#and by he i mean daniel and the lizard

[simplyisa]

daniel laughing at track marshals chasing a lizard during a red-flagged fp3 | singapore gp 24

[starry-bi-sky]

I am loudly pushing the batdad agenda i am loudly pushing the— DPxDC Prompt

“Woah. You look like shit."

Granted, that’s probably not the first thing Danny should be saying to the guy that just bit the curb, but in his defense; he’s not running on 100% right now either.

The man -- tall, towering, and broader than Danny is tall -- whips around on his heel, black frayed cape flaring out impressively. Danny would've whistled in appreciation, but he takes the time instead to wipe the back of his hand across his mouth, smearing the blood running from his nose across his cheek.

"Sorry." He blinks widely, not even flinching as the man with the horns zeroes in on him. "That was rude of me. I have a really bad brain-to-mouth filter; Sam says its what always gets me into trouble."

And she's not wrong either, per say. His smart mouth is what landed him in this situation -- with blood blossom extract running through his veins and cannibalizing the ectoplasm in his bloodstream. Thanks Vlad.

The man grunts at him; a short, curt "hm" that shouldn't make Danny smile, but he does because he's somewhat delirious and probably concussed. The man keeps some kind of distance, sinking towards the shadows of Gotham's alleyway like he dares to melt right into it.

If it's supposed to scare Danny, it doesn't work. Danny's never been afraid of the dark; he's always been able to hide himself in it. He blinks slowly at the mass of shadows.

"You look hurt." The shadows says, blurring together around the edges. Danny squints, and licks his lips to get the blood dripping down his chin off. Ugh, he hates the taste of blood.

"I am." He says, "My godfather poisoned me. M'dying." The agony of the blood blossom eating him from the inside out looped back around to numbing a while ago, so all he feels is half-awake and dazed.

"Hey," Danny stumbles forward towards the man, a bloodied hand reaching out to him. "You-- you're a hero, right? You're not attacking me; which is more than I can say for most costumed people I've met." Maybe it's a poor bar to judge someone at, but he's already established that Danny's not in his right mind.

The man makes no change in expression, but Danny realizes blearily that it's hard to tell with the shadows on his face. He stays still long enough for Danny to latch onto the cape -- stretchy, but almost soft under his fingers.

He looks up blearily into the whites of the man's eyes. "Can you help me? I don't-- I don't wanna die." Again. He doesn't wanna die again. He blinks slow and lizard-like. "I mean- I'll probably get to see mom and dad again, but I told them I'd at least try and make it to adulthood."

There's a clatter down the street, and Danny's ghost sense chills up his spine and leaves a bitter, ashy taste in his mouth. He immediately knows who it belongs to even before the deceptively gentle; "Daniel?" echoes down the way.

"Daniel? Quit your games, badger, Gotham is dangerous for children."

Danny's mouth pulls back, and blood spills against his tongue. "Please." He rasps, and grabs onto the shadow's cape with both hands. "Please. He's going to kill me. Please--"

"Daniel? Is that you?"

His lips part, dragging in air to plead with the darkness again. He doesn't need to, the whites of his eyes narrow, and the cape whirls around him before Danny can blink. Soon swaddled in shadows, the Night lifts him up, and steals him away.

[tostadamika]

Daniel Watches She-Ra & The Princesses Of Power

-S1E1- 'The Sword Part 1'

Today's She-Ra Watch Art: This shitty Glimmer doodle.

Look I promise they won't all be garbage ;-; I promise

Okay I wanna preface: Not every post is gonna be this detailed, I didn't even intend to go on this long with just one episode but I lost track of time. Some posts I'll be short & sweet. Some I'll be long winded to a comical degree. Depends on my feeling.

I think I'll just keep it to one paragraph per episode, & only pull out the long rambles when I finish a season. I think that'll work. Yeah.

Okay so I have no idea who any of these people are because I literally just started but one of these guys is a lizard. I'm a huge sucker for lizard people in anything ever so I immediately like this fucker. He's a lizard, that is all I need. He's just instantly cool because lizards are fucking rad as hell dude.

So Cat-Ra speaks, that first fucking line of hers.

The fucking "Hey Adora"

The first fucking thing I said to myself, out loud, was the immediate reaction I had to that line: "Oh so they're gay."

I don't know if it's like canon or not but one of the things I know about this show is people ship them a lot. I have no idea if that's actually like a canon thing in the show or not but I've seen a lot of fanart of them so I know people at the very least WANT them to kiss or hold hands or get married & buy a house in the suburbs & raise like 5 kids & watch Shrek on VHS & talk about doing their taxes or whatever idk.

That being an actual thing in the show itself? Uh I guess I'll see what happens so who the fuck knows man. Maybe they just explode idk.

But like....dude. DUDE. The fucking way Cat-Ra said it was just....

SO fucking extra like that immediately felt fruity to me. I'm already getting that vibe from her. On top of that, the way her & Adora continue to interact in the episode also give off a very distinct vibe, a rather, ahem, 'fruity' vibe. I think I'm already getting the idea of why this ship is popular. I do believe I see the vision.

Also, quick tangent, I LOVE the way the animators animated Cat-Ra like an actual cat. Her hair getting puffed up when she's agitated, her ears moving to reflect her mood. Her eyes dilating like how cat eyes actually do. THEY EVEN ALSO MADE HER PURR LIKE AN ACTUAL CAT, LIKE SHE AUDIBLY CAN BE HEARD PURRING. THAT'S SUCH AN ADORABLE DETAIL & IT MAKES HER IMMEDIATLEY ENDEARING AS FUCK.

Also I guess it makes sense Cat-Ra would be into women, yeah?

Because it makes sense that CAT-Ra would be interested in PUSSY.

(Please Laugh) (I'm desperate please think I'm funny I need this)

Now moving on, let me talk about this BITCH.

One. Compared to the original Shadow Weaver, they sure did make her a way more intimidating villain.

Two. FUCK THIS BITCH??????

THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM YOU FUCKING BITCHY, INKBLOT LOOKING, WACKY WAVING TUBE MAN HAIR HAVING, WIZARD-WANNABE MOTHERFUCKER? LITERALLY SHUT UP

+ NO ONE CARES & ALSO YOU SMELL BAD

+ YOU LOOK LIKE A BOOTLEG ERMAC

+ YOU'RE MEAN TO CAT-RA, I MEAN HONESTLY, WHO THE FUCK JUST BULLIES A CAT?

IMAGINE BULLYING A FUCKING CAT. FUCK THIS BITCH.

