#HERE WE AGO AGAIN IS THE SUPERIOR FILM

[g-girlshavingfun]

December Prompts

14) Silent films - Abby x Townsend

Set in between OSOT and UWS, Townsend and Abby are doing surveillance on the Winters in Rome when they start talking about the past. (3,243)

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There was a lingering chill in the air of their apartment. Carefully selected so that they could see the Embassy from the restricted access roof, not overlooked by other nearby buildings so as to avoid counter-surveillance, limited entrances but plenty of local security cameras so they could detect any suspicious activity approaching. It was a compromise between the safe house Edward selected, further from their targets but easier to monitor their own safety, and the hotel room Abby had voted for, a direct view of Samual Winter’s office window but absolutely no security measures to protect their anonymity.

Neither were particularly happy with the solution they came to, but it would do.

The chill was creeping in from the open window, cracked ajar so that their sensors could pick up any suspicious noise activity from outside, so that any bugs that were missed in Abby’s initial sweep, in his subsequent three more, would be scrambled by the sounds of traffic. Edward didn’t mind the cold so much, nor the noise, it kept him awake. It bit at his fingers and clawed through his skin, slipping through his bones and breathing life into his overworked brain.

Plus, it reminded him of London, of the north of England where his mother’s family resided. Once upon a time he would said that it reminded him of home, but now he wasn’t so sure.

“Why’s it so cold in here?”

Speaking of which.

“I thought Italy was supposed to be warm and sunny, like beaches and sunhats and gelato.”

“It’s the middle of the night in December Abigail, my apologies that the temperature doesn't quite meet your tropic expectations.”

“Can we at least close the window? I can see my breath.”

“Perhaps opening your mouth less will solve that problem.” He could sense her, feel her rolling her eyes behind his back. “Besides, we need the open window to get a good range on our listening equipment, we wont be able to hear anything from the Embassy’s perimeter if we close it.” At any given time, there were close to twenty different trains of thought running through Abigail Cameron’s head, and close to zero of them were concerned with her personal safety and self-preservation, so he didn’t think a lecture on monitoring activity in and around their own hideout would be too effective. “There’s tea here if you’re cold.” He nodded towards the mugs nestled amongst blueprints and schedules and known associate profiles, prepared by himself a short moment ago when he heard her start to wrap up her phone call.

He heard a huff from behind the couch and felt her start to round it, muttering a mocking imitation of his words and his accent under her breath. Not a phone call with their superiors then, that wouldn’t have put her in such a childish state, nor with Solomon, who she spent most of her time teasing recently, leaving her in a relatively good mood each time they spoke. She was too grumpy to have been speaking to either Baxter, too energised to have been speaking with her niece. Edward suspected that it had been Rachel ending their talk with a lecture on staying safe, or Miss McHenry calling to try needle information from her again that had left her so aggravated.

She came into view out the corner of his eye and he felt his head begin to turn involuntarily, jaw tightening and teeth clenching in an effort to keep his mouth from gaping.

Despite her incessant whining about the temperature, Abby wasn’t exactly dressed with warmth in mind. Her feet were bare, toes curling against the cool tile beneath them, as were her legs, pale in the dark glow of the sitting room. They seemed to stretch for miles, strong muscles carving their way up her figure and eventually disappearing beneath the hem of her oversized button up shirt. His shirt, he corrected himself. It hung loosely around her thighs, buttoned up to her chest, sleeves folded back so they only just hung over her wrists. Her hair fell loose over her collarbones, around her shoulders, down her back, dark waves glistening almost as bright as her eyes in the gloom of the night.

It wasn’t fair that she could look so stunning when he was trying to think straight.

Clearing his throat, he tried to force something intelligible out of his mouth before he stated drooling. “You know Abigail, most people might think about layering up before complaining that they’re cold.”

A smirk danced across her face, obviously catching the way his eyes had latched onto her legs, the way a flush was building up his cheeks, the way his breath had caught in his chest. “Oh I’m sorry Townsend, did you want me to put something else on?”

Grumbling under his breath, he forced his gaze away from her, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of lying, unwilling to look at her and tell her no. Her resultant laugh made him breathless. She settled next to him on the couch, knees tucked to her chest and hands curled around one of the mugs, angled slightly so they could still catch each other’s eyes without turning their heads. Her smile was infectious. The shirt had risen slightly up her legs as she sat, releasing a small pair of shorts hugging her upper thighs, and for a moment he found himself disappointed. She was so close her could smell her, jasmine perfume clinging to her neck.

He wanted to kiss her.

All he wanted to do these days was kiss her.

But they didn’t do that anymore. Not since the afternoon in Buenos Aires when he woke up with a head stuffed full of cotton, delirious from the drugs she had slipped into his system the previous night. Not since he had woken up alone in bed, alone in their room, a note of apology left on his bedside table. Not since he had tracked her down at the sight of a suspected Circle handover, fire wreaking through the the old building, her lithe body crumpled on the ground beneath an exploded wall several stories up, not moving, not responding, not breathing. Not since he had stood over her hospital bed, screaming at her in furious whispers of betrayal and lies and irresponsibility, mindful of her sleeping sister in the same room, tears on both their cheeks and heartbreak in his chest.

No. Now they stuck to safer territory. Bickering about work and their personalities and their lives. Ignoring how his heart ached when he heard that she was shot, how she came straight to him when she thought her best friend had betrayed her family, how they both dropped everything to scour the continents together after Cameron went missing. Ignoring how he longed for her more than anything.

It was easier that way.

Chest tight, pulse racing, brain short-circuiting as she tucked her toes under his leg for warmth, Edward wasn’t sure if that was accurate anymore.

“You need to get your circulation checked, it can’t be normal for someone’s feet to be that cold.” He batted at her legs half heartedly with the blueprints to the building opposite the Embassy.

“You need to get your personality checked, it can’t be normal for someone to be that annoying.”

“And yet here you are.” Like a child, she stuck her tongue out at him, a smile gleaming in both their eyes.

Looking away from him, she curled up tighter into the couch, nodding her head towards the black and white picture displayed on the TV. “What are we watching?” A gentle smile danced across her face as he draped a blanket over her, one foot peeking out from under his leg to prod at the work spread out on the table before him. “Besides the scintillatingly entertaining list of customers who visit the local coffee stand. We better keep an eye out for Misty Furglough, that’s a suspicious amount of espressos she’s buying”

Head shaking at her teasing tone, trying valiantly not to rise to her challenge, he dropped what he was reading back on the table. “ It’s A Christmas Carol. From 1910.”

“Hmm, I’ve only seen the muppets version.”

He stared at her, long and hard. They had known each other for years, had worked together on countless assignments, had shared a room and a bed and a heart. He knew her intimately, knew where scars stained her skin, knew the sounds her throat made when she lost control, knew the exact spots where a kiss made her body arch and toes curl. Reading her was second nature to him now. And yet sometimes he couldn’t tell if the amusement in her eyes could be attributed to the lies she was telling, or the exasperated reaction she knew he’d have.

“You’re joking right?” Her grin only grew, something devilish gleaming in her eyes. “Abigail. Tell me you’re joking.”

“The Muppet Christmas Carol has the most direct quotes from the book-”

“It’s basically a glorified puppet show-”

“Muppets, they’re very different. Besides Michael Cain is brilliant-”

“He could’ve won an Oscar for all I care, it doesn’t make it the best-”

“Oh because your opinion is obviously absolute fact-”

“A Christmas Carol is a Dickens’ classic-”

“Funnily enough Townsend, I know who wrote the book.”

“-there’s no way the best version has talking frogs playing the Cratchits!”

“Half of them are talking pigs actually.” She paused for a moment, assessing him, “Wait you’ve actually seen it?”

His cheeks flamed. Grumbling, he ignored her delighted laugh, ignored the way his heart lit up in response. “I have nieces and a nephew you know.”

Smile impossibly soft, eyes gentle, she whispered a simple “I know,” humming quietly to herself afterwards. Edward didn’t bother trying to dissect what that meant. No matter how long he knew her, how much he felt in his bones that he knew everything about her, there would always be things about Abigail Cameron that he didn’t quite understand.

Biting her lip in thought, she turned back to the TV and assessed it for a moment. “Why isn’t anyone talking?”

“It’s from 1910 Abigail, it’s a silent film.”

“What?” She spun back to face him, eyes wide, face aghast as if he just told her that the film ends with a thousand puppies exploding as everyone cheers.

“Silent. You know, that state you sometimes enter in sleep.”

“Oh haha Townsend.” Eyes rolling at his sarcasm, her own dry tone dripping off her tongue, she huffed and crossed her arms like a petulant child. Edward felt his face doing something embarrassingly soft at the pout on her face, was relieved when she turned away from him again to glare at the TV. “That’s so boring, how am I supposed to tell my Ghosts of Christmas Past from my Ghosts of Christmas Future?”

“Usually by paying attention to the film instead of talking over it-”

“There’s no sound to talk over Townsend, I think you’ll live.”

“-and it’s actually The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” He couldn’t help it. He knew correcting her would rile her up but he just couldn’t resist.

“God you’re so pretentious.” The glare she shot him was weak, the smirk quirking in the corner of her mouth and the sparkle in her eyes betraying her amusement. “Is this the kind of shit they drilled into you at that fancy Cambridge college of yours?” Much like him, she was only saying it to get a rise out him, getting it wrong on purpose to piss him off. He shouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Shouldn’t give in.

“… It was Oxford.”

“Pretentious” The way she sang the word simultaneously grated on his nerves and made his own heart sing in his chest. It still amazed him how she was so easily able to do both at once.

“You went to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in America and you’re calling me pretentious?”

“Hey you’re the one choosing to watch a silent, black and white, ancient movie instead of something cool like Love Actually.”

“Love Actually is crap.”

“It’s fun Townsend, ever heard of fun?”

Sometime during their bickering they had shifted closer together. Arms wrapped around her knees, she was angled towards him, so close that he could sense his body heat seeping towards her, could count the freckles on her face, could feel her words tickle through his hair. Suddenly, he was very aware of his body. His arm was tense at his side, resisting the urge to wrap his hand around her calf, or entangle his fingers with hers, or reach around her to pull her into his chest. His head was tilted down to face hers, Abby’s own lifted up towards him, their mouths close enough that he could taste her breath on his lips. Gaze locked on her smile, the lift of her lips, the dimpling of her cheek, he didn’t miss when it started to fade, when she swallowed, mouth slightly agape.

She took a deep breath. Braced herself. Whispered into the silence that lingered in the limited space between them.

“You left.” Something in her voice hurt him, yanked his innards out of his chest and pulled them apart in front of him. “In the hospital… why did you leave?”

Caught off guard by the shift in tone, not quite being able to follow her train of thought, he gave her a questioning look, voice low with worry. “After you were shot? I thought- I didn’t think you’d want to see me. We weren’t really talking at the time.”

“No not then. I mean-” Shaking her head slowly, she cut herself off, something like confusion, like contemplation plastered across her face. “What do you mean after I was shot?”

He didn’t want to speak of it. Couldn’t speak of it. All he could think to do was raise his arm and gently run his fingers under her collarbone. There was no mark, no scar, her school’s invention doing wonders to hide the evidence of one of the worst nights of his life, but he knew that that’s where the bullet had hit, how he had almost lost her.

“You came to the hospital?” Voice impossibly small, impossibly unsure, her question sent him back in time to the moment Grace Baxter walked into his office, solemn grief already painted across her face. The moment when his world stopped, his chest cracking open, his heart thousand’s of miles and an ocean away. Edward doesn't remember leaving the office, doesn't remember getting in a taxi or a plane, doesn't remember arriving at the hospital frantically calling Rachel to find out what room she was in, he only remembers the ache of not being with her, the fear of losing her.

It was confusing. He thought nothing could be worse than Buenos Aires, could be worse than having her, loving her, and then losing her. He thought thousands of mile and years of silence between them meant that the next time she tried to throw her life away it wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t understand how it could hurt more.

“Of course I did.” How could she think he’d do anything else? “You were- I thought you were…” He trailed off, not wanting to breathe life into his darkest thoughts from that day, his deepest fears, his most endless nightmares.

The silence hung between them again. A Christmas Carol had come to an end, silent credits now rolling across the screen, and the traffic outside seemed to have reached a standstill, Rome unusually quiet this December night.

“Why did you leave?” She asked again. He started to respond as he had before, but she cut him off again, ever impatient. “Not last year, not in DC. After Buenos Aires you- I know we fought but… you just left.”

