#no new actor playing the role :/ it's just over dang it :/

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: October 2024

I'm not one for horror so don't expect too much spooky stuff out of this recap.

……….FILM……….

Dredd (2012) Karl Urban deserves greater recognition for this if for no other reason that that frown. I doubt we'll ever get another one of these so to me the ending sends a clear message that the only way to avoid becoming a bad apple is to quit the bushel.

Perfect Blue (1997) Loosely knowing the premise, I thought I was prepared for what I watched but HO BOY was I not! Some truths are timeless and I think the now dated technology makes it all hit even harder. So well directed and a perfect use of animation. This is going to stick with me for a while.

Millennium Actress (2001) After Perfect Blue, I wanted to continue with the director's filmography (Satoshi Kon) and wasn't ready for how this would FLOOR ME. Such an emotional and lovely depiction of the intermingling between art and life and what drives an artist throughout their career. And the trope of characters playing multiple roles in different time periods will always land for me.

Death Becomes Her (1992) I only know Meryl Streep from this, The Devil Wear Prada, and the Mamma Mia series so to me, she's strictly a comedic actor. Given its subject matter, this continues to age surprisingly well.

Hansel & Gretel (2002) Felt like a made-for-tv movie but turns out it had a theatrical release! I did laugh at the Boogeyman subbing in for the Sandman and the design of the Witch's oven is cool, but that's about it.

……….TELEVISION……….

Dandadan (Episode 1.01 to 1.04) Teens fight aliens and ghosts? Heck yes. I will say the first ep has an alien abduction scene that almost turned me off of the entire show but once you get past that, everything else is really great. Fun worldbuilding, clever rules, and at its core it's a charming romcom. Just promise me you'll watch past the abduction.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Episode 1.23 to 1.26) Okay so that's the ending! Not what I expected but you know what? I don't mind it. I know there's a movie that continues on after this BUT if it ended here I think I'd be okay with it. What a strange series.

Love is Blind (Episode 7.01 to 7.13) I keep thinking "why would anyone still sign up for this?" but here I am into another season asking "why would anyone still watch this?" And dang that reunion was meeeeeeeessy.

Love is Blind UK (Episode 1.01 to 1.04) This iteration feels a little more sincere, but that may be because the cast seems a little older or because the machine hasn't yet pumped out minor celebrities so folks don't know what might lie ahead? Either way I'm a fan.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Dead Man's Bones (Ft. Ryan Gosling) - Documentary Special Presentation by Pitchfork While spooky season is nearly over, the music of Dead Man's Bones is evergreen. Watch this, if you haven't seen it, and especially listen to the album if you haven't heard it. VIDEO

Game of Clones by Just Write As much a reflection on how artists can't create in a vacuum as it is a critique of the modern tv landscape. There's a lot on influence and the different ways artists react to prior work that I found both informative for my own approach and just generally really interesting. VIDEO

Why Are Movies So Obsessed With Trains? and The Infinite Possibilities of Train Action Scenes | Blue Flame Special by Patrick H. Willems I love trains. VIDEO (Obsessed) VIDEO (Blue Flame Special)

Black Cops Won't Save Us by F.D Signifier I'm not going to be able to add anything new to what's already been said in this video. VIDEO

……….READING……….

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (Complete) Very excited I found this at the start of the month but turns out Halloween plays a very small role. Not one of her strongest, perhaps because I felt like I'd pieced the mystery together far too soon.

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber (Complete) There's something so wonderful about a story where two guys meet and immediately clock each other as awesome and become best friends. Such a delight. The end may be a worn out trope that you could spot a mile away, but it's all so evocative and swiftly paced that I just have to shrug and accept it was written in 1970.

Beauty by Kerascoët & Hubert (Complete) I wish I knew about where to find more comics like this. The artwork is loose and evocative but filled with details when necessary (and the COLOURS are so fantastic and are contained to each page to really highlight the format). The writing is also killer as it's both mature and whimsical. Every time I read this I'm reminded of just how fantastic it is.

The Adventures of Tintin: Red Rackham's Treasure (Complete) Grew up watching the cartoon yet never read any of the comics so when I saw this at a thrift, I was really excited. While mostly self-contained, it really does feel like it's part of a bigger story and I suppose I was expecting a little more pulp adventure? The art is stellar so I'll continue to pick these up as I see them.

……….AUDIO……….

Slugger by Sasami (2024) Two solid songs though I admit I tend to prefer her fuzzier/more dangerous-sounding tracks from Squeeze. Here's hoping the full album has a good mix.

Search Engine (Podcast) Always a great listen but their recent two-parter about why it's so hard to tax billionaires in the united states was a particular standout.

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Tuesday Crew just relocated some migrating birds and are now choosing from their myriads of quests. You can read all about them here!

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo) Top down Zelda is always going to be great, and this art style is 100% what I want out of games. Do I like the summoning mechanic? Sure. Do I think it leads to game design feeling half-baked? Yes. But I will say it stuck the landing so overall: big fan.

And that's it. See you in November!

[chetchad]

Inappropriate decisions of '98

(WTRC!Brad Vickers x AFAB!reader)

WC; 5070

CW; p n v, age gap [20 and 35], drunk sex on one side, loss of virginity, reader has no pronouns but has breasts and wears bras, reader is catholic, I know nothing about catholics, Brad is a drunk sweetheart, inexperienced oral m!receiving, clothed on one side, naked on the other.

Date: November 13th, 1998

Time: 2:57 P.M

  It was rainy, as always, did it ever stop raining in Raccoon City? Brad huffed, still playing on his cell, as he's been doing since he bought the dang thing. Chris and Wesker threw pens at each other, Richard was playing solitaire on the boxy computer that sat on his desk, and Jill was sitting next to you while you read a Tiger Beat magazine.

   Sure, the magazine made you seem childish, but you were only twenty years old. Younger than the new rookie, Leon. But that's only because his birthday is only two months before yours. Everyone called you the baby of the team, and Jill was only three years older than you! Why don't they baby her too?

  Okay, maybe you were still kind of like a teenager. Sure, your Nokia 5110 and Sony Walkman are bedazzled with Lisa Frank stickers. Sure, you listen to Spice Girls and Brittany Spears, and you fawn over Leonardo DiCaprio. But that's besides the point! You're still a mature adult.

  Everyone adores you, honestly. Richard would stop anyone from saying anything remotely inappropriate, insisting that you need your innocence protected. Chris took the role as big brother, Wesker joked about taking the dad role, oh, but he embraced it after a while. Need money for the vending machine? Wesker's already there with a baggie of quarters. Bored? He's already suggesting things to keep you entertained. 

  Hell, even Leon's taken the role of best friend. Everyone thinks he's a bad influence on you. Leon? The pretty boy? A bad influence? Ha! That's cute; you're the bad influence and they know that. They just pretend not to.

  Brad on the other hand, doesn't like you much. Or he just pretends not to, and if that's the case, he'd make a good damn actor. But the thing is, you've begun to develop a small crush on him. Seriously? Out of everyone? Brad Vickers? Trust me, you've asked the same thing multiple times.

  Do you think about him every night? Yes. Do you fantasize about things that would make Richard clutch his pearls? Yes. Does it make you embarrassed? Absolutely!

  Honestly, you wish it was someone else and not the man who acts like you're the bane of his existence. Like, what'd you do to him? Come into his life? Because you blessed him with your presence, you're just a perfect little saint in everyone else's eyes, why not his? 

  You're done everything to try and get him, purposely dropping things and bending over in front of him, wearing crop-tops, all sorts of things!

  Finally, having enough, you set the magazine down and walked over to Brad with determination. Standing in front of him with your arms crossed and a sneer on your lips.

  “Brad, what'd I do to you?” You asked, slamming a hand down on his desk and jutting your bottom lip out.

  Everyone looked over with confusion. Why were you up in Brad's face like that? Brad didn't even look up from that damned game, too invested on the green screen.

  “What do you mean?” The blond asked and looked up at you through his lashes.

  “You know what I mean. You act like you're too high and mighty to be my friend. It's rude, jerk.” you huffed with a pout, straightening back up with a defeated look already.

  “Oh, you're just a little princess.” Brad answered with a smirk, looking up at you when he finally lost the game.

  “Don't call me princess!” you exclaimed, your cheeks heating up with embarrassment.

  “Princess.”

  “Oh, I'll show you princess.” You threatened and pointed a finger at him.

  “Don't threaten me with a good time, princess.” Brad teased, looking up at you with shit-eating grin.

  Richard glared at his friend, not liking the way he was talking to you, “Maybe you should stop talking–”

  Richard was cut off by Jill, who held a finger to her lips and shushed him, wanting to know how this interaction would end.

  “Like I'd ever do you, please, I have some standards.” You replied and crossed your arms, pouting like the little brat that you are.

  “And I'm the rude one?” Brad scoffed, setting his phone down and leaning towards you, “Me, you, tomorrow, 8:30, at J’s bar. Be there.”

  “Is this a fight…?” You asked slowly, confused by his wording.

  “It's a date.” Brad clarified, his heart fluttering quickly at your cute expression.

  “Oh, well it's a date then.”

  “Good,” Brad leaned back in his chair and smiled up at you, “And don't worry; they have highchairs.”

  You hardened your glare, “I'm not a baby!”

  “Keep telling yourself that.” Was all he hummed, grabbing his phone and starting over.

  With a triumphant smirk, you walked back to Jill and sat back down with your magazine. Everyone looked back and forth between you and Brad, before Richard mumbled something that everyone picked up; “Cradle-robber…”

  Brad quickly looked at his friend, his cheeks flushed a soft pink, “I-I'm not a cradle-robber!”

  Date: November 14th, 1998

Time: 8:26 P.M

  You were early, something you never were, but you're nervous so that's your excuse. You sat on the hood of your 90’ Honda Accord, waiting for Brad to arrive on this odd date. You began to bounce on the hood, listening to the clanks of the car with each bounce.

  “What are you doing?”

  You let out a startled squeak when you heard Brad's voice just appear from nowhere, “What the heck, man?! Scared the crap out of me!”

  Brad snickered, a lit cigarette hanging loosely from his chapped lips, the orange amber illuminating in the dark lighting. “What are you doing out here in the cold? You could have gone inside.”

  “I was scared, I've never been in a bar before.” you answered and looked up at him with a deadpan look.

  “Ah, makes sense.” He hummed and sat down next to you. “Mind if we stay out here while I finish this?” He asked, referring to the cigarette in his mouth.

  “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.” You replied sarcastically and laid back, staring up at the stars that looked like gold flicked on a black canvas.

  Brad snorted at your words and poked you exposed tummy, “Where's the rest of your shirt?”

  “It's called fashion, not like an oldie like you would understand.” You joked, looking over at him with a smirk.

  Brad held a hand to his chest like he was offended, taking a drag from the cancer stick before exhaling it away from you. “Please, I'm not that old.”

  You shook your head fondly, taking a moment to admire him, the heat rising in your cheeks when you noticed how handsome he was. When you came to your senses and got out of your mind, you noticed he was staring down at you with a small smirk.

  “Enjoying the view?” He snickered, holding the cigarette between his pointer and middle finger.

  “Just noticed how ugly you are.” you snorted and winked at him, and quietly coughing when you got a whiff of the smoke, “Ugh, you shouldn't smoke. It causes cancer, you know?”

  “I know, I know. I just like it.” He answered plainly, looking towards the bar. “You know, I'm curious; how do you have all this nice stuff? I mean, not your car obviously–”

  “Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!” you gasped, sitting up quickly and narrowing your eyes at him.

  “I'm just saying, it's just not a sports car or anything.” he defended himself, trying to de-escalate the situation.

  “Like you have some super cool car.” You huffed and leaned towards him, almost challenging him to retort.

  Brad's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, “Shut up…” Brad flicked the cigarette away and stood up, stomping on it and turning to look at you. “Ya ready?”

  You climbed off of the hood and stood next to him, nodding and linking your arm with his. The two of you made your way to the bar, Brad opened the door for you, “Ladies first.”

  “Wow, what a gentleman.” You snorted and walked in, recoiling at the hotness of the bar while flinching at the loudness of the bargoers. “Geez, couldn't we have gone to, like, McDonald's or something?”

  “Really? Why, so you can play in the play place?” The blond asked sarcastically as he walked in behind you, trying not to smile when you latched onto his arm from nervousness.

  “Maybe so.” You answered with a small grin, having a thought that this might not be so bad.

  Brad let out a soft chuckle that sounded like music to your ears, it was so soft and airy, making your knees weak almost immediately. The two of you eventually found a booth in the back, the bench covered in a red vinyl that creaked and moaned when you sat on it. After obtaining your menus, you guys sat in silence between the two of you, reading the foods.

  “You know, you never answered my question.” Brad informed you, not looking up from the list of items.

  “Oh, rich grandparents.” Was all you answered, deciding in your head that chicken strips and a cherry Coke sounds good.

  “Ah, again; makes sense.” Brad hummed, flagging down the waitress with his hand.

  The waitress walked over with a small notepad and a bubbly smile, she couldn't be much older than you. “Hi, what can I do for ya fine folks today?” She asked, a strong southern accent shining through her words.

  “Hm, I'll have a cheeseburger, medium rare, and a beer. Thank you.” Brad answered with a smile and set the menu down.

  The waitress nodded and hastily wrote down his order, before looking over at you, “And you?”

  “Erm, I'll have the chicken strips and a cherry Coke, with a mini umbrella if you could” You answered with a small smile, toying with the corner of the menu. “Thank you.”

  She nodded again and wrote down your order, before grabbing the menus and walking away from the table. Brad drummed his fingers on the oak table, staring at you intently.

  “Why didn't you order a beer or something?” Brad asked, and cringed at his own stupidity after he asked his question.

  “I'm not 21…?” You answered with a confused look, playing with a hangnail on your index finger.

  “I know, I'm just stupid.” He chuckled and gave you a lopsided grin, enjoying your confused face that reminded him of a little puppy.

  Almost everything you did reminded him of a cute, little puppy. Your sad eyes and pouty face that you made when you were upset, the way you followed every S.T.A.R.S. member around like a lost puppy dog. God, Brad just thinks that you're just the cutest puppy ever. Ever.

  No-one can compete with your cute cheeks, that adorable little nose, your pert ass, and pretty hips.

  Brad shook his head at the thoughts, and gave you a smile to reassure you that he was listening. You had such pretty lips that he couldn't stop thinking about, so pouty and pretty when you wear that cherry lip gloss of yours.

  “Anyway, Chris punched a boulder at the park when he lost our hide-and-seek game, he hurt the crap out of his hand.” You rambled on, stirring the straw in your glass of soda.

  When did you guys get your drinks? Brad didn't notice when the waitress came back with a glass and a bottle, the glass sporting a straw and a small pink umbrella per your request, while the other was just a plain brown glass bottle.

   Brad grabbed the neck of the bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a sip and setting it back down on the table. Noticing your curious gaze, he raised a brow and nodded his head towards the beer.

  “You want to try it?” Brad asked with a small smirk, tapping his fingernail against the glass, making a soft ting.

