#darn him for being so photogenic

[thegoldenshi-shi]

I just finished Trigun: Stampede, and now Mr. Stampede himself is back to ruining my headspace.

If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go watch it!

[river-bottom-nightmare]

In the eyes of the public, on a normal day captured by the paparazzi, all of the Wayne family look like at LEAST 7s. Everyone's a solid 10 on a great day though (meaning they took a break from patrol last night), and all of their individual charms do wonders on the public during press conferences, interviews, the works... However, Dick is just this constant, unattainable 12 to 13 and it's disgusting. His smile is always catching eyes and his gaze is too darn bright. He pulled off Discowing with a mullet and people still considered him pretty. He doesn't even have any embarrassing kid photos to make fun of because even in the throws of puberty, for whatever reason, fate just wouldn't let him be a normal, ugly, person for 2 seconds. So whenever Bruce makes his kids model for the company's publicity (usually only twice a year max), it's become expected that Dick always goes trending on social media for at least a week. (On the other hand, Tim is hilariously unphotogenic. He's attractive, for sure, but he only turns up nice in about 45% of photos. Otherwise he just looks like a random, tired mother. It's a bit of a joke on the internet, and those who have seen him in person really have to fight to assure everyone that the photos that show up in magazines are MUCH closer to the real deal. Jason and Damian find this hilarious.)

did someone? just come into my inbox? and randomly? send me? a batfam headcanon? you have no idea how excited i am right now thank you so much anon!!!!

i reread that like 5 times it’s absolutely hilarious and on point and i love it.

everyone in the wayne family is unfairly attractive, yes, but dick grayson being annoyingly photogenic is the best. he’s not even trying, all he did was run his hand through his hair in the morning and put on a hoodie but somehow he looks like he could put male models to shame. but whenever he actually puts in effort and tries to look good, makes himself attractive on purpose? everybody look out one glance and you’ll fall in love for the rest of your life.

as @/cryptocism so wonderfully put it, tim constantly looks like a goth trash goblin. it’s hilarious. he’s a feral gremlin racoon child and everybody knows it. whenever someone posts a picture of a Wild Tim Drake, everybody’s instantly like “meeeee” “s a m e” “bruh me and tim drake-wayne have the exact same fashion sense” etc. 

[thatlesbiancrow]

im gonna take so many darn pictures of my cat

i really want to get good at photography haha so i guess him being so photogenic is nice :)

[happyhealthycats]

Seymour

This story feels a little weird to tell, because it’s so new. Seymour is still only seven months old. He’s not fully grown. He still is very much a kitten. But he’s a little dude that completely blindsided me when we found him.

My local shelter was having a really hard kitten season. It started early and ended late in our area this year, and there was no room in the shelter. It’s a county shelter that doesn’t turn animals away. Any animals. When I went in to foster, they had a pig, a pigeon, and rabbits, not just your usual dogs and cats.

We had fostered before, but it had been a single kitten through a different rescue that I was no longer keen on using. At least with this shelter, if the cats got sick, I could take them to the shelter’s vet and have them seen by a professional, not the back of the van diagnosis I had experienced with my previous foster.

I told the shelter workers that my husband was still on the fence. I wasn’t working at the time, so the work would fall entirely on me, but he was still hesitant. So they said “Okay, we’ll start you out with something easy. Here’s a litter of four, almost five week old kittens. They’re all healthy, all weaned to wet food. They just need to be brought up to weight to be fixed, and that should be about three to four weeks.” (I am taking the briefest moment to mention as an aside - this is not the post to argue about the age of spay/neutering. This is the shelter’s policy and that was that. I could either comply with their policy or I could not volunteer with them). 

I took home this litter of four beautiful kittens. Three girls, one boy. They were unnamed, so I got to decide what they would be called. A friend suggested naming them after Steven Universe characters, so I did. They were Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven.

The kittens honestly were hardly work for me. They were so young we handled them frequently, inviting people over so they could experience as many different people as possible. Their little personalities flourished and I felt so, SO honored to get to know these amazing little animals. Garnet was confident, willing to rough house, explore, approach new people without hesitation. She was a little more afraid of dogs (unfortunately without dogs in our house her only experience with them was adoption events). Amethyst was a little more shy. She would play with her siblings and with humans, but wound up getting bullied out of her food bowl if I didn’t give her a separate dish. She learned to push back and make sure she got what she needed, and went from the skinny little “we’re not sure if she’s going to thrive” threshold to feisty little girl. Pearl was a cuddle bug. We would pick her up to give her medicine, and I always had to do her last, because she would fall asleep in my arms every time I held her.

Then there was Steven. 

Independent, confident, curious, played beautifully with his sisters. If they had too much, he learned to walk away instead of pressing his luck with them, and was able to entertain himself with nearby toys or people.

He had no fear, and when their two week quarantine period was up, he met the household cats and absolutely meshed with them immediately. Keeping him separate from the rest of the house in the “kitten room” was darn near impossible, and he made his best attempt to escape and explore the house every time we opened the door.

As spay/neuter-day came closer, kittens began to get spoken for. Amethyst was first. A friend of mine messaged me and asked to meet her. It was love at first site. Amethyst is still Amethyst. Next was Pearl. Funny enough, Pearl now lives with my previous foster, Chainsaw, who is now Alice. Pearl also kept her name. Garnet was next, after a long push on social media to find a loving home. Garnet is now Widget. I still get updates on all three girls, and they are amazing and I’m so proud of them. (For privacy’s sake of their new homes, I can’t share current pictures). 

But Steven, for all our socializing, was so attached to me that it was tough to imagine not waking up and seeing his wonderful little face. Simcoe and Citra had also taken an IMMENSE interest in the kittens. Every single morning, we woke up with a mountain of toys laid in front of the kitten door, gifts for the babies they knew were on the other side. We became concerned that Simcoe would grow depressed with the absence of kittens. Normally, yes, cats can get over these things, but as a semi-feral and fairly sickly young cat, we have to keep Simcoe’s stress levels down as much as possible. And oddly enough, Simcoe is less stressed when she can take care of other cats.

I had the moment when I had to start taking Steven to adoption events, and knowing he would have to leave, I was sad, but knew I would get over it. The girls were sweet and wonderful, but they were never mine. Steven would come to me no matter who was in the room. He would climb on me and sleep on me, and while I did everything in my power to socialize him with as many people as possible, he still loved other people, he just preferred to be with me. Removing myself from his life for the sake of his care and his ability to be adopted out would be negligent to him, so I had to continue caring for him.

So my husband said, “He really gets along with the other cats, doesn’t he?”

He did.

“You’re going to be really upset when he leaves, aren’t you?”

I was.

So my husband paid Steven’s adoption fee as an anniversary gift. (Steven, mind you, was not the gift, we discussed his adoption prior and both agreed we could realistically home him here). 

But what to name him? We considered “Mosaic”, and would call him Moe for short, to keep with the theme of hops since he got along so well with Simcoe and Citra. But it didn’t fit. He already had an S name. We considered keeping Steven, but without the girls the naming convention wasn’t quite right.

A few other names fell by. Zevran was a tempting runner up, but my husband wasn’t terribly fond of it, and try as I might to call him that, he didn’t FEEL like a Zevran (Sorry, Dragon Age fans).

Remembering one of my favorite movies/musical productions, Little Shop of Horrors, I laughed and thought of the name Seymour. My husband liked it, but not for the same reason I did.

“Seymour Skinner, from the Simpsons!” He said. “Or Seymour Asses, like from Futurama...” I let the fact that Seymour Asses had been a dog slide, because as I called “Seymour”, over he ran, meowing happily. We didn’t name him. Seymour picked his name.

We did our usual slow introductions, but as always, the resident cats pleasantly surprised me with how easily they allowed Seymour into their group. Within a week they were allowgrooming and sleeping together. When they would play, Seymour could understand who he could play rough with, and who didn’t like to play as rough. Citra took a shine to him immediately, and Heimdall began caring for him like the nurturing big dude he’s always been.

Seymour is my little shadow. He comes when he’s called, he almost always needs to be in the same room as me, and if I’m sitting on the couch, he’s near constantly on my lap. That being said, he’s also the absolute friendliest cat in the house. While Heimdall is a relaxed and easy going cat, Seymour seeks out new people and will rub up to them and meow at them for attention within moments of someone walking through the door.

