#Nails by Michelle Class

[ghost-biird]

*listening to scary winter ambience and reading scary winter book*

I’m scared :(

[distantvoices]

Simone Ashley by Rid Burman for Vogue India April 2024

Styled by Nikhil Mansara. Hair by Shon Hyungsun Ju. Makeup by Alex Babsky. Nails by Michelle Class.

[icumpinkglitterxo]

You can't hurt me

part 2 (a)

a/n: i love angst. this version is the depressing one but its good i promise 🙏🏻

warnings: angst, mentions of sh, mentions of suicide, mentions of eds,

part 1

enjoy ★

She sat with him, bandaging his wrist. Slash stayed quiet. He hadn't shown his face in public since breaking up with Axl.

His fake girlfriend, Natalie, came over after school to talk to him. He hadn't told her about their breakup yet. She tapes his bandage and cups his face, "you look awful... when was the last time you slept?" He shrugs.

She sighs, "wanna tell me what happened?"

He nods slowly, then tells her everything, not leaving any detail out. "I fucked up, I mean I really fucked up, Nat. Bad." She wraps her arms around him tightly, "I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm so sorry it's so difficult. It shouldn't have to be this difficult."

He felt safe with her. They had known each other since they were little kids. She was the first person he came out to, resulting in her doing the same and leading to their fake relationship.

He sighs. "Am I an asshole?" She looks up at him, "what makes you think that?" He looks down and frowns, "I'm the one who broke up with Ax... Because I said us being together is wrong." His voice shakes. "Well, do you really believe that?" She asks cautiously, knowing how vulnerable he was already feeling.

He shrugs, "I...I don't know."

Nat sighs, "what makes you think it's wrong?" Slash looks at her. For a long time. Then he comes up with an answer.

"Everyone hates me. They judged me before for having long hair, and for being black, and for dressing the way I do, and for the few times someone saw me with red nails. They judged me. But they tolerated me. They talked to me in class. I got invited to parties. But now they hate me. They look at me with pure disgust. They write shit all over my locker. They write death threats and put them in my locker. They tell me I should end it. The day I broke up with Ax, I was assaulted. I was walking home alone, and these two guys from the football team started attacking me. And they weren't stopping. They were actually going to kill me for the simple reason that I love a man. I love him so much, and I know love is hard, and it takes patience. But I don't want to live my life hiding from people who might actually try to beat me to death because of who I love. That's not fair."

She frowns. "Oh baby, I'm sorry..." Slash shrugs. "I guess this is just how it has to be..."

A few weeks go by. With the help of Natalie, Slash felt comfortable enough to start coming back to school. He dreaded seeing Axl. He was surprised when the entire day had passed and Axl was nowhere to be found.

He shrugged it off and went to find Nat. She was waiting for him outside the school with a big goofy grin on her face. He scrunches his face up, "why are you so happy?"

She grins up at him, "I have a date."

His eyes widen, "a date!? With who!?" She smiles, "she's new here. She's called Michelle. She's super cool, and she's really pretty and -" Slash interrupts her, "I get it you little lesbian." She giggles. She was so excited. He smiles. This was nice. He was happy for her.

The two of them start walking away from the school. Nat looks up at him, "you hungry?" Slash looks down at her, "yeah, I didn't eat lunch," she frowns, "why not?" "Fish."

She nods. She knew there was a time when he had a difficult relationship with food, but this was just him hating any kind of food that came from the ocean. "Well, my dad said we can go to the diner and get lunch and dinner whenever we want," he looks down, "yeah? How much?" She rolls her eyes, "it's free, dumbass." His eyes light up.

The diner wasn't far, and the walk there only built their appetite. They were walking towards the diner, Nat walked a little bit ahead of Slash before she realised he had stopped.

She turned back to look at him, "what's wrong?" He stayed silent. Just kept staring at whatever it was he was so interested in. She looks over to see what he was staring at, and then her face drops, "oh..."

Axl.

With another man.

[nicolacoughlanbigheartfanpage]

HARPER’S BAZAAR

Nicola by her nail artist Michelle Class on ig

[superyiking]

Fluff:KAISER X FEM READER

About the content: It wasn't a good idea to go to training at night at your school, and it wasn't a good idea to go into the boys' bathroom to clean yourself up either.

"I don't have a good relationship with Michael Kaiser", that's what you thought as you felt daggers pointed at your back as you hid your head in your thick math book. Perhaps you can take refuge from your enemy's intense gazes towards you.You swallowed hard and breathed heavily, thinking that the boy behind you would leave you alone if you stopped breathing. Maybe he was just annoyed by your usually loud voice, or maybe not.

“Is he staring again?” you whispered softly, as if you were passing on secret information about your country’s betrayal to your friend who was sitting next to you and she was carelessly doing her nails. Everyone in the class was either relaxed or messing around, cause your philosophy professor was literally explaining in slow motion and no one was listening. You understood why they call him zero point five.

Your friend took her makeup mirror and tilted it at an angle to see Michel Kaiser staring at you with eyes that exuded evil and hatred.

"Yep!" She took her mirror back and put it aside and went back to tending to her nails, which were painted a simple gelatinous pink, not really caring how terrified you were.

"You bitch! What use are you as a friend if you can't rid me of this bastard?" You spoke quietly for fear that someone would hear you cursing. Unfortunately, a muffled laugh came from behind you and you turned around and noticed Bashira, completely burying his face on the table and his body shaking as if he had been electrocuted, next to him was Isagi who waved at you while he was smiling as usual, so you smiled back and gave him a candy that was hidden in the pocket of your skirt since it was not your favorite taste. He whispered, “Thank you,” and your cheeks turned red, You try to look at everything except him, but your eyes land on the boy with blond, blue hair and a strange haircut, as he looks into your eyes with the most hateful look you have ever seen. His face wrinkles and his teeth show in a grimace It sent shivers through your entire body, causing you to stand up immediately, making a noise that turned all eyes towards you.

"Can I go to the bathroom?''

You turned off the faucet with abundant flowing water, and looked at your reflection in the mirror with your wet face. You heard the bell for the last class of today ringing and a long sigh left your lungs, perhaps relieving the heaviness of the feeling in your heart.

You quickly returned to class and took your bag that your friend had packed while she was waiting for you to leave with her. You apologized and said that you would stay this evening to practice some new moves for the cheerleading team, and she understood the matter.

You waved at her and her figure moved away into the corridor with the rest of the student bodies eager to leave the hell of school. Summer and vacation were coming after two weeks.

You took your training supplies and clothes and went to the hall designated for the cheerleading team, which is the same as the basketball hall. Your high school had two fields, the second was for football since this school is known for training the best players.

Time passed quickly and you did not feel it for a moment because all you were thinking about were those burning blue eyes of him only. Did Kaiser hate you that much? You never communicated with him, fought, or even spoke badly about him? So why?

Your memory brought you back to your first meeting with him, which was in your second year after changing high school.

You were a new student there and you didn't know anyone. Your best friend was studying here, but she always took her first week carelessly and was absent from school the whole time. You were very confused, as this high school was big and you had no knowledge of its paths, so you kept wandering around, shy to ask someone about the way.

All the students, boys and girls, were exchanging hugs and conversations. In the midst of all that noise, you were alone, walking with languid steps and passed by a group of enthusiastic boys, as if they were wrestling. One of them imitated a punch to his friend, who was surprised by it and almost fell had the other to caught him. On the other hand, you were behind him and his bad luck passed on to you, which led to him pushing you from your back and falling like an idiot on the person in front of you.

''Aaaaah!!" Your shout rang throughout the corridor and everyone turned to what the sound was.

You had closed your eyes tightly before you fell, so you opened them very slowly, cursing inside yourself for the embarrassment you caused on your first day, wishing that time would stop and you would hit the wall with all your might, hoping that you would cure your anger.

"Eeeettt, this was so painfull !" You said as you kneeled on your painful knees before opening your eyes, which fell on the most beautiful face you had ever seen before. In front of you, a disturbed and shocked face faced you, its pink lips parted and The most beautiful A degree of blue was trapped inside those widened eyes. You froze completely, your lips trembling from extreme embarrassment, so your face became red after you noticed the position you were in while you were sandwiched between his long legs and everyone’s eyes were staring at both of you.

"I'm so sorry!, I'm really sorry!" You shouted these words, stuttering over some letters, before you quickly got up and fled the place. Ignoring all those frivolous voices talking about you, including the boy who was amazed by what he just saw, as if you were a creature from another world.

You tried to bury the disturbing memory of you away in your mind's graveyard of dead memories, but it would only come back to you every time you went to sleep or met Kaiser from time to time, barely because he was studying with you during your final year.

In the second year, you were lucky to be placed in a different class than his, thus avoiding constant embarrassment for a full nine months and free laser eyes that left marks on your back.

