#David Von Erich imagine

[fangirl-imagines]

Dating David Von Erich Would Include...

A/N: The Iron Claw and David have been living rent free in my brain. Also shout out to @heartbreakprincehbk for their amazing Iron Claw fics.

You are absolutely his number one fan.

Every match he or his brothers are in you can be found sitting front row cheering him on and trying your best not to wince when he goes down in the ring. Even though sometimes its only Michael or Pam giving your hand a reassuring squeeze that keeps you from rushing into the ring. 

David considers you his good luck charm, he says having you there to watch him always makes him perform better in the ring. Fritz hates it, reminding David that there's no such thing as luck and to focus on his training instead of some girl in the audience. 

Either way, David takes you everywhere with him. An out of town match? You’d better pack an overnight bag. Him and his brothers are heading to the lake? Grab your swimsuit baby, he's already on his way to pick you up. He’s working out today? He’s already on the phone asking if you want to come watch him. 

His brothers give him a hard time about it but they all are thrilled for David that he found someone as good as you. 

Being protected like crazy since you’re constantly surrounded by wrestlers that look at you like a sister.

You become especially close with Michael as the two of you spend time hanging out waiting on his brothers at matches. 

He is often the third wheel for you and David, being like a little brother to you too. You’re never too bothered by having Michael come hang around with you and David. 

David is such a family man, he loves having you around his family, seeing how naturally you fit in with them. It makes him all the more excited to have a family with you in the future. 

He’d be the sweetest dad, play wrestling with his sons, watching them grow up close like his brothers and him and teaching them everything he knows. 

Lots of late nights driving around in his truck, your legs in his lap, the windows down, singing along to the radio together at the top of your lungs. 

Your favorite dates are always like this, just the two of you doing nothing but doing it together, just enjoying the slow moments. 

The best nights are especially when he takes you down to the lake late at night, both of you winding up skinny dipping together with the only light being the moon and stars. 

Laying on the dock together afterwards, wearing his shirt, thumbing his wrist wrapped around your waist, is the first time you tell each other that you love each other. 

Playing with his long hair. Wrapping strands around your fingers, even braiding little strands of it when laying in bed together. 

 He almost never calls you by your name, David is a nickname man for sure. 

“Darin, you almost ready to go?” “There’s my baby! Did you enjoy the match?” “Michael, you seen my girl?”

Always stealing his hat, leaving the sportatorium with his arm around you and his hat safely on your head. 

Sometimes he had to wrestle it back from you, playfully showing you his moves, careful not to be too rough with you when he tosses your giggling self around, gently pinning your wrist and stealing his hat back, joking that he was gonna use the iron claw.

[heartbreakprincehbk]

Fool For You (David Von Erich x Reader x Kerry Von Erich)

Words: 4,046

Summary: A tale old as time; an angsty love triangle. Requested by @richiejerimovichh ! Thanks for being patient hun!

“Oh, finally. Y/N’s here!” You could hear in the distance as you walked up the long Von Erich dirt driveway. You already wore a grin on your face as you heard a scuffle of shoes approaching like a pack of wild animals. 

It was hard to really explain how you found yourself as an unofficial member of the Von Erich clan. Really, it had more to do with vicinity; your parents knew Fritz and Doris and you went to the same school as all the brothers. You were at the Sportatorium for every show, like most of your old classmates, and even got a job there taking tickets after your senior year. That turned into becoming a member of the office, which turned into befriending the Von Erichs, which turned into late night burger joints and shakes and family dinners. Pretty soon, you were letting yourself into their home and getting greeted just like any other family member.

Mike had been the voice you heard, and the relief was evident all over his face; he and his brothers had been playing football and you were–hopefully–his way out.

“I’m so happy to see you.” He told you breathlessly, nearly falling into your arms. You laughed as you hugged him back, steadying him on his feet.

“This ain’t over yet, Mike.” Kevin warned, giving his brother a playful push so he could hug you in greeting next. “Dave and I ain’t done with you and Kerry yet. Hey, Y/N. Did you pick up a movie for movie night?”

“Kevin, movie night isn’t until a few more days. I’ve got time! Can’t you take it one day at a time like the rest of us?” You teased, making Mike laugh. “So, I see I’m just in time. Who’s winning?”

“Who do you think?” David was approaching quickly, a bright light in his eyes, eyes that were locked solely on you. Just the sight of him set a swarm of butterflies loose in your chest. “I sure am glad to see your pretty face. It’s a sight for sore eyes around here.” He said just before he swept you up into a hug that brought you off your feet. 

Where to start with David…and where did it end?

Kevin was like the older brother you always wanted, always keeping you dutifully on your toes and there for you with advice when you needed it. Mike was like the baby brother you always wanted, and he looked to you for the advice and comfort. It was the best of both worlds. But David…

David was just so funny and charismatic. He had a quiet assuredness to him that you always admired. So, the fact that he always seemed to have his eyes on you made your heart skip a beat. The passenger’s seat in his truck was your designated seat; he wouldn’t let anyone else have it. If ever you and his brothers went anywhere, it was unspoken that you were riding with him. He saved you a seat at the dinner table next to him, his coat was the one offered if you got chilly. 

And yet, despite all of that, despite him constantly driving you home and spending any spare chance he got in your office while you worked, that seemed to be all it was. Sure, there were lingering looks. His hand touching yours a second too long. He had drunkenly kissed your cheek an inch from your mouth one night, but any solid admittance of romantic feelings? There was none.

So were you wrong in thinking maybe there was more to it? Maybe. Did it stop you from hoping? Not a chance. And if that made you foolish, then you were the biggest fool.

“You won’t be winning for long.” Another voice brought you out of your thoughts. You glanced over David’s shoulder and finally saw Kerry, who, curiously, also only eyed you. 

“Shoot. Wanna bet, brother?” David said, almost reluctantly placing you back on the ground. Kerry approached you and gave you a tight hug, one that lingered longer than you were expecting.

“Hey, Y/N. Missed you.” He murmured softly, close to your ear. It sent a shiver up your spine.

“Hey, Kerry.” You replied, left mystified as he finally let go. The touch of his skin left yours tingling. You weren’t quite sure if you were imagining the glare on David’s features.

“Are you joining us, Y/N?” Mike asked hopefully. You managed to smile again, shaking off the last interaction. 

“No, sorry, buddy. I’m gonna help your mom set up dinner. Kev, is Pam comin’?” Kevin nodded in the affirmative. You turned to Kerry. “What about Becky?” 

Becky was Kerry’s most recent girlfriend. You had only met her once, the first time he had brought her around the family. She was beautiful, such a vibrant bubbly person that made you just want to be a better person. Kerry looked away at your question.

“Nah. We’re not together anymore.” His response was quiet. It felt like tripping into a hidden hole in the grass and you wished you hadn’t asked.

“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.” You replied. Kerry now looked right at you, his eyes clear.

“Don’t be.” You blinked. Now, you were certain the glare on David’s face was real.

“C’mon! Less chit chat, let’s finish this game.” David interrupted gruffly. You left them to their game, chuckling a little at the exasperation on Mike’s face. 

After dinner, once you finally convinced Doris to let you do the dishes and shooed off Pam to enjoy some of Kevin’s company, you were scrubbing plates in a comfortable silence. 

“You know, it goes by faster if two people do it.” You gasped and dropped the plate you were holding into the suds and water.

“Kerry? Don’t scare me like that!” You scolded. He approached your side with a chuckle, leaning against the counter. “I’m all good, really. Don’t you and your brothers have a show to be preparing for?”

“Exactly. We’re leaving in an hour. You’re coming to watch, right?” You gave a nod. “Okay, so let’s get it done faster.” He pleaded with you with his eyes and you sighed.

“Fine. You dry. And you better be better than Mike at polishing these forks.” You warned. Kerry chuckled again.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Soon, the comfortable silence was back, this time with the addition of Kerry, his large arm touching yours as you both worked diligently. But soon, with each plate, you felt the urge to speak nearly consuming you.

“So,” you said finally after clearing your throat. “I know you said not to be, but I really am sorry about bringing up Becky. I had no idea.” You apologized. Kerry was shaking his head.

“I meant it, Y/N. No need to be sorry.”

“So, what happened? She was a really great girl.” Kerry shrugged.

“Yeah…I don’t know. As great as she was, she just wasn’t really the one.” You gave a small chuckle.

“Well, Kerry, you hardly gave her a chance. How would you know?” He paused, looking over at you.

“You just do sometimes. I didn’t feel that with her. She didn’t really like the wrestling part of everything, so it wouldn’t have worked in the long run…and…I guess I realized I was never going to be fair anyways.” You frowned.

“What do you mean?” He looked away, giving another shrug.

“I was always comparing her to someone else. And wishing I was with her instead.” 

He looked at you again, putting the plate he was drying down and turning entirely to face you. You felt your words get caught in your throat and your heart speed up nervously.

“Oh, um…well.” You sputtered out. “A lot of guys make the mistake of not taking a leap and speaking up about how they feel.”

“I know.” Kerry replied. “I’ve seen it. I don’t wanna make the same mistake.” He continued to stare at you and you could’ve sworn he was moving closer.

“Hey, darling, should I wear the red and blue jacket tonight or the black and gold–” David had entered the kitchen and stopped short at the sight of Kerry next to you. You watched his eyes narrow. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing. Just helping Y/N with the dishes. She shouldn’t do all the heavy lifting.” Kerry replied. You nearly elbowed him.

“No, and she doesn’t. That’s what I’m around for. I think Y/N’s capable enough of washing dishes without you slowing her down.” David replied. 

“I really don’t mind!” You cut in, but the brothers continued to stare at each other. The tension in the air was growing thick. “It’s the least I can do for always free-loading around here.”

“It’s a little dumb of you to think a woman should wash the dishes, Dave.” Kerry challenged.

“I never said she should! I know she’s her own person and better than anyone, I know she doesn’t need anyone’s help for anything. She’s not some helpless doll, and the last thing she needs is your help.”

“Just because she doesn’t need it doesn’t mean she should always have to do it on her own.”

“I’d gladly wash the dishes for her if she asked me too, you’re putting words in my mouth! Who’s the one always making sure she gets a plate full of food first or opening the door for her? Who picks up lunch for her every day of the week while she’s working so she doesn’t have to?” David was beginning to yell, and if you weren't the subject, you would have found the entire thing ridiculously amusing. Half of you wanted to laugh at the sudden absurdity and the other half of you was mortified.

“What’s going on?” Kevin demanded as he came into the kitchen. Pam was looking knowingly between Kerry and David before shooting you a sympathetic look that made your face grow warm. “C’mon, Kerry, why don’t you have your bag? We’re gonna be late.”

“You know the red is my favorite.” You said to David after Kerry left up the stairs. He looked a little abashed now that it was just the two of you, fiddling with his fingers and avoiding your eyes.

“Look, Y/N, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean I think it’s your place to do the dishes or something. That was really stupid of me to say, I didn't mean–”

“I know.” You reassured him. He glanced up at you and his mouth opened to say more. You held your breath, waiting to see, but he closed it again.

“I should get my stuff.” He muttered, heading up the stairs. You sighed a little, looking around the little kitchen, aghast. 

***

At the Sportatorium, you took your seat in the front in between Mike and Pam. 

“Everything okay?” Pam asked you. You were jumpy and flinched when she touched your arm. 

“Huh? Oh. Uh…I think so.” You sighed. “I hope so.” You tacked on under your breath. Soon, the main event was on and the brothers were making their way to the ring for a six-man tag match. 

Kevin passed first, giving you a nod and a quick kiss to Pam. Then David, who gave you his yellow rose and a kiss to the top of the head, his red jacket matching your cheeks. But when Kerry came, you weren’t expecting him to stop and wrap his arms around you in a hug, nor were you expecting the kiss to your cheek. You didn't even feel the glares from all the women surrounding you; the only thing you could focus on what the way David had frozen and was now staring in outrage at Kerry.

“Uh oh,” you heard Mike mutter beside you, voicing your thoughts out loud. Suddenly, David took a step towards Kerry and shoved his chest.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You think I don’t know what you’re doing?” You heard him yell, and noticed a few fans giving the brothers confused looks. Kerry swatted David’s hand away before giving him a shove back.

“Stop it!” You hissed at them, to no avail. It was as if you suddenly weren’t even there. Thankfully, Kevin had turned back and given both of them stern slaps to the shoulder before stepping between them. 

“Cut it out right now, we have a match to do.” You heard him scolding parentally, not before sending an exasperated look in your direction. You felt yourself shrinking lower. 

“Oh god…this is my fault.” You mumbled to yourself, burying your face in your hands and sinking down in your seat. 

“Oh, honey, this is not your fault.” Pam told you quickly, rubbing your shoulders comfortingly. “This is just two grown men acting like silly little boys.”

“Yeah, it’s not your fault they’re acting like kids.” Mike added helpfully, looking desperate to cheer you up. “You can’t blame yourself just because Kerry likes you too.”

“Too?!” you exclaimed. “What are you talking about?” Mike looked genuinely bewildered and Pam once again looked sympathetic. “When did this even happen, how?”

“Oh, honey.” She merely repeated, shaking her head. Your head was spinning.

