#but i wanted to capitalize on the movie hype

[apollos-boyfriend]

happy halloween! last year, i drew the tinarose family, so i thought it was only fitting to draw the schlarklez kids! baby’s first halloween…..

[superemeralds]

i think about ur piece with shadow captioned “welcome to the promised land” ALOT… with that, i wondered what your thoughts are on the sonic movies (both the ones that came out and the new one thats coming) in regards to their portrayal of the police/military/GUN.

I’m personally really disappointed in whats been done so far (with Tom being a cop, like cmon man what. and with the goofy portrayal of the military, especially that old general guy in the second movie) and im really nervous about whats coming, with team sonic working WITH GUN (and now Tom and Maddie wearing military uniforms) in the trailers. I have a suspicion that Maria’s death will be an “accident”, like a very MCU style “sometimes the military makes mistakes…” bullshit. itd really suck to see this series become another piece of copaganda, especially since like. its so out of character, like sonic is unique in the way its been blatantly anti military (for the most part) in the games. it wasn’t revolutionary by any means but it is arguably a core part of the original story.

What are your thoughts? sorry for the long ask, I’m a big fan of your writing and thoughts on sonic (huge heart of a monster fan!). Hope youre having a good day!

big same. I've made the comic in question as a response to the first trailer for sonic 3 actually.

the trailer made me feel a LOT of emotions, mostly negative if im honest, and the only thing that I liked from it was the scene of shadow bursting from his tank thing and being sloppin wet that looked like he was standing in the rain. so i went and made a comic of shadow in the rain. and i made it as anti military and anti capitalism as i could.

becasue sonic 3's marketing, in my opinion, especially after the second trailer came out, is a perfect axample of everything wrong with the current western (mostly USA, but the USA influences the entire world so.) society. it exemplifies capitalism, militarism, consumerism, a lack of emotional depth and the infantalization as well as mliking (for a lack of better word; i mean how advertizements are usually heavily marketed at kids because parents will buy anyhting to shut up their crying annoying meat bags and therefore spend money on shit they dont want nor need) of children (that detective pikachu bit was so painful). and let's not forget the fatphobia. it was so painful to go back and watch the first trailer to freshen my memory for this reply oh god.

when sonic 2 came out i was really happy with the movie. i think sonic 2 is miles better than 1 in terms of characters and fun, most obviously because there's more of actual sonic characters in it now then the first. the first felt mostly like a pilot honestly. the second one had much more fantastical details and elements thatreally leaned into sonic's world. Or at least... the environment artists tried with it. I remember being OBSESSED with the fact tehre was a mural of perfect chaos in that labyrinth for like 1 second and theorized about what it could mean. while watching the movie i even speculated it was foreshadowing that perfect chaos was gonna be the secret final boss of the movie as that was only the halfway point of the runtime. having sobered from the hype i understand its a neat detail from the cg department that means absolutely nothing.

the worst thing is that the movie (sonic 3 now) itself might be like. a well made movie with good (enough) writing and good visuals and whatever. sonic might betray the military and go his own way bc here he's a little younger and he's learning (he didnt grow up w military so he might be blissfull yunaware bc hes only been fed propaganda through hollywood movies so far) and him meeting shadow and learning about his fate might change his mind. we don't know yet.

The marketing sometimes is detatched from the movie itself so it'll misrepresent things for the sake of "bait" to get ppl to spend money to watch it (the teenage kraken movie suffered from that bc it was fun imo i liked it). Or even just to get people to make viral reactions to get even MORE news of the movie out and attract more people. Especially when adapting a story that already exists I think it makes them reveal a LOT of the movie (I saw ppl complain they reveal the entire movie in the trailer, i think given the fact we already know all those key moments shown it's fine)

actually. does anyone know if the us army funded this movie? i know it does a lot of movies ever since iron man

idek where im going w this rn im just. eghh.... def not gonna see it in cinema ♥ my money goes towards literally anything else

[deke-rivers-1957]

Harum Scarum Review

The second Gene Nelson and Sam Katzman picture starring Elvis Presley. Inspired by Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik and filmed on the original Cecile B. DeMille's set of The King of Kings, Elvis had hope of finally getting a movie that allowed him to be more of an action hero. Given that Peter O'Toole's 1962 film, Lawrence of Arabia was a massive success for Columbia Pictures, MGM likely wanted to capitalize on that success by using a guaranteed money maker in Elvis.

Unfortunately, the hype Elvis had regarding the possibility of being a Rudolph Valentino figure was quickly squashed. He received the script and realized that his character wouldn't live up to the expectations he originally had. It's a pretty known story that even the Colonel thought the script was so weird, he thought it should include a talking camel. This of course is in reference to the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope movie, Road to Morocco. Ironically enough, the reference I make to Zanzibar in my announcement post was another movie that the duo made. With Kissin Cousins being described as the begin of Elvis' decline, this movie is typically described as being Elvis' rock bottom. Is it really as bad as people say, or is it over hated due to outdated elements? Let's find out.

"Harem Holiday" while it sounds great, is very confusing in the context of this movie. Why is this movie called Harum Scarum when it's called Harem Holiday elsewhere and even has a song with that name? I get that it's a term meaning someone acting reckless and without care, but it doesn't relate to the movie at all. Both titles completely gloss over the very important detail of how Johnny ended up in the position he will end up in.

We immediately open to a movie within a movie as Johnny Tyrone stars in an Arabian film where he saves a woman by killing a jaguar with his bare hands. He even sings to her "My Desert Serenade" while he has the weirdest sideburns I have ever seen. And then the movie just ends to a roaring applause in front of what's an unusually white crowd.

Apparently this is being screened in front of Arabian dignitaries as a diplomacy mission by the US State Department. Why is this specific actor's movie being chosen for this mission when just by what we're shown, would be the equivalent of going into the Soviet Union and screen a movie of Elvis fighting a polar bear in Siberia? Only 2 minutes in and I already have a lot of questions on why this is the set up. He sings "Go East Young Man" and again why is this the song that you're choosing to perform in front of dignitaries you're supposed to schmooze? Again it'd be the equivalent of going into the Soviet Union and singing a song about drinking vodka with Josef Stalin. It's just so stereotypical that if this was a real diplomatic mission, it would be an absolute disaster. Dignitaries that you're trying to establish a relationship with, wouldn't see this as honoring their culture. If anything, what this movie should be about, is Johnny being kidnapped because they found his performance insulting.

Johnny Tyrone in this picture above summarizes Elvis' acting throughout the entire movie. Sir, you are meeting actual royalty and this is how you act? I can understand wanting to make a good impression but for goodness sake crack a smile. Or at the very least show humility by bowing before the prince. For someone who's supposed to be an actor/stuntman that was given a golden opportunity to act as a diplomat of American culture on this mission, Johnny looks like if it wasn't for Aishah, he literally couldn't care less to be there. Even when the prince invites Johnny to the king's palace (making him the first American to ever do so) Johnny looks bored out of his skull.

After traveling with the prince to Lunarkand, Johnny stops at a camp. Johnny goes to flirt with Aishah and we get a Red West appearance as on of the attackers. I know Star Trek didn't come out yet, but what is up with these costumes? These men look like an alien race trying to disguise themselves as human. Also this is the worst depiction of drugging someone I have ever seen. It's obvious that Aishah drugged his drink, but what drug could possibly work that fast? Whatever plot they want to commit would be executed a lot faster if they simply used a little too much of the Brand X drug if it's truly that effective. Drinking something is the slowest method you could possibly use to drug someone. It doesn't go directly to the brain like inhaling a substance.

The prince is obviously behind this and any twist that comes from it, is gone. My reason why it's so obvious: the prince would be completely incompetent if he traveled without any type of security for himself. So the fact that these men were able to enter his camp with absolutely no resistance indicates that this was planned to happen. If this was truly just a plot by Aishah, he would've been a victim as well to get the King's attention or attempt to implicate Johnny for the crime so Lunarkand would go to war agains the US. But that didn't happen. The prince is conveniently resting in his tent while Johnny is kidnapped.

I have never laughed so hard at an Elvis movie as I did when Johnny starts singing "Mirage". You have Johnny who was just kidnapped waking up in a strange place and what does he do? He literally starts singing to the slave women thinking this is just a dream. How in the world are we supposed to take anything that happens in this movie seriously? Johnny is being held captive in a Middle Eastern country and nobody will even know about it until after a week when Johnny doesn't return from his vacation. But no we need to have a gag about how Johnny's horny for slave women.

Even when he's facing Sinan, the leader of assassins who wants him to kill the King of Lunarkand, he still doesn't seem to care. All he does is make a snarky remark about how stupid it is to believe he can actually kill a jaguar with his barehands. Even if it was actually true, that just makes him all the more boring. Why should I care about Johnny Tyrone, if he's shown to be physically invincible and doesn't even seem all that scared about the amount of danger he's in? That isn't relatable. It's especially worse when you get the racist stereotype that poor Arabians are thieves in the form of Zacha offering to help Johnny escape for 10,000 American dollars. He explains how this country is so isolated that there's airport. How would Zacha even know what an airport was if Lunarkand's been isolated for 2000 years? And how does he speak fluent English if Johnny's the first American to even be on palace grounds? I just don't get how this world is set up.

Johnny escapes and runs into Princess Shalimar who for literally no reason says she's a slave girl. This would absolutely never happen and if anything makes me even more suspicious of the prince. Shalimar is a princess so she should have guards everywhere. Johnny would've been immediately captured just by being near her. Shalimar wasn't there during Johnny's movie screening so she has no reason to believe that he isn't going to be a danger to her. Johnny being hot isn't enough of a reason to trust him.

It also makes Johnny's plight even more frustrating to watch. For someone who's supposed to be on the run he sure takes his sweet time escaping. He doesn't take his safety seriously as he stops by the lake and sings "Kismet" to a woman he literally just met. It's a good song but it the movie literally stops when Johnny is supposed to be running away. When he tells Shalimar about Sinan and she runs away, it becomes all the more dumb that he wasted that much time. The guards are right on their heels and only get lucky in their escape.

