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imagineteamfreewill · 1 year

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softly, gently, falling

Title: softly, gently, falling

Pairing: Castiel x Reader

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: Mentions of a bad day at work

Square Filled: First Snowfall

Trope Completed: Comfort Fic

Summary: After a long day at work, Y/N returns home to Cas, who’s waiting to make her feel better.

A/N: This is a submission for the 2022 SPN Christmas Bingo (@spnchristmasbingo)and fulfills Trope #19 in my 25 Days of Tropes series! I am determined to finally finish this trope list after several years of avoiding working on it. I hope you all enjoy.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

25 Days of Tropes Masterlist

“What do you need?” he asked.

You shrugged under the blanket Cas had draped around you immediately after you’d curled up on the couch. “A new boss? More food? Quitting?” You sighed and leaned your head against his shoulder. “I don’t know, Cas. It was just a bad day, you know? I don’t know what exactly will make it feel better. I just want it to be over.”

Right now, everything and nothing sounded like the best solution ever to your horrible day. You were so exhausted that you could barely keep your eyes open on the drive home. Customers had been coming in droves, and none of them were even the slightest bit thankful for your help. Not even your boss had thanked you today, despite the fact that you’d gone above and beyond. The only thanks you’d gotten was an hour’s worth of overtime pay, but that was nothing compared to what you deserved after a day like today. Thankfully, Cas had dinner waiting when you arrived home, and now you could spend what little remaining energy you had on him.

Sighing again, you snuggled closer to him and cradled your bowl of soup between your thighs. He adjusted his arm and the blanket so that you were still kept warm as you moved, and you smiled a little. No matter how long you’d been together, his thoughtfulness never failed to make you feel a little giddy inside. Castiel had a way of making you feel special. The blanket he’d chosen was one of your favorites, as was the soup, and you knew that if you even mentioned it, he’d be able to pull one of your favorite desserts out of the kitchen. He probably even had one of your favorite movies on standby if you wanted to watch something together.

“It is over,” he reminded you, and you hummed in agreement. “And now we have the weekend together. We can sleep in tomorrow, and then we can do whatever we want.”

“Yes, we can.”

You smiled a little more. The two of you had been planning your Christmas weekend for almost a full year now. It was the first time either of you had been able to spend it away from the craziness of your families. It would just be the two of you in your little apartment, celebrating how far you’d come since this time last year. Grand ideas for vacations and friends-only parties had been tossed around, but eventually you’d settled on a quiet weekend at home. It was exactly what the two of you needed, especially after today.

You and Cas continued to eat your soup in silence, though the TV continued playing reruns in the background. He’d kept the volume low, mostly to fill the empty space, but you didn’t need it. Cas did, though, and anything that helped him stay in the moment while you were together was okay with you. You’d gotten used to the different tricks and techniques he used on a daily basis, and tuning out the TV was second nature by now.

Once your bowl was empty, you nudged him in the side with your elbow. He grumbled about you knocking his organs out of alignment, but you caught his playful smile out of the corner of your eye and smiled back.

“I’m glad you were off today. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been here…”

When you trailed off, your smile fading at the reminder of the terrible day you’d had at work, Cas nudged you back. You lifted your eyes just enough to meet his.

“You could’ve called me. You can always call me if you need me. I’ll always come, even if I have to reschedule a meeting or move a client to another day. You’re more important to me than any job,” he told you.

Your heart grew two sizes, if that was even possible, and you leaned into him a little bit more. He kissed the top of your head. You could’ve sworn that you fell in love with him a little more each day, and you had been for years now.

“Have I ever told you that I love you?” you asked as you snuggled against him.

Cas took the empty bowl from your lap and set it on the coffee table beside his. “I believe you have.”

“Well, I do.” You grabbed his hand before he could tuck it back under the blankets and began to play with his fingers. He watched you in silence, letting you fidget as you continued to warm up from the long walk from your car to the building. With holiday visitors taking up over half the spots, you’d had to park even farther away than usual.

You were starting to drift off to sleep in Cas’ arms when he shook you, then stood up from the couch. If you hadn’t caught yourself, you would’ve faceplanted on the cushion.

“Y/N, look!”

You squinted up at him for a moment and propped yourself up with one arm. Cas gestured toward the sliding glass door that led out onto your small balcony, and you blinked a few times to clear your blurry vision. He hadn’t shown this much enthusiasm since you’d arrived home, but you’d just assumed he’d tampered down his usual evening energy to help your night be more relaxing.

“What is it?” you yawned, blinking a few more times.

Still smiling, he carefully helped you to your feet and led you by the hand over to the windows. With the other hand, he pushed the curtains out of the way so you could see what had made him so excited.

Outside, fluffy white snowflakes had begun to fall. They fell steadily, gently covering each car and bush with a thick layer of white. Judging by what you could see from the floodlights on the sides of your building, it had already been snowing for a while now, but neither you nor Cas had noticed while you were wrapped up in each other.

The frigid cold had settled in days ago, leaving everyone with high expectations for a white Christmas, but no snow had fallen until now. Almost everyone had given up hope. You gripped Castiel’s arm with both hands, smiling wide as you watched the snow float down from the sky above. All thoughts of sleep were gone from your mind, instead replaced with ideas involving snowmen, hot chocolate, and a quiet breakfast beside the windows.

“It’s beautiful,” you whispered, and he nodded beside you. String lights twinkled on other apartment balconies and windows, creating a picturesque view from your fifth floor apartment.

You slid one hand down to lace your fingers with his. Cas hummed happily when you did, and you smiled a little bit more, looking up at him.

“Merry Christmas,” you told him.

He smiled back, then leaned down to kiss you sweetly. “Merry Christmas.”

Thank you for reading! <3

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imasallstars · 1 year

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SSR/SSR+ 【Apple☆Carol】Akari Tsujino

“I’m sure you’ll be able to make any type of apple stand out♪“

FOCUS STAT 　　　7226 VOCAL at max Level, Max Bond, 0 Potential

TOTAL APPEAL 　　　 15 665

Skill:「Apple Decoration」　　　(Life Sparkle) For every 11 seconds, there is a 40~60% chance that you will gain an extra LIFE-BASED COMBO BONUS for 5~7.5 seconds.

Center Skill:「Cute Cheer」　　　When only CUTE-type idols are in your unit, all cards gain a 40% boost in their LIFE stat.

※ this card is available through scouting from the “Swee~t Moments in A Romantic Christmas“ gacha available until December 13th 2022 14:59 JST. This card may return, in the case of a rerun of the “Swee~t Moments in A Romantic Christmas” gacha.

#deresute gacha #limited #akari tsujino #tsujino akari #skill: life sparkle #center: type cheer

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telomeke-bbs · 2 years

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BAD BUDDY RERUN SEASON – EP.1 (NOTES ON THE REWATCH)

When GMMTV announced the rerun of BBS on channel GMM25 (every Sunday starting 4 Sept 2022, 8.30PM Bangkok time) I was initially blasé – surely every superfan's already rewatched it dozens of times (if not more), and we don't need an official rerun as an excuse to rewatch. 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, so as it turns out it's as good a reason as any to tune in again, and here I am once more obsessively rewatching. And as opposed to rewatching only my favorite bits over and over again, watching it in sequence does highlight things you missed before (because now we have so much more context), or that you noticed but then forgot because it's PatPran in the very next scene coming at you with more things to think about. 💖

So with the benefit of hindsight, this post is a list of (some of) these Ep.1 items, jotted down when they zapped electrically with meaning onscreen because our minds are now able to connect the circuits with other things elsewhere in the series. 😊

At Ep.1 [1I4] 2.33 we are told Pran has a special friendship with Wai – he's pretty nonchalant about Louis being beaten up (dismissing it with "He gets himself into a fight every day" at Ep.1 [1I4] 2.30), but when he hears that it's Wai who needs defending, Pran immediately changes his mind about getting involved.

