#i made ratio look like the baby in yellow i fear

[com-i-cal]

ratio siblings with cat eyes + aequitas crying doodles

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Into The Unknown, Part 1

... I have no self-control do not perceive me

Marinette stared at the pile of bright red, yellow, and green clothes on the ground. It was all she’d done in the five-ish minutes since she’d portaled onto the scene. Just… stared.

It wasn’t like there was much else to do, anyways. Red Robin was currently beating the absolute fuck out of the person that had the audacity to disintegrate his brother right in front of him. It wasn’t like she could even fix it because the witch had been out cold before she had been able to pull Red Robin off to get a hit in so she could use her lucky charm.

So, she stared.

It was weird. She could almost feel a person inside the clothes but… maybe that was the residue or the ashes or whatever gets left behind when you zap a person out of existence? She didn’t really want to check, to be honest. Gross.

Eventually, though, she hesitantly leaned down and brushed her hand over it, trying to find the energy and get rid of it because it was really uncomfortable --.

… oh hell no that pile of clothes did not just fucking giggle at her.

She narrowed her eyes and carefully lifted up the bottom of the shirt, only to yelp and fall back. She scrabbled on the gross Gotham alley ground until her back hit Red Robin’s arm and he was forced to pause or risk hitting a meta (which would not have been good for his health).

“What?” He hissed.

She swallowed thickly. “That’s a child.”

“... what?” Red asked, all the anger bleeding from his tone in his confusion.

“We let Batman’s kid turn into a baby,” she whispered… then, it sunk in more. “We let Batman’s kid turn into a baby.”

He straightened on top of the thing that was really more bloody pulp than person at this point. “What do you mean ‘we let Batman’s kid turn into a baby’?”

But she didn’t really get a chance to answer because the baby chose that exact moment to be sick of being suffocated under all the armor and pushed it off.

Red Robin gulped. Because, yep, that was Robin as a baby. Batman was going to kill them.

Except he wasn’t going to kill them. Because Batman doesn't kill. No, Batman would find something even worse and that would suck.

The baby -- Robin? Should she still call him that mentally? -- giggled at their pain. Like an asshole.

They were so fucked.

~

He’d let B’s favorite kid get turned into a baby. Was there a way to get unadopted? Because if there was it was totally going to happen. Or maybe his dad would just cut him off because he was 19 now and could just get kicked out.

No. Nope! Not going to happen. No. He could fix this.

“Okay. Okay okay okay. We need a plan,” he heard himself saying.

Ladybug scoffed. “We? I was barely even here, this is on you.”

“Leave me alone to deal with this and I swear to god I will tell B that you did it.”

She paled. “You wouldn’t. No way.”

“Yes way. So, help me think of something.”

The baby giggled and started crawling over and both of them averted their eyes because, unfortunately, the child did not get baby clothes to go with his random transformation. Baby Damian didn't seem to care as he reached them and started climbing on Ladybug since she was closest. At least it wasn’t him. He did not want to see his adoptive brother’s… ew.

Ladybug made a gagging sound and then quickly summoned a lucky charm. She kept her face turned away as much as her neck would physically allow as she fumbled her way through swaddling the child in a polka-dotted blanket.

And then her shoulders slumped a little. “Great. Great. This is… great,” she muttered, picking up the bundle o’ baby.

He let himself look down now that it was safe.

“Alright, we need to go to another dimension where time moves faster,” Ladybug said after a few seconds. “And then we wait for him to age… fifteen-ish years. Best way to not make Batman notice.”

“... what about us? We also age.”

“Huh…? Oh. Right. You’re human.” She pulled off the glasses she was wearing and blinked a few times before handing it over. “Congrats on your upgrade. The tiny horse god is named Kaalki. She likes cake.”

“The tiny --?” He let out the world’s manliest screech as his eyes landed on the floating bug horse hybrid thing holy shit no no no no no the sci fi movies didn’t prepare him for this shit.

Kaalki looked a little offended but then her eyes landed on the baby and she gasped. “Aw, baby humans are always so cute.”

“Great, Kaalki, you take it,” said Ladybug.

Kaalki did try, to her credit. It just so happened that the approximately one-year-old baby was a lot bigger than the… whatever she was. Tim was refusing to believe that this was a god. Too many implications. He already had something to have a breakdown over, he didn’t need another thing right now, thank you very much.

Tim rested his head in his hands but he had more things to worry about than the blood that he was accidentally streaking through his hair.

“Okay. Okay. We can go to another dimension and try and raise him. Maybe we can make it have a ratio of one month here for every year there so any differences could be blamed on that.”

“Ya!” Said baby Damian. He probably didn’t actually know what was going on but he sure seemed excited so that was cool.

Ladybug sighed and nodded. “Great. You get food and money and clothes and I’ll take this lady to the cops… and I guess I’ll watch the kid until you get back because your dad cannot know.”

They shook on it.

~

This may be the dumbest idea that she’d ever had, and that was saying something. She didn’t know if she could trust Red Robin on this one, they hardly ever worked together. What if he just left her alone with this kid and let her try and figure this out on her own?

No. He wouldn’t do that. He was the last person known to be with Robin. Robin going missing would be bad for him, too. And, besides, she was pretty sure that he was a duty-driven person based on what she’d heard, she just had to hope that he saw this as his duty, too.

She turned the baby in her arms to get more comfortable as she waited for him to (hopefully) come back.

Part of her wanted to try and find someone from this world to reverse this but she didn’t know any outside of her, Adrien, Alix, and (now) Red Robin. Not on a personal level. Not enough that she knew for sure that they wouldn’t blab to Batman about it.

So, no, this is what she was doing.

But she had things to do. So, she pulled out her yoyo-phone-hybrid-thingy and wedged it against her ear.

“Chaton,” she said the moment he picked up. “You’re alone, right?”

“Uh… yeah?”

“Great. I, Ladybug, relinquish the Miracle Box and name Chat Noir the new guardian.”

“WHAT --?!” He didn’t get to finish as a box dropped on his lap and knocked the wind out of him.

“Just for, like, a year and a half. Sorry. Bye!”

“DON’T JUST ‘BYE’ ME WHAT THE --?!”

She hung up and closed the yoyo, hooking it back to her belt and ignoring it when it started buzzing again.

She looked down at Robin, who was squinting up at her. She returned the squint. Why was this baby so quiet? She didn’t get it. Surely, he should have been crying at this point.

“Do you still… remember things?” She asked, hoping against all hope that maybe he had retained his memories at the very least.

Robin smiled at her, but it was the blank-eyed baby smile that meant he wasn’t really understanding her. She bit down a curse.

Great. So, she’d not only gotten a baby but she’d gotten a fucking weird one. Great.

~

Tim left a note for his family saying that he, Damian, and Ladybug were bored and were going dimension hopping. His family would probably be suspicious but, hey, at least it wouldn’t be his problem for a good fifteen years on his end.

And, yeah, he knew this was probably one of his dumber plans but… it wasn’t the dumbest. And he was always one to commit when it came down to it. One time he had faked being shot and dealt with crutches for an entire year just to convince Vicki Vale that he wasn’t Red Robin. He had no fears that he couldn’t see this through.

Ladybug, though? A total mystery. She did nearly everything on a whim as far as he knew. She hopped from city to city fighting crime for absolutely no reason outside of boredom and made up all of her plans on the fly. No, he was a bit concerned about her ability to keep doing it.

So, he went as quickly as he possibly could. There was no rhyme or reason to what he was grabbing. He was just… putting stuff in there. There was money and three watches to help them move between dimensions, yes, but there was also a fanta orange and a copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and exactly seven pairs of socks.

… yeah, he had the necessities. Probably.

He nearly got out the door before he realized he was still in his crime-fighting gear and he quickly shucked it all off and tossed it into the tub so the blood wouldn’t track any more than it already had. He did not need to avoid Batman’s wrath only to end up on the receiving end of Alfred’s.

He pulled on the first hoodie and jeans he could grab and looked around to make sure he hadn’t left anything of importance.

Okay. Now he was ready to go.

~

Marinette was awkwardly bouncing the baby when Red Robin finally showed up.

… not that she would have recognized him if she hadn’t felt Kaalki hovering in his pocket. In her eyes, he was just a random white guy wearing shades in the middle of the night.

She glanced up at him and gave him an awkward smile.

“Ready?”

He smiled back and held out two watches. Neither fit baby Robin so she prepared herself to choke out a literal baby holy fuck what even was her life.

“Which dimension should we go to?”

“Preferably one without miraculi,” Marinette said. “I don’t want to know what happens if there’s two of the same god in a dimension.”

He nodded slowly. “Probably best if Batman doesn’t exist, either, he’d probably notice my existence.”

“... so… no heroes at all?”

“Looks like we’re going cold turkey,” Red Robin said in a tone that was probably supposed to be joking but just came out flat.

She pushed herself to her feet and waited as he scrolled through the millions of dimensions.

Finally, he came upon one and she added the coordinates to her and Robin’s watches.

She readied Robin’s watch against his neck and tried to ignore the kid’s sudden squirminess.

“3… 2… 1…”

