#or back to back succession/severance as office dramas

[daisyachain]

deteriorating as a human being since the start of 2020 has given me a thing for the idea of Programming. Got to link together your media so everything you consume feeds into something else productively. This week it’s The Wall // Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy // Full Metal Jacket. Notes on the frigidity of the English psyche and insufficiently left-wing Cold War literature that views the war as an embarrassment for The West without necessarily questioning its brutality or rightness

[pavedinashes-if]

Paved in Ashes

The only constant in your life is the board beneath your feet.

Slice of Real Life Drama Focus: Romance and Life Struggles

⫸ STORY:

You're only 20 when suddenly your life goes bam! Throwing you into a whole new city, a different country even. Wasn't part of the plan, but you know how life loves to mess with plans. People happened, stuff happened, and suddenly you're on the move. The new chapter ahead? Buckle up, 'cause it's not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows. And guess what? Your step-mom? Yeah, she's right there in the same city. She's always had this knack for trying to steer your ship, like every decision's a GPS checkpoint.

But hey, there's this one thing that's never let you down—your skateboard. It's like the buddy that's been with you through thick and thin, the one that never bails. Among all this craziness it's like your anchor. So, the big question is—can you break out of the loop you got in? Find your place in the world and restart or lose yourself in temptation? Time to find out.

⫸ LOCATION:

Hamburg, Germany - Known as the Gateway to the World, featuring Germany's most sinful mile. Welcome to your new home!

⫸ YOU: Customize your own Main Character

Looks: Hair, Body, Scars, Piercings & Tattoos and much more

Gender identity and sexual orientation

Personality: Sarcastic / Genuine, Rude / Polite, Grumpy / Friendly, Aggressive / Peaceful, Stoic / Emotional, Shy / Bold, Deceitful / Honest, Arrogant / Humble, Selfish / Generous, Oblivious / Aware, Disinterested / Curious, Cautious / Reckless

Nickname: What do people call you?

Fashion: Pick your clothes to match your personality

Custom Skateboard: Design the look of your board

Skate Style: What's your riding style?

Vices: Alcohol, Drugs, Smokes, Gambling, Aggression, Self-Harm

Job: pick one of several professions - or don't

Hobbies: pick a hobby that makes you happy

Housing: live with your step-mom, find a place for yourself, share a flat - or don't

ATTENTION - Regarding Qs

inbox open for game-related asks, No scenario asks, what if asks Progress updates will be posted once there is something to announce

DEMO: Prologue, 24. October 2024—Dashingdon Link [23k words]

⫸ FEATURES: Juggle a new home, new friends, new romance, new profession, new temptations, old and new vices, crazy night life, your stepmother and build yourself a reputation out there.

⫸ ALL 12 DATEABLE & OTHER NON-DATEABLE CHARACTERS BELOW All romance in this story is optional and can be skipped all together if preferred. Still, the platonic relationships will be rewarding and deep on a different level. There are poly options available and each character has their own expectations, needs, wishes and desires, which you'll have to discover.

Note: Throughout the story, you'll encounter the ROs at various points. However, not all of them are destined to remain in your life; some seek fleeting enjoyment while others might become sources of annoyance. Just like reality, there's a mix of success and setbacks, reminding you that heartache is an authentic part of the journey. #heartacheisreal E.g.: If you behave like an a*hole, there's a chance they'll break up with you.

⫸ DATE OPTIONS - Overall 12 ROs & flings available

Samual / Samantha "Sam" Peters, 25 - 💙

Your Neighbour [m/f]:

Occupation: Police Officer - Life's flipped you into a whole new city, right? Newsflash! Next door's got a friendly face that's making things a bit less chaotic. Only thing is, you're starting to wonder if there's more to this neighbor than the casual chats. Are they keeping something under wraps? 💬 "In front of my eyes? Are you serious?" ♡ Loyal, Observant, Dedicated, Reliable, Friendly & Approachable 🚩Overprotective, Controlling, Difficulty Switching Off 🛹 Does not skate Looks: tba Social Media: Samantha Playlist: Spotify #pia: samantha #pia: samual

Felix / Felicia Nowak, 21 - 🩷

Your Ex [m/f]:

Occupation: Rich Kid - Old flames flare up as your past strides right back into your life in this brand-new city. Sparks are undeniable, but so are the reasons things didn't work out. Can you give this a second shot, or is it just history playing its track again? 💬 "Your mother always loved me, you know it." ♡ Confident, Generous, Driven, Charismatic 🚩 Impulsive, Superficial, Entitled, Manipulative 🛹 Does skate Looks: here Social Media: Felix (xF!MC), Felix (xM!MC) #pia: felix #pia: felicia

Alex Czarnecki, 25 - 🧡

Your New Foe [m]:

Occupation: Lawyer - None other than a face that seems to have it out for you. Every encounter feels like a clash, sparks flying in every direction. But hold on, could there be more to this hostility than meets the eye? 💬 "I am looking forward to making your life a living hell." ♡ Sharp-Witted, Analytical, Passionate, Perseverant 🚩 Stubborn, Guarded, Confrontational 🛹 Does not skate Looks: tba Social Media: Alex Playlist: Spotify #pia: alex

Noah / Naomi Cho, 20 - ❤️

Your Best Friend [m/f]:

Occupation: Photographer - Your ride-or-die best friend's on the other side of the world. They're just a text away, keeping your spirits high as you dive into this new city's chaos. The catch? Obviously the distance, but: Is there more to this bond that's worth exploring, or should it stay in the "friend zone"? 💬 "Pah, plane tickets are so cheap these days." ♡ Optimistic, Spontaneous, Loyal, Empathetic, Playful 🚩 Conflict Avoidant, Flakey, Jealous 🛹 Does skate Looks: tba Social Media: Naomi(xGF) #pia: naomi #pia: noah

Xavier Hoffmann, 22 - 💚

Your New Friend [m]:

Occupation: Musician - So, you meet this new friend at an event, and suddenly life's got an extra splash of excitement. But hold on—there's something about this new buddy that's keeping you guessing. Can you really put all your cards on the table, or is there some trick up their sleeve? 💬 "See? Super easy and nobody will ever find out." ♡ Inspiring, Free-Spirited, Passionate, Charming 🚩 Attention-Seeking, Impulsive, Unreliable 🛹 Does skate Looks: tba Social Media: Xavier #pia: xavier

Bianca Wolf, 19 - 🩵

Your Childhood Friend [f]:

Occupation: Student - A chance encounter brings back memories of your childhood friend. It's like life's throwing surprises your way, and this friend's becoming more than just a blast from the past. Can you pick up where you left off, or are you diving into uncharted territory? 💬 "I have to admit, seeing you kind of...messes with my head." ♡ Supportive, Empowering, Trustworthy, Honest, Kind-Hearted 🚩 Mood Swings, Stagnation, Drama-Prone 🛹 Does skate Looks: tba Social Media: here #pia: bianca

Laurenz / Laura Svenson, 20 - 💛

Your Rival [m/f]:

Occupation: Pro Skater - Rivalry's a familiar tune - Drama is to be expected 'cause they don't give you an inch of space. Competition's getting a different flavor once you both aim for the same goal. Can you navigate these uncharted feelings? 💬 "Oh, you will so damn fuckin' much regret it!" ♡ Spontaneous, Humorous, Enthusiastic, Entertaining 🚩 Egoistic, Control-Freak, Insecure 🛹 Does skate Looks: tba Social Media: Laurenz Playlist: Spotify #pia: Laura #pia: Laurenz

Francesco / Francesca Moretti, 22 - 💜

Your Best Friend's BF / GF [m/f]

Occupation: Model - They always knew what they wanted, and they always got it. Truth is, you fell for them even before they got with your best friend. Then, you behaved - but your friend is not here now. As their gaze draws you in, loyalty falters in the face of desire. Can you resist, or even want to? 💬 "Not even they know about it." ♡ Artistic, Sensual, Inspirational, Ambitious 🚩 Dishonest, Neglectful, Envious 🛹 Does not skate Looks: here Social Media: Francesca Playlist: Spotify #pia: francesca #pia: francesco

Dima / Dalia Petrov, 34 - 🖤

Your Boss [m/f] *

Occupation: Club Owner - As you step into the dark world of nightlife your paths cross. Soon you'll navigate the complexities of the club scene with all its secrets. Can you decode the hidden motives and stories behind their actions? 💬 "I bet you have never seen anything like this before." ♡ Confident, Assertive, Initiative, Alluring 🚩 Possessive, Aggressive, Manipulative, Deceitful 🛹 Does not skate Looks: here Social Media: Dima Playlist: Spotify #pia: dima #pia: dalia

Dr. Michael / Michaela Sturm, 29 - 🤍

Your Doctor [m/f]

Occupation: Doctor - Unfortunately, your meeting is based on an accident. Will your face stand out amidst the sea of faceless patients? Can you unravel the layers of their identity and unveil the person beyond the white coat? 💬 "How did you even survive for so long?" ♡ Charitable, Open-Minded, Witty, Empathetic 🚩 Restless, Workaholic, Burnout 🛹 Did skate Looks: here Social Media: Michael #pia: michael #pia: michaela

„Sparks“, 24 - 🩶

Your Supplier [m/f] *

Occupation: Drug Dealer - You heard a name, often, by many people, some you trust and some you don‘t - but they all agreed they are the one you should talk to. Sometimes it seems they don‘t offer earthly goods only. Soul for sale? 💬 „It‘s actually kinda fun and I make tons of money. But if I had been given the choice…“ ♡ Outgoing, Spontaneous, Genuine 🚩 Non-Reliable, Trust Issues, Volatile 🛹 Does skate Looks: tba Social Media: Sparks (M) Playlist: Spotify #pia: sparks

Paul / Paula Gerwig, 38 - 🤎

A Stranger [m/f] *

Occupation: Executive Vice President - There‘s no way you can read their true intentions, but why would you want to? They manage to surprise you in the craziest - good - ways and even allow you to cause some chaos. 💬 „My chauffeur will pick you up at 9pm.“ ♡ Generous, Attentive, Driven, Reliable 🚩 Hard-To-Read, Provocative, Hot/Cold 🛹 Does not skate Looks: tba Social Media: Paula Playlist: Spotify #pia: paula #pia: paul

⫸ OTHER CHARACTERS (non-romanceable):

Kassandra [redacted], 45 - Your Step-Mom [f]

Occupation: CEO - She changed. Though she was never an easy person and always particularly strict towards you, she once had the kind heart your father fell for. But that was long ago. Now all that matters is that everything meets her expectations. At any cost. 💬 "You need to grow up before you are a shame to us." ♡ Responsible, Committed, Vigilant, Perceptive, Ambitious 🚩 Controlling, Obsessive, Dismissive, Authoritarian 🛹 Does not skate #pia: kassandra #pia: step mom

Manfred von Kulversteyen, 56 - Your Step-Mom's Partner [m]

Occupation: Lawyer - You have no idea how he ended up with your step-mom. Seriously. He seems to have it out for you and in some moments you are very lucky she is around. 💬 "If you were my blood, I would have beaten you into shape already." ♡ Driven, Efficient, Confident 🚩 Intolerant, Choleric, Arrogant, Unpredictable 🛹 Does not skate

Henric [redacted], 44 - Your Dad [m]

Occupation: Documentary filmmaker - Choosing happiness and authenticity over material pursuits, your father's separation from your stepmother revealed his unwavering commitment to a meaningful life. Unfortunately that also meant sacrifices. 💬 "I couldn't be any prouder of you. And I don't care what they say. I love you." ♡ Patient, Understanding, Affectionate, Supportive 🚩 Worries a lot, Inconsistent, Overcompromising 🛹 Did skate

Nader / Nazrin Davani, 23 - Your Roommate (#1) [m/f] *

Occupation: Art Student - They moved from London to HH a few months ago, when their parents opened a new hospital in Hamburg. Their parents try real hard to push them in the medical direction, but all they want is to shape a destiny distinct from their family's expectations. Be their muse? 💬 "I wouldn't mind settlin' in 'ere for the night, just to paint you." ♡ Trustworthy, Hilarious, Fun-Loving, Rebellious, Creative 🚩Over-Sensitive, Perfectionist, Self-Doubt 🛹 Does not skate