  “I dunno, won't I get in trouble?” You mumbled, unsure about taking a swig of his drink.

  “You'll be fine, I promise.” Brad cooed with a small smile, holding the bottle out to you. “But you don't have to if you don't want to.”

  With some contemplation, you nodded and grabbed the bottle from him, flinching at the shock when your fingertips brushed against one another.

  “You shocked me.” You grumbled with a pout, and slowly brought the bottle to your lips. While you took a sip, Brad smirked and gasped, “Is that Enrico?!”

  You spat the beer back into the bottle, shoving it to Brad and looking around the bar. That’s when you heard Brad burst out laugh, making you turn and glare at him, wiping the sticky liquid off your chin.

  “You prick!” You barked, narrowing your eyes at him and rambling about how mean he is, while he just laughed.

  “Aw, c’mon, you know it was funny.” Brad snorted, running a hand through his shaggy blond locks. “Ugh, why'd you spit it back into my drink?”

  “You big jerk…” you grumbled and crossed your arms, but dropped your pout when the waitress came with the food on trays.

  “Here ya guys go! Enjoy!” The waitress smiled and set the trays on the table, before walking back towards the kitchen.

  Brad's stomach grumbled when he got a whiff of the food, making him immediately grab his burger. The two of you ate, Brad slowly getting more and more drunk as time went on. Slowly getting more and more messy, making you grimace and cringe.

  “Princess, l-let’s go back to my place.” Brad slurred, trying to play footsies with you under the table but instead he just kicked you in the shins.

  “Yeah, I don't think you can drive like this. Lemme see your wallet; you said that you would pay.” You mumbled and held your hand out, watching Brad fumble and try to fish his wallet out of his jeans.

  Brad handed his wallet to you, mumbling incoherent jumbles of words. You opened his wallet and froze when you saw all the cards in his wallet, why does he have so many? Shaking your head, you flicked open the part where the money was held and groaned when all that was there was a condom and a five dollar bill. You grabbed your purse and grabbed forty dollars in cash, signing the bill and setting the twenties atop of it. 

  You grabbed Brad's wrist and tugged him out of the bar, shuddering at the cool breeze that nipped at your uncovered belly. Brad drunkenly stumbled with you, quietly giggling and hiccuping along the way. When you made it back to your Accord, you opened the passenger side door and groaned when you saw your bag of laundry that you took to the laundromat earlier. You tossed the bag in the backseat, and gestured for Brad to sit down. 

  Brad hobbled over, giving you a drunken smile and climbing into the seat. You walked to the other side of the car, checking the back passenger side tire before continuing to the driver's side. You clambered into the car, slotting the purple key in the ignition, twisting it until the engine came to life. You buckled up and looked over to see if the blond ever did, but he didn't.

  You huffed, leaning over and grabbing the seat belt. You pulled it across him, the belt hissing against his jacket and jeans, and clipped it in with a click that echoed through the small car. Brad drunkenly giggled, watching you pull out onto the road.

  “Brad, what's your address?” You asked, sitting at a stop sign, waiting for him to answer.

  Brad's answer came out between hiccups and giggles. The drive was mostly fine, besides Brad constantly loudly humming along with ‘Baby one more time’. You parked in Brad's driveway, Brad's house was a small one in the suburbs part of Raccoon. You turned the car off and clambered out, walking over to the passenger side door and opening it. You helped Brad walk to his front door, digging his keys from his pocket and thrusting it in the door knob. You froze when you heard a dog bark and ran to the door. You've never been too fond of dogs, you're more of a feline and reptile type person.

  “Brad, is your dog friendly?” You asked the man who was leaning against your side for support.

  “Mickey is friendly.” Brad slurred, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck and nibbling on your skin.

  Your cheeks heated up at the feeling, blunt pleasure settling in between your hips. With a soft sigh, you turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, only to immediately be greeted by a blur of white. Brad's small Jack Russell, Mickey, jumped on your guys’ legs letting out excited yips.

  “Hi baby…” Brad murmured and pulled away from you, kneeling down and loving on his dog.

  “Brad, I'm going to go home–”

  Brad quickly stood up and wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing the small bulge in his pants against your lower stomach. You shuddered at the feeling, your nipples hardening at the arousal that grew inside of you.

  “Please don't. I want you… I need you…” Brad pleaded, leaving wet kisses up and down your jaw and neck.

  You let out a soft moan, squeezing your eyes shut, trying to level out the pros and cons of staying and giving the drunken Brad what he wants. Is this taking advantage of him? That's what you're most worried about, would he be mad afterwards? Yeah, all the negative thoughts left as soon as he palms your breast through the thin ribbed fabric of your shirt.

  Your lips met in a sloppy, messy, wet kiss; the taste of his beer still lingering on his tongue. Mickey let out a confused whine, and walked back to the living room where his bed was. You and Brad could care less about the dog, not with this intense make out session. Brad grabbed handfuls of your ass, lifting you up to be level with him, grinding his semi-erection on your clothed cunt. You keened when his cock rubbed against your clit in such a delicious way, sending shockwave after shockwave of pleasure throughout your entire body.

  Brad pulled away, quietly panting and staring at you with half-lidded, lust-blown eyes. Brad set you down and started pulling you down the hall, wanting to get to his room as soon as possible. Fumbling with the doorknob, you and Brad made it to his room without fail. The inside was mostly bare, just housing the bare essentials: a bed, dresser, TV, floor, and walls. You know, the essentials.

  Brad giggled and sat on the edge of his bed, pulling you to stand between his legs. Brad stared up at you, rubbing circles on your hips with his thumbs and quietly mumbling to himself about how pretty you are. You leaned down and kissed his kiss-swollen lips sweetly, making Brad lay down on his back so you'd lay on him. You rested your forearms on either side of his head, leaning on them with your knees planted by his hips, straddling him.

  Letting out the softest noise of pleasure, Brad hooked his leg around your waist, and parted his lips for you. You shook your head and pulled away, looking down at him with a small, shy smile.

  “Brad, can I blow you..?” You asked oh-so-sweetly, sitting up on his stomach and resting your hands on his chest.

  Brad almost moaned at your words and nodded eagerly, chewing on his bottom lip. You climbed off of him and kneeled between his legs, making him sit up, wanting to watch the entire time. With nervousness, you hastily undid his belt pulling the metal prong through the hole in the leather, successfully undoing his belt. You unzipped his fly and popped the button of his pants open with nimble fingers, getting a glimpse of navy blue boxers that were tented up by his hard cock. Brad laid back down and lifted his hips up off the bed so it would be easier to remove his jeans. You tugged his jeans and boxers off, exposing his semi hard cock and his hefty balls that hung low.

  He's drunk. Of course he won't get fully hard.

  “Erm, I've never done this before…” You informed Brad, making him quickly sit up and stare at you with wide eyes.

  “N-never? You've never sucked a guy off before?” Brad asked nervously, running a hand through his hair and fiddling with the zipper on his jacket.

  “Uh, no. I haven't…” you mumbled, shyly gripping his cock and running your thumb across the slit.

  Brad let out a choked gasp slash moan, squeezing his eyes shut. “Are… are you a virgin?”

  Silence that made him feel a sense of dread and guilt. You were just a kid, weren't you? A little pure kid that hasn't been tainted yet, and now he feels like a creep. But God, the sight of you just playing with his cock with those eyes full of curiosity and fascination made his lust overcome guilt. 

  “I'll make it special, I-i promise.” Brad slurred, stroking your cheek and smiling softly.

  You smiled back and leaned forward, meekly licking the pudgy head and scrunching your nose up at the odd taste. Without thinking, you tried to take all of his half-hard cock into your mouth while not having any prior experience. You gagged and pulled away immediately, catching Brad's worried and disapproving eyes.

  “You shouldn't have done that…” Brad slurred with worry, “You okay?”

  “Yeah…” you nodded with an embarrassed sigh, “Can I just suck the tip?”

  Brad nodded with excitement, watching you with a dopey grin when you started sucking and licking his tip while he let out groans of pleasure. Brad's mind was fuzzy and everything was kind of spinning. 

  After, like, ten minutes of you playing and mouthing his tip, he never even came. Pulling back with a frustrated expression, you looked up at him with confusion.

  “Am I ugly or something?” You asked sarcastically, grabbing his hand and pressing kisses to his fingertips.

  “No, just have a h-hard time f-finishing when I'm drunk or high… or bored…” Brad drunkenly giggled, squirming at the ticklish feeling of you suckling at his fingers.

  You rolled your eyes and moaned around his fingers, licking between them, on the underside, sucking, just having a grand ole’ time with his hand.

  Brad pulled his spit covered hand out of your mouth and pulled you up to stand, tugging at the waistband of your pants. With an eyeroll, you toed your shoes off and pulled your pants down, revealing you plain white panties that had a cute little bow in the middle of the waistband. Brad blushed at the sight, and glanced up at your shirt, signaling to take it off too. You shyly pulled your shirt off over your head, showing him your light pink bra that didn't match your underwear.

  That's not the first thing Brad noticed. He noticed the cross that sat between your breasts. You're Catholic? Of course. Now he feels even more guilty. The silver was a deep contrast against your smooth cleavage, showing off the pride of Jesus. 

  Shaking his head, trying to shake his overcoming guilt, he grabbed you by your hips and pulled you to straddle his thighs. Brad glanced back, staring at the white gusset of your panties that slowly turned almost see through. 

  He could see the outline of your chubby pussy lips, making his mouth practically water at the sight of seeing your panty-covered pussy so close to his exposed cock. It made him want to pound into you and hear you cry out his name in ecstasy.

  Noticing his spaced off expression while he stared between your legs, you settled your cunt against his bare cock and ground on it. Brad whimpered at the sudden pleasure, resting his head on your shoulder and bucking his hips up into yours. Brad laid back and you unclasp your bra, exposing your breasts and pert nipples.

  With a soft sigh, you tugged your panties off awkwardly, whining when his cock came into contact with your drooling pussy. Brad eagerly reached down, sliding his finger between your cunt lips, and shoving his face against your breasts. Brad slid two fingers in your drippy hole, clumsily pushing his middle and index finger in and out while trying to find your clit with his thumb.

  Mewling in pleasure, you rolled your hips against his hand while he mouthed wetly at your cleavage. You felt yourself teetering towards the edge of orgasming, and then he took his hand away. 

  “Brad! Why?!” You cried, staring at him with eyes of betrayal.

  “Want you t-to cum around my cock…” he slurred, and pointed to the bedside table. “Are you… um… on birth control? Do we need t-to use a condom?”

  “I'm on birth control… but I'd like to use lube, I'd like to hurt as little as possible.” You murmured, pushing his jacket off of him and pushing his shirt up.

  “T-there’s some in the drawer…” he mumbled, watching you lean over and grab the clear bottle.

  You shivered when you squeezed the cold liquid in your palm, warming it up before you fisted it on Brad's cock, schlicks echoing throughout the small bedroom. Brad moaned, panting with his cheeks flushed a pretty pink, drool dribbling down his chin.

  You rubbed the leftover lube that was on your hand on to Brad's sheets, noting to yourself that you'll wash them in the morning for him. Grabbing the base of his dick, you slowly sank on it, letting out shaky sighs. Brad let out a choked moan, grabbing onto your hips and watching in awe. You rested your hands on his chest, thumbing his nipples and gasping in pleasure.

  Brad's pubes were soaked with lube and your slick, leaving a sticky mess for him to deal with later. Leaning down, you wrapped your lips around one of his nipples, licking firmly with the flat of your tongue.

  Brad cried out, grabbing fistfuls of your hair and pulling at it. You began pinching and rolling his other nipple between your pointer finger and thumb, practically basking in his noises of pleasure.

  Reaching down between your bodies, you toyed with your clit, getting closer and closer to climaxing. Brad on the other hand… the alcohol in his system definitely delayed his orgasm.

  Pulling away from his nipple and sitting back up, you bounced with fever, your breasts jiggling with each movement. Brad watched, memorized by your tits and the necklace that bounced with every thrust.

  With a wail of Brad's name, you came on his cock, leaving a milky white ring around the base. You fell forward on Brad's chest, exhausted and worn out. Brad scrambled and began thrusting up into your pussy, trying to chase his orgasm.

  “G-god, ‘m so close…” Brad whimpered, picking up his pace.

  You nuzzled your face in the crook of his neck, lapping at the sweaty skin and whimpering in overstimulation. Brad slurred out apologies when he came inside of you, leaving you feeling warm and full.

  Brad stilled, wrapping his arms around you and closing his eyes. You let out a quiet giggle, tears welling in your eyes when you felt an odd guilt in your gut. Brad kissed the side of your head, and pulled the blanket over the two of you. You closed your eyes, the guilt slowly dissipating while you drifted off into a sticky sleep.

    Date: November 15th, 1998

Time: 7:28 A.M

  Brad groaned, feeling his head pounding and his stomach churning. Quickly standing up and running to his bathroom, he kneeled in front of the toilet and gagged.

  You hummed with confusion, opening your eyes and looking towards the slightly opened door. Rolling out of the bed, you stumbled your way over to the bathroom and froze when you felt something dripping down the inside of your thigh. Looking down, you felt the heat rise in your cheeks when you saw a white substance oozing from your pussy and down your leg. You waddled over to the bathroom, and pushed the door open, scaring Brad out of his skin.

  Brad quickly glanced over at you with wide eyes, before resuming his puking. You walked over and grabbed his hair, holding his blond locks out of his face, and rubbing his back with your palm.

  After a minute, Brad curled up on the cold tile and groaned, before looking up at you and noticing your appearance. Brad's cheeks turned crimson when he remembered what happened just the night before.

  “Did I act stupid?” Brad mumbled with an embarrassed frown, noting that he needs to clean around the toilet more.

  “Not too bad, no.” You reassured and crouched down next to him, playing with his hair.

  Brad scoffed in disbelief, smiling fondly at your affection, “Yeah, not too bad.”

  “So, can I use your shower? I also might need to clean your sheets, I wiped lube on them, sorry...” You murmured, not looking at him from embarrassment.

  “It's fine; they've seen worse. And yeah, you can use the shower.” He replied and sat up, giving you a small smile, but soon laid back down he felt his head pound.

  “What about your shee–”

  “Don't argue with me. Just get in the shower.” Brad demanded and rolled his eyes, pointing to the shower.

  With a quiet scoff, you stood up and walked to the shower, turning it on and stepping in the warm water. Brad sighed and stood up, stumbling out of the bathroom and grabbing a pair of boxers he found on the floor. Putting the article on, he walked out of his room and to the kitchen, immediately being greeted by his dog

  “Hey, boy…” Brad grumbled and grabbed the Advil from the medicine cabinet and popped two of the peach color pills.

  Brad sat down at the table and held Mickey in his lap, listening to the shower run and you singing some popular pop song that he recognized but didn't know the name of.

“What am I going to do with princess?” Brad let out a soft laugh and shook his head.

