#delphine surprise

[amara-laz]

This story is holding itself together with one (1) staple

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

part i

“Spencer, it’s almost as though you’re the piece of my life that I never knew was missing until now. It seems that you’ve been a part of it for much longer than this competition, and while I don’t yet know just what form that will take, signs point to you continuing to be in it for some time to come. Congratulations - you’re the first through.”

“Delphine, I entered this competition hoping to find a partner. And I’ve found one in a completely different sense than what I was expecting, because you’re now also one of my best friends. But we have potential to be something else alongside that too, and you’ve given me enough to be sure of that while still wanting more. You are already very special to me - and you’re the second through. Well done.”

“Tiago, you are just a joy to be around. But with a surprising amount of ambition, and you’re good for the deeper talks too. And you’re also skilled at - well, this is supposed to be the family friendly segment of this show, so I won’t elaborate further. You are unapologetically yourself, don’t ever change. You’re the third through - and I hope to get to know you better still.”

“Mister, you surprised me. In person you have such an approachable, playful masculinity - and a wholly genuine, decent nature in spite of your party vibe. What’s no surprise is how femme sims are drawn to you - and I’m no exception. You worked hard, played hard, and were always happy to help out. Congratulations - you scored highly, and scored in - well, I’ll see you next round.”

“Pauline, apparently you had live chat buzzing when you teleported your way onto that lot, and I was right there with them. You have a demeanour cool enough to freeze even that Dine Out pack over, and yet a sweet and sometimes goofy, vulnerable side to go with it. I’m so glad to have met you, and I really want to see what more you have to offer. Here’s my literal strawberry for now.”

“Jerrod, you intrigue me. You are a man of many parts and I just want to know what makes you tick. You add just the right amount of unexpectedness and keep me on my toes - especially when you scream at me then proposition me in your very next breath. I never know which version of you I’m going to get - and for once that’s not a turn-off. I want to give you the opportunity to surprise me yet again.”

how scores were calculated

So here are our Top Six! In the end I decided to pad out the posts not to be mean, but to give people a chance to react to each one and for their pixels to have their moment. (Also I need to edit the rest lol) Contestants 7-12 will be up early afternoon (I need that sleep and that panadol lol) while contestants 13-18 will be up in the evening. A reminder that the bottom three will be going home 🥺

@akitasimblr @changingplumbob @simsfvr

@igglemouse @invisiblequeen @simstagramsomeone

[ianthe-is-a-bitch-and-i-love-her]

I first realized that the best ghost stories are love stories after watching The Haunting of Bly Manor, and though I've experienced a lot of media since that reaffirmed that understanding, The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall really feels like it's closing the loop. It rhymes with Bly in a way that feels like I've come to the end of some great journey, and am now prepared to start another. Like Bly, The Narrow is a story about abuse. It's a story about possession, in more than one sense. And it's a story that asserts that true love, the love that's worth keeping, is the love that knows how to let go.

Our story follows Eden, a senior at a prestigious private boarding high school rich with history and legends, especially around its deadly river, The Narrow, which is unapologetically based on the Bolton Strid. Eden is excited to return to school and escape a summer vacation marred by a profound abuse that she is refusing to think about. However, upon arrival she discovers that her parents have neglected to pay her tuition - coincidentally, they've had to pay a lot of legal fees recently - and she is forced to take on a unique arrangement to remain enrolled. She must act as the live-in companion of fellow student Delphine, a reclusive girl who cannot leave her carefully refurbished dorm room, as any contact with water sends her into seizures. Eden knows something about Delphine that almost no one else does, however - at the beginning of her first year, Eden saw Delphine fall into The Narrow and be swept away - and what The Narrow takes is never returned.

The mystery at the heart of the story is, ultimately, not that complicated, but it is beautiful in its simplicity and the way it plays with the reader's expectations. Those expectations are shaped heavily by Eden's point of view, and Eden is a triumph of an unreliable narrator. She actively avoids thinking about things that weigh on her and occasionally skates over her own actions where they clash with her self-image, but these more obvious and dramatic omissions draw attention away from the subtler ways that her biases and coping mechanisms shape her understanding of the world around her, and it took me until about the three-quarters mark to know where and how to disbelieve her perceptions. She is incredibly compelling, deeply empathetic, and absolutely drowning in self-worth issues. The supporting cast is equally compelling, and the author injects a surprising sense of depth into each member of her friend group in remarkably few lines. Each give the impression of being flawed, well-rounded, but fundamentally decent people, and they all feel very distinct from one another. I was going to highlight one of them as a favorite example, but I genuinely can't pick between them. The adults too are well-rounded and compelling, which I feel is often a shortcoming of horror in an academic setting (is that what dark academia is? no one will tell me). And of course Delphine herself is quite compelling; a little odd, very intense, and eminently sympathetic, her dynamic with Eden is fresh, engaging, and believable.

One thing I really want to highlight about this story is its willingness to engage with real-life messiness that is often elided in ghost stories and love stories. The mechanics of the supernatural are not well understood in this story, and no tomes of ancient lore exist to guide the protagonists. Their methods of interfacing with the supernatural are cobbled together from their own intuition and their vague impressions of the occult from pop culture and religious mysticism, and their efficacy is neither reliable nor consistent. Similarly, the story is not afraid of engaging with the fragility and volatility of young love, the way it can feel all-consuming and eternal in one moment and fizzle out the next. This sort of messiness always appeals to me in fiction, and it is remarkably rare outside of deliberate genre subversions, so I was absolutely thrilled with it here.

I would recommend The Narrow without hesitation to anyone who likes ghost stories. I would also recommend it for its exploration of abuse in a variety of forms, and for its depiction of the aftermath of said abuse. Take that same recommendation as a content warning, though, and I'll toss in a more specific one for involuntary drug use.

[kellyvela]

Sophie's Hon Vol. VII Hot Girl Summer Edition 🔥🍹☀️

It's a Hot Girl Summer as Sophie's living an idyllic Summer with her Hon & best friends 😎

SPRITZ UP YOUR SUMMER

In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, while promoting St-Germain's Hugo Spritz, Sophie told us her recipe for a Hot Girl Summer:

“My recipe for a hot girl summer is pretty much playing with my kids [Willa, three, and Delphine, one], hanging out with my best friends, drinking some cocktails—you know, which ones—and enjoying the sun, long may it last. As long as the sun’s out, I’m a happy chap,” Turner says, looking, indeed, like a happy chap. —Harper's Bazaar

And that's precisely what she's doing this Summer, enjoying the sun at green polo lawns, presenting trophies to polo winners, having barbecues and lot of spritzes with her besties, and canoodling with her boyfriend in corners at music festivals. Let's see:

PIGGYBACK RIDE 🏇

Short after Sophie posted a few pics of her romantic picnic with Perry in the English countryside, the British & international press made public more pics from that day.

The pics are from June 29, 2024, during a day of polo at Cowdray Park Polo Club, part of Perry's family estate in West Sussex.

In the pictures we can see Perry taking Sophie on a piggyback ride across the polo lawns, joined by one of Perry's sisters:

Ahhh the perks of having a very tall boyfriend . . . .

~~~

It's worth to note that the last picture went viral on social media!!! 👏👏👏

~~~

The lovebirds were also seen holding hands & hugging:

~~~

PAPA SALT

On July 10, 2024, Sophie and Perry were seen leaving Margot Robbie's launch party for her new Gin brand "Papa Salt" at Roof Gardens in London:

Perry's bestie & roomie Sascha von Bismarck and girlfriend Ella Richards were there too.

~~~

QUEEN OF LOVE AND BEAUTY 👑🏆🏇

Rowena had no sooner beheld him than she uttered a faint shriek; but at once summoning up the energy of her disposition, and compelling herself, as it were, to proceed, while her frame yet trembled with the violence of sudden emotion, she placed upon the drooping head of the victor the “splendid chaplet which was the destined reward of the day, and pronounced in a clear and distinct tone these words: “I bestow on thee this chaplet, Sir Knight, as the meed of valour assigned to this day’s victor.” Here she paused a moment, and then firmly added, “And upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry never be placed!” The knight stooped his head and kissed the hand of the lovely Sovereign by whom his valour had been rewarded; and then, sinking yet farther forward, lay prostrate at her feet. —IVANHOE: A Romance

There are not medieval tourneys anymore, but I think a polo match is close enough!

On Sunday, July 21, 2024, Sophie and Perry were seen together again at Cowdray Park Polo Club, in West Sussex, attending the final match of the British Open for the Cowdray Gold Cup.

The event was so packed that Sophie had to sit on Perry's lap 🤭

A very comfortable seat it seems . . . . 😉

Which reminds me of a funny interaction I found on twitter about the last picture, where someone mentioned that Perry "is touching some sideboob" 😜😂 But they are right 👀🤭

~~~

During the half time the lovebirds were seen is high spirits and chatting with friends.

Here with Tabby Doherty:

Here with Taura Lamb, Rupert Gorst and Ella Richards:

Here with Taura Lamb and Ellie Johnson:

Here with Taura Lamb (*) and Tabby Doherty:

(*) Taura Lamb's fiancé, Jesse Burgess, was also there.

Also in attendance were some of Perry's closest friends since childhood.

