#like who were the chinese parents who decided that being open w/your feelings (w/your children but also in general) was a no-go

[hua-fei-hua]

when i was in my second year of high school i sat next to this guy in history whom i didn’t rlly get along w/until i saw him writing love letters to his girlfriend and offered to fold them into hearts for him. i wonder what he’s up to.

[m00nl1ghts1vt]

City of Love - Matt Sturniolo

Requested by anon Part Two. Part three Pairings - Matt Sturniolo x fem!Reader Warnings - strong language & a lil fluff 😇 W/c - 2536 Summary - You move back to your hometown, Boston, after a bad breakup. When your takeout gets dropped off next door, your neighbor comes by to give you your food, already paid for. A/n - Thank you for requesting ❤️ I had a lot fun with this one!! Kinda gave me some inspiration so I might do a mini series about it?? Let me know what you guys thinks!! I wrote this off my phone but edited most of it on my computer so hopefully there’s no typos 🤦🏻‍♀️ Requests are always open! Check out my masterlist for my most recents!! Also dividers & photos are not mine - all credits to owners. Update - edited. Thank you for reading!!

"Over there is fine," you point to the mover you had hired. After ending things with your high school sweetheart, nearly four months ago, you decided to make the move to one of your favorite cities. The only romantic relationship you've ever known was gone, it left you feeling lonely. Instead of dwelling on the situation, you decided to make light of it, accepting a new job, and moving across the country. Call it crazy, but you couldn't bear living in the same town as the man who broke your heart.

It was a proximity thing - no matter how many times your brain told you to stay away, your heart wouldn't allow it. So, the only way to finally wash your hands of your shitty ex, was to get the fuck away from him. And that's exactly what you did.

Boston has always held a special place in your heart. Your parents were born and raised here. They graduated, meeting after college, and having you a couple years later. Unfortunately, your family moved to Seattle before you hit age 12, due to your dad's busy work life, but you always made it a point to come back.

Your parents referred to Boston as the 'city of love', being that's where their relationship began to really flourish. The love they had for each other inspired you. It was nothing you had ever witnessed, or experienced, before. To this day, they still act like teenagers in love. One of your main goals in life was to find a love like theirs. It was raw and real.

"Okay, looks like that's the last of it," your head snaps to the man standing in the doorway of your new home. You shake your head, almost like you're trying to push the thoughts out of it.

Clearing your throat, "thank you so much, Tony," walking over to your purse, and scavenging through it. You pull out a fresh hundred-dollar bill, holding it in front of you, "I appreciate you guys so much!"

Tony's eyebrows raise and a confused, yet surprised look takes over his face, "you already paid by card, Ms. y/l/n."

You shake your head at him, "it's a tip. I had a lot of stuff to move, and you guys were available last minute. Here, Christmas is coming up soon." Knowing Tony had three young children at home, it was the least you could do. He had only talked about them the whole time he was moving all your belongings in. He ran a small moving business with his brother and father-in-law, and honestly you called all over the city, trying to find a moving company who would accept your proposition last minute. Tony was the only company with the availability, and that you were grateful for.

Knowing money was never a problem for you, you went out of your way to help others in need, whether it be giving a homeless man a hot meal or volunteering at the local food drive. It warmed your heart every time you did a good deed, hoping your act of kindness would go a long way for somebody, someday. Tony gives you an appreciative nod, taking the tip, and goes on his way.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

It was almost seven o'clock at night. You decided unpacking was too much of a bother, so you ordered Chinese take-out instead. There you were, sprawled out on the floor of your empty living room, waiting on your dinner. You were still in the process of furnishing your newly bought home. A bit of a perfectionist, you'd sit on the floor for months until you found exactly what you wanted. Even though your financial state was never a problem, your parents still taught you the value of a dollar, which you were thankful for. Along with your father's amazing money management skills, you were set for life at the ripe age of twenty.

A loud knock on the door brings you back to reality. You knew your ring doorbell wasn't set up yet, so not being able to see who was knocking on your door made you feel uneasy, until you remembered your Chinese take-out. Not caring that the delivery man was going to see you in your superman pajama pants and a cropped tank top, you make your way over to the door, slinging it open. You don't make eye contact with him, instead you reach for your purse, fishing for cash again. Once you pull out a twenty-dollar bill and hand it to him, your eyes finally meet.

What a fine delivery man.

"I already paid for it," he croaks out, his voice getting stuck in his throat for a second. A confused look makes its way across your face as you and the strange delivery man, who apparently pays for people's food, look each other up and down. He clears his throat, "it got delivered to my house. Delivery guy seemed like he was in a rush,” he states, letting his eyes wonder around to the atrocious setting behind you.

“Oh shit, here,” you tell him shoving the twenty-dollar bill towards him, “thank you,” with one hand on the door, ready to grab your food, and close the door in his face. You didn’t care how handsome he was. You wanted to be by yourself, and also save yourself the embarrassment of your cute neighbor seeing you this rough looking. Spiderman pajama, c'mon.

“I was actually gonna eat it,” you watch as his face twists in amusement, “kidding. I’m Matt,” he introduces himself and holds out the brown paper bag your food is in.

“Y/n,” you tell him before taking the bag. Thankfully, it looked untouched. You didn’t know what it was but there was definitely something about this strange, adorable man, joking with you like he knew you already. It brought comfort to your night.

“I like that,” he shoots out, almost like word vomit. Before you can say anything, a cringe-like look spreads across his face, “I mean, it suits you.”

“Thanks,” you let out a giggle. A sudden wave of silence takes over both you, so you awkwardly come up with something to say, “I just moved in.”

“Yeah?” He asks, but it was obvious he already figured that part out. Considering that fact his eyes kept drifting to the empty living room behind you. Matt lets his eyes drift once again, but they finally fall on yours, locking you in. The two of you stay stuck in a trance for a moment, not saying a word.

A blush creeps up, heating your cheeks up a dark shade of red. You let your eyes fall to the floor and back up at him, only to see that his face matches yours. You clear your throat, “come in?” It’s a suggestion, but it comes out as a question.

Matt sucks in a sharp breath, nodding, as you step aside to let him walk in. You turn around and make your way to the kitchen, knowing the only furniture you have is the barstools, your bed, and a couple miscellaneous items. Setting the brown paper bag on the island, “sorry for the mess. It’s been a long day,” taking out two plates out of a box nearby. The only thing you had the energy to unpack earlier was your silverware drawer, so you open it and fetch two forks. Spinning around, and making you way to Matt, little did you know he was already watching your every move.

“I don’t have my furniture yet so we’re eating in here like real adults,” you joke, trying to break the ice. You quickly open the takeout containers of chicken lo mien and general tso’s chicken.

“I was just kidding,” he tells you, eyeballing the food like a starved man. “You eat,” he looks up at you. Those blue eyes had you drawn to him for some odd reason.

“Well, that’s the only reason I invited you in. You said you’re hungry, now eat,” you playfully order. He starts to say something, but his mind decides against it. He gives you a warm smile and nods, “thanks.”

“Any time,” you return the warm smile and take a seat next to him. “One minute,” you hold up a finger at him before running to the living room to retrieve your laptop.

Taking your spot next to Matt and setting your laptop in front of you. Big Mouth plays on the screen, but you don’t bother to change it. Probably the worst decision you made all night because the show was extremely perverted. You and your new neighbor sit in a comfortable silence while the tv show plays in the background.

“So,” he stretches out, “you’re from Boston?”

You shake your head, making sure to swallow your food before speaking, “well, yeah. I was born here but I’ve lived in Seattle since I was 12.”