“I-” He couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t breath. He couldn’t stay there. He was terrified and furious and so hurt. But he couldn’t say all of that, it would hurt her, he didn’t want to do that anymore. “I didn’t get it, you, before.” Frowning, she started to inch away from him, but he couldn’t have that. He grabbed her hand, smoothed his thumb over her knuckles, held it to his chest. He was suddenly very serious. “I didn’t get how you could do to me what The Circle did to your sister.”

“What?” She looked so confused, shaking her head at him as if she couldn’t comprehend that he cared about her that much. “It was nothing like that we- you-”

It would’ve been worse, Edward thinks. Knows. He’s met Rachel Morgan, has seen her strength and her resilience, has seen her push through her grief for the sake of her daughter if nothing else. He wouldn’t have be able to do that. If he had lost Abigail there would be nothing holding him together anymore, he would’ve unravelled, he would’ve fallen apart at the seams with nobody left to put him back together again.

Seeing her struggle with her words, unsure for perhaps the first time in her life, he continued. “But now I’ve seen you with them, your family. Your sister and your niece, her friends, even Solomon.” Swallowing hard, he tried to get his words right, tried not to get distracted by the feel of her hand in his. “You’d throw yourself into the first sign of danger not because you’re reckless or irresponsible or selfish, but because you love them. Because you think you love them more than they could ever love you. And even though you’re wrong,” she rolled her eyes at that, tears stinging in the corners of them, “I get it now. I get you.”

“You get me?” Head cocked to the side, eyebrow raised in challenge, grin tugging at her lips, she dared him to say it. He wasn’t one to back down, not from her.

“I love you.”

Eyes closed in something like relief, a deep breath of air leapt out of her chest, smile stretching wide across her face. Dropping his hand to reach out and caress his face, his cheek, his jaw, her other hand grasping his arm, she dropped her forehead to rest near his lips. He pressed a long kiss to it, savouring the taste of her. Lifting her head back up, teeth clamped around her lip in thought, tears shining in her eyes, she gestured to the work laid out across the table with her head.

“That comes first. Tracking down Circle members, taking them down, protecting my family, that has to come first okay?”

He nodded. Of course it did, he knew that now.

She nodded back at him. Took a breath. “Okay.”

And she kissed him.

The memories of her mouth on his didn’t give the feeling justice. Soft and supple, her lips were intoxicating and slightly saltier than he remembered. One hand on his face and the other around his neck, she pulled him in close until every inch of them was pressed against one another. In turn, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and down her back, pulling her tight to him, the other caressing her face, running through her hair. If he had his way, he’d never have to let go of her again.

And then she pulled back ever so slightly, barely a centimetre of space between them, sniffled, and whispered against his lips.

“I love you too.”

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Authors note:

Rachel and Abby on opposite sides of the world simultaneously trying to convince their clueless men to kiss them lol.

UK lore time: I don’t know how well known Love Actually is outside of the UK, but it’s one of the biggest Christmas films over here. Abby’s pretty well traveled and has made plenty of pitstops in England so I reckon she must’ve come across it either way. Oxford and Cambridge have a pretty famous rivalry, all in good fun of course, so Edward ‘prideful’ Townsend would not take someone getting which one he went to wrong.

Apologies in advanced because I’m definitely going to be falling behind over the next week, but they are still all going to get written!

[lousirs]

this is a dump about the uglydolls movie novel 💋💋💋

Alrighty I'm basically a regular here SO LETS GET TO IT

lodoeheie so I just got the movie novel of uglydolls because i need to fill my hunger for uglydolls content and THERE R SO MANY LITTLE DETAILS AND DIFFERENCES IN THE BOOK???!!???

ok so Lou's monologue in the pipes are completely different and they kind of point out details about Lou like his loafers being expensive and allat

BUT IM NOT TALING ABOTU TAGT

there's this one part in the book where they are about to reveal Ox after the all dolled up scene and instead of Ox, Nolan was behind Lou???? I think it was just supposed to show how awkward Nolan is idk 💀💀

ALSO for some reason I feel like EVERUTIME Nolan made an appearance they always described him as "the handsome doll" and I find that so so silly but I love it

oh YEYEHA it's implied in the book that the dolls wear their own clothes when they aren't doing training which was not the case in the movie (probably due to animation complications)

in the gauntlet scene, in the book, it was Mandy who kinda taunted Lou to participate in the gauntlet rather than him deciding to buy himself. Also it made me think why he even decided to join it in both medias when he knew he'd fail but my friend and I just established that at that point he was probably already batshit crazy and had nothing to lose

the whole Ox flashback part was longer and had more details to it. So both Lou and Ox went for the gauntlet together and completed it but it showed that they failed and everyone thought it was Ox that caused them to fail when it was really Lou (kind of sad that Lou probably knew it was himself and had to put the blame on Ox)

it was also mentioned that both Lou and Nolan have somewhat of a muscular build so time to make some new head cannons

IM SO SORRY THAT THESE POINTS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THERE'S TYPOS EVERYWHERE

I just found thrse so interesting I'm so sorry

the book is pretty good imo (probably biased) and there's more stuff than what I put here so DEFINITELY go read it for yourself

why hello, we meet again... time for more rambling xD STRAP IN EVERYONE!

yes!! i've known about the novel for a hot minute. i haven't bought or read it (...yet) but i remember seeing silentreadersmatter (i believe?) post about it on wattpad... so shoutout to them lol. anywho time to respond to each thing mentioned in order (just about)...

lou with loafers!!: i always assumed he wore some sort of fancy shoewear... so it's nifty that they added clarification i guess xD

awkward nolan: awkward nolan is the superior nolan (in my opinion. i'm sorry lads)... i see nolan be depicted as a 'uwu soft boy bottom" most of the time... but i always thought he was just a awkward doll. like, an anxious mess that is trying his best but fumbles constantly. he's a ball of anxiety, and i love him. ANYWAYS

buff nolan real??: GOSH, I AM SO GLAD SOMEONE NOTICED THE MUSCULAR NOLAN THING. i always imagined nolan to be taller than the other dolls (he isn't really in the film but i always headcanoned it so because his uniform is smaller as if he was too big for it) but once i saw him be called "handsome" and "tall" and "muscular" in the novel, i flipped. the little baby boy is actually a BIG BUFF BABY. i have a doodle of this from a few months ago heheh... (thank you for giving me an excuse to show it because it's been lingering in my files for a while LMAO)

^^^ lou is just trying to act evil and devious but he got this tall, handsome muscular doll getting in his way xD

ohhh but i can just imagine instead of the robot dog taking lou to the washer, nolan personally picks him up and drags him there. now THAT'S a moment i want to see.

fashion: oh, i didn't know about the clothes thing! DAMNIT i want to see them all in casual clothing, so i know what kind of styles they wear!! i mean, there's a concept art with lou in a white jumper with a golden 'L' on it... but that's all.

i have my headcanons for what they wear, but it would be cool to see... especially since most other dolls normally do have numerous outfits for the kids to dress them up in.

gauntlet: yeah, lou kinda lost the plot around that point. i would take a guess that he was probably unnerved by just basically killing two dolls, one that he knew (possibly for a while) and one that was close to his old friend, so when he saw mandy still alive he was like "well sh*t." and then came the downward spiral of him trying to sabotage the others, before inevitably sabotaging himself. ...but i think the book's version of mandy getting the crowds to peer pressure lou to joining the gauntlet made more sense (lou's reputation would be at stake and his reputation is basically all he has) than him joining anyways in the film. i guess they tried to make it make more sense with the whole "I don't even have to win. I just need to make sure you lose." but ehh... eh....

ox's tragic anime backstory: yes!! they should've done this version in the film honestly. perhaps they could've even shown lou's regret for lying to basically his only friend. ...oh wait, i forgot. lou's meant to be a 100% evil villain who kicks babies. anyways, again i feel that the novel made more sense than the canon we got in film. i guess in the film ox got recycled because he was causing others to fail by accident? but the novel's version is much more interesting.

if i remember correctly (and if i don't, count this as a rewritten version lol) the assistant robots took ox away after he 'failed' in the novel. i can imagine a scene where we are in ox's perspective, being forcefully dragged away to the pipes whilst lou looks at him, dread and sadness written across his face, yet he doesn't try to stop the robots. he just stands there, biting back his guilt. ohh... if only...

STRONG BOYS!!: heheheheh strong nolan and lou... would be funny if nolan didn't appear strong, but is actually stronger than lou. but then again, how can you tell if the doll is strong? they all look like same. lou says his arms are bumped or whatever in ugly truth but WHERE? WHERE'S THE BUMPED ARMS LOU??

anywho, thank you for the novella lore dump! for anyone who is interested, go check out the novel as well. it's pretty interesting if you are deep into doll purgatory. (also it's mentioned that ox used to wear a fedora from what i remember)(THAT IS TERRIBLE. I LOVE IT)

[darklydeliciousdesires]

London Will Burn - Chapter Twelve.

Look at me go! I updated on time for once, haha! Happy Friday, besties. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend <3

Previous chapters - One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven

Tag list - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed

Words - 4,180

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI.

“Sorry mate! Christ, the traffic was absolute murder! They’ve completely closed off the bloody main road outside my offices and... Oh, hot waiters. Hello!” 

In times of tension, Rin knew she could always trust in her old friend Carly for a little light relief, literally veering off mid-sentence to appreciate the appearance of the wait staff there at San Carlo, where they were meeting for a long overdue catchup dinner.  

With their beloved Rashida now living over in Chicago, it was just the two of them, their friendship fully re-bonded since Rin’s return from Africa. Not that geographical distance had diminished the love or closeness between the two lifelong friends whatsoever.  

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s fucking mayhem out there! Come here, give me a smooch,” Rin assured her, kissing her cheek as they embraced. “I only got here on time because I was in Chelsea for a meeting this afternoon.” Carly took her seat, thanking Rin when she dutifully poured her a glass of wine. “Anyway, why are you eyeing up waiters? Not loved up with twat waffles, still?” 

No, it was fair to say that Rin had never really liked Carly’s long-term boyfriend, Mathias. Not after their visit to Kenya, when he’s gotten absolutely smashed, resulting in him thinking he could square up to Sokoro, a decision that had landed him in a world of regret. Being dangled by his ankles over the top of the stairs within the lodge by the pissed off Kenyan until he’d apologised had sobered him up nicely, though. 

“You will be pleased to hear that the man known only as twat waffles to you is no longer in my life. Yeeted him about four weeks ago. I’ll say it, you were right.”  

Rin beamed. “I always am.” Well, not always. The events of the previous week were still burning in her gut, being shamed in the way she had been by Sean and his superior powers of deduction. “No but honestly, honey. I’m glad because you can do so much better than him!” 

“In this instance, you are correct. I can and I will, with that waiter over there with the blonde hair if I have my way.” She paused, raising her glass in his direction. He was at the table in seconds. 

“Good evening, ladies. Are we ready to order?” 

Oh, he was so sweet, absolutely none the wiser to the fact there was a bona fide man eater about to chomp down upon him. “Not yet, love. I was just appreciating the fact that you happen to be the most gorgeous man within the restaurant, so cheers to you.” 

He pinked at the cheeks, nodding while attempting to bite back his grin. “Well, when you need me, feel free to appreciate me again.”  

Rin chuckled, shaking her head. “We'll take some focaccia and olives to nibble while we decide, please.” 

He made a quick note on his iPad, smiling widely. “Certainly.” Scampering away, Rin fixed her friend with a look of pure mirth. 

“You’re terrible, Muriel.” 

Her assessment had Carly in hysterics, reciting their favourite line from the nineteen nineties cult classic film, Muriel’s wedding. They’d always said it to one another when there was mischief afoot. “I am, this much is true. So, how’s everything? How’s work, and my beautiful goddaughter?” 

“Tiger is perfect, as usual. As for work... hm.”  

Inclining her head, she took a sip of wine and thanking the waiter when he brought over the required pre-dinner nibbles. She winked again and of course, he blushed furiously. “Oh? I sense a story there. Does it have anything to do with her dad? How’s all of that going, by the way?” Of course, Carly had been made privy to it all. She’d known right from the start, after all.  

She ground her teeth before forcing a somewhat terse smile to her face. “I gave him a black eye last week.”  

Some things truly never changed, Carly making a motion with her hand that she should elaborate. “The tea requires spilling, Miss C.” 

And so, Rin did. She spared certain details over her work (although of course, Carly well knew she was a hardened criminal, Rin never gave away enough that could implicate her at any point in the future, just in case) but managed to sum it all up in a way that gave the story without all of the nuanced ins and outs of it.  

