#cathy watches star wars

[maulthots]

Star wars could be so good if it was good.

[dumbbitchenergy17]

BTS: Where the Wild Things Are

Plot: An audition leads to unforgettable moments on a hit show.

Word Count: 6.3K

Pairing: Paul Mescal x Reader

Warnings: fake fight scene, protective Paul and Pedro, fluff, potential spoilers to Where the Wild Things Are [read here]

—————

The cityscape was something you welcomed, honking traffic, people shouting in the streets, and the chaos and beauty that came from living in New York. Your partner on the other hand was still adjusting, having moved in about 4 months ago. In that time so much has occurred, hosting SNL, attending premieres for films you both starred in as well as attending award shows that you had the honor of presenting an award at one. The most recent event that passed was the Met Gala and your birthday was now on the latest agenda. You hear the front door unlock over the light music and traffic from outside before clicking shut.

“I got bagels for the birthday girl,” Paul calls out coming from the entryway to find you curled up on the couch watching Hannibal the last show on your binge list. He comes from behind the sofa and you pause to lean back and look at him upside down as he gives a charming smile.

“How was your run babe?” You ask accepting the sweet kiss he gives before coming around easily sinking into the couch. His headphones around his neck, he’s dressed in a cap, a sleeveless t-shirt, and those shorts he loves.

“I found this runner’s route about 3 miles and got to see some of the sights around here before I got hungry for food,” He says while pulling out the two sandwiches, “Made sure it was an everything bagel before I left.” He passes yours over you smile quickly feasting on the treat.

“Wow my order is finally right, it’s a birthday miracle.” You tease and he rolls his eyes eating his sandwich.

“Ran into these two nice girls as I was leaving and got a picture they also said happy birthday. I was surprised they even recognized me.” He comments and you poke with your free hand his bare sweaty thigh.

“It’s those damn shorts, they’re a magnet to any Paul Mescal fan in a 20-mile radius.” Since he moved into your cozy apartment in Greenwich Village those shorts have become a staple in his New York City lifestyle. You’ve never seen more paparazzi photos of him in shorts since he moved here.

He smirks leaning close to you, “Are these shorts a magnet to you?” He flirts as he raises a brow only making you snort. The moment is cut off by your phone ringing seeing it is a call from your agent. Paul groans at the name, “Don’t they know it’s your birthday that means no work.”

“Oh hush, they’re probably calling to say happy birthday,” You say getting up to enter the home office. You knew most likely it was that but also something you’ve been sorta keeping from Paul and also Pedro and Bella. So during that interview, the year prior involving a certain video game that had a book it was mentioned of a potential fan-casting involving you. You joked about being involved just to appease the fans of the hit show. It was only after the Emmys with your win that news came out of the hit video game book Where the Wild Things Are was being adapted into a spin-off series from The Last of Us. Immediately the world blew up, with fan-casting and speculations of when what, and who. You were excited to see a novel you enjoyed being adapted but it was only when you got an email sent from your agent and told to record a self-tape that you recognized the scene and what was being asked of you. That was a month ago when you sent in the tape and it was only this week you heard back that you got the job. Luckily Paul was busy with his projects and promotions so it was easy to be at virtual meetings or having to fly out to LA for negotiations with The Last of Us team and your team under the guise of negotiation for the latest Star Wars film you were meant to start in.

“Hey Cathy,” You answer while closing the office door behind you.

“Happy birthday Y/n I hope you’re enjoying your day,” She greets you.

“It’s been good relaxing, definitely mentally preparing myself for whatever Paul and Pedro have planned for tonight.” That makes her laugh. It was good with everyone in the city for the Met Gala they planned to remain for your birthday. It was all planned out with spending the day with your childhood friends the day before as a pre-celebration. You weren’t sure what they had planned but with Pedro involved it could only be as crazy as your twenty-first.

“Well be safe tonight, but I just got off the phone with Jeanine. She says Craig and Neil are all good on their end with the paperwork. We’ll send you an email in regards to obtaining your script and any upcoming schedule. News of your casting will be drafted up soon to be published,” She says and you smile, “But tonight enjoy your night with your friends and family.”

“Thank you so much, Cathy. Guess now is a better time than ever to tell them I auditioned and got it.” You hear her gasp on the other line.

“You haven’t told them you auditioned?!” You shrink pacing the office looking over the collage you have on the wall at your desk. Photos of your friends and family, but also photos on sets, from your earliest projects to even now. Your favorite is of you and Paul in Malta exploring the city together. You had tried getting a nice photo of the two of you until a kind couple offered to take it for you. You guys weren’t even looking at the camera as it's taken mid-laughter, your head thrown back mid-laugh while Paul has a cheesy grin having just told a joke to get you to smile.

“I was gonna tell them when I knew I got a callback, then it just felt right to surprise them. So now here we are, I’m gonna see them all tonight so best time to tell them.” You say with a laugh and you hear her sigh on the other end.

“Well enjoy your night and congrats again!”

When your friends and family let your boyfriend and second father-figure to plan your birthday you had to know they had something crazy planned. When you first got with Paul your birthday was only shortly after you made it official so you didn’t do anything insane with him. You guys had a nice dinner with live music together and he got you a gift card to one of your favorite stores. But with you know a year together and knowing each other you’re not sure what he has in mind.

It was immediately swept away by your glam team who completely pampered you with your favorite rituals, cocktails, and Frank Ocean. Elvira keeps your hair in its natural style leaving it down, René creates this sultry look with accents of pink glitter across your lids.

“Guys what hell,” You gasp when Juliano reveals a gorgeous pink set from Brielle that you’ve been dying to wear, from the lace leggings, the asymmetrical mini skirt, the off-the-shoulder gloved top with squared jewels as the button of the opening at your wrists and on the skirt, to the scarf with a large gem buckle. Even down to a new pair of shoes that match perfectly.

“Don’t look at us, this is all your lovely boyfriend’s doing we just made sure it was in your measurements,” Juliano says and your eyes start watering up about to cry.

“No! None of that I just did a sickening eyeliner just for you to ruin it!” René scolds you fanning your tears away and you force yourself to suck them back.

“I’m sorry okay,” You take a deep breath before giving a big smile, “I’m all good I swear no tears I promise.”

The three of them pull you into a hug, “Alright go get dressed, enjoy tonight!” Juliano says pressing kisses to your cheeks.

You give them all looks, “You have any idea what those two have planned?” They all give devilish smiles completely aware.

“We have been sworn to secrecy for this,” Elvira locks her mouth before throwing away the key. You groan making the three laugh before they all head out to let you get dressed. Deciding to add a pair of square diamonds to match the whole ensemble when you hear a knock on the door.

“Come in,” You call out seeing from the reflection Paul enters freshly showered and dressed in a casual black suit the first few buttons undone. You can see him drinking up your appearance as he slowly stalks over as you put in one of your earrings.

“Hi, handsome.” You smile as his hands rest your hips pressing featherlight kisses across your shoulder slowly creeping up to your neck. “Thank you for the outfit.” He just hums continuing his path of kisses you hear him inhale slightly the scent of your perfume as you put your other earring in.

“I kinda regret planning this whole elaborate birthday night,” He mutters into your skin and you can feel his body heat against your back fully pressing up against you wrapping you up in his arms, “Just wanna rip these clothes off and give your birthday gift.” He bites at the crook of your neck drawing a gasp mixed with a laugh from you.

“Down boy,” You spin in his arms leaning against your dresser letting your fingers twirl the curls at the base of his neck, “As much as I would enjoy your gift. I intend to take this pretty outfit out at least once to celebrate my birthday with our friends and family before you quote ‘rip these clothes off’ end quote.” That makes Paul chuckle pressing a kiss to your lips before sighing and resting his forehead on your shoulder.

“Fine let’s go see all our friends and make you happy,” He grabs your hand and guides you out of your apartment.

You laugh as you follow after your sulking boyfriend, “Don’t act like you’re not gonna enjoy whatever crazy shit you and Pedro planned.” You're unsure whether to be excited or scared about what they have planned.

It started with a nice dinner just between the two of you. Nothing too crazy a simple romantic dinner with a drink or two. You were getting nervous as the night continued letting Paul lead you through the streets constantly glancing at his watch for the time.

“You’re making me nervous, Paul, " you say as you cross the street, your heels clacking against the pavement. You hold his arm, guiding him out of the way of other people walking, his gaze glued to his phone.

“We’re here!” He stops abruptly in front of a building that looks very pretty. He leans you inside before speaking briefly to the receptionist who scans you in before entering an elevator and pressing the roof floor.

“Paul, what do you have planned?” You give him a questioning look as the floor number increases and he only gives a bright smile.

“Don’t worry,” He presses a kiss to your temple as you reach the top floor exiting and are immediately bombarded by loud confetti cannons go off as you both turn the corner.

“Surprise!” A chorus of people shocked to see so many people there, your family, college friends, coworkers, actor friends, and people from all aspects of your life. The entire place is decked out in decorations, an open bar, and a DJ playing your favorite songs. There’s a cheesy grin on your face spotting Pedro beside Oscar Issac with party blowers in their mouths. A good portion is reuniting with people you haven’t seen over music and drinks, finally making your way to your core group. Bella practically tackles you with a hug most definitely a few drinks.

“Happy birthday gorgeous,” They cheese and you return an exactly as bright one.

Pedro quickly gives a bear hug pressing a kiss to your temple. “Happy birthday chiquita.”

Bella claps their hands, “Wait picture!” they pull their phone out and you roll your eyes striking a peace sign while Pedro gives a kissy face. Paul stands beside Bella laughing at your antics. The beginning of ‘Thinkin' Bout You’ by Frank Ocean comes on and you grin.

“I love this song,” You start dancing but Bella shakes their head.

“No hold still the last one was blurry,” Holding up their phone you return to your pose with Pedro, how you didn’t spot the mischievous looks on their faces until it was too late.

“A tornado flew around my room before you came,” Frank Ocean's live voice comes through the speakers and your jaw drops. Immediate laughter from them and cheers from those around you as you whip around to see the DJ booth behind you. “Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn't rain in South California.” There he was in all his glory Frank fucking Ocean singing at you.

