#> grug the voice of the feeling

[waloeders]

house sittin has actually sucked more this time around :/ at least last time i wasnt expecting much but my sis said she'd stay n help and well. she hasn't. grug not great

[elliereject]

creep .1

* in which you’re dragged to a frat party and spend most of it lingering in the corner, that is until a certain auburn-haired girl with unusually sharp canines appears next you and turns your night into something much more interesting.

* loserish!reader, vamp!ellie 😫, hemophilia if you squint, creepy ellie…duh, depictions of a singular graphic scene at the end, kissing, biting, heavy petting. that’s pretty much it lmk if I missed anything..nsfw in future chapter(s)

* this is one of the only things I’ve written recently that I’ve enjoyed writing and found decent so I hope u enjoy it, I’m glad I got this out before Halloween too, I’ve had vamp!ellie rattling around in my head a for a while, yk, fellow writers..I’d love to see..werewolf!abby..haha jk jk, unless 🫣..

*mdni

wc ~ 1k

pt 2. coming soon

“God, ★ can you go dance? It’s a fucking party loosen up!”

You held your red solo cup up to your “friend” and gave her an awkward smile. “I’m good over here!”

She sighed and rolled her eyes before slipping back into the sweaty crowd.

This was the most uncomfortable you’ve ever felt in your life.

It was a Saturday night; the chilly air, crunchy leaves, and overall mood of the season had deluded you into wanting to go out and socialize, so for the first time in a long time you agreed to attend a frat party with a “friend” you’d met in one of your classes.

It took you almost an hour to get ready, and as you reapplied your eyeliner for the fifth time you hoped that the saying “when you look good, you feel good” was true and you didn’t spend 20 minutes picking your outfit in vain.

Once you were ready, your “friend” picked you up from your dorm and the two of you walked over to the party, she was already a little tipsy from pre-gaming in her dorm with her roommate who was going to some other party so you had to make sure she didn’t stumble onto her face more than once.

The makeshift bouncer, a senior named Grey, or Grug or something gave you a once-over before looking at your friend who had to clarify you were with her, which definitely didn’t deflate your confidence.

Before you were even in the crowded, humid house, you knew you weren’t going to enjoy yourself, you never really did at parties if you were being honest, but you didn’t think your “friend” would ditch you to go grind her ass on some random chads and brads, yet here you were, nursing a cherry seltzer, and there she was, shaking ass.

Yay, college!

You were about to take another sip from your cup when a presence suddenly appeared beside you that made you jump out of your skin and caused your drink to slosh onto the already sticky floor.

“Shit! What the fuck?” You asked, looking up at the figure who seemingly appeared out of thin air.

“Fuck! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, you just looked bored.” She replied, her voice was gravelly and her eyes, the colour of jade. Her auburn hair was cut short and freckles were scattered across her face. Safe to say she was hot. “I can go get you another drink?”

You waved it off, “It’s fine, it wasn’t that good anyways. Plus I should probably pay more attention to my surroundings, even if I am bored.”

She hummed out a sound of understanding, “Not your scene?”

You shrugged, “Not really,” you eyed her outfit, blue jeans with a green flannel and a brown leather jacket, converse. “Doesn’t seem like yours either.”

“Really? Cause I like just made out with Bryson in the storage closet, it was suuuupper hot.” She said, pointing a ringed finger to a blond dude clad in a football jersey who was currently shoving his tongue down a blonde girl's throat.

You allowed yourself a small smile, hot and funny? Yikes.

“Pretty sure his name is Brickson, but close enough.”

“What the fuck kind of name is Brickson?” She laughed, “Did a brick fall on his head after he was born or some shit?”

You shrugged before smiling, fully, “Judging by how flat the top of his looks? Probably.”

She snorted at this and you couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, you made this hot, funny, cool girl laugh, you!

“Hey, so don’t freak out but that guy’s been staring at you for the past 10 minutes.” She said, flicking her head in the direction of said guy.

You turned your head to look at him, he wasn’t..unattractive. He was muscular and had on a sports jersey that seemed to small for his build, his hair was cut into a messy mullet and when he met your gaze he…winked.

You cringed and looked back at the cool girl, “I hope he doesn’t think anything’s gonna happen, he’s not really my type.”

She gave you a knowing smile before asking, “And what exactly is your type?”

You shrugged, “Preferably someone with boobs.”

She sighed, “Can’t relate, I love penis.”

You gave her a pointed look and she laughed, “What? Not believable?”

You rolled your eyes, “Not in the slight—“ your eyes widened as they looked past her shoulder. “Shit, he’s walking over here.”

“Wanna do something crazy then?” She asked quickly, her jade eyes meeting yours and you found yourself nodding before she even finished her sentence. Hell, you’d bark if she asked you to. “Just follow my lead.”

Her large hand wrapped around your waist while her other found purchase on your neck, before you could think her lips were on yours. Slightly chapped but soft and enticing, kissing her was easy and you felt like you could do it forever.

Her skin was so cold you could feel it through your clothes. Your mind was completely encapsulated by her presence and just as you were starting to get used to it, she pulled away.

You thought whatever moment the two of you shared was over but you were wrong. Her lips trailed along your jaw, and her grip on your waist tightened. The hand that had been holding your neck was now on your hip, caressing back and forth with tenderness that had your thighs clenching, wanting more.

Each kiss felt like a snowflake melting into your skin until she was down to your neck. She kissed and nibbled on it before pausing.

“What’s wr—Ow! What the hell? Did you just–bite me?”

She chuckled after pulling away, “Never gotten a hickey before?”

You went quiet, because, well you haven’t but you’re sure it didn’t result in genuine blood trickling out of one’s body.

You traced your fingers over the mark and winced, it was most definitely going to leave a scar. She must’ve seen the discontentment on your face because she spoke up.

“Don’t worry, it’ll heal up quickly, you won’t even notice there was something there by tomorrow.” Her eyes clung to drops of blood dribbling down your neck.

You scoffed, “Let me guess, you’ve done this before?”

“Kind of.” She shrugged after what looked like reluctantly peeling her eyes away from your neck. “That guy’s gone though, must’ve scared him off.”

You smiled at her, “Must’ve been my presence, I can be pretty intimidating.”

She laughed loudly at this and you felt your confidence inflate once again. So much so, that the idea of asking for her number even popped into your head. But it was overtaken by more rational thoughts,

What if she thought you were weird? That you were moving to quick? Or what if she was just looking for someone to take home tonight, which you wouldn’t be opposed to but—

“Hey.” She snapped her fingers in front of your face.

“Sorry, what’d you say?” You asked sheepishly, you can’t believe you spaced out in front of her, you could’ve sworn she was hypnotizing you with her laugh or something.

“You do need to pay more attention to your surroundings,” She said, giving you a small smile, “Never know what kind of creeps are lurking around at these parties.”

You rolled your eyes, “I’m sure I can hold my own against a Chad or a Brittney.”

“I’m sure you could but—“ The music that had previously been wafting through the room turned up abruptly and you’d missed the last part of what she said.

“What?!” You shouted, putting your hand up to cup your ear.

She chuckled softly and leaned down so her lips were practically grazing the shell of your ear, the smell of mint, whiskey, and something metallic filled your senses.

When she spoke, a shiver racked through your body, “But if it was someone a little smarter? More discreet? If they snuck up beside you and covered your mouth? Or slipped something in your drink? Pulled you away? Would anybody notice, would anybody care?”

You pushed her away, her cool, easy going demeanor suddenly shifting into something eerie and uncomfortable. Her jade eyes gazed at you curiously as a blood-curdling shriek ripped through the house.

She jutted her thumb over her shoulder, “That’s my cue. See you around, ★.” She said, giving you a genuine smile, and it was just now you finally noticed her unusually sharp canines.

You gazed down at your drink as others pushed and shoved around, scrambling to get out of the house, away from all the horror.

And as you pulled a small scrap of paper out of your empty cup, 10 numbers and a name scrawled across it in red ink; you finally looked up to see your friend's lifeless body sprawled across the living room floor, her limbs bent in odd angles.

Yay, college!

[lycaonlover]

Orc Lover (Gambrol) P3

©

Word Count: 1950

Female Reader X Female Orc

Part 3

Heather must not have said anything to Oleok because as more days passed I wasn't teased or taunted by either of them. Grug and Gambrol left to hunt for livestock suppliers and local builders to set up for the farm. He was moving fast, deciding on using some of the land just before you reached their house so it was closer for townspeople to tend to it after he chose which ones he would hire. They were like two peas in a pod, Gambrol pushed for it just as much as he did even though she apologized excessively for having to leave so quickly after our moment, I had to ensure her I'd be fine and she should go.

It got much quieter though, at the house. Oleok and Heather decided to have a double baby shower and spent a lot of time at the dining table putting things together for it. It left me with a lot of chores but I couldn't complain, Heather was the size of a watermelon but Oleok looked ready to burst.

"Mae, could you bring us some card stock from the office?" Oleok asks as I place a flower filled vase on the table.

"Yes, of course." I rush off and bring some back to her.

"I'm sorry we're having you do so much these days, my ankles just get so swollen I'm getting a feeling these babies want out pretty soon." Heather sympathizes. "On the plus side, Gambrol comes home tonight. So does her older brother Milok, and Grug." Suddenly a smile shines from Oleok.

"Milok!" She exclaims before turning to me and showing off her beam. "I'm so excited you get to meet him! He's been away for a while. He's actually an architect like your father!"

"Like my father? Did they work together?" I ask surprised.

