#Lucas Baker imagine

[newtkive]

sweet tooth | luca drabble

just thinking about luca w a partner who has a crazy sweet tooth (like i do) and you never asking for a sweet treat but mentioning it nonchalantly but still not expecting luca to make you something.

first of all, your nickname would probably be sweet tooth or smth similar, let’s be so real. it would start by luca calling you that affectionately, but then it catches on w friends and family and you’re just dubbed sweet tooth.

in general, if you saw some type of dessert on a commercial or a tiktok that had you going ‘oohhh’ luca would scrunch his brows and almost seem jealous. “they used meringue, they should’ve used icing sugar.” he’d scoff judgingly and just see it as a challenge. after he would deem it doable, he’d store the information in his brain and literally make it better at work the next day.

just say the word and he will make it. telling your friends on the phone that macaroons sound good? cool, he wants to practice his piping technique with the biscuits anyways.

a japanese fruit sando? awesome he can make the sweet bread so fast, and the cream is no big deal. in fact he can just whip it up for lunch.

want a hersheys bar? first, that chocolate is trash don’t ever mention it to a european, especially your european chef boyfriend. second, he’ll make you the best stack of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and cookies n’ cream bar you’ve ever had (the cookies n cream one is so good, and you’d always say that and it would piss him off). anything to get hershey’s out of your brain.

you see those viral crunchy chocolate and pistachio filled croissants in new york on your phone and groan abt them? he can research the recipe and workshop it for a day or two in the restaurant kitchen, find a cute take out box to present it to you with to give you that full experience you’d get from the real bakery—you just gotta wait. even if it’s a couple days later, it’ll be waiting for you on the table, or pulled out from behind luca’s back as he walks through the door.

to be more specific, maybe at midnight when he doesn’t have work the next day, you guys are up watching a movie or just having pillow talk. saying smth nonchalant abt your cravings like “cookies sound so good right now luca.. don’t they?” your cheek is smushed against his bicep (which you’d much rather eat) so your voice is all cute and mumbled making his heart race.

“mhm.” he’d say. he’s got a lazy smile n a deep chuckle, voice laden w sleep since you’re the night owl and he’s just staying up to spend time with you. “you wan’ me to make some right now? that what you’re saying?” he’s clearly amused, knowing that you don’t expect him to but teasing you nonetheless.

“nono, it’s too late. you’re not allowed to leave anyways.” you would mumble again, arms tightening around his own in a hug. humming happily, a kiss from the chef would land on your head and you kinda forget about the dessert you want but luca doesn’t because he’s a chef and his literal profession is making desserts so why wouldn’t he?? when you want something he can easily make?? like his love language is giving, especially if it’s baking something for someone he loves.

the next day you’d still be asleep and wake up to the smell of cookies. savory was your forte in the morning most times but who could say no to starting their day with a yummy sweet when it’s presented to them, right?

it would take you a second to realize that 1. luca wasn’t wrapped around you like usual, etching a frown into your face, and 2. luca had to be the one making cookies. and he made the best cookies. you’d waste no time in grinning and hopping up to drag yourself to the kitchen. even more of the smell would welcome you, transporting you into some kind of dreamland—and if you really were dreaming you’d be so pissed bc the cookies being pulled out of the oven by your blond messy haired boyfriend look so fucking good right now (aside from the aforementioned boyfriend who is just as, if not more scrumptious than the cookies with only his flannel pants on).

arms would wrap around his waist from behind and luca would laugh muttering “hot pan” but you don’t give a fuck because you want him and those cookies now. if anything your arms tighten and you rub at his stomach sweetly from behind, a sign of affection.

“you made me cookies!” the grin would be so evident in your voice and so infectious that luca beams as he transfers the said cookies onto a pretty dish.

“and who said they were for you?” the tease is obvious and earns an eye roll. you don’t fall for it and he doesn’t expect you to, but you gently nip at his shoulder nonetheless. a dramatic ‘ow!’ comes from the tall man, laced with laughter. you snicker evilly, standing on tip toes to rest your chin on the same shoulder (no matter your height you still gotta do tiptoes bc that man is tall).

soon enough he’d plate the perfect chocolate chip cookies with a dash of sea salt that you spotted, and turn around. it would be your turn to be wrapped in a hug by strong arms, even lifted up a little just to hear your laugh. luca also likes to hear how surprised you get that he can lift you, even though to him you’re weightless.

it wouldn’t be long until you’re begging for a cookie even if he sets you on the counter, stern look as he assures you they’re still cooling off. like hellooo?? who cares?? but he distracts you with soft kisses on your cheeks, leading down to your lips until he pulls away and leaves you wanting more. the mumble from him that, “the cookies are probably cool enough now” has you forgetting your desire for him and replacing it with the golden saucers just waiting for you to demolish them.

hands on his shoulder, you’d firmly push him to the side and hop off the counter. the roll of luca’s eyes would be affectionate and endeared, since you were this excited for his cooking. you were his best customer after all.

your feet would have a mind of their own, floating towards the cookies like a cartoon man levitating towards a pie, lured by the aroma. you start ravaging like a hungry creature. one turns into three as you face your boyfriend, moaning with closed eyes at almost every bite inbetween telling him about what you two did in your dream (he baked you brownies laced with a golden syrup in your dream so you accredit your subconscious to manifesting this).

he would just stand there with a grin, hands on the edge of the sink behind him while leaning on it. usually dreams would be so boring to talk about, but luca swore he could stand there for an eternity just watching you eat his creations and talk about any dream you wanted to share with him.

of course, those cookies would be gone in two days. and in place would be brownies drizzled in a golden syrup that luca took home from work. the surprise would earn him a watery eyed smile, and he’d just shrug and say he had extra time to kill on the evening shift.

[cristalconnors]

BEST FILMS of 2024, pt. 2

20. EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, dir. RYÛSUKE HAMAGUCHI

19. RED ROOMS, dir. PASCAL PLANTE

18. 20,000 SPECIES OF BEES, dir. ESTIBALIZ URRESOLA SOLAGUREN

17. PICTURES OF GHOSTS, dir. KLEBER MENDONÇA FILHO

16. VERMIGLIO, dir. MAURA DELPERO

15. QUEER, dir. LUCA GUADAGNINO

14. CLOSE YOUR EYES, dir. VICTOR ERICE

13. I SAW THE TV GLOW, dir. JANE SCHOENBRUN

12. JANET PLANET, dir. ANNIE BAKER

11. ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, dir. PAYAL KAPADIA

[delicatebluebirdruins]

Mia and Evie (Alan and the Bakers)

transportation and creation of bioweapons is inherently bad especially considering the t virus doesn't kill it's victims they look dead but aren't actually dead. They're simply rabid the researchers will is a file you find in RE1 that says something to that affect i think

Graves Diary I had thoughts about it and its in the tags mostly and the last line of the Scientists dying message from RE3R put it down word for word and in Not A Hero Blue Umbrella is made from old Umbrella employees

i have no idea what this is mostly a collection of dialogue and files that cover these characters in relations to each other with a little bit of analysis thrown in for spice. this is purely self indulgent rambles of things that made me go *blink* (I swear I will try to keep the repetition to a minimum so forgive the amount of links to my own posts and the wiki). Needless to say its my own thoughts and if you have a problem make your own post don't clown on mine (hint if you want to comment would you say the same thing in person?)

RE7 wasn't really focused on story but rather bringing back the gameplay of survival horror? with the franchise as a whole the game did not have the means and ways to dive into the pyshcology of Mia and Evie and everyone really. this is also a soft reboot and everyone can see the similarities of the game with the RE1 hd remaster the same one that introduced 14 year old Lisa Trevor and her family that were kidnapped and used in experiments (her parents were considered failed experiments and died but Lisa survived all the way until the mansion incident 1998 some researchers were volunteered to pretend to be Lisa's mum and it did not go well... and when we defeat her as Chris we get an achievement called "an end to the poor girls misery")

I probably missed some dialogue bits oh well (RIP gaming scripts wiki)

beginning: all we can do is speculate how Alan and more importantly Mia got given the very important and not doomed from the start job of transporting Evie and heck started working for the connections to begin with (btw it adds a flavor to my thoughts that Evie's sales pitch was to end all wars and think of the context of the re universe just in games let alone everything else. And I said this in the tags of my graves diary post but what organisation airs their criminal exploits of the bat?)

thing of note in the official paid for guide book for RE7 has Mia down as starting to work for the connections in 2010 early on but working with Evie herself in 2014 and Evie needing to be moved quickly (and without packing what she needs to not go off the rails) was in October 2014. Take this with a grain of salt because the guide is in japanese.

daughters

giving the clothes to Evie (well trying to) Zoe: "Alright, little girl. Let's get you cleaned up." Eveline: "They're mine now."

mine meaning: belonging to or connected to me. in this usage I would say both because Evie has started taking control of them and also they are connected to her through the mold

finding Marguerite over the bath: "Zoe? Come look. Come see her gift. Look at all the pretties my little girl has given me!"

we don't get to see how Evie see's her powers but as we see Marge viewing them as a gift it is safe to say that Evie does as well

thing i wrote before was jack's saying "i have to show her how devoted I am" but more things (and one repeat I so badly want to know WHEN Miranda decided Evie wasn't good enough for her)

Zoe: "Daddy? Stop it!" Jack: "Don't you worry. It's a whole lot worse than it looks. Cleanliness is next to godliness and your mother's pretty fucking close to meeting him right now. She wants me to do this. I have to show her how devoted I am. She wants us all to show her our love." Zoe: "Daddy…" Jack: "You don't wanna disappoint her now, do ya? We can't do that." Zoe: "Who are you talking about?" Jack: "Your new sister Evie!"

expectations and what Evie wants from the Bakers fulfilling her purpose

path to the bad ending: Marguerite "Zoe! "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me." Zoe: "Mama..." Marguerite: "Stay away! Don't touch her! Don't hurt my family!" Zoe: "I don't understand, Mama—what's going on?" Marguerite: "Here, take it. Take it! Go!" Zoe: "Don't worry, Mama. I'll go get help."