“Right, so he potentially saved you from making a big mistake with the Per...” she began, eyes scanning around before leaning in close to whisper, “the PM, shall we say, and you gave him hell for it?”  

“He embarrassed me in front of my associates, and took great pleasure in doing so,” she spoke, picking up another small cube of focaccia and dunking it into the balsamic vinegar bowl. “I don’t take kindly to that.” 

A taste of one’s own medicine was always the bitterest, Carly couldn’t help but note. “Yet you do exactly the same with him at any given opportunity.”  

Rin frowned. “I’m sorry, who’s side are you on here, exactly?” 

“Yours, always yours, love,” she was quick to interject, “but sweet, from what you’ve told me about him, if you bite at him, he’ll do exactly the same back. You two, you’re much too similar for your own good. Something I believe you once said about you both, didn’t you?” 

The focaccia was chewed upon with mild fury. “He doesn’t deserve to ever have one over on me. Not after what he did. I want him to suffer. His punishment will be prolonged, mark my words.” 

God, she was so hardheaded, especially when it came to Sean. Carly looked a little pensive, picking up her wine. “Do you want to know what I think about that? The complete, unfiltered truth?” 

Her lips thinned, eventually nodding. “I suppose an outside perspective couldn’t hurt.”  

“Okay.” She took a breath and another sip of Sauvignon Blanc for courage, placing her glass back down again softly.  

“You’ve already punished him enough, Rin. You deprived him of a relationship with his daughter for six years, and you came back and took an empire he was planning to preside over out from under him, and then made him effectively run his own company for you, on your terms. Trust me, from what you’ve told me about Sean, you’ve hit him twice where it hurts with big strikes. Family and business are what means everything to him, and you hold all the power over both. Prolonging that, well, as far as I can see, mate, all that does is cause problems for you.” 

“How?” 

“Your business deals should be running smoothly, and if you continue to hold him in contempt, they simply won’t. Risky really, when taken into consideration just what you do. Then of course, for Tiger. In fact, mostly for Tiger. Trying to repeatedly cut her father down for a mistake he made seven years ago will only hurt you and her in the end. Has he ever offered you an apology for his actions?” 

She lifted her chin, remembering it, when he told her of his lament. “He has. I have to give him that.” 

Carly reached for her arm, squeezing softly. “Well, then. There you go. You have to stop figuratively yeeting him right in the gonads for it at point or another, or behaving like this is only lowering you to his level, or former level, I don’t know. I can’t speak for him, but I can speak for your character. You’re better than this.” 

If anyone was going to give her the truth, it was Carly. It was a truth she did need to hear, too, before the battleground that was her relationship – or lack thereof – with the father of her child became even bloodier than it already was. “Why are you bloody laughing? I’m trying to talk seriously for once in my flippin’ life! You could at least appreciate my attempt to be sage!” 

“I am,” Rin chuckled, covering her hand with hers where it still rested upon her arm. “It’s just you still can’t help but be funny through it. Yeeting him in the gonads, oh god.” She descended there, laughing richly, even wiping a few tears from her eyes, it had entertained her so much.  

“And at the fucking risk of getting my head bitten off, well, maybe it’s because you still lust after what’s hanging directly above the gonads that you’re getting yourself so bent out of shape over him.” 

Immediately, she sat a little more upright, her laughter stalled. “Order me the burrata salad to start and then the salmon penne. I’m going for a cigarette.” 

“Avoidance tactics,” Carly chimed as Rin rose from her seat, discreetly offering her middle finger in salute.  

“Bugger off.” 

“Filthy habit,” she further teased, Rin mouthing that she was a knob, her clearly entertained friend giggling as she picked up her wine. “This could all be so much simpler for you if you weren’t so much like your dad.” she muttered, sipping the buttery smooth Sauvignon while looking down at the menu to make her choice.  

They had a lovely night together, parting ways at just gone 10pm, Carly heading home and Rin calling a car to do the same. After stopping at a Tesco Express to purchase a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black, though, home was not where she ended up.  

Sean was coming to the end of a five-mile treadmill run when the buzzer sounded through his penthouse, slowing the machine to walk before climbing off, his bare chest glistening with sweat. 

“Yes?” he spoke into the intercom, seeing the woman upon the screen turn to reveal her face to the front entrance camera.  

“Can we talk?” 

She had a nerve, turning up out of the blue at 10:35pm. “That depends on whether I’m going to get lambasted all over again for trying to do the fucking right thing, Catherine.” 

“You aren’t. Promise.” She knew she needed to give a little, Carly’s words hitting home with her a little. He buzzed her in, Rin moving to the lift, hitting the button for the penthouse. As it glided in ascent, she spoke sternly to herself, her internal monologue advising that she needed to keep calm and talk things through with him, apologise for her pride getting in the way the week before, that she was doing this for the greater good of business continuing to run smoothy, and for her daughter to have a father in her life. One who truly did want to be there.  

All of her steely composure flew straight out the window when he opened the door to her, though, when her eyes nearly fell out of her head for seeing him there, shirtless and gleaming with sweat, his navy joggers so low slung she could almost see his... 

“Well, don’t you look resplendent in Dolce and Gabbana,” he spoke, raising an eyebrow.  

She cocked her head, swallowing hard. “How did you know this is D&G?” 

He took a moment, his eyes roaming her slender curves. “I have an eye for quality.” The scent of her perfume wafted under his nose, spellbinding, those orchid notes reminding him how it felt to have his senses flooded by it, his eyes meeting hers.  

Her body moved, yet her feet planted, her mouth agape as her chest and cheeks flushed, overcome by the sight of him like that, her throat drying. No. Not now. She willed her brain to take the reins away from the jockey that was her desire, steer her right, but she failed. It was too strong, charging away down a path she swore never to encroach upon again, moving in a second to press her mouth to his, his arms immediately locking around her as he kissed her back with all the heat of a thousand suns.  

Now they were in trouble.  

Flattened against the door, he pinned her there as they gave in to the torrent, his hands smoothing over her body, reaching to ruck her dress up around her waist, both panting furiously as their tongues rolled in an erotic dance, Sean grasping her thong and tearing it from her in one swift yank. It sent a flood to where she ached for him, her legs wrapping around him as he lifted her, pulling his joggers down just enough to free his cock and plunge it into her fully. 

Lord, how she’d missed the feel of being split wide around him, kissing him in utter frenzy. It was mindless, feral sex, their need for one another rampant and unhinged, her body banging against the thick, black door as he fucked out every single wave of desire, longing and, if he was honest, utter contempt he held for her, his fingers dug in hard beneath her thighs.  

It sizzled through her, each sparking pulse, tiny fireworks set to burn within her blood, crying out as he filled her again and again, his teeth at her neck scintillating, hanging onto him for dear life. It felt like he was attempting to fuck her right through the door, the pace barbaric, smouldering, everything she needed and had craved in the years they’d been parted.  

It shimmered through them both, the crest of an almighty wave they rode until it crashed, washing over them entirely, Rin feeling completely mindless as she swam to the surface of her pleasure, desire glimmering down her spine. That was the moment her brain engaged, her breathless body pinned by his, their tightened muscles slackening as the divinity ebbed away. 

Oh, god. Damn him. Damn him for being so fucking irresistible.  

He was the first to speak, finally sobering from his orgasm enough to form words. “Please don’t tell me we’ve just possibly given Tiger a sibling.” 

“We haven’t,” she panted, “IUD.” 

“Oh, thank Christ.” He finally looked at her, withdrawing and placing her down, his mouth twitching a little. “So, you wanted to talk?” 

“I did,” she confirmed, rearranging her dress, looking away. Easily, she could have throttled herself for her actions, hiding her face in her hands for a moment, dying a little. “For fucks sake! We’re such a mess.”  

He raised an eyebrow, pulling his joggers and boxers back up again. “That we are, Catherine.” He paused, watching her run her hands over her hair, still looking desperately uncomfortable. “We could become less messy, though. Perhaps if we ceased the urge to needle at one another quite so much as we do.”  

“Are you truly admitting to the fact that you do?” she asked, Sean feeling his blood flicker in annoyance. 

“I am, yes. Because somebody who continues to fucking punish me for the mistakes of my past bloody deserves it. Know that for my part, it is only in retaliation,” he told her, walking over to his kitchen, Butch there in his bed, absolutely none the wiser to her arrival and subsequent pounding against the front door.  

She pulled the bottle from her bag, nodding towards him. “It’s because you enjoy the fight, Sean. Don’t pretend that isn’t how it is.”  

God. The Woman was insufferable. He turned to her, his nostrils flaring. “Stop it. If I can put my ego aside here and admit my transgressions, then so can you. You know full well you hold your power over me like a fucking sword of Damocles, in both business and with Tiger whenever the opportunity arises. Now, admit that, or get the fuck out. I’m going for a shower; I suggest you take the time I’m gone to consider that. Glasses are above the sink cupboard.” 

She knew she had to, he was right, but god, it wasn’t easy. They were both just too similar, too – to use an analogy she herself had many times before – cut from the exact same cloth. Except this time, deep down Rin knew that Sean was right, and she loathed him for it all the more.  

Life would be made exponentially easier for her if she simply ceased her desire to punish him, to realise that Carly was right. She had struck back against him more than evenly. The playing field was entirely equal once more.  

Just last week she’d heard Ed Dumani offer peace towards Sean, and regardless of the fact he hadn’t been ready to accept, she knew that a clean slate was exactly what had to happen between her and the father of her child, so that ultimately that precious little girl didn’t suffer because of her parent’s rampant toxicity.  

“I almost expected you to have done a runner.” His words pulled her from her thoughts, a freshly showered Sean entering the kitchen again, going to the cupboard himself to retrieve the glasses she’d been preoccupied from fetching. “I perhaps couldn’t blame you if you had.”  

He poured two large measures, Rin thanking him as he slid hers across the black marble worktop, knocking it back in one. He followed suit. “Come on, it’s fucking cold in here and the lounge is warm.” They walked back out again, Butch still sleeping on with a series of deep snores, taking a seat upon the long, L shaped grey sofa, Sean refilling their glasses. “So, what did you come here with the intention of saying?” 

Taking a breath, she closed her eyes for a second, seeing Tiger there in her mind’s eye. It forced her to take a lasso to her pride and give it several tethering yanks. “I want to apologise for my part in us continuing to have friction. It isn’t conducive to us healthily co-parenting Tiger, no matter how much I dislike you at times. I need to be better for my daughter.”  

He snorted softly, sipping his drink. “At times? Catherine, you despise me near enough constantly.”  

“Do you truly blame me for that?”  

“Yes, I fucking do when you’ve had seven bloody years to get over it!” he spoke tersely. “I apologised to you, and it was sincere. I regret what I did to you, every fucking day I regret it, but god above, woman! You have to take your fucking boot off my bloody neck at some point.” She looked accepting of his words, albeit that acceptance bitter, Sean continuing in her silence. “I lost everything, went through hell after my father died, attempted to claw it back only to have you take it all again and only give it on your terms. Terms I have complied with.” 

“But Sean...” 

“No, for fucks sake, there isn’t a fucking but here! Stop fucking punishing me. If you want me to cease resenting you, then you have to stop making me sorry for something I already regret! I am doing everything in my power to prove worthiness, to prove most importantly that I can and will be a fit father for Tiger, but as soon as you perceive me to have any kind of upper hand, you fucking use her against me, like you did with the Persians!” 

Her ire ramped in an instant. “You fucking enjoyed that, making me look small!” 

“I didn’t want Bahram Forouhandeh to fucking kill you! I was looking out for you, you ignorant, insufferable woman!” His eyes were wide, exasperated as he scoffed, sinking his whiskey. “And yes, maybe I did derive a little joy from cutting you down, but bloody hell, Rin! Like you don’t do exactly the same to me at every fucking opportunity!” 

“I just apologised, and you’re throwing it at me all over again!” 

“Because you need to have it thrown at you all over a-bloody-gain to recognise what you’re doing to me!” He took a moment, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest, trying to calm down from the anger that had all too sharply risen. “Your father was exactly the same. On his terms or not at all. You? You’re better than that, and I am one of the very few people in your life who not only sees that, but isn’t too afraid of you to tell you either.” 

Neither was Carly, and it wasn’t lost on her, how his statements more or less matched those of her oldest friend. She’d always taken pride in the fact people likened her to her father, but truly never dawned in her until right then that perhaps it wasn’t always a complimentary likeness.  