“Holy Shit!” You scream fangirling at this point. You cover your face with your hands in shock, feeling someone come from behind pulling your hands down.

“Happy birthday,” Paul whispers in your ear, pressing a kiss. You’re glad he held you as you sang along, or you probably would’ve collapsed. You’re practically floating once he finishes, wishing you a happy birthday, hugging you, and taking a picture! Fourteen-year-old you can die happily now.

“How the fuck did you do that,” You ask still in awe cradling the custom birthday cocktail made for you. They had pulled out all the stops.

“Pedro cashed in a favor to Omar who’s friends with him,” Paul says and you spot Pedro over with his singer friend Omar Apollo who is speaking to Frank.

“Paul this is insane…like this has to be the best birthday ever.” You say.

Oscar comments in passing, “Better than your twenty-first?” That makes you burst out laughing. The infamous 21st birthday was one in the history books even if you have zero memory of it, only videos and photos serve as it.

“Seriously this is ridiculous. I love you so much.” You kiss him and he doesn’t reject answering it in kindness.

With more music and drinking the party was well celebrated but soon winded down with your core group and family there. You were sorting through the gifts received as music plays.

“Shut up P, the fuck is this?” You laugh holding what looks like a bouquet but instead of flowers, it is gift cards taped onto sticks.

“A bouquet of gift cards duh,” He says while sipping his beer, “All your favorite places from father number 2.” That makes your parents laugh and your father claps Pedro’s shoulder.

You put the gift off to the side, “Thank you, Pedro these will be gone in the week.” Paul rubs circles on your shoulder as you lean into him.

“I have something for you as well,” You look at him surprised.

“Paul you're kidding, right? You’ve already done so much tonight.” He shakes his head getting up.

“You’re my girlfriend. You think I’m not going to get you a gift. Now close your eyes” he says before heading off behind you. Bella and your sister make gagging noises and your mother shushes them.

“Paul if it’s a dog or something like that. I am not ready to be a mother,” your comments make the others laugh. Paul's chuckle comes close again and you hear the clunk of something resting on the outdoor coffee table.

“Okay open.” Opening your eyes you see a case immediately recognizing the familiar shape.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Paul teases as you frantically fumble to open the latches with your gloves revealing a gorgeous caramel acoustic guitar. Pulling the guitar out of the case someone moves it to the side looking over how beautiful it is.

“This is exactly what I wanted.” You look over at Paul with teary eyes and he swipes a stray one before it falls, “Thank you.” You pull him into a hug and you hear your mother coo to your father at the two of you.

“That's so sweet of you Paul.” She smiles as you pluck at the strings already in tune.

“Funny enough, I have something to tell you all,” you say resting the guitar to the side. A bit of nervousness crosses your face being around your closest people.

“You're pregnant.” Your sister blurts out making your parents gasp, Bella’s eyes widen, Pedro half spits out his drink and Paul chokes on his.

“No!” You see those all around you sag in relief, “I am very much not pregnant you just saw me drink all night.”

“Oh yeah.” Your sister nods forgetting that key detail.

“Like I was saying,” You give her a look before continuing, “I’ve been holding onto this news for a bit waiting for the right moment and if it was all confirmed. I auditioned for a television series and they hired me as the lead.”

“Oh sweetie that’s great.” Your mother squeezes your hand and your father nods in agreement.

“That’s amazing kid,” Pedro says and Bella nods excitedly.

Paul squeezes your arm a wide grin on his face. “That’s incredible babe.”

“What show is it?” Your sister asks those around you nodding in wonder. You try to suppress a grin as you speak.

“It’s an HBO series…called The Last of Us: Where the Wild Things Are.”

There’s a beat of silence before absolute chaos.

“We’re gonna be working together?!” Bella jumps up and down shaking a shell-shocked Pedro’s arm.

“You’re gonna be a part of The Last of Us. Oh my god, my friends are gonna freak,” Your sister screeches. Your father tries calming her down.

Your mother cries, “Oh my god honey that’s wonderful,”

Paul is just staring at you who has a sly grin across your face. “It worked out getting the guitar. I was gonna buy one to start practicing.” You shrug smugly and he just laughs shaking his head.

Your family’s reaction to the news was well-received; once it was revealed to the public, it was an explosion in media. The other projects worked on leading up to the shooting were filled with questions about this spin-off show from such a hit series. It was stressful once you got to shooting balancing being in Calgary and then flying down to California for The Mandalorian and Grogu but your team made it all possible. While you already knew some of the cast through Pedro and Bella, working on it was a completely different experience. The crew and cast were all so welcoming having these new components added to their production.

“This is weird,” Pedro says when he sees your new hair for the first time. You flash him a look. “I’m not going to be able to recognize you with your new hair.” You laugh alongside your hairstylist as she tweaks some flyaways.

“I hope you can recognize me I’m meant to be your daughter,” Craig and Neil had reached out on your opinion about dying your hair to make Pedro minus the grey aging and you had been completely on board. You weren’t concerned about getting your hair to that dark brown that would match your co-star and were honestly excited about the transformation.

“How has Paul reacted to this change? " he asks as you head to the wardrobe together.

“He likes it, definitely pushed the allegations of me being your long-lost child,” You say with a laugh and Pedro gives a concerned look.

“I don’t think I could’ve handled a child at twenty-five I could barely handle myself.” He has the most concerned look on his face just imagining being a father and you laugh.

You see two men before you one you recognize as the man you let go, Trevor or whatever the fuck his name was. The other next to him you’ve never seen but the two did look like similar brothers maybe. The revolver is aimed at the Travis guy you do know and you see the older man raise his rifle at you while the man with the gun pointed at him makes no move with his own. “I fucking told you I would kill you if I saw you again.” You hiss trying to shift your weight letting a hiss from the burning pain in your side. Thomas looks down at your side and sees your hand pressed against its blood soaking the fabric.

“You’re hurt.” He takes a step forward and your finger rests on the trigger while the other man has a clear shot at you, “Drop the gun girl.” The older man hisses and you barely glance at him as you speak.

“You’re in my fucking house dickwad don’t tell me shit.” You say before you open the chamber showing there are no bullets left, “If you’re here to get your shit back, it’s all gone or used to kill this fuckers.” You wave the empty gun to show the damaged room and the two bodies that are with you.

“Like I said before, get the fuck out of here and let me die in peace. Better yet toss me a bullet and let me finish the job.” You spat leaning your head back against the wall, waiting to hear them leave or maybe give you a way to bite the bullet.

At that moment you shift, acting as if you were bleeding out when your back seizes and you’re unable to hide the true pain.

“Holy fuck my back is seizing,” You yelp, and Pedro and Gabriel break and you can hear the laughter from the crew and camera team. “Y’all this isn’t fucking funny I’m literally dying.” You hear Craig yell cut and Pedro comes over to your hand desperately grabbing a section of your lower back.

“Jesus kid way to make us feel old as hell,” Pedro says before helping you lay down fully on the ground instead of propped up in the corner.

“You guys need to kill me I can’t deal with this,” You’re left at the mercy of Pedro who doesn’t hesitate taking embarrassing photos of you stuck on the ground that ended up as a y/n on the floor meet and greet. The internet found it very hilarious to see a picture of Pedro, Craig, and Neil all posed above you as you give a double middle finger from the floor.

With Paul working on his projects it was a bummer not having him around, especially with the time differences it was either staying late up at night to be able to talk with him briefly before you crashed or the other way around. So when he had breaks between productions he had flown to Calgary to visit you and see you in action on set. When he first saw you on set was during the fight sequence between Derek and the other boys. There were lots of pauses given this fight ends pretty bloody in the end. The SFX team dabs a bit of blood from the cut on your temple and makes sure the blood looks fresh on your knuckles.

“Awww aren’t you so pretty,” Bella coos standing beside Isabela who plays Dina while in the scene but not as active just witnessing the fight break out. Pedro and Paul stand more off to the side since he is needed in the scene. You smile at them with your split lip as they finish up your makeup letting you pop in a capsule as the actor playing Derek finishes up.

“Alright camera and sound roll,” Craig calls out from video village as you shake out your hands hoping to get the blood rushing as your scene partner smirks, “Action!”

Seeing Derek with blood pouring down his nose fire in his eyes as he holds his fists up.

“You fucking bitch!” He hisses and blood coats your teeth as you grin more sliding down your temple and you bring your fists up waving at him to come at you. With a roar, he swings a fist and you dodge landing a shot right at his kidney. A sharp gasp from the sudden pain as his hands go to grab his side not able to block his face as you drive your fist forward. The punch brings him to the ground as you pin him down your fists slamming into his face and beating the crap out of him.

He lands on the crash mat while you land behind camera taking a knee while he’s fully on his back. “Cut!” Craig calls out as the crew gets to switching things around for the new setup as you pull your scene partner to his feet. Sauntering over to Paul and Pedro off to the side as your assistant helps pull your parka at least around your shoulders keeping you warmer than the thinner coat your character wears.

“I don’t know how you like all that stunt works,” Pedro complains from his chair with Paul sitting beside him in your seat, “Makes me want to kill myself.” That draws a chuckle from you and Paul.

“I find it fun. It’s like my personal stress reliever,” You say unaware of the mildly concerned looks from Paul and Pedro.

“That sounds mildly concerning…” Paul says from beneath his scarf. Compared to most on the crew he was bundled up the most from a thick parka, gloves, a heavy-duty scarf, beanie, and probably layered up underneath.

“You all cozied up babe?” You tease and you can see his eyes roll his nose a flush to it from the cold.

“I don’t know how all of you aren’t fucking freezing,” Paul shudders as the wind blows onto the set.

“Well honestly I’m sweating from this scene so I’m protected,” You comment.

“How are you handling the New York cold,” Pedro questions.

You laugh loudly, “He hasn’t experienced it yet, currently, his attire is t-shirts and shorts. I’m surprised you even wanted to come up when it’s so much nicer back home.”

“I wanted to see you, of course, I’d deal with this cold for you,” He says, pressing a kiss gently so as not to touch the blood. You give a big smile and both Paul and Pedro grimace, “I completely forgot your mouth was bloody that was frightening.”

“Would you still like me if I looked like this?” You question.