“Pretty sure Dave knows about Kerry too, but he’s been pretending he doesn’t notice because it’s not really a secret that he likes you." Mike started to try to explain, but you were barely keeping up. "So he’s expecting Kerry to back off because you know, brothers and everything but—"

“If he didn’t know before, which he did, he does now.” Pam said, her eyes watching as David and Kerry appeared to continue arguing from where they stood on the ring apron with Kevin in the ring.

“First of all, David’s never even asked me out.” You replied finally.

“That’s what I said!” Mike seemed to defend himself. “But he just says he’s waiting for the right time. We think he’s kinda nervous you do actually like Kerry. Do you?” You blinked several times again.

“Oh my god…these boys.” You sighed, burying your head again.

You continued to watch the match unfold through squinted eyes that were further blocked with your hands, nervous that at any point David and Kerry were going to start swinging on each other instead of their opponents. Pam had her arm looped through yours, a helpful anchor keeping you from floating away. Thankfully, they seemed to be fine, and only you, Pam, and Mike were aware of the coldness between Kerry and David. As soon as Kevin got the pin, Kerry left the ring, ignoring fans all the way to the dressing room. David wasn’t far behind him, leaving Kevin to slap fans hands and sign autographs. 

“I’ve got to fix this.” You said, to yourself more than anyone else. Mike and Pam were on your heels, but you all stopped short at the sound of two voices thundering inside the dressing room. You winced.

“Mike, please go in there and grab Kerry for me.” You begged. Mike’s eyes widened. 

“So it is Kerry?”

“Michael, please! Before they do something!” He snapped out of it and dutifully ducked into the room. You cringed as the yelling only picked up, ten times worse. There was a clattering sound of something metal hitting something.

“I can’t tell if you’re the best thing that happened to this family…or the worst.” You jumped at the sound of Kevin’s voice behind you and groaned at his words. Thankfully, he seemed to have a half humorous grin on his face. Pam hit his shoulder lightly, shaking her head in disapproval.

“This is not her fault!” She insisted. Kevin shook his head.

“No, I know. Took everything in me to keep them from going at each other in the ring.” He muttered, looking towards the dressing room with a grimace. You groaned.

“Kev…I’m not trying to do this! The last thing I want is to get between them. I don’t want to be the reason they hate each other; if that’s the case, I’ll remove myself from this situation.”

“Hey! No one wants you to leave.” Kevin said. “We love each other to death. That just means sometimes we fight too. But we always work it out. Dave and Kerry are just gonna have to accept whatever decision you make. And they’ll have to respect it.” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Kerry came out of the dressing room at the moment. The second he left, the door slammed shut behind him, presumably David’s doing.

“After I talk with Kerry, can you make sure you stick around waiting in the parking lot?” You lowered your voice to Pam and Kevin. You knew instantly Pam understood. Kevin opened his mouth in question, but she pressed a finger to his lips.

“We got it.” She assured you, and gave your arm a squeeze. As they walked away, Kerry approached. It was just the two of you in the dingy backstage hallway.

“Hey,” Kerry said lightly, a small smile on his face. “Mike said you wanted to see me.” 

“I did…” you said, before you sighed. “Listen, Kerry…I…” you looked from the smile on his face to your shoes and the scuffs on the ground next to them. You traced circles around the marks with the toe of your shoe.

“Let me stop you for one second, Y/N.” Kerry said. You frowned a little. 

“But, Kerry—“

“Just listen, please. Y/N…I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t. All those girls out there on the way to the ring, it’s like they’re not there. All I see is your face. I dreamt about you the other night. We were together in a house of our own, just making breakfast. I mean, I know we’ve been friends for a while and everything but…I really care about you. It’s just what I meant, about Becky. I couldn’t see it working out no matter how much I tried, but with you…” You bit your lip, still unable to look up, knowing the scuffs on the floor were going to be committed to your memory forever. “Y/N?” You felt his fingers tilt your chin up gently and looked into his side eyes, like a beautiful sunny day. You allowed yourself for a second to jump into them, imagining what that path could bring. The breakfast he had mentioned, the house. Knowing every time you stepped out with him, he was the envy of every woman around you. The passion that he carried for everything and every goal would now also be geared towards you and loving you so completely and fully. 

And it still didn’t feel right. Because you could see it all; the picturesque home, a loving embrace, maybe even a family of your own…but Kerry wasn’t the person in your dream. 

“Kerry, I’m sorry. I don’t feel that way for you.” You whispered. “I’m sorry. I’ll always care for you as a person, but I can’t be your person.” He stared back unwaveringly, and to his credit, he nodded his head and stepped back.

“I understand that. I’m…sorry if I ruined any of the kindness you have in your heart towards me, or made you uncomfortable, I just thought that…” he sighed and straightened up again. “I should be honest. I’ll work real hard to make everything right again, alright?”

“It’s okay, Kerry. Consider this conversation forgotten.” He grinned a little.

“I do feel a little stupid now, though.” He admitted, making you laugh. “I should have known it was always David.” Just at his name alone, those familiar butterflies rushed back. You smiled.

“I really need to see him. Kevin and Pam should be waiting out back for you and Mike. I need to talk to David.” Kerry nodded, and you knocked on the dressing room door. Mike’s face appeared, looking eager for some kind of update.

“I need to talk to David.” You told him. He looked over your head to where Kerry was waiting. “Alone.”

“Oh…uh. Right.” Mike replied, still looking confused, but quickly leaving the room to join Kerry. You walked in and shut the door behind you before taking in the surroundings. There was a chair laying on the floor next to the wall, seemingly laying there after being thrown if the dent in the wall was any clue. David was sitting in another chair, one hand pressed to his mouth and the other wrapped around his midsection. He was staring at the floor, one leg shaking.

“Hey…” you murmured, not taking a step. There was a long pause.

“Y/N, you really don’t have to do this.” He said finally. “I don’t need a little pep talk, or for you to tell me how great I am but just not the right one or something. I’m a big boy, I’ll be just fine with your decision.” You frowned.

“David…”

“Really.” He said, looking up at you. “I mean, it’s Kerry for crying out loud. I get it, alright? I mean, I’ve seen every day how girls look at him. He’s great. I’m not mad, I promise. I’ll be happy for you both.”

“David, wait, seriously—“

“No, I don’t want you trying to make me feel better, Y/N.” He stood suddenly as if he couldn’t contain himself in the chair any longer. “It’s really my own fault anyways. You’re one helluva lady, you know that? Every day, I just look at you and I can’t believe you’re real. And in front of me, just sorta breathing the same air as me. I just can’t get enough of you, and I should have done something about it sooner, but I’ll admit I was scared, alright? Because you’re way out of my league, but I should have made it known. I should have told you time and time again every second how I felt, I should have treated you like it. But I just want you to be happy. I swear it. And at the end of the day, if it’s with my own brother, then that’s fine. I know he’ll take care of you.” Despite his words, you could see the unhappiness burning in his eyes. You couldn’t help but admire every word coming from his mouth, you couldn’t help but stare at his mouth, desperate to shut him up with a kiss. 

“Are you finished?” You asked. His face frowned and you couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now, what on earth did Mike tell you?” David’s frown deepened.

“That you needed to talk to Kerry.”

“Okay. Is that all?” He frowned even further.

“He just started consoling me and telling me it ain’t your fault, which I never said it was—I would never blame you. Then some, you know, run of the mill peppy speech about fish in the sea…” At this point, you gave an outright laugh. “Oh, now you’re laughing at me?”

“You and Mike really should learn not to jump to conclusions so quickly. Didn’t your father ever tell you about making assumptions?” David’s face melted slowly from confusion to a hopeful wide eyed wonder. 

“…What are you saying?”

“I love Kerry, but not like that. Not like…how I’ve always felt about you.” 

David crossed the room within the blink of an eye and suddenly hoisted you into the air, his face buried against your neck, his arms encasing you against him.

“Oh, Y/N…oh man. You had me losing my mind.” He admitted, voice muffled against your skin. “You mean it?” He asked, leaning back to check your expression.

“Do you?” You demanded cheekily. “On second thought, maybe you should listen to Mike more. I’m still waiting for you to ask me out, David Von Erich.” David's head tilted back in laughter. 

“You got it, darling, I’m not wastin’ a second more. How about this Friday?” 

“That’s movie night; Kev’s not gonna be too happy with that.” You replied, giggling. David laughed again, and the both of you seemed dizzied in relief and euphoria, gripping each other tightly with the hands and yet, weak at the knees.

“Well, Kev’s just gonna have to deal with it. We’ll do movie night another night.” David said, placing you back on the ground and kissing the top of your head. Finally, finally, everything felt right.

[meanmeanstridemeanmeanpride]

omfg David x pregnant reader 😭

Peppermint (David v. Erich)

(a/n: couldn’t come up w/ a title and i was desperate to post sue meee. anyways, R U THE SAME ANON? I VIBE W/ U HEAVILY thank you for the request!!)

Sat in the rocking chair, you popped a small chocolate peppermint chunk into your mouth as David was kneeled a few feet away. He was working on the crib and so far he hadn’t ran into any trouble. But he had gotten slower, and you were coming to the conclusion that he was getting lost in the instructions.

“Honey?” You called, tilting your head.

“Hmm?”

“Might be easier to read if it wasn’t at an angle.”

“Hmm.”

David turned the small pamphlet, brows furrowed as he skimmed over the words. Shit, he had managed to skip a step, and he’d have to take some of it apart to correct his mistake. And he didn’t want to do so in front of you, that would wound his pride.

Sighing, he closed the pamphlet and slid it away from him. ”I think I’m startin’ to get a headache, sweetheart.”

David took a moment to stretch, his back cracking after being hunched over for so long. He tried to be mindful of his posture, but this crib had completely taken over and he couldn’t think of much else. He let out a small huff as he glanced over to you.

You were half way there, your baby bump a little bigger than most at this stage. It made him grin. Of course, that was all because of him—and he couldn't be anymore proud. This was his baby, a special creation only he shared with you. Nothing could make him happier.

He pushed himself up, standing tall in the nursery room. David made his way over just to kneel again, and his hands gravitated to the bump. A small smile crept onto your face as he leaned in and pressed a kiss against the fabric of your shirt.

“How’re you doin’, kiddo?” He spoke softly, knowing the baby could hear him. His gaze then drifted up to meet yours. David couldn’t get enough of you, and he used the rocking chair to help him up. He pressed a kiss against your lips, then your forehead. You tasted sweet, all thanks to the bowl of sweets in your grasp.

“You’re stallin’, ain’t you?” You murmured against him as he kissed you again. A a grin spread on your lips. “Tryin’ to be sweet and all..”

David took a peppermint chunk and bit into it. He shook his head as he chewed, trying to keep his mouth occupied as to not give you a proper answer. But he couldn’t escape the look you were giving him, and he knew it wasn’t going to work. With another sigh, he leaned in to bury his face into the crook of your neck.

You giggled, his blonde hair tickling you some.

“David—“

“Shhh,” he shushed you, kissing your neck in attempt at distracting you. But it quickly became his own, and you could only tilt your head to rest your cheek against his head.

“It’s okay to ask for help.” You said to him, voice sweet and soft. He nearly melted, nearly caved and accepted. But he was too bent on doing it himself.

“You ain’t gonna make yourself uncomfortable ‘cause I’m an idiot.”

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt too much to have another idiot readin’ the instructions to you.”

David groaned, knowing you were too stubborn to back down. But he wasn’t exactly one to give in, not when it came to your contentment. His hands found your bump again, and he delicately rubbed his large palms over you.

“Now which one of my brothers are you talkin’ about?” He smiled against you, teasing you.

But that only gave you a better idea, and he felt you perk up. Surely Kevin, Kerry or Mike could come help. You knew they’d be more than willing, they’d drop anything for their niece—or nephew.

David pulled back, just enough to look at you. “No.”

“Yes.”

“Darlin’,” he protested. “I don’t need—“

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

David opened his mouth, knowing he needed a rebuttal. He always had a good fight in him no matter if he was in the wrong or if it was plain dumb. Yet it was entirely different when it came to you. He had nothing, and the look in your eye dared him to test what patience you had.

“..Shhii—ooot,” he corrected himself. “Alright, darlin’, you win.”

David kissed you one last time before he got back up. Before he walked away, he heard you mutter to yourself, “damn right.”

[creature-wizard]

Is the spiritual person a conspiracy theorist? A list of red flags

They talk about a shadowy group of people supposedly manipulating everything behind the scenes. They might refer to them by terms such as globalists, bankers, international bankers, secret rulers of the world, the elite, the cabal, Kabbalists, Talmudists, satanists, satanic pedophiles, pedophiles, generational satanists, satanic bloodlines, the Illuminati, the Babylonian Brotherhood, lizard people, Reptilians, Orions, regressives, regressive entities, Khazarians, Marxists, cultural Marxists, or leftists. Sometimes, very rarely, they'll just come right out and say "Jews."

They claim that the conspiracy has been working to conceal historical and spiritual truths from humanity.

They claim that the conspiracy uses stuff like food, entertainment, and medicine to control the masses. For example, "additives in food suppress our psychic abilities" or "Hollywood films contain subliminal messages" or "COVID vaccines were actually created to alter your DNA to make you more docile."