He’s also photogenic as anything. He just loves the attention he gets when I take pictures of him, so he’ll sit there and just let me snap countless photos because he knows it means I’m looking at him.

I adore all my cats. Each one has a piece of my heart for a different reason. Seymour was the final piece to our family to make our home and lives so wonderful and full. He’s comic relief. He’s a wonderful foible for every single cat in the house. He’s best buddies with Heimdall, a playmate for Sif, a partner in crime for Citra, and a snuggle buddy for Simcoe. 

And I couldn’t imagine my life without every single one of them.

[armorbirdpress]

Armor Bird Reviews: Deadpool 2

If you'll excuse the cringeworthy wordplay to start us off, I've been dying harder than a mook at Wade Wilson's mercy to see the Deadpool sequel, and I finally got my wish last weekend. The first movie is as of now my favorite in the X-Men film canon, and this is coming from somebody who's seen most if not all of the movies over the years and really enjoyed both Days of Future Past and Apocalypse. However, Deadpool topped them both by quite a margin by not only rerailing the Merc with a Mouth, but also using quite a bit of self-deprecation among other humor to blow a mile-wide hole in the fourth wall. So, was Deadpool 2 able to outdo the first film in terms of quality and humor? The spoilerific answer is under the cut!

Deadpool 2 starts off... pretty badly, actually. There is definitely humor and a bit of a jab at the ending of Logan - the film literally opens with a music box shaped like the dead Wolverine, in fact - and we get to see the Merc turn himself to ludicrous gibs literally within minutes of the studio titles. Fine and dandy for an introductory sequence, right? But then we get to see why he blew himself up: someone shot Vanessa while he and his gang broke into Wade's apartment. That... that's not how I wanted to start us off. It was a disappointment to me especially since Vanessa actually gains powers in the comics and I'd have wanted to see that play out in a Deadpool sequel, rather than her getting fridged less than ten minutes in. For reasons I'll get to much later in this review, the impact actually wasn't as bad as Mako Mori getting fridged in Pacific Rim: Uprising - which was in its entirety a bitter disappointment for my taste; I seriously hope a third PR movie does get made after all that fixes what this one made such a huge mess of, but I digress. Having Vanessa's death solely be for the sake of Deadpool's development was an upset I worried would detract from the rest of the movie. I even saw it coming, actually - Wade's narration mentions that like other family movies, which he insists this film is an example of, it starts with "a vicious murder"... definitely not him, but with nobody else significant other than Vanessa and her bringing up an interest in having children early on, I just knew it would end badly for her. Again, I'll get back to her later, but her fate left a sour taste in my mouth and I seriously hoped what followed made up for it.

To my surprise - and to my surprise, to my pleasant surprise - Deadpool's quest to do something decent for once, while undermined a little by his love interest's demise, combined the standard dose of fourth-wall-breaking antics, that continent-wide streak of dark black comedy that only Deadpool could deliver, and an impressive degree of character development while still keeping Wade a demented, murderous flock-head who only endears us because of his deceptively sophisticated sense of humor. Even in-universe, a brief cameo by some of the other X-Men demonstrates that with the exception of Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and the newly introduced Yukio (who I would later find out also showed up in The Wolverine but in a different timeline and portrayed completely differently), nobody wants anything to do with him whenever he shows up at the mansion. And yet he still charmed us all in spite of all of that. I don't know how the heck he does it - perhaps it's his casual transition between talking with the characters and the audience, and vice versa, or maybe it's his self-deprecation and acknowledgement that he's a total a-hole, or maybe it's both at once. But he remains as quotable and memetic as ever in this movie while also learning valuable life lessons about caring for others, which makes him as strong a protagonist as the first time around while still making his character arc here more distinct and special.

By the same token, the film does a good job of making it seem like there's a main antagonist - the spotlight is put on Vanessa's murderer, Cable, that mutant-hating preacher who abused Russel/Firefist, Russel himself, and Juggernaut, in that order - but ultimately having the main conflict being Deadpool trying to do good for both the world and himself without vivisecting people the way he usually does. There's no major threat to Wade in this movie apart from his own inner struggles, including wanting to see Vanessa in the afterlife, wanting to protect Russel from Cable (who is himself slightly mistaken), and wanting to punish those who abused Russel while not inciting him to go down the dark path Cable was trying to prevent in the first place. Likewise, Russel himself wants vengeance against the preacher who tortured him, but if he kills him he'll start wanting to kill more people and cause the bad future that Cable didn't want, so it's down to Deadpool to get him to see sense. Deadpool's ever-present rival, Colossus, also comes to terms with the nobility of the Merc's intentions, and even gets to loosen up and try out his more vulgar approach to life for once. And even Cable himself, who seems like a villain in the second act of the movie, ultimately comes to understand that you don't have to kill people to prevent a dark future and acts accordingly to help Deadpool. The main theme of the movie is that reckless violence only begets reckless violence, and that breaking the cycle can be difficult - it takes a selfless act from Deadpool himself to do the trick in this case - but the act of caring for others, so complicated and yet so simple, is a more sustainable solution than selfishly acting on your own interests. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think the world could learn from Wade's example if only it took the time to listen.

I've rambled long enough about this movie without getting into the supporting characters as well as the blatant (and bitingly subversive) attempt at making it an X-Force pilot. The marketing played up the characters recruited by Deadpool to rescue Russel to the point where some of the trailers even included scenes featuring them that weren't in the final film (and may have even been made specifically to throw off the public). With one exception, not one of them even survives long enough to participate in said rescue - Bedlam gets hit by a bus, Shatterstar is shredded by helicopter rotors, Zeitgeist goes feet-first into a woodchipper... Even Peter the memetic ordinary guy dies trying to help that last one, though he and the aforementioned exception are also the only members of the group to make it out in the long term. Only Domino, thanks to her luck power, manages to not only stick the landing but be an awesome character from that point forward. Now, I know that weaponized luck ability sounds Suvian, and if written badly it is. But if a line from Domino when the gang gets to the orphanage where Russel was kept is any indication, she used to live there as a kid - and who knows if she was tortured like Russel was. Exploring the problems of her ability, both in her troubled past and in the present day, could be an interesting avenue to explore in her future appearances. It also doesn't hurt that Deadpool actually throws shade at her luck ability for not being photogenic, even though the Disaster Dominoes she causes allow her to get to Russel with ease. Come to think of it, a further way of deconstructing her luck could be having her eventually become aware of the collateral damage it could cause to others, and try to rectify this oversight before she ends up getting lucky at the cost of someone else's life (Maybe she already has and hasn't realized it? I can't tell). Ultimately, Domino is my second favorite character in this movie aside from the Merc himself, and I hope to see more of her in future X-Men installments.

So, where will the third Deadpool movie go now that Vanessa is dead? Well... Towards the end of the movie, Cable used the one remaining charge of his time-travel device to retroactively save Deadpool, by using the same skee-ball token he'd taken from Wade earlier as a pocket protector for its owner (previously he'd taken a bullet shot by Cable himself to save Russel and demonstrate his hidden altruism). In a mid-credits stinger, Negasonic and Yukio fix the device... and give it to Wade by mistake. Whereupon the Merc proceeds to abuse its power to undo the deaths of Vanessa and Peter (along with two old shames of Ryan Reynolds' that I won't spoil even here), meaning that surprise, Vanessa escapes the fridge after all! I honestly should've seen this coming, but unlike with the Time Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, Cable's device never was played up as a means of setting right what had gone wrong in Deadpool's history, so the stinger was a bit of a curveball for me at least. Still, it was a massive relief in hindsight that Vanessa's death was undone, since that means she'll have more room for development in the third Deadpool movie. I'd still want to see her develop superpowers of her own (I think she had shapeshifting in the comics) and ultimately end up fighting alongside her fiancee, and in fact that could be the exact conflict of the third movie if I were to guess - his coaching her through her new life and the complications that both of them being superheroes (well, super-anti-hero in Wade's case) would bring to their relationship. Fridging her in this movie was a mistake, even if it was temporary, but unlike with poor Mako Mori, there is at least a very good chance that the upcoming third film could more than make up for it, and I really hope Vanessa gets a much bigger spotlight in said third film than in this one, because gosh darn it, she needs and deserves it. On a slightly unrelated note, I'm also hopeful that Yukio gets more screentime, especially considering her lovable personality and relationship with Negasonic (major props to the producers for the same-sex pairing representation!), and as with Vanessa, I hope she gets a bigger role and becomes more pivotal to whatever shenanigans Deadpool gets involved with next time he hits the big screen. 