~~~

At the end of the match Sophie and Perry approached the podium to watch the awards ceremony . . . .

~~~

. . . . And here came the biggest surprise of the day: Sophie was in charge of presenting the Gold Cup to the winners, as well as other prizes to all the players.

Indeed! Emulating the fair ladies awarding the jousting champions from medieval times, Sophie played the role of the Queen of Love and Beauty and presented the Gold Cup to the champion team:

~~~

Among the former female presenters of the Gold Cup we have:

The Viscountess Cowdray on duty, like Perry's mother and paternal grandmother.

Members of the Pearson Family like Eliza & Emily Pearson (Perry's sisters) and Amanda Pearson (Perry's sister in law).

Sarah (Ferguson), Duchess of York.

Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales.

Elizabeth (Windsor) II, Queen of the United Kingdom.

Sansa Stark is proudly smiling somewhere!!!

~~~

After presenting the Gold Cup, Sophie and Perry stayed a bit longer watching the end of the prize-giving ceremony, and later left the green polo lawns hand in hand:

~~~

In these videos you can see the whole award ceremony:

The gentleman walking behind the lovebirds is Perry's father, Michael Pearson, the Viscount Cowdray.

Also in attendance were Perry's younger brother, as well as some of his auncles, aunts, cousins and nieces.

~~~

At the end of the previous video a fan runs to Sophie to ask her for a picture. In this one you can see the fan getting his picture with Sophie, while Perry waits for her:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Surrey Magazine (@surreymagazine)

I can't get over the hand holding 😍

~~~

Months later, Tatler Magazine reported about Sophie's presenting the Gold Cup Trophy in its November 2024 issue:

KNACK IN THE SADDLE ‘She brought the glamour,’ a socialite gossiped about Sophie Turner, who attended the Gold Cup Final at Cowdray in a chic Louis Vuitton shorts suit and heels alongside her boyfriend, Perry Pearson. Indeed, the Game of Thrones star was the talk of the town, the toast of which had gathered at the Pearson family seat to watch the Dubai polo team take the win. The great and good of West Sussex had turned out in force, including Clare Milford Haven and her newly married daughter, Louisa. Hedgefund billionaire Louis Bacon arrived in style, helicoptering in with his wife, Gabrielle, and his Alsatian. Meanwhile, Aidan Christofferson’s glass-bubble chopper had the polo set buzzing. But Turner stole the show, receiving a great whoop from the crowd as she presented the cup. Queen in the North? More like Queen of Cowdray. —Tatler UK

And thanks to the camera of Hubert Cecil we have a new pic of the lovebirds:

Queen of Cowdray, indeed!

~~~

A TOKEN OF LOVE ❤️

On a recent Q&A with The Cut, Sophie talked about having a Brat Girl Summer:

Are you having a hot-girl summer? I mean, I��d like to think I’m having a hot-girl summer. But I don’t know if you can say that about yourself. I feel like I am, though. Or maybe even a Brat-girl summer?  Yeah, I think I’m having more of a Brat-girl summer. I don’t fully understand what it means, but I am listening to the album. So I guess that counts as me having a Brat-girl summer. —The Cut

And indeed she's listening to Charli XCX's "Brat" Album: On Saturday, July 27, 2024, she posted an IG story titled "Brat Summer Unlocked," where we can see her dancing to the rhythm of Charli XCX's Apple with her besties:

~~~

I was super glad to know that Sophie was having quality time with her best friends, but what really caught my eyes was the long, gold necklace she was wearing in the video. Because I think that's Perry's Cowdray necklace, the one with his family estate sigil logo:

But the really cute detail about Sophie wearing her boyfriend's necklace is that, according to the tale a little bird told me, Perry wasn't in the UK that weekend, since he was staying with his family in another country. So he basically left his necklace with his girl as a token of love during his absence.

They are too sweet, I swear I can't 😭

~~~

A WEEKEND IN THE WILDERNESS

On the first weekend of August 2024, The Gentleman's Journal hosted a Summer event that started with a Lunch at Blenheim Palace, a visit to the Wilderness Festival, and accommodation at Estelle Manor.

There's no pictures of Sophie and Perry at Blenheim Palace, just a few pics of Perry with some of his friends, including Rupert Gorst and Sascha von Bismarck. But Rupert & Sascha are precisely the ones that Sophie captured on an IG Story at the Wilderness Festival:

~~~

Later, thanks to the Daily Mail, we got some pictures of Sophie at the IHG Hotels & Resorts “Into the Wild” bash at the Wilderness Festival:

~~~

And we may not have pictures of the lovebirds during that weekend, but thanks to British Vogue, The Standard and HELLO! UK, we have a few reports of them together at the Wilderness Festival:

Sophie Turner, for her part, picked a low-key combination of linen shirt, tiny shorts and trainers, her blonde hair thrown up in a claw clip. The former British Vogue cover star was keeping a low-profile at the festival with her boyfriend, Peregrine Pearson (“I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” Turner told Chioma Nnadi in June – and she looked it), but her denim Louis Vuitton shoulder bag was a dead giveaway. —Vogue

While cerebral literary talks and panels took place on one side of the festival, most celebs were to be found at an array of VIP events held by Wilderness sponsors. IHG Hotels threw a daytime bash on Saturday complete with a roving fortune teller, a silhouette artist and two tiny people dressed up as topiary hedges. Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner was canoodling her aristo boyfriend Peregrine Pearson in one corner, while Professor Green held court in another.  —The Standard

Other hot contenders for best celebrity spotting was Audi’s space, where James Norton, Professor Green and Millie Mackintosh bunkered down, as well as the IHG Hotels & Resorts “Into the Wild” bash, graced by Sophie Turner and her aristo boyfriend Peregrine “Perry” Pearson, Cara’s sister Chloe Delevigne, Jaimie Winstone and dancer Eric Underwood.  —The Standard

Stars embraced whimsical chic during a weekend of luxury escapism at the annual Wilderness Festival, held in Oxfordshire’s Cornbury Park. Actress Jaime Winstone, socialite Chloe Delevingne and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, with her boyfriend Peregrine Pearson, were just some of the famous names enjoying music from Michael Kiwanuka, Faithless and Jessie Ware. (...) Guests later danced the night away at the festival’s music venues The Hustle and The Valley, as well as celebrity spot The Riddle, where Sophie and Peregrine were seen looking loved up among revellers including model Jodie Kidd and presenter Natalie Pinkham. —HELLO! UK

Keeping a low profile and canoodling in corners, huh? 👀🤭

Good for them!

~~~

And finally, a few days later thanks to Sophie's friend Taura Lamb's fiancé, we got a better picture of Sophie at Estelle Manor during that weekend:

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Actress Nadia Parkes, another one of Sophie's best friends, was also at the Wilderness Festival with her boyfriend during that weekend.

I hope they all had a blast!

~~~

And this is all for this report. I will be updating this post as new Summer content appears!

~~~

You can read the previous editions here: Vol VI - Vol. V - Vol. IV (Appendix) - Vol. IV - Vol. III - Vol. II - Vol. I

Until the next report 👋

[filthypen]

Of course you might wonder how UwU trend got created and spread~… how such a mysterious pheno- its junko. Of fucking course it’s junko, drugs in Hope’s peak water, altering every screen so it displays a imperceptible brainwashing message to every cell of the brain and body to modify when the person says "UwU" while recorded.

As for the first victim~? Chiaki of course~ from lazy kinda uncaring slob of a gamer gal to the new belle delphine (but way more thicc and still a bit lazy~)

After so many attempts to cause despair, Junko was running out of ideas. Killing games? Nope. Corruption with money? Neither… what could work… then she saw her phone, and realised… the internet! Streamers, Tiktok, memes… all that could cause DESPAIR! But you know… she didn't wanted just some booooooring deadly despair, she wanted a SEXY despair, so after weeks and weeks of putting sleeper agents on the water and subliminal messages on EVERY FUCKING SCREEN IN JAPAN, she was ready to unleash the beast… the UwU~~

Who should be the first target? Well, of course, the geek gamer herself on stream with 50k people, Chiaki~ She was currently playing some visual novels on stream, she was looking messy as always, dull colours, not showing off her fat titrs, no sexy commentaries… booooooooring!! So Junko decided to send a couple hundred bots spamming ''CHIAKI SAY UWU! IS TREND!!11!1''

''Uuuuuh… what are you guys saying… what is this trend you say…?'' She pauses the game and looks at the chat ''I don't know about it, seems dumb and i don't wanna…'' She keeps playing, Junko, seeing that chat spam wont work, started blasting 5 dollar donations saying ''SAY IT!!!1!'' over and over and over…

''Ugh… fine! I don't know why you all are wasting more on me saying this but okey…'' She does a peace sign ''UwUUUUUU…'' She sighs a moment ''Happy now? Aaaah… lets go back to playin-'' Before she could finish the sentence… she felt something weird in her ass… SHE WAS THROWING IT BACK ON CAMERA!~~ ''H-hey w-what is this…?!…'' Still sleepy yet surprised, claps her cheeks in a slow but STRONG way~ She tries to turn off the stream but…

yaaaaaaaaaawn…

''W-well guys… i have decided that i should maybe make streams with camera sub only…~'' She just decided to adjust her camera to focus on her fat NEET cheeks clappin and growing, each clap making the camera shake and the room too~

With that stream alone, she got 100k subs and a million dollars, the following stream? Was just a big camera focusing her twerking cheeks while she sleeps~~

[starlightandetherealshadows]

What is the ROs opinion on using “you’re mine / I’m yours” with the MC? 👀

Hi sweet one!

