Weekly thoughts

I'm an overthinker. And extremely opinionated. So here's a list of things I've been into lately and opinions that have been left on standby, waiting to be vomited out somewhere (guess this is the place).

Let's begin...

         ᯽  Old school TV

I've been reverting into cozy-dom these past few weeks. As I've been rearranging things in my apartment and my room, I've been craving the security of a safe space filled with nostalgia and warm aesthetics that make me feel comfortable and content. So, of course, my TV has also been begging to display some of these fantastic early 2000s TV shows back to me.

The thing is, I've been debating what to pursue.

• Dawson's Creek is probably one of my favorite teen shows and an absolute banger. I always try to recommend it to every young person who's into this type of media because there's absolutely no waste. You fall in love with the group, with their dramatic way of speaking, their intense feelings, their relationships. Capeside's vibe. Even while hating on Dawson, you sort of feel for his wannabe-director ambitions. Should I dive into this classic once more? I feel like it gives me more freedom to also do other stuff while it's on because I already know what goes on.

• Six Feet Under came to me when I was looking for something very 2000s to watch. I've only watched two episodes so far and immediately thought, wow, this is actually good. It being good means I probably should sit down and watch it properly instead of just having it on in the background. Which means it might not be what I'm looking for at the moment, but I'm most definitely excited to return to it.

• Everwood is probably winning this race at the moment. It's been popping up on my TikTok a lot lately and, while I watched only one season of it, I can't quite remember why I stopped or even what really went on in it. I think I might give it another chance and commit to it this time.

• Gilmore Girls, the cozy-lover's classic. Every contemporary romance book seems to carve its female characters out of this mother-daughter duo and nobody can convince me otherwise. Anyway, I can admit I love the vibes, but a one-time watch was probably enough for me. However! This is the perfect show to just leave on while doing other stuff. So I'll leave it here as well.

I've been rewatching episodes of The X Files since it's my favorite TV Show, but, yeah I also have been craving a bit of teenage dramatics lately.

         ᯽ New music! THANK GOD!

To Phoebe Bridgers I have prayed, and she has delivered! I've been waiting for new music from this particular artist for a while now because there was an empty space in my playlists just waiting to be filled with her particular signature. Truth is, all my playlists have at least one Phoebe song in them.

I haven't finished listening to Lost Weekend yet, but I'm so happy to finally have new music from her!

         ᯽ Practical Magic 2 terrifies me!

Help! I know I'm gonna fall under capitalism's grasp and want to purchase every item here! That's if they even reach my country. I hope they do; my wallet doesn't.

But in all honesty, I'm actually afraid of this sequel. Practical Magic might not be a perfect book/movie adaptation, but it is a perfect 90s movie on its own. And Hollywood just loves to ruin classics by making marketing-filled sequels that feel soulless and meaningless in comparison to the original material... Mamma Mia 2 being an example for me. 

So I wouldn't say I'm excited for this... but look how cute that blender cup is!!!!

          ᯽  BTS Dramatics!

Been reading about this on Twitter. I'm a casual army (meaning I'm old and I enjoy the music, but I don't want to get involved in fandom dramatics... even less in K-pop fandom dramatics, because then I'd be fighting with teenagers on the internet and that's just not cool for my cool older-sister persona lol). I enjoy their content without getting overly involved because there are aspects of the Korean pop industry that just... don't align with me at all. Even sometimes with groups like BTS, guys who I'd assume are big enough by now to have some autonomy over their own music, production and organization, they still pull stuff that makes me want to roll my eyes. All in all, as far as boy groups go, I believe (personal opinion!) they're the best.

But! They're still guys. And so they're gonna pull crap like the thing in the picture. And there's gonna be overreaction and overprotection from both sides and I think... it's all valid, to a certain extent. It's disappointing to see male celebrities whose success is indebted to their mostly female fanbase having this kind of music taste. It's not new, though. They're also big  fans of Justin Bieber (which is not as bad, but I hate JB, sorry lol). 

