#also i love justin's sense of humor

[the-owl-tree]

isle of dogs thoughts pls?

i'm not particular well read on orientalism (i should probably finish edward said's book on it). justin chang's examination of orientalism and its handling of japan is a good place to start if you're looking for analysis and examinations of the film in that regard as its the most well known one and will give you a good "leap off point" if you're looking for similar work on the film.

when isle of dogs is about the titular dogs i am fully invested, i love the stopmotion animation (the animation itself is just gorgeous. the way the models are animated, the way the fur moves - i love it!!), the off beat sense of humor (chief pausing his story to bite off a flea then spitting it into a golf hole). i like the premise, i like the characters, and i think it's a fun film! but i also like wes anderson's films, i like his style and i like his sense of humor. it also helps that i love fantastic mr fox, it's one of my top ten all time favorite films.

i remember having some gripes with the character of nutmeg and her role in the movie (though gender and wes anderson films is a whole thing in itself), i'd have to rewatch for more solid thoughts.

[yournecessaryevil]

💊 Sick From The Melt 💊

💀CHRIS MOTIONLESS X READER ONESHOT💀

Everyone knows he's got the voice of an absolute angel, some might even say a siren, perhaps. But what happens when Chris suddenly ends up sick and that voice can no longer be heard...?

• fluff; language; mentions of illness

"I'm telling you, there's something off about him today."

You heaved a sigh, trying hard to ignore the raised eyebrow you were currently receiving from Ricky, as the two of you sat across from each other at one of the tables in Starbucks.

"I mean, he didn't even move when I told him we were stopping here to grab some coffee. He almost never says no to Starbucks," the guitarist continued, throwing a glance over his shoulder towards the front windows, where you both could see the bus parked across the street.

"There's nothing off about him, maybe he just wanted to sleep in today, be lazy?" you argued. But you knew even as you said it that it was a lie. Ricky had made a fair point; in the short time you'd been touring with the band, you'd noticed a few things about each member.

Ricky refused to wait for late people, he couldn't stand them. He was also a bit of a perfectionist, not so unlike the band's lead vocalist, Chris. The two of them put together could be an absolute nightmare, sometimes. Justin had taken on sort of the "dad" role of the group occasionally, many a time without even realizing it.

Both Ryan and Vinny were pretty chill people to work with, and if you had to admit it, you found that Ryan wasn't actually as intimidating as you had first thought. And there had been many a night where Vinny's good sense of humor had helped save what would have otherwise been a very long, stressful road trip.

You had also learned within the first week that Chris did indeed love his coffee as much as the band's guitarist had implied. There were a few mornings where the two of you would be up and about much earlier than any of the other band members, so you and Chris would either stay in and make your own coffee, or go out and get coffee together.

It had become a sort of routine, a daily ritual of sorts, for the two of you.

Which was why you knew, deep down, that Ricky's suspicions might actually be correct.

Maybe there was indeed something off about Chris today.

"You know I'm right, I can see it," the guitarist pointed out, echoing your inner thoughts.

With another sigh, you nodded in agreement, your gaze drifting for a moment to rest behind Ricky's left shoulder, on the tour bus still parked and waiting across the street.

"I mean, you saw how he looked, right? He looks like he hasn't gotten any sleep since two days ago," Ricky continued quietly.

Your eyes shifted to meet his, before you let your gaze drop, staring down at the steaming paper cup of coffee clutched between your hands.

He was right again; the brief glimpse you had gotten of Chris before the two of you had left... there had been something different about him.

He did indeed look like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep in a while. But you had assumed he'd be fine, nothing a long nap wouldn't cure, really.

"Maybe it's just the stress of touring, I don't know. I don't really want to think of anything worse right now, do you?" you answered softly.

Ricky offered you a rueful smile, nodding in agreement before taking a sip of his coffee and getting up from the table. "Here, come on, let's get back before they get on our asses, yeah? I think we've kept 'em waiting long enough," he spoke up, with another gentle smile.

With a nod, you got up, following him out of the coffee shop and across the street, towards the tour bus. Hopefully things would start looking up, and soon...

"You sure you're gonna be okay out there? You look like death warmed over," you remarked. Chris waved you off with a rather weak smile, shrugging in response. "I'll be fine," he replied, before closing his eyes and letting you finish with his stage makeup.

When you were done, you stood back, admiring your work before watching Chris as he struggled to get up from the chair. A gentle frown marred your features as you continued to watch him, wincing as Chris suddenly went into a brief coughing fit before he disappeared into the back room to retrieve something.

Ricky's suspicions had definitely proven correct; there was something wrong with Chris.

The vocalist seemed weaker than usual the past few days, and you might be mistaken, but you could swear that his voice was fading, too. He also didn't seem to have as much energy or enthusiasm for things as he usually did.

It was a drastic change from the Chris you'd grown to know and love over the past couple of months you'd spent touring with the band.

Something was definitely wrong.

His words almost an exact mirroring of your inner thoughts, you suddenly heard Vinny speak up.

"Dude, he's been in there for a while, it's too quiet, something's up."

"Like what was up with the laundry?" someone asked, earning a round of laughter from the group. Vinny waved them all off with a scoff, although even from here, you could see the poorly concealed grin on his face.

Still, maybe he was right, maybe someone should go check on the lead vocalist...

"Guys, I'll be right back, hold on," you spoke up, heading towards the back room. The trace of a smile you still wore from moments earlier now vanished the instant you stepped foot into the room.

Your eyes widened as you took in the unmoving figure lying prone on the floor, an unopened bottle of water resting a few feet away from his hand. Your heart thundering in your chest, you threw a panicked glance over your shoulder, locking eyes with Ricky, who frowned.

"Call the paramedics! Now!" you told him, your voice trembling. You didn't even wait to hear his response; turning back around, you dropped to your knees beside Chris, grabbing ahold of his wrist and checking for a pulse.

It was still there, sure, but it seemed weaker than normal, or perhaps that was just your imagination...?

"Chris?? Can you hear me??"

Your desperate cries went unanswered, the vocalist's eyes remaining closed and his breathing shallow. Growing more anxious with every second that ticked by, you reached out with both hands, grabbing ahold of one of Chris's shoulders and trying to shake him awake.

"Chris! Please! You can't-"

"Hey, stop, shh," Ricky's gentle voice suddenly interrupted from your left. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him kneel down next to you, taking one of Chris's wrists and checking for a pulse, much as you had done earlier.

A frown crossed his features, and he sat there, studying Chris for a moment, before releasing his friend's wrist and turning his attention towards you.

"Did he collapse when you walked in here, or was he already like this?" the guitarist asked softly. You felt hot tears forming at the corners of your eyes, making no effort to wipe them away as they slipped down your cheeks.

"He... he was like this when I came in here, I f-found him, he- he-" you couldn't even string a full sentence together anymore, your breath was coming out in quick, trembling gasps.

"Okay, hey, shh. Listen to me, Y/N. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to go and wait out there with the guys, yeah? Can you do that for me?" Ricky asked. You locked eyes with him then, giving him a minute shake of your head.

"No, what about Chris-" you began, but the guitarist shook his head at you, cutting you off with a gentle smile. "Don't worry about Chris. I want you to go wait for us, I'll take care of everything," he reassured you.

Taking your hand in his, he helped you up off the floor, leading you out of the room, but not before you threw one last worried glance over your shoulder at Chris.

"Paramedics are on their way, about ten minutes out," someone informed Ricky quietly. He nodded, leading you over to one of the couches in the room, giving you a gentle push on the shoulders to sit down.

"Here, just... stay here for me, okay? I'm gonna go check on Chris," he said softly, offering you a rueful smile, before turning around and heading towards the back room again.

The next few minutes seemed to drag on, each second slowly blurring into the next, the guys' voices becoming muffled and unintelligible as exhaustion eventually settled in.

Before you knew it, you were lying down on your side, letting your eyes fall closed, worried thoughts of Chris and what would happen to him drifting through your mind before darkness finally closed in...

Death.

Dying, death, dead...

Wait, he wasn't dead, was he??

It certainly felt as though he had.

Every part of him ached, his throat felt like shit, and what the ever loving fuck was that annoying sound he kept hearing?

Trying to open his eyes was an entirely different struggle in itself, and the minute he'd accomplished this, he instantly wished he hadn't.

Everything was... too bright, too clean and white and... wrong, somehow.

A low groan tore itself free from his raw, aching throat, followed by the softest of gasps from somewhere on his right.

"Chris?"

Wait a minute. He knew that voice.

He'd recognize it anywhere, she'd only been touring with them for a few months now, but he'd know the sound of her voice anywhere.

Y/N...

It seemed to take every ounce of energy he had left in him for Chris to turn his head to the right, just enough to see the figure sitting beside him.

"Y/N-" he began, struggling to get the words out. But he stopped short upon hearing the sound of his own voice. Or rather, the lack, thereof.

It was no more than a whisper, worse than he'd ever heard it.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

"Don't... don't talk. They said you need to be put on vocal rest..." Y/N told him quietly.

He could hear the worry in her voice, see it on her face.

"How long?" he breathed, unsure if she'd be able to hear him.

"The doctors said it could be days, maybe weeks, given the amount of shit your throat's been put through," came Ricky's voice, from somewhere near the foot of the bed.

Only then did it fully register with Chris just where exactly he was.

He'd been admitted to a hospital-?

What the fuck even happened??

"What hap-" he started, but he couldn't even get the rest of the words out, his throat was fucking killing him.

"Ricky, what was it they said he had?" Y/N asked, looking towards the foot of the bed.

His bandmate slowly came into view then, taking a seat beside Y/N and tiredly running a hand through his hair.

"You have what they called a bronchial infection. So... as far as any future shows go, we're gonna have to cancel," Ricky answered.

Almost immediately, Chris shook his head in protest, a frown marring his features.

"We can't-" he started, but his bandmate held up a finger to silence him.

"Chris, man. You can't sing. You can barely talk, what do you think's gonna happen if we put you out there on that stage? You're only gonna cause further damage to your throat. No, you need to rest, we'll figure something out," he said, exchanging a glance with Y/N.

She reached out then, taking one of his hands in hers.

"Chris, you... you collapsed in the back room of the venue. I thought- I thought maybe that was it," she whispered.

"Anyway, Ricky's right," she continued, her gaze dropping to stare down at their entwined hands, "you need some rest. The fans will understand, you know they will. Your health is more important right now."

"Look, Ryan and Justin have already reached out to the venue's manager and kinda told them what happened. We'll issue a refund for this part of the tour, and for the next few dates too. Right now, you just need to give your voice a break, man," Ricky added.

"We could always get Ashes to cover your guys' portion of the show, or the guys from Omens. You know they always draw a big crowd," Y/N quietly interjected. In his periphery, Chris saw his bandmate nod in agreement.

