#and the man was nothing but a comedic genius

[lostmidnightwriter]

Stiffener Medick and Felch: *exists*

Me:

@lostmousemaid :

[theoceansluvr]

Percy Jackson x Surfer! Reader

warnings; none ! author's note; starting to notice how useful my obsession with the beach really is for writing.. thank you Amphitrite for this blessing !! my favorite sport and my favorite boy, literally perfect !

like my marnie biologist reader one, match destined by the Fates !

you probably met on the beach when percy was out at the cabin with his mom and he instantly knew he needed you in is life.

sally was honestly here for it because well, that's how she met Poseidon !

consider it a family meet cute that passes down from generation to generation

you guys collect seashells together ?

personally i'd say for jewelry making but that's up to y'all <9

you teaching percy how to surf and he's automatically good at it !!!

you think he's already done it before be he swears he's never even touched a surfboard before you met

just one of his lovely sea child traits i suppose

MATCHING BOARDS

percy def rides longboard but definitely tried shortboard once and fell into the water

def learned how to wax surfboards just for you !

goes to all your competitions if you compete

he only doesn't show up if it interferes with his swim meets

WHICH LEADS ME TO MY NEXT POINT !

he yaps about you to his team all time

like "Oh you're a good swimmer ? Well my partner is even better AND they surf !"

he's hopeless really

has grown so used to the smell of sunscreen at this point he could probably get the exact brand you use based on the scent alone

doesn't want to be in your way while you surf so he just sits in the sand and draws little hearts with your initials

you guys did that one trend where people find rocks on the beach that match their partners eye colors

you know the one

he learned how to wrap stones just so you guys could wear them as necklaces

(need someone like him so bad)

cruel summer coded relationship may i say ?

when you're just chillin' on the beach he always talks about how you could totally make it to the Olympics

you take his remarks at face value but it definitely helps with your confidence !

unironically says cowabunga now ??

you don't even use it, probably

he just thinks he's a comedic genius

freaked out a little when you turtle rolled in front of him

(i choked on water the first time so can't even blame the man)

thought you were going to drown then you popped back up and smiled at him like nothing happened

needless to say, that's how he learned that term

your first kiss was probably during sunset or something cheesy like that, sitting on your boards and he just

leans over and kisses you, ignoring the fact you tasted like saltwater because it was you

it's now a little tradition that you kiss before going out <9

ending it here because i can and will ramble about this man and surfing forever and ever😞

[luimagines]

He Realizes You Like Him Part 2

Masterlist

Part 1

Part two will include Warrior, Wind and Legend.

Content under the cut!

Warrior

To be honest here, Warrior has a warped perception when trying to figure out when someone likes him. Genuinely.

It was harder for him when he was just a boy and as a teenager it didn’t get any easier. Once the war had started it was easy to forget about it for the time being... that it until he leaned the reason for the war.

He realized that he didn’t like that kind of attention. But was that what happened when people liked each other? Was Cia only an extreme version, if genuine? Was she genuine?

He didn’t know. All Warrior knew was that he didn’t feel good when he learned about it and wanted to avoid it again if was within his power.

Now when he met you, he knew that he liked you. He tried to be nice and friendly and be your friend. At first. Then he came to the quiet acknowledgement that if there was a chance to be more than friends that he wouldn’t mind it.

But he had no idea if that was something that you would be up for.

“Are you gonna make a more or what?” Legend jabs him right under the ribs non to gently. “If you ask nicely, I bet you could ask for a picture. It’ll last longer.”

“Shut up.” Warrior swipes at him but it lacks any venom or power behind it. Legend dodges it easily. “They wouldn’t see me that way anyway.

That makes Legend pause. If Warrior was looking in his direction he would see that that Legend is not only looking at him like he’s grown three heads but also like he’s the biggest idiot in all of Hyrule.

“You’re joking right?” 

Warrior sighs. “Why would I be joking? We’re just friends... but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Legend takes a moment to let that sink in before he pinches the bridge of his nose. ”Ok. Wait, so when you see them, do you get nervous or excited?”

Warrior finally looks at the Vet. “I mean... I like their company. I wouldn’t mind if they were next to me all the time. I like them. I like hanging out with them.”

“Answer the question.”

Warrior coughs. “I get excited.”

“I mean yeah- but they also seem to light up like a beacon whenever you see each other.”

Warrior blushes softly. “I think you’re reading too much into it.”

“They literally hung off of your arm for the entire morning.” Legend points out. “They hardly give hugs, let alone attach themselves to someone.”

That gives Warrior pause. He’s right. Warrior’s never seen you step outside of your comfort zone like that- but you were also holding onto him. He was so happy by it that he didn’t even notice it as different behavior.

“They also laugh at all your stupid jokes.”

“Excuse you, I’m a comedic genius.”

“Yeah- whatever. But you’re literally always around each other. Don’t you think that maybe they’re willing to hear you?”

Warrior doesn’t reply.

Legend won’t stand for him trying to justify this to himself in his head so he shoves Warrior behind a bush, not caring if he falls to the ground harshly or not and calls you over.

You jog over and Warrior stays hidden as he listen. Legend seems to have a smirk on his face. You don’t seem to notice. “What’s up Mr. Man?”

“Are you ever going to tell the Captain about your stupid giant crush?”

“SSHH!!!” You jump on him and cover Legend’s mouth with your hands. “Shut up! What if he hears you?!” 

Legend’s gets a knowing glint in his eyes. “Is that a no?”

“Shut up!” You flick his nose. “I’m thinking about it. I just... I know that he’s... His past is something that’s a tough subject and I don’t want to make things harder for him, you know?”

“Coward.”

“I’ll punch you.” You glare.

Legend waves you off and you roll your eyes as you leave. Legend takes a step back and looks back at Warrior who’s stuck, slacked jawed on the ground. “Better?”

Warrior nods.

Wind

Wind wasn’t actually paying that much attention when Wild elbowed him non too gently in the ribs.

Wind looks up to swipe at the young man for the jab but he’s cut off by Wild’s mischievous grin and a finger to his lips. Biting the loud retort that sits in the tip of his tongue, Wind glares up at Wild and crosses his arms. “What?”

“Look.” He whispers and gestures vaguely with his chin. Wind turns subtly and looks over with his eyes. You’re look down with a slight blush to your face. you seem very concentrated. 

Wind tries to follow your line of sight and sees that your looking at his hand. He’s confused. Why would you be looking at his hand? Why are you looking at it like it’s personally offended you?

He opens his mouth to ask you what’s up when Wild knocks into him again. In The back of his head, he’s amazed that you’re so concentrated on it to miss all of this. Wind glares up at Wild further. “What?”

Wild looks exasperated and rolls his eyes. He takes his hand and hooks it with his other one, pointing to you afterwards. Now Wild’s just being weird. Why doesn’t he just say it? Wind doesn’t get it.

Wild seems to see that and drops his voice even lower. “Hold their hand.”

“Why?” Wind whispers in reply.

Wild face palms. “Because they can’t do it. They’re been trying to for the past fifteen minutes!”