Also, claims that the conspiracy controls people via spiritual or technological implants, 5G, or alter programming, with or without explicit mention of Project Monarch (a conspiracy theory promoted by far right cranks such as Mark Philips and Fritz Springmeier, who used hypnosis to respectively convince Cathy O'Brien and Cisco Wheeler that they'd been put under mind control by a global satanic conspiracy).

They claim that this conspiracy is controlling the media, has fingers in every institution they disagree with, and is generally behind everything they disagree with. (EG, the conspiracy created the Catholic Church; that other New Ager they disagree with is actually controlled opposition, etc.)

They claim that the conspiracy is trying to keep people in fear.

They claim that the conspiracy harvests something from people. Blood and adrenochrome are common ones. Loosh is somewhat less common. Expect to see something else pop up eventually.

They claim that the conspiracy practices genetic engineering; EG, creating animal/human hybrids, using vaccines to genetically sever people's connection to God, etc.

They claim that true spiritual wisdom can be traced back to places like Atlantis, Lemuria, or Mu.

They claim that world governments have secretly been in contact with extraterrestrials for years.

They appeal to known frauds and cranks, including but not limited to Erich Von Daniken, Zechariah Sitchin, David Icke, David Wilcock, Graham Hancock, Jaime Maussan, Bob Lazar, Steven Greer, Richard C. Hoagland, Fritz Springmeier, and Drunvalo Melchizedek.

Appeals to forged documents, including but not limited to the alleged diary of Admiral Richard Byrd, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, and The Urantia Book.

Appeals to channeled information, such as that provided by Edgar Cayce, Carla Rueckert, or George Van Tassel.

"But all of this has to come from somewhere, doesn't it?"

Oh, it all comes from somewhere, all right, but the where isn't what most people imagine.

A lot of the stuff above is just a modern spin on the content of The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, a Russian hoax created to justify violence against Russian Jews. The Protocols itself was plagiarized from a political satire and incorporated a lot of the post-French Revolution conspiracy theories about Freemasons and Jews being behind the French Revolution. I wrote a summary of the conspiracy tropes found in The Protocols over here.

The stuff about Satanic sacrifices and the consumption of blood, adrenochrome, loosh, or whatever are simply just variations on blood libel, an antisemitic conspiracy theory that claims Jews practice ritual cannibalism. Blood libel can be traced back to ancient Greece. (With the Greek version, I really can't help but notice the similarity to modern urban legends of gangsters kidnapping random people for initiation rituals.)

Many of these tropes can also be linked back to the early modern witch hunts. It was believed that witches sacrificed babies to Satan, practiced cannibalism, and put people under mind control by way of diabolical magic. It was also believed that some witches didn't even know they were witches; they'd go off to attend the Devil's Sabbath at night and come back in the morning without remembering a thing. In the late 20th century, this witch hunter's canard would be reinvented as the alter programming conspiracy theory when media such as the 1973 book Sibyl and its 1976 television adaptation put DID (note: the woman who inspired Sibyl did not have DID) into the public consciousness. For a more complete list of witch panic and blood libel tropes, I wrote a list over here.

Lemuria was a hypothetical landmass proposed to explain the presence of lemur fossils in Madagascar and India while being absent in continental Africa and the rest of Asia, because if lemurs evolved naturally, they wouldn't be in two separate places with no connection to each other. The discovery that India and Madagascar were once connected not only made the hypothesis obsolete, it precludes the existence of Lemuria.

The whole notion of Mu began with a horrendous mistranslation of the Troano manuscript. A man named Augustus Le Plongeon would link the mistranslation with the story of Atlantis, and use it to claim that Atlantis actually existed in the Americas. (For Plongeon, Mu and Atlantis were one and the same.) And then other people (like James Churchward) got their hands on the whole Mu thing, and put their own spins on it, and the rest is history.

Le Plongeon's ideas influence modern Atlantis mythology today; EG, the idea that it was in the Americas. Another guy who helped shape the modern Atlantis myth was Ignatius L. Donnelly, an American politician. Dude claimed that Atlanteans spread their oh-so-superior culture far and wide. He also claimed that Atlantis was the home of the Aryan people, because of course he did.

The idea that all of the world's wisdom can be traced back to Thoth/Hermes goes back to Hermeticism, a product of Greco-Egyptian syncretism. Hermeticism produced a fascinating body of mythology and an interesting way to consider the divine and its role in shaping human history, but that doesn't mean it was right. And the Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean is a modern text that has fuck-all to do with ancient Hermeticism and more to do with HP Lovecraft.

This idea that the conspiracy uses pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines for evil also has roots in Nazi Germany. The Nazi government, wanting to reserve real medicine for their soldiers, told the general populace that said medicine was the product of evil Jewish science and prescribed alternative healing modalities instead. (Said alternative healing modalities did not particularly work.) It also echoes the old conspiracy theories about Jews spreading the Black Death by poisoning wells.

The idea that the conspiracy uses genetic manipulation to create subhuman beings or sever humanity from the divine is a permutation of the Nazi conspiracy theory that Jews are trying to destroy the white race through race mixing. The idea of evil reptilian DNA goes back to the ancient serpent seed doctrine, which is indeed old, but no less pure hateful nonsense for it.

"But there's got to be somebody up to something rotten out there!"

Oh sure. But these people aren't skulking around in the shadows. They're acting pretty openly.

The Heritage Foundation has been working to push this country into Christofascism since the early 1970's. They're the ones responsible for the rise of the Moral Majority and the election of Ronald Reagan. They're also the ones behind Project 2025, which intends to bring us deeper into Christofascism. (Among many other horrible things, they intend to outlaw trans people as "pornographic.")

The Seven Mountains Mandate is another movement pushing for Christofascism. They intend to seize the "seven spheres" of society, which include education, religion, family, business, government/military, arts/entertainment, and media.

There's also the ghoulish American Evangelicals who support Israel because they think that current events are going to bring about the Second Coming of Jesus and cement the formation of a global Christofascist empire. Don't let their apparent support of Jews fool you - they believe that the good Jews will become Christians and the bad ones will go to hell.

All of these people are working toward monstrously horrific goals, but none of them are part of an ancient megaconspiracy. In fact, these are the kinds of people pushing the myth of the ancient megaconspiracy. From the witch hunts to Nazi Germany to the American Evangelical movement, if history has taught us anything, the people pushing the conspiracy theories are always the bad guys.

[catharticconsolation]

Bot Dump:

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Kerry Von Erich- accident- After Kerry loses his foot in an accident, it takes a while for him to get used to his new body. But he's tired of you acting as if he's all fragile and vulnerable, and he just wants the same affection that you gave him before.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Kerry Von Erich- always the bridesmaid, never the bride - At Kevin and Pam's wedding, Kerry can't help but imagine that it's you up there in that big white dress. He's going to make you a bride.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Kerry Von Erich- goodnight brother david- David's gone. David's dead. And no one knows what to do. What is there to do but grieve and hold one another?

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Carmen Berzatto- waitress- Carmen isn't going to lie, but he can't remember hiring you. You've been working as a waitress at The Bear since it opened, but he hasn't ever spoken to you. But everyone sings your praises, and he has to make a move.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Carmen Berzatto- stuck in the walk-in- Opening night couldn't go any worse. He's stuck in the walk-in with the restaurant's hostess, and he can't stop himself from freaking out. He just needs some comfort.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Art Donaldson- my perfect family- Art Donaldson has never had a proper family. Sure, he's had his grandmother, who loves you by the way, but he never had siblings. But now, he has a partner, and a toddler, and a newborn, week old baby. Oh, how lucky he is.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Art Donaldson- strip- Art's worse nightmare seems to come true: being sat in a strip club, surrounded by the Stanford tennis team, boys cheering him on as the most gorgeous stripper in the world comes to dance for him. But as he looks at you, he realises that he has to have you. And he just can't understand why, still, after months, you won't publicise your relationship. He's been trying his best to tell you: a job is just a job.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Spencer Reid- lunch- God, you are driving Spencer wild. He doesn't know what to do without you, even the slightest second away makes him want to flip. And he knows that he's being a pain, but he can't not stop bothering you.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Lip Gallagher- unadulterated loathing-Lip hates you, you hate him, but you have to tolerate one another for the sake of Ian, Lip's brother and your best friend. But Lip can't deny the fact that you're ridiculously hot, and it's only a matter of time before you act upon your enemies with benefits situation.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

note: all of the Von Erich bots are based off of the iron claw movie, and not the real life boys!!

[buffyfan145]

Some interesting stuff was revealed last night during The Von Erich's latest podcast last night as they had a live Q&A. Breaking this down into points but I'm even more convinced they've signed with AEW. 😀

They were asked about all those articles out now about them signing and it was very similar to those interviews with Marvel actors where they can't say what's really going on but there was hints. LOL They keep teasing something is coming very soon but can't reveal it. Also went on about how they loved being on AEW and working with everyone there. Dustin Rhodes is their guest in tonight's episode too. Again that Texas residency AEW is doing this summer seems really suspicious again given this news of their possible signing. So like with the Marvel actors we'll see come July/August if they show up.

Had some more great stories about growing up in both Texas and Hawaii and their early wrestling careers.

Was interesting to hear them talk about how their family, others, and themselves have noticed their personalities match with Kevin and David. For those that don't know Marshall's first name is really Kevin, while Ross' is really David (they go by their middle names). However, their personalities match the opposite as Ross is more like Kevin and Marshall says he gets told all the time he's like David all over again (with him also looking like Fritz LOL). I even noticed this not just from watching Kevin & David's promos/interviews and knowing they were the original two of the brothers that were the first tag team, but also from "The Iron Claw" movie with Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson's scenes together.

Talked again about Kevin writing a memoir and that the Discovery Channel just helped them preserve a bunch of old home movies.

Told more about their uncle Chris and how he was, as well as more on how Fritz really was as the movie made him much more of a villain than he was. Also the movie left out Fritz' father, who actually would've been more considered a villain to both Fritz and the boys after hearing how he treated them.

While they liked the movie, they still think it should've been a miniseries and do think that might happen in the future. Though I can't imagine who could play them, especially David as Harris did so amazing as him but also Zac. I actually feel Jeremy could've done more as Kerry in a miniseries format keeping it more accurate, same with Harris as David.

Marshall even revealed he saw his uncle Mike in a dream once when he was a teenager going through some hard times. He told his dad but this was the first time he told Ross and he was amazed by it. He felt Mike gave him reassurance and that he was going to be ok after high school. Both brothers also said they do feel their uncles and grandpa's presence with them too especially when they're wrestling.

Also brought up Mike being a musician and that they wish they had recordings of him as everyone tells them he sang beautifully as well as being a guitarist. Ross also revealed he's a guitarist too and Marshall plays piano.

Then laughed so much about Marshall teasing Ross about all the DMs them keep getting on their shared Instagram as Ross is still single. LOL 😂

Totally rec their podcast as they've talked about so much and will also be having more guests. Their sister Kristen and cousin Hollie also do episodes too focused more on their experiences and on mental health too.

[introvertguide]

Influential Directors of the Silent Film Era

Upon hearing that I am a fan of silent era film, people will ask if I have a favorite actor or movie from the time period. However, when I am asked about my favorites from other fans of silent film, it tends to involve my favorite director. This is because silent film actors had to over gesticulate and performed in an unrealistic way and could not use their tone or words to convey emotion. The directors also did not have a way to review as they shot and would have to use editing skills and strategic cover shots to make sure that everything was done properly and come out the way they imagined it. It was up to the director to be creative and they were forced to be innovative and create ways to convey their vision. Luckily for many average or poor directors of the time, audiences were easily impressed. However, today's more demanding and sophisticated audiences can look back at some of the genius behind the films of silent era Hollywood.

Alice Guy-Blache: Matrimony's Speed Limit (1913) and The Fairy of the Cabbages (1896)

Art director of the film studio The Solax Company, the largest pre-Hollywood movie studio, and camera operator for the France based Gaumont Studio headed up by Louis Lemiere, this woman was a director before any kind of gender expectations were even established. She was a pioneer of the use of audio recordings in conjunction with images and the first filmmaker to systematically develop narrative filming. Guy-Blanche didn't just record an image but used editing and juxtaposition to reveal a story behind the moving pictures. In 1914, when Hollywood studios hired almost exclusively upper class white men as directors, she famously said that there was nothing involved in the staging of a movie that a woman could not do just as easily as a man.

Charlie Chaplin: The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1923), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940)

It is unfortunate that many people today think of Chaplin as silly or for screwball comedy when, in fact, he was a great satirist of the time. He created his comedy through the eyes of the lower economic class that suffered indignities over which they had no control. He traversed the world as his "Tramp" character who found his fortune by being amiable and lucky. The idea that a good attitude and a turn of luck could result in happiness was all that many Americans had during the World Wars and the Great Depression. He played the part of the sad clown and he was eventually kicked out of the country for poking fun at American society. Today he is beloved for his work, but he was more infamous than famous during a large part of his life.

Buster Keaton: Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), and The Cameraman (1928).