“I think I’d be concerned why you’re beaten but yes I would still date you,” Paul confirms and you’re called back onto the set.

Whenever Paul was able to visit your spirits and energy on set were doubled. Even the day before he would arrive you’d have a skip in your step the only thing on your lips, “Did you guys know Paul is coming?” “Paul’s flight gets here in about 4 hours.” “I’m so excited to see Paul.”

It was so nice filming and not worrying about the snow as the majority of the show takes place during the winter. You had the absolute joy of meeting and working alongside the two young actresses performing the younger version of your character and Lila your half-sister. The two girls were sisters so it was plenty of fun meeting them during the read-throughs and them coming on set the first time. Your younger counterpart Haley, and your half-sister Deliah were absolute gems and the three of you grew quite attached. Even when you didn’t have shoot days coming in to see Haley, only twelve destroyed her performances and kept her occupied during breaks much to her parent’s delight. With Deliah, it was such an easy bond with this young eight-year-old playing on sets, and having lunches together. Pedro with his father figure magnet quickly pulled the two girls under his wing and his welcoming personality those kids ate it up. There was one picture you treasured during a rehearsal for the playground scene where she sees Joel again after joining her parents. Deliah has taken the rehearsal as an opportunity to play given the context of the scene. Haley had been on set that day for a costume fitting and to see her little sister, so when the crew found you, Haley, Pedro, and Deliah on a couch in a greenroom all passed out the teasing and photos pursued. Your head rested on Pedro’s shoulder with his head on top of yours, Delilah on your lap curled up into your chest, and Haley on Pedro’s side tucked under his arm asleep against him.

Some set days were better than others, especially given the topic and character development she goes through. You thought it was a skill to be able to deeply dive into these characters to create an authentic performance but sometimes it felt like a curse how it had started to take its toll against you.

“Kids go,” Joel says and Jesse and Dina nod, starting to trail away he sees Ellie look at him hesitant before she too leaves. Joel takes a step into the clearing, the crunch of snow makes you whip to face him and he raises his hands like taming a wild beast. Your chest heaves as you eye him with sharp panicked eyes. Tears stream down your flushed cheeks as you continue making that pained noise.

“I’m not gonna do anything kid,” Joel says calmly as one of your hands that grips your hair moves to your flannel clutching your collar as if it’s choking you. Joel rushes as you drop to your knees with an unhuman cry like this tidal wave of emotions finally takes over. He pries your blood hand from your hair to stop harming yourself allowing you to death grip his sleeve as you scream this gut-wrenching sound. Joel squeezes you close to his chest as your screams muffle in his coat soon it turns into a heartbreaking whimper. He has to look up to the sky to blink back the burn in his eyes holding you close to him, his hand stroking your hair to soothe you.

“It’s okay…I got you,” He says as you tremble in his hold, weak sobs and hiccups as you break down.

“Cut!” Craig calls out and Pedro pulls back and is a bit surprised seeing you’re still crying this time with your head in your hands.

“Kiddo….Chiquita,” Pedro calls out to you softly, his hand stroking your back before flashing a concerned look to Craig who quickly understands the situation.

“Let’s take ten!” He yells to the crew who look in concern at you crying with Pedro trying to soothe you but their instruction from their boss offering semi-privacy.

“Y/n you’re okay,” He whispers, “Breathe.” He forces you to notice your erratic breathing pattern borderline a panic attack. A PA rushes over with a foldout chair and some water which Pedro quickly takes. He helps guide you to sit instead of being in the cold snow, your breaths shaky but follow his calming voice. It didn’t take long for Paul who happened to be on set that day to come running over with your assistant hot on his heels. Practically skidding to his knees Paul replaces Pedro who stays by your side rubbing a strong hand up and down your back.

“Baby, what happened?” Concern in his eyes as he holds your face wiping away the tears that slide down your face. “You’re alright, you’re safe with all of us.”

“I’m sorry,” You hiccup, swiping at your face and smearing some of the fake blood on your face. Your breathing had significantly calmed still a stutter with each inhale, “Oh my god this is fucking embarrassing,” You curl up into the chair and the three people around you immediately disagree with your comment.

“Stop it you just got in your head a bit, you’re alright,” Paul reassures you, cracking open the water bottle for you, helping you take a sip until you take over drinking to hydrate yourself. Paul nods to your assistant and they head over to speak to Craig and the team. “You’re okay baby, take your time.”

“I thought you were crying because my acting was that bad,” Pedro comments and that makes a smile cross your face and a light giggle. His hand squeezes your shoulder, “Take your time kid until you’re ready. You nod grateful for them and the crew. After a minute or so of drinking enough water that you don’t feel dehydrated, you nod letting them know you were good.

Craig comes over, “Are you good to go? We can give you more time.” You are grateful for his concern and you shake your head.

“Thank you but I’m good to go, I’m so sorry for that I just got so far in my head for the scene,” You apologize and Paul shush you while Craig gives you a look.

“Don’t apologize, we wanna make sure you’re good. It’s a complex role I can understand getting that deep in that headspace.” He says before heading to the crew as they prepare.

“Are you sure you’re good,” Paul looks you over, swiping away stray tears at your waterline.

“I’m good I’m sure thank you,” You promise him and he nods, pressing a quick kiss letting you know he was there for you.

“I love you,” He says and you respond in kind. Paul heads off camera though staying near in case you needed him. Both you and Pedro return to the ground and he squeezes your shoulder as a reassurance before you two hop back into the emotional scene.

You and Paul sit at one of the lunch tables watching Haley and Deliah being chased around by Pedro. The two young girls squeal as they weave through tables too fast for him as he takes breaks to catch his breath.

“Jesus Christ they’re fast,” Pedro hunches over his hands on his knees as Bella laughs from their seat. Delilah rushes over to you and Paul.

“Hide me!” She yells and you let the two girls crawl underneath the table hidden behind your knees as Pedro comes over with a playful look.

“Hmmm, I wonder where Haley and Deliah are..” He stalks by your table and you can hear the muffled giggles from underneath.

“I guess I have to take Y/n hostage!” He grabs you and you play into the bit getting up from the table.

“No! Someone help me!” You fight against Pedro as he laughs like an evil villain and you hear a faux gasp from Paul as the girls pop up from under the table.

“Y/n!” They cry out rushing over to save you. Haley jumps onto Pedro’s back and he acts like it wounded him deeply while Deliah pulls you away.

“Oh no you defeated me,” Pedro closes his eyes and Haley rushes over to you.

“We saved you!” The two cheer and you smile dropping to your knees letting the two girls hug you.

“Oh my heroes what would I’ve done without you!” You praise them and the two girls are already thinking up a new game when their mother calls for them to lunch. They groan that the fun is over but listen rushing over to their mother yelling goodbyes to you all. Returning to your table Paul has a very gentle look though his mind is a bit elsewhere.

“All good?” You ask leaning against him and returning to your food and he nods, pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Yeah, you’re just good with kids.” He says and you smile up at him. You were always good with everyone but seeing you, especially around children or younger fans you have such a light to you. Speaking at their level instead of above them willing to talk about what runs through their active minds. Any other person wouldn’t sit and have an hour-long discussion with an eight-year-old about what crayons would look best for their picture but you would.

“I always liked kids. Even as a kid I also wanted a younger sibling to look at so I always loved spending time with my younger cousins or my friends’ young siblings.” You hum taking a sip of your water, “I’d want them someday, they would be so cute as babies then growing up I would spoil them rotten.”

When you talked about children he pictured you as an amazing mother, teaching your kids to respect others but also themselves, nurturing and loving them with everything in your being. As he pictured these kids running around they shared a mixture of features from both you and himself. Would they have his eyes and your hair, maybe your smile but his humor?

“You’d be a good mom to them.” He says and that makes your insides all warm as you press a kiss to his cheek.

“You’d be a good dad to them too.” He looks at you in a bit of shock, surprised that you imagine that life. With the kids and raising them but with him as their father. A smile grows on his face and you laugh at the flush that crosses his face.

“I think we should have two.” He says with all seriousness and you laugh out loud in shock but he keeps pushing, “Keep it even so one is too lonely and three is an uneven number for everything.” He had thought this all out for your imaginary family together.

“Christ Paul I’d need a ring first before even thinking about a kid.” You chuckle keeping the air light but he just nods at you, his face sincere but certain.

“I can do that.”

[coffee-fueled-cookie]

ᗩᗷOᑌT ᗰE

Hey! Thought I'd go ahead and make a more informed post about who I am and what I plan on doing with my blog!

You can call me Coffee, I'm 20 years old and currently in college obtaining a degree in criminal justice and I plan on going into correctional work!

I recently finished the Eltingville comics and in a desperate search for some x reader/OC content I made a tumblr blog.

I don't necessarily have a favorite character, I'm biased on Bill and Jerry, but Josh and Pete are always cool. And of course I made an OC named Becca! I plan on drawing the other girls but until then, let me just give you their info!

The girl's history

They go to a Catholic high school in Eltingville that's across town from the public high school the boys attend. They're much better about hiding their interests, but it can still sometimes slip through the cracks, and it's enough that they don't typically get asked to hang out with other people and can even cause trouble at school. They've known each other since middle school and have been stuck together ever since. It isn't until a field trip to the local museum that was a funded partnership between both schools, do the girls meet the Eltingville Club. Since students from neither school wanted to be a group with the 8 of them, their teachers kinda forced them to be a group.

