#and andrew is so dramatic for quoting so much shit

[orionchildofhades]

Andrew Minyard, Literature Major ("Hell hath no fury" , "Jean Valjean") getting a PhD just to piss off Aaron so they're both Dr. Minyard is just--

[whatareyoudoingwithamaserati]

hello. character asks:

2, 4, and 7 for princezam

17 and 30 for one seth gordon. enjoy (:

I AM GOING TO BITE YOU <333 it is Autism Time alright alright okay!!!!!!

PrinceZam!

2) When I think I truly started to like them

Honestly, the exact moment slips me! He got in my head one day and then he Did Not Get Out. I did run back through my discord channel and apparently an hour and a half after starting Zam’s s3 POV I messaged “WHAT IS THIS, THE BULLY ZAM SERVER????” so I think about then! (I had already watched Clown’s POV and thought that Zam was oooo such an asshole oooo for his whole building walls bit and then you watch Zam and he is so wet and pathetic that all of a sudden he did nothing wrong ever) It did not take me long to go ah. Yeah this is The Guy. I’m gonna make a plushie of him and throw it at walls

4) How many people I ship them with

SO many people. SO many fucking people. I think if princezam makes it on a server and doesn’t act like a raging gay then he will crumble to ash and fall apart in the wind. That said I am particularly fond of the idea of clownzam. They’re two guys committed to a bit defined by their usernames (clown) (prince) while also somehow managing to be mortal enemies and homoerotic losers at the same time. Would love to see more out of them

7) A quote of them that you remember

Okay so this one is. Not even going to be remotely serious despite his ability to be gutwrenching and dramatic. There’s a lot of Zam quotes I love and remember (shoutout “YES! YES! YESSSS!! VINDICATION!!!!” my beloved) but there is one in particular. that I cannot escape from. One that frequently comes to mind. Hey guys. Uhm. “YO. LEO. LEO. IF YOU DON’T STOP SWINGING THAT SWORD AT ME RIGHT NOW MAN I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD I’M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS MAN I’M FUCKIN- I GOT I GOT I GOT LIKE FIFTEEN PEOPLE ON ME I’M NOT CLOWNPIERCE I CAN’T WIN THIS Y’KNOW LIKE I’M GETTING MY ASS BEAT I’VE GOT LIKE EVERYONE ON ME I DON’T KNOW I’M JUST SPAWNING PHANTOMS. I’M JUST TRYING TO SPAWN PHANTOMS. I DON’T SEE THE ISSUE. I PERSONALLY DON’T SEE THE ISSUE. I PERSONALLY DON’T EVEN SEE THE ISSUE I’M JUST TRYING TO SPAWN A COUPLE MOBS LIKE I DON’T EVEN SEE WHAT’S GOING ON—“

^^clip because his voice SELLS that shit. Luv this guy <3

Seth Gordon (the man the myth the legend <333)

17) What do you think their first word was?

For the jokes, I want to say his first word was fuck. His parents didn’t really care much about keeping their language in check, and I see him as one of the middle-younger kids of a big family, so all of his older brothers would be swearing already, and it would rub off on him. For the non jokes….. I think I would say his first word was dada. Give me a daddy’s boy Seth who had his father be his whole world for so many years only to be disappointed in the end that his father was just a man after all. He’s a Fox for a reason

30) The funniest scene they had?

OH MY GOD OKAY SO. Personally I am a fan of every scene he is in, and I think among his funniest are the ones where he drops everything to slug Kevin in the face. That said I think the funniest one is when he straight up hears Kevin's name and drags his ass out of deep sleep so he can fight him. There is NOTHING like a man and his homoerotic enemy who he hates with everything in him. Or maybe his funniest scene is the iconic "are you stupid" "yes" I'm sorry Seth you gotta deal with Neil being an absolute dumbass I'm not sure what else you expected. OR when Neil asked if Andrew and Renee were a thing and Seth looked like he might vomit. Or him flipping off their opponents and then Kevin. OR—[I am forcibly dragged off the stage. He could raise an eyebrow and I would probably find it funny]

[castlebyersafterdark]

they need to be aware of their arc and not going in blind. how can they truly understand their character otherwise?”

Unless it’s Marvel. Marvel tells their actors nothing lol

mmm but to me, Marvel isnt cinema lol. It's like it's own thing. what was that martin scorsese quote lol? that's snobbery that actually has some grounds. i mean, pirates was a one-off, amazing. but marvel took the idea of turning theme park-esque stuff and turned it into some kind of machine i dont even know what. iron man was iconic, great, but after avengers assemble, it seemed to drop off. the gags were tired and old. the novelty of grown ass people dressed as superheroes lost itself - was it serious, like dark knight? was it tongue in cheek (the neon thor film got this right actually). it just became this self-referential thing that seemed designed to look into a mirror and jerk off lol, and include all these fans in the machine. it wasnt storytelling or art or even good old entertainment anymore. i dont wanna say cult but... idk. i dont like the greed. they dominated the box office for so long and for what? like, let original stories have a place.

its a funny one cos so many huge actors sign on, and you can see why for the job security, although i had no idea about the isolated process for actors! that sounds like the antithesis of what making art (especially in places that are typically community-and-collaborative-based, like theatre and film) should be about. but i remember timothee chalamet saying someone gave him advice about being an actor and one of the two things was never do comic book films lol.

i think the films and stories could be amazing. but i dont like the takeover. i was so sick of seeing that logo appear when i watched trailers in the cinema. like, have they never heard of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' lol? hence why marvel itself just felt like consumerism rather than entertainment.

as for ST, as much as it got off on being all action hero-y with s4, at its core this show is not comparable to marvel to me at all. i truly dont see how people can look at el and think marvel. i suppose superhero stories are often about the pain of being alienated and different, but rarely do they tell this story in a human, grounded way, because there's always an emphasis on growing into your power and accepting your fate as an outcast and superhero. whereas to me el's story is about letting that go, its about her trauma and pain. we're not supposed to cheer when she does superhero shit in s4, yet everyone i see does. remember when she saved mike from the cliff in s1? iconic and thrilling. but her bringing down that helicopter in s4? we were supposed to be scared of her. and worried for her choices. she was a weapon, as mike said long ago.

Oh no, not the MCU! I'm a long suffering Marvel divorcee! Haha, it's honestly not that dramatic. Fond memories, things I still really liked - just not keeping up with it any more. There's too much to keep track of to be a completionist for a media franchise and I already was falling away by the time Endgame happened. I don't have enough time to dedicate to keeping up with it and I was never a comics fan either and too many new characters and storylines I just don't have enough interest in, broadening the movie universe more. Call me when Andrew Garfield makes another Spiderman movie and we'll see if I look in 😉

And I mean, I think not calling it cinema is a little broad. Movies vs. film - sure! The argument for popcorn, seat-filler blockbusters vs. dramas or traditional films is there and I agree. But cinema as an industry - there's still merit. There's ideas under all the shit and money-grubbing. I don't agree with the way they are filmed, and the more I leaned about the experiences in actually making the movies, the enjoyment and magic was lost a lot. Story-telling decisions I didn't agree with. Ughh. Don't get me started. I think giant franchises all suffer from being too-genre aware. Which isn't interesting to me.

More original stories, yes! That is anti-cinema, I agree - the domination of franchises. Because it suffocates something unique. Reboots and sequels and prequels and cinematic universes - yawn. Why I'm very much side-eyeing at the idea of an expanded Stranger Things universe with spin-offs. Gonna bring this to franchise fatigue if it's too expansive while right now it's still unique. Huge show - but it was an idea independent of anything else.

we're not supposed to cheer when she does superhero shit in s4, yet everyone i see does. remember when she saved mike from the cliff in s1? iconic and thrilling. but her bringing down that helicopter in s4? we were supposed to be scared of her. and worried for her choices.

Yes thank you!!!! This so much. Even if I do prefer the tone of the earlier seasons, the trajectory is just as important. And why her story has nuance that the greater audience and El stans all seem to miss. Her powers are not to be celebrated as this huge superhero thing - thus also the failing of Mike and El. She does have a different path yet to take, an arc unfulfilled until she learns who she is beyond what she can do. I don't think she's to be this admirable, enviable more-than-human character. Be scared for her and of her. She's still a work in progress. And I hope people like us are reading it right - otherwise, what a troubling message...

[radellama]

29, 42, 58?

29. favourite film(s)

Whenever people ask my top choices, it's always these:

Gattaca - beautiful character driven narrative, low concept sci-fi, and dramatic all at once. I really liked this movie the first time I saw it as a young teen when there was a run of it on TV, and then we had to watch it for year 11 English and I was like 'yoooo I love this movie!' (but unfortunately we had to compare it to a piece of shit play called cosi which I was lowkey offended by the way they handled the subject matter, but I digress. Worst thing to write a comparative essay to🙄) I also took the opportunity to write the scene analysis I wanted to in uni while studying film, which is so fun cause there's such evocative imagery in the film, even if it's a bit in your face at times haha. I watched it a lot during lockdown, I think at least 20 times in the latter half of 2020. It's just a nice film I like it. And Andrew Niccol (writer/director) also wrote The Truman Show, which adds a fascinating layer when you look at both films together 😉

Napoleon Dynamite - this is just such a funny and quoteable movie, and every other moment makes me laugh, either at a visual gag, the dialogue or delivery of, or just out of endearment. There's some interesting points at just watching a slice of life type of movie like this, and when they're pulled off in such an entertaining way like this I reaaaally love the mundanety of it!

Daddy Day Care - childhood favourite, what can I say. I could probably quote 90% of the movie off the top of my head, so much is ingrained in my mind lmao. Like any time I come across anything laminated, or this iconic scene, or the 'loser, loser, looooser!!' that I do to my siblings often. Another down to earth, slice of life type movie. Also all the licenced songs in the soundtrack I associate with this movie, and being a Trekkie enhances the experience but isn't necessary lmao

Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan - brilliant fucking movie. I know most Trekkies say this is their fave, but I think this is mine for the series. I started a new tradition when I trans gendered and now watch it every year the night before my bday with some apple crumble and ice cream. Been going strong the past couple of years! I just love how tense the story can get when there's the chase and circling of each other when Khan decides to get his revenge, and the emotional highs and lows of the movie just hit. It's the perfect kind of drama for star trek, and I'm so glad Nicholas Meyer chose to bring back Khan as an antagonist and create such a rich and layered narrative to enjoy

42. favourite book(s)

Unwind - Niel Shusterman

I read this in the library of my last high school, the one I graduated from. I had already moved a couple of times and was incredibly socially anxious (still am, but not that bad anymore.. Usually) and didn't really try to make any friends cause I couldn't be bothered LMAO. Before I ended up with a nice couple of friends, I'd just go through the sci-fi and dystopian sections in the school library, and amidst all the schlock, THIS stood out and was genuinely a great read. I bought the box set for a past bday gift to self, but haven't had the time and remembering to read align to go through it again. The topics explored here are so fascinating and get dark and confronting in ways that were really great and harrowing to read as a 16/17 year old, and I look forward to reading it again.

Levius - Haruhisa Nakata

This is a manga I just took a chance on, seeing it on the shelf and really liking the art style. Flicking through the pages just confirmed that it was fucking gorgeous, and after buying and reading it, I'm soooo glad I did. Although I enjoy the sequel/continuation levius est as well, there's just something about the original run that hits harder, and it was sad to see some details of it changed and undone in est. Still, great manga and I wanna go through and read it again soon and try draw stuff for it maybe

Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

Childhood favourite, I read and reread all the Narnia books over and over as a little kid. I don't remember much anymore cause it's been years, but I should really pick them up again and see what changes now I've lived a bit more life. I remember really liking the horse and his boy in particular when I was a kid, which is funny to look back on... But I'm saying the chronicles as a whole lol can't stop me

Noragami - Adachitoka

Na na na na naaa I'm saying the whole manga series! I need to finish catching up with the manga (I was doing well reading them but then some health issues popped up and I couldn't read for so long and it made me sad, I'll get back to it soon hopefully 👊😔) but seriously. What a fucking fantastic story, I love the kind of.. religious inspired fantasy here, it was my favourite anime as a teen (and probably still is) cause a lot of the drama and plot points just feel so good. The characters are all so fun and I loved the main trio of yato, hiyori and yukine so much, but the extended ensemble cast are so great and it's really fun getting to know them and their histories...

58. description of my best friend

Reverse jerk off time 😏

We've been friends for so long and it's funny to think about how different the dynamics have been over the years. I remember when we were in every single elective class for some reason in year seven, even tho all the electives were supposed to have rotating students so we all got a chance to meet each other and not have the same students all together. We didn't talk to each other until a mutual friend at the time introduced us, but I remember we got along singing Smosh songs and would discuss (and argue) almost everything LMAO. We also got on due to our mutual interest in writing, and I remember a lot of times where we'd share little bits of our stories and even try write some stuff together.

All these years later and we're still doing that. It's been fun seeing how much you've changed over the years, and how that reflects in your story telling (tho you should write more) cause you've had some really interesting ideas for characters and stories and it's fun hearing them grow into what they've become. We definitely need to write and film stuff together at some stage, even if it takes a few years to get going lolll

You're funny, a bit cheeky, clever and way too tall. Can't wait for the next phone call where we just make noises for a few hours and then once it's 2 am start discussing deep character motivations, like "do you think they get horrrnnyyyyyyyy???" And make up silly shit that is not at all canon to our stories. Unless it is, just depends 😏

[langdxn]

You spin me round by dead or alive!!! (Which came out in 84 how perfect is that!!) pleath

Oooooh I like your thtyle, anon 🥵 I miss Pete Burns as much as I miss Xavier! Hope you like the cheeky lyric quotes I’ve sneaked in everywhere...

It should’ve been another average Wednesday.

Swerving the Vanta-C into the car park for aerobics class, Xavier spotted a young lady scrambling under the hood of her car, teetering in impossibly high heels and a red metallic jumpsuit clinging to her curves like it was made specifically for her. Gulping hard, Xavier steered into the space beside her and flicked the engine off, swinging out of the driver’s seat and dipping under the hood ready to sass his way into her pants.

“What seems to be the matter, pretty lady?” Peering over the top of his sunglasses, Xavier scoured the workings of the car in the vain hope he could spot anything wrong. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t a mechanic, he knew nothing about cars. Maybe he could wing it and work around her at the same time, it’s the age old porno intro, tried and tested.

“I have no fucking idea,” she sighed, slapping a furious hand on the sides of the hood. “I only bought it yesterday, stupid piece of retro shit.”

“Easy tiger, it might be something simple,” Xavier’s slick tone easily concealed his cluelessness, tapping idly at each cap he could see like it would do anything. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

“Now why didn’t I think of that before?” She rolled her eyes and swung her hips as she made her way to the drivers seat. A turn of the keys in the ignition and all of a sudden, the engine revved as normal. She slapped the steering wheel with another rove of her eyes, relieved hands waving in the air. With any luck, she didn’t catch Xavier’s sigh of relief as his one solution actually solved her problem.