"I think so, your father helped around with some structures and properties around the town including in our own home. He's a good reason why you got the job, he was family. Just like you." Oleok comes up to me and embraces me into a warm hug.

"Oh, thank you." I blush and hug her back. "I wouldn't say that, I work for you guys but I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense! You mean so much to everyone here, especially Gambrol." She leans away and winks before reclaiming her seat at the table as the front door swings open and slams against the wall.

"Heather!" A loud booming voice echoes through the foyer practically shaking the crystal vases and chandelier above them.

"Milok!" Heather squeals and rushes out of the room to the voice and I quietly follow behind her to see her be engulfed in the arms of a large orc male wearing a very pricey looking suit.

Slipping out from behind Milok and Heather was Grug and I couldn't hide the small frown that formed on my face before he noticed and laughed.

"Don't you worry," He walks up to me and pats my head. "She's waiting for you in the garden. She thought you'd be there." Walking past me I slide past the spectacle at the door and go around toward the flowers to see Gambrol leaning over and smelling some lilacs.

I try to calmly stride over to her and she turns as my foot crunches a leaf. A heart-stopping smile radiates from her as she holds her arms open. I don't take an extra second to think before slipping into them and resting my head on her chest as she strokes my hair. "I missed you..." She whispers to my ear before pressing a kiss to it. I nuzzle my face further into her and she chuckles, "are you tired?" I nod.

Gambrol lifts my legs up as I hold onto her neck and starts to walk us into the house. Everyone was in the dining room chatting and laughing about their adventures as she leads us up the stairs towards my bedroom before trying to set me down. "Lay down with me...?" I say grabbing hold of her hand as she starts to step away.

She complies immediately, taking her shoes off before laying behind me and pulling me into her, running fingers through my hair. "You really awoke something in our family," Gambrol starts to whisper to me. "I'm glad you joined us." She finishes before laying kisses to my head as a start to drift into sleep.

A knock sounds at the door jolting me awake and realizing I was alone. "Come in!" I shout trying to sit up as Heather enters the room.

"Sorry to wake you! I wanted to bring you some breakfast, you have the day off today since everyone is home we just want to celebrate with just the family. We'll be having a big dinner with more guests later so Gambrol left a dress for you to wear before heading out to bring a few invites to family members that have no address." She chuckles placing a tray full of every type of breakfast item you could think of.

"That's... a lot of food." My eyes widen looking back up at her.

"I know, I told her it was too much food but she insisted you had all of it before she had left." Heather rolls her eyes but smiles and sits on the bed with me. "She's really taken a liking to you Mae..." she starts.

"I'd hope she at least likes me." I smile sheepishly and shake my head. "I'm pretty sure I more than like her..." I admit.

"You know what I meant!" She gently pushes my shoulder and gets up. "Make sure to wear that outfit tonight, but other than that enjoy the day off!" Heather says leaving the room.

I spend the day wandering about the home and grounds, it was fascinating how quickly Grug made things happen as I saw pens already being built in some parts of the property. They also hired decorators and catering for tonight as I tried to ignore the influx of cars in the front and guests I didn't know before today came filing into guest rooms downstairs. "There you are!" Grug booms from the other side of the foyer before making large strides toward me. "I need to ask you something, business related." He starts to pull me toward the study and closes the door after we enter. "Take a seat for a moment." He says, reaching into his desk and bustling through the drawer. Papers start to get tossed out before I notice a latch noise and he pulls out a box. Wiping his large hands to dust off the small thing before passing it to me, taking me two hands to hold it. "Open it, it's alright. Nothing to bite you." He chuckles dropping down into his chair.

Opening the box slowly, it reveals jewelry. Hair beads and matching earrings, necklace, bracelets. "These are beautiful..." I say as I pull out some of the pieces to get a better look. They had precious gemstones, ruby, sapphire, emerald and the like.

"I want you to wear them tonight. They were crafted for our bloodline so I want other family members to know you're one of us." He explains before coming over to pick up one of the hair beads. "You'll get a braid from Oleok as well as me." He continues as he starts to section off my hair and braids it. "I also want to say thank you, you've reminded me of the reason I built our name to where it is. I get carried away with paperwork and semantics, and here you are shining a light on the bigger picture." He finishes the braid and places the jewelry, backing away to admire his work.

"Thank you," I start, "you've given me a home and a sense of security I lost after my dad passed away. We use to spend a lot of time talking about the builds he'd work on. When that fire happened..." my whole body shivers and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's alright, I know. Why don't you head out to Oleok, she's in her room getting dressed." He grins and starts to gently push me out of the study.

Heading over to Oleok's room I knock and hear a quick, "one moment!" The door springing open wide after a few rustling sounds. "Oh!" She pulls me in quickly and smiles wide noticing the braid and box in hand. "You look wonderful Mae, Grug did a great job." Sitting me down in front of a mirror she opens the box in my hands and grabs another hair piece before starting on another part of my hair. "You must be aware of how important you are already to our family, but I just wanted to make sure to say thank you for joining it and accepting us as we are."

"Thank you!" I start to interject, "you've all done so much for me already, I was supposed to be an employee but I feel like so much more than that today..." Oleok finishes her braid and placement of the bead, hugging me tight to her.

"You were family before you even walked through that door, honestly. Not many people would have made the cut or even been able to handle us. The stigma of orcs run deep in this town, not to mention the fact that we own so much around here. We've grown a list of enemies just as much as we have friends." Kissing my cheek she releases and helps me back up. I look in the mirror and look at the braids smiling and looking up at Oleok. "Now go finish getting ready."

Evening arrives and I had put on the remainder of the jewelry, save a few hair jewels I thought I probably wasn't allowed to put in my own hair as well as the forest green dress Gambrol had gotten me. It felt surreal, looking in the mirror at my entire ensemble I looked royal. I had pulled some of my hair up to show the earrings and braids better, and the scoop neckline of the dress compliments the necklace perfectly. Taking a deep breath I head out of the room and head down the stairs to the foyer, looking down to see a group of people gathers talking and laughing together before I make eye contact with Gambrol. She beams at me as she heads toward the base of the stairs, holding her hand up in anticipation of mine taking it. I smile back at her and reach her quicker, hand in hers as she brings it up to her lips and kisses me softly. Her tusks grazing my skin before placing my hand on her arm to lead me toward a group of people she was originally standing with. "Such a beautiful woman you have on that arm, Gambrol." A man starts to look me up and down before smirking.

"Yes, I'm fairly blessed to have her." She responds in kind, making sure he was aware I was taken. I gently squeeze her arm and giggle a little, she was clearly possessive over me but it made me happy.

We spent the rest of that night with her talking to numerous people, mentioning my project involvement with the family and getting me a few hard pats on the shoulder as well as a big hug from what I was assuming was an aunt of hers. Heather was dealing with similar reactions, but also including excitement for the new babies arriving soon. "When will you be giving us children?" A voice sounds to my right.

"It's much too early to be asking those things, Murzush." Gambrol responds quickly.

"Of course, my apologies." She smirks and slips away.

"Could I actually talk to you in private for a moment?" She turns to whisper into my ear, making me flush slightly at the feel of her breathe.

"Yeah that's fine." I respond as she already leads me away from crowds outside.

"Let's go to the garden gazebo." She directs me as she pushes me ahead of us.

As I look forward, I start to notice the gazebo lit up by fairy lights wrapped all around it. Flowers of multiple varieties adorn the beams and cascade down every part they could causing me to pause and turn back to look at Gambrol. She was smiling with a look I hadn't seen yet before in her eyes. "Go ahead." She encourages as I make my way closer to the gazebo. What was she trying to do?

___________

Thank you for your patience!! I hope you enjoy the much in demand part 3 of Gambrol and Mae's story! There is a part 4 in the works, for those upset about this fabulous cliff hanger.

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 8th October ✨

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! I feel like we’re really in spooky season this week with all the horrors on offer from the audio drama community!!

Big old spoilers below!

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (136) I looove when stories show escalating tension at the heart of the story through environmental change elsewhere!! And neither Danielle nor Clem knowing if the shaking was normal hurt my heart a little. They’re babies, your honour! I can’t wait for Danielle and Nikignik to chat again 🤞

HFTH does action SO well and the scene with Mort, Creep and Cindy was just masterful. I was cycling in to work but mentally I was right there. I really hope that Cindy’s plan works - I’ll not get into the ethics of utilitarianism here, but I’ll be so sad if her death isn’t ‘worth it’.

But HELL YEAH, let’s get Ralph back! Time to be useful, my man! Don’t fuck it up!

It’s safe to say that I didn’t have ‘Grug saving Diggory from the Phantom Radio Station’ on my end of S3 bingo. It is very interesting to me that they think their purpose is to die. I think it’s actually vital that the grave digger isn’t dead, but maybe that’s just me?

This final arc is such a white knuckle ride!! I can’t wait to see what happens next!

🦀 @thesiltverses (33) We’re all in agreement that Val is absolutely terrifying, right? Right. Good. We’ve heard the noose tighten a little around Faulkner’s throat, but will he be a different man now that he knows Carpenter is alive? I’m so excited to hear this plan fail.

👁️ @malevolentcast (36) The John memory scenes are done SO well because I literally cannot tell if he is lying or not. I usually want to have the upper hand as the listener and it’s so difficult to not know!! I *think* I’m glad that Arthur is trying to make friends but I did immediately assume that Oscar had run off with that book. Maybe this show has given me trust issues…

🌒 @monkeymanproductions Moonbase Theta, Out (Epilogue) SUCH A GOOD AND PERFECT ENDING. Oh MAN. There was so much to unpack here, but everyone seems content with their choices which makes my heart happy and THEY BROUGHT THE GIRLS TO THE MOON 😭😭😭😭😭 thank you, Deej, that is the best thing that could have happened.

