#Not the worst parasite i have lined up lmao

[fryandleelasbigfling]

there's an argument that i see recurring in the futurama fandom -- i think it's a minority opinion but i've seen it across multiple platforms, from multiple people, and it very much annoys me so i'm making my lengthy counterargument. this will be ranty and i apologize.

the idea that fry and leela are toxic because "leela wanted him to change for her" is such a weird and even reductive way to not just view the ship, but relationships in general.

(this is a long post, because i have a lot of Feelings on the topic, so i'll put a readmore.)

first off leela has always liked fry. maybe not romantically (there's signs that she had a crush on him early on, but it didn't get serious til way down the line), but she related to him, took pity on him, and quit her job for him (which! was! illegal!) because he gave her the courage to do so. in the second episode, he also helps her see the beauty on the moon, something she used to take for granted. she has always seen potential in fry to inspire her and open her eye to new possibilities.

but she still has a lot of hang-ups about fry, leading into the "she needed him to change" thing. here's the thing about fry and leela: leela does not force fry to change, she inspires fry to change, because she believes he can change. bender and leela are the first ones to meet fry and understand his situation, his loneliness, the feeling you don't belong anywhere. the difference is that while bender often indulges fry's more immature and selfish traits, leela is more willing to protect fry's safety and call him out on his stupidity. for some reason (probably projection), people think this is abusive. yes, leela can be hard on him (so can the entire crew, but for some reason, people only get mad when it's the female lead being mean), but it's because she's his captain and his friend and his recklessness often puts himself and others in danger. "my three suns" and "brannigan begin again" both showcase how dangerous it can be if fry (and bender) don't have leela to reel them in.

and i think fry is aware of this, and feels bad about it, so as the series progresses, he tries more often to take command and help her out when he can (i.e. learning to fly the ship). there's also "parasites lost" where he decides he only wants to earn leela's affection if it comes entirely from him, and i've seen the argument that this proves leela only likes him if he changes, but a lot of what fry said were his true feelings, so it's really setting up that leela could be attracted to fry if fry could understand his own feelings well enough to articulate them with confidence (and not bring up his exes in the meantime, lmao). even in the most recent episode, he cleans up his apartment for leela's sake.

people sometimes compare leela to michelle. they're both forceful but lonely women who often take authority over fry. but the difference is that michelle doesn't really see value in fry beyond manipulating him to make herself feel better by comparison. i'd also like to bring up morgan, who explicitly romanticized fry being a lazy slob... and fry never really looks that happy about it! he goes along with it because he goes along with pretty much anything (he explicitly says he dated her because he was desperate), but a relationship where his worst habits are indulged isn't what he wants or needs. fry has spent his whole life being told he's worthless, and he's kind of accepted that, but leela sees his good heart and charm and she does want that for herself, but she's also honest about what stands in the way.

and here's a bit of a personal note: i know many people who relate to fry are neurodivergent. i am too! and it can hurt being seen as "immature" or feeling like you have to conform to neurotypical standards to be accepted. but you know what else sucks? wanting to be better, but not knowing how to be better, and not having any motivation to be better. leela was that motivation. i struggled for years believing i didn't need to be better because my mental health issues were so intrinsic to my identity, and accepting that i can be Myself but still be Healthy was very useful. i find a lot of the fry-leela plot very empowering, as i like to believe there's someone who will like my quirks but also push me in the right direction. leela thinks fry is silly and stupid, and she often strongly disagrees with his tastes, but she is endeared by his unique approach to love because of how genuine he is about it all (see: her love for his office supplies dinner in "fry and leela's big fling," and even the bit with the wine glasses in bender's big score).

fry knows leela is also lonely and miserable, but that she appreciates his company, to the point he believes "she'll never be happy without me" (a mindset he outgrows as it makes him unhealthily jealous and clingy). the entire point of bender's big score is that, as messed up as lars is, leela is attracted to a version of fry who better understands how to talk to her, and this experience helps her appreciate fry a lot more going forward as she truly sees he has the potential to be a good boyfriend. she just needed to see it detached from fry himself. and fry learns to let leela be happy even before he knows about lars' identity! he is capable of growth on his own because he hates seeing her upset!

