#if I found out my wife mooned 2 US presidents I would marry her again tbh

[oceanmonsters]

actually crying at this reddit post I want to believe it’s real so badly and also hope this woman finds someone who deserves her

[softsichenghours]

just like in highschool {n.y}

summary: in which it’s been five years since you’ve seen your highschool sweetheart, nakamoto yuta. that is, until your dreaded highschool reunion.

word count: 4.8k 

you sighed as you turned off the engine in the driveway of your best friend’s house. it had been five years since you had been in your hometown, and you weren’t planning on going back anytime soon, until you got the news of your highschool reunion. it had been only five years since you graduated and moved away promptly, but a few of your classmates had put together a reunion. you supposed if you attended this one, you wouldn’t be obliged to attend the rest in years to come. 

your parents had since moved out of your hometown, and you would rather stay with your best friend, ellie, instead of staying with distant relatives or in a hotel. but you still found yourself stalling for time by sitting in the parked car and staring at her house. it was the house she grew up in and it was passed down to her when her parents also moved away, so you knew it well.

you knew you had to face the music sometime, so you took a deep breath and grabbed your bag from the backseat before exiting your car. you walked up to her front door and rang the doorbell, hearing excited footsteps scatter to the door. 

“y/n!” taeyong said excitedly, pulling you into a bear hug. you couldn’t help but laugh at the same silliness your best friends fiance still had five years since you had last seen him. you got a good look at him when he finally pulled away from you. he had gotten more handsome, which you thought was nearly impossible for taeyong. even in highschool he was a heartthrob, but he had much more of a boyish look back then. 

“you’re looking great. come in.” he beamed.

“you are too.” you chuckled, taking a step into their home. it had barely changed since you were younger.  “where’s–” before you could finish your thought, you heard a voice yell from upstairs.  

“is that y/n?” ellie called. before taeyong could tell her that it was in fact you, she was barrelling down the stairs as fast as her tiny legs could carry her and crushing you in a hug. 

“hey, you have to be careful!” taeyong laughed, but she didn’t listen. as soon as she took a step back from you, she was asking you questions at a rapid fire speed. 

“why haven’t you come to visit any sooner? how are you doing at your job? is there anyone special yet?” she wiggled her eyebrows with her last question. 

“1. i haven’t had the time, 2. it’s good, and 3. no. there’s no one yet.”

“so, who else is still around?” you questioned as you sat around after dinner that night, sipping on your glass of wine. “just you guys?” 

“us, jeonghan, nayeon…that’s about it. johnny lives in the town over now, but he’ll be here for the reunion.” taeyong explained, looking at ellie to make sure he didn’t miss anyone. 

“yeah, that’s really it…” she sighed.

“oh! and yuta will be here, too. he flies in tomorrow.” taeyong added. 

yuta. 

“what even goes on with him anymore?” ellie questioned, leaning back on the couch. 

“i don’t know, i haven’t talked to the guy since graduation. i don’t think anyone has. he’s a singer, i think.” 

“i heard he got divorced from asami recently. like, within the past year.” ellie mentioned. 

“really? i thought they would be together forever.” taeyong pondered. you kept out of the conversation, not being able to open your mouth to speak about him. 

“no, i followed her on social media, and they didn’t really seem happy.”

“how long were they married?” taeyong raised an eyebrow, finishing the last of his wine.

“gosh, it must’ve been…three years? or it would’ve been three years. they got married when they were around 19.”

ellie must have noticed how quiet you were, and quickly changed the topic. she knew about what went on between you and yuta back in highschool. you wished you had forgotten.

you thought you weren’t ready to face everyone from home, but you definitely weren’t ready to face yuta. that’s why when he walked into the restaurant you were eating at the next night with ellie, taeyong and johnny, you almost choked on your water. you froze, memories coming back to you all at once. 

“yuta, over here!” ellie called, waving him over. he seemed different, but so the same as he sauntered over. he even looked different. if you had thought taeyong had gotten more attractive, it was nothing compared to yuta. he had matured a lot, and looked like a man now, not the geeky teenager you knew. you noticed his long hair was dyed red and half of it was tied up in a small bun and that his eyes still looked like they held all the stars in the sky. 

as he sat down next to taeyong, his eyes met yours. in that moment, it was like you were both saying a thousand words to each other. in that moment, you both knew. 

nakamoto yuta wasn’t satisfied with his life. after his divorce, he felt like a piece of him was missing. maybe it was his ex-wife, asami, maybe it was just her company and love. he tried to fill the hole with his career, playing small shows and writing songs. but at the end of the day, he still came home to an empty apartment. that’s why when he heard about the reunion, he knew he had to go. he wanted to see all his friends from highschool and hopefully reconnect with them. you had crossed his mind many times, but he never expected you to show up. that’s why when his eyes met yours for the first time after five years, he knew. 

when you had all finished your meals, johnny was the first to start a conversation. 