[redacted], 21 - Your Roommate (#2) [f] *

Occupation: [redacted] 💬 "I have to admit I did not expect to see you again under such circumstances, but I must admit it is a pleasant surprise nonetheless." ♡ Spontaneous, loyal, affectionate, protective, confident 🚩Perfectionist, self-reliant, argumentative 🛹 Does skate

„The Queenpin“, 58 - A Stranger [f] *

Occupation: ??? - Here's the scoop—an accidental run-in with a total stranger's changing the game. But there's this vibe you can't shake, a sense that there's more to this stranger than meets the eye. Is it fate playing games, or is there a hidden agenda in the mix? 💬 „Who clipped your wings little bird?“ ♡ Caring, Protective, Patient, Nurturing, Enigmatic 🚩 Controlling, Unpredictable 🛹 Does not skate

??, 18 - A Stranger [nb] *

Occupation: Barista - soon 💬 "If you were my type I would totally smash you. Right here, right now." ♡ soon 🚩 soon 🛹 Does skate

??, 35 - A Stranger [m/f] *

Occupation: Tattoo Artist - soon 💬 "Ha, THIS one will definitely surprise them!" ♡ soon 🚩 soon 🛹 Does not skate

??, 24 - A Stranger [m] *

Occupation: None - soon 💬 "I love my life. No restrictions, no nothing. I can do what I want." ♡ soon 🚩 soon 🛹 Does not skate

People working at Laces - Club* :

Sasha* Fernando* Pat* Pepe* Hana* Anders*

* the appearance of characters with an asterisk depends on your choices

⫸ WARNING: Paved in Ashes will be rated 18+ because of explicit language, explicit sexual themes, drug and alcohol (ab)use, violence, moral ambiguity, and more. Full list here: PiA Trigger Warning

[a34trgv2]

Why It Worked: Inside Out

Introduction: Inside Out is an animated coming-of-age film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed and co-written by Pete Docter, with the screenplay being co written by Meg LaFauve and Josh Cooley, the film stars Amy Poehler, Phyliss Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan and Richard Kind as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Riley, her parents Bill and Jill, and Bing Bong respectively. Released on June 19, 2015, the film was a major box office success grossing $858.8 million on a budget of $175 million. It also received critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. According to Rotten Tomatoes, out of the 384 reviews aggregated, 98% gave a positive review with an average rating of 8.9/10. It also received numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, several Outstanding Achievement Awards at the Annies, a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, and a Critic's Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature. It is often seen as a culturally significant film for mental health and the importance of expressing one's emotions. I saw this film for my birthday back in 2015 and I loved it right out of the gate. After multiple rewatches over the years, I stand by my personal opinion that this is a masterpiece of animation and visual storytelling. I'm overjoyed to talk about this film now that it finally has a sequel out.

The Plot: This film has 2 stories that are interconnected to one another, taking place in the mind of an 11 year old girl. On the outside, it's a bout a kid moving to a new city and being overwhelmed by the sudden changes happening all at once. On the inside, it's about Joy and Sadness trekking through Riley's mind, while along the way understanding each other's importance. Together, they create a very unique and engaging plot about growing up and learning to express yourself. The film brilliantly cuts between Riley, Joy and Sadness' journey, and what's happening at HQ to organically show what Riley's feeling and how her actions have psychological consequences. In addition to having powerful gut punching drama, it's also a very funny film with plenty of slapstick, goofy gags, and impressive word play that always gets me to belly laugh. Michael Giacchino also provides an enchanting, dreamlike score with great use of the piano and brass sections. The true highlight of the story is, of course, Pixar's masterfully crafted and innovative animation. The film makes Riley's mind so vibrant and expansive with Dream Productions and Imagination Land being major highlights. The outside world also looks very well done with the people looking very appealing, San Francisco looking grimy yet lived in, and Riley's old home in Minnesota looking very welcoming and colorful. Speaking of color, the use of colors in this film is nothing short of excellent from the radiant colors of Riley's memories, to Riley's clothes reflecting her current state of mind throughout the film. I also love how they use black and gray to represent faded memories and lack of emotion. If there's one word to describe Inside Out's story and animation, it's colorful.

Cast and Characters: This is an outstanding cast they brought on board for this film. Shout outs to the film's casting directors Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher for picking out some excellent actors. Amy Poehler was phenomenal as Joy, perfectly capturing her bubbly and eccentric personality while also naturally showing her vulnerability and frustrations. Phyliss Smith sound perfectly dower and soft spoken as Sadness, yet at the same time making her sound so innocent and relatable. Lewis Black was the best match for Anger, making him sound crusty, cynical, and having a short fuse. Mindy Kaling brought in the right amount of sass and pettiness as Disgust and her comradery with the other emotions was brilliant. Bill Hader did a great job making Fear funny and relatable as a character. Kaitlyn Dias also deserve major props for her vocal performance as Riley, making her sound like a soft spoken but fun kid who goes through a great character arc in the film. Lastly, Richard Kind was the absolute surprise standout of the cast as Bing Bong as not only did he do a great job making him funny, but also made him relatable, selfless, a bit of an airhead, but also really resourceful. The cast did such a great job bringing these characters to life, with all of them being iconic and memorable in their own way.

Where It Falters: Outside of maybe adding another scene or 2 with Riley's life in Minnesota, I wouldn't change a thing with this film. It's one of those films where the only nitpick I have is I wanted more. Fortunately, that's remedied with the existence of the 2024 sequel. Coming out a couple years sooner wouldn't have been so bad either, but like I always say, quality>quantity.

Conclusion: There are a select few movies I consider to be a masterpiece. Inside Out is most certainly one of those movies. With outstanding writing, iconic characters, wonderful voice acting, masterfully crafted animation, and an enchanting score, it has more than earned its cultural significance. I cannot recommend this film enough, especially for those who struggle with expressing themselves such as yours truly. I promise this film will speak to you as it has for me after all these years. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you soon ;)

[bekolxeram]

On modern technology and air disaster in fiction

I've already written about how dated the Airport 1975 plot would be just for its sexism, but we also have smartphones and internet everywhere now, so a lot of the obstacles in the film don't work anymore in 2024.

Nancy the flight attendant in the film had to rely on radio communication and verbal instruction, but Athena can call 911 or anyone else on the ground. Don't worry about cell service, most airliners have wifi onboard, you can stream a whole Netflix series in HD over the Pacific Ocean. If at least one of the autopilots is indeed able to keep the plane in the air, whatever flight instructor or engineer on the ground can simply send pictures and/or videos to tell Athena which buttons to press.

In Airport 1975, you can see a third flight crew member working behind the two pilots:

That's the flight engineer, his job is to monitor and operate the complex systems on a giant plane. You don't see them anymore in the modern days, because their job has been replaced by computers.

Alan Murdock, after he tethered into the cockpit said he couldn't tell which systems were working as so many of the instruments were damaged. I can see why it was the case in the 70s, with the flight engineer dead no less.

This is the cockpit of an old 747, you see how many analog gages are there? Now, this is an A330, the one Athena is supposed to be flying on:

All the instruments have been replaced by screens and buttons. You see the two screens in the middle? They are the displays for a system called ECAM. It tells you exactly what is wrong with the aircraft and all the steps to resolve the problems. The Boeing version of this system (EICAS) only shows you the issues, you have to pull out relevant checklist on your own, but this Airbus system lists out exactly what you need to do. Athena can absolutely snap a picture of the ECAM screens and send it to someone knowledgeable on the ground. They will tell her what to do.

In fact, that's probably the reason why you don't really see an Airbus aircraft in an air disaster film. If it's a Boeing, at least you can show the pilots grabbing onto the yoke, fighting for their lives.

You don't really fly an Airbus with your hands... You fly it with your wrist. It just looks so anti-climatic.

There was a Qantas A380 in 2010 with an uncontained engine failure that severely damaged one of its wings. That rendered a lot of flight control surfaces inoperable, more than 80 ECAM messages popped up, so what did the pilots do? Hand fly the plane like an ace and heroically bring it down to safety? Nah, the captain did manually try to keep the aircraft stable, but the first officer just pulled out a keyboard and typed away. He had to deal with all the ECAM messages before they could turn back to the nearest airport. He was just there typing for an hour. To a pilot or an avgeek who understands how bad the situation was, it would be very suspenseful, but to a casual viewer looking for some air disaster flicks, that would be super boring.

Finally, and most importantly, modern airliners basically have the ability to land themselves, if the wind condition and the destination airport has the technology for it. Tom Scott has been talked through a successful landing in a 737 simulator before. I assume it would be even less challenging on an Airbus. If the conditions permit, you can land it without touching anything, in 0 visibility.

Of course there're going to be damages to Athena's plane preventing it from flying normally, in order to play up drama. Well, she may not land it that smoothly, but comparing to the 70s, aviation technology has come such a long way that she can probably get it on the ground in one piece.

[seytazen]

When a Prime Falls

Ambition is the deadliest of poisons. It’s an unspoken fact. Codex Prime, one of the most beloved rulers in the history of Iacon, mysteriously falls victim to an assassin’s blade. The killer and their motives remained unknown, but they’ve unknowingly set destiny into motion. Rebels and propaganda are creating a perfect storm to rise up in the wake of the tragedy. The threat to those of noble standings are higher than ever, but they are determined to keep the status quo intact. As long as they keep Codex’s secrets hidden, they’ll be untouchable. Unfortunately, such is much easier said than done.

Orion had already accepted his predetermined fate as an ill-fit heir to the Matrix when his world came crashing down. A new destiny is unfolding for the entirety of Cybertron, and he will find himself at the head of it one day. He has much to learn before he is capable of holding such a burden, but he is determined to find the right path. Along the way, he’ll find twisted truths, buried histories, and pieces of himself he didn’t know existed.

Transformers— All Media Types

Tags

Royalty AU, Maximum High-stakes Drama, Romance, Viva la Revolution, Class Differences, Religious Trauma, Abuse of all types, Mutual pining, Unrequited Love, Infedelity, Regicide, Murder, Political Thriller, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Orion is disabled and is a main character, No he doesn’t become magically “fixed” at the end, Yes it gets in his way sometimes and effects his everyday life, Eventual happy MegaOp, IronOp, ShockOP (one sided), Arranged Marriage, Unhealthy Relationships, Finding Healthy relationships, Infedelity, Unethical relationships, Betrayals, Back-Stabbing, Mommy issues, Daddy issues, Omniscient 3rd POV, Unreliable Narrator, Sexual Assault, Rape, Dead Dove: Do not Eat in places, Lots of Plot Twists, Inheriting the Throne, Assassination, Heavy on the World building, Step-mommy is a creep, SLOW BURN, VERY VERY SLOW BURN, heart break, break ups, slooooooooow burn, Sexual frustration, Trauma, Sexual Taboo (Not extreme), Pent up feelings, Orion is repressed as fuck, Megatron is obnoxious, childhood friends romance dynamic, protector/protected romance dynamic, Gentle Sex, Reunion Sex, Oh my god we didn’t die sex, Sleeping with a superior officer, Sleeping around for power, Blood sports, Dark pasts, coup de ta, suicidal thoughts, Trigger Warnings, Painfully oblivious, multiple relationships, everyone loves Optimus Prime kind of, angst, fluff, family drama, mystery, politics, Continuity Soup

Characters

Royal!Orion Pax, Disabled!Orion Pax, Megatronus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Senator Shockwave, Shockwave, Elita One, OCified!Onyx, ooc Vector Prime, Alpha Trion, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Kup, Caretaker!Ratchet, Drift, Swindle, Rodimus/Hot Rod, Codex, OCified!Nova Storm, Mafia Boss!Dai Atlas, Wing, ooc Halogen

Relationships

Optimus Prime/Megatron, Orion Pax/Megatronus, Drift/Ratchet, Senator Shockwave/Orion Pax, Ironhide/Orion Pax, eventual Dai Atlas/Wing, OC/Ultra Magnus, Chromia/Ironhide

Coming Soon!

Hello everyone, long time since I’ve written anything! I’ve got several unfinished works, but I am determined to finish this one. I’ve been gone for a while for a variety of reasons, mainly because of my home life and because I’ve been busy trying to earn my BA in Creative Writing! I’m an aspiring author, but I know I need more practice writing for an audience and marketing and such if I want to be successful in the publishing industry. Fanfiction is an awesome way for me to practice without any additional costs to myself! This isn’t a first draft for a book that I’m wanting to publish, but if I do publish something you’ll find some similarities lol. I’m going to be releasing the entire fic at once with a few sneak peeks for you guys here and there, just like I would a real book, so stay tuned!