[youmaycallmebrian]

look i really don't want to be a killjoy, I don't want to be the "boomer" who over-criticizes movies because they don't get anything and refuse to have fun... Like, I really want to enjoy this and join in on the fun but I can't lie, I was so so so disappointed with the FNAF movie. I wasn't expecting anything good because i'm used to video game movie adaptations being terrible. And yet, I was still let down. It was worse than what I even imagined. And I see everyone going crazy over the movie and saying it was so good and legendary and all and I'm just... what? Did we see the same movie? Am I insane? Am I missing something? Did I reach that annoying "adult" stage of life where everything seems dull?

I don't want to sound like an annoying movie elitist youtuber that sound like they think they have it all figured out and know better than everyone (u know the kind i'm talking about). I generally don't know jackshit about movies, so please take everything I say with a grain of salt. My opinion doesn't hold much value. I'm honestly just trying to make sense of what I saw with this long ass post lol. SPOILERS AHEAD, just in case it wasn't obvious. I'll try to be as fair and precise as possible in what I liked and disliked.

Here's what I liked: the animatronics design was awesome, they really looked like the ones in the first game. The whole pizzeria too. That was cool. The actors were great. I think they did the best with what they had. I don't have anything bad to say regarding the acting. Gods, seeing Matthew Lilliard with white hair made me feel old (he was like my first celebrity crush when i was a 5 year old child, in the scooby doo live action). And seeing Josh Hutcherson playing what I thought to be a dad but turns out to just be a big brother ALSO made me feel old (aren't we just used to him always being someone's son in all his dang movies???). Also seeing MatPat was cool. I also like how they explored the whole theme of "you don't need to be rich to be a good parent/guardian or to make your child happy" as we saw with Abby and Mike vs the aunt, and I also like how abby being more introverted and into drawing wasn't seen as a necessarily bad thing. I liked those themes.

Here's what I disliked: Okay first. That whole backstory with Mike and his little brother, the "dream theory" thing. Very cool, a very nice concept to explore in a movie. HOWEVER, what the heck was this doing in a fnaf movie? Like, was it just me? idk i just think it was way too much of a side-plot... I know it was related because it's implied then confirmed that Afton took the little brother. But like... I don't know. It just seemed so freaking random and out of place? Like what are the chances are that this is the guy who took your little brother and that you end up working for him? It's just not the vibe at all I was expecting for a game about being a security guard in a haunted pizzeria? I thought we were going to see and feel the atmosphere that the first game gives, like being stuck in that tiny little room, realizing slowly there's something wrong with the animatronics, the panic as you watch the camera footage, the survival instinct kicking in as you try to rationalize it... Instead, Mike just slept through all of it to "solve" a completely different side-plot. (again, yes I know it's not really a side-plot since it was directly related in a way, but it really did feel like such a random, far away thing) And then the "ghosts" of the children appearing in the dream as if it's like something they do all the time... Idk man. This whole thing just felt so weird and out of place.

2nd thing I disliked: Abby being involved. I love her character, don't get me wrong, she was adorable, i love her to death. But her role in the story felt so... plot-convenient? Like oh the new security guard just happens to have a little sister the same age as the children who went missing and can see ghosts and likes to draw and one day she sleeps in there bc the babysitter is unreachable.

Speaking of the babysitter... That whole thing where they pair up with the evil aunt to sabotage Mike's career... Again, this just felt so... random? I don't know what other words to use. It just felt like it came out of nowhere.

Another thing I disliked. How quickly Mike just. Accepted that there were animatronics moving on their own because they're haunted with the ghosts of murdered children. And how he just casually builds a fort with them and Abby and Vanessa. Like... bro??? What are you doing? Aren't you worried? Aren't you scared? Confused? Listen I know the animatronics are supposed to be like goofy and all since, at the core, they're literally just children. But like... Idk this is just... not the vibe at all I was expecting? It completely took me out, honestly, like it just broke the immersion for me. I mean, come on. I don't care how psychic you are, how open-minded you are, if you see huge-ass animatronics moving on their own, you will be terrified.

Other thing I disliked: Vanessa as a character in general. Nothing against the actress (It's Beck!!!!!). Just... why the fuck did she even show up there in the first place other than for snooping around? She had honestly no actual cop business there. And why did she spend so much time there, on her actual job hours? makes absolutely 0 sense to me. This seemed to be only fan service (in reference to vanessa/vanny). I honestly genuinely do not have valid reasons for this one other than I just really didn't like her character in general.

Also... Why is no one mentionning the smell of the animatronics? Or how they would probably have attracted maggots and dangerous parasites? There are decades old bodies decaying inside them ffs... I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure you'd notice something is off about the smell pretty quickly. Even when the people went in to trash the place, their bodies stayed in the pizzeria for a whole 2-3 days after that while Mike and Abby were there. It's enough time for the smell to start hitting. Yet no one noticed...

Speaking of the bodies. It was a PG 13 movie. why? 8+ at most would've sufficed. Also... was it a horror movie, a comedy, a drama, a thriller? All of these? Because it felt like none of these. Like, it felt like it was trying to be a horror or a comedy, but just didn't commit fully. Idk how to explain it properly, it felt like it was holding back, in a sense.

Also when they electrified the animatronics, ngl, it felt like I was watching a bugs bunny cartoon.

I feel like there was sooooo much of the lore being dropped in the film, but in very awkward ways? Like it was trying so hard to appeal to the fans with all the little details of lore but it GIRL the fnaf lore is crazy heavy and complicated there was just no way you could plug it all in just one film... and yeah, that really kinda broke the pace of the movie, in my opinion. It was all revealed all at once, so bluntly? People keep saying "if you like the games and the lore you will love this movie" and for me it's like... no?? Quite the opposite? The lore feels all crammed in there with no real purpose... it felt so weird.

Alright I'll stop here. I know movie adaptations can't always be truthful to the games, realistically speaking since it's not the same kind of media. I know that. Sometimes major changes are a good thing. Sometimes going a bit off the plot can be beneficial. It's just that, in this specific movie adaptation, it felt so... out of place? I really disliked the changes. Don't understand them. The entire thing feels so far away from the source material in a way where I just honestly cannot enjoy it.

But everyone seems to have loved the movie so clearly there's something i'm missing, and I am honestly genuinely very open to discuss it, if you liked the movie please tell me why and how. Because for now I am just flabbergasted at how much I just don't fucking get it...

[butch-reidentified]

the official description from the "TERF" page on Edinburgh Fringe's site:

This is so inbelievably next-level cringe hfs.

First off, they LITERALLY tried to name the play "TERF Cunt." I mean... 💀

Of course, the "surrogate children" dig is just... uncomfortable.

But also, it comes across like the writer's weird, creepy, obsessive fanfiction piece about the trio of actors "getting justice" against The Wicked Witch. If I were Emma, Daniel, or Rupert, even if I agreed with the writer's views and message, I would feel very creeped out and frankly somewhat violated by this.

And a note to the writer:

JK Rowling is still wildly successful and widely beloved, and things are pretty dang far from going "to hell in a broombasket" (cringe) for her. It seems you should be very much aware of this, given the significant obstacles (such as, you know, her upcoming brand-new Harry Potter TV series on HBO?) that have left you, what, 10 weeks from opening night with essentially nobody willing to audition for 50% of the roles, including the titular "TERF?" This is disgusting, chauvinist, pathetic, bottom-feeding pond scum behavior. Frankly, I would have found this so unbearably cringe even when I myself was aligned with "your" side of all this that I think there's a decent chance I might have "TERFed out" instantaneously if you'd put this litter box mold out into the world a decade or so earlier.

Congrats on getting the male roles cast so easily despite your intense struggles with the female casting (have you tried opening your casting to nonbinaries?) -- I wonder why that is... surely there's nothing at all to be inferred from men's eagerness to perform in a pro-trans/kweer/TQ+ play entitled "TERF Cunt," which reads like any other male power fantasy about putting an Evil Woman in her rightful place, teaching her a lesson. Certainly, as we are constantly being told that trans women are the biggest threat to patriarchy, the most hated by patriarchy, the truest women and most qualified feminists, there must be absolutely nothing inconsistent, contradictory, or in any way questionable about the way this casting process has unfolded? And, naturally, it would be reasonable to assume the motivation for changing the title from "TERF Cunt" to "TERF" was in response to backlash/pressure from our ever-vigilant feminist trans sisters over the misogynistic slur you, a man, chose for his play's title about a Bad Woman and her thoughtcrimes?

The Telegraph

Scores of actresses turn down roles in play critical of JK Rowling’s gender views

Craig Simpson

Thu, June 13, 2024 at 6:49 AM PDT·3 min read

A play that criticises JK Rowling’s views on gender is struggling to cast women with 90 actresses so far rejecting parts.

The stage production, which is set to debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, has already caused outrage over a working title which labelled the gender-critical Harry Potter author a c----.

The production is yet to cast any of the female roles, including that of Rowling herself.

The part of Harry Potter film star Emma Watson has also been repeatedly turned down, and around 90 actresses have refused to take part in the project amid concerns over its critique of Rowling.

The author has become a figure of hate online among some activists, and received death threats after publicly sharing concerns about the encroachment of transgender campaigning on women’s rights.

Actors have been found for male leads, who will portray Harry Potter cast members Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe.

Creative producer Barry Church-Woods told the Telegraph: “This project has met some kind of resistance every step of the way, though I’ve been generally surprised by how difficult it has been for us to recruit the female cast in particular.

“It’s a well-paid gig meeting industry standards and the script is terrific.”

He added: “I think it’s fair to say that a few things are coming into play in casting.”

The play, which was written by queer-identifying Hollywood scriptwriter Joshua Kaplan, tells the story of a fictional intervention staged for Rowling by the stars of the Harry Potter franchise, Watson, Grint and Radcliffe.

The three actors publicly denounced Rowling in 2020 when she first raised concerns about the spread of gender ideology, the belief that gender is unfixed and changes according to how people self-identify.

The work was initially titled TERF C***, with TERF standing for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, a term which has been deployed pejoratively against women who have opposed trans ideology.

It is understood that 30 actresses have turned down the role of Rowling in the play, and 60 have refused the part of Watson, while agencies representing aspiring female stars have been nervous to put their clients forward for the project.

There is some suggestion that the actress may have ideological misgivings about the play, or be concerned about a potential backlash.

It has been suggested by producers that some actresses may not want to appear in a play critiquing Rowling and ruin their chances of appearing in the lucrative new Harry Potter TV series on the Max streaming service.

Rowling is acting as executive producer for the series, and will be involved in key decision-making.

Mr Church-Woods said: “We’ve had agents reluctant to put names forward, I suspect, because they do not want to damage their clients chances of landing roles on the new Potter TV series.”

Writer Mr Kaplan has insisted that his play does not carry a set message, and is more about “relationships and how Rowling’s opinions evolved” rather than a work “interrogating the substance of her opinions”.

TERF plays the Sir Ian McKellen Theatre from August 2 to 25.

But I thought TWAW? Why aren't they looking to hire Transwomen actors to play the women's roles if they truly believe that they are women?

Isn't it funny how they seem to know what a woman is when they want to use them to mock other women?

[canmom]

Toku Tuesday 47 - Michelle Yeoh

Hi friends!

Very quick intro to Toku Tuesday tonight, since we’ve basically already covered what is to be said of Daniels on Toku Tuesday 45 and the followup post; moreover I wrote about Everything, Everywhere yesterday. Now it’s available on streaming services, which means in turn it can spread to the pirates, and that means it’s taking up about half the remaining space on my SSD.

I should probably do something about that...

To accompany that, let’s make our theme tonight the cornerstone of the film, lead actress Michelle Yeoh. Which makes this also an excuse to watch the film we didn’t manage to watch on TT #45: Yes, Madam (1985), her debut film. Yeoh would of course go on to be a huuuge martial arts star taking an enormous variety of roles in both China and the US.

Conveniently, Accented Cinema, go-to ‘youtuber who knows about the Chinese film industry’, just released a video about her...

So, as Accented discusses...

Yeoh got her start in beauty pageants and then shooting ads - starting with one alongside Jackie Chan! - but she was eager to take on action roles at the time nigh exclusively male; and got her opportunity when D&B Films decided to make an action film starring two women to set itself apart from the other ‘heroic bloodshed’ films of the time (c.f. TT #32). Hence Yes, Madam; Yeoh did all her own stunts and generally made everyone sit up and take notice.

She performed in a few more films with D&B, in each one wearing a similar short-haired look in contrast to her previous image. In this period, there was a heavy expectation that women movie stars in Hong Kong should marry and retire early, and Yeoh accordingly married the head of D&B films... but divorced him five years later to return to acting, landing alongside Jackie Chan once again in Police Story III (1992) as a military commander. This set up an extraordinarily prolific 90s; at first mostly action movies but starting with The Stunt Double (A Jin de gu shi) in 1996, increasingly more drama-oriented roles, leading up to going to Taiwan for her famous performance as conflicted matriach (and elite martial artist, some things don’t change) Yu Shu Lien in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000.

Parallel to this, there is another strand. I hate to talk about James Bond in any capacity whatsoever, but hey, it’s part of this story. James Bond movies, one of my country’s most odious exports after like... colonialism, have a tradition of ‘Bond girls’, (at least) one in each movie; the designated Hot Girl who inevitably ends up getting fucked by the avatar of aspirational British masculinity. So, Accented reports, in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), they attempted to cash in on the kung fu trend by hiring Michelle Yeoh for the role; a love interest but in a new model of more action-oriented Bond girl.

The positive upshot of this is that, well, it established her internationally in the role of ‘glamorous ass kicker’ as Accented puts it. But from this point it seems she ascended to a power level where she could play pretty much anyone, and tracing her filmography at this point sees her playing in both US and Hong Kong productions pretty much equally: wuxia, historical dramas, quite a lot of sci-fi, even animated films (from comedy-wuxia to... minions, huh?)...

OK, what more to say than ‘dang, this actor sure acted in a lot of films over her acting career’? Usually when I write these things I end up focusing on directors, or perhaps studios or countries, perhaps since you can tie the story to the content of the art in a fairly direct way. Yeoh’s definitely had her influence: from the very beginning she pushed hard for, as an example, women to get more action roles, and was extremely successful not just in getting her own career out of it, but in that ugly mercenary system, establishing that this could sell to help open the possibility of other women getting such roles. The same goes for, well, the more-than-a-little fraught history of Asian characters in American movies; she’s evidently made quite a point of not getting pigeonholed. (Something relevant to Everything, Everywhere, which is in part about reintroducing depth to such limited roles.)

If you watch the video essay above, there’s a really interesting part at the end where Accented contrasts two superficially similar performances, one as the experienced geisha Mameha in Memoirs of a Geisha, the other as rich matriarch Eleanor in Crazy Rich Asians, and highlighting the different kinds of confidence that Yeoh performs in e.g. walks. I really like this kind of observation, because it’s the kind of breakdown I’m going to need to learn to perform more and more if i’m gonna git gud an animator. Anyway, it’s not merely that she insists on getting cast in different roles, but that she has the immense skill needed to give those distinct performances appropriate to each one.