You remember when you ran away at that moment and entered one of the empty classrooms and called directly to your friend who had woken her up from her summer slumber, speaking so quickly that she could not comprehend a single word, to tell you that she would be there when she finished getting ready.

When she came and told her what had happened her mouth hung open To give you information that this boy is one of the best players in the school and is promised to join the national team for boys under twenty years old.

You did not really know that your subconscious mind had tied up many threads that were previously organized and tied them up even more immediately after your friend told you about that. You thought that he was a rude person who got very upset and had a sharp temper that flared up for problems. This is what comes to your mind Whenever you learned that a male was playing football and was one of the popular boys in high school, you prayed to God that night that it would not attract attention and rumors to you from his female fans, and he responded to you.

You stared at the glass ceiling of the hall, and an unusually large number of stars appeared to you in the dark blue sky.

"They look like his eyes." A faint whisper escaped your lips and your attention was drawn to the divine beauty, before you realized what you have just said and slapped your face lightly, asking yourself what nonsense you are saying now.

You wiped the sweat from your forehead with your shirt as you made the last practiced movement, deciding that that was enough for today and that it was time to leave. You poured the water bottle On your sweaty hair, so that the wetness seeped through your clothes, you collected your bag items and turned down the hall, heading towards the girls’ bathroom to wash yourself. Your hand grabbed the handle and moved it repeatedly, but it did not open.

"Oh God please don't tell me this is real not now! no!" You let go of the handle before you could broke it. You're not ready for trouble, and you've had a clean record since you entered this high school, cursing your luck.

You can't leave like this in the middle of the night when your phone's battery is dead, so you can't call your parents to pick you up, and if you walk, you'll probably catch a cold that will leave you bedridden.

You leaned against the wall, trying to think of a quick solution, before an idea occurred to you that you never knew would explain what you had been blind to notice.

You looked right and left while you were on the doorstep of the boys’ bathroom. You were sure that the hallway and the place were empty. You quickly took off your dirty clothes. You pulled your arms back to open your bra. It fell to the floor and then you hid it in the bag. You raised your torso and While you closed it, you decided to stay in your underwear and then remove it later.

Your intuition at that moment told you to turn around, and you did so only to find your alleged enemy standing in front of the door, his eyes wide open.

"kyaaah!!" A terrified scream unconsciously escaped your lips, covering what was visible of your breasts in front of him. What made matters worse was that you heard mixed and loud voices outside, near the door of a group of boys. It must be the football team. My God! You never knew they planned to stay and train like you.

With quick steps and his heart almost exploding, Kaiser quickly walked towards you and took your bag. Then, while you were completely frozen, he pulled you by your arm to the shower place and opened the water tap to its maximum intensity so that drops of semi-hot water fell on everything.

A second passed and the team members started to enter the bathroom with their noise and loud conversations.

!Note! If you have a music application or the song is recorded, please play les by Childish Gambino.

"Keizer wants to quickly escape from here, as if you weren't the king of the field just a minutes before. Great performance!"Ness shouted proudly to his friend, amidst the laughter of the rest.

“Did any of you hear a girl screaming a while ago? I’m sure I did.”

Your eyes widened completely, unable to believe the situation you were in now Kaiser wraps his strong arms around the wall that presses your back, wishing it would swallow you whole.

Kaiser completely covered your body so that neither your shadow nor your figure was visible through the curtain.

Your eyes were in constant contact that did not seem calm at all. Your lips were only two inches apart and you felt his hot breath covering your terrified breathing, he ignored his own and took his index finger to place it on your lips. You quickly felt the warmth of his hand and it sent a stinging sensation to your lips. Considering the height difference, Kaiser tilted himself so that no part of you remained visible.

You pulled your eyes away from his, who flinched in surprise at breaking your eye contact, and his eyes moved to the same direction as yours, who was staring at your completely exposed breasts in front of him. You felt your sockets getting wet and tears falling in a straight line with the streams of water flowing over you both increased the temperature of your bodies, especially your lower ones. Your legs were connected to his due to your slight leaning against the wall.

Kaiser noticed the whites of your eyes that were as red as your face, the trembling of your lips and the biting of them made him feel very bad for every silly second he stared at your chest. He looked away and cursed under his breath for his impudence, while you took your palm to cover your sobs.

Your whole body trembled and you tried to stop yourself from crying, when someone almost pulled the curtain that covered you both to make a joke with Kaiser.

“I'm warning you! Move it, and you'll die at my hands.” Kaiser's harsh voice rang out in the bathroom as he held The end of the curtain is at the top, preventing whoever was about to remove it and exposing both of you in this situation that you will not be able to justify no matter what happens.

The hand that was about to do so stopped and his shadow moved away. Minutes passed and most of them started to leave and only a few remained. You prayed inside yourself that this would go well, and you closed your eyes tightly. You did not know that he had come closer to you Until his chin was right above the top of your head, restraining his thoughts and demons that were telling him to pull back the curtain and show you both to others so that rumors would spread that you were his and the scoundrels would stop sending you confessions. On the other hand, his angels have warned him about this and appealed to him to protect your reputation, which will be destroyed, and the end of the year is nearby.

"I HOPE NOBODY CATCHE US, BUT I KINDA HOPE THEY CATCH US."

Your tears finally stopped after one last hard effort from you. You rubbed your eyes, which were burning with salty tears, before your gaze fell on Kaiser's six-pack muscles visible through the fabric of his wet white training shirt, the blue rose tattoo wraps from his back and arm all the way to his neck. Your eyebrows furrowed In complete confusion, all of this went away when you felt his firm hand moving your wet hair strands away from your face. You raised your eyes up to be met with the view of the midnight sky and the burning stars far away in its depths.

You opened your mouth until your front teeth showed. Oh! if you knew how much he wanted to kiss you at that moment! your cuteness ate his heart just as you stole his mind the first time he saw you. He never knew that a day would come when his heart would have something other than the ball, and surprisingly! it was a person. This put him in a state of complete denial when he felt his heart pumping blood like the excitement has never done on the field. Gradually, he began to realize that the constant pain in his heart, which had put him in a complete state of delirium and insomnia for days on end, still continued whenever his eyes met yours, even for a second was called love. He dreamed of you countless times, and he truly wondered if you were doing the same. His curiosity prompted him to search the net for a long time until he came to the conclusion that if he dreamed about you, it means that you were thinking about or missing him, and in fact! You had dreamed of him several times, waking you up completely sweating in your bed alone and your needy femininity was pulsing with such force, that it prompted you to drag your fingertips and caress your swollen clit while you moaned his name several times. Sometimes you wished he were there to relieve you of the weight of his influence on you, but it was completely impossible since you kept thinking that he hated you.

With the last two people gone and Kaiser making sure that the sound of their footsteps was far away from the bathroom, you quickly pushed Kaiser, who deliberately stepped back to make space for you to get dressed as quickly as possible, not caring for a single moment if you were completely wet.

You passed the doorpost before stopping and turning to Kaiser, who looked like an abandoned cat, balling his fists tightly and his chest rising and falling, truly afraid as to whether or not you had heard the drumbeat of his heart, just before or not.

"Thank you, Kaiser. I will never forget this favor of yours."

Before Kaiser could say a word that he desperately wanted to say to you, you had completely disappeared, leaving the chaos destroying his being. You did not attend high school, neither tomorrow nor the day after, and this was the last time he could see you from that close.

Finished •́⁠ ⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀♡♡

You can write to me about requests for stories you want with Blue Lock characters

BYE💘qwq

[hannahssimblr]

“Give me your artist's perspective, do you like this colour?” Jen wriggles her toes and fixes a small patch with her nail varnish brush.

“It’s black. It’s not a colour.”

“Black is a colour.”

“It’s the absence of colour, it’s a shade.”

“Ugh, annoying.”

“You asked for an artist’s perspective.”

“I’m sorry I bleedin’ did.” She rolls her eyes and lies back on her towel. “I just wanted you to say that you like it. It’s about time you learned about what women really want.”

“Well, alright then, I like it.”

She sniffs and pushes her sunglasses onto her face. They glint in the high sun. “I miss Michelle. She knows how to talk about girl things. You’re useless, you know that? She’d look at my toenails and she’d say, ‘wow, Jen, that’s a nice colour, it really suits you’ and I wouldn’t even have to ask her to do that.”

“Sorry for having a dick,” I say. “It sounds like it’s really hard for you to cope with.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

“Have you heard from her recently?”

“Michelle? Yeah. She we were chatting on MSN the other day. She’s having fun in Malaysia, and it’s mad hot and all of her dad’s family are nice so far. And she saw a dead dog in a bag in the river.”

“Nice, thanks for the update.”