“so yuta, how’s the singing career going?” he questioned, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

“it’s– going,” he laughed. “i play a few small gigs at bars and local festivals every now and then. i think i have more songs than i’ll ever need.” 

“you’ll get your recognition one day, man. just keep at it.” taeyong reassured. 

“what about you, y/n? what do you do now?” johnny questioned you next. 

“um,” you thought about what you did, working as the senior vice president of an accounting company. “i have an office job.” you chuckled, trying to make a joke. 

“boring! isn’t that like watching paint dry?” johnny insulted. 

“no, sometimes i actually do the painting.” you replied in a joking matter. 

“what happened to the teenager with big dreams of being an artist?” yuta questioned cockily, crossing his arms and leaning back. 

“life happened. y’know, some of us are trying to survive and don’t have our heads in the clouds still.” you jeered. everybody fell silent.

“yeah, well, some of us want to be happy, not rich.” he fired back. “and weren’t you the one who told me to pursue this career?” 

“o-kay!” taeyong exclaimed before your little argument could grow bigger. “we should get going, it’s getting late.”

you wanted to say you felt bad for lashing out at yuta, but as you lay in bed that night, you knew you were right to stand up for yourself. he hadn’t contacted you in five years, he had no right to talk about your job. as for his, although you had made fun of it, you respected what he did. you hadn’t heard him sing since highschool, but even then, his voice was calming and angelic. you remembered lying under the huge oak tree in your backyard with your head in his lap as he sang sweet melodies to you. things were a lot different back then.  

you couldn’t seem to sleep because of the thoughts running through your head, so you sat up and grabbed for your phone and headphones on the nightstand. you quickly searched his name, nakamoto yuta, and searched for his songs. the first one you found, you assumed it to be the most popular, was called sun&moon. you listened as his voice filled your ears again, the lyrics making your mind swirl.

“when my moon rises your sun rises as well under the same sky in this different time our hearts are connected under the same sky

you and i you and i you and i our own secrets you and i you and i you and i we are like one

will i be able to see you again? at the end of this long journey? want to be together in the same time in different places this distorted fate.”

the lyrics reminded you so much of yours and yuta’s relationship. well, it was never a “relationship”, but it was definitely something. you decided to turn off your phone and get back to trying to sleep, neglecting the tears filling in your eyes.

tap, tap, tap. 

you almost didn’t hear it over the soft lull of the television and oscillating fan in your room the next night.

tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. 

you furrowed your eyebrows as you watched the tiny pebbles hit the window. when you looked out, you thought your eyes were playing tricks on you. yuta stood in the backyard, throwing rocks at your window. just like in highschool, you thought to yourself. he smiled to himself when your face appeared behind the window. you opened it quickly, before sticking your head out. 

“what are you doing?” you questioned. it was almost midnight, after all. 

“um,” he looked down at the pebbles in his hand. “throwing rocks at your window? come down, please.” 

“and why?” you fired back without thinking, not meaning to sound rude. 

“because i want to talk to you.” yuta answered simply, a perfect smile appearing on his face. you couldn’t stop your stomach from doing a flip, just like in highschool. 

that’s how you ended up on the rooftop of the abandoned gas station on the corner of pine street, a place you commonly hung out at in highschool. the gas station had been closed for over 10 years, and yuta had discovered that the back door was unlocked in your junior year. now that you were here as adults, it felt like all those memories were just a weird fever dream. 

you were the first to speak. “i’m sorry for what i said the other night. i never meant to start an argument.” 

“it’s fine. i see where you’re coming from. music is the only thing that’s ever made sense to me.” he said, staring down at his feet dangling over the edge of the roof. you were reminded of his song lyrics that were so closely related to your relationship with him. 

“i listened to one of your songs.” you mentioned, inhaling sharply. 

“really?” he looked at you and smiled. “which one?” 

“sun&moon. it’s really nice. the lyrics are beautiful.”

“thank you…i knew you’d like that one.” because it’s about you, yuta wanted to say. “what have you even been up to lately?”

you took a deep breath and looked forward at the town. “not a lot. just working.” 

“oh, i see.” he said simply. “that’s tough…i mean-! work is good sometimes!”

“no, you’re right. work shouldn’t be the only thing occupying my life.” you said with a short laugh escaping your lips. 

“is it? there’s no one…special, if you know what i mean?” yuta joked, nudging your shoulder with his. 

you laughed at what he was implying. “no yuta, there isn’t anybody. a few boyfriends here and there over the last few years but nothing lasting.” you sighed.

yuta was silent for a moment, both of you looking out over the rooftop, both of you wishing it was highschool again when you were–

“i’m sorry to hear you haven’t had luck in that area.” he cut you off from your thoughts. “i guess you heard what happened with me and asami…” 

“yeah, ellie told me. i’m really sorry, yuta.” you looked over at him and watched as he smiled with nostalgia. 

“it’s okay. it’s what we both wanted. well, i guess we wanted different things in life. she wanted to travel the world and always be on an adventure. i wanted to settle down within the next few years.”

