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edgarallanhoetry · 3 years ago

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Arati watches Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

I am still stunned by the Ginnifer Goodwin plays a major role in a less popular early 2000s rom com that ended up having a major impact on me Cinematic Universe of it all !

OH MY GOD this is the movie with the pringles scene. I have been thinking about this sour cream & onions pringles scene and trying to remember where it came from on and off for the last 10 years.

Wow the girlies are being so mean to Kathryn Hahn. You deserve so much better bby, you are clearly so cool and confident and clear about your wants and have great tattoos !!

Wow this movie is really pushing the small town vs LA concept. Can’t decide if I am charmed or not by how completely authentic Rosalee is in her blond wholesomeness….

Ykw she just vomited on Tad Hamilton’a shoes with no attempt at covering it up so I am in full support of this girl

Ohhhh I remember her thing is that she’ll completely skewer someone without meaning to just by being nice and straightforward. Genuinely I love that this movie lacks all subtlety.

“Her perfect bosom” okay Ginnifer let’s just be real about who you’re actually attracted to here

“IF THATS OKAY PETE” followed by Ginnifer Godwin’s offer to give her body to Tad Hamilton followed by “ass like cement” followed by “is that how you get women? Stealing lines from your own movies?” - the girlies are officially CARRYING this movie I forgot how good this is!!! No wonder this movie imprinted on me!!

This early 2000s soundtrack omg 🧟‍♀️

Okay this movie can pretend all it wants that it’s about this movie star’s character development via this girl, but it’s actually about a very nice woman who is not actually going to take any man’s bullshit

This is really just me uncovering a specific blorbo archetype of line - women who become meaner/more direct/angrier over the course of a storyline but somehow continue to be nice

Representation in the 2000s is this gay man who is ready to learn to be a massage therapist for sexy sexy Tad H

Topper Grace is being so obnoxious//shamey in this movie but I have to let him have it because he’s also the only person in this movie being at all realistic. Love a bitchy cynic! Every small town needs one!

GG talking about Tad’s pectorals with the same time that she used when talking about Rosalee’s perfect bosom … I know a bisexual queen when I see one!

Topher Grace’s cast callback like “hi you’re gonna be the one who looks less good in the shirtless scene thanks”

“Do you even know she has six different smiles?” ICONIC SHOWSTOPPING THIS SCENE MADE ME BELIEVE IN LOVE

Omg Kathryn Hahn delivering the iconic love, big love, great love speech in a ridiculous accent that I then internalized for a decade before I ever realized how much I love her

There was no reason for these men to both be named Richard Levy. And for the cast list and subtitles alone to tell you one is the Shameless and one is the Driven. And for that to never be said out loud.

I’m always impressed when Tad tells her the truth about the 6 smiles. I never expect him to tell her and he always does.

She gives him the 5 smiles baackkkkk because this movie is about equalityyyyyyy

Okay so on the one hand, this movie definitely wants the nice guy to get the girl in the end. But on the other hand, it also wants the woman to get everything she wants without ever having to change herself, and most importantly, it’s a treatise on how love is all about paying attention to your beloved, not being afraid to tell them, and dancing real goofy under the moonlight. 10/10 would watch and let this movie define love for me again.

#wow I should rewatch he’s just not that into you next and see what gems jt has to offer #arati watches #win a date with tad hamilton #movies #a

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rainbowsky · 4 years ago

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The Wolf Reviewed

Spoiler-free section

My life is divided into two eras: ‘before seeing GG as Ji Chong’ and ‘after seeing GG as Ji Chong’. I will never be the same.

GG is magical in this series, and Ji Chong is among my absolute favorite characters of all time (I am actually in love with this character, which is heartbreaking given the fact that he’s fictional). The show also has many interesting characters and some exciting storylines, and in spite of some of its flaws this series is quite good. Highly recommended.

Of course there’s a lot more to it than that, but I can’t give a full review without spoilers. Here’s the rest for those who have already seen the series.

Spoilers under the cut

OK, where to start?

The Characters

There were so many great characters in this story and overall I found the performances of all of them well-acted and exciting to watch. I especially loved Ji Chong and Yao Ji. Both were complex, mysterious characters who stole the show every time they were onscreen.

Ji Chong was incredible. Everything about him was over-the-top amazing. I can imagine that GG must have identified a lot with Ji Chong because he has a similarly gallant, charismatic and kind personality. Seeing GG perform a character like this was mind-blowing because of the harmony between them in spite of their physical differences.

I could go on and on about how much I love Ji Chong as a character but if you’ve seen the series you already know how great he is. I truly fell in love with that man. He was everything I love in a person, and in such a beautiful package. I loved his nimble mischievousness, his rebelliousness, his fierce independence, his devotion to those he loves, and above all, his integrity. With one exception that I’ll get into later, everything he did in that series was consistent with the image I had of him and it made my heart melt.

And it was pretty insane to see GG go from the thin, twinkish, bubbly and somewhat diminutive Wei Wuxian to the rugged, masculine, mature and level-headed Ji Chong. Not only because of the personality differences between the two characters, but also because of the physical differences. They look like two entirely different people. Ji Chong looks so tall and imposing in the series!

It’s impressive to see GG’s acting ability shine through in these roles. He has such a gift for acting, and for drawing viewers into the hearts of the characters he plays.

Yao Ji was another character that really impressed me. She had so much intensity and complexity, and her character arc was so strong. She was also just incredibly well styled and she looked breathtaking in every single frame she appeared in. The various headpieces and hairstyles she wore were stunning, and her sidekick Zi Shen was an aesthetic marvel.

I also really loved Ma Jing. Despite the fact that she was often used for comedic effect, her character was quite nuanced and multidimensional. I loved her loyalty and strength, and the depth of the love she had for Ma Zhai Xing really shone through in every scene she was in.

The entire Night Fury group was also amazing. I loved them as a team and as individuals, and the trajectories their characters went through were interesting and engaging. I was really invested in what became of them. When Wen Yan died I was gutted, and I was grateful that Hai Die and Mo Xiao had such a satisfying conclusion to their story.