“Well what about that?” Xavier chuckled, hands posing on his hips as she swaggered back out of her car.

“How can I ever thank you, Mr...”

“Xavier, Xavier Plympton,” he proffered a hand which she took with her soft, perfectly manicured digits.

“Xavier? Xavier the saviour? Nice ring to it,” she purred, leaning back into her car to grab a rucksack from the passenger seat.

“And you are?” Xavier shoved the hood closed and leaned against it as provocatively as he possibly could. Even if he didn’t look slick, he sounded slick.

“I am… late for my drama class. You wouldn’t happen to know the way, would you?”

A broad, genuine smile spread like wildfire across Xavier’s lips.

“As it happens, yes,” he extended the crook of his arm toward her. “I’ll take you there, babe.”

———

“Xav, if you keep staring into the middle distance, you’ll steal Jack Nicholson’s thunder.”

Montana’s words flew straight over the actor’s head, too busy focusing on the blender in the corner of the break room.

“Xav…. Xav, I’m talking to you,” Montana pressed, clicking her fingers in his face. “Earth to Plympton!”

No response.

“Xavier… was that Julie Andrews walking past?”

Xavier shook dramatically, eyes darting around the room in a daze.

“Fucking knew that would get his attention,” Montana threw herself back into the couch giggling.

Chet leaned in to Xavier, who was still noticeably spaced out. “What’s her name, buddy?”

“What—who?” Xavier stuttered, knitting his brows.

“The chick you’re messed up about, man,” Ray interjected. “She must be a babe if you’re not even listening to us.”

“That’s the thing, I don’t even know her name. Do you guys know her name?”

“Dude, we don’t even know who she is,” Chet pressed. “You’re the only one that met her, remember?”

“If-if I get to know her name, I could—I, I could trace her number,” Xavier babbled, rubbing his face in his hands.

“Oh yeah, he’s got it bad,” Ray laughed as Xavier jumped to his feet, turning around with emphatic waving hands as his train of thought ran off the rails.

“Yeah, I could trace her number and find her and… and…”

“Xav, I’ve never seen you like this over a girl,” Montana planted a hand on his shoulder, putting a stop to his spinning. “Tell us, what does she look like?”

“Like… like heaven,” he sighed, a lovelorn glaze coating his eyes as he pictured her in his mind. “She looks like… like a lot of fun.”

“This is 1984, man,” Chet burst out laughing. “All girls look like fun if they’re wearing spandex.”

“Spandex!” Xavier cried like a eureka moment, a pointed finger aloft. “She was wearing red spandex!”

“Oh that chick,” Ray rose with a smile. “She was in my drama class earlier, new girl. Nice ass—”

Xavier lunged over to grab Ray’s striped shirt by the collar. “What’s her name? Do you remember her name?”

“I—I—I don’t know dude,” Ray raised his hands in his defence, causing Xavier to jump back. “I’m no good with names!”

“Fuck,” Xavier spat, grasping at his own frosted hair and pulling frantically. “What do I do now?”

“Could ask admin for Ray’s class register?” Montana shrugged.

“Oh—oh—okay, where’s admin?” Xavier grabbed his turquoise backpack, strapping himself in tightly as if preparing for a mountain trek.

“Front desk, by the parking lot,” Chet pointed a hand toward the door.

Xavier’s eyes widened.

“That’s it!” He squealed, bolting to the door with a thankful wave aimed back at the crew. “The parking lot!”

Staring at each other bemused, Xavier’s friends settled back into their seats.

“Well whoever he’s set his sights on,” Montana sighed, “she better watch out because here comes Xavier motherfucking Plympton.”

———

Xavier waited impatiently, breathlessly, cluelessly beside the Vanta-C, thoughts racing through genius chat-up lines to fire at her when the mysterious girl returned to her car. Perched in the open back door of his van, he tried out numerous seated positions to look more relaxed, but there was no hiding his nerves. By the time he settled for a crossed leg and arm, the unmistakable clink of her heels neared the vehicles. Slicking a hand over his quiff and chucking his sunglasses back on, his moment had finally come.

“Thought I’d find you here,” her honey tone broke through the pounding of Xavier’s heartbeat in his ears, completely throwing him off his plan.

“Me? I—I’ve just finished my aerobics class,” he smoothed his hair a second time, desperate to give his shaking hands something to do as she bundled into her car. “I’m teaching this week.”

“Of course you are, Xavier the saviour. Saving the world one hip roll at a time?”

“I guess so,” Xavier chuckled under his breath, gaze dropping to the floor as she closed her car door and wound her window down.

“Well it was nice meeting you, Plympton,” she dismissed as she slotted her key in the ignition. Xavier swallowed hard, willing it to fail.

She turned it once, the car revved but cut out immediately. Twice, nothing that time. Third time, nothing. Xavier had to fight the urge to punch the air.

“Fuck, not again,” she fumed, beating the steering wheel.

“I—I can give you a ride home?” Xavier stammered nervously. “I’m in no rush, babe.”

“Xavier the saviour strikes again,” she hummed, stepping out of her car and slamming the door behind her.

Xavier jumped to his feet to open the passenger door, but she grabbed his lavender sweater by the collar and pushed him down flat on his back, the Vanta-C’s carpet greeting his spine with a thud as she tumbled on top of him.

“What was that for?”

Xavier laughed nervously as she hovered her lips dangerously close to his, before she slowly closed the gap between them and locked her lips over his. Xavier’s eyes stayed open for a split second, utterly dumbstruck for what felt like forever, until he eventually melted into her kiss, hands wandering to gently cup her face.

Surfacing for breath and leaving Xavier whimpering at the loss her lips, she reached back to close the van door and then toward the dashboard radio over the front seat.

“We need music?” Xavier asked with a chuckle as she clicked the radio on and cranked up the volume. Dead Or Alive’s You Spin Me Round poured through the crappy dashboard speakers, cracking a cheeky grin as she returned to fumble with Xavier’s sweater.

“I fucking love this song,” she exclaimed, returning her lips back to his but Xavier planted a hushing finger between them.

“Not until you tell me your goddamn name.”

[buddaimond]

Excerpts regarding “High Life”, highlighted parts about Rob, meeting with André Benjamin (another cast of High Life), opps a little spoiler of High Life, BTS of shooting High Life in Cologne, quotes from the producer Andrew Lauren, words from Olivier Assayas about Claire Denis, and words from Des Hamilton :

“High Life,” which cost millions more to make than any of Denis’s previous films, seems, on its surface, dramatically divergent from the rest of her body of work, yet versions of its premise swirled inside Denis’s mind for more than a decade. For years, she had wanted to tell the story of the last person in the world. In the film, the galactic convicts perish one by one. Only a single felon survives, along with his daughter, who was born on the spaceship. (Olafur Eliasson, the Danish-Icelandic conceptual artist who a decade ago erected waterfalls in the East River, designed the spaceship for the movie.) Their relationship—literally forged in a vacuum, with a whiff of the taboo—was her primary interest in the story. “It’s feminine and masculine,” Denis said. “It’s family blood but it’s not the same sex.”

The script, which Denis wrote with her longtime screenwriter, Jean-Pol Fargeau, took years to complete. (Zadie Smith and Nick Laird worked on a draft that Denis ultimately rejected.) Though Denis treats scripts as provisional and merely suggestive documents, hers are full of vivid sensory detail. When “High Life” ’s main character, played by Robert Pattinson, is introduced, he is “pressed against the exterior of the spaceship, like a mountain climber against a sheer cliff face.” Later, when he changes out of his spacesuit, he does so “like a knight removing armor.”

Denis saw Pattinson in “Twilight,” she said, and was struck by his “heartrending charisma.” She had wanted someone older for “High Life”—she thought at one point of Philip Seymour Hoffman—but after meeting with Pattinson in Los Angeles and Paris she realized that “he was already in the film.” She went on, “When he said to me, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘It’s already too late. It’s you or nobody else.’ ” She chose “High Life” ’s other stars, including Juliette Binoche and the English model and actress Mia Goth, with similarly instinctual possessiveness. In the summer of 2015, Denis and her producer, Oliver Dungey, flew to Atlanta to meet André Benjamin, the rapper, actor, producer, adroit hat-wearer, and all-around cultural icon, better known by his stage name, André 3000, and for his flamboyant role in the Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast. Denis had enjoyed Benjamin’s lead performance in “All Is by My Side,” a 2014 biopic of Jimi Hendrix, and she had got it in her mind that he should play a part in “High Life.”

The three had agreed to meet at the St. Regis Hotel’s restaurant for lunch. “Here we are,” Dungey recalled, “me—this sort of posh, square English guy—and Claire—this scorny French lady—and in walks André.” Benjamin said, “I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but everyone is telling me I have to meet with you and I’ve got to do this film.”

“They immediately hit it off,” Dungey said. “I’m just sitting there, picking at grits. The purpose of the trip was accomplished within thirty seconds.”

The only other people in the restaurant were two Gambian ladies visiting from, of all places, the Cotswolds. “Why were they there?” Dungey said. “I don’t know. But, then again, why were we there?

“Claire and André were talking about eating snake,” he continued. He shrugged in a manner that suggested his exclusion from the conversation had been so profound as to be painless. “Claire was saying how it gives you this vitality, this life force. And one of these women from Gambia turns around and says, ‘She’s right!’ ”

Moments later, a statuesque woman arrived. “She waltzes in and apparently knows André,” Dungey said. “She hugs him, asks how he’s been, blah, blah, blah. This woman looks fantastic: she has ribbons in her hair, lots of beads, she’s colorfully dressed. André introduces her to us as Dana.” Here Dungey paused, smiled, and shook his head. “This is not Dana. This is Queen Latifah.

“Claire is obviously taken with this woman while having no idea who she is. She just kept telling her she looked like a queen,” he continued. (Denis insists that she was well aware of Dana’s identity.) “The ladies from Gambia know who she is, though, and they also know who André is, and they ask for a photo. Queen Latifah ended up paying for all our lunches without saying anything.”

Dungey added, “It was really one of the most charming and weird moments of my entire life.”

........

Similarly, in “High Life,” some of the convicts are black, but they are not a message-telegraphing majority. When the film’s American producers read the script, they urged Denis to change the fact that the first character to die was a black man. In the U.S. today, they told her, this was just not done. For Americans, Denis said, the problem of racism “is buried so deep. For me, it was not deep.” She refused to change the plot, writing in more dialogue instead. In the final version, André Benjamin’s character says, “See? Even in outer space, the black ones are the first to die.”

.......

With “High Life,” Denis will inevitably receive more international attention than she ever has, but for years many filmmakers have spoken of her as a sort of secret saint

........

“It’s such a macho, minimalist film,” said Andrew Lauren, one of the producers of “High Life” and its financier, who saw “Beau Travail” years ago, on the recommendation of his father, the designer Ralph Lauren. “When this new project came to us, and I went back through Denis’s filmography, I was, like, ‘Wait, she did “Beau Travail”?’ I would have sworn that a man made it. She’s like the precursor to Kathryn Bigelow.”

........

Unlike Denis’s past movies, which were shot on location, mostly in France and Africa, “High Life” was largely filmed at a studio in Cologne, during two months last fall. The cast and Denis stayed at a hotel thirty minutes away. The drive, made each morning and night—often with a P.A. behind the wheel who was described to me as “the worst driver in the history of mankind”—took them past oil refineries, sausage factories, and tractor-trailer bordellos that were parked, with German efficiency, along the highway exits.

By all reports, it was a trying experience. Denis was unused to filming in a studio. She made scene changes constantly and with little warning, sometimes by text message. Benjamin described an atmosphere of inadvertent method acting. “These convicts are all supposed to be from different places—they don’t know one another at first, and they’re just trying to make it,” he said. “And, on set, it was the same! I’m this guy from Atlanta, Claire’s French, obviously, most of the guys on set are German, the actors didn’t know each other. It was a trip.” Robert Pattinson, who, several people said, spent much of his time on set asking existential questions—Wait, who am I in this movie? What are we making here?—told me, “It’s a very abstract way of working. It feels like experimental theatre, frankly.”

Lauren said, “A lot of people were thinking, This is good for my résumé, but I wish I weren’t here.” He continued, “I think, if you make a movie with Claire, you can make any movie.” He compared the process to over-preparing for the SATs, or training at high altitudes, so that your performance at sea level feels easier on game day. At an early color-test screening, held at an ornate theatre in Cologne, Denis’s voice was the only one in the room, saying, “Merde! Crap! What are we doing? Why am I here?” Lauren said he thought “everyone sort of took it personally.”

At the end of each day, the cast and crew convened at the hotel bar. “Everyone would sort of be sitting at different parts of the bar, and she’d walk in and it was, like, Shit! Claire’s here!” Lauren recalled. “I saw a lot of people wanting to leave many, many times, but they stayed. They stay because they love her—even though they can’t stand her.”

Denis does not deny such behavior. “I can be the worst person, the meanest person on a set,” she said. “Shouting, screaming, complaining. I don’t have a lot of respect for myself as a director. People accept me the way I am, because they know I’m not faking. Probably.”

When I described these accounts to the filmmaker Olivier Assayas, a close friend of Denis’s, he laughed. “There’s a certain form of chaos in the way she works,” he said. “When you make movies, it’s always disturbing how confident everyone involved is that they know how things should be done. And you have to constantly remind them, No, you don’t know how it’s done, I don’t know how it’s done, nobody knows how it’s done. You create chaos as a way of destabilizing the surroundings that could bring you to make something that would otherwise be conventional.”

.....

Hamilton (casting director)recalled witnessing the initial meeting between Denis and Pattinson, in Los Angeles, and feeling like “these are two people on a date, and I really shouldn’t be here, maybe I should actually remove myself?” With obvious pride, Denis recounted how Pattinson took the train from London to visit her in Paris. “He came to me like a friend,” she told me. “You know, in London, Robert has to hide because of girls?” (A representative for Pattinson said, “He doesn’t hide from anyone.”)

Full Article

[andrewilnyckyjhateblog]

UM WHAT IS THIS HIGH SCHOOL AU YOU SPEAK OF???