As a re-railing of Wade's character, and as the first R-rated X-Men installment, the first Deadpool already did set a pretty high bar, especially since its production was super troubled and it was only after several shake-ups in 20th Century Fox as well as Reynolds supposedly leaking footage of the movie himself that it managed to see the light of day. So was Deadpool 2 a worthy successor? There were a few bumps in the road, sure, but they weren't as consequential as I feared they would, and it was otherwise a hilarious and awesome romp that matched the first film in terms of quality and, yes, even exceeded it, thanks in part to solid supporting characters (Cable and Domino especially) and a slightly less cookie-cutter plotline. It's not perfect by any means - but then again, I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as cinematic perfection, and nobody isn't allowed to gut movies they enjoy nor are they forbidden from providing their feedback on what could be done to make these movies better. All the same, the Deadpool series has thus far been a winner in my book, and I rest my case in the wake of Deadpool 2. I look forward to the future cinematic fourth-wall-obliterating adventures of the Merc with a Mouth... even if the rest of the X-Men probably wouldn't.

Grading Scheme:

96 - 100: A+

93 - 96: A

90 - 92.9: A-

87 - 89.9: B+

83 - 86.9: B

80 - 82.9: B-

77 - 79.9: C+

73 - 76.9: C

70 - 72.9: C-

67 - 69.9: D+

60 - 66.9: D

Below 60: E

Grades:

Writing: 10

Characterization: 8

Pacing: 8

Creativity: 9

Consistency: 8

Cinematography: 10

World Building: 9

Music and Sound: 9

Effects: 8

Engagement: 10

Final Grade: 89 (B+)

[kalidesautelsreads]

Happy birthday to my baby sister! 33 years ago, I was sooooo excited to find out that my wish for a sister had been granted. I remember being in Memere and Grampa’s Rec Room in the basement, standing front of the fireplace and jumping up and down with Ty that you were here! We called you the Bunny Baby because you came on Easter weekend. I remember when you were little and you would come running to me to brush your hair because mom “pulled too hard”. I remember how you would stamp your little foot when you were frustrated. I remember the summer of all of the screenings of The Black Pearl, where I would hide my eyes until you told me the ghosts were gone. I remember making you do “photo shoots” because you have always been so darn cute and photogenic. I remember escaping the stinky duck on the Seine and filming a “travel documentary” on the side of the river instead. I remember talking to your pregnant belly to tell B to hurry up because I was waiting for him. I remember you coming to the hospital at 1am the night S was born, even though you were a new mom who was in school, to meet her. In 33 years, we have fought, and chatted, and giggled, and imagined, and planned, like, well like sisters. Over the years, we have taken turns with needing comfort. Now I come to you with questions and anxieties. I admire your wisdom, wit, and perseverance. I love your spirit, and magic, and the wonderfulness that is you. I love that you challenge me to do better when I can, and tell me it’s ok to just be when I need to. I love that you are clever and creative and the way that you can illuminate ideas and make connections and identify knowledge gaps. I love that you still let me proofread your papers, and text to ask about a misplaced comma. I love that even though we are on opposite ends of the country that we have weekly dates and that you spend your time actively maintaining your friendship with my kids. Most of all, I love you. I love that we send each gifs, and speak in movie quotes, and I love that you are my sister. Happy birthday, Babe. I hope your second COVID birthday is better than the first one! Enjoy your clotted cream! #hbd #mysistermyfriend #babysister #sis (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNLL9dQMu00/?igshid=10k7q6n0f3a16

[paixen]

I was tagged by @strigops​ to list and rave about my 10 favorite characters. The only thing is, I’ve been so sheltered from media until I was about 17 years old that I don’t know if I can list 10 whole characters that stick out to me, so I’ll just write the number of characters that I can think of off the top of my head that I like. Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk.

1. Ignis Stupeo Scientia from Final Fantasy XV - the world does not deserve such a mans like Iggy. His selfless compassion was so central to his character that he sacrificed his sight, which he valued so much, to protect his prince/king and therefore his kingdom. (And based on the trailers for Episode Ignis, he had to go through so much more than just losing his sight. AAAAH I’M SO HYPED and also apprehensive!!!) He’s wise beyond his years, he’s ridiculously intelligent, he’s sophisticated, he’s passionate, he’s a great chocobro mom, he’s a good cook, he’s hilariously, unintentionally funny - but also sassy, he’s athletically lithe, and he’s photogenic to boot. He also values puns! He basically embodied everything I wanted to be as I was growing up. What I admire about him most is the fact that he doesn’t typically waste words, so his peers revere him with respect whenever he has something to say. Generally. *coughRECIPEHcough* I would protect this mans like he protects his prince ;-;

2. Peregrin Took from The Lord of the Rings series - This character was so much fun to read in the books and was a great to watch on screen. His character development from a careless, food loving, self serving, drugged up trickster to a slightly taller, more mature/compassionate food loving, drugged up lad with a good sense of humor was one that I admired a lot growing up. A lot of people commend Samwise or Frodo for being the most hardy and generally “good” Hobbits... but I like to think that Pippin deserves recognition there too. I prefer to measure a fictional character’s value by how much they better themselves rather than their general goodness. Pippin wasn’t an all around inherently “good” character at the start, but very much changed that by the end.

3. Uncle Iroh from Avatar the Last Airbender - if you’ve seen this series I don’t think I have to do much explaining. If you haven’t, all you have to know is this wonderful wise old man is indeed a wise guy. In every sense of that phrase. And the unconditional love he has for his nephew. Just. Oh my GOD he’s such a sweet old man... who happens to be able to thoroughly wreck you physically via with his masterful firebending, and emotionally via his love for his family members. When he cries, you cry. No exceptions, you heathen.

4. Garnet from Steven Universe - her concept was just so cool to me when I first watched SU. She’s the most responsible gem mom I know, and she is made of (🎶 LO-O-O-O-OOOVE 🎶... ahem) 2 amazing gems, who both represent 2 predominant facets of my personality pretty darned well. She’s also SO unintentionally funny that it hurts sometimes, and also a professional roaster. I also have an appreciation for characters who fight with their fists. Just feels organic, y’know? Though I kinda wish the crewniverse would use her powers more consistently but I guess.... plot?

5. Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog - this one might be weird but it’s mostly based on nostalgia. My brother always wanted to play on our SEGA Genesis when we were kids, and literally played on it for 24 hours once because my mom was curious to see how long he’d last given the opportunity. After that my mom limited the amount of time he was allowed to play on it, and would tell him “you should give your sister a turn once in a while.” When I was a kid I was so afraid of every video game that we had that I’d start crying if he merely inserted a Cartridge. BUT the one game I wasn’t scared of and was slightly obsessed with was Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles, but only if I was playing as Tails with him as Sonic, since Tails technically never dies. And we played that game to completion almost daily because that was his loophole to be able to keep playing the SEGA. As long as I was playing, that counted as “giving his sister a turn.”

6. Sans from Undertale - if you know anything about me, you know that most of my terrible sense of humor is derived from puns, which Sans delivers very expertly. The amount of depth Toby Fox put into this character was really impressive. Sans tries to keep things lighthearted, despite some really heavy circumstances, which reminds of so many of my own friends and occasionally myself. Depending on the route you take, he’s either an immense support to your morale throughout the game, or a dude who makes you feel like the Ultimate Scum Of The Earth. HE KNOWS SO MUCH.

7. Bob the Tomato from Veggietales - this orb makes the greatest faces and  can be so sassy. Go watch Veggietales if you want an experience. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate it. It’s essentially a Christian questionably ironic shitpost show. Bob is 10/10 best vegetable I’ve ever met. I also used to have a Bob the Tomato plushie as a kid? Probably weird but hey, he was round and squishy.

 8. I also remember REALLY liking Willow Watersong from The Demon King series by Cinda Williams Chima when I read it, but it’s been SUCH a long time so I can’t really rave about her. I just remember her being super cool and mysteriously knowledgeable.

