#VOICE ACTING WAS DECENT-GOOD AND TOAD WAS SURPRISINGLY NOT THAT ANNOYING

[shrimpmandan]

JUS GOT BACK FROM THE MARIO MOVIE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[yuyupowers]

aristocrat!seonghwa

aristocrat!seonghwa x fem!reader

genre: fluff

trigger warning(s): patriarchal society mostly. let me know if there’s anything else!

author’s note: none of the pictures are mine!!

for reference, i’m using british peerage (hierarchy). there are five ranks: baron, viscount, earl (count), marquess, and duke - the highest being duke, and the lowest, baron.

second son of a duke

i imagine seonghwa to be someone who values tradition

unlike hongjoong who finds who finds the numerous aristocratic mannerisms pointless, hwa believes upholding these (rather stringent) rules is a sign of respect

perfect gentleman pt.1

excellent in swordsmanship, horse-back riding, and hunting

well versed in poetry, literature, art, and finance

(can maintain a conversation about politics but honestly it kinda goes over his head)

a bit on the shyer side, but a decent conversationalist

good at keeping the flow and mediating in case anyone becomes a little too heated about their opinions

definitely cares about his and his family’s image

naturally caring and tends to dote on those close to him

(translates into excellent manners)

holds the door open, offers his hand when stepping out of carriages, makes sure to walk on the side closest to traffic, diverts conversation when things are too “distressing,” wouldn’t be caught dead alone with a woman that wasn’t related to him or his fiancée/wife

and surprise, surprise !!

this is where you come in

you’re the second oldest daughter, fourth child out of six; born to an earl

hwa’s family had the highest title bestowed upon aristocracy

whereas your family accumulated more wealth and land than the park family

and since both you and hwa were prime marrying age™, your parents decided upon a mutually beneficial marriage

the first time you met seonghwa was under the watchful eye of both your parents, when the park’s invited your family for dinner

tbh, you were pretty relieved when you met him

“prime marrying age” was different for men, so you were just glad he wasn’t some old geezer

and he seemed like a decent person !!

a well put together gentleman, and his image was only consolidated throughout dinner

all in all, you didn’t have much to complain about from the initial impression

though it was kinda annoying when your little sister would not shut up about how he was the handsome man she’s ever met

even if you agreed

and didn’t she say that when she met woo?

anyways

after the first meeting with the park’s, both your parents set up multiple occasions for you two to meet

whether that be evening walks, picnics in the park, etc,,,

you learned a great deal about seonghwa 

how his favourite is black, how he loved the stars and that his favourite planet was mars

how he loved kids and doted on your youngest siblings (much to your sister’s glee)

how he enjoyed spending a quiet afternoon with you reading dickens, discussing afterwards the contrast between carton and darnay

how he was always considerate of your feelings and opinions

you liked to think you were a decent judge of character and thought overall that seonghwa was a kind and caring person

but you also noticed a few characteristics that-

you wouldn’t say it was off-putting or anything but,,,

it might bother you in the future

see, you were pretty good friends with hongjoong

and while you weren’t as extreme,

(you didn’t sneak out weekly to hang out with a bar maiden that you definitely did not have a crush on)

you certainly agreed with him on certain points

like hwa, you thought that abiding by certain mannerisms = display of respect

but unlike him, you didn’t care all that much about your image

okay, that was a lie.

you couldn’t say you didn’t care about your image

(social ostracization isn’t exactly fun ya feel)

but you thought it was,,,exhausting

it’s one thing to be respectful, but it’s another thing to say things you don’t mean

to fake humility

to undermine people that are supposed to be your “friends” or “one of you”

to be perfect, when “perfect” was such a subjective term anyways

it just felt so fake and that left a bitter taste in your mouth

even now, you could see all the efforts seonghwa made to constantly keep his image of a “perfect gentleman”

with perfect mannerisms and perfect answers and perfect-

yeah, it kinda frustrated you

not to mention how obedient he was?

of course you didn’t fault him for being a dutiful and filial son, but his loyalty blinded him

and it wasn’t like his parents were bad people !!