OH I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED i’m gonna put it in bullet form below ↓ it’s mostly background so far with a snapshot into what the actual fic would be but! its what i got at the moment

so basically steven and andrew became best friends in their first year of middle school. they were in the same home ec class and got partnered up and steven kind of latched onto andrew like a lost puppy and andrew was like Alright I Guess

halfway through the school year adam transferred into their school and home ec class and got put into steven and andrew’s group and they kind of adopted him as one of their own and from that point forward the three of them were inseparable — like the three musketeers

they were all kind of losers in their own way, so when i say they stuck together it’s honestly ... not like they had an option to hang out with anyone else, but they wouldn’t have chosen to hang out with anyone else either really

steven was this excitable puppydog of a kid who was nerdy and had weird interests and always at weird food and was too smart and too loud for his own good (not to mention being one of the very few kids of colour at their majority-white school)

andrew was kind of an ugly duckling tbh? like he was an absolute sweetheart but he had like acne and braces with headgear and didnt know how to dress himself and you know how mean kids can be so he kind of closed himself off from everyone and steven was the only person who really bothered trying

and adam was just like ... a quiet new kid who never explained why he transferred schools so suddenly and since he was adopted by steven and andrew so quickly he never branched out and all the other kids saw him as kind of tainted by Those Freaks but adam was entirely happy being one of Those Freaks with them

they spent pretty much all their time together in middle school and going into high school — going to movies, grabbing burgers, hanging out in the park (where steven valiantly tried to learn how to skateboard and failed miserably), doing boyband dance routines in steven’s backyard and baking with andrew’s mom — most of which was caught on camera by adam, who was a blooming cinephile

things imploded during the summer between freshman and sophomore year of high school, though, in the month after school ended, midway through the summer, because two things happened:

andrew got hot

and andrew came out as bi

not even adam really knows exactly what went down between andrew and steven that severed such a rock solid friendship, but by the time school came back in, andrew was — different. not cool, but normal, and handsome, and being out seemed to give him this newfound self-assurance that attracted people who wouldn’t have noticed him otherwise (and it helped that he wasn’t constantly tagging along in steven’s escapades, where steven was perfectly contented to keep his social circle limited to andrew and adam and didn’t need ANYONE ELSE, THANKS) so he branched out and fell into a new crowd

steven on the other hand was really struggling after their quote-unquote “break up”. they had joint custody of adam, but he didn’t really have that kind of closeness when he only got adam half the time and didn’t have andrew anymore. so, on a whim, he started a kpop club, and his social circle became the three members of that club other than him (jen, amber and evan [who wasn’t even into kpop, but thought he’d get to meet other koreans and just never left]) + adam

it was really obvious to pretty much everyone how miserable steven was after he and andrew stopped being friends, walking around mopey and eating lunch alone most of the time (until his kpop club kind of blossomed). what wasn’t so evident was how andrew felt about everything that happened — he really didn’t show any obvious signs of distress, and that really upset steven. only adam really knew how broken up andrew was over that friendship exploding, and even he didn’t know the full extent. steven was the first person andrew had ever really been willing to let in and for that relationship to be severed so dramatically without him even really understanding why was really painful and he had felt really betrayed by it — but andrew, being andrew, just shut his emotions down, popped two aleve and kept it moving

in their senior year, steven and andrew have kind of fully drifted apart, but they were both still friends with adam, who was honestly sick of them like covertly trying to get updates about each other and clearly like ... pining (though none of them would’ve been able to verbalize it like that) so he sat steven down and started playing all these videos he had of them together and basically being like I Don’t Really Get Your Beef With Andrew But You’re Clearly Meant To Be Best Friends And This Is Your Last Shot To Make Things Right So Get Your Shit Act Together

so basically the fic is steven in his last year of high school, trying to juggle grades, clubs, family obligations, friends, romance, getting into college AND fixing the biggest mistake of his life and getting his ex best friend to forgive him for being a massive douchebag

and he might realize that he was in love with andrew the whole time at some point along the way

[nickireadstfc]

The Raven King, Chapter 8 – Epic Ass-Kicking, Pt 1: We Get Our Asses Kicked

In which – surprise! It’s Ravens vs Foxes Death Time™! Featuring: American colleges Doing Too Fucking Much, me thinking up crack AUs at the worst times, Kevandreil pulling some sweet (read: badass) moves, and Kevin being No 1 Proud Dad.

Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to read The Raven King.

So, after the absolute sassfest two chapters ago and the gigantic dump of backstory last chapter, I thought this chapter would be a bit shorter, a bit more chill, a nice lil interlude before we get on with the fuckery again.

Well.

HO FUCKING BOY.

DOES NORA HAVE NEWS FOR ME.

           October arrived without warning. Neil knew their match against the Ravens was coming up fast, but it still startled him when he realized they were already a week into the month. The game was only six days away.

Where did that come from.

Seriously, a few chapters ago Neil was still angsting about having to leave the Foxes after the Raven game, it seemed like the absolute end of the journey, and now it’s just… Here?

I AM NOT READY I DID NOT PREPARE WHAT IS HAPPENING.

To start this ride off, we are once again reminded of how fucking extra American colleges can be.

For real. They do not fuck around when it comes to school spirit.

Lawns are trimmed. Floors are scrubbed. Banners are hung from every square inch. Cheerleaders don’t sleep for days. Neither do bands. They have motivation parties. The mascot disturbs classes just to promote sportsball. They clean the fucking pond.

Seriously, these two pages read like the textbook definition of Doing Too Much.

Fucking chill.

           Thursday was when Dan finally started to lose her cool. (…) Seeing people finally rally behind her and her team flustered her. She kept a brave face in front of the cameras, but she spent Thursday night in Matt’s bed.

My daughter :’(((((( you’re the best you’ll be fine don’t worry.

Hey, speaking of Doing Too Much: Remember when I was raving (hah) on about how Extra and Dramatic™ the Ravens were?

           Kevin tried explaining Raven synchrony earlier this week, but Neil almost wished he could forget that story. (…) They were all enrolled in the same undergraduate degree and took their classes together in groups of three or four. They weren’t allowed to go anywhere without taking at least one teammate with them. They weren’t supposed to socialize with anyone outside the team.

What the actual fuck.

Why is Extra and Dramatic™ always paired with borderline abusive in this series. Why.

           Their intense lifestyle, forced integration, and vicious punishments put them on a whole different scale than any of their opponents. They were, in short, the complete opposite of everything the Foxes knew and understood. Tonight’s game pitted a hive mind against a fractured bunch of rejects.

That last sentence is one of my favourite sentences in that book so far.

Also, what the actual fuck.

My dudes, I’m starting to get the sinking feeling y’all are getting your assess whooped big time tonight.

           “Can you do this, Kevin?” Abby asked, searching his face for any sign he was okay. “Can you play?”

           “If I am breathing, I can play,” Kevin said. ���This is my game, too.”

Well, at least now we know what Tattooface McExtra over here is getting engraved on his tombstone.

If I am breathing, I can play, jesus fuck. My eyes are doing somersaults in their sockets right now.

           “Neil, get at least five points or I’ll have you running marathons every month until graduation.”

           Neil stared at him. “Five points?”

           “You got four last week.”

           “We weren’t playing Edgar Allan last week, Coach,” Neil said.

           “Irrelevant,” Wymack said with a jerk of his hand.

Gotta love him. What a dude.

           Wymack clapped his hands at his team until they fell in line.

           “Let’s do this,” he said. “The sooner we kill these bastards, the sooner we can get roaring drunk at Abby’s place. I spent all damned morning stocking her fridge.”

GOTTA LOVE HIM. WHAT A DUDE.

#dicksoutforwymack

           Neil looked up into a sea of orange. (…) [The Raven fans] had come in all black and took up an entire reserved section directly opposite the Foxes’ bench.

It is at this point that I have the idiotic realization that the Foxes and the Ravens together form the Wilde Kerle colours.

Why.

Why is my brain like this.

To all non-Germans reading this: Die Wilden Kerle (literally the wild guys/the wild bunch) is a German children’s book and film series about a ragtag football (meaning soccer) team. They are basically 10-year-old punks that stick it to the man, live and breathe football, and wear a lot of black and orange. They were huge around the time I was in elementary school and are probably the books that influenced me most as a child, aside from Harry Potter.

(The books were massively better than the films. Fight me.)

They look like this.

If anyone writes me a Wilde Kerle AU of TFC I will literally pay you in Ben & Jerry’s. No questions asked. This is the most bullshit AU idea I’ve had in a long time and it works.

Alright. Shut up, brain.

TIME TO FUCKING GO.

           [The Ravens’ fight song] was a dark and heavy tune, an intimidating message of death and domination. The Ravens took their image seriously. Neil guessed they had a lot of intensive counseling in their futures.

Even in times like this, the Josten Sass™ cannot be tamed.

And they’re taking their spots, holy shit you guys, we’re actually doing this. I’m not ready.

           [Riko] stopped at Kevin’s side. He took his helmet off, but the cheer echoing off the court walls drowned out whatever he was saying. Kevin unstrapped his own helmet and hooked it over his fingers as he answered.

What did they say, what did they say, I need to know.

I also have the feeling I’ll find out soon enough and I will not fucking like it.

That Fucker™ also hugs Kevin shortly before the game starts. I want to punch him. 

Get your dirty abusive hands off my dramatic idiot.

Alright. Is it starting yet?

           Neil closed his eyes and breathed. He locked away everything he was, burying his father and Nathaniel and the Moriyamas into a mental safe for later. (…) He wasn’t Neil right now. He wasn’t anything or anyone but a Fox, and he had a game to play.

IT’S FUCKING STARTING.

And from the beginning on, as expected, this game is not messing around.

           Neil almost lost track of the ball as it shot between the Raven strikers. (…) Riko moved in a blur, and the goal lit up red. The buzzer sounded to signal the point and the crowd screamed. (…)

           They were only two minutes into the first half; it was the fastest anyone had ever scored against Andrew.

Well – fuck.

Ain’t that motivating.

The Ravens have come to collect their aforementioned ass-whooping, I fear.

           Riko wasn’t going back to the starting spot but was headed for Andrew. Andrew moved to meet him and they faced each other with just the goal line between them. Andrew waved off whatever Riko said to him with a careless waggle of his hand, but Riko didn’t leave.

Seriously, what is it with That Fucker™ and talking to my boys at the most inopportune moments?

Fuck off.

The game continues, and I take back everything I said about orange sportsball games earlier: I bloody love this. I can’t quote anything because it is just too much, but this time I am actually invested in the game and it’s thrilling.

I mean, the Foxes are so, so outplayed by the Ravens. But still. Exciting.

I have to quote one thing, though, because it is the most awesome thing anyone does this chapter:

It’s Episode 1 of Kevandreil Pull Badass Sportsball Shit Together!

           It wasn’t against the rules for goalkeepers to leave their goals, but it was extremely ill-advised considering how big their goals were and how fast a ball could move. A goalkeeper only risked it in extreme cases. Apparently tonight was one of those nights.

Oh shit vas happening??

           Neil only needed a second to realize Andrew was sending the ball to him, and his heart beat with savage triumph. (…)

All those long nights learning Raven drills had to pay off here. The perfect rebound wasn’t just about getting the ball to hit the right racquet; it was getting there at the right angle so Kevin wouldn’t have to aim. (…)

           It was the same trick the Raven strikers had been pulling all night, but the Ravens weren’t ready to see it from Neil and Kevin. (…) The Raven goal lit up red when Kevin slammed the ball against it.

FFFFUUUUUUUCCCKKKKK YEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH.

           Kevin’s smile was fleeting but fierce. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. It was the first sign of approval Neil had gotten from him since they’d met and Neil felt it like an adrenaline boost.

After that, the game turns violent pretty quickly – which my brain thought to comment on with a brilliant rendition of the Weather Girls while reading.

It’s raining cards, halleluhja!

And then, it’s over as fast as it begun and sadly, yet unsurprisingly, the Foxes get #owned, leaving them with a thirteen-six score. Which, you know, sucks because that’s a seven point gap and that’s also thirteen points on a bastion of a goal.

But which also fucking rules because hello, SIX POINTS against the absolute Douchemasters Of Exy™ themselves.

           As Neil watched, Andrew leaned over to pick his racquet up. He tried, anyway. He only got it a foot off the floor before he lost his grip again.

           It reminded Neil of their first practice together, when Neil almost blew his arms out playing against Andrew.

Shit, that seems like lifetimes ago. Has it really only been a few months?

Man, time flies when you’re busy with angst, drama, and gay shit. :’)

           The Ravens had taken an incredible hundred and fifty shots on goal; it was unbelievable Andrew had only missed thirteen of them.

A FUCKING HUNDRED AND FIFTY.

Hello, I’d like to file a request to Andrew Joseph Minyard? I’d for him to formally LET ME LOVE HIM.

Nobody who doesn’t care about this game plays like this. Nobody. Don’t ever tell me Andrew doesn’t give a shit. He can’t move his arms anymore, for chrissakes.

Kevin, bless his idiot heart, knows exactly how to deal with the situation at hand:

           “So,” Kevin said, “did you have fun?”

           Andrew was too tired to put any heat in his words. “You are despicable, Kevin Day. I don’t know why I keep you around.”

Ma frickin BOYS. <3

Sadly, we are not left off the court to lick our wounds (with vodka, preferably) before That Fucker™ has added his irrelevant shitty commentary.

           “I cannot thank you for tonight’s game because I can’t call this debacle a game. I thought I knew what to expect when we came here tonight, but I am still embarrassed on your behalf. You have fallen so far, Kevin. You should have stayed down and saved us the trouble of forcing you back on your knees.”

I was about to go into a rant about That Fucker™’s endless shittiness and lack of any sportsmanship – but! But!! BUT!!!!!

           “I’m satisfied,” Kevin said.

UHMMM. What?

           It was the last response any of the Foxes expected from him. They forgot about Riko in favor of gaping at Kevin. “Not with their score or performance, but with their spirit. I was right. There’s more than enough here for me to work with.”

MY DUDE. MY BOY.

I’M SO???????

Kevin ‘Stoic And Mighty’ Day finally praising his team and being proud of them nobody fucking tOUCH ME :’)))))))))

If Kevin finally grows into the No 1 Fox Dad he was destined to be (after Wymack obvs) I might actually light myself on fire.

Y’know. I’m, like, cool with all this.

           Kevin only smiled, slow and sure and pleased, and offered Andrew a hand. Andrew looked at it, then at Kevin, and let Kevin haul him to his feet. Renee was ready when Kevin let go and looped her arms around Andrew in a fierce hug.

A HUG.

Renee you actual angel from the heavens, somebody finally gave this boy what I have been waiting for for chapters now – somebody hug that sad aggressive bean, and somebody did.

#hugsoutforandrew, this is the realest shit, get it trending, I’m not okay.

Is the irrelevant shitty Raven nuisance still there?

           “One man cannot carry you that far,” he said, sounding torn between incredulity and disgust. “Even you are not stupid to believe that. You should give up now.”

           It was a threat, not friendly advice, but Kevin said, “One is enough to start with.”

Okay. Okay.

Kevin Day, an anxious mess just two chapters ago, being openly threatened by his abuser and proudly sassing back right to his face, with the strength of his fierce ragtag team at his back.

This may be my favourite Kevin moment of this series so far.

That Fucker™ fucks off after that, and the Foxes are left for traditional post-game pep talk with grumpy dad Wymack.

           “You should be pretty fucking proud of yourselves right now.”

           “Proud of that mess?” Aaron asked, tired and annoyed. “We were destroyed.” (…)

           “I’m proud,” Allison said, earning a startled look from Nicky and a half-smile from Wymack. She turned a condescending sneer on Aaron, looking more like herself than she had since Seth died. “This is only your second season with us. I wouldn’t expect you to understand what a game like this means.”

And welcome back, Allison! <333

Fucking finally. Nothing like a bit of good ol’ arch-enemy Exy smackdown to get over your dead boyfriend grief.