as for why leela takes forever to commit to him... well, with his impulsivity issues, unintentional rudeness, questionable hygiene, and internalized sexism, he takes a while to be the kind of person she's willing to date. and she's not entitled to him! yes, it is annoying how flippant she can be (though that's also an issue with the writers not wanting to commit), and she absolutely sucks at communication. but if we can take fry's background into consideration here, we also need to take leela's into consideration. she grew up alone, bullied, neglected, repeatedly told she was unloved, and multiple times she trusted someone who said they loved her, only to be discarded once they got what they wanted from her (i.e. sex and labor). she is also terrified of being judged and thus puts a lot of weight on being successful and normal, with her relationships being an extension of that. "the cyber house rules" is all about how she wants to be with a man who makes her look good. this is a character flaw she overcomes as all these men of high status treat her like dirt and she realizes fry is the one who cares about her the most, and she doesn't have to compromise just to be taken seriously.

but fry is her best friend, the only one who really gets her (besides her parents), and she has a lot to lose if she dates him and it goes poorly, and she's too insecure to trust that she's worth it. which is why it's great that fry becomes a better person for her! she deserves to be treated with respect! and episodes like "fun on a bun" show that not only does fry change for her, he also helps her loosen up in turn, and let herself act more carefree and childish after having to grow up and conform to society so fast. "the impossible stream" also shows leela making an effort to be less judgmental, even if she worries fry could be in danger. so it is definitely not just fry who changes for this relationship.

generally i think people who hate leela and make her out to be so emotionally abusive are projecting something personal that isn't there and missing the scope of fry and leela's complex relationship, and it feels unfair. especially when other (male) characters who do the same things and worse (particularly bender) get a pass. she's far from perfect, and that makes her a great character, but she grows and learns, and so does fry -- because they want to learn and grow for each other's sake.

[bootleg-sara]

After a long time coming I finally did it. I have made a full list of all my AUs via drawing Isaac in all of them! +3 extra forms from a few said AUs. I’m so excited to have these out and be able to start sharing more about them!

I’ll give a short description of each AU under the cut

Basement: My most canon-adjacent AU. It’s how I view the basement and the stories of the kids/basement borns inside. A bleak story, but one that comes with a happy ending. Other than Purgatory, this is the one I’ve talked about the most. As many of my tboi HCs are placed here

Purgatory: The main AU. Purgatory follows Isaac as he travels through hell and heaven while figuring out life on earth. Trying his best to avoid being captured due to his status as a “Prophet”; a special human soul who has connections to both the spiritual and physical realms

Parasite: The world is put into an apocalypse after an earthquake opened up a giant crater and released a swarm of locusts that spread parasites onto the populous. Most end up dead after being infected, the few that live are given special abilities, putting humanity to the test

Sacrifice: I lovingly call this my Magical Girl AU. A bunch of random people are picked and sent into a death-match for the world’s entertainment. Helped by their friendly familiar that allows them to transform into more powerful forms. Sinister secrets hides underneath it all

9 Lives: Another AU I have written a bit about here. After the original human world was destroyed humanity moves to a new world to save themselves. In the far future, Isaac finds himself wrapped up on the wrong end of a devil deal and has 9 chances to live his life to the fullest

New God: The world needs to be started again. In hopes that fresh blood will bring better change, they take in a baby God and train them so they can make a better world before they destroy the old one. Eden and Azazel watch the new God with worry for their own futures

Cursed: Isaac is cursed and seems to bring a terrible fate to whatever comes in contact with him. For as long as he can remember, he has isolated himself to avoid bringing more pain to others. A group of young college adults find him in an abandoned house and give him hope again

Armageddon: A different timeline/future setting for Purgatory. The tainted timeline where Judas successfully merges the physical and spiritual realms. Now with the world’s fate on the line, the new archangel Isaac has to make sure the world goes in the right direction

Soul Bond: The au I made completely on a whim. A world that’s defined by everyone’s soul being bonded to someone else’s and the trip down The Basement some will take to break/make their current bonds. A lot more fantastical and “out there” than most of my other AUs

Adult: The future au for all of the Basement kids. Basically everyone’s older now and working through the trauma of what the basement did to them. Some of the basement’s old scars still stick strong to this day

Angel AU: An AU where everyone is dead Yippie 🎉All the characters are either angels or demons. Living their afterlife to the best they can while shifting through their deaths (they all died pretty young). This AU was originally made for my “Ask Angel Jacob and Esau” ask blog

Edmund Ultra Pride: A comedy AU about Ultra Pride and their mysterious ability to change the basement to their whim with their art tablet. They end up taking a liking to a child who accidentally falls in and tries to make their situation more palatable

The extra 3: Tainted Isaac and Infernal Isaac are both from the basement au. Tainted is self explanatory. Infernal is based on a new game mode idea I’ve been toying with. And I’ve talked about Brother Delirious a small bit. But he’s P!Isaac’s worst thoughts taken physical form

I would write more about all of these, but I’ve written more than enough for now lmao. I’m always here to answer any questions and I do love talking about my AUs. I hope to make more content for these more and I might do this same format with other characters. Very excited to finally have this out of my brain zone

[fear-the-hippo]

Spooky Species: Vampire Bat

Cliche? yes. But that just means I can’t get away with leaving these guys out.

