#Groth your hair

[militarymaurizio]

MAURIZIO, 1981

[cis male he/him] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [JOSEPH MAURIZIO ALLIEGRO]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [CHRIS EVANS]. You must be the [FORTY-ONE] year old [FIREFIGHTER AND FORMER MARINE]. Word is you’re [LOYAL] but can also be a bit [UPTIGHT] and your favorite song is [GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD BY ELTON JOHN]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [SEABROOK DRIVER]. I’m sure you’ll love it! 

“I did not ask for the things I’ve been through. And I certainly didn’t ask my mind to paint and repaint the pictures back in flashback form.” – Michelle Groth.

INTRODUCION

After years of serving as a Marine in the extensive war waged by the state against Iraq, Joseph returned home with physical and emotional scars. Following his therapist's recommendation to distance himself from the base in North Carolina, he relocated to the small seaside town of Aurora Bay in an attempt to start anew. The city exuded tranquility and peace, leading John to believe it would be the ideal place to heal. However, he soon discovered that life in the city was not as simple as it appeared. 

Alliegro found himself grappling with his own inner demons while trying to adapt to a new life in an unfamiliar environment.

Although he attempted to avoid becoming entangled in the town's affairs, his restless heart compelled him to offer aid to those in need. Consequently, he joined the fire department, recognizing that his military training would prove most beneficial in this role.  

At the Aurora Bay Fire Department, Joseph discovered a new way to serve his community. He applied his experience as a Marine to confront emergency situations and assist individuals in distress. The adrenaline rush and sense of purpose he derived from participating in rescue operations provided a measure of relief for his internal anguish.

Over time, Joseph forged connections with his fellow firefighters at the department. They shared personal narratives and offered mutual support during challenging times. This tight-knit team became Joseph's newfound family, fostering a sense of belonging that had eluded him for a long time.

PYSHICAL TRAITS:

Standing in 6'3, with blue eyes and hazel hair, he usually keeps his hair short due to his military background, but is now trying to keep it longer. Not sure if it actually fits him.

He has scars all around his body, mostly in his arms and shoulders. While in rescue missions in the sea, there was every creature touching him. But it wasn't everyone who was friendly

Alliegro has some bad hearing in his right ear, but not enough to use a hearing-aid (at least he likes to lie to himself about it).

PERSONALITY TRAITS:

He loves diving and surfing, but only in warm waters! Aurora Bay was chosen also for this reason. Once it gets too cold, his body freezes. Nothing can move properly.

Joseph is a vegan! He stopped eating meat after a little girl that he had rescued showed him how important animals are in her culture. He stopped to hunt as a sport as well. And every time that he goes fishing, he gives them back almost immediately. It's the peace that counts.

Joseph enjoys all kinds of sports, but since he was born, soccer was his favorite. He made it to the little league, just like in baseball. His father, an Italian immigrant, was prouder than ever.

He has a dream of being a father. Even if he believes that he would be awful at it.

Joseph is an ENTJ / 1w2. He is a Gemini, with Sagittarius Rising and Scorpio Moon.

Wanted connections

The firefighter team: As it was stated, it was them who helped him throughout the journey of finding meaning to his life again.

A love interest: His rough past made him run away from love. Maybe Aurora Bay has been keeping his soulmate safe and sound. Who knows? He's a closed bisexual man. There was no place to explore that in the Marines.

Some found family: His away from his huge family, maybe some younger kid who he wants to protect just like his siblings would fit him just right.

[orymsbich]

Critical role campaign 3 episode 26

SAM GETTING PIE WAIT THE SECOND ONE IS SHAVING CREAM

Top row all wearing black and Sam is just like 🕴️🤵

NO IS DUSK EVIL WHAT NO PLEASE NO

ABSOLUTELY EVIL noooOOOO

IM CRYÏNG

Ericka making a sad face so no one suspects AND IT WORKED

No no no no Imogen not going to laudna for the dream stuff

Fcg: I lve looked at all y'all's when your sleepin'... not in a creepy way

Fcg: She grows hair ... Only when she's hot

Imogen: FEARNES always hot

ORYM STEALING FROM FEARNE

IMOGEN HAIR GROTH

Laudna THREATING ASHTON

DANCER??!??!!!!??

Pussys old buzzsaw

FCG BACKSTORY

Orym and laudna going clothes shopping for matching outfits

"dear god Marisha what have you done"

Fcg FINALLY GETTING FED UP WITH PEOPLE BEING AMAZED BY HIM

CHETNEY AND IMOGEN AHAHAHAHAH

FCG LORE DROP

[guidedbynors]

The Heirs of Oralia (Part 1)

Note: This week I am changing up the formatting to practice and reflect on how the official Quest website (adventure.game) presents its signature adventure: Mischief Mountain.

Premise

For Guides:

Currently, Maergale is surrounded by an army of undead, per the scenario in Riot In The Streets, Ghosts of Crescent Wood, and The Dead Light. This adventure can be played in conjunction with these other adventures, or by itself.

Fischer Fissure was created a thousand years ago by a great and powerful wizard. Her name was Oralia Fischer. It is said she stood against an invading army by herself with nothing more than her wand and dressed in robes of crimson. As the invading army bore down on her Oralia stood her ground, raised her wand, and cast a spell that tore the earth asunder, creating a fissure that stretched 20 miles, from Lake Maer to the plainlands of Groth. However, legends say that as Oralia cast her spell, an arrow, fired from the bow of an archer struck Oralia in the heart. She died there and the invading army rode the distance around the fissure and sacked the village near Lake Maer. The populace of Maergale is the descendants of the invading army.

This adventure is about the perceptions we have of history. At first, Questers will be led to believe Oralia is the champion of this town, only to discover it is the archer who founded the Maergale City as it is today.

Intro

For Guides:

At the beginning of this adventure, Questers are presented with the dire situation outlined in Riot In The Streets. There doesn’t need to be a riot about to break out, but the undead army of Curiel Neralo is still present.

If this is a new group of players and characters, ask players how they know each other, why they are in Maergale and define some character dynamics. If you have fit this adventure into our own campaign or been playing through the Maergale City line of adventures, this may not be applicable.

When everyone is ready to play, read the introduction below. Modify the text to fit your players' situations in terms of experiences together.

At the beginning of this adventure, Questers start in Maergale City, but it won’t be long before they are sent on a quest.

Maergale City

Exposition: Read Aloud:

Maergale, the azure city, is named for the pure glacial waters of Lake Maer. It is a model of civilization. Perfect brick streets, towers that stretch to the sky, artists and merchants, scholars and students: all belong here. Yet a stench blows into this city. The undead army of Curiel Neralo waits outside, biding their time. What they wait for, nobody knows. They seek something of great power.

This is why you have been called by The Daughters of the Crescent. Yet all you have found, as you enter their offices, is a well-dressed possum in a tiny pantsuit, shuffling around on a high oak desk strewn with papers.

As you enter, the possum stands on its hind legs and nods its head, as though it knew you were coming.

Daughter Pelomn, Quest Giver, And Transdimensional Lawyer

For Guides:

Daughter Pelomn is a member of the Daughters of the Crescent, a political opposition group to the city council of Maergale. Daughter Pelomn is a possum with a degree in transdimensional law, and their main goal up until this point has been to bury the city council in bureaucracy and paperwork. Pelomn will tell Questers the story of Oralia Fischer and the wand she carried. Pelomn is unaware that Oralia isn’t the ancestor of the town, but rather, kin to the undead army outside (the people who inhabited the land of Maer before the invading army destroyed them). Pelomn believes the wand of Oralia is somewhere in the fissure she created. They ask Questers to retrieve the wand.

Exploring Fischer Fissure

For Guides:

The western tapering of Fischer Fissure runs along the north edge of Maergale. The northern gate of the city leads directly to a draw bridge that spans this tapering fissure. Below the bridge is a fast-moving river, though not white water, about 30 feet across. This is the ample outlet of Lake Maer.

Exposition: Read Aloud

The northern gate of Maergale is a broad wooden drawbridge reinforced by thick iron bands. It is closed, drawn up against the city walls, and the arched entrance that leads across the tapering fissure just beyond the wall. Five city guards occupy a checkpoint just within the wall and more sentries line the wall above, peering through parapets, their bows at the ready.

For Guides:

The guards are reluctant to let the bridge down. On the other side of the fissure is an army of undead and the guards are terrified that if they let down the bridge, the horde will seize the opportunity to attack and gain entrance to the city.

Bridge Master Bawb:

For Guides:

Bridge Master Bawb is a young and nervous man. He is terrified of the undead and will flatly deny Questers any request to lower the bridge. Questers can use clever roleplay or magical abilities to persuade Bridge Master Bawb to do so, but the grooling undead should be a focus if Questers decide on this course of action. Alternatively, Bridge Master Bawb will ask why Questers wish to leave the city. If they answer him truthful and tell him they wish to descend into the fissure, he will suggest repelling down from the city wall. Questers can also use any magical abilities to achieve the same outcome. If they decide to rappel using a rope, they will need thousands of feet.