Still, does the success of one actor really make that much difference to the ebb and flow of the ~film industry~, let alone society at large? Well, maybe. Perhaps more so than anyone in a film, even the director, actors are not just the people themselves, but elaborate clusters of symbols build up by the reproduction of their image and insertion into narratives. Michelle Yeoh isn’t just the flesh-and-blood human, who very likely none of us will ever meet, but the constructed icon ‘Michelle Yeoh’ built by the camera and the marketing machine who comes to represent certain things in the world. Is the magic power invested in this supervening egregore the result of the personal choices and talents of Yeoh herself, or did the historical moment of the mid 1980s with its various gender, economic etc. dynamics have a slot in it for someone a bit like her, and she’s the one who had the luck to get selected by history? Well, probably something of both, eh.

Regardless of what contingent history led us to this point, she’s really fucking good at acting and it’s a joy to watch her in movies.

So!! If you’d like to do just that, at around 8pm (ish) UK time, roughly five hours hence, we will gather to observe the two ends of Yeoh’s career (so far!) with Yes, Madam (1985) and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022) at twitch.tv/canmom !

(considering switching to picarto but let’s stick with what we know for now since i’m not sure how copyright enforcement works there).

[confusednarcissistwrites]

Could you write a jealous timmy fic pls?

AHHH so this is pretty much pure fluff lol I feel like there’s a lot of angsty jealousy fics out there so I wanted to try and do something a little different. hope you guys like it!! ☺️💛

Jealous? (T.C.)

(cursing, smut, flufffff)

“Baby, I’m late! I gotta run,” you giggled, pressing the puckered lips of your doting boyfriend away as you pulled on your shoes.

“Ughhh fineeeee,” Timothée whined, following you to the door like a puppy. “Have a good day, baby doll.”

You grinned, pecking his lips. “You too, cutie.”

You’d been filming intermittently for the past few months on a local indie project. It was hard not to be daunted by Timothée’s big name films, but your heart was in dinky, little indie projects with weird motifs, and you were perfectly content to stay in your niche acting there in New York. It kept you close to him.

You’d only been together for about six months, but you could tell that this wasn’t a short term type thing. This was your first project since you and Timothée had gotten together, and he’d already been incredibly supportive every step of the way. It was almost like you had your own personal cheerleader every day.

Once you made it to the studio, you realized you had missed a text from Timmy.

T💕: “u forgot ur lunch :(“

You: “dang it :/ I’m sure I can find something around here tho”

You slipped your phone back into your pocket, heading into your dressing room to get your hair and makeup done for the day. About halfway through, your director knocked on the door and popped his head inside. He was all smiles, eager to get into the scenes for the day. “Hey, Y/N! Just wanted to let you know we are starting with 32 today!”

“Great, thank you, Derek!” you responded, grabbing up your script in between your makeup artist’s brush strokes. You flipped through the marked up pages, landing on the scene.

“Ooh, you’ll need some extra setting spray today!” sang Marrissa, giving you a playful wink as she finished up the avant-garde paint job on your face and began setting it with powder.

After getting dressed, you strode out to the set, feeling excited and confident for the day’s shoot. The schedule was packed, but you were ready for it.

•••

It was less than an hour after you had left that Timothée became bored. You’d left him a grocery list, but he couldn’t imagine how dreary the supermarket aisles would be without your puns and odd-ball fun facts about preservatives. He smiled to himself, feeling a bit silly for missing you so much.

He decided that he’d go pick up lunch from your favorite restaurant and bring it to you since you’d left your lunch at home; he knew how rough catered lunches could be at times.

It was about noon when he arrived at the studio, entering quietly as he knew they were likely filming somewhere nearby. He greeted the staff he passed, some looking at him with wide eyes and making him chuckle to himself a bit, but most had seen him with you before. He was instructed to the set and eventually found his way to you. What he was greeted with, however, stopped him dead in his tracks.

You were practically naked, your body only draped in a sheer, flowy gown that left little to the imagination. An actor circled you, his eyes hungry and predatory. In a snap of movement, he was on you. Timothée watched in shock as he gripped your throat, feverishly kissing you. You, completely immersed in character, reciprocated, releasing a soft whine audible to the crew.

And Timothée.

He, of course, logically knew you were simply acting in a role, but to see such a thing made his stomach twist and ache. Half of him was astounded by your talent and beauty, but it was nearly completely overshadowed by his jealousy.

An abrupt call of “CUT!” pulled him from the trance, both you and the actor stepping away from each other. It took you a few moments to notice him, but, the moment you did, your face lit up, and you hurried over to him.

“Oh my goodness! What are you doing here, mon amour,” you grinned, pulling him into a quick kiss. He smiled back, but you instantly could see it was a bit forced. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Timothée shook his head, presenting your lunch to you. “I just brought you food! I was worried you wouldn’t find anything around here, and I wanted to see you,” he confessed, blushing a bit.

You tilted your head. “Thank you, Timo. That’s very sweet, but what’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing. Nothing’s wrong!”

“Mm, never play poker,” you teased, continuing to press his buttons.

He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s- honestly, it’s stupid. Can we go to your room?”

Suddenly, it clicked. “Oh my god, it was the scene, wasn’t it?” you gasped, leading him to your room and closing the door behind you.

“Y/N…” he warned.

“It totally was!! Babe, you kiss other actors all the time; you know how it is!”

“Okay, yeah, but- I just, ya know, haven’t seen you do it before!! It was just a little.. startling I guess,” he stuttered, clearly flustered and defensive, his arms crossed over his chest. “I mean, you don’t dress like this at home!”

You set your lunch down, letting out a snort. “Darling, I’m also not typically the damned ghost of a duke’s daughter at home either,” you deadpanned, wrapping your arms around his neck. His arms wrapped instinctually around your waist, pulling you close. “Are you jealous, Timothée?” You wore a cocky grin, finding him incredibly endearing.

“I just don’t like seeing other guys all over my girl; is that a crime?” he whined, making pouty faces at you and making you giggle. He wasn’t one to be upset over much for very long.

“Mm, I love when you call me that,” you sighed, biting your lip at him.

He very promptly reacted to your shift in tone, raising a brow at you. “Don’t start anything you can’t finish, doll.” His voice was quiet and low, making you grin.

“Oh, you’ll finish, alright.” His eyes went wide as you pushed him back onto the couch with a giggle, placing yourself in his lap and tugging his bottom lip between your teeth.

“You’re so baadddd,” he sang, giving your ass a playful squeeze. You rocked against his growing bulge, pulling him into a hungry kiss. Your costume pooled around you both as you continued to grind against him; the thrill of the possibility of getting caught spurred you on, much to Timothée’s delight. His lips latched onto your throat eagerly. He wished he could leave a little sign to remind your scene partner of his place but decided against it in fear of you getting scolded.

“Only for you, babe,” you hummed. In a flurry of fabrics, you slipped down the floor, kneeling between his spread legs.

Timmy was pleasantly surprised, chewing on his lip as you made quick work of his belt and fly. He was already incredibly turned on. You removed his length from his jeans, pumping him up and down while gazing up at him. “Fuck, Y/N,” he gasped, sliding down in his seat. You took him into your mouth, knowing you didn’t have as much time as you’d like. You circled your tongue around his sensitive head, relishing the soft groan he let out. You licked a wide stripe along the underside, feeling him twitch in your hand. The gratification of watching him feel so good was nearly enough to get you off all on its own.

He gently gathered your hair, holding it out of your face as you began to bob your head up and down his length. “Holy shit, baby. Ugh, your mouth..” he babbled mindlessly, hips twitching up toward you every so often. You weren’t able to fit all of him into your mouth, so your hands aided in the effort, one following your lips while the other squeezed his thigh or roamed over his stomach occasionally. Feeling warmed up, you pressed yourself further, taking him down your throat until you managed to reach his base. You held for as long as you could before pulling back, gasping for air; he was no easy fit. He cursed, his slick cock twitching against his stomach while you caught your breath. He bit the back of his hand to keep from getting too loud. You quickly went back to work, sensing he was getting closer.

You watched his pretty, hazel eyes roll back as you sped up. “Fu-fuck, Y/N, don’t stop,” he whimpered, his free hand tugging at his own hair as he tumbled toward his climax. Suddenly, his whole body went tense, his head falling back in a silent shout as he spilled his lust into your waiting mouth. You did you best to swallow all he had to give, not wanting to make a mess. He trembled softly and let out sighs as he came down from his high. You pulled off of him with a little pop, biting your lip up at him while he tucked himself back into his jeans. You pulled yourself back up onto the couch next to him, grabbing his chin and pulling him into a lustful kiss.

“See? No reason to be jealous,” you purred, bumping his nose with your own.

“Jesus…” he panted, laughing and running his hands over his face as he soaked in what had just happened. “You’re something else.”

You giggled and hopped up, wiping away your watery eyes in the mirror, readjusting your costume, and drinking some water; you hoped your voice wouldn’t be too hoarse for your next scenes.

Timmy followed after you like a little puppy, wrapping himself around you from behind. He was always so cuddly after an orgasm. “Mmmm, I’d love to return the favor,” he hummed, pressing kisses to your neck and shoulders.

You grinned, leaning back into him. “Ugh, I wish. But I have to get back to set now, my love.” He stuck out his bottom lip, pouting at you through the mirror. “You’ll have to make it up to me later.”

He walked you back to set, his fingers tangled with yours and a little smug smile on his face; anyone could have guessed he just got some.

“I’ll see you later tonight,” he hummed, smiling like a fool. You stood on your toes to peck his lips, but the moment you pulled away, he pulled you right back again, locking lips with you heatedly for a few seconds more. You blushed hotly, hearing a few whistles coming from the cast and crew. It was only after he pulled away and headed for the door that you saw your scene mate standing a few feet away.

[sunshine-julie-molina]

(doing it differently this time) reactions to episode 11 “showtime”:

highlighting portwell in the recap

the opening night cards

everyone looks so good

ashlyn jumping up and down <3

ricky’s pretty

ashlyn is so pretty

i knew they didn’t have understudies i’m glad they’re addressing the plotholes

“if james cameron and a circus had a baby”

gina in the background with her headphones how did she go from airpods to headphones

the rini notes are going to backfire knew it

KADEN

kourtney’s gorgeous

BAGUETTES

LAURYN

flying teapot-

“shortest fork” literally me

omg the glasses

THE SQUEALS

BLUSTER

idc what ends up being canon nini wrote something specifically for her girlfriend

THE LOOK OH MY GOD THE RISOTTO of course they rescheduled for then “d-word” “all alone with someone i dig a lot”

CARLOS NO

seb’s adorable but he reminds me of an oompa loompa in the best way

carlos hates the costume doesnt he

ANTOINE WAS ON FIRE

i love lauryn’s aesthetic

u in utah

seb’s clap

the words of inspiration-

the tooth gap

the flowers

not him puking-

howie sitting with kourt’s mom omg

the judge

only his dad showed up- i’m glad they’re on good terms

is the body mic going to backfire

“mr m”

“you look nice” “and you do too”

“there’s no scoreboard out there right” “you’re in the theater now”

both the men pullin thru tonight

“we always seem to run into him”

“break the 4th wall”

omg they’re for ricky RICK

“never thought i’d get to have this feeling twice” what’s going on why is he scared of her

ricky singing lily’s hot “did we forget to build a moat around the school” “favorite actor at east high” “being nice, what a concept” “maybe we could talk more sometime over a slice of pizza, an advice slice, lol” “i don’t know how that would go over around here” i love her makeup “loyalty can be complicated” she has a stepmom i knew it “i couldn’t look at the new wife for a month. now she’s literally the only sane member of my family” “is that including you” “lily, scram” “get your head in the game” *wink*

“haunting music”

mr m being the narrator

NATALIE

STEPH her nails NINI “i’ve never had a part with a name before” “everyone gets to say that exactly once” her eyeshadow nini’s so supportive

did he dab dang right she’s pretty the effects the transition mike’s so proud of him howie being supportive LILY

“big red has not thrown up in over 20 minutes” “she heard wrong”

X FACTOR

“as the intruder that my mother clubbed over the head when i was a girl” seb’s reaction

“lighting-ists” “they’re called grips”

GINI

miss jenn’s about to pass out

DESPERATE- “it feels that way for a reason sebastian”

CARLOS LOOKS SO SCARED THE WAY HE TURNED HIS HEAD he says “Help!” carlos’s makeup

CARLOS AND ASHLYN

GINA OH MY GOD

the judge is so confused

oh my god the napkin

ASHLYN AND GINA

gina’s chenne turns i’m obsessed

GINI

kourtney plays potts perfectly

i love her voice

howie’s in awe

i love the “heavens sake is that a spot” part

the judge is just being pelted with sugar cubes

THE KICKLINE

GINI

ashlyn spinning <3

YES NATALIE

NOT SQUID INK

JORDAN FISHER OH MY GOD

“beast don’t crease”

big red is absolutely in love with ashlyn

“with the eyes” that’s an inside joke with my friends and i burst out laughing

“pretty strong feelings”

“remain in the same role you started in”

stephy’s and lauryn’s outfits i love

why is howie being so weird

nini speaks like she likes women

THE RIFFS ARE AMAZING

ashlyn you’re perfect darling

“has anyone asked for your autograph”

the irony of all of these lines

THE HUG

GIGI

ashlyn is the perfect belle and ricky is the perfect beast

mike is so proud of him

julia’s vocals are amazing

PORTWELL

THE SNOW

CHIP’S BIG SCENE

what was ej singing

“i’m a little starstruck right now”

CHARMING-

BIG BROTHER FIGURE NO

“sometimes the family that you choose is better than the family that you get”

ej’s heartbroken

“can’t you just jump off something high”

RICHARD

“second acts haven’t traditionally been my strong suit”

their teamwork i love it

NOT SUDOKU

“aim for my face” i love her

LILY NO

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

My notes on Lethal White episode 3

As usual, my poorly sorted and not-really-filtered thoughts on “Lethal White”, episode 3. Continued under the cut because ALL THE SPOILERS!

We’re back with Robin and cling-wrapped Chiswell. Holliday plays Robin’s tenuously controlled panic very well. The subtle trembling, the tears she forces back. She’s so good. 👏🏼

A two-week jump. These always jar me. Did that happen in the book?🤨

Another mention of Strike talking with Wardle, and again we don’t get to see him. Dang. I really miss his leather-jacketed wry humour. 😔

Of course they’re meeting at “The White Horse”. Where else? *Rosmersholm vibes*

The reveal about the bones was a bit anti-climactic, wasn’t it? It had a better effect with the skull, in the book. And how do you “accidentally” shoot a horse, even when it’s a small one? How much more are we supposed to hate Freddie? (This episode is just full of terribly behaving men)

Who are the kids playing with the dog? Pringle and Pong? Were those their ridiculous nicknames?

And here comes the “Knives Out” scene. 🔪The Chiswell family is such a loving bunch. *coughs*

Did you see the playful tension between Raff and Robin? And that little disconcerted look Cormoran casts them? Bit jealous, Corm? 😏

Raff’s sarcastic little throw-in remarks are really making this scene more fun. Gotta give him that: he adds a bit of “black sheep” dash to the family!

“KEYS!” 😁 Cormoran is like the adult stepping between a bunch of fist-throwing kids.

Cormoran and Robin are staring at the Chiswell’s bickering as if waiting for one of them to actually start spitting and biting.