🧛‍♂️ @re-dracula I’ve been trying and failing to catch up with the action this week but the early eps have made me feel very strongly that: WE MUST TALK TO EACH OTHER. Evil wins when good people stop communicating. Talk to your loved ones, reach out to people to might be struggling. No issue is too small for the people who love you. Aaand don’t be sexist lol. That is my Dracula related PSA. Thanks for listening!

🥾 @doyoucopypod (12) Do You Copy really do be about grief!! Poor Reese! But it is good to know that they were both rescued! I really can’t wait to get the final pieces of this puzzle and see how it all fits together!

⚓️ What a delight to catch the first episode of @eelerschoice! I knew this show would be right up my street and the first episode did not disappoint! Also, what a CAST! Very much looking forward to hearing more familiar voices!!

Have a good weekend everyone! 🥰 and if you’re the wishing/praying kind, please do shoot off a few desperate ones for amc’s laptop. my wife spilled water on it last night and we’re too scared to turn it on 🥲

[sammydem0n64]

so i was talking about grug in a voice chat with cress and i was like hey i remembered sammy tagging a post as me core because it mentioned grug im gonna go find it and i was blasted in the face with the fact it was an omegaverse grug post and had a visceral reaction in the vc about it that spread to cress. im at your doorstep with hammers i just wanna talk [JOKING + LIGHTHEARTED]

HELPSJDKUSHSKSHSKSJS OH RIGH. Grug feeling a little different down there.

Admittedly I first thought this was gonna be about Cress’ mom and frankly I think I’d lose it if turns out you read an omegaverse post in front of her… but it’s not so my conscious is clean for another day!! Slash jest!!!

[kazewhara]

Voice asks number 61,, If you had to kill 2 out of these three: Albedo, Xiao and Kazuha(no hard feelings ofc, like a nerf gun which hurts but wont kill them), and then revive one of the two dead people. Who would you pick? And why. >:)

-🦫 dont hate me for this zuzu, or else i will.. *grug voice from Croods* UNLEASH THE CATS

voice asks!

answer to 61!

everything is /lh, btw 😭 every time i use tone tags and yell, this is what i sound like 🧍🏾

[frxstguardian]

I finally watched The Croods 2! Yes I paid $20 to watch it legally online, no I did not risk COVID-19 by going to a movie theater.

Pros:

Love triangle plot successfully avoided! Eep and Dawn spend more time together onscreen as friends than Guy and Dawn who never express romantic interest in each other.

I really liked the character design of the Bettermans and the creativity put into designing their home. You can tell that the artists had a lot of fun coming up with ideas.

Sequel did a good job juggling all the characters. 10 characters is a lot! Everyone had something to do (except for Sandy but she can’t even talk so she doesn’t count).

Hot Pink Girl Sloth TM was thankfully barely utilized. I wish they had gone for a pale red or any other somewhat natural color instead of hot pink.

I thought it was quite funny. The jokes were a bit non-stop, so your mileage may vary, but I was entertained. Standard family movie humor.

Voice actors were all great!

Cons:

Alan Silvestri did not return to score the sequel, and the soundtrack is not as good as the original. However, the Jack Black songs that play during the credits DO go off!

Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco did not return to direct the sequel, and I felt like we were missing the low angle shots and stuff that helped make the first movie feel realistic.

Partial thematic retread of the first movie, yet does not reach the same emotional intensity as the third act of the original.

There were minor continuity errors between the two movies. I think the creators just didn’t really care, and the errors are minor, but they do bother me a bit. For example, Grug says he’s only eaten a banana once a long time ago, but Guy handed him a banana halfway through the first movie.

Surfacing/textures weren’t as good as the original, and it is most noticeable in the one (1) flashback scene to the first movie. Dreamworks in general has smoother characters in recent years, but holy shit the $65M budget probably also contributed to it. The Croods (2013) had a budget of $135M. I have no idea how Dreamworks cut production costs in half???

[thehopefulwonderlandcollector]

(Eep sneaks back into the Betterman house, passing by the table and seeing one more giant piece of fruit, picking it up to eat as a late night snack as she heads to her bedroom. But her senses don’t allow her past the living room, and she instinctively turns to who is probably Grug waiting with disproval...but the chair turns around with Guy sitting in it instead, staring at a busted Eep as juice and pieces of fruit dribble from her lips and chin, his disproving expression being one that not even her father could beat.)

Guy: I thought you’d be back by sundown.

Eep: I said I’d be back later.

Guy: I assumed you’d be back later. If you came back at all, you’d be “back later.”

Eep: Well...I’m back, okay? (Turns to leave, but Guy reaches out a hand to her shoulder. Eep enjoys the touch until she sees what he sees, as he picks it off of her to get a closer look)

Guy: Is this...debris?

Eep (mouthful, finishing the food in her mouth and hands): It was just a little workout. Just to stay loose.

Guy: You know how I feel about that, Eep! Darn you! We can’t blow cover again!

Eep (turning away, nonchalant): The wall was coming down anyway-

Guy (dashing in front of her after a horrified double take.) What? (Eep immediately winces, regretting her words): You knocked down the wall?!?

Eep: It was on fire, structurally unsound, it was coming down anyway.

Guy: Tell me you haven’t been taking Chunky out for joyrides again.

Eep: Look, I like to go out in the world, you act like that’s a bad thing.

Guy: It is a bad thing, Eep! Uprooting your family again so you can go running free in the outside world is a very bad thing!

Eep (controlling her temper, but almost accusatory): Running free in the outside world is better than never living in it!

Guy: Yes! We lived in it. But this, our family, is what we’re living in now, Eep! And you are missing this! I can’t believe you don’t want to go to your own friend’s graduation.

Eep: It’s not a graduation. She is moving from farm assistant to farm leader.

Guy: It’s a ceremony!

Eep: It’s psychotic! They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity, but if someone is genuinely exceptional-

Guy: This is not about you, Eep. This is about Dawn.

Eep (voice rising): You wanna do something for Dawn? Then let her actually explore! Let her go out for fun!

Guy (voice rising as well): I will not be made the enemy here! You know why we can’t do that!

Eep: BECAUSE SHE’D HAVE FUN!

Guy: THIS IS NOT! ABOUT! YOU!

[wolfcha1k]

"One look and I can't catch my breath Two souls into one flesh When you're not next to me I'm incomplete 'Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to These flames tonight Look into my eyes and say you want me, too Like I want you"

"All my life I've been looking for a place my parents wanted me to find, and I found it… but now? All I can think about is Eep. My best friend, my first… and only love."

Summary: Guy and Eep reflect on what has happened in the wake of these two crazy moons since their Tomorrow was challenged. There's damage that needs to be fixed and broken hearts to mend. - <3 - I used a ton of references from the movie as well as loosely traced bits, the kiss was referenced from the ending of "A New Age". I wanted to draw a proper cover for my new "chapter" for my "The Sun Was a Wayfarer" series, which is a bunch of one shots/little stand alone stories set in the same timeline despite it kinda skipping around a bunch. This one is "All I Can Think Of" as of now it takes place after "It's Our Nature" and before "A Tomorrow of Our Own", ngl, this chapter was mostly to practice writing kisses, I had some fun actually writing it. Usually I get hella embarrased lol I'm gonna paste the story beneath the picture, hope you like ~

The Sun Was a Wayfarer - Series

<Previous> Its Our Nature <next> A Tomorrow of Our Own

The moment Guy saw a chance to get away from the Pack he took it, quickly grabbing for Eep's hand to pull her down a random direction into the garden. She started in surprise before willingly following him with a trust Guy didn't feel he deserved anymore after last night. Guy didn't stop until he felt they were far enough away that nobody would find them without looking very hard, hidden behind some of the large gourds and corn.

He spun around to face her, letting out a long sigh. Guy just needed a moment to look at her, dark eyes worried and concerned as the adrenaline of what happened just a few hours ago finally seeped out of his body. Guy was covered in bruises and ached all over but it was nothing compared to the pain of when he thought he lost her forever three times in the span of just two terrifying days of his life. Somehow The End of the World felt miniscule in comparison now that Eep was his world.

His Tomorrow.

He rested his shaky hands on her shoulders, relief making him dizzy. Eep supported the sudden slumping of his weight, her green eyes wide with concern. "Guy! What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said, a tired smile on his face as he looked at her.

She held him up by the arms before lifting him up into hers. Eep sat down on the grass and positioned him on her lap, stroking the fringe of hair away from his face.

She could see the swollen purple bruises on his cheek and the black eye he had, his lower lip looked swollen and puffy. "You had a bad day," she sighed, cuddling him close.

"Yeah," he managed to chuckle, finding some amusement out of her words. "But it's better now that you're here…" He pressed a tired, sloppy kiss to her shoulder and rested his forehead there after. "Empathis on the better."

She just tugged him closer, as if her arms could squeeze the exhaustion and nerves right out of him. "I'm sorry," Eep suddenly said, muffling her face against his cheek. He felt moisture against his skin and the slight tremor in her arms and shoulders. "I'm really sorry."

Her warbled words cut him like a knife and he used his head to nudge her back so he could look at her. He could see the beginnings of tears on her eyelashes, gaze watery as she blinked it away stubbornly. Guy reached his hand to touch her face, feeling her recoil a bit before relaxing into his palm. He wiped his thumb under her eye, catching a tear.