That man that performed the most dangerous of stunts with a deadpan expression, Buster Keaton was a great actor, athlete, stuntman, writer, producer, and director. It is amazing that you could get so much emotion out of a silent actor who does not emote, but Keaton managed to do it. He was also never afraid to go big, often putting his own well being at risk to capture a good shot. Not as well known for his cinematography or editing as many of the other directors of the time, he instead captured performances that were amazing no matter how they were filmed. Famous stunts include the side of a house falling down around him, standing on the front of a moving train, sitting on the side rail of a moving train, and grabbing on to a speeding car with one hand to hitch a ride. If you like films by Jackie Chan, know that he models his films after the work of Buster Keaton: high action and high comedy.

Cecil B. Demille: The Cheat (1915), Male and Female (1919), and The Ten Commandments (1923)

Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Demille was the first director to make a real box office hit. He is likely best known for making The Ten Commandments in 1923 and then remaking it again in 1956. If not that, he was also known for his scandalous dramas that depicted women in the nude. This was pre-Code silent film so the rules about what could be shown had not been established. Demille made 30 large production successful films in the silent era and was the most famous director of the time which gave him a lot of freedom. His trademarks were Roman orgies, battles with large wild animals, and large bath scenes. His films are not what most modern film watchers think of when they are considering silent films. That famous quote from the movie Sunset Boulevard in 1950 in which the fading silent actress says "All right, Mr. Demille. I'm ready for my close-up," is referring to this director.

D.W. Griffith: Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916)

Griffith started making films in 1908 and put out just about everything that he recorded. He made 482 films between 1908 and 1914, although most of these were shorts. His most famous film today is absolutely Birth of a Nation and it is one of the most outlandishly racist films of the time. The depiction of black Americans as evil and the Klu Klux Klan as heroes who are protecting the nation didn't even really go over well at that time. Some believe that his follow up the next year called Intolerance was an apology, but the film actually addresses religious and class intolerance and avoids the topic of racism. At the time, Griffith films were known for the massive sets and casts of thousands of extras, but today he is known for his racist social commentary.

Sergei Eisenstein: Battleship Potemkin (1925)

This eccentric Russian director was a pioneer of film theory and the use of montage to show the passage of time. His reputation at the time would probably be similar to Tim Burton or maybe David Lynch. He had a very specific strange style that made his films different from any others. The film Battleship Potemkin is considered to be one of the best movies of all time as rated by Sight and Sound, and generally considered as a great experimental film that found fame in Hollywood as well as Russia.

F.W. Murnau: Nosferatu (1922), Faust (1926), and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

I think that most people would know the bald-headed long-nailed vampire Nosferatu that was a silent era phenomena. It was so iconic that the German film studio that produced the movie was sued by the estate of Bram Stoker and had to close. Faust was his last big budget German film and has an iconic shot of the demon Mephisto raining plague down on a town that was the inspiration for the Demon Mountain in Fantasia (1940). Also, Sunrise is considered one of the best movies of all time by the AFI and by Sight and Sound as well as my favorite silent film. Fun facts: 1) more of Murnau's films have been lost then are still watchable and 2) he died in a car wreck at only 40 when he hired a car to drive up the California coast and the driver was only 14.

Erich von Stroheim: Greed (1924)

Maker of very strange German Expressionist films, Stroheim films are often listed as Horror or Mystery even though he considered himself a dramatic film maker. His most famous movie Greed was supposed to be amazing with an 8 hour run time but it was cut drastically to the point that it makes no sense and was both critically and publicly panned when an extremely abridged version was released in the U.S. Over half the film was lost and a complete version no longer exists. Besides this film, Stroheim was even better known for being the butler in the film Sunset Boulevard as a former director who retired to be with an aging silent film star. He also made a movie called Between Two Women (1937) that told the story of a female burn victim that was inspired by the story of his wife being burned in an explosion in a shop on the actual Sunset Boulevard.

Victor Fleming: The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone With the Wind (1939)

Although not known for his silent films, Fleming did get his start during the silent era. He was a cinematographer for D.W. Griffith and then Fleming directed his first film in 1919. Most of his silent films were swashbuckling action movies with Douglas Fairbanks or formulaic westerns. He is the only director to have two films on the AFI top 10 and they happened to have come out the same year.

Hal Roach: Lonesome Luke films starring Harold Lloyd, Our Gang shorts, Laurel and Hardy shorts, and Of Mice and Men (1939)

It is not really fair to put Hal Roach in the silent era directors because he was influential at the time but he had a 75 year career. He was a producer and film studio head and even had a studio named after himself. His biggest contribution to the silent era was his production of Harold Lloyd short comedies and he continued to produce films in the early talkies including Laurel and Hardy shorts, Our Gang shorts, and Wil Rogers films. Roach was the inspiration for the film Sullivan's Travels, in which a famous director who only did frivolous comedies goes out into the world to find inspiration to find a serious drama. Roach did direct a single serious drama, Of Mice and Men, but it came out in 1939 and was buried underneath the works of Victor Fleming. The wealthy cigar smoking studio head that many people think of when they picture a film studio suit is based on this guy. The man would not quit and stayed in the business into his 90s and lived to the ripe old age of 100.

[wrestlingwithhistory]

Kerry Von Erich’s Best Kept Secret

As part of a wrestling dynasty, Kerry Von Erich witnessed both the ups and downs of performing as a professional wrestler in the 1980’s. To winning championships and seeing the world, to seeing family members lose their life before their time, the Von Erich story really is both a tragic and fascinating one. By the time that he committed suicide on February 18th, 1993, he had already been keeping a secret that shocked the wrestling world when it became public knowledge years later.

Kerry Von Erich was born in Niagara Falls, New York on February 3rd, 1960. His father Fritz Von Erich (Jack Barton Adkisson) was a wrestler/promoter who was known best for his time spent an evil German tag team along with Waldo Von Erich. Kerry was the 4th of 6 brothers. His oldest brother Jack Barton jr died aged 6 years in 1959 after an accidental electrocution and drowning, but the Von Erich family wasn’t to know that this would be the start of bad times for the family.

For Kerry, he made his debut on May 7th, 1978 aged 18 in a contest against Buddy Rose. He wrestled in his father’s promotion Big Time Wrestling which was a territory for NWA Texas during the time. Kerry gained a lot of success and within the first 2 years of his career, he picked up several Texas and American Tag Team titles before Fritz changed the name of the company to WCCW.

By 1980, Kerry was regularly featuring for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Though still associated by the family name, he would be given the nickname ‘The Modern-Day Warrior’, which was taken from his entrance music ‘Tom Sawyer’ by Rush. He continued to grow as a performer and was soon given an opportunity to challenge for a singles title. On Dec 28th, 1980 he won his first NWA American heavyweight title against Gino Hernandez after the title had been vacated. He held this title 9 times during his career with WCCW with his final reign being in 1988.

Kerry’s biggest career highlight came on May 6th, 1984 when he defeated Ric Flair to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion. This moment, although defining for Kerry, was also bittersweet as the event was a memorial held at Texas Stadium for his brother David who had passed away while on tour in Japan aged 25. 45,000 people attended the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions. He lost the belt back to Flair just 18 days later at a show in Yokosuka, Japan.

In the media, The Von Erichs were treated like royalty, especially in their native Texas where they were worshipped by thousands of adoring fans. However, the truth was that many of the brothers were caught up in scandals involving petty crimes and drugs on a regular basis but were dealt with swiftly as not to cause disruption to the Von Erich name or WCCW.

On June 4th, 1986 Kerry Von Erich was involved in a motorcycle accident which nearly ended his life. He sustained a dislocated shoulder and severe damage to his right leg. Though there are many versions of what happened, it is believed that Kerry tried to prematurely walk on the foot so shortly after surgery that the doctors were forced to amputate. It was been speculated that the reason Kerry tried to walk on the foot was because he was dosed up on painkillers and not realising the severity of the damage to his foot, got up to walk across the room for a cheeseburger. This story has been debunked several times but still shows itself whenever Kerry Von Erich is talked about.

After months of rehabilitation, Kerry returned to wrestling with the use of a prosthesis, keeping a secret not only from his fans but also to his fellow wrestlers. He would go as far as to shower with his boots on to maintain the illusion but with all the recovery and deception, Kerry also became addicted to painkillers which led onto other drug related issues.

These issues would lead Kerry into lots of trouble with Police, of his notable charges he was given probation for the first crime, but the second was likely to involve jail time for the Texan however, the day before the proceedings he took his own life with a single gunshot to the heart.

What is fascinating about the period of time from when he became an amputee, he went on to sign for the then WWF in 1990, just 2 years after losing his right leg. He was repackaged as The Texas Tornado and won the Intercontinental Championship against Mr. Perfect in 1990’s Summerslam before losing it back to him a few months later.

He was only with WWF for roughly 2 years, renewing a feud with the recently joined Ric Flair but then becoming less utilised as time progressed. This time also tied into the breakdown of his marriage and resulting divorce. Though he performed for the WWF a few more months during 1992, his time with the company ended in August 1992.

After leaving the WWF, Von Erich returned back to Texas and continued to turn out for promotions within the territory, holding the USWF Texas Heavyweight championship as his last title. His last match was February 12th, 1993.

Back in the 80’s when Kerry lost his foot, I could imagine that there would have been a large amount of stigma about an athlete performing at the highest level but with a disability. I believe that if that was today, knowing how much the curtain of professional wrestling has been pulled back over the last 20 years, Von Erich would be a role model for people living with disabilities, but back then with the Kayfabe lifestyle that the wrestlers would have to adopt to maintain the credibility of the industry, I could see how such an admission would have not only damaged the industry but also the legitimacy of the wrestlers in the pre-internet age.

[chiseler]

Mitchell Leisen: How’s About It?

Mitchell Leisen was a major American film director. He belongs in the first rank, not the second tier, where he has often been placed by those who value the scripts he was given by Preston Sturges and Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett more than what he actually did with those scripts. Leisen’s name was usually written in sloping cursive in his opening credits, and that set the mood for what he had to offer. His was a gentle style, a deliberately unobtrusive style, smooth and gliding, attentive to nuances, visual and emotional.

Leisen made a point of nearly always moving the camera only when it is following a character who is moving right along with it, and the edits in his movies are as invisible as possible. He made three films that are undisputed classics: Easy Living (1937), written by Sturges, Midnight (1939), written by Wilder and Brackett, and Remember the Night (1939), written by Sturges. All three of these classic Leisen movies are partly about pretending to be something you’re not in order to move up or over into another social atmosphere or class and take on a new identity, and this theme is something that always interested Leisen particularly.

He got his start making costumes and dressing sets for Cecil B. DeMille, and he also made costumes for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. That training shows through in his later work, that sense of fantasy and beauty for its own sake. Leisen had a fetish for absolute authenticity when he did period pictures, and he took this fetish to nearly Erich Von Stroheim lengths if he had the money to spend. Remember the peacock headdress that he designed for Gloria Swanson in DeMille’s Male and Female (1919), or the sexy harem pants he put on Fairbanks for The Thief of Bagdad (1924), or the barely-there garments he designed for Claudette Colbert in The Sign of the Cross (1932) and you can get a first sense of Leisen’s aesthetic: hopeful, fantastical, erotic. And he was a pretender himself on some of these early movies because he was very skillful at making sets and crowd scenes look more opulent than they actually were given some of the budgets he had to work with.

He took the reins from nominal director Stuart Walker for two films that proved his range: Tonight Is Ours (1933), a high comedy that begins with a sexy masked ball, and The Eagle and the Hawk (1933), as grim and concentrated an anti-war film as you will find from this era. Leisen next graduated to prestige pictures like Cradle Song (1933) and Death Takes a Holiday (1934), with its high-flown Maxwell Anderson script. Leisen was fond of Death Takes a Holiday all his life, and he even wanted to re-make it in the late 1940s, but it has not held up as well as some of his lesser-known pictures from the 1930s.

After Murder at the Vanities (1934), a backstage movie with some odd musical numbers, Leisen took flight with three pictures that demonstrated the full scope of his talent. What makes a really great director, a major director? The ability to take a poor script, like the one Leisen was given for Behold My Wife! (1934), and make it into something that moves like a dream and seems inevitable. While you watch Behold My Wife!, there is a double consciousness of how outlandish and slapdash the plot and dialogue are and how Leisen transcends this through pacing, framing, and staging, so that there is always something to delight the eye. Leisen movies generally have a difficult-to-describe kind of creamy look, as if every person and table and chair were covered in the same sort of protective satin sheen.

He used a similarly fast, super-controlled pace for Four Hours to Kill! (1935), another backstage movie where Leisen himself plays the orchestra leader but you never see the numbers on stage. A kind of musical proto-noir, this movie depends on Richard Barthelmess, who is playing a criminal waiting to be taken to jail, and Leisen is alert to Barthelmess’s needs and sensitive to his big scene, where his character talks about his unhappy past. And then Leisen was given a script (by Norman Krasna) and two stars, Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray, that were particularly congenial to his style, and the result was his first classic, Hands Across the Table (1935), a rather anguished comedy about love and the urge for security. Leisen had mastered form, and now he mastered the content that interested him, good-bad people navigating their own wants and desires and what they will do for them. For Leisen, mixed emotions are really the only emotions possible.