Raff: “I’m sure our charming hostess means to offer you tea at some point.” 🤣

Cormoran: “I’m thinking it might be suicide after all. He couldn’t face another family gathering.” 😂

*grunts* We’ve all been there, haven’t we? (And I don’t even want to start thinking about Cormoran’s family gatherings…)

Hah! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I guessed right from the leaked stills: it is the hospital Billy’s in! (Cookie points for me!)

That staff woman gives off very sensible and caring vibes. They picked the actress well.

And, god, Billy carved the horse into his own chest? 😟 Good god…

Vanessa! And she looks good! And - unlike in the first series - she smiles! And is really NICE! (Wow, what a beautiful woman.) 😍

That little lounge corner in Cormoran’s office is new, isn’t it? Very cozy. ☕️🍪

Goth Robin! She looks awesome! 😍 (Excuse me, but have we traveled back into the 80s? She looks like half the people in my school back then.) And look at Holliday playing her: she even moves differently! This season must have been a lot of fun for her as an actress.

I love the Wiccan shop. I had one of those salt lamps (and a lava lamp too), but don’t tell anybody… ☺️

Cormoran’s FACE when he sees goth Robin! 🥰The double take, the pleased surprise, that touch of awe… He is so proud of her! (What a contrast to Matt the Twat’s derogatory reactions to her disguises).

Cormoran: “You liking Raff then?” Are we a teensy bit jealous again, Corm? ☺️

When he asked Robin what she was doing this evening, I held my breath. WAS HE GOING TO ASK HER OUT? 🤗 He wasn’t. 😔 Everybody calm down. It’s not happening yet. Unfortunately. And probably never will. *very long sigh*

It’s so cute how he can’t stop looking at her! 🥰I love her confidence. And his twinkle-eyed, soft grin that doesn’t seem to want to fade. He truly admires her, for her competence AND for her looks. ASK HER OUT YOU FOOL! *headdesk*

Lorelei. With coffee. Apologizing for saying “I love you”. Ack. And then Corm says “I was gonna call you.” (You weren’t, admit it!). I didn’t know what to feel when seeing this scene for the first time: shocked that they were still together? Sympathy for Lorelei? Mad at Cormoran’s lackluster ‘yeah, alright, whatever’ attitude? Very mixed emotions.

Cormoran following Aamir along the South Bank. Watch me pointing excitedly at the screen because I’ve strolled down that same boardwalk way back when traveling was still a thing. *flails* *misses London*

Aamir’s place. Why is Cormoran talking about food again? Robin hasn’t fed him biscuits today yet, has she?

Cormoran’s always a bit unnerving when interrogating someone. He uses friendly words, but there is that tiny bit of menace about him, an intensity and pressure… SIB Corm. Tom does that so well. 😎

“You gonna butter me?” Smooth moves, ex-Sergeant Strike! 🥋 Oh, I love seeing him in action! 🤗

Robin hides the phone, and I am a nervous wreck worrying someone’s going to call and her phone isn’t in silent mode! (enneagram type 6 here, hello…) 😬

I was waiting for Matt to be an absolute prick when he sees goth Robin, but he’s actually not. And he’s had the Green Dress mended. I like how the show gives him a few shades and doesn’t paint him as outrageously hateful as the book does. (jftr, we all still hate you, Matt!)

But then, the way he rushes at her with his “That’s not true” - why does it somehow feel like a physical threat? And wow, Robin is COLD. Dude, your marriage is over. You just haven’t been notified yet.

So we’re ignoring Lorelei’s calls again, Cormoran? *eyebrow lift* Is that what we do as a gentleman? And then he calls off dinner and has no more than a lame “Sounds good, I’ll call you” when she mentions breakfast? If he’s not invested at the mention of food, something is clearly wrong…

Della Winn, and they picked a blind actress for the role. Good for them! ✔️

So, help me out here, native speakers: Della says she can hear the West Country in Cormoran’s vowels, but to me he doesn’t sound Cornish. Am I wrong? To my ears, Tom is speaking in some sort of self-made accent that I can’t place, but it doesn’t sound anything like the Cornish burr Robert Glenister gives him in the audiobooks. Opinions? 🤔

Rhiannon’s story touched me in the book, and it touches me deeply here. A revenge murder would’ve made perfect sense to me.

The party. We’ve apparently time-traveled again.

“What’s ‘Becca’ short for?” 🙄

Ah! The note was hidden in the maxipads box! I seem to recall that, in the book, Robin hid the Houses of Parliament bugging device in a tampon box. Cool parallel.

VANESSA! HURRY UP! 😨

The chase. Good thing this goth girl wears sensible shoes! Nice trick with the crouching and tripping. Take THAT, Jimmy! Robin’s learned from past experience, and I love the addition of the chase that wasn’t in the book. Robin’s no longer a helpless victim. She is a FIGHTER! And - BAM! Perfect timing, patrol car! 🚔

Cormoran: “How did you guess where she hid it?” (Because that’s where girls hide stuff, darling. ONE good thing all the menstruating is good for at least.)

Quick shout-out to Tom Burke’s freckles. They really should be credited as supporting actors. 🥰

Btw, the navy jumper is not a jumper but a cardigan! I bet Tom was pleased. (And my shippy brain can imagine him wrapping a freezing Robin in it 💙)

Enter Lorelei. Here be dragons.

“You know, if you want a hot meal and a shag with no human emotions involved, there are restaurants. And brothels.”

Oooohhhh... 😳

Need ointment for that burn, Corm?

And she’s entitled! Cormoran’s old school gallantry seems to have gone MIA when it comes to treating Lorelei with the respect she deserved. Especially since he had his chance at ending it decently and respectfully at their earlier little talk over coffee. I still don’t think he meant to hurt her. It was thoughtlessness. Which is no redeeming factor at all. He deserved this, even in front of Robin. #TeamLorelei

Well, at least he didn’t get smacked with an ashtray this time.

I LOLed when Robin simply went straight back to business without commenting. A real pro. 😎

Cormoran: “That was a bit awkward.” Was it, Corm? We barely noticed. *snorts*

And although Robin defends him a little bit, her suppressed smirk and her work-life balance remark tell us she’s enjoyed this a bit. And not just because Cormoran is single again.

Matthew calls: “Sorry, it’s a work thing.” (NO IT ISN’T AND YOU’RE A LYING, CHEATING [REDACTED] !!!) 🤬

Robin steps on Sarah Shaglock’s earring, and now starts a scene that makes me want to shower Holliday in BAFTAs. 🏆🏆🏆 Heart wrenching, painful, powerful. And Matthew finally shows his true colours. (And Kerr Logan deserves a nod for his acting too).

On a completely irrelevant side note: Matt stole that coat from Darius Tanz, only that Santi looked hot as hell in it whereas Matt just looks like an accountant who pretends to look hot. (Go and watch “Salvation” if you have no clue what I’m talking about)

Robin is so bravely holding it together, and - wow - her coldness towards Matt is pretty impressive, and at the same time she’s forcing herself not to cry and fights down a panic attack. It’s amazing how she puts every emotion and train of thought from the books onto the table and we can read it in her face and in her voice and body language. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Best scene of the season, if you ask me. (Not that anyone ever asks me, but here it is.)

“I’m not gonna let you fail again!” 😡 Aaaand Matt tries to put her down again. To make her feel weak and in need of help. BUT IT’S NO LONGER WORKING. She’s got this. Oh, she’s got this!

They left out Robin saying that he “doesn’t even have a knife”, and I’m actually glad they did. This didn’t need to be about physical assault again. Matt wouldn’t go that far, and it wasn’t necessary to go there. They clearly showed how manipulative he is and how strong Robin has to be to walk away from him, and that is enough.

The minicab driver. I remember the actress as Mrs. Fitz from “Outlander”, and she’s the perfect motherly tough love type to crack that marriage joke. And to get our girl out of there with no further fuss.

Whoa. I had high expectations. And they were met 10/10.

What did you guys think?

[blrush]

Explaining OFFGUN to new BL fans: In this essay I will ...

For new Thai BL fans, here’s a very basic explanation of what the HELL “OffGun” is and why you keep seeing them everywhere.

Gun (Atthaphan Phunsawat) and Off (Jumpol Adulkittiporn) are both actors working under GMMTV. But, over the years, they have become like BL royalty.

Gun was already a child actor long before signing to GMMTV, and had already played LGBT roles (like in The Blue Hour 2015). Off had started as a TV host, but then became an actor and also signed to GMMTV.

Their first role together was as a couple Pick x Rome in Puppy Honey (2016) and Puppy Honey 2 (2017) which was a really wholesome little series. But OffGun became so popular as a pairing, that GMMTV started to produce more content just about THEM - as a couple [ie; OffGun Fun Night]. Pick x Rome then reappeared again in Our Skyy (2018), which was a very cute and funny bodyswap episode (mostly because of height difference shenanigans].

After much anticipation they were then in a new series together as Khai x Third in Theory Of Love (2019). This was a VERY emotional series and I’m still not over it, but dang they were incredible in it. Then, Off Gun Fun Night Season 2 (2019) FINALLY came out. For context, OGFN is literally just them being cute and domestic whilst “interviewing” other gmmtv guests in what is essentially a slumber party scenario. And to give you PERSPECTIVE, I think more people watch OGFN than their actual series’ because thier natural dynamic, friendship, banter, and chemistry in REAL LIFE is just THAT good.

Now, this is where the lines gets a bit blurry. The shipping of bl actors is a pretty murky space, and we’ve seen how bad fandom behaviour has turned sour. However, OffGun is an anomaly - a weird exception - and kind of the reason why so many BL fans think it’s okay to actively ship BL actors together...BUT

GMMTV promotes content that is branded as “OFFGUN” so they are acknowledging the existence of ships and use that for marketing strategies. What’s so unique about this, is that Off and Gun seem totally cool with it - it’s like their day job, being this public celebrity couple. I think it’s really IMPORTANT that fans understand the DIFFERENCE

OffGun are like a team, being a shippable “pairing” is part of their role at GMMTV and I think that concept probably happened fairly organically and those decisions would have been made by the actors themselves. Whilst a lot of other BL actors are now expected to do fan meetings etc, whether or not the actors are COMFORTABLE with fans shipping them as real people is NOT KNOWN. So don’t do it! (Or if you are gonna do it, do it quietly and respectfully!) Basically what I’m trying to say is; as far as I’m concerned OffGun are the ONLY “bl couple” that you are allowed to openly ship in public forums (as long as you are still respectful of their private lives). Don’t be creepy!!! In conclusion, OffGun are very generous and amazing. Respect them.

Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk. Disclaimer: obviously all of this is just my opinion etc etc. chill brah.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: December 2020

And so concludes another year! Maybe not the most ideal 12 months on record, but certainly memorable. I dunno. Anyway here’s how I wrapped up the year.

……….FILM……….

Gremlins (1984) Every time I watch this I just marvel at the fact that it was made. The practical effects are fantastic, the characters are so over-the-top that I think the Gremlin-sized mallet is the most believable part of the whole film. It just has that energy of a live-action cartoon and for that, I love it.

Gremlins (1990) This and Aliens fall under the category of sequels I didn’t like at first (for the hard turn in tone) but have come to really appreciate and enjoy. The opening with Bugs and Daffy really sets the tone for the whole thing and in hindsight, I appreciate how it manages to do all the same stuff that was loved about the original while making it feel bigger and different. Not necessarily better or worst, but definitely different.

Happiest Season (2020) It really felt like Harper was written to be the villain, right? Anyway it was a solid Christmas movie for a modern era, Kristen Stewart was a solid lead, and Dan Levy’s comedic timing is unreal. All-around fun watch.

The Family Stone (2005) Claire Danes and Luke Wilson are the only redeemable characters in this movie and while I don’t think they’d work out as a couple, it’s a shame they never get a chance to chat and just say “hey all of our family members are awful, right?!?” Actually Thad and Patrick are decent people, but I suppose they’re overshadowed by everyone else. Oof what a movie.

……….TELEVISION……….

Ted Lasso (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Never have I more sincerely connected with a character’s outlook than Ted Lasso. It doesn’t matter if you know anything about Premier League soccer, what you get is an optimistic, heartfelt comedy that doesn’t punch up, punch down, or really punch at all. It’s gentle and kind and the sort of tv we need more of right now.

The Queen’s Gambit (Episode 1.01 to 1.07) Dang I thought I knew a little bit about chess but like...none of that helps here. It felt like a Rocky miniseries only chess instead of boxing (and I mean this all as a compliment). Given that the show doesn’t expect a knowledge of the grame, credit to the actors for communicating what’s happening in a game just through facial expressions. Worth checking out.

The Bachelorette (Episode 16.08 to 6.13) You know what, this was a pretty good season! It’s a shame we didn’t get any follow up after the proposal, but it was refreshing to see a group of guys who all got along and were just generally mature!

Mad Men (Episode 7.12 to 1.14) And so ends a pandemic-long viewing of Mad Men. First time watching it and I knew a little of how the series ended and honestly, I think it was fine! We got to check in with most of the cast and while I wish we could’ve kept going with these characters, it really did feel like they were all headed off in different directions anyway. Great series would highly recommend.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1.07 to 1.11) It wasn’t until Asuka showed up that I realized this show is a metaphor for puberty and thus, is super horny all the time. Viewing through that lense, it’s an interesting allegory and the robot fights are cool.

The Mandalorian (Episode 2.01 to 2.08) For me, this show works best when it’s doing its own thing and just kinda existing in the world. The frog lady stuff, the random tasks, even the first ep did a good job of walking the line between fan service and the confidence to tell a new story. But dang if that last ep didn’t throw it all out the window. I’m just not a big enough Star Wars fan that I need to see all the old stuff again. It’s lazy writing and that’s what bums me out the most.

……….READING……….

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Complete) Really great! I don’t read much modern(ish) day fantasy but the ideas and worldbuilding in this are so economic that it felt immediately familiar. Plus who doesn’t love the idea of a sword-wielding heroine cutting down monstrous klansmen?

Illuminatus Part III: Leviathan by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (Complete) After reading all three parts I can say, with confidence, that I have no idea who 90% of the characters are. Maybe it’s the similar names (John, George, Joe, etc.) or that every character talks like a philosophy student, but I just couldn’t separate them from each other. The plot and illuminati stuff was fun, but I’d seen so many great reviews and high praise that I was expecting it to be more fun.

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke (Complete) Darwyn Cooke’s effortlessly cool style elevates Stark’s pulp story to something that walks the line between classy and cruel. A murderous criminal is a tricky lead to follow but somehow you still want to see how it all shakes out. If you dig this first book then I recommend getting all 4 of Cooke’s interpretations of Stark’s work.

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley and Nathan Fairbairn (Complete) Still love this series after all these years and rereading them in color has been great. I still think the “glow”, as a twist/reveal, doesn’t really work and is somewhat convoluted, but it’s one misstep in what’s a consistently great run. The color version only adds to the quality of the book.