He realized his own eyes felt moist all of a sudden, it'd been an emotionally charged couple of days. "It's okay, Eep. You didn't do anything wrong, I was just so stupid."

She sighed heavily, unwinding an arm from around his body so she could cover his hand with her calloused palm. Eep said nothing for several long moments, just clutched his hand like a life line.

"Eep?"

Eep finally looked at him, tearing her eyes from the random direction she'd sent her sights towards. "Yeah?"

"You're not hurt, are you?" Guy sat up a bit in her lap, cautiously letting his palms trace her broad shoulders, fingers squeezing tentatively to see if she would flinch. He knew she was good at hiding things like injuries, nursing them in private as to avoid upsetting Grug, it'd also extended to him now. She was strong but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to worry over her.

"No, I don't have a scratch on me," she assured him but Guy didn't stop checking her. Eep let him fuss though, knowing it would make him feel better if he came to the conclusion himself. His touch felt nice though, Eep realizing how starved she was for it since being separated from each other.

He touched her back, her arms, her ribs, anywhere his hands could reach in a modest way, careful in his examination. After running a hand down her leg, his eyes fell to where the prohestic was once on her pinkie toe. "I'm so, so glad you actually don't have a toe there," he sighed, knowing it was one of the most nonsensical, bizarre phrases he'd ever uttered in his seventeen years of life.

"Guess getting bit by that bearyena came in handy for once," Eep quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little.

He also was relieved she hadn't been ripped in half during the struggle, it had to be a miracle of some kind. Guy didn't voice this though, just traced his hands slowly back up her body so he could hold her waist. He missed her so much and he was quick to show her that, words failing him as he gently brushed her lips in a kiss. He let his hands slide up her back to lovingly stroke her shoulders, feeling the muscles ripple under his palms. She shivered and he shook, he pulled her closer as if to warm them both but still the trembling never stopped.

He always did love her shoulders and muscles, the clinical and practical part of him admired the strength and power there, how they could flex and be used to take down beasts twice her size. Then there was the simplicity of just being a man who loved a beautiful woman and it inspired a different kind of appreciation in him.

One that he knew Grug who absolutely skewer him alive for, his heart longing and aching as he hugged Eep. He never knew he could be so needy, it should have been pathetic as a puppy following its master for attention, never satisfied.

They'd shared an intense kiss over the raging flames but it still wasn't enough after the longest dry spell he had ever known since meeting her. After that first kiss in the ocean, he never got enough of her now. He was greedy and never was ashamed of that when it came to loving her.

He only wanted to be with her until there were no more Tomorrows that crossed the sky.

Eep quickly cupped his face in her hands and surged forward against him, her ferocity taking him by surprise. He practically squeaked when he felt the nip of her teeth on his bruised lip but somehow he couldn't care less. Just welcomed it, tilting his head and taking in the taste of her as he brushed her tongue with his. It was like fire and he was more than happy to be burned, letting Eep fly with him like the wild tiger in his stories.

He drew away a moment, just the slightest breath away as he spoke, pressing a few rapid kisses to her lips with each word. "You." Kiss. "Have." Kiss. "No idea." Kiss. Kiss. "How much I missed you," Guy finished in a rush, breathless as he lowered his head to trail a series of kisses down the column of her throat, grazing his teeth lightly on the skin of her collarbone.

There was a hitch in her breath at the affection. "Can't be more than I missed you."

He went to nuzzle her ear, placing a chase kiss on her earlobe. Eep arched into him and he clutched her tight as if she were water slipping through his fingers. "I thought I was going to die seeing you up there," Guy uttered in a strained voice. He could picture it so clearly, seeing her leaping and bounding across skeletal remains hanging precariously from old tendrils of vine. The spiny mandrilla closed on her heels and he could do nothing but watch, screaming her name out in desperation until his throat went raw. "I screwed up and almost didn't get to fix it."

Guy felt Eep nudge his head away from her so they could look at each other properly again. She just traced her thumb over his cheek, tender as she marked one of his hand print shaped bruises. "You saved me," she finally said, leaning forward to steal a kiss, smiling against his lips as they brushed, once, twice and finally a proper one that had Guy's toes curling and his head fuzzy. "I was so happy when I saw you again, Guy."

He'd been more than shocked to have seen Eep and the others arrive, riding Chunky and a pack of wolfspiders. He had practically given his last rights, resolving painfully he would never see her again, never fix what he had done to her. His first and only love, he didn't need to meet any other girls to know what he felt was real and it was more than just a beautiful teenage romance.

"You want to talk about heroics? How many people come swooping in on a tiger and take on a giant monster single handedly," Guy pressed his forehead against hers, awed by her courage and humbled by her love for him. "And here I picked a tree over you."

"It wasn't just a tree," she lightly scolded him much to his surprise. "I get it now."

Guy felt moisture collect on his eyelashes and without another thought, closed the distance between them once more. He let his hands roam, touching every part of her out of fear he would forget how warm and solid her body felt in his arms. It was almost like a dream, eyes shut tightly and listening to the soft little gasps in her breath, the way her chest heaved against his own. He hated needing to breathe when all he wanted was this, reluctantly pulling away as he felt light headed, exhilarated and breathless.

"Never again," he promised her, nuzzling his nose against hers. Eep practically purred at the loving attention, letting her palms rest on his shoulders to gently knead the tension there. He shuddered, forehead pressed into hers, knowing the gesture meant so much more than simple touch to her. "I'd rather chop off both my legs than lose you again. Please never scare me like that, I couldn't bare it."

She kissed his lips, gentle before in all her passionate nature, looped her arms around his neck and kissed him enough that Guy was convinced he'd forget his own name.

But that was okay, because she reminded him, pulling away. "Guy, I love you," she only said, beaming at him.

"Please say it again," he pleaded.

"I love you."

He felt his eyes growing glassy again and Eep kissed a tear away from below his eye, soft and tender. He smiled at her, embracing her tightly once more from his comfortable position in her lap. "I love you more," he murmured, kissing her shoulder.

"I love you more," she protested, lightly shoving him to nibble his ear, feeling his weight push into her.

"No, I said I love you more first."

"And I'm telling you I love you more right back," she purred, lifting her neck to give him better access to her jawline when he started to press an open mouth kiss there.

He felt her pulse rush under his lips like she'd ran a marathon, skin flushed as red as her hair. He couldn't help but kiss her again and again.

"You're so stubborn," he grumbled good naturedly, nuzzling her.

"Takes one to know one, babe." Eep grinned at him, stroking the nape of his neck and fiddling with his top knot.

It was just them now and feeling thrilled that he had her to himself, gently nudged her down, feeling her eyes bore into his. Guy braced his arms above her, not caring his muscles throbbed in protest. He could see the sun as it set shimmering there, burning with more than mere fire.

Her eyes were nearly amber in the low light of the evening, glinting with love. Those same eyes reminded him of the first night they met, curious and glowing as the fire flickered. He touched her face, fingers curling under her chin, taking in her flushed cheeks and kiss swollen lips. It was a good look for her. She was beautiful, and no amount of sleeping suns in the sky would ever compare.

There must have been something in his expression for he saw her tremble and emotion swelled within him as he shut his eyes. He ached in more ways than just the pain from the ordeal with getting pummeled by a bunch of punch monkeys.

No more words were spoken for a long time, whoever reached for whom first he didn't care. All that mattered was now she was in his arms, heart pressed against heart and the gentle whispers of breath against lips. She arched into him and it took all his might to remember how to breathe. She palmed his shoulder suddenly with a growl, pushing him beneath her and he didn't fight her.

No one and no thing would ever separate them again, he thought as he caught her lips once more in a fluid movement.

Grug had panicked when he realized Guy and Eep had disappeared. After today, who could really blame him for it? Everyone was quick to volunteer to find them, Ugga crouching to encourage Sandy to use that skilled sense of smell of hers. The fierce little tot bounded into the fields, disappearing into the tall grass and crops.

"She's got the scent!" Gran exclaimed, hobbling after her youngest granddaughter.

Grug just worried and worried, Ugga absently massaging a kink out of his large neck. "Relax, the farm is safe. I'm sure Eep and Guy are alright, Grug."

"Still," he began with a frown. "I'd feel better knowing that with my own eyes, honey."

They'd followed Sandy through the gardens, the farther they went the more Grug fretted. It felt too long when Sandy finally paused, several large bushes and crops shielding the view. She pawed in the direction of it, turning to giggle and pounce into Ugga's awaiting arms.

"Good girl, Sandy," she praised, pressing her cheek against hers fondly.

Grug lead the way, parting the foliage. Everyone shoved about behind him and attempted to peak around him, making the caveman huff in annoyance.

The family came upon the couple hidden amongst the fields of other worldly produce, cozy together on the grass as they traded needy little kisses. Alternating between whispering, giggling and pressing a small kiss here or there, Guy and Eep were content in their bubble. Guy was curled up as content as a house cat right in her lap, Eep's arms around him in a hug. The sight would have infuriated Grug once upon a time ago but he'd seen a lot in just two days.

Things changed and so did he. His daughter deserved happiness and having seen just how broken Guy had been over her, he knew it wasn't just puppy love.

It was full grown.

"Aw," Dawn gushed as she peeked over Grug's shoulders, standing on her tiptoes. "How cute, are they always like that?"

The typical young boy that he was, Thunk made a face, his travel window lowering. "Bleh," he only said. "Again already?"

