#John is also Cuban to me

[dandyleyen]

In my heart, Karkat is Cuban. This is because Cuba is RIGHT under the Tropic of Cancer and also bc I’m projecting and I’m from Cuba too.

Also fun fact, there’s also a Tropic of Capricorn. The equator is like right in the middle of them, and everything between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn is what we consider the tropics.

Another fun fact is that though many people consider Florida to be tropical, it is actually subtropical, since it is just outside the tropics. That being said, it’s pretty safe to call Florida tropical when you’re talking about the southernmost part of the state.

ANYWAYS

Karkat (cancer) and Gamzee (Capricorn) w/ the tropics. Funny coincidence !

[skyburger]

oh i got recommended a video of john romero playing myhouse.wad and i had to think on who he was. i was like "is this the doom guy" so i looked him up and went on his wikipedia page and discovered we have the same birthday... so awesome. ive never known anyone with the same bday as me not even fictional characters except for bill fucking gates 😭😭😭 WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT BILL GATES!!! anyway yes he is in fact the doom guy (and apparently the wolfenstein 3D and quake guy! which i did not know) so me and john romero are birthday buddies now. shoutsout to mr. romero

[zekeyboy]

I love apprentice adam as much as the next guy. Probably more than the next guy to be honest considering i want him to be alive so badly. HOWEVER. Let’s be real. Apprentice adam is so unlikely to exist for many many reasons.

Adam is not like Lawrence ideology-wise. Lawrence is an upper class white guy who like. he views his life to be ruined by these scum. these people lesser than him (ex. adam, for stalking him & photographing him, tapp, for going off the edge, so on and so forth) and its expanded on when we see the deleted scene from saw 7 where kramer talks to gordon about how like the bottom rung of society will always pull the good men down with them or whatever. like the fact that there was one trap where kramer puts a homeless man in the glass coffin and he has to like. eat shards of glass that got cut. really hammers in how kramer really views people - and in turn, the ideologies he pushes onto Lawrence. Adam is a highschool drop-out who’s, presumably, very involved in punk culture. He was originally supposed to have a huge photo of a Cuban revolutionary on the wall of his apartment. He’s probably never had a real job. In the original script, he’s very open about hating cops. He is the complete opposite of “Important White Male” Lawrence Gordon - and the perfect counter to Lawrence’s game (because, let’s be real - it was always Lawrence centric. I will come back to this later.)

Adam has always been considered the lower level of society. A “bottom-feeder.” He’s a drop-out, his line of work is very illegal, and - judging from the Scott Tibbs documentary, he’s been in that kind of crowd for a while and has forced himself to adapt to it. Trying to keep my personal view of Adam out of this analysis, he’s definitely spent a lot of time around the kind of people that kramer views as scum. He’s also, unsurprisingly, very sweet at his core. Look at how he talks to Amanda in the deleted SAW III scene, how he jokes around with those ladies. He’s like. A nice guy. Scott Tibbs even says so. Lawrence, however, isn’t the kindest. He might put on a face of nice, good guy, but he’s.. What people might expect Adam to be at their core.

Lawrence had his life together, and was dragged down by a bad decision. Adam has a different view and perspective on the world than Lawrence does. he was never at the top and pulled down. he’s been at the bottom and he works with what he has and i really like. i dont think that surviving his trap would change his perspective. i don’t think he would suddenly realize why kramer does what he does. It really wouldn’t help him. However, even if he was going to change his view of the world…

John Kramer does NOT like that guy. Like it’s very clear how biased he is here. Adam’s tape doesn’t even have rules. He doesn’t have a goal. He’s simply told that he might die, that he’s pathetic, and that he needs to ‘do something about it.’ He isn’t given rules, he isn’t given a consequence, he’s given such vague instructions. Lawrence, however, gets clear rules. Kill Adam by 6, or you and your family die.

The kicker, to me, is the fact that Lawrence fails his test. He doesn’t kill Adam by 6. He fails his test. Adam, however, is still alive at 6 - which would imply that he won. Now, I understand that the key was in the tub and that’s how he was supposed to get out. But even without that aspect of it going down the drain and him being doomed from the start, Kramer has a clear biased perspective on the two of them.

Lawrence failed, and is going to die. Adam didn’t fail - it was a design flaw, if anything, and he’s paying for it. Why does John save Lawrence, but not Adam?

It’s not Adam’s test, is the reason. It’s very focused on Lawrence. Anybody could’ve been in Adam’s place - he just had the bad luck of being selected as the photographer by Tapp. Adam was only used as a tool to counteract Lawrence - similar to the janitor in Saw VI for Easton. Adam was never intended to survive, but more to be used as a tool to teach.

Kramer, also, isn’t very fond of impoverished people. Amanda is a special case - but she’s almost more of a trophy if anything. If I got into John and Amanda’s relationship it’d have to be a completely new post, but he’s the kind of person who thinks that you just have to pick yourself up by the bootstraps i think. The fact that he, as I mentioned before, has a deleted trap where he puts a homeless person in the original glass coffin…. Is enough for me to figure out how he really views people below him.

I could probably go on. I probably will go on in my head. I’m very bad at organizing my thoughts. I hope this was comprehensive. I did my best to not accidentally mix in my own personal Adam thoughts that aren’t canon to the films (i have a lot.)

[art-that-fucks-you-up-tournament]

SET SIX - ROUND ONE - MATCH THREE

"Electric Fan (Feel it Motherfuckers): Only Unclaimed Item from the Stephen Earabino Estate" (1997 - John Boskovich) / "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)" (1991 - Félix González-Torres)

ELECTRIC FAN (FEEL IT MOTHERFUCKERS): it makes me literally insane that’s all that’s left of him and he made sure it would stay remembered, something something the last trace of a breath immortalized the only way it could be. Feel it, motherfuckers. (courfeyracs-swordcane) (also submitted by callixton and weeweewhirlwind)

UNTITLED (PORTRAIT OF ROSS IN L.A.): It fucks me up SO MUCH. The artist's partner was named Ross, and died of AIDS in the same year this was created. The ideal weight is roughly the average of an adult man. The allegory there... people taking the candy, decreasing the weight, the same way people took away from Ross and every other victim of the AIDS crisis by refusing to help, to do anything at all. Except this has an "endless supply" of candy. People can take and take and it keeps coming back. They can't get rid of us forever. We will prevail and we will rebuild and I WILL be fucked up about this forever (ceaseless-rambler)

("Electric Fan (Feel It Motherfuckers): Only Unclaimed Item from the Stephen Earabino Estate" is an electric fan encased in plexiglass with vinyl faux etching and a plexiglass base with casters by gay American artist John Boskovich--Stephen Earanbino's partner. It was the last item left in Stephen Earabino's estate after his death by AIDS and measures 56 7/8 x 22 3/4 x 12 1/2 in. (144.5 x 57.8 x 31.8 cm). It is held by The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

"Untitled (Portrait of Ross in LA)" is a modern art installation consisting of wrapped candies (constantly removed and replaced) by gay Cuban-American artist Félix González-Torres after the death of his partner, Ross, by AIDS. The weight is equivalent to a healthy human male - approximately 175 lbs (79kg). It is located at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.)