They were gone in a whirl of blue light.

~~~~~

Next

@nathleigh @peachmuses

[amoosewritesfanfic]

One More Hit +18

[+18]

[I own none of the characters nor any art posted.]

[smut warnings: alcohol, sex, language, non-consensual, rough sex, mind break, degrading, light bondage]

[Bakugou Katsuki X Female Reader]

[Mafia Bakugou X Stripper Reader]

[Synopsis: You work at a strip club that is often frequented by a very well known mafia gang, they always had different girls every time, but it was one short almost always… but one day you were called into that room… it was an equal ratio of the dancers to the gangsters. You had no idea why, but the infamous Bakugou Katsuki chose you out of all the girls.]

─

In this bar the patrons got drunk fast, cheap drinks really have people excited, but the one thing they really pay for well was the girls, and fuck do they pay extremely well.

“C’mon Candy, I got more than usual tonight!~” you often get told as you worked the pole, before getting onto your knees so they could slip that large amount of money into your bra or in your thong.

You often gave them a little extra, touching every inch of your body to rile them up into them giving you more money.

Hell you even worked the pole as if it was their laps, moving up and down trailing your hands along your body and the pole.

And you were by far one of the most flexible girls in the entire club and you often showed that off, pulling your leg up high and even doing the splits working the floor too.

And on this night, the same mafia group walked in and asked for the usual amount for protection and ordered their girls for that night and as usual it looked like they were on girl short for the four men.

There was a red head who you’ve come to know as Kirishima, according to the girls he’s been with he’s gentle but always leaves little marks peppered on their skin.

There was another who had black hair, his name was Sero, he always was rough especially found of tying up his girls.

There was a yellow haired male who had a lightning mark on his hair, Denki… he was apparently found of having his girls do all the work.

But the final one… that final man with ash blonde hair and red coloured hues, he was a mystery, he was always just drinking at the bar talking to the bartender about business, but you noticed something odd, he went into the blue room.

Now within the blue room there were four other rooms just for the four of them to take girls into and fuck them senseless, of course they paid the girls very well so they never complained after all these girls are all trying to pay something off and you’re no different.

The ash blonde male… well he never ever used his room always saying he doesn’t need any girl to please him, well… that’s what you heard from the bartender, so seeing him follow his companions into the blue room you felt confused.

You finished off the last bit of your show and bid the patrons goodnight, but when you got to the changing room your ‘mother’ stopped you handing you a new set of clothes and she even told you to shower. You were confused, you never get called to the blue room, ever.

“Bakugou Katsuki wants you tonight. Don’t speak unless he gives you permission and give him the best service you can give, I don’t want to lose ya to that man.” Your ‘mother’ told you.

Of course, it took you a moment to figure who she was talking about, it was the ash blonde male with those piercing red eyes.

He wanted you…

Panic started to build up inside you, you never serviced any of the patrons in this way and the only reason this was happening was because well… You somehow caught the eye of one of the most infamous gangsters, he was dangerous and feared.

And he didn’t seem like the type to mess around with girls especially after everything you heard from the bartender.

Regardless you take a quick shower and reapply your make up, nothing too extravagant but not too little either, after you finish the makeup you slip into the outfit which consisted of one black laced bralette, a black thong with a green X in the front of it and it had a green outline on it.

It was accompanied by a pair of heeled knee-high combat boots and a pair of black thigh high stockings that hugged your thighs awfully well. Once you were done you made your way into the blue room, you were handed a tray with a bottle of the club’s finest whiskey and a crystal glass for the whiskey.

You knocked on the door lightly before you heard the voice of the male telling you to come in.

As you enter the room you are met by those bright red hues, trailing up and down your frame, you turned around to close the door which gave him a full few of your ass.

“Look at that. They even dressed you up for me just like a fucking present.” His voice before was muffled by the door, but hearing it now… it sent goosebumps along your skin.

“C’mere,” he motioned for you to approach him, which you did. Setting down the tray on the side table, because you couldn’t afford to drop the bottle.

“Smart choice Y/N.” Your heart dropped, when you heard your real name your body tensed up slightly, how did he know your name…?

None of the patrons no matter who they are should know any of the girl’s names.

“You scared of me Y/N? I mean it is only natural, a man who isn’t supposed to know your name…” a pause before he gripped your wrist and pulled you down into his lap, gripping your face so you could look at him.

“But I know everything princess.” He said smugly. “And I own you… since I own this club.” He growled as his hand wrapped around your throat, your breath hitched in your throat as his other hand started trailing along your body, stroking your skin in a sensual manner, it sent shivers up your spine and since you were straddling the male you could feel his arousal building up against your thigh.

“But I don’t have to have sex with you…” You said timidly, he had a gun and if you pissed him off he would most definitely shoot you. Laughter erupted from the ash blonde male.

“Baby, I could give a fuck less about your feelings, trust me by the end of this you’ll want me just as bad as I want your pretty little ass.” As he spoke, he gave your ass a firm smack which caused you to almost groan.

“Tough girl huh?” he hummed as he brought your face close to his so he could kiss you, but before his lips pressed to yours he spoke.

“That isn’t gonna last long princess, I’ll make sure I fuck that disobedience out of ya.”

With his lips now pressed against yours, you tried pulling back from him but his hand was squeezing the back of your neck forcing you to keep your lips against his, his hand trailed up your back before he groped your breast which earned a quiet muffled moan from you.

“Hmmn~” he hummed, pinching your nipple through your bralette which earned another muffled moan.

He broke this kiss trailing wet kisses along your jaw, his hand which rested on your neck moved up to grab a handful of your hair to pull your head back, trailing sloppy kisses along your neck before sucking on the skin, but as you tried to push him off his free hand which was tugging and pinching at your nipple immediately grabbed hold of your wrists pressing them to your back as he started leaving marks all over your neck and your chest.

“What a slutty body… No wonder all those men throw money at you.” He murmured against your skin before he bit your nipple over the bralette which caused you to gasp.

“N-no… please stop… I-… ah.” Before you could interject, he let go of your hair and grabbed you throat, pinning you down onto the couch, he was now in between your legs looking down at you with a smug look on his face.

“C’mon bitch, you gotta beg louder~ otherwise the big bad man is gonna fuck you silly.” As he spoke, he pulled out cable ties and tied your wrists to a pole that happened to be next to the couch.

You tried tugging them to get out but instead you felt them tighten around your wrists.

“Now let’s see more of that pretty body yeah?” he said as he raised his hand giving your cheek a firm smack causing you to whimper. His fingers trailed from your cheek, along your jaw and moved to your cleavage, his fingers leaving goosebumps.

The feeling made you squirm beneath him, it made him chuckle. With one hand teasing your nipple through your bralette the other hand slipped into his blazer pocket pulling out a pocket knife, your body tensed up and eyes widened as you looked between his face and the blade.

“Don’t worry princess, I won’t cut you… not unless you give me a reason to.” You felt the cold blade run along your skin causing you to whimper, he cut your bralette which instantly exposed your perky breasts, your face was flushed. You were use to people seeing your naked body, after all that was your job, but… with him it felt different, the way his hungry eyes stared at you as though you were prey sent shivers up your spine.

“Oh fuck princess what pretty tits.” He said as he groped both of them, squeezing the nipples before he smacked both of your breasts which caused you to whimper, you turned your head to look away from him.

His head dipped down, you felt his warm mouth take the erect nub into his mouth, his teeth tugging as his tongue flicked over it as his fingers pinched and tugged your other nipple, causing you to moan quietly, you’re hips almost bucking and you knew he was smiling from your reaction.

“What an honest body my slut has…~” he mumbled before he did the same to the other nipple. Once he was happy his tongue trailed down along your stomach causing your back to arch slightly.

“Let’s see what princess has going on down here…” he mumbled as he got face to face with that sweet spot, the blade trailing lightly against that spot, even bumping against your clit which caused you to moan again. “P-please not there… god please no not there… Katsuki…” He didn’t listen you your pleas, instead you felt him grip your panties, tugging them to press against your slick cunt making you whimper and gasp.

“Princess, your body really is fucking honest isn’t it? Your so wet for daddy~ I can’t believe it~” he teased. He cut the panty making you whimper again, nothing was hiding your wet pussy from his eyes, it made you flustered but your body was being too honest.

SNAP

He leaned in running his tongue along your wet folds, tasting your love juices, he almost moaned from the flavor, you couldn’t bite back from your own moans which escaped your lips, your back arched slightly at the feeling of his tongue flicking over your clit.

“What a sweet little cunt~” he cooed before sliding his tongue into you, his tongue swirling around your hole, pressing against every inch of your cunt.

“N-no… there…” you moaned pulling at the restraints his hand squeezing your thighs before he gave your ass a firm smack which caused your walls to tighten around his tongue this caused him to chuckle a little before pulling back.

SNAP

“My little bitch is so fucking eager to let me fuck her.” He said as he shifted remaining between your legs, his hands reached down and unzipped his trousers, pulling out his fully erect cock.

The sight of it… it scared you but it aroused you at the same time you didn’t know why.

“If you were a good slut and didn’t need to be tied up like a bitch in heat you would have enjoyed this so much better… I won’t lie… I really want to feel those soft hands tugging at my hair and leaving scratch marks all along my back as I fuck you senseless.” As he spoke, he rubbed his length against your soaked folds as means to lube himself up.

You couldn’t help but whimper at the sensation of his cock rubbing against you, he felt so big… was he gonna break you? It felt like he would break you with one thrust.

“Look at me kitten~” he cooed as his hand cupped your chin, forcing you to look at him, it caused you to whimper, but his expression was gentle which helped you relax you almost didn’t react to him slipping his tip inside you.

But with the size sliding into her hole it caused her to moan, her back arching slightly.

"Relax baby girl~" he cooed as he stroked your cheek, you whimpered quietly, but a moan soon followed as he gave one thrust, burying himself in the deepest parts of your pussy.

SNAP

It felt like your brain became mush in that moment.

You moaned out, he lifted your legs and pinned them up against your chest, it made his cock go deeper inside you.

"F-fuck...~♡" you moaned, your head tilting back slightly.

Your voice and body betrayed you, you were feeling nothing more than pleasure from his cock which started moving within you his hips moving back and forth.

"Look at you, I've barely started moving and you're a drooling mess~" he teased you giving your ass a few firm snacks before he really started moving, slamming his hips into yours.

Your moans had become louder every time he had hit your sweet spot, he would groan from the warmth of your hole.

"Jesus fuck... your pussy is so fucking tight... one would swear you're a virgin... but fuck tight pussies are the best... don't you think? I bet you love squeezing... my cock like this." He groaned as one hand smacked your ass before he put your legs on his shoulders.

"Fuck... I-its so deep.. I'm gonna cum... you're gonna make me cum...~♡" you moaned out.

"Yeah? Who's gonna make you cum princess hmm?" He growled slamming his hips harder against yours making your hips buck but soon your walls clamped down onto his cock.

"You... you daddy...~♡" you moaned out.

"Louder!" He said smacking your ass. He put your legs around his waist thrusting deeper into you as his hand wrapped around your throat.

"Y-you... daddy... fuck.. you... you're gonna make cum all over your cock!!" Your tone in moans had changed when his hand wrapped around your throat, but more so because you started cumming.

Squirting your love juices all over his cock and stomach.

"Look at that pretty pussy squirt... hmm baby girl, look at that slutty pussy~" he had the biggest grin on his face.

He pulled out and stood up, he watched your twitching legs and shaking body as you tried coming down from that high.

"Hmm I can't believe this after so long I can finally play with my pretty little toy~" he hummed.

Honestly at that moment you had no clue what he meant, you didn't think much of it.

You never did... you couldn't focus on it because of how much ecstasy he was putting you through.

He cut you loose and pulled you onto the ground, forcing you to kneel in front of him as he smacked your face, causing you to whimper, but somehow you managed to maintain eye contact with the male.

"Pretty princesses clean up after they made a mess~ c'mon princess clean up daddy's cock with that pretty little mouth~" he said taking a hand full of your hair and pulling your head back.

"Y-yes daddy...~" you answered plainly and then opened your mouth nice and wide for the male, he aligned himself with your mouth and thrusted himself inside.

You couldn't help but gag slightly, but as he started to thrust down your throat all you could was hollow out your cheeks, saliva dripping down your chin and onto your breasts.

Your mind was spinning you couldn't help but rub yourself as a means to get off from him fucking your throat.

"Oh look at that~ while choking on some cock you're busy fingering yourself~ how fucking cute~" he groaned feeling your tongue rub against his length, you whimpered as his pace quickened.

With two very hard and fast thrusts, he buried himself deep inside your throat and let out his thick load.

You had now choice but to swallow every drop, but somehow you were happy about it. Your body felt thrilled.

