#if youre a fan of kate and have the means to go to new york go see her

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN PHOTOGRAPHED IN NEW YORK BY JULIA SARIY FOR ROSE & IVY MAGAZINE.

HOW HAS THE ANTICIPATION BEEN LEADING UP TO THE RELEASE OF SEASON TWO?

"It's funny because in order to make the show with any integrity, you cannot think about the scale of it at all. It has to be about the moment you're trying to make special and doing justice to the reality of the reality. I mean, it’s a show about dragons (laughs). I hope people will find it's a family drama and the dynamics are very human."

"You almost can't focus on what a big thing it is, but there's nothing like doing a press tour and going to New York, Paris, and London. You realize it is bigger than the soundstage in Watford (laughs). I guess the answer to your question is trying not to anticipate anything."

"That’s the other thing, it's fantastic when things are amazingly received especially since it has such a built-in fan base. People love it almost before it even exists, which is fantastic. It's been very warm and lovely how everybody has received us."

HAS THE EXCITEMENT AROUND THE PROJECT SUNK IN YET?

"When I watched the first episode, 90% of me thought, this is really cool—cool because I was watching my friends on TV. But 10% of me thought that's the way I've done it; it’s permanent and that represents me now and that’s quite hard. It's easy to feel a bit existential about it, especially when you've started with theater and went to drama school."

"There's something amazingly ephemeral about theater and the fact that it doesn't exist anymore once it's happened."

"When you have something with a big budget and loads of people working on it who really believe in it, everyone is so engaged in how to serve the story best, but it's not the same as theater. When you wrap that's the scene."

"It doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore, and it's going to be made into something else."

"During a play, the only people who shared the moment was me and everyone else in the room, and then it goes out into the ether. I am on the journey of finding that on the screen because it's not the same."

ABSOLUTELY, IT’S A LITTLE BIGGER OF AN AUDIENCE—IT’S INSIDE PEOPLE’S HOME, BUT TIMES MILLIONS AND MILLIONS!

"Exactly—that's a nice way of thinking of it, that it is still being shared. With a show that comes out with one episode a week, there's something communal about that. It can be a talking point at the pub or work, which I really like. When Succession came out weekly, I was like, I'm so glad I'm alive to watch this week by week (laughs)."

YOU MENTIONED YOU GRADUATED FROM DRAMA SCHOOL, AND THIS WAS ONE OF YOUR FIRST ROLES.

"I did have one part before, The Last Kingdom, a Netflix show, which is about Vikings and Saxons. I was in my third year of school, and it was during that third year Covid came. So we were all sent home and we didn't ever have that closure."

"But also, you're doing an acting degree and you think, the thing I'm in denial about is that this might not even happen for me. Then suddenly theater doesn't exist and you're back in your childhood bedroom. I mean, worse things were going on in the world, but I think that when I got that part in The Last Kingdom, it felt like magic. I couldn't believe it."

"I got to go out to Budapest for eight months. The cast was so warm and welcoming. I got the House of the Dragon job while I was on that job. I had a bit of time to wait in between them, but it was time I could obsess about the scripts that I did have and all my ideas about her."

CAN YOU WALK ME BACK TO WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GOT THE PART?

"It did take a long time before I finally got the part of Helaena. They were using dummy sides from a scene of Arya’s from Game of Thrones. I did it and thought it was a long shot because every actor my age in the world was probably taping for that part. I knew it was good to be seen by the casting director, Kate Rhodes James. I didn't hear anything for a very long seven months."

"In Budapest, there were whispers that some of the actors were getting auditions for it. I didn’t think it was going to come through for me."

"Eventually, I got a notice saying, they didn’t want me for that part, but to audition for the part of Helaena. When I came home for Christmas, I did the tape. It's so rare when you do a tape where you think, that's a bit of me and I really want to do this. Then I was back in Budapest and I got a text that said they wanted to meet on Zoom."

"So I met with the casting director and the two showrunners, and that just went by in a complete blur. After, I felt like an alien a few days (laughs). I kept having to put myself to sleep in order to not feel worried. One day I woke up from one of those naps and I had a text that said, you've got the part."

YOU GET TEXTED THAT INFORMATION–THEY DON'T CALL YOU! AT LEAST A TEXT CAN BE PRINTED AND GO IN THE MUSEUM ARCHIVE. YOU CAN CREATE SOME MEMORABILIA!

"That's true. I think either way it would've gone, it would have been just me blacking out."

CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER, HELAENA?

"What's interesting for me about Helaena is that she's in this unique situation. She's in the royal family and married to her brother, which she’s done for the family. It is a personal sacrifice."

"She's uncomfortable with what's expected of her. She doesn't like wearing those clothes. She doesn't like standing up there in front of the people and doesn't like being a figurehead or being projected on. She's got her own stuff that makes her feel safe and she wants to be in her own world."

"So we leave her growing up in a level of discomfort. For this season, I would describe it as a reckoning of what she's willing to accept and how far is too far. It's about family dynamics, inherited trauma, and the quest for us to understand each other."

IT MUST BE PRETTY FUN TO FILM THE SHOW ON THAT SET. ARE THERE ANY COOL MOMENTS THAT STAND OUT?

"The sets by set designer Jim Clay are incredible. They have built a castle inside the studios. I can walk into my bedroom, look around my bedroom, walk out, walk downstairs, the grand hall, go into my mother's bedroom, go upstairs, and go to the study."

"In a way, it's like a lazy actor's dream because you just look at something and it's real."

"My favorite moment of this year was when I got my first scenes that are properly in Helaena’s bedroom."

"She has this special interest in her insects and there are cabinets and cabinets filled with the most beautiful bugs and incredible things that had been designed to look like something that she would've sewn."

"She’s written notes all over her desk and dreams all over the wall along with these amazing drawings. I'm trying to think of the perfect way to describe it, but it was as imaginary as if somebody had created a child's imaginary world for them in real life."

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR WORK ON THE SERIES?

"That's a really big question. I'm proud I made a choice about this character and have stayed true to her. I try to make choices that are through the lens of specificity of this person."

"It's not even so much something to be proud of, but it's more like a gift that I'm in this position because you don't always get to play someone so particular. It's really exciting to get to make all of those choices for yourself."

SINCE YOU ARE THE START OF YOUR CAREER, ARE YOU SOMEBODY WHO HAS A VISION BOARD OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE?

"I go to the theater twice a week, so I almost see that as manifesting, just in that I put so much thought and energy into appreciating plays that I like. I'm letting it rub off on me."

"I'm also someone, who every time I watch a film, see a performance, or go and see a play I'm interested in, I log it somewhere. It’s a nice notch on the climbing ladder and helps in developing a strong sense of taste."

GROWING UP, WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT LEFT AN IMPRESSION ON YOU THAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE ACTING?

"I was a kid who watched a lot of TV and films. I was really into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I also did a huge amount of Shakespeare because nearby there was a small children's company that put on plays in the summer."

"I also had a crush on James Dean in films like East of Eden, but I also wanted to be Buffy."

"When you are in a small school and you're objectively the keenest person in the class, you get to play cool characters, parts that I would never play now in a million years. So I think of it all as influential."

IT’S SO INTERESTING WHEN SOMEONE HAS THAT FIRE FROM A YOUNG AGE AND THEN THEY PURSUE IT TO THE BIG LEAGUES.

"It's also about the positive energy of the people you have around you."

"I have had very supportive parents and teachers, so it didn't seem as much of an obstacle, but that's not the case for everyone."

DO YOU HAVE ANY FUN PLANS FOR THE SUMMER?

"I'm going to the End of the Road festival—I went last year for the first time and it was such a beautiful festival."

"I think I am going to go to Naples but I also hope I'm going to be doing a job."

"As an actor, you want to make these plans, but you also think, I could just stay home and wait by the phone instead and not do anything."

"But it's important to make the plans, but I kind of hope that something gets in the way."

[nephilimeq]

Hey, I was just wondering what age you thought Derek was in season one? Cause it’s a heavily debated and unknown piece of information. Me personally I always thought he was 19 in the pilot, and this was before I had read anything about the writers wanting him to be that age in the pilot. It was just the way he acted, to me, it doesn’t seem like a mid-20s man. Also stiles says the fire happened “ like ten years ago” but then a few episodes later Peter says he’s been in a coma for 6 years. So I was just curious what you thought. Also stiles saying that is always made out to be taken as it literally happened exactly ten years ago, and people always bring it up but they never talk about how long Peter said it had been.

Sorry if this is long I just enjoy your blog and your thoughts. I wanted to share mine while also hearing it from your perspective. Hope you have a wonderful day, you deserve it!

This is a very tricky subject to handle, because the writers made mistakes in their own timeline so they switched things around.

But in the very first episode Stiles says that Derek is only a few years older than them. I always figured that Derek was around 19 in Season 1, while Stiles was 16.

The reason why they messed everything up so horribly is because they hadn't actually created a timeline for all the events when they started writing, and to me, it made the show feel like a fan fiction writer who was just making it up as they went and then all the reviewers were saying, "Hey, you have a few continuity errors," and instead of trying to make it work, they just made something up and didn't really try to go back and adjust anything.

There's a scene that happens when Stiles is asking Peter and Cora about Derek's past (Season 3, Episode 8 "Visionary"), and he is trying to find out how old they are, and this train wreck section of dialogue occurs:

Stiles: Okay, if Derek was a sophomore back then, how old was he? How old were you? ...How old are you now? Peter: Not as young as we could have been, but not as old as you might think. Stiles: Okay, that was frustratingly vague. How old are you? Cora: I'm seventeen. Stiles: See, that's an answer. That's how we answer people. Cora: Well, seventeen how you'd measure in years. Stiles: Alright, I'm just gonna drop it.

This dialogue made me so pissy when I heard it the first time because I knew that this was the writers' response to the viewers and fans. The fans are Stiles in this conversation, and the writers are Peter and Cora being purposely "frustratingly vague" in the hopes that we'll just "drop it", which a lot of us did because they wouldn't give us any straight answers.

They messed up and they know it.

In my head canon -- because it makes the most sense to me -- Derek is three years older than them. Canonically, Derek is actually only ten days older than me, as seen in this enhanced screencap right here (from Season 1, Episode 11, where Kate has him kidnapped and held up in chains):

So according to this he would have been around 22, about to turn 23 in the first season...but here's something to take into consideration. This driver's license isn't for California -- it's for New York. I have a theory that he got a professional fake I.D. so that he could do more jobs (such as bartending) while he was out of state.

Now, when Stiles mentions the fire was "like, ten years ago," I genuinely think that he was just generalizing. Derek was sixteen when Kate took advantage of him raped him, which means that the fire happened when Stiles was around twelve/thirteen (as he has a canonically April 8th birthday, so it all depends on the months).

Regarding anything Peter might have said...please remember that it has been firmly established in the show that Peter is an unreliable narrator. Stiles openly admits that to Cora in the previously mentioned Season 3, Episode 8, "Visionary".