Wind looks back over to you and seem to catch on that you’ve been noticed. You flinch and move away. It looks like you’ve been embarrassed to have been caught despite thee fact you weren’t subtle at all. Wind takes your hand before he can even think about it.

“Oh..” You say and squeeze his hand a little tighter. You open, no doubt to speak again but nothing comes out of your mouth. Instead you smile brightly and swing your hands together a little bit, clearly happy to hold his hand.

Wind still doesn’t get it, but he smiles back at you. You’re cute.

Wild jabs him again and this time Wind actually takes a swipe at the boy.

Wild is undeterred. He gets a face splitting grin on his face and points to you. He mouths ’they like you’ and winks.

Wind furrows his eyebrows and looks back to you and tilts his head. He’d hope that you liked him. He likes you too. You’re really cool and nice and awesome-

You let go of his hand and instead hold onto his arm. You’re purposely looking away from him but you’re humming a happy tune, looking at anything and everything but him. You’re face is still pink.

Wind looks back to Wild who’s only grinning wider and winks again.

Oh.... Wind lets you hold onto him with a slight blush to his face. He thinks he gets it now.  He means like that... Um... Uh-oh... What does he do with this information?

Legend

“What do I do?! I really like him!”

Legend froze in his tracks and back tracked the last two.

That was your voice.

...Who do you really like? Exactly?... He’s just curious.

“You talk to him like a normal person?” Your (assumed) friend (unhelpfully) offers.

You seem to not like the answer and groan loudly. “You know I can’t do that!”

“There’s nothing difficult about this. Just say ‘hey, I found a flower. It matched you. Here.’ Done.”

“You make it sound so easy.” You whine and Legend’s heartstring get stung along with it. “I really really like him. I don’t think he even likes flowers. He has this massive collection of anything and everything but flowers!”

“Then tell him you noticed the lack of- and you’re offering to give him the first.” Your friend sounds tired. Legend gets the idea that you’ve either been having this conversation for a long time, you’ve come to them more once for this sort of conversation.

“Why did I come to you?! This isn’t working!” You cry out.

“I don’t know! You’re making this more complicated than it need to be!”

Legend frowns and begins to unstick his feet from where he was eavesdropping. His heart sinks somewhat.

Whoever it is that’s got you in such a tizzy is one lucky son of a gun, Legend admits to himself. He keeps walking through your little village, taking in the little sights and all. It’s quaint and quiet. It’s lovely. He can see how it influenced you to be the person you are.

Legend doesn’t want to think about his own feelings right now so he decides to check out the local lake and go fishing.

He stays there, thinking despite the fat that he’s there to not not think about what he overheard. You seemed so nervous. He’s never heard you so high-strung Well there were a few times. It happens with the work that they do. But never for something as simple as giving a flower.

You must really like this person.

He put his cheek in his palm, not bothering to care if nothing is biting his line. It’s not like he actually came here to fish.

Someone pokes his shoulder.

He blinks out of his trance and looks up.

You’re smiling at him. “Hey. Mind if I join you?”

Legend’s heart bobs without his permission but he smiles back at you. “Sure, go ahead.”

You smile brighter and take a seat next to him on the doc. Legend’s eyes dart to where your thighs are right next to each other, but he’s quick to divert to the lake once more.

“Um..” You start. “Lege... Link...”

Legend nearly lets his fishing rod slip from his grip. “...Yes?”

“Here.” You hold out a very small flower. It’s purple with dots of white splashed around the edges. “I thought you’re like this.”

“...oh...” Legend delicately takes the flower.

“...I noticed you didn’t have any flowers in your collections.” You say quietly. You try to smile wider to feign confidence. It would have sounded natural if he hadn’t heard what he did, but now that he knows the context, it sounds scripted. You had to practice saying it. “Now you can start one.”

Legend finds himself staring at the flower then back to your face with a watery smile. His heart is pounding and he feels like yelling. He wants to take off running. Would it be too much to kiss you here and now? “It’s going to be my prized possession. It’ll be the star of the whole assembly.”

You snort, relaxing a little. “It’s just a little flower.”

“Well yeah...” Legend tucks  it safely away for safe keeping. He can never lost this. Ever. “But you gave it to me.”

Part 3

[roeiswriting]

Let’s talk about Jamie Tartt:

The evolution of Jamie Tartt throughout Ted Lasso is a masterclass on writing a character who in the simplest words possible is beautifully human.

A statement which may seem obvious before you really get into it.

Jamie Tartt being introduced as the selfish, one in a million star in the making destined for greatness modelled after the likes of Jack Grealish is a genius play from the writers because those who grew up with football and even those who are using the show as an introduction are familiar with this stereotype throughout sports.

They had a surface model which they could have kept as that but they didn’t.

From him warming up to the team, to Ted, only to be sent back to Man City where Ted sees the aggression from his father and the sadness and stress it brings Jamie to the opposite moment of the smile on Jamie’s face when reading the note from Ted that reads “way to make the pass” you as the viewer find yourself warming up to Tartt as he himself progresses.

It’s not about pity or excuses, it’s about socialisation and learning why humans behave the way they do. Jamie is unlearning traits he adopted to try and protect himself from his father and try to live up to the impossible standard that he holds for him.

The beauty of the writing is that nothing introduced about Jamie’s life and true personality is making excuses for his behaviour. The show relies on simply introducing people into his life, in this case namely the titular Ted Lasso, to hold him accountable for his actions whilst believing that he is, at his core, a good person.

Season 2 Jamie, the moment where Roy hugs him after the Man City match is the turning point in Jamie allowing himself to fully feel the anger for his father because at this point it’s established that he wants to be a better person, it’s solidified by Roy, his childhood hero who he had posters off on his walls, is the one to comfort him.

Season 3 Jamie is a whole other level with many fans saying he’s the best character in the show. The empathy and patience that Tartt shows in this season, the proof that he is continuing to mature into a good person because he was finally surrounded by love instead of hate.

Number 24 for England: Jamie Tartt

In honour of Sam Obisanya who is being unfairly blocked from the Nigerian national team he adorns the number 24, the same number Obisanya wears proudly for Richmond. In the same episode we see him give Roy the England shirt he wore when he played, just with his own Jamie Twist of course (iykyk).

Jamie was a dick, he still is a dick, that’s the point. He is cocky but it’s not mean anymore, it’s not out of fear or because he’s putting on a facade, it’s mostly jokey but he still knows how good he is and that cockiness is now endearing and fun instead of intimidating or off putting. The best example is season 3 episode 9 when he asks Sam for the Captains arm band just to be flipped off (which was comedic genius).

The character of Jamie Tartt is phenomenally written, and is outstandingly played by the amazing Phil Dunster (who should absolutely be in the running for an Emmy come on now).

With the synopsis for Season 3, Episode 11 placing Richmond back at Man City with Roy and Keeley worrying for Jamie’s well-being it’s hard to predict what may happen. If potentially his dad resurfaces, maybe even memories coming back to Jamie now that he’s opened up to Roy a little bit about his childhood, or something else entirely.

Jamie Tartt is kind, he can be understanding, he may open up and drop his mask when you don’t expect it, and he will do whatever he can to show the ones he loves just how much he loves them even if he doesn’t say those exact words.