(above) The light switch suddenly flicks on in Pran's eyes at Ep.1 [1I4] 2.33

This shows that Pran and Wai have a deeper connection that pre-dates the current time in their first year at university, and helps to explain why Pran was so persistent in trying to mend fences with Wai in Ep.9. The most likely explanation is that Wai was Pran's best friend (and likely protector too – see this analysis here) when Pran was exiled to boarding school – Pran sort of confirms this at Ep.1 [3I4] 7.21 when he tells Pat: "…Wai has been my close friend since before I transferred here." (If Pran and Wai were close friends before Pran was sent away, Pat would have known about it, so Pran must be referring to boarding school here.)

When Pran leaps to Wai's defense in the fight at Ep.1 [1I4] 3.56, his flying kick lands somewhere in the general vicinity of Pat's abdomen, and Pat falls clutching his ventral area in pain.

But then we are shown Pat clutching at an area to the left of his chest instead (Ep.1 [1I4] 4.00).

Pran re-entering his life is sending shockwaves right to Pat's heart. 💖 And we see him go from grimacing at the pain of the initial impact to a moment of strange calm, as though something has changed within him, before his fighting anger returns.

Their first unblinking looks at each other (after years apart) – are filled with recognition and perhaps incredulity, but not hatred or aggression (because they were never really enemies behind the scenes).

(above) Ep.1 [1I4] 4.14: Don't I know you?

When Pran and Pat conspire to dupe Wai into apologizing at Ep.1 [4/4] 1.04 and bring about peace between their friend groups, it is not something new – they were manufacturing their rivalry as kids (we know this because in Ep.12 we are shown that as kids they would come back home and then chat using their tin can phones, meaning their childhood enmity was all for show).

As Pat and Pran draw closer into each other's orbits in Ep.1 however, we see them bickering in their interactions but there is more prickliness on display from Pran than Pat. At Ep.1 [4/4] 3.28 he says "Things don't end well whenever I'm close to you" which Pat takes as a reference to Pran being sent away after their collaboration on the Christmas song contest – he mentions immediately "At least, no one gets transferred somewhere else this time." Pat possibly looks at Pran's constant pushing him away as fearfulness of being sent away again. But it goes deeper than that for Pran; we have to remember that throughout all of Ep.1, Pran is in love with Pat (and has been since high school). In every scene, now that he's back in contact with Pat, Pran is battling with himself not to let the slightest hint of that love show (so it's likely he's overcompensating, and coming across as standoffish and hostile).

Except for the flying kick at Ep.1 [1I4] 3.56, all physical contact between the two (totally non-sexual, so let's not get into issues of consent) is initiated by Pat, not by Pran. For example, he initiates the fist bump both times at Ep.1 [4/4] 1.38 and Ep.1 [4/4] 4.01.

Pat covers Pran's mouth when he goes to Pran's bedroom to negotiate calming the Archi-Engine enmity at Ep.1 [3I4] 6.01, and he puts his hand on Pran's mouth too when they hide from Korn, Mo and Chang (at Ep.1 [3I4] 1.13). These are about the only times when Pat initiates non-consensual contact, but both times it's to protect Pran, not for Pat's gratification or benefit in any way.

Pran also asks to be let out of the car after being rescued (at Ep.1 [3I4] 2.04). We see Pat open to closeness with Pran, but we see Pran retreating and avoiding.

There also are hints of what Ming and Dissaya had been doing to Pat and Pran since their childhood. When Pran says of Pat "Doesn't he look like a cheater like my mom said?" at Ep.1 [1I4] 5.24 we get a sense of the kind of drumming hysteria that Dissaya must have subjected Pran to every time Ming or his family were mentioned, so much so that "Ming the Cheater" (entirely justified) had somehow become conflated with "Pat the Cheater" (at odds with the overall portrayal of Pat, mostly devoid of malevolence even if he's capable of scheming behind the scenes – in cahoots with Pran most of the time, it should be said 😊).

When Pat confirms that he'd been voted Engine Class President, Ming says at Ep.1 [1I4] 12.26:

In this, we are given a glimpse of Ming's treatment of Pat – instead of congratulations or validation, his achievement is downplayed and another target is set, suggesting that Ming was always pushing Pat to do more, no matter what he'd managed to accomplish.

The flashback scene of Pa's near-drowning is significant because it shows us the moment that broke down barriers between Pat and Pran, and drew them into closeness behind the scenes. But there is also a heartwarming nugget of information about Pat and Pa as well, and it reveals the love that binds the chaotic Jindapat siblings. When Pat and Pa race to the lake on their bikes, Little Pat says "Who gets there first doesn't have to wash the dishes" (Ep.1 [3I4] 3.45) and Little Pa replies "I'm the only one who does it every day." This makes it clear that gender roles were fixed for them early on in Ming's traditional and patriarchal household. But there's more to the scene – we see that Pa is so far behind she has to call out to Pat to slow down (at Ep.1 [3I4] 3.43). And instead of racing ahead, Pat actually slows down and lets Pa win.

Little Pat isn't hung-up on the gender role thing (or at least he didn't start out that way), but out of sight of his father he is willing to wash the dishes this one time, willing to be beaten by a girl, just to make his baby sister happy. 💖

It's also interesting to see how Pat and Pran's childhood personalities contrast with what they grow into. In later episodes, we see that grown-up Pat is quite the man-of-action, always reaching out, showing initiative and pluck all the time (e.g., helping Pran with LogTech, pleading with Ajahn Pichai to let them participate in the Freshy Song contest, taking on the role of Riam in the Archi play, etc.). Pa's near-drowning was a key turning-point that galvanized their development, but interestingly their roles at the lake are the reverse of what we see later. When Little Pran rescues Pa from drowning at Ep.1 [3I4] 4.27, he gets shoved aside and Pat forgets to thank him.

This is paralleled in the scene where Pat rescues Pran from being beaten up by Korn, Mo and Chang, and Pran storms off without thanking Pat (Ep.1 [3I4] 2.26), which also highlights the reversal of their roles after childhood.

At the lake, it was Pran acting first, but with Pat frozen into inaction. In later episodes, it’s always Pat reaching out and acting first, with Pran hesitating and second-guessing himself. Something happened along the way to change them, and for Pran at least I think it was being sent away to boarding school. After Pa’s rescue at the lake, we see Pat’s energy directed outwards (possibly it always was, and at the lake he was just too stunned to react), but with Pran’s exile Pat’s energy to the world turned darker, as though he was raging to establish a connection with something or someone outside of himself to fill an emptiness within (e.g., when Korn refers to Pat’s uncontrollable anger at Ep.1 [1I4] 1.25, and when he whacks Mo upside the back of his head at Ep.1 [2/4] 5.05). Pran on the other hand directed his energies inward and closed in upon himself, putting up barriers to the outside world.