A lot of these issues are because of the lack of consistency from the writers.

I think the biggest problem was when they cast a younger Peter and totally threw the timelines off, trying to make him only a few years older than Derek -- which he wasn't. Peter is Derek's uncle, for crying out loud! The man would have been in his late twenties, early thirties when Derek was a teen, barely looking any different than he does in the show...and yet the writers and producers thought that making him look almost like a teenager was the right call.

I do think it was a last ditch attempt to try and make Derek waaay older than Stiles because they didn't like the shipping -- but they had already established too much of their timeline at that point and simply messed up and didn't have the guts to admit it.

Simply put, I genuinely think Derek was nineteen and turned twenty during season one.

Hope that answers your questions, anon!

[thebisexualdogdad]

Could you do a Headcanon of Cassie Lang x male!reader where she is dating y/n Parker who is the Scarlet Spider who's the same age as her.

Cassie Lang x Male!reader

*the events of no way home didn't happen in this*

● when your older brother Peter became Spider-man you became the Scarlet Spider

● the web slinging superhero duo of New York

● you met Cassie when the young avengers formed and she started going by stature

● you wouldn't stop talking about her to Peter

● "dude will you just ask her out already!"

● "you're one to talk Pete how long did it take you to ask MJ out again?"

● "we're not talking about me!"

● you eventually do ask her out because Kate made you, she was over Cassie always complaining to her about how she liked you and it was clear you liked her too but didn't understand why you wouldn't make a move

● dates always getting interrupted when the young avengers need you

● "do you think we will ever actually make it to dessert?" Cassie asks as she waves the waitress down for the check

● "this diner has the best apple pie in New York I'm taking dessert to go"

● Cassie later has to console you when you realize your piece of apple pie got smashed while you were swinging around the city to the action

● Scott has caught you so many times trying to sneak into Cassie's bedroom through the window late at night

● "you know we do have a front door Y/N, you don't have to use your weird spider powers to the climb the side of the house"

● "weird spider powers? Mr. Lang you remember you talk to ants right?"

● "don't bring Antony into this"

● Scott actually does like you though and treats you like family

● which also means making fun of you like family

● Cassie gets so embarrassed by all the terrible dad jokes

● and it's not any better when you're at your apartment with Peter and your aunt May

● May is always telling you how adorable of a couple you and Cassie are

● and she makes jokes just as lame as Scott

● meanwhile Peter takes any chance he gets to embarrass you

● telling Cassie all the stories from when you were kids

● and then there was that time he just had to point out the hickey on your neck right in front of May

● Cassie and MJ love hanging out the four of you because they get to watch you and Peter bicker over the dumbest things

● young avengers fans have shipped the Scarlet Spider and Stature for a while

● but when you lifted your mask just high enough to kiss Cassie after a big fight downtown someone caught a picture of it and posted it online

● the internet was buzzing finally with the confirmation of your relationship

[silent-raven13]

Okay for my Modern Welcome Au fanfic, I’m making a Mother’s Day chapter, and I decided to draw all the moms. Everyone except for Miss Beagle is my own thoughts how they would look.

Miss Beagle belongs to Clown aka PartyCoffin. I just fan drew her in a cute Barnaby’s paw print apron (You can see his pup print and the large one) and I decided to give her a first name for the fanfic, since she needs one and a cute mama nickname. “Big Mama Betty” 

Anyway in order!

Monique Dear “Mama Dear”: Mother of Eddie Dear lives in Louisiana and is a post-man. Her husband die in a terrible truck accident before Eddie was born. She is a feisty, spunky woman that loves to go out doors, train for anything survival. She is a sweet mother and big tiger mom. When she sees her groan son, she would give him a bear hug and pick him up like he was a toddler. Very accepting and would sound like Carol from OK KO (VA: Kate Flannery) She’s always working out, since she have to lift heavy packages, and can cook!

Eleanor Frankly “Mother Frankly”: Mother of Frank. A calm, soft spoken woman. She is a Neurosurgeon, has the most steadiest hands. When she uses knives or scissors, she always cuts beautifully; one thing Eddie finds amazing because hello Crafting! She’s very intelligent, comes from a very wealthy family. Lives in New York, specifically Mid Manhattan with her husband. Yes, they are happily married, but once they saw Monique... 🤭 let’s just say they wanted to do a poly relationship.

Serenity Joyful “Mama Llama”: Mother of Julie. A funny nickname Jonesy came up when he was a toddler and stuck to the Joyful family. Don’t mind the colorful vomit skirt, rainbow monsters love to represent their family. Since, Serenity is all about Maximalism boho-chic outfits, she loves to represent her children’s colors. Believes in nature, spirituality, crystal healing, and listens to trees. Very laid back, sweet, and always goofy. Believes problems can be solved with yoga and Chamomile tea. Lives in the Rainbow Forest not far from the Welcome Home Residents.

Charlotte Partridge “Mama Lottie”: Mother of Poppy. She’s exactly like Poppy, but sweeter like honey! Very caring, hates cursing, and she knows how to cook. Her socks were made by Poppy, when she learned how to sew. Loves to support and protect all her children. She will treat everyone like her own kids. Lives in West Virginia!

Maria Gloria Pillar Garcia “La Jefe or Tu Jefe”: Mother of Howdy. In my fanfic, Howdy is Mexican American. As a joke, him and siblings like to call their mom, the boss or say, “Tu Jefe esta llamando” It’s a thing I noticed with Latino Americans say about their parents like the joke, “Your mom is calling you or My mom...” You don’t have to get it if you don’t. It’s a thing I’ve seen. Anyway, she’s the boss of the family, and knows how to run things. I mean this woman gave birth over 300 caterpillars, so she has the right to run her family and the family’s ranch. What I can say about her? She’s a Monarch butterfly, lives in Michoacán, Mexico. Used to live in East LA.

Chantelle Darling “Mother Darling: Mother of Wally. Lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s funny, nice, but cross the line with her and she’s the first to fight. Very protective of Wally, and his a widow. So her and Monique are gonna get along just fine. 

Miss Beagle “Big Mama Betty”: Mother of Barnaby. That dog is a HUGE mama’s boy! Everyone in the neighborhood knows her, she’s sweetest Mother Hen. 

I’ma say this too. If they were Humans, All of them except Maria and Monique would be African American/black! Monique would be biracial. Maria would be Mexican American with dark brown skin tone. My Au is about inclusivity for BIPOC/POC. 

[jinxquickfoot]

@badthingshappenbingo: Knife to the Throat

Find the fic on Ao3

“There she is. Took you long enough, Bishop.”

Kate figures that walking into her apartment with all the lights turned out isn’t a good sign. When Clint goes to bed early, he usually does it by just passing out on her couch, New York light and noise pollution be damned.

An ominous voice calling her last name from the darkness isn’t a great omen either. Already calculating just how quickly she can get from the front door to her bow, Kate flicks on the lights.

First the darkness, then the ominous voice, and now her partner pinned to the couch he likes to nap on so much with a knife at his throat. Three signs Kate's pretty sure mean danger.

“Don’t,” Madame Masque warns her as Kate prepares to dive for her bow, still hanging up next to her impromptu archery range. Damn, she really needs to take Harley Quinn’s advice and put a baseball bat by the front door or something. “Put down your bag and lock the door.”

Kate does neither, dropping her gaze to meet Clint’s eyes. There’s a trickle of blood drying on one cheek, a split lip, and even from his seated position Kate can see he’s favoring one leg. He winces as he takes in her expression, exasperation and resignation in his next words. “If I tell you to run, you’re not going to listen, are you?”

“Of course not.” Masque leans further over the back of the couch so she can press the knife even closer against Clint’s neck. “The baby hawk is going to do everything I tell her to do, or I’m going to ruin her couch.”

“Sorry, Boss.” Kate drops the bag and locks the door, before turning back to face Masque. “I’m really fond of my furniture.”

“Cute. Shed the coat,” Masque orders.

Kate does as she’s told, raising her hands to show she’s unarmed. Unfortunately. “You know, it’s usually polite to call ahead before you visit someone’s home.”

“And usually it’s impolite to steal what isn’t yours,” Masque snaps back. “Come here. Now.”

Slowly, Kate makes her way across the room, taking in the rest of the apartment. It’s far too quiet. “Where’s Lucky?”

Kate can’t see Masque’s face behind the golden mask, but she can hear the satisfaction in her voice as she says, “Your idiot predecessor decided it was more important to get the mutt out the door than defend himself.”

Of course he had. Well, that’s one less factor to worry about.

Clint shifts slightly under the knife, but that just gets his head yanked back by his hair. Kate starts forward in alarm, only to slam to a halt as Masque presses down, cutting skin. “Stay right where you are. Next time it goes deep.”

Clint tips his head back to meet Masque’s gaze. “If you're looking for the tape, it’s already with Hill,” he says, far too calmly for someone being held at knifepoint. “It’s over.”

“It’s over when I say it’s over,” Masque snaps back. “And this isn’t about the tape. This isn’t even about you, Barton.” She lifts her golden face to glare at Kate. “It’s about her.”

Well, Kate has always wanted an arch-nemesis. She’s not a fan of the part where the villain threatens her loved ones though.

Clint sends her a look, suddenly far more worried than before, knife be damned. “She didn’t do anything,” he insists. “Hill and I set the whole thing up, not Kate.”

“She embarrassed me,” Masque hisses, actually hisses, Kate didn’t even know that people did that. “You think I care about some lost tape? No—I care about putting some dumb brat back in her place.”

“Hurtful,” Kate mutters. “I actually have a GPA of 3.8, so…”

“You will lose something tonight,” Masque cuts across her, and Kate feels her heart pound a little faster. Not Clint. Anything but Clint. She’s already lost her father, her mother, she can’t lose him too. She won’t lose him too. “It will be your choice what it is.”

“My choice?” Choices are good. Choices mean that there’s an option other than watching Clint get his throat slit right in front of her. “How generous of you.”

“Kate,” Clint warns, but he’s cut off when Masque angles the blade right under his Adam’s apple.

Kate can hear the unconfined satisfaction in Masque’s voice as she says, “Go get a knife. The sharpest one you have.”

“The sharpest one I…” Kate trails off, doing a mental scan of the apartment. “You want me to get a knife?”

“I thought Barton was the deaf one.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Kate backs into her kitchenette, careful to not take her eyes off Masque. She slaps her hand along the cabinets until she finds the cutlery drawer.

Masque cocks her head to one side. “What are you doing?”

Kate locates what she’s looking for, pulling out the plastic knife she keeps mostly for spreading peanut butter on toast, and grimaces. It’s still a little sticky.

The reveal is met with twin sounds of incredulity from the couch.

Masque winds her hand tighter in Clint’s hair. “Do you really want to be making jokes right now?”

“You said the sharpest knife!” Kate protests. “This is it! It’s kind of the, um, the only knife?”

There’s a beat of dumbfounded silence before Masque says, “Why do you only have one knife?”