Gran snorted and leaned over to Dawn to say inconspicuously, "You have no idea, smart girl."

Belt's only response from around Dawn's torso was to make a swooning gesture, unwinding an arm to drape it over his face. Dawn chuckled when immediately after the sloth was gushing over Sash who'd leaned down to nuzzle noses with Guy's little friend. "I get the picture."

Hope folded her hands to her chest, "I can't believe we tried breaking them up… who does that?"

The words Hope said affected Grug more than he wanted to admit and guilt swelled inside him.

Ugga patted him gently on the shoulder, rousing her mate's quiet contemplation. "Well?" Ugga asked him in that soft voice of hers, gray eyes shifting back towards Guy and Eep.

"Leave them be," Grug told her and the others, shaking his head with a reserved little smile. He felt sad but there was a fatherly resolve in his heart. Eep would always be his little girl but he had to accept she had her own life to live now.

One with many Tomorrows that he knew Guy could give her, there was no doubt the young man was going to give her the world on a silver platter. The thought of her leaving was like a knife in his heart, even Guy would be a tough bone to swallow, after all, Grug had called him son. And as a father, he only wanted what was best for them, even if it meant it wasn't here with him anymore.

Gran stomped her cane on the grass. "Who are you and what have you done with our Lunkhead?"

Grug grunted, "What? I'm not allowed to have a change of heart now?"

Ugga leaned her head against his fondly. "I'm proud of you, big guy."

Grug didn't want to get emotional, feeling the moisture gather in his eyes. Phil threw an arm over his shoulders on the side Ugga didn't occupy.

"Something on your mind, bro?" His eyes were sympathetic.

He sniffled, "Nothing, really." Grug shrugged Phil's arm off and sighed.

"You can tell me," Phil encouraged, lifting a hand in an encouraging manner.

"I don't wanna."

"I'm knocking on the door, big guy. Let me in!" He persisted.

Grug side eyed him, knowing no matter what he said the lanky Betterman was going to get his way. "It's just… gonna be hard to let them go," he said, the words slightly warbled. He was a big scary caveman but he'd always been soft in the heart despite the stoney exterior.

Gran scoffed, the old matriarch beginning to hobble away. "There's our Grug now. The big baby."

Phil patted him on the back, "There, there, it'll be alright. Besides, I have a solution to your little problem."

He looked uncertain as Phil led him away from the serene couple, the rest of the family following behind. "What do you mean 'solution'?"

"Let's just say it's a wedding present for our favorite pair of lovebirds, Gruggers. You can help me get it ready, they'll take one look at it and want to stay forever." Phil then fondly nudged his friend's back. "Just please learn to use doors, Guy won't be happy if you tear a hole in their little love nest. Knocking will save you a lot of grief too."

"Love nest?" Grug echoed and for a moment the protective father that wanted to smother his daughter peeked out.

Before he could regret his decision, it was a joint effort to shove him towards the large tree on the property, hefting a sigh and pouting as Ugga just laughed.

And oblivious to the world around them, Guy and Eep stayed stuck together, joint by the heart.

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Croods: A New Age (2020)

Though 2013’s The Croods had some appeal, audiences weren’t exactly beating each other with clubs trying to get to the sequel. With Universal acquiring DreamWorks in 2016, canceling its production then changing its mind, and then the COVID-19 Pandemic hampering its production, The Croods: A New Age has finally arrived. This follow-up isn’t terrible - it’s about on-par with the first - but it won’t win the franchise any new fans and overall, is pretty forgettable.

The Croods, Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), and their animal pets stumble upon the sophisticated home of the Bettermans - Phil (Peter Dinklage), Hope (Leslie Mann), and their daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran). Though Ugga (Catherine Keener), Thunk (Clark Duke), Gran (Cloris Leachman), Sandy (Kayley Crawford), Eep (Emma Stone), and Guy are taken by the luxuries offered, Grug (Nicolas Cage) prefers the simple life they had before. Seeing an opportunity to pair Guy with his daughter and split up the relationship developing between him and Eep, Phil and Hope conspire to manipulate Grug and Ugga.

As before, A New Age offers visual treats in the form of mishmashed, made up prehistoric creatures, and a gorgeous color palette. It's so bright and poppy it’s a shame most people will be stuck watching it at home. I also enjoyed the voice work, particularly from Peter Dinklage. Everyone is still a name to sell the movie to adults rather than proper voice actors - but no one is bad or distracting.

The film’s two biggest flaws are the humor and story. Most of the jokes come from historical anachronisms. Thunk becomes obsessed with the Betterman’s window, spending all of his time watching it. The Croods are puzzled and/or dazzled by toilets with running water, hairdos, walls, that sort of thing. It isn’t as funny as in 2013 when Guy was impressing them with shoes and fire because it makes the characters drift further and further from their cavepeople origin - the series’ one unique characteristic.

Partway through, the plot shifts. Grug's been told to stay away from the bananas growing everywhere so of course, he eats them all. This introduces dire consequences. The Bettermans's sinister scheming is thrown out the window. Probably because writers Dan & Kevin Hageman, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan couldn’t figure out how to make it fill an entire movie’s running time. Here’s what I’m wondering. If the bananas were so important… why didn’t the Bettermans tell Grug WHY he shouldn’t eat the bananas? It doesn’t make sense but it’s a way to give the female characters something to do: rescue the men by transforming into heavy metal-inspired warriors. What that has to do with prehistoric times, I have no idea. They make the modern-day songs sprinkled throughout feel slightly out of place but the movie would’ve been better if it had stuck to its original theme of a father worrying that his daughter is about to leave the nest.

Anyone who saw The Croods and enjoyed it will similarly enjoy The Croods 2. It's serviceable enough to keep you entertained the whole time but this movie isn’t funny, smartly written, innovative. or clever enough for you to ever want to see it again. (March 23, 2021)

[peetaparkker]

rosehip tea, strawberry, yellow, and ceylon tea!!! <3

rosehip tea - which book did you love when you were younger? the magic faraway tree books were my absolute favourites !!! and also the ‘Grug’ books, but that was when I was very very young as I read them to my prep class now :-)

strawberry tea - tell me about your first kiss if you had one: oh LORD i think my first proper kiss was like at age 12???? i... am not sure. im pretty sure it was just like at a disco or something ridiculous lmfao

yellow tea - what shampoo do you use? the brand is ‘Eleven’ and I use their moisturising shampoo & conditioner, and their blonde shampoo too !! I believe they are an Australian brand

ceylon tea - do you have a song you like, but have bad memories with it? this isn’t necessary bad memories but more.. makes me feel sad??? but the song we’re in heaven covered by Vanessa Carlton lol bc when I was younger I heard this like. edited version with a voice over of a child who lost a parent and it was really sad and now I can’t listen to that song w/o thinkin about that version :-(

thanks Brit ily ❤️❤️❤️

[naughtygirl286]

So yup we did go last week to see The Croods: New Age.   I did really enjoy the original movie I thought it was very good so I was surprised and happy to see that there was going to be a second one.

So we went down to see it I though they might have some in theater Merch for this one but they didn't I wonder if they are going to have any for Wonder Woman??

anyway I thought the movie was awesome! I feel that it was way better then the first one. basically it starts off with a bit of a flashback of Guy (played by Ryan Reynolds) and how he set off on his quest and how he met his buddy Belt and it comes right up to the scene where he meets Eep (played by Emma Stone) and then she kinda takes over and recaps the first movie before we start this movie. Which picks up as the Croods are still looking for their "Tomorrow" While stopping for the night Grug (played by Nicolas Cage) over hears Guy and Eep planing on leaving the pack in search of their own tomorrow. Not wanting them to leave Grug stumbles upon a valley with everything they will ever need. thinking his family can live there forever they come to find out that the area is owned but a family known as "the Bettermans"   who are more like modern humans and come off as a bit snobby and waspy and the 2 groups come into conflict of course with I'd say hilarious results.

Now like I said I thought it was better then the first one especially in the animation you can notice the advancements in character design and production design its all so much more vibrant and alive.   The Valley where most of this takes place is so well done everything is excellent made and the movements of the characters and voice work is top quality.

I also thought this one was way more funny then the first I did feel that they stepped up on the jokes and gag in this one I did laugh at alot of it especially all the stuff with the "punch monkeys" near the end

The story is nice too. There was alot about growing up and growing as a family and learning that parenting is hard no matter how you do it and learning when it is time to let go. There is alot of real nice messages in there.

So personally I really liked it I thought it was alot of fun and if you like the first one I would say you should try this one too!

[historychallengesims4]

Una had been glancing his way most of the day, the look of tentativeness so strange to see expressed on her face. 

The past couple of months had been like walking on egg shells around her; one minute, she was yelling at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, for not having enough berries on hand, the next, they were under the furs making love. He didn’t know what to expect from her, now, when she almost looked nervous. 

“What, woman?” He grunted, wanting to get the verbal thrashing over with. “Not enough food? Feel sick? Gone too long to fish?” Although he was trying his best to stay neutral, he could tell that his voice was rising with each question, his frustration slipping past his control. 

Una fiddled with her fingers. “Grug…” She glanced up at him again. “I want a home.”

Grug was taken by surprise. “A home?” 

Una nodded. “We need a home. Doesn’t move.” She sighed. “I’m tired. Why always moving?”

Grug still hadn’t talked to her about his last words with the woman from the murderer’s camp and the threats to kill him and drag Una back to whatever awful fate she had planned for her. When his feelings for Una had grown, he felt a powerful need to protect her, even from making her afraid. “Must keep moving. Better places for a home.” He made a general wave of his hand, meaning somewhere farther from here.

