#it don't matter- because Sydney had him first.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I got all the attention...

Focus=Undivded attention for Sydney.

And it's a secret vow between these two.

Because she reminds him in private, whispering even before Natalie walks towards the room, I don't want to share it.

Remember, Carmy tells her I understand. Twice.

The viewers- we're reminded under the table— that focusing on the restaurant equals undivided attention for Sydney.

A vow they keep between them. It's under the table.

Including not leaving her alone.

Carmy understands the truth about Sydney's raising: Even though she gets all the attention, which is a good thing. She's alone, and he promises to be here.

I'm supposed to feel normal about this.

[chaotic-toasters]

Gone

Cortnee Vine x Reader (taken from my Wattpad)

ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST

-------------------------

"Y/N, you good?" Kyra's usual mischevious grin was gone, replaced with a look of concern that was quickly mirrored by Charli. "You seem out of it."

It took a moment for you to realize she was talking to you, eyes snapping up to meet hers. "Uh– yeah, yeah, I'm... I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" the Gunner's voice was soft as she placed a hand on your shoulder. "It's okay to not be okay."

"I'm sure," you insisted, shrugging her off. "You and Charli have fun."

You weren't fine. That much was clear to anybody with working eyes. You'd come down for meals, only to eat half of the amount you should have. You'd train, only to act like a robot who didn't know how to have fun. You spent hours cooped up in your room, only coming outside when Mini and Steph physically dragged you out. It was unhealthy, and everyone was starting to worry.

"Y/N?" Macca questioned, sitting down next to you. "What's going on with you?"

You glanced around briefly, taking note of all of your teammates gathered around the sofas.

"What is this? An intervention?" you joked dryly. "I'm just going through something small. I'll get over it soon, don't worry about it."

"Y/N, if you're going through something, you need to tell us," Sam chided. "We're—"

"We're a team, and a team is family, blah blah blah," you rolled your eyes. "I know. But I told you it's fine."

"It sounds stupid, but it's true," Mini crossed her arms. "So are you gonna tell us, or are you going to keep suffering alone?"

"I think I'll keep it to myself, thank you," you stood, patting your knees. "I'll see you guys later."

"Sit," Steph growled, forcing you back down. "Tony's already worried about you, but we've told him we'll handle it. Do you want us to get him involved?"

Your nostrils flared. "You wouldn't."

"We will if you don't open your fuckin' mouth and talk," the Defender glared. "You know I'll do it."

You were silent.

"Come on, Y/N, just tell us what's going on," Cortnee pleaded. "We're your friends."

Friends. Something you didn't want to be with the Sydney FC Winger. Since the first time you met her, and she'd smile shyly while offering you her hand to shake, you'd fallen for her. Hard. And it hurt. Because you knew she didn't feel the same. To make matters worse, she already had a girlfriend who she was happy with. Much happier than she'd be with you.

"Just... mind your own damn business," you retorted weakly, attempting to shake Steph off you. "I can handle my own problems."

"Your problems are our problems," Mini reminded you. "If something is bothering you, we're here to help."

"You and Steph," you nodded to the door. "No one else."

You stood first, leading your two mentors outside.

"Well?" Steph placed her hands know her hips.

"I like Cortnee," you blurted. "I— um..."

Mini raised her eyebrows. "Which one?"

"Uh... Vine."

"Okay. Continue."

"I've liked her for years," you swallowed. "But she doesn't like me like that. And she has a girlfriend. It's hard to— to see Cortnee when... when I know I'll never compare to her."

Steph and Mini shared a look.

"Come here, kiddo," Steph said gently, opening up her arms. "It'll be okay."

You slumped into her warm hug, crying softly into her shoulder. You didn't know if you should have been glad or upset that they didn't tell you to confess your feelings to Cortnee. That meant that your suspicions had been correct, and that she didn't feel the same, but that also mean your suspicions had been correct. A total catch-22.

"Why don't you take a nap, kiddo?" Steph whispered, caressing your forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up."

---------------------

"I'm not gonna lie to her, Sam," Steph's voice was quiet. "I can't give her false hope. It's not like she believes it, anyway. Cortnee sees her as a friend. Nothing more."

"I just feel bad," Sam mumbled. "Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"

"I'm sure," the Defender confirmed sadly. "If she tells Viney, then things'll probably be awkward for one of them or both of them. If she doesn't tell Viney, then she has to keep her true feelings bottled up for the rest of her international career."

"No, I don't," you said suddenly, startling the the two captains. "I have a way out. And as much as it hurts to take it, it'll hurt more if I don't."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just as Dutch as I am Australian," you refused to meet both of their widening eyes. "I'm eligible to play for the Oranje Leeuwinnen Vrouwen."

"What?" Sam was dumbfounded. "But you can't... we're your family!"

"If you and Kristie both played for the same national team, but Kristie was in a relationship with someone else and didn't love you back, would you still want to play with that team?"

Her silence spoke volumes.

"It's been quite the ride," you stood, offering a faint smile to both Sam and Steph. "Thank you both. I don't know when my transfer will be approved, but... I can't see Cortnee anymore. It hurts. A lot."

Sam looked ready to protest, but Steph instantly wrapped you in a motherly hug. "I'm so proud of you. You're gonna do great things. Make sure you call me though, yeah?"

You swallowed. "Yeah. Could you—could you do me a favour?"

"Of course."

"Tell all the girls that—" you sucked in a breath. "Tell all the girls that I've loved every minute of this journey with them, and that it's none of their faults I'm leaving. Could you—could you tell them the truth? The whole truth? I would, but I can't be there to see Cort's reaction. It would kill me."

Sam nodded, a small, sympathetic smile on her face. "Good luck, Y/N. We'll be cheering you on, always."

-----------------------

"Thanks, Tony," you shook hands with the manager gratefully. "You've been great."

"You as well, Y/N," he stated kindly. "Just remember that you've always got family in this team. You can come to us if you've ever got a problem. The Matildas are behind you."

Your lip wobbled. "I'll see you around, boss."

"Have a good one, Y/N."

--------------------

"As of today, Y/N will no longer play for Australia," Steph's voice shook slightly. "She'll be transferring to the Netherlands for the foreseeable future."

The room was dead silent.

"What?" Ellie was the first to speak. "Wh—why?"

Sam lowered her head. "She fell in love."

"With who!?" Cortnee looked upset. "She doesn't even have any Dutch teammates!"

Mini shook her head. "She didn't fall in love with a Dutch player."

"Then who—" Cortnee's eyes widened. "She likes one of us? Who?"

That's when it clicked for everyone else. The longing glances, the overly kind gestures, the touches that lasted just a bit too long; you loved Cortnee, but she hadn't even realized you liked her in the first place.

"Oh, Viney..." Lydia grimaced. "Poor Y/N."

"What is it?" the Winger was clearly starting to get annoyed that everyone knew something she didn't. "Just tell me already!"

Steph, Mini, and Sam all shared a look.

"Cort, there's no easy way to say this, but—" Steph felt as though there was something caught in her throat. "Y/N loved you. But she knew that you didn't feel the same."

Cortnee's breath hitched in her throat. She was suddenly taken back to a night at one of last year's training camps.

"Hey, Viney?" you started, slipping your phone into your pocket. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Shoot."

"Are you happy in your current relationship?" your tone was innocent.

She smiled. "Yeah. Char's so sweet, how could I not be happy? I could totally imagine a future with her."

Something in your eyes had shattered. That much was clear to her now. But she'd been too preoccupied thinking about her girlfriend that it had slipped her mind.

"Oh, Y/N..." Cortnee's voice was barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You deserve to be happy," her head snapped up at the sound of your raspy voice. "Who am I to take that away from you?"

"Y/N—"

"Thank you, girls, for my time here," you smiled weakly from the doorway, meeting each of your former teammates' eyes, though you struggled to meet Cortnee's. "It's been fun. I'm glad to have met all of you, to have shared the pitch with you, and most importantly, to become friends with all of you. I'll see you soon."

And just like that, you were gone.

[adoroborosgoth]

Crowley dying in s3

I wasn't sure how to start this meta. I've had this theory with possible (big possible) evidence sitting around for ages and I just didn't know what to do with the information.

After I'd already had this information, I only seen a hand full of others talk about it, but none have touched on it in the same way as the things I've found in my research.

So let's get on with it. For reference I'm going to tag @nightingalecottage and their lovely post here. I really recommend reading it. This theory only saw the light of day because of their post and I told them I would tag them with my meta since it lends a lot to it. And I promised myself that I would finish this for them.

Now for the meat and potatoes. I'll break it all down about how I found this information and how it might lend some theory about possible plot to s3.

This got really long so I put a cut.

-Silly narrator voice-

The facts were these.

To start I was doing research for a fic I'm working on and the details don't matter much but I'd planned to make my 'human' crowley a barrister. I was googling famous barristers for inspiration.

This lead me to wikipedia naturally as you do. And as I was looking over the list I saw this.

After seeing this name on the list of barristers in popular culture I had a mini freakout. Mainly because two things NG is a huge fan of Charles Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities is on the bookclub reading list. And I kept thinking why did this seem familiar and this is why.

