#also i like having dvds because i like being able to put them on in the background while i do stuff

[flanaganfilm]

Mr. Flanagan, I’d like to ask a question and I deeply hope that it does not offend or upset you. I am strongly considering canceling my Netflix subscription due to their new password sharing policy. However, Midnight Mass is one of my favorite shows of all time and I know it isn’t available on DVD, and I’m also profoundly anticipating your take on my favorite Edgar Allen Poe story. So I wanted to ask your take on people accessing your work through, uh, other means. If it’s something that’s offensive to you or will harm you or the other people who work so hard on these shows, I’ll happily keep my Netflix just so that I can keep supporting your work. I respect you far too much as an artist to do otherwise.

Again, I really hope I’m not upsetting you by asking this question. Thank you for everything, and I hope you’re having a great day!

(NOTE 6/4/2024: I'm editing this entry because, well over a year since it was posted, some journalists dug this up and used it to create click-bait headlines that are misleading, out of context and artificially combative. While I was of course disappointed over the years that Netflix opted not to release my work on physical media, I never experienced any hostility or aggression in those discussions, and I sincerely regret the manner in which this post was used in the press this week.)

Hi there - no offense taken whatsoever, in fact I think this is a very interesting and important question.

So. If you asked me this a few years ago, I would have said "I hate piracy and it is hurting creators, especially in the independent space." I used to get in Facebook arguments with fans early in my career when people would post about seeing my work on torrent sites, especially when that work was readily available for rent and purchase on VOD.

Back in 2014, my movie Before I Wake was pirated and leaked prior to any domestic release, and that was devastating to the project. It actually made it harder to find distribution for the film. By the time we were able to get distribution in the US, the film had already been so exposed online that the best we could hope for was a Netflix release. Netflix stepped in and saved that movie, and for that I will always be grateful to them.

However...

Working in streaming for the past few years has made me reconsider my position on piracy.

In the years I worked at Netflix, I tried very hard to get them to release my work on blu-ray and DVD.

It became clear very fast that their priority was subscriptions, and that they were not particularly interested in physical media releases of their originals, with a few exceptions.

While companies like Netflix pride themselves on being disruptors, and have proven that they can affect great change in the industry, they sometimes fail to see the difference between disruption and damage. So much that they can find themselves, intentionally or not, doing harm to the concept of film preservation.

The danger comes when a title is only available on one platform, and then - for whatever reason - is removed.

We have already seen this happen. And it is only going to happen more and more. Titles exclusively available on streaming services have essentially been erased from the world. If those titles existed on the marketplace on physical media, like HBO's Westworld, the loss is somewhat mitigated (though only somewhat.) But when titles do not exist elsewhere, they are potentially gone forever.

The list of titles that have been removed from streaming services is growing.

I still believe that where we put our dollars matters. Renting or buying a piece of work that you like is essential. It is casting a vote, encouraging studios - who only speak the language of money - to invest more effort into similar work. If we show up to support distinct, unique, exciting work, it encourages them to make more of it. It's as simple as that. If we don't show up, or if they can't hear our voice because we are casing our vote "silently" through torrent sites or other means - it makes it unlikely that they will take a chance to create that kind of work again.

Which is why I typically suggest that if you like a movie you've seen through - uh - other means, throw a few dollars at that title on a legitimate platform. Rent it. Purchase it. Support it.

But if some studios offer no avenue for that kind of support, and can (and will) remove content from their platform forever... frankly, I think that changes the rules.

Netflix will likely never release the work I created for them on physical media, though I'll always hold out hope.

Some of you may say "wait, aren't The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor available on blu-ray and DVD?" Yes, they are, because they were co-produced with Paramount, and I'm grateful that Paramount was able to release and protect those titles. (I'm also grateful that those releases include extended cuts, deleted scenes, and commentary tracks. There are a number of fantastic benefits to physical media releases.)

But a lot of the other work I did there are Netflix originals, without any other studio involvement. Those titles - like Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and the upcoming Fall of the House of Usher - along with my Netflix exclusive and/or original movies Before I Wake and Gerald's Game - have no such protections. The physical media releases of those titles are entirely at Netflix's discretion, and don't appear to be priority for the studio at this time.

At the moment, Netflix seems content to leave Before I Wake, Gerald's Game, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club on the service, where they still draw audiences. I don't think there is a plan to remove any of them anytime soon. But plans change, the industry changes.

The point is things change, and each of those titles - should they be removed from the service for any reason - are not available anywhere else. If that day comes - if Netflix's servers are destroyed, if a meteor hits the building, if they are bought out by a competitor and their library is liquidated - I don't know what the circumstances might be, I just know that if that day comes, some of the work that means the most to me in the world would be entirely erased.

Or, what if we aren't so catastrophic in our thinking? What if it the change isn't so total? What if Netflix simply bumps into an issue with the license they paid for music (like the Neil Diamond songs that play such a crucial role in Midnight Mass), and decide to leave the show up but replace the songs?

This has happened before as well - fans of Northern Exposure can get the show on DVD and blu-ray, but the music they heard when the series aired has been replaced due to the licensing issues. And the replacements - chosen for their low cost, not for creative reasons - are not improvements. What if the shows are just changed, and not by creatives, but by business affairs executives?

All to say that physical media is critically important. Having redundancy in the marketplace is critically important. The more platforms a piece of work is available on, the more likely it is to survive and grow its audience.

As for Netflix, I hope sincerely that their thinking on this issue evolves, and that they value the content they spend so much money creating enough to protect it for posterity. That's up to them, it's their studio, it's their rules. But I like to think they may see that light eventually, and realize that exclusivity in a certain window is very cool... but exclusivity in perpetuity could potentially limit the audience and endanger the work itself.

[britcision]

Tbh I think the wildest thing about Trump is that he literally doesn’t understand soft power

And possibly cannot even perceive it

He’s going around bitching about trade deficits and defence spending…

But a trade deficit means that the country with the deficit is buying more of your stuff than you are buying of theirs

It’s a good thing for your market, especially if you want independence and to get money from people buying your stuff - it’s not people not paying for things, it’s people buying your products and you not buying theirs in return

You’re “trading” products for money. You still get the money. And you can do things like influence the market and sell shitty dvd players that break after a year so that people need to buy Even More dvd players from you, because they aren’t making their own and are used to buying yours

(Note: in this example, “you” are the party with a trade SURPLUS. That means someone else has a deficit in their trade with you

Being the person with the deficit is also not a bad thing, so long as you’re actively trading; it means rather than creating your own industries that may not do as well as another country’s for immutable reasons like being able to mine for specific minerals, you can buy a good product and skip all the construction costs and focus on the things you can do better

The general rule of trade is that if you keep trading, everyone wins)

But Trump is essentially saying that he wants to stop other countries from buying American goods; he wants our imports (us buying your stuff) to match our exports (you buying our stuff)

So

You get less money, because either you’re buying more of our stuff (our exports rise to match imports), or you can’t sell us anything (we lower imports to match exports)

And he wants to do this with tariffs, which mean it becomes more expensive for American retailers to import international goods - because they pay tariffs to the American government, and the exporter does not pay those

(So you can’t afford imports)

So the only way to do what he wants… is to stop buying American goods

This will do good things for the American economy I pinky swear 🙄

The defence spending thing is actually even worse, which is fucking wild to me

The main reason that America is a military world power is that you waste all that money on an army you’re not really using to anything but go around showing off and declaring how big your army is

Other countries spend less on defence because we’re spending on things like infrastructure and improving the well-fare of our citizens

So we don’t have a big strong army that can fight your army, because we don’t need one, but we do need things like food for children and healthcare

But Trump is demanding that everyone else make themselves a big strong army

Because the US being able to essentially run a protection racket and ever so casually say “oh gee Russia looks so big and strong. Let us put a military base in your country so we can keep you safe… oh, and I guess maybe some beneficial trade deals while we’re there 😉😉 keeping you safe 😉😉” is… America being exploited?