So Johnny decides to follow Zacha until they find some dancing girls in Bar Esalaam that are part of Zacha's Den of Thieves. The stereotypes don't get better as you have an element out of the 1920s in the form a little person playing the mute fool named Baba. We've seen Billy Barty before in Roustabout and it's nice to have him do more than just one gag. I just wish they could've treated Baba as a real person, given how progressive it was to even have little people (especially since Billy Barty was the founder of the non-profit organization, Little People of America). Heck you know things are bad when you have me praise this movie for having a token black person be on screen in a movie that's meant to be in the Middle East. Are there pale skinned people in the Middle East? Absolutely. I don't mind that the royal family and their servants have pale skin. My beef is that a movie meant to be in the Middle East shouldn't have only one noticeably black person. Especially when you consider that Lunarkand celebrates Ramadan, a holiday celebrated by Muslims, who are typically darker skinned.

"Shake That Tambourine" I guess is good but why on earth are we stopping everything just for this? All we're doing is pro-porting the stereotype that all poor Arabians are thieves. What exactly is this accomplishing when Johnny needs to escape and he's going to pay Zacha $10,000? Nothing. If anything Baba getting caught stealing only brings attention to them. The guards chase Johnny in what's the most ridiculous display of physics I've ever seen in a fight. Johnny might be an actor/stuntman, but that doesn't mean he's capable of taking on a group of soldiers. The fact that this is being treated like one of his movies destroys any possible conflict. Why should I be worried about him getting caught when I know he's just going to beat them up and get away? What's worse is that you have two orphan children throwing rocks at the guards and it knocks them out. These children are about 10 years old at the oldest. Even if they're using a slingshot of sort, I just don't see them as being strong enough to make it at all effective.

"Hey Little Girl" has the worst context I've ever seen. Johnny is singing this song while a barely 10 year old girl dances like a stereotypical adult dancing girl. This isn't me taking the song out of context when the girl literally says she dreams about growing up to be a beautiful slave woman. Not to mention that there's literally a lyric that goes "Hey little girl, I'd like to take you home. Come on, come on, come on I want you for my very own." and another that goes "I want you swing it to the left, and shake it to the right. Hey little girl, you know you're lookin' fine". This is not at all appropriate for a girl this young to be shown doing that.

If you were listening to this song as just the soundtrack version, then it's just fine. It's a different sound that breaks up the monotony of his other songs. But when you watch it in context, it just doesn't match the actual intent Johnny has of wanting to adopt this girl. I of course don't blame Elvis because he didn't choose to have this be included. I don't think he realized that, her even doing this would be inappropriate since the movie itself has associated those moves to an adult woman in a more sexual nature. Movie scenes aren't always filmed in the order the audience sees them in, so I can understand why Elvis wouldn't have made the connection the audience would make. Regardless, there were better ways to have Johnny bond with the children he plans on adopting than this.

Aishah arrives at the Den of Thieves because Zacha is still working for Sinan. Knowing Johnny isn't a complete villain, she intends on holding the slave women and children hostage so Johnny has no reason to chicken out. In what is a very jarring display of seriousness, Sinan's men arrives at the den too with a bunch of weapons. They fully intend to kill these orphans if Johnny doesn't do it. The plot to kill the King is on as the plan is to kill him during the final celebration of Ramadan.

Princess Shalimar meanwhile laments that Johnny doesn't know she's a princess. That was entirely her fault so I don't feel bad for her. I get that she probably only said she was a slave girl to keep herself safe, but once she kissed Johnny, she never told him the truth. She's so down bad for Johnny, that she hallucinates seeing his reflection in her pool. I actually don't mind this break in reality since we're obviously supposed to understand this is just her imagination. "Golden Coins" is probably the only song with a Middle Eastern sound that doesn't feel completely stereotypical. If anything it gives us an insight that Shalimar wants Johnny to worship her by giving her many gifts. Very appropriate given how she's a princess.

So Johnny goes to the palace with the flimsiest disguise I have ever seen and I severely question what Sinan's plan is. Why on earth would you have Johnny try to kill the King when he's surrounded by everyone? If Johnny is trying to warn the king why would he take his knife out before explaining the situation? Having the knife in your hand is obviously going to lead to a "shoot first, ask questions later" reaction. Why is Sinan using Aishah to hold hostages knowing good and well that Johnny would never be killed? Johnny is an American who has people knowing that he'll only be gone a week. If he never returns from Lunarkand, the State Department is going to know he was killed. This was meant to be a diplomatic mission built into his vacation so even if the prince succeeds in killing the King, having Johnny be killed would only lead to war.

This is probably the most amount of emotion Johnny shows in the entire movie. He felt betrayed that Shalimar lied to him about being a princess. He's additionally upset that he let everyone down by failing. "So Close, Yet So Far (From Paradise)" is the most relatable song in this movie. At this point in watching, I looked at the run time and saw that I was barely at the hour mark. This movie felt so long that I had to pause and walk away for a minute to contemplate how a movie could be so complicated plot wise, yet also give you nothing. After coming back to finish this movie, Baba manages to set them all free. I take back what I said earlier as in a way, he did have a genuine character moment by getting past the guards to save his friends as opposed to running away to save himself. Johnny decides to try to reason with the King knowing he would have diplomatic immunity anyway.

Sure enough, things are smoothed over once Johnny explains himself. I guess the King only believes him because Shalimar vouched for his honor. In her heart of hearts, she never believed he could do such a thing. I mean she technically shouldn't anyway since again, Johnny killing the King as the first American to step foot on this land would be an act of war. Johnny isn't that stupid to risk that. Johnny comes up with a plan to keep the King safe, and expose Sinan. Meanwhile, we get actual whippings and the potential murder of women and children at the Den of Thieves. The true mastermind is of course revealed as the prince. However, what I didn't expect is for Sinan to betray the prince so he can take the throne himself. Granted there's the very big issue of Princess Shalimar being the heir to the throne, but I appreciate the attempt to be unpredictable. Sinan does after all, plan on keeping the prince alive so the people don't grow suspicious.

Johnny of course, exposes Sinan and saves the hostages in what's a pretty clever way. Using the slave women's bells as a means of misdirecting Sinan's men is a great way to get to Sinan and make him vulnerable. After a complicated plot involving the King fighting his brother that ends with Sinan getting shot full of holes by a machine gun somehow. The King defeats his brother with Aishah's hands being binded and promises Shalimar's hand in marriage to Johnny despite knowing him for only less than a week. The King doesn't even have his brother executed and instead has him banished. Because I guess blood is thicker than water and having your brother knowingly commit an act of treason without coercion on his part isn't as bad as Johnny only pretending to try to kill you. Aishah was part of the conspiracy too so unless she goes with the prince as banishment she would absolutely be executed for her treason. But no, we just jump right over that as if the King's possible assassination doesn't even matter.

We get one final performance and what I think is a Joe cameo with Johnny's new act in a reprise of "Harem Holiday". It's nice that Johnny fulfilled his promise to adopt the slave children, but what did you expect? Johnny isn't a complete villain to just let orphan children remain in slavery. There's just no reason to even worry about them, when there's no sense of complex morals in this movie. I have no idea why Johnny would even want to call it a holiday either. Sure he was on vacation and got a bride out of this, but getting kidnapped and being asked to assassinate a monarch should be traumatizing. I get that this is an Elvis movie and we need to have an Elvis movie, but really? This is the best way you could think of ending it?

It just raises several questions on how the movie ends. Why is Johnny performing in Vegas during what's supposed to be his honeymoon? Why did Johnny even decide to go back to the US at all when he's married to a LITERAL PRINCESS? If this country is so isolated that it doesn't even have an airport, how did Shalimar and her father even get into the country without a passport? This isn't a diplomatic mission and Shalimar wouldn't automatically be a US citizen just because she married Johnny. I'm just so baffled on how the movie emphasizes Lunarkand's monarchy and isolation only to completely erase that when Johnny marrying Shalimar would be a huge deal. The unfortunate reality is that nothing in this movie that's supposed to be taken seriously is taken seriously. And when you have that happen, all you have left to do is sit there and care about as much as Johnny does about everything: very little.

This movie at times was painful to sit through. I have seen The Sheik and Son of the Sheik before watching this movie. Those were made about 40 years prior to this one and were both silent. I enjoyed those movies a lot more. Things didn't age well but at least they had cohesive stories, and actors that express real emotion. When Rudolph Valentino is angry, he can be explosive, or silently seething without hearing a word. Elvis in this movie is just flat the entire time. This is probably one of the only times where Elvis has visibly given up without having had a concussion only a couple weeks prior to filming. When the movie is supposed to be dramatic, he's just so blasé I lose all investment. If Johnny can't even care about the trouble he faced, why should I?

I have no idea how to rate this. It looks nice visually and most of the songs if listened to out of context actually sound decent. Everything else ranges from mid to bad to (in the case of "Hey Little Girl") cringe inducing. IMDB has a current rating of 4.6 which sounds about right. Since it's not even 50% good, I'm giving this a 4/10. I wouldn't recommend watching this since if you like songs, just listen to the soundtrack. If you're looking for movies in an Arabian setting, do not watch this. Just watch Rudolph Valentino's movies on YouTube since that was what Elvis specifically expected. And when you take those stories for what it was, you'll see why they were used as a source of inspiration and just how unfortunate it was that this didn't measure up.

AN: Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you have a better time than I did. If you want to be tagged in future reviews, please leave a note here: https://www.tumblr.com/deke-rivers-1957/743326835519176704/ecu-movie-taglist?source=share

Tagging: @searchingforgravity, @mercsandmonsters, @i-r-i-n-a-a, @50sexyshadesfashionista, @atleastpleasetelephone,

@iloveelvis2, @arianatheangel-girl, @eapep, @vintagepresley, @peaceloveelvis,

@arrolyn1114, @smokeymountainboy, @tacozebra051, @hooked-on-elvis, @littlejoecartwright1842,

and @xanatenshi.

[atouchofireland]

PR Perception & Consequences: Luke Newton

[This analysis is from the perspective of a lover of story with a Masters in Publishing & Writing, with ties to a publicist with 20+ years experience.]

