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colibrie · 2 months ago

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Uncharted Territory, Part 2

Hello all! Sorry for the delay in updates. As always art credit and eternal gratitude to @trilobitepunch for her amazing art and her incredible patience.

Yakai system: 6 hours later

Mikey liked to think of himself as a turtle with many talents. With so many interesting things to do and experience in the universe, he’d never seen the point in limiting himself to just one hobby. He was a chef, an artist, and an acrobat. He was a jedi in training. He knew the importance of timing and strength. He had worked hard to cultivate balance, and perhaps most essentially, patience. Patience was the difference between a masterpiece and a disappointment. Patience was the difference between peace and agitation. Patience was the foundation of all things…

But his patience was three seconds away from socking Leonardo in the face.

“There’s a rock…and another rock…and, oh look, there’s even more rocks!”

“Thank you, Leo.”

“What? I’m just admiring the fascinating scenery,” Leo’s obnoxiously sour-sweet tone matched the sarcastic show of teeth in the smile he flashed. “You take me to the nicest places Angelo.”

Mikey pulled in a slow and subtle breath, fighting the urge to clench his jaw or bite his lip as he carefully maneuvered their ship around a small asteroid at the edge of a medium sized cluster. He knew what his elder brother was doing. He’d been doing it since he’d woken up crabby from his far too short nap, mood souring further when Mikey had refused to move from the pilot seat. He was trying to get under Mikey’s shell to provoke a reaction. Which really wasn't that unusual. There wasn’t a creature alive who could out petty Leo when he was in the mood to be difficult. The taller turtle seemed to have a sixth sense for spite, an innate talent that zeroed in on the most obnoxious and annoying elements of a situation then dialing them eleven.

It didn’t help that the environment beyond the view screen was the definition of desolation. The Yakai system was indeed comprised of a massive asteroid field, large chunks of dull grey rock stretched in all directions, dust and debris hanging limply in the space between. Two small planets sat lifelessly in the center of it all, surfaces dyed the by gas clouds of the sickliest yellow, green and cream. They were hues he would have immediately rejected from his palette, their image as appalling as they were disheartening. To top it off, the absence of wakes or other disturbances in the area suggested that no one had transversed the asteroid field in a long time.

Mikey was loath to admit it, but the hope that had burned so brightly inside him after their success with the holocron was slowly shrinking. The connection to that bonfire at his core was dwindling, heat leeched away by the seemingly ever-growing black hole of unanswered questions and unaddressed baggage trailing them. The violent introduction to his “deceased” brothers, the unsettled conflict between Leo and their father, the unusually vague details of their plan, and the anxious insecurity of meeting someone who had played such a pivotal role in their childhoods, but who’s image he could not call to mind, no matter how far back he dug in his memories. It was all starting to feel…heavy.

“Hate to say it baby bro, but it looks like this was a waste of-”

“We haven’t even checked half of the cluster!” Mikey snapped, cringing slightly as Leo locked onto the irritation in his voice.

“Running down every speck of dust isn’t going to make someone not here magically appear,” Leo argued, flashing an edged smirk that made Mikey want to kick him in the teeth.

He forced himself to relax, to soften his next words into something closer to a gentle tease. “Don’t count your smooka’s before they hatch Leo. I’d hate to have to embarrass you in it in front of Master Karai.”

George let out a happy chur from his place wrapped around Mikey’s neck, little head rubbing encouragingly against Mikey’s cheek.

“See? George thinks so too!”

“I don’t care what George thinks! George is a dumb animal who will do anything for a treat!” Leo snapped suddenly, the mood in the cabin plunging as an oppressive weight settled over it. Something alien was churning behind his brother’s irises as he struck them with a glare, something that made every nerve in Mikey’s body jolt. George cringed back, tail tightening as he chittered fearfully and under Mikey's chin for safety.

“Hey!” Mikey bristled, one hand coming up to protectively cover his friend as he returned Leo’s glare with one of his own. “You know who else doesn’t get a vote, the annoying raincloud who has contributed literally NOTHING to finding a solution to our problems! At least, I am trying! At least I am doing something other than whining “that’s not how it works!” repeatedly! And George didn’t do anything to you, so quit being a jerk!”

The tension grew as they stared each other down, metaphorical hackles rising as the siblings sized one another up. Mikey kept his face frozen in a stern scowl, pushing down the sympathetic twinge in his chest at how bloodshot his older brothers’ eyes were, how hollow they’d grown, lined with dark bags that were beginning to look like bruises. He wasn’t stupid, or blind. He knew how active his elder brother’s demons had been since leaving home, how the weight of their situation pressed down on Leonardo.

He’d wished a thousand times he knew how to help, but he didn’t. Usually, he could guess what the issue was, or prod the answers out of Leo after giving him some space and time. But those tactics weren’t working now. Up until recently, he'd known little to nothing about the missing half of his family. He still didn't know much about them, and Leo had remained frustratingly tight lipped, even though the past was clearly eating him alive.

The seeds of doubt were quick to bloom as the dark energy pressed in, a weed that threatened to choke off his inner fire as thoughts he’d pushed away for hours returned with a vengeance.

What if they didn't find anything? What if Master Karai wasn't here? What if he really was wasting their time and resources? What if he was wrong? what if....

What if he was just making things worse?

A soft coo broke the tension as George butted his head into Mikey’s throat, tiny body thrumming soothingly against his suddenly unsteady pulse. The gossamer soft sensation of unwavering trust and love poked at the edges of the bonfire inside of him, coaxing it to burn brighter in defiance against the darkness. It gave him the strength to push the doubts away again, to take another deep breath and focus only on the now.

Leo wanted a fight, but Mikey was not obliged to give him one. Maybe he couldn’t take away whatever was hurting his brother, but he could help keep things level until Leo was ready to share it. He pulled in two more breaths for good measure before speaking, careful to keep his tone calm but firm.

“I get that this has been stressful. I get that you are tired, and you don’t really want to be here. But that doesn’t give you carte blanche to be an ass. Especially to someone who can’t fight back. You’re better than that Leon.”

He kept face blank as that thing behind Leo’s eyes slowly faded away, the pressure lifting to be replaced by the lighter and more familiar signs of guilt. He kept himself still as Leo cringed and turned away to look out the viewscreen.

“…Yeah…I’m…”

A strident chime from the radar cut him off. The strain of their argument was swiftly shelved as they both leaned forward, foreheads nearly colliding in their haste to huddled in and study the steadily pulsing blip on the screen.

“There’s something over there! It’s in between those two big meteors!” Mikey exclaimed, pointing vigorously towards a cluster of oblong rocks off to the left of their view screen. “It has to be her, there’s a life support system attached to it!”

“Barely,” Leo huffed, squinting doubtfully at the readouts scrolling across the adjacent screen. “For an energy reading that low, life-support would have to be set to the bare minimum. Not great atmosphere for long time occupation.”

“But it could totally…” Mikey blinked, then groaned as Leo flashed him a tentative smile. “Omigosh, Lee that one was awful.”

“I think you mean awesome Miguel,” Leo shrugged, propping his chin on one fist as Mikey tried and failed to hide a snort. “I know, I know, my humor is a breath of fresh air. You’re welcome.”

“You are…so dumb…” Mikey spluttered in reply, any residual hard feelings clinging on from their spat offset by his own smile. Shell, Leo made it hard to stay mad at him.

“Thank you, thank you,” Leo said, sketching a half bow before blowing kisses to an imaginary audience. “I am here all week. And the week after that, and the week after-ack!”

“Nobody cares!” Mikey cheered as he pushed one hand into Leo’s face, laughing as his big brothers’ arms flailed in a comedic bid to maintain his balance. “Not when they can watch me, the daredevil Michelangelo, seamlessly thread the gauntlet of insane asteroids to investigate that signal!”

“Oooooh okay. Feeling bold today, are we? That looks kinda tricky,” Leo noted, casually leaning over to brace one forearm on the pilot’s chair.

“Absolutely! I’ve got this!”

“Alright big man,” Leo nodded slowly, gently tapping his knuckles against Mikey’s shoulder in a gesture that was both equal support and silent apology before sitting back. “Give it a shot. I am here if you need me.”

“I won’t,” Mikey replied, bouncing a little in his seat as he turned the shuttle towards their target. “Hold on to your shell!”

The engines roared under his touch, rocketing them towards the targeted cluster at heart pounding speed.

“COWABUNGA!”

“WHOAHOHO!” Leo yelled, gripping his seat with white knuckle strength as Mikey banked hard to avoid a chunk of debris.

Adrenaline fizzed in his veins, delight bubbling in his lungs as his heart started to dance in time to the thrum of the thrusters. This. This was the part of flying that Mikey actually liked. No fiddly procedures to remember, no gravity to pull or push him in ways he didn’t want to go. Space was like the ultimate acrobatics’ playground, open and empty and waiting to be filled with his amazing razzmatazz. Weaving and banking around corners, dipping down and rising up to avoid obstacles, even a spin or two thrown in for sheer flare, it all felt natural. It was fun!

Watching Leo slowly turn the same color as his arms stripes wasn’t bad either.

The radar pinged louder, and he eased the shuttle back into a steady cruising pace as Leo sat forward, sharp eyes scanning the surrounding asteroids in search of their target. Small stones tinged gently off the view screen as they drifted past, the only sound within the cockpit the increasingly strident bee-blip of the radar.

“There!”

Mikey’s head whipped around, eyes following Leo’s outstretched arm to their prize. Tucked into the shadows of a deep, craggy canyon was the faint outline of a structure surrounded by six smaller lumps.

“There’s a possible landing area on that ledge above the target, but there’s not a whole lot of room for error. Probably why the smugglers-”

“-or Master Karai-"

“-smugglers, chose this spot for their hideout. We’ll have to be careful with how we approach landing. Move over.”

“Nope, I’ve got it,” Mikey, pointing the shuttle nose towards their goal before pressing the controls down.

“Wait!”

He ignored his brothers’ objections as the shuttle responded to his command, nose dipping down sharply to aim towards the ledge. He did not need to be told what to do. He did not need to have his hand held. He could land the ship. Sweat gathered on his palms as the empty vacuum of space swiftly disappeared behind the craggy lips of the canyon walls.

“That’s a really steep approach, maybe pull it back a bit buddy….”

The engines whined as the ship sped onwards, outboard lights throwing jagged spires previously hidden by the gloom in into sharp relief. Sharp pricks of pain burst like fireworks as he dug his teeth into his lower lip, spine curving as he blocked Leo out and threw every shred of concentration into running the maze in front of him. He could do this. He could get them to the target. He could land the ship…

“Mikey, seriously…”

He could find Master Karai. He could become a Jedi. He could get his brothers back. He could …

“Michelangelo that’s way too steep! Pull up!”

The camp was in sight, the ground was growing, but somehow the ledge was shrinking. More rocks bounced off the viewscreen as the walls of the canyon closed in on all sides. Something cold and hard lodged in his throat as his hands slipped, skittering over the buttons as alarms started to shriek. His spine locked, limbs freezing as fear obliterated his thoughts with spikes of jagged grey.

He…He couldn’t…

“PULL UP!”

Blue burst through the grey as something slammed into his shoulder, forcing him halfway out of the pilot seat as iron hands clamped down on the controls. He gasped in shock, then scrambled to grab whatever he could as Leo hauled back hard on the yoke. The world spun as the shuttle jerked, banking into a tight vertical spiral as something hard screeched across the belly of the ship. Metal groaned and shuddered under the sudden strain as his big brothers’ hands danced lightning fast across the consul, shooting them back up into the void above.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Leo whooped, slumping back in relief once they were hovering a safe distance away from any debitage. “Now that was a rush!”

Michelangelo stayed on the floor, chest heaving and body shaking as he stared at the ceiling. Everything felt surreal, like he was only connected to his body by a heart that felt like it was trying to jump into hyperdrive. His lungs felt shriveled, unable to take a full breath. When had it gotten so cold? Was the air truly that thin? Had he compromised the hull in his stupid stunt? Were they in danger of collapse?

