#no hate to the actors i'm sure they did a great job its not their fault anyway

[deer-with-a-stick]

if netflix makes Luo Ji non-chinese I'm going to throw myself off a fucking cliff

[boobi-boy]

HOT TAKE. As a society, we are conditioned to hate final seasons. This is fair. We were all betrayed by Game of Thrones and Supernatural and whatnot. As someone who has never watched these (I have only heard generalised complaints about them), let me (drunkenly) yap about the Umbrella Academy s4.

I'm gonna try and keep this vaguely organised.

Luther

I was an adamant Luther hater back in season one and two, I will admit, meeting his actor at Comic Con in 2021 did colour my opinion a little bit, but I loved him in season three. I mean, his romance with Sloane always felt a little rushed to me, but it was certainly sweet, and their wedding was a nice tie in to the "we only see each other at weddings and funerals" thing.

Pros;

In season four, I loved him. He's optimistic about life and goes to great lengths to brighten the moods of people around him, which is the kind of person he lacked all his life. He's being the person he always needed and I love that for him.

The implication that he's pushing aside his festering feelings of dissatisfaction for his life to be there for other people is so moving, and also I love those moments where him and Allison get to just be normal siblings, showing that he's moved on from that toxic era of his life.

His fight scenes are epic and he's all round a good character this season. I understand people's disdain for being sidelined, along with his grief for Sloane, but there are a certain two factors that should be taken into consideration here. The first being that, by s4e1, its been six years since he lost her. He has probably processed that grief and moved on by now, despite how profound the loss. Obviously he still thinks about her, which is why he occasionally brings her up, but it's been a long time. Additionally, he's semi-sidelined because his character arc was pretty well rounded by the end of s3. He's moved on from Allison and was on a trajectory for a healthier life. Its tragic that he lost Sloane, but good that he continued trying to be happy.

Cons;

I do wish his relationship with Ben had been more developed this season. To me, I think the implication is that he's hanging on to Sparrow Ben as a brother (in-law) because he's the closest remaining connection to the Sparrow Academy, therefore Sloane.

Why is he living in the decrepit Sparrow Academy house? Why? Literally why??? This needed more explanation.

Diego

My mother hates him. I lowkey love him. In season two, his character plus his saviour complex was explored so fucking well. I loved him then. I think his character in season three is a decent testament to how boring 'settling down' can be.

Pros;

He reacts very well to everything that happens. That's the best way I could explain it. The realisation that sometimes life is just normal. Its a sweet plotline and I enjoyed it

I loved his relationship with Luther, his visit to the CIA and the fun approach to his power this season.

His final words to Lila, that he knew she didn't mean to hurt him, were so mature and a brilliant way of rounding off his character with a sense of satisfaction and finality. I loved it so much. In that moment, before everything, he was her husband, and that was beautiful.

Cons;

I have very few. I think his depiction as a mailman is silly. I just wish it had been a different job.

Also I wish he'd spoken more Punjabi because I'm pretty sure (correct me if I'm wrong) he learnt that to converse with Lila and her family in their native language, despite Lila's family speaking English.

Why was he immature enough to fight with Five over his wife when the literal world was ending? Not very consistent with his character development but I still liked that scene. Honestly, that was obviously written in as a segue to Five going back to the subway so I guess it did have to be there it just felt a bit weird.

Allison

Oh dear God. Allison Hargreeves, what happened to you? I loved her so much in seasons one and two. Season three Allison ruined everything ever forever. Not through bad writing. Through very good and despicably devastating writing. She has lost so much and she coped with it so badly that she altered all of time to avoid her grief. The evillest girlboss of all time.

Pros;

CLAIRE! Claire Bear. I love you. Thank you season four for giving us Claire and Claire/Allison bonding time.

Also the fact that she's coping with her being a terrible human being by babysitting Klaus for five years (which she is obviously very spiteful about) is very well written.

I like the return of Allison badassery when she shows up and literally busts a man's balls.

I like how she ends the show being physically vulnerable and now Klaus is taking care of her now. That was cute.

Also I love that she's being held accountable for her actions and it makes her a slightly better person! That was fun.

I like that we learn that without her power she was a B-list actor at best.

Cons;

What the fuck were her powers this season? I know they got janky marigold but why is she literally just telekinetic now????

Why didn't they tell us why Ray walked out? She literally altered time to get him back. Like, I know Allison has fucked up every relationship she's ever had but PLEASE tell us what happened.

Also fuck you for what you did to Klaus.

Klaus.

Oh, Klaus Hargreeves, the man that you were. Season one. TRAGIC. I loved it. Season two, the exact same commentary. Season three, I loved him so much, he keeps being my FAVOURITE and also the idea that the drugs and trauma thwarted the full potential of his powers, but the drugs was the only thing that could keep him sane because of his trauma and his powers was so cool. Well done for beginning to overcome your rampant daddy issues Klaus. Season four. He is still my favourite.

Pros;

Having him sell his body in the weirdest way possible was amazing. I love to see it.

The moment between him and Claire where she knew exactly what was happening and he just repeats 'it's too late' and swears at her. Beautifully devastating.

Him getting buried alive was so fucking fitting I can't properly explain it I just love it.

His final line, and the third-to-final line of dialogue in the whole shows being 'I just wanna say, I love you guys, but you're all assholes' sums up perfectly. And it just had to be him that said that. He can never escape his nihilism and I love him for it. Its who he is.

Learning that the 'real' Klaus is a total germophobe was fun.

Cons;

Give my man more screen time. I beg. I am on my knees begging. Please Mr Blackman. Please Mr Way. Give the love of my life more screen time.

I wish Dave had been mentioned once or twice. Dave is forever a part of Klaus. Why didn't he try to contact him when he got his powers back? Why has he forgotten him? If Luther gets a Sloane mention then Klaus should have gotten a Dave mention. I guess Netflix hates the queers unless they're from Heartstopper (/j)

Five

Five is my mother's favourite and she was vomming this season because of you-know-what. The poor woman. She still loves him though, So did I. Five defines The Umbrella Academy. He spent two seasons wearing the uniform, he got the first f-bomb, he was responsible for SO much exposition. All in all, he is quintessential to the aesthetic, plot, and entire existence of the series. Did season four give him justice?

Pros;

I love Five being a CIA agent. This is so him.

Jerome is a funny name for him.

He doesn't ever stop being himself and I love that.

I like how blunt he is about the fact they all have to end their existence. He understands existentialism and his place in the universe more than his siblings (and most people ever) can fathom. It had to be him to deliver that news and he does it so well.

Cons;

The elephant in the room. Him and Lila. I see it. I see the vision. Yes. If two people spend seven years with only each other for company, suspended in time, they will probably develop a romantic relationship. That doesn't make me like it. It is in character for him to lie to Lila (or withhold information from her)about knowing the way home. I just hated every second of it. I thought they were going to steer clear of Five romantic relationships because of how weird his ageing is. He's mentally more than twenty years older than Lila and physically more than ten years younger than her. It is gross. I hate it. It was a reasonable plot choice Honestly, their relationship remaining strictly platonic would have been less realistic than what happened but when has this show ever been realistic? I will say, it makes sense for Five to revert to old coping mechanisms (I am referring to Delores) in a time like this, it's just that this time he had a real person to enact them with. In times of utter distress, Five is a romanticist, so at least his character is consistent.

Why didn't they let him wear a suit that fits him? That was not nice.

Ben

Sparrow Ben is a sexy cunt. I love how much of a knob he is. All the time. This season was a slay for him. We heart assimilation allegories for love and obsession.

Pros;

I repeat - I love the assimilation metaphor. He didn't get to go with grace. I've seen people criticising that he got no meaningful death scene but that's the point. His meaningful death was stolen from him because of his unhealthy obsession with Jennifer and how deeply in love with her he was. It's a commentary of how toxic and co-dependant relationships will destroy a person. I love it.

I love the scene where him and Jennifer are sat either side of the wall watching the same movie. That was so fucking cute.

Cons;

The CGI for his powers was shit. He looked like the squid version of She-Hulk.

Why have the Umbrellas just adopted him into his family? That was weird.

Victor

I have always loved him. Best trans representation I've ever seen. Autism coded. The amount of times I said 'His powers are just autism sensory overload' or 'his powers are just anger issues' has probably burned the phrase into my mother's mind.

Pros;

I like that he was a manwhore in Canada.

I love him having control over his powers this season. We support self control my man.