And listen, Trump doesn’t do subtle. He’d probably just blatantly say “do what we want or we will invade”, and start a war

But because he can’t do that, he seems convinced that there is no value in America spending more on defence, and insists that the very same people he is antagonizing and threatening the sovereignty of should be expanding their own military power

Frankly, they’d probably start spending a little more on defence anyway

Nothing he’s doing will increase American influence on the world stage, because he’s actively forcing the rest of the world to start acting like America has already left

“Stop buying our exports. Build your own army.”

And as a Canadian? I do think it’s about time we were a little less economically dependent on the US - because it gives them too much power

They’re our closest and most convenient trade partner, but not the only game in town

[thestargayzingheroine]

Why A Better World is my favourite "Evil Superman" Story

So in the last two decades or so, there's been a notable amount of dark and edgy stories around superheroes turning evil and whatnot and most of them really love to do their own expies of Superman. I've never been the biggest fans of these kinds of stories.

And then there's the actual stories of Superman and other heroes being outright villains or at least just massive assholes. In recent years, this has been largely thanks to the influence of media like the Injustice Games or the Synderverse DC movies. It's... honestly become a trope I am tired of.

Because you know the damnest thing? There is a story that does all these ideas really damn well and arguably better. It is the two-parter from the Justice League cartoon "A Better World".

Now, I am aware how most people favouring the DCAU has become a bit of toxic nostalgia at times and it's something I myself am trying to work through a bit. But in this case, I do think it's the best idea of doing an evil DC story, much better and more interesting than the Crime Syndicate, who if you ask me are not very interesting, though I do remember liking the Crisis On Two Earths movie a lot, which funny enough, was originally going to be this two parter before various things led to it being canned and then later repurposed as a direct to DVD movie.

Anyway, my main crux of why I love this story is simple... The entire Justice League turns evil... and the reasons are very much in-character for all of them. You look at the scene with Justice Lord Batman for example.

As fucking evil as the Justice Lords are... Batman can't quite fully hate his alternate self for his reason for taking part in all this being basically one-step further than his own mission, that no child should ever go through what he did. Hell, I recall reading that the reason the writers had Batman drop his batarang at the end of this scene... was because he genuinely wouldn't be able to come up with an argument to that.

Superman likewise kills Lex Luthor because yeah, Luthor literally exploited the flaws in Democracy and became president of the US, threatening to kinda basically start world war 3. It's obviously horrible... but Superman is a character whose main motivation is making the world a better place. And if people who abuse the systems of power of the world are hurting people, why shouldn't Superman put a stop to that?

And yeah, Superman should obviously never kill, he's the most paragon of paragons of the DC universe, a man committed to always being better than the villains he fights... but this is him pushed to his most logical extreme. Hell, the main Superman knows this and its why Lex used his knowledge of this alternate universe as part of his plan in the season after this, to goad our Superman into crossing the line because yeah, there's a part of him that could go this far.

But right as Superman is about to apparently finish him, the big guy says this.

"I'm not the man who killed President Luthor. I wish to heaven that I were but I'm not."

Because Superman like everyone else, obviously would have those same thoughts and same urges. He's human.

I've kinda gone off Injustice a bit because to be honest... the injustice games were kinda just this but a bit too edgelordy. Hell, in A Better World, Lois Lane still lives and the whole genesis of it doesn't revolve around her getting fridged.

So yeah, A Better World is probably one of my favourite mirror universe stories because of the fact that well... it really is like looking in a mirror and seeing just how easy the greatest heroes can become evil and how they wouldn't be massively out of character doing so. But also it reminds us that as much as this darkness can tempt some of our finest, the ones who don't go down this dark path are stronger in heart than anyone else. Because when the world becomes a dark and horrible place, it becomes very easy to be just as dark. But even though it can be hard to still try and be a good person even in dark times, it's ultimately worth it. Because good always triumphs over evil.

[ierofrnkk]

(its totes not ominoose...)

Robbie seeing the reader having a low mood day (depression or smth) and when they get home from college classes, he's set up blankets and board games and tea. :)

Thank you for this request, not-mushi!

Long Day?

Robbie Paulson x reader (~1.1k)

Summary: Reader has a long day after their college classes, and Robbie is there to support them.

Content: established relationship, set in canon time (early 2000s), reader is in a depressive mood, supportive Robbie, gn!reader as always, not beta read

a/n: I had so much fun writing this :D

If anybody knew about bad days, it would be Robbie.

He was the king of bad days, between his ADD and every one of his classes seeming to constantly request more and more from him, he was very familiar with the idea.

You were also very familiar with bad days, and today, unfortunately, was one of them.

You felt like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, your focus and attention waning quickly throughout the day. Every class you went to seemed to drag on for hours, draining you even further before the day was up. It was like there was a piece missing from your jenga-tower of stability, and you had to try desperately to keep it all together.

You and Robbie didn’t share any classes together, but you did have a class in the same building, so in between lectures, you passed him by. He picked up on the fact that you weren’t feeling well right away, like a dog tracking a scent.

“Hey, hey,” he said, putting a hand out on your shoulder to stop you from breezing past him to your next class.

You stopped, of course, because you can’t say no to him, not ever.

“Everything alright?” He asks, keeping his eyes trained on you.

“Just off today, I dunno,” you murmur, shrugging as you meet his gaze; you’re not feeling nearly as put on the spot as you thought you would by the sudden question.

He nods in understanding, like that’s all that you needed to say for him to get the message.

“Gotcha,” he responds, nodding lightly.

“I’ll see you later on today, yeah?”

You give him a soft half-smile and a nod in response, adjusting your bookbag on your shoulder before you continue on your way, heading down the hall to your next class.

The rest of the morning bled into the afternoon dreadfully, feeling like you truly were being cemented in place as your professors droned on and on.

In short, the day was miserable.

—

After his brief interaction with you in the hallway, your less-than-ideal state lingered in the back of Robbie’s mind for the rest of the day, following him from class to class, until he made his way back to your shared apartment.

It wasn’t a very big space, but it was affordable when the two of you split the rent, and it was close enough to campus that it was manageable.

When Robbie got home, he kicked his sneakers off by the door and set his bag down right beside them. He had an idea for something that may lift your spirits, and he wanted to get it set up before you came home.

He spent the next half-hour or so moving around the apartment like a madman; bringing blankets in from your bedroom to the living room, changing his mind and putting them back, and going through your stack of VHS tapes (neither of you can afford to replace all your tapes with DVDs) to find a few of your favorites.

—

Finally, your last class came to an end, and you couldn’t wait to just get home and curl into bed forever.

You head up the stairs to your apartment, unlocking the door and stepping inside—you’re moving on autopilot, just trying to get through these last few motions before you’re able to bury yourself in your covers.

Before you’re able to even get your other shoe off, Robbie’s rushed up to greet you at the door, a timid smile on his face as he helps you with your jacket, hanging it up on the hook beside his own.

He looks like he’s got a plan—no, a scheme. Something.

“Robbie, can we just—whatever it is, can we come back to it later?” You ask him bluntly, too tired to entertain his antics for the afternoon after the day that you’ve had.

He deflates a little, but your words don’t sway him completely.

“No, c’mon. Give me five minutes, and if you’re not into it, you can go hibernate, or whatever.”

You can’t help the way the corner of your mouth turns up in a soft smile at his words, unable to turn him down when he gives you such a soft, earnest expression.

“Alright,” you yield, gesturing vaguely in his direction.

“Proceed.”

He beams, his grin wide as he takes you by the hand and leads you from the entryway to the living room, where you see exactly what he wanted to show you.

He’s set up your big, fluffy duvet on the couch, a few of your favorite snacks set out on the coffee table.

He did this all for you.

You give his hand a squeeze, words failing you for the moment at the sight of such a gesture.

“I know how it feels,” he starts, voice low.

“Just wanted to do something to help things go a little smoother tonight.”

You nod, trying desperately to fight back the lump that’s begun to form in your throat, the tears that well up in the corners of your eyes.

“‘S nice,” you manage, sniffling as you feel that jenga tower begin to crumble and fall.

He catches that right away, letting go of your hand to instead wrap his arms around your shoulders, pulling you in close to his chest.

Your arms find a place around him in return, grounding yourself in his warmth and the softness of his sweater beneath your fingers.

After a few moments of him holding you like that, he lets go, his hands skimming lightly over your shoulders before they fall back to his sides.

He nods in the direction of the couch.