“You going to stay down there all…Angelo?”

His eyes stung as they filled with salt, and no amount of blinking managed to clear them. He had messed up. He’d dragged them out here and nearly gotten them killed and…

"Hey, c’mon bro, don’t make that face," Leo cajoled, gentle hands lifting Mikey up to stand on somewhat wobbly legs. Bright green fingers softly grabbed the lip of Mikey's plastron before giving him a gently encouraging shake. "So, you almost spectacularly whiffed a landing that could have majorly damaged the shuttle or injured us, leaving us stranded in a force forsaken asteroid field in the middle of nowhere..."

"Oh wow, thanks Lee. I feel so much better, " Mikey mumbled thickly, shooting a halfhearted glare that turned into a fully affronted scowl when Leo responded by flicking him between the eyes.

"As I was about to say, so what if it almost happened? It didn't, and it won't, because I'm here."

Leo was smiling at him when Mikey chanced another glance up, a smile that oozed confidence and compassion as he slung a sheltering arm around Mikey's shoulders.

“We’re okay Angelo."

"I really thought I had it this time. I thought I could…I just wanted to help…Why is it so hard?!" Mikey groaned, leaning into the comfort as Leonardo pulled him into his chest. Leo's heartbeat was strong and steady under his tympanum, its slightly elevated rhythm methodically walking Mikey's own heart back from its attempts to escape his rib cage.

"Can't be good at everything big man," Leo consoled, planting a gentle kiss on his baby brother’s forehead. "And you help in so many ways! Believe me, I could not do this without you Mikey. You’ll figure out flying eventually, I have no doubt. In the meantime, maybe listen to your talented, brilliant, and handsome big brother, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah," Mikey sighed, leaning back. "Thanks for letting me try Leon."

"Any time. Now, I’ve gotta to run some checks and land us, but why don't you go get the oxygen masks out and prep them to go for a spin."

"Will we need them? Life support still reads as active," Mikey asked as he absently shook the remaining adrenaline from his limbs.

"Trust but verify Michelito. This face is far too pretty to trust to some jury-rigged smuggler set up," Leo replied, breezily tossing his mask tails over his shoulder with a wink.

"Please, it would be an improvement!"

"Rude! Jealousy is not a great color on you Mikey!"

"We'll let Master Karai be the judge of that once we find her!" Mikey shot back, smiling slightly as he made his way to the back of the ship.

He had to stretch to his tiptoes to open the cabinet and retrieve the masks Splinter had jury-rigged for them ages ago. “For emergencies” their father had said, voice as worn as his robes when he'd held their little squirmy bodies still to adjust and ensure the blue and orange straps fit. Though the thick coating of dust on both masks attested to how little use they’d received, colored elastics faded and muted with age, the sight of these little tokens of their fathers’ love was like being wrapped up in one of his warm hugs.

“She’ll side with me.”

“Keep dreaming kiddo.”

Their banter was as familiar and comfortable, jokes and sly digs baniahing the shadows of tension and doubt with bright laughter as Leo carefully brought them back into the confines of the canyon for a smooth landing on the ledge.

“Alright, here is the plan,” Leo called, swinging out of the pilots chair and moving back to the back with an easy swagger in his step. “We are going to pop out, give the place a quick once over in full stealth style. We don’t find anything, or if we find anyone who isn’t Master Karai we book it back here, get the shell out, and try somewhere else. Capiche?”

“Capiche,” Mikey agreed, bending his head to allow Leo to check that his mask was secure before handing his brother his own and returning the favor.

“Alright, then lets jet!” Leo proclaimed, hitting the button to open the back hatch.

The air within the life support bubble was cold enough to send gooseflesh erupting over Mikey's arms and shivers down his shell. The buildings were equally cold and dark, filled with the stale sensation of a place long abandoned. Cabinets doors hung open on broken hinges, while much of the rickety furniture had either been smashed or collapsed on itself.

“Dang,” Leo whistled, flicking on a flashlight to banish the shadows clinging to the interior, “whoever was here last must have left in a hurry. And they definitely haven’t been back to clean up.”

“Maybe she’s been using one of the other buildings? You know, to stay inconspicuous?” Mikey offered, heart sinking as he accidentally kicked a piece of broken chair.

“We can check,” Leo indulged.

None of the outbuildings turned up better results beyond broken crates, and Mikey could do nothing but drag his heavy, bruised heart back to the ship.

“Come on,” Leo ordered, voice oddly gentle as he sealed the back hatch and helped Mikey out of his mask, “let’s get out of here. There are other places we can check.”

"I just...I don't understand," Mikey mumbled, staring hard at the ground as Leo moved to the front to bring their shuttle back online. "Why would the force send us on a wild goose chase? What was the point?!"

"It's like I said man," Leo shrugged as the engines whined to life, "it's just not how the force works."

"Except in this case," a soft voice said from behind them.

The two of them shrieked and jumped, limbs flailing as they spun around to face the invader. A figure stood at the back of the shuttle; body covered by a drab gray cloak with a deep hood that hid their face from view. An extra breathing mask sat innocently on one of the benches, along with two pistol sized blasters.

"Who the shell are you?!" Leo barked, fingers fluttering anxiously as they groped along the consul for something to use as a weapon. "A smuggler?!"

"Of sorts, I suppose," the figure replied calmly.

"We don't want any trouble, but believe me, we can bring the pain if you cross us!" Mikey blustered, waving his fists.

"Says the boy who once cried at the idea that someone might not want to be his friend."

"I...huh?"

"I wasn't sure, when I first started having the visions," the figure continued, moving further into the cabin. "It seemed impossible after all this time. And the results were clouded, without direction. To many possibilities. But two motifs were repeated over and over. Sun and lightning. Blue and orange. And then, just a few hours ago, the visions became clear. This place, the Yakai system. I had to take the chance. I had to…"

"What are you talking about?! Who are you?!" Leo spluttered.

Mikey blinked, arms slowly dropping. "Wait... are you..."

"I was afraid I wouldn’t make it in time… and you've both grown so much, I hardly recognized you at first. But I could never forget my boys."

The figure reached up, pushing back their hood. Stands of black and grey hair framed dark eyes and a pale face marked by fine lines of stress and age. A slim but fit figure lay beneath the cloak’s heavy edges, dressed in a worn green tunic, pants, and weathered leather boots. Empty holsters sat on either hip.

"Do you still like to paint Michelangelo?"

"OMIGOSH! YOU… YOU'RE MASTER KARAI!" Mikey shrieked, reserve giving way as he began jumping up and down. He threw himself forward, crossing the distance to wrap her in the tightest hug he could muster. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU'D BE HERE!"

Karai laughed softly as he lifted her off her feet. Her small hands patted the sides of his shell, doing their best to hold him back even with her arms pinned to her sides.

"I KNEW THE FORCE WOULD HELP US!" he shouted again, plopping Karai down before whirling around in triumph.

"WE DID IT LEO!... Leo?"

Leo did not look at him or show any indication that he'd heard Mikey at all. His gaze was riveted on Karai, blatant shock mixing with so many other emotions in an expression that was almost painful to behold.

"Lee?"

Leo's throat worked furiously, mouth opening and closing fruitlessly as words seemed to fail him. Finally, one word managed to work its way free. Small and faint, a short word nearly crushed by the weight of all it carried.

"M...Master?"

"Leonardo," Karai murmured, squeezing Mikey's shoulder before stepping forward to stand before his brother. Her hands rose to cup his cheeks, thumbs softly tracing the lower arc of his red crescent markings as she quietly studied his face.

"You've grown so tall, my little blue. You've survived, and I am so, so proud of you."

Mikey blinked hard against the threat of tears as Leo sniffed and melted into Karai's arms. Despite being the same height as the woman, his older brother seemed to shrink until his head fit neatly beneath her chin, face hidden in her shoulder as his hands came up to desperately clutch at the back of her cloak.

"I have so many questions," Karai murmured thickly, gently rocking on her feet as she cradled Leo close with one arm while reaching out to Mikey with the other. "But first, let me hold my brave boys."

#rottmnt #rottmnt x sw #rottmnt fanart #rottmnt synthesis #Bless Mikey for having emotional maturity #Leo really really needed that hug guys #rottmnt leo #rottmnt mikey #angst fairy writes #sorry for the delay #but omg guys i am SO excited for this!#Master Karai in the building!#i have been waiting for this reveal for so long #trilos art as always has me either rolling in laughter or sobbing my feelings.#feel free to send any questions or comments #I'm curious about what y'all are curious about.

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callabang · 1 year ago

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okay i’ve now seen across the spiderverse twice and i think what it has to say about parenting is so INTERESTING and DIRECT

like there’s the immediate cold hard truth which we see with gwen and miles and even margo kess: a kid wants to confide in someone. as their parent, you can listen or they can find somebody else

[id: gwen and her dad. gwen: “the way to help right now is to listen to me”]

[id: miles, jeff, and rio. jeff: “what do you got to tell me so bad?”]

[id: margo kess: “here is...better”]

if you don’t want to listen, your kid will find other people who will. sometimes those people will have their best interests in mind

[id: hobie brown: “looking our for my drummer, is all”]

and sometimes they won’t.

and of course this isn’t all-or-nothing—sometimes the people they confide in will be bumbling but well meaning (peter b. parker), and obviously there’s lot of evidence in the movie that relationships can be salvaged and trust restored etc. but we also what happens when parents fail be a place of unconditional love understanding for their kids, which is is that they become really, really vulnerable

like we see how much it matters that rio talked to miles and understood him and gave him a chance, and that intervention is the pivotal key via which he is able to recognize a fucked up situation, stand up for himself, and get himself out of it and to a place of relative safety

and we also see that gwen, lacking that, gets totally and completely swept up in miguel’s mission until she’s doing things that go against her instincts and what she thinks is right

[id: gwen: “but my gut says—”

jess: “then use your head!”]

all for fear of losing whatever source of understanding and comfort she has

[id: gwen: “what if he sends me home?”]

anyway this is all a metaphor for queerness obviously. kiss kiss

#across the spiderverse #meta #parenting! it's a mystery!#gwen stacy

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darcytaylor · 4 months ago

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I am surprised Luke's team hasn't taken temp of the lukewarm reacting and lack of engagement on all things Luke + gf and worked to establish a new narrative for him. Even a lighthearted podcast guest spot would've made a big difference IMO. And if doing an appearance wasn't something he had in him, a few better instagram posts would've at least started setting up a new story around him and his career.

It took a bit for other season's leads to line up some projects, so they could've easily done a bit of a pivot in effort to clear up some of the subpar press around him in effort to set up whatever is up next for him.

Even his few posts since S3 came out don't seem to be well thought out, or that good of content.

I'm also desperate to know what the other Bridge cast thought about pap pics of him and his GF going out the day of the part 2 premiere lol. At best, it seemed sloppy and horribly timed, and at worst it seemed attention pulling and like he couldn't wait to get off the Bridgerton train.

It is a really sad situation to see play out if I am being honest. I just hope that his team do have a plan and maybe it isn't in motion yet. It could be that Luke's team knew he would be attending Rory's birthday party, so to wait it out just incase of backlash from that.

I don't think his team is stupid (and I know some people disagree), but they have been in the game for a long time. His team would know photo's would be shared on his friends social media accounts and I think it would be worse to have Luke make steps in a certain direction only to see a regression. I think that would have the potential to harm any plan that they may or may not have (while also making Luke's situation worse).

Luke's social media is interesting. I have said this before but I think that his decision to make it professional came a bit too late. He should have set it up that way long before the promo tour. But he probably wasn't completely sure until it was too late, and now it is clear he is having issues with his decision. He doesn't have jobs lined up other than Bridgerton season 4 (that we know of anyway) and his recent posts are subpar.

