#although... I mean... we did make it to the stream & back in one piece

[megpricephotography]

There's a field at the far end of the local apple orchards, that has a public footpath running through it. We don't often go down there as it's off our usual little circuit but occasionally, for a change, we'll head over & explore. Last summer, the farmer had planted the field with sunflowers & you could walk through them. It was lovely, very pretty.

We'd not ventured there so far this summer & I was curious what was now growing in the Far Field, cause I could see it wasn't a regular crop, like wheat, or potatoes but I couldn't tell from a distance what it was.

So, today, we down to have a closer look. It's thistles! The entire field is a big old thistle forest. It's buzzing. Literally. So many bees!! There are stacks of bee hives up in the orchards & I'm guessing the thistles (& some other types of flowers, sprinkled among them) have been planted to provide food for pollinators?

Anyway, once I realised the field was a mass of prickly plants & stinging insects, I didn't feel overly enthused about walking down the very overgrown footpath. However, Flynn remembered there's a stream at the other end & he was determined to have a paddle, so off we went down a tunnel of thistles.

Flynn was fine - he's short enough to avoid the worst of the spikes & most of the bees. I followed very gingerly. Got scratched & prickled & poked by the plants but all I can say is that it's a good job our local bee population appears to be quite docile & relaxed about life because I definitely headbutted at least few of them on the way through & nobody stung me! So that was our Sunday afternoon adventure!

[sweetestspence]

" late night talking "

summary: one accidental text leads to a night of mayhem, which both yn and spencer struggle to piece together pairing: s1!spencer reid x f!reader genre: fluff contains : alcohol consumption wc : 3.6k

part of the holy ground series.

You wake up to your alarm going off and sunlight streaming to your face. But before you could even register the loud incessant beeping of your alarm, the pounding sensation in your head causes you let out a quiet hiss through your teeth. You feel around the nightstand for your phone; it’s always on your nightstand, but you find it on the unoccupied pillow beside your head as you open your eyes to a squint.

“Oh my-” You sit up, your eyes wide as you take in the unfamiliar environment. Your heartbeat races in your ears, overthrowing the headache that’s creeped into your temples. Taking a peek beneath the bedsheet that covered your body, you let out a giant breath of relief once you realize you still had your clothes on. Although there’s a giant stain on your top that you don’t quite remember getting. 

The wooden floorboards are cold beneath your bare feet. A chill travels up your spine as you make your way out of the bedroom. Your last memory, albeit quite fuzzy, was texting Elle to join you at a club and you trusted yourself enough that you were actually able to do so.

“Hello?” You call out.

“Over here.”

A groggy voice answers back. Familiar, but not quite the one you were expecting to hear. Turning the corner to the living room, you find Spencer sitting up on the couch. He’s stretching his arms above his head, his expression contorted into one of discomfort.

“You’re not Elle.” You furrow your brows, blinking back a couple times to make sure you weren’t actually just seeing things. 

“Clearly, no.” Spencer hunches over, resting his elbows by his knees and threading his fingers through this hair. “What happened? How am I hungover?”

You take a seat beside him. Last night’s events are buzzy, colorful, loud haze. No matter how much you try to recall, you could only seem to come up with a blur. “The last thing I remember is texting Elle.”

“The last thing I remember is getting a text from you.” Spencer fishes his phone from his pocket to show you the text he received, only to find that it’s run out of battery. He sighs and places it on the coffee table. “Well, it was mostly indecipherable anyways. It was just a bunch of letters and numbers, which was worrying.”

“How did you know where to get me?” 

“I said mostly indecipherable.” He looks up at you with a quiet chuckle. You meet his eyes and Spencer instinctively looks away, but he’s well aware that you’re keeping your gaze on him. Perhaps it had something to do with your jobs in the FBI and the kinds of encounters you had with every case that made him worry about your wellbeing. Spencer bites his tongue on how he immediately assumed the worst when he received the text. 

“Right. Forgot you were an actual genius.” You gently nudge his shoulder with your own and it’s then your gaze falls on his hands, which are covered with band-aids. “Wait, were these there before you picked me up?”

Spencer follows your line of sight and it’s only then the slight stinging ache in his hands registers in his mind, scrunching his nose at the slight pangs of pain. While there are a couple of bandaids that covered his fingers, they’re applied haphazardly, thin light red lines peeking from beneath some of them and a few uncovered ones littered his palms. “No, they were not.”

You take his hand in yours, inspecting the scratches and lightly running your thumb over them. “The cuts are shallow, and judging by the stain around some of these, they were probably treated with an iodine solution.”

“Not well though.” Spencer’s brows are furrowed, and he lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding when you let his hand go. “Missed a few and the application is uneven. The stain on this one is a bit darker.”

“We need to figure out what happened. I mean, what if we did something illegal? We’re FBI agents!”

“Then we should have woken up in a holding cell.” Spencer answers without missing a beat, watching as you stand and start pacing back and forth. Your panic doesn’t exactly help in soothing his own anxieties on the events of the previous night. “And that’s the conclusion you jump to?”

His words don’t seem to reach you though, and Spencer doesn’t miss the way your eyes light up. You stop pacing and face him directly, a certain kind of determination in your tone and expression. “That’s it. We’re FBI agents, we can figure out what happened. We’ll just have to treat this like a case and retrace our steps. Close your eyes, we’ll do a cognitive interview-”

“Y/n, breathe. Let’s start by looking for clues.” He cuts you off, and you hadn’t even realized that you were running out of breath. Spencer looks around the room, his eyes landing on two identical pairs on sunglasses on the coffee table. “Look, I don’t own these.”

“I don’t either- oh god… did we steal these?!” Your voice goes octaves higher, your eyes growing wide. Spencer feels around for his wallet, which he finds in his back pocket.

“Probably not… my wallet is empty.” He frowns, placing his wallet down and picking up one of the sunglasses. “These look cheap, they wouldn’t be worth more than ten dollars each. Is there anything in your purse that might help us get a clearer picture?”

You practically sprint to the bedroom, having caught sight of it by the foot of the bed on your way out earlier. Spencer takes the time to charge his phone in an outlet by the kitchen counter, perhaps something in his messages or call history would shake his memory. His brows are furrowed and his lips are pursed. Genuinely the last thing he remembers is settling in for the night, until he got your text. Though the hangover suggests that may have had some alcohol in his system. But that doesn’t make sense. If he was there to pick you up or check for danger, he wouldn’t have willingly drunk anything, needing to be sober if he was to take you home in one piece. 

“I have a receipt for the sunglasses and some first aid supplies. It’s from the general store across the street from the club.” You hand him the receipt before continuing to rummage through your bag.

He scans through the contents of the receipt. “Okay, according to the receipt we were at the store at 2:33 am. Can you check your phone and see what time you sent me that text?”

Your phone was hanging on 10 percent with a very cracked screen and a couple of missing buttons, the sight of which gave you more questions to answer. You could hear Spencer let out a quiet ‘yikes’ the second you pulled it out of your bag. “Yikes is right… looks like I sent you that text at 1 am.”

Spencer was right when he said all you said was an almost indecipherable combination of numbers and letters, and you can’t help but wonder how in the hell he managed to figure out where to get you. 

“You got some of the letters correct. I figured since you were probably drunk, you were a few buttons off on some of them. Look, you put in an ‘A’ for ‘E’ and ‘7’ instead of ‘U’.” 

“How-”

“You’re easy to read when your guard is down.” Spencer shrugs, and before you could even ask him to elaborate he’s already brushed his own words aside. “You sent that text at one, and it’s a twenty minute trip from my apartment to the club. Fifteen if there’s no traffic, and I assume there’s none considering the time. What happened in the next hour between me arriving at the club that would lead to us buying first aid supplies?”

Silence envelops the two of you as you both tried to come up with your own theories. Spencer wonders if he had gotten into a fight, but there’s no bruising on his face or knuckles. While possible, a fight wouldn’t lead to just some shallow cuts on his hands. Why would I even get into a fight in the first place? To protect Y/n? he thinks to himself, making a quick glance at your features — clearly deep in thought. No, I wouldn’t have had to. She throws a better punch. He dismisses the thought, remembering the last case you had just worked where you decked an UnSub who was looking to get past you in an alley. Besides, you didn’t have any self defense wounds. 

Surely, there must be an easier way to get around the gap in his memory. Then it hits him. The most obvious way to find out what had happened without either of you having to bend over backwards to try and figure it out.

“Didn’t you mention you were going out with your friends…?”

“Oh god, I’m so stupid.” You mumble to yourself, gently hitting your forehead with the palm of your hand to emphasize your point. Scrolling through your contacts until you find the right one, you let out a quick sigh when the other line rings. “My friends left when they found someone to go home with- if you know what I mean. But luckily, the bartender is also a friend… Hey!”

“Y/n! How’s the hangover?” 

Spencer moves closer to you in an attempt to hear the other side of the conversation. You place your phone on speaker, but he maintains his proximity. Just close enough that his arm ever so slightly brushes against yours, but far enough to not make your heart race. 

“Josh. I need you to tell me what the hell happened last night.”

Your friend laughs at the urgency in your voice. “Do you want the detailed account or the TLDR?”

“TLDR?” Spencer asks, leaning closer towards you, his voice low.

“It means ‘too long, didn’t read’. It’s basically slang for a summary of something.” You reply just as quietly. Turning your attention back to your phone, “Considering I’m about to run out of battery, I think TLDR would be good for now.”

“Got it. Well, after Mia and Liv left you said you were going to invite your friend Elle to join you instead. But then this guy Dr Reid shows up and says that he works with you. Is he…”

“Yeah.” Spencer clears his throat. “I’m here.”

“Nice to meet you, man! Anyways, he tries to get you to come home with him because you’re so clearly plastered and you two have work. You said that you don’t want to go home with someone sober. Fast forward a few shots later and Dr Reid feels bad for knocking over a bunch of empty glasses on the bar and he tries to pick them up.”

“That explains the cuts on my hand.” Spencer comments.

“Mhmm. Since I ran out of supplies, I offered to walk with the two of you to the store across the street to treat his cuts. You insisted on being the one to help him. I stayed until you finished putting on the bandaids and got you both in a cab.”

You follow each word that escapes Josh’s lips and you couldn’t help the embarrassment that flooded your veins. You hadn’t known Spencer for too long and you had already caused him far more trouble than you believe you were worth. You squeezed your eyes shut tighter and tighter with each passing second, letting out a breath of relief once it was all over. You still don’t know where the large stain on your top was from, or why you had chosen to buy sunglasses along with the first aid supplies The only thing you knew was that you owed Spencer the biggest apology. 

“Why did I buy sunglasses?”

“You kept complaining about not having any to take to the field.”

“Why are there two?”

“You exclaimed, pretty loudly might I add, that they looked good on Dr. Reid so you got him a pair too.” 

“You’re lying…” You mumble, forgetting that Spencer was just a couple of feet beside you, and using your free hand to cover your face. “Did I happen to spill anything on myself too?”

“Nope.” Josh chuckles, loud and breathy, causing your embarrassment to multiply tenfold. “Listen, Y/n. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

“Sure. Thanks, by the way.”

“No problem.”

He hangs up and you turn to Spencer with a small, sheepish smile. “I guess that solves one mystery.”

“There’s still the matter of that stain on your top, so we made one more stop before we got here.” Spencer’s brows are furrowed, his gaze trained on you. He moves to stand in front of you to get a better look. “It doesn’t look like mud or dirt. I think it might be coffee… you know, there’s a diner not too far from here.”

Before you could offer making a quick trip to confirm his hypothesis, his phone lights up from the kitchen counter. His ringtone cuts through both your trains of thought. Sneaking a peek at the caller ID, an immediate sense of dread fills your senses. You look at Spencer wide-eyed and his expression mimics yours as he weaves his way around his furniture to answer his phone.

“Hey, uh, Hotch.” Spencer didn’t mean for his voice to shake as much as it did, or to grip the phone as tightly.

“Good. You’re awake. Is L/n up as well?”

“Ye- wait, you know she’s here?”

Spencer’s eyes widen to a degree you didn’t even know was possible, which only increased the panic that flowed through your veins. You raise your brows and mouth an exaggerated ‘what is he saying?’. He puts his phone on speaker and waves you over, but you stay rooted to your spot. 

“I’m sure you’ll forgive me for giving her the bed.” There’s nothing in Hotch’s voice to indicate anger or frustration, though you could hear the slightest bit of disappointment. You imagine him on the other end of the call, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re expected at the office in an hour. The team needs both of you at your best. Sort out your hangovers or whatever it is you need before that. Got it?”

“Yes, sir. Um- I was just wondering-”

 Aaron sighs. “You’re both lucky we didn’t get called in last night. Check your call history, Reid. You called me and I found you and L/n at four in the morning engaged in an arm wrestling competition. On the way back, you gave her all the cash in your wallet because you lost. Do I even want to know the rest of the night’s events?”

You shake your head and Spencer answers for both of you. “No, sorry for the trouble.”

“Just make sure it never happens again.”

“It won’t-”

“If it does and you’re going to need an early morning pick-up at some random diner, at least get Anderson to do it.”

Both of you hear the call disconnect, leaving you and Spencer in a stunned silence. A beat passes, and the two of you make eye contact. 

“Did Hotch just make a joke?” You ask your question slowly, as if you couldn’t believe it yourself. You’re not too sure if Spencer heard it either, but you swear you could hear the ghost of a smile in the latter half of his sentence. 

“You know I-” He pauses, actually considering the question. Spencer looks down at his feet, just for the quickest of seconds, before looking up at you. “I can never tell with him.”

He says it earnestly. But you could tell in the way the corners of his mouth flicked upwards, in the way he tried to suppress a smile, that he was somewhat joking too. Spencer didn’t seem to be the type to make a jest on Hotch’s seeming stoicism to his face, despite how close the team was. Not to mention, you were still quite new too. The fact that he was comfortable enough with you to make a small jab at your chief warms your heart.

So you let out a chuckle, and he joins you, and in just a few seconds it turns into full blown laughter. Mostly at the absurdity of the events of the previous night. It’s not lost on either of you that both of you were the last two people on the team to have such an experience. If you were betting on it, your money would have been on Morgan or Elle.  

“I should get going.” Your laughter dies down, realizing you were against the clock and JJ might call you in earlier than expected. You grab your purse and head to the door, walking as quickly as you can without tripping on your own two feet. “I think I can squeeze in a quick shower at my apartment and a trip to the coffee shop in an hour.”

“Before you leave, you should uh-” Spencer’s voice stops you in his tracks. He gestures to the stain on your top before handing you the cardigan he’s wearing. “get that covered up.”

You gratefully accept the cardigan and put it on, making a mental note to get it washed before returning it to him. Just as your hand makes contact with the doorknob, Spencer calls out your name.

He’s standing by the coffee table, and he tosses you one of the cheap plastic sunglasses neither of you remember buying. You catch it with ease, a proud smile spreading across your face in doing so. For a moment, flashes of the previous night flood through his mind. Blurry images of you cheering him on as he downed another shot, you absentmindedly dancing around streetlights, you gently blowing on the cuts on his hand, the same proud smile on your face as you beat him at arm wrestling.

“I think I had fun.” Like always, Spencer chooses his words wisely. He’s not too sure if the images he conjured in his head are real, or merely suggested by the retellings of Hotch and your friend. He likes to believe they are, and he bites his tongue on more of what he wants to say. Hopefully next time, I remember. I hope there’s a next time. Nights like the one you just had are a rarity for him, and he didn’t exactly mind the experience if you were there too. 

“Same time next week?” You tease, putting on the sunglasses. 

“Oh no.” He shakes his head, walking towards the front door so he could see you out. “I’m taking an indefinite hiatus from nights I can’t remember.”

“And here I thought you had some sort of super memory.”

“I have an eidetic memory, which accounts for the things I read.” Spencer corrects, now standing just a couple of feet in front of you. “Which was unhelpful in this scenario. We still don’t know why your phone’s broken.”

“I wanted to get a new one anyway.. oh, here.” You’re halfway out the door when you remember the loose bills in your purse — the ones you had won from your little arm wrestling bet. It didn’t feel right to keep them when neither of you even remember making a deal in the first place. You take them out and hand it to him. “and… uh, thanks. For you know, showing up.”

“Anytime.” Spencer means it. You had only been part of the team for a couple of months at that point, but he responds without missing a beat. Showing up for his team members is a part of the job, and you were no exception to that. As long as you called, he’d show up.

He knew it was true for everyone. Hotch coming to the diner to get both of you was proof of that too.

“I’ll see you later then.”

“See you.”

You leave him with one final thankful smile and Spencer closes the door with a gentle click. He makes his way back to the kitchen, where his phone had been halfway charged at that point. Sure enough, he’s made several calls to Hotch and one to Morgan. He sees the text you sent him and a wrinkled piece of paper on the farthest corner of the room, the one he used to decipher your message. When he checks his gallery, on the off chance he’s accidentally taken photos throughout the night that might help jog his memory, Spencer finds a picture of both of you. 