Fischer Fissure:

Exposition: Read Aloud

The cliffs of the fissure are rough reddish stone. Below you, hundreds of feet, the water flows rapidly along. There are ample handholds and ledges as you descend, toward the water, the temperature dropping, a pungent and earthy tone reaching your nose. A mist glistens on your arms and legs, your face. Drips from your brow as you drop lower. Before long, you are soaked through with cold dampness.

At the bottom of the fissure, the cliffside recedes, leading to an undercut where the water has carved out sections of the cliff in the winter.

Everything is shadowed down here. It is difficult to tell how far the water has carved out the cliffs on either side of the river.

For Guides:

At the bottom of the fissure, nearly everything is in shadow. The ledge where Questers can find footing after their descent is a long and carved out part of the wall which is wide enough to walk three abreast for the most part. There doesn't seem to be anything in the initial vicinity, but Questers should know (or be reminded) that the place where Oralia Fischer made her last stand was some way to the west of where they have descended into the fissure. Questers will need some light, though it is too damp down here for torches. If they have no way of creating magical light, Questers' attention may be drawn to the river, which is home to a luminous fish that, if caught, can be used as a pale light. As your Questers travel west, following the river, you may choose to have them face a Trial in order to stay dry and warm. For every hour they are consistently chilled and wet, you may increase the cost of their abilities by +1 Action Points. Abilities that would usually cost 0 AP, would cost +1 per hour. This reflects the exhaustion Questers would feel at constantly being wet and cold more thoroughly than filling their inventory with exhaustion per the Quest Game Book.

Exposition: Read Aloud

You travel west along the thin ledge, the water and cold ever-present near you and on you. After about an hour of traveling along the river, the wall to your left suddenly opens up to a vast and yawning cave mouth. On the walls to either side are markings. Not made by water, but surely carved into the stone by hand. The carvings are simple and crude, though easily interpreted. The carved scene depicts a vast group of people on horses riding toward a solitary figure holding up a hand, rays slashing out from it toward the ground as well as the oncoming charge. A single arrow flies toward the solitary person.

As you examine this curious carving, you suddenly hear a scuffling sound from deeper within the cave.

The Heirs of Oralia:

FOR Guides:

Within the cave is a civilization that is directly descended from Oralia Fischer and the indigenous peoples of what is now called Maergale. They have burrowed into the cliffside, and then up so that during the winter they do not get flooded. Their homes are completely underground and they have evolved to possess a tremorsense that lets them detect vibrations in the ground. Their underground city is a labyrinth of small rooms, stone stairwells, and underground fungus gardens. There is no centrality to the city, but it seems fast and difficult to navigate once Questers are presented with it.

The underground people are not hostile, though they will become so if threatened. They look like humans but have overly large eyes and some webbing between their fingers and toes. Most of them wear clothes spun out of a strange and stringing fiber (from a fungus). They do not speak the same language as Questers, nor do they speak "common." Questers can explore the underground civilization as much as they want, but details concerning the underground city are not present or essential to this adventure. Instead, an emissary is sent to communicate with Questers but doesn't invite them in as they don't know if they can trust these outsiders.

Exposition: Read Aloud

From deep within the darkness of the cave a shape moves, tall, thin, and then slowly emerges from the dimming shadow. Is it a woman or a man? It is difficult to tell. The person is human-esk in appearance, but with eyes far larger than any human possesses. They have no hair, either, and wear a strange shimmering robe, woven of thick strands the same hue of oyster shell.

They speak: Gragek?

FOR GUIDES:

Let Questers struggle with the language for a time. There may be a magical item or spell Questers already have so to understand this person, if not, the emissary will point to the lone person depicted on the wall, then point to themselves. They are not trying to communicate that THEY are Oralia, but rather, Oralia and her people are their people. Then The emissary will point to the horde of cavalry and point to the Questers. If the Questers are able to communicate that they are not from Maergale, then the emissary will point to the cavalry and point up, toward Maergale instead. After that, the emissary will point to the arrow, then withdraw a small, thin stone box from its robe. Within is the arrow that killed Oralia (See Arrow of Oralia, at the end of this adventure for its magical properties). Lastly, the emissary will point to the hand of the solitary person, from which the rays of light spring. Then they will shrug, point to Questers, then to themselves, and offer Questers the arrow, as if in exchange. The emissary will point upward, out of the fissure and toward the army of undead, then to the place where Oralia's wand is indicated on the wall. Of course, if any of your Questers have a way to understand the emissary, this interaction can take place without the game of charades.

The Wand of Oralia:

For Guides:

The wand of Oralia is not in the fissure river, but rather with Curiel Neralo. He is using it to control the undead, though of course, Questers do not know this. The Heirs of Oralia do, however, though are unsure if they can trust the Questers with the information.

To Be Continued

Item: Arrow of Oralia

This arrow is old and worn and must be re-fletched before it can be used. This arrow always finds the heart of its target. It kills anything it is shot at.

[popculturebrain]

Here are the nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Joker” “Little Women” “Marriage Story” “1917” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” “Parasite”

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas “Pain and Glory” Leonardo DiCaprio “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Adam Driver “Marriage Story” Joaquin Phoenix “Joker” Jonathan Pryce “The Two Popes”

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo “Harriet” Scarlett Johansson “Marriage Story” Saoirse Ronan “Little Women” Charlize Theron “Bombshell” Renee Zellweger “Judy”

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes” Al Pacino, “The Irishman” Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell” Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit” Florence Pugh, “Little Women” Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman” Todd Phillips, “Joker” Sam Mendes, “1917” Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Dean DeBlois “I Lost My Body” Jeremy Clapin “Klaus” Sergio Pablos “Missing Link” Chris Butler “Toy Story 4”  Josh Cooley

Animated Short:

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva “Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry “Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan “Memorable,” Bruno Collet “Sister,” Siqi Song

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi “Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig “The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson “Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach “1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino “Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto “Joker,” Lawrence Sher “The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke “1917,” Roger Deakins “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Best Documentary Feature:

“American Factory,” Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar “The Cave,” Feras Fayyad “The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa “For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger “Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas “St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan “Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur “Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat “The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry “Saria,” Bryan Buckley “A Sister,” Delphine Girard

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov “Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly “Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland “The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker “Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles “Joker,” Jeff Groth “Parasite,” Jinmo Yang

Sound Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester “Joker,” Alan Robert Murray “1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman “Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord

Sound Mixing:

“Ad Astra” “Ford v Ferrari” “Joker” “1917” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Production Design:

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves “Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova “1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh “Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir “Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat “Marriage Story,” Randy Newman “1917,” Thomas Newman “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams*“The King,” Nicholas Britell

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4” “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” “I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough” “Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2” “Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Makeup and Hair:

“Bombshell” “Joker” “Judy” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” “1917”

Costume Design:

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson “Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo “Joker,” Mark Bridges “Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips

Visual Effects:

“Avengers Endgame” “The Irishman” “1917” “The Lion King” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

[chenle-dressed-in-black]

Hey! I saw that u do ships and I wanted to try because I never had one! Also I would like to ship my with nct dream and 127 if u can. So I'm tall/slim (5'8)(110 lbs), have short hair, brown eyes/hair and im 02 line .As a person I'm the clown in my group, I'm super open-minded and I super position about my believes. My style in music is also all-over the place, like I listen groth,jazz,punk,electric-waves and kpop. And my interests are: fashion,art,philosophy, music,humans Right,history.👋❤️😚

     I’m shipping you with Donghyuck. Like you, he’s the one who can always make everyone laugh. I think he would admire someone who could do the same, and I bet you would, too. There are a lot of things about you that make me think you’d click well with him. For one, you’re open-minded, and we know he is, too. You like fashion! You can expect to have little fashion shows with him after you go shopping and come home with a bunch of new clothes. Whenever he isn’t sure if his outfit looks okay, Hyuck would come to you for advice. He would trust your judgement every time. Appreciate his music; let him sing to you. He’d love you forever. I was going to try to give you another ship, either in Dream or 127 besides Hyuck, but I honestly think this boy is your best bet. Now that I know what I know, I can’t see you with anyone else lol. 