Separate the art from the artist, but can you really do that? I honestly don't know. My view of someone absolutely changes if I discover they've done something bad. Separation between art and artist is never perfect. Look at Harry Potter fans... even myself. I admit I'm a big HP fan, but my relationship with it changed completely because of its awful author. I enjoy the story, acknowledging how problematic it could get with representation sometimes, and try not to consume new official content or buy merch that could contribute to J.K. Rowling's disgusting anti-trans campaign.

People on the internet love to take everything to extremes. If you like this, then that must mean you're an absolute evil scumbag! Life is not black and white, and I believe that's a very childish way of thinking. Elvis had relationships with disturbingly young girls and his music is still incredibly popular. I still listen to some of his songs, while keeping well in mind that he was a shitty person. The thing is... part of dealing with reality is acknowledging that shitty people can create good things too. So, like I said, we humans have difficult relationships with the dichotomies of life.

It sounds like I'm defending RM and J-Hope's actions. I'm not. I was mostly disappointed. I don't believe listening to a problematic artist's music is equivalent to going to their concert, meeting them and taking a picture with them. 

But they're Korean! They probably didn't know about the whole abusive-man thing! I don't know. If I go to someone's concert, it probably means I'm a big enough fan. If I'm a big enough fan and follower, I'd assume I have some idea of what goes on around that person.

On the other hand, young fans can feel entitled to policing celebrities to the point where their actions feel like personal attacks. Which is understandable. When you're young, you put a lot of yourself into who you stan. They shape you somehow. And if this person who you relate to so much or you look up to a lot, if this safe space suddenly decides for their own to do something that doesn't go with who you are, what do we do then? Part of growing up, I believe, is also about recognizing human dualities. Someone liking a problematic person doesn't automatically make them evil. Someone releasing a song with one line about something political doesn't automatically make them a political advocate. People can hold certain values and still be inconsistent about them. Humanity lives like that. Men can believe in equality, treat the women around them with respect, and at the same time think, as long as I'm not the one doing anything wrong, why should I get involved in someone else's personal business?

And I think that's actually part of the problem. It's a very easy way (especially for men) to move through the world without having to question the behavior of other men unless it directly involves them. I hope that changes over time. And I hope they take into consideration what their fans are saying without dismissing all of it as full-on, unreasonable hate.

P.S. to this: I don't have a bias... but out of all of them, I think I listen to RM the most. I LOVED his last album... so yeah, seeing him do this felt really, really shitty to me

           ᯽ Edinburgh wait for me!

pic not mine!

Started planning a London-Edinburgh-Glasgow-wherever-the-moment-takes-us trip with my best friend for the beginning of next year, and Instagram and TikTok have suddenly become very British and Scottish. It's basically all I've been seeing.

Been trying to curate a whole aesthetic for this trip (my friend laughed when I told her this). It's mostly just me figuring out what books I can read to get in the mood and what clothes I can prepare for winter lol.

List of possible dangers:

• Encountering Nessie (not Bella and Edward's baby...)

• Falling in love with a city I absolutely cannot live in.

• Running out of money because of the amount of witchy shops I've been saving on Google Maps.

• Accidentally bankrupting my best friend.

• Accidentally touching a weird-looking stone and transporting myself back in time. I don't have Claire's knowledge or ability to adapt! I'm gonna die!

Rushed random thoughts before leaving:

• Red Velvet's mini album. OrchestraAAaAAa........

• What on earth goes on in the writing room for KATSEYE's music?

• Rewatching old extra-cheesy kdramas just to feel something.

• Rainy days with a lot of thinking.

• New brown boots that have places to go.

• Making friends as an adult is so hard. Can we skip the awkward part and just send funny TikToks to one another?

• Candles and books! I need them!

• Fields of Mistria marathon!! Why do I always want to marry the ones who treat me like shit?