When he pulled out you whined quietly sitting on the floor like a dog waiting for its next meal.

"Look at that... my little bitch in heat... is so eager for me~" he mumbled running his finger along your cheek.

"I think we're gonna have so much fun from here on out~" he said giving your face a smack once again, it earned a small groan, but you didn't stop looking at him.

"Let's take ya home yeah?~ don't worry I'll send some to pick up your belongings... from now on your my little bitch do I make myself clear?"

"Yes daddy... yes... anything for you~♡" you said eagerly.

"Dance for daddy little bitch~" he said, zipping his pants back up and pouring himself a drink before sitting down on the couch.

Motioning the stripper pole in the middle of the room, and you did as asked, gave him a show. Moving your body so he could see the pussy he stretched abd the mouth he violated.

Hell he could even see the bite marks and hand prints.

"Oh daddy's gonna have so much fun with you little one~" he cooed.

─

That was the last night you ever went back to the club. There was no need because you had become the person plaything of Bakugou Katsuki.

─

─

[If you liked this I'll try and make a part 2? Just dm me or something if you want a part 2 :3]

Part 2a

Part 2b

Part 3

Part 4

[shutupandshipit]

Sharpen Your Blades - Ch.16

Summary: “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The thinning of Aizawa’s patience was evident in the twitching of his brow. “If you stop asking questions, maybe I could finish explaining.

”With a huff and roll of his eyes, Katsuki glanced away from their coach.

“City Hall and the SC want us to give them more variety. We are a team solely made up of single skaters. Every year, we dominate the rankings for single skate while Shinketsu dominates the pairs, so this year both cities are being required to split their skaters evenly between singles and pairs with at least one pair coming from out top five.” There was a collective intake of breath, but no one commented, choosing instead to remain silent. “Unfortunately, for us, it’s a lot easier to switch from pairs to singles. With our male to female ratio, alpha/beta/omega ratio, and those of you actually experienced with pair skating, we’re at a disadvantage. So, I’ve decided to choose your partners for you.”

…..

Or where Katsuki and Izuku are forced to be partners so they can continue to compete, but the blood in the water may be thicker than anyone realized.

Pairing: Bakudeku

Rating: M

Chapter: 16/20

Previously <- Chapter 15: Gross Holiday Activities

Chapter 17: ??? -> Next (coming 5/9)

Author’s note: You may or may not notice that the rating jumped this chapter. It is also going to jump next chapter provided I can be a big girl and actually write the explicit content. TW: Overdose in this chapter.

Chapter 16: Heats and Ruts

“Oh, Katsuki, it’s nice to see you. What can I do for you?”

For a moment, Katsuki was completely lost for words as he looked at Inko’s haggard appearance. There were bags sitting heavily beneath her once shining green eyes and her clothes seemed to hang wrong on her frame. Like she’d lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Even her scent was off. Musty almost. Darker than her usual bright citrus and mint scent. Almost like when fruit began to rot.

His pre-rut had started that morning, and he could smell everything. And he meant everything. Inko’s scent made him want to gag, but he forced the reaction down.

Swallowing, he said, “Mom sent me over because you texted her about something. She thought I could help.”

“Really? Mitsuki sent you over?” She wrung her hands together, dropping her eyes before glancing over her shoulder. “Well, that might be better actually.” She glanced back at him, a sheen of tears making her eyes sparkle.

He felt his stomach begin to drop.

“Izuku won’t come out of his room. I haven’t heard him moving around. I thought it was because he was supposed to start his heat today, but I haven’t been able to smell it. I’ve been trying to give him space, but I’m worried-”

“You want me to check on him?” Katsuki asked, interrupting her ramblings.

Inko’s eyes dropped again. “You two have always been such close friends. Maybe he’d be willing to talk to you over his mother.”

‘Highly doubt it,’ Katsuki thought, mind flashing with the image of Izuku on the ice. Blood and tears and pain etched into a face that wasn’t meant for it. How it never would have happened if he’d been Izuku’s partner. Outloud, he said, “I’ll try. No promises.”

Inko stepped back to let him in, and Katsuki immediately smelled the difference in the place. It had lost the scents that he remembered so well from his childhood. Baked goods and flowers and Izuku and Inko’s scents mixing harmoniously. Instead, they’d been replaced by the strange chemical cleanness of a hospital.

It took Katsuki until he was standing in front of Izuku’s door to realize the scent was coming from his room. He glanced back at Inko. “What’s that smell?”

Inko’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Katsuki’s stomach dropped out from under him. His hand shot out to try the door handle without knocking, and Inko didn’t try to stop him. The door was locked.

“Shit!” Katsuki hissed under his breath before pounding on the door, “Hey, Deku! You awake in there? Open the door!”

“Katsuki!” Inko gasped in horror, reaching out for his arm, but unable to catch it. There was no answer from within, and Katsuki banged louder, the door rattling in its frame. “Katsuki, please! He’s healing! He’s been in a lot of pain!”

He turned a heated glare to the woman at his side. “As long as I’ve known him, he’s never locked his door. Why would he have started now?”

Inko opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her eyes were wide, fear beginning to cloud them.

“I’m going to break the door. Step back.” Inko followed his instructions without comment, and Katsuki immediately rammed his shoulder into the door. Pain lanced through his shoulder, his frame still bonier in all his pre-teen glory than he would have liked. The door was flimsy for the most part though, not meant to hold up to vigorous assault, and it took less time than Katsuki had assumed to break it open.

He fell into the room as the door swung open, and wretched at the strength of scentlessness of the space. A space that had always been so drenched in Izuku’s scent, every one of his emotions. Now there was nothing. Not even a whiff of happiness or anxiety. It was wrong. All of it was so fucking wrong.

Once he’d gotten his gagging under control, he took in the scene. There was an empty orange pill bottle on the bed near an open hand. Little white pills scattered across a navy blanket and tan carpet. The longer Katsuki looked, the more damning the picture became.

It was only until he made it to Izuku’s face that ice water was injected straight into his veins.

Sunken eyes. Stringy, greasy curls. Hollow, distant, clouded green eyes. His chest didn’t seem to be moving.

“Fuck! Izuku!” He raced for his childhood friend, grabbing the limp wrist by the pill bottle and holding it so tightly that he felt the bones grind together. It took several long moments for Katsuki to feel a faint flutter, but still, there was too much space between each beat. “Call an ambulance! Auntie, call an ambulance! Goddammit, Izuku, what did you do?”

He didn’t wait to see if Inko had followed his orders. He turned Izuku on his side, prying his mouth open to shove his fingers down the boy’s throat. There had been so many times over the past year during his ruts that Katsuki had imagined doing this exact thing, but never had he imagined it would be in this context. He never wanted it to be like this.

“Please, please, please,” he prayed desperately as he reached and reached until he felt Izuku’s body begin to convulse. He hung the boy’s head over the side of the bed, ignoring the sick that splattered across the floor. Little white pills floated in the yellow liquid, most nearly dissolved. Even as Izuku stopped wretching, he remained catatonic, no life to his eyes. 

For the first time in years, Katsuki felt his throat close and his eyes burn with tears. “No, Izuku, don’t fucking do this! What about your mom? What about the team? What about me? You can’t do this to us! Izuku!”

Inko whirled back in, her hair wild and face tear streaked. “They’re coming! They’re coming!” she screamed, running over to Izuku. “My baby! Why? How did this happen?”

It took what felt like forever for the paramedics to arrive, and Katsuki watched from the curb as Inko scrambled into the back of the ambulance without a second look back at him. He stood there silently until suddenly there were arms around him. Mitsuki dragged him into her chest and stroked his hair roughly, and it was only then that he realized how sore his throat was.

His parents took him to the hospital hours later. When he’d calmed down and Inko had called to say that Izuku had woken up, and it was only moments after that that he found himself standing at the omega’s beside.

Izuku stared straight ahead, eyes sightless and flat, while their parents slipped out into the hallway.

“Why?” Katsuki whispered desperately, reluctant to reach out for the boy to get his attention.

He didn’t need to though. Izuku blinked slowly, and when his eyelids opened again, his eyes were on Katsuki. Still, he didn’t seem to even realize Katsuki was there. “Why?” he repeated, voice raspy from the rough treatment of his throat, like he didn’t understand the question.

Katsuki seethed, and it was a chore to keep his voice down. “Yes, why, Izuku! Why did you do it? You- You almost died. Do you realize that? Is that what you wanted?”

Even more slow confusion clouded his already cloudy eyes. “No, I don’t want to die. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I didn’t know it could.”

“You can overdose on anything, idiot! Why didn’t you stop if you weren’t doing it on purpose?” It was all Katsuki could do not to tear his own hair out in frustration. Or to start crying again. He didn’t want to cry again, not in front of Izuku, not in front of anyone. He was supposed to be the strong one.

Izuku reached out, but Katsuki jerked his hands away at the chill of his fingers on his skin. He didn’t seem to notice, clasping the bed railing instead. “I just wanted it to stop.”

Katsuki waited, and when it didn’t seem like Izuku was going to continue, prompted, “Stop what?”

“The pain. I just wanted it to stop.”

He couldn’t stay there, not with this deadeyed Izuku or his complete lack of scent, and turned out of the room. Masaru caught a glimpse of his face before he hid it away to duck around the trio, and it was his dad who found and held him that time while Mitsuki stayed at Inko’s side.

…..

December Week 1

Katsuki should have stayed home.

As soon as he stepped into the rink for practice, he knew that. Every little loud sound from his teammates and burst of scent sent his mind reeling with anger. Every time one of them got too close to Izuku sent his mind reeling with anger. Every time he caught the remnants of chemical scentlessness sent his mind reeling with anger.

The overwhelming rage and jealousy was his constant companion.

Not only that, but when he did catch a clean breath of Izuku's scent, the scent of approaching heat, it just filled him with the urge to 'Mount, mate, mark, mine, Mark, mate, Mount'. The only thing he could do was grit his teeth against the urge.

He knew that if there were still suppressants in Izuku's scent, especially with his heat coming on, that meant Izuku wasn't ready to share a nest with him. Not that Katsuki had expected him to, but he thought maybe he'd at least come off his suppressants. It would be best if they'd be gone at the same time.

Thinking about it though, Katsuki had never seen Izuku take time off for his heats. Did that mean their cycles had always lined up? Or maybe Izuku's cycles were just very short, lining up with the weekends? The only thing was, he could never remember Izuku smelling of heat. But he could remember Izuku smelling like suppressants when he would get too close to the omega.

And now, as the rest of the team gathered their bags and called their goodbyes, he searched desperately for a memory. The only one he could drag up was from more than a decade before.

Some time later, a darker thought filled his mind.

The only other option was that Izuku just had been skipping heats somehow. And that pissed him off for an entirely new reason.

…..

Izuku didn’t know why he thought they’d be able to keep going without a fight. That wasn’t who they were. They were arguments and biting words and seething tempers and teeth clenched in utter frustration. They were not, in fact, tender lovers who only had sweet words and soft touches for each other.

Still, Izuku let himself fall for the wonderful evening with all of its beautiful lights and cozy coats and hours of recreational skating and the way Katsuki had been so much more beautiful than anything else around them. The kiss they’d shared, the only kiss thus far, had made his knees weak, and he wanted to experience that sensation for the rest of his remaining days.

He’d been lulled into complacency by the feeling of what he thought may be love beginning to bloom between them, and hadn’t realized just how quickly his suppressants were running out.

Now, standing on the ice late at night, Izuku couldn’t help but be hyper aware of every little thing. The slight ache of his feet in his skates. The soft sound of his blades biting into the ice. The taste of the cake Satou had brought to practice earlier that day that Izuku had saved a piece of. Katsuki’s scent, full of anger and lust and pre-rut, congealing on his tongue until it was more of a taste than a smell. Katsuki’s eyes burning into him every time he stumbled across the ice or trembled in his hands or ran his hands through his curls. The heat beginning to burn him alive from the inside out, like he’d been freezing and then plunged into a hot tub.

Panting, Izuku stumbled through simple footwork he’d never had trouble with before. They slid to a stop, and Katsuki’s hands tightened on him. Izuku didn’t want to look at him, to see the disgust on his face. Because surely he would be disgusted. He would know that every negative thing he’d ever thought about Izuku would be true.

“Deku,” Katsuki’s voice was low, but furious, and when Izuku glanced up to meet his eyes in a flash of defiance, he saw that Katsuki knew. Knew all of his secrets and sins and wants.

“No.” He turned from his partner, hurrying towards the entrance with energy from a reserve he didn’t know he had. The reserve of terror.

“Deku!” Katsuki snapped, following him off the ice. Neither of them paused long enough to put their guards on, and somewhere in the back of his brain, the part that always thought about skating winced.

Izuku could feel Katsuki right on his heels, so close that he could feel the heat radiating off his body. Or was that Izuku’s own heat radiating back at him off his thermals? No, he’d taken off his thermals hours ago. It had to be Katsuki then with cayenne in his scent and possessiveness in his grip.

The grip that was currently wrapped around Izuku’s upper arm, jerking him to a stop just as he reached for his bag.

“Deku!”

“No, Kacchan!”

“We’re going to talk about this!”