Jamie Tartt is flawed, he can be arrogant, he may say something he really shouldn’t have, and he messes up oh god does he mess up but…

At the end of the day Jamie Tartt is a character who embodies humanity, and that’s what makes him so loved.

(Reminder to support the WGA strikes because without the brilliant writers we wouldn’t have the media we love to indulge in 🫶)

[chickensarentcheap]

Some TJ :)

@tragiclyhip @youflickedtooharddamnit @kmc1989 @watermeezer @secretaryunpaid

And everyone else of course :)

“Dad, I don’t lie. At least not since I was six and I lied to mum about denting your truck with my bike and she found out because she watched the tapes from the security cameras. WHICH I forgot about. She grounded me for three weeks. No tv, no Ipad, no surfing, no nothing. I learned my lesson. And I may have a bad temper and I may lose my shit here and there and I may beat the crap out of people from time to time, but a liar I am NOT.”

“Do you know if anyone else talked to her? Did you see anyone else talking to her?”

“Nope. And I’m the one that’s usually out there with them. I’m the one that likes taking them out in the snow. And we’re usually out back so…”

“Alright. If you say you didn’t do it…”

“I didn’t. Like I said, that lady gives me hugely bad vibes. She’s surrounded by yuck. I’m a surfer. A beach bum. I don’t have time or tolerance for bad juju.”

Grinning, he reaches out and playfully ruffles his son’s hair. “Bad juju, huh? Sounding like your mum with that one.”

“Nothing wrong with that. She’s pretty cool if you ask me.”

“Yeah, she definitely is. You guys lucked out; getting her as a mum.”

“Only because you lucked out getting her as a wife. You always talk about the bad shit you’ve done, but you must have done something REALLY right. To get someone like her to fall in love with you.”

“Have you ever thought maybe she fell in love with my good looks and my boyish charm?”

“Please,” TJ scoffs. “I don’t think that was it. We all know it was because you were a total bad ass with cool hair and big muscles. And a nice butt. Thanks for that by the way. The girls at school say the same thing about my ass. I told them it’s in the genes. Get it? Genes? Jeans?”

“I see you didn’t inherit my sense of humour.”

TJ snorts. “Are you kidding? I’m a comedic genius.”

“You’re something alright.”

“Tell dad, mum,” TJ says, as she enters the kitchen with Addie on her hip. And he gathers up the cups of milk and heads for the living room and his waiting siblings. “Tell him I’m the funniest one in the family.”

“You’re funny alright. Funny looking.”

“Hey, that totally backfires on you, you know. Because you insult MY looks, you insult dad’s looks too. We look identical practically. Which means you’re only throwing yourself under the bus; admitting you have bad taste in men.”

“Your mum’s actually notorious for that,” his dad remarks. “Her horrible taste in men.”

“I remember that other guy. The first one she was married to. That Mike or Matt or Mark or whatever his name was. Total knob.”

“Huge knob,” Tyler agrees.

“You should have kicked his ass when you had the chance. But no….”

Esme smirks. “Thank you for your insight, baby man. What would we ever do without it?”

“You’d be bored. I make things interesting around here, that’s for sure.”

[hausofmamadas]

PRIMOGENITAL | the Wisdom of Fredward Horniman

From The Gentlemen, Episode 1 - Refined Agression

∴

Look, you guys. He’s really suffered, okay?

He’s been STABBED in the heart, he’s been London-BRIDGED(?), he’s been FUCKED in the face, DOGGED on the floor.

And it’s true. He has, despite being the firstborn son, been relegated to the truly harrowing fate of being the most embarrassingly, painfully, mediocre progeny in the family line, that his dad had no choice but to break with 600yrs of tradition and cut him out of the will, passing everything to younger, much cooler more responsible brother, Edwina “Eddie” Horniman. And isn’t not having a bullshit title, nor the crushing debt of his father’s failed above-board business, nor having to deal with the surprise! extensive, underground potfarm on the estate grounds and all the accompanying stress and criminal hijinx with it— well, isn’t it just the most traumatic thing you can imagine???????

Now all Freddy gets to do is:

live in historic mansion with way-too-cool-to-be-caught-dead-with-him, Inexplicable-Stunt-Driver-Wife Tamasina (known by abs legendary nickname of Wham Tam) who also, when asked by Freddy in a moment of desperation if she thinks he’s a cock, rightly points out, “all men are cocks, Freddy”

pal around in chicken costume and steal cars with chill asf brother that he only occasionally wants dead, Steady Eddie who’s legit so good at everything that Freddy doesn’t have to be good at anything

go “fishing” aka chuck live grenades into lake full of salmon, a method worthy of Park-Tuna-Assassin Ramon Arellano Félix and invent Crack!Weed another Ramon-coded pasttime with bestie-botanist and lover of all things hydroponic, hallucinogenic, and Special Sauce, Jimmy Chang …. AND

Skeet shoot out in picturesque estate garden with creature-whisperer, actual live angel, and all around Dilf-of-the-manor, Geoff

Oh, the horror.

No, but honestly, I cannot summon from memory a single character I have so biblically despised on first watch, only to full 180, violently swing in the opposite direction to straight glee/appreciation for the comedic marvel that is Mr. (not!)Duke-SirFancyPants-RoyalDumpsterFire-LordSomethingErOther, the one, the only, Frederick “Fredward” Horniman aka thisprince👇

Yeah, talk about refined aggression? I had some refined ass aggression toward ole Fred, here. Like when I tell you I hated this “man,” I h a t e d this man.

All I could think the whole time, on first watch was, wowowow, y’know what’s worse than a useless, entitled, infantile, drug-addled, narcissistic man-fetus …?

A loud useless, entitled, infantile, drug-addled, narcissistic man-fetus.

My mans, Eddie is wayyy too generous here☝️and every other time he bails Freddy out of whatever pigshit he manages to shove his full face into bc I’d be throwing more than paper. That antique furniture would regrettably be sailing thru the air, straight at that fat melon of this nepo-baby dressed in DivineRightofKings drag, if only to get a precious few fucking seconds of silence.

Like the only one reacting appropriately here is Charly☝️who Freddy snarkily calls Lady Macbeth with a mix of love and contempt only a sibling can display which like, not the best? insult? To be called one of the most groundbreaking female characters of all time? But our boy is nothing if not scholarly, right. So im sure he super paid attention when the class was reading Macbeth

So, yeah. He’s basically the worst. There’s a metric fuck ton of evidence to support that. AND YET, this mf isn’t completely useless bc after my 2nd and 3rd rewatch specifically witnessing the genius that is his alter ego, plastic Russian gangster, Anatoly Givenchy Romanov who laavs orange cars and Siberian tigers let me do tell you, against my better judgment, I found myself growing to love and adore the (2nd) funniest character in an already hilarious show (crown goes to beautiful tropical fish Jimmy bc mans always proper vibin’)

And now, when I watch this scene, instead of berserker levels of enraged, I’m struck with a disorienting combo of secondhand cringe + juvenile glee??? Like instead of wanting to aggravated manslaughter my own tv, I’m just “awww, Fredward. What a little nothing you are. Look how silly you look in your lil boarding school jumper.” And it feels good(?) but mostly bad. And then I do this

like the true American scum that I am.