“C’mon, I’ll make you that tea that you like.”

Your voice is soft when you agree, giving him an equally soft smile as he leads you over to the couch, and practically buries you in blankets and pillows.

Once he’s satisfied with how well he’s covered you up, he bounds off to the small kitchen on a mission to make you tea. Thankfully, he manages not to spill any of it when he returns, mug in hand.

You take the ceramic cup from him, and take a sip. Perfect, as always. He’s pulling out every stop imaginable in an effort to make the rest of your day better, and he’s succeeding wonderfully.

Before he sits down, he puts a tape in—your favorite movie—and grabs the remote for the TV.

You cuddle up next to him once he’s back on the couch beside you, feeling significantly better in comparison to how you did earlier.

The two of you sit together, watching your favorite movie to its completion, forgetting all about the day’s events.

Your mood is lifted further by the sight of Robbie, trying to mind-will the VCR to rewind faster, so that you two can watch your favorite movie again and again.

—

thank you for reading!

tags: @winniethewife @midgardian-witch @faretheeoscar @silvernight-m @ominoose @reallyrallyauthor @my-secret-shame

[aihoshiino]

Idk but onk is such a let down for me. In the beginning I liked story because it was about ai. Her kids getting in entertainment industry and the revenge thingy were main plot from the starting so ultimately it is suppose to be about Ai, directly or indirectly.

By the end the story got less about ai and more about people around ai. There is SO MUCH about ai yet to explore but because of the writing I can't even enjoy ai as much as i used to. The "i love you" to aqua ruby kind of lost his full essence after the ai's dvd was shown, and that dvd later lost its essence due to last chs.

Onk showed the issues with entertainment industry well. The main issue is that onk never tackles problems with its character. Like Ai's true self, Hikaru (still not sure what to think of him), hikai, ruby and aqua relation (after the damn kiss), miyako and ichigo, ruby's dvd left by ai and etc. which i still feel are alien and mysterious to us. And we surely won't get answers in one last ch. Hikaru had potential to be a great character but everything is just all over the place.

Idk man i just feel very disappointed that aka's build up had so much potential yet we didn't get anything satisfactory in the end.

TBH, to a degree, I actually think this is a natural progression & if the series had stuck the landing, it could have been a really good and poignant way to resolve Aqua and Ruby's shared arc in relation to Ai. Because the thing is, like... as much as I like Ai, Aqua and Ruby's arc SHOULD ultimately have been about them being able to move on and start expanding the scope of their lives until it contained things beyond her. The story should never have stopped centering her because she is, ultimately, the heart of the story and its titular character, but OnK hammers in this idea of 'moving towards the future' and not letting your past trauma control your life to the extent that it robs you of the ability to have one. So I do think that in a more well-realized version of the story, that growing distance from Ai would be bittersweet but necessary for Aqua and Ruby to reclaim their futures.

BUT... Obviously, that's not the ending we got and the result is an ending that weirdly simultaneously deifies her while also not really involving or centering her at all? Like I've pointed out, so much of Ruby's resolution revolves around shallow parallels to Ai's general imagery and vibes but the actual resolution to the story isn't really about Ai at all aside from her being Kamiki's motivation and even then, that's all so poorly explained that it doesn't really have any weight.

That said, I actually feel as an Ai fan that she was ultimately done really well by the manga and I don't really feel like there was a whole lot about her left unexamined? Like yeah, as an Ai Wife Guy I'd love to hear more about stuff like how she felt about her pregnancy and how all that just went down in general and maybe some more stuff about her time in gen 1 B-Komachi but otherwise I feel really satisfied with the stuff we got. 136-7 especially were SO fucking cathartic for me because they put into undeniable, explicit text the thing I'd been saying all along; that there was no 'real' Ai hidden under the one that we knew and the secret part of herself that Ai was so desperately trying to hide was just that she was a normal, fragile girl who was struggling and hurt and that her tragedy was the result of everyone in her life either failing or actively refusing to accept her as she was.

My only real complaint is that I don't like how the manga ultimately (accidentally?) makes her totally irrelevant to the answer of why GRSR were reincarnated as her children and the result is that it kind of turns her into just a convenient uterus who happened to come pre-installed with babies - that's kind of gross, especially in comparison to just how she's treated as an equally important part of the puzzle but that's what my "Ai is the entertainment god's beloved chosen maiden" headcanon comes in and all is right with the world again <3

[exeggcute]

after some trial and error I think I finally have the perfect PS2 setup for the modern gamer. behold:

PS2 (old reliable) + power cable + magicgate memory card for those eight delicious MB of storage

retrotink adapter: a must-have in my case because we don't have any TVs that support analog input. you COULD go scrounge up an old CRT instead of shelling out for an adapter but (1) I have no desire to fistfight a melee player over who gets dibs on the CRT we both spotted on craigslist at exactly the same time (2) I have nowhere to put a CRT and (3) the retrotink is sick. worth every penny imo. this thing has upscaling, lots of settings to mess with (including psuedo-CRT settings to add scanlines and whatnot), and zero lag. there are significantly cheaper adapters out there but I did a shitload of research and nearly all of them have some kind of dealbreaking problem, save for the retrotink, whose only problems are that it isn't cheap and it runs out of stock quickly because they're all made by one guy in his garage.

component/YPbPr cable: the retrotink won't accept the regular AV cable that I've had for two decades (with the red/white/yellow inputs), but apparently AV input kind of sucks so component is the way to go for quality anyway.

wingman PS2: this thing is SO fucking cool dude. if you only pick up a single item on this list let it be the wingman. being able to play PS2 games not just wirelessly but on a modern controller (dualsense ftw) feels amaaaaazing. rumble works great, pairing is easy, no lag as far as I've noticed. the only downside is that modern controllers don't have the same pressure-sensitive buttons that the PS2's dualshock did, which means the handful of games that utilize that feature won't be a 1:1 experience.

so now your wallet just took a hit on all these peripherals—but not to worry, because we're also in the golden age of PS2 piracy:

if you have a stack of compatible DVD-Rs and a disc reader for your PC, you can use freedvdboot ESR patcher to patch an .iso of almost any PS2 game, burn that patched .iso to a disc, and then run the game on unmodified(!!!) PS2 hardware. there's a handful of caveats though:

(1) not all PS2s can take advantage of the exploit; it depends on the version of your console's DVD player. atm I think all slim models are compatible, and some fat models are compatible, but people are working to crack the last few holdouts so don't lose hope if yours isn't supported yet.

(2) technically not all games are compatible either, but more games seem to work than not. games that do work are essentially indistinguishable from a legit copy, though—some of the other game piracy methods I looked into (like MC2SIO) have a lot of performance issues that freedvdboot-patched games don't seem to suffer from at all.

(3) not all DVDs are equal; someone on reddit compiled a list of DVDs that worked/didn't work with freedvdboot-patched games. (they aren't on this list, but I used Verbatim DVD-Rs and they worked fine.)

I have yet to find any good text-based guides about using the patcher, but this guy's video tutorial explains everything well. howeverrrr you can skip all the parts about "creating backups" of your "original game discs" and just use the .iso you downloaded off of Vimm's Lair lol.

bam. not quite free since you have to buy discs, but just about. and a 50-pack of DVDs was still cheaper than any of the used copies of ape escape 3 that I could find on ebay

[sunshine-and-moonshine]

Cod Men at a Slumber Party

Requested: God himself told me that this was what I needed to write, but otherwise no

Warnings: Pillow Violence

A/N: Rudyyyyyyy

Ghost - The one who stays up and pulls pranks

Soap’s hand is going in some warm water. Alejandro is getting whip cream on his hand and tickled with a feather. Rudy has cocks and balls drawn all over his face in neon glitter permanent marker, and König is covered in clown makeup (complete with the rainbow wig which he cannot get off thanks to Ghost using some pretty expensive wig adhesive). They wake up and instantly everyone is yelling at each other, accusing each other despite the fact that they are all victims of these heinous pranks. No one looks at Ghost who is quietly watching on, hiding a look that was very much “cat who caught the canary”, self satisfied as he video taped the fight that ensued between the others.