“What made you move back?” The tone in his voice made you wonder if he was being genuine or just nosey. It was melancholy, that’s the best way to describe it. Like something was missing in his life, like he didn’t have anything to live for.

Taking a deep breath, you had to brace yourself every time he spoke. You didn’t know what it was or why it was happening, but Matt had a certain vibe to him, a vibe that you couldn’t quite pinpoint. All you knew is that you needed to figure out.

“It’s the city of love,” the words rolling off your tongue before you even realize you said them aloud. Matt looks at you for a moment, like he’s trying to read you. You match his energy, staring him down like he was doing to you, making Matt blinks a few times, attempting to look away but his mind won’t let hm.

“You really want to get your tongue underneath hers, too. Yeah, you want to get in there like a Claritin to just dissolve,” one the characters from Big Mouth sounds thru the kitchen, a bit too loud. Matt’s head snaps towards to screen, his face heats up dark red as he looks from the screen to you, basically snitching on himself.

For the millionth time tonight, your face matches his - red and flustered.

You and Matt chat for a while, making small talk about the love you both shared for Boston. He vowed to take you out to get more familiar with the city since you hadn't visited in years. Small talk turned into an hour's long conversations about everything under the sun, moon, and stars. You felt like you were catching up with somebody you had known for years. Eventually, Matt's eyes fall to his phone. 10:53 pm. He watches as you yawn, your elbow still propped on the table, and your head resting on it lightly. Big Mouth still plays across your computer screen, the perverted animation wasn't such a bad thing, you had forgot it was even playing. Matt gets up, taking your dishes over to the sink to rinse them off. The small act of kindness impresses you, taking him for the gentleman he truly is.

“Thanks for hanging out with me. I don’t know a lot of people here,” you tell him. In the beginning of the night, you wanted to stay in your solitude. It was an overwhelming day for you, and you weren’t expecting company. When Matt showed up at your door, you had no intentions of eating dinner with him, but you’re glad you did. His company gave you some type of comfort. Even though there wasn’t a lot said between you two, besides random chit-chat, you were grateful he interrupted your night.

Matt leans against the counter, “thanks for having me. I’m right next door so if you ever want to hang out,” he trails on, indicating he had a good night too.

“It’s the least I can do,” you tell him, “especially since you paid for it. Thanks again, by the way.” You weren’t used to having anyone, except your dad, pay for things. Even when you were with your ex, it was a routine you always paid for everything. It didn’t matter if it was dinner and a movie or something more expensive. Hell, you even got his car out of impound before, and that was easily seven hundred dollars. It all went unnoticed with him.

“Well, I seen you moving in earlier. I wanted to come over, but I didn’t want to be a bother,” he tells you, honesty lace through his voice. You walk over to him, leaning your body against the opposite counter. Superman pajamas pants and your cropped tank, you fold your arms over your chest to cover yourself from exposure. Not having a bra on made matters very noticeable.

Matt’s eyes trail over your body, taking in every inch of you. “So, you just wanted a reason to talk me?” your whisper-like tone sends chills down his spine, peppering his arms in goosebumps. He clears his throats and nods. A flirtatious smirk pulls at your lips, “I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah, me too,” the mood becomes softer, and he searches your face with his eyes.

Courage sparks through your core, and you decide to test the waters, “you want to kiss me, don’t you?”

Your questions take him by surprise, and you watch as Matt fixes his posture, fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket. He makes sure to keep his eyes locked on yours, “only if you want me to.”

You press your lips together, “do you think I do?” Being a tease was one of your many talents, you were best at it.

Matt’s eyebrows furrow together, and he thinks for a split second. “Y-yea, I think so,” he stutters over his words. It obvious you have a certain effect on him that makes him nervous. Or maybe it was the moment.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

That’s all you have to ask him before his hands shoot out, finding your waist, and pulling you towards him. Your face is inches away from his, and he leans in for a quick, yet hesitant, kiss. It only lasts a split second before Matt pulls away. His soft lips made you want more, so you smash your lips into his, a little rougher than anticipated. Matt snakes a hand around your waist, and the other travels up to cup for cheek.

Your lips move against his like two waves that had been separated for a lifetime. You make a fist of his shirt, trying to pull him in closer to you. This was the closest you had been to someone romantically since your ex. The kiss was something you had never experienced before, being with your ex for so long made the spark die out. You hadn’t been kissed like this in years and you were loving every minute of it, but you knew it had to end soon. You were running out of breath and trying to breathe through your nose with his face so close to yours was sucking it right out of you.

Matt is the one to break the heated kiss, finally pulling to look at you. “Woah," he's absolutely flustered, and you loved to see it.

[blu-joons]

DATING NCT A⇴Z HEADCANON ⇴ Huang Renjun

A ⇴ AFFECTION

Renjun is very much a cuddler, he knows he’s not the tallest person in the world, but he sure feels tall when he’s able to wrap his arms around you and know that the feel of his body around yours helps to make you feel safe and loved.

B ⇴ BEFORE DATING

The two of you were sat beside each other one night when you were hanging out at the movies. Despite Winwin joining him, and your best friend at your side, the two of you soon found yourselves talking to each other as the adverts played before the movie and exchanging numbers once it had finished as well.

C ⇴ CONFESSION

To confess, Renjun decided to take you back to where it all began. It was a different film, but Renjun brought the same snacks and also chose the same seats for the two of you to watch a new release. This time around, he waited until the end of the movie to start talking to you and tell you how he felt. In that time, the cinema had cleared out, but Renjun was more than happy to leave things as the two of you for a little while.

D ⇴ DATES

When he can, Renjun likes to try and cook for you and show off the skills that he’s picking up on. It definitely doesn’t always turn out perfectly, but you can see the effort that he puts into it, and that’s what matters the most to him. Either whilst you eat or after, you’ll usually sit down and watch a movie with each other. At times, it’s hard to find a film that Renjun hasn’t watched before, but after searching high and low for a film, you’ll end up sitting down with your meal, somewhat paying attention to the film, and somewhat to each other too.

E ⇴ EXPERIENCE

As one of the elder members in Dream, Renjun knew that if he started dating then he’d have to make sure that it set an example to the others too. He didn’t want to rush things, Renjun was usually quite a calm and casual person anyway, and as he was learning so much anyway in dating you, he didn’t want to overwhelm himself, or you. Of course, WinWin would be a huge help in reassuring him too, whenever he did feel like the world of dating was surprising him, he would turn to his friend and offload and search for a bit of support and reassurance.

F ⇴ FIGHTING

Arguing is not something that is common between the two of you, Renjun is one of the main members who tries to keep a positive atmosphere and keep people smiling, and so fighting is definitely not something for him. Even during your fights, he never lets his anger show and tries to remain calm and smiley to also keep you relaxed too. He’s not someone that can deal with the tension after a fight either. It won’t be long before he reappears and tries to make things right between the two of you because he can’t cope with not being able to talk to you and move around the house knowing that you’re mad at him.

G ⇴ GETTING TO KNOW HIS FAMILY

Being an only child, you knew his family had high expectations for whoever his partner would be. You definitely felt the pressure too as you’d usually only speak to his family via video chat. Each time he spoke to his family, Renjun tried to get you involved so you had the most time available to you to get to know them all.

H ⇴ HOME

The two of you are very lucky that Jisung is understanding of the two of you and will often free up the dorm room if need be. However, Renjun can usually be found at your place instead as it’s a lot more private. After a few months together, Renjun will start spending more time at your place too, slowly moving in without either of you even noticing.