[madsenatthemovies]

My 2020 Oscar Ballot (for Gambling Purposes Only)

There are some great and terrible films being honored this year, but that doesn’t mean YOU can’t make some $MONEY$

If you like to gamble on 5-hour award shows, here are my picks that may help you on your way to winning.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Dcera (Daughter) Hair Love ✅ Kitbull Memorable Sister

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

In the Abscence Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) ✅ Life Overtakes Me St. Louis Superman Walk Run Cha-Cha

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Brotherhood ✅ Nefta Football Club The Neighbors’ Window Saria A Sister

BEST SOUND EDITING

1917 ✅ Ford v Ferrari <----Potential Upset Joker Once upon a Time... in Hollywood Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

BEST SOUND MIXING

1917 ✅ Ad Astra Ford v Ferrari <----Potential Upset Joker Once upon a Time... in Hollywood

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

1917 Bombshell ✅ Joker Judy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1917 ✅ Avengers: Endgame <----Potential Upset The Irishman The Lion King Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4, Randy Newman “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman, Elton John & Bernie Taupin ✅ “I’m Standing With You,” Breakthrough, Diane Warren “Into The Unknown,” Frozen II, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez “Stand Up,” Harriet, Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1917, Thomas Newman <----Potential Upset Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir ✅ Little Women, Alexandre Desplat Marriage Story, Randy Newman Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, John Williams

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The Irishman, Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson Jojo Rabbit, Mayes C. Rubeo Joker, Mark Bridges Little Women, Jacqueline Durran Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Arianne Phillips

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1917 <----Potential Upset The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood ✅ Parasite

BEST FILM EDITING

Ford v Ferrari, Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker ✅ The Irishman, Thelma Schoonmaker Jojo Rabbit, Tom Eagles Joker, Jeff Groth Parasite, Yang Jin-mo <----Potential Upset

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1917, Roger Deakins ✅ The Irishman, Rodrigo Prieto Joker, Lawrence Sher The Lighthouse, Jarin Blaschke Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Robert Richardson

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

American Factory ✅ The Cave The Edge of Democracy For Sama <----Potential Upset Honeyland

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Boże Ciało (Corpus Christi), Poland Медена земја (Honeyland), Macedonia Les Miséables (The Miserable Ones), France Dolor y gloria (Pain and Glory), Spain 기생충 (Parasite), South Korea ✅

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World I Lost My Body Klaus <----Potential Upset Missing Link Toy Story 4 ✅

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Irishman, Steven Zaillian Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi ✅ Joker, Todd Phillips and Scott Silver Little Women, Greta Gerwig <----Potential Upset The Two Popes, Anthony McCarten

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1917, Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns Knives Out, Rian Johnson Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino <----Potential Upset Parasite,  Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won ✅

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell Laura Dern, Marriage Story ✅ Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit Florence Pugh, Little Women Margot Robbie, Bombshell

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood ✅

BEST LEAD ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo, Harriett Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story <----Potential Upset Saoirse Ronan, Little Women Charlize Theron, Bombshell Renee Zellweger, Judy ✅

BEST LEAD ACTOR

Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood Adam Driver, Marriage Story Joaquin Phoenix, Joker ✅ Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

BEST DIRECTOR

1917, Sam Mendes ✅ The Irishman, Martin Scorsese Joker, Todd Phillips Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino Parasite, Bong Joon Ho <----Potential Upset

BEST PICTURE

1917 ✅ Ford v Ferrari The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood Parasite <----Potential Upset

[extrabeurre]

Oscars 2020 : Choix et prédictions

La 92e cérémonie des Oscars, sans animateur encore une fois cette année, aura lieu ce dimanche 9 février. Comme le veut la tradition, voici mes choix et mes prédictions dans chacune des catégories principales.

MEILLEUR FILM Ford v Ferrari The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Parasite

Choix :  Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, non seulement mon film préféré de 2019, mais aussi mon film préféré de la décennie. 

Prédiction : Plusieurs candidats sérieux cette année, dont Joker (le film avec le plus de nominations) et Parasite (la Palme d’or, le chouchou des critiques, le lauréat du SAG Award de la meilleure distribution d’ensemble), ainsi que le chef-d’œuvre de Tarantino. Mais parce que les Oscars récompensent rarement les meilleurs films, j’ai l’impression qu’ils ne pourront pas résister au techniquement impressionnant, mais sans plus 1917. Il a déjà le Golden Globe du meilleur drame, le prix de la PGA et tout plein de BAFTAs en poche.

MEILLEURE RÉALISATION

Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Bong Joon-ho, Parasite Todd Phillips, Joker Sam Mendes, 1917

Choix : Tarantino, bien sûr. Ce cinéaste a littéralement changé ma vie il y a 25 ans, et il signe ici son meilleur film en carrière.

Prédiction : Encore là, l’Academy risque de donner un 2e Oscar comme réalisateur à Sam Mendes (lauréat du prix de la DGA), alors que Tarantino n’en a jamais gagné aucun.

MEILLEUR ACTEUR

Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Adam Driver, Marriage Story Joaquin Phoenix, Joker Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

Choix et prédiction : Joaquin Phoenix est probablement le meilleur acteur de sa génération, et avec The Master et You Were Never Really Here, sa performance dans Joker forme une troublante trilogie.

MEILLEURE ACTRICE

Cynthia Erivo, Harriet Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story Saoirse Ronan, Little Women Charlize Theron, Bombshell Renee Zellweger, Judy

Choix : Scarlett Johansson, criante de vérité dans Marriage Story. 

Prédiction : Renee Zellwegger dans Judy. C’est toujours payant d’incarner une personnalité réelle.

MEILLEUR ACTEUR DE SOUTIEN

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Choix et prédiction : Brad Pitt, Movie Star avec des majuscules, incroyablement charismatique dans le film de Tarantino.

MEILLEURE ACTRICE DE SOUTIEN

Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell Laura Dern, Marriage Story Scarlett Johannson, Jojo Rabbit Florence Pugh, Little Women Margot Robbie, Bombshell

Choix et prédiction : Qui n’adore pas Laura Dern? Et ce sera peut-être la seule façon de récompenser cet excellent film qu’est Marriage Story.

MEILLEUR SCÉNARIO ORIGINAL

Knives Out, Rian Johnson Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach 1917, Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino Parasite, Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

Choix et prédiction : Vu qu’on dirait que Tarantino va une fois de plus être écarté des catégories Meilleur film et Meilleure réalisation, il devra se contenter d’un 3e Oscar du Meilleur scénario. À moins que Parasite l’emporte, ce qui est quand même très probable.

MEILLEURE ADAPTATION

The Irishman, Steven Zaillian Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi Joker, Todd Phillips, Scott Silver Little Women, Greta Gerwig The Two Popes, Anthony McCarten

Choix : Le scénario de The Irishman est magistral, à tous les niveaux. Ce film sera-t-il le grand oublié de la cérémonie?

Prédiction : J’ai l’impression que l’Academy ressentira la pression de remettre au moins un prix à Little Women, et ce sera probablement celui-ci. Mais c’est aussi possible que le ridiculement surestimé Jojo Rabbit gagne ce prix.

MEILLEURE DIRECTION PHOTO

The Irishman, Rodrigo Prieto Joker, Lawrence Sher The Lighthouse, Jarin Blaschke 1917, Roger Deakins Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Robert Richardson Choix :  Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, un plaisir visuel de tous les instants.

Prédiction : 1917 pour le gros flex de Roger Deakins, comme dirait mon ami Yannick. Gagnant du prix de l’ASC.

MEILLEUR MONTAGE

Ford v Ferrari, Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland The Irishman, Thelma Schoonmaker Jojo Rabbit, Tom Eagles Joker, Jeff Groth Parasite, Jinmo Yang

Choix : The Irishman, car  Thelma Schoonmaker parvient à rendre un film de 3 h 30 toujours captivant, sans longueurs.

Prédiction : Parasite, car il a gagné le prix ACE Eddie.

MEILLEUR MONTAGE SONORE

Ford v Ferrari, Don Sylvester Joker, Alan Robert Murray 1917, Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Wylie Stateman Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker, Matthew Wood, David Acord

Choix : Ce ne sont pas des catégories que je connais bien, mais j’ai adoré le son des moteurs dans Ford v Ferrari.

Prédiction : 1917, car j’ai l’impression que ce sera le grand gagnant de la soirée, tour de force technique et tout ça.

MEILLEUR MIX SONORE Ad Astra Ford v Ferrari Joker 1917 Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Choix : Ford v Ferrari. Prédiction : 1917.

MEILLEURE DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE

The Irishman, Bob Shaw and Regina Graves Jojo Rabbit, Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova 1917, Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh Parasite, Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee

Choix et prédiction : Je vais y aller pour la reconstitution d’époque, les décors de western, Spahn Ranch dans Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, mais 1917 pourrait rafler ce prix également. Parasite aussi serait plausible.

MEILLEURE MUSIQUE ORIGINALE

Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir Little Women, Alexandre Desplat Marriage Story,Randy Newman 1917, Thomas Newman Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, John Williams

Choix et prédiction : Joker et le sinistre violoncelle de Hildur Guðnadóttir, qui contribue grandement à l’atmosphère du film.

MEILLEURE CHANSON ORIGINALE

I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,  Toy Story 4 I’m Gonna Love Me Again, Rocketman I’m Standing With You, Breakthrough Into the Unknown, Frozen 2 Stand Up, Harriet

Choix : Je n’ai pas encore vu Frozen 2, mais je suis obsédé par Into the Unknown telle que chantée par Idina Menzel.

Prédiction : Difficile de résister à remettre un prix à Elton John pour I’m Gonna Love Me Again!

MEILLEUR MAQUILLAGE ET MEILLEURE COIFFURE

Bombshell Joker Judy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 1917

Choix et prédiction : Joker peut-être? Ou est-ce trop facile d’associer ce film au maquillage?

MEILLEURS COSTUMES

The Irishman, Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson Jojo Rabbit, Mayes C. Rubeo Joker, Mark Bridges Little Women, Jacqueline Durran Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Arianne Phillips

Choix et prédiction : Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, car les films d’époque sont souvent récompensés pour leurs costumes, et le travail de la designer est particulièrement inspiré dans le film de Tarantino.

MEILLEURS EFFETS VISUELS

Avengers Endgame The Irishman 1917 The Lion King Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Choix : Avengers Endgame, un quasi oublié des Oscars. On sous-estime l’exploit qu’est la culmination de l’Infinity Saga, notamment au niveau des effets visuels.