A Tale of Two Cities is on the list of books that they recommend we read or were found in s2. So after I stopped freaking out I immediately went to the wiki page for this character. I wasn't too familiar with this book so I wanted to know more. As I was now super invested and intrigued. And found this.

Sydney Carton

I couldn't help be blown away by the similarities here between Sydney Carton and a certain depressed snake demon from s2. Morosely asking Shax on a bench in the first episode "What's the point of it all?"

For some context, in the novel Sydney Carton and his later best friend Charles Darnay share a striking semblance and are easily mistaken for each other. This is how Sydney is then able to make the switch with Darnay in the end saving his life.

This brings to mind of the lore that we know that Crowley and Aziraphale were once long ago one character and split into two. Also with the ideal casting choice that Terry Pratchett wanted one actor to play both roles. That would have been really interesting and funny. Also this plays into our favorite duo MS and DT having not worked together before because they were up for the same roles.

Let's move on to

Charles Darnay

Darnay resents his uncle's views much how Aziraphale resents certain aspects of heaven, but is never able to act on very much.

The note about Darnay being tutor of French made me chuckle considering what we know about Aziraphale being terrible at French. With that whole scene centered around it in s2.

Ok so we all are well versed and familiar with the famous Bastille scene. We all know the one and its clear the inspiration here for it comes from A Tale of Two Cities possibly.

Side note Darnay and Carton are both in love with Lucie here, but I posit that in the case of Good omens, Aziraphale is possibly both Darnay and Lucie. Making him the best friend and love intrest.

Lucie Manette

And finally why does any of this matter and what does this have to do with Crowley maybe dying in s3 you ask?

The one important detail in all of this is that at the end of the novel Carton heroically sacrificed himself to save his best friend and for the women he loves. He feels it gave him purpose and felt as if his life finally had meaning.

Two things here. The scene in which Carton swaps places with Darnay being able to pass as him well enough to save his life. Is very reminiscent of our Body Swap from s1. As well as the idea that in s3 this could also happen, but in the sense that Crowley does it to save Aziraphale's life. I clearly have no idea how s3 will play out.

Now I'm not saying that s3 will be as dramatic as all of this. It is still a comedy at its core. As others have touched on in meta and in nightingalecottage's post there are many little hints that point to the similarities and the idea that Crowley maybe doomed by the narrative. In a way, I personally don't think that Crowley's hypothetical death will be permanent. I just do not see that happening at all. A temporary death I could definitely see and it could also serve to show how much Crowley truly means to Aziraphale. The shock of it would maybe be similar to how Crowley thought he lost Aziraphale in s1 and could be a parallel.

In the end this is all speculation and theory. Either way the idea of it all makes me vibrate and I needed to finally share this with someone else. They wouldn't have recommended this book if there wasn't some sort of meaning here right? And its entirely possible I'm looking in the wrong direction.

Overall there are many parallels and similarities here between A Tale of Two Cities and certain parts of Good Omens, I'm sure I may have missed some and I just wanted to end this now before it gets too long. If you made it this far and have any other theories or something you want to add on to this please feel free to tag me. I release this into the void.

[oddballwriter]

Plus One to make a Sour One

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Summary: You and your old high school friends made a promise to go at each other's weddings, which you all keep. Regardless of the passing of time and what it brings. However, one out of place friend doesn't like that you've moved into find someone that you plan to have in your future.

Warnings: Female reader and is referred to using she/her. Mentions of jealousy and unrequited love (not between you and the boys). Mentions of marriage. Marc being called "second hand" by another person. Reference to Layla and Marc's divorce (she and the divorce are not an actual issue, she's just mentioned off handedly (I would never make her an issue <3)). There's a character in here who is a fucking dick and makes rude comments. This does take place after the show but there's no mentions of MoonKnight work. The boys are still a system but this is Marc centric. Jake does talk once though. "Y/N" is used four times. It is also mentioned that there is an age gap between you and Marc, with Marc barely in his 40's and reader being in their late 30's.  

Author’s Snip: Don't know what this was or why I wrote it. I just had it in my mind and wanted to write it.

Notes: The girls in your friend group are supportive as hell about you and Marc. Also the character Ben has a mix of Ken and Allan energy but in an aggressive way because he's just... there... just for the plot. 

Work count: 1730

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦

  In your high school years, which were admittedly a good way behind you, you made a promise to each other. To go to each other's weddings no matter what.

  Kaylani was the first to make that promise be kept by getting married a few years back and like promised, everyone managed to make it. In your group there was, as mentioned, Kaylani, Susie, Sydney, Gabby, you, and the only boy in your group, Ben. Or Benny, as you all called him. It was nice to see each other again and catch up since it had been so long and you had done your own things after graduation. For example you had gone on to study and even traveled abroad to do so, which ended up having you meet your now boyfriends Marc, Steven, and Jake. Though you did think that it was just Marc at the time, but hey, no one ever complains about a three for the price of one deal. 

  However, at the time of Kay’s wedding you just started getting used to all of them. So when the topic of if everyone else had a certain someone already, you just answered that you were seeing someone. Unfortunately in a room full of people you knew since braces, they asked for more. To which all they got was the details of his name being Marc, he was older, and that you met while you were living in London for your studies.  You knew that that wasn’t a whole lot and that they would want to hear more, but they didn’t want to pressure you into saying more than you wanted. Though they did like the mystery of this man that you had back home. 

  Now the time has gone by and the system has become a regular part of your life and now live together in a new place with a fresh new start close to where you're from. Which was perfect considering the call you just got done having. 

  “Congratulations again, Gabby! I can’t wait to see you!” you cheer into your phone before saying goodbye to your soon to me wedded friend. “What was all the squealing about?” Marc says as he walks into the living room where you are. “That was one of my friends, Gabby, from high school. She’s getting married in the Fall season.” you answer. “Oh, Miss Homecoming Candidate.” Marc commented as he sat down in his arm chair. “No. Kaylani’s Miss Homecoming Candidate. Gabby’s-” you correct, “The blonde one, right.” Marc says correcting himself in the middle of your sentence, that wasn’t it either. “No. No,” you giggle. “Sydney’s the blonde one. Gabby’s ginger. And also Gabby was the Captain of the Girl’s Tennis team.” you clarify. “Jeez. I really can’t remember anything about what you tell me.” Marc jokes. “How about Bridget? Wasn’t there a Bridget or is it another name with a B?” Marc tests. 

  “It’s Benny.” you answer. “He was the only boy in our group.” you admit. “Okay, get me a picture because I don’t remember any of these people.” Marc requested as he sat forward in his seat. “Because you never met them, dingus.” you chuckle as you go looking for any picture you had saved. 

  You spent a while showing Marc the various pictures of you and your friends while back in your teenage years, which looked as dated as you think they would, and pointing to who’s who. Of course it was easy to point out Ben since he was the only boy that would ever be in your friend group photos. At some point you get to prom pictures where you and Benny are seen in one of those prom couple photos. 

  “You two went to prom?” Marc spoke. “We all did. But we all were meant to be a posse and go as a group of friends.” you remark, “But all the other girls got dates and I was the only one who didn’t so Benny asked to be mine so that I wasn’t the only one without one.” you explain. “That was nice of him.” Marc replied before changing his attention to a nearby reflection and muttering “Shut up.” under his breath. You knew that meant one of the others said something so you asked who it was and what they said. “Jake’s saying that maybe Ben was trying to “get lucky” or something.” Marc answered. You laughed at the comment and denied it. You knew Ben wasn’t that kind of a guy. But you always had the sneaky suspicion that Ben did always like you. 

-------------------------------------------

  Marc knew he’d be your plus one at the wedding as soon as you started telling him the difference between the girls and also letting it slip that you wanted him to be when he commented that Gabby had a metal mouth and you said “Don’t tell her that.”. He didn’t mind. Maybe he’d feel a bit out of place but he’s worked on handling foreign situations and had a balance with Steven and Jake, so they wouldn’t end up fronting during the wedding. 

  Gabby had her ceremony and reception at this little gallery in your home town that was actually really cute and fit everyone invited from both her invites and her now husband’s. As the bridesmaids, and bridesman, you all got to sit at the table closest to the newly weds during the dinner. To say that the girls were hyper fixated on Marc was a bit of an understatement. They asked all about him. What he did, how you met, what he was into. And anytime he said something about himself that would be considered attractive someone would sneak a look at you and wiggle their eyebrows. All the while Ben was silent.

  After dinner was of course cocktail hour while the coordinators rearranged the room to be better fit for the actual party. Sydney and Kaylani, along with Ben, managed to steal you away to talk more, and Susie opted to talk to and learn more about Marc. You sort of knew what they were doing, when Gabby brought her then boyfriend, now husband, to Kay’s wedding you separated them to see if there was a future marriage on the way.