I didn't watch Bridgerton until a while after s2 came out. Partly because I hesitate with new shows and mainly because I hate waiting years between seasons.

I LOVE Derry Girls because it clicks with my mainly Irish family. So, I knew who Nicola was as Clare before watching Bridgerton, but nothing else.

That leads into the LN assumptions.

From what I can tell as a general viewer of the show and Social Media, he came from musical theater and Disney stuff in the UK before landing the Colin role in his mid 20's.

During this time, aka 2019/2020-2023, LN had a gf named Jade for that whole time.

Media reported that they'd broken up some time at the end of filming in June 2023. Then, there is some reports saying he got with his current partner, mere months later in at least 8/23 if not sooner. (Nic is known for keeping her even longterm relationships a secret, but Luke's previous gf would post a few pics and vids here and there.)

This is where PR should've started to protect his image before the first premiere and press tour even happened.

At this point, late 2023, Luke has not posted even a hint of his supposed app gf anywhere. Then he leaves for a 6-month world tour with his friend, of 5 years that he has easy chemistry with, but now they both are not with longtime partners.

LN leaned into the romantic press interviews with his friend because he was comfortable with her and it promoted the show.

Here's where his friends as PR shows dumbass judgment.

I believe I saw something about the app gf attending the 1st premier in London, before the tour, but it wasn't paparazzi-d. Whereas, after the WT, the 1st LN news was pap photos with this girl at the after party 2nd half premier. Basically, PURPOSEFULLY taking the romance illusion away from the couple that the actors built for the months leading up to this.

Bad PR leads off from here: self-described introvert Luke goes to Milan with 'gf',' fair enough it's fashion week. But, THEN he's BACK in Italy on "holiday." Getting paparazzi pics of him they didn't even get on his World Press Tour. Then possibly in Greece, continuing some vacation? So much of this shit makes zero sense both PR-wise and normal person-wise.

For example of good PR capitalizing on lead roles: Nicola is on a movie rn, she's part of A-list representation, she's possibly a future bond girl. Johnny Bailey was shooting a drama, Wicked, and his Bridgerton cameos at the same time. Simone is starring in a motion picture out soon.

The rumors of LN's friend Rory running his socials is horrible because: 1) Rory seems like a douchebag who wants more shirtless pictures of himself on his non-famous account than of his gf. 2) He puts Luke's skinny "similar to his gf" wannabe influencer gf on his instagram without hyping up any on Luke's actual work and projects.

This all gives off the vibe of this friend being resentful, taking advantage of Luke breaking up with his longterm gf and deciding to get more built for the show, and convincing him he needs the "hot rebound" for himself and image. As always, that gross straight man is wrong. All his friends say he's so sweet and quiet and genuine.

How I perceive him from his own press: Had a supportive, longterm gf who was also an aspiring actor as they were both coming up in their early 20's. LN started working out so much to get lean & abs to feel on-par with the other Bridgerton guys. Him and his gf grew apart, maybe even felt resentment, while LN was shooting so long for BS3. Shooting raps.

This is the overall perception that makes me and I think many others so mad: Luke had a sweet, curvy, talented gf for 4 years. And he was a thicker tall guy, not fat, not skinny, not ripped but amazingly curvy in the male way that's rare. He got all built for Bridgerton when Nic refused cuz it isn't necessary for the characters. And after all this real-life and on-screen romance with a mid-size woman, after becoming a "muscly man," he shows up with a stick-figure wanna be dance influencer.

His actions of allowing his pr/friend to paint him as if he gets "hot women" now that he's "desirable" is what makes me fucking sick about the perception of him and I think this is why so many Bridgerton fans in the SM sphere got the ick.

[coolepowersthings]

Always Girl

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: Y/N and Benedict have been best friends since college. Every year, they watch romcoms together on Valentine’s Day. But this year might not go as planned… modern au

Warnings: NSFW 18+, sexual content, consensual sex.

Authors Note: Apparently, once every few years I manage to finish a story lol. I’ve become obsessed with Bridgerton, especially one Mr. Benedict Bridgerton, so here’s a lovely modern au for you where Ben and his best friend come to terms with some long-simmering feelings. Mostly, a reason to write some Benedict smut. Would love to hear your thoughts! Comments, likes, reblogs, and messages all appreciated!

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She looks in the mirror on her wall and repeats it again. Like a mantra: it wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She had to stop it from being like this.

Y/N flops back on her pillow and sighs. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, and yet here she was, another Valentine’s Day, pining after her best friend.

She glances at the clock. Said best friend would be here in about fifteen minutes (which for him meant probably closer to half an hour, if she was lucky and he hadn’t lost himself in a painting) so she had just enough time to pull herself together. The only good thing about this wretched holiday was that she and Benedict always spent it together. The tradition had started in university. She and Benedict had met first term and, after a rocky start involving a misplaced biology textbook, had become close friends. When February rolled around, it became clear that Valentines Day was kind of a capital T “Thing” for him.

***

“I just don’t get the hype!” he had said to her one day over lunch after the girl he was seeing that week asked him what his plans were for February 14th. “It’s one day, where you’re supposed to, what, declare your undying love for whoever you’re with at the moment, lavish them with ridiculous gifts, and watch cheesy romance movies?”

“First of all, you just used the word ‘lavish’ in a sentence. Second, you know the relationship won’t be making it to next week, so you can’t be bothered,” she’d said, pointing her fry at him in mock accusation before popping it into her mouth.

He scowled at her. She loved Benedict to death, but he was something of a flirt. And a bit of a man whore. She’d known him all of six months and already had lost count of the woman he had dated.

“I’ll admit, though, I do like the cheesy romance movie part. But I just want to watch them with a pizza and maybe some chocolate I buy for myself. I could do without the rest of it.”

“Yes!” Benedict had said. “That’s exactly what we’ll do!”

“I’m sorry, what’s exactly what who will do?”

“You and me. On Friday. Bad romcoms. Pizza.”

“And you think your current girl will go for that?”

“Darling, why would I spend valentines with my current girl if I can spend it with my always girl instead?” he said with a smirk.

***

Now, as her doorbell rings, she knows what she’ll find on the other side. Benedict, grinning at her, holding a box of chocolates and a bottle of red wine.

“Happy Valentines, always girl,” he says handing her the box of candy. “For the special lady in my life, I’ve brought a box of dark chocolate salted caramels, and a bottle of the cheapest red wine known to man.”

“You charmer!” She says, examining the bottle and pretending that his words have no effect on her. “This is literally just called ‘Red Blend.’ They couldn’t even be bothered to name their wine?”

“Names cost,” he chuckles, taking the bottle back from her and heading into the kitchen. “Besides,” he yells from the other room, “there’s a heart on the label. See? So, it’s on theme!”

She heard the clinking of him pulling glasses out of the cupboard, but she still was not prepared for the sliver of skin she sees when she turns the corner, his t-shirt riding up as he reaches, showing her a glimpse of his back. Not that she hasn’t seen his skin before – she had seen him fully shirtless in their years of friendship, but the feeling of longing in her gut still caught her off-guard if she wasn’t expecting it. Her stomach clenching, her face getting warm. She clears her throat as he opens the bottle.

“Well, we are nothing if not on theme,” she says brightly, pulling her hair up into a bun on top of her head in an effort to distract herself from the way her body was betraying her. “I mean, what could be more valentines themed than this outfit?”

He glances up at her from pouring the wine and smirks. In an attempt to not overdo it, she had gone with her normal movie watching attire – a t-shirt and yoga pants.

“Dazzling, as always darling.”

He hands her a glass and takes a sip of his own. “Oh,” he winces. “That is truly awful.”

She chuckles.

“You know, our tastes have really improved since undergrad. As, may I add, have our salaries. I know you always wanted to be a ‘starving artist,’ but you have managed your way out of that by being wildly successful. We could consider improving the wine for tonight.”

He gasps in mock horror.

“And not follow tradition? You’d never forgive me. So, what do you have in mind for us today?”

“Um.” she stutters, for just a second.

What her mind wanted them to be up to and what she knew he meant were two different things. She clears her throat and tries again.

“Oh, I have some throwback classics that I think you’ll enjoy,” she says sweetly.

This was the agreement. He brought the terrible wine, and she picked out the cheesy movies. They tried not to repeat movies they had watched on past Valentines Days, but that was getting harder for two reasons. One, because they had been friends forever, and the more years they did this, the less options they had. And two, because she had done her best to avoid one specific, horrifyingly common, romcom trope: friends to lovers. Especially if the movie included long-standing-best-friends to lovers. This year, though, she didn’t have a choice. One of the movies was going to include best friends realizing they were in love with each other. Her options had been that or dredging into truly terrible D grade romcoms. And honestly, while they often poked fun at the ridiculous storylines and over-the-top climatic moments of these films, she genuinely enjoyed watching them, especially with Ben. So, she didn’t want to cheapen it to the worst of the worst. She wanted something actually pleasant to watch.

“Excellent. Que us up then, I’ll order the pizza.”

Ninety minutes later, they had finished their first movie, half the pizza, and a whole bottle of wine.

“Mmm, I liked that one,” she hums, riding the romcom happy ending high.

“I could tell,” he laughs. “You threw a pillow at my head when I suggested that the setup for their romance wasn’t very realistic.”

“Yes, well, don’t forget that I have another pillow right here if I need to do it again.”

“You would never.”

“Don’t pretend you know what I would or would not do, Mr. Bridgeton. I have hidden depths.”

“Darling,” he says. “I have known you forever, I’m pretty sure I know everything about you. And I know, without a doubt, that you would never give up your last pillow during a movie marathon.”

“You don’t know everything,” she says. And then quickly, “For example, you don’t know that what we are about to watch next is one of my all-time favorite movies.”

He quirks a brow.

“Really? A favorite? I didn’t think we had any of those left. I’m surprised you had the willpower to hold off on it until now.”

“Oh, I have willpower like you’d never believe,” she mutters, clicking over to the next film.

The opening of When Harry Met Sally starts playing on the screen.

“Oh,” he says. “Oh, it’s this one. I guess you’re right, we haven’t watched this, have we.”

“You’ve seen it right?”