“Why don’t you message her?”

“Because I’m not close to Michelle like you are.”

“I wish you were, she’s important to me.”

“Obviously yes, I know that. We just get on each other's nerves.” She thinks I’m annoying, I think she’s annoying, we’d just never really work as friends. Jen knows this, so I don’t know why she keeps talking about it.

She turns over to look at me, “Well I think you should give her a chance, because you have a lot in common actually, you’re both really good at drawing, and you’re both smart. Also you could really use some practice with being friends with girls, and I mean just friends, not friends that you eventually, you know, fuck.” She whispers that last word because it’s a scandalous thing to say. 

“I don’t fuck.” I hiss back. “I wish you’d stop saying that, people might believe you.”

She snickers, “But you do!”

“No! As far as you’re concerned I've never done it. And I don't really feel like talking about this, it makes me feel weird.”

“Well okay, but when Shell comes back, and when we go back to Dublin you should make an effort with her, and you should use her as practice.”

I groan. “What do you mean?”

“See if you can not seduce a girl who’s close with you.”

“Stop it, I don’t seduce either”

“The girls at school would disagree, you should hear how they talk about you in the changing rooms, it’s all ‘Jude did this, Jude said that, he touched my arm, oh he’s so fine, did you see his arse in those trousers?’ It’s actually disgusting.”

I squint at her, “My school uniform trousers?”

“I think so.”

“I can’t help it if I pull them off. I pull everything off, actually. And I also can’t help it if the girls I make friends with eventually fall in love with me, I’m just naturally very sexy, so I get if you’re nervous about Michelle, because you never know what she might see in me…”

Jen is laughing, “You’re ridiculous. It’s just that you have that slight hint of an American accent, and they go wild for you because they think you sound like someone from 90210.”

“Whatever, I make that work for me too.”

“Well you know Siobhán in Ms Daly’s class? She says that you-”

“Okay, okay, I don’t want to know what she says,” I snap, with irritation that surprises even me, “I’m tired of talking about this now.”

Jen frowns, “Well sorry. Moody.”

“I just don’t want to know all of the weird things girls are saying about me to each other. Would you like it if you heard of yourself being, like, talked about like you’re not even a person and reduced to just body parts? I don’t think you would.”

“Nobody talks about me like that, so yeah, actually, I wouldn’t mind it for once.”

“Well it feels bad. They all talk about me like I’m some conquest.”

“I’d rather be like that than like this.”

“Like what?”

She says nothing. 

“Like what, Jenny?”

She crosses her arms crossly, “Never mind. Just ask yourself, if I was straight, do you think we’d still be friends?” 

Then I frown into her face. I don’t like this question or its abruptness. “Of course we would be. Why would you say that?”

“I’m just wondering, like, in an alternate universe whether things would have gotten complicated between us and then we’d have had to stop being friends out of awkwardness.”

“I don’t think that at all. I think we’d be friends no matter what.”

She chews on her lip anxiously. “Yeah but that proves my point. You think that because I’m not pretty.”

“Come on, Jenny, you are pretty.”

“Uh! I’m not, and I’m also fat, so,”

“You’re not fat.”

She huffs, “Well, I am. It’s a fact. You don’t have to lie. I’ve heard it enough times at school by now to know that everyone thinks so.”

“I don’t know… this conversation is weird. I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

“Well… I don’t know either. You just didn’t get my point.”

“Is there something about being friends with me that, like, makes you feel bad about yourself?” Now I am cold and horrible on the inside. If Jen believes, even in some small capacity, that our friendship exists only because I can’t or won’t date her, then I’m sick with myself. As if I would throw it all away for some lame chance at romance, when really, I’d be friends with Jen no matter what, and forever. No matter if she were straight, or thin or in some way differing in her appearance. I’m friends with her because she’s the best person I know and we are good for one another, not because I’ve merely settled for her. I wish I could communicate this effectively, but I know I can’t, because every time I try to say things like this to people it inevitably comes out wrong and I end up looking stupid.

“I don’t know. It’s alright.” With hands that clutch at her arms she sniffs and looks sharply away from me, down the long strip of the beach where the land whittles down to a spit and tapers into the sea, “I wonder if I text Joe now will he be able to get something from his brother for me tonight. I’m starting to get so bored of being sober.”

My stomach tightens like a fist, “What do you mean? What do you want him to get?”

“I dunno, like something fun for later. Whatever he has.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” 

“Uh!” She looks at me with mock incredulity, “Are you my da? I can do what I want, can’t I?”

“I suppose, but why? It’s just not predictable. You never know what kind of junk you’re going to get when you go to a guy like that.”

“I know but I like that about it,” she takes her phone out and starts texting, “It’s unpredictable. Russian Roulette, right?”

“Yeah… Fine. Whatever. Something like that.”

Beginning // Prev // Next

[riveranova]

(A/N): Part twooo! I really enjoyed making this - if you want to see more, it's just an ask away! 💙

The IkePri Guys as Roommates x GN! Reader - Part 2

Warnings: Lichts part is a little sad, still mostly crack

Characters: Chevalier, Luke, Yves, Jin, Licht, Leon, Ikemen Prince

Word count: 854

Chevalier Michel

,,you have a roommate? i thought that room was your storage room''

you forget that hes there too

never ever comes out of his room - and if he does its at night

obviously reading smh

when you guys moved in he was ready to murder for the bigger room (he has a lot of books ok? ok)

honestly, always ready to murder

keeps a clean room

has this motherly power to magically make things appear

,,what do you mean, my scarf is in that drawer, i looked there alrea- WHY IS IT IN THERE NOW''

does everything at night

is super fucking tired in the morning

ohhh nooo are those the consequences of his actionssss?

try to wake him up. come on. try it.

doesnt give a shit about school and aces everything

90/100 would roommate again

Luke Randolph

can he be my roomie pls

he smells SO GOOD

i imagine that he smells like honey (duh) with a mixture of grass and other herbs

very outdoorsy and forces you to be too

takes you hiking, swimming or just for a lil walk

makes sure that youre always taken care of

honestly, like a big brother

doesnt give a shit about school and it shows

if youre not making him, this man can and will fail all his classes

,,i'm not school smart - but i'm life smart!''

preach brother, preach

LIVES for your food

he could make some himself, but your food just feels cozy and warm and maybe its just the copius amounts of honey in there but he would murder for your cooking

Loves to cuddle but falls asleep when he does

100/100 would roommate again

Yves Kloss

there he is, my man

i want to live with him so bAD

smells good, looks good, bakes good THE WHOLE DEAL

isnt good with words and gets akward REALLY fast

he may act like he doesnt care about you but behind the scenes--

i wouldnt say hes obsessed but like,,, kinda obsessed lmao

if you let him, he'll do your hair or your make up, your nails - bro would sit in front of your drawer for the entire evening just so he can find an amazing outfit for you

is never satisfied tho, so hes taking you out to buy clothes

hes a fashion major, obviously, so he uses the finished products for some of his sketches

i imagine him to be a pro with perfumes

will throw things at you if you pull all-nighters again (ofc still insisting that he doesnt actually care and that youre just too loud)

,,i made too much tea... and uh, baked too much. you'll have to eat some with me so it doesnt get bad.''

judges you, but like friendly

,,that shirt is so ugly. *long pause* you look good tho-''

80/100 would roommate again

Jin Grandet

sigh

i wrote a oneshot about it but like

dad jokes

BAD dad jokes

has one for every occasion and i BET my left boob that he has a little journal where he writes every single on down

its his little treasure and youre not allowed to touch it, ever (you cant spoiler yourself yk)

player™

not like Nokto tho, hes more of a gentleman

no touching you, just looking (no shame)

besides all that, i think that hes a great roommate to have

because hes a little older, he has great advice for literally any situation

listens and if you want to, he talks too

can be very serious and wants the best for you and his friends in general

do you get why hes one of my favorites

god i love him (this is 100% objective ofc)

1000/100 would (please) roommate again

Licht Klein

ayyy its that other guy

hes really, really quiet

studies a lot, sometimes too much

you sometimes have to remind him that he has to take care of himself

doesnt think highly of himself, so he tries to make it up with academic success

i relate a lot to Licht, so i imagine that you both would have really deep talks about life and everything

like, its 3am on a school day and both you sit in the living room, cuddled up in blankets and just talk

kinda like Yves, he acts like he doesnt care but always listens in the end

you need something and he doesnt want to help? bribe him with sweets and youre good

spends a lot of time with Notko but never brings him back home

mostly to save you some very annoying flirting

100/100 would roommate again

Leon Dompteur

the man, the myth, the one

goes for a walk every morning at 5am sharp

very athletic, yes yes

has zero shame and walks around without his shirt after he showers

did it on accident at first (he just forgot) but after he realized that your reactions to it where kinda funny, he does it just to fuck with you

can be serious, but chooses not to

life is short so he wants to live it to the fullest

he invites you to a lot of his trips

theme parks, the pool - youre always included

has a shit ton of friends and hates when he cant see them for long

hes that one extroverted friend that just runs around and adopts introverted people into his circle

i think that hes a little bit of a himbo tho

gets a ton of chocolate on valentines day and just goes ,,i have great friends, look - they thought of me! :D''

nothing is akward for this man, nothing

90/100 would roommate again

[stewblog]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

I’ll just cut right to the chase. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has a real shot at being one of my favorite movies of the year. It almost certainly won’t be an awards contender and no one’s likely expecting this to break box office records. But as a work of pure entertainment? A high bar has been set for the rest of 2023 to try and clear.