no, you’d say they were much kinder than the average noble family

especially considering their status

but when they made important decisions for their son without consulting him,

(because they were more experienced, because they knew better, etc,,,)

and he accepted whatever decision they handed to him?

well,,,

nevertheless, despite being his fiancée, you, by this point, had realistically had known seonghwa for a couple months

and you didn’t feel like it was your place 

(at least not yet)

to point this out

so the two of you continued your cordial but emotionally distant meetings

that is until “the incident” (as hwa fondly likes to call it)

okay, so-

one day you paid hwa a visit and the two of you decided to take a walk in his family’s garden

chattering about this and that

a lovely time !!

it was a bit overcast, but it didn’t look too threatening

so the two of you ignored the clouds looming in the horizon and wandered deep into the garden

big mistake

the weather took a turn for the worst, and soon it was pouring

by this point seonghwa was a little panicked

he knew that for women, getting ready could be excessively long and tenuous task

(courtesy of his little sister’s complaints)

and now !! you were getting rained on !! because he didn’t bring an umbrella !! just in case !!

!!!!

he turns to you, ready to shield you with his jacket and lead you back to the manor

but he’s at a loss by what he sees

he had expected you to be upset, to huddle closer to him, to,,,idk, maybe reprimand him for this thoughtlessness??

but instead, he finds you staring up at the dark sky, eyes shimmering with barely contained glee with the biggest smile he’s ever seen from you adorning your lips

he likes your smile

and if he was already confused (he was), he was about to become even more so

because the next thing he knows, you’re hiking your dress in one hand and grabbing his in the other, running through puddles of water and mud and everything in between, laughter falling from you like the rain

up until this point, you had been acting like the perfect (you hate that word) lady

polite, demure, charming-

in public settings, you only spoke when spoken to, with a voice that was purposely soft and soothing

you chatted with his mother and sisters about traditionally feminine things over tea with impeccable manners

whenever you two met, you were always prim and proper; never a strand of hair out of place

but here you were, getting not only yours but his clothes soggy and muddy, laughing without a care about how pleasant it sounded or how loud it was

seonghwa liked to think he wasn’t a judgemental person-

he wasn’t repulsed or anything by your sudden change in demeanor

just.

really confused

and when you looked back, you could tell,if his expression was anything to go by

but your grin only grew wider, because you could work with this

he wasn’t enjoying himself per say; a bit too confused and bit too stiff to do so

but he wasn’t horrified or disgusted

okay maybe he was a little grossed out; he liked to be clean thank you very much

you could work with this.

and so over the next few months, you showed him things he never dreamed of doing

some of which he liked, some of which he didn’t

some he was willing to try, some, less

like sneaking into the restricted section of the library (he’s never been so scandalized in his life)

or visiting the kitchen in the middle of the night so you could teach him how to make some basic recipes (which he surprisingly enjoyed)

or meeting hongjoong

(“of COURSE it matters if they got the colour wrong?! lord help me you’re the most insufferable person i’ve ever met-”)

and the more the two of you explored, the more he,,,real he became.

and vice versa.

gradually, the mask of perfection he worked so on hard to maintain was slipping before you

don’t get me wrong, he’s still kind and caring and a gentleman

but sometimes he would whine and complain when you encouraged him to do something he was less than enthusiastic about (usually something that involved getting him messy)

or he made The Face™ (the disgusted one) to you and when he didn’t like something or someone

or he would be stupidly stubborn about some random fact that you KNEW was wrong but he just WOULDN’T admit if even when you showed him proof

(“seonghwa for the last time toads don’t give you war-” “LALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU” “eye-”)

once, he even playfully stole the strawberry from your cake

(big mistake. he’s never doing that again. he never knew a woman could move so fast or be so scary.)

it made you so, so happy because the two of you were finally getting to know each other

actually know each other

then one day, while the two of you were reading underneath a tree at the park

“,,,hey love?” (hwa)

“yes?”

“why are we doing this?” 