[bunnyreaper]

kinktober 15 - shotgunning

john price x reader x gabriel reyes

(18+/mdni, smoking, dubcon, d/s dynamic, shamelessly self-indulgent)

the mildest sense of confusion filled you as you approached the captain's door--a call to his office so late meant either a reprimand or a social call, and you know which one you'd prefer at this moment. you also know which one there have been so much of recently, and social was a polite descriptor for your visits to the captain's office as of late.

an overwhelming smell of cigar smoke lingers outside the door as you approach, your hand knocking hesitantly as you call out, "captain?"

"come in." your captain's voice calls out, compelling you to open the door and step into the cloudy room.

your eyes drift over to your lover, noticing the way he's lounged with a cigar from his lips, and the base's special visitor is sitting across from him.

"oh, commander reyes." the man's appearance makes you straighten up, makes you worry this isn't a social call after all, but then the way the smoke swirls around the two men is anything but professional.

his smile is tight-lipped behind his trimmed goatee. "gabriel is fine." he says, a hint of sincerity to his voice. 

you turn your attention back to john, trying to determine where you stand and what the visit is about. you'd long stripped out of your work clothes when you got your captain's message, so now you stand before the two men in nothing but a thin cotton t-shirt and a pair of sweats--feeling horrifically out of place. 

"what can i do for you captain?" you ask, voice professional. 

john smirks around his cigar, amusement clear as he plucks it from his lips and flicks it into an ash tray. "the commander and i were just talking about you, love." 

your stomach drops. your relationship with your captain is a secret, and from the predatory look gabriel is giving you, him being told about it only means one thing.

"john was telling me about your special relationship." he purrs, his handsome brown eyes roaming over your figure. you appraised the man too, while he was older than john, he still had his looks, bulging muscles and a dangerously magnetic look in his eyes.

"hmm, thought you could come join us for a cigar." john mumbles, coaxing you over to him, his words subtly commanding. "just like I showed you." 

he pats his thigh, making room for you you perch yourself in his lap as smoke billows around you both. 

"okay." you whisper, settling yourself atop of him as your eyes flicker to his lips, watching the way he puffs. arousal already shoots through you, from the hardness pushed against you and the heady atmosphere of being put on display for the commander.

john cups your chin gently, tilting it up to give him access to your mouth.

"ready?" he asks, voice low and soft. when you nod meekly, eyes shy and unable to meet his, he takes a puff of the cigar and blows out the smoke. in turn, you suck it in, delicate lips only milimetres from his. his next words are whispered against your lips. "atta girl."  

"enjoy it?" the commanders voice cuts through, a lazy, amused smirk on his lips as he spreads his legs and adjusts. "cuban, brought them with me." 

admittedly, you didn't like it all that much, but that's perhaps because you'd gotten so used to the taste of john's cigars. you look back to john, uncertain if your truth is what is being asked of you right now, but you go for it anyway. "it's not as nice as your usual, i think i prefer the maduro." 

that gets a chuckle from both men, gabriel's eyes especially burn as he takes a satisfied drag of his light-leafed cigar. "you have her well trained, captain." 

you don't miss the proud smile on john's face, yet he urges you back to your feet, steady you on your shaking legs. 

"see how you like it from the commander, love." he urges, and it's now gabriel's turn to pat his thigh temptingly.

the newness of the situation, the implication of everything from here on out makes you dizzy, uncertain. 

"go on." john speaks once more, and you won't disobey him again. 

you wobble over to the american, only to be pulled into his lap and secured over his own growing bulge. "i don't bite princessa, unless you want me to." 

he parts your lips with his thumb, his skin tasting like the harsh tobacco as his smokey breath fans across your face. "now open that pretty little mouth for me."

[florescentliterature]

Pretty thing

Jfk x Male!assistant

Further info: gay smut, oral sex, mention of affairs

Words: 2k

Notes: I’ve been wrote this fanfic but didn’t post it for reasons.- This is also my first jfk fic I’ve ever written so I hope it’s good 😭

Maurice nervously stood outside the white door of the Oval Office. President John F. Kennedy had called the younger man into his office, and he was thinking about all of his decisions he'd made in the White House as an assistant. What did he do wrong? Was he going to get fired? The thought of the worse happening plagued his mind over and over again, making him even more anxious. He then took a deep breath and turned the golden nob, revealing the entirety of the office.

The Oval Office was illuminated in a soft glow by the lights on ceiling, creating a relaxing atmosphere. President Kennedy was sitting behind the mahogany desk, papers scattered all over the surface making the desk a bit messy. He seemed to be on the phone with someone, his head nodding at the person's words from the other line, he also had one of his Cuban cigars between his fingers, taking a drag from time to time and blowing the smoke out with ease.

The sight of the president made Maurice's knees slightly buckle. Ever since he started working in the White House, he had always found Kennedy to be very attractive, even though the man was twice his age. His charisma, his charm, how he talked, how he moved, everything about him was just so... presidential. That's why he was always so nervous around him.

He then slowly walked towards the president's desk, the heels of his polished dress shoes hitting the wooden floor, making a soft clicking sound that echoed throughout the room. Kennedy was still on the phone, but he looked at Maurice and raised his hand to acknowledge his presence, gesturing for him to take a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. Maurice nodded and did as instructed, trying his best to appear calm and collected.

"Mhm, yes, I understand," Kennedy said, his Boston accent rolling smoothly over the words as he nodded along with the conversation. The president's green-blue eyes met his blue-grey ones, causing the assistant to get even more nervous under his presence. He looked around the room, spotting the painting of two ships at sea, a nod to the president's love for maritime related things. The room was rich with the scent of cigar smoke and the president's 'Jockey club' cologne, making him feel dizzy.

