#films: mighty ducks

[lulublack90]

Prompt 14 - Hockey

@jegulus-microfic November 14, Word count 370

Previous part First part

James was so, so, so proud of Regulus. He’d stood up to Barty and given him the best tongue-lashing James had heard in a long time. They stayed a bit longer at the art show until Sirius had managed to piss off most of the artists in some way or another and then James took them all home. 

Sirius, of course, jumped in the front seat as soon as James had unlocked his car, but James was having none of it. He walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and lifted Sirius out. 

“Hey! What the hell?!” Sirius squawked as James bundled him into the back seat with Remus and held the front passenger door open for Regulus. Regulus hesitated, his eyes flicking to the disgruntled Sirius in the back of the car, having his hair stroked by Remus as he tried to placate him. James’s lips curled up as Regulus chose to sit in the front. He carefully shut the door once Regulus was comfortable and walked back to the driver's side with a spring in his step. 

The rain had stopped, and the drive back was pleasant. 

“Hey, look a rainbow,” Remus pointed out the window, and they all ooooed and ahhhed, making Remus roll his eyes at the lot of them. 

“We’re watching The Mighty Ducks,” Sirius told them as they walked through the door of James and Regulus’s flat. 

“What if the rest of us don’t want to watch it?” Remus pointed out. Sirius looked at him totally baffled. 

“What do you mean? Michael J. Fox, kids playing hockey, underdogs and all that jazz. What’s not to love?” Sirius shook his head and put the film on. No one protested, and they settled down to watch the film with a plate full of Regulus’s caramel brownies.

Sirius and Remus had crammed themselves into their usual chair. Regulus, continuing his brave streak, curled up beside James. He’d sat beside him, his arm brushing against James’s, but when James had wrapped his arm around him, Regulus had melted into his side and wiggled closer as the film progressed. James didn’t remember watching any of the film as he was completely captivated by the man beside him. 

Next part

[punster-2319]

For animation books that have been out of print for decades, these ones I found online recently are in pretty good condition (and reasonably priced).

[cc-tinslebee]

biblically accurate college banksway

[chasingshadowsblog]

"I'm no lady, I'm a Duck!" - Female Representation in 'The Mighty Ducks' Franchise

The Mighty Ducks trilogy may not be the first movies that spring to mind when considering female representation. After all, it is a trilogy in which there are only ever two girls at a time on each line-up of the Ducks team. However, these three girls, in their equally shared screentime with the rest of the cast, come across as considered, well-established characters with a diverse range of talents and personalities, who, depite their gender, cannot be considered as simply the girls on the team, but as players on the team. In D1 they were Connie Moreau and Tammy Duncan; in D2 Connie stayed and was joined by Julie 'The Cat' Gaffney, who both survived to D3. Each of these girls brought something special not only to the Mighty Ducks team but to The Mighty Ducks movies, and each is memorable for their own individual reasons and moments.

"Let's show these Hawks something really different." Movies like The Mighty Ducks are usually aimed at boys, and as such, the odd time a girl appears, they are the annoying older or younger sister, the bratty, sneering, cajoling, motherly, concerned, unattainable love interest girl character. Always on the margins, to be ridiculed, pined after or fought with briefly then forgotten about while the rest of the story happens. Depending on the role, they'll appear again at the end of the movie, achievement unlocked. While none of the girls in The Mighty Ducks are like this, Tammy Duncan, who could so easily have been the annoying older sister or the pretty love interest, is not portrayed in this way. Tammy is a figure-skater, recruited by Bombay, along with her younger brother Tommy, after he sees Tammy's figure-skating skills before a practice session. Bombay sees Tammy and imagines applying her skills to the hockey rink. "What do I know about hockey?" she demands angrily of her brother, after Bombay convinces her to give it a try. "More than you think," says Tommy, as he lays sprawled out on the ice after being knocked down by his sister in her anger. In the pivotal final game against the Hawks, Tammy and Tommy perform a goal-scoring trick using one of Tammy's figure-skating techniques. Tammy scores the goal. Tammy is an older sister. She is a girly-coded figure skater, compared to the traditionally boyish hockey players. She is scouted by Bombay for her talent and her potential to bring something alternative to the team. She joins in on the classroom fight, ending up in detention with everyone else. She insists that Bombay refer to them as "people" not "guys" and he complies (because she's there, too and she's proven willing to stand up for herself). Tammy is not annoying, or spoiled, or motherly, or a love interest for any of the boys. She is a part of the team and brings something unique to it. She's talented and tough, and, like Connie and Julie, her femininity is neither lost to her nor emphasised. She's a Duck.

