mixed media – winter/spring 2026

thus it seems obviously clear that the declaration of piracy as theft is not a neutral statement, nor a sign of moral clarity. it does not do the work of gesturing at the bad actors in the minority. it simply functions as a moral accusation levied against the lower class⁴

This utopia has one big drawback on The Shakers, architecture, and The Testament of Ann Lee

I mentioned before that I didn’t enjoy Heated Rivalry. I am not a hater, though. it isn’t a show I personally enjoy but I am genuinely interested in what people are saying and writing about this massively popular romance series and I do understand why HR is exciting to viewers who have read the books or folks who are new to the series – it is a better, more interesting show and adaptation than that one series. Bridgerton has become a complete flop of an adaptation:⁵ it has no message or point of view; Bridgerton exists for entire scenes and storylines to be skipped. I haven’t watched the Emily Henry movie for obvious reasons.⁶

where I become a Certified Hater: too many HR posts, articles, takes, etc. from romance readers, authors, and other media has been disappointing. often, romance readers leaned all the way into gender essentialism or “bravely” took up SWERF talking points in defending the kind of “smut” they prefer, etc. And the wider media response has been a miasma of mean, misogynistic, homophobic, dismissive articles.

lucky for me, the gang who gave us “But PornosexualGooner101 Died 35 Years Ago…This Very Night!” got back together to discuss Heated Rivalry and the fans in Return to Pervert Ethnography Island: The Cuckold, The Gooner, The Fujoshi:

The article acknowledges that it’s not only women who produce and share this sort of thing, but it is primarily interested in the women who do it because there’s no identity-category justification for it. Which sometimes leads to a weird attempt to cobble together an after-the-fact justification like “It’s actually feminist of me” or “Stories about men having sex is an escape from misogyny,” which doesn’t make much sense to me. I suppose part of that has to do with the question of Well, what is this? Is it a hobby, is it a creative community, is it a sexual subculture? It’s hard to imagine gooners trying to furnish virtuous explanations for their own kinks in the same way, for example.

People love human behaviour! They would indulge in behavioural psychology all day if you let them! I think certain conversations about fujoshi behaviour ignore that. Hell, work on porn ignores it too. People often assume that you have to figure out a way to interpolate yourself into the situation, but maybe it can be deliriously pleasurable to see other people doing the work of being in relation to each other.

after the E. Alex Jung article was released (kinda hated it), someone on X, formerly twitter, shared these older Todd Haynes interviews in which he recognizes that women and girls are humans (what a concept!), that their desires are, and always have been, interesting and important:

film

I saw Wuthering Heights 2026 and didn't hate it — . . . I didn’t love it either.⁷

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987, dir. Todd Haynes)

Dragon Inn (1967, dir. King Hu)

Madame Bovary (1949, dir. Vincente Minnelli)

The Westerner ⁸(1940, dir. William Wyler)

Fanny and Alexander (1984, dir. Ingmar Bergman)

Kisapmata (1981, dir. Mike de Leon)

Eve’s Bayou (1997, dir. Kasi Lemmons)⁹

Seconds (1966, dir. John Frankenheimer)

The Straight Story (dir. David Lynch)¹⁰

the favorites

Wuthering Heights (1988, dir. Yoshishige Yoshida)

The Testament of Ann Lee (2025, dir. Mona Fastvold)

seated at the repertory theater

The Academy Theater Marquee: Keep your eye on the doughnut, not the hole -- David Lynch

The Hollywood Theatre marquee: In Heaven: A Tribute to David Lynch

The Phantom Carriage (1921, dir. Victor Sjöström) first-timer, Academy Theater

Malcolm X (1992, dir. Spike Lee) re-watch, Hollywood Theatre on 70MM¹¹

music

The Phantom of the Opera 1986 cast recording, Andrew Lloyd Webber¹²

Sexistential, Robyn

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me soundtrack, Angelo Badalamenti¹³

Loveless, My Bloody Valentine

My Body, the Hand Grenade, Hole

The Testament of Ann Lee soundtrack, Daniel Blumberg¹⁴

miscellaneous likes

these pants¹⁵ I made from yarn dyed Essex. my favorite step in sewing these pants is attaching the pocket bag to the front panel of the pants. it is soooooo satisfying to see these pieces come together.

mirror selfie, sara is wearing black trousers with white stripes

black yarn dyed fabric with white stripes, the photo shows the pocket bag attached to the front pant leg

my neighbor’s tree in bloom¹⁶

playing pinball with Adam on stark street

dislikes, keeping it simple

books

Beyond Seduction by Emma Holly

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

The Duke by Anna Cowan¹⁷

even more book boxes with ugly art¹⁸ wtafdym Lord of Scoundrels is getting TWO new ugly covers??

films

A New Kind of Love (1963, Melville Shavelson)¹⁹

The Philadelphia Story (1940, George Cukor)²⁰

Captives (1994, Angela Pope)²¹

can’t stop, won’t stop ↩︎
in this episode I learned that Gustave Flaubert is ineligible for a RITA because, according to the RWA, Madam Bovary is not a romance. ↩︎
referenced in Sam’s post ↩︎
thanks to Reni for sharing this piece on her substack! ↩︎
insert “always has been” meme here ↩︎
it looks boring, it looks like a faint shadow of an idea. ↩︎
I haven’t liked most WH 2026 “think” pieces or whatever bc everyone rushed to see the film and then tripped over themselves to tell everyone online they hated it and that YOU shouldn’t see something so stupid and problematic. idunno guys get a grip or an original thought! people are confused about the costume design, but no one is asking the right questions. for instance, I’m curious why, when Heathcliff and Catherine fuck, they are never naked, instead they keep their clothes on, revealing only parts of their bodies to one another – what’s that all about?

I did like this piece from 1987 that BFI re-shared on social media after the release of the 2026 adaptation: The greatest love stories ever re-told? The legacy of the Brontë sisters on screen
↩︎
still on my “watch every film Gary Cooper has starred in” bullshit. I cried myself silly watching The Pride of the Yankees. ↩︎
watched because I read this: Memory and Mirrors: EVE’S BAYOU
↩︎
I actually watched this for the first time last year but forgot to include it on my list! The Straight Story was the only Lynch film I had not seen prior to his death in 2025. It’s a special film and one I’d recommend everyone give a try. ↩︎
I cried watching Denzel Washington’s performance. ↩︎
special shout out to Patrick Wilson’s wig and voice in All I Ask of You from the 2004 film + soundtrack. ↩︎
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me has become my favorite film score. ↩︎
Daniel Blumberg looks like one of my brothers-in-law (complimentary HUGE complimentary). ↩︎
Frey Pants – PDF Sewing Pattern – Emily Lightly ↩︎
spring and summer in PDX is so beautiful, walking around the neighborhood feels like I’m in a dream. ↩︎
this book is marketed to death as the return to old school romance. obnoxious characters do not equal old school. nothing here felt original or even like a fond throw-back. ↩︎
I can now say with authority that the sprayed edges of the JQ editions do look like vomit. stop giving this woman your money. ↩︎
Paul, I still love you. ↩︎
I have experienced a mid-life crisis: I don’t like Katharine Hepburn. ↩︎
the movie is not good, but I will never, ever forget Julia Ormond finger fucking Tim Roth’s mouth. I will carry this memory with me into the afterlife: CAPTIVES: Slave to Love ↩︎