**everyone is 17-18 and seniors, I don't plan on making NSFW so yeah**

𝑹𝒆𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒂 '𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒂' 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓

A movie and TV show fanatic, she's watched just about anything she can get her hands on

has started indulging in musicals, keeps a few burned CDs of her favorites

Can come off as entitled, especially since she's coming from the nicer side of town, will bat her eye lashes at her dad for some pocket money and then turn around and go full on bitchy, her friends consider her two faced. She just calls it putting on a show

When she meets the Eltingville Club, and figures out they actually meet up and do stuff, she can't help but want in and before the girls part from them, she finds a pre-made card on Bill and picks it off him (why he has this when they're so exclusive, noone knows)

Basically shows up with her name signed and constantly tries to force herself in, at some point after many failed attempts, she forms her own club with her friends and that sets Bill off, which results in an upstanding rivalry

Has sleek layered hair, she was brunette but in a fit of rebellion she threw purple dye on it. Her mom was terribly upset but the grounding didn't last very long

𝕮ᥲ𝗍һᥱrіᥒᥱ '𝕮ᥲ𝗍һᥡ' 𝕸ᥲrіᥱ 𝕵᥆ᥒᥱs

Raised by hippies, a total vegan, and can be kind of obnoxious when it comes to people who eat meat

Usually wears skirts and dresses with floral elements, she's very fascinated by historical fashion, especially the Tudor era

Is also VERY big on fantasy, but much more on the princess side of things, loves the Labyrinth (in a different way than Becca), definitely would've married the goblin king

Cathy is also a huge fan of the Princess Bride, Never Ending Story, rapunzel. If she was shown star wars she'd love Princess Leia

Forces the girls to LARP fantasy scenarios, refuses to call it roleplay or consider the fact it's roleplay, she just calls it make believe

She's pretty reserved, with an airy voice, is mostly fidgeting with her long blonde hair

She is definitely a 'fake hippie', she does live uptown and down the Street from Becca, although you can't blame her too badly, it's just how her parents raised her

Will fall onto the floor and cry, don't try her, she'll do it

ᴍᴇɢʜᴀɴ 'ᴍᴇɢ' ᴇᴠᴀ ᴀʙʀᴀᴍs

Crazy curly hair, super thick mane that she has a huge routine for, and super big on self care

DO NOT CALL HER FAT, she will clock your tea (if clocking tea was taking her fist and shoving it through your nose) she is simply tall and broad, she's the youngest of four brothers and her dad is a wrestling coach, she's simply built

Lives on the outskirts of the neighborhood Becca and Cathy live in, it's near the public park so the girls are usually over at her house

A big music person, loves any and all kinds, although she's been more into Rap Rock

Burns CDs for everyone, it's where Becca get most of hers from, chronically carries a Walkman

Has music posters all over her walls, from Tupac to ABBA

The only one with a car, it's used but still kinda new and reliable, it's one of the numerous things the girl's have over the guys, Bill has considered throwing rocks but has surprisingly refrained

𝔏𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔞 '𝔏𝔦𝔩' 𝔎𝔞𝔶 𝔅𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔦

Got in on a scholarship, and actually lives near Pete! Surprisingly, they've never run into each other, maybe that's for their own good

Has one older brother who works and her single mom who is a CN so she's usually left on her own, they live in apartments downtown, sometimes Meg will pick her up for school but most times she has to take the city bus

A trad goth outside of school, has the teased black hair, white makeup, all the nine yards. However, her mom hates the look, and often she can only wear it when she knows she'll be out and not coming back same time as her family

Not into gore but very into the vampire scene, likes most supernatural creatures and enjoys a good conspiracy theory

Big on poetry, writing, literature, it's how she got into the school. Not very big on the school uniform though...

Doesn't talk very much, or at all, sometimes she'll whisper and surprisingly Becca can hear her, but other than that no dice

Well! You'll guys have to let me know how you like it, I've been sitting and thinking on them for a very hot minute and wanted to share them somewhere!

[thegeminisage]

STAR TREK UPDATE TIME. last night we watched ds9's "empok nor" and voy's "scorpion part i."

empok nor (ds9):

THIS ONE WAS SO GOOD.

firstly, i love when we bring up o'briens war history. SECONDLY, i love when garak has problems

i also really really love nog, but cathy was right when she said it should have been bashir with them - he would have made the perfect hostage tied to the pole while the two of them fought over him. we've never really got a taste of the o'brien bashir garak dynamic and it would have been delicious

GARAK STALKING THEM THROUGH THE SHADOWS. very scary. mwah

also, it's really funny that this station IS ds9, they just turned the lights off. i love budget genre television

and, of course, who can forget the failed government experiments frozen in a tube? this episode had EVERYTHING

i also thought o'brien and garak at the end were very chill considering. o'brien like yeah dude i really was attempting with my whole pussy to kill you and garak like yeah i wouldn't have it any other way can you tell the guy's wife that i murdered that i'm sorry and o'brien is like yeah dude no prob feel better soon see you around. like what is it about garak that encourages this kind of dynamic...he tortured odo and then they become breakfast buddies, he tries to kill o'brien and they brush it off, he did that whole thing (gestures to "the wire") with julian and julian still gives him hugs and a blankie when he has claustrophobia. you can say anything to this guy. he tells nothing but lies but won't accept hearing anything less than the absolute no-frills-attached truth

anyway, 10/10

scorpion part i (voy):

SPEAKING OF EPISODES THAT HAD EVERYTHING.

gimli as leonardo da vinci. janeway and chakotay being sweet to each other. janeway and chakotay fighting. borg. disembodied heads. tentacles oozing into orifices. cgi aliens. janeway appealing to the devil. action. drama. INCREDIBLE

three years ago i didn't even know your name today i can't imagine a day without you i'm going to HURL!!!!!!

chakotay like. hey we havent slept. we havent eaten. you need to do that. and shes like sorry can't! and then he's like we cant go through this space we will die. like i've been semi-borged i know how bad it gets i don't want anything to happen to you and she's like sorry we gotta! and he;s like i'll follow you but i can't support this path and she's like well damn i guess i am alone. AGGHGHGHG

like along with a huge dose of actually suspenseful and scary action (it is always is with the borg) AND the cool body horror (rip harry kim and his mommy issues) we also get this wonderful interpersonal drama...and like i absolutely get why she's not willing to wait in the delta quadrant for a safer way to do this to come along. because you could do that forever. i also get where HE'S coming from because with the risk of death so high maybe it's better to accept the facts...that's what he did in (draws hearts) 2.25 resolutions, and just like in that episode, she does not give up, CANNOT give up, because it means facing not only despair but failure - and in this case, failing more than just herself

shoutout also to the scorpion and the fox parable, which i'd never heard as fox but frog, because it is of course in that one show about the teenage canines

i cannot believe people had to wait months for this to have a follow-up in 1997. EVILLLL

next episode........we finally meet seven. i am Dying to see her

TONIGHT: ds9 s5's last two episodes, "in the cards" and "call to arms."

[unproduciblesmackdown]

via the summer stock show program again:

WRITER'S NOTES by Cheri Steinkellner | Book & Additional Lyrics

How do you begin to adapt a film like Summer Stock into a stage musical?

Close my eyes and remember what I loved about it when I was a little girl, watching it with my cousin Cathy on the Million Dollar Movie every night for a week and twice on the weekend so we could reenact it beat-for-beat at Sunday family dinner. Key memories include: Singing on a tractor, dancing on a newspaper, and a pink painted sky.

Open my eyes, dig out my Judy Garland boxed-set and watch the DVD.

Close my eyes and re-watch the story on an imagined stage, with a diverse cast, contemporary social values, and a fresh storyline to match.

Open my eyes and write that. Then rewrite it. Then re-re-write, until I hit my deadline and can re-re-re-rewrite no more.

About that deadline: I first got the call in October. They needed a designer draft by January, a workshop draft by March, and a rehearsal draft by June for a July opening. That's fast, even for me, and I started my career in TV where you write and produce a new episode every week. But Summer Stock is all about putting on a show in a barn—so we roll up our sleeves, get up early, stay up late, and get the work—and the play—done!

What has changed from the original and what are the challenges of updating a 1950 film for a modern audience? That feel-good feeling of the original movie is still intact, but story, songs, and characters have all changed to be here now.

STORY: When I first signed on, I was given one mandate: No tractor. Heavy farm machinery wouldn't fit on the Goodspeed stage, so there went the film's whole buy-a-tractor/wreck-a-tractor/fix-a-tractor plotline. This opened up space to answer some of my more burning questions:

Why is Falbury farm at risk?

Why can't Joe get his show to Broadway?

How does a farmgirl like Jane suddenly morph into a triple-threat superstar?

And why is she wearing nothing but a tux jacket and fedora in that pink-sky finale?

As I wrote, more questions popped up: What do you do with a wanna-be actress who doesn't wanna rehearse? Why is a Shakespearean matinee idol starring in a musical in a barn? And what happens when you make show-people wake up at sunrise to muck out the stalls? All of these questions are asked—and I hope answered—in song and dance.

SONGS: The film features nine songs. Most contemporary stage musicals have twenty or more. So building out the score was a task. Some of the film's original songs like "Howdy Neighbor" and "Dig for Your Dinner" are repositioned and repurposed to tell our story. "You Wonderful You" and "Get Happy" have gained back-stories. To fill out the rest of the score, I turned to the Public Domain, where old favorites like "The Best Things in Life are Free," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "Some of These Days," "It Had to Be You," and more, could be tailored to sing in our character's voices. Production numbers like "Paper Moon," "Everybody Step," and "June Night" are newly built on tunes that are nearly a century old, but with Doug Besterman's jazzy, brassy, Woody Herman-inspired arrangements, and Donna Feore's dynamic direction and thrilling choreography, they sing and dance like never before.

CHARACTERS: Looking at 1950s characters through a contemporary lens meant making crucial changes, not only in motivation—but in the people we want to see onstage. One challenge was crafting a story to support a diverse cast of characters with intention, authenticity, and care. I found my way in through the U.S. miltary. Special Services began in WWII and was one of the few army units to be racially integrated. I could imagine an ace director/choreographer like Joe Ross working with a gifted writer like Phil Filmore, pulling together a talented troupe of marginalized soldiers, and putting on a show for the troops. But what happens after the war, when they come home and their show can't get a break on Broadway? Hit musicals in 1950—Brigadoon, Guys and Dolls, Call Me Madam—were distinctly homogenous—i.e., white. Historically, it would be nearly a decade before a Black director would helm a Broadway play (Lloyd Richards, A Raisin in the Sun). So now we know what Joe and Phil are up against, and why they need this barn in Connecticut to put on their show. The Falbury family—Jane, Gloria, and Pop—need this show—and these show people—just as much to save their beloved farm from being acquired by a rich and powerful land owner bent on creating her own family legacy. I won't give away how song-and-dance save the day—but in the end, everyone does Get Happy.