Kennedy then finally finished his call, putting the receiver back into the cradle with a gentle click. He took a final drag from his cigar before putting it out with a light tap. "Maurice, I've been meaning to talk to you about something," he began, his tone serious yet calm. Maurice felt his heart rate spike as he waited for the president to continue.

The president leaned forward, his leather chair creaking a bit as he did so. "You know about the situation with Cuba, don't you?" Maurice nodded vigorously, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. Of course he knew. It was all anyone talked about in the West Wing. The Cuban Missile Crisis had the nation on edge, and the tension was palpable even in the most mundane of office tasks. "Yes, sir."

Kennedy's gaze was piercing, as if he was looking right through Maurice. "Good. And I'm pretty sure you've noticed how stressed out I've been. So, I need a bit of relaxation, and I need you to help me with that." Maurice was a bit confused. Why would the President of the United States ask for his help with something so... personal? He shook off the thought, assuming it must be something work-related. "And how may I help you with that, Mr. President?"

Kennedy then looked at the younger man up and down suggestively, a small smirk playing on his lips as his eyes wandered down his delicate frame. Maurice's cheeks then flushed of embarrassment as he realized what the president meant. Yes, he heard rumors around the White House about the president's sexual escapades or making secretaries drop to their knees, but the thing is that they were all women. And Maurice was a man. So, why was he being asked to...

"S-sir..You do realize that I'm a man, right? What happened to your secretaries?" Maurice stuttered out with shock and confusion, the air of the the room was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

Kennedy leaned back in his chair, letting out a sexy chuckle that could make anyone weak in the knees. "Ah yes, those sexy secretaries. They always know how to make a man feel good. But I've gotten a bit... bored of the same old routine, Maurice. And plus, I've seen the way you look at me. You want me, don't ya?" He said with a cocky smirk, his confidence unshaken by Maurice's shock.

Maurice bit his lip, despite his nervousness he felt a bit of excitement from the president's words, which was not helping his obsession with older men. He wondered if this was a dream but as he felt the leather of the chair stick to his palms, he knew that this was all too real. He then gulped hard and tried to compose himself. "Mr. President, I-"

"Enough talking. Get your pretty little ass over here." Kennedy's voice was firm, yet held a seductive edge that sent a shiver down Maurice's spine. The way the president said that was so damn sexy, it made him want to moan. He's been fantasizing about this moment, but he never thought that it'll actually happen, now it was, and he was already reduced to a trembling mess. He stood up from his seat and started to walk towards Kennedy, his legs wobbling a bit as he did so. The president just smirked at him, finding his nervousness amusing, he put a strong hand on his waist, pulling him closer. "Get on your knees." He ordered.

Maurice's heart raced, he still couldn't believe that The President Of The United States was asking for a very personal favor from him. He sank to his knees infront of the president, softly hitting the plush green carpet beneath him. With shaky hands he reached for his belt and started to unbuckle it, causing the sound to echo through the office. Kennedy leaned back in his chair and watched with hooded eyes as the younger man's hands fumbled with his belt. The anticipation was eating Maurice up, his heart jumping out of his chest. When he finally got his belt unbuckled, he unzipped his pants, pulling them down to reveal the president's boxer briefs, which had a tent in it. Maurice then took a deep breath before pulling them down too, the presidential cock springing out.

Maurice's eyes widened as he saw it. It was thick and veiny, standing proudly with a slight upward curve, his pink tip glistening with precum. The president looked at him with a knowing smile, "good boy, now you see why ladies love me." He quipped with a chuckle. He then placed his hand on the back on his head, pushing him closer to cock. "Now go on, take it into your mouth."

Maurice gulped before gently grabbed the large member, stroking it a bit before pushing the tip between his lips, delicately licking the precum off the slit. Kennedy groaned, tilting his head back, "Fuck..." Maurice blushed from Kennedy's praise, making him feel a bit of arousal. He wrapped his lips around the head and started to suck on it softly, hollowing his cheeks out. The president's hand grabbed his blonde locks and started to slightly push his head down, encouraging the assistant to take more of his cock. Since Maurice didn't have a gag reflex, he was able to take half of his length into his mouth with no struggle. He then slowly started to bob his head up and down, his tongue tracing the veins as he started to suck him off.

Kennedy's grip on his hair tightened as he began to enjoy the sensation of Maurice's mouth around his cock. He loved the control he had over the younger man, the power dynamics making him grow harder. When Maurice felt Kennedy's cock swell in his mouth, he knew he was doing a good job. As the president's groans of pleasure grew louder, the more confident he became.

"Mmm, you're such a pretty thing...Why don't you take some more, sweetheart?" Kennedy's voice was like velvet as he moved his hand from Maurice's head to towards his neck, rubbing his thumb on the back of it while he urged him to go deeper, to which he complied. Maurice went lower, the tip of the president's cock hit the back of his throat, but he didn't manage to gag. Instead, he took a deep breath and went even further until he felt the tip of his nose touched the president's stomach.

Kennedy's eyes fluttered shut, letting out a sigh of pleasure. "Atta boy." Maurice then proceeded to deep-throat him, impressing him, he had multiple mistresses, but none of them had ever taken him deep without gagging. Now here was Maurice, a fellow man, sucking him off way better than all of them. His soft blonde hair fell over his eyes as he continued to bob his head up and down, but he didn't care. All wanted to do was please the president.

The only sounds that could be heard in the room was wet slurping and sucking noises and Kennedy's occasional groans. Maurice let out a soft moan, sending vibrations to his cock which made him let out a guttural moan. He looked down at the younger man again, his eyes half-lidded due to the pleasure he was receiving. "Look at me, honey."

Maurice looked up at him, his mouth full of cock. The president felt himself reaching his climax so he grabbed Maurice's hair and started to thrust upwards into his mouth. Maurice's eyes widened, but he didn't pull away, instead he took it like a champ as he still sucked on his cock. His hands gently rested on the older man's thighs, trying to stable himself due to the fast movements of Kennedy's thrusts. "Fuck, baby, I'm gonna cum.." Kennedy said through gritted teeth.

Maurice felt a bit of excitement as he heard the president say that. He braced himself for the load, closing his eyes, his blonde lashes resting upon his rosy cheeks. He then feel a stream of warm liquid coming down his throat and filling up his mouth, but some of it dripped down his chin. He pulled away with a soft pop, swallowing Kennedy's cum and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Maurice then gave Kennedy's tip a kiss.

The president leaned back in his chair, panting heavily. He looked down at Maurice with a satisfied look on his face, a smile creeping on his lips. "Damn baby, that was good. You're such a good boy." He chuckled, ruffling the younger man's hair, making him blush.