Izuku whirled around to face Katsuki, the bleed through of Katsuki’s pre-rut fiery fueling him as he shouted, “What, Kacchan, what are we going to talk about? We never talk! And you know what, I’m not in the mood to get berated! I’m going to go home and go to bed!”

As if he hadn’t heard a single thing, Katsuki continued. “We’re going to talk about the suppressants!”

“No, we’re not!”

“I don’t understand, Deku. Why would you chance taking them after what happened when we were younger? I’ve been smelling them in your scent since we started skating together! Why are you still taking them?”

Izuku threw up his arms. “Well, guess what, Kacchan? I’m not taking them anymore. How wonderful! How amazing! How great for everyone, but me!” When his arms dropped back to his sides, he glared at Katsuki. “And stop pretending like you know what happened that day. You weren’t there. You’re making assumptions you have no place making.”

Katsuki's face fell slack, and it was the first time that Izuku could ever remember seeing that expression on his face. After a moment, it shifted back to anger. “What the fuck are you talking about? I was there!”

“No, you weren’t! My mom was the one who took me to the hospital!”

“I was the one who fucking found you!” Katsuki roared, “I was the one who knocked down your door and found you with all those pills in your stomach! Of course you wouldn’t fucking remember because you were too far in your goddamn head! I was the one who stuck my fucking fingers down your throat to make you puke them up! That was me! And you expect me to not care about you still taking suppressants even when you’re about to go into heat? I want to be your fucking mate, Izuku, of course I care!”

Izuku couldn’t hold himself back anymore. “I don’t want to have a heat!” His words were something between a scream and a sob, and they echoed deafeningly around the rink. He’d never said them aloud before, and he covered his face with his arms to run away from their truth. His breath came out as a shudder when he whispered, “I don’t want to have a heat, Kacchan.”

Strong arms wrapped tightly around him, and he immediately melted into the touch. Just like an omega. He hated it. Wanted to fight it. Wanted to stay angry just to feel something new.

Instead, like a switch being flipped, unwelcome searing heat pulsed through him. “No,” he moaned as that ever so distant, but unforgettable pain settled in his abdomen, “Not here. Not now.”

…..

Katsuki jerked away from Izuku as his scent flared like a supernova, overwhelming in its sudden sharpness. There was finally no trace of suppressants left. When he met Izuku’s eyes, it was to find them wide with pupils blown.

"I need- I need my- I need my nest. Kacchan, I need my nest. Not here. Not now. I need-" Izuku rasped, the hand on Katsuki’s arm the only thing seeming to keep him from doubling in on himself.

Katsuki crowded Izuku, burying his nose in the crook of the omega's neck, right up against his scent gland. ‘There! Right there!’ That's the scent he'd been wanting to smell underneath all of the chemicals and artificial hormones. Mint and a thunderstorm and now, warm summer apples. He exhaled shakily. It was so strong, and so wholly right.

"Kacchan," Izuku moaned, body trembling against his, heat radiating off him in waves, "Please, my nest."

"I've got you," Katsuki rasped against his throat, fighting every neglected instinct in his body that told him to, 'Mount. Mate. Rut. Heat. Mate. Mount. Mark. Mine.' Never before had his alpha been so insistent during his ruts -never in his life, period- but now his alpha was nearly screaming at him, pressed as far forward in his mind as Katsuki would allow. Screaming for him to assert his dominance, to take what was his. Fuck, but he didn't want to be like other alphas. "I'll get you back, Deku. Can you stand?"

"Just don't let go of me." Izuku's words were a whisper right against his ear, and it became just that much harder to think straight.

Was this what other alphas’ ruts were like all the time? Clouded? Focussed on one thing only? Driven mad by the mere thought of an omega in heat? He hated it, wanted it to stop, wanted to be in full control of his thoughts again. Still, there was his alpha right at the forefront of his mind, 'Mount. Mate. Mark. Mine.' He wished it would shut the fuck up long enough for him to rub his two remaining brain cells together. The two brain cells not currently taking the interstate down south.

"Can you put your shit on? It's freezing outside," Katsuki asked before he realized how stupid that actually may have sounded. If Izuku really was spiraling into heat, no amount of cold was going to affect him. It might still affect Katsuki though.

"No," Izuku moaned piteously, skin flushed red as his head lulled back on his shoulders.

"I know. I didn't think. But I need to get my stuff on."

"Let me help."

Together, they wrestled Katsuki into his coat, gloves and hat and each other out of their skates without breaking contact in some form or another. Izuku's fingers on the back of his neck. Katsuki's arm slung across Izuku's waist. Their foreheads pressed together. When Katsuki pulled their bags over one shoulder and Izuku slumped into his other side, he slipped the beanie, scarf and gloves he'd gifted Izuku onto him. "Just these. I know you're overheating, but that's not going to save your fingers or ears."

"My nest," Izuku whispered instead of answering, pressing closer into Katsuki's side, so close that there wasn't any space between them, “I don’t have- I need- A nest.”

By the time they got back to their apartment complex, Izuku had wiggled his way into Katsuki's jacket and he couldn't tell if he was hot because of Izuku or his rut was finally cresting. If he were a betting man, he would have bet on the latter.

“Deku, where’s your nest?”

Izuku wasn’t paying attention as he dragged the fluffy red blanket off his couch and onto the floor. There, he wrapped himself up tight, trembling as he slid to the floor with a moan.

Katsuki frantically searched the small apartment for where the idiot’s nest might have been. He checked the kitchen, bathtub, closet, bed and even beneath the bed. He came up frustratingly empty.

Hurrying back, wobbling a little with the ungodly hard-on he was toting, he crouched beside the omega. As gently as he could, he shook Izuku to try and rouse his attention. “Nerd, where’s your goddamn nest? I need to get you in it before I leave. And I need to leave sooner rather than later.”

Izuku blinked green eyes hazy with heat and pain up at him. His mouth hung wide, panting out small agonized breaths. “You can go, Kacchan, I’ll be fine.”

“What are you talking about? I can’t go anywhere until you’re safe in your nest! And where’s your heat supplies?”

“Don’t have any.”

Katsuki blood ran cold, distracting him long enough to catch his stupid alpha’s attention and point it in a different direction other than down. “What do you mean?”

Izuku’s eyes squeezed tightly shut. “I thought- I wasn’t expecting it. I thought- I’d be able- to find a way around it.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Deku? No, you know what? Where’s your goddamn nest? I’ll dump you in it and bring half of my supplies over.”

“Don’t have one,” the omega moaned, the words increasing in volume to become a full blown wail.

“What do you mean you don’t have one!” Katsuki shouted, unconsciously mimicking Izuku’s volume and tone.

Izuku’s just sobbed desperately, curling in on himself within his blanket.

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-” If the omega didn’t have a nest, there was no possible way he could stay in the apartment. He would make himself sick without one. Sick from fear and anxiety. Sick from discomfort and being unsafe. Katsuki had a solution, but at the same time, it wasn’t much of one at all. Because they had only just come to terms with each other, started courting. They hadn’t even sussed out the monumental mountain of bagage they had between each other. Still, Katsuki couldn’t leave his omega without food or water or safety.

Carding his hand through Izuku’s curls, he purred loudly to get his attention. “Izuku.”

His given name more than anything probably made Izuku’s head lift, eyes narrowed but focussed on him.

“Listen, I know this is going to sound crazy, and it is crazy, and dangerous, but I can’t leave you alone in this apartment without everything you need.”

“Kacchan?”

“I have a nest. I built one. For you,” he said haltingly, even now terrified of being rejected, “Just in case you ever-”

“Yes!” Izuku cut him off, hand clawing out towards Katsuki to grip at his wrist, “Please, it hurts, please. I don’t want to be alone.”

Katsuki didn’t need to be told twice. He scooped his omega into his arms, blanket and all. He all but ran for the door, only restraining himself from actually running due to his precarious hold on his package.

[uomo-accattivante]

The Dune trailer (1:37) releasing online on Wed., September 9!

Sources have confirmed to Inside The Film Room that the first official “Dune” trailer will be released online on Wednesday, September 9. The will come in the wake of a special, theater-exclusive teaser that is attached to screenings of “Tenet.”

A Canadian cinema employee shared the following details to ITFR. The teaser will run for one minute and 37 seconds and will give audiences around the world a glimpse of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi world through the eyes of Academy Award-nominee Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”).

But wait… There’s more! Not only did our source confirm the teaser’s existence and Warner Bros.’ plan for marketing the full official trailer’s release, but they have actually seen the footage – and so have I. It’s nothing short of spectacular and a true tease.

*Teaser Spoilers Below, Scroll Down For Non-Spoiler Section*

It opens with gorgeous, custom WB and Legendary logos that fit the gold and black aesthetic the marketing material has shown so far. Then, it hops right into an iconic scene fans of the novel will immediately recognize: the Gom Jabbar test. This scene takes place early in the novel and is the focal point of this teaser.

Before traveling to Arrakis, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is introduced to the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling). She asks Paul to place his hand inside a box that causes Paul to feel excruciating pain without physically harming him. The catch? He’ll die if he removes his hand. The Gom Jabbar is a lethal poisonous needle that Mohiam wears on her finger and presses against Paul’s neck during this test of his humanity, awarenesses and animal instincts. You’ll discover the reason for this test during his journey.

This is nothing short of stunning from a visual perspective. The set that Chalamet and Rampling sit in is enormous and circular, with beautifully ornate carvings in the walls and floor. Sunlight beams through a skylight, and the two characters are centered in the room. The Reverend Mother is wearing a complex gown. It’s almost terrifying how the black, netted material drapes over her entire body, from head to toe. She speaks with a taunting, almost mechanical voice, explaining the test to Paul – the poor boy is clearly in over his head.

As the test plays out and his fear and pain increases, the footage is intercut with a sweeping shot of Arrakis’ deep desert, with dunes as far as the eye can see. It’s exactly how you would imagine it. They’re bright yellow, and you can feel the sun through the screen. We also get quick, big shots of almost every cast member, making their faces obvious to viewers.

We see the door open on an aircraft and the Atreides men stand in their armor as the Arrakis sun shines onto them. Oscar Isaac looks absolutely regal and badass as Duke Leto Atreides. Rebecca Ferguson is hooded and smiling as Lady Jessica, and Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) makes a quick appearance wearing a stillsuit. We also see Javier Bardem’s Stilgar remove his face mask to speak to someone and Zendaya’s Chani climbing over rocks with a group of Fremen.

Some quick shots also include an ornithopter touching down in the desert and Paul stepping off. We also see Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kynes and our first look as “Beast” Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, played by Dave Bautista. He looks almost painted white or covered in dust. There is also the quickest glimpse of a large character’s head emerging from a huge tub full of a liquid that had a similar color to Rabban’s skin. This character seemed to be Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and it was a perfectly grotesque moment.

Throughout the teaser, the intensity of Paul’s test build and builds with each new cast member that is introduced, finally culminating with an epic closeup of Paul in the desert in a stillsuit, walking among Fremen. The score really comes in as the title reveals itself, and I am almost certain this is a piece from Hans Zimmer himself. It sounded like a cross between “Blade Runner” and “The Lion King,” with a good amount of drums mixed in with some ethereal, synth vibes. It perfectly fits “Dune.”

The teaser finishes with the title reveal, followed by a stacked list of every cast member that fills the screen from top to bottom, and a stamp that says “FILMED IN IMAX.” This film wasn’t captured with IMAX cameras, so this could mean they’re going the “Top Gun” Maverick” route of having their digital cameras certified by IMAX themselves. I’d expect expanded aspect ratios for at least part of the film, if not the entire film, when you eventually see it in IMAX. The images themselves look unbelievably crisp and almost surreal in a way that’s hard to put my finger on. I don’t know what exactly Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser did here (anamorphic lenses might’ve done the trick), but if these simple character shots look this good, I can’t wait to see the big and complex stuff.

*No Teaser Spoilers Beyond This Point*

It must be noted the teaser closes with the phrase “ONLY IN THEATERS,” but this is nothing new. Despite their upcoming films having official release dates picked out, all of WB’s recent trailers have forgone these dates in favor of highlighting the theatrical experience and keeping their trailers evergreen in the event of a delay — they won’t have to release a new trailer just because the date is wrong. I actually recognized this pattern last week with “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Tenet” and predicted that the new trailers for “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Dune” would also go this route. The absence of a date is not any indication that “Dune” will be delayed; this is simply the new normal in a pandemic.

So, we know it exists, but when and where will this theater-exclusive teaser be available? That is a little less clear. In social media messages posted yesterday, both the Facebook and Twitter accounts for Canadian theater chain Cinemark stated “the teaser trailer for ‘Dune’ will be debuted in select Tenet screenings starting August 31.” Additionally, the Twitter account stated “Warner Bros. has pushed back the date for the ‘Dune’ trailer.”

But despite being rated and ready for theaters when Canada and countries around the world show “Tenet” today, WB has asked for Cinemark to withhold the teaser until next week. The explanation for this is likely two-fold.