I also don't think Luke truly understood the potential for people to switch on his friend group (for the longest time people loved Rory, it's also been interesting to see that switch in the fans). He doesn't have the upper hand of his friends keeping his name out their, without it bringing drama and hate.

I am completely on Luke's side to want to distance himself from social media, but he's been put in a hard spot since his friends seem to be unwilling to not capitalize on him (even when they know it will not benefit Luke at this very moment). But I realize that they are also learning about the newfound fame of their friend, so it may just be a learning curve for them as well. (I do realize that their public persona's aren't doing them any favours and it's their actions that have made people come to this conclusion, but sometimes empathy is cool).

I do think that because of the backlash from Rory's birthday, Luke's team did contact him to make sure he is unseen in any of the photo's or video's. Or it's Luke's way of protecting his friends and asking them not to post any photo's or video's of him in them (does this make a difference at this point since they were caught by somebody else? Probably not).

I would assume that all of the Bridgerton cast mates think that the paparazzi walk on the night of the premier was unfortunate, and probably wish for it to have not happened. I agree with what you said - "At best, it seemed sloppy and horribly timed, and at worst it seemed attention pulling and like he couldn't wait to get off the Bridgerton train."

This was a very long winded response but I guess I had lots to say about this topic!

And as always, this is all speculation. I do not know any of these people personally. Could all of this be untrue, true or somewhere in between? Yes. So please keep that in mind.

#luke newton #bridgerton

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cocoaandco · 3 months ago

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Wildflower - George Russell x f!reader [prologue]

You and Delilah have been friends for years. When Delilah finds out the boy she loves has fallen for someone else, she seeks refuge in your arms. Little does she know you are the very reason for her undoing.

PROLOGUE

You smile as you shut the door to your apartment. The warmth that spread through your body was unmatched. In fact, you began to wonder if you had ever felt such a way before. The grin that was plastered on your face failed to dissipate, as if it had been stretched and glued that way.

You touch your cheeks, feeling how warm they were. How rosy they must have been the entire night, an evening where the blushing was endless. It was the middle of August in Melbourne, most nights had you spending countless dollars on the gas bill in order to heat the house. But tonight was different. No, not tonight. Your body was warm. Like you had been wrapped in an electric blanket and fed the best soup made by your Nonna. That just wasn’t true, though.

Your warmth was a direct result of your happiness. It’s crazy how a man you barely know could make you feel things that men you had allowed into your life and trusted in long term relationships had never come close to creating. You close your eyes, press your back against the, now closed door, and slide down. You bring a hand to your mouth, feeling the smile on your lips and pressing them against your palm before giggling.

God, I must look like a teenage girl! The giggling continues as you bring your hands from your mouth and look down at them, seeing that your lip gloss had smudged itself on your palm. You are startled when you hear a low chuckle sound from the other side of the door, before footsteps boom, growing softer as they moved away from the door and down the hallway. Oh my goodness, you thought to yourself, he just heard my fucking giddy laugh.

Springing to your feet, you move away from the doorway in embarrassment, and head to your kitchen. You switch on the kettle and pull out a stool from under your island bench. You sigh as you finally sit down, you must have walked around Church street for hours. As you wait for the kettle to boil, you think back to the past 24 hours and how the string of events followed through as a result.

————

36 hours prior. Thursday 9.30am

“Dan, I really don’t care about the bullshit corporate boxes. If you don’t release more upper ground seating to the public, we’re gonna have half empty stands to answer for!” You exclaim into your phone, gripping it tighter as if that would sway Dan into agreement.

You worked for the MCG, Melbourne’s biggest sporting venue, and had multiple blockbuster AFL matches to plan for that weekend, the biggest being Friday night’s class between Carlton and Essendon. The two teams are historical rivals that always draw large crowds and today was Thursday, the day before. Supporters from around the state were going nuts on every radio station and media outlet spraying the league for its lack of seating for the match. The problem? The large corporations hoarding the seats for businesses and international clients that had no real interest in the match, taking away from die hard fans.

Who has to deal with this problem? Why of course, it’s you. And the fact that you had gotten the train this morning made your venture that much more aggravating as the quiet roads were filled with electric scooters rather than cars. This probably seems like a boring and rather complex issue, so don’t worry, it is not pivotal to your story, Y/N.

“Y/N, listen. We can’t release those seats, we anticipate a large turnout from the upper tiers-”

“You’re telling me 8,000 seats are being put aside for Melbourne Demons supporters for a Bombers v Blues match?”

“Come on, Y/L/N. You know Demons supporters aren’t the only MCC members.”

“No but they make up the majority. I am doing your job- Shit!” All of a sudden something pushes into your back and you are sprung from the pavement and onto the road. You squeeze your eyes shut as you see a single vehicle plummet towards you. A large black car swerves before jolting to a stop just beside where you have fallen on your face.

You press your palms into the road, and push yourself up. You snap your head in the direction of an electric scooter which has zoomed off after screaming a “Sorry!”

“Fucking idiot!” You scream out. “Ugh!” You kneel down and locate your phone which is actually just a scrap of metal as it has been completely squashed by the wheel on the black car.

“Well, I guess thats a ‘no’ from Dan.” You mutter to yourself. Dusting your skirt off, you examine your outfit for any rips or pulls before returning to the sidewalk. You lift your head to notice the black car has not moved. Shrugging you continue to walk and wave off the car to let it know your alright.

Immediately, the rear passenger door swings open and a tall fair headed man hops out before approaching you. “Are you alright there?” He calls.

You laugh at his accent and continue to walk away from him, towards your office. “I’ll be alright mate, don’t worry about me!”

He frowns down and jogs lightly to catch up. “No seriously, are you okay? You were pushed and fell pretty hard.” You shrug.

“Im alive aren’t I?” He raises an eyebrow, “well you didn’t hit me, your car is alright, I’m in one piece.” He walks with you and motions to your hand, holding what was once your functioning phone.

“I’ll get work to get me a new one, it’s not a big deal.” Thats a lie, your work will not get you a new one.

“No, no. I almost ran you over, let me buy you a new one.” You furrow your eyebrows at him before shaking your head with a chuckle.

“Thats really not necessary, I need to get to work so I’ll just-”

“Well then what about a coffee? Tomorrow perhaps?” He quizzed. This brought you to a halt, which also stopped the tall man. You fold your arms over your chest before looking up to his face. This is the first time you’re able to take in his appearance.

He has wide bright blue eyes and fluffy eyebrows. His nose is large and pointed and he has defined cheekbones with a sharp jawline. His lips are full and pink, complimenting his soft cool brown hair. A gorgeously defined man, he does not look British at all. He wears a classically smart casual outfit that looks like it came straight from an R.M Williams catalogue; refined and sleek.

“Who are you?”

“Erm.” He coughs, “my name is George.”

You raise an eyebrow again, more whimsical this time. He really is quite attractive. “Well, George” you emphasise, “I am now well and truly late for work, and have a very busy couple of days, so if you would excuse me-”

“I’m sorry, I just-” he cuts his own sentence off this time, “I feel really bad, when I saw you fall, immediately felt awful for you and then I watched you get up and you looked so lovely, I felt even worse!”

He concludes and you look at him dumbfounded, quite literally with your mouth parted. You pause for a second. “Alright, so you have only checked on how I’m doing,” you pause again to recollect, “because you think I’m attractive and want to ask me out?”

Without hesitation he grins widely and responds “Precisely.”

This is ridiculous! You think to yourself about how completely absurd this is. You quite literally had almost died five minutes ago. But something inside you felt excited, felt warm. And so, the better part of you prevailed and entertained the idea.

“Alright.” You hum, “walk me to work then, George.”

“Uhh.” He turns back to his car which still is stopped in its same position. He motions for the car to go on with his hand and the car slowly pulls away and drives off without hesitation. Weird. “Okay then, where is work?”

“Just up here! About a five minute walk.”

“Only five minutes?” He smirks down at you as you both begin walking. A smile creeps onto your face before you respond.

“Yes, any longer and I may not have a job or a head if my boss has a say.” He laughs at your sadistic remark.

“What is your name?” He asks.

“Y/N.”

“Y/N.” He tests out, “suits you perfectly.”

You smile in response.

“So what do you do for work, Y/N.”

You explain to him your role with the MCG, particularly how your responsibilities are spread across ticketing and media which somehow meshes into one title. He seems impressed with your extensive knowledge of sporting and passion for fan experiences.

He listens to you talk like you are giving the most captivating speech in world. His eyes peer into yours, you feel heard and understood. Not an ounce of judgement clouding his expression. He was so easy to talk to, you never wanted him to leave.

You quickly learn that your suspicions were correct and that George is, in fact, from the UK. As well as the fact that he has never been to an AFL match in his life. It was even more shocking that he had never even heard of the sport.

“What!” You shriek as you arrive out the front of your office, which is actually inside the MCG. “You’re telling me, you’ve never heard of the AFL?”

He laughs at your hysteria and nods “nope!” He pops his ‘P’.

“Oh my gosh, we have to go to a game!” ‘We’? Pull it together, Y/N! “Let’s um- oh shoot!” You look at your watch. It’s almost 10am. You may be hung when you get inside. “Ok, ok. If you’d like, we can hang out tomorrow.”

George’s eyes light up in excitement. “Really?”

“Yes, yes! If you’re keen.” You double guess yourself, of course he wants to hang out you freak. “If you meet me here, tomorrow night at 7.30, I’ll take you to your first AFL match.

He grins widely, “That would be wonderful.”

“Alright, so I’ll see you then?” You confirm, “I really have to go now, I am sorry.”

“Yes, I’ll meet you here.” You begin to walk away from George, backwards. And towards the sliding doors.

“I would give you my number, but I don’t currently have a phone!” You exclaim.

“Don’t worry, Ill see you tomorrow.” He waved.

“Bye George.” You wave before spinning and speeding inside.

You can’t help but peer over your shoulder one last time to see him watching you walk away with a slight smile on his face.

This is absolutely crazy.

————

You sip on the last of your tea, an hour later, cozied up in bed. The memory of yesterday makes you shiver, but in a good way. George was incredible. You had never known a human to be so welcoming and friendly. He was truly lovely.

As you set your tea aside, and push your supporting pillows off the bed, your body begins to drift into a heavy state of tiredness. Just as your eyes begin to droop close you hear a loud knocking on the door.

What the hell?

You slip out of bed and walk out of your bedroom. As you approach the kitchen you grow nervous. Oh my goodness, George must be a serial killer. You shake your head at your ridiculous conspiracy. You look through the peephole to see a familiar face, with tears streaming down it.

Instinctively, you quickly unlock the door and swing it open. “Delilah!” You exclaim.

She quickly moves inside and engulfs you in a hug as she lets out soft sobs. What has happened to your poor friend? More importantly, why was she here and not back at home in London?

————

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anthurak · 2 months ago

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As someone who never got into the Yugioh Arc-V anime, seeing the whole ‘Action Duel’ gimmick play out is really funny to me. Because when you get past all the vague and convoluted justifications (ludicrously advanced hard-light holograms), rules (you can kinda dodge attacks, among other things) and mechanics (we parkour now) and look at what was clearly the underlying concept/goal of all this: The monsters are effectively real now and you can interact with/ride them and do wacky stuff with that,

And I think what you’re left with is what the SHADOW GAMES should have been. Or at least what they should have ultimately developed into.

I mean just ditch the super convoluted ‘solid vision system’ justification and just use fucking MAGIC. This is just the shit that HAPPENS when a player has a millennium item or an Egyptian God or is partnered with some other exceptionally powerful monster spirit(s).

And instead of trying to make up actual rules and mechanics for all this, just go with how OG Duel Monsters handled all the other Shadow Games:

When fucking MAGIC gets involved, the actual ‘rules’ just start going out the fucking window.

Like that was exactly what MADE the Shadow Games so fun, creepy and interesting. The whole idea was that Duel Monsters was this modern ‘safe’ recreation of this ancient, dangerous game played with dark magic.