Dragon Ball 3-in-1 Vol. 2 by Akira Toriyama (Complete) This is the sort of light-hearted, good-natured comic I like to read around the holidays. There’s just something about a world where a criminal organization can be a mix of humans, bears, and a monster made of jelly that feels right, you know?

……….AUDIO……….

Song Exploder (Podcast) I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes so far but it’s really giving me a new perspective on music and the craft that goes into composing! I recommend starting with songs you like and then expanding from there.

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) A small seasonal interlude! I’ve posted a longer recap on Reddit but the group has temporarily resolved the issue of the island flood and have moved on to an escaped Fairy causing wintery havok and significantly dropping the overall island temperature.

D&D Homebrew Adventure (Menace of Merlin) And so concludes the adventure! I think I could’ve made the final showdown against Merlin a little more climactic, but live and learn. Now we’re taking a break as the group makes up new characters to play in this world!

And that’s it! We did it! Goodbye 2020 and here’s to a bigger and brighter 2021!

Happy Thursday!

[marvella15]

Astaire & Rogers Rewatch Part 3: Roberta

• The Gay Divorcee was a smash hit, raking in almost $600k in profit for RKO during the Depression. It was also nominated for Best Picture. So then why are Astaire and Rogers not the headliners for Roberta? No clue. 

• As dumb as that decision was and is, in some ways, it makes their parts even more enjoyable. As the secondary pair, they don’t have to deal with misunderstandings and contrived plot devices keeping them apart or interfering with the development of their relationship. From the moment they’re on screen together, they’re a pair. 

• Their romance in Roberta is of two teenage sweethearts reuniting as adults and instantly falling back in step and in love with one another. The warmth and friendliness of their relationship, which I believe mirrors the true relationship between Astaire and Rogers in many ways, is one of the main reasons I adore this film. There are several scenes/moments where they seem to be themselves and it works perfectly.

• Our characters/actors: Huck (Fred Astaire), Lizzie (Ginger Rogers), John (Randolph Scott), Stephanie (Irene Dunne).

• Love their names in this film: Huck (short for Huckleberry) and Liz. A vast improvement, especially for Rogers who has so far been Honey and Mimi. 

• Of course for plot reasons Huck’s teenage sweetheart will be in the exact same place he ends up. But it’s worth noting that he requests for John to ask his aunt about Lizzie. He intends to look her up himself. 

• Could John be a himbo?? He’s handsome, kinda dumb, but very kind. 

• I like how Liz, in her alter ego as a Polish countess, continues throwing a tantrum even though John pushes her to the couch twice. Rogers doesn’t get enough credit for her slapstick abilities. She also somehow makes the word “orchestra” seem very suggestive.

• Love how Huck slides in towards the elevator in his hast to meet Lizzie again. She’s not mad to see him either, only worried he’ll blow her cover. Which he immediately almost does. 

• A snarky reunion: 

Liz, as the Countess: “Huck is for Huckleberry, n’est-ce pas?”

Huck: “Uhh yes, a couple of n’est-ce pas.”

• His face at being called a piccolo player is only bested by Liz’s barely concealed glee at Huck being demoted this way. In their first interaction, he calls her babe, toots, and playfully bites her hand and she puffs smoke right in his face. I love it. 

Not for nothing, later in the film he will also call John babe and toots. Huck is an equal opportunity complimenter. 

• Their relationship is established immediately as he celebrates her success and beauty. There’s no rivalry or obstacles between them, not even her stage name. While she is careful to remove her hand from between his when their private moment is interrupted, she doesn’t mind it being known she’s going off somewhere with him. 

• Irene Dunne has a fine singing voice but it’s just not what I came to this movie to hear. 

• Huck’s face as he watches Liz sing is adorable. Maybe a tad overdone but incredibly sweet. 

(gif credit @themaladjustedjester​)

• It’s a bit irritating that Rogers is forced to sing and speak in her fake Polish accent for most of the film but dang she does an amazing job with this song. It’s a full-body performance and she does it with gusto. 

• I adore the way Astaire tosses the baton over his shoulder as soon as she comes to sit with him. He’s just like, don’t need that anymore. 

• So cute as they reminisce about their younger years: 

Liz: “You know I think I was in love with you then, Huck.” 

Huck: “I know you were.”

Liz, mildly offended: “Youuuu.”

Huck: “Meeee. And what’s more, I was madly in love with you.”

• Their entire exchange is funny and wonderful. The teasing, the flirting, the declaration of past love for one another that is obviously still true. How he punctuates certain moments with a bit of tap for emphasis. They smile naturally and it feels like two friends talking. This could be AU Fred and Ginger’s real-life story and I would believe it. 

• Talking about how she won a beauty contest:

Liz: “Well, you won it for me. How did you get all the men from the overall factory to vote for me?”

Huck, very pleased with himself: “That was easy. I showed them a picture of Lillian Russell.”

Liz, incensed: “Lillian Russell? Well what was the matter with my picture?”

Huck: “Well if you must know, we got a lot of votes from the farmers with a picture of a prize heifer.”

Liz, about to playfully sock him: “Oh youuuu.”

• “I’ll Be Hard to Handle” is a special dance for many reasons including that the taps were not dubbed over later. Since they used the original sound, we can hear both Astaire and Rogers giggling and whooping throughout the dance. 

Usually, Astaire recorded the taps in post-production since the sound could not pick them up very well during filming. Hermes Pan, Astaire’s choreography partner, often recorded Rogers’ taps since she was typically off filming a different movie by then.

• Astaire often gets a lot of the credit for their dancing because he worked tirelessly on the choreography. Rogers was often away filming non-musical roles while he did this. She was in three other films in 1935 alone, in addition to both Roberta and Top Hat with Astaire. But she put in a lot of hard work too. While filming those other roles, she learned the choreography from Pan so when she showed up for the six weeks of rehearsal, she was prepared. 

• And somehow this number feels perfectly spontaneous. At the start, as he pulls her in, she looks at him flirtatiously and it’s not acting. She waits for him to come spin them around and of course it’s part of the choreography but it’s a lovely feeling of anticipation all the same. Several times they appear lost in their own world, dancing for one another. They also seem to be talking to one another quietly throughout most of the dance. Like before in their films, you can see the acting start and stop pretty clearly. 

• When one of them does a little extra dance, the other watches in true appreciation and delight. Again, not acting. Most instances where they make eye contact they look very pleased with themselves. This is the closest we’ll ever get to seeing what Astaire and Rogers were like in rehearsals, complete with the in-joke bugle call. 

• To understand better the moments of reality vs. acting, just look at the sequence where they challenge each other and argue using different dance steps. All acting. Then look at their faces immediately after this sequence ends and they enter the final moments of the dance. All them. 

Side note: don’t miss how Astaire claps his hands together to make the smacking noise when she slaps him.

• While watching a private fashion show, John and Huck dislike a gorgeous black satin gown that’s low cut and with an almost completely open back because they think it’s too revealing. But later Rogers is going to wear almost this same gown and will look marvelous in it during the “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” dance. 

• After selecting a new gown, Liz teases Huck that “tall, handsome gentleman with large bank accounts will be asking for my telephone number. And getting it.” He replies, “And won’t they be surprised when I answer?”

• Upon hearing that John’s terrible ex, who has just arrived to undump him now that he’s rich and famous, will be leaving on Saturday, Huck departs with this line: “Goodbye, John. I’ll see you Sunday.”

• Irene Dunne definitely enjoys her few seconds of being spun around with Astaire. But who wouldn’t?

• Huck’s line to Sophie, “Gee, darling, you look terrible,” is such a burn and I love it.

• Another thing I have a soft spot for is Astaire’s piano playing. It’s energetic and fun and he doesn’t do it nearly enough imo. 

• Astaire sings 3 songs (I’m not counting the fashion show “song”) in Roberta but they all have that very conversational style that suits him. And in fact both “I Won’t Dance” and “Lovely to Look At” are duets framed as a conversation with Rogers. My favorite part of “I Won’t Dance” is this exchange:

Astaire: “You know what? You’re lovely.”

Rogers: “And so what? I’m lovely.”

Astaire: “But oh what you do to me.”

• I also have to mention the little callback to “The Continental” as well as the strange rhyme of “for heaven rest us, I’m not asbestos”??

• Notice how this solo routine for Astaire is not interrupted by any cuts to his face or feet like previously solos? He got his way with the camera work.

• “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is a lovely song that I don’t necessarily want Irene Dunne to sing, not when Ginger Rogers is in the same film. 

• Rogers’ acting when Huck talks rhetorically about wanting to marry Liz is fabulous. First, she has to be incensed at the mention of a “Liz” when publicly she’s still known as the Countess. Then she’s flustered that he’s just admitted he wants to marry her. And then she glares at him when he takes up the joke and describes his fiance-to-be as “simple” with “big feet.” And all of that happens in about three seconds. The way she sharply looks him up and down always makes me snicker.  

• This lengthy fashion show is something else I usually skip. Was there a line of gowns that were sold as movie tie-in merchandise? I highly doubt it. But why else is this so long??

• When Astaire sings the lyrics “and heaven to kiss,” his voice drops and Rogers glances at him. Huck and Liz have most certainly been kissing off screen. 

• Absolutely love how the lyrics of “Lovely to Look At” change for Astaire and Rogers. Instead of a “most impossible scheme come true, imagine finding a dream like you,” Rogers sings that he is her “most impossible dream come true, imagine finding a boy like you.” She takes his arm and on the lyrics “it’s thrilling to hold you terribly tight,” he squeezes her hand. 

• Their dance, set to “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” is slow and stunning, one of the most beautiful they created. It’s full of soft looks between them. Rogers spends most of the beginning gazing at him lovingly. Not to be outdone, Astaire does the same when she’s turned away or not looking at him. He also has a small, private smile soon after they begin. It’s lovely. 

• The duet is romantic and yet they don’t embrace fully until about a minute in. Instead, they hover near one another, faces angling together, small touches here and there. Holding fingertips for a particular move. His fingers briefly touch her ribs when she places his hand there for a beat. It’s a dance of deep partnership and love, not courtship. Neither needs to woo the other. 

• And when they do embrace, he holds her close for a prolonged moment before moving into the next step. As he does, that private smile sneaks out again. 

• The sudden dip is another example of Rogers trusting Astaire. She looks magnificent in the pose too. They both do.

• She lays her head on his shoulder, his hand resting gently on her hair, and her arm is around him. It’s a very intimate pose, made even more so by how he tilts his head towards her and his lips are very close to her brow. And there again, that smile. 

• When the music becomes playful, Rogers glances over her shoulder at him and finds his eyes are already on her. Both of their faces soften. 

• And ending a sumptuous dance with a backwards leap up three stairs. Super casual. They walk off the way they began, their arms linked. 

• Speaking of casual, Huck and Liz get engaged in the most laid back way ever. Perfect for them.

• I have always loved Stephanie’s expression when she realizes just how dumb (but sweet) John is. 

• The reprise of “I Won’t Dance” ends the film. Newly engaged but still in the same clothes they just performed a slow, romantic duet in, Astaire and Rogers perform a much more energetic dance. She makes her dress work for her superbly. The way they dance is very like “I’ll Be Hard to Handle,” which shows that this celebratory number is Huck and Liz, not the bandleader and the Countess performing for a crowd. And the choice of song is fitting since in the lyrics he said he couldn’t dance with her for fear he’d fall in love with her. But now they have danced quite intimately and they’re engaged. Might as well keeping dancing together. 

• Soooo another film finished! We’re getting into some of the best ones now. Up next: Top Hat.

• Also if fanfiction is your thing, here’s a very sweet one for this film. 

[whipped-stream]

I watched: The Night Manager

I find spy stuff a bit difficult really. It’s so smug - long, indulgently complicated stories chock-full of smart men in smart suits drinking man-drinks like whisky or martinis, surveilling each other out of the corners of their eyes, skulking around the charming alleyways of some architecturally opulent urban space. No one is ever insecure in a spy story; no one ever has a moment where they’re at a loss for words; no one ever has acne or eats a burger or even drinks a latte, because the only coffee appropriate for a spy story has to be something tight and elegant like an espresso. Oh, and very few people in these stories are ever female, fat (unless they’re evil) or gay (unless they’re evil).

Of course, this is all completely endemic to the genre. Asking for a spy thriller without these qualities would be like asking for a Judd Apatow comedy without a bunch of scruffy beardy blokes. But like - it’s 2021 now, and you’d think we would be gradually nearing the point where we were ready to retire all the tiresome, difficult stuff about the genre and do something new and interesting with it. Alas, The Night Manager has proved to me that we are nowhere near this possible future.

Don’t get me wrong, this is an enjoyable, easy show if you don’t think about it too much. It’s polished, gorgeous to look at and the basic plot revolving around illegal arms trading in the Middle East is absorbing, albeit a little toothless (for all the action and violence in the Middle East scenes we never really engage on any level with the human impact of this nefarious trade, besides one anecdote which never really lands). Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie are both, predictably, also amazing in this show. Tom Hiddleston is perfect as a hotel manager; his earnest, twinkly-eyed politeness fits perfectly in the luxury hotels his character glides through, just as his luxury suits and luxury face suit the luxury décor. Then, as a secret services mole amongst gangsters, he is perfect again, charming everyone into smitten trust with a gleaming smile as they fall into the glacier-blue lagoons of his eyes, barely noticing him surreptitiously gathering all their secrets.

Hugh Laurie is as charismatic and sinister as a cartoon devil and makes for a terrific villain, fiercely dedicated to chewing the scenery at every opportunity. It is unclear to me why they chose to give him a sortof shabby Friar Tuck haircut for the role, but perhaps he is doing a Harrison Ford and just exerting his Great Actor Famepower to refuse to undergo any kind of personal grooming before a scene.

But yeah. Every time I was enjoying it, the dang show did something to ruin it. Firstly it was the ‘Bond women’. Sure, stunningly beautiful and sexually inviting women are a staple of this genre, and this show tries its best to show good faith by making sure that the stunningly beautiful and sexually inviting women in this instance have some kind of personality and plot relevance. It’s a pathetic effort at best. The first gorgeous woman chivvies the plot along for all of two minutes before flinging her fabulous self at Tom Hiddlestone and being a charming bedfellow just long enough for him to be distraught when he discovers her moments later in a pool of her own blood. Ahh, yes, a classic Woman in Refrigerator - gosh, I haven’t seen one of those employed with such efficiency in quite some time. Despite barely knowing her, Tom Hiddlestone is so devastated that he moves into some kind of massive concrete bunker right at the top of a Swiss Alpine mountain (what IS that house, dude!?!? Do you live in a weather monitoring facility?) and eventually agrees to become an agent for the secret services - which of course presents even more opportunities for some top totty.

The other stunningly beautiful woman in this show is in a relationship with the baddie played by Hugh Laurie, even though the two of them don’t so much have an age gap as an age chasm. She is called ‘Jed’, and she truly is only here for the camera to make long, indulgent pans up her svelte legs and delicate back. The show leaps at any opportunity to show a bit of her boob and at one point she fully disrobes and walks slowly and teasingly into the sea, pointing her arse right at Tom Hiddlestone, in order to make a point about living a carefree life. All the personal details about this woman are arbitrary - she has a kid that she never gets to see, I guess, and like she’s kind of suspicious of her boyfriend the arms dealer or whatever, but the show refuses to waste any time giving these story points any more than a cursory glance. Jed is a hollow, objectified character whose clothes fall off at the slightest jostle.