"Exactly, they'll cover us for the time being, I'm sure Noah's got no issues with it," he agreed.

So that was it, then?

They would just, what, decide all of this without hearing his input on things??

Ever observant, Y/N was quick to notice the expression on Chris's face.

"You know I'm right, please... you can't- I don't- I don't want you causing further damage, I don't want you hurting yourself more-" she said softly.

The pleading look in those eyes of hers, it could have broken him down right then and there.

This was really it, then. They were serious, she was serious about all of this...

A weary, broken sigh managed to slip through the cracks before he could stop it, and Y/N offered him a sympathetic smile in response.

"I know. But... it's only a few weeks, yeah? We can make it that long, right?"

We.

She really cared more than he thought she would, didn't she?

Something about the way she looked at him now, the determination in her eyes, the way her hand remained tightly clasped in his, like she was fighting to keep it together for everybody, for him-

It was something to be admired, really.

Another sigh, this time in weary resignation, as Chris finally nodded.

"Alright. Then it's done. You're on mandatory vacation for the next few weeks, along with the rest of us," Ricky spoke up, trying to lighten the mood a little.

By some miracle, it seemed to work, a faint smile flickering across Chris's face before it was gone.

"Do you want anything? Tea? Water?" Y/N asked softly, her brows furrowing in concern.

He answered her with a weak shake of his head, instead giving her hand the tightest squeeze he could manage at the moment.

"Stay."

That one word took every bit of effort he had, clawing its way out of his throat in a strangled half-whisper.

And yet, she still heard it, answering him with a silent nod and a reassuring (albeit faltering) smile.

Y/N did indeed stay, up until Chris found his eyes falling closed again, the physical and mental exhaustion becoming too much for him.

But before the welcoming waves of unconsciousness set in, he could have sworn he heard Y/N whisper something to him, something that sounded a lot like "I'll stay as long as you need me..."

Oh, if only she knew...

If only she knew just how much he needed her...

"Chris, I made you some- oh."

Startled, the lead vocalist cast a quick look over his shoulder at you, a somewhat guilty expression on his face.

Behind him, displayed on the still open screen of Ricky's laptop, was a video taken from a show Omens had put on two nights ago.

A show that Motionless was supposed to have played.

"It's only been a week, Chris. You... you can't keep doing this to yourself," you gently admonished him, crossing the room to bring him his cup of tea.

A rueful sort of smile etched itself onto his face, his eyes darting back to the screen for a minute before settling on yours again.

"I miss it," the words came out in a mumbled whisper.

You returned his rueful smile with one of your own, as you settled down on the seat beside him, resting your head on his shoulder.

"I know... I miss it too. I miss seeing you guys perform, I miss seeing the look in your eyes every time you take that stage," you murmured.

You knew he missed it, it was what he'd devoted most of his entire life to, it was one of the things he was most passionate about.

His music was a part of himself, and now that he didn't have it, Chris just seemed... at a complete loss.

It'd only been a week since he'd been released from the hospital, on the condition that he would take better care of himself and continue to be put on vocal rest until things were looking up again.

An entire week of staying in at an AirBnB you and the guys had taken the liberty of renting, an entire week of nothing but warm soup, hot tea, and lots of ice cold water.

It'd also been an entire week of Chris sneaking away with Ricky's laptop any chance he could get, practicing a sort of devotional commitment to watching any bit of media he could feed on, so long as it pertained to that week's tour.

A tour he should have been a part of...

On more than one occasion, you'd had to enlist Ricky's help with keeping Chris distracted, trying to keep his attention away from the source of both his joy and (unfortunately) current disappointment.

Today hadn't been one of those days; Ricky happened to be out when you needed him most.

But that was alright; maybe if this is what would help Chris feel like he was still a part of things, then... maybe it was for the best?

"Only a few more weeks, and then you'll be back up there, causing the crowd to go absolutely feral," you teased him, lightly nudging him with your elbow.

He gave you a look then, one perfect eyebrow raising, before he made a face at you.

"Oh, come on, you know I'm right," you grinned, trying not to laugh as you reached out towards Ricky's laptop, closing out the video and queuing up a new one.

This particular video was one that had quickly gone viral the minute it'd been posted, making the rounds on every popular social media site.

The video in question?

It was a video of Chris doing rather... suggestive... things with the microphone stand during a performance of their song "Werewolf".

You couldn't help but giggle as you nodded towards the screen.

"See? Only a few more weeks and then we can all enjoy that again," you teased him.

A quick glance up at him, and you just barely caught him giving you a roll of his eyes, although even he couldn't hide the smirk on his face.

"You people..." he whispered, shaking his head, though the smirk never left. As he took a sip of his tea, he reached forward and closed out the video still playing on the screen, a gentle sigh slipping past his parted lips.

"Only a few more weeks..." he repeated in a whisper. He took another small sip of tea, the silence between you two becoming almost something of a comfort- until he broke it.

"Can I ask you something?" Chris suddenly murmured, his voice still slightly hoarse from disuse.

You nodded, watching as he set his cup of tea down on the table in front of him, though his fingertips remained on its ceramic surface, toying with the rim of the cup as he gathered his thoughts.

"Rick- Rick said something to me the day after we had left the hospital, and it's been on my mind ever since. He told me that when I was admitted that night, when you found me like that- you refused to leave my side..."

He wouldn't look at you, his gaze instead fixed on that cup, his fingertips still lightly tracing the rim.

"He said that you hardly slept for those first few hours. And when we were getting ready to leave, he told me that he thinks you might be falling in love with me..." he continued.

Fuck... you'd had a feeling this moment was coming, and yet here you sat, completely unprepared for it.

You swallowed hard, the silence between you and Chris slowly growing more tense with each second that ticked by.

You could feel him watching you now, but you kept your eyes fixed in front of you, staring at the 'Esc' key on Ricky's laptop keyboard.

Ha... if only you could escape this conversation at the moment, wouldn't that be nice, right?

'Wishful thinking', your subconscious sneered at you.

You sighed, your eyes falling closed for a moment as you tried to gather your wits about you, until you felt Chris take one of your hands in his.

Your eyes flew open, meeting his, the solemn look on his face only making you more nervous.

"Tell me he's wrong...?" Chris prompted you in a whisper.

You took a deep breath in, letting it out in a sharp exhale, before answering him.

"Do you want him to be wrong?"

You could manage no more than a quiet murmur, your heart racing as you waited to hear his response.

There was a long beat of silence before Chris finally answered you, his gaze softening.

"No. I don't think I do."

Slowly, you nodded, your gaze dropping to land momentarily on your hand, still clasped within Chris's.

"He's right. I... I never meant for it to happen, I just- things became so easy, too easy. And these past few months, it just feels like it's been so much longer, but in a good way...? A very good way? And then you've been so nice to me, and I told myself I wouldn't fall for you, I can't, it's not right, I wouldn't do it..." you began to ramble.

"And then you did," Chris cut in softly.

"And then I did," you repeated, heaving a sigh.

"And now?" he breathed.

"And now I don't have a single fucking clue where it puts us," you answered.

"Chris, I'm scared. I- I don't know what comes next," you added in a solemn, trembling whisper, turning to stare up at him with wide eyes.

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze, before reaching out with his other hand to lightly brush his fingertips along your cheek.

"That's okay. Because I do," he spoke softly, one corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile.

You waited anxiously, your heart thumping a steady, nervous staccato within the confines of your ribcage.

"You stayed. In the hospital, you stayed. These past few months, you never left, you stayed with me. Why?" he asked.

You kept your gaze steady on his, determined not to let him see just how badly he affected you, how nervous you were.

"You know why," you answered, your throat suddenly feeling dry.

He nodded, giving your hand another squeeze, his other hand now resting against the side of your face, keeping your attention on him.

"I do know. But I need to hear you say it."

Your heart thundered once, twice, in your chest, before you finally gathered up the courage to answer him.

"Why?" he repeated.

"Because I love you," you whispered.

And there it was.

The truth, the entirety of it, all encompassed within those four little words.

Because you loved him.

And you did... truly, madly, deeply.

You loved him more than you felt you ought to, more than you were probably supposed to.

Nothing would ever change that; nothing would change how close you and Chris had become the past few months, nothing would change the time you had spent by his side in that hospital room, waiting for him to recover.

"How long?" Chris suddenly spoke up.

You sighed in resignation, your brows furrowing as you offered him a rather rueful smile.

"A while. Since that first morning when you snuck me out of the bus with you to go and get coffee..." you admitted.

You took notice of the way one corner of Chris's mouth lifted in a smirk, his gaze growing soft.

"That long?" he teased.

You nodded, trying (and failing) to hide a faint grin.

"Always," you answered.

A moment of silence passed, before Chris suddenly pulled you into his warm embrace, circling his arms around you and holding you close to him.

You felt him rest his cheek against the top of your head, heard him loose a barely audible sigh of content.

"You could've told me sooner, you know. I think I sort of knew from the beginning," he murmured.

There was a brief pause before he continued.

"You were this little 5'-something with raw energy, no filter whatsoever, and you just... immediately fit right in. Everyone fucking loved you."

"Did you?" you couldn't stop yourself before it slipped out.

You could feel him smile against the top of your head, could hear it in his voice when he answered you.

"I did, yeah. Even tried to lie to myself and say that I wouldn't. But I did. It was just like you said, so easy. Weeks and months flew by, and then we had one of our first big headlining shows, and I think at that point... I knew.

"The way you fucking smiled at me before we went on, and then we came back after the show, and you were already standing there waiting for us, for me... I don't think I'll ever forget the way you looked at me that night."

"Looked at you... how?" you asked on a whisper.

"Like I was the only one in that break room. I've never seen you look at my bandmates the way you look at me. It's different, somehow. More... intimate, I guess?" Chris answered softly.

"Anyway, I think the guys noticed pretty quickly how much of my time I started spending with you. At least I think they noticed; they always seemed to come up with excuses and reasons for you and I to have time alone together," he continued.

Fuck. It all made sense now.

Why Ricky had been so calm that night, when you'd found Chris passed out on the floor.

Why anytime you and the guys were loading up or unpacking for a show, they'd ask you to see if Chris needed anything, to "go tell Chris everything's ready", "go find Chris".

They knew? All of them?

They knew, of course they did...

He knew.

Hell, he'd said it himself, he'd known from the beginning, he'd always known, that you loved him.

You shifted in Chris's embrace, and he lifted his head to meet your questioning gaze.

"If you knew from the beginning, then why...?" you trailed off in a confused murmur.

His answering smile made your insides flutter, made your heart stutter, the singular beats tripping over one another before they corrected themselves.

"Why'd I wait so long to tell you? I was hoping you'd pick up on it and say something before I did. But then months went by without you saying anything, and I guess I thought I'd been fucking hallucinating the entire thing all this time.