Maurice got up from the floor and watched as Kennedy put his cock back in his pants and pulling out a cigar from its wooden case. "Want one?" Kennedy offered a cigar to Maurice, his hand shaking slightly from the intense orgasm. Maurice gave him a soft smile and nodded, gently taking the expensive cigar out of his hand. The president then lit both of their cigars with a golden lighter, causing the orange fire to reflect off their faces. They both took a drag from their cigars, the smoke flowing out of their mouths and into the air.

"Y'know...You were amazing. Even better than any woman I've been with." Kennedy quipped with a smirk, taking another drag from his cigar. Maurice blushed and felt a sense of pride that he was able to please the president...And the fact that he does it better than his mistresses. The president then looked up at him.

"How about you meet me at my room later on, say around 12AM sharp?" He suggested with a knowing smile, making Maurice's heart skip a beat. He couldn't believe that he was invited to the president's bedroom, that he was gonna be one of his secret lovers. "Y-yes, Mr. President. I'll be there." He helplessly stuttered, trying to contain his excitement.

Kennedy then got up from his chair, revealing the two men's height difference. He then raises the younger man's chin with a hand, giving his rosy lips a soft peck. "Good boy."

[sushisocks]

Okay, another Sean and Lenny meta post, this time also featuring some stuff about Javier. I wanna talk about why I think Sean and Lenny would side with Arthur at the end of RDR2, and bring forth all my reasoning as to why I will die on this hill.

Rant under the read more to spare my mutuals. (Fair warning this is a LONG one babes, there is so much meta)

So, to start, I don't actually think the story of RDR2 would look the same, if at all, were Sean and Lenny not to die their scripted deaths. Even in a version of things where they survive and they go to the same camps, the unfolding of events would by necessity be different due to the impact their personalities and frames of thinking would have on the people around them. However, let's for arguments sake say that in this hypothetical, things are mostly the same, and we're down to that last scene in Beaver Hollow, the last showdown, with Dutch and Micah on one side, and Arthur and John on the other. We know where Javier and Bill go, but where would Sean and Lenny gravitate?

I've already made my stance on the matter clear, so let's really get into why I think Lenny and Sean would choose Arthur's side over Dutch's.

First off, I think it's important to remember that it isn't JUST Dutch vs Arthur, in this scene. In its essential form, it is Dutch & Micah vs Arthur & John. Arthur points at Micah as the rat, and Dutch believes Micah over Arthur. John arrives and accuses Dutch for leaving him to bleed out and die, and Arthur believes John -- not that Dutch denies it.

The point here is, though, that it's not JUST Dutch or Arthur, they're choosing. It is also the people who side with those individuals, whom we must take into account.

Sean and Lenny are canonically Micah-haters, if you will. There are several instances throughout the game, while the two are alive, where they loudly proclaim their dislike of Micah. Sean calling him an 'oily turd' and getting offended at being compared to him, is a near and dear line from the game, for me. And I doubt I have to explain why Lenny isn't besties with the most outwardly racist member of the gang.

"Oh, but Teki!" I hear you say. "Javier is also shown to dislike Micah, and yet he sides with Dutch in the end!" And, see, now you have activated my trap card, so let's really take a look at Javier, before going any further.

Javier is among the most loyal members of the gang -- Arthur literally says this as a camp interaction with him, long before chapter 5 or 6. The fact that Arthur is the one saying it, should tell us something -- this is coming from the man whose loyalty is such a strong character trait it turns into a flaw, and ultimately leads to his demise. And if you think about it, Javier being exceedingly loyal - to the gang, to Dutch - should not be surprising!

When Dutch met Javier, Javier didn't even know English. Javier was starving, on the run, with no safety or know-how, in a country he didn't know nor understand. Javier's story with the gang literally STARTS with Dutch saving him. He is brought into the gang, and in the four years he's there, he is taught English and also shown more respect and compassion than many other places in the US at the time. There are many examples of how Javier is treated as a Mexican in the US, throughout the game, and he, like the other POC in the gang, is allowed to stand up for himself and punish other gang members who slight him (Micah and Bill, in particular). In many ways, Dutch provides through the gang a safety net Javier probably didn't even dream of achieving when he crossed the border.

And then Guarma happens.

I, personally, cannot overstate enough how much I think Javier's experiences on Guarma reinforce his loyalty and blind faith in Dutch. He is tortured, ridiculed, and humiliated, and who is it that opens that cage door and literally pulls Javier out of it all? Carries him over his shoulder out of a compound of Cubans that would rather see their heads on pikes?

You guessed it, it's Dutch. Yes, Arthur does a lot of the heavy lifting, but let's be real - Dutch is the one who gets the credit, as usual. He made the plan, after all, and notably, he IS actually the one grabbing Javier and hauling him out of there.

That means, that the two times we know of, where Javier has been at his absolute worst, Dutch is the one who has saved him. Javier, who is so loyal even Arthur acknowledges the immensity of it. So who is then surprised that he doubles down even harder, when they return to the US, and things take a turn for the worse in Beaver Hollow?

In that moment, at the end of chapter 6, Javier cares more about siding with Dutch, than he cares about Dutch siding with Micah.

And I'll argue a similar case for Bill; he has speeches, camp events, where he straight up says Dutch saved him, saved the people of the gang. This is literally The Thing, with these two, that makes their choices at the end really make sense, in my eyes.

It's also important to note that Javier is literally the most clueless among them when he makes that choice. He wasn't there for most of the conversation leading up to it -- he literally just came from being on watch, to warn them about the encroaching Pinkertons. And, as everyone knows, he doesn't point his gun at Arthur and John, and he nor Bill are there for the horse chase scene, blah blah, those points have been done a million times, you already know them.

"Okay, but Teki," you say, trying to reason with my rambling fanatic self. "How do you know Lenny and Sean wouldn't go down similar paths, if they survived past their scripted deaths?" And I say onto you, verily; because neither of them really have similar savior stories with Dutch, thematically.

I mean for goodness' sake, Sean tried to ROB Dutch and Hosea, upon meeting them intially. They just liked his guts and invited him along, and Sean was like, 'shit why not, aint got nothin better to do!' - paraphrased, of course, but in my heart of hearts that's what he said.

All we know definitely with Lenny is that he joined the gang while traversing the Grizzlies, the year before the events of the game. Whether it was a savior situation or a mutually beneficial situation, isn't actually fully known. We can make assumptions and speculate until we're all blue in the face, but I have stronger points for Lenny's case so let's move on.