I DO NOT CARE FOR THIS WOMAN.

HER SMUG AURA MOCKS ME.

Hi so I immediately love you?? Like instantly my favorite character just from the design alone. Glimmer is so real honestly.

I also like Bow, like, Bow is just so fucking cool & nice? He's such a real one, I wanna be best friends with him & hang out he's just so lovable like he's just awesome. I love this man immediately. He deserves all the good in the world actually.

Also holy shit the contrast between Bow in the original show vs this reboot design.

It's funny, the original design WAY more gay than the new one.

The new one that a lot of people (and by people I mean homophobic douchenozzles.) complained about, the design for Bow in this supposedly 'woke tumblr sjw cartoon' has a design that is far less homoerotic in it's design & feel.

The original Bow just outright looks like a fucking gay pornstar.

He's got the trademark 'Gay Porno Mustache™' & everything.

Okay so there's a magic sword or something, etc.

They mentioned Eternia.

Okay so, one of the reasons the original she-ra was lame as fuck compared to He-Man? No Skeletor.

Hordak & literally all the villains in the original show suck ass.

They fucking suck. Hordak is just Skeletor but boring & shitty.

Why the FUCK did they not take the oppurtunity to replace Hordak with Skeletor? You don't even need to add He-Man, I'm fine with that.

But You could have just taken She-Ra & added a better villain because Skeletor fucking rules. He calls people boobs. That's fucking awesome & cool. WHERE IS HE? WHERE THE FUCK IS SKELETOR? LOOK SHOW. HORDAK WAS FUCKING LAME AS FUCK.

SO IF THIS REBOOT IS GOING TO CONVINCE ME THAT HORDAK IS IN ANY WAY A LEGITIMATELY COOL VILLAIN, THEN THEY BETTER FUCKING PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS BECAUSE IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT TO CONVINCE ME THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF JUST USING SKELETOR INSTEAD. LIKE, YOU BETTER FUCKING IMPRESS ME BECAUSE OTHERWISE, THE LACK OF SKELETOR IS GONNA BE A HUGE FLAW THAT YOU CANNOT OVERLOOK.

I mean, so far they managed to make me actually LIKE Cat-Ra, & the original Cat-Ra fucking sucks. Shadow Weaver sucked & so far at least this reboot Shadow Weaver is actually intimidating. But man, you better fuckin' impress me show, because the lack of Skeletor is felt deep within my soul.

OH wait hold on.

Okay I see why everyone said this show is gay now.

Anyways I didn't mean to ramble on this long about the show in just one episode, I promise this is gonna be a rare occurrence. I think from now on, I'll keep it shortened to just one paragraph per post. I'll only pull out these long posts when I finish a season or something.

Anyways uh:

-Glimmer is the best

-I'm sorry but I'm not over the skeletor thing WHY DID YOU NOT USE HIM HE WAS RIGHT THERE-

[onboardsorasora]

Enchanted AU: Part 30

*peeks out from behind a wall* Heeeyyyy Guys😅. I've been sitting on that twist since before Christmas.... just so you know lmao.

Part 1 | Last Chapter

Daniel collected Sassy to his chest and shuffled out of the bedroom in an almost frenzy, no one was up yet so he went and sat on the daybed. He shivered at the breeze but paid it no mind as Jimmy came to greet them.

Daniel stared at him intently as if willing Jimmy's voice to pop back up in his head. It didn't happen of course. Nothing happened.

Daniel made a wounded noise and took a deep breath. Mostly to stave off the panic he was feeling. It worked. Holy crap, it worked. 

Oh no.

“I'm normal.” He breathed out, his body shivered again in the breeze and Daniel just felt numb. He looked at the cats again and felt his lips pull into a frown, already missing the chatter of their voices in his head. The chatter of the birds that flew by periodically, the dog that lived a floor down and the lizard from two floors up.

He felt empty, already regretting his decision borne from anguish. He was born special, meant to be special. Even if it ruined his life. That was his burden to bear, to stay out of people's way. Not mess with their lives.

He shouldn't have enchanted himself because now what?

“Daniel?” 

Daniel's head snapped up to see Max walking rapidly out to the patio. He looked nervous, worried.

“Daniel– are you ok? Is everything alright?” Max stopped himself from reaching out fully to grab him. He quickly looked him up and down, he wasn't glowing anymore and he didn't look any worse for wear either. No tails that Max could see.

“Max. Im- ok.” Daniel dipped his head into Sassy's neck.

“Are you sure?”

“I'm fine Max. I'm perfectly normal!” Daniel all but snapped. He clutched Sassy tightly to his chest and clenched his eyes shut. Daniel let out a shuddering breath.

“Daniel?” Max touched Daniel's shoulder softly and Daniel sobbed. “Daniel? What's going on?!” Max was panicked now.

“Max? Max what's happeni– Daniel!” Michelle came running out of the room, looking over Daniel frantically. “Danny what did you do?” She asked softly, scared.

“Chelle.” Daniel sobbed, throwing himself in her arms, they stumbled backwards together.

“Max what's going on?” Grace hung back by the door, watching it all with wide eyes.

‘I– I'm not sure. He- he said he's normal?” Max repeated unsurely. 

“Oh.” Grace gasped softly.

“What– what does that mean?” Max swung to look at Grace before looking back at Michelle who was staring at Daniel crying in her arms with an almost pitying expression.

“He doesn’t have magic anymore.” Michelle stared at the still rose stark against Daniel's clenching wrist. It sat unmoving but for the tendons beneath it.

“Wha– how?” Max jolted, he felt like the world shattered around him. No one answered him.

Max felt like the next few hours happened while he was underwater. Daniel allowed himself to be fussed over by his mother and sister. He stared into space most of the time. Max felt completely out of his depth. He didn't know what to do, how to help. He didn't know how to fix this.

He didn't know if this could even be fixed.

Daniel ate because his mother told him he needed to. He showered because Michelle told him to. He felt useless. What purpose did he have now that he wasn't useful to anyone?

He laid on his mother's lap in his bed, staring into space while she stroked his curls. He needed time to get used to this new normal.

Max sat across the breakfast nook from Michelle. She was spinning her coffee mug listlessly on the table. The drag of the ceramic across the wood was the only sound between them for a while. She sighed but didn't say anything.

“How bad is it?” Max dared to ask.

“He cursed himself. I think.” She murmured and began drumming her fingers against the ceramic. A trait she shared with Daniel.

“Can we fix it?” 

The way Michelle looked at him reminded Max of predators. Her brown eyes were piercing, almost glowing honey.