There was reason to think otherwise, however. High fantasy films both before and after The Lord of the Rings have largely been underwhelming duds. The genre is difficult to truly nail, but co-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (along with their co-writer Michael Gilio) have managed to channel everything fun, fanciful and fantastic (in the older sense of the word) about swords and sorcery into a rocket-propelled adventure that satisfies at nearly every turn.

And if you’re completely new to the realm of D&D and have no idea what a displacer beast is, can’t point out where Neverwinter is on a map, or know the difference between magic missile and mage hand, fear not! Honor Among Thieves does a fantastic job of introducing the audience to this world and its inhabitants.

Guiding us through this adventure is Edgin (Chris Pine), a bard and thief who pals around with Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian warrior exiled from her people. They’ve broken out of prison and are scheming a way to rescue Edgin’s daughter and get payback on the man who stabbed them in the back during a theft that went horribly wrong. To do it, they’ll need the help of a struggling wizard, Simon (Justice Smith), a shapeshifter, Doric (Sophia Lillis) and paladin Xenk (Rege’-Jean Page). As you can probably guess, what they see as a very straightforward mission at the start becomes something much more dangerous and complicated the deeper into it they get.

The particulars of the plot aren’t terribly interesting and feel like a fairly standard setup at play if it was a Saturday night and you’re sitting at a kitchen table with some friends, rolling a D20 and waiting for your older brother to further unfurl his scenario as Dungeon Master. What makes Honor Among Thieves such a cracking good time at the movies is the playful spirit Daley and Goldstein infuse into the proceedings, the superlative chemistry among the cast and a script that delivers a very precise balance of humor, pathos and swashbuckling adventure.

Part of why this movie had my audience eating out of the palm of its hand was due largely to how funny it is. There’s an abundance of laughs to be had with sarcasm and one-liners to spare, though it blessedly avoids that Joss Whedonesque trap of simply making everyone a snark-machine that fires off identical-sounding quips at the drop of a hat. The members of our heroic quartet each react to the escalating escapade with humor at various moments, but it all feels organic to who they are. These characters are all archetypes (each a literal class you can choose in the tabletop game), but the script never treats them specifically as such. We’re given ample backstory, but never so much as to bog down the proceedings. Each gets their time to shine. Page deftly steals his scenes by being charmingly dense. Smith and Lillis are new to my eyes but keep up with the veterans. And this may be the most fun I’ve seen Rodriguez have since the first Fast & Furious movie.

But even as well-balanced as the party is, it’s safe to say that this is Chris Pine’s show. I’ve been a fan of Pine’s since he pitch-perfectly played a slack-jawed yokel assassin in the schizophrenic action flick Smokin’ Aces. It was clear then that he had a wicked comedic sense and he was unafraid to bury himself in a character. But he was also burdened with leading man looks, which of course only confuses Hollywood producers who seem incapable of letting pretty people do wild and weird things. (See also: Pitt, Brad.) The joy of Honor Among Thieves is that it perfectly splits the difference for Pine. He’s certainly a capable leading man, but his role as Edgin finds the perfect balance between his strengths as a character actor and his leading man charm.

I can’t stress enough, though, just how fun this is. The villains are villainous. The heroes are (mostly) scoundrels with hearts of gold. There are no existential moral conflicts at play. It’s just a good old-fashioned magic-fueled romp with high (but not world-ending) stakes and a healthy dose of heart. And, perhaps most importantly for a high-fantasy flick, it doesn’t skimp on the stuff you want to see. Dragons. Black magic. Danger-filled caves. Mythical beasties of all stripes. A deadly maze. Mimic chests. Gelatinous cubes. It’s all here. A movie of this pedigree demands these elements show up in excess and Honor Among Thieves delivers.

I hope these early screenings are a sign that Paramount Pictures knows how great this movie is and they’re trying to build as much positive word of mouth as possible. I want sequels. As many as I can get. This was a delight from end to end and if nothing else, I’m happy with that.

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Character Description: Ana Patterson (Sweet Sacrifice)

(Art is by me. Please don't steal).

Fandom: Batman

Basics

Gender: Female

Full Name: Ana Louise Patterson

Alias: Patient No. 1

Affiliation: Civilian

Age: Twenty–five

Nationality: American

Race: Human

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Birthday: September 15th

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Virgo

Blood Type: A

Occupation:

· Pickpocket/Receiver

Social Class: Low

Scent: Lilac

Most Fitting Song for Theme Song: Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence

Portrayed by: Michelle Trachtenberg

Appearance

Initial Impression: Like she's timid.

Height: 139 centimeters; 5 foot 5 inches

Weight: 54 kilograms; 120 pounds

Body Type: Slim with little or no muscle mass.

Face Shape: Oval 

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Hair Style: Long, thick, and wavy.

Eye Color: Green

Complexion: Pale

Best Physical Feature: Her eyes

Worst Physical Feature: In her opinion, her worst physical feature would be her freckles. They are light, but she has a few across the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks. She feels that the feature makes her look young.

Physical Quirks/Abnormalities: Cracks fingers increasingly. Thrives in hot weather, hates cold weather.

Scars: She has a scar line from a stab wound on her lower abdominal area.

Civilian Dress Style: Cotton, often torn. Her outfits are primarily thick, presumably for warmth.

Personality

Initial Impression: Brave

Most Endearing Trait: Calmness

Least Endearing Trait: Anger

General Attitude Towards Characters: Sociable unless there is a strong dislike for them.

Annoying Habits: Unable to sit motionless for long amounts of time.

Good Habits: She shows compassion.

Hobbies: Listening to music, taking walks, singing.

Skills: Blending in, gaining the trust of others, good listening skills, lying, strategic thinking, sleight–of–hand, survival skills, swift–footedness, and self–defense.

General Likes: Chocolate and literature

General Dislikes: Violence and bullies.

General Fears: Snakes, spiders, needles.

Greatest Fear: Death/blood

Acquaintances: Rebekah Cross, Jesse Collins, Andrew Lawton, Natalie Bell, Lucus Butler, and Lenore Anderson. 

Most Common Expression: Blithe

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Food: Pasta

Least Favorite Food: Anything spicy.

Background

Educational Background: Home Schooled

Family Background: Was raised by George and Melissa Patterson up until they were murdered, then she stayed with a foster family for a couple of months before she ran away. She joined a Fence and was taught to survive out on the streets.

Full Biography: She was born in Bludhaven, New York to George and Melissa Patterson. When she was sixteen, a group of burglars broke into her home and attacked her family. Her mother and father were killed, and Ana was stabbed. She survived but was put in foster care for the time being. Her new family were farmers who were not ideal people. The final straw for Ana was when she fell into a pit of slaughtered animals and after a long sweltering day, she was rescued. She ran away and ended up on the streets of Gotham where she met Lenore and Rebekah.

Relationship with Canon Cast

· Bruce Wayne (as Batman): She has different values on the Dark Knight per the way he conducts himself. She thinks that what he stands for is justice for the people of Gotham, but she doesn't value his way of doing so in high regard. To her, Batman is an angry kid with a hammer and everything he sees is a nail.

· Bruce Wayne (as himself): Having not met him, other than the few times she's seen him on television, Ana admires Bruce. Unlike the other rich occupants of Gotham, he seems the most concerned with the outcome of the city.

· Dick Grayson (as Robin): Much like her views of Batman, Ana neither likes nor dislikes Robin.

· Dick Grayson (as himself): Having only met him once, and on less than ideal terms, she doesn't much care for him.

Relationship with Non-Canon Cast

· Rebekah Cross: Her voice of reason. She feels obligated to protect her.

· Lenore Anderson: The teacher. She respects Lenore for her knowledge of the life they live. As an older sister figure, Ana looks up to her.

· Andrew Lawton: A strange, yet interesting man. Ana envies his imagination.

· Natalie Bell: Ana neither likes nor dislikes her. She understands her attitude toward the situation but doesn't appreciate the negative approach she uses.