“Of course. It may be the only Meg Ryan movie that doesn’t make me want to die.”

“Rude!” she says. “She is a romcom treasure! And you made it through her other movies unscathed.”

“Barely!”

“Oh, shh it’s starting.”

They sit in companionable silence as the movie moves on, Meg Ryan and Billy Chrystal bantering back and forth. They get to the scene where Sally orders her food in a completely ridiculous way and Ben chuckles.

“God, she reminds me of you,” he says.

“What, terribly difficult? Complicated? Impossible for most men to love?”

“No! No, she knows what she wants. She refuses to settle.”

“I’m flattered, I guess. But that’s not really me at all, you know.”

“Well, it definitely is when you’re ordering at a restaurant,” he smirks at her. But then it turns into a softer smile, something she can’t quite identify behind his eyes. “And honestly, when it comes to dating, you are so, so brave.”

“Stop!”

“You really are! You never stay with men who don’t deserve you. You’re not afraid to go after what you want, rather than staying stagnant in something safe. That’s brave. And not easy.”

“But I don’t go after what I want,” she breaths out. “Not really. I…I’m just not willing to stay with idiots.” She stares at her fingers, which are playing with a thread on the couch pillow she’s holding close, afraid she’s said too much, but somehow not able to stop. “But I’m not willing to go after what I really want, either. I’m not that brave.”

When she chances a look up at him, there is something in his face. It’s soft and sweet. She had expected him to poke fun at her, to say something about how maybe she shouldn’t start off by dating idiots and then it wouldn’t be an issue. But instead, she finds him leaning closer to her, his eyes serious.

“Well, you should go after it. What you want, I mean. You’re brilliant, y/n. And funny and smart. Any man would be lucky to have you.” And then his wide smile is back, the glint in his eye returned. “And I would know, as I’ve been your friend for ages and I have excellent taste.”

She snorts, looking away, trying to diffuse the heavy tension she feels sitting in her chest at his kind words, the way he’s leant towards her, his subtle scent, all fresh and clean with a hint of oil paint and something woodsy underneath.

“You forget that I’ve seen the women you go for,” she says. “And frankly, your taste is questionable.”

They both chuckle and turned back to the film.

“So mean,” he says.

“I tease because I love,” she says.

Then she freezes for just a second. She and Ben tell each other they love each other constantly – as friends, of course. But tonight has seemed so weighted somehow, that she’s worried she has stepped too far. A glance at Ben tells her he’s looking at her again, smiling.

***

When they get to arguably the most famous scene of the movie, y/n nearly spits out her wine, which would have been a shame, since they had moved on to a decent bottle from her own cupboard. She had somehow forgotten about this part and, while she had watched a lot of love scenes over the years with Benedict, this one feels more intimate, somehow, even though the people in question are fully clothed, in a diner.

As she watches Meg Ryan continue to imitate an orgasm, her cheeks flush and she tried very hard not to move. It will be impossible for Ben not to make some comment about this part, and she wasn’t sure she was up to joking about it, given the amount of wine she had consumed and the rush she was already feeling this evening. She wasn’t sure why tonight it was harder to ignore the pull she felt towards him, the warmth of his arm, slung along the back of the couch - not behind her, but close enough to make her want to snuggle into him. But what he says is not what she expected.

“I don’t know how he doesn’t just lunge across that table,” he says, lowly, almost as if he was talking to himself.

“What do you mean?”

She turns to look at him and realizes he’s already looking at her, not at the screen. His eyes are darker than normal, his arm seems suddenly tense behind her.

“I mean, that if a woman I loved showed me how beautiful she could be in the throws of passion, even if I knew she was faking it, there is no way I could just stay where I was. I would need her to know. I would need to show her what she had been missing, what she could have for real.”

She feels her whole face, completely on fire. She’s thought about Ben plenty. About what it would be like to be with him. But to hear him talking about it, in his low, smooth voice, all she can think about is what he could do, with his hands, his tongue…she shivers involuntarily.

“Just, promise me you don’t play this stupid game, do you? You’re too good for that, I hope you know. No man’s ego is worth it. I just – “

“Ben,” she says, suddenly finding her voice and cutting him off. “Stop. I can’t – I don’t want to talk about this.” She tries to make her voice sound light, but when she hears it she knows it’s anything but.

“No! No, tell me you don’t?”

“Of course I don’t. I’d never fake it. But…but it does make for some awkward encounters.”

“Awkward encounters?”

“Don’t pretend you can’t imagine what happens when a woman doesn’t get off? Men have a way of convincing themselves they are the best at sex, and if you in any way make them feel like they’re not…it doesn’t always go great.”

“But that’s the point, isn’t it? You shouldn’t have to pretend, and they should make sure you’re satisfied.”

“Ben,” she looks at him, seriously. “Come on. You have got to know that it is not always that easy. For some women, it’s tricky. I’m just saying, it can cause tension, when things are new.”

Ben scoffs. “Not for me. I would never leave a woman to feel like she had to fake it.”

“You know who you sound like right now, right?” she says, pointing to the television. “You sound like Harry.”

“It’s different. He’s sure a woman has never faked it with him. I make sure she never feels like she has to with me.”

“First sexual encounters are rarely the best.”

“Maybe. But I would make sure it was good. Even if it can’t be the best.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“Well that we can agree on.”

“Women’s bodies are different.”

“I would never presume to know a woman’s body better than she does.”

“What?”

“I would ask her. What she likes,” he says, his voice still low, his eyes intent on her. “If she wasn’t happy, I would ask her to show me. I would never pretend like I know everything.”

Her heart is beating so fast, she feels like it might burst from her chest. Hearing him talk about this is too much. He’s so close, closer, somehow, than he had been moments ago. Had she moved towards him? Had the sound of his voice caused her to shift even closer to him? God, this was embarrassing. She goes to sit up straighter, away from him, but he catches her wrist, gently, and keeps her where she is.

“I would never let any woman go unsatisfied. But I absolutely, without a doubt, would never let you go unsatisfied.”

She feels like all the air has left her body.

“Ben,” she barely whispers.

“Please,” he says. “Please tell me that you haven’t been letting immature boys treat you poorly all this time, when I could have been taking care of you.”  

All she can do is shake her head and look down, trying to pull herself out of the depth of his eyes. What was happening? Was Ben coming on to her? Did he know how she felt? No, no he was just worried about her. He thought she was brave, that she went for what she wanted, and she had admitted that wasn’t always the case. Ben was nothing if not someone who was comfortable with sex, and so talking about this would not be a big deal to him. He was just concerned. Trying to take care of her, as always. But not in the way she thought. Not in the way she wanted.

“I know it’s been a while since I’ve been in a relationship, Ben. But I can take care of myself.”

“Of course you can, if you want to. But if that’s not what you want. If you want someone else – “

“It’s not your job to take care of me, Ben. Not like that.”

“I know it’s not but, what if I want it to be.”

Her eyes fly back up to his.

“Please,” he says, moving his hand to cup her cheek now, his face impossibly closer to hers. “Please let me take care of you. Like I want to. Like I’ve always wanted to.”

She doesn’t think she could respond if she tried.

He pauses and looks at her, searching for an answer in her eyes. He must have found what he was looking for, because suddenly he’s there, so close to her, whispering her name.

And then, his lips are on hers.

It starts out sweet, tentative. He was giving her plenty of time to push him away, to say no. But the moment his tongue slides against her mouth, she opens for him without hesitation, and he starts to kiss her in earnest, exploring her mouth with his own. They are all teeth and tongues, and damn, why had they waited so long to do this? She pushes herself closer to him, and he grasps her waist, pulling her up until she is straddling him on the sofa. She feels him, hard against her. Her hands go to his hair and his slide down, cupping her ass through the thin fabric of her leggings. A moan leaves his throat, and she wants to swallow every sound he makes, wants to taste it, to feel the vibrations of him through her body.

His hands move up her back and into her hair, tugging on it lightly as his lips leave hers to trail kisses down her neck. She can’t help the sound that leaves her as he finds the sensitive spot just above her collarbone.

“Fuck,” he whispers, almost reverently, before attaching his lips to the spot again, making her keen. “How can this feel so good when all I’ve done is kiss you?”

Something about his words make her stop and pull his face up to look at her.

“Ben,” she breaths out. “Ben, what are we doing?”

Her question seems to snap him out of the haze.

He looks at her with complete sincerity and says, “I’m so sorry. I should have asked. Do you want this? Do you want this with me? Because if not, we will stop, right now. I would never want to make you uncomfortable – “

“No, Ben, I do want this.”

She can’t help but smile shyly at the relieved look on his face as she says it. Sweet Ben, of course he was worried about her consent. He was a gentleman through and through.

“But that’s not what I meant. I meant, what are we, me and you, doing. Is this, are you…”

She can’t find the words to ask what she wants to - no, what she needs to know. Was this because he wanted her, wanted more with her? Was this a one-time thing for him? Proof that he would take care of her, always, even physically, if that’s what she needed?

Ben tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and keeps looking at her.

“I want this with you,” she lowers her eyes, unable to look at him. “I have wanted this, with you. For a long time. I don’t even know when I started to but…I need to know what you want. What this is for you. Because I…”

“Love,” he says, lifting her face up to look at him again. “Listen to me. I want you. You, Y/N. Here and now. And tomorrow, assuming you don’t kick me out of your bed or freeze me to death, because you are such a blanket hog. I want to wake up next to you, and make coffee, and bicker about what constitutes breakfast, and finally make you stop talking with my mouth on your lips, on your neck, on your body, until we both forget what we were fighting about in the first place. I want to make love to you on every soft surface in this room, and then fuck you against the kitchen counter when you’re trying to cook dinner, because I just cannot wait to be touching you again.”

Her face is on fire now, her whole body on alert, attuned to him. A hot ball of need pulsing at her core, just from his words. And that’s it. Benedicts words are her final undoing, and she lungs forward and presses her lips back to his, fervent, no questions or uncertainty swirling in her head now, just unbridled need and want and a feeling she isn’t ready to name urging her on.