Imma tag @sir-isaiah, @moonraccoon-exe, @fanwright, @hawkpath-tail and @jimthefishboi to enthuse about your 10 favorite characters if it tickles your fancy!  ヽ(•‿•)ノ

[werenzki]

Jesse Puljujarvi #1

Anonymous said: Can you do a Jesse Puljujarvi imagine where he sees me out one day and is absolutely like head over heels for her instantly and embarrasses himself trying to ask her on a date and she agrees

A/N: my finnish babe will always have a place in my heart and you can expect some more imagines involving him soon too!! :) also this is written like its the new season (’17-’18)

Word Count: 1,671

“He’s so staring at you,” your co-worker said as you pointed the camera towards the ice and looked into the view finder. Zooming-in, you found that the Finnish teen was indeed staring at where the two of you sat. “I swear, he hasn’t stopped looking this way since you got back from the glass,” she stated while typing on her laptop.

“So, the boy is staring, who cares,” you shrugged and adjusted your media pass that hung around your neck. The stupid thing kept getting caught on the button of your jean jacket. 

“He probably thinks your hot,” she said, “wouldn’t be the first Oiler,” 

“Drake hits up like everyone ever, he doesn’t even count,” 

“What about the way Nuge and you are always talking? You don’t think that he thinks you’re hot too?” She questioned, elbowing you now and causing your shot of Cam to be blurry. You turned to her and glared, she apologized immediately before turning back to her laptop. 

“Ryan and Bre are pretty much married, he’s just a nice guy,”

“Alright,” she nodded, biting down on her pen after jotting something down in her notebook. She then pointed the pen to the ice, you saw that Jesse was standing at the blue line - waiting for his turn in the drill - and staring up at your two again. “But as far as I know, this guy isn’t married,” she smirked. 

“Dear god,” you mumbled under your breath. Just then a whistle was drawn out longer than usual and you turned to see what the commotion was about. Todd was skating towards Jesse, he then had some words with him, causing the Finnish boy to nod his head and seem to be frowning now. 

“I think lover boy just got in trouble for staring at you,” your co-worker chuckled beside you. 

“Lover boy?” You chuckled along with her and shook your head. She was being silly. This was the first time Jesse was playing with the team since you began working for their media team. Give it a couple more times of seeing each other and - like Drake - he’ll stop staring and get over you. 

You brought the camera back up to your face and sat on the edge of your seat. Focusing on Darnell, you took a few shots of him while he went through the drill. Then he skated out of frame and in came Jesse. You couldn’t miss that wide smile of his, it was contagious as you snapped a few more photos of him. In between shots, you looked out at the boys practicing. It seemed that Jesse was fitting right in, finding a spot a line with Connor even at some points. 

“How are the shots turning out?” Your co-worker asked after a moment. 

“Good,” you nodded and handed her the card from the camera containing all the photos you had snapped so far today. 

As she perused through them, you let your gaze fall back to the ice. First you looked over where Ryan, Ebs and Adam were talking at the blue line. Then you found yourself watching the Fin again. You couldn’t help yourself, no one could even try to miss that smile he had on - probably feeling on top of the world at his first practice back with the Oilers since last season. You had read all the articles ever about the Oilers, and last season was a development season for Jesse. This new season, it was go-time for him. 

“Y/N,” she chuckled beside you, causing you to look at her now as she pointed to her screen. “Like half of these are just of Jesse,” she stated. 

Peering at the screen you saw that there were plenty photos of him amongst the others. It was completely by accident though. Sure, he was a new face at practice and through your lens, but you hadn’t meant to take so many of him. You shrugged and took the SD card back from her. 

“He’s photogenic, ok,” you grumbled while bringing the camera strap around you neck again. “I’ll be behind the net, getting some more shots,” 

After getting some more photos from behind the net, you were looking through them in your view finder and making sure they weren’t just of Jesse. You had taken quite a few good ones of Leon actually, even getting one of him smiling too - which was rare. Abruptly, there was a tapping on the plexiglass in front of you. You tore your eyes from your camera and looked up at see Jesse standing there. 

You smiled, chuckling under your breath as he looked at you. He raised his gloved hand and waved at you, a smile across his face too. You waved back and then he was looking off after Kassian, who must’ve teased him in some way cause he was laughing at Jesse - and cause it was Zach Kassian. Jesse looked down at the ice before looking back up at you. 

For some reason you’re heart was pounding in your chest. Well it was obvious why. The boy was cute, and he was acting pretty darn cute too. You smiled again and brought the camera up to your face, squinting one eye to focus better on capturing Jesse standing there. The first shot he looked a little confused, but then he had that stupid adorable grin on his face again, and then he was skating off away from you and leaving your last shot to be a blur. 

“I’m going to grab a few shots of them walking down the tunnel, then I’ll be done,” you said to your co-worker. She nodded and you walked through the rows of chairs till you got to the one side beside where the players were going to be exiting back to the dressing room. 

“Hey, Y/N,” Ryan said as he skated off the ice. You took a few photos of him before taking the camera away from your face and brushed your hair out of your face. 

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Good, get any good photos of me today?” He asked, a smile on his face. 

“A few, maybe even good enough for that non-existing Instagram page of yours,” you teased while returning the smile. Ryan chuckled and then said a goodbye before walking down the tunnel. 

You had the camera up while you took photos of the cluster of Oilers skating off the ice and down the tunnel. You noticed Jesse taking his time on the ice, talking with coaches and he ended up being the last to leave. His skates lifted off the ice and you zoomed in to get the moment they hit the floor. Then you zoomed out again and caught a photo of his looking down before his gaze rose and he was staring right at you. 

“Hey,” Jesse smiled at you. He stopped walking and leaned against his stick. 

“Hi,” you said. 

“Taking lots of photos?” He asked, his accent so thick you found yourself smiling again. You knew he was still struggling with the language barrier here in Canada. 

“I am,” you nodded. 

“Of me?” 

You chuckled, feeling your cheek heat up as a blush crept over them, “yes,” you admitted. 

“You work here?”

“I work for the Oilers, yeah, not just here at Rogers,” you stated. You followed them on the road too, or anywhere your boss told you to go really. But you loved it. 

“Oh, awesome,” he smiled. You were expecting him to say goodbye now, but instead he stood there, toying with his stick, and for once - looking anywhere but at you. “I got in trouble earlier,” he said, his eyes falling onto you again. 

“Why?” You asked, chuckling at him. 

“Kept staring at a pretty girl in the chairs,” 

“Ah,” you nodded, “I have photo evidence of that, actually,” 

“What?” Jesse questioned, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. You pointed to your camera and thought of how else to work it for the Fin. 

“I have proof, picture of you looking at me,” you said. Immediately Jesse’s eyes widened and he seemed to be embarrassed. You laughed and then shook your head at him. “There’s very good pictures though,” you added. 

“Oh, good,” he nodded. He seemed to be distracted again as he looked off around the arena. 

“Jesse,” you sang out his name in hopes to get his attention. His head turned and his gaze locked with yours. You chuckled and leaned against the railing, resting your chin on your arm. “Was there anything else?” You asked. He looked embarrassed again, but it was just so cute.

“I’m, uh, trying to find the words,” he said. You nodded, understanding that he was still learning. “I’m new to Edmonton, don’t really know any good places to eat, but I want to take you out,” 

You bit down on your bottom lip to prevent from grinning so widely. You knew you were smiling like a goofball though, cause Jesse was too. This had to be one of the cutest ways you had even been asked out on a date before. So obviously you had to say yes. 

“I’d love to,” you said. “I know a few places too,” 

“Can I give you my number?” He asked. You nodded and pulled out your phone from your jacket pocket. After unlocking it and going to your contacts to create a new one, you saw Jesse had removed his glove and had his hand reaching up through the railing. You handed off your phone and he poked out his tongue while typing in his information. 

“Text me, we’ll figure out something,” 

“For this weekend?” Jesse asked. 

“Sure, this weekend works fine for me,” you smiled. He nodded again and then he walked off down the tunnel. You sat there for another moment and looked down at the new contact in your phone. He added a little Finland emoji beside his name, and a smiling face. This boy was just too cute.

[tehyon]

Photogenic (Prologue)

A boy with a memory like a camera and a girl whose face is just so darn memorable.