I also adored Butler Shi. What a great character. He reminded me of one or two guys I know hehe. He had such a warm, endearing quality about him.

I’m realizing that I could sit here and name almost every character in this series. Despite some of the problems that I have with it, I’m reminded that the characters are exceptionally well-realized in this series.

The Story

Overall I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the story. It was exciting and engaging, and there were some very interesting side conflicts and intrigues. There was an overall sense of adventure and plenty of action, some really emotional moments and even comic relief.

When you think about it, almost every character had something deeper going on outside of the main plot, and those side/back stories were really interesting and varied. There was complexity to the characters and their motives and experiences without it overcomplicating the plot.

The romances were not my cup of tea. I’ll get into that later on. But despite being the thread that ran through the entire story, they really didn’t feel central to it and it was easy to simply enjoy the show while putting aside the annoyances I had with the romances (I did this primarily by consciously choosing to take the story at face value, and choosing to believe that Ma Zhai Xing really was through with Prince Bo).

The show did a great job of getting me engaged and keeping me interested, giving me a story that was complex without being confusing, emotional without being too sappy (with some exceptions). The action, fight scenes, battles, etc. were exciting without feeling fake and cliche. There were some well-choreographed scenes.

I really can’t complain about much. I mean, there were times when I was watching this series that I thought I hated it, but in retrospect I can see that I really loved it in spite of some of the flaws, which I’ll discuss in a moment.

The Soundtrack

The soundtrack was quite good, even if it felt repetitive when I was bingeing the show. So many songs have stuck with me since I finished the series. I especially like Backflow by Jolin Tsai (second-last song on the playlist I linked). Of course I would have loved a song or two with GG, but the soundtrack we got was memorable.

What I hated

I really struggled with some aspects of this series.

I found Bao Na mostly unwatchable. She was incredibly annoying. As a character she had all the traits I dislike. Whiny, stalker, demanding, emotionally immature, jealous... I really couldn’t stand that character for a lot of the series.

It’s true that she started to redeem herself a bit through the course of the series but she never really evolved into someone I wanted to see more of. I definitely had some moments where I liked her and sympathized with her, but mostly she grated on my nerves.

I also hated Prince Bo through most of the series, and found it insulting that I was expected to view him as the protagonist and cheer for him to win the princess’s heart. I felt that the ‘love-hate’ thing between Prince Bo and Ma Zhai Xing was overplayed to a point where I lost all sympathy with Prince Bo and desperately wanted him to die a horrible death through much of the series.

His behavior didn’t reflect someone who was in love but wanted to protect her. Much of his behavior was excessive and gratuitous, much worse than was necessary to achieve its stated goal. He was incredibly emotionally and psychologically abusive toward Ma Zhai Xing to a degree that was often really hard to watch. Especially his near-rape of her.

This is a man that I didn’t want to see redeemed. This is a man I wanted to see burned alive. No one who truly loved Ma Zhai Xing would be even remotely capable of the actions Prince Bo took.

I will admit that he did begin to redeem himself in my eyes a bit later in the series, but not to where I could ever see him with Ma Zhai Xing. I don’t think that’s the sort of treatment one can ever redeem in a relationship. He might be able to redeem himself, but not the relationship. There are some lines, once crossed between people, that one can never come back from.

I actually felt that Yao Ji was a much better match for Prince Bo than the princess was. They were true equals with similarly difficult pasts, and similarly dark deeds to redeem themselves from. They were in so many ways perfect for each other.

Ji Chong and Ma Zhai Xing were a better match because they were more natural equals in terms of personality, values and life paths. There were tremendous parallels between the two of them. Although I ended up feeling she didn’t deserve him.

So for me, it was really difficult to get invested in the love stories I was presented with. Ultimately I found them all very unsatisfying. The people I wanted to see together were treated as unsuitable for each other in ways that were completely unbelievable, and the people I was expected to want to see together had unconvincing chemistry and incompatibilities that I couldn’t overlook.

Seeing Ma Zhai Xing die in the end was an OUTRAGE. Especially when I read about the director’s rationale for that decision.

“Her thought process on killing off “Zhai Xing” was that “King Bo” had done so much for her that it was time for her to do something for him. “Her character had matured the most in the series. Dying for Wolf Boy is the best ending for this identity of hers. To me, this perfect ending is even more in line with her character’s growth.””

I found that shocking. I couldn’t disagree more with this sentiment. She wasted so much of herself and her life for Prince Bo. He treated her like crap, and he didn’t ever truly do anything to redeem himself from that behavior. He should have been the one to die.

In my opinion, REAL character growth for Ma Zhai Xing would have been to see her overcome the fixation with Wolf Boy and with Prince Bo and just move on with her life.

I will say this, though: By the time Ma Zhai Xing died in the show, her character had already been so utterly and thoroughly decimated beyond all recognition via the Prince Bo housewife trajectory that there was no point in her surviving.

The absolute worst moment for me, though, was Ji Chong ending up with Bao Na. Talk about adding insult to injury. This is the one thing that Ji Chong did as a character that ran against my understanding of him as a character.

You could have done anything at all to Ji Chong, including killing him or turning him into a villain, and it would have been less of an insult to me than putting him with Bao Na.

I do try to interpret his invitation for them to travel together in a non-romantic way (despite the fact that in the world of the show there’s no way that a princess is going to go traveling with a prince without her reputation being ruined unless they are a couple). But when I tell myself that he took her traveling to get her away from court and give her some life experience - as friends only - then it becomes less of a bitter pill to swallow. I could see him doing that for her, and I could see them developing a strong friendship through their travels.

I just can’t see them as remotely romantically compatible. Not on any level.

I found it completely unconvincing that the most emotionally mature, honorable person in the entire series who had the healthiest boundaries and a lot of worldly experience and intelligence, would have any interest whatsoever in someone as emotionally immature, childish and inexperienced (and with no boundaries whatsoever) as Bao Na.