I love how adamant he is to save Ben. All this man has ever wanted was to save someone. And he never could. So he sacrificed himself to save the world.

Cons;

I was not here for the fit this season. The boots. The jean jacket. Not a serve. I am sorry.

He was kinda cringe and irrelevant this season I'm not gonna lie.

Lila

Thank you Lila for being what I picture when I hear Golden Brown. It makes me happy.

Pros;

A devoted mother. We love her. I also love that her character involves her children but she's more than that. But she still sacrifices everything for them. "Make sure to read to Gracie every night! And don't let the twins fight!" absolutely destroyed me.

I don't know what it is but her fit ate this season.

Her final words being 'Fuck you!' was fun.

Cons;

Her 'LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME' personality got annoying after about four episodes. Not even in s4, just in general.

I wish her backstory had been more addressed this season. It was just completely ignored. Sad.

The Plot.

Pros;

If this show is anything, it is self aware. It makes fun of itself for just doing the apocalypse four times. I love it.

The tragic ending. Too many shows have happy endings these days. I need my bittersweet tragedy and the Umbrella Academy delivered. It actually made me bawl because these characters meant so fucking much to me.

I always said that Klaus's story couldn't end without him dying. I also felt like Five dying would work. Now I think that if one of them goes, they all have to. They were born at the same time and they died that way too. It explains WHY they keep ending the world. Their very existence is apocalyptic. They are a collective incarnation of the apocalypse and that just rounds off the show in such a meaningful way.

I know people hate the 'one true timeline' thing and the 'they all die' thing and feel like its a copout, but its so beautiful to me. They were the problem the whole time. They can't just find some creative and resourceful way out of it this time. This is the end. That's WHY the SONG in the TRAILER WAS 'THE END' by My Chemical Romance!!!!!!!!!!!

Cons;

The plot holes like why does Luther getting his powers back give him his monkey body back when the life-saving surgery that he didn't need in this timeline didn't happen???

Along with many other plot holes that have already been pointed out within this post and by other people a million times so I won't go through the tedium of doing what has already been done.

Special mentions!

The Gene & Jean dance scene! The show knew they couldn't get away with making the Umbrellas dance again but they needed an obligatory Umbrella Academy dance scene and they ATE IT UP.

The song they danced to was also a banger, which segues nicely into my next mention which is the SOUNDTRACK. It SLAPS. Muse! Bloodhound Gang! Cher! ALL IN ONE SHOW. The Umbrella Academy's soundtrack has always been amazing and season four is not any different.

The closing line "On the eighth of august 2024" etc. DESTROYED ME.

THE USE OF 'I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW' KILLED ME.

THE POST CREDITS WITH THE MARIGOLD FLOWERS AAAAGHHH.

ALL THE SIDE CHARACTERS UGH.

Also, the production photos from across the years in the credits. I loved them so fucking much.

They kept handling Victor's trans storyline well, not pretending he was never a girl and including him in flashbacks. Idk I liked it.

Diego naming his daughter after his mother is so sweet.

Random criticism though - the casting for the teen versions of the Umbrellas was ATROCIOUS. Klaus somehow looked five years old and in his mid forties at the same time.

[southerngothicchic]

It's Only You I'm Dreaming Of

Modern!Actor!Steve x Actress!Reader

18+

Handsome bastard.

You narrow your eyes as you watch him smile for all the waiting photographers before moving down the line to talk to the press.

He's so effortlessly charming it makes your blood boil. He drinks in all the adoration and praise, all with that same smirk plastered on his lips.

That same smirk you had to endure for months while on set with him, and after when he'd follow you back to your trailer, using his best lines to get you to let him inside. He eventually wore you down, as the second you let him in, he pounced on you. He kissed you with a ferocity you had never experienced before, which only made you want more.

He had a reputation, though, and you felt so naive letting him get close to you like this. You knew he was just using you for sex, like he presumably did with his other female costars, but you still gave into him anyway. You hated yourself for it, especially when you started to develop feelings for him. You tried to ignore them, by locking them away, and pretending they didn't exist.

That was somewhat easy, once production wrapped and you went back to L.A. while he went to New York. The distance helped and for the first time in months you were free of Steve Harrington. That was, until it was time for the film to be released and you would be forced to do press tours together. You dreaded seeing him again, afraid of relapsing into your former, weaker self. You told yourself it'd be different this time, you weren't going to fall into that trap again.

That proves impossible, as you practically melt when you see him again. You actually gasp when you see how gorgeous he looks. You quickly avert your eyes, the last thing you need is for him to catch you gawking at him. Despite your best efforts, he still sees you, as you both make your way down the red carpet.

After posing for several pictures, you step over for the first of many interviews. You are in the middle of answering their question of what it was like filming your first big feature, when you feel an arm slip around you and lips against your cheek.

"And here he is, the man himself," they say, their face lighting up at his presence. "What was it like working with this guy?" They then ask while you try to maintain a neutral expression.

"Oh, it was great," you smile. "Its every actors dream to get to work on a project like this and with a cast like this. I was truly fortunate to be apart of it."

"And Steve, what was it like working with her?"

"It was wonderful, she's a fantastic actress, seriously, one of the best I've had the privilege of working with," he says, looking at you, fondly.

"Early reviews are raving about your chemistry and I can see why," they continue. "You both seem so natural together."

Steve smiles at this while you try not to cringe.

You bullshit your way through the rest of the interview, before you and Steve are ushered into the theater. He stays by your side the whole time, much to your dismay.

"What was that back there?" You ask him as you take your seats.

"Just doing my job, making us look good," he answers.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to crash my interview..." you add, as the room darkens.

"I wanted to see you and I knew you wouldn't be able to ignore me, not in front of everyone and all those cameras," he smoothly says, leaning in close to your ear.

"You couldn't have just waited until after?"

"No, because I knew you'd keep avoiding me like you have been for months."

"I wasn't avoiding you, we were on different coasts-"

"Yeah, you were," he persists, trying to keep his voice down. "When I was in town for my buddy's birthday, I texted you and you blew me off."

"Can we not do this here?" You snap, turning your head to the side.

"We can talk after," he relents. "I missed you, y'know."

You scoff. "I'm sure you did."

He sighs, frustrated, before leaning back in his seat.

You sit there, fuming, your thoughts racing. You feel trapped as you look away from his towering image on screen, only to have the real thing sitting next to you. You notice, in your periphery, that he's practically pouting. Your body feels like it's on fire, pent up frustration is threatening to burn you from the inside out.

Surprising him, you lean over and whisper, "Want to get out of here?"

He nods, taking your hand and leading you up the aisle. He pulls you through the empty lobby then out onto the sidewalk. You can't help the exhilaration you feel as he continues to lead you across the street, to a newer, luxury hotel.

"You're not wasting any time," you laugh, as he leads you into the lavish lobby.

"I got a room here ahead of time, in case I didn't feel like going home after the after party," he explains, as you both stand in front of the elevators.

He presses the button, then turns to you.

"Oh..." you reply.

"This is a nice change of plans, though. I'd rather be with you, anyway," he adds, with a smile.

The elevator dings before its door slides open. He lets you walk in first, with him close behind. The numbered button lights up when he presses it, before the door closes. As the elevator ascends, he pins you against the wall.

"I really did miss you," he breathes, ghosting his lips over yours. "And despite your icy exterior, I know you missed me too."

"Steve..." you gasp.

"You look so good tonight, honey..." he says, his hands now squeezing your waist. "This sexy little dress...I bet you wore this hoping I'd notice, didn't you?"

You gaze at him, innocently.

"I know you did, fuck..." he sighs, as you finally wrap your arms around his neck. "I'm gonna make you mine tonight."

He then presses his lips to yours for a filthy kiss. It has you both moaning, realizing just how much you've missed the other. Your fingers scratch at the back of his neck, before curling in his hair.

The ding from the elevator snaps you both out of your lustfilled daze long enough for him to pull you into the hallway. You're each panting as he leads you to his room. He quickly takes out his phone and holds it over the small panel, above the doorknob, to unlock the door. Once it lights up green, he hastily opens it and drags you inside. He takes you straight to the bedroom, almost tripping several times, as he couldn't be bothered to turn on any lights.