Prédiction : 1917. La prédiction facile pour la majorité des catégories.

MEILLEUR FILM INTERNATIONAL

Corpus Christi, Jan Komasa Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov Les Misérables, Ladj Ly Douleur et gloire, Pedro Almodovar Parasite, Bong Joon Ho

Choix et prédiction : Parasite. La catégorie la plus facile à prédire de la soirée, avec raison. Un chef-d’œuvre, tout simplement.

MEILLEUR FILM D’ANIMATION

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Dean DeBlois J'ai perdu mon corps, Jeremy Clapin Klaus, Sergio Pablos Missing Link, Chris Butler Toy Story 4,  Josh Cooley

Prédiction :  Je n’en ai vu aucun. Je vais dire Toy Story 4. Comme ça.

MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE D’ANIMATION

Dcera, Daria Kashcheeva Hair Love, Matthew A. Cherry Kitbull, Rosana Sullivan Memorable, Bruno Collet Sister, Siqi Song

Prédiction : Je n’en ai vu aucun. Je vais dire Hair Love. Comme ça. 

MEILLEUR DOCUMENTAIRE

American Factory, Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar The Cave, Feras Fayyad The Edge of Democracy, Petra Costa For Sama, Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

Prédiction : Paraît que For Sama est exceptionnel. 

MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE

In the Absence Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone, Carol Dysinger Life Overtakes Me, Kristine Samuelson, John Haptas St. Louis Superman Walk Run Cha-Cha, Laura Nix

Prédiction : Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone. Le titre m’intrigue. 

MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE

Brotherhood, Meryam Joobeur Nefta Football Club, Yves Piat The Neighbors’ Window, Marshall Curry Saria, Bryan Buckley Une soeur, Delphine Girard

Choix : Une soeur, pour la twist ingénieuse, le suspense soutenu, et les excellentes actrices. Le jury dont je faisais partie lui a remis le prix du Meilleur film à SPASM.

Prédiction : Pourquoi pas la coproduction québécoise Brotherhood!

[filmspun]

Oscar Nominations 2020: The Complete List

The Academy Awards will air on ABC on February 9, 2020

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

“Little Women”

“Marriage Story”

“1917”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“Parasite”

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas “Pain and Glory”

Leonardo DiCaprio “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Adam Driver “Marriage Story”

Joaquin Phoenix “Joker”

Jonathan Pryce “The Two Popes”

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo “Harriet”

Scarlett Johansson “Marriage Story”

Saoirse Ronan “Little Women”

Charlize Theron “Bombshell”

Renee Zellweger “Judy”

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”

Al Pacino, “The Irishman”

Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”

Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”

Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Scarlett Johannson, “Jojo Rabbit”

Florence Pugh, “Little Women”

Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”

Todd Phillips, “Joker”

Sam Mendes, “1917”

Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Dean DeBlois

“I Lost My Body” Jeremy Clapin

“Klaus” Sergio Pablos

“Missing Link” Chris Butler

“Toy Story 4”  Josh Cooley

Animated Short:

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva

“Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry

“Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan

“Memorable,” Bruno Collet

“Sister,” Siqi Song

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian

“Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi

“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver

“Just Mercy” Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham

“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig

“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson

“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach

“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino

“Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto

“Joker,” Lawrence Sher

“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke

“1917,” Roger Deakins

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Best Documentary Feature:

“American Factory,” Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar

“The Cave,” Feras Fayyad

“The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa

“For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts

“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“In the Absence”

“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger

“Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson, John Haptas

“St. Louis Superman”

“Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur

“Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat

“The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry

“Saria,” Bryan Buckley

“A Sister,” Delphine Girard

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa

“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

“Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly

“Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar

“Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland

“The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker

“Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles

“Joker,” Jeff Groth

“Parasite,” Jinmo Yang

Sound Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester

“Joker,” Alan Robert Murray

“1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman

“Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord

Sound Mixing:

“Ad Astra”

 “Ford v Ferrari”

“Joker”

“1917”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Production Design:

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves

“Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova

“1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh

“Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir

“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat

“Marriage Story,”Randy Newman

“1917,” Thomas Newman

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams*“The King,” Nicholas Britell

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”

“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”

“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”

“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”

“Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Makeup and Hair:

“Bombshell”

“Joker”

“Judy”

“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”

“1917”

Costume Design:

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson

“Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo

“Joker,” Mark Bridges

“Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips

Visual Effects:

“Avengers Endgame”

“The Irishman”

“1917”

“The Lion King”

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

[dishonoredrpg]

Congratulations, MINNIE! You’ve been accepted for the role of THE CHARIOT with the faceclaim of LUMA GROTHE. There’s a sound, sometimes, that I think of often: the thundering of hooves against the racetrack, the repetitive thrum, the thrill of watching beasts run you by knowing that they could in theory mow someone down and do not. For me, you embodied this with Valeria. You had me hooked with by all means, Chariot was bred to rule; it runs in her blood, it rots in her veins, and the rest of your application was held up on the same pedestal. You showed me both the potential to do and the potential to do not. You hit the nail on the head with the balance between duty and the desire to see something through, and their active conflicts with each other in a world that would like to eliminate conflict altogether; I cannot wait to see how Valeria’s story plays out.

Please review the CHECKLIST and send your blog in within 24 hours.

THE CHARIOT

OOC

NAME: Minnie

PRONOUNS: She/Her

AGE: 24

TIMEZONE, ACTIVITY LEVEL: EST. As for activity, I aim to post one reply every day. That being said, there are certain weeks where my muse is severely lacking due to the demand of my full-time job. I do my best to prepare for that ahead of time, but I will do my very best to follow the pace of the dash.

ANYTHING ELSE?: 

IN CHARACTER

SKELETON: Chariot

NAME: Valeria INSERT SURNAME HERE. I imagine that Valeria took on the name of Septimus’ family, partially because I’ve headcanoned that they had to face some general distrust when they first arrived to Tyrholm. To cement their standing, they took on the royal surname — which I think would be acceptable, since their mother was the rightful ruler.

FACECLAIM: Luma Grothe, Hoyeon Jung, Paulina Singer, Ursula Corbero, Fernanda Ly. Faceclaims are listed in order of preference. I tried to include different ethnicities to match potential faceclaims of the others!

Pronouns would be she/them.

AGE: I’d like them to be a year or two younger than The Emperor, to support a headcanon that she wanted very badly to become The Emperor’s friend/chosen sibling. Also because I think it’s a deeper twist of the knife to know that your junior is more suited for the throne, hehe. The youngest faceclaim on the list is 25 and the oldest is 30, so I can range from 25-35. Sorry for keeping things somewhat vague! If you really need an exact age, I can go with 27.

DETAILS: Unbridled potential. That’s the one phrase that best sums up my attraction to Chariot. They have a talent for greatness, an uncanny knack for excelling beyond measure; it’s never meant that much to them. They do not hunger for power, and their ambition is a humble creature — a mouse, rather than a phoenix turning the night sky to an angry orange. Her power clings to her, it emits a glow from within; wherever she goes, people notice. How can they not? Self-possessed and poised, they stink of competence. Whether she wields it as a dagger to one’s throat or holds it leisurely in her hands, it always manages to catch the light.

Chariot’s power, to me, seems like a pendulum; it sways back and forth wildly. By all means, Chariot was bred to rule; it runs in her blood, it rots in her veins. But then there is the madness that tempts her to step from the light and follow it down a long and unending tunnel, into the labyrinth where everything is possible and those closest to you cannot be trusted.

I think, at the end of the day, I see a million different paths for Chariot and I’d absolutely love to follow the trail until I can unveil them in all their glory — whether it be for good or for evil.

BACKGROUND:

Your first memory is of a warm egg in your hands. Your mother curls your fingers over it as if you’ve stumbled upon some great treasure. You know now that it was only an egg, but it felt magical as a child. You grow up in the farmlands, and live a quiet life. You and your father work the fields, and you learn to love the way sweat trickles down from your brow to your chin and the simple camaraderie of coaxing life from the earth. Your father teaches you the beauty of a silent moment and a fully formed thought, told in between hours hard labor and the scorching sun. He is not an overly affectionate man, but he shows you his heart in the way he lets you fail, over and over again, until you finally get it right. When he smiles at you with that look of a shared secret, you swell with pride. Your mother is enigmatic and clever, and tells the best stories. Each one is coated with mystery and ancient legends that you soak up like a sponge. She tells you a hundred stories and each one vibrates deep in your bones, as if you’ve lived it before. But if you’ve lived a hundred lives, then your mother has a thousand inside her, and she is a conqueror in each one. When the two of you venture into town, you feel a thick blanket of secrets settle over you. When you’re a child, it feels like you’re being suffocated. As you age, you learn that it’s possible to breathe and move beneath it; it just takes precision and a finesse you learn by watching your mother interact with other merchants. Your mother disappears only one year after you learn the truth of who you are. You are becoming a grown-up now, she tells you, her eyes unblinking and unashamed. It’s the most unguarded you’ve ever seen your mother; it is a terrifying and glorious thing to see her in all her power and grace. You can picture her with a crown; it does not surprise you when you learn that she abdicated the throne. Of course she did; you cannot imagine her happier anywhere else other than right here in the farmlands where the wind is crisp and the soil is sweet. You are a princess, your mother says. No I’m not, you tell her, I’m a farmer, just like Father. That makes her laugh, but you notice a tear catch in the corner of her eye. First, your father dies. He falls ill, and you learn that no amount of power or royal blood can save a loved one from death. You sit behind your mother. You do not watch, but you listen; to this day, you swear that you heard his last breath. Your mother holds you and tells you that the farm is in your hands. You are the one who inhaled and exhaled the land as he did. Your mother helps, but you can see that you are better at this than she is. So you assume the position of leadership at the tender age of nine, and you learn to push your body and mind to its very limit. You learn that, when you push hard enough, what seems like a brick wall softens and becomes pliable clay. It stretches. You grow. You learn. You excel. When you are ten, your mother disappears. You make do on your own. There is no other option, so you continue working the land. You work twice as long and twice as hard, and you are at your breaking point when Septimus arrives. Your uncle. The king, you realize after you’re already well on your way to Tyrholm. At your heart, you are a farmer. You know what it means to cut your hands in order to grow calluses. You believe that the work will get easier the harder you work, and it comes naturally to you. After a few years living in Tyrlholm, they call you lucky, a natural-born princess. You know the truth: it is the spirit of your mother living on in you, and you find yourself talking to her throughout the day. When you realize it has become something like prayer, you lean into it. This is when you begin seeing your mother in the halls. Another shared secret that will bind you to her side and her heart, forevermore. You relish it. You embrace it. You harbor it like a warm egg in your hands, a sign of life and labor and creation. The people of Tyrholm show only contempt in the beginning, and it fuels you. You dig your heels deeper, grip the handle of your sword tighter, think faster. They only speak of your glory and your skill now, but you remember. You remember the disdain that dripped like venom from their teeth as they said your name. It takes years to undo that first impression: a child with matted hair that sticks up because of the way you sleep, dirt caked beneath your fingernails that took a whole week to scrub out, the smell of fertilizer and manure clinging to you like your home is not ready to let you go. But eventually, it does. You become one of them. More importantly, you become better than them. When they notice, you pretend not to care. Part of you, though, rather enjoys it. It could make your ego swell, if not for your cousin. THe Emperor takes every chance to trim your pride — you suppose that’s a rather kind way to describe the way they sneer at your every accomplishment. As a child, you saw them as the first playmate you could have ever had. Enamored by them, awed by them, you trailed after them hoping to find a sibling — a friend. Once you begin to surpass them in every lesson and every skill, you don’t notice the way their eyes darken as you walk by, or the way your name falls from their lips like blasphemy. It takes many bitter pranks and cruel jokes for you to understand: there is no such thing as family in Tyrholm. There is only you, your power and your secrets. You learn the lesson well — as you learn every lesson. And once you learn it, the door opens to learn more of Tyrholm’s hidden tunnels. There are a million rules no one will teach you, that you must teach yourself; these are the ones you like best. You begin a delicate dance with the integrity and honor you learned from your father, and the cunning you learned from your mother. At times, it is like being pulled in different directions. Eventually, it gets easier. You’re not sure when you stumbled onto this idea that Septimus did away with your mother. All you know is that the years of deception and clever dances and wordplay with nobility have become so ingrained in you that you no longer have to think upon it; and that’s when you consider that there are others who are as practiced with power as you are. The king is no mastermind; he is not a smart man, a clever man, not even a good man. But it’s exactly that talent for foolishness that makes a man bold and arrogant enough to murder his own sister, and take her child in as his own. Once the idea is planted, it is impossible to ignore it. You check on it obsessively, and the visions of your mother become plagued with suspicion. The foundation of who you are and your place in Tyrholm has been shaken, and you are unsettled wherever you go. You can try to hide it, but you have never been able to hide your greatness; you are unable to hide the new jagged edge it’s formed now.

PLOT IDEAS: LET’S GET THE OBVIOUS ONE OUT OF THE WAY, SHALL WE??? I of course would like to see Chariot follow the trail to uncover the truth of her mother’s death — and I’m very much open to it being exactly what she suspects or very not. Valeria has been at court for more than ten years; they have learned the games of both mind and sword, and they are not so arrogant to believe they are the true masters of either. Their mother’s inexplicable disappearance/death has always been a question mark for Valeria; who is to say that it was not another game orchestrated by Tyrholm, by the king? I’d like to explore a descent into madness, whether it’s legitimate or not. Their suspicions have taken a life of its own, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’d like to explore the ramifications of people getting a whiff of Valeria’s unrest: Death, the Empress, etc. How will this knowledge live in the Emperor’s hands, or the World’s? I’d absolutely love, LOVE to see how public perception changes of Valeria, who is respected greatly for her competency and respected as the better option for the throne. As they spiral (and I truly hope to see them spiral), how will they contain it? This is just rambling off of the last plot (more of a sub-plot I guess), but Death is the only one who seems to have an explicit understanding of their goals, and THIS, TO ME, IS THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THIS CONNECTION AND DEAL THEY’VE MADE??? It only serves them if Valeria has an actual change to take the throne. But what happens if she spirals so bad that there’s no WAY she’d be a fit to rule anymore? Would Death preserve their image in order to make them ruler, or would Death cast them out quickly to preserve their own skin? This is perhaps the first time in Valeria’s life that they’ve been helpless to act. It’s precisely because of their royal blood that they are unable to truly enact their quest, and I’d like to explore the implications of that for Valeria’s sense of self. Who are they, if not capable? At her heart, she is a farmer. They are measured by their output, by their productivity, by their crops and their yield. Right now, they are unable to yield anything. They can’t even truly plant seeds, relying only on Death and the Devil to work for them. How will this affect their sense of worth, and how will it influence their descent or ascent? The Empress may be one opportunity to have Valeria do something of her own accord, but it’s a risky confrontation. So what would it take for her to get there? BECAUSE I WANT TO GET HER THERE. I hint in her background this sense of not belonging — of having to fight her way in, versus being raised in Tyrholm. I’d love to explore that further, as well. I’d love to have nobility find Valeria a worthy heir but still not one of them. Or have Valeria be a more accessible figure to those who are of lower “ranking” (oh gosh is that okay to say) than them in a very different way than the World is accessible. Where the World is beloved for their kindness, Valeria is (in my head) more approachable because they don’t have the airs of someone who was born into royalty. It’d be an interesting dynamic to explore, especially to see how it relates to them being seen as a worthy heir.

CHARACTER DEATH: I’d like to see at least Valeria’s great suspicion become public before they die. I’m okay with them never getting answers because angst, but I’d like for their death to make an impact on Tyrholm — rather than just adding to the body count.

WRITING SAMPLE

The life leaks out of them like water from a faucet. With their expression resting like a stone, Valeria watches. There is no feeling to be expressed, no thought to be had but this: death looks the same wherever you go. In foreign lands and in her home country, the last moments of a single life are universal. There is some comfort in that.

“You have the face,” they rasp, “of a ruler.” A traitor to the throne, Septimus sent Valeria to put an end to their life. A strong member of the royal family, they hum like a fat cat who caught sight of a crippled mouse, that’s the last thing I want them to see. So she goes. She ignores the scorn that graces the Emperor's face, the flash of worry in the World’s eyes. She ignores even the look of smug arrogance on her uncle’s, so pleased that the pride and joy of Tyrholm beckons to his every call.

He sees what he wants to see. More importantly, he sees what she wants him to see.

Valeria says nothing. She waits for the eyes of a traitor to lose the last glimpse of light, wondering peculiarly if she is watching her own fate. A sword piercing her chest like a final embrace — perhaps Septimus will send his son to put an end to her life. They’ve been waiting for a long time to do it, she thinks, recalling every furious curl of their mouth and the unforgiving slant of their brow.

The traitor throws one final sentence out, with a great show of struggle: “But you have the hands of a servant.”

It’s then that Valeria affords them a smile. Every traitor they’ve ever killed at the king’s command has been insightful and clever, but never before has one seen Valeria for more than a noble figurehead. They see only the pride and joy of the throne, the deserving heir with no right to the crown.

To thank them, she grants them a secret. “And the heart of a traitor,” she whispers, taking some small delight in the way their eyes grow round with surprise even in their last moments. “Just like you.”

Before they have a chance to grasp the weight of her gift, Valeria pulls her blade from their chest. She waits for the life to bleed out of them. When it does, she wipes her blood clean of their blood and plucks a few weeds from the ground, resting it beside the wound she leaves behind.

“May your treason spread throughout Tyrholm.”

It’s both a prayer and a promise.

EXTRAS N/A

[tocinephile]

The Morning After - The Year the Oscars Got it (mostly) Right Edition

The 92nd Academy Awards kicked off looking an awful lot like the Grammy’s with a splashy musical performance by Janelle Monae and Billy Porter, the first of a night’s performances/presenters/commentary designed to include all the groups it seemingly excluded in it’s nominees list. Meant to poke fun at themselves or a gesture delivered a little too overt and a little too late? Either way, I think in the end, the artistry of the South Korean-made foreign language film that swept the night’s awards won one back for every group that was overlooked.

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite took home awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Picture, making it the first South Korean film to win in all these categories.  To do it all in a single evening is astounding.