I ⇴ “I LOVE YOU”

At the end of a terrible prank on you, Renjun found himself saying, ‘I love you.’ He knew that he’d messed up bad, your face was a giveaway, and no matter what he did or said, you were silent. He knew they were three words he’d been waiting to say for a while anyway, and the only solution to get you to start talking to him again.

J ⇴ JEALOUSY

People’s opinions aren’t something that Renjun lets bother him too much, nor is he bothered by their actions either. If someone wants to try and make him jealous, he knows his sharp tongue can quickly shut them down before they get too far. It’s a relief to you to know that you have a bit more freedom to do whatever and know that Renjun won’t be jealous. He trusts you and knows that he can stand up for himself and your relationship if he has to if anyone even wants to try and overstep the mark with you.

K ⇴ KIDS

Again, as an only child, Renjun felt a slight weight on his shoulders to have children and continue the family line. He’ll definitely be open with you about having children and giving his parents grandchildren too. But you’re both young, so it will never be something that he’ll force you into deciding too much about just yet. His only hope is that by planting the seed early, you’ll be less scared in the future when children become a more serious topic.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

Renjun loves to make sure that everyone around him is happy anyway, but his focus is always especially on you. He’s naturally funny, and he knows that he can use that to his advantage too which you soon learn first-hand. If he annoys you or frustrates you, it’s only a matter of time before the perfect joke is uttered by him and the smile is back on your face again. A positive environment is of great importance to Renjun, he always likes to make sure that everyone is enjoying themselves whenever they’re around him.

M ⇴ MISSING

Being one of the older members, Renjun doesn’t want to let the other Dream members see him missing you too much, he prefers to be there for them to have to rely on them to be there for him. Throughout most of the day he can usually keep himself composed quite well, but the moment he gets a text or call from you, then his heart will begin to pound a little bit harder. If he’s touring with NCT U, then he’ll open up a little more about his feelings as one of the younger members, knowing that the elder members are always there for him and always keeping a close eye on him too whenever they’re away from home.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

Renjun loves to use Chinese nicknames whenever he’s addressing you. The language is something you’re keen to pick up on anyway, so he’ll often teach you new words by addressing you with a new nickname each time.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

He’s obsessed with your kind heart. Your support is what means the most to Renjun, and you give him that and so much more out of the goodness of your heart.

P ⇴ PDA

Affection in public is usually quite playful as far as Renjun is concerned. He’s not afraid for someone to watch the two of you if he decides to start pinching at your waist or squeezing your shoulders a little too tight. He knows that it always makes you blush which just makes it a whole lot funnier for him too.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

Living with Renjun is pretty chaotic, so you’re usually having to ask him to tidy up a bit more or move his things from lying around. You never imagined one person could live so messily until you started living with him.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACTS

In his spare time, Renjun likes to give drawing a go, and so he’ll often find himself making sketches of you. They’re something that he’d never show to you as he’s quite shy about his drawings, but he loves to draw up photos of you he’s taken or recreate memories that he can recall the two of you making in the form of a drawing. His sketchbook is kept very safe from everyone, but he loves to fill it with little doodles and edits.

S ⇴ SEX

He loves to tease you whenever the two of you get intimate and try and push a few of those boundaries, but he always makes sure to do it with an innocent smile on his face. He can see your frustrations growing at times, but he shrugs as if he’s doing nothing wrong. When he does this, you’ll always make sure to get revenge on him and prove to him how it isn’t nice to tease when someone wants something so badly.

T ⇴ TEXTS

Renjun will often text you throughout his day so that the two of you can make plans for that evening. As messy as he is, he likes for his schedule to be organised and make sure that everything for your time together can be perfect.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

As far as Renjun was concerned, you were his best friend. He never really imagined love being something that was missing from his life, but when he met you, he realised it was something important to him, more than anything else.

V ⇴ VACATION

When the time came for Renjun to be able to go on vacation, there was only one place he wanted to go. You knew more than anyone how badly he wanted to go home for a while, but when he asked you to join him on the trip, you were more than surprised. Of course, you said yes, excited to see where Renjun grew up too.

W ⇴ WHINING

If you stop laughing at him, then Renjun will definitely start to whine. It’s not because he wants the attention necessarily, but just to know that you’re doing fine.

X ⇴ XXXXX

Your cheeks are definitely Renjun’s favourite place to kiss, when you’re feeling sad, he’ll be able to kiss against them when you bury your head in your hands, or when you’re happy, he’ll be able to kiss along your laughter lines and your blushed cheeks. They’re the perfect spot for any emotion that you’re feeling, annoyed, embarrassed, angry, or over the moon, he’ll always kiss against your cheeks before anywhere else.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were his sidekick, at his side throughout everything he did in life.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

Every night, without fail, Renjun loves to fall asleep with you nice and close to him. Feeling your body curl into his side makes him smile like nothing else and feel comfortable enough to fall asleep, knowing that you’re right there with him.

---

Masterlist

[ships-for-you]

For @incognitotheangel

I’m apologize for being idle for quite a while and this request might as well have been in my inbox for a year. Anyway without further interruptions, let’s get on with it!

For Black Butler, I ship you with Grell Sutcliffe!

The both you would have met under normal circumstances, or at least what was presumed to be normal.

You would have been a scholar from the western end coming from boarding school and was sent to stay with your distant relatives for a while. You’ve never heard of the Phantomhive’s having any sort of tie with yours and you remained skeptical, however, decided upon following your guardian’s wishes and got into a carriage with the coachman who was informed of your destination beforehand. Being from a family that was as well-off as your own, money has never hindered your family from achieving what they desired nor were you denied access of necessities. This had become blatant to mostly everyone from your section, especially on your account of dyeing your hair a color that was, and is, considered the most expensive and royal color. A rich purple hue that would have been sourced from a rare species of snail however you had discovered an alternative by utilizing the essence of a plant that gave a similar shade and vibrancy as you would from that specimen.

Once you arrived, nervous as nervous can be, you were greeted by a face mirroring your own anxious exterior, you immediately processed the supposed best approach to explain your presence at the front of the manor’s large doors as he did not seem aware of your arrival.

”Excuse me, however, I have bee—” ”I-I’m afraid we w-won't be entertaining any visitors.” he said quickly as the seemingly heavy doors slammed shut before you could utter any words of opposition followed by an unidentifiable scream of, what seemed to be, surprise and other odd sounds.

You were about to step off of the elevated platform when you turned around and saw a tall man with a mysterious aura, along with a child with an eye-patch across his face by his side, approaching you. ”Ah, Lady (L/n), you arrived earlier than expected.” the little boy had said as he moved forward to the door, which was initially open just a few moments ago. ”We have been expecting your arrival.” was all the boy had said as he merely motioned for you to follow him along with the tall man, whom you discovered was his servant, tended to your luggage and presumably brought it to your own private quarters.

”Perhaps we can settle this confusion over some tea?” he started and proceeded to open a door only to be greeted by a mystery red-haired woman, a Chinese man, and the butter you had seen prior. The boy’s face seemed to have shifted from confusion to distaste, to irritation upon seeing unwanted company ransacking one if his rooms.

You came to know that the unknown woman was his aunt, one was a Chinese trader, and the other was his aunt’s butler...with an extreme inferiority complex...

You soon found out that the ”unwanted company” consisted of his aunt, a Chinese trader, and his aunt’s butler. As soon as he made eye contact, his eyes widened and his pupils contract as small as they could and he immediately got in his knees, bowed, and apologized profusely once he found out you were a distant relative of the young boy and his own mistress as he made an attempt to jump off the nearest window.