What has been your favorite part of writing this musical and what are you most excited about seeing come to life on stage? If I could spend the rest of my writing life putting old songs into new musicals, I'd be one happy writer. Summer Stock is the second musical I've crafted "with" legendary composers like Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, and Shelton Brooks (the first was Hello! My Baby, Goodspeed 2011). Bringing in these songs my mom taught me and her mom taught her, so my kids and theirs can sing them again, is my dream job—and I can't wait to see this dream cast hit the notes, find the laughs, and take flight like I can't even begin to dream.

[notmuchtoconceal]

Forgive me if I talk about Alain Delon’s face for a minute. In truth, it’s hard not to. Certainly, in the early years of his career, that visage was more than a face; it was an existential fact. The feline eyes, the elegant cheekbones, the mouth both delicate and full — Delon was often even prettier than his female co-stars, who themselves weren’t exactly chopped liver.

Filmmakers and audiences seemed to understand this, and that disruption — the transfer of onscreen physical beauty, and even vulnerability, to the male — created an exciting slipstream of ambiguity. In one of his first major roles, Christine (1958), Delon plays a womanizing Austrian second lieutenant who falls for Romy Schneider’s young singer, and he’s treated as a forlorn object of desire, caught between different women. When we first meet him, he’s ending a torrid love affair with a married baroness. He meets Schneider’s character when he’s asked to accompany a fellow officer on a date, and the two don’t immediately get along. Her desire, however, charms him and wins him over. (Delon’s onscreen persona, like Cary Grant’s, often had women pursuing him — not the other way around.) But it’s a doomed romance, as the baroness’s jealous husband soon enters the picture. The film plays off Delon’s fragility. He feels as if he’s perpetually on the edge of romantic disaster and even death. A reluctant Casanova; a moody, almost passive figure — it’s as though his physical appeal were somehow connected to his melancholy.

The beauty of the face creates a kind of shield. You can read into it sadness or cruelty or indifference. That’s not to say that Delon wasn’t a skilled actor. He was, but he also understood for much of his career that anything he did onscreen would be anchored to his physical beauty. In that sense, few directors used him as well as Jean-Pierre Melville, who cast Delon in three of his greatest policiers. In the now-iconic Le Samouraï (1967), he’s the pathologically quiet and patient hit man Jef Costello, who lives in monklike austerity and kills with surreal precision. The film’s story turns on a manhunt for Costello after his crime is witnessed by a nightclub piano player (Cathy Rosier). But she refuses to identify him. Not a word was exchanged between them — only a glance. In other words, she saw his face and couldn’t bear to see it harmed. This is the genius of Melville, of course, conveyed in glances and gestures: to turn the most elemental of impulses into the stuff of high drama.

Luchino Visconti, that great connoisseur of faces both male and female, also cast Delon in two of his greatest films, in two surprisingly physical parts. In Rocco and His Brothers (1960), the actor plays Rocco, the angelic working-class southern boxer who finds himself at odds with his elder bruiser brother, Simone (Renato Salvatori). The troubled and violent Simone has fallen out of favor and resents his younger sibling, who is both the better boxer and the better human. In one of this wild melodrama’s most agonizing scenes, the two men fight over the fate of the woman with whom they’re both involved. Rocco’s gentleness, his delicacy around his brother, has defined him for so much of the movie. Their fight — an extended, knock-down, drag-out affair — is brutal and cataclysmic. Watching Delon get hit, we want to yell out, “No! Not the face!” But what we really fear for is his soul. In Visconti’s world, these things are not unconnected.

In Visconti’s masterpiece, The Leopard (1963), Delon plays Tancredi, the dashing nephew of the Prince of Salina (Burt Lancaster), whose revolutionary exploits at the side of Italian independence leader Garibaldi planted the seeds of his family’s survival. Tancredi comes home a war hero, falls for the beautiful daughter (Claudia Cardinale) of a local politician, and soon becomes a solid member of the new upper-middle-class Establishment that will gradually replace the ossified Sicilian nobility. Visconti shoots Delon in the film’s first half as a force of nature, striding through the elegant, unchanging halls of his uncle’s villa; the other members of the family are usually sitting or standing still as if they’ve already been trapped by class and history. But Tancredi bounds through frames and rooms, charges with his horse through mountain passes, and drifts through the rooms of abandoned mansions. Thus Visconti represents a historical idea — the newfound social mobility that will do away with the old order — as a physical one, rooted in Delon’s freedom of movement and his cheerfully seductive glances.

Late in the film, speaking of Tancredi and his family’s past, Lancaster’s character muses, “There’s no need to tell you of the history of the house of Falconeri … My nephew’s fortune does not match the grandeur of his name. My brother-in-law was not what one calls a provident father. The sumptuousness of his life impaired my nephew’s inheritance. But Don Calogero, the result of all these troubles … is Tancredi … Perhaps it is impossible to be as distinguished, sensitive, and charming as Tancredi unless ancestors have squandered fortunes.”

It’s an interesting and moving little speech, and it speaks to the brilliance of Visconti’s casting, for so much of The Leopard turns on Tancredi’s singularity. The prince even dismisses his own daughter’s love for Tancredi; he understands that this young man is destined for greater things and that therefore he must have a more suitable wife. (Which he finds in Cardinale, another’60s avatar of divine onscreen beauty.) In Tancredi lies the survival of an entire class. Who better than Alain Delon — dashing and with a hint of growing aloofness — to represent a man of such multitudes?

Delon’s life had been an unusually harsh one before he was an actor. He had been abandoned by his parents at the age of 4, but they did, he later recalled, reappear in his life long enough to sign his papers for the French Army. As a result, he wound up fighting in Indochina in the 1950s. Before being discovered randomly at Cannes in 1956, he had been a butcher and a naval infantryman and had spent months in military jail before being dishonorably discharged. He never quite gave up his roughneck ways, even after achieving stardom. He enjoyed the company of mobsters and liked to talk about how much he enjoyed the company of mobsters. In 1969, he got entangled in a truly bizarre (and ultimately unresolved) sex-and-murder scandal regarding the extremely suspicious death of a former bodyguard. In later years, he gained a different kind of notoriety for his far-right views, which toned down the adoration some had for his earlier work; his lifetime-achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 was met with protests. It recently emerged that before he died, the 88-year-old Delon requested that his dog be euthanized and buried with him — a crazy demand that the actor’s family wisely chose not to honor.

Still, Delon’s retrograde politics didn’t seem to stop new generations from rediscovering the sublime work he did with Melville or some of the brilliant thrillers he made with the likes of René Clément (including 1960’s Purple Noon, still the best adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Jacques Deray (in particular 1969’s The Swimming Pool, which became a major repertory hit Stateside in the plague-damaged year of 2021).

Perhaps Delon welcomed the fact that all his tough-guy posturing tempered the almost-feminine quality of his image. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t particularly interested in hanging on to that image as he grew older, allowing instead the jowls and the wrinkles to settle in naturally and gracefully in later years. In the 1970s and ’80s, he seemed to even relish playing parts that allowed him to be somewhat ordinary. In José Giovanni’s Two Men in Town (1973), he plays an ex-con who is rehabilitated and mentored by a prison counselor played by Jean Gabin as he enters the real world and tries to make an honest living. “Have you seen his eyes?” a prison official asks Gabin early in the film, noting that all he sees in the Delon character’s face is “hatred and contempt.” “Yes, but there’s tenderness there as well,” Gabin responds. It’s hard not to feel as though the whole exchange symbolizes the effect of Delon’s presence, the sense that, in it, you can simultaneously read both cruelty and vulnerability — and the further sense that if both of these forces can exist in the same face, then maybe they’re not so different after all.

[georgefairbrother]

Cathy Come Home, starring Carol White and Ray Brooks, was a BBC one-off drama from their anthology series, Wednesday Play, and was first broadcast on November 16th, 1966. 

Watched by 12 million people, around one quarter of the British population at that time, it demonstrated how a young, hard working family could, through misfortune and circumstance, find themselves homeless and forcibly separated by the authorities.

According to writer Jeremy Sandford, around 4000 children per year were being taken into care due to homelessness. A crisis of urban housing availability still existed due, in part, to the legacy of World War Two bomb damage.

Although widely seen as one of the most influential programmes of all time, director Ken Loach has since downplayed the effect it had. One positive aspect was that, following the broadcast, the policy of separating families seeking emergency accommodation was relaxed, allowing fathers to stay with their wives and children.

Carol White, who played the title role of Cathy, passed away in 1991 at the age of 48.

The producer of Cathy Come Home was Tony Garnett (1936-2020), whose other credits included classic working-class and socially conscious television drama including The Price of Coal and Days of Hope, and for the cinema, Kes (1969), also directed by Ken Loach, which fellow filmmaker Michael Apted once described as the finest British film since World War Two. Both Ken Loach and Tony Garnett did not attempt to moderate regional dialect, to the point where United Artists wanted to subtitle Kes for US distribution.

Tony Garnett was also credited as story editor on Up The Junction (BBC Wednesday Play 1965), which graphically confronts the issue of what was referred to as ‘backstreet abortions’, which actually mirrored Tony Garnett’s own traumatic family experience, of which he spoke openly during interviews in his later years.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 1 -7 January 2023

Here’s the last week’s roundup! January 1st - January 7th!

Remember to give your content creators some love! Be sure to join in on the events at the bottom! And remember to send in any new works you see or make next week!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Ideas/Snippets:

@acrochetedgundam

beginning https://archiveofourown.org/works/44052550

Gen, Quatre Raberba Winner, Catherine Bloom

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, background 3x4, their relationship is not the focus, learning to forgive, Building A Friendship, Found Family, cathy tries to be stern, but deep down she's a softy, new year's fic, no beta we die like Treize

New years can bring new beginnings. And maybe, sometimes, they can start to heal old hurts.