Here’s a look at all the winners of the night:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari” — Walt Disney “The Irishman” — Netflix “Jojo Rabbit” — Fox Searchlight “Joker” — Warner Bros. “Little Women” — Sony Pictures Releasing “Marriage Story” — Netflix “1917” — Universal/Amblin Partners “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — Sony Pictures Releasing “Parasite” — Neon (WINNER)

Most deserving win of the night!!!  Of course many of us hoped Parasite could be the underdog to win it all, but a more realistic prediction to win would be 1917. Thrilled to be wrong on this one. 

Also, while I liked 1917 (more for its execution than story), even if Parasite had not been in the mix, I would have been rooting for The Irishman to win.

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet” Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”  Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”  Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”  Renée Zellweger, “Judy” (WINNER)

I am also in full agreement with this category and with Renee sweeping this category this awards season as well.  

I have not seen Harriet, but if Renee hadn’t been in the race, Charlize would have been the best of the bunch.

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”  Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”  Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”  Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” — (WINNER) Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

Again, no question this was the right winner. If only every win didn’t mean we’d have to roll the dice to see what kind of acceptance speech we’d have to endure... While I didn’t appreciate being chastised for adding milk to my coffee, Joaquin closed out his remarks by quoting his late brother River and I thought that was beautiful.

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”  Todd Phillips, “Joker”  Sam Mendes, “1917”  Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”  Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” — (WINNER)

Another category that I thought the Academy would give to Sam Mendes, but nonetheless put my bets on Bong Joon-ho.  Some big competition in this category (except Phillips... sorry, I’m not saying he’s bad, but he has yet to prove to me he’s a contender).

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”  “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” —  (WINNER) “I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”  “Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”  “Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Talk about a year of forgettable film songs. I think I left the room for every one of these performances except Elton’s. Did I miss anything?

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir —  (WINNER) “Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat  “Marriage Story,” Randy Newman  “1917,” Thomas Newman  “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams 

As part of the montage for this category, the orchestra accompanies with each film’s original score. This segment, as they proudly pointed out, was being conducted a female for the first time in Oscar history (I’d like to shallowly add that she was also wearing the most amazing gold jacket to do it!). Now I don’t know if she also arranged it or whether she was just conducting, but I have to say, I don’t think the arrangement did the scores any justice whatsoever. 

Luckily they were not being judged on this particular performance, and Hildur Guonadottir once again took home the accolade for Joker. I agree with this win. Little Women and 1917 also had impressive scores.  Marriage Story didn’t particularly catch my attention, and while Star Wars’ themes will always be among my all time favourites, The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t particularly outstanding out of the saga.

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov  “Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly  “Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodóvar  “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho — (WINNER)

If anyone else had won we would have rioted right?

Makeup and Hair:

“Bombshell” — (WINNER) “Joker” “Judy”  “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”  “1917” 

Got this prediction correct, while not the most obvious frontrunner perhaps, a lot of subtle effort was put in to transform cast into their characters.

Visual Effects:

“Avengers: Endgame”  “The Irishman”  “The Lion King”  “1917” — (WINNER) “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” 

It’s naive of me, but seeing 1917 win for Visual Effects almost takes away from my appreciation of the film in some ways because in my head, I’d still like to think of all films outside of fantasy and sci-fi as largely real. I know it’s not the case and that even your average period drama is created largely with effects these days, it can’t help but ruin the magic a little.

Also I had guessed Avengers: Endgame would win.

And we all think that The Irishman is on this list for de-aging technologies alone right?

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland — (WINNER) “The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker  “Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles  “Joker,” Jeff Groth  “Parasite,” Jinmo Yang 

This entire list is on par with each other I think, with Ford v Ferrari just edging out the rest. Also the editing is what made the film so dynamic, there was little room for a bad cut, whereas the others might have little bit more room to err.

Many might disagree but I think Little Women should have been considered in this category.  The film’s editing choices was one of its main criticisms, but I think it actually made the film much more dynamic and differentiated it from previous adaptations.  (If only they’d used a bit more of The Irishman’s aging/de-aging effects)

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto “Joker,” Lawrence Sher “The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke  “1917,” Roger Deakins — (WINNER) “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Agree! Cool camera work in 1917 for sure.

Sound Mixing:

“Ad Astra”  “Ford v Ferrari”  “Joker”  “1917” — (WINNER) “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Um ok, if you’re going to split the sound categories between two films.  I would’ve said Ford v Ferrari for both.

Sound Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester — (WINNER) “Joker,” Alan Robert Murray  “1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman  “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord 

Agree. Hopefully everyone who wanted to see this film caught it in theatres, the sound was a huge contributing factor to the enjoyment of this film.

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”  Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” — (WINNER) Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”  Florence Pugh, “Little Women”  Margot Robbie, “Bombshell” 

Little surprise when Laura Dern swept this category, even though I maintain she wasn’t better than the rest. That said, I’m not sure who I would pick in her place, I say share the love between Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson, and Florence Pugh (yes, I just said Amy March should get an oscar... I see the irony of this too)

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam  “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger — (WINNER) “Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas “St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan  “Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix 

I didn’t see any of the shorts this year, my bad.  The winner sounds hella interestering!

Best Documentary Feature:

“American Factory,” Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar — (WINNER) “The Cave,” Feras Fayyad  “The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa  “For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts  “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov 

I only saw American Factory and The Cave and I actually liked The Cave better.  That said I felt strongly that American Factory had the edge, for starters it was backed by the Obamas’ production company. I didn’t love American Factory but I do feel it’s a timely piece that shows two sides of the story, inevitable prejudices based on what we’ve become conditioned to physically, mentally, socially, and also how important it is that we try to overcome or build a bridge to find solutions for the greater good. 

Costume Design:

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson  “Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo  “Joker,” Mark Bridges  “Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran — (WINNER) “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips 

For a historical drama, I really didn’t find the costumes of Little Women to be that spectacular (I’m having visions of The Age of Innocence when you say Best Costume), though a part of me knows the period films win more often than not. While I think Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is strong contender, Jojo Rabbit should have won.

Production Design:

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves  “Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova  “1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh  (WINNER) “Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram and Cho Hee

Yes! Once Upon a Time was a bit overrated (sorry Quentin) but this was one category where it really deserved to win, from the western sets, film studio lots, to the wardrobe and streets of the 60′s, lots of fun and spirit captured in the production design.

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur  “Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat  “The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry — (WINNER) “Saria,” Bryan Buckley  “A Sister,” Delphine Girard 

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian  “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi — (WINNER) “Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver  “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig  “The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten 

I love that Taika Waititi is an Oscar winner. Also shouts to Greta Gerwig for making Little Women almost tolerable in her script! The Two Popes could not have been an easy adaptation either. Now can a comic book expert please tell me, how much of Joker is really from existing stories in comics, and how much was filled in by the writers? I understand why it was an adapted screenplay, but I feel like material like this almost completely open to interpretation and could easily be written anew as an original screenplay.

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson  “Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach  “1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino  “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, Jin Won Han —  (WINNER)

Just for fun, my ranking of the original screenplay nominees from best to alright:

1) Parasite, 2) Knives Out, 3) Marriage Story, 4) 1917, 5) Once Upon a Time

Animated Short:

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva  “Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry — (WINNER) “Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan  “Memorable,” Bruno Collet  “Sister,” Siqi Song 

I keep hearing great things about this short!

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” Dean DeBlois  “I Lost My Body,” Jeremy Clapin  “Klaus,” Sergio Pablos  “Missing Link,” Chris Butler  “Toy Story 4,”  Josh Cooley — (WINNER)

I clearly didn’t watch any animated films this year because I didn’t even know there were new How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story films released.

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”  Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”  Al Pacino, “The Irishman”  Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”  Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — (WINNER)

Overall, if Brad Pitt sweeping this category means I get to hear at least one great speech per awards, then I’m ok with this. My personal ranking:

1) Al Pacino, 2) Joe Pesci, 3) Tom Hanks, 4) Brad Pitt, 5) Anthony Hopkins.  I had to debate over Pacino and Pesci’s performances, I feel like this is one of the best problems in the world.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prior to the start of the show, I made a mess of notes about who I thought would win, who I thought should win, and shared my Oscar Pool Picks which were based on a mix of the two... My Oscar pool are an extremely knowledgeable bunch, and with 18/24, it only put me in a 3-way tie for third place (there were also three winners who split the winnings), I need to move back to the baby leagues!

If you were following my Twitter (or care to check in hindsight...@palindr0me) I also shared a little additional commentary and photos of some of my favourite dresses of the evening. 

My personal top 3 moments during the Awards Ceremony were:

1) Every time Parasite won an award - Give this man all the statues he wants! lol

2) Billie Eilish’s rendition of Yesterday (I wish this was an actual recorded track so I could play it over and over)

3) When Eminem took the stage at the end of a montage to perform “Lose Yourself” and my phone exploded with all these messages of “ Whaaat is happening???” LOL! Believe me friends, I was as confused as you were.

Aaand, that’s a wrap on awards season! Looking forward to a new year and new decade in film!