When Pran asks Pat to take his chat ID (Ep.1 [4/4] 6.52) – and due credit to Nanon's acting here – it's ostensibly so they can coordinate and keep their fighting friend groups apart. But remembering that even at this moment Pran is deeply in love with Pat and has been since high school – it's also clearly so that Pran can have a direct, private line of communication with Pat, whom he loves so much.

Pat is none the wiser, but for Pran this is a big thing, and is confirmed by his happy little micro-expressions starting from 8.41 as their theme of togetherness Our Song sparkles joyfully in the background (only we didn't know the significance of the music during the first time around watching this).

(above) Man quietly in love

Once Pran knows he's safely alone, the contrast with his previous demeanor is striking, as he smiles to himself while Pat walks away into the distance, and the smile doesn't leave his face.

This is telling, but what we also discover about their inner selves is surprising. If you were to ask who was the happier of the two throughout the series, almost everyone would say Pat. But we don't actually see many signs of happiness on display from Pat in Ep.1. And although Pran is mostly serious in this episode, when he's alone and thinks no one is watching, he allows little secret smiles of happiness to peek out – and it's his memories of Pat that trigger this.

For example, he smiles wistfully when he looks at the beat-up wristwatch Pat returned to him (Ep.1 [2/4] 4.38).

It's not a smile of great joy. It's a smile tinged with sadness that you allow yourself when something reminds you of happier times.

And Pran smiles the broadest after getting and saving Pat's chat ID in his phone. His heart is probably leaping here.

He also smiles at the end when he looks at the watch again at Ep.1 [4/4] 9.17, before he puts it on and smiles some more at 11.34, 11.44 and 12.01.

This is Pran in private: taking whatever little happiness he can get. It's not Pat fully in his life, it's not any kind of romantic relationship, but it's Pat back in his life after years of pining. And he allows himself the quiet happiness of enjoying just that.

When he's not alone, Pran does smile, but it often has a performative/communicative aspect:

He smiles to show Pat that their ploy to dupe their friends into ending the warfare seemed to be working (Ep.1 [4/4] 2.20);

He smiles at the dining table because it is in keeping with the atmosphere of gentility (Ep.1 [1I4] 11.48);

He smiles when walking with his friends at Ep.1 [2/4] 4.50, but this seemingly cheery moment is undercut with irony – Safe is pointing at Louis/Wai while saying "Are you making a serious face? Well it's not normal" (which is Google's translation of the Thai dialogue), and you can't help thinking that the opposite might just be true for Pran;

His smile takes on a derisive tone at the childishness of Pat's chat ID (Ep.1 [4/4] 8.04) and getting Pat to add him as a friend (Ep.1 [4/4] 8.23) – this is more of him tossing barbs at Pat, but the underlying reason for his smiles was probably his happiness at re-establishing contact with Pat.

The scene at the end of Ep.1, that shows Pat and Pran walking to their student apartments is a bit of an OMG reveal, saved up as a final flourish to end the episode. It's actually out of sequence – after Pat and Pran exchange their chat IDs outside the pharmacy, we see Pat leave to seek solace in a popsicle (a sign of his kid-at-heart nature, and also his need to look outside himself for validation/comfort). The scene then cuts to Pran in his student apartment, and we see him put on the watch that Pat returned to him in childhood (that is so precious to him he kept it stashed away for more than ten years and brought it with him when he moved out of the family home).

So at the end we see Pat walking down the corridor with his popsicle (Ep.1 [4/4] 12.07), and then after he disappears into his apartment, we see PRAN walking back (as he smiles to himself once more). This looks like them returning to their apartments after their pharmacy encounter – they're wearing the same clothes.

Maybe Pat took a long time to get that popsicle? And Pran went out again and what we're seeing is his second return to the apartment the same night? This is unlikely, because Pran is not wearing the watch.

So the final scene upsets the linear sequence, and is more a flashback meant to surprise us (emphasized by the peppy music) – by some strange twist of fate, they've ended up staying across from each other (after growing up in neighboring houses – that coincidence is analyzed here). It's been set up for revelatory impact – but it was already foreshadowed by Pa at Ep.1 [2/4] 2.33 when she said "Well, well. We better talk about you. You guys have been apart for three years but brought back to meet eventually. I call this 'soulmates.'"

This is also why I think there's a sense of the Red Thread of Fate entwining Pat and Pran. It's like they were meant to be together despite all the opposition swirling around them. 💖

[Afterpost Edit: for notes on the rewatch of other episodes, see these links here: Ep.2, Ep.3, Ep.4 and Ep.5. 😊]

#bad buddy #bad buddy analysis #patpran #telomeke #bad buddy episode 1

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actualbird · 1 year

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Hello! Do you know what the next event after Blizzardous Threads of Red is gonna be? And is there a way to find out the order of future events? Thank you in advance :D

hullo anon!!! i am not completely Sure what the next event after Blizzardous Threads of Red but my guess is that after BTR we'll get some card reruns and minigame events, and then the next card event will be the Butterfly Kisses MR Card Event for Valentine's Day season

i say guess because currently the only way to predict upcoming events for the global server is by checking what happened on the cn server at around the same time frame, last year. doing this has its caveats though, because it's been noted that the global server is kinda 'speeding up' in a sense, so it's not really a 1 to 1 "what happened in cn server january 2022 is gonna happen in global server january 2022" because sometimes some events come way earlier

for example,

Romantic Rail Getaway Part 1 happened in march 2021 for cn server, but global server got it in november 2021

Secrets of the Tomb happened in sept 2021 for cn server, but global server got it in april 2022

Dreams of Childhood happened in March 2022 for cn server, but global server got in october 2022

and most recently Artem's Blossom Personal Chapter 1 happened in feb 2022, but we got it in dec 2022

(note: there are way more events that we got earlier than expected, these were just the ones off the top of my head

all that being said though, there are some events that are "time-locked" and cant be sped up because they are required to happen at a specific date, so theyre easier to predict since they Need to happen at that time. this includes LI birthday events, anniversary events, new year events (since tot likes to have a Big event to commemorate chinese new year/lunar new year), and special days like valentine's or christmas or halloween and the such.

here’s a great excel sheet made by dailythemis on twitter that shows the calendar of past events in both the cn server and the global server. this is what i use to kinda make my own predictions, just switch through the sheet tabs and start shooting ur shot with guesses taking into account all the variables kjhvkJHVK.

but heres a summary of whats upcoming

after BTR (and btw theres gonna be a limited top-up Marius card for this event too, this was already announced in by tot eng in their event calendar for BTR, so watch out for that), some card reruns will probably happen

Butterfly Kisses MR Card Event in february for valentine's day

Vyn's Blossom Chapter 1 probably after that (actually now that i think about it, they could also put this right after BTR too if they dont wanna do reruns or a minigame)

Main Story Episode 8 probably after that

ive got the faintest hunch that theyre gonna release Cozy Couple's Getaway part 1 way earlier too, since CCG is kinda like RRG so they might keep with the tradition of bamboozling us there HAHA

so yeah!!

im very sorry this response is kinda a lot kjkjVKJHSF i answered an ask like this before actually but i wanted to be more in depth with this response so it can be clearer. i hope this helps!!!!