Firstly, the trailer for “The Batman” made an earth-shattering splash when it arrived on Saturday and is still dominating social media conversation. I suspect WB didn’t want one of their babies stealing limelight from the other. Despite this teaser being exclusive to theaters, news of it (and bootleg footage, no doubt) would have been all over social media the remainder of the week. Secondly, the first screenings of “Tenet” in the United States begin on Monday. It is entirely possible that WB wanted to wait until domestic public screenings began before allowing the teaser to show overseas, as well.

The final impression that I will leave you with is that this teaser did not disappoint me in the slightest. Although the 1:37 runtime whisked by in a flash, I could not have been more impressed with the look of this film and the way Villeneuve and company are capturing the world of Dune. This will blow every previous adaptation out of the water.

With all the cast members getting shown off, the music, the designs and tease of the official trailer coming soon, this is truly Warner Bros. and Legendary flexing their muscles. They know they have something special on their hands, and they want the trailer debut for this event film to be an event all on its own. With the marketing to this point having been basically nonexistent, I have to admit some concern was growing in me. That’s all gone now. I have no doubt in my mind that the official trailer that drops online on September 9 is going to melt faces and blow minds.

The wait is almost over, everyone. The sleeper has awakened.

“Dune” is set to hit theaters December 18, 2020.

###

[new-sandrafilter]

Sources have confirmed to Inside The Film Room that the first official “Dune” trailer will be released online on Wednesday, September 9. The will come in the wake of a special, theater-exclusive teaser that is attached to screenings of “Tenet.”

A Canadian cinema employee shared the following details to ITFR. The teaser will run for one minute and 37 seconds and will give audiences around the world a glimpse of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi world through the eyes of Academy Award-nominee Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”).

But wait… There’s more! Not only did our source confirm the teaser’s existence and Warner Bros.’ plan for marketing the full official trailer’s release, but they have actually seen the footage – and so have I. It’s nothing short of spectacular and a true tease.

It opens with gorgeous, custom WB and Legendary logos that fit the gold and black aesthetic the marketing material has shown so far. Then, it hops right into an iconic scene fans of the novel will immediately recognize: the Gom Jabbar test. This scene takes place early in the novel and is the focal point of this teaser.

Before traveling to Arrakis, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is introduced to the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling). She asks Paul to place his hand inside a box that causes Paul to feel excruciating pain without physically harming him. The catch? He’ll die if he removes his hand. The Gom Jabbar is a lethal poisonous needle that Mohiam wears on her finger and presses against Paul’s neck during this test of his humanity, awarenesses and animal instincts. You’ll discover the reason for this test during his journey.

Confirmation of the upcoming theater-exclusive “Dune” teaser accompanying “Tenet” via the theater video system..

This is nothing short of stunning from a visual perspective. The set that Chalamet and Rampling sit in is enormous and circular, with beautifully ornate carvings in the walls and floor. Sunlight beams through a skylight, and the two characters are centered in the room. The Reverend Mother is wearing a complex gown. It’s almost terrifying how the black, netted material drapes over her entire body, from head to toe. She speaks with a taunting, almost mechanical voice, explaining the test to Paul – the poor boy is clearly in over his head.

As the test plays out and his fear and pain increases, the footage is intercut with a sweeping shot of Arrakis’ deep desert, with dunes as far as the eye can see. It’s exactly how you would imagine it. They’re bright yellow, and you can feel the sun through the screen. We also get quick, big shots of almost every cast member, making their faces obvious to viewers.

We see the door open on an aircraft and the Atreides men stand in their armor as the Arrakis sun shines onto them. Oscar Isaac looks absolutely regal and badass as Duke Leto Atreides. Rebecca Ferguson is hooded and smiling as Lady Jessica, and Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) makes a quick appearance wearing a stillsuit. We also see Javier Bardem’s Stilgar remove his face mask to speak to someone and Zendaya’s Chani climbing over rocks with a group of Fremen.

Some quick shots also include an ornithopter touching down in the desert and Paul stepping off. We also see Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kynes and our first look as “Beast” Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, played by Dave Bautista. He looks almost painted white or covered in dust. There is also the quickest glimpse of a large character’s head emerging from a huge tub full of a liquid that had a similar color to Rabban’s skin. This character seemed to be Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and it was a perfectly grotesque moment.

Throughout the teaser, the intensity of Paul’s test build and builds with each new cast member that is introduced, finally culminating with an epic closeup of Paul in the desert in a stillsuit, walking among Fremen. The score really comes in as the title reveals itself, and I am almost certain this is a piece from Hans Zimmer himself. It sounded like a cross between “Blade Runner” and “The Lion King,” with a good amount of drums mixed in with some ethereal, synth vibes. It perfectly fits “Dune.”

The teaser finishes with the title reveal, followed by a stacked list of every cast member that fills the screen from top to bottom, and a stamp that says “FILMED IN IMAX.” This film wasn’t captured with IMAX cameras, so this could mean they’re going the “Top Gun” Maverick” route of having their digital cameras certified by IMAX themselves. I’d expect expanded aspect ratios for at least part of the film, if not the entire film, when you eventually see it in IMAX. The images themselves look unbelievably crisp and almost surreal in a way that’s hard to put my finger on. I don’t know what exactly Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser did here (anamorphic lenses might’ve done the trick), but if these simple character shots look this good, I can’t wait to see the big and complex stuff.

It must be noted the teaser closes with the phrase “ONLY IN THEATERS,” but this is nothing new. Despite their upcoming films having official release dates picked out, all of WB’s recent trailers have forgone these dates in favor of highlighting the theatrical experience and keeping their trailers evergreen in the event of a delay — they won’t have to release a new trailer just because the date is wrong. I actually recognized this pattern last week with “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Tenet” and predicted that the new trailers for “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Dune” would also go this route. The absence of a date is not any indication that “Dune” will be delayed; this is simply the new normal in a pandemic.

So, we know it exists, but when and where will this theater-exclusive teaser be available? That is a little less clear. In social media messages posted yesterday, both the Facebook and Twitter accounts for Canadian theater chain Cinemark stated “the teaser trailer for ‘Dune’ will be debuted in select Tenet screenings starting August 31.” Additionally, the Twitter account stated “Warner Bros. has pushed back the date for the ‘Dune’ trailer.”

But despite being rated and ready for theaters when Canada and countries around the world show “Tenet” today, WB has asked for Cinemark to withhold the teaser until next week. The explanation for this is likely two-fold.

Firstly, the trailer for “The Batman” made an earth-shattering splash when it arrived on Saturday and is still dominating social media conversation. I suspect WB didn’t want one of their babies stealing limelight from the other. Despite this teaser being exclusive to theaters, news of it (and bootleg footage, no doubt) would have been all over social media the remainder of the week. Secondly, the first screenings of “Tenet” in the United States begin on Monday. It is entirely possible that WB wanted to wait until domestic public screenings began before allowing the teaser to show overseas, as well.

The final impression that I will leave you with is that this teaser did not disappoint me in the slightest. Although the 1:37 runtime whisked by in a flash, I could not have been more impressed with the look of this film and the way Villeneuve and company are capturing the world of Dune. This will blow every previous adaptation out of the water.

With all the cast members getting shown off, the music, the designs and tease of the official trailer coming soon, this is truly Warner Bros. and Legendary flexing their muscles. They know they have something special on their hands, and they want the trailer debut for this event film to be an event all on its own. With the marketing to this point having been basically nonexistent, I have to admit some concern was growing in me. That’s all gone now. I have no doubt in my mind that the official trailer that drops online on September 9 is going to melt faces and blow minds.

The wait is almost over, everyone. The sleeper has awakened.

“Dune” is set to hit theaters December 18, 2020.

insidefilmroom - EXCLUSIVE: ‘Dune’ trailer to release online Sept. 9

[thebladeblaster]

Pokémon: the Vanguard Descends The Movie: Celebi Lost In Time (part 1)

Aichi’s current team

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Many years ago Arceus foretold that his messiah would appear as the offspring of Gin Gaillard…

“Subject 003v. The human to Pokémon ratio in his dna is perfect. As well the programming has been perfectly calibrated to account for his power. As for his power he is far stronger than our previous two successes in project Psyqualia.”, Ryuzu said.

Gin touched the tube with his hand looking at his recently born son: A familiar blue haired boy with blue eyes. He looked back at his father.

“003v is the one who will fulfill our ambition. The perfect life form who will allow us to finally take over the world and defeat that infernal god, Arceus. You understand right my son?”, Gin said, smirking.

However, much to the terror of the world and the mistake of Arceus he told Gin this. Thus Gin decided to take control of destiny and the messiah. Instead of being Arceus’s avatar to fulfill his will he turned him into his avatar to fulfill his will upon the world, Team Asteroid ultimate weapon, the strongest creation of project Psyqualia, the ultimate despair, the anti-messiah, 003v...

Emi rode as fast as she could on the back of a Galarian Rapidash. She looked a bit older than she should be, looking more in her teens. By her side flew a girl with vibrant red hair and red cat-like eyes. She wore a yellow and orange dress with a big yellow hat and red shoes. She had glowing white angelic wings. Riding upon a Corvknight by their side was a shadowed figure and weirdly Suiko.

They flinched as they heard explosions in the background they hurried as fast as they could through the greenery.

“Come on Kai, Miwa, Kamui, Kyou, *static*! You’ve gotta buy us the time we need!”, the figure grumbled.

“Your fools if you think you have anytime without Team Asteroid’s permission.”, they all froze and paled in fear as they heard a familiar voice.

Descending down in front of them covered in a murky dark blue aura and rainbow spirals in his eyes was none other than 003v. Like Emi he looked a bit older for some reason. He wore a long black general-like coat lined with red. The side of the shoulders had a yellow part hanging off. Underneath was some sort of white zipped up top. He wore grey pants and long white boots. He had a belt similar to his father’s with a red A. His arms were crossed, his expression had a bit of annoyance and exasperation. He simply raised his pointer finger sending a blast of energy that stopped their mounts and the flying girl in their tracks, a dark blue aura and two intersecting rings surrounded them, binding them. The rings were pitch black with an ominous red along the edge.

“Absolute lock!”, 003v said as he binded the girl and the other Pokémon.

“Stop this 003v!”, Emi pleaded as 003v turned his gaze to her, his expression looking a bit softer when he looked over to her.

“I should be telling you the same thing Emi. Seriously rebelling like this? It must be another teenage phase. Come on, it’s time to come home Emi.”, 003v replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Stop treating me like this is simply a phase! Team Asteroid isn’t protecting anyone! It’s merely an authoritarian power controlling the world!”, Emi replied, very red.

003v nearly scoffed at this.

“Wait, but he’s here does that mean he…?”, Suiko questioned.

“Oh, yes your so-called god is dead. You know, for the battle that had been hyped up my whole life it was rather disappointing.”, 003v answered smugly.

They all looked completely horrified.

“You killed Arceus!? You're supposed to be the messiah! The one who was supposed to bring peace to the world! How could you!?”, the winged girl questioned.

“I have brought peace to the world. Ever since I enabled Team Asteroid’s take over of the world there had been no wars, disasters, or conflict. Not until you tricked my sister and tried to mess everything up.”, 003v replied with his voice full of venom, glaring at the winged girl.

His presence that had been restrained before was leaking out. They felt themselves choking from his oppressive aura. It made them feel like bowing and groveling for forgiveness at his feet. If they had weaker wills they would be doing so. It was so impossibly strong and seemingly infinite that they shook. They knew internally that no being could defeat this monster, but they tried anyway.

“Hey idiot! Can’t you get it through your thick skull that you’re on the bad guy side!?”, the shadowed figure said as he got in front of 003v dismounting the Corviknight.

003v completely ignored him as if he wasn’t even there focusing his attention on Emi. The shadow figure growled at this enraged that he was being ignored like this. He raised his fist and Suiko looked very panicked.

“*static* I don’t think that’s a good idea! You’ll only piss him off!”, Suiko warned.

The figure didn’t listen, punching 003v which was also ignored. He threw a punch and heard a loud crackle as his fist bent at an unnatural angle and blood tripped from it. He fell to his knees howling in pain clutching his fist.

“*static*!”, All of them minus 003v and the figure cried out.

003v looked completely unfazed by this, single mindedly focused on Emi. The figure growled throwing out a master ball revealing the seed of destruction; Yveltal. 003v still didn’t seem to care, even with the destruction legendary right next to him. He simply didn’t fear it or seemingly anyone or anything else. What should an ultimate life form have to fear?

“I’ll keep this bastard at bay!”, the shadowed figure said.