· Jesse Collins: An optimist. She likes him the most because of his friendly nature.

· Lucas Butler: While outspoken, she doesn't find him irritating as some do. His insight into their situation is appreciated.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Like all of you, I have been starving for a good high fantasy epic that was fun, feels fresh and tangible. I too was there for the opening night of what would go down in history as one of the worst representations of a beloved fantasy game. The 2000 version of Dungeons & Dragons was........well, garbage. I had fun with certain aspects of that film as a kid, but even I didn't know what the film was trying to accomplish. Fast forward 23 years later and the titular game has reached a new height in popularity. I myself have never played but thanks to shows like Critical Role, Stranger Things, and my entry point The Legend of Vox Machina, I have become a little more versed in the terminology, creatures, classes and rules. I learned that anything goes as you the player are thrust into a new world that the dungeon master has crafted and how the roll of the dice determines your fate and the fate of your fellow party members. That's exactly the feeling I got from this film and I was happy to see that the filmmakers did their homework and made a fun experience of a film. Did it always hit its mark as an engaging and compelling story though? Not really. Yeah there is alot of cheesy storytelling and dialogue in the film that I felt could've flowed better. The film had hilarious moments of comedy and joy, but lacked the necessary depth that could've been mined from such a rich set up. The story was incredibly predictable and there was so much happening at times that it was dizzying. It couldn't truly hone in on what tone they were going for. A number of characters were very surface level and a particular characters' story payoff wasn't earned at all and rushed.

Chris Pine was fun and charming as the bumbling bard Edgin Darvis. I loved his sense of humor along the adventure and how he played an unconventional type of hero which was that was refreshing. Chloe Coleman is always a joy to see on screen and as his daughter Kira, she was good. Their chemistry was good in the film as we get to see their strained relationship play out. Michelle Rodriguez was really fun as the barbarian Holga Kilgore. She's gets the majority of the action sequences in the film and she handles them as great as you'd expect. Her friendship with Edgin was the soul of the film and her motherly bond with Kira was great. Justice Smith was good as the half-elf sorcerer Simon Aumar. I liked his mixture of using practical items and actual magic. He struggle to become self-confident was interesting to watch, but it felt extremely rushed as he reaches a resolution that didn't feel earned. Sophia Lillis was decent as the tiefling druid Doric. I thought her escape sequence was amazingly shot and the variety of animals she changes into was well executed, but she was a very one note character. Her backstory gives the reason for constant stoic nature, but doesn't really give her much to do outside of that. Hugh Grant was mostly playing himself as the rogue con man Forge Fitzwilliam. He was good, but he felt more like a greedy game show host that kept his word, but in a round about way. Regé-Jean Page was perfect as the paladin, Xenk Yendar. He truly had fun being the stereotypical pure hearted hero to the point where it is almost comical how straight and narrow the character was. He had an awesome fight scene in the second act of the film and it was wonderfully shot. Daisy Head was very much the antagonist of the film Sofina, a Red Wizard of Thay. She had one mode in the film and that was be creepy while rarely blinking. She nailed it and she felt like the mid level boss in a video game that has some challenge, but is easily defeated once you see the pattern.

The score by Lorne Balfe was epic and fun in the best way. There were moments where the score overpowered the sound in the film that it almost drowned out the dialogue. Visually the film is stunning and the effects were excellent. The dragon sequence and final battle of the film were a visual spectacle. What I truly loved was the practical creatures in the film and how gorgeous they looked. The opening scene blew me away with the use of more practical locals and creatures. The sound design in the film was good, but unbalanced when it came to dialogue and the surrounding thunderous sounds made it hard to understand what was said. As I said before, the character growth was truly rushed and the tone was a bit all over the place. The extremely predictable plot and weak villains made for an almost inconsequential finale. So the real questions need to be asked. Was it better than the 2000 film? Alot better. Was it the best high fantasy storytelling I've seen a long time? Nope. Was it enjoyable? Yeah, in that streaming on Netflix type of way. To me this was good matinee film that plays it safe and doesn't leave you with anything that’s particularly memorable. I would like to see a sequel or another film under the D&D brand, but this time more focused and a little bit more serious. I liked the fun aspect of it, but there were times where it seriously needed to grow up. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[syneilesis]

more prof!chev and prof!emma because i have decided i will bother you with my obsession nfnsfnnsnfnfmg—

Professor Michel is always smartly dressed. whether that’s crisp suits with matching ties and vests, cosy knitted sweaters over collared shirts, or neatly ironed button-downs tucked into dress pants, he’s never once shown up to class looking anything less than an Armani catalogue model. if he wasn’t so damn terrifying in the classroom (and married) a LOT of his students would be crushing on him

but Professor de Villenueve? she shows up to class looking like an absolute darling. her wardrobe seems to consist only of florals and flowy fabrics, with rose-printed maxis, colorful blouses on embroidered jeans, and cute bell-sleeved shirts tucked into layered gauzy skirts making her stand out in a crowd. they have lectures on different days, but a few weeks after The Mug Incident (as the students call it) they start noticing that professor chevalier will always be matching his shirts or ties or sweaters to professor emma’s dresses and blouses

naturally, the students find it fucking adorable; emma laughs and admits it outright when one of her students asks her, but chevalier just gives a blank stare and tells the poor lad to put that attention to his sloppy formatting

Chevalier likes to wear white! Clean and pristine like his immaculate beauty. But the color accents do match that of Emma's :D After that reveal the students start taking up bets on which part of Chevalier's outfit matches with Emma's. There's this one student who's enrolled in a number of both the profs' classes since their freshman year, who nails it every time lol

[dannyreviews]

The Age of Innocence (1993)

1993 was the second coming of 1939 when it came to the number of American films that were released. Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence" remains one of that year's absolute gems, a departure (no pun intended) from the famed director's usual gritty nature. Replacing gunfire with passing glances and mafia dealings with upper class gossip, "The Age of Innocence" is classic Scorsese and in my opinion, among his best films ever.

Based on the novel by Edith Wharton, "The Age of Innocence" , focuses on the impending union of the two most important families in New York society. Lawyer Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is engaged to be married to the sweet and quiet May Welland (Winona Ryder) and their marriage is the talk of the town. At the same time, May's cousin Ellen (Michelle Pfeiffer) has returned to New York to non-stop gossip pertaining to her impending divorce. Steeped in a world of customs and tradition, Newland is drawn to Ellen's unconventional lifestyle and while handling the matters of her divorce, the two begin an affair. Newland must decide which moral route to take, one that will maintain his place in the hierarchy of the upper crust, or the other sizzling in passion, yet tainted in scandal.

"The Age of Innocence" may be gentile in its appearance, but it's every bit the nail biter as "Raging Bull" or "Goodfellas". The adaptation by Scorsese and Jay Cocks shows dynasties pitted up against one another like mob families, favors that are made to keep up appearances and a family matriarch and high end couple with all the power in the world like mafia dons. At the same time, the art direction by Dante Ferrets and costume design by Gabrielle Pessucci, doesn't merely recreate late 19th century New York, but embraces every facet it possesses, from vast estates filled with art collections, fine china and chandeliers to ornate opera houses where their audience and actors don the most glamorous haute couture. When it comes to matching the authenticity of its period, there is not one false note. Having culminated from decades of prior period pieces, "The Age of Innocence" takes the genre to a whole new level of appearance that has rarely ever been repeated.

Scorsese assembled one of the most diverse casts of recent years. In addition to the 3 main actors, there are Golden Age of Hollywood stars (Norman Lloyd, Alexis Smith), veteran British actors (Michael Gough, Alec McCowen) and the new crop (Richard E. Grant, Robert Sean Leonard) and each brings their own craft to this unique film. Robert De Niro or Joe Pesci would have seemed out of place if they were included in the cast, so it was wise to delve further in the variety of acting styles and backgrounds and have each of them adapt to the lingo of Edith Wharton's New York. Also, to have the calming voice of Joanne Woodward narrate the story transitions the film into Merchant-Ivory territory, which I'm sure Scorsese studied up on prior to filming.

As for the main cast, Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely terrific in playing the emotionally repressed Newland Archer, who must balance his double life amidst its open secrecy. Winona Ryder also shines in an Oscar nominated turn as May in all of its Golden Age of Hollywood charm. And then there's Michelle Pfeiffer, who is absolutely mesmerizing in portraying Ellen's liberal personality, in a performance that the Academy should have considered. The supporting cast standouts include Stuart Wilson as Ellen's "other man" Julius Beaufort, a lecherous scoundrel, Miriam Margoyles' BAFTA winning performance as Mrs. Mingott, May's grandmother, and Sian Phillips as Newland's mother.