I love the call back like Mia echoing what Alan and Jack said to Ethan. Marge is telling Evie to stay away from Zoe trying to protect her but it doesn't work Marge joins in hunting Zoe soon after.

Jack "shut up you ain't real hysterical laughter" this makes me sad for a few reasons but mostly because he is fighting Evie mentally but can't stop himself physically (stabbing himself further with the broken bottle)

Bad ending of Daughters: Jack: "What? You're just gonna up and leave us?" Marguerite: "Don't you wanna meet your little sister?" Jack: "Now you're just being rude! And I... cannot... abide... by... rudeness!"

last moment of this is brutal. that's all i can say

good ending: the only thing I have to say about the cutscene for this is Evie calling Zoe "sister" twice at the start and at the end. its the letter from Mia that makes it interesting (second post)

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loving message and the warning (comparison of the partial one and the full version of the warning):

1 Mia: "Hey baby! I just wanted to send a quick "hello" and "I love you". Oh! Good news! I'm gonna be coming home soon! Yay! I cannot wait to be done with this babysitting job—And come home to my loving husband. I miss you. I gotta get back to work. I love you, Ethan. I miss you so much. I'm sending tons of kisses. Bye baby!"... Mia: "Ethan… You were right. I did lie to you. I shouldn't have, but—All I can say is that if you get this… Stay away."

again I wonder how long this not doomed to fail babysitting job was supposed to be done. and wondering where she did it because there should be a little sway right? And I wonder the gap between this video and the warning. How much did Ethan know or was told? And Mia wasn't sure that it was going to get through to Ethan (a fair enough assumption because I don't think sending things from a boat in the middle of a storm would lead to a good connection you know?)

2 on the road... Friend: "Oh hey, you alright? You just disappeared the other night." Ethan: "Yeah, yeah. No, I'm good, I'm good. It's Mia. She's not dead, she's alive. She's back." Friend: "They found her? How? What happened?" Ethan: "I don't know. I don't know how, but she's back, she's back somehow. Maybe it's a prank. She wants me to come and get her." Friend: "Where is she?" Ethan: "Dulvey. Dulvey, Louisiana." Friend: "Dude, it's been three years!" Ethan: "I know, I know. But what if it is her? I have to find out what happened."

Ethan was out with the guys when he got the email and left straight away. A lot of faith Ethan is putting in a email (we don't know its a email at this point we find it in the inventory when we start the game and I would not trust it much to be honest) "maybe its a prank" I wonder if there had been false alarms before or people coming in wanting 15 seconds of fame pretending to be her (because this made the news we see it at the start of Daughters like imagine if they had waited imagine if they had called the authorities and decided to not wait to go into town with Mia/ Evie/ both. I wonder how much the media had to play in the inital invesitagtion when Mia was just MIA and not considered dead, because they thought she was dead!)

3 Ethan arrives: "accept her gift"

4 finding Mia:

Ethan: "Mia! Thank God I found you. It's me. It's Ethan!" Mia: "Ethan? Ethan!" Ethan: "Are you alright?" Mia: "You shouldn't be here." Ethan: "What do you mean? You contacted me." Mia: "No, no. I wouldn't. Did I? Did anyone see you? Did he see you?" Ethan: "He? Who else is here? What's going on?" Mia: "Daddy's coming. We need to go." Ethan: "Daddy?" Mia: "We need to go—now!"

immediate confusion upon waking quickly turning into concern for Ethan and if Evie through Jack saw him (he did in the swamp and then Jack vanished). Also Mia grabbed his hand and led him out of the cell.

eta 17th July "where are you taking me?" Mia: "someplace safe"... Carlos says "lets get you someplace safe" to Jill when they first meet in RE3R

4 "we're going to be a family now that you're here" a little bit of evie peeking through there (side note i love the voice acctress for how she differentiates the different modes of Mia's la la land when Evie is in her head- I can't believe its taken me until this most recent playthough who am i?) Also Evie was talking about that Ethan being the most pivotal piece of having Mia fall into line and accept her)

5 Mia attacks

a first: Mia: "I can hear her… I can feel her clawing her way back inside of me. Get out! Leave me alone! I've been bad. I deserve this." Ethan: "What the fuck are you, Mia?"

I wonder how long Evie was whispering in Mia's head before completely taking her over and attacking Ethan the first time. I love the use of "clawing" because the word itself is violent in relation to animals but also desperate and with difficulty

b second: Mia doesn't say much but what she says is important Mia: "Leave me! Go!" like it shows the two sides of her the part that Evie is controlling and the part of Mia that is still herself because she is trying to not drag Ethan down with her (she was trying the entire time but Evie/ Lucas interefered) and "shouldn't have come Ethan now you have to be dead too" as I have said Mia drowned in the Annabelle (moment of confusion if you think of the post with @mushroomwithsomeink many moons ago)

side note: Zoe's first call is showing the hive mind because how would she know? i doubt there is CCTV cameras everywhere and like think of how Jack knew of the people Zoe was trying to help and where they got too.

c. chainsaw: Mia: "Ethan! It's OK. It's OK, it's me. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. But you shouldn't have done that! It fucking hurt! Now let's see what you feel." and when it goes to Ethan cradling his stump "... "Its my job. must burn it all down"

99% Evie at this point (as we can see her holding the screwdriver behind her) the entire reason Mia was in the cell from late 2015 in the first place is because she got violent. And this last playthrough I heard her say that and because of the colour of the subtitles and Ethan's distorted hearing I don't know exactly what she says but its fun right? (also as I'm writing this 16th July um its really funny that Nimona has Ambrosious from Nimona idk how to spell says cutting someones arm off is not a love language and yeah humor)

d and third (best place to get this dialogue is in madhouse because you are running scared most of it) "leave me please..." and "I don't want your help (Ethan)" and "what are you hiding Ethan? what don't you want me to know?" and "go back home" and "everyone is relying on me"... "the core must be destroyed" and "must contain outbreak"

we don't know Ethan's past how he gets Chris Redfield on his case and we all know Ethan knew something was off with Mias job and we know he would have wanted to help her before all she went missing and now he wants to help her but also on the back foot (and everyone's relying on me the bakers are puppets for lack of a better term they're aware but can't quite control themselves and they can't quite make any concrete plans because the others would see it in their heads)... "core must be destroyed" in this instance its Evie but consider what the thing is in Village core is a synonym of root. and when you're playing as Chris tossing the detonator into the fungus there is a achievement for it called "the root of the matter"

16th July 2023 putting Jack down for sleepy time when's stalking you and watching him get up again he says things "dozed off there for a minute" and "okay back on my feet" and if you attack him again "cut it out" (only attempt this with infinite ammo I do have screenshots)

6 Mia tape:

starts with Mia saying "Ethan, if you find this—I know I can't expect anything from you1. Not after what happened. After what I did. But I just want you to know that wasn't me. I don't know what happened. There's so much that you need to know."

looking at that first line and again I wonder about the relationship at the start and whenever she started working for the connections. the last line always confused me a little but thinking on it now

gameplay: "over here Mummy" calling the mold a gift and Marge being somewhat privy to what Mia and Zoe had planned specfically for Ethan though I wonder if that applies to the others Zoe tried to help. Marges line I haven't thought more on it so here we are.

"I don't understand you at all. this is a gift" Marge and Evie I think Evie has been trying to get Mia to accept her for three years and can't understand why she wouldn't

"this house has seen more than you can imagine and it knows" no thoughts just Hill House

"I know you and zoe are plotting. I know you are scheming. you think i don't know what you want to do with that boy Ethan"... they can't outright plan or do anything because Evie will interfere (Zoe tries to help people but can't fully leaving cryptic help and clues around and on the phone is the best she can do)

"you think little Evie is going to put up with your shit forever bitch?" the first time bitch is used in this game (I think?) speculation that this is Marge warning Mia that Evie's going to grow tired of her

"there are known unknowns here and you are not paying fucking attention" this is a really good line and I have no idea what to make of it

7 hide and seek (name from the wiki alternate name totally not rehashed in village... honestly one of the things I was not expecting was the similarities between Jack and Moreau but here we other similarities in the boathouse Jack calls out for Marguerite AND he also says a few times "nobody loves me")

Jack: "I was gonna be her father. But now she says he will be her father. No-no-no-no-no-no-no. I will find him and I will make him suffer. And you my friend will help me."

thoughts: rejection is a strong emotion and Jack has been Evie's father for years and now he (and Marge though she never thinks of it) are being replaced by Ethan and Mia (much like in Village Rose replaced the lords as a stand in for Eva)

8 zoe call 4: Zoe: "Yes, now listen carefully, Ethan. My family and I… our bodies are contaminated. I can't leave the property unless I get it out. Same goes for Mia." Ethan: "Is there a way to get it out?" Zoe: "We need the serum. It should clear whatever this stuff is out of the body. As long as you're not too far gone."

ahem as I have said before this serum its a basic bitch ass serum that works best when you are just infected not having lived with it for three years or (or died at anytime during that because Mia drowned and it partially worked but well we all know what happened to zoe) it has a expiry date or both

9 brief reunion Mia: "Ethan?" Ethan." Ethan: "No more bullshit, Mia. I want some answers." Mia: "I know. I know. You're right. And I always wanted to tell you—but, I just—I can only remember a little and the rest is just gone!" Lucas: "Daddy, right? You mind if I borrow Mommy for a little bit? Well, don't just stand there—do something! Mia: "Ethan! Help!"

always wanted to tell you but I just...? this is interesting as we well everyone who reads my thoughts know that I have said many times that Ethan already suspected Mia was up to something but didn't know what. And I have also wondered if the connections didn't trust Mia (okay what criminal organisation would trust anyone 100% especially someone who has family outside of the organisation) and that's part of the why they put on Eveline's team in the hopes of Evie imprinting on her and possibly taking out a future thorn in their side (when they disappeared I doubt they left Ethan alone at the same time the police did).