Bolting back her drink, she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Sean.” They were words that did not come easily, feeling bitter, like ashes in her mouth.  

Standing, he picked up the bottle, moving to seat himself at her side, topping up her empty glass. “Finally. Now I only have to await a little sincerity in your actions going forward, and maybe my fucking blood pressure might lower a tad.” 

Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip, nodding. “What would like first, then, for me to show this sincerity?” 

“A blowjob wouldn’t go amiss.” He expected the light slap he received to the chest. “Well, you did ask.” 

“And you just shagged the shit out of me against the front door not ten minutes ago!” 

He smirked, his eyebrows twitching. “I never claimed not to he insatiable.” 

Rolling her eyes, she rested her head back against the comfy sofa, biting her lip. He certainly never had, as a mere few minutes against the door had reminded her, should she have forgotten. “No, you definitely didn’t. I’m still not putting your cock in my mouth, though.” 

“Spoil sport.” The conversation moved away from their dalliance into the verboten, talking instead about of work and life, and then of Tiger when they were over half a bottle into the whiskey.  

“I know I say how perfect she is, the bias of being her mum, and she’s always so well-mannered when we meet up with you,” Rin began, her words peppered by giggles. 

“Apart from when we took her on the Harry Potter tour and she had a meltdown mid-way round,” he interrupted with, remembering the squealing well.  

“Yes, apart from that.” She paused again, looking pained. “You fucking have a habit of doing this to me, interrupting and making me forget what I was about to say!” 

He snickered, flicking the side of her glass. “No, darling. That’s called alcohol.”  

“Anyway, as I was saying…” 

“As you were saying.” 

God, how he knew how to wind her up, even when he was being playful rather than deliberately devious. “Be quiet, or I’ll black your other eye.” 

“You bloody won’t,” he warned, “look at it, still purple.” It was, too, just a smidgen marking the skin violet around the socket.  

“As I was saying, she isn’t the perfect, Tiger. She’s going through a phase of saying things she definitely shouldn’t at the moment. She called the window cleaner a dickhead the other day because he appeared suddenly and startled her.” 

Predictably, Sean cracked up hard. “The profanity apple has not fallen far from the tree, I see.” 

She laughed, cringing a little. “No, it certainly hasn’t. That child had bionic hearing, and stealth mode. I never know when she’s going to sneak up on me and overhear my vulgar mouth. Bastard shoes was another recent one, when she couldn’t get her little Timberland boots on because she hadn’t loosened the laces. Sokoro nearly pissed himself laughing at her.”  

“When do you plan on telling her who I am?” he then asked, Rin feeling a little pit inside for the question, no matter how gently delivered.  

“Soon, I think. Before our next meeting. She needs to know.”  

He smiled. “Good plan.”  

What was also a good plan to them that night was working their way through the rest of the Johnnie Walker, Rin feeling the effects strongly, not having much memory of the night. Upon waking the following morning, she certainly had no remembrance over how she’d ended up in Sean’s bed, her sober, slightly hungover self feeling a little flicker of panic. 

They hadn’t... nope. Her underwear was still on, she felt after checking, her shuffling around stirring the body at her side.  

“Morning,” he yawned, propping himself up. “I hope you don’t mind, but if you’d slept on the sofa you’d have only awoken to Butch trying to sit on your head, so I brought you in here.”  

“You have more than one bedroom though, no?”  

He might have been half asleep, but he heard the tease in her tones clearly. “I do, but the beds aren’t made up and I was too pissed to wrestle with a fucking duvet cover, so yes. Here you are.” 

The warmth of him, the bright of his blue eyes, the scent of his skin. No. Not again. 

“Here I am.” She looked down for a second, feeling a hand reach beneath her chin, Sean shifting closer, his heart quickening as she looked up from beneath her long, full eyelashes at him.  

That time, he was the instigator of the kiss they fell into, his body moving to cover hers. 

Now they were in trouble. 

[papa-evershed]

If you're up for it, your top 3/top 5 hottest (RJC) characters (and why)? Based SOLELY on looks. Feel free to include gifs, if you have the time. Gotta say, Daniel became my #2 and is competing with Saul Silva for No.1 spot. I mean...Goddamn..🤤🍽️ Is Rob aging like a fine wine or do i just have daddy issues?

I think he's aging beautifully. Aging well doesn't only have to mean a lack of aging, but simply getting better as you do it, imo. When all the features of aging—wrinkles, greys, eye-bags, skin spots, etc, actually make a person look like a more beautifully seasoned version of their younger selves? That's aging well too.

As for Daddy issues, IDK, only you can decide for yourself if it's daddy related. 🤓 I ain't here to judge either way. Don't we all want a dad in the streets but a daddy in the sheets? 🤡

I'll put my top five under a cut! Not only just for the length but general cringe and possible thirst talk. So if that isn't someone's thing they can only blame themselves for continuing to read.

#1. Top honor is undoubtedly Daniel fucking Watson. Because speaking of aging beautifully, it's his most recent role so it was pretty much guaranteed to become my new favorite in terms of looks for that reason alone. I'm never going to be that person who is most thirsty for a role that happened fifteen years ago simply because I like men with some age on them. I want a whole ass man. I want the salt and pepper hair, I want the almost-white facial fuzz, I want the eye crinkles that cut deep towards his cheeks. That shit is sexy as fuck. If I wanted someone that looked like Timothy Chamomile I'd be out here giffing Willy Wonka.

And Daniel Watson is serving. The neck fuzz alone tickles the cave woman portion of my brain and makes me feral.

He just walks and moves and carries himself like A Man™ but not the sort that has so much swagger that it seems like they're over compensating. Important difference. A bit tired, a bit weary, just all the things I relate to a good, tired, dad. It feels natural and that's what makes it sexy. (Also the belly.)

And this show is finally giving us proper close-ups and beautiful profile shots. Like you said, based on looks alone, 1000/10. There's nothing to complain about. And another reason it's my new favorite—freckles! They aren't covering the freckles. I just like people's faces to look natural, is that so much to ask for?

The next four are probably interchangeable, it really just depends on my mood as far as who ranks above who. So don't put too much weight into the order, just know they'd round out my top five.

#2. Saul Silva. Specifically, season one Saul Silva though, because yes I'm still bitter about the hair dye. I realize it was likely bc of DA filming but I give not a single shit, I'll stay bitter about it until I die. Saul ranks this high for the same reasons as Daniel Watson really. A bit of grey, a bit of scruff, just looks natural and delicious.

^ That look is pure 🔥🔥 and anyone who attempts to claim otherwise (not that anyone ever has) is a lying liar that tells lies. Also, wardrobe is superior in Fate compared to a lot of his other roles. We got a good mixture of casual wear in addition to his little uniform.

(And also the belly.)

3. Hutch. That's it, that's all I have to say. Just Hutch.

It's a shame that he died but I get it. If I were some big monster I'd eat his ass first too. Literally and figuratively. 🫡

4. Martin Evershed! Can't leave off my boy Mr. Evershed. Again, for a lot of the same reasons as mentioned above. I prefer him recent. I prefer him with greys. I prefer him looking soft and delicious. What Ackley lacked in wardrobe it made up for in just indulging my Dad™ kink.

(And also the belly.)

#5. This fucker from Vera, Richard.

This role isn't talked about much, likely because it was small, but damn if he didn't look great. The scruff, the nose, the plain black tee? Fucking perfect.

(And of course, also the wee bit of belly. 🤠)

TLDR - I think he looks better the older he gets so my favorite roles tend to fall in line with that and I'm a cave troll that wants men to look as natural as I can get 'em.

[highfantasy-soul]

Looking at how media has progressed, specifically TV shows, it's so funny how quickly the 'new model' takes over everything and people just...idk, freak out? heavily criticize? get a false sense of superiority over? any show that steps foot outside their newly expected box.

Memories are short, we know this. But it really wasn't long ago that TV shows put out pilots that were filmed entirely separate from the rest of the season and that pilot had to do really well in order for the show to be picked up at all. This led to pilot episodes being suuuuuper blunt about the concept, characters, world, and plot (and many times some stuff retconned in the subsequent episodes). Because those TV shows that survived have become well known and well loved, those first episodes/seasons have been rewritten in people's minds to the point where they genuinely don't remember how hamfisted writing was at the beginning of the show - because that's how they got people to be interested in watching.

It wasn't part of the model to 'show not tell' and stretch basic character beats out for the entire season. Due to the format, they front loaded exposition to let the watcher get a feel for the characters/world and THEN slowed down and settled in. Once we moved to a show structure where things were connected (part of a franchise), shows stopped front loading so much though it was still there- after all, they were still airing week-to-week on cable. But they trusted the 'built in' audience because the show was based on an already popular thing.

Then Netflix started dropping shows in one huge chunk. Now, you didn't have to worry about hooking a viewer immediately and shoving the whole world building exposition into the first episode, you just needed to give them the basics (especially if it was fantasy) and then provide a cliffhanger at the end of each episode that would support the 'binge' model of viewing.

Now, we've started to shift back to a weekly format for many shows, though they all seem to be still part of franchises, so that audience is already built in. But we do get '2 episode' or '3 episode' premiers to let the set-up take it's time while still giving viewers enough to ground them in the world and look forward to more.

So the point here is that none of these writing formats is 'wrong' and none of them are 'right'. They shift to accommodate how the show is going to be viewed. When people criticize 'wonky pacing', I just can't help but roll my eyes. Maybe you personally don't like the pace, but the pace isn't 'wrong'. Hell, I love high fantasy and people freak out all the time about the slow pace of that. People see shows dropping at an unconventional rate and declare that it's because the studio has no faith in the project and it's bad, actually (see Echo, which was really, really, good actually).

When people criticize 'heavy exposition' in first episodes, I roll my eyes again. That's what you do when you're introducing people to a world (especially a fantasy one) and the story isn't centered around figuring out how the world works. Sure, if you like slowly figuring out how the world works, then a show that doesn't explore that might not be your cup of tea, but recognize that and know that that's personal taste, not objective writing truth. First episodes can be REALLY GOOD and also have heavy exposition.

I like being able to look at all the different ways storytelling is done - the different paces, focus on different things, etc etc. Classics are written VERY differently from modern stuff, stories from different cultures are extremely different from ones you've always grown up with, thrillers are going to be told differently from cozy fantasy. None of these are 'wrong' or 'bad writing' because it's not the other. They're just different.

I guess what I'm saying is get out of your little 'media critique' bubble and understand there's no one correct way to write a story. Your obsession with 'spotting bad writing' is actually defeating your ability to critically examine media outside your extremely narrow world view. Look back to the past and realize things were done so differently then, but understand that it wasn't 'bad'. Look to other cultures/genres and understand one isn't 'better' than the other and should be the 'standard'.

It's ok to prefer one way over the other, but be careful tossing out the blanket, nearly meaningless now, 'bad writing' criticism as if you actually know what that means.

(Why does all my annoyance at 'media criticism' feel like it always circles back to Cinema Sins and the irreparable damage they did to people's brains?)

[uncloseted]

Imho we need to stop research deep diving into the people behind our entertainment and holding them to impossible standards because you will literally end up not being able to consume any media again. Your favorite actors/musicians/influencers/writer/etc have all done something problematic at some point and aren't morally perfect people that consumers are slowly demanding them to be. Of course it's different if they've committed a crime but I'm not talking about those types of creators here

I agree, 100%. I think people online need to have an honest conversation with themselves about what their actual goals are and what the best way to achieve those goals would be. Do you want someone to change their views or actions? If that's the case, the best way to achieve that goal is to nicely call them in to a conversation about it. It's not to dig up a post from fifteen years ago, send the person death threats, and then refuse to change your mind about them when they tell you that that's no longer their position. Doing that will only push the person further in the direction of the "problematic" belief or action, because at least the people who support that belief/action aren't trying to dox their families and get them fired from their jobs.

But I think truthfully, a lot of people online don't want other people to grow and change. They want to feel morally superior by punishing "bad" people who have done "bad" things. And in doing so, a lot of those people then start doing the bad things they accuse others of doing and justify it by saying that they had to do those things so that the "bad people" would be held accountable. Righteousness is a dangerous cycle to get trapped in.

I also think it's really strange because people don't apply this same logic in any other area of their lives. Like, would I start boycotting a restaurant because some line cook posted a bad take on his Facebook or stop buying from a store because the owner is an absent parent to his children? No. As long as I get the product I paid for, I don't really care what the personal lives of the employees are like beyond hoping that they're, like, happy and healthy and being paid a fair wage. But the minute the product in question is a celebrity, people lose the plot so quickly. Why should any of us care if actors are uninvolved parents or in a weird relationship as long as they're good at acting, the thing we pay them to do?