  “So, Marc.” Sydney said as he took a sip of her cocktail, “Is it going anywhere with you two?” she spoke after finishing. You sighed. “We’re cohabitating right now.” you admit. “It’s not that he hates the idea of getting married. He’s just had a… strange and rocky path with it in the past and he’s taking his time getting over it.” you clarify before mouthing “He’s once divorced.”. The girls nod in understanding before Ben speaks up, “So he’s second hand?” is what comes out of him in an almost slightly negative tone that doesn’t even make it sound like he’s hesitant to say it. One of the girls flicks him on the arm and scolds him with a “Ben!”. You take a moment to gather yourself from hearing that. 

  “Let’s not put it that way. He’s not an object.” you nervously continue. “It’s not like he’s battered from it. I’ve met his ex wife and she’s a lovely woman. They just had their own issues and figured that it was best they figure it out alone.” you say. “And there’s no shame in that.” Kay speaks up, to which almost everyone nods. “How old is he again?” Ben asks, seemingly dropping the tone and changing the subject. “Well. He’s older, like I said. But if you need to know he’s barely in his forties.” you confess. “He’s more past me, sure, but I’m almost in my late thirties. So it’s not that much.” you justify, to which the group takes into acceptance. “You have always liked older men, I guess.” Ben replies.

  Meanwhile with Susie and Marc, the talk has gone from him to something else. “Okay. So,” she manages to roll out of her mouth while spinning her now empty glass, “You might have noticed Benny.” she says. “I know of him, yes. He was at our table and I was told about him.” Marc verifies. “I’ll come clean with you, Marc. I think you and Y/N are great for each other. There’s clearly so much between you and if you asked the girls, you’d have all of our blessings to your relationship.” she stated. “Lemme guess. Not Benny’s, huh?” Marc chimed in. Susie gave him a firm head shake and said “No.”. Susie fixed her casual posture to a more serious one, which Marc knew meant that she was going to talk about some drama.

  “Marc. I’ve seen a lot of men,” Susie claimed, “In general.” she added, “And I know that men can hold their hearts out for literally nothing if they think that something is there to take it or if there’s a glimmer of hope that something will.” she explains. “Ben is one of those men.” Susie confirms. “He’s been holding it out for Y/N since he became part of our group. He wasn’t an obvious sucker back then. But once she told us about her seeing someone back at Kaylani’s wedding,” she says while pointing at him when she said ‘someone’, “He was all sappy and sad. It was honestly pathetic”. 

  “So what? Is he going to try and win her over?” Marc scoffs. “Hell no!” Susie exclaims, “You got everything on Y/N’s checklist. You’re charming, aged, you have some ruggedness to you, and I’m willing to bet you have more." she lists off. “And Benny’s 100% butthurt about it.” Susie jokes at her friend’s expense. “And you’re telling me all of this…?” Marc questions as he looked at Susie to have her answer why. “In case you two have your own wedding party and you get looked at funny by Ben if he’d even show up at all.” Susie remarked. “I’m sure I can handle some dirty looks from a guy who my girlfriend went to the high school prom with as a means to not be the person without a date.” Marc chuckled. “I might dance with her all night just to rub it in his face a little.” Marc comments.

“Well, the song they danced to at prom just so happens to be on the playlist for tonight.” Susie mentions.

[lightofraye]

No way! GLEN POWELL?!?!?!? You're a fan too????!!!!

Oh boy.

All caps. Tons of exclamation marks and question marks.

I'm in trouble, aren't I?

Because... yes! I'm a huge fan of Glen's! And it's not because he has a hot bod either!

(Thank you, Top Gun: Maverick, for that volleyball scene. Ahem.)

But no, in all seriousness, the first role I distinctly remember him in was playing that stock market guy in The Dark Knight Rises--the one who promptly got his head beat in by Bane.

Why did it make an impression on me? Because I believed it when he stood up to Bane. It was a stand out scene.

Later, Hidden Figures, I remembered liking John Glenn--and hilariously didn't make the connection of the actor! Not until much later. He made other small roles that I remembered... and then forgot the actor. (Hey, life is busy.)

Then Top Gun: Maverick came out and I remembered sitting back in my seat and going, "Who the fuck was that?!"

Because wow. Arrogant, snarky, could back up his claims. It was another Tom Cruise in so many ways. Hangman, Glen's character, was just like Maverick, Tom Cruise's character. He popped on the screen and I just had to know more about him.

Cue a deep dive in his history, his Instagram, and his roles. And discovering he was in other roles that I liked!

Then learning about his history as an actor. He said it was Denzel Washington who inspired him to make a try for it in Hollywood--a real try.

By 2007, Glen had made a few roles, small ones, but he credits Denzel for putting faith in himself. Trying out for The Great Debaters, Denzel asked Glen to come back and try for a bigger role... and to drop his noticeable Texas accent. Glen was determined to impress the movie's producers--and succeeded.

He was just 17 years old.

Glen recounted Denzel's advice to him:

"This race, Hollywood, it's a marathon, not a sprint," Powell relayed from the Oscar-winner's advice. "You're running your own race. Don't look in the other lanes. It doesn't matter how fast somebody else is going, where they're going, or if they look better doing it. It doesn't matter."

When he tried out for The Expendables 3, he wrote to Sly Stallone and explained why he was the best choice for the role. Later, Stallone told him it was the reason he got the job.

He then got into Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens on Fox. (And making friends with John Stamos!) It helped him show off his comedic skills and helped make his name in Hollywood.

He actually admitted when he got into Hidden Figures, he was worried he ruined it. It was such a powerful movie and he feared he wrecked it. (Needless to say, no, he didn't. That movie shone!)

He made a rom-com with Zoey Deutch on Netflix that also cinched his skills as an actor who could do romance, comedy, and Top Gun (along with The Expendables) showed he could also do action. He's very well-rounded as an actor.

But what really catapulted him was Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney. For the last few years, Hollywood had struggled to make really big rom-coms (in my humble opinion). Most just don't really break the box office.

Then Sydney Sweeney came along with her clever mind and manipulated the hell out of the chemistry between her and Glen. It worked too well--he had been in a three year relationship with Gigi Paris.

During the filming of Anyone But You, there were so many candids, behind the scenes photographs, that left quite a few convinced Sydney and Glen were having an affair. (Sydney is very much engaged with her longtime boyfriend of, what, 6 years now?) But some speculated it was too much for Gigi and she broke it off.

It's never been confirmed as to why they broke up, but it was interesting....

Then Glen went and adopted a freakin' adorable dog, a mutt, and named it Brisket. That dog has been with him everywhere now! Even during promos!

What I like about Glen? He includes his parents in a lot of his movies as extras! He's frequently seen with his niece and nephew, photographs with them all the time... and a couple of years ago, reenacted, I kid you not, some scenes from ELF in New York with his family. (Seriously. Watch it. I couldn't stop laughing.)

He's made a hit for Netflix with Hit Man. Twisters is doing pretty well in theaters. He's so busy I'm staring at his schedule and thinking to myself, "When does he have time to breathe?!"

What I'm also impressed with is how, upon talking to Matthew McConaughey and realizing how soul-sucking Los Angeles could be, Glen sold his home in Los Angeles and relocated back to Texas!

My last tidbit of amusement? He has green eyes. He's Texan.

Seriously, what is it with me and green-eyed men from Texas? Yeesh.

(I turned into a gossip columnist. Haha!)

[tryingtograspctrl]

SHE (FINAL PART): BILLY LOOMIS AND STU MACHER X BLACK PLUS SIZE READER

SUMMARY - You moved to Woodsboro 2 years ago and quickly became friends with Marlon and Shawn, you did your best to make friends with their friends but you couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around them because of those two... and your feelings were very valid.... Title inspired by the song "She" by tyler the creator. I reccomend you listen to it.

parts 1 & 2: here and here

You tossed and turned all night in Sydney's bed, your mind replaying the events from earlier over and over again.

Just hours before you were having a good time laughing with your friends, how did it go from giggling over tacos to you nearly being killed in your own home and Billy catching the heat for it.

You just couldn't wrap your head around the nightmare you made it out of alive.

The next day

Morning came before you knew it and you probably got a measly 5 minutes of sleep.

You threw on the clothes you packed in a hurry last night before leaving your house.

You weren't sure if you could bare to step foot in it again any time soon so for now staying at Sydney's place was going to have to do.

"You ready?" Sydney gave you a worried glance.

"No but it doesn't really matter does it?" You smiled weakly.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to, we can stay here for as long as you need. School will still be there by the time you're ready to come back." She rubbed your shoulders.

"I can't hide away at your house forever Syd, i appreciate it but i'm not gonna be a coward looking over my shoulder everywhere i go." You laughed.

"Alright then, let's go." She nodded.

Later that day

Your classes passed by slower than you'd like, you didn't retain any valuable information from not one of them. Honestly school was the last thing on your mind. How could you even care about that when you had nearly lost your life less than 24 hours ago?

"Miss y/n? It's lunch time sweetheart." Your teacher stood in front of you, a look of pity lacing her features.

"I'm sorry." You shook your head attempting to pull yourself for your daze.

"It's alright, be careful ok?" She spoke as you exited the class room.