So, as I've talked about before, Lenny is acknowledged as among the smarter members of the gang, despite his youth. He is one of the only ones who intellectually challenges Dutch, and he is clearly not afraid to criticise Dutch's ideas and ideals -- when prompted.

(Side note, as I said at the start but want to really emphasize here, I really think chapter 6 is the one that would be the most impacted by Lenny's survival. He has shown himself remarkably aware of societal issues contemporary to his time, so look me in the eyes and tell me you genuinely believe he, as a black man, wouldn't attempt to intervene in some way when Dutch starts fucking with the Wapiti. That kid has balls of steel and audacity up the whazoo, and he's excruciatingly aware of how black people in the US have been royally fucked over by white men. You think he'd see the Wapiti struggling, Dutch scheming, and be like 'oh yay more white man shenanigans! lets go!' ?? bffr!)

Lenny ALSO is among the newer members of the gang; it provides him safety and respect that's hard found outside it, yes, but in my opinion he straight up does not have enough cost sunk into this fallacy, for it to fallacy properly in his head, if you catch my drift. I think if it's not for the fact that he has genuine bonds with people in the gang by the time chapter 6 rolls around, like Charles and Sadie do at that point, he probably would be smart enough to dip, like other characters do.

And that's sort of the thing, too, with both Lenny and Sean. They don't actually have daddy issues in the same way Arthur and John do.

Lenny and Sean are very similar in that they had good relationships with their fathers, and are proud of their parentage -- what wisdom and teachings their fathers managed to impart upon their sons before passing, has stuck with them. They are not in need of a new father figure, and they certainly do not seek it in Dutch(nor Hosea), not like Arthur and John do.

They find a sense of brotherhood in the gang, sure, and they view the other members as family (you can pry their little brother statuses from my cold dead hands), but Dutch is their leader, not their guardian, not their teacher, and certainly not anything close to a father, in their eyes. The fact that Lenny discusses literature with him is indicative of this -- the conversation is one of opinion between would-be equals, not of mentor and protege. The fact that Dutch only really seems interested in Sean as far as he serves as camp clown is also indicative of how Sean might feel about him, too. Dutch literally yells at Sean for taking a break from being the silly goofy distraction, in one camp interaction -- and from the way Sean talks about him, I don't think that sort of behavior has a lot of fatherly associations for the 'irish terrier'.

And that leads us to my pièce de résistance, dear fellow cowboy maniacs (you must be, if you've read thus far). Lenny and Sean are both closer, and friendlier with Arthur, than they are with Dutch. Example: Both of them poking fun at Arthur in ways they do not with Dutch. Sean telling Arthur he loves him - like an insane amount of times. Lenny chooses Arthur to go riding with, time and time again.

And guess what? When we see Sean and Lenny at their lowest, who is it that helps them out?

If you answered Arthur Morgan, give yourself a pat on the back and a gold star sticker!

We are literally introduced to Sean while Arthur leads Javier and Charles into saving him from bounty hunters. Arthur is the one cutting him down from that tree, bringing him upright, making sure he is okay. Arthur is also the one who saves him from being shot to death on the train robbery in Pouring Forth Oil. When Lenny comes to tell the gang about Micah being in jail in Strawberry, he has also just narrowly escaped being lynched, and it is Arthur who brings him away from that experience, calms him down and allows him to relax and let loose again.

Both Sean and Lenny have a deeper, more profound connection to Arthur, than they have Dutch. And consequently, if they were to survive until the end of chapter 6 and were the then much-more-unlikely showdown scene to happen, they would certainly not side with Dutch & Micah, over Arthur & John.

[dreamofstarlight]

I don't mean to be rude here. But it frustrates me that Marilyn Monroe's fans blamed John and Bobby for her death. I'm sorry, but I have a huge gut feeling they have nothing to do with that. I think Monroe's fans are just blaming anyone about what happened to Marilyn. I'm pretty sure JFK and RFK had too many things in their hands. The very least thing they should be worried about was Marilyn. These guys were dealing with Bay of pigs, Vietnam, Civil Rights, and the Cuban Missle Crisis. Why would John and Rob wanted to unalive her? If these fans use their common sense. Don't you think it is odd she died in 62 and the following year John's assassination and then a few years later RFK died? Rob and John definitely were not involved with Monroe's death even if she did get murdered. Sorry for the long rant, I try not to become a conspiracy theorist, but something wasn't adding up back in the 60s. Also these authors milking Marilyn Monroe and The Kennedys need to stop. They are adding a lot of oil into the fire. I don't buy these stories whatsoever because they weren't there to even know Monroe as a person and that goes the same for the Kennedys family.

You're not rude at all and I agree completely! I've made it known that I have doubts about how involved JFK and Marilyn were with each other and if they had the long winded affair that has been reported. Those that are considered knowledgable on marilyn's life and career have said that the conspiracy theory that jack and bobby had any involvement in her death is incorrect and there's little to no basis to it. The 60s were a crazy time and there was a lot of turmoil, I'm not someone who necessarily subscribes to any conspiracy theories around those who were killed because it was really just a very intense time especially with things changing socially and politically.

[emeraldxruby]

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Fancast 2

(So here’s my 2nd attempt on fancasting for TSHOEH. Once again, I picked the actors/actresses based on their “vibe” and a few of their physical characteristics that matches some of the descriptions written in the book. Also I’m just so impatient now because it’s 2023 and we still don’t have any news on the casting. Like it is stressing me out lol. Just hoping they get it RIGHT!)