Overwhelmed by being faced with a situation you had never imagined to occur, you immediately moved and hugged him from behind to hinder him from falling. He slowly turned his head to look at you while the others were either baffled or merely squealed in delight. You came to and removed your body from his with a light dusting of cerise upon your cheeks. He looked away and coughed awkwardly however apologized once more before taking his place by his mistress’ side, alternating between looking towards your direction and keeping his head down.

Needless to say, further interactions later had not been awkward although not necessarily the most pleasant situation to be in either. That first impression, your impulsive fashion of dealing with the initial situation, combined with your inability to prolong a meaningful conversation without overthinking, most interactions with him alone are kept to a bare minimum. He does find your intelligence quite fascinating and aside from the impulsive action you had executed on the day you first met, you have a very logical approach to problems and keep calm, you constantly ensured a well thought out plan and approach to any situation.

Because of your intellect and your fairly logical decision-making, Ciel had asked for your assistance to aid him with the investigation of the leather apron case or, as the killer refers to himself, the Jack the Ripper case. Even with your aid, it has proven your collective efforts were futile as all of you have received news of the infamous killer striking once more despite already having the primary suspect under close watch. You raked your brain, trying to find the flaws in yours and Sebastian’s deduction and found nearly no window for doubt. You were no fool, however you might be susceptible to letting your emotions occasionally drive your logic. It can't be, can it?

You went out into the garden to clear your mind, the cold wind nipping at your skin as you were only in your sleepwear. You stared at the roses then shifted your gaze to the bright moon. You closed your eyes, inhaled then exhaled deeply, composing your thoughts. It all seemed to be coming together...until you heard a twig snapping and a few leaves crunch perhaps as an accident. ”Hello darling!” A head popped out of one of the rose bushes, their hair nearly a direct contrast from the white roses me was surrounded by.

He removed himself from the bushes and neared his face to yours, all the while grinning ear to ear as he scrutinized your stunning face. ”Ah, I've waited sooooo long to reveal my true form to you!~” he said as pulled you to him and pressed your body to his as close as humanly possible to the point that you felt as if you would lose consciousness. He let you go soon enough and tilted his head to the side a bit. Only then do you notice diminutive scratches scattered upon the man’s face and a bit of blood staining his collar.

”A-And who might you be ?” you questioned and attempted to create distance between your bodies however failed as he did not intend to loosen his hold on you. He made a whining noise and pouted dramatically as he answered, ”I must say, you wound me though I do understand, I wasn't as vibrant I would have wanted. My, what a dull disguise that was.” he whined and mindlessly examined his blood red nails. You racked your brain in the attempts to identify the identity of the red-haired male that stood before you and came to only one conclusion. ”Grell?!”

You couldn't believe this...transformation. ”Oh, so you do remember!” he made a move to near his face more and more to your own as you struggled against his grip, all the while squealing ever so slightly. ”What happened to your face?” You examined. ”Just a little lovers’ quarrel between me and bassy.~” He lowered his head and grinned once more before inching his face near yours. Being inexperienced with intimate contact with other individuals and contact in general, you shut your eyes tight and stay as still as possible as you await whatever were to happen. You hear Grell laugh softly yet a mischievous undertone shone through. ”You really are a cutie.” he whispered into your ear and distanced himself. You opened your eyes hesitantly only to still be greeted by that cheshire grin that he seems to enjoy making.

”You definitely are an interesting one! Red will always be my favorite although I must say that purple suits you more than red ever could.”

For Diabolik Lovers, I ship you with Ayato Sakamaki!

I'd like to think that you and him, along with the rest of his brothers, would have met as minors. I'd also like to think that you would be one of the only unchanging variables in their lives and gave them a taste of humanity.

As cliche as it may seem, a person of your nature truly is attractive in nearly every aspect. Whether it be your naturally placid personality, your stunning brown hair, or your thirst for knowledge, you naturally seem to draw them in, much to their displeasure. This family is not known for holding ”affections” towards any individual and it became increasingly difficult for them to focus on their own distinct priority as you seemed to plague their thoughts, as if forcing your way into their care. Naturally, this had resulted in them denying you of their attention therefore, you distanced yourself from them as you perceived yourself as a burden.

You were very much aware of the situation they were in and their relationships with their mother and father or, occasionally, lack thereof. You were a naturally calculating yet feeling person and thus swore to yourself to protect them from further damage to their comprehension of ”human” emotions. The only hindrance? They grew up, and so did you.

Children cannot remain children for eternity, they will grow, become stronger, smarter, and more powerful than their opposers. Their relationships as brothers will begin to deteriorate and become independent of them. Their hatred towards their parents, guardians, each other, and themselves is inevitable and they will become emotionally distant. You had made efforts in the attempt to redeem your connection with them only to be welcomed half-heartedly. Allowing you access to observe their lifestyle however stopping half-way as they did not seem to trust you enough to address and entertain your questions. Of course, wanting to know more yet not wanting to stalk them, you insisted upon lodging at their own manor.

A few years have passed and coincidentally you would be attending the same academy as they did and you made it your small mission to merely be there and support them should they need help in any and every sense of the word. You handling given up on your intention to pry into their painful experiences and concluded to be there for them in the present despite being unable to do so in the past. You shared the majority of your classes with the two eldest brothers although you preferred the company of the second son as he would aid you with your studies and also seemed to enjoy your much-loved genre of horror and macabre literature.

Once you had come over to their humble abode, you were quick to approach your own quarters to organize your school works with the intention of finishing your load in order to create free time for you the following day. As much as you wouldn't like to admit you were distracted, you couldn't help but let your thoughts wander places and ideas that you know you wouldn't end up executing.

Once you had finished, it was still considerably dark however you needed to sleep (night school, remember). You quickly fixed your stuff and lied down on your bed but not before changing into what you deemed comfortable sleepwear. As you were about to doze off, you felt a side of the bed sinking a considerable amount indicating a presence behind you. The unknown company you had beside you slung their arm across your waist and buried their head into your neck as you heard a sharp but quiet intake of breath. You turned your body to face the perpetrator and were greeted with their bright green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark. The slightly frazzled look his face displayed invoked a sense of melancholy from within yourself as your hand unconsciously travelled from your side to his face in a gentle caress.

”Stop that, ore-sama demands it.” he took your hand in his and moved it off if his face however made no move to remove his hand from yours. You smiled softly and intertwined your fingers together, it was in moments like these where the vampire’s haughty exterior would crumble and render him almost defenseless and you could only admire his courage. A part of the reason as to why you gave up on interrogating them was the fact that they confided in you enough to allow you to see them in their most vulnerable state. You came to the conclusion that they will never truly be able to trust you wholly although you found that more than enough as, it may seem small from your perspective, it must have taken quite the risk to entrust you with their own little secret.

You snapped out of your small monologue as you felt his fingers slip through yours and felt his weight shift from beside you to above you. He hovered for a while before he muttered something incomprehensible to you as he lowered his head to your neck, to which you only turned your head to gave him full access to. You've had the rest of them drink from you before and this would be no different. You felt his breath fan across your skin only to feel faint but prolonged contact. His lips left your neck as he returned to his place on your side and pulled you to him. You felt warm blood creep unto your cheeks and calm your pounding heart. He hugged you tighter and nuzzled his head further into your neck. You, with your calmed and content heart, soon enough fell asleep, missing the words Ayato muttered under his breath.