He matches her intensity, kissing her fiercely, biting at her lip, her throat, the exposed part of her collarbone, pushing her t-shirt down her shoulder to get to more of her. His hands roaming up her back, into her hair, holding her steady against him.

“Ben, I…” she starts, but her words leave her as his mouth moves to her breasts, biting at her through her thin t-shirt. His hands move down to her waist, his fingers slipping under the hem of the fabric, lifting it up as they move over her ribs. She reaches for it and pulls the shirt over her head with one swift movement, wanting less between them. A needy hum sounds in Ben’s throat and he leans forward, kissing and nuzzling between her breasts, his hands reaching around her to unclasp her bra and pull it away from her skin. She gasps, her breasts exposed to him for the first time, her nipples pebbling, hard and taut and waiting. He palms the fullness of her in his large hands, and then takes a nipple into his mouth. Licking, biting, making her writhe on his lap from the feel of his tongue, with the way he sucks on her with his hot, wet mouth. He switches to her other breast, but keeps a hand on the first, his fingers twisting and pulling at her. It’s almost too much, how quickly he’s pushing her higher and higher in her need, but it also isn’t enough, not nearly.

As if he could hear her thoughts, his fingers start moving down her stomach, towards the waistband of her leggings.

“Wait,” she rasps, and he stills, his eyes looking to her for what she wants. What she needs.

“You’re still dressed,” she says, putting her hands on his chest, smoothing his shirt under her fingers.

He chuckles, and kisses her on the tip of her nose, before pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor.

“Better?” he asks, smirking at her, her fingers already roaming the expanse of his chest.

“Much.”

“May I?” he asks, his fingers trailing along the top of her leggings, not quite dipping under the fabric.

“Please, Ben,” she breathes out, and he makes a low sound in his throat.

“Fuck,” he says, his hands working under the fabric. “Never stop saying my name.”

And then his fingers are pushing her panties aside.

“So wet for me love,” he says, kissing up her neck, nipping at her ear, his fingers stroking, up and down along her slit, finally pushing up against her clit, rubbing it teasingly. She moves against him, searching for more friction, pushing herself forward, trapping his hand between her and his own length, straining against his jeans. He breathes out hard, moving his hand up so that he can feel more of the warm heat radiating from her core.

“I want to make this good for you, love. But if you keep grinding into me like that…” she pushes against him again.

“I’m not worried, Ben,” she says, breathily. “But I need you inside of me. Now.”

She grinds against him again, wanting to feel more of him. Wanting him inside of her.

“Fuck,” he says again, tightening his arms around her waste and lifting her up with him. “Bedroom. We need to get to the bedroom.”

While his hands are busy carrying her across the living room, she uses hers to explore the expanse of his chest, to slide over his shoulders, up his neck and into his hair, pulling lightly at it as her mouth follows behind on the same path, leaving kisses across his shoulders and up to his ear.

“If you keep doing that,” he whispers, and she can hear the smile in his voice, “I might drop you.”

“You would never,” she giggles, just as he sets her down on the side of the bed, stretching his body out over her.

She smiles. This is Ben, she thinks, her Ben. The funny, flirty man she’s known forever. He’s still the same person he’s always been, only now it’s so much more. He smiles back down at her, but then his face shifts as he presses her body into the mattress with his own.

“Pants. Off. Now,” she says, her hands finding their way to the button of his jeans, undoing the zipper and tugging at them. He straightens and pulls them down his waste, taking his boxers along with them.

“Holy shit, Ben,” she says, without even meaning to. His cock is ready and waiting, and my god, they are not supposed to be as appealing as his is to her. She has never had this kind of reaction before. She wants to take it in her mouth, to lick up his shaft and suck his head into her mouth and feel it in the back of her throat.  She looks up at him, and he is looking away, suddenly blushing. Boyish and bashful, for just a minute. As if this, coming from her, has thrown him. And she remembers that this is new for him too – the two of them, like this. It lasts for only a moment, but it makes her heart ache.

“Look at me, Ben,” she says quietly. He meets her eyes, the smolder back in them now. “My god, you are the most amazing thing I have ever seen.” His mouth quirks.

“Isn’t that my line?” he says, teasing. Clearly deflecting her praise.

“No. No, I get to take care of you too now. And you need to know how perfect you are. How much I want you, just as much.”

And then his mouth is on hers again, hot and persistent, and his hands are back at her waist, pushing at the last of her clothing. She breaks away from the kiss and pushes at him to stand back so she can lift her hips and help him pull the leggings and panties down and off her.

“Holy shit,” he says. He’s mimicking her reaction to him, but from the look in his eyes, she’s not sure he even realizes it. And then he is back in her arms, kissing up her neck, biting at her ear. Whispering to her. “I’ve thought about you for so long. I’ve imagined what it would be like, to see all of you. For you to let me, to want me to. But my god, I could never have imagined how beautiful you would be.” He pushes against her, skin to skin for the first time, his hard length grinding against her core. They both hiss at the contact.

“Condom?” he rasps, and she points to the bedside drawer. She pulls herself farther up the bed as she watches him retrieve the condom and roll it down his shaft, then make his way back to her.

“Love,” he says, crawling between her thighs, his eyes on hers. “I want this to be perfect, but you have to tell me what you like, ok? If somethings not working, I need to know.”

She nods and pulls him down for a kiss, as he reaches down and angles himself into her, and then he is there, pushing inside, filling her.

“Fuck,” he says, lowly, seating himself fully inside her. “So warm and wet and perfect.”

“Oh,” she says, moaning as he starts to move inside her. She feels so full, and Ben is there, looking at her as he thrusts. Then he is kissing, nipping at every part of her he can reach. He pulls back, sitting up on his knees and watching the point where they are connected for just a moment before grabbing her hips and pulling her closer to him, angling upward as he lifts one of her legs up over her shoulder. He hits a spot inside her as he does, and her eyes shut.

“Fuck,” she says, trying to angle herself to the spot again.

“Their?” he asks, hitting the same angle again.

“Yes,” she says, “Fuck, yes, right there.”

He hits the spot again and she keens.

“But Ben, I –“ she starts to say, but loses her voice as his fingers, those gorgeous fingers that she has watched write, and paint, and hold the stem of a wine glass, are touching her again. Gently, at first, his thrusts slow and purposeful, in time with his hands as they stroke at her.

“I know,” he says. “I told you, I want to take care of you.”

She looks up and sees that he’s watching her, her reactions, her movements as he strokes. Then he looks up and catches her eyes, stilling.

“I’m going to make you come,” he says, voice husky. “But I need you to tell me if what I’m doing is good. If you’re getting close, if there’s something else you need.”

She nods, shakily. Just hearing him talk to her, in that voice, while he is inside of her, is doing things to her she can’t explain.

Then he is moving again, rocking into her body as he touches her, starting where their bodies are joined and moving up to her clit and circling there. Slower, than faster, building her up, the heat growing between them. It feels amazing and she loves all of it. But she’s not quite there. She’s never been good at asking for what she wants, what she needs.

“Tell me,” he says, kissing up the leg that he has over his shoulder.

“Talk to me,” she says. “I want to hear…” she can’t say exactly what she wants, but he understands.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he says. “Seeing you like this, naked, beneath me. I have thought about you in every fucking way, but none of it compares.”

She cannot help the sounds that come out of her now, whimpers when he pulls his fingers away from her clit, moans when he pushes them back up.

“Always so controlled, so collected for everyone else. I want this part of you. To see you lose all control. To watch you as you come, to feel you clench around my cock. I swear, I know already I’ll come with you, just from watching you, feeling you,” he moves his hand away, reaching for her own on the bed.

“Show me,” he says. She can hear the need in his voice. How hard he is trying to hold on to his own control. “Help me get you there love. I want to see what you like.” He pulls her hand with his own, back to where they are joined. Encouraging her movement with his fingers, following her lead. And then she is showing him, moving to her clit, rubbing and touching in the way that she knows will get her there. Her hips move, loving the friction, wanting more, desperate to mee his thrusts.

“Yes,” he praises. “Yes, fuck, so hot, so wet, so good.”

She pushes harder, feels him everywhere, inside her, around her. She is coiled so tight, about to snap. Then he turns his head, bites gently into her calf, and she is gone, crying out as waves of pleasure move through her body, tensing and arching and unable to stop.

“Fuck, yes,” he says, grasping at her hips now, canting his own, faster into her as she rides out the high. “I’m going to come so hard inside of you, fuck, I can’t –“ but then his body goes rigid, his cock pulsating inside of her, he says her name as he buries himself once more, riding out his own pleasure.

They both breath hard, slick and sweaty against each other, his head in the crook of her neck, his body over hers, holding his weight off her shakily.

“I..” she says, “that was, I didn’t know…”

He chuckles as he leaves light kisses on her collarbone, across her shoulder.

“Shh,” he whispers. “I’ve got you, love. I told you I would take care of you.”

He lifts his face to look into her eyes, sweeps the hair off her forehead.

“I’ve always got you, my always girl."

[darcytaylor]

Having now read some of the interviews with L the fandom's been talking about, I think I have an idea what the PR fuck up was aiming to do. He said all the Bridgiverse actors were in the selection pool for Bond, right? I think his team tried to give him a bit of an edge and throw him into the mix. If you think about it, he has the right look - line up all the past Bonds and tell me you don't see it, especially with some of the S3 hair. However, he doesn't have the right personality for it, and I think his team tried to manufacture something in that direction. He came across as too much of a cinnamon roll and too wholesome on tour with Nic. The final premiere was their last high profile opportunity where they could've done something like that and capitalized on the Netflix-generated hype. I think it was absolutely staged, I think L was a reluctant participant and ill-advised, and it was a misfire of epic proportions because his key audience perceived it as a diss instead of a pivot. It was gross and unnecessary either way. I think his reps need to stop trying to mold him into something he isn't and work with the person they have. Casting agents might be picking up on the discrepancy and not booking him.

This is a very interesting take, and a take that is definitely plausible. 

In all of the interviews I have read, Luke mentions wanting to do something a little darker (he had stated this multiple times). 