He sits you on the bed, while he sheds his jacket. You take this opportunity to slip off your heels and lean back on your hands. There's faint light coming from the bedside lamp and now you can see that his shirt was partially see-through. You bite your lip, wondering if he wore that on purpose. He also takes off his shoes before kneeling on the bed, next to you. He reaches for you but you pull away to lay against the plush pillows. He then crawls over to you and hovers over you. His body engulfs yours as he lowers himself onto you. You wrap your arms around him again while he gazes down at you, hungrily.

"Always playing hard to get..." he chides.

You shrug, feigning innocence again.

"I know how much you love to tease me, honey..." he says, leaning in close, his voice low and sultry. "...it makes me ache for you even more."

He kisses you deeply, as you whimper against his lips. He grinds himself against you, emphasizing just what you do to him.

You hold him closer, as you make out, your earlier feelings now forgotten, because all that matters to you is him. You should be furious with yourself over how easily you gave into him again, but his lips feel so right on yours. You want more, though, your greedy thoughts taking over. You remember the delicious way he thrusted his hips, making you scream until you barely had any voice left.

Your hands move down his back until they're pulling at his shirt. Once it's untucked, you slide your hands under it and press them against his skin. He moans at the feeling of your fingertips gliding up his spine. Your nails claw at his back once, before he breaks the kiss.

"Get undressed, honey," he breathes, "I need to feel you."

You nod, before he leans up. You sit up and move to the edge of the bed.

"Can you unzip me?" You ask, glancing over your shoulder at him.

"Of course," he smiles, moving closer to you.

He pulls the zipper down, revealing your bare back. He sharply inhales at the sight. When you're fully unzipped, you stand and push your dress to the floor, leaving you in dainty, black panties. Steve's so mesmerized by you, that he can't help but stare. It actually makes you blush as you climb back onto the bed. He then quickly pulls his shirt over his head, ruffling his already perfectly messy hair. His fingers fumble with unbuttoning his pants at first, but he soon pulls them from his legs. You smile at his tiny, blue underwear as he joins you, on the bed.

He crawls on top of you and props his hands by your head, as he gazes at you.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he laments, lowering his body to yours. "After I left, I thought about you every night, looking up at me just like this...it's my favorite thing in the world."

He pauses to kiss you, lowly moaning into it.

"Do you believe me when I say I missed you, now?"

You nod.

"I need to hear you say it."

"I believe you," you say, reaching up to run your hand through his hair.

He smiles, leaning in to kiss you again.

"Now," he begins, leaning up, "until you admit that you missed me, too, I'm not going to touch you."

You look up at him, mouth slightly agape as you watch him move to sit beside your head, with his back resting against the pillows.

"Seriously?" You ask, sitting up and turning to face him.

He nods, as he palms himself through his underwear.

"You know what you need to do, honey...I want you to show me how much you missed me, too."

He's extra smug, leaning back, waiting for your next move. You narrow your eyes before crawling over to him. You kneel between his legs, then run your hands over his thighs. His eyes stay trained on you as you lean down, to press wet kisses to his inner thighs. You kiss your way up one then move to the other side, while he's quietly moaning above you. You glance up at him before pressing a kiss to his clothed length. He shudders at it as his hand immediately goes to cradle your face.

"God, you're so fucking gorgeous," he laments.

You continue kissing him through his underwear, until moving your lips upward, to kiss up his stomach, then his chest. You nuzzle your face in his chest hair while pressing intermittent kisses to his skin. Your nose brushes against the thick silver chain that rests below his collarbone. His hand is still gently holding your face as you place kisses up his neck. His smile is plastered on his lips as you kiss the moles on his cheek.

"Steve..." you breathe, into his skin. "I missed you, too."

He whimpers before pulling you into a kiss.

"Mmm, I knew it," he smiles, making you giggle. "Was that so hard to admit?"

"Kind of, yeah," you confess, pulling away. "I didn't want to get my hopes up only to have them crushed again."

"That's not gonna happen this time," he assures, as he caresses your cheek with his thumb. "I want to be with you."

"Like, exclusively?"

"Yes," he laughs. "I only want you, being away from you made me realize how important you are to me, and that...I love you."

Your eyes widen at his admission.

"You what?" You ask, before you can stop yourself.

"I love you," he says again, pulling you tightly to him, so your chests are pressed together. "Even if you don't feel the same, I had to tell you."

You feel an aching in your chest that you hadn't felt in months, that you felt the last time you were together. Tears sting your eyes as you try to pull out of his embrace.

"You're not going anywhere," he whispers, "I'm not letting you leave me again."

"I'm not the one who left," you finally say.

"It felt like it," he counters. "I asked you to come to New York with me, and you said no-"

"Because it was all too much, being with you was too overwhelming, I needed a break," you defend. "I needed a break from how I felt when I was with you, because...I was falling in love with you, and it terrified me."

His eyes light up at your confession.

"Really?"

You nod, averting your eyes. He cradles your face with both hands, getting you to look at him.

"So, you love me too?" He asks, gazing into your eyes.

"Yes," you breathe, before he pulls you into a passionate kiss.

You finally allow your body to melt into his, as you fully lose yourself in his kiss.

"You don't need to be afraid of loving me," he then breathes, into the kiss.

You pull him even closer, kissing him harder, which illicits another whimper from him. His hands grip your hips as he thrusts up against you.

"I've been waiting all my life for you, honey," he pants, before kissing his way to your neck.

"Steve..." you whine, unable to think of anything else, but him.

"Take these off," he then growls, as he drags his finger under the waistband of your panties.

You scramble to the side of the bed and peel them from your body. He raises his hips and quickly takes his underwear off, throwing them to the floor.

"Get back over here," he says, his voice dripping with lust.

You climb back onto his lap and slowly sink down onto him.

"That's it, honey, fuck..." he praises, his eyes already rolling back from how tight you were.

You moan his name when you feel him fully seated within you. You press your forehead to his as you acclimate to him.

"Feel good?" He asks, as your eyes meet.

You nod. "God, yes..."

Your hands then cradle his face, before kissing him deeply. His moans reverberate into your mouth as you begin moving your hips. His hands have a firm hold on your hips as he tries to guide your movements.

"Yeah, bounce on it, honey..." he pants, as he watches you.

Obnoxious moans leave your lips as you ride him. You missed this, how good he felt, how he was the only guy to ever fuck you this deep. Your thighs burn as you can't get enough of him.

He then leans forward and presses wet kisses to your breast. His tongue swirls around your nipple, before sucking it between his lips. Your back arches, pushing your chest into his face even more.

"I fuckin' missed your body so much, angel," he breathes, with his face buried between your breasts.

You shiver from the significance of his pet name. He only ever called you that during sex, and it always made your head spin.

You moan his name again when he sucks multiple lovebites across the tops of your breasts. Your hips then slow as you lean forward, resting your head on his shoulder.

"Need me to take over, angel?" He asks, against your ear.

"Please..." you breathe.

He smiles, tightening his hold on your hips as he begins harshly thrusting up into you. The sounds of skin against skin echoes in your ears, as you sink your teeth into his shoulder. He moans as he fucks you harder.

"Such a perfect pussy...I'd keep you in bed all the time, if you'd let me..." he says, as your lips find his neck.

You whine his name, unsure of how much longer you can take him fucking you at such a brutal pace.

"Look at me, honey," he then breathily commands.

You raise your head and meet his hooded gaze.

"I love you, so fucking much...I'm never gonna leave you again..." he continues, before pulling you into a sloppy kiss.

"I love you, too," you reply, before screaming his name as he finally sends you over the edge.

He keeps thrusting until he finds his own release, moaning your name as he fills you with every last drop of him.

His body stays still, with his arms wrapped around you, pressing your sweaty bodies together. He murmurs more 'I love you's' into your hair, as you're still struggling to catch your breath. After just holding each other for what feels like hours, he suggests that you both have a shower. You breathlessly agree and that leads to more sex, as he presses you against the shower wall and makes you scream for him again.

You each then settle into bed, with his arms wrapped tightly around you, once again. He kisses you so softly, making you feel like the most precious thing in the world, to him. Which is exactly what you are, and he plans to spend the rest of his life making you feel that way.

[sunnylands-world]

could you do a fic where the reader goes to one of Aidan's events with him and she's really socially anxious so he stays close to her and there's so many people talking to/taking pictures of Aidan and she experiences some sensory overload and Aidan can tell she's upset and later he apologizes for the amount of people there and they cuddle? you don't have to if you don't want to, thanks!

Twisted fingers

Pairing: Aidan Gallagher x fem reader

Summary: you attempt to go with Aidan to his event only to see that the light of fame isn't for you at all…

Word count: 1'310

Warning: panic attack, social anxiety, paparazzi are assholes

Universe: famous boyfriend?