“You can.” She hooked her chin in her upturned palm, tapping her middle finger against her cheek. “You can.” She nodded confidently and Max felt the moment his face scrunched in confusion.

“That's not very helpful.” Max complained, leaning back against his chair with a groan.

“I know, I'm sorry. It just– it doesn't work like that.” She apologized and sipped her tea. 

“You have magic too.” Max said it like a confirmation, rather than a question. Michelle didn't deny it. 

“How?” He asked again.

“It's…” She paused. “It's more intuition than anything. I can see your intentions– I can't like read your mind or anything but I can…tell.” She sighed, clearly never really needing to explain her own innate abilities before.

“That's how you protect him. Of course.” The reality made sense, filled in more than a few gaps. She nodded.

“Ok, so…how? How can I fix this?”

She sipped her tea quietly, staring unseeingly at the table between them.

“True love’s kiss.” She whispered.

“What?”

“It's– it sounds weird I know.”

Max rolled his eyes, as if the last few months hadn't already been weird.

“But it's a curse breaker. The most powerful thing in the world or whatever.”

“You're gonna have to give me more than that, I think.” 

She looked at him for a long moment as if weighing the pros and cons.

“Ok, I'm literally only going to say this once. I- I can't like–” she shook her head. “You love my brother, right? You're in love with him?” 

Max nodded, not wanting to say it aloud again until he was able to say it to Daniel directly.

“He loves you– so much.” She smiled a small upturn of her lips. A far cry from a proper Ricciardo grin. “He needs to know– that you feel that way. He needs to believe you. Before you kiss. Or else it won't work.”

Max ran his hand through his hair as he thought. It sounded easy, too easy. But if video games taught him anything, it was that deceptively simple quests normally were difficult as hell. He thought about the tear tracks on Daniel’s face, the crushed look in his eyes.

“He’s not gonna believe me.” He breathed out, looking over at Michelle who smiled sadly. “I’m going to have to make him, of course. Prove to him.” He was speaking to himself more so than her, but her slight nod was comforting.

He loved Daniel. He knew he did. And he wanted Daniel to stay with him. Confessing to him would have been the plan of action regardless, only now he knew that Daniel loved him back. He could do this. He had to, because he loved Daniel– all of him.

Next Chapter

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (15-21 Sep 2024)

ma boi gorgug was going thru it

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Subspace (poppypickford) - 69K, Suits BDSM AU - reread, just really in the mood for a suits D/s fic and this is a pretty great one

😍 Eight Paws, Two Tails, One Heart (BlueSimplicity) - 216K shrunkyclunks - "Diagnosed with PTSD and placed on medical leave, initially Steve is resentful, stubbornly refusing the idea there’s anything that can make it better. Until Sam suggests a Service Dog, and introduces him to James Buchanan Barnes, a fellow vet and trainer who swears one of his dogs can help, if only Steve can summon enough bravery to take a leap of faith and accept a four-legged companion in his life. What follows is a long and winding journey of fear, doubt and self-recrimination. But also hope, acceptance and redefining what it means to be a hero, as Steve finally faces the issues that have been haunting him his entire life. There is also a lot of fur, conversations with dogs, and a cross-country road trip, as Steve rebuilds his life and maybe, just maybe, falls in love along the way." - instant classic, forever fave fic. can't recommend it highly enough

🥰 Echoes of Memory (KittenKakt) - 41K, geraskier - reread, really excellent amnesia fic with delicious h/c, bathing, bed sharing

🥰 The Shire is NOT on Fire (kissesforcas) - 54K Steddie, everyone lives AU where Steve agrees to go on a LARP weekend with Eddie & the kids - low angst, much fun, steve is hot af

💖💖 +124K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Like A Virgin (Brenda) - Top Gun: Ice/Mav, 25K - 'Recently divorced Ice has a bi-awakening and wants to "experiment" with someone he trusts. Mav offers to be his sexual guinea pig. Things go about as well as you expect. (They're both so smart, but also so very dumb.)' - mutual dumbasses is one of my favorite flavors

movie night series (jk_rockin) - Stranger Things: steddie, 13K - "They’re just… hanging out. Watching movies. Having brain-melting orgasms. Cuddling, which he hadn’t expected and really likes. Fucking. Well. They've fucked once. Now to figure out how to get Eddie to fuck him again." - short but hot and enjoyable

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

In Deep: Life at the Bottom of the Ocean With Dr. Sarah McAnulty - Session 1

Handsome - Andrea Gibson asks about flirting

Handsome - Arnold Schwarzenegger asks about being useful

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #5

D20: A Starstruck Odyssey - s12, e6-13

D20: Adventuring Party - s8, e6-13

D20: Time Quangle - "Betrayed By Live Theatre" (s1, e2)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2024 Emmys Recap

Short Wave - What's Up With The Hot Ocean Temperatures?

⭐ The Sporkful - The Enslaved Man Who Taught Jack Daniel How To Make Whiskey

Code Switch - Ask Code Switch: The racial politics of washing dishes?

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Hidden History of Eyeliner with Zahra Hankir

Welcome to Night Vale #254 - The Triangle

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Smith Court

Shedunnit - The Red Barn Murder

Vibe Check - High, Low, Fast, and Slow

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Fall Guide

Outward - Bonus: New Additions to the Gay Agenda from Madeline Ducharme

⭐ Ologies - Tardigradology (TINY SEMI-INDESTRUCTIBLE WATER BEAR MOSS PIGLET CREATURES CALLED TARDIGRADES) with Paul Bartels

It's Been a Minute - The SMACKDOWN: Brunch vs. Twerking vs. Louis Armstrong

Re: Dracula - September 19: The Best was Made of Everything

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Our Material World with Ed Conway

Song Exploder - Troye Sivan "One of Your Girls"

Normal Gossip - Dickmatized with Sam Sanders

Consider This - The unraveling of Eric Adams' administration

⭐ Endless Thread - The Great Lemming Lie

Dear Prudence - I Didn’t Wish My Sister a Happy Birthday—Now She’s Pissed! Help!

Dear Prudence - Prudie Plus: My Friend Switched to Natural Deodorant—She Smells Awful! Help!

It's Been a Minute - Is Diddy hip-hop's Weinstein? Plus, Brittany gets rejected

Short Wave - The Scuba Diving Lizards Breathing By Bubble

⭐ Normal Gossip - Leave ‘em a Little Bit Broke, a Little Bit Mad with Laci Mosley

What Next: TBD - Can Instagram Really Keep Kids Safe?