I wonder what she remembers at this point her attacking him or the last moments on the tanker or very random flashes that no one would be able to piece together?

Ethan: "Haven't found any, but I did find out what we need to make one. A D-series head and an arm. This can't be right…" Zoe: "A head? I think I have that around here somewhere." thought which is sarcastic "I wonder why you have the head near you"

10 Marge fight: "mess with my family" and I missed the rest I am sorry but the general gist is protective mamma bear (mama bug?) mode

Marge actually says a lot in the greenhouse but only once mentions Evie "poor little Evie is going to be heartbroken"

11 note "somethings wrong with her" who wrote this and why "Evie: "stay away" genuine warning not out of concern but to stop Ethan messing with things. also the writing on the wall after you grab the d series arm the only bit I can make out is "daddy I will not..."

12 Lucas: "That's family business, Ethan, and not your concern, understand?" Now, if you want the head, feel free to come on by anytime. I'll give it to ya! But only if you participate in a little… activity I've put together—just for you... Ethan. E-than. Ethan, Ethan—hold on, hold on, hold on. I got something for you. Looky, looky what I got. You know what this is for? You know what Zoe wants to do with this? She thinks this thing is special. No, Ethan, that ain't special. This—this right here is special. You see, Ethan, not everybody wants to turn back the clock. What? What, Eveline? I'm just trying to show him. I'm just trying to show him that not everybody wants to go back to how things were. Zoe's a stupid bitch! She doesn't understand that I don't wanna go back to how things were before my father found y'all. Not everybody wants to turn back the clock. So—so, Ethan. Ethan? You can, uh—you can, um, crawl around underneath that filthy, rotten house all you want looking for them ingredients, but you ain't gonna find a goddamn thing, Ethan. You wanna make that serum? Ooh, baby. You're gonna have to come through me. You hear? Well, come on, Ethan. What do you say?"

It is hard to put on a scale who is most loyal to Evie at any given time like it changes. with Jack we see flashes of concern and him saying "stop" before laughing hysterically. Marge we don't see that at all she only knows one thing and that is protect what was put under her care. Mia is somewhere between Marge and Jack. (Zoe is the most normal as I don't think she got put on the same level of infection of the others which is huge physical trauma) .Lucas is just interesting we don't know yet how horrible Lucas really is but we'll get to it as time goes on Lucas is essentally putting on a front for Evie and the connections. He is not under Evie's control but still infected and with that we know he is watching Ethan take out his parents and the other molded and compiling and selling the data for unkown third party. And simply put Lucas enjoys all of this he enjoys the power and being able to experiment. Also what was Evie saying to Lucas when he yells at her

barn fight: Lucas "how you deal with hardships in life is what makes you a man ethan" this is Lucas quoting Jack at some point in the past. their relationship before Evie wasn't good (Lucas having a fuck you list)

13 meeting: Ethan: "Right here. This should be enough, right?" Zoe: "If we make 'em fast enough. My father and Lucas aren't far away." Mia: "He's coming. Daddy's coming." Zoe: "Good, there's enough for two." Ethan: "So, after we make the serum, what's next?" Zoe: "There's a boat outside. We'll take it through the swamp. But neither of us'll get very far without the serum.

Mia has a better grasp on where Jack is as she is closer to his level of infection. Zoe can feel him as well but isn't as accurate. Also combining a head and arm into a serum would not be as easy as it looks I wonder where (we know where Mia) more importantly when taught her this (and the importance of the watch). Also I would love to know what Ethan was going to say before Zoe interupts

14 Jack appears and his fatherly side comes out briefly when scolding Zoe ("get your ass back to the house I will deal with you later"). but in the fight itself he mourns Marge and says "no one loves me"

15 Choosing Mia (partially wrote on this) Zoe: "It's fine. It was foolish thinking I could escape." Mia: "But Zoe—" Zoe: "Go. Both of you just go!" Mia: "Come with us. I'm sure there's someone who can help—" Zoe: "This is my home. Apparently, I belong here."

I would love to know what Mia was about to say to Zoe before she cut her off (damn it zoe we're missing out here)

16 on the boat: Mia: "Ethan, thank you." Ethan: "Who the hell else was I going to choose?" Mia: "Ethan!" Ethan: "Mia, I know you've been through a lot. But we need to talk. You had something to do with all of this, didn't you? Look, I just wanna know the truth." Mia: "Ethan, I honestly don't remember." Ethan: "Try! Is that the boat? How the fuck did that get here? You're OK. What the hell was that?..."

I love this bit as there is element of expectations in your spouse and Ethan again asking for answers and getting nothing really

17 Evie leading the way again "Mummy this way". Mia being surprised at the flashes inside the wrecked ship. writing on the wall from ship workers "she's inside me" and "she is not my child" the latter is interesting as it implies Evie refers to mutliple people as parental figures

Evie: Are you remembering? Mia: what are you?

Mia is still not there yet but she knows that little girl is powerful to some capcity and Evie is still luring her deeper into the ship

18 "you said we could be a family... you said" Mia: "wait" Evie running off again saying "I am tired of waiting" Evie has been wanting Mia to be her mother for 3 years and Evie thinks she has got the piece (Ethan) to make Mia comply with her desires (it doesn't it backfires)

Evie asking Mia to watch the tape: "you need to remember so we can be a family"

19 the Tanker tape (going to skip a little over this as I already wrote about it here its the Mia and Alan post)

Mia: "Alan, you're getting worse." Alan: "She must have infected me during the attack. And I'm too far gone anyway. But it serves me right. It's my fault she got out." Mia: "Yeah, it is your fault. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you die." Alan: "She didn't attack you?" Mia: "It's part of her imprinting protocol. I can't believe this is happening." Alan: "Here, take it. It has her tissue samples. You find her—you fix this." Mia: "OK, Evie. Where are you?"

what kind of attack? its the vomiting (which is where the molded spawn from they describe that action as vomiting again in not a hero in the evie obersvation log). How do they mean Evie got out? like the picture from before Mia gets on the boat has Evie holding her arm and that's all we get and of couse at some point Jim see's Evie so they're not keeping to themselves in their quarters (the only image I can think of is Evie wearing a toddler harness and wriggling her way lose)

(considering this picture and what Evie and Mia are wearing and the picture we find in Village I am fairly confident in saying Miranda decided Evie wasn't good enough just before she left- said it before and I'll say it again i want to fight Miranda for so many people Clarke Griffin as she never really got true vengence on her cult leader Donna, Evie, Mia, Rose, Ethan the villagers who trusted her. Eva herself because she had to have watched this all unfold)

20 mid scene: Evie: "are you mad at me mummy". " Mia: "no Evie I'm not mad. Wait what did you call me?" Evie: "I don't want to live at the lab anymore. i want a house and I want you to be my mummy" Mia: "okay Evie I'll be your mummy. come back with me right now" Evie runs off and the sirens start blaring

1 never make a impossible promise especially to a child 2 Mia and Alan were caretakers for Evie on this titanic endeavour and this is seems to have been the first time Evie called Mia mummy as Mia is suprised by it.

21 death of Alan: "Where's Evie?" Mia: "She's out of control. Without the treatments, she's deteriorating."... Alan: "She trusts you. That little bitch, she never—No, Evie, I—Evie—I didn't mean to call you that, Evie." Mia: "Alan, listen! She's trying to take control. You have to fight her. Eveline, stop! Stop right now!" Alan: "Don't touch me!"

this is when Mia gets infected when Alan was coughing Mia reached out to support him and that's all it took. and we can tell how Alan really feels about Evie at this point and he should never have worked with kids because he talks about Evie trusting Mia then calling her a bitch then he gets cut off "she never" what? trusted Alan? kids aren't dumb and can tell how people feel about them right? Evie knew that he saw her as monster (I do want to know what he was going to say after that though part of me thinks that this would have been a great time to mention Miranda)

calm before the storm/opening message part 2 (Ethan knew Mia was lying to him) Mia: "Ethan… You were right. I did lie to you. I shouldn't have, but—All I can say is that if you get this… Stay away. Forget that you ever knew me. Have a good life Also I am not sure how the message would have got to Ethan during a storm and then the tanker got destroyed both of those things can't lead to get a good connection

tanker: Eveline: "We'll be together forever."- tanker is destroyed Mia drowns

after tape finishes: Eveline: "Now do you remember?" Mia: "Yes, Eveline, I remember." Eveline: "Can we be a family like before?" Mia: "No, Evie. We can't be a family. We were never a family. We will never be a family." Eveline: "Then I don't need you anymore."

Mia remembers the important things and as I said this backfires on Evie. Evie hurt/killed/turned people despite being asked by Mia to not to do that to come back (yes Evie is a child in a environment that didn't teach her anything at all and then the connections also let people who knew nothing about kids and how to handle them transport her), caused Mia to drown, and caused the suffering of many more people for three years. And then dragged Ethan into Mia's hell. Which got him hurt and infected. It's no wonder Mia completely rejected her after all of this happened and stopped trying to placate her.

interacting with the cameras and finding where Ethan is: Evie "liar" Mia: "fucking hallucinations where is she?" the projections of young Evie gets around and i wonder why she chose this moment to interact with Mia and grabbing her arm (old Evie gets weeled around by the molded wearing birthday hats from Jacks bday)

arriving at the mold: Evie "he's waiting"... "I need you to do something for me" Mia: "Ethan"

the "he's waiting" always makes me twitch on the two occasions I played the bad ending as I had watched this game first then played it myself and it just has the image of helpless prey.

the sad truth (love this scene)

Jack: "Ethan. Ethan... I know, I know—I'm not going to hurt you. Hell, I never would have if I could have helped it." Ethan: "What do you mean?" Jack: "I'm no killer, son. Neither is Marguerite, nor my boy, Lucas. Or even Zoe here. That girl, Eveline. She did this." Ethan: "What the hell is she? Now what did she do to you?" Jack: "She infected us with her gift. That's what she calls it. I found her near a busted-out tanker in the bayou. Everything changed after that." Ethan: "So she infects you, and then she takes control?" Jack: "No, not exactly, son. She just--she forces her way into your mind and your soul and… you can't fight back. You are connected to her, and you can't resist the urge to… You're a different person after that. Ethan: "Just like Mia. So Mia sent me that message because of Eveline." Jack: "Listen, the girl just wants a family of her own. She's the key, alright? You find her and you stop her. Ethan, free my family—please."