He has mentioned wanting to do a thriller, do something more action packed, or even take on a roll/biopic about a musician (and let’s face it, when movies are made about musicians they tend to be a bit darker and would give Luke the opportunity to use his vocal skills).

I have said multiple times that I think that Luke is trying to figure out his next career move, but ultimately figuring out and understanding who he is.

I think it is just as much Luke trying to mold himself into who he actually wants to be and is. His team would know this and try to cater situations to his advantage to let this happen. 

In the interview with High Life he mentioned that going into characters helps him discover a bit more about himself. So by taking on a completely different roll, I believe he thinks it will help him not only professionally but cement who he is personally.

I think because of the years of being onscreen portraying Colin and also the invasive promo tour (so many interviews being released daily), it was poor timing to try and portray someone that is opposite of the character you are promoting. While I do think diversifying is beneficial in his career, I think this may be a case of trying to do too much all at once and not letting what you have get a chance to simmer. 

What I think is kind of sad is that in part 2 of season 3 Colin as a character is darker, is pained. Bridgerton did showcase a broodier side to Luke’s acting skills and this alone could have allowed people to see that. But then the paparazzi walk kind of hindered that and made people focus on his personal life rather than his professional one (which I think is a shame). 

I want to also say that none of this may be true. This is all just me speculating and looking at actions and interviews. At the end of the day I know nothing about what’s actually going on. 

[roykleinberg]

Oh now you have me curious about your spicy takes! 👀

hooooo boy okay, some of this is about the franchise and some of this is about the fandom (which I love with all my heart okay please no one throw rocks at me lol)

90% of program/user ships give me the ick

continuing on the shipping train of thought, I don't actually find the Encom trio (Alan/Lora/Flynn) all that compelling as an ot3. and a lot of it is a personal pet peeve I've come across in a number of fandoms, but honestly most m/m/f ot3s feel like they're just a way for people to focus on the m/m dynamic while patting themselves on the back for "including" the female character instead of sidelining her completely........ even though said female character is rarely if ever a major contributor to the dynamic or a focus of whatever fanwork. but on a less meta side eye note I just find the perceived sexual component of Alan and Flynn's relationship to be the least compelling thing they could've had going on

and I know she's barely brought up in canon outside of Betrayal but uhm Jordan exists??? and perhaps it is an unpopular opinion but I would like to see more of her in things instead of relying on Lora to be the only human woman in the Tron universe

once again I might not be so harsh on Uprising if there was more to it, but taking it for what it is and how much of it exists -- a lot of the episodes were boring filler to me. also I don't like how they drew Tron

actually I don't like how Tron has been drawn in any rendered/animated media with the exception of maybe Kingdom Hearts

I don't think of Rinzler as a standalone character, and he's not at all interesting to me when removed from the fact that he is Tron with the serial numbers filed off. I feel like I've increasingly seen people portraying Rinzler as his own thing and it simply does not work for me. I think the whole point of his character / existence is that he doesn't have thoughts or feelings or any real personality of his own. he's a backflipping blank slate whose only real character moments are when Tron's overwritten personality peeks through

to that end I can't conceive of an ending where Tron or anyone around him would allow him to remain as Rinzler, and I can't imagine that Rinzler's capable of forming an autonomous opinion to not want to be Tron again

the fandom collective spends too much time talking about how hot the live action and animated men are and not enough time talking about how hot the Sirens are. or how hot Yori is especially in the deleted love scene. or how hot Paige is. or

Daft Punk (rightfully) gets a lot of hype for the Legacy soundtrack, but Wendy Carlos's soundtrack for 82 is unfairly slept on. love that those funky robots got to cameo, but we should be giving Carlos just as much credit for her work

for as much as it pains me to say it, I don't think Tron ever would've been a tentpole franchise for Disney even if they had treated it better. and it's mostly because of the sad fact that the general public has never been that into Tron. I see it tossed around a lot that Disney ditched Tron in favor of focusing on Star Wars and Marvel. A New Hope -- an original sci fi movie that had absolutely no brand recognition, so to speak -- made over $400 million in 1977. the original Tron made $50 million in 82. the first Iron Man movie -- which sure had comic fan recognition but was still a very early comic blockbuster -- in 2008 made over $500 million. Legacy made just over $400 million in 2010. and Disney advertised the shit out of Legacy, they didn't set it up to fail. yes it sucks that things like Uprising were dealt a bad hand (a garbage release schedule that lead to poor viewership that definitely killed the show), yes it sucks that capitalism impacts what art gets made, but the fact of the matter is that Tron has always had niche appeal, and niche appeal does not a successful franchise make. and while it'd be nice to live in the universe where Tron blew up, I look at what's become of Star Wars and Marvel and maybe I don't lament it all that much

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

Hi, I'm wondering if you've watched/read The Hunger Games and if so, what do you think it would be like in the world of Avatar? (I mean the district of the characters, who would be from the Capitol and who would be in the arena, etc.) I just came back from the movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Spider reminds me a lot of the character of Sejanus lol

Hello! I'm not the biggest Hunger Games fan to be honest. I think it just got over hyped for me. The series was everywhere back when I was in middle school. I read the first two book but I think they might have been above my reading level at the time so i didn't understand them very well back then. I saw movies one through three but I just didn't care enough to see Mockingjay part 2 so to this day I never have. None of this to say I disliked the series. I find a lot about it very interesting actually. And also while watching explainer videos on the Hunger Games series to refresh my memory on what happens to answer your ask, it kinda made me want to try reading the series again. Or at least watch all the movies. So thanks for possibly sparking a side obsession anon, lol.

Anyway I've got tones of ideas for this Au.

To start off with lets break down all the parent.

First off Quaritch and Paz are both from district 7. Quaritch came from a more wealthy carpentry family and Paz comes from the poorest section of district 7 the Yard. Quaritch was reaped for the Hunger Games when he was 15 and was an absolute monster, zeroing in on an ax placed in the cornucopia and immediately using it to butcher the careers. It was one of the fastest, most brutal Hunger Games on record.

His parents where so disgusted with him afterwards that they disowned him. Not that he cared. He had a sweet set up in the victors village. No neighbors, just complete and utter peace (accept for the constant memories of the hellish things he'd done that plagued his every sleepless night) He was forced to become a mentor after that. He did his best every year to try and help his charges survive. They just never did.

After some years of mentoring he met Paz Socorro. She was the daughter of two criminals who where long since passed leaving her an orphan of the yard. She didn't cry or scream like many other did when she was reaped. The seventeen year old held her head high, marched onto the stage and with a biting smirk said "this fucking sucks." Paz was charismatic as hell during her interview charming the Capital with her surprising wit and beauty for someone as low born as her. Quaritch was very impressed by not only this but her physical prowess as well. She was surprisingly strong, agile as hell, and well versed in poisonous flora and fauna. But only in front of him. During training she was weak and helpless, "pathetically" watching everyone else unable to do anything but look pretty for the cameras. She purposely tanks her training score (an act that drives Quaritch insane). No one sees her as a threat in the slightest. During the games she simply runs away, not bothering to take a single thing from the cornucopia. Instead she hides. She's so well hidden that even the camera have trouble finding her sometimes. She sneaks around her forest arena stealing useful objects off of dead bodies, watching her opponents from the shadows as they pick each other off. She analyzes her surrounding for things that can be useful as well. edible plants, drinkable water. And a nest of extremely venomous mutant spiders that she's very familiar with from back home. Luckily she also knows what plants they hate and makes a repellent so the spiders won't bite her. But they will attack the group of careers that are hunting her down before they start killing each other. She purposely leaves her tracks all the way to the spiders nest, disturbing them so they attack, doing most of her dirty work for her. For the last remaining tribute that only narrowly avoided the archaeid trap Paz brutally bludgeoned him to death with a large rock thus winning the games.

She moved into the victors village after that. President Snow tried to force Paz into prostitution much like Johanna Mason in the series but here she could basically just laugh in his face and tell him to fuck off. She was beloved by the Capital and had no family or friends that he could hold hostage or kill out of revenge. He had no power over her. And so Snow left waiting for the day when he could seek revenge against the woman the defied him. Paz lived alone for a long time. Her and Quaritch never really talked much until it had been a full ten years since her Hunger Games. Then she went up to him one day while he was woodworking in his backyard and in a voice that was surprisingly soft for such a brash woman asked, "does it ever get easier. living with the..."

"no." Quaritch answered. they started spending more time together after that slowly but surely building a bond neither ever believed themselves capable of after everything they'd been through.

Tonowari and Ronal are obviously from district 4 and competed in the games in different years, Tonowari at 15, Ronal at 17. They both managed to win in their respective games because the arena was aquatic themed in those years, giving them the advantage.

Next Grace, Jake, and Neytiri are all from district 11

Grace was 15 when she was in the Hunger Games, getting by in a similar way to Paz using her mind more than sheer force, setting deadly traps all over the arena that eventually lead to her victory. She became a mentor after that. She was there for Jake when he volunteered at 16. Jake comes from a wealthy family in the Estates in district 11. His father was a peacekeeper. Jake never planned on volunteering for the games and hoped his name would never be drawn but he alway tried to prepare for the possibility, keeping physically fit, training with his father's guns, and any other weapon he could get his hands on. If nothing else Jake could always become a peacekeeper like his father and excelle through the ranks with his skill. His twin brother Tom was never interested in such things. Said the odds where to low to worry about either of them ever being reaped. So it came as quite the shock to him when his name was called. Jake knew his brother would never be able to survive and so he volunteered to go instead. And the Capital loved him for it. Jake was great on camera, he earned a 7 training score, and got a lot of sponsors. He was able to win but the final fight was brutal. He delivered the finishing blow to career from district 2, right as the other guy stabbed a knife right through Jake's low back severing his spinal cord and instantly paralyzing him.