#why this game making me get a master's degree in excel sheets and divination...#tottips #<- btw heres my tag for ask responses that have anything to do with tips/game info for tot!!#asks #anon

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mylivejournalsucks · 1 year

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all i want for christmas is a healthy shift in perspective, tbh.

For years, it felt like I was the saddest and drunkest person to ever exist during the holidays. It would start with a flurry of activity in December—festive parties, candy canes and gingerbread desserts, blasting a charlie brown christmas while blissfuly soaking in the tub (always skipping the one song that’s sung by children who sound like they escaped from a mental institution)—and I would start to actually think/delude myself into being like, “Wait, I actually love the holidays?” But then, bloop, the activity would stop and all the fun distractions would evaporate and suddenly my bones would turn to crushed ice when I’d realize all that’s left was just me and my flop of a family.

I’m 96% kidding. I love my family. I do. But we’re not the closest bunch. Honestly, we’re just very different people and I knew from an early age that, in order to experience globs of closeness and intimacy, I would have to outsource and build a big life for myself. One that included a lot of strong friendships. It actually works until all those friends have to leave for a week and deal with the reason why they also had to go and build big lives for themselves.

So Jonathan would trot off to see his family in Berkeley (he actually likes them....disturbing) and I would be left alone to turn my stomach into a wine cellar and have decadent marie antoinette dinners, basically giving myself gout for Christmas. Then, to assuage the guilt of my excessive drinking and eating, I would convince myself that all this peace and quiet was lending itself to a “creative surge of activity” and by that I mean I would drag my hungover ass to a computer and type nonsense for 75 minutes before laying down and watching reruns of Millionaire Matchmaker. (All I want for Christmas is for Patti Stanger and her industrial strength bangs to tower above me and go on a tirade about redheads. My problematic Marina-Del-Rey-living queen...)

The hangovers were particularly brutal this time of the year. I don’t know if it’s because LA was dead and there was nothing really to hide behind or power through for. My skin would break out, my stomach would feel like it was put through a cheese grater (probs because I was eating so much cheese.) And I had no choice but to be an absolute sub to my misery. It felt like my problems were there under the Christmas tree, waiting for me to unwrap them, and I would just stare at them and think, “If unwrapping wasn’t so ableist, maybe I would but JK, not now.”

Then, miracle of miracles, I got sober during the early days of the pandemic. i was excited to see if not drinking and the holidays would make for a quietly iconic duo but then an exposure to omicron cancelled all my holiday plans last year. 2022 would be the first time in three years I would get to experience Christmas the way it used to be: absolutely terrible!

But I had a hunch that raw-dogging Christmas was going to be actually okay. For Thanksgiving, Jonathan and I hosted fifteen people at our house. It was a merging of our two families and it felt very “Circle Of Life” being able to give our parents an experience where they just eat and chill while we took care of everything. And by “we” I mean Jonathan. I still have the life skills of someone raised in a bunker. But the day was very special and honestly took the pressure off of Christmas having to be a slay. Jonathan is always trying to get me to go to Berkeley with his family for Christmas but I always resisted because I felt guilty leaving my tiny family behind and also, the drunk part of me liked getting to isolate and have “glamorous” nights where I sit in bed alone, drink goblets of wine, and Google “Jon Hamm bulge sweatpants.”

But now I’m that no longer sucking alcohol’s dick and because we had already such a fantastic Thanksgiving with my family, I decided to finally live my Norcal truth. And I’m so glad I did because hon? It was heav. Jonathan’s sister and mom are delightful. They’re all beautiful reflections of each other and being around them for concentrated periods of time allows me to fill Jonathan in even more as a person. We ate delicious food, were confused by Berkeley fashion (you’re millionaires, please put down the performance fleece vest.....) and we stayed at a hotel that kind of felt like The Shining but in a consensual way.

For the first time since I was a kid, I had a lovely Christmas. One that didn’t feel lonely or hungover or cause me to fixate on what I didn’t have. It sounds traj to write but I didn’t know that was possible. I had resigned myself to the holidays forever acting as an X-ray to all of the poisonous thoughts and feelings I have living inside of me. But now I’ve made new traditions. Healthier ones. And I feel silly for letting myself live in a story I didn’t like for so long but, of course, it’s hard to regret anything when you like where you’ve ultimately landed.

It’s nice to see yourself get better at living.

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brave-symphonia · 2 years

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I’m looking at future Servants before Muramasa, and I think I might skip on Emiya on the upcoming banner. Which might be crazy to say considering I still have like 80-90% of my Castoria quartz, all of my tickets, and all my fragments.

But, I already have Emiya, and I think I should focus on Servants I want that I don’t have before increasing his NP, especially since he’s only going to be my main person to go with Castoria until Muramasa drops.

Like, I love Emiya, I just love Shirou more, and I’ve got other Servants to try for. And I’m pretty sure he’s not a limited Servant.

Like, I want Rider Astolfo from the Nightingale rerun, because I need the original Astolfo. I want Parvati from 2022 Christmas, because I like her and she’s Sakura, so I have to get her.

Now that I think about it, they might also not be limited. But they’re on rate-up, so I might as well try. And I don’t care a ton about getting a Servant’s NP up just to get it up? Sure it makes them stronger, but I’d choose a Servant I don’t have over a second copy pretty much anytime.

And sure I’ve got plenty of quartz now, but it’s probably best to play it safe.

Luckily, after Muramasa, I didn’t see any Servants I wanted that year until Ereshkigal near the end of the year. Of course, a few weeks ago I didn’t really care too much about Parvati, so that could change.

Honestly, the events may not contribute a ton to the story, but I’m happy for them. It’s possible I wouldn’t be trying for Ereshkigal without the underworld christmas event, and without Parvati’s trial quest I definitely wouldn’t be trying for her.

#zack talks #zack plays video games #zack plays fate go #and i'm aware the dates aren't exact #but they're more or less accurate #i mean i thought ooku would come before the anniversary #but i guess not

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naufal-thecartoonnetworkfan · 1 year

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Cartoon Network Asia Schedule Changes & Highlights from December 2022

December 2022 Changes

1st Dec Running Man Animation changed to Looney Tunes Cartoons at 9:30a

2nd Dec Adventure Time at 5p got removed, and WBBB was previously at 5:35p just got extend from 5p

3rd Dec

…and then Grizz (at 5a) was removed forever… and got changed to PPG again… besides it, WBB at 6a got changed to Talking Tom & Friends

Batwheels move 30mins backward to 8:30a (after that 1 more hour of Gumball got shaved), because at 9a will be had Holiday Hangout block

double WBBB from 9:30a-10:30a got changed to Holiday Hangout block, first week there's TTG! & WBBB

WBB at 11:30a changed by Mechamato

Gumball gets doubled, from 1:30p-2p, the others get kicked out like Mechamato (3p) & Ekans (3:30p) because there is another Holiday Hangout block

TTG aired between 2:30p & 4:15p also removed

A rerun of Batwheels moved 30mins forward to 4p

movies got removed, and WBBB moved 30mins backward to 4:30p

5th Dec -The rest of the schedules like double of Gumball (9a-10:30a), Looney Tune Cartoon (10:30a), double of TTG! (3p-5p), & Adventure Time (5p) changed to daily Holiday Hangout block, first day there's Mechamato (9a-11a, 3p-6p)

WBB moved 30mins forward to 11a

Another Mr. Bean at 10p changed to another Steven Universe

17th Dec Batwheels gets doubled up from 8:30a-9:30a, because on 9:30a there's a premiere of Bugs Bunny Builder, and just for Saturdays only…