"And then that night in the hospital when Rick told me everything, I just... I knew I had to tell you, before someone better would come along and steal your heart like I wanted to, like I still want to..." Chris said softly.

You could feel the tears pricking behind your eyes, and you swallowed hard, fighting to keep them at bay, to hold yourself together in front of him.

It seemed a rather monumental task, one you failed miserably.

Chris reached out, gently brushing away the stray tear that had slipped free and spilled down your cheek.

"Y/N. I love you too," he whispered.

This was all suddenly too much, too fast- what were you supposed to do now, what-

"What do I-?" you started in a trembling gasp, Chris silencing you with a shake of the head and a gentle smile.

"All you have to do is say yes," he breathed.

It couldn't really be that easy...

Could it?

One little word is all it would take, and just like that, you'd be his, and-??

"Yes."

That one word, that singular syllable, came delivered on a trembling breath, your heart pounding furiously against your ribcage, as if fighting to work itself free.

The answering smile that lit up Chris's face, those warm brown eyes and the way they seemed to brighten a shade or two, it told you all you needed to know.

You'd made the right decision, an easy one.

Only... it had always been this easy, hadn't it?

All you or Chris would have needed was for one or the other to just... speak up.

Say something.

Say everything.

Whatever happened next would depend once again on you and Chris, but this time, it would be ever so simple.

Because he loved you as much as you loved him.

He always had....

"I'm telling you, we only have five minutes left before we go out there, are you sure you're ready for this?"

It was only the third time his bandmate and closest friend had asked him this, and as much as he wanted to be annoyed, Chris couldn't bring himself to feel anything beyond... thrilled.

This was it, what he'd wanted.

Things were finally back on track, those last remaining weeks had seemed to fly by, almost too fast.

Weeks he'd spent curled up by Y/N's side, refusing to leave her just as much as she'd refused to leave him that night.

Which meant, of course, that within the span of only one day, his bandmates and the rest of their crew had figured out he and Y/N were together.

'Fucking finally!' his subconscious shouted at him, rather smug.

Chris couldn't help the grin that found its way onto his face now, as he stood there with his bandmates, ready and waiting to go out and do what he loved, what he'd been born to do.

He cast one final look over his shoulder at Y/N, her eyes meeting his as she gave him that look, the one she reserved for him and only him.

As the seconds ticked by, the crowd waiting outside only grew louder, and he wasn't quite sure if she'd be able to hear his shout of "I love you!", but fuck, she had heard it-!

And when she mouthed the words back at him and waved him off to go up on stage-

He'd remember this night for a long fucking time, he knew it as much as she did.

That night, as he took the stage with a proud grin on his face, he cast another final look over his shoulder, at the girl waiting for him in the wings, his girl...

And he turned back to face the roar of the crowd, Y/N's earlier suggestion leaping to the forefront of his mind-

"How the fuck are we doing tonight, LA? Feels so fucking good to be back here! We have a great show for you guys tonight, and I wanna start it off with one that's been kind of close to me these past few weeks. This one's called... 'Sick From The Melt'"...

🎃 TAGLIST: @synthetic-wasp-570 @tearfallpixie @annateagan @nixwolfe @motionlessomens @veroxbarnes @wh0rrorxx @bangoversequence @nerdraging4point0 @gothictypewriter @thesazzb @circle-with-me

[neonfretra]

nhl teasm...

my team loyalties immediately dissolve in favor of the funniest possible outcome. florida i will willingly curse you for a game seven sharks interview, vgk you mean nothing to me if it means the yotes sweep you, kraken you mean nothing to me if it means a sharks shutout, the san jose sharks will never be usurped in the chain of preference because they are gods personal sacrificial lamb and every joy they experience is like blood in the water and my heart hungers like a mouthless stomach.

for sake of readability i refer to teams by name here, sorry if this shows up on your favsies team tags </3

every single team WILL be discussed in terms of the sharks . be warned .

nhl teams tier list below the cut because i yap too much for a cute graphic. our conversations arent long but you know what is. its this. dont talk to me at all, actually.

MY teams!!!

San Jose Sharks

san jose sharks u are the only thing that has ever mattered 2 me. pickles cup on the HORIZON and RAPIDLY APPROACHING.

MY GIRLS......!!!!! if you want to love a team make a primer about them. i think of everything hockey relative to the sharks. i can name most of their players.! (it takes me genuine conscious thought to tell apart cmd, drai, lars because of their similar facial hair for reference. luke kunin and justin bailey though NO PROBLEM ^_^)

fighting team through and through! who CARE if we down two and got twenty seconds remaining, players WILL be gunning down the ice...! its always a bit of a shock to watch other teams just kinda. wander about?

people who like winning will tell you that the important part of the sport is winning. wrong! it is HONOR and WHIMSY. and sometimes IMMENSE AMOUNTS OF NIHILISM . i think its good for you to root for a basement team. really gets you out of that winning is everything mentality cause if i got my feelings too wound up about how the sharks performed i would not have a blood pressure measurable by conventional means anymore

also, nothing on this team is permanent. i look at old rosters and can name like. five of them. we made the MOST moves at the trade deadline. every single captain has had trade rumors going around about them. somehow, we are still living on the high of that game seven. you know the one.

there are four people in the lb tag on a good day. if you are joining the sharks fandom hi! ^_^ sorry for takin your favorite guy!

BEST DRESSED TEAM IN THE LEAGUE!!! our logo? CUNT. our teal? CUNT. our cute little teal helmets to go with visiting uniforms? CUNT. our black alternate jerseys? CURSED AS ALL HELL. also, CUNT. over 5% of our wins this season happened in the califin jersey which is to say ONE GAME. and we looked GOOD AS HELL doing it. year one of the team, sharks sold the MOST merch in the league because our logo before the current logo? CUNT.

i think the sharks makes me a worse person.

Seattle Kraken

my first team! ^_^ really awesome and active community on tumblr, i really like the community wide decision to be whimsical through thick and thin, if you want to get into hockey id definitely suggest them !!! sports are a social interest to me <3

also, one of the best dressed teams IMO! LOVE the red accents (& how they use black in their visiting jerseys), and especially a fan of how their goalies gear picks up on it!

also, the pride runs deep team, the put a tentacle on a pride flag dont even need to mention its for hockey team

also, i love their fish toss. the past tense of yeet is NOT yaught.

i recognize a quite a few of their players! unfortunately, quite a few of their players are prone to injury. hope they resign QUITE A FEW OF THEIR PLAYERS. ^_^

Vegas Golden Knights

HEEL TEAM!!! hate them or love them you NEED them for your narratives. and GOLLY do people hate them! this has made me root for them more. haters be strong, but by god i stay stronger xoxo

a team you DEFINITELY need a sense of humor to love publicly tho. this blog SUPPORTS taking weeks if not months long sick leave <- literally a sharks fan, if u arent feeling 100% get your rest AND get your paycheck im so serious

i think they need to DOUBLE DOWN on being the most las vegas thing to ever be outside of las vegas! they got glittery gold jerseys! pyrotechnics on every home goal! the big tacky slot machine! gold helmets! the whole opening segment! vgk become the disney villain team u were always meant to be!

also, tomas hertl is on this team. tomas hertl i miss u. everyone may be mad gm mike grier traded him to a franchise rival but hes a wizard TO ME for getting ltir resident hertl to a team he wanted to be on!!! please win a cup for tommy vgk

sharks exwifes teams

Tampa Bay Lightning

anthony duclair you are just as beautiful as you were the day i lost you ...

also, i am LEGITIMATELY infatuated by their storm jerseys (image from the unofficial nhl uniforms database)

girl i want you so bad

would you believe this jersey personally shot up my opinion of them

Dallas Stars

joe pavelski makes me feel hit song "its over isnt it" from show steven universe emotions. hes THE shark exwife. hes been gone for 5 years (goinf on six!) and every time we play against the stars they keep having long lingering shots on pavs and randomly bringing up how hes SUCH a great player ohhhhh pavs youre the greatest thing we have ever lost... they do this after someone else has scored a goal btw LMAO. i genuinely get surprised when i watch a cast with the stars that ISNT lingering on pavs. have a good retirement pavs <3

the second player i recognized the face of on the stars was mason marchment because he has piercing blue eyes and strikingly dark eyebrows. hes orbs.

i think their plaioffs thing was funny as hell. i dont even read it like. ai as in artificial intelligence, ive been reading pl-eye-offs. theyre funny for that + getting dragged for it, apparently? i hope they do it again (& get dragged again)

im sorry dallas stars for personally cursing you to lose round 2.

im also sorry dallas stars for writing almost entirely about joe pavelski here . he haunts the sharks so bad. i actually did start rooting for the stars because of him though LMAO

HI ID ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT WE GOT TY DELLANDREAS FROM THIS TEAM! i love snatching everyones beloved players this cant keep happening

my friends teams (that i have imprinted on like a duckling) ^_^ hey speakin of ducks

Los Angeles Kings

BEST PENALTY KILL IN THE LEAGUE! <- dont fact check me

i like making up silly ways of referring to game terminologies and the kings are an endless supply of on theme jokes <3

.i was made fond through word of big save dave and i personally love watching everyone shadow box with the ghost of la kings

i regularly followed them in the regular season ^_^ and then the post season happened .i think i may have cursed them terribly

PLEASE LET YUOR YOUNGER PLAYERS IN . PLEEASDE.