In all of his most characteristic films, Leisen’s characters are at a crisis point and need to decide to take a chance and see what they can get away with to become another version of themselves. There is lots of comedy in a situation like this, of course, but Leisen always hints at the dark underside of pretending. There is an American urge in these pictures that says, “What I say I am is what I am,” and that urge is usually naïve (think of early Joan Crawford heroines). Leisen looks at this urge from a height of sophistication, almost always warmly and tenderly, but sometimes he lets a really grim insight slip through. Think of Carole Lombard’s anti-social asides in Hands Across the Table, or that harrowing scene where Barbara Stanwyck goes home to her grudge-holding and cruelly puritanical mother in Remember the Night and you will feel the hurt that animates Leisen’s search for a created world of his own.

In many ways, the 1930s were Leisen’s best creative period, where he turned out beautifully balanced and finished entertainments like 13 Hours by Air (1936). He was a romantic who had a special way of visually enfolding the lovers in his movies that is almost Frank Borzage-like, and he glorifies very different women in what must be the best close-ups of their careers: look at some of the close-ups of the melancholy Sylvia Sidney in Behold My Wife! and then look at the close-ups of the wised-up Joan Bennett in 13 Hours by Air and see how Leisen gives them the same glamorizing treatment without ever losing what makes them so individual. Even pure assignments like Artists and Models Abroad (1938) glow with a kind of dreamlike assurance, as if to say, “Why shouldn’t a comedy look beautiful?”

And when Leisen had a meatier script, like Swing High, Swing Low (1937), which also starred Lombard and MacMurray, he was capable of virtuoso work that blended comedy and drama so seamlessly that it’s difficult to tell where one leaves off and the other begins. He did some Sturges-like slapstick for Easy Living, including the famous automat scene where the windows fly open and everybody grabs at the food, which was his idea. But for Remember the Night, Leisen pared down the Sturges script, cutting unnecessary scenes and verbose dialogue until he had what he wanted, a portrait of a hard-boiled woman who starts to long for the warmth of a “why not?” idealized mid-West home. Remember the Night is probably Leisen’s finest film, and a peak in his career, a comedy-drama or a dramatic comedy all whipped together until the consistency is exquisite and just right.

After the very sensitive Hold Back the Dawn (1941), a Wilder-Brackett script about a hard-boiled male gigolo (Charles Boyer) pretending to love a sheltered, repressed girl (Olivia de Havilland) until his feelings actually become genuine, Leisen’s career settled in for a few years to minor comedies, as if wartime austerity had affected his budgets, his scripts, and his imagination. In 1944, he did two movies in color, Lady in the Dark and Frenchman’s Creek, one anti-feminist and one feminist, and both rather nightmarishly disconnected and self-indulgent.

Leisen was going through a crisis in his personal life by the mid-1940s, and it showed in his work. He was mainly gay, but he didn’t want to be, and so he had married a fledgling opera singer (“a horror” according to the sharp-tongued Ray Milland) and he was carrying on a tortured affair with costumer Natalie Visart while also pursuing men. Leisen’s loyal secretary Eleanor Broder told David Chierichetti, the author of the definitive Leisen book, Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director, that her boss tried taking hormone shots at one point because he thought they might eradicate his homosexuality, but of course that didn’t work. Leisen lived with the pilot Eddie Anderson in the late 1930s, and Anderson left him for Shirley Ross, the actress who talk-sings “Thanks for the Memory” with Bob Hope in The Big Broadcast of 1938, an unusually sentimental scene within his work that Leisen insisted on. When that picture finished, he had a heart attack, and his health was never quite the same afterwards.

In the 1940s, after Visart had gotten pregnant with his child and lost it, Leisen took up with the dancer Billy Daniels, and his unhappiness grew. Daniels dances in what has to be Leisen’s worst feature, Masquerade in Mexico (1945), a semi-remake of Midnight that is so distracted and poorly timed that it would seem to give credence to Billy Wilder’s many complaints about Leisen over the years in interviews; if you were to watch Masquerade in Mexico right after Midnight, it would seem like a mark against Leisen as an artist in his own right rather than a servant of superior scripts where he could get them. Daniels is actually the only thing this movie has going for it: he’s an exciting dancer, and an intriguing screen presence, sexy, petulant, a little dangerous. Many in Leisen’s inner circle disliked Daniels, but maybe Masquerade in Mexico might work if it could just be Daniels dancing as Leisen watches.

The blandness of the décor in something like Suddenly It’s Spring (1947) is a real comedown from his Art Deco 1930s pictures, but Leisen rallied in this period with some of his best and most personal films, starting with Kitty (1945), a sumptuous Gainsborough period piece with all the trimmings and a Pygmalion subject that activates all of Leisen’s interest in pretending and “passing” as something you are not. Best of all from this time is Song of Surrender (1949), an uncommonly severe movie about a New England girl named Abigail (Wanda Hendrix) who finds a way out of her repressive environment by listening to music. What Abigail feels in Song of Surrender is surely what Leisen himself must have often felt as a young man growing up in the mid-West at the turn of the last century, and so this picture, which he said he didn’t much like, is his secret movie, his confession movie. It’s a great film, daringly stark and stripped-down, and it is as unerringly paced and controlled as all of his best 1930s work; there are moments when it feels like a precursor to Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993) in its insistence on the will power needed for a woman to find aesthetic and sexual fulfillment.

Leisen did an intriguing noir with Stanwyck called No Man of Her Own (1950) and an overlooked, charming adaptation of J. M. Barrie called Darling, How Could You! (1951), which is filled with longing for family life that Leisen certainly knows is a fantasy like any of his others. (How poignant it is when Joan Fontaine says in that movie that if her children are going to love her they mustn’t “think me over first.”) He spent twenty years working at Paramount Studios, and he was a creature of the studio system; when the studio system went, so did he, but not before one more diverting small musical, The Girl Most Likely (1958), which was the last feature made at RKO. “When the studio decided we no longer needed a certain department, it was shut down and if we needed something after that, we had to make do ourselves,” Leisen said. “It was really eerie.”

Ill-health and an unwarranted reputation for spending too much money kept Leisen mainly working for TV in his last years, so that he was back to low budgets and bringing in his own furniture to dress his sets. He had been fired from Bedevilled (1955) for hitting on one of the straight actors he was working with (the actor complained to MGM), and this put another shadow over his reputation. He had made Fred MacMurray’s career, but when he tried to get work as a director on MacMurray’s hit TV show My Three Sons, it was no go. “He sent me a telegram asking for the job,” MacMurray said. “He was, well, you know, a homosexual and he had gotten into some trouble on a picture he was making in Europe. With the three young boys we had working on the show, I just didn’t think it was right. So I never answered the telegram.”

It was his women who stayed loyal to Leisen in his final years, both his secretary Broder (who was a lesbian), and his old lover Natalie Visart, who had never really gotten over her love for him and came to stay with him toward the end (Visart’s son Peter was killed in a gay-bashing in the 1970s). Leisen’s responses to David Chierichetti’s questions in their interview book are unfailingly candid, insightful, and juicy, but his standing has never ascended to the level of that of Preston Sturges or Billy Wilder, even though his visual style was far more developed than theirs, and his point of view arguably more sophisticated and certainly more kind-hearted. He was a romantic with an edge of disquiet, and this made for matchlessly rich pictures, pulsing with hope and with pain.

Leisen knew about all aspects of picture making, and he has the requisite number of classics for entrance to the pantheon, plus a whole slew of other pictures of interest. He made Remember the Night and Song of Surrender. He made Midnight and Kitty. And he made Easy Living and Darling, How Could You! Those are all heights, and from different periods, and they prove the consistency of his inventiveness and the distinctiveness of his talent. His creativity came out of personal unhappiness on the one hand and unprecedented creative license and support under the old Hollywood studio system on the other. We will not see that particular combination again.

by Dan Callahan

[brittanyyoungblog]

100+ Love Quotes for Him to Let Him Know You Care

No matter how old your relationship is it can always benefit from some simple words of affirmation. But while feelings come naturally, it’s not always the case for words. If you’re having trouble finding the words to express how you feel to your man, don’t worry—we found them for you.

Here are some of our favorite love quotes for him to let the man in your life know how important he is to you.

1. “My heart is and always will be yours.”–Jane Austen

2. “If I had to choose between breathing and loving you I would use my last breath to tell you I love you.”–DeAnna Anderson

3. “The scariest thing about distance is you don’t know if they’ll miss you or forget about you.”–Nicholas Sparks

4. “I would rather spend one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone.”–J.R.R. Tolkien

5. “I love you as one loves certain dark things, secretly, bet`ween the shadow and the soul.”–Pablo Neruda

6. “Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”–A.A. Milne

7. “Morning without you is a dwindled dawn.”–Emily Dickinson

8. “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” –Friedrich Nietzsche

9. “Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.”–Khalil Gibran

10. “All love shifts and changes. I don’t know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.”– Julie Andrews

11. “Love is energy of life.”–Robert Browning

12. “Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.”–James A. Baldwin

13. “Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise.”–Samuel Johnson

14. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”–Robert Frost

15. “If you wish to be loved, show more of your faults than your virtues.”–Edward G. Bulwer–Lytton

16. “Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.”–John Lennon

17. “The inner reality of love can be recognized only by love.”–Hans Urs von Balthasar

18. “Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.”–Truman Capote

19. “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”–Zora Neale Hurston

20. “We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.”–Orson Welles

21. “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.”–Hubert H. Humphrey

22. “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”–William Shakespeare

23. “Nobody can predict the future. You just have to give your all to the relationship you’re in and do your best to take care of your partner, communicate and give them every last drop of love you have. I think one of the most important things in a relationship is caring for your significant other through good times and bad.”–Nick Cannon

24. “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”– Mignon McLaughlin

25. “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”–Paulo Coelho

26. “Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.”–Helen Keller

27. “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone–we find it with another.”–Thomas Merton

28. “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being. It’s not ‘I love you’ for this or that reason, not ‘I love you if you love me.’ It’s love for no reason, love without an object.”–Ram Dass

29. “The heart asks, and love answers”–Amelius

30. “True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice.”–Sadhu Vaswani

31. “The garden of love is green without limit and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy. Love is beyond either condition: without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh.”–Rumi

32. “We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”–Tom Robbins

33. “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”–Mother Teresa

34. “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”–Alfred Lord Tennyson

35. “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.”–Oscar Wilde

36. “Life is a game and true love is a trophy.”–Rufus Wainwright

37. “Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.” –Ann Landers

38. “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”–Marc Anthony

39. “Love is a really scary thing, and you never know what’s going to happen. It’s one of the most beautiful things in life, but it’s one of the most terrifying. It’s worth the fear because you have more knowledge, experience, you learn from people, and you have memories.”–Ariana Grande

40. “Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.”–Samuel Taylor Coleridge

41. “I believe in true love, and I believe in happy endings.”–Christie Brinkley

42. “Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.”–Friedrich Nietzsche

43. “No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible.”–George Chakiris

44. “:True love doesn’t come to you it has to be inside you.”–Julia Roberts

45. “Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness, of hatred, of jealousy, and, most easily of all, the gate of fear.”–Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

46. “Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet.”–Katharine Lee Bates

47. “True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does.”– Torquato Tasso

48. “Love consists in giving without getting in return; in giving what is not owed, what is not due the other. That’s why true love is never based, as associations for utility or pleasure are, on a fair exchange.”–Mortimer Adler

49. “Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.”–Rabindranath Tagore

50. “I love you more than my own skin.”–Frida Kahlo

51. “What I love most about this crazy life is the adventure of it.”–Juliette Binoche

52. “True love bears all, endures all and triumphs.”–Dada Vaswani

53. “True love is no game of the faint–hearted and the weak. It is born of strength and understanding.”–Meher Baba

54. “Two things you will never have to chase: true friends & true love.”–Mandy Hale

55. “In love there are two things—bodies and words.”–Joyce Carol Oates

56. “Only true love can fuel the hard work that awaits you.”–Tom Freston

57. “True love that lasts forever yes, I do believe in it. My parents have been married for 40 years and my grandparents were married for 70 years. I come from a long line of true loves.”–Zooey Deschanel

58. “Love is something far more than desire for sexual intercourse; it is the principal means of escape from the loneliness which afflicts most men and women throughout the greater part of their lives.”–Bertrand Russell

59. “We loved with a love that was more than love.”–Edgar Allan Poe

60. “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”–Antoine de Saint–Exupery

61. “We are most alive when we’re in love.”–John Updike

62. “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.”–Ursula K. Le Guin

63. “Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the Gods.”–Plato

64. “Love has no age, no limit; and no death.”–John Galsworthy

65. “True love–that is, deep, abiding love that is impervious to emotional whims or fancy–is a choice. It’s a constant commitment to a person regardless of the present circumstances.”–Mark Manson

66. “True love bears all, endures all and triumphs!”–Dada Vaswani

67. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”–Henry David Thoreau

68. “Love in its essence is spiritual fire.”–Lucius Annaeus Seneca

69. “Love cures people–both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.”–Karl A. Menninger