“Makes no difference.” Una argued. “We don’t have time-” 

“Una!” Grug growled, standing up and pacing away from her. “Can’t stay still.”

Grug’s attempt to escape only turned on Una’s hunter eyes; the squinty look she did when she was ready to win a verbal battle. She followed him, cut him off from his escape route. “Grug… I think…” She fumbled for words, deflating somewhat. “��I think we made a baby..”

[weekendwarriorblog]

The ThanksgivingWarrior 11/25/20 – THE CROODS: A NEW AGE, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, ZAPPA, HAPPIEST SEASON, STARDUST and More!

It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and usually I’d be struggling to figure out how much the new movies might make in what is normally one of the most unpredictable weekends at the year. Wait a second. I’m getting déjà vu here. Didn’t I say this exact same thing in the intro for last week’s column? Probably. Let’s face it, kids. I am absolutely losing my mind with how bored I am getting looking at my laptop screen all day long, even though I’ve now set up a pretty sweet new TV system to watch stuff on!

Anyway, there is one family movie coming to theatres this weekend, and in any other Thanksgiving weekend, I’d suggesting getting out and going to theaters, but at this point in the pandemic, with COVID numbers so bad that even I, “Mr. Reopen the Movie Theaters!” can’t recommend going to see a movie in theaters… well, except maybe in New York City, where they’re still closed. Sigh. 

We’re going to do things a little different this week, because I wasn’t able to get to as many movies as I wanted but didn’t want to delay the column to Thanksgiving Day. Instead, I’ll post what I have done on Wednesday, then check back here on Friday when hopefully I’ve added a few more reviews. Cool?

Fortunately, the new animated sequel from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures, THE CROODS: A NEW AGE, is a lot of fun, and this is from someone who really enjoyed the first movie quite a bit. The sequel’s premise is as simple as you can get: caveman family The Croods (voiced by Nick Cage, Catherine Keener, Emma Stone, Clarke Duke and Cloris Leachman), along with Ryan Reynold’s Guy, are still trying to survive in the wilds until they encounter a beautiful oasis that turns out to be the home of the more-evolved Bettermans, Phil (Peter Dinklage), Hope (Leslie Mann) and Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran).

I really liked the original The Croods quite a bit, so I’ve  been waiting patiently for DreamWorks to figure things out for a sequel. My instincts were definitely spot-on, because even if the original premise sounded a lot like The Flintstones, putting those voice actors together, even if it’s just Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone proved to be quite prescient. A big part of the sequel is the burgeoning romance between their characters, Guy and Eep, much to the brutish chagrin of Eep’s father Grug (really Cage at his finest). Then along comes the Bettermans, and then it changes into a movie that is constantly showing the differences between the two families in many funny ways.

I’ve long admired Emma Stone as an actress, since she’s no naturally funny, and that’s even more apparent by how much she brings to Eep with merely her voice. Some of the scenes between her and Tran’s Dawn are absolutely hilarious. Cloris Leachman’s Gran also has some absolutely LOL moments later in the film. In some ways, Reynolds while funny, especially when pit against Cage and Dinklage’s characters, takes a back seat to the ladies.

I was equally impressed with the film in terms of its animation and how gorgeous and colorful the whole thing is, but more than that, it thrusts in a zaniness that I’d usually expect from something like Ren and Stimpy or SpongeBob SquarePants. So as much as it’s a kid movie, there’s enough to entertain older kids and even old men like me.

Without having seen Pixar’s Soul yet (this weekend!), Croods: A New Age may be one of the most entertaining animated movies I’ve seen this year, and that’s because it leans so heavily on being so absolutely crazy and zany that you can’t help but have fun.

You can read more about the movie and how it was made in a feature I wrote for Below the Line.

Next up is MA RAINEY’s BLACK BOTTOM, George C. Wilson’s adaptation of the 1982 August Wilson play that preceded Fences, which Netflix will give a theatrical release this week before it goes to streaming in December. Like Fences, this once again stars that film’s Oscar winner, Viola Davis, in the title role of Ma Rainey, a legendary blues and jazz singer in the late ‘20s who has come to a recording studio in Chicago to make a record with her band.  The band’s hotshot trumpet player Levee (the late Chadwick Boseman) is more interested in breaking out on his own, and he does everything to grandstand and try to impress the label guy (Jonny Coyne) even if it means throwing the rest of the band under the bus.

Since I never saw Wilson’s play, I really didn’t know what to expect from this movie, although the fact that most of it takes place in a recording studio definitely had my interest piqued. In case, you’re wondering about that odd title, it’s actually a song in Ma Rainey’s repertoire that she wants to do one way, but her manager Irvin (Jeremy Shamos) wants to try Levee’s version of the song. Ma’s not having any of it, and a lot of the film involves her

There’s been quite a lot of chatter about Chadwick Boseman getting a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance in this, and it’s probably well-deserved since he gives quite a showy performance as Levee, giving a couple moving monologues including one about his mother being sexually assaulted by white men.  It’s a very powerful performance indeed.

Rainey is certainly an interesting character for Viola Davis to play, even if she’s not necessarily likable with her obstinate demeanor and the way she gloms over her eye candy Dussie Mae, played by Taylour Paige, and dotes over her nephew Sylvester (Dusan Brown). As interesting as those relationships are, I probably enjoyed the interaction between the musicians more, because Boseman is working with some greats like Colman Domingo, Michael Potts and Glynn Turman. It’s actually kind of interesting how it switches between Levee and the musicians and Ma dealing with Irving upstairs.  

As much as the Wilsons are exploring some interesting topics about race and the treatment of black people in the times, the movie frequently feels dated and it feels like some of the ideas are never fully revolved, even as it builds up to a fairly shocking climax.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but it’s a perfectly fine dramatic piece, but I didn’t feel that it had the weight of other movies about race I’ve seen, including yes, Green Book (sorry, haters), and a lot of that probably has more to do with George Wilson’s direction than August Wilson’s writing.

Just want to quickly mention a couple movies I’ve already reviewed, which will hit the streamers this week, including Steve McQueen’s LOVERS ROCK on Amazon Prime Video, which I wrote about here, and Ron Howard’s HILLBILLY ELEGY, now on Netflix after a short theatrical release. I reviewed the latter here.

I’ve actually seen Lovers Rock a second time since the New York Film Festival, and I enjoyed it even more, as it’s really a well-crafted film even if it’s not as immediate maybe as Mangrove (now on Amazon Prime) and Red, White and Blue, which will be on Prime Video on December 4. I just love how Steve McQueen created a shorter piece that isn’t quite as deep as some of the others since Lovers Rock isn’t based on history but is just a nice young romance about two young people who meet and fall in love at a “Blues Night” party. It’s not as deep as the other movies I’ve seen, but is still good. Oh, and my interview with Steve McQueen is up at Below the Line finally, and I’m pretty proud of it, so check it out!

I don’t know if I have too much more to say about Hillbilly Elegy, but I hope people will give it a chance because even if it does have problems and isn’t perfect, it’s an interesting story, particularly for Glenn Close’s performance.

This week’s “Featured Flick” is Alex Winter’s doc, ZAPPA (Magnolia Pictures), an amazing film that takes a look at the life and career of the late Frank Zappa, best known for his quirky rock tunes but just at proficient at writing jazz and classical musical. I definitely went through a bit of a Zappa phase in my teens, and every once in a while, I would go back and see what had been released since his death in 1993, because his wife and widow Gail did a great job getting a lot of his unreleased music and live shows out there.

What shocked me when I saw Zappa was how little I really knew about the musician, because maybe he was a little bit of an enigma while he was still alive. I enjoyed the other doc, Eat That Question: Zappa In His Own Words, that came out a few years back, which was made up of public interviews Zappa gave, but it doesn’t really give as clear a picture of the man as Winter’s doc does.

For instance, Winter gets a lot of the musicians, including the amazing Ruth Underwood, who played with Zappa in the Mothers. You’d assume those musicians would presumably know the man best having toured with him for years, and yet, even they say that other than when they were rehearsing diligently or playing gigs, Zappa kept to himself. We also get a good sense of what a family man he was, since Winter was able to get Gail to talk to him before she herself passed way in 2015.

Zappa is an absolutely terrific doc that I hope music enthusiasts give a look even if they think they know what Zappa was about or maybe even those who didn’t care for his music. You might be pleasantly surprised by the tremendous amount of depth Winter brings to this talented musician and composer who still had a lot more to say. (And that’s an understatement!)

Incidentally, I’ll have an interview with Winter over at Below the Line very soon.

On the other end of the musical spectrum (more or less) is Gabriel Range’s STARDUST (IFC Films)  -- not to be confused with Matthew Vaughn’s far better Stardust – this one starring Johnny Flynn, who played a young Albert Einstein in Genius: Einstein, this time playing a young David Bowie. Years before breaking it big with his album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, young David just can’t catch a break in the U.S., so he goes on a road trip in 1971 with his Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), the A&R guy from his U.S. label who hopes to get Bowie across to young American audiences.

I’m not quite sure how someone can screw up a movie about Bowie, one of my all-time favorite artists, but making a movie that a.) takes place in the most boring era of Bowie’s career and b.) Not actually being able to use any of Bowie’s beloved tracks, certainly doesn’t help matters. It also doesn’t help that the script just isn’t great, creating a fairly dull biopic that relies more on Maron’s personality basically playing the same character we’ve seen him play so many times before to stay even halfway entertaining.  I couldn’t even get excited by Jena Malone, an actress I generally appreciate, as David’s wife Angie, because she plays her to be such a despicable and unsympathetic character.