It’s most likely taken by your friend Josh. You’re both sitting on the sidewalk, and he suspects it was taken during the time you were waiting for a cab. You’re wearing the sunglasses you had just bought and he’s used his own matching pair to push his hair back. You have an arm slung around his shoulders, pulling him closer, and he has a peace sign up and could barely keep his eyes open. Both of you clearly drunk out of your minds, but wide grins plastered on both your faces.

It’s first clear memory he has of the previous night, and the thought of which makes Spencer smile as he makes his morning coffee.

[ The smile disappears as soon as he gets a text from Morgan saying : ooooh heard from Hotch the wonder twins had a crazy night… did you get lucky pretty boy? ;) ]

a/n. this part turned out much longer than i expected it to be... but i hope you enjoyed ! thank you for all the kind words and the support i received on the first part, and this series in general. i'd really love to know what you think hehe !!

[jurassicsickfics]

pls make the seasick fic of jack!

You got it! Your option won the poll! I mean I would have done your request anyway 'cause I'm cool like that lol😎

But here it is! Hope you enjoy!

Like One of Your Sick Girls: A Titanic Sickfic

Ah, the Titanic. The Ship of Dreams, supposedly, anyway. For Jack Dawson, it didn't seem like much could to wrong on this "unsinkable" ship. He'd met Rose DeWitt Bukater only hours ago, and they'd spent some time together; he was immediately smitten. So smitten, in fact, that the butterfly-like feeling in his stomach was chalked up to love nerves. After all, he'd felt fine up until a couple of hours ago. Although, the sea was considerably rougher now, too. He and Rose had plans to meet on the deck at sunset, sharing a secret, romantic few minutes together before bed that night. He met her on the deck of the ship at around 6 in the evening, just as the sun barely began to dissappear behind the curve of the earth, at the edge of the endless water out in front of the grand vessel on which they stood. Rose arrived right on time, and they greeted one another with a soft smile and a peck on the cheek. However, Jack noticed that Rose was being especially quiet this evening, much more so than she had been earlier, when they were laughing, cutting up, and he was teaching her to spit. "You alright? Seems like something's on your mind." Jack asked, leaning against the ship's railing. Rose shrugged her shoulders, fidgeting with the necklace she wore. "Well...I wasn't gonna say anything, but now that you mention it, I'm not feeling very well. Haven't been for some time." The redhead answered. Jack raised an eyebrow. "That so? What's wrong?"

Rose sighed. "I feel...nauseated...and...off balance, a little dizzy."

Jack's eyes widened. "Hey, that's odd. Me too. I keep burping, and my stomach feels funny."

"Huh..." Rose said, staring out over the horizon at the bright pink sky, contemplating the situation.

"Seasick?" She suggested, giving Jack a sideways glance.

He shrugged. "Probably. Just our luck, huh?" He joked, prompting a chuckle from Rose.

The two stood, talking about everything from weather to their childhoods, but as the boat rocked, and darkness no longer allowed them to focus on the horizon. Now, all their was to focus on was the up and down...up and down...up and down...

"Ugh...I don't feel so good..." Jack said, bringing a hand to his stomach. Rose turned to him. "Oh love..." she cood. "I'm sorry..."

Jack, without even thinking, leaned his head on her shoulder. "Would you be totally turned off if I hurled in front of you?" He asked, half joking, half serious. Rose gave him a worried look, grimacing. "I should ask you the same thing...I'm really not feeling well..."

Jack smirked and offered her his arm. "Shall we go vomit together, madame?"

Rose giggled. "Real romantic...but...what the heck? Why not?"

The two went back below deck, finding an empty restroom where they had some privacy. Rose got to her knees in front of the toilet and Jack crouched down beside her.

"Who goes first?" She asked. Jack shrugged. "I dunno, whoever loses it first, I guess."

"So I guess we just wait then?"

He shrugged and nodded. "Guess so."

It didn't take long for Rose to gag and lean over the toilet, and just as she began to retch up the first thick, chunky stream of vomit, Jack was right there to hold her hair back. He even thought to reach around with his free hand and turn her necklace around to keep it out of the line of fire as well. But despite all that, he couldn't bring himself to watch too closely; he felt queasy too.

Rose was about 3 minutes finishing up, and when she did, Jack tore off a piece of toilet paper and wiped her mouth for her. "Feel better?" He asked, planting a gentle kiss on her sweaty forehead. Rose nodded, smiling softly as she reached up to flush the toilet.

Once that was done she scooted back. "Your turn." She said, smirking. But she noticed now that Jack didn't seem as optimistic as before...he looked distressed.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Jack sighed. "Rose...I'm gonna confess something to you...and...promise me...you won't think differently of me..."

"Of course, darling..." Rose crooned, cupping his cheek in her palm. "What is it?"

Jack took a deep breath. "I am..terrified...of throwing up..." he admitted, not meeting her gaze.

"R-really? Why?" Rose asked, her eyes softening even more.

He shrugged. "I...I really don't know, honestly. Been that way since I was a little kid."

Rose was about to reply, but Jack's gagged and quickly lurched for the toilet. "Rose!" He called, his tone fearful and desperate now.

The redhead immediately went into maternal mode, rubbing his back. "Hey hey...it's ok, I'm here..." she comforted him. The poor boy started puking violently, trembling the whole time, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Jack was beyond embarrassed at his emotional display, but something about Rose made him feel safe being his whole, raw, self. Even if it was a little embarrassing sometimes and made him feel like a big baby. He spit and burped a few more times, before sitting up. Rose was ready with a wad of toilet paper, wiping the vomit and drool from his mouth and then pulling him into her arms. "Shhhh...all done...all done now...it's ok..."

Rose's gentle words of comfort were the final push that Jack needed to break down, and he sobbed into her shoulder, muttering apologies over and over as she rocked and soothed him. They stayed that way for several minutes, until Jack calmed down enough for them to walk back up on deck. Rose was still feeling sick after a few minutes, and she leaned over the railing, burping occasionally. Jack sat on a bench, watching her with a look of fascination rather than fear now. "Hey Rose?"

He asked. Rose turned around. "Yeah?"

Jack hesitated. "Can I...can I draw you? Like that? Like...sick?" He asked.

Rose was a little confused but she agreed. "Sure yeah...but..but why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno...just...its..something that..has always scared me so much but...somehow...you make it look...almost beautiful..."

Rose smiled. "Of course, go right ahead..."

[thrandilf]

Episodic, Serialized, Mixing the Two, and "Filler"

Been dwelling on what I personally find effective in media and what's been grinding my gears about when things flatline for me and I'd rather sit down and write about it than continue to pace while doing the Italian finger pinch thing

First off, filler is technically about when an anime goes beyond what a manga has completed and because they got ahead, they started to just screw around while waiting for more manga, so while I acknowledge that origin of the phrase, the way people often use filler now is for episodes disconnected from the main plot

And a lot of people miss "filler"/what they mean is more chill or self contained episodes, and while the concept of them doesn't usually appeal to me for pacing reasons, there's a way to do it well that I wish more shows did

So, my bias/preference is fully serialized shows which is usually harder to find in western animation, The Dragon Prince being one of the few I've ever found that's never had a full episode of Nothing because there's always an overarching plot and tension to be found. There are "filler" moments where characters on their journey have some downtime which is used for bonding and/or world-building, but they don't dedicate whole episodes to it to break the pacing, which I appreciate. However, most shows don't do this

On the other far end of the spectrum you have something fully episodic and formulaic like Phineas and Ferb where every episode is its own thing with occasional callbacks to other episodes, but it is a sort of watch in any order whenever show and I find that this actually works for me as well- when it's the expectation from the start

Some shows go for a mix of the two, and usually that's where I get tripped up.

They're shows that I like/think are Good beyond a doubt, but to give examples, Gravity Falls and RotTMNT both start off with an episode that gives you a concept of an overarching plot, a mystery to solve or otherwise a big bad, respectively. Now, I understand that a lot of shows are still under the parameters of needing to be able to be viewed in any order by people tuning in on tv (although with streaming I think this is falling by the wayside/writing this way no longer makes sense to me) but it does make sitting down to watch them a tad infuriating, because then you're waiting for a continuation of this main plot you're hooked on, but a lot of the episodes you watch right afterwards don't fundamentally matter.

Sometimes they matter- a standalone episode with character development or a new piece of information is nice, but sometimes even that isn't there, and why it gets to me while PnF doesn't is just the initial expectation set that we're going somewhere and then totally dropping the plotline or a sense of progress for awhile. In GF we get hints as time goes on/other people have numbered books, but you have to dial back your expectations/adjust to just enjoying the day to day adventures (which are enjoyable!) and shelve the main plot. PnF never led me to suspect there was a bigger picture plot to worry about, so it doesn't hang over me/leave me unsatisfied. It does what it set out to do

However, a mix of the two can work

AtLA is good at the episodic bits still mattering, but beyond that I'd argue Lego Monkie Kid is the best at it. Although the show is almost exclusively episodic in season 1, more mixed in season 2, and then gets to be pretty much all serialized in 3 and 4, season 1 managed to be episodic while still holding my attention.

No LMK episode is a "skip" from me due to even the self contained monster of the week episodes still revealing new information such as more of MK's powers so there's a sense of progress, giving character info, introducing new characters, and/or new lore.

Most importantly, the lore and character details we get matter- 1x03 is the only time we see Mei's parents, but her relationship with her family is an ongoing thread through the rest of the show. 1x05 was a goldmine of characterization and how people in MK's life don't act, with the concept of a "perfect world" being something we touch on in the s3 climax. 1x06 introduced the peaches of immortality. 1x07 hits on a character flaw MK doesn't get over in just one episode, 1x09 is arguably the most important episode in all of S1 due to introducing Macaque and giving us a lot more information about the depth's of Wukong's past, which raises questions the show then delivers on later.

It all establishes something relevant to enhance later episodes

And all in the background, right from 1x01, we get hints of other intrigue developing as the Demon Bull Family finds LBD's prison and plans to spring her

Season 2 is especially effective with still coming off as rather episodic but the heroes spend the entire season unknowingly losing while LBD and SQ gather materials, and we also have whatever Wukong is up to piquing our interest. The tension only grows even if almost every S2 episode is self contained. 2x04 doesn't involve the main villains, but it does set up Pigsy and MK's relationship more as well as how important Pigsy's sense of family and tradition is, which again comes back later in S4

A lot of effective, seemingly off topic "filler" winds up not being filler at all, but was working to build something later. Sometimes, a show is better on a rewatch for reasons like that,

but when it feels like the ball is dropped and relationships weren't enhanced or we didn't learn anything from it, or characters acted like there may be consequences for something and then nothing happened nor was it acknowledged and now we're moving on forever, it's like well, what was the point of that then?

This is all to say that episodic storytelling can really work, and I get frustrated when we don't tap back into a main plot even for a few seconds or there wasn't anything new. The fun beach episode can still give me character development or even pan back to the villains at the end to give me the sense that something's coming to keep tension up (I'm not far in it, but Amphibia seems to have a good sense of this too where I have a lot of questions and I gradually get answers/hints that answers are coming as well as character flaws/developments being established)

TLDR:

The questions an audience are meant to be asking should be answered at some point, and even though they should be paced out and given time, when it feels like a show forgot about them entirely before making a sharp swerve back (or worse, never addressing the threads it introduced), it can make people feel like there was no point in paying attention.

Episodic shows that want to tie into a larger plot can still work by keeping a background sense of tension and building in new information, which I wish was done more often instead of being majorly episodic Or serialized, where only a few episodes in a show fully tie together which makes the shift from episode 1 plot, nothing, and then OH GOD FINALE PLOT really jarring to me

I also bring this up because as a writer, it's what I try to keep in the back of my mind for my own writing, and seeing what does and doesn't work for me and why is helpful

Also yes, this is a Monkie Kid endorsement ty for coming

[envies-writing-corner]

Just to See You Smile

Just to See You Smile - Tim McGraw

Mammon x Reader: fluff with slight angst

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You always had an eye for things that glittered and I was far from being made of gold.

You never noticed how often his eyes met your form. Walking through the Devildom with Mammon was always enjoyable, a nice break away from the chaos of the house of lamentation, away from the chaos of the brothers. Despite his constant denial towards caring for you, he always saw when you’d point out something you’d found interest in. Whether it be something small like wanting to try a cafe or restaurant with him or a piece of jewelry that Asmo had pointed out to you on a different day that he swore was made to suit your complexion. The second-born, although struggling with immense debt, would always make a mental note of it all, even if the others found him idiotic or called him stupid, he was well-versed in you.

I don’t know how, but I scraped up the money, I never could quite tell you ‘No.’

The surprise on your face was something he loved seeing, in your hands being an expensive necklace you had stared at while window shopping. It was a gold chain with a heart charm, and inside was a small picture of your first movie night with the brothers. You had fallen asleep on Mammon’s shoulder and Asmo had snapped a picture, gushing about how cute it was and how flustered the second-born was. He never cared how much he had to spend as long as he could see your eyes brightening, see your smile directed at and caused because of him.

Just like when you were leaving Amarillo, taking that new job in Tennessee. And I quit mine so we could be together, I can’t forget the way you looked at me.

For winter break, Lord Diavolo had offered you and Solomon a visit back to the human realm, of course you had jumped at the idea of two weeks back in your original home, immediately asking the brothers if anyone wanted to come with you. Sadly everyone had told you there was something going on during the timeframe, so imagine your surprise when the day you were leaving came around and Mammon was waiting for you at the front door of the HoL, a suitcase next to him as he tells you he’s coming along. He claimed that his modeling gig got rescheduled and he was suddenly free, but from the blush that coated his cheeks, you could tell he planned this. No matter how much he tried to hide his excitement, you were grateful to have him with you.

When you said time was all you really needed, I walked away and let you have your space. ‘Cause leaving didn’t hurt me near as badly, as the tears I saw rolling down your face…

Harsh words were said in a stupid bicker fest between the two of you, Lucifer needing to interfere before things got worse. As the eldest walked you out of the room, you looked back for one last glance, and the stream of tears just shattered his heart. He didn’t mean to make you cry, he was supposed to be your first, your protector, so how did it come to this…?

And yesterday, I knew just what you wanted, when you came walking up to me with him. So I told you that I was happy for you, and given the chance I’d lie again.

He should’ve expected it, the words he said couldn’t be taken back, even after those months apart he still loved you. Watching your form in the hallways as you clung to the arm of (Your choice), it definitely stung. You used to be like that with him, that smile and laugh used to be because of him. When you first announced to the brothers that you’d started dating them, he knew he had to be strong and put on a fake face, to act as he always did, that’s what was expected of him. And no one would know of the nights spent awake as he lied in bed, longingly looking at his bedroom door, waiting for you to open it so gently as to not wake him, waiting for you to crawl into his arms as he chased away any nightmares or doubts. But you never came.

Just to see you smile, I’d do anything that you wanted me to. When all is said and done, I’d never count the cost, it’s worth all that’s lost…

Just to see you smile…

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[distant-velleity]

i know you, i walked with you once upon a dream

Summary: Normally, Silver dreams. This time, it is a nightmare he suffers through.

Warnings: none (I'd hope)

Pairings: no romantic ones; Silver & Malleus Draconia

Word count: 1351 A/N: I didn’t post the first bingo slot I did because the content is kind of sensitive, so we start(?) with this. Silver and Book 7 have me so unwell. I'll be writing another piece to follow this one up for this same bingo at some point, so stay tuned? Maybe?

Without fail, Silver remembers the dainty little cottage he grew up in with his father, isolated from humans and fae alike except for the occasional visitor—Sebek, Sebek’s family, or Malleus. Those were peaceful, simple days of lessons, training, and living in happy coexistence with the gentle creatures of the forest. It is no surprise, therefore, that in the midst of his slumber, Silver finds himself back where he belongs: in the sprawling yard of the cottage, taking in the view.

He treads the stone path to the door with a serene smile on his face, happy to be home even if it is merely a dream. Everything is exactly as he remembers it to be—birds chirping from the trees, flowers blooming amidst the blades of grass, water babbling in a small stream along the stone path.

It is peaceful, naturally perfect, beautifully—it is undeniably home.

However, as soon as Silver pushes on the handle and opens the door, the birds stop chirping and the wind ceases to blow. Without looking down at the ground, he takes a step forward—

And suddenly he’s falling, his rapid surroundings blurring from gentle pinks, purples, and whites to cold and lifeless black. 

Before he knows it, Silver is landing back-first on cold stone tiles with a loud thud and a soft grunt. Although dreams are his forte and he’s arguably even more powerful here than he would be in the waking world, he feels incredibly disoriented nonetheless. He closes his eyes and lets his head thunk back against the ground, trying to will the air back into his lungs.

This isn’t par for the course, he thinks. Normally my dreams don’t shift that violently, and so soon at that. What could this mean…?

“Silver.”

At the sound of a distinguishably deep, noble voice coming from above him, Silver’s eyes shoot open. He scrambles to stand on his feet and sharply steps into a salute. “Lord Malleus! I apologize for my idleness.”

Even in a dream, Malleus still retains the same majesty and gravity of presence that surrounds him in real life. His gaze sweeps Silver up and down for a moment, before he makes an indecipherable noise. “See to it that it does not happen again.” With an air of displeasure to him, he walks past his knight-in-training with long strides.