“sadly that’s what ends a lot of relationships at this age.” you chuckled with a bitter tone. you had so much you wanted to talk about with yuta, so much you wanted to ask him. like why did he chose her over you? and why did he act like nothing ever went on between you? but you couldn’t bring it up so soon, he only wanted to have a civilized conversation. 

what you and yuta had was like no other relationship you’d ever had. but there was never a label on what you had. you weren’t girlfriend and boyfriend, but you both knew you were lovers. for almost two years you were attached to each other. you did everything a couple would, went on dates, had sleepovers, and showed affection. you were each other’s first, well, everything. first date, first meaningful kiss, first time. you were each other’s first loves. well, you were in love with him. madly, at that. 

and you thought he felt the same towards you, but then he started going out with asami right before graduation. you were so heartbroken, you must’ve cried three rivers that night. the only person you ever told about how you were feeling was ellie, so naturally, she knew about how you felt about yuta. you had never gotten to talk to him about it, as you both were so busy then. and after graduation, you went your separate ways to different universities. for years, you wanted to know why he did what he did. but now that he was sitting next to you in such a vulnerable way, you couldn’t seem to talk about it. 

yuta couldn’t either.

“hey, y/n, here’s your yearbook.” ellie laughed and tossed the hardcover to where you sat on the couch. you caught it quickly, a confused look on your face. 

 “wh- how’d you get this?” you questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“when your parents moved out of town, they found it in their attic and knew you’d want it one day, so they gave it to me to hold on to.” she smiled, sitting next to you and opening hers. you turned over the slim book in your hands. truthfully, you had never even looked at it. 

“oh my gosh, look how small and awkward everyone was!” she giggled, finding the seniors page. 

“i’ve never even looked at mine…” you pondered. 

“wait,” she looked up from the pages. “really? not even to look at the autographs?” she asked with disbelief in her voice.

“not even to look at the autographs. i guess i was so heartbroken that i didn’t even want to see them.” you said in a quiet voice. “should i look now?” 

“no! i mean, they’ll do autographs at the reunion, so how cool would it be if you looked at it for the first time after that? you’ll see everyone’s original comment and their comment from now!” she suggested excitedly. before you could say anything, she took your yearbook from your hands and stood up. “you’ll get this back at the reunion.”

the night of the reunion crept up on you faster than you wanted it to. you had been excited to see everyone again, but now that you stood by the door waiting to go into the venue they had booked, you couldn’t stop your mind from racing. ellie noticed and laid a hand on your shoulder comfortingly and leaned into you  

“don’t worry. you won’t have to see these people ever again after this if you don’t want to.” she whispered. she was right, but it wasn’t just everyone you were nervous to see. the thought of yuta made your hands tremble, as you had decided to talk to him tonight about what he had done. 

after a few hours of socializing, yuta had completely slipped your mind. you were talking to some old friends when you noticed his figure slip out the back door. you quickly excused yourself from the conversation and followed after him, grabbing two beers from the bar on the way. 

yuta’s head didn’t even turn when you walked out into the cool night air, the metal door slamming behind you.

“hey, you good?” you sat beside him on the step, handing him a beer. he looked over at you and tried to smile, but it was obvious something was weighing him down. 

“yeah,” he looked away from you, “i’m good.” 

“no you’re not.” you said without missing a beat. “i know you, yuta. something’s on your mind.” 

he was quiet for a few seconds, the noise of the party inside filling the silence.  

“i’m just feeling a bit…lonely. everyone is in a relationship, or happy with their life at least.” he sighed, running a hand through his thick red hair and taking a sip of his beer. 

“not everyone is.” you said without thinking. yuta didn’t say anything. “why did you do what you did to me in highschool?” 

“hmm?” he looked at you with his eyebrows furrowed. “what do you mean?”

“why did you pick asami over me? why did you just start going out with her one day when i was in love with you?”

“y/n…” he sighed. 

“no, yuta, i deserve to know. i’ve asked myself those questions everyday for five years, i just want an answer. even if it’s not what i want to hear.” you said, your voice shaky. don’t cry, you had to tell yourself. yuta still stayed silent. 

suddenly the door opened, and taeyong poked his head out. 

“hey, i thought i’d find you two out here. we’re signing yearbooks now if you want to join.” he smiled. you heaved yourself off the concrete steps and huffed, taking a swig of your beer. you went back in with taeyong, leaving yuta alone outside. 

yuta wasn’t ready to go back inside just yet, leaving his mind to wander to what you had brought up. he knew you were hurt over what he did back then, but he didn’t realize that you were still hung up on it. the truth was, he had only started going out with someone else because he knew that after graduation you would have to part ways anyway. he didn’t know if he could make the long distance work and knew we couldn’t handle the breakup because of it. still, he knew he should’ve talked to you about it first. 

yuta had been so in love with you, and he wished you knew you weren’t the only hurting. even though he was with asami, it took him a long time to get over you. even though he was with asami for almost four years, he had never felt a love like yours. if he was being honest, he still found himself thinking about you too often. and he would never tell anybody, but he knew he would never find a love like yours again.

the next day rolled around quickly and soon you were packing your barely unpacked suitcase to go home again. your mind and heart were heavy as you thought about leaving your friends again, but as always, life got in the way. you thought about yuta. you knew he was flying home today, too. you hadn’t even gotten to talk to him that much, which you regretted. you didn’t even know why you wanted to.