"I wanna play. When am I gonna get my chance?" Julie 'The Cat' Gaffney is introduced to us in D2 as having "won the state championship for Maine, three years in a row" - single-handedly, I would assume, because it only takes her one hand to save the deciding goal against Gunnar Stahl and win Team USA the final game against Iceland. Nicknamed 'The Cat' or 'Cat Lady', for her quick reflexes in the goal, Julie is side-lined in D2 for almost the entire movie in favour of Goldberg. While it can be frustrating to watch this faster and (let's say it) superior player sit on the bench in favour of Goldberg, something important happens in the middle of the movie that brings depth to Julie's character - an admirable thing to do for a newbie in a sequel, let alone a female character. Julie goes to Bombay's office and demands to know when he's going to let her play. "I left my team in Maine to show the world what I can do," she says earnestly and justifiably, in an effort to convince Bombay to give her a shot. In this scene, Julie fights for her rights as a player on Team USA. She was scouted by Hendrix as being one of the best players in the country in their age bracket. It's only in anger about Goldberg's poor performance against Iceland that Bombay first lets her on to the ice - an opportunity she ruins by taking a dig at two of the opposing players before the game starts again. She could have easily stayed quiet, she was a new face in the Ducks-heavy team, but the writers gave Julie a chance to speak up for herself. As the second goalie, she is in a different position to all of the other new players - Kenny, Dwayne, Portman and Luis can all hop off and on the ice throughout a single game and get a chance to play, Julie has to wait for Goldberg to be out of the action. She knows she's talented, she's ambitious and she's frustrated that she isn't getting the opportunity to show that talent off. It's only by the end of the final game, in the shoot-out with Gunnar Stahl, that she finally gets to do that. It's only one goal, but it's one goal that wins Team USA the game. Is it frustrating that Julie is on the bench for most of the movie? Yes. Is it justified by her winning save at the end of the movie? Somewhat. I would argue, however, that it isn't the save that fortifies Julie's role in the movie as more than a "girl character", but her certainty of her own skills and her willingness to fight for her corner.

"I'm no lady, I'm a Duck!" Unlike Tammy and Julie, Connie has no unique or specialised skill to bring to the table. She is simply a solid, consistent hockey player, like Averman, Guy or Jesse. A fact which is just as important as Tammy's figure-skating or Julie's goal-keeping abilities. It's just as important to have these filler roles (for lack of a better term) be played by an array of genders, races and sexualities, as it is to have them up front and shining. It normalises the idea of a young woman, a person of colour, or someone from the LGBT+ community being there, being a part of something and not being special. Connie Moreau is a reliable player, who works hard and gets as much ice time as anyone else on the team. After Bombay meets the District 5 team for the first time, Connie is the first person to approach him with any kind of friendliness, she introduces herself with a smile, and proves to the audience that while none of the team shows any promise yet, she knows enough about hockey to talk stats. Connie isn't here to tick a box, she's here because she likes ice hockey. It's important to mention Connie's relationship with fellow player, Guy Germaine, in the context of this topic. A romantic relationship doesn't automatically weaken a female character, it's when the woman is defined by her relationship to a man that a romantic sub-plot becomes an issue. Fortunately, this is not the case with Guy and Connie. The two have a cute but subtle little romance arc throughout the trilogy that never over-shadows either the main plot or either of their own personalities. Like Guy, Connie maintains her autonomy as a person and a character outside of her relationship, and their relationship never gets in the way of their performances as hockey players. The romance could be deemed unnecessary but in this case it is handled so deftly that it only ever acts as a cute background detail to the wider story, it's a positive embellishment that fleshes out the setting and the story, as arcs like that should be. "Oooh, the Connie-meister! The Velvet Hammer!" Throughout the franchise Connie comes across as an open, kind and supportive individual, which is smoothly juxtaposed with her willingness to fight anyone who tries to mess with her team. She proves again and again that she will stand up for herself and her team mates no matter what, against the Hawks, against Iceland and against the Varsity Warriors. It is also worth mentioning, that in the 2021 reboot, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, an adult Connie Moreau (excuse me, Senator Connie Moreau) is shown briefly showing two of the girls on the Don't Bothers team the best way to tackle a player that's bigger than you. Connie represents a wonderfully colourful character. She is caring and supportive (traditionally feminine qualities) and displays her affection for her team mates by standing up to opposing players, off and on the ice. Connie may not have a flashy skill like Julie or Tammy but it is her entirely realistic and relatable personality that makes her stand out.