99% Invisible - The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter

Short Wave - How To Get A Haircut In Space

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

lofi hip hop radio 📚 - beats to relax/study to

Billboard Top 100 of 1984

Top Songs of 1984

Presenting Kesha

Presenting Katy Perry

[msfbgraves]

The fill where Daniel has a breakdown after their return home from the “save our marriage trip” was one of your best and also one of my favorites! I do have some questions though, if that’s okay. (If not, please ignore this ask!) :3

(He swallows, nods to the room. "I can't be there alone,)

Is Daniel unable to relax in their bedroom by himself? Is he okay being there with Terry (the irony of that), or can he simply not sleep at all in that room, which is one of the reasons he is so tired and sleeps on the rug in the kids room? 

("So leave." 

They're both frozen still. Then Terry lifts his chin. "I will never do that.")

I mean…yikes. Does Daniel…or at least a part of him…really want Terry to leave? Like, permanently. As in a divorce? Not that Terry would ever allow that…

(Daniel stares at him. "I could go to my parents -" )

Does Daniel mean permanently, or just temporarily? 

(He puts a hand on his shoulder. "That did not stay Klytaimnestra's hand." 

Daniel puts a hand on his belly. "You did not kill my pup.")

I don’t get this exchange. Who is Klytaimnestra, and what pup was killed??

(At those words, the tears come. "It hurts, Terry, I'm so tired.")

Does it him (them actually) physically or simply mentally? Is there some bond between mates (Alpha/omega) where if something like this happens, they feel physical pain?

This was a really excellent fill. I do have to say though, it breaks my heart to see how hurt Daniel is. He is so very loving and incredibly sweet, and gave everything to his marriage, loved his husband so much—and it still wasn’t enough. Arghhhh. 

I wonder, after reading this, does Daniel feel afraid to sleep with Terry after the rape? Especially in their bedroom where it happened. And well, especially during those times when Terry returns after a “job” and the sex is implied to be rough. Does Daniel have to tell Terry it’s okay to be rough, or does he just kinda grit his teeth and get through it? 

If this had been another world, Daniel should have divorced and set the law on Terry for the sheer horrible brutality of what he did. But in this AU, Daniel has the enormous capacity of his love and omega nature to guide him through this. And yes, his husband too. Terry loves and adores him to the point of insanity. He cannot function without him at all. It just took the most evil deed to figure that out. Sigh. 

Great story. This fill (and the other one where Daniel learns of of the cheating no code to in the car) reminds me of this quote from the end of the Gone With the Wind movie where Rhett leaves Scarlett for good. 

"My darling, you're such a child, you think by saying ‘I'm sorry’ all the past can be corrected." 

Love hurts! 

Terry is Daniel's mate, which means their Alpha and omega side are incredibly closely connected. Any omega mate will instinctively find comfort in their Alpha, so if Daniel does feel stressed, his lizard brain instinct will look for his mate. Which means that indeed ironically, when Terry is there, his instincts will shield him somewhat from the fear of, um - Terry. It's not logical. But to be there in the bedroom alone, at that point in time, with no Terry there and a lot of memories, it's hard to relax. Maybe he's not been sleeping well, that's why he's so tired, but being tired can also be a trauma response when your grief and fear seeps into your body.

Daniel would love to have the normal option of divorce, yes. He's been trying to get Terry to leave him, something that Amanda picked up on within a few days. He feels that he could move in with his parents, but Terry is right, if that were an option, which it isn't, they'd probably marry him off. In fact, after the cheating reveal, Michael has been actively scouting candidates, because he thought that Daniele would surely want to kill that scumbag now. How could he not? Except, you know - if divorce is not an option, murder also isn't for Daniel. And now, here, since Terry straight up asks what he's thinking, he does blurt it out. But that's simply not something Terry will even consider.

In the legend of Trojan war, which started because Helen, wife of Menelaos, was either kidnapped or ran away with the Trojan man Paris, Klytaimnestra is her sister in law. When King Menelaos, incredibly butthurt for losing his wife like that, went to his brother King Agamemnon and declared he had to go to war against Troy with him to restore his honor, Agamemnon was like, 'cool, of course I will kill thousands of soldiers to restore my brother's pride.' Whether or not his wife Klytaimnestra was OK with that, the myth doesn't ask - in ancient Athenian culture, women had some protection but absolutely no say in anything. And the writers knew how infuriating and constricting this was. Was their marriage a love match? Who knows, who cares? But they do have children, three girls and a young son, Orestes. So, Agamemnon decides he wants to go to war, but in the process, he has the goddess Artemis against him (the gods had taken sides, given that the people in the myth were often blood related to them.) So she decided that the winds will not blow the ships to Troy, unless - Agamemnon kills his eldest daughter Iphigeneia. Who is just a girl. Agamemnon is like 'Well, if that is what it takes.' Again he has no stake in this, other than his brother's pride. So he sacrifices her! Whether or not the sacrifice actually went through, the myths differ about, but even in the kindest tellings Iphigeneia is whisked away, never to be seen again by her parents.

Klytaimnestra snaps. With her husband away, she takes a new lover, and her third daughter Elektra, being a Daddy's girl, is like: "O you can't cheat on Daddy!' Klytaimnestra is like: "He killed my child, fuck that dude!" And when Agamemnon returns, she kills him. A lot of the myths focus on Elektra and Orestes' revenge for sweet Daddykins, but other Greek writers also thought: "No. No, fuck that dude. Klytaimnestra is 100% right." But this deed, however you may feel about it, does cause a rift between Klytaimnestra and her children, that's why Terry references it. Who should they be loyal to, their father or their mother, given that they love their father who did something terrible to their mother?

To go back to Terry and Daniel, what Daniel is feeling is the full force of the body horror of the rape. When something horrible happens to your body, there is often a delayed response. You wouldn't survive if you felt everything immediately. So ironically, when your brain and nervous system signal: "Alright, we're safe now," they immediately go: "Right, we have a backlog of pain to feel. Trauma dump incoming!" Especially when your body is a little weakened, as it is even in omegas during pregnancy, the full force can swamp you, and that is what Daniel is working through. And no apology can take that work away from anyone. The only way out is through.

Now what makes Terry is special person and a special man is that he's actually quite in tune with other people's feelings. He is very, very soft with Daniel after this. So there's no rough sexytimes for quite a while. Problem is they both like it on the rough side, and Daniel misses that, under the fear. And this is where Terry really is quite extraordinary. Most raping husbands would not self-reflect about that. He does. It doesn't excuse anything, but that is the one redeeming quality that allows them to hold onto each other - he really changes his behaviour, he knows when Daniel is trying to grit his teeth and bear it and he doesn't let him. And he knows what Daniel likes, still. Danny simply needs to feel safe enough, and cherished enough, to feel his way through the pain back to him.