"Thank god you showed up, i thought i was gonna have to hunt you down." Sydney sighed in relief.

"Sorry got caught up in class." You plopped down between Marlon and Shawn.

They both held you close, not speaking much. You could tell the both of them were a little shook up too, you meant the world to them and they couldn't imagine something awful happening to you.

"I'm fine guys, still breathing." You giggled.

"We're all planning to stay at Sydney's house with you for a while, it's better for everyone to be together that way if..."  Shawn trailed off.

"If what? He came back we could jump his ass? I mean i'm not opposed to it but isn't that a bit much? There's no way Sydney's dad agreed to letting 6 people camp out at his house." You raised a brow.

"Actually he did, i'm the one that made the suggestion and he thought it was a good idea." Sydney chimed in.

"Oh, well i guess i'll feel safer with all this muscle around me." You joked trying your best to make light out of the situation.

Everyone stood as Billy approached, a tense air filling the atmosphere.

He stopped just a few feet before the water fountain, eyes scanning the group to read the environment.

You were the first to break the trance everyone seemed to be in.

You clung to him tightly, crying softly on his shoulder.

He melted at your touch, shooting a glance Stu's way.

"I'm so glad you're alright." You held the sides of his face smiling.

"Me? shouldn't you be worried about yourself." He half smiled eyes soft as he looked at you.

"I'm doing just fine." You giggled.

A few minutes later

"Ghost mask? Sounds like some shitty halloween costume to me." Tatum picked at her nails.

"Well it was scary as hell considering the knife he held to my face was very much real." You huffed.

"Wait how do you think he got in?" Marlon asked rubbing circles on your hand with his thumb.

"My best guess is through the back door, i always end up forgetting to lock it. Fuck i'm so stupid." You held you face in your hands.

"I'm not supposed to say anything but Dewey said your bedroom window was wide open." Tatum bit her lip.

"That's insane, if he came in through my room there's no way i wouldn't have heard it." You stared into space, trying to come up with a logical explanation for everything.

"You are a bit of a heavy sleeper plus you were super tired, maybe too tired to hear it?" Shawn suggested.

"But if that's the case, then how did i not see him when i got up to answer the phone..." You closed your eyes doing your best to recount the events of that night.

"Maybe he hid in your closet." Stu shrugged.

"That does make more sense. You said he was in your bedroom when you were on the phone. What exactly did he say to you?" Billy asked.

"He asked me what my favorite scary movie was, it was all so silly." You shook your head.

"Then he... i guess he went through my things, found an old picture of mine." You stared at the ground.

"Hey we don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to." Sydney wrapped an arm around you.

"No, no it's ok. I just don't understand why? Why me? Was it all just some sick joke?" You sighed.

"Well he definitely took it too fucking far, i hope they catch that sick son of a bitch." Tatum gritted her teeth.

After school, at sydney's

Everyone was lounging around in the living room watching movies, well almost everyone. Billy went to pick up  some pizza.

You were sprawled across the couch, your legs in Shawn's lap while your head rested in Marlon's 

Your eyes went in and out of focus as you looked at the tv. You knew the fatigue would catch up with you eventually.

"Babe you mind going down to the basement fridge and grabbing a couple drinks?" Stu nudged Tatum.

She rolled her eyes and huffed but got up to go nonetheless.

Your eyes started to droop and before you knew it you were fast asleep.

A few hours later.

You woke up to the sounds of blood curdling screams filling the house.

You jumped from the couch in a panic to see what was going on.

Just as you were about to head up the stairs a figure appeared at the top of them.

Fear instantly filled you as you saw the same guy from the night before, holding Sydney's lifeless body in his hands.

He dropped her upon seeing you, sprinting down the stairs.

You took off out the front door you feet on autopilot.

You sobbed and screamed as you took a look behind you seeing the guy hot on your tail.

Before you could turn back around properly you slammed into another person.

"Oh my god billy we have to get out of here come on!" You shook his shoulders frantically.

Your eyes went wide as you gave him a once over, his clothes were soaked in blood but he didn't seem to have any injuries that you could see and he was oddly calm.

Your eyes met his and he began to smirk.

He grabbed your arms pinning them to your waist wrapping himself around you.

"What the fuck are you doing let go of me!" You struggled.

The masked man stood in front of you just watching for a moment before he finally took it off.

"It was you! What the fuck what is this?!" You cried as Stu threw the mask across the yard.

"Why don't we have a seat, let's talk about this huh?" Billy held onto you tightly.

"There isn't anything to talk about, you guys are fucking killers. Oh my god Sydney." You cried remembering the sound of her lifeless body hitting the hard wood.

"Sydney was disposable sweetheart, there was no use for her, for any of them." Stu crouched down in front of you.

Billy sat you down on a chair, tying ropes around your arms and legs.

"What did you do to them? They're our friends, innocent people how could you?" You gasped, nearly choking from your own tears.

"They were all just pawns baby, don't you see they didn't mean anything. We just needed them to get to you." Billy grabbed your face with his blood soaked hands.

You spat in his face.

He chuckled wiping it off before backhanding you.

"I really don't want to have to hurt you but you're pushing it sweet heart. You better fucking behave before you get gutted like the rest of them! Understand?!" He held his knife to your throat.

You nodded weakly.

"Goood was that so hard? We're doing all of this for you, don't you get it?" He caressed your face.

"Why me?" You whimpered.

"Because you're special, you're not like the rest of them, you've led a completely  different life. Pure, untainted, just the girl we need." He shook his head a manic look in his eye.

"You know nothing about me." Your lip wobbled.

"We know enough to know that we love you." Stu chimed in falling to his knees next to Billy.

"You don't do this to someone you love Stu... just let me go, please." You spoke just above a whisper more tears pooling in your eyes.

"We can't do that." He stood.

Gunshots suddenly rang out and he fell face first beside you.

You sighed in relief seeing Shawn holding a gun. He was in bad shape but he was still alive and that's all that mattered.

Billy stormed towards him knocking him to the ground attempting to get the gun out of his hands.

They rolled all over the grass throwing blows at each other.

Just when billy was about to get the upper hand he was hit over the head stunning him long enough for Shawn to get the gun back and shoot him.

"Shit you alright?" Marlon ran over to you, untying the ropes.

"I'm fine, did you call the cops?" You stood frantically shaking your limbs out.

"They're on the way." He nodded.

You both kneeled in front of Shawn doing you best to keep him awake as sirens sounded in the distance.

The nightmare was over.... for now.

A/N- Thanks for those of you that have stuck with me through this mini series, i really hope the ending is satisfactory. I contemplated leaving Billy and Stu alive but the final boys were always gonna be Marlon and Shawn in the back of my head. Maybe i'll write a sequel to this who knows but for right now i'm closing this chapter. Again thank you for those who liked this i really appreciate you! ☺️🌻

[mooneyloveydovey]

Traitorous Limelight (Hugh Jackman/Fem!Reader)

Do go easy on me, it's my first fic and I don't typically write in this style. If anyone has any critiques for me, feel free to message me about it! Otherwise, enjoy <3

CHAP. 1: Where Is Your Boy Tonight? No Warnings...yet.

You two were the perfect couple, or so it seemed. 13 years of a blissful relationship between you and Hugh until it came crashing down in a thunderstorm of confusion, hurt, and anger. It was a sunny Friday morning when you decided to break things off with him, and it was eating you from the inside. The morning prior, Hugh had come to you with some fantastic news. He had finally landed an acting gig- and he was ecstatic. It wasn't like you weren't happy for him either. He'd been fully transparent with you since the get-go that he had dreamt of becoming an actor, and you were always in full support. The only issue? You knew damn well he was going to make it big. Everyone who met him always used to tell him how much star power he had, including yourself. That was what scared you the most because it wasn't that you didn't trust him; you did. But that irritating voice in your head kept harping on you about how he might change due to the spotlight—or even that he wouldn't think you were enough for him anymore. That was why you had to do this: break things off before they get worse. Run away.

The two of you lived in a shared studio apartment in Sydney, and although you both struggled to make ends meet, it was good enough to have each other, no matter where you were. As the sun fell below the landscape, you were pacing the small place with your arms crossed over your chest. Hugh would be home any minute, and he had planned on going out for dinner as a celebration. You'd decided to take this step to end things at that moment. You wore an off-white pleated floor-length gown that wasn't too casual nor too formal- classic.

A sharp buzz from the Nokia in your hand snapped you out of your little trance.

The only sounds in that small, stony parking garage were the hollow clicks of stiletto heels on the pavement, the grumbling purr of Hugh's car, and the shaky sigh that escaped your cherried lips. Ever the gentleman, your lover eagerly hopped out of the vehicle- letting out a low whistle once he closed the door. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" The smirk on his face told you everything you needed to know, and you hated how well you could read him, at least until your eyes shifted slightly. Did he rent a suit? "Who are you, and what have you done with my fiancé? He doesn't wear suits. Ever." You felt guilty about making Hugh laugh. Like you were holding a piece of candy in front of a baby about to take it away. "What can I say? It's a special occasion, and who would I be if I showed up in work clothes?" He shrugged, a smile returning as he led you to the passenger side door, opening it for you.