Soap - The Pillow Fort Builder

The minute Soap steps through the door he’s scavenging for each and every pillow within the house, as if he doesn’t have a wagon full of them dragging behind him. Doesn’t matter how lumpt or old or stuff they are, he’s making this pillow fort and it will be the most comfy place you’ve ever slept in your whole life. Seriously, man deserves some type of reward for being able to make such an amazing pillow fort. Not to mention that it just looks cool from the outside as well, almost like a castle of some kind. Soap takes great pride in his pillow forts and if anyone (including himself) is ever dissatisfied with one then he’s tearing it apart and rebuilding it from the ground up til he feels like he’s gotten it perfect.

König - The one who falls asleep first

König is always so excited to have a sleepover, talking about all the different movies you all could watch and games you could play. He comes in in his softest pajamas and with his favorite pillow and blanket, arms full of board games and dvds and vhs tapes, only to fall asleep the second he finishes setting up his makeshift bed on the floor. It’s kinda cute in a way, snoring and drooling in his sleep, splayed out like some sort of giant starfish, his pillow clutched to his chest like some sort of plushie. And he’ll always feel guilty about it when he wakes up, feeling like he missed out on something important or like he was rude.

Alejandro - The Pillow Fighter

Alejandro will 100% be trying to carefully thief some of Soap’s pillows so that he can sneak up behind someone else, smack them HARD AS FUCK with one of the pillows, and shout at the top of his lungs “*PREPÁRATE A MORIR!!!”. Literally hits people so hard with these pillows that its a wonder that no one has actually died (though some people HAVE lost teeth, which was unfortunate to say the least). Yes he will do this at every slumber party. No, you will not be able to successfully hide the pillows from him. Doesn’t matter where you put them, he’ll find them. And then you’ll be the first to be hit with one of the pillows, just because you tried to stop it from happening.

Rudy - The Snack Bringer/Maker

Rudy arrives to the slumber party carrying about 80 different boxes and bags of popcorn, cookies, chips, drinks, and so much more. He also has a lot of homemade stuff as well, though that’s primarily for him since he doesn’t like a lot of sugar. That doesn't mean he won’t share though! He’s more than happy to, and will bring more homemade stuff than store bought if it’s demanded by more than just one other person. And not to brag but that man is SO good at cooking. Absolute house spouse material. (I’d wife him anyways)

*PREPÁRATE A MORIR!!! = PREPARE TO DIE!!!

[quigonswife8]

Looking after him: Leon Kennedy x reader

When Leon is injured, you look after him | gif creds: @luke-skywalker. also even though I used a resi 2 remake gif, this is before resident evil 2.

----

When Leon was injured by some crook, who'd broken two of Leon's ribs, the doctors had told him he'd need to rest for a few weeks. Actually they'd told him to stay at the hospital, but after some convincing from them and you, he'd ended up at home.

This isn't how he thought he would get time off, but regardless, at least he can spend time with you.

"I'm back." you chime, shutting the door with your foot. "...and I got the food."

"I'm in here."

He announces, moving to stand. As you enter the room you notice this, "Leon." voiced soft- hands moving to place the food nearby. "...you need to lay back down."

"I'll be..."

"I don't want you injuring yourself further. You've only been home for a few days." you chime in, "...if you're not careful." placing your hands on his shoulders, but you don't push him down. "....you'll hurt yourself more, so please lay back down."

Leon blinks, a bit surprised. To see you so authorative is rare, not that it bugs him or anything, it's just a surprise. What you said, though, you're right. Leon just feels weak, 'cause he's so used to doing things himself.

See in Leon's mind, you shouldn't have to look after him. He should be able to look after himself. He should be capable of doing that, he thinks. Though Leon can't help but find it nice to be cared for, even though he 'shouldn't.'

He mutters "okay", reclining his body back down into a comfortable position. "Thank you, love." you lean down to press a kiss to his lips, before turning and walking off to grab the food. Leon watches you, and all he can think about is how much he loves you.

----

"So..." you look from both DVD's in your hands, then back to Leon. "...what do you wanna watch?"

Leon cranes his neck to the side, One DVD is an action film, the other is a comedy. He loves action films, but..

"The comedy one."

"Gotcha." placing the action back, you walk over to the DVD player. Taking the dvd out of it's case and placing the case nearby, you kneel down to pop the DVD in, "...not feeling an action film?" and as you stand, you hear a hum of agreement.

You don't blame him for not wanting to watch an action film. He loves action films, you know, but because of the whole incident which resulted in his broken ribs, you understand that he'd want to watch something not actiony.

Picking the remote up off the table, you walk over to the bed. Leon is smiling up at you and oh how you love his smile. You lay down, carefully moving to lean against the bedframe as you don't want to injure Leon if you were to lean against him instead.

With a few taps of the remote, you begin the film. Then you put the remote next to you, and as the first scene of the movie plays, you turn to look at Leon. Leon isn't even looking at the tv, he's still looking at you- that look in his eyes, though? Even after years of being together, it always gives you butterflies.

It's like the first time he said he loved you, and the many times after that.

As you get more comfortable, and ready to focus on the movie, Leon decides to say something first.

"Thank you..."

"For what?"

You tilt your head at him, to which he replies. "For looking after me, and just being here for me, so thank you."

Leon deserves everything good in this world. He didn't deserve to go through what he did, and you would have prevented what happened, from happening, if you could. All you can do is be there for him, look after him as best as you can.

"You're welcome Leon."

You nod, stare at him a few seconds more, before looking at the TV. Though you can't help the butterflies when you feel his hand intertwine with your right one, and the feeling of warmness rises to your cheeks.

------

[madammidnightsblog]

My current thoughts on Kisaki Tetta because why not!

Kisaki is actually a good villain despite how much many hated him because, this kid was 13 years old and yet broke so many gangs up. Something that’s damn near impossible since they’re thick as thieves and usually have each others back. So, coming in and breaking by them up clearly takes lots of time and patience to manipulate and destroy from the inside without a trace. That shows just how interesting and intelligent he is.

His ability to control and lead Hanma who is older and stronger than him is also impressive even though Hanma had the upper hand on whether or not he wanted to follow him. I wished we got the story on why he decided to but at the same time, not telling us was clearly something Hanma would have loved. But to have a 16 year old follow a 13 year old without a single act of defiance or rebellion is very unique as Hanma is obviously someone that’s hard to tame. And yet, Kisaki was able to- not that we fully understand if it’s Hanma’s true decision there or he is playing it safe.

Falling in love with Hinata and becoming obsessed with her is lowkey sad to think of as Kisaki was a young boy that most didn’t love or like. It’s clear that even his own parents didn’t give him that either with how he took his feelings for Hinata and allowed them to intensify. It’s sad to see someone so intelligent and young fall into that mindset all because he was born a prodigy and turned into someone that’s hard became so obsessed and dangerous. I don’t blame Hinata for falling for Takemichi, but I feel bad for Kisaki as he watched the girl he loved fall for someone else. That must of hurt so much.

Now for adult Kisaki!

I feel like if Kisaki as an adult allowed himself to explore and put himself out there, I’m sure he would have fallen in love with another woman. Obviously his type would be like Hinata which wouldn’t be as easy to find, but I feel like he should have tried. Not that it would have taken away his obsession with Hinata easily but it would have really spilt his energy and focus. That would have delayed Hinata’s death in some way and probably frustrated him which would have it easier for Takemichi at some point. Not that would have really happened.

But Kisaki in the bad timeline, I feel like took a lot out of him and burnt him out a few times because who the hell had the power to use their brain constantly like that? I’m sure he let a lot of shit pass him on purpose and went back to it when he was able to rest. Which I’m sure Hanma gave him shit for because he mostly made jokes about how Tetta was a robot or something like that a few times. Especially with how he’s always scheming and acting in the shadows as if it was paying his rent.

I also feel like he kept eyes on Takemichi all the time when Takemichi wasn’t apart the gang in that one timeline. He obviously was obsessed with him too as he was the cause of Hinata falling for him so, that meant he had to have eyes on him when he was working at the DVD store. Probably frustrated with how someone so lame and immature like Takemichi was able to steal the girl under his nose without being as smart or diligent like him. Which most likely pissed him off and made him feel slightly insecure.