This made 003v break into uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh so you can hear me you bastard! Grieon use oblivion wing!”, the figure ordered angrily.

“You think you’ll stop me. That’s cute. You people never learn do you?”, 003v replied.

Emi took this chance to slip by paling as 003v was hit by the red light shot by the legendary, only to look untouched. The others remaining gaped in disbelief as 003v stood in the crater created by the destruction Pokémon‘a attack unfazed. He casually looked over his coat.

“Dang. You couldn’t even ruffle my coat, this is going to be so boring.”, 003v groaned.

“You arrogant prick! Oblivion wing!”, the shadowed figure replied as Grieon fire at him again.

They gasped as 003v walked through the blast like it wasn’t even there.

“Man you're so weak. I’ll just have Imaginary Plane deal with you so I can pick up Emi.”, 003v said, talking as if the legendary was merely a minor inconvenience.

003v threw out a Poké ball revealing a Haxorus who smiled sinisterly at Grieon.

“Not her!”, the winged girl called out.

003v turned his back to leave as the Haxorus fired scales at the legendary. Grieon raises up its wings in defense. Loud bangs could be heard as the scales bombarded Grieon’s wings.

“Arceus was wrong about you! You're not the messiah! Your pure evil the opposite to the messiah! The anti-messiah!”, the winged girl yelled venting all her frustrations in tears.

003v just smirked at this.

“As I said before I am the messiah. I brought peace to the world as Arceus desired.”, 003v replied, holding out one of his hands and gesturing with it.

“You're so brainwashed you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong! What you’ve done subjugating the entire world! Taking away everyone’s choice! Having them live in fear! That’s wrong! ”, the winged girl yelled.

“Pfft. I’m brainwashed, sure. Emi completely changing her mind about Team Asteroid after years was totally natural.”, 003v replied sarcastically.

The winged girl fumed with anger glaring at him. The shadow figure growled as Grieon was losing ground.

“Haxorus! Haxorus! Haxorus! Haxorus! Haxorus! Haxorus! (You can’t lose yet! I’m still having fun!)”, Imaginary Plane said.

003v suddenly froze, realizing something. He looked around seeing Emi was out of sight now.

“You're stalling me.”, 003v growled with annoyance.

“Of course.”, the winged girl replied.

003v took a step forward, seeming to disappear to them. Emi jumped hiding something in her arms as 003v seemed to appear in front of her. Emi backed away a bit as he walked forward.

“It’s time to come home Emi. Stop this nonsense.”, 003v said, outstretching his hand to Emi.

Emi turned away as 003v frowned.

“I wish…I wish things didn’t have to be like this. I wish you could be the kind person you naturally are. I wish...we could have lived together with mom, happily far away from dad.”, Emi said quietly with tears in her eyes tightening the grip of whatever was in her arms.

003v narrowed his eyes.

“You know that can never…”, 003v trailed off, freezing as could see a yellow cloth-like appendage sticking out not covered by Emi.

She looked up at 003v, her brother who for the first time in a long time looked genuinely panicked. His eyes widened in shock Emi’s arms revealed what was in her arms as he shook in tears. It was Jirachi, the wish Pokémon. 003v quickly faster than humans could ever comprehend thrusted his hand forward at Jirachi. He sweated nervously as he realized it was too late the eye on its belly had opened.

Light enveloped everything and the winged girl was released from her binds being swept away by the light.

“Emi!!”, she called out as she held her hand out as she was swept away.

The next scene showed Shizuka holding an infant Emi and Takuto standing before her. Shizuka’s eyes widened with complete disbelief and betrayal as she read the hacked information about her son and Team Asteroid.

“I know you may not trust me Shizuka Dou. But, something that is an irrefutable truth that I have revealed to you is that your son is alive. And your husband hid that fact from you. You must realize the kind of man your husband has become and leave here with your children.”, Takuto said.

She just wanted her babies to be safe so she nodded. Takuto disappeared for a brief moment teleporting before reappearing in a few minutes with an unconscious boy. He had blue hair and blue eyes. He wore a grey dress shirt and pants with black shoes. It was 003v, only 3 years old. Shizuka instantly grabbed hold of her unconscious child holding him close to her chest along with an infant Emi.

“We have to go now. Grab a hold of my hand.”, Takuto said urgently.

“Get him!”, Gin yelled from behind the door.

In a flash Shizuka was gone with her children to the small region known as Kakusa. She calmed down the crying baby Emi. She still held 003v close to her chest as well.

“I’ve altered his memories. As far as he’s concerned he’s been raised by his single mother and that you fled Galar with him and his sister to escape Team Asteroid.”, Takuto explained.

“You messed with his head?!”, Shizuka questioned, glaring at Takuto.

“Trust me it’s better that he doesn’t remember. You remember what you read right? How Gin had been raising him?”, Takuto replied.

“I know but…”, Shizuka trailed off as she looked down.

“Wait, what about his name? Isn’t his name being 003v a bit suspicious?”, Shizuka questioned.

“What do you want his name to be?”, Takuto asked as he held his fingers up to Aichi’s head.

Shizuka froze remembering the name she had originally thought up for him.

“Aichi...I want his name to be Aichi. It has many meanings including love, wisdom and...light of hope. Also, I don’t want to find it easily so our last name will now be Sendou.”, Shizuka replied.

An aura flashed around Takuto as 003v now was named Sendou Aichi. To further distance themselves from Gin they said their names like those in Kakusa did with their family name first.

She finally got to sit down when they got to PSY Sweets and she would stay there till she found a place to live. She was rather anxious as Aichi gained consciousness after sleeping soundly in the room’s bed. She held in a deep breath as Aichi stirred, rubbing his eyes in confusion. He looked over to Shizuka who held Emi in her arms. Emi roused from her sleep laying her eyes on her brother for this first time.

“...mom? Where are we?”, were the first words she heard her son say groggily.

She froze as he heard her son call her mom for the first time, forgetting to breathe. She also noted his noticeable Galatian accent like her own and Gin’s. To blend in further in Kakusa she would later make him hide it till eventually he lost his accent all together.

“We’ve made it to Kakusa, Aichi. We’re in PSY Sweets.”, Shizuka replied, finally remembering to breathe.

Aichi looked around tiredly in a way that reminded her of Gin in the morning. The physical resemblance he had to Gin added to it though he had Shizuka’s colors.

“Oh okay…”, Aichi replied, half asleep.

He crawled over to Emi who looked over at him curiously in her arms. Emi giggled as he came near and Aichi smiled.

“I’m glad Emi’s alright.”, Aichi said as Shizuka felt a very warm feeling in her chest.

Later after they had found a home in Sanctuary town. Aichi had a fateful encounter with a certain someone.

Aichi walked along the street wearing a blue shirt, black shorts and a backpack. He had scuff marks and a bandage on his face. He looked down sadly walking back home. Tears were stinging his eyes and he was recently used as a punching bag by the local bullies again.

He stopped when felt someone wipe away his tears. It was Ahmes as Ralts with him was a younger version of Kai.

“Ralts! (Don’t be sad!)”, Ahmes said, wiping away his tears.

Kai looked equally stunned by the Pokémon’s action before smiling.

“Ahmes seems to have really taken a liking to you.”, Kai said laughing a bit.

“O-oh this is your Pokémon?”, Aichi asked.

“Yeah, but I think it should stay with you now it seems like you need it a bit more.”, Kai said.

“T-there’s no way I c-“, Aichi stuttered.

“It’s fine I got other Pokémon. Besides I have a feeling that together the two of you will be able to get real strong.”, the young Kai replied, patting Aichi’s back.

Later…

Aichi smiled as he and the Ralts, Ahmes played tag together. He had never had friends to do this with so he didn’t realize you were supposed to have more people play. They both chuckled as they laid in the grass.

Many years later Aichi met Kai again and finally got to battle him after he moved all those years ago. He miraculously beat the experienced trainer and promised to battle him again one day. This was the start of Sendou Aichi’s adventure through Kakusa. On his journey he met various people, many who had become his friends. He fought Team Asteroid liberating Megacolony town, Kagero town, Grandblue city, Oracle town, Tachikaze town, Palesville, Dai city, Sanctuary town, and eventually the league from its control. He trained with Alfred and Takuto to defeat them. With Kamui he battled Kyou. With Kamui and Kourin he fought Asuka and he later fought Tetsu alone. He battled Ren after defeating the elite four, saving the region and becoming champion. Afterwards a huge party was thrown in Sanctuary town with people from across the region joining in. Then, Mamoru who had recently been freed from Team Asteroid’s prison was sent by the Kakusa government to determine if he was truly on their side. He passed and was accepted by the government. For Christmas Aichi went above and beyond as a champion to make everyone happy. So, for him Emi and his friends came together to give him a happy Christmas. Finally, when the day came he finally fought Kai as a rival and equal. Kai left to help those outside the region suffering from Team Asteroid and they vowed to meet again one day. Aichi would stay to protect Kakusa as the champion.

A couple of weeks after Aichi and Kai’s battle…

Aichi’s current team

Level 78 Ahmes (Gallade) psychic/fighting

Moves:

Close combat

Solar blade

Swords dance

Future Sight

Level 76 Wingal (Lycanroc (dusk)) rock

Moves:

Stealth rock

Crunch

Stone edge

Play rough

Level 74 Llew (Golisopod) water/bug

Moves:

Sucker punch

Blizzard

Liquidation

First impression

Level 75 Gancelot (Lucario) fighting/steel

Moves:

Focus blast

Stone edge

Meteor mash

Dragon pulse

Level 80 Soul Saver (Haxorus) dragon

Moves:

Outrage

Iron tail

Dragon dance

Scale shot

Level 100 Alfred (Aegislash) ghost/steel

Moves:

Sacred sword

King’s shield

Iron head

Shadow Claw

Emi opened up Aichi’s door looking annoyed as Aichi was still in bed fast asleep when he’s supposed to go to school.

“Man that dream was so stupid. My idiot brother could never be a super villain like that. It was probably because of all the crazy stuff we were told recently that I had it. I mean come on, brushing off an attack from a legendary? Killing god? Taking over the world?That has to be an exaggeration.”, Emi thought, shaking Aichi to wake him up.

“Five more minutes…”, Aichi groaned sleepily.

“You don’t have five minutes! If you don’t get your butt up you’ll be late!”, Emi yelled, causing Aichi to groggily get up.

[thegreatwhiteferret]

I Just Wanna Be A Kid Again

Summary: Richie is most definitely the crybaby of the Losers Club.

Pairing: Reddie

A/N: This was a request from a lovely Anon who wanted to see a story with Richie being a huge crybaby. I’m sorry it took so long, I hope you love it! You also didn’t specify if you wanted smut...but it’s kind of my thing, so it’s NSFW, I hope that’s okay!!! 💖

Richie Tozier was to put it nicely….a crybaby. He would pout his lips and stomp his foot when he didn’t get his way. Thick tears would roll from behind his glasses when he felt like there was injustice. He was just a soft and sweet boy under all of his raunchy and sarcastic commentary.

The thing is, Richie isn’t allowed to cry at home. When he was seven years old, little Richie Tozier had come home from school in tears, some older boys Vic and Patrick had cornered him in the boys bathroom and shoved his face into the toilet, flushing repeatedly, while they called him names. He was covered in Derry Elementary’s toilet water, and he was rightfully sad about it. He had barely stepped through the door when his father saw the tears, a disgusted snarl coming across his face. Richie stopped dead in his tracks, but it was too late. His father slapped him so hard across his face that his glasses flew across the room.

“What do you have to cry about you little pussy?” He spat, landing another blow this time to Richie’s left eye. Richie knew better than to answer, if he sunk into himself, it would be over faster. “That’s all you are, you little faggot. A pussy. Real men don’t cry. Now stop your blubbering before I give you something to cry about, and go get me a beer.”

Richie ran to his room and steeled away his nerves. That would be the last time that he ever cried in front of his father. The last time that Richie would cry anywhere but in the shower when he was alone with his thoughts, until he was fifteen.

The years of forced repression of his emotions corroded Richie’s mental health. He copes as best as he can with self deprecating jokes and being over the top. He accepts the nickname of Trashmouth, even though deep down the name really hurts him. They’re sitting in the Hanscom basement when it happens. Richie stumbles in after a brutal lecture from the school guidance counselor about his wasted potential. He opens the freezer in the corner that stores the snacks that Ben’s mom keeps stocked for them and pulls out the empty Fudgsicle box.

“Where are the Fudgsicles?” Richie asks, eyebrows furrowing and mind going slightly fuzzy. Mike quickly shoves something in his mouth and then throws the evidence behind him. Eddie and Bill look incredibly guilty. Bev and Ben shrug slightly, and Stan Uris sits with his legs crossed as he shamelessly licks up and down the side of a glorious Fudgsicle.

“Sorry, Rich. We must be all out. I’ll let my mom know and she will get some more when she goes to the store.” Ben says, frowning. “There are some other popsicles in there. Bev and I just had rocket pops and those were good…” He stops when he sees Richie’s lip start to tremble.

They all freeze, and then it happens. Richie starts bawling his eyes out. He sinks to the ground and he’s shaking. Snot and tears running down his face as he chokes on sobs. Bill swoops in immediately, wrapping his arms around Richie and letting him cry on his shoulder. He rubs his back like he does for Georgie when he’s upset. When he calms down a bit the fear of their disgust and rejection hits him. He tries to push back from Bill’s embrace.

“I’m so...sorry. I don’t know what happened. I know that boys don’t cry, I’m sorry, I’ll go.” He mutters out, fixing his glasses and tries to stand. Bill pulls him right back down.

“Wh-what are y-you talking about, R-rich?” Bill asks, he looks confused, in fact all of them do. Richie doesn’t have an answer.

“Richie, it’s okay to cry. Everyone cries sometimes. Why would you think that it wasn’t okay?” Eddie asks gingerly.

“M-my dad.” That’s all he has to say, they understand. Suddenly he has six bodies cramming around him and pressing him into one giant group bear hug. The knot in Richie’s chest releases, and he lets the years of holding everything in melt away. He knows that he doesn’t have to hide his emotions in front of his friends anymore, they’re his real family.