And of course, there are some important parameters on that, which I feel like I need to say lest I too be mobbed for having a bad take. For example, the Me Too movement was hugely important because it was about removing people with a history of illegal behavior from having access to the influence that would allow them to continue to abuse people. That's huge. I am in no way saying that we should uncancel Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey. Cancelling them removed them from the film industry, which meant that they were removed from the position of power that they held over others and used to abuse people who were subordinate to them. The film industry is safer without them there.

But... do I care that, for example, Barry Keoghan is "problematic" because he got divorced, moved to a different country from his son, and started dating someone new? Is that worth boycotting his movies over? Saltburn was a good movie. Please, Please, Please is a good song with a good music video. I got what I paid for, which is him being a good actor. Me refusing to watch him in things because he's "problematic" would do very little in the way of his son seeing him more. Even if he wasn't famous, he very well might have done the same thing. Would I care about this if he was a guy who served me a drink in Dublin or something? No. So why should I care because he's someone famous?

Similarly, and this is maybe my more controversial take here, I don't really care if celebrities have an opinion on global sociopolitical events or not. The majority of celebrities barely have a high school education. For the most part, they don't really have the educational or informational background to comment on complex and nuanced issues in any meaningful way. There are some exceptions to that (Tom Morello especially comes to mind- also Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, and Bridgit Mendler), but those are also the people who are using their platform exclusively for business and have opted out of trying to be "relatable" celebrities on social media. And if I'm being honest, I think that's fine. I don't really want, like, Ariana Grande's publicist to post on Instagram about Palestine telling me what they think I want to hear so that Ariana doesn't lose public support (not sure if this is actually a thing that happened- just an example I'm making up). If anything, I think celebrities should be platforming people who are actually experts on these topics and sharing donation links for reputable organizations.

But nobody wants that, because by and large, people don't care about understanding any one conflict in particular. They just want proof that their fave agrees with them on whatever issue is most popular on the internet at that moment, and they want to prove that they're on the right side of history. And that's fine, I guess. Like I was saying the other day, I think people doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is better than people doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. The way things work now, at least people in Palestine are getting the aid that they need. But I think it also creates an environment in which the voices of experts (including the people who are actually living through the conflict) are getting drowned out, and it creates an environment where misinformation can spread rapidly.

All this is just to say that I think we need to be more aware of our motivations and make sure we have all of the information we need before we act. I think it's really easy to get caught up in internet hate trains, especially if you already didn't like the person and have been looking for a reason to justify your dislike for them. And the internet makes it really easy to jump onto those hate trains and feel totally justified in doing so. But as boring as it is, I think we have to take a step back and ask ourselves, "do I have a legitimate reason to dislike this person or are they just not for me? If I think I have a legitimate reason to dislike them, do I have all of the facts, or am I going off the word of someone who already dislikes them? If I have a legitimate reason to dislike them, will my actions encourage them to think differently about the issue, or do I just want to see them be punished? What would this person have to do for me to change my mind on them/forgive them? If there's nothing that would change my mind or make me forgive them, is it better to just block them so I don't waste mental energy on them?" I think it's better for ourselves and for the world at large if we choose to engage thoughtfully online instead of engaging impulsively.

[back-and-totheleft]

Ten quotes

Filmmaker Oliver Stone visited the Alamo Drafthouse in Littleton on Sunday to introduce perhaps his best- and least-known films: Natural Born Killers (1994) and the largely forgotten U-Turn (1997), the latter starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Jon Voight, Powers Boothe, Julie Hagerty (!), Claire Danes and Joaquin Phoenix. Based on a book and screenplay by John Ridley (Twelve Years a Slave), it’s about a man who is heading to Las Vegas to pay off a gambling debt until forced to stop at the broken-down desert town of Superior, Ariz.

Here are our 10 favorite things that came out of Stone’s mouth after the U-Turn screening, ranging from his thoughts on Will Ferrell as the epitome of all evil; to the shouting from Jennifer Lopez’s motel room while filming U-Turn; to the influence of the animated cat-and-mouse Tom and Jerry on his score; to the letter of recommendation he wrote for Claire Danes; to working with an insecure young actor named Donald Trump on Wall Street (“He doesn’t entertain failure”); to how our modern world has been driven to the brink of madness:

On Sean Penn: "Poor Sean. He put up with a lot. He was a replacement for Bill Paxton, who dropped out at the last second because he was freaked out by the role. Strange fellow. But Sean stepped in, and he helped us make the film – because it was really close to falling apart."

On Jennifer Lopez: "She was married at the time to a young Cuban, and the walls of that Arizona motel … man, talk about Latin temperament. There was a lot of banging and screaming. People would say, ‘I need sleep, so I can’t stay in the room next to Jennifer Lopez.’ Meanwhile, Sean Penn has got his eye on her, too, so there was this whole crazy jealousy thing going on. But Jennifer came to see me years later, after she had become J.Lo. She was another person completely now. It was after her third marriage or something. She said to me, ‘I want to go back. I want to make that kind of movie again. I just want to get real like that.’ Because she had been doing all that glittery stuff."

On whistle-blower Edward Snowden, the subject of his upcoming film, Snowden: "I am really not at liberty to say too much. Put it this way: He’s smart, he’s articulate, he cares very much, and it doesn’t matter that he’s in Russia. He could be anywhere in the world. He’s still connected by the Internet. This is a man who spends possibly 70 percent of his time on a computer. He keeps his contacts up. He participates in forums and discussions and lectures. And he is working very seriously on a constitution for the Internet, which we really need. Many, many people admire him. I find him in good spirits. I didn’t see any sign of depression. He has broadened his sense of humor. I showed him the film a couple of weeks ago (Snowden), and he responded very well."

On the current presidential race: "I am scared. But I don’t think the Republicans are the issue. Everyone wants to be stronger and stronger in terms of dealing with the world, but that’s not the right way to go about it. I believe in an international balance of power. I am concerned that Hillary Clinton is embraced by the neo-conservatives, or the liberal interventionists as I call them, because her policies, and Obama’s policies, and Bush’s policies have driven us to the edge of madness. We have created a mess in the Middle East with four interventions. Also Afghanistan and Libya. We are not effective as a military force abroad. We don’t need 800 military bases. We have to change our way of thinking. Sanders gets it, to some degree. And Trump, in his own way, actually gets it, too. He’s the only Republican who has come out and said outright: ‘Hey, that Iraq war was a stupid (bleeping) thing to do.’ And all these Republicans are shocked. The establishment is shocked. ‘How can you say that Mr. Bush screwed up?’ I mean, come on. It’s about time we wake up in this country. Let’s get real."

Working with Donald Trump in Wall Street: "He’s a smart dude. He’s funny. And yet, he’s an egomaniac and a narcissist, as you can see. I’ll never forget this: He jumped up after Take 1 of his scene with Michael Douglas and said, ‘How was I? I was great, wasn’t I?’ I said, ‘Donald, it was good, but I think you can do better.’ I got him to do nine or 10 takes, and he would jump up after every one and say the same thing. ‘How was I?’ He doesn’t entertain failure."

On U-Turn actors Joaquin Phoenix and Claire Danes: "They really did a turn in this film. This was before they became really famous. They were both such fun. It was a delight. Sean Penn’s character says, “Is everybody in this town on drugs?” And that’s the overall feeling of the movie. You have to be free and you can’t care. Claire was not hot at that point. She had done Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio, and he took off from that movie. She … less so. So by the time U-Turn came along, she was happy to grab it. She was going back to Yale at that point, and she wanted me to write her a letter of recommendation. I had flunked out of Yale, but I wrote it anyway. She always thanked me for that. She is a wonderful actress."

On who he looks up to: "It would be easier for you to give me a list with everyone on it and I could tell you who to take off. Most of the people would stay on it. Stanley Kubrick was a big deal for me when I was young. So was Federico Fellini. So was Jean-Luc Godard and Luis Buñuel. In my generation: Francis Ford Coppola, of course. Martin Scorsese. William Friedkin. In this generation: Alejandro Iñárritu has done a tremendous job. Birdman is an interesting philosophical story. So is The Revenant. He’s got talent. A lot of other people do, too. I think this Adam McKay, who did The Big Short, is very smart. He’s very good with dialogue, too."

On the Foley cartoon sounds in U-Turn: "The music was by Ennio Morricone, and he has a beautiful history. He not only some wrote Sergio Leone classics but also 1900, which I think is one of the most beautiful scores ever written. He’s written for so many people. I wanted him to do two things for me: One was this love theme, which I thought was tremendous. But the rest of it – he didn’t do it right. And he is not the easiest guy to get along with, if you talk to most people. He knew the game: His contract said he would never come back to the United States. So there would be no rewrites. When he delivered the score, the love theme was there. But the rest was not what I wanted. So I had to bring him back, and he was really (bleeped) off. That was a rough three days. I was trying to make him understand what I wanted, because I can’t put it into musical terms. I can only express it. I wanted the music he had done for Leone, only modernized with those reverbs and those exaggerated sounds. I call it kind of a cartoon sound. That booinnnng sound. He just didn’t seem to get it. I was desperate, so I showed him a cartoon of Tom and Jerry. I said, ‘That’s sort of what I want.’ He was so upset. He said: “You want me to write cartoon music? You brought me back to America for this?” He gave me what I wanted on a second pass, thank God. He’s still a (bleep) but … I am glad to see he got an Oscar. Not for his best music (The Hateful Eight). Probably his worst score, in fact. But he I am glad to see he got an Oscar."

On Oliver Stone’s movie recommendations: "You might boo me for this, but I was laughing my head off when I saw Zoolander 2. The critics all turned on it, They said it was dreck. But it’s very witty. Very well-written. And Will Ferrell has never been better as the incarnation of all evil. I say this seriously: You see evil in my movies, but when you see this movie, you will see evil. The way evil has become in the modern world."

Advice to a first-time filmmaker: "Get a good night’s sleep. That’s very important. Stay healthy. Eat well. It’s exhausting. I find directing is like being the host of a giant party. You are trying to put through your vision of a film, if you have one, and you are going to find there are a lot of impediments to that. It takes inner grit."

-Oliver Stone in Denver: Ten awesome quotes, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, March 7 2026

[balemouns]

[SHARE A COFFEE]⠀/⠀"so this is where you're from." the stoneheart is a picture of skillful smiles and adroit fluency as he slides into the leather-cushioned booth against the wall of the cozy cafe, steaming cup and saucer in hand. the large window beside them provides ample light, presenting a wide-angle view of the commercial street corner outside, yet fixed with good enough insulation to let in none of the sound.

visible. cozy. quaint. he's actually never been much of a coffee shop patron, but there's always a first time for everything when seeing new sights.

"it feels a little different from you, doesn't it. of course, i don't mean that as a bad thing——plenty of people don't resemble their homelands much." once the latte's reached a nicer temperature, he lifts the cup and takes a shallow sip, blowing lightly across the surface. the fluff of air and whipped cream wobbles. hm. too much sugar.

"anyway, i've since learned that you run an orphanage here in fontaine. suddenly a lot of things from that temple make sense. that young magician——lyney——i think i understand things a little better now. you must have a really extraordinary institution."

it's been far too long since she last encountered her unlikely ally -- nearly two seasons ago, in fact, with winter approaching. even by a window, the light inside the café is dimmer than the outside patio, but surroundings are also quieter, better for asking questions. what brings him back here, now? if he's truly from beyond the stars, what value can be taken from teyvat?... and, of course, there's only so much she can offer, for whatever value his organization's superior technology can offer. arlecchino stirs her own coffee mindlessly as he settles in --- his second comment almost prompts an offer to clarify something she suspects he's been wondering about for some time. "ah... well, to belong in a particular place is a luxury only some of the children in my organization can afford. lyney is lucky to count himself amongst those children," and she herself is not one of them. nevertheless, to address the third, "...the house of the hearth offers home for any child missing it, no matter the capacity in which it is needed. but from what you've described, it sounds like you've learned more about what we are, or what we do."

a glance out the window, then down to her coffee. this time, it is dark, only a touch of sugar added that has long-since dissolved, despite her own insistent stirring as she thinks. "...it's not just here in fontaine -- the house is in every nation of teyvat. it makes us an invaluable network of information... and yet, despite our reach, I have learned nothing more about you since we last spoke. I assume we're meeting again because your own organization has some interest in teyvat, no...? it can't just be this film festival, mr. aventurine."