═

taglist: @drabbles-mc @when-did-this-become-difficult @narcolini, @ladygoatee ⇝ tagged bc even tho you have zero intention of watching, you were diligently taking notes

[smila-mac]

The gangs favourite tv shows and movies (modern stuff included)

~~

Ponyboy: Ponys favourite movie is The Breakfast Club, he just is fully in love with everything about it and he always cries. Always. He doesn’t really like TV shows but he likes watching The Good Place cause he likes going over the whole debate about whether Chidi should help Eleanor or not, if there isn’t something insightful or creative about a movie/tv show he doesn’t like it.

Johnny: when i tell you johnny never watches anything but gossip girl and 10 things i hate about you, i mean nothing. he tends to lean towards 10 Things I Hate About You only because he LOVES the romance between Kat and Patrick and he LIVES for Patrick singing to her. he’ll watch gossip girl when he wants something he can turn is brain off for cause he knows what happens.

Dally: Dally loves Brooklyn 99, he thinks it’s the funniest shit to ever exist. when he crashes at the curtis house all you’ll hear from the living room is ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA’ cause Jake said something funny, Dallas doesn’t have the capacity to watch movies, unless he’s talking to someone.

(rest in peace andré braugher, my heart broke when I found out)

Soda: when i say I have absolutely no basis for this, this is solely vibes, community. Soda loves community and his favourite character is Troy, like he thinks Troy is hysterical. His favourite movie is titanic and he cries every time. EVERY TIME. Darry has woken up at 3 cause he heard crying, he walked into the living room, turned the light on and turned it back off when he saw soda watching titanic.

Darry: star-wars. Everything Star Wars. He watches everything including the new stuff cause he is convinced it will eventually get good, even though soda tells him it won’t. This man is convinced.

Steve: cars 💀. No, Steve’s favourite movie is shawshank redemption, he thinks it’s the best movie to ever exist and when soda tries to mention titanic he just shushes him aggressively and makes fun of him for crying whenever he watches it.

Twobit: friends. He thinks friends is comedic genius and can’t watch anything else (other than Mickey) Like Dallas, he doesn’t have the attention span to watch movies so he just sticks ti his twenty-minute tv shows

~~

A lot of people thought my last post was really funny so tysm 😋

~ Smila <3

[no-thanks-bro]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you💖

Sorry haha this took me a minute <33

1. Flower gardens!

2. Dramatic haircuts

3. Waking up nice and cozy in bed and not needing to be anywhere. There is literally nothing like the feeling of bedsheets in the morning 🥰

4. Going through old elementary school papers and reading my, frankly, comedically genius answers to random test questions 😭😭 and seeing my old doodles in the margins of literally EVERYTHING

5. Resident Evil 1 hehe. although I think I might've killed Richard by accident in Jill's playthrough

Tagging- @good-guy-sauron @birdycage @velkyr @goodpointsandbadpoints @worm--thing @alicethepiper @simp-for-fictional-man @crabbycatt-norai @chilcucked @letlionslie <3

[yellowlaboratory]

Hi!! What are your season 3 thoughts?? And most importantly, what are your Jiara related season 3 thoughts? :D

alksjdfhlaskdfj i have. so many thoughts. i've never ever written something short so uhhhhh.....stick with me, lmao.

first, non-jiara thoughts:

cleope was SO cute!!! i wanted to wait for the writing to convince me on them as a ship because I really wanted something more than "these two aren't with any one so lets put them together" for cleo and pope and I've been completely convinced. They both bring out a different side to each other and the way Pope opens his family and his home to her is just alkdjfhlksajdfhlkajsdhf it's unbearably sweet. i love her interactions with the heywards and i love how instantly she fits in. the scene when he leaves her in his room and she does a tiny dance and then falls back on his bed and says "thanks, pope"..... yeah i think i was cosigning on that ship as soon as I saw that asdklfjhaskdfl. and the scene in 3x06 where she stops him from shooting rafe and he cries in her arms.... oh my god. it single handedly saved that episode for me. AND THEIR KISS???? oh my god.

i also LOVED Cleo's friendship with JJ. When they are on a mission together, they are right there with each other. and, speaking of friendships, I loved that we got more JJ & John B, best friends since third grade content. the fact that they physically started fighting... idk, I think it just made them feel even more like brothers to me.

i also just really loved some of the (for lack of a better term) girlboss moments this season. there are SO many moments that i was loudly cheering for my girls. Cleo having the only brain cell like 180% of the time when Kiara is kidnapped. Kiara betraying rafe and stealing that boat (i was fully cheering ala kiara during the cliff jump scene like that is my GIRL) (also madison bailey the woman that you ARE the way she never even a little bit played into the r*ara of it all. any time Rafe looked or spoke to or was in the general vicinity of Kiara, she looked SO uncomfortable and I love that for me). and I really REALLY loved Sarah manipulating Topper lmao "you're such a giver" "it's just how i was raised" KLAJDHLAKSJDH

and, actually, I think the inculsion of topper in the heist was super funny and exactly the type of shit i want to see from him (if wheezie had been there to give him shit, it would have basically been any fic i've ever written with topper in it). when topper is being used purely for comedy, he's kind of a genius character - Austin North can deliver those bat shit Topper lines really well, and the rest of the characters (particularly Kiara) react SO well to him. he's so easy to make fun of!!! but then.... having Sarah go back to topper again was uhhhh not it. I think they should have kept the s2 or the s3 stopper storyline in, but not both. sarah going back to something that reminds her of a time when her life was easier while shit is absolutely hitting the fan and she has nothing else is like, very much in character, and that's what happened both times. the fact that they didn't show her growing through that in this season, but instead regressing..... idk, i'm excited to see a Sarah with more growth. also, canon comedic topper is dead to me forever after burning down the chateau so, i guess that's a loss on both fronts (i can't talk anymore about the chateau burning down but i have a lot of feelings about it).

i really hated big john. i'm so sorry, but looking back, John B should have left that man in the fucking bell tower. I think the amount of screentime he took is my biggest gripe of the season (i did a scrub of the show for just jiara scenes after my first watch and the amount of times i had to scroll by that man.... my god). and not only did he take up a shit ton of screentime, he kept John B away from the pogues - both physically and emotionally - for most of the season (the lack of goofy happy pogues moments is my second biggest gripe with the season). If you've read pltc, you know that I had a lot of thoughts about Big John and his relationship with the pogues but...... when he died (actually, this time), it was only dry eyes here lmao. I feel bad for John B, obviously, but everything (and i mean EVERYTHING) Big John did this season was so shitty for John B, I can only say that i think John B is better off without him.

i think the thing that has me the most conflicted is the 18 month time jump. narratively, it makes so much sense - and logistically, aging up the characters as the cast ages makes a lot of sense. i don't love that we'll miss alot of jiara and cleope but I'm coming around to the thought of it all by opening ao3 and waiting for those time jump fics to pour in. @ josh pate if season 4 opens with JJ slamming Kie against a wall as they're making out i'll forgive literally everything, i'm so easy to please.