"The Age of Innocence", along with Jane Campion's "The Piano", Jim Sheridan's "In The Name of the Father" (also with Daniel Day-Lewis) and James Ivory's "The Remains of the Day", represent in my opinion, the best of cinema in 1993. Out of those films, "The Age of Innocence" isn't the top one (that honor belongs to "The Piano"), but it represents the most expertly made. The acting, direction, novel adaptation and authentically honored period are all building blocks to the neatly tied packaged result.

9/10

[tygerbug]

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves gives a modern comedic sensibility to its fantasy setting, more Community than Lord of the Rings. You can almost hear the players rolling dice to see how their next plan will play out. Scheme might be more accurate. It's partly a heist film. There's lots of action, and few big laughs but many chuckles. It's a smartly made film which goes for a tone which is difficult to nail, and largely succeeds with it.

The film is just grounded enough that it doesn't break the fourth wall to wink at the audience. But it never shakes the feeling that this is all taking place in 2023, rather than in some forgotten ancient age of giants. Or at least a version of 2023 that has wizards instead of smartphones. This appears to be intentional, an extension of how Dungeons & Dragons is a game played by modern-day people improvising around the kitchen table, who are only in character to the extent that they need to be. This could have felt like a CW TV show, but the film aims higher than that.

There's a hint of an idea here, of Chris Pine starring in something like The Princess Bride. But the script doesn't quite live up to that level of depth and subtext. We land closer to something like a Marvel movie, with Pine playing a snarky rogue who shows that he's a little bit bad by being unpleasant and rude about everything. Pine manages to play this likeably, where a lesser movie star would have failed at it. At times, when the script allows him to, he shows what he would have done with a more serious take on the character. I can imagine a Harrison Ford or Chris Pratt version of this, which in this context wouldn't have worked as well. Pine commits to a performance where we believe he's a good person, and he doesn't.

Hugh Grant (as Forge) similarly uses his aging good looks and charm to make it unclear how trustworthy his character is. It's a nervy, lived-in performance where he uses his entire personality to take over any scene in which he appears.

The filmmakers are John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who did not direct Spider-Man Homecoming, but did direct Date Night. Daley costarred on the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks, as a kid who played Dungeons and Dragons. They seem like the ideal team to take on this subject matter, and take it almost seriously. You can feel every plot development clicking into place, and foreshadowed multiple times clearly before it happens, as if they're teaching a screenwriting class. You feel the effort, but the cast perform the material in a casual way which softens the blow. The result is solid enough, and those who wouldn't go to the theater for this will likely stumble across it on streaming television later and have a good time.

Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga, a butch female barbarian with an unusual taste in men. (Bradley Cooper is involved.) She spends much of her screentime beating the hell out of anyone who gets in her way, and the rest exuding the vibe of someone you could have a beer with. The female leads of the film seem queer-coded, although the film also assures us, in no uncertain terms, that they're straight. There is Sophia Lillis (a former Nancy Drew) as the plucky young shape-shifting Tiefling Druid Doric, whose character breaks a few actual D&D rules for convenience. Fast-paced effect scenes of her daring shape-shifting escapes feel rote rather than thrilling, but as a human she has an underdog quality which charms. There's also Daisy Head (yes, daughter of Tony) as the villainous witch Sofina, whose role consists of knowing when to be scary at the right times.

Justice Smith, of Detective Pikachu and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, affects a British accent to play the inept sorcerer Simon (there sure are a lot of sorcerers named Simon). In his mid-twenties during filming, he radiates awkward teenage energy instead, though with a casual coolness that keeps it from being irritating. Again, it's easy to imagine a much worse version of these characters, but this cast casually sidestep those problems.

Regé-Jean Page, of Bridgerton, also turns up as Xenk. There is a lot of tension between Xenk and Chris Pine's Edgin, as the two compete onscreen as to whom is more handsome and charismatic. Page makes this seem effortless, while Pine spends his time complaining. That's the joke, though it wears a bit thin, and they missed their chance to end the scene with a hug, as opposed to a handshake.

A scene in a graveyard was originally written as a Monty Python cameo, and is as close as this film gets to that kind of wordplay humor. In practice, and in makeup, it feels more like The Frighteners.

The script cares about its characters and wants them to succeed, and it's easy to imagine a more cynical take on the material, which would have fallen apart pretty quickly. The humor of the piece is entirely set in its world and plays by that world's rules. The characters have 2023 attitudes, but it's an alternate 2023 where they grew up in this realm. It's not humor which mocks or pokes at the setting, or stands apart from it. Instead they commit to existing in this world, a world which has established rules. If this is a D&D game, we see only the moments where the players are in character. Visually the film is a nonsense hodgepodge of vaguely fantasy-related design, without a truly consistent visual language, but this also can be forgiven as it suits the tone of the film, and the bright visuals are up to standard otherwise.

The characters from the 80s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon have an extended cameo as background characters, and the film is full of other such odds and ends. The toyline includes a Beholder, which is not in the film but may have been in earlier drafts.

In a move which shows how soulless these corporations are, Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood is not credited at all.

Otherwise this is a solid adventure which captures the essence of Dungeons & Dragons in a clever and charming way.

Rating: Fresh / Recommended

(seen in theaters)

[deke-rivers-1957]

ECU Film Ranking Part 2

This is the 2nd part of a 3 part series where after 10 or so movies, I’ll rank them in reverse order with 10 being the worst and 1 being the best. My ranks are based on how much I liked the movie, how much I liked Elvis’ character, and how well it was executed. Each entry will have an explanation so I hope my opinions make sense. If you have any disagreements feel free to share them. Enjoy!

This is going to shock everyone since I just posted a scathing review on Harum Scarum. However, after looking back at the last 10 movies, Change of Habit having a wishy washy political standing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. How am I supposed to enjoy this movie when you have rage reduction therapy being used on an 8 year girl, very harmful portrayals of minorities and the gratuitous usage of slurs? The gritty nature of this movie doesn't work when you have the rage reduction scene be immediately followed by the characters having a jolly good time at the park. It doesn't allow you to emotionally recover from the horrifying sight that was at the time a "groundbreaking treatment". It also doesn't help that Dr. John Carpenter was such a boring character to the point where Sister Michelle overshadowed him. Where would he be if he never met the Sisters? Absolutely fine. Sure he would still be in want of help, but it isn't as if his clinic was in danger of closing. Elvis might have top billing but this is not an Elvis movie which makes it even more sad that this was his final acting role. Instead of being the proverbial last hurrah, this was the final nail in the coffin for his Hollywood career.

This is unmistakably an Elvis movie. The problem is that it's just bad. You immediately question the movie's logic from minute one of actual movie time and it doesn't get better from there. It at the very least has the benefit of taking place in a fictional country. Despite being heavily inspired by the Middle East and actual Islamic beliefs, Lunarkand is not a real place. So when I criticize the cultural representation, it's because I pick up on the similarities with what's true in the real world. That still doesn't save the world building from being super confusing. Especially when you consider the in universe possibility that Johnny will one day be King of Lunarkand. The fact that something that significant isn't even acknowledged in the movie is baffling. It's also bizarre how Johnny was portrayed as this overpowered action hero yet by the end of the movie Johnny doesn't even beat Sinan or Prince Dragna. While it was his idea to protect the King while they stormed the palace, Sinan was taken out in the most nonsense way possible, and Prince Dragna was defeated offscreen by the King in a fight scene we only saw the beginning of. This makes Johnny's ending unsatisfying as he got such a huge "prize" when he didn't really do that much. The world that was created for this story feels broken and I have no idea how you could fix it. Especially when you consider that all of what happens in this movie takes place over Johnny's week long vacation. Anything longer would create even more plot holes on how he could be gone without anyone including the United States government immediately try contacting the King.

Story wise this movie has a clear direction. Do I agree with all decisions that were made? No but I can at least understand why they had to keep things simple. It was an Elvis movie in the early 1960s, so emphasizing Mike's PTSD more than they did wouldn't match the otherwise light hearted tone. That being said, the romance is very boring to watch. How does Margarita being an ousted Duchess impact anything? It doesn't. Her and the former Duke are working at a luxurious resort in Acapulco. Sure it isn't glamorous nobility life, but it's better than what a lot of people in the Mexican working class had. Therefore, I just have no reason to care about the Duke wanting his daughter to get an American VISA. If Mike had never come to Acapulco, they would've continued to live a comfortable life without any foreseeable threat of poverty. It only comes off as forced so Mike and Margarita end up together when they don't have that much chemistry. Mike has more chemistry with Raoul who is a 10 year old boy that acts as his manager. There are so many good ideas in this movie that should work on paper that were simply never fleshed out. I would've loved to see Mike meet up with his parents in Acapulco. That would've been a nice call back to the telegram he received and would give Moreno finding out the truth more weight. Unfortunately that simply didn't happen.