“hey y/n, here’s your yearbook. you left it downstairs when we came home last night.” ellie spoke from the doorway, making you flinch at her sudden presence. you forced a smile and took the slender book from her hands. 

“thanks…” you muttered and almost shoved it in your suitcase until she stopped you. 

“are you going to read it this time? aren’t you curious as to what everyone had to say five years ago and today?” ellie urged. you pushed your suitcase out of the way and sat on the edge of the bed, opening the front cover. 

“i guess i should, right?” you looked up at her. ellie just smiled like she knew something you didn’t before closing the door again, leaving you to read. had she secretly flipped through your yearbook without you knowing? you didn’t really care at this point. you skimmed through the pages, a small smile forming on your lips as you looked at everyone’s pictures. 

right before the autograph page was the senior superlatives page, something else you had forgotten about. you read about the most athletic and the most likely to be famous, none of them sparking interest to you. your eyes fell on a picture of yuta with the caption “biggest flirt”. well, they got that one right. then you spotted a picture of you and yuta that you didn't even know existed, with the caption “most likely to remain highschool sweethearts”. all you could do was chuckle bitterly. 

when you turned the page to the autographs, you smiled widely once again. you always tried to be kind and made friends with everyone in highschool, so everyone had something nice to say about you. you must’ve read through twenty “i’ll miss you!”s and “you’re the best!”s, before reading the more sincere ones. 

you laughed at what ellie had said about you being her bestfriend forever, even if you didn’t have a choice, and what johnny had said about you being the best lab partner in chemistry for three years. just when you thought you had read all of them, you recognized yuta’s messy writing. 

“i think i’m in love with you. -yuta” if that, what he had said in highschool, didn’t make your heart skip a beat, the words directly underneath it in neater handwriting from the night before made it skip two. 

“i know i still am. -yuta” the only thought that ran through your mind was that you had to find yuta before he got on that plane.

you drove through the backstreets to the old house where you knew yuta’s parents still lived. you knew the route there like the back of your hand still, like it was just yesterday you were spending your days there, messing around with yuta. 

when you pulled into the driveway, your mind was so foggy that you almost forgot to turn off the engine of your car. you ran up the front steps and knocked on the door, hoping someone was home. hoping that someone was yuta.  

“y/n dear, how nice to see you!” yuta’s mother beamed, pulling you into a hug. 

“hi mrs.nakamoto.” you smiled, catching your breath. 

“what brings you here?” she questioned, holding you at arms length to get a good look at you. you looked over her shoulder into the house, memories washing over you. memories of yuta chasing you down the stairs with a pillow in hand when you would have childish pillow fights during your sleepovers, of many bowls of popcorn being burnt in the kitchen, of almost waxing yuta’s eyebrows off in his bathroom, hell, you had even lost your virginity in that house. but now there was no trace of yuta.

“i’m looking for yuta.” you said, looking at her once again. “is he here?” you asked as hope bubbled in your chest. 

“oh, i’m sorry. i’m afraid you just missed him, sweetie.” she said, an apologetic look settling on her face. you sighed as all hope dissipated from you. what did you do now? it would be too late if you drove to the airport, and you had to leave soon too. did you just have to accept the fact that you were in love with each other and you wouldn’t be together? it hit you that that was the first time you acknowledged that you were still in love with yuta. 

you ran your hands through your hair and looked away from the older woman, trying not to let the tears collect in your eyes. you blinked them back when she spoke. 

“is everything alright, dear?” her kind eyes bore into you, the same kind eyes yuta had inherited. 

“yeah, everything’s fine.” you forced a smile. “i just wanted to say goodbye.”  

“well i’m sure you’ll be back here at the same time again and you’ll get to see him.” she smiled gently. 

“you’re right. thanks mrs.nakamoto.” you smiled softly. “i should get going, i have a plane to catch, too.” 

you said your goodbyes to her and got back in your car, your heart heavy and crying in your chest. maybe if you had just looked at your yearbook when you got home the night before! there life went, getting in your way again. you collected yourself as best as you could and turned on the engine of your car, getting ready to go back to ellie’s and finish packing.

as you drove down the narrow backroad, you noticed a familiar head of flaming red hair leaning against his car which was pulled over on the side of the road. yuta! you caught his eyes as you pulled over behind him and noticed a grin spring to his face. you quickly got out of the car to talk to him.

“y/n, what are you–?” he started but you cut him off. 

“i saw what you wrote in my yearbook.” you smiled, the same feeling of hope building in your chest.

