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rip-quizilla · 2 years ago

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Impossible to Hate You ~ Part 2

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Summary: You realize that getting along with Eddie Munson is as effortless as breathing. Eddie sets a hard rule for himself for your burgeoning friendship.

Word Count: 5.5k

Tags for Entire Fic (from AO3): Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Inspired by When Harry Met Sally (1989), Slow Burn, Romantic Fluff, Good Friend Robin Buckley, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Eddie Munson Lives, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, no one dies, Reader-Insert

Divider was created by the lovely and talented @hellfire--cult❤️

Part 1

Part 2

Spring, 1983

Monday morning was somehow normal, yet different at the same time.

You’d always known Eddie’s locker was near yours. You’d seen him in the hallways, usually one of the last stragglers ambling through the corridors as if he weren’t about to be late to class- but to you, he’d just as well have been in a different world. You’d never noticed how he always double-checked that his locker was closed by hitting it with the side of his closed fist before he locked it. Never noticed that he didn’t actually carry around a backpack most of the time, he just grabbed whatever ratty old textbook or fraying spiral notebook he needed from his locker and carried it to class in one hand. Now… it amazed you that you had ever been capable of overlooking Eddie Munson. The edges of every other person in the halls of Hawkins High seemed to fuzz and fade, leaving Eddie sharp and vivid, the lone focus of his own vignette. He was leaning up against the door to his locker and bobbing his head to the beat of whatever song played on his Walkman. His curls wisped forward, backward, softly brushing his shoulders and creating a shadowy curtain over his distracted eyes that glazed over while classmates passed him by-

“Are you staring at Eddie Munson?”

Robin’s voice cut you free of the trance you’d accidentally entered, and you blinked a few times while readjusting to reality. “Why would I be staring at Eddie Munson? That’s random.”

Robin raised an eyebrow, glancing between you and the object of your not-so-subtle staring. “I agree, it is random.” She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, blocking Eddie from your sight and looking at you with eyes that very clearly said ‘Spill’. “So why the random staring? Did he do something? You know, besides the normal Eddie stuff like yelling in the cafeteria and being a menace in general-”

You laughed and shook your head, reaching into your own locker to grab what you needed for your first class of the day. “I wouldn’t use the term menace… I mean he’s actually not a bad guy. You know he gave me a ride home after I finished up in the theater department on Friday? And I didn’t even ask him, he just thought it wouldn’t be safe for me to walk home in the dark-” You shut your locker door to reveal Robin Buckley’s face, just painted with shock.

“You mean to tell me that you rode home in Eddie Munson’s car,” Her voice strained to maintain a whisper’s volume, and you prayed a silent ‘thank you’ that he was wearing headphones right now. “-and I’m just now finding out about it three days later?” Robin’s hands grasped your shoulders and shook. “I need details now, what were you guys even doing in the same room together at school on a Friday night?”

Your eyes flitted back to Eddie over Robin’s shoulder, checking to make sure that he was still too engrossed in whatever he was listening to to overhear the two of you talking about him. “Cool it, Buckley, he is literally right there.” You whispered the warning sharply through clenched teeth. “It’s nothing to write home about , honestly,” you shoved your things into your backpack, shrugging as if to emphasize how not a big deal this all was. “I was finishing up some sets for the play and he was running his dragon club thing, then when I mentioned I was walking home he offered me a ride.” Standing up straight, you shouldered your bag with a curt exhale. “That’s all that happened, I’m just saying he was nice enough to give me a ride home, so he must be a nice guy.”

“Yeah, or…” Robin’s mouth turned up in a knowing smirk, “...he was making a move-” The sentence was cut short by your no. 2 pencil pressing up against her lips. “I’m gonna stop you right there, Buckley.” You interrupted, rolling your eyes at how quickly your friend was trying to play matchmaker. “He was being a friend. We are friends now, that is all.” You stressed the last syllable, praying that she got the message.

Judging by her facial expression, she still wasn’t convinced. You yanked your pencil away from her mouth just in time to save it from her teeth as she jokingly tried to bite it. You laughed, casually checking for Eddie one more time and releasing a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding when you saw the space he’d been occupying now empty.

Robin snaked her arm through yours, walking elbow to elbow with you towards your homeroom. “Maybe you’re right,” she conceded, voice lifting in an airy sort of way. “All I know is that the last time a guy offered me a ride, he was talking to my boobs.”

“Maybe he wanted to be friends with your boobs, then.” you shrugged.

Robin scoffed, nodding in agreement. “Oh I think that’s exactly what he wanted.” She made a show of shaking as an exaggerated shiver ran through her. “Ugh. Ew.”

Eddie exited the boys’ restroom just in time to hear your laughter ringing through the halls. It caught him off guard, his headphones in hand and hovering around his head as he poised to place them back over his ears, but then he heard your laugh.

When his eyes found you, the sight melted the edges of his stone-cold heart a little bit- you were arm in arm with that tall girl from band- Buckley, he’s pretty sure- your head thrown back, eyes scrunched closed, nose wrinkling, smiling wide as your laugh bounced musically among the sound of lockers slamming shut and footsteps shuffling to classrooms. Time slowed, his heartbeat skipped- he had made you laugh a couple times, but never like that. And he wanted to. He had no fucking clue why, but he wanted to hear that laugh every day. He wanted to be the one to elicit that much joy from you, to make your nose scrunch like that, to make you smile so big that he could see every tooth.

Recognizing this as a completely random and unnecessary train of thought, Eddie placed his headphones back on his ears as he made a mental note to learn where you sat during lunch.

Not because he wanted to sit with you or anything… he just wanted to know.

Nothing else changed until Wednesday.

You were sitting in your normal lunch spot- nestled in the soft green grass, leaning back against the trunk of the black cherry tree behind the school. You pulled your knees up to your chest and reveled in the way the springtime sunlight filtered through bright green leaves and tiny white flowers. In a word- it was heaven. And It was yours alone.

Until the soft scent of freshly blooming flowers began to mingle with the scent of cigarettes and Irish Spring- a smell you were now beginning to instantly recognize as Eddie.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” You asked airily, taking a bite of your sandwich as Eddie leaned against the trunk of your tree, arm dangling nonchalantly. He smirked down at you as he surveyed what used to be your private lunch spot.

“I was wondering why I never see you in the cafeteria.” Eddie supplied, glancing up at the abundance of white flower petals that dotted the branches of the tree above your heads. It wasn’t a big tree, but big enough to provide shade with a trunk wide enough that you rested against it comfortably. “Cozy little spot you’ve got here.”

You smiled to yourself, answering through your bite of cucumber sandwich. “Yeah… I love it out here. The only downside is how easy it is to lose track of time- I actually didn’t wear a watch until I started spending lunches so far from the bell.” Eddie snorted, plopping down next to you on the surprisingly comfortable patch of grass.

“I am amazed that you’ve been able to get through seventeen years of your life without ever wearing a watch.” he laughed before- to your horror- beginning to poke through your lunchbox. You swatted his hand away like you would an unwanted pest, but not before he was able to swipe the other half of your sandwich. Without pausing for even a moment, he bit into the soft wonderbread and before you could protest, he took a couple of chews then promptly screwed up his face and spat the wad of chewed-up sandwich at the ground.

“The fuck kind of sandwich is this?” Eddie practically screeched, inspecting the insides of your cucumber sandwich with the utmost scrutiny. He peeled the sandwich apart, grimacing and holding the food gingerly between his thumb and forefinger.

While you were certainly frustrated that he was currently mangling half of your lunch, you couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out through your words. “It’s a cucumber sandwich, it’s just cucumbers and this mix of cream cheese with a bunch of herbs and stuff.” Eddie’s grimace only grew into an expression of pure disgust with each word you said. “What,” you laughed harder. “You don’t like cucumbers?”

Dropping the remnants of your now deconstructed sandwich back into your lunchbox, Eddie shook his head and wiped his hands on his ripped black jeans. “What I like are normal American sandwiches. What do you have against a classic ham and cheese?”

You smirked, taking a bite from an apple you’d brought to accompany your sandwich. “I’m a vegetarian.”

A second ago, Eddie had been disgusted. Now, he looked appalled. “I’m sorry to break this to you, but I don’t think this friendship is gonna work out.”

There was a smile tucked into the outer corners of his big brown eyes, and you knew there wasn’t any real finality to his words.

You played along anyway. “Damn, another friend lost because of cucumbers.”

Eddie’s shoulders shook in a silent chuckle, smiling wide and leaning in closer. “Okay, well now I need to know what happened to the last one.”

“Choked on a cucumber.” you said without thinking, “It was tragic really, a devastating loss.”

Eddie’s eyes widened just the slightest bit, his lips curling upward slowly.. After a second, you realized the blatant sexual innuendo that one could easily derive from your joke, and once the realization set in you also found it difficult to hold your laughter back.

“I appreciate your restraint in not making a joke about that.” you bit out.

Eddie shrugged, throwing you a toothy grin. “It would’ve been too easy.”

You gazed up at the sunlight filtering in through the flower-studded branches and sighed, lips curling up to match the slyness of his grin. “You know what wouldn’t be easy?”

“Deep-throating a cucumber?”

Your grin grew, brightening your eyes and crinkling their corners. “Exactly.”

Eddie snorted, you cackled. The sounds were abrasive on their own, one guttural while the other sounded like the sort of laugh you only let out in front of family or friends who’ve known you long enough to refrain from judging you for how loud the laugh was. However, when combined, your mixed laughter sounded complete- like yours had been missing his and his had been missing yours, and neither had ever sounded right without the other.

Laughter subsided. Eyes met, flower-filtered rays of sun creating distorted bits of light across both of your faces. A bit of that light hit Eddie’s left iris at just the right angle, transforming brown into the sweetest honey.

Your breath stuttered, only slightly.

Eddie swiped the apple from your hand, taking a bite from the opposite side that you had bitten into only once. He relaxed into the tree’s bark, as if this were something you two did every day at lunch. Smiling, laughing, sharing food. You weren’t opposed to getting used to it.

“So,” Eddie said around the crunch of crisp fruit, “you hang out with Buckley, right?”

“Since we were kids.” you replied, a fond expression fluttering over your face. “You remember, she was there that Halloween where you attacked my bedroom window.”

Eddie’s hand rose to rake the hair back from his face, open-mouthed grin huffing out another laugh. “Oh man, that was so long ago,” he sighed, shaking his head. “That was Buckley? The bony-looking girl with the pigtails? OW!”

You gave him a jab with your elbow. “Rude! She was not bony!”

“Okay, fine, gangly-”

“She was an eleven-year-old!” You laughed despite yourself, shifting slightly to angle your face closer to his. “Everyone looks gangly at eleven.”

“You’ve got a point, you were pretty gangly.”

You sat up straight, eyeing him in disbelief. “There is no way you remember what I looked like when I was eleven. We didn’t even know each other back then.”

Eddie flopped over onto his stomach, balancing his weight on his elbows. “You always wore the same pair of red mary janes.” Eddie inspected the apple in his hand, twisting it in the light and admiring the way the sun shone on the waxy red peel.

“We didn’t exactly hang out, y’know… but I remember liking your shoes.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he smoothed his thumb over the red fruit. “They were this exact shade of red.” His eyes flicked up to yours, smirking at your expression which must have looked completely caught off-guard, because well… you were.

“I, uh… I almost forgot about those shoes.” you nearly whispered. “I loved them so much, I think I really did wear them to shreds. I remember being heartbroken when my mom made me throw them out, but the sole was literally peeling away from the rest of the shoe, they needed to go.”

You chuckled, shaking your head at Eddie’s astoundingly good memory. “How on earth do you remember those shoes?”

Eddie rolled over, one hand resting beneath his curls, the other still holding the apple aloft, letting it glint in the sun. “I told you, I liked them. Red’s my favorite color, you know.”

You pulled your knees closer to your chest, relaxing against the tree trunk with a comfortable exhale. “Did you ever have something like that? A piece of clothing or pair of shoes you loved so much, you wanted to wear it every single day, never cared if it was dirty or not?”

Eddie thought for a minute, then answered decisively, “This jacket, probably.” You inspected his jacket further, the black leather slightly faded but definitely in good condition. He obviously took care of it, the zippers on the cuffs shone silver in the sunlight, and while the material was beginning to crinkle at the elbows, the wear did nothing to diminish the quality of the piece.

“It’s nice.” you said softly. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen you without it since we started high school.”

Eddie smiled fondly, “My uncle Wayne gave it to me for Christmas one year. I must have been, I don’t know, fifteen? The thing was huge on me at first, but I’d say I grew into it nicely.” Stretching his arms up to the sky, he surveyed the dark leather until the face of his watch caused his eyes to bulge. “Shit, we gotta go, lunch ended five minutes ago.”

Frantically, you checked your watch too, cringing when you saw that he was right. Hurriedly, you shut the metal clasps on your tin lunchbox and a few seconds later, you were both on your feet and rushing toward the lunchroom doors.

“Hey, um-” Eddie said, “If you ever wanna sit inside, don’t, ah… don’t hesitate to-” you turned to look at him, a half-smile playing at your mouth at the sight of this brash boy suddenly stumbling over his words.

“You saying I can sit with you?” You supplied. Eddie smiled, his face unable to hide his relief that you’d read his mind.

“Well, when you ask so nicely, it would be a crime to deny such a request.” Eddie waggled his eyebrows to match his wolfish grin. You laughed, shoving him softly. You rolled your eyes when he opened the door for you, gesturing overdramatically for you to enter and bowing low as if you were an empress and he your humble servant.

“And I guess if you ever crave the peace and quiet of my lunch spot,” you drawled, “I wouldn’t be too inconvenienced by the company.”

Dark eyebrows drawn together by a crinkle and a sarcastically serious expression, Eddie clasped his hands behind his back while he nodded his head. “Oh and I would hate to inconvenience you.”

“I know you would.” you nodded, matching his energy effortlessly. Both of your serious expressions cracked to make way for soft laughter simultaneously. You both arrived at your lockers quickly, your steps rushed out of fear for being late to class. The two of you opened your respective lockers, and the sounds of metal opening and closing rang through the nearly empty hallways.

The moment you were sure yours was locked, Eddie called out “Hey!”, to which you glanced over your shoulder at him just in time for him to toss something in your direction, which you miraculously caught with ease. You looked down at your hand to see your apple, once bitten on each side. You quirked an eyebrow at your peculiar lunch partner.

“You can finish it, I ate more than you did out there.” you said, but Eddie was already walking away, hand in the air waving you off.

“Keep it, vegetarian, can’t have you going anemic on me.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “See you, Eddie.” He spun around, walking backwards with his hands in his pockets and eyes on the ground after flicking up to yours for barely a second. “See ya.” he muttered, and that smile that caused his full lips to quirk up to one side was starting to become familiar in a way that made your chest feel full.

Once you were out of each other’s sight, you turned the apple over in your hand, studying the bites on each side. You could see from the marks left by his teeth that Eddie had an overbite. That he must really like apples, because the bite was sizable, the opposite of tentative. You could see that the light shone a little brighter around the bite where the juice from the apple must have seeped out onto his tongue when he bit into the fruit. You felt a strange sense of warmth thinking about the flavor of this thing held in your hand still lingering in his mouth.

Taking one last look at your twin bites, you lifted the apple to your lips, adding a third bite between his and yours. The sweet juice from the apple flooded your taste buds, and you felt something within you hum contentedly as you raced to beat the bell.

The cafeteria on Thursday was buzzing with the noise and energy of a hundred antsy Hawkins teens. Eddie plopped his ass down at his usual seat at his usual table, reaching into his pocket eagerly to grab the two Slim Jims he’d swiped from the pantry before rushing out his trailer door that morning. He remembered to bring a lunch sometimes, but most often defaulted to eating whatever slop the lunch ladies had to offer… if it was edible. Today, he had taken one look at the Styrofoam cup filled with what was supposed to be chicken pot pie (it looked more like jizz mixed with peas and carrots, complete with a square of pie crust floating on top) and knew he would just have to deal with a growling stomach until he got home from school.

He was just about to peel open the first stick of jerky when divine providence dropped a gift down on the table in front of him. He paused, surveying the shining tin lunchbox sitting on his table- black with a bright red handle, the logo for Star Wars spelled out across the front accompanied by the image of a TIE Fighter firing at an X-Wing.

Eddie’s friends were already seated with their lunches at the table, and he followed their confused expressions to see you crossing behind him to take the empty seat by his side. The entire table remained silent.

You proceeded to open your own lunch- a simple green and blue thermos that held what looked to be a mixture of beans and rice. You opened up the collapsible spoon that attached to the lid and looked about ready to dig in when you took notice of the deadly silence, as well as every pair of eyes trained on you.

You glanced at the flabbergasted teens, then raised an eyebrow at Eddie. “Didn’t tell your friends that you invited me to sit with you?”

Eddie’s eyes were wide still, but his open mouth turned up at the corners as he placed his hands on the Star Wars lunchbox, turning it this way and that under his appraising gaze. “Ignore them” He held the lunchbox up beside his face, puppy dog eyes shining in full force. “Is this for little old me?”

You rolled your eyes. “Well yesterday, you pillaged my lunch because you’re obviously a starved dumpster raccoon,” you heard a snort a few seats down from you, though you didn’t look to see which Hellfire member approved of your sense of humor. “-so I made you your own. You can thank me by keeping your hands off my red beans and rice.”

“I didn’t know we’d have a guest joining us today.”

The voice came from the head of the table where Rick had just taken his seat. As the oldest member of the friend group, Rick had inherited the coveted spot at the head of the table. While Eddie loved Rick like a brother, he couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t just itching for the greasy-looking drug dealer to finally walk the stage in a couple months and bequeath that seat to Eddie. The rest of the guys already looked up to him- Hellfire was his, since Rick had never wanted any part in it, so from the moment he’d assumed the mantle of Dungeon Master last year, Hellfire had unofficially belonged to Eddie. Now, Rick was the only senior in their little group, so come next year- Eddie would be king of the table. It was small, and in the grand scheme of things it didn’t matter- but Eddie ached for that seat nonetheless.

You eyed Rick curiously, chewing on a bite of your rice and beans. “Eddie extended an invitation yesterday.” You raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly toward the senior. “Was I supposed to fill out an application or something…?” Your tone was light, joking. Rick’s eyes took you in, and it irked Eddie a bit that Rick seemed to think he had some sort of final say about whether or not you were allowed at the table- this was just as much Eddie’s table as it was his, right? What did he care if someone new joined your group for lunch every once in a while?

Rick hmphed and relaxed into his chair, apparently deeming you worthy of keeping your seat. When he made no moves to answer your quip about filling out an application, you made a face and proceeded to continue eating your lunch. You leaned closer to Eddie, whispering to him out of Rick’s earshot “He always like this?”

Eddie smiled, toying with the shiny clasps on the Star Wars lunchbox. “Eh, he has his moments. But I am far more interested in what treasures lurk inside this box…” His thumbs flicked open both clasps, then looked suspiciously at you through his overgrown curly bangs. “This isn’t a mimic, is it?”

You snorted. “What?”

“Like, is this thing going to try and eat me when I open it?”

Judging by the chuckles from a couple other tablemates, there was some sort of joke you weren’t getting. You smiled wryly and shook your head. “No,” you laughed, “hopefully it’ll be the other way around, unless you have some kind of aversion to homemade chocolate chip cookies.”

Eddie’s eyes widened before practically ripping the lid of the lunchbox off its hinges. You laughed at the excited little gasp that escaped him when he saw the ziploc bags holding a ham and cheese sandwich, two cookies, apple slices, and a little juice box. Turning those doe eyes to you, Eddie held up the sandwich like it was a precious commodity.

“The vegetarian made me a ham and cheese sandwich,” he smiled. “Have I converted you to the dark side?”

You rolled your eyes. “I can handle touching it, I just don’t want to eat it.”

Oh. Oh that did not come out right.

Eddie’s lips pressed together, cheeks ballooning with a laugh that fought to breach the surface. You, however, couldn’t hold back a snort. You braced your elbow on the table, forehead resting in your hand as you shook your head in disbelief. “God, that one was bad.” Your shoulders shook, laughing at yourself along with Eddie, whose laughter had burst forth after you’d given him permission with your own self-deprecating humor.

Lunch flowed smoothly from there- the rest of the table fell into an easy rhythm of conversation, and you didn’t mind the jokes that went over your head, the way these boys discussed movies you hadn’t seen and asked Eddie questions about his plans for their upcoming Dungeons & Dragons session tomorrow. Before you knew it, you found yourself feeling comfortable at the Hellfire table. Eddie tore his way through the lunch you’d made him, even going as far as to moan dramatically when he bit into one of the cookies. He’d rolled his eyes back and thrown his entire weight in your direction, going limp against you as he chewed reverently on the sweet confection.

“Holy fuckin’ shit,” he’d groaned, a couple of crumbs falling onto his lapels. “Bury me in these cookies, I’ll die happy and regret nothing.” You’d laughed, struggling to shove him away while he made a show of dying dramatically only to resurrect, take another bite, then die again.

People didn’t usually pay attention to the “freak” table during lunch, but if anyone did happen to glance your way that day, they would hear laughter tinkling like raindrops on a tin roof; see the seeds of a friendship beginning to bud in the most unlikely of places.

A few minutes before lunch ended, you proclaimed that you had a question about last night’s homework and needed to leave a few minutes early for class. Eddie thanked you for the lunch, adding in a more serious tone that you really didn’t need to make him lunch and that he owed you for the cookies, to which you replied that he could thank you by giving you a ride home after Hellfire tomorrow.

“I was already planning on it.” he’d replied with a grin.

When you’d taken your leave of the table, Rick spoke up for the first time since your exchange at the beginning of lunch. “So is your girlfriend sitting with us going to be a regular thing now?” Other conversations at the table ceased, everyone’s curiosity piqued by Rick’s mention of the elephant in the room. Eddie Munson, bringing a girl to sit with his friends at lunch? This was uncharted territory.

Eddie bristled. “Who said she was my girlfriend?” he narrowed his eyes at Rick, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

Rick leaned in, raising an eyebrow as his voice took up a teasing tone. “Oh you’re just buddies, huh?” Eddie nodded. Rick shook his head. “Nu-uh, nope. Not possible.”

Eddie scoffed, struggling to mask his irritation. He liked Rick- most of the time- but he wished his friend would just drop the subject. “Alright man, I’ll play along. Why?”

Rick smiled smugly, relaxing back into his chair and placing both hands leisurely behind his head. “Girls and guys can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.”

Jeff, a brace-faced sophomore sitting across from Eddie, muttered “They were being pretty friendly with each other-” The venomous look Eddie shot at him shut Jeff up before he could say any more.

Eddie turned back to Rick, his trademark smirk painting itself across his face as he matched Rick’s arrogant air. “What, Rick, are you so deprived that you don’t know how to be friends with a girl without trying to get in her pants?” A chorus of oooooo’s fluttered throughout the table, and Eddie felt a surge of pride when a flicker of annoyance flared behind Rick’s eyes. All it did was amp Eddie up even more.

“Unlike some men, I’m able to hold a civilized conversation with a woman without turning into a neanderthal and drooling like a dog.” Eddie crossed one leg over the other, shrugging his shoulders as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not just a man’s world anymore, gentlemen, I’m just keeping with the times.”

Rick shook his head, shoving his hands into the pockets of his faded denim jeans. “Whatever you say, man. But don’t tell me if she asked, you wouldn’t be all over that.”

Keeping his cool, Eddie shook his head and retained his cool composure. “Please,” he scoffed, “like anyone could handle all of this.” Eddie gestured to the entirety of his person, adding a hair flip for good measure. Even Rick couldn’t hold back his laughter at that.

“Yeah, you’re full of shit, Munson.” Rick chuckled. Eddie placed his elbows on the table, chin resting on his fists as he fluttered his eyelashes at Rick, who laughed even harder and gave Eddie a shove. The rest of the table also descended into laughter, and all was well now that the tension between the two oldest Hellfire members had subsided.

However, as Eddie exited the cafeteria with the rest of his friends, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Rick had said.

Girls and guys can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.

Was that true? It was such an archaic way of thinking in Eddie’s opinion, and he had no doubt that men and women were, in theory, perfectly capable of having sexless, platonic relationships with each other.

But could he? With you?

Eddie could admit that when he’d been a kid, he had felt those familiar pre-pubescent butterflies when you’d shoved him to the ground on Halloween all those years ago. But the confusing feelings of a thirteen-year-old boy and the effortless way the two of you had begun to fit together like puzzle pieces whenever you spent time together- they were completely unrelated.

Besides, Eddie remembered the conversation you’d had last week in his van. How you’d said if someone like him were to start seriously dating somebody at school, everyone would talk about it. A friendship might make the wrong people take notice of you, and if that happened Eddie would handle it… somehow. He didn’t want to see you go through the bullying he’d had to endure his whole life. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone, much less someone he cared about.

It hit Eddie then… the strange fact that he did, indeed, care about you.

As a friend.

As long as things stayed that way, you could come and go from his little group as you pleased. You were free to be his friend when you felt like it, but could extricate yourself from him when it mattered. When it was dangerous to be a freak. You were safe that way; if by some crazy stroke of fate you decided you wanted more- decided to attach yourself to him publicly and seriously… Eddie couldn’t protect you from all the possible ramifications of a proclamation like that.

The decision had been made. As Eddie strode down the halls on his way to class, he concluded that he would be your friend. That you would be his, as long as that was what you wanted. And the sex part would never get in the way, because it would never even be an option. Even if he ever wanted that… he would never act on it. And there was no way you would ever want that either, so it would never be an issue.

That was that.

That night, you baked more chocolate chip cookies. You doubled the recipe to ensure that there were not only enough for every member of Hellfire to have at least two each during the session tomorrow, but also enough for Eddie to take the rest home.

And for some reason, you couldn’t wipe away the stupid little smile that kept slapping itself onto your face whenever you imagined Eddie biting into one of those cookies tomorrow, eyes rolling back in his head as he groaned about how good they tasted. Your cheeks warmed when you wondered if he would once again jokingly go limp against your shoulder, pressing into you with the full weight of his body.

If he did, you weren’t sure you’d want to push him away this time.

Part 3

#eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie stranger things #stranger things fic #eddie munson #friends to enemies to lovers #when harry met sally #eddie x reader #enemies to lovers #friends to lovers

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dross-the-fish · 1 year ago

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Phantom Ramble

I think one of the reasons I'm personally so resistant to viewing Erik and Christine's relationship as a romantic one is due to the fact that for most of the book I don't fully trust Erik as a character and I can't imagine Christine does either. Erik has a pattern of creating himself, whether it's the phantom of the opera, the angel of music, or even "Erik" we never really find out who he is. He says he wants to be loved for himself but he never is himself. He keeps himself hidden out of fear of rejection. Not just on a physical level but on an emotional one as well.

The name he gives Christine "Erik" is a name he came upon "By accident" and I've seen some people mention that in earlier versions of the story, like the original newspaper in which it was serialized, Christine stated that Erik picked that name because it's Scandinavian and he was hoping to use it to get closer to her, which is definitely a thing he would do and if not for the fact that the Daroga also knew him as Erik in Persia I would agree that's the most likely explanation.

I've always felt strongly that Erik cannot be taken at his word. He strikes me as the type to say anything he has to say to get what he wants and he has grown so accustomed to wearing masks that he is unable to take them off. Even when he's physically unmasked he still can't bring himself to reveal who he really is. Perhaps because he doesn't really know anymore, he has become his masks. His deformity made it necessary to hide from the world and every angel, phantom, friend, teacher or father figure he became feels like had to be meticulously created so he could slip on the role and play the part convincingly enough to fool those around him. This includes Christine. I think he was hoping that Christine would be the one who could see past the performances and I don't think she's able to for the majority of the book. Even when she's fascinated by him or feels pity she never comes across as someone who really KNOWS him. That's not her fault he has, intentionally and unintentionally, made himself unknowable.

Even the Daroga doesn't really know Erik, he has more insight than most people but Erik is as much a mystery to him as to anyone else.

Erik's world is the theater and he is a perpetual actor in his own narrative. It's instinct for him to simply become whatever he needs to be to frighten people away or draw them closer and I don't think he knows how to stop doing that anymore. He's so distant from himself that views his real self as dead, the real him is nothing but a corpse.

I think that's also what makes the ending, the final unmasking so poignant to me because that's the moment when Erik, the living person, not the character, is seen for the first time. It's the mask coming off for real at last.

"I tore off my mask so as not to lose one of her tears… and she did not run away!…and she did not die!… She remained alive, weeping over me, weeping with me. We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer"

What Christine offers him in this moment isn't what I interpret as romantic love it's acceptance, it's compassion, it's seeing him and understanding him. She gives him this when he least deserves it and I feel like this is what makes Erik's redemption meaningful. That his humanity is acknowledge in his darkest moment by the person he's hurt the most. That he is shown that much grace and kindness and that he lets her go without getting the romantic fulfillment he was trying to coerce from her will always be infinitely more touching to me than seeing them in a successful romantic relationship.

I think I also just get tired of seeing romantic love touted as some be-all-end-all redemptive healing force and the thing that could "fix" this character and give him a happy ending.

Again, not saying people can't or shouldn't write their fluffy comfortable or their dark twisted Eristine fics, by all means, have fun and enjoy what you do, but I feel like there's very little appreciation for the redemptive arc in the book that isn't viewed through a romantic lens.

#Phantom of the Opera #poto Erik #Character discussion

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atinylittlepain · 1 year ago

Text

PART TWO

marcus pike x f!reader

no masterlist for this man, good luck to this man - read part one tho it's fun

warnings | 18+ smut, sucking and fucking and also angst, mentions of sex work, marcus is a freak ass sugar daddy with a cunty lil blackberry and a bmw vroom vroom

note: this is OLD, this is from the ARCHIVE, leave me alone and also i love you muah kiss for you

@idolatrybarbie come get your juice

....................................

People are staring. Backpacks held in slack hands, necks craned around to catch a glimpse of the beemer pulled up at the curb outside the library, sleek silver rims glinting in the afternoon light. But it’s the man leaning up against the side of the car that’s really piquing people’s interest.

“Hey, baby, you ready to go?” A kiss to her cheek before his lips catch hers, a quick smack that she doesn’t let deepen under so many watchful eyes.

“Hi, Marcus, thank you for picking me up, but you could’ve just met me at my apartment, it’s no big deal.” He scoffs at that, his aviators slipping down his nose as he squints at her.

“You know I don’t like you riding public transportation, it’s not–” She cuts him off with another kiss, rubbing her palm up and down the lapel of his suit jacket.

“Not safe, I know. But I’ve been getting around just fine on the bus for a while now and I’ve yet to get murdered. So I don’t think you have to worry about it.” He chuckles, pressing his sunglasses back up before opening the passenger side door for her, all ease as he leans over the top of the door to steal one more kiss as she ducks into the BMW.

Things have been different, and good, since she met Marcus. She had been a bit surprised when he called only a few hours after he dropped her off at her apartment that morning.

“Do I look like a complete dope calling you this soon?”

“I kinda like it actually. You aren’t one to play games, huh?” A laugh crackling over the phone and a sigh.

“I guess I have a bit of a one-track mind. When I want something I gotta go after it– and I just sounded like a total tool saying that, didn’t I?”

“Coming from anyone else, I’d say yes. But I think you’re a little too sweet to really be a tool. So, are you gonna ask me out or what?” Another laugh, her smile broadening at the sound.

“You’re gonna be the boss here, aren’t you?”“Count on it, babe.”

It’s been a little over a month since he called, and they’ve been seeing each other a lot, enough for her to have learned a considerable amount more about Marcus Pike. First and foremost, he’s a romantic, almost painfully so, flowers and good morning texts, dates to the arthouse theater to see classic movies about love triumphant, followed by meals at restaurants that could wipe her rent money for the month with one main course. That’s the second thing she’s learned about him, he likes to take care of her. It had started innocently enough, after the first time he took her to one of those aforementioned swanky restaurants and she expressed concern that she had stuck out like a sore thumb in the upscale space, it feeling impossible for her to dress nice enough to fit in. He had her in the BMW and on the way to a trail of boutiques before she could even protest, and she ended that day with an overwhelming number of shopping bags, tufts of tissue paper stamped with the names of brands she had never dreamed of buying for herself. And it had only escalated from there, from meals out to fresh sets of paint and easels to jewelry dripping in silver and gold, infamous powder blue boxes with satin white bows that always reveal something fit to make her head spin it’s so dazzling. And today is no different, a gift waiting for her on the plush leather of the passenger seat, Marcus glancing at her as he weaves through DC traffic, trying to catch her reaction when she opens it.

“Oh my god, Marcus. It’s– it’s so lovely. It must have cost a fortune, though. I couldn’t possibly–” He cuts her off with a light squeeze to her thigh where his palm is curled, lips crooking in a grin though he keeps his eyes on the road.

“Don’t worry about that. Just wanted to get you something nice. And I was thinking you could wear it tonight to dinner, if you like it?” How this man manages to thread confidence with his shyness is still beyond her, an endearing combination that only makes her want to figure him out more. She leans over the console, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before settling back down in her seat.

“I love it and I’d love to wear it tonight. Thank you.” She holds the bracelet up, letting it catch the fading afternoon light, a perfect string of diamonds glinting and glaring in the sun. It’s the same dance every time, she says she couldn’t possibly, and he tells her she absolutely can, and then she ends up with something shiny and expensive around her wrist, her neck, dangling from her earlobes, or flickering on her fingers. All she can figure is that whatever higher-up government type he is, he must be really really high up to be throwing money around like this.

“I’ll be back down in a minute, just need to grab my bag and then I’m all yours.” It’s Memorial Day weekend, three whole days off for the both of them, and Marcus has asked her to spend it all with him, something she was more than happy to agree to.

She pauses for a moment in her bathroom, swiping quick knuckles under her eyes, her week of exams showing in the dark circles resting there, and the late nights at the club certainly aren’t helping either. It’s a touchy subject for them, for him, and she knows it. She tries to reassure him that it’s just business, good money, but it hadn’t been just business with him, and she understands why he always gets a bit stiff when she mentions that she has a shift.

“All set?” She hums an mmhmm, Marcus taking her bag from her to tuck into the trunk before they get on their way to his place.

Logan Circle, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in DC, beautiful brownstones framed by sleepy-looking trees and winding parks. It had caught her off guard the first time he brought her over to his place, leading her by the hand up the steps of one of those brownstones, all twining ivy and high-arched windows, all his. He had offered her a sheepish grin and a shrug when she had quirked her eyebrows at him, explaining it away as one of the perks from the Bureau.

She still feels a bit out of place amongst the sleek, dark wood, though he’s quick to distract her from it with a warm palm on her back and an easy smile.

“Reservation’s at seven so we have a little time to rest up if that sounds good to you?” His hands thread together around her waist, pulling her close enough to lay a kiss to her forehead.

“Is this your very nice way of telling me I look tired?” That’s another thing she’s learned about him, just how easy it is to throw him off, make him blush, a nervous laugh bubbling up in his chest.

“No, I just know how hard you’ve been working lately to get your school year wrapped up and– and at the club–” She gives him a look that he knows means don’t start. He had brought it up last week over the phone, when she couldn’t say yes to dinner plans because of a shift at Pandora’s.

“Well what if– what if you didn’t have to work anymore?”

“That’d be amazing, and while we’re at it, I’d also like a unicorn. It’s just not a possibility for me right now, Marc, I’m sorry.”

“But what if it was a possibility? I mean, what if I–”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“I have a pretty good idea actually. And my answer is no. Thank you, Marcus, really, but I’m not letting you spend any more money on me than you already are. I’m a big girl, baby, I can handle myself.”

He had let out a huff at that, but had begrudgingly let it go, though he has been dropping hints all week about his discontent with how much she’s still working, subtle, but prickly. But he holds his tongue now, smile simpering beneath his scruff as she slips her palms from his chest up to twine behind his neck.

“What I really want right now is a long shower. I feel like I’m covered in goo from the kids I was working with today.” His smile broadens at that, one of his hands slipping up to ghost along her collarbone

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but–” He gently scrapes his thumbnail along the top of her sternum, bringing away flecks of dried paint that she groans at.

“Oh my god, how did I miss that? I swear, these practicum hours make me rethink my career choice every time.” It’s an easy moment, a sigh and a smile shared that’s abruptly interrupted by his phone ringing, shoulders slumping as he reaches into his suit pocket to pull out his thrumming Blackberry, offering her a sheepish smile when he checks the caller ID before answering it.

“This is Agent Pike.” She presses a kiss to the corner of his jaw before slipping out of his hold as he starts talking quietly to whoever it is on the other end of the phone, showing herself upstairs with her bag in hand. She knows her way around by now, padding into his bedroom, only a little surprised by the garment bag laid out on his bed, shoebox resting on the ground next to it.

Just a peek, she unzips the garment bag, letting her hand run over the fabric inside, and quickly realizes that wherever they’re going to dinner tonight must be fancy, black silk slipping underneath her palm. She’ll have to scold him for it later, but for now, she’s too focused on washing off whatever little kid shmutz she managed to pick up during the day, making a beeline for his bathroom to get the water warmed up.

She groans when she steps under the warm water, sore muscles unraveling with the heat. There had been a few clients this week who had been particularly physical, and she’s certainly feeling it now. It’s rare for her to have to end a session early, most clients respectful and happy to follow the club’s rules, but one man in particular had obviously not been interested in being compliant, so much so that she had to call her boss in to escort him off the premises. She hadn’t been too phased by it though, just pissed more than anything else. But she’s been doing this for long enough to not let these things affect her, letting the majority of her good, easy to work with clients drown out the rare rotten one. And it isn’t like she’s going to be doing this for much longer either. One more year of school and she’ll be able to trade in her time at the club for a teaching license and a much different life.

“Did that happen at work?” She all but jumps out of her skin, Marcus’ voice startling her out of her thoughts as she turns to find him slipping into the shower with her, his bareness still sending her mind into a sweet haze. But she’s quick to snap out of it when his hand brushes over the bruise blooming on her thigh, his brow furrowing even more when she winces at the sensation.

“Oh, that? Um, yeah, but it’s no big deal, someone just got a little too worked up, that’s all.” He doesn’t like that one bit, his jaw shifting in a grind as he looks at her.

“Is it– are you ok?” She offers him a smile, tugging him closer so she can slip her palms over his chest, his hands settling on the curve of her waist.

“I’m fine, Marc, I promise. No harm, no foul.”

“Looks like harm to me.” He says it absentmindedly, his eyes still trained on the bruise, words a low murmur, his nostrils flaring as he takes a sharp inhale.

“Hey, I said I’m fine, alright? Let’s get cleaned up, babe, don’t worry about it.” She knows it’s a bit of a move, leaning in for a kiss that she easily deepens, trying to steer his mind away from worry and succeeding when she coaxes a little groan out of him with the way she tugs at his hair. But he’s not interested in pulling away too soon, licking hotly into her mouth, swallowing the gasp she lets out when her back meets the cold tile of the shower, a heady contrast to the way his body presses against her, slick and warm in the rising steam. He’s certainly gotten more confident with her, and while she likes this side of him, wandering hands and hard kisses, it’s the shyness that still peeks through that makes her heart flip in her chest.

“Wanna taste you. Can I, please?” She slicks his wet mop of hair back out of his face, a smile crooking across her lips as she nods.

“Mmhmm, I’m all yours. Want you to make me feel good.” She hadn’t been expecting him to drop down to his knees right then and there, a disbelieving laugh bubbling up in her chest when he does, his hands holding her firm and steady by her hips as he lays open-mouthed kisses across her stomach. But that laugh fizzles out when he dips his head lower, letting his mouth drag over the bruise on her thigh, making her cry out when he presses a hard kiss to it, like he’s trying to stamp it out with his lips. He doesn’t linger there long, laying a much sweeter kiss over the mottled skin before letting his mouth slide up to where she really wants him.

…

“Can you do me up?” She watches him in the mirror as he steps behind her, a low hum in his throat as he slips the zipper of her dress up. It’s perfect, classy, a smooth, simple slip that rests just at her shins and practically drips off the curves of her body it fits so well. He always gets it right, and she’s always surprised that he does.

“You look beautiful. And I have one thing to add.” She catches the glint of it in the mirror, his hands arcing over her head to bring the delicate necklace to rest against her clavicle. A string of diamonds that matches her bracelet. Before she can say anything, he presses a kiss to the side of her neck, his hands dropping down to smooth over her hips.

“Look like a million bucks, baby.”

“I better not be wearing a million bucks right now.” She says it jokingly, but when he doesn’t respond, only quirking an eyebrow at her, she turns in his hold with a scoff.

“Marcus, I swear to god, if you–”

“I’m kidding. Don’t worry about the cost, huh? Just think of it as a little– end of the school year gift, that’s all.” All she can do is let out a sigh, getting to work on his loose tie as he looks down through his lashes at her. He looks like a million bucks too, sleek, black suit over a crisp button-up, the scent of his cologne wrapping her up as she shimmies his tie into place.

“Well, thank you for the gifts. If your goal is to spoil me completely rotten, I’d say you’re succeeding.” His smile turns into a grin at that, stealing a quick kiss as she smooths down the collar of his shirt.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now c’mon, knowing you, you probably worked right through lunch and are starving right now. Let’s get some dinner in you.”

…

“Please follow me this way, Mr. and Mrs. Pike, your table is ready for you.” She nearly chokes at what the waiter calls them, though Marcus takes it in stride, offering her a smile and shrug as he guides her further into the restaurant with a palm on her low back.

She was right, it’s fancy as hell, all dim lights and rich, wood tables, men in suits and their wives decked out in their finest. And it only dawns on her that they fit right in once they’re actually seated at their own table, her eyes glancing around at this strange game of adult dress-up.

“We’ll do a bottle of your Riesling and one of your Shiraz as well, thank you.” White for her, red for him, he doesn’t even have to look at the menu to put in the order, and she can’t figure out just why that’s so hot.

“Did you hear about that new installment coming downtown? They’re calling it a revival of abstract expressionism meets modern minimalism. Apparently it’s hot.” She grins at the dramatic wag of his eyebrows as he speaks, leaning in closer to respond.

“I hadn’t heard about that, no. Sounds like whoever it is, they’re trying to do it all. We’ll have to go check it out, huh?” An outsider looking in on their relationship would be hard pressed to figure out just why they mesh well together, a decade apart and coming from two completely different worlds. But they come together well in peculiar ways, art being one of them. Marcus could talk for hours about the history, styles and forms rising and falling with time, and she can too, while also applying it all in her own work as a painter, something that he loves to hear her talk about, her process and projects. She’s still not sure why he’s so well-versed in it all, with such a keen eye, especially given her very vague understanding of his work as some sort of big wig FBI boss, but she loves that they can talk like this about something that bores most of her friends. They’ve gone out gallery hopping a few times together and, grand gestures and fancy dinners aside, it’s probably her favorite thing to do with him, wandering around downtown and seeing whatever art they can find.

Dinner starts to pass languidly by as they slip into conversation about the new gallery opening, unfurling into her own projects that she’s hoping to submit for showings once they’re finished. But as dessert is laid before them and her attention is drawn away from Marcus for a moment, her eyes land on someone across the restaurant, and her stomach sinks. While Marcus thanks the waiter, she can’t take her eyes off the man across the room, sitting with his wife, wearing the same suit he had on when he came into the club earlier that week, the same suit he left in when her boss kicked him out for not following the rules. And in a sickening twist, his eyes meet hers, an all too clear flash of recognition behind the smug grin that spreads across his face.

“Are you ok?” Marcus’ voice snaps her attention back to him and she tries to coax a smile onto her face, though she can’t help the way her eyes jerk over his shoulder and back to the man who’s still staring her down. And when she gives him no answer, Marcus finally cranes his neck around to see just what it is she keeps looking at.

“Do you– do you know him?” He looks back over his shoulder at the man who has finally stopped staring now that it’s caught Marcus’ attention. But before she can make some sort of excuse up, Marcus’ face falls in clear realization.

“Oh, I see. He’s one of your clients, isn’t he?”

“Fortunately, not anymore, he’s not.” It comes out before she can even think to stop herself, something dark flashing across Marcus’ face at her words.

“Are you telling me he’s the one who did that to you?” She doesn’t need an explanation to know what he means when he says that, her hand subconsciously going to rest over her thigh where the bruise lies beneath her dress. She feels frozen in place, her mind going blank as Marcus stares at her, his jaw hard-set and his eyes swimming. And when she gives him no response, he scoffs, turning in his seat, clearly ready to get up and march across the restaurant to where the man and his wife are just getting up to leave.

“Marc, don’t. Just– for me, please, don’t.” She wills him to stay in his seat with her hand placed over his on the table, letting out a sigh when he ultimately turns back around with a huff.

Total silence and downturned eyes, he’s quick to get the check and get them on their way back to his house. A cold prickle runs up her spine as they drive when his hand that normally rests easy and warm on her thigh remains on the wheel, not even a glance her way, his jaw ticking with what she can only assume is anger. And when they do get back to his place, and the silence continues, Marcus going into the kitchen to fix himself a drink without so much as looking at her, she assumes that it’s finally become too much for him, that she had been stupid to think this could work. She quickly and quietly slips into his bedroom, first placing her shoes back in the wrapping-paper-lined box before unfastening her bracelet and necklace and laying them on his dresser, though she figures they were never really hers to begin with. Her bag next, tucking back inside the things she had already unpacked before getting to work on the zipper of her dress.

“What are you doing?” She turns to find him standing in the doorway, lips parted and brow furrowed, and suddenly a thick heat creeps up her throat, stealing any strength from her voice.

“I thought I should probably go.” His face scrunches up at that and he steps further into the room, closing the distance between them, though he hesitates to reach for her, his hands flexing by his sides.

“What do you– what do you mean go? Where are you going?”

“Home, Marcus, I’m going home. I understand if this is too much–”

“That’s not– it’s not too much. I just– I hate it, ok? I really fucking hate it.” His tone is sharp, clipped, an edge of frustration that she hasn’t heard from him before and it makes her pause before asking him the only thing she can think of.

“My work? That’s what you mean? You hate my work?” He drags a hand through his hair, letting out a hard exhale as he shakes his head.

“I mean– yes. I hate that you have to put up with shit like that, with men like that. I hate that I lie in bed at night wondering what you’re doing and what person you’re doing it with, or to– fuck, I hate all of it. But I think what I hate the most is that you feel like you have to do it. And you’re too proud to let me get you out of it, something that I would be beyond elated to do, by the way.” Finished with his rant, he lets out a bitter laugh, the sound only fueling the anger she feels rising like bile in her throat.

“Oh, so what? Your solution is for you to just swoop in and– and play the fucking hero? Are you gonna put me on retainer, Marcus? Is that your plan? Just throw money at me so I’ll fucking stick around?” It’s awful, poison on her tongue that she doesn’t even mean, not really, and when he looks at her, face stricken and eyes glistening, any fire fizzles out into a sad whimper in her throat.

“Is that really what you think of me? That I’m just, what? Trying to buy you?” She keeps her mouth pressed in a thin line, afraid of what might come spilling out if she doesn’t, watching him slump down on the edge of the bed with a tired laugh.

“I just want to take care of you, that’s it. And I have the means to do it and fuck, I’m sorry if that comes across as me throwing money at you. But this is what I know how to do. I can take care of you, and I want to, and I wish that you’d let me.” Silence settles between them, thick and formless. Looking at him, his face tilted down to his hands in his lap, the curve of his frown, she feels herself being tugged toward something that, deep down, she knows is a terrible idea.

Barefoot, her half-unzipped dress hanging loosely on her shoulders, she pads over to him, standing between his legs, though he doesn’t look up until she coaxes him with her palm tucked along his jaw.

“I’m sorry, Marcus. That wasn’t fair, what I said. I just– I need you to try to understand this from my perspective. If I did– if I let you take care of me like that, I couldn’t help but feel trapped, and I’m sorry, I know that’s a terrible thing to say, but it has to be said. I’d feel like you’d have this– this thing hanging over my head and–” “I would never hold anything against you. That’s not how I work, and this isn’t some game to me. Fuck, I think you’re brilliant, alright? And I want you, so badly. I want you safe, and not having to worry about all this shit. I want you with me.”

“But what happens when you don’t want me anymore? What happens when I’ve quit my job and I’m dependent on you and one day you decide that you’re done with this, with me? What happens when the floor falls out from under me, Marc?”

“I’m not going to let that happen.” She can’t help the scoff she lets out, her hand falling away from his face as she takes a few steps back.

“That’s really easy to say right now, but one day this isn’t all going to be so new. What happens–” He cuts her off, standing up and taking her face in his hands, his eyes clear with a confidence that makes her shiver.

“If that time comes when either of us want to walk away, you have my word that I will make sure you land on your feet. I wouldn’t let you fall like that, I wouldn’t do that to you.” They’re nice words, words she wants to believe, though she can’t shake that feeling in her stomach like she’s about to go into complete free-fall.

“I’m asking you to trust me, that’s all.”

“That’s a lot, Marc.” His thumb is a soothing arc along her cheek, and she feels that same pull toward whatever this brink is that she’s about to tip over with him.

“I know, fuck, I know. But if you let me, I will give you everything, anything you want, anything you need. I just need you to trust me.” There’s nothing but certainty in his expression, and although there’s a part of her that wants to step away, to get out before she’s tangled up, she chooses not to listen to it, instead stepping over that edge and sending them both spiraling as she closes the space between them and presses her lips to his.

Where he deals in diamonds and dresses and dollars, care of a particular kind, she holds sway in sweat and skin and sensation, a delicate balance of power held in each other’s palms. Here, now, in the dim light of his bedroom, she holds dominion, no permission needed for the way her hands coax his tie undone, his jacket off, layer upon layer removed as she wills it. And when he finally stands before her in just his briefs, she guides his hands to the straps of her dress, letting him do the rest as the sleek fabric slips into a puddle around her feet. It never gets old, the way he looks at her, how his eyes darken, flickering heavy and hooded over her body, the way his throat bobs when his gaze finally finds hers.

“Could you– will you, um, will you wear those, for me?” He nods his head over to his dresser, to where she had laid out the jewelry he gave her, and she finds herself smiling at his timid request.

“Why don’t you put them back on me, baby?” He does, first clasping the bracelet around her wrist, laying a kiss to the jump of her pulse before delicately laying the necklace against her sternum, the cool bite of the chain causing her to shiver as he takes a step back to look at her, now dressed in nothing but a pair of panties and those glittering gifts.

“Lay down for me.” His eyes don’t leave her as he does, catching every move as she slips her panties down her legs before crawling up the bed to settle in his lap, her thighs framing his hips. It’s smooth and simple, a call and response in the way he tilts his chin up to meet her dipping down, open mouths willing and receiving of what the other is giving, a hot press of tongues and teeth. She grinds her hips down hard, letting the slick heat of her cunt drag over his boxers, his cock already straining against the fabric.

“Tell me what you want, baby, and it’s all yours.” She seals her words with a nip of her teeth over the hinge of his jaw, smiling against his skin when he lets out a long sigh as she continues to roll her hips with his.

“Just want you, fuck, wanna feel you, wanna be inside you, please.” Her smile goes cheshire bright at his breathless words, and she lets her hands slip down to drag along the waistband of his boxers.

“Always so polite for me, Marcus. Love that about you, gonna give you what you want.” A tap of her fingers to his hip is all he needs to shift so she can shrug his boxers down his legs, his cock resting flushed and heavy against his stomach as she settles herself back in a straddle over his hips, hovering just over where he really wants her. She can only tease him so much when she wants him just as bad as he wants her, so she wastes no time in bringing her palm to his throbbing length, dragging the tip of him through her dripping cunt before sinking down on him in one, languid, stretch. They both let out sighs that slip into moans as she stills with her hips seated against his, his fingers tensing and flexing into the curve of her ass where his hands are splayed. Still settling into the feel of him, a fullness that makes her head swim, she lays a smattering of kisses into his hair, coaxing his face up from where he had his forehead pressed against her sternum, his lips finding hers in a hot drag as she starts to move her hips.

It starts slow and sweet, finding an easy rhythm of riding him that has them both sighing at the slick drag. Marcus dips his head down, mouthing at the tops of her breasts, making her gasp when his teeth graze over the peak of one of her nipples, her back arching into his touch. But she snaps that sweetness into a snarl all at once, dragging her fingers back through his hair, tugging harshly to tilt his head back, a groan breaking in his chest as she starts to bounce on his dick.

“Want you to listen to me while I fuck you, baby, can you do that for me?” He nods his head as best he can with her fingers still tangled in his hair, holding his gaze steady on her.

“Yes, fuck– I can– can listen, just, please keep doing that.” She grinds her hips down on a particularly hard bounce, his eyes rolling back in his head as she continues to ride him.

“I’m gonna trust you. I’m choosing to trust you. But let me make a few things very clear to you.” She tries to keep her voice steady, stern, though it still comes out a bit breathless with the way she’s working herself on his throbbing cock, biting back a whimper as he grazes that just right spot inside her.

“I am not going to be your pet, do you understand me? That’s not what this is going to be. If you want a kept woman, find someone else.” He lets out a slurred chant of ok and I understand intermixed with a few choice curses, his blunt fingernails digging half-moons into her ass, hips canting up to meet hers with each bounce.

“I like you, a lot. And I want to be with you, fuck– and I’m grateful for what you’re giving me–” A broken moan keeps her from finishing her sentence, sensation starting to make her thoughts swim when he plants his feet into the mattress to start thrusting harder, their hips mashing together every time, pleasure settling heavy and tight in her spine.

“But I’m still going to work– not at Pandora’s– but a more, christ– normal job. Making my own money. I’m not going to be some– credit-card swiping– spoiled little– trophy girlfriend.” Each phrase is said with another pass of her hips, both of them letting out sharp gasps with each thrust, and she holds it together just long enough to get out what she wants to say, finally letting go of her grip in his hair, instead pressing her palms into his chest to get him to lay down fully as she seeks out that snapping point of pleasure. Marcus brings a hand around, his thumb finding her clit in a hot drag that sets a moan loose in her chest, her cunt spasming around his cock.

“I understand, I do, I swear. Please, baby, wanna feel you– want you to come so bad. Let me have it– let me have it all.” She unravels with his rasped-out pleas, back arching in a perfect curl of pleasure as his hands guide her in a close grind, following after her with a clipped groan of her name, the warmth of him making her shudder as she slumps down against his chest. They lay like that for a while, skin sticking slick, their heaving chests pressing against each other in a shared rhythm as he runs his palms up and down her spine. A silent understanding sealed in sweat and salt.

“So you’ll– you’re gonna stay?” She could laugh, it’s such a ridiculous question for him to ask after she just all but rode him to hell. But when she lifts her head to meet his gaze, seeing the very serious scrunch of his brows, that laugh dies in her throat with the realization that he’s genuinely asking, and genuinely worried about the answer. Ducking down, she first presses a kiss to his chest before leaning back up to slot her lips with his, simple and sweet.

“I’m not going anywhere, Marcus, I promise.”

…

“Are you gonna get that?” Marcus looks at her over the rim of his coffee mug, brow quirking at her question.

“Why don’t you go see who it was?” She snorts at that, watching his eyes flicker as he takes another swig of coffee.

“Uh, I’m not wearing pants. And also, I’m not the one who lives here.” He’s putting on a show, she knows it, humming as if in thought at her statement, the corners of his lips twitching in a stifled smile.

“It’s early, baby, no one’s gonna see. Just go take a look for me, huh?” He can no longer hold back his grin, going all crooked with whatever scheme he’s got cooked up for her.

“Alright, fine, I’ll play along. But you’re cheesy, you know that, right?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” She huffs at him, finally getting up from the kitchen table to pad over to the front door. She figures it’s probably flowers, or maybe another garment bag for whatever he has planned for them today. Not wanting to give Marcus’ neighbors a show, she cracks the door just enough to peek her head out, her jaw dropping at what she sees.

“Oh my god.” Silver, glossy, and gleaming in the early morning light. A sleek silhouette, and that unmistakable hood ornament perched right over the front grille, the Mercedes Benz insignia shining proudly. And on the roof of the car sits the biggest, gaudiest red bow she’s ever seen.

“What do you think?” She turns around to find Marcus standing behind her, a set of car keys dangling from one of his fingers, grinning from ear to ear.

“I think you’re lucky you’re cute. Seriously, Marcus, this is– this is–” He cuts her off with a smacking kiss, pressing the car keys into her hand as he does.

“This is me taking care of you. No more metrorail, no more bus. You’re gonna be a woman who drives from now on.”

“I– you– you’re not gonna take no for an answer, are you?” He tilts his head at her, eyes crinkling up as he slips his arm around her waist, pulling her away from the door and into his chest.

“On this? No, no I’m not.” It’s just a touch of arrogance, in the slant of his smile, the way he hums a laugh when she shakes her head at him, giving a half-hearted smack to his chest.

“Hmm, well aren’t you something else.”

“Oh baby, I’m just getting started.”

#marcus pike #marcus pike smut #marcus pike fanfiction #marcus pike fluff #marcus pike fic #marcus pike angst #marcus pike imagine #marcus pike au #whatta man

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monkeythefander · 9 months ago

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Analogince Headcannons💜💙❤️

Am I participating in my own event/ship week? Yes, I am 😁. Am I also posting this a little bit early? Yes, because I’m too excited to wait until it’s officially the 29th in my timezone. I wanted to eventually make headcannons for this ship, so I thought I’d make some based on some of the prompts for Analogince Week 2024. I didn’t write for every single prompt because I didn’t have ideas for some of them. These headcannons all take place in a human au.

@analoginceweek

The prompts I chose to write for were the following:

Day 1 (April 29th): Library / Theater

Day 2 (April 30th): Nightmare

Day 3 (May 1st): Disney / Adventure

Day 4 (May 2nd): “Are you okay?”

Day 5 (May 3rd): “Here is where we shall stay.”

Extra ideas: Tea, and Companionable Silence.

Content warnings: mention of lunch (nothing specific, just getting lunch together), mention of nightmares (also nothing specific), mention of tea, let me know if I missed anything else.

Click below the cut to read the headcannons

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- Virgil wanted to contribute to the local theater’s upcoming musical. Acting wasn’t one of his best skills, so he decided to contribute using the skill he’s mostly confident in, which is his illustration abilities. The theater was looking for people to help sketch out designs for and paint parts of the set, so Virgil decided to help. While working at the theater, he met Roman, who was acting in the play. Virgil was busy painting when Roman approached him and started a conversation about the play. The two men quickly fell into a nice conversation about whatever came to mind, and from that day on, they continued to talk to each other whenever they had free time at the theater.

- Besides helping out at the theater, Virgil also worked at the local, public library. He mostly was in charge of organizing the books. He wasn’t put at the front desk often. One day, when Virgil was organizing some of the book shelves, a man approached him. This man was Logan, and he was asking Virgil if the library had a specific book about the solar system. Virgil led Logan to the book he was looking for and the two ended up having a nice conversation about outer space. Logan also mentioned that he needed the book to reference for a lesson he had planned for his students; he’s a teacher. After that conversation, Virgil didn’t think he’d see Logan again. But Logan ended up returning to the library a lot to look for more space themed books and to talk to Virgil about the books. The emo man enjoyed the conversations; it made his job more interesting.

- One day, Virgil decides to introduce Roman and Logan to each other. The emo man hopes the two will get along, since he thinks they’d be good friends too. The three men decide to get lunch together and Logan and Roman are able to bond over their interest in poetry and Greek mythology. Seeing his two friends getting along makes Virgil smile, but he tries to hide his smile behind his hand. At this moment, he also realizes that he might just love these two, wonderful men. Virgil doesn’t plan on saying anything about his feelings yet though.

- Virgil didn’t end up being the first one to confess his feelings. That title went to Roman. It was several months after Roman and Logan were introduced to each other that Roman realized he had feelings for the emo and the nerd. So like the romantic he is, Roman decided to create a fun way to confess. He was a bit nervous that they wouldn’t feel the same way, but he couldn’t hide his feelings forever. So Roman set up an adventure for his crushes to go on; it was a scavenger hunt. He set up clues for them all over town in spots the three of them liked to hang out, and then made the final destination the diner where they all hung out for the first time. Once Virgil and Logan arrived at the diner, Roman confessed his feelings and the emo and nerd said they liked him back. So they became boyfriends that day.

- After dating for a year, the three men decided to move in with each other. They did a lot of searching online until eventually Roman said “Here is where we shall stay” as he pointed at the photo of a nice house on the laptop screen. Logan and Virgil agreed with Roman’s statement. This house would be perfect for them. Roman had wanted a house with a front porch he could put a nice, rocking chair on. Logan wanted a house with three bedrooms so if any of them needed some personal space at night, they could have their own beds instead of sharing one all the time. Virgil wanted a house with a nice backyard where he could just sit and draw. The house they found online met all these needs, so the three boyfriends were definitely buying it.

- Before moving in together, the three men never really saw each other when they were feeling super upset or stressed. So now that they lived together, the boyfriends saw every aspect of each other’s lives, and got into a routine of making sure everyone was feeling okay. If anyone seemed like something was bothering them, they’d be asked “Are you okay?” If Virgil woke up from a nightmare and couldn’t fall back asleep for the rest of the night, Logan would make some tea to help calm Virgil down and Roman would gently hug the emo man and whisper comforting words to him.

- If Roman was feeling worried about an upcoming play, Virgil will remind him of how great he is at acting and offer to practice reading whatever script Roman had to memorize at the moment. Logan would also offer to read through lines with Roman, and provide advice whenever Roman requested feedback.

- If Logan stayed up too late grading papers for his students, Roman and Virgil would remind him it’s time for bed. Virgil would offer to help Logan finish up grading after they all got some sleep. After they get Logan to lay down in bed, Roman will quietly sing to help Logan relax more and fall asleep.

- The three boyfriends like to sit in companionable silence with each other when they all just want a quiet and relaxing day. Logan will sit on the couch with a book. Roman will plop down on the couch, rest his head on Logan’s shoulder, and just watch random videos on his phone with headphones on. Virgil will sit on the floor in front of the couch and sketch whatever comes to mind. Most of the time the emo finds himself drawing his boyfriends sitting on the couch, like they are in that moment.

——————————————————————

End Notes: Thanks for reading! As always, if you like any of these headcannons and want to make a fanfic or fanart based on them you can. You just need to ask me first, and then tag and credit me in the post so I can see it.

-Monkey💜

AO3 Link to these headcannons: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55441837

#sanders sides #sanders sides headcannons #sanders sides human au #analogince #analoginceweek2024 #virgil x logan x roman #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil x logan #virgil x roman #logan x roman

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unironicironic · 7 months ago

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I saw Twisters yesterday and..

Boy oh boy is it yapping time, I have mostly high praises to sing, but there were a couple things I wasn't too thrilled with.

If you haven't seen it yet and/or want to avoid spoilers, feel free to scroll on down because believe me when I say that going in as blind as possible is the way to go with this film.

All good? Alright, perfect. To keep things relatively short and sweet, this will be a bit of a quick fire type thing. So first up, the good.

The references, man oh man the references. There were plenty of lil nods to the og but some that really stood out:

Right off the bat, in the original when it was showing the WB logo and had the dark clouds, along with that melody or motif or what have you during the opening? Yeah it did exactly that, jingle and all

The Dorothy, as Kate and her crew are testing it to make sure it works in the beginning scene, it's implied that it's been used before

Speaking of the Dorothy, the device itself and the sensors look EXACTLY like the ones in the first movie

Kate says she's "not back" when Javi welcomes her back to chasing, like the original crew does Bill In the later part of the movie

Kate rocks a white tank and tan pants like Jo in the scene where they're at the rodeo and a tornado catches them off guard; as a double, this references the scene in the og where the main crew are at a drive in theater and a tornado surprises them

On a similar note, at some point Kate wears a shirt that looks a good bit like that blonde kid's shirt at the end of Twister when he and his family come out of their shelter when the EF5 lifts

The effects, namely for the tornadoes themselves, absolutely phenomenal. No movie will get it perfect, but I've gotta say that Twisters came pretty damn close to absolutely nailing it right down to a T. There were a couple times you could tell it was CGI but whew for the most part it was seamless

The accuracy, you can absolutely tell that the production crew really cared about keeping things as accurate as possible, in terms of storms, supercells, etc and how they work. I'm willing to bet they had meteorologists on standby to tell them how things work, how things would play out, etc etc. Also the ground scouring when it shows the damage done after larger tornadoes??? HELLO???

The soundtrack, I'm not usually one for country music but holy FUCK there were some absolute bangers, I often found myself tapping my feet to the songs or trying not to hum along (especially when Owens' crew shows up with "Ain't no Love in Oklahoma" going in the background, WHOOO that's a good one). Not to mention, the songs added onto the scenes they were in, often making them a bit more emotionally impactful

The actors and respectively the characters, the actors played their roles phenomenally and really sent the ball out of the park. I never really pay attention to the actors but I should've known they'd deliver when I saw everyone agree online that they'd pack a punch. And the characters, man they really added hella depth to each character, making them all feel incredibly fleshed out and relatable in a way

The intensity, hooo man did things get intense when shit hit the fan and tornadoes were bearing down. There were a good few times I sat there with my eyes glued to the screen, unblinking and watching what was going on. I was practically clutching my pearls tbh

And now, of course, the not so good. Oddly enough though, I don't have much negative to say about Twisters aside from the whole "destroying tornadoes" thing and how it seems a bit like a romance film blended into a natural disaster move. Obviously, there's no way for people to disrupt or completely stop a tornado like they eventually did in the movie. There's no way for someone to send stuff up into a funnel and get it to disappear like Kate did, ESPECIALLY if it's an EF5. Now as for the romance thing, it's Hollywood. Of course they're gonna try to throw some sort of romantic hullabaloo in there, I should've saw it coming but man it gets old sometimes.

My final verdict? A solid movie, regardless of whether or not you've seen the original. I can already tell it's going to hit the top of some charts for movies, and for very good reason. And if you're gonna watch Twisters, 100% see it at a theater. It's so much better that way, pricier but much better because it's kinda unifying in a way. There were a good few times that everyone in the room was laughing, and it was just overall a good time.

So I rate it a Tyler Owens in the rain out of ten.

#twisters #twisters movie #twisters movie 2024 #twisters 2024 #twisters spoilers #twisters movie spoilers #movie review #i lowkey really loved this movie #like i was staying cautiously optimistic because i was worried they'd butcher things #but nah they did really mf well with this #so i think i can safely say i've got a new favorite movie now

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tenpintsof-sundrop · 1 year ago

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sorry if you have answered this already, but who are your favorite characters in Twd ?

I haven't answered this before!! I have posted about my favourite characters before - reblogging gifsets and such, but I have never made an official list of my favourite characters. So I thought this would be interesting. Based on this, I decided to do an official list of

My Top Ten Favourite Characters In The Walking Dead

Fair warning: This list contains spoilers for the show. If you are just watching the show for the first time, or if you have never seen it before and you want to watch it spoiler-free, then don't read this list. It contains mentions of character deaths and major plot points from the show.

Honorable Mentions: Gareth (probably my favourite villain from the whole show), Noah (such a great character, saddest death), Carol (her character arc is so good that it makes me wanna vomit confetti), T-Dog (they wasted his character so much it makes me wanna cry sometimes), Sasha (such an amazing badass and I love her soft, sweet moments, and her death literally had me screaming), Andrea (I love the display of a sister/sister dynamic with her and Amy, and I love how they showed her struggle with mental health and suicidal ideation and being left behind). OH FUCK I ALMOST FORGOT (because I haven't watched their seasons in a while, I have an excuse) - King Ezekiel (he is so sexy and like he has a TIGER and the way he talks is so beautiful I don't care if it's theater kid bs), Jerry (I love him so much I need to write a fic about him some day), Aaron (Rick tying him to a pole and forcing him to eat applesauce as a form of torture will forever live on in my mind as peak comedy).

There is actually very few characters from the show I dislike - even when it comes to the villains, I feel like they have their merit and their place in the show. But here are my top ten characters in the show that I will always cheer on and scream when they come on screen

10. Dale Horvath

I love Dale so fucking much.

I have mentioned this before, but a lot of the time people adopt blorbos from shows romantically (like a boyfriend or a wife), or platonically as a best friend, or sometimes even as a child you want to take care of (like the Stranger Things kids) - but I am someone, who, at an alarming rate, adopts blorbos who I want to be my father.

I have such a wide blorbo collection of father figures. Gideon from Criminal Minds, John from the Saw films - the list goes on.

Dale is my father. I love him so much as a father.

Right from the moment he made that speech around the fire about 'this watch will suit you no better than it suited me, no better than it suited his father or his father before him' - it was so DAD. and him talking about fixing the fucking radiator hose, and begging them all to save Randall. Like I love how compassionate he is, and how he is so slow and caring. And I hate that the actor left the show, but I love how it adds this symbolism - that Dale is not suited for their world. The world was turning too dark for him.

He is a character who brings something amazing for me every single time he's on screen. I love him so much.

9. Bob Stookey

I love Bob!!

I am so, so in love with the Bob/Sasha ship, and how she unintentionally saved him from slipping back into alcoholism and that stupid game they play where she says something negative and he puts a positive spin on it - it the definition of grumpy grump and sunshine person. I love it so much.

But I would have to say that Bob is slightly more my favourite of the two.

I love his upbeat attitude, and even though I wish that he would have stuck around longer (like with a lot of the characters who were killed off too soon) - his death was so perfectly jarring. I feel like a lot of people say that The Walking Dead isn't scary, which I don't fully get? There is a lot of terrifying parts to it, and Bob's death is absolutely one of them. His death feels like a set piece from a horror film. Him seeing his own severed leg on the fire and screaming 'tainted meat!! tainted meat!!!' is one of the most wonderfully horrifying things ever. And it does make me like his character more because I love the horror of it.

I also think his backstory is so interesting.

Him being alone for so long and finally finding a family at the prison - it hit me. Ooof.

(The next characters, I am having such a hard time putting in order because I love them all so much.)

8. Beth Greene

I don't see a lot of people saying that Beth is their favourite character, and I don't get it?

I know that it's very easy to view soft female characters as weak, but honestly - I love Beth's weakness. Her jump towards suicide when finding out the truly hopeless situation is so relatable (how many fucking people make memes about 'why do people wanna survive the apocalypse, I would just die!!!') - but they mock her at the same time?

And when Rick was out to lunch and Lori had died, Beth stepped up and took care of an infant when she was just a teenager and it was not at all supposed to be her responsibility and there was plenty of other adults around to do it - but she took pride in taking care of the baby and fostering new life.

I feel like a lot of people don't see the silent strength in her character, and while her death is sad because of how it affected Daryl and Maggie, I think it's sadder because of the lost potential of her character. I would have loved to see how she did in Alexandria. How jarring a quaint community was to her after everything she had been through.

Also - I was one of the people who shipped her and Noah. And can you imagine the what the storyline would have been like, paralleling her random boyfriend's death at the BigStop with Noah's death?? Like - emotionally detatched Beth vs Beth who is just learning to feel again???

Devastating.

Also - a lot of people say that Still is one of the worst episodes because it's boring, but I think it is by far one of the best episodes in the show. It's part of why I love TWD - because it's raw, slow character work. I fucking love it. It's one of my favourite Beth episodes (and it's one of the things that made me love Daryl).

7. Tara Chambler

A character that I was not expecting to like as much as I do. When she introduced herself as a cop and did the whole 'hey, hey, buddy, this isn't the four seasons' to the Governor leading his plate outside (like, it is the Governor, but she came off as too rude) - finding out that her being rude was just terrified gay cat posturing is hilarious.

And she is not only one of my favourite TWD characters, but she is one of my favourite characters of all time.

I can't even describe all the ways I love her. The fact that she is Glenn's ride or die and they have the Lesbian and Lesbian Protector vibes going on, the fact that she is funny, sweet, awkward, dorky, cute. Her saying 'I know you're scared, and I know it sucks, but you have to be brave right now' - is eternally stuck in my head. And it helps me get through everyday life.

I just love her so much. She is so precious to me.

6. Abraham Ford

The love of my life. Every time he opens his mouth, I feel inspired to kick god's ass.

I wasn't too sure about him when he first came on the show because he was disrupting Gleggie, but then - I learned to love him so fucking quick. I love the way he talks, I love his attitude, I love how imposing he is.

"When you were pourin' the Bisquik... do you intend to make pancakes?"

He. Is. Iconic.

Now, every single time that fucking truck pulls up beside Glenn's unconscious body, I scream. Because GREATM is the greatest squad of all time (it was back when Eugene was still tolerable).

Even without Maggie, they were GREAT. (puns <3)

5. Michonne

I have said this before, but I feel like she is such an underappreciated character outside of her relationship with Rick.

I love her in the earlier seasons - how her showing kindness to Andrea and taking her in unintentionally gives her good faith with Rick's group and ends up giving her a home with them later on - even the utter coincidence of her overhearing Maggie and Glenn being kidnapped and taking the formula to Judith.

I also just love her dynamic with Andrea.

"We need a couple of days to get our shit together."

"My shit never stopped being together."

(That will never not be funny to me.)

And I love how she is a character who is presented with such a tough outer shell, but she is slowly revealed to have a softer side, when interacting with Judith and Carl. I really love her when she first comes onto the show, and I wish they wouldn't have tried to cut away her edges and just put her in Lori's place. (Maybe the new show will bring back more of the old aspects of her character - the toughness with only showing a soft side around family. But idk)

4. Daryl Dixon

He is definitely one of my favourite characters of all time.

Again, a character that I didn't like when he was first introduced on the show (but I think that is the intention and part of the beauty of it) - and it's fun to rewatch the beginning of the show and laugh at how much of an asshole he is when he's first introduced.

I think it's truly iconic that his first line in the show is "son of a bitch!" like, it says so much about his character in the best way.

His evolution from asshole loner to the emotional core of the group and one of the leaders is so well done, and the way he handles himself around children is so sexy. I don't know if I have said this before, but I am often attracted to characters based on their actions rather than their looks, and he is absolutely one of those characters. I wanna fuck him senseless because he makes children a priority in his life and because he is very selfless. OOOOOOF

3. Rosita Espinosa

I need to write a fanfic about her!!! It is something that needs to be on my priority list! I need to write a fic about how she finds out that she is a lesbian during the apocalypse, especially after all the men she has dated. it would be amazing

Anyway - I'm in love with her. Her short shorts are one of the reasons I'm gay. those shorts had a very special impact on me during my teen years.

I love how one of the general themes of TWD is breaking down gender barriers, and her character represents that so much. she is so fucking powerful, and I love it. I also love how the actress got the character killed off in the most 'last hurrah' peaceful way possible in the last episode just so she couldn't be brought back for any reboots. hilarious

2. Maggie Greene (Rhee)

I don't even know what I can say about Maggie

"Some chick came in like Zorro on a horse and took Lori. It was awesome"

Glenn already said it.

Maggie presents like this demure little farm girl at first, and then she seamlessly rides her horse and takes out Walkers at the same time - she has no problem mastering a gun, or any other weapon she is given. she is one of those characters who somehow looks stunningly gorgeous while filthy and sweaty. she is smart, badass, holds herself so well.

I love her so much.

and as I have said so many times before - I need to be in a Gleggie sandwhich. I need it. (I feel like being in a poly relationship with Abraham, Rosita, Tara, Maggie, and Glenn would be the best part of my post apocalyptic life, but hey - who's gonna write that fanfic? maybe me.)

1. Glenn Rhee

What else can I say about Glenn?

If you have been following me for more than five minutes, you have heard me talk about how fucking much I love Glenn. He is easily my singular favourite character of all time. Right from the moment I first heard his voice inside the tank, I fell in love with him.

He was the first character I ever wrote death denial fanfiction for, and at the time, it was the only twd fandom thing I had posted on my all kpop fanfiction blog. And I didn't even care if anybody else read it or care about it - I wrote it and posted it because I needed to mourn. Because his character death hit me so hard, and I am still 100% in denial of his character death to his day. I pretend it never happened.

Anyway - I love Glenn so much!

He is the hopeful one of the show, he is the heart of the show. Everything he does in the show matters so much to me. The fact that he always lifts them up and reminds them who they are matters to me. He had to die for the group to go in such a dark and hopeless direction. And he will always have such a special place in my heart.

#sundrop answers #anonymous #the walking dead #twd

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symphonyofmalice · 8 months ago

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Episode 10 (2.3)

Reactions to "No Pain" It's the one episode with my muse in it so I'm probably going to be extra exacting about it.

I'm going to be honest I don't really care about the Great Conversion plot.

Also is it just me or is David's(?) accent inconsistent.

"Raglan James", more using canon for easter eggs.

Yeah, yeah. I get Daniel doesn't like power plays but why chase off someone giving him info?

Blender joke. Please do more than easter eggs AMC.

The caged person isn't even Nicolas? Damn

Also the dead of Robespierre is just slightly too late again, why are they messing with Lestat's timeline when they don't need to?

Armand is complaining about Lestat showing off, but he isn't even doing anything inhuman? What is "words flowed like canaries" supposed to mean?

Ok so they're making "come to me" (Lestat's phrase for Louis) Armand's to Lestat now.

Nicolas- drinking, worried about being caught, but smiles at the idea. Ok. ok.

I'm into this vamp fight but Armand looks a little silly when he bares his fangs.

That's it? That's fucking it? That's the whole kidnapping? No stalking, no taunting? He just kind of...throws Lestat once and it's over?

I know the reason Lestat suddenly knows about their cross phobia is Armand is editing the tale and skipping over parts but it's still really abrupt. This is one of the most climactic scenes in the book. I don't really get the point of showing it in an abridged, watered-down way first just to have the "better" version in a later season presumably.

Also, sure Armand, they destroyed themselves. uh huh.

Love how Armand and Lestat talk abot Nicolas' fragility when the audience has seen literally 0 of his mental health struggles. Great storytelling, y'all. /sarcasm

And, there it is, Lestat coming up with the theater idea. Hate it hate it, hate it, stop giving him credit.

The violence just looks silly! Also is that Nicki at the end?

Just making out in front of Nicolas, huh?

Also, the story Armand is going with is really "Lestat just left" with no mention of Marius or even Lestat's fight with Nicki? To say nothing of Gabrielle.

"Keep you under floorboards for a week"? That's very different from the assault implied in season 1.

Why is Louis just...fine with Armand not letting Claudia look him in the eye? Armand outright calls it abuse.

I should be so excited to see Louis and Armand debating the nature of good and evil, that is so much their thing. But having not seen it from Louis much before this, it feels kind of out of place or tacked on.

'I've known the whole time and was just waiting for you to admit it' is a hell of a red flag that i'm sure Louis will ignore.

So is...Louis making out with a halluciation? Imagining gentle touches or hearing Lestat's voice is one thing but what is the point of this?

Why are they faking like Armand's going to kill Louis when w know he doesn't?

In the books, Armand kills Claudia because he's possessive of Lou's love, and uses the laws as an excuse. Here, they haven't real;y established that jealousy? Claudia gets on well with the coven and Louis and Armand get their romantic walks. Just having them kill Claudia for the laws will feel kind of like a waste. They need a lot more setup to justify this.

Eh. my overall opinion is very similar to m complaints of the first season. One, that they keep using easter eggs as adaptation bonus points. Two, that while a story can play with perspective and unreliable narrators and be good, it undercuts the effect if the narrative is 'here's a bad version of the story, aren't you excited for the better one later'.

#Vyt watches AMC #ooc #amciwtv #amc iwtv #amc interview with the vampire

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rush-the-stars · 2 years ago

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idk what kinds horror in a/b/o you mean, but i immediately thought about the subtle horror in this reylo fic called "Until You" by ever-so-reylo on ao3 (sorry if you dont like reylo. i dont. but i recognize reylo authors can be BEASTS and i just use cognitive dissonance if i need it) where it's like.. horror in the sense of how society limits and treats omegas and it's all very normalized. like the fic describes a marriage pathway, alarms on doors, omegas cant be present to hear the results of their own doctor appointment, how not getting pregnant is reason for annulment, and so on, and it's just so wildly subtle in how horrific itd be to live like this and i think the scariest part is, in parts of this world rn, there are places where women are treated very similarly to this. it's a one-shot and not super long, and Kylo/Ben/whoever isnt a dickbag or anything, he treats Rey well, and the author is good about making a distinction between "this is how it is here" and "that doesnt mean its good or ideal or warranted" which i think just adds to the horror kinda sorta, i dunno, i could see you having fun writing about a similar kinda world

regardless, id love to hear more about how youd wanna add further horror to a/b/o, bc what i was talking about was Handmaid's Tale-adjacent (not that i like Handmaid's Tale bc the author's a fucking terf and also, m'am, that IS how the world is like for many woc in various parts of the world, it isnt "even more horrifying" having it happen to white women too jfc idk if it counts as "apocalyptic" if its happening here and now and no one seems to care tho; but you get what i mean when i name-drop it however. anyway. i digress) and im curious if you mean in a monster-fucker way or sex pollen way or what, i find the concept of a/b/o + horror fascinating so, again, id LOVE to hear more pls ♡

firstly anon thank you for coming into my inbox and taking the time to share all this with me!! it is greatly appreciated!!

now to get into this!! i’m gonna put this under a cut w some warnings just in case!!

cw: sexism, mentions of violence against women/feminist horror, reylo (LMAO SORRY), a/b/o, uh romantic cannibalism, blood

i am so sorry anon i detest reylo lol. and sorry if anyone follows me and likes them </3

also i think this is very fascinating that i mentioned horror and your mind jumped to what is essentially feminist horror! not a bad thing—just something observed!!

i personally read a lot of horror outside of fanfiction and i read a lot of feminist horror specifically. or i see or have been apart of plays/theater works/etc. that feature feminist/gender horror in various ways. i write short stories that are not fanfic about this topic as well, so with fanfic, i tend to avoid this a great deal! it’s an incredibly heavy topic and for a whole year last year, i had surrounded myself in it (and acted in shows where stage violence was enacted on me by men, acted in roles where i was often in distress because of male characters, acted in emotionally straining and difficult scenes) and realized i was actually…very drained. and learned what i liked to see in these stories and what i thought was needless violence against women reiterated again and again as torture porn of some kind. but long story short, fanfic was a reprieve of that for me!!

(i know you’re thinking—but cielo! you seem to love yandere content! and you are right! but i think all my yan content i enjoy is seeped in a warped love rather than a gendered violence. not that both can’t exist. it’s sticky.)

more than that, i am also interested in a/b/o that breaks gender constructs and dynamics in ways and is not just an afab omega enduring societal and personal violence!

the horror i was mentioning more i think had to do with body horror, possession (as in, almost…demonic. spiritual.), etc.! romance as a horror. (“but the horror? the horror was for love”)

blood lust being tied to heats/ruts. an omega, feverish and in heat, slick with blood and wild eyed. some romantic cannibalism with the way a bite is for claiming. it’s vampiric. it’s a devouring.

it’s a conjoining. a possession. two souls being forcibly twisted together. the horror of having only one true mate that you cannot choose. that is, for better or for worse, only yours. the horror of not just being yourself anymore, but someone else and vice versa. your uncontrollable “other half”.

sublime heats/ruts where you cannot tell what is real or not, shaky snapshots of mind melting ache and pain, only relieved by one person. hallucinations or ailments that come from deeply lonely and isolated omegas and alphas. nightmares when it reaches a fever pitch.

omegas with needle sharp teeth and so much hunger that need to feed and take relentlessly from alphas. omegas and alphas with eyes that glow in the dark and watch too keenly.

rituals where heats/ruts are watched, the horror of bareness and vulnerability. the horror of being an animal in a human skin. of your own desire or pleasure.

also just the horror of being dependent on someone. of needing someone so greatly you’ll be sick with it. the horror of being powerless to their love. the horror of their power over you. or yours over them.

the twisted care. i am interested in strange/more uncommon dynamics; alphas who are nurturing and motherly in awful ways. who hand feed and coddle and smother. omegas who are possessive and violent towards other alphas or omegas.

i just think there is A LOT that could be played with. thought of. messed around with.

i also think we don’t see enough historical au with a/b/o….i’m thinking also gothic-style. western man vs. nature. cowboy a/b/o…victorian…ancient civilization….etc.

anyways, i hope you don’t take this as me like scolding you or hating on what you’ve said in any way—defs not that!! i just had a different sort of horror in mind!! like i said, fanfic for me is all about romance at its core! it’s a reprieve and escape from the work and art that often is very serious and heavy (whether feminist/gender horror, capitalist horror, etc. etc.) that i usually spend my time creating or apart of in my day to day life! it’s deeply important work to me, just not something i wanna do here really!!

#anon thank you for your thoughts!!!#i am so sorry i hate reylo a great deal </3 #i just dislike kylo ren a lot sorry sorry sorry #star wars is a whole other can of worms i CANNOT open #ANYWAYS!#sorry this got rambly and long!!#i can also elaborate or answer other questions i’m not scared of a healthy back and forth #just my thoughts on it all!#cielo chats!#cielo rambles!

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dweemeister · 1 year ago

Text

2023 Movie Odyssey Awards

And now, the penultimate step to conclude the 2023 Movie Odyssey. The Movie Odyssey Awards honor the best in films that I saw for the first time last calendar year for me. Rewatches do not count. Other eligibility rules (such as whether or not a “TV movie” versus a “streaming movie” can count can be found here).

All of these films that were nominated or won (except for Worst Picture) are worth your time and are worth seeking. Even some of the most flawed films I saw this year managed a nomination somewhere - it helps there are ten nominees per category. And, as always, my Best Picture winners are my highest recommendations of the year.

There's also a new category this year! Another music category (some of you are already sighing, I know) in the form of Best Original Score Cue.

Best Pictures (I'm naming ten, I'm not distinguishing one above the other nine)

Anatomy of a Fall (2023, France)

The Color Purple (1985)

I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

The Last Command (1928)

Oppenheimer (2023)

Past Lives (2023)

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Tár (2022)

For the second straight year, I have set a record low for the number of feature films that I saw in a calendar year since when this blog began (2012). And on my failure to adhere to my objective on seeing more pre-1980 movies than those released 1980 and after, this Best Picture list skews far more modern than it usually does. This is also the first Movie Odyssey Award for Best Picture slate without a 10/10 rated film.

Six movies from the 2020s doubles the record (set last year, with three) of Best Picture winners that have come from the current decade.

Anatomy of a Fall, through its courtroom drama lens, remarks on unknowability of even the people we love most. Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple is melodrama (a word I'm using here in the neutral sense) of the first order, and tenderly told. The romance I Know Where I'm Going! is not often mentioned when it comes to Powell and Pressburger films (it seems like their first postbellum film despite being set during WWII), but I think scholarship is coming around on that (and I approve).

Martin Scorsese looks like he is getting a lot of short shrift from critics and the industry for Killers of the Flower Moon as another movie dominates 2023's headlines instead. But I thought his adaptation of David Grann's non-fiction book was the best release of 2023, a dramatic epic set on the Oklahoma prairie retelling a horrible saga that American history forgot. Director Josef von Sternberg and Emil Jannings may have had a tumultuous working relationship, but this visually striking silent film makes incredible use of blocking of extras and an arguably career-best performance by Jannings.

Taking much of Killers of the Flower Moon's thunder is Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, surely one of the movies to define 2023. Nolan's 181-minute biopic epic is arguably his most humanistic film yet (for a director not known for his humanism). On a far different scale, Celine Song's Past Lives was perhaps one of the best romantic dramas I've ever seen in a theater.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse made its predecessor look safe by comparison with its wild variety of styles. Points off for its necessarily heavy exposition and incomplete narrative (it is the first part of two), but its radical background changes, ever-changing color palette, and comprehensible action choreography put the MCU to shame.

Lastly, Tár was very much overshadowed by Everything Everywhere All At Once last year, perhaps unfairly so (it doesn't help that when people hear that the film is immersed in the world of classical music, they immediately lose interest). And The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was perhaps the film that shocked me the most all year, partly due to my expectations beforehand. Maggie Smith plays the title character in an atypical "teacher movie".

Best Comedy

American Fiction (2023)

Beauty’s Worth (1922)

Beverly of Graustark (1926)

Block-Heads (1938)

Fanfan la Tulipe (1952, France)

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

Heathers (1988)

The Holdovers (2023)

My Year of Dicks (2022 short)

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2021 short)

This comes down to which movie made me laugh the most. I don't think this was that great a year on the comedy end, but Alexander Payne's The Holdovers is destined to be a Christmas classic. A Christmas classic for the sadsacks among us.

I thought The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was going to be utterly terrible. I mean, look at that frigging title. I respect Don Knotts for his Andy Griffith Show work, but I have to be in the right mood. But boy, it was ideal October viewing when I didn't want to watch a straight horror movie. Attaboy, Luther!

Appearing from the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film slate last year are My Year of Dicks and An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It. If I was still doing the Movie Odyssey For-Fun Awards, those two would tie for "Best Title". Not even close. It helps that they both made me laugh a lot!

Best Musical

Barsaat (1949, India)

Carmen Jones (1954)

Êsse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine) (1964, Brazil)

The Fabulous Senorita (1952)

Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

Sparkle (1976)

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

This is the Army (1943)

Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night) (2019, Vietnam)

This category has always advantaged original musicals rather than stage adaptations. And the more songs, the better. Just edging out Barsaat and Sun Valley Serenade is Carmen Jones, an adaptation of Oscar Hammerstein II's adaptation of George Bizet's Carmen. Bizet's music remains; Hammerstein wrote the lyrics. Instead of Sevilla, we find ourselves in the American South and all-black cast starring Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge as Carmen, Pearl Bailey, Olga James, and Joe Adams. An important work, and one of the very few major studio Hollywood movies with an all-black cast. You'll have to get used to both Dandridge and Belafonte being dubbed (their voices not suitable to sing in an operatic style, so director Otto Preminger thought). however.

Sparkle could have won this had they adhered more to the late '50s/'60s Motown sound a lot more faithfully. And if, narratively, the movie was better.

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron (2023, Japan)

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia (2022, France)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)

My Father’s Dragon (2022)

Nimona (2023)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

The Sea Beast (2022)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Suzume (2022, Japan)

ATSV wins this category, but Ernest & Celestine took my heart yet again. Do yourself a favor: please see both the 2012 original and the sequel. The former is one of the best animated features of the young century and though the latter is not as good as the original, it's still very much worth your time.

I was a little disappointed in The Boy and the Heron and, to be honest, I disliked Marcel the Shell and Nimona - an opinion that, if I said this any louder, would invoke the wrath of many on tumblr. Cartoon Saloon misses for the first time with My Father's Dragon. The hot streak had to end some time! Puss in Boots was the biggest surprise in terms of expectations versus how good the movie actually was.

Best Documentary

Fire of Love (2022)

For Tomorrow (2023, Canada)

In Living Memory (2022 short)

Pianoforte (2023, Poland)

Refuge After War (2023)

The Stroll (2023)

Seen as part of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. An HBO documentary, The Stroll is made by two transgender directors telling the story of the sex workers strolling around New York City's Meatpacking District in the 1980s and '90s, many of whom were transgender. I'm usually not a fan of documentaries where the directors are also subjects/have close ties to the material, but The Stroll is one of those rare exceptions. Beautifully told.

The classical music lover in me also deeply enjoyed Pianoforte, which follows a handful of young contestants (I think there's an age limit) at the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2021. One girl I recall said something akin to "I wish to play beautifully and with personality, but I also don't want to make a mistake!" Sorry miss, you've gotta do both! Also, I wonder how many of them hate Chopin's guts after competing in something like that.

Best Non-English Language Film

Anatomy of a Fall, France

Barsaat, India

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, France

Êsse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine), Brazil

Fanfan la Tulipe, France

Fellini Satyricon (1969), Italy

Godzilla Minus One (2023), Japan

The Quiet Girl (2022), Ireland

Shayda (2023), Australia

Suzume, Japan

A relatively weak year in this category, and way too many films in here than there should be from this decade. But I'll highlight here Êsse Mundo é Meu, which I saw last February at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA (I would go more often if I didn't live so far). The film, an exemplar of Cinema Novo (taking inspiration from the French New Wave and Italian neorealism, a rejection of Brazilian popular musical and comedies at the time. The print was in bad shape, and the Museum had to recreate the English subtitles by themselves. But it was a wonderful film, and, unfortunately, it is rarely screened outside of Brazil. I highly doubt I'll see the likes of it again.

I'm still not sure what to make of Fellini's fantastical period, which took off after Juliet of the Spirits (1965, Italy).

Best Silent Film

Alice’s Wonderland (1923 short)

Beauty’s Worth

Beverly of Graustark

Clash of the Wolves (1925)

The Last Command

The Oath of the Sword (1914 short)

Something Good – Negro Kiss (1898 short)

With thanks to the San Diego Asian Film Festival for their screening of The Oath of the Sword, the oldest-surviving (that we know of) film made entirely by an Asian American film company and starring a nearly all-Asian cast.

I need to see more silent films next year.

Personal Favorite Film (TIE)

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)

Barbie (2023)

Don’t Bother to Knock (1952)

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia

Gentleman Jim (1942)

Godzilla Minus One

Ice Merchants (2022 short, Portugal)

The Strawberry Blonde (1941)

Sun Valley Serenade

Wee Willie Winkie (1937)

Godzilla Minus One was the best experience I had in a theater this last year, especially as a fan of Toho's kaiju films.

You can watch Ice Merchants, the highest-rated short film I've seen in years, here. And of course, the Academy disagreed with me.

Best Director

Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Federico Fellini, Fellini Satyricon

Todd Field, Tár

Ronald Neame, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, I Know Where I’m Going!

Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Celine Song, Past Lives

Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple

Josef von Sternberg, The Last Command

Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

This is not the best film from Powell and Pressburger, but I Know Where I'm Going! is a fascinating, quickly-shot film that I maintain is underrated in their filmography. You know it was an underwhelming year for me, when I'm not really feeling any of these ten for Best Director. But it had to be awarded to someone.

Best Acting Ensemble

Angels (2023, Vietnam)

The Color Purple

Don’t Bother to Knock

Heathers

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The Sea Wolf (1941)

Women Talking (2022)

Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Danny Glover, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong,Oprah Winfrey, Desreta Jackson, Willard Pugh, Akosua Busia, Laurence Fishburne, Howard Starr... everyone, take a bow. Some career-defining performances in there, enough to evoke tears out of me multiple times. The Color Purple an obvious choice for me here.

If you were to have me pick runners-ups? Probably The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Killers of the Flower Moon.

Best Actor

Humphrey Bogart, Black Legion (1937)

James Cagney, The Strawberry Blonde

Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Brendan Fraser, The Whale (2022)

Hiệp Trần Nghĩa, The Accidental Getaway Driver (2023)

Emil Jannings, The Last Command

Roger Livesey, I Know Where I’m Going!

Bill Nighy, Living (2022)

Vincent Price, Witchfinder General (1968)

Edward G. Robinson, The Sea Wolf

I watched a lot of Vincent Price late in 2023. The Las Vegas Story (1952), House of Wax (1953), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971). Witchfinder General, also known in the U.S. as The Conquerer Worm, was the role I was least familiar with. And oh my goodness is he excellent here. Price plays Matthew Hopkins, a 17th century English witch hunter, and this is perhaps Price's least sympathetic villain that I have seen. The direction might not be all that great, but give Price a non-campy, sadistic role and he will deliver.

Cagney is vastly underappreciated in The Strawberry Blonde, Humphrey Bogart is surprisingly gullible in Black Legion, and Bill Nighy breaks hearts in Living (a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru).

Best Actress (TIE)

Lucille Ball, Lured (1947)

Cate Blanchett, Tár

Marion Davies, Beverly of Graustark

Dorothy Dandridge, Carmen Jones

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple

Olivia de Havilland, The Strawberry Blonde

Greta Lee, Past Lives

Marilyn Monroe, Don’t Bother to Knock

Maggie Smith, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

I... couldn't make a choice. So I made two choices. Whoopi is extraordinary in her breakthrough role. Her physical acting helps us intuit the changing fortunes and self-belief of her character, and never resorting to histrionics as some actresses might. A beautifully nuanced performance.

A little less nuanced is Maggie Smith as Ms. Brodie. Easily one of the most memorable teacher movies I have seen, and it is Smith - giving her all to one of the a most complicated character - who makes it work perfectly.

Runners-up? Blanchett, Davies, Dandridge, and Gladstone. This category was fantastic this year.

Best Supporting Actor

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction (2023)

Elisha Cook Jr., Don’t Bother to Knock

Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon

Danny Glover, The Color Purple

Milo Machado-Graner, Anatomy of a Fall

Dustin Nguyen, The Accidental Getaway Driver

George Sanders, Lured

Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers

Christian Slater, Heathers

Teo Yoo, Past Lives

George Sanders? A romantic interest in a noir? What? Well he is here, a departure (perhaps) from his debonair villainous roles. You can always depend on Sanders to deliver. Also considered De Niro here.

Best Supporting Actress

Margaret Avery, The Color Purple

Pearl Bailey, Carmen Jones

Ingrid Bergman, Murder on the Orient Express

Joan Blackman, The Great Impostor (1961)

Hong Chau, The Whale

Sherry Cola, Shortcomings (2023)

Pamela Franklin, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Rita Hayworth, The Strawberry Blonde

Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple

Selina Zahednia, Shayda

Seen at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, virtually. Shayda is an Australian movie in which Iranian mother Shayda (Zahra Amir Ebrahimi) seeks refuge in an Australian women's shelter during Nowruz, Persian New Year. Selina Zahednia plays the daughter, Mona, and gives one of the best and most believable child performances of the young century.

Avery, Franklin, and Oprah Winfrey would have been next up.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Cord Jefferson, American Fiction

Menno Meyjes, The Color Purple

Daniel Taradash and Charlotte Armstrong, Don’t Bother to Knock

Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Kazuo Ishiguro, Living

Leo Rosten, Lured

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Jay Presson Allen, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Robert Rossen, The Sea Wolf

Sarah Polley, Women Talking

Complain about the 3-hour runtime all you want. I just don't see how anything could've been cut; in fact, I think Roth and Scorsese could've added more context. What pushes them over the top here was their commitment - however flawed - to take the focus away from what was originally a more white savior-y approach to its current form. An extremely risky ending acknowledges more than it lets on.

Best Original Screenplay

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall

Abem Finkel and William Wister Haines, Black Legion

Daniel Waters, Heathers

David Hemingson, The Holdovers

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, I Know Where I’m Going!

Celine Song, Past Lives

Garry Michael White, Scarecrow (1973)

Noora Niasari, Shayda

Makoto Shinkai Suzume

Todd Field, Tár

To descirbe the plot: Manchester native Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) departs for the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist she has never met. While awaiting the Scottish fog to clear, she meets a Royal Navy officer (Roger Livesey), who is happy to show her the sights and introduce her to the locals, whose humble lives are as far away from the war as could be possible.

Paramount Pictures (who didn't distribute the film) used this film's screenplay to their writer as an example of what a "perfect screenplay" looked like. Okay, it isn't perfect. But it's really damn good.

Best Cinematography

Dương Lê, Angels

Allen Daviau, The Color Purple

Êsse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine)

Giuseppe Rotunno, Fellini Satyricon

Erwin Hillier, I Know Where I’m Going!

Rodrigo Prieto, Killers of the Flower Moon

Bert Glennon, The Last Command

Dewey Wrigley, My Friend Flicka (1943)

James Wong Howe, The Strawberry Blonde

Florian Hoffmeister, Tár

Best Film Editing

Nick Houy, Barbie

Jack Killifer, Gentleman Jim

John Seabourne, Sr., I Know Where I’m Going!

Thelma Schoonmaker, Killers of the Flower Moon

Michelle Tesoro, Maestro (2023)

Eddie Hamilton, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer

Norman Savage, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Mike Andrews, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Monika Willi, Tár

Best Adaptation or Musical Score

Irving Berlin, This is the Army

David Buttolph, Cyril J. Mockridge, and Emil Newman, Sun Valley Serenade

Herschel Burke Gilbert, Carmen Jones

Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Joseph L. Lilley, Girls! Girls! Girls!

Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal and Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi, Barsaat

Phạm Hải Âu, Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night)

Heinz Roemheld, The Strawberry Blonde

Naoki Sato, Godzilla Minus One

This category awards film scores from musical movies or film scores that are taking a lot of pre-existing material and employing variations, but not enough to be considered a more original score. This category also tends to favor musicals, full stop.

And that's what we find here with Sun Valley Serenade taking its 4th and 8th place finishes in MOABOS for a solid, solid musical score.

Best Original Score

Richard Rodney Bennett, Murder on the Orient Express

Danny Elfman, Batman (1989)

Allan Gray, I Know Where I’m Going!

Maurice Jarre, The Island at the Top of the World (1974)

Quincy Jones, The Color Purple

Henry Mancini, The Great Impostor

Alfred Newman, My Friend Flicka

RADWIMPS and Kazuma Jinnouchi, Suzume

Dimitri Tiomkin, Land of the Pharaohs (1955)

John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Hans Zimmer, The Creator (2023)

The Ancient Egyptian language no longer exists in spoken form, as does any of that civilization's music. So what to do? Hire the one composer in Old Hollywood that you could fling into a historical cultural context so unlike his own and make it sound as genuine as he could get it (even if I'm sure no ancient Egyptian would understand the score too much). Dimitri Tiomkin came from a Russian Jewish family that lived in what is now Ukraine. He was a master of American Westerns and was also accomplished in films set in ancient Greece and Rome. He composes for Land of the Pharaohs one of the most musically interesting epic scores of the 1950s - I just wish there were better, cleaner, more modern recordings of this music!

Danny Elfman's score to Batman the runner-up here (that score played an important part in Batman: The Animated Series, and gave composer/conductor Shirley Walker a very important foothold in the film and television industry), but Richard Rodney Bennett, Quincy Jones, John Williams, and even Hans Zimmer (whom longtime readers will know I have a difficult relationship in terms of his post-Gladiator scores... but my gosh, he composes striking melodies again in The Creator!) are all worthy nominees here.

Best Original Score Cue

“Appel à la resistance”, Vincent Courtois, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia

“The Building of the Tomb”, Dimitri Tiomkin, Land of the Pharaohs

“Cat Chase”, Kazuma Jinnouchi and RADWIMPS, Suzume

“Helena’s Theme”, John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

“Main Title”, Danny Elfman, Batman

“Main Title/Pharaoh’s Procession”, Dimitri Tiomkin, Land of the Pharaohs

“Nueva York Train Chase”, Daniel Pemberton, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

“Quantum Mechanics”, Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer

“Top Gun Anthem”, Harold Faltermeyer, Top Gun (1986)

“True Love”, Hans Zimmer, The Creator

Our newest category! Yes, a fourth music category. MOABOSC. Okay, let's not.

I've actually wanted to create this category for some time, but I never did so until now. A film score cue is simply any single track heard in a movie, as you may have guessed. No lyrics (that's a song). Must be an original composition.

And it's John Williams who picks the inaugural award up for "Helena's Theme". Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is not the greatest movie. But Williams, now at 91, can compose scores and cues that other composers would sell their souls to compose material half as good. "Helena's Theme" is the dominant new idea in Dial of Destiny. Helena, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is Indy's goddaughter. And her motif, mainly expressed through strings, is a romantic line that harkens to Erich Wolfgang Korngold (a classical music composer who crossed over into films, set the sound for Warner Bros. swashbuckler movies from the 1930s-40s, and established many norms of film scoring still in place today). A tremendous piece from Williams.

Runners-up behind Williams? Elfman, Tiomkin (for the main titles), Pemberton, and Zimmer.

Best Original Song

“Chattanooga Choo Choo”, music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Mack Gordon, Sun Valley Serenade

“Ciao Papa”, music by Alexandre Desplat, lyrics by Roeban Katz and Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

“Danger Zone”, music and lyrics by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, Top Gun

“Êsse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine)”, music by Sérgio Ricardo, lyrics by Sérgio Ricardo and Ruy Guerra, Esse Mundo é Meu

“Hooked on Your Love”, music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle

“I Know Why (And So Do You)”, music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Mack Gordon, Sun Valley Serenade

“I’m Just Ken”, music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrw Wyatt, Barbie

“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”, music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, lyrics by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Lionel Richie, The Color Purple

“Qu-est-ce qu’on fait de l’amour? (What Do We Do with Love?)”, music and lyrics by Vincent Courtois, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia

“Suzume”, music and lyrics by RADWIMPS, Suzume

Thanks to all of you who participated in MOABOS this year!

Best Costume Design

Jacqueline Durran, Barbie

André-ani, Kathleen Kay, and Maude Marsh, Beverly of Graustark

Rosemary Odell,The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)

Aggie Guerard Rodgers, The Color Purple

Danilo Donati, Fellini Satyricon

Jacqueline West, Killers of the Flower Moon

Norma Moriceau, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Tony Walton, Murder on the Orient Express

Joan Bridge and Elizabeth Haffenden, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Orry-Kelly, The Strawberry Blonde

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Paul Engelen and Colin Jamison, Batman

Uncredited, Beauty’s Worth

Ken Chase and Robert L. Stevenson, The Color Purple

Gordon Bau, House of Wax (1953)

Emile LaVigne and Ann Locker, Land of the Pharaohs

Elizabeth Ann Fardon, Helen Evans, Rosalind Da Silva, and Cheryl Newton, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Kazu Hiro, Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Michael Mekash, and Kay Georgiou, Maestro

Stuart Freeborn, John O’Gorman, Charles E. Parker, and Ramon Gow, Murder on the Orient Express

Gordon Bau and Jean Burt Reilly, The Omega Man (1971)

Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Annemarie Bradley-Sherron, The Whale

I wonder how audiences though of the makeup in 3D back in the 1950s. Yes, House of Wax was filmed in 3D when it was a fad for the first time.

Best Production Design

Sarah Greenwood, Barbie

Anton Furst and Peter Young, Batman

Uncredited, Fellini Satyricon

Ted Smith, Gentleman Jim

Curt Enderle and Guy Davis, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

John Paul Kelly, A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Jack Fisk, Killers of the Flower Moon

Hans Dreier, The Last Command

Jack Stephens, Murder on the Orient Express

Anton Grot, The Sea Wolf

Achievement in Visual Effects

Alice’s Wonderland

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Barbie

Batman

The Creator

Godzilla Minus One

In Which We Serve (1942)

The Island at the Top of the World

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Oppenheimer

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

All of these films are winners. You can't make me judge the visual effects from a 2020s movie versus a '40s movie. Come on now.

Worst Picture

Barbarella (1968)

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963, Japan)

Mười: Lời nguyền trở lại (Muoi: The Curse Returns) (2022, Vietnam)

Treasure Island (1973)

Wish (2023)

Because holy cow. What even was low-budget major studio animation in America in the 1970s?

Honorary Awards:

The Film Foundation, for their tireless devotion to the preservation and restoration of classic world cinema

Ben Model, for composing wonderful scores for silent films and helping to preserve the memory of the silent film experience

FILMS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS (excluding Worst Picture... 51) Thirteen: The Color Purple

Ten: Killers of the Flower Moon

Eight: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Seven: I Know Where I’m Going!, The Strawberry Blonde

Six: Barbie, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Last Command, Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Oppenheimer, Suzume, Tár

Five: Anatomy of a Fall, Batman, Don’t Bother to Knock, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, Fellini Satyricon, Past Lives, Sun Valley Serenade

Four: Beverly of Graustark, Êsse Mundo é Meu, Godzilla Minus One, Heathers, Land of the Pharaohs, The Sea Wolf

Three: American Fiction, Barsaat, Beauty’s Worth, The Creator, Gentleman Jim, Lured, Shayda, Sparkle, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Whale

Two: The Accidental Getaway Driver, Angels, Black Legion, Fanfan la Tulipe, Girls! Girls! Girls!, The Great Impostor, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Island at the Top of the World, Living, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Maestro, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, My Friend Flicka, This is the Army, Top Gun, Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night), Women Talking

WINNERS (excluding honorary awards and Worst Picture; 32) 4 wins: The Color Purple

3 wins: I Know Where I’m Going!, Killers of the Flower Moon

2 wins: Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, Godzilla Minus One, The Last Command, Oppenheimer, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

1 win: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), Batman, Carmen Jones, The Creator, Fellini Satyricon, The Holdovers, House of Wax, Ice Merchants, In Which We Serve, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Island at the Top of the World, Land of the Pharaohs, Lured, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Murder on the Orient Express, Past Lives, Shayda, The Stroll, Sun Valley Serenade, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, Witchfinder General

86 films were nominated in 27 categories.

#Movie Odyssey Awards #My Movie Odyssey

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kakusu-shipping · 1 year ago

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1, 2, 4, 11, and 18 for the end of year asks? :0

Aaah thankyou Echo!!! This post might be long, please forgive me!

1. Did you add any F/Os to your list this year? Were they from new media or just a newly discovered love?

Here's every romantic F/O added to the list this year, or at least that I can remember adding this year. Years are long and my sense of time is very warped so it may not be fully accurate.

Most are from new media, or just new parts of media, like the end of the Owl House and the New Pokemon Games. The ones that are new loves from re-visits are Heracross, Smeargle, and Keckleon from Monster Mind, Mario and Luigi from Super Mario, Makarov from Fairy Tail, and Jill from The Wayward Children series.

Though Mario and Luigi are also what I consider my first F/Os, they weren't officially on the list until the movie came out, so I'm counting them in the 2023 yearly wrap.

2. Did you reconsume any of your F/Os’ source media this year? How did you feel about the rewatch/listen/read/etc?

I rewatch Assassination Classroom every year in March and it makes me cry every time. I also replay Hatoful Boyfriend and Holiday Star every December for Kazuaki and Hitori, watch Baka and Test sometime around late Summer most years to ease my seasonal depression, and rewatch Mushishi at least once a year.

Other than that, nothing super meaningful. I rewatched a few LPs of Mario games, replayed through Paper Mario myself, watched Romantic Killer again, Reread Manly Appetites every other month or so, watched The Cat Returns once or twice, played more Pokemon, Restarted Monster Mind (still haven't finished it), and skimmed the Ouran Manga at the library while waiting for them to replace the volume they're missing.

HOWever, this latest reread of Down Among the Sticks and Bones is what got me to finally put Jill on the F/O list, so that feels worth mentioning. I love that book <3

4. Was there anything on your blog that you were particularly proud of this year?

No, not really. My drawings were all very incomplete and sketchy this year with long gaps between them, and my writing really flaked off suddenly, I haven't written more than a paragraph at all this year.

I wouldn't say I'm particularly proud of them, but I did really enjoy making moodboards last month and am kind of waiting for my health to settle so I can get back to them. Making stuff for other self shippers is a lot more fun than writing/drawing for myself atm.

11. Was there new media for any of your F/Os this year? If so, what was your opinion on it?

Yes FNaF Help Wanted 2 came out and gave us New Sun Content and I LOVED IT!!!!! He's such a bitch!!!! A shit!!! A snobby theater kid!!! He's so controlling and harsh I LOVE him <3 So happy to know more about him honestly and that he's not all UwU Caregiver that the fandom made him. I like soft characters, but he's a HORROR character he needs to be a little fucked up!!

18. Did you have a favorite trend in the selfship community from the past year?

I'll be honest, I don't pay much attention to what other people in the selfship community are doing. I follow the tags but if there's like a popular trend thing going around, I miss it every time.

My LEAST favorite right now though is the whole "Stolen from an Anti" thing. I have no qualms about stealing posts it's whatever, but I hate when it's says that in text at the bottom of the post. Just tag it as such so I can filter it please

#Thankyou for asking #Long post #Sorry sorry for the long post I wanted to put all the photos in there!!!!#Aaaah I've been wanting to go back to Monster Mind for a few weeks now but I'm #Soooooo sick I don't have the energy for it #And my MOUSE KEEPS DOUBLE CLICKING #Which would be back for a puzzle game...#Augh... anyway......#Thankyou so much for asking Echo #I'm so sad the tumblr year in review thing isn't happening this year #I really really like seeing who I posted the most about this year...#And using it to make a new banner #Hm what should I do then... I didn't do a Halloween one this year...#I don't wanna just wait till February for my birthday one...#But I can't.... draw.... right now..........#Augh......#I'll figure it out

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therandomavenger · 2 years ago

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What Pride Means to Me

Step into the wayback machine with me for a moment.

The year is 1995. It’s the middle of summer. I am sitting in a movie theater with my best friend, Jennie, and we are watching one of the most popular films of that year, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. <I thought you were going to write about Pride, you say? Give me a moment.>

Now, this is an entertaining film, made with obvious passion. It has a moving story and great performances. Its main villain is the English King, Edward I, played by Patrick McGoohan. Amidst all the major and minor characters is the character of Edward’s son, Prince Edward. As a prince, he’s not living up to his father’s expectations. And, though it’s ever really stated on screen, one of the reasons for this is he’s always in the company of his best friend, who is obviously also his gay lover.

The prince and his lover are mewling and foppish, presented without any redeeming qualities. The lover encourages the prince to stick up for himself against his father, and this all comes to a head in one scene in the middle of the film, where Edward is commanding the prince to do something, the prince protests, the lover says something cutting to the king, and the King grabs the lover and throws him out of the nearest window, to his death.

In the film, this moment is played entirely for laughs. And it got a big laugh from the audience I was sitting in. And in all the commentary this film has garnered over the years, I’ve not seen one other person mention this scene, let alone how problematic it is.

Now, clearly Edward II is the villain in this movie. It’s not like the main hero did this. But still, it doesn’t even seem to be added by the narrative to the list of Edward’s crimes. Indeed, the audience sympathizes with his frustration, and supports this casual murder. The prince is given very little further space in the story, merely doing what his father wants the rest of the film, his trauma unremarked upon.

I think I even laughed at this scene the first time that I saw it, because it’s presented as a moment of physical comedy. But I’ve thought about this scene a lot over the years, obviously, since it’s coming up in a blog post 28 years later.

This kind of thing was common in the 90’s. If gay people existed in media at all, we were disposable. The first victims of a murderer. Films that explored our lives focused mainly on the traumatic parts, and usually had one or more characters dying of AIDS (Philadelphia, I’m looking at you).

Now, I am including myself in that group now, but back then I would not have. While I was aware that I was attracted to guys, I kind of buried that deep within myself, sealing it up in a box that I did not dare open. It was my most shameful secret, one that I’d die to keep. And is it any wonder I didn’t want any part of it, given the examples I was seeing? I had no vision of happy gay people, living their truth. Now, I am aware that they existed. There have been gay writers and filmmakers putting out work for a long time. I’m not saying they didn’t exist. But they did not have a large audience or any kind of promotional budget and I, living in a small town in Indiana, was not aware of them.

I think the first example of a non-traumatized gay character I came across was Matt in Melrose Place. And while Matt was canonically gay, and allowed to have a romantic life on screen, he was forced by the network sensors to say goodnight to every one of his dates with a firm handshake. So, it was technically representation, but was it really …?

I had never heard of Pride month back then, and I wouldn’t have done anything about it if I had. I didn’t say the words, “I am gay” to myself until I was 32. And it would take another 14 years for me to say it to another person.

So, Pride … I think I became aware of Pride around the time the gay marriage supreme court case went through. Now, I was out to myself at the time, but so deep in the closet that I could see Narnia. I was married to a woman and raising my children, and I thought ‘I might be gay, but it doesn’t mean anything because this is the life I chose for myself, and it would hurt too many people to disrupt.’ But when that decision came down, I felt so much joy. I knew why but didn’t say this to anyone. Because I knew it meant that someday, if circumstances changed, I would be able to live as my true self. I would not have to hide forever. And maybe that planted the seed that I wasn’t as trapped as I thought I was.

That year was the first time I noticed Pride going on. And I wanted to be part of it but couldn’t let myself. I wasn’t ready to blow apart my life yet. I wouldn’t be for another four years. So, Pride to me means standing up and being counted. If Braveheart were made today, I don’t think they would casually murder the prince’s lover and play it for laughs. There are popular network shows where gay people get to kiss their boyfriends and girlfriends on screen. This even happens on so-called ‘family shows,’ (case in point my late, beloved Willow). Queer people are allowed to live their lives in the open, and in most places in the west, are given equivalent rights to straight people.

Now, in recent years we have been reminded that there are still many people who would gladly throw us out the nearest window. But those people are a minority. A sizable, vocal minority, yes, but a minority. Most people have a ‘live and let live’ attitude toward queer people now. People I once thought would never accept me if I came out of the closet and started living an authentic life have embraced me and welcomed my boyfriend into the family. Being gay has gone from being my most shameful secret to being one of the things I like most about myself. I’ve gone from praying to be straight to realizing that if I had the chance to be straight, I wouldn’t take it. It may not be a choice for me, but if it were, I’d choose to be queer. There’s nothing wrong with me (at least if there is, it’s not this).

So, that’s what Pride means to me. We can be proud of who we are. We can be the people we were created to be, and love the people we were created to love, no matter what gender that person is. It’s a giant middle figure to the people who want to push us back into the closet. We’re Here! We’re Queer! Go Fuck yourself!

I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self that he would one day be able to accept every part of himself, and that it would be okay to be that person. He lived in pain for so many years, hating himself, afraid to even let himself be aware of what he really wanted. But those days are over, and we will stand together as a community and refuse to be forced back into those dark days. That’s what Pride is, a signal that we exist and are valid.

originally published on chadgrayson.com

#gay stuff #blog posts #pride #braveheart

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sangre · 2 years ago

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SATINE MOMENT INDULGENCE PWEESE: 3, 5, 13!!!, 20, 26, 29, 43, 49, 50, 60

sixty-nine more questions for your ttrpg characters! / ask.

YAY JAMIE TYSM 4 sharing and sending these!! POGCHIMPS

3. can they accept failure?

yes and no! :d it's a when and where thing – if it came to something smaller, like the goodnatured competition of a game or even when it comes to the learning process (like if reides tried to teach satine how to do something cute and it took 3 hours you know it would be fun and silly, and she wouldn't get frustrated).

satine has failed spectacularly for a long time!! at trying to be who-was, at trying to remember how to do that, the list goes on. so he's not unused to failure and it's not particularly irritating or cruel for her, it definitely comes as 'what happens when you're not ready to do something at the level you'd like to' in a way that's pretty neat!

however, if it came to say, protecting his party or even failing to protect people he set out to protect, he would be mortified. that's the kind of failure she won't take home comfortably at all. but in the same breath, i think she holds herself to a really high standard when it comes to theater performances? like, if he screwed up a really important part of a performance and people noticed, it would be like screwing over everyone who worked really hard to be a part of it. i think that's something she'd have trouble stomaching too. but eh!! that's part of theater just as well and i think he'll get used to it the more practice he has on stage :D

cont. / 10

5. is there something they want to be known for?

he carries the legacy of the theatre de la miséricorde with pride, definitely. i don't think she has much that she wants renown for other than to have the name of satine continue to matter to the people it has touched and continues to... so like, i think to be remembered as someone who loved to share his love of certain plays, music, etc is very important to her. as an adventurer, he's happy enough just doing the work and making the journey, which is so much better with friends!! :3

13. what are some motifs you associate with them? did you intentionally bring in those motifs, or did it happen over time?

i don't actually remember if i chose the rose or if the rose chose me. POGKSD;KLFSDG;JSD but the decision to have a rose in satine's hair has definitely defined a lot of his character/my thoughts of his like, very phantom of the opera-dreamy look! i definitely remember going a bit nutso reading about rose symbolism and seeing smth abt aphrodite saying like "immortal oil of the rose" but it's like passion and blood and classic romantics. very theatrical :3 and rose petals just feel very windblown and he has a little bit of a valentine's day color scheme so it all clicks like that for me.

another big motif for him is a pinkish red crescent moon! which i think was just a design that i liked on a keychain but definitely stems from his close associations with his once fiance refrain bloodmoon and my friend's character, satine's older brother figure, violence bloodmoon. crescent moon also lends a little to incompleteness, period of transformation/the passage of time, feeling happy at night, which are all fun and applicable since satine's class is a reflavored version of twilight cleric, which has a lot of night time spotlight abilities!! (can fly at night, make a spotlight, etc >:D) not to mention he is a reborn drow so nini time is :) time.

i think both of these came up while i was drafting up his character design and honestly i think they were more spontaneous... BUT I CAN'T REALLY REMEMBER EITHER... maybe i was planning this all along or maybe it just all fell together perfectly 🥺

20. what attracts them to someone—platonically and/or romantically, anything counts.

romantically, i think passion! vigor. VEHEMENCE. the need to speak to what you believe/the need to act on your feelings, the unthinking hurry that comes with just running with them. it's beautiful to her! it's honest and it shows a deep connection with your heart, unburdened by anything else. i guess it also shows bravery to her, to speak to what ur heart is feeling and not let anything touch or obstruct that. which is very sexy to satine! he likes storytelling and pretend and masquerade, sure, but in people he could see himself being close to... fervor/sincerity of love, for sure, is attractive.

platonically, i think patience. someone who doesn't mind a little bit of a wait. satine needs patience from people like capital N Needs. like she doesn't vibe well with someone who is like rude because they need something done fast. if someone rushed him in a theater production i think he would be less flustered than she normally would be in telling someone no just on account of, um No. ;GLJSKDHLGSDG;L, a strong believer of good things come to those who wait :) and a lover of people who show like... tenderness and compassion when others need it, esp when learning :D this extends to people wanting to know things about each other's lives too!! he doesn't want to have to spell everything out for somebody immediately either you know, she's not super private either but like... prying 👎🏼👎🏼 basically.

26. what type of person pisses them off?

(looks at the above question) GSDHKGSDF:LS<DG:L<DG UM but like, persistent cruelty? someone who doesn't learn from their mistakes when those mistakes hurt others. someone who keeps doing the same thing even though they've seen that it's wrong. if you have a good enough desperate justification/reasoning, it's not that he can't empathize with that/understand in time – i think there's a lot that he could understand/be patient with, but it does upset him to see someone doing the same shit over and over if it's hurtful like "Hey... Bitcj...... WORK ON IT" ;KHGLJSDF;GLK

29. what feelings do they internalize?

shame? probably shame. the shame of not being the satine-that-was that crops up every now and then freaks him out because it's like, she knows perfectly well that she's not ever going to live the same life twice, nor should she? nor can anyone? ever. and so i think that burden that trails him every now and then is something he doesn't like to share with people/doesn't like to talk about. because then it makes it real and makes it something he needs to work through. so i think for sure the shame and guilt that he knows shouldn't really exist. i think it's been nicer to just live the new life that brings him more peace, than directly confront what he misses about before.

she definitely wants to try, but it's scary. :( so... Shame.

43. how much do they know about the world they live in?

not a ton.... ;SDGHOUGSD;LDF' his memories about how to function are more motor and emotional and stuff like that – things satine aleth knew about the city he grew up near, etc, are harder to reach? so honestly it's been very touch and go. she's learning by experience and by spending time in different places :D but as much as she travels, she tries to absorb as much as possible!!!

49. how often do they cut their hair, if at all?

SO i talked with my DM bc i was like... DOES SATINE'S HAIR GROW?!?!?! ;ljgs0d8gsgd;lkdg and the short answer is no... as a construct i think she's got a set length and her good friend, the legendary and much-loved artificer janvi was like 'if you want to change your hair or cut it or grow it differently let me know and we'll look into it!' but i think satine is okay with it as it is. he likes the long and wavy! but has fun tying it back and wearing short, messy wigs for performances. :D

50. do they have a go-to beverage, alcoholic or nonalcoholic?

THIS IS SO HARD i'm going to reference a random ass energy drink i was in love with when i was a kid - i think the equivalent of a citrus sobe?!?! which they don't sell here anymore. i looked up the ingredients and it's like orange juice lemon juice elderberry citric acid!??!?!?! it would have to be something strong because satine has a very dull/stifled sense of taste and citrus is good for this! something cool and also syrupy and very packed with flavor. he would love [nonalcoholic] strong juice :3 though i'm sure a few diff kinds of mixed drinks are strong candidates for the same kind of thing!

60. what do they have faith in? what keeps them believing?

answered here :D TY SO MUCH AGAIN WAH!!!

#ikalposting #this is so much content what an indulgence indeed :D #every time i edit this post the read more tries to sneak further down the post it's SO weird #ch: serisínthe

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