24th-25th Dec Christmas specials goes right here : 6a : TTG! 7a : Elf Buddy's Musical Christmas 8a : Mr. Bean Animated 8:30a : Batweels 9a : Bugs Bunny Builders, but earlier 9:30a : LTC 10a : Grizz 10:30a : TnJ Santa's Little Helper 11a : TnJ Show 11:25a : PPG 12p : COTC 1p : WBB 1:25p : Mr. Bean Animated 2p : Ben 10 6:30p : Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays 7p : Adventure Time 8p : SCI (MORE CHRISTMAS SCHEDULES ON THE PIC BELOW)

31st Dec Full movie marathon before new year comes (details below)

December 2022 Highlights 3rd-25th December : Holiday Hangout 17th December : Bugs Bunny Builders (CN Premiere) & Batwheels (Boomerang Premiere)

Monday : Mechamato Tuesday : Looney Tunes Cartoons Wednesday : COTC & WBB Thursday : TnJ in NY & WBBB Friday : TAWOG Saturday : TTG! Sunday : WBBB Repeat again from Monday, before the new year comes

#cartoonnetwork #cartoonito #december #highlights #christmas #holidayhangout #batwheels #bugsbunnybuilders #craigofthecreek #gumball #teentitansgo #webarebears

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peageetibbs · 1 year

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Ich habe 1.248 Mal im Jahr 2022 etwas gepostet

21 Einträge erstellt (2%)

1.227 Einträge gerebloggt (98%)

Blogs, die ich am häufigsten gerebloggt habe:

@meetinginsamarra

@helloliriels

@ohlooktheresabee

@delightful-fear

@discordantwords

Ich habe 1.238 meiner Einträge im Jahr 2022 getaggt

Nur 1% meiner Einträge hatte keine Tags

#sherlock – 797 Einträge

#sherlock fanart – 620 Einträge

#johnlock – 173 Einträge

#sherlock fanfiction – 150 Einträge

#benedict cumberbatch – 117 Einträge

#funny stuff – 93 Einträge

#movies – 85 Einträge

#personal stuff – 58 Einträge

#fanfic art – 54 Einträge

#fanart – 49 Einträge

Längstes Tag: 48 characters

#brother mine - if you ever read this - i´m sorry

Meine Top-Einträge im Jahr 2022:

I bought a little Bougainvillea bush for my dad´s garden and I swear it keeps staring at me:

The little fella on the top left kinda looks like a little pink Jawa...

One of them was outright yelling at me:

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

13 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 5. Juni 2022

@khorazir I received your Christmas card and added it to my Christmas collage I´ve been building over the last few years with your amazing drawings (and the lovely cards from my dear friend @meetinginsamarra) and I feel it´s really telling a story (and not the Nativity story...😉). My record player which has to provide the space for it is getting a bit crowded by now.., I also donated to my local food bank as you requested. TYSM for spreading Christmas spirit every year. Long live our fandom and a contemplative Advent season to you all!

16 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 2. Dezember 2022

Currently watching a rerun of “Twister” in German Free TV. Just saw the flying cow and considered for the umpteenth time breaking my fanfic rule about not starting a WIP and finally reading @discordantwords´s “Whirlwind”... damn, so tempted... 🌪🌪🌪🌪🌪😵

27 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 7. Mai 2022

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

28 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 11. Dezember 2022

Meine #1 des Jahres 2022

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

152 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 23. November 2022

Hol dir deinen Tumblr-Jahresrückblick 2022 →

Well, since everybody is doing their review, I´ll post, too. Nothing out of the ordinary here, except that for my primarily Sherlock-centered blog it´s kinda strange that only two of my Top-5-posts feature Sherlock in any kind... Well, there is this other handsome dark-haired Brit who came into my view just some month ago and who may have caused some distraction...🤔😁😉 Guess he isn´t going anywhere in the forseeable future, so you may keep seeing him occasionally on my blog...

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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webseriesviral · 4 months

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Friday TV Ratings: Blue Bloods, Shark Tank, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Dateline NBC, WWE SmackDown - canceled + renewed TV shows, ratings Published: December 30, 2023Photo: The... #movie quote #movies #movie line #movie line #movie scenes #cinema #movie stills #film quotes #film edit #vintage #movie scenes #love quotes #life quotes #positive quotes #vintage #retro #quote #quotes #sayings #cinematography

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cielospeaks · 1 year

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ive done year in reviews for gacha games before but tbh i want to do one this time for my stories/ideas/ect

brief summary of story content in 2022:

january: seidjarn christmas carol (feh) written. got changed a little from earlier drafts bc of some canon things but good news is bc of that sola got added! the sola + otr friendship is like one of my favorite things in the kasumiverse tbh.

january: case files rerun. heavily underdeveloped lol. tbh i headcanon that the cfr is just like. the “recap of earlier story arc” episode in the anime. well plus ashlynn + vee friendship and treblesal blondel de nesle style but screaming about m c u movies.

winter-???: aime tachi returns to my focus! speaking of mcu movies lol. the reason is in no small part bc of both nwh and a friend who was encouraging of this au. i think this year’s focus saw a lot more development and the addition of nwh led to a more solidified smtm (and a1) part from at2. i also finished writing the prologue yea! but aside from that nothing much was done lol. but it was brainstormed! and ill take that as a win

golden week 2022: escape the riyoverse! again influenced by movies slightly but ill give it that since the whole thing has a hollywood vibe lol. like most fgo stories its not solidified but its a super big crossover of all of the gw crossover characters (+ into the fics) leading up into it. it also answered a lot of storybuilding questions/ect. (what happens to the allegrofaces, as we saw anda and coda in idolgers, but due to some worlds being erased from existence their allegros’ fates are unknown. as well as why aime’s keyblade is melodic feathers ie allegros keyblade, mostly just those plot points lol)

???: “fallen angel kisumi” storyline. well its literally just an idea at this point. but it has merit. basically kisumi finally gives up after witnessing the crew be awful for too long when it also takes bel’s life, and kisumi absorbs his powers and uses them to recruit underutilized final event bosses who deserved better. aside from this the “school au” kisumi, who has like. no canon anything but definitely exists as school bel’s penpal and long distance friend. possibly if fallen angel kisumi goes after school bel, its up to school kisumi to save him. lol. idk.

november-???: twsty au! oh gosh i wasnt expecting to even like this game but i did. i am not immune to idiot bird principal and platonic dumbass boys. the au includes idolger buddies lieven and jaeger, but also introduces new faces like norytx, wesley, and danry, as well as the obligatory treble insert (who actually is very cool not to be punny lol.) and it gave me somewhat of a version of those characters who i wont mention specifically that i can actually like. shoutout to more side characters (alfe maybe?, the vice principal, magic hat sensei, elias, and annand) bc u are also cool.

january-december: heroesverse book 6! again managed to finish it! it was a wild ride but it got done. sufficiently harder than before bc my guy elm was given like. nothing. in canon. so i had to ~improvise~ but a lot of the story was around em and the main squad anyways lol. idk. it works for what b6 was but i at least know what i want to do differently for b7!

and since thats mostly done on to the specifics!