It might be difficult to hear this, but The Mighty Ducks movies aren't perfect. While they should be celebrated for their equal treatment of the main cast and the naturally gender-blind writing of all of the kids, there are a few instances that, while they don't diminish the good work done, shouldn't be ignored either. Interestingly, the majority of these shortcomings occur in D3 - notably, the only script in the trilogy not written by Ducks creator, Steve Brill.

D3 is often thought of as the best of the two sequels; D2 pulls a few fast ones on the audience in terms of internal hockey logic, while D3 holds up in that regard. While this can't be argued with I do think it falls short in some areas. D3 pulls back on the hockey content and focuses more on the kids, now teenagers and freshmen in a private school. It gives less time to the Ducks and more time to Charlie (their stand-in main character now that Bombay is out of the picture), and his battle with the new coach, new school and new team image. It's easy for something like female representation to get lost underneath everything else that's going on in the movie, but when you're looking for it there's something to see - and it's not great. Connie and Julie are largely left unscathed by the plot. Julie gets a very light romantic sub-plot with Scooter, the Varsity goalie, but I would argue that so little happens between them that, like the Connie and Guy romance, it doesn't detract from Julie's character but adds a bit of fun to the overall setting. She initially ignores his attempts at conversation after their first game, and when he approaches her at the end of the movie, she looks surprised but pleased and the scene is so brief it doesn't diminish either of their characters or the ending.

D3 does, however, introduce us to Linda, a student at Eden Hall who catches Charlie's attention. And… that's it. I like Linda, but she is the opposite of what Julie, Connie and Tammy represented in the first two movies. Linda is introduced in D3 asking Charlie to sign a petition that will change the name of the school's offensive 'Warriors' moniker. When she realises that Charlie is a jock she turns away, but Charlie doesn't back off. Later on, they interact again and he manages to wear her down; she attends a hockey game and despite Charlie's behaviour during that game, begins to fall for him. After the Varsity game, Linda approaches Charlie and they kiss, after she thanks him for having the "demeaning Warriors name" replaced by a new Eden Hall version of the Ducks logo, which…Charlie had nothing to do with? Linda is a textbook "girl character". She is completely innoffensive, appears initially as a foil to the sports-loving Charlie, but in a single scene is charmed by his wiles(?) and tries better to understand him. She never interacts with another Duck, other than being present at the hearing, then appears again at the end of the movie, completely won over by him, without Charlie having done anything other than talk to her on a bench.

A similar character appears in D2, Maria, Team Iceland's trainer (the "Iceland is nice" lady). Maria's presence is brief in the movie, much shorter than Linda's, yet she only really appears as a passing love interest for Bombay, but not really for Bombay. His interest and their date seem to happen only so that Gordon can be caught by Portman and Fulton, and to supply another reason for the kids to lose their faith in him. After this, Maria is largely left to stand in the background with the rest of Team Iceland, without anymore play in the story. Compared to the other adult woman in D2, Michelle McKay, Maria's role is clearly there to serve a purpose relating to her gender. I would argue, however, that in this instance Maria is less a victim of the male gaze as she is a victim of narrative convention.

