost-shippers from shipping? Nope. Why? It's fun. That's all it is, people enjoy it. That's why we're all here, no?

We're only halfway through, so who knows what the conclusion will be. Will all these 'couples' end up together? Perhaps they will, perhaps they won't.

---birdie

#bird-inacage asks #only friends #only friends the series #ofts #you're all keeping me busy today hahaha #asks aplenty

[spencerkellyv]

I really hope you watched volume 2 of season 4 but,

Can I get a Will Byers X Protective M!reader where the reader confronts Mike about him saying that his life started the day after Will Disappeared? And then Will tells the reader it’s no big deal but then the readers like “no it is a big deal, I can’t stand it when he treats you like that!” Type of moment. Thnx!

This prompt is so fun! I’m so happy to be mad at Mike over this line <3

Prepare this may be a long one

I hope I did what you wanted : )

Warning: Season Four Part Two Spoliers

“I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods.”

Mike’s words to El resonated in your head after he had spoken them during his attempt to encourage and back up his girlfriend. But it wasn’t a positive resonance.

As he spoke those words you could see the pain on your boyfriends face. With one hand in his you could feel his grip tighten slightly. The movement undetected by the others.

At first you didn’t understand the problem, it was a romantic statement. But as you all were preparing to travel back to Hawkins it hit you. You suddenly realized that what Mike had said had an unintentionally different meaning to Will. One that caused a fire to burn in you.

You wouldn’t let that slide.

“Hey Mike, can I talk to you for a second?”You said, arms crossed leaning against the large yellow van.

“Yeah man, what’s up?” Mike said casually. You could see Will in the corner of your eye, but at least this was better than doing this in the car in front of everyone.

You sighed before shifting your weight so that you stood with one hip cocked to the side, your arms still crossed. “I want to know why you thought saying what you said was okay.”

“Listen, I say a lot of things. You may need to be more specific.”

You chuckled.

“Tell me if this sounds familiar.” You quoted Mike’s words back to him. But the unassuming smile on his face showed he still didn’t know what was wrong with his statement.

Will was now standing besides the two of you, he looked uncomfortable with the tension in the air.

“I don’t get it. What I said was true. It felt like my life started the day I first saw her. Is that so bad? Is that not how you feel about Will?” Mike said. You couldn’t tell whether Mike intentionally tried to use your boyfriends presence against you, but you wouldn’t stand for it.

“Maybe I should teach you a thing or two about wording you asshole. Make you think for once instead of just spouting off your bullshit.” You said rolling your sleeves to your elbows

Will placed a hand on your arm. “Stop it. It doesn’t matter. What he said doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

You looked at your boyfriend with your eyes wide. Looking at him was a clear indicator that him being okay was a lie. Your attention was immediately turned towards him.

“Will,” you said cupping his cheek, “I can tell you’re lying. Why do you let him slide with saying these things? When will you finally let me help you break the cycle?”

“What are you talking about? What did I say?” Mike inquired.

You had never turned your head so fast in your life. You glared daggers at Mike. After he clamped his mouth shut you turned back to Will.

“Can I tell him or will you?” You asked Will.

“You can do it.” Will said. Placing one hand over your own on his cheek, then pulling it off slowly, your own hand in tow.

“You say the day you met El was the day your life began.” You begin, making unbroken eye contact with Mike. “Think about why you met her. Why you were on Mirkwood that day. You were there because Will was kidnapped by the Demogorgon, launching into the most traumatic thing that someone that young could’ve experienced. Not only that, it means that you didn’t care before that day. You started giving a shit after Will went missing. That’s what you said Wheeler. That’s why I’m upset. Why Will’s fucking upset. You’re a piece of shit who doesn’t think before he talks and who doesn’t care about anyone but his girlfriend.”

Will had to pull your arm to make you stop talking. You and him both knew that if you continued, it would likely cause more of a fight.

Mike’s eyes were wide as he apologized frantically.

“Will, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. He’s right.”