best new character: i think im gonna give it to em! she gets fleshed out in story and has a nice little character arc. i like that she’s both a foil to kasumi and someone for her to help/to be helped by. shes also on a side note a big spiderman fan so that gets a big thumbs up from me.

best returning character: i think ill give it to aime! that doesnt count bc shes a self insert but idk. i feel like more shes a tribute to my childhood and coping with stuff but idk. mixed bag. i love her character arc from marvel arc to nwh, with coping with losing someone while she was out of their life, as well as growing to overcome old grudges (both of which are very relatable to me now/hit too hard for me personally), and on the positive side learning to feel again and care again after having to harden herself emotionally to get through life (again, same hat). it is just also like. magically self indulgent to be able to put essentially my insert/the cooler, more in universe me next to my favorite characters from different franchises and tldr i highly recommend kh aus -pacha meme-

best dynamic: listen i am always weak for idolgers and vore musical trio. the anda and mokou dynamic specifically is just. soul healing. and vmt is sorta that cliched “jaded dad doesnt want to have to care again but damnit someones gotta take care of these children” but i live for this iteration specifically, as the jaded dad is a dead murderer and these children are a lab experiment and a space plant. kisumi + kasumi also has nwh spiderman pointing meme vibes and is soul healing so im putting it here too.

biggest criticism: i feel like (esp in kasumiverse) i need to work on balancing serious/comedic, writing shorter, and having more fun writing. idk it just kinda feels like a chore, and that im just checking for plotholes instead of having fun. i also need to just flippin sit down and actually write the aimeverse stuff tbh. i go on abt how fun it is but i never actually write it ohmygosh

hope for the next year: idk. i think in general its just for me to have fun writing! i think i had fun writing the marvel arc so like. more of that please.

a story id like to write: itd be nice to actually write the “ghosts take scrooge to his past/present/future” part of the seidjarn christmas carol, but idk. since otrs past isnt too developed idk.

and speaking of acc id like to write that. it seems self contained (lol) so i feel like it might be easier (double lol)

i think itd also be nice to write more treblesal and trebleizou, just for fun. as a treat. treblenizou too. and since antonio has writing now trebletonio (or andrea/antonio with treble cesario-ing hard in the background. like ofc i want characters like dolores or miles but pls andrea survivor now!)

#year in review

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tflaw · 1 year

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AVAAAA omg i am very sorry i havent been in tumblr for a while bc i was rlly ... on the grind for raiden doing hidden quests n all that :// and i managed to farm a WHOPPING 20 pulls 😀 so yea ... ya girl finally got welkin now too n ngl im scared of losing the 50/50 but fuck it we ball !!

+ aaa since shenhe might unfortunately be jailed in their basement again i wanna pull for yelan :(( as much as i love hutao and xiao .. i cant pull off their playstyles at all 💔 but i dont think ill get too ambitious ADMKA raiden is coming but tbh if i do lose on her banner i'll just save it for yelan n build keqing instead .. yea sounds like a pretty good idea BUT HYV BETTER NOT JINX IT I WANT THEM BOTH

+ windtrace got me reaaally scared as well tbh 😭 i dont like co-op events at all it rlly makes my anxiety spike up for some reason .. i hope youre coping well w it though im pretty sure u were having a hard time w it 💔

+ and omg youre reading bsd :0 i havent read the light novels but the anime was rlly good too though hihi AND U LIKE MY BRO RANPO ??? i love him too he's just like me fr !! the moment i saw that man slacking while eating an ungodly amount of sweets i just went "i am you. and you are me" 💀 but yes omg ranpo's amazing he's soooo interesting AND FYODOR TOO GAWD u have taste ava i love ur taste u get me !! i rlly should read bsd as well bc i was an anime only :(( i miss them fr :((

+ and lastly, happy holidays ava !! i hope u enjoy christmas hihi i dont celebrate it but i still wanna send some good vibes by saying that im so, so grateful for meeting u <33 i love u sm ava i wish u all the best these remaining days of 2022 ♥️

AI MY LOVE MY BELOVED !! i really wish u get raiden :(( hyv should give u raiden !! she’s rly easy to build and so powerful i love love love her !! i’ve managed to grind at least 10 wishes . pulled . got c3 gorou . :))))))) no faruzan cons. i give up on kuni’s banner 😭

+ AYE im having second thoughts abt hu tao, too!! bcos fyodor . and ayato . same VAs im gonna go insane. and ayato can be a good support for ayaka if i build him right. but hu tao <//3 i’ve been wanting her since i first started playing. maybe i’ll get ayato next time. idk im so . sighs. i WANT ayato too 😭 shenhe might have a rerun after hu tao… i’m praying… i need her…

+ OH MY GOD windtrace. i rmb now why i hate this event 😭 the first game we were at the fatui camp near the jadeplume terrorshroom. i disguised as a box and nilou was the hunter. THANKFULLY the hunter didn’t catch any of us my heart was gonna burst 😭 and then the next we were at byako plain . i panic and transformed into the wooden barrel near the water stream. idk what’s happening at first bcos i can see the other rebel from where i’m at— they were using sayu. they were standing there with the npcs and the apparently the hunter just couldn’t see them? and then the childe one transformed to a chair . the hunter chased them every where and to the roof. i was the only remaining rebel after the game. pretty fun!!

+ i read then i decided to just watch !! IM ON SEASON 3 RN and halfway thru!! im so excited to meet the rest of the villains . this anime rly proves if villain why sexy. everyone is attractive . god. pls. I KNEW ID LIKE HIM !! ive seen photos of him before and he seems interesting as well as cool . i love him a lot :,)) he and fyodor . ai when i heard fyodor’s voice PLS i was ready to risk it all. HE HAS THE SAME VA AS AYATO. and u know how i feel abt ayato. i love him a whole lot i wanna give him babies.

+ i love you, too, ai!! happy holidays and i hope u and the rest of ur family are safe <33 m so grateful of meeting u and having to be ur friend :,)) i hope we can meet someday hihi ^^ i love u sm, too !! mwah !! mwah !!

#xoxo: ai.#✉️: hotmail.

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imasallstars · 1 year

Photo

SSR/SSR+ 【Merry Many Present】Airi Totoki

“With so many swee~t treats, its surely a wonderful time... ehehe, look forward to it♪”

FOCUS STAT 　　　7904 VOCAL & 7709 DANCE at max Level, Max Bond, 0 Potential

TOTAL APPEAL 　　　 15 671

Skill:「Coveter’s Christmas」　　　 (Mutual) For every 9 seconds, there is a 35~52.5% chance that SCORE BONUS will be decreased by 20% and a COMBO BONUS, based off the team’s strongest Combo Bonus, adding on a 70% boost, will occur for 5~7.5 seconds.

Center Skill:「Passion Duet (Voice&Step)」　　　When only PASSION-type idols are in your unit, all cards gain a 100% boost in their VOCAL&DANCE stat when playing a PASSION-type song.