Vampire bats are a species of leaf-nosed bat found in Central and South America. There are three known species- Common, hairy-legged, and white-winged. Their defining traits are a set of front teeth specialized for cutting, the unique ability (for a bat, at least) to maneuver easily on the ground, and, of course, their infamous diet.

Vampire bats are the only known mammal to practice hematophagy, or the act of feeding on blood. While hematophagy is fairly common for insects, some fish, and even several bird species, vampire bats- and only vampire bats, most bats do not do this- are the only mammal known to do it, definitely the only mammal to do so exclusively.

Much like their namesake, vampire bats feed exclusively in the dark by making a small cut in the skin of the host from which to feed. However, how it knows where to bite might surprise you. Vampire bats have been found to not only have a nucleus with a similar placement and anatomy to that found in infrared-sensing snakes, but have also fine-tuned an already heat-sensitive ion channel, TRPV1, to detect temperatures as low as 86 degrees fahrenheit, easily allowing it to “see” body heat in a manner otherwise exclusive to a small group of snakes. This special infrared vision allows them to find prey and then locate places where the blood is close enough to the surface of the skin for them to bite. And if there’s fur in the way, they use their teeth- which lack enamel, making them permanently sharp to the point where people often cut themselves handling the skulls of specimens- to shave away the hairs so they can reach their target.

We don’t have much to worry about from these creatures, though. While the common vampire bat prefers to feed on mammals, including the occasional human, the other two species are bird specialists, with the hairy-legged vampire bat being known to be particularly choosy. And even if you are unlucky enough to end up on a vampire bat’s menu, aside from the inevitable and uncomfortable course of rabies vaccinations that you should get just to be safe, you’re unlikely to come to any significant harm. Only 0.5% of bats are carriers for rabies, and these little guys are so small that you likely wouldn’t even notice the loss of blood. The average bat is only 40 grams in weight, about as heavy as two AA batteries, and only drinks about 1 fluid ounce, or 0.02 liters, per feed comparative to the five liters in the human body. 

They have good things to contribute, too. Vampire bats have anticoagulant properties in their saliva that have been used to synthesize the drug Desmoteplase, a drug shown to increase blood flow in stroke patients. On top of that, vampire bats have a high level of resistance to a group of blood-borne diseases known as endogenous retroviruses, or ERVs, which have been linked to illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis in humans.

And, if that didn’t convince you these guys aren’t all that bad, they’re highly social, living in colonies and forming strong bonds with the other bats they live with and engaging in social grooming. Social grooming also often serves as a prelude to another social behavior- food sharing. Vampire bats can only go about two days without feeding, but finding food every night is far from guaranteed. Because of this, should a bat fail to find a meal, they will often beg their neighbors for a share, and donor bats will often oblige, regurgitating a small amount of their own dinner for their bat. In fact, the donor bats are often the ones to initiate this behavior, making sure their colonymates won’t starve regardless of whether or not they have a familial relationship. These guys may get a bad rap, but they’re just trying to survive like anything else.

If you give them a chance, you might even go so far as to call them cute.

[angeloncewas]

Tw rape mention

This is consistent in sports. I'm so freaking mad. So basically there was a thing with Auston Matthews around two years ago (he harassed a guard, forgot ter exact line of work, and then threatend her that he would get away with it because he is a superstar). And a fucking commentator during a live game said that the way to put those types of allegations behind you is to play well. And he fucking said "the same way Patrick Kane did". And Kane was accused of rape!! The worst thing is that it's true.

In nhl the devils starting goalie choose not to get vaccinated and he was allowed to still be on the team meanwhile all the fourth line players who made the same choice were not allowed back on the team. Same with detroits leading scorer. It's prevalent in sports because it got the "unite people despite politics" kind of stick. But your politics kill people and sports is a political tool! Look at the freaking cold war! The motherfuckers host military night, sport organisations are supposed to invest in the community. How the fuck do you not think sports is political. Just look at Don Cherry with all his patriotic talk and how he were allowed to be xenophobic and a bunch of other shit on television for so long. I hate it!

Sorry for the rant but sports is amazing and it also fucking sucks.

No worries about the rant, I totally feel you. I honestly didn't expect anything better from the NFL (Rodgers got fined $15K and he played today - he makes about $30 million a year) but it's just so UGH as a fan. Like if he was a cc I'd be unstanning y'know? LMAO.