“finally!” he laughed, taking a step closer to you. “so, what about you?” 

you took a deep breath, hoping you wouldn’t come off too strong. “i’ve realized that the thing missing in my life that i’ve been wanting, is love. i know this sounds really cheesy and i feel like we’re back in highschool again but these past few days i’ve realized that i can’t stay mad at you for what you did because i’ve never really stopped liking you.” you blurted out.

“i feel that way too! i mean, i tried so hard to stop loving you, but it was hard to. seeing you again just brought it all back to me.” he reciprocated, his wide grin growing even wider.

“listen, yuta. i know life is going to try and keep us apart because when has life ever worked out in our favour?” you paused while he laughed. 

“you’re right about that.”

“but i want to be with you and i’m not letting anything keep us apart anymore.” you said confidently, although you were sure your hands were trembling at your sides. yuta leaned down, his hands grasping either side of your face, his lips landing on yours. it felt like fireworks all over again. just like in highschool.

you closed the door to your apartment behind you, stifling a yawn and kicking your heels off. you had had a long day at work and all you wanted was to cuddle up in your bed and sleep for three days. the mouthwatering smell of dinner cooking hit your nose and you smiled softly, knowing what was waiting for you. 

“is that you, babe?” yuta’s voice called from the kitchen. you hung up your coat and trudged into the kitchen to see him standing at the stove, preparing whatever meal he had cooked for the both of you. 

it had been two months since your highschool reunion. yuta had packed up his life and moved in with you only a few weeks after. since then, your days had been filled with happiness instead of constant work. 

you wrapped your arms around his middle and rested your cheek on his back, breathing in his scent and letting your eyes close. 

“no, it’s not me.” you replied with a giggle. 

“how was your day, munchkin?” he asked softly, putting his hands over yours and removing your arms from him just so he could turn around to see you. 

“tiring.” you sighed, looking up at his glowing face. you could tell yuta was a lot happier here, too. “how was yours?” 

yuta had started working for a music production company and was excited to make music everyday. you were lucky that he had shorter days than you, because that meant he could be home to greet you when you got back from work everyday. 

“my day was amazing.” he smiled, pulling you back into his arms, your head resting on his chest. “let’s have dinner and then go to bed, yeah?” he suggested, a hand rubbing your back soothingly. 

“yes please.” you chuckled lazily, your eyes fluttering closed again. you stayed like that for a moment, the way yuta was swaying you gently almost making you fall asleep in his arms. 

“i love you, y/n.” he whispered, placing a kiss to the top of your head. yeah, this was definitely what was missing from your life

[creative-type]

Good vs Great: Details Matter

So with the release of the new Thor movie I thought it would be appropriate to write a post celebrating one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. Released before the genre really got popular, it has everything one could hope for in an action flick: Strong character and story, tense action, and timeless themes. The movie wasn’t produced by Marvel,  DC, or even Fox.

It was Pixar. Pixar made the best superhero movie, and I will fight anyone who disagrees.

Like most things I write about, I absolutely love this movie. I remember seeing the trailers for it way back in 2004 and was obsessed even before it was released. As a middle schooler I sought out reviews and merchandise, and even clipped out an interview with director Brad Bird out of a newspaper. I got the two-disk special edition as soon as it came out and watched every special feature and both commentaries...more than once. 

So usual disclaimer: I will try to keep my clearly unhealthy bias under control, but no promises.

Before going too deeply into why I think The Incredibles is such an, er,  incredible movie I think it would help to compare it to another animated family film that covers a lot of the same narrative themes but without the same emotional weight.

To be clear, I don’t think the first Despicable Me movie is bad, but many (myself included) consider The Incredibles to be one of Pixar’s best movies and a classic in its own right. The question here is what elevates The Incredibles from good to great, and I think the devil’s in the details.

Pushing Boundaries   

One thing that becomes clear when watching the commentaries for The Incredibles was that it was freaking hard to animate. Remember, this was back in 2004. Pixar had never made a movie starring humans. They had no idea how to do long hair (Violet) or heavy muscle/feats of strength (Mr. Incredible). Budget constrictions limited the number of “universal men” the animators could use for crowd scenes. In fact, Bomb Voyage actually shares a character model with Frozone, albeit slightly modified. 

That’s just the human characters. Water and fire are both difficult to animate, and The Incredibles has its fair share of both. And remember the opening montage, when Mr. Incredible’s car transforms into the Batmobile? That was difficult, time-consuming animation and it shows up twice, and never outside of the opening (it would have been once, but the animators felt if they were going to go through all that effort they might as well make it worth their while.)

And behold, one of the most technically difficult scenes to animate in the entire movie

I know, I was surprised too, but it seems the act of Bob and Edna putting their hand through the ripped suit gave the animators fits. Apparently they asked Bird if there was a way they could cut around actually showing the action itself because it was so damned hard. 

I will be the first to admit that being technologically innovative does not always lead to a good movie, but there’s something to be said about pushing the boundaries and just seeing what happens. With a budget of $92 million it wasn’t as if Bird and his team were working with peanuts, but they did everything they could to make the best use of their money.