Neytiri was reaped and won at age 15, two year after Jake. Her older sister Sylwanin had been reaped and killed in the games a few year before and it had devastated her. She was terrifed of being reaped herself one day but couldn't let that fear take over her life. And so she trained. Her parents were extremely supportive not wanting to lose another child. Her father helping her make her bow, and would help her train in the dead of night, keeping watch for peacekeepers. Her mother taught her all about deadly flora and fauna. She was well prepared when they called her name. Neytiri amazed all of Panem with her ability with a bow and arrow, her animal like veracity, surprising stealth and impressive nature knowledge. She let most of the tributes pick each other off, carving out her own little territory to hide in the meantime, killing anyone that came close. In the end when there were only a few left she snuck up on them in the dead of night and went beast mode (I'm pretty much thinking about that scene from Way of Water)

When Neytiri got to the victors village Jake was immediately enamored by her. Neytiri wanted nothing to do with him. But much like Quaritch and Paz, Jake and Neytiri found it hard to relate to other after everything they'd been through and took solace in each other.

So fast forward some years to the kids.

A few months after Neytiri had Neteyam, Grace gave birth as well, but then seemingly died weeks later under mysterious circumstances, leaving her daughter Kiri an orphan. Jake and Neytiri had loved their mentor like a second mother so, didn't hesitate to adopt Kiri.

Given some of the names in the Hunger Games series, I'm going to say in this A.U Spider name is actually Spider, named after the thing that kept his mother alive. And while Spider was dearly loved by his parents, secretly Quaritch and especially Paz freaked out over his birth. They had agreed not to have kids not because they didn't want them, but because they didn't want them used against them. Paz always feared that Snow would come and harm or kill her only son in retribution for her defiance so many years ago. Quaritch just didn't want to see his only child die in the games. And so from the moment he could walk Spider is prepared for the games. His parents drill into his head to never volunteer but he is ready if worse comes to worse.

The Sully's do the same with there kids. So when Neteyam gets reaped at age 14 the family is gutted but knows he has what it takes to survive. Neytiri goes to the capital with him as his mentor. And the citizens of the Capital are obsessed. They love the "legacy champion" and eat up every moment that mother and son are together. Which gives Snow ideas. Neteyam wins but he's different when he comes back, traumatized by the games, but still manages to put on a brave face for his younger siblings.

The next year Kiri is reaped. Neytiri and Jake have to fight to not have break down on camera. It's like they're cursed or something with how many family members have been selected for the games.

Over in district 7 Spider is also reaped for the games. Quaritch actually did have to restrain Paz from freaking out, covering her mouth to stop her from accusing Snow of rigging the raffle. Quaritch goes with Spider as his mentor just like Neytiri is Kiri mentor. The Capital goes absolutely feral for this match up. Quaritch and Neytiri are squaring up every chance they get. Meanwhile Spider and Kiri become fast friends. They sneak out at night to see each other, spend all of their time in training together. During interviews they gush about their friendship, and if the people of the Capital where feral before, they were absolutely crazy for this relationship.

The two stick to each other like glue in the games, never going after anybody, just hiding, talking, making the best out of there very bad situation. Spider promises that if it comes down to the two of them that he'll eat poison berries so she could live. Kiri refuses insisting that she'll be the one to die not him. Finally it gets down to the two of them and they decided, fuck it. If they both ate the berries then no one would win and that would surely piss off the powers that be. So they traverse back to the cornucopia find their camera, intertwine their arms and pop the poison into each others months. The game masters quickly announce that they both win and Spider and Kiri spit out the poison before it can do them harm.

Their parents are pissed that their kids would roll the dice like that but are also relieved that they're alive. Snow is livid that he was outsmarted by a couple of teenagers. And the Capital is completely off it's shits with how much they loved the out come (like have ever seen footage of Philadelphia Eagles fans going crazy after their superbowl win? (if not your in for a wild google search) the Capital basically does this over Spider and Kiri)

Fast forward to the next Hunger Games. The 75th Hunger games. Where the twist is that previous winners will be the ones being reaped like in the book, but other victors, or the family members of the ones being reaped can volenteer to go in there place.

So the line up goes:

In district 4 Tonowari gets reaped but his son Aonung volunteers to go in his place, wanting to prove he's a mighty warrior. Ronal volunteers as the female tribute to protect her son.

In district 7 Paz is the only living female tribute so she knew she was going no matter what. Spider's name is called in the reaping. The family anticipated this and agreed that Quaritch wouldn't volunteer to go in his son's place. They've got bigger plans and need him on the outside.

In district 11 Kiri is reaped again but Neytiri volunteers in her place. Jake is also reaped but Lo'ak volunteers, like Aonung wanting to prove himself, especially compared to his siblings.

The citizens of the Capitol feel like they're getting a five course meal. The drama, the family dynamics, the tragedy about to unfold all from beloved past champions. It's all too much, especially since Snow insists that they all bring their whole families, to be paraded around in extravagant outfits at lavashish parties before the absolute slaughter fest.

What the kids don't know is that all the parents are in on a rebellion plan. Jake was the first to be contacted by a mystery person from district 13. It took awhile to convince him that it was real but once he was he started recruiting others, first Ronal and Tonowari, then Paz who convinced Quaritch. Aonung and Lo'ak volunteering threw a couple wrenches into their plan but they were able to pivot.

The moms are tasked with putting on a show, teaming up to not only protect their sons, but two tributes from district 3 Norm and Trudy who are in on the rebellion and are the ones who will destroy the forcefield so they can all be rescued. The mom's hunt down anyone who's both not in on the rebellion, and eager to actually participate in the games.

This is about where I'm going to end it since I don't really know the details of the final book, i just know how it ends. I don't really have an idea of who would be captured following the escape and who would get out of the arena safely. I was building to Grace basically being the Coin in this A.U but not evil in the end, because Grace would never suggest a Hunger Games with Capital children. But yeah sorry if the ending is a little lackluster here. Please share with me your thoughts or ideas of where to take this A.U. I'm really excited to hear what you all think and hope you enjoyed! 💙

[butmakeitgayblog]

Well, like one idea I had was a TBoSBaS au where Clarke is Lexa’s capital mentor. It would follow (mostly) the plot from the movie, but obviously a little bit of a different ending… or not. I love angst but Clarke would never hurt Lexa 😅 I just liked the idea of them falling in love so fast and sneaking a kiss in before the games started and how the angsty POV of Lexa would be after she won and was sent home not knowing what happened to Clarke, or if she was safe or not, etc. I have a lot more like this, some that lend to one shots or could be longer, and ones that would definitely make a good full length story. I just don’t have the… skill?? To write something as long as like your CoA story is, as much as I’d like to. I think I would get frustrated super fast and give up by all the structure I’d need.

I need you to know it took me and Sam putting our collective double digits IQ together and approximately 3 minutes of frowning at this ask to finally figure out what that stood for (literally it took me going "... capital mentor..." for her to have a lightbulb moment and screech "THE HUNGER GAMES" and then we put the pieces together 🥴)

Anywayyyyy

If you can't tell by that embarrassing anecdote, I have not seen that movie yet 😬. What uhhhh what other ideas ya got lol

But also listen, dude. Dude. Listen.

You can write it. As in, don't just assume you can't simply because you don't have faith in yourself. When I wrote CoA I had never written a piece of fiction in my life. I literally went into it thinking, "Well nobody is gonna read this, it's going to die in the archive, and I'll probably get bored after a few chapters anyway and let it die myself. But meh, I feel like getting some of these ideas out so, might as well."

And now look at the chaos that is my ao3

I'm just saying, if you have an idea that you're passionate about, don't write yourself off before even giving yourself the chance. And genuinely, feel free to message me if you want to just talk about it or run through ideas, get opinions, need a hype woman - whatever. My inbox is open 💕

[sapphire-weapon]

I’m getting so hyped for RE9 now. I know to take every rumor VERY lightly, but God, I need more RE stuff to get hyped about. I really hope it’s a Leonfest. It’s been too long since we’ve seen what he’s up to (in universe). When will he return from war…

i can't believe they've let it go this long tbh. i was shocked when 8 was a continuation of 7, because it fucked up the numbering convention of leon being in every even-numbered game. so when DG said years ago that village was originally a spinoff that got made into RE8 because of other development delays, i was like

okay so

maybe they'll release a movie to get everyone up to speed with what everyone else is doing???

but then ID took place in 2006?? and DI was a sequel to vendetta??

and i was like what the fuck are they doing

because now it's been so long it's like we've completely lost touch with the entire rest of the world, lore, and cast outside of chris and the winters family -- to the point where it almost feels like the rest of the cast and the other institutions have been abandoned.

but after DI being so ensemble-focused and after i heard bawk say that RE9 would be a jill game, i was tentatively like... ok mite b cool. the implication here is that jill is doing something separately from chris, that could be interesting.

and then when DG went "no leon actually" i just

despite my better judgment

went

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

and it's not even really about leon so much as it is that i'm just ready for RE to feel like RE again, because 7 and 8 were not what i expected or wanted or enjoyed from the series. and if we stay focused on chris for a third game in a row, RE continues to lose more and more of its identity in terms of being an ensemble cast series of stupid wacky bullshit that's only loosely connected by hyper late-stage capitalism destroying the world's society because billionaires decided to go "what if monsters actually."

like i want RE9 to be a leon game for his own sake, but i also want it to be him because it'll re-broaden the scope of the world and make it feel like RE again by pulling in characters that aren't directly connected to just one continuous source of drama.

[thechaoticreader]

Popular Books I Read and HATED

*Disclaimer: If you like any of these books, slay! I'm happy for you! These are just my own consumer choices, and imo negative book reviews are just as helpful as positive ones!*

This list is not long because I don't actively dislike many books that I read, and I have a very good sense of what I will and will not like, but there are some I had to read/were misled into reading so here we go:

1. Tender Is The Flesh

by Agustina Bazterrica

My rant review is above if you want more details but recently I've seen a few videos that articulate my feelings in a way that I couldn't before so im going to add a few reasons here that were not included in the original post:

It gave very Qanon and general antisemitic vibes: i.e blatant conspiracy made up by the "wealthy liberal elites" to encourage cannibalism for their own enjoyment (I know she's Argentinian however that doesn't mean im not allowed to get the ick from it)

Purposefully inaccurate depictions of meat industry and disrespect for farmers (context: im a vegetarian from farm country with a roommate who works in the cattle industry - Angus beef if you're curious - so im very familiar with the process and cannot say in good conscious that it is all bad -> just support local farmers <3)

world building makes little sense

COWS DO NOT EQUATE TO HUMANS NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO !!!!!!!!

the "disease" doesn't make sense (even if its made up who would believe it)

No themes were treated with the depth nor nuance they require (capitalism, feminism, veganism etc.)