i guess this is the perfect transition to the jiara of it all. the first few episodes literally bodied me. every interaction on Poguelandia bodied me - the way they were living their poguelandia/surf trip dream, the "just like we talked about", the angsty silent conversations they were having when they saw the plane. kiara getting kidnapped hit - I think the way JJ was so focused on getting her back was so perfect, the dock hug was actual literal perfection. I am a Hug Girl first and foremost and oh my GOD?

the first almost kiss floored me. i did not expect it. the transition from their dumbass little jokes to almost kissing.......... i'm gonna die. i literally fell off my couch. I think Pope being the one to break it up was inevitable, as was their conversation. idk how i feel about it, i know pope was always going to have opinions on jiara and i'm glad it wasn't super salty but.... i'm gonna need to rewatch it a few times i think.

episode 4 absolutely ended me. those conversations and the way Kiara knows JJ and the way JJ was imploding.... absolutely insane. the framing of that episode (like the actual cinematography not the writing lmao) was not my favorite, but the content was SO good. it was everything i wanted I was losing my mind. JJ telling Kiara she's a kook HURT. Kiara knowing that he's lashing out cause he's scared made me yodel. the talk in the chateau's yard about truces immediately followed by another almost almost kiss made me want to scream into a pillow. 10s all around.

I also love Heist Jiara. I loved seeing JJ at the carrera's house for the conversation about the cross, and the way he's a little bit like a caged animal around Mike is perfect!!! Him self destructing by stealing the money clip is just literally JJ 101. Jiara bike ride to Kilby Girl is now my entire personality!!!!!!!! also the fight about the money clip - that's not really about the money clip at all - followed immediately by JJ almost dying and Kiara being like "don't you ever do that again" is just aksldjfhkasjdfhlkjasdhlfkjasd i could YODEL.

the gate fight absolutely took me by suprise. the "i love you dude" was not what i was expecting AT ALL. JJ's buffering reaction and the way he's trying to downplay it was 10298/10. the hurt in kiara's face made me want to cry, and then John B fucking everything up feels... well, a little inevitable. I also love that even in their angstiest, jiara is still together, and in episode 8, they are sitting on the couch and kiara's playing the ukuele LIKE. they are best friends. they are so important to each other. nothing is ever going to change that. I also love love love the part where he's like "i'll tell you on the plane." idk it makes me feel buzzy.

episode 9 is a literal fucking feast. the feral jj, the way he KNOWS something is up when she doesn't show up, the way he drops everything and then ends up in kahoots with Barricuda Mike to get her back. "I kind of got a date" ????!?!?!?!??!!!!! then the whole thing about Marley the cat (josh I KNOW you are on the ao3 tag just drop me the username please) and Kiara immediately knowing it was him as soon as she heard "blond". the "me?". the KISS. the giggly happy in love couple that they are!!!!! i do wish the kiss had better lighting for my giffer friends but i know we're gonna get the brightest kiss in the world in s4 to make up for it (pates make it happen!!!). and i think my favorite scene of the entire season is them being so happy and giggly on the plane and the high five into a handhold alkdjsfhlkasjdfhlksadf.

episode 10 is obviously a drop off lmao. it sucks to leave the season on that note but we did get the "it's an adventure baby" and little background moments. I'm happy the pates didn't write themselves into a corner too much this season, and in a lot of ways I'm really glad that jiara is open ended because that means there's a lower chance of unnessecary bullshit being thrown our way really early on into s4. i would have liked a more definitive ep 10 moment but ultimately, espeically since we know we have s4, i'm not concerned in the slightest about it.

so, overall, i think there were parts of the season that felt slightly choppy (personally, I'm of the belief that they filmed a lot more than we saw), i think the first half was generally stronger than the second half, and I think i'm really, really fucking glad we have s4 confirmed so I don't have to stress about it even a little & we'll get to filming sooner. my sanity is hanging on by it's fingernails but it is in fact hanging on.

at the end of the day, i had the time of my life watching it and i had some really great people to share it with and I'll always be so unendingly grateful for that!!!!

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases June 20, 2023

Assorted Entanglements vol. 2 by Mikanuji

After meeting through an online game, Heke and Lala have become close enough that they can gripe to each other about work—but it turns out the boss Heke’s always griping about is actually Lala...!? This is the love story of two awkward girls who have nothing but complaints for each other in the real world and can only convey their true feelings online...

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! vol. 7 by Yuu Toyota

Adachi’s job transfer to Nagasaki hangs over his relationship with Kurosawa like a harbinger of doom! But true to form, the pair reaffirm their feelings for each other and come to the decision that they can make it through anything, long distance included! Will absence make Kurosawa’s and Adachi’s hearts grow still fonder? Is that even possible?!

Meanwhile, Adachi’s novelist friend Tsuge continues to nurse his feelings for part-time deliveryman and aspiring dancer Minato. Can Tsuge’s support get Minato through his big audition with his dream on the line?!

Eiji and Shiro: From Zeroes to Heroes by Kaya Azuma

A collection of fantasy and supernatural shorts with a heavy comedic tone from one of the Boys Love world's most infamous comedic writers.

Mobuyama “Eiji” A-Ji and Mobuyama “Shiro” C-ro have lived their entire lives as nothing more than “extras” to other people’s stories. It can’t end like this, right? There must be a way out! Both sharing a common goal will try anything that allows them to change their destiny, ANYTHING.

Happy Crappy Life vol. 2 by Harada

Former elite banker is now living in the boonies with a full-time NEET and these days the two mostly spend their time drinking heavily and being very kinky with each other.

Kasuya's future looks seriously in doubt as he has been demoted to the boonies. His social life is also looking poor given how there are not many people his age in the area who are single, his age or even remotely share his interests. ...Outside of maybe his neighbor, Kuzuya. But while they both share the same kinks and both enjoy drinking heavily, they'd both rather make it big in the capital (hopefully in the arms of a strong dominating lady!!) Well, at least in Kasuya's case, that "dream gal" has come searching for him! His ex is back and she's about to discover his secrets.

Happy of the End vol. 2 by Ogeretsu Tanaka

After constant moving, Chihiro and Haoran may have settled down, which means a house-warming party. This sudden sense of "normalcy" is a little strange for the two of them as their lives are far from it. Whether it's the scars all over Haoran's body or the violent people in their past, finding moments of peace is their only solace in life today.

A Hero in the Demon's Castle by Inutoki and Syohei

A modern take on a classic trope, Syohei and Inutoki's DEMON'S CASTLE challenges the Boys Love genre with western inspired art and a relationship that can only be described as heroic.

To an immortal, all-powerful Demon Lord like Wisped, fending off heroes is a daily occurence. However, as he was not born to be in battle, Wisped's heart was filled with nothing but loneliness, until one day when he met with a hero named True. Thinking that the guffawing, unarmed man had come to defeat him, the boy instead asked him an absurd question... "Could I live in your castle?"