I would have preferred it if they’d framed that whole thing as him being a sort of big brother/mentor figure to her.

I felt like I saw chemistry and compatibility between Bao Na and Fourth Prince Chu You Ze, and I would have loved to see them end up together. They were much more at an equal footing. I was expecting that to be the outcome and it would have been a sweet one. They would have made a cute couple.

Final thoughts

The romances in this story seemed fixated on unhealthy, often misogynistic power imbalances and they were really, really hard to watch. Not just in terms of Prince Bo and Ma Zhai Xing but also the ugly Ji Chong and Princess Bao Na hookup they tried to get me to swallow at the end. I hate that kind of ‘love’ story. I prefer seeing actual equals find each other in the great wide world.

However, pretty much everything else about the series was excellent. Ji Chong owns my heart and I only wish I could see more of him. GG completely blew me away and far exceeded all of my expectations.

Overall, I really love this series and will definitely be rewatching it.

#the wolf #ji chong #actor gg #review #my beloved ji chong

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linorangge · 4 years ago

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Codes | Bangchan College! AU

Chan takes an interest in the generous computer science major and makes it his mission to befriend her. (Content Warning: Mild swearing, suggestive language). Word Count: 1188 | Part 1 | Part 3

After class, you went home, ate dinner, studied, watched a few movies and went to bed. Nothing very eventful. These days were always uneventful for you. You weren’t bothered by it though.

The next day, the thought of seeing Chan made your stomach turn. In a good way of course. The classes leading up to your coding class dragged on once again. Upon your arrival however, Chris wasn’t there at his usual space.

After class ended, you found him in the courtyard on a bench eating a bagel.

“I thought skipping class was more for high schoolers.” You said as you sat beside him.

“I think I might drop the class actually.” Chris replied as he looked up at you.

You furrowed your eyebrows, worried, “Why?”

Chan noticed the way your voice softened, and felt himself get a little weak, “It’s not really a part of my major, that and I kinda suck at it.”

“Chris you know I could always help you out if you needed.”

He smiled at you, “You don’t always have to help everyone.”

You shrugged, “I like to. It’s kind of my thing.”

“Your thing?”

“Helping people is kind of fulfilling in my opinion.”

He hummed in response and looked down at his lap, “So about that date?”

“I’ll be free.” You said as you smiled.

“Good.”

Friday came entirely too fast, you had seen Chan in class but nothing much came out of the small conversation you had. Apart from exchanging numbers, there weren’t many advances made with him.

You wore a dress despite the cold weather and soon it was 8PM.

Chan was surprisingly on time, considering you didn’t really take him as the type of person to be punctual. When you opened the door to the entrance of your apartment, Chan was in a white button up shirt, layered under a leather jacket and a skinny black tie. His hair was pushed to the side and you could tell he’d worn a bit of concealer around his eyes and some spots on his face. It made you a bit proud that he’d put this much effort into his appearance for you.

“You look beautiful.” He said softly, his eyes crinkling a little as his perfect pink lips stretched into a smile.

You grinned and pressed a soft kiss to his dimpled cheek, “You’re the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen.” You saw his ears get red as he laughed shyly.

He hesitantly took your hand and led you outside. He let you lock your door before you both made your way to his car.

“So what’s in Gwangju?” You said as he walked to the passenger’s side with you and opened the car door for you.

“Lots of things are in Gwangju.” He replied as he let you climb into his car.

You playfully frowned at him as he closed the door. He laughed lightly as he crossed to the other side of the car and got inside.

He handed you a cord before turning on the car.

“What’s this for?”

“Aux cord, choose some music.” He replied, putting his seatbelt on.

You smirked to yourself before putting on Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine.

“This sounds familiar.” He said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“It’s from Twilight.”

“The movie?” He said briefly glancing at you.

“Yeah, it plays in the final scene when the main characters dance.”

He nodded and stayed silent, listening intently to the lyrics.

“What is this song about?” He asked as he squinted a little in confusion.

“I have no idea.” You said as you laughed.

“It sounds beautiful, but the lyrics are just…” Chris trailed off.

“Gibberish?”

“Completely.” He said in agreement.

You played the rest of the Twilight soundtrack, the majority of the time talking about how beautiful it was. When you played Roslyn, Chan teared up a bit. The soundtrack truly struck a chord with him, despite the lack of depth some of the songs had.

By the time you got to the restaurant in Gwangju, you’d laughed, cried, and sang with him. It felt like meeting another half of yourself you had never realized was missing.

He walked around the car again to open the door for you, offering his hand to help you get it out. You took his large hand in yours and got out of the car, immediately feeling the cold weather hit you like a truck.

You shivered a little as you walked hand in hand towards the restaurant’s entrance.

He opened the door for you and immediately the hostess recognized him.

“Chris! Reservation upstairs right?” She greeted the both of you politely before taking you upstairs to a small stairway.

You climbed the stairs close behind the hostess and when you got to the top you stood behind her in shock.

There were warm toned fairy lights lining the balcony, and a single table was in the middle of the balcony. The table had two plates, silverware, and a pitcher with lemonade.

A soft breeze blew around you and you felt your heart soften. The knots in your stomach became undone as you thanked the waitress and turned to Chan, who had a big grin on his face, his dimples were on full display.

“Do you like it?” He said as he watched your expression carefully.

“I love it.” You said a smile spreading across your lips.

He guided you over to the chair and pulled it out for you.

“Actually can we try something else?” You said prompting him to push the chair back in.

You pulled out your phone and put on Flightless Bird, American Mouth again.

“Oh?” Chan said as he took your hands in his.

You chuckled and waltzed a little with him before he turned you and kept your back to his chest, enveloping you in his arms.

“I like this song despite the nonsense it says.” He whispered softly in your ear.

“I like you despite some nonsense you say.” You whispered back.

He laughed, still swaying softly to the music with you, “You haven’t heard the half of it.”

“You can tell me more nonsense over dinner.” You said.

He dipped you and stared into your eyes for a moment, “You are quite literally, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He whispered.

Before you could reply he stood you upright again and took your face in his hands.