“what do you mean, dear?”

“i mean,,,i’m not complaining, but i guess,,,why did you decide to show me this part of you? the part that runs around in the rain?” hwa

you don’t reply right away

instead, you shut your book and idly stared at the willow swaying over the pond, wind running its fingers through its drooping leaves

after a few moments of silence

“,,,i wanted to know you and what you believed in. actually believed in.”

seonghwa tilts his head slightly to the side

“love, i hardly think my convictions have changed”

“but do you know what your convictions are?”

and you know when you hear something that resonates with you?

something that strikes deep in your core and makes you rethink everything you’ve know?

yeah,,,this is one of those moments

now it was seonghwa’s turn to set his book aside, falling deep in thought

after an unnaturally long stretch of silence, you began to panic a little

because ?? maybe you misread the situation and got a little too comfortable-

cause i mean you were questioning his core values, which is something he takes very seriously

o god you messed up didn’t you o crap you need to apolog-

“will you help me figure it out?”

“,,,huh??”

“will you help me figure out my convictions?” he asked

and you swear, you’ve never seen such a smile from seonghwa

one that conveyed a plethora of emotions, ranging from honesty and vulnerability, to confusion and loss, to lightness and warmth

it filled you with an unnameable feeling

like something sliding into place, fitting perfectly; like it was always meant to be there, filling you with comfort

shyly intertwining your hands for the first time, you looked up to meet his gaze with a pattering heart and a smile matching his own

“,,,of course.”

[casualarsonist]

Parental Guidance: Flushed Away

So I tried to write a review for Flushed Away yesterday, just to see if I could write one for a kid’s film. Turns out I suck at doing that even more than I do at writing them for adults. I couldn’t write from any other perspective than my own, and found myself assessing it by criteria that the majority of children would likely never notice or care about. So, in with that in mind, and an increasing number of my friends having kids lately, I’ve decided to review Flushed Away for the parents that will be watching the film. I’ll be judging it on its merits as a film, as well as whether it’ll irritate the shit out of you, how rewatchable it is, and whether it’ll traumatise your kids. Note that the overall score is not an aggregate of the others, it’s simply my overall recommendation based on my final, personal opinion. Enjoy!

Flushed Away is far from the best-known of Aardman Animation’s feature films, and when preceded by such pedigree as the hugely successful Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, one can see how Aardman’s follow-up - their first foray into the CGI world, and their last picture with Dreamworks - would really need to make a mark in order to compare. It did not, despite making nearly £200 million, it was labelled a box office failure by Dreamworks and their agreement with Aardman came to an end. Which, thinking about it, might have been for the best, because whilst Flushed Away is a good film with a lot of positives, it feels like it’s drifted away from the Aardman we know and love in some way, and one may get the feeling that Dreamworks, in giving Aardman their highest budget yet, shaved some of the quirkier edges off of the production, leaving it feeling like it has slightly less of its own personality that it ought to, but this shouldn’t scare anyone away from seeing what is a quirky, charming, and impeccably acted film. 

Flushed Away is the story of Roddy St James (Hugh Jackman), the pet rat of an affluent family living in the upper-class London borough of Kensington. When a sewer rat climbs out of the drains and invades his house, Roddy is flushed down the toilet to an underground city populated by the rat underclass. After lots of yelling, screaming, and bumping-into-things-and-setting-off-Rube-Goldberg-type-catastrophes, Roddy meets Rita (Kate Winslet), a plucky scavenger fleeing the cronies of The Toad (Ian McKellan) - the maniacal villain intent on ridding the city of rats and populating it with his tadpoles. Roddy’s self-interest in returning home leads to a back-and-forth in which he and Rita betray one-another, before finally uniting in opposition to their common enemy. Along the way Roddy learns that despite having all the possessions in the world, he was missing the one thing the underclass rats had in abundance - companionship - and he leaves his life above for adventures down below. 