[womenyug]

Here’s a fascinating fact: You’re born with all the hair follicles you’ll ever have — around 5 million to be exact, according to theOf those, about 100,000 follicles are on your scalp. When it comes to losing hair, the AAD says it’s totally normal to lose about 50 to 100 Hair groth a day.

https://womenyug.com/category/hair-groth/

[stopthepres]

fake dating is awful. it’s almost like it’s not fake at all, which is what i hate the most. you’d think we’d need to do a frick ton of scheming but the truth is there’s not a lot of story to line up when your lives are already so intertwined.

the only real change in my life since we started this wacky caper is how other people see me. and i’m not like doe. i can’t even project a half-decent air of gives no fucks into the universe. because i give a lot of fucks about what everyone else thinks of me.

if there’s a fuck to give, i’ve probably given it multiple times before i’ve even considered what i want for lunch.

so i kinda hate how my friends treat doe’s boyfriend, preston. that’s how it feels now! nothing is interesting or worth discussing unless it ties back to what’s happening with me and doe. sure, i expected all the “i knew this would happen!” reactions but i didn’t expect to feel like everyone expects me to screw this imaginary relationship up somehow.

i accept the inevitable end of this is doe breaking up with me because she’d never stand for the narrative that i broke up with her but it’s still annoying.

in case you think this is all in my head, most likely due to doe tampering with your outlook on how dramatic i am, right now all i want to do is eat a piece of cheesecake in bed. this is not what is happening right now.

what is happening right now is brady sitting at the edge of my bed with a fork in hand even though i have no intention of sharing. he’s been ranting for the last few minutes about how i supposedly need to step up my boyfriend game if i don’t want the magic to disappear.

“isn’t, like, 50% of magic shows making stuff disappear?”

he looks genuinely blown away by this question but shakes it off quickly. “you’re not listening. these things take effort. you can’t just… be whoever you already were. you’ve gotta be better. you’ve gotta show you care. you’ve gotta scream love from all the holes in your body.”

“thath thort of groth,” i mumble through a mouthful of cheesecake, pausing to actually chew and swallow. “also pretty sure the literal angel you’re so in love with told me to be myself or some shit so that’s what i’m doing.”

“you’re eating dessert alone in bed on a friday night,” brady deadpans, as if he’s not sitting there trying to steal potential leftovers. “you’re a shitty boyfriend.”

“she’s with kat,” i argue, doing my best to balance my plate in my lap while i reach for my phone, swiping my way to confirming i’ve got zero notifications. “kat wanted her to go to some club and i wasn’t invited and-“

“AND THAT’S ANOTHER THING!” brady points at me like he’s taken an acting class taught by some psycho who thinks pointing is the only way to draw attention. “her roommate doesn’t like you. that’s bad news.”

“wait, what?” i set my phone down slowly. “kat definitely likes me. we’re bonded. we’re close. we get each other. you know, spit to the same beat, et cetera.”

“dude. there’s no way you believe that.” brady shifts in closer to take the plate and i let it go because i know there’s no use in fighting over cheesecake when he feeds me ninety-five percent of the time. “she thinks doe should trade you for a better model… probably an actual model.”

that actually stings. i know i’m attractive but i’m skinny, all twiggy limbs, baby face and messy hair. it’s taken me a long time to stop comparing myself to dudes with muscle or guys who can actually grow a beard. i guess i’m not ideal to a lot of people but i mentioned how much i hate my freckles when i was twelve and doe kissed the bridge of my nose, where they gather into this demonic little clump of dots.

i didn’t hate them so much after that.

but what if kat really does think doe can do better? what if that’s a popular opinion? what if everyone is waiting for her to break up with me? what if the constant stream of advice from my friends and my family is because nobody trusts that i could keep a girl like doe interested in me? in a mushy way, not just sex.

it occurs to me as i watch brady commit the offense of eating everything but the graham cracker crust that maybe i’m losing my fucking mind over nothing. because none of this is real. i’m not dating doe. she’s not dating me. we’re not dating! we’re not together! this is a fucking sham to ride off into the sunset without mary anne or whatever her name was.

“uhhh, earth to preston, are you going to pout or are you going to text doe and tell her to come over?” he stands up and takes a step back toward my door. “i’m about to vamoose to stevie’s so you can, uh, romance her, make her breakfast tomorrow, score some points…”

i snort at the thought of me cooking but i reach for my phone as soon as brady’s out of my room. i can hear him gushing over facetime about a fort stevie built for him and it’s the first time i’ve ever wondered what they say when i’m not invading their space. do they talk about me? do they talk about me and doe?

do they think i could ever make her happy? for real, not as part of a scheme.

does everyone think this was bound to happen but also destined to fail? because i get it. we’re both shit at commitment. but seriously why does it seem like the assumption is i’m going to be the reason this doesn’t work out?

fake dating is awful and i hate it but suddenly i want to be better at this. only because i give all those fucks, remember? i can’t have the universe thinking i’m a shitty boyfriend.

i text doe: i wanna be the best boyfriend ever!!!

she texts back: you already are.

i hear brady leave so i ask if she can facetime or if she’s still out with kat. a few minutes pass and i tap to answer an incoming call. she’s standing under a street light and my first thought is how i can’t believe i’m forced by time and space to wait for a kiss from her. it doesn’t take long for me to convince her to come over.

i say i miss her. it’s the truth. she hangs up without saying goodbye.

but then she’s in my bed where she belongs. i’m underneath the sheets, her fingers in my hair to drag my mouth up from her thigh. my heart is pounding faster than i’ve ever felt and i hope i wake up with her face in the crook of my neck. i’ve never had that thought while i going down on her before but there it is. 

yeah, there’s the other things, too. how good she tastes, how bad i want to fuck her, how hot it is when she sighs out my name  when her back arches off my mattress.

but i also think it’s not so bad being doe’s boyfriend, preston.

i mean, as long as i can convince everyone i’m actually really fucking good at this.

[ask-kurt-wagnerandrpwithhim]

(It's okay this is more of a jab than criticism. Clothes are described here with colors included but besides the canon team your OCs have little to no description except maybe Ana. Liz's blind and has a golden mechanical arm but besides that she's a hybrid with no description to her resulting appearence. Her kids are hybrids of humans/alien, Jotun and cat so even less of an idea of what they look like than her. The fact we just learnt Howahkan even had a tail and fur means something.)

Oops... ok, so Lizzy has a very fluffy tail and cat ears, her hair and fur all curly and dark brown, her hair is shoulder lenth, scars of all sorts surround her eyes, her eyes are dark red, she's about 5 feet tall, always looks tired, and is gender fluid so other features like bust size shift. She has a round face, high cheek bones, and a cat like but not specifically cat looking nose, like its triangular and button at the same time. Her eyes have cat pupils, but they're usually not the first thing you notice about how she looks. The scars are so prevalent, they drown out all other features at first, even her tail and ears. These scars are from Laufey and why she's blind.

Ana is about the same height, with similar facial structure, thin from starvation but also kinda buff, pale yellow eyes, her hair looks like she cuts it with a dagger and she's never washed it in her life so it's hard to tell what texture or color it is (it's super tight, kinky curls and a dirty blonde color but it looks almost black from millennia of dirt and grime and is weighed down so much it's pulled straight), huge black wings, and a demeanor that says "back off" where as Lizzy's says "I'm a mom and you're safe". Michessla, upon furst glance, is a normal little tomboy, but she has her mother's cat like pupils, with green eyes, short, light brown hair, cat ears, and it's pretty clear she gets into fights every so often. Howahkan has normal ears, a fluffy tail, is a little shorter than his twin, wears sparkly pink dresses and sparkly pink shoes, and has nornal pupils. Alex is a bit chubby, still hasn't dropped all their baby fat but also grows a bit slower than usual so doctors don't worry too much right now and think they're just waiting on a groth spurt, they have blue skin and deep red eyes like their mom, and dark brown hair all in ringlets. Lizzy and the twins are both very pale, paler than Loki is generally depicted, and Ana is a bit more tan than they are from being outside all the time. Tina looks similar to Toothless but with pink eyes and her tail fins are intact. Fun fact, Lizzy and Ana have such full cheeks, souch round cheeks, that Kurt is always tempted ti squish their faces or pinch their cheeks. As my first characters, they look strikingly similar to me and my mom

[valeriavalmont]

VALERIA VALMONT // THE CHARIOT

AGE: 27 ALLEGIANCE AND OCCUPATION: Revolter, second in line to the throne after the Emperor ABILITIES: N/A PRONOUNS: She/they FACECLAIM: Luma Grothe

LINKS

• SKELETON • OPEN/TAKEN CONNECTIONS • APPLICATION • HEADCANONS

BACKGROUND

• Your first memory is of a warm egg in your hands. Your mother curls your fingers over it as if you’ve stumbled upon some great treasure. You know now that it was only an egg, but it felt magical as a child. You grow up in the farmlands, and live a quiet life. You and your father work the fields, and you learn to love the way sweat trickles down from your brow to your chin and the simple camaraderie of coaxing life from the earth. Your father teaches you the beauty of a silent moment and a fully formed thought, told in between hours hard labor and the scorching sun. He is not an overly affectionate man, but he shows you his heart in the way he lets you fail, over and over again, until you finally get it right. When he smiles at you with that look of a shared secret, you swell with pride.