”You belong to me and no one else.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I apologize if they are extremely out of character however, I do hope you enjoyed regardless.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 9/4/20 – TENET! MULAN! I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (but now that I’ve seen Tenet and Mulan, I’m better)… and More!

It’s Labor Day weekend… it is, isn’t it? I can’t even remember what day of the week it is anymore, and it looks like movie theaters across the country are generally all reopened except for a few specific areas. While theaters seem to be playing a variety of old and new movies – and Chadwick Boseman’s breakout 42, in which he plays Jackie Robinson, will be shown in 300 AMC theaters starting Thursday --  it still feels like we’re not quite where we should be. That said, only three states remain fully closed as far as movie theaters go: New York (eff you, Cuomo!), North Carolina and New Mexico. California is slowly rolling out movie theaters reopening in certain sections but not in L.A. or San Francisco just yet. Honestly, I’m having a rough week, and I’ll be surprised if I even get through half the movies that I have seen and planned to review, let alone everything else I have to do.

Finally! The movie that’s looking to be one of the most controversial movies of the summer, if not the year, comes to the United States. Of course, I’m talking about Christopher Nolan’s TENET (Warner Bros.), his tribute to James Bond movies with John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) playing a super-spy (of sorts) who teams with Robert Pattinson to perform intricate heists on a mission to find out who has discovered bullets that travel backwards through time and brought them back into our time. Also starring Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh, the movie has received mixed to positive reviews with about 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can read my full review right here and a second technical review here.

Right now, it looks like Tenet is going to be playing in roughly 3,000 theaters over Labor Day weekend with only a few states fully closed including my own (New York), as well as North Carolina and New Mexico. A few other states like New Jersey and Maryland are reopening but it may be too late to get Tenet in there. California has a few areas open but not Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Although I’m hesitant at making any predictions right now or doing a full-blown analysis – there so many unknowns in a pandemic -- I think a four-day opening of somewhere between $25 and 28 million should be possible even with limited seating in most theaters that have reopened. I think people are ready to go back to theaters despite the negative narrative created by certain irresponsible film critics who seem to care more about their own personal health than that of the industry that has allowed them to pay rent and live large for years.

Another movie that I’ve been looking forward to and actually my most anticipated movie of the year is Disney’s live action remake of their animated classic, MULAN, this one directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, Niki Caro of Whale Rider fame. I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally see this movie after being invited to a press screen back in March, and then have it systematically cancelled as everything else started shutting down. Fortunately, I got a screener and while not my favorite way to watch a movie, I absolutely LOVED IT!

It stars Yifei Liu as the title character, made famous in the 1998 Disney animated movie, and it follows a similar story of a teen girl who steals her father’s sword and armor and pretends to be a man to join the Imperial Army under secrecy. There are definitely major changes in Caro’s version, most notably the lack of songs and no sign of Mushu, the adorable dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy. This is also not meant for small children, because it’s PG-13 not because it has anything terrible like someone waving genitals or swearing but because some of the action does get intense without much blood or anything terrible. I mean, this is definitely a SOFT PG-13, if that’s even a thing.

The movie is gorgeous and in the vein of movies I love like Zhang Yimou’s Hero and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and it’s even exec. produced by Bill Kong, who produced many of those films. The point is that I love these kinds of movies, plus I’ve long been a fan of Caro’s, and everything just comes together beautifully from the performance by Yifei Liu to the fantastic characters around her, including ones played by Jet Li and Donnie Yen (reuniting from Hero!), as well as an amazing witch played by the indelible Ms. Gong Li, who is also terrific. Sure, there’s a few issues with the dialogue, but this is not a kiddie movie, as much as it’s something on par with the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and I just love all of the decision Caro and her all-Asian cast make in telling this story in a new way. I particularly liked how the film followed Chinese traditions and dealt with things like “chi,” but as with the animated film, the stuff in the army 

On top of the amazing martial arts fights, there are also some terrific battle scene that would do Braveheart proud, and it’s all pulled together by Harry Gregson-Williams’ score, which may be one of my favorite pieces of music this year. Definitely a score I’ll be buying since it brings so much excitement and emotion to every scene, but that’s just as much a credit to Ms. Caro and her fantastic cast, who in a couple scenes, particularly between Liu and Li, had me tearing up almost as much as every single time I’ve watched Caro’s debut, Whale Rider.

I’m sure that fans of the animated movie (which I only saw for the first time earlier this year) will have different expectations, but you can’t fault Disney for being a little bit concerned and undeservedly dumping it to the Disney+ streaming service (which you can watch it at a premium of $29.95) rather than giving it the theatrical release it truly deserved. Honestly, if for some strange reason, Disney decides to play it in a bunch of theaters once they’re fully open, I would not hesitate to watch this again in what I consider a much-better environment for a movie which is likely to end up in my top 10 for year. It’s probably my favorite straight-up Disney movie (not including Pixar or Marvel) since maybe Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, although I kind of enjoyed Mary Poppins Returns, too.

I also have a crafts review of Mulan over at Below the Line, so check that out!

While I’ve generally been mixed on Charlie Kaufman’s movies that he directed himself, I couldn’t NOT watch I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, his new movie on Netflix, starring Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons as a young couple going to visit his parents, played by Toni Collette and David Thewlis. At first, it looks like they’ll get stuck in a snowstorm, but then they get there and then they leave and once again get stuck in a snowtorm. No, this isn’t Centigrade 2, but actually something far FAR worse, to the point where I’m not even sure where to begin.

It starts with Buckley’s “Young woman” – yes, Kaufman doesn’t even bother giving her a name – being picked up by her boyfriend Jake (Plemons) before the long ride through the snow to his parent’s house. The whole time, we hear her inner thoughts about wanting to break up with Jake for one or reason or another, her thoughts always been interrupted by Jake making a statement that seems out of the blue. When they get to his parents’ farm in the middle of nowhere, things start to get weird, and I don’t want to go into too many details because if you read my review and decide to sit through it anyway, then it’s your own fault.

Apparently, this was loosely based on a book of the same name by Iain Reid, but it was adapted by the guy who wrote Adaptation, so Kaufman pretty much just went off and did his own thing based on Reid’s general premise. What I find particularly weird is that some of the early reviews talked about this movie as if it was a horror movie, but I just don’t see that at all. It’s just a really dry and weird comedy that doesn’t really take off. While parts of it remind me of the comics work of Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), who I genuinely love, other parts just get so weird, and at times, it reminded me of David Lynch’s Eraserhead or M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit, but only because there are so many WTF moments that you wonder what the actors must have thought while they were doing what Kaufman told them to do. Again, I’m not going to ruin the experience of being thoroughly confounded by some of the weirder moments but after Buckley and Plemons leave the farmhouse, they’re back driving through the snow and having far more intelligent conversations about such mundane topics. At one point, I thought, “This movie must be over soon, right?” and I checked, and there were 43 more minutes to go. That’s when I went from angry to outright ballistic, because I knew that there were so many other things I could be doing than listening to all the talking, talking, talking… They eventually arrive at an abandoned school and go there for shelter, and I was like, “Oh, good, now we get to the horror stuff.” Nope.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is the perfect movie for the scant few that raved about Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, or those who consider Holy Rollers a masterpiece of the highest order. Awful, aggravating and almost unwatchable at times, I’d only recommend Kaufman’s movie to people as a practical joke. Nah, I’m not that mean. It’ll be on Netflix tomorrow. Good luck with it.

Filmmaker and Rooney* frontman Robert Schwartzman directs his third feature, the comedy THE “ARGUMENT” (Gravitas Ventures), which takes the simple idea of a cocktail party and turns it into a riotous and sometimes strange comedy of errors, of sorts.