I needed a quick break from Chapter 2 after such a big writing weekend, so I thought I'd get back into answering some asks! So sorry for the delayed reply.

Let's see!

Delphine: Delphine kisses the curve of your shoulder and giggles. Her voice drops to a whisper as to not break the soft trance between you. "I've always wanted to be someone's. I'm glad I'm yours." She traces the contours of your body with her fingertips. "And you're mine, baby. Never think otherwise."

Cecelia/Chase: C blinks. Two splotches of pink appear on their cheeks as they processed what you just said. They distract themselves by fiddling with the buttons on that hideous jacket they love so much.

You love it too.

When C collects themselves, they beam. "As if there was any doubt. I'm a goddamn delight."

Ayana: You press feather-light kisses down Ayana's jaw and down her neck. She's trying hard to hide her reactions, focusing intently on the medical textbook in front of her. "Did you know that humans don't have a functioning 'vomeronasal organ like animals do?" The end of her sentence comes out with a soft sigh. "That's what animals use to detect pheromones, particularly when they're in heat. We use our olfactory system. It doesn't work the same way."

"Mhm. Are you going to respond to what I just said? Not that this isn't very interesting."

Ayana yelps when there's a bit more teeth to the next kiss. "I'm trying to think of a less embarrassing response than "I've been yours for longer than you think."

Zero: Zero gives you that smile. It's the one he gives you when you surprise him, when you're making his heart race with your sincerity. He kisses your forehead. He whispers. "I love you." He kisses one cheek, then the other. He repeats, "I love you." He lifts your hand to place another kiss on the back of your knuckles. "I love you."

Xa'eks/Xa'veed: "Sweet human." X sucks a bruise into your collerbone. "You've been mine from the minute I saw you." X watches your shuddering breaths with a look of amusement. "Do you doubt me, little one?"

[soufcakmistress]

In the Heat of the Night

A/N: Babies what is good!!!! I am so rusty but I’m so happy that I got this out for yall. Yall know I love me some Jonathan Majors, but I don’t write for real life folks. That’s just MY preference, no shade to those who do. Please comment and like and reblog to let me know how yall feel. Let’s get into it!

The south side felt different duting the summer. Kids were out of school, frolicking in the streets and turning on the fire hydrants. The ice cream man made several stops throughout the neighborhood, the old heads played their card games and dominoes until the wee hours of the morning, and the bars stayed packed with ladies and gents to take a load off. Summertime Chi felt larger than life.

Delphine Freeman sat up in her bed and stretched her arms to the sky. Looking behind her, she saw an empty bed with nothing but a small note on her husband’s pillow. “Picking up some things for breakfast. Be back soon, my love.” She picked it up and held it to her heart. That man of hers.

Delphine remembers the first time she encountered Atticus. Her family had just moved from Virginia, and she was totally new to the Midwest. At first, it was hard making friends at a new high school in a new place. Her accent and bumpkin ways attracted the wrong kind of attention among these city folks, so she kept to herself. Until one day when Atticus was helping his club attract new members, and he passed a flyer to her in the hallway. “You should come. Who knows, you might find a friend here.” He had her, hook line and sinker with his gentle way and sweet smile.

Atticus looked like 6 days of beautiful creation from God above AND the seventh day of rest to her - she missed seeing his face this morning. Delphine laid back against the pillow that smelled like him and reminisced on their roller coaster ride of a relationship. Fighting entitled white people over magic and who it really belonged to and his birthright, his trauma from Korea and monsters straight out of a pulp book— nobody with sense would ever believe it. The storm was over now, and her and Tic lived in peace, as well as holy matrimony.

The memory of her betrothed looking so debonair in his suit on their wedding day made her heart palpitate. Her legs squeezed together, recalling those shoulders filling out that blazer and kissing those lips as they said ‘I do’. She especially loved the surprise on his face when the ceremony was over and she slipped her hand in his pants right outside their wedding suite and him allowing her to take what was hers. “Oooh, I love that man.”

She was feeling frisky now. The window was cracked with a moderate breeze flowing into the room but Delphine’s heat couldnt be contained. Flashes of him saving his entire family from catastrophe, him shirtless and bespectacled reading aloud one of his favorite pulp books while he laid in her lap, the look of adoration and love when they bought their home on the South Shore. Tic was all man….and all hers.

Sweat dripped between her large breasts, her coochie ached in the best way and she couldn’t take it anymore. Delphine took Tic’s pillow and put it in between her legs. The reflection of her in the vanity bureau with her slinky nightgown raised up on her hips made her feel like she was a bit unhinged. If she didn’t cum now, she would lose it. So she rode that pillow like its name was Atticus Freeman and he was the only thing that could satiate her.

Her clit hit the seam of the pillow so precisely, it almost took her over before she was ready. “Shit, shit….oooh Tic baby…damn..” She pushed the straps down from her nightgown to expose her breasts and she really got to moving.

The key in the front door lock clicked with Tic lumbering in with a couple brown paper bags of breakfast stuff. He went to the kitchen to put everything away, but could have sworn that he heard something from the shared master bedroom. He got the baseball bat they kept in the coat closet and inched toward the room. Tic pushed the door in slightly and what he was met with could have knocked him on his back.

His sexy ass wife rubbing her pussy in figure 8’s on his pillow. Tic made sure to be quiet putting the bat along the wall, and rubbing his crotch slowly to take Delphine in. He knew when she showed signs of her incoming orgasm— shaking her head back and forth, fingers tangled in her hair, stomach fluttering…..she was almost there. When she finally shouted in delight, he couldn’t take it anymore.

The sound of a zipper coming down and broke her out of her trance. Delphine gasped when she saw her fine ass husband staring with bedroom eyes and pouty lips that made her wanna howl to the moon. “Looking for this?” He pulled his dick out of his pants and a deluge of fresh slick coated the meeting place between her legs.

Delphine almost started up again on the pillow but when the object of her deepest affections was just as hungry for her, it would be criminal to not take advantage. “Damn straight. Bring yo ass over here, four eyes.”

~

BB King played on the kitchen radio, and the lovely couple made breakfast together. Tic already put on a hot pot of coffee, and he sipped on a mug as he fried up some bacon. Delphine stood next to him in one of his shirts and panties, making her famous blueberry pancakes. Both hummed along and caught cute ass glances at each other, floating on their sensual high. It felt so good. Not having to worry about what the next day held and being allowed to just live.

The phone rang while Tic started cracking eggs, and he wiped his hands on the tea towel. “Freeman Residence. Lester, my man! What’s shaking? Nothing much brother, just me and the Mrs. making some breakfast. She’s doing VERY well, I’ll let her know you asked about her.” Delphine turned around with feigned shock when he said that, knowing his subtext and that he blew her back out for the ages just twenty minutes ago. She walked over with a huge smile and popped a blueberry in his mouth and kissed his lips.

He pinched her butt when she went back to the stove and finished chatting it up with Lester. “Sunday? We’ll be there brother. See ya then.” Tic looked at the calendar on the wall next to the phone, to see if there was any extra obligations needed for the guidebook and his aunt Hippolyta. He also did some math and tried to remember his wife’s last cycle. “That’s why she’s so frisky…”

~

Lester had a block party over where he stayed in Bronzeville, and it was jumping! All kinds of rhythm and blues and guitar singers filled the south side with a plethora of food to choose from. Little girls playing jacks and double Dutch, little boys doing bike races, the teenagers making googly eyes at each others and the elders trading recipes for lemonade and greens. Everybody would pitch in and bring something for the community to enjoy. Delphine took all of Friday to make 5 sweet potato pies from scratch and Tic grilled so many slabs of ribs, it was insane. Irene, Lester’s wife was tight with Delphine; her and the other young women gossiped while sipping beers on their stoop.

“Uh oh, ‘Phine. Tic is over there getting rowdy at that card table.” Irene loved to tease—he was putting them back and with each hand he won, the louder his voice carried. “Oh hell. Lemme go feed my baby.”

Delphine made Tic’s plate with everything he loves — ribs, chicken, potato salad, cornbread, sausage dog with relish and an ice cold Budweiser. “Hey baby, you been doing a whole lot of drinkin but not a lot of eating. Come on now.” Tic acquiesced and moved with her away from all the men. She sat on his lap at an empty table and fed him some of the food before he took over, and started feeding her too.