You gave him a reassuring look before he leaned in and pressed his soft lips against your mouth. You kissed him back passionately, before pulling away.

You grabbed the pitcher of lemonade and poured the both of you a glass.

You gave him one of the glasses, “To you and I, and everything that comes after that.”

“Everything after?”

“There’s always an after.” You said before you clinked your glasses together and drank.

You closed the distance between each other and cupped his cheek, before kissing him again, this time the kiss lasting much longer.

The night continued on, the memory of first love reigning within your mind for perhaps the remainder of your life.

––

Hey guys! gg here, i just wanted to quickly thank y'all for supporting codes again! I didn't expect the amount of feedback I’d get on this au, especially for it being my first one,,,, I have a lot of content coming in the future. If you’ve sent a request, I’ve most likely already saw it, however because of the high demand in au’s, I'll be answering requests after I've finished an au, such as this one. Thanks again for supporting! Drink water !

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uwua3 · 4 years ago

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your name (pt.1)

❄️📚 tsukioka tsumugi

part 1 — part 2 — part 3

summary: being an adult is tiring, tsumugi knows that all too well.

warnings: class divide (struggling financially), food

author’s note: this is the first ever series i’m doing! please anticipate the next installment of the “your name” series tomorrow :D i’m so excited to share this since part 01 is my first ever wip for a3 ever 🤍 please enjoy!

word count: 2,932

music: kimi no na wa soundtrack – radwimps

Running with reckless abandon, a boy trips amidst the bustling public traffic in the station, books flying out of his arms from the sheer force of his turn. Passer-bys barely spared a glance at the panicked tutor as he bent down to gather his academic papers, all imprinted by strangers’ shoes. In a moment of lifelong embarrassment, the world continued to spin as nothing rippled the fabric of time.

Murmurs spread across the crowd, daily small talk between people who would never see each other again on the complex train system. Students shared personal gossip too loud for their own good as their prestigious private academy skirts flew past him. Businessmen burdened themselves with client phone calls as they were all weighed down by the same leather briefcase. Employees wore their customer service mask, smiling politely before dropping their act immediately afterwards when they thought no one was looking. As expected, there was no time in the schedule to stop and help a recent university graduate out of his clumsy peril. Everyone was too distracted by their own problems to consider breaking their routine.

Perceptive by nature, Tsukioka Tsumugi didn’t need to glance at his watch to know he was late to his study session. The automated female voice sounded dull over the speakers, announcing his designated train was to depart in five minutes in a monotone attitude. Tokyo was a busy city with no mercy for those who didn’t plan every second of their future. That much was understandable by the aspiring teacher who quickly pulled out his outdated flip phone as he carefully eyed the assignments back in his possession.

A single tone rang before a drawl was heard in poor quality, with a shit–eating grin Tsumugi knew all too well.

“Tsumu, did you finally realize I don’t need your tutoring?” Settsu Banri mocked, the distinct background noises of his new video game obsession making Tsumugi speed walk even faster. With his books held tight against his chest, he sighed and almost pinched the bridge of his nose before realizing none of his hands were free. Placing the phone in between his shoulder and ear, Tsumugi rolled his eyes as he attempted to organize his mess.

“Banri-kun, please refer to me as Tsukioka-san. I am your senior by years, if I may remind you.” Tsumugi reprimanded, noting Banri’s agitated groan and muttered under his breath about the age difference between them. Unlike the other students Tsumugi tutored, Banri was defiant. Over–the–top, lazy, and arrogant—but deadly smart. Ever since Tsumugi carefully took off his shoes in the Settsus’ overpriced apartment, Banri took it upon himself to make his life a living hell by refusing to do the work but getting every question right. The only thing Banri cooperated with was talking about video games, which distracted him from his innate ability to be the best at everything. So on Friday afternoons, Tsumugi would visit to recap the weekly curriculum and try his best to stay patient with Banri’s snappy attitude.

“Why’d you call anyways? You’re late, by the way.” Banri pointed out right before Tsumugi fell through the two closing doors on the train, tumbling into a displeased but silent group as he gripped the overhead. Spectators only stared for a second before turning away as Tsumugi blushed under the attention, stammering back a half–assed apology of how he was going to be twenty minutes late for their session.

“Hold on, am I talking to the right person? Tsukioka Tsumugi, late? Real funny, just tell me you quit or something.” Banri feigned a bothered persona, but it was nice to pretend he was actually worried over the possibility of not seeing Tsumugi. Apologizing quickly to a corporate worker he bumped into, Tsumugi fixed the bag slung too low on his right shoulder as he took the phone back in his hand. At the same time, the zipper on his decade old bag gave out as it took his foot’s entire strength to keep the folders in place. Great, another thing to replace.

Staring outside the window, the school year was coming to a close as the heat of incoming summer air made him grip the phone in case of vicious sweat. “Banri–kun, you know I value our study sessions together.” He didn’t respond, just a resigned hmph before hanging up as Banri started swearing into his gaming headset. Tsumugi closed his eyes, getting his minutes of shut-eye for the first time in days as the sun glowed. Time didn’t stop for anyone, especially not Tsukioka Tsumugi.

After being greeted way too properly by the Settsu chain of servants, Tsumugi could hear the exaggerated game sound effects throughout the rather empty mansion. Walking carefully into Banri’s wide open door, Tsumugi grimaced at the sight of the energy drink cans crushed and thrown haphazardly near the trash can. Junk food wrappers were kicked underneath the expensive furniture as Banri was focused on his two–screen gaming setup. The rainbow LED keyboard was smashed expertly by Banri’s quick fingers all without looking down, getting him a #1 win as he boredly stared at the victory. As expected of NEO-san, a top league player. Or so Tsumugi’s heard by his other student, Taichi, who dramatically cries every time he loses against Banri.