Silver frowns and turns around, in the process gaining an understanding of his surroundings—it’s a room in the style of the Diasomnia dorms, all grey tiles edged in the green of magical firelight. At the end of the room where Malleus stands is the sole object in the vicinity, draped in the dusty light of the windows: a wooden spinning wheel, old and well-used.

It’s then that he notes how it’s raining outside, precipitation drumming on the windowpanes and running down in unsteady streams. It seems odd, for some reason, Malleus’ temper—he would not normally be so worked up over a soldier merely taking a few moments for themselves. Maybe he’d poke a little fun at their expense and lightly remind them of their place, but today… Perhaps that and the rain are indicative of something worse at play.

…Or perhaps he’s taking this dream too seriously? After all, this isn’t the real Malleus. But he should be treated with respect nonetheless.

“My prince,” Silver begins cautiously, eyes trained on Malleus’ back turned to him, “if I may… did something occur today?”

Malleus is silent for an uncomfortable amount of time, gazing out the window. Finally, he turns to face Silver once more with an unreadable smirk, standing possessively close to the spinning wheel. “We are like brothers, are we not? There is no need to tread on metaphorical eggshells around me.” When he receives no response, Malleus’s expression sobers considerably. “...Well, then. Come a little closer, Silver. I’d like to show you something.”

Not one to disobey direct orders, Silver steps forward cautiously, one after another until he’s standing before his lord and the spinning wheel.

“Legends say that this spinning wheel, specifically its spindle, was used to send a princess into a deep slumber,” Malleus recalls, and—much to Silver’s growing uneasiness—gazes at the sharp point of the spindle with something akin to admiration. “A slumber not unlike death itself.” Then, his focus shifts to Silver. “I must ask you—do you trust me?”

“Of course, my prince,” replies Silver on instinct—it is like second nature to him, serving and carrying out Malleus’ will. So of course, he should trust him…

…if it weren’t for the fact that Malleus’ expression has shifted into something cruel, something cold, something tyrant-like. Something distinctly unfamiliar to Silver and his understanding of the prince. Suddenly, it feels as if ice is creeping throughout the room and all along the walls, depriving the atmosphere of any warmth it could’ve had.

“Then touch the spindle,” Malleus commands, regarding Silver with a foreign sort of callousness. 

Silver freezes, alarmed for certain now. This is not the Malleus Draconia he knows—this is some figment of his dream. Just a figment. 

“...No,” he replies, feeling the word force itself from his throat like molasses.

Thunder rumbles in the distance. At the same time, frost creeps up Silver’s boots and even further into the room, painting the walls in a shimmering layer of greyish-white.

“Did you misunderstand?” asks Malleus lowly, dangerously. “I ordered you to touch the spindle, Silver, after you said you trust me. There is no room for resistance.”

Silver stands his ground. “No.”

Suddenly, the dream phases out of existence and back in, flickering—one moment the cold Diasomnia walls, the next a dimly-lit throne room lined in briar thorns. Malleus is still there with the spinning wheel, but now he bears regal robes and is gripping Silver’s wrist tightly enough to bruise.

“This,” says Malleus, sweeping his free hand to the side in order to gesture at their new surroundings, “is the price you'll pay for your defiance. Do you understand?”

Confused and a little terrified, Silver slowly turns his head to look around. It’s with horror that he realizes there are people laying on the ground amidst the briars, and not just any people; all Night Raven College students, with Lilia and Sebek in the middle—all prone and unmoving. 

“This is…” He swallows dryly. “Malleus, you…”

“Now, come.”

Malleus ignores any attempts to flail or thrash his way free from Silver and leads his hand closer, closer, ever closer to the spindle.

“Malleus—”

“You feel no fondness towards your sleeping ailment, correct? Allow me to cure that for you.”

Malleus narrows his eyes. Emerald fire crackles to life all around them.

“Permanently.”

Silver’s finger is forced to touch the spindle, its needle-sharp point easily breaking skin and drawing what turns out not to be blood but black, inky blot. He has all of a few moments to react before it rushes up and clogs his throat as well, triggering a series of coughs and choking so great he’s forced to his knees. 

The fires all around them make Malleus’ shadow on the floor appear to be a daunting, larger-than-life dragon as he steps closer, heels clacking ominously on the tiled floor. “It’s a pity,” he muses aloud, stopping right before the splotches of Silver’s forcibly-regurgitated blot, “how you and your father both share this stubborn streak. I only want what’s best for you—you’d do well to remember that.”

Silver hacks up even more blot, looking up at Malleus with blurred vision before swaying to one side and collapsing—

He wakes up from the nightmare suddenly, throat feeling dry. When he looks around, he is still in bed in his dorm room. His blankets are still a little messy, and everything is unorganized in a contrarily orderly fashion. There is no spinning wheel in sight, nor any emerald flames or sprawling briar thorns.

…That’s right, Silver thinks. It was just a nightmare. There’s nothing to be worried about.

He settles back down under the blanket and is out like a light again once his head hits the pillow, unaware of the verdant eyes watching him silently from his slightly ajar door.

[f1]

Apologetic Norris promises to be more careful after breaking Verstappens trophy | 2023 Belgian Grand Prix

Lando Norris says he be “a lot more careful” on the podium in future after accidentally breaking the race winner’s trophy last weekend in Hungary. The McLaren driver is known for celebrating by ‘spiking’ his champagne bottle in celebration on the podium. This involves slamming the bottle down on its base to eject a stream of liquid into the air. After spiking his bottle on the podium at the Hungaroring, where he finished in second place, Norris inadvertently knocked race winner Max Verstappen’s trophy off the top step of the podium, breaking the porcelain ornament into two pieces. “First of all, I do want to apologise for it,” Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Norris’ stunt left Verstappen’s trophy in pieces “I obviously had no intention of ever doing such a thing. And I know how much it means to the Hungarians and part of their culture and so forth. Of course I want to enjoy the time, but it was never my intention to do such a thing.” Although Norris made light of the incident on Sunday last week, he confirmed he “did apologise to Max” as well. “I know I obviously made a couple of jokes about it – which maybe I shouldn’t – but I do feel bad. If he did it to my trophy I’d be annoyed! Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free “So I do apologise for it and obviously the people who put the time and effort in and everything into making it. I really didn’t mean for it to happen. So I’ll make sure I’m a lot more careful next time when celebrating.” Gallery: First pictures from the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix weekend The trophy manufacturers, Herendi Porcelanmanufaktura, are reportedly producing a replacement for Red Bull, who will take possession of the trophy instead of Verstappen. “We get a new one anyway so it’s alright,” said the championship leader. “I don’t know what they are actually doing with it. I think it’s back at the factory at the moment but it takes six months apparently to make a new one. So I guess for six months they can keep the broken one and then they get a new one.” Asked if he would consider retiring his trademark champagne spike, Norris said there was “no reason why I should.” “I’ll just take a little bit more care with obviously what I do,” he said. “But I’ll just move the trophies aside and then continue.” Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 Belgian Grand Prix Browse all 2023 Belgian Grand Prix articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[grigori77]

Movies of 2023 - My Pre-Summer Rundown (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

10. SICK – Ultimately the year’s biggest horror cinema SURPRISE (so far, anyway) was also one of the year’s VERY FIRST standouts period, a brilliant little streaming sleeper from Peacock which snuck in under the radar but EFFORTLESSLY captured my attention AND the darker parts of my imagination. Best of all, though, it was SO COOL to see legendary revisionist horror screenwriter Kevin Williamson return to the “big screen” again after spending so long plying his trade on TV – I was VERY MUCH the target audience for Scream when it came out, I just ATE UP his delicious post-modern deconstruction of the slasher genre and its subsequent follow-ups (although Robert Rodriguez’ The Faculty, his fantastic take on alien invasion movie tropes, remains my very favourite of his offerings to date), even if it did lead to a fresh sub-genre which, paradoxically, became increasingly tired and toothless as the years progressed.  In the end, I think it’s probably A GOOD THING he took a step back – he just needed a chance to rethink things and find a fresh angle to come at the genre … and BY THE GODS has he ever found one with THIS.  Interestingly, for Williamson at least, the Pandemic couldn’t have come along at a better time, giving him fertile ground indeed in which to grow a particularly potent darkly comic slasher horror thriller which EASILY lives up to his masterworks.  Taking place in the early days of the original outbreak, when the first Lockdown was just starting, infection alerts and self-isolation were becoming a major thing and everybody was PANICKING over how much they really DIDN’T yet know about what was REALLY going on, the setting was already ripe for some pretty intense, chaotic storytelling … so adding a brutal serial killer with a penchant for killing off the idiots who flagrantly flaunted the COVID safety restrictions and purposefully went out of their way to pretend things were the same as normal was a damn slick move.  The main bulk of the narrative revolves around three college kids in some nondescript part of the US – Parker (Blockers and The Society’s Gideon Adlon), a well-off party girl who’s looking to make some major changes in her life, and her best friend Miri (up-and coming R&B artist Beth Million), who go to Parker’s family’s expansive country home to quarantine in comfort, and Parker’s newly-EX boyfriend DJ (Man of Steel and Teen Wolf’s Dylan Sprayberry), who turns up ostensibly to try and patch things up between them but may simply have come for a lucky hook-up – who are targeted by the killer who subsequently hunts them during a night of fraught tension, smartly staged stalk-and-slash set-pieces and a hefty dose of Williamson’s characteristic jet black-but-enjoyably geeky sense of humour, which is this time pitched to a particularly sharp edge of biting finger-on-the-pulse satire given the rich socio-political real-life material he’s able to mine here.  The small but extremely potent cast are all BRILLIANT, although the film really is DOMINATED by Adlon, who once again shows that she’s destined for GREAT THINGS INDEED in the future with a brilliant turn that runs an impressive gamut from irresponsibly entitled to vitally determined survivor once circumstances have fully driven her to take proper responsibility for all her childish behaviour, making for a compellingly sympathetic young heroine we find easy to start rooting for.  It probably helps the man behind the camera is John Hyams (All Square, Alone), son of legendary genre-hopping director Peter Hyams, who shows he’s definitely inherited his dad’s impressive skill by crafting a lean, tight and precise slice of horror cinema which takes full advantage of a tight budget and (mostly) a single location, which means the end result is a brilliant little comedy horror gem that I’d heartily recommend folk hunt down on streaming, or at the very least keep in mind for Halloween …

9. COCAINE BEAR – gods, if EVER there was a true story that seemed TAILOR MADE for cinema, it’s the bizarre tale of Cokey the Bear, AKA Pablo Eskobear, an American black bear that died after ingesting 34 keys of cocaine that were dumped out of a smuggler’s cargo plane over the Tennessee wilderness in 1985.  That being said, it’s not a huge surprise it’s taken Hollywood SO LONG to actually get it made, perhaps it’s just TOO CRAZY a concept for it to have been made before now.  Ultimately, the film takes A LOT of liberties with the truth to instead craft an entertaining story, but in the end that’s definitely the smart move, simply using the concept as a springboard to craft a gloriously batshit horror comedy with a JET BLACK sense of humour populated by an offbeat collection of quirky characters. Keri Russell stars as Sari, a nurse and single mother who has to brave the woods in order to find her young daughter Dee Dee (The Florida Project’s Brooklyn Prince), who’s playing hooky in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest with her best friend Henry (Sweet Tooth’s Christian Convery) right when Cokey goes on a drug-fuelled homicidal rampage; meanwhile, recently bereaved widower Eddie (Solo’s Alden Ehrenreich) and his best friend Daveed (Straight Outta Compton’s O’Shea Jackson Jr.) are two drug cartel enforcers reluctantly scouring the area in search of their lost product at the behest of Eddie’s overbearing St Louis drug kingpin father Syd White (the late, great Ray Liotta, to whom the film is dedicated); and then there’s hapless but dogged Knoxville detective Bob (the venerable Isaiah Whitlock Jr.), who knows he can bust White if he can just get his hands on the evidence.  All three parties converge in the park while the bear wreaks merry havoc in Elizabeth Banks’ third film as a director (after Pitch Perfect 2 and the CRIMINALLY mistreated and overlooked Charlie’s Angels reboot), which looks like it might FINALLY get people to start taking her serious BEHIND the camera as well as IN FRONT of it – this is a proper laugh-riot of a film which is also delightfully non-PC, and it’s liberally peppered with impressively blood-soaked effects to thrill the gore-hounds as well as an impressively well-realised digital animal character in the eponymous drug-addled beastie.  The cast are brilliant too, Russell and Ehrenreich both particularly impressing in their respective nominal lead roles while the two kids are EXCEPTIONAL (particularly Convery, getting to overact as one of the most hyperactive-yet-not-irritating kids I’ve ever seen on screen), and it’s both enriching and a little bit heartbreaking to watch Liotta once again acting his socks off in one of his very last film roles; that being said, several of the scenes are thoroughly STOLEN by the irrepressible Margo Martindale, who’s clearly having the time of her life in one of her most gloriously OTT roles as foul-mouthed, much put-upon park Ranger Liz.  Ultimately this is a horror comedy where the balance is definitely tipped very much in favour of the laughs over the scares, but that’s fine, because with a concept this batshit bonkers we were always gonna find it too funny to ever be remotely scary, so the end result is one of THE FUNNIEST MOVIES I’ve run across in the cinema so far this year, gleefully revelling in its own inherent irreverence.  It’s just about the most fun you could ever expect it to be, which is what you’d want from a movie about a cocaine bear, really …

8. ANT-MAN & THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA – coming off the back of 2022’s decidedly hit-and-miss big screen slate for Disney and Marvel’s current flagship property, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, THIS year’s first MCU release had A LOT of eyes on it.  Gods know, I definitely has TWO OF ‘EM … and it probably wasn’t the best title to be laying all this weight on, either – the Ant-Man movies in particular have always been a bit of a marmite property within the larger universe, with as many detractors as fans, which definitely didn’t help things here.  If this turned out to be third time unlucky for Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and the rest, it could spell much larger disaster for the MCU overall, or at the very least signify that the cracks are definitely growing beyond the studios’ capacity to patch ‘em up on the run.  So I’ll admit, I went into this one with a whole lot of trepidation … was it unwarranted?  Well, being completely honest … not ENTIRELY.  Tried-and-tested comedy director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man films have always been a pretty mad collection anyway, as much a full-blown comedy sub-franchise as the Guardians of the Galaxy movies or Thor under Taika Waititi, but even so they still managed to keep ONE FOOT on the ground even while the rest was playing EXTENSIVELY in the Quantum Realm, but this one may just have finally jumped the shark.  Granted, part of this film’s particular OTT outlandishness and unabashed WACKINESS is down to narrative necessity – giving too much away plot-wise unfortunately runs the risk of dropping some MASSIVE spoilers, but it’s at least safe to say that the vast majority of the story takes place ENTIRELY in the Quantum Realm this time, and it’s a place which is A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT from anything we might have imagined from our very brief visits in Ant-Man & the Wasp and Avengers Endgame.  For a start, it’s A WHOLE LOT BIGGER than we thought it was, and MUCH more heavily populated by some truly WEIRD SHIT … the film also has some major heavy-lifting to do with regards to setting up the Big Bad for Phase 5 and 6 both – Kang the Conqueror (The Last Black Man In San Francisco and Creed III’s Jonathan Majors), a Multiverse-based Thanos level threat we first encountered (sort of) in 2021’s runaway hit first season of Loki.  Thankfully, this at least is one of the areas in which the movie definitely SUCCEEDED – Majors IMMEDIATELY makes his presence keenly felt as one of the franchise’s most interesting and effective supervillains, a near God Tier Bad Guy who’s clearly gonna give the whole Avengers roster a run for their money when they finally come face to face with him (in whatever form this ultimately takes).  The plot, such as it is, is pure scrambled bananas, a heavyweight mindfuck it’s best to just DISENGAGE and go with to get proper enjoyment out of – this is definitely a cinematic GUILTY PLEASURE, and trying to take it even remotely seriously immediately draws the eye to a thousand gaping plot-holes and glaring narrative stumbles.  At least the patented stunning, primary coloured visuals, winning sense of humour and cavalcade of delightfully wacky set-pieces (the clone-spawning “probability explosion” sequence is a particularly overblown, super-trippy highlight with an unexpected tear-jerk factor built in) are all fully functional and behaving correctly, and the thoroughly endearing cast all deliver admirably without a single off-note hint of miscasting – Rudd and Evangeline Lilly (returning as Hope van Dyne AKA the titular Wasp) are both pitch perfect as always, while it’s nice to see Michael Douglas and PARTICULARLY Michelle Pfeiffer getting to do a whole lot more this time round as Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, and the glaring Michael Pena-shaped hole is ALMOST filled by a few other quality comedic turns from the likes of deadpan laugh-MASTER Bill Murray and David Dastmalchian (here returning in a VERY interesting vut also very DIFFERENT role to what we’ve seen from him here before), as well as a surprise returning face (ahem) from the franchise’s past.  Meanwhile, alongside Majors there are some other similarly noteworthy series newcomers who make BIG IMPRESSIONS, from Z Nation and The Mandalorian’s Katy O’Brien (who’s been an growing favourite of mine for a little while now), who’s a completely EPIC badass I wanna see A LOT more of in the future as hard-nosed Quantum freedom fighter Jentorra, to Kathryn Newton (Supernatural, Freaky), making the role of Scott’s now (pretty much) full-grown daughter Cassie ENTIRELY her own, and she’s clearly got a MAJOR future ahead of her in the MCU herself now she’s started carving out her own super-powered secret identity. The movie may be another flawed, somewhat unwieldy and occasionally downright CLUNKY beast, but the franchise is definitely still managing to stand up, and compared to the likes of Thor: Love & Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever it definitely holds up a good deal better in its own right.  Most of all, though, it’s A WHOLE LOT of pure, unadulterated FUN, which is ultimately exactly what you want from a big primary-coloured superhero blockbuster.  With the arrival of the new (and, apparently, FINAL) Guardians of the Galaxy movie now imminent, it still remains to be seen if the MCU can be clawed back from the brink it’s still teetering perilously on the edge of, but this, despite all that’s still wrong with it, is at least a VERY SMALL step back in the right direction again …