Tic’s skin was all tan and his arms and pecs were bulging in his shirt. He didn’t even have to try to get her riled up. Delphine rubbed his back, and absentmindedly played with his ear. “All right now. You know that’s my spot.” They both had their fair share of alcohol that evening, and Delphine usually would have to beat Tic off with a stick. The shoe was on the other foot now. “Tic……I don’t have any panties on..”

He almost choked on his beer when his minx of a wife started talking so salacious like in his ear. “I like this Delphine. She takes what she wants. What you trying to do? Only if you say it, will you be able to get what you want.” Delphine’s skin pimpled because he meant every word. All the ruckus and commotion around them meant nothing in that instance. Just her and her husband. “I want you to take me in that alley…..and do whatever you want to me..”

That sinful jawline clenched, and she knew he would do just that. Wasn’t any more talking. He drained his beer, and dragged her down a few streets to a secluded alley. Delphine stood at the brick wall, flushed with the strap of her linen dress down her arm. Tic cradled her face and they kissed each other so deeply that they breathed for each other. She undid his pants letting them fall to his knees, and he picked her up.

Delphine was so wet, the slick was almost to the inside of her knees. Tic’s thrust was so strong, they both gasped aloud. “Yes Tic, fuck me hard!” His face lived in the crevice of her neck, licking and kissing. Just like every muscle on his sculpted body, Tic was rock hard and filled her up so deliciously. The same BB king song from the other morning played and they were able to hear it still. Everything swirled around the both of them and yet nothing at all mattered. His low grunts were so sexy and she could tell he was about to cum.

“Oooh I love this pussy baby, I love this pussy….I fuckin love you!” Atticus filled his wife up all the way that it spilled down her legs and the heat of it all triggered her to orgasm. She pulled him in even more and he expelled more of his love inside her. Tic brought her down to her feet, and she stumbled immediately. Tic steadied her and stuck his tongue down her throat yet again. “Atticus Freeman….the man of my dreams..”

~

The guidebook was doing so well.

Atticus and Hippolyta had been able to come to an agreement on operations; Atticus would be able to make final edits and handle submissions to the publisher and Hippolyta would be able to do most of the trips to update the stops. She acquiesced to Tic’s request that he would join her to assuage his nerves if she went more than 3 states away.

The book was flying off the shelves and Hippolyta had been able to meet some publishers in Kansas City and Detroit to put in some local Negro owned shops and apothecaries. It was the second Saturday in August, and the entire South Side would be at Washington Park for the Bud Billiken parade and festival. Delphine and Tic packed up their station wagon with fold up chairs, a cooler full of beer and pop, and more food to last a winter. Dee was finally feeling better and she rode with you guys to the Bud as she was Delphine’s favorite little cousin.

Everybody was rocking and rolling to the marching bands and majorettes. Delphine and Dee looked at all the floats and picked their favorite one. “Oooh Dee, you see the grand marshal? That’s a good lookin man!” She made sure to say it in earshot of Atticus; she loved him a bit jealous and possessive. He cut his eyes at her, smirking behind his beer. “All right now, don’t get in trouble.”

“Baby, there is nothing more that I would love to do than be punished by you.” Delphine stuck her tongue down her husband’s mouth, and Dee gagged at the public display of affection. “Y’all are so gross I swear!”

The grand marshal announced who had the best float and the best marching band in Chicago, and the party went on until late in the night. “Come on, dancing queens, let’s get y’all home.” Atticus loaded the car up and Delphine and Dee fell asleep in the backseat holding each other. Atticus looked in the rear view full of gratitude and unbridled joy at his two girls. He stopped at Hippolyta’s house and carried Dee inside.

Delphine moved to the front seat after and waited for her husband to drive them home. The angles of his face illuminated by the streetlights made him even more handsome in the low light. She couldn’t help but to stare. That same feeling from that other morning came back with a fierceness. He felt her eyes on him and winked at her. “You looking like you still hungry for something…..”

“That mouth on my body…that’s what I need.” Delphine sat with her back to the door and lifted her dress, pulled her panties off, and put them in his lap. Tic took them and sniffed them and was instantly engorged. That station wagon moved a little quicker then.

Fireworks were being shot near the lake and Tic and Delphine had a clear view from their balcony. “Ooooh let’s see baby! Her ass clapped in her dress and Tic had to grip his meat walking after her. “Lemme make sure the shoggoth is okay first. Keep it tight for me baby.”Tic went to the basement and fed the shoggoth and calmed him down since they were gone all day. He had it down to a science now. Feed him a racist white man a day, and he would cooperate.

Delphine was out on the balcony totally enthralled. She jumped like a little kid when several popped at once, entrancing her with the bright colors. Standing at the window, he just gazed upon her. How did he get so lucky? Tic joined her on the balcony, wrapping those muscles around her waist. All the kisses behind her ear made her giggle just like how he intended. While she was off guard, he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, and lifted her dress in one motion. “Now what you doing back th—OH!”

He slipped right into her pussy with the most earth shattering intrusion Delphine could ever experience. “Shhhh shhh. We have to be quiet. Now Mrs. Freeman…..I think I know what’s gotten into you cuz I did the math. It’s that other time of the month, ain’t it?”

A breathy yes fell from her lips and it clicked for her. She was always incredibly horny and with shiny hair and skin at this particular point of the month. “You tryna have my baby?” Tic whispered in her ear, and pinched her nipple as his hips stroked back and forth. “Delphine, are you tryna make me a father?”

She loved when he got rough with her, especially when they were at risk of being seen in the act. “Yes, Atticus give me your baby.” His hands gripped hers on the railing and he let her have it. Delphine had already came twice but Tic was always generous; he wanted his wife to be satisfied. “Here it come..” Atticus held her right to his chest and gave her devastating thrusts and came deep inside her. Her head rolled back on his shoulder and they stood together still united as one as the fireworks show gave the finale. “I love you so much” they both said in unison and gazed at the sky.

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[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

Yeah I'm making a backlog- so here's the next next chapter snippet

((ooc: someone pls fast forward the invention of Benedrill into the dark ages- bc I don't know how Asha is going to survive this chapter. Thanks.))

Life certainly had a funny way of roping Asha into unexpectedly unfortunate situations. 

The most she’d hoped for today was to avoid trouble, yet here she was, comfortably seated on Captain Silver’s ship  undergoing the interrogation of the century.

“So let me get this straight,” Silver started. “Ye said that ye were sailing-,” he gestured to the both of them.

“Yes sir,” Asha nodded, trying to ignore the star who seemed more interested in the gathering that was happening outside the captain's cabin than anything else.

“And that ye were aggressively attacked by and I quote- silent hooded figures in dark clothing who sent you down the Salcona river? Is that right?” 

She nodded, watching as Silver exchanged glances with Bjorn and her grandfather.

“Dark clothes and hoods. Are the goths invading again?” Her grandfather asked, promptly breaking the silence. 

“Huh I didn’t know they moved on from the Roman Empire,” Bjorn murmured. “What a day to leave the weapons at home…”

“What? Saba no! We weren’t attacked by goths!” She cried, nearly startling the star as she rose to her feet. 

“Then who attacked ye?”

“I….” She paused glancing to the star for any form of assistance or help, but alas he only shrugged before turning his attention back towards the open window. His hair had seemingly grown longer. Some thing that she’d pointlessly noticed it would only do after the star had shifted.“We don’t know,” she admitted. “But what we do know is that they were dangerous Saba.”

“And from the looks of things, they probably aren’t new here either,” her grandfather nodded as he slowly eased himself down into a chair. “Wouldn’t be the first time something strange has carried over from the days of olde,” he commented before settling his gaze on the star. “But I’ll see what I can do for you. I might have a few friends who know a thing or two about this.”

She smiled, relief filling her as for once in her life, she actually felt grateful for the suspect acquaintances her grandfather had.  “Thank you Saba-,” 

A sharp tap on the door caught her attention as Silver leaned back and called out, “Come in.”

The door quickly opened as the familiar sight of Lady Allard entered the room. 

“Good afternoon gentleman,” she politely greeted with a smile.

“Good afternoon your ladyship,” they’d answered in tow as they nodded in acknowledgment. 

“My apologies for the intrusion, I hope I’m not interrupting your conversation-,” she started as Asha felt her jaw slightly drop. Delphine was apologizing?  She knew the noblewoman had promised to be better, but this? This was nearly unfathomable, and it seemed as if she weren’t alone in that thought as well. The fleeting looks of surprise on the faces of the elderly men were priceless before Silver regained his composure and shook his head.

“No, no, yer fine! We were just finishing up-,” he waved to them dismissively. “if ya need em, then they’re yours!”

“Ah, that’s good! We were about to have a little gathering, in a few minutes! Why don’t you come and join us Asha I’m sure you and, and-” she quieted as she glanced to the star, looking as if she was nearly at a loss for words.

“Cepheus,” he interjected with a charming smile that could’ve easily disarmed anyone in Rosas.