I wonder how long Ethan was sitting in this room with Jack waiting for him to wake up. I wonder what Jack was thinking and what he was choosing to say (was Evie listening in) Evie does think of her powers as a gift and because of that it makes me wonder how she came to feel like that (Miranda? probably i so want to fight her can you tell? yes part is because of the 100 and what they did to Clarke but the similarities are there and they are horrible when you think about it) the perspective Jack has on being taken over by Evie and wanting to show her how devoted he was makes me so sad. And the moment of sympathy from Jack about Evie wanting a family but he wants to protect his family so he asks Ethan to "free them" I wonder if Jack does genuinely consider Evie family despite what she did to them and others. Jack was in the army and he knows that you can feel for others as much as you want but when they are actively causing a shit load of harm they have to be taken out (they got lucky that Evie didn't want grow her family more than she did what if she decided she wanted to go into town? or a city?) also I really wish Jack was the one to talk to Ethan about him being dead

Mia: "Eveline, stay away from him." Eveline: "Why? He doesn't love you. I can make him love you." Mia: "Don't—Don't hurt him." Eveline: "Silly—I told you. I'm not going to hurt him." Mia: "Don't you dare." Eveline: "Or, what? You're not my mommy—remember."/// Mia: "There's no time. You have to get out of here and find her. Here, take this." Ethan: "What? Wait—wait—what are you doing? What are you doing?" Mia: "Saving your life. You need to go. I won't be able to resist for much longer." Ethan: "No—" Mia: "Now, go kill that little bitch." Ethan: "No—no. Mia—no!"

cracks knucles: Evie naturally misunderstanding Ethan and thinking love is control and another attempt on her part to get Mia to do what she wants outright using Ethan as bargaining chip?. Mia thinking Evie will hurt him in doing so and I wonder how much worse can this be? Ethan has already lost a hand and gotten his head curb stomped... the final time someone says "find" Evie. Alan was somewhat resigned, Jack pleading and Mia desperate because she was on the edge of a cliff about to drop. Also Mia has the tissue samples that she hands to Ethan the entire time the moment you wake up at the ship you will find that in her inventory. I doubt Evie knew its significance as why would she leave it be unless she didn't know. Mia's use of little bitch is purely baiting Evie (also in the scene you can see Evie to the side) the last time someone called her that died Mia was fully expecting to die here I think and buying Ethan time

writing on the wall "all your fault" this hits hard on bad ending route but still on either route you read this and you wonder what exactly your fault is the death of the Bakers? or Mia specifically I am considering it to be the latter

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bad ending notes:

choosing: Ethan: "I'm sorry. I really am. But Zoe will be able to guide the two of us to safety, and then I can come back for you." Mia: "Go. I don't wanna hear it. Both of you just go!" Ethan: "Mia." Mia: "Go! My place is here—with her." Ethan: "Don't be ridiculous." Mia: "You forget. I still have a job to do."

world of difference here between Mia resigning herself to being left behind with Ethan saying he himself will come for her (I don't know how a 100% normal civilian would be able to go back into the danger zone- he would Chris would try to stop him but alas that never comes to be does it?)... and the "You forget. I still have a job to do" is a badass line and I am mad at capcom for putting it in the bad ending

zoe dies: Ethan: "I wanna know what all of this is about. Starting with Mia." Zoe: "Mia came here with Eveline. That's how it started." Ethan: "Eveline… the kid. I knew Mia was hiding something." Zoe: "That—there's the boat that Mia came with Eveline on." Ethan: "What the…? They came on that? Let's go take a look." Zoe: "I'm not going back there." Ethan: "I gotta know what Mia was up to. What the hell?" Zoe: "It's her. Eveline doesn't want us to leave. No—No! Evie—Please, Evie! I'll be good. I promise." Ethan: "Zoe?? Zoe!! What the fuck?!"

Ethan doesn't see Evie at this point (not at that stage of infection) but he does hear her.

mia attacks

midway through Mia says 2 things (and Evie in the back ground going "kill him")

1 did you and that slut have a good time?

jealousy and insecurity

2 I thought you loved me

3 I can't believe you picked her over me

misunderstanding and the most Evie- like things to say in my opinion

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SALT MINE end is in sight good god radio in the shack before the mine itself

"if you see eveline your orders are shoot to kill"

self explanatory really but I wonder who was using it to listen in before Ethan ultimately did

(well after it because other than "die" no one says anything)

floating in between

Mia: "Ethan! It's OK. It's OK, it's me. I know you didn't mean to hurt me." 1 Eveline: "Kill him, Mommy." Mia: "But you shouldn't have done that! It fucking hurt!" 2 Eveline: "He doesn't want to be my Daddy? 3 Then he can die. Now it's Mommy's turn to kill you."

1 Evie is provoking Mia. 2 Ethan has no idea what happening so how would he be able to decide to agree to a surprise adoption? 3 its the last part that interests me as look at it. It could be a translation error. It could be that Ethan is already dead (through shock also fun thing of note in some instances after Mia slashes his hands his blood looks black) or on his way and this will finish him off (if you go back into the room with secret compartment to ladder that is blocked off and you can't go back that way- it could be a way to funnel you where they want but also the ladder Ethan falls off is sizeable)

2 Eveline: "You're gonna be one of us. Then maybe you'll play nicely." Ethan: "I'm not playing." Eveline: "No! Get that away from me!"

at this point Ethan is 100% infected (first he heard her then he saw her) and Eveline doesn't think of that and thinks if he were then maybe he will be more willing to play

so if you go upstairs in the guest house before the Evie fight we hear Mia say "Ethan, help me" what I only found out today however (19/07/23) after showing Evie the serum (Mia said "leave me to die" I waited a bit and she said that) I went back into the living room to get a screenshot of the bed infront of the little door. This time halluncination Mia was lying on it then jumped up and attack and she said somethings

"I don't want to hurt you" and "I don't need your pity" this one I am not entirely sure where we are but heres the screenshot. And my thoughts the first one is her wanting to keep him safe. The second is a matter of pride. And it is Mia was good enough to be chosen to transport Evie (you all know my feelings about the mission but you know she was trusted with a very important mission) but not good enough to convince her to stand down and keep Ethan and everyone safe (pity means: Sympathy and sorrow aroused by the misfortune or suffering of another. A matter of regret.). and finally "you don't understand" this is interesting and it was the last thing i heard from Mia (Idk if there was anything more) so I wonder what the context is here. as we don't know anything other than these are echoes of what happened? before as she is actively attacking us with the chainsaw so it was interesting my brain is mush I might have something more to say on it later

3 "why does everyone hate me" after injecting her with serum: she is a child and doesn't grasp that controlling people and then being freed from that control doesn't instill good feelings. "I just wanted a family" a simple wish she couldn't have gone around it in a better way at all

Chris appears more speculation and a little analysis

Chris: "I'm Redfield. I'm glad we found you." Ethan: "The fuck took you guys so long?"

after picking up Mia I wonder what that was like? was she guarded or on her own? partially dying? not in good shape considering how out of it she is in the heliocopter.

why was Ethan expecting the gang to turn up and clear up? because going in he didn't know exactly what he was getting into (he was expecting something but those expectatiosn got tossed so far out the window they currently in space) and it takes awhile to mobilise the troops and its either Chris is there because he knows Ethan/ Mia is there and what Mia was up too (the events could be happening concurrently and the radio message we over hear lends to that and Ethan's reaction is part of his personality shining through?) honestly I think its a little of both

ending reunited

Mia: "Ethan?" Ethan: "Mia—You made it. I'm glad." Mia: "Did I?"

Ethan (narrating): "They say that when one door closes, another opens. Well, a door closed tonight. And what a long night it was—but not just for me. Mia and I weren't the only victims here. So were the Bakers. It was that… thing, Eveline, who made them that way. But now Eveline's dead. And these guys are here to clean up the mess. I had just come to terms with losing Mia. But now she's back and wants to start over—put all of this behind us. Maybe this is where the next door opens."

I love how simple it is and Mia being confused and not sure "did I?"

Ethan's narration: "i had just come to terms with losing Mia" he's not wearing a wedding ring. "she's back and wants to start over" that conversation went fast (ride or die... ride and die?)

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if you read all of this have a cookie or cookies (on my behalf as I can't have cookies or anything crunchy right now) and a rest

the files from the game and not a hero and end of zoe and cutscenes from not a hero and end of zoe will come sooner or later

[animusrox]

Golden Globes Nominations - FILM

Best Motion Picture – Drama​

The Brutalist (A24) A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures) Conclave (Focus Features) Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures) Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon Mgm Studios) September 5 (Paramount Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Anora (Neon) Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios) Emilia Pérez (Netflix) A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures) The Substance (Mubi) Wicked (Universal Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Animated​

Flow (Sideshow/Janus Films) Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films) Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix) The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement​

Alien: Romulus (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures) Deadpool & Wolverine (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures) Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Twisters (Universal Pictures) Wicked (Universal Pictures) The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language​

All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Usa / France / India Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – France The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) – Poland / Sweden / Denmark I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brazil The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) – Usa / Germany Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Italy

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama​

Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl) Angelina Jolie (Maria) Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door) Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) Kate Winslet (Lee)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama​

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) Daniel Craig (Queer) Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Amy Adams (Nightbitch) Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) Mikey Madison (Anora) Demi Moore (The Substance) Zendaya (Challengers)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy​

Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) Hugh Grant (Heretic) Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night) Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness) Glen Powell (Hit Man) Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture​

Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez) Ariana Grande (Wicked) Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) Margaret Qualley (The Substance) Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture​

Yura Borisov (Anora) Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Director – Motion Picture​

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Sean Baker (Anora) Edward Berger (Conclave) Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture​

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Sean Baker (Anora) Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (The Brutalist) Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) Peter Straughan (Conclave)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture​

Volker Bertelmann (Conclave) Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist) Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot) Clément Ducol, Camille (Emilia Pérez) Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Challengers) Hans Zimmer (Dune: Part Two)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture​

“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl; Music & Lyrics By: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson “Compress / Repress” – Challengers; Music & Lyrics By: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard “Forbidden Road” – Better Man; Music & Lyrics By: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek “Kiss The Sky” – The Wild Robot; Music & Lyrics By: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi “Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille

[5eraphim]

The Poker Room

Pairing: Lucas Baker x Reader

Rating: X (MINORS DNI GO PLAY OUTSIDE)

Content Warnings: yandere, x reader, bondage, gambling, death games, frot, noncon, obsession, possessive/delusional, excessive spit, torture, biting, mind games, piss mentioned briefly (for humiliation purposes), it's Lucas Baker- so overall, unsanitary content ahead!