“Banri-kun, please excuse my interruption.” Tsumugi announced, holding up the textbooks he had carried with a strained smile. Banri didn’t even look over as he logged off, saying something about GG to his teammate by the name of “Taruchi” before pushing the cat headset down around his neck. Spinning around in his black gamer chair, Banri raised one eyebrow at Tsumugi’s disheveled appearance panting slightly in the doorway. It was unlike his composed, proper tutor to be... like every young adult out there? Tsumugi didn’t seem like he had all the wisdom and knowledge in the world, he looked more... confused than anything.

“Geez, Tsumu. Didn’t think you’d sleep in, watched the meteor strike last night?” Banri smirked, rolling his chair across the room to his school desk as he put his legs up, stretching his arms beneath his head lazily. How he hadn't changed out of his white t-shirt and sweatpants was beyond Tsumugi as he sat in his normal chair silently, unlike the loud high schooler who glanced at the folder of work with a yawn. Grabbing some trendy bucket hat, Banri shoved the brim over his eyes as he took a break from the flashing neon blue light from his monitor.

“Meteor strike?” Tsumugi questioned innocently, attempting to hold conversation as Banri hummed a game soundtrack absentmindedly. Nodding, Banri pulled up his modern phone that made Tsumugi wince thinking of the price of that thing. Shoving the screen in front of Tsumugi’s wary red eyes, he blinked rapidly to adjust to the bright overpowering pixels. Tsumugi noticed an event marked that raved about the phenomenal light show the day before. Thinking back on the train incident this morning, Tsumugi remembered the excitement buzzing through the students a week prior as they whispered about a new chance to wear their best yukatas to celebrate. It had been so long since he was in school, that he completely forgot about all the childish euphoria that came with change.

“I must’ve slept through it. I didn’t notice at all.” Tsumugi admitted, tilting his head as he tried to remember the news every morning the past week. He couldn’t remember a single story of the astronomical event, although every day felt the same as usual. It was peculiar; Tsumugi was awake all night, too. He couldn’t sleep without his medication... maybe he should have looked up for once.

Taking his phone back to check the game notification popping up on screen, Banri chuckled as he shoved a stick of chocolate pocky in his mouth. “Mhmm, said it was a historical event n’ all. Supposed to be life-changing.” Banri offered bare minimum detail on anything and everything, but it was enough for Tsumugi to have a slight understanding as he set up the workspace. Banri noticed the distant look in Tsumugi’s eyes, the tiredness stifled underneath the graceful mannerisms as it looked like he was going through the motions. Attempting to lighten the mood, Banri’s voice came off meaner than he intended. “Aren’t you like? 25? How come you don’t know this stuff, you’re no boomer.”

Tsumugi frowned, glancing at Banri who looked away immediately with a flustered expression. Leave it to Banri to overthink whether or not he overstepped a boundary but refuse to acknowledge it. Tsumugi kept the meme going, sarcastically deadpanning, “Haha” before tossing a new eraser at Banri’s mushroom hair. Banri caught the gift in one hand easily as he slowly turned it over, turning his body to fully face his tutor. His feet dropped to the floor with a bang, startling Tsumugi to straighten his posture and stare directly into Banri’s curious face that had a glint of... concern?

“What’s all this? A gift to make me like you or something?” Banri jokes, nudging Tsumugi’s foot with his own. Tsumugi couldn’t help but notice the tight death grip Banri had on the small, game controller shaped eraser he had found at his full time work as a florist. Across the street was a one dollar convenience store, where teenage workers stood at the register on their phones as Tsumugi checked out the stationary. Wearing his dirt–stained apron, he remembered coming across miniature, adorable erasers that made him think of his students. Especially the red and blue Nintendo Switch joy con erasers that made Tsumugi think of Banri’s whole rant about the superiority of Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Black Eagles for the potential wife girls. Sure, it was a hit on his already fragile bank account, but it was worth it to see Banri genuinely happy about something for once.

“You already do, I’m the longest tutor you’ve had.” Tsumugi didn’t need the thanks, because it was clear in the way Banri for once put something down without throwing it. Banri scoffed, mumbling a weak comeback as he flipped open his notebook. He even tossed his hat off his head, revealing the messy long hair tucked behind his ears. Oh, he did his homework for once, Tsumugi mused with satisfaction before trying to flip to the appropriate page in the school’s textbook. It was open to a section on meteors, and glossy colored pictures of the sky made Tsumugi’s eyes focus. The image seemed familiar. Perhaps he stared a moment too long, because Banri took the book himself and thumbed his way to the marked section, warily sparing a careful glance.

“Hey... you good? You don’t look... normal.” Banri roughly phrased, trying his best to emote like a normal human would. Tsumugi nodded, not convincing anyone he was off. Brushing his sweaty palms upon his jeans, Tsumugi pushed his hair back as he started reciting what he knew of the topic and reviewed the homework, failing to catch Banri’s attentive stare at Tsumugi’s cheap, hole-ridden pants and bag bursting at the seams.

Tsumugi went back on the same train. The people were the same, his schedule was the same. Banri was different today though, paid more attention today despite knowing it already. Maybe he just wanted to get it over with, probably some tournament tonight.

In the face of the orange sunset above the skyscrapers, Tsumugi walked home with a slow, natural pace that fit his time slot he allocated for transportation. The mental reminder allowed him to look up for once, seeing the birds fly together around the quieter part of the city as a golden haze reflected off the glass. Community members said their usual predictable greetings as he waved back, respectfully wishing good health to his elders and telling funny jokes to the youth playing sports. Yet, it didn’t bring him the fulfillment he got before when he was young. Being an adult, was tiring.

It was the same everyday, as Tsumugi left the residential area and climbed through the back alley to a slum part of town. Lights flickered as abandoned businesses creaked amidst the silence. He escaped the prying eyes of neighbors and unlocked the door to his dingy, unsafe apartment. Closing the door quietly, Tsumugi stared at the studio as silence overtook his surroundings. Dust floated in the golden hour as everything was where he exactly left it.

“Welcome home.” Tsumugi whispered, his own voice echoing in between his four walls. Alone, again. It was the same everyday.