And then there’s the other thing. The torture thing. What is up with these spy shows? And how the only thing they love more than sexy women is the spectacle of sexy women being battered, tortured and lying dead in revealing poses? Just like her predecessor, poor Jed barely gets to do anything interesting or even proactive before she is ‘found out’ and we have to endure a really queasy scene where she’s being beaten up and repeatedly almost-drowned for her treachery. As her sore, blue-purple face is thrust over and over again into the brimming bathtub and she thrashes for air, her naked breast dangles out of her top in a tactless mush of raunchy objectification and vicarious misogyny. It’s one of the most troubling things I have witnessed on telly in a good while.

Okay - there is one other woman in this show. Olivia Coleman plays the head of this secret service operation, and she is written as a fierce, ambitious agent who knows exactly what she’s doing. Oh, and she’s pregnant, so I guess we’re doing Fargo too, a bit? For the entirety of the programme, which seems to span several months, she appears to be at the end of her third trimester. No one ever asks her when she’ll be going on maternity leave and who will take over this spy operation when that happens. As part of the final showdown, she travels to the Middle East, stalks around a hotel filled with murderous gangsters, shoots people in the knee and hides from even more murderous gangsters WHILE SEEMINGLY MOMENTS AWAY FROM HER FIRST CONTRACTION.

Essentially this woman’s pregnancy is a decorative character quirk, like having an eyepatch or an eccentric moustache. The story doesn’t let the character engage with her pregnancy in any human sense: and sure, the logistics of being pregnant is not exactly thrilling espionage content, but then why bother doing it at all? Leave her unpregged, and let her run around with guns to her heart’s content, or do it properly, and engage with interesting ideas of how we see and define modern motherhood; how we see pregnant women as vulnerable and in need of protection rather than being the protectors; how a woman’s career clashes and harmonises with her biological fate to be the child-bearer. Fargo did all that stuff effortlessly. Watch Fargo. The film, not the telly programme.

I also feel that it’s worth pointing out that this character was a man in the book, which makes it pretty clear that she was the hail-mary gesture to preempt any complaints that the only female main characters are bland eye-candy.

I have one last complaint. Remember that thing I said at the beginning about how the only gay characters allowed in this genre have to be evil? Well yeah, stamp that one on your bingo card too. I cannot believe that we are at a point in society where we can generate edible meat in a lab and yet the most frequent gay characters we see in mainstream TV are still either camp BFFs or acid-tongued villains. Tom Hollander is a completely wonderful actor and I urge you to watch basically anything else he has done besides this. There is no need for this character, Hugh Laurie’s snide and suspicious right-hand man, to be a creepy, predatory homosexual man. He is preposterous - constantly leering at Tom Hiddlestone and making blunt innuendos or just full-on grabbing Tom Hiddlestone’s giblets. A clear conflation is being made: this man is a threat, and the threat he poses to Tom Hiddlestone’s mission is mirrored by the threat he poses to Hiddlestone’s hetero-masculinity, his sexual autonomy. It feels like this character is a charicature of how homophobes see all gay men: malevolent and sexually rapacious, on a mission to assault, harass and render uncomfortable all hetero men who are just minding their own business.

I truly don’t understand this show - how they made such an effort to shoehorn so much deeply troubling messaging into a story which needed none of these things. The bare bones of the spy story is solid and it could have been turned out in so many different ways, but this was what they chose. It all feels so retrograde, so unnecessary. This is the kind of thing that Netflix would not have toyed with - whatever you feel about that streaming platform, they create stories with real, three-dimensional women and all kinds of diverse characters from the LGBTQ+ scene and beyond. Amazon Prime still needs to work on getting woke. But I guess we shouldn’t expect too much from the platform that snapped up Jeremy Clarkson.

The Night Manager, available on Amazon Prime

[queensdivas]

Something There.  Joe Mazzello x Female Reader!

Word count: 1613

Storyline: You are a famous author whose first major book has finally been made into a movie for the world to enjoy. On the night of the premiere. You are scared stiff because at this moment, the world will be judging you in every form of way. But a certain dork that’s playing the main role see’s your nervousness and does what our Joe does best!

A/N: My first ever one-shot..bear with me on this pretty please.

You remembered writing the outline of your story a few years ago at that dumpy little apartment you’ve been living in for years. You remember how stupid the entire story sounded in your head and writing it down made you even feel worse. Who would read this silly thing in the first place? It’s not like Wolfe or Tolkien. It was reality and no one ever enjoyed reading reality because we don’t like it. Knowing that the world isn’t rainbows and unicorns makes everyone very uneasy and end up tossing your book to the curb. 

Luckily your book sparked the match for hundred thousands of readers and was just finished being made into a full length movie. Starring a handful of very talented actors and actresses. At your first table reading since you wanted to be apart of making as much as you could. Almost everyone talked about how your book changed their lives for the better, which brought you to tears a few times. Even Joe was overjoyed that he got the main role in the movie since he had also read your book. Cover to cover. At Least nine times and would never stop reminding you how grateful he was that you wrote it and blessed the world with it. 

The entire table read was just everyone getting to know each other, asking you questions on how they should handle their characters, even to the point on if they had a specific walk to them. Them asking you the tiny details of your characters made you ecstatic and you basically took over the table read for everyone. But also that night you put a creamer in Joe's coffee and..well..there was a lot of apologising and toilet paper. 

“Oh my goodness Joe I had absolutely no idea! I’m so sorry!” You yelled as you tossed another bag of toilet paper into the boys bathroom. You apologised a lot, to the point you sent him a fruit basket that was the size of a car engine because you felt so bad. 

A few months into production is when you and Joe started becoming friends. He kept making sure that his character was being properly portrayed. Everytime you would say yes he would still ask. 

“So y/n. In this scene where he’s talking with Mira. Should I have more of a resting bitch face or the Jim kind of face?” 

“Let me see both.” His resting bitch face sent a chuckle out of your mouth then you completely lost it with his Jim face. 

“JIm face! Yes! It’s perfect!” 

“Joe we’re ready to shoot again!” The producer yelled as he rubbed the back of his head then nodding. 

“Good. Thanks (y/n/)” That smile..that dorky smile he shot you made your heart hurts for a moment. Or was it your tit? In that general vicinity made something hurt and you enjoyed it. 

A few months rolled by and things we’re going fantastic for you and the movie! Things were getting done on schedule, you and Joe were working together on his scenes, and making sure your work was being done correctly. It has gotten to the point that the other actors on the set also came for your advice since you’ve basically made yourself at home. You’ve gotten so close with everyone that they decided to invite you out to karaoke night at a tiny bar called Singing' Botches. 

Walking into the bar. It was shoulder to shoulder and you jumping up, trying to see if anyone you knew was here yet. Joe was noticing your hopping which he ended up recording on his phone that was almost put on his instagram story. Luckily you got there fast enough to make sure that didn’t happen. 

“Really glad you came out tonight (y/n). You have got to hear my singing skills when I sing Earth Wind and FIre.” We downed the first shot as you shook your head. 

“Oh yeah? Well wait till I’m up there making Elton John look...you can’t make him look bad because he’s always fabulous dang it.” Taking another shot as Joe grabbed your hand and began dragging you up to the small stage. You were not even close to being drunk enough yet to sing. He handed you the mic and the song began playing. Backstreet Boys was always a hit since 90s boy bands are always a crowd pleaser. Joe nailing the laugh at the beginning of the song as you awkwardly danced in your spot. Him nailing the beginning of the song was..eh..not so great. But you could care less. 

“All you people can't you see, can't you see. How your love's affecting our reality. Every time we're down. You can make it right. And that makes you larger than life.” You both yelled. Jumping around like absolute morons as the crowd was laughing and singing along. 

“Looking at the crowd. And I see your body sway, c'mon. Wishin' I could thank you in a different way, c'mon. 'Cause all of your time spent keeps us alive!” Joe was moving his hips with the beat, trying to get the crowd more excited. 

“All you people can't you see, can't you see! How your love's affecting our reality! Every time we're down, you can make it right! And that makes you larger than life!” The song ended early as you both tossed the mic down, leaning against each other then nodding to the crowd. That night was just more shots of tequila, a very bad rendition of Misery Business because you both swore you saw Hayley in the bar that night. Or it could’ve been a hooker with orange hair. 

Time went faster after that night. It was around 3 a.m. when the last shot was done and you were on your fifth or sixth cup of coffee. Trying your best to stay awake so you could take in every single moment of this miracle that was given to you. Not to mention you’ve made a best friend in the entire world, but it felt like a little more in your mind. Wanting to be more, but yet you couldn’t exactly tell how he felt. 

“That’s a wrap everyone!” The director yelled as everyone began clapping in excitement, relief, and just congratulating each other. You watched everyone having a mini celebration in front of the cheese and chocolate fondue fountain. Till a dork had a cup full of fondue cheese and pretzels with him. Offering you a pretzel as you dipped it into the cub and took a bit with the cheese warming your body. 

“Thank you (y/n/).” Raising your eyebrow at him as you wrapped your arms around yourself since it had gotten a little cold all of sudden. 

“For what Joe?” 

“For giving me this amazing opportunity to make your dreams come true. Come and eat fondue with us.” He got back up from the couch, waiting for you to climb off and enjoy the fondue. Wait. Isn’t cheese fondue bad for him? 

All those tiny little memories brought you back to the world of the opening night. Your first time ever in New York and you were scared shitless! One of the biggest cities in the world and everyone's eyes were going to be on you and how you act tonight will change everything. The limo had you, Joe, Lucy, Rami, and a few other actors. Everyone was laughing, drinking a little too much before the premiere, and Joe was chugging down all the complimentary peanuts that the limo offered. You were smart enough to warn the limo driver to not have any form of milk products. 

The limo stopped in front of the theatre as everyone began climbing out of the limo slowly except for you. You we’re avoiding coming out of the limo so that you wouldn’t have your entire life judged before you. It made your stomach twist, your toes curl, and your breathing was shortened. 

“You good?” Joe asked as a slight shock from your head sent him the message to close the door of the limo. 

“I can’t do this! What if I go out there and they basically shred my entire career apart!? My entire life is going to be judged before millions of people! How does this become a basic part of your existence!? Joe I can’t do this! Just tell the press I got lymphoma.” Your hands were shaking and the flashes were somehow getting through the dark windows of the limo. 

“Listen to me (y/n.) I’ve been doing this stuff since I was a kid. The first time walking on my premiere set after shooting Jurassic Park. It was..it was nerve racking. But you’re gonna be just fine (y/n). All this is..this premium is just for the world to see that gorgeous, silly smile of yours and to ask you if we did a good job representing your dream. Now who are you!” 

“(Y/F/N.) (Y/L/N.)!” 

“AND WHO ARE YOU!” 

“I WROTE A KICK ASS BOOK THAT’S GONNA CHANGE THE WORLD!” 

“AND WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!” 

“WE’RE GONNA GO OUT THERE AND TRY NOT TO HAVE SOME SORT OF PANIC ATTACK!” 

“EXACTLY!” He opened the door and grabbing your hand to pull you out of the limo. The lights were like a tidal wave, crashing into your eyes that to the point you covered them with your handbag. He gave you a soft squeeze which told you that you guys were gonna start walking. It maybe slow moving...but..you think this might be the start of something wonderful.

[justalittlebluetiefling]

What is critical role I’ve never heard of it until your blog

Oh anon, I know you don’t know this yet, but this is one of my favorite questions! Critical Role, in the words of Matthew Mercer, is a show where a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons. 

Now, in the words of me, Critical Role is on (almost) every Thursday at 7pm PST. The show lasts three to four hours and is just… literally the best storytelling? Ever? Which is quite a feat, since it’s 7 - 8 people improving the story together. We’ve got: Matthew Mercer (the DM), Marisha Ray, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Taliesin Jaffe, Sam Riegel, Liam O’Brien, and when Blindspot isn’t filming, Ashley Johnson. If you’ve played video games or watched anime or anything cartoony in the last 20 years, you’ve definitely heard at least one of them in something. Probably multiple of them in the same project. These nerdy ass voice actors are a real-life found family and I get really emotional over this on a regular basis.

Their first campaign, the story of Vox Machina, starts halfway through their story and ended up being 115 episodes long. They had already been playing together for a few years when they started streaming on Twitch. It’s so easy to fall in love with every single character. Even the NPCs voiced by Matt instead of the players. There are ships to ship and stories to love and cry over. I’m actually watching the Vox Machina campaign for the third time, because I miss them so much. I ended up getting into the show right after they ended their first campaign and literally spent all of my free time watching the episodes. By the time I was done, I was an emotional wreck and I had a hard time convincing myself to start the second campaign. All new characters?! And an all new setting?! How was I supposed to put up with that nonsense when I was still grieving?! But I did it and I fell in love with them way faster than I expected.

Their second campaign is the one they’re currently playing. It’s a bit different, because it follows the adventures of the Mighty Nein from the very beginning. Gone are the in-game found family dynamics. It’s a lot of awkward struggling to form alliances and tentative friendships and watching them grow to care for each other. Again, there are ships to ship and characters to love and the storytelling and worldbuilding by Matt Mercer is just off the charts phenomenal. Episode 71 just aired last Thursday and I’m going to try to FINALLY watch it when I get home tonight.

So, this show is a time commitment. But it’s so worth it. And you get consistent content all year round. The longest hiatus you ever have to deal with is about 3 to 4 weeks around the holidays, so that those lovely human beings can spend time with their families. OH. And speaking of those lovely humans. They really are wonderful. They have taken this game that they used to play with their friends and turned it into something huge. And they’re trying to use that success to help make the world a better place. They’re constantly involved in charities and promoting smaller projects on their individual Twitters. I think it’s a show worth getting into not only for the story, but for the people behind the story.

If you DO decide to give it a shot, let me know! You don’t need to know anything about D&D to enjoy the show. And if you do know anything about D&D, then you need to remember that Matt is the DM and it’s his world and he’s allowed to homebrew rules. Oh dang, and he homebrews some of the CREEPIEST MONSTERS. I hate it. There are a lot of easy ways to get caught up fast and I’ve actually become closer with a few people in The 100 fandom by bonding over Critical Role as well.

[allhallowsreid]

just lots and lots of very long-winded, random thoughts about last night’s finale and the show itself...

so obvs no one has to agree with me on any of this, i just feel like there likely ARE ppl who feel like this and it’s easy to get shut down on tumblr for having different opinions, and i mostly just need to gather my feelings and thoughts in one place.

-ive seen a handful of ppl upset that the last ep centered around reid, but if you were to take 10 fans of this show, it’s a pretty good chance that 8 or 9 of them would say reid is their fave character. that isn’t me trying to insult any of the other characters, that’s just the way it is. whether it’s bc of his looks (and my lord was he gorgeous in this finale ep), or that he’s your typical cute white boi, or more organic reasons like he’s been there since day 1 and we were able to watch him change and grow, and he’s the opposite of the typical male characters we often see, especially on cop shows.. whatever the reason, he is a VERY popular tv character. and if it weren’t for that character, for better or worse, this show would have ended a long time ago.