Genre; fluff, romance, all that good ish.

prologue • one • two • three • epilogue

//////

Yoongi was on his usual bus yet again, camera in hand, lenses pointed out of the window. His day was essentially empty, and who really needed school anyway? His parents had shoved him through the whole system, trying to make him out to be the genius of his generation when he really didn't want to, he just wanted to take photos of pretty things.

His parents had been adamant that he'd been selected for Mensa the moment he'd recited Great Expectations to her during his bedtime. They'd ran several tests to try and 'understand' his brain, coming to the simple conclusion; he had an eidetic memory.

In layman's terms, it meant that ever since his brain had fully developed, he could recall everything. What people said, what they wore, their facial expression etc. It meant that his IQ was an astonishing number, and everyone expected him to go into some prestigious field where he'd somehow further the world's understanding of something.

So imagine their surprise when he turned out to be an art major.

His memory was as much a burden as it was a gift. Who wants to remember the days that weren't so good? Who wants to remember every snide look from your so-called peers, or the expectations underlining every sentence your mother spoke?

Photography meant he could keep the best version of the most beautiful things in life. He'd be able to metaphorically carve beauty in his mind, and override the ugliness of reality.

It wasn't to say that he didn't love his parents or his limited circle of friends. But sometimes they were just too much. When everyone comes to you for the most simple things, sometimes to test you, or just because they were simply too lazy to think about it themselves. But that's called being human, I guess.

The bus had paused at a red light, and almost as if instinctual, he pressed the shutter button, snapping a picture he hadn't expected to take. But this one was different, his camera had tumbled some way into his lap, and the crystal clear image in his mind was far better than any digital version he could've downloaded.

He'd 'taken' a photo of a girl. He hadn’t noticed her amongst the babble of the crowd around her, but for some reason, his brain had retained her face amongst the others. He didn’t like remembering faces. They all had their flaws, and why would he want to remind himself of that every day? People would always be flawed, selfish and scheming.

No sooner had he 'taken' the picture, the bus was back in motion, and he only caught a glimpse of purple hair.

His mind whirled back, conjuring the image of the girl yet again, framed in the busy traffic of the city, letting him examine her features. Her hair was vibrant but dulled in comparison to her face.

Her face was beaming, glossy cheeks and rosy lips, but her sky-high heels and ripped jeans made it obvious that they didn’t exactly have the same upbringing. Yoongi was certain the last time he wore a torn shirt to school, his mother had called him a beggar and laughed in his face.

He didn't know why she seemed to look so perfect to him, captured within his version of a photo, but he'd found his muse.

All that was left was to actually find her.

[crazy-for-you86]

Normally i dont really like having my picture taken. In fact. I am usually the one behind the camera. Because of my size. I find my body looks aweful in pictures. Plan and simple i think i look fat. Unless i take the picture myself and get just the right angle so i dont look as bad. It is a real struggle for me to be comfortable with the way i look. I know that im overweight. I know that im unhealthy. I know that its bad for my bones. I know all of those things. Its just hard. When you are constantly being judged by people whether with words or just stares. Its hard to want to go out and walk or go join a gym when people judge you for the way you look. Its hard. But. I am learning to become a bit more ok with the way i look. I have curves. I have hips. I have an ass. I have boobs. And that has to be ok. Cause thats the way i am. These pictures were taken by my boyfriend. I had to tell him that i want more pictures of me that arent selfies. I am constantly taking candid snaps of him(hes so photogenic its maddening). He said fine. But only if you dont critic them before i post them or make me delete them because you think you look bad. So i agreed. The pictures never got posted. I just found them on my phone and was looking through them. I thought to myself. I look pretty darn good in some of these. Im no supermodel but im ok. So please. Just be nice. It takes a lot of courage for some people to post pictures of themselves. So no negative comments please. Think of how you would feel. Or how your child would feel before you say something hurtful or rude. 😀📷🎆

[liannyeong]

as close as friends, but we’re actually strangers

Summary:  eight months of knowing each other but she still doesn’t know mr smiley’s real name.

Word count: 2700

Pairing: Sungjin X OC

Warning(s): fluff (i suppose?), lapslock again

A/N: yas this is my first day6 sungjin fic hahahahaha sungjin has been nagging in my mind, begging to be written in a fic so here it goes! and yes, i will be writing more sungjin fics in the future :D

it has been raining all day, coupled with strong wind that brings cold air all over town. she's been in the lecture hall for half an hour, arms wrapped around her body, legs shaking vigorously. she tries her best to get her body working in any way possible, hoping it'll warm her body even if it's just a little. she thinks of seeking warmth outside but she can't afford to miss anything the professor says. and so she stays in her seat, her hands stuffed between her thighs to warm her freezing and numb hands. twenty minutes later, the professor calls for a short break and she dashes out of the hall. as soon as she pushes the door open, the slightly warmer air hits her body and she instantly feels a thousand times better. her frozen body has melted with the heat, and she is now able to move normally. she lingers outside of the hall, enjoying the warmth.

and that's when she sees mr smiley at the other end of the corridor.

mr smiley is her neighbor in the university's hostel. they keep bumping into each other in the hostel's elevator, and that was how they became acquaintances. and the thing is, this has been happening for eight months but she still doesn't know his name. that is why she nicknames him 'mr smiley' for he smiles a lot whenever she sees him. and it's probably the most beautiful sight she has ever seen.

he's with his friends: a tall blonde who almost looks like a walking giraffe, another gray-dyed haired male who looks like he just came out of a punk rock concert. they seem to be having a good time as they walk, considering how they are laughing, to the point that the grey-haired male wiped a tear from his eye. mr smiley walks at the side, brushing his hair back as he laughs and she thinks he's a walking beauty. it's as if he's on a fashion runway, showing off his photogenic and modeling skills. the thoughts make her flustered, and decides to rush back into the lecture hall, but before she can even move, mr smiley has spotted her. his eyes flick to the front and lands on her face. his lips break into a wider smile but she blames it on her imagination.

"hey!" mr smiley greets as he raises his hand up when he is in audible distance. his friends trail behind him, and waits at one corner as mr smiley approaches her alone. he glances at the door to the lecture hall and asks curtly, "class?"

she nods. he notices her arms wrapped around her body and the chattering of her teeth.  "cold?" she nods again. without further ado, mr smiley brings his bag to the front, unzipping it. he pulls out a grey clothing, which she  recognizes as his hoodie. he wears it often, and she bets it's his favorite hoodie. it's her favorite too, for she must admit that he looks coolest in it. "here, use this," he offers the grey clothing. she's taken aback at this gesture, her eyes darting between the hoodie in his hand and his face. he nudges the clothing at her, urging her to take it. 

"but-"

"don't worry, i just washed it a few days ago."

"but still-"

"i don't need it for the rest of the day. and besides, you can return it next time," he nudges the outerwear at her again. she flashes a small smile of gratitude before taking it. she unfolds the hoodie and pulls it on. it's a little huge for her size: the sleeves extending, past her hands and the length of the hoodie touches slight below half of her thighs. she looks up to the male and utters her thanks. she notices there's a little gleam in his eyes, as if he's happy that she's wearing his clothes. and her imagination be darned, she thinks his cheeks have gone a little red.

"no problem!" he dismisses with a wave of his hand. his two friends are still talking as if it's nothing unusual that their friend is lending his clothes to a girl. but she didn't notice the glances they gave her, and a little knowing look when mr smiley waves her goodbye and sees her enter the hall.

and she definitely misses the way his friends sling an arm around mr smiley, teasing him endlessly.

hands in the pocket of the hoodie, she strolls to her hostel from the bus stop she alighted at. the hoodie is oddly comforting. it is made of thick cotton material, yet it brings more warmth than her thick jackets can. there's also a faint scent of lavender, which she doubts is the scent of mr smiley. she reckons it's the smell of the detergent he uses, not his cologne or body wash. she presses the up button for the elevator and then takes a step back, nuzzling her nose into the collar that sticks up a little, breathing in the scent.

the elevator doors open and the male she thinks about steps out of it. 

mr smiley is donned in a dark blue plaid shirt, unbuttoned, a white shirt underneath, paired with black jeans. he has his guitar case backpack on, casting shadows on his face. there's a look of mild surprise on his face when his eyes land on her face, before his lips curl upwards into a smile. "we meet again, eh?" he chuckles. "where you off to?" she takes a quick glance at her watch. it's a little after five in the evening, and most students would be heading back home or their hostels, not the other way round.