7. THE PALE BLUE EYE – largely sneaking in under the radar on Netflix to start the New Year off, the latest offering from highly acclaimed indie writer-director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Black Mass, Antlers) is, much as we’d likely expect from such a consistently varied, genre-hopping filmmaker, a strange, unique and deeply intriguing beast of a film.  Adapted from Louis Bayard’s well-received speculative fiction novel about a young Edgar Allan Poe aiding the investigation of a bafflingly macabre murder in the US Military Academy at West Point in the early 1830s.  Christian Bale returns with typical stoic, intense and magnificently brooding megawatt presence for his THIRD leading man tour of duty for Cooper (after Out of the Furnace and Hostiles) as Augustus Landor, a former West Point graduate-turned misanthropic former detective brought in to lead the investigation into the brutal hanging and evisceration (with additional heart-removal) of a young cadet that’s baffling the faculty and local police, which is soon compounded when additional bodies start piling up.  He’s aided in his endeavours by another cadet, the young Poe himself (played to PERFECTION by Harry Potter’s own Harry Melling, continuing his meteoric and deeply impressive rise to prominence with another TOUR-DE-FORCE performance here), while the clues lead to a variety of deeply troubling twists and revelations as well as an intriguing collection of suitably odd and often highly charismatic characters played by the sterling likes of Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney and a fascinatingly unusual turn from Robert Duvall, although the real standout here is a truly MAGNIFICENT career-best performance from Gillian Anderson.  Cooper piles on the story’s doom-laden gothic atmosphere to great effect throughout while cranking up the slow-burn and deeply uncomfortable suspenseful tension throughout, while the plot is nothing short of MACHIAVELLIAN in its levels of ingenious labyrinthine intelligence, dropping an ultimate denouement that you really have to be paying SERIOUS ATTENTION to see coming, and the production design, costumes, period detailing and, most of all, the thoroughly MOODY bleak-midwinter cinematography make for a freezing cold but thoroughly rewarding feast for the eyes for the more discerning film-fanatic.  Altogether Cooper’s delivered another winner, and I hope he continues to make films this good well into the future.

6. SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS – it’s interesting that, at least on here, the DC Cinematic Universe (AKA the DCEU) is currently WINNING OUT over the MCU, especially given the recent MAJOR upheavals that are now rocking the franchise as a whole (and look set to continue well into the remainder of this year and beyond).  Not least because, technically, once The Flash hits cinemas and the Universe essentially gets hit with a Hard Reset under the guidance of new DC Studios CEO James Gunn, none of this even MATTERS any more going forward … certainly this fact has NOT been lost on cinemagoers, who were already starting to pull back when Black Adam came out late last year and subsequently seemed content to STAY AWAY IN DROVES for this one, likely waiting to give it a go in the privacy and safety of their own homes once it hit streaming.  In a way this sounded a pre-emptive death knell for the DCEU which I’m genuinely sceptical about it recovering from … which is a shame, because 2019’s Shazam! was one of the franchise’s BEST FEATURES, a gleefully anarchic post-modern deconstruction of the overblown superhero antics the franchise largely glorified before while never taking itself particularly seriously but simply playing it with just the right amount of knowing wink-and-nod.  Even more of a shame, then, that this has proven to be SUCH a performance TURKEY, because it’s JUST AS GOOD as the first one, taking all of the lessons that were learned from the first movie to heart and delivering more of everything that really WORKED once more, even while trying something new and fresh at the same time to expand on this little corner of the Universe with impressive aplomb and consummate skill.  Returning director Drew Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation) once again delivers in HIGH STYLE and customary spooky flair as he and returning screenwriter Henry Gayden (Earth To Echo, There’s Someone In Your House), along with Fast & Furious franchise lynchpin scribe Chris Morgan, expand on the adventures of coming-of-age young hero Billy Batson (Andi Mack’s Asher Angel) and his (still unnamed) superpowered alter ego (Zachary Levi), alongside his now similarly gifted teenaged foster siblings, as the Daughters of Atlas – Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler), a trio of immensely powerful but (somewhat) morally dubious classical Greek goddesses – come to claim their powers for their own in order to rejuvenate the Tree of Life and punish Mankind for its wickedness. The usual existential high stakes, then. Angel and Levi are, once again, ON FIRE here, the former star of Chuck in particular once again proving what an undisputable comedic MASTER he is while they both deliver MAGNIFICENTLY in the dramatic moments too, while their returning co-stars and sterling veteran support are once again just as great as before, It’s Jack Dylan Grazer particularly getting to really SHINE this time round in a particularly WEIGHTY role that nonetheless once again manages to utilise his own impressive comedic talents to full effect too, while it’s also GREAT to see This Is Us’ Faith Herman get a much more expanded role this time round as the irrepressible Darla; Djimon Hounsou, meanwhile, also gets a lot more to do as he returns as the enjoyably crabby and pompous Wizard Shazam, who’s none too happy with Billy for breaking the staff last time round and setting this all off in the first place. The Daughters, meanwhile, are FANTASTIC antagonists, Liu and Mirren clearly enjoying the opportunity to be flamboyant, majestic and over-the-top in proper Shakespearean style, while Zegler invests “Anne” with a good deal more moral fibre and complexity as the most sympathetic (and ultimately conflicted) of the trio.  Sandberg and co again deliver IN SPADES on the action, atmospherics, gorgeously exotic design and sheer creativity which made the first movie such an unexpected treat, while also delivering more of that winning, sometimes downright SCREWBALL BONKERS humour to keep it entertaining and let you know that, just like its predecessor, this film knows FULL WELL how ridiculous it is and is fully prepared to just OWN IT.  The end result is, once again, one of the best of the current slate of DCEU films, and it just makes it even sadder to think that they’re likely not gonna continue with this once the franchise reboots.  Gods know it don’t bode too well for The Flash, Blue Beetle or Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom, which is a shame cuz they also look pretty promising …

5. EVIL DEAD RISE – sometimes you just can’t keep a good franchise down, and that’s ALWAYS been the case with the Evil Dead movies. That being said, each movie has always happily been its own thing too, so even when Sam Raimi was making his original trilogy they were all movies you could easily pick up and watch as a standalone without needing to see the others too (although it was well worth doing it).  Better, though, is the fact that every offering so far has been consistently GREAT, even 2013’s sort-of reboot from Don’t Breathe and The Girl In the Spider’s Web writer-director Fede Alvarez, which did a genuinely spectacular job of bringing the franchise kicking and screaming into the new Millennium while also delivering something which was unapologetically old school in the very best way.  Thankfully this is definitely the way that the latest writer-director, relative newcomer Lee Cronin (The Hole In the Ground), has decided to do things, although he’s also taking this newly-rebooted story in a fresh new direction with a MAJOR setting change as the Deadites are, for the first time (at least on the BIG screen) unleashed in the big inner city.  It’s a bold move, but certainly has the instant charm of doing something we’ve never seen before, bringing the claustrophobic madness of the originals into a very different but equally close-quarters environment as we’re now seeing the demonically possessed monsters terrorising their victims in tiny apartment rooms, cramped corridors and malfunctioning elevators which make for a whole host of new opportunities to change up the scares, the action and the delivery of the thoroughly skewed plot.  Best of all, this is BY FAR the most female-centric film in the franchise to date, making for a much more interesting and far less testosterone-heavy atmosphere this time around as the women get to take the lead far more than they did in the previous movies.  The gods know that’s VERY MUCH my shit right there … Vikings’ Alyssa Sutherland is a veritable FORCE OF (UN)NATURE as Ellie, the downtrodden single mother trying to keep her three kids and her whole life from going off the rails until she’s taken over by the Evil when her calamitously foolish young wannabe DJ son Danny (Storm Boy and The End’s Morgan Davies) finds and reads from the Book of the Dead, while Picnic At Hanging Rock’s Lily Sullivan is endearingly vulnerable and fallible but ultimately steely as her Ellie’s estranged kid sister Beth, who comes home in a bad spot just in time to get thrown into the middle of the ensuing chaos; Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence) and Nell Fisher (Northspur), meanwhile, are both similarly exceptional and thoroughly memorable as Ellie’s teen and pre-teen daughters Bridget and Kassie. The majority of the action plays out in the impressively squalid confines of the newly-condemned apartment building, turning uncomfortably familiar surroundings into downright TERRIFYING nightmarish hellscapes as the horrors unfold within, Cronin pulling out every trick in the book to deliver a knuckle-whitening scare-fest that skilfully works its way under your skin and grips your heart tight enough to make it explode with sheer anxiety, and, like every one of its predecessors, he has managed to pull it all off with the absolute BARE MINIMUM of digital assistance, this film representing another resounding triumph for spectacularly NASTY physical effects.  This is DEFINITELY the scariest thing I’ve seen so far in what’s ALREADY proven to be a genuinely GREAT YEAR for horror cinema, but more than that it’s ENTIRELY lived up to its legacy, earning its place in one of the greatest horror franchises of ALL TIME with pride.  I look forward to seeing what Cronin does next, and I can’t wait to see what the series is gonna throw at us next, either …

4.  PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH – my current top animated feature for 2023 is an interesting one because, while I am a MASSIVE fan of Dreamworks Animation Studios’ output in general and the Shrek films in particular, I have to admit that the FIRST standalone spinoff featuring Antonio Banderas’ awesome fairy-tale character left me somewhat underwhelmed … yes, I know, it’s a travesty, STONE ME!!!  I know I deserve it … but really, even with Salma Hayek on board it just didn’t reach the same levels of sheer unadulterated COOL that the Shrek movies did for me.  So I approached the EXTREMELY belated follow-up with a definite sense of trepidation, despite the intriguing new animation style makeover that’s clearly HEAVILY inspired by the recent success of the first Spider-Verse movie and the massive anticipation for its incoming sequel.  It looks GORGEOUS, but as we’ve learned to our cost over the years with this kind of filmmaking, looks DO NOT always automatically mean it’s gonna be a belter.  Thank the gods, then, that I was proven wrong THIS TIME … yup, for his sophomore spinoff movie, Puss FINALLY got a vehicle he could truly be PROUD OF.  It’s got a BRILLIANT premise about it which PERFECTLY fits with the amount of time that’s passed since the first one, and definitely means that the older fans among us (like myself) can definitely find A LOT to resonate with in terms of the themes here – Puss discovers that he’s only got ONE of his nine lives left and it sends him into a DEEP existential crisis as he realises that he’s pretty much WASTED much of the time he had, and technically that means he’s only got ONE CHANCE left to truly be alive.  So he abandons his riotous adventurer lifestyle and “retires” as a lapcat for one SERIOUSLY weird cat-lady, Mama Luna (High Fidelity’s Da’Vine Joy Randolph) … only for his past to catch up to him in the form of a quartet of bounty hunters, Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and beloved up-and-coming British comic Samson Kayo).  This prompts Puss to escape onto the road for one final adventure reuniting with his long-lost love Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), who’s none too happy to have him back in her life after he abandoned her at the Altar, as well as a deeply odd new companion, Perrito (What We Do In the Shadows’ Harvey Guillen), a diminutive therapy dog who was masquerading as one of Luna’s cats, as they set out in search of the Wishing Star, a fallen star that can grant whoever finds it their heart’s desire, which means Puss could get his other Eight Lives back.  Except that they’ve still got the bounty hunters on their trail, along with (now decidedly) Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney), a magic-item collecting entrepreneur who has a score to settle with Puss which definitely coincides with his fervent desire to claim the Star for himself, and a mysterious Wolf (the irresistibly silky tones of Narcos’ Wagner Moura) who may actually be Death Himself, who has his own, much darker reasons for finding Puss.  Y’know how they say you judge a hero by the strength of the villains he faces?  Well with antagonists of THIS calibre, Puss just might have finally met his match … and even better, EVEYTHING ELSE about this movie is as strong as its villains – it’s one of the most well-written, well-directed and deeply, affectingly resonant movies that Dreamworks have EVER DONE, EASILY on a par with the rest of the Shrek canon and even matching up impressively well with the true Gold Standards like Kung Fu Panda and the How To Train Your Dragon movies, everyone involved in this project clearly giving it their all in a total labour of pure, unadulterated LOVE that pays VAST dividends on the screen.  The cast, of course, are among the greatest key ingredients in this, and as we’ve come to expect from these movies they’re all pulling their weight MAGNIFICENTLY – Guillen and Mulaney in particularly deliver SPECTACULARLY in their respective roles, while Pugh and her cohorts are at once hilariously good fun but also elevate their characters FAR ABOVE their one-note bad guy potential thanks in no small part to some VERY intelligent, well-rounded and deeply complex character development from the writers, but in the end the main weight of the film OF COURSE rests on the shoulders of Banderas and Hayek, and once again they’ve both proven they are MUCH MORE than capable of bearing it with grace, professionalism and a glorious evergreen twinkle in their eyes.  As for the animation and design, this is a BEAUTIFUL piece of work, definitely one of the year’s most visually arresting films as well as, quite simply, one of the most gorgeous films that Dreamworks have ever put together, the studio effortlessly adapting to the sexy new style that made Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Netflix’ Arcane such glorious feasts for the eyes, and the animation team deserve JUST AS MUCH praise as director Joel Crawford, a storyboard veteran who previous proved his helming pedigree in fine style with 2020’s wonderfully oddball The Croods: A New Age.  Ultimately, given the storyline, themes and the way the film ties things off so neatly, I suspect this really will be the last we see of Puss In Boots on the big screen, but if that really is the case then I gotta admit it’s ONE HELL of a swansong …

3.  RENFIELD – my current horror movie of the year sits very comfortably in the genre’s sub-category that I’ve always loved best, a horror comedy of particularly rare quality and gleeful abandon that made it one of the best and most entertaining viewing experiences I’ve had so far this year.  Yeah, like the best horror comedies it has enough genuine darkness that it CAN be genuinely scary when it wants to be, but by the sheer (literal) batshit craziness of its premise this is a BONKERS FILM, and so it wisely embraces its sheer lampoonery to full effect by delivering one of the most deliciously dark black comedies I’ve seen in a good while.  Not that it’s overly surprising – director Chris McKay cut his teeth helming The Lego Batman Movie before branching out into live action with Amazon’s criminally underrated time travelling alien invasion blockbuster The Tomorrow War, both of which were excellent vehicles for him to master the gloriously anarchic style that he finally unleashes fully formed for this brilliant alternative sequel to the classic Universal Dracula movie with Bela Lugosi.  That being said, the big box office draw here was always going to be Nicolas Cage, who replaces Lugosi as the infamous Count, clearly kicking into his typical “manic” setting here to chew the scenery with ruthless abandon and, as a result, frequently steal the show right out from under Nicholas Hoult as his titular ghoul manservant, the long-suffering Robert Montague Renfield, who just wants the opportunity to finally find a real, simple life for himself and thinks he can pull it off in modern day New Orleans, only for his Master to himself become inspired by Renfield’s newfound ambition and set his sights on world domination with the help of the Lobos, a brutal local crime family.  Thankfully Hoult DOES ultimately manage to hold his own in his scenes with Cage, like always proving ADEPTLY talented enough to deliver another winningly endearing performance while playing perhaps the single most pathetic specimen of his career to date … meanwhile the thoroughly adorable Awkwafina once again proves that she’s well on the way to becoming the PREMIER kooky goofball female comedic lead in Hollywood as Rebecca Quincy, the one truly honest cop in one of the most corrupt police forces in all of America, who winds up falling for Renfield’s hangdog charm and puppy-dog eyes as he inadvertently becomes the key to her quest to bring down the Lobos after they murdered her legendary detective father.  Shohreh Aghdashloo brings a much needed touch of class to proceedings as Bellafrancesca Lobo, the family’s seductively sly matriarch, while Space Force and Sonic the Hedgehog’s Ben Schwarz is a frequent non-PC laugh riot all on his own as her entitled constant disappointment of a son Teddy, and Ghosts’ Brandon Scott Jones is lovably flaky as the leader of Renfield’s endearingly pathetic support group for people trapped in toxic co-dependent relationships.  This genuinely is a DEEPLY FUNNY FILM, perfectly geared up for a maximum hit count with the one-liners, in-jokes and situations, but then there’s no surprise here since writer Ryan Ridley (adapting a pitch from The Walking Dead’s original creator Robert Kirkman) is a seasoned veteran of TV comedy, particularly well known as an alumnus of the similarly edgy and madcap Rick & Morty, and this carries a lot of the same twisted, anarchic charm as that rightly beloved series, just in a much more big budge live action form on the big screen.  It’s also SPECTACULARLY bloodthirsty when it wants to be, the welcome reliance on what are clearly LARGELY physical effects meaning that this movie is another gore-hound’s wet dream, even if the film does mostly play the horror elements for laughs throughout, and it’s an impressively inventive and chaotic beast in THAT regard too, delivering some of the most gloriously OTT splatter-fuelled action sequences I’ve seen in a good while whenever Renfield eats a bug and gets an ultraviolent power boost.  Altogether this is definitely some of the most fun I’ve had at the cinema so far this year, and I’ll admit I wouldn’t mind a bit more of this …

2. JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4 – and so, it has come to this … honestly, who’d have thunk it, back in 2014 when the first movie came out and (rightly) became a surprise sleeper hit that went a long way to revitalising Keanu Reeves’ career for a SECOND TIME as he found THE GREATEST ROLE HE’S EVER HAD, that almost a decade later it would’ve blown up into something THIS BIG?!!!  I mean sure, back then it definitely was The Little Movie That Could, but still … well, after two increasingly BIG sequels which each maintained a surprisingly impressive level of quality throughout, the fourth and final John Wick chapter is finally here, and GODS is it good.  I mean it’s FUCKING BRILLIANT.  It just might be THE BEST ONE YET.  Certainly it’s proving to be the most well received, landing BY FAR the best rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it genuinely seems like almost nobody has ANYTHING bad to say about this movie, even the CRITICS largely seem to LIKE this one. And it deserves every lick of love it’s been getting, this is definitely both the pinnacle of the series AND a perfect swansong for the greatest assassin in cinema history.  I don’t wanna give too much away about the plot, even those who HAVE seen what’s come before don’t deserve to be spoiled since, even if these movies have never exactly been SHAKESPEARE in their construction they do still frequently leave you guessing in the best ways as to how they’ll turn out, and this one definitely is no exception.  I’ll just say that, after all the killing John’s done to get to this point, his one-man-war with the international criminal network’s High Table has finally reached his zenith when Winston (the great Ian McShane), the Manager of the newly-demolished Manhattan Continental Hotel, gives him the means to finally find a way to get out and find peace while he’s still alive – namely by challenging the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (It’s Bill Skarsgard), a high-ranking Table member who’s taken it upon himself to rid the criminal underworld of the “cancer” that John and his constant disrespect have wrought, to single combat in a ritualistic duel in order to take his place at The Table should he win.  The subsequent battle that ensues as John sets about facilitating this duel and the fallout that follows as he fights his way to that final, fateful meeting fuels the film in HIGH STYLE, so that even though this movie’s almost THREE HOURS LONG it never feels overlong or outstays its welcome.  Once again the cast are all ON FIRE, Reeves once again proving that he is just about THE BEST LOOKING and most interesting action star working in Hollywood today when he’s mowing down endless bad guys with a stoic expression and the odd deadpan response, the role once again VERY MUCH playing to his strengths, while McShane and Laurence Fishburne (returning once again as the dethroned Bowery King) are both on fine form throughout, while it’s both a pleasure and privilege but also a genuine heartbreaking SHAME to watch the late Lance Reddick deliver one of his very last performances as Charon, the noble and quietly charismatic Concierge of the Manhattan Continental (at least he also shot one more turn as the character for the upcoming Ana de Armas-starring spinoff feature Ballerina, so it’s not QUITE the end); meanwhile the newcomers all serve admirably as well, with Skarsgard particularly impressing as one of the franchise’s best villains to date, slimy, entitled and exquisitely arrogant, the kind of Big Bad you just LOVE to hate, Wynnona Earp’s Shamier Anderson is a delightful revelation as Mr Nobody, a precocious up-and-coming hitman talent who certainly has a whole lot of potential for a possible future spinoff franchise of his own within this larger universe, Donnie Yen excels as usual as Cain, a former friend of John’s that the Marquis brings out of forced retirement in order to take the unkillable Baba Yaga out (clearly the filmmakers saw his blind badass take in Rogue One and they were like yeah, let’s have a whole lot more of THAT), Hiroyuki Sanada once more delivers effortless class and cool gravitas as Koji, the honourable and principled Manager of the Osaka Continental, and Scott Adkins is viciously impressive but also thoroughly surprising in an almost unrecognisable prosthetic getup as Killa Harkan, the brutish Head of the High Table in Berlin.  In the end, though, we’re once again here primarily to MARVEL at all the action exploits on display while wallowing in some of the richest and most well-crafted world-building there’s EVER BEEN on the big screen – this is a thoroughly fascinating universe, realised with exquisite precision with so many cool little winks and nods and in-jokes to make the geeks among us grin and chuckle with sheer joy over the immense bounty on display, while veteran stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski once again wrangles some of the VERY BEST cinematic action EVER COMMITTED TO FILM in a series of truly astonishing and thoroughly punishing set-pieces bravely executed with nary a visual effect in sight.  There are almost TOO MANY cool action beats in this movie to count, although the final BIG sequence, in which John fights his way up the spectacular but infamously punishing Stairs of Montmartre in Paris against an endless onslaught of thugs all determined to not let him reach the top, which includes one of the BIGGEST belly laughs I have EVER HAD at the cinema in my life, as much just over the joke’s sheer, ingenious AUDACITY, has to be the film’s undeniable highlight (closely followed by a genuinely INSANE run/gun/drive chase/shootout/fight sequence through the sheer chaos of the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe – every single one of these sequences is thrilling, they’re adrenaline fuelled and each is crafted with such precision but also such brilliant varied inventiveness that it NEVER leads to vicarious battle fatigue.  Best of all, though, as with the previous film’s there’s a surprising amount of soul and heart and heft to the film too, which ultimately leads to a climax which is both immensely satisfying but also pretty devastating in its emotional power.  Altogether then, this is EASILY my action movie of the year, I really can’t see that changing, as well as a fitting climax to an action cinema franchise which has come to SET THE BENCHMARK for the entire genre, and, honestly, just a damn fine movie in its own right.

1. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES – so what, then, could POSSIBLY have beaten John Wick Chapter 4 to the top spot?  If you’d asked me that at the year’s start I DEFINITELY wouldn’t have thought it could be THIS … I mean SURE, I love D&D as much as the next geek, but even so this felt like SUCH a shameless cinematic cash-grab from Wizards of the Coast and Disney (producing through Paramount) that I felt there was NO WAY it could REALLY be an actual GOOD FILM.  At best I was expecting to be mildly entertained by a serviceable guilty pleasure, something that’s good for a Saturday night-in with a pizza and a six pack, not a genuine MASTERPIECE of cinematic adaptation.  And yet, it turns out that’s EXACTLY what we got here – this is a film which is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT clearly made with the utmost love and respect for the source material because the only possible interpretation for the way they wrote this was by taking Player’s and Dungeon Master’s handbooks, a Monster Manual, some character sheets and a few dice bags and just turning the mini-campaign that ensued into a two-hour screenplay.  It’s clear that they are heavily steeped in love and knowledge of the game itself, or were at least CONSTANTLY advised by experts who are, because this movie is AT EVERY STEP a pretty much PERFECT representation of the Forgotten Realms setting, the bestiary and even the game mechanics themselves IN ACTION, and it EVEN colours the way that the plot is laid out, how the characters interact and how some of the action sequences go.  (Seriously – a perfectly executed knockout on a knife-wielding hostage taker with a hurled potato?  That’s the Barbarian’s player landing a Natural 20 Critical Hit on their Attack Roll.  It love it.) Sure, the results are likely to INFURIATE some people who think a little too highly about how FORMALLY WRITTEN their cinema is, but for most folk this actually makes for a refreshingly honest and pretty unique piece of cinematic storytelling that actually works DAMN NEAR PERFECTLY from start to finish.  It also helps that the writer-director duo in charge here are a pair of stalwart comedy movie veterans, namely Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daly of Horrible Bosses, Vacation and Spider-Man: Homecoming fame, whose previous directorial collab Game Night actually likely provided a useful throughline for them to get into tackling this one.  The main cast of dysfunctional heroes that we follow through the story are even put together like a typical motely crew of player characters – Chris Pine once again proves that he’s at his best when he’s doing broad comedy, thoroughly delightful as self-centred, opportunistic roguish Bard Edgin Darvis, who, along with his platonic partner, tough-but-fair and sweetly naïve Barbarian warrior Holga Kilgore (played to absolute PERFECTION by Michelle Rodriguez in what’s UNDOUBTEDLY the best role she’s ever had, and definitely my FAVOURITE character here), enlists the help of bumbling, neuroses-riddled half-elf Sorcerer Simon Aumar (Detective Pikachu’s Justice Smith, twitchy, unsure of himself and UTTERLY adorable) and shape-shifting Tiefling Druid Doric (It’s Sophia Lillis, forthright, dependable and immediately done with all of Edgin’s shit) to help them knock over the accumulated fortune of their one-time colleague, Rogue-turned-nobleman Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant once again expertly bringing home the scheming sleaze persona he’s perfected in more recent years now he’s finally said goodbye to his earlier days as an upper class heartthrob) and foil the dastardly machinations of the monstrous undead Red Wizard Sofina (a genuinely chilling and unsettling turn from Shadow & Bone’s Daisy Head); meanwhile there’s a top-notch supporting cast of “DM-controlled NPCs” that help the story roll and breathe as effortlessly as the main stars, from Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page as deliciously dry Paladin Xenk Yendar, the obviously-overpowered PC from another campaign that the DM brings in to help the party out when things go COMPLETELY WRONG for them, and Chloe Coleman (Gunpowder Milkshake) as Edgin’s estranged young daughter Kira, to Bradley Cooper in a truly INSPIRED and genuinely hilarious cameo as Holga’s decidedly diminutive ex-husband Marlamin.  Every single one of these is a well-rounded, living-and-breathing vital person in their own right, and the writers have crafted them and their misadventures with proper precision throughout, while the world has been realised with genuine skill and clear loving attention to detail, as well as, yet again, a welcome reliance on real sets and locations and good old fashioned physical make-up and animatronics over pure digital effects wherever possible. There are some pretty spectacular action sequences on offer here (the Underdark sequence with a decidedly overweight dragon is a particular highlight, although my personal favourite has to be the scene in which Doric has to pull off an unexpected escape by Wildshaping between different animal forms, all unfolding in a spectacular unbroken “single” take), but in the end this film is, first and foremost, a COMEDY, and while there’s plenty of heart and pathos on offer, as well as more than a little genuine DARKNESS here and there, ultimately everything is VERY MUCH played for humour, and the end result is definitely the funniest film I’ve encountered this year (so far, anyway).  It’s also just about the most effortlessly ENDEARING film I’ve come across in a very long time, and I have to admit I am SO GLAD that it managed to defy my low expectations SO MUCH, I feel VERY HAPPILY HUMBLED that I was proved SO WRONG this time round.  I’m genuinely hopeful that we get LOADS MORE of this going forward, I can’t wait for a whole long campaign’s worth of movies to grow out of these humble beginnings. Best get those D20s rolling again, guys!

[neonkingisgay]

You were so shocked when people in suits claiming to be from the government knocked on your door. “Come with us” they said not giving you much of a choice. You tried to demand “why?” But all they said was “it’s classified”. They’re not quite forcing you to go with them. but you get a sense you should do what they say for your own safety. You’re taken to a black car parked out front. The car drives out of your neighborhood and through the town. their taking me to die you think. Your transferred cars three times, each time you ask what’s going on, and every time you get the same answer “thats classified”. It’s only on the third try that you get an answer. “Confirmed extraterrestrial lifeforms were found and they requested you” …What… “your kidding”the man does not answer. Not long after, the car stops at a large concrete building out in the desert. You’ve barely even had time to grapple with the fact that aliens are apparently real and why’d they ask for you? When you’re told to get out. The men in suits lead you through the barbed wire gates, surrounding the place. “Where am I?” No answer. A nearby sign reads: alien research facility.

You are lead through the building to a part of the place that looks like a fortified doctors office. On one hand your terrified, but on the other you are really curious. They take you to a specific door, and one of the agents steps forward and scans their fingerprint. The door clicks open and you’re taken inside. Inside is only about the size of an elevator. You hear a hiss and are misted with something that smells like laundry detergent. “What is this?” You ask, fully expecting it to be classified again. “Sanitization fluid” oh. The back wall of the room slides away opening up to what is clearly the main area. There is an iron table with chairs around it, and in those chairs are… aliens? They don’t look like classic aliens, they’re more human shaped. You expected something more. They have purple skin, and synthetic looking orange hair. At least their fashion choices are out of this world, you think, looking at their matching Hatsune Miku outfits. The aliens are staring at you. The government agents leave the room. Although your heart is pounding, you take a step forward and wave  at the purple creatures “I heard you asked for me?” The aliens look at one another. “Yes” one of them answers, it’s eyes shifting around the room. You watch the creature closely. It really does resemble a human, just with some makeup on or something. It almost looks familiar even. But that can’t be right. They look at you like their waiting for you to do something (or realize something). Then, one of the aliens in the back makes a gesture. A single side of a secret handshake. You recognize it. Shit. The puzzle pieces come crashing into place. These aren’t aliens! These are your friends! But how…??? The ridiculousness of the situation hits you and you start to laugh. And laugh and laugh. Until your gasping for breath and tears are streaming down your face. Your friends look a mix of horrified and proud of themselves. They know you recognize them. Still gasping for air you manage to ask “how did this happen?” Your friend Reed answers “well we thought it would be funny if we played a prank on you for your birthday, climb into your backyard dressed as aliens or something, but some weirdo saw us and reported us to the police, who sent someone to investigate us and I guess the investigator had a mean sense of humor because after we explained that we weren’t actually aliens, they reported back that we were aliens!” “They wouldn’t listen to us when we told them we weren’t! ‘Said that’s exactly what aliens would say!” Bunny chimed in. “So we asked for you” Joe finished. “Can you please tell them we’re not actual aliens so we can all go home?” You sigh. Every last one of these guys are absolute idiots. “Fine”.

You soon learn why the aliens have asked for you specifically. They aren’t aliens, they’re your dumb friends and their prank has gotten REALLY out of hand.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

If I had to guess, I wouldn’t really know what we did in October.

A lot, apparently.

First up:

It's SCHOOL again.

Well, not again... pretty much this has been ongoing for over a year now.

Of course Kimmer’s in the full throes of the current semester of her doctoral program. So, on top of her day job and the charting demanded by that day job, she’s also researching, writing, testing, collaborating in-class, and commiserating with fellow students in this fast-track program. 

The workload is insane… and Kimmer’s managing it on top of everything else.

For me, professionally, the month kicked off diving into and crafting the first cut of a large project about youth incarceration.

A lot of footage covering different points of view, narratives, and circumstances. Definitely the biggest, one of the biggest, projects of the year. I had the first cut done about halfway through the month. 🙂

Linzy had a bit of a month this month…

Although nothing like what’s coming up November and December. Among her gigs in October, I'm thinking about one of the many in Woodinville, this particular time at Efestē Wines where I ran into friends from a lifetime ago and we got to catch up.

And catch up.

And catch up.

Talking shop. Talking family and future with people who get it. You know?

Birds of a feather.

It was really really fun with Linzy providing the soundtrack.

Due to scheduling, our friends had to leave before Kimmer arrived. The timing was still good, though, ‘cause Linzy was on a quick break so we got in a little family time at the bar of all places. Afterward, she returned to her third set while we commenced date night. 

After that, we got all of Linzy's gear packed up and moved our van but somehow managed not to leave. We hung out at the back of the van talking shop like our family does.

Apparently.

I don't even remember what all we talked about. It was a bit stream of consciousness. But it was lovely still.

😊

Linzy’s gig calendar had something on every Friday of October.

Winery gigs on three of them. A Midnight High show on the first Friday of the month. There was a Palisade restaurant performance on the last Wednesday of October but the BIG deal was Linzy’s Dream Patrol show at Sunset Tavern in Ballard, Tuesday the 22nd.

The show was the best one so far. Between the production quality of the recorded tracks playing back through the house sound system, the writing, the arranging, the mixing, the layering of the songs, a pair of her Midnight High bandmates, masters both on bass (Tim) and lead guitar (Skylar), expert stage lighting from mains to accents, smoke, disco balls, and then Linzy's performance itself that was an aligning of planets, a coalescing of iconic look, vocal performance, and lead singer attitude.

No joke.

This was some next-level magic.

One of the Dream Patrol songs Linzy premiered at the show’s called “halloween” and a coupla days before I got it in my head to see how feasible it might be to make a music video for that song using the Text to Video function of RunwayML.

Turns out: very feasible. The thing knocked my socks off. And Kimmer’s. And the producer I’m working with. And the other editor who works with that producer. And so on. 😁

And yeah it's age-restricted due to language and horror elements. So Beware!

I said before that I completed the first cut of the youth incarceration project halfway through the month.