Like, most people who do this to their spouse would be incapable of recognising and changing their behaviour, and that's why they end up with rat poison in their food, not a second chance at love.

"My darling, you're such a child, you think by saying ‘I'm sorry’ all the past can be corrected." 

That's the difficulty. Terry can't do all that much to correct this. Just like in canon, he chose power over love, and just like in canon, he has no way of amending it and is haunted by it for the rest of his days. It'll have to come from Daniel, all the work to heal from this, and the fact that he gets himself through this tells you of his strength. Klytaimnestra didn't choose that path, and Terry is saying that he understands it if Daniel can't take it, but he'd rather risk that than live without him. He lives with danger every day. But living without Daniel - he can't, he loses his goddamn mind. And if he had understood that before, he'd never have raped him.

But he was arrogant, and butthurt, and entitled, and petty, and he underestimated Daniel and what he meant to him. Who loves the air they breathe? Who spares it much thought? No one. Take it away, though, and you're not long for this world.

[z-spy]

some of my hcs about the other world

not all of it's inhabitants have blue skintone as there are various climatic zones on their planet, just like on ours, so some of them are blue like tihana and alexander's wife, therefore on earth they would be pale, some of them are red like alexander, therefore on earth he is tanned / black, and some are purple, because they are mixed races(if alexander and his wife had a child)

there are also various countries, cultures and languages on their planet, also just like on ours

they probably have weird ass plants and animals, like really crazy creatures that chomp their limbs off(and then they just grow out another ones lol)

all of them, every single one, are asexuals. they reproduce very responsibly, bc there is no such thing as having sex because it's pleasurable, they only do tha if they really want to raise someone and when they are ready to it. they do not have the damned cult of romance, marriage and childbirth, therefore there is no pressure for men to lose their virginity as soon as they can and there is no pressure for women to give birth, so not wanting to have children is normal

being polyamorous is normal as well for them

as their species are not so obsessed over sex and children as ours, there are no oppression and sexualization of women in their world, men actually love their wives(alexander is a living proof) yippee

we know that they can shapeshift, so i think that these aliens can take different forms, i mean, not only of humans, but also of monsters, each one is unique

however, they have common features, such as claws on hands and feet, sharp teeth, long and pointed ears(males' ears are longer and bigger than females'), weird ass eye colors, and long tails :3

lovers intertwine their tails- ok next point

they can climb on the walls and ceiling in their lizard fashion lolol

zerzurians and humans can't mate.

THEY HAVE WILD ASS FOOD IN THEIR WORLD no, because it's so different from ours and it's flavor is so intense, consuming it as a human would be lethal

their appearance can get even more weird to us, if they take a human form, it's an uncanny valley(yes, daniel suffered)

okay i think that now that's all

[lilyrizzy]

ok to match you: maxiel snowed in ❄️⛄️

okay i didn't end up going 'au' on this haha sorry just general hc's but....

1. max and daniel only go somewhere snowy for the holidays bc max asks to. daniel is a little horrified at the idea of spending time in the cold volunterily, but max looks so excited showing him pictures of winter cabins online that he agrees, begrudgingly

2. the reason they are going away for the holidays is bc max came out to his dad, it went badly and so he asked daniel very quietly for a holiday 'just us, please?' daniel can't help but say yes, and he has to promise on the phone, 'next year, mum. I just- max needs me. next year we will both come.'

3. max is weirdly weather resistant, outside in just his tshirt, jeans and light jacket. meanwhile, daniel has like, his jumper, his coat, max's coat, and like ten other layers on and his teeth are still chattering. max laughs at him and tells him he is a lizard, 'because of course you must be cold blooded to be freezing like this.'

4. max gets so excited by the snow! begs daniel to make a snowman with him because he's never before. and when daniel rolls his eyes fondly and says, 'what, was there no snow in Belgium growing up?' max says all a little quieter, 'yes, but-' looking outside the window longingly, but nothing else. and daniel knows what he means and they make like, ten snowmen together- 'a whole family daniel'-because daniel doesn't know how else to bridge the gap between the childhood max had and the one he should have had:/

5. then they wake up the next day the snow is super high and there's no way daniel trusts either of them to drive into the town even if they do it for a living lol. so he just pulls max back into bed when he tries to get out because he can think of many ways to pass a day inside that don't involve leaving bed :)

[hekateinhell]

Re 🖤+ a ship

I ask for…. post-IWTV Armand and Louis. I challenge you to fluffy prompts on an angsty ship. I know you’re up for the challenge.

you know that... I thought about it. I remembered the quote about their 'gentle intimacy' during those years; I remembered the mutual fondness and concern they displayed for each other even following their initial separation; I remembered Armand beginning to heal and Louis relearning happiness at Trinity Gate -- which whether you read it as platonic or romantic -- didn't happen out of thin air. So here's what I came up with for the angiest ship era in all of VC:

Who is the most affectionate?

Armand knows Louis isn't exactly the most affectionate person by any means, and he doesn't want to push him and have him retreat into himself even further -- but every once in a while, Armand will gather up what's left of his confidence (or he's that desperate) and tentatively but outwardly confidently touch Louis's elbow or lower back in a way that reinforces the message 'I'm here, I'll wait until you're ready for me.'

Who initiates the handholding?

Surprisingly, Louis. Armand lacks the presumptuous arrogance required to snatch up Louis's hand against his will and they both know this. It's not often but Louis gets used to Armand making an effort to engage him, suggesting this or that or the other. So when he doesn't and a few days go by, it gets his attention in a way most things don't.

Armand doesn't complain, he doesn't lash out or get violent. He simply retreats into himself (much like Louis) and he looks so sad and so old curled up like a gargoyle on the seat next to him that Louis can't resist taking his hand, pressing their palms together and interlacing their fingers, even if just to keep one of them alive.

Who worries more for the other?

Armand does. In a way, by virtue of his actions, he not only made himself Louis's companion but also his caretaker. He feels a certain responsibility; he needs Louis to come back to life but it's simply not happening and it's Armand's burden to bear.

Who is more likely to ask for help?

They're both awful at this during this time. I would have to say Armand though (remembering 'Help me!' at the end of IWTV).

Who is the one always losing the keys?

Who needs keys when you can scale walls like a lizard? (Louis, it's Louis; he forgets he's alive half the time).