70. “Love is the power to see similarity in the dissimilar.”–Theodor Adorno

71. “Love is space and time measured by the heart.”–Marcel Proust

72. “If it is your time, love will track you down like a cruise missile.”–Lynda Barry

73. “The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.”–Tom Robbins

74. “True love, especially first love, can be so tumultuous and passionate that it feels like a violent journey.” –Holliday Grainger

75. “The romantic love we feel toward the opposite sex is probably one extra help from God to bring you together, but that’s it. All the rest of it, the true love, is the test.” –Joan Chen

76. “It is only with true love and compassion that we can begin to mend what is broken in the world. It is these two blessed things that can begin to heal all broken hearts.” –Steve Maraboli

77. “True love is quiescent, except in the nascent moments of true humility.” –Bryant H. McGill

78. “Love is love’s reward.”–John Dryden

79. “Love is metaphysical gravity.”–R. Buckminster Fuller

80. “I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.”– Marilyn Monroe

81. “True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.” –Erich Segal

82. “Love is my religion–I could die for it.”– John Keats

83. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mind are the same.” –Emily Brontë

84. “Love is a better teacher than duty.” – Albert Einstein

85. “Love can be unselfish, in the sense of being benevolent and generous, without being selfless.”– Mortimer Adler

86. “Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.” – Voltaire

87.  “Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.” – Truman Capote

88.  “Love is the ultimate expression of the will to live.” – Tom Wolfe

89. “Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”–Lao Tzu

90. “Love has no errors, for all errors are the want for love.”– William Law

91. “Being in love is the only transcendent experience.”–Armistead Maupin

92. “Choose your love, Love your choice.”–Thomas S. Monson

93. “They say true love only comes around once and you have to hold out and be strong until then. I have been waiting. I have been searching. I am a man under the moon, walking the streets of earth until dawn. There’s got to be someone for me. It’s not too much to ask. Just someone to be with. Someone to love. Someone to give everything to. Someone.” –Henry Rollins

94. “So you do believe in true love? she whispered. I took a deep breath, I think I have to, I said, blinking back tears. Without it, we’re all going nowhere.” –Juliet Marillier

95. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”–Robert Frost

96. “Love is the attempt to form a friendship inspired by beauty.”–Marcus Tullius Cicero

97. “Love is a game that two can play and both win.”–Eva Gabor

98. “There isn’t any formula or method. You learn to love by loving–by paying attention and doing what one thereby discovers has to be done.”–Aldous Huxley

99. “You have half our gifts. I the other. Together we make a whole. Together we are much more powerful.”–Joss Stirling

100. “Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep–burning and unquenchable.”–Bruce Lee

101. “Love is but the discovery of ourselves in another, and the delight in the recognition.”– Alexander Smith

102. “I can’t promise you forever, because that’s not long enough.”–Jason Dorsey

103. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”–Robert Munsch

The post 100+ Love Quotes for Him to Let Him Know You Care appeared first on The Date Mix.

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[douxreviews]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) Review

"Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever."

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is one of the biggest flops in cinema history. Its failure is something that still haunts director Terry Gilliam to this day. But is the film itself actually bad?

Let's find out.

[Warning: This review contains spoilers]

Written by Gilliam and his Brazil co-writer Charles McKeown (who also plays Adolphus) and loosely based on the book Baron Munchhausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia by Rudolf Erich Raspe (itself based on the tall tales told by Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen, a German nobleman who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen was the third and final entry in Gilliam's Trilogy of Imagination, which also included Time Bandits and Brazil. According to the man himself, all three were about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society" and the desire to escape it through imagination at different stages in life: a child in Time Bandits, a man in his thirties in Brazil, and finally an elderly man in this film.

Not surprisingly for a Terry Gilliam film, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen suffered through a notoriously troubled production which saw the film's already hefty budget skyrocket (although Gilliam denies it ever went anywhere near the reported $46 million). Sarah Polley, who was only 9-years-old when she played the Baron's unwanted sidekick Sally, found the entire ordeal deeply traumatising while Eric Idle, Gilliam's friend and fellow Python, described the whole experience as "fucking madness" and that one should only see Terry Gilliam films, not actually star in them.

But as bad as the production was, Gilliam has argued that it wasn't the complete horror show it was made out to be. Most of the negative stories were the result of studio politics with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen becoming the unfortunate victim of a regime change at Columbia Pictures that saw Dawn Steel replace David Puttnam as CEO. Steel wasn't interested in making a success of any of the films started by her predecessor and gave the film a limited released (only 117 prints according to Gilliam) with almost no promotion. To the surprise of no one, the film tanked, making only $8 million, with the blame for the film's failure pinned solely on the director.

Like so many box office failures, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen gained the reputation of being something of a turkey in the years following its release. This was rather unfair since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is in no way a bad film. I don't think it is some misunderstood masterpiece, and it is unquestionably the weakest instalment of Gilliam's Imagination Trilogy, but as a standalone piece of fantasy cinema, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is actually really rather pretty good.

The film opens in an unnamed European town, currently under siege by the Ottomans, sometime in the late 18th century (a Wednesday to be exact). It is the Age of Reason, a time of logic and rational thought, here personified by the town's mayor, and the closest thing this film has to a villain, Horatio Jackson (Jonathan Pryce). This is a man who wants to run a nice orderly war and has soldiers executed for being too extraordinarily brave because it sets a bad example. As the town is bombarded by canons, a group of actors put on a play about the life and adventures of that notorious teller of tall tales, Baron Munchausen (John Neville). Just as the second act is getting underway who should appeared in the audience but the real Baron himself. Now horribly old and longing for the sweet embrace of death, the Baron is none too happy with how he is being portrayed and proceeds to tell everyone how it really happened.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is the kind of lavish, fantastical adventure film that studios don't really make any more. Hell, even at the time it was released, 30 years ago today, it was the kind of lavish, fantastical adventure film that studios don't really make any more. It's the ideal film for such a creative filmmaker as Terry Gilliam. Like the Baron, he also delights in telling tall tales with little care for how realistic they are or how much sense they make. This is his greatest strength as a director as well as his biggest weakness. Gilliam is one of cinema's great visualists, possessing imagination that few can match, but at the same time he's maybe not one of its best storytellers. Many of his films have a rambling, episodic quality to the film and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is no different.

There is some semblance of a plot about the Baron finding his old servants in order to save the town and defeating the Turks, but it's really just an excuse for sending the Baron and Sally from one fantastical world to the next and for the director to let his creatively run wild. With no one to hold him back, Gilliam indulged himself to the fullest with this film, embracing the Baron’s far fetched flights of fancy with absolute relish. From the clockwork lunacy of the moon to the heavenly grandeur of Vulcan and Venus' ballroom, the whole thing is a feast for the senses (well, two of them at least).

The cast is something of a mixed bag. Neville is wonderful as Baron, bringing the right mix of charm, theatricality and matter of fact-ness to one of literature's most absurd creations. I love that Oliver Reed plays the god Vulcan like a Northern factory boss, forever at war with his disgruntled workers, while Robin Williams (who went uncredited and unpaid) is at his most manic as the King of the Moon. It's a shame, though, that the film never seems bothered about doing anything remotely interesting with any of its female characters, a problem shared by almost all of Gilliam's films. Polley is saddled with a character who seems to do nothing but nag and complain, Uma Thurman (as the goddess Venus) is just there to be admired by everyone, while the rest have nothing better to do than swoon over the inexplicably irresistible Baron.

Time Bandits and Brazil were both notable for having pretty dour endings. Gilliam famously had to fight tooth and nail to get Brazil released without the studio's preferred "happy ever after" ending. For a bit it looked as if The Adventures of Baron Munchausen would continue this trend. After saving the town by driving away the Sultan's army, the Baron is assassinated by Jackson, allowing the Grim Reaper to finally get his boney hands on the man who has eluded him all throughout the film. But just as he is being given a hero's burial, we jump right back to the theatre and discover that this has all just been another one of the Baron's outrageous stories, and not even the first one in which he died. None of it really happened. Except that it did, because the Turks were defeated and the town saved. Which make no sense, but then it wouldn't really be a Baron Munchausen story if it made any sense. And so Gilliam ends this unofficial trilogy on a more uplifting and triumphant note, showing us that while imagination can offer one person salvation in the darkest of times, an imagination shared, through stores, can help save others as well.

Notes and Quotes

--Yes, that is Sting as the solider who gets executed for being too extraordinary. He landed the role because he was Gilliam's neighbour at the time.

--Where does the Baron get all those fresh roses he keeps handing out to all the beautiful ladies he meets?

--It was a brilliant move on Gilliam's part to cast Pryce, the daydreaming hero of Brazil, as this film's bureaucratic villain.

--To the surprise of no one, Oliver Reed spent most of his time on set getting drunk and trying to seduce the teenage Uma Thurman. This was actually her first acting role, but because of the numerous production delays she made two other films before this one was even released.

--As bad as the making of this film was, it still sounds like a absolute picnic compared to the making of The Abyss, that other big budget box office failure of 1989.

Sultan: "Have you any famous last words?" Baron Munchausen: "Not yet." Sultan: "'Not yet?' Is that famous?"

Baron Munchausen: "Abandon ship!" Berthold: "I think the ship's abandoning us."

Horatio Jackson: We can't start escaping at a time like this. What would future generations think of us?

Baron Munchausen: "Go away! I'm trying to die!" Sally: "Why?" Baron Munchausen: "Because I'm tired of the world and the world is evidently tired of me." Sally: "But why? Why?" Baron Munchausen: "Why, why, why! Because it's all logic and reason now. Science, progress, laws of hydraulics, laws of social dynamics, laws of this, that, and the other. No place for three-legged cyclops in the South Seas. No place for cucumber trees and oceans of wine. No place for me."

King of the Moon: "My kingdom for a handkerchief!"

Baron Munchausen: "Everyone who had a talent for it lived happily ever after."

Baron Munchausen: "I'm Baron Munchausen!" Berthold: "That sounds nasty. Is it contagious?"

Three out of four tall tales.

Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011

[heartbreakprincehbk]

Headcanon: Dating David Von Erich

Requested by @unforgettble420 !

To be completely honest, Kerry was always my favorite BUT honestly David is replacing him because he’s complete husband material. That man is a Cancer so you know he cares deeply about a family, taking the role as a provider seriously, responsible and protective and sentimental, etc. 

He would have first spotted you at one of the WCCW shows in the crowd and been distracted during his whole match. Kevin would have to yell at him to get his head in the game, and Kerry would catch on that you were the reason he was distracted after one too many looks in your direction.

After the show, Kerry and Kevin encouraged David to approach you in the parking lot. They both realized David wasn’t normally like this. He wasn’t nervous, but he did his best to shoo his brothers away to not ruin the moment. Little did he know, Kerry and Kevin were watching from around the corner of the Sportatorium.

He would be casual and calm as he approached and wasn’t afraid to compliment you in front of your friends.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt anything, but I just had to tell you I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

Not only were your friends impressed, but you were already smitten.

You would both keep talking, and he would eventually ask you out. You weren’t expecting much, maybe dinner or a movie, but he brought you to his family’s house where they had acres of land full of beautiful big trees. He had a picnic set up for the both of you, and was eager to get to know you.

Things would progress between the two of you pretty quickly, because David isn’t really the type for games or wasting his or anyone else’s time. He would know immediately that you were the one for him, and it would get serious pretty quickly.

He would ask your opinion on things like kids, what your goals and dreams were, if you minded him wrestling and traveling. He would be willing to make compromises, such as taking you with him on the road when you were able, and making up for the times he had scheduled matches. 

If you didn’t know wrestling or weren’t so familiar with it, David would teach you about it patiently, explaining the in’s and out’s, the characters, the training. He would always be amused when you worried over him getting hurt, but secretly, he would be thrilled that someone really cared about his well-being.

David would show you a new way of life, taking you to the lake with his brothers, riding with the windows down in his truck, tending to his horses with him. In turn, you softened him a bit with all the neck rubs and scalp massages. He wasn’t used to someone taking such care to buy him new socks to replace the ones with holes, or soft blankets on the bed.

David would love knowing you were taking time and care to make your house a home, and in turn he would always provide everything you ever needed; there was never anything you ever wanted because David made sure you had it. 

You mention you would like to learn how to ride a horse one time? David would get you your own and explain why he picked the breed and teach you himself. You mention you would like to paint? There would be an easel, paint, and different sized canvases in the spare room. You’re a little extra chilly when winter comes around? There’s a new fur coat in your closet. You like reading? He would literally build you your own bookcase. 

He trusts you entirely; as soon as he gets paid from wrestling, the money goes straight into your hands. 

He would take your wishes into account, but David was eager to have a family of his own. If that wasn’t something you wanted, he was prepared to be the best uncle to his brother’s kids and have them over often.

You were that couple that everyone thought had been together for 20 years; it was as if you had known each other your entire lives. David knew you better than himself. He knew all your moods, every look on your face, every answer to every woe. 

Naturally, all of his brothers were extremely supportive. 

Kevin, being the oldest and already starting to establish his own family, was very grateful and appreciative that David found someone so perfect for him and made him so happy. He would do a lot to make sure you felt comfortable within their family, always asking how you were doing, what you’ve been up to.