Word Count: 3.4k

MASTERLIST

TIP JAR

"Course I shoot the gun any chance I get. With blood on my clothes and my hands, I've done it again, I've done it again." (Nicole Dollanganger, Tammy Faye)

"The rational soul is stronger than any kind of fortune from it's own share it guides its affaires here or there, and itself the cause of a happy or miserable life." (Seneca, Moral Letters, 98.2b)

How long have I been stuck here? How many people have I played against? Will it ever end? For hours, these repetitive thoughts ran through your mind. Shackled into a padded wooden electric chair, strapped into place by thick leather belts across both ankles, over both elbows, around your waist, and across your lap. You could move your right arm freely, but your left hand was stuck in place, ensnared in some deathtrap, threatening to end your life in a matter of minutes through painful electrocution. Despite the odds, you managed to win three games of Lucas Baker's version of blackjack. But you'd taken some severe damage in the process, suffering four powerful shocks from the torture machine you were strapped into.

By now, you were forced to watch three other players shocked to death right across the table, less than a meter away from where you sat. Their pleas for mercy, screams of pain, the dull thump of their lifeless heads against the back of their chairs.The scene before you felt too traumatized to be reality. You wanted to believe the last few hours were a morbid nightmare. Yet the ungodly stinging pain in your left arm, the scent of burning flesh, and, of course, that nonstop twanging voice playing over speakers kept you viciously awake.

You would do anything to fall asleep, for any kind of a break after all you'd endured. But your brain remained on high alert, waiting for Lucas to announce the next round at any second, for the room to fall dark as the corpse of your opponent was disposed of and the next player brought in. You couldn't imagine how Lucas could remain watching from another room and rotate players simultaneously. Likely, he wasn't working alone. The idea of another person, completely invisible to you, watching from the shadows, terrified you, and you tried your hardest not to think about it. 

Yet, to your surprise, the room fell silent; the lights remained on as you were forced to stare down the dead body of your last rival. 

As seconds ticked by, you let your head fall as you sobbed, too ashamed to look at the dead body across the table. Keeping your eyes shut tight, you felt overly tense, just waiting for the dim lights and screens illuminating the room to go out, but they never did. Instead the sound of stock-audio applause played over the speakers. You opened your eyes just enough to watch the screens go from green back to Lucas, looking as wickedly playful as ever. 

Slumped back in his chair, he slowly clapped, grinning at the camera, freakishly amused by your misery. Your eyes widened; I've won? The games were over now; you were the last player left alive; despite everything, you survived- whether you wanted to be here or not, there was no one but you and Lucas left alive.

For a long time, you waited, over-tensed with anxiety, for him to break the silence, but he said nothing, just continued to stare you down through the monitor until you couldn't take it anymore. "It's over now- isn't it? I've won?" 

Lucas beamed, "Fuckin' A you won! Damn, you're runnin' hot tonight, sweetheart!"

If it's all over, why the hell is he still sitting there? "I get to go home now, right? You said if I win, I will go home!"

He threw his head back with a raspy laugh, "Slow down there! I said if you won you lived, I never said what would happen next."

And just when you dared hope to see the light of day again, Lucas brought you back to reality. The lights in the room suddenly faded to black, and you moaned in despair, almost expecting this meant you were on for yet another round of cards. But instead, the monitors went grey, providing just a bit of low lighting in the windowless room.

Something rustled in a far corner of the room, making the floor creak. It was Lucas; you knew instantly that it just had to be him. But how come you never heard a door open or close? How close had he been this entire time?

The floorboards creaked closer behind you, and your back went rigid with fear as you were absolutely helpless to defend yourself from the maniac drawing closer. Just when you were sure your heart would give out from the fear, you heard Lucas stop, and two long, lean arms slithered from over your shoulders behind the chair, interlocking and pulling your body even closer to the back of the seat as he purred in a nasally, rasp dangerously close behind you. "Watchin' you lay them other bitches out, I just couldn't help myself. Been stroking myself real slow watching you play, an' dam, you got no idea whatcha been doin' to me!"

His hands found your shoulders, kneading them harshly. You winced from the pain, and he couldn't help but laugh, "I ain't ever been so hard in my life!"

Shaking with fear, you felt his hands retract before strolling from behind the chair to stand directly before you. No longer hiding under his usual hood and long pants, he wore nothing but a stained off-white undershirt and red plaid boxers.

With one hand holding onto the back of the chair beside your right shoulder, Lucas consciously planted his knee between your knees and the other leg on the bit of space between your leg and the arm of the padded electric chair, kneeling over you before settling down to sit on your lap. "Game's over now. An' I gotcha all to myself." Wrapping his arms around your neck, he nuzzled against your skin, not-so-quietly moaning at the rush of skin-to-skin contact. It was an awkward position, but that wouldn't stop him now. After adjusting, he found a stable position, balancing his weight over yours. If you had an ounce of strength left in your body, you would've tried to buck him off, but all you could do now was sit back and take it. 

Lucas was finally as close as he wanted to be for so long, and you could feel every rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled your scent, breathing in extra deep and slow, making sure you could feel the warm fanning of his breath against your neck. You hardly had any mobility strapped into the chair before, but now with Lucas pinning you down, poking your thigh with his erection from above, you had even less room. 

Before you realized what was happening, Lucas brought both palms to the sides of your face, forcing your lips to connect to his. He was awkward, overly excited, and too eager to slip his tongue into your mouth, easily overpowering you into complying. The kiss was intense, needy, and absolutely foul, but you weren't strong enough to break away. Fortunately, it wasn't long until he let go with a loud sigh of pleasure, "Been waiting' too damn long for that!" He panted for a moment, allowing the pleasure of the kiss to wash over him, making his heart beat even faster and his mouth to fill with saliva at the thought of what was to come, mindlessly grinding his hips against yours lazily for a bit more friction.

Burying his head back into the crook of your neck, Lucas was eerily quiet, but before you could wonder why, you felt his hot, wet tongue slide against the thin, sensitive skin of your neck, leaving a filthy trail of spit behind. You couldn't hide the audible sound of disgust you made from this, straining to pull away as best you could.

Lucas chuckled, listening to your disgust. "Still got a little fight left in ya? Whatta ya say, you 'and me, one on one strip poker?"

You couldn't respond but merely moaned in anguish as you felt the repulsive feeling of his sweaty hand begin to grope harder against your thigh; if not for the protective layer of clothing, you didn't doubt his fingernails would dig nasty scratch marks into your flesh. Shaking your head, no, you almost dry heaved thinking about Lucas' naked body.

"Aw, don't wanna? Whassa matter, scared you'll lose?" He snickered; despite the room's low lighting, you were sure he could make out the agony all over your face, no doubt turning him on even more. 

His hand moved from your outer thigh inward but paused for some reason, "Hang on, 'the hell is this?" Lucas's voice caught you off guard with an odd note of genuine confusion. Looking down, you saw Lucas' hand on the seat cushion, the space between your legs distracted by something. He probed the cushions with his fingers, rubbing them together curiously before bringing his hand below his nose and inhaling. To your confusion, Lucas suddenly burst into wicked laughter, gripping the back of the chair to keep from doubling over and hitting the floor.

You really didn't want to know what was so funny, but the look on your face must've said it all because as soon as he regained a bit of composure, he pointed back down at the space between your legs, "You're damn good at holding' your cards, too bad ya can't hold your water too!" His lame little joke sent him into another bout of laughter. It wasn't until he pointed it out that you realized what he meant. At some point, while playing, you pissed yourself, and you hadn't even noticed.

The disgust made your skin crawl, and you couldn't help but shudder, feeling your stomach flop, your head going limp, turning to the side, as far away from Lucas as the restricted mobility would allow of you. The act itself was mortifying enough, but his reaction made the pain sting all the more.   

Snickering a little, he focused his attention back on you, drawing your face to focus back on him by cupping your cheek using the palm of his clean hand. "Aww, don't be like that- It's alright, you're scared now, it's cute!" Listening to his sinister voice "cooing" felt so weird.

Lucas pressed his forehead against yours, almost whispering, "But you'll come around. I know you will! I saw you lay those sons of bitches out! You're just like me!"

On instinct, you snapped your head away, choking out, "Didn't want to kill anyone… D-don't you dare say I'm like you."

Something about the soft, almost loving way Lucas looked at you made you angry, "Darlin', you ain't playing cards no more; no need to keep bluffing."

Not only was he forcing you to acknowledge exactly what you'd done, but he was proud of you for it, and you were enraged to the point of tears. "Not like you… Never be like you!"

Lucas wasn't listening to what you said. He was too caught up in his own arousal and ego to care about how you really felt. "I can't wait to see the look on the old man's face when he sees you 'and me!"