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady vol. 4 (manga) by Piero Karasu and Yuri Kisaragi

In slaying a dragon, Princess Anis received its curse—the transplantation of the dragon’s knowledge into her own mind. Now, in order to put the curse to use for “a certain goal,” Anis and the others must set off to find Anis’s old friend, a woman known for her cruel and inhumane ways…the abominable Marquise Tilty Claret.

Monster and the Beast vol. 4 by Renji

The journey of the hideous monster Cavo and his dapper companion, Liam, continues. When Liam’s murky past is finally revealed, will Cavo be able to guide him out of the darkness? The fate of two lost souls comes to an end in this stunning conclusion!

OTUS vol. 2 by BitterSweet and Kei

Under the SOTUS system, where freshmen undergo hazing from their seniors, Arthit continues his harsh instruction as the head hazer of the Engineering Department. But Kongpob is starting to figure out that it's all just Arthit's awkward way of showing kindness, and he's charmed by it. Meanwhile, the hazers’ final task, "The Scramble for the Flag," is soon approaching…

Until I Love Myself: The Journey of a Nonbinary Manga Artist vol. 1 by Poppy Pesuyama

A bravely blunt autobiography about confronting the tangled traumas of gender dysphoria and workplace sexual harassment.

Nonbinary manga artist Poppy Pesuyama is excited when forms offer the option to choose “neither” for gender and thrilled about their new job working as an assistant for manga artist X!

But then he sexually harasses them, treating them first like a girl and then like something less than human.

It only lasts a few months, but in some ways it never ends.

Born into a body they hate and still reeling from the abuse they faced seven years ago, Pesuyama begins to rail at their past, their friends, and even their mother as they try to come to terms with who they are and what happened to them.

[thatorigamiguy]

Salem: “What’s this? An intruder in my lair? Impossible! Unless...”

Salem ponders for a moment before her eyes widened in an epiphany.

Salem: “Yes, I can feel his presence! Ozma has arrived!”

She announced aloud to herself, a devilish smile on her face as she allows her mind to wander.

Salem: “I wonder... does he look like his previous incarnation?”

We see an image of an shirtless Ozma, sweat glistening off his muscular body as he poses with a sword and shield. Salem licks her lips in contemplation before another thought slips into her head.

Salem: “Or maybe not! Maybe... he came as an Atlesian twunk!”

We’re then are greeted to an image of an atlas tribesman, heavily tattooed and wearing nothing but fur boots and loins cloths as he poses with a massive axe. Salem’s porcelain skin flushed bright red as she bit her lip, before she let out a sudden gasp as another thought came to her.

Salem: “But what if he came as... a dashing Vacouian?!”

We’re then shown an image of a dark skinned man holding a massive spear, again shirtless and posing with a charming smile on his face. A trickle of blood streamed from Salem nose and she was all but drooling at the thought as she heard footsteps from behind her. Her blood pumping, Salem turned around with an eager smile only to have all of her hopes and dreams dashed at the site before her. For standing in front of her was neither an Atlas Tribal nor a Dashing Vacouian, but instead an lightly tanned Iguana Faunus dressed in practical wear and with a cheery smile on his face.

Faunus! Ozma: “BOA TARDE AMIGA!”

He greeted cheerfully as his long reptilian tail curled up with delight. Salem greeted him with silence as the shock of his appearance had completely thrown her for a loop. Seconds passed as realization set in, before the previous excitement she felt was instead replaced with boiling anger as she coldly grit out.

Salem: “What. The. FUCK?!”

                                             ============

We’re then shown GoL sitting behind a computer as he quietly laughs to himself at the one over he got on Salem.

GoL: “HA, GET MEMED ON SALEM”

We hear angry shouting coming faintly from the computer speakers as Salem screams “AWAY WITH YOU!” Before we hear the Faunus Ozma cheerfully saying something to her in Vacuoian. 

GoL: “I’M SO IRONIC. GoD WILL SURELY HAVE TO RECOGNIZE MY COMEDIC GENIUS!”

We hear more angry shouting, before we hear explosions and sounds of fighting between Salem and Faunus Oz, with Salem screaming “JUST WHAT ARE THE BROTHERS PLAYING OUT WITH THIS MOCKERY?!” Before Oz said something mockingly to her causing her to scream in fury. GoL laughed at her screams, before looking at his monitor with sudden realization.

GoL: “...WAIT, I WASN’T EVEN RECORDING.”

[retphienix]

It's partially a shame that I took such a break because it means I can't thoroughly recall some details, but man if there aren't facets of this game's story that I just really like despite that lol

So full on, the way this game does necromancers with this dragon-death-of-the-world salvation cult has some really sick aspects you just don't see much of.

Like in order to summon these grim reaper dudes to fight me the cult leader brandishes a dark dagger, enchants it, holds it out, and his cultist followers become entranced and maddened as they sprint at him and pierce themselves upon it, killing them and damning them as they are pulled under by skeleton arms and re-emerge as the lich enemies I fight here.

That. Is. Sick.

Like fucking hell that's cool- so much more metal and layered in just how it works than it "needs" to be for the encounter- FUCK YEAH!!!!!!

Another really good part of this game showcased in this scene is the unintentional comedic genius of how helmets work in this game. Namely, they close when in combat and open when in town.

Why is that relevant?

Well because in this scene the camera keeps doing traditional movie esque zoom ins on the leader's face and then back to mine to show my reaction.

Except.

Full faced helmet.

So this scene was just this creepy resident evil villain spouting his doomsday nonsense, then it zooms in on an emotionless knight helmet, and I smiled every single time lmao

And back to what I foreshadowed at the start of this post where "It's a shame I've taken such a break and don't recall every detail- or is it?" because I actually really dig the dragon's whole deal according to my ill-informed ass.

I remember the basics, like the intro cutscene, him taking my heart which makes me immortal, but the "Why" as to him making me immortal elludes me and I can't recall if that's just "Where the story is" right now, or if I found out and forgot lol.

REGARDLESS OF THAT, I just love his dialogue towards this here.

He says that the world will fall to his destruction without fail- that nothing can stop him, full stop.

Except.

For us.

He recognizes this- by making us immortal he damned this fate upon us- but that means he damned himself- but he seems like, completely aware of that fact.

He looks at us and says we are no match for him currently- but he does nothing to end us- he just says to face him when we are a match, that he'll be waiting etc.

So the vibe is hovering between "What's the point of being all-powerful without a rival, I made you that rival" and "I am but a part in this story. But So Are You, so face me as fate has demanded of us both."

But mostly I just dig the big bad basically cheering for me to fulfill my destiny of ending them- kinda~

Anyways, game's good. I don't / won't be posting a ton about it but a little a post as a treat will happen.