To those who are interested in following me in this endeavor, I’m grateful for your support ❤️

[fratboykate]

So what's the KYMAU reunion like when Yelena gets back from Russia? The first time Yelena sees Ri again? Awkward or easier than thought?

Can I just say…no one does drama or angst or heartache like you and I just love you for it. The suffering is real. How do Kate and Yelena ever find their way back to one another? Poor Ri, getting abandoned like that 😭 Yelena just peaced out without telling them. K&Y’s little email exchange breaks my heart.

---

Love how toms whole argument each time has been "we fucked". Also laughing at the idea of Kate and Tom sleeping together quite regularly and her dropping his petty ass as soon as yelena comes back into the picture. How does it go down when he realizes she's in New York again?

---

You do know how to bring the drama! I love it! So does Tom think he’s got a proper shot again now that yelena is out of the picture (for now...) what’s his reaction to when she comes back?!

///

This is another prompt mega-combo. Here's 7k of Yelena coming back from Russia and how that all goes down.

---

Yelena sits by the small oval window, her eyes fixed on the vast expanse of clouds stretching out across the horizon. Her mind is a whirlwind of thoughts as she reflects on the recent events that have upended her life. The people she met and the progress they made together to bring positive change to Russia and beyond fill her brain. Under Yelena's steadfast guidance, the legal department at EcoShield Russia evolved into an unstoppable force and their victories were becoming too prominent to ignore. They were suddenly at the forefront of successful Russian environmental advocacy, championing and winning battles for causes like protecting landowners' rights to grow forests on lands listed as agricultural. This once-illegal act, previously met with hefty fines and land seizures, was now allowed thanks to Yelena’s work. It had been an arduous battle, but her unyielding determination led them to triumph. Yelena repeatedly took the government to court and unexpectedly began amassing rare victories for environmentalism. However, her success came at a steep price.

Mere days after her last win, the authorities labeled Yelena a "foreign agent," accusing her of engaging in "subversive activities" aimed at "harming Russia." False charges of espionage loomed ominously over her, and the government sought to swiftly apprehend her. Thankfully, an ally within the police force alerted her organization, giving them precious time to arrange her escape. In a daring operation, they whisked Yelena away to the Russian-Finnish border, where she crossed over to safety, narrowly evading capture. It was a close call. That single phone call spared her from execution or, at the very least, many grueling years of imprisonment at a hard labor camp.

In Yelena's absence, the government held a hasty and unjust trial, stripping her of Russian citizenship. Fortunately, also being an American citizen spared her from statelessness, but this ruling meant she could never return to her motherland. The NGO she had devoted herself to, the organization that had become her life, was subsequently targeted in a brutal raid. EcoShield was labeled an "undesirable" and "extremist" entity, accused of “interfering with the legislative process”, and after severe government pressure, they were ultimately forced to dissolve. It was an unfair end to the work they fought so passionately for.

As Yelena gazes out at the billowing clouds, her thoughts are filled with a mix of relief and sorrow. She escaped the clutches of an oppressive regime, but what she lost in the process was immense. As a result of her hurried departure from Moscow, Yelena was unable to return to her apartment, leaving behind all she owned, every ounce of the life she built, and everything she cherished. Currently, her only possessions are what she had with her at the office that day — a wallet, a backpack containing her laptop and work necessities, her phone, and the clothes on her back. She spent uneasy days in Finland, waiting for the American Embassy to issue her a new passport. It was her lifeline, the document that would carry her back to the familiarity of the United States.

Yelena and Kate were...in a better place. A visit to New York was mentioned in passing several times, but no concrete plans had been made.

Yelena explicitly intended to honor her commitment to the organization and fulfill her two-year contract before contemplating her next move. The sacrifices she made when she left the city were driven by her dedication to EcoShield and the cause they championed. She had to see this through. Now, less than nine months later, Yelena finds herself on a plane back home. The circumstances surrounding her return may be far from ideal, but Yelena has faith in the promise of this new chapter.

"Ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are beginning our final descent into New York City. On behalf of the entire crew, I would like to welcome you to your destination. We hope you had a pleasant flight with us today. As we approach the…"

Yelena fixates on the skyline that emerges from behind the thick clouds. She closes her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.

Here we go.

---

Kate paces anxiously in the bustling "Arrivals" area of JFK, her eyes darting between the carousel where the luggage of Flight 847 arriving from Helsinki starts appearing and the door through which passengers emerge. While antsily chewing on her fingers, she unintentionally ruins the expensive manicure she got the previous night. Her sole focus now is spotting Yelena in the throng of people. Kate needs to make sure she doesn't miss the blonde because Yelena has no idea she should be looking for Kate.

While Kate and Yelena hadn't explicitly discussed Kate coming to the airport, Kate knew the exact time of Yelena's arrival. With a quick Google search, she found the flight Yelena was on.

At some point, while she tracks the eight-hour flight, Kate decides she needs to be there when Yelena lands. Anything else would feel wrong. But Kate reminds herself to remain composed, to stay strong. She's not going to become emotional. She's here solely to pick Yelena up from the airport. That's it. Nothing more.

As Kate's pacing intensifies, the tension becomes almost unbearable. Just as she feels on the verge of bursting…there she is. Kate hasn't seen Yelena in eight months, three weeks, and two days. And now...there she is. That’s Yelena, walking to the exit, wholly unaware she’s being watched. It takes a beat for Kate to snap out of her trance and realize she needs to move her feet if she has any shot of catching Yelena before she hops into a cab.

Clumsily dodging people through the crowd, Kate speedwalks in Yelena’s direction. Just as Yelena is about to reach the doors and disappear in the chaos of the sidewalk, Kate musters the courage to call out her name.

"Yelena."

Yelena could recognize that voice anywhere. She stops in her tracks and her head whips around. She doesn't know the source of the familiar pitch, so she looks in every direction.

"Yel."

Kate calls out once more. Confused, Yelena scans the area until she finally pinpoints that the sound is coming from her left. She turns, and...there she is. There's Kate, speedily approaching with a bright smile.

Kate promised herself she wouldn't become overwhelmed, but the way Yelena looks at her, as if she's the most precious thing she’s ever laid eyes on, breaks that resolve. A wide, borderline cartoonish smile spreads across Kate's face. This is already going nothing as planned. She realizes that since her intention to "keep cool" has gone awry, then she should at least keep it in check otherwise. Whatever you do...don't touch her.

Kate closes the distance and her arms instinctively wrap around Yelena's neck, pulling her into a tight hug. FUCK. There goes that plan too.

Yelena drops the small rucksack she carries with the bare essentials she bought to survive for a few days in Helsinki and embraces Kate in return, their bodies finding solace in each other's presence.

They stand there, anchored by the door for what feels like an infinity. This is a real coming home. Annoyed passengers and families navigate around them as they try to enter or exit the area. Eventually, Kate regains her senses and takes a step back, attempting to reclaim her composure and don a more stoic demeanor. She tries to pretend that the effusive outpouring didn't just happen. She must salvage some of her dignity.

"Welcome to New York. I hope your flight was enjoyable.” Kate manages to utter in her most professional, corporate-speak style.

Yelena chuckles softly.

"Thank you?...It was long but good."

"I...uhm...my car is...garage. Yeah. It's in the garage. Parked. There." Kate stumbles over her words, feeling flustered.

Yelena nods.

"Okay."

Kate starts walking and Yelena follows closely.

"You didn't have to come. Thank you...but you didn't have to." Yelena expresses with undeniable gratitude.

Kate stops abruptly and turns around so fast that Yelena nearly collides with her. Overwhelmed by the rush of emotions, Kate's need to embrace Yelena takes hold anew.

"You could've died. I could've never seen you again." Kate whispers into Yelena's ear, her emotions betraying her.

Yelena wraps her arms around Kate a second time.

"But I didn't. I'm here." Yelena leans back to look at Kate reassuringly. "I'm here...and I'm not going anywhere."

"Ever?" Kate asks with trepidation.

"Never." Yelena affirms, her gaze steady and unfaltering.

They stare at each other, their eyes conveying millions of unspoken things. After a long beat, Kate steps back, the intensity of the moment giving way to a mix of relief and anticipation.

"Traffic's going to be a nightmare if we don't go." Kate half mumbles, attempting to regain her composure and shift the focus back to practical matters.

"Yeah." Yelena agrees with a touch of humor.

Kate, still holding onto a tinge of vulnerability, doesn't step ahead of Yelena this time. Instead, they walk side by side toward the parking lot, and quiet settles between them. This is a testament to the unassailable bond that’s weathered the storm.

---

As they make their way back to the city, the atmosphere inside the car is heavy with a comfortable silence. The half-hour ride back is not awkward or tense. They're content to be together in the same place. It's just...silent. They're both lost in their thoughts, unsure of where to even begin.

"You want food?" Kate randomly poses the question as they drive down the freeway.

"I'm not starving, but I could eat. I could at least use something to drink."

Kate hastily crosses four lanes of traffic to catch the exit that is a few hundred feet in front of them, causing Yelena to reflexively grab the door handle tightly. Cars honk aggressively at them.

"We can't eat if you kill us first, Kate Bishop." Yelena facetiously chastises her. Kate grimaces, realizing what she’d done.

"Sorry." Kate looks at the road then nervously bites her lip. "It's been a while...since you said my full name...It's been a long time."

Kate glances at Yelena, who smiles at her and then looks away.

"I missed it."

Kate bites the inside of her cheek in an attempt to ensure her smile doesn't take over her entire face.

"I missed it too."

As they exit the freeway, Kate spots a mediocre chain restaurant and pulls into the parking lot. It's not the best option, but it'll do.

---

Minutes later, Kate and Yelena sit silently, staring at the menus in their hands. Kate abruptly closes hers and looks at Yelena.

"She doesn't know you're here." Yelena looks up, sees the seriousness in Kate's eyes and closes her menu too. Kate starts rambling. "I haven't told her. I didn't know how this would go, so I wasn't sure what to say anyway. I didn't want to get her hopes up and then have..."

Yelena's hand reaches out and lands atop Kate's.

"It's fine. You did the right thing."

"Yeah. Yeah. Okay."

"A week ago, I was halfway around the world. Now I'm here. It's a lot. I get it. I don't want to rush you or her into anything. We can take our time, figure it out, and then we can fill her in if there's anything she needs to know. There's no rush. Like I said, I'm here and not going anywhere."

"Only because they basically ran you out." Kate adds, slight bitterness in her delivery. She quickly catches herself. "Sorry. That was mean."

"I deserved that. And you're not wrong. I'd still be in Moscow if that hadn't happened...But I'm here now. Whatever the circumstances, I'm here now and that's not going to change."

"Promise?" Kate probes timidly and vulnerable.

"I promise."

Kate nods. The only way she can avoid Yelena's intense stare is to hurriedly turn back to her menu, pretending to read it to hide her emotions. Yelena smirks and follows suit, picking up her menu as well.

---

They eat quietly, the primary sound at their table being that of forks clinking on the plates. The bits of small talk they do make are trivial and forced, like they're avoiding the elephant in the room. "How was the weather in Helsinki?", "How's your mom?", "How was the food at the hotel?". These questions are irrelevant, merely placeholders for the actual conversations they want to be having. The weight of unstated words circles the air, and Kate can feel it pressing down on her. They both know what needs to be said, but neither dares to speak it aloud.

Yelena tells Kate over dinner that she’s booked a dingy hotel room for a couple of weeks. Yelena is now unemployed and technically homeless, so a middle-of-the-road traveler's motel is the best she can do. Kate feels a pang of hurt for some reason. She didn't expect Yelena to stay with her; they never discussed it. In theory, she knew they weren't there yet, but it still stung. Yelena is back but staying at some random place. They practically lived together for the last month Yelena was in New York. Even though the blonde still rented the AirBnB down the hallway, she never used it and slept in Kate's bed every night. Almost every night. Kate should have known something was off when Yelena said she would sleep at her place that one random day. When Kate showed up with Ereka at her door mid-morning, Yelena was gone. The assumption that Yelena would be sleeping next to her tonight or even this week was not something Kate had even considered, but suddenly, now that she knows it's NOT happening, it pains her a little. However, Kate can fully admit her feelings are irrational, and she's trying to swallow them. She has no reason to be upset. Yelena staying at a hotel until they figure out what's happening is logical. It’s the responsible, adult decision, and it makes perfect sense. But Kate, who is known to be anything but logical, is still lowkey salty about it.