"i've got a gig later at eight. so i'm just heading there early," he replies, brushing his hair back that has fallen onto his face. his eyes then fall onto her body and her cheeks burn up instantly. she just wants to run away and hide herself in the ground. or somewhere, really. his eyes flick back to hers and just smiles. "i see you're still cold."

"well, today has been chilly," she answers as she tugs on the hem of the hoodie, slightly embarrassed. her eyes avoid his, looking at anywhere but his face. she's too flustered to look at him properly, and she doesn't want to humiliate herself further by letting him see her reddening cheeks. so she ducks her head down low, almost hiding the lower half of her face into the collar of his hoodie. "i'll wash it for you and then return it back, if you're fine with waiting."

mr smiley shakes his head. "oh, you needn't wash it. i'm fine with you returning it just like that. i don't want to trouble you."

she shakes her head. "it's not a trouble. it's the least i could do to repay you."

"repay, huh?" he mutters under his breath. he looks at the ground for a moment before snapping his fingers and flicking his attention back to her. "why not you repay me by watching my performance later?" he suggests, his eyes sparkling like the twinkling stars in the black night sky. she stays at her spot, a little stunned at the words, and by how close he is. he's leaning forward, his eyes big and round as he bores into hers. "it's free, if that's what you're wondering," he adds, ending with a little chuckle. he's towering over her, and she has to crane her neck up to look at him. she can feel his breaths on her skin, the steady breathing of it. she hears her own heart thumping in her ears. she can even smell the lavender scent on his skin.

skin? does that mean-

"so?" he prompts, eyes dilated in anticipation for her answer. 

she swallows her spit, eyes transfixed onto his. she can't look away. it's as if his eyes are a universe of their own: magical, beautiful and hypnotizing. she can count his lashes, even seeing how slow he blinks, as if time has stilled. she nods.

mr smiley breaks into a smile much wider she has ever seen. he steps back and she releases a breath she never knew she was holding. the sparkles in his eyes brightened tenfolds. "great! it's being held at the arts theater foyer! you'll find me there!" he says in excitement. he glances at the road and spots an incoming bus. he dashes off, yelling, "see you later!" a hand raised up to bid goodbye. the bus stops just as he reaches the stop, and she watches him board the bus. the door closes and the bus drives off, out of sight.

she arrives at the venue just barely before the gig started. she wears a white slightly oversized pullover tucked into her black jeans. she has her black sneakers on, a mini sling tote bag across her body. a crowd is forming in front of the makeshift stage. the platform is raised about an average person's height, stairs leading up to the stage at the side. a banner is hung at the back. written on it are the words "arts appreciation day". the stage is empty, apart from the musical instruments. the crowd is a little pumped up, making cheering and whistling noises. she stays a little further at the back, away from the crowd. she settles on the parapet adjoined to the building's pillar.

a group of males walk up the stage and she recognizes the dark blue plaid shirt. she watches as they prepare themselves, taking their positions all over the stage. the grey haired male from earlier stands on her right, a bass guitar slung across his chest. she recognizes the blonde male too, though his round glasses now off. his right sleeve rolled up to his elbows, a guitar across his chest too. there are two other new faces behind the trio: one at the synthesizer, the other at the drums. her eyes flick back to mr smiley, who is busy adjusting his guitar and the amplifier. he strums his guitar and the sound echoes in the foyer. he adjusts a little more before nodding his head, indicating that he's ready. he turns back to the crowd, and she knows he's searching the crowd with the way his eyes dart around. he looks a little further to the back. and there.

their eyes locked and she can see, even from that distance, a smile creeping up his face. but he suppresses it, averting his gaze down to his guitar. he looks around at his members and when all of them showed an ok sign, he nods at the drummer. the drummer sets the tempo for four counts, before music starts playing in perfect harmony. she watches as all of them (except the drummer) take turns to sing their parts, coordinating their limbs perfectly as they play their instruments at the same time. but most of the time, her eyes are fixed on mr smiley. the way his eyes flutter close as he sings, and the way he brushes his hair back and pushes his sleeves up whenever his hands are free. everything he does, every note he plays, every word he sings, it all has an impact to her heart. she's already smitten by him, but seeing him like this locks the feelings up in her heart. she's fallen harder for him. 

yet she still doesn't know his name.

every now and then, she meets his eyes, and when it happens, she looks away, slightly flustered. she moves her body according to the tempo of the music, enjoying the songs they play with every fiber of her being. the crowd bangs their head along to the groove, throwing fists in the air and doing the rock and roll sign. the performers have their head bobbing to the tempo of the music, and the two dyed haired males are jumping about on their feet. the blond haired finally announces that it's the last song for the night, and the crowd (including her) goes a little sad. the last song plays and it's an upbeat, rock song which fits its purpose: to end the night with a bang. the sadness of it all being over gets stashed away as the chorus kicks in. mr smiley is singing the chorus, and she realizes how versatile his voice is. they sang a wide range of genres for the past one and a half hour, and his voice fits each and every song. this one, however, gave chills down her spine.

the song is ending and he brings his mouth to the microphone. his eyes flick to hers and she feels electricity in the gaze. it's as if he's trying to relay a message to her only, and showing how much he means it. 

i am lost in the same place ~

waiting for you to hold my hand ~

he doesn't look away as he sings his last part, and he doesn't even look away until the instrumentals kick in. all the while, her eyes are transfixed on mr smiley. the light shone on the five males make their sweat obvious. she sees his sweat slicked face, beads of sweat dripping from the ends of his hair and from his sharp jaws. in that purplish spotlight, his facial features are accentuated, his broad shoulders look even wider than usual. his masculinity tenfolds in that light, yet at the same time, he looks ethereal. the music finally stops and the crowd roars, clapping and cheering for the band. the five boys stand in a line and bow down to the crowd. they leave the stage and disappears at the back of the makeshift stage. the crowd slowly disperses, but she stays seated, waiting for mr smiley to appear again. she sees him emerge from the back of the stage, a towel draped over his neck. his plaid shirt is gone, and what is left is just his plain white shirt and his jeans. his hair is still the same as before, not even a hint of being tugged with. he runs over to where she is the moment he spots her, with a huge smile is on his lips as always. she wonders if he'll ever get tired from smiling so much. 

"you came!" he says as he hops next to her on the parapet. "how was it?"

"it was amazing!" she didn't hide the excitement in her voice. "i didn't know you could sing so well, i'm impressed!"

he laughs, the back of his hand covering his mouth, his fingers curled into his palm. "i'm glad you came."

"you told me to, anyway. and i didn't regret it."

"thanks," he smiles. they're looking at each other, and she notices his still damped skin. sweat trails down his neck and she resists the urge to pat it off with his towel. being this close to him, it feels surreal. she feels her heart picking up speed again. she worries if the silence between them will make it sound loud and clear to him. he opens his mouth to say something but-

"hey bob!" a voice calls out from the stage and both of them turn their heads to look at the source. it's the blonde haired male. he nods at the instruments and mr smiley sighs, hopping off the parapet.

"bob?" she echoes.

"jae calls me that because he thinks i look like a bob."

she laughs. "you know, i've never known your name."

mr smiley flashes his signature smile. "neither do i. i'm sungjin, park sungjin. and yo-"

"yo bob! come help us here!" the blonde male yells.

sungjin rolls his eyes at the comment, but doesn't reply. instead, he keeps his eyes on her, and suggests, "do you want to wait for me? we can go home together. and perhaps know each other a little more."

"sure," she answers. the male nods with his sparkly eyes and dashes off to the stage to help his teammates. she stays at her seat, watching and smiling to herself. she finally knows his name.

perhaps she doesn't need to return his hoodie. 

[gilmoremovies]

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Date Watched: 17th October 2016

Referenced in: 1x10, 1x13, 2x07, 2x17, 2x19, 3x04, 3x05, 3x08, 3x17, 3x21, 4x01, 4x04, 4x08, 4x19, 4x20, 5x04, 5x22, 6x01, 6x03, 6x10, 6x11 and Fall (this is referenced 5 billion times so forgive me if I miss one and let me know if I have!)