• Your mother is enigmatic and clever, and tells the best stories. Each one is coated with mystery and ancient legends that you soak up like a sponge. She tells you a hundred stories and each one vibrates deep in your bones, as if you’ve lived it before. But if you’ve lived a hundred lives, then your mother has a thousand inside her, and she is a conqueror in each one. When the two of you venture into town, you feel a thick blanket of secrets settle over you. When you’re a child, it feels like you’re being suffocated. As you age, you learn that it’s possible to breathe and move beneath it; it just takes precision and a finesse you learn by watching your mother interact with other merchants.

• Your mother disappears only one year after you learn the truth of who you are. You are becoming a grown-up now, she tells you, her eyes unblinking and unashamed. It’s the most unguarded you’ve ever seen your mother; it is a terrifying and glorious thing to see her in all her power and grace. You can picture her with a crown; it does not surprise you when you learn that she abdicated the throne. Of course she did; you cannot imagine her happier anywhere else other than right here in the farmlands where the wind is crisp and the soil is sweet. You are a princess, your mother says. No I’m not, you tell her, I’m a farmer, just like Father. That makes her laugh, but you notice a tear catch in the corner of her eye.

• First, your father dies. He falls ill, and you learn that no amount of power or royal blood can save a loved one from death. You sit behind your mother. You do not watch, but you listen; to this day, you swear that you heard his last breath. Your mother holds you and tells you that the farm is in your hands. You are the one who inhaled and exhaled the land as he did. Your mother helps, but you can see that you are better at this than she is. So you assume the position of leadership at the tender age of nine, and you learn to push your body and mind to its very limit. You learn that, when you push hard enough, what seems like a brick wall softens and becomes pliable clay. It stretches. You grow. You learn. You excel.

• When you are ten, your mother disappears. You make do on your own. There is no other option, so you continue working the land. You work twice as long and twice as hard, and you are at your breaking point when Septimus arrives. Your uncle. The king, you realize after you’re already well on your way to Tyrholm.

• At your heart, you are a farmer. You know what it means to cut your hands in order to grow calluses. You believe that the work will get easier the harder you work, and it comes naturally to you. After a few years living in Tyrlholm, they call you lucky, a natural-born princess. You know the truth: it is the spirit of your mother living on in you, and you find yourself talking to her throughout the day. When you realize it has become something like prayer, you lean into it. This is when you begin seeing your mother in the halls. Another shared secret that will bind you to her side and her heart, forevermore. You relish it. You embrace it. You harbor it like a warm egg in your hands, a sign of life and labor and creation.

• The people of Tyrholm show only contempt in the beginning, and it fuels you. You dig your heels deeper, grip the handle of your sword tighter, think faster. They only speak of your glory and your skill now, but you remember. You remember the disdain that dripped like venom from their teeth as they said your name. It takes years to undo that first impression: a child with matted hair that sticks up because of the way you sleep, dirt caked beneath your fingernails that took a whole week to scrub out, the smell of fertilizer and manure clinging to you like your home is not ready to let you go. But eventually, it does. You become one of them. More importantly, you become better than them. When they notice, you pretend not to care. Part of you, though, rather enjoys it.

• It could make your ego swell, if not for your cousin. The Emperor takes every chance to trim your pride — you suppose that’s a rather kind way to describe the way they sneer at your every accomplishment. As a child, you saw them as the first playmate you could have ever had. Enamored by them, awed by them, you trailed after them hoping to find a sibling — a friend. Once you begin to surpass them in every lesson and every skill, you don’t notice the way their eyes darken as you walk by, or the way your name falls from their lips like blasphemy. It takes many bitter pranks and cruel jokes for you to understand: there is no such thing as family in Tyrholm. There is only you, your power and your secrets. You learn the lesson well — as you learn every lesson.

• And once you learn it, the door opens to learn more of Tyrholm’s hidden tunnels. There are a million rules no one will teach you, that you must teach yourself; these are the ones you like best. You begin a delicate dance with the integrity and honor you learned from your father, and the cunning you learned from your mother. At times, it is like being pulled in different directions. Eventually, it gets easier.

• You’re not sure when you stumbled onto this idea that Septimus did away with your mother. All you know is that the years of deception and clever dances and wordplay with nobility have become so ingrained in you that you no longer have to think upon it; and that’s when you consider that there are others who are as practiced with power as you are. The king is no mastermind; he is not a smart man, a clever man, not even a good man. But it’s exactly that talent for foolishness that makes a man bold and arrogant enough to murder his own sister, and take her child in as his own. Once the idea is planted, it is impossible to ignore it. You check on it obsessively, and the visions of your mother become plagued with suspicion. The foundation of who you are and your place in Tyrholm has been shaken, and you are unsettled wherever you go. You can try to hide it, but you have never been able to hide your greatness; you are unable to hide the new jagged edge it’s formed now.

[mansetmalatya]

92. OSCAR ÖDÜLLERİ KAZANANLAR BELLİ OLDU

92. Akademi Ödülleri Hollywood, Kaliforniya’da bulunan Dolby Tiyatrosu’nda düzenlenen törenle sahiplerini buldu. 92. Akademi Ödülleri sahiplerini buluyor. Los Angeles'taki Dolby Tiyatrosu'nda gerçekleşen ödül töreninde 'En İyi Yönetmen' ödülü Parasite filmiyle Bong Joon-Ho oldu. En İyi Erkek Oyuncu ödülü ise Joker filmindeki performansıyla Joaquin Phoenix'in oldu. En iyi uluslararası film ve En İyi Orijinal Senaryo ödülleri Parazit filmi ile Bong Joon Ho'ya gitti. Ho böylelikle Oscar tarihine geçmiş oldu. En İyi Erkek Oyuncu Ödülü ise son zamanların en çok konuşulan filmlerinden Joker'e gitti ve Joaquin Phoenix ödülünü aldı. En İyi Kadın Oyuncu Ödülü ise Judy filmi ile Renée Zellweger'e gitti. Zellweger Oscar heykelciğini ikinci kez kaldırdı. İşte 92. Oscar Ödülleri kazananlar!

En İyi Yardımcı Erkek Oyuncu

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman KAZANAN Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

En İyi Animasyon Film

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World I Lost My Body Klaus Missing Link KAZANAN Toy Story 4

En İyi Animasyon Kısa Film

“Dcera” KAZANAN “Hair Love” “Kitbull” “Memorable” “Sister”

En İyi Özgün Senaryo

Rian Johnson, Knives Out Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917 Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood KAZANAN Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won; Parasite

En İyi Uyarlama Senaryo

Steven Zaillian, The Irishman KAZANAN Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, Joker Greta Gerwig, Little Women Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes

En İyi Prodüksiyon Tasarımı

The Irishman Jojo Rabbit 1917 KAZANAN Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

En İyi Live-Action Kısa Film

“Brotherhood” “Nefta Football Club” KAZANAN “The Neighbors’ Window” “Saria” “A Sister”

En İyi Kostüm Tasarımı

The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker KAZANAN: Little Women Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

En İyi Belgesel

KAZANAN: American Factory The Cave The Edge of Democracy For Sama Honeyland

En İyi Kısa Belgesel

In the Absence KAZANAN: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) Life Overtakes Me St. Louis Superman Walk, Run, Cha-Cha

En İyi Yardımcı Kadın Oyuncu

Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell KAZANAN: Laura Dern, Marriage Story Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit Florence Pugh, Little Women Margot Robbie, Bombshell

En İyi Ses Kurgusu

KAZANAN: Ford v Ferrari Joker 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

En İyi Ses Miksajı

Ad Astra Ford v Ferrari Joker KAZANAN: 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

En İyi Sinematografi

Rodrigo Prieto, The IrishmanLawrence Sher, Joker Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse KAZANAN: Roger Deakins, 1917 Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

En İyi Film Kurgusu

KAZANAN: Ford v Ferrari, Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland The Irishman, Thelma Schoonmaker Jojo Rabbit, Tom Eagles Joker, Jeff Groth Parasite, Jinmo Yang

En İyi Görsel Efektler

Avengers: Endgame The Irishman The Lion King KAZANAN: 1917 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

En İyi Makyaj ve Saç Tasarımı

KAZANAN: Bombshell, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker Joker, Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou Judy, Jeremy Woodhead Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White 1917, Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole

En İyi Uluslararası Film

Corpus Christi (Poland)Honeyland (North Macedonia) Les Misérables (France) Pain and Glory (Spain) KAZANAN: Parasite (South Korea)

En İyi Müzik

KAZANAN: Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir Little Women, Alexandre Desplat Marriage Story, Randy Newman 1917, Thomas Newman Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, John Williams

En İyi Şarkı

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4 KAZANAN: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman “I’m Standing With You,” Breakthrough “Into the Unknown,” Frozen II “Stand Up,” Harriet

En İyi Yönetmen

Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Todd Phillips, Joker Sam Mendes, 1917 Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood KAZANAN: Bong Joon Ho, Parasite

En İyi Erkek Oyuncu

Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Adam Driver, Marriage Story KAZANAN: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

En İyi Kadın Oyuncu

Cynthia Erivo, Harriet Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story Saoirse Ronan, Little Women Charlize Theron, Bombshell KAZANAN: Renée Zellweger, Judy

En İyi Film

Ford v Ferrari The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood KAZANAN: Parasite Read the full article