So when that same dark magic gets invoked into one of these games, suddenly the normal ‘rules’ just start not mattering so much. Suddenly you’re effectively in an old-school wizard’s duel and all kinds of weird and wacky shit can start happening.

And if that ends up being super one-sided because one player is doing wacky shit like jumping out of the way of attacks, using spells that aren’t even in their hand because they know the original incantations to cast them or coordinate strategies with their now fully-sentient and tangible monsters to combo effects that normally don’t work like that or just generally fuck with the opponent? All while said opponent has no fucking idea what is going on?

Well no shit, that’s always what was SUPPOSED to happen whenever some hapless regular person got roped into a Shadow Game.

And of course it’s what makes it all the more FUN when both players can invoke the old magic and we get a real old-school wizard’s duel.

In conclusion, take the concept of Action Duels with all their off-the-wall ‘ride your dragon into battle’ and ‘sucker punch your opponent with random direct attacks’ craziness, and combine it with the wacky ‘anything goes if I can justify it’ insanity from Duelist Kingdom, and boom, there’s the TRUE Shadow Games XD

Also, in hindsight it is REALLY disappointing that Yugioh basically immediately pivoted away from magic/fantasy after the manga/DM and started using generic sci-fi justifications for everything.

#yugioh #yugioh rambling #yugioh duel monsters #yugioh arc v #shadow games #action duels #i mean can you IMAGINE if the dm-era shadow games worked like action duels?#shit would be EPIC XD #now i want to work this into that post-dm sequel idea i've had percolating for a while...

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quidfree · 1 year ago

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hear me out…. todobaku as villains???

im going to disappoint you anon bc i am not a like... dark & twisted fantasy villain au person. as per quidfree canon what keeps me going is good characterisation and so you will find no undercut tattoo-laden bad boys here.

if you want my two cents on what todobaku villain au would most likely look like though it's under the cut

todoroki:

this one is easy right? touya exists. shouto already has his villain backstory: his dad is a bigshot hero uplifted by society and also an abusive bastard in private. his motivations in hero-oriented society are obvious.

i think shouto probably distinguishes himself from touya in a number of ways, one of which being style of villainy. touya was a lot more unstable emotionally (?tied to his quirk self-harm stuff) and undiscerning in his resentment (see: woman hater) even before he ran away. i think shouto would be a more classic anti-hero type villain, less quick to cause chaos and death to unrelated civilians or high schoolers. they would have an uneasy relationship if and when shouto figured out who dabi was- i think he would retain his empathy for his siblings and mother, but he would disagree with touya’s choices.

i see him as a loner villain, not likely to join the league. early UA shouto appeared to have literally never spoken to another person in ten years, so if he around that age veered off the expected path and went MIA, i think the whole ice prince thing would solidify pretty definitely. and that’s the kind of personality he’d have too- icy, controlled superiority over a core of red-hot rage. no quips here. though some dramatics. he hides it but shouto always has flair.

shouto is a practical guy first and foremost. i think he’d just wear something similar to his plumber fit. maybe something akin to a balaklava to mask his identity, but maybe not, if he wants to make his father aware of his actions. i do think touya-style he might go for a hairdye, but in his case it’d probably be bleach, as a sort of obvious reclaiming of rei’s heritage and rejection of enji’s.

overall as villains go if we are keeping to a world close to canon shouto is probably one of the more morally upright people you will encounter. very scary motherfucker but pretty targeted enemies, so unless you’re involved in maintaining the hero justice system at some pivotal level you’re probably safe. if you are though? rip i guess. prepare to have your home frozen, your limbs stuck to the ground, and an icepick summarily driven through your skull by a teenager.

bakugou

katsuki is tough because for him it very much depends on setting, and at a basic level when you’re looking at. katsuki fundamentally is not a fuck the system guy- he’s a guy the system loves, and he’s interested in winning it, not destroying it, at least until character development kicks his ass. so really if you want to go early canon for both of them, villain bakugou is just hero bakugou. a katsuki from the start of bnha left to continue on his presumed arc uninterrupted, no deku or kidnapping or war to force him to question himself. arrogant and cruel and uncaring of what heroism is meant to be about. saving big numbers, sure, or at least defeating big ones, but when your defeats involve death or as good as, hard to draw the line.

similarly, in a universe where for some reason heroes have lost their relevance and villains reign, teen katsuki would have very easily risen in that direction, with similar traits.

who would his targets be? whoever’s in his way, pretty much. even in a more anti-hero slant, villain’s goons would not be safe. and anyone who tried to recruit / hire / ally him would inevitably face some kind of betrayal bc katsuki simply got sick of orders and believes he can handle the fall-out.

in terms of looks, katsuki is more style conscious than shouto is, but as lord explosion murder doesn’t necessarily look very heroic i think he wouldn’t look that different. maybe more of the black and winter-suit vibes.

for as insufferable as he would be, he would also be horrifying, yes. i mean, the guy is a starter kit terrorist. even if he was in tantrum ego mode he could level a street. collateral would be nasty if katsuki didn’t care to contain himself.

todobaku villain interaction ???

if we’re going with the above sort of setting? would not stand each other. for bakugou it’s obvious stuff (think sports fest and general canon), but todoroki genuinely would not tolerate villain bakugou at all, given the obvious alarm bells of similarity to endeavor. it’s not his focus but if bakugou died he would not be displeased.

as in any universe they could be begrudgingly forced into cooperation and then be privately disgusted by how well they worked together after the initial predictable faux pas. all of their other villain colleagues are like “can’t we just call that guy in for an assist again” and theyre like *breathing exercises* no.

they are both despite appearances and villainy-amplified dramatics fairly pragmatic so theyd probably not actively seek to cross each other unless they seemed to be getting in the way of their respective goals. they can recognise that this would be getting into it w an unnecessarily big distraction/threat. but i can imagine the “keep out of this” warnings would be fairly inventive. todoroki negligently thwarts one of bakugou’s plots and bakugou turns his entire hideout to rubble. a bunch of todoroki’s contacts are collateral during one of bakugou’s attacks and bakugou wakes up to find all of his security died of hypothermia overnight. lest we forget they both have petty streaks.

hero x villain interaction would be. very funny and very bad. hero todoroki would be So Tired of villain bakugou bc of how frustrating it is that hes actually hard to stop and villain bakugou in turn would resent him immensely. hero bakugou dealing w villain todoroki? that would be (psychologically bizarre) fun. i think for some reason that would be the closest we get to a bakugou w ‘doodling hearts against their own volition’ crush energy. but theyd get along a lot better than the reverse, mainly bc hero bakugou is like a decent person and villain todoroki respects moral integrity. in both duos in a lighter setting the villain of the two might start getting a mild kick out of messing w the hero despite their focus on other things just bc 1) it gives villain todoroki the mildest of entertainment to look forward to every blue moon given he doesn’t necessarily wish bakugou any active harm 2) villain bakugou feels he’s owed some todoroki suffering considering how annoying he personally finds him.

that’s my two cents on it anyways. idk what everyone else has in mind!

#qui parle #qui repond #anon #todobaku #tdbk #villain au #katsuki bakugou #shouto todoroki #can someone Please explain to me where those evil deku wearing a bowtie and a smirk hcs came from. i hate that guy #i know where. people just like snarky scary villains. but still. it's the principle of the thing #50

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crystalelemental · 5 months ago

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So I guess you don’t have much positive to say about Stranger of Paradise, particularly it amounting to the Garland backstory no one asked for. Also, if you don’t like 7, which I understand as being one of the most loved games in Final Fantasy, then is there ANY Final Fantasy you would define as “good?”

Oh man. Stranger of Paradise fucking rules. I haven't played it, but I watched a playthrough of it after seeing the Bullshit scene and reading a synopsis and thinking this would be the most cringe shit ever and telling my wife we absolutely had to watch this, and for most of the game it definitely pushes into an earnest "this is so goofy I can't hate it but it's certainly not quality," but then you hit the pivot and it's like am I having feelings about fucking Astos the dark elf right now? That game exceeded every expectation. Jack Garland is unironically cool as hell.

Anyway, there are others, but more under the cut because unfortunately I am in a chatty mood today.

I think part of my answer to this has to come with the caveat of "I've mostly played re-released that made the games substantially more accessible, so if you're asking whether I think any are good it's like...yes but also no."

I think Final Fantasy XII is the best one. I think the story is fantastic, I love the cast, I think Vaan is out of the way enough to not really be a problem, I think the world itself is really neat, I think the concepts for Gambits are a lot of fun to set up and see run. I also think if I tried to play a version of it that isn't The Zodiac Age and had to deal with everyone having the same grid and no speed up function I would stab myself, and even with the updates all the weird MMO-esque low drop rates for certain items in chests is extremely intolerable, into a really poorly designed superboss fight in Yiazmat. Though the phrase "poorly designed superboss" applies to like. Every Final Fantasy superboss.

Except 5's, which I think are legitimately fun and interesting. Five is probably the one I consider the highest quality. Despite being goofy, it's honestly got a really poignant narrative, and an extremely endearing cast. The class system is divine, and I love the creativity available in its systems. I hated it as a kid when I sucked at video games because holy shit is this game kinda hard, but now it's an easy favorite.

I really respect 3. Not the DS version so much, but the pixel remaster actually made me fall in love with the game. It's less refined than 5, and I think it very strongly railroads you into like five actually useful class options, but it's a really fun and very streamlined experience, and the transition from the initial overworld to the Boundless Ocean just really impacted me personally, I think that's a great reveal.

I like four, but I don't think it's good, that's just pure nostalgia. I really latched on to Rydia as a kid, and I thought Cecil having to fight his Dark Knight self and winning only by refusing to fight while the Dark Knight used its HP sacrifice move until it KO'd itself was peak ludonarrative. It's still really good. I just also have to be honest that a lot did not favor it as I aged.

FF1 is pure neutral, because it's not really doing much to have a strong feeling in any particular direction. It's fine. Pixel remaster is the best iteration because you can turn off encounters, turn on 4x EXP and gold, and just boss run the entire game, improving it immensely.

FF2 sucks, but I will admit some story beats are, in my opinion, wildly under-appreciated. You kill the emperor and he conquers hell and comes back. That rules.

FF6 and FF7, the beloveds of the series, are lukewarm for me. FF7 I haven't played recently enough to fully articulate why, I just can't remember anything interesting going on from when I played it way back when, and I am personally less invested in SciFi, which is what that game feels like to me more than fantasy. My wife would probably tell me it's urban fantasy, but the point remains: I want my fantasy to be vaguely old timey. FF6 is a very well crafted narrative that I think takes zero risks on anything. I think it's so well loved because it didn't really push anyone to consider anything they didn't already believe, which is why people think it's super powerful that Celes and Terra, the only two adult women in a cast of 14 playable characters, start to understand their human heart by finding the most boring hetero romance partner or adopting children. Also everything Kefka is about what Exdeath was about, but Exdeath is cooler. "Oh but Kefka doesn't have any kind of sympathetic backstory to-" he kinda does, they explain he was subject to Cid's experiments and that broke his mind. Even if you don't count it, Exdeath doesn't even get that, he's just evil for its own sake. I don't think either of these are bad, only that I don't remember enjoying 7 much, and having recently replayed 6, was not as dazzled as most seem to be.

Listen. I cannot tell you about FF8's plot. I just think about the word "junctioning" and start convulsing. I hate that system so much. I hate that levels scale to Squall's level, so the best way to play is to never kill anything but convert them to cards for the stupid minigame, then use good cards to earn more good cards to convert to spells to junction to stats. I couldn't beat the final boss when I played normally and reached level cap, because I didn't junction all the best spells at 100 uses. I had to restart and play to the junctioning in the slowest, worse grind I've ever known. There's probably a midpoint somewhere that makes the game tolerable but I do not know it. It's the only one I legitimately don't know how people can enjoy. Even 2 has some nonsense going for it, but 8 I cannot remember a single positive memory of.