I think thats all I haven't covered but this is the only book I have ever read where my hatred of it continues to grow with each day. I went out of my way and deleted it from my reader and get annoyed every time I see it. And for the record (because yes i'm salty) I didn't hate it because it was too disturbing, in fact I've read and loved worse and ive been an avid horror reader since I was (admittedly too) young. I hate it because there wasn't a well done story underneath the gore. I'll say it loudly for the people in the back GORY HORROR BOOKS STILL DESERVE A GOOD/INTERESTING STORY, especially if you want to try to put complex themes in it. If you cannot write a deep story but you're good at and enjoy gore, write yourself a lil 100 page splatter punk and we can all have a good time <3

Unlike with Tender Is The Flesh I don't have a ton of thought out critical reasons for the rest of these soooooo I'm going to give my highly subjective reasons -> I totally understand why some like them <3

2. The Handmaids Tale

by Margaret Atwood

hated the writing style

It didn't keep my attention

disliked the ending so much I actually threw it across the room <3

3. The Hobbit

by J.R.R Tolkien

hated the writing style

male centered fantasy is not my vibe

my ADHD cannot handle long incredibly descriptive sections in books -> I physically fell asleep multiple times while reading this book

honestly even with the movie I fall asleep every time

0/10 book I want to read

10/10 bedtime story

4. Lord of The Flies

by William Golding

hated the writing style

hated most of the characters (and not in a slay anti-hero way)

was forced to read it in high school and it single handedly sent me into a 4 year reading slump... I missed so many good books because of this and will forever hold a grudge

5. Romeo & Juliet

By William Shakespeare

I'm too jaded and gay to enjoy this -> every single character is so painfully stupid

tbh im just bitter that his (imo) better plays get less love than this one, its way over hyped

but I will give it points for boring me so much that I wrote my first fanfic (Romeo x Mercutio if you're curious ... no its not posted anywhere and it never will be <3)

sidenote -> Shakespeare plays I love incl:

Hamlet (duh im a depressed emo gay on Tumblr)

Macbeth (also duh, witches and female manipulator... need I say more)

Othello (a slow burn for the true crime girlies)

Measure for Measure (absolutely underrated, please please please look into this play -> I saw a production of it and it was incredible)

[jenyifer]

Dead Friend Forever Ep 6 initial reaction

I held my breath all episode it was so stressful I barely got any screen shots but I’m ready to talk about it!!

Photos review time

Por is such a fucking brat. Not surprised though. He can’t do anything on his own. I do feel bad for Fluke trying to be his friend probs a childhood friend problem. The live stream is also interesting how would Phee White and Tan not have heard of this movie? Seems like there was a scandal around it and then the movie didn’t air sooo….

Non 😭 of course he’s a good student wish he told the teacher about what was going on because man he is in some deep shit.

All the original ghosts had diff masks. Could also be plan was to completely cover up what had happened 3 years ago so one of the older kids Murdered uncle Dang cause he had seen Non before. The movie made me feel a little car sick.

Oh so Jin only finds Non attractive. He wants to smash and there are no other thoughts about it. Probs just wants to lose his cherry already.

We know his uncle does go to jail from the news paper article so is Non going to tell the police? He should? Idk how the legal system works there.

Tee is also in an impossible situation him and Por and Top should take down his uncle. But I get it Tee’s dad is sick and Tee is already in too deep.

I like the dad was trying to help. But poor Non having to deal with this.

I KNEW IT!!! Yes. Looks good. Good way to capitalize on kinnporsche hype. So Phee is going to kill Jin then. I wonder if we are going to see Tan and White. Idk how Tee could have kept his uncle a secret from White.

What would I do?

If I was Non I’d confess to the police and his parents.

The other ones idk I won’t want to keep doing this movie. Seems a little too much work and they have so many eyes on them.

[colorisbyshe]

i rly gotta blacklist barbie because when i said it was weird to hype up an airbnb just because someone temporarily painted it pink to promote a movie, got yelled at because i called airbnb predatory (it is) and because “temporarily painting a mansion pink just to renovate the entire thing a month or two isn’t that wasteful in the scheme of the entire planet” as in “rich people have wasted more, so it isn’t a big deal”

the barbie promo reeks of capitalism and like… hyper consumerism worse than any film in recent memory like it’s worse than transformers which also only exists to sell toys

and everyone is being extra obnoxious about it. like i’ve been trying so hard to not be a fucking hater but it feels like the ~bimbo feminism meets the ~no such thing as ethical capitalism therefore buy whatever you want feminism, both of which were BAD

like… please can this film come out already

[theskeletoninthegarden]

Willow (1988) was a movie I missed by several decades, that said despite its flaws I enjoyed and was charmed by it enough that when it was given a sequel in the form of a television series (2022) I immediately jumped on the hype band wagon.

I loved the show; the easy to digest but nostalgic story, the high fantasy chic meets modern day aesthetic in it's fashion and music a la A Knights Tale (2001), and it's, most of all, endearing cast. A cast that clearly loved enjoying working on the project as a whole, from start to finish.

Immediately upon completion the viewer is granted the beautiful image of a promise of not only an additional season to come, but a third.

And yet six months after it airs, it's axed by Disney execs. Not only axed, but cut from the platform entirely. The movie remains, but there are no significant dividends to pay there. No checks to sign of reasonable note. No young actors with entire careers ahead of them using the profits deserved to them to further launch their careers. No action figures or posters or asterix pointing you to the footnotes. I search for the show, for some mention of it's short life and quick death, and it's buried under reports of yet more projects, completed, promised projects, cut down before their prime. Worst still, before they see the light of day at all.

I want to watch Willow. I want to begrudgingly accept using Disney Plus to watch Willow if only it means marveling in it again, knowing that maybe at the very least these people are getting something in return. Notoriety on a big streaming platform, if fucking anything. A chance to be seen and to be loved and at least witnessed by someone else who can carry it in their heart until their heart can yearn no longer.

Growing up I hated finishing stories, because it meant the stories were done. There was nothing new to be found there, only the calm comfort of something known, familiar, and thus the end of the electric excitement of something unknown. Now I yearn for endings, because is that not what a story deserves? A resolution? Certainty of, if not something happy, then something complete? Is that itself not a relief, and thus a certain kind of happiness?

There is an immortality to be found only in the words of a complete story. A certain legacy set in stone. Those that draw short too soon, that go on ad infantum due to the sick draw of capitalism and this seemingly endless need to consume, results not in stone but sludge, not fit for flowers to feast on.

[rollercoasterwords]

everytime i think about how many bonus holidays americans get i am so in awe

like what do you mean you are doing halloween already??? does this mean you are already in the Silly Season?? And where does thankgiving come into all this???

lmao yeah the us goes kinda crazy w the holidays…i mean tbf it’s mostly the capitalism like it’s just companies wanting 2 market things and like. it’s also somewhat subjective like when i say it’s “halloween season” here rn what i mean is stores already have a bunch of halloween themed products etc and u can go 2 like. haunted houses and stuff that r usually running throughout the month but beyond that it’s just me being excited + having an excuse 4 extra scary movie nights + buying fun halloween themed snacks etc…planning a costume w my sister 4 the halloween parties we’re attending at the end of the month & so on

as for thanksgiving i feel like there’s slightly less hype just bc it’s sandwiched between halloween + xmas which everyone goes hard for…that might be subjective tho idc abt thanksgiving personally so i’m not in like the thanksgiving spirit or whatever lmao. like there’s def marketing etc that starts in november 4 thanksgiving but it tends 2 overlap w xmas marketing bc that starts so early…

[danielfeketewrites]

Some "Across the Spider-verse" thoughts.

SPOILER WARNING

Also - there's gonna be quite a lot of rambling.

Into the Spider-verse is my favourite superhero movie. It's also my favourite animated movie. And my favourite movie of 2018. So, yeah, I was pretty hyped for this...

And I have to say - Across the Spider-verse did not disappoint.

It's stylish, gorgeous, creative, and full of energy. I'm in love with this film.

But is it my favourite movie of the year, the same way Into the Spider-verse was? I dunno. It could be. But the first Spider-verse film was a complete package. Unfortunately, this one doesn't really have an ending. I really feel like I can't properly evaluate it without seeing the full picture.

So it might be my favourite film of 2023. But I'm going to find that out in 2024, when I see Beyond the Spider-verse.

With that out of the way...

I WISH TO BE HALF AS COOL AS HOBIE FUCKIN' BROWN, AKA SPIDER-PUNK, AKA THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS FILM

When he first makes his appearance, I though: "Oh, this is where Hobie and Miles get territorial about Gwen." And then they... Just don't. It was so goddamn refreshing to see Hobie actually being supportive of Miles. I dunno what kind of relationship Hobie and Gwen actually have, but I think that Hobie's approach to relationships is as anarchic as his approach to, well, everything else. In my headcannon, he's non-hierarchically polyamorous, or maybe just outright into relationship anarchy.

I obviously also love Spider-punk's art-style. Cutout animation mixed with collage - it's a bit like Monty Python animations but more manic energy.

I love that he says stuff like: "It's a metaphor for capitalism"... Which is exactly the kind of stuff I say. But he also just has a way with words.

I love that he's so fervently anti-establishmentarianist. I love that he just makes his own "watch" from the stuff he nicks at the HQ, which he then gives Gwen. I love that he supports Miles in trying to change the canon of his own story.

He's the best.

The canon stuff brings us to the next thing I wanna talk about.

This film is about gatekeeping. Miguel's definition of who should be a Spider-man doesn't include Miles.

I love how the film dismantled the backlash against Miles.

Also, the fixed points for the Spider-People being called canon events is hilarious and I love it to bits.

Uuuh... That's about it for now, those are my main thoughts atm. Overall, I loved Across the Spider-verse, I just want it to have an ending. March 2024 better come real soon.

I hate the AM, I hate the PM.