That's so awful. And it's even more awful that the commentator is basically correct - people are so easily distracted from stuff they don't want to think about and the amount of awful people in sports (people who are physically strong and rich and use both of those things to exploit all sorts of systems) is insane.

Rodgers still isn't vaccinated and he has no plans to be. Like his opinions themselves were pretty clear back in August, but in that statement he said "yes I'm immunized; some guys have chosen not to be" and by "immunized" he meant "I guzzled parasite remover" - he literally consulted Joe Rogan for medical advice like a dumbass and we're all just gonna cheer as he walks onto the field because Love lost us the game against the Chiefs.

The whole system of first-string QBs get their careers handed to them on a silver platter once they're in, no matter how many times they "fuck up." (Unless, y'know, you're kneeling for the anthem.)

[aegissi]

hi youmi ilu can u give me some movie recs pls?? i rlly haven't watched any movies Ever besides like... parasite and kids movies. and maybe the odd award winning movie too LMAO

omg okay!!!

the handmaiden!!! best movie best cinematography!!!!! im absolutely in love with the colors and the costumes and it has such a solid story and the actresses have great chemistry too,,, the message of the movie is so strong as well but i don’t wanna spoil sjfhkb (tw sexual abuse) 

sympathy for lady vengeance, especially the version that fades to black and white bc it’s so visually pleasing!!! there are several shots that are forever engraved in my mind like it’s such a shocking movie in the best/worst way (can’t give spoilers but.. it does get hard to watch??), the main actress is incredible, she has so many iconic lines and ugh!!! it’s just so good and im still thinking abt it to this day,, in general park chan wook’s movie have female characters that have agency so it’s really satisfying to watch !!! (tw rape, violence, blood)

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is one of my favourite love stories bc it’s so unconventional, it has elements of sci fi but it focuses more on the main couple than anything else,,,, basically they broke up before the movie starts and the guy discovers that the girl erased her memory and he ends up making the same decision and it goes from there and i cried sm shgdvj i also love stories that don’t have linear storylines so that hits the mark for me

moonlight... lit rully poetic cinema...... it’s so tender but also so violent at times, like it’s a movie that doesn’t shy away from showing u sadness and suffering and it’s such a special movie (and it’s gorgeous!!!!!!) there r several lines in that movie that make me crazy,,, it’s all abt the lingering stares,,,,,, (tw homophobia, violence, drugs)

what we do in the shadows is simply the funniest movie ever, it’s a mockumentary abt vampires and thats all u need to know

the half of it!!! i just watched it and ugh sgjjbk it’s not a rom com, it’s more of a coming of age story and it’s so special to me bc i really relate to it since the director is a chinese american lesbian, and the main character too,,, i luv the cinematography and the connections between ellie and the other characters,,, it’s great

gone girl is probably the best thriller ever, it’s incredible, the plot is sooooo good and the execution is incredible like i already knew the plot twist before watching but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the movie at all,, rosamund pikes as amy is just ugh i don’t even have the words!!! wheres her oscar!!! i recommend reading the book too (tw blood, men)

emma (2020) is an adaptation of one of my favourite jane austen novels and it was excellent!! the whole cast was perfect, the costumes too, and the colors r so pretty!!! like it’s such a pretty movie!!!!! it’s a love story ig but it’s mainly abt emma maturing, bc shes a privileged jerk tbh but shes still really endearing hsvdfgj basically she loooves matchmaking and she ends up hurting people bc she actually sucks at matchmaking (i won’t say more) 

pride and prejudice (2005),,, such a stunning movie, and ugh!!! they just know. they know what slowburn romance is!!!!! also keira knightley is really pretty 

rear window is one of the only hitchcock movies i’ve ever watched and i really recommend it!! it’s fun and i love that it only has one setting,,, basically the main character is stuck at home and spends his time watching his neighbors from his window HOWEVER one day he witnesses a murder!!! TUN TUN TUN!!!!! grace kelly is beauty itself in this movie as well hehe

roman holiday is another classic movie i love!! it has my girl audrey hepburn and shes a princess and basically she falls in love with a journalist and spends one day in rome with him,,, thats the whole movie and i loved watching it it’s so romantic

gentlemen prefer blondes is so iconic!!! i actually love the dynamic between marilyn monroe and jane russell, it’s such a fun movie and it’s a MUSICAL!!!! girls DO love diamonds!!!!!

birds of prey is one of my fave superhero movies, i adore the fight scenes bc theyre all so exciting and creative, i love harley quinn as a narrator and main character, all the actresses were excellent,,, im really happy it was the last movie i watched in theaters before quarantine

always be my maybe is such a sweet rom com i just love it, it’s so funny, it has so much heart, and it’s a childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers type situation (also. theyre both asian hehe)

[caatws]

quarantine tag game

i was tagged by @salty-af-ace <3

1. Are you staying home from work/school?

yep, both my internship and classes are online/remote now. zoom university class of 2020 what’s good

2. If you’re staying at home, who’s there with you?

i’m quarantined with my roommates, who happen to be some of my closest friends. while i am grateful for that, i do miss my family and wish i could see them, esp bc i wasn’t planning to move home post grad so irdk when i can see them next.