Heating up the instant ramen expired in his cupboard, the microwave sparked every once in a while as Tsumugi leaned against the counter. Each surface he touched creaked with uncertainty, as if it didn’t know how long it could last. His one–room housing felt cramped despite the lack of furniture around Tsumugi. His run–down appliances, aged decor, and rising rent made the location even better as Tsumugi did the usual routine of eating half the calories he needed and staying up browsing job listings. This time, the ramen wasn’t as satisfying as the pastry Banri stuffed in his hand before he left.

“What’s this?” Tsumugi remembered asking, immediately feeling sick to his stomach once he saw Banri’s serious expression stare back at him. At the moment, it felt like Banri was his teacher. The sweet, strawberry mochi wrapped in plastic felt warm in his palm as Banri stood at the door of his own home, leading Tsumugi out with a gift.

“Mochi. You’re Japanese, dipshit. Just a thanks, I guess.” Banri bullshitted, rolling his eyes as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Tsumugi noticed they began to fidget a little bit as Banri tapped his foot against the welcome mat. “School punk named Juza bakes or whatever, has a family business so thought you might like it. Or whatever.” Banri elaborated, using one hand to tug at the already loose v–neck collar of his week old t–shirt. Was that a blush Tsumugi saw on his rather indifferent student? No matter, it wasn’t his business to ask about a troublemaker turned pastry chef.

He’d make sure to thank his student next time he tutored him, which would be (Tsumugi checked the wall calendar disappointedly) next week. Banri was a good kid, even if he had his teenage angsty rebellion phase for a while now. Privileged kids liked doing that, pretending the whole world was against them despite having everything, Tsumugi thought bitterly. Even he was slightly surprised and caught off guard by his own pessimism, before the microwave beeped, signaling its task was done.

When Tsumugi tried to pull open the door, the handle snapped off and a quiet sigh escaped Tsumugi’s lips. Guess no dinner for tonight, then. Tsumugi didn’t have enough fight in him to care, so he dropped the handle onto the counter with a clatter. Inside this studio room, there was nothing for Tsumugi here. Not even his own food.

So, Tsumugi sat down on the couch that groaned beneath his weight. Except, it wasn’t his own body that made his sofa creak—it was the stack of papers needing to be graded in his arms. With a red pen tucked behind his ear, Tsumugi began marking his students’ work. A minute passed before Tsumugi quickly turned the television on, letting the sound of the news distract him from the unbearable loneliness.

Sure, it was going to increase his bills but... the money would be worth it to make his thoughts quiet for a moment. Tsumugi had a job to do, and he wouldn’t let his mindset get in the way. Being an adult was something else, indeed.

When had he fallen asleep?

Tsumugi blinked slowly, finding that his cheek was resting against a substantially smaller stack. Another pile that was distinctly red ink was on the other cushion, the pen without its cap rolled across the carpet. Tsumugi subconsciously winced when he realized the T.V. was on, the same channel on in the background.

Lifting his head, Tsumugi tried to comprehend the visual of the screen through his blurry vision. Tsumugi’s glasses must’ve dropped somewhere; he hoped he didn’t step on them. From what he could hear, the duo of news anchors were animatedly discussing some supernatural phenomenon tonight. Tsumugi rubbed his eyes, leaning closer to the small box screen ahead.

There was no way he possibly heard that correctly. Yet, there it was on the T.V.: “Historical Meteor Shower Tonight!” in big bold letters at the bottom. Tsumugi could remember Banri talking about something like this, but it had occurred last night. Was there another one? How common was it for two meteor showers within a span of mere hours? Sitting up, Tsumugi watched the pair talk about the light show.

“This is said to be the first event of its kind in Japan!” The host exclaimed, the screen switching to a picture of the meteors. A sense of familiarity struck Tsumugi once more, the same feeling when he had seen Banri’s textbook earlier that day. “It’s said to be life–changing—” The other one replied, Tsumugi’s wide eyes focused on every single passing word and image. Could deja vu possibly last this long?

As Tsumugi fumbled for his phone, he made his way out onto his balcony. Something inside him was telling him to get some air as Tsumugi dialed Banri’s number. Before Tsumugi could confirm the call, a bright light appeared out of the corner of his eye.

Tsumugi looked up to see two bright meteors splitting from one another. At the sight, Tsumugi’s phone landed upon the balcony floor.

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yuumitrash · 7 years ago

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Sibzy and Rain Play: 500 in 1 NES

Hello, everyone! Sibzy here, and I'm bringing you some of the best and most fun gaming content from this side of the Internet! Today I'm bringing you a hilarious gem from Asia: The bootlegged AS HELL NES 500 in One! I found this particular listing on the Wish app for $28, with about $10 for shipping. It took about 3-ish weeks to get it in, and when I did, boy was it worth the wait. Upon going back, I can't find the particular listing for the one I bought, but you can search 'NES' and it will pull up several different listings. The actual console itself is really close to the actual Nintendo product that was released; it's slightly smaller and the controller plugins are like the original NES rather than the new USB versions. It didn't come with a HDMI connector, just the old school RWY connection, so if you have a newer TV without these ports, you HAVE to buy a converter.

Upon plugging the console in, it immediately powers up to the title screen. Unfortunately for me, I had to have both controllers plugged in to play it, and took me about 5 minutes to figure it out. After the fact, I discovered that the A and B buttons don't confirm choices; they scroll up 50 games. The 'Start' button confirms your choices. The up and down arrows go, well, up and down. I played around with it for a little while by myself, but didn't quite feel comfortable playing by myself so I brought on my friend Rain. She and I live a few houses away from each other, and she's pretty much my best friend. She was my test player for this round, and I took notes (and not a lot of pictures, which was a fail on my part). I walked myself down there, plugged the console into their TV, made some tea and hunkered down in preparation for a long few hours of digging through 500 games. *we didn't go in order and I'm listing them in the order in which we played them, with the number followed by the title of the game.*

109. Galaga

This one was actually pretty fun. It was the original game with all the original sounds, controls and 2 player functionality. We played if for a while before we started to realize that no, the difficulty wasn't bumped up, the controller was stiff and really awkward. The button control was also off. What I mean by that is that we would push the button and there would be the slightest delay. This is a common thing we found with all the games: the controls are stiff and slightly unresponsive. While we were playing this one, we found that the cables are REALLY sensitive to being jostled (just like the original, go figure). So that was a fight the ENTIRE night.