Not saying that Takemichi was much of a challenge for him to understand but, with Takemichi being more impulsive than intelligent, I’m sure it left him feeling a little insecure. Because he just acts on feeling and loses which was obviously going to happen, but yet somehow gets people to love and follow him. That must of made him feel insulted and upset that he had to manipulate and scare people into submission and yet, all Takemichi did was get beat up, cry, and claim he wouldn’t give up. That would have made anyone feel jealous because how could you compare to someone who got the charm and heroism that you lacked?

Now, in the good timeline, him being apart of the group and working with Koko was a surprise but it makes sense. Both of them are intelligent and very thorough with their work and it just makes it easier to work with someone who’s like you. With Koko being a financier, he was clearly going to work the company in a way that would benefit not only him and Tetta, but the employees as well without any worries of going bankrupt. He was smart with his money and knew how to nurture it in a way it would last, which made Kisaki’s job easier. Him knowing how to negotiate and manage business in a multitasking manner, he was able to work without feeling like he was crossing Koko.

And at that time, he was over Hinata and most likely learned to cope better and got help with his issues. Because Takemichi is a great friend that would have helped him at the source of his issues and would have aided him in moving on. So, I can guess he might if found himself looking for another woman as an adult. Maybe not, but what matters in this situation, he was no longer being self-destructive and harming others and himself. Meaning, that the last timeline, he was finally able to understand he was able to be loved instead of forcing others to love him.

That’s all I got. I used to hate Kisaki in the beginning for the obvious reasons but in a writer’s point of view, I learned to like him. He was clearly well written and had more to offer than most would think if given the time. But, I think he’s a great villain and I would love to see more of good timeline Kisaki to see what he does if it’s not involving Hinata.

[treedaddymcpuffpuff]

Beneath Miles of Stone - Part five - John Wick x Plus Size Fem Reader

Summary: John has been in prison for nine months. He’s content to stay if it means appeasing the high table and keeping peace between the owners of each continental. However, he meets someone who erases that willingness. Peace be dammed.

TW: Bullying

Michael has a lot of stuff. A lot of heavy stuff. Despite him assuring her that he can move it all in on his own, she still wants to help.

It would be kind of a dick move if she didn’t assist with all of this. An hour in, and the apartment is already transformed from bland and empty into a hoard of pastel rainbow decor and soft white staple pieces.

She takes a break to admire the painting of a fluffy white angel cat over watercolor Van Gogh scenery. Michael comes through the door, panting, with his White Cottage microwave in tow.

“Who painted this?” She asks him.

He smiles, blushes, puts the microwave down and then his hand on his hips. “I did.”

Her eyes grow wide. “This is amazing.”

He chuckles. “Thank you.”

She likes Michael a lot already, but she’s also very jealous of him and his many talents and cool possessions. He makes her want to decorate and be creative, both skills she’s never been able to possess correctly.

She hasn’t gotten the key made yet, so she goes out and does that while he starts unpacking his things. By the time she’s done, her apartment looks astonishing. Fairy lights twinkle over gauze white curtains and a big speaker plays soft hiphop music in one corner of the living room. Her couch is full of comfy white and grey fluffy throw pillows. An incense burner releases gourmand, smoky aroma into the air.

Michael is stretched out on the couch, taking a break, watching Legally Blonde on DVD. Her small TV is now in her room and his bigger flatscreen dwarfs the stand that it was on.

She sits down beside him with two glasses of water. Before she can set hers down on the coffee table, he stops her. “Wait! Coasters!”

He digs through two boxes of stuff before he finds new marble coasters for them to set their drinks on.

She laughs at him and he grins back. “I know, I know,” he tells her, “typical trust fund kid BS.”

“You’re fine,” she says. “I was laughing at the coasters because the table is already a mess.”

“Listen,” he says, “this table just needs some tee ell cee. A sander and some paint would do her wonders.” He pats the wooden top.

“Can I help?” She asks, excited and jumping at the opportunity a little too eagerly.

“Of course you can,” he assures.

She remembers him telling her that his mother is an artist. “Did your mom teach you to paint?”

He nods. “She also taught me how to make miniatures. You know, like dollhouses but for adults?”

“That’s amazing. Do you trade art with her?”

“I do,” he says, “we send things back and forth in the mail. Although my dad says it ‘clogs up their post office box’.”

“He’s not a fan of art?”

Michael snorts. “He hates everything except golf. Sometimes I think he hates me.”

She shakes her head. “Does he really hate you? You’re the perfect son.”

Michael sighs. “No, but he hates gay people, so it’s close enough. When I first came out to him, if my mother wouldn’t have been there, he would’ve probably shot me. He’s a real man’s man if you know what I mean...”

She nods, smiling ruefully. “Oh, I know exactly what you mean.”

Michael thinks for a moment. “We should get a dog.”

“I would love that, but it’s no pets here.”

He raises his eyebrows and sips at his water. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

They decide it has to be a quiet dog, one who’s comfortable being alone at night, and there are an abundance of local shelters displaying perfect furry candidates online.

“Rocky. Pitbull mix. Potty trained, good with kids and other pets, sweet and loves everyone.” She shows Michael a picture of a medium sized black, stout dog with shiny grey eyes.

Michael shows her his own selection, a retired service beagle named Winnie. “Short for Winnifred,” he reads, “loves people and other pets, very polite, and hardly ever barks.”

“I love them both,” she groans, leaning back into the couch cushions.

“Same,” Michael sighs. “It’s one in the afternoon. Do you work tonight?”

“Yup.” She presses an arm over her face, blocking out the ceiling light.

“Don’t you have to sleep?” He asks.

She’s not tired at all because she slept through the night—wet dreams work wonders on insomnia—but she agrees because Michael sounds like he needs some alone time. Plus, her DVDs and TV are in her room now, and if she can’t sleep she can watch an old, comfortable flick.

The problem isn’t getting to sleep, it’s staying there—waking up sweating, gasping, whining John’s name. She slaps her mouth shut, presses her face into her pillow, and prays to any deity listening that her voice wasn’t loud enough for Michael to hear. First day in the new place and his roommate is a fiend. It would make any sane person want to revoke their rental agreement immediately.

She should be embarrassed and anxious that Michael potentially heard her, but instead she’s grinding against her sheets and thinking of tall men handcuffed to beds.

This won’t work. This isn’t working. She’s so pent up that it’s borderline painful. She sticks her hand into her sleep pants, past her underwear, and into a sloppy mess, tries to think about anything but John while she rubs herself raw, but in doing so her brain latches onto the thought of him and pretty soon he’s the only thing on her mind.

She tries to paint a decent fantasy of what she would like sex with him to be, but really she doesn’t give a shit as long as it’s him. And that’s what scares her. He could be absolutely celibate and she’d still crave whatever he wanted to give her whether it be a rough kick or a soft caress—she’d be his dog, and **this is the worst time for her to realize that because her alarm is going off for work.

She orgasms at the cost of being ten minutes late.

The locker room lights are off when she goes to put her things away, which is unusual. Since she started, they’ve been lit around the clock. In fact, she’s not even sure where the light switch is in here because she’s never had to use it. Fumbling around in the pitch black is making her even tardier. Finally, when she finds the switch and flips it, the room illuminates, and standing under the migraine-inducing glow is someone who makes headaches seem like a dream come true.

Benny grins from his seat on the bench, which he quickly abandons in favor of looming over her. Once again, the sweaty, edematous mass of him blocks her exit.

She’s too busy contemplating if anyone would hear her scream to see him hold his open palm out expectantly.

“Give it to me,” he says.

“What?” She asks, imagining in another universe she sounds angry and oppositional instead of whiny and terrified. In another universe, she can also kick his ass. Not in this one, though. In this universe, she does as Benny demands and hands him her phone so she doesn’t have to suffer through the touch of his greasy skin a second time.

He holds her phone in one hand while the other holds his own. She doesn’t bother trying to see what he’s doing because she can’t get her feet to move let alone stand on tiptoes and look over his shoulder.

This goes on for a while in which her only thought consists of asking herself if she could run to the door and make it into the populated infirmary before he can catch her. Again, this is a solution mainly dependent on her stubborn feet.