Outside of the main cast, there are two more women that share significant screentime with the Ducks, and both represent the negative and the positive aspects of the Ducks scripts when it comes to writing women. First there is Casey Conway, Charlie's mother and Bombay's love interest in D1. Casey disappears in D2 with a throwaway line about her marrying some random guy, and so she is no longer Bombay's love interest or present in the movie. As well as that, the kids are away from home at the Goodwill Games and so Charlie doesn't need his mother for now. Casey returns again in D3 to act as the adult influence in Charlie's life while Gordon is absent. Like Linda, there is nothing inherently wrong with Casey, but she is only present for her relationships to the men in her life - Charlie mostly, Gordon briefly. If she was meant to be the grown up voice in Charlie's head during D3, then why have Charlie ignore her advice and admonishments and why bring Bombay back to give him the speech that changes his mind?

"CHANGE IT UP!" In D2 we have Michelle McKay, who is brought to the Goodwill Games as the team's teacher. She is a foil for Gordon during his Air Bombay phase, but is otherwise her own character. I would argue that she is more defined by her role as a teacher (with no interest in the Goodwill Games) and her relationship with the kids than she is by her interactions with Gordon. Ms. McKay listens to the kids, develops a relationship with them and confronts Gordon when they can't. She is soft-spoken and doesn't seem to be interested in sports, although she does enjoy her brief stint as Coach. She is supportive when Gordon is neglectful. And while she does act as a foil for him for a lot of the movie, once he is back to normal again, she retains her personality. Bombay kisses her on the cheek in thanks for jumping in as coach, but nothing romantic comes of this. Their relationship is entirely platonic and no one will ever convince me otherwise. Like Tammy, Connie and Julie, Michelle retains her femininity (through her traditionally feminine traits as well as her physical appearance, dress and mannerisms) without becoming defined by it. Her personality survives intact to the end of the movie; she is there for the kids and isn't won over by Gordon or the sport.

I'm sure that female representation was the least of everyone's concern when The Mighty Ducks reboot, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, was announced, but it's clear that the good work done in the trilogy is being carried on here. While we haven't gotten to know these girls as well as their predecessors, Sofi, Lauren and Maya continue to represent a diverse range of personalities and talent levels, while holding their own narratives on the screen. As well as this, what Game Changers does differently - and which is representative of the eras both products were made in - is show girls playing on the rival teams. While the girls of the trilogy were wonderfully fleshed out characters, they were also the only girls. No other team in the franchise had a girl playing on it - something I've always thought was meant to reaffirm the Ducks as being the good guys and everyone else as the bad guys. In Game Changers, none of these girls ever speak, but neither do the boys - in The Mighty Ducks no one on a rival team ever speaks unless they are on the rival team. Like Connie had to do on her own thirty years ago, the addition of female players, simply in the background, normalises the idea of young women appearing in sports-oriented media (and movies in general), without making a big to-do or having to justify their place in the world.

The Mighty Ducks franchise is not without its problems when it comes to female representation but these movies deserve to be noted for their treatment of their female characters. In the few moments where they are singled out for their gender, those moments, and the characters involved, do not go unpunished. Early in D2 Portman refers to Julie condescendingly as "babe" and is immediately called out by Adam then, most notably, his future Bash Brother Fulton; during the first USA-Iceland game, Gunnar and another skater laugh at USA for sending Julie into the goal, for which she knocks them over and is disqualified for the rest of the game. These scenes are not meant for laughs, each one highlights the perpetrator as being in the wrong. Portman's behaviour causes a fight between the team and the instance during the Iceland game only reaffirms to the audience that these are the bad guys. The Mighty Ducks does not take its female characters for granted, none of them are there to tick the token girl box. The fact that there are only two on the team at a time may even be representative of the interest levels in girls' youth hockey at the time (this I can't say for sure as I wasn't alive when these movies were being released). There's a quick scene in D2, around twenty-nine minutes, that follows Connie as she skates circles around the Trinidad and Tobago players then passes the puck to Kenny, resulting in a score. During those few seconds of Connie handling the puck the camera cuts briefly to a girl in the stand cheering her on. If D1, D2 and D3 are representative of the time they were made in then I hope that Game Changers is also indicitave of the growth and current levels of interest and access for young girls in hockey. I'd also be interested to know how much The Mighty Ducks had an impact on that growth.

[gunnarstahl]

You may make it. You may not, but that doesn't matter, Charlie. What matters is that we're here. Look around. Who ever thought we'd make it this far. 1, 2, 3. Triple Deke. Take your best shot. I believe in you, Charlie. Win or lose.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

[videoandpizza]

D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)

[hoppyhockey]

Fav movie to give me some happiness.

[twacn]

Listened to film reroll's The Rock, and um. Spoilers but why is it that everytime Jon Miller is the protagonist of a fun action movie Things go Horribly Wrong

[redtyrannoranger]

Conner: What do all great soccer teams have in common?

JJ: Great coaching, Sir?

Conner: …stop trying to suck up to me, Oliver.

[mysticmayhem1337]

Movie Review #025

The Mighty Ducks

Directed By: Stephen Herek Year: 1992 Length: 1h 44m Rated: 6.6/10 Genre: Comedy Stars: Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson & Heidi Kling.

Summary After being sentenced to community service, a Minnesota lawyer rediscovers his love for hockey by coaching a rag-tag team of misfits.

Review A compelling story of righting the wrongs of the past. Almost every character had something identifiable and unique about them. The use of costuming adds extra personality, despite the kids usually being in a uniform.

Honest Thoughts I loved the kids' outfits when they weren't in uniform, props to the costume department. There's a lot more heart in this film than I remember there being when I first saw it, many years ago. I suppose that's because of the nuance and depth of Gordon Bombay's storyline that you don't pick up on as a kid. There's something to say about the breaking of cycles and possibly even generational trauma, but I'm not sure if I have the right words for it. The casting for the kids is pretty perfect, they were all really talented, and there were times I thought they did better than the lead! It wasn't that he gave a bad performance, I just felt that Emilio Estevez seemed a little flat sometimes. He was great when it counted, that's what matters more. My favourite character in this film was, and still is, Fulton Reed. I'm just a fan of the big tough guy who's really nice when you get to know him. I love that his response to the rumours about him not being allowed to play hockey was "they're just rumours" and the real reason was he just couldn't skate. I like a good subversion of expectations.

Scores Performance: 3.5/5 Plot: 5/5 Effects: 4/5 Flow: 4/5 Engagingness: 5/5 Overall: 4/5

Watched On: Disney+ Information Source: IMDb

[12-16-1993]

[cc-tinslebee]

W???

manifesting the return of Joel and Film Class Guy #1 🙏🙏

[gunnarstahl]

Let’s play hockey.

[videoandpizza]

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

[lemmetreatya]

actor!armin who always plays innocent, helpful characters on screen but is a manipulative menace in real life.

when press conferences and interviews come around, he knows how to put on an act; sweet smiles, careful attention to younger children and their fumbled words, barely any contact when it comes to female colleagues. when fans catch him outside of the studio, he’s friendly and never shuns admirers away. actor!armin knows he has the whole thing down to a T and has never had to worry about his exposure of behind the scenes behaviour.

but when it comes to you, his most trusted fan site runner, actor!armin doesnt know what draws him to you.

you’re fucking crazy, he thinks — follow his press tour routes, know most of his family and friends on a personal level. hell, sometimes you post updates on schedules even he hasn’t found out yet

actor!armin wants to get rid of you; really and truly, because you make him feel a way about himself that no one else does. you seem to glorify him on a level he’d hate to attain. yes, actor!armin wants people to worship the ground he walks on, but you seem to worship his very being.

“don’t you have any family to fucking attend to? friends? a life?”

actor!armins cornered you around the block wall of the studio although hes due up on stage in 15 for the press release of his latest action film. all he wanted to do was take a quick smoke break, have a breather! but he couldn’t even have that as you too seem to be round the back too.

with a snort, you dont even mind the way he heaves a wad of spit near your foot. did he think that was going to push you away??

“what, you think i do this for free?” a sweet giggle leaves your mouth along with the wad of smoke you puff into his face. “your pa pays me too handsomely for me to walk away because simply because you told me to.”

actor!armin wheres a confused look on his face because actually yes, he did think you did this for free. now that he thinks about it, the fact you were being paid for this makes sense, but he just never thought that was the case. as you watch his face, you realise that too.

“you didnt know?! fuck, you’re more pathetic than i imagined.”

actor!armin doesnt know why but he feels his straight trousers grow slightly uncomfortable at your words. and of course you notice that too because as his mouth gaps for lack of answer, you’re raising your knee between his crotch — the ghosting sensation causing him to slip out an unsolicited moan.

“just think…” your free hand comes down to palm at his trousers in replacement of your knee, your other hand letting you take another drag of your cigarette.

“imagine if people knew just how nasty you were. if all your fans were aware about what the sick type of fuck you were — mighty and worshipped armin arlert getting off to user arminofficialupdates at the back of a conference building, gets hard off of an insult. fucking lame.”

actor!armin starts to let out watery whimpers as he hears you talk down at him. he didnt even realise your hand had slipped past his trousers or boxer briefs until he feels the icy cold air of your hands invading from outside.

actor!armin had his head dipped just over your shoulder whilst his hand stayed on the brick wall by your head for support. your hand dryly ran up and down his cock. the shick, shick of his handjob over powered by actor!armin’s pathetic whines. you continue to finish your cigarette, throwing the stub to the ground once it burnt to the filter. all throughout, your face was unbothered as you continued to degrade the blonde in spouts of annoyance — the occasional “good boy” added in for affect.

actor!armin messily finished over your clenched fist and the light grey of his suit jacket — the material now blotched dark.

the blonde pants for his breath, still stood in the same position. however, you duck under his arm to escape his grasp, but not before wiping the semen that was on your hand onto the back of his jacket. actor!armin whips round as soon as you do it but you dont stay long enough to face the brunt of his reaction. you only smugly walk back into the building through the side door, the fire exit shutting with a grinded halt.

actor!armin lets out a loud “fuck” as he angrily shrugs off his suit jacket — the item soiled. his pa was so gonna kill him.

[the-kr8tor]

REQUEST FOR THE TWINS!

● the twins saying their first words

Like, imagine they're playing with toys or something, and R and Hobie are like lowkey flirting whilst keeping an eye on them, and then all of a sudden you both just hear a tiny voice yelling "Mony!" And you snap your head around and bam, Billie is giggling and yelling her sisters name 🥹

Yay! Billie and Ramona!! Hope you like it ❤️

Pairing: Hobie Brown x fem! Reader/ Spider-Punk x fem! Reader

Tags: No use of Y/N, no specific physical description of the reader, mom! Reader, dad! Hobie, dad au, twins au, Billie and Ramona au, FLUFF

ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ

You watch your girls play on the puzzle pieces mat that Ned bought for them. Billie smothers her bunny plush in her sticky kisses, while Ramona babbles as she ‘reads’ her soft book about ducks. They look mighty adorable in their matching onesies, Billie in her pastel purple one, and Mona in her baby blue onesie. You have the camera in your hands, always ready if they ever do something adorable, which was every five minutes for you. Whether it's Mona showing you her toy plastic orange, or it's Billie trying to yank her ribbon off her pretty hair, you have a picture of it. You think you're about to run out of film at this point.

You feel a sudden chill on top of your head, and you immediately know it's Hobie with your drink. Condensation falls on your hair, and Hobie smirks at your narrowed eyes.

“You're rude.” Despite your words, your smile says otherwise. “I hope the girls don't get your rudeness.” Taking the drink, you reach for his sweatpants strings to tug and untie it playfully.

Hobie turns his attention to the undone strings and then to your teasing smile. “And ‘m the one who's rude?”

You giggle, hand still holding onto the strings, guiding him down on the sofa so he could sit down next to you. He rolls his eyes but relents and indulges you. Sitting down with a groan, he crosses his leg over the other before his arm instinctively snakes behind your shoulders, palm resting on your bicep. Once he looks over to you, he's met with a grin etched on your lips.

“What?”

“You've only been a dad for a year and you already have the trademark dad groan.”

He scootches closer to you, hip to hip, you place your head on his shoulder. “And you've only been a mum for a year and you're already askin’ for another one.”

You lean away, making a face that makes him guffaw. “I literally just placed my head on you.”

“You sure? Your hand on my back says somethin’ else, love.” He says with a raised brow. True enough, your cold hand is splayed over the small of his back comfortably. Billie gurgles next to his foot, placing her rabbit on top of it like it's about to go on a ride. Hobie smiles and moves down to fix her ponytail.

“I didn't even notice, Hobs. Besides, you're the one walking around with a crop top on.” You take a sip from your drink as you watch him gently tie Billie’s hair.

“It's laundry day.” He says with a chuckle, which Mona copies with her own laughter. It's a chain reaction, you giggle from the cuteness and Billie follows with her own chortle. Hobie pecks Billie's chubby cheek, making the girl shriek from happiness. “Mummy can't deny how dad looks this fit in a crop top.” He whispers to Billie, his daughter tilts her head like she's trying to understand his words. Turning towards Mona, he brings his girl to the conversation as you take a few more pictures of them. “Ain't that right, mon mon?”

“Don't answer that, mony.” You jokingly say, glass now sitting empty on the side table. Hobie flicks your leg in retaliation. Chuckling, eyes staring lovingly at Hobie, you don't notice how Mona is trying to speak. “Don't bring the girls into the argument.”

“So we're arguin’ now, hm?” Hobie sits up, palms finding your hips, holding you in place as he looms over you. He raises a brow, “say, what are we arguin’ ‘bout?”

You clamp down, lovestruck gaze stuck on his face, cheeks suddenly warm, lips trying to reach his own. “I don't know anymore.”

“Really?” He teases with a smirk, knowing full well how you're feeling. Leaning down, he nudges your nose with his own, smile mirroring yours.

“Shut up and kiss me, Hobart.” Laughing victoriously, he abandons your waist to cup your cheek. You're both giggling as he squeezes your cheek.

“Mony!” The sudden voice has you pushing Hobie away to look at your girls. He falls on the couch with an oomph, the look of surprise on his face is almost the same as yours. “Mony!” Billie says again, crawling over to her sister with the stuffed bunny in her tiny fist.

Ramona meets her halfway, giggling in excitement, smiling wildly and clapping her hands. Her cute and rotund cheeks bring out the cuteness aggression out of you, wanting to go squish her in your arms. “Bee!” She answers back, and you swear your heart took a leap. You're not ready when they start taking their first steps.

Hobie holds on to your shoulder, and you hold onto him as you watch with an awestruck face. He shakes you, laughing as the twins continue to call each other's names. They blabber about, Billie gives her toy to her sister, while Mona kisses Billie on her cheek as thanks. It's safe to say that both girls didn't get their parents’ ‘rudeness.’

“Holy shi—!” Your sudden palm on Hobie's mouth stops him from continuing his sentence. His muffled laughter makes the twins turn their heads towards the two of you, looking like you interrupted their conversation.

“Where's my camera?!” You frantically try to find the camera that might've fallen into the cushions while Billie shares her bunny with Mona.

Hobie has now left your side to sit next to them to watch their interaction like he's watching his favourite band play.