3. Do you have pets to keep you company?

no unfortunately :/ i wish i could be with queso the cat but he’s at home with my immediate family

4. What do you miss the most?

a lot of things....but definitely the end of my senior year of college. i was supposed to be doing a lot of graduation-type events on campus this month, leading up to the big day next month, but now we have none of that. similarly, i miss my friends, bc many of them returned home quickly during or after our spring break so my goodbyes were either very rushed or nonexistent :/

5. When was the last time you left your home?

i haven’t like Gone Out To A Place since the day before easter (got takeout food), but in terms of physically leaving my apartment i went to my car to do my therapy appointment via zoom back on friday

6. What was the last thing you brought?

i bought one of the new cropped sweatshirts from the black widow movie merch line at hot topic! it just dropped last week and my life has nothing else these days okay 🙄 also i had enough gift cards to pay for the whole thing heheh

7. Is quarantine driving you insane or are you finally relaxed?

i am far from relaxed my friend my mind and body are dying

8. Are you a homebody?

i actually grew up in a pretty homebody-type family, so i am to an extent; at the same time, because i’m normally living life going to college in a major city with a good amount of friends, i typically go out way more while i’m at school rather than stay in, so this sucks!

9. What are movies you have watched recently?

one of my roommates wanted to do an mcu movie marathon but she’s moving out in like 2 weeks so we’re doing an expedited version (designed by yours truly). this weekend we watched im1, thor, catfa, and avengers 2012. we’re watching catws tonight and i’m fuckin Stoked

other than that, i’ve been catching up on some 2019 films - midsommar, little women, and parasite!

10. An event that you were looking forward to that got cancelled?

there’s....a Lot. probably the biggest and most obvious would be my literal college graduation, and next would be all the other events we had planned for this month preceding that to celebrate seniors at my school in their respective communities. so it’s just an all-around Bummer

11. What’s the worst thing you’ve had to cancel?

one of my close friends from high school was supposed to fly down to visit me for a few days and we were gonna go to disneyland - but then disney closed down just days before she was supposed to come, and the virus was spreading so fast, we just canceled the whole trip altogether :(

12. What’s the best thing you’ve had to cancel?

hm i guess the “best thing” was that, because they canceled the rest of the semester at the end of our spring break, they canceled that following week of class? so we had a nice week-long break to sit at home and do nothing

13. Do you have any new hobbies?

i’ve been doing a lot of puzzles with my roommates. i also got them obsessed with mahjong for like a week. other than that i just play a lot of animal crossing

14. What are you out of?

we are not out of it but we are gonna need a lot more alcohol soon bc i am Tired!

15. What music are you listening too?

been listening to a lot of t swift - specifically lover and a couple other songs - which ik makes me a basic white girl but her lyrics just be speaking to me these days 😔

16. What shows are you watching?

mainly odaat and b99 since new eps are still coming out weekly. other than that i’ve just been rewatching a couple old shows like hannah montana and other disney channel classics. i also have seen parts of love is blind, the circle, tiger king, and zoey’s extraordinary playlist while my roommates were watching LMAO

17. What are you reading?

i recently read a wlw ya novel that i actually bought at a book store (very strange bc i haven’t bought a book for pleasure reading in Years LMAO) - the summer of jordi perez. other than that i’ve just been reading (and writing) fanfic aha

18. What are you doing for self care?

reading/writing fic, consuming an unhealthy amount of dark chocolate on a regular basis, and playing animal crossing

19. Are you exercising?

literally not at all! :^) a bitch is tired 24/7

20. How’s your toilet paper supply?

it could be better for an apartment of 5 ppl. but we’ll survive for now...

21. Have you made any changes to your hair during quarantine?

no but i wish i had the resources to semi-properly cut my hair cuz i wanted to get it cut short during this month and now i can’t :(

tagging: @novasforce, @justanalto, @barillapasta, @briel-arson, & anyone else who wants to do this! also feel free to skip this if i tagged you and you’re like nah LMAO

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Oscar Predictions 2019: Pre-Fall Festivals

oh shiiiiiiiiit

So I usually post my first predictions of the year around August, and I was actually curious as to what my success rate has been, because at this point, everything is conjecture. So just real quick, for whoever cares:

August 2018: 6/8 in Best Picture (missed Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody, LMAO); 4/5 in Director (missed Pawlikowski); 14/20 in acting categories -- so surprisingly not bad!