A/n: I'm honestly so glad to see a request for Aidan. He deserves more love and less hate. He's an amazing actor and he does great as five Hargreeves in tua. So thank you for the request. I hope you like it, I mixed up what you asked for a bit though I'll be honest. ♡

He knew how bad this was. He'd never put you in a position like this but you wanted to be supportive. All the other celebrities' girlfriends we're and so you went. See Aidan's career had its ups and downs like all of them and unfortunately that meant hate and love.

He'd been called scary looking and told he couldn't sing so your support was everything to him even if he wouldn't say it. you came first, that's just how Aidan was as a boyfriend. You could feel your heart locked in your chest and you tried to ignore it.

"You don't have to do this. I won't be upset I promise," Aidan announced from behind you, leaned against the wall as they sized you up for the dress to match his look. You fixed a hopefully convincing smile on your face.

"I'm going Aidan you're always supporting me and I should do the same. plus my therapist says to try and do these things so I can break out of this fear." You inhaled as your voice quivered. Aidan moved from the wall taking steps towards you and you eyed him in the mirror. His green eyes seemed to be a tad bit lighter, they always were when he was around you. That made your heart swell seeing the little things change about him when he was around. "You're the best" he sighed "but just so you know I'm not gonna be upset if you can't take it. I'll be proud of you, remember that. Don't be afraid to come find me if we aren't close and it gets too much. I'll come to you," He promised, wrapping his arms around your waist as he looked at your reflection.

"Mr. Gallagher I know you love your girlfriend but I can't do my job with you trying to touch her right now," the stylist stated slightly glaring. Your cheeks blushed a bit as he released you moving back.

"I'll see you at the car" he called, pulling the door open to leave. You nodded before looking back at yourself.

“I just hope I'll be able to do this, no I can do this!”

𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌𖠌

The car ride consistencted of a hand on your thigh rubbing reassuringly across your dress that matched Aidan's black suit with the white undershirt. your look was more white than his but the stylist thought you should be wearing more white than black. The car came to a stop where the other cast members were arriving. You hesitated on the door handle looking at everyone outside, Aidan noticed locking your fingers with a squeeze to your hand.

"Hey can you take her-" he started only for you to interrupt.

"No!" The driver and Aidan looked at you.

"Baby if you want to go I understand it's fine,-"he begins

"No! It's not. I can't just keep turning around and running, I have to try at some point." you opened the door, stepping out before he could say anything facing towards the crowd and you begin to regret getting out without him…

The lights flashed blinding anything in your sight and they just kept coming before being followed up with questions. You pulled your hand up covering your face. You weren't sure how they did it [celebrities] with all these questions. who did you answer? How were they cool as cucumbers with so much flashing in their direction? Aidan made his way around the car wrapping his hand around you. He moved forward walking past all the paparazzi ignoring their questions with polite smiles and you tried to keep up in the uncomfortable heels you were wearing.

He makes his way to the carpet seeing the others. He smiled and hugged his friends and talked with them a bit. You could swear you were sweating on your dress and your heart only shook worse in it's cage as you thought about every little thing that could go wrong.

Did I put on enough deodorant?

Can they see the sweat on this black silk?

Before you knew it Aidan had been pulled away.

He gave you an apologetic look and you mouthed for him to go. It was his event of course he couldn't be by your side forever right? You tried to not look like you were bothered by the people around you, moving about and you hoped you looked normal.

Do I look normal?

Are people watching me and think I'm weird and stand out?

You were never big on smiling with teeth, you hadn't quite practiced enough for you to like it even though Aidan said you looked beautiful when you didn't try to hide your teeth when giggling or smiling. He always said you were beautiful.

"[Name] are you the reason Aidan and his ex broke up?"

"Did he cheat with you?"

"Are you the one who Forged into their love life like an obsessed fangirl after Aidan?"

"no it-it wasn't like that!" You snapped. For some reason when things affected you, you felt the need to rush and explain. Like your sentences were on a timer and if you didn't say what you had to you never would be able to. The problem was your voice seemed to fade in and out.

A Radio with a bad connection pissing off the listener, only now your voice was the radio and you were the listener. If that wasn't enough your skin trailed with goosebumps and shivered like it was cold out. Your breathing seemed to struggle almost as though it was blocked like water on a river stopped by Branches.

You tried to focus on it and tell yourself you needed to breathe but then you focused too much. You could feel the slow flow of air through your chest and the soft pressure on your lip as it released before all of sudden you didn't have enough air.

Submerged under water about to suffocate you begin to suck in the air in panic. Your eyes were wide in fear. Not only were you on the red carpet but the pictures continued. The flashing seemed to enhance the need to breathe but you had lost your balance when a hand, one that was familiar, caught you. You looked up seeing his Forest green eyes.

"That's it, just focus on me. look at me," Aidan said, shielding you from the greedy eyes of the paparazzi looking for a story.

He rested his hand on your knee giving you an encouraging look.

"You know what to do. Bring your knees to your chest and rest your Head against them." Doing as told Aidan gave you praises as he rubbed a hand on your back. Your breathing began to regulate and you shut your eyes, sighing.

"Aidan?" You called

"Yes?

"I wanna go home," you said, still not meeting his gaze.

He tilted your head up by the chin and a warm smile awaited you.

"Take my hand?" He says holding his hand out for you. You nod nervously standing.

"I'm so proud of you" he announced getting into the car. You look over puzzled but say thank you anyway cause the brunette to let out a laugh.

He pulls you closer wrapping an arm around so you're snuggled into his side as he kisses your forehead, then looks forward.

"I'm sorry about all of that," he inhales, letting out a very much weighted exhale.

"The parazzi are…" he trailed off trying to find the word

"Assholes?" You giggled.

"Yes," he laughs, squeezing you tighter.

"The pictures will be everywhere," you sigh, leaning in closer for some reason hoping this will erase the worries of tomorrow.

"I'll handle that" he promised and Aidan never broke his promises to you unless he had no choice, and sure enough when you got home Aidan made a phone call and you never saw an article about it anywhere.

[nonbinarytheatrekid07]

Alright, i wasn't going to do this but then I decided why not? The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals Assorted Thoughts

First time here we go

Look at em go

What the fuck indeed

Sure, kill him

Brutally insulting this man and he's not even here

Just the stock children cheering children sounds

It's ok Paul we all miss some entrances

aw Charlotte what an odd little lady

hi yes I will murder Sam

They were right you are a cunt Paul

I don't even know this man's name and I feel so sorry for him(bill)

'latte hotte'

Hello suspenders man, I hope you get your hot chocolate

Coffee shop for theatre kids hell yeah

you coward(Paul)

suspenders man is back fuck yeah

Paul what about the exposition

NO NOT THE DOGS

look at suspenders man go

huzzah for lesbians

Fuckin useless paul

oh god the meteor turned everyone into a theatre kid

that's too many curves sir

SIR

SIR

I love audience entrances so much and I don't know why

"ArE yOu FriGhTeNeD?" Yes I am

Tbh this is not what I expected but ok let's poison people

Cops

poor Charlotte

"im a Presbyterian, I'm not going to die in your dirty ass Methodist church"

you're both horny bastards

please stop hip thrusting(sam)

where did this alien life form learn manipulation?

oh geez ok that was bloody

Shirley temples go hard you guys

you tell him bill

do i smell foreshadowing?

"we hated you guys" "we hated ourselves"

Fucking go OFF Charlotte oh my gosh

This show is like a car that turns on its turn signal and then just ascends

this show is actually really funny

shut the fuck up ted go away

hell yeah Paul

you guys if Bill dies i will start sobbing

I thought that starkid was just people fucking around being funny why am i so sad

no no no no no no No NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO MO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO(bill dies)

can this show stop being funny I'm trying to fucking mourn here

"Yeah prove it asshole we're the army"

He's wearing a turtleneck, are any of us surprised that he's a crazy theatre kid

this sounds gay as hell and i want to watch it

look at him go he's having a great time

I am enjoying this

Im still very sad about Bill by the way

I think that Paula actor is doing an incredible job right

well geez ok this isn't the ending I wanted, I had wanted people to survive please

THE CUNT LIVES!!!

wait no

WAIT NO

We love a ending medley

wow ok that was wild

[flick-of-the-wrist]

I am watching the Bohemian Rhapsody movie, for the 10th time. And, yes, I know it's controversial. I know almost everyone in this fandom who has something to say about it hates it. And yes, I know its faults. I know that it portrays Paul Prenter as a Disney Villain. (Sure he was an arsehole, but god-damn, he wasn't the devil-incarnate.) I know it straight-washes Freddie and makes Mary seem like the love of his life (which she wasn't) and it makes Freddie seem like a moody little lonely brat (which he wasn't) but GOD-DAMN it brought a lot of us to this fandom, and the actors did a good job. And I still watch it and enjoy it, even knowing all these things.