“Oh, you’re Cepheus!” Lady Allard blinked in surprise as the star nodded. 

‘It’s what she calls me-,” he glanced towards Asha, smiling as if he were currently enjoying a joke she had no part in.

“Ah! I see. It’s nice to have a name behind a face…you know my apprentices haven’t been able to stop talking about you since you’ve arrived. Cepheus this-, Cepheus that-, for a second I was almost afraid they’d made you up as a part of some inside joke!”

“Really?” the star grinned as he glanced to Asha who was doing everything in her power to not roll her eyes. “Do you hear that Asha? My reputation proceeds me!”

“That’s a weak brag, but okay,” she grumbled under her breath before crossing her arms. Silver and Bjorn snickered as her grandfather sighed.

“Anyways,” Lady Allard waved her hand as if dismissing her thoughts, “But since you’re real and fairly new, why don’t you join us? The gathering is to make everyone new feel welcome and it’ll be fun!”

“Fun?” The star repeated, already looking more than willing to accept her offer. “We could use some fun!”

Could they? Sure they’d almost been assassinated a few hours ago, but there was still work to be done, work that did not involve ‘fun’. She still needed to decipher those manuscripts, and if the city’s discoveries had meant anything then the work that she had waiting for her wasn’t diminishing any time soon. Maybe if she read her father’s journals she could-

“C’mon Asha!” the star called, pulling her out of her thoughts as she felt his warm hand rest on her shoulder. “Don’t you want to go?”

“Go? Go where?”

“To the gathering at the deck! It’s going to be fun!”

“Oh…You can go on without me-,” she started, trying to ignore the look of displeasure that had crossed her grandfather’s face. “ I have some work to do.”

“Work?” the star frowned as if she’d said something distasteful. “Asha you’ve been working all week-,”

“Because, unfortunately, I’ve only scratched the surface of a month’s worth of I have a month’s worth of work,” she interjected, as she began to dig through her waterproof satchel for some paper and writing utensils. She had a feeling that she’d need to take notes as she read her father’s journal. When her search for the writing utensils had come up empty, she’d focused her efforts towards the spare desk in Silver’s cabin, searching the desk’s draws as she spoke,  “Which cannot be done in a week, so-,” 

“I’m sure you’re very benevolent and altruistic sovereign would be nothing short of amazingly merciful if you took a break, hmm?”  came the star’s voice as his hand rested on the desk’s surface a few inches away from her. 

She looked up, partially surprised at his persistence “A break?” she repeated, looking from his hand to his face.

“A well deserved one from the look of things,” he spoke. “Don’t you think you deserve to have something nice after the week you’ve had Asha?”

The retort had died on her tongue as she’d taken in his words. The prouder part of her had bristled at his words and the subtle revelation of her recent series of misfortune. But try as she might she couldn’t muster up the energy within herself to snap at him, not when she’d seen the subtle note of concern within his eyes.

Did…did he actually care about her? 

It was such an unfair question to ask. But she’d remember when she’d thought the king and the prince had cared. She’d even entertained the idea that she had been the prince’s friend…and yet he couldn’t bring himself to fully trust her, even when Rosas’ future had been on the line. 

But she supposed she couldn’t blame them. 

They’d been royalty, magical royalty who had no obligation to care for the needs and feelings of a non-magical peasant as long as they’d fulfilled their duties. No amount of frustration or disappointment she’d felt at their hands would ever be able to discredit how much good they’d achieved for the people of Rosas.

But the star had done some good, hadn’t he? He’d done it for her, and he’d probably keep doing it until he’d return, disappearing from her life forever. 

She took in an uneven breath, easing the heavy feeling that had weighted itself on her chest as her fingers slowly slid off the desk. 

Slowly, as she’d forced her eyes to meet his. She knew she was going to regret this, but save for her sanity, what else did she have to lose?

“I hate it when you’re rightt,” she relented, as the star’s smile grew. “Fine…I’ll go.”

“What?!” Bjorn, Silver and her grandfather said in unison as Valentino pleeated in shock. Lady Allard could only look on in confusion before shrugging.

“Do me ears deceive me?” Silver started as he scratched his ears. “Or did Asha just turn down the opportunity to overwork herself?!”

“Honestly…I don’t even know,” she confessed, before turning to the very satisfied looking star. “Come on, let’s go before I come to my senses.”

“Of course,” he called, as the pair followed Lady Allard out of the captain’s cabin and onto the deck.

“Doomed…” Asha heard her grandfather mutter beneath his breath before the cabin’s door closed. “My bloodline is doomed.”

Asha wasn’t sure what he’d meant by that, but she’d decided to focus on the more pressing matters at hand as she’d made their way to the surprisingly crowded deck. People both familiar and not were walking around, happily chattering while the band continued to play.

“Do you like the decoration?” Lady Allard smiled, as she’d gestured to the softly glowing lanterns that hung overhead. “We decided to take a page out of your book for it!”

“They’re beautiful,” she nodded, appreciating the streamers that had also decorated the deck’s interior as well. “How did you get this done in time?”

“It was a miracle really,” Lady Allard admitted. “But Alina  was exceptionally helpful with telling us how to decorate!”

“Mrs. Alina?” Cepheus repeated, before looking to Asha. “Wasn’t she one of your teachers?”

“My dance teacher, yes,” Asha nodded. “I’d nearly forgotten that she wasn’t originally from Rosas.”

“She’s not?”

“No,” Asha shook her head. “I think she and her family left their country when she was a little girl and ended up here, in Rosas.” She glanced around the crowd, catching sight of her teacher in question who was happily chatting with several people. 

There was something ironic about it all, she thought, while watching the crowd pass by. So many people here were celebrating the growth of the kingdom and it’s new arrivals, all whilst being blissfully unaware of the kingdom’s impending doom that lay ahead.

Turning to the source of the impending doom, she’d started, “Hey Cepheus-,”

“Hmm?” 

“If you had to rate Rosas on a scale of 1 to 10 stars, with one being the worst and ten being the best, where would you place it?”

He quirked a brow. “Rate Rosas? On what exactly? Because if we’re talking about the interior design of your castle, I’m going to need a number much lower than 1-,”

“No, no, no silly, I’m talking about in terms of the people, the architecture, the culture and community, you know things like that. What would you rate it?”

“Hmm,” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve only been here for a few days, but all things considered, I do enjoy your food, and your people are rather pleasant-,” he paused, waving to a small crowd of admiring girls. “So all in all, I think I’d give it seven me’s.”

“Seven you’s-,” she’d paused, scowling at the star’s wordplay. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“I don’t recall making that claim-,” he started.

“No, but seriously, only seven?!”

“I think seven is a very good number-,”

“But why not ten?! Isn’t Rosas perfect? I mean look at it!” she motioned to the island in the distance. “A lot of people live here, we don’t pay taxes, which is honestly amazing. We’re progressive, How in the world isn’t that perfect?:

“I should be the one asking you that,” he started as he’d leaned against the ship’s nearby hull. “After all, I wouldn’t be here to grant a ‘wish for more’ if this place was that perfect.”

“...Fine so maybe it’s not perfect! But that doesn’t mean that it’s not great for what it is and shouldn’t be around for centuries to come, right?!”

The star halted in his tracks, briefly staring at her thoughtfully before speaking, “You know Asha, if I didn’t know any better, I’d nearly be tempted to think that you’re trying to convince me to stay here” he teased as she quickly shook her head. 

“No. Absolutely not!” she’d stared at him suspiciously. “Are you trying to get on my nerves?”

“Me? Asha I would never-,”

Not this again, she facepalmed, briefly glancing past the star to Lady Allard who, to her credit, was doing her best to not ask or laugh at Asha’s misery. 

“Why don’t you two take a seat over here?” Lady Allard asked, pointing to two spare crates that had served as seats. “I’ll try and get you guys some blankets.”

“Thank you,” Asha called, watching as the noblewoman’s figure disappeared into the crowd of people. She’d nearly suspected that the noblewoman was doing everything she could to get away from the strange pair. Not that she could blame her of course. It had seemed as if the star had now redirected all his energy into aggravating her. 

“Are you cold?” Cepheus had asked, leaning towards her.

“Not yet,” she sighed as they’d taken their seat. “But wet clothes at this time of day does no one favors.”

He hummed, simply waving his hand as she’d felt all the dampness of her clothes disappear. “There, is that better?”

She nodded, a little shocked at how quickly he’d done it as he quietly shrugged off his cape, placing it within his lap before he’d pulled out a pair of sewing needles.

“What are you doing?”

“Fixing the cape,” he replied as he quickly threaded the needle. “Pity it couldn’t burn more so I could remake it from scratch, but I suppose I’ll have to make do with the damage that has been done.”

“You’d really remake it from scratch if it had been burnt?”

[keithsandwich]

I am not well-versed in flowers, but with google as my guide, I’d say purple delphiniums ☺️

Thank you, Anon!! I love purple 💜

Trivia: I almost named one of Keith and Mae's kids Delphine because of the flower and the Delphinus constellation. It would work. Maybe if they have a seventh surprise baby I can use the name.