Relaxing a tiny bit against you in an almost-cuddle, he murmured, "All my damn life folks' been sayin' I aint nothin' but a bad seed, a fuck up, family disappointment, 'nd I always told 'em to fuck right off, but you- whew, you ain't like the rest of 'em."

A beat of silence passed before his lips were back against your neck, feeling up the sensitive skin with his lips and tongue, gently scraping his teeth over the wet patches of spit he left behind. The anxiety of his teeth on your bare skin made you swallow hard, trying desperately to keep calm and not do anything to provoke his excitement or, worse, his anger. It didn't feel arousing, but suddenly, you felt like you were back playing cards with your life on the line. Every breath felt like it could be your last, every movement a dangerous gamble. Lucas still held your life in his hands.

As Lucas worked with his mouth, his hands felt up your body, particularly interested in the places the leather straps met your skin, loving the feeling of the stiff leather contrasted by soft skin. He pulled up at your shirt until he could feel the skin of your waist against the strap connecting your back to the chair, grinding his hips straight down against yours, leaving you nowhere left to retreat.

While a thin man, the weight of Lucas on your lap, his greedy hands against your waist, his stench made it hard to breathe. But the feeling of his teeth clamping down suddenly against your neck makes you inhale sharply through grit teeth while he chuckled in amusement. The pain and surprise made you yelp and squirm even harder in the chair.

Lucas pouted with mock sympathy, "Aw, sorry 'bout that darlin', didn't mean to nip ya. 'Less ya wanted more?"

Without missing a beat, you fired back, "G-go to hell, you little shit!" 

Lucas stared at you with the oddest look in his eye and a smile on his face, like he knew something you didn't, "Now, now, I know you're excited, but ya gotta watch that language of yours! Lil' Evie's always listenin'."

Stiffening with discomfort, you whispered, "Always… what?"

"An' she doesn't take kindly to outside folk disrespecting' her family." Lucas didn't bother explaining himself. He was having way too much fun scaring the hell out of you.

But for a moment, you weren't scared; you were enraged, "You all can go to hell!"

"Now, now- you keep on like that, an' someone's gonna hafta teach you a lesson. Learn to be a respectful guest in our home." Lucas chided you as though you were nothing more than a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

For the first time all night, you almost wished you were back playing cards. "Well, if I'm such a rotten guest, why don't you let me go home, you psycho!?"

"She wouldn't like hearing that from ya. Not one bit." To punctuate his point, he disconnected from your skin, and for just a second, you had no idea what he would do next. Until you felt the stinging pain of Lucas' teeth sinking into your neck. Rolling back your head as far as the chair would allow, you let out a pathetic cry of pain, half wondering if this psycho was about to bite your throat off. Your entire body went rigid and tense with pain as Lucas pulled away for a brief moment, only to plant a second nasty bite, almost overtop the first. Pain-filled sobs filled the room as Lucas lapped at the tender wounds. Were you bleeding, or were you already dripping blood? It was impossible to tell.

While not howling with laughter, Lucas clearly enjoyed getting such a strong reaction from you, "H-hah! Oh, darlin', you really are something special, ya know that? Can't- aw fuck! Dunno how much longer I can hold out!"

Just do it! Just get it over with already! You screamed mentally. If there was anything you could do to end the torture faster, you would, even if that meant playing into Lucas' sick, perverted fantasy. It's not like you hadn't spent the past hours doing that. Bound almost entirely in place, there was little you could do to "help" Lucas out in this situation, but that didn't mean you were entirely helpless here.

Spreading your legs as wide as they could in the chair, Lucas' groin fell into place an inch closer to yours, catching him off guard, causing him to stall his rhythm ever so briefly, which you took as an opportunity to rock upwards against him. The friction caught him off guard, made his breath hitch with a moan, and his head to lull back; stealing your resolve, you forced a desperate whine for his attention, silently urging him on. Faster, harder, whatever he needed to do to climax, trying your hardest to convince him it was for the both of you.

"You like that baby! You want more?" He babbled, sounding almost drunk as he found his rhythm again, pounding against you even faster. His sweaty palms latched onto the back of the chair, helping him ground himself enough to dry-hump your lap while leaving messy, wet, open-mouthed kisses against your neck. 

Internally, you tried to think about Lucas as little as possible, just like playing blackjack; all you needed to do was play his game until you won. Keep your legs spread as best you could, whimper for him, press your chest up against his, match his movements- as far as you were concerned, this was no different than playing another round of cards.

He was getting louder now but hardly speaking coherently, "M'so close, fuckin' hell! I'm almost there, c'mon baby, keep goin', keep goin'!" And with one final grunt of exertion, he came, fucking your thigh a while longer as he rode out his climax until he collapsed. Leaving the two of you to sit motionless, stewing in each other's body fluids.

Surely, you'd finally endured the worst of the night. At last, you were certain Lucas was satisfied; he was no longer grinding his full weight against you, just limply resting his body over yours. It wasn't a comfortable position, but it was certainly better than before. You croaked in a voice no louder than a whisper, "Lucas… Just let me go, please. I gave you what you wanted. All I want is to go home!"

He didn't look up, his head still resting on your shoulder, mumbling, "I ain't gonna do that."

"Lucas-" You tried to straighten up in the chair a bit, but his weight over yours kept you firmly rooted.

He eventually picked his head up a bit, sounding a bit less woozy than before, slowly coming down from his climax. "No. If I turned ya lose now, you ain't even makin' it outta the fuckin' house before somethin' gets to you first."

A sudden spark of wrath punctured your exhaustion, reigniting your hatred for the man who spent hours breaking you down psychologically and desecrating your body. Through grit teeth, you grumbled, "You dirty little liar!"

He glared at you, sitting back in the chair a little, separating his upper body from yours, "Listen,"

Now that you had a better look at Lucas, you remembered his smug, insufferable face on the monitors, watching gleefully as you were forced to play for your life. You wanted nothing more than for him to feel even a fraction of the pain he caused you. "No! You're a liar and a cheater, and that's why I'm stuck here! You're why I'm stuck here!"

In the blink of an eye, Lucas planted both palms on your shoulders, his fingers gripping you with inhuman strength. With such force, you wondered if his fingernails would break through your clothes, making you wail as you struggled against his grip. Lucas hissed, "Now you listen, and you listen real good, cuz I'm only telling you this once, honey. You don't have half a fuckin' clue what's goin' on outside this house, but I know you sure as hell ain't gonna win against 'em neither!"

As he increased his hold against your shoulder, you cried, fearing he would break a bone, "The only reason you're still breathing' is 'cuz I'm the one keeping you alive, you hear me! And if you step one toe outta this room, you're dead!"

He suddenly let go, allowing you to pull away, crushing your back further against the chair, tears clouding your vision as you tried to control your breathing. You didn't have the guts to meet Lucas' eye again. "I'm doomed."

Lucas' palm found your cheek, not with the painful force you expected, but just enough to tilt your face in his direction, even if you couldn't bear the sight of him, and kept your eyes closed as he spoke. "You'll live. An' you're gonna live as long as I'm here for ya. I don't need the old man or the old lady breathing down my neck no more. From now on, it'll just be us here to look out for each other. We're gonna make it!"

[bluestarzie]

There's 3 ways the entire Baker estate was built and I can't imagine any of them,

1. The Bakers hired a contractor who agreed to build several hidden walk ways behind walls, a mourge, a disection room, etc.

2. This lil old elderly couple built it all by hand SOMEHOW

3. Lucas built everything himself

I feel like this would be impossible ESPECIALLY with just a three year time gap between when Eveline arrived and Ethan showed up (Bc I can't think of a reason this older couple would just have a disection room)

There's just no genuine thing I could think of for how half of their stuff would be realistically built (I know it's just a game but the real world aspects rlly interest me)

Anyone else got any theorys on how it could have all been built?

[k0dster]

OK question, who is everyone personal favorite, well written, mentally ill character?

Bc to this day nobody has topped Lucas Baker for me. I was kind of thinking about this Re7 au I had with an old friend today and started thinking about him again. Capcom has always done such a wonderful job with writing their characters, but something about Lucas makes me think about him every once in awhile.

It's hard to explain in words but the way he was written is just so scary. Not because he's got a bunch of molded henchmen and that creepy barn, but because he's so unpredictable and yet so smart and tactical. The kids a genius and shows it all throughout the game and his DLC, but he's also probably got some form of severe schizophrenia that has clearly gone untreated for near his whole life. He's incredibly smart and resourceful though - as in most cases - is limited by his mental illness.

The whole thing was a clear episode and I almost wanna pressume it happened before the doctors visit. Though that isn't really the point, I think alot of his issues stem from Jack. Not because he's ill too, but because he doesn't take it seriously. I live in the south myself and the stigma around men and their mental health here is so awful I don't even wanna start to imagine what it would do to a kid with schizophrenia who's dad choses to ignore it. I personally think Lucas would have grown up to be alot better of a person, hell, he might not have been in the house he was so well off if Jack had taken the time to acknowledge him. From just the look of the house and the way he acts in the daughter's (?? Sorry i seriously haven't played this game in almost a year) DLC really gives me that 'man of the house' 'men don't have feelings' kinda feel. I can only assume, the only other people in their home being women, that Jack really tried to drill that mentality into Lucas and completely glanced over Marguerites worries about him.

I almost feel bad for him. He's smart, talented, "gifted" if you must, though clearly limited by who I'm guessing to be Jack. There's a whole little story in game that really stuck out to me, when you're in Lucas's old room looking through his old journal entries he writes about Marguerite taking him for what I assumed was probably an MRI or maybe a CT scan of his head showing she clearly thought something was wrong with him. In an entry pretty close to that one he talks about his friend, Oliver, who keeps messing with him so he locks him in the attic. He talks about how he could hear him banging and screaming for help for about a day before he stopped and was eventually presumed dead to Lucas after he started to be able to smell his corpse. (I actually feel as crazy as him rn I can't find it but ik somewhere there's a document talking about how bad the smell was to him. I almost wanna say he talked about something dripping from the attic too on the same page but idk maybe i made that up)

EDIT: after 18 million years I found it so I was in fact not just loosing my mind

"Untreated schizophrenia can cause severe problems that affect many areas of life. It can disrupt how the brain works, interfering with thoughts, memory, senses, and behaviors. This can lead to difficulties in daily life, such as trouble organizing thoughts and behaving in ways that increase the risk of injury or illness." Which would explain Lucas's entire character during the game- minus the mold.