Anaheim Ducks

team i am fond of but never watch the games of because they overlap with every other team i watch LMAO

i was um. also made fond of them through their goalies. i may be predicable. THEE if a goalie makes more than 50 saves in a game and still lose then they have the right to chase they team around with a machete team

but maybe the REAL way to my heart is a team that is healthy (do you remember healthy centers and veteran presence) and law abiding (one of the most penalized teams) that loves doing things like completing passes (um. <3) . which you will

also, witnessed the funniest exchange on one of my posts of like. two or three people? realizin that the ducks new logo is a duck foot

also, i think the seattle series has been one of the most bizarre series of events ive watched by far

Minnesota Wild

you are like an in law to me

TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST. wild is like up there as one of tumblrs popular teams to me! alongside the kraken and. the pens? idk i stay to ONE corner of the internet (the sharks) i think the community is very sweet :)

also, i think the 7-10 game with the canucks was hysterical, that was the only time ive watched back a game and it was worth it 100%

also, i have drawn one of your players with cat ears its OVER for nyall

Edmonton Oilers

i know nothing about your players. darnell nurse 5 own goals i wambt you

ANOTHER TEAM YOU NEED A SENSE OF HUMOR TO LOVE PUBLICLY .! godspeed oilers mutuals yall are like a beautiful ant raft to me. hold on tight together! ^_^

also, we beat the oilers this year and are noted career low for a guy named cmd if you know him . IDK hes a lil underground . so like. >:3

sharks exwives teams the sequel

Calgary Flames

nikita okhotiuk you are the worlds funniest girl to me. gets traded on the trade deadline, plays 9 games total, BREAKS IIHF RESTRICTION TO PLAY FOR CSKA MOSCOW. WORD ON THE STREET THEY STILL WANT HIM BACK. i dont know nothing about the flames otherwise LMAO guys . guys i miss okhie . my turnover princess.... .

i feel like everyone i know has beef with them. um. my beef is that they scored 13 against the sharks that one time in 1993.?

please god stop playin scary

Pittsburgh Penguins

exwife exhead coach/cheerleader david quinn i miss you and your web of connections and networkin like no other...! seriously he knows like. everyone. gets along with everyone and has a strange and unusual beef with sweet cousin kevin labanc. .and hes connectionsing and networkining out there with the pens! ^_^ comin full circle if you even CARE!!!

i root for these teams for absurd reasons

Ottawa Senators

i root for them when idc about who they against because theyre my brother in basement

Nashville Predators

roman josi

i have pavlovs dogged myself into getting hype as hell over him from this image. no i dont want to talk about it

i could not pick him out of a lineup BTW this is the only photo of him i look at

i think they could afford to be even more yellow in uniform

if you asked me to tell you one thing about this team id genuinely run empty

its all goalies and sharks associations . i have nothing to defend myself with here

Carolina Hurricanes: i know like... 3? of your players who are deeply endearing to me and nothing else. yeah one of them is a goalie can you look the other way please (pyotr kochetkov, seth jarvis, brent burns)

Detroit Red Wings: alex lyon is on this team! i miss radim simek . hes not dead we just snatched him off the cuda captaincy and sent him to detroit.

Philadelphia Flyers: they have gritty on this team and also sam ersson!

Arizona Coyotes/Utah Somethings: i thought their yotes logo was the cutest thing :( they matched with the roadies! honestly massively bummed we dont get the yotes on account of WILD as hell management decisions utah somethings is NOT a snub btw, ive seen the sharks cast refer to them as that and i think its really funny. the blue in the uniforms is cute though ^_^

St. Louis Blues: we series swept them! sorry stl anything for tommy

Boston Bruins

Buffalo Sabres

New York Islanders

Vancouver Canucks

Montreal Canadiens

Chicago: i know two different people that said they played better hockey wearing a chicago jersey . their opinions of this differ WILDLY. if you play hockey, consider it. for science.

i regularly forget/confuse these teams

Winnipeg Jets+Columbus Blue Jackets

i forget the cbj exist regularly igm so sorry. i confuse them with the winnipeg jets because i keep thinkin theyre both planes. who i also gorget with astonishing regularity . i dont know nothing about either them beyond that

Florida Panthers

i genuinely have a really hard time telling them and the preds apart????? NOT EVEN THE SAME COLORS BUT OKAY!

darling of the playoffs RN i think! i like the playoffs, everyone gets so mean LMAO

keep fans in your thoughts at this time because BOY HOWDY. THEY NEED IT.

Toronto Maple Leafs

I FIRGOT THEY EXISTED TOO. I WAS SCROLLING NHL DOT COM SLASH TEAMS TO MAKE SURE I GOT THEM ALL AND . THEY ARE AT THE BOTTOM BECAUSE I GORGOT THEM. IM SORRY TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. also, mario ferraros childhood team ^_^

i dont hate them BUT...

New Jersey Devils

but also one half of an employee mackblack said they had him play before he was totally ready to come back on an injury ONSE TIME!! and ive not trusted them since

also one half of an employee kaapo kahkonen is on this team! he played 6 games, lost 4, got injured in 2, and the only game hes won was his season first shutout.

they have VERY pretty promotional graphics and also eyebrows

a lot of sharks go to the devs and vice versa which is always really funny ^_^ we got at LEAST four devs-to-sharks guys off the top of my head (we traded okhie and got vitek vanecek, maintaining the delicate balance of it all) and the devs got timo mimo. who also got very pretty eyebrows. timo mimo...

New York Rangers

but hey what are they doing to exwife barclay goodrow over therr . when i said i wanted him to win a third cup i didnt mean i needed him to do it in the era of the pickles comeback . his um??? his contract terms???

nyr yuo are nothing to mme and i wish five thousand years of famine upone you . san jose sharks i do NOT think we shoulda been able to do this. its just a workers rights thing hello

Washington Capitals

but CAP FRIENDLY. GIVE IT BACK. actually seething with rage at this new development. you must understand . if you want to love a team make a primer about them. if you want to love accessible databases write a primer.

also WAIT WAIT BEAUTIFUL FAILHORSE PIERRE LUC DUBOIS IS ON THIS TEAM NOW? please make sure you give him a sparkly star sticker if he does well a game and also peel his tangerines for him and also

[boltupbitches]

Self-Deprecating Losers - Justin Herbert

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Justin’s girlfriend deflected, walking off towards the living room in order to avoid the possible confrontation. She was upset with him.

She knew Justin was a lot like her in that way. They both hated conflict and tense situations which led to them either talking a situation out after calming down or just bottling it. 

She knew it wasn’t healthy. Justin, who often did the same things, knew that as well.

Justin put his head down against the table for a moment. He didn’t mean to upset her but couldn’t stand how she always put herself down. He knew it was her way of deflecting praise from herself and he also knew it was a coping thing for her due to low self-esteem and anxiety. His girlfriend loved to tell jokes and make others laugh. He loved that about her. What he didn’t love was that she often did it at her own expense, often making herself the butt of her own jokes.

Justin waited for a few moments, calming himself down and rationalizing how he wanted to tackle this conversation.

He followed after his girlfriend, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

She was curled into the side of the arm of the couch, her head turned the other way with her hair creating a curtain to block her view of him.

“It’s not that I don’t love your sense of humor..” Justin started to say quietly. “I just worry about how you put yourself down so much and use yourself as a punch line for all of your jokes. I hate seeing you hurt and I know humor is the one way you can take control of uncomfortable situations. Just please stop making fun of yourself all the time. It’s a big deal because I don’t want you to call yourself ugly or stupid. You’re neither of those things.” 

She remained quiet as Justin gently placed his good hand on her wrist, trying to gently coax her attention towards him.

She looked deeply uncomfortable with having such a personal conversation. She felt like she had to raise her metaphorical hackles to get Justin to back off.

“I’m not saying it to put myself down,” She said back, her eyes avoiding his. 

“Bambi…” He said softly, breaking out his nickname for her in hopes of getting her to look at him.

It did the trick because she immediately turned her eyes to his. Her lower lip wobbled for a moment as she tried to blink back the emerging tears.

Justin pulled her into him, rubbing her back as she cried gently. “I’m sorry,” he said as she buried her head into his neck, “I didn’t mean to make you cry or make you think I was lecturing you. I just want you to see yourself the way I see you.”

She nodded and stayed in his hold, breathing deeply to calm herself down. She wasn’t sure why she was crying so much at this moment. He didn’t say anything cruel, nor did he insult her. She didn’t like to feel exposed and Justin was the one person who could see under the many layers she built up as a defense.

Finally, Bambi pulled back, wiping her eyes as she spoke, “I know… I’m just… I’m trying to not do that so much. I can’t help it sometimes. It’s just how I’ve learned to cope with stuff.” She shrugged and looked the other way for a moment before staring back at him with flushed cheeks and sad eyes.

Justin felt a tug in his heart as he reached a hand up to wipe away a stray tear that was streaking down her cheek.

“I get it. I do,” he cleared his throat for a moment to think about his next works. “I make jokes about myself a lot too. So I don’t want to be a hypocrite or make you think that I’m not aware of my own habit. Let’s... Let’s work together on not doing it so much anymore, ok?” He proposed to her with a crooked smile.

Bambi nodded and smiled back to him, “Truce.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and lingered there for a few moments before pulling back and staring into his eyes. “I guess we can both be self-deprecating losers together, eh?” She joked with a giggle.

“Yeah, I guess we can be.” Justin grinned back at her before he pressed his lips to her once more, pulling her gently down onto the couch with him. He’d do anything to make her feel loved and appreciated.

[lilacmuse]

What qualities should a man seek in himself before seeking a wife?

If a man-

-Has the courage, clarity, and confidence to be honest, clear, & direct about his intentions with the woman he desires

-Has a high level of emotional intelligence, empathy, self-awareness, & patience

-Has a deep level of humility, maturity, & accountability; is guided by his soul, not his ego

-Has a deep connection with God that defines his character, behavior, and priorities, makes his faith the foundation of his life, & actively strives to become a better Muslim

-Is good with kids & animals; has compassion toward all vulnerable creatures

-Has a presence & aura that feels unconditionally loving, safe, reassuring, & protective

-Is trustworthy, principled, authentic, and sincere

-Knows who he is and what he wants; doesn't let the outside world influence/define him or dictate his decisions

-Doesn't define his masculinity by material success or possessions, but by his integrity, principles, & values

-Has the passion, drive, & discipline to go after what he truly wants

-Is calm-tempered & able to be patient, understanding, & forgiving when upset

-Has the ability to be firm & brave with the world but tender, gentle, & loving with the woman he loves

-Has a deep sense of purpose & a clear vision of the future he wants to build for her

-Has haya & ghayra both publicly and privately; isn't flirtatious, promiscuous, or known for messaging/liking/pursuing lots of different women

-Is respectful, chivalrous, & well-mannered in the way he carries & expresses himself

-Is comfortable being vulnerable, open, & expressive with the woman he loves

-Views his partner as an equal & a human being, not a lifeless object to be dominated and possessed

-Genuinely likes women, honors and respects them intellectually, & is secure enough to not feel threatened by a woman's intelligence, attractiveness, etc

-Takes care of himself physically (bonus points if he has a nice beard, dresses well, has an impressive book collection, & smells like pine trees/cedar/musk)

...then he'd probably be any woman's ideal husband. I don't think anyone ever feels 100% ready, but when you meet the woman of your dreams, she'll inspire you to level up and become the man you've always wanted to be, and she'll believe in you enough to make anything feel possible.

For more insight into healthy masculinity:

I heard this phenomenally brilliant lecture on Islamic masculinity by Shaykh Mahdi Rastani a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it, 10/10... the only thing i'd add is that emotional strength & vulnerability aren't mutually exclusive; i love when a man has both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVa7qEZo_nM

I've also always loved this TED talk on masculinity from Justin Baldoni... i don't keep up with celebrities at all, but i can see why he has such a loyal fanbase; this is exactly the kind of masculinity the world needs & women crave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74O7RPZt9Pc

Lastly, the humor in this video is a little vulgar, but this is one of my favorite comedic videos on masculinity... i've probably re-watched it at least 20 times bc it's so comforting to hear a kind, level-headed man call out misogynistic weirdos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePKugerH3Ls

[moraxsthrone]

✦ title — respite

✦ pairing — zhongli x reader, morax x reader

✦ wc — 700+

✦ notes — just finished historia antiqua: act II and was moved to tears to write this.