49. Street Fighter

Lawd. Nope. This isn't EVEN REMOTELY the same game. The graphics are all janky, the controls don't work, the music sounds like a drill is piercing your earholes, and it was pretty much unplayable. It gave the same 6 characters, just different colors. Rain and I laughed and laughed. I guess it would be fun to prank your friends with if everyone is drunk, but I don't recommend the pain. It also has 2 player functionality.

13. SnowBros

I have never even heard about this one, actually. I had to do some research, because for the life of us we couldn't figure out how to play the damn thing. Supposedly you're supposed to shoot snow at enemies to roll them off the platform, but we mashed all the buttons and couldn't figure it out, so we gave up. The intro was a million years long and almost unskippable, and the soundtrack is goofy as hell. This is one we probably will revisit, especially since it boasts 2 player functionality.

1. TMNT

This is the actual TMNT game. It's in Japanese, sadly, so if you don't know how to read that you'll be lost, especially if this is your first time playing. But the music is good, the controls are the same despite sticking, and it's still literally the hardest game on the planet.

98. Dig Dug

This is also the original game! It brought both of us back with a really big wave of nostalgia. The controls were still the same, and the sticking buttons actually HELPED us. We played this one for an hour.

123. Mahjong 2P

This one...we couldn't play. It was all in Japanese and while Rain had the basic knowledge of the actual game, she couldn't figure this one out. She still played it several times to try and beat the computer, but she couldn't figure out her score or what she was doing. I think this one has 2P but...we didn't test it that far.

125. Mario Bros.

This one is the original game. Rain hadn't played this one before, so she was having a bit of a hard time figuring it out. This one also has 2P functionality! We had a lot of fun with it but decided to move on to another game for the sake of time.

135. Pac-Man

This is true to the original game, but it just didn't seem like it was. It could have been because at this point we were getting tired of sitting in front of the TV with a sticky controller and janky wiring. The bad controls were really obvious. It was so hard to change directions abruptly and we died a million damn times.

165. Flappy

This one...was weird, but in a good way. We had never heard of this one before, so I looked it up. We actually really liked it. The soundtrack was really cute, and you had 3 options. It was a puzzle game, so it took us a while to figure out what we were supposed to do. The hit boxes are pretty weird, and we only made it through a couple levels before we decided to play our last game. This is one we definitely would love to revisit.

192. Super Mario

This is the real game, as well. Sometimes it glitches and starts you at 1-2 instead of 1-1 but it's the same game. The controls kinda suck when you're getting screwed over by Goombas, but it's okay. It was worth it. Since this was the last game we played, we played it for a couple hours. It was just as fun as it was back then.

We could only stomach about 10 games before we both needed to stop before Rain's husband wanted to kill us, so for the next post we'll pick 10 more and this time I won't fail so hard and forget to take pictures.

If you want to follow Rain, her tumblr is: ginger-wuv.tumblr.com

If you want to follow Sibzy, her tumblr is: redditaddictedraver.tumblr.com

Thanks to Geeky Gorgeous for publishing this post, and I hope to hear from you all again! Leave me comments, suggestions, tips, tricks and requests either through GG or my tumblr!

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thegloober · 6 years ago

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The Best Strange: The Young Actors of Mid90s on Starring in Jonah Hill’s Directorial Debut

by Nick Allen

October 17, 2018 |

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“Mid90s” is a story that comes from a very personal, if not surprising part of writer/director Jonah Hill, who went from man-child comedy protege to two-time Oscar-nominee without playing characters who broadcasted his fandom for and deep knowledge of skateboard culture. Using real-life skaters as his lead actors, and having an attention to period detail that explicitly eschews nostalgia porn, the movie nonetheless immerses us into the skater world, through the eyes of a young man (Sunny Suljic’s Stevie) trying to find an escape from his relationship with his violent older brother (Lucas Hedges) and his mother (Katherine Waterston). Stevie finds camaraderie, and a wealth of life lessons, during his time skating and chilling with the likes of Fuckshit (Olan Prenatt), Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin) and Ruben (Gio Galicia), and the wise, older Ray (Na-Kel Smith).

RogerEbert.com spoke these young actors about making the film, the music that Hill turned them onto, the different details that keep the story genuine to the ‘90s and more.

When you guys were all on set, what was a day of shooting like?

SUNNY SULJIC: Every single day it was always something new. It was always like a different scene and it was just like, every single day each emotion was like different for me, at least. It was insane, we’d all see each other and get happy. It was one of the best experiences, I loved it and want to do it again.

You should pressure Jonah for a sequel.

SS: You can’t do a sequel with these types of films, it will be a classic and it’s already said its thing, and then sequels are like … I don’t know, it’s like saying a sequel for “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

What about for you guys?

RYDER MCLAUGHLIN: It felt like I was going to school. You get to school and it’d be like, you’re getting your make-up done and you’re seeing your friends in homeroom … messing around and then you go to work and do stuff.

GIO GALICIA: That’s such a good way to put it. I never thought of it like that.

SS: That was alright.

GG: Nah, that was on fire.

RM: Yeah, don’t steal that from me.

(Clockwise L-R): Olan Prenatt, Ryder McLaughlin, Sunny Suljic, Gio Galicia

Did it feel like the ‘90s when you were on set? Did Jonah do anything in particular to give you the feel of the period?

SS: Oh yeah, like, a lot of the scenes that didn’t really make it into the movie, it felt like the time period definitely. There was a Fatburger scene, and the Fatburger looked like it was exactly in the ‘90s. We just walked in and I came out of the van and I just saw “Fatburger.” And I’ve seen photos of the Fatburgers from the ‘90s, and it was the exact same. It helped me out so much, I was like damn I’m really in the ‘90s and in the character. I invested so much of my time. And all the food, the works, everything.