A lot of non-Queen fanatics always tell me they loved the movie and they ask me if I loved it, and I am the type of person who can't say "NO! I hated it because--" (and rattle off 75 reasons that don't mean shit to an average person). I'm just more of a people person than that. I genuinely have friends and seek to get along with other people, regardless of differences. Sure, I can offer my opinion about how Freddie was actually gay and not bisexual and how he truly loved Jim Hutton more than Mary Austin, but again, I would prefer to interact with living-humans than be stuck on some dead man's past that I don't actually even know.

In other words, I don't believe Freddie would have been the type to sit and try and drill his opinion into other people's heads. I think he's the type who would want to hear about their views and to talk with them and get to know them rather than fight all evening. Don't you all love to connect with humans rather than constantly pit yourself against them? Isn't it nicer to connect and find common ground in this short life than to isolate yourself over petty differences forever? Of course, I'm not talking about people who actively negate your existence as a person or make you feel uncomfortable... but I'm talking about people who differ from you in opinion.

That being said, it's not so horrible to feel uncomfortable once in a while. We have gotten so accustomed to "safe spaces" that we don't realise that it's not always horrible to feel discomfort sometimes. We have conflated uncomfortable with unsafe, which is not the case. If someone tells me they disagree with me, that they believe Mary Austin was the love of Freddie Mercury's life, I am not inherently unsafe. Sure, I might disagree, and I can tell them as much, but that doesn't make that person a fucking animal. People spend so much time online that they forget how to actually interact with people who disagree with them.

Throwing around hideous terminology towards people that disagree with you on very petty, relatively meaningless terms is just another symptom of a society that has lost its ability to debate healthfully with each other. Not everyone is the fucking enemy. Get offline for a bit. Talk with people. Have conversations with human beings that do not involve a keyboard. Meet people who are from different walks of life, different age groups, etc. Of course, don't be unsafe. You don't need racists or legitimate homophobics in your circle, but conversely, not everyone who disagrees with you is Hitler.

The Internet can be great, but it can also lead people to believe that their circles are the only ones that exist.

People love Freddie Mercury without knowing his entire life story, and they feel the same pull towards his music even if they believe he was bisexual or that he loved Mary best of all. I don't agree with them, but they're not the fucking devil.

[logictoinsanity]

Recently read The Silence by Tim Lebbon and it was great, found out there was a movie and watched it and now I'm subjecting the Internet void to

My Thoughts on The Silence (2019) (6.5/10):

-(TLDR: I enjoyed it, but if I hadn't read the book it'd be much less interesting

TLDR of the move: if youve seen a quiet place, very similar creature, blind and hunts via hearing, reminiscent of like, piranhas combined with bats. parents, young son, deaf daughter and moms mom are trying to survive)

- Casting is all good except for Huw they fucked up (actor did a good job, just don't think he has the right vibe and its not /just/ because he's bald)

- Jude and Ally are great, Otis is a Rottweiler and I can't remember if that's book accurate (definitely not how I pictured him, I pictured a mutt that vaguely resembles a dark grey Irish wolfhound, but not as ridiculously large). but he's so so cute (I hid during The Scene™ so I have no clue how they handled it, but maybe next time I can just think about the dog actor having a really fun time)

- Not a fan of the change of setting, I understand that the problem had to move faster than the book, but they could've still kept the UK and Moldova, I feel like this would be more important to me if I was British tho tbh, im sure theres aspects of the characters in the book that got messed up when they turned american that i didnt notice. Probably cheaper to film in the USA tho.

- Obviously lacks all of the incredible build up and suspense of the entire first quarter of the book, with Ally seeing the cave on TV and slowly watching it become a bigger and bigger thing, which is one of my favorite things about the book

- Note from ~25 minutes in- better than a quiet place because it starts from the beginning, although I've heard the quiet place 2 provides a lot more context, maybe it's a ouija situation

- FUCKING HATE THAT THEY CHANGED 'HE WANTS ALLY FOR HER SIGN LANGUAGE AND SEES HER AS A FUCKED UP SAVIOR' INTO 'THE GIRL IS FERTILE' THATS SO FUCKING STUPID WHY WOULD THEY VALUE FERTILITY AT ALL WHEN BABIES ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO HUSH AS A PRE ESTABLISHED FACT THATS JUST GROSS PERVERSION FOR THE SAKE OF SHOCK VALUE INSTEAD OF WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE FOR THE PLOT

- They also fucked up the order of events with the hushed attacking the house, which fucks up the relevance of the grandmas sacrifice, since they just grabbed Ally again right after

- They also didn't include the smile from grandma to Ally which would've been so so easy to include and imo was a good moment.

- I liked Jude stabbing the guy, can't remember if that was in the book. also didn't like that it was three kidnappers instead of one really big guy who ignored like, a knife wound and being punched repeatedly

- Overall very similar to how I feel about THG movie, although this movie is worse than THG generally, so the concept is amplified. fun to watch because I know the deeper parts, decent basic genre movie, but doesn't have nearly the substance, meaning, or craftsmanship as the book.

- Really wish the beginning had slightly more time to show the doubt the world had when the vesp infestation first started. I think like two or three weeks passed between the Moldova cave incident and the vesps crossing the British channel in the book. There also wasn't time to show all the ways people tried to fight back, the military burning cities while blasting off fireworks, releasing toxic gases, etc. But I think specifically the doubt that was surrounding the vesp infestation in its early stages is a very important part of what makes the book so effective, it shows how people will ignore the things they cant handle, the cognitive dissonance we all have about whats happening in far away countries, it could never happen to us etc

- Really wish Glenn got more screen time and character development, especially in relation to the doubt, but I understand why he didn't. He's the madge of this film (not as bad tho, they did their best with him and the time they had I think)

- Feel pretty much the same about the ending, I get they needed a satisfying conclusion since they knew the odds of a sequel were slim, and the original ending would've been to frustrating for a more general audience.

- Personally though, I would've written it closer to the original, but they make it to the house in Scotland, and there's vague hints about the refuge (and maybe a more solid conclusion on rob somehow) so its like, there's a little open endedness and if they really wanted to do a sequel they could, but its still satisfying and more follows the original storyline. Especially since they totally cut out the plot line of huw and his parents weird relationship and his weird feelings about Scotland.

- Still enjoyed it more than quiet place, though tbf I don't remember that movie very well, I was high as fuck during both movies, and I haven't seen the sequel

- Huws brother and sister, Allys best friend and the lake house woman's machete are all absent, along with the prime Minister announcements (although I guess itd be the president) which I really enjoyed since the governments response is a key component to how a society reacts to catastrophy, which I think is a solid bit of the point of the book

- Basically I want a five hour long extended version that's just a little more book accurate and has slightly better pacing and casting. Just like The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, and every other book to movie adaptation I've ever seen

[starry-pierrot]

TF: Rise of the beasts review.

So first off I'm just gonna say this movie didn't vibe with me as much as the last one.

Don't worry ill put a cut off so I dont clog the tag.

So I just got back from watching the new Transformers movie and personally I'll have to give it a 5/10.

It wasn't the actors, they all did fine though personally I feel some scenes were lacking with Noah and Elena. It felt like there was too many people. You got the two new humans, several new autobots and now the maximals.

It was too cluttered with characters that half the time some of them didn't even get any real scenes, mostly the maximals. Sure they were in the scenes but I dont remember their names. I don't know anything about them..beyond general fan knowledge.

I feel like we didn't need 2 humans they could have easily had Noah be in the place of Elena,like he just got his new job and he's finally making his way out of the Bronx when suddenly he's thrusted into a world ending situation! Like he just got his brother Healthcare and he was doing good and now suddenly these alien mother fuckers want to eat the planet?? Would have given him a stronger motive for wanting to destory the key, losing everything when he JUST got on the right track.