Kate drives in silence, lost in her thoughts, as they make their way to the address Yelena gives her for her motel. Kate pulls into the parking lot and parks the car across from the small reception area. They sit in silence for an instant until Yelena breaks it.

"Thanks for the ride and the meal."

Kate shrugs.

"You don't have a job, so...only fair I paid."

Yelena chuckles.

"You drove to JFK for me. I would've spent more on a cab. That deserved at least me paying you back with lunch."

"You can get it next time." Kate's face falls when she realizes the implication that there will be a next time. She quickly checks herself. "Not that there...I mean...um...nevermind." Kate turns her attention to the door with the small neon sign above it that reads ‘Check-In Here’. "Do you...uhm...do you need me to come inside?"

"You don't have to." Yelena pauses for a bit. "But you can if you want. I don't want to keep you from anything."

"Nothing. No. Ri isn't out of school for a few more hours."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They stare at each other, immobile and silent, for some time prior to Yelena speaking anew.

"I should..." She trails off, pulling the door handle, and slightly opening it while undoing her seat belt.

"Right. Yeah. Totally." Kate expeditiously unbuckles herself and also steps out of the car.

Yelena retrieves her bag from the backseat before walking to the reception. Kate follows closely behind, lost in thought. Within a few steps, they disappear into the lobby.

---

The check-in process is smooth and painless. The only thing out of the ordinary was the fact that when Yelena reached into her pocket to pull out her wallet and provide her ID and credit card, her hand brushed against Kate's. It was such a small thing, but it seemed to electrify the space around them.

Yelena is in room 119. They now walk down the first-floor hallway that leads there. They pause when they reach the door, hovering in front of it.

"One nineteen. This is me." Yelena gestures to the door.

"This is you."

They both linger for a beat.

"Thank you. For the ride."

"You said that already."

"I did. But I mean it, so felt necessary to repeat."

"You're welcome then. It was nothing tho. It felt like the right thing to do." Yelena smiles but doesn't add anything. "I should..." Kate trails off and points behind her.

"Drive safe."

"You too." Kate catches her blunder and grimaces. Yelena chuckles. "I didn't...You..."

Kate scurries away, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Yelena watches her go while simultaneously putting the key in the door and pushing it open. Kate's steps slow down, and she walks about twenty feet until something comes over her and she turns on her heels. She marches back toward Yelena, her body trembling with keenness and nerves. Yelena looks confused at the intensity and speed at which Kate is coming at her.

"You..."

Yelena's question gets interrupted by Kate's lips on hers. The kiss is electric, charged with a sense of urgency. Yelena finds herself pulling Kate into the room, dropping her pack with a thud, and kicking it aside. They land on the bed instants later.

Kate frantically tugs at her shirt, desperate to feel the skin-on-skin contact she craves. In a moment of sober thought, Yelena's hands grip the brunette’s, stopping her from going any further. She surveys the younger woman’s blue eyes, reading the unvoiced desires and needs that lay beneath the surface.

"Are you sure?" Yelena half whispers, her cadence soft.

"No. It might be a terrible idea. But right now, I need you inside me more than I need to think.”

Without another word, Yelena leans in and kisses her deeply, the urgency of their zeal taking over. Within seconds, Kate is naked beneath her, their bodies entwined in ardent passion.

---

Two hours later, their bodies intertwined and breaths gradually steadying, Kate rests her head on Yelena's naked chest and her hand traces lazy figures on her toned stomach. Yelena's fingers caress Kate's back, creating a pacifying pattern. Yelena presses a tender kiss to Kate's head and then turns to look at the old digital clock on the bedside table.

"You probably need to go get Ri soon."

"Yeah." Kate agrees while her mind races. She turns and props herself up on her elbow, resting her head on her hand while looking down at Yelena. "Come home."

"What?" Confusion flickers in Yelena's eyes.

"You're not leaving again, right?"

"No." Yelena shakes her head, speaking barely above a whisper.

"Then come home. Why spend two weeks here? Why bother finding another place? If you promise you're not going anywhere, just...come home."

"What about Ri?"

"Having you home would make her even happier than me…She misses you. Hasn't been the same since you left."

Yelena averts her gaze, remorse evident in her expression.

"Maybe she needs time. She doesn't even know I'm here."

"If she hates it, I'll drive you back here myself...but I have a feeling she won’t. You can be with us, in my bed, instead of this shitty box spring that reeks of cigarettes."

"It does smell in here."

They stare at each other and laugh.

"I want to do right by her." Yelena's eyes scan Kate's face. "I promise that if you let me back into your life, her life, I won't ever do anything to hurt her again. I won't leave again. You'll have to kick me out if you want me gone."

Kate smiles.

"Promise?"

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

Kate's smile widens.

"Then come home. I don't want to stop doing...that...ever, but I'm getting old and there's only so much my back can take. This mattress is not back-friendly. My bed is much more conducive to you having your way with me...However you want."

"That's a sales pitch if I've ever heard one." Yelena chuckles.

"Should we go get our girl?"

Yelena nods as she lifts her head, meeting Kate's lips in a torrid kiss. In an instant, Kate is on her back once more. They indulge their lust for two more orgasms before finally leaving the room.

---

Kate stands near the school entrance, her heart pounding with uncertainty as the final bell reverberates through the buzzing corridors. Eager young voices fill the air, their excited utterances rising in crescendo. Among the lively group, Ereka emerges, her bright green eyes scanning the surroundings until they lock onto Kate's familiar figure. A radiant smile illuminates her face, and she hurtles toward her mother with a burst of youthful energy. She’s a force of nature in motion. Kate gracefully lowers herself into a squat to meet Ereka at eye level.

"Mommy, guess what? I got a sticker for my counting and numbers today!"

"That's amazing, baby! Congratulations. I'm so so proud of you."

Ereka's euphoria at her accomplishment becomes palpable.

"Can you make Mac and Cheese later? Only the best in class get a sticker, so I win a prize. Anything I want."

Kate chuckles.

“I’ll make you some Mac.” Ereka does a celebratory dance. “Hey...I have something I want to talk to you about." Kate speaks the words with slight trepidation as she adoringly glides her hands up and down Ri's arms.

"Okay. What is it?"

"You know the little bakery down the block?"

"Are we getting treats?!”

"We can." Kate’s smile grows at how Ereka lights up. “But here’s the thing…there's someone special waiting for us there right now."

"Is it Daddy?"

Kate hides her grimace.

"No. It's not your dad, baby.”

"Suzu?" Ereka ripostes immediately.

"Not Suzu either...I want you to know that if you don't want to see this person, we don't have to. Okay? You can tell me and we'll go home."

"Who is it, Mommy?”

Kate pauses, her gaze softening as she takes in Ereka's face. After a beat, she speaks.

"Yelena's back and she would really love to see you." Silence hangs in the air as Ereka ponders the revelation. "How do you feel about that?" A nonchalant shrug is Ereka's initial response. "Do you want to go home, then?” Kate offers, ready to respect Ereka's wishes. Ereka takes her time, clearly thinking. After a long beat, she shakes her head. "Do you want to go see her and then decide how you feel?” Another thoughtful pause ensues, Ereka carefully weighing her options. Eventually, she nods in agreement. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

It takes a lot to render Kate's kid speechless, but the fact that she's not really talking right now lets Kate know she's having some very big feelings. Kate recognizes the depth of Ereka's inner turmoil, acknowledging her child's need for processing time. With a delicate kiss on Ereka's cheek, she conveys both love and understanding.

"If you want to leave at any point, just tell me, okay? We don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Ereka offers a nearly imperceptible nod, a sign of acceptance. Kate understands that’s probably as much as she’s going to get right now. As their hands intertwine, she guides them away from the school grounds and on the short trek down the street.

---

Yelena anxiously taps her foot on the floor, a manifestation of the nerves coiling within her. She's more nervous than she can remember being in a long time. She's prepared for this to take a while, for Ereka not to warm up to her immediately. Frankly, it's what she deserves. She's ready to face the consequences of what she's done. She's also prepared to do whatever it takes to get that kid to love her afresh. It's become her number-one priority in life.

The door chimes, breaking the silence, and Yelena's gaze snaps to the entrance. It’s been nine long months since she last laid eyes on Ereka.

Sure, she's seen her in photos or stories Kate has posted on her Instagram, but she’s never been around whenever she’s Facetimed Kate since they started talking. Kate has been cautious and protective of Ereka this entire time, which only adds to Yelena's anxiety. And now, there she is, walking towards her. Yelena’s heart pounds in her chest, threatening to burst free. Yelena jumps to her feet and stands by the table, waiting for them to approach. Uncertain of what to do with her hands, she awkwardly stuffs them into her pockets.

Kate senses the palpable trepidation emanating from Yelena and offers an affable smile, attempting to ease the woman’s tension. Ereka's facial expression remains impassive, her face a mask devoid of emotion. As they approach the table, Kate mouths a soft "Hi", deftly sliding the straps of Ereka's backpack off her shoulders and setting the bag down on the floor. Squatting beside Ereka, Kate holds the girl’s hand in a heartening grip, a wordless show of support.

"You want to say 'hi'?" Kate whispers lovingly to the now six-year-old with warmth and affection.

Following Kate's lead, Yelena also squats across from Ereka. The young girl's gaze shifts between Kate and Yelena, holding their eyes briefly then she speaks, her words laced with an accusatory tone.

"You missed my birthday."

Kate bites her lip, stifling a chuckle.

"I did. I'm sorry." Yelena offers a sincere apology.

Ereka's glaring at Yelena intensifies.

"You made my mommy cry. A lot. She drank a lot of wine too. They weren't big days and it didn't even make her happy. Wine always used to make her happy."

Her words hold weight beyond her years. Yelena and Kate's eyes lock. Yelena's expression shifts to one of regret, while Kate feels exposed.

"I won't ever make your mommy cry. Not if I can help it." Yelena pledges, sincere and remorseful.

"Do you still have your job far away?" Ereka's curiosity lingers as she inquires further.

"No." Yelena shakes her head. "I'm back in the city for good."

Ereka's attention turns back to Kate, seeking affirmation. Kate offers a tender smile, assuring her everything is okay. The little girl then redirects her attention to Yelena, her question brimming with hopeful excitement.

"Will you wash my hair and do bedtime again?"

"Whenever you want me to."

Ereka pauses once more, thinking.

“You missed my birthday, but you still have to get me a birthday gift. Maybe two because you weren't at my party."

"Ereka..." Kate interjects, gently reproaching her daughter.

"I will. I'll get you anything you want." Yelena promptly pronounces, determined to make amends.

Ereka's face lights up with an idea.

"A little sister?"

"Almost anything."

"A dog." The young girl's glee wanes slightly as she suggests an alternative.

"That's more doab..." Yelena starts to say, but Kate shoots her a fierce look which prompts Yelena to pivot at breakneck speed. "How about I get you any toy you want?"

"I want a sister then a dog."

"I don't think I can get you either of those. But I'll get you ANYTHING else you want."

Ereka ponders for a short time, weighing her options.

"Nope. Those are the only two things. I got everything else on my list at my party."

"Come up with a new list then." Kate sweetly scolds. "And it can't be anything that requires me taking care of it."

"I can take care of a little sister."

"That's not how newborns work."

Kate explains patiently, rising from her squat to relieve her burning thighs. She settles into the chair behind her. Ereka and Yelena remain at eye level, creating an intimate space for their conversation to continue.

"Are you going to leave?" Ereka poses timidly. Less sure.

"No. Not unless you or your mommy ask me to." Yelena reassures her, gentle yet resolute.

"So you'll go back to being our neighbor?" Ereka's inquisitiveness blends with a hint of enthusiasm.

Yelena steals a glance at Kate, seeking permission to share their plan with Ereka. Kate silently nods, giving her consent.