[bxttxrflybxddie]

LETS FINALLY TALK ABOUT MY FAV POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW ((aka, me simping for mime bomb for an entire episode)) ((beware))

so starting off, i really enjoy that we see things of carmens past get to her. i love love love it when our heros arent always perfect robots and do go through emotions; including past traumas that get to them

to this day shadowsan shouldve called foul idc idc lol

black sheep doesnt get it the first time, thats fine! she knows that shadowsan is a very skilled thief. but the more she misses the more agitated she becomes until it seems like shes stealing for her life. this is a lovely detail!!

also crackle watching her w a big smile on her face bc ugh shes so cool, theres no way shes gonna fail! right?

she falls and D: but tigress is being a meanie as usual

player knowing whats wrong bc hes a great bestie

ALSO GET THIS CHILD SOME NATURAL SUNLIGHT PLEASE.

i've never personally been to san francisco so learning about the fog was a nice touch! i havent seen any movies or shows go over the fog either!

her charity fit is so slay oh my god

what an expensive stamp

i wish we couldve seen players stamp collection el oh el

devineaux yet again being a Guy, i love him lol what a Dude

SHE FR THREW A RED BOTTOM HEEL AT HIM. MA'AM I WOULDVE TAKEN IT.

julia being smart againUGH shes my WIFE.

MIME BOMB!!! THE MAN OF THE HOUR !!!!!!!!!!

THE WALKING BACKWARDS !!!! HES SO CUTE I JUST WANNA KSJDFKSUBDHSKJLF

julia being correct again.

wh. whwere is mime bomb calling the faculty from????

I think shadowsan continues to send Tigress bc he knows shes gonna fail. to this say i wish they wouldve touched on this.

i also enjoy the detail that dr bellum watches cat videos lol shes a cutie

MIME BOMB SITTING ON NOTHING??????? WALL SITTING ON AIR. THE CORE STRENGTH???????? (sidenote very attractive imo bc im crushing on him)

Brunt: "he aint what youd call the strong silent type." HES WALL SITTING ON AIR. WITHOUT A DROP OF SWEAT, NO MOVEMENT, JUST CHILL. HOW. BRUNT HOW ARE U MISSING UR CLEAREST STRONGEST STUDENT.

i think tigress' day outfit is cute. shes a fashionista.

AND THEN HES READING AN INVISIBLE NEWSPAPER, STILL SITTING ON NOTHING.

Mime Bomb is visual comedic gold. One of the many things I enjoy abt his character and how he steals the show everytime hes on screen. give him more screentime. revive the show for him, pls,.

tigress is a grown woman bringing up old shit. cmon girl.

i also enjoy the differences between how carmen and tigress open the lucky cats. I LOVE CHARACTERS.

ug hes my husband i gotta say more abt him. mime bomb is so smart, hes such a genius lil mime whos a code breaker and a quick thinker. i wish we couldve seen him be more intellectual than the rest of his peers more often. dumping the big obvious cat to not only distract carmen but to get away w the stamp? genius, he deserves a kiss. mwah.

HIS LIL STRUT!!!

"Another street clown, so what?" HES A MIME!!!! U SILLY GOOF!!!!!!

HIS DOUBE LOOK BACK STARE IM. i need him to be real. i need to omg.

miming running away to be tackled pt.2, cmon babe this is a pattern now.

THEY JUST. KIDNAPPED HIM. BAG OVER HIS FACE AND ALL.

'~' (((hes very cute)))

they handcuffed a non-verbal fella. i feel like this is more messed up then i think.

julia being pro-mime. we stan.

now rewatching this, chase straight up SLAMMED our sweet mime into a CONCRETE WALL. i need to fight a frenchman for that very reason.

yet again to mime bomb being smart, PLANTING THE STAMP ON THE SAME PEOPLE TRYING TO FIND IT AND ALSO CARMEN SANDIEGO WHO IS ALSO TRYING TO FIND THE STAMP. OH MY GOD.

his expressions r very cute. mmmmwah

slay tigress being smart!! shes not dumb she just makes some brash decisions!!!!!!!!!!! characters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"what about 'Where did you hide it'? >:( ma'am yall are in PUBLIC. CARMEN DOES THE SAME THING.

for 2 people trying to follow a mime these acme agents are doing a bad job at figuring out what he's doing.

*how episode wouldve ended if they looked a little deeper*

julia: "Inspector, could you check your left, inside pocket?"

chase: "ugh, if it pleases yWHAT-"

and then they wouldve also seen him act this out Very Publicly to a woman that is Not Carmen Sandiego which would help them for future investigations at least

LOOK AT THE DUDE YOURE FOLLOWING PLS

mime bomb didnt even keep the 26 cents tigress gave him lol

((tw: talk about the taking care of witnesses rule)) if tigress can rip up an entire article of clothing without chase even feeling a tug, then i hate to imagine how swift she takes care of witnesses tbh

SHE JUST LIFTED AN ENTIRE MAN OUT OF A CAR WINDOW, N NOT THE ONE CLOSEST TO HIM.

((tw: mention of rule again)) also this victim was a witness. he saw her face. is she gonna come back to him orrr???

chase being a dummy dumb pt. 28374

WHY DID HE JUST LEAVE JULIA THERE????? WHAT AN ASS LMAO

okay but like. so the cleaners werent planned to pick her up given shadowsans reaction. h. how was she going to deliver the stamp?? teleporting????

this kids also is why u dont text and drive

SHE TOOK IT OUT OF HER POCKET TO SHOW THE CLEANERS THAT DEF CANT SEE IT FROM UP THERE. WHAT IF IT WAS WINDY??? CMOOOOIIOOONWKJEFSKHFKJDGSKHFJ

sidenote tigress took a precious stamp out of a little baggy in one fist close without damage to the stamp, well done!

whyyyy does tigresssss put the stamppppp in her hightop boooot ((that could not only fly out easy)) in front of the woman who has been known to be an improving thief and has crashed one of her missions before. she didnt get a dollar bill once. shes mad at that. TIGRESS, IF 2+2=4!!!

mmmm side profiles

i wanna be like "oh tigress why didnt you fight her" but at that point i wouldve gave up too

also the cleaners saw this all happen lmao

also slay devinaux being in actual danger, puts actualy fear and tension into the characters future!

tldr: WOOHOO MIME BOMB!!!!! and chase + tigress are silly geese

© BXTTXRFLYBXDDIE

[filmjoyreviews]

BLACKBERRY: Matt Johnson Isn't Afraid to Make a Hilarious Biopic -- and Glenn Howerton's Rage is at its Finest

Matt Johnson's BlackBerry is a constantly engaging and often hilarious exploration of capitalist corruption and the way media forms our world through telling the story of the rise and fall of the Blackberry--a phone that was once the status symbol and beginning of the smartphone conversation and is now largely forgotten.

BlackBerry's Impressive Pace

From the first frame, Blackberry is an engrossing experience, setting the stage by quickly introducing the characters, especially highlighting their unique personalities, predicting the clashes that are bound to come.

Research In Motion co-founders Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (Matt Johnson) want to bring a groundbreaking product into the market, but their major concern is maintaining their friendship and making sure to never forget when it's movie night.

The nerdy and wholesome energy of Doug and Mike is in quick direct contrast with Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), who enters the room like a shark constantly on the hunt for more power.

From this initial moment, BlackBerry never stops. The film flows perfectly from moment to moment, crafting scenes showcasing the different morals of Mike and Doug and their newfound partner Jim through well-placed and perfectly delivered darkly comedic beats.

Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel, and Matt Johnson's Memorable Performances

BlackBerry gives us Jay Baruchel's best performance to date as he captures the unease of a character slowly losing his morality over time, in the pursuit of money and relevance. Baruchel's performance makes the audience feel sympathetic for Mike, wishing we could save him as be drifts further and further away from the kindhearted, nerdy tech genius he once was.

Glenn Howerton's award-worthy performance shows the depth of Jim Ballsillie, especially his underlying insecurity and desire to present confidence, even when it isn't fulfilled--hidden behind layers of rage and sarcasm.

Howerton balances the moments where pure, unadulterated rage will best show Jim's emotions with the moments that need a quiet intensity.

Throughout BlackBerry, there are many powerful moments where Howerton shows Ballsillie's insecurity and anger through pursed lips, trying to hide anything bubbling to the surface.

His rage-filled scream of "I'm from Waterloo, where the vampires hang out" will replay over and over inside your head. The different ways Howerton displays Ballsillie's rage make for a layered and engrossing performance.

We want to know more about this man and what makes him tick. The character feels real through this stellar performance guiding us into knowing more about Ballsillie's internal life and tireless pursuit of the capitalistic dream of wanting more and more until nothing is ever good enough.

Matt Johnson's role as Doug is the moral center of BlackBerry, showing us how money and success have corrupted those around him. Mike's fall wouldn't hit quite as hard if we didn't have Doug on the sidelines, showing how much Mike has changed.

Seeing Doug trying to find his friend inside the shell of a person he doesn't recognize pushes forward the film's themes of corruption. This change is shown most powerfully as Mike leaves his integrity behind as he makes a decision directly going against everything he once stood for.

Technical Triumphs

Matt Johnson's directing and writing showcases our cultures connections with media, especially technological advances.

BlackBerry is filled with well-placed pop culture references from a montage of tech in movies/tv, glimpses of iconic movie posters like the Japanese Army of Darkness poster, scenes from the RIM movie nights, and energizing needle drops.

The movement and aesthetic of BlackBerry brings forward the nostalgia of outdated media making us feel how much and how little time has passed since the time of keyboards and trackpads on smartphones.

BlackBerry brings each time period--no matter how close together they seem--to life with unique production design by Adam Belanger and the use of specific needle drops combined with footage symbolic to the era.

In addition to this, the passing of time and how much or little our main characters have changed comes across with purposeful costume design by Hanna Puley.

Doug--who is the least impacted by the corruption of success-- barely changes, wearing his pop culture shirts and sweatbands throughout. As Mike leaves some of his morals behind, he relates more closely to Jim than Doug.

Jay McCarrol's wonderful score perfectly captures the tone of BlackBerry, using synth to tell a unique, character-driven story built around technology and how it pulls us in various directions.

Conclusion

BlackBerry is a funny character-driven exploration of the rise and fall of a company and its two very different CEOs brought to life through powerful performances from Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel.

[marley-manson]

More on Post Op

The return of Jerry Moody was also nice, though he didn't get much to do. But hey, a scene where he talks about beating up some racists while Hawkeye encourages him is still enjoyable to watch.

The vignette with the patient who incessantly harasses Margaret for like 3 straight minutes was annoying but the punchline was worth it honestly. Repeating his stock opening line to another nurse when she leaves, who turns out to be Klinger, who repeats Margaret's "Do you have any idea how often I've heard that line?" response just as exasperatedly... man that delivery was funny lol. And as far as man in a dress jokes go, the dude dealing with the exact same shit as the women around him is one of the better kinds imo.

The moustache subplot was adorable of course.

And Frank's monologue about hiring detectives to spy on his wife was a comedic masterpiece as usual. God I'm gonna miss him so fucking much when this season is over. They are so lucky they got DOS because no one else on the show even approaches Larry Linville in terms of comic genius. At least not once Margaret stopped being a villain. Like ilu Alan Alda but you're not making me laugh out loud just with the way you say a word here.

And finally, this is just a tiny little detail and I know I'm preaching to the choir here lol, but the scene with Hawkeye and the dude who got shot in the ass was a nice little microcosm of Hawkeye's attitude towards everything imo. Hawkeye makes a few jokes about it to make the dude feel better and less self-conscious about it, dude laughs and says, "Don't make me laugh," and then Hawkeye quickly swaps to a serious line. "We're talking about your body being invaded by a bullet. There's nothing amusing about that."

Like it's a solid demonstration of how Hawkeye is very capable of making jokes and also of not making jokes and taking things seriously, in the very same scenes even, according to whichever attitude is called for. He knows the things he jokes about aren't actually funny and he can treat them with gravity just as easily.

There's another line in an episode where he's joking while performing surgery and someone, I think Margaret, says, "I wish I had your sense of humour," and Hawkeye says, "I wish I did too." And again it's just a good acknowledgement that the things Hawkeye jokes about are serious and he's very aware of that. He actively chooses to make the jokes, to insert the humour where there is none, to make himself and others feel better.

[lovefordyingstars]

THE VICES SERIES

guardians of adversity

protectors of blasphemy

keepers of delusion

Caspian Blanc; prince

❝ are the stupid nicknames really necessary ❞

genius, blunt, guarded, archeologist, proud

EDENS GARDEN LIBRARY

hawk in the night. little lion man. cold-blooded.

❝ no one will stop me from finishing this. you can't take this from me ❞

— WATCHFUL EYES

Is able to track people, by using a person's full name (first and last) he is able to know their location. The more he knows about someone the more accurate the location will be, and the further he can be from them to know it.

Perseus Moreau; hunter

❝ I like the French version better, now I just sound like I'm from southern America ❞

marksman, sarcastic, loyal, comedic, middle child

PURGATORY'S GATE MECHANIC SHOP

eight. stronger. the archer.

❝ unfortunately I'm contractually obligated to make sure you don't die today ❞

— CHASSEUR

uses a paint made out of his own blood to leave his "tag" on things. This tag allows him to know where things are, as well as teleport to him if the object could be moved by his own strength. If the tag is marred in any way it no longer works, and can only use so many at once.

Nathalia Corvose; cherry

❝ giving me a pretty name won't make me want to save you ❞

❝ you will anyways ❞

❝ yeah, only cause I'm not an asshole, not because of some stupid nickname ❞

intelligent, curious, prophetic, liberian, cautious

DEVILS TRAP BAR

nothing new. if I'm being honest. two.

❝ moving on from the past is the bravest thing anyone can do ❞

— DREAM WALKER

Can experience other peoples dreams. She never has dreams of her own, only entering others. She has a level of control over the dreams and is always aware she is asleep. Has no choice in whose dreams she enters, only that if touching someone she can choose theirs.

Miguel Vamine; hellhound

❝ unless you feel like being a puppet, I suggest you let me call you whatever the hell I want ❞

anger issues, humor, mercenary, red flag, stubborn

HOLY FIRE TATTOO PARLOR

devil town. pretender. gotta be somebody.

❝ nothing in this world is free, you have to take what you want to be yours ❞

— POSSESSED

If he says a person's full name out loud (first, middle, last) he can control them. Puppeteering their body as if his own. He has no control over his own body when doing this, and it will seem as if he's asleep. If a person says his name (first) outloud, and he has previously possessed them, he will know where they are exactly, no matter how far away.