September 2017: 7/9 in Best Picture (missed Lady Bird and Phantom Thread); 2/5 in Director (missed Gerwig, Peele, and Anderson); 12/20 in acting categories 

July 2016: 5/9 in Best Picture (missed Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, and Lion); 2/5 in Director (missed Jenkins, Lonergan, and Gibson); 8/20 (WHOOO) in acting categories -- this year was rough, clearly.

August 2015: 1/9 in Best Picture (Jesus Christ, I literally only had The Revenant); 1/5 in Director (missed everyone but Iñarritu); 8/20 in acting categories -- BRUTAL

So chances are, most of these will be a bit wrong. But it’s still fun to try!

* All nominees listed in alphabetical order, NOT in order of likelihood *

BEST PICTURE 01. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  02. The Farewell 03. Harriet  04. The Irishman  05. Jojo Rabbit  06. Little Women  07. Marriage Story  08. 1917  09. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  10. Parasite 

I know, I know, ten nominees never happen in Best Picture anymore, but truthfully, I can’t decide what movies to drop. Harriet and Beautiful Day feel like they’re in similar boats, in that they’ll probably make good money (at worst) and get good-not-great reviews (at best) and could potentially make a play for an acting winner (Erivo and Hanks, respectively). The Farewell could end up being A24′s easiest push this year, especially since reviews are glowing and it’s doing really well commercially (and the narrative of being the first ever Best Picture nominee directed by an Asian-American woman is pretty strong). Little Women could be the #MovieEvent of the holiday season. Parasite is a wildcard, but I’m banking on Hollywood’s deep love for Bong Joon-ho (which is very real) and the film’s absolutely insane word-of-mouth potential. 

As for a winner: maybe Marriage Story? It seems like Netflix is gonna go all in on it this year, and both of its leads are potential winners in their categories. Maybe we have our first Big 5 winner since Silence of the Lambs. 

BEST DIRECTOR 01. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story  02. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite  03. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman  04. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Lulu Wang, The Farewell 

Kind of going all-in on The Farewell and Parasite here, only because the next two contenders I can see breaking in are films that I’m not entirely sure about: Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi) and 1917 (Sam Mendes). Waititi has never had a film in the Oscar race before, but this could absolutely be his ticket, and considering he’s Fox Searchlight’s main priority, that bodes well. I’m not sure about if Mendes will feel like Dunkirk redux, but word on the street is that the direction is super flashy and made to look like one shot. 

Wang and Bong are, again, wildcards. Not certain Tarantino will last until awards season. Scorsese and Baumbach are only out if the movies are absolute bombs. 

BEST ACTRESS 01. Awkwafina, The Farewell 02. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet  03. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story  04. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women  05. Renée Zellweger, Judy 

Weird year for this category! I can absolutely see a scenario in which Erivo sweeps, but if Marriage Story takes off (and especially if Harriet ends up being an acting-only movie), I wouldn’t count out ScarJo. Not sure anymore about Awkwafina contending for the win. Ronan should be filler. Zellweger gets a “welcome back!” nomination for a movie with a yellow Metacritic score. 

BEST ACTOR 01. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory  02. Robert De Niro, The Irishman  03. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  04. Adam Driver, Marriage Story  05. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker 

Yeah, I have no idea what to do about Joker. I personally don’t care about it right now, but it seems unwise to write it off. Banderas is a bit of wishful thinking, mostly because he’s never been nominated before and I’d love to have another Almodóvar movie at the Oscars, in whatever capacity. No clue who wins this thing -- Driver if Marriage Story is the real deal?

Next in line: Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 01. Laura Dern, Marriage Story  02. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit  03. Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  04. Meryl Streep, The Laundromat  05. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell 

Alright, I know Zhao isn’t gonna happen, but this category is weird right now, so let a fella dream! Really not sure what to do about Streep or The Laundromat, but it’s generally a bad idea to count her out when she has a movie in eligibility. If Erivo wins in leading, Johansson could win here, especially if Jojo takes off as a top BP contender. 

Next in line: like?? Florence Pugh, Little Women; Octavia Spencer, Luce; Annette Bening, The Report; Janelle Monaé, Harriet; Anna Paquin, The Irishman ????? I have no idea, lmao. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 01. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse  02. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  03. Al Pacino, The Irishman  04. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit 

I don’t expect the Academy across the board to embrace The Lighthouse, but Dafoe has spent the last two years being the only nominee from his movies (and last year was a pretty big surprise), so I kind of see a scenario where he could actually end up winning, especially if Hanks gets snubbed (again) and Hollywood loses steam. I’m not gonna bet on that though, lol. 