Will turned away from him. “You should stop doing things like this. Maybe then I’ll be able to happily accept your apologies. But for now go take care of your girlfriend. She’s the reason your life began, remember?” Will walked away with you trailing slowly behind him.

The three of you hardly talked on the way back to Hawkins, the only interaction had was Will, rubbing shapes into the palm of your hand and you let him.

#will byers x male!reader #will byers x reader #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things x reader #stranger things season 4 #80s #prompts #open requests #asks open #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #stranger things

[musicmakesthemovie]

"What Was I Made For?" A Look into Barbie's Most Tear-jerking and Overplayed Song

[WARNING: Spoilers for Barbie ahead]

If you've been alive and conscious for the last few months, you've at least heard of Barbie if you aren't one of the people who's been decked out in pink to go see what could, arguably, be called the Movie of the Year.

Even if, by some miracle, you haven't seen Barbie, you've probably heard Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For", which plays a pivotal, emotional role in the film. And you've probably drawn your own conclusions about the song, whether you're a fan of Billie's or not.

If you know anything about Billie Eilish, you know that she is no stranger to airplay and TikTok fame, and her most played songs tend to be earworms, played repeatedly until you're ready to pull your hair out. We've all been there.

So, it wasn't shocking when a friend, after seeing Barbie, told me how much he despised the song. I mean, he absolutely loathed it. His argument was clear: "It doesn't fit with the movie! 'Don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for' totally undermines the entire plot!"

Initially, I nodded in agreement. I like Billie's music, but did it really fit with the movie? Like every weekly hyper fixation, this required a deep dive. I researched how Billie Eilish came up with the song and what it meant to her. To my surprise, I found that it resonated beautifully with the Barbie movie. Let's break down the lyrics before delving into the song's musical significance.

"'What was I made for?' is...it's Barbie's voice...it's your voice...it's anybody's voice" - Billie Eilish Jul. 13, 2023 (Interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music)

The first verses are quite straightforward in their references. "I used to float, now I just fall down" alludes to Barbie's malfunctioning state, a central plot point in the movie. "Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real" reflects Barbie's mental conflict with realizing that she's just a toy; however, it could also be seen to reflect the other struggle Barbie faces: realizing that the real world is not the feminist, women-driven world she thought it was. Even as "Stereotypical Barbie," she senses that something's amiss. For her, it means that everything the other Barbies worked for has been lost. What's her purpose now? What was she made for?

Now, let's address the contentious line: "I'm sad again, don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for." At first glance, it seems like Barbie is concealing her sadness from her boyfriend as if she needs to put on a facade to shield him from distress. While this is partly true, there's a broader context that some miss. Barbie grapples with depression, a daunting experience for someone who has only known happiness. We've witnessed how it affects Barbie, both physically and mentally. In the film, Barbie lacks someone to confide in about her feelings, especially Ken, who's portrayed as having limited critical thinking skills. Barbie refrains from telling Ken because she understands he either wouldn't grasp it or wouldn't cope with the impact of her emotions. Thus, the song authentically mirrors Barbie's inner struggle to communicate her newfound feelings and her desire to protect others from her experience.

Another criticism my friend raised was that the music wasn't complex enough. The melody was too simple and the harmony was boring, etc. Here's where we delve into the technical side of the song, starting with the harmony or chord progression.

Firstly, Billie's song is originally composed in C major, one of the simplest keys due to its absence of flats or sharps, with a 4/4 time signature, making it rhythmically straightforward. The main progression comprises C-Em-F7, with an Am thrown in on the repeat of "What was I made for?" resulting in C-Em-F7-Am-Em-F7 until the beginning of the chorus, where the Dm and G chords are introduced.

So if we look at it as a numerical chord progression, it would look like this:

(verse) I-iii-IV7-vi-iii-IV7

and (chorus) ii-V-I-iii-IV

The most used chords in pop songs of a major key are I, V, vi, and IV.

So, what's the "iii" chord doing there? It's rarely used in recent pop music. The Beatles featured it in "Here, There And Everywhere," and Elton John in "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters," but it's uncommon. When we think of common progressions, it's typically I-V-vi-IV.