Despicable Me does have a strong aesthetic that separates it from Pixar or DreamWorks, and these visuals are a good fit for the tone of the story. The exaggerated proportions of the characters is right at home in the zany world that they live in. I don’t think Gru’s daft plan to steal the moon would have worked as well in a film with a more traditional Pixar look.

But as far as animation quality goes, there’s nothing particularly special with Despicable Me. To some degree this makes sense. Despicable Me had fewer resources to work with. It was Illumination’s first feature film, and a flop could have sunk their studio. 

Despicable Me is a fun little romp, but it also plays it very safe. The story is by the numbers, and it does enough for the warm fuzzies at the end to feel earned. It is very much a kid’s movie, without ever thinking too deeply into its characters or the natural consequences of their actions.

The Incredibles is an animated film, but it doesn’t really feel like a kid’s movie - and in fact Brad Bird caught some flack for some of the violence and dark implications of the film. It does not pander to children.

With that in mind, look at this scene between Helen and Bob

I bring this up to show some of the nuance that goes into visual storytelling. Any married couple could tell you that Bob and Helen are not really arguing about Dash here. This is a long-standing conflict that’s been simmering for years, and it highlights the effects Bob’s major character flaw has on the family. 

All of that is found in the script. It’s a scene that could be found in a movie, book, or play. While well-written, there’s a universality to it. It was up to Bird to add something to this scene that I think only works in an animated film.

Look again at the end of the scene. When Helen shouts “It’s not about you!” she uses her stretchy power to tower over her more physically imposing husband. It’s such a tiny detail, but it completely changes the dynamic of the argument and their relationship as a married couple.

And apparently figuring out this scene was so memorable that producer John Walker mentioned it in the commentary and Edwin Catmull (current president of Pixar animation studios) specifically brought it up in his book Creativity, Inc

(I have somewhat...eclectic tastes in literature)

And this is what I really mean about pushing boundaries to bring out the best of a story. You don’t need millions of dollars to animate a husband and wife arguing, but you do have to pay attention to what they’re saying and how they’re saying it to 1) make sure it fits the plot/tone of the movie you’re going for, and 2) have it feel real/authentic to the audience.

I didn’t ever get this feeling of authenticity from Despicable Me, and it’s not just because of it’s overall more light-hearted tone. Kung Fu Panda was loaded with humor and had its protagonist voiced by Jack Black and it still managed to have more emotional depth. The world and the majority of the characters who live in Despicable Me are flat and one-note.

The biggest example can be found in the girls Gru ends up adopting. For one, Edith has no impact on the movie whatsoever. She could have been cut and nothing would have changed. To me that proves that the girls could have been given more depth.

Secondly, the effects of Miss Hattie’s abuse are never really explored. If anything it’s played for dark comedy  

With this scene alone Illumination had the setup for a truly despicable, Dolores Umbrige-style villain, but nothing ever comes if it. The movie wastes run time with a montage of the minions going out shopping, but it can’t be bothered to tell us that Margo, Edith, and Agnes aren’t actually blood siblings or how they came to be as inseparable as they are.

The Incredibles is a movie about a man reconnecting with his family trapped in the guise of a superhero flick. As Brad Bird said, it’s the fantastic and the mundane smashed together into something that’s both awesome and very human.

Despicable Me had the potential to do the same, this time exploring a non-traditional family structure, foster care and adoption, and the difficulties of being a single parent. And don’t get me wrong, it does do some of those things, but often they take a back seat to the more superficial aspects of the story. Illumination didn’t plum the depths of their concept like Pixar did with theirs, and that’s the difference between being good and greatness.

[savagegardenforever]

Between the years of 1997 and 2001, you could barely flick past a music video channel or major radio station without bumping into one of Savage Garden’s songs.

For four years, the duo – founded by singer Darren Hayes instrumentalist Daniel Jones 20 years ago this year – dominated the pop landscape with a string of hits including To The Moon And Back, I Knew I Loved You and, of course, Truly Madly Deeply – the song that took them from small time band to international stars. Their music soundtracks a short but significant time in the music landscape between the late '90s and early '00s, when rock was in the decline on commercial radio and the charts in favour of shiny packaged-up pop.

“Honestly, I’ll always be so grateful for it all,” Hayes told Official Charts when we called him up at his L.A home. “For better or for worse, it’s been 20 years of my life and I’m very proud of the songs. It must be weird for the general public, because the most famous thing I did was Savage Garden, but it was only two records – four of the 20 years I’ve been a performer.”

In that short space of time, they turned out an impressive 10 UK Top 40 hits and a pair of Top 10 albums, following up their 1998 self-titled debut with their final album Affirmation the following year (check out their full UK chart history here). “I don’t feel like I’ve ever rejected those years at all,” he insists. “I came crashing down to earth when it was over, but in a good way. Everything I’ve done since then has been out of pure passion and enjoyment. I accepted that the stuff I did with Savage Garden hit the zeitgeist, and it was brilliant for what it was.”