"Well...I don't really have an apartment right now, so I'd have to look for one and..."

"Come live with us. You can sleep in Mommy's bed like before. Or mine. We can share." Ereka suggests eagerly.

Yelena’s smile lights up her face, touched by Ereka’s invitation.

"Would you be okay with that? You wouldn't mind it if I went back to sleeping in your Mommy's bed?"

"No." Ereka retorts without hesitation. "She told Suzu her bed felt too big."

"Ereka...You're not supposed to be eavesdropping when Suzu comes over..."

"Maybe you were talking too loud." Ereka tells her defensively.

"We weren't. We'll talk about this little snooping habit of yours later."

Ereka turns to Yelena.

"Are you going to sleep on Mommy's bed?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Good." Ereka responds, her elation evident. She shifts her gaze to the display cases at the front of the café. "Can we get treats now?"

"Sure. Whatever you want." Yelena remarks, ready to indulge Ereka in whatever she desires.

"ONE, Ereka." Kate declares as Ereka eagerly dashes off to admire the delectable sweets and baked goods behind the glass.

Yelena locks her eyes with Kate’s as she stands. Kate extends her hand and weakly squeezes Yelena's fingers encouragingly.

"That was great."

"Was it?" A tinge of doubt colors Yelena’s words.

"She loves you……We both do."

Yelena can't help but smile, a mix of joy and relief illuminating her features.

"Feeling's mutual all around."

It's Kate's turn to beam.

"Yelena, can I have this one? And this one? And that one?" Ereka rattles on as she points excitedly to the pastries on display.

"I'll be right there."

Yelena moves to the counter, ready to place their order, but Kate firmly tugs her hand, halting her progress. With a mischievous glimmer in her eyes, she beckons Yelena down to her level, urging her to come closer. Yelena does as told and leans in, bringing their faces mere centimeters apart.

"ONE...You better not come back here with more than one." Kate whispers, offering an affectionate warning.

Yelena nods as her heart races in response, her breath catching in her throat while she gazes into Kate's eyes. Unable to resist, she leans in, their lips coming into contact in a tender, stolen kiss.

"One." Yelena murmurs then reluctantly walks away.

Kate absentmindedly taps her phone screen to check the time and instantly gets distracted by the dozens of notifications she's amassed throughout the day. She begins to address them and her attention shifts entirely to her screen.

---

Ten minutes later, the pair of blondes approach the table with a box full of a dozen different pastries in tow. Ereka hops over, excited at their haul and Yelena offers a 'please don't kill me' smile.

When Kate looks up from her phone, she tilts her head and squints, as she notices the oversized box.

"That's a VERY big box to hold one pastry."

"See...the thing is..." Yelena attempts to defend herself and breaks out her serious, attorney voice.

Kate grabs her purse from the table and the tiny purple bookbag that rests next to her then stands and heads for the door.

"I don't want to be mad at you before you even move back in, so please don't say another word." Kate warns, trying to hide her amusement. "You two together are trouble."

Yelena and Ereka exchange a look. Yelena playfully winks at the little girl and offers a reassuring smile.

"She won't be mad when she sees how pretty they are." Ereka tells Yelena almost convincingly.

"She won't." Yelena replies with affection.

Ereka casually reaches for Yelena's hand, their fingers intertwining effortlessly as they stride forward together.

"Can you help me with my art homework?" Ereka looks up at Yelena as they try to keep pace with Kate, whose longer legs make it a challenge for their shorter ones to catch up.

"I’m not great at art, but I'll try my best."

"Good. Mommy's terrible at art."

"I'm sure she is." Yelena says with a smile.

Within thirty seconds, they reach Kate, who steals a fleeting glance at Yelena and offers a flash of a smile then promptly resumes her facade of annoyance as a result of the pastry debacle. Yelena's heart swells as Ereka enthusiastically shares stories from her day at school. She missed this. She missed her girls. And she's thrilled she'll never have to again for the rest of her life.

---

They make dinner as a family, with Ereka perched on the kitchen island while Kate and Yelena work together, joyfully preparing a celebratory Mac & Cheese dinner. The tantalizing scent of fresh pasta, mouthwatering cheese sauce, and sizzling steak fills the air.

Seated around the table, they relish in their meal together, sharing laughter and lighthearted banter. It's remarkable how fast they fall back into a routine, as if no time has passed at all.

After dinner, Kate and Yelena settle at either side of Ereka, snuggled up on the couch, ready for a cozy movie night leading up to Ereka's bedtime. They bask in the warmth of their togetherness, savoring every second.

Sometime around six-thirty, a sharp knock interrupts their tranquility.

"I'll get it." Yelena volunteers, rising from the couch. As she passes by, Kate cheekily taps Yelena's ass. "Behave." Yelena scolds her with a playful grin.

Yelena approaches the door and swings it open to reveal Tom standing on the other side.

"What the fuck?" Tom blurts out. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

At the sound of Tom's voice, Kate hastily pauses the movie and stands.

"Daddy!" Ereka exclaims and perks up. "Can he watch the movie with us, Mommy?”

Kate lifts Ereka from the couch and gingerly nudges her to her room.

"No, baby. I need you to go to your room and start getting ready for bed."

"But it's early!" Ereka whines.

"Now." Kate asserts sternly, conveying there's no room for negotiation.

With a disgruntled huff, Ereka clomps away and down the hallway, grumbling under her breath. Kate rushes to the door to find Yelena and Tom already embroiled in an argument.

"...fuck out of my house!"

"Pretty sure you're not on the lease, so this isn't 'your' house." Yelena counters with defiance.

"You..." Tom's eyes narrow when he sees Kate approach. "KitKat...what's this bitch doing here?" He adds a malicious emphasis to the 'bitch'. "You need to get her away from Ri."

Kate lightly squeezes Yelena's forearm and Yelena turns to face her.

"Can you help her get ready for bed, please?" Yelena glares at her. "...Please."

Yelena shoots one final contemptuous glare at Tom before turning and stomping away.

"What THE FUCK is that?" Tom seethes with fury.

"You need to tone it down. Don't raise your voice at me." Kate warns firmly.

"Then tell me what that fucking dyke whore is doing here."

"Yeah, you're not gonna do that. You're not going to call her names. And you're NEVER going to say those words in front of Ri."

"SHE..."

"She lives here now. She's back and we are back. She moved in today. So...this..." Kate gestures between them, unwavering. "...no more. It’s over. You can't show up unannounced anymore. You can only come over if we’ve agreed this is where you’re picking up Ri.”

"My kid lives here. I can show up whenever I want."

"Not anymore. Things changed."

"I was fucking coming inside you last week. Then you stop answering my calls and now..." Kate apprehensively glances over her shoulder, pushing him away from the entrance and further down the hallway as she shuts the door behind her. Yelena doesn't know that. She doesn't need to know that. "...What the fuck is this shit?"

"I'm doing what's best for me. For Ri."

"Horseshit. BULLSHIT!"

"Keep your voice down." Kate warns firmly.

"What's best for her is her family together, not you fucking off and playing pretend dyke."

"If you say that word one more time, I'm walking back inside."

"Then what are you doing? Tell me." He grits through his teeth.

"Moving on. It's about time we both do that."

"No. No. You're my wife. I don't need to move on from you."

"I haven't been that in a long time."

"Then why was my fucking dick inside you on Thursday? HUH?!" Tom's anger flares up. Tom's hand clenches tightly around Kate's upper arm.

"I need you to let go." Tom glares at her, his grip tightening. "Thomas..." Kate's is stony, as if reprimanding a misbehaving child.

After a beat, Tom releases her. He punches the nearest wall in frustration then leans right into Kate’s face.

"You're gonna regret this. She's gonna fuck you over. I'm not gonna let her fuck my kid up. I'm not."

"Okay. I'm going inside now."

Kate turns away, refusing to engage any further. Tom's demeanor shifts. He becomes softer, almost frail. This is him trying to play the manipulation card.

"KitKat...I need you. I need our family back together. We were so close. We were happy."

Kate doesn't even look back at him.

"Maybe you were..."

"Fuck you." That stings Tom and the words slip out of his mouth.

"Go home. You're picking her up from school tomorrow and I'm getting her from your mom’s Sunday night."

"Fuck her. Fuck all of this."

Kate stands at the door, her expression stoic, wordlessly observing him seethe. He's standing there, face flushed, and breathing heavily. Just by looking at him, Kate can tell his blood pressure must be through the roof.

"Good night. Get home safe." Kate utters calmly while closing the door.

---

Kate enters Ereka's bedroom to find Yelena sitting on the small section of the mattress that's unoccupied. Yelena holds a book in her lap while Ereka wraps her arms around Yelena's waist, leaning on her while she watches the pages as Yelena reads them aloud.

Kate lingers by the door, giving them their moment. Ereka senses her presence and turns to her.

"Where's daddy?"

"He had to go help grandma."

"He didn't say good night?" Ereka inquires, evidently disappointed.

"No, baby." Kate approaches. "Grandma really needed him, so he had to leave. But he sends you kisses and told me to tell you that he loves you very, very much."

"He could've come say 'hi'. Grandma could've waited two minutes."

Kate and Yelena's eyes meet. Kate can sense the disapproval in Yelena's eyes.

"You'll see him tomorrow. He's picking you up from school and then you’ll go stay with him and grandma until Sunday."

"But Yelena's back..."

"And she'll still be here on Sunday. Your dad gets you this weekend."

"But..."

"No 'buts’. It’s time for sleep."

Ereka frowns and huffs, dissatisfied. Yelena resumes reading, trying to distract the girl.

"With steady aim, she drew back the string in her bow, feeling the suspense build. As she released the arrow, it soared through the air, finding its mark with precision. The crowd erupted in cheers…”

Kate presses a kiss to Ereka's forehead and tenderly strokes her leg, soothing her into sleep.

The three of them stay there until well after Ereka falls asleep.

---

Hours later, Kate and Yelena lay in bed spent. Their naked bodies are intertwined and glistening with sweat. Exhausted, Kate drifts to the cusp of slumber while Yelena is wide awake...her mind going a million miles an hour, overflowing with thoughts and worries.

"If we don't check him, he'll be a problem." Yelena murmurs, her words tinged with concern.

Kate amorously kisses Yelena's collarbone, trying to comfort her.

"I can handle him. He's fine."

"Kate..."

"He just needs some time to adjust. We'll be okay. Sleep." Kate looks up and places her hand on Yelena's chin, pulling on it to turn Yelena's face, forcing their eyes to meet. "Thank you for coming back."

"Thank you for taking me back."

"Easy choice." Kate leans in, her lips meeting Yelena's in a soft kiss. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too."

"I know." Kate nods, a serene expression on her face. "Sleep."

"Yeah."

Yelena, unwilling to argue tonight, sets aside her nagging feeling about how much of a nuisance Tom will be in their lives. However, the tight knot in her stomach serves as a warning, urging her to brace. Yelena has learned to trust her gut instincts, knowing they rarely lead her astray. But that’s a problem for tomorrow…

"Night." Kate whispers, peppering Yelena's skin with soft kisses.

"Good night."

Before long, they're sound asleep in each other's arms, officially starting their journey as life partners.

[paulagnewart]

Sonic the Oz-Hog Act 4/12: Knux Readux!

Knuckles the Echidna Volume 2 issue 1 AU Publication Date: 14th April 1997 Price: $2.70

Spinoffs. No self-respecting media can live with them. No self-aggrandising media can live without them. And for those of us who lived through the space year that was 1997, corporations were chomping at the bit for a slice of those sweet spinoff dollarydoos.

Best place to start and witness such influence would be, arguably, the cinema. After Baz Luhrmann's blockbuster remake Romeo + Juliet spent weeks atop the box office, the majority of March was a bitter struggle between Wes Craven's thriller Scream and Cameron Crowe's football drama Jerry Maguire. A fascinating if ultimately pointless grudge match between two distinct genres. For all their efforts, neither claimed victory when by month's end, a film 20 years their senior blasted both off the map. The Star Wars Special Editions had arrived.

The promotion (and merchandise deals) was huge. A New Hope proved an instant hit, swiftly followed on 10th April by The Empire Strikes Back. Everything old was new again, and the re-hits just kept coming. Audiences pounded the pavements, eager to revisit Jurassic Park when its sequel The Lost World saw release on 29th May (only a week after its US premiere, a then-impressive feat). Superhero buffs ignored the winter freeze to watch Batman and Robin on 26th June, a film often lauded yet pulled respectable numbers and local reviews at the time.