And to close things off, Wymack puts the cherry on top of all the good things that have happened this chapter:

           “Starting next week everyone’s finally back in their proper spots. If you two can run a full game against Edgar Allan, you’re ready to take on the rest of the season alone. Everyone else: thank you for your patience and cooperation while Kevin and Neil got adjusted. Renee especially – you’ve been a damn good sport this year. Welcome back to goal.”

YEAAHH BOOOOIIIII.

Nicki happy. Nicki out.

If you like what I do here and you want to help me continue writing, please consider buying me a coffee! Thank you so much <3

[geejaysmith]

K. I agree with everything you said thought I feel like you think that I say it about TLCstuck which I'm not. In fact TLCstuck is even better than the actual homestuck because the characters feel more profound and defined (seriously if I had to define "canon" Jake I would say: "John from Act 1-4 but more nerdy and uses archaic words) but here he feels like his own thing. The point is that I the part that most bothers me is the time-reallity powers that John gets because(I run out of characters)

a(Continuation) they are basically a Deus Ex Machina that serve to return everything to a status quo, making the flash itself and everything after that meaningless. That is just bad writing and a Hussie's whim. 

First, with regards to the character writing in TLC: 

Thank u very much I work hard for my dear sunflower child Jake

Concerning John, to a certain extent? I would agree with you. On the one hand, John gaining the power of the juju is taking the implications of his God Tier title to their logical extreme: One who becomes Breath. One who becomes freedom, communication, the wind, change, and whatever else the Breath aspect is tied to. How much further can you take a character who can already turn into the breeze? You have them unchained from causality itself, free to do with the narrative whatever it is they so please.

Buuuuuut. 

In giving John the power to undo already-made decisions in the narrative, Hussie was walking a very fine line. On the one hand, this could be the characters’ ultimate “fuck you” to the authority railroading them to their fate. This is beyond Rose blowing up her second gate or Jade finding an exploit to become the most powerful person in the session and escape the Scratch, this is the ability to defy narrative itself. Once John gains this power, he is literally invisible to the narrative prompt. We cannot be John Egbert. We cannot find him.

 However, that ability is ultimately a lie. To buy into this, the reader has to suspend their disbelief and buy into the idea that these characters exist independent of the person writing them. Because John Egbert does not exist. He is a fictional character who can’t do anything under his own power because he isn’t real. So Andrew Hussie is now tasked with a character who can defy the narrative, but at the same time? Hussie has to maintain the rules that make a narrative work. Making John undo the wrong thing will cause all the dramatic weight of the narrative to evaporate, or make the reader ask themselves if this is all just for the author’s benefit. He was balancing on a tight rope made of razor wire. 

And then he slipped. And cut his legs off. 

Mother’s Basement is one of the YouTube channels that taught me a lot about film language (because I followed Lindsey Ellis’ advice, lol), and Geoff Thew has this wonderful video about how Sword Art Online did something similar. I think it’s hilarious that chunks of his main point, about a story breaking its own rules and taking all tension with it, can apply to this decision in Homestuck. And I have been dying for an opportunity to use this quote this way: 

“...when a show acts like death means something, and then does something that very transparently reveals that the writers aren’t willing to sacrifice potential plotlines, it’s like watching Mickey Mouse take his head off at Disneyland. It ruins the magic. There are rules against this kind of shit. If a character dies and is brought back, then you might as well write ‘and then they got on a bus for a couple of weeks!’ for all the fucking difference it makes.”

Obviously this isn’t a 1-to-1 comparison between Homestuck and SAO. These two narratives use death very differently - or rather, Homestuck has been very transparently revealing that Hussie was unwilling to sacrifice potential plotlines since the dreambubbles came along (or hell, maybe even since the notion of time travel itself came along), but the story adapted and evolved new dimensions because of those things. Death became more of a change of state that still had consequences. But if you substitute “death” for “decision resulting in drastic change in a character’s trajectory” the result is the same. Suddenly the consequences of the Game Over characters actions don’t mean anything. Suddenly the consequences of Vriska’s death don’t mean anything. In that one moment, Andrew Hussie revealed that he was willing to go back on ANYTHING in this story if it meant serving his ultimate end, and that no matter how big or pivotal the decision? He would find a way to undo it if it was convenient. And there’s rules against that kinda shit. Now nothing matters because it can be undone and there will be no consequences for it. And to add insult to injury, the suffering and sacrifices of the Game Over kids aren’t addressed in a way that justifies putting them or the audience through all of that. Geoff Thew again:

“Death in media isn’t interesting because ‘oh they’re dead, that’s sad, I’m sad!’ It’s interesting because it inherently changes the dynamics of a story. A character who was once a force in the narrative now isn’t. Any arc they might’ve been going through is cut abruptly short. And from this point forward, the writers can’t rely on their presence to move the story forward or prop up other characters.” 

Emphasis mine because does that sound familiar? Sound like any8ody we might know? 

There’s a section in B3 TH3 4C3 4TTORN3Y that I could have cut for time while building the flash, but chose not to do so because I think it speaks volumes:

TEREZI: D34THS W1TH NO PURPOS3 4R3 4 W4ST3 OF T1M3TEREZI: TH3Y 4R3 FOR STR3NGTH OR TRUST OR JUST1C3TEREZI: SP1LL1NG BLOOD DO3SNT M34N 4NYTH1NG 1MPORT4NT ON 1TS OWNTEREZI: ONLY WH4T L13S B3YOND 1T

There’s no purpose to putting the Game Over kids through that if you’re just going to sweep them away or never address what that plotline brought up. The Game Over kids are not killed so that they can start the level over and learn from their mistakes. The retcon characters have no memory of making those mistakes, so how can they learn? So retroactively, Game Over kind of does turn into a bunch of bullshit meant to shock the audience. And I don’t agree with taking the “Metanarrative Reading” wherein the reader themselves is compiling the characters’ “ultimate selves” because again, the narrative does not pivot to that theme with much grace. As a result, it sounds an awful lot like the story throwing its hands up in the air at the last minute and saying that it’s up to the reader to write conclusions for these characters. Unless that character is Dave.

So yeah. The point of that ramble is that ultimately, I agree with you! While I like how John’s retcon powers and Game Over fit into Homestuck as a whole and what they could’ve been, it ultimately does wind up being a snatch at pathos followed by a Deus Ex Machina. 

[see-jess-write]

Crescent || Matt & Phoenix

Tagging: Matthew Davidson & Phoenix Williams ( @shamelessly-yours​ ) When: August 8, 2019 Where: A house party  Notes: They meet and get to chatting.

Matt 

Matt was getting a little burnt out on these parties he kept getting dragged to. It didn’t help that there were some people at these things that wore buckets of cheap perfume and cologne so it left him with the loveliest of headaches. He wanted to take off but one of his friends asked him to come and after only being there an hour would probably result in hearing all the whines about it later. He tried to make the best of it and after stationing himself outside with his sixth beer; it wasn’t too bad. He chatted with some people her and there, checking them out and flashing that goofy, charming smile of his. Maybe he’ll take one of him home later. Hard to tell with the night being so young...

Phoenix 

Phoenix was quite frankly bored. These kind of parties weren't exactly her cup of tea, she'd sooner have a strawberry smoothie than a Coors light. She'd settled somewhere in the middle with a fruity cocktail some guy had been making in the kitchen. Her girl friends had all scattered now, no doubt chatting to guys or dancing their hearts out. Good on them. But that wasn't her scene either. The noise was too much and she decided to escape outside. The cool air made goosebumps raise on her exposed skin, the low cut emerald dress hardly doing anything to protect her, but she didn't mind. Outside was where she was happiest, in all weathers and conditions. Her eyes scanned across the area, everyone seemed happy enough, chatting away to each other. One guy sat alone, beer in hand. He had a nice smile, that he flashed in her direction. Fuck it, she thought, the cocktail going to her head a little and headed towards him, adding a little sway to her hips as she walked. "Lost your friends?" She joked, laughing at herself a moment later.

Matt 

Matt been in the middle of drinking his beer, which was practically water to him, and eyed who came up to him. The drink sat on his thigh and a warm smile spread, “Funny of you to assume I have any. Could he the total lone wolf kind of guy,” he teased, still lounging comfortably in the patio chair. “What brings you out here? Wait, let me guess. You got to missing me in there and went on the hunt to find me...” he knew that wasn’t it but still went on, “Yeah. I think that’s what happened.”

Phoenix 

Phoenix quirked her eyebrow at the cocky guy. Sure, he was pretty handsome and seemed comfortable being alone, but was there any need in that? "Wow," she breathed and gave another laugh, "You're big headed," she stated with a shake of her head. "The music was too loud, actually. I saw you all alone and figured you might like some company but if you're happy alone..." She drifted off and took a sip of her drink while slowly starting to turn away, giving him chance to call her back.

Matt 

A hand went to the side of his cheek, than the top of his head; "Am I? Figured my head is pretty normal size, so maybe I should check in with a doctor to make sure everything's okay." It took a lot, a loooooot a lot to really phase him. "Hey now. I may be putting out that leave me the fuck alone vibe but I wouldn't actually mind some company. You've been to one house party you've been to them all. But Jamie over there begged and begged for me to come so..." he motioned to himself and leaned forward with an easy smile. "You look familiar...." Matt looked at the red hair and a name popped in. "I think I know. Last name...Williams.....?"

Phoenix 

Phee quirked an eyebrow as he checked his head, obviously unimpressed by his antics. Why did she have to choose the most childish guy at the party to talk to? Still, she stayed as he continued and sleuthed out her last name. "I am impressed." She ran a hand through her long hair, pushing it behind her ear. "Hm..." She looked over her shoulder, "The idiot playing beer pong and missing every shot? That's my brother, Leo." She admitted and looked back to the lazing guy in front of her. "Think he's buddies with your pal Jamie too. I haven't seen you around before though," she admitted. "You new to town?"

Matt 

There was this type of expression, one he's seen before and most people would find this discouraging Matt practically lapped it up. He was a what do I've got to lose type of guy. Something he's grown accustomed to with his type of lifestyle, plus boring made him itchy. "Ah. Leo. Figured so. And you must be Phoebe, right?" He knew it was Phoenix,  because of the whole bird from the flames reference and the fact the light behind her made some of those long strands look aflame. "It's a good thing I'm not playing against your brother. Would have made it into strip beer pong and he'd be flashing his bits about now." Matt motioned to the seat next to him. "Guess you can say I'm new. Moved here about six months ago. I've seen you around but your Leo doesn't exactly invite you out to our little gatherings."

Phoenix 

"Phoenix." She corrected quickly, "Most people call me Phee." She glanced to her brother again, pulling a face as he missed another shot. Not that she's be any better, hand eye co ordination wasn't a strong trait in their family. "I'm very glad you're not playing against him then. I do not want to see my brother's dick hanging out." She glanced at the chair, then back to him. She'd rather stand than settle in beside him, just incase. "No, he doesn't. He'd probably kill me if he saw me here. Apparently I'm bad for his rep," she laughed and shook her head, red hair moving back into her face again. "I came with my girlfriend's. But they are all... Preoccupied at the moment.". She pointed to a brunette who was currently locking lips with some beefed up guy.

Matt 

“Ah. Phee. How could I not remember that? Bet you get a lot of people bringing up the usual River Phoenix reference with you, huh?” He’d be fucking floored if she actually knew who that was. “And there. That’s what I want to hear. I actually had one chick tell me she’s see her brother’s junk and I noped out of that conversation so fast.” Matt shook his head slowly and leaned back again. “Aren’t you cold in that dress? I’ve got a jacket on the back of this chair if you want it. Just have to promise not to go through the pockets. I keep my treasures in there.” He looked to the girl making out with Andrews and laughed. “Oh, I have a feeling we won’t be seeing those two for awhile.”

Phoenix 

River Phoenix. So funny. "Actually you're the first person to ever bring him up," she pointed out before laughing at the next comment. She'd have noped the fuck out of that conversation too. "I don't want your jacket, or your treasures," she air quoted the last word. Was that lame? Maybe. Phee didn't keep up with these things. "That's exactly why I'm here chatting to you." She realized something then. "And you are...?"

Matt 

“You’re shitting me? He was one of those one in a life time actors from the 90s. How can people not jump to that?” Matt shook his head, tsking this. “First you don’t take that seat that I so generously offered, was even about to clear all the crap off it for you. Now no jacket or what’s in my pockets; which you would have seen was a pack of gum and my phone.” He sighed dramatically. “Worried I’ve got cooties or something. I’m caught up with all my shots. Scout’s honor.” He finished his beer and set it next to another empty. “I’ll let you take a wild guess. If you get it right I’ll head in and get you whatever that is you’re drinking. Smells like something fruity. Strawberry daiquiri?”

Phoenix 

Phoenix moved her eyes to the empty cans beside him, then back to his face. "I don't want you getting any ideas, drunk guys do that sometimes." A hint that she knew he'd had a fair few. "As for your name..." She hummed, pushing her hair back again. Her brother hardly spoke to her these days, but she knew all of his high school buddies, which this guy was obviously not. "Matt? You know my drink. Fetch." She grinned at him deviously.

Matt 

He twiddled his thumbs, expecting her to get it wrong right off the bat but his jaw dropped and the man had to laugh. “You sneaky sneak. Over there acting like you don’t know who I am.” He shook his head and got up his feet. “It’s basically like you played me. But,” he ran his hand through his tussled auburn hair. “A deal’s a deal. I’ll go and fetch your daiquiri since you never told me what you’re drinking and now you’re stuck with that choice.”

Phoenix 

Phoenix dampened her lips because yeah, she'd never seen him before, but she knew the one name her brother had only just started mentioning. Phoenix shrugged her shoulders, proud of herself for beating the cocky asshole at his own game. "It is a daiquiri. You have a good nose." She replied with a half smirk as she sat down in the seat he'd just vacated to watch him head back towards the house. The space still smelled like him, or maybe it was his warm jacket hung on the back. Woody and musky. Not floral or over the top, not the stench of after shave or cologne, just a natural scent that made her insides quiver, just a bit. Fuck. She leaned back, inhaling his scent again because God did he smell good. Phee loved the outdoors and Matt smelled like the woods and growth and petricore. Refreshing. She drank the rest of her cocktail while she waited. Before long he was headed back towards her and Phee sat up straighter, crossing her long bare legs, leaning an elbow on her knee. "You took your time," she commented with a quirked eyebrow, challenging him as she held her hand out for her drink.

Matt 

There were more people at this party than before and Matt had to give it to Jamie. Kid acted like he didn’t know a lot of people and most of the city was crammed in this tiny ass house. He moseyed his way to the kitchen and grabbed a couple tequila shots while the blender did his thing. Matt even got an ass grab from an unknown person but he didn’t think much about it since he was currently annoying someone new. The shots warmed him for the most part but his high tolerance made it such a fucking pain to feel more than a slight buzz. He returned to the backyard and walked through someone’s vape cloud which made him grimace. But when he saw Phee in his seat he laughed and stood in front of her with the drink. “Hmmm. Since you’re fine with taking what’s mine, maybe I should do the same with yours.” Matt acted as if he was about to drink her daiquiri but he handed it to her. “Even added an umbrella. Flared it up.”