[mrthoughtbubbles]

Hi Yeet,

How are you? I hope that you’re enjoying your time with your family and friends. Today, I spent time playing a new computer game with my brother from another mother, along with his office mate. I enjoy spending my time with him because he likes to joke around a lot, he’s lively and he’s a really cool dude, in my eyes. It’s been quite a while since I last played with him, and I’m happy that we’re able to joke around again.

On another note, Yeet, I have to share with you something that I’m embarassed to share with anyone except my mother… Except for a few games, like warframe, I kind of feel guilty playing computer games… I feel guilty because I don’t have a stable income and I feel guilty that I don’t have a 9-5 job, like every body else, due to my fear of being bullied by my superiors… I feel paralyzed between feeling guilty and feeling anxious about the prospect of being bullied by my superiors again… I only shared this with you and mama, but I don’t like sharing it with papa or my sisters… I shared it with you because I want to show you what I’m feeling, even if I feel embarrassed about it… Mama comforted me by telling me that this is only temporary and there’s something that’s really meant for me…

Aside from having time with my brother from another mother, I also enjoyed my time talking with my mother and my younger sister about films, actors/actresses, comedians, films we would like to see in the future, jokes, vampires, Constantine and angels, and a lot more.  It warms my heart that I got to experience that today, even if my sister was busy with her work.

On the random information I’ll share with you, everyone with blue eyes can be traced to one ancestor between 6,000-10,000 years ago. Hair,skin and eye color is dictated by melanin and the mutation that happened to that certain ancestor gave us people with blue eyes. Everyone originally had brown eyes, but due to changes in melanin, we got blue and other eye colors, like green, for example.

I’ll guess I’ll end my message here for tonight. I hope that you’re doing well, recuperating well, enjoying life with your loved ones, or even strangers, appreciate your relationship with everyone around you, thankful for the little things that God puts in front of you, and I’m always praying every night that God will take care of you, look after you, and love you. Good night, take care, sieze the day, pray/talk to God, and remember that I love you, Yeet!

[bisexual-magneto]

almost like people can have a "my blorbo can do no wrong mentality" about their favourite media

Like people still OFMD or even harry potter because BLORBO UWU

Beau DeMayo is white-washing apolgist but we still watch x-men 97

(...I also found some...other unsavoury stuff about Beau DeMayo a few weeks ago. Which might be a rumour but I was curious why Disney fired him and why it was kept under wraps and then I found a reddit post where people...talked about it. And again, it's a rumour. But if it's true, it's pretty bad).

But yeah! I think there is a big irony here, where every time a new show or book or game or movie is recommended around here, the fans try to wring ANY bit of progressiveness out of it so, so, so hard because THAT’S how you get people watching: By insisting how diverse it is, how modern it is, how ethical it is, by interpreting anything that can somehow be interpreted as leftist as leftist, even blatant misinterpretation (no, the misogynistic male white leads who are best friends are not the writer’s attempt to write a queer love story*)

So every time it turns out that the writers do suck or that the show does have a horrible message, it just kind of splits into 3 crowds

“The show/film/movie sucked anyway and I hate it now!” (which honestly, this one I have the least issue with. But I feel like it’s a bit dangerous to just do a 180° instead of admitting that horrible people can write good stories or that a well-crafted story can rope you in to accept a fucked-up core-message.)

“We have to separate the writer from the work!” (which is the old problem of making sure they don’t still get fucking money from you.)

What they’re doing with Neil Gaiman now: Angrily trying to argue his case and disprove the allegations, usually peppered with some weird sweeping statements acting like there is now a hate-campaign against the fandom and ‘everything is so toxic now!’)

And I think the flipside of this – of this kind of personal moral investment on why this video game is the Morally Superior Video Game or why Harry Potter is the answer to all life’s questions or committing to supporting Neil Gaiman’s victims – is that they seem to feel like if they would admit that the creators are horrible people, they would also be forced to give up the kind of moral superiority high that they got from pretending their fandom was the most superior, most moral fandom to ever exist in the first place.

By the end of it, they just act like every alt-righter and conservative when a rich white person receives backlash: Try to smear the victims, try to use singular statements and aspects of the culprit’s past behaviour to show what a Nice Little Dude he is (“here’s Johnny Depp visiting those kids at the hospital again!”), make up some fake alternative universe where victims (especially members of marginalised groups) are actually taken super-seriously by some Dangerous Woke Mob while innocent rich men have their careers ruined all over  their place and are dangerously oppressed. They’re not so different from the people who claimed Bill Cosby was being falsely accused even after he fucking confessed.

And the thing is…Hollywood is extremely fake. Rich people are extremely fake. They have agents and stuff managing their public appearances and reputations and statements. And the thing is, that doesn’t necessarily mean someone is bad – I would do the same if I were a public person. I would also manage which parts of me the public sees and gets to react to and relentlessly talk about online and in insipid tabloid articles and so on.

But the point is, that we don’t know these people. No one knows these people just based on their tumblr or twitter or anything. I remember for how long there were ‘first glimpses’ of JKR’s transphobia and tumblr kept explaining it away, usually arguing that it is misinterpreting or that she didn’t know who she was sharing or that being suspicious of her for liking 1 post is disingenuous. While she has been friends with the likes of Emma Nicholson since at least 2005.

Anyway, if anyone around here hasn't already, please read I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

(*this is more a general statement, not a comment on the fandoms you mentioned, obviously stuff like OFMD does have queer love stories. Before anyone gets in my business.)

[chwedout]

andrew garfield saying that mamma mia 2 is better than 1,,, a man after my own heart <3

[lilacwineandthesinkingsun]

All jokes aside - 1

Here's the second option of the pull i made about the one series laced with jokes and stuff, the other is a serious one (Evermore). I hope you'll enjoy.

Masterlist Part 1 Part 2

MINORS GO AWAY

Being even considered as an addition to the 141 is an honor in itself, but after the imminent heartbreak you went through after breaking up with Matt, the lieutenant who were the center of your world up until two months ago, it almost just saved your fucking life. You had been with him for the past 5 years, and it all seemed to go well, especially since you both were in the military. But when you got back a few hours later with another team only to find your long time boyfriend sloppily fucking some local bitch while his buddies film him was just way out of line. You stopped between the men who were enjoying the scene and the obscene sounds the woman let out, the only thing you felt was pain. You took off your balaclava, letting it fall to the dirty floor of the safe house, as the only remnant you will let him have of you, you silently took your duffel, and left. On your way you called your long time friend, Kate.

-How’s the mission (Y/n)? - came a tired voice on the other end of the line.

-It’s done, now, i am officially requesting reassignment from this godforsaken team.

-What? What happened? - shock evident in her voice and you looked around, not wanting any one of the team to hear you.

-The lieutenant thought it funny to film porn with some of the locals, without making sure the entirety of his team had made it back safely. Now if we put aside my personal hurt i think it’s safe to say that i, as a woman do not feel safe and respected in this environment anymore. I do not want this to get out, i just want a good silent reassignment, possibly the furthest from him, and i don’t give a damn if it’s bloody Siberia at this point.

-As your and his superior I’ll pretend that i did not hear any of this, catch a plane back home, I’ll get you your reassignment by the time you arrive. Take care okay?

-Okay. - you said, suddenly hearing angry commotion from the safe-house behind you. Matt stomped out, looking around for you.

-What? - you asked as he stood in front of you, nostrils flaring.

-You get back and fail to tell me, only to hear my sergeant say that you left already? What is the meaning of this.

-Oh i would’ve told you if you weren’t so busy filming fucking porn in front of my eyes. - you said, his eyes widening, realizing his mistake.

-Oh cmon darling, it was just a little fun, come inside, you can be next? Huh, whaddaya say? - he slurred. You got right into his face a smirk playing on his lips as you fisted his shirt.

-Now listen here, and listen closely. I requested reassignment, and i never want to see your face again, or I’ll be putting a hole right between your eyes. Now let go of my hands and be glad that i didn’t tell them about your activities, saving you from military court. I. AM. DONE. - you said and he took a deep breath before his eyes turned into something of rage.

-OH YOU WANT TO TELL ME THAT YOU’RE A SAINT HUH? YOU DON’T THINK I DIDN’T HEAR ABOUT YOU AND THE WHOLE TEAM WHEN I’M AWAY? - he yelled as he pushed you up on the wall by your neck before he punched you multiple times.

The yelling alerted his sergeant, who came running out before the others noticed, peeling him off of you as you spat blood on the ground.

-I never once looked at another and you know it very well. - you said before standing up and walking away. You heard his sergeant trying to keep him back, trying to get him to calm down, telling him all the ways you could have him locked up for a really long time if you wanted. You went to the airport, you had a few hours until the first flight. That was when it all hit you, really hit you. The soreness of your beaten face, the pain in your stomach where he kicked you, his sin. You silently cried in the dark airport until you just couldn’t anymore.

Two days later you knock on Kate’s office door, hearing her tell you to come in. As you sit down she sees your busted lip. She sighs, already angry that you still didn’t want to bust Matt’s ass, but without anyone to testify your bruises are just the outcome of the mission.

-Take down your sunglasses. - she says softly. You sigh.

-Can’t we just talk about the reassignment and be done with it? - you ask, and she shakes her head.

-I do have a team, but first I’d like to make sure i don’t send a woman with half of her original eyesight. - as she cocks an eyebrow at you. You roll your eyes taking off the glasses revealing an almost too dark black eye. Her eye widens.

-Jesus (Y/n), have you seen a doctor with that? Fckin hell that asshole..

-You should see him. - you said smiling at her - i did see a doctor, but only here at the base, at least here they will eat up me telling it’s cause of the mission.

-You still don’t want to throw his ass to the dogs? - she asks dumbfounded.

-No, this was our personal shit, he is still a valuable lieutenant no matter how much of an asshole he is. - you stated, and no matter how she didn’t like it she had to agree, you did have a point. - besides, you have a new team for me don’t you? - you smiled at her again.

-Oh yes, i think you’ll quite like it, even more so cause when he gets word of it, he’ll regret all his wrongs. - she smirked now, giving you a file of the new team, your new teammates for the foreseeable future. -You’ll join them the day after tomorrow, I’ll assign a few more check-ups for you, as i DID see your limping. - she said as you opened the file.

-You’ve got to be kidding me. THE 141 is fucking taking me in?

-What are you so surprised about, you’re an awesome soldier, one of the bests in hand to hand combat, and of course your best friend is the one that fucking founded the 141. - she chuckled as you stood up and hugged her even through your hissing. They were to arrive 2 days from now. You spent those two days reading through their files, going to the check ups Laswell forced on you, then went back to your apartment for a bit.

When the day came you put on simple black tactical boots, with black rather tight fitting cargo pants, army green t-shirt, and your leather jacket. You put on your helmet and hopped on your bike. They were waiting in front of the base, all five of them, Laswell smiling as you sped up to them, stopping like the badass woman you were, taking off the helmet, the wind immediately messing with your hair in an effortlessly sexy way. The introduction you deserved all along she though. Sunglasses still on, you lit a cigarette, pocketing your zippo lighter as you walked up to them.

-Laswell. - you said to her, smirking, before she proceeded to introduce you.

-Nympho - your call sign - let me introduce you to the 141. This is Captain Price, Lieutenant Ghost, Sergeant Soap and last but not least König, he is here from KorTac.

-141, this is Nympho. - she smiled. The men stared at you, some with smiles some warily. You have read their files, you knew a lot of them already, however, they did not read yours.

-Welcome. - said the Captain, and you couldn’t help but linger on them a little longer. Laswell must have love you dearly if she tossed you into a team of practically walking sex. You followed them to the briefing room where Laswell and Captain Price talked about the upcoming mission in detail. It was a stakeout needing only Ghost, Soap and you. König and Price is needed back here at the base, but it will be a great opportunity to get to know your new team mates. Soon enough you were on the heli towards your destination. The safe house was nothing much, but it was enough. A room with a bed, a living room with a kitchenette, a small bathroom. Just enough for this many people. You will take turns watching the building on the other side of the street anyways. You’ll take the first watch you volunteered before you put down your sunglasses for the first time before them.

-Steamin’ Jesus lass what happened to you? - he asked stepping closer not minding any personal space, as if you were a part of the team forever, getting a hold of your chin with one finger curled under it, to inspect your eyes closely making you chuckle.