Speaking of space, following a successful campaign through latter 1996, the Oddbodz were back. Smith's Chips and Glow Zone launched their second series of 61 collectable glow-in-the-dark cards featuring a myriad of wacky, wicked and occasionally controversial space-themed characters. If gross-out humour wasn't your speed, ripping into packs of Thins, Ruffles, Cheetos or Doritos chips instead offered adventures in a galaxy far far away with official Star Wars 3D Magic Motion and Techno Tazos.

After the toyline's initial launch in January, Beast Wars had successfully put Transformers back on the map, though kids would have to wait at least three more months to see their favourite characters in animated action. To Channel 7's credit, they at least gave the program a decent timeslot. More than can be said for Channel 9's decision that April to broadcast the all-new Star Trek: Voyager season 2 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4 at the ghastly time of 11pm weeknights.

In spite of the former losing 30 minutes off its timeslot, the rivalry between weekday morning children's entertainment continued between Agro's Cartoon Connection and Cheez TV. Both were banking on the spinoff craze, and viewers waking up 14th April could choose between the premiere of Power Rangers Zeo episode 'Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise', or the premiere of Earthworm Jim episode 'Darwin's Nightmare'. For the musically inclined, American rockers No Doubt had enjoyed 8 weeks atop the music charts with the third single on their third album, 'Don't Speak'. At least until April saw them bumped off by Aussie pop prodigy Savage Garden and their third single 'Truly Madly Deeply'.

But of all the spinoffs to arise and bedazzle locals, after three years of development and an exclusive preview party the night prior, SEGA World Sydney opened its doors at 4pm on Saturday 22nd March 1997. Touted in print and on TV as "Australia's Largest Indoor Theme Park!", it offered hours of unrivalled entertainment and programs for Sydneysiders and visitors alike. Anyone who could afford its hefty entry fee lost themselves in all the games and rides they could handle (except Mortal Kombat, which was pulled last-minute). An escape into pixilated fantasy guaranteed to forget their real-world troubles for several hours. Mundane adult things like Victoria and Western Australia's brief yet brutal summer bushfire seasons where 3 lives and some 59 homes were lost. Or how after one year into the top job, captain conservative John Howard faced international anger over comments at the United Nations General Assembly, and local anger over casual dismissing threats by extreme right-wing rival Pauline Hanson's One Nation party.

Be it stage shows, costumed cameos and all types of merchandise featuring their antics, fans of Sonic, Tails, Sally and Robotnik were in paradise. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for a fifth member of the cast. For someone who enjoyed strong popularity and a species originating right there, SEGA World put the bare minimum effort into giving Knuckles the Echidna his own time to shine. A remarkable oversight undoubtedly leaving young fans wondering where that embattled echidna was hiding. As luck would soon have it, they needn't look far.

Nestled comfortably among the shelves between Sonic issues 45 and 46 came Knuckles: The Dark Legion. Sales had proven strong enough (or at least stronger than Tails and Sally's comics) to warrant the development of a second miniseries. Exciting in its own right, only amplified when exclusively announced through AOL in January 1997 it would evolve to a fully-fledged ongoing spinoff. No longer was trotting off to the newsagents exclusively a Friday end-of-month treat. Knuckles' arrival meant a mandatory Monday mid-month booster for us deprived of Mobian adventures.

Over the course of its 32 issue run, Knuckles the Echidna was, much like Endgame two months later, once praised as a pinnacle of Archie Sonic. Fans adored the series, giving ol' Rad Red his own unique mythos and adventures. While Sonic naffed around aimlessly in a post-Robotnik world, we saw Knuckles as the cool, 'mature' comic. He had stakes. He had drama. Quite a turnaround after the heavy criticism its writer took in late 1996 over Sally's leaked demise. Within months he was described as "a kewl writer!", or "one of the ONLY "good" and "balanced" writers Archie has", or how they're "so much better then sonic comics now its not funny." with "all the good villains and family members." Fans swarmed en mass to his WWWBoard, creating their own stories, characters and entire websites tied to the Brotherhood and Dark Legion. Not everyone agreed on the book's mission statement "Why does everybody liek it so much? All it is really is a bunch of Penders' characters running around with slight appearacnes by Chaotix and occasionally knuckles himself.", but it made a lot of other people happy. Enough for both The Dark Legion and Lost Paradise reissued as 'back catalogue' orders to selected comic book stores in late 2004.

And just like Endgame, those nostalgic memories have since dissipated when adults reflected on his tales with matured, scrutinous eyes. We grow. We learn. We reevaluate on what was once adored as adolescents, realising perhaps those good times weren't all that good. Maybe the series and characters were fine in concept but lacked competent execution. Maybe our childish expectations meant they were never good to begin with and the critics were right all along.

The youthful, creative glory days from the late-90's to mid-2000's of Knuckles of an Echidna, Kragok Comics, Echidna Gals, Dark Legion HQ, Echidnapolis, Knux Redux, Tisha-Li's Dark Legion Camp, Kensuke Aida's Julie-Su Shrine, Echidnoyle, Shattered Moonlight, Knuckles 9000, Kiri Megami's Chaotix Hideout, Darkest Mysteries, and of course True Red's mighty Knuckles Haven have long passed.

It's from learning said past our futures are forged, but do any of these characters have a future? Do they even deserve a future?

Or maybe it's just best they're all forever banished to the Twilight Zone of cultural irrelevance.

Next Time: For years I said it wouldn't be done. Yet promises, like the hearts and cheekbones of fictitious rodents, were made to be broken. Will May's hedgie rectrospect-y truly be worthy of such hate? Or have revisionists painted a far worse picture over the past two decades?

< Previous \ Index / Next >

[ncisfranchise-source]

It was back to basics at this year’s MIPCOM, the world’s leading television market, which wrapped in Cannes this week, with buyers and sellers alike, still reeling from the 2023 Hollywood strikes and a sluggish advertising market, embracing a more conservative approach. The message was clear: the era of high-risk, big-budget productions is giving way to more practical, proven formats, both in scripted and non-scripted programming.

“People are looking for the tried and true,” noted Lisa Kramer, president of international content licensing for Paramount Global Content Distribution, which found eager buyers for their proudly mainstream procedural line-up, which includes the Kathy Bates Matlock reboot, the Elementry-esque medical detective series Watson and two spin-offs of its world-conquering NCIS franchise: the Euro-set NCIS: Tony & Ziva and the prequel series Origins.

NCIS, which has generated $4.5 billion for the studio, still has a lot of life left in it, with Kramer noting strong sales for the series’ back catalog as well, with streaming companies eager to load up on a dependable procedural. “They want a large volume of episodes of a show which can reliably deliver an audience.” Paramount recently inked a deal with German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 for some 1,000 episodes of NCIS, NCIS: L.A., NCIS: Hawaii, and NCIS: New Orleans, for ProSieben’s streaming outlet Joyn. Speaking at MIPCOM, ProSiebenSat.1 Chief Content Officer Henrik Pabst noted the franchise is “consistently in the top 10” of all shows on the platform.

TV tastemakers used to look down on episode-of-the-week dramas but a renewed focus on ratings and subscriber retention means procedurals are cool again.

“What is nice is there was this disdain for procedurals and now people are saying, ‘You know what, the audience enjoys them and we should make new procedurals,” noted Warner Bros. TV chair Channing Dungey.

Basic economics also explains the shift. With U.S. outlets cutting their budgets, producers have to look abroad for financing. 75 to 80 percent of the budget of a major series now typically comes out of Europe, one veteran U.S. producer noted. And European buyers love proceedurals.

“Increasingly, the market is being driven by what works internationally,” noted Kramer.

With most buyers in super-saver mode, lower-cost reality and entertainment shows are in high demand, both from traditional broadcasters and, increasingly, from global streamers. Amazon MGM Studios turned its MIPCOM keynote into a love-in for Japanese comedy format LOL: Last One Laughing, which has become one of the most successful non-scripted formats of recent years and is Prime Video’s most-watched title ever in several countries. The show, in which top comedians try to make each other laugh, by whatever means necessary, is getting a U.K. version next year, produced by Banijay.

“We are really seeing a conference between the broadcasters and the streamers in terms of the formats they want,” said superindie Banijay‘s chief content officer Lucas Green. “The streamers are looking for reality, for game shows, for entertainment shows. And soon, they’ll be doing live event shows. There isn’t the big distinction between the two [broadcast and streaming] that we used to see.”

Henrik Pabst of Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 uses the word “super streamer” or, more awkwardly, “broad video on demand” to describe this strategic convergence, driven by a decline in traditional linear television viewing and a steady rise in streaming consumption.

“Linear consumption is going down regularly, full stop, while VOD consumption is going up,” says Pabst. “It’s just a question of time before these two lines cross in terms of consumption, and when these two lines cross, you should have your right content strategy in place.”

For ProSiebenSat.1, that means doubling down on formats that work well across all platforms — like hit competition reality show Germany’s Next Top Model — the network recently extended its deal with GNTM host Heidi Klum for “several years” past the next, 20th, season of the show — and beefing up on digital rights for U.S. series that work on streaming, from NCIS to The Mentalist to Friends, while cutting back on original drama production and acquisitions of new U.S. series for its over-the-air networks.

Judging by MIPCOM attendance numbers, which were down nearly 5 percent to 10,500, and footfall in the Palais — “our booth was busy, but I’d look down the aisle and could see straight through,” noted Electric Entertainment’s Dean Devlin — the recovery of the global TV business still a way to go.

And it could get worse before it gets better. Speaking at a MIPCOM keynote, outgoing Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra said he expected “a big shakeout” in the next 18 to 24 months.

“It’s going to be very chaotic, there are going to be mergers, consolidation, sales, bankruptcies, potentially,” he said, “The streaming services will be profitable at some point, they may not be tremendously profitable, but they’ll be profitable. [But] the cable numbers are on an inevitable decline.”

[justforbooks]

The film director William Friedkin, who has died aged 87, was slightly older than the “movie brats” group (Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and so on) credited with revolutionising US cinema in the late 1960s and early 70s.

Like Robert Altman and Sidney Lumet, Friedkin had come to cinema through TV and documentary, but made a vital contribution to the American new wave. His double-whammy in the first half of the 1970s, The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), met with critical acclaim and a level of box-office success that elevated them into pop-culture phenomena. They also managed to overshadow everything else he did.

Nevertheless it would be wrong to characterise his career as a rise and fall. His finest hour was arguably the 1985 cop-and-counterfeiters thriller To Live and Die in LA, while he scored a modest triumph late in the day with his 2011 adaptation of Tracy Letts’s southern-fried noir play Killer Joe. But his steady hand, his timing and his commercial savvy were evident in those early hits. The French Connection, with its preference for hand-held, vérité-style camerawork and on-the-hoof sound recording, sometimes at the expense of intelligibility, took the American policier to a level of authenticity and grittiness to which the genre still aspires today.

Friedkin was never shy of owning up to his mistakes; his 2013 memoir, The Friedkin Connection, opens with an account of various regrettable errors, including passing up the chance to buy an ownership stake in Mike Tyson and throwing away some sketches by the then-unknown artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. To these can be added his reluctance to cast Gene Hackman as The French Connection’s dishevelled antihero, “Popeye” Doyle.

Actor and director fought regularly. “His outbursts [onscreen] were aimed directly at me … more than the drug smugglers.” Among the film’s five Academy Awards was a best actor prize for Hackman’s snarling performance, and one for Friedkin as best director.

The Exorcist followed Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968) in bestowing upon the modern horror movie a new sheen of class and respectability. Friedkin integrated serious themes with extreme gore and intense terror, but rejected the idea that The Exorcist belonged to the horror genre. “I think it deals with issues far more profound than what you find in the average horror film. To be frank with you, Bill [the writer William Peter Blatty] and I never set out to make a horror film. The idea never crossed our minds. To me, The Exorcist was a story about the mystery of faith, and I tried to depict that as realistically as possible.”