#deresute gacha #limited #airi totoki #totoki airi #skill: mutual #center: type duet

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alsjeblieft-zeg · 2 years

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56 of 2022

I have Traveled To: More than three states in the US Mexico Canada A place that starts with the letter L Austria An island A big city Anywhere in Africa Japan A place where English is not the main language Anywhere in the southern hemisphere India Netherlands

I Have Read: Any of the Bible At least two Harry Potter books The entire Twilight series Catch-22 Animal Farm A Dr. Seuss book Instructions to a piece of Ikea information A warning label that made me laugh A biography/autobiography Dante’s Inferno A Chuck Palahniuk book A newspaper in the last week Something that made me cry

I Like to Eat: Spam Mexican food Brussell sprouts Onions Watermelon Vegan food Bacon Chocolate New things Escargot Hummus Haggis Indian food Home cooking Fast food

My Favorite Actors Include: Mark Wahlberg Morgan Freeman James Franco Leonardo DiCaprio Robert DeNiro Samuel L. Jackson Chris Hemsworth Elijah Wood Johnny Depp Steve Buscemi Robin Williams Jack Black Channing Tatum

I Have Listened to These Bands: Taylor Swift AC/DC Jay-Z Frank Sinatra Pink Floyd Fall Out Boy Incubus No Doubt The White Stripes Skrillex Tenacious D Metallica Britney Spears Ke$ha The Beatles

I Have/Had These Pets: Dog Cat Horse Bird Hamster Lizard Snake Guinea Pig Goat Fish Mouse Spider Pig Hedgehog Ferret

I Have Seen These Movies: Fifth Element Gone With the Wind Nightmare Before Christmas High School Musical Kickin’ It Old School Casablanca Predator White Men Can’t Jump AVATAR 12 Years A Slave Saving Private Ryan MASH Mamma Mia! Dark Shadows Riding In Cars With Boys

If I Could Have A Super Power, I Would Choose: Mind control Mind reading Teleportation Flying Bullet-proof Speed Super-strength Invisibility All-Knowing X-Ray vision Freeze-touch Time traveling Invulnerability Telekenisis

I Am Scared of: Clowns Heights Spiders Open spaces Small spaces Vacuums Snakes Needles Strangers Michael Myers Bugs Tiny holes Highways Germs Police

My Favorite Color Is: Red Yellow Orange Green Blue Purple Gray Black Brown White Pink

I Am Currently Wearing: A t-shirt A hoodie Capris Shoes A bra Make-up Perfume Deodorant Hat Something with a superhero/symbol on it Nail polish Scarf Pajamas Boxers Sweatpants

I Would Describe My Best Friend As: Bossy Intelligent Promiscuous Funny Whiny Honest Reliable Loyal Lazy Adventurous Unique Complicated Open-minded Well-read

In the Last 24 Hours, I Have: Read Drank alcohol Had sex Eaten meat Danced in public Went swimming Changed my clothes more than once Said something mean Cleaned Spent money on something pointless Sang aloud Met someone new Played a game of some sort

Things In the Room With Me Now Are: A TV Another person Something that belongs to a child A pet Food Bed Art Clock not connected to a phone/computer A mirror Medicine Books Drugs or alcohol

The Last Person I Texted Is: My significant other Someone who sucks at spelling A different race than me A relative Someone I don’t really like Someone I went to high school with My best friend A person I work with At home In the room with me Knows more than one language Is female Is under the age of 21 Someone I live with

I Am For: Abortion Death penalty Amnesty Gun control Gay marriage Prayer in school War in the middle east Marijuana legalization Banning cigarettes in public places Higher taxes Higher minimum wage Standardized testing Lowering the legal age for drinking

I Have Committed These Crimes: Jaywalking Smoking weed Shooting heroin Shoplifting Breaking & entering Public intoxication Hit & Run Speeding Opening someone else’s mail without their permission Burglary Vehicular manslaughter Lying under oath Truancy

I Took These Classes In High School: // we have no choice in Europe, though Home Ec Physics Photography Criminal Justice Journalism Debate Creative Writing Art Music Theory Philosophy French Theater Choir Psychology

What I Watch On TV: Reality shows about celebrities Game shows News Reruns of classic shows Award shows Modern Family Doctor Who Scandal Infomercials HSN MTV Singing competitions Cooking shows Traveling shows

#survey #bolding survey #about me survey

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crowdvscritic · 2 years

Text

round up // JANUARY + FEBRUARY 22

The start of the year feels like a good time to remind you these lists aren’t ranked but my favorites from this time period in the rough order I experienced them. (The only ranked list linked here: my best of 2021, which is the piece I work hardest on each year.)

At the start of the year, I am also in the mood for silliness. My threshold for burnout is low, and some of the best medicine is laughter, thrill, and spectacle. What I read, watched, and experienced was so full of it I had to share it with you, too! Get to scrollin’ to make sure you find every bit of laughter, thrill and spectacle you’re looking for in this dreary time while we’re waiting for Spring.

January + February Crowd-Pleasers

1. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022)

I appreciate that HBO Max listened to my notes on the Friends reunion and made this just a nice sit down with people I love watching together. What a warm hug!

2. Hawkeye (2021)

Is Hawkeye the greatest entry in the MCU canon? Nope, but it sure is a fun time. As a big fan of Jeremy Renner, Christmas, and (mild spoiler alert!) Florence Pugh (spoiler done!), this was just fun, action-packed treat.

3. Beyond Van Gogh Exhibit

Going to an art exhibit with no the original art is an odd setup, but the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit (touring across the U.S.), finds new ways to make Vincent’s work come alive. It’s like walking through a painting, and it animates the movement Van Gogh’s painting implies. I still recommend you see the real stuff, but it’s pretty nifty to see his thick brushstrokes in detail.

4. Triple Feature — Early ‘90s Spoofs: Hot Shots! (1991), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), + Wayne’s World 2 (1993)

The Hot Shots! movies (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10) spoof Top Gun and Rambo to the nth degree, and Wayne’s World 2 (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10) spoofs everything from Double Indemnity and The Graduate to Thelma and Louise and the “YMCA” video. If that’s not your jam…are you broken?

5. Double Binge — Netflix Murder Comedy Series: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window + Murderville (2021)

Netflix dropped two murder comedy shows in consecutive weeks, and since the seasons were so short and sweet, they were easy-peasy binges even for someone who would rather watch a movie than a show. In one, Kristen Bell spoofs every incompetent Jessica Fletcher whose substance abuse makes her an unreliable busybody. In the other, Will Arnett invites celebs like Ken Jeong and Kumail Nanjiani to help him solve murders in an improv version of Murder, She Wrote. So yes, these were specific and hilarious Venn diagrams of my interests.

youtube

6. SNL Round-Up

You know the drill: Just click and laugh! These are the skits from Studio 8H that have made me laugh most in the last few months.

“HomeGoods” (4709 with Paul Rudd)

“The Christmas Socks” (4709)

“Biden Spider-man Cold Open” (4710 with Ariana DeBose)

“Urkel Reboot” (4710)

“Weekend Update: Elmo and Rocco” (4710)

“Cinema Classics: Gaslight” (4711 with Will Forte)

“Now I’m Up” (4712 with Willem Dafoe)

“Please Don’t Destroy - Good Variant” (4713 with John Mulaney)

“Subway Churro” (4713)

7. Double Feature — Nickelodeon Reboots: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) + iCarly (2021)

I turned on the Dora live action movie (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6.5/10) on a whim and was pleasantly surprised—who knew this would be a self-aware comedy poking fun at the ridiculousness of children’s program and paying homage to Indiana Jones? If I had children—which I realize is a weird thing to say after admitting I watched this—I suspect Dora would be a refreshing addition to the non-stop movie rewatches.