If Maron is decent than Johnny Flynn is just plain flaccid as Bowie, playing him so mopey and aloof that when he finally emerges from his chrysalis as Ziggy Stardust – also with little of the flamboyance in his stage shows -- you just don’t give a rat’s ass anymore. Oh, and a lot of the movie is based on the theory that the history of mental issues in his family is what haunts the singer.  Drab and dull, Stardust manages to make the most exciting rock star of the last half century seem like the most boring person on earth. It’s a flat-out failure as a biopic.

Joan Carr-Wiggins’ GETTING TO KNOW YOU (Gravitas Ventures) is a witty Canadian high-concept rom-com, starring Natasha Little and Rupert Penry-Jones as two strangers who have a chance encounter at a hotel in Northern Ontario. The latter plays New Yorker Luke Manning, who is back home for his high school reunion, but when his positively smashed high school girlfriend Kaila (Rachel Blanchard from Peepshow) shows up at the hotel hoping to rekindle their spark, he asks Little’s character Abby to pretend to be his wife.

I don’t have a lot to say about this movie which was a nice surprise and clearly a labor of love for the filmmaker. Honestly, my favorite part of the movie is how hilarious Rachel Blanchard is in it. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me that found her deliriously drunk nightmare of an ex to be kind of sexy, but maybe that’s just me. In fact, the movie might have been even funnier if the rest of the cast were able to keep up with Blanchard, but the connection between the two leads did grow on me as it went along. It definitely has some funnier moments like when Kaila’s bowling husband Kenny shows up, and then some of Luke’s other classmates pop in as well, but it does have to work very hard whenever Blanchard isn’t on screen.  (I also enjoyed watching the soap opera that seemed to be going on between the employees of the hotel, which was perpetually funny.) Otherwise, it does feel a little flat whenever Blanchard is on screen.

The filmmaker’s lack of experience is sometimes obvious, because there are things like the repetitive music that I wasn’t so crazy about. Otherwise, this is a light and quaint indie that’s a little off the beaten track, but you won’t have any regrets if you make the effort to go looking for it.

I’m thrilled to see actor Clea Duvall back behind the camera for her second film as a director, HAPPIEST SEASON, which was going to get a theatrical release through Sony’s TriStar Pictures at one point. Instead, it’s now going to be on Hulu starting Wednesday. (Today!) It’s a high-concept rom-com starring Mackenzie Davis and Kristen Stewart with Davis playing Harper, a woman who has not come out of her closet to her family, which makes it that much more awkward when she brings her girlfriend Abby (Stewart) home for the holidays.

As mentioned, this is a fairly high-concept comedy that uses the idea of someone coming out to their disapproving family we’ve seen in many movies, but does it in a way that can take it seriously but still allow for some funny moments. In fact, there are times when the comedy even goes into Meet the Parents territory in terms of the character humor.

I really enjoyed Duvall’s previous film, The Intervention, and once again, she has put together such as great cast to realize the script that she wrote with Mary Holland. In fact, Holland has a great role, playing Harper’s bubbly sister Jane, who steals so many scenes in terms of the humor that I was shocked that I only realized later she co-wrote the script with Duvall.

Mackenzie Davis continues to be every director’s secret weapon, because like in Jason Reitman’s Tully, she can literally deliver on every aspect of the movie, keeping the comedy aspects grounded but also deliver a really poignant performance. She also works really well with Kristen Stewart, maybe bringing out things in Stewart we just haven’t been able to see before.

Besides having Alison Brie play Harper’s older sister and Aubrey Plaza as an old flame, Duvall also had the foresight to get the amazing Dan Levy, recent multi-Emmy winner for Schitt’s Creek, to play Abby’s best friend, who is constantly there for her to kvetch and who shows up to pretend to be her boyfriend. (Oddly, there’s a lot of that sort of thing going on in movies this week.)

Happiest Season works as a perfectly fine albeit fairly traditional holiday rom-com in a similar way as The Family Stone. More than anything, Duvall continually proves her abilities as a filmmaker that can handle comedy and drama equally well.

Next up, is Alan Ball’s UNCLE FRANK (Amazon), the Oscar-winning writer of American Beauty, directing only his second movie after 2007’s Towelhead – you might remember his HBO shows Six Feet Under and True Blood. This one, set in the ‘70s, stars Paul Bettany as the title character with Sophia Lillis from It Chapter One and Two playing his niece Beth, a teen from Creekville, South Carolina who worships her New York-based professor uncle. When she goes to college in New York, she attends one of Frank’s parties with her pseudo-boyfriend and ends up learning that Frank’s “roommate” Wally (Peter Macdissi) is actually his boyfriend. When Frank and Beth return to South Carolina for his father’s funeral, he has to try to keep his sexuality and relationship with Wally a secret from his family. Yeah, this does sound a little like Happiest Season, doesn’t it? It is, but only to a point.

At first, Uncle Frank is a cute but not-particularly-deep coming-of-age story about Lillis’ character as a fish out of water in New York City. Once Wally is introduced, he seems to be there just to make jokes and lighten the mood as it turns into a road trip. From his previous work, I’ve grown to enjoy Ball’s unconventional storytelling, but by comparison, this movie is very by-the-books, so it never really grabs the viewer.

The biggest problem with Ball’s latest--and it’s one that I see in a lot of movies these days--is that it doesn’t know whether it should be a comedy or a drama, and because it isn’t particularly funny, you expect it to fare better as a drama and yet, it doesn’t.

Ball has such a great cast including Judy Greer, Margo Martindale, Stevens Root and Zahn, all playing the duo’s racist Southern family, but they disappear for long sections of the movie, and then don’t do much when they return for the more dramatic last act where it turns into such a maudlin melodrama once Frank and Beth get back to South Carolina.  As they mourn the dead patriarch, Frank keeps reflecting back on what drove him to New York in the first place, and we’re pummelled with so many flashbacks. Lillis’ character almost gets lost at this point, even this story is supposed to be told from her point of view.

Essentially, Uncle Frank falls somewhere quite literally between Hillbilly Elegy and Happiest Season but not being as good as either. It’s just disappointing that Ball didn’t have someone offering good advice on handling material that will constantly have you groaning, “What was the point?”

Screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom, State of Play, 21 Bridges makes his directorial debut with MOSUL, which will debut on Netflix this Thursday. As you can figure out from the title, this takes place in Iraq in the fall of 2016 where an army of 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and militia men mobilize to liberate Iraq’s second largest city from ISIS along with the embedded journalist Ali Maula. Surprise, surprise, this is another movie from last year’s September festival season, too, and there also was a documentary from last year with the same name about the same story, too.

I’ve been a fan of some of the films Carnahan has written over the years, some mentioned above, but his directorial debut certainly sounds ambitious, since he’s working with an all-Arab cast. I look forward to watching and reviewing this one, hopefully before Friday.

Premiering on Disney+ this Friday after losing its theatrical release – this is becoming the norm for Disney, huh? – is Ashley Avis’ adaptation of Anna Sewell’s classic piece of literature, BLACK BEAUTY about a girl and her horse. The girl is played by Mackenzie Foy from Interstellar and The Conjuring, and Black Beauty the horse is voiced by Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet. No, I did not make that up, and I can’t wait to watch this, to see how that works exactly. Look for my review later this week… hopefully.

On top of that, those Trixie Pixies at Disney+ have somehow managed to secretly pull together a Taylor Swift concert called folkore: the long pond studio sessions, which will premiere exclusively on Disney+ November 25. Oh, that’s today!

Debuting on Showtime this Sunday is Errol Morris’ new doc MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY, which takes a look at the Acid King Timothy Leary through the eyes of his lover, Joanna Harcourt-Smith, trying to figure out her part in his turn into a narc for the CIA. Another one I hope to get to soon because while I like Morris’ political films like The Fog of War and even the Steve Bannon doc American Dharma, this seems more in the vein of Tabloid, which I also enjoyed. Will try to watch this over the weekend and report back.

Also of note is that the doc She is the Ocean (Blue Fox Entertainment) will be hitting On Demand this week. I guess I never got around to reviewing it.

So, let’s see. We’ve had some good movies, we’ve had some not great movies, and we’ve had a few movies that I just didn’t get around to watching yet. What does that leave? How about two of the worst movies I’ve seen this year? Are you ready?

SUPERINTELLIGENCE (HBO Max) is the latest comedy from Melissa McCarthy and hubby director Ben Falcone, and boy, it won’t take you long to realize why New Line decided LONG before COVID not to give it a theatrical release, instead handing it over to its new streamer HBO Max. 

In this, McCarthy plays Carol Peters, an average Seattle woman, who – I mean, honestly, does it even matter what she does? It’s irrelevant. Carol encounters an artificial intelligence being with the voice of James Corden that has just achieved self-awareness and wants to study Carol in order to understand humanity. But what are its plans… to save humanity or destroy it? Only Carol has the power to keep the world from finding out. 

I honestly don’t even know where to begin except that I was a Melissa McCarthy stan for a long time before Bridesmaids;  Superintelligence makes it all-too-obvious that she needs to stop making movies with Falcone. It’s not that he’s an incapable director, but he just doesn’t give her the actual direction she needs. The movie is just all over the place, starting with the physical comedy McCarthy has done so much in her movies, but then turning into a romantic comedy as the AI tries to reunite Carol with her college boyfriend George, played by Bobby Cannavale. Apparently, making The Heat with Sandra Bullock has made Falcone think his wife could or should be Sandra Bullock. No, she can’t. Throwing her into a ridiculous concept like this one that isn’t very solid does little to endear McCarthy to the fans she keeps driving away with bad movies like this.