Dan Fogler and Emma Bell play couple Jack and Lisa, he a writer, her an actress, who have been together for some time, and Jack is ready to pop the question. After the final of a stageplay Lisa is co-starring in, Jack throws a cocktail party at which he’s gonna propose. He invites over his agent Danny Pudi from Community) and his wife Sarah (Maggie Q) but Lisa has invited her amorous co-star Paul (Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris all grown up!), who brought his own bubbly girlfriend Trina (Cleopatra Coleman).  As Trina starts drinking, thing just get worse and worse, and it inevitably turns into a full- on fight between Jack and Lisa aka the “argument” of the title. Jack is convinced that if they have a do-over on the night, they can prove who is right.

Oh, yeah. That couldn’t possibly work, right? Well, I’m not going to spoil it, but the one do-over turns into several, which turns into Jack trying to script the perfect cocktail party with the six of them … or rather five after Maggie Q’s character quits in a hilarious huff where she does impressions of the other five. (I’ve always found Maggie to be hilarious from talking to her years ago, and it’s great that her comic skills are finally being used, along with her beauty.) Eventually, Jack brings in actors to play each of them and perform the script he’s written so they can all sit back and figure out where things went wrong. Honestly, The “Argument” is more like the Charlie Kaufman movies I liked (such as Adaptation), and the movie has a vibe a lot like the play God of Carnage, which Roman Polanski adapted into a movie that nobody saw and few gave a fair shake. Also reminded me of Ike Barinholtz’s The Oath, which I quite enjoyed. The main leads are great, but I gotta give additional kudos to Maggie and Cleopatra Coleman, who gives a surprisingly layered performance as possibly the first ditzy African-American not-blonde “blonde” in movie history?

Although Schwartzman didn’t write this movie – it’s written by Zac Sanford who made The Chumscrubber -- he does a great job using his talented cast to throw many surprises at the viewer, and I was laughing quite hardily as the movie went on, because I really enjoyed the characters portrayed not just by the main six but also the actors playing the actors. Yeah, I know it might get confusing but at least this doesn’t have time travel, so if you want a fun and unexpectedly clever dark comedy, do check out The “Argument” which will be in theaters and On Demand, and apparently, you can even order it bundled with WINE?!?!? (*And you can also check out Rooney on Spotify!)

Another really nice surprise this week was Jeff Barnaby’s apocalyptic horror film BLOOD QUANTUM (Shudder/RLJEFilms), which was released on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-Ray earlier this week but is also on the awesome horror streamer, Shudder, I guess right now? It involves a community of indigenous people in the reserve Red Crow who face the undead when an infection hits the village through a bunch of animals who come back to life and then infect the humans. The movie starts on the first night of this plague and then cuts forward six months when the people of Red Crow have shut themselves off from the rest of the world with the hopes of keeping those still alive uninfected from the hordes of “Zeds” outside their gates.

I’m a little bummed I didn’t have press notes for this movie because there are so many great characters and performances, but it was hard to keep track of them without a scorecard. It does star Michael Greyeyes from Fear the Walking Dead, as well as Forrest Godluck (The Revenant), Kiowa Gordon and Elle-Máijá Tailfeatures, but other than Greeneyes, who plays the sherriff trying to keep his family safe, I could barely keep track of the characters or figure out who played them, and that’s a shame.

I generally liked the recent Train to Busan: Peninsula but Blood Quantum works just as little bit better, mainly from the interaction of the characters in a world full of sex and drugs and gore galore where you never who is gonna get killed but for the most part, they’re likely to go in a way that involves blood that pours like a waterfall. You add to the quick pace of Barnaby’s direction the amazing score that almost sounds like Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and you have a movie that makes you realize that Barnaby has made a film that perfectly captures the spirit and feel of John Carpenter’s best work. 

I actually watched John Leguizamo’s feature film directorial debut CRITICAL THINKING (Vertical Entertainment), way back in March, literally my very last press screening before movie theaters shut down, little realizing that it would be the last press screening for six months! It’s written by Dito Montiel, who I’ve generally been mixed on, and it’s based on a true story from 1998 where a Miami teacher, played by Leguizamo, tries to save a group of Latino and Black teenagers from the inevitable drugs and crime that kids from the underserved ghetto usually get into by teaching them chess and getting them all the way to the National Chess Championship. I didn’t get to rewatch it to write any sort of intelligent review, but as you can imagine, it has a Mr. Holland’s Opus or Dead Poet’s Society feel, but mixed with the little-seen Disney movie, Queen of Katwe, which I generally enjoyed much more. I do think Leguizamo did a pretty decent job with his first feature as a director and maybe if the crazy early days of COVID weren’t distracting me so much, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. This is a movie that I need to rewatch with a better head on my shoulders.

Tyler Norwood’s doc ROBIN’S WISH (Vertical) takes a look at the last years of comedian and actor Robin Williams, who died from suicide in August 2014 at the age of 63. To everyone who knew him, from close acquaintances to fans, it was a mystery why Williams would take his own life with things going so well in his marriage to Susan Schneider. After his death, the autopsy showed that he was afflicted by undiagnosed diffuse Lewy body dementia, and apparently, that was enough to do his head in to the point where suicide seemed like the only solution.

This is a very different than the equally good Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, because it does focus so much on Williams’ last years and his relationship with Schneider, who plays a much bigger role in this movie with in-depth and intimate moments. It also does a good job talking to Williams’ neighbors in Marin County, who laud the comedian’s commitment to entertaining those in the community. It also interviews Shawn Levy from the Night at the Museum movies, who talks about how Williams wouldn’t let anyone around him know what was going on, maybe because he didn’t really know himself.

Williams’ death was tragic but even moreso when you realize what he must have been going through, and the only thing else I will say is that the notably teary documentary Dear Zachary may finally have some competition as the most tear-inducing real-life film you ever watch. Even so, it’s wonderful and does as great job shining a light on how hard something like dementia hits people when they least expect it. (Also, the score and cinematography for the film are fabulous at provoking those sorrowful emotions even more.)

Arthur Jones’ doc FEELS GOOD MAN is available right now On Demand via the Fantasia Film Festival and will be available via other film festivals, like Oxford Film Festival, starting Friday. (It will also be in theaters, including Oxford’s drive-in!) The movie follows the journey of comics artist Matt Furie, who drew a comic called “Boys Club” that featured a strange frog character named Pepe, who I never heard of, but apparently, the odd underground comic character went from being a popular meme to becoming a symbol of the alt-right. It sounds pretty crazy, but it is an absolutely crazy story as Furie sees his lovable and peaceful slacker character get out from under his control as right wing kooks like Alex Jones from InfoWars gloms onto him.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d find this as interesting as the HBO doc, Beware the Slenderman (which I also happened to see at Fantasia a few years ago), but the way that Jones tells Furie and Pepe’s story is really quite compelling, especially as he (and we) watch the craziness surrounding his character unfold, and Pepe becomes less and less like something he wanted to be associated with. (Furie and his wife spent thousands of their own money-making Pepe T-shirts and merch only to have to destroy it all once Furie gets pegged as the creator of a hate image. I mean, holy shit, this thing gets ugly!)

Apparently, Feels Good Man won an “Emerging Filmmaker” Jury Award at Sundance, and it’s well-deserved. I’d recommend the movie to anyone who likes comics or politics and doesn’t mind when the two things collide.

There are a few other movies that I want to write about that I didn’t have time to watch despite having screeners and who knows, maybe I can watch them over this longer weekend if things aren’t too crazy screener-wise. (I lost quite a bit of time with my trip to Connecticut to see Tenet, unfortunately.)