Phoenix 

Phee enjoyed the banter, her pink to give darting over her bottom lip. Even one daiquiri was enough to give her more confidence than usual, but she didn't react to him pretending to drink her cocktail, just took it and looked at the umbrella he'd added. "Well ain't I a lucky girl?" She asked with a grin before plucking the garnish from the drink and taking a long sip. "Except these things are a nightmare for the environment you know? Next time skip the fancy stuff,"

Matt 

Matt cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest, “Is it? It’s made out of wood and paper so why not toss it in the recycling bin?” He moved the plate from the chair next to her and sat down. Matt relaxed and did a bit of people watching, Well, more listening since he could pick up a lot of conversations happening around them. He leaned over and asked, “You see that guy over there? The one in the red shirt.” Matt motioned at him with a chin point,

Phoenix 

Phee pouted at him, "Just because you can recycle something, doesn't mean it's good for the environment. Think of how much energy and how many trees had to be killed for this tiny novelty one use thing," She sighed sadly as he sat beside her. "Hm?" Phee glanced to where he was indicating,noting the guy in the red shirt. "What about him?"

Matt 

Matt nodded along and thought about what she said. “Makes sense there, Phee. I never got into doing too much when it comes to recycling or environmental things but I’ll keep that in mind.” He said, turning to look at her and meaning it. If he hadn’t picked up at how the color in her cheeks reddened or the accelerated heart beat he might have dismissed it but her passion got him thinking at least. “So,” He said, returning his attention to red shirt guy. “He was on the phone with someone. Girl I think,” He knew it was a chick for sure because he heard her loud and clear. “Apparently they hooked up and he stole her panties. He doesn’t want to give them back.”

Phoenix 

Phee quirked her head in the direction of the man, brows drawing together. "I have so many questions right now,"she said with a little laugh, "Um, first of all, is that the kind of thing guys talk about? How they steal girls panties and won't give them back?"

Matt 

“Apparently that’s the kind of thing Mr. Red Shirt’s talking about. Can’t speak for all guys but I know the only time I get panties is if they’re given to me. But here’s the real question...” he let this drag on, a finger pointing at the guy as he turned to face her, leaning in just enough for only her to hear. “Do you think he’s wearing it right now?”

Phoenix 

Phoenix couldn't help it, she burst out into laughter, her whole face lighting up, hand trembling with it so her cocktail half ended up on the floor next to her before she managed to put it down. "Oh my God, Matt. That's fucking bad. I don't know. Maybe he is. Maybe it was a red pair to match his shirt," she grinned wickedly, "Oh, oh look..." The guy scratched at his ass and Phee laughed hard again. "Musta been riding up,"

Matt 

As soon as she laughed Matt joined in and it intensified when he glanced and saw what was happening. “Dude’s definitely wearing something. A lacy thong. Red like you said. Maybe with that tiny sweetheart bow on the front.” He’d been too busy laughing to notice the drink spilled and Matt pointed at you, grinning. “I fucking slayed a dragon and seduced a troll for that drink and now it’s just there. There Phee. For shame.”

Phoenix 

Phee laughed and laughed, unable to help herself because fuck, it was funny imagining some beefed up jock in a pretty red thong he'd stolen from his latest conquest. Where the fuck did this guy come up with this shit? "Then..." Phee had to stop because she was breathless from the laughter Still, "Then maybe you should t have made me laugh so much! You're lucky I didn't get any in my dress, or then you would be in for it," she warned with a playful wink and a grin.

Matt 

“Oooooooh would I? What would you have done? Taken it off and told me to get it to the dry cleaners stat. Or had me whisk you away to the closest sink to try to get the red out?” He smirked, going for a beer but remembered he never got another for himself. He was actually real good at removing stubborn stains, something he leaned over the years. “You thinking about keeping here awhile longer because as fun as this party is, I’m kinda in need of a scenery change.”

Phoenix 

Phoenix pointed again at his teasing. "You are such an asshole," she said with a soft laugh. Was he asking her to leave with him? She glanced around, but Katie was still locking lips and Leo was lying on the floor, probably spinning from drinking too much, regardless of his defeat at beer pong. "I'm thinking the same thing. Things are getting a little too... Messy for my liking," she admitted.

Matt 

Matt feigned a shocked expression and laid a hand onto his chest. “That’s Mr. Asshole to you, missy miss.” Not two seconds after saying this his face split into a smile. “Awesome! Let’s do what the trees do and shake a leg.” He stood up and leaned over her, getting close for a few seconds, to pull his jacket off the back of the chair she stole from him. “Thinking a walk around the neighborhood wouldn’t be too bad. Won’t reek of this place that’s for sure.”

Phoenix 

When Matt leaned in, Phee got another word of that natural scent of his and God, was it intoxicating. She wanted to bottle that smell and carry it with her everywhere. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as he pulled away,swallowing to compose herself and giving a nod of her head. Getting away from the noise and the stench of stale beer sounded like a dream right now. "Sounds good," she said, standing. "Just... Let me check in with Leo." Her brother had made it to his feet but he was clinging to the wall for dear life. She was going to tease him so much tomorrow. She headed towards him with a grin. "Hey big bro, that your new girlfriend?" She asked, coming close and placing a hand on his arm. "Phoenix? Urg. Fuck off." He groaned and looked away from her. She giggled, shaking her head at how very drunk he was. "You gonna be alright? Want me to get Greg to give you a ride home?" She asked and her brother shook his head. Unlike her hair, his was dark in colour but they both had the same eyes. "No, just fuck off," he groaned again and Phee sighed. "Alright. Don't day I didn't try." She dampened her lips. "Me and Matt are gonna go for a walk. I'll see you tomorrow alright? Don't do anything fucking stupid, okay?"

Matt 

Matt didn’t need to move from his place to hear the exchange was between Leo and Phee, but if he wasn’t able to tune in it would have been amusing as hell to only watch the body language and movement of arms. He grinned for a moment and went over to where they stood. “You doing okay there, Le.” He asked, dropping the o in the guy’s name. Only he would shorten an already short name.

Phoenix 

Phee glanced to Matt as he joined them, she rolled her eyes. "He's fine. Just can't handle his beer." She teased and Leo wafted an arm in her direction, "Fuck off Phee." Phoenix laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Right." She laughed and headed towards the house. Before Matt could follow her though, Leo had grabbed hold of his arm, seemingly sobering up for a moment. "Stay away from my sister." He warned, fuzzy eyes trying to meet Matt's.

Matt 

Matt was glad Phoenix wasn't nearby to see this and he knew Leo forgot his place with the grab, what with the massive amounts of alcohol he had to drink to even reach this level of intoxication. His hand went to Leo's and pried it away from him. "Think you're forgetting your place there, pup." He said in a low voice. "Your sister is in good hands. Don't worry about her." He moved away from him and added. "Get yourself cleaned up and help Jamie with the rest of this party. It's getting out of hand." Matt walked towards the house, in the direction Phee went and returned to his usual, good natured self. He didn't like to flex his power like that but he wasn't one who like others to tell him what to do. "You good to go?" He asked, easily finding her at the front near the door just by tracking down that sweet perfume she wore.

Phoenix 

Phee had only realized half way through the house that Matt was missing, she held still by the front door, sending out a mass text to her girls to let them know she was heading out. By the time Matt appeared, Phee was already getting replies but she quickly shoved her cell away in her little silver bag. They could wait until later. "So ready," she said with a sweet smile, tilting her head to the side just so and making hair fall down her shoulders. "You get lost on the way?" She asked with a little laugh as she opened the door and headed back out into the cool night air. Once more, goosebumps rose on her skin, but she didn't mind. She headed towards the sidewalk, her heels clicking on the pavement.

Matt 

“That’s because you didn’t put out a trail of bread crumbs so I had to go through this journey and happened to discover the true meaning of happiness has always been within me.” Matt added, “Wait. Should have spoiler alerted that.” He held the door open and waited for Phee to pass through. “Did you happen to let your friends know you left with one of the hottest guys at that party?” He asked while they walked down to the sidewalk. His jacket draped over his arm, ready to hand it over as soon as she needs it.

Phoenix 

Phee couldn't help but giggle about his explanation of getting lost along the way. It was silly and over the top, but kind of endearing too. Phee glanced over at him, "Not quite, " she replied, shifting her bag higher on her shoulder. "I told them I left with the guy with the biggest ego," she grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Wonder if they guess who I mean..."She mused with a little chuckle. A breeze passes by and Phee felt herself shiver, but honestly she was too stubborn to ask for his jacket.

Matt 

"You think this ego is bad, you should have seen me when I was in my early twenties. It was so massive, Phee. So. Massive. I could hardly fit it through the door at most places." He couldn't help poking fun at this since he knew it was pretty bad. But he was a confident guy and didn't see anything wrong with flaunting it 24/7/365. There was that breeze, one Matt knew was destined to make its way to them as soon as they hit the sidewalk. He saw the shiver but didn't say anything about it. Instead his jacket freed his arm and he stepped behind her and set it around her shoulders without a word. "Do you live with Leo?" He asked as he went back to walking by her side.

Phoenix 

Almost without breaking step, Matt was placing his jacket around her shoulders, enveloping her in his warmth and woody scent and Phee honestly felt a quiver of something wonderful in her stomach. Not that she was about to admit that to this guy. "Unfortunately," Phee said with a soft laugh. "I can't really afford to live alone right now. College is pretty tough money wise," she said with a soft chuckle. "Leo had a spare room and he's barely home anyway, so it just worked out." She shrugged her shoulder slightly, the chain on her bag clinking. "Do you live alone?" She asked curiously. Matt was the one friend of Leo's that she didn't really know much about. Maybe that was because he was new though.

Matt 

"A-ha. College girl. Didn't think you were that young but it's not like I'm a grandpa here." He stuffed one hand into his pocket and looked from her to the houses they passed on either sides. He lived a neighborhood over but it looked somewhat identical to this. Cookie cutter. "I do. When I moved here from Alabama I made sure it was when I could afford my own place. Do you know where the fire station is off of Marinette and Parmer? Right near this spot. I live the street behind it. I actually work there."

Phoenix

Phee scrunched her nose. "I'm not that young,"She protested softly, "I'm 24, doing my Masters Degree if you must know," She said rather indignantly. At that, Phoenix felt her brows rise high. "You're a fire fighter?" She asked with a half laugh, unable to believe it. She'd never met one before, despite living in town all her life. "Woah, that's... Just wow." she said, honestly impressed.

Matt 

"You sure about that? I mean, you've got that whole look kinda young thing happening for you. It's okay to admit you're under twenty one. I won't tattle." Hearing her age actually set him at ease. It was hard to tell how old people were and he didn't want to run into issue if they decided to steer this into something...hotter. "Why do you look surprised by that?" he asked, clearly amused. "Been doing it for about nine years now. Started right out of high school and been doing it since. Used to do those awful twenty-four hours shifts but those stopped about five years ago. Thank God." Right around the time when his life took a drastic and unexpected turn for the wild.

Phoenix 

Phee pouted at his teasing about her age. She knew she looked young, but it had been a while since anyone had said she looked that young. "I swear, I'm twenty four. Leo is twenty six. Two years difference." Again, Phee was surprised to hear how long Matt had been a firefighter. Nine years would make him twenty seven, just a year older than Leo. But way more sensible it seemed. "I know it's a different world completely, but in my work, twenty four hours awake is almost a daily occurrence." She chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I'm a programmer," she revealed a moment later, "I've gone fourty eight hours on energy drinks and cheetos," She admitted with a soft laugh.

Matt 

There was a pout, one Matt deserved and he wanted to tell her to put that away but he knew better than poking fun at a woman’s age. Having a mom and three sisters taught him better than that. “This forty-eight hour stretch. Were you at that point towards the end of it where you felt you were a type of God? Nothing felt normal and you were convinced you absorbed powers from a greater being?” Matt’s been through various mind trips due to exhaustion, shock, smoke inhalation...you name it. “Now you’ve got me wanting Cheetos. Thank you for that.” There was a convenience store walking distance from here and he decided to steer them in that direction. “Want to go and get a midnight snack with me? We can take it back to my place if you’re down for a hang there.”

Phoenix 

Phee laughed as he asked about her state of mind after the fourty eight hours. "Honestly, I don't even remember. I;m usually so exhausted by the end of it, sometimes it's like I wake up and someone else has done my work for me," She admitted with another little laugh. She raised her eyebrows as he asked her if she wanted to head back to his place. That was forward. And as wanton and adventurous as Phee could be, she wasn't quite that drunk yet. "You haven't even asked for my number and you're asking me back to your place? That isn't exactly gentlemanly. I expected more of you, Matt. I'm disappointed," She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, a hint of a smile curling her lips. "I'm a lady, y'know? I expect a little more than Cheeto's before I go to a guys house."

Matt 

“Oh. Well, my apologies, m’lady.” He bowed and tried not to smile but this was a change. Most people he brought back didn’t even bother with the number exchange. “Does it help I ate least know your last name? And that I’m not just buying Cheetos but slushees, too.” Matt started the walk again and had to laugh at this. “But, hey. Glad you jump to the idea of us fucking when we go to my house and not just playing a video game or watching Queer Eye.”

Phoenix 

Phee had to hold back another giggle as he bowed. He was an ass, but a pretty damn cute ass. She rolled her eyes at the offer of slushees too. "Well in that case... No." She replied with a grin, "And I never assumed we'd be... Y'know..." Her face flashed red almost as bright as her hair, "I just don't go to guys houses without knowing them first. My Daddy taught me better than that."

Matt 

“Fair enough,” he said not at all bothered by her turning down the invite. “I’ll still get the snacks though. Consider it me wanting to see you on a sugar high.” The bright light from the corner shop loomed ahead. “How does your daddy feel about someone you don’t know walking you home?”

Phoenix 

Phee smiled at the fact he still wanted to get snacks, "Stick around long enough and you will," she teased with a soft smile, glancing down as they walked. She was so glad she'd wore her comfortable silver heels tonight. Walking all this distance in anything else would have been agony. She wasn't really used to heels at all. "Hm, considering Daddy doesn't live with us, I don't think hed ever know," She said with a coy smile. "Leo though? That's another story. He doesn't like me knowing, but he's pretty protective of me," she said with a small laugh, looking back to Matt as they reached the store, purposefully waiting for him to open the door.

Matt 

“Well, alright then. Not that it makes much a difference with me know where you live since I’ve been to Leo’s before.” He said with a playful teasing tone. “But I’ll pretend I’ve never been. Even awe at the sight of the house as if it’s the first time.” Matt tugged the glass door open and waited for her to go through before following. “Yeah, Leo can get that way but I understand. I’ve got three sisters of my own. One just started college.”