From that day forward Richie becomes known as the crybaby of the group. They don’t tease him over it, they just accept that if something goes wrong, Richie will probably have a mini meltdown about it.

He literally cries over spilt milk. They’re in Bill’s kitchen, making plans for some Renaissance Faire trip that Bev is dying to go to and Mike accidentally swings his arm back and hits the cup that Richie had patiently been mixing for the past few minutes. The chocolate milk goes everywhere, and as Bill moves to get the mop and paper towels to clean it up, Richie starts.

“Oh my God, No! Why do bad things happen to good people?” He’s full on crying, staring at the chocolate milk puddle on the ground.

“Richie. Are you fucking serious? It was just a cup of milk, Mike didn’t mean to knock it over, it was an accident.” Stan says, mildly irritated with the level of dramatics coming from the other boy.

“IT WASN’T JUST A CUP OF MILK, STANLEY! IT WAS THE PERFECT RATIO OF NESQUIK TO MILK!!!” Richie punctuates every other word by stomping his feet, and Eddie just sighs and pulls Richie out of the room before the conflict escalates. He was not letting his boyfriend get in a fight with his best friend over a glass of spilt fucking milk.

Sometimes he cries over things that don’t even apply to his life. The Losers Club go to see The Lion King in the theater. Everything was going fine until Scar throws Mufasa off of the cliff and tells Simba to leave and never come back. Richie loses his shit. They all stare at him wide eyed as he stands up and screams at the animated characters on the screen, “THAT UGLY ASS BASTARD! NO SIMBA!” They all sink into their seats, praying that they aren’t permanently banned from the movie house. Richie leans into Eddie’s shoulder and cries until he calms down. They decide as a group to skip all Disney movies in theaters going forward.

Eddie thinks that it’s pretty much like dating a toddler at times. Sometimes it’s avoidable, Eddie really didn’t need to refuse to leave the house for their anniversary dinner until Richie changed out of his hideous rainbow tie dyed Grateful Dead bear button up….except his brain said he really freaking did. Some were not. Eddie couldn’t control the fact that his mother banned Richie from her house for a month and bolted his window shut.

The Richie Ban has just been lifted when one of the unavoidable times happens. Richie is beaming, he just got a ninety three percent on his statistics test and he’s running down the hallway to tell his friends, when a foot jets out to trip him. Richie flies through the air and crashes to the ground. Richie looks up and sees Belch standing over him laughing.

“Leave me alone. I didn’t do anything to you.” Richie says shaking and flinching from the way the bully is looking at him.

“You little queer, you think I need an excuse to pummel your stupid ass? You’re not going to do anything about it because you’re weak, and your friends are weak. Stupid fucking gay Losers.” Richie doesn’t respond, he’s too busy getting his ass kicked and his glasses are broken again.

He’s sitting at Eddie’s kitchen table after school when he’s handed an ice pack. He takes it and presses it to his cheek. Eddie sits down across from him and starts working on mending his glasses. He thinks that now would be a perfectly acceptable time for Richie to start crying, but he’s sitting there with his thinking face on.

“Why is the world so awful, Eds? I’m always getting picked on. My glasses. My fucking ADHD. The fact that I’m gay. How could the world hate me for loving you?” Eddie holds his hand, he knows that the world isn’t fair and that Richie has to deal with an unnecessary amount of bullshit. This warm feeling is a little overturned when Richie starts whining. Eddie feels like an awful boyfriend, but the sound of Richie whining really turns him off. “Ughhhhhhh. I just wanna be a kid again, so I can go back to not giving a shit again.”

Richie starts crying again, and then starts crying over the fact that he cries so much. Eddie needs for it to stop before it becomes a full on episode. So he decides to go with what seems to most effectively distract Richie.

“Baby.” He drawls out biting his lip, waiting for Richie to look at him, but his boyfriend is too busy wallowing in self pity. He tries again, “Mmmm, Rich?” Nothing. Eddie is being his best little slutty self and his boyfriend is totally ignoring him. “RICHARD!” He screams.

“Jesus, Eddie. What the fuck?” Richie responds, looking at Eddie like he’s grown three heads. “I’m having feelings and I’m trying to share them and you’re yelling at me.”

“Oh my God. Oh my actual fucking God.” Eddie drops his head to the table, before just putting his ultimatum on the table. “If you stop crying, I’ll blow you right here and now.”

“In your mother’s pastel yellow kitchen, you’re going to blow me?” Richie was still sniffling a little, residual tears falling.

“On my knees. In my mother’s pastel yellow kitchen. With the front door unlocked, and I’ll even let you cum on my face.” Richie’s jaw hit the floor, Eddie never let him do that, always so particular about the mess being made, and ‘seriously Richie, is it not bad enough that I’m letting you put your penis, which you piss out of, in my mouth, you want me to let you ejaculate on my face? What if it gets in my eye and I go blind?!?!” Richie was a crybaby, but Eddie was a hypochondriac. They made quite a pair. “Deal?” Eddie smirks, as Richie nods enthusiastically. “Drop your pants then, Baby Boy.”

Richie didn’t have to be told twice. Eddie made it clear what was going to happen, he was in control, not Richie. Richie pulled his pants and boxers down, letting them pool at his ankles. Eddie sized him up, looking down right predatory, before motioning for Richie to take his shirt off too. Richie did and stood there, awkwardly naked in his boyfriend’s kitchen.

“Mmmm, please, Eds.” Richie moans, he needs something other than Eddie’s stare on him. Eddie clears his throat, sucks his teeth, and lifts an eyebrow.

“Excuse me? Did I give you the impression that you’re in control here?” Richie’s eyes grew wide. “You’re not in control, Baby. You’ll take what I give you and be satisfied. Understand?” Richie nods. “Good boy.” Eddie sinks to his knees, still not touching Richie, just lets his breast ghost over Richie’s dick.

Richie stays still. He knows that if he doesn’t stay obedient, that Eddie will call the whole thing off. He’s rewarded for this when Eddie strokes his dick with his hand, pumping up and down slowing, making sure that Richie is fully hard. When he’s satisfied, he uses his tongue to swirl around the head. Richie has to bite his hand to control the moans.

“Take your hand out of your mouth. I want to hear you, hear all the little noises that you can’t keep in because you’re such a desperate slut. I want to hear you scream my name.” Richie takes his hand from his mouth and uses it to grip the table, knuckles going white.

Eddie takes the head in his mouth and sucks, his right hand gripping the base of Richie’s cock. Richie whines, throwing his head back. Eddie takes him down, all the way down. He let’s the head hit the back of his throat and swallows around it.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Eds. Ugh. That mouth. Ugh.” Eddie keeps working, pumping any of Richie’s length that’s not in his mouth at any given time. He reaches for Richie’s hand with his own free one, and places it in his hair, moaning when Richie grabs his hair. He nudges back into his hand, letting Richie know that he can fuck into his mouth. Richie stops leaning in the table and stands up. He holds Eddie’s jaw in one hand and the back of his head in the other and thrusts forward. Eddie moans around his cock and grabs his ass, encouraging him. Richie began thrusting at a brutal pace, pleasure taking over, when he got a little overzealous, Eddie tapped his hip and Richie knew to calm down, Eddie was still in control. Richie was making noises like crazy. Moans and groans slipping out. It fueled Eddie. He snuck his hand down and cupped Richie’s balls. “Ahhh, ugh, fuck yeah.” Richie felt the burn in his lower abdomen start to coil, growing and growing.

He pulled his cock from Eddie’s mouth, and began pumping it in his own fist, drawing closer and closer to the edge, but knowing that he had to wait for permission. Eddie tilted his head back, preparing to be coated in his boyfriend’s cum. He looked Richie dead in the eye.

“You can cum now.” The words were barely out of his mouth before Richie tumbled over the edge, his cum landing in streaks across Eddie’s face as he screams his name. He stroked until he was sure that he was empty. Richie’s knees feel weak. He looks down at Eddie.

Eddie is still kneeling. Eyes squeezed shut with Richie’s cum all over his face. He looks incredibly uncomfortable.

“Eddie, are you alright?” Eddie doesn’t answer right away, and it scares Richie a little bit.

“Can you wipe this off of my face? Right. Now.” Eddie asks,moving his lips as little as possible. Richie lets out a little laugh but races to get a wet towel before Eddie kills him. He wipes off all traces of Jizz off of Eddie’s face. Eddie opens his eyes slowly, trying to make sure that nothing got in them. Richie helps Eddie up off of his knees and for the first time Eddie notices the wet spot on the front of Eddie’s pants.

“Holy shit. Did you cum just from sucking me off?” Richie wondered out loud. He regrets the words as soon as they are out and Eddie sends a glare in his direction.

“I may have cum when your cum hit my face.” He says without emotion. Already preparing himself for how obnoxious Richie is going to be about this. “Do not say a word. I’m just happy that you feel better and have stopped crying.”

“Eddie, will you be honest with me?” Eddie nods at his boyfriend's question. Of course, he’s always honest with him. “Do you think that I cry too much? Am I a crybaby.” Eddie takes a deep breath and thinks about how to phrase his response.

“I love that you feel comfortable with sharing your emotions. It shows how strong you are.” He starts, dreading the next part. “But you do cry over some things that are a little excessive. You don’t have to work yourself into a fit every time something hurts a little. You have to find a happy medium.”

“Okay.” Richie nods, “I’ll try to be more rational and cut down on the crybaby fits. I can accept that I meltdown over some simple things...and that I should be more mature.” Eddie hugs Richie, he knows how difficult that was for Richie to admit that.

“I love you, Crybaby Trashmouth.” Eddie says from where his head is resting on Richie’s chest.

“Yeeesh. Okay one more complaint. I hate the nickname Trashmouth. It’s hurtful. Really hurtful. And adding crybaby to it? That’s a nope.” Eddie’s eyes widen at Richie’s confession.

“Jeeze. You’ve never said anything about that, it’s a legitimate complaint!” Eddie throws his hands up. “I love you, Richard ‘Sweetmouth’ Tozier.” Richie smiles down at him.

“I love you, Edward Spaghetti Kaspbrak.” Richie expects the shove and the annoyed look.

“BEEP BEEP RICHIE!”

[sapphicwordweaver-blog]

Russian Superstition

All of the below are sourced from (here). Cut for length.

SUPERSTITIONS IN RUSSIA

Russians are considered very superstitious. Their lives are filled with superstition which most non-Russian are unfamiliar with. Soothsaying on New Years’s has traditionally been important. Most Russians claim they are not superstitious; they are only recognizing superstition as a way of hedging their bets by not tempting fate. [Source: Carol Williams, Los Angeles Times, Yelena Minnok Encyclopedia of Superstitions in Russia]

There has traditionally been a strong interest in parapsychology, some of which is regarded as “scientific,” in Russia. There are numerous folk stories involving vampires and witches. In 2001, Putin signed a bill outlawing “electromagnetic, infrasound...radiators” and others weapons of “psychotronic influence.”

Superstition experienced a rebirth after the collapse of Communism. Olga Miserva, a parapsychologist at Moscow's Open Spiritual Center, told the Los Angeles Times. "Reliance on superstition shows up the inadequacy of our internal knowledge and self-confidence problems that have been intensified by the insecurity inflicted on people by the complete change of the world hey know...There are a lot of problems and a lot of reason for people to be fearful. People want to fill these voids with a little something they can believe in. They look to the stars for guidance and put their faith in these old superstitions to feel they have control over the future."

Common Russian Superstitions

The Russian equivalent of knocking on wood is spitting over one's shoulder three times after making a careless remark about possible danger or presumed good. The superstition is based on the belief that the devil lives on one's left shoulder and an angel loves on the right shoulder, and spitting on the devil is a way of preventing him from causing mischief. Pretending to spit three times over one’s shoulder and then knocking on wood is a superstition for good health.

Many Russian superstitions trace their origins back to pre-Orthodox pagan times. To ward off evil spirits one must touch the floor with the right foot first after waking up in the morning. If a person accidently puts on their shirt inside out he or she must place it on the floor and step on it before putting it on the correct way.

Other common Russian superstitions: 1) A dropped butter knife means that a member of the opposite sex will visit. 2) If you want to have a son wear a hat during the moment of conception. 3) If you have a bad dream and you don't want it come true you must retell the dream in the morning while running water from a faucet so the dream goes down the drain. 4) Before embarking on a journey, one must "sit for the road," or sit silent on one's luggage or bed before leaving.

Domovoi and Shaking Hands at Thresholds

A common Russian superstition is that one must never shake hands, kiss, sleep or sit near a threshold such as a door. Thresholds are where brownie-like creatures known as domovoi dwell and kissing or shaking hands is regarded as an offensive invasion of their space.

Non-Russians visiting the home of Russian friends often violate this superstition by greeting their hosts with handshakes or embrace at the doorway. Some Russian believe that the misfortunes on the MIR space station began after arriving American astronauts shook hands with Russian cosmonauts when they entered the station.

Domovoi are believed to follow the head of the household when a family moves. There are elaborate rituals to attract domovoiwhen a new household is established after marriage. A newlywed groom, for example, does not carry his bride over the threshold, but rather lets loose a cat call which is supposed to summon a domovoi. Cats are the only creatures that can communicate withdomovoi.

Mirror Superstitions in Russia

In order not to obstruct the journey of departed spirits to the afterlife, Russians believe, one must not obstruct the view of a mirror. Broken mirrors are considered an omen of misfortune for a friend and looking at your own reflection in a broken mirrors is regarded as very dangerous.

People are not supposed to eat in front of mirrors or look at an image of a candle reflected in a mirror. Many superstitions involve mirrors because they are regarded as the threshold between the world we know and the world of spirits.