Evelyn Hugo - Adria Arjona

(Background info: Arjona is an American actress of Puerto Rican & Guatemalan descent. She is currently 30 y/o and 5’7” tall)

“When you see pictures of E back in the day with her brassy blond hair, those dark, straight-as-an-arrow eyebrows, that deep-tanned skin, and those golden-brown eyes, you have no choice but to stop what you are doing and stare right at her.” (10)

“Her jawline is strong, her cheekbones are high, and all of it comes to a point at her ever-so-swollen lips. Her eyes are huge but not so much round as an oversized almond shape. Her tanned skin next to her light hair looks beachy but also elegant. I know it’s not natural--hair that blond with skin that bronze--and yet I can’t shake the feeling that it should be, that humans should be born looking like this.” (15)

“...I was five foot eight, with dark, shiny brown hair, long legs, light bronze skin, and a chest that pulled at the buttons of my dresses.” (43)

Middle Aged Evelyn Hugo - Eva Mendes

(Background info: Mendes is an American actress of Cuban descent. She is currently 48 y/o and is 5’6” - 5’8” tall)

Older Evelyn Hugo - Rita Moreno

(Background info: Moreno is a Puerto Rican-born American actress and is currently 91 years old. She was the first Hispanic woman to receive an Oscar in 1962)

“Where her cheeks were once angular, they are now a bit sunken. But they have just a tint of soft rosiness to them, and her lips are a dark nude.” (20)

“Her hair is past her shoulders—a beautiful array white, gray, and blond—with the lightest colors framing her face.” (20)

“Her eyebrows, however—those dark, thick, straight lines that were her signature—have thinned over the years. And they are now the same color as her hair.” (20)

“In the sunlight, it’s easier to see the signs of aging. The whites of her eyes are cloudy, and the complexion of her hands is in the process of becoming translucent. The clear blue tint to her veins reminds me of my grandmother.” (24)

Celia St. James - Kennedy Walsh

(Background info: Walsh is an American YouTuber and Internet personality that also has acted in a few films. She is currently 23 y/o and is 5’7” tall)

“She had a childlike, girl-next-door kind of face. Big, round, pale blue eyes, long lashes, Cupid’s bow lips, long strawberry-red hair. She was simplicity perfect.” (86)

Middle Aged Celia St. James - Jessica Chastain

(Background info: Chastain is an American actress, is currently 45 y/o, and 5’4” tall)

“Her red hair was still stunning but now clearly dyed. The golden undertones that had been there before, the result of nature and sunlight, were now slightly saturated, coppery. Her blue eyes were just as enticing as they always had been, but now the skin around them was softer.” (310)

Harry Cameron - David Corenswet

(Background info: Corenswet is an American actor, is currently 29 y/o, and 6’4” tall)

“He was handsome, for an executive. Most producers around the lot were rotund, a lot of them losing their hair. But Harry was tall and slim. He was young. I suspected he didn’t even have a decade on me. He wore suits that fit him nicely and always complemented his ice-blue eyes. There was something vaguely midwestern about him, not so much in how he looked but in the way he approached people, with kindness first, then strength.” (47)

Middle Aged Harry Cameron - Bradley Cooper

(Background info: Cooper is an American actor, is currently 48 y/o, and 6’1” tall)

John Braverman - Jake Picking

(Background info: Picking is an American actor, is currently 31 y/o, and 6’1” tall)

“In a tux that seemed to strain at his broad shoulders, John looked as all-American as a husk of corn.” (227)

“He had such an intimidating physical presence. More than six feet tall, two hundred and twenty-five pounds, with a tight crew cut. He looked like a guy you didn’t want to mess with. But anyone who knew him, and especially those of us who loved him, knew he was the first guy you could mess with.” (235)

Monique Grant - Zoë Kravitz

(Background info: Kravitz is an American actress and is of African American and Jewish descent. She is currently 34 y/o)

“As a biracial woman myself — light brown skin and dark brown eyes courtesy of my black father, an abundance of face freckles courtesy of my white mother...” (3)

“I’m thirty-five years old.” (7)

[oranges-arent-fruits-idiot]

humanstuck headcannons cause i just saw @antiling's post and got very inspired

aradia: mixed (japanese and mexican)

tavros: mexican

sollux: yellow ass midwesterner

karkat: mixed (black and white but with no solid POC influence on his early life, so he acts like a white boy)

nepeta: Philippino

kanaya: hindi

terezi: cuban girl who lives in nyc

vriska: canadian (ghost pale fuckin white)

equius: veryyyyy tan white and veryyyyyyy racist (cuz look at the canon, it's right there) (also i do think estrogen would save her and hopefully make her less racist ngl)

gamzee: black with a VERY strong POC influence in his life (idk why he still loves white boy rappers tho)

eridan: australian (tan but still white)

feferi: black and also yes a nigerian princess sorry i stole that from u @antiling

bonus!

the kids since they don't have canon cultural races:

june/john: native american (of the lenape tribe) (some of her family was native, some were white cause colonization (ew)

rose: black (if you disagree with me on this i will fight you i swear)

dave: white and albino (double whammy right there) and somehow still ghost white even after living in texas outside all the time

jade: mixed (black and Philippino) with STRONG POC influence

jane: south american (brazilian??? idk)

roxy: black (same as rose)

dirk: mixed (mexican and white) but looks way more white

jake: middle eastern or pakistani, i could see either tbh

[gaz-light]

CW: Me but ugly

Ya know what fuck it. I don't intend to this mid week. I wanna do it now while I've got the time and honestly I'm a bit excited.

This is John. He's the guy I used to be. I don't have many other pictures of him but I saved these ones for this purpose. They're some of the few I could stand for some reason.

It's hard to think I ever used to look like that. Think or act the way I did. You could go back right now and tell him the events of the past like year or so and honestly he'd probably understand it. Would be too scared as shit nervous and doubtful to ever believe it. Hated himself too much to imagine it being this way.

This is how I started off on Hormones 1 year ago. 5/31/22. Somewhere between 11/7/21 and 4/9/22 everything went to shit. I crashed my motorcycle and broke my arm, ended up broke, didnt get into grad school, the girl I was madly in love with just let me know I was being replaced by someone with a pussy. It took about everything happy in my life turning to shit over night to finally crack the egg that I had been growing in for so long.

There were signs before. Things I always knew. Always hung out with girls. Liked sapphic content. Felt detachment from peers of my agab, enjoyed pretending at being an internet femboy. Horribly autistic. Fucking hated my body. Hated hated hated hated hated. I had a closeted sissy kink and dressed up FOR YEARS. So much more. Eventually I started hooking up with trannies the same way I hooked up with lesbians and things began to click. Something in me thought ya know what, I don't have to just admire and adore and yearn for them. Then a good friend of mine consoling me one April night more or less extended an invitation and I didn't look back.

And then she was born. I think these photos are from maybe a month post starting HRT. Would you believe I hadn't seen myself without facial hair in like 10 years before this point. I hadn't shaved it all off since I was 13. I'm hispanic. Greek and Cuban so I've had this accursed facial and body hair for fucking ever. I was so afraid the first time I picked up that razor. I didnt know if I'd like what was on the other side. I felt safe and secure in the validation I got from other people that I thought it'd be ok if I was just unhappy with myself forever. I hated whatever I was so much that I didnt have the energy to care for her.

Then I shaved.