First, there’s Julius Berg’s THE OWNERS (RLJEFilms), which stars Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones and Sylvester McCoy aka Doctor Who #6 (I think?). It’s about a group of friends who want to break into an empty house in which there’s a safe full of money, but when the elderly couple (including McCoy) return home early, they turn the tables in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Yeah, it does sound like it could be fun, and it’ll be in select theaters, On Demand and digital this Friday.

Also out on Digital, as well as DVD, Blu-Ray this week is the anime CHILDREN OF THE SEA (Shout! Factory/GKids) from director Ayumu Watanabe and STUDIO4ºC who made Mind Game and Tekkonkinkreet. It’s about a young girl named Ruka whose father works at an aquarium where she comes across two mysterious boys who were raised by dugongs (a type of sea cow) so they’re very familiar and acclimated to water, to the point where they have to be in or near it at all times, kind of like Aquaman. I did watch a little bit of this, and I do have to say that it looks gorgeous, definitely more photo-realistic than the work of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I’m sure I’ll get around to watch the rest of it because I do enjoy well-made anime -- Weathering With You and Ride Your Wave are likely to be in my year-end Top 25, for instance – so hopefully, fans of anime and fantsy will check it out.

On Amazon Prime this Friday is Eric Merola’s doc THE ANDORRA HUSTLE, which look at the country of Andorra, located between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains, holding a population of 80,000 people who find themselves at the center of one of the most convoluted robberies in history in 2015 when a the private bank Banca Privada d’Andorra was shut down by the government to destroy the Catalonian Independence Movement, leaving dozens of innocent civilians facing jail time for laundering money after losing their life savings.

A couple prominent science fiction series premiere this weekend, including the Ridley Scott-produced Raised by Wolves on HBO Max and Away, starring Hillary Swank on Netflix. Someday, I hope to have

There’s a lot of other stuff that I didn’t have to watch or even think about it, so yeah, this is a little bit of a “lite edition” of the Weekend Warrior, so I apologize. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do better next week.

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[suedaviesposts-blog]

Marina Bay Sands and ArtScience Museum. Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

As a Singaporean, I had mixed feelings about the Movie Crazy Rich Asians. A friend gave me a copy of the book when it first came out. Crazy Rich Asians Singapore! I thought the book and movie would portray Singapore as a place where everyone was rich. And, I did not want people to think that.

My partner Sue, who’s been to Singapore with me many times, read and enjoyed the book and wanted to see the movie. At first, I said no. But then my friends started to see the movie and asked me what I thought about it. I decided I’d better read the book and then go see the movie.

Not So Crazy Rich Asians Singapore Table of Contents

First Impressions Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

Old Money, New Money and No Money

ABCs, Mainland China and Singapore

Singaporeans are Foodies

Many Languages and Accents

Keep it Short: Synonyms and Abbreviations

Why are Cars so Expensive in Singapore?

What were the Crazy Rich Asians Eating?

Where Can I find the Places in Crazy Rich Asians Singapore?

Read the Books

Visiting Singapore

  First Impressions Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

It was fun to see Singapore on the big screen and a movie with an Asian cast.

Singapore’s Changi airport IS the best airport in the world. When my parents were alive, they used to insist on sending me off whenever I was traveling as they really wanted to go to the airport as a family outing. There really is a butterfly park and a sunflower garden! And, shopping and restaurants. You can spend the whole day there.

Hawker centers, Orchard Road, Sentosa. The sounds of Singlish. The foods—nasi lemak, satay, char kway teow, prawn noodles and arguments about which hawker centers served the best satay. They all brought me back home.

Radio 1 Asia also made me laugh. Every family has their own Radio 1 Asia for spreading news or gossip.

Filial piety and respect for the elders was also familiar and ingrained in all of us as children.

Also familiar was the emotionality (or lack thereof), keeping face, and respecting elders.

Old Money, New Money and No Money

One thing I want to make clear—there is poverty in Singapore. As a visitor you will not see it at all. And, certainly it is nonexistent in the movie. There are a lot of people doing well, but not uber rich like the Youngs, the Leongs, the Khoos and the Gohs. Most people live in and own their apartments in HDB (Housing Development Board) flats. HDB Flats are built and sold by the government. Landed property (a house with any amount of land) is very rare and very expensive.

HDB Block in Singapore

I was taught to be circumspect about money and we did not have much of it. It’s not considered good form to boast about your wealth. On the other hand, buying a new car every year and joining a country club is a way to show without announcing how much money you have in the bank. Similar to Astrid’s and Eleanor penchant for buying jewelry.

The Youngs and the Gohs live in separate worlds. And, families like mine and most Singaporeans live in HDB flats and are in another world entirely.

ABCs, Mainland China and Singapore

American Born Chinese. There are certainly dynamics between those of us born in Asia and those of us born in the US. I thought that Rachel’s mother did a good job of explaining some of the differences in ways of thinking and being.

There are also differences among Singaporeans and Chinese from mainland, Indonesian Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kongers. We are as varied and different as people from the United States or Europe.

In particular, there are lots of differences between mainland Chinese and Singaporeans. Most of the Singaporeans I know are 2nd generation born in Singapore. We identify, first and foremost, as Singaporeans. Our grandparents may have come from China or through Malaysia to Singapore. But we are not Chinese.

The Chinese feel differently. They think Singapore should be part of China. In fact, a Chinese government official was heard to say:

“Hong Kong is the good child, you have to love her back.

Taiwan is the bad child, you have to force her back.

Singapore is the clever child, you have to trick her back.”

But Singapore is an independent country. We are not part of China in the way that Hong Kong and Taiwan are.

When I travelled in China, I was often berated for not being Chinese enough and not speaking Mandarin. I grew up speaking English—Singapore was a British colony until shortly before I was born. I had to study Mandarin in school and I spoke Cantonese with my mother, but Mandarin is not my mother tongue.

Singaporeans are Foodies

Famous Stall for Fried Oyster Pancakes at Maxwell Hawker Center. Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

Singaporeans are self-proclaimed foodies. In the movie and in “real life,” there are heated debates about which hawker centers have the best laksa, the best hokkien mee, the best satay. And, we find any opportunity to eat including the midnight supper! What better way to fill your tummy at 3am after many hours of dancing to the pulsing beat in a club? Singapore is literally open 24 hours a day. I once had a client who loved chocolate cake. We were in between press okays and it was 4am. He asked me to bring him somewhere where we could get chocolate cake and coffee. Obviously I knew where to take him.

Many Languages and Accents

Singapore has four official languages—English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. The fifth is Singlish and not everyone speaks it. Singlish is a mix of English, Chinese and Malay with a dash of Hokkien (another Chinese dialect).

Class differences can be discerned by languages and accents. The British accent is generally considered upper class.  Singlish is lower class (or nouveau riche as in the Gohs in the movie). People always ask about where you went to school (whether you studied abroad or in Singapore), where you live and what do you do for a living.

When I went to college, the National University of Singapore (NUS) was the only university in Singapore and getting in was a big deal. My family was very excited when I got in and graduated from NUS. In my generation, if your family was wealthy and your grades weren’t good enough to get into NUS, you were sent abroad.

You probably heard the word “Alamak” during the Crazy Rich Asians movie. This is an example of Singlish and means “oh dear.” You also heard “Lah” used at the end of sentences. Okay Lah means it’s ok. Both of these phrases derive from Malay words. Singlish was spoken by the Gohs which indicated that they were newly rich, not old money.