I liked Elena.I liked the woman who played her but there was no reason for there to be 2 humans and I get they were sorta trying to have her be the voice of reason about destroying the key but then that goes nowhere.

Who is the plane guy? I love him but God i can't even remember a name.

Wheeljack was fucked over im sorry I hate what they did to him. Can we please stop with the nerdy stereotype of scientists? How hard is it to make a decent Wheeljack?? For fucks sake they gave him glasses!

I did like Mirage. He was fun.

Arcee was great.

And I even liked Scourge a bit.

....Bee did not have to die. Sorry it was a waste of time.

But the one thing that has this movie just out of nowhere to me....is the plot. Like why aren't we fighting Megatron? Megatron is the middle bit of the transformers lore (depending on continuity) and then we're supposed to get the big bad planet eating god! Having Unicron come in so early just seems way out of place and makes the war on cybertron trivial in comparison.

I didn't hate the move. I had fun watching it but by God does it have some issues for me. I think why the last one worked so well was because it was a much smaller story, I wasn't expecting Unicron to show up so its out of place.

Anyway it was fun but I would have overhauled the story.

[destinyc1020]

while I dont agree with your take on banshees ( I enjoyed it and I felt colin delivered a really good perfomance and I found his performance to be much stronger than austin tbh) I can actually see why someone may not like it, its structured like an irish fable and its comedy is very bleek, mundane and absurdist which is not something someone might be looking for in a comedy. I can see how that comedic style may not connect with everyone as opposed to the romanitic comedy or a buddy comedy. My sister had a similar opinion where she couldnt connect with the film and lost interest in it real quick.

But to that one anon, its unfair to expect everyone to understand the allegory of irish civil war, if the viewer couldnt see the connections then it may be because the film didnt truly contextualize the setting or the histories of the characters or maybe the viewer just wasnt invested in the film.

Also art in general has multiple meanings, the allegory to civil war is one of many themes the film presents.

I agree women king should have been there but dont hate me but Im taking out elvis.

while I dont agree with your take on banshees ( I enjoyed it and I felt colin delivered a really good perfomance

I definitely felt like Colin's acting was strong in this film. The entire cast was great imo. Very believable. 😊👍🏾 I've just seen Colin in other films where I felt like his acting was more noteworthy. There wasn't really anything that really stood out to me that made me say that his acting was much BETTER than Brendan's or Austin's. I'm sorry. 🤷🏾‍♀️ That's just my opinion.

and I found his performance to be much stronger than austin tbh)

Yeeeaaa see, I'm sorry but this is where I'm gonna have to disagree with you here lol 😆

In all honesty, I actually think that Austin probably had the hardest job out of all the other nominees. I venture to guess he probably worked the hardest as well. He and Baz poured their blood, sweat and tears into that film...a prep and filming that took all in all about 2 and a half years in the making...

Having to not only act, but also sing, play piano, play guitar, work with a vocal coach who not only had to train him on speaking with a southern drawl, but also how to SPEAK like Elvis spoke, SING like Elvis sang, MOVE like Elvis moved, have the same mannerisms that Elvis had, etc... and this is someone who's larger than life that everyone knew/knows, so the pressure to nail it must have been immense!

Add on top of that, thanks to covid, they could no longer film the movie in chronological order, so one day, Austin had to be 1968 Elvis, and the very next day be Elvis from the 50s.... including having to tweak his singing AND speaking voice for those various decades because Elvis' voice changed over the years. 🥴 I mean, to make sure you don't get confused with all of that... That in itself is amazing.

Austin's acting may not have been Shakespeare lol, but imo he did a very excellent job, and really stood out (even above Tom Hanks) in the role, and that's very hard to do since Tom is a GOAT. They have some very TENSE scenes together in the film which I think Austin did beautifully imo. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Colin's acting was good too (don't get wrong), but imo just about anyone could have been in the role and it would have been the same. Nothing really stood out to me. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Imo, Brendan's acting in "The Whale" is the best, with Austin being a close second based on the top 3 contenders that I've seen so far of nominated "Best Actors".

I haven't seen EEAAO yet, so my mind might change after that. 🤷🏾‍♀️

.

I can actually see why someone may not like it, its structured like an irish fable and its comedy is very bleek, mundane and absurdist which is not something someone might be looking for in a comedy. I can see how that comedic style may not connect with everyone as opposed to the romanitic comedy or a buddy comedy. My sister had a similar opinion where she couldnt connect with the film and lost interest in it real quick.

I actually don't mind dry humor, or even films from a foreign perspective. I actually like some foreign films, and I did find some of the scenes in the church confessional to be pretty funny lol 🤣

I just wouldn't really call it a "comedy", but to each his/her own 🤷🏾‍♀️

.

I agree women king should have been there but dont hate me but Im taking out elvis.

Lol I'm not gonna hate you lol 😂 Everyone is entitled to their own opinions! That's the beauty of art!

I mean, the way "Woman King" has just been completely IGNORED by the Academy, when this is usually the type of movie based on historical elements that they typically seem to like.... is just very very interesting to me. 😒

I looked through the list of Best Picture again and I tried to find a "weakest link" lol, but I honestly can't find one tbh. Of all the films I've seen, I think they ALL have smthg great about them.

I personally wouldn't take out "Elvis" because to me it was probably one of Baz Luhrmann's Best films (jmho lol), and the film itself said a lot about a time in US history, fighting for civil rights, amongst an artist and singer blended into the very fabric of American living, and how the music really touched different aspects of people's lives. Not to mention, the fact that Elvis wouldn't be anywhere without black music, which I felt the film tried to highlight beautifully.

It was hard to cram 30 years of someone's life into a 2.5 hour movie, but I felt like Baz did the best he could do!

Honestly? You're probably going to hate me lol, but if I had to take out one film I've seen so far and put "Woman King" in for BP nomination, I would actually take out "The Banshees of Inisherin" 👀 I'm sorry!! 🙈😅😅

Compared to the other films on that list? 👀 Like, c'mon lol 😆

[minsarasarahair]

I'm actually became fond of Kill Me Love Me characters. I know they are imperfect and flawed. But surprisingly, I don't hate anyone.

Mei Lin is cool. Sure, people hate her naivety but I'm very weak to soft assassins trope. (Word of Honor's Zhou Zishu, The Blood of Youth's Su Muyu, Saiunkoku Monogatari's Kou Shouka) I just like the contradiction that they are not downright evil and seek righteousness in morally gray way.

Murong Jinghe look like a jerk in the beginning but it lasted less than 5 episodes so I'm a little disappointed. I watch him to be a lunatic because that's how viewers promote his character. But he grew on me, his negative feelings for his revenge and leg ailment made me love him. He look like my fave book character and fall to the character stereotype I'm currently into. In addition, he also did what Zuo Yunqi did for Lou Zhu. Using himself as test subject for Mei Lin's poison problem. He's now a combination of my fave ship LouZuo.

Murong Xuanlie might be hard to like but he has the voice actor of Lou Zhu so lol I just imagined my fave character as antagonist every time I hear him speak so I don't really hate him that much. I mean, being an antagonist is his role what can I do. He's just doing his job. I like evil characters too. I just wish he let down his hair more frequently.

Luo Mei is quite pitiful at first having unrequited love with Murong Jinghe. Romance-driven characters are never my thing but at least she gave me the toxic relationship I was promised in this show lol She actually accepted the crown prince's questionable side?? Let's wait and see. Nevertheless, I find her cool too. Her fighting scenes with Mei Lin is awesome!

Princess Zi Gu started as the innocent carefree bright character who was gifted to the palace for peace between two kingdoms and great friend to Mei Lin. Then she implied to be fall in love with the emperor's kindness and will protect him to that extent?? It was surprising because big age gap romance in flesh is not my thing but at least the older guy is actually kind to her and prefer if she leave the palace because emperor now how harsh the life is in the palace. So yeah, Emperor also manage to be likable as well.

Qing Yan the trusted incompetent righthand man of Murong Jinghe. I like him too. As a fan of Sha Po Lang's Shen Yi, I always love characters like him. I just wish his relationship with Jinghe is more deeper and he has other roles in the story aside from joining Jinghe to seek justice for their Weibei army. Maybe they will touch that in the future episodes?

Yue Qin is not my favorite but I appreciate he don't side with two forces. He's just doing his own thing and has his own agenda. He's neutral and only care about people he want to protect. The arc about Shu Mo's death is saddening. I just hope he will not force himself to Mei Lin in the future.