What's intriguing is that the dominant (V) chord is only used 3 times in the entire piece, with the final one being the very last chord as a Dominant 7th chord, which, in itself, is such a cool choice. The "V" chord naturally gravitates back to the "I" chord, and the addition of the 7th intensifies this desire to return to the home chord, especially since the expectation has been set for it to revert to C major, as it did twice before in the song. Thematically speaking, this choice reflects Barbie's longing for answers and a purpose. The last chord leaves you aching for something more.

Up to this point, we have a harmonic progression that may not be groundbreaking, but it creates compelling tension. So, what about the melody?

Billie's sung melody is quite simple when looked at on its own. All of the notes are diatonic (within the key signature), and the most complex thing is the few leaps between notes that are present. However, when the simple melody combines with the harmony, that's where the magic happens.

The interplay between the melody and harmony is where much of the tension lies. Billie often sings notes that are "unstable" or not part of the chord playing in the harmony, even though the individual notes are diatonic to the key of C major. This adds complexity and tension to the song. When we hear these notes that don't quite harmonize with what's playing underneath, our ears long for something less discomforting, like the warmth and safety of the tonic chord. In this case, that mild discomfort is what gives the song its potency and relevance to the movie as a whole.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the music theory behind the song, I highly encourage this website to get you started!

Q&A: Do you have a song from a film that you feel strongly about, whether you love it or hate it? Share your thoughts and why it resonates with you.

#barbie #the barbie movie #billie eilish #what was i made for #music #music blog #movie #movie blog #film blog #film analysis #song analysis #music theory #music in movies #music in film #greta gerwig #billie ellish lyrics #barbie 2023 #barbie movie 2023 #elton john #the beatles #Spotify

[mxanigel]

Incoming Pillars of Eternity rambles! (I tried to make my thoughts coherent. Emphasis on tried.) Now that I've reached Defiance Bay, I've been devouring the game this weekend to help me recuperate from recent life stuff, but this morning I had to pause to digest how much the events have affected Natsuki.

For context, Natsuki is a crime-solving moon godlike scientist ranger who initially leans clever, rational, stoic (except for certain things). Diplomatic tendencies partly arise from navigating her pursuit of science and clues and from being a moon godlike. Rational thinking because scientist and because that mindset helped her develop archery skills early on. Prefers honesty to lies but will bend the truth if it helps someone else. Yet becoming a Watcher and learning more than she ever wanted to know about Awakening and soul manipulation… well, that understandably changes a person. She never expected to be considered benevolent. But benevolence is understandable when you're able to read someone else's soul, isn't it?

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Recent Caed Nua things:

Natsuki explored more levels in the Endless Paths and got gut punched by Kana's discovery of the truth of the Tanvii ora Toha (Book of Virtues, ooooof)

Was called to court over a dispute of ownership and ended up able to keep Caed Nua because said disputer is a pathetic person

Loves her Mechanics bonus from resting at the stronghold -> she's much less likely to trigger traps now! to her companions' relief

Recent events:

Natsuki imprisoned the impostor of a drug dealer (who later escaped…) and probably meddled too much in the relationship between the real drug dealer and his ex? fiancee

She helped a kid get a fancy dagger and totally burst his bubble by revealing she'd already discovered the secret stashing spot near the amphitheater

Wandered catacombs in search of the source of a long-dead voice and accidentally moved forward a main quest by stumbling into the temple of Woedica (a moon godlike trying to wear a hood doesn't go well, haha) -> ended up taking down creepy catacombs dude and then convincing the quest-giver to destroy the amulet

Spoke at length with a talking statue and has a growing concern with how souls are treated in this world (okay maybe that's more me than Natsuki) with a side effect of starting to wonder whether pursuit of science is worth the cost

Was a bit too giddy about offering Aloth as a "volunteer" to investigate his soul duality condition (she made the two of them talk to each other like adults and was adamantly against him destroying the data gathered in the process)

Retrieved a scroll and instead of returning it, she buried it because a god(?!) asked her to