As for iCarly, is it weird to say I’ve enjoyed reruns of the original series more as an adult than I did when I was in the target demo ? Yep, that’s also weird, but I’m blaming it on my intense desire for silliness. (To its credit, most episodes aren’t more juvenile than SNL—they’re just smoothed down for children.) The reboot is just as bombastic though it’s more grown-up, and Spencer (Jerry Trainor) is still GOAT. Now someone explain to me why the Lizzie McGuire reboot can’t happen!

8. Marry Me (2022)

My current best movie of 2022 because I’ve only seen two of them. That said, I feel excellent saying that about a mash-up of Notting Hill and The Proposal that made me smile the entire time. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6/10

9. Double Feature — Unlikely POTUS Comedies: Dave (1993) + Head of State (2003)

In Dave (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10), Kevin Kline is a doppelgänger for the President, and when the Commander-in-Chief becomes incapacitated, Kline’s normie steps in to cover his responsibilities. In Head of State (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), Chris Rock is a D.C. alderman who is promoted to a Presidential candidate when the nominee dies. Plot twist in both movies: They might be better at the job than the politicians!

10. Red Eye (2005)

Is it too much to ask that more movies be 85 minutes? Wes Craven says no! He directs a taut thriller about Cillian Murphy terrorizing Rachel McAdams on an airplane, and while there are shades Scream, I appreciate the less-gore-more-mind-games approach. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

11. The Warriors (1979)

Another month, another movie that inspired Stranger Things, another affirmation the Duffer Brothers have great taste. The Warriors was an inspiration for the season 2 episode “The Lost Sister” (an episode I probably enjoyed more than many), and this movie is that punk rock gang vibe to the max. What’s a Coney Island gang to do when they’re framed for a crime and every other gang in New York is out to get them? And by every other gang, I mean a Baseball Gang, a Mime Gang, an Overalls Gang, and a gang that prowls in a trashed school bus. It’s a teen rebellion adventure but also about the challenges of growing up with less than. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

12. Wordle + Taylordle

Choo choo! I’m all aboard the Wordle train, and the Taylor Swift version is another Venn diagram of my interests.

January + February Critic Picks

1. Best of 2021

As promised at the end of December, my Best of 2021 is wrapped! After squeezing in 10 more contenders in January and February (including CODA, Cyrano, C’mon, C’mon, Passing, The Tender Bar, and Tragedy of Macbeth, all of which I recommend), I narrowed down the the year to my top 10 films for ZekeFilm.

Bonus: You can read full reviews for Belfast, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and tick, tick…BOOM! after seeing where they land in my top films of the year.

2. Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing make what’s retro modern in this classic musical. Read my ZekeFilm review of the new Blu-ray to see what feels dated and what still feels thoroughly modern. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

3. Double Feature — Women Going Through STUFF in ‘40s Romances: Cat People (1942) + My Reputation (1946)

In Cat People (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10) , a Serbian immigrant (Simone Simon) fears she will turn into a vicious feline if overtaken with passion. In My Reputation (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10), a new widow (Barbara Stanwyck) falls in love again and her neighbors are overtaken with gossip. Strong female leads and actresses anchor these moving stories, and they only take 73 and 94 minutes! Bonus: Stanwyck’s melodrama is example of a recurring theme of I’m noticing in ‘40s films: women just trying to live their best lives but society won’t let them. You know I had to make a Letterboxd list!

4. The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema's Most Influential Filmmakers by Sloan De Forest (2021)

My new Christmas tradition: asking for Turner Classic Movies books and reading them over my winter break. In this year’s edition, I dug into directors I’m familiar with (Howard Hawks, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg) and ones I’ve never met before (Dorothy Arzner, Ida Lupino, Josef von Sternberg). The book recommends 440 films to understand these filmmakers, and I’ve only seen about 40% off them—as per usual, my watch list is never complete!

5. Good Reads

A miscellaneous collection of pieces on how trends that only last 4 days might not be trends, why some TV shows should be movies, the generational and political divides in the Christian faith, decision-making, Oscar nominees, and just calling it a day on your writing.

“The Year of Garbage Internet Trends,” Vox.com (2021)

“Your Bubble Is Not the Culture,” TheAtlantic.com (2022)

“Why Are Movies So Long Now?” Variety.com (2022)

“Dear TV: Stop Making Two-Hour Movie Ideas Into 10-Hour Limited Series,” TVline.com (2022)

“The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism From Itself,” NYTimes.com (2022)

“How to Figure Out What You Want,” AestheticsOfJoy.com (2022)

“Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman and More React to 2022 Oscar Nominations,” Variety.com (2022) - A lot of gems in here, like Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch flexing they've already seen all the nominees, Jane Campion rooting for Lady Gaga, and Andrew Garfield loving "Timmy Chalamet becoming the king he’s always meant to be" in Dune.

“Revising Your Writing Again? Blame the Modernists,” BostonGlobe.com (2013)

6. The Mission (1986)

Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons are European missionaries to South America in the 1750s, but when politics get tense between Spain, Portugal, and the Catholic Church, their jobs become more than spreading the Gospel to the native tribes. Soon—yes, this historical epic is only two hours—they are the last line of defense between political rivals trying to take the people’s homes and make them slaves. The extra complication: De Niro and Irons don’t agree on the Christian response for protecting God’s people. You can find this on my Letterboxd list of essential films about the Christian faith.

7. Double Feature — ‘00s Crime Thrillers: Insomnia (2002) + Michael Clayton (2007)

In Insomnia (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Al Pacino is investigating a teen’s murder in the round-the-clock summer sun of Alaska, Hilary Swank is the local detective on the case, and Robin Williams might be the killer. In Michael Clayton (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10), George Clooney is a fixer for a Monsanto doppelgänger, Tilda Swinton is its legal counsel, and Tom Wilkinson might be the source to a major scandal for the company. Though the settings and crimes vary, the story of two films is the same: Do the ends ever justify the means?

8. Fight Club (1999)

That twist was spoiled for me years ago, but this film still left me unsettled and unsure why something so violent and unstable has become a pop phenomenon. Fight Club may not be for Taylors, but I also had to read reviews from Roger Ebert and more critics to absorb what I just watched, which is always a sign I just watched something full of crunchy ideas and effective filmmaking. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

9. Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)

An exception to my belief that movies weren’t a thing until 1934! Buster Keaton is still a hilarious charmer almost 100 years later, and the gags are still a gas. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 9/10

Also this January + February…

Kyla and I kicked off season six of our podcast SO IT’S A SHOW?, all about pop culture references on Gilmore Girls.

In our first episode focused on a Michel reference, we watch the ’80s sitcom character he compares himself to, Benson

Lorelai says “they screwed up Bewitched!” The movie, that is. We investigate: did they?

Since we Millennials were wee children at the beginning of the Iraq War, we research ousted CIA agent Valerie Plame and whether Rory should use her as inspiration for her DAR espionage

Lorelai is cleaning out her VHS tapes, but first, we need to check out one of the longest-running prime time dramas in history, a family sitcom, an ‘80s show that turned into a movie franchise, a Hallmark movie that would never be made today, and some Super Bowl commercials.

These were busy months at ZekeFilm! In addition to the reviews I shared above, I wrote about inexplicable-Best Picture nominee Don’t Look Up and watched the oldest movie I’ve ever seen!

Photo credits: Beyond Van Gogh, Good Reads. Essential Directors my own. All others IMDb.com

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