The big deal there was that it was a work in progress until it wasn’t. Meaning, I didn’t have a sense of the full piece until I was in sight of the finish line. So. End of the day, the producer and I watch it in its entirety. For the first time. And it’s spectacular in its polished, first-cut iteration. 😁😁😁

By the way, did I mention Kimmer made costumes?

Yeah. The Dream Patrol show was actually billed as a “costume event” and we were all-in from the get-go. I can’t remember what I thought of first for a costume but the second costume I thought of was Nevermore student vampire. It took a coupla weeks but Kimmer found the pieces for it, included her dark round lensed glasses, and crafted the formal jacket herself with blue and black stripes along with the Nevermore logo. Classic!

For herself, Kimmer made…

Actually, she found this fantastic silver material, an oversized dress actually, and was immediately inspired to craft an Eiffel Tower costume. She bought additional materials and had a sort of first draft laid out on our dining room table prior to sewing it all together. It would've been AMAZING.

What happened, though, is that Kimmer was at Value Village and ran across a purple T-shirt illustrated with the gang from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! in their iconic costumes.

Later she was telling me about it and how she was thinking about getting it for me to which I replied

“Why didn't you???”

So next thing we're in the car to Value Village where we snag the shirt (thankfully still hanging there in the costumes section) and since Kimmer’s always looking… she finds this year’s costume. Actually, she finds it in pieces. 

The first piece Kimmer finds is kind of a lamp shade deal where, instead of shade, there are strings of reflective wires. So she grabs it, thinking how it might go with her Eiffel Tower costume still in the works. But then…

Then she finds an outfit that we don't know what it is but it looks cool, fits comfortably, and makes a statement.

What statement?

No idea. 

It has kind of, sort of, maybe a Jetson’s vibe? But then put the reflective headpiece on her head and now she looks like a lamp?

Sort of?

Kind of?

Maybe?

So she buys both pieces on the spot and then a few days later finds the ankle boots to go with it. White leather. Platform. And now with this third piece she definitely has a look.

Again, no idea what that look is, but then we're in Ballard walking to the show at night. We're both wearing our costumes, me without the sunglasses yet, she without the reflective headpiece yet. Nearing the venue, we pass a group of revelers and one of them pauses to tell Kimmer how much she loves Kimmer’s outfit.

Get it? Outfit?

See, this is October 22. Costume parties won't start ‘til Friday afternoon. So I'm pretty sure she thought Kimmer was normally just dressed this way and looked cool.

I thought that was very sweet.

And Kimmer did look cool. ☺️

By the way. That music video I made from Text to Video prompts? That was definitely on my own time but it did pay off professional dividends in that I now have a method of working with this particular AI tool and can actually explain it to another human being in a way that makes sense.

Ish.

Okay so last thing:

We watched and watched and re-watched The Diplomat on Neflix earlier this year and have been anxiously awaiting the dropping of season 2 that happened at 3AM Eastern Standard Time, October 31st, which meant midnight Pacific Standard Time. Which meant that's how we ended our Wednesday night, October 30.

Which.

We.

Did.

We watched the first two episodes straight through for ninety minutes.

Last I looked at the clock it was about quarter of two Thursday morning.

The 31st.

The End.

😊

[nickgerlich]

Notes To Ponder

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, then in the social media arena, there has been a lot of flattery going on in recent years, and there’s no end in sight.

Back in the old days, when Facebook was squaring off with Twitter, and MySpace had already been relegated to the dustbin of digital history, it was all about how long your posts could be. Twitter limited users to 140 characters, while Facebook allowed 420, although if you posted a Facebook Note, you could go long-form if you wanted to. Think blog or endless rant.

Images then became the cause du jour, with Facebook leading the fray. Twitter was so streamlined in its early days that third-party apps popped up to handle all of the things that Twitter couldn’t or wouldn’t, which basically meant photo sites that provided users a link to a pic, as well as schedulers. I once scheduled a tweet to happen while I was getting a colonoscopy, but that’s probably TMI. I just wanted to see how it worked. (It worked just fine, and I was just fine also.)

Instagram came along in 2010, with the focus on the image first and foremost. Native filters, most of which were terrible by today’s standards, became all the rage, and the square format photos (a throwback nod to Polaroid, of course) set the app apart from everyone else. Facebook, threatened by this upstart, did what any smart company would do: They bought it in 2012.

Twitter then launched Periscope, a stand-alone app that allowed users to go live with video posts. These had to be done in portrait—meaning vertical—mode, which was prescient of what would come to pass a few years later. Facebook quickly copied it, but allowed for landscape—meaning horizontal—videos as well as portrait.

Moving along, SnapChat became popular with its disappearing stories. Instagram responded by adding a me-too version. Then TikTok gained traction here with their short-form videos, which Instagram quickly copied as Reels. They were then rolled into Facebook as well. And just last July, Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, launched Threads, their Twitter—I mean X—rival, at a time when many X copycats were landing in the App Store. Threads has been the one with the most staying power, though.

But as much as TikTok has been in the headlines lately, it is Instagram with its two billion users, roughly 2X what TikTok has, that makes it the gold standard these days with all manner of imagery, from stills to stories to reels. They’ve got it going on.

And now comes rumors that TikTok is about to launch TikTok Notes, an odd name for a photo-intensive app that is designed to take on Instagram’s original intent. Never mind that TikTok’s future in the US is completely up in the air for now (and certainly dead in the water for state employees in 34 states). TikTok plans to duplicate posts from its users adding still photos, populating the new Notes app with initial content, and then hopes that it becomes a parallel channel for engagement.

Remember at this point that Instagram has managed to do it all in one, even though there has been much uproar over its algorithm deprecating still photos in favor of Reels. I felt that pain in the last year, because I prefer to focus my posts on stills. I neither have time nor interest in shooting lots of videos, as well as posting something less than polished.

So here we are now, with the looming possibility of yet another app and yet another time suck. I currently maintain steady streams on my Facebook, Insta, and Threads, and occasionally have dabbled in LinkedIn. But I have been terrible trying to keep my LinkedIn going, because I still see it as the site you use when you’re looking for a job. I’m not. I just don’t have enough bandwidth right now for a fourth app to maintain, much less even entertaining TikTok and its spawns.

At best, all this me-tooism is finding us slicing the pie into ever smaller pieces. That’s OK as long as you can find your tribe and have fun doing it, and the sites can make money. Furthermore, it helps bolster arguments against monopoly power that have been hurled at Meta. No, competition is still alive and well. It’s just I can’t contemplate too many competing platforms at the same time.

Besides, I would probably run out of photos and words to post.

Dr “I’ll Sit This One Out” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[yuuana]

Music Monday #221: ATEEZ - Limitless  release: March 2023 genre: Kpop, Jpop

Yeah, I know, I've been MIA again. But you knew ATEEZ was going to bring me right back, right? Of course you did.

For their first release of 2023, ATEEZ have given us another EDM-meets-hard-rock track in title track LIMITLESS. Soaring vocals pair with lyrics all about empowering yourself and reaching for your goals. While Hongjoong's raps have more of his signature growl, in contrast to previous release Halazia, the sung passages are mostly in the members' falsetto ranges. On the other hand, doing that makes for a strong contrast with the overdriven guitar and pulsing drum and bass lines in the backing track. If I didn't know better, I would think this was a shounen anime OP ... on the other hand, ATEEZ has released several anime OST songs now, so it's definitely a style they like and are comfortable with. And then we get to the bridge after the second chorus and the backing track completely drops out for a whole five seconds, leaving us with just San's sweet voice singing "風を受け自分追い越すのさ" (kaze wo uke jibun oikosu no sa | with the wind in your face, overtake yourself), and I get chills that don't stop even when Wooyoung picks up the repeat of the chorus. The MV feels very much like a callback to the Rocky video released last year for their Japanese EP BEYOND : ZERO with all of those gym shots. But this time, instead of boxers, the team is split between four fencers and four archers. Anyone familiar with ISAC will likely be unsurprised that Yeosang and Jongho are in the archery team, along with Hongjoong (who was their first alternate for archery in 2022) and Yunho, while Seonghwa and Mingi, San and Wooyoung making the fencing pairs. The first half - the training sequences - have some dangerously sleeveless shots for San and Yeosang, although one might argue the latter half, with the fencing sparring, is the more dangerous. Sure, the foils all have tip guards, but remember kids, even in a friendly sparring match, use proper protection! The return of the archarchist-ic encircled A symbol marks this as (probably) another piece in the lore puzzle, but what the piece means is a bit open to interpretation. Up to now, that symbol has been mostly linked to Halateez, but this MV shows a world too clean for what we've otherwise seen of Halateez. I suppose that could mean what we're seeing is all training simulations from inside a holodeck-like environment ... or it could be some other alternate reality instead. Between this being a very fresh release and it being a Japanese single, there hasn't been the same round of promotions and talk about where it fits into the lore. Limitless is out now for purchase wherever you buy your Japanese music and on all the usual streaming suspects. Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Mastodon | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

[mr-styles]

Executive of the Week: Columbia Records SVP/Co-Head of Digital Marketing & Content Development Manos Xanthogeorgis

"Most people will most definitely forget about the numbers but they will hopefully remember how this campaign, and ultimately the album, made them feel."

Harry Styles’ “As It Was” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 this week with the largest streaming week of the year. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?

Probably that we didn’t think about any of this until the song and video was already out. Our undeniable number one priority has been to build a campaign — or, better said, an experience — that is up to his artistic and creative standards. We stress about creating great art around the album, not achieving big numbers. When the art is great and the approach is creative, fun and inviting, the numbers will come.

It is a celebration of artfulness, self reflection and inclusion. Different elements that are added every day mean different things to different people. Everyone is invited. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is home.

We are more proud of the cultural impact it has achieved so far, and will hopefully continue to achieve, vs. the numbers, charts and awards. Most people will most definitely forget about the numbers but they will hopefully remember how this campaign, and ultimately the album, made them feel.

It was also not only his first No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, but his first top 10 on that chart. How did you set this up to ensure that this song would do well there?

Fine Line walked so Harry’s House could run. All the work that he and the team has done with the previous album is translating now. It’s very rare to see an artist with already 12 years of a career at this level to continuously gain new fans and speak to the youth.

Our favorite comments online are of people who are expressing how Harry’s House is the first campaign they get to experience from the beginning, which means they discovered him and his music through Fine Line. This generation of digital and streaming natives is key to all the streaming numbers you see. But besides demographics and strategies, the song — and, yes, the entire album — is that good. It will be on repeat.

The song was not just big in the U.S., but around the world, debuting at No. 1 on both of Billboard’s global charts this week as well. Why did it make such a mark globally?

He is a truly global artist and the campaign so far has reached far beyond the core fans.

Shutterstock has reported that since the campaign launched “Doors” and “Houses” have seen their clickability surge 145% and 42% respectively. When you see giant and global brands like Hulu, Samsung, Twix, Adobe, and then Architectural Digest or even sports teams like Sporting Lisbon CP, insert themselves in his house or behind the door you know the campaign has created a pop culture moment. At that moment you just step back and watch magic happen.

In a streaming-first world, are all digital campaigns inherently global?

Yes and no. Campaigns live globally when they become mainstream/pop culture, but they mostly live within niche audience segments and these segments are unrelated to geographic location.

Harry’s House is one global place for everyone to be, and most of the time elements from the campaign have trended globally, but we do like to highlight the diversity and flair of different countries and territories. One of the most fun tasks was to translate “You Are Home” in different languages for the print ads we ran in different parts of the world. Every language and translation had slightly different meanings, so inherently a different philosophical meaning. It’s funny, but although I’m a Greek native, I might have spent three hours stressing about the proper translation in Greek — there are probably 20 different ways of saying it, similar but also very different in meaning! Every translation was absolutely intentional.

We know that the fans will take every piece and dissect it so we put a lot of thought and intention in the details. I truly admire his fanbase — they make this whole campaign so special and fun. We read everything.

How did the plan for this first single differ from the last album cycle for Harry?

Strategy-wise, the biggest differentiator in this cycle was that we introduced the album theme before the first single. We wanted to set the tone, build the world and narrative of what the album is about and then follow with music and the first single.

Numbers-wise, his audience is much bigger — probably double — and more engaged than when we started with “Fine Line” and “Lights Up.” You might say this makes things easier, but it really doesn’t; the pressure and expectations externally and internally towards ourselves to deliver what he deserves is much greater. More answers on that tomorrow behind the door.

[temporarilyunstable]

Director Naoyoshi Shiotani was prepared to face criticism for changing the main characters in PSYCHO-PASS 3

(link to the original article)

This was one of my most favorite interviews of Director Shiotani - and although this is completely translated by means of software, I like to think more or less the context has been captured well so I'm sharing the translation here (online translators, we've come a long, long way).

What I do always is double-check both (google and deepL) piece by piece, one because both software do not do well with big amounts of text at the same time, and I do this at least twice because I notice that the translation gets better and the sentences are more coherent, especially when you use deepL. In fact, I ended up using mostly the deepL translations because I feel it's more a contextual translation rather than a word-per-word. You'll notice that both of the translations only slightly vary, though.

Since again, this is software translated, please leave a bit of room for errors. I did of course change some of the names (all hail mister shinya cunningham c/ o deepL lol).

Sharing this because I have such a huge respect for Director Shiotani's passion for this show, and now that we're drawing close to potentially an annoucement of what's next for the series, I think it's good to look back on the steps it took to get us this far, and to appreciate all the work HE's done to push this series forward. Enjoy!

Director Naoyoshi Shiotani was prepared to face criticism for changing the main characters in "PSYCHO-PASS 3” 

Published on March 26, 2020

There is a popular anime series that began airing in 2012 and has continued for eight years. It is "PSYCHO-PASS:"

In October 2019, "PSYCHO-PASS 3," the third season of the series, will begin. Director Naoyoshi Shiotani, who has worked on the series since the first season, looks back on the third season and reveals that he was prepared for criticism.

In March 2020, "PSYCHO-PASS 3: FIRST INSPECTOR," the final installment of the third season, will be released in theaters. Amidst the high expectations for this completely new film, which is expected to reveal various mysteries that were not discussed in the TV series, we present a must-read interview with Director Shiotani to find out his thoughts on the matter.

Psycho-Pass Synopsis

The story takes place in the near future, where people's security is maintained by the "Sibyl System," a gigantic surveillance network that quantifies the soul. The film depicts detectives with the "Dominator," a gun that measures the "crime coefficient," a numerical value related to crime, as they pursue "potential criminals" before they commit their crimes.

I wanted to make sure to portray the drama of Shinya Kogami in "SS" before the third season.

The TV series "PSYCHO-PASS 3" (hereafter referred to as the third TV season) aired from October to December 2019. Looking back , what are your thoughts on it?

Anyway, I think it's been a long time ....... About 4 years ago, I started planning the third TV season at the same time as the movie "PSYCHO-PASS: Sinners of the System" ("SS", to be released in 2019).

Around the time after "PSYCHO-PASS the Movie" (released in 2015), Fuji Television asked me what to do next. At that time, I had a vague idea that even if I were to make a third TV season, it would be centered on the story that continued from the movie version, and the characters would continue with Akane Tsunemori (CV: Kana Hanazawa) and Shinya Kogami (CV: Tomokazu Seki) as its central characters.

I was shocked when I saw the release of information about the third TV season. I didn't expect the main characters to change. ......! And.

In my mind, "PSYCHO-PASS" was created with the image of focusing on a turning point in a major current. (GT: in a big stream). I dare to use the word "justice," but the story is centered on the protagonist's continuous search for the answer to the question, "What is my own justice?” The central axis of the story is to depict the continuous search for this answer.

So I think it is quite natural that the central character, the protagonist, changes with the times.

However, I thought that changing the main character and creating a new work would be the next best thing, if I were to do it.

I was told that it was okay to take a "leap forward”. It would be interesting to continue what we have been doing, but it doesn't have to be the Public Safety Bureau. For example, the young detectives/detective boys* could be the main character. I was like, "What are you talking about?” (Laughs.) But I thought it would be okay to change the way I thought about it and make it that way. I felt like I had a boost in my back**.

*young detectives = I chose this because it was translating to “detective boys” and when i looked at the romanization it was “shonen

** could be re-contextualized as “I had support behind my back” = TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT! 

That was the reason behind the birth of the new Criminal Division 1.

However, I think the challenge is to create a sustained flow of the series, rather than to abruptly introduce a new Division 1. If you skip the process to the third TV season, viewers will be confused. They watch the third TV season and ask, "Why is Kogami back in Japan?" I told the producer and the production committee that he has his own drama and I wanted to portray that so that I could create "SS," which would also be a new series line.

Therefore, we discussed the composition of "SS" and the third TV season almost simultaneously.

How did you go about the composition? (series composition)

Makoto Fukami, who has been working on the script since the first TV season, and Tow Ubukata, who has been working on the script since the second TV season, participated in the composition of the new series from the beginning, and then we asked Ubukata to put together the composition (GT:summary) for the third TV season. Ryo Yoshigami, author of the novel "PSYCHO-PASS ASYLUM," also participated in the writing of SS and the third TV season. The third season is a story that we created together with the three of them.