Discovered Durance's involvement with the Godhammer

Later stumbled across a piece of the Godhammer bomb

Was wholly unprepared to enter the North Ward of the Sanitarium (what. the. fuck.) and ended up killing Azo

Found a ghost who didn't realize he was a ghost playing guide at the above-ground entrance(?) to the temple of Woedica

Drooled with Kana over the bookshelves in the Hall of Revealed Mysteries but came to her senses long enough to use Grimda's key to help an animancy researcher get a text useful in their studies

Figured going to Heritage Hill wouldn't be a big deal and then got wrecked

Also now they're getting attacked by assassins in Defiance Bay

But hey, at least those events boosted Natsuki's reputation enough for Edér to access the records he's been seeking…

Okay. So the Heritage Hill thing. It was bad enough to stumble across the plight of a terrified child surviving amidst the unliving. And then find that an undead soldier was luring her compatriots to their deaths. But that damned tower. Specifically, talking to Icantha about it. The pride of hers that Natsuki felt, the pride Natsuki had to chip away from to reach a rational conclusion, the pride that resonated with Natsuki's own sense of identity. The pride that casually manipulated countless souls… for what purpose? Knowledge? Power? Control? People aren't playthings, aren't resources, aren't materials. They are people. The living shouldn't be abused by the dead.

Yet what it takes for Natsuki to chip away at that pride… is talking like she once herself did about being a scientist. About pursuing knowledge and understanding and wisdom. She convinces Icantha to give up that pride under the hope that Natsuki will carry the knowledge forward on her behalf. And then Natsuki overloads the tower so that no one else can abuse those souls. Despite knowing the souls would be destroyed, it's better than them being abused. Isn't it?

Now Natsuki has too many questions storming through her already overly-taxed mind: What does it mean to be "good"? What does it mean to pursue knowledge? Can knowledge be gained without harm or sacrifice? When is that knowledge worth the cost?

Her remaining tether is helping her companions. Who occasionally seem to notice when she's faltering. Thank the gods for Sagani and Edér and, well, everyone in her party.

#Ani plays PoE #OC: Natsuki #Pillars of Eternity spoilers #I am head over heels for Natsuki's journey here #(if you took the time to read this I appreciate you so so much)

[ladyimaginarium]

Here's y'all's free general collective reading ( including myself& / ourselves& collectively ) that I& promised today for the new year!! From left to right: The World, The High Priestess, The Star, Temperance, Queen Of Pentacles & The Lovers !!

The World: This is extremely fitting considering The World means completing another cycle, in this case, the new year. You may already be accomplishing something that you've been meaning to manifest or you're about to accomplish something huge or overcoming learning a hard lesson that you had to learn in order to grow. I'm& getting that for at least some, maybe one or two of you, that you had to part ways with a friend, a family member or maybe even a lover for whatever reason, regardless it was someone you loved & trusted. Whether it was someone betraying your trust or someone passing away, I'm& really sorry if this applies to one or some of y'all, that's never easy. Though, for most of you, considering it's in the upright positio, I'm& getting a more positive vibe. Some of you may be getting a job opportunity or a promotion or leaving to find a better job if you're working. I'm& getting that... maybe someone's getting married this year. Idk who exactly this applies to but if you're engaged & it's already happening this year, I'm& so happy for y'all !! Regardless of what it is, a cycle is closing & regardless of what that is, I'm& really glad for y'all.

The High Priestess: You may be undergoing a moment of isolation and contemplation. This is probably only gonna resonate for a few of of y'all but some of y'all may be practicing witchcraft & getting into the occult more or connecting to your faith of choice or.. I'm& getting for a handful of y'all, you may end up starting meditation which I'd& highly recommend, it's v healing. I'm& getting the feeling that you may be thinking of how you can improve yourself. A spirit, an ancestor or I'm& getting the more likely case is that a deity may be wanting to contact you to work with you so if you've been getting that feeling of intuition, trust it. This is probably only gonna apply to a few of you considering the card is upright, but you may feel like something is off with someone or maybe even that someone is untrustworthy, I& say follow your gut; you know yourself. The mind is loud but the intuition is quiet, it whispers. I& realize this is completely random but I'm& getting that you may be watching a mystery series or end up writing a mystery novel. Some of you may be going back to school for the winter semester & to that I& wish everyone here the best of luck in your studies !! Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces may be significant, you may have those in your placements or someone you know may have those placements !!