FF9 was fine, I actually remember liking the general story (apparently I have an affinity for "kinda goofy but very sincere"), but as mentioned, that game solidified my general stance of "Do not ever split the party on me I will kill you." Because they took Garnet at a critical moment, leaving me with no healer, relying on Potions when we barely had money because you can't sell equipment because it has unique skills to pass on, but you can't really grind money either because you'd take damage negating what you earned anyway, until you can push far enough without issue to get Quina and figure out how to learn White Wind, and I hated that entire section so much. Maybe it's not as bad now that I'm older and can take it. But the memory burns within me.

FF10 is really fun to play for the main campaign despite being best described as "immature" on a story level. It's a shame about postgame being the most extreme and tedious grind-fest out there with completely shitty superbosses.

I never played past 12. My step-brothers had a PS2 so I got 10 and 12, with 10 kinda being my entry point, but when the console upgrades happened we didn't get the PS3, so I didn't keep up with 13 onward. I have seen tidbits of 16 and am not impressed. I could not tell you a singular detail about 15 despite knowing I've seen things. No one ever had a positive thing to say when 13 came out, but recently I hear a lot of defense for it but couldn't tell you why.

Anyway, call it contrarian, because I am severely so, but I don't think something qualifies as "good" because popular consensus says so. I think even the games I don't like have merit, and there's a reason that they resonate with people, but I'm not about to defend something that I don't enjoy or find as profound. There are a few Final Fantasy games I consider really good, but they are...definitely not the ones most people agree on.

#ether-gearhead

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denimbex1986 · 1 year ago

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'The day Christopher Nolan called Cillian Murphy about his new film, " Oppenheimer," Murphy hung up the phone in disbelief.

The Irish actor, though a regular presence in Nolan films going back almost two decades, had always been a supporting player. This time Nolan wanted him to lead.

"He's so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, 'Listen, I've written this script, it's about Oppenheimer. I'd like you to be my Oppenheimer,'" Murphy, 46, told The Associated Press recently. "It was a great day."

For Murphy, it is never not exciting to get a call from Nolan. It's just hard to predict if he's going to. He knows there are some movies he's right for and some movies he isn't.

"I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I'm available and you want me to be in a movie, I'm there. I don't really care about the size of the part," he said. "But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him."

Murphy first met Nolan in 2003. He was brought in to screen test for Batman —not just the movie, the character. Murphy knew he wasn't right for the Dark Knight, but he wanted to meet the man who'd directed "Insomnia" and "Memento." They hit it off and Murphy got to tap into a sinister intensity to play the corrupt psychiatrist Dr. Crane/Scarecrow, who would go on to appear in all three films. Nolan would also call on Murphy to be the conflicted heir to a business empire in "Inception" and a traumatized soldier in "Dunkirk."

"We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect," Murphy said. "It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a (expletive) huge one."

Soon after the phone call, Nolan flew to Dublin to meet Murphy to hand him a physical copy of the script, which he devoured right there in Nolan's hotel room in September 2020. It was, he said, the best he'd ever read.

Then the scale of it started to sink in.

This would be a film about the charismatic and controversial theoretical physicist who helped create the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer and his peers at Los Alamos would test it on July 16, 1945, not knowing what was going to happen. Then several weeks later the United States would drop those bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving many with lifelong injuries.

As Nolan said last week in Las Vegas, "Like it or not J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived."

"Oppenheimer," which opens in theaters on July 21, features a starry cast including Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer's wife Kitty, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves Jr., Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman, and many more rounding out the pivotal players in and around this tense moment in history.

"You realize this is a huge responsibility. He was complicated and contradictory and so iconic," Murphy said. "But you know you're with one of the great directors of all time. I felt confident going into it with Chris. He's had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He's offered me very interesting roles over and I've found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets."

Murphy continued: "Any actor would want to be on a Chris Nolan set, just to see how it works and to witness his command of the language of film and the mechanics of film and how he's able to use that broad canvas within the mainstream studio system to make these very challenging human stories."

Over the years, Murphy has come to appreciate that with Nolan there's always something deeper to discover than what's literally on the page. "Dunkirk," he recalled, was only 70 pages and there wasn't much to his character, not even a name.

"He said, 'Look, let's figure it out together and you and me can find an emotional journey for the character. And we did it. We did it out in the water on that boat. That comes from trust and respect," Murphy said. "I'm really proud of that performance."

As with all Nolan endeavors, secrecy around "Oppenheimer" is vitally important. Murphy loves the "old-fashioned approach" that builds interest and anticipation.

The difference with "Oppenheimer" and other Nolan originals, though, is that this is rooted in historical fact. You can read the book it's based on, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's Pulitzer Prize-winning "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer." You can watch the 1981 documentary "The Day After Trinity" on The Criterion Channel.

And you can try to parse Nolan's words for clues. He's talked about recreating the Trinity Test, the fascinating paradoxes, the twists, turns, and ethical dilemmas, and that the story is cinematic and both dream and nightmare. But ultimately, it's something that just needs to be seen.

"The question will be how Chris presents it," Murphy said. "I think people will be very surprised and wowed by what he does. Anything I say will just seem a bit lame as compared to seeing this in an IMAX theater."

The time for discussions will be after the movie comes out.

"There's an awful lot to talk about when we can talk freely," Murphy said with a smile.

He did offer up that they worked hard to get Oppenheimer's look right, from the silhouette to the pipe to the porkpie hat. The man, he said, "seemed aware of his own potential mythology." But, again, those conversations will have to wait.

"I'm really proud of the movie and I'm really proud of what Chris has achieved. This was, for sure, a special one, certainly because of the history with me and Chris. We were not walking around the set high fiving, but it did feel special." Murphy said. "It's an event every time he releases a film, and rightly so. Whether I'm in them or not, I always go to see his movies."'

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gracegrove · 1 year ago

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When I have two clients. Both with fairly recent trauma histories.

One has a tendency to act aggressive, defensive, and reactive... is more likely to say "I'm fine" or "It's none of your fucking business," when I try to work with them in session. Especially if I come near a sensitive topic. They are hard to reach. They may purposely do offensive or even say mean things directed as attacks towards me in an attempt to ward me off. Potentially to even make me drop them as a client. They do not want me poking around. They don't trust me. They may also already be convinced that I can't help them and that I may also potentially exist to harm them. Or that I will just leave them in the end or be yet another disappointment like so many other people who have promised to help. So they're going to shove at me and use every tool they have to scare me away from wanting to interact.

This client gets described as "trouble" "a handful" "your worst nightmare" "a headache" or in other ways being difficult, hard to put up with, and ill deserving of help. They make every inch of ground in session a fight and both of us will feel exhausted at the end of just a 45 min meeting.

The other is withdrawn, quiet, and personable but has a lot of difficulty getting their needs met. They have a tendency to want to please others at their own expense. If I come near a sensitive topic, they might instead deflect by becoming quiet or try to pivot the focus onto me. Compliment me. Try to ask things about me so I'll forget about them. They may try to change the subject entirely. We may have to change the subject in the interest of not derailing the entire session.

This client gets described as "a good kid" "calm/quiet" "sensitive" or in need of help. They are seen favorably and people want to help them. They are viewed as cooperative which can at times be misused by overbearing parents, educators, or therapists who want to force a child to "be well". They are viewed as a problem with a much more easily fixable solution.

You would agree that these are two entirely different kinds of clients, yes? And that they therefore each need their own individualized approach to treatment, yes? So should I....

a. Give a lower amount of treatment interventions to client #2 because, after all, look at how quiet and angelic they are. They're so resilient. It's like they were barely even touched by their trauma at all. What a champ. That way, I can instead prescribe a higher amount of treatment interventions to client #1 because holy cow what a mess... This kid will never learn if they don't have someone like me to guide them. This kid really needs to learn how to be a good person or so many terrible things will happen to them, because they won't stop "acting up".

b. Give a lower amount of treatment interventions to client #1 because they're a lost cause. I dread having them in session. They're old enough "to know better"... Who even acts like this? I mean I know bad things happened to them, but that's not an excuse to behave this way. They're so lucky I'm even here. Give a higher amount of treatment interventions to client #2 because this kid has a better chance. They're such a nice/great kid. They deserve the world and I will do anything to make sure they have all the supports that they need.

c. Give both clients equal amounts of treatment interventions irrespective of their individual needs and/or trauma histories. I'm only one person and resources are thin. Let me just give them both some breathing exercises and some psychoeducation on emotion regulation and they'll be good. Sink or swim, if the treatment was not enough to get you through maybe you didn't take it enough to heart.

d. Give each client the appropriate amount of treatment interventions that they need based on their individual needs and trauma histories, irrespective of how "good" or "bad" they may act both in session and in the greater context of how they present themselves. Because you cannot expect every person to respond in a "one-size fits all" to trauma, abuse, or neglect.

#the soapbox #tw fandom wank #the way i oughta slap for this nonsense of “but they were abused but were still nice”#yeah and some dogs stay nice while others cower and some others fight back #what would they have done if will responded differently

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romancomicsblog · 1 year ago

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Who should play Aquaman in the DCU?

December marks the release of the final DCEU project, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom starring Jason Mamoa and directed by James Wan. While Mamoa has won over many fans as the King of Atlantis with his charm, strength and fresh take on the character, it is more likely than not he will be replaced in James Gunn's upcoming DCU.

While he is not my favorite character in the DC Universe by any stretch, I think he is necessary to introduce the world to Atlantis and be a founding member of the Justice League. The world of Aquaman brings along new possibilities, enemies, and heroes I truly love.

I'd like to cast my ideal Aquaman for the DCU. I am slowly making my way through the Justice League to cast my ideal seven (look back on my page for Batman, The Flash, and Martian Manhunter).

My goal is to cast my seven before they are cast, and see how close to right I can get.

Before we cast as always, let's look back on our Aquaman to see what we can bring over to our new version.

Past Versions

While he has been played in live action in Smallville and an unaired pilot, there is really only one version worth mentioning.

Jason Mamoa as Arthur Curry

Of the Justice League cast, Mamoa was up there as my most skeptical but ended up being one of my favorites.

As Arthur, Jason is relatable, has fun tough guy energy, and feels like a warrior but in a different way than the others. Having an Arthur who hasn't gone to Atlantis yet and is more of a grub and less kingly is weirdly fun and fresh.

In his film, he was an excellent strong leading man. While he felt a little more Wolverine than Aquaman at times, he was fun to watch and brought weight to big moments.

I hope in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Mamoa brings more of that kingly energy Aquaman classically has, but other than that, this is a good performance that will be hard to top.

I also liked that Arthur wasn't played by a named actor. I like trends like that and would like to give an actor not as well known a big shot.

Characteristics

I'd like to pitch a very different Aquaman.

I like an Aquaman who can comedically get his ass kicked.

Arthur should believe in any room he steps in he is the strongest one there, especially when he isn't. Particularly in the Injustice games, Arthur has a "how dare you speak that way to a king?!" energy that I love, and then repeatedly gets bested by Lanterns, Amazonians, Magicians, Kryptonians, and Speedsters. Aquaman is not special in the Justice League, but he should walk into a room and think he is. At least to begin.

I'd like an Aquaman who has been king and protector of the seas for awhile, and has become Smug and Brash because of it. He's still well intentioned but definitely needs to be humbled. This is early days hero Aquaman.

I'd also like him to be sometimes the butt of the joke, sometimes the straight man of the group, but always a real threat. He will likely lose a fight, but he will put up one. Kind of the Drax of the group.

Despite all his shortcomings, Aquaman should still be charming and likable. His confidence should come from the fact that he doesn't know how to lead, and is scared of letting the people of Atlantis down.

What Ethnicity is Aquaman?

This question has become a little more interesting in the past couple of years. While Aquaman is typically a white character, casting Mamoa, did pivot the character to being of Hawaiian descent. This is both logical and honors the character in a great way.