The ride to the restaurant was a relatively silent one from you, short answers and all. Hugh must've known something was wrong as he'd been exceptionally touchy with you. He always was when you were acting differently. Luckily, the trudge from the parking spot was better than you both had previously thought. The short walk through the urban streets of Sydney was a nice break from reality as you gazed upon oncoming traffic and the twinkling city lights.

As you both rounded the street corner to lead up to the large stone building, Hugh laced his fingers with yours, lightly brushing over your engagement ring. "How did I ever get so lucky with you? I swear, you make me feel like I could climb mountains." He spoke warmly, and your heart clenched in pure guilt. He had no idea what would happen, which made it so much worse. Golden speckles of light danced across your faces like burning embers. Hugh commented how they reminded him of fireflies, and it regrounded you once more. His voice tended to do that.

A younger blonde lady greeted the two of you and brought you to your table- one Hugh had reserved. The table faced a memorial park covered in captivating flora that immediately drew a breath from you in awe.

There was no denying how beautiful this restaurant was—and it made your stomach churn even more at the thought of such a heinous thing happening in this ethereal place.

Sitting in your seat, you didn't even make eye contact with Hugh as you buried your head into the menu. You continually told yourself how it would hurt less if you didn't look at him. Of course, you'd be wrong. "Are you feeling alright, flower? You've barely looked at me this whole time. Have I done something wrong?" The pet name could've brought you to tears- reminding you of when you met. He'd brought a bouquet of roses to the wrong door in the 9th grade, and you'd answered in your pajamas. You tried to tell him it was okay, but he insisted on buying you coffee as an apology. The rest was history.

A hand waving in front of your face snapped you out of your little trance, followed by a stiff chuckle across the table as you blinked in surprise. "Hello? Anyone home?" Hugh teased, sitting back with a playful grin on his face. "I can't do this." You answered frantically, standing from your seat, practically shaking.

"Can't do what? You're starting to scare me. Take a breath, okay?" He tried reaching for your hand to ground you, but you quickly snatched it away. "Hugh- I…I can't marry you." The words barely even left your mouth before the tears started flowing. You had promised yourself that you wouldn't cry before him this morning, but life had other plans. It was well deserved for him to be confused, and his face spoke for itself. "As…shocking as this is, we don't need to get married right now. We have all the time in the world, and I don't mind waiting for you to be ready." Of course, he'd say something like that. He didn't deserve this at all.

"No- Hugh, I'm done. We," You gestured between the two of you. "Are done. Take the ring, sell it- I'm sorry." In no more than a blink of an eye, you'd taken off your engagement ring and were now booking it out of the restaurant and hailing down a cab.

Now, almost 30 years later- the last thing you remember from that night was the rain falling from the sky and the taste of rainbow sherbet ice cream. You hated that dream; it replayed in full detail once in a blue moon- but it still got to you. Rolling over to check for your boyfriend, George, only to find a cold side of the bed. This was familiar; he'd been doing this for the past month or two.

Today was the first day of shooting for this new rom-com in which you'd gotten the lead. Needless to say, after waking up alone for the third time this week- you were less than thrilled to go and pretend to be in love with some stranger.

You stepped out of your car and walked inside the studio, wearing a modest white shirt and jeans, trying not to draw any attention to yourself.

In all honesty, everything had been going great. You met with some of your co-stars, having friendly conversations to fill the time. Speaking of time, your fellow lead was 20 minutes late. It wasn't until you heard the door slam shut that you finally turned your head—your jaw practically dropped to the floor as you saw the man's face.

"…Flower?" He'd seen you, too.

[museofthepyre]

CHNT Swap AU Q&A!!!!

things l've been asked so far...

Q: What is the deal with Lucille?

A: Lucille is another collateral casualty of Jedidiah's research. He left his college dorm to stay back home with Lucille, after his resurrection of Sydney went... wrong. Just like his father, she came to know too much. She passed in the same manner, inexplicably and without warning, upon which... Jedidiah found himself with a unique opportunity. It's important to note that he was not in his right mind during this time. Sydney was his first try at necromancy on a real human person, before that it was just pigs from the anatomy lab, but like... it's not like he had any chance to practice on humans prior. No dead human bodies lying around... chance to practice... dead body...

Oh.

Lucille was brought back. Much the same as Sydney, something went wrong... she became quiet and shaken and refused to talk, but she still watched... she still understood. Then, when her son one day vanished, she went looking. The information that killed her was actually coming in handy now! She doesn't remember much besides the fact that she is a mother, and she needs to find her son.

Q: Does Adam ever literady vivisect anyone/ anything?

A: Adam typically dissects things after death. He has a certain fascination with taxidermy... or, well... he enjoys seeing how things work. He likes opening them up to observe their insides, studying what lies beneath the surface to make them tick. The taxidermy is more of a byproduct of his studies. He enjoys fixing them and making them perfect again, cutting out all that would rot and fester, and then delicately re-assembling the exterior into something posed and pristine. He pins bugs too, extending their limbs and splaying them out to examine every moving part. The vivisection thing is more metaphorical, as he wants so desperately to pry open Elijah's mind and see what he's made of... but Elijah is a living person. Usually the things he's slicing open and sifting through are dead. Not this one though... not this one.

Q: How did Sydney make it out of the hospital? Did he run away, or was he discharged?

A: Sydney approached another patient, and his weird effects caused them to have a LOUD and VIOLENT existential meltdown. It caused a massive scene and distracted all the nearby hospital staff... meanwhile Sydney slipped away unnoticed. It happened in a kind of 'Frankenstein's monster' way though, Sydney didn't understand why they were afraid. He ran off not because he had plans elsewhere- but because he was scared. He scrambled off like a lost puppy to track down Elijah. He'd overheard many conversations between Elijah and Adam both while comatose, and while in his disoriented non-verbal and spacey sort of recovery period. He knew they'd be heading off to the camp any day now... that's why he got up to search in the first place.

Q: Are there romantic undertones to Elijah and Adam's dynamic, or is it purely a dependent friendship?

A: In my mind they're only platonic (I think it makes the dynamic more interesting/ makes Elijah's attachment more multidimensional). But you can interpret whatever you want ;3. Also Adam carries an air of homoeroticism wherever he goes, so, idk I don't blame you if you wanna see them kiss

Q: Why is Jedidiah appearing in Elijah's dreams specifically?

A: Jedidiah's interest is PURELY in Sydney/ the limn, but... reaching Sydney is nearly impossible. Sydney is an anomaly in time, and as such, the Horologist can't break through to him in any way more meaningful than spirit-box-garble. Even if he could reach Sydney... he doesn't want to make things even worse by giving him even MORE unknowable knowledge! He recognizes Elijah from their shared time watching over Sydney in hospital... he knows that Sydney followed him here for some reason. He recognizes that Elijah may be a very useful tool in figuring out what's going on, and attempting to fix it. Fixing Sydney is all that matters to him... Elijah is a means to an end, and Jedidiah is willing to feed him doses of that forbidden knowledge for the greater good! Just little clues... little pushes in the right direction! The information is making Elijah exponentially more unstable... that much is clear, but that's not a concern. It's nothing personal. The ends justify the means.

Q: In the fic you wrote (Proof of the Angel by Breathingrapture on AO3 ;3) what's the deal with Adam's Apple at the end there???

A: Remember Lucille's super secret plant? The one she was violently protective of, demanded nobody touch, and hid the true nature of beneath the surface? The roots... the diseased magic tendrils which hung from the ceiling underground... and held onto Jedidiah's journals? That forbidden plant is now a forbidden apple tree. Nobody knows what's so special about it. Ms. Graves is fiercely protective of it, and demands that NOBODY eat the trees fruit. But... of course Adam of all people isn't going to listen! (Haha biblical allusion hehe forbidden fruit Adam and the apple... the apple grants something different than knowledge this time, though).

[doctor-badadvice]

Yayyy comes back at you but with tmnt ask game!

19.) Who is your favorite ally?

23.) What is one of your favorite TMNT fics?

28.) What is one thing you would like to see explored more in TMNT art/fics?

-- Trauma (hi :D)

I'm still doing this thing

19.) Who is your favorite ally?

My favorite ally ever is Irma

Since we're talking allies, I'm going to mention both '87 and '03 which are also the versions I like and know best.

'87 is a challenge because it's ten seasons and I can only rewatch two seasons at the time but even if it's been a couple decades, I'm still fond of Usagi. Good samurai boy overall and while he's in '03 too, I don't have much to say about him there especially when '03 April exists. The choice is a bit too obvious but she's smart, she can fight, she's a redhead and she very much cares about the turtles no matter how many times her home is destroyed without being like, five years old like in recent versions.

A couple of honorable mentions go to Sydney/Quarry & friends, as well as Serling for being always this close to making turtle soup for dinner.

23.) What is one of your favorite TMNT fics?

>:) Let me just open AO3 real quick

I'll be honest, I don't read fanfiction often. My account is still fairly new and I got it just because it clicked that I can use it to keep up with stuff.