I looked in the mirror and I thought that girl looked kinda cute. For the first time I really didnt think I looked so bad. My friends were very supportive thankfully. Not everyone was. Certainly not dear old dad who still wont call me by my name or gender me properly. The man who told me god had cursed him with 2 faggots. My little trans brother and I. The man who let me know I was a disappointment and that neither I or anyone of us were real women. I still havent forgiven him for so much. But I am trying to let it go. Even the cis people were kinda nice. I lost some who were kinda edgy friends from highschool. Nothing of value was lost.

Since then I've worked to navigate the professional world as a woman. My first boss at my first real post college job was this British woman from England who made my life kinda hell. Preyed upon and picked on me and embarrassed me professionally. One of the 2 other women at the office. She never would admit to it but I think she resented me for it. I was also the only tranny there. Well sorta. There was 1 other who worked down in facilities doing the trash and dishes for the labs. But not up there. Not on the 8th floor with us in the "war room".

And this is where and who we are now 1 year later. Same eyes. Same 5'0 looking ass. But happier. Smiles when she looks in the mirror. Can actually do things for herself. Set boundaries. Care. Maybe she can even love too. I've placed myself into countless lesbian romance fantasies and I feel like I have a shot at living them. I used to be like 200 pounds. I'm down to 128 and also built like a brick house full of muscle. I was horrified of being trapped in that body of mine forever and the fear and doubt that I'd never make it even this far scared me into doing nothing until i had little else to lose.

Let me leave you with some wise advice that friend who cracked my egg once gave to me: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is right now.

Transitioning was the best decision I ever made for myself. Happy birthday Morrigan. I love you.

[ednav]

I don’t like to talk about politics here. But I see so many posts about the war in Israel/Palestine right now, and I cannot help saying my bit. It’s going to be long (read up until the end, or just skip) and messy and very personal. It’s not meant to be an essay that analyses all aspects of the situation. It comes after one of the worst months of my life—please, be kind. I’ve been on this earth for almost half a century, and it’s been one of the worst months of my life.

[If you prefer not to read at all, just skip. No harm done.]

I have both Muslim and Jewish friends in the Europe and in the US. Some of them wear a hijab, some of them wear a kippah. Every morning I check that they didn’t get beaten up because dividing the world into “good guys” / “bad guys” and releasing your frustration on someone who looks like “the bad guys” is an easy way to feel in control when you’re scared.

And now, the unpopular bit: I have Jewish Israeli friends. Every morning I check they came out alive from the bomb shelter. Hamas is still firing rockets—a lot of rockets—on both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I wait for them tell me if another disfigured body has been identified as a friend whom they thought that had “just” been kidnapped.

One of these friends goes to the peace protests in Tel Aviv, so I have to check that he didn’t get beaten up by the police either.

(Dear US people: identifying Israel with Netanyahu is like assuming all of you are MAGA Republicans. Worse, actually, because Israel is not a two-party system—more like a twenty-party system—and it’s a mess. Decolonise your mind from assuming that every country works like the US.)

Some of my friends are Mizrahi. Their great-grandparents had to find refuge in the relative safety of Israel after being expelled by another country in that region—a place where they cannot go back to. Not-very-fun fact: they’re also dark-skinned enough to get “randomly checked” every time they get on a plane, unless there’s a woman wearing a hijab or a chador on the same flight. It’s not as simple as European or US colonialism.

(Once again: stop making it all about you. The world is more complex than your country. Especially if your country is less than 250 years old and hasn’t had a battle on its soil in more than 130 years.)

I don’t know anyone in Palestine, so I can’t say what it’s like to have friends on that side of the border. I imagine it’s even worse, given that most people there don’t have shelters, nor actual freedom to protest against their government, at least in the Gaza strip.

Anyway: I don’t wish what I’ve been through in the last month on my worse enemy. And I’m just a friend of some people who are not in the worst possible situation. I know that I cannot even begin to know what it must be like for Jewish, Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian people.

And now, let me tell you about a history book that might have saved the world. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

It’s a bit outdated, but it’s still quite good, and the writing is simply brilliant. It’s called The Guns of August, and it’s about the first month of WWI. Just the first month, and how we got there. How stubbornness, pride, rhetoric, and even “rationality”, led to a massacre that did nothing but cause another massacre less than a generation later. It was written by a woman, Barbara Tuchman, in 1962. Later that year, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F Kennedy gave it to read to all the generals in the US Army. The message was simple: escalation leads to disaster. Sometimes you have to compromise, accept losses and even a certain degree of “unfair”, rather than getting into a full-blown war.

Now, I’m not a pacifist. I know that some wars are the lesser evil. I have relatives who fought in the Resistance. They were proud of having risked their lives. They were proud of living in a country with free elections—even if fascists-in-all-but-name could get elected—and at peace. But they were not proud of having killed people whose children grew up as orphans.

I see a lot of people, especially younger people, who want Pure Justice. Bad people must be eliminated, good people must triumph, no excuses.

The thing is—there are no completely good people, nor completely bad people. There are people. Often scared and more traumatised than you can possibly imagine.

There are people who must pay for their crimes. There are people who will, and some who won’t. Just ask anyone who survived a war, or a time of almost-civil-war like the Troubles in the UK/Ireland or the terrorism of the 1970s In Europe—that’s something we’ve all seen. (I say “we” because I’m old enough to remember the 1980s. They sucked, trust me.)

The problem is: the more you lose sight of the common humanity of everyone involved, the more you escalate the tension, the more there will be people who are going to pay for crimes they haven’t committed. And the more I see of this world, the more I believe that if there’s one side it’s just fighting for, it’s theirs.

As I said—it’s messy. And human beings are precious, but fragile. Please, be kind.

[pricescigar]

Captain Price HC's

(2019+)

Photo taken my me

As now Captain of a Task Foce. He couldn't be anymore happier. A lot of things has changed since he was a young Lieutenant.

He knew the meaning of being a Captain, to be there for his Task Force aiding them in any possible way he can.

Price is basically the dad of the group, he doesn't like admitting it but the others say so.

And of course Elvira is the mum of the group, pretty self explanatory as to why the others say that.

Price was no longer a young man, the army taught him a lot of ordeals, the good and the bad.

He sustained a couple of scars throughout the years, which he became self conscious about. But eventually it didn't matter much to him anymore.

His mind grew, he sews the world differently, and how ugly it truly is– It had never bothered him in any way.

He developed a small smoking habit, Cuban cigars. The best of the best of course. He doesn't like it cheap.

Though he's aware of that it can cause major health problems, so he only resorts to smoking when he's stressed.