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Yet again, it's time to indulge in one of my favorite new year traditions: my ten favorite new-to-me films of 2023!

This is a wild, wild group of movies, but all of them got under my skin in one way or another and made this year that much brighter. If you like, consider this a strong endorsement for each of them.

Same rules as always: no movies from this past year (2023) or the year prior (2022). Every other year is fair game.

01. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (dir. Chantal Akerman, 1975; Belgium/France; 202 mins.)

"I often cry when I think of you, Jeanne."

Sight & Sound's newly crowned Greatest Fim of All-Time was one of my first viewing experiences of 2023, and it loomed like a cloud over the rest of my moviegoing year. It was a bit of an ideal viewing experience - my favorite local independent theater had a showing, and the sizable audience was utterly enthralled by it. The massive Jeanne Dielman is a masterpiece in observation and behavior, and its power reveals itself through the way Akerman creates and unravels Jeanne's routine. She turns the lights off in every room she leaves. She replaces the lid of the money jar every single time. She watches her neighbor's baby for a little while in the afternoon. She looks presentable and pristine at all times, including after her sex work. When parts of these routines start shifting - the lid being left off the jar, the lights being left on for a bit too long, tousled hair - it plays like a jump scare. 

I was shocked at how quickly this flew by. By the time the first day ended, I glanced at the time out of curiosity and was surprised to see it had already been an hour. Jeanne Dielman is a film that is frequently called "boring," which is both fair and entirely the point. It's still utterly mesmerizing within that boredom. This is thanks in large part to Delphine Seyrig's performance. With her hypernaturalistic stillness, Seyrig reaches rare levels of unaffected authenticity. Jeanne doesn't really feel like a character at all -- even with as little as we truly know about her, she feels like a human being.

Essential viewing. Long live the queen.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and Max.

02. The Ascent (dir. Larisa Shepitko, 1977; Soviet Union; 111 mins.)

"Thanks for not leaving me. With company, it's... Okay, let's move on."

My final film in my 52 Films by Women challenge from a few years ago (shut up), Larisa Shepitko's The Ascent must be one of the greatest war movies ever made. Admittedly, it's not a genre I'm often drawn to, but Shepitko instills this film with an emotional power that becomes almost too much to bear.

Every act of cruelty, every gun fired, every open wound, is accompanied by a visceral pain. The way Shepitko uses the natural world as a stage for this story is astonishing - the vast snowy expanse of an unforgiving Russian winter, the rows of trees. Each of her actors manages to convey so much with their faces, too, especially the devastatingly good Lyudmila Polyakova, but the heart of the film is in the work of the two leads. Boris Plotnikov and Vladimir Gostyukhin work beautifully as a pair and as individuals. Shepitko masterfully traces the arc of their relationship against the backdrop of the war, and the end result is absolutely shattering.

The Ascent was, tragically, Shepitko's final film before she died in a car accident. It was my introduction to her as a filmmaker. I hope I can catch up with some of her earlier work, but The Ascent on its own is proof that she was a generational talent.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

03. The Big Snit (dir. Richard Condie, 1985; Canada; 10 mins.)

"And stop sawing the table!!!"

Oh my God, I loved this so much? Other than being vaguely aware of the title and its good reputation, I had no expectations going into The Big Snit, but everything about it worked for me. The utterly bizarre sense of humor, the voice acting (especially the CAT?!), and Condie's deft combination of a marriage gone stale against the backdrop of nuclear anxiety make for a surprisingly moving ending. I think it might be a masterpiece of the form. And like Jeanne Dielman, it feels profoundly influential - it's easy to see the aftershocks of The Big Snit in a decade's worth of shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

Currently streaming on the National Film Board of Canada's website.

04. Vagabond (dir. Agnès Varda, 1985; France; 105 mins.)

"I know little about her myself, but it seems to me she came from the sea."

There really was nobody like Agnès Varda. Vagabond, or Sans toit ni loi, if you prefer its evocative original title, is pretty handily the most emotionally devastating film of hers that I've seen. As Varda shows us Mona's journey through the French countryside, it's hard not to see shades of Wendy and Lucy or even Nomadland. Like the protagonists of those films, Mona struggles to keep her head above water while living on the margins of society, and, like Reichardt and Zhao, Varda manages to find the joyful, the beautiful, and the life-affirming underneath the hardship. She also coaxes stunning work out of Sandrine Bonnaire, who turns in an extraordinarily unaffected and naturalistic performance.

Vagabond's secret weapon might be in its structure. Marrying traditional narrative scenes with a documentary-like direct address, Varda creates an achingly realistic atmosphere. Her work as a documentarian is well-known, and as a bridge between narrative and documentary filmmaking, Vagabond may just be the crown jewel in Varda's expansive body of work.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

05. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (dir. Steven Spielberg, 2001; USA; 146 mins.)

"And for the first time in his life, he went to that place where dreams are born."

Weepy existential sci-fi remains undefeated!

A.I. Artificial Intelligence is undeniably a huge swing. Genuinely feeling like that impossible mix between Spielberg's and Kubrick's sensibilities, A.I. achieves something of a hat trick - a fairytale steeped in existentialism. The Pinocchio comparisons are immediate and on-the-nose, but that doesn't make it any less fertile grounds for a compelling story. There's so much in this film that physically hurts the heart and the head to think about for too long - so much grief, so much cruelty - that framing it around David's immediately accessible journey toward becoming a real boy is pretty ingenious.

Of course, this film, maybe more than any of Spielberg's others, is deeply reliant on its lead performance. Haley Joel Osment is astonishing in this film, a blank slate for an entire world's love and anguish to project itself. Without him, the film would probably still be a fascinating sci-fi epic, but Osment lends the film the bulk of its emotional power. If we don't believe that David's entire reason for being comes from his need for love from his adopted mother (which, admittedly, is a pretty thin clothesline for the film's heavy plot to hang on), then we don't care. Osment makes us care. From anybody, this performance would be a triumph, but from a 12-year-old? It might be one of the miracles of acting.

Available to rent on demand.

06. Humanity and Paper Balloons (dir. Sadao Yamanaka, 1937; Japan; 86 mins.)

"How could he kill himself on such a nice day? How utterly selfish of him."

Up until watching this film, I don't think I ever paid any special attention to Sadao Yamanaka's name. Within a year of the release of Humanity and Paper Balloons, the 28-year-old Yamanaka would be dead.

His untimely death only hints at the kinds of films he could have made with more time. This, though, is surely one of the finest (and most depressing) final films I can think of. One of the great strengths of Humanity and Paper Balloons is how startlingly modern it all feels: it's a 1930s drama, yes, but Yamanaka's thoughtful, assured direction really brings the poetic and tragic script (written beautifully by Shintaro Mimura) and performances (especially Kanemon Nakamura as Shinza the hairdresser) to life. Like the best tragedies, the events of Humanity and Paper Balloons feel senselessly cruel and brutally inevitable, but unlike other tragedies, Yamanaka is careful to keep just a bit of disarming humor to prevent the film from feeling too heavy. 

It's an incredibly sad story beautifully told by a filmmaker struck down in his prime. Extremely worth a watch.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

07. Mississippi Masala (dir. Mira Nair, 1991; USA; 118 mins.)

"Home is where the heart is. And my heart is with you."

There is so much in Mississippi Masala that's wonderful. There's the beautiful young couple at the center, Sarita Choudhury (in a lovely debut performance) and Denzel Washington (a few years after his first Oscar win), who are so hot together that it feels like the TV might catch on fire. There's the supporting cast, too, including the legendary Sharmila Tagore, the great Charles S. Dutton, and the soulful Roshan Seth, whose sad, exhausted face is the heart of the film. There's the sensitive script by Sooni Taraporevala, that somehow finds an intimate romantic drama in a sprawling story that includes the Indian exodus from Uganda, an immigrant family's assimilation into the American South, and two clearly defined family dramas in vastly marginalized communities.

Perhaps most wonderful is Nair's gorgeous direction. The film has an expressive, vibrant visual palette, with so many different shades of red accompanying Mina and Demetrius' blooming romance. This is a rich, sensual film, and one of the great romantic dramas of the 90s.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

08. Lingua Franca (dir. Isabel Sandoval, 2019; Philippines/USA; 95 mins.)

"It doesn't matter where I go. They will hunt me down, and take me away."

Speaking of sensual! Sandoval, a true multi-hyphenate, is the director, writer, and lead performer in the stunning Lingua Franca.

The story, following an undocumented trans Filipina caregiver, is urgent, unabashedly political, and deeply moving. Sandoval and Eamon Farren both turn in deeply affecting performances, evocatively painting portraits of bruised souls trying desperately to find a way forward. The beauty in Sandoval's direction shows us that a way forward is within their grasp. It's the choices they need to make in striving for a better life that drive them further apart. The much-discussed sex scene is one of the most sensual and breathtaking in recent memory, but so much of the central romance is painted with such empathy and grace and beautiful visuals that it makes the unraveling feel all the more gutting. Also gutting is Lynn Cohen's quietly perfect performance. 