“I’m one person! Why is this such a hard concept for home invaders to understand?”

There’s a flash of silver, and then blood is streaking down Clint’s face.

Kate starts forward with a shout, only to freeze when the knife is shoved back against her partner’s throat.

Blood continues to spill from the fresh cut, far deeper than the one on his neck, and way too close to one of Clint’s eyes.

“No more games,” Masque says, slowly and clearly. “You fight with a sword. I’ve seen it. So go get the sharpest one.”

Swallowing back the horror that she’s just gotten Clint unnecessarily hurt, Kate pads over to the archery range, locating the katana she never uses. It’s more ceremonial than practical—a gift from her mother on her eighteenth birthday. Even after everything that had gone down on Christmas, Kate hadn’t been able to part with it.

There’s a sharp intake of breath behind the gold mask as Kate brings the katana closer. “You own a Master Yoshihara blade?”

“It was a birthday present.”

“That’s sweet. Take it out.”

“Kate, don’t,” Clint starts, but breaks off again when the blade bites into the already existing cut.

Kate slides the katana out of its sheath. “What, are you challenging me to a duel or something?”

“A duel is carried out to defend your reputation. You’ve already cost me mine. And now, that same action is going to cost you, Bishop. Completely your choice. Barton’s neck, or one of your hands.”

Kate blinks, sure she’s misheard. “I’m sorry, what was the second choice?”

“One of your hands,” Masque repeats, as though that’s a perfectly reasonable request. “It was going to be just a finger or two, but I’d hate you to use a blade that masterful on something so small.”

“She’s not doing that.” Clint’s words open up his wound a little deeper, but he doesn't stop. “Kate, just go.”

“Then you’re going to die, Barton. Which is perfectly fine by me.”

Kate lifts the sword so it’s pointed straight at Masque’s face. “If you kill him, you have nothing left to stop me from fighting you.”

Masque huffs. “Please. You are not going to kill me. The best you could do is get someone up here to arrest me and I assure you, if you do that I will be free and clear within the hour and your precious partner will be rotting in a morgue somewhere. So make a choice, Bishop. Chop, chop—pun intended.”

“Of course it’s intended.” Kate forces herself to breathe, meeting Clint’s eyes again, trying to ignore the blood still dripping down his face. Her fault. She’s not going to let this get any worse. I have a plan, she tries to project at him.

Clint’s shoulders stiffen in the way that means he definitely understood her, and he definitely wishes he hadn’t. Still, he gives her the slightest nod, showing her he’s ready.

Kate flips the sword over in her hand, rallying herself. “Okay, I can’t just…” She makes a vague swing at her wrist. “I need a hard surface.”

“Then get on the floor.”

“Right, yeah that’s…. that’s a big surface.”

“Stop stalling. Or I’m making the choice for you and it’s Barton’s neck.”

Kate sinks to the floor, holding her free hand out in front of her. “Don’t. I’m doing the hand one, alright? I’m doing it.” She makes a show of psyching herself up. “Rand Enterprises still makes cybernetics, right? I think my not-stepdad might actually have some contacts there he could—”

She throws the sword.

If it had been anyone else, it would have sliced right through their face. The sword pings off the golden mask just as Clint wrenches on Masque’s wrist, disarming her a second before he dives out of the way of the ricochet.

He needn’t have bothered. Kate’s aim is true. The sword pings off the mask at an extreme right angle, embedding itself in the far wall and far away from where it might have hit Clint.

Masque stumbles, trying to right herself, but Clint’s faster. He drives across the couch, tackling her out of sight. There’s a thunk that sounds suspiciously like a knife handle hitting a skull, and then— “Kate? You alright?”

“Still got two hands.”

Clint’s head pops up from behind the couch, taking her in before he slumps over the cushions in relief. “I can see that. Anything else we need to worry about?”

“You’re the one who’s bleeding all over my furniture.”

“And you’re a superhero now, you should get used to bloodstains.”

“Gross.” Kate clambers to her feet, making her way over to where she can see the unconscious Madame Masque for herself. “Think she meant what she said about getting off scot-free?”

“Probably,” Clint admits. “That’s rich people for you, Miss I own a Master Yoshihara sword.” He dabs at the cut under his eye, wincing. “Find the first aid kit, I’m going to call Hill. Maybe she can stick Masque somewhere she can’t buy her way out of. And Kate?”

Kate pauses, waiting for the speech. God knows her mother gave it to her enough times. You’re reckless. You’re irresponsible. You need to do better.

Clint offers her a crooked grin. “Nice shot.”

Kate’s shoulders drop in relief, a warmth spreading through her chest. “Yeah, well, I have a somewhat decent mentor.”

“That you do.” Masque stirs with a groan, causing Clint to kick her in the head, knocking her out again. “First aid kit. Phone Hill. Then go get Lucky back and call it a night?”

Kate smiles back at him. “Sounds perfect, Boss.”

[adamwatchesmovies]

John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum features some of the series’ most inventive, most satisfyingly kill-happy scenes. Its plot also tends to get in the way, particularly during the middle. At 131 minutes, this relatively straightforward story is far too long, though the sequel - set to be released in 2023 - could change that. If all of the new characters introduced throughout pay off later, this film may seem less bloated than it does now.

Excommunicated from the secret society of assassins whose operatives are everywhere, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is now on the run with a $14 million bounty on his head. Seeking to escape the innumerable mercenaries on his tail, he begins cashing in favors from his former allies. Unfortunately, even those only take him so far.

It’s hard to pick which of this film’s many action scenes is the best. There’s one set in a library where John uses a thick tome in a way you’ve never seen before. This man really can use ANYTHING to fill another grave. If I were to choose, I think I’d have to go with another sequence, however. It’s set in a museum full of knives, axes, and other edge weapons. The choreography as the glasses cases are broken and the weapons are taken out is unbelievable. It’s so good you can’t turn away, even when someone gets their brutal comeuppance.

There’s more to Parabellum than just seeing John execute wave after wave of killers, however. There’s a plot that digs deeper into the world of the High Table. We learn more about who John was before he met Helen. More of the inner workings of the society are shown through “The Adjudicator” (Asia Kate Dillon) and several assassins who want to take down John… because they’re huge fans of his. It confirms our suspicions: the Continental is merely a piece of this huge society that operates as a world of its own. From the tattoo-clad Operators to the Concierge of the Continental Hotel (Lance Reddick) to the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) and his legions of turncoats dressed up like vagrants on every street corner, it makes so little sense it makes perfect sense.

One of the defining features of the series has been its New York location. John is always on the run - either chasing or escaping from someone. This means we’ve visited many of the city’s landmarks and several have been given a new identity within this world. This is one of the reasons why an extended sequence where John travels to Casablanca is off-putting. Though Sofia Al-Azwar (Halle Berry) is an interesting character with a fighting style all of her own, did this movie really need to travel all the way to Morocco? In the end, you know John’s business will have to be settled back in New York anyway, so all of these meetings he has with the Berrada (Jerome Flynn) and with the “Elder” (Saïd Taghmaoui) seem unnecessary. It’s cool for the movie to have aspirations to be more than an action film but some of this feels like it would fit better in a spinoff movie. I’m saying this because this road through the desert brings us to a movie pet peeve of mine: someone loses a finger. This sort of injury creates a wall between the story and the audience. We know they didn’t REALLY chop off the actor’s digit so in every scene from then on, your eyes always drift back to their hand to see if you can spot a gaffe. The finger is taken off as a display of fealty but it could’ve been done a thousand different ways. Why this?

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum may be the least of the series but it also contains action scenes so good they make what we saw earlier seem like nothing. Those opening moments, in particular, will knock your socks off, so much that even if the film drags towards the middle, you’ll still be entranced by this ballet of blood and bullets. This is an ambitious film with spectacular martial arts set pieces, the likes of which most other action franchises could only dream of. (June 24, 2022)

[nothingunrealistic]

“Billions” ends not with one man reigning supreme, but two titans shaking hands. Chuck (Paul Giamatti) and Axe (Damian Lewis) joined forces early in Season 7 and — despite a history filled with trickery and betrayal — remain loyal to the very end. Along with their devout team of stock traders and political savants, the duo takes down Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) and his bid for the presidency, before parting ways as friends. Chuck will continue working for the state of New York, while Axe is back behind the soon-to-be sleek desk of his hedge fund. For a series that began with promises by both men to utterly destroy the other, some fans may be miffed that neither star is crowned as champion. But for showrunners Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the “Billions” series finale isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s an embodiment of what the series has been all along: a massively entertaining reflection of the way the world works. For every cheery, satisfied smile, there’s deeper meaning tucked within the folds. So IndieWire dialed up the co-creators to break down the ending, the final season’s big swings, and how they managed to fill “Billions” with so much beautiful music.

IndieWire: For the final season, when and why did you decide it would be best for Chuck and Axe to team up, rather than go after each other? David Levien: We felt like the real mano-a-mano thing between Chuck and Axe reached its fullness during the end of Season 5, where neither guy lost completely, but neither guy won completely. It was like pure victories and standoffs and grudging respect for the opponent who played you to your very end. Then over the course of the sixth season, as Mike Prince started to reveal the darker hues of his character and how he could be a danger, we realized we had a formidable enough foe that these others could team up against him. In a certain way, that’s the most fun because the barbing is still there, but they have a common cause. What did you hope fans would be left thinking about? Brian Koppelman: Probably in that Wendy [Maggie Siff] and Taylor [Asia Kate Dillon] leave, and Rian [Eva Victor] leaves. It seems to me we feel pretty good about the fact that they leave, and that Sacker [Dola Rashad] understands where Sacker needs to be. Scooter is a very important character to us. Daniel Breaker’s a genius, and Scooter says what he says to Prince [quitting to consider when and how their moral compass went awry], and he is going to do what he’s going to do. To us, we tried to get each of them a moment where the audience can think about what it means for their trajectory from this moment forward.