-Nothing any of us hadn’t had before. - you dismissed it, but letting him stare at it if he wanted to. Ghost cleared his throat making Soap realize that he stood just a bit too close to you, immediately stepping back muttering a small sorry. You put your sniper gun next to the window before pulling a chair and a small table before it, lighting a cigarette.

They went to sleep so you had a good few hours before you’d have to talk again. You enjoyed the silence at first, then your memories started to creep back up. Just when you were about to sink too deep, the bedroom’s door opened silently, revealing Ghost. He walked up to you, pulling a chair from the kitchen to sit beside you. You didn’t look at him besides when he emerged from the room, keeping your eyes on the building.

-Any movement? - he asked, his voice vibrating in your chest even though he wasn’t even close enough to you.

-Nothing so far. Just some passing locals on the road.

-You should go sleep. All this watching can’t be good for that eye. - he said, and you looked at your watch.

-I still got 2 hours on the clock lieutenant. - you answered to him in a whisper, not wanting to wake Soap up. He didn’t say anything after it, and you again, welcomed the silence. After a while you heard chuckles from beside you and you looked at him as he eyed you from under the mask.

-Why the call sign? - he asked making you smile to yourself. Even if it ended badly, you still held some good memories of Matt.

-I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. - you smirked still watching the building like you’re supposed to. - everybody needs something to help blowing off some steam after missions, aren’t they?

-Hm. -he just fucking hummed, you rolled your eyes but still felt his eyes boring into the back of your neck.

A few seconds passed in silence and as you put your cigarette back to your lips to take a drag, his hand appeared taking it from your lips, lifting it to his.

-Naah, you seem too innocent for that. - he said before standing up, and walking away for a bit.

-Am i now? I thought this is my first encounter with you lieutenant, now you’re telling me you know me better? - you taunted but your voice was laced with playfulness. He smirked under his mask, walking back up behind you, leaning down to whisper in your ear as he gently put the cigarette back between your lips, his thumb ever so slightly brushing over your jaw and neck.

-We’ll see then.

[giddlygoat]

"I could fix this movie" tell us how 👀 I can sense you have rant-worthy opinions and am very curious 👀 pls elaborate

okay, i said i would write some of my thoughts on the lorax 2012 in detail, so here we go. 

(roughly 2k words under the cut (help))

first of all, i just want to say i actually enjoyed some parts of the movie quite a lot (and for different reasons). while i have lots of problems with it, and some pretty huge ones at that, i thought the film was very pretty and certain scenes and visual elements (ted riding his scooter through the outer walls of the city in the beginning with the schlop river beneath him, and some of the architecture that stayed very true to dr. seuss’ illustrations) will definitely stick with me because of how well they were conveyed artistically. 

but. 

i don’t like the movie as a whole. i actually dislike it a lot. to put it shortly, i didn’t care about most of the cast (especially not ted), i felt that the moral of the story was greatly distorted to the point that it achieved basically nothing in the way of teaching kids the lesson, and while i love the onceler’s character, i hate that character as the onceler. or at least i would have much rather seen his decent portrayed in a way more serious light where they could hold him fully accountable for his actions and make the audience actually hate him for it, even if he’s still a sympathetic character that ends up regretting it. it could’ve been done a lot better. 

i won’t go into every little thing that i want to critique about this movie because that would take hours to type, but i will illustrate what kind of movie i would have liked to see. 

it was only after i rewatched the 2012 movie about a week ago that i finally found the time to also watch the 1972 film again and hooooboy. it’s so obvious now what i was struggling to see. 

i knew a lot was wrong with the 2012 film and i knew that i didn’t like the way they illustrated the reckless detriment to the environment. but now, having freshly watched the (delightfully done) 1972 short movie i can say without a doubt i prefer the original film much more. 

now, that’s not exactly a fair comparison in most ways because obviously they were both meant to be very different movies, but in terms of coherency, morals, and overall charm, the 1972 film is superior to me in every way. 

in the 2012 film it’s like they whittled the point down to a blunt nub and barely managed to get it half across throughout the ~hour and and a half of run time. they muddied the moral of the story so much that i had to constantly remind myself that the lorax was supposed to be the likable character that the audience should side with whole heartedly. that the onceler and the results of his horrendous actions were supposed to be scary in “how bad can i be”. that ted existed. 

the movie was a mess. o’hare was unnecessary and boring. and while thneedville was definitely not portrayed like the kind of place i would ever want to live, they made it abundantly clear that the citizens loved it there. not a single character cared about the trees save for the woodland creatures, the lorax and the onceler towards the very end of his arc. which honestly would have been totally fine if they didn’t try to then shove an unnecessary side plot with ted and audrey in there. 

this isn’t to say i automatically dislike a remake or adaptation for trying to expand on originally simplified or vague plot/characters. in fact, that’s one of my favorite concepts in the realm of art, especially if it’s done with a lot of heart for the original content! but the lorax 2012 didn’t feel like it was written with the intention of preserving the moral of the story and supplying generations of fans with a beautiful retelling of what to me was the most moving story i’ve ever read by dr. seuss. it felt like a cash grab, and i don’t think i need to explain why that’s even more messed up than usual in this scenario, under these circumstances. 

before i spiral into the void of endless complaints however, i want to turn my focus on the things i did like about the 2012 movie for a moment. 

i loved the art! the visual storytelling, character design, and animation was pretty great, and a few scenes did more for me visually than the poorly adapted story every could. it was clear they were not lacking in great minds in their art department. i would like to shake the hand of whoever was in charge of directing the onceler, because i don’t think i’ve ever been quite so mesmerized and captivated by the way a character moves and conveys moods and emotions on screen. the onceler’s acting (and incredible voice talent btw) is the only reason i can rewatch so many scenes from the movie over and over again. it truly inspires me as an artist and almost makes me forget the sour taste in my mouth. he’s just so bouncy and vibrant and stands out from everything else so perfectly, and the sheer amount of goofy charm they were able to cram into his body language is mind blowing to me. 

and as i mentioned, i loved the onceler’s voice. i grew up watching the office, and andy bernard (also played by mr. ed helms) was my favorite character for ages. his bright ties and unabashed goofiness and constant breaking out into song really made me smile as a kid, and while his character was certainly not the most considerate or emotionally intelligent at times, i could always forgive him for that signature silly charm. i love characters like that, and when the onceler began speaking, i immediately recognized his voice. it wasn’t until after i finished the movie that i looked up who it was to be sure, and the confirmation made me chuckle. 

and about the onceler’s characterization! as a character, i love him. he’s goofy, lanky, relatable, way over the top, and horribly sympathetic. my heart goes out to a guy who’s just trying to prove himself worthy of his momma’s love, despite being told he would never amount to anything. like dang, at that point the onceler in the movie could have just been a sad little puppy out in the rain and it would have inspired basically the same reactions out of me. i can’t think of a single way to make me like him more. 

and that’s why i love him as a character but hate him as the onceler. 

or perhaps more accurately; why i am disappointed that they didn’t do a better job of illustrating his decent as the literal villain of the story. 

at this point, i wonder why they even called the movie “the lorax”. i don’t know what they thought they would gain by claiming it to be an adaptation if it barely feels like the original content at all. don’t even get me started on how the lorax in the 1972 film was a lovable, considerate little sweetheart with not an ounce of spite in him, but how the lorax in the 2012 film is a neck-cracking, fist-shaking mean old sack of dirt. yeah, i still rooted for him because his role in the story was to protect the trees, but i barley cared about him beyond. the characterization didn’t fit in the slightest. 

what i really wish they had done in the 2012 film, if i had to work with a similar cast and accept that this movie is going to be a retelling at best, goes something like this:

make thneedville a clearly terrible place to live. maybe not at very first glance - maybe they are good at ignoring their predicament sometimes, but the sky can’t be blue and the citizens can’t be bopping along with great big smiles on their faces all the time like nothing ever happened. paint a picture of urgency and desperation for a better quality of life that thneedville in the 1972 film did so perfectly, even with a single shot. the town looked grey and desolate. it looked like a town that was actually living with the aftermath of pollution. 

make audrey actually care about the environment, rather than simply thinking trees are neat for the aesthetic, or whatever her deal was in the 2012 film. show her actively trying to make a difference and having some real drive. let her show the audience some reasons to root for her and get attached.

ted could still be motivated entirely by his crush on audrey in the beginning. i think that could potentially be funny. but throughout the movie, for the love of all that is green, please give him a clear moment of realization. give him purpose. make me care about this stupid kid. i want a scene where his eyes get big and he realizes how much falls on his shoulders. i want to see him and audrey working together and having a meaningful arc. 

and for the sake of this hypothetical movie, say the onceler remains the character that he is in the beginning here. he’s the quirky, optimistic, lovable guitar slapping youngin that we all know and love. now let the story progress as it did, and let him chop down his first tree. now, enter the lorax. 

i can say without hesitation that i much prefer the considerate sweetheart from the 1972 movie. but i can’t say that i think that perosnality and the 2012 onceler’s perosnality would make for a very good dynamic on screen together, in this particular revision of the story. i know why the writers made the lorax a grumpy pants in the later movie - the interactions are funnier when him and oncie can butt heads and argue and glare at each other. that is entertaining when done right. and honestly, i would be completely fine with it, if they had made the lorax sympathetic just like the onceler. if they had shown his sweet side and toned it down by like, eleven notches with the sexist jokes about the onceler’s aunt.

i want to see the lorax get really anxious about the situation. i want to see him kindly beg the onceler to stop chopping down trees before he thinks about threatening him with the forces of nature or whatever. i want to see the lorax worry, as well as watch him huff and shake his fists. give it some weight. 

and finally, i want a movie where the onceler’s thneed empire is built in great detail. let him slide down the slippery slope ungracefully and don’t sugar coat it. let my stomach twist up in knots because i want to love him but he’s just thrown his good sense out the window for the sake of building his success. i want to watch a movie with a villain arc that’s told as masterfully as it is in “biggering”. i want a scene where he battles his conscious figuring on wether or not this was worth it. in fact, i want that movie so bad it more often than not drives me to fits of frustration. 

how i could love a single character from a frankly bad movie this much, i’m not even entirely sure. the onceler in the 2012 film is the best thing about it and even he wasn’t done faithfully to the original. he didn’t make a bad enough villain for it to be a good enough movie. 

doesn’t mean i’m not going to keep thinking and thinking about this until my brain fries, and perhaps my perspective will change over time, but right now all i really am is disappointed. 

despite it all though, i love the onceler in the 2012 film on his own, and i’m doing my best to enjoy what i can given the unfortunate circumstances. i’m just trying to have fun and not overthink it too much. not all the time, anyway. 

i know you probably weren’t expecting an essay so i’m sorry about that anon, but i’ve been a mess over this stupid movie and i needed to get it all out. i hope it wasn’t too much like a cheese grater on your brain to read. thanks for asking!

[briangroth27]

Look! Up in the Spinner Rack!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Action Comics #1!

Yesterday (April 18, 2023) was the super-impressive 85th anniversary of Superman & Lois Lane's first appearances! These two are among my absolute favorite characters in all of fiction & it's amazing to see them continue to flourish & inspire today. There's something indelibly timeless & iconic about the Superman mythos & visuals that makes me feel like a kid again, fully believing a man can fly & wishing I could too.

I vehemently disagree that Superman's outdated & needs to be "cooler." He is cool, he's just not the angry power fantasy some people wish he was. There are other characters for that, but that doesn't mean Clark's one-dimensional or stagnant. He's not an unrelatable god either: he's an immigrant, an adopted son, a husband, a father, a friend. I also prefer him choosing to be a hero in the face of corruption–and because he himself was helped when he was most vulnerable–to being sent here on a mission to save & inspire us; he’s inspirational without being issued a mandate. Whether you prefer Clark Kent or Superman as the primary guy--I've come to think neither is a mask & they're both exaggerated yet honest sides of his personality--he proves power doesn't have to corrupt, that no matter where you're from you can help make things better, and that no matter how weak we seem or powerless we feel, we can all be someone's greatest hero in the fight for truth, justice, & a better tomorrow.

A long time ago I saw someone say Lois is such a strong character that she could've existed without Superman & been just as great, & that's absolutely true. While I love the screwball comedy tenor of their romance, the fact that she's Clark's equal in the fight for justice (& his superior in journalism) makes her every bit the hero he is. Sure she gets into danger a lot, but usually it's her tenacity to stop criminals & get the story that lands her there, not a plot requirement for Superman to rescue someone. I don't buy that Superman's humanity & goodness rests entirely on Lois--he loves people & that should be why he pursues journalism, to hear & share their stories, so if he did lose her he wouldn't lose himself--but the two of them absolutely evolve each other's worldviews & arcs brilliantly. Her cynicism & jaded view of the world fading when confronted by both Clark & Superman--but never losing her wit or edge--compliments Superman's never-ending battle challenging his optimism & faith in people perfectly.