Who leaves little love notes for the other?

During their warmer spells, Louis was inclined to gift Armand a favored novel with a brief yet loving inscription on the inside of the cover. Stories could convey more of Louis's emotions toward Armand more easily than spoken words, and Armand cherished this very purposeful invitation into Louis's thoughts.

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there?

Considering how Louis didn't even notice Armand had initially left him in IWTV, I would say Armand. But also because knows how physically weak Louis is in comparison to any other vampires that might want to hurt him, and it also triggers his deep-seated abandonment issues when Louis disappears for days on end. Even if Armand can track him easily and knows more or less exactly where he is, it still hurts in a very raw way (echo of Daniel later on, whoops).

Who is more likely to propose to the other?

For the sake of some needed levity, I'm going to refer back to my post about Armand occasionally cross-dressing during this time so they could blend in as husband and wife in certain places that they travelled to. Armand "proposed" but it was strictly a marriage of convenience.

Who introduced the other to their family first?

Well, that levity was short-lived (RIP). I'm going to steal @covenofthearticulate's answer... technically, Louis did, didn't he? :)

LMAO 😭

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair?

Armand, but I would say it's less playing and more so grooming. Thinking back to him being in despair over Lestat being left 'dusty' and disheveled on the church floor in TVA... It's very important to Armand that those he loves appear well-put together and cared for, even if he has to do it for them himself. They will not be looking dusty, abandoned, and forgotten like Armand was in the catacombs for 300 years.

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated?

Armand again. Louis is his responsibility now; Armand saw to that. And it's bad enough that Louis refuses his blood and previously that of his own maker's for the protection it would offer, but a weak, hungry vampire is just too much.

Armand also finds the occasional rats somewhat triggering (Santino and his rats), and altogether very off-putting.

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other?

Armand drives out any and all vampires that might pose a threat to them. Louis doesn't consider that anything could actually hurt Armand (physically).

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other?

Armand tries to surprise Louis with trips and outings, anything to incite an emotional response. Sometimes it works, sometimes he's rewarded with a gentlemanly kiss to his hand or an uncharacteristically sudden, tight, and trembling embrace.

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things?

... Even my imagination can't indulge this one.

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch?

Armand usually thinks Louis looks cold and he's right, but he's hesitant to irritate him with too much fussing. Besides, it's not a physical coldness which is easily remedied.

Sometimes Armand tucks himself up into a reading chair and closes his eyes and remains completely still for the rest of the night--he's been so tired for so long. When Louis notices (and he occasionally does), he gathers a covering from near the fireplace that's warm and soft and arranges it over Armand's shoulders and around his chest. Armand looks incredibly innocent and childlike when he mimics a mortal in repose; it can't help but invoke Louis's long-buried caregiver instincts.

[davenweenie]

Lab Rats Pet Headcanons

What pets the LR characters would have and what dynamics they would have

We’ve already established that Chase would have cats, I derived my cat headcanon (Tesla the calico cat) from Aster’s cat hc (Einstein)

Chase would absolutely crochet the cats cute little hats and sweaters, especially for Einstein because she’s a Sphynx cat and gets cold easily.

Bree is a weird reptile girl (this is meant in a loving way, I think weird reptile girls are so cool) she has a whole reptile room with a few snakes and a lizard

She has the most unheard of Ball Python morphs and they all look so cool. She names them all after iconic movie characters (two of them are named after Mean Girls characters, Regina and Gretchen) and they all love it.

Oliver is terrified of the snakes when Bree moves them all into the EF penthouse.

Adam would 100% have dogs. He ends up adopting Otis when Chase moves away.

Adam does trick training with Otis and teaches him loads of tricks that he doesn’t already know.

He enters him into competitions and he starts doing Heelwork to Music (proud to say I’m friends with the person who invented this, look up Mary Ray heelwork to music if you don’t know what it is) and wins almost every single time.

When Otis retires when he’s 10, Adam gets an Australian Shepherd puppy and trains her up from scratch. He gets a bit of help from Douglas but he does to mostly himself and competes with her in the future too.

I can’t decide if Leo is a dog or cat person, I also think he would hate animals with fur and would end up getting reptiles like Bree.

Leo would have a sphynx cat after meeting Einstein and realising they feel like peaches and not like human skin. He names him Sid after Sid Viscous because his favourite band is the Sex Pistols (give me more punk!Leo)

On the other hand if Leo were to get reptiles, he would get a snow/albino corn snake for his first snake but then would later get an Urban Camo Ball Python.

It freaks the hell out of Tasha when Leo comes downstairs with one of his snakes wrapped around his shoulders.

His snakes match his style really well

Daniel would have a dog, for sure. He’d have either a Golden Retriever or a yellow Labrador. He’d get a show line Golden and a working line lab if he were to get those breeds.

He would definitely do some form of joring, he would definitely skate down the corridors of the Academy with his dog pulling him (all on proper gear ofc)

that’s it from me. let me know if you want anymore of these. I actually really enjoyed it lol

[grcetxt]

GOS2 hillywood + poster dissection (spoilers!)

so, i think we all lost our collective MINDS today

when I saw that we have the release date I actually started SCREAMING (I got lots of dirty looks.) anyways I have lots and lots of thoughts that I just need to get down somewhere so buckle up cuz this will be long, rambly, and prolly won't make a whole lot of sense.

First of all, huge props to the whole hillywood team, this was a really high-quality production and I loved every second of it. I'm watching the behind the scenes vid while writing this and it's really interesting to see how such an amazing video was produced. so much work was put into it and it really paid off. Thank you guys so much for making this!

So, the scene where Crowley falls. this could just be something fun hillywood decided to do, but the fact that they worked so closely with Neil makes me wonder if this is something that we might get more of in s2. The scene with the fire (which was awesome btw) maybe not be so much, but Crowley falling from what seems to be heaven into a puddle of what I'm guessing is maybe meant to be sulphur? (I don't really know what sulphur is so correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just spewing stuff here so it could be complete nonsense) idk to me it seems like foreshadowing, especially considering that Crowley's fall isn't discussed in that much depth in s1. idk that could just be me stretching cuz I want pre-fall Crowley SO BAD. and OH MY GOD IN THE VIDEO THEY JUST CONFIRMED ITS MEANT TO BE SULPHUR I FUCKING SGHA ITS THE FALL FROM HEAVEN I KNEW IT.