She’s not really worried about what he puts on her phone. It’s what he’s getting from it that sets her pulse careening.

He reaches out and tries to shove it into her jacket pocket, but luckily that’s when her feet decide to save her and step away from his hands. He scowls at her like she just insulted his mother.

“Fine.” Benny opens his hand and drops her phone on the stone floor. She winces when she hears the shatter, then looks back up at his pleased, disgusting expression.

“Remember our trip.” He pushes past her, not enough to hurt but to make her yelp and stumble, and slams the door shut on his way out.

Her phone isn’t broken. The screen has a tiny crack in one corner but other than that it’s still perfect.

She grabs her bag from her locker and brings it with her to the nurse’s station, labeling the locker room as an unsafe and off limits space, which are becoming more bountiful by the day.

John is not her patient tonight. On her day off they must have had an influx of admissions because she’s responsible for 10 of them and the infirmary is unusually and appropriately staffed.

Her hopes of his nurse trading him are slim to none because he’s a wonderful patient and over time everyone has seemed to agree that they want him on their assignment sheet.

The other nurse’s that take and give her report always talk about what a cool, easy going guy he is and how they’re surprised that he needs that many guards with him.

“What do you think he did?” Stan, one of the day shift nurses, asks her.

“My bet’s on released a circus full of wild animals and let them trample a small town, but I could be wrong.” She taps her pen against her report sheet and laughs at her own joke.

Stan snorts. “He probably killed some rich guys.”

The other nurses like him so much that most of their theories on why John is in four point restraints with four men guarding him at all times is because he’s done something valiant that pissed someone powerful off.

That’s probably the other reason his wound looks better; not just because of her, but because if you like a patient or connect with them you’re more than likely going to give them the best care you can provide.

If she’s honest, it kind of makes her feel sick. Not because everyone has grown to like John, but because that means she’ll have less chance of being his nurse from here on out. Also, she knows it’s kindergarten mentality, but she liked him and treated him well first while the other ones had to get to know him beforehand.

Her case load is heavy. A couple IV’s, wound changes, someone with a tracheostomy. She sits down to chart, finally, at 3 AM.

One of the other nurses, Bill, calls for her across the hall.

She fights the urge to groan while standing on sore feet and walking over to his medication cart.

Bill grins at her, looking like he’s really enjoying himself. “My patient in 9 wants to see you.”

“Me?” She asks.

Bill shrugs, still looking very amused. “He says he needs to tell you something.”

“What?”

“I don’t know,” Bill tells her. “Seems that he likes your company, though.” He gives an eyebrow raise at the awkward expression crawling onto her face.

She reminds herself that this her workplace for the 80th time and that Bill’s suggestive expressions are just him messing around. Joking. That’s all. He’s joking.

John is watching the door, waiting for her. When she pops in like a mouse and scurries to his bed, he feels the urge to pat her on the head for showing up which would be the only thing he could do to stop himself from grabbing her up and kissing her.

His smile is wide and genuine. “How’s the roommate search?”

“Uh, I got one.” She smiles timidly, hoping he doesn’t think she’s erratic and air-headed for finding someone so fast

His eyes widen just the smallest bit. “That’s good, is she…nice?”

She nods too eagerly. “He’s great. And he has great decorations.”

The key word here—at least the one his ears attune to—is he. Not because a woman and a man living together automatically entails romance or connection, but because John knows men—John is a man—and most of them turn out to be less than good.

He tries not to look mean, to keep his smile, to focus on her being here with him in the present and alive and well; If he doesn’t, rage will start talking, nefarious, whispering sin in his ear, assuring him that it wouldn’t be hard to break out of these handcuffs and make sure her roommate becomes her loyal dog for the rest of the time he spends living with her and alive.

“If you wouldn’t have suggested it, I’d probably be homeless by next week.” She tries to sway the conversation toward optimism because she sees something in his expression that reads like he’s a little upset. He probably does think she’s a moron at this point.

Maybe it’s just good that she’s happy. He tries to shift focus onto that. The roommate can’t be malignant if she’s so upbeat.

It’s been very easy to talk to John most times, but then there are moments like this when something awkward and unsaid hangs between them and more often than not she doesn’t know what it is. Maybe he doesn’t either.

“Just be careful,” is what he decides to say.

She chuckles. “I will, don’t worry.”

He doesn’t understand what’s funny—again, but he appreciates the laugh. One of them can get him through a few hours, and they’re so easy to wring out of her pretty throat.

One of the security guards stands, stretches, yawns. He says he’s going to take a break. The other guards are asleep, so once he leaves they’ll be alone.

“I’m gonna go to vending, John you want anything?” He asks.

John shakes his head no. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry if I bothered you while you were busy,” he says, too eager to talk as soon as the guard walks out. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

She purses her lips, which he thinks means she’s trying not to leak an expression that will probably be embarrassing. Really, she’s trying to tame her lion heart back into its cage before it sinks its teeth into him and refuses to let go.

“I’m okay, John.” She attempts smiling. “You’re the one in the hospital bed.”

He shrugs like his stab wound and near death are just a hiccup.

She talks again. “And I’m glad you called me in. I like talking to you.”

His face is all smile now. “Likewise.”

He tells her to pull up a chair if she wants, and she steals one of the metal ones that the breaking guard left behind, sitting by his bedside. They start with a casual conversation about the weather that turns into a discussion on harsh winters in Belarus.

“Did you grow up there?” She asks him.

He nods. “I traveled a lot.”

“So, you’re Russian?” She puts her chin in her palm and stares at him like he is the most interesting person in the world. She’s adorable like this. He wants to brush the stray hairs from her cheeks.

“Yes. American, now.”

“Do you speak Russian?” Her eyebrows raise.

“да, красивая девушка” His tone automatically slides into a deeper baritone when he says this, and it makes her shudder.

He needs to be nerfed. Outlawed. He should not be handsome, nice, like-able, and be able to speak a different language in his perfect voice. It’s really not fair at all.

She’s too busy trying to tame her rogue thoughts to ask him what he even said. The desire to climb into his lap and straddle him crosses her mind twenty times in different ways. She blinks heavy. “You’re the coolest person I know.”

They talk until the guard comes back from his break, mainly about Belarus and what it was like there and where else he has traveled.

Although she has a ton of charting to catch up on, she doesn’t want to leave him. The taste of human connection is on her tongue after a couple years of abstinence and she’s becoming addicted.

When she exits his room, it’s with reluctance and impressive self control.

She tells him to sleep. He promises he’ll try.

It would be easier to do her job if she wasn’t catching Benny sneering at her whenever they’re in the same space, but she gets through it, reasoning that John has it worse than her because he has to suffer through six hours with the asshole guard in his room. And, it’s easier also because of…well, John himself.

[tarabyte3]

Tell me ur fav thing abt Andy <3

You're giving me the opportunity to gush about one of my favorite topics, and I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity. 💖 Trying to narrow it down to 5 things was difficult because there's so much about him that is pretty great. 😌

His sense of humor

Lesser known fact about Andy: he's a little troll. He actually loves doing the Gollum voice to make people laugh. You can see exactly how pleased he is with himself every time. He's also very good at being cheeky and sly, and the man loves to make himself laugh as well. It's infectious as fuck, especially when he does the nose scrunch. If you've ever listened to him tell a story or watched one of his Stephen Colbert interviews, it really shines through then and it's great. (This is why the last time I met him at a con, making him have to stop what he was doing to genuinely laugh was one of my best moments)

His passion

He loves what he does, but more than that he believes in it. He believes in the advancement of film technology that he's constantly in the thick of, and he believes in the importance of creativity and stories. It shows in every interview he gives. When he talks, he puts his entire body into it in the same way he does when he acts. He thinks stories can make the world a better place, and I find that level of hope and optimism beautiful and inspiring.

His talent

I own all of his movies and shows on DVD. (This is not hyperbole. If it was released on DVD, I own it.) So I have seen some pretty terrible things just because Andy is in them, but even then, HIS performance is never bad. Even in films or TV shows from the 90s when he was just getting warmed up, he was already a very good actor. And he's only gotten better. Just look at The Planet of the Apes trilogy. If his performance capture work doesn't convince you, watch Andor. Watch The Accused. Watch Death of a Superhero.