✦ synopsis — a beautiful partnership with morax that ended hundreds of years ago in tragedy. you meet again at the end of his life. or is it the beginning?

✦ song — all that matters ; justin bieber (just fucking listen, okay?)

��you may live forever, doomed to a lonely existence…yet even this is temporary. when you reach the end of time, those people, those past and future relationships predetermined by fate…they will be waiting for you.” - azhdaha, to zhongli (i think i got the last line right. i accidentally hit the space bar ingame before i finished typing the quote ahaha oops.)

you had children together…the memories of having lost all of you still rips his heart asunder. he loved you all fiercely. but it’s been so long now, he can hardly remember your face; he’s all but forgotten those of your children. but he remembers your voices. the laughter of his younglings as they played, running in circles around his legs, filling his heart with the swell of love. 

he can still hear your veracious heartbeat against his ear as he lay his head on your bare chest after making passionate love to you; the sensation of your naked bodies lying together, skin on skin, sweaty and spent...he can’t remember it anymore. but he can still hear your sweet voice whispering next to his ear,

“morax, i love you endlessly.”

when his time on earth finally comes to an end, he makes his way along the path of the afterlife. his way is trimmed with gold and crystals of such fine quality that even he, the old god of geo, cannot fathom. as he lumbers along, he hears the distant sound of laughter. his heartbeat quickens; he hadn’t conjured that angelic sound in lifetimes, but he knows it when he hears it. 

as he continues along the path, several figures emerge ahead. one is taller than the others, and surrounded in light. the smaller bodies playfully circle the hem of its flowing ankle-length dress, tiny chuckles surrounding what, by all rights, appear in zhongli’s eyes to be a goddess. as he draws nearer, he recognizes your voices but his mind dares not allow his heart to be so presumptuous or hopeful. 

“morax…”

“zhongli, hm?”

he smiles.

“funeral parlor consultant?”

his knowing smile widens at being found out, a chuckle threatening to escape.

“you faked your own death so you could retire in peace…but forgot to set aside a retirement fund?”

“it seems you’ve been keeping an eye on me.”

your laughter puts his old broken heart back together. “indeed! you’ve always had the most idiosyncratic sense of humor and forgotten the minutest of details. perhaps if you had been the dendro archon, you could better see the forest for the trees.”

morax would make a fool of himself a million years over to be the source of your joy. his heart blooms at the sight of your smile - more beautiful than the most meticulous painting; more moving than the most lifelike sculpt of the finest artists; the sound of your laughter more celestial than any song ever performed in all of teyvat, including that of the drunken, insufferable bard that, for reasons he will never comprehend, his old friend barbatos chose to inhabit as his vessel. 

“so…that means you saw-”

“everything.”

he averts his eyes as the reel of his most recent past plays in his mind. had you also seen him with his subsequent lovers?

as though having read his mind, you close the gap between you, bringing a hand - glowing an ethereal light blue - to his face. “it’s okay, my love,” you assure him. “i’ve only ever wanted for your happiness. i never expected to be the last love in your long life.”

his amber eyes find familiarity in your gaze, a sense of home in your touch. “but you'll always be the best,” he says, taking your hand in his and kissing your wrist, your scent there reminding him of home as well.

you smile lovingly as you eliminate what little space remained between your ethereal bodies. the cherubic voices of his young children now dance around the bare feet of both their bearers. with your attention drawn to them and their obvious love and affection for their father, you ask him, finally, 

“will you be staying with us, morax?”

“yes.” he cups your delicate jaw in his golden hand. “there is nowhere else i would rather be, my love,” he mutters, the warmth of his breath dusting your face before he reclaims your lips, relinquishing the entirety of his past - his rise, his reign, his ruin - to his final resting place, with you.

zhongli m.list

reblogs and the like are loved, just like you ♡

[jonquilandlace]

Well I can't stop thinking about if Apple's Spirited was actually done on Broadway with Broadway actors so have a fancast

Disclaimer: This is literally just actors I like and know are currently active. There is very little thought put into this beside "ooo I love this voice and think it would fit the role p well." Feel free to dispute and brainstorm further in the reblogs/tags, but like there is genuinely 4% thought put into this, lmao.

Present (Will Farrell) - Jonathan Groff

The heart and soul of the show. Requires strong acting, strong vocals, and a stunning sense of humor. Honestly maybe this is just me being a simp but like I fully think he would have a gotdamn blast dressed up in Scrooge makeup for the 1800s scene and no one can convince me otherwise.

Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) - Jeremy Jordan

This is it, the entire reason I made this fan cast. Just. Imagine Jeremy Jordan singing Bringin' Back Christmas. The same energy as Ready As I'll Ever Be, and also as The World Will Know from Newsies??? Like, that's barely anything, and he's perfect.

Kimberly (Octavia Spencer) - Khaila Anyé Wilcoxon

Yeah okay I did sadly feel like I needed to slightly de-age Kimberly to match the younger form of Present; my original casting was NaTasha Yvette Williams and she would still slay this so hard, but like. Consistency, ya know? And besides, Khaila is STUNNING, fr; her performance as Catherine of Aragon is a testament to her skills alone, but if you want proof of her ability to sing gently as well as to Belt Like All Hell as she does in Six, then I will just direct you kindly to her role as one of the Fates in Hadestown; girl SLAYS! (Alternate pick: Renée Elise Goldsberry, because I can just HEAR her sing these songs.)

Jacob Marley (Patrick Page) - Patrick Page

I mean. Come on. Even if he hadn't played this role already, he originated Hades in Hadestown. No one can top this guy.

Past (Sunita Mani) - Solea Pfeiffer

Hadestown haunts the cast again, but like, come on. She's so good, no one can tell me no.

Yet-to-Come (Tracy Morgan) - Michael James Scott

IDK something about his energy as Genie just translates really well to this role to me. (Alternatively, the Beetlejuice energy of Alex Brightman would give a REALLY fun twist to it, especially if the director decided to lean into YTC as a comic relief character, but the energy is just off enough I wanna stick to the source material for now.)

Wren (Marlow Barkley) - Isabella Esler

Okay to be completely honest am I pretty much just pulling a random Lydia Deets out of a hat since they're like the only consistent kid actresses I can find? Maybe, lmao. That said, having heard her sing, she's GOOD fam! I think she could pull Wren really well!

Owen (Joe Tippett) - Justin Collette

Okay, so once again, he happens to be a Beetlejuice star, but the vibe check here really comes from his role in School of Rock! It's the same sort of offbeat-person-with-a-heart-of-gold vibe as Owen has in the movie, and like with him also playing the Beetlejuice to Isabella's Lydia, I think they'd do great as dad and daughter on stage. Alternatively, Will Burton (who played Adam in the same cast) would also be a great pick, but gives off some more panicky vibes that I don't feel are as great of a match to Owen.

Carrie (Andrea Anders) - Michaela Diamond

If you've seen her video on her favorite song from NYT, you Know the vibes.

Anyway that's my brainrot for the year thank you and enjoy—

[a30somethingslookatpopculture]

Top 10 "13 Reasons Why" Characters

I am focusing mainly on the main cast and characters that I feel made a big enough impact on the show as a whole. Where I rank them isn’t solely based on how much I like them. Some instances will also be based on how well I feel the actor portrays them. However controversial that might be at times.

1. Tony Padilla

Tony just oozes cool, to me. I loved him from the moment I saw him. His car, awesome. His leather jacket, also awesome. His hair and style, great. His humor and overall characterization were great to me as well. I think we can all agree, we need a friend like Tony in our lives! I was always rooting for my boy!

2. Justin Foley

This one is a weird one. I spent most of season one thinking Justin was such a jerk. His friends were jerks, his actions that led to his tape also made him a jerk. But, by the time the series ended, I absolutely loved the guy! My heart hurt for him, man. He was done so wrong!

3. Clay Jensen

Clay was an interesting character. I can’t quite place it but, I have love/hate feelings towards him. Especially as the series progresses. Yes, dude went through some seriously terrible stuff in his young life. But he turned into a bit of a douche. I was glad to see him seemingly riding off into a happier life, though. Sadly, his demons will always be with him.

4. Hannah Baker

Hannah’s story was just sad altogether. But we all know that already. In terms of character, I liked her. I could relate in some ways. Being a former victim of immense bullying, I totally understood her thought process. Though I didn’t have exactly what happened to her, happen to me, I was certainly a victim of harsh rumors like she was. It takes a huge toll on a young girl’s mind. The tape thing was a little much, though...

Sadly, we didn't get enough time with her for me to truly grow with her, so I put her lower on this list than I wanted to.

5. Bryce Walker

Say what you will about Bryce the character, but the actor did such an amazing job at portraying such a despicable, yet somewhat understandable character. Especially as the series progresses. At times I found myself questioning if I should hate him, or feel bad for him. He was definitely NOT a good guy in any sense of the word. But I give Justin Prentice all the credit on this one! I like a good 'heel".

6. Alex Standall

Alex is awkward and quiet. And he definitely struggled a lot in the show. 13 Reasons Why never shied away from dark themes and Alex was just one of many that got hurt a lot. My really felt for him. Especially early on.

7. Jessica Davis

I have never really been able to decide what exactly it is that I feel about Jessica. I liked her, but also found her to be a bit too uptight and bratty at times. In season one especially. But, that's the point. She was the spoiled daddy’s girl type. I began to sympathize with her more as the show progressed, though.

8. Zach Dempsey

I didn’t think much one way or another about Zach. For much of the show he was the jock stereotype. I liked seeing his more sensitive sides, though. And I especially love the slight bromance he and Clay would later have.

9. Tyler Down

We’ve all known someone like Tyler. Someone really on the outside of every group in high school. Someone you’d see off on their own, and usually the target of many of the jock’s attacks. Seeing how this would impact Tyler throughout the show just broke my heart into a million pieces. I particularly loved how the actor portrayed him in the later seasons. He got really real, and really raw. His talent showed in his performance.

10. Ani Achola

I just don’t have a clue what I think of Ani. I didn’t feel she was needed really. I mean, I guess they needed someone to come in and humanize Bryce a bit and give Clay a new love interest. But her and Clay just didn[‘t do it for me. They had some cute moments together. And I have nothing against the character per se. I just couldn’t connect with her as much.

[dweemeister]

96th Academy Awards nominations reactions

Well, it wasn't doomsday. But it wasn't the best Oscar nomination morning I've ever experienced either!

And goodness me, the two major Best Picture contenders that have the most upwards momentum right now (Oppenheimer doesn't have upwards momentum, it's been top of the pack for the whole awards season) did well. And it just so happens, those two films are the ones I'm the most terrified to criticize.