Ik this isnt my usual posting and an absolute yap fest but I seriously needed to talk about him again. He's so well written it makes me wanna foam at the mouth.

[generallynaive]

O Melhor de 2024 - 25 Filmes

1. The Zone of Interest Jonathan Glazer

2. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Radu Jude

3. All We Imagine as Light Payal Kapadia

4. No Other Land Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Yuval Abraham & Hamdan Ballal

5. Past Lives Celine Song

6. La Chimera Alice Rohrwacher

7. La Passion de Dodin Bouffant Tran Anh Hung

8. Evil Does Not Exist Ryusuke Hamaguchi

9. Dahomey Mati Diop

10. Anatomie d’une Chute Justine Triet

11. Anora Sean Baker

12. Fallen Leaves Aki Kaurismäki

13. Grand Tour Miguel Gomes

14. The Room Next Door Pedro Almodóvar

15. All of Us Strangers Andrew Haigh

16. La Bête Bertrand Bonello

17. Ryuichi Sakamoto Opus Neo Sora

18. The Substance Coralie Fargeat

19. Challengers Luca Guadagnino

20. Juror #2 Clint Eastwood

21. Hit Man Richard Linklater

22. Love Lies Bleeding Rose Glass

23. Rien à Foutre Emmanuel Marre & Julie Lecoustre

24. Rebel Ridge Jeremy Saulnier

25. Trap M. Night Shyamalan

[pvffinsdaisies]

Nyo Italy headcanons

Disclaimer! Whilst I try and take a more culturally accurate approach to most of my portrayals, Angelica is just portrayal that exists solely to have fun with. Cultural and historical accurate has never been my priority with her.

Angelica is obsessed with cats, you could call her a crazy cat lady. She owns two Siamese cats called Luca and Stella. There was.. an attempt at a theme.

She spoils those cats rotten, pampers them constantly, and is always buying different outfits to put them in. They are her babies.

Whilst I wouldn’t say Angelica is an outdoorsy person, she definitely loves being outside in the warm Italian sunshine. The sun is what gives her life, it’s what keeps her so happy. Without it, her mood would be constantly low and deflated.

Whilst regular hws italy is depicted as lazy, I personally see Angelica as a very active person. Considering how well-ranked Italy is in so many different sports. Personally, I think she leans towards tennis especially, but she also enjoys cycling around different cities and countrysides.

She is, of course, a painter. One of the best you could ever meet. Painting is something she’s always loved, and always will love. She doesn’t just stop at painting canvases, she’s paint on anything if she thinks it looks too plain. Her wardrobe is a masterpiece 😍

She is a wonderful cook and baker.

I imagine Angelica is one of the girls who just seems unnaturally good at everything, however, driving is where it all goes to pot. Do not get in the car with her if you value your life. It’s a miracle her license hasn’t been taken off her.

She also owns her own little yellow Vespa (which she has painted), and whilst she’s better on that than she is driving a car.. I still wouldn’t risk it personally.

She probably has a jellycat collection

If you say 1 word in Italian to her, she will immediately act like your best friend. She gets so excited!!

Angelica needs glasses for shorter distances! Things like reading, paintings, etc.

[demelly]

Ok so, I know you're a big Jack Baker fan, and I just wanted to ask if you think the song against the kitchen floor by will wood could fit him? Personally I think that it can, the actual meaning of the song isn't exactly what his story is about ik that but I still think it can fit him. I sort of picture it as him post canon reflecting on what he's done + also kind of singing to Marguerite because I love them and their not so great mold infected marriage.

Uhhh sorry if it's kind of annoying to get a random guy just chirping on about their re7 headcanon songs in your inbox but I'm also a big Jack fan and a fan of your blog so I just wanted to get your opinion on it. You don't have to ofc but if you'd like to

OMG IM SO SORRY I DIDNT SEE THIS AT ALL😭😭😭😭

i think will wood songs fit jack so fucking well i think about it so often, also any song from the musical little shop of horrors oh my gawwwddd.....

i think a song like that would be so fucking sad in my au like ethan after re8 talking to jack in the megamycete on the bayou like ouhhhh alriught........ thats such a sad idea. jack was turned into a monster by eveline but he was never a perfect father he knows. he sees the best in his family even lucas ouhhh😭😭 hes such a tragic character im gonna seriously kms LAOLQOLLL. JACK SINGING TO MARGRUITE OH MY GODDDDD 😭😭😭😭 imagine the instrementual played over an old vinyl player and him singing to her oh my god ohh my god IM TEARING UP BRAH

ALSO NEVER APOLOGISE ASKIN ME SOMETHIN ABOUT RE7 IM FR I LOVE SEEING QUESTIONS IN MY INBOX IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY😭😭

[peppymintdreams]

Imagine my bbg Luca having a listener that is some like baker master like lindor and stuff like 😩 if only I could

(Don’t even ask me about the point of my username if I can’t bake)

[devisrina]

I absolutely love reading through your sydcarmy opinions and analyses, so I wanted to ask you what do you think about Syd potentially getting a new love interest before getting with Carmy (if the writers decide to go there ofc)? They smell like a looong slowburbn anyway, so I'd love for her to get into dating game too.

Aww my heart :) I love being in this fandom, you guys are all so sweet.

I would be delighted to watch Sydney getting a love interest before getting with Carmy. If they did it for Carmy, It's fair if they do it for Sydney too. Also, it would be so delicious (pun intended) to watch Carmy be jealous. I feel like he wouldn't be chill about it if someone was interested in Sydney and the affection was reciprocated.

I was actually talking about this with a few other Sydcarmys and we were vouching for Luca, the baker, to be Sydney's potential in-between love interest.

And I feel like Luca would be so juicy as a love interest. I mean, he and Carmy already have a competitive background. And Carmy's coping mechanisms for his panic attacks have been food and Sydney. And if Carmy and Luca are majorly at odds with each other about food, imagine if Luca took an interest in Sydney. There was this really amazing fic that @ladespeinada wrote about it, you can find it here.

But also, I was thinking about another guy who could be interesting as a love interest for her. What if the real Logan Fernello took an interest in her?

I know that Logan is most likely an ex-frat guy who most likely peaked in high school. But like, Sydney's love interest doesn't necessarily have to be written to be that great, we want Carmy to be the endgame for a reason. Let Syd have her fun with this guy, maybe he'd be funny if the show got someone to play him. I'd also like him to be somewhat of a decent person, at least enough for Sydney to take an interest in him.

But yeah, I would love Sydney to have a love interest before Carmy. She's been working really hard and I'd love for her to get into the dating world. But also, I'd like it to sort of differ from Carmy where it is less immature and she wants to be straightforward about where she stands with the people she is with. But also, I see her being less open about it. Maybe the way people notice is if the guy walks into the restaurant.

[yanderomantic]

Hey!! 1, 2, 3, 9 & 13 for the ask game? 👀

what got you into proshipping? -- politics. i started educating myself on marxism, dialectical materialism, i realized that pushing towards censorship is a conservative view, that in practice its the most disenfranchised members of society that get censored--people of color, trans women, queers of any flavor. in a world where the definition of pedophilia is getting expanded to include open trans women in florida, im not comfortable equating the exploration of dark fiction with child abuse. theres real world political impacts to this pedojacketing shit that harms the oppressed before the privileged, and im not taking part in it. also--we should normalize discussion of dark topics, in order for victims to feel safe processing their traumas--theres a lot of traumatized people stuck in anti circles who are too afraid of admitting the complicated truths of their trauma because the mere discussion of dark topics is such a deep taboo. theres a lot of social and political benefits to destigmatizing discussion. also i became staunchly pro-kink for about all the same reasons as i mentioned before, and in my mind kink & dark self shipping is basically in the same boat--imaginative play with dark themes & power dynamics.

what got you into selfshipping? -- friends! i mean, i always enjoyed daydreaming about my favorite characters, but i didnt realize there was a community to partake in until my pals got me into it. thank you lav ^_^

who is one of your your first/oldest f/os? -- good question! i mean, theres the characters ive adored since childhood that i spent my time daydreaming about, maybe even making ocs for--flippy from happy tree friends was probably the first character i properly self shipped with before realizing what self shipping even was cuz i was like, 9... but i had made ocs id project onto. the first few characters i decided to call my f/os--when i was first introduced to the self shipping community--will graham & herobrine, though i dont really self ship with herobrine & not sure if i ever truly did, i just liked him ^_^

9. who is a f/o you want more content of? -- not too sure! i have a couple that dont have a lot of content, but im not too pressed about it--mr robot, from mr robot, is a character i really really really like but the fandom doesnt explore him in the ways id like for it to. hilbert from w359 could definitely use some more content that appeals to me, im a little picky about my interpretations of podcast characters though.