Take that and apply it to his directing, his innovation in performance capture, and his audiobooks. He plays the tenor sax beautifully, he paints, he does photography. In other words: it's not fair. 🥺

His generosity and kindness

He's constantly supporting or working with charities, particularly when it comes to children and education. He also does conventions just to be able to connect with his fans. Because he absolutely doesn't need the money and the man is insanely busy, but he still travels (sometimes twice in one weekend) just to spend time at conventions and sit at a table for hours. He meets hundreds of people in a day, and he still treats everyone with the same level of kindness and excitement and energy. Doesn't matter if you see him first thing or right before the convention closes. You get him at his best.

And finally: HAVE Y'ALL SEEN THIS MAN? JESUS CHRIST HNNGGG

Like oh my god. Oh my fucking god. The world can be a shitty place, but as long as that face exists I will have some hope. As a treat. Because that jawline and those beautiful nasolabial folds makes me want to believe there is a god.

[cookie-lore-keeper]

Half-moon Cookie! Half-moon Cookie! What do the archives look like? I’m trying really hard to imagine them!

I was actually about to talk about what my archives look like! Thank you for asking!

My archives (called the Half-Moon Archives) is in the Dream World and located between the world of cookies and the world of witches. It's always nighttime, and it accessible to both cookies and witches through the use of dreams. Sometimes, cookies who seek knowledge will wake up in my archives in their dreams. While it's called the archives, it also doubles as a museum.

If your worried about not being able to enter due to your dreams being hard to control, don't worry! I'm a firm believer that knowledge shouldn't be hidden, so it's not as hard to access if you think. Really, all you need to do is just... want to to there and hope to be before you fall asleep, and you can just go there. The reason many cookies don't go is purely because they just don't know it exists.

My archives are actually... very big. It has all the knowledge and records of Earthbread, as well as some stuff from the witches world. It can be overwhelming, so I try my best to keep everything nice and organized.

Also, be aware: I have a cat named Mooncake and an Owl named Wane, also called the Archive Owl. Mooncakes is very friendly and will come up to visitors for personal, but Wane is quite shy and doesn't like when other cookies come by to pet him, though, he likes to sit in corners and watch. Please respect his privacy, and if you see him, please kindly leave him alone.

The Library

(Last picture is art by Meghan Casey on ArtStation)

The largest section of my archives, and its the first thing you'll see when you enter! The library is big enough to fit humans, as witches like to come here too sometimes (though, they don't stay long. They mostly come by to drop off recipes or scrolls or books or whatever). Don't be intimidated by them if you see one! The only witches I allow in my archives are the ones that do not eat cookies, and I know that they're like gods to you, but you're more similar to them than you think. Most wouldn't mind having a chat with you!

It has both human-sized books/scrolls and cookie sized ones, but a lot of them are cookie sized. The library is sectioned off by kingdoms, cultures, genres, and time periods. The books here ecompass almoat everyrhing about the sections listed below, as well as more than that. If you have any questions about a specific text, just ask me! I'm always nearby.

Audio-Records Hall

If you're more of an audio learner, the Audio Records hall is perfect for your! This includes discs, DVDs, videos, and tapes of information, either through someone saying what happened or even by someone who was there as it was happening!

Genealogy Hall

The Geneology Section has the family trees, ingredients, and flavors for each cookie on Earthbread. It's where I get my ingredient pictures from for the ingredients post.

Planetarium

My personal favorite spot of the Archives that isn't the library. The Planetarium has both the night sky of the Cookie World as well as the night sky for the Witch's world. All you gotta do is pull a lever to switch between the two!

Art Hall

The art section of my archives depicts historical art from the cultures of Earthbread. Like the library, it's sectioned by kingdoms, cultures, and genres. Most of the things here are paintings, since other items could fit into the artifacts section.

Since we're getting to physical objects that come from Earthbread mentioned, I feel the need to say this: NONE OF THE ART OR ARTIFACTS IS STOLEN ART! Instead, I made exact replicas of them that I am able to put into the archives. They're exactly the same; just copies made to fit into the dream world. They can't be taken out of the dream world, so don't even try. (Unless I make you able to, but I probably won't).

Artifacts Hall

Things way from the typical paintings. While there is a lot of relics from the Guild Museums here, but I also have so many more items than that as well! Like most things here, it's categorized by Kingsom, culture, and time period.

Magic Hall

The Hall dedicated to magic and how it works! Magic is such a fun thing and it goes over the different types of magic, how witches use the magic, how cookies use the magic, how magic effects us in the world today, etc, etc.

Biology Hall

Goes over the biology of cookies and other dessert creates in the world. It also goes over how specific types of ingredients effect cookies who have those ingredients, which I think is very interesting.

My Room

The only spot at the archives that I'd say are off limits, simply because I like my personal space. My room is at the very top floor in a dome-shaped tower. It works as my bedroom, my kitchen, and my study. If you can't find Mooncakes or Wane anywhere, they're probably in here. I have both cookie-sized items and human-sized items, as I switch between the two often.

Oh! I also have way, way too many ingredients there. If you need some ingredients for cooking or literally baking yourself a child, just come ask. Seriously, istg, I have everything.

[nitrateglow]

So, I just upgraded my copy of Wait Until Dark to blu-ray, and as I was watching the opening scene with our three criminals, I started thinking about something...I don't think I've ever asked you this, lol...

What do you think Roat would have done if Mike hadn't insisted on looking inside the closet? If he and Carlino had agreed to do the job and just left? How would Roat have kept the two of them on the hook, so to speak?

Also, what do you think they would have done if Susy had not gone to Sam's studio? If Sam had told her that he wasn't going to wait for Leciana anymore, and he'd be home in 20 minutes...do you think they would have just bolted, leaving Lisa's body hanging on the closet door?

Time for a long answer. May God have mercy on my soul.

Btw good on upgrading to bluray. The bluray's image quality is so dramatically superior to the greyed out looking DVD.

As for your questions--

If Mike hadn't insisted on looking in the closet, I think Roat would have tried guiding him to the bedroom indirectly-- or directly, I suppose, if he felt Mike was too dense/stubborn. Lisa being dead is a big part of the con plot, so even if they were like "yeah we'll work with you" and even if they were like "cool you killed Lisa, I hated her," knowing she is dead and dumping the corpse where it will be found is still part of the story, so he very well can't have them leave without knowing. And even if they were like "oh no, you killed Lisa :( we thought you were cool," it still suits Roat's purposes. This whole mission is just as much about Roat having a good time as it is retrieving the drugs (something Arkin has said in a lot of interviews), and his idea of a good time is manipulating and controlling people. He ain't here to make friends.

If Sam had claimed he was coming home ASAP, Roat would have probably done what he did in the same scene in the original play-- call Sam up, pretend to be Liciana's assistant, and beg him to wait a bit longer to buy more time. Only it probably would have been at the phone booth, after sneaking out of the apartment-- which would have been a feat in and of itself given Susy's now staying put, but still doable depending on what she was doing/what room she was in.

If Sam was still going to wait longer and Susy planned on staying home, that could've gotten very unpleasant fast. Leaving the corpse behind would be the worst-case scenario since it would invite the cops over, delay getting the heroin back, risk the heroin being discovered by the police, etc. Really, the ideal scenario here would be the men being able to somehow lure Susy out of the apartment and then distract her outside while the other two move the corpse in the carpet to Roat's Scooby Doo van. It would be hard for them to communicate wordlessly with her there, but they manage it a few times in the actual movie, so who knows? (That would dance on the edge of farce. I’m just chuckling imagining it.)

And if they couldn't lure her out and weren't willing to leave the stiff in the closet? Well, that could get grisly.

While rewatching the movie the other day, I noticed when Susy floats the idea of waiting at home, the film cuts to a reaction shot of Roat and he doesn’t look nervous or even annoyed at the potential downfall of his entire scheme (see the clip above, starting at the 2 minute mark). He looks intrigued, but it’s hard to get a read on why that might be.

Because he likes the challenge? Or because he might get to skip to the physical violence?