Rating:  ★★★★★

SPOILER-ISH

I’m the last of 4 kids so if my older siblings didn’t like a film, I didn’t watch it. This film is an example of that so at the age of 21 I watched Wizard of Oz for the first time. It’s obviously a very popular film so it’s not like I didn’t know the story or the songs but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole witch melting by accident was a bit shit though but other than that Judy you talented thing and her little comrades too #squadgoals. Also Toto is the same dog as Bright Eyes and I loved him even more than I did before.

(Other GG Movies I’ve watched so far)

(Full references under the cut)

1x10, Forgiveness and Stuff (2000) Lorelai says that she needs the Scarecrow to help her when she and Luke are lost in the hospital. LUKE: Ok, we’re supposed to follow the blue line, around the corner and then we should be - LORELAI: Where’s the scarecrow when you need him? LUKE: Ok, we have to ask someone else. LORELAI: No! No! We just have to pick one. LUKE: Ah, well can’t just wander around here aimlessly.    

1x13, Concert Interruptus (2001) Lorelai says, “I’m the good witch of the …” and is cut off. LORELAI: Think fast [throws them a t-shirt each] T-shirts for all the girls because I’m the good witch of the - hey, aren’t you missing a couple of kids?

2x07, Like Mother, Like Daughter (2001) Rory mentions a famous line from the film when asking to sit with the Puffs. FRANCIE: Hey. RORY: There’s a bad draft over there where I usually sit. It’s kind of like a big downward gust. It’s not exactly ‘Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore’, but it’s still pretty darn uncomfortable, especially when you’re just gotten your hair to behave. So can I sit here? FRANCIE: Uhh, yeah.

2x17, Dead Uncles and Vegetables (2002) Kirk mentions his dog named Toto when talking about disliking Louie. KIRK: He kicked my dog when I was a kid. SY: He hit on my wife repeatedly. KIRK: Toto was always different after that. SY: My wife was much affected as well. KIRK: I’d toss her something to fetch and she’d start to run after it and halfway there she’d forget what she was doing. SY: She never enjoyed her soap operas the same after that. KIRK: She’d just lie down and go to sleep. LUKE: This is an exaggeration. BERT: We’re not exaggerating. We threw a big party when he left town! SY: I made love to my life that night like I never have. KIRK: My Toto barked a happy bark, then quietly stopped breathing. She was old.  

2x19, Teach Me Tonight (2002) Lorelai suggests it as a Movie in the Square Night contender.

3x04, One’s Got Class and the Other One Dyes (2002) Lane mentions a song the scarecrow sings from this movie after bleaching her hair.  LANE: It’s weird. RORY: Like straw. LANE: I feel like I should be singing ‘If I Only Had a Brain.’

3x05, Eight O'Clock at the Oasis (2002) Lorelai mentions the name of Dwight’s old house. RORY: ‘First of all, thank you for this very kind favor you’re doing me. I still can’t believe that any one person would be so kind to someone they just met.’ LORELAI: Yeah, apparently Dwight’s last home was Oz, and not as in ‘The Wizard Of.’

3x08, Let the Games Begin (2002) Lorelai and Rory quote the “lions and tigers and bears” chant when walking into Yale. RORY: Wow. LORELAI: Lions and tigers and bears… RORY: Oh my. RICHARD: It’s impressive, isn’t it?

3x17, A Tale of Poes and Fire (2003) Michel mentions the Good Witch when looking for spare rooms to house the guests after the fire. MICHEL: Everything is booked. LORELAI: You checked the Cheshire Cat, the Maiden’s Teacup, the Cookie House, the Sugarbear Inn? MICHEL: Every place that sounds like Glinda the Good Witch threw up, yes – all booked.

3x21, Here Comes the Son (2003) Sasha describes the scene between Dorothy and the gatekeeper at the Emerald City. JESS: I just wanna see Jimmy, okay? SASHA: Hey, did you ever see The Wizard of Oz? JESS: Yes. SASHA: Remember when they go to the Emerald City and they ring the bell and the guy with the beard stuck his head out and they said that they wanted to see the wizard, and he said no, and they said, 'She’s got the ruby slippers’, and he said 'Well, that’s a horse of a different color. Come on in.’ JESS: Yes. SASHA: Well, I’m the guy with the beard and I’m saying the no unless you can come up with the ruby slippers. JESS: I’m his son. SASHA: His son? JESS: Yes, his son. SASHA: Well, that’s a horse of a different color. Come on in.

4x01, Ballrooms and Biscotti (2003) Rory pretends she’s had a dream and quotes Dorothy’s “you were there, and you, and you” line. RORY: [to her clothes] I had a dream about you in Copenhagen. You were there, and you, and you, and you.

4x04, Chicken or Beef? (2003) Rory’s response to Lorelai laying a path of Post-It notes through the house references the film. LORELAI: We’re good as long as we stay on the path. RORY: So I should follow the yellow stick road? LORELAI: We’ll be here all week, try the veal. Stop.

4x08, Die, Jerk (2003) Paris says that the idea of Rory making somebody angry is as absurd as Dorothy pissing off the Tin Man. TANNA: What about you? RORY: Me? JANET: Made anyone mad lately? PARIS: Oh, please, that would be like Dorothy pissing off the Tin Man. It’s impossible.

4x19,  Afterboom (2004) Rory references the lions and tigers and bears oh my! line. RORY: What are you doing here? LORELAI: Inn stuff. I had to pick up hinges and doorknobs and faucets. RORY: Oh, my.

4x20, Luke Can See Her Face (2004) Lorelai makes a reference to watching Toto from The Wizard of Oz. LUKE: No, Roy, I know what I’m talking about. I’m looking for stalks of wheat, not processed wheat, stalks. That’s putting it another way. I need bare-ass stalks. [to customer] Sorry. [to Roy] I know you can’t eat it like that. I just need it for decoration. No, I’m not going poofy on you, damn it! [to another customer] Sorry. [to Roy] I just need to know whether you have it or not. No? Okay, whatever. Thanks. [hangs up] Is there no wheat left in this country? What happened to Kansas? Isn’t Kansas lousy with wheat? LORELAI: I do recall Toto running through fields of it. Coffee to go, please.

5x04, Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too (2004) Lorelai compares Taylor to the Tin Man, calling him heartless. LORELAI: Come on, Taylor. This is ridiculous. TAYLOR: This issue is not open for debate. LORELAI: This is a nice man who is growing some very nice tomatoes, and you just need to oil your knees and go see the wizard and get a heart and drop this!

5x22, A House Is Not a Home (2005) Zach refers to himself and the other band members as various characters from the film when asked if he’ll come on tour. LANE: Zach? ZACH: Well, geez, Dorothy, if Tinman and Lion are going to go, I guess I have to go too. [He pulls himself up like the Scarecrow.]

6x01, New and Improved Lorelai (2005) Paris jokes about the Lollipop Guild while talking about Doyle’s family all being unusually short. PARIS: I’m meeting more of Doyle’s family tonight. I’ve been meeting people for months. (she goes through Rory’s clothes) He’s got like five hundred cousins, and you know what? He’s the tallest one in the family. RORY: Really? PARIS: Yup. Family get-together is like a Lollipop guild convention. I have to stop myself from asking how it’s going at the chocolate factory.

6x03, The UnGraduate (2005) Michel hums the Wicked Witch of the West’s musical theme while talking about Paris. MICHEL: (runs in the kitchen) She’s back! She’s coming back! SOOKIE: No! LORELAI: Why?! MICHEL: I don’t know why. Maybe she left her phone or her spell book. All I know is she’s heading back toward the Inn, and I’m not going out until she leaves.  

MICHEL: Very well. I’ll leave the….wait. Do you feel that? LORELAI: Feel what? MICHEL: An icy chill as if something sinister is approaching. SOOKIE: What? MICHEL: (hums the witch’s theme from “The Wizard Of Oz”) Ta-ta-ra-ta-ra-ra-Taraaaaaa LORELAI: Gee, Michel, is Paris here?

6x10, He’s Slippin’ 'Em Bread… Dig? (2005) Lorelai says she uses the Wash & Brush Up Co. from Wizard of Oz to stay pretty. CHRIS [looking at Lorelai]: I don’t know how you do it, I mean, you always look… LORELAI: Yeah, well, I get the girls from the Wash & Brush Up company from the Wizard of Oz working for me now. CHRIS [chuckles]: Good deal.