This movie's plot was a mess. How do you balance Mike and Danny trying to find a job to buy their plane, Sue-Lin wanting to see the sites at the fair and needing to be cared for, Mike wanting to date Nurse Warren, and Mr. Ling going missing? The answer is that you can't without one of those plots suffering. In this case, the romance is what suffered. I have nothing to say about Mike and Nurse Warren because I got nothing from the movie to suggest that womanizing Mike would realistically fall for her. Mike being rejected isn't this magically bizarre concept so Nurse Warren doing so doesn't make her that special. I don't think it's worse than the other three movies though since there was a very specific reason behind the movie being rushed. The 1962 World's Fair in Seattle was only open for 6 months. Production wise, it was doomed from the start and the writing unfortunately suffered because of it. But for what they were attempting to do, I appreciate the effort as Sue-Lin is an amazing showcase of young talent. She isn't an obnoxious brat, or a kid that talks in an over the top cutesy way. The scene where Mr. Ling had to leave for an important job especially showcases this. She doesn't throw a massive temper tantrum that he couldn't take her, but she still cries at how something out of anyone's control would've ruined something she was looking forward to. That takes a good amount of maturity to recognize Mr. Ling had no control over this and that if he didn't work hard, she wouldn't have been able to go at all. Just incredible character writing when dealing with a child character.

This movie had so much promise but man it fell off a cliff once Ms. Prentice and the girls arrive. I found myself feeling more uncomfortable with the Ellie situation than Sarah Lee being outright racist towards Hawaiian people. Ellie's bad mood didn't belong in this lighthearted story and I have no idea why it was added. Sarah Lee's racism/classism at least has a point because it's the main source of conflict. The movie would've been just fine if it was about Chad trying to reconcile his wants with his parents wants since that's drama inducing as it is. Maile thinking Chad was cheating on her with Ms. Prentice wasn't entertaining at all and makes the Ellie situation worse as she actually was trying to flirt with Chad. There's also the very obvious issue that we had 3 songs in the span of 10 minutes that add nothing to the movie yet they cut Chad's confrontation song towards Ellie. If her situation was addressed earlier in the movie, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. That time cut from the horrible "running gag" of her failing to seduce Chad could've been spent on a scene where Chad finally puts his foot down with his mother about Maile. I hate that the main conflict of the movie ends with a joke about Sarah Lee fainting over the news that her son is marrying a half Hawaiian girl. It's a lot more satisfying for Chad's happy ending to come from him actually stepping up and telling his mother that the things she says isn't acceptable and that he no longer feels comfortable being around her. I understand it's a real conversation people have with their parents, but I value character driven stories as opposed to something that major occurring only because the script says so.

Allied Artists didn't know how to make an Elvis vehicle and it showed with fully recycled music of varying quality. The romance was bad since Pam comes off as being so judgmental when Lonnie's relationship with their guests isn't her business. I never understood how they went from "strictly business" to getting married since Lonnie seemed very annoyed with Pam. Her playing hard to get attitude I guess was what they were going with, but it didn't work for me. I also wish that the deputy sheriff being the perpetrator wasn't revealed until later because then it would make Lonnie beating him all the more satisfying since we would be just as surprised as the characters would. That being said, this is a guilty pleasure as I very much enjoyed the humor. Lonnie being a straight man who essentially stays the same actually works because you have him bounce off of Stanley who's very neurotic and high strung. You have that reasonable amount of skepticism that makes it all the more funny when he realizes Stanley isn't seeing things. For a very low budget movie, we surprisingly get a lot of different sets which probably cost a pretty penny to set up including the historical townhouse. There's a whole town that had to be made, the ranch itself had to be made and it's incredible how they made such a big setting when most of the budget went to Elvis' salary. It doesn't blow you away by any means but there's a quaint charm to it.

This is how you make a static Elvis character not boring. We don't know the full extent of Jess' criminal nature, but having it be stated that he broke off with Vince indicates his character arc was off screen. Since his reputation is already established he has to prove that he's changed which makes for some natural drama. I have criticized the townsfolk's unbelievably irrational behavior in my review but looking back, I was a bit too harsh. Evacuating the town wouldn't have been as easy as I made it seem either since there's nothing to suggest the nearest town is within walking distance. Given the fragile nature of Sheriff Ramsey's condition and their lack of loyalty to Jess, I better understand the town's reluctancy. Does that excuse the choice to let Vince roam freely when everyone knows he's a villain too, absolutely not. The plot holes involving their lack of pushback still stand since they spent more time putting the pressure on Jess to do something as opposed to using the guns Jess gave them. However, Jess having this rare display of helplessness and guilt over Billy Roy's death stuck with me. The look in his eyes as he sees that cannon rolling down the rocky terrain knowing he can't stop it goes against every criticism that Elvis was a flat actor here. Jess is supposed to be the "boys don't cry" type so his display of emotion sticks out in a humanizing way. Him showing mercy by refusing to kill Vince proves that he's a good person as he chose to let justice be served in a court of law instead of the vigilantism Vince upheld. It has that right amount of subtlety that proves Jess was honest in his heel/face turn. A different kind of man indeed.

This movie was pretty good in that it actually gave Elvis connections with other people. He isn't just rolling up to the movie's setting from parts unknown and no known family. Here he's established to have had parents only to unfortunately lose both of them. Despite a horrific tragedy that creates as a 20 something, Ross doesn't get bitter about it and walks around with a chip on his shoulder. Instead, he does his best to find his own family. That too me is very important. While I don't really care for how Robin was handled, she clearly isn't the focus. Laurel is. She has an actual personality where she's a girl-boss without being a Mary Sue. She has flaws, gets called out on said flaws and tries to improve. Ross having beef with Mr. Johnson throughout the movie had some clever writing as he wasn't a typical rival Ross had to beat. Even when Ross thought that Laurel was in danger, his line of thinking isn't rewarded by having Mr. Johnson be an absolute pig. Sure he was flirty towards Laurel, but it never crossed a line that made him completely irredeemable. He was simply a human being that as a business owner would have goals Ross didn't align with. While I do think he could go too far in expressing his distain, Ross doesn't cross the line of being an unlikeable jerk either. His concern of Laurel's wellbeing regardless of his reasoning was still sweet. It showed how despite their disagreement, Ross didn't let that destroy their relationship. The amount of maturity between the two is very refreshing and I do think their eventual marriage makes sense. Even though I can skip some of the songs as they felt unnecessary, the story more than makes up for it.

(My number 1 and 2 are interchangeable. Both movies show great promise for making my ultimate top 10 list).

This is isn't a case of recency bias. I still had criticisms about the unnecessary drama involving the Flaming Star, Rosalyn being very unsupportive of Clint despite being his fiancee, and the downer ending that didn't even give Pacer a moral victory. But that's the thing about this movie. I wouldn't be so upset about those things if I didn't care about Mrs. Burton and Pacer. That holds a lot of weight in my reviews. Pacer isn't a flat character for coming full circle in realizing his loyalty isn't based on race. If anything, we see what he's willing to put up with so he can continue to uphold a moral fiber that he was brought up with. He easily could've continued the path with the Kiowa and used his pain as fuel for the fire that would've come down on the town. But he didn't do that. He instead turned on the Kiowa for not only killing Mr. Burton but also critically injuring Clint. He didn't really need to do that, but he chose to do so because he genuinely thought that they would've killed Clint regardless of what he said. Pacer sacrificed himself just to give Clint even the slightest chance of surviving. How poetic is that when he blamed the doctor for refusing to do the same with Mrs. Burton. It really showcases that morality isn't determined by race but what you do to others even in the face of cruelty. A great display of writing all around despite its flaws. But for all the praise I've given, what could possibly be better than this?

Man oh man this movie is amazing. The plot might be typical for a boxing movie, but there's a reason why Rocky is the success that it is: great character writing. Kid Galahad has great writing, an appropriate amount of tension and a good selection of songs that highlight the camaraderie that exists in this small town. Walter is a great example of how a character can be of a high moral standing without being annoyingly pious or a complete doormat. I don't care that he doesn't have a character arc because his status does change. Seeing him make those friends and fall in love with Rose was done so well. I don't know if it was the writing that allowed for the characters to exist in a slice of life environment or if the actors had that great of relationship with each other, but all of the character interactions worked so well. The amount of subtlety that exists in this movie is a refreshing vibe because it shows that the writers don't believe in spoon feeding the audience every single piece of information. There's that perfect balance between showing and telling here that demonstrates what Elvis working on an actual movie would look like. My only criticism was the last five minutes where Otto wasn't properly dealt with. Sure his lackeys were arrested, but Otto is still out there. Given what I've stated about Sugar Boy being in that system of exploitation, I actually felt scared for him as we have no idea as to what will happen to him since he lost. But something like that is such an easy fix that I still gave it my highest rating yet. Definitely an underrated gem that I highly recommend watching.