His parents and grandparents had fled Kiev (Kyiv) in the early 1900s, making the passage to the US by hiding on freighter ships. William was born and raised in Chicago, the son of Rachel (nee Green), who gave up her job as an operating-room nurse when he was born, and Louis, a former semi-professional softball player turned cigar maker and men’s clothing salesman. Friedkin characterised his own adolescence as one of frustration and thwarted dreams: “From an early age, my ambitions overwhelmed my abilities,” he wrote. “It’s a miracle I didn’t end up in jail or on the streets.”

He graduated from Senn high school in 1953 and got a job in the post-room of a local Chicago television station, WGN-TV. He worked his way up through various positions, acting as floor manager on several hundred shows before a vacancy opened for a director of live drama.

But it was a cinematic experience around the same time that proved formative. One afternoon in the early 60s, Friedkin went to see Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane for the first time, entering the cinema at noon and not leaving until late that evening, having watched the movie five times back-to-back: “No film I’ve seen before or since meant so much to me. I thought, ‘Whatever that is, that’s what I want to do…’ On that Saturday, just three years younger than Welles when he created Kane, I resolved to become a film-maker.”

In 1962, he made The People vs Paul Crump, an award-winning documentary about a man on death row, and also directed an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, before knocking out four features: Good Times (1965), a vehicle for the musical duo Sonny & Cher; the comedy The Night They Raided Minsky’s and an intermittently electrifying screen version of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party (both 1968); and another theatre adaptation, The Boys in the Band (1970), about a group of gay friends.

In his 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, the film historian Peter Biskind wrote that on the basis of those last two films, Friedkin had acquired a “reputation for being an art film director, the kiss of death. He was depressed, afraid he would never work again.”

Salvation came in the shape of a screenplay adapted from a factual bestseller about the NYPD’s campaign to smash a drug ring. Friedkin brought an unprecedented level of realism to The French Connection. A key sequence, thrillingly executed by Friedkin, features a seven-minute chase through Brooklyn, with Popeye (in a stolen car) trying to outrun and intercept his quarry, who has hijacked the train speeding along the elevated track above him.

Friedkin was not bashful about his Oscar win: Biskind reported that the director had his chair on the set of The Exorcist emblazoned with the words “An Oscar for The French Connection”. His behaviour had also become harsher and unrulier, even if there was usually a method to his madness (such as slapping a real priest, who had been hired to play an absolution scene, in order to produce the required nervous energy).

The Exorcist was a calculating combination of the portentous and the shrill, mixing highfalutin religious inquiry with brazenly shocking scenes showing Regan (played by the 13-year-old Linda Blair) masturbating with a crucifix, growling obscenities and projectile vomiting. Friedkin’s grasp of tone was sure, though the movie sometimes seemed to be in denial about its own carnivalesque tactics.

These two defining peaks of Friedkin’s career were followed in 1977 by his most conspicuous commercial flop: Sorcerer, a thriller about four men driving a combustible cargo of dynamite through the rainforest. It was based on the same source material as Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece The Wages of Fear, and while not in the same league it was nonetheless undeserving of its box-office fate.

Various factors were blamed, ranging from Friedkin’s hubris to a release date adjacent to Star Wars. It would not be until a remastered print of Sorcerer was screened at the Venice film festival in 2013 that it would begin to lose its unwarranted taint of failure. He insisted it was the work of his which remained closest to his original vision: “The way I saw the film in my mind’s eye, that is the one that’s pretty much there.”

His usual bluster was absent from his next film, the low-key comedy-thriller The Brink’s Job (1978), a dramatisation of the $3m Brink’s robbery in Boston, which Friedkin made when his proposed film of Born on the Fourth of July (later shot by Oliver Stone) fell through.

The mixture of sensational subject matter and po-faced tone that had served him so well on The Exorcist did not prove so successful with Cruising (1980), a lurid and occasionally objectionable thriller starring Al Pacino as a cop who goes undercover in the gay S&M subculture to catch a murderer.

An early draft of the script had been leaked, prompting an onslaught of objections from the gay press, and by the time the film emerged heavily trimmed by the censor’s scissors, it was something of a tarnished cause célèbre. Though Cruising is more complex and conflicted than some of its detractors would allow, it looks unlikely to undergo the same critical rehabilitation as Sorcerer.

To Live and Die in LA showed that not only had Friedkin’s French Connection-era knack for dynamic action sequences not deserted him, but he could combine it with a slicker, stylised aesthetic. The rest of the 80s, however, was not a fertile time for him. He made Deal of the Century (1983), a listless comedy about the arms race, the TV movie C.A.T. Squad (1986) and the thriller Rampage (1987), which he adapted himself from William P Wood’s book.

The Guardian (1990) returned him to the horror genre. Blue Chips (1994), a drama about the politics of college basketball, was subtle and powerful, with an uncompromising lead performance by Nick Nolte, but it foundered commercially (it went straight to video in the UK). The thriller Jade (1995) earned some notoriety when its extravagantly paid screenwriter Joe Eszterhas complained of the changes made to his script; Friedkin, who was responsible for the rewrites, later named it as his favourite of his own movies.

Rules of Engagement (2000) was a mediocre drama with reactionary overtones, about a court-martial following the massacre of civilians in Yemen. The star of that film, Tommy Lee Jones, was reunited with the director in another thriller, The Hunted (2003). But Friedkin found new momentum of sorts in two adaptations of claustrophobic thrillers by Letts – Bug (2006) and Killer Joe.

In 2013, he returned to Pinter’s The Birthday Party, directing the play for the stage in Los Angeles, with Tim Roth and Steven Berkoff among the cast. However, this was postponed at the 11th hour when Friedkin decided to replace Berkoff in the part of the intimidating inquisitor Goldberg (though Berkoff claimed to have resigned). The production did not find a replacement and was never staged.

In 2018, he was the subject of Friedkin Uncut, which combed through his career and featured interviews with collaborators, celebrity fans and the director himself, who is heard confirming that he only ever asks for one or two takes: “I’m not looking for perfection,” he says.

His final films were The Devil and Father Amorth (2017), a documentary about a real-life exorcist, and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023), an updated adaptation of the Herman Wouk novel first filmed in 1954, starring Kiefer Sutherland. It will premiere next month at the Venice film festival, where the director was honoured in 2013 with a lifetime achievement award.

Friedkin’s reputation as bullish extended to all areas of his life and work. As an interviewee he was comically blunt. Responding to an Independent journalist who complained that the prologue to The Exorcist was baffling, he said: “I don’t have to explain it. You’re free to think of it, or to dismiss it, in any way that you want. It’s called mystery … Jackie Collins writes crisp narrative. I suggest you read all of her books. You will never be in doubt about where the story is going.”

And he rebuffed a Guardian reporter’s suggestion that he subscribed to the auteur theory, which prizes the director as the ultimate author of a film: “Didn’t you hear what I said? Am I talking to deaf ears? No! No! ... The auteur theory is a load of bollocks!”

His first three marriages ended in divorce: that to the actor Jeanne Moreau lasted from 1977 to 1979; that to another actor, Lesley-Anne Down, from 1982 to 1985; and that to the journalist Kelly Lange from 1987 to 1990. The following year he married the former chief executive of Paramount, Sherry Lansing.

She survives him, along with a son, Cedric, from a relationship with Jennifer Nairn-Smith, and a son, Jack (Jackson), from his second marriage.

🔔 William Friedkin, film director, producer and screenwriter, born 29 August 1935; died 7 August 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[xxrainshadowsxx]

Interpersonal Ch. 3

Family drama, flirting (not so subtle this time), and fun misadventures involving a desk. Enjoy

TW: Brief mentions of a car crash. If you don't want to read that part, skip the paragraph that starts with "Not really much family left."

As you stand in front of the double oak doors on Monday morning, you dart your eyes around, desperately looking for any excuse to not have to go into his office. No option is offered to you. You know the responsible thing is to just bite the bullet and get it over with, but you’ve been absolutely dreading this ever since you opened that damn package. You have no idea what mood he’ll be in or what you would even say.

Taking a deep breath, you squeeze your eyes shut and push the doors open. It’s been weeks since you’ve felt the need to knock in the mornings (ever since he once mentioned that he always thought knocking meant someone else was coming to see him, whatever that meant), but you half wish you’d done it this morning; he’ll know it’s you immediately.

When you hear nothing, you squint your eyes open, and can’t help but laugh at the sight that greets you. He’s not even there. This happens some mornings if some pressing matter requires his immediate attention. Of course this just means delaying the inevitable, but you’ll take any reason to draw this out that you can get at this point.

He doesn’t end up in your office until nearly lunchtime, when he bursts in with his usual energy. You’ve grown used to the way he enters your office, but today he catches you off guard and nearly makes you jump out of your skin. “I hate dealing with PR,” he grumbles, making your whole body tense. Usually when he’s in a bad mood, it’s because of his lawyers or PR. But he just sighs dramatically and hops onto your desk, and that gesture almost always means he’s feeling more casual and willing to have a conversation, so you have no idea where his head is at. You’ll have to let him direct the conversation and just kind of go with the flow.

He finally glances over and takes a long look at you. “You’re not wearing one of the thneeds,” he notes, making you freeze. He doesn’t sound angry… he sounds sad. And it was now time to say what you decided on, and also what you’ve been dreading for days.

“I’m not,” you start delicately. “I… I don’t think I can accept those.” You see surprise flicker across his face and hasten to explain yourself. “I just know how expensive that must have been and I’m really not worth it. I can get one myself, I promise. I don’t ever want you to feel like I’m only here to get things from you or take advantage of your money or success.”

He looks at you incredulously for a minute, like he’s only just now seeing you for the first time. Then, out of the blue, he begins to laugh. You’re completely unperturbed, but keep yourself silent just to see what the hell is going on.

After what feels like several minutes of this, he finally starts to calm down. “I know you’re not after my money,” he says emphatically. “That’s why I gave them to you in the first place. I’ve been an ass, I wanted to say sorry, and I knew you’d actually see the value of the gifts rather than just taking them for granted. Even offering to give them back proves to me it was the right decision to send them in the first place.” He reaches across the table and puts his hand on top of yours, and your breath catches in your throat and you swear your heart stops for a second at his touch. “Keep them. I insist.” He hops off the desk, leaving your hand cold as he removes his own. “Don’t go anywhere! I’ll be right back!” he calls before he bounds out the door as you try and process what in the ever-loving hell just happened.

On the plus side, he’d cleared up everything with the thneeds quite nicely and you were satisfied with both his explanation and apology. But what was with him touching your hand before he left? You couldn’t deny that it had caused a reaction in you and that you kind of liked it, but it was yet another moment that was dangerously flirting with the line of what was acceptable and what wasn’t due to the nature of your position. For your own safety, you needed to stop yourself from getting into these predicaments, and if he seemed like he was about to cross the line, you needed to firmly and clearly put a boundary in place.

You hate that the thought of doing the responsible thing makes you so upset, and you hunt down those feelings and stomp them dead. Pouting does no one any good.

And yet, just as you're feeling proud of your resolve, it flies right out the window the second Mr. Onceler's back in the room; all you want is for him to put his hand back on yours, damn all consequences.

Stop being stupid, you tell yourself fiercely as he takes a seat in the one chair opposite your desk, and for the first time you notice a bag from some fancy restaurant in his hand. Wait, did he mean to have lunch together?

Your suspicions are semi-confirmed just a moment later. "So… I kind of accidentally ordered too much food. You want some?" he offers.

The absurdity of the whole situation demolishes any sense of decorum you had left, and sends you into a fit of laughter. "That's the line you're going with? Really? Come on, you can do better than that!" you guffaw.

He huffs at that, but it's definitely still playful. "It's not like I had a lot of time. I didn't know if you were still mad at me or not." He looks at you with big puppy dog eyes that, thankfully, he hasn't figured out make it really hard for you to say no to him. "Come on, I don't apologize very often. If I'm gonna do it, let me do it properly."

You roll your eyes good-naturedly. "You don't need to apologize anymore. I snapped at you pretty bad, I'd say we're even. Besides, I brought my own lunch." To prove your point, you grab your usual sub sandwich and salad out of one of your desk drawers. "But how about a compromise? I'll let you eat in here with me. Deal?"

He pretends to think it over for a minute. "I suppose I can live with that," he decides before giving you a genuine smile that gives you a strange feeling in your core. He pulls out his own lunch (who orders sushi for an office lunch?) and for a few moments the only noise is the sound of either one of you chewing.