6x11, The Perfect Dress (2006) Paris says she hasn’t slept through the night since the first time she saw Wizard of Oz. PARIS: Now, Doyle sleeps very deeply, so don’t worry about the hours. I, as you know, haven’t slept through the night since the first time I saw “The Wizard Of Oz”, thank you Mum, so I tend to do my crafts in the middle of the night, but the walls are very thick. You won’t hear a thing. Oh, now, the hot water in the bathroom…

A Year in the Life: Fall (2016) Several references to this film when Rory says goodbye to The Life and Death Brigade ROBERT: I said he was from New Zealand FINN: Only a man with no heart would say that to me /…/ RORY: Oh Robert don’t cry, your eye will swell up terribly. Here, take your steak. ROBERT: Now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking. RORY: Goodbye, Colin. I'm going to miss the way that you get drunk and randomly buy things you don't need, like clubs and cars COLIN: And bed and breakfasts? Oh, yeah. RORY: Oh, Colin. RORY: [to finn] You know I think I’ll miss you most of all.  COLIN: Hey, we heard that!  ROBERT: yeh. Thanks a lot!  FINN: Stay photogenic I beg of you.

[slyke25]

2014

2014 was another solid year.  At this point I’m feeling comfortable, having fun, and it’s safe to say both concert and outdoor photography were a passion of mine.  I never really had the patience for staged photos with a tripod, and loved the challenge of concert photography because you can’t use a flash, have to deal with low light, moving subjects (sometimes moving crowd), and unpredictable lighting, etc.  No two shows were the same, and I loved it.

I ultimately decided it was time for a new camera.  I updated my Canon T2i to a 6D, and now had a solid trio of lenses to pair with it - 70-200 2.8, 24-70 2.8, and the 50 1.4.  I still kept the T2i, and would use two cameras for shows so I didn’t have to swap out lenses.

In 2014, I attended numerous memorable shows.  I invite you to click on the bold print below for links to each of the 22 shows, where you’ll find photos, videos, and maybe even a few words.

These are just a handful of some of my favorite shows from 2014, and to see the full list of every show I covered in ‘14 (with links) click the ‘14-’16 archive here.

Benefit For David Lamb of Brown Bird at Club Passim 1.6.14 - Sadly David Lamb, of the duo Brown Bird, passed away shortly after this benefit from his battle with leukemia.  It was nice to see all the local artists pay tribute to Brown Bird’s music, and the The Low Anthem covered my favorite Brown Bird song “Black Rivers”. 

David’s version can be heard here. 

The Low Anthem cover can be seen here.

Neutral Milk Hotel at the Orpheum Theatre (1.16.14) - As if seeing Jeff Mangum in 2011 wasn’t good enough, just a few years later, the whole band played a killer show at the Orpheum.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in J.P (1.31.14) - I love shows at non-traditional venues, and the frontman of CYHSY, Alec Ounsworth, played a solo acoustic show at a very tiny art gallery (hallway) in Jamaica Plain for 20 people.  Very unique experience.

Lord Huron at Royale (2.4.14) - The band was still touring behind the debut album, Lonesome Dreams, which quickly became a favorite of mine.

Arctic Monkeys at Agganis Arena (2.6.14) - I remember when the Arctic Monkeys released Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not back in ‘06.  The band blew up, and people we paying hundreds of dollars for a ticket to see their sold out show at the Paradise.  This ‘14 Boston show was solid, and the band was touring behind their new release AM.

Band of Horses at the Somerville Theatre (2.25.14) - The band just released the album, Acoustic at the Ryman, and this Somerville show included much of the same.  Such a beautiful acoustic show.

Boston Calling Day #1 (5.23.14) -  (Cass McCombs, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Jack Johnson) - Boston Calling was now expanding to three days, which now included a Friday show. 

Boston Calling Day #2 (5.24.14) (Jenny Lewis, Frank Turner, The Head and the Heart, The Decemberists, Death Cab For Cutie) - It was fun to have both DCFC and The Decemberists play back to back, and I remember the torrential downpour during The Decemberists’ set.  The die-hard fans stayed and embraced it.

Boston Calling Day #3 (5.25.14) - (Kurt Vile, Phosphorescent, Tegan and Sara, Bastille, Brand New, Modest Mouse) - Solid day #2.

Damon Albarn at Royale (6.9.14) - I’ll start by saying that I’m a huge Blur fan and was very fortunate to catch them back in ‘96 and ‘97, and ‘00.  it was really cool to be able to cover this one, and snap some pics of Damon from the pit.

Iron and Wine at the Casino Ballroom, NH (6.25.14) - I enjoy a little road trip to see a show, and I have good memories of this one.  I arrived at Hampton Beach early, and walked up and down the beach.  I enjoyed the show, got some solid photos, and even saw fireworks on the beach later that night.  Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday evening

Billy Joel at Fenway Park (6.26.14) - I first saw Billy Joel back in the day with Elton John at the TD Garden.  I enjoyed this Fenway show.

Newport Folk Festival Fri (7.25.14) (The Devil Makes Three, Hozier, Jenny Lewis, Reignwolf, Robert Hunter, Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim, Spirit Family Reunion, Band of Horses, Bear’s Den, Jimmy Cliff, Ryan Adams) - 

Being a huge Ryan Adams fan, and seeing him finally make a Newport appearance, I couldn’t be happier.  A great way to close the first day of the fest.

Newport Folk Festival Day Sat (7.26.14)  (J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Benjamin Booker, Shovels and Rope, Shakey Graves, Houndmouth, Deer Tick, Lucuis, The Milk Carton Kids, Nickel Creek, Puss n’ Boots, Jack White) -  

If I recall correctly, every day of the festival was now selling out well in advance, and was becoming know nationwide by significantly more people.  Jack White’s Fort Stage performance is up there with the best of them.

Heartbreaker Banquet at the Jane Pickens Theatre (7.26.14) (Shakey Graves, Shovels and Rope, Lucius, Valerie June)  - 

It’s not uncommon for artists to collaborate at Newport, and it’s actually welcomed and encouraged.  Lucius and Shovels and Rope singing “What’s So Funny Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding” together is one of the best colabs I’ve witnessed, and still gives me chills each time I watch it.

Newport Folk Festival Day Sun (7.27.14) (Gregory Alan Isakov, Dawes, Jeff Tweedy, Hozier, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Conor Oberst, Valerie June, Trampled By Turtles, Lucero, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Mavis Staples) -  

Mavis was celebrating her 75th birthday, and played a thirteen-song setlist that included appearances from Lucius, Jeff Tweedy, Trampled By Turtles, Norah Jones, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes.  No birthday is complete without a cake, Mavis was treated to one, and even blew out the candles.  The closing song for the evening was “We Shall Overcome”.

Boston Calling Day Fri (9.5.14) (Future Islands, Neutral Milk Hotel, The National) - Looking back at this edition of Boston Calling, the bill was pretty darn impressive with Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, and Childish Gambino. 

Boston Calling Day Sat (9.6.14) (St. Nothing, Clifflight, S. Carey, Sky Ferreira, Bleachers, The Hold Steady, Lorde, Childish Gambino)

Boston Calling Day Sun (9.7.14) (Gentlemen Hall, Drugs, Lake Street Dive, Twenty One Pilots, The 1975, Spoon, The Replacements, Nas)

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers at the XL Center (9.13.14) - Unfortunately, I was out of town for his Fenway show, so I decided to travel to Hartford.  It was my second time seeing Tom live, and he’s probably the most photogenic artist I’ve had the pleasure of photographing.  R.I.P Tom.

Jack White at Fenway Park (9.17.14) - This was the first and only show I saw at Fenway with the bleacher stage configuration.  Jack, being a huge baseball fan, really wanted to play Fenway, so they accommodated him with the bleacher setup, as he couldn’t quite sell enough seats to fill the entire ballpark.

Catfish and the Bottlemen at Great Scott (10.3.14) - This actually wasn’t a well attended show, as no one knew about this upcoming U. K. band.  I happened to hear a few of their songs and knew they’d do well.  However, I had no idea the’d be playing Wembley Arena four years later.  Crazy how they blew up.