SS, which is the link between the two, was based on the synopsis I wanted to create, and I worked with Fukami-san and Yoshigami-san individually to shape it. SS has a flow as a series leading to the third season, but I thought it would be wonderful if I could create a story that would show each artist's individuality, and this is how we came to this arrangement.

This time, in order to incorporate the changes and positions of the main characters into the drama, the process of creating timelines one by one and dropping them into the scenario drama was just a long process.

I also told the scriptwriters that the third TV season would probably be heavily criticized*

*I chose this as the direct translation was “hammered, hit, punched” etc.

— and yet you proceeded with the production?

Akane, who was the main character until now, has been arrested and does not appear. Kogami is also back in Japan. In my mind, I had no intention to depict the third season with Kogami as the main character, so I was afraid that people who would watch "SS" and then watch the third season would be disappointed. However, this was a very natural and necessary flow of the story in order to depict the world of PSYCHO-PASS.

That is why we spent a lot of time on the structure and script so that the axis would not be blurred. We already had a story about the events that took place between "SS" and the third TV season. The story of the third TV season and "PSYCHO-PASS 3 FIRST INSPECTOR", which will be released in March, are based on that story. It just took longer than I thought it would (sweat).

The third TV season features two main characters, Shindo Arata (CV: Kaji Yuuki) and Kei Mikhail Ignatov (CV: Yuichi Nakamura), the first male buddy in the series, right? Was this also your intention?

To begin with, "PSYCHO-PASS" is intended to be a human drama regardless of gender. Although Akane is a female, she also has a masculine side inside her. In that sense, I am not conscious of gender in the third TV season. Well, I had never made a male buddy drama before, so I was interested in it (laughs).

Also, when I thought about their backgrounds and relationships in creating the drama, they had to be male-buddies, so they became male buddies.

How did you create the characters of Arata and Kei?

I wanted to contrast the uneven combination both externally and internally.

First of all, I wanted Arata to be short and I wanted him to look like a non-powerful figure with no obvious fighting ability. But if I made him too small, he'd be off the screen when I took a closer shot. ...... I set the average height of male characters in "PSYCHO-PASS" at 180cm (laughs). The shortest of the main characters was Shusei Kagari (CV: Akira Ishida) at 165 cm.

Shinya Kogami, Sugo (Teppei, CV: Hiroki Tochi) is 180 cm, and Ginoza (Nobuchika, CV: Kenji Nojima) is 183 cm, and the men are all tall.

So I decided to make Arata 168cm which is not too short. So, I guess Kei is 182 cm. I also wanted to portray Arata with a ridiculous personality, so he has a haircut that I can't tell if it's a do or not, and he has all the same personal clothes that he keeps in the back of his garage. I wanted to portray him as someone who has this side to him, but also as someone who, when he focuses on something, can't see anything else.

On the other hand, Kei is a person who has a part of his personality that Arata does not have. He is a serious person and spent his childhood in Japan, away from the country of his birth (Russia), living under racial discrimination. A former military man, he is usually calm and collected, but only because he’s restraining himself. By nature, he is a fighter, and his hands come out before his mouth. He continues to endure the situation he is in, making him a frustrated man at heart.

I see. However, although Arata and Kei are opposites, they are bound by a common case, aren't they? 

I wanted to depict two opposites supporting each other on the path they take together, with the key word being the growth of the parts that each does not possess.

Also, the reason why the two are tied to the "past" is because the third TV season is a "leap forward" story. For viewers who have watched the series up to now, the third TV season is a "future" story. Therefore, we wanted to place the theme in the "past" to fill in the holes leading up to the future.

This time, the enemy, Koichi Azusawa, and Bifrost, is an organization that has existed long before the third TV season. Arata and Kei  will confront the persistent darkness that exists from the "past". The drama was drawn so that the various "pasts" would be spotlighted.

I am impressed that the drama is quite calculated. ...... What do you think about the names Arata and Kei? I thought both of them have "fire" in their Kanji names.*

The names of Arata and Kei and (Homura) Shizuka (CV: Mamoru Miyano) were suggested by Mr. Ubukata. It has a meaning of their position in the drama and what they should do. It has the meaning of their position on the drama and what they should do. Besides, their intonations are easy to understand when they say it out loud, which is honestly cool! I thought it was cool and immediately agreed.

However, Arata and Kei's names were sometimes mistaken in the recording scripts (laugh), and I realized that it is difficult to have too many similar kanji, but I like their names very much.

The members of the new Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Section 1 have great personalities, but I thought the main characters from the first TV season were tremendously popular. Did you feel any pressure to renew the characters, even though you expected them to be criticized?

As I mentioned in the previous section, I also believe that one of the attractive aspects of "PSYCHO-PASS" is that the characters can change their principles depending on the situation at the time.

I myself think that the main characters in "PSYCHO-PASS'' are Kogami and Akane, but I think it's okay to have a different point of view. This story can only be portrayed if Arata and Kei are central to the story. We believe that if there is an entity that should be the central figure of the theme to be portrayed in each series, it is best to focus on that person. The former members of Division 1 should shine in their respective situations as long as they do not die.

For example, I personally don't think there is any absolute need for Akane to be a Division 1 inspector. Even Kogami doesn't have to be in the drama if he doesn't have to be. I would just say something like, "Meanwhile, Kogami is ......" (laughs). However, if they are necessary for the drama, I will depict the moment when they shine the brightest.

The scene in the second episode of the third TV season where the SAD, including Kogami and Ginoza, made an appearance was quite glorious, and was even trending on Twitter.

I had decided to show all the key characters in two episodes. In the first episode of the third TV season, we had to show the "current" Criminal Investigation Division, including Arata and Kei. Therefore, it was inevitable that we would show the enemy organization and another organization, the SAD, in two episodes.

After thinking this far, I decided on the scene that would feature Kogami and Ginoza.

Was it also decided to have Arata & Kei and Kogami & Ginoza fight?

I said I wanted them to fight. The staff asked me, "Why do you need to fight?" (Laughs). I wanted to introduce the new organization and show the composition of the relationships in the second episode.

Like Kei, Kogami is the type of person who uses his fists(hand) before his mouth...the type who tends to get caught up in conflicts. However, when Kogami and Kei fight, Kei is also very strong, so Kogami cannot take it easy on him. But Kogami has been through the line of death and is too strong, so he will absolutely overwhelm and win. In fact, he might even break an arm or two. It's not funny (laughs).

It is because Ginoza understands this that he himself went forward and fought against Kei. Ginoza protected Kei.

—I had no idea that such an intention was put into that scene...!

Also, I was cool enough to say earlier that "Kogami doesn't have to be in the drama if it's not necessary" (laughs), but from the viewer's point of view, it would be better if there were more situations in which Kogami was on camera.

So I included a scene in which Kogami fights with the enforcers Tenma and Irie. From episode 1, Tenma and Irie have been rebelling against their inspectors, saying "We're strong, aren't we?" but if we portray them as the ones who will break their tengu noses (?), the spotlight will naturally fall on Kogami.

In addition, behind their struggles, we included a scene where Sugo, a mid-level staff member, works with Hanashiro (Frederica, CV: Takako Honda), the head of the SAD of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and created a flow where Hanashiro and Shimotsuki (Mika, CV: Ayane Sakura) make a pact.

By creating a structure of conflict in this way, we can simply and clearly convey the relationship between each standpoint and character. With this in mind, we distributed the scenes in which the characters appear.

I was also surprised that you took on the challenge of a 60-minute format, which is rare for an animated television series.

I have nothing but regrets ...... half joking, half serious (laughs). I thought it would be too naive to make a film with the idea that "you just need to double the 30-minute format”. The specific weight of the production flow was about four times harder than the 30-minute format.

—I didn't realize it was that hard. ......

This may be especially true in the case of PSYCHO-PASS. From the first TV season, I had been creating the beginning, middle, and end with foreign dramas in mind. The 30-minute format limits the number of crime and incident spots to show and the human drama to delve into. We had to focus on a single mountainous point to compose a story for one episode.

But with the 60-minute format, the way you make that mountain is different. Simply making the mountain longer, or making it twice, is different. I discussed this with the script team as we proceeded, taking care not to make the drama too long.

Since we want to express on the screen as much as possible the necessary information that should be available on site, we created the character information for each case through a series of meetings. For example, the profiles of the guest characters in each episode were created after the backbone drama was firmly established during the literary meeting process. Especially in the religious section, I thought I could create as many dramas as I wanted just from the backgrounds of the guest characters (laughs).

As you mentioned, there have been few examples of this format in the past, so we created "SS" as a test case. It was also necessary to create the structure for the third TV season, and to understand whether the production site could tolerate a 60-minute TV animation format, we took on the challenge of completing a single 60-minute episode.

So "SS" was 60 minutes for Case 1, 2 & 3. Were there any parts that were utilized in the third TV season?

We started with the production of Case 2, and it took two years to create Case 2 alone. The production period was longer than that of the first theatrical version, due in part to the fact that we worked with a small group of elite artists. Because we spent so much time on it, we had less time to produce other episodes, and Case.3 had less production time than the first episode of the third TV season. Case.3 was produced in about six months.

The first episode of the third TV season also took about 10 months, but we were not able to bring in enough staff until the production of "SS" was finished, which was not good. I think the eight episodes of the third TV season took less than a month. There was even less time for FIRST INSPECTOR. I didn't even have time to sneeze. That's just a joke (laughs).

It takes too much effort for the production staff, and (the 60-minute format) is not something that is easy to deal with. I try to keep the staff as focused as possible on the work, but I feel sorry for the burden I always put on them at .......

If there is a next time, would you like to do it in this format: ......?

It would be realistically difficult given the burden on the staff. But if we can come to terms with a little more money and scheduling, I would like to do it (laughs).

Of course, because it is 60 minutes long, the story becomes more intense and challenging as a drama. In the third TV season, we had three thematic sections, "Economy," "Politics," and "Religion," and we did the sound work accordingly. Because of the 60-minute format, I believe we were able to focus on the sound composition.

But, as I said, there are many more downsides than I had anticipated. That makes it all the more rewarding when each story is completed, but I hope that once you try it, you will understand... (laughs).

It seems like 60 minutes would be a lot of work to record, how was it?

The cast members also seemed to be having a hard time. The recording script is over 100 pages long for one episode, so the recording time is naturally long. Everyone is a professional, so I think the recording process was quick, especially Yuki Kaji, who plays Arata, and he has a lot of lines.

Everyone was busy, but due to various circumstances, the recording period was extended, and we really didn't have a lot of time, but we were able to keep the schedule.

What is your impression of their portrayal?

I am sure of it. I auditioned about 70 to 80 people for Akira and Kei, and in the end, I chose Kaji and Nakamura. After finishing the recording of "FIRST INSPECTOR," I feel that the characters could not have been created without these two.

Both of you were very well matched. Was there anything that impressed you during the dubbing?

There was a time when there was a bit of a gap in the recording period, and because of that, there were a number of things I noticed when I received the lines with the cast's voices in them. For example, "Maybe Arata is not as good a character as I thought" (laughs).

Which specific line made you think of that?

What came out plainly was the scene in episode 2 when he said to (Komiya) Karina, "Cute girls are always followed by stalkers, aren't they?” That's the scene I was talking about. Isn't it really bad to say that kind of thing intentionally to hear the other person's true intentions (laughs)? In response to these, I put into my production plan that Aratais a person who, because of his bad character*, restrains himself and pretends to be a good boy.

The bad character* is only when it is seen by others, and Arata himself is pure in his actions and words. However, depending on how you look at it, it may seem harsh to others. I realized after the recording of the first half that I wanted to include other people's perspectives.

*sorta took this to mean “misunderstood” character 

In the last episode, episode 8, Kunizuka interviews the characters and the story is told in a special way. There is a scene in which Kunizuka says to Shaku, "Why do you always hide your true feelings?” This line was not in the script at first, but I wanted to give Kunizuka a line that would get to the heart of the matter, so I added it later.

You gained a deeper understanding of the characters through the dubbing.

Listening to Mr. Nakamura's voice, I thought that it might be better to be more penetrating and quarrelsome (laughs). I think I was inspired by the post recording and was able to deepen my understanding of the characters.

When I hear about the character settings and post recording, I get the impression that Director Shiotani is quite flexible in creating his works.

I think it is important to enrich the personalities of the characters. I am conscious of creating works that do not fit into a mold. I believe that the ideal way to create a work of art is not to do too much based on rules of thumb, but to question each and every thing in my mind.

For example, in "FIRST INSPECTOR", there is a scene in which (Karanomori) Shion (CV: Miyuki Sawashiro) calls Shinya Kogami "Kogami!".

Hey, I think Shion called Kogami "Shinya-kun". ......

That's right. They were close to the same age, and saw each other more often when off the job than when they were working, so she called him "Shinya-kun”. So during the dubbing of "FIRST INSPECTOR," Sawashiro-san asked me, "I've never called him Kogami before, is that OK?”

“It is true that there were times when I was torn between calling him "Kogami" or "Shinya-kun" in my mind. But lines are based on the feelings that are developing at that moment. I called him "Shinya-kun" before, so I won't call him that way again this time. After thinking about what I would call him in this situation, I decided that calling him "Kogami" would be correct.”

You are making your work by convincing yourself bit by bit, aren't you?

Simply because you cannot proceed if you are halfway through, and by working to unravel each question that comes up, you will also gain depth. It is better to ask questions such as, I wonder why this is happening here," or "Is this really the right word for this scene?"

Someone once asked me, "What is 'interesting'? I thought about what "interesting" means to me. Then I thought, "It's something I don't have”. Something that is already known to me is not interesting.

That may be true.

That's why there are moments when my work becomes uninteresting. If you complete the script and proceed with the production as it is, it becomes an uninteresting task. 

But if we keep looking for questions in the work, we can deepen the work while keeping it interesting. It was a very interesting moment for me when I realized that Shion could say "Kogami”. That was a very interesting moment for me.

PSYCHO-PASS contains a variety of messages, but I think one of the most consistent messages from the first TV season is that "the system cannot completely understand and control people. Once again, what is the message that Director Shiotani wants to convey in "PSYCHO-PASS"?

PSYCHO-PASS is a story that "shines a light on people who resist the system”. For me, science fiction is a story of despair and human misery. It is also a story about people standing up to change a bad ending.

In my mind, fantasy is the exact opposite of science fiction. Fantasy is a story about people living in harmony with the world and society. On the other hand, SF is about people who live in defiance of the world and society. In "PSYCHO-PASS," I wanted to depict the latter.

—I wonder why that is?

This is because we are trying to envision the future of ourselves 100 years from now. The environment surrounding us is being managed little by little, isn't it? I wanted to depict the groundwork of such a current situation.

In the world of "PSYCHO-PASS", the choice is left to the self, but the Sibyl system guides the choice. Does that really mean living?

The idea of Makishima (Shogo, CV: Takahiro Sakurai), the antagonist in the first TV season, comes from that*, and "PSYCHO-PASS" is a story in which each character thinks about what is right and wrong and keeps fighting. In fantasy, you can live with the world and society through dreams and magic, but I didn't want to do that.

*line above

It's not as simple as just settling with the Sibyl system and that's the end of the story.

Sometimes the staff tells me, "You should settle up with Sibyl as soon as possible," but I say no, no, no (laughs). "Let's drop the sibylla system! Let people make their own choices!" When the rough guy with a sense of justice turns off the power of Sibyl, think about what will happen after that—. If you break the rules you have just made for the sake of instant catharsis, you will certainly create chaos*.

*or confusion

I also personally think that is why I am able to continue the story so far.

The first TV season aired in 2012; was there something inevitable about the story that kept it going for eight years?

The reason we have been able to continue this long is because there are people who want to watch it. I think that the drama depicting our awareness of the problems we have with society is a theme that people who watch the show also care about. I think it was not simple and clear, but in such a way that people would be curious to see what happens next and would want to watch it. It took a lot of time for me as a creator, but I was able to bring a story to the world that was worthwhile.

I understand that "FIRST INSPECTOR," which will be released on March 27, is the story that concludes the third TV season. The last episode (episode 8) of the third TV season ended on a disturbing note, so I am very excited to see what will happen. What will happen to Arata and Kei? ......

From the end of episode 7, the relationship between Arata and Kei has become a misunderstanding. When Kei punched Arata, the staff said, "Why did you hit him! You should consider Arata's feelings too," but from my point of view, it was only natural. I left my wife in the hands of the person I trust the most and jumped into a dangerous place myself, and after what happened, I felt like punching him.

utterly lost for words ......

Well, how such a misunderstanding will turn out will be depicted in "FIRST INSPECTOR". The foreshadowing that was left behind in the third TV season will be recovered. It is a composition in which all the dots are connected in a line: the encounter between Arata and Kei, the encounter with Maiko, the keywords seen during mental tracing, which is a special ability of Arata, and so on. It is made in a way that is like an answer to the question.

I am looking forward to the drama scenes, but I think the action scenes are one of the highlights. Will we see them in "FIRST INSPECTOR"?

Although the emphasis is on the drama part, of course there is also action. It is not my taste, but in the end, there is a part of "PSYCHO-PASS" that is told with the fist (laughs). I think I was able to express the action I wanted to show, so much so that even Mr. Kaji said to me, "It's a detective drama.