The Star: This is SO GOOD Y'ALL I CAAAAAAN'T. Whenever I& get this card I& get real giddy. The Star represents hope and aspirations and having faith. Keep the faith & keep going, whatever it is you're working with !! Something will work out for you !! Aquarius may be significant to you; you may have those placements or someone you know who may be an Aquarius or has those placements may be significant. I'm& getting "therapist" in my& head. Some of y'all may be going to therapy or starting the healing process or going back to therapy, considering healing is a part of what The Star represents. This may be for perhaps one of you but you yourself could be attaining some level of recognition this year publicly, whether it's for a post you make or artwork you make, who knows, maybe you actually end up being literally famous. Regardless of what it is that's going on, things seem like they'll be getting better !!

Temperance: You may be asked to be patient for something you're waiting to happen, whether that's something that's going on in your relationships, your career or for some of you a new apartment or home & I& KNOOOOOOW how annoying that is to hear, trust me&, but patience is a virtue. I'm& getting this specific message for some of you: Be careful about being too pushy with someone, especially if it's a friend or a partner, you never know what someone else may be going through, and be cautious about what you say to people, you may end up hurting someone really badly whether you intend to or not. Look at your relationships and at yourself and ask yourself if you're too giving or too reserved; don't be afraid to open up because the right people will accept you. Don't beat yourself up for making mistakes, especially when you don't intend to. Sometimes it's worth being patient & I& have to remind myself& of that sometimes and that the right people will be there with me& no matter what, too. I'm& getting this randomly but I'm& getting that if you believe that crystal healing is a thing, Tiger's Eye may be helpful to keep on you. Sagittarius may be significant, either you yourself could have those placements or someone you know may have those placements. Some of you may be traveling this year, just make sure to keep your masks on if you are, COVID is still very much a thing !!

Queen Of Pentacles: You may be getting more financially stable & here's hoping to that!! I'm& getting a sister, a mother, an aunt, grandmother, maternal figure, maybe even a deity or at the very least someone with feminine energy ( this person doesn't have to be a woman, anyone can have feminine energy regardless of gender, sex or orientation ! ) may be significant to you this year, or you yourself could end up taking on a maternal role or more feminine role to someone you care about. Some of you may be cooking more. This is very specific but to any of my& plural friends here, I'm& getting perhaps one or more of your caregiver system members may be more prominent this year. Some of you may be opening commissions or may even be starting your own business this year & if this applies to you, we& wish you all the luck in the world !! Don't be afraid to spoil yourself, there's nothing wrong with getting stuff for yourself !! You may be invited to or partake in a big event. If you're getting more money this year and have the means to do so, you may end up generously donating to the poor and those in need & if you can afford to do that, all the better, because there's a lot going on in the world as we speak. Pentacles resonate with Earth so Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn may resonate with you, either you yourself could have those placements or someone significant to you may have those placements. Wishing y'all all the best !!

The Lovers: omggggg this is literally so sweet, if you're single, some of y'all may be getting into a romantic relationship this year !! If you're already in a romantic relationship or an otherwise committed relationship, I'm& getting y'all will have more time to spend with each other and maybe even get into a higher level of commitment like getting engaged or moving in together. Some of y'all may be getting into a queerplatonic relationship or are simply getting more friends this year & all of which are completely wonderful & none are inherently better than the other !! This could only apply to a few of you but you may be reconciling with someone, whether it's an ex lover or a friend who did you wrong, whether or not you accept them back is entirely up to you. Someone may be coming to apologize to you. The Lovers can also mean a choice that you'll need to make, whether it's in the romantic sphere or choosing between two career options, you're likely going to have to make a choice that's one or the other - whichever it is, follow your heart & your intuition. The Lovers are ruled by Gemini so that may be specific, you yourself can either have these placements or someone who may be significant to you may have those placements. Regardless, for the vast majority, all of this seems like a good outcome & we're& so happy for you !!