Anyways, in no specific order (and with links in case someone somehow missed any of these). It says one but I'm going to give a shoutout to all my favorite works:

Taking Pawns: Excellent all around, I think I read this one like five times. The first chapter had me running in circles for a bit because heck yes and it probably contributed to changing my opinion of FF and even do a proper rewatch of the season.

The Locket from Y’Lyntias: I don't even like mermaids and yet here I am waiting for the next chapter. I likes both ideas for the mernerds but I guess the fun is how messed up it's gonna get regardless.

The Good Way: Still fairly new, yet I think about this one a lot. Few things irk me more than time skips so this one will have me go 👀 throughout the chapters.

28.) What is one thing you would like to see explored more in TMNT art/fics?

I'm probably the last person who should be saying anything in this regard but— I guess I'd like more action? The little every day moments and the introspective stuff are nice but I'm a simple person, I like myself a cool fight. A well written fight scene is incredibly fun and it saves you from writing all that pesky dialogue.

[fuckvictorvale]

hellooo could you please share the pages of the most iconic vicious quotes? I didnt tab my book the first time i read it and i have no time for a re-read 😵‍💫

(you can just share the page numbers btw! I’ll figure out the quotes somehow lmao) thanks ❤️

oh absolutely i can. this is like the best ask i've ever gotten

quotes and page numbers are below the cut. i have the american paperback version with the red cover in case there are differences in page numbers between editions

also last note before the quotes, i'm so curious what you're using them for. so if you're doing something fun with them, i would LOVE to know what it is but no pressure

All Eli had to do was smile. All Victor had to do was lie. Both proved frighteningly effective. -pg 17-18

Victor was out. Victor was free. And Victor was coming for Eli-- just as he'd promised he would. -pg 26

Hate was too simple a word. He and Eli were bonded, by blood and death and science. -pg 90

The paper called Eli a hero. The word made Victor laugh. Not just because it was absurd, but because it posed a question. If Eli really was a hero, and Victor meant to stop him, did that make him the villain? He took a long sip of his drink, tipped his head back against the couch, and decided he could live with that. -pg 91

..."I'm trying to figure out how this"-- he held up a blood-stained, but uninjured hand-- "is a reflection of me. Why would He give me--" "He?" asked Victor incredulously. He wasn't in the mood for God. Not this morning. "According to your thesis," he said, "an influx of adrenaline and a desire to survive gave you that talent. Not God. This isn't divinity, Eli. It's science and chance." "Maybe to a point, but when I climbed into that water, I put myself in His hands--" "No," snapped Victor. "You put yourself in mine." -pg 93

Victor Vale was not a fucking sidekick. -pg 96

"Would You take it back?" he asked the dark apartment. "If I were no longer of Your making, You would take this power back, wouldn't You?" Tears glistened in his eyes. "Wouldn't You?"..."You'd let me die."..."Wouldn't you?" -pg 216

"No, Sydney," he said. "I need you to stay here." "Why?" she asked. "Because you don't think I'm a bad person," he said. "And I don't want to prove you wrong." -pg 226

"There are no good men in this game," said Mitch. -pg 276

But these words people threw around-- humans, monsters, heroes, villains-- to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human. -pg 288-289

"I don't want to be forgotten." ..."Tell you what," said Victor. "You remember me, and I'll remember you, and that way we won't be forgotten." "That's shit logic, Vic." ..."To never dying." ..."To being remembered." ..."Forever." -pg 296

"I watch you and it's like watching two people." -pg 352

The entirety of pg 353 including "It's why I let you stay," said Victor. "Why I liked you. All that charm outside, all that evil inside. There was a monster under there, long before you died."// "You aren't some avenging angel, Eli," he said. "You're not blessed, or divine, or burdened. You're a science experiment." (AHHHH)// "You don't understand," gasped Eli. "No one understands." "When no one understands, that's usually a good sign that you're wrong. "You can't kill me, Victor," said Eli. "You know that." ..."I know"..."But you'll have to indulge me. I've waited so long to try."

Victor smiled. He was having a fabulous time killing Eli. -pg 355

And last but not least, an honorary Vengeful quote because it's one of my faves and one of the best. Victor stared at the wall as if it were still a window. "He doesn't know how patient you are," he said. "Doesn't know you like I do." Eli cleaned the blood from his hand. "No," he said softly. "No one ever has." -Vengeful, pg 318 (AHHHHHHHH) hopefully that gets you started! I have so many things highlighted or tabbed or underlined so sometimes it's hard to choose. also the ellipsis (...) indicate where i omitted things for the sake of just including the important parts. otherwise some of those quotes would have been longggg

[ivyial]

Okay, I just saw your other ask about leshley/eagleone and felt like I had to get in on this because ever since RE4Make came out, I've been going crazy over this ship. I have always found it cute in RE4 OG, but now it's driving me crazy. I cannot understand how many people miss the many implications that Leon is trying to flirt during certain parts of the game. Like seriously, come on, pals, he's being so awkward, trying to sound cool and give compliments that end up sounding weirder than he intended. And I don't know if it's just me that noticed this, but I find it funny how Leon talks to Ashley in certain moments like it's the easiest thing to do; then, in other parts, he really has no clue how to speak to her. Does that not scream attraction to anyone?

i'm with you on this one. i don't know how people miss EVERYTHING about them. like they don't even go "oh?" at times when they're playing. it probably depends on the mindset you have when you're playing. if you're hyperfocused on the action, maybe you'll miss it. idk. on social media, there are two broad types of people who have negative reactions when it comes to leon/ashley:

1. aeon shippers (mostly, can be other shippers as well, but they're mostly chill because they themselves get forced into a corner by aeon stans) who think it threatens their ship

2. people who are fiercely anti-romance when it comes to whatever media they consume and consider it to be dumb and actively making a good piece of media worse (because in their eyes, romance is a lowly preoccupation to have)

and both groups are super bitter for no reason lmaoooo. you might have noticed a tendency in media discourse recently on social media that is very anti-romance - a few weeks ago, it became a whole thing on twitter because of the bear (the tv show) and the ship between sydney and carmy, to the point where even official media outlets started talking about it. romance is considered dumb. everything that contains romance is essentially a bad soap opera. blah blah blah we're all too smart for that. there's a very strong, almost puritanical anti-sex sentiment going around at the moment as well, and i wish it was just some isolated issue within fandoms overpopulated by young teens, but people lost their minds over two sex scenes in oppenheimer for god's sake. and if i had the time and willpower and knowledge, i'd turn this into a discussion about how that ties into humans being obsessed with moving away from every single instinct that they have, but well.

i also agree with the second part of your ask, about leon's attitude towards ashley. tbh, leon can't flirt for shit: most of the time, he's awkward (RE2R, the fence scene with claire: i can never tell if he's attempting to flirt, or if he's just awkward because there's a cute girl right in front of him) or even downright unfunny (was he trying to flirt with jill in death island? was he trying to lighten the mood? idk man leon is a bit of a whore so). he tries to flirt all the time: we got shen may in infinite darkness, ada, etc. we know he isn't smooth.

so one thing that really sticks out in RE4R is his tone with ashley, in two specific instances (maybe more): the one i mentioned in my previous ask, when he says "i can catch you", and when he sees ashley asleep on the bed in chapter 13 (and calls out to her). these are two very intense and high-stress situations where he kind of reverts back to RE2R leon (nick does a great job at conveying the difference in maturity in leon's voice in both games). he's very distressed. why does that matter? because fucking shouting ashley's name when there are two enemies 10 meters away (we know that, he doesn't, but the island is riddled with ganados, so why would he even try?) is the stupidest decision a special agent could make. and yet he does it anyway. there are other instances of leon being in a similar situation, yet he still retains that deeper tone of his - see his first encounter with krauser in chapter 11.

and it's not just because he's doing his job, which is what one of my friends argued, because you don't go around flirting with the person you're tasked to rescue for shits and giggles. not to mention, that's the president's daughter. if he was just doing his job, he'd stick to the plan, be stoic and get her home and that's it. that's what's required of him. implying that the first daughter is hot as fuck and that he doesn't usually enjoy his regular missions nearly as much as he does when he's with her isn't part of his job description. there's a difference between being a decent guy and not treating her like cargo, and overtly flirting with her.

i think he's also very awkward with her at first because he's toeing the line between what's acceptable and what isn't, so he can figure out if there is grounds for flirting and it's not wholly unwanted on ashley's part. then you get that pep talk in the castle, which is when they really start to get comfortable with each other and when he attempts some physical contact that isn't just 100% necessary. she reacts well, which explains why he takes it further in chapter 9. he spends the rest of the game painfully distressed and by chapter 16, they're all over each other (jetski + taking her hand to run to the elevator - leon, the girl is smart, she knows how to run and follow you).

leon has a crush. plain and simple. he doesn't know how to deal with it, except for the few times when he does and the flirting is technically reciprocated. idk how people can't notice the plain signs of attraction, even in a generation that is as recluse and introverted as mine tends to be, but they're very obvious once you start paying attention.