Some thoughts:

From some of the talk going around and the lack of love from outside the United States, I'm a little concerned with Killers of the Flower Moon as it stands. It's my personal pick for Best Picture, jsyk. Ten nominations sure, but missing out on Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for DiCaprio is not a good look, despite the surprise Original Song nomination. Certainly, AMPAS is majority/plurality American, so the story strikes deep chords for any of us who care a smidgen about the nation's history and racial injustice. But I have been seeing chatter - not gonna name nationalities - from outside North America saying how they're tired of American racial guilt movies. That is an aspect of KOTFM, but that completely flattens a morally complicated, beautifully made work. A near-miracle it was made in 2020s Hollywood. I think another part of it is that we are all now taking the Scorsese and Spielberg generation of filmmakers for granted. They've come full circle. Their films have done wretchedly at recent Academy Awards ceremonies as of late, and undeservedly so.

The (imo) overperformance of Poor Things makes the Gladstone v Stone matchup look like it may be slowly tipping away from Lily Gladstone. I don't think I will be writing on the film on this blog but, suffice it to say, I didn't enjoy it. Yorgos Lanthimos is a director that has never truly clicked with me, largely due to his earlier, very cynical work. Poor Things is not as cynical, but I didn't care for the messaging at all (yes, Victorian men were sexual hypocrites and miscreants - how self-congratulatory, I found it) or its sense of humor. I guess some can say that I'm just another puritanical American prude, as well. But I thought the sex was getting into the male gaze-y territory, and the sex work subplot was way waaayyy too sanitized. I also despised the atonal score by Jerskin Fendrix, which was very close to stuff me and my orchestra mates might do if we were messing around in rehearsal (disclosure: I was taught classical piano and violin, have studied music theory up to the college level, played in various orchestras up to a decent level in high school, and am a massive film score fan).

It looks like Oppenheimer is running away with this. I just don't see how anything can stop it in Best Picture. I can respect an Oppenheimer Best Picture winner, even if I'm not even sure if it cracks my top three and Nolan is certainly not one of my favorite filmmakers.

I don't think Oppenheimer is getting Best Actor, though. Rooting for Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers on that one. Shame Dominic Sessa couldn't join him in Supporting Actor, but Da'Vine Joy Randolph has essentially got the Oscar in the bag - despite my reservations on how her character essentially disappears in the last third of the film.

But what about Barbie? It's a movie I respect, deeply. But I never thought it in the caliber of Best Picture nominee one bit. The America Ferrera nomination in Supporting Actress I don't support one bit. Gosling? Sure. Robbie? Had a better case than Ferrera, but I understand why she didn't get it. Gerwig? I'm on the fence over her exclusion in Director.

Sensational stuff for Justine Triet and Anatomy of a Fall. It's probably my #2 vote in Best Picture. I just wish Milo Machado Graner was in for Supporting Actor. This is a dark horse, folks, more than capable of pulling off an upset or two come Oscar night. And a damned good movie, too...

... But its success appears to have come at the expense of Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things. And as the Artistic Director of Viet Film Fest in Orange County, California, that stings, as he's VFF alumni. When France passed over Anatomy of a Fall for The Taste of Things in Best International Feature, there was a lot of outrage directed at Taste by people who had and had not seen the film. Perhaps the damage was already done. A massive shame if that was the case.

Other than Poor Things, the other movie with tons of upward momentum right now is Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest. For the record, I think, on its face, you can still make a morally responsible movie about the Holocaust from a Nazi point of view - which I think Glazer mostly does. But my criticism comes from elsewhere. Glazer, in interviews, has said how he wanted to 1) make the movie not primarily about the 1940s, but about our time and our complicity in atrocities and 2) make a film shorn of cinematic artifice to absorb us into the setting. I think his messaging never evolves beyond the basics on the first point; I think he utterly fails on the second. Cases in point: the use of nightvision cameras that only serve to remind the audience they are watching an artistic exercise, the horrific score from Mica Levi that too many film critics (who don't know better, most notably David Ehrlich at IndieWire - really, everyone at IndieWire), and a weird sound mix that reminds me of when stage plays play off-stage sound effects or background noise but that audio doesn't sound sufficiently "far away" enough.

A slight underperformance by Past Lives. It was never going to get a boatload of nominations. But it appears Greta Lee was squeezed out (I have nothing constructive to say about Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in Nyad as I haven't seen the film) and there was scarcely a campaign for Teo Yoo.

American Fiction is, I think, going home empty-handed. Its nominations are the win, and I think it's a decent satire well worth watching.

Maestro doesn't deserve a Best Picture nor its screenplay nomination, but I'm not happy with some of the accusations of Bradley Cooper Oscar-thirsting that's flying around. You folks are taking it much too personally. Did he defecate on your kitchen table or something? Calm. Down.

And speaking about disrespect, there has been a ton of disrespect towards John Williams' nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Again, we're coming full circle to an iconic figure of late twentieth century cinema. Especially from fans of Daniel Pemberton's score to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (who I agree should have been nominated in Score). No, Indy 5 was not great. No, Williams' score to the film was not the best score in the series. No, I don't think Williams should win this year. But did you listen to the score? Helena's theme was gorgeous and its integration across the score was the work of a master. The interplay between the Nazi and Dial themes is something lesser composers just simply cannot replicate. And for those complaining that Williams simply reuses material the entire time, I get the feeling you haven't seen the film or listening to the score by itself (or understand how themes can develop). Yes, I know melody is on its way out in film scores (see: Hans Zimmer, his acolytes, and any composer who thinks that orchestras should be used like drums) and pop music in general in favor of texture and a beat. But I bet you many composers will sell their souls to piece together something half as good as a lesser John Williams score. It's a great score, worthy of its nomination.

Where is Robot Dreams, Neon? This movie's been on my radar for some months now, but radio silence! Do you guys not know how to distribute an animated film? Flee (2021, Denmark) had this same problem! I'm so glad it's in, though.

That nomination for Nimona, though? Dreadful. Again, tumblr won't like I'm going to say this, but I thought it was gratingly written, poorly voice acted, and its humor and character behaviors are going to date like milk.

And a massive congratulations to Godzilla Minus One for its Best Visual Effects nomination. After 38 films in the series, the big fella with atomic breath is heading to the Academy Awards!

No Disney in Animated Short for Once Upon a Studio. Surprising, but not completely so. I'm excited for a slate of independent animated shorts when the short film categories come around!

The Live Action Short slate is rather disappointing. I like the category best when it's full of no-name directors and actors. Without having seen anything else, this is going to Wes Anderson isn't it?

Most prioritized films I haven't seen: all short films, Elemental, Io Capitano, Perfect Days, Robot Dreams, Rustin, Society of the Snow, 20 Days in Mariupol

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (2024)

Starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Danny DeVito, Burn Gorman, Arthur Conti, Filipe Cates, Nick Kellington, Santiago Cabrera, Sami Slimane, Amy Nuttall, Mark Heenehan, Liv Spencer, Skylar Park, Matt Lyons, Jane Leaney, David Ayres and the voice of Charlie Hopkinson.

Screenplay by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar.

Directed by Tim Burton.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. 105 minutes. Rated PG-13.

Earlier this week, I was excited to see the ghost with the most is back in action. Hundreds packed the Philadelphia press screening of the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice – and while it has finally arrived, it’s great to see it has not lost its spark.

Admittedly, going in I feared that a modern remake couldn’t hope to compliment the original, but I can say that it really did deliver. The style and effects were still true to Tim Burton’s classic style, just more polished and cleaner, considering the newer technology. For example, I was impressed that the oddity of the Netherworld had not been compromised by slicker effects. Instead it was heightened and was a true homage to the original. 

Much of the original cast returned to the fictional town of Winter River, CT for this second installment including Winona Ryder, Micheal Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara all reprising their original roles. Joining the cast were talents such as Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, Danny DeVito, and many others.

The plot was set for a wholesome story about reconnecting the now grown Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) with her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Of course, their emotional healing process is constantly interrupted by questionable men, and the killer ex-wife of none other than Beetlejuice himself. I was able to thoroughly appreciate the writers’ ability to follow different subplots, while remaining coherent with the main story.

Of course, no movie is without its flaws, and while the movie was still able to make sense with many subplots, I felt there may have been a few too many. It was my feeling that giving Astrid one focus subplot, specifically about her father and trying to reunite with him, would have given a cleaner development for her without some oddly placed tension due to a love interest. Regardless, Arthur Conti did a good job in his role as Jeremy, and his plot twist was very well executed. 

A consistently incredible aspect of this movie was its humor. The performances of Michael Keaton (Douglas), and Catherine O’Hara were especially incredible throughout. Overall, the cast played off each other beautifully and delivered a delightfully hilarious performance together.

I highly recommend seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice when it comes to a screen near you this Friday. Not just for its all-star cast and how well it complements the original, but the soundtrack is also amazing. It includes “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” from the original movie, and also 70s classics like Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” and The Bee Gees’ “Tragedy.”

Jordan Wagner

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 6, 2024.

[hearts4scottney]

TD GEN1 FAV MOVIE HCS

heather: mean girls (bc she thinks regina is a bad bitch who deserved so much better than what cady had did to her (also she thinks janice was cool as shit))

gwen: it 2017 (bc she had read the novel before the movie and was curious and as soon as she watched it she fell inlove with the cast and sfx)

courtney: unlocked (bc u cant deny girlie would like a good kdrama & her fav movie genre is ALWAAYYS gonna be mystery bc she likes to use the evidence and find out the culprit before the characters do)

duncan: texas chainsaw massacre (bc he loves a good gore fest) [but its actually highschool musical and hes too embarrassed to admit it]

trent: the notebook (bc he loved the romantic side of noah and the movie had inspired many songs of his)

cody: pixels (bc he thought it was pretty damn sweet that video games could basically come to life and he just found the movie absolutely hilarious)

dj: 101 dalmatians (bc dj is a sucker for animated films and the cuteness of the whole movie rlly stuck with him)

leshawna: bring it on (bc leshawna loves to watch ppl be on some stupid shit so long as it doesnt affect her - no matter how many times she watches it it never fails to make her howl out in laugher)

justin: cruella (bc justin loves a good villain story and finds cruellas outfits throughout the whole movie absolutely gorgeous)

harold: godzilla (bc he absolutely loves nerding out over dinosaurs and how incorrect godzilla is on the knowledge of monsters yet he appreciates the movies creativity and detail with a love/hate sort of thought process)

katie: the fault in our stars (bc she was absolutely heartbroken at the movies end and loved it sm.. also its the movie she & sadie had their first kiss to bc i said so!!)