Lingua Franca is not Sandoval's directorial debut, but it does feel like the arrival of a major artist. She's clearly one of the most exciting filmmakers working today.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

09. The Blue Angel (dir. Josef von Sternberg, 1930; Weimar Republic; 108 mins.)

"Men swarm around me like moths 'round a flame, And if their wings are singed, surely I can't be blamed."

It's easy to see The Blue Angel as a collision between the expressionism and full-body physicality of silent cinema (embodied in Emil Jannings' performance) and the daring, tempting new-age sound cinema (embodied, of course, by the iconic Marlene Dietrich), but that almost devalues the skill of the actual storytelling and filmmaking going on here. Jannings' relationship with Dietrich - as naive and one-sided as it may sometimes be - is inevitable and pitiful. It's ridiculous and tragic to watch as he throws his entire life away for the most fleeting, meaningless romance imaginable. 

Both lead performers are superb, of course. Dietrich, iconic across all of her Sternberg collaborations, is exquisite both in her onstage burlesque performances and her more intimate scenes with Jannings. Their chemistry is really lovely, even as we know it can never last. Jannings is tremendous, a layered and honest performance that culminates in an emotional breakdown that feels almost ripped from a Universal monster movie. The animalistic noises of his anguish are utterly haunting. Brutal stuff, and pretty handily my favorite Sternberg film.

Available to rent on demand.

10. Time Piece (dir. Jim Henson, 1965; USA; 9 mins.)

"Help!"

Why yes, that is the head of a young Jim Henson on that plate!

It's so weird seeing a Henson film without puppets, but if Time Piece is anything, it's weird. It's also brilliant - the product of Henson's singular creative voice. At just nine minutes, the short is a striking, funny, strange meditation on what it means to be beholden to the relentless march of time. It also boasts impeccable sound design and music, courtesy of the late, great Don Sebesky.

Currently available on Vimeo.

Special mention: Vittorio De Seta's 1955 documentaries.

In 1955, De Seta released six(!) documentary shorts: Islands of Fire, Surfarara, Easter in Sicily, The Age of Swordfish, Sea Countrymen, and Golden Parable. Stunning as individual films, but taken as a group, they become a meditation on the violence of living off the land and the endless cycle of life and death. Acting as director, editor, and cinematographer, De Seta marries ethnography and anthropology with artistry, creating bite-sized, miraculous films that immortalize life and labor in rural Sicily. The cinematography alone is jaw-dropping. Whether the films chronicle the Stromboli volcano, ancient religious rituals, a day of work in sulfur mines, harvesting grain, or the life of a fisherman, they are immersive and fleeting. The longest of these films is 12 minutes, and they all feel like dreams. Stunning stuff.

All six of these films, and more of De Seta's work, are streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order): After Yang (dir. Kogonada, 2021); Akira (dir. Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988); Asako I & II (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2018); Beverly Hills Cop (dir. Martin Brest, 1984); The Boy Friend (dir. Ken Russell, 1971); Carnal Knowledge (dir. Mike Nichols, 1971); Dogfight (dir. Nancy Savoca, 1991); Game Night (dir. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, 2018); Girlhood (dir. Céline Sciamma, 2014); The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (dir. Robert Clampett, 1946); Heat (dir. Michael Mann, 1995); Italianamerican (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1974); Kajillionaire (dir. Miranda July, 2020); Linda Linda Linda (dir. Nobuhiro Yamashita, 2005); Mean Streets (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1973); Night of the Living Dead (dir. George A. Romero, 1968); Pink Flamingos (dir. John Waters, 1972) Saving Face (dir. Alice Wu, 2004); Shake! Otis at Monterey (dir. D. A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, and David Dawkins, 1987); Shiva Baby (dir. Emma Seligman, 2020); Three Thousand (dir. asinnajaq, 2017); Videodrome (dir. David Cronenberg, 1983); When the Day Breaks (Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, 1999); While You Were Sleeping (dir. Jon Turteltaub, 1995); Windy Day (dir. John Hubley and Faith Hubley, 1968); Wings of Desire (dir. Wim Wenders, 1987); Your Face (dir. Bill Plympton, 1987)

And finally, some miscellaneous viewing stats:

First movie watched in 2023: Akira (dir. Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)

Final movie watched in 2023: The Devil Wears Prada (dir. David Frankel, 2006)

Least favorite movie: Blonde (dir. Andrew Dominik, 2022)

Oldest movie: The Impossible Voyage (dir. Georges Méliès, 1904)

Longest movie: The Ten Commandments (dir. Cecil B. DeMille, 1956 - 220 mins.)

Shortest movie: Premonitions Following an Evil Deed (dir. David Lynch, 1995 - 1 min.)

Month with the most viewings: January (35)

Month with the fewest viewings: May (5)

First movie from 2023 seen: Rye Lane (dir. Raine Allen-Miller, 2023)

Total movies: 231

Movies! They're good. Sometimes. Happy new year, friends!

[sundasystems]

3. Up in the Air

I booked a flight to Charlotte for the following week. A part of me wondered if I was taking the right tack with this. I didn't necessarily want to expose myself so early, but Sunda was a legal monstrosity. Any litigation other than the Lotus affair was settled out of court, records sealed. I didn't see much if a way forward without actually seeing the compound itself.

But it was okay. They didn't know who I was. I would just be a simple tech blogger who had come to see his favorite multinational conglomerate.

Tickets were expensive but I felt I needed to get there quickly to really get into this. I needed a lead and Sunda was the only place I could get one.

I could feel an unnatural pull toward the place. I hadn't felt this strongly about the thrill of chasing a story in... Maybe forever. This one could be big. I could feel it. I found it difficult to focus on anything else that week. The name Sunda just kept playing in my head over and over.

Finally, the day arrived and I woke up extra early to get to the airport. Check in went quickly. Security was smooth. And before long, I was boarded and seated. The flight attendants did their safety demonstration and then we were in the air.

However, I got my first surprise when I opened up my phone.

It seemed impossible to avoid them, these days, even for those people who weren't embarking on an investigative quest with them at the center. I clicked the button to join the wifi and smiles widely. Almost giggled. It was very funny to me that I'd be using their own service to forward my plan to bring them down.

I spent some time re-reading my notes. I wanted to compile a list of players in this little story:

Dominic Rey, CEO of Sunda Systems Bethann Johnson, CFO of Sunda Systems Christian Hopkins, COO of Sunda Systems

Then there were the people I'd either interacted with directly or had done research on:

Emily Voss, Administrative Assistant, ORD Reggie (last name unknown), Employment Recruiter James Pepper, Fmr. CEO of Lotus Clinical, Executive CRD John Delphine, Fmr. COO of Lotus Clinical, Executive CRD

I also received a follow up email to my "Helen" email that I'd applied to the Behavioral Psychology position with. I will provide the body of the email here:

Good afternoon Helen! This is Reggie from Sunda Systems. We spoke on the phone about a week ago regarding the Behavioral Psychology position advertised on Karear. It was wonderful to speak with you and I just wanted to follow up to see if you'd given the application any more thought. The position is still available, and we are keenly interested in seeing your resume. Provided that you fit our criteria we are willing to give you a competitive offer. Please Sleep on it and let us know your decision. Connected in Harmony, Reggie

After that I must have drifted off. I remember reading the email and thinking that I really hooked them. I was planning on spending the rest of the flight drafting a fake CV to submit to them so that I could get access to their campus as many ways as possible. But my eyes were heavy. I had gotten up early to catch my flight, after all.

Without closing the laptop, I let my eyes rest for just a moment.

The flight attendant woke me with a light tap. She told me that we were beginning our descent into Charlotte and that I needed to stow my computer.

I'd slept for four hours.

I guess I must have needed it. My mind has been working hard on this project. I deserved a little break. I stretched as much as I could in a small plane seat and packed up my stuff. We touched down and taxied to the gate.

Charlotte International Airport was full to bursting with advertisements for Sunda. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. This was the closest major city to their headquarters in Eden Springs. I guess it also made sense then why planes flying in and out of this hub would have Sunda wifi on them.

By the time I was picking up my rental car, I was positively buzzing with excitement. I was wearing a constant smile. There was a spring in my step. I knew this was going to be a good trip.

The rental agent gave me my keys and I got into the car.

The touch screen in the center came to life with the logo of the company that made it. I recognized it immediate as one of the Sunda subsidiaries. It really was impossible not to get wrapped up in their web somehow.

They had hands so much of our daily lives and we didn't even know it. We just go about our days, completely unaware of the level of control they had over us.

I turned on the radio and began my drive to Eden Springs.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

As they had the highest amount of points with Araminta, three of our contestants got a surprise bonus bout of skillbuilding. Congratulations to Delphine, Pauline and Piper.

Slobby Dodo has maxed out handiness and mentored Piper in the art of repairs, while Rosamund (Momma Minta) did the same with Pauline and chess (and logic) upstairs.