[baronessblixen]

I watched How We Were Before!

Turns out, I'd read the synopsis previously on Wikipedia-- but that made me invested instead of disinterested.

Interesting movie-- It's not a romance so much as a showcase of the faults of romanticization. imo, Hubbell and Katie weren't meant to be but were making it work. And interesting that Hubbell tried to make choices-- the first girl, writing, etc.-- but ended up on paths further away from the life he would choose himself (finishing the book, Katie, fatherhood, etc.)

Some back and forth thoughts were put out there about Katie's idealism and it destroying the relationship; but that's not the takeaway I had, at all. Her perspective and his were both valuable, both real, both respectable; but clashed with each other. Her pursuits and passions disturbed him; his happiness was found a different route. And his lack of passion or humorous POV on matters that were of serious importance to her nettled, hurt, and wounded Katie.

Some people just don't work. Some people are drawn to each other but aren't meant to be. Or they can love and respect and be on fire for so many aspects about a person but not have that passion or love returned, at least in equal measure.

And, in the end, I think it's their daughter that suffers. Her mother pushed back on her father's distancing and disinterest and even (at times) disgust, wanting him despite; and her father let himself be led from one mess to another, none of them satisfactory to him because he hadn't fully accepted and reconciled parts of himself. Thus, little Rachel was born and grew up and lived without her father in her life.

Both had fantastic speeches, too-- wisdom to share with each other. Perspectives and chemistry isn't the only thing to keep a relationship afloat.

Also, I find it interesting if you turn the conceit of the movie on its head a bit: if first girl were the main character, she'd have married the friend of a man who she loved and who loved her; and there'd be bittersweet music every step of the way she takes. That's what I like about the movie, I think: it shows the effects of bad choices and poor decisions, with lots of backstory hinted at but not fully explored. I'm really starting to like Sydney Pollack movies.

The only thing I don't respect is that Hubbell didn't raise his daughter, even if being a father didn't fit into the life he wanted. He might not have been the best father, but a phone call every once in a while would have been better than nothing. (But, again, those characters would have made those choices.)

Very thought provoking! :DDD

Ahhh, glad you watched it! I agree they weren't to be. The only reason they were is because their feelings for each other were so intense and I see it more like, rather than making it work, they were trying to make it work because of the love that was there between them. That never left. The last scene is proof of that.

Ultimatively, they're too fundamentally different. One thing that always gets me is how Katie is trying to fit herself into Hubbel's world. She tries to be that person who gets along with his friends but in the end, she is who she is, and she's done trying to pretend - no matter how much she loves Hubbell.

I'm not sure Hubbell ever really makes a choice. It's like he wrote in his short story "everything came too easily to him". He always follows the path of least resistance. That's why they break up. Katie is done trying to be who she isn't and he is never going to change.

Yeah, I agree. Her idealism didn't destroy the relationships. They were just too different. That doesn't mean either of them was wrong for wanting and doing what they did.

I don't their their daughter suffers. Katie marries someone else who I'm sure is a wonderful father. If they had stayed together, both would have been miserable.

Hubbell wouldn't have had his career because of his association with Katie. Barbra Streisand commented on that once and said she hates how much it looks like they broke up because of him sleeping with another woman. When in reality it was really the political climate with Katie having been a communist and Hubbell trying to make it in Hollywood. And of course their clashing personalities.

I think Hubbell would have loved to be a father. It had nothing to do with that. There was just no way for them to be in each other's lives anymore. That's why he says he can't come visit. They can either be strangers or lovers; there's no in-between for them. That makes it so bittersweet for me.

And I really like Sydney Pollack movies too! He did so many with Robert Redford 😁

[taviyuhh]

Okay, I started watching more of The Bear S2 today and I have THOUGHTS.

First, I wanna talk about Claire. It's so obvious she was added into the season to be a love interest. Sure, she's got a personality which some love interests might not have but compared to other characters in the show, hers is basic. Maybe that's the point though? Other characters in The Bear have a plethora of issues and Claire can easily be set apart from the rest of them, hence Carmy's interest in her (aside from knowing her from before). I'M GONNA ADD ONTO THIS IN THE NEXT ONE!!

Second, I understand why he and Claire's relationship is progressing so quickly. Carmy admits that he doesn't really have fun and never had friends either. Before Claire, there was Mikey helping Carmen socialize, but even then it was more for Micheal than it was him. Mikey acted as a sort of social lubricant (hate that word but it's true) for Carmen as they grew up. Michael died and Carmy receded into himself (yk what I mean), focusing on work instead of his social life or mental health. When Claire, someone he was close with back in the day, comes back into his life, he clings to her. Now, this is because she actually has a life outside of her career. She's got friends, she's fun to be around, and she can help people have fun. She's the embodiment of who Carmy never got to be, what he never got to experience. He gravitates towards Claire because she's been living her life to the fullest and Carmen didn't get a chance to do the same.

Third, I know a lot of Bear fans want Sydney and Carmen to be together. I'm still not sure how I feel abt SydCarm but we all see the chemistry between them!! If not romantic soulmates, they are 100% platonic ones. However, I can see why Carmen wouldn't be interested in being close to Sydney romantically or being closer to her than he currently is. Sydney met Carmen through his work as a Sous Chef and they bond over their love of cooking, their hopes for the restaurant. The foundation of their relationship is all work related. I admit, they have their moments were they get on a personal level with each other but mostly, they talk about work. Carmy used to work in a toxic environment and it traumatized him. The Original Beef is a much more positive place to be, but still, a contribution to his stress. So, I can imagine he'd want to be closer with his coworkers but not AS close as they could be. He's seen Syd outside of the kitchen, but it's only been to talk about work. Claire is someone from outside of work, from wayyyy back, and a nice change of pace.

Fourth, Carmen's priorities are ALLLL the way messed up. As soon as he reconnects with Claire, it was like Sydney didn't much matter. He made promise after promise to Syd, yet he never came through. I don't think I'll be able to get over how he COMPLETELY forgot about his plans to go tasting with her to help Claire move FURNITURE bro. In that exact same episode, he neglects to tell Syd, his literal business partner, that they were taking out the walls. Then, he ditches Syd again to deliver the wine license (?). Sugar was fully capable of doing this, but he probably felt bad for making her work sm, so I get it. What I don't like is how he made more plans with Claire instead of helping Sydney out?? Sug and Syd are literally carrying the restaurant on their BACKS.

Fifth, LET'S 👏🏼 TALK 👏🏼 SYD 👏🏼. My KIN, my GIRL, MY BESTIE IS STRESSINGGGG. She's supposed to be Carmen's whole business partner but she's handling most of the responsibilities that are meant to be shared between the two. It's becoming a real challenge for her because she's struggling to cook. Syd's overthinking everything and NEEDS CARMY TO DO HIS FREAKING PART. I wish I had more to say about her in that aspect but I don't 😔. However, I will say I love her relationship with food and how it's shown. The visuals during her menu tasting sequence were CHEF'S KISS 🤌🏻!!

[kiankiwi]

Little!jacob regressing on set and just begging and crying for us to come back to him :,(

YES!!! And we're gonna use Sydney (Sweeney aka Cassie) as his costar that notices and takes care of him until we get there to take care of him. I hope that's okay :) Also, this is gonna be a bit of a littles are known fic where the cast is aware of his regression it just makes it easier!

***

Sydney knew Jacob was a regressor but she never thought she'd have to take care of him. She had no problem doing it if she needed to, she just never thought she'd have to do it without you around. Today seemed to be that day.

Today was a hard day on the Euphoria set for Jacob. Today there was a lot of angry scenes to get done. A lot of it was him getting verbally accosted by Eric, the actor who played Nate's father, Cal. Sydney could see Jake was struggling about halfway through this massive meltdown scene but at the end of it, he walked off and just disappeared. She had a feeling all the yelling would cause him to involuntarily regress which was never a good thing in the first place because involuntarily regressing usually involved hard triggers. It wouldn't be a good relaxing session of regressing. And set was not a great place to do that since you, his caregiver wasn't here to watch over him. So once Sam, the director and creator called cut, Sydney ran off looking for her friend.

She searched every spot that a little Jacob might find as a good hiding spot but couldn't find him so next, she tried the most obvious place, his trailer. "Jake, Jacob you in here?" Sydney cracked the door to hear Jacob crying in the back. She quietly came in to find her friend laying on the bed in the trailer laying on his belly, crying as his fists were clenched up by his face, his stuffed bunny under his arm.

Sydney came forward, trying to remember what to do to calm down a crying Jake. "Hey, buddy, what's going on?" Sydney asked, sitting down and rubbing his back.

"ERIC YELLED AT MEEEEEE!" Jacob yelled. "I know honey, that wasn't very nice was it?" Sydney took out her phone wanting to let you know what was going on as soon as possible. "He scared me!" Jacob yelled, still crying into the pillow. Sydney nodded, now understanding why Jacob involuntarily dropped so quickly with very little warning. "He scared you? I'm so sorry baby, do you want me to call mama?" Jacob nodded as he still cried in the pillow. "Alright baby, it's ringing." Jacob sat up, still crying as Sydney handed him the phone and side hugged him.