(and i got your other ask specifying you meant 14! i assume you meant 14 over 13, so i'll answer 14 instead (: )

14. do you prefer romantic, platonic, or familial f/os? -- my familial f/o's have always meant the most to me & have brought me the most comfort. crowley from supernatural most of all. supernatural as a source has been deeply important to me in many ways. and then theres lucas baker from re7, who hits the sweet spot between romantic & familial both! which is a very very awesome spot for an f/o to be. i need more incestuous f/os in my life i think itd fix me whats kinda funny about platonic f/o's, if i like them enough they either start branching into romantic territory or familial territory eventually. like a few other spn characters, like kevin who i started crushing on, and um. jack. who. um. Well we're kind of incestuous. thematically. It was unavoidable. jack kline parallels me too much and his (biological) dad is grooming me so. It happens. we started having some kind of codependent sibling incest even before i accepted that im proship. it was unpreventable. Love you jack kline forever

(and yknow what just cuz i love talking ill answer 13 too)

13. do you create self inserts to be more like you, or an idealised version of yourself? -- it depends on how im feeling/who im feeling like when i get into the source/make my s/i! or, depends on the source and how it makes me feel. of course my spn self insert is pretty idealized, yet true to myself and my emotional complexes--fallen angel turned demon, but is still pretty bad at being a demon. and my re7 self insert is pretty true to my teenage self while being very much inspired by who i am today at 23. kind of an homage to the teenage self i couldve been if i was less lost in my identity. the self inserts i made for media i got into 2020-2022 are pretty different from the self inserts i make in 2024, because im just a different person. each self insert is kind of a snapshot of a person i once was/used to be/used to want to be. ive got a couple self inserts that are more idealized than others, like an au version of my spn self insert that gains her angel status back--very confident, reclaiming her femininity, revenge against abusers--a type of person i once looked up to, but i dont really idolize her the same way i once needed to. im always ever growing & so are my self inserts--ive got trans men, cis women, butch dykes-- all self inserts are versions of me ive been or can be

[fisheadz]

Very tired, about to bully my brother for his bday, finally fixed my little Brenda problem, feeling alright! Enjoy some In Sound Mind hc’s and stuff as a treat!

• Magdalena has her hair died bright red. I don’t make the rules.

• Virginia makes a mean green bean casserole.

• Virginia’s brother is a nurse, and her parents are both accountants. Or something.

• Jorge and Samantha are engaged.

• Inez is a lesbian, and has a crush on the mysterious, quiet woman that just moved to town and started working at the library.

• Desmond often gets migraines, especially after That One Big Thing That Happened.

• In a zombie apocalypse scenario, Rosemary is the first to die, followed closely by Dave. Thankfully, there is no zombie apocalypse happening anytime soon. Probably.

• Max lets Maddison put makeup on him sometimes, on his good days. Lucas saw this one, and still hasn’t shut up about it. He brings it up every chance he gets.

• Allen can’t eat much at once, with his anxiety making him nauseous often. More than once, he’s gotten sick at dinner with one of the others and has to explain in a way that makes sense, which is difficult.

• Rosemary will not hesitate to punch a bitch. She’s done it before, and she can and will do it again. Anyone who’s an asshole or a Mayer employee is at risk.

• Allen sometimes forgets random things like where his keys are, what day of the week it is, where he put that book that he was just reading. But there’s things he never forgets, like his friend’s birthdays, faces, shipping schedules…

• Virginia hates gummies. Hates them. Cannot stand the texture. Will gag at the taste, no matter the flavor. Giving her gummy anything is akin to a declaration of war.

• Dave is an amazing cook, and a truly awful baker. Jorge is the other way around, he makes some great cupcakes.

• Maddison knows more than she should about What Happened from eavesdropping and snooping, and often confuses her mom by saying things like "Daddy’s doctor has a cat and a purple man in his head". Thankfully, Alice just chalks this up to stress and imagination, and thinks nothing more of it.

^ Maddy likes to pretend that she’s a detective, and she’s living out one of those "Vampires Don’t Drink Lemonade" or "Wizards Don’t Need Computers" books, y’know the ones.

• Max talks in his sleep a lot. Sometimes it’s cussing someone out for being dumb on the road, other times it’s utter nonsense. Virginia records the funny stuff and uses them as blackmail.

Very tired, oof.

I’ve got a bunch of ISM doodles that I think ima post here, sometime. I’ve found a way to doodle that’s actually fun and not stressful for whatever reason.

Oki dokie, have a good [insert time of day here] everyone!

[vivianleighwishesshewasme]

Arthur's Sacrifice-16

Cake tasting

Filomena loses her cool much to the amusement of her uncles.

________________________________________________

Filomena sat in the cold metal chair at the bakery fuming with rage. If he had decided to grace them with his presence, one touch of her shoulder would scorch his hand raw. 

She knew she looked stunning when she smiled, she was prettier when her eyes were slit and her jaw set in determination. 

She was livid. His pouting had gone on long enough. This was the last straw. She understood he was in pain but ignored her after telling her he still wanted to marry her still and to put her ring back on….the whiplash was too much. 

Audrey, Arthur and Linda were happily discussing cake flavors around the enraged bride to be. There had been seven flavors in total, mostly traditional standards but a few, like amaretto and pistachio were created just for the bride in remembrance of her mother’s heritage in Italy. 

Amaretto was Luca’s favorite next to red velvet. She’d already made it clear that those two flavors wouldn’t be in her wedding at all since his highness couldn’t be bothered to show. 

 John and Tommy were watching their niece with amused grins. John was eating anything offered to him. He and Esme had been arranged so he’d shown up for a fight only to find out he was promptly getting married. He hadn’t gotten to pick out cake or food. This was fun though even if his niece looked aggressive towards her plate. 

Her fork stood straight up in the pistachio flavored slice in front of her. John was surprised the fork hadn’t shattered the plate when she stabbed it down into the dessert. 

If Luca did show, his money was on his niece, she had some Shelby to her today. He leaned into Tommy and mentioned the site of her fork dangling from Luca changretta’s neck. Both men chuckled, earning a glare from their Aunt in warning. 

Neither man seemed bothered.

“Hey Arthur, If nothing else, we win the vendetta by the fact that Luca will get his ear chewed off by your daughter every time she’s pissed. Maybe smacked upside the head with a frying pan.” The man in question laughed out loud with his lively younger brothers, imagining his five foot daughter taking on her 6 foot future husband with such  force that she’d win. 

She had the Shelby temper. He’d seen it a few times. She could hold her own, that's why he wasn’t too worried about her. 

“She's on our side of the vendetta if it starts back up, eh?” Tommy’s question had them rolling again leaning against the window. The bakery was small but filled with high end decadent desserts. They had been pleased to learn that Luca’s side was paying for all the Italian sweets, as if the wedding cake wouldn’t be enough.

“Billy had a cock go after him, Filly came running out and drop kicked the damn cock sending him several feet up in the air.  Now the rooster runs in fear when he sees her.”

John was red faced from laughing so hard, Tommy wasn’t far behind and Arthur could barely talk. 

No one had laughed that hard in a very long time, let alone in the last few years since Grace's passing.  

It was nice to have the family reunited and to have a new member, even if she wasn’t physically staying around long. 

“Miss Shelby, a phone call for you?” The baker seemed as perplexed as she was. It had pulled her out of her thoughts. 

She grabbed the receiver from him and timidly placed it to her ear mindful of the flour on the handle. 

“Tessero, I’m working late.” Luca’s rushed excuse was promptly cut off by the hurt laced through his fiances usually timid voice. 

“Working late really!”  She knocked the chair over as she stood and started screaming at him in Italian, the receiver down by her mouth, she didn't need to listen, she wasn’t hearing him anymore. Audrey went pale a few times and placed her hand over her ears, even the staff made themselves scarce. A few bits of profanity the men could recognize slipped out and spilled forth like hot tar. 

“Jesus, if Esme ever talked to me like that.” John shoved the last piece into his mouth as Filomena’s harsh death glare settled upon him. 

“Think he’s dying the italian death tonight.” Tommy spoke to Arthur who stood stock still watching his petite little princess threaten her husband to be so verbally violent he was actually proud. 

“Naw, I don't think she's going anywhere near his balls anytime soon.”  John snickered at his own joke. 

Filomena slammed the phone down and stormed out of the shop. She was done. 

“I'm sure it's just nerves.” Polly patted Audreys hand as she slipped past the laughing men, shooting one last warning look before she joined her great niece on the street. 

________________________________________________

[shiveringsoldier]

Favorite Films I Saw in 2024

This year I saw a whopping 121 films for the first time (list here), more than double the number I saw in 2023. And since I saw so many films, that means I discovered a lot of great ones. So here is a long list of my favorite first watches of the year, in alphabetical order

8½ (1963, Federico Fellini)

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972, Werner Herzog)

All We Imagine as Light (2024, Payal Kapadia)

Amélie (2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

Anatomy of a Fall (2023, Justine Triet)

The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)

Benediction (2021, Terence Davies)

Between the Temples (2024, Nathan Silver)

Blood of the Condor (1969, Jorge Sanjinés)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, David Lean) - likely my favorite on this list

Brief Encounter (1945, David Lean)

Caché (2005, Michael Haneke)

Challengers (2024, Luca Guadagnino)

A Different Man (2024, Aaron Schimberg)

Earth Mama (2023, Savanah Leaf)

F for Fake (1973, Orson Welles)

The Fall (2006, Tarsem Singh)

Four Daughters (2023, Kaouther Ben Hania)

Get Out (2017, Jordan Peele)

The Godfather (1972, Francis Ford Coppola)

Great Expectations (1946, David Lean)

Harakiri (1962, Masaki Kobayashi)

Harold and Maude (1971, Hal Ashby)

I Am Cuba (1964, Mikhail Kalatozov)

I Live in Fear (1955, Akira Kurosawa)

Janet Planet (2024, Annie Baker)

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985, Paul Schrader)

Nosferatu (2024, Robert Eggers)

The Passionate Friends (1949, David Lean)

Perfect Days (2023, Wim Wenders)

The Quiet Girl (2022, Colm Bairéad)

A Real Pain (2024, Jesse Eisenberg)

The Ruling Class (1972, Peter Medak)

Saint Omer (2022, Alice Diop)

Seven Samurai (1954, Akira Kurosawa)

The Seventh Seal (1957, Ingmar Bergman)

Shin Godzilla (2016, Shinji Higuchi, Hideaki Anno)

The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)

Small Things Like These (2024, Tim Mielants)

Summertime (1955, David Lean)

Under the Shadow (2016, Babak Anvari)

A Woman Under the Influence (1974, John Cassavetes)

The Zone of Interest (2023, Jonathan Glazer)

Suffice to say this was a great moviewatching year for me, and I look forward to discovering even more films in 2025