If he did plan on just skipping to threats of arson and murder, he would still have the other two to contend with and I imagine he might suspect they may be squeamish about physically torturing an innocent woman. That whole thing could’ve been a shitshow and a whole other story entirely. Probably more like a giallo.

That was a fun question! Thanks for the ask.

[verdemoun]

timewarp bill watching brokeback mountain

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN IS A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE FOR THE ENTIRE GANG

Kieran was the one who discovered it, admittedly just seeing cowboy hats and pictures of horses and sheep and going yay western movie because he still can't read and the images on the dvd cover were not suggestive in the slightest.

He proceeded to watch it alone, mouth hanging open, edge of his seat, going through the emotional rollercoaster that is Brokeback Mountain. The second he finished it he very urgently walked around the house and dragged as many of the 1899 gang into the living room and forced them to sit on the couch 'you need to watch this right now'.

Emotional damage on mass scale. Lenny and Sean watch it curled up in each other's arms and just absolutely entangled in each other for support with Sean just crying into Lenny's back. Can of beans becomes the code for lube.

Hosea and Arthur going through the 'watching sex scenes with your parent/child' awkwardness but both are just projecting so hard they really do need the emotional support to get through the movie. Like Arthur is very much trying not to cry thinking about Charles at the end and Hosea just has to put a hand on his shoulder.

The dvd sits next to the bible on Kieran's bookshelf of precious belongings.

BUT BILL. BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL.

Naturally Kieran loans him his precious dvd and Bill is like is this about homosexuals no fucking way in hell I am watching this. Kieran stares at him autistically and Bill admits he's going to watch it the second he gets home and will let Kieran know what he thinks.

Bill's entire sense of being is shattered and put together again over 134 minutes. It becomes his go to comfort movie. The way the film creates homophobia and the sexual and narrative tension of how much they want to be together despite the era? The terror of making that one mistake and getting caught - Brokeback Mountain was created specifically to target Bill Williamson and it gets him every single time.

If not for Brokeback Mountain, Bill might have taken an extra 2-5 business years to actually be able to admit to himself he is gay. It was his modern era reawakening.

Also Bill and Mac two dudes chilling on the sofa 5 feet apart watching Brokeback Mountain in complete silence because they're not gay. Not realizing absolutely everyone is aware of the film and their casual quoting 'this is a god damn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation' is not supporting their 'i ain't queer' arguments.

[aihoshiino]

It was obvious Ai loved him…but seeing it said on screen still makes it tragic…i almost felt i had a lump in my stomach Hikaru could've been alright if they just had a happy family together but no 😭😭 with the dvd now revealed, do you think Ai would've gotten back together with Hikaru if she knew that "I can't love you" was a lie? Even as a family i feel like that's a possibility now

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, ngl… now we have the full context of the HKAI breakup and a better overall understanding of their r/s dynamic, I've actually been thinking about their first on-scree conversation in episode/volume 1 - where Ai speaks to him on the payphone. I'd always kind of zeroed in on it as important because it was the one and only time pre-flashback that we'd gotten an actual exchange between the two of them, one sided as it was. And I was especially always really curious about the "No, I'm not trying to get back together" line because it implies A Lot even when we just hear Ai's words.

And now that we know that the HKAI relationship was 1) so unhealthily codependent that Earth's Most Autistic Creature, Ai Hoshino noticed and went mmm i gotta get the fuck outta here 2) ended by Ai herself and 3) Hikaru met that breakup attempt with LET'S GET MARRIED I think it makes it clear that the moment Ai reached out to him he immediately leapt to thinking there was a chance of them getting back together, probably out of pure wishful thinking. And Ai, realizing that he hadn't moved on or been able to grow past her, had to gently but firmly turn him down. And keeping in with that theme of miscommunication tragedies, they were probably both having a VERY different conversation:

What Ai meant: "[I know I'd just be a burden to you, especially with the twins and I don't want to put that weight back on you so] I'm not trying to get back together." What Hikaru heard: "[You're a burden and I can't bear the weight of putting up with you so of course] I'm not trying to get back together."

Minor sidebar, but Takahashi actually highlights that moment in particular during her interview in First Report, the anime guidebook (I promise I'll get it translated soon… I promise…!!!), noting that Akasaka actually gave her the full details as to the HKAI dynamic so she knew how to properly convey Ai's feelings for him at that moment (then noted that as a fan of the original manga she has very mixed feelings about getting spoilers… bless her LOL). So Ai's vocal delivery in that scene can also be considered a pretty big clue…

ANYWAY UH. My point is that I don't think they'd ever get back together unless Hikaru got his shit together and was more stable & less prone to clinging onto Ai at the first opening. She herself even says that they broke up because his obsession with her was consuming him and she wanted him to be able to stand on his own without her, because she thought that was better for him. It's possible that him and Ai being in each other's lives vis-a-vis the twins and Ai being more able to set boundaries (in hindsight, her turning him down is actually really good progress for her!) he could've developed a more healthy relationship with her, but his fixation on her then and in the present day is so all consuming I guess it's hard for me to imagine.

[extralively]

Satoru's apartment (Part 1)

Continuing with my whole thing of trying to make the characters' apartments from my fic in The Sims, let's finally get into Satoru's apartment! ....Or part of it, because his apartment is fairly big lol. Here's the layout:

*The office and washroom are blurred because I haven't actually gotten around to them yet lol

Satoru's place is pretty big, but not the biggest he could have afforded because he is just one guy... so a fairly "modest" apartment will do.

("modest" my ass lmao)

His apartment is pretty neat, which tends to surprise people that expect someone like him to make a mess of things, lol. But Satoru had a pretty strict childhood so some things just stuck with him, and along with the way his family never allowed him to decorate his room in the Gojo Estate with trinkets and stuff, most of his apartment ended up the same--almost void of personality. The things he actually cherishes are kept away from prying eyes, even if this is his own apartment.

Honestly, I had a few very vivid images of what I thought his apartment looked like in my head (or parts of it), and it was kinda tough trying to put them all together into a definite layout lmao. If I made some weird architectural choices, well.... good thing I'm not an actual architect! I just really wanted to make it look like how I pictured it in my head.

In this post we'll take a look at the living room/fireplace/dining area and the kitchen after the cut!

The entrance is pretty spacious, and right behind the camera here there's a door leading to a whole ass closet for shoes and coats and stuff.

This here is the living room, where Satoru spends a lot of his free time watching movies (especially when he has people over. And by people I mean Yura and Shoko, mostly). He has a bunch of DVDs and Blu rays there on the shelf behind the TV, and he also has a couple of video game consoles that he doesn't use a lot.

Yes, this is where the Movie Night oneshot took place (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)... among other scenes.

(That corridor in the second pic with the white door leads to the guest bedroom, the office, and the washroom. That white door is the guest room, specifically.)

This is the fireplace area! Satoru doesn't actually use the fireplace a lot since he has central heating in the entire apartment, but in the opening chapter of Deeper in the Dark, this is where Satoru made a little pillow nest on the floor for him and Yura to snuggle... and yes, other things.

It's got a pretty good view! (...just pretend it's Tokyo back there)

(That corridor in the first pic leads to his bedroom.)

Here is the dining room that Satoru only uses when he has people over, otherwise it's just easier to eat in the kitchen or outside in the balcony (more on the balcony in another post... cause I still need to make it prettier lmao)

Also I might make some changes to this dining area at some point because I'm not 100% sure on the decor yet....

And here's the kitchen! This is the one place that has the most trinkets on display, a lot of novelty items that were mostly gifted to him by Yura over the years (and that he actually makes a point to use). Funny mugs, cookie jars, silly sugar bowls--since Satoru is filthy rich, it's very hard to give him gifts, so Yura eventually found out that he actually likes being given 'stupid stuff', in her words.

I had a very vivid image of the kitchen entrance in my head from that chapter where Yura was sleeping in the guest bedroom after coming back from NYC, and she sleepily stumbles into a shirtless Satoru with his back to her by the counter... cue her brain short circuiting for a moment lmao.

Anyway, next up should be the bedrooms! It's been a struggle making this apartment because I had to download so much CC and mods to be able to make things look the way I wanted to, and I'm still constantly changing things lol. If I do decide to change something, we'll just call it Satoru renovating his apartment at some point throughout the years lmao