It’s a rather simplistic plot with a well-trodden execution, but while the initial 10-20 minutes of shouty-shouty may strain the patience of the adult viewer, Flushed Away comes into its own once we meet the stunning cast and the performances are given a chance to shine; and boy do they shine. One thing Aardman films seem to do well in a way that many animated films fail to match (I’m looking at you, Gnomeo & Juliet, which I’ll be reviewing next) is elicit quirky, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining performances from A-list actors, often giving them ability to flex their acting muscle. McKellan is fantastic as the insane Toad - his best melodramatic LOTR howling blends with a cackling villiany that his subdued Magneto was never allowed to offer; Bill Nighy is a standout in his understated and hilarious role as a dim-witted albino rat Whitey; Jean Reno gives the most entertaining performance I’ve ever seen (heard?) from him as the French assassin ‘Le Frog’ (He’s funny. FUNNY. Typecast Francey Man McFrowny-face is funny.) 

And this is really the triumph of the film - it’s clear that the actors had an immense amount of freedom and fun in recording their roles, and this gives the film a huge amount of life. The leads - Winslet and Jackman are also great, although being the leads they’re given less wiggle-room in their interpretations. Jackman seemed to me like an odd choice at first - Roddy has more than a little Hugh Grant about him and it’s not like England lacks Hugh Grants, not to mention that I’ve often found Jackman to be rather uninteresting on-screen - but he's actually quite an uninhibited voice actor and his natural charm is ultimately very winning and works well with the cheesy grin of the ‘Aardman face’. Winslet is similarly charismatic, and deftly juggles the warmth and sassiness of her character to offer a surprisingly truthful and winning performance; her affected working-class brogue allowing her to disappear into her role.

This said, aside from the performances and some aspects of the unfolding plot, Flushed Away is a pretty standard affair. The move to CGI removes some of the irreplaceable style Aardman have always traded on, and while the efforts have been made to animate the film in such a way as to best imitate stop-motion, the unimpressive visual quality simply leaves it looking flat and cheap for the most part. The action is heavily slapstick as well, and you’ll sit through a lot of characters screaming as they’re flung from one thing to another time and time again, and I’m sure it appeals to a younger, less jaded generation, but I realised that I was getting old when I found myself passively annoyed by it.

But what else would you expect? Flushed Away isn’t Wallace & Gromit, it’s an expensive Dreamworks film, and it feels like it. It’s certainly not terrible by any stretch – the soundtrack is excellent and a fantastic example of using well-placed licensed music to enhance an action sequence (*sideways glance at Gnomeo and Juliet*), and there’s a good deal of laughs-aloud to be found; the characters are strong and their actors’ performances fantastic; it’s not as blatantly manipulative as, say, Finding Dory – you care for the characters because they grow on you and their changes are motivated, not because they’re tiny little fishies with big ol’ eyes and they lost their mummies. It’s a really entertaining film, not Aardman’s strongest, but certainly a fun addition to the home catalogue. 

Laughs: 7

Some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and unexpected humour. The slugs will win you and your children over. 

Visuals: 6

There’s a lot of nice detail in the world, but the flat, textureless CGI means it has not aged well.

Performances: 9

Very high-quality performances with a range of quality actors allowed to get a bit silly with the material.

Plot: 6

Well-trodden fish-out-of-water/wrong-side-of-the-tracks affair. The motivation for the lead is that he’s lonely, but this is not particularly well-established. It’s hard to give a solid score, but it’s scaled up to a 6 because it gets better.

Obnoxiousness: 4

It’s a pretty harmless film, although much of the action relies on screamy Rube Goldberg trails of destruction.

Timelessness: 6

Certainly rewatchable due to the detail in the world, the great performances, the fantastic, well-integrated soundtrack, and the decent script. The relentless slapstick action might irritate quickly though.

Hardcore Rating: 2

There’s little-to-nothing scary about this film. Even the bad guys are funny in their own right.

Overall: 7/10

Flushed Away isn’t a technical marvel, nor will it likely be held with the same esteem as its compatriots, but the performances are deeply charming, and the story and characters grow on you as it progresses. Come the end of it, I was quite impressed.