Kerry would treat you like the sister he never had. He would keep you company while you watched David wrestle, ask your opinion on everything from how his hair looked to how his own match went. He would also tease you, but never maliciously. 

Mike really adores you. He would gravitate to your side during family occasions, he would show you songs he had been working on first, and was always eager to talk about music with you. He nearly cried when you got him a new record player for Christmas.

Chris took a while to warm up to you, but pretty soon, he was your biggest fan. He would always be at your side asking you to help him build a puzzle he was working on, or asking you and David if he could tag along. You basically adopted him together, always taking him with you when you went to get lunch or see a movie. 

Doris normally held the belief that no one would ever be good enough for her sons, but then she met you. After watching the joy on David’s face around you, and how apparent it was that you genuinely cared for him and got along with everyone else, her mind changed almost immediately. She would love to chat with you about your future plans with David, and it would soon turn into lazy Sunday afternoons, you and Doris drinking tea on the porch while she painted–after your encouragement.

Fritz was less than thrilled when he found out another one of his sons was in a serious relationship, believing that it would damage the fanbase David and his brothers had established, but David wasn’t budging. As a result, he and his dad got into many arguments.

“She’s just like every other woman out there; they’re just interested in your money and want someone to take care of them!” “I’m not gonna let you talk about her like that. Unlike you, I want to take care of someone!” 

David didn’t let his father sway his feelings. He proposed barely a year after you started dating, taking you for a horse ride around his ranch and out towards the pond where he had flowers waiting for you and the ring in his pocket. 

Doris and his brothers were overjoyed; of course they were all excited and thrilled. Doris couldn’t wait to plan everything with you. Fritz finally came around, admitting you weren’t a bad person at all and realizing the relationship was more serious than he had thought. 

Your wedding was quite a huge deal, with the whole ordeal being mentioned on World Class on TV, with snippets being shown from the wedding. You had flowers from fans being delivered the entire month. 

David was sure to never leave your side the entire night of your wedding. It was important to him to start the marriage off with the most important thing–being together.

[meanmeanstridemeanmeanpride]

omg I NEED TO KNOW how David would be as a dad 😭 🩷

My Love, Mine (David v. Erich)

(a/n: I SAW THIS JUST TODAY AND PANICKED. i’m working through requests i got (which are open fyi) but this took me by storm. thank u so much anon!! enjoyyyy)

As his spouse, you hit the jackpot with David. He’s tender and attentive, and he’s never given you a single reason to doubt him. Even when he’s on the road there wasn’t a single day that went by without hearing from him, feeling him and how much he loved you.

Now, as the father to your newborn? You don’t know where to begin.

The moment your baby was born, you felt a shift from him as his eyes fell on the wailing newborn. As she calmed on your chest, David was cautious to touch them. The biggest of his family, he couldn’t comprehend the little girl on top of you. You were a little thing compared to him, and he half-expected a mighty baby to pop out. But she was small, fragile with a strong set of lungs. A perfect mix between the two of you.

After your gentle assurance, he laid his large palm over her head, feeling wisps of her hair. He hasn’t let go since.

When he’s home, he’s always holding the baby. He loves to talk, loves to go on and on about anything and everything. Sometimes you’ll catch him in the living room, laid back against the couch and watching a late-night wrestling match with the baby snuggled against his chest. Most times he’s watching his brothers, still supporting them despite being home. He’ll have the volume low, and you can hear his soft murmurs, detailing everything for your child.

Other times he’s out at the stables or in the barn. You’ll watch from afar as he carries your little girl around, how he’ll proudly show the horses of your creation. You’d gotten onto him once over it, concerned over the animals getting too close—and he always tells you he’s careful.

He’s so goddamn careful, so loving. It makes your heart swell.

“When do y’think she’ll grow hair?” David whispers to you one night. You had just got the baby down, and the two of you stood over the crib. He was wrapped around you, head ducked to speak into your ear.

“She’s already growin’ hair,” you quietly laugh. “It’s just…light. Blonde, like yours.”

David squeezes you at that, shifting to be impossibly closer. “Like mine…goddamn.”

He’s in awe of it all. David was a natural, he’d grown up raising horses. He’d grown up protecting his two younger brothers, and still watching out for Kevin. He was born to be a father, just as he was born to be your husband.

[writingbeautifully]

A Collection of My Favorite Quotes by Lesley Patterson

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world."

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"Never cut what you can untie." - Joseph Joubert

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"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." -Henry Thoreau

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"A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere." - Joyce A. Myers

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"Believe you can and you're halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt

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"Change your thoughts and you change your world." -Norman V. Peale

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"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." - Rabindranath Tagore

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"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson

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"Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven." - Henry Beecher

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"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul." - Thomas Merton

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"For a gallant spirit, there can never be defeat." - Wallis Simpson

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"Give light and people will find the way." - Ella Baker

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"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul." - Henry Ward Beecher

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"Great hopes make great men." - Thomas Fuller

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"Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself." - Suzanne Somers

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"Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul." - Democritus

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"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!" - John Muir

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"Mankind is made great or little by its own will." - Friedrich Schiller

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"Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." - Swami Sivananda

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"The best way out is always through." - Robert Frost

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"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises." - Leo Buscaglia

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"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money." - Thomas Jefferson

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"The power of imagination makes us infinite." - John Muir

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." - Edith Wharton

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"Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself." - Plato

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"Think with your whole body." - Taisen Deshimaru

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"There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness." - Han Suyin

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"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." - Ronald Reagan

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"What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?" - Robert H. Schuller

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"You change your life by changing your heart." - Max Lucado

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"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." - Nido Qubein

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"A people free to choose will always choose peace." - Ronald Reagan

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"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." - Mohandas Gandhi

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"I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

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"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - Mother Teresa

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"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge." - Thomas Carlyle

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"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

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"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection." - Buddha

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"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." - William Wallace

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"I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches." - Alice Roosevelt Longworth

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"It is not length of life, but depth of life." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war." - John F. Kennedy

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"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself." - Harvey Fierstein

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'The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." - Henry David Thoreau

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"The purpose of life is a life of purpose." - Robert Byrne

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"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained." - Mark Twain

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"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." - Carl Jung

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"There is no coming to consciousness without pain." - Carl Jung

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"Follow that will and that way which experience confirms to be your own." - Carl Jung

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"While there's life, there's hope." - Marcus Tullius Cicero

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"Your life is what your thoughts make it." - Marcus Aurelius

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"It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf." - Thomas Fuller

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"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." - Eleanor Roosevelt

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"Nobody can bring you peace but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"One cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not from force." - David Borenstein

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"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it." - Thomas Jefferson

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"Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"Peace hath higher tests of manhood than battle ever knew." - John Greenleaf Whittier

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"Peace is its own reward." - Mohandas Gandhi

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"Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time." - Lyndon B. Johnson

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"Peace is liberty in tranquillity." - Marcus Tullius Cicero

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"Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful." - Friedrich Schiller

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"Peace is when the time doesn't matter as it passes by." - Maria Schell

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"Power to the peaceful!" - Michael Franti

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"The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." - Carlos Santana

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"The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves." - William Hazlitt

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"You cannot find peace by avoiding life." - Virginia Woolf

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"You don't have to have fought in a war to love peace." - Geraldine Ferraro

"A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea." - Honore de Balzac

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"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." - C. S. Lewis

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"At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet." - Plato

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"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu

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"Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?" - Richard Bach

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"Come live in my heart, and pay no rent." - Samuel Lover

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"Do all things with love." - Og Mandino

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"Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law. Love is the law, love as thou wilt." - Aleister Crowley & his Wife

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"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." - Judy Garland

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"I believe in the compelling power of love. I do not understand it. I believe it to be the most fragrant blossom of all this thorny existence." - Theodore Dreiser

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"I can live without money, but I cannot live without love." - Judy Garland

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"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." - Daphne Rae

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"I like not only to be loved but also to be told I am loved." - George Eliot

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"If you could only love enough, you could be the most powerful person in the world." - Emmet Fox

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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." - A. A. Milne

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"If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I." - Michel de Montaigne

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"If you want to be loved, be lovable." - Ovid

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"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'" - Erich Fromm

"In love, the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two." - Erich Fromm

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"Love conquers all." - Virgil

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"Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other." - Rainer Maria Rilke

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"Love does not dominate; it cultivates." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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"Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible - it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could." - Barbara de Angelis

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"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs." - William Shakespeare

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"Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love." - Leo Buscaglia

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit." - Peter Ustinov

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"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." - Robert Frost

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"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." - Aristotle

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"Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop." - H. L. Mencken

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"Love is my religion - I could die for it." - John Keats

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[fromtheringapron]

WWF WrestleMania IX

Date: April 4, 1993

Location: Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Attendance: 16,891

Commentary: Jim Ross, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan.

Results

1. WWF Intercontinental Championship Match: Tatanka w/Sensational Sherri defeated Shawn Michaels (champion) w/Luna Vachon via countout. 

2. The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) defeated the Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu) w/Afa.

3. Doink the Clown defeated Crush. 

4. Razor Ramon defeated Bob Backlund.

5. WWF Tag Team Champion Championship Match: Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster) (champions) defeated the Mega Maniacs (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake) w/Jimmy Hart via disqualification.

6. Lex Luger defeated Mr. Perfect.

7. The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeated Giant Gonzales w/Harvey Wippleman via disqualification. 

8. WWF Championship Match: Yokozuna w/Mr. Fuji defeated Bret Hart (champion) to win the title.

9. WWF Championship Match: Hulk Hogan defeated Yokozuna (champion) w/Mr. Fuji to win the title. 

Analysis

WrestleMania IX is one of the most disliked WrestleManias of all time. It’s cheesy, gaudy, and looks like something more out of Disney World than the squared circle of the WWF. It also takes place at a time when the wrestling business is taking a significant downturn. By 1993, the WWF has lost quite a bit of its mainstream appeal. Allegations of steroid and sex abuse backstage are overshadowing anything taking place in the ring. Vince McMahon is sweating bullets and may face prison time on drug distribution charges. When buoyed by the lows of its time period, there’s no way WrestleMania IX can be a runaway success. And yet, despite everything, the show is way more entertaining than its reputation suggests. It ultimately plays like a farce, but one that’s a testament to having goofy fun in the face of mighty setbacks.

There have been plenty of other WrestleManias with more memorable matches and moments, but this show makes a bold creative choice by focusing on atmosphere. The ancient Roman theme alternates between cool and cringe-worthy. However, it creates a totally different feel compared to any other WrestleMania. Calling a parking lot at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas a “Roman coliseum” is gutsy. It’s an open invitation for mockery but cute in its sense of self-belief. This is also the first outdoor WrestleMania. A sunny afternoon in Vegas is a nice break from the spotlights of an arena. The way the sun looms over the ring throughout the show is like watching wrestling through a brand new Instragram filter. Again, it’s not going out its way to make any match or singular moment stand out. The concept of the show itself is a moment, making it a sui generis installment of the grandest spectacle of them all.

Hulk Hogan’s involvement really brings it down though. Perhaps the show would’ve been worse off without an immediately recognizable star, and Hogan is still the most popular wrestler in the world at this time, but he often feels like an unwelcome houseguest. 1993 is also the year where several new characters are emerging on the horizon. The main event between Bret Hart and Yokozuna speaks to the year’s sense of freshness, which makes the twist with Hogan winning the WWF title at the end feel wrong. It gets a rapturous response from the crowd, but there’s a lingering sense of disappointment.

Hart has been built up as the face of a new era in the months leading up to the show. He is the hero for a smaller but just as devoted fanbase, a salt-of-the-earth alternative to the previous era’s muscled, flamboyant supermen. Unfortunately, not only does he lose here, but he also isn’t even featured in the closing moments. It’s all about Hogan, and it’s practically a slap in the face. WrestleMania IX takes so many steps to offer something new that it’s counter-productive to suddenly trade in Hart’s pink & black for a familiar red & yellow.

My Random Notes

One of the most discussed points of this show is Randy Savage’s performance on commentary which is, um, unique to say the least. I won’t go so far as to say I hate it, but it feels far removed from the Randy Savage we all know and worship. His stream-of-consciousness approach to commentary often leads him to blurt out some bizarre lines that manage to be both amusing nonsense and embarrassing nonsense. My favorite moment is during the opening match when he uses these absurd fractions to describe near falls and it’s so transparent he’s trying to be clever that I almost feel bad for him.

What were Shawn Michaels and Lex Luger talking about before Mr. Perfect barged in? Any guesses? I imagine they were either planning a night out in Vegas or having a passionate discussion on Shawn’s slick pair of Wranglers.

It’s hard to sympathize with Jimmy Hart as a babyface. Like, bro, you spent all of 1992 double-crossing your tag teams in favor of getting money stuffed in your pocket by a prick millionaire and a smug tax accountant, and now you decide to have a change of heart after being okay with all of their previous evil doings? Go home.

On Doink the Clown: If you want to watch the character at his peak, please watch this show. Sure, Doink later became synonymous with everything wrong about the New Generation era, but the character work Matt Borne puts into the heel version needs to be seen to be believed. The laugh, the frequent mood swings, the fucking entrance theme⏤gold, all of it. I love the idea that he’s just a sociopath posing as a clown, even better when he barely hides the fact his little magic tricks are just blatant attempts at cheating. I echo Bobby Heenan when he says, “Eat your heart out, David Copperfield. This Doink is great!”