That thinking trickled to Namor, who was casted with Mexican descent in mind for an Aztec feeling.

I think both of these are fun interesting changes that add life to both characters while grounding them in reality.

While I think Aquaman can be white, adding him to cultures associated with beaches, islands and water can be beneficial.

Keeping that in mind, I am going to say any actor could play him.

Other Stipulations

Aquaman needs to be built like a wall. Mamoa brought a much needed physicality to the character that I loved. He should feel as big as Superman, even if he isn't as tough.

Aquaman should also feel comfortable in a royal setting. He needs to feel like a classic king.

I want someone who is younger than our Batman (46) but older than our Superman (30). 35-40 range works, old enough to be a king but young enough to be stupid.

He needs to be charming and kind of unlikeable in his actions, but in the end we root for him. Think Captain Kirk or Thor.

Finally, I don't want to look to actors known for Superhero roles.

Let's Begin.

3. Aaron Taylor-Johnson

I know what I just said, so I quickly want to get this out of the way.

If he wasn't literally every superhero ever Aaron Taylor-Johnson would've been my ideal Aquaman. He's everything needed.

Built like a wall. Charming. Strong. Could absolutely be an asshole. Smug enough to think he's the best in the room but could get his assbeat by multiple members of the League. Could absolutely lead a franchise and fit really well with my cast so far. But.

He is EVERY Superhero Universe already.

He's Kick-Ass, Quicksilver, and Kraven. While he's good in the first two and I'm sure he'll be fine in Kraven, he was wasted in both the MCU and the Sony Spider-Man universe. Aquaman would have been the ideal role for him, and he's been wasted.

If he was Aquaman though, and DC wanted to utilize him properly, he'd be perfect. But for now we'll have to settle for a Kraven who will never fight Spider-Man.

2. Jonathan Bailey

Known for his roles in Bridgerton, Crashing and Jack Ryan, Jonathan Bailey does one thing really well, and that's an asshole.

As the eldest Bridgerton brother he simultaneously played empathetic and a mean spirited antagonist well, striking a balance I like for Aquaman.

He also gets his ass kicked quite a bit, and has to learn from others to be a better man and forgive himself to overcome trauma.

While I think Bailey can do it, especially a meaner version, he leans to mean for me to want him in the group. He reminds me more of Sean Bean in Fellowship of the Ring, where he'd be an antagonist who never really gels with the rest of the group.

I think he'd be a fun juxtaposition from the other characters, but doesn't exactly have the energy I would want from an Aquaman.

1. Jack Reynor

Known for roles in Sing Street, Midsommar, Transformers the Last Knight and Macbeth, Jack Reynor has likely played the asshole in something you have seen.

While he is younger than I would like at 31, Reynor has the right energy I am looking for in an Aquaman.

In Sing Street in particular, he plays an older brother who has become the lazy has been and mentor to his younger brother starting a band. While he comes off as pretentious quite a bit, he genuinely loves his brother and wants what is best for him.

This balance of sad, headstrong, but meaning well is exactly what I want for my Aquaman.

(Also watch Sing Street, it's one of my favorite movies.)

Reynor is 6 feet tall and in my opinion, looks like classic Aquaman. He's big, he's strong, can play a dope or play a king, so why not both?

Reynor is also from Ireland, and while he can do an American accent, I'd like him to keep accent to add something new to Aquaman. Ireland is also surrounded by water, and perhaps in this version, Arthur Curry was born and raised by the water in Ireland.

Jack Reynor also has one thing that Mamoa has that is really hard to master.

Reynor is cool. While he can do outsider of the League and arrogant, we do want someone who will eventually fit right in and chill out with The Flash and Martian Manhunter. That's Reynor.

He's got the look, he's got the vibe. He's the perfect balance between Jason Mamoa and the classic royal Aquaman all while being something a little unexpected.

Jack Reynor would be the perfect Aquaman.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me you can find all my socials here, so please follow!

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holden-norgorov · 1 year ago

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Ranking the SCREAM Movies

I've just finished rewatching all the franchise in order so I'm making this ranking with all the movies fresh in my mind. The ranking is from worst to best.

6. SCREAM (2022).

This was by far the easiest to place because it's the closest the franchise has ever been to making a bad movie. I wouldn't necessarily call it a bad film per se, but in my opinion it ranks below the rest by a significant degree. The opening scene is the least interesting and most predictable out of all the movies: it lacks the power and iconic status of the first, the fun and insightful commentary of the second, the stakes of the third (due to the direct involvement of a character the audience is already familiar with), the unexpected meta subversion of the fourth and the experimental fake Ghostface of the sixth. Jenna Ortega does a good job acting-wise, but it's clear early on that all the scene wants to do is to requel-ize the original Scream opening. This severely strips the scene of suspense and provides nothing in its place that is able to truly hold the audience's attention in a similar way to how all the other five movies manage to. The peculiarity of the scene ends up steming from the fact that the person supposed to be the original victim (Tara) actually survives the attack, but the effectiveness of the twist is delayed because the audience is obviously revealed that once the opening scene is over.

This is also the worst movie out of the bunch acting-wise. Melissa Barrera is really unconvincing in most of the movie to the point of being almost hard to watch, particularly in the first half. The entire new supporting cast is lukewarm at best and doesn't seem to be comfortable in handling typical Scream banter, with many one-liners and puns not landing at all due to failure of delivery. I couldn't really say whether several lines don't land because the script is sub-par or because the main cast does a pure job bringing it to life, but that's still the result. The tear-filled infodump Samantha provides to Tara when the movie has barely started is really disappointing and arguably the worst scene in the entire movie. Not only does the scene feel misplaced (you can't expect your audience to be able to buy a moment like that so early on with new characters - we have known Sam and Tara for twenty minutes, so the emotional investment that kind of scene is supposed to inspire completely falls flat), but it's also very poorly delivered and, strictly quality-speaking, a betrayal to the original Scream, where Sidney's background and connection to a previous Woodsboro murder was carefully revealed to the audience through bits and pieces by different characters in a very intelligent manner. Here instead we have a huge exposition from Amber to everyone else about Sam and Tara's relationship, and another huge exposition from Sam to Tara about her true origins. Neve Campbell as Sidney feels also way less invested in the story than ever before: she doesn't even shed a tear for Dewey's death, which I find rather odd (you could argue that a lifelong exposure to constant death, trauma and inability to discern who to trust could have bolstered her to the point of self-protective stoicism, but I still think such a pivotal moment as the death of one of the Core Three who had been a main character for five movies merited a more weighful reaction from the iconic protagonist of the franchise). Instead, we just get a quick acknowledgement, and by the very next scene Sidney and Gale are back to a rather forced and forceful banter that almost makes it look like parody.

Last thing I'm going to mention is the new characters. This is the area where I think it's more evident that the script has also to be somehow at fault. Every character here feels incredibly generic. It's not that they are not given enough screen time to develop some kind of personality, it's just that the movie doesn't seem interested in providing it. Compare the general hallowness and vagueness of each new character here (including those who are going to become the new main characters of the requels, particularly Tara, Mindy and Chad) with how the way less important and more decorative characters were written, for example, in Scream 3. Sarah Darling was dead in the first quarter of the movie, and yet in a couple of brief scenes she had more depth and texture than almost everyone acquires here in the entire length of the movie. Same thing could be said about Scream 2's CC Cooper. Here instead we have a very long scene preparing us to the murder of Wes, but we know basically nothing of him, and our investment in his survival is severely compromised as a result. Same thing goes for Stu Macher's nephew, who is literally just a caricature. The killers' motive is also a bit underwhelming and feels very much like a meta excuse to bring the franchise back to life with a new generation. I also think it's hilarious that the villains complain about the Stab movies needing new material and about how stupid and disappointing is for Stab 8 to decide to call itself like the original movie (as a requel could never beat the original, as they say)... within a movie that's supposed to be called Scream 5 but instead labels itself as another original Scream. It's hilarious not because it lacks self-awareness (it obviously doesn't), but because the entire meta commentary ironically falls short due to this requel proving that its villains are correct - as Scream (2022) doesn't even come close to Scream, and fails at most of what made the first instalment of the franchise so great.

Not everything's bad, though. There are things I like about this movie, although they are few and far between. Samantha being Billy's illegitimate daughter is actually a brilliant way to revitalize the franchise without betraying the essence of the saga, because it provides believability to the establishment of a requel by still tying up with not only Scream, but Scream's own prologue (Maureen Prescott's death). This provides a valid reason for the franchise to continue existing and to even evolve in something possibly unforeseen, without it being contradictory or turning itself into something completely different than what it was always supposed to be about. Although I have to say, Sam having mind conversations with an astral projection of Billy is a bit weird and I don't think works remotely as well as Sidney's own allucinations of Maureen that she experienced during Scream 3. The meta scene at Martha Meeks's house works well enough as long as you keep in mind that, in universe, real-life events surrounding Ghostface attacks have given rise to a long-lasting Stab franchise that is thematically equivalent to Scream. This does provide the characters with the ability to analyze their lives and experiences as they were pieces of cinema without incurring in suspension of disbelief from the audience, or turning "too meta". The characterization of Dewey and Gale's relationship as being strained by divorce is completely believable and a very good narrative choice, and the twist about Sam actually having freed Tara that comes up at the climax is successful - mainly because it's the first real taste we have of Sam's potential and badassery as a protagonist.

Overall, it's not that bad. There are a lot of things I don't like, but also a handful that I really like and think live up to what came before. But I can't say the movie ever escapes the state of mediocrity.

5. SCREAM VI (2023).

Now it starts to become difficult. I was torn between three different instalments for this position, as they basically rank at the same level in my mind, but I ultimately decided to go with Scream VI. Overall, there's very little here that doesn't work, and I find this "sequel of the requel" a gigantic step-up from its predecessor in pretty much every aspect I can think of. The opening scene sets itself apart from what came before by luring us to believe that we might get a Ghostface POV firsthand and proceed with it through the movie, thereby instantly awakening an additional level of curiosity in the audience towards what's happening. The entire cast seems much more at ease with their characters and the rhythm of the franchise, with Melissa Barrera particularly showcasing a definite improvement in the acting compartment. Unlike Scream (2022), each character now gets a specific voice and personality that is able to escape caricatureness and enter into personhood. The group dynamic is also definitely felt way more, with "The Core Four" being given enough material to finally merit the viewers' emotional investment in their characters.

Another upside of the movie lies in the little moments of exchange between characters that help to build up the main relationship between Sam and Tara - I'm thinking about scenes like that between Sam and Gale, or Tara and Kirby. Sam and Tara face a character development of their own that is clear, well-written and aptly executed. The writing is definitely much more Scream-like than what we were given in the previous movie, despite its occasional overindulgence in meta territory that in my opinion sometimes takes it too far. The kills are by far the most graphic of the entire franchise right along with the ones shown in Scream (2022). Some of the sequences of this movie are also among the best of the saga when it comes to suspense, particularly the ladder escape scene and the subway scene, with a honorable mention to the Gale apartment scene. The phone call between Gale and Ghostface is terrific and fully manages to capitalize on the fans' attachment to the only present member of the original three in order to build an amazing sequence, where the killer both taunts her about Dewey and provides meta reference to Gale's recurring role as Sidney's shadow and failing opportunity to turn herself into an iconic Ghostface. It's an exploitment of the original trilogy in the best possible way. Another huge positive is the killer's fake lair with all the iconic evidence from the previous murders, because of how fucking cool it was to see that tapestry of Woodsboro history and all the memories it brought back up - it helped providing an additional sense of realism, and therefore enhanced the viewers' investment in the entire universe even more. Sam's complicated relationship with her father's influence on her self-perception as a possible future killer is incredibly fascinating to watch unfold and I'm very curious to see where it's going to lead (I predict a future final instalment with Sidney vs. Sam aka Ghostface). The conspiracy theory idea was also brilliant both on a narrative standpoint and on a meta commentary standpoint on the way modern technology lends itself to easily manipulate truth and spread falsehoods like a virus in the virtual public square. I also appreciated Kirby's comeback, even though her characterization seemed a bit off compared to Scream 4 - but people change and it's been twelve years, so I give it a pass.