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

Ticket to Freedom (Ch. 29) https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688973/chapters/110768493

F/M, Heero Yuy/Reader, Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker, Trowa Barton/Middie Une, Quatre Raberba Winner/Catherine Bloom, Chang Wufei/Long Meilan, Past Heero Yuy/Relena Peacecraft

Reader, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Zechs Merquise, Relena Peacecraft, Hilde Schbeiker, Middie Une, Catherine Bloom, Long Meilan, Treize Khushrenada, Howard (Gundam Wing), Dorothy Catalonia

Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, Romance, Alternate Universe, Band Fic, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Drama, Fluff, Lemon, Lime, Reader Insert, Song Lyrics, Novel, Slight Relena bashing, I’m sorry she is not a likable character in this one

They were your ticket out of the sheltered and married life your parents had planned for you. And to be honest, you had always had a rebellious streak. You needed the freedom they offered, needed to taste life, live a little. But when they ask you to sing in their band, you are not so sure. How would a neatly brought up lady survive with a couple of wannabe rock stars? You’re about to find out.

Burn to a Cinder (Ch. 12) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781273/chapters/110843250

F/M, Zechs Merquise/Reader, Treize Khushrenada/Reader

Zechs Merquise, Treize Khushrenada, Lady Une, Mariemaia Khushrenada, Relena Peacecraft, Chang Wufei, Dorothy Catalonia, OC - Character

Mature, Major Character Death, Romance, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Reader-Insert, Lemon, Lime

Your path had been laid out for you from an early age, allowing you to move into the higher circles of society and catch the attention of one of the most powerful men in the Earth Sphere.

As Treize’s mistress, you watch his rise to power and the disastrous war breaking out on Earth and in Space, putting your loyalty to the test. You are torn between your duty to His Excellency, and your unquellable lust for one of the top soldiers under his command. And when he rises to power in Outer Space, there is nothing you can do but stand back and watch them tear each other apart.

This is no game of hearts, but yours is at stake, and the consequences can be felt for years to come. Labeled as OZ’s whore, you struggle to find your way, only for things to fall apart around you again. But then there is still Zechs, and the undeniable way he makes you feel…

@miyurinq

Winter Lights https://archiveofourown.org/works/43601565

M/M, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Duo Maxwell

Not Rated, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, mentioned 1x2, Christmas, Fluff and Angst, Sex, Hurt/Comfort, 3 x 4

Christmas is just around the corner and it should be perfect for him and Trowa. But things don't go as planned and Christmas is about to fall through for Quatre.

Only a miracle can keep Quatre's heart from breaking. But do Christmas miracles still exist?

Heart (Ch. 20) https://archiveofourown.org/works/40914714/chapters/110663985

M/M, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Post-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Minor Violence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort

All Quatre wants is to help. Even when the war is over, so many people suffer because of the consequences. Helping rebuild is the least he can do. But he seems unlucky, things go wrong all the time and people get hurt.

Trowa hardly recognizes Quatre. He has changed and seems to have problems. He reluctantly tells him about his bad luck, but Trowa doubts that it's just "bad luck" and decides to investigate.

@the-reanimated-bhg

Snow Day https://archiveofourown.org/works/44134011

F/M, Gen, Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy

Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft

General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Snow, Fluff, Post-Canon, Post-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

Heavy snow cancels Relena's work obligations, leaving her a few stolen hours to spend with Heero.

Fandom Discourse:

@invisibleenemy

https://gwgrrl.neocities.org

I was missing the old Geocities Gundam Wing websites, so I made a site on neocities where I could promote my favorite GW fanfics, old and new. It's a labor of love for the authors who made this fandom what it was and is.

Calendar Events:

@gundamzine

Battle Scars and Kitchen Cabinets

Applicatons Open~ https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/705258971113619456/applications-are-open-to-apply-fill-in-the

Applications close on January 31st!

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, January 13th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/705925777657610240/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-january

In need of prompts!

@thisweekingundamevents

Events Calendar https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/644080386309275648/events-calendar-update

If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates! We’ll add them to the Calendar and reblog your notices to get the word out!

GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2022

Rules https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/giftexchange

Posting has begun! January 8th and 14th!

[cabezadeperro]

Since you mentioned it: codywan, 4?

hi!!!!!! thanks for asking for codywan lmao

the song was the touch by cathy davey. canon compliant, missing scene during the war, 560w.

Leave that withered hollow shell to tell of the touch / Split the sky in two for you and me / Lay the stars and the moon at our feet / Now I float through all the eternity with the touch

The air inside the tent is cold and damp. It smells of mildew and blaster discharge, of sour old sweat and blood, of bacta and burnt plasteel. 

The general’s hand is very warm and very broad where it’s wrapped around Cody’s shoulder, his calloused fingers gentle around the bruised muscle, his fingertips rough where they brush Cody’s collarbone. 

Cody can sense his breath on the back of his neck, on his spine, warm and wet on his pebbled skin. The tent shudders again, the wind rolling in and slipping inside through unseen seams and cracks, and Cody shivers, suddenly cold.

“I’m almost done,” the general says distractedly. He’s sitting behind Cody on his cot, his robe and his outer layer on his own, on the other side of the small tent. He’s barefoot despite the cold, and his feet are grimy and pale where they rest on the tarp on the ground. 

He knows what he’s doing, but Cody rolls his eyes anyway at the wall in front of him. The dermal mender is so hot it almost burns against the gash on his back, and he ignores the familiar sharp pain with the ease of practice, keeping his limbs relaxed and his back straight. 

“I could have gone to the med tent,” he reminds the general, voice bland. When the general scoffs, Cody can feel it on the back of his head, on the skin on the back of his neck. 

The general hums. He drops the mender on the bed and flaps a hand in front of Cody. “Patch, please?”

Cody rolls his eyes again and hands him a bacta bandage, still in its foil package, the material crinkling softly in the quiet. 

“Thank you, commander,” Kenobi replies. Cody closes his eyes and lets his head drop when those big, sure hands of his return to his back, touch familiar and reassuring and intoxicating. One last touch to Cody’s back, to the back of his neck, and the general leans away. His hand remains on Cody’s back. “There. Done.”

Cody blinks his eyes open. He doesn’t sigh, doesn’t reach out. He glances at his general over his shoulder, the motion pulling at the bruises on his ribs, at the new skin on his back.

Kenobi’s staring at him, a thoughtful furrow between his pale brows. In the low light of the tent, his pale eyes look darker, murky blue. He’s grimy and he looks exhausted. There’s a cut on his cheekbone, a bruise on his forehead, dark circles under his eyes, and he stinks almost as much as Cody, sour sweat and mud and other people’s blood. 

He’s not wearing his outer robes, and after a year and change the sight is familiar, but Cody finds himself following the line of his broad shoulders with his eyes, focusing on the way the shadows play in the hollow of his throat, on the way his patchy, dry lips move when he smiles, knowing himself watched in return. 

Cody blinks and swallows, and the general clears his throat, removes his hand from Cody’s back, and they finish getting ready to sleep in silence. Cody zips up his blacks, checks his comm, and if he falls asleep thinking about the weight of his general’s hand on his back, of his fingers on his collarbone, well. 

That’s between him and his nightmares.

[so-true-jestie]

don't lose ur headcanon: six for six

a collation of random HCs from my fics

lina: messy eater, won’t back down from a bet, eats green peas with sugar. once gave everyone ugly christmas socks and gave anne the ugliest pair. does movie marathons. her paella will knock your socks off.

anne: sleeps with a nightlight, in charge of paying the bills. generally hates coffee but will tolerate macchiato. tried to apply memes to daily life but gave up. loves paramore. owns a copy of the complete poems of keats.

jane: gardens in her window box, has the worst temper. makes broiled salmon. in charge of first aid. babysits the neighbourhood kids. texts paragraphs to anne.

anna: dances jazz, works at pret a manger. reads the morning papers over coffee, can keep a secret. watches star wars. dislikes looking in mirrors.

kitty: huge fan of fast & furious, prefers animals to children, works at a florist. doesn’t understand how compasses work. steals anne’s biker jacket. prefers gelato to sorbet.

cathy: obsessed with the solar system, sleeps in the latest, can lip read. will take selfies on your phone if left unsupervised. tries to understand the economy. has a flair for the overdramatic.

[maulthots]

Watching the acolyte to support Amandla Stenberg who is so beautiful but god at what cost. "Someone's killing Jedi" girl who cares.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #498

Top Ten Movie Cameos

The first time I think I ever noticed someone cameoing in a movie was Steven Spielberg. I was watching The Blues Brothers, and there was this guy, who I was sure was Mr. The Berg. I must have seen him in some behind-the-scenes something or the other. But he was a director, not an actor, so it couldn’t have been him, right? Then years later I was reading Empire, and sure enough, I was vindicated. It was indeed the play mountain himself. But more on that later.

So, cameos, then. What is a cameo? Now, in my opinion, I think it really has to be small. Really, it should just be one scene – or even one shot. The smaller the better. I’ve seen people online refer to Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love or Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder as cameos, which is very, very daft, as those are clearly supporting roles – even if they are quite small (and remember, Dench didn’t win her Oscar for “Best Cameo”, she won it for “We Meant To Give You This Last Year”, which is a very important category in the Oscars). I also think the best cameos should be unexpected; a nice surprising treat. And usually they’re funny – the incongruity of seeing that person in this film. Because that’s the other thing: for a cameo to really work, the person cameoing has to be kinda famous. For instance, some might say that Ashley Johnson in The Avengers is a cameo, but whilst she’s obviously awesome and prodigiously talented, I don’t think she’s instantly recognisable enough (which, y’know, she’s mostly famous as a voice actor); also there’s nothing inherently funny or surprising about her role, she’s a waitress who’s saved by Captain America. It doesn’t feel like it’s saying anything to have Johnson play that role, other than I guess Joss Whedon wanted her in the movie (it’s actually funnier that her brief scene is referenced in Loki, because Kate Herron had the whole of the MCU to draw from in a montage, but chose to use an unknown character who’s in one tiny bit of one film, entirely because she’s a huge fan of The Last of Us – see, that is arguably a cameo).

So my rationale for what is and isn’t a cameo might seem complex or even arbitrary, but when has that stopped me in the past? And so, with no further ado, we now get deep into the weeds of it and celebrate my favourite movie cameos of all time. Oh, and there’s no Bill Murray here; I know, I know, it’s a really famous cameo, but, er, I’ve never seen Zombieland. Sorry.