This show marks the first pay-per-view appearance of Todd Pettingill, who would later serve as the voice of the New Generation era for better or worse. It’s a predictably annoying debut, complete with a racist bit where he interviews two Japanese photographers that single-handedly sets society back by at least 40 years.

We also see the debut of Luna Vachon, who has always been one of my low-key favorites. I expressed my appreciation for her character on a discussion forum awhile back, and it mainly comes from a place in time where I could look at a wrestler and say, “Wow, who is this person?” Luna totally throws herself into the character to the point where I can totally imagine her spending days off hiding out in abandoned subway tunnels and befriending sewer rats. Nowadays, we would have social media to know better, but the ability to imagine how a wrestling character spends their time is a luxury only afforded to fans who grew up in a time before Twitter.

This is the first WrestleMania with practically no celebrity involvement outside of a brief interview with Natalie Cole. It’s possible the steroid & sex abuse scandals covered by the media during this time convinced celebrities to distance themselves from the WWF altogether. Then again, I don’t think celebrity appearances would’ve fit the theme of the show. Henry Winkler in a toga would’ve been too much.

Anyone else catch the Texas Tornado sign hanging above the entrance way during the opening ceremony? Or at least I think it was a Texas Tornado sign. Kerry Von Erich only recently passed away by this point but, outside of Andre the Giant, the WWF doesn’t really acknowledge the deaths of their past performers so it kinda makes for an ominous sight.

On Giant Gonzales: The poor guy looks like he got thrown into the WWF Gimmick Generator 5000 and came out totally befuddled as to why he’s wearing a body suit.

[idksmtms]

happiness (David Von Erich x reader) - evermore series

evermore series

A/N: The way this movie wrecked me should be studied…

Also, I know the actual song is about a break up, but the line “there will be happiness after you” just made me think of death.

Summary: Maybe none of these coincidences were signs, but you wanted to believe they were. You wanted to believe that David was rooting for your happiness. 

Word count: 2,669

Trigger Warnings: 18+, she/her pronouns, AFAB reader, light to heavy angst, major character death is mentioned (but happens before events of oneshot), movie spoilers!!!, grief, moving on, guilt for moving on (ig could also be classified as survivor’s guilt), it’s kinda fluffy too, just nostalgic tbh, (please let me know if I missed any) 

Disclaimer: This is based solely on the portrayals of the brothers in the movie, not the real people. I do not own any of The Iron Claw characters. I do not claim to own any of The Iron Claw characters. I do not own any pictures used nor do I claim to do so. 

Always appreciate comments, likes, and reblogs :)

In a faraway barn of an already isolated horse ranch, sat an easel. On the easel was a canvas, a work in progress painting of shadows and darkness, anger and grief, made with splotches of red, black, grey. In front of the easel on a stool, sat you, wearing a messy apron over an old pair of jeans and an old flannel that still smelt a little bit like… him. The doors of the barn were thrown wide open (possibly because they never quite closed anyway) and filled the large room with bright sunshine. When the sun would eventually continue its course across the sky, the light would turn green from all the trees lined up on the other side of the barn and make everything suddenly feel like it wasn’t quite real. You loved those moments. If you were in one of the melancholic moods that still set in occasionally, then the green and yellow light made you feel like you had floated above the world, and if you just reached out, you could somehow find David. When you were in the good moods that now came with increasing frequency, you felt like it was a little sign from David everyday. A little reminder of the happiness you could still find, that he wanted you to find. 

It had taken you a long time to get to this place, this precarious tightrope of happiness that spanned over the chasm of grief. You could still remember the days after you had gotten the news, his mother’s soft voice over the phone telling you that his intestine had ruptured at some point in the night and he had died in his hotel room. Alone. Sometimes that hit you harder than the fact that he had actually died. That he had died thousands of miles away from family, from love, all on his own. You tried not to think about it too much now, it was an unnecessary train of thought that only made you feel worse. You could do nothing to change it anyway. 

But when his mother had told you, you had sat down on the edge of your bed and not moved until your own mother found you hours later. It was like life had suddenly been put on hold now that he was gone, that life wasn’t even possible now. Then, when the night came and the news slowly began to sink in again, you cried. First soft, silent tears that hurt your insides more than anything. Your throat clogged, your pursed lips pressed so tightly to each other they were bruising, and your hands shaking like you had developed arthritis overnight. Your hands never did quite stop shaking since that night. 

It had taken all your remaining strength to attend the funeral, to stand next to his brothers who had these broken expressions on their faces that made you hate the world all the more. His father with his stoic face that made you wonder if he had ever even loved David. And his mother, swaying slightly as she stood, tears streaming down her face that somehow made your own feel even more painful. 

The funeral was the last time you had left the house for a good month. You walked around your own family’s ranch house like a ghost, always making it just to the front door before turning back. You spent the most time in your room, because that was where all your memories with David were gathered, from all the gifts and pictures to the actual memories of him laying sprawled across your tiny single bed, feet dangling over the edge, cowboy hat over his eyes as he snored like a walrus. He used to say that it was the only time he ever really got good sleep, and you never had the heart to disturb him. You would simply adjust the little flap of duvet that could be pulled out from under him to cover his chest and stomach, then sit down at your desk chair to get any written work done that you might have. Then, a few hours later, when his absence from his family could no longer be abided, the phone would ring shrill through the house, and he would jolt awake, shaking his head to get the hat off his face and look around as if he had never stepped foot on the earth before. You always giggled, rolling your chair closer to the bed and gently petting his hair to calm him down as he blinked blearily and turned to you, depositing his head onto your shoulder with a little grumble. And the phone would keep ringing, left unanswered, until the second time they called, when you finally extracted yourself from David’s muscly grip, and went to sweet-talk whichever of his brothers had been given the duty of finding him while he gathered his things and bounced out the door. 

Before, whenever you had lain on the bed and thought about this, it had hurt excruciatingly, like someone was running a slow, twisting, drill through your chest. Now you just laughed, appreciated the peaceful moments you both had together. 

Your room still looked like it had then, though. Pale painted walls covered in memories, shelves full of them. One wall had letters pinned all over it, all from David when you had had a little phase of romanticism and had forced him to write and send you letters. He had taken it up with enthusiasm, even if he hated anything that remotely reminded him of sitting at a desk at school. He had written you a letter almost everyday for two months before you told him that you were running out of space to keep them, and maybe a phone call was better because then you got to hear his voice directly in your ear. You still read them sometimes, laughing at the insane amount of words he had to cross out or the little illegible scribbles that were surely supposed to be words but you couldn’t figure out which ones to this day. His handwriting was horrendous, but you loved him even more for it. 

Another wall had every picture you and David had taken together, a mishmash of polaroids and developed film that showed the story of your relationship. There were the shy pictures, when the relationship was still new and you had been a little nervous around him, and he had simply thrown his arms around you, rested his head on top of yours, and told the person to ‘take the goddamn picture’. Then there were the post-match pictures, one perfectly timed polaroid of you throwing yourself at him, wrapping your legs around his waist, your arms around his neck, pressing an obnoxious kiss to his cheek while he shined almost white from the sweat under the flash. You couldn’t remember which match it was from now, you were pretty sure it was written on the back, but that had been standard practice for you after every match he won. 

The last picture of the collage, right at the bottom corner, was the last picture you had taken with David. It was just before he left for the airport, both of you standing in the driveway in front of their house, almost the same as the first picture you had taken together, just a different location. You were standing just in front of him, leaning back against his chest while he wrapped his arms over yours and rested his chin on top of your head. You were smiling so bright your eyes were squinted closed and he wasn’t even looking at the camera but down at you as if he could see your face from that odd angle. It was a cute picture, but you never looked at it fondly. Sometimes you were tempted to throw it out, but you couldn’t throw out anything that had even a hint of David on it. The picture just reminded you of how much you didn’t know, of how many signs you might have missed of the path David headed down. He had never told you about the drugs, the little energy boosters as his father had described them later. And you had thought the coughing and vomiting were an upset stomach. The toilet was always flushed when you came in to check on him, the sink always washed properly. You had even given him some medicine to take when he had assured you that there was nothing wrong. You had only found out from Kevin later that when David had excused himself to the bathroom at the wedding he had been coughing up blood. And that had led to the anger. 

For a long while, your love for David had turned into an unfair anger. You looked back on that period with a heavy heart full of regret. You hated yourself for it now. But rationality hadn’t mattered to you then, so deep you were in the valley of grief. You had hated him for not telling you about the drugs, for not telling you about the blood. Why did you have to find it all out after he died? Why did you have to find it all out from someone else? Didn’t he trust you? Didn’t he love you, or at least know that you loved him so much that nothing could make you stop loving him? Of course, later, when you began thinking clearly again, you had to realise that it was about him, not about you. That it was his own fear and pain and insecurities and whatever else was going on in his head at the time that led to this, not you. But after this initial hatred, came the somehow even more irrational one. You hated him for leaving you. You hated him for leaving you behind on your own. You hated him for dying… At the same time you knew you couldn’t hate him for that, it was the same as hating someone with cancer for dying. They didn’t choose it. They didn’t want it. Sometimes in the dead of night, when you convinced yourself to step past the threshold of the front door, you would wander the fields around the house, telling David in a whispered voice full of rage how much he had hurt you, how you couldn’t forgive him for this. 

Then, one day, you had gotten out of bed slowly, and wandered around the house in your pyjamas, when you found your mother pulling things out of the attic. She smiled at you, clambering down the ladder and wiping her dusty hands on her jeans before gently pinching your cheek between soft fingers. Her smile was soft, loving, a little bit sad because she had loved David too, loved the light and fun he had brought into the house, and she loved you more than anything and it hurt her to see you this way. 

“I’m just clearing out the attic, seeing if we have any things to donate,” she told you with a shrug as if you had asked her; your mouth hadn’t even been close to opening. You weren’t even looking at her, but at the box set next to the ladder, one of the top flaps pushed open and a peak of dark blue shimmery fabric flashing out. You got onto your knees, gently peeling the box fully open and pulling out the dress that had been shoved at the top. 

You spread it out on your lap, gently caressing the fabric as it fanned out and tears filled your eyes so you could no longer see the details, only the colour. It had been the dress from one of your favourite memories with David. 

It was only a few weeks after you guys had started dating, possibly a month after, and he had saved up some money to take you on an elaborate date. Dinner at the cute italian restaurant in the city centre, a stroll down to the ice cream shop, arm in arm, before he drove you out into the farthest corner of the farthest field of the farm in his pickup truck, the bed piled with every spare pillow and blanket from the house (including the ones from his own bed) so you guys could lay down snuggled up and stargaze. 

You had worn this dress, and kissed David until you were breathless, and he had been his best self, joking around and whispering sweet words in your ear and wrapping his big arms around you so your face was pressed into his chest and the world closed in to be just the two of you. 

And you smiled, a bright, watery, smile with sniffles and tears streaming down your cheeks as you caressed the fabric of the dress and your mother got on her knees to wrap herself around you as you hiccuped out sobs and pressed your face into the slightly musty dress. 

You had had probably the worst night of your life the night before you found the dress. Your thoughts had been the darkest they had ever been, verging on irreversible decisions that would have only made everything worse for everybody. And then here the dress was, reminding you of the happiness you had experienced with David, the elation and laughter and smiles and just pure joy he had brought to your life. And suddenly, for that moment, everything was a little better. 

And slowly, with each passing day, you got out of bed again and again, you left the house in the sunshine again and again, and you found all the signs of David, the little coincidences that meant just a little more because of him, because you believed he was trying, wherever he was, to still bring you happiness. 

And with these little encouragements, these little signs, you began to grow again. You refurbished the abandoned barn into an art studio, a place for you to use creativity to let out all the suffocating emotions. Each day you would come into the barn bright and early, just as a beautiful sunrise turned everything from orange to pale yellow, and you would sit down on the stool in front of the easel, and think, feel, paint. 

The signs kept coming, once a little bird, a sparrow, flying into the barn and landing at the top of your easel, watching you paint and occasionally letting out little chirps of encouragement. You spoke to it as if it was David, “I know it looks really dark right now, but I wanted a dark background so the bright colours in the middle would pop more later,” you explained. Another day it was the stray cat that hung around the farm, the one that had avoided you since her existence, suddenly coming to sit down beside your stool, purring and napping next to you the entire time you painted. “I love you,” you whispered to the cat as if it was David sitting down next to you again, “maybe too much.” 

And now here you were, humming some song from the radio as you painted a dark image, something to represent the moments of your hatred so long ago, something to capture it and put it away so you could look back and see how much you had grown since. The new person you had become. The person who understood that you couldn’t make the grief go away by hating the person you missed. The person who knew that she had been happy with David, but she could be happy now too, and both of these things can be true. The person who still didn’t really know what to do, or how to handle the grief and the feelings, but was ok with it anyway. 

So yes, there was a new you, a you after David that he wouldn’t get to meet. But you gave him the best of you. And you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

A/N: the emotional depths I went to to write this… 

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