So... why am I ranking this at fifth place out of six, if there's so much I like and think of as improved compared to the requel that came before it? Well, for a couple of reasons mostly. First one is, obviously, the Ghostfaces of this movie. This sequel of the requel attempts once again to live up to the sequel of the original, this time by replicating the killers' motive, but once again it lands nowhere near Scream 2. And that's probably Scream (2022)'s own fault more than it is this movie's, but that's the way it is. In Scream 2, Mrs. Loomis's motive was layered and incredibly complex given the little screen time that was allowed her upon her reveal. Yes, she wanted to avenge her son's death at the hands of Sidney, not differently than how Richie's family is trying to do the same exact thing in this movie against Sam - but what Scream VI lacks is the additional level of background that informed pretty much everything surrounding Sidney and all the Ghostfaces in the original trilogy. Mrs. Loomis was also a victim of marital infidelity because of Sidney's own mother, and an argument could be made that she was also after some posthumous forgiveness from her son regarding her own abandonment of him upon her discovery of said adultery. In a very brief scene the audience was provided plenty of reasons to speculate on how and why Nancy Loomis was on a killing spree and was specifically targeting Sidney. Here instead, the only motive we get is a clear-cut, old-fashioned revenge story - but it lands very clumsily, given the fact that Richie's own motive was never about some perceived harm perpetrated against him at the hands of Sam, but only about his own disappointment at Stab's decrease of quality. While it becomes quite easy to get why Mrs. Loomis would go to such lengths to target Sidney, it is rather hard for me to wrap my head around an entire family turning psychopathic in order to avenge the death of someone who, as far as we know, didn't even have any kind of traumatic past and just went on a killing spree because he was pissed at the movies, targeting Sam not because of personal vendettas but simply because of who her father was. It's a downer, and it makes it very hard for me to buy this movie's Ghostfaces, especially given how vicious their kills are. It ends up just being not that interesting and not that believable either, making Scream VI by far the entry of the franchise with the worst Ghostfaces.

And secondly, there are multiple instances, throughout the movie, where my suspension of disbelief is significantly tested. How is Quinn able to steal the knives and allow another Ghostface (presumably Ethan) to enter her own apartment without anybody else noticing? How come is Ghostface so slow at moving a fairly small cabinet that was only partially blocking a door no one was holding close, taking so much time that Mindy is able to cover the entirety of the ladder, and Anika, who is severely wounded at the abdomen, about half of it? How is Detective Bailey able to swap Quinn's body with a fake and circumvent forensic analysis? How is Gale able to find Greg and Jason's lair? (I mean, that's not hard to guess, but my complaint is that we are not allowed to see the process of discovery. If this was happening in the original trilogy, we would have been shown Gale finding the place, not just told as much and asked to take the information for granted.) And how is all that evidence been able to slip out of police archives unnoticed? I get that Bailey is a detective, but we are not talking about a couple of pieces of evidence. We are talking about the entire thing, including all the original Ghostface costumes and masks used by the actual killers. It's just too much. And finally, how is that the plot armor seems particularly evident in this movie? Chad survives something like 10+ stabs to the chest and abdomen. Tara is able to keep on fighting despite being stabbed at the back and at the abdomen as well. I get that adrenaline effect is powerful, but she also has an entire conversation with Sam showing no signs of distress, and what should be a copious amount of constant bleeding doesn't seem to do anything more than stain her clothes, and then just... stops by itself? Let me get this straight: I'm usually not that interested in focusing on these kinds of plot-holes in a Scream movie, and I'm sure each one of them has some questionable moments when it comes to credibility. But this movie is the only one where these kinds of plot-holes were so recurring to the point of being impossible not to see, and therefore for them not to affect my suspension of disbelief.

All things said, though, this is a very solid movie, and a definite step-up from the previous. By no means it is bad, or even mediocre.

4. SCRE4M (2011).

This definitely caught me by surprise because Scream 4 is, in a very similar way to (I suspect) most of the fans of my generation, the movie that started it all for me, other than probably the first horror movie I have ever seen. It not only encouraged me to experience the previous three movies and catch up with what came before it, but also to dive into the horror genre as a whole, kicking out some sort of passion towards horror cinema that still persists in me nowadays. I've always held this instalment in high regard, partly because of my attachment to it and his status as personal gateway to the franchise, and it's only throughout this last full rewatch session that it found itself slightly losing ground on my ranking, ending up in fourth position.

The beginning of the movie is, in my opinion, a brilliant way to summarize what Scream is about and to re-capture the attention of an audience that hasn't been fed Scream material for more than a decade, while simultaneously taking the viewers by surprise and reminding them of the importance of metatextuality for this franchise. It cleverly reminds us of the existence of Stab in such a way as to force us to peel back to the raw material like an onion is opened and reached at its core through layer and layer. We are reminded that Stab is an on-going franchise, partly fictional, partly inspired by books written by Gale Weathers, which are based on real-life events the writer herself has been repeatedly implicated in, which happen to constitute the plot of the previous Scream movies. The reason why it works is because it pays homage to the iconic opening of the original trilogy while subverting it at the same time, only for later on to betray that very subversion with an updated reiteration of the same scene, providing a modernized commentary on how the evolution of technology since the previous instalment is equipping psychopaths with newer, more subtle ways to subdue their victims and carry out their crimes. I think this scene works perfectly to re-open the Scream experience after so long - way better than what Scream (2022) ends up doing after a comparable time jump.

Overall, I have next to nothing about this movie to complain about. Sidney's character development as the writer of a self-healing book is completely believable and provides new interesting ways of enriching her dynamic with Gale, who is both envious of her for a variety of reasons but also uncertain about the kind of person she herself has become. Is she still the ruthless, shameless journalist of ten years ago who would have exploited even tragedies sorrounding her loved ones to bolster her career prospects, or is she a depressed writer falling into obscurity after deciding to give up her work for love? The movie shows that she is a combination of both. Seeing Dewey as the new Woodsboro sheriff and the way he handles the conflict of interest with his wife, all while indulging the obvious flirting of deputy Judy, provides fertile ground for their future divorce while simultaneously feeling like a natural progression from the last movie, or a very likely an IC route that their marriage could have easily embarked on. The new generation of characters is also well-written, with an interesting and believable dynamic and mostly fleshed-out personalities, with maybe the exception of Trevor and, shockingly, Jill herself, who for most of the movie comes out as suffering from the Main Character Syndrome (i.e. she is written mostly as a blank slate so that most people can project their own personality onto her, thus easily identifying her as the character through which to experience this new Woodsboro). However, what could be seen as a writing flaw turns into a solid strength when it is revealed that Jill was, in fact, Ghostface, and therefore that the personality she showed the viewers was mostly, if not entirely, a deliberate act on her part aimed at tricking them into thinking she was the next Sidney in line.

Speaking of which, the best aspect of this movie is precisely the worst aspect of Scream VI: Ghostface. For starters, the idea of revitalizing the saga by having Ghostfaces decide to actually film the murders to make their own movie is genius and a perfect way to make us feel the passing of time from the first three movies. That said, both Charlie and Jill's reveals are pretty awesome, to the point that they are arguably the best reveals of the franchise. Of course, Jill's mastermind plan and ability to completely subvert the audience's expectations takes the cake, but it would be a mistake to overlook Charlie's own very effective and subversive twist, aimed at mimicking Steven Orth's death and turning it on its head. Jill's speech to Sidney about growing in her suffocating shadow and being the product of a generation of fakeness and virtuality that needs fans as opposed to friends, with another twist that shows her exploitation of Charlie's romantic feelings to turn him from a possible Randy to Trevor's Stu and her willingless to play proto-Amy Dunne and cover herself in self-inflicted scars to build up a heroic story, is incredibly poignant and utterly satisfying to watch. So is Jill's own cruelty and cold-blooded apathy at the hospital, where she manages to almost incapacitate four people, three of which are the historical main characters of the original trilogy, before stumbling on a very rewarding and effective death by defibrillation. And the finale scene of the movie, with the audience staring into her lifeless eyes while the journalists outside the hospital award her with the final-girl hero status she so desperately craved, is fantastic.

So why is this movie in fourth position? Because here and there there are some things I think could have been done better. I ultimately think the pacing drags a bit when the movie stops to focus on minor characters that are ultimately not that likable or not developed enough to be interesting to follow or to witness being killed, such as (respectively) Sydney's publicist Rebecca, or Perkins and Hoss. There's the wasted potential of a conversation between aunt Kate and niece Sidney about Maureen that sadly never takes place. There's the questionable acting of Marielle Jaffe as Olivia that fortunately doesn't last long. And maybe most importantly, there's the fact that everything that Jill herself does at the hospital in the last scene, upon discovering of Sidney's survival, ultimately disintegrates her entire plan up to that point and inevitably taints the story she wishes the world would be told, regardless of whether her secondary attempt at killing Sidney proves to be successful or not. Simply put, if she could have gotten away with everything she had orchestrated at Kirby's house... she would have never managed to preserve her imaginary status as heroic victim within the public consciousness after confronting a very-not-dead Sidney, even if she had managed to effectively kill her the second time. That makes the entire last scene, though satisfying in many ways, ultimately pointless with respect to Jill's entire mastermind plan, thus losing at least some of the viewers' investment into (and respect for) her character. But that's pretty much it.

All in all, this is a very strong and successful attempt at bringing the saga back to life, with excellent ideas and shocking reveals, a large amount of strengths and very few, almost insignificant weaknesses. And despite falling down a bit in my current ranking compared to the position it used to hold, I still think it's an amazing entry for the franchise.

3. SCREAM 3 (2000).

I think this is by far the most underrated movie in the entire franchise. I know it's a bit divisive, because there's also people who really love it and share my same opinion, but at the same time this is the instalment I find most often at the bottom of people's ranking, and I genuinely don't understand why. There's very little here that doesn't work, and most importantly, it builds on its predecessor with impeccable ability. It's a movie that, from beginning to end, is imbued with a deep sense of finality, with the clear intent of having the story of Sidney Prescott come full circle in a way that truly proves to be successful in selling the idea that the franchise was actually meant to be a trilogy all along (especially because if there's something Scream 2 lacked, was a sense of overarching closure to the entire story). It ties so flawlessly and spontaneously with how Scream 2 had left things that I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that the second and third entries of the saga were planned simultaneously, and the idea of having the story evolve into a trilogy was entertained even before starting to make a sequel to the successful original Scream.

I find the opening scene of the movie really effective in awakening the audience to the fact that this chapter of the story is meant to be climactic. The stakes are higher than before right from the get-go: Ghostface's first attack is against a main player in the background story of Sidney, other than the very person who saved Sidney from Nancy Loomis at the end of the last movie. In fact, Scream 3 starts by getting rid of the same person that made its entire existence possible in the first place. Ghostface also has voice-changing devices that he exploits to trick Cotton's girlfriend Christine into attacking him, already establishing to the audience that, this time around, an additional level of mistrust and impairment for the heroes to communicate with each other will be in place. The feeling of climactic finality is effectively laid out here, and remains constant through the entire movie.

I know one of the most common complaints about this movie lies in Sidney finding herself out of reach from the main source of the action, the Hollywood set of Stab 3, for a significant portion of the film (about half), but it actually doesn't bother me at all. Her arc through the movie is a perfect continuation to her Scream 2 more secluded, antisocial persona, other than being the exact follow-through solution to her problems she herself proposed to Dewey during the previous film, as soon as Ghostface had reappeared and bogyguards were being given instructions to keep her safe. Other than feeling totally IC, this seclusion plan allows for Sidney to undergo a deeper and richer introspective exploration of the way she has been psychologically scarred by Maureen's death and her own previous victimizations, in such a way as to lead both the character and the audience to understand that a resolutive point is going to come (by the way, having her work as a crisis counselor for women is actually a brilliant narrative choice). I also love the way Roman's Ghostface allows for the movie to play with the idea that Sidney might be actually allucinating her mother, in a not so different way than how Scream 2 never made clear if she was allucinating Ghostface sorrounding her during threatre class or if she was actually being toyed with by him. This ability to play with real-or-not-real is what, in my opinion, makes these kind of PTSD-like allucinations in the original trilogy way more interesting and effective than those Sam suffers from during the requel generation.