AN: For those on my tag list that I didn't get to, I'm sorry. Tumblr wouldn't post anymore names. I promise that in my New Year's post you will be tagged. Thank you all for reading my reviews and providing your own input/opinions on the movies I've watched. Expect my New Year's post to come out on New Year's Eve.

Tagging: @bluesuedesouls, @searchingforgravity, @velvetelvis, @vampireego, @blueinhawaii,

@alienelvisobsession, @eapep, @peaceloveelvis, @i-r-i-n-a-a, @tacozebra051,

@vintagepresley, @atleastpleasetelephone, @ahundredlifetime, @thelonelyheart, @arrolyn1114,

@ssinnerplazahotel, @lilmisspeaches, @an-americcan-trilogy, @xanatenshi, @smokeymountainboy,

@iuv0ana, @lustnhim, @ladelinee, @pebbles403, @jhoneybees,

@somethingaboutelvis, @tupelomiss, @elvis-presleys-stuff, @elvispresley1956, @elvispresley1935,

@hooked-on-elvis, @everythingelvispresley, @elvispresleywife, @lett-them-eatt-cake, @sillybookmarks,

@yourapple56-blog, @iloveelvis2, @mercsandmonsters, @50sexyshadesfashionista, @blighted-star,

@arianatheangel-girl, @littlejoecartwright1842, @cutie46, @elvisvideos, @almightybigbrain,

@whositmcwhatsit, @theelvisprincess, @theelvispres-blog, @freudianslumber, and @cccayliexx.

[the-firebird69]

Not only that but there's other effects are going on the clothes are embattled globally because of their ships and people are figuring out the max have humongous ships too not necessarily as many and they have a couple and the clothes have four with a smaller one which is still negative class and the good at it and they're going at it and now people are going after Max. And they're on the most wanted list that's what they all say. So the mats are going after the clothes pretty hard to get more ships cuz they need them and it is going to be a mess but that's what's happening

That's a few more things going on because of the network of buildings of Paris and audit Dave and it's going to continue is what he said and one reason why they're evacuating people are going into their buildings and deactivating them and fighting off the clones and it's a war zone and they grab as much stuff as they can and believe and they are ripping the walls apart and floor and ground and people tracing the wire in order to take it in the conduit he found out the conduit down there is worth the most and they're going to have it but a lot of people can't get to it so they're at the buildings like cars Garth and they want the white gold Stan is taking a lot of it you got an area and he's pulling it all out and a lot of people are doing that but they wanted to go after his and Sherry gets grabbed as Michelle Pfeiffer that's one of her characters. And Kathy was playing that too no. What's going on right now and it's pretty huge it is some big fights hold on after the precious metals a huge fight they're everywhere fighting over the stuff they found entire lengths of the conduit underground that are made from a thin layer of white gold is a huge huge deal it's gigantic the amount of goals coming from where those lines is huge it stretches all the way up to Oregon a conduit and it's worth about $450 a foot. Half a pound of foot and it's probably three inches of diameter so people are doing that now and we're going to post

Hera

We approve this to be posted

Olympus

This is huge folks that's a lot of pipe that's a lot of gold and people want the white gold and they're going for it now. Also Freddy Krueger and the nightmare on elm Street has begun and it's about a few things but mostly mostly used these buildings to kidnap people. And her son was hearing it at work sometimes and about being kidnapped and he was angry about it and they were saying it in the elevator quite a bit and he figured out that he should probably leave there and we didn't mind it much it's one of those buildings it was wired by his brother and we weren't worried and knew how it was is that location but others are wanting to figure it out there's a couple other buildings he was at that were wired up by them storm Western development was wired up by Paris and they moved them out and her computer got pissed at them and it's him a little and start to swear by all that's holy yeah was dumping on him and I saw that Trump is looking and detected our son was involved and start to bother him and Trump said look it's just not right what you're doing and the computer said why he said you're attaching you're attracted to their attention and it's not necessarily the best thing to do and said we want to attractor and text you and he says well I guess you don't know why we could have figured it out we're getting nailed. The computer went into a frenzy started to try and figure out what to do and he said just shut up and it would not so trying to figure out where it is and they found a few signals and they're tracing them because the damn thing just keeps going it's actually a benefit if it shuts off for a minute it's on the next minute and you don't have to wait.

Hera

Publish

Olympus

Please do

Thor Freya

And a big list of us

Nuada Arrianna

[addierose444]

Busy Weekend in April 2023

As indicated by the title, this was one of my busiest weekends in recent memory. While it was a lot of fun, I’m a bit worried about the coming week given how unproductive it was and how much work I really needed to have gotten done. 

Thursday:

Okay, Thursday’s not really the weekend, but it was Celebration, so it seemed worth including. Besides, I managed to get my Korean cinema film screening canceled for this important campus event. Celebration started back in the 90s following some homophobic incidents and presently serves to celebrate the queer community and love in general. Typically it takes place in November, but for some reason, it was pushed to this spring this year. Sort of nice to have it in the spring instead because past Celebrations have been really really cold. Overall, there were great summer concert vibes and we watched various houses and other groups perform. 

Friday:

I kicked off my Friday with ice cream and popsicles from a popup event organized by the president. It was brutally hot last week, so these frozen treats were much needed. Afterward, I headed to EGR 410 to attend a panel discussion about work-life balance. I then headed to the Design Clinic lab to give a marketing pitch to executives at our sponsoring company (over Zoom). Next, I grabbed a burrito from a food truck parked outside of the Indoor Track & Tennis Complex (ITT). The food trucks were there for Draper Competition which is an entrepreneurship competition that Smith hosts each year. As has become a bit of a regular event, I headed to State Street Fruit Store for their Friday wine tasting. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any wine this week, so had to settle for trying beer (which I’m not really a fan of). Next up on this busy day was a mini-concert by a band called Michelle. This concert was somehow associated with the aforementioned Draper Competition. As the concert was really short, we also had the chance to attend the Smith K-Pop Dance Crew (SKDC) end-of-year showcase which also featured K-pop dance groups from throughout the five colleges. Finally, I attended a cat's birthday party. 

Saturday:

Saturday was a bit more chill and started off with a walk and brunch. Much of my Saturday was spent resting following the busy Friday. In the afternoon, I attended the Senior Spring Soree which was an event hosted by The Alumnae Association Board of Directors that served to welcome us seniors to the Alum Network. During the event, we had the chance to talk with members of the board and enjoy nice appetizers and drinks. We were also urged to download the Smith College Network app and got to pick up our class pin. I didn’t know this before, but apparently, our class color is green. 

The other crazy thing that happened at this event was that I was one of two raffle winners! The prize was a cooler filled with Smith merch and products from companies founded by Smithies! In addition to what’s shown below, I also got a bag of  Kahawa 1893 Coffee, but already gave it to a friend as I don’t drink coffee. (Fun fact about me though is that I love coffee Oreo ice cream!) And while you can’t really see it in the photo, the small bottle contains Libellula extra virgin olive oil. I suppose this post really comes full circle as co-founder Julia Franchi Scarselli ’18 participated in the Draper Competition back when she was at Smith. The other Smithie product is marshmallows from Nomadic Kitchen. 

The next event was another birthday party for another non-human, our house mascot Safety Man. This was a slumber party-themed event where folks were painting their nails and using face masks. I pretty much just hung out and ate kettle corn. I left this event early to head to the Notables (a Smith a capella group) concert. While it was a nice concert and all, my friend and I felt a bit deceived as it was falsely advertised as a Taylor Swift concert. (They called it the Eras Jam and had the names of Taylor’s different albums on the poster, but didn’t play a single of her songs. Well, technically they played the 10 Minute Version of All Too Well during intermission). As you’ll know from my post on my Spotify Wrapped, I’m definitely not a Swifty, but her music has grown on me over the years and is some of the only presently popular music that I don’t dislike. The Notables did perform Carly Simon’s Your So Vein, but otherwise, I didn’t really know any of the music which made it less fun. One cute thing about this concert was that they brought up a number of alumnae on stage for the final piece. I concluded the day with an evening trip to CVS to pick up some frozen mac and cheese as I was craving mac and cheese and realized that I’d inadvertently skipped dinner. 

Sunday:

I spent all of today at Farley Ledges rock climbing! It was a really fun day, but I’m now thoroughly exhausted. We set up six climbs, but I did eight climbs as I reclimbed two of them to clean the anchor. Upon returning to campus, I took a shower and then attended my house’s POCheese boba event. Afterward, I grabbed a quick dinner from the Campus Center and returned to my room to write this blog post. Next up, is unfortunately homework and hopefully a good night’s sleep.