Eunuch Liu Zhong is surprisingly likable!! I didn't expect he has this cute relationship with Jinghe during his childhood and genuinely care about the emperor. The episode when they are eliminating who they can ask for help is fun to watch.

Concubine Yin might be despicable trying to become the matchmaker for Luo Mei but it make sense especially emperor kinda ignore her presence in the harem so its understandable where she's coming from.

I also enjoyed supporting antagonists like Wang Quan, Ling Qi and Zhang Yin. This show really have great cast.

[80-ursa-major]

binged midnight monologuesmass.

SPOILERS

went in blind so when SUDDENLY VAMPIRES i was like what the fuck. And then they killed Riley aaaahhh. But I saw he was on the next episode so I kept watching and then he died again. For real this time. noooooooooo! And then I thought I might as well finish it and pre-emptive tl;dr it was laughably bad.

the priest actor people praise? zero charisma, he was like you got an average joe from the streets and told him to recite sermons. and his voice droned and droned omg stop talking! Riley's monologue wasn't good either tbh but his voice (ok fine and his face) was easier on the ears (and eyes) so at least you could watch. But the teacher lady argh her monologues were cringe and then they fucking replayed them so she could have the final montage and I just couldn't do it. She does that thing with her eyes, they're so open and not blinking like she's trying to hypnotize you?? Idk maybe her husband told her it looks good on camera. Btw I was shook when I found out because he didn't add even one chaste kiss with Riley but he had no issue with five uninterrupted minutes of a gross demon sucking her neck. Ooof.

I almost forgot the worst monologue not because of the theme or the actor (at least he put some passion in instead of blahblah) but the TIMING. The doctor tells you, the policeman there's a contagion and idk maybe hopefully you have some ideas to minimize victims? And he's like I'M THE VICTIM! And launches on a long-ass life-story about how he's the best dude but the evil west still hates him cause he's a muslim. Like sir this is a wendy's. The show is reaching its end, the apocalypse is coming, the (non-white?) lady simply came to you because you are the only cop so this is literally your job. So many episodes and you couldn't give this man a proper place to rightly explode about this injustice. Ironically enough mr. flanagan this might be a macro-aggresion pfffft. Oh and his son needed a little more screentime or at least show when he took the eucharist but then again imagine if he had had a monologue too, lord help me! XD

As for the vampire (did he forget he could mimic voices? he was like the only one who should have gotten a monologue but didn't bah) come on now! I know what the bible says about angels. I get that some people had a vested interest in pretending he was helping them but this creature looks like the most generic movie demon. Did the oil spill affect the water and everyone's iq dropped or something? Speaking of iq I love Riley but my boy is pretty dumb too. Like self-immolate in front of everyone to convince them or go to the mainland to convince them to help. Don't fucking traumatise the woman you love who already lost a baby. It's even dumber cause he couldn't stop seeing the dead teen so he should know what it does to a person.

Ending was batshit! Like what was this dude's plan? How would they all immediately control themselves? No wonder everyone just goes crazy and for added dumbassery they burn their homes and then achieve clarity and accept they have to die. Sure sure no one was selfish enough to hide in the shade of the trees or under a blanket. Even Bev (best acting probably) just starts digging lmao. In a way this was a good comedy. I also like the tender love Riley's parents had and his brother escaping with his gf was great. But can they really reach the mainland? And who'll be paying for her therapies? And if the demon had died earlier wouldn't everyone else be cured??? Oh well no one cares.

most ironically enough despite the ten thousand long monologues the best part was just those two lines Riley scribbled and wasn't even there to deliver them himself. DUST!!!

lastly and most importantly fuck you fuck you fuck you for those dead cats. Should have stopped watching right there.

[shamelessrabbithole]

Oh I’m excited to see the movie premiere and the celebrities and influencers who would go and the interviews ohhh we would see a lot of cam if they give tron the disney movie treatment

I also wanna see cam and jared leto talk about the joker because both of them did the same character but one is loved by the whole fandom and the other is hated so much by everyone in the fandom

It’s fascinating kinda want to see if jared would treat cam differently because he’s famous for that idk either way I’m so excited

.🎬

Hi 🎬, it won't have its premiere for another year and a half, so I'm sure we'll see plenty of Cameron before then. 😉 The two of them discussing their Joker roles in interviews would be cool, but it seems so far away between now and then that I wonder how much they'll even recall about the filmmaking, let alone how much of an off-screen friendship they'll even have.

Interestingly about Jared Leto, he's an Oscar winner and has been in some great movies, but he is considered a bad actor by a lot of people, having done an awful job playing Joker. However, he also has an enormous fanbase and is very popular on social media. It's mostly for his music, but I was surprised by how beloved he is and how much he interacts with fans in the comments.

I personally don't know what to make of him. I've read the stories about him, but I've also been following him for a few months now and I guess I'm torn. He's got enormous energy to jetset around the world like he does and perform huge concerts every night, then pivot and come back to Vancouver to film more Tron. I admire him for that. Then, of course, I see stuff like this on deuxmoi, and I'm back to thinking maybe he's as big a douchebag as people say? I dunno.

But, anyway, glad you're excited! Have you been working on any cool projects yourself these days?

[rosevelvetcupcake]

I think everyone knows by now that people r really hating on the live action Snow White movie rn becuz of things the actors have said, choices made my Disney, and overall just over politicizing every inch of it.

I honestly don't care about the right-wing controversy of the princess' casting, I'm sure she'll do a great job for her role in the movie, but it's such a shame about the removal of The Seven Dwarves, becuz I know this would've been a big opportunity for actors w/ dwarfism. I sorta have an idea that they prob did it to try to avoid offending anyone, like to avoid making any jokes at the expense of people w/ dwarfism, but instead took away a great opportunity for representation in the film industry yet for dwarves. I don't have dwarfism, but I know that from what I've seen online ppl r really disappointed.

I've also seen people be really disappointed about some controversy regarding some things the actress of Snow White has said about the story & changes that r gonna be made to it, & while I agree that we certainly "aren't in the 40s anymore," I understand a lot of people don't like the idea of such a traditional, tho honestly a little problematic in certain lights, story be modernized.

My solution:

Maleficent (2014) & Cruella (2022)

While there is an older live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians, there wasn't a live action remake of Sleeping Beauty. Instead, what they did was they basically created a new take on the beloved Disney princess movie on the take of the original antagonist, one of the most iconic Disney characters there ever was.

Maleficent & Cruella weren't just the same exact story in a different pov, these movies were intentionally rewritten almost entirely. The story was practically deconstructed & took details of varying significance & used it to create new movies.

While in Maleficent, the movie showed her in a more vulnerable light, explaining WHY she cursed Aurora when she was a baby, & expanded the story

At least, I'm assuming, tho I haven't seen the 2019 sequel

Cruella, however, took the iconic, diva character of the 101 Dalmatians villain &, yet again, giving us an in-depth origin story, also rewrote the story in a way that didn't focus on the original story's protagonists.

Honestly, looking back on it, that movie reminds me of the guy who inspired Dracula.

I don't remember all the details, but basically some Count or smth waited until his enemies' eyes were blinded by the rising sun, & bats flew towards the battlegrounds as Drac's army charged in. That's where the "vampires can turn into bats" thing comes from, becuz it looked like the bats turned back into soldiers, but ofc they never changed form into another animal.

That makes me think of how Cruella had the Baroness thinking she killed her dogs, when in reality she just hid them away.

These movies r very different from their original counterparts, but I think that if they went in this direction w/ Snow White, it could have saved this movie.

Nowadays, any & every movie is doomed to be bombarded by controversy, like the casting of Snow White. It's my limited understanding that they're going for a more modern-day theme about women empowerment, & r changing the story a lot to accommodate that.

The difference between what they're doing now & what they WOULD be doing if they went in this direction, a movie focused on the Evil Queen, is that they're still trying to stay w/ some resemblance of the og Snow White & the Seven Dwarves. If they instead went w/ the E.Q. route, flipping the story on its head would be a LOT simpler.

I never really sat down & watched the og, tho I think I have it on an old burned DVD my Aunt made me before I was even born. It's my understanding, however, that E.Q. is Snow's stepmother. I've heard a little about the origins/Brothers' Grimm version of the story, & I think that if they took inspo from the Brothers' Grimm, they could still give a message about uplifting independent women. Like about how E.Q. got w/ Snow's father, their relationship, etc.