Super Trees at night Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

Keep it Short: Synonyms and Abbreviations

You may notice the wide use of synonyms and abbreviations in the movie. This is a reflection of the way Singaporeans are: efficient and to the point. There are no excesses, even in the spoken word. Most everything is initials—HDB (Housing Development Board), CPF (Central Provident Fund), PAP (People’s Action Party)  and so on.

Why are Cars so Expensive in Singapore?

The majority of Singaporeans travel around the island via the very efficient Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system. I mentioned earlier buying a new car every year as a sign of wealth – that is because it costs 5x as much to buy a car in Singapore as in the US. First, you have to obtain a COE (Certificate of Entitlement) to purchase a car. The car is taxed at 275%. It can cost upwards of $150,000 to own a car. And, after a car is 10 years old, it is retired and can no longer be driven. And yes, we have congestion pricing in Singapore. There are tolls for driving during the peak hours.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What were the Crazy Rich Asians Singapore Eating?

As I said earlier, we are foodies. Some of the foods in the movie were:

Nasi lemak – coconut rice wrapped in pandan leaf with fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, curry, half a hard boiled egg, cucumber slices and sambal. Usually eaten for breakfast.

Satay – grilled skewered chicken, mutton or beef seasoned in honey and spices, eaten with pressed rice, cucumber and onions, dipped in peanut sauce

My favorites include: Char Kway Teow—rice noodles with eggs fried in sweet black sauce, usually with thin slices of Chinese sausage. Sometimes this dish has cockles and bean sprouts.

Roti Prata or Canai—Indian flatbread served with chicken and potato curry for dipping.

Carrot cake which is steamed daikon radish cake fried with eggs.

Sue loves Chili Crab which is one of the national dishes. It is crab served in a spicy red sauce with mantou (fried bread) for dipping.

She’s also a big fan of kaya toast. Kaya is an egg custard/jam. We often eat kaya toast with soft boiled eggs (with a splash of soy sauce) for breakfast when we are in Singapore.

Kreta Ayer Hawker Center Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

For more on Hawker Centers in Singapore, read Sue’s post A Tasty Delight on Every Corner.

If you happen to live in or visit NYC, my favorite pace for Singapore food is a Malaysian restaurant called Rasa (25 W. 8th Street in the Village, Manhattan). 

Where Can I find the Places in Crazy Rich Asians Singapore?

Tyersall Park

Ah Ma’s house and gardens, there is no such park, just a road next to botanic gardens the Singapore Botanic Gardens (1 Cluny Road, take the MRT to the Botanic Gardens Stop)

Singapore Botanic Garden Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

One Cairnhill Road

One Cairnhill Road is behind Orchard Road near the popular Robinsons Mall

Nassim Road

Nassimis also known as Embassy Row and is near the Botanic Gardens (Orchard Road MRT stop)

First Methodist Church

First Methodist Church does not exist in Singapore. This was probably modeled after Wesley Methodist Church (5 Fort Canning Road, nearest MRT stop is Dhoby Ghaut MRT) since it is the nearest to Fort Canning Park.

CHIJMES

In the movie, CHIJMES (30 Victoria Street near the City Hall MRT Stop) was used to film the wedding scene of Colin and Araminta. CHIJMES used to be the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, middle education school, a former convent and secondary school for catholic girls. Today it is a popular venue with restaurants and bars.

Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park  is a 150 acres park and nature reserve at the highest elevation in the center of the island.  A fort was built on the site in 1861. Today you will still find the 9lb cannon. As a kid I used to play in the park and around the cannon. I recalled the old Van Kleef aquarium and National Theatre was located at one end of the park, and back then, families used to picnic there. There was also the YWCA where I had learned karate when I was 19. (Fort Canning Station (Exit B), Clarke Quay Station (Exit E) or Dhoby Ghaut Station (Exit B)

Sentosa

Sentosa Cove is on Sentosa Island which is now a Disneyish resort with a butterfly park and aviary, a few beaches with man-made lagoons. A monorail takes you to some of the attractions like SEA aquarium, Today part of the island features private residences of multi-million dollar homes with their own docks. During WWII, the island was used as a military fortress. After the Japanese invasion, a POW camp was set up and is where Singapore surrendered to the Japanese.

Orchard Road

Orchard Road is the main shopping and entertainment drag of the country/island, it stretches 2.5 km (1.5 miles). You can find ultra-high end boutiques, inexpensive shops, restaurants and everything in between.

Clarke Quay Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

Newton Road Hawker Centre

Newton Road Hawker Centre is very popular with tourists. There are individual stalls with different kinds of foods like noodles, meat dishes, seafood. It is best visited at night as the temperature can be cooler then. (Nearest MRT stop is Newton)

Lau Pa Sat

Lau Pa Sat (aka Telok Ayer market) is located in the middle of the Central Business District (CBD). It is very popular with the office crowd for lunch and party goers looking for a midnight snack. A National monument built in the 19th century, the architecture has distinctive octagonal style with soaring arches. This place reminds me of the souks in Morocco but instead of shops, you will find stalls selling food. (Nearest MRT 18 Raffle Quay)

Churchill Club

The Churchill Club does not exist in Singapore.  It was probably modeled after the Singapore Cricket Club located on the Padang (where Michael Teo played soccer growing up). The Club was established in 1852. (Connaught Drive Singapore. Nearest MRT Raffles Place).

Changi Airport

Changi Airport has 4 terminals and is an internationally acclaimed destination unto itself complete with shops, restaurants, hotels, sunflower garden, butterfly and waterfall park. Next year there will be a 5-story rain vortex.

Marina Bay Sands

Singapore Eye and Gardens by the Bay Crazy Rich Asians Singapore

Marina Bay Sands is a hotel resort with over 2500 rooms featuring Sands Sky Park’s infinity pool on top of hotel (add Art/Science Museum, theatre, shops, casinos and restaurants). Nearest MRT Bayfront

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay – sitting on over 250 acres of reclaimed land featuring hanging gardens, flower domes, cloud forest and the 160’ Supertrees connected via several walkways. Sue loves the Supertrees. They are best viewed at night as the trees are lit and the evening breezes chase the heat off.

Read the Books

If you liked the movie, I recommend that you read the books. There are more details in the books about Singapore and the dynamics within the family. It’s a light read and there’s no deep analysis of poverty or wealthy, but I enjoyed reading a book set in Singapore and New York–the two places that I call home. The author, Kevin Kwan, was born in Singapore and moved to the United States when he was 11.

You can purchase by clicking on the link below. We are Amazon Affiliates, so we earn a small commission if you order through our link below. It doesn’t cost you anything extra to use our link.

Visiting Singapore

Singapore is a fantastic place to visit whether you saw Crazy Rich Asians or not. There is a lot more to do than eat and shop. There are museums (the ArtScience Museum is Sue’s favorite) and islands for day trips. The Singapore Botanic Garden is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  English is widely spoken; the mass transit is efficient and easy to navigate. It is well positioned as the gateway to all of Asia.

And the food… well I am a foodie and a Singaporean so don’t get me started.

  Planning a Trip to Singapore? Wondering How You’ll Survive the 21 Hour Flight? You’ll want to read Cheapest Business Class to Singapore for a guide to getting the best airfare and how to survive the flight.

Liked this Post? Please Share

Did you See Crazy Rich Asians? What do you think about the Movie?

You Might also like the Lonely Planet Singapore Guide

  Not So Crazy Rich Asians Singapore As a Singaporean, I had mixed feelings about the Movie Crazy Rich Asians. A friend gave me a copy of the book when it first came out.