From the jump, the last episode leaves little doubt that Chuck and Axe are going to win. How did you decide on that approach, that tone, for the finale, rather than teeing up a big reversal or twist as in past seasons? Levien: If it were a season finale and we were doing this, then we could have dedicated half of the real estate toward the Prince side of the reversals, but we had to devote the other half of the real estate to the valedictories and the goodbyes. So we made the conscious decision for them to have this attitude, right from the beginning, that the outcome’s not in doubt. Basically, once they securely got Prince into Camp David without his phone, with no contact to the outside world, they knew how the rest of the dance steps were going to unfold. We didn’t want to drag that out and then have all these characters that we’d been with for seven seasons not get to have resolution on a character level. Koppelman: Two things: 1. If you’re watching the show, you know Prince ain’t winning. So to [make it appear otherwise] felt disingenuous to the audience. Between the penultimate and ultimate episodes each season, we could fuck with it, but this is the end, so they’re going to win. 2. I would say this, Ben: On a plot level, 100 percent, you’re right. We made the decision to let you know who the winners and losers are going to be. But there’s something else that’s been going on the whole time. The show has a lot of morality questions underpinning it, and so their souls are in peril for a lot of this episode. This is one of the tricks about the show, right? From Season 1, people viscerally bonded with this guy, Axe, because of his backstory and because of the corrupt forces that were after him. So viscerally, they hung with him, even though he let Donnie die and all this stuff. What we hope happens is that one asks oneself, “Why do I feel this way about this guy? What does that say about the world we’re living in? And about the value system we speak versus the value system that we actually feel and live? So Bobby Axelrod, for all this talk about freedom, where’s he end up and what does he say as his final line? [Axe ends up running Axe Capital again, and his final line is to his employees: “Let’s make some fucking money.”] So it’s working on this level, but it’s also working on that level. We have this thing about our work: People often misread it early on, but we’ve had a long enough run that eventually it lands. So, some people had to review “Super Pumped” on only five episodes, but if they watched the last two episodes, they would know that it was about something else. We accept all that. What we write is entertaining and some people want to indict us for it being entertaining, but we are interested in these moral questions. It’s in our work. It’s in everything from “Rounders” to “Knockaround Guys” to “Solitary Man” to “Billions,” even to “Tilt.” It’s just in there. Ultimately, we think people will figure it out, but we want to entertain, too. It’s important to us that it’s entertaining and that it’s not work.

These days, there’s so much to watch and so much emphasis on trying to get through everything. You kind of have to hope everybody processes not just what happens, but what it could mean, before auto-play pulls up the next show in their queue. We all need time to let stuff settle in, and the “too much TV” era doesn’t always encourage that kind of contemplation. Koppelman: It takes time. In doing this, you have a choice between spoon-feeding [points] to the audience and just choosing to trust they’ll appreciate them over time. The immediate moment we live in makes it hard. It makes it really hard. But I go back and watch shows all the time, and so does he, and so do our friends, and so do you. We all do it. Then, five years later, you notice something new and go, “Oh fuck.” That’s a great thing, and we’re comfortable [with it.] We made indie movies for a lot of our careers, so to us, the fact that we’ve developed an audience that’ll watch this shit is amazing and thrilling. Yeah, the plot is one thing, but the other stuff at stake matters as much to us, and we hope eventually it does to everyone else, too. Levien: There’s also just the mechanics thing of the audience learning how it happened. It should be very satisfying for them, even if they have a lean on which way it may work out. That’s something that we came to understand heavily when we were writing “Oceans 13” and working on it with [Steven] Soderbergh. Because that’s not a movie where you’re wondering if George [Clooney], Brad [Pitt], and Matt [Damon] are going to win or lose. They’re probably going to pull it off. But it’s like, “How are you going to get there? How are you going to turn the cards over to delight the audience?” Koppelman: That scene in “Oceans 13” when the guys are by the Bellagio Fountains — early in it, not the end — I remember George really talking about finding these little moments where you understood why it mattered to these guys. It was great. Hearing George talk out the way he thought about character has stayed with us for a long time. Within these entertaining things, you can find ways to land something significant — you hope.

Given the significance of music in “Billions,” how long have you known your final song was going to be “Take the Money and Run”? Koppelman: Did it work for you? It did. I thought it matched the vibe of the episode and leaves the audience on the upswing. Koppelman: That’s what we think, too. We think a lot about the music, and we wrote the song into the script. The two of us are sending songs and playlists back and forth all the time, and we’ve been like brothers since we were 15, so the resonance the songs have are similar for the two of us. It’s not that we thought of it so long ago, but when we thought of this song, the moment one of us said it to the other, it was like, 100 percent. There was no doubt. Levien: We can’t say we thought of it when we were making the pilot. It’d be very cool if we had, but we weren’t driving toward this the entire time. Koppelman: But it is always satisfying when you write them into the script and then it works as well as you hoped. It goes to the heart of this final season. We really were thinking about “Billions” obsessive fans this season. We decided that that’s who we are, and we wanted to make the show for folks who cared a lot about the characters, the world of the show, the language of the show. The show exists in a slightly canted world — even though we never cant the camera — and that song exists in that kind of space, too. So it all kind of felt like it worked together.

This may be a question just for me, but how often were you able to write songs into the script and actually get the music? Because the licensing, the budgets, all of that can be such a pain in the ass. Levien: We didn’t run into that problem. Maybe it was just an instinct thing, but we would write some big ticket songs into the scripts and then sometimes they’d be very obscure songs, so it tended to balance out. Koppelman: But also I would say right from the very beginning, we went to Showtime and said, “Look, we’re going to use music in a certain way. Let’s know going in how important the music’s going to be. Let’s have a music budget that allows us to take those shots during the year. We’ll manage it. If we’re going to hit the hard ceiling, we’ll call you way in advance.” And then they did a really cool thing. Not every network does this, but Showtime came to us and they said, “Any product placements you do on the show, we, Showtime, won’t take that money. You can use that money for songs.” Oh, wow. Levien: They said, “You can apply it to your show budget.” Koppelman: So if you saw a car on the show and were like, “That seems like a product placement.” Well, that’s the money that got “In the Evening” by Led Zeppelin in the show. So our post-supervisor would tally [the budget] and go, “Here’s where we are. Here’s what the product placements are covering. OK, it’s going to be really easy to use that U2 song.” Dave and I picked every song, so [our music supervisor] Jim Black didn’t have to worry about that, but what he was amazing at was the clearances. He built relationships over a long career and he expressed to people what music lovers we were. Then Jim would say to us, “Hey, to get this Neil Young song, if you really want ‘Old Man,’ you should write Neil Young a letter and I’ll get it to him. So we would write letters and they were earnest because we meant it. Levien: We were putting [these songs] in because they mattered to us, so it was easy to express that to the artist. Koppelman: We could describe to Neil Young, “Here’s what’s playing, here’s what’s at stake in this scene, here’s why we’re using the song. We think [our scene is] in the spirit of the song.” I remember doing that, and the next day they cleared the song for a very reasonable price. Then the music business noticed that when we would feature a song in a certain way, that song did well that week. Then some artists became fans, or their managers did. “Atlantic City” was the first Bruce Springsteen song we [asked for], and we heard that he was reading the script on vacation. He went outside his place, and he was reading it. Obviously, that’s nerve wracking, but then we got word back [that we could use it], and when I met him a couple years later, he told us that he and Patti watched the show on Sunday nights.

Among the big swings in the final season, the restaurant montage at the start of Episode 9 stands out. What were the origins of that? Koppelman: We had a suspicion that people might be moved by it, but it was beyond what I thought. That [montage] was written into the script. That song [“I’ve Loved These Days” by Billy Joel] was written into the script. Look, let me start from the fact that we’re two Long Island kids growing up, so that creates a certain association with Billy Joel and the way Billy Joel saw New York. We’d had that song saved for a while, for the last season, and Patsy’s is an incredibly important restaurant to us, so it’s got to start there. My dad started taking me to Patsy’s. My dad, who we dedicated the first episode of the season to, he passed away between Seasons 6 and 7. So Patsy’s matters a lot to us and what it means in New York. There are amazing stories about Sinatra and Patsy’s that are just mind-blowing. Levien: So we were intending to use it in a meaningful way, and we were saving it. Koppelman: It led us to think, “OK, this is a moment to just give a hug to everybody, to say goodbye to the show together.” That’s what it felt like, and that’s what that restaurant kind of feels like. While writing that episode, one of my son’s friends, his dad had just passed away very close in time to mine, and I went to this kid’s dad’s funeral. Then on the way home I was alone, and I went to Patsy’s and I just sat at one of these tables by myself and texted Dave from there. If you write something like [“Billions,”] it’s a part of you for so long. When he was writing this first novel years ago, before I was a writer, David said to me, “When you’re in a really good one, where it really feels like you’re connected to it, everything that happens in your life finds its way into the work in some way.”

[sseditorialmagazine]

sseditorial magazine Retro News Lead 24 June 2021

Read the article now: Saddle Bags: Inside The Best Options Available To You Right Now

Saddlebags have been around for a long time, since the early 2000s, in fact. The resurgence of the saddlebag by House Dior is one of the main reasons we can't leave 2K fashion alone. Luckily, I have listed some of the best saddlebags for you. Keep reading to spice up your bag closet!

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Which one of these bags is your favourite?

Author: Sama for sseditorial magazine.

[castle-dominion]

c1x1 flowers for your grave

Apparently the petals were silk. Frame rate could use some help. Sexy murder tho.

I didn't realize Gina was introduced so early!

I feel bad for the normal detective from the initial pilot that they replaced in the series/extended pilot with ryan, probs be he looks cuter. Unless my man lived in NY whereas SD (KR) lived in LA.

I've watched the commentary version of this & wowie there is a lot that makes sense the second time around

Wow what a sexy pilot episode. HOLY CRAP WHERE IS RYAN'S CLOTHING I CAN SEE HIS ENTIRE TORSO /hyp.

LP: Even bought her flowers. Who says romance is dead? KB: I do. Every Saturday night.

Espt in the first episode talking abt just doing his work, getting paid, & going home. The first episode really is trying to set characters right off the bat even tho I feel like they didn't get their groove until e4 (which is why I'm watching these backwards).

Don't you guys read? Doesn't mean they specifically read Castle books.

Castle puppydog face uwu, also wow stubble man. Must be a huge rebound for NF after his last show. Martha & Alexis getting their characters set XD. lmao Gray-dar! She sounds so young! I love alexis! (But at least where I live it is legal for a guardian or a guardian's partner to give their kid alcohol in the safety of their own home.)

New york, LA, NY, LA

RC: When I was your age... (he stops himself) I can’t tell that story. It's wildly inappropriate. Which, oddly, is my point. Don’t you want to have wildly inappropriate stories that you can’t tell your children?

CASTLE Just once, I’d like someone to come up to me and say something new. BECKETT (O.S.) Mr. Castle? [Castle turns around and pulls out a pen.] CASTLE Where would you like it? [Beckett approaches and holds up her badge.] BECKETT Detective Kate Beckett. NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight. [Alexis takes the pen while she hangs around his shoulder.] ALEXIS That’s new. (https://scriptline.livejournal.com/16926.html)

Again, the intro is so much bigger than it is in the future.

Says here that you stole a police horse? And you were nude at the time?

Castle is kinda gross sometimes. I am glad I saw him in later seasons bc now seeing the start I know I would Hate Him. I kind of do. Beckett is so strong & castle is such a boy.

Ooh music. I noticed good music earlier too.

RC: C’est apres minuit dans un school night. Don’t you turn into a pumpkin or something? Wow language alexis!

the physicality is so cute & sweet.

[Beckett comes in carrying a box full of Richard Castle books.] RYAN o.o ... What are those? BECKETT Castle's greatest hits. You're going to familiarize yourselves with all of his murder scenes so we don't miss any. ESPOSITO Got any on tape? (laughs) A point for the espt adhd hc, not as strong as my adhd ryan hc. But hey castle does readings, I'm sure he could record one of those... he's a famous author he surely has audiobooks, tho I always like it when the author narrates their own book.