Phoenix 

Phoenix was surprised to hear that Matt had been to her and Leo's place before. Leo had never mentioned it to her which was honestly a little odd. She shrugged it off and headed into the store, wandering slowly down the first aisle. "Yeah?" She hummed and picked up a packet of candy from the shelf, inspecting the back, "What's she studying?" Phee asked with a smile, glancing up to see if he'd waited for her to keep moving.

Matt 

He stayed at the foot of the aisle and looked at the jerky selection. He liked this place because they made their own jerky and it tasted leagues better than the packaged crap. “Fashion design I think. I’m sure there’s an actual name to it but that’s how I remember it.” He used tongs to get a few thick strips and then joined her in the aisle. “What you got there?”

Phoenix 

Phee hummed and nodded her head. Fashion design was interesting and creative but not exactly her thing. She showed him the packet of nerds she was holding with a small smile. "I know they're awful for you, but they're my favorite." She said with a laugh. "I always check the back though, you never know if they’re going to add a couple hundred more e numbers." She started to walk towards the end of the aisle. "What did you pick up?" She asked, eyeing his hands.

Matt 

“I have to say, you’re the first person I’ve met they actually likes that candy. Not ripping on you but now I want to call you Nerd Girl.” Matt showed her his jerky and then went to pluck a couple Cheeto bags. “Gotta our drinks, still feeling a cherry slurpee for myself, and then we can boot, scoot, and boogie.”

Phoenix 

"Whaaat?" She extended the word with a laugh."Who the fuck doesn't like candy? They lying." She shook her head and headed down the next aisle, back towards the counter. "I could go for a cheery Slurpee, it'll go well with my candy," She grinned and dampened her lips softly. "Boot, scoot and boogie?" She asked with squirmed brow, "What time zone are you from exactly?"

Matt 

“Hey now. I told you I wasn’t knocking on it. Just don’t usually see Nerds unless it’s when I’m giving candy out for trick or treaters.” He laughed and her reaction to it and went to tug a couple cups from the walls. Matt set the clear dome lids on both and poured the slurpees into each. “I’m offended by you picking fun at my lingo. Got me weeping on the inside here, Phee.” He handed her one with a red straw. “I’m from this time. I just like to use random shit to describe things. Keeps everyone on their toes.”

Phoenix 

Phee accepted the drink and took a slow sip, even with Matt's jacket still hung on her shoulders, her arms rose in goosebumps. "Keeps everyone confused more like," she said with a laugh as they got the counter,placing down her items and glancing to Matt with a sly grin. "My gentleman friend here will be paying," she informed the clerk.

Matt 

He handed over his debit card, which had a picture of Bugs Bunny on it. Matt opted for a bag for them to carry everything in and as they walked out he looked at her with such a grin. “Gentleman, huh? And here I was thinking you viewed me as some type of scoundrel.” Matt opened the door for her to go through, loving how she looks in his jacket.

Phoenix 

Phee did notice the picture on his card, but she didn't mention it - yet. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, but the movement was pretty well hidden by his jacket on her shoulders. "I'm not sure what to make of you yet, Mr... Oh!" She laughed, "What's your surname?" She asked with another giggle, now moving to slide her arms into the arms of his jacket, the cold settling in once more.

Matt 

“I made it a point to say I know your last name but you didn’t think to ask me mine. Now who’s the one not being a gentleman?” Matt have her a light-hearted smirk at that and said, “Davidson. Matthew John Davidson. But I get called Matt. Matty by my sisters.” He shared before sucking through his straw. “Want some of my jerky? I got the mild type.”

Phoenix 

Phee pouted softly, her full bottom lip poking out. "I'm a Lady," she pointed out a moment later, "Usually others tell us those details, friends and mothers and brothers," she said with a soft laugh. "Matty is cute," she said with a soft smile. She could see him being so gentle with his sister's, so protective the way Leo was with her and it was so damn endearing. "Thanks but no," She said while shaking her box of nerds, "Jerky and Candy don't quite mix well," She poured some of her sweets out into her hand and then transferred them to her mouth but not before giving Matt another grin.

Matt 

Jesus Christ that pout. He didn’t even really do anything to deserve it but it made him want to lean in and kiss it away. “Fine, fine. Leo should have said something about me but looks like he’s just being awful when it comes to talking about the new guy. Or he doesn’t want you messing with the likes of me.” Matt let the weight of that linger before laughing. “The world may never know.” “You would think that’s cute. It totally takes away from my badass look I’m aiming for whenever that name is dropped. Can take a Matty serious.” He knew that whatever name he was given he continued as the same, carrying the same weight as before. “So you’re going to smell sweet and I’ll be meaty.” He said as he bite a hunk out of the jerky. That alcohol did very little to get him drunk but it still swirled around in his stomach in the most unenjoyable way. “How long you’ve been messing with computers?”

Phoenix 

Phee was so going to quiz Leo about Matt when he got home. She had to wonder for a second if it was true that her brother had never spoken about him for a good reason. But that wasn't like Leo. She let it go for now along with the idea that you couldn't take a Matty serious because to her,that wasn't such a bad thing at all. Phee grimaced as he bit into the jerky, looking away. She hated Jerky honestly, dried meat? No thanks. But thankfully Matt asked her about something she was passionate about next. "Um... My whole life?" She said with a laugh, "I got my first computer at 12 I think and I've been programming pretty much every since then." She glanced to him with a smile. "You always been a fire bug?"

Matt 

He ripped some of the jerky off and ate it bit by bit as she talked about computers. “Was your first computer one of those brand new ones at the time or did you go with one of those ancient machines like Packard Bell?” He wrapped the rest of his meat into the white packaging and tucked it into his back pocket before focusing on his drink. “You bet your hot ass I always been. Ever since I was a kid. My parents said I went everywhere in my little firefighter uniform. Had a truck, too. It always spoke to me.”

Phoenix 

Phee chuckled at his comment about the computer she had. "It was a HP one, fully installed with the brand new windows XP. I still miss that OS." She grinned thinking about it and then even more as Matt told her about his childhood. It made her laugh, and she nodded her head. "Did you ever set a fire just so you could put it out?"

Matt 

“That was one of the best operating systems. Though I can’t remember which one was before that, back in the floppy disc days and when everyone wanted those After Dark screen savers. That was all when I was too young but my parents talked about it and how that was awesome technology at the time.” He stopped sucking on his straw and looked at her with an amused fire. “My dad did for me. He made sure it was in a controlled area and it was when I was about twelve. Nothing compared to the first real fire I put out during training. But there was still that stomach-flipping excitement.” He brought his drink to his side as they went to the other side of the neighborhood towards where she and Leo live. “Do you do any hacking like they show in the movies?”

Phoenix 

Phee laughed at the throw back to the early 90's computing. How easy things were back then. Back then there were maybe three or four programming languages, now there were hundreds. You tell someone your a programmer and their first question is usually 'What language?'. Still, she enjoyed it and when her grin had died down, she took a sip of her drink and carefully started to open her candy. Phee liked listening to Matt's story, finding it interesting that not only had his Dad helped him with a fire, but that he'd known what his dream job was his whole life. "You're braver than most people, I tell you," She said softly, shaking her head. "Or more stupid. But either way, you do something not a lot of people could." She found that quite endearing, actually. "Hmmm... hacking isn't exactly how they show it in the movies. And... sometimes it isn't half as illegal as they make it out to be in movies," She chuckled, "You know company's actually hire hackers to try and break into their websites and systems so they can fix any issues before someone bad gets to it? And honestly, it takes.... days, to hack into something these days. Not the quick two lines of code you often see on TV," She explained with a soft laugh.

Matt 

“I just don’t think too much about it. I like to help people when they need it the most. My mom isn’t thrilled I’m a first responder and wished I went into law, like my dad, but that makes me want to drill a hole between my eyes.” Though if he had gone with that office job he would have never encountered a call which changed the course of his life. Her and Leo’s house was just down the street now but Matt didn’t hurry his pace. “Damn. I was about to ask if I can watch you hurriedly hack into some high secure area to try to bring a doll to life ala Weird Science.” Matt bumped her with his hip after he said this. “A buddy of mine mentioned people who are paid to do that. White hat?”

Phoenix 

Phee couldn't see Matt in an office either. He had too much energy, too many comments that were a little risque. She liked that though. Her familiar street came into view and Phee was kind of disappointed she was almost home. She chuckled at the reference to weird science. "Shame. I'd need a good day to hack into anything interesting," She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah. Thats what they get called online. Or sometimes 'Ethical Hackers',"She chuckled softly, shaking her  head. "I'd rather build something myself than spend time breaking into someone else's shit to be honest,"

Matt 

“Something about Ethical Hacker kind of takes the mystery away from it. I mean, if you tell people you’re a White Hat they’ll think it’s some nick name for some type of espionage thing your a part of. Matt looked up to the sky, the clouds finally parted and he could see the sliver of the moon. It was a nice night. Cool, too. Which meant a lot of these Heat was on its way out. “Think Leo’s made it back?” He better not because it meant he didn’t stick to doing what he was told.”

Phoenix

"True," She conceded with a sigh. White Hat did sound way cooler, her house with just a few doors down now, and she was almost dreading leaving. "I dunno," She said softly in reference to her brother, "He's out most nights, honestly." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'll give him a call if he's not home when I get inside. Make sure he's with someone and got a ride home..." She chuckled softly, "I guess I can be pretty protective of him too,"

Matt 

“That’s good. You’ve got each other’s backs.” Matt wondered just how much of Leo’s life she knew about. He had to keep a good portion of it away from his own family, which he hated but it needed to keep that way. Matt opened the gate which went up a walkway. “How much school do you have left?” He thought about taking Emergency Management classes but that could be done online.

Phoenix 

Phee stepped into the space where the gate had been, heading up the walk way. Her garden was coming along nicely, and she was hit with the scent of her flowers. Even in the middle of the night, she could smell them. Things weren't as pretty as she wanted, nor as useful, but given she'd not long started, she wasn't doing so bad. "I have my last exams in December," She told him with a half smile, "Then I'll be Phoenix Williams, MA." She grinned, quite looking forwards to having the title. She reached her front door and realized she still had Matt's jacket on. "Oh," She shrugged her arms out of it, sliding it off but almost immediately missig it's warmth. "Here," She said holding it back towardsh him.

Matt 

Matt didn’t take his jacket back, instead motioning to the steps. “We don’t have to call it a night, yet. I kind of want to sit here a bit, take in the smell of the flowers. Which is a nice addition to this place, by the way. But I’ll admit I’m not ready to stop talking to you. Make fun of me if you want but I had a better time getting to know you than the whole time I was at the party.”

Phoenix 

"Oh," Phee wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, she was just concerned what Leo might think should he arrive home and find her chatting away to one of his friends. But then again, Leo wasn't the boss of her, she was a grown ass woman, right? Maybe. She still liked her brothers approval, as much as she pretended she didn't. "Um, Sure," She said with a smile, taking a seat on the top step and carefully draping Matt's jacket over her knees to protect them from the wind in the air. "How did you meet Leo?" She asked curiously after a beat, realizing how very little she knew about not only Matt, but her brother.

Matt 

Matt settled on the next step down and leaned his back against the railing. “God...” he said as he thought about this. He knew exactly how they met but the story was one which needed some tweaking. “I’d been here a couple of weeks and was hanging at the bar. Some fight broke out and I got in to break it apart.” That part was true but the fight carried over to the back alley and it went from bad to worse real fast. “It’s how I met a few of the other guys, too.”

Phoenix 

Phee listened to the story, taking a slow sip of her drink and pouring a couple nerds into her hand to eat. "And which side was Leo on? Yours or the bag guys?" She asked with a soft grin.

Matt 

He didn’t expect this question and had to give Phee this look, “Damn, over here asking if your brother was on the bad guy’s side.” This amused him so fucking much. “On the good side. Turned out some guys that were banned from the bar showed up and they wouldn’t leave.”

Phoenix 

Phoenix gave a shrug of her shoulders. Her brother was generally a good guy, but she knew he had a tendency to get mixed up in bad shit, usually by accident. Phee smiled softly, nodding her head at the rest of the story. "I'm glad he was on the good side and not one of the banned people," she said with a smile, popping another candy into her mouth. "I worry about him sometimes," She admitted, "He can be a bit of an ass, but he's my ass, yknow?" She said softly with a laugh.

Matt 

Matt felt pretty mellow now and he knew it was because he could chill for a bit before heading home. He took that moment to look at Phoenix and the way her expression softened while she spoke about Leo. “He’s a tough guy, that I’ve seen. But he’s also someone that knows how to use his head.” Matt chuckled as his hand went through his hair. “Seeing the way you are with him makes me homesick.”

Phoenix 

Phee wasn't so sure about Leo knowing how to use his head, he did some pretty dumb shit, like getting so drunk tonight. She took a sip of her drink again, closing her eyes and then placing it on the step next to her. "Does your family love far away?" She asked as she flickered open her eyes, a nice way of finding out where Matt's home town was.

Matt 

“They’re a good seven hour car ride away. I used to live on the same block as them for a few years before I packed up the ol’ jalopy and made my way out west.” He sighed. The move was necessary. It was a way he knew he couldn’t put them in danger. “We talk and shit everyday. So, there’s that but not seeing each other a good few times a week was a huge adjustment.” Matts fingers pinched the red straw and he moved it around to mix the last of his drink. “What about you? Is it just you and Le here?”

Phoenix 

Phee was surprised to hear how far away Matt's family where. She and Leo had always been home birds. When he'd moved away for college, Phee had missed him like crazy and as soon as he could, he'd moved back home. She knew how hard it was being away from family and felt sorry for Matt, being here on his own. She popped the last few candy pieces into her mouth and shook her head. "Our Mom lives about three blocks that way," she pointed, "Dad died about five years ago." She felt that pang of hurt in her chest that always rose its head whenever she spoke about her Dad. She missed him like crazy, the way he made her feel safe and loved just by being in the same room as her. "He had a heart attack. One minute he was there, the next just... Gone." She breathed and had to bite her bottom lip for a moment to compose herself. "I go see my mom as often as I can. But she texts me like, ten times a day." She said with a chuckle.

Matt 

“Oh, hey. That’s awesome. Tell me that means you get to go over whenever you want and raid the fridge or she takes care of dinner or your laundry. Not because you asked but because she wants to do it.” It was when she mentioned her dad that Matt’s features softened and his hand went to her knee. “I’m sorry, Phee.” His hand squeezed her knee slightly. “Was it a heart attack?” His dad had one last year and it was hard trying to be there during certain times but he managed to make it work. Matt brought his phone out and opened WhatsApp. “My mom likes to spam me with everything she finds online.” He leaned back against the railing and smiled some. “I’m glad to know your close with you mom. Don’t come across too many people who are or feel they have to hide it.”

Phoenix 

Phee nodded her head, she was forever at her Mom's place, making herself at home, cooking and drinking and taking her things to do to keep her busy. "It was," she answered about the heart attack, the feel of the gentle squeeze to her leg enough to soothe the ache in her chest. Not many things did that for her. "Why would anyone hide it?" She asked curiously. "Honestly, my mom is my best friend, sad as that sounds. I mean, I have the girls but no one quite gets me like she does," she said with a soft smile, sipping the last of her drink slowly. "I should get going," She said with a soft sigh. "Find out where Leo is. Make sure he's got a ride home," she said with a soft smile.