Additional Notes: Summer may be significant to you. This seems like a really good outcome for a lot of y'all !! Undoubtedly with every year there's always gonna be ups and downs but for the most part it does seem like things may be going good for y'all !! If any of this resonates with you, you can reblog it & add it in the tags or comment how it resonates, I'm curious to see how this resonated with you !!

Disclaimer: take what resonates & leave the rest, keep in mind that this is a general collective reading for the collective for the new year of 2024 so not every message may apply, love y'all !!

decks used: Killstar ( or as we& call it, Memento Mori ) tarot, & GANGSTA. tarot.

#arcana.txt #arcana.tarot #tarotblr #tarot reader #tarot community #tarot reading #free tarot #free tarot reading #a lot of this resonated w/ me& actually so i'm& excited what that'll bring for us& & for y'all !! we still have 4 free reading slots open ! #new years #new years eve

[chloecherrysip]

So I just got back from a midnight showing of the Mario Movie!!! AND I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT IN DEPTH (BEHIND A CUT OF COURSE, NO SPOILERS FOISTED UPON ANYONE UNLESS THEY WANT THEM)

If you are just looking for a general impression of whether I thought it was good/bad and some things to keep in mind before you see it yourself (I do want to offer a helping hand in setting expectations for people who are afraid they've hyped it up too much), you can read that part FIRST and then I will provide a clear warning/a ton of space where you have to scroll further to get to the actual spoilers so you can back out! But I AM going to spoil things after I provide that warning, so please don't read further if you don't want to know.

(Also if you don't want to read through all the spoilers but you DO want to know if something specific happens/doesn't happen, feel free to message me! I don't mind answering.)

LET'S-A GO

MY GENERAL, NOT-SO-SPOILERY THOUGHTS:

As someone who has loved these characters for a very long time and has always longed for more media with them, I really, genuinely did have a wonderful time watching the movie. Now that I'm home, I'm realizing that my face actually ACHES from smiling too much, haha. I think everyone who has that built-in affection for the source material will have a good time with it and not regret seeing it, and the movie seriously FLIES by because you're just so busy enjoying it and being along for the ride!

ALSO, IF YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT THIS (NO SPECIFICS, WILL GET INTO IT MORE BELOW), MARIO AND LUIGI AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS, BY FAR AND AWAY, THE BEST PART OF THE MOVIE, THEY ARE SO UNBELIEVABLY ADORABLE EVERY MOMENT THEY'RE TOGETHER, WHICH IS NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH TIME BUT OH WELL. GIVE ME A MOVIE WHERE THEY'RE TOGETHER THE WHOLE TIME RIGHT NOW, I DEMAND IT

THAT SAID....

I do think that if you are someone who has spent a lot of time theorizing about potential scenes/conversations between characters and hoping for meaningful interactions and a lot of emotional resonance and payoff (like me!), you need to bring your expectations WAY, WAY, WAYYYYYY down before going in. Bring them incredibly far down, and then bring them down a little lower, even. Trust me on this.

I saw in a review before I went in that "you can tell pretty immediately when watching that this is meant to be an extremely surface-level movie for children" and I wasn't sure what that meant, but after seeing it...yeah. yeah, I do see what they meant. There is just a lack of depth here that's pretty glaring (even for a children's movie!) and I think the short length of the movie is what really, REALLY hurts it. I just desperately wish it was 10 minutes longer and every scene had another two minutes added on where the characters could just TALK to each other. The characters almost never get to just talk to each other about anything that isn't servicing the moving of the plot forward at a breakneck pace, which is sad!!!! As much as I loved seeing all the characters together, it all just felt...a little empty. And that stinks, really.