One of Russia's most widely held superstitions is when someone returns home to pick up something left behind he or she must look in a mirror before leaving again. Some people say that you have to stick out your tongue or make an ugly face when looking in the mirror. The idea behind this belief is that when a person leaves the house the first they accompanied by a guardian angel. If they return from outside the guardian angel is left behind and is recalled with a look in the mirror.

Bad Luck and the Evil Eye in Russia

Whistling indoors, yellow flowers, red hair are all considered bad luck. If you whistle indoors, all your money will fly out the window. Yellow is associated with sadness. Redheads are regarded with suspicion because there are so few of them.

Returning a borrowed item after sunset or mending a hem or button while wearing a damaged garment, spilling salt on a table are also considered bad luck. If you spill salt you must throw it over your left shoulder.

One should never celebrate a holiday, birthday, anniversary or other happy event in advance. Don't look at a baby if you have black eyes. Don't light a cigarette from a candle. The number 13 it is not an unlucky number in Russia. An even number of roses or any other flower is considered appropriate only at a funeral.

Evil eye superstitions are very much alive in Russia. The Cossacks have traditionally worn black fur hats with a red and black "god's eye" to ward off bullets. Many Russians believe that that some people have the power to cast the "evil eye". A babka, an old woman faith healer, told the New York Times, she can recognize the "evil eye" but she never uses it. "I cast only good spells," she said. "I never use the evil eye." To "disinfect" oneself from a curse cast by the evil eye pass a candle three times in front of an icon.

Supernatural Beliefs in Russia

The collapse of Communism brought about a resurgence in astrology, ESP and fortunetelling. Respected newspapers contain advertisements offering the services of witches, warlocks and clairvoyants. Doctors regularly advise their patients to see faith healers. Lilia Voroneheza, a popular psychic and faith healer, told the Los Angeles Times in the 1990s she was so busy she had to turn away customers. Another psychic, Anatoly Kashpirovsky, was elected to Parliament in 1993.

The Third Eye, a television show about the supernatural, was one of the most popular shows in Russia. A government report issued in 2001 said that Russian scientists were trying to create “effective methods to influence of humans at a distance.” The KGB investigated paranormal occurrences.

A Russian woman named Rosa Kulehova demonstrated her ability of eyeless sight at the Moscow Academy of Science. After being blindfolded she read material placed in front of her using the third and forth finger on her right hand.

Astrology in Russia

Astrology has became quite popular in Russia since the fall of Communism. Astrology columns are a fixture in almost every magazine and newspaper. Callers can receive personalized astrology accounts using their phones. The Kremlin used to have a staff of astrologers, whose job was to advise the late Present Boris Yeltsin.

Russian horoscopes tend to be gloomier than their American counterparts. Negative days usually outnumber "fortunate" days by a two to one margin (the ratio is reversed in most American horoscopes). The alignments of planets are viewed as inauspicious days in which it better to stay home and not make decisions. In the U.S. these days are viewed as obstacles that can be overcome.

By Western standards, Russian astrology reports are very blunt. One report in the Kommersant newspaper read: "Today is a largely dangerous day. You may end up broke...This day is entirely unsuitable for an undertaking of any sort...The risks of accidents is high. You shouldn't expect anything good from your family life today...It's better not to gamble on a day like this, whole fortunes are lost." The following day the paper reported: "Fraud, cheating and crooked deals are only a small fraction of the troubles that threaten to disrupt all your plans today." [Source: Washington Post]

Typical Russian horoscope entries read, "don't get frantic when you find all your life savings are gone," "your deliveries will not arrive on time, or will never arrive," foreigners will cause you a lot of trouble today," "on Tuesday the shady deals that you made earlier become known to the broad public," and "You should intensify the guard on your apartment; representatives of criminal structures are not dozing." [Ibid]

Russian Fortunetellers and Mystics

Russia has a long history with mystics and fortunetellers. Brezhnev consulted a Bulgarian clairvoyant. Yeltsin hired a special consultant to protect him from “external pyschophysical influence.” See Rasputin Under History.

By one estimate there are over 100,000 fee-charging mystics in Russia and the services they offer is a multi-million -dollar business. They advertise on television and in newspapers. Many fortunetellers in Russian are Abkhazians from the Caucasus and Roma (Gypsies). Abkhazian women read coffee grounds; Roma often use cards. On Roma fortune teller told the Washington Post,"All sorts come here for advise—doctors, procurators, Mafia—it's a good business."

The chess player Garry Kasparov credited the Azerbaijani psychic Tofik Dadashev with helping him won his first world championship in 1985 against Anatoly Karpov, who employed a psychologist trained in hypnotism. Dadashev told the Los Angeles Times, “What I was doing there was not hypnosis in the scientific sense of the word.” He said he “created the positive energetic background which would make it easier for him and more difficult for opponent to play.”

The use of mystics and fortunetellers soared after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian sociologists said that among the reasons for this were tough economic times and pent up interest in the supernatural after years of Soviet rule. “Many people now live on the verge of despair, given their economic situation, which humiliates and destroy their families,” one Russian sociologist told the Los Angeles Times. “They are attracted to psychics, to magicians to witches...out of fragility and desperation.”

Russian Wise Women and Witches

Faith healing, paganism and witchcraft were not stamped by the Communists. Since the break up of the Soviet Union they have experienced a rebirth. One Belarusian anthropologist told Newsweek, "The Communists were strongly atheistic, but they could not destroy people's belief in miracles.”

Almost every village has some kind of witch or warlock. Many people, when given the choice, say they would rather go to a faith healer than a doctor. Cures for cancer offered by witch doctors include drinking kerosene, spitting at the moon and peeing through a wedding ring into a saucepans.

Vedma ("wise women")—usually matronly babushkas in their 60s—in small villages in Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine treat childhood diseases by writing magic words on water and attempt to cure cows by whispering secret spells in the wind. For payment they accept chicken, eggs and homemade vodka.

"Ivan Kupla" is a pagan festival tolerated by the Orthodox Church in which revelers celebrate the beginning of spring by bathing naked together in running water and jumping over greenwood fires with crowns of birch twigs. Some parish priests keep busy doing exorcisms on people reportedly victimized by witchcraft. These exorcisms often feature a lot of moaning, screaming and shuddering from crucifixes.

Urban Witches

The belief in witchcraft in Russia is said to be stronger in the cities than in rural areas because, one Orthodox priest told the New York Times, "in villages the old attitudes toward the church are still alive and the immunity against evil is better preserved.”

In the cities witches work as fortunetellers. Most of their business comes from women who have bad luck and want to have a curse removed and men who want to seduce women. One customer who sought a witch in Moscow told the Time of London her boyfriend had left her because a neighbor had sprinkled pine needles across the threshold of her family house when her mother was pregnant. “We told the witch about it and she lifted the curse,” the woman explained.

In the early 2000s, Larisa Teterina operated the upscale “External Help Center.” She typically treated six patients a day in an office filled with candles, crystals, and fertility symbols. She charges about $25 for an initial consultation and prices varied depending on the ritual, spell or curse that was sought. A charm that mended a broken marriage cost $300. A spell to make a man more sexy cost $150. Teterina told the Times of London: “Magic can’t be cheap because you’d argue with your spouse all the time and then go to witch to get it fixed.

Teterina said she learned her craft from her grandmother and has a 85 percent success rate. She attributed her high success rate as much to commons sense advice as magic. Still there are those who consider Teterina and others like her to be swindlers and charlatans. Witches have become so common that the Moscow city council proposed legislation to ban “occult services.”

[alexcaldownapier]

Final Exercise - Reflections

Recreation (above) - Original (Below)

Scene Recreation - Baby Driver (2017)

Happy with the framing, lenses, production design and performances, however, the colouring is nothing like the original and the camera movements are occasionally shaky. 

Crew: Jack Birrell - Director, Bonnie Sanderson - Editor/Producer, Alex Caldow - DOP/ Producer, James Fox - Sound, Samuel Tabotta - Sound/ Camera operator.

Starring: James Fox - Bats, Bonnie Sanderson - Doc, Jack Birrell - Baby/Eddie, Alex Caldow - JD.

Pre-production

We chose this scene as we wanted to challenge ourselves when it came to editing and coverage while still being able to achieve a truthful recreation. The lighting is quite simple and we felt we could recreate the location pretty well (more on that later). As Cal was heading home early, we were already one crew member down so we had to call up James Fox, who did an excellent job, to fill in as an actor. Jack, Bonnie and I went round some charity shops looking for costumes, doing a pretty spot on job with the suit for Doc and the shirt for Eddie. The others were a little harder. For Bats’ costume, we bought a red jumper then taped on bits of paper for the details and for JD’s vest, we had to compromise with a yellow t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The rest of the production design was handled by Bonnie and Jack who created the heist planning board (pretty spot on!) and got the newspaper and toy cars, they did a great job dressing the set and I think it works quite well in the finished scene. The only draw backs come from the location. While the studio did offer a wide space and tables and chairs, the bright white walls hindered us when it came to creating contrast in the lighting and getting more colour into the shots. We should have thought ahead and made some props for the background with some colour in them, perhaps some fake pillars. We planned out the lighting, lenses, framing and shooting schedule all before the shoot - here’s our master doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iKBeYIbA3CZMcQUt0Q6a2EaaEuKo9VwPZ71b34jAyw0/edit?usp=sharing

Production

On the day of the shoot, Sophie, our camera operator had to pull out due to Covid fears. This put us in a bit of a tight spot as one key shot required all of us to be in shot. We quickly reached out to others on the course and Samuel, always keen to lend a hand, came to our rescue. We set up the lighting with two Sachtler lamps pointed at a bounce board to create the soft daylight feel and a small LED as fill in some shots. The flag I had booked was comically small (I hadn’t checked the dimensions) so wasn’t much use in the medium and wide shots, we were only able to use this on the extreme close-ups for negative fill which did create some nice contrast. Another set back was that the sound equipment was broken and for too long we worried that we just weren’t using it right, eventually we asked Ben for help and he got us another sound recorder. This set off our schedule as we cracked on with the shots that didn’t require sound so our order was muddled up. Once we did get the sound working, the shoot went a lot smoother. For the sliding shots, we used two methods - either we placed the tripod on top of a jacket and pulled it across the table or we used a skateboard with the camera on top. These methods *kinda* worked; there were some issues. The shots required a pan as well as a track which meant we needed two camera operators and this added to the shakiness of the shots. The jacket was a little shaky and the skateboard had an irregularity in one wheel which meant that when moving it slowly as required, the movement seems to stop then start again - this can be seen in the final film. The long push-in also required Bonnie to help me out with the focus. We did a huge number of takes but even then the final shot still has some focus and movement issues. We did manage to get it all shot in the time given on set which was a relief. 

Post-Production

We edited together, with Bonnie taking the lead and having final cut. I think we managed to get the pace and rhythm of the scene down. This was helped by the music used in the first half as this let us stick to the beat. Editing to music was very fun and then when the monologue begins, we edited to that, matching the cuts based on where they were in the monologue. In the end, our edit was only 2 seconds longer than the original. I enjoyed messing around with the audio at the start of the scene and I think we get the idea across well. We also added in a sound effect used in the scene - a pen clicking - which I think adds a little something. The colour grading was the main challenge in the edit. Due to the bright white location, it was hard to get the necessary darkness in the background while keeping the characters visible. The final grade is flat and dark and while some shots have the necessary contrast, most don’t due to the white that is EVERYWHERE in the shots. Another oversite was the aspect ratio, something I’m only realising now while writing this. The original is a lot wider than ours which takes us even further away from an accurate recreation.

Comparisons

In this one, we got the contrast pretty close although the head position and skin tone is off. The background is also too white.

This one is just too dark, but any chance of brightening it up resulted in the white wall being too in your face. The set issues are most notable in these shots. Lighting could also be wrapped around a little more. Performance is excellent.

Again, brightness and saturation is an issue, however the framing and lighting, I am pretty happy with. This shot really shows off the production design as well (apart from the location).

The lighting and framing I’m pretty happy with although more light is needed on the board. This one is all in the tones, the lack of saturation and the whiteness in the face detract from it.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this, while it’s flawed and scrappy, I think it sticks to the tone well and is a pretty faithful recreation despite the colouring and location. Doing the comparison has cheered me up a little as well as it’s a lot closer than I thought it was.