KR: "From the library of Katherine Beckett." KB: Do you have a problem with reading Ryan? didn't u already use this like JE: Yo, check it, girl. You're totally a fan! KB: Right. Of the genre. Girl u'r a homicide detective u rly want to read more crime after work? KR: Right. The-the genre. That's why you're blushing. KB: What are you, twelve? & then actually she gets ryan into these books which I think was a great touch even tho it is never explicitly spoken about. Ryan looks somewhat normal today, not like a weird college student. It def seems like ryan is not just the new guy on the show but espt also looks closer to beckett & ryan seems like the new guy here, even tho as confirmed somewhere in s2 they had already been partners for three years or smth.

Rly weird to see the two precinct sets. Are they canonically considered the same location & we are supposed to suspend our disbelief?

Nope : )

Castle sherlock holmsing here & then gets too close to home. & beckett's face just falling ever so slowly, I love it. That was good.

Maybe the guy was just a fanartist.

Man the livejournal transcript has some info but sadly the captions have more & I just can't hear it that well. Castle is chatting with espt at his desk & I can't tell who is saying what, esp when that fellow walks across the screen, covering their lips. I think it went smth like this: (conversation happening before the scene switches) (RC probably asks smth like: so have you ever shot anybody?) (JE: ...) Shot anybody? RC: Did you ever shoot anyone? JE: Yeah KB: *interrupts with stuff abt the case* Like bro idk how that convo actually went but typically u don't ask someone if they ever shot anyone. idk if it was cop talk or if castle just learned this man is ex-military or what. I also just enjoy learning abt the characters & I wouldn't mind having seen more convo.

Big cheese...? Also ew there are like.. protocols. JE: Man’s got the Mayor on speed dial. The rich really are different. KB: You want him? He’s yours. (that's gay) JE: A control freak like you with something you can’t control? No, no. That’s going to be more fun than Shark Week. These two with their banter. Love it.

Bro you DO come to a complete stop & do proper taxes. you might do a rolling stop at a stop sign or pay for parsley instead of cilantro.

Lanie is a fan <3 *extending hand* Lanie Parish. Medical Examiner. I love your books. Y’know, you have a real gift with the details of death.

Then u don't know me very well.

Why is she wearing a vest but not rysposito?

NY, LA, NY, LA, I def recommend watching the commentary version. Man got a shrine.

Ew ableism. You are really frightening the fellow there. My brother had to (verbally) kick a nurse's ass when she kept touching a patient without consent. He's a "lowly porter" tho so yk how things go. Nurse was too obsessed with doing what SHE thought was right (soothingly touching the patient) instead of respecting the patient's boundaries & explaining what was going on.

KB: This isn’t one of your books, Castle. Out here, we find a guy standing over a body with a gun, he’s usually the guy who did it. Not foreshadowing...

Love the writer poker. Presents it like he's writing a story.

She just runs after him all angry. He becomes sweet. He WAS sweet. Even though he used the opportunity. The music <3

I like how apples is a reoccuring word.

Martha <3 "I've had LOTS of father figures" lmao

Still, espt is the one talking with beckett.

I love how rick & alexis are chatting & then Martha is just there. MR: That makes about as much sense as Mouse Trap. I did that play eight times a week for a year. I still have no idea what it's about.

I love how the show still managed to have beckett & castle finishing each other's sentences even tho they r not even in the same room.

AC: by a lot MR: Mine too

I love seeing the scenes that they used in the intro for s1. I don't think s4 has an intro tho & I kind of miss it.

RC: This is not what it looks like. This-- I-- Okay, this is exactly what it looks like. But I can explain.

I suddenly remember how this ends. Oof poor guy, children was such a habit & now he has to say child.

Want a hot dog? I want a hot dog. (Beckett grabs his nose) Ow apples apples apples! He couldn't have lost weight to look sick thin becks. Maybe he WAS workout thin & then he's all depressed bc his daughter was just murdered & now he LOOKS sick thin, but that's a stretch.

Good on her for this lie/train of thought. Does he KNOW when all three were murdered? I mean they were probs in the paper, that's how he "found out" her case kid "killed" her.

Why did he specifically fly out on those days? I think being out of town /specifically/ those days is sus.

RC: Oh Markway! Tell him I say hello.

I love the way that castle talks versus beckett. Lol writing on castle's back

Boy just puts it in the shredder like that?

Yay the non-ryan cop & the scaffolding, now it looks like a city. Beckett talking to him like a toddler. She just cuffed him XD. You know, I'm glad I have a cuff key. You're actually more likely to be accidentally cuffed in some sort of sex cult than accidentally cuffed by a cop. I also have an elevator key which is useful. Too bad I actually lost my keyring. Rick is so cool & sexy & valid. Why would he take off his shoe tho? The audio commentary: "I have never seen toes that small on a man over six foot." The poor filming, they had to clean up the paper every time. & make sure they were no rocks or needles for poor NF (RC).

tbh I understand this guy. Sibling is the pretty one, the loved one, the smart one. That WAS cool castle! Even the weird little sound effect.

I forgot that castle know guns, at least a bit. Probs research for his prev books. I'm remembering that episode, probably 5-8 somewhere, when beckett taught him to shoot a gun but he already knew & then won a bet. Ye. He knew the safety was on too.

Hoowee she is so self confident & hot.

nice skull lamp

tough BUT savvy?

Little eyebrow cock at the end. The start of everything!

[rookie-critic]

Rookie-Critic's Film Review Weekend Wrap-Up - Week of 3/6-3/12/2023

-Return to Seoul (2022, dir. Davy Chou)

I wanted to like this more than I ended up liking it. What could have been an incredibly moving story about the detriments of trying to fill voids in your happiness with the idea of others and not with love for yourself is kind of lessened by a main character that was very selfish, mean, and outside of her life situation, was mostly unrelatable. I just couldn't find an in with the protagonist of the film, Freddie, and it kept me from fully enjoying what is mostly a well-made film.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters. See my full review on here.

-Argentina, 1985 (2022, dir. Santiago Mitre)

An incredibly gripping courtroom drama about a piece of South American history that more people in the world should know about. A true, mostly inspiring, but also frightening in ways, story about fascism in 1980s Argentina and how, even after it was defeated, the seeds of it remained in the democratic government set up in its place. The struggles of a handful of young law professionals as well as the work of Argentinian DA Julio Strassera. At a whopping 140 minutes, Argentina, 1985 never once feels its length, and that is just one of the many impressive things about this film that makes it one of the best non-English language films of last year.

Score: 9/10

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

-Rocky V (1990, dir. John G. Avildsen)

I've heard that his is the Rocky film that fans of the franchise don't want to touch with a 10-foot pole and I don't really understand why. It's not really bad, it's more just kind of boring. The story just doesn't really go anywhere and the final fight, while an interesting subversion on the previous 4 films' largely similar structure, isn't particularly gripping and is very aged, and not in the best way. Sage Stallone does a decent enough job playing Rocky Jr. and Sly Stallone is just as motor-mouthed and lovably dumb as ever as Rocky, but again, everything here mostly just ok. I don't really think I'll remember too much about this going forward.

Score: 5/10

Currently streaming on Netflix.

-All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022, dir. Laura Poitras)

This was a wonderful documentary about renowned photographer/activist Nan Goldin; half about her life coming up in the counterculture of 80s New York City during the AIDS crisis, and half about her more recent work as an activist against the Sackler family and their involvement in the opioid crisis. The two halves of Goldin's story are weaved together and related to each other wonderfully by the film's director Laura Poitras and editors Joe Bini, Amy Foote, and Brian A. Kates. Goldin's own photographic slideshows are mixed with other archival footage and modern interviews to make a story that way more succinct and whole than I was expected from something that, one the surface, seems like it would be disjointed.

Score: 8/10

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and coming soon to Blu-ray & DVD through Criterion.

-Blonde (2022, dir. Andrew Dominik)

I really wanted to give this one a chance. Ana de Armas does a brilliant job as Marilyn Monroe, but really the film dips it's toe too often into the wrong side of exploitation, and it makes the film hard to watch. Not in a way that makes it profound or thought-provoking, but in a way that feels cruel and unusual. The film is shot well, but the things happening on screen are more often than not too bizarrely horrible to keep your eye on. At certain points it almost felt like it reveled in portraying Monroe's suffering. This isn't to mention that it is based on a book that is self-admittedly more fiction than fact by the author. I'm interested in learning about Monroe's actual life, and I don't feel like this gave a clear image of that at all.

Score: 4/10

Currently streaming on Netflix.

-Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (2023, dir. Guy Ritchie)

I was not a fan Ritchie's last film, Wrath of Man. I thought it took pride in all the worst parts of machismo and was an oddly self-serious film in his filmography. Thankfully, Operation Fortune doesn't have this issue. The Guy Ritchie that made Snatch and The Gentlemen is back. The misogyny that is normally the dark spot on most of his movies is dialed way back here, which is nice. Now, the plot is almost non-existent and non-important and the characters and their motivations and personalities are similarly non-important and paper thin, but the film is funny and entertaining, and that's all I ever really want out of a Guy Ritchie film. Hugh Grant gets a special shout out for stealing every single moment he's on screen.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters.

-Rocky Balboa (2006, dir. Sylvester Stallone)

Overall, probably my favorite of the Rocky films. Rocky is just a sweet old man looking to connect with his son and remember his wife fondly. Bringing back the little girl from one scene of the first film as a fully fleshed-out adult character was an inspired choice, and, while Paulie is still a giant pile of trash on fire, he actually shows a bit of remorse for his actions over the previous five films, and that can't count for nothing. Just a very impressive, deceptively incredible late-stage entry in a beloved franchise.

Score: 8/10

Currently streaming on Paramount+.

-Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022, dir. Anthony Fabian)

As someone who hasn't seen either Paddington film, I imagine this is as good as a film can make you feel without actually being Paddington. Lesley Manville is absolutely marvelous and beautifully kind as Mrs. Ada Harris. This was one that I skipped out on seeing in the theater because it didn't seem like something I would enjoy, but it ended up stealing my heart and making me feel ashamed for shrugging it off before. Watch this if you're feeling down for an instant shot of serotonin.

Score: 9/10

Currently streaming on Peacock.

-Scream VI (2023, dir. Tyler Gillett & Matt Bettinelli-Olpin)

I won't gush about this anymore than I already have. Radio Silence have done a great job picking this franchise up from where the wonderful Wes Craven left it off. The acting is superb, the horror is superb, the story is superb, Scream continues to be the best slasher franchise by a significant margin. Way to go.

Score: 10/10

Currently only in theaters. See my full review here.