Formed in 1996 after Jones placed an ad in a magazine for a vocalist to join a band he was putting together, the pair toured the Gold Coast bar circuit, eventually signed to small Australian label Roadshow Music and released their debut single I Want You. The song’s success garnered interest from major labels and they signed with Sony less than a year later. But while they wrote and composed all the songs themselves, it wasn't an angle the label were keen to push.

“People weren’t really aware we were writing the songs at all,” he recalls. “It was part Machiavellian but also perhaps a move of brilliance on Sony’s part. We made our first record when pop music was not being played on radio, and then Max Martin happened and suddenly labels wanted to sign us. I remember [then-President of Arista Records] Clive Davis flying us over to America to audition for the label, and I’ll never forget what our first product manager – her name was Bridgette Roy – said. She came up to us and announced, ‘I hate pop music, I’m more of a rock chick, but pop is really selling right now, so I’m going to make you the biggest band in the world.’ That was our introduction to the music industry! We weren’t really taking any of it too seriously at that point.”

But shortly after, things got serious: Truly Madly Deeply topped the US chart and was Top 5 hit in the UK. Despite its success, Hayes insists they were never chasing hits after their big break. “Are you kidding? I find it so crazy that I’ve had hits!” He says. “I remember that I wanted Truly Madly Deeply to be a hidden bonus track – I thought it was too personal to be properly out there and on the album. I remember writing I Knew I Loved You in about 40 minutes out of spite towards the record company, although I quickly came to love the song. I had no clue what was a Number 1 single and what wasn’t. Suddenly we were making 1-2 million dollar music videos. It was an era of excess, glam, super popstars and we were in amongst it.”

What, in Darren’s opinion, was Savage Garden's best song? “The only song I really f**king hate is one called Promises. It was a B-side originally but the US label made us put it on our first album. You’ll notice it doesn’t appear wherever I have a chance. Aside from that, I’m really forgiving of it all; the dodgy outfits, the more hairstyles than Madonna… I was 22 when I started writing some of those songs and I’m 43 now. I was married to a woman and trying to become a kindergarten teacher, now I’m married to hot salt n’ pepper dude!

“The songs I’m most proud of are probably ones that weren’t the hits: I Don’t Know You Anymore is a song about realising I was gay and not wanting to be, and being heartbroken about ending things with my wife. I remember towards the end of our marriage we went to a Christian therapist and she told me to suppress those ‘urges’. It was definitely an important song for me."

Savage Garden’s second and final album Affirmation is a record Hayes still describes as one of his “proudest moments.” Trailed by I Knew I Loved You,  the album deals with the breakdown of Hayes’ marriage and coming to terms with being gay (“before then it was known but never discussed”) as well as the end of Savage Garden, which had been decided before the album's release.

He recalls: “A song called The Lover After Me is about the fact that I’d ask my wife to take me back and my friends telling me what I was doing was unfair. There’s a song on there called Two Beds And A Coffee Machine that’s about an alcoholic, wife-beating dad and how me and my mum travelled from motel to motel with me with a black eye. This was coming out in a period when Spice Girls, N*Sync and MTV’s TRL were huge. I’m proud that in the midst of it all – manufactured and often contrived pop music – we were allowed to write songs like that which were wise beyond our years.”

Like the end of most pop bands, the details surrounding Savage Garden’s split are messy. According to Hayes, Jones announced that he wanted to leave the band a week before Affirmation’s release, but agreed to promote and tour the record with Hayes first. When the 80-date world tour was over, Hayes gave an interview to a magazine about the duo’s split and his impending solo career, though when Jones was asked separately to comment on this shortly after, he said he knew nothing about it, believing the information was still meant to be a secret. The result left Hayes looking like his ego had got the better of him.

"I totally understand and sympathise with his reasons – I was just disappointed in the way it was handled, because ultimately it was all his decision, and I would have  stayed in that band forever" he says. Have the pair since buried the hatchet? “Of course we’re still in touch, though we’re not in each other’s lives at all. Honestly, there’s no animosity. It took me a while to realise that we were never really proper friends at the time, and I think that was a conscious decision on Daniel’s part. Once he became famous, he didn’t like it and became a recluse. I still couldn’t really tell you who he is as a person.”

For Hayes, a successful solo career followed, notching up four Top 40 albums in the UK, including his solo debut Spin, which hit Number 2 in 2002 and includes the Top 10 hit Insatiable. After being dropped from his label after 2004’s less successful The Tension And The Spark, he delved deeper into electronic music on 2007’s time travel-themed double album This Delicate Thing We’ve Made, before returning to big pop choruses on 2011’s Secret Codes And Battle Ships – a record that looks set to be his last for now.

“I was 17 when I started, and every time I was in the public eye I was performing music, and every time I was out of the public eye I was working on music,” he says. “Particularly on my solo albums, I poured every penny and every last ounce of energy into them and happily lost money on some of them. I made a whole double album to which my husband animated a full feature length film and I went on tour with an animatronic bird – this stuff is not cheap!"

Now writing a musical and studying comedy improv in Los Angeles, is this really the end of Darren’s pop career for good? “When I came off the stage at my last show Brighton, I was ready to maybe never come back again – I was so burned out. I still have no desire to be a recording artist, particularly given the state of music industry at the moment. You can’t make records today for an income, you have to do it because it’s an obsession. I’ve been in that place before and if I find myself in it again, I’ll make another record.

“We’re lucky enough to be in the position where we now own the Savage Garden masters again. For an artist to own their master recordings is extraordinary, so now I feel responsible for the legacy of that - the music videos, the pictures we took, all the dodgy wardrobe choices … I came out, grew up, androgenised - whatever. I did it all in front of a lens and microphone, so it will always be a massive part of my life."

Savage Garden - The Singles 20th Anniversary is out now.

[blackchristiannation]

LISTEN: Whyte House Family Devotions: A Prayer for the Family, the Church, the Nation and the World #319 (Thursday, April 5, 2018): “What a Savior!,” by Billy Graham

https://soundcloud.com/danielwhyteiii/whyte-house-family-devotions-prayer-for-the-family-church-nation-world-319-4518

[caption id="attachment_40916" align="alignleft" width="156"] Daniel Whyte III[/caption] My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, ““Don’t be bound by the past and its failures. But don’t forget its lessons either.” ------ PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Steven J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage, “So far, we have discussed how fathers may provoke their children to anger by capriciousness, unreasonableness, and favoritism. Fathers may also provoke their children to anger by selfishness. Some parents are just plain selfish in the way they relate to their children. They bark orders, 'Bring me this,' or 'do this,' while the parent is being lazy or irresponsible. Or, they push their child towards achievement because the parent wants to bask in the achievements of the child which the parent never accomplished. Sometimes parental selfishness shows itself when the parent does not accept the unique personality and giftedness of the child. He doesn't allow the child to have a personality of his own or to like activities that the parent doesn't especially enjoy. Maybe a dad likes sports, but his son likes art or music. So the dad isn't happy because the son didn't try out for the team, even though he is an excellent artist or musician. That's just plain selfishness on the part of the father and it breeds resentment in the child.” ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 121:5-8 5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “The right hand is the working hand; let men but turn to their duty, and they shall find God ready to give them success. He will take care that his people shall not fall. The Lord shall prevent the evil thou fearest, and sanctify, remove, or lighten the evil thou feelest. He will preserve the soul that it be not defiled by sin and disturbed by affliction; he will preserve it from perishing eternally. He will keep thee in life and death; going out to thy labour in the morning of thy days, and coming home to thy rest when the evening of old age calls thee in. It is a protection for life. The Spirit, who is your Preserver and Comforter, shall abide with thee forever. Let us be found in our work, assured that the blessings promised in this psalm are ours.” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Clergy (church) 2. Government 3. People (citizens) 4. The press (media) 5. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP - For all pastors, church leaders, denominational leaders, Bible teachers, missionaries, and ministry workers. GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Justin Clark All leaders of federal agencies including: Federal Reserve System Chairman Jerome Powell All state governors including: Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts All city mayors including: Bay Harbor Islands, FL, Mayor Robert H. Yaffe All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Carlos Curbelo All law enforcement officials including: Bay Harbor Islands, FL, Police Chief Sean Hemingway All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / General Joseph Votel, Commander of U.S. Central Command Leaders of nations around the world including: Madagascar’s President Hery Rajaon and Prime Minister Olivier Mahafaly For the peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For protection, provision, and salvation for the hundreds of people fleeing violence and crime in Honduras who are making their way to Mexico and the U.S. - For the recovery of the 4 people wounded in a shooting at YouTube’s headquarters; for the comfort of the families affected - For the comfort of the families of 7 people who were killed in a bus and truck crash in Egypt; and for the recovery of the 11 people who were injured. PRAYER REQUESTS Edmund please save his bosses; stir up the hearts of his family for ministry; bring about the repentance and cleansing of the church Alina please deliver her from all demonic forces; please save her neighbour and mother Onoja please deliver him from perverted thoughts and actions THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Elinjah Isaaya Ibrahim THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Rose Mary Annicha DEVOTIONAL READING: “What a Savior!,” by Billy Graham Luke 24:46 says, “It was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day.” What was the power and influence that changed the cross from an instrument of bloody torture into the most glorious and beloved of all symbols? The Romans crucified thousands of people before and after Calvary. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, no right-minded person would have glorified anything so hideous and repulsive as a cross stained with the blood of Jesus. By the miracle of His rising from the grave, Jesus placed the seal of assurance upon the forgiveness of our sins. A dead Christ could not have been our Savior. An unopened grave would never have opened heaven. By bursting the chains of the tomb, Jesus proved Himself to all ages to be the conqueror of sin. The sacrifice on Calvary had fulfilled its purpose; the ransom price paid for your sins and mine had been accepted by God. Hallelujah, what a Savior! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.