The post-parody scenes AHHH. first of all, I loved how they stayed pretty much word accurate to the show, with only necessary things changed. I loved Neil in this, Maggie, and Daniel. Does more Daniel mean more Adam? he could just be there for like a fun cameo roll but it got me thinking. if weird shit was happening the first thing Crowley and aziraphale are gonna think is 'Ah shit it's the Antichrist again innit' So maybe more adam s2? idk.

(Maggie was literally me. 'DO THEY HOLD HANDS??' girl is literally the entire good omens fandom)

('the wait and see clause' SO FUNNY BUT ALSO SO MUCH PAINN)

Ok, poster time.

First off, the way they're sat back to back?? no space between them?? and IS AZ READING TO CROWLEY?? :( They make me wanna vomit /pos

Also, I noticed something in the back. a shop outside with 'give me' on the front? this could just be a generic shop but I feel like everything in the poster is deliberate. doesn't seem to mean much now but I reckon we should keep our eye out in the background of any other posters and teasers and stuff we might get. this could just be me going bonkers cuz I've been deprived of new content for SO LONG but idk I could be onto smth.

I also wanna talk about the lighting decisions. the bright light shining on aziraphale, cuz yk- he's an angel but also a little glimmer on Crowley? now it could be interpreted as like 'Oh not all hope is lost for him' but I see it differently. the fact that Crowley's light is coming from below and Azi's is coming from above?? bit on the nose. I think the fact that we've been told that Gabriel is gonna feature heavily in this, is gonna make us primarily focus on heaven (the biggest light being on Az) but that doesn't mean hells gonna be out of the picture. I think, that through the first few episodes, we're gonna be focusing on Heaven harassing Az and we won't notice hell spying on Crowley (Crowley's light being smaller, yet still very much there)

More on hell, something I didn't notice at first was a lil tiny lizard in the bottom left-hand corner. I'm pretty convinced this is supposed to be shax. I mean, we've been shown that like all the demons have some sort of animal form (Beelzebub- fly, Crowley- snake, ligur- chameleon, etc., etc.) but as far as I know, we haven't had a lizard like that yet. it has a little fire tail and it's pretty deliberately hidden (either that or I'm fucking stupid cuz I didn't notice until like 10 mins ago) I think the fact that he's not the center focus is again about how through this hell will just be kinda spying on them rather taking a center focus so that we have our guard down and are like 'WOAH' when hell does smth. but you can't fool ME Neil, I'm expecting it.

Final little closing thoughts on stuff that could be irrelevant but maybe isn't. The clock- both hands on 6, 6 episodes, what else is 6? Is half 6 a significant time? or is it just cuz 666 and like haha devil number? the old ass camera in the bottom right-hand corner, eluding to maybe olden days Crowley and aziraphale pictures?? I would die. maybe also references a scene abt the invention of the camera?? or is it just there cuz Az is nostalgic and likes antiques. am I going insane or is that a new Crowley haircut?? Crowley and Az being back to back they LOOK SO DOMESTIC ILL SOBB

again, thank you so much hillywood for this amazing parody. and thanks Neil for FINALLY answering our prayers while leaving us with like a MILLION more questions, love you Mr. Gaiman

if you actually read this, thanks! that means that someone else is as obsessed and slightly mad as me. let me know if you've got any other ideas or annotations, I love literally everything good omens so even if you think it's a reach I WANNA HEAR IT!

Edit: I'm a fukin idiot and also blind. there are 3 lizards, and literally everyone noticed them (I can't find the third one (I'm pretty sure I need glasses)) BUT YK I still reckon it's shax. or maybe the erics?? oo it might be the Erics now im thinking abt it

Another edit: I'm actually REALLY fuckin stupid. the give me sign outside is Nina's shop 'Give me coffee or give me death' (I kinda forgot there were new characters this season) BUT YK maybe still smth?? idfk

[apoptoses]

3, 4, 10, go!

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

ADHD medication. XL Big Gulp of Coke from the gas station. No plan, we're flying by the seat of our pants. It's awful, it's probably doing a number on my nervous system, but it has worked every single time I've liked an idea so we're sticking with it.

Lately though I've also been doing Lizard Time, where I go lay in my back yard for an hour in the sun, put on a spotify playlist called Buffalo Bill Bops (yeah, that buffalo bill) and then thinking about whatever scenario I want to force Daniel through. Then I go in, write down some vague notes of how things went and any dialogue I thought was good. And....we'll see, I'm gonna sit down and try to write one of those out this week and figure out if knowing exactly what I want to happen makes things go more or less smoothly.

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

In a good way: obscene. I want Daniel to feel like everything Armand does is obscene, it's the life he deserves.

In a bad way: baby. I hate that as a pet name, it gives me the ick, you'll never see me have anyone call Armand baby ever.

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Sometimes things haunt me in a bad way when I feel stuck or overwhelmed. Anyone who I talk to regularly knows this fucking big fic about made me insane because it's big and overwhelming and editing and chopping things into chapters made me wanna barf on a regular basis. The scrivener trial helped with that but sometimes I still look at the whole thing and side-eye it, I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing.

Fic-wise, @monstersinthecosmos fic where Daniel and Armand watch Videodrome lingers in the back of my mind a lot! I read it when I was struggling with severe depression (hence being a loser who hasn't commented on it yet) but I just enjoyed it so much I ended up actually renting Videodrome. And then I loved that movie so much I bought a videodrome t-shirt when this indie t-shirt brand released one haha

It's short and they're cuddling and watching this weirdo body horror movie, and Armand is having these delightful body horror adjacent thoughts about the sounds of Daniel's organs and Daniel is getting all turned on by this sex scene just. It feels like an essential snapshot of them. Their ideal date night. It has all the Armand/Daniel elements I ever want packed into one scene and really formed my image of who they are.

[jaydonsjam]

My initial reason why I wanted to read early Doctor Strange comics from Strange Tales #110 was to explore the early mystical/supernatural/horror side of the Marvel universe. I had made a list of characters: Blade, Ghost Rider, Daimon Hellstrom, Werewolf By Night etc. and I felt like I couldn’t fully explore the mystical side of Marvel without including Doctor Strange so I did. One of the characters that I wanted to read more of was Morbius the Living Vampire so I started with his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #101. Before I read these two issues (TASM #101-102) my only experience with Michael Morbius was some appearances he had made in the 90’s and 00’s Spidey comics but my main experience with him was the 90’s Spider-Man: The Animated Series (no I haven’t seen Morbius and I probably won’t).