Whenever he has the time he does watch football, and does support Liverpool; He doesn't go too crazy, but he still loves the excitment of it.

He'd definitely go to a pub and buy a pint just to watch the football, or if he didn't feel up to it, he'd watch it at home.

He exercises regularly it consists of going to the gym whenever he has the chance to, jogging, and the training they do at the Barracks.

Price has a balanced diet, he likes a bit of everything. Getting all the nutrients and vitamins hexneeds but also enjoying the other expects of food.

He also loves exploring many different foods from different countries, his options are always open.

At first being Captain he felt the pressure increasing, he didn't want to dissapoint his superiors, but over time he got used to his new leadership.

Depsite how serious he is all the time, he always check on his teammates if they're okay, even mentally and physically, if they need anything.

He doesn't really like it when people call him "Jonathan." That much, and prefers John, since it's shorter.

However, Price loves it when Elvira calls him Jonathan, purely because it sounds better when she says it.

Price's music taste is definitely a mixture of rock, metal, 80's and 70's. Since the 80's and 70's was a good decade for music.

Whenever Price isn't working, he prefers to wear smart and causal clothing. To a point where he's dressed comfortably but still looks formal enough for any occasion.

Price loves to keep his beard well trimmed, he even has combs for it, putty and special products for it.

[inqilabi]

I've been seeing this post about MLK Jr being a misogynistic abuser going around this site and how no woman should support him. Then I searched for sources and it turns out that it's from the FBI.

https://www.insider.com/mlk-jr-rape-allegations-fbi-2019-5

I'm not some MLK worshipper who believes he could do no wrong, and I do have plenty of disagreements with him, but I just wish people would stop spreading baseless rumours, and that too from the FBI of all things. I actually would've taken this seriously if this allegation was made by the actual woman concerned. The tape of this alleged incident is not even released yet, it's sealed until 2027. The least that feminists could do here is to atleast wait till it is made public, and then make their judgements.

Anyone who knows anything about the history of the civil rights movement knows how much the FBI had tried to destroy and discredit MLK and many other black freedom movement leaders. It's so annoying when you see people who have absolutely no idea of the struggles that black people face in a white supremacist state or about how the FBI had murdered black panthers, happily spreading FBI propaganda without any critical thought. But I guess it's too much to ask for white feminists to understand this.

Yes I agree. And there's so many other examples of this type of stuff being used against male revolutionaries. So I think we should give it a fair consideration that ruling class actually does use some feminist points and concerns against males. I've used the Gaddafi viagara troops as an example before because that's a good one. John Stockwell talked about how CIA worked with journalists to create fake stories in print of Cuban rapists. I mean even journalism is in the control of ruling class. Ofc we know male revolutionaries are capable of misogyny so this isnt to say it's not possible. But a lot of feminists certainly do not consider how far the ruling may be willing to play at with emotions, tendencies, and today with making viral outrage of things eg is a new and common tactic.

I also think it's hard to tell what is fake/ruling class created outrage for a lot of ppl. I feel that I'm very good at telling now but it's taken me 2 years to learn this skill. And now I probably just sound crazy because a fair number of things that grasp the public imigation very fast are planted

Also I thought that was meant to be unsealed in 2021 or something. Did they push it back?

[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

[adamwatchesmovies]

Chef (2014)

You can tell when a great filmmaker is fully invested in a project. There’s more spirit, more excitement, the performances are better. When you realize John Favreau stars, wrote and directed the film you might have some initial concerns but you'll understand why he wore so many hats in no time. Chef might be a little self-indulgent but it’s such a joy to watch and it's so earnest that you won’t care.

Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is the head chef at a classy restaurant. When a prestigious food critic and blogger (Oliver Platt as Ramsey Michel) gives him a bad review, a Twitter war begins. Soon after, an explosive tantrum inside the restaurant has gone viral. Out of a job, Carl decides to go back to the basics. He buys a food truck and begins a summer tour serving food with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and friend Martin (John Leguizamo).

Behind-the-scenes clips during the end credits prove Jon Favreau doesn’t know a thing about fine cuisine or frying pans but you can’t tell from the rest of the movie. It’s because he’s translated his love of filmmaking to cooking. Like Carl, Favreau started small and climbed up the ladder until he was making “the boss’ food”. In “Chef”, it’s the same dishes the customers like and the boss (Dustin Hoffman) likes because it brings in the money. For Favreau, it was Iron Man and its sequel, then Cowboys & Aliens and so on. It’s nice to have the big budget that allows you to whatever you want but after a while, you worry you've forgotten the reason you got into the industry. That’s what Chef is all about. Forget the crazy dishes with the wild ingredients. Take a look at the expertly made grilled cheese or the simple Cuban sandwiches and yuca fries. You’ll be wolfing down your popcorn to stop yourself from drooling. There are long, loving shots of dishes that’ll make you curse your feeble kitchen skills and they’re made twice as delicious by the terrific cinematography.

There are a couple of points where Favreau indulges too much. A scene with his ex-wife’s ex-husband - played by Robert Downey Jr. - is too wacky compared to the rest of the movie. Then, there's the cast. Carl can cook like the Devil himself… but the fact that he’s hooking up with Scarlett Johansson (she plays Molly, the hostess of the restaurant that eventually gives him the boot) shakes your sense of reality. Otherwise, what we see is surprisingly balanced and mature. While Carl curses his boss for stifling his creativity, Riva makes some good points about the customers’ expectations. Ramsey Michel is unnecessarily cruel in his review but Carl takes his words too far. You could criticize the film's tidy ending but it’s also hard to imagine this story ending in any different way. This is a feel-good movie. You get to see Carl and Percy bond like they never have before while on the road. Seeing an expert do what they do best is inspiring, particularly when they give you a little bit of insight along the way.

Chef is often quite funny and all of the performances are fantastic. Emjay Anthony in particular but also Favreau, Leguizamo, Platt and Sofia Vergara (she plays Carl’s ex, Inez). “Feel Good” is an easy, basic description but that’s exactly what this movie is. It’s a nice father-and-son bonding story with terrific visuals, plenty of laughs, and just a smidge of drama/heart to tie it all together. The movie is like a perfectly golden grilled cheese sandwich. No matter what kind of mood you might be in, it hits the spot.

Creative types will greatly appreciate Chef as it explores the importance of following your passion while delivering some splashes of cold water to keep things in perspective. It really spoke to me and I won't be the only one who warms up to this "little" film. (February 26, 2021)