Dewey and Gale's relationship likewise seems like a perfect follow-up to the previous movie, with their dynamic feeling like the same while simultaneously changing just as much as to keep it interesting and keep us invested in what's going to happen next between them. The writing of the movie is also really good, and while I don't necessarily agree with those who claim that Scream 3 is tonally different from all the other instalments (I don't find it too light or too funny for its own good, as seems to be the general opinion), I will admit it keeps me highly entertained and consistently amused - almost certainly more than any other entry of the franchise is able to do. Another huge positive for me is the supporting cast. There's a lot of secondary characters here, and they all feel aptly characterized and pleasant to watch. There's never a moment where I'm bored or uninterested in what's happening, or a character that I find too generic and caricatural. The movie also takes advantage of its setting to provide some solid and daring commentary on Hollywood culture, power dynamics and exploitation. I also love that in the same movie where Sidney enhances her isolation to the point of social seclusion she ends up finding her future husband - we don't have much with respect to romantic tension between her and Kincaid, but we have enough to grasp that a mutual fascination is taking place.

The climax of the movie works very well, in my opinion. Sidney shows experience and a renowed sense of badassery that proves to be the culmination of three movies by tricking Ghostface with a double gun and a bulletproof vest. I also like the idea of Ghostface exploiting Dewey and Gale to lure Sidney into the mansion, capitalizing on the audience being finally able to preemptively exonerate them from their suspect lists. And I will say it right here, I'm usually not a fan of retcons at all, because in my opinion it takes a certain kind of talent to be able to pull an effective retcon off - someone like Joss Whedon, for instance. Not many screenwriters are able to do that convincingly. But I think this particular retcon actually works. Both because it is actually cleverly orchestrated and doesn't delegitimaze or confute anything the canon previously established, and because it does provide the ultimate circular closure to the story of Sidney, retroactively lending a justification to her ongoing allucinations of Maureen and her inability to move on and get past her own past. The entire subplot about Maureen having worked as an actress under stage name and about her known promiscuity being the traumatic response of the sexual exploitation she endured during the ‘70s is incredibly fitting and interesting; the twist of Roman being Sidney's half-brother feels merited and credible, and the actual retcon of Roman being behind Billy's discovery of his father cheating with Maureen, which as we know prompted his decision to kill her and then to try to kill Sidney one year later, is actually a very smart narrative choice. And I know the story works because I don't find cringe at all the moment where a filled-with-trauma Sid takes the hand of a seemingly dead Roman, whose own mother's rejection lead him not only down the path of psychopathy but also to find common ground with Billy as well. Everything truly does come full-circle in a way that's commendable.

Why the third position, then? Because there's one scene that I struggle to get behind: the Randy scene. I get the need to have a meta scene to explain to the characters the rules of a horror trilogy, but the idea of Randy having decided before his death on Scream 2 to capture on tape such a discussion just doesn't work. It's silly. It would have been much better if Martha herself had been introduced as a fellow geek and done the explaining herself, in my opinion. I love Randy and was happy to see him again, but that scene is just too much a stretch of credibility for my taste.

Other than that, I think I have nothing else to complain about. I also loved the ending of the movie, with Dewey's proposal to Gale and Sidney finally coming to terms with her past and cutting ties with her self-perception as a constant victim. Perfect.

2. SCREAM 2 (1997).

I think this is an excellent sequel, that in some ways ends up being even an improvement from the original. People often underestimate the importance that a sequel holds in establishing not only the trajectory, but also the very existence of a franchise. If the original movie is good, then a sequel is green-lit; but if the sequel is also good, then the opportunity for a significant expansion of the world is presented, and talks about the creation of an entire franchise start to happen. Just like it was Empire Strikes Back, not Star Wars, that determined the direction and expansion George Lucas's franchise could be able to reach, it's Scream 2 that solidifies the idea that Woodsboro is a place worth revisiting, and our characters are people worth exploring and knowing better. Without Scream there would be no Scream 2, but an argument could be made that without Scream 2 there could be no franchise. This by itself cements the importance of this movie.

I don't think I'll be spending that much time on this. I have next to nothing to complain about. Not only does everything basically work, in many cases it builds on the previous instalment to effectively raise the audience's expectations. The opening scene introduces the metatextuality of Stab to the franchise; it's incredibly fun and suspenseful at the same time, with two iconic kills, some commentary about the tropes found in horror cinema, a subversion of racial expectations and a kind of gimmick that is capable of capturing the full attention of the viewers early on (the woman is named Maureen). The movie is written incredibly well, to the point that I would go so far as to say that it's the best written out of the entire franchise. The film class scene where sequels are discussed is arguably the best and most successful attempt the franchise is able to make at effectively providing meta commentary about the specific instalment it's producing (be it a sequel, a conclusive chapter of a trilogy, a remake, a requel, or a sequel of a requel), because in this case it almost doesn't even feel meta.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of this movie lies in the way it's able to take the distinctive character profiles that were introduced in Scream and make fully fleshed-out people out of them, ending up being arguably the best movie for Sidney, Dewey, Gale and Cotton when it comes to characterization. If Scream established that Sidney was a self-described "sexually anorexic" girl with unresolved family trauma and a survivalist attitude likely steming from a coping mechanism, Scream 2 builds on the additional trauma she experienced during the first movie to depict an even more secluded, guarded and mistrustful individual, whose PTSD has significantly increased to the point of genuinely affecting her own day-to-day life, who is somehow shown to be both more afraid (as she knows what Ghostface is capable of this time) and more badass and willing to fight back than she was previously, without it ever seeming contradictory. She is afforded well-executed psychological exploration and many occasions to show mental frailty and inability to cope with her reality of seemingly inescapable victimization, while simultaneously attesting that she has an inner core made of steel and a fiery determination. Between the "I'm a fighter" moment, the "I want to know who it is" moment and the iconic "You forget one thing about Billy Loomis. I fucking killed him" moment, this movie shows Sidney at her lowest and at her highest, and officially turns her into one of the best written female protagonists of a cinematic franchise.

Likewise, if Scream established that Gale Weathers was an unscrupulous, power-hungry journalist who was willing to do anything to advance her career and, while clearly harboring some kind of fascination towards Dewey, was mainly concerned with how to manipulate him to make her job easier, Scream 2 gives her a full character arc, re-acquainting her with the audience with that same archetypal persona but clearly showing that this time (as opposed to last time) she learns something from her experience with Ghostface and undergoes a clear character development, ending the movie prioritizing her humanity and genuine care for Dewey to her conventional opportunism. Dewey also gets to shine through this instalment in a way that was not possible to him before, showcasing the lasting effect of physical scars and a newfound level of maturity and assertiveness that clearly sets him apart from his boyish characterization in the previous movie, highlighting the important role experience and Tatum's death had in accelerating his growth. A honorable mention also goes to Cotton Weary, who goes from being barely a face in the background that fed Sidney's insecurities in Scream to a very interesting and well-written character here that constantly seems to vacillate between hero and anti-hero until the final act.

Scream 2 also features some amazing sequences, mainly Dewey and Gale's chase at the movie archives, Sidney's reharsal in theatre class, the car scene (which has to be the most successfully suspenseful the franchise has ever been) and the entire final act. I've already talked about my opinion on Mrs. Loomis as Ghostface, so here I will just reiterate that I love her. Mickey's motive is definitely banal, but I think it works perfectly as complementary to Billy's mother, who is clearly meant to steal the show. Besides, Timothy Olyphant imbues Mickey's character with gleeful euphoria as well as psychopathy, and Derek's death scene has to be one of the most tragic moments of the entire franchise because of what Sidney's deep-seated traumatic mistrust says about her willingness to risk him being killed. This might be as close an ending to the original movie as there have been in the franchise thus far, with respect to success and effectiveness. It's just an amazing final act.

The only complaint I have about this movie is that, as opposed to what happens in Scream 3, here a lot of secondary, background characters do feel severely underwritten. Derek has a very plain personality, and the cafeteria scene is more cringe than cute on his part (even though I think it was absolutely needed to show Sidney's ability to still enjoy life and not fall into despair). The top chicks of Omega Beta Zeta are so useless I don't even remember their names. Hallie is just kind of there until she isn't. Joel is cool, though.

I've nothing else to add. Amazing sequel. About Randy's death scene I'm just going to say: it was the right call. An effective way to raise the stakes without compromising the narrative too much for its own good.

1. SCREAM (1996).

Of course the one that started it all had to be first. It just occurred to me that this ranking may probably seem incredibly ordinary at this point, but it is what it is.

This is arguably one of the best horror movies ever made. Certainly one of the most iconic, and one of the most capable of exploring an entire generation's relationship with the horror genre, the ongoing and rapid technological development of the modern age and the way society is impacted by it, with a particular emphasis on the existential crisis of the modern man, his constant feeling of dreadful out-of-placeness and the role cultural artifacts play in incentivizing him to consider unhealthy let-outs for his ill approach to life and the world. There's pretty much nothing here that the movie fails at. It features one of the most iconic opening scenes of all time, great characters, an amazing story and fantastic writing. It effortlessly manages to blend horror and comedy together creating a successful mixture of vibes, in such a way as to easily remind me of its contemporary masterpiece that is Buffy The Vampire Slayer. One of my absolutely favorite things about this movie is its ability to allow the full spirit and atmosphere of the ‘90s to manifest on screen and to color the entire story with a specific generational touch that, in my opinion, truly ends up making this one of the most emblematic movies of that decade to ever be produced.

Honestly there's very little else to point out because everything works perfectly. One aspect of the film that particuarly striked me during this latest rewatch is how much Scream actually spends on the subplot regarding Cotton Weary's incarceration being the result of a convinction likely based on erroneous testimony - a testimony at the hands of the daughter of the town's notorious promiscuous woman who was raped and murdered a year before the events the movie focuses on. Sidney's character is incredibly fascinating, has a very interesting and peculiar backstory and makes for a perfectly conceived and very well-written protagonist. Likewise, Billy Loomis makes for at least as alluring an oppositional character, showing his ability to hold his ground against the main heroine in terms of character depth, iconicity and background material. Sidney and Billy, with everything intertwined about their past that comes on the surface during the third act, are by far the pinnacle of the movie with respect to what makes the story fascinating and worthwhile to watch. But every other secondary character is iconic in its own way - Gale, Stu and Randy in particular. The metatextuality is brilliantly executed. Randy's scene on the rules of horror, juxtaposed to Billy and Sidney's sex scene, and his subsequent advice to Jamie Lee Curtis to turn around while Ghostface is right behind him are some of the most memorable moments that helped turning Scream into a cultural milestone of the genre. The entire third act is phenomenal, with Billy's motive being the perfect piece of the puzzle to make the entire story come together fully in a satisfying way, and Stu managing to come off as both terrifying and hilarious in his psychopathy. Sidney in the Ghostface costume will always be iconic. "Not in my movie" will always be iconic.

Overall, there's only praise and absolutely no complaints here on my part, and If I was to pause and analyze everything that I believe makes the original instalment of the franchise the one deserving the first spot, I would end up writing about pretty much every single scene of the movie, and that's beside the point of this ranking.

It's just a masterpiece, and still remains an unicum in the horror landscape to this day. I mean, there's a reason why almost thirty years later an entire franchise based on the success of its formula is still going on, and the fanbase for this movie is still continuing to grow. It's just a classic.

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