And just for fun:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 01. The Farewell  02. The Lighthouse  03. Marriage Story  04. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Parasite 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPALY  01. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  02. The Irishman  03. Jojo Rabbit  04. The Laundromat  05. Little Women 

[ohshanksno]

Tagged by @rockingthegraveyard

Name: Vin / Shanks / Amber 

Gender: Whatever you want to prefer me as, lmao

Sign: Leo/Virgo (I was actually suppose to be a Virgo but I was born two weeks early so I’m considered a Leo, so really I’m both? idk)

Height: 5′3

Middle Name: L.

Put your music on shuffle. What are the first 6 songs that popped up?:

I did 8 instead because I’m extra like that

Sun - Two Door Cinema Club

Shadows and Regrets - Yellowcard

Kids in Love - Mayday Parade

Light Lag - Deco*27 ft. Topi

Answer - Megurine Luka

Times Like These - Foo Fighters

Dance Clarence Dance - Marble Sounds

Shounen Brave - Jin (Shizen no Teki P) ft. IA 

Grab the book nearest to you and turn to page 23. What’s line 17?: I have so many books it’s not even a joke, so I just grabbed the one under my desk

Turns out I flipped to a quote, and the book is called Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley

-> “The parasite hates three things: free markets, free will, and free men.” --Andrew Ryan

Ever had a poem or song written about you?: No

When was the last time you played air guitar?: I’m gonna go with Sunday because I was jamming to some Foo Fighters and Paramore again

Who is your celebrity crush? ...I love me some Chris Pratt...love that guy.

What’s a sound you hate? Love?: I hate the sound of metal rubbing or scraping together and angry screaming, but I love the sound of rain and catchy music. When it’s nice outside, I’ll have the window open and listen to the soft drizzle of rain and the birds chirping and zone out for some time.

Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?: I’ve been trying to find aliens since I was a kid. And ghosts stories? It can be a prank, but I believe them no matter how fake they are. They scare the shit out of me every time.

Do you drive? If so have you ever crashed?: Yeah, and no.

What’s the last book you read?: Worst. Person. Ever. by Douglas Coupland

Do you like the smell of petrol?: I’ve smelled it a lot, and the school I’m going to has an auto body shop so I’m kinda used to it I guess?

What’s the last movie you saw?: I don’t even remember what I did yesterday lmao but I think it was Get Out when I watched it with my family and aunt when we had Non-American Food Night

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?: Burns from pieces of slags on the back of my neck, the inside of my thigh, and my left ankle, and smashing my fingers on a piece of metal when I was grabbing it. Uh, I did get my finger caught on a MIG spindle and my finger was swollen for a week. I’m a welder and about to become learn some maritime welding so I get burns more than anything, ack

Do you have any obsessions right now?: wan peece and moozic

Do you tend to hold grudges against anyone who’s done you wrong?: Yeah, but after a while I’ll forget about it unless it was something really bad.

In a relationship?: No 

Tagging:  i’m horrible and I’d feel bad for singling you out so if you guys want to join, you can c:

[igot7idiot7]

Senior Year

Chapter 12: It Ain’t Me

Mingyu x Reader x Wonwoo

List of Chapters

Genre: slice o’ life

Words: 1272

Warnings: a lot of cursing, drug/alcohol mentions, fighting

A/N: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah sorry this took forever, i just graduated high school lmao

Friday, November 18th, 2016

“Babe, my eyes are not on your phone,” Y/N said as she poked me with the tip of her muddy blue converse.

I looked up into her beautiful E/C eyes. She knew it was one of my favorite parts of her, and if I wasn’t looking, something was wrong. “Sorry, just someone told me that we have a project due in Econ on Monday,” a lie, “I didn’t even know about it.”

“Was it from that time you missed class when you were sick? Maybe you could tell him that no one told you about it.” Her curiously worried eyes searched mine.

“Clearly, you’ve never had Mr. Mendal.”

“Well you don’t know may-”

“It’s a lost cause with that man.” I shook my head letting my bangs fall over my lying eyes. Usually, eyes are the window to the soul, but this time, I won’t let her see the true liar I am. Most people wouldn’t see that I am just a parasite, eating her heart from the inside out. And today, I was going to break her heart, and probably lose her trust forever. The same trust we gained through years of friendship. The same trust that was made when she told me her life story. The same trust that she gave me as her first. There are probably a hundred other guys that would kill to be with her, and they would deserve her more than I do.