Stan Lee in Pretty Much Everything (2000-2019): I mean, who else? The absolute King of Cameos. Lee was a massive publicity hound all his life, and passed up no opportunity to get in front of the camera, so once big, proper movies were being made of his comics, he was right there, selling hot dogs in X-Men (2000), rescuing children in Spider-Man (2002), and then right through every MCU film until his sad death in 2019 (and even popping up in Teen Titans!). Hearing him tell Miles Morales “I'm going to miss him,” in Into the Spider-Verse chokes me up every time.

Carrie Fisher & George Lucas in Hook (1991): this has always been one of my favourites because unlike virtually every other entry in this list, you only know this if you’ve been told. But it’s funny and it’s sweet. When Tinkerbell takes Peter to Neverland, she flies over a bridge, where a silhouetted couple are seen canoodling. Her pixie dust falls across them, and they begin to float into the air. And apparently the unrecognisable couple are played by Princess Leia and the director of Star Wars. Which, I think you’ll agree, is pretty cool (Hook is really good for cameos).

Brad Pitt in Deadpool 2 (2018): having an invisible character offers plenty of opportunity for some good gags, especially in a Deadpool movie, but the real laugh in the film comes when the Vanisher is electrocuted and we get to see his face for a split second. And – ha – it turns out to be the hugely mega-famous Brad Pitt. It’s funny because he’s a massive star.

Martin Sheen in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993): it’s one thing for the movie to do an Apocalypse Now gag, as Charlie Sheen’s Topper Harley sails down a river on a military boat, but hanging a lampshade on it by making it cross over with Martin Sheen’s Willard from the classic seventies Vietnam epic is another thing entirely. And then both actors notice each other – ha, funny, they’re father and son in real life – and say in unison, “I loved you in Wall Street!”. Very on-the-nose all the funnier for it.

Steven Spielberg in The Blues Brothers (1980): well, I mentioned him, and here he is, a totally nonplussed-looking administrator bloke just merrily eating a sandwich. He’s frightfully young (I’m guessing he was probably about 32 or 33) and he’s got a big brown tache instead of his usual ‘Berg Beard, he’s dressed very smartly and he’s awfully polite. His demeanour is hilariously in stark contrast to the mayhem around him, and his public persona is also hilariously in contrast to the raucous and ribald mood of the movie.

Cate Blanchett in Hot Fuzz (2007): this is one I didn’t even notice till I read about it after seeing the movie. In a very funny scene where Simon Pegg’s Nick Angel chats to his ex-girlfriend Janine, she is head-to-toe in forensic gear throughout, with a mask covering her face, so all we see are her eyes. But the gag of it is, she’s played by the phenomenally famous Cate Blanchett. You get a megastar to do one scene but make her unrecognisable. So funny it beats Peter Jackson’s evil Santa.

Don Ameche & Ralph Bellamy in Coming to America (1988): this is another one I remember finding hilarious when I was a kid. Walking down the street late at night with love interest Lisa (Shari Headley), Akeem (Eddie Murphy) nonchalantly gives a huge wad of cash to some poor homeless bums. But it turns out that they’re played by Murphy’s old Trading Places co-stars Ameche and Bellamy – and they refer to each other by their character names from that earlier film. “We’re back!” declares Ameche, referencing the end of Trading Places, when their crooked broker characters were defeated and ruined by Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. It’s a great bit of shared-universe tomfoolery, and very funny for fans of Murphy’s movies. Oh, and speaking of Aykroyd…

Dan Aykroyd in Casper (1995): in 1995 it had been six long, bitter years without a new Ghostbusters film; back then, we could still hold out hope for a proper Ghostbuster 3. Sadly that never came to pass, but it was a very pleasant surprise when Ray Stantz himself popped up in Casper, of all things, fearfully running out of Whipstaff Manor in full ghostbusting regalia and declaring, “Who ya gonna call? Someone else!”. I mean, after facing down Gozer and Vigo and who knows what else, you’d think three sarcastic arsehole ghosts would be no match for him, but maybe the ‘busters were having tough times. Maybe this will all be backstory in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Maybe Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle will return the favour and do cameos of their own. We can but hope.

Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, & Sam Neill in Thor: Ragnarok (2017): twenty years ago you could point to Goldmember as the, er, gold standard in multi-character cameo pile-ups. And while that is great – Danny DeVito giving the finger, Spielberg back-flipping – I think it’s been surpassed by this minor gaggle of stars hamming it up. Matt Damon – famouser than anyone actually billed in the movie – is An Actor Playing Loki. Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park is An Actor Playing Odin (whilst Odin’s actor, Anthony Hopkins, plays Tom Hiddleston playing Loki playing Odin – do keep up), and Thor’s Real-Life Brother plays An Actor Playing Thor. It’s all delightfully meta and hilarious.

Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas in The Incredibles (2004): this one’s really sweet, and like the Hook cameo, would very easily slip you by. At the end of the film, after the climactic battle, two old men cheer on the superheroes – “That’s old school!” “Yep, no school like the old school!” – but what’s great is that they’re voiced by – and designed to look like – Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, the last two surviving members of the famous “Nine Old Men” group of Disney animators, who’d worked on many of the classic Disney films. This was Pixar and director Brad Bird giving a tip of the hat to the legends who came before them, and made all the sweeter by the fact that Johnston and Thomas (both sadly now deceased) were absolute best buds in real life. A cameo that educates and makes you think! How nice!

There you go. Sadly no room for any of the many great Star Wars cameos, from Daniel Craig through to George Lucas’ entire family. Oh well!

[thegeminisage]

STAR TREK UPDATE TIME. quick fast im in a hurry. last night we watched tng's "the chase" and ds9's "the storyteller"

the chase (tng):

this episode didn't commit any major crimes (aside from picard disobeying orders to go on an archaeology hunt - kirk took disobeying even trivial orders so seriously he only did so to save spock's life and was certain his would end his career over it...ANYWAY)

however it was. very. boring

wait sorry i just remembered yes it did commit a crime. aside from that other thing. we're all humanoids bc of that bald lady's alien race seeding us on every planet they could find? isn't that kind of violating the prime directive? like yes ik they didn't have that back then but to let no life develop naturally...we all got grown out of test tubes or something?

to be honest, i might not have been following the plot of that episode wholly i was playing ch*ss on my phone with catherine. cathy, if you're reading this, it's your turn.

i also maybe played a game of solitaire or two...it was REALLY boring

credit where credit is due though because i strive to be as fair as i possibly can with tng: i did out loud laugh when the romulans showed up. we got cardassians, we got klingons, then we got romulans. everyone is here! JUST like super smash bros

really lame they didnt let that girl cardassian talk to beverly though. i think beverly is seriously bicurious and as we know all cardassians are gay so maybe that lady could have fixed her and it's lesophobia that she didn't

i also notice that two-timing mf picard is back to sharing breakfasts with beverly. smh. girl i would MAKE you breakfast. i could be a better man than him. all he did was leave you high and dry with the affair baby

actually, i did feel pretty bad for picard initially when his old teacher (who picard said was "like a father that understood me") was like, if you don't drop your entire job and career right now this instant and go to me i will leave your ship early and run straight into a photon torpedo and it will be ALLL your fault. bye forever! like, what a bitch. then he did something to ruin it pretty much immediately but i don't remember what because i was looking at my phone.

the storyteller (ds9):

CHARMING. absolutely charming start to finish. i fucking loved it

here's the thing about ds9. the plot of this episode fucking sucked ass, but i don't mind in the least because the characters are all so good and actually get to do stuff and form bonds with each other! wild how that works!

like, "we have to defeat a made-up cloud with the power of positive thinking so we don't all go to war?" girl, what on earth. but it literally doesn't matter because it's just an excuse for o'brien to be longsuffering and julian bashir to be most delightfully cringefail twink that ever existed and then do whatever it is together that they do. SURPRISING chemistry from those two. i know they wind up being besties later and i CANNOT wait

like, that guy was like "who can i pick to replace me...not this stupid airhead twink, are you kidding me? bring me the irishman." real.

the b plot of this also sucked. "jake and nog harass a teenage tribe leader because nog thinks she's cute" sounds bad But Actually. i like jake and nog hanging out a lot, i've grown quite fond of them, and the girl wound up needing a little outside perspective due to inexperience/was probably perfectly capable of getting rid of them had she wanted to

plus, it was an excuse for jake to be like my dad is a GREAT dad and then to have mister great dad tell jake and nog they were gonna clean that oatmeal off the walls with a fucking toothbrush

also. as a brand new odo stan i admit i was in considerable distress when they talked about stealing his bucket. but. i also really really really wanted to see the bucket. and he caught them anyway :')

him telling them to stop dangling and then they get up and immediately sit back down when he leaves and also he smiles at them when they aren't looking :')))

i think odo would be great with kids. absolutely he wants nothing to do with kids but he'd be great with them.

anyway, wonderful episode. i cant believe letswatchstartrek gave it a 2, what's wrong with them

TONIGHT: tng's frame of mind, which i have been looking forward to for MONTHS. i know it's gonna be good. i KNOW it is!!!

[introvertguide]

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); AFI #37

The next film on the AFI list is the epic drama, directed by William Wyler, about the men coming home to their families after WW2, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). The timing on the films\ was perfect to help families deal with the struggles of returning war veterans. It deals with unfaithful partners, loving partners who have to learn to except injuries of their loved ones, and families who have made a life out of being without a father in the household and nobody is quite sure how to proceed. The movie was nominated for 8 Oscars and took home 7 of them including Best Picture and Best Director. Harold Russel won Best Supporting Actor as well as a special award for encouraging fellow veterans. Mr. Russel was the only actor to ever win two acting awards for the same role in the same year. There is more to be said about the actors and the story, but it seems now is a good time to go over the plot of the film. This, of course, involves...

SPOILER ALERT!!! WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS FILM IS NO BIG SURPRISE, BUT I WOULD STILL RECOMMEND WATCHING IT FIRST AND THEN COMING BACK AFTER TO READ THE REVIEW!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The plot follows the lives of three veterans returning from service at the end of World War II to the fictional midwestern town of Boone City: USAAF bombardier Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), naval petty officer Homer Parrish (Harold Russel), and platoon sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric March). Before their respective military service, Fred was a soda jerk who married Marie (Virginia Mayo) shortly before shipping out. Al was a banker living with his wife Millie (Myrna Loy), adult daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright) and teen-aged son Rob. Homer was a star high school athlete living with his parents and sister, next door to his girlfriend, Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell). Homer lost both hands during the war and returns with mechanical hook prostheses.