So let’s get to his origin. I loved these two issues. I mean, yes they are full of cheesy, campy dialogue but these are 70’s comics so I can look past that kind of stuff. Btw, am I the only one who hears Christopher Daniel Barnes’ voice when they read Spidey comics? For some reason (maybe it’s nostalgia) I still hear his voice over anyone else. I found no problems just jumping in on #101 which I did have reservations about since I hadn’t been actively reading #1-100 before this one. It’s interesting that they brought in Morbius to cure Peter’s six-arm problem because it was shown that when Morbius bit Lizard, he made Connors shift in and out of his transformation with varying degrees of control. I love the way Roy Thomas wrote Spidey in these issues, and the constant dialogue within his head or out loud just works for this era of Peter.

I’m a sucker for a tragic villain and Morbius is the poster child for that. I love the choice to show him in the midst of being hunted by the other people on the ship and I like the fact that when his origin is revealed in #102 we get the whole picture. Michael initially tried to just drown himself but the monstrous urge to feed on people took control and led him out of the water to go and feed on people. It shows that Michael doesn’t want to be a monster and hurt people but the hunger inside of him often takes control of him and he has no way to fight it. It’s a tragedy. He even killed his best friend who’s trying to help him cure himself of this blood disease. It’s the classic I-tried-to-cure-myself-but-instead-changed-myself-into-a-monster-thing. Which actually works really well and parallel to The Lizard who also pops up in these issues trying to help Peter cure his six arm problem.

I loved the appearance of Doc Connors and it led to a great fight between Lizard/Morbius/Spidey. The art done by Gil Kane great. I really love the way he draws Spidey and Peter. The one thing I will say is that Peter never looks like he’s a teenager to me. He looks like he’s at least in his twenties and that’s a common problem that I’ve noticed with a lot of Spidey comics (Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis and Bagley is a good exception). There’s great action throughout and I love seeing the struggle/team-up between Lizard and Spidey. Overall, I think the cure that Morbius’ blood provides for Peter Parker is the example for a “comic bookey” moment but it works for me. I could see it not working for others though. Marvel was already releasing a Dracula book so I don’t see why they had to create Morbius? But hey, I’m glad they did cause he’s a great tragic character and I can’t wait to read more about him. It’s not as enjoyable as the Doctor Strange run but that’s like 70 issues that I’ve read so it’s not really a fair comparison. Anyways! This was a really fun read regardless of my nitpicking! Thanks if you read this whole thing!

The Amazing Spider-Man #101-102 written by Roy Thomas art by Gil Kane with inking by Frank Giacoia

[the-firebird69]

Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still (Official Music Video)

What time it really is is the another month to feed on the dinosaurs okay they're leaving New Zealand escaping The empire I don't let the hell it is that doing they don't want to stay there either

Bja

Look we do the job very well and stuff there's something these Max do that really pushes people out there and trying for Oregon and Washington State too and people just don't want to be around for some reason we don't know what it is no we do but really cicada bugs and common oxide constant homicides and now dinosaurs and I guess they're pouring it on but for real I mean you know why did you move and you look at these areas where they're going and people just abandon the place like they're haunting you and we're the ones who do that not them I mean you see slimer and you start going over and being friends it's kind of weird cuz we know what we like and so do you so we don't know what they're doing to you yeah we get it you're on New Zealand and you hear noises you figure they're around but really these giant dinosaurs are trying to get out of there and it is the max imum

Thor Freya

They're frequently annoying and up people here are like a medium they go through you and the dinosaurs are annoyed that's what they're doing it's like Churchland Bank said they're just doing that and he started laughing yesterday and has not stopped you pussies he said it to the T-Rex and the T-Rex like we can't find it and we can't stop it you find it stop it and it's going into Daniel he's actually saying it and they're on TV kind of and her son says we're going to go back and take care of this and he says who's that and he goes he's the lizard King. Now this guy is very mean and he says I don't want to go on doing this and he gets it there's a place to put him and it's the dinosaur saying and our son is extremely pushy and they just keep pushing him but you guys the ones who thinks that the Mac thinks and the max is actually not back and thinks that he's pushing back on and they're stupid and we're going to prove it and they won't shut up and they blew their whole plan and they had everything just like sitting this always do Satan is always do is suspicious and he thinks it's his brother and we do too

Thor Freya

Olympus

Oh no it is these two fighting and we have to go down there see if these footprints match someone

Mac Daddy

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Opera (Argento, 1987)

Got to see this one the big screen with a Q&A with Karim Hussain (DP on Brandon Cronenberg’s movies), who cites this as one of his favourites and worked on the colour grading on the new Severin restoration. He went a lot into technical details around the restoration process, a lot of which went over my head, but I do recommend seeing this restoration in a theatre if it’s playing near you as this is one where Argento’s technical virtuosity seems especially aggressive (Hussain brought up the Raven POV shot a lot during the Q&A). Some thoughts that passed through my head during this latest viewing:

Compared to the other films in Argento’s prime period, I always found this one relatively episodic, working more as a string of elaborate set pieces than a cohesive whole with a clear sense of forward momentum. I still think that’s the case, but I appreciated the extent to which this furthers the streak of self reflection that defined Tenebre. There is an obvious stand-in for Argento in the character played by Ian Charleson, who in one of the movie’s many funny moments (some of which are intentional, some of which are not, but really, who cares) admits to jerking off before each shoot, and uses his directing skills to identify the villain. (Apparently Charleson admitted in an interview that he based his mannerisms on Argento, who was not pleased to learn this.) I did find it funny that Charleson’s VHS collection is shown to include such titles as Goin’ South and Silkwood. I would have expected some Hitchcock.

But the villain is arguably a stand-in for the director as well, as he “directs” the murders that he forces the heroine to watch (which apparently came from Argento learning people would their eyes during the movies). And on that note, I think this has the gnarliest gore out of any of Argento’s movies, and the meanness with which Argento executes them definitely got a few cringes out of my audience, especially with the foley effects blaring through the sound system.

In this vein, I’m tempted to read the last scene in the alps as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Phenomena, with its relatively gentler tone compared to the angrier and meaner Tenebre. The bit with the lizard its share of laughs.

The non-goofy bit that got the most laughs was “Daniele Soavi”, although I was mostly enraptured by the Suspiria-esque colours in that sequence.

And I must say they did a great job with the sound, because I’ve watched different copies of this before and don’t remember the metal songs popping the same way in the sound mix, and definitely don’t remember Rick Astley on the soundtrack.

Yeah, this rules. Check it out folks, if possible in a theatre near you.

[daincrediblegg]

Not enough monsterfucking rep in stargate. Chaka x Daniel is the most valid ship and no I will never redact this