Just becuz Snow wouldn't be the main focus, doesn't mean she'd be irrelevant either, like Aurora in Maleficent. She'd still be a main-focus character, but the story wouldn't follow her perspective, especially becuz this would practically be a brand new story. She wouldn't get pushed to the side, but E.Q. would have her iconic feminist moment. Would it possibly end up being smth like how Maleficent saved Aurora in the 2014 movie? Probably, yeah, tho in general the og stories r pretty similar; Princess gets cursed by some woman who no one seems to like, dies/falls into eternal slumber, & some random necrophiliac she met in the woods once as a teen who's prob much older than her comes to her rescue & kisses her awake like a creepo, & then they get married.

Maleficent was an incredible movie & I think saved Sleeping Beauty from it's sus storyline & the trope about how women r damsels in distress & need to be saved by older men, & I think that smth like this could save the 2024 Snow White story too

Ofc, it's far too late in production to turn things around, so if this idea was pitched to producers/writers/directors, it would either flop or the whole movie would be scrapped, rewritten from scratch, & entirely re-recorded, so unfortunately this great little fantasy of mine would never come true, but a girl can Wish Upon a Star

[elenajohansenreads]

Books I Read in 2023

#75 - The Bodyguard, by Katherine Center

Rating: 2/5 stars

It started off promising, but things fell apart once this switched from a bodyguard romance to a fake-dating romance, which is pretty early.

I understand that some of my disappointment stems from my expectations--when I think "bodyguard" romance, I think of yearning and accidental touches and small moments of intimacy, very slow-burn and fraught. Here, it's actually just a setup to put the female lead in the same room, so to speak, with a celebrity, so then there can be fake dating. And once it's about the fake dating, the bodyguard aspect is nonexistent. It's even part of the plot that Hannah can't do her job effectively in this situation and the backup team becomes the primary team. She's literally just there to be the fake girlfriend because they'd already lied to Jack's parents.

The rest of my disappointment comes from quite a few other things: first, inadequately developed characters who occasionally deliver excessively long monologues (like, unbelievably long) that were embarrassing to read. Seriously, Jack describing his nightmare? Painful and wildly out of character, as much as he even had a character at that point.  He didn't sound like himself, he sounded like the author making sure this Incredibly Obvious Meaningful Dream was something the reader Should Definitely Take Seriously.

Second, the cheating boyfriend/best friend/all the women in this are awful trifecta. The only female character that doesn't hate Hannah, apparently, is Jack's mom. All the other women are just the worst.

Third, the romance itself was weak. It started off promising, in its own way--I can see the charm of a hero who only laughs around the heroine, whether she's being intentionally funny or not. That's a valid path to intimacy. But it doesn't stay strong, and the plot pacing doesn't do it any favors by ending the fake dating before I felt like any real feelings had developed. Hannah summarizes her feelings in internal monologue, and since Jack's an actor and this is fake dating, we don't know his "real" feelings, that's the conflict of most of the second half of the book. It didn't feel deserved.

Fourth, what the heck was that climax? It was so unrealistic and stuffed with cheesy dialogue and I'm supposed to believe anyone was actually in danger in this fluffy bit of nonsense romance? Hannah being a bodyguard stopped being important about a third of the way through, and now it matters again? Structurally, I know we had to have the danger to Jack pay off or the premise falls apart, but this was ridiculous.

After all that, what did I even like about it? Yes, Jack finding Hannah unintentionally hilarious at every opportunity was fantastic, great dynamic even if nothing else about their relationship felt worthwhile. Jack's family drama was a good idea that just didn't mesh all that well with the rest of the story. Hannah standing up for herself to her scumbag ex. Not much else.

Thoroughly unimpressed.

[fortycumber]

so I somehow talked myself into watching a turkish drama, son yaz or the last summer to be exact (definitely not because I've been crushing on the main actor for quite some time now 😂), and let me tell you I have this weird love-hate relationship with turkish dramas due to the fact that where I come from, it's almost mandatory to find a random one broadcasted on every single TV channel ever, it's honestly annoying. Most of the dramas shown here are beyond mediocre, so I was kinda skeptical to start this one even because of the actor, but I did end up watching some of it nonetheless so yeah. I do love what I've seen so far, even though the show obviously has its own problems, from editing, to camera angles, to the TOO many inconsistencies in the plot, unlikable two dimensional characters and all that jazz. What saves it is the ABSOLUTE STELLAR performance by the main actor (😍) and I'm not saying this because I am so in love with him haha, but because this guy is literally ACTING THE SHIT OUT of this role OK? He's a poor little meow meow, a fucking wreck of a man, crying and having fits of anger all over the place, breaking shit, being irrational, making even more irrational decisions and suffering the consequences of them, yet beside all of that he's such a softie and an overall sunshine like I would give the world to him if I could OK? The chemistry between him and the main actress is also PALPABLE I love them together. Her character, despite being surprisingly clever and brave and somewhat of a breathe of fresh air compared to other female characters in turkish dramas (from what I've seen so far, don't know what happens to her after ep 10), falls flat and turns into the standard damsel in distress who's our main guy's ultimate rock, a shoulder to cry on and develops into his greatest weakness as well aka your usual cliche female protagonist that can be found in any drama regardless of the country. I don't feel obliged to write about the rest of the characters, the actors are great, I just don't feel any attachment to their characters whatsoever, especially those supporting ones like the aunt, the cousin, the annoying NPC boyfriend turned ex boyfriend, the cartoonish villain (?) Soner who seems to have a little crush our main guy, like the way he talks to him is diabolical sometimes, you can feel it despite the horrid Google translate subtitles. Like babe, time and place OK? He's hot I know, but still, chill. And don't even get me started on the mother! OH! Miss Gurl you KNEW WHAT YOU WERE GETTING YOURSELF INTO, AND YOU ALSO, BEING INTO A SIMILAR FIELD AS YOUR HUSBAND, SHOULD OUT OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW THAT HE'S GONNA MEET SOME UNSAVORY PEOPLE AND END UP IN SOME DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, why tf are you making a great deal out of it? I understand prosecutor daddy is a bit too involved into his job and often neglects his family, but still help the poor guy a little, have some understanding, he's under so much pressure and for God's sake don't pit his children against him, not when he's genuinely a decent human being and a good father (well as good as he can be, this guy isn't a saint at all let's be clear on that).

With all that being said I think I will continue watching this regardless, hopefully I can brave through the terrible subtitles, I swear it most of the meaning behind the dialogues is lost (like they mention poems, they sometimes say some deep and poignant things that, due to the bad subtitles are conveyed in a completely different way instead of what their meaning was intended to be by the writer), I'm sure the people subbing this did their best, no hate to them. I hope some major platform like netflix picks it up and I'll be able to watch it and actually understand everything.

[goosebasedcryptid]

No, he's not perfect for the role, imo, and here's why...

Honestly, my problem isn't with him, but with whoever in the casting process decided to make Baelor white. Like I'm sure the guy is a really good actor and will probably give a great performance as his own version of Baelor, but there's legitimate criticism to be had regarding the fact that he was even considered for it. (Doesn't mean he should personally get hate. He's an actor doing the job he was hired for. He's not the decision maker here.)

Baelor being Daeron II's heir while having the physical appearance of his Dornish mother Queen Myriah, therefore being largely regarded as more Martell than Targaryen, is an integral part of the narrative leading up to the First Blackfyre rebellion. While said 1st BR was based on the claim that Daeron II was not Aegon V's legitimate son and heir, it is not to be ignored that the idea that he was too friendly with Dorne and its population, who are regarded as inherently untrustworthy, grasping, and enemies by the nobles who wanted to put Daemon on the throne for their own gain, played a significant part as well. In short, they did not want a half Dornish (aka non white) king on the throne.

And if you've read even half of Dunk&Egg you know how much the Blackfyre Rebellions are woven into the story and the political climate, there are constant references to them and the perceived threat that still looms overseas. The 3rd novella literally takes place during the 2nd BR!

So while yes, a white actor may do a fantastic job at portraying the charisma, chivalry and overall character of Baelor Breakspear, it will most probably come at the expense of an enormous part of the political climate the story takes place in. Which is a shame, given that GRRM writes *political* fantasy.

Also, regardless of the importance a character's ethnicity bears on the story, it just sucks that a canon POC character is being erased in a genre that is vastly white dominated and lacks positive representation. We could have had the epitome of knighthood, courage, and honour be someone other than a white guy for once, but no, we're not getting that, I guess.