Each man faces challenges integrating back into post-war society. Homer deals with the adjustments he and his family and Wilma face in light of his disability. Al's penchant for alcohol and the adjustments of returning to the banking business cause tension with his family and business associates. Fred, who experiences flashbacks of his bombing raids, becomes frustrated with the wife he barely knows and an employer who fails to appreciate him, and who eventually fires him when Fred punches a man in defense of Homer. Fred and Peggy become attracted to each other which puts the married Fred and Al at odds. Fred eventually leaves his cheating wife, and with no seeming future in Boone City, he decides to catch the next plane out. At the airport, Fred visits an aircraft boneyard and has another flashback. He is roused by a work crew boss who agrees to hire Fred to help disassemble the war planes for prefabricated housing material. Now divorced, Fred serves as best man at the wedding of Homer and Wilma, where he sees Peggy and they reunite.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have watched this film 4 times in the last 6 weeks because I kept meaning to do the review and then something happened. I had a move out of state, my dad was sick, I got a sudden group of students...it has been interesting. It has allowed my to really digest what this film is all about. A couple things that surprised me are how the women play all the tough characters, which was very abnormal for the time. Fred plays second fiddle to a cheating wife. Al tries to get his family to go out on the town. Homer doesn't want to talk about what is bothering him while Wilma shows undying love and loyalty. All of the men's roles basically described how Old Hollywood expected women to act at the time.

Let's go into depth with the characters a little more. Fred is having some kind of PTSD issue caused by seeing a man burned in a bomber. He apparently saved a bunch of men, but his memories still haunt him. He married a gold digger that loves a man in uniform before he left and she turns out to be a dud. He falls for Peggy Stevenson, daughter of one of the men he met on the plane home. He moves in too early and gets told off by her dad but his garbage wife divorces him and he goes back for Peggy. A lot of men got married right before leaving and returned to a wife they didn't really know. This was a real and present danger at the time this film came out and it was brave of them to address it so head on.

Al was the big man around the house and made all of the money for the family and his wife and children basically served him before the war. Al went off and became a sergeant so he became used to people doing what he said. He returned to a family that had learned to get by without him and had their own life so he is at a loss of what his place is in the family so he just gets drunk to cover up the awkwardness. His wife, Millie, and his daughter, Peggy, have angelic patience with the unsure man of the family and help him find his place again. This aspect of the movie was more about the strong women of the family although Fredric March was the one who received an Oscar for his performance.

Homer is the character I think most people remember about this movie because he was missing his hands. He was afraid to see his girlfriend and family because of the hooks that replaced his hands might be frightening. It did take some getting used to, but his girl seemed to love him just the same. Homer seemed to think that she would not like him anymore because he couldn't do all of things he could before. He had a little difficulty with tone because he would go from demanding independence one minute to wallowing in self pity the next. What is so good about the film and the character is that injured veterans tend to go through the stages of grief over the loss of a limb or motor function of a limb. It is likely that he would be all over the spectrum emotionally.

There were quite a few racial slurs about the Japanese people because there were very hard feelings for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, especially from the Navy and Air Force. It is a little hard to listen to today, but it does convey they American sentiment of the time. It also makes sense that you really have to hate somebody to want to fight and kill them, so I understand why all of the these characters would feel that way about people from that country.

Some of the scenes were a little uncomfortable to watch because awkward feelings about returning home and fitting back in with their families and society is not a comfortable subject. Al was especially hard for me to watch because he tried to hide his feelings with copious amounts of drinking. His first night back when he hit on his wife thinking she was somebody else and when he made a speech at his company's "welcome home" party both stand out as especially cringy.

So does this film belong on the AFI top 100? Of course it does. It is multi award winning and gives the viewer a feel for that moment in time right after WW2 when all the military people were coming home. Would I recommend it? Yes. It is one of the few movies of the time period that weren't touting America's superiority and instead focused on the toll that going to war took on the people who fought and those waiting back home. It is quite a long film with some cringy moments, but it is well worth it and very memorable.

[bitchme-2]

The Queens Are Nerds

All the Queens have fairly nerdy things that they have come to enjoy in their new lives.

Catalina and Anna both love Game of Thrones and won’t watch an episode without the other. Catalina like the strategy, plots, and drama while Anna seems to enjoy the fantasy and violence. They share theories with each other and really bond over it. NO ONE interrupts them when they’re watching it. Anne learned that lesson the hard way.

Anne has become enthralled with video games and even streams sometimes. She plays a bit of everything from Animal Crossing to Dark Souls. Seriously, you name it, Zelda, Doom, Hollow Knight, Among Us, Portals, Mortal Combat. Her favorite so far is The Last of Us. She has a fairly large following on Twitch.

Everyone in the house saw the Star Wars movies but Jane took a particular fascination to them and even knitted a few Star Wars themed sweaters. She loves the particularly cute aliens and funny droids. She has a crush on both young Obi Wan and Padme (who might remind her a bit of Catalina).

Kat is a huge history buff and reads everything and anything not only about during the time they were dead, but also before they were alive. She has so much trivia and fun facts memorized. It’s not suprising when she becomes a huge fan of Doctor Who. (She gets Jane to knit her the 4th doctor’s scarf). She also loves Disney movies.

Cathy is a writer and avid reader. She reads any literature she can, fiction and non-fiction, whether it’s old or new, bad or good. Once, her laptop got a bug which hindered her writing and, in the process of getting it fixed, she somehow also found a love for coding. Her biggest, nerdiest obsession is D&D because of the combination of storytelling, rules, and math. Yes, she watches Critical Role. Yes, she gets the other Queens to start a campaign where she DMs.

Kat and Cathy tend to info dump about their latest obsession, and their respective girlfriends (along with other queens) are always happy to listen.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing (December 26, 2021 - January 1, 2022)

@incorrectgundamwingquotes still Welcome to the near year Gundam Wing family!  Here’s some good stuff for all of you!  

--Mod LAM

PS: don’t forget to send us your stuff directly!  Tumblr is as Tumblr does, which means we miss stuff in the tags. :(  We want to make sure all you awesome creators get time in the spotlight!

Fanfiction

The Life of the Immortal Jellyfish (CH. 35/35!!) by @lemontrash

Characters: 5 pilots + Relena, Hilde, Sally, Noin, Une

Pairing: Duo x Wufei

Rating: EXPLICIT

Tags / Warnings: post-canon, post-Endless Waltz, insomnia, PTSD,  developing relationships, canon-type violence, grief/mourning, UST, friends to lovers

Summary:  Is it chance that lands Duo and Wufei in the same university dorm room? They’re not stupid enough to believe that but too tired to fight it. Duo’s dragged himself back from the brink of going too far and remains teetering on the edge while Wufei’s doggedly trying to prove himself to the ‘good guys’ in the aftermath of the Eve Wars. Sleep and normalcy eludes them both. As they become increasingly aware how damaged they are, they start to edge towards friendship, or something more, but all too soon the peace seems jeopardised by a new and manipulative threat.

a living fire (to lighten the darkness) (CH.7/8) by @gemstonecircles

Characters: 5 pilots + Relena, Hilde, Howard, Sally, Mariemaia, Une, Mareen Darlian

Pairing: Heero x Relena, Duo x Hilde, Trowa x Quatre

Rating: EXPLICIT

Tags / Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, death, corpses; PTSD, trauma, survivor’s guilt, post-canon, post-Endless Waltz, angst, injuries, sexual situations, and then some

Summary: In AC 219, when Liam begins his internship at the Noventa Memorial Earth Sphere Central Libraries and Archives, he finds his supervisor, Heero Yuy, both strange and a bit frightening. He has no idea what the past 25 years have been like.

Many Happy Returns by @expewrites for @deathscythehell​

Characters: Duo, Quatre

Pairing: Duo x Quatre

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags / Warnings: fluff, drinking, new years eve, developing relationship

Summary:  In which Duo has a plan to spring Quatre from his boring New Year's Eve office party, and they share the spoils—plus a little more.

Title by Author Characters: Pairing: Rating: Tags / Warnings: Summary: 

Title by Author Characters: Pairing: Rating: Tags / Warnings: Summary: 

Title by Author Characters: Pairing: Rating: Tags / Warnings: Summary: 

Fanart

Christmas Heero and Relena by @alphaikaros

Happy Holidays from Treize and Zechs by @noromax​

New Year Heero and Relena by @noromax​

New Year Heero and Relena by @gemstonecircles

Chilly Winter Heero and Relena by @gemstonecircles

Cathy-centric comic featuring Dorothy and Quatre by @2pcbart for @a-special-unicorn

Other Fanwork

Gunpla and Cosplay

Deathscythe by @erika-mr​

Other Fun Stuff

@janaverse continues to post screencaps of their GW Sims, so be sure to check them out!

@utamonogatari continues to share some awesome screenshots from the show. Be sure to check out their tag.

@incorrectgundamwingquotes still making us giggle.  Some examples:

Relena staging an intervention

Love is Contagious

Trowa knows what buttons to push

Understanding Donald Duck (with @lemontrash)

‘babe’ but like platonically... from @gemstonecircles

GW Shitposts by @vivi-mire

Discord Bot silliness by @helmistress

Duo plays third wheel again by @a-river-of-stars

An Endless Waltz Throuple by @tennyboo

Nun’s don’t work on Sundays by @the-reanimated-bhg

Yee Olde Memes from @the-reanimated-bhg

Calendar Events

@gwcocktailfriday is welcoming the new year with this week’s prompt.  Post your responses on Friday (January 7) between 3-5PM EST!

The 2021 Holiday Gift Exchange with @thisweekingundamevents is wrapping up!  Posts will go live between January 10-16, so keep an eye out!

The so-called “Big Gundam Server” is hosting the year’s first server meet-up on January 29-30.  Be sure to watch @lifeaftermeteor​ for more info.