A quick peck and an ‘I love you’ was all it took to make her still believe that all I was doing was a project. In just a short 30 minutes, something was going to change. The last thing I wanted her to do was worry that what I’m about to do would be stupid and ruin everything that we had worked for.

Lying became too easy. There is nothing I hate more than having to lie to Y/N, with maybe the exception of why I have to lie to her all the damn time. It was time to leave the worst of our trio behind. The one that made the lying start.

Parking on the curb a block away from the party and the obnoxious music could still be heard. I tugged my black jacket closer to my chest from the brisk autumn air. Every step made a crunch from fallen branches and leaves, and brought me closer to change. Pushing myself through the crowd of seniors and juniors from all the high schools in the area. Getting through the door was easier than it normally was when it came to large scale parties like this, but the inside was just as crowded as the driveway. Everywhere I looked there was two drunk out of their minds teens, practically eating each other or just short of giving everyone a strip show. Other singular people were taking shots or snorting something that they probably had no idea what it really was.

In the back, surrounded by girls, drawing circles on his chest and trying to get his attention. He had about 10 cans of beer by his feet, probably with the help of the girls. He laughed with them, showing a smile only I knew as a sign of drunken bastard. I couldn’t count the times I’ve seen him in his ‘happy land’, after getting him when these parties were over.

I stopped about 10 feet from his joyous conversation when his eyes met mine. “You’ll have to ‘scuse me ladies.” His feet pushed past the empty beer cans as he met me face-to-face. He tried to make himself larger than me, but the alcohol only made him slouch.

“Jeon.”

“I had a dream, we were all together, and happy. Then I woke up.” He took one last sip of his drink, crushing the can in his palm and let it fall to the ground. “Ha to think that would happen ever again.”

I grabbed him by him collar to grab his full attention. “I don’t care about your dreams.”

“Oh so you’re here to get yourself a bitch?” His voice growing louder with each syllable.

Letting go of his collar, I punched him square in the jaw, “No. Unlike someone I know, I actually care about Y/N.” He wobbled backwards, trying to regain his footing.

“Really now?” Wonwoo dashed towards me but he couldn’t even make a straight line. He tried again, tripping on my foot in the process. “Fight me like a man, not like this you pussy.”

As he started to rise from his fallen position. “Once you start acting like one.” I tried walking away, but he grabbed my ankle before I could get a step away. Kicking  his hand off I made it to the kitchen of the house where three people were sharing a blunt. The smell of marijuana and tobacco became strong in the past 10 minutes. The real party must’ve just started.

A pair of hands shoved me forward and into a chair. “Who’s the real man now?”

Turning around, there he was, cracking his neck and his knuckles. I lunged toward his waist, bringing him down again, unintentionally bringing down a few bystanders with him. Aside from the loud music, I could hear people shout “fight” and “fucking asshole”. Neither bothered me as I held down Wonwoo’s legs and attempted to punch either side of his cheeks. My sight became blurry as tears fought to escape. Without me noticing, he got a hold of my sides and pushed me over. He then wrapped his hands around my neck but before he could tighten his grip I knocked him off of my hips. I punched him one last time in the nose before he could recover from his tumble.

Brushing off my shirt, I looked down at him one last time, “Congrats, you’re a dick now.” People parted as I made my way out of the house and down the driveway. They all made comments and pointed fingers, but their attention couldn’t hold for longer than 10 seconds. Heavy footsteps followed me and turned my shoulders around. “What has gotten into you?” Wonwoo stared into my eyes, looking for an answer.

“Leave me alone Wonwoo.”

“Dude. Come on. Do you want to go on a drive and talk about it?”

“Who’s going to wake up to drive you home when you’re all drunk and alone? ��Cause it ain’t me anymore, Jeon. I’ve had enough. Why did you even start drinking? When? Who are you anymore?”

The shock in his eyes as his blood dripped down his nostrils almost sobered him up. “Listen, once you and Y/N started dating my life has fallen apart. I can’t help it when your girlfriend is the one girl I loved.” His words slurred, but he tried to continue, “All I ever wanted was for all us to be happy, and clearly you two are happy without me. And I’m not happy with y’all.”

“Well, that’s a shame, because Y/N is constantly out of it. All because you had to become a dickwad assfuck and abandon her. Do you even know how much she misses you? Probably not, cause all you see are shapes and colors cause your high all the time now.”

Wonwoo’s breathing stopped. His eyes were moving left to right, the same thing he always does when he comes to a realization. “Oh,” he smeared the blood across his cheek, “I… I didn’t…”