-Tell It Like a Woman (2022, dir. Catherine Hardwicke, Taraji P. Henson, Lucia Puenzo, Leena Yadav, Maria Sole Tognazzi, Mipo O, Lucia Bulgheroni & Silvia Carobbio)

As well-intentioned as this is, it's not a film, it's a PSA. Half of these are barely stories and more like a video that would play in the middle of a self-help seminar to prove a point. Only one of these seven stories feels like a legitimate short film, the one directed by Japanese director Mipo O, and it's the only stretch of the film that doesn't feel like a complete waste of time.

Score: 3/10

Currently available to rent or purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.).

-The Quiet Girl (2022, dir. Colm Bairéad)

Last year, right as I was about to cut off my viewing for the 2022 season and post my Best Of list, I saw The Worst Person in the World, a non-English language film the ended up ranking towards the top of my list. This year I didn't think that was possible, as 2022 was a truly magnificent and special year. My Top 20 (hell, my top 35-40, even) are all so amazing it's hard to imagine anything cracking into the upper echelon of the list. Yet, somehow, The Quiet Girl has managed just that. This massively slow-paced film managed to not only to maintain my interest, but right at the end. When you wonder how the film could possibly bring all of its themes and messaging together in a way that feels uniquely whole and satisfying, the titular Quiet Girl, Cáit (played with the emotional depth of a thousand oceans by newcomer Catherine Clinch), utters two words; or rather, the same word twice, but with two deliveries so utterly different that it shatters your soul into a million little pieces and breaks the walls of the even the most hard-hearted person on the planet down until you're just a mess on the floor of theater (not really, that's nasty, but you get the idea). Any qualm I may have even remotely had with the slow trot at which the majority of the film clips along in is immediately dashes, thrown out the window and never to be heard from again, all from just two softly spoken little words. It's truly powerful and within the next couple weeks when you see me make my Best of 2022 posts, I guarantee you'll be seeing this somewhere, and most likely pretty high up.

Score: 10/10

Currently only in theaters.

-Mandy (2018, dir. Panos Cosmatos)

Watched as a part of my college friends' Nic Cage Fridays movie night, I was very, very excited to see this. I was shocked when we were three quarters of the way through the film and everyone else except for me and one other person was cracking jokes and making fun of the film like it was The Room. It for sure has a decent number of issues: the beginning act of the film is dreadfully slow and begins to outstay its welcome, the plot of the film (if you could call it that) is so unbelievably thin, and Cosmatos' work and experiments with color in frame, while definitely a strong vibe that I liked, doesn't necessarily add anything artistically to the film. I wouldn't say, however, that it is worthy of the ire it was receiving from the crowd. Nicolas Cage's performance as Red, while sparse throughout the first half of the film, kicks into absolute high gear in the second, and manages to make the film have one of the craziest, most fun, and absolutely phantasmagorical third acts of any film I've ever seen. I guess it's not for everybody, but please, if you haven't seen it, Google it, take a look at some stills and read the basic setup of the plot, and if it sounds even remotely interesting, give it a shot. I found it to be a very rewarding watch.

Score: 7/10

Currently available for rent or purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) or on Blu-ray & DVD through RLJ Entertainment.

-Champions (2023, dir. Bobby Farrelly)

This ended up being surprisingly heartwarming and funny. A film about intellectually disabled adults that never centers them as the punchline of the joke, but rather the ones delivering said punchline, Champions excels at giving these oft-belittled members of the human race their own voice and space to be not only taken seriously as individuals, but also raucously hilarious. Directed by one-half of the Farrelly brothers (of Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary fame), there are only a few moments of the signature gross-out Farrelly humor, and honestly they're the most out of pocket, odd moments of the film. Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olson give good performances as the central protagonists of the film, but truthfully the spotlight and the majority of the kudos should go to the basketball team at the heart of the film, namely Madison Tevlin, Kevin Iannucci, and Casey Metcalfe. Honestly, the entirety of the Friends (the name of the team) deserves the highest of praise, and I don't mean that patronizingly. They steal the show every moment they're on screen. The framework and overarching story isn't really anything special or new, but criticizing a film with this big of a heart feels disingenuous, so I'll just say I liked it and leave it at that.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters.

-Thirteen Lives (2022, dir. Ron Howard)

I don't have a ton to say about Thirteen Lives other than that I really liked it. I think this is the big awards snub of the year, receiving basically no attention which, for a film like this that Academy voters generally eat up, is very surprising. It's Ron Howard's best film since 2013's Rush and, much like Argentina, 1985, is a film about real-life events that runs over 2 and a half hours that absolutely never feels like it. A thoroughly enthralling and awe-striking cinematic experience. It's an Amazon Prime Video original, but one can imagine how magical this would have been to see in the theater.

Score: 9/10

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

-65 (2023, dir. Scott Beck & Bryan Woods)

This was definitely a movie. There was a story and an Adam Driver and spaceship crashes and dinosaurs and a kid and everything that a movie needs to be, well, a movie. It doesn't make the most of its premise, which is disappointing, and also doesn't make much use of the dinosaurs, which is disappointing. I think what saves the film is Driver's general talent and the parent-child chemistry of Driver and Ariana Greenblatt, which is good and generates an interest in seeing them survive this prehistoric sci-fi ordeal together. This will be something I'll most likely forget a lot of in the coming months, regardless of how much fun I had while my butt was in the seat watching it. I'm not going to say don't see it if you were already interested, but I'm also saying that if this wasn't something that interested you in the first place, you're not really missing out on anything spectacular.

Score: 6/10

Currently only in theaters.

[sgsminabags]

the past few years an exciting Loewe Handbags Outlet crop of L.A

Attendance at and outside the fall shows suggests that fashion is back big time. In this apparent return to normalcy, street style offers a bit of a plot twist. What do their observations mean for street style in 2022. There, his sporty offstage looks featured oversized leather and denim. And rapper Nicki Minaj donned some seriously major ones for a Heaven by Marc Jacobs ad campaign. "Now in New York, I feel I can wear whatever, without thinking if it is too much, too weird, too anything.

According to the students of Euphoria High School, 2022 is still all about the minibag. No matter that pint sized bags may not fit pencils, slide rules, or cell phones, they add just the right element of playfulness to your 'fits. And over the past few years an exciting Loewe Handbags Outlet crop of L.A.

I always took naps, because your day is so full. And I would definitely prioritize naps, because if I didn't get sleep, my mind was just not there, and you have to be mentally there in the starting gate before you're essentially risking your life on the mountain. I always tried to get 10 hours.

From plaid jackets who could forget Kate Moss's plaid Bottega Veneta shacket and baggy jeans combination at the brand's SS23 runway show. The heatwave spreading across the globe is wreaking havoc. let's just say that I have a certain skill set. Without fanfare, the show music started playing and guests looked around quizzically Was the audience the show. At any moment, it seemed, someone might pop up from the front row and bolt onto the runway in new old, upcycled kitschy clothing. Crochet has been having a moment, showing up among the best dressed guests from L.A.

This marks a change in Carrie's beliefs. If you're a major Sex and the City fan, you'll recall Carrie's former indifference towards politics. let's just say that I have a certain skill set. What can't be ignored, however, is her roster of fabulous fall boots that she effortlessly seems to pair with each and every look she steps out in. With crisp weather on the horizon, pair Other Stories's black high waist leather pencil with a chunky cardigan or Max Mara's chocolate brown Corsica skirt with a suede knee high boot. Emily Ratajkowski has been switching things up.

To go alongside your newly purchased Western shirting, find the denim midiskirt for Loewe Handbags the perfect pairing. If last season was all about the miniskirt, then this season is all about the more mature midi. Hitting just above the knee, denim midiskirts are figure flattering.

Ease any upcoming winter blues with Loewe Bags the help of a colorful pink suit a la Elaine Welteroth. From Alexander McQueen, this neon pink double breasted blazer paired with matching suit pants is statement making in and of itself. Who was a part of the show and who wasn't.

[mrs-dr-reid]

My Personal Steve Rogers Headcanons

Part 1/?

The first time he went to a grocery store post-Capsicle, he very nearly had a public meltdown when he saw what 70 years of inflation did to the prices

He always makes “Back in my day…” statements unironically mainly to annoy Tony, and once Bucky comes back he joins in and Tony very nearly has an aneurysm because “Oh dear god, there’s two of them”

He loves taking you on walks in Brooklyn and showing you all the places he frequented growing up, and is sometimes pleasantly surprised when a place from his childhood barely changed at all since the 40s

He volunteers at the VA as an art therapy instructor when he has spare time, because he found that drawing and painting really helped him relax when his PTSD decided to aggressively announce its presence

He is very happy when record players and vinyls start coming back into fashion, and he’s especially happy because Bucky’s sister Rebecca put all of their stuff in a storage unit when they went MIA, and among their old stuff was his 1940s record player and the milk carton he kept all of his records in, which meant he didn’t have to go out and rebuy his entire collection

He loves going to Central Park in the fall and looking at all the leaves change color, and you even buy him a Polaroid camera so he can take pictures

To help him get caught up on modern pop culture, you pick a new show or movie to watch with him every couple of weeks, and most of them are early 2000s comedy-dramas and chick flicks (he liked Mean Girls a lot more than you thought he would, and now he unironically yells “SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE” whenever there's an alien invasion)

He’s obsessed with Broadway. Back in the 40s, he only really knew about “Anything Goes”, “Oklahoma!”, and “Kiss Me, Kate”, but now that he’s in the present, he makes it his goal to see at least one new musical every couple of months, either on stage if it can be afforded, or the pro-shot or movie adaptation. His newly-discovered favorites are Newsies and Hamilton, but he is also a big fan of Wicked

He likes learning about potentially useless information that he doesn’t really need to know for the hell of it. No, he doesn’t need to know who invented aerosol cans, but he wants to, and who’s gonna stop him from learning about it?

He was genuinely befuddled the first time he rode in a modern car, and not even a fancy one like Tony's Audi R8 Spyder. Nat took him for a drive in a 2009 Nissan Altima once and he spent the first ten minutes messing with the seat mover buttons

A gentleman above all else. He opens doors for you, pulls out your chair when you go out to eat, gives you his hand to help you out of cars or down stairs, and will give you his arm whenever you're walking anywhere together, because Sarah raised him right, aiight?

When he learned about Dapper Day at Disneyland, he immediately dropped everything and borderline extorted Tony into arranging a trip to California for the team so they could go. You two go as Duchess and O'Malley from The Aristocats, and you almost die because of how good he looks in his outfit

For a while he thinks voice-to-text and voice notes work like telegrams did, so for a while you receive voice notes of him yelling "HI Y/N STOP ARE WE STILL ON FOR DINNER TONIGHT STOP I LOVE YOU STOP" until Tony finally sits him down and explains how it works, so then you start receiving normal texts and voice notes

He loves stargazing, but since he lives in modern New York he barely gets to see the stars anymore because of all the light pollution, so a few times a month you drive him a couple hours away from the city, and you just lay down in the grass somewhere and watch the stars together

He is very fond of board games. So much so that he insists on a weekly Board Game Night with the team. Monopoly was kicked out of the rotation because of a Code Green after Bruce caught Tony trying to steal money from the bank eight times in a row, and then he still won, but the most popular games are Clue and Sorry

He doesn't understand the obsession with true crime. He does however very much enjoy procedural dramas like Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Criminal Minds. He thinks they're interesting

He absolutely hates being cold. One time the heat went out in your apartment, and you came home to find him on your couch wrapped up in every single blanket you owned while grumpily watching Legally Blonde

He’s borderline addicted to flannels and Henley shirts. Like, you open his closet and he has one in every color of the rainbow. I mean, the man looks good in a flannel or a Henley so you’re not mad about it, but it’s becoming a teeny bit excessive

[that-yandere-life]

i was watching Hawkeye and Kate is a big fan of him. So i was thinking, what if Clint’s darling is a also a fan? They meet each other and shes like OMGGG IT’S HAWKEYE!!!

[Warnings: Yandere Themes (Obviously), mentions of a battle… lots of fluff and cute stuff if that’s a warning ;3]

Clint had been obsessed with you since he encountered you during one of the fights that took place in New York.

Saving you from getting hurt before dashing off further into the commotion leaving you while yelling back at you to run.

Once the dust had settled he only wished he had learned your name, the moment his blue eyes met yours he was already smitten.

The way you looked at him with such admiration and relief when he stopped your brutal untimely demise.

Dreaming about you that night wishing he knew how to draw so he could put your features down onto paper so he could always remember, though he doubted he could ever forget.

Sulking in his room for most of the day until he went to get something to eat and saw the others watching the news coverage from the event.

He swore his heart just about stopped dead in his chest when he saw the very scene he had dreamt about being broadcast on television, a helicopter catching the moment unknowingly.

Immediately asking Stark to run facial recognition on the footage to see if he could find you, and of course he was more than up for a challenge.

It took a couple of days with most of the cameras being down in the city, but as systems went back online it was easy to spot you and trace you.

Learning that you were staying in one of the temporary displaced shelters since your apartment building had been destroyed.

Meaning he was going to have to find you in a crowd of people all while trying not to attract attention.

Although who would really question an Avenger coming to volunteer to help people he reasoned with himself.

Funnily enough he didn’t have to look for you at all because you were in front of him nearly the moment that he entered the building.

A huge smile on your face as you rushed over to him, unable to believe your luck to get to encounter him two days in a row.

Not only that but he literally saved your life, he was a veritable knight in shining armor in your eyes.

Before all of that he was your favorite hero to begin with, and now it seemed the two of you had to be destined to meet.

Unable to contain the euphoria of the chance meeting, you immediately hugged him, thanking him for saving your life.

Not even thinking about how the action might be inappropriate to do towards an unsuspecting trained spy, hell to be honest your mind was clouded from the past 24 hours already.

Wrapping his arms around you accepting your embrace feeling his tense muscles relax as he apparently recognized you which you were very thankful for.

This was beyond anything he had ever expected and he couldn’t help but melt into your warm embrace welcoming the contact wholeheartedly.

Parting from each other he barely got a word or two out to tell you that he was just glad he was in the right place at the right time.

Trying to be humble while also soaking up every ounce of your praise as you tried to assure him that he did way more than that.

Explaining that he was your favorite hero, the very sentence knocking the wind out of him like he had been sucker-punched in the gut.

For once he was actually bashful, rubbing the back of his neck hoping that he wasn’t blushing too badly in front of you.

Immediately shaking off his trance outright asking if you would go to dinner with him, not wanting to waste a moment of this feeling.

When you accept in the same breath he can’t help but smile the widest he ever had before, holding his arm out for you to take.

The first steps towards the rest of your lives together, one he can tell is going to be oh so sweet.

[This was such an adorable idea! I hope that you enjoy it, and that it was close to what you had in mind! <3]

[witlessficcer]

Drabble Before Bed

Note: This fic is partially inspired by the above fan art by @maxyartwork​. This piece is gold and exemplifies them perfectly. 

If you like what you read, please leave a like, comment or reblog. 

Summary: Kate has had enough of Yelena’s backhanded insults. Yelena is ready to listen.

Warnings: Kate curses at Yelena righteously.

 Porcupine and Koala

When Kate returned from Missouri she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with herself. Clint had given his blessing.  She was officially Hawkeye. For what that was worth. She was not an official hero. She had no Avengers membership card. She was not even sure the Avengers still existed. She wasn’t sure if she should just start going out at night looking for trouble. Without Clint, she wasn’t sure she was ready. He trusted her, but that was only the first step. She needed a working mentor.

She wouldn’t go back to her mother’s house, even if she was out on bail. Too much drama there to want to engage at the moment. At the moment, she had no idea what to think of the woman. She was still mom, but she was also kind of a monster, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She and her mother had never been that close, but an awkward relationship was better than cold hearted killer, in bed with the worst, best known criminal in the city, if not the country.    

Yelena was gone, probably stalking her from a distance. Probably judging her through binoculars from the rooftop across the street. It seemed like they had made progress at Clint’s house. They had hashed a few things out. However, when Kate decided to return to New York, the blonde had disappeared without a trace. Clint had shrugged as if it were normal, but it had hurt Kate’s feelings. Yes, she was mature enough to admit when her feelings were hurt, but she wasn’t sure if she should be giving the stoic killer that much power. Hurt feelings are one thing, obsessing was another.

The last couple of days had been spent cleaning up her lair. No. Not lair. Hideout. That didn’t really work either. Apartment. Yeah, at least it was accurate. But still not cool. Since she wouldn’t go home, this would have to be it. Though some of the most damaged items had already been removed, there was still quite a bit of smoke and flame damaged items in the corners and far wall. She was surprised the landlord hadn’t evicted her. Her mom had money. It made the world go around.

“Why the long face, Kate Bishop,” said a familiar voice from a familiar window sill. “Does cleaning hurt your soft hands?”

Kate dropped the charred metal trash basket she was holding and looked at Yelena. “You know better than anyone that my hands are not soft.”

“Why do I know better?” the blonde said, jumping down and making her way into the kitchen. “I haven’t been holding them.”

“I’m and archer, blockhead,” Kate retorted, kicking the can over to the front door where other debris was starting to pile up. “Callouses. Your hands are probably softer than mine, it certainly isn’t your demeanor.”

“Backhanded insults are my thing, Kate Bishop,” Yelena said opening the fridge, seemingly hunting for something. “You are the good cop. Nice. Friendly. Accommodating. I am bad cop. Getting grumpy looking for beer you offered, but not finding any.”

Kate stepped to the island which divided the room and separated the two women. “Beers in my bombed out hideout wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said we should get a beer.”

The blonde tilted her head curiously. “Then what did you mean?

Kate shifted her weight back and forth, at a loss for words.

“It is funny time to ask me on a date in the middle of a fight,” Yelena added.

“Was it a fight, though?” Kate heard herself say. “It felt more like playing patty-cake.”

“Ahh, Kate Bishop!” Yelena said, chuckling deeply. “You are so right. I did best not to hurt you while you throw persistent, but weak sauce at me. I float like butterfly, sting like bee. You buzz like fly. That is why I open so many windows.”

“Well them you must have enjoyed all the touching because you never took me out,” Kate said, confidently, not allowing the assassin’s insult to derail her. “I mean you had all the time in the world to choke me out in the elevator. You could have given me a solid punch to the face and knocked me out in the hall. You could have incapacitated me and tied me to a desk. But you didn’t. Why not? Killing Clint was the mission, right? But you let me distract you at every turn. Why?”

Yelena looked at Kate in a way that was different than it had ever been before. It was uncomfortable. It wasn’t disdain, or arrogant curiosity. Kate didn’t what it was, but it felt like acknowledgment. Respect, maybe. Even attraction.

“You are distracting woman, Kate Bishop,” Yelena, said, detachment clouding her face again. “Like fun toy to play with to pass time before going back to work. Like game on phone. Fun, but ultimately a waste of time.”

Shook her head and heat rose in her from her belly to her chest to her face. She slammed her fist on the counter. “You are such a fucking bitch! Fuck me! What the hell do I have to do get your respect? Fuck respect. Just goddam civility. Every time I think I make progress with you, you throw it back in my face. I don’t want to hear your shit anymore. Stopping coming around here if all you want is a cat toy. I will not be that for you. You don’t get to come to my house and treat me like shit! If that’s the way it’s going to be, you can get the fuck out.

Yelena’s face betrayed no emotion. “Go on.”

“I mean I know you’re grieving. I can see it all over your face. I can see it in your posture. Losing Natasha has crippled you whether you want to admit it or not. You loved her. You still love her. She loved you. But she is gone, Yelena. I didn’t kill her. Clint didn’t kill her. He wanted to be the one. But Natasha…she and Clint were both lost. She won her last fight. A fight to the death with her best friend. A fight for the right to die.”

“Choice words, Kate Bishop,” Yelena said, coming around the island and standing in front of the brunette. “Do you want to start crying and hug it out with you? Am I supposed to sit on the couch with you and tell you all about how the childhood I loved and the sister I loved were taken from me not once, but twice? How my will was subjugated and how my body was mutilated for the agenda of a mad man? Do you want me to tell you of every sickening torture I endured as part of my training? You are not Natasha! You do not understand me or my motivation. You don’t know my experience.”

Kate reached out and took the blonde’s right hand. Yelena weakly trying to shake it loose.

“You’re right,” Kate said. “I don’t know you. At all. But we hit it off immediately when we met for the first time. Deny it all you want, but you like me. You keep coming back. Every time. I like you, too. As twisted as you are, I like you. But I won’t let you be a bitch to me for something I didn’t do. I won’t let you hurt me because I want to be a safe person for you.”

“Safe person?” Yelena said, scrunching her nose in disapproval. “You sound like school counselor. Safe person. Safe place. I can take care of myself.”

“But, isn’t it exhausting?” Kate said, leading Yelena to the dry but musty couch. They sat down; Kate relaxed and Yelena ramrod straight.

“I gave you snow angels in Missouri, Kate Bishop,” Yelena said, softly. “Big deal for me. Even if it seemed easy. It is hard to think I need anyone other than myself. Without her. There is only me. There is Alexei and Melina, but is different with them. Good. Okay. But different. Natasha understood.”

“I want to understand,” Kate said, sitting forward to match the blonde’s posture.

“I know you do, Kate,” Yelena said, with a soft smile. “It will take time. I am porcupine. You are Koala.”

“Yeah,” Kate, nodding her head in a groove. “Kick ass Koala.”

“Do you know Frog and Toad are Friends?” the assassin asked.

“Off course!” Kate replied, excitedly. “I loved those books as a kid.”

“Me too. Kate Bishop is Frog. Always seeing the best. The bright side. I am toad. Always wanting to sleep. Always looking for things to go wrong. Always expecting it to go wrong.”

“That’s why they are friends, Yelena,” Kate said. “They complement each other. They help each other see things differently.”

“This is true, Kate Bishop,” Yelena said, looking at Kate wistfully. “I think we can be friends. Frog and Toad. Koala and Porcupine. Since I can see you are dying to give me hug, I will let you.”

Kate grinned, but refrained from a happy clap. Yelena stood and Kate followed, pulling the blonde into a soft, innocent hug. Yelena did not fully reciprocate, but Kate’s eyes filled with emotion at the light touch of Yelena’s hand on her back.

[hangovercurse]

Nerd Love

After years of working together, Pete still manages to break you.

Request: “Hi! Can I get a Pete imagine where you guys work on SNL together and you have few skits together and during one of them you can’t stop laughing”

Pete Davidson x Reader

Warnings: Cursing

Word Count: 2237

“Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” You hear Kate and the host of the week announce before Lorne motions that the cameras had cut for commercial break. You and Pete had a sketch together in exactly 12 minutes and 45 seconds, and you were trying to cool your nerves.

You loved your job, writing on SNL was something you had dreamed of since you were in middle school, and now it was your reality. Of course, it was hard, the hours were long and the work was demanding. But having Pete by your side made it all bearable.

You had met on your first day, getting hired one season after him. You two were deemed the “babies” of the cast because you were the youngest, so naturally you got paired up. A lot.

At first it bothered you that you only really ever worked with one person, but after your first few episodes you grew to love Pete. Your energies matched so well, and whenever you wrote together you easily built of each other.

After 6 years of working on the show together, you had become really close friends. You were with him through all of his hard times, and you were one of the few people he let visit him in rehab. In return, he stuck by your side through everything, even when the internet tried to cancel you for an interview that was taken completely out of context.

You couldn’t pinpoint when, but at some point, you had developed real feelings for him. Obviously, you’d never tell him, not wanting to mess up your amazing friendship. But they still flourished, especially when you would be up until 6 am writing sketches and goofing around in the writer’s room. Of course, the comments from fans didn’t help your feelings either. They loved you guys. Anytime you posted Pete on your social media, they were all over it.

But you guys had denied the dating rumors countless times since they’d started 5 years ago. Even though having to hear the words “we’re just friends” over and over killed you.

You were lost in thought when Pete came up behind you, hands grabbing your shoulders and shaking you slightly. “Ready bookworm?” He asked, moving to stand next to you.

“Only if you are, Mr. jock-man.” You laughed, rolling your eyes.

The sketch you and Pete had written was a young couple on a really fancy date to celebrate their 6-month anniversary. Your character was going on the date with Kyle Mooney’s character. Both of you were the stereotypical nerd couple with glasses, suspenders, and everything else. Pete was playing your waiter, who obviously did not give a shit about his job. He was the stereotypical jock character. Your character was super attracted to him and kept paying attention to him. He loved the attention and would do things like show you his (reaaaallllyyy) lame tattoos, tell you about sports, and everything that nerds don’t like. Kyle obviously didn’t like that and kept trying to get your attention in the weirdest of ways.

It was pretty funny in rehearsals, almost too funny. Seeing Pete act so out of character was hilarious to you and having to overdramatically flirt with him felt ridiculous. You barely made it through in rehearsals without laughing, so you had to hope you could do it on stage.

“Y/N, Pete, and Kyle. You’re up.” The stagehand told you, and you grabbed Kyle’s hand, walking to the stage.

The sketch started and you were doing okay. You and Kyle had your conversation about your anniversary and your favorite Star Wars movies. But then Pete walked onto the stage in his ridiculous waiter getup. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the top and wrinkled, his black pants hanging low on his hips, and his apron only half tied. You bit your tongue to keep yourself together.

“Welcome to White Oyster, what do you want?” He said in a very bored voice. You acted interested, eyes raking up and down him. You felt ridiculous and had to swallow a laugh.

Kyle pushed his glasses up on his nose, “me and my girlfriend are here for our six-month anniversary, so we would like the couple’s special.” His nerd voice was incredible.

“Okay. Anything else?” Pete’s voice remained monotone.

You bit your lip, “do you recommend anything else?” You asked, trying to sound nerd-sexy.

You could see Pete struggling to contain a smile. “I mean, whatever. Food here is shitty anyways.”

Kyle’s mouth gaped, “can you not speak like that around my girlfriend, please?”

The sketch continued with you making flirty remarks towards Pete, him being very bored and unaware, and Kyle trying to direct your attention. After your second attempt at flirting with him, you could feel yourself breaking down.

“So, I was wondering. Do you have any tattoos?” You asked him, your elbow on the table, twirling a piece of your hair in your finger.

Pete nodded, pulling up his shirt to show the big MOM tattoo on his side that was drawn on earlier. You felt a giggle slip out, completely out of character.

You tried to cover it up and continue, “wow, you really must love your mom, huh?” Another chuckle leaving your mouth, “that’s kinda hot.”

Kyle looked at you with wide eyes, “Linda!” He screamed the name of your character

Pete shrugged, “Nah, I did it myself. It says WOW, like world of warcraft.”

You couldn’t help the laugh that fell out of your mouth, and one followed from Pete. This was a disaster. You tried to regain your composure, knowing Kyle was probably really frustrated right now. “I just think tattoos are so cool. You don’t have any, do you Darren?” You asked Kyle’s character, eyes narrowing at him. You heard a chuckle from Pete beside you and you bit your cheek.

Kyle faked looking flustered, “N-no. But I have all 7 of the Harry Potter books and 4 collectors wands.”

Pete nodded, “Oh cool, I have a Harry Potter tattoo.” He pulled up his arm to show his real tattoo.

Your eyes went wide, “Wow. That’s way cooler.” You batted your eyes up at Pete, making him break even more. Watching his face go red and his mouth lifting up with laughter made you squeeze your eyes to hide your laughter.

“But babe!” Kyle was starting to break now too. “You love my Harry Potter stuff!”

“It’s cool, I guess.”

The sketch continued with you and Pete laughing anytime you looked at each other, your energies feeding into one another. You both tried really hard to keep it together, but something about flirting with Pete made you so giddy inside that you couldn’t help it.

Eventually the scene ended and the lights went down. You knew the cameras probably caught an extra few seconds after the close of the sketch, meaning they caught you and Pete breaking down into fits of laughter.

You somehow made it offstage, faces red. “We’re so gonna get fired.” He said through giggles.

“I’m so sorry,” You started, trying to take breaths through your laughs. “I don’t know why I couldn’t hold it together.”

“You looked ridiculous.” Pete laughed, pointing at your glasses.

 After the show you made your way back to your dressing room, changing into your day clothes and getting ready to leave. You finally checked your phone, which had been off the duration of the show.

Your twitter feed was filled with clips of you and Pete laughing through the sketch.

They’re so cute together #goals

Love their friendship

Get you someone who looks at you like Pete looks at Y/N

Poor Kyle ☹

The way they can’t get through a skit because they’re too in love

And they say they aren’t dating…

Can’t believe the unprofessionalism

Pete and Y/N are dating… no one can convince me otherwise

The flirting!!! The looks!!!

I would like Pete and Y/N to get married and adopt me please

Your heart melted at all the comments, a sigh leaving your mouth. You watched the video and noticed the way he looked at you anytime you broke character, it was the same way you looked at him all the time.

You shook your head, convincing yourself you were imagining it. You couldn’t afford to think like that, it would ruin your friendship.

A knock at your door pulled you out of your thoughts, “Y/N, wanna go grab a drink with me?” It was Pete.

“You can come in.” You called, and he did so. “I don’t know, I was thinking I might just go home. I’m pretty tired.” You really just wanted to go home and sort through your feelings for the umpteenth time that month.

He nodded, watching as you tossed various items in your bag, “you were great tonight.”

You giggled, “Pete I barely made it through our sketch, it was a disaster.”

He rolled his eyes, walking over to where you were at your vanity. “I messed up too, but it was fine. No one noticed.”

You leaned into the mirror, fixing your makeup slightly. Pete was very close to you, watching you through said mirror. “Trust me, Petey. Everyone noticed.” You laughed, standing up straight again.

Your back was inches from his chest, and you could suddenly feel a different sort of tension in the air. But you didn’t make any move to shift away from him. He gave you a quizzical look through the mirror and you took out your phone, turning to him.

You took in a breath at the proximity. You weren’t close enough to kiss or anything, but his chest was only a few inches away from you. You shook away the thoughts you were having and opened your twitter, letting him scroll through the tweets. He chuckled and shook his head as he read them, eventually handing you your phone back.

“People really like us together.” He said, smiling.

You rolled your eyes, “They have for the past like, 6 years, Petey. We’re funny.” You smiled moving to turn back to grab your bag, but his hand grabbed your hip and made you stay facing him.

Your mind went blank at his touch, trying to figure out if this was real or if you were just really really tired. “That’s not what I meant.” He said, quieter.

You laughed, looking away from his eyes, not really knowing what to say. “I mean, people have always thought… stuff like that.” You mumbled, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Pete’s eyes were searching your face, taking in every detail. “Have you ever thought about, like, why people think we’re…” He trailed off, but you knew what he was implying.

You blushed, looking down at your toes. “I mean, I guess we’re together a lot and we get on well. People just like to make assumptions, I guess.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure it doesn’t help that I can never keep my eyes off of you, even when the cameras are rolling.” He said, a chuckle following.

You smiled, looking back up at him, your brain trying to process what he just said. After a few moments of silence, you spit out a “why are you bringing this up?” Your voice was soft, almost a whisper.

He sighed, hand moving from your hip and rubbing his face lightly. “I don’t know, I’ve just been thinking a lot.” You gave him a look that told him to continue. “I mean, I think it’s kind of obvious that I like you.”

Your mouth dropped, “obvious? Pete Davidson you have been far from obvious about your feelings.” You really thought you were dreaming, hearing those words from him was just impossible.

“Are you kidding me? How many sketches do I have to write just so I can flirt with you? Have you not picked up on the fact that literally every sketch I write for you to be in we’re playing some sort of couple?” He laughed, stepping towards you, and grabbing your hips again. “Dude, and I thought I was oblivious to this shit.”

“In my defense I’ve spent the past like 6 years trying to convince myself you didn’t feel the same way.” You said, a smile crossing your face.

Pete rolled his eyes, leaning closer to you, “now why would you wanna do that?” There was a playful tone in his voice, but you couldn’t help your serious answer.

“Because I didn’t wanna read the signs wrong and mess up our friendship.” You sighed.

Pete’s smile softened, “Y/N I literally want to kill you right now for making me wait this long.” You giggled, leaning closer to him. “But you’re cute so I guess I can let it slide.”

“If I kiss you will it make up for it?” You asked, batting your eyelashes.

Pete pretended to think about it, “hmmm, maybe. You should definitely give it a shot to see.”

You rolled your eyes, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into you. Your lips touched his and it was like everything in the universe suddenly aligned. His mouth moved against yours in soft, perfect motions. His hands pulled you closer into him, your bodies molding together like it was meant to be.

When you finally pulled away for breath, he pressed his forehead against yours, a wide grin on his face. “So, about those drinks?”