Since you can't mentor sims directly in horse riding, Araminta gave Delphine a few tips - then it was up to her. No, Minta conspiracy theorists - Duchess is a prize winning mare nearly maxed out on temperament - no foul (foal?) play here.

More skillbuilding - with Pauline being so good at fishing that she could use an invisible pole. Meanwhile Delphine got a surprise attraction ping for Rosamund while she was being mentored in painting!

Then it was time for a dinner made by Dodo, who has actually maxed out both homestyle and gourmet cooking since he's been with us.

Dodo and Minta both entertained with tales of the island, but all good things must come to an end - so eventually it was time to say goodbye to the nice milf, Delphine.

Til they meet again.

And yes, Dodo - you're on cleanup too. You're the reason why we had to put the dishwasher in storage, after all.

@changingplumbob @invisiblequeen @sleepyselkiesims

dodo harper by @akitasimblr

[many-but-one]

TW: ableism, ignorance towards people with DID, GD and trans people form a therapist

And can you ID as a trans, NB and other different things under trans umbrella while being a system? We were feeling really bad about it… bc once we interacted with a therapist that said if you as a person with DID think you are trans or have GD, then you were wrongly dx with DID… I know this is wrong, but still these words stuck inside our mind, ugh. That’s why we are trying to not to think about it, but it’s just so itchy inside our brain… uncertainty.

Thank you. Sorry for being so chatty in your ask box.

Hello anon,

I’m sorry you’ve had such shitty experience with your therapist.

I know multiple people who are diagnosed or medically recognized with DID who are also trans, several of which who are also getting gender affirming healthcare. I’m not sure where you live, as this may be different in areas outside of America.

Here is an answered ask where I go in a bit more detail about identifying as transgender and our complex experiences with gender as a DID system: linked here.

I hope this answer and the above linked answer helps calm your worries. It is incredibly common to have a gender that is different from the assigned gender at birth as a system. Not surprising, since alters can be a variety of genders and sexualities.

Take care!

-Delphine🌹

[sea-owl]

So I got a new book and from the summary alone I got an new au idea. I have not read one page of this book yet.

The book is called The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill.

Here's the summary:

There is no magic on Prospect Hill—or anywhere else, for that matter. But just on the other side of the veil is the world of the Fae. Generations ago, the first farmers on Prospect Hill learned to bargain small trades to make their lives a little easier—a bit of glass to find something lost, a cup of milk for better layers in the chicken coop.

Much of that old wisdom was lost as the riverboats gave way to the rail lines and the farmers took work at mills and factories. Alaine Fairborn’s family, however, was always superstitious, and she still hums the rhymes to find a lost shoe and to ensure dry weather on her sister’s wedding day.

When Delphine confides her new husband is not the man she thought he was, Alaine will stop at nothing to help her sister escape him. Small bargains buy them time, but a major one is needed. Yet, the price for true freedom may be more than they’re willing to pay.

So here's the au idea.

The aristocratic families held onto a secret only their families know. Many of their ancestral seats hide the gateways between the human world and the world of the fae. Deals can be made with the fae but everything has a price. Can you pay it?

Kathony

Mary was not surprised when she got a letter saying her parents back in England pissed off the fae, and that's how they were killed. What did surprise her was the deal they made that ultimately led to their deaths. They promised Mary's child to the king of the fae?! Knowing Edwina's dream of a love match, Kate looks for a loophole. Well, Mary did always say Kate came into her life as a daughter. So she should count, right? Anthony raised an eyebrow when Kate presented herself as the bride. Oh, he's gonna have fun with her.

Benophie

In exchange for keeping privileges from the new Earl of Penwood, Araminta sold Posy off as his bride. Or rather his broodmare. Sophie refused to see the closest person she had to a sister be miserable for the rest of her life. It's what pushes her through Penwood to make a deal for Posy's freedom. Now how is she convincing this fae man to make a deal that DOESN'T include her becoming his mistress?

Polin

The Featheringtons are probably one of the more superstitious families. Portia, who was from an area way more familiar with the fae, made sure her daughters knew the tricks of dealing with the fae. So knowing all these tricks and with a mother who had no fear of the fae, is it any wonder that Penelope regularly made deals with them? Nothing ever major, small things that cost a piece of glass or a poem. Of course, whispers of a human who isn't afraid to trade with the fae will travel. Such whispers reach the most chaotic fae prince who wonders how far this little human will trade. Colin siezes his chance for a trade when Penelope comes to make a deal that will allow her favorite sister Felicity freedom from their father's debts.

[charlotte-of-wales]

I was today years old when I learned about the King Albert II of Belgium and Princess Delphine drama. How is he still married??? Queen Paola should love herself more and leave that poor excuse of a man. It is completely unforgivable... I don't know how everyone on that family is capable of acting like nothing happened and they are all happy. I swear if my father cheated on my mother he never would have a relationship with me and my kids again

to be fair, they didn’t act like everything was normal for a long time lol the Delphine suit was settled in 2020 and only this year Paola started allowing her to be in the same room as her, Laurent and Astrid still look slightly uncomfortable when she’s around and Philippe is the one who seems more or less welcoming to her, but who knows how much of that is for appearances only.

Also, Albert and Paola had a complicated marriage and were absent and neglectful parents. Even if you take away the fact that they are public figures and need to sell a narrative regardless of what’s happening behind closed doors, it doesn’t surprise me that neither of their 3 children seem to be strongly siding with one or the other parent.

aaaaaand Paola is an aristocrat who’s been married for over 60 years. I’d fully expect her to see Delphine more as a nuisance than anything and just goes on with her life.

[starlightandetherealshadows]

How are the ros when in a romance with mc?

Hi angel!

I'm going to describe kind of overarching "themes" or motifs for each of the romance options and their routes. There won't be many spoilers, but lil fun hints (fun is a loose term cuz im kinda evil).

Also, you'll get to experience romances with the RO when you read the story hehehe, trust me it's coming! The demo is only up to chapter 1...gotta give MC some time to heal from that sweet spicy trauma (or not).

Chapter 2 Part 1 is coming along quite nicely, I'm anticipating it to be about 30K without code.

Without further ado, here are the romance vibes for the RO in Memento Mori!

Delphine: "i never knew love until I met you", breakfast in bed and massages after a long day, she wants to spoil you, "i wish i could stop time, I wish I could keep this forever." You make her feel worthy, you make her feel seen. She remembers all of your favorite things, her love language is words of affirmation and gift giving. She's protective over you; she lets you see the parts of herself she keeps hidden. all her favorite love songs are about you.

"I wanna love me, the way that you love me. for all of my pretty, and all of my ugly too. I'd love to see me from your point of view. I wanna trust me, the way that you trust me. Ooh, 'cause nobody ever loved me like you do. I'd love to see me from your point of view" POV by Ariana Grande

Honorable Mention: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri

Zero Chevalier: "MC over morals", it's soft smiles and softer touches, like you're the most precious thing he's ever held. it's wide eyed surprise at your reciprocation, love that is dark and consuming, you're in his sweetest dreams, and you're the light in his darkest nightmares, "remind me that this is real." has a hundred drawings of you in his sketchbook "You're my home."

"There's a lover in the story, but the story's still the same. There's a lullaby for suffering, and a paradox to blame. But it's written in the scriptures. And it's not some idol claim. You want it darker. We kill the flame." You Want it Darker by Leonard Cohen

Honorable Mention: Peace by Taylor Swift

Xa'eks/Xa'veed: war between head and heart, not sure who is falling first and who is falling harder, not only bends the rules, but breaks them for you. overwhelmed by the severity of their emotions, wants to make up for all the years they spent without knowing you, has told the stars about you, knows they will lose you but loves you like they won't, you could live inside them and it wouldn't be close enough, love language is physical touch

"I can't help but love you, Even though I try not to. I can't help but want you. I know that I'd die without you. I can't help but be wrong in the dark. 'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts. I can't help but want oceans to part. 'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts" War of Hearts by Ruelle

Honorable Mention: Illicit Affairs by Taylor Swift

Ayana Tsosie: let me be your peace (when the world is going to shit), there's nothing wrong with loving again, we have more on the line than love, you can't fight your heart without hurting yourself in the long run. she keeps an eye on you across rooms and battlefields, she treats you as her equal, you've become one of the best parts of her life (new and old), you borrowed her heart and refused to give it back, but she gave it willingly. your hand in hers is what love poems are written about.

"Have you ever wished for an endless night? Lassoed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight. Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself. Will it ever get better than tonight?" Glitter in the Air by P!nk

Honorable Mention: Love Me Like You Do by Elle Goulding

Cecelia/Chase: friends to lovers but I love my friends just as deeply, they don't know they love you until they almost lose you, there's butterflies in my bloodstream (it must be because of you), partners in crime, communication without words. they know what you need before you do, they bring you flowers and will choose to stare at you over the most beautiful sunsets (because nothing compares in their eyes)

"I'm dancing in the dark. With you between my arms, barefoot on the grass. Listening to our favorite song, I have faith in what I see. Now I know I have met an angel in person" Perfect by Ed Sheeran

Honorable Mention: Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur