#i love stories man. i love storytelling and i love animation and i love that we can work together as humans and create these experiences

[chloecherrysip]

I'm in a new Going To The Movies By Myself And Having The Best Time Ever era over the past couple of months, and I gotta say, it's pretty wonderful. :)

On a related note, here's a spoiler-free review of Across the Spiderverse

[nethereasypeasy]

Some fluffy head canons I have about the Baldurs Babes

mainly at camp :)

Gale stops tav to lace their boots, sarcastically tutting as he does it.

Karlach holds her hands round someones bowl and cups to warm them if they cool down too much. (Mama K microwave™)

Jaheira and Halsin share nightcaps and chat about the tadpole team. Mainly laughing at their comparative lack of experience - always ends on a 'they're good eggs tho' vibe.

Astarion and Shadowheart rate people's hair to eachother as an injoke, tav hears them mumbling numbers behind them whenever they speak to someone.

Lae'zel asks Gale to explain and pronounce things when no one is around because the 'annoying wizard' won't make fun, he's too eager to teach.

Jaheira has the best bedtime stories but they get Karlach hyped up and she asks a lot of questions till Astarion begs her to be quiet. Wyll takes mental notes for his own storytelling.

Karlach will force a game of 'I Spy' any time there is silence on the road.

Wyll is very good at little random gifts, he just remembers anything someone mentions to him. He's also low-key emotional if you return that kindness, 'you remembered?! 😭'

Halsin stops, kneels and whispers as he points and shows tav interesting plants or animals he spots when walking. 'look there's the mother and her babies' type shit. (He is camp dad(dy) ok)

Wyll teaches Lae'zel fencing. She's too keen though and tries to pin him down. She is not as graceful... But she has fun... chk!

Gale keeps a tiny portrait of Tara on him, you can't tell me modern au Gale's phone wouldn't be full of cat pics.

Astarion watches over the camp at night, he acts like he 'might as well/ I'm the only one lurking in the dark around HERE darlings' but sometimes he secretly gets a little teary looking at his first real friends all together.

Shadowheart writes moody poetry. She would tell Gale but she doesn't care for his taste... Or his possible critiques. If he ever did find her journal though he would be VERY enthused.

Astarion and tav will play with people's wardrobes when looting. Tav loves a funny hat and Astarion will do impressions of who he thinks would wear such god's awful attire.

Gale and Wyll play chess together after dinner some nights. They both say progressively cheesy lines when they take pieces, which is its own game itself at this point.

Halsin would quietly sing or hum to owlbear baby and scratch at night. Little lullabies and he'd probably tuck them in too. OR he'd be big daddy bear and snuggle up, especially when owlbear is scared and misses his mum.

The gang have played 'never have I ever' ONE time and ONE time only. It was a messy night.

... Jaheira was 100% last man standing.

[misspygmypie]

His Little Hero

Part of the "Meet & Greet... and more?" Universe Pairing: Lando Norris x Noah, Lando Norris x reader Words: 1324 Request: I love Noah and Lando ❤️ Can we please have some of Noah telling Lando that someone was flirting with his mum at the store and he was scaring the man away saying his dad will run him over. And Lando just being proud. Masterlist

Please do not repost, thank you, and leave some feedback :)

Noah burst into the living room, his excitement practically radiating from him. Lando, sprawled on the couch next to his wife Y/N, looked up from his phone. His eyes tracked Noah’s energetic entrance, his face lighting up with a mix of concern and interest.

“Dad, Dad!” Noah shouted, tugging at Lando’s sleeve with an urgency that only a seven-year-old could muster. “You won’t believe what happened at the grocery store today!”

Lando set his phone aside, his attention fully captured by his son’s animated demeanor. “What happened, buddy? Spill it!”

Noah’s face was lit up when he started to tell the story to his dad. “So, we were in the cereal aisle and this man came up to mommy and started saying she looked like a movie star. He kept smiling at her and saying how pretty she was, like she was a treasure or something.”

“Oh, did he now?” Lando’s gaze shifted from Noah to Y/N. He studied her reactions closely, his eyes wide open. His lips were pressed together in a tight line while Y/N’s cheeks turned a deep shade of pink and she exchanged a quick, almost apologetic glance with Lando. She looked slightly uncomfortable, trying to keep her composure. 

“What did mommy do?” Lando asked, focusing back onto Noah, trying to sound casual but feeling a sense of jealousy bubble up.

Noah continued, clearly invested in his tale. “Mom smiled and said thank you but she was really focused on finding the cereal with the toy inside. You know how important that is, right? We had to get the cereal with the toy! I kept telling mommy it was the best part of shopping. I was so excited because last time I got a cool dinosaur but this time I really wanted the robot I saw in the ad.”

Meanwhile Lando’s fingers drummed on the armrest of the couch, his impatience growing. “What happened next?” he asked, trying to mask his irritation.

Noah’s eyes widened as he leaned in closer, clearly enjoying the storytelling. “So, mommy and I were scanning all the shelves and I was looking at every single box. I kept pointing out boxes and saying, ‘Maybe this one has the toy!’ I was so pumped because even though the dinosaur was cool I just really, really wanted the robot. I even saw it on the box and I thought, ‘That’s going to be the best toy ever!’”

Lando shifted in his seat, his agitation evident. “And then?”

“Well,” Noah’s expression grew even more intense, “this guy just kept talking to mommy. He was saying stuff like, ‘You’ve got the kind of smile that lights up a movie screen,’ and ‘You should be in the spotlight.’ Mom was trying to pick out the right cereal but he just wouldn’t stop. He even blocked the aisle while we were trying to get to the cereal and every time I saw a box, I’d say, ‘Is this the one?’”

Lando leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Noah with a mix of jealousy and intense interest. His lips twitched and he seemed to be wrestling with a mix of frustration and amusement. “And what happened then?” he asked, wishing Noah would just tell him more about the guy.

“So, I saw mommy give me that look, the one that says she needs help. She was still trying to find the cereal with the toy and this guy just wouldn’t leave her alone. I knew I had to do something.”

Noah continued, clearly excited to share more. “And then, I kept thinking about how the robot toy was supposed to be really cool. I remembered the ad and how it could do all these awesome things, like light up and move its arms. I wanted to make sure mommy got the cereal with the toy because it was so cool. I even told her, ‘We have to find the cereal with the robot, mom! It’s going to be the best!’”

Lando’s eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. “Okay, but what happened with the guy?” he asked, his voice frustrated and intrigued.

Noah’s eyes gleamed as he recounted his brave act. “I walked up to the guy and said, ‘You’d better leave my mom alone! My dad’s a race car driver and if you don’t stop bothering her he’ll run you over with his car!’”

At that moment Lando’s composure completely shattered. He burst into uncontrollable laughter, his shoulders shaking and his howling echoed through the room, a mix of surprise, delight and something else, perhaps a touch of envy. He looked at Y/N, whose eyes were twinkling with pride and then back at Noah, who was beaming with triumph.

“What did the guy do then?” Lando gasped between laughs.

Noah grinned widely. “He looked really shocked, like he’d just seen a ghost or something. He started backing away really quickly and said he didn’t mean to cause any trouble. He practically sprinted out of the aisle! And then we finally found the cereal with the robot toy. It was exactly like the ad showed! It could light up and even move its arms a little bit. I was so happy!”

Y/N moved to wrap her arms around Noah in a proud hug, trying to contain her own laughter. “You were so brave, sweetie. Thank you for looking out for me.”

Lando, still chuckling, pulled Noah onto his lap and continued to laugh. “I’ve got to say, Noah, that’s one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a while.”

Noah’s eyes sparkled with pride. “Thanks, Dad! I just wanted everyone to know mommy’s special and protected. And the robot toy was awesome, too!”

Lando’s laughter gradually faded into a warm, affectionate giggle. “You know, Noah, I’m really happy to see how you’ve taken on the role of protecting the family. It’s nice to know that while I’m away I don’t have to worry about mommy being alone. You’ve got everything under control.”

“Yeah and I’ll make sure no one bothers mom, especially not if you’re not around, daddy!”

Lando’s smile grew wider as he looked at both his wife and their son. “You know what, Noah? I’d really love to see that robot you got. Can you show it to me?”

Noah’s eyes lit up instantly. “Oh, sure! It’s in my room. I’ll go get it!”

With that he dashed off toward his room. Lando’s jealousy had faded, replaced by a huge feeling of pride and admiration for his son. 

As Noah bounded back into the living room, clutching the robot toy in his small hand, Lando’s heart swelled with pride. The little robot, now a symbol of his son’s bravery and quick thinking, was held aloft like a trophy.

Lando leaned forward, making an effort to be genuinely interested in the toy. “Wow, Noah! That robot is even cooler than I imagined!” He reached out, carefully taking it from Noah’s hands and examining it with a childlike curiosity. “You know, this is one impressive robot.”

Noah nodded vigorously, his face flushed with happiness. “Yeah, Dad! It can light up and move its arms. It’s the best one I’ve ever seen!”

“I’ve got to tell you something,” Lando said, his voice softening as he looked at Noah with unmasked pride. “I’m so proud of you. Not just because you found the coolest robot ever but because you stood up for your mom like that.”

Noah’s cheeks flushed. “Thanks, Dad. I just wanted to make sure mom was okay. And I wanted the robot, too!”

Lando chuckled, pulling Noah into a tight hug. “Well, you’ve done an amazing job on both fronts. I’m really proud of you for taking care of mom and for being so brave. You’re my little hero.”

Noah beamed, hugging his dad back with equal enthusiasm. “I’m glad you think so, daddy and next time, if anyone tries to bother mom, we’ll both take care of it together.”

________

AN: The way I am obsessed with this request!!! THANK YOU! Anon, I hope you like it and if not let me know and I can rewrite 😊🫶

Taglist: @eloriis @pacifierbby @landossainz @littlegrapejuice @barcelonaloverf1life @poppyflower-22 @itsjustfranzi @vickykazuya

[alyrasturnz]

can u do quiet!matt x yapper!reader hcs?

just the hcs tho! no need for the lil blurbs

SILENT AFFECTIONS

❐ summary » matt is a man of few words but deep emotions. he finds solace in the quiet moments, the gentle rustling of leaves, and the soft glow of morning light. his world changes when he meets you, a lively soul whose voice brings color to his serene life. together, you navigate the delicate dance of love, where matt's silent gestures speak volumes, and your animated stories breathe life into his quiet existence.

❐ pairings » quiet!matt x yapper!reader

❐ warnings » headcanons!

❐ a/n && w/c » i hate this LMAO • 467

quiet!matt who, in the midst of your endless chatter, sometimes drifts into a trance, his eyes tracing the contours of your face as if committing each feature to memory. he finds himself lost in the rhythm of your voice, the animated expressions that dance across your features, and the way your eyes light up with every story you tell.

quiet!matt who finds a profound serenity in your presence, even when your words cascade endlessly. he cherishes the way your voice weaves through the air, transforming the emptiness into a tapestry of comfort.

quiet!matt who discerns the subtle nuances of your day, those fleeting moments you might overlook. he channels this awareness into thoughtful gestures, each one a testament to his deep and abiding care.

quiet!matt who communicates his protectiveness without uttering a single word. a gentle hand on your shoulder or a slight shift closer in a crowd speaks volumes, a silent vow of his unwavering guardianship.

quiet!matt who treasures the tranquil interludes, where silence becomes a shared sanctuary. your head resting on his shoulder, both of you enveloped in a wordless communion that transcends the need for speech.

quiet!matt who quietly supports your dreams and aspirations, offering steadfast support that fortifies your belief in yourself.

quiet!matt who wakes up before you just to watch the peaceful expression on your face as you sleep, memorizing every detail as if it's a precious work of art. he loves hearing your voice first thing in the morning, filling the room with your lively chatter, which brings a smile to his face and starts his day on a bright note.

quiet!matt who writes little notes and leaves them in places you’ll find throughout your day, each one a small reminder of his love and appreciation for you. he enjoys listening to you excitedly recount every discovery, each note becoming a new point of conversation that lights up your interactions.

quiet!matt who takes the time to learn your favorite songs on the guitar, playing them softly in the background as you unwind from a long day. he smiles as you sing along, your voice adding a vibrant energy to the melody, creating a harmonious blend of his quiet support and your lively spirit.

quiet!matt who instinctively knows when you need space and when you need a hug, always attuned to your unspoken needs and emotions. he listens patiently as you talk through your thoughts and feelings, his silent presence offering a steady anchor amidst the waves of your expressive nature.

quiet!matt who keeps a journal of your shared memories, chronicling the journey of your relationship with words and sketches, a silent testament to the depth of his feelings. he loves hearing you excitedly reminisce about each moment, your animated storytelling breathing life into the pages and deepening the bond you share.

taglist — @imwetforyourmom @meatballzerz69 @bandanamatt @thedangerousalleyway @muchloveforhacker @stinkytinkywinky @jetaimevous @everleiqh @conspiracy-ash @ifwdominicfike @blahbel668 @slutforsturnioloss @realuvrrr

[violentdelightsandviolentends]

Tethered.

The lines of friendship blur when you’re this close. Also known as - each of the times you’ve kissed Benny, Frankie, Santiago and Will.

Pairing - Benny Miller, Frankie Morales, Santiago Garcia, Will Miller x female reader

Age Rating - 18+

Warnings - Cursing, sexual content, mentions of sobriety

Word Count - 5523

Author's Note - by popular demand!! thank you to everyone who voted in the poll, it was so helpful!! don't worry, there is still a stewy hosseini fic coming very soon. i love writing for the triple frontier boys, so if anyone has any requests or particular thoughts, please send them my way. i'm also a total will girly, if you couldn't tell. as always, lots of love <3

my other triple frontier fics - Time, Tranquility and Home Is Where The Heart Is.

Masterlist. Requests.

Will’s strong hand rubs steady circles into your thigh under the table as you all hunch over laughing.

Benny’s telling the story of his bad date from the night before. The combination of his masterful storytelling and the whiskey that seems to be refilling itself is making you giddy, all of you high on the joy of being with your best friends. There’s no feeling quite like it, laughing until you cry.

“Wait, that doesn’t explain why she slapped you!” Santiago exclaims from opposite you, clapping Benny on the back.

“She slapped me because, it turns out, I’d kissed her best friend a few months ago. She called me a dog and everything,” he laughs, tears escaping from his eyes. “She had a strong hand!”

“Did you know who she was when you saw her?” Frankie asks, genuinely intrigued.

“I realised as soon as I sat down. I didn’t know it’d be a problem! Man, fuck blind dates,” Ben chuckles.

“Am I crazy for not seeing the issue here?” Santiago asks, looking around the table.

“I didn’t see it either, apparently. It’s not like me and Lucy ever went anywhere. It was just a kiss.” Benny’s face is scrunched up in confusion. It makes you want to smooth your thumb over the crease between his brows.

“She was giving me the look, I swear,” he continues. “So I went in for the kiss, and she hit me.”

The boys are all laughing again, and as guilty as you feel, you can’t help but join them. Benny has such an animated, expressive face, that even the most boring of stories are entertaining when being told by him. It’s a gift. He just has a way with people.

“What do you think, hermosa?” Santiago asks, looking at you pointedly. “Would you kiss someone your best friend has kissed?”

“I don’t know,” you reply carefully. “Depends on the situation, I guess. I’d try not to, I think.”

Will’s looking at you with amusement in his eyes, slight smirk on his face. It’s clear that no one is putting the pieces together.

“Would you, Santi?” you question, lips quirking up at the corners.

“Probably not. I’d avoid it, if possible,” he replies.

The whiskey is making you braver than usual, a warm buzz running through your veins. Without thinking, you laugh,

“Too late.”

Everyone looks at you, brows raised in confusion. Will’s grinning now, chuckling to himself quietly. You’re giggling at their faces, their naivety making you smile.

You watch as Frankie looks slowly around the table, and then back at you. Shaking his head, he catches your eyes and snickers.

“Minx,” he mutters, still smiling.

“Am I missing something here?” Benny asks, surveying the silent communication happening between you, Frankie and Will.

You sigh sarcastically and throw your drink back, downing it in one go. Well, we’re doing this, you think.

“I’ve kissed every single person at this table,” you start. “Which means you’ve all kissed the same girl your best friend has kissed.”

Santiago and Benny go silent for a moment, processing this new information. Will and Frankie are still smiling, already a step ahead.

“Wait, what?” Santiago finally speaks. “You have?”

“Oh no. Pope thought he was special,” Frankie laughs, head thrown back.

“Stop it, Francisco! You are special, Santi. It just so happens that they are too.”

You point generally at the other boys, all of them with their eyes fixed on you. You can see that Benny is still figuring things out, the alcohol making his brain work slower than usual.

“I’ve known you guys for years. We’ve been through a lot together. And you’re like, the four most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen! It was bound to happen sooner or later,” you justify.

Everyone’s laughing now, the final piece finally being put into the jigsaw. You can tell they’re all thinking back to their kisses – you are too.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Benny had been the first one to kiss you.

It happened right at the beginning of his boxing career. He’d started working out religiously, meal planning, prepping for his first big fight. He set strict rules for himself – no alcohol, no women, no sex. You were glad he’d found an output for his energy, glad he was taking something so seriously – even if the idea of him getting hurt did terrify you.

The four of you had gone to support him, eager to see him win after months of watching him train and prepare. He’d really committed to the process, which was a surprise – Benny was a notorious ladies man. He loved to relax with a beer. But he’d never broken his self-made rules, not once. No matter the outcome of the fight, you were insanely proud of him. All of you were.

The atmosphere in the warehouse was electric. It was a big venue, with hundreds of people gathering to spectate. You hadn’t realised this was such a popular event. Adrenaline buzzed through the air, making you antsy with anticipation. You and the boys had front row seats by the ring, allowing you the perfect view, the ideal place to support Ben.

“I’m gonna go get us some beers,” Santiago yells over the noise.

“I’ll come help you,” you shout back, linking your hand into his so you don’t get separated.

You make your way out of the double doors and down the hallway in attempt to find the bar. On the journey, you spot a sign that points to the locker rooms.

“You order, I’ll be right back,” you tell Santiago, before following the directions.

You push open the door and step into the locker room. Benny is sat on the bench, headphones blasting music so loud you can hear it from 10 feet away. You make your way over, and touch him on the shoulder gently. He doesn’t startle.

“I don’t want to disturb you, Ben. Just wanted to say good luck,” you say quietly.

He grabs your wrist and pulls you to sit next to him.

“You could never disturb me, honey. You’re my good luck charm,” he winks, and the cheekiness of it warms your chest.

He pulls you in, wrapping his arms around you, breathing in the scent of your strawberry shampoo. You inhale with him, and soak up the heat that’s seeping into your skin.

“It doesn’t matter what happens out there,” you tell him. “I’ll love you no matter what.”

You press a kiss to his cheek, and throw a beaming smile at him before leaving. You find Santi at the bar, and help him carry the beers back to the boys.

You’ve never seen this side of Benny. He’s throwing and dodging punches like it’s second nature. The man moves like ocean waves, fluid and constant, never once caught off guard. There’s a lot to be said about the pastime of men fighting each other, but honestly, Ben has found his calling.

Electricity crackles through the air as Benny swings his last punch. His opponent falls to the mat as you rise from your seats. All of you instantly begin screaming, roars of celebration filling the space. Ben throws his fist in the air, signalling his victory. It’s rare, this feeling. The five of you don’t win very often. This needs to be savoured.

Eventually, the cheering dies down, and Benny leaves the ring to go and get changed. The boys are all ecstatic, chattering with pride in their voices about their brother, their teammate, their best friend.

“Be right back,” you tell them, moving to slip out of the doors and down the hallway.

You strut into the locker room, eyes scanning the space for the man you’re looking for. You find him stood, unwrapping his hands. Before you know it, you’re running into him, wrapping your arms around his neck as he spins you. His bare chest is dripping with sweat. He’s covering you in it, but you couldn’t care less. You’re both laughing, joy and love filling the air.

“I’m so proud of you,” you breathe into his neck, still in his arms. Your feet finally find the floor, and you lean back slightly to stare up at him.

“Couldn’t have done it without you, pretty girl,” he beams at you.

You can feel the energy coursing through his veins. He’s thrumming with it, buzzing with adrenaline – it feels like he’s going to burst. He’s practically vibrating.

Before you can even register what’s happening, Benny pulls you back to him, smashing his lips onto yours. He skims his hands down your back to grab at the backs of your thighs, lifting you up effortlessly. You wrap your legs around his waist and press yourself into him.

The kiss is needy, desperate, pulsing - all teeth and tongue. Benny walks you backwards to slam you against the lockers, using the pressure of his body to lean forward into you. Your hands thread through his hair, pulling forcefully. He groans, deep and guttural, and it’s one of the most gorgeous sounds you’ve ever heard.

He’s grabbing at your ass as he dips his head down to leave open mouthed kisses on your neck, biting at the column of your throat. Your dress is practically around your waist, and you roll your hips forward, searching for friction. It’s your turn to groan now.

“Fuck, honey,” he murmurs. “Prettiest sound I’ve ever heard.”

He holds you up with one arm, and moves the other hand to twist into the waistband of your underwear. He’s pulling them down when someone bangs on the door, startling you both.

“Benny! Champion! Get out here, man, or we’re coming in!”

It’s Will’s voice, that deep tone instantly recognisable.

You pull your lips from Benny’s, your head dropping back against the locker with a clang.

“Shit,” he chuckles, gently pressing a kiss to your sternum.

“Shit,” you repeat, giggling gently.

Benny puts you down carefully, smoothing down your dress with those big hands of his. He fixes your hair next, sweetly moving it out of your face and tucking it behind your ear. He runs his thumb under your bottom lip, wiping where your lipstick has smudged.

“Do we look like we just made out?” you ask him, amusement evident in your tone.

“You do. I look like I just won a fight.”

He smiles at you, and you can’t help but smile back. God, this man. One minute he’s got you whining against the lockers, and the next he’s got you giggling like a schoolgirl.

“Come on,” you urge. “They’re gonna come busting in here any second.”

Right on cue, the door swings open, three men barrelling inside. They all jump on Benny, ruffling his hair and pulling him into a headlock affectionately. You watch from a short distance away, smile still etched on your face. You love them so much you’re worried your heart is going to burst out of your chest.

You look at Will, and find him smirking at you. Always a step ahead. Frankie grabs your wrist and pulls you into their celebrations. You’re being thrown around like you’re in some sort of whirlpool, dizzy with the joy of being with your best friends. You wouldn’t change a thing, even if you are a little lightheaded.

You catch eyes with Benny, and he winks. You know that the events of tonight aren’t going to change anything between the two of you. Your friendship is so solid, you’re convinced it can withstand anything. The five of you are connected, somehow. This unexplainable, invisible tether, binding you wherever you go. The kind of friendship that they write books about.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Frankie was the next person to kiss you.

Or maybe you kissed him. You’re still not sure.

The five of you were at a bar downtown, drinking and laughing. The boys were a few beers deep, muscles relaxing and minds quietening.

But not Frankie.

When he’d made the decision to get sober, he’d included everything. He wasn’t a man who believed in partially sober, or ‘California sober’. If he was going to commit, he was going to commit fully. Alcohol included.

Usually, it didn’t bother him. He could go to bars with his friends, happily crack open beers for them when they watched a football game, make a mean margarita when they hung out at his pool in the summer. But that night, he was on edge. He didn’t know why, couldn’t pinpoint any reason specifically, but he was on overdrive. His mind wouldn’t slow down - thoughts barrelling into him at a hundred miles an hour. He was debating going home to bed, before realising that he was designated driver. So, he’d sat back in his seat, taken a deep breath, and tried to pretend like he wasn’t about to combust.

You’d noticed. Of course you had. You, with your observant eyes, your careful gaze, your genuine smile. You’d noticed.

Will had too. He was keeping an eye on Frankie from across the booth, but he wasn’t worried. He knew you were watching him like a hawk. That reassured Will to no end.

“Oh yeah? Come on then, old man, put your money where your mouth is!” Benny’s yelling at Santiago, grabbing him by the bicep, up and out of his chair. You watch as he drags him over to the pool table, determined to prove himself.

No matter where you were, or what you were doing, somehow, Benny and Santiago always managed to turn it into a competition. You, Will and Frankie were always happy to watch – you usually ended up playing referee, only interfering when someone cheated or got too rowdy.

The two of them began setting up a game, leaving you at the booth with the other two.

“I’m gonna get some air,” Frankie says suddenly, standing up and making his way out of the door.

Will gives you a look of concern.

“I got it. Just make sure those two idiots don’t kill each other with pool cues, please,” you joke.

Will chuckles and nods, squeezing your waist as you move past him to follow Frankie.

Outside, you find him around the side of the bar, leaning against the brick wall. He’s breathing heavily, clearly trying to get a handle on things. You watch as he takes off his hat and runs his fingers through his hair. He slides down the wall, sitting on the cool ground, legs bent in front of him.

You walk over and sit down next to him, ignoring the feeling of the cold concrete underneath your bare legs. You lean into him slightly, placing your head on his shoulder. He breathes you in, and you feel some of the tension melt from his muscles.

Eventually, you speak.

“You okay?”

He wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you in closer.

“Yeah, cariño, I’m okay,” he murmurs. “I’m usually fine in bars, it doesn’t bother me. Guess I’m just anxious tonight.”

You hum in understanding, before realising something.

“What’s today’s date?”

He looks at you with puzzlement written all over his face, but answers you anyway.

“March 16th.”

“Happy one year of sobriety, Francisco.”

You can see it all clicking into place in his head. The reason he’s been on pins all day, the reason he’s been so wound up tonight, unable to settle. You figured it out before he could. Clever girl.

“And I’m celebrating it in a bar, apparently. How appropriate,” he laughs. It’s a real, hearty, genuine laugh. You love when he laughs like this – so hard that he starts wheezing. It’s so endearing, it makes you want to cry.

“I can’t believe I forgot. A year ago, it was like, the biggest milestone ever. And I forgot.”

You can tell he’s almost disappointed with himself. But you’re not. No, quite the opposite, actually.

“You see how great that is though, right?” you ask him. “You’re so busy living your life now, working, being the best dad ever, that you didn’t even have to think about it. It’s not a bad thing that you forgot about it, Frankie.”

He pulls you closer, both arms wrapped around you, your head pressed into the crook of his neck.

“How do you do it, hermosa?”

“Do what?”

“Always know exactly what to say.”

“Years of knowing you, probably. Years of loving you,” you answer.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispers, but you hear him clear as day.

“No, I don’t deserve you. I’m so proud of you, Francisco.”

He pulls away from you to look at you earnestly. He smiles at you, and you grin back at him. If love could lift you up, you’d be floating, both of you levitating with it.

Frankie leans in closer to you, and you mirror the movement. You’re not sure who kisses who, but suddenly his lips are on yours, his hands moving to cradle your face. It’s careful, and it’s gentle, and it’s so full of gratitude and history that it takes everything in you not to break out into a grin. One of his hands moves through your hair as the other one caresses your cheek. You can’t remember the last time you were kissed so tenderly. Neither can he.

Unbeknownst to you, Will has come out to check on you both. He stops in his tracks when he sees the two of you wrapped up in each other. His heart swells in his chest, and he can’t help but smile. He knows that this won’t change anything between you and Frankie. It’s just the comfort he needed – you both needed. He makes his way back inside quietly, grateful for the both of you and the way you look after each other.

Eventually, you both pull apart. Frankie rests his forehead on yours, and takes the first full breath he’s taken all day. His shoulders relax, his jaw unclenches. He’s okay, thanks to you.

“Thank you, cielito,” he murmurs.

“For what?”

“Everything. Knowing me better than I know myself. Knowing all of us better than we know ourselves.”

“Someone’s gotta keep you all alive,” you grin, and he chuckles, the vibration of it settling into your bones, warming you up from the inside out.

He pulls you back against his side, wrapping his arms around you. You both sit against the red brick, cold ground underneath you, for what feels like hours.

“There they are!” Santiago yells when he spots you both.

“Mom, Dad, can we go home?” Benny jokes, clearly down one drink too many.

“Of course we can, baby,” you smile, pulling Frankie to his feet with you.

You all clamber into Frankie’s truck – you riding shotgun, the other boys crammed in the back. You reach for your drivers hand, and interlace your fingers, resting your palms in your lap. You hold onto him all the way home, and can’t help but notice how much lighter he seems.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Santiago kissed you next.

The five of you were having a pool day at Frankie’s, trying to cool down in the Texan summer heat. It was rare, for all of you to have the same day off, so you planned to make the most of it.

The four boys were already in the backyard when you arrived. Letting yourself in, you made your way through the house, briefly stopping in the kitchen to put your popsicles in the freezer. You’d purposely picked the strawberry ones, knowing they were Frankie’s daughters favourite. She was at her mom’s house for the week, but you knew she’d be back at the weekend.

“Hey, honey!” Benny yells when he spots you at the back door.

All of them turn to look at you, and you’re slightly taken aback by all the golden skin on display. Benny is wearing swim shorts with an inseam that can’t be any more than 5 inches, strong thighs just begging to be bitten. Will’s navy shorts compliment his blond hair beautifully, and Santiago’s green ones bring out the dark brown of his eyes. Frankie still has his shirt on, but it hugs his biceps just right. Damn, you think. I might just have the most attractive best friends in the world.

They’re all grinning at you as you survey each of them. You know they don’t mind being ogled just a little.

“Eyes up here, princess,” Santiago teases, no seriousness whatsoever in his voice. You scoff and throw your head back in a laugh, all of them simultaneously joining you in your amusement.

You put down your bag and kick off your shoes, before grabbing the hem of your dress.

“Give us a show, Miss Supermodel,” Benny whistles, winking playfully.

You peel your dress over your head slowly, wiggling your hips as you go. You’re left in a little black bikini that admittedly doesn’t leave much to the imagination. You don’t mind. You’re safe here.

They’re all whistling and cheering, make you laugh. You never feel more appreciated than when you’re with these boys. It’s everything. They’re everything.

“It’s like Sports Illustrated in real life,” Frankie grins, bumping your shoulder with his.

“Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” Will says quietly when you catch his gaze. You roll your eyes playfully, but smile at him genuinely, silently thanking him.

Your eyes flicker to Santiago. He has a look in his eyes that you’ve never seen before. It’s more than his usual appreciation. It’s hungry, hot, burning. It makes your skin prickle, the hairs on your neck standing up. You have to get away from his stare before you jump his bones right in Frankie’s backyard.

“Want me to make you a margarita?” Frankie asks, innocently breaking through the moment.

“Yes, please. That sounds amazing.”

He smiles at you before retreating to the kitchen, Benny following him in search of beer.

The heat doesn’t ease up all day. It’s sweltering, covering you all in a sheen of sweat that can’t seem to be wiped away.

Santiago’s gaze doesn’t help your warmth. Every time you look over, he’s surveying you carefully, eyes raking over your body in a way that makes your breathing quicken. There’s always been chemistry between you, sure. You have chemistry with all of the boys. But it’s never been like this with Santiago. Yes, you flirt with each other – it’s in both of your natures. But this is different. This is real.

You spend all day lounging around. Frankie keeps you topped up with margaritas as you make trips in and out of the pool, messing around with the boys. Benny hoists you up onto his shoulders in the water, throwing you up into the air as high as he can and laughing when you splash back down. You and Will throw a ball back and forth, doubling over when he overshoots and hits Frankie, who’s soaking up the sun in a lawn chair. In the late afternoon, Frankie fires up the grill, preparing to barbeque for dinner.

“Pope, you gonna help me?” he shouts from the deck.

Santiago looks at you, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip, before joining him. You release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. There’s anticipation bubbling at the pit of your stomach, butterflies swirling. Warmth has settled in your core, and Santi’s heated glances are only fuelling the fire.

The sun finally gives you some respite in the early evening. You all settle on the grass, drinks in hand, laughing about nothing and everything. Benny’s telling you about his next fight, describing his opponent in hilarious detail. You look down, and realise your glass is empty.

“I’m gonna get a refill. Anyone want anything?” you ask, smiling as you watch Benny jokingly pretend to box his brother.

“Can you grab me a beer, princesa?” Santiago asks, pointed gaze trained on you.

You nod and make your way inside, praying that it’s cooler in the kitchen. The sun might have gone in, but the warmth in your core hasn’t left.

You reach into the fridge for the jug of margaritas that Frankie made earlier. You’re rising onto your tiptoes to fetch a new glass from the top of the cabinet when you feel a presence against your back. Santiago grabs one from the shelf and places it on the counter in front of you, leaning forward as he does it. His lips are brushing the shell of your ear, and you shudder out a breath.

“So you’re feeling it too, mi amor?” he murmurs.

“Yes,” you breathe. You’re worried you might combust if he keeps speaking to you in that deep, low, raspy tone of his.

“Don’t know what’s gotten into me. Can’t keep my eyes off you,” he whispers. He feels a shiver wrack through your body and chuckles.

You turn around to face him, and he steps forward, caging you in against the counter, arms on either side of you. You can’t go anywhere. You don’t want to.

“God, you’re so fuckin’ pretty,” he practically purrs.

He runs his thumb across your bottom lip, testing the waters. You catch it with your teeth and pull it into your mouth, biting down gently before sucking, not once breaking eye contact. He groans and tilts his head back, exposing his throat to you. You tangle a hand in the hair at the nape of his neck, and give him a look that says I dare you.

Santiago surges forward to capture your lips with his. It’s desperate and needy - a perfect representation of both of your states all day. He slips a strong thigh between your legs and pushes upward, making you whine. You’re pressing yourself into him, trying to get as close as possible. His hands are everywhere all at once – your hips, your hair, your back, your ass. He wants to feel all of you, and can’t decide where to start.

You feel drunk off of him as he kisses you. His tongue is making you melt, his steady hands the only thing keeping you upright. You could kiss him like this for hours, surrendering yourself to this man you call your best friend. This man you’ll love forever.

You’re so lost in each other that you don’t notice Will entering the kitchen. He clocks the situation in front of him and tries to exit silently, walking backwards out the way he came in. He knocks into the recycling bin, startling you and Santiago, causing you to jump apart and hit your head on the cabinet behind you.

“Shit, sweetheart, you okay?” Will asks, genuine concern etched on his face.

Santiago cradles the back of your head as he looks at you, eyes searching yours for any signs of pain.

“I’m good, I’m good, don’t worry,” you reassure them.

Will smirks at you and winks cheekily before he leaves, grabbing a beer on his way out.

“Oh god,” you groan, leaning forward to rest your head against Santiago’s chest. He strokes your hair lovingly, a laugh rumbling through him.

You both know Will isn’t going to say anything. He’s the most trustworthy one of them all. Always observing, never gossiping.

“Love you, hermosa,” he chuckles.

“Love you too, Santi,” you reply, wide smile painted on your face.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Will was the last to kiss you.

It had been a long time coming.

Some people think Will is hard to read. He’s introverted, quiet, a wallflower of sorts. But he isn’t hard to read. Not really. You just have to know what you’re looking at.

He’d called you up one Sunday morning, asking if you had plans. When you’d told him you didn’t, he invited you over for a day of pancakes and terrible movies. It sounded perfect.

Which is how you found yourself lying on Will’s couch, legs tangled together, your back to his chest. His strong arms have found home on your waist, wrapped around your middle. You’re not sure how you ended up here, as you started the movie on opposite ends of the sofa. No one’s complaining.

It’s rare, this kind of intimacy. Casual, effortless, easy. No thought goes into it. You just fall into each other as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Will’s always had that gift. He makes people feel comfortable. No matter where you are, or what you’re doing, one look from those big blue eyes is all it takes to calm you down. It doesn’t matter if you’re being shot at on a battlefield, or just getting overwhelmed in a supermarket. Will’s there, and he knows exactly what you need. You’re convinced the man might be a mind reader, honestly.

He’s not, in fact, clairvoyant. He’s just a listener. No matter what you’re talking about, Will’s looking at you like you’re the centre of his universe. He’d be perfectly content to listen to your voice, to watch the way your eyes light up when you tell stories like this forever. You feel like the only girl in the world, as you lay here in his arms.

You’re deep in thought before you decide to break the silence, voice floating through the warmth of the room.

“Have you ever wanted to kiss me?”

You feel him hum from behind you before he answers softly.

“Every day since I met you.”

You nod gently before relaxing back into him, sighing in contentment.

“Have you ever wanted to kiss me?” he asks, mirroring your question.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about kissing you, William,” you murmur.

His arms tighten around you slightly, pulling you impossibly closer. He presses a kiss into your hair, and another to your bare shoulder.

You sit in the silence for a while, letting the questions hang heavy in the air. It’s not awkward – no, it’s the exact opposite. It’s comfortable.

“I’ve kissed Benny, Frankie and Santi,” you confess quietly. You’re not sure why, but it just feels like something you need to get off your chest. You don’t want him to judge you.

“I know,” he speaks softly. He knows. Of course he does.

“Does it make you think differently of me?” you query. You almost don’t want to know the answer.

“Of course it doesn’t,” he replies earnestly. “Why would it?”

“I don’t know. Just doesn’t look good for me, I guess.”

“That’s not true, sweetheart. They’re your best friends. You love them. A kiss doesn’t have to change anything - not always, anyway.” He pauses. “Do you regret any of it?”

“Not at all,” you whisper.

“Exactly. We all think the world of you. You should know that by now.”

You shift and turn so that you’re sitting in between his legs, facing him. You press your forehead into his, and he smiles gently.

“I love you,” you say softly.

“I love you too,” he replies, grinning widely.

Suddenly, he jumps off the couch, pulling you up with him.

“Let’s go outside,” he prompts, dragging you out the door behind him.

“Will, it’s raining!” you squeal as he practically carries you into the backyard.

He grabs you by the waist and spins you around, both of you laughing. The downpour has drenched you both, clothes sticking to your skin, hair dripping. He puts you down and looks at you as if he’s reading the words off the very surface of your soul.

Gently, he pushes the hair out of your face, moving it to behind your ears. He uses his thumb to catch a raindrop that’s making it’s way down your cheek, swiping it away. You’re both soaked through, but you can’t feel the cold. You feel the warmest you ever have, love illuminating your bones.

Will leans down and presses his lips to yours. His hands are on your waist, and he pulls you closer, plastering you together. It’s tender, and it’s sweet, and it’s a perfect amalgamation of Will. You’ve never felt more at peace.

When he pulls away, you remember his words from earlier.

“Does this kiss change anything?” you ask, megawatt smile etched on your face.

“Everything, sweetheart,” he replies, grinning widely. “It changes everything.”

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

“You saved the best until last,” Will beams, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek.

The boys all scoff, laughing as they do it. You smile broadly, moving to peck his lips tenderly.

“Sure did.”

Benny and Santiago roll their eyes jokingly, while Frankie jabs them both with his elbows.

“Idiots,” he murmurs, still chuckling.

Will’s hand finds yours under the table. His fingers twist the ring you’re wearing absentmindedly, and he leans in to whisper in your ear.

“I love you, Mrs Miller.”

“I love you too, Mr Miller.”

“Guess I just had to kiss a few frogs to find my prince,” you wink at him, the whole table erupting into protests. You throw your head back in a laugh, your whole body vibrating with it. All four of them agree it’s their favourite sound in the world.

[ineffable-endearments]

Movies that are less than 100 minutes long

While I totally get the anxiety about the cutting down of time on GO3, some people might find comfort in considering other stories that have been told in under 100 minutes.

A movie isn't just a smaller slice of media - it's a different storytelling format than a TV series. There are techniques the creative team can use in movies to convey plot information faster than they would in a longer format. There are skillful and unskillful ways to do this, so that's not to say it's foolproof by any means, just that it is totally possible. I don't think anxiety about the cut time is unfounded, but I also don't think it's particularly helpful to assume that it's impossible for it to be accomplished by anyone anywhere at Amazon or the BBC.

Note that the argument here is not that all these movies are actually similar to Good Omens. I'm just saying these are all popular, well-loved stories that pack a lot of entertainment into about an hour and a half.

The Emperor's New Groove, animated family comedy

Perfect Blue, animated horror mystery

A Hard Day's Night, musical comedy about the Beatles

The Babadook, psychological horror

Zombieland, horror comedy

John Wick, action thriller

Punch-Drunk Love, romantic comedy

Men in Black, action sci-fi comedy

Shaolin Soccer, action comedy

Stand By Me, adventure drama

My Neighbor Totoro, animated family fantasy

But I'm a Cheerleader, satirical teen romantic comedy

Rye Lane, romantic comedy

The Man from Earth, sci-fi drama

Bodies Bodies Bodies, horror comedy

Shrek, animated family comedy

Crank, action thriller

The Iron Giant, animated sci-fi drama

[thatcatsalem]

Sorcerer!Sukuna NS*FW Alphabet

Sukuna x OC (Yuri)

For the posts that are in the format of headcanons and such, “you” will be used as a method of storytelling. Outside of those, the main story will revert back to third person.

A = Aftercare

Usually just grabs you and throws both of you in a shower to get clean. He doesn’t like the feeling of dried cum on his skin, but he will happily fool around in the shower as well.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He likes his back and arms, and often flexes his biceps. He also quite enjoys his thighs because you look so vulnerable between them, sucking his cock.

On you, it is your ass. He will constantly have his arms on your bottom, whether it just by grabbing it, stroking it or slapping it. He likes your stomach and hips, it is his favourite place to cum and he will grab onto your sides if you try and squiggle away.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

It tastes a bit tangy, with citrusy bitterness to it. He cums loads during the first round, and often doesn’t have much control on where it goes. He doesn’t like the feeling of dried cum on his skin so when he jerks off, he either aims away from himself or just does it in the shower.

As per you, he loves cumming on your ass or stomach, but also enjoys seeing you trying to swallow it all. He finds a weird sense of pride seeing his cum leaking from your cunt, and will always attempt to show it back.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He really enjoys being fingered during oral sex but would rather choke on his own tongue than confess that. You only discovered that because you decided to boss him around in bed and lapped on his ass with vigour whilst fisting his cock. Sukuna came so much that he had to deep clean the bed with a steamer; it soaked through covers and mattress protector.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

He had his fair share of hook ups and a couple of beneficial relationships. He has slept with a few of his sorcerer colleagues, both women and men, but never has been one for relationship.

Only with you did he get to truly experiment with his skills, and hone it out so well that he was now able to make you cum with a few flicks of his tongue if they mood is set right.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Mating press. It’s deep, it’s close, it’s fucking hot and he gets to look you in the eyes when he is rearranging your guts. He loves fucking you during your period because you are so much more sensitive and your cervix is practically weeping for him to soak it.

He likes the feeling of your ankles pressing against his shoulders and will growl so loud it will practically make you cum right there. His balls will smack against your skin, ass juggling with each trust, and your moans only will spiral him into madness. It’s difficult for you to concentrate on anything, pinned under him like an animal with a feral beast of a man mounting you, snaked protectively over your body with his cock buried as deep as possible.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

He doesn’t have much time for jokes but he will laugh if you get desperate and start begging him. He will tease and outright bully you playfully but won’t break the spell of intimate sex.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

He keeps himself well groomed, with dark happy trail and has piercing on his cock that he definitely regrets as an adult but doesn’t take off because it makes you feel absolutely otherworldly when it rubs against you g-spot. First time it happened, you squirted all over his hips and then some more.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

Depends on the mood, really. Sometimes he will be quite intimate and sometimes it will be so urgent and rough that there will be no room for romance.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

He doesn’t like the feeling of dried cum on his skin so when he jerks off, he either aims away from himself or just does it in the shower.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Choking. Choke him, let him choke you. Squeeze his windpipe, let him cover your mouth whilst you cumming and cut off your air supply.

He is also incredibly proficient in art of Shibari, so he will not just tie you up, but will hang you upside down, spread and ready for him to feast on you.

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Balconies, roofs, windowsills - he likes the thrill of being in a public space yet too far away from prying eyes. He will press you against a window, fully dressed, and will finger you so tortuously that you will have to beg him to let you cum.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

He is a man, most things will turn him on. He does get particularly rowdy every time you will be fighting against someone, smooth and deadly, and will immediately will need to fuck you against nearest surface. Power turns him on.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Sukuna doesn’t share. Under no circumstances will he even entertain an idea of cuckholding or threesome, the only thought of it makes his blood boil. He will quite literally slice anyone who will look at you funny.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Either, really. He doesn’t think there needs to be a favourite between two, and will always happily partake in 69-ing. He will double his efforts in order to make you break first, and will buck his hips further down your throat to make you choke on his cock as you are cumming in his mouth.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Sukuna has to be in a peculiar mood to be slow and sensual, and usually prefers sex to be quite rough and fast. He doesn’t particularly like the idea of fucking for hours on end and finishes his rounds fairly fast, but is ready for another session not much later if not straight away.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

He likes them; but in his mind a quickie should be done in semi-public setting, like a car or utility closet. Otherwise, you might as well enjoy the experience.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Sukuna is all about experimenting; but he will need his partner enthusiastic consent or he ain’t doing it. He is not dealing with someone’s teats that aren’t from pleasure. He doesn’t find the idea of hysterics attractive, so he uses strict green, amber and red rule in the bedroom.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Doesn’t last very point but can go as many as physically possible rounds a day. His personal record with you is eight in a row, with only a small break for lunch.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He does have toys and enjoys using them on both himself and you. He will not be opposed of you using them on him, and he will demonstrate the variety of his collectibles that ranges between stunning crystal butt plugs and expensive ropes he uses to tie you up to his cat o’nine tails and collars for you to wear.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

You might as well just give up, because this man will tease you until your eyes are rolling, thighs are trembling, and until you can only choke on your own saliva instead of any witty comments.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He is not necessarily vocal, but he does moan and grunt in restrained manner, and you will do anything in your arsenal to make him whine. He does it so reluctantly and with defeated growl that it straight up makes your cunt clench.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

In this universe, Sukuna is bisexual. He tends to date and sleep with women, but he has had sex with men, even if he never dated any (he didn’t really date anyone other than you… no one had the patience…). It wasn’t a common occurrence in his life and it doesn’t really poses an opportunity due to his dating life, but he will never say no to you eating his ass out and making him cum from you pressing onto his prostrate.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

He is above average, but not incredibly long - it’s mostly his girth that makes you lose your shit. He will reach your cervix through a specific angle and make you whine and cry but it’s the stretch of your walls accommodating him each time that makes it truly unforgettable. He has a piercing on his cockhead and two rings of tattoos around his base. He is well groomed but doesn’t really shave that often.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Quite high but he can go for a week or so without much need for sex - to the point that it won’t even cross his mind to initiate anything unless he it is instigated; he is that constantly tired. Before you, his hook ups were mostly a weekly occurrence, but nowadays are a more frequent engagement.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Almost immediately - this man is tired and will need a short nap straight away. So it is either shower or sleep. Or both.

If you liked this, leave a comment 🩵

[mikeywayarchive]

My Chemical Romance bassist Mikey Way has a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic with "anime inspired" art and a villain that goes back to the original '90s toys

By George Marston published June 24, 2024

Mikey Way is turning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' greatest love into their worst enemy

Full article under the cut:

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

My Chemical Romance is one of the most popular bands of the last 20 years, and in the time since their last official release, several of the group's multi-talented members have branched into comic storytelling - including bassist Mikey Way, whose latest comic is a short in the upcoming anthology comic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green #2.

A veritable teen idol of his own thanks to My Chem's beloved presence in the punk and emo scene, Way is tapping into a deep-seated love of both the TMNT and their personal favorite food of pizza for a story that captures the youthful energy of the Turtles in a way that only someone who was there for their meteoric rise and pop culture presence could.

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

"I was a massive Turtles fan as a kid! Being born in the '80s, wave one of Turtlemania hit when I was about eight years old, so safe to say I was all in," Way tells Newsarama. "My older brother was into the black & white comics early, so I was at least aware of the Turtles prior to that big boom, but my fandom really came alive with the original cartoon series." 

"Followed up by the Playmates toy line and then into the live action movie, it really checked every box imaginable for me," Way explains. "The characters and the world building had something for almost everyone. While I was initially into Michelangelo, (because of his name and the nunchucks) I grew into way more of a Raphael fan. He's got more layers as a character in my opinion."

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

Way's brother is, of course, Gerard Way, singer of My Chemical Romance and founder of the DC imprint Young Animal, which published Mikey Way's first comic, Collapser, which was co-written by Shaun Simon with art by Ilias Kyriazis. For TMNT: Black, White, and Green, Way collaborated with artist Nikola Čižmešija and colorist Lee Loughridge, whose art you can see in the newly revealed pages from the story seen here.

"I love Nikola’s style so much!," Way says. "He has this fantastic anime inspired quality to his work, and it lends itself perfectly to a Ninja Turtles story. I was floored by his pencils and he was a pleasure to work with."

As for the content of the story itself, it all comes down to something that many fans of the TMNT probably love as much as the Turtles do themselves: pizza. Way brings in a classic villain, Pizza Face, who first appeared in the original TMNT toy line in 1990 as a villainous pizza chef, before being revived in the 2012 animated series as a mutated pizza blob.

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

"I wanted to do a story that was an ode to '80s horror, with a nod to Candy Man or the urban legend of Bloody Mary," Way says of why he chose Pizza Face.

"The character of Pizza Face fascinated me as a kid, because he looked like the mascot on most Pizza boxes mixed with a 'Freddy' or 'Jason'," Way continues. "That mythology I created in my head as a kid really stuck with me. When the opportunity arose to write a Ninja Turtle story, it was literally the first thing that popped out of my head."

And yes, Mikey Way does have a favorite pizza place: 

"Star Tavern in Orange New Jersey. Hands down the greatest there is, in my opinion."

(Image credit: IDW Publishing)

Though Way's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Green story is only eight pages, Way does plan more comics to come very soon - though he's not quite ready to say exactly what just yet.

"I feel like I have more stories that I want to tell," he hints. "At the risk of sounding vague, I would say one can expect an announcement of some sort very soon."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, and Green #2 is on sale now.

[vanessagillings]

Please talk about your favorite animated movies and what makes them special to you! I'm really curious about what you enjoyed about them both in the past and now?

haha, okay you asked!

I LOVE animated movies. My theory on this is that it took me a long time to emotionally relate to most media growing up, where I felt next to nothing watching most movies and shows as a young kid, and didn't relate to books until I was quite a lot older (I read picture books until I was around 10, and then suddenly in middle school, I hopped right to adult novels like 1984 and the entire Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley, ha). But even before I emotionally related to fiction, I really enjoyed watching animation. It was nice to look at, and I enjoyed watching everything move and change. I grew up in the 90's where animated movies were largely 2D, and I spent hours watching and re-watching my favorite movies just studying how the characters moved -- it's definitely a lot of where I got my understanding of human expressions from. But I also think as I got older and started to relate more to fiction, animation was easier to parse emotionally than live action. The body language is clear. The stories are direct and not as forgiving of bad human behavior (I get frustrated sometimes with the defeatism in adult media, that assumes that People Just Act Badly, and that just needs to be accepted). Facial expressions are also exaggerated and more stylized -- think of a single arched eyebrow, for example, an expression that's commonly drawn to express one particular emotion in animation/illustration but which you next to never see on a real human face. My first introduction into serious reading was also manga -- a highly visual medium -- which uses a lot of the same tactics stylistically as western animation: big, expressive faces, bold gestures and big stories. Compare manga with western comics being printed at the time and it's even more obvious to me why I didn't particularly like comics until I was given manga as an option -- and thankfully I lived close to a kinokuniya, so I could spend all my allowance on untranslated books and magazines, which is also where I learned Japanese (もうたくさん忘れてしまいましたけど).

As far as my favorite movies? THAT IS SO HARD. The first animated movie that BLEW MY MIND was The Lion King. I saw it in theaters when I was eight and I was obsessed; it was definitely one of my first special interests. I know that entire movie line by line, frame by frame, and I had the stuffed animals and the trading cards and the clothes (man, was I teased for those clothes!). My other favorite movies as a kid were The Land Before Time, American Tale, and The Secret of NIMH (I was a big Don Bluth fan!) which have left deep impressions on how to approach storytelling for children; I warn you, I go hard on emotions for kids, because I needed that as a kid, and I know I'm not alone. Some of my other favorites are anything Miyazaki but especially Howl's Moving Castle (I relate to Sophie a lot), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (what I watch when I'm In A Mood), Ratatouille (a huge source of echolalia for my husband and me, we often detect nuttiness, let me tell you), Wallace and Gromit and Fantastic Mr Fox, which I watch every fall as an autumnal tradition. Even as an adult who likes live action, too, I still tend to like slightly over the top directors like Wes Anderson and Guy Ritchie, or movies that are highly cinematic like Road to Perdition, which is still one of my favorite films of all time.

In my opinion, animation is a super important medium outside of it being a very beautiful one. I truly believe it helped me access and understand emotion better as a child, and as an adult, it's a massive source of inspiration in my own work 💛

(Sorry for length, but you did ask!)

[byunpum]

More moments in the life of AUNT sully.

Pair: Aunt human reader x sully family x mate na'va x friends

Warning: none, Mention of trauma, death, nice ending

Note: This one was really hard, I was debating too much, but I still hope you like it. This was a compilation of 3 request. They were very similar, so I decided to put them together. I leave them here so you can read them "HERE". By the way, in one part of the reading the reader can breathe pandora's air? sorry, I forgot she was human and not the hybrid version. So pretend she can breathe xD

Request: @ilovechickenwings Maybe aunt series she find love and gets pregnant and all of the kids gets sad because they think she might forget them.

AVATAR MASTERLIST  (check all my auntie sully series)

Life had been very quiet for you the last 3 years, you had a great family, your son and a quiet place to rest. Little by little you had found your place in pandora, being a human was something very difficult to do but not impossible. Or so you said, since you had no choice. There were 3 types of humans in Pandora, those who had their avatars, those who didn't have avatars because they didn't want to or weren't part of the avatar project and on the other hand there was you… the only member of your group. The humans who could not have avatars because of their genetics. You could be Tom and Jake's sister…and they could be compatible with an avatar body. But your genetics were not compatible, and when it met with that of a navi. It practically broke the lifeline. Grace tried many times, she even came close, but always failed. You must admit that you were very jealous when you first saw Jake in your older brother's navi body. You wanted that…grace even tried to see if you were compatible. You didn't care about being a man in a navi's body, you just wanted to be one. But it didn't happen.

You got used to the fact that you could never experience what it was like to be a real navi. You had prepared yourself so much. You knew everything, from the language, to their customs. And the fact that you lived with them made you a very wise person on the subject of the Navi. So life in these last days had been easy for you, you were so happy. And even more so now… you were getting closer to a certain navi, who had taken an interest in you. No, you hadn't planned it… it had never crossed your mind to fall in love with a navi man. You were of different species and that was very clear to you…but with him. It was impossible. Ruk'e… was a very quiet navi, too quiet to be true. He was the storyteller of the Omaticaya clan. A serene navi, who was in charge of taking care of the farming, telling stories of the travelers. He was not a warrior, or someone who caused trouble. His presence was almost unseen by others, he liked to spend time in the forest with nature and devote time to himself. And for some reason, he had grown very fond of you. You used to go and sit by the campfire, while he told the old stories of the clan. Stories about the warriors, battles and many other things. Usually after three stories, the omaticaya who were listening would leave. But you were staying, looking at him with enthusiasm.

You loved to hear about the clan's past, and about other clans. You looked like a little girl, sitting with your legs crossed waiting for him to continue. At first it was strange to him, he had contact with humans but it was always at a long distance. The things that were said about humans were not very good…so at first he kept his distance. Picking up his things as he finished, he said goodbye politely. Leaving you alone at the campfire, but it wasn't until one night you got up the courage to ask him.

See how he is getting up from the floor, picking up his materials. He liked to use hand-carved wooden animal figures. To make his stories more entertaining. You approach him carefully. "Hello" you speak, you looked nervous. You didn't want to make him uncomfortable, you always sat backwards in the back corner. "Hello" says ruk'e making the gesture with his hands. You copy his movements. "I wanted to… I wanted to" you stutter, he laughs a little. And with all the patience in the world he waits for you to feel comfortable to continue. "I wanted to ask…if you could tell me more about the mountain clans?" you ask, you had your head down. You feel someone take your chin and lift it, you lift your face. And you see how he has a sweet smile on his face, it was so charming. "Sure little flower, it would be my pleasure" he speaks, his voice was calm and sweet. It was like a quiet melody. You sit down in front of him. He watches you settle in and you look at him intently. From that moment on… you were never apart again. He used to come looking for you, and you always went to listen to him every night. Things came naturally and your feelings for each other grew quickly.

Eventually after a while, you and ruk'e became a pair. This surprised everyone…first because ruk'e was very traditional and second because you were a human. But this didn't matter to the two of you, you had your own little world in which this spider. You had introduced him to the man, not long after he started courting you. The man was surprised that you did not have the father of the child by your side. Omaticayas are very monogamous, and it is very rare to see a woman alone with her child. But you explained everything to him…from the beginning to the end. You thought he wouldn't understand, but thanks to eywa he did. And you were even more surprised when he hugged you and kissed you on your forehead. "You are brave my yawntu" says ruk'e.

Spider fell in love with ruk'e. He had become his father, of course… he was not a normal Navi father. Hunting? Spider had to kill only what was necessary, there was no reason to kill a creature to show off his talents. Ruk'e thought hunters were sometimes a bit silly. Fighting? Why do you have to fight…violence begets more violence. This was a direct joke to tsu'tey, who was always making comments about ruk'e. Of course, spider never cared about any of this…he always obeyed his father. And thanks to that he was the kindest and most lovable boy in all of Pandora. And that's saying a lot, because the mo'at itself praised spider's upbringing. "His parents are raising a beautiful child," said the woman, watching as spider helped a pregnant woman, and he was only 5 years old.

The need for your family to grow was very evident in your eyes. You wanted to have more members in your family, all three were fine. But you knew that ruk'e wanted to have a child, but you were hurt to know that you couldn't give him that. You couldn't get pregnant by him in the first place, could you? You weren't sure…no one was. You could be compatible, sexually, and have no problem with that. But creating a baby together? Mmm you don't think it's possible. And having an avatar? That was history. Or so you thought, because someone gave you a surprise.

"Spider honey…come here!!!" you yell a little, while calling the little guy. You needed to clean him up, his mouth was all dirty. Spider was in the hammock playing with his father. "Honey…leave him alone. He looks cute like that," says ruk'e, while he blows a trumpet on spider's cheeks, and spider laughs. You start to look up at him. You hear someone approaching and calling you at the edge of your hut. You had moved in with ruk'e days after joining as a couple. The hut had been arranged to your liking and comfort. It sure was different from the other traditional huts, but ruk'e didn't mind. "Hey…Y/N can I talk to you for a second?" says norm, you could see he had some papers in his hands.

"Something wrong?" you approach, stepping out of the hut a bit. Spider signals to his father, for you both to go peek in. "I have very good news," says Norm, with a big smile. "What happened? Say it already!" you speak. "I think I managed to create an avatar for you," says Norm. For a moment you felt like all the air in your body was gone, you even felt dizzy. You stare at norm in surprise. "You're not kidding? Are you?" you couldn't believe it, finally. "No…I just need to run some tests and take blood samples. The avatar will grow in one of the capsules we have free. It might take about 5 years to grow, but…I think we can do it" Norm is so excited. Secretly he had been working on this project in secret. You jump up, and hug Norm, "By eywa…I am!!!! Ahhhh RUK'E!!!" You scream, running towards the hut. To your surprise, you see that your mate and your son were standing there, with a giant smile on their faces. "Did you hear everything??!!!!" you speak, you see as ruk'e nods his head smiling even bigger. He kneels down so you can hug him. "Finally…finally!!!" you feel like you could explode, this is really happening? You couldn't believe it.

Days and weeks went by, you went every day to the lab to see your avatar. She looked so much like you. Your excitement was so great, this was really happening. Jake was next to you looking at the avatar's body in the capsule. You were both silent as you watched the avatar make involuntary movements. "Are you sure about this?" says Jake, you look up. "Yes…I've never been more sure in my life about something like this" you speak, jake can see your smile widen and you continue to stare at your future body. He knew how much you wanted this. That same night, you were lying on your partner's chest. Ruk'e was stroking your hair, while singing a lullaby. "at last I can give you a son" you speak, you can hear ruk'e's voice stop. You lift your head slightly from your chest to see him. He was looking at you and had a serious expression. "Y/N I don't mind having a child. Sure…I want to. But it's not important to me. I don't want you to do this 'new body' thing for me. If you do it I want it to be for you" says ruk'e, his voice sounded distressed.

"But…you know I can't, and it's almost impossible that" you start to speak, but ruk'e takes your face in his hands and gives you a soft kiss. "I know…but we have spider, he's enough. Don't worry about it" he laughs. You settle back into his chest, hugging his chest tighter. "I want you to know that no matter what happens…I will always love you" ruk'e speaks, pulling you closer to his body. They both fall asleep quickly. That same morning, norm's scream jolted you awake. The man was agitated and from the look on his face. Something bad had happened. You get up quickly, and run to Norm, "You have to come to the lab" says Norm, you don't even get ready and run away. "Ruk'e stay with the boy…I'll be right back" you yell. Taking one last look around, watching as your partner is worriedly trying to calm the anxious spider.

You and Norm hurry to the lab. He didn't want to say anything to you on the way, nerves were killing you. What could be so bad that Norm would arrive at your house worried like this. As you enter the lab, your eyes widen. You see some of your friends surrounding the capsule where your avatar was, trying to stabilize it. You rush over, peering through the glass to see how it's warping. The scientists were doing what they could. "Get her out of there!!! " you shout, looking at norm in desperation. "We can't…she would die!!!" says norm, trying to install a tube so we can give her some medicine. All was chaos in the lab, you could see your friends running from one side to the other. While others were trying to stabilize her. You were a bit far away, this was not your field. So you decide to stay away and let them do their job. Out of nowhere, you hear a silence and see how everyone starts to look at each other. The machine that was checking your avatar's pulse had stopped and you noticed this. "Norm? NORM WHAT'S GOING ON?" you approach the man, who is looking at the capsule. You can see a tear come out of his eye. "I'm so sorry…I swear I tried" says Norm, it couldn't be true. This wasn't happening to you. "No, no, no…why? Why" your voice breaks, as tears well up in your eyes. You look at your avatar, she had stopped moving and looked a little pale. You start to cry and fall to the ground. You couldn't stop… you were so close. So close. Norm sits down next to you, and pulls you into his arms to hug you.

"Love…take it easy. I need you to breathe" ruk'e says as he holds you between his legs. Everyone was in the lab. Jake, Neytiri, ruk'e, norm, max…everyone. Norm had called them after the event, he thought it would be best. You were very upset. "And what happened? I wasn't well?" asked Jake, he was worried. "There was a glitch in her system… I thought the Y/N DNA had finally come together. But no…there was a break in her genetics. This caused a heart attack" says max. Neytiri takes a deep breath, she couldn't understand much of what max said, but she understood that your avatar had died. She was holding spider in her arms, she had told ruk'e that she would take care of the child that night so that he would take care of you. "He's a very young avatar…it's a shame," norm says. Everyone falls silent. While you are still crying, hugging your mate's neck. Ruk'e was doing his best to calm you down, but he knew you had to let all your emotions out.

Norm said he was going to take care of the body, that there was nothing to do. Your avatar was still too young, so he couldn't handle the whole process of genetic acceptance. You were devastated, ruk'e had taken you home. You were both sitting in silence, while your mate cut up some fruit. Your gaze is lost to anywhere in the hut. "Where is spider?" you ask, your voice sounded so sad. "He is with neytiri and jake…they will take care of him for the night" he speaks. You just answer him with a "mmm". Ruk'e walks over to you, taking your hand to kiss your palm. "everything will be fine" you raise your gaze, it looked lost. Ruk'e had to look at you for several more seconds, to be able to find you because you didn't seem to be there. He knew how hurt you were, you had put all your hopes in this. And now he was gone.

"I failed…again I failed. I failed in everything, what have I done to create all this" your tears begin to fall. "Why don't things work out for me? I'm a fucking failure" you cry, as ruk'e comes closer to put his arms around you. "Love you are not a failure" he speaks, you pull away. "Of course I am… he was right. I'm a fucking failure, I didn't make him happy. I'll never make you happy. I'm never going to get what I studied for so many years. I'll never… and it's all because of me. It's all my damn fault" you lower your head as your moans are heard throughout the hut. Ruk'e lets you cry, and respects your space. He doesn't usually get upset, but now he had a feeling of rage. He knew the damage that man (quaritch) had done to you. What he had left in you, so many years of mistreatment and you being so young destroyed you. Ruk'e turns to you, taking your hands and giving them a squeeze. You look up, and you can see tears welling up in his eyes as well. "I know you are hurt…I understand. I can't heal that wound. But I can be your support while you do" ruk'e takes a deep breath, and wipes away a few tears.

"I told you the story of the Binary sunshine flower?" ruk'e says, moving closer. To now stand next to you, draping one of his arms over your shoulder, pulling you closer to his body. "Ruk'a love…" you start to moan, but he continues.

"Once upon a time there was a Binary sunshine flower called Hewngea. Unlike the other flowers, Hewngea could not bear fruit or seeds. This made her feel left out and rejected for not fulfilling her traditional purpose. Hewngea felt sad and believed she was a failure compared to the other flowers. However, she was unaware that its beauty and fragrance attracted butterflies, which were key pollinators in the garden. One day, Hewngea saw how the yayo fluttered around her, collecting pollen on their wings. She realized that, despite not fulfilling the commonly accepted floral purpose, their existence was vital to the butterflies' life cycle and to maintaining diversity in the garden." Counts ruk'e, as he hugs you more.

"Ruk'e don't be like that…" you start to speak, but he ignores you and continues telling the story. "As the yayo flew from flower to flower, they carried Hewngea's pollen with them, helping to pollinate other plants and ensuring the reproduction of the surrounding flora. Hewngea realized then that, although she could not bear fruit or seeds, her role in the yayo colony was essential. From that moment on, she embraced her uniqueness and took pride in being a source of life and beauty for the yayos and her colony" spoke ruk'e, maintaining his silence for a moment.

He makes a quick movement, for now he is in front of you. His tail wagged from side to side, while his eyes searched yours. You pet the side of his face. "You are so important to me…you are my whole life. You are spider's mother, his mother. You are the best sister and the best aunt ever. You have a family that loves you, and if you were gone they would fall apart. I would fall apart. You are not a failure love…you are everything that is good and beautiful in this family" says ruk'e. You wipe away your tears, and move in for a kiss. For this reason you had fallen in love with him, how could he be so adorable? How could he be so… him?

"I see you" you speak, watching as he moves closer to your face. Leaning his forehead against yours. "I see you" there was a comforting silence. You knew he would be there for you, you knew he wouldn't fail you. That he wouldn't claim you for anything…he wasn't that man. No one was that man…you no longer had to meet his standards. Now you could be you. "Why don't we finish eating and then rest" says ruk'e, you laugh a little. "Yes…I agree" you say, coming closer to give him a big hug.

It had been three weeks since that event, and little by little you had recovered. It wasn't easy to say goodbye to your last chance to have an avatar body. But you were working it out. After all, you had everything you had asked for. You had your son, your mate and your family. What else could happen? Neytiri had asked you with her to go to the nearest lake to take the children to play. They were all between the ages of 2 and 6 years old, and they did not sit still and got bored easily. You agree, you didn't want to be alone for too long. They are both sitting on one of the rocks near the water. They were talking about everything, about the latest events that had happened. They might live nearby, but they both had lives of their own, so they were making the most of this time as friends.

It wasn't long before you started to feel sick. You swore that you saw the water in the stream and you saw it was white and your eyesight was a little blurry. Neytiri noticed how you were rocking back and forth, the movement was slow. "Y/N are you okay?" she asks, holding your shoulders. You were fainting, and just like that, you were in Neytiri's arms. "Y/N!!! no!!! Wake up!!!" was the last thing you heard, after that. You didn't know anything else. When you were finally able to regain consciousness, you could hear several voices in the distance. You could hear your brother jake, neytiri and ruk'e. They were a little upset but their everything was fine. They were a little upset but their whole mood was one of happiness. Even norm's voice, this made you open your eyes quickly.

You hadn't spoken to Norm since the event in the lab. Everyone saw your eyes widen. "You are awake" says mo'at, who was doing several massages to get you up. You see that you have something on your belly, and several wet cloths of a paste on your forehead. Thank eywa that you were now wearing na'vi clothes, otherwise this would be a disaster. Everyone comes around you, and ruk'e kneels down to stand next to you. You see everyone is looking at you with that stupid grin. "What the hell is going on? Jake?" you look at your brother, and you just swear you see him crying. "We have to tell you something" says Neytiri sitting on the other side of you. You look at her with concern. "What? Am I going to die?" you ask. Norm laughs. "You are pregnant," says Neytiri, very happy. Squeezing your hand, while you open your mouth in shook. "WHAT?" you shift your gaze to look at your partner. Ruk'e ascends with his face, and you turn to look at jake, and he copies ruk'e. You almost faint again, but mo'at holds you up. "Easy…we're here" says neytiri, you turn your gaze to her. She looked so happy for you.

You couldn't understand how you had become pregnant. It was almost impossible, if you couldn't with a human, why with a na'vi? What if you hurt your baby? Since your genetics are not compatible? Oghhhh you were going into crisis. After you recovered and felt better. Norm stopped by your home, he wanted you to go to the lab. But you didn't feel ready to visit that place yet. "How did this happen? How is this possible?" you ask. "Mmmm I don't know…I really don't know what to tell you. This is a one in a million chance" says Norm, you can see how happy he is. "But if I…I hurt him. That I wouldn't stand for" you speak, norm takes your hand. "I'll be there to help you and take care of you. I promise you everything will be okay" norm speaks. You laugh, and squeeze his hand. He always keeps his promise…always.

4 months of pregnancy had passed and everything was happening just right. It still felt so unreal to you. Sometimes when you are alone you swear it was eywa who blessed you with this pregnancy. Everything was calm again, you were sitting in the hut. You felt tired, it was a na'vi baby inside you. You might be 4 months, but you felt 7 months. Norm was always monitoring you, keeping an eye on everything. You were grateful to have your friends and family all together. You sat there resting while you watched spider and lo'ak play in the hut. Lately lo'ak always wanted to be by your side, so it was normal to see him at your house early in the morning. You watch as the two children approach, while spider leans down and places his face on your belly.

"I hear his heartbeat!!!" says spider, excited. The child had recently turned 6 years old, and is very active. Lo'ak mimics his movements, you stroke his hair while your nephew listens carefully to what is in your belly. See how his little eyes open, lo'ak has na'vi hearing so he can literally hear everything clearly. "Wowwwwwww" shouts lo'ak. "It's great?" you speak, stroking lo'ak's cheek. " Aunt Y/N…it's going to be a girl" lo'ak says, you look at him curiously. While spider nudges him a little. "How do you know!!!"? spider is already getting annoyed. "I just know," lo'ak says, rolling his shoulders up. "Lo'ak has magical powers" you joke, tickling both children. You were anxious to be a mother to your second child, finally.

Dictionary: Yoya [bird ]

p.s: I know that in the request they want aunt sully to have a na'vi body, but I decided not to do it. Since in other requests she is always represented as human. So leave her as human, I see no reason to change her. Being human and being the weird Aunt of the family is her job.

I am gradually answering all the requests. Wow…thank you very much, I love you very much <3

[barrenclan]

I don't know if this song has been suggested yet but 15 Step by Radiohead for Rainhaze? Not just for the "one by one / it comes to us all / it's as soft as your pillow" (in reference to how he perceived death) but if you're willing to skew the optimism in the first verse, I see it as the line where he finally 'realizes' what Defiance is all about - when he finally sheds the Old Rainhaze for the new one by killing Asphodelpaw ("first you reel me out and then you cut the string"). Plus, there's a very on the nose reference that I see Ranger making to him in relation to finding out about Barrenclan ("you used to be alright, what happened? / did the cat get your tongue? / did your string come undone?") which is conveniently immediately before the Death lines.

And with recent developments (I had this ask planned for a while lol) now the "You used to be alright, what happened?" ...Ohhhh that hits. The difference between the mocking tone of Ranger the first time around, and then the second time the verse is repeated, it being cut off with "etcetera, etcetera..." which I either interpret as Rainhaze being unable to finish 'convincing' the rest of Barrenclan because he got interrupted then Tigerstar'd... Much to think about.

Anyway love this comic, been following it (and TDS!) since day 1, can't believe it's been so many years of it. At least one. You have a talent for storytelling!! I can't wait to see what you have planned for the future, big fan!

Haven't heard this one yet! But I'm always happy to get some Radiohead. I'm very flattered you've been enjoying the comic, and following my stories for so long.

Ooh, I always like getting instrumental music recommendations! I've never seen LOST, but both my parents watched it while it was airing. PATFW is definitely a mystery story, although I like to think I got to my resolutions better than JJ did. Giacchino is a great scorer of course, I like how this song is sad, sweet, and a little ominous. Reminds me of Twin Peaks.

Haha yes, it's definitely a popular suggestion for a popular song. But it is very pretty, and I do like the themes of burial and fighting to try and restrain someone who won't be restrained.

You can't keep them all caged They will fight and run away Mother, tell me so I say

Barren curtains that you're weaving Like the stories that you keep inside your head She can't keep them all safe They will die and be afraid

Oh... yeah. Anything with scary angel imagery fits very well for her, because I heavily associate Asphodelpaw with Laura Palmer.

Carry me in your teeth with tender jaws of sympathy (Arrow deep inside the meat Impossible for us to reach)

Shattered in a mist of crippled, angel silhouettes Lift the dirt, and cover me Lay at my side until I'm finally sleeping Until I'm finally sleeping

I like it! Comorantpaw has a strong streak of self-hatred and lately, is very much feeling like he's permanently stained with evil because of his past. But he still wants to be there for Pinepaw, maybe thinking it's all he's good for.

Bitterness is thick like blood and cold as a wind sea breeze If you must drink of me, take of me what you please I am loathed to say it's the devil's taste I've been with the devil in the devil's resting place

Come up here to speak to me and hold your face to mine Any man can hold my gaze has done his job just fine You just sold your life away to be with me tonight Hold your head against my chest, I think you'll be just fine

Classic Glass Animals! I think it captures the feeling of Issue 38 well.

Everything, waiting, shaking as it drops I tried for you and I, for too hard, for too long Gave it all and everything for more time, but I lost

… Ooh, I'm breaking down Whispers would deafen me now You don't make a sound Heartbreak was never so loud

Hahah! Yeah, this fits them well.

What did I do to deserve you? How did you find me? I was already halfway gone You were a bright light You were a fistfight, oh

Our love is older than the Great Wall Our love spins a gun around its finger Our love has found its way into our mouths before Cut our teeth until we swallow it whole

Great Rainhaze song! It gets at that fatalistic, manic energy he has that's especially evident in Issue 37.

Losing my mind It never felt so good to be alive Crucify my name I never felt more famous than today, where I am no one To nothing

Lose your mind baby You'll never feel so good to be alive, I say again I say erase your name, sweet honey You'll never feel more famous than today, where you are no one (no one)

I believe it was suggested a couple years ago with Hush Puppy and Thrasher, but not Rainhaze! It's an interesting angle to make it about him and Ranger.

One last kiss I love you like a broken pot One last kiss I love you like a pack of dogs One last kiss I need you like I need a gaping head wound

[doamarierose-honoka]

Sony will release a new animated short titled “The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story” on Sony Pictures Animation’s YouTube channel at 6 a.m. PT on March 27.

From Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks, the short is set in the world of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and follows Miles Morales/Spider-Man as he struggles to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend, student and Spider-Man. In navigating those pressures, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.

The digital release comes in partnership with the Kevin Love Fund, and will be incorporated as part of the fund’s new mental health-focused lesson plan, “The Hero Within.” The lesson plan invites students to tell their own story through the lens of mental health awareness via an interactive curriculum including a creative storyboard activity.

“Miles represents so many of us doing the best we can in our day-to-day lives,” said Jarelle Dampier, director of “The Spider Within.” “We don’t often realize all that we’ve been through until our own body forces us to become aware of its experience. My intention is that ‘The Spider Within’ can motivate deeper conversations amongst friends & family about their own mental health journeys — and I hope it feels like a love letter to those who adore Miles Morales.”

KLF founder, professional basketball player and mental health advocate Kevin Love said, “My hope for the short film would be for everyone, especially young people, to understand that your feelings are valid and that you are not alone in this.”

Love continued, “You see it with Spider-Man in the short film, where Miles has a trusted confidante. He is able to take a walk with his dad and express what he’s going through. We can all learn from that – how important it is to reach out to someone, express your true emotions, speak your truth and not hold everything inside.”

“The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story” debuted at Annecy in 2023 and was developed and produced in the inaugural year of Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Leading and Empowering New Storytellers (LENS) program, a nine-month leadership training program that provides candidates from underrepresented groups with an opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience in animation. The final deliverable of the program is an all-original short film, set in the existing world of a feature produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

“The Spider Within: “A Spider-Verse Story” is written by Khaila Amazan, and produced by LENS program creators Michelle Raimo-Kouyate and David Schulenburg. Rounding out the LENS team are Clara Chan who served as vfx supervisor and Joe Darko who served as animation supervisor.

[sufferu]

Hey never read re zero I don't plan to for some time but I've seen a lot anime and light novel spoilers but why do you think Subaru has more chemistry with Julius than Emilia and rem

Okay first of all, obligatory shilling time: Re:Zero is amazing and I love it and you should absolutely give it a chance when you’ve got some time. Please.

And uh. I’m admittedly not sure how to put this for someone who’s never watched/read Re:Zero, but I’ll try!

At this point in the story, Subaru and Emilia are…very much a slow burn couple, and it’s mainly just Subaru having a huge ass crush on Emilia while Emilia tries to figure out what Subaru means to her. And it’s sweet and wholesome, but currently it’s reached a point where Subaru is doing all the work on a number of different levels — not just regarding his romantic feelings towards Emilia — to the point where it feels rather unbalanced sometimes. I’m holding onto hope that this is intentional and going to be the focus of some development for Emilia sometime soon, but it is what it is for now. But beyond that, it’s really just a matter of Subaru liking Emilia and Emilia wondering if she should return his feelings, and that’s FINE, but it’s not hugely compelling to me. (Also frankly I’m of the opinion that Emilia deciding that her feelings towards Subaru are actually platonic and that she values him more as a platonic soulmate than a romantic partner could genuinely be S Tier storytelling, so.)

Subaru and Rem, meanwhile… Okay, so, I kinda oversimplified things a bit, because those two DO have chemistry. Quite a bit, actually. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that they have one of the most layered, complex relationships in the entire series. But the thing is, it also happens to be INSANELY toxic, with both of them enabling the other person’s worst behaviors and basically leaning on the other in this incredibly interesting codependency that literally only gets shaken by one of them getting erased from existence. (Also Rem is unique in that she is the sole character who is not Subaru who has been directly responsible for an IF Route: one of the possible Bad Ends that the series can go down if the wrong choice is made at a pivotal moment. In almost all of them, Subaru is the one making that choice — except for Sloth:IF, in which the choice is between whether Rem agrees to run away to Kararagi with him or refuses and coaxes him back to his feet during his mental breakdown, thus losing her chance to have him all to herself.) it’s a really complicated dynamic that’s difficult to summarize in one paragraph (I didn’t even bring up how Rem literally tortured him for several hours in a previous loop, to the point where he references still having nightmares about it a full year after the fact) but I hope I’ve given SOME idea for how fascinating it is. Regardless of how interesting it is though, it’s not exactly Final Couple material: everything is pointing to the two of them learning to stand apart from one another on their own two feet.

Julius, meanwhile — there’s a lot here, really, and most of it is pretty woven into the story (which you have not read) but I’ll try and give a couple reasons lol.

First of all, Julius is unique in that he is the only character to actually remember doing something traumatizing to Subaru. He’s not unique in traumatizing Subaru — this man has been murdered, tortured, beaten to a pulp, humiliated, and so much else by like half the cast at this point — but Subaru normally dies and resets to sometime before that happens, and so Julius is the only one who actually did something that Subaru was hurt by and remembers doing it. This, ironically, gives the two of them a foundation for their dynamic that is arguably healthier than the ones Subaru has with most of his friends — especially because Julius has proven time and again that he is a safe person for Subaru to be angry with, because he’s actually been really understanding and tolerant about Subaru lashing out at him over it sometimes without being the kind of overly-apologetic that would guilt Subaru into being quiet. As such, Julius is the One Person who has done something horrible to Subaru that Subaru has allowed himself to feel angry and resentful towards, which is noteworthy because a lot of other traumas have been explicitly recolored as “good memories” as one of his coping mechanisms.

Beyond that: Subaru references his attraction to Julius so many times it’s practically a running gag. He waxes poetic about his long legs, graceful eyelashes, vexing voice, supple hips, and the “strange sensation” that his image inspires within him. I’d say I’m reading into it but I genuinely don’t think I am, because it happens SO MUCH, and (with a couple exceptions, like the guy he went on a two page “there’s another reason I’m on my knees right now” rant for) it’s ALWAYS JULIUS. Hell, even other characters like Emilia reference it sometimes, with Subaru responding by saying that they’re definitely not friends, but “something infinitely more annoying.”

And like — they’re just fun? Their dynamic is fun. They’ve got this playful banter going on every time they meet, they obviously respect each other on a serious level beneath that layer of mutual sass, Julius has this sense of being able to be his real self around Subaru in a way that he doesn’t feel he can with anyone else while Subaru has that aforementioned foundation of “I can finally actually be angry about something that traumatized me for once,” and it’s just — shockingly equal and healthy and wholesome. It’s nice. (I fully expect these two to have some plausibly deniable “very close” relationship by the end of the story that could be read in a number of different ways lol)

[ecargmura]

Dandadan Episode 4 Review - Crabby Turbo Granny

Wow, I just witnessed a masterpiece of an episode. From animation to storytelling to voice acting, this episode was fantastic in every way. This episode alone just put Science Saru on the map in terms of being a powerhouse animation studio. Man, I felt as if my eyesight got cleansed…and this is coming from someone who got LASIK three years ago.

This entire episode is just about Momo and Okarun facing off against Turbo Granny in hopes of curing the latter of his curse and get his thingy back. I like that the episode does not diverge away or have side content. It’s just a battle between them and the granny from beginning to end. It’s nice in a way. Sometimes, anime episodes do have a tendency to cut away to other characters.

The animation was *chefs kiss*. The camera angles are fire and how the characters move around is seriously amazing. My favorite part is when Momo decided to be Okarun’s guiding hands as she uses her powers to help him turn and fly. Not only is this amazing animation, but it also shows their impeccable teamwork even though it’s only been a day or two since they met. The choice to have a rendition of a classical song while Okarun went full throttle for the second time was so cool. Seiko is also in on the plan as she has been waiting at the front of the Kamigoe area as it’s the only way to defeat both spirits. 

I loved the twist of not being just Turbo Granny but also the location-bound spirit that they have to deal with. It’s interesting that spirits turn into crabs. It could just be Japanese folklore on that part, but that’s an interesting detail. It turns out that Turbo Granny is a protective spirit underneath her malice as her tendency to gobble up men’s peckers is because the tunnel she had resided in had been used as a place where girls would’ve been taken to get violated, mutilated and then killed. Turbo Granny had been a bit of a protective spirit for those lost girls’ souls. In a way, it makes her a bit sympathetic. It also makes sense how she was able to find Momo so easily in the first episode in that she traveled through the phone as she sensed a girl in danger and that was why she bit the aliens’ things.

The voice acting was also amazing. Shion Wakayama has seriously proven herself to be a strong rising star with how she screams and yells at different instances and she makes them sound realistic. However, her best performance in this episode has to be at the end where she was fighting with her grandmother Seiko over the crab legs and then she started making unhinged noises when chewing crab legs. Everyone else did amazing as to be expected of established voice actors.

Now that the Turbo Granny arc has come to an end. However, it doesn’t seem like Okarun got his balls back given that the story is still on-going. I do wonder what’s next in store for the story. Will they meet more ghosts or will their next adversary be an alien? What do you think?

[thisthirstisreal]

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FINALE AND I MUST SHARE THEM

Okay, to preface I want to say that I have been very ambivalent about the current KNY season. I can understand both sides of the mixed reception, one declaring that Ufotable is padding things out too much, the other saying that this is perfect to flesh out slice-of-life character moments that weren't present in the manga. Me, I find myself agreeing with both sides and have been having mixed feelings. Either way I've kept watching.

So the finale just dropped. And oh my gosh. It's so. Fucking. Good. I loved it — and not just because of the animation, which was bonkers this episode and obviously one of its main highlights. But I'm not here to talk about that.

The narrative was SO good.

From the moment Muzan meets Ubuyashiki, he calls him hideous. This is very important. Their entire meeting this episode revolved around their different ideologies — Muzan believes in the beauty of immortality, while Ubuyashiki believes that true immortality stems from human bonds and wills. He makes an excellent point: after he dies, the Demon Slayer Corps will continue to thrive, if not rally harder against Muzan because of their bonds and Ubuyashiki's legacy.

If Muzan dies, everything he stands for ends with him.

Look at Muzan. He's beautiful. He is unblemished and young and Amane even describes his physical appearance out loud. In contrast — Ubuyashiki is, well, not looking great. His skin is scaly and he's covered in bandages and he's coughing blood. That's the point. Mortality can be ugly. People decay, people die, but what matters is that their bonds and traditions live on forever. That's literally the definition of culture in our real world today.

During the climax, we see that. We see Muzan stripped of his beauty again and again, to reveal all that monstrosity beneath his skin before his beauty is restored.

Meanwhile we don't see those demonic visuals with Ubuyashiki and his family — because they died and disappeared into nothing in the fire. We don't see their skin stripped away, their eyeballs bulging from raw muscle, nothing. They moved on with grace. Mortality can appear ugly on the surface, and immortality beautiful, but the author is trying to tell us it's the OPPOSITE if we look deeper.

Is this a groundbreaking theme? Hell no. There's nothing subversive or unique about this, and that's perfectly fine. There is a reason Demon Slayer is so popular, and part of it aside from the animation is, ironically and unbelievably, the story. Because simple storytelling can also be incredible if executed right, and Gotouge knocked this out of the park.

Man, just seeing all the Hashira pull up to attack Muzan, Gyomei being entrusted by Ubuyashiki to pull Ubuyashiki's scheme off, Tamayo showing up (really ties up her debut this season) and weaponising the Blood Demon Art from the man Muzan carelessly turned into a demon in S1 was so good. Time and time again, Muzan has done things at his whim without giving a shit about the consequences because he doesn't think there are any. He says so himself — that he doesn't face retribution.

He was wrong. Everything he did caused a ripple effect that led back to him. I loved how Gyomei's backstory last episode tied in with his respect and love for Ubuyashiki this episode. How Ubuyashiki saving him from prison sealed Gyomei's loyalty to him and how this bond lived on in Gyomei with his entrance against Muzan. I loved how Ubuyashiki's character was portrayed. He's not physically strong, he's not a swordsman, but he's a leader, a conveyer of wills, a symbol, and we felt how he conveyed his message to his Demon Slayers and to Muzan in this finale. He had to die to expound his message.

He was the perfect foil to Muzan's character (Muzan, who was also born sickly but went down a different path, who clung to immortality rather than accepting his death) and he truly went out with a bang. RIP.

This may not be a perfect season for everyone. But I am so fucking glad it happened anyway. I can't wait for Infinity Castle. I can't believe this episode was so phenomenal when we haven't even gotten into the peak of the series (the movies).

[chaos0pikachu]

Two Flavors of Japanese (BL) Cinema

Recently I came across a post that proposited that Japanese cinema hadn't changed since the 1950's and came in, essentially, two types. 

Let's discuss that. 

I can’t go into the history of all Japanese cinema in a singular blog post like that’s just not possible, there’s literal books and classes you can take on this subject, and I will be linking further reading down at the bottom of the post so you can do just that. 

This fact alone, should already disprove the point that Japanese cinema hasn’t changed since the 1950’s. Other than the fact that like, Japan isn’t a static society that is forever unchanging because human beings do not work like that. 

Which is why I’m writing this essay at all. 

I love cinema, I love storytelling and filmmaking. And, frankly, I may not be an expert but I am annoying. I own that. 

Japanese cinema has held influence over many directors, writers, animators, and so forth. 

Just watch this playlist of Sailor Moon references across various cartoons. Or how Satoshi Kon influenced the work of Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan. Or how James Cameron and the Wachowskis were both influenced by Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 Ghost in the Shell. And then there’s Akira Kurosawa who’s been cited as a major influence for directors like: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese and a slew of others.

I want folks to know there’s a slew of amazing films from Japan and that distilling the industry - the blood, sweat and tears of its creators - to a strict dichotomy of this or that, either/or is disrespectful at best and xenophobic at worst. 

It’s also just a shame because, like, guys there’s so many great films from Japan! There’s also probably a lot of great live action shows from Japan but I’m not super knowledgeable about them - I mainly watch anime so that’s not a great metric in terms of Japanese television - so I’m just talking about films in this post. 

Ok so main points I’m gonna address: 

Japanese Cinema hasn’t changed since the 1950s 

Japanese film style falls under an extreme dichotomy of cinematic/sweeping (described as “atmospheric”) or cartoonish/slapstick (described as “live action manga”)

Baby does any of this have to do with BL? (no, but it IS more gay than you think)

With these four films: The Hidden Fortress (1958), Lady Snowblood (1973), Gohatto (1999), and Kubi (2023). 

I picked these four because they’re all “period pieces” taking place feudal Japan - or with the aesthetics of feudal Japan, The Hidden Fortress nor Lady Snowblood aren’t based on actual historical events, like Gohatto and Kubi are, however loosely, but take place in an amorphous 15th to 18th century Japan - and I think they strongly show the development of this singular genre in Japanese cinema. 

Plus the latter two films, Gohatto and Kubi, are gay as fuck and I know my people. 

[you can also read this post on this blog post which includes additional links as tumblr has a limit and for easier readability as this is a long post]

The Hidden Fortress 

Released in 1958, directed by Akira Kurosawa it’s probably the most well-known film on the list. It’s a film that exists within the “Golden Age” of Japanese cinema alongside films like Kurosawa’s own Seven Samurai (1954), Yasujirō Ozu’s Tokyo Story (1953) and Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu (1953). 

It was also the era where, after the American Occupation post-WWII a boom of movie distribution took place with new film studios such as: Toho (y’all know them from any Godzilla movie ever made), Toei (if you know One Piece you know Toei but they’ve done a ton of films both animated and live action) and others. 

The story is straight forward, two peasants, Matashichi and Tahei who bicker their asses off like an old married couple the entire film, happen upon a Very Hot Man with the Only Thighs Out (Toshiro Mifune was a BABE) named Rokurota and his companion a icy young woman named Yuki. 

Matashichi and Tahei have just escaped like, a ton of ~circumstances that include failing to become samurai, being broke as fuck, getting captured and forced into servitude - don’t worry that lasted like 6 hours tops - and then find gold hidden in a stick on a mountain. 

Turns out Rokurota has all the stick gold they could want! So they team up neither realizing Rokurota and Yuki are actually part of a clan that’s been recently wiped out and they’re on the run from a rival clan who has wiped theirs out. Yuki is the princess of said clan and it’s only survivor, while Rokurota is her samurai general and retainer. 

Tahei and Matashichi, living in ignorance of these facts, try to steal the gold away from them because they live that hustle life until the end when all is revealed and Yuki grants them both with a gold piece to share (this is a really big piece of stick gold). 

There’s other things that happen, like a fight scene between Rokurota and rival clan member, Yuki owning every single scene she in - I fucking love her - but that’s the gist. 

The story is, again, pretty uncomplicated, it balances the comedy of Tahei & Matashichi with the stoicism of Rokurota and Yuki well, and all the acting is strong. In terms of its film style, by modern day standards it’s not especially “cinematic” Kurosawa doesn’t favor fanetic camera movements, his camera is often very still and the movement he employs is often in individual character ticks, and/or background set pieces. This film has a lot of great set pieces. 

Kurosawa didn’t employ camera techniques like panning, he doesn’t really do extreme close ups, there's no swooping shots or fancy tricks, I’d say a majority of the camera shots in The Hidden Fortress are a combination of mid, and wide, with a few mid-close ups. One thing to notice is Kurosawa’s use of scene cuts; instead of a cut he used pan sweeps to change scenes. If you’ve ever watched a Star Wars film you know exactly what I mean. 

The Hidden Fortress, first and foremost, is an action adventure film. It has more in common tonally with Top Gun Maverick or Star Wars A New Hope, in that it's straight forward, sincere, and grand in scale, grounded by a very honest set of characters who are strongly motivated. 

I feel like in modern day discussions we association “action/adventure” films in a sorta of negative way; this is probably due, in part, to the oversaturation of the high budget blockbusters of the last ten years - oh MCU, how you’ve fallen - that are overly bombastic, overly complicated, overly connected, and the root of what audiences connect with - the characters - tends to be lost. 

Scott Lang's motivations in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are to protect his teenager daughter and the family he's built, which are simple, strong, and relatable character motivations. However, they got lost in the conventions of the plot, the frantic energy of the film, the simple amount going on around Scott that his motivations become less a central focus and thus he becomes small within his own film. We, the audience, become distant and it grows more difficult to connect with what's happening. This can still work on some level, the Fast and Furious franchise isn't successful because it's sophisticated, but the Fast-chise has embraced it's cheesier conventions and spectacle, while blockbusters like the MCU's output, simple juggle to much all at once. It also helps that while the cast keeps growing in the Fast and Furious films, there's still less than ten characters you have to actually know and care about. To fully understand and connect with the characters of The Marvels, you have to watch Ms. Marvel and WandaVision on Disney+ and the task becomes more akin to homework than simply the enjoyment of watching a movie. 

The epic scale grows so large it feels daunting, rather than exhilarating. 

I think this is why a film like Winter Soldier, more so than most MCU films of the last decade, has continued to be a fan favorite of the universe and of blockbuster lovers whether you are a fan of the MCU or not. At its root, Winter Soldier is character driven, with deeply motivated characters,  which is what makes the action and adventure aspects stick. 

The Hidden Fortress is similarly character driven with a simple and straightforward story that is about honor, loyalty, a princess, a loyal samurai/knight, rebuilding a decimated clan, and two “normal” characters to keep everything grounded and relatable. Which in turn, helps make it timeless. While the filmmaking itself isn't grandiose as what modern audiences may be used to, Kurosawa knows how to direct a scene and more than that, direct his actors. Mifune is commanding as always, but for me, it's really actress Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki that steals the movie. 

Lady Snowblood

Released in 1973 and based on a manga of the same name by Kazou Koike and Kazuo Kaminura, directed by Toshiya Fujita, Lady Snowblood and its sequel Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance are considered cult classics. Lady Snowblood, famously, is Quentin Tarantino’s inspiration for his Kill Bill saga (like, a freaking lot). 

Lady Snowblood is a part of the era of “new wave” and “pink films” that were emerging in Japan and elsewhere. Stateside I think a close equivalent to both the style and content of Lady Snowblood and other films like it are exploitation films. In fact while watching Lady Snowblood I couldn’t help but get exploitation film vibes just off the aesthetics and thematics of the film itself. 

To break down Lady Snowblood’s plot it goes like this: Yuki is tasked with getting revenge on four people who had a hand in her father, and older brother’s murder, and her mother’s rape (which is seen on screen so warning for y’all this is def a Does the Dog Die movie). 

Yuki’s mother kills one of her rapists, but is imprisoned before she can kill the others and while in prison she purposely gets pregnant so her child can carry on her revenge after she dies. Yuki is born, and raised by one of the fellow inmates and a priest who trains her in martial arts. She’s raised as a “demon”, whose only purpose is revenge for her mother, father, and brother. And boy does she get revenge the film is violent and graphic (even if by modern day standards the blood looks fake as fuck the emotions are there). 

Like The Hidden Fortress this film is very character driven, with a highly motivated protagonist but it’s also revels far more in it's violence and the spectacle of that violence. Yuki, in comparison to her earlier counterpart Princess Yuki, is the driver of the action in the story. She's an active participant in the plot, and the story centers around her. Princess Yuki is commendable, she's compassionate, and she makes decisions, but the story is more about what she represents - a fallen princess - than what she does. She's symbolic, the embodiment of a leader, a samurai spirit of nobility who becomes a leader worth following. Yuki, on the other hand, needs no protection from others, she's a much more direct and active part of the story since the story is hers - and her mothers - she's more elegant than regal, and there's nothing necessarily 'noble' about her.  She's not seeking to rebuild her clan as a leader, her motivations are singularly about her revenge quest to fulfill her mother's dying wish. 

In some ways, they're very similar - Yuki also feels compassion for another woman who's been used by the men around her as Princess Yuki does - and in others they are very different and speak to the changing expectations and idealizations of women from the 1950s to 1970s. 

Lady Snowblood is also way more violent than any Kurosawa film I’ve watched including The Hidden Fortress. While there is action in The Hidden Fortress, it’s all employed with specific purpose. Which is one of Kurosawa’s strengths as a director. It’s calculated and singular. Yes blood spurts up in Yojimbo but it's limited; quick and efficient, with more in common with John Wick or Collateral than the more fantastical and aesthetic Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez fare. 

Lady Snowblood revels in the aesthetic violence, there’s no “purpose” for Yuki to cut an already dead person in half, she does it out of pure frustration and for the glory of showing the audience that internal rage. Of a body hanging, dripping blood and gore onto the clean floor as the curtain draws to a close. 

The film also features on screen rape, sex, and nudity which The Hidden Fortress does not. There’s an implication that characters in the film would assault Princess Yuki if they could, but nothing ever goes beyond brief implication (still gross tho guys come on). Whilst in Lady Snowblood, the rape is brutal, the violence is brutal, and the emotions are far more intense because of it all. 

The allowance - for lack of a better term - of this kind of material showcases a cultural shift overall in the terms of visual storytelling filmmaking began experimenting with in telling, and in what audiences were responding too. Lady Snowblood was a beloved success for its overall low budget. In comparison to the two, The Hidden Fortress is filmed better, with more technique and focus, Lady Snowblood almost seems rustic in comparison, but it's a sort of rustic that speaks to experimentation. 

Low angles from a characters pov staring high above her, extreme zooms on Yuki's burning eyes, the oversaturated colors of red-orange blood or green walls or white clothes, the starless pitch black sky as powdery snow falls. The images are arresting even if at times they're choppy, and while the film opts for non-linear chapter breaks to create a story flow in comparison to Kurosawa's iconic screen swipes and straight forward narrative, yet, both work. 

Gohatto

Behold, the promised gay cinema I promised. 

Gohatto is a 1999 film directed by Nagisa Oshima based on the short story, Shinsengumi Keppuroku by Ryotaro Shiba. 

Gohatto is a pretty late entry in the new wave/pink films of its heyday but those films were Oshima’s bread and butter. Often dubbed as one of Japan’s cinema outlaws for his anti-establishment films, one of his films, Night and Fog in Japan (1960) was pulled from theaters all together. Most people in the west will probably know him even tangentially for his queer film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence starring David Bowie and Beat Takeshi or for this absolutely banger quote from the New York Times article, A Japanese Film Master Returns to his Cinema: 

(If you’re a BTS fan, the composer Suga and RM like, Ryuichi Sakamoto, both starred and composed the main theme of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence Forbidden Colors, he plays the guy in love with David Bowie’s character)

Gohatto combines the setting of a Kurosawa film, with the more experimental storytelling of Lady Snowblood, whilst imbuing the film with more surrealistic elements and more complexity. And making it gay like - for real for real. 

Gohatto goes like this: it’s the late 18th century in Japan, everything politically is on shaky ground, and the shinsengumi are looking for newbies to join ranks. Welp, they find two promising newbies and wouldn’t ya know it one newbie, Kano, is like, hella pretty. He’s got bangs. 

He’s so pretty in fact that all these other dudes in the shinsengumi crew wanna smash, I mean down bad like the Taylor Swift song or whatever I don’t listen to Taylor Swift. 

This is all treated with a lackadaisical normality; there’s teasing about “I never considered sleeping with a man before, but damn that Kano kinda…” but there’s never a moment of “omg they’re GAY?”

Beat Takeshi’s - who’s also in this film, he’s been in a lot fo queer films I'm noticing - character Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo often asks other characters not if they’re attracted to Kano - the implication being that they are - but rather if they are in love with Kano. Because lust is fleeting, but love is dangerous to your duty. 

Kano also might be a spy, or a murderer, it’s all very ambiguous and the ending isn’t a “happy” one. This isn’t a film about a love story of any sort, it has more in common with erotic thrillers than the action adventure of The Hidden Fortress, or the rape revenge fantasy of Lady Snowblood. Where as the former films have definitive endings, Gohatto ends ambiguously. 

What actually happened? And why did it happen? What did it all mean, in the end? The film offers no strict answers to these questions, asking instead, that its audience to come to their own conclusions. It’s also much more historical than the previous two films, taking real life historical figures like: Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Soji, and Kondo Isami and asking the question, “hm, what if they all maybe fell in love with this super pretty man before being overthrown and what does that mean metaphorically?” 

The Hidden Fortress doesn’t ask its audience to interrogate society in any meaningful way and that’s not a knock against it, it’s just an observation. Lady Snowblood specifically presents the plight of women, and a slight take on classism within the system, through the lens of violence and destruction. Gohatto is much more metaphorical, it’s not providing the audience with a direct message like the former two films, but presenting it’s thematics in a much more abstract way. The Hidden Fortress is an action adventure, with heroes who achieve their goals and overcome their obstacles. Lady Snowblood is a rape revenge with an understandable protagonist who succeeds in her bloody revenge. Gohatto has no heroes, and offers no straightforward catharsis at the end of its story story. 

Its film style is also far more atmospheric compared to the epic scale and straightforwardness of The Hidden Fortress, or the lower budget charming violence of Lady Snowblood. 

There’s lots of mood lighting, overhead shots of characters dimly lit, camera cuts to rain after two characters have sex, extreme close ups of one character observing Kano’s eyes and lips. It’s not a black and white film like The Hidden Fortress, but it’s not nearly as saturated in color and brightness as Lady Snowblood. 

Lady Snowblood drips with color, and light, even at night there always almost seems to be a spotlight on Yuki with an empty starless sky in the background. Gohatto is much more grounded in realism than high visual aesthetics, opting to create more of a lingering dreamlike trance or fog to the cinematography when the story’s final act begins to unfold. 

Yet, one thing Gohatto has in common with both The Hidden Fortress and Lady Snowblood is its violence; operating somewhere between the two. Like The Hidden Fortress the violence is quick, purposely, and specific, and like Lady Snowblood blood spurts, gushes, and heads are displayed proudly and grotesquely.

Kubi

Kubi is a 2023 film directed by Takeshi Kitano aka Beat Takeshi - this is the third time his name has been dropped in relation to a queer film in this post go Beat Takeshi - based on a novel of the same name that Kitano also wrote. 

Kubi is like Beat Takeshi’s sengoku period slash RPF fanfic come to gruesome bloody (literal, not British) life. A period piece epic; Kubi is both about samurai warlords and a historical event known as the honno-ji incident, which took place in 1582. It features various historical figures like Oba Nobunage - if you’ve watched some anime or played some JRPGs you’ve probably at least heard of this name before - and other prominent historical figures of the time. 

The basic gist of the movie is Oba Nobunage is both really good at his job, so he’s super powerful politically, but he’s also a grade-a asshole whom all the other important samurai lords fucking hate. However, they also all fucking hate each other and all want to take Nobunage’s place and get all that sweet, sweet power for themselves. The honno-ji incident involved one of these guys doing a coup for reasons still unknown today and then pretty much almost immediately dying swiftly after leaving another samurai lord to take over. 

Kubi takes these historical events, and is like “okay but what if we added some gay innuendo and gay sex to this drama?” with more beheadings than a French revolution. 

Out of all the films on this list Kubi is, admittedly, the one I enjoyed the least, however, it’s an interesting retrospective on the growth of both the Japanese film industry and this specific genre in and of itself. 

Kubi’s film style is very modern, it’s beautiful, it’s sleek, it’s expensive looking. And yet there’s specific scenes that feel like callbacks to the Kurosawa era, like the black and white flashback between Nobunage and his fellow samurai lords. One of Kurosawa’s top films was Kitano’s Hana-Bi (1997), and Kitano has worked with Kurosawa’s daughter on costume design on four other films as well, so these references feel not only purposely because of general influence but also referential in a way. 

In terms of story and tone, Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress is sincere and straightforward, Lady Snowblood is experimental and fearless, Gohatto is introspective and suspenseful, whilst Kubi is unrelenting and even feels mocking at times. There is no break in Kubi's violence, there's almost no tenderness or softness, characters are selfish, and self-centered. The selfish, but joyful peasants in The Hidden Fortress don't exist here, and are replaced with a peasant character who murders his own friend and then rejoices over being relived of his family once he discovers they were murdered too. At times, Kubi feels like a subversion of the more glamourous depictions of the samurai in film. Which feels as though following similar footsteps established in Gohatto which also explored, subtextually, the faults within the samurai media persona. 

At times the film feels almost like a dark comedy, it doesn’t glamorize these samurai warlords, nor their clans, nor their ideals in the way The Hidden Fortress does, nor does it interrogate them in the way Gahotto does. Instead the story at hand is presented with a brutal realism, objective if a bit mocking with a side order of gay sex. Which isn’t presented in a mocking way so much as just an everyday aspect of life. 

When Mitsuhide and Murashige are caught by spies sleeping together there’s no shock or awe about it, just a calm report and the bigger issue is Mitsuhide hiding a fugitive more so than him sleeping with a man.

Similarly, when Nobunage is literally fucking one of his vassals in front of Mitsuhide, it’s not to disgust the other man, but rather a powerplay of sorts to make the latter jealous - at one point Nobunage promises if Mitsuhide accomplishes a mission for him, he’ll sleep with him - and it seemingly works to some degree. There’s subtext throughout the film that Mitsuhide might be, if not in love with Nobunage, want him in an obsessive way all the same (including being down to bone). 

Like with Gohatto the queerness is inherent, just a part of the culture. It’s not “romance” by any means, but it is simply a part of life and the culture itself. 

In terms of characters, Kubi's characters couldn't be more different from the characters in the previous mentioned films. The Hidden Fortress characters like Princess Yuki and Rokurota are easy to like, honorable, quiet, steadfast; while Matashichi and Tahei are less outright likable they offer a grounding and relatable to the big presence that are the former two. In Lady Snowblood, Yuki is quiet, calculating and menacing in her own right, truly embodying the idea of cold vengeance which makes her intriguing. In Gohatto Kano is elusive, which adds to his sensual allure, Okita is playful yet clearly hiding a more sinister air about him, and you just feel bad for Tashiro who’s pushy but seemingly sincere in his affections for Kano. 

Kubi has no by-the-by “likable” characters, every character is out for themselves in some way shape or form. So much so that the brief tenderness between Mitsuhide and Murashige is like a balm to a burn. Though I did absolutely enjoy the scene-chewing of Ryo Kase who played Nobunage. While Nobunage isn't a "likable" character by any means, he was so fun and engaging to watch he became a highlight of the film. 

Stylistically, this is a very modern epic film; it’s the type of film in terms of scale I imagine Kurosawa could have made if he had access to the same technology, but also wouldn’t because there’s no stillness or sincerity to it. The violence is also more in line with Lady Snowblood, but with a budget. Heads are lopped off with ease and at times with glee, dead bodies, headless bodies with crabs crawling out of the necks, a literal pile of heads for trophies it’s all here. It’s beautifully and dynamically filmed, it has a similar scale of a Lord of the Rings, or a Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. 

Big set pieces, big costumes, big landscapes, big battles, and bigger body counts. It also has the largest cast of any film on the list - kinda neat that Kitano and Asano Tadanobu were both in Kubi and Gohatto together - and the best costumes of the bunch. 

It also, in my opinion, has the most complicated plot of all the films because of the heavy political intrigue - though this, admittedly, could be because of the culture gap as I’m not overly familiar with Japanese history. 

Okay so like, where does all this leave us in terms of those original bullet points? 

The Original Bullet Points

Japanese Cinema hasn’t changed since the 1950s 

If there's one thing - well okay many things cause I'm greedy but overall - I hope I've been able to outline here with these four films is that obviously Japanese cinema has changed since the 1950s. And thoroughly at that. Not just in terms of style, but in terms of character presentation, tone, stories technology, experimentation, and a growing reflection of the shifting and developing culture. 

It’s not simply that all four of these films are different stories, but that all four of these films are addressing different aspects of their modern culture via these period pieces, as well as, viewing this time period in ways that reflect the filmmakers own experiences and how they feel or felt about the world. 

Kurosawa was born in 1910 to Kitano’s 1947, Fujita and Oshima’s 1932. Kurosawa’s father was a member of an actual samurai family, his worldview would be thoroughly different from someone like Oshima, or Kitano, or Fujita’s. Some overlap, sure, but also still thoroughly different. 

And I feel that you can see that in their films; Kurosawa’s samurai films are almost referential at times, not always, but his work with Toshiro Mifune often leans that way; in The Hidden Fortress Mifune’s Rokurota is deeply loyal to his lord, the Princess Yuki, to the point that he won’t shed tears over his own sister being executed in her place. He spares the life of a rival because he respects him even though they stand on opposing sides. 

The samurai in Gohatto and Kubi aren’t nearly so idealized nor idolized, there’s very little “honor” in Kubi and even less loyalty. Whilst in Gohatto there’s a deep and subtle interrogation of the strict and oppressive bylaws of the shinsengumi. In one such scene, Kano is having drinks with a man who is interested in him, Yuzawa, who’s passionately talking about how the shensengumi uphold oppressive ideals including classism. 

[And then he jumps Kano’s bones I guess politics got the dude going lmao]

The Hidden Fortress’ Princess Yuki is at first, masculine - in story she was raised as a man rather than a princess - from the way she walks to the way she talks. She’s fierce, and upstanding, while also being compassionate to other members of her clan; even saving a young woman who’s a member of her clan that had been sold. There’s a regal quality to Princess Yuki. 

In comparison, Yuki in Lady Snowblood is elegant, and feminine, before striking out violently. Princess Yuki never has an “action scene” and in fact for a chunk of the film has to pose as a deaf woman to hide her identity. While not a passive participant in the plot, nor does she directly drive the action herself. While Yuki, well the entire movie is driven by her actions and the actions of her mother. The story is first and foremost, hers. 

Meanwhile women just like, they don’t exist in Gohatto or Kubi they’re like, in the ether~~~ they’re drifting, keeping out - or kept out? - of the drama. 

Given the vast differences in both style, tone, story and execution, how can you say wholeheartedly that Japanese cinema hasn’t changed since the 1950s? 

Japanese film style falls under an extreme dichotomy of cinematic/sweeping (described as “atmospheric”) or cartoonish/slapstick (described as “live action manga”)

I’m just…not gonna get into the overall history of Japan's adaptation of manga into live action films cause it would derail this conclusion and I ain’t got the time for that. I would like to note, Lady Snowblood is a live action film based on a manga of the same name - and it is not slapstick. It doesn’t even have comedic elements, it is a violent rape revenge story; I don’t think there’s a single moment where I chuckled. The Hidden Fortress is far lighter in tone, while Gohatto has more in common with Lady Snowblood - deeply and sincerely serious - and Kubi goes for a darker sort of comedy. 

This is just incorrect information. Personally I’m of the mind that “cinematic/sweeping is too broad a spectrum to even quantify as a film genre they are descriptors. 

That said, I don’t think Lady Snowblood is cinematic or sweeping. Gohatto is the only one on the list that’s even close to “atmospheric” though all four films have atmosphere - because atmosphere is a film technique it’s not a genre of film - The Hidden Fortress and Kubi are the only two I could qualify as “cinematic/sweeping” because they’re going for a larger bombastic scale. Though I feel folks watching The Hidden Fortress in the modern day might not find it cinematic because of how static and slow the film can be at times - the first act is long and drags quite a bit. 

To place such a strict dichotomy on an entire industry of filmmaking is simply bad film critique at best and xenophobic at worst given the context here. I’ve only talked about four films in one singular genre, I didn’t mention the countless other new wave films, or the birth of the kaiju genre with Godzilla, the expansion into horror and grindhouse - where does a film like Tag (2015) fit into such a strict dichotomy? -  nor the long, long history of animated works from various insanely highly influential and/or successful directors like Satoshi Kon, Makoto Shinkai, Hideaki Anno, Rintaro, Mamoru Hosoda, Mamoru Oshii, Isao Takahata, I mean the list goes on and on. 

If you expand your horizons you’ll find so many amazing films that do not flatly sit in this one or the other imposed categorization. Think about what queer cinema you may be missing out on by adhering to this imposed binary. 

Baby does any of this have to do with BL? (no, but it IS more gay than you think)

So, in the end, what does this have to do with BL? I would say it has both little and a lot to do with BL/GL which are genres all their own in Japan and other neighboring countries; as such their subject to the same waves, exploration and expansion as the four aforementioned films. 

It’s easy, if intellectually dishonest and academically lazy, to look at The Novelist and What Did You Eat Yesterday and say “BL only comes in two shapes and sizes”. 

There’s chocolate or vanilla and that’s it. When in reality there’s lots of ice cream flavors available, even if chocolate and vanilla are the best sellers it doesn’t mean strawberry or mint chocolate chip don’t exist. 

Where does animated BL fall into this western imposed binary? How does capitalism affect the output of what gets made for the screen and how? How does the political climate affect what’s being financed? Are BL and GL works that are being made somehow unaffected, existing in a stasis state, by the works across the film industry? Even from other queer works of film? What are we, as outsiders, not considering when we engage with this media? 

If we’re only looking at BL/GL for “queer representation” what films and/or television are we missing out on from these countries? What BL/GL are we missing by only engaging with what's put in front of us, and not diving deeper into learning more, expanding our individual knowledge, and experiencing stories that might take some work towards seeing? Stories that might be outside of our direct comfort zones because they don't fall into those strict if seemingly comforting boxes. What exploration into queer identity are we denying or ignoring the existence of because of these imposed binaries? 

I know some folks who are more well versed in BL history that would and do consider Gohatto and Kubi BL or BL adjacent, but I also know most western, especially American, audiences would consider neither of these films BL. 

So where does that leave them?

Further Reading: 

Cinematic History: Defining Moments in Japanese Cinema, 1926-1953

A Brief But Essential Introduction to Japanese Cinema

Filmmaking from Japan: The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema

Nagisa Oshima: Banishing Green

JAPANESE SOFTCORE: THE LAST OF TOKYO'S PINK EIGA THEATERS

The Last Samurai: A Conversation with Takeshi Kitano

The Evolution of the Japanese Anime Industry

Check out other related posts in the series:

Film Making? In My BL? - The Sign ep01 Edition | Aspect Ratio in Love for Love's Sake | Cinematography in My BL - Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign | How The Sign Uses CGI | Is BL Being Overly Influenced by Modern Western Romance Tropes? | Trends in BL (Sorta): Genre Trends