sadie: the princess switch (bc when sadie was younger she always wanted to be a princess and fell in love with the idea of a normal girl being able to become royalty)

izzy: bride of chucky (bc izzy loves a good horror flick and tiffany was just the absolute embodiment of perfect energy to her)

owen: ted (bc the idea of a teddy bear coming to life and being fucking hilarious was just absolutely amazing to owen & it kind of made him want his stuffed animals to come alive </3)

geoff: teen beach (bc he likes musicals and refuses to admit it and rlly likes the movie plot)

bridgette: dolphin tale (bc bridgette absolutely loves dolphins sm and finds the entire plot of the movie so sweet)

lindsay: legally blonde (bc she sees herself in elle a LOT and projects onto her)

eva: real steel (bc boxing was pretty fucking cool to her already but adding in robots?? goddamn incredible in her eyes)

tyler: the adam project (bc he likes the plot, sfx, and the movie matches his sense of humor pretty well that he finds it rlly funny)

noah: escape room (bc he finds the puzzles cool and intricate, loves to guess who’s going to die in which room, and also likes when thriller characters have a good backstory)

alejandro: footloose (bc why wouldnt he like the movie abt dancing being forbidden? give me one good reason as to why not)

sierra: grease (bc she watched it with her mom when she was a kid and she absolutely adored the relationship between danny and sandy as well as the movies humor)

[blujayonthewing]

7, 9, 11, 14 for Felix! [Shaking him like a magic 8 ball]

[cowbell rattling sfx]

7. favorite animal? why?

you know, thinking about it, I feel like this is one of the things we have in common lol-- how are you supposed to pick A definitive favorite animal?? there are so many good animals and they all have completely different merits!

he definitely has a soft spot for squirrels, having grown up with a lot of them around all the time. he really likes crows and pigeons; they're clever and friendly, tremendous gossips, and crows especially tend to have a great sense of humor. he also has a soft spot for rats, for a lot of personal reasons but also just because they're surprisingly intelligent and sweet. and all memeing aside, he really is a pretty major cat guy

9. favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

to say he 'hates' fish is sort of an understatement; for one thing, he hates fish the same way most westerners hate spiders? which is to say it doesn't even parse as food at all, and the idea of eating it is gross on principle. but also seafood stinks and also (alive) fish are so slimy just-- WHY would you--!! he CANNOT with seafood on so many levels, lmao. he is generally sort of a picky eater-- not because he's particularly fussy, actually, he just has a couple of really strong textural aversions :\ he can't do cooked mushrooms at all (frustrating, there's a lot of mushroom in gnomish cuisine), he has trouble with marbled red meat and would rather just avoid it than fuss with it, he's very particular about eggs, etc

he likes apples, especially if they're really crisp. he likes a good grill cheese, which is maybe more of a comfort food than a 'favorite' food per se. There are definitely very traditional forest gnomish foods like spider or rabbit that he doesn't get to have much anymore, and misses whenever he's in the city for a long stretch of time; he does probably have a distinct favorite food, but I'm not sure exactly what it is yet, haha

11. what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

LET'S SEE. he loves animals and being outdoors; he draws, and carries a sketchbook (I do this rather less than I used to lol I need to get back into the habit). he's really curious about everything and loves learning and figuring things out. he really likes people and being around people, but doesn't feel like he knows how to interact with others-- he's much worse at people than I am, but we very much share a love of hanging around with other people without being expected or required to be the center of attention or 'participate' in something per se. he's very tactile, although he doesn't act on it as much as I do. he's got a non-zero number of Issues that were not intentional projection but coincidentally ended up aligning with some of my issues, which I'm not going to detail too much, partly to not tell on myself and partly because I'm trying to leave some things for justin to find out organically at the table as a fellow player, lol

he's DEFINITELY more proactive and adventurous than I am. a crucial difference is that he's not ruled by fear of embarrassment-- he's absolutely not immune to embarrassment by any means, he just doesn't let it stop him. on a couple superficial notes, I love seafood the most lmao, and felix does not like dogs. he would love big complex board games and hate ttrpgs (roleplaying would make him too nervous) :') for all my awkwardness, I very often have Can't Shut Up Disease, but he's pretty reserved, thinks a lot of thoughts but generally tries to keep them to himself, and even gets completely silent if he's stressed out enough

we would get along so well it's ridiculous lmao. I can forgive him about the dogs if he can forgive me about the sushi

14. are they any good with numbers?

yeah, I think so! he's got a good memory and a good mind for logic and problem-solving; he doesn't know any advanced mathematics or anything but he's generally Good With Numbers

ask about my OCs :3

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2023 - November

A Million Miles Away dir. Alejandra Marquez Abella (2023)

We have several inspirational true stories this month, but this one is special because it was a rare movie recommendation from my dad, who famously does not particularly care about art or stories. It's immediately obvious why it clicked with him, an immigrant who had to make a lot of tough choices in life and a confirmed family guy.

Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet (2023)

Sweet, sweet European ambiguity. None of it's in the realm of the fantastic. It's just something that could really nag at you for the rest of your life.

Killers of the Flower Moon dir. Martin Scorsese (2023)

Over three hours and it does a good job of keeping things moving along. It's also Goodfellas in Oklahoma, which is good and fine.

Five Nights at Freddy's dir. Emma Tammi (2023)

I'm annoyed that I had the wrong director noted down, because this absolutely should've been watched in October. It was only lost in the shuffle of balancing the diversity of the directors. But, you know, it's alright. Matthew Lillard is the key stone to the whole thing.

The Marsh King's Daughter dir. Neil Burger (2023)

Could've used more scenes of a woman hunting down her shitty ol' dad. I was just waiting for that the whole time.

It's a Wonderful Knife dir. Tyler MacIntyre (2023)

How could I skip this? A Christmas slasher movie featuring a dope design for the killer, and it was in theaters. It has the vibe of a Netflix holiday special and that's perfect for this.

The Marvels dir. Nia DaCosta (2023)

I hope Iman Vellani gets good gigs outta this. She's the best part by far and I'm glad I watched the show before getting into the movie.

Freelance dir. Pierre Morel (2023)

Look, I'll just admit that I have a crush on Alison Brie and that's what got me into the theater here. And the movie knew that, too.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes dir. Francis Lawrence (2023)

This damn movie got me by the brain banana. I'm still tempted to read the books. I really just need to know why the story doesn't go full Talented Mr. Ripley with the male leads. It's right there.

Next Goal Wins dir. Taika Waititi (2023)

I know not every Taika Waititi can be his sort of sense of humor, but he's at his best when he's in that zone. This one's a perfectly cromulent feel-good comedy, and Fassbender's whatever but I like the actress playing Jaiyah.

The Holdovers dir. Alexander Payne (2023)

Loved it, stamp of approval. Funny when it has to be, serious in other moments. Just kind of a glimpse into a small group of people in the vein of those good short stories that hang around in the back of the mind.

Priscilla dir. Sofia Coppola (2023)

Real slow burn of a movie, but I appreciate that we're with Priscilla all the way through.

Thanksgiving dir. Eli Roth (2023)

I guess we couldn't expect the Grindhouse trailer to be made into a movie, but watching The Holdovers put me in that 70s mindset and wishing they'd gone for it. What we did get is standard slasher fare.

Napoleon dir. Ridley Scott (2023)

Not really blowing anyone away with a tepid biopic. I'm just surprised to learn that Napoleon's ass got away with so much shit before being locked away in a tropical paradise.

The Persian Version dir. Maryam Keshavarz (2023)

It meanders a bit, especially in a long flashback midway through, but that pays off in spades.

Wish dir. Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn (2023)

Kind of a story-free musical, really. At least the nods to Disneyana weren't bopping me over the head.

[jherb10]

i’m asking all my favorite justin blogs this question because they make me smile, but what are your personal favorite facts and niches about justin, if you have any? i hope this makes sense lol!

Oh I like this one. One would probably be his dry sense of humor. He’s very quiet to others but we all know he’s really not. He’s actually very goofy with a Gray sense of humor you just rarely see it and his half way smile. Also I know it’s weird but I love how he’s not weird about eating 😂 most people would be cautious of how they eat in-front of others not Justin he goes straight in 😂😂

[mermaidsirennikita]

September 2022 Book Recommendations

Guess what? I have about a dozen books to recommend out of those I read in September. It was a really good month, reading-wise--I read one of my new all-time favorites and discovered a new author I love. Check 'em out.

Duke Most Wicked by Lenora Bell. Read my review here.

When A Girl Loves an Earl by Elisa Braden. Lady Viola is desired by all, but the only one she wants is the one man who constantly rebuffs her--the quiet, intimidating Scottish earl James Kilbrenner. After Viola goes a bridge too far to secure his affections, she discovers that there is... much, much more to James than what meets the eye. This book features one of my favorite tropes--"mildly psychotic woman is sure that local man is in love with her even if he won't admit it". Viola goes hard in this book. And honestly, some people probably won't like how feminine and girlish Viola is, but I adored her. She's just a nut. And she's met turn for turn with this cool hero who's trying so desperately to resist her due to his own trauma. If you're into Scottish books with a touch of rough sex--this one is for you.

Twelve Nights as His Mistress by Elisa Braden. This novella sees the Marquess of Wallingham--the son of Lady Wallingham, the main source of humor in the Rescued from Ruin series--finally nail down the woman he's been chasing for years. Charles has been trying for two years to get the widowed Julia to admit that she loves him as much as he loves her; but, believing herself barren, Julia has resisted his advances save for some kisses... and heavy petting. Determined to put an end to Charles's obsession, she agrees to a 12-night affair with him, not realizing that he plans to use those 12 nights to convince her to marry him. You'll see every twist and turn in this one--especially the last twist. But it's a really lovely novella. Throughout the series, you see notes from Lady Wallingham chiding her son for not settling down and having an heir, and snarking about his various attempts to court Julia (which almost always end in catastrophe--his luck is shit). It's just great to see them finally come together, and I loved the mature angle here; Julia is past 30 and Charles is in his early 40s, and you get the sense that these are two people who really know each other. Also... the sex is QUITE hot.

Confessions of a Dangerous Lord by Elisa Braden. Maureen has been in love with her friend, the flashy and carefree Earl of Dunston, for some time. But for some reason, he resists her advances. Little does she know, Henry is on a mission to catch a killer, and is determined to shield Maureen from his enemies. But he's just as in love with her--and his resistance is running thin. I'm not usually one for espionage/undercover plots, but this book works because of the strength of the humor and Henry and Maureen's connection. You get the sense that they truly care about each other, and he really does have reason to worry about her safety. I'm also not one for a flashy~ hero often, but this is QUITE addressed--and reader, I did laugh. This one also dodges the "pathetic pining heroine in love with her friend" curse by making Maureen recognize her self worth well before she and Henry actually get together, forcing him into the role of the pursuer.