Smallville is my absolute favorite version of Superman because of the writing, directing, acting, characters, relationships, & brilliant balance of Clark's dual heritages culminating in his ability to fly. It also didn't hurt that it hit at exactly the right time for me, as I was a year older than Clark when it aired & am still finding commonalities between us (both positive & regrettable hahaha) as I rewatch it again in tandem with Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum's Talkville podcast. Smallville also had a tone that allowed for relationship drama, horror-tinged villains, campy fun, & heightened comic book adventures, all grounded by human relationships (& it's my favorite show ever; the one that makes me want to be a writer), but there are so many other great iterations of the Man of Steel out there for everyone! Christopher Reeve (whose acting hands-down proves the glasses & demeanor change works), Superman & Lois, Superman Smashes the Klan, Superman: Miracle Monday, Superman the Animated Series, & Superman: Secret Identity are just a few of the best ones. Take time to check some out this week!

Despite all we've gotten in film, TV, animation, radio, & comics over the decades, there's a beautiful scene in Miracle Monday I've never seen adapted anywhere & I hope we finally get in Superman & Lois, My Adventures with Superman, or the newest iteration in Superman Legacy: at an especially low point, Clark flies to the arctic & just listens. He hears something no one else can--the sounds of the entire planet harmonizing to form the "song of the Earth"--and his heartbeat completes the song, showing him this is where he belongs.

It's insane that we're just 15 years out from Action Comics' 100th anniversary. How will the Man of Tomorrow meet our actual tomorrow? I can't wait to find out & see what's next for Lois & Clark (& Kara, John Henry, Jimmy, Jon, Natasha, Kong, Connor, Krypto, Lana, Martha, Jonathan, Perry, Lex, Brainiac, Bizarro, Parasite, Mxyzptlk, Metallo, Livewire, Silver Banshee, and the rest)!

[araminakilla]

Okay, so I know I haven't been active in the Tad Fandom for quite a long time (and I had a AMV video still waiting, but it will come soon) mainly because studies and then my brain switched to "Puss in Boots 2" mode. But that doesn't mean I left.

In fact, here's is a long video of an interview about the process of the third movie and what could have been. Guys, I'm shaking. There were so many cool concepts but also good reasons as to why they never saw the light.

I can tease some things, like:

At first it was decided that instead of Mexico, the place that was going to appear in the movie was Peru (again)

In Mexico, a plot point was going to be the discovery of Hernan Cortez's tomb (that was custodied by an angry aztec mummy)

More lore of Sara's family.

The original villains/villain group and their motivations.

Who was "Karen" and her secret relationship with Martin (that blond, chubby man who was a spy in the Mexico's expedition)

Ramona's development and "her" possible arc/story with Mummy.

That's all I can tease. But something I can point out is that it was mentioned (and thus, canon in the third film) Mummy had the need of having adventures with his bro, but Tad kept pushing him, or as they said "hurting him" and then said that Ramona also "hurted him" and then Tad again and all that hurt from both of them is what made the curse become worse.

What I can gather from this is that Mummy was not only annoyed by Ramona's statement that he was not a real mummy just because he is Incan, he was HURT, emotionally speaking.

Also that confirms that in their first formal interaction when she called him a "rancid package of bones" he was really hurt, but managed to make a joke (or an observation) out of that insult.

It's amazing how the Tad crew acknowledged how Mummy was getting hurt by his best friend and a mummy he called sister (he has a kinship with fellow monsters) and how that manifested in Ammit. But that's all.

He forgave Tad very easily. And Ramona still has a problem to see him as an equal at the end of the third film, but Mummy still plays that off as something inevitable and as "oh well Ancient Egyptians and their superiority, what I'm supposed to do?" which doesn't mean the hurt he is feeling is gone.

Just bottle up... again.

And that, my dear readers and fans of this franchise, is why we need a film that acknowledges Mummy's problem by keeping things to himself.

Could be his problems with Tad, Ramona, Paititi or maybe his past. Or all of the above if he was hurting 500 years ago, maybe even before he died.

Time will tell for sure.

[soft-october-night]

The Love Interests in the Works of Jane Austen: An Assessment

This is an "extremely scientific" and "thoroughly researched" ranking based on personality, money, family and connections, and is a bit of a blend between the book characterizations and the film characterizations (and is in no way only based on my own opinions). Here we go, grouped by book but not much else.

Edmund Bertram: absolute trash. His family has treated you unbelievably shitty since day one and not only has he BARELY noticed, he ALSO has treated you shitty. Will fall in love with someone beautiful and fun and when she dumps him will come crawling to you for a rebound. His passion for you is so lackluster that even the esteemed author who wrote about it barely spared a paragraph on your relationship. Has a job but only because his dad owns the land the church is built on. You’ll gain no connections or family by marrying him, since he’s literally your cousin.  0/10

Henry Crawford: There IS such thing as too much fun, and that is never clearer than in this man, who will try to seduce you as a game, freak out when his middling overtures don’t work and then try and seduce you “for really real” this time. You will definitely move up in the world if you marry him, and if you play your cards right it seems like his sister is also just REALLY into you, so see how that goes. Life will be pretty okay until you find him in bed with one (or more, who knows) of your relations. 3/10, 8/10 if you’re into that

John Willoughby: Will be like something out of a romance novel, you’re thinking he’s going to propose and then he just fucking ghosts you and embarrasses the fuck out of you at a party by acting like he doesn’t know you. Somehow marry him (congrats on the inheritance you must have, btw) and get ready to take a backseat to the whims of his aunt for as long as she lives. 1/10, at least you get to live in a nice house.

Edward Ferrars: Oh Edward. He’s a bit of a mess, isn’t he? Super kind, your family loves him, he made a bunch of stupid decisions in his youth that are coming back to bite him in the ass. He is loyal to an absolute fault, but you luck out when his fiance turns out to be a bit of a gold digger and dumps him when his mom disowns him. He doesn’t have a job and neither do you, but his family doesn’t wanna speak to him (lucky you!) and you’ll be happy and poor together if you two can work on your communication skills. 7/10.

Colonel Brandon: He’s got a nice house, the respect of his friends and the community, and he has a LOT of passion. He’ll give your sister’s penniless husband a job, dramatically rescue you from a rainstorm, make sure his dead girlfriend’s daughter is happy and taken care of even after your ex fucks HER over too, and is all around a pretty decent guy. Just. Uh. Maybe, kinda, sorta, needs to go after women his own age and is probably with you because you remind him of his dead girlfriend. 5/10 with the wildly inappropriate age gap, 9/10 without it.

Mr. Wickham: Please don’t. He’s a thirsty bitch who lives for drama and you think he’s fun until you find out he tried to sleep with one teenage girl and is making eyes at your fifteen year old sister behind your back. Marry him (through the grace of mysterious benefactors, cause he ain’t marrying anyone unless he’s paid the right price) and get ready for a life of being surrounded by military men in the north of England while your husband tries to fuck everything that moves. Work that out somehow with him and you might actually be happy. 0/10.

Mr. Bingley: He is a softboi who will do literally anything his friends tell him to do. He is SUPER rich, and marrying him will throw your sister’s into the path of other rich men and he is REALLY into you, but get ready to be sucking up to his sisters for literally the rest of your life. Unless he can ship Miss Bingley off to live with Mrs. Hurst, have fun trying to wage a war of barely concealed insults over the breakfast table every morning, and if you’re marrying Bingley I’m sorry but that is a war you just cannot win. He doesn’t have a job but he does have five thousand a year, and neither of you can manage money. You’ll love simply and deeply and be happy as any two can be. 8/10.

Mr. Collins: Last resort to rescue yourself from a life of being a burden to your parents until they die and then having to become a governess or something. Has a job but never shuts up about his boss. You will have to rearrange everything in your house according to his boss’ will. 2/10

Mr. Darcy: Is a anxious disaster who doesn’t know how to talk to girls at parties and needs to learn how say no to going out when he’s just not feeling it. He doesn’t have a job because he’s a landlord; he owns half of Derbyshire and has ten thousand a year, but turns out that all of that money and land can’t buy tact or charisma. Doesn’t know how to flirt and thinks he’s doing a great job (he’s not). He’ll propose to you out of the fucking blue one day by insulting literally everything about you, but don’t worry! Reading his letter unlocks Darcy 2.0. This patched version gives him humility, a personality, and he WILL gain the ability to rescue your family from utter ruin. Marry him and enjoy a life of luxury and witty ripostes, but beware! You ARE going to have to deal with Lady Catherine until the day she dies, not to mention Caroline Bingley’s barely concealed contempt every time you meet in polite company. Darcy 1.0 3/10, Darcy 2.0 8/10.

Captain Wentworth: Absolutely top tier. Has a job, has earned everything he has, including a fortune and the respect of his peers, superiors, and subordinates. His sister and her husband are practically the only happily older married couple you know, his friends are super fun and nice (even the dour one with all the poetry knows how to have a polite conversation). If you dumped him ten years ago on the advice of your almost comically shitty family yeah, he’s going to hold a grudge, but he WILL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU and the MOMENT he gets over his pride will do everything and anything in his power (including leaping the bounds of propriety!) to win you back. Based on his love, money, and connections you should RUN, not walk, into his arms TODAY and allow him to rescue you from your family and whisk you off to see the world on his ship, at least until Napoleon busts out of Elba. 12/10

Mr. Eliot: Will lose all your old schoolfriend’s husband’s money in a bad deal, has debts out the ass, might be trying to get with either you or the woman your dad has been flirting with for the last few years, you’re not sure. Is totally ruining the rekindling relationship you’re trying to get going with your far superior ex. He wants the land and title your dad has and will stop at nothing to get it. Marry him and you can move back into your old house (maybe? it’s a little unclear what with all the debts) but have every single cent your mother left you immediately put into some dumbass scheme. 1/10

Henry Tilney: another softboi who just wants to act in the school play while his dad and brother plan to ship him off to military school and berate him for not joining the football team. Bring him shopping with you to pick out dresses, spend long nights over tea chatting about books. Has a job, but again, only because his dad owns the land the church is on. Loves you even though you have some very strange ideas about his house, and will forgive you when he realizes you thought his dad either murdered or imprisoned his mom. If he can find the courage to tell his dad to fuck off and let him live his own life, expect a long, happy marriage of snuggling together in a window seat somewhere, sipping tea and reading. 9/10

John Thorpe: Trash bastard man. Peaked in whatever equivalent of high school he had. Shitty and rude to everyone, would post racist memes on facebook and start fights if he could, all while being shitty and manipulative and CREEPILY possessive of you. -2/10

Robert Martin: A sweet himbo farmer who just wants to love and worship you. He has a job, is pretty rich, and while his connections may not be above his class, he’s an earnest boy who wants to take care of you and be taken care of in turn. Marry him the first time, absolutely do NOT let your friend influence you against him, because who KNOWS if you will get a second proposal! (You will, he likes you THAT much.) Marry him and enjoy a sweet, simple life of exactly zero drama (unless your friend is around). 7/10

Mr. Elton: Trifling gold digging trash who doesn’t know what the word no means. Do not marry, unless you want to be censured by decent, hardworking people -1/10

Frank Churchill: Knows how to have fun, but you know there’s something more going on. He won’t let you see his letters, he sends out secret notes, then he smiles and tells you that everything is totally a okay. Another boy with ANOTHER overbearing aunt, only this one doesn’t know how to say no. Marry him if you’ve got the money, but he will always be longing after the poor girl next door that auntie wouldn’t let him married, and would have cheated on you already if she was into it. 3/10

Mr. Knightly: He’s your brother in law and you’ve known him almost your whole life, so that’s a little sus, but he is also the ONLY person in your entire life who knows how to tell you no (and you really, REALLY need to be told no sometimes.) He is extremely wealthy, but more importantly he’s kind and caring about people who are considered “beneath” him. He will break his weird no dancing rule to dance with your shy friend, he will ream you out for being shitty to unwed spinsters who value your opinion, and somehow has the correct read on everyone all the time. You will gain no connections by marrying him, since the two of you already have the exact same connections anyway, but the two of you should be content in a test of wills that will last a lifetime. You’ll be very happy as long as he doesn’t get super pedantic and start correcting you about everything. 7/10