Hearing that made me look forward to it even more.

As I mentioned earlier, "PSYCHO-PASS" is about "shining a light on people who resist the system"-this meaning is also expressed clearly in "FIRST INSPECTOR".

It would be interesting to see the key characters, Arata, Kei, Asuzawa, and Shizuka, paying attention to their past, their connection to society, and their way of life.

[bokuroskitten]

your piece about oral fixation was just 🤤 so now im super curious as to what kinda of gags you think the haikyuu captains + iwa would use on their partners.

oh anon, truly I'm grateful for this one. Because as a rope bunny, I think about it constantly. I didn't do every single haikyuu captain, just ones I feel I know the best. Enjoy the filth. ❦

ℌℭ❦

〈what kind of gags would the haikyuu captains (Bokuto, Terushima, Ushijima, Oikawa, Daichi, Kuroo, Kita) + Iwa enjoy using on their partner.

⋆genre: 18+ NSFW (Minors DNI)

⋆warnings: BDSM themes (use of bondage and gags), dom/sub dynamics (daddy & master title used), oral (female receiving), spit, degradation & dumbification

Bokuto couldn’t be bothered with gags. He likes to hear you falling apart on his cock, the whimpers, the cries, the begging. It’s all music to Bokuto’s ears. Although if you do want to be gagged Bokuto just uses his thick fingers down your throat or slaps his palm across your lips. Both methods effectively render you silent and he still gets the joy of feeling your moans vibrating along his skin.

“You’re so fucking loud, Birdy. The whole neighbourhood is gonna know you’re a desperate little cock whore. Isn’t that right baby Bird?” Bokuto’s voice was nothing but a growl up against your ear, his heavy balls still slapping ruthlessly against your ass as he plunged himself faster into your tight cunt. He went in at the perfect angel this time, his cock head pressing to that sweet spot that would have you screaming. Before the sound could slip out Bokuto pushed three fingers into your mouth, grinning as he watched drool bubble between his knuckles, your cries getting muffled into his skin.

“Yeaaa, suck away baby and take what’s given to you.”

⋆⋆⋆

Terushima is a horny one, typically just wants to get the job done quickly and easily, so he likes to use what’s around. This typically means he’s using his tie. He usually wears one to his job, or sometimes finds himself keeping a spare in his back pocket when you’re being extra annoying. He always ties a knot in the middle first, pressing it between your teeth before knotting the material behind your head. It’s effective enough to keep you muffled but simple enough that he can still see your lips tremble, watch drool darken the fabric and dribble down your chin.

“Careful princess, you want the boys to know I’m stuffing you full of cock?” He spoke through a wicked grin, his lips pressed to your pulse as his hands held your hips in a death grip. The subtle slap of your ass into his pelvis kept him on beat, along with the muffled cries you let out into his tie. One of his hands slithered up your bent form, making sure to squeeze one of your breasts on the way up before taking hold of your jaw. His long fingers brushed over your chin, the drool already gathering there making him pick up his pace. He pressed the knot he made in his tie further between your teeth, making you whimper a plea that had him chuckling.

“Messy fuckin thing, by the time I fill you up there’s gonna be a mess on your face and between your thighs.”

⋆⋆⋆

Ushijima is a simple man with simple desires. Despite that, he actually enjoys using a gag on you because it gives him even more power over you than you already give him. He typically won’t use one unless other BDSM elements are in play (his favourite is ropes because he likes to make intricate patterns over your skin) but his favourite type to use is a deep throat gag. In every sense of the word, Ushi is big and wants to make sure your tight little throat is ready to be used when he wants it to use it. There’s a couple of different sizes he uses that he has you build up with, but each one comes with a reward when you’re able to swallow it down without gagging.

Although his face was usually calm during sessions today was an exception as he worked the length of the gag between your lips. “Baby, tap out if you need to—“ But you just furrowed your brows at him, fists tightening in determination which were currently bound above your head. It was a sign for him to keep going, so he did. He pushed the slick silicon between your lips until the hilt rested against your lips. He didn’t do up the leather strap just yet, waited to see if you’d gag or choke with such a big size being shoved down your throat. But there you were, sitting pretty with tears riming your lashes, the gag pressing snuggly down on your tongue. Ushijima hummed out, pleased with such progress as he was slow to buckle up the leather strap. He pressed kisses along your jaw, a small smile creeping its way onto his lips.

“I’m so proud of you, little one.”

⋆⋆⋆

Oikawa will only use ring gags because it keeps your mouth wide open and ready to use whenever he feels he needs it. Plus it allows for him to still be able to hear you when you moan and cry for him. He also loves the mess you make with a ring gag, helpless to the drool and bubbling spit that falls from your chin. Sometimes as a form of punishment he’ll leave you between his thighs, arms bound and a ring gag held snuggly between your lips. He’ll stroke his cock lazily while watching tv, only grabbing a fist full of your hair to shove that sloppy mouth of yours onto his cock when he feels the need.

The whines you let out are ignored completely by Oikawa, a little huff leaving his lips as his eyes slowly slip from the screen down to between his legs. There you sat, eyes wide and mascara streak marks down your cheeks. Your body was already trembling, sitting on your hunches for whenever Oikawa decided to take hold of your hair once more. He could see the way your tongue tried to pick up some of the drool that fell from the ring, only making matters worse as a new little stream of spit fell off your chin to continue to dampen your tank top. Oikawa just couldn’t help himself, and in one swift motion, his hips were pressing his cock back between the ring, burying deep within your throat that had it constricting. He hissed softly before a small flutter of laughter escaped him.

“Fuck, at least this fucking throat is good for something. Maybe I should keep this ring on all the time so you’ll always be ready for my dick? You like the sound of that baby?” He was only met by muffled whines and gags as he bobbed your head along this length.

⋆⋆⋆

Daichi hates when you talk back to him, it makes him so tense because all he does is treat you like his perfect little princess. So when you do get mouthy he has no problem getting you worked up whenever you are. He’ll tease, whisper into your ear about how naughty your being, grab handfuls of your ass until you make a mess of your panties. He’ll then shove the filthy material between your lips. Not only will get to humiliate you then, but he’ll also get to punish you properly without having to hear a single peep from you.

“You think good little girls talk back to their daddy’s like you do? No. They listen, and they behave. Since you wanna use such a filthy mouth I’ll keep it filthy for you.” Your previous cries were brought down to muffles as Daichi forced your damp panties between your lips. Balled up and soaked from your precious arousal you can’t even help but let your eyes flutter, the taste of your own desire making your cheeks burn bright pink. Daichi has to scoff, fingers pressing into your cheeks as giving your jaw a little shake. “Taste that? That’s your filthy little cum stains. Imagine staining your own panties from a few promises of punishment?” His cock was heavy as he quickly freed it from his boxers, making you Yelp softly as it slapped down against your already soaked slit. He rubbed it along you a few moments, pressing into your cheeks harder to keep your panties in place.

“Maybe if I just fuck you stupid, you’ll stop talking altogether?”

⋆⋆⋆

Kuroo likes to keep with the classics, and there’s nothing more classic than a ball gag. He started off with wiffleball first, wanting you to feel nothing but comfortable before he moved on to solid silicon, balls that would leave your jaw aching after sessions. He loved the way you looked, sitting on your knees for him on the bed with a bright red ball gag wedged in your mouth, already covered in spit. He would the type to put on you whenever you felt like it just so he could coo about how pretty you looked. He also took many many pictures of your mouth stuffed, keeping a secret folder just for it.

“Stay still kitten,” Kuroo mumbled close to your ear, pressing a couple playful kisses to your lobe as he secured the black leather behind your head. He slipped two fingers into the band, making sure it was loose enough to pull off if needed but tighten to hold. Once he was pleased he pulled away, the most satisfying groan leaving his lips as yours were stretched around the bright red. “Perfect, my perfect fucking kitten...” he spoke, his thumb pressing along the ball as you blinked up at him with wide, needy eyes. Your hands stay still on your lap exactly where he instructed them, a little whine coming out muffled only when Kuroo pulled away from you fully. He rose a brow at that, the flash of disappointment in his gaze enough to have you resting back down on your hunches.

“Ah, I said stay still, Kitty. I’ll play with you soon I promise. But Daddy needs a few pictures of his beautiful baby before we can get started. So keep sitting pretty for me.”

⋆⋆⋆

Kita only uses any form of BDSM with you because you’re interested in it. When you brought it up to him he was very much unaware but did as much research as possible. He decides to start off with a bite gag because, unlike ball gags, it allows for more relaxation of the jaw, as well as causes less mess in terms of drool. Plus he’s always enjoyed watching you bite down on the sheets when you're feeling a lot of pleasure, so the bite gag allows for him to watch your teeth sink on so perfectly into the rubber.

Kita’s thrusts slowed almost too much for you, your pussy desperately fluttering around his length to bring back that friction. You wanted to beg him to keep going, pick the pace back up but all you could do was let out muffled cries, press your teeth further into the bite forced between your lips. Kita watched it all, the way your face twisted up with need, the way your back arched, the way your hips jutted forwards in hopes to feel more of him. He just let out a soft little groan, planting a firm palm on your hip to keep you in place as he continued his slow, dragged out thrusts into your throbbing cunt.

“Just a little longer like this, kay Darlin? I love seeing you bite into that gag, we’re gonna have to use it more often.”

⋆⋆⋆

Iwaizumi was used to using his hand, slapping it over your lips when he found you were getting too loud. But he never knew what to do with all your squirming. Cuffs were too simple and ropes just weren’t his vibe, but when he discovered bondage tape it was a whole other ball game. Not only was it perfect because it only stuck to itself, resulting in safer play, but it was very much effective in shutting you up when he needed you quiet. His favourite part is watching you flinch when he rips a piece away from the roll, the way you shiver in anticipation as he hovers the piece over your lips. It only when you're about to whine at him that he presses it against your lips, a grin curling on his lips.

“Fuck Princess, you’re tighter than usual? Excited?” Iwaizumi murmured, his grin growing as he watched your eyes roll up in pleasure. He brought a large palm up to your cheek, bringing your blurry vision back to his own. His thrusts slowed, allowing his thick cock to drag along that throbbing spot within you. That had your back arching, muffled little pleas melting into the tape that was held firm over your lips. Iwaizumi sighed softly, his thumb rubbing over the tape to feel out the outline of your pretty lips. The action had you nuzzling into his palm, another string of muffled nonsense trying to escape the tape and failing miserably.

“I know you’re begging me to move faster under here... but remember princess, Master makes the rules. So let’s keep you quiet and I’m gonna fuck you nice and slow.”

[five-rivers]

Jack-o-Lantern

Exhumed was the second winner of my poll, so here's a fairly short, fluffy piece for it!

Warning: mentions of dead bodies and past violence, none actually shown 'on screen.'

.

“Detective Patterson,” said Danny, “why did you leave five messages on my phone on a school day?” After the whole ‘I’ve been sort of dead for a couple years and also I get into massive amounts of trouble all the time through no fault of my own’ revelation, his parents had gotten the whole family cell phones.

Danny still generally preferred talking to people face to face, but he was definitely developing a slight addiction to cell phone charms.

“You didn’t listen to any of them?”

“Why would I do that when I can just call you?”

He heard a loud groan from the other side of the line.

“Oh, is Detective Collins there, too?”

“You heard that?” asked Patterson. “That’s- Okay, Collins. I’m getting there. I know we’re in a hurry. Look, how fast can you get here, Fenton?”

“That depends entirely on where you are and which one of me you want. Also, can Sam and Tucker come? We were going to hang out.”

There was a sort of staticky blaat from the other side, and the skritch skritch cha of a phone being moved, accompanied by unintelligible arguing. “Did you really just ask if you can bring your friends to what might be a crime scene?”

“Is it a crime scene?” asked Danny.

“Not yet,” said Collins.

“So?” prompted Danny. “Can I bring them?”

“You don’t respect us at all anymore, do you?”

“I respect you plenty,” said Danny, “but I like hanging out with my friends, I’m doing this for free, and there aren’t any explosions where you are.”

“You tell him, Danny,” said Sam, giving him a little fist bump, even though she was mostly watching Tucker play bootleg Tetris on his PDA.

“Just because there aren’t explosions doesn’t mean there isn’t anything dangerous,” argued Collins.

“Sure,” said Danny. “But it isn’t like they aren’t in danger all the time anyway. Ghosts attack the school, like, daily.”

“That is a terrible argument.”

“But true,” countered Danny.

“Fine, they can come. Just get here quickly.”

“I would, but you know, you still haven’t told me where you are.”

.

Danny, when touching down in a nearby alleyway, didn’t see anything particularly out of the usual. For Amity Park, that was. Except that no one was out on the streets, and there were several police cars. Still, that could be for anything. Normal things, even.

Except, they had called him.

“You don’t think it’s a dead body, do you?” he asked. “I mean, I don’t really want to see a dead body…”

“If there’s a dead body, I’ll be throwing up on you,” said Tucker, who had, as a matter of fact, been icy calm when faced with Danny’s body the first time around, and had only had a breakdown the next day. “Just, you know, as revenge. Between friends.”

“They did say it wasn’t a crime scene, right?” asked Sam.

“Yeah,” said Danny. He returned to human form. This way, he didn’t have to worry as much about people connecting Sam and Tucker to Phantom… although, that might be a lost cause. He had seen that ‘who is the ghost boy dating’ article a while back.

“So, there probably aren’t any bodies,” she said, reasonably.

“Right,” said Danny. “That makes sense. I think they were this way.”

The street they walked onto was heavily decorated for Halloween. There were skeletons and streamers, blow up monsters, orange and purple lights, spiderwebs, black cat statuettes, blood splatters, houses that almost looked really abandoned, except for the neat lawns… The neighborhood had really gone to town, especially given that this particular town was Amity Park.

Of course, there were also dozens upon dozens of jack-o-lanterns. They were lit, too, which was odd in the daytime, flickering with rainbow colors. Maybe someone was doing a Pride event?

His core chilled slightly, and a thin stream of mist emerged from between his lips. “Oh,” he said, delighted.

“Hi, Danny,” said Patterson, briskly walking over to him from where she and Collins had been observing the street. “We got the call a few hours ago, apparently a bunch of little ghosts have infes- Uh. Gone into all the Halloween decorations here.”

“Were you about to say ‘infested?’”

“Maybe,” said Patterson. “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted, please continue.”

“Anyway, after the whole ghost invasion thing where we got sent to the shadow realm-”

“Nightmare Realm,” corrected Tucker. “The Shadow Realm is completely different.”

“I was making a Yu Gi Oh reference,” said Patterson. “But people are sensitive to this kind of thing.”

“Have they done anything yet?” asked Danny.

“No, but we’ve issued an advisory,” said Collins, finally joining them. “Do you know why they’re here? Or how to get rid of them?”

“There’s not really any reason to get rid of them,” said Danny. “Wisps are mostly harmless. Here, I’ll show you.” He jogged over to the nearest jack-o-lantern and waved the others over.

“Hey, is this the best idea?” asked Tucker. “Aren’t these the guys who accidentally drugged you?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” said Danny. “We’ve moved past that.” He knocked on the top of the pumpkin, and several wisps flew out, happily whirling around Danny. “See? They’re just little guys.”

“Great,” said Collins, “why are they here?”

“Uh, because they were invited, basically?” said Danny. “They’re will-o-the-wisps. And these are jack-o-lanterns. They’re, uh, originally, both of those were names for the same thing, and jack-o-lanterns are supposed to ward off evil spirits and represent good spirits, or house good spirits, and stuff, so…” Danny gestured vaguely.

“This is going to be a city wide thing, isn’t it?” asked Collins.

“Probably,” said Danny. “I mean, wisps are basically all over the place. They’re good little guys.”

Collins placed his hands in front of his face like he was praying. “And if the GIW come after them?”

That would be bad. Danny felt himself bristling.

“The GIW are dumb enough that we could convince them they’re just candles, as long as no one told them otherwise,” said Sam.

“Maybe sow the idea a little bit beforehand,” said Tucker. “Put an ad out for rainbow tealights, maybe?”

Collins looked at them, unamused. “And we’re going to be the ones doing most of that ‘convincing,’ aren’t we?”

“You are the adults,” said Sam, shrugging.

Danny felt himself tearing up. “You guys are the best friends,” he said.

“Oh no,” said Tucker, eyes wide. “It’s happening again.”

“What, what’s happening?” asked Patterson.

Sam pulled Danny away from the wisps. “Wisps are great,” she said, “but they can overcharge other ghosts.”

“In other words, they make Danny high,” explained Tucker.

“I’m not high this time,” protested Danny. “I can’t be grateful for good friends?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” said Danny.

“Right,” said Collins. “Well, we’re going to give you a ride home. Patterson, you get to explain to the Fentons what happened.”

“What, why do I have to tell them that ghost drugs are a thing?”

“Because I had to tell them about the time his arm came off.”

“I still don’t get why you’re so upset about that,” said Danny, “I put it back on, like, a minute later.”

“That is, in fact, part of why we’re upset.”

“I don’t get you guys.”