Ravished by Amanda Quick. Vicar's daughter Harriet wants nothing more than to study her fossils in peace--but she suspects that the cave she's been studying within is being used by thieves to hide their loot. She immediately addresses this with Gideon, Viscount St. Justin--not realizing his horrible, murderous reputation. Naturally, Gideon is immediately smitten with this bizarre woman, leading to an encounter in the cave that has Harriet dealing with a lot more than she bargained for. This one is a classic, and you can see why. It's funny (Harriet is hilarious). There's a really good, brooding hero (he does not, in fact, care about fossils, but he pretends to for her). There's a ridiculous "we're spending the night in this cave so we might as well bone" setup. I laughed out loud a few times with this one, and you can absolutely see how it influenced the historical subgenre later.

The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert. Briar Rose suffers under the hands of her abusive husband--so she strikes a deal with a demon king. In exchange for seven years of service from Briar in the demon realm, Azazel will kill her husband. Briar finds herself swept away and married off to Sol, ruler of the dragons--but despite his fearsome nature, Sol is surprisingly kind and gentle. And she's not as averse to the arrangement as she thought.. I'll admit, I was holding out on this one because the thought of a dragon man with two dicks was really not appealing to me. Then it was recommended to me by several readers I trust. Then I realized it had a breeding kink (and oh DOES IT). What I really loved about the handling of that kink, though, is that Briar isn't sure about having kids anytime soon. Sol not only secures reliable birth control for her (magic birth control) despite his need for an heir--he also helps her realize that she can have that kink without actually wanting to get pregnant. This kind of logical, clear-minded way of viewing kink was so refreshing. Like dude, it really doesn't have to be more than shit you wanna talk about in bed. This monsterfucking book does sex right (also, in that the sex is super hot, two dicks or not). ON TO THE KRAKEN BOOK.

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane. After his parents are murdered in an act of betrayal, barbarian prince Maddek wants nothing but revenge--however, that revenge may lie in a marital alliance with Yvenne, the very princess he believes betrayed them. In marrying Yvenne and siring a child with her, Maddek will secure vengeance not only for himself, but Yvenne, who has no love for her father. But there's to be no trust between them--even if they're irresistibly drawn to each other. I read this in ebook form in 2020, and I really liked it but found the fantasy world hard to understand. It's much easier to consume, for me, in audiobook form--and it's not that the fantasy world isn't well-drawn. It is, very much so; my brain just has a hard time with that when I'm reading visually. This book is just really good. The vengeance plot is good--Maddek is a great hero, who does indeed fuck up a LOT. It's a bit bonkers (the bloody handjob, Maddek just casually eating this girl out in like, clear sight and earshot of his employees on the regular--but hey, they won't notice shit thanks to the FURS, that time Yvenne watched two guys spit roast a girl after being like "yeah it's fine y'all can carry on"). It's intense. Yvenne is a FABULOUS heroine. Physically weak but so cunning, a bit conniving, and as desperate for revenge as Maddek. Their connection is physical before either one of them gives way to trust, which I LOVED. It's a fucking lot. If you want to try fantasy romance, I'd recommend this one.

The Duke Gets Even (out 1/24/23). Review to come.

Once More, My Darling Rogue by Lorraine Heath. Lady Ophelia Lyttleton hates Drake Darling--in part because he's a lower class man who's made his way in the world thanks to the duke and duchess that took him in when he was a child, and in part because he just gets under her skin. After a particularly nasty encounter with Ophelia, Drake finds her in the Thames... with no memory of her previous life. Aiming to teach Phee a brief lesson, Drake tells her that she's his housekeeper; but before long, he's desperate to keep her. Look, this was a retelling of the 80s Kurt/Goldie classic Overboard, and I... was not mad at that. It it wildly unethical of Drake to take advantage of Phee's amnesia to the point that she starts falling in love with him? Sure. Did that delight me? Yes. It's just like... idiot man is an idiot, and that makes us happy. At the end of the day, this woman does not do hard labor. She is mostly there to look pretty, spend this man's money, and help him bathe (and she's not mad at that). He makes it up to her, don't worry. I also loved this book as a followup to Surrender to the Devil, the novel about Drake's adoptive parents. This was a real full circle moment for it, and Drake's emotional crisis was very touching. I will add--Phee has her own crisis, and it's a fucking DOOZY. Not for the faint of heart--feel free to ask for trigger warnings, because there are some. But overall, I found this to be a highly entertaining and sometimes touching Lorraine Heath outing.

The Duke and The Lady in Red by Lorraine Heath. The Duke of Avendale is known for being a libertine; and he has nothing but bad intentions when he meets the widowed Rosalind Sharpe one night, setting out to have an affair with her. Little does he know--Rosalind has plenty of secrets of her own, and Avendale is a target for her latest scam... This one was WAY more than I thought it would be. Like, reader, I wept. A highly emotional book--Rose and Avendale have tragic backstories in spades--it also doesn't skimp on the premise. Avendale is a real scoundrel; he needs to have his house cleaned before Rose comes over before he's had too many orgies, which I for one found charming. But it's precisely because he's such a douchebag that this book works so well. Every tender moment between Avendale and Rose is earned, and underscored by a truly erotic connection between the two of them (this one... kicks off the sex a lot earlier than the previous two books in the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. Jame series). You kind of get it all with these two--the sex, the emotionality. And then there's a key supporting character that I just loved. He could've been a Littlest Angel type (not alluding to him being a kid), but Lorraine infused him with such humor and wit. I just really loved this one; it's definitely one of my favorites she's written.

The Chief by Monica McCarty. In 1300s Scotland, Robert the Bruce is on the brink of rebellion, and he wants clan chief Tor McLeod to lead an elite group of warriors to do his dirty work. Not wanting to get involved and risk his clan's safety, Tor refuses, even when Bruce's ally offers the hand of his alluring daughter Christina. But he kind of has no choice when Christina is coerced to slip into Tor's bed, and he accidentally takes her virginity. Oops! This one was such a great medieval. Tor is fierce and stern and EXTREMELY daddy, whereas Christina is smart but sweet, feminine but strong. Their principle issue, aside from the fact that he's keeping the fact that he's leading the Highlander Suicide Squad from his wife, is that Tor cannot emote. He's too traumatized, too responsible, and too determined to believe that he's incapable of love. So while he's not at all cruel to Christina--and he... definitely puts it down--he can't give her the emotional intimacy she needs. It's such a classic conflict, especially in a medieval, and I was trash for it--especially when we got a "BABY DON'T LEAVE ME" moment. This book is fairly heavy on the battle and Scottish Special Ops shit, but it's actually pretty entertaining, and I am fully sold on this series.

The Hawk by Monica McCarty. The second book in the Highland Guard series focuses on Erik MacSorley, the fun-loving, devil may care basically pirate working for Robert the Bruce. When he pulls a half-drowned nursemaid named Ellie from the water, he has no idea that she's actually Irish noblewoman Lady Elyne de Burgh--and, with no idea that Erik is not an outlaw but in fact working with her brother-in-law Bruce, Ellie isn't about to tell him. Nor is she going to fall for his charms. Or! Will! She? This book was a bit slow to start for me--the only critique I have for the Highland Guard books is that it can take a bit of time for the hero and heroine to meet sometimes as the story is set up. But to be honest, that's not really a critique. It's old school, and it fits the medieval setting. Once Ellie and Erik become properly aware of their attraction to each other, we are off to the races. He doesn't care about anyone and doesn't want to care about anyone; she's burdened by responsibility. It's fucking delicious. This book is kinda wild, and not just because these two fuck on a raft in the middle of a storm. It's also wild in just how oblivious this man is to his very clear love for Ellie. He needs to take care of her and cuddle her after they fuck for the first time, but he does not feel a thing!! No way!!!! It's very much uptight meeds wild, but she's uptight and he's wild, which is a nice flip from the typical gender play of this dynamic. And there's so much like... rollicking fun in this one. Swimming! Piracy! Kidnapping! A very hilarious (and necessary) grovel! The brilliance in following up The Chief, which was a book about home and family with this stern hero and a heroine who just wants love with this, a book with a reckless hero and a heroine who knows love isn't all we need, which spends half its time at sea... was excellent.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

HALESTORM's LZZY HALE Discusses Her Songwriting Process In New Episode Of 'How I Wrote That Song'

BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.),Beasley Media Group and Xperi's HD Radio Technology recently announced the launch of the third season of BMI's signature series "How I Wrote That Song", featuring acclaimed songwriters from country and rock/pop. Each episode of the six-part series will give audiences an insider's look into the creative process of writing and producing hit songs as well as the stories behind them.

In the latest installment of "How I Wrote That Song", Radio Sara of WMMR asks Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM about her biggest hits, going back to when the band came out swinging in 2009 with the single "I Get Off". Despite the saucy title, the song's first draft was actually about how the band won over a few hardened record executives in the audience at a live showcase. Lzzy developed the lyrics further with a writing collective called The Girls, explaining: "I was telling them this story [about the show] and one of them — and this is why I love writing with women, because our sense of humor is the same — was like, 'Oh, so you got off on them enjoying what you do'… and we took over this piano, in the lobby of this hotel, and were singing 'I get off on you, getting off on me,' just totally annoying everybody around us."

She adds with a laugh: "It originally didn't start from sex, but it definitely grew its own legs!"

Sara and Lzzy also discuss the Grammy-nominated song "Uncomfortable" and a new track called "Terrible Things". Along the way, they touch on her unexpected radio hit with DAUGHTRY this year, swapping gender perspectives in song lyrics, and how activism plays a role in her writing process.

Additional award-winning music creators included in the series include heavy hitters Ann Wilson (HEART),Tyler Hubbard (May 30),Luke Spiller of THE STRUTS (June 13) and Clint Black (June 27).

"BMI is thrilled to announce a stellar lineup for Season 3 of 'How I Wrote That Song'," said BMI's AVP, creative, Nashville, Mason Hunter. "It is such a great way to highlight the vast talent that BMI has the pleasure to represent, and it gives our songwriters a way to connect with fans as they tell the stories behind their biggest hits. Thanks to our wonderful longstanding partners at Xperi's HD Radio Technology and Beasley Media Group for pushing this compelling content out to their listeners."

"After two consecutive, highly successful campaigns with our partners at BMI and Xperi/HD Radio, we are excited to bring back 'How I Wrote That Song' to celebrate some of the biggest hit songwriters heard on our radio brands," said Beasley Media Group's chief content officer Justin Chase. "Our listeners and digital audience love to hear the story behind their favorite songs!"

"The 'How I Wrote That Song' series has been a great success, and Xperi is excited to continue working with BMI and Beasley Media Group to highlight the songwriters who create the songs we know and love," said Xperi's senior vice president, radio, Joe D'Angelo. "This is especially meaningful to us as we continue to build on 20 years of broadcast radio innovation, both through our HD Radio Technology, which delivers superior audio quality and a wealth of content choices for music fans around the world, and our DTS AutoStage in-vehicle media platform, which now supports lyrics, further bringing the songwriter into the radio experience."