Also, a good thing to know: if you have watched ALL the trailers/TV spots like many of us have, you have seen a VAST majority of the movie already, like 65% at least, I would say. Everything but the first 10 minutes and the last 15-20 minutes, basically! And while there are additional shots/pieces of dialogue in those scenes, of course, several of the scenes from the trailers where people were like "oh boy, can't WAIT to see the rest of that scene" - uhhhh, you basically already saw the whole scene, I'm sorry to say. That was definitely a bit of a disappointing realization for me, to realize that a scene I'd looked forward to from the trailers was here and - oh, it's already over, we're moving on. :( (And I can write a list of which scenes those were down below, if you want to know.) The movie really, REALLY needed some time to breathe, for goodness sake! This is probably the most frustrating thing, just not understanding why it had to be so SHORT and why every scene is paced like lightning.

ALSO: a couple of lines from the trailers that people really loved are not in the movie at all!?!?!?!?!?! I WAS APPALLED. WHAT HAPPENED THERE? WAS THE SCENE CUT OR DID THEY JUST RECORD LINES WITHOUT SCENES ATTACHED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TRAILER????? (I will also list these below!)

All in all, I do want to be clear that I am NOT majorly disappointed! A little disappointed, sure, but I'm still smiling thinking back on the movie and I don't regret seeing it at all! I think people will enjoy it a lot if they just manage their expectations going in!!! But yeah...I think there's going to be a LOT of "fix-it fic" that comes out of this movie, whether that's people elaborating on the scenes or simply writing a better, longer, more emotionally resonant version of the plot (which honestly I might dabble in, LOL)

AND NOW LET'S GET INTO ACTUAL SPOILERS

FIRST, MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: DO MARIO AND LUIGI GET TO HUG WHEN THEY REUNITE????? SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT

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THEY DO!!! AND IT'S THE BEST

I'm not even joking, it's my favorite moment of the movie by far, absolutely no contest, would watch it 1,000+ times on repeat and die happy, LOL. It comes and goes quickly like all things in this movie does but they DO get a few beats to themselves and just - their faces!!!! their body language!!!! THE RELIEF AND HAPPINESS AND LOVE FOR EACH OTHER IS SO PALPABLE, JUST IN ALL THE LITTLE WAYS THEY REACT AND TOUCH EACH OTHER!!! I would have to see it again to really get all the little details, I'm sure I missed things in the moment, but the highlights are Mario cupping Luigi's face in both hands REALLY sweetly and also going in for a second quick hug where he lifts Luigi off the ground. And then there is some light ribbing from Luigi about what the heck he's wearing (he's still in the Tanooki powerup!) XD

Unfortunately, no one cries or gets teary (at least not that I noticed? I could be wrong and there was a super quick moment of it) but other than that, it was truly a lovely, little moment and this what I cared most about in the movie by far, SO I CAN REST EASY NOW. I think I saw someone say "I want their reunion hug to be good enough that it's featured in ALL Mario & Luigi hug compilations" and ohhhh, trust me, it WILL be!

(If you are curious about context for their reunion, here you go: there is unfortunately no jailbreak or anything like that, Luigi is still in jail when Bowser decides to SACRIFICE ALL HIS PRISONERS BY DROPPING THEM, CAGE AND ALL, INTO LAVA to prove his love for Peach!?!?! Peach herself manages to temporarily stop the cages from lowering but then Luigi is the lowest hanging cage and basically gets most of his cage EATEN AWAY BY LAVA but manages to crawl out and try to escape, only to fall! BUT THIS IS WHEN MARIO IS FIRST GETTING THE TANOOKI POWERUP AT THE SAME TIME AND HE SWOOPS IN AND SAVES HIM, IT IS GREAT AND SUPRISINGLY TENSE)

I will get into more detail about the rest tomorrow in a follow-up post when it's not almost 4:30 in the morning, but here are some more spoilers/things I liked or didn't like!