Matt 

He and his family were lucky. It took his dad time to bounce back, which he was completely, but he was still there. Still making his comments and expressing how he felt his son would have been a great asset to the law firm. But Matt didn't voice any of this. "People get weird about showing how much they dig their family. You'd think you were about to accuse them of being incesty." Matt shrugged and watched her expression about calling it a night. Matt knew Leo tend to stay out late some nights and if he had a feeling Matt was out with his sister then he could very well be watching them from a distance. Except Matt couldn't smell him. "That sounds like a good idea. He could have fallen asleep in someone's bushes on the way back home." Matt grabbed their cups and stashed them in the plastic bag. The unopened Cheetos were still in there and he handed them to her. "For your next all nighter."

Phoenix 

Phee imagined falling asleep in the bushes was exactly something Leo would do and she was surprised it hadn't happened before. Or maybe it had but she had yet to hear of it. Either way, she needed to call her brother. She was surprised when the Cheetos were placed on her lap, giving him a soft smile. "Oh. Um. Thank you," her cheeks blushed nearly as red as her hair, the small gift making her stomach twist. She carefully lifted his jacket off her knees, handing it over to him and starting to stand. "Want me to put those in the trash?" She asked, eyeing the plastic bag.

Matt 

It might have been dark on this step but Matt knew a blush when he saw one. He would have teased her about it but he decided to be good and smirked instead. "No problem. Just think of me when you eat them." That was when he tossed a wink in her direction and took the jacket from her. "Sure. Saves me from lugging this until I find a dumpster." Matt slid his jacket on and dragged a hand through his wind tussled hair. "We should keep talking. Tonight was good and it felt easy shooting the shit with you. We can exchange numbers."

Phoenix 

The wink made Phee feel like blushing even more, maybe she did a little, it was hard to tell since her face was already so warm.  God, he was handsome when he brushed a hand through his hair. She pushed the bag of Cheetos under her arm,the plastic bag going to the floor for a moment while she held her hand out to him. "Give me your cell then," She said with a soft, playful grin, clasping her hand and unclasping like a child who wanted a toy, hoping it would confirm to him that she'd agreed it had been fun chatting.

Matt 

"This makes me feel like I'm at a bar," he joked as his phone fished out of his jacket pocket and Matt unlocked it. There was a picture of him dressed up like the 80s version of Teen Wolf as his background, a running joke with he and his friends. "You should take a pic of you so I can place it as the contact one." He added after it was handed to her.

Phoenix 

Phee noted the image in the background. It said a lot about the guy - that he was fun and willing to participate and not afraid of making a fool of himself. She keyed in her number, "You want a photo of me already?" She asked with a soft laugh, quickly brushing her fingers through her hair to smooth it out before switching on his camera. "Just don't watch me okay? I'll laugh if you do," she warned and switching the camera to front facing, she blinked at her image on screen, angling the camera just so and smiling ever so slightly before clicking the button to take the photo. "Here," she said, handing the phone back.

Matt 

He was gonna say something to that but Phee was already posing and he made it a point to turn around completely so she could take the picture in peace. When it was done Matt turned around and looked at the picture. "I like it. Maybe I'll put on one of those filters and give you bunny ears." He grinned as his fingers tapped a few places on the screen and saved everything. "I'll text you in a couple days. Might be a meme. Might be me saying hey. You never know." He took a step down the step, moving backwards. "Until we meet again, Phee." Matt bowed at the waist and looked up with a playful smile. "You have a good night."

Phoenix

Phee found his playful antics cute and endearing. "Bye Matt," she replied, giving him a little wave before turning her back when he reached the bottom of the steps and heading into her home. Inside, she rested her back against the door and gave a happy sigh before kicking off her heels and tugging her dress off over her head. Now she just had to find out where her pesky brother was.

[mikeyd1986]

FALL OUT BOY - MANIA (ALBUM REVIEW)

"M A N I A" is the seventh studio album to be released by this Alternative Pop Punk outfit from Illinois, United States. It's very clear that on this release, the four piece were wanting to make a dramatic departure from their earlier material in terms of musical direction. There's everything here from EDM (Electronic Dance Music), Ska/Reggae, R&B, Hip-hop, Electro-pop, Trap music and Alternative/Indie. Whilst for the most part this album is very bold and ambitious in its intentions, there are also moments where it sounds like a chaotic mess and feels very inconsistent.

The band selected quite a number of different producers for this record including Jesse Shatkin, D. Sardy, Butch Walker, Illangelo, Andrew Wells and Fall Out Boy themselves. MANIA was intended for a September 2017 release but got delayed several months as "The album just really isn't ready, and it felt very rushed," (Quote from Patrick Stump, wikipedia page). Overall, this album is very much a mixed bag but certainly has some quality tracks on it.

Here is my track-by-track review of MANIA...

1. Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea...This track begins with some overpowering electronic drum beats but unfortunately the first of many awkward lyrics threatens to ruin it entirely (Are you smelling that shit? Repeated 8 times!). Not the best way to open the album. 6/10

2. The Last of The Real Ones...By contrast, this track is much stronger both lyrically and musically with some groovy rhythmic keyboards and a rollicking guitar riff throughout. Vocalist Patrick Stump delivers some of the best lyrics of the album here (I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me). The song itself is about finding a genuine person to fall in love with. 9/10

3. Hold Me Tight or Don't...Here is the first taste of how experimental FOB have pushed themselves on this record with a catchy tropical reggae-pop beat throughout the track. Sadly the same can't be said for the lyrics which veer into WTF? territory (I want to sleep on every piece of fuzz and stuffing that comes out of you). But if you can get past that, it's a great track. 8/10

4. Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)...This track is probably the closest you're going to get to a "traditional" Fall Out Boy track. It's also got one of the best one-liners on the whole album as well (I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker colour). Musically, it just trudges along until it hits a catchy sing-a-long chorus which saves it from complete tedium. 8/10

5. Church...This is yet another bold and daring track complete with organs, bells and a sampled gospel backing choir which all feel very appropriate. Lyrically, there are metaphors abound particularly during the chorus (If you were church, I'd get on my knees). Definitely not subtle! 8.5/10

6. Heaven's Gate...Similar to the above track however this is where things begin to fall apart structurally with a painfully long held note from Patrick opening the song and some far from subtle references to getting high on drugs (Would you give me a boost over Heaven's gate...You're one habit I just can't kick). Not their best. 7/10

7. Champion...Another really strong track both musically and lyrically. The opening seems to be inspired by the Rocky theme song and the chorus is very punchy and intense. It's a very inspiring and empowering song hence why I probably like it so much (If I can live through this, I can do anything). 9.5/10

8. Sunshine Riptide...Now we go from the best song on the album to the worst. I have no idea what FOB were thinking. Adding autotune to Patrick's vocals during the verses was a terrible idea as was throwing guest rapper Burna Boy (God knows what the fuck he's rapping about). The only thing that slightly redeems the track is the punchy chorus probably as they remove the autotune from Patrick's vocals. 5/10

9. Young and Menace...When I first heard this track, I legitimately had mixed feelings about it as I really wanted to like it. However, the chorus nearly kills the entire vibe of the song with it's screechy, high-pitched vocals and chopped up beats. What's worse is that you have to endure it for near 30 seconds. The verses work much better with a neat reference to Britney Spears (Oops, I did it again, I forgot what I was losing my mind about). 7.5/10

10. Bishops Knife Trick...Thankfully the album finishes on a high note after some really average moments. It starts off really laid-back before it opens up to a soaring, powerful chorus. It also shows off Patrick's range as a vocalist (These are the last blues we're ever gonna have. Let's see how far we get). I just wish the whole album was as consistent as this track is. 8.5/10

OVERALL SCORE: 75/100

Standout Tracks: The Last of the Real Ones, Church, Champion, Bishops Knife Trick.

[njawaidofficial]

Andrew Garfield Isn't Gay for Anything But Acting

http://styleveryday.com/2017/07/06/andrew-garfield-isnt-gay-for-anything-but-acting/

Andrew Garfield Isn't Gay for Anything But Acting

Since Monday the media and the Twitter judgmenati have been ripping Andrew Garfield a new b-hole right between his assless chaps for claiming to be a gay man “without the physical act.” He says he achieved homosexual enlightenment by watching every episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, listening to a ton of Cher, and saying “yaaass” as an affirmative… Alright he didn’t say he did those last two things, but that’s kind of a given when watching that show.

What’s going on here with this whole “Andrew Garfield is a dick” thing is another example of a quote being taken out of context by click-hungry gossipers (not me, obviously… wanna see some bikinis?) in order to make the former Spiderman and generally solid dramatic actor look like a big, bulging hunk of insensitive shit. So let’s put this whole “without the physical act” misquote into context.

Garfield has been preparing for a run of Angels in America and playing a character struggling with AIDS. In a panel discussion he was asked how he prepared for the role and he was actually pretty steadfast in making sure he didn’t ruin the play by acting like the token gay dude from an Adam Sandler movie. Instead he did what actors do – research their role. Immersing himself in other works to find ideas and understanding. I’m no actor but I assume for most serious roles this is pretty S.O.P. (unless you’re Nicolas Cage – then just do a bunch of K).

Here’s the full quote behind the blurb that’s slagging a decent actor through the tabloids (from GT):

As far as I know, I am not a gay man… Maybe I’ll have an awakening later in my life, which I’m sure will be wonderful and I’ll get to explore that part of the garden, but right now I’m secluded to my area, which is wonderful as well. I adore it, but a big concern was what right do I have to play this wonderful gay role?

…

I had to trust that it was the right thing and Tony [Kushner, writer of Angels in America] had asked me and maybe if he’d asked me, it was the right thing. It was as about doing honor, doing justice and knowing my history… The preparation had begun before (rehearsals began) with a lot of my friends. (The play is) As much devoted to my friends in the gay community as it is those that passed during the epidemic.

…

My only time off during rehearsals – every Sunday I would have eight friends over and we would just watch Ru. This is my life outside of this play. I am a gay man right now just without the physical act – that’s all.

There you have it, folks… Andrew Garfield hurt the feelings of a bunch of gay Twitter users by trying to better understand what it means to be gay. He’s not A-sexual. He’s not shaming his gay deeper inside of him. He’s just doing his job and playing pretend… and probably drowning in vagina – did you see Hacksaw Ridge? Dude’s a pacifist with a overly-sensitive southern accent who gets plopped into Okinawa, it’s a squirtfest.

  Source

#Acting #Andrew #Garfield #Gay #Isnt

[capricandoitall]

When Andrew goes to law school and receives his juris doctor, he would absolutely call himself a doctor whenever in Aaron's hearing.

Andrew Minyard, Literature Major ("Hell hath no fury" , "Jean Valjean") getting a PhD just to piss off Aaron so they're both Dr. Minyard is just--

[nickireadstfc]

The Foxhole Court, Chapter 13 – The Rise Of Sassmaster McSavage

In which Riko gets FUCKING REKT.

Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to read The Foxhole Court.

Did I say this was gonna go horribly, horribly wrong last time? Scratch that. This went awesome.

I mean, it also went horribly wrong and will probably have life-threatening consequences for all parties. But still.

Awesome.

I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

           Riko took the last few steps to Kevin’s couch alone and stood over him. He was smiling, but neither Kevin nor Neil was stupid enough to think he was happy. The only look in his eyes was murder.

I’ve not had a chance to say it much lately, and I’m glad Riko is providing me with opportunity: WHAT LEVEL OF E X T R A.

“The only look in his eyes was murder”, I’m sorry, did your buy your attitude at Hot Topic or did it come with your MCR badge set?

           Any animosity Neil felt toward Kevin for forcing him onto this show evaporated. He couldn’t be angry when Riko was here, not when Riko was to Kevin what Neil’s father was to him.

This line got to me, it really did. There’s something about how Neil is instantly ready to put any differences aside as soon as he notices someone else, especially someone he both dislikes and worships as much as Kevin, going through the same abuse and pain he went through. I just… *clenches fist*

Also, honestly, when will they stop being mirror images of each other. The parallels are killing me.

Kathy starts the interview and who would have fucking guessed it, I hate Riko right off the bat. Sly and sleek, he eases his way through her questions while managing to make every answer a silver knife that carves a big painful Fuck You in Kevin’s back.

Especially painful statements include, but are not limited to:

“No family is perfect” (YOU DON’T GET TO TALK ABOUT FAMILY SHITSTICK)

“We knew what was coming, that it was just a matter of time, that a lifetime’s worth of effort and sacrifice was about to pay off. Then Kevin broke his hand” (THEN YOU BROKE HIS HAND YOU SICK TWISTED ASSFACE)

“Isn’t it amazing how far he’s come this year?” “I’m not sure it is.” (IT DAMN WELL IS, GET FUCKED)

“I’m worried his wishful thinking and obsession will lead him to injure himself again. Can he recover a second time, emotionally or mentally?” (I’LL STICK YOUR WISHFUL THINKING AND OBSESSION RIGHT UP YOUR BLACK-FEATHERED UGLY ASS)

Thankfully, someone seems to be able to read my thoughts…

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, it’s finally time for the rise of our golden boy, the myth, the legend, the man himself:

Sassmaster McSavage Neil Josten.

(Huge thanks to apprenticedmagician for the expression. <3)

           “I thought friends were supposed to cheer each other on,” he said before Kathy could answer Riko. “Believing in him now is the least you could do after completely abandoning him last winter.”

OH SHIT BOI.

Excuse me while I holler at literally everything Neil says in the next four pages.

           Riko finally looked at Neil. “Mine and Kevin’s relationship is unique, and I do not expect you to understand it. Do not impress on us your petty ideas of friendship.”

‘Unique’ my fucking ass, sure it’s unique when by ‘unique’ you mean abuse to the point of objectification and domestic violence, you absolute fuckturd.

           “Was unique,” Neil said and emphasized again, “Was. I’m pretty sure your relationship died when he couldn’t keep up with your team anymore.”

GET FUCKED.

           “You don’t think Kevin should be on the court again, so you’ll cut him off at the pass. You’ll destroy his chance of making a comeback and make him watch as your team succeeds yet again. You’re rubbing his face in everything he’s lost, and from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re enjoying it.”

G E T   F U C K E D OH SHIT I CANNOT HANDLE THIS

           “I will ask you only once to tone down that animosity.”

           “I can’t,” Neil said. “I have a bit of an attitude problem.”

I am CRYING. A bit of an attitude problem, he says. A BIT OF AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM.

(Also, I know like ten of you who have that quote as your blog title, you cheeky lil trash cans. <3)

           “I don’t think Neil is far off in thinking you transferred because of Kevin.”

           “Kevin plays only a small role in our decision,” Riko said, “and not for the reasons this child claims.”