I’m sure it doesn’t help that I really hate James Corden and hearing his voice over the course of the movie while also acting very META by referencing the ACTUAL James Corden, Carpool Karaoke, etc. Just none of it is very funny. Oddly, this is written by the same guy who wrote the duo’s earlier movie, The Boss, which I didn’t think was that bad, but mainly because McCarthy was paired with Kristen Bell for a lot of the movie.

On top of that, Superintelligence wastes its entire supporting cast from Brian Tyree Henry to Sam Richardson (from Veep) but also has Karan Son from Deadpool playing the EXACT SAME CHARACTER he played in Like A Boss, but only for a few minutes then he’s gone. At least it had the forethought to cast Jean Smart as the President, but the fact that I didn’t even like Bobby Cannavale in this might be the biggest sign of how much I absolutely detested Superintelligence.

There are movies you might hate when you see them in theaters but later realize that they’re probably funny enough cable. That is Superintelligence, except for the funny part. What else can I say except that “Superintelligence” is not a term I'd use for whoever greenlit this piece of crap.

Also debuting on HBO Max this week is the new thriller series The Flight Attendant (HBO MAX), starring Kaley Cuoco, who really hasn’t been doing much outside The Big Bang Theory, so this should give her a chance to show how funny she is. She plays a woman who wakes up in the wrong hotel and wrong bed with a dead man, so it already sounds like a great premise right there. I guess the entire first season will debut on Thanksgiving.

And yet, believe it or not, Superintelligence isn’t even the worst movie of the week! Nope.

Apparently, Josh Duhamel’s new comedy, BUDDY GAMES (Saban Films/Paramount), played in some theaters over the weekend, but it’s now available on digital and On Demand. It’s Duhamel’s directorial debut, and it’s about as dude-bro as you can possibly get, as it has Duhamel, Dax Sheppard, Kevin Dillon, Nick Swardson, Jensen Ackles and Dan Bakkedahl as a group man-children friends who regroup five years after going their separate ways to bring back their “Buddy Games,” a series of obstacle and endurance tests that end up reviving ill feelings between a few of them.

I’m not sure how quickly I knew I was in trouble with this one, because at first, I thought that maybe Duhamel made a fun indie comedy about friendship ala the underrated A Good Old Fashioned Orgy. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was wrong as wrong could be, since by the halfway point it turned into something as innately immature as Jackass.

The general idea is that Duhamel plays Bob, the guy who found enormous success after splitting from his friends, marrying Olivia Munn’s Tiffany, but then he finds out that his old friend Shelly (Bakkedahl) has been put in rehab for a drug overdose. Turns out that at the last Buddy Game, Swardson’s character shot Shelly in the nuts with a BB gun, and he eventually lost his other testicle as well. That’s about the level of this low-brow comedy that rarely fails to grab the lowest hanging…um… fruit.

As it goes along, it just gets worse and worse to the point where there was one scene where the guys are at a bar while trying to get girls to buy them drinks that just got so disgusting, I almost turned it off. If I did, I would have missed the scene with a gila monster going after steaks strapped to the heads in another lame competition.

I can go on and on about how Buddy Games is but probably the worst infraction is that it does the most sexist thing possible by basically putting having women for a few moments and none that particularly advance anything.

Duhamel isn’t a bad director, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got hired to direct another comedy someday soon, but this movie just very bad, very gross and almost excruciating to sit through at times. To call Buddy Games moronic, idiotic or even asinine, would be an insult to the morons, idiots or asses, who are likely to be the movie’s target audience.

On Friday, New York’s Metrograph is bringing back the 2017 4k restoration of Fruit Chan’s Made in Hong Kong as a ticketed screening running from Friday through December 3. You can also still catch Shalini Kantaya’s Coded Bias and the French New Wave anthology Six In Paris as ticketed screenings through December 3.

Up at New York’s Lincoln Center, you can catch its World of Wong Kar Wai with a couple films available this Wednesday, including his fantastic drama In the Mood for Love, but you can also get the 7-film Janus Bundle for $70 which is a saving over the individual movie cost of $12 apiece. Those seven films and five more will be shown over the course of December.

Other stuff out this week that I wasn’t able to get to include:

The Christmas Chronicles 2 (Netflix) Last Call (K Street Pictures) Faith (Vertical) Saul and Ruby’s Holocaust Survivor Band (Samuel Goldwyn) The Walrus and the Whistle Blower (Gravitas Ventures) Life in a Year (Amazon Prime) 32 Weeks

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[light-against-onision-blog]

I watched the Brooke Houts Onision & Kai podcast so you don’t have to

Onision swoops his hair into his typical preteen emo boy style and admits he styles it like that on camera to appeal to the audience—his “9 year old emo audience.”

Onision shows a video of Brooke Hours smacking her dog in the face after jumping on her. He pauses every few seconds to break down the cruelty.

He points out the thrashing in the background and asks how your dog can still love you after that. Kai responds by saying it’s outlandish to beat your dog BECAUSE they always love you.

The video continues, showing Brooke harshly grabbing her dog. Kai points out the angry expression on her face. The video continues to show Brooke spitting on her dog. Onision pauses and him and Kai make spitting noises back and forth.

Onision compares it to saying “the n-word” (as if he doesn’t)

Onision keeps interrupting Kai until he stops talking. Now he’s playing some clip from Terminator..?

Kai asks Onision if he saw a video of Gordon Ramsey voicing over Star Wars he sent. Onision says he hasn’t, and then plays it. They laugh about it, then Kai remembers the Brooke video and Onion resumes it.

Onision says it confirms what he thinks of people with a New Jersey accent. (I wonder how is fans in New Jersey feel about that)

Onision points out Brooke kicking her dog, and begins a tangent about how they have “unraveled” the truth, but then Kai tells him other people have pointed it out. Then he backtracks and agrees with Onision. (Typical.)

Onision and Kai talk about being YouTube celebrities. Kai says he never plans to be one. (This made me think about how Kai never even planned to be on YouTube)

They continue talking about how bad the video was, and how there are no legal consequences for Brooke.

Onision talks about how Brooke’s video inspires people to not hit their dogs. Kai replies (after being interrupted by Grug a few times) by saying it’s wrong there are no legal repercussions. Onion says it’s okay because the internet hates her, which is odd considering before he said that there’s no justice for animals in this situation. Kai says it’s still wrong.

Kai asks Onision if they can get a vegan burger from Burger King twice until he responds. (Because he isn’t allowed to get one himself, I assume)

Onision excitably says people are going to spit on Brooke everywhere she goes. He calls himself a piece of shit, and Kai agrees.

[arikdiver]

It is a pleasure to read to kids when they are little. You see the wonder in their little faces, laugh at their adorable questions and comments, and the books are generally a lot of fun. The Grug and Dr Seuss books were a firm pre-school favourite, in addition to picture books.

In Australia, when children start “big” school they are expected to read, or be read to, every night. It didn’t take me long to come to the realisation that home readers are tedious, boring, and simply excruciating – for children as well as adults.

As a kindergartener, my son was completely put off reading thanks to home readers (which were also read in class). Reading became a chore, an effort, something to endure. I’ve learnt a few lessons along my son’s reading journey and applied them to my daughter – now an avid reader like me. I can’t say for certain that what I did differently with her is what made her enjoy reading more than her brother – they are very different children in regards to their learning capabilities and preferences – but I do think it helped.

My daughter never goes to bed without a story and has recently started reading the Dork Diaries series of books every second night by herself (sometimes many, many chapters). Other books she likes are Pearlie the Park Fairy, Billie B Brown, and the Thea Stilton Series.

My son, as I mentioned, doesn’t really like reading. By that I mean he doesn’t like fiction stories, with the exception of comics/cartoons such as Pokémon. He is far more inclined to read a book containing facts and figures – historical, scientific, or sporting related. Which is great, but he isn’t motivated to read in general.

I always have a plentiful supply of books at home, for both myself and my kids. On a recent shopping trip, I picked up something a little different, a little more challenging, for them both. I fully expected the fantasy book I picked up for my son to be left on the growing pile beside his bed unread. However, I decided that this time I would actually take the extra half an hour at night to sit down and read it with him, rather than expecting him to read it himself. We are currently six chapters into Ned’s Circus of Marvels.

I’ve discovered once again the joy of reading with my son, and he is in turn re-discovering the joys of an escape book. I don’t know how long this will last, but I’m hoping a little while longer yet.

Some tips for engaging children in reading at home

If they don’t feel like reading, don’t force them to. There is always tomorrow.

Ditch the home readers and let your children choose the book. It has to be something they are interested in and want to read. Sometimes the local library has books unavailable at school or are hard to find elsewhere if you need some variety.

Sit with them when they read. You can read to your child, your child can read to you, or you can read together (you read one page, they read the next, for example).

 Make it fun and have fun. Use silly voices. You’ll feel ridiculous sometimes, but your kids will think it’s great.

Discuss the book when you finish it. Ask them what they liked, or what they didn’t. it may give you clues as to what other books they might like to read.

If you have kids, what books do they like to read?

Reading with kids #books #reading It is a pleasure to read to kids when they are little. You see the wonder in their little faces, laugh at their adorable questions and comments, and the books are generally a lot of fun.