LIKED:

Pretty much everything in Brooklyn! I will write a more specific list tomorrow of all the sweet Mario & Luigi stuff but it is all EXTREMELY good, to the point that I started to actively dread the separation :(

PEACH GETTING CAPTURED AND GOING THROUGH WITH A WEDDING TO BOWSER TO SAVE HER PEOPLE BUT THEN KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES ALL BY HERSELF???? SHE SAVES HERSELF, NO MARIO NEEDED, AND IT'S FANTASTIC AND UNEXPECTED

Mario and DK's rivalry is SO juvenile but SO funny. All their little sniping at each other is cute XD

Bowser is also SO funny??? Everything with him pining after Peach and his SONG and all of his minions being EXTREMELY confused about his plan made me laugh more than anything else (BIG Mario Odyssey visual references for the wedding, btw XD)

I'M SORRY, I GOTTA SAY IT AGAIN....JUST MARIO AND LUIGI IN GENERAL. EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM. THEY ARE PERFECT LITTLE MEN WHO LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH. ALSO, VINDICATION FOR ME BECAUSE WHAT MARIO SAYS TO LUIGI IN THE WARP PIPE IS "nothing can hurt us as long as we're together" (which is then repeated later at a critical moment) and nobody believed me that he was saying that but he IS!!!!!!! I KNEW IT

The whole "why is Peach the only human here?" question getting EXPLORED???? AND SHE HAS A BACKSTORY WHERE SHE ESSENTIALLY IS FROM MARIO & LUIGI'S WORLD AND WAS FOUND AND RAISED BY THE TOADS???? It was VERY interesting and i was EXTREMELY intrigued

Stuff that was disappointing:

There was essentially nothing about Mario and Peach and Toad's teamup & journey that you didn't already see in the trailers/TV spots :( There's maybe a COUPLE of cute, new lines but that's it.

Other scenes where you basically saw it all if you saw the trailers/TV spots - the fire flower fields scene (other than Peach's backstory! But no more talking about Luigi from Mario, waaah), the Bowser + Luigi interrogation (a tiny bit more to it but barely anything and they do not directly interact again, SORRY FANS OF THEM), Luigi in the Dark Lands, and the threesome traveling to different lands. :(

THE LINES "I'm not afraid! I'd do anything for my brother" and "I hope you told your brother how much you loved him because you're probably not gonna see him ever again" ARE NOT IN THE MOVIE (UNLESS I BLACKED OUT OR WAS DISTRACTED AND MISSED THEM) AND THAT IS ACTUALLY A CRIME!!!!!! I AM GENUINELY KIND OF UPSET ABOUT THIS AND DEMAND MORE INFO. HOW THEY COULD RECORD THE FIRST LINE IN PARTICULAR AND NOT INCLUDE IT???? SHAME, SHAME, SHAME

Again, just....a lack of characters getting to have conversations/connections in general. Mario and Luigi's relationship and closeness is the only one that you really BELIEVE. Mario and Peach just don't get time to TALK, and neither do Mario and Toad. Honestly, Mario and DK's relationship felt more fleshed out in the end, and even that was just by a tiny bit.

Speaking of...no Mario + Peach romance in the least, sorry. :( They get ONE scene where DK makes fun of Mario for "flirting" with her but that's basically it. They don't even really get a scene with any romantic undertones other than just general smiling/warmth at each other?

ALSO: no Rosalina, no Daisy, no Wario/Waluigi, no Bowser Jr or the Koopalings, no real cameos of any sort that I picked up on EXCEPT you do see King Boo and some other notable villains at Bowser and Peach's wedding, which was neat! But Daisyyyyyyy. ;____;

Lumalee literally plays NO actual role in the movie and there is no sacrifice for a 1-up or anything like that. The character is just there to be morbid comic relief, which is kind of a letdown!

I HAVE TO SLEEP NOW, but quick thing about the ending (I will elaborate in another post) - the final battle is truly BONKERS. It's NOT a classic Mario VS Bowser battle at all, which is what I originally wanted, but jury's still out on whether I liked it or not? Will have to sleep on it. XD

WILL FOLLOW UP WITH ANOTHER POST TOMORROW WHEN I'M NOT ACTIVELY FALLING ASLEEP

#mario movie #mario movie spoilers #super mario bros movie #super mario bros movie spoilers #will post again with more info and details soon! but i have to sleeep #cherrysip hc's & rambling