Tomodachi, you’re like three years older than him, maximum. Stop being so goddamn extra.

Riko continues to ooze some crap about how they can’t have Kevin play for the ravens again, but they’d love to have him back as a coach, and before I can even think up a witty reply my boy Neil pipes up again to call Sir Assface out on his bullshit.

           “You wouldn’t honestly have him go back, would you? (…) Stop being so selfish,” Neil said, and Kathy gaped at him.

Same, Kathy.

           “If Kevin’s dream has always been to be the best on the court, what right do you have to take it away from him? Why would you ask him to settle for less? The Foxes are giving him a chance to play whereas you would relegate him to the sidelines. He has no reason to transfer back. (…)

          Maintaining a top position is far easier than starting over from the gutters. Kevin is doing that right now. He’s facing entirely new schools and learing to play with his less dominant hand. When he masters it, and he will, he’ll be better than you could have ever made him.”

Can we talk about how Neil is literally DEFENDING Kevin, live on national television, RIGHT TO HIS ABUSER’S FACE, even though he’ll probably actually murder Neil for it, because THE FUCKER DARED TO INSULT KEVIN.

If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be at the back of the room, breathing into a bag, softly whispering "holy shit” under my breath.

Are we done yet? Have we served enough Sass™ today?

BITCH, YOU THOUGHT.

           “I don’t think you’re telling Kevin to sit out because of his health. I think you know this season is going to be a disaster for your reputation. You and Kevin have always played in each other’s shadows. You’ve always been a pair. Now you have to face each other on the court as rivals for the first time, and people are finally going to know which one of you is better. They’re going to know how premature this was.” Neil gestured at his face, meaning Riko and Kevin’s tattoos. “I think you’re scared.”

FFFFUUUCKKKKK. Yes, hello 911, I’D like to report a fucking MURDER.

Not even Kathy can handle this level of savage, so she ends the interview here.

This is the point where I get up and jump around my room for a bit in order to calm down after this absolute trip.

Neil, I love you. That was the fucking dumbest thing you’ve done so far but it was also iconic on so many levels and you deserve all the awards.

Sadly, the party time is now over and it is time for shit to get real again:

           Riko caught Neil by his shoulders and threw him up against a wall. Neil went rigid as they stared each other down, trapped more by the death in Riko’s eyes than the fingers leaving bruises on his shoulders. Riko had the same stare his father did: He looked at Neil and saw only flesh that knew how to bleed.

Holy hell. That’s a line. And we quickly get what is meant by that, too:

           “He has potential.”

           “Potential.” Riko slammed Neil against the wall again and whirled on Kevin. Kevin stared back at him, white-faced and tense. “You said that goalkeeper had potential and then wrote him off as useless when I offered him to you. You’ll get bored of this one just as quickly. Believe me.”

Riko talks about Neil as if he’s not there, more so, as if he’s a thing, something to own and to offer to people, something you can play with and the discard like a broken toy. Just these few lines of dialogue speak volumes of how Kevin was treated at Edgar Allan – and was also expected to treat other people.

No wonder homeboy is a tiny, tiny bit fucked up now.

Thankfully, Neil realizes this as well and continues his noble quest to fuck up anyone who dares trigger abuse memories in Kevin:

           Neil watched Kevin wilt beneath the weight of his brother’s – no, owner’s – fury and kissed his survival instincts goodbye. He grabbed Riko’s shirt and hauled him back.

           “Leave him alone.”

Forreal, are you done picking fights with a murderous Japanese mafia gang member who wants your head yet??

Did someone say picking fights?

           “Riko,” Andrew said, spreading his arms as if he intended to hug Riko hello. “It’s been a while.”

Andrew has come to save the day!! It’s all my boys against Sir Bitchass Shitstick now, I approve. FUCK. HIM. UP.

           “We were just talking about you,” Riko said.

           “With your fists, it seems,” Andrew said. “Don’t touch my things, Riko. I don’t share.”

See, this is what I find interesting. I don’t really mind it when Andrew talks like that about Kevin and Neil, yet when Riko does it I want to rip his ugly ass head off. Maybe it’s because I know that in Andrew’s case, it’s possessiveness with good intentions, and in Riko’s case, it’s actual domestic abuse. Still. Don’t quite know what to make of it.

In other – and better – news: Wymack!

           “When I said Abby and I would look out for you, I didn’t mean you should pick a fight on national television,” Wymack said. “Should I have spelled out that beforehand?”

           “Probably” Neil said.

           (…)

           “I am going to drop you off at the dorm and spend the rest of the day drinking.”

What a sass queen, also #relatable, also I love Wymack so so so much kbye. #dicksoutforwymack #alchoholoutforwymack

They get back to campus and before this glorious chapter can end, it’s time for some quality Andreil time. Neil finds Andrew in his room where he apparently punched a hole in a window, no biggie.

           “You could have destroyed your hand with a stunt like that,” Neil said.

           “Andrew laughed. “Oh my, where would I be then?”

           “Off the team,” Neil said. “Where would Kevin be then?”

Ohh, snap. This has got to be after-effects from the talk show sass explosion still.

Andrew, however, is not in the mood for anything funny. His gears are set less to Fun Banter Time With The Boyfriend and much more to Dramatic And Sinister, This Is No Joke, Seriously I Punched A Fucking Window Out Of Anger For You Just Now:

           “[Riko]’ll look for a way to get back at you, and it won’t take him long to see how cold your trail is. (…) What will you do when he finds out? Run?”

           “You know I will.”

           “I know,” Andrew agreed. “I can see it. You’ve got that look in your eyes that says you know exactly where every exit to this dormitory is.”

Speaking from experience, my dude?

I know I like to talk about how much I like parallels between Kevin and Neil, but honestly, when flashes of similarities like this between Andrew and Neil pop up I’m just as happy.

However, Andrew seems to be the only one who’s clearly aware of the fact that we’ve just reached the first crucial point of no return in this series.

           “Don’t you understand? Running was only an option when no one was looking. (…) You should have left before you insulted Riko in front of all his adoring fans. Now you can’t go. Riko wants to know who defied him, and he’ll get his answers. You can’t outrun your past anymore.”

Bless this boy and his awareness of The Plot™. <33

And then, this happens:

            “Kevin wants to make you a star, so let him. Take what he is giving you and make it your shield. It’s hard to kill a man when everyone’s eyes are on him. Make them love you, make them hate you, I don’t care. Just make them look at you. You have one year to figure it out,” Andrew said, putting a finger in Neil’s face. “For one year, I’ll stand between you and the Moriyamas if you stand at Kevin’s side.”

This is it. I can tell, this is it, you guys. The fun exposition party’s over, now it’s time for the real plot. This is what’s happening now, this is the premise for the books to come, we’re doing this, and there is no going back.

Fucking fuck yes.

           “You gave your game to Kevin. Give your back to me.”

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES.

It’s getting LIT, fam, things are HAPPENING and shit is getting the eff REAL.

Bring on the last chapter.

[nickireadstfc]

The Foxhole Court, Chapter 2 - Twinyards!

In which we reveal Exy’s origin story, my namesake appears, Andrew has some Serious Issues™ and the Twinyards pull off the oldest twin trick in the book of twin tricks, however their punny name totally redeems them.

Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to read The Foxhole Court.

Not gonna lie – I’ve been dying to read on since the last chapter. God, I just wanna sit down and burn through the entire book in two days. No. Patience, Nicki.

We start off the second chapter with yet another new character – Aaron Minyard, who is an all-black unfriendly fucker like his twin, minus the murder tendencies.

              “Neil,” Aaron said in lieu of hello, and he pointed. “Baggage claim.”

            “Just this.” Neil tapped the strap of the duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. The bag was small enough to be a carry-on and large enough to carry everything Neil owned.

What the fuck, this is the saddest thing I’ve read all day.

Aaron proves to be exactly the same shade of Extra and Dramatic as everyone else so far as he doesn’t give a flying hoot about lung cancer, polite conversation, or basic traffic regulations.

            “It’s too nice of a car to wreck,” [Neil] said pointedly.

            “Don’t be so afraid to die,” Aaron said as the car kept gliding across the four-lane road to an exit ramp. “If you are, you have no place on our court.”

Literally chill out, Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way.

Neil, unbothered by the waves of Extra currently rolling around, takes this car ride as an opportunity to talk about his favourite subject: Kevin.

            “Kevin stays on campus?” he asked.

            “Where the court is, Kevin is. He can’t exist without it,” Aaron said derisively.

What a nerd. I love it.

However, Kevin’s immense nerd-love for Exy is actually explained shortly after and answers my most burning question from last chapter: WHAT THE FUCK IS EXY IT MAKES NO SENSE SPORTS DON’T GET FAMOUS THAT FAST BLA BLA BLA.

Shut up, past!me. Nora Sakavic is gonna learn you a thing.

            Kevin’s mother Kayleigh Day and Riko’s uncle Tetsuji Moriyama created the sport roughly thirty years ago while Kayleigh was studying abroad in Fukui, Japan. What started as an experiment spread from their campus to local street teams, then across the ocean to the rest of the world. Kayleigh brought it home with her to Ireland after completing her degree and the United Stated picked it up soon after.

OKAY. First of all, thirty years is a long time and it’s fully plausible for a sport to develop this kind of following and news’ coverage in that time. For example, snowboarding was only developed in the late 70s/early 80s, yet today it’s even a Olympic discipline.

(Also, my comparison with competitive cheerleading from last chapter might have been unfair. Cheer counts as a minority sport in the US as well, yet fangirl/boy-level stalking is fully possible with American teams. Soz.)

Second of all, KEVIN AND RIKO’S PARENTS INVENTED EXY??? WHAT?!?!?

I’d be an arrogant son of a bitch too if that had happened to me. Holy fucking what.

            Riko and Kevin were the face of the Ravens. To many, they were considered the future of Exy. (…) Except Kevin Day signed with the Foxes in March – not as a coach, but as a striker.

[fergie’s ‘london bridge’ voice] OH SHIT.

            His fans went from feeling heartbroken to feeling betrayed. Palmetto State hat borne the brunt of that rage since. The university and stadium had been vandalized upwards of a dozen times and there’d been numerous fights on campus. It would only get worse when the season started and people saw Kevin wearing the Foxes’ colours.

Fictional Sports World gets Actual Sports World’s obsessive fan violence spot on.

Also, I feel sorry for the students going to Palmetto State Uni who don’t give a fuck about Exy. Like, can y’all crazy sportsballheads stop vandalizing our campus like some people are trying to get an education here thank you. It’s like going to Hogwarts and just trying to live a chill regular life. Not happening.

As they arrive at Wymack’s house, a much-needed ray of sunshine appears: Nicky Hemmick.

            Nicholas Hemmick was the only one who looked genuinely happy to see Neil. (…) “I’m Nicky.” Nicky gave Neil’s hand another hard squeeze before letting go. “Andrew and Aaron’s cousin, backliner extraordinaire.”

            (…) “By blood?”

            Nicky laughed. “Don’t look it, right?”

I would like to point out that this is the first time a character genuinely laughs in this entire book. And we’re on page 22.

What a guy. I’m honoured to be his namesake (with minor spelling differences). Please don’t turn out to be an aggressive fuckwit as well please.

Some predictions on Nicky’s character:

- his kink is bein’ friendly and havin’ a good time

- drama kid

- g l i t t e r

- super open abt his sexuality, just loves love, essentially pansexual

- can fuck u up but does it nicely because he wants to support you and help you grow as a person

- would die for his friends (and dogs)

- essentially my headcanon courfeyrac from les mis okay shut up

Ahem. Moving on.

            “You have a nice car for someone who thinks he’s poor,” Neil said. (…)

            “Aaron’s mother bought it for us with her life insurance money,” Andrew explained.

Okay but - Aaron’s mother? What? Surely Aaron’s mother is Andrew’s mother as well if they’re twins?

I don’t believe this is lazy writing. What is going on there.

            “It’s not the world that’s cruel,” Neil said. “It’s the people in it.”

I don’t even want to know how many fangirls use this as their blog headline/Facebook status/moodboard caption/wrist tattoo.

            [Neil] was too busy staring at Aaron’s pants pockets. They were much too flat to be hiding a pack of cigarettes, but Neil had seen Aaron put the pack away before crossing the street at the airport.

Are you telling me Neil is too busy staring at Aaron’s ass (which is actually Andrew’s ass, spoiler alert) to notice when to walk into Wymack’s apartment because that might be the best thing that’s happened so far.

(Unless we’re talking about front pockets, in which case, nevermind).

And then this happens:

            “What was that all about?“

            Neil’s blood turned to slush. It wasn’t the words that got him but the language Nicky used. German was Neil’s second language thanks to three years spent living in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

GERMANY! The mothercountry! Land of beer, sausage, and superfluously-stocked hardware stores!

Now the only thing I can imagine is Aaron and Andrew as coldmirror’s Torsten und Torben. I’m not even sorry.

            “Team’s still split fifty-fifty on whether or not [Coach Wymack and Abby] are boning. Andrew refuses to vote, which means you’re the tiebreaker. Let us know ASAP. I’ve got money riding on it.”

To no one’s surprise, Nicky is Ultimate Shipping King. I love him more by the minute.

However, these short moments of glee are immediately overridden because this happens:

          Too late, Neil remembered Nicky’s exasperated accusion in the living room: “What the hell did you say to him, Andrew?” Neil had assumed Nicky was referring to their first meeting in Millport, but Nicky had been talking about the car ride from the airport. It wasn’t Aaron who picked Neil up from the airport after all.

WHAAAAAT.

I mean… this is the oldest twin trick in the book, really. What is this, the Parent Trap?

No kidding, I’d pay to see the Twinyards with ginger pigtails dressed in early 20s fashion.

Also, Twinyards!! How did I not see that before!! Thank you, fandom, for finding the punniest names for everything ever.

(If you’re wondering whether I’m still laughing over this name as I type this: I am.)

Apparently, Andrew has some serious anger management issues and enough court-regulated drugs in his system to kill a small child, effectively making him a hardcore drug addict against his will.

WHAAAAAAAAAAT. No, seriously, WHAT.

The angst just does not stop, you guys.

Also, Wymack is back!

#dicksoutforwymack

          Neil looked down at the key in his palm, at the security Wymack so easily and unquestioningly gave him. Maybe Neil wouldn’t get any sleep tonight, and amybe he’d spend the next couple weeks waking up every time Wymack snored a little too loud, but maybe Neil really was okay here for now.

Oh don’t mind me I’m just crying in the corner whilst stabbing myself with my own materialized emotions.

What. A. Dude.

On a last note: How sexual was the elevator scene. I can’t even quote anything or I’d need to just slap the entire thing here because dear god, the gay is not even subtle at all.

          Neil couldn’t anticipate Kevin. (…) But Andrew was just a psychotic midget, and Neil had grown up around violence. Handling him would be easy.

Two things:

1. 20 bucks says it’s not gonna be fucking easy ho boy

2. Maybe chill on the m word, my dude.

Ughhhh. Is it Sunday already?