OLAN PRENATT: And the pictures on the wall, I remember hearing Jonah talk to the set decorator, and he said, “Are you sure that this is an archive?” Everything was verbatim from the ‘90s.

Was it weird to play a character in the ‘90s?

SS: It was probably the best strange that it could be. It was a lot of craziness, but I loved it so much. I’m just smiling thinking about it.

OP: We watched films, listened to iPods that he gave us that the specific characters would listen to. Because you can understand a lot from somebody’s music selection. And that was pretty much a part of the character adjusting.

He gave you actual iPods?

OP: Literal iPod. It says like, “Mid90s” on the back of it. It’s so cool.

Don’t lose it! Or sell it and make a lot of money.

SS: I’m not selling mine!

OP: Yeah, I prefer listening to that iPod then going on YouTube. It’s awesome.

What was the moment that you guys knew that Jonah knew what he was doing?

SS: The first minute I met him. I read the script, I mean, the first audition, it had so much meaning into it.

What was your first audition?

SS: The first audition was the skate shop scene, and a scene actually with my mom, the Benihana scene. I already felt it, and we did a chemistry test where we were all there together, and it just felt right. The script, I mean Jonah put so much time, work and effort, it just turned out so great, and I loved it.

OP: One time that I felt like that was when we all went into the skate shop, and I seen all of the ads that were posted on the wall, the boards that were posted on the wall. Every board was actual graphics from that era, the wheels. Everything in the skate shop, and I realized that, wow, Jonah, I skated when I was younger and you were really a part of that culture, to the T.

Writer/director Jonah Hill

Does he skate now?

OP: He did a kickflip on set.

RM: I think he hurt his knee. Not on set, but before.

SS: He was already hurt, and then he did a kickflip. It wasn’t like he hurt himself on a kick flip.

He’s not a skateboarder but he knows the culture.

OP: He’s a part of that culture. He’s not just a fan of that culture and knows it, he’s a part of the skateboarding culture.

RM: But also, tasteful. He’s super into a lot of things that … I remember a long time ago there’s a company called Crailtap, and they have like a mini top five, and Spike Jonze is a part of that company. And it was Jonah Hill outside of a skate shop in New York talking about his top five favorite skate videos, and it’s videos I’ve never heard of. A lot of them were from the ‘90s, and they were stuff you probably watched growing up, and it was like, I don’t even know this stuff.

SS: Yeah, definitely. If Jonah did not skate, it would not be how it is. The skate shops … that is such an accurate representation of how the ‘90s looked, how everybody’s just hanging out, and how genuine it is.

OP: Super respectful to the skateboarding culture.

The language in the movie is very ‘90s, but crude with casual usage of words like “fag,” “retard,” “gay,” etc. Did you guys talk with Jonah much about that?

SS: It just sparked—I have an insane note on that. Jonah was saying that if there was not any of that, it would be fake. Completely fake. So I think it was smart for putting that in because if he would just fake that, it was really real, and that little … it wasn’t too subtle, it was pretty out there, but that was one of the main things in the ‘90s.

It feels like people were a little more casual with those words back then.

SS: Yeah, people were more casual. Those little slurs. But we all definitely talked about that.

OP: But also during one of the Q&As in the beginning of the press tour, he said that the best feedback that he got was, “Oh, so you guys are gonna release a movie from the ‘90s.” So all of that was a part of being genuine to the ‘90s.

Sunny Suljic

Did you guys pick up any new music or new interests while working on this movie?

OP: Cypress Hill, I wasn’t really open to that style. [laughs]

SS: I love the … OK, so as we got the iPod, a lot of those songs were on the soundtrack. And I loved all those songs on the soundtrack, especially when I go in my brother’s room and the first song that plays, that was one of my favorite songs.

OP: Oh, one thing—one of my favorite songs is the song that I went into the party and came out with a bunch of 40s. That song is crazy. The first time I heard it, he played the scene back right after we filmed it and then added the music to it. And then play music on his phone, and I thought he was just seeing how it would go. But that was the song, and I was like, “Whoa, this is insane.”

RM: I had to look that song up after. There’s like a Wu-Tang song that they sampled …

There’s a GZA song in there.

OP: Yeah, yeah. I originally heard the Pharrell version! And I was like, “Whoa.”

GG: I feel like after we got the iPods, I listened to all the music, and it just opened a new genre of music. And more ‘90s music, it was so sick. I tried to look up most of the music.

SS: There was a lot of Wu-Tang songs on there. They were super sick.

GG: Huh?

SS: The Wu-Tang songs?

GG: Oh yeah, those were sick.

(L-R): Olan Prenatt, Ryder McLaughlin

This movie’s about people being shaped by who they know, and what they do. Who is someone that was a big influence on you?

SS: That’s probably exactly what I would say, but also Jonah. I mean, skateboarding definitely made me realize at like a younger age, I just saw the world at a younger age so i’m more open minded. Jonah, I mean, taught me a lot of things, acting as well, but just also personal things to know, because he’s been in the acting industry for such a long time. There are definitely things that he’s taught me.

What has Jonah told you as someone who was once also a young actor in the industry?

SS: Just influencing me, because he was growing up in the ‘90s, it was a lot of negativity with speech, you know? And just be aware of what you’re saying, and who you’re talking to. I would get into detail, but they are Jonah’s secrets and personal information. [laughs]

What about you guys? Who had a big influence on you?

RM: As a person? My mom and my dad.

GG: Before I started skating, I was always just inside my house. I wasn’t really going out, trying to explore. And that’s when I found skating. It opened me up to a ton of different types of people. I feel like I connected with older people, so I would always hang with older people and see how they reacted to everything else, and it was so much different than how I would react to stuff. I feel like it matured me, in the better way.

OP: I would agree with Gio, I think with skateboarding, you can experience … all the things we go through and see and are exposed to through skateboarding really shape who I am. So if skateboarding was a person, skateboarding. [laughs]

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