-the ending itself.. i just feel like i don’t know what ppl were expecting?? this is not a show like supernatural or dexter or a show that has had a fluent overarching story to tell from start to finish. the story continues without us watching it. it’s another day at the office for them. was it a great ending? no, but it was fine. we see where all of them are headed. endings are so difficult, i’m just glad they didn’t kill anyone off or some garbage like that.

-so damn happy they hooked up luke and garcia. i have had such issues with garcia’s character since morgan left, i feel like she became a caricature, where she just overacts and i recently read an article with kirsten where she actually admitted that when shemar left she really didn’t know what to do with her character anymore. honestly? it showed. the obnoxiousness to luke was cute at first bc she obviously had a crush on him, but then it just became mean and out of character. this season i was happy to see her get a little bit more back to herself. all this being said, they were very clearly headed towards getting luke and garcia together this season with the overt flirting and one on one convo’s, i’m so glad they went through with it instead of leaving it open ended. and i will admit that of all the characters, i didn’t think garcia would be the one to leave, but it made sense. garcia is tough as hell, much tougher than she gives herself credit for, but like luke said, she can do this other job without the gore that she cringes over in literally every single episode of the show. also loved jj saying garcia was the glue of the team. so true, so well said. and side note, kirsten does a hell of a job writing these characters that she knows all too well, the other writers should’ve just let her take over in later seasons.

-prentiss... i love my emily so dang much, but man they give her the absolute worst dialogue. she gets stuck with all these long sentences that just.. they just don’t flow?? and it takes me out of the show so often. this has been since s12 when she became unit chief. there has been a handful of times since she became the boss that we have had flashes of old school smartass goth girl emily, and i cherished each moment, but it wasn’t enough. somewhere along the way they forgot how to write into the show that their characters had PERSONALITY. just as an example of the stupid dialogue she gets.. the end of the ep where it’s intended to look like rossi’s retirement party. then, idk who it was, emilys boyfriend maybe(?) says some dumb comment about oh gee i thought this was dave’s retirement! and then emily starts some awkwardly long line that could’ve been summed up in “dave decided not to retire afterall” and it was just soooo... weird?!!? if we are agreeing that A MONTH has gone by.. you are to tell me that it never once came up that dave said he was gonna retire and then changed his mind!??! that night, one month later, is the first that this discussion occurred!!?!?! and all of these dumb lines come out sounding so robotic, and i can’t blame paget, bc the lines are boring as hell. also unless i missed something i can’t rule emily out of being the next director, especially since their profile ended up being correct, lynch and the mom didn’t kill themselves, so i’m sure when that all came out, the next hurdle emily would have to clear is how they just blew up their very expensive jet right after having a budget meeting 2 episodes ago!!

- i’m gonna lump the newer characters together.. and just say that it was all too little, too late. they tried to give matt and luke more this season, and the ep’s centered on them were great, but it all felt forced to me. all this character development should’ve started as soon as they came onto the show. the relationships between the new and original characters also feels forced a lot of times, barring relationships like rossi and his boys, luke and garcia, tara and emily.. i mean that’s kind of all, right? we never saw much off-the-job, personal interactions between them and the rest of the characters, did we? and the way tara was treated on this show is inexcusable. aisha’s talents were so underused on this show it was criminal (pun intended). and actually, the above stuff i said about emily getting nonsense dialogue, you can throw matt in there too. his dialogue was friggin god awful at times on this show. in the words of early seasons reid, maybe try to be more conversational, writers!!

-man oh man was jj a badass and a half in this finale. tbh i always enjoyed liaison jj more than ssa jj, but when badass jj comes out i get all excited. i do feel like she would be the best fit to take over if emily left, she’d stepped into that role before and excelled. but she is another character that at times i think the writers just forgot how to write her personality somewhere along the way. i understand that the reality is that people change over time, but there were times that she was written like a typical high school mean girl, and that was just an insult to the character they created. the whole jeid thing was severely overblown and unnecessary. i don’t hate the idea of them being together, but why wait til s14-15 to deal with this? in the end i thought it was handled okay, i personally didn’t feel like it ruined their friendship or stayed awkward, which i appreciated, it was just a storyline that wasn’t needed and wasted time. also, ppl griping about “oh but she clearly loves will, if she loves spencer then she can’t love will!” i mean, actually, ppl are capable of loving more than one person at a time, hate to burst that bubble for ya.

-this seems like a good moment though to pause and just get this out about will lamon-fuckin-tagne jr... this guy is too good for jj lol, i am sorry but he is such a great guy. and can we review some things about will and his wife’s bestest friend, godfather to his children, spencer reid?? when will and spencer first met, it was during an unbelievably personal case to will, i mean his father died sending him a message about this case that the fbi was called in on. and his first intro with reid?? let’s see, reid spent that ep strung out on drugs, and full on abandoning the case to go hang out with his friend at a club/bar/lounge/whatever. ok, so that’s will’s first impression of jj’s bestie, and will STILL okay’d him being the godfather of his kids. not to mention, can you imagine your wife has been gone in the damn middle east for who even knows how long, then when she finally gets back and you think you’re gonna have her to yourself, but oh no, here comes jj’s friggin bestie again to come cry on the couch every night for several weeks!!!! and he gives zero indication of not liking spencer, in fact he seems rather fond of him. will is the most patient man ever, i swear.

-ok that was an unexpected side track. moving onto rossi. not sure why they were all like oh pfft this guy will never retire. the dude literally retired before the show started lol. if he retired once, when he was fairly young, why is the idea of it happening again so impossible? again, dumb dialogue. i loved the stuff with him and young gideon (i may be biased tho bc i’m just so damn proud of ben savage), i loved that rossi knew more about the jet than the others, however that was an inconsistency bc when rossi came back from retirement, he couldn’t believe the bau had its own jet. unless i just misunderstood what emily meant when she said it all started with rossi and gideon. i felt like lynch was a very underwhelming villain. super forgettable. there was no charisma like foyet or cat adams, there was no creep factor like mr scratch, there was no mystery like the replicator or the fisher king. his whole story just fell flat, and if there were anything interesting about him whatsoever, it’s bc of what rossi brought to the table, not the “chameleon”.

-my boy reid. he has several lifetimes of baggage to unpack, and i think of all the characters on this show, no one hates unpacking their trauma more than reid. i feel like it was so relatable that he could barely speak in this ep without sounding on the verge of tears, like every sentence was painful to even get out bc of how much hurt is stored up inside him. his trauma has defined him for years now, and if they had ended the show without addressing even some of it, the show would’ve been incomplete. i understand that actors schedules just don’t work out sometimes, but idk what the point was of having strauss and foyet be his devil and angel. and foyet’s long explanation of how bc he changed hotch, he changed the team was so convoluted that he may as well have just said “they couldn’t get james van der beek or the dude who played mr scratch, so im here instead”. i liked what they did with reid and maeve, and i actually don’t mind that there was no mention of max. they’re still very early in their relationship, and i feel like him coming out with some “wait i think i love max!” revelation would just be too fast and ooc. we already know that the relationship between them is growing, it doesn’t need to be said. and can i get an amen that maeve and reid didn’t kiss bc god that would’ve been weird as hell.

- i hate that we couldn’t have hotch or morgan or blake or elle or any of the main characters that helped make this show what it was, but i’m still grateful for the crumbs they gave us if the actors just couldn’t be booked for whatever reason. i’ve seen many shows at their end just try to pretend their previous characters never existed, so that we got some flashbacks with them was appreciated.

- RIP bau jet. i wiiiill reMEMber youuuuuuu.

-the song choice of david bowie’s Heroes was perfection. strangely, when i was driving home from work yesterday that song came on my playlist and i blasted it on repeat and performed a car concert for my fellow drivers on the road, and thought to myself that this song would be great for cm to end on. never thought they would actually do it since they had previously used the song in penelope’s ep. but what a great scene of all them dancing and singing and laughing like the bunch of nerdy idiots they are.

-i came late into the game with this show. ppl have been telling me for years to watch it and i only picked up watching in s13, after i read a spn/cm crossover fic and became super curious about who all these awesome characters were. with that said, i’m aware that since i haven’t invested years of my life in this show, that my feelings and thoughts about the ending will be different than those who have been hooked on this show for over a decade. i’m still just so thankful for the family portrayed by this show, and these characters i fell in love with, and episodes i’ll never forget.

[dongshancai]

final thoughts on he is psychometric

so just to get this out of the way: when i first heard that jinyoung and yeeun would be in a thriller drama together, i wasn’t expecting this + i wasn’t really excited either because i’m not the biggest fan of thriller (at least it wasn’t horror). and i wasn’t even excited unTIL the official trailer dropped and i was like OHOHOH THIS LOOKS FUN. 

IT WAS NOT FUN.

OR AT LEAST, IT WAS FUN FOR LIKE THREE EPISODES. 

this drama was really really well executed and while the ending is too... eh in my opinion, it’s not as bad as other endings i’ve seen before. 

the pace of the overall drama was PERFECT. maybe the editors went a little too overboard in the flashbacks (i thought it was irrelevant to put a flashback of something that happened earlier in the episode) sometimes, but it was fast paced so it didn’t lose it’s momentum. i was on the edge of my seat the entire time and the plot twists were UGHGHGH FRUSTRATING but it made sense to the plotline. except for maybe jisoo’s death. idk. like i get it did up the shock factor, but i don’t feel like the characters had enough time to properly grieve for her and legitimately be thrown off course like i’m sure is the intended purpose. the characters bounced right back too quickly for my liking, especially knowing their emotional ties with her. so her death should’ve been handled better in terms of writing and i’m not even saying this because everyone likes jisoo--i genuinely believe that if they killed her, her death should’ve impacted the characters more or don’t kill her at all. ALSO JAEIN’S KIDNAPPING. it was so obvious she was going to live so it was really anticlimactic. like psychologically, i thought the way of killing her was interesting because i’ve never seen a murder like that in shows before, but;;;;;;;; idk jaein’s kidnapping was kinda irrelevant because everyone knew she was going to live. maybe if she was kidnapped a bit later than it would’ve been more believable. 

IN TERMS OF THE CONCLUDING EPISODE, like most dramas, they try to cram too much in that one hour. i felt like the trials could’ve been longer unless that was the director’s intended effect to quickly sum up everyone’s sentences IDK IT DOESN’T REALLY SIT WELL WITH ME. especially with geuntaek’s trial because in the end, he got what he wanted: to see kang eunjoo. and while her arc ended that she gained the courage to finally speak up, i don’t like how geuntaek got to see her one last time. 

also i wish we got to see a biiiiit more of jaein and her dad because they look so happy together :( but their interaction in the prison didn’t seem too realistic to me either. he seemed too happy. and even though i get why he would, he also tried to commit suicide to stop jaein so i feel like he should’ve, scolded her a bit or something idk like your typical asian parent would do

as for seungmo UGH I DON’T KNOW WHAT I FEEL TOWARDS HIM. because WOW the writers did an AMAZING job at getting us to sympathize with him and root for him only for him to STILL BE NOBLE AND TURN HIMSELF IN AND ASLIDFHASDFAS under all his circumstances, it makes sense that most people would pity him and the writers executed that FLAWLESSLY. but he still killed people and lied to many others and im so :(((((( i wanted him to have a happy ending but with 13 years in prison, he would be incarcerated for 22 years of his life and that just seems so cruel. and those years he lived free? he lived in worry and guilt I WOULD UNDERSTAND IF THE SENTENCE WAS ABOUT 3-7 YEARS because he did admit to everything he did + was a minor and everything else the trial stated but 13 years seem so cruel >:( but then again, it is pretty realistic so,,, what can you do :( 

i would write more about the other characters like ahn and jaein and daebong and seohyun but i love them too much there’s nothing much to talk about rather than me screaming about how much i love them. the mundane moments were so cute <3333 THE CAST WAS REALLY AMAZING IN TERMS OF ACTING LIKE I HAD REALLY REALLY REALLY LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR JINYOUNG GOING IN (idols don’t have the best rep when they gain a drama role ESPECIALLY for a non school life drama and I haven’t watched Jinyoung in anything besides 3 episodes of Dream Knight lkasdfjlasdf) and I didn’t really like Do Hana in A-TEEN that much so like, i was alskdfasdkfjasdf iffy going in but WOW they really stole my heart. Kim Kwon and Dasom were really amazing as well. I can’t say too much about Dasom because I don’t know her personality and Jisoo was cute and badass and your normal relatable girl so asdioufhsd if anything, Dasom’s personality could be really similar to Jisoo. But her conviction in trying to solve the case was really well executed. You can see her struggle of wanting to find the truth even though her crush might be behind everything. AS FOR KIM KWON WOW. I HAVEN’T WATCHED HIM IN ANYTHING ELSE BUT I BELIEVE IT TAKES MAJOR SKILL TO PLAY STOIC CHARACTERS since you have to show emotions but at the same time, you can’t show emotions (which is why I hate it when boy idols receive the cold characters bc;;;; their acting isn’t very nuanced :/// sorry boys) and seungmo didn’t even HAVE emotions as a character AND HE SLDAKFASDKFJ WOWOOWOWOWOW. he did amazing. the actor for Lieutenant Nam was pretty cool too I’m not gonna lie :’) he was this bumbling officer that made me really uncomfortable, but his lines were pretty cool. and that kinda dumb detective was cute ahaha 

ALSO THE MATH TEACHER IN THE FIRST TWO EPISODES. HE WAS THE GUY WHO PLAYED TWO CHARACTERS IN BONG SOON AND YEESH i really love his acting I had to mention him.

AND OKAY ONE MORE MENTION: THE ACTRESS FOR KANG EUNJOO. I watched her in Love Returns and she was this loud mouth SUPER ANNOYING JUDGEMENTAL AUNT AND I HATED HER CHARACTER TO MY CORE but dang she’s GOOD. Kang Eunjoo is the complete opposite of the aunt in Love Returns, so it was really interesting to see how she played Eunjoo.

ALSO. I’M SO SAD THAT THIS DRAMA IS GOING TO WASTE IN TERMS OF HYPE it was so good and fresh and different i’m surprised it didn’t receive more viewership :((( okay, actually, i’ve seen a couple people not like the show that much and like, i’m kinda biased bc i don’t really watch thriller so a lot of these concepts are somewhat new to me but asdfjklasdf whatever. i thought it was good. i can’t believe it’s over, it was such a crazy ride. so um, if i had to rate the show overall: 9.5/10 I think the execution in every area was very good and there’s nothing i despise too much overall. so i’m VERY satisfied with the show and 1000000% recommend it. 

(last critique: while the cinematography was pretty good, sometimes a little TOO MANY TIMES, there were a couple of shots where it seemed like someone was watching a character when really, it was just a badly framed and panned shot to keep everything dynamic. i wouldn’t mind it too much if THERE WEREN’T ALREADY SCENES LIKE THAT BECAUSE A STALKER ACTUALLY EXISTS IN THE STORY)