"Hey baby!" Your smile dropped as you saw tears were running down your littles face. "What's the matter?" Jake was still crying so Sydney leaned in and explained. "He was doing a scene with Eric and it caused him to drop. He's having a hard day."

"What happened baby, can you tell mama?" Jacob attempted to take a deep breath before explaining the best he could. "H-he was yelling. I-I tried to stay a big boy but h-he scared me. Couldn't do it mama, I'm sorry."

You sighed, feeling bad for your baby. "That's okay baby, you don't need to apologize. And I'm sure you were stressing out before this scene, am I right?" Jacob nodded as he rubbed at his eyes and sniffled. You nodded. That made sense. Stress was another big trigger for Jake's involuntary regression.

"I'm so sorry you're having a bad day baby, I'm on my way to come get you okay?" Jacob nodded and Sydney leaned in again. "Is there anything I can do to help calm him down before you get here?" You sighed, picking up your phone and walking to get your keys and shoes. "Um, if you can move him he might crawl into your lap. He likes his hair played with too." Sydney nods as Jacob laid his head on his friends shoulder. "Okay, we'll be waiting for you." You smiled, blowing Jacob a kiss. "Okay baby, I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?" Jacob nodded and blew you a kiss back.

You walked into the trailer to find Sydney had successfully moved her and Jake to the couch. He was lounging in her lap and her nails were in his hair scratching his scalp. "Hey, baby, look who it is!" Sydney points out as you walk in. "MAMA!" Jake yelled, reaching for you. "Oh I know baby, you're having a really hard day huh?" Jacob nodded as Jacob leaned into your shoulder and snuggled in, hiding against you. "Shhh, you're just fine baby. I saw Eric earlier, is it okay if he comes and talks to you? He feels bad that he scared you! He wouldn't have if he realized you were about to drop, honey?" Jacob just whines and wanted comfort so you rocked him in your arms and rubbed his back.

Sydney stood up. "I'm just gonna... go update the crew and everyone on Jake... see what they want to do." You nodded as you cradled Jacob's head to your shoulder.

Finally, about fifteen minutes later, Jacob was calmed to sniffles. You heard a knock on the trailer door. "Come in!" You called as Jake sat in your lap. "Oh, hey Eric." You smiled sadly as the man took in your situation. "Is he...?" Eric whispered, checking on his TV son.

You nodded as Jacob hid in your shoulder. "He's fine, he's just having a hard day." Eric sat beside you and waited until Jacob was ready to come out from his hiding spot aka your shoulder.

Feeling Eric's presence, Jake peeked out from your shoulder and looked at his castmate. "Hi buddy, I just wanted to check on you. I'm really sorry I went overboard today. I didn't mean to, I would've never gone that hard if I knew you were about to drop." Eric explained.

"Mean." Jacob said, not moving his head from your shoulder as you ran your hand through the hair at the back of his head to calm him. Eric nods. "I was being mean. And I'm sorry for that bud. I won't do it again if you're feeling small okay? Next time, you gotta tell me if I'm going too far okay?" Jacob nods. Eric pats the boys knee. "Alright, are we friends again?" Jacob nodded. and Eric stood up, ruffling the littles hair. "Alright you be good for your mama alright?" Jacob smiled. "I be good!"

As Eric left the trailer you got a text from Sydney saying that Sam said Jacob could go home, that they were gonna film Zendaya's scenes for the rest of the day so he wouldn't miss anything. You smiled. "Alright baby, you ready to go home and have a nap? Have some cuddles with mama." Jacob yawned and nodded as you took him off the lot.

@crypticminx @mooodyblue

[ramblingroommate]

My Dracula Daily Fan Cast

Am I extremely late to this whole thing? Yes. Do I care? Nope! Let’s go :)

Dracula

Shaun Toub: for the longest time I actually had Claes Bang (who has played Dracula before!) in this role, but after re-reading Dracula’s description for the twentieth time I couldn’t get Shaun’s face out of my head. Neither actor is English (not a coincidence) but while Claes is danish, Shaun is an iranian-born american actor. We don’t really know Dracula’s origins so I thinks it’s fine. Shaun is also almost ten years older than Claes which is great for the first part of the story and less so for the second half, but I think he could still play it off really well with the right make up (or CGI).

Jonathan Harker

George Mackay: he’s a British actor most people know for his role in the war movie 1917. I chose him because he has the general look I want for Jonathan (generic white boy my beloved) and I think he could bring justice to our dear friend, showing the hardships of the character really well instead of making him dull just to push a dracmina romance.

Mina Murray

Olivia Cooke: she’s an English actress mostly known for her roles in ready player one and house of the dragon. I mostly chose her because of her looks (tho I imagine Mina with black hair) but I know she was in her fair share of horror movies and even in a historical drama - both genres that mesh really well with Dracula.

Lucy Westenra

Sydney Sweeney: it was really hard choosing an actress for Lucy! Mina is always going on about how pretty she is so I wanted that but I also wanted PAIN. Sydney acted in Euphoria where she interpreted the character of Cassie who, and I quote, “fell in love with every guy she ever dated. Whether they were smart or stupid or sweet or cruel, it didn't matter. She didn't like to be alone”. I think that’s suuuuch an interesting acting experience for someone who has to play Lucy. The actress is four or five years younger than the other actors but Lucy is canonically 19 years old so I think that’s fine.

Arthur Holmwood

Simon Castle: Arthur was THE HARDEST to cast for me, I don't know why. I wanted a young noodle-ly boy with a sweet face but also a bit of a trust fund kid kind of vibe and I guess it was a hard balance to strike.

Quincey Morris

Dacre Montgomery: do I even have to say anything? Just look at the pictures… perfect actor for a perfect himbo.

Jack Seward

Charlie Rowe: I decided on this actor after seeing him in Rocketman; at first he seems like a big shot producer but then the real guy shows up and makes fun of him (that whole thing was too Jack and Van Helsing for me to ignore). I couldn’t decide between clean shaven and slight stubble so I put both.

Abraham Van Helsing

Mads Mikkelsen: I don't know yall. I just really like Mads okay?

[vickyvicarious]

For all the beats that The Beetle has with Dracula, one thing that it never touches at all is the variety of how people feel towards the common enemy.

-Mina is a complex case, she declares she feels no mercy for Dracula at first due to what he did to Lucy, then after she gets the same affliction from him she feels pity despite how relentlessly she hunts him down, and then relief from seeing his humanity at peace upon death.

-Van Helsing at first gives the impression of being clinical, but from reading his own account at the end we see that he feels that killing a vampire is to him just as horrifying and violating as murdering a human person. Despite how much they had tried to kill him and Mina.

-Serward sees vampirism as a terminal illness to be eliminated. Euthanasia is a comforting word.

-Jonathan hates all vampires' guts throughout, they're devils who belong in Hell. Except if the vampire Mina. Then he'll become one himself.

In The Beetle the variety towards the enemy is

-Everyone: Bugs and Arabs are evil

-Robert: THE BEETLE!!!

Yeah, that's an excellent point! In Dracula, there is a lot of variety to the characters's - actually, you could stop the sentence there, even. Every character is distinct, and while their goals all firmly align, there is definitely nuance to how they view the situation and thus to their thoughts about the villain. Meanwhile in The Beetle, there just isn't that level of nuance anywhere, but especially in regards to Theb in particular.

I think I've mentioned this before, but it's really hard to care too much about most of Marsh's characters because at the core they all seem to hold the same awful values as him. There isn't even anything really interesting done with contrasting different values or opinions... unless you count Marjorie's whole "I am a strong, independent woman! *gets kidnapped*" thing, which is clearly proving how wrong she is to the readers. Or Percy being more 'meek' and willing to wish Marjorie happiness with Paul - that was clearly set up for us to join in with Sydney at scoffing/laughing at him not being much of a man. Even when it would make more sense for a character to believe something different, or to express something in a different way, it usually doesn't happen. It's why I'm really glad we never got any real Paul Lessingham POV (though he still hurt his own image a lot with some of the things he said later on), or The Beetle for that matter. Not to point to the sexyman contest, but it's true that the less we hear from them directly, the more likeable the characters tend to be.

Marsh doesn't really go in for unique character voices, either. I wrote a post midway through Dracula Daily last year, but the search section is terrible and I can't find it right now. Anyway though, not only does each character think and act differently, but they write differently too. They focus on different things, describe stuff in different ways, the amount and for what purpose they write all inform their characters. To some extent that isn't possible in The Beetle given we don't get to see things like letters to different people and such, but even in this 'deposition' style first-person it should be more distinct. Honestly, the one POV character who stands out the most is Sydney, whose narrative is at least somewhat distinct. The other three though, don't really have unique 'voices' in the same way. In-universe, Holt's story is written up from what people remember him telling them after his death, so it makes a bit of sense, but it's still just so much more boring to read, honestly. I like my characters to be more distinct!