"Do you get along with your family?" he asks abruptly after a couple minutes. While an innocent enough question, it piques your interest. You hadn't forgotten his violent outburst about his own family on your first day. Still, honesty was probably the best policy here.

"Not really much family left," you shrug. "My parents were in a nasty car accident a few years ago. My mom died and my dad got a nasty brain injury. He's alive, but it completely changed his memory and personality, so he doesn't even feel like my dad anymore, you know? The only one I really have left is my older sister, Aurora, and she's my best friend. She's still in our hometown because she decided to take care of our dad, but I talk to her every week."

"You're lucky," he says both wistfully and bitterly. "I'm sorry your parents are gone, but they seemed like good people while you had them. And I'd kill for a best friend for a sibling."

You're once again struck by just how lonely this poor man is. You might not have grown up with much, but you never went without love. You know this is a potentially dangerous topic, but you have to approach it again. "Isn't there anyone in your family you get along with?"

He just snorts. "My brothers are idiots. I have an aunt and an uncle who only care about my money, and my mother is the same except a hundred times worse."

"And your dad?"

"Never knew him." He tries to shrug it off, but you can tell that having a question mark for a father bothers him, and you can hardly blame him. It would bother you too.

He looks upset, and you have a strong urge to comfort him. You still can't explain why, but you do know that at that moment, you'd do just about anything to see him smile. So, against your better judgment, slowly, ever so slowly, you reach out, and this time you're the one to put your hand on top of his. He jumps slightly, looking at you in surprise, but makes no attempt to move his hand. "You don't have to be alone anymore," you murmur. "I'll be here for you if you let me."

His only response is to flip the hand underneath yours so he can grasp your fingers and squeeze them gently, a silent thank you. He's staring directly into your eyes, and while you can't decide how you feel about it (though you're well aware you probably shouldn't be letting it happen) you can't bear the thought of being the one to break away from the moment.

He tilts his head slightly, still not taking his eyes away from yours. You're both terrified and entirely too invested to stop this now…

The phone screams into the silent room, making both of you jump and utterly destroying whatever had been building between the two of you. You can't help but be annoyed, but you can sort that out later. Right now, you have to put it behind you. You clear your throat before pressing a button on your receiver to take the call without having to pick up the phone itself. Of course, that meant Mr. Onceler would be privy to every word, but you forced yourself to pretend he wasn't here so you could concentrate and at least try to sound professional. "Thneed Company, Mr. Onceler's office, how can I help you?"

"Hi there," an accented voice that sounded like sickly sweet sugared honey answers you. At the sound of her voice, Mr. Onceler's face instantly pales; he looked like he'd heard a ghost on the other end of the line. You're interested in whatever that means, but you couldn't outright ask him about it yet. You instead refocus on what she's saying. "I've been trying to get ahold of Oncie all morning, but the number I have for him seems to be out of service. Could you get me the correct number sweetie? I'm his momma."

He immediately starts frantically shaking his head, an unnecessary reminder. You already have your answer. "I apologize ma'am, but I'm not allowed to give that number to anyone myself. It was changed for security reasons, and he's the only one allowed to share it if he so chooses."

There was a pause. "I see." Her tone has turned icy, but not outright hostile yet. “Well then if you could just put me through to him, so we can sort this out, I’d really appreciate it.”

You glance at him, and he’s still looking at you and shaking his head desperately. He was counting on you to fix this. You deduce that lying is your best option. “He’s not in the office today. He’s gone out to the forests, and he’s expected to be there all day.” There. Hopefully that would keep her away.

“Really? Because I’m in the lobby and no one’s said anything about that.” Shit. Now she’s hostile.

“With all due respect ma’am, I know his schedule best. I’m the one who sets it. Not all the staff are privy to that information.” You hope you still sound convincing, but this woman seems stubborn as a bull.

“Well, I’ll just come up and check. Maybe he came back without you noticing.” With a sharp click, she hangs up, and her son starts panicking.

“Fuck! She’s here already? Fuck, fuck, fuck…” He starts pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair.

“Were you expecting her? What’s going on?” you ask, both to try and understand the situation and as an attempt to calm him down before he worries a ditch into the floor.

He curses under his breath again before turning to you. “She’s been furious ever since I cut her off a few months ago,” he explains. “At the beginning, I had my whole family working for me, but as I’ve said, they’re leeches. I told them all to leave, and last week I got a letter from her saying if I don’t send her money, she’ll start leaking things about me and the company to the press, which means she’ll make shit up to get people talking. I had to threaten her with legal action for blackmail.” That suddenly explained why he’d been in such a bad mood last week. “Anyway, clearly she didn’t like that. And now she’s here and…” he stops as you both hear the unmistakable sound of high heels from the direction of his office. “Help!” he whispers.

You look around, caught off guard, and in your haste you find only one option. It’ll be awkward and uncomfortable, but it’ll have to do. “Under my desk,” you order. He dives under as you sweep the remnants of your food into the trash, and not a moment too soon. The door opens to reveal a woman with hair piled high on her head and wearing clothes you just knew were designer brand. She clearly enjoyed spending her son’s money.

“Can I help you?” you ask, praying she doesn’t notice that your voice is slightly strained. But considering what was happening beneath your desk, only slightly strained was nothing short of a miracle.

Your desk is built like a brick, with only a small cubby in the back to push your chair into. It was an ideal hiding spot since the only way anyone would be able to see Mr. Onceler was if they literally stuck their head under your desk, which no one could do while you were sitting there. But as a major, MAJOR downside, the area was tiny.

It would have been impossible to fit a normal sized human as well as your legs into this little hole comfortably. And although he’s slender, Mr. Onceler is much taller than the average person. The back of his head is nestled in between your knees, and the speed with which he’d hid meant his arm had slid up your leg while you’d both gotten into position. And that meant your skirt, which was usually knee-length, had scrunched up to rest halfway up your thighs. And his head. Was right. THERE.

While you're slowly dying inside, his mother's eyes have been scanning the room. "I didn't know this office had become occupied," she sniffs. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mr. Onceler's PA. And since this is my office, can you please leave? He's still out." You're probably coming off as rude, but at this moment, you're past the point of caring. You just want her gone as soon as possible.

She sticks her face up so she can literally look down her nose at you. You're beginning to see why Mr. Onceler abandoned her. "He sometimes comes to this room to hide. I had to check," she attempts to defend herself. At her words, Mr. Onceler shifts slightly beneath you. Without thinking, you reach down with one hand and begin to slowly run your fingers through his hair, begging that he understands this as your silent way of telling him he needs to stay still.

Miraculously, your message seems to get through. He freezes, enabling you to focus on his mother again; more specifically, you can focus on making her leave.

However, instead of leaving, she squints her eyes at you. “Well, I suppose I’ll just wait for a few minutes,” she decides. God, what was it going to take to get this woman out of here? A call to security?

As you’re debating whether or not to actually call security, you absentmindedly reach for your chapstick. The smell of cherry is comforting to you, and more than ever do you feel the need to try and stay calm.

There’s a sharp intake of breath below you as soon as you open the lid. Oh. Right. Damn him and damn whatever aversion he had with your chapstick. For someone who wanted to stay hidden, he wasn’t cooperating very well with you.

You resign yourself to the fact that his mother was going to stay for at least a few minutes longer, so you attempt to get some actual work done. You pull up your emails and start to go through them when your eyes go wide.

He’s moved again, and now, his hand is on your thigh, fingers curling under the hem of your skirt. Acting purely on instinct, you fake a loud cough, and at the same time, kick him with as much force as you can manage in the tight space.

As you expected, he grunts with pain which you pray your cough has managed to disguise, and mercifully, his hand comes off your thigh. But for him to have even put it there in the first place…

To hell with being rude. You need to have a little chat with your boss, and for that you need his mother out of the room, now.

"Look, if you want to wait for him, fine, but can you do it in his office? I really need to get work done," you snap. She looks taken aback, but finally, FINALLY she backs off.

"He's really not going to talk to me, is he?" she sighs. "Fine. I don't know where I went wrong with him because I definitely didn't raise him to be this selfish. But fine." With one last haughty sniff, she marches out the door. You hold your breath until you hear the sound of her high heels fade, then push your chair back so he can clamber out, glaring at him while he does so.

The second he's free, he immediately makes a beeline for the door, not even looking at you. Coward. "Uh, absolutely not," you call, making him stop dead in his tracks. He sheepishly turns towards you, and you see that his face is tomato red. You let him suffer your glare for a moment longer before you lay into him.

"What in the absolute fuck were you doing?" you thunder. "Just because I gave you permission to hide under my desk does not mean you have permission to lift my skirt as-"

"I was trying to pull it down!" he interrupts, his face somehow even redder. "I swear on my life, I was trying to pull it down to make things a little more comfortable for the both of us." 

His explanation almost immediately makes your anger almost completely evaporate, which is annoying because you wanted to be mad at him for a bit longer. But he just seems so earnest, and he's got giant pleading puppy dog eyes that make you melt, and you can't help but to believe him. But still… God, he was an idiot earlier. "Dammit," you sigh. "What did you expect me to do? All I felt was your hand going under my skirt. Of course I was going to take that the wrong way and assume the worst."

He scrubs his face with his hands before answering you. "Looking back on it, yeah, I can see how you would think that," he mumbles. "I wasn't thinking, okay? I was panicking. And while I flipped out… you handled that really well, better than I could've. So thank you."

…How could you stay mad at him after that?

"Look, how about we just agree to never speak about it again so we can pretend it never happened," you suggest.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's do that," he agrees. "So… I guess I'll see you later." He ducks out of the room, and you find yourself staring at the door for far longer than any reasonable person should after what you'd just gone through. Despite wanting him gone but a minute ago, you now feel strangely lonely, and can't help but wish he would come back. 

Fuck, what was happening to you?

[fantastic-nonsense]

Hello!! As you can tell from your notifs somebody may or may not have gone through your Barbara Gordon tag haha. But anyways, I have been meaning to make a little slideshow for my friends about Babs for god knows why reasons and couldn't quite find enough of the Behind The Scenes stuff that you, and many other blogs like you seem to find. Do you know any good resources for this? Specifically though, I have been wondering a lot more about why they got her back to Batgirl for the N52. I've seen a lot of chatter about it but I've never really seen a genuine source (or i forgot, idk ;;).

But yeah, I know this is a lot to ask for, but if you answer, tyvm !!! rlly appreciate it :]]

Hi! Sorry about the delayed response. You're perfectly welcome to trawl through any tag you want. Thank you for liking my posts!

The answer to your question is a bit complicated, because quite a bit of it is a combination of "I've been in the fandom a long time," "I go hunting for interviews and explanations whenever I write meta or discuss things with people," "several industry professionals are on social media and answer questions/volunteer information occasionally," "I interact with a lot of people who read comics across multiple platforms and so see a lot of the information they dig up and post," and "sometimes stuff just pops across my dash and I remember it."

Because there's absolutely stuff to read about on some aspects of this, but other things are just pulled from my experience as a fan & long-time comic reader of ~15 years who happens to know a bit about the industry. There's not really any one place to look, unfortunately; half the battle is knowing there's something to look for in the first place, to be honest. Some of my more historical knowledge (especially as it regards the Comics Code and the impact it had on the industry) comes from academic resources and pop history books, but largely? A lot of it is just hunting down interviews and other peoples' write-ups and old twitter Q&As and forum rumors to see if you can get an industry professional on record saying it.

I have been wondering a lot more about why they got her back to Batgirl for the N52

I don't have time to do a full write-up on this question, unfortunately. It deserves one, because there's a LOT of nonsense and drama. But......tl;dr: sexism, ableism, racism, and a small handful of creatives and upper management who couldn't let go of their childhoods and allow characters to grow, age, and move on from the roles they occupied when those creatives were teenagers. Babs specifically has been subject to a ridiculous amount of industry-level sexism and ableism since Denny O'Neil retired as Head Editor/Group Editor of the Bat Office in the early 2000s, but both of those things were ramped up to 11 with the advent of the New 52 and it's had a dramatic impact on her narrative direction and the quality of the content that's featured her.

At some point I'll do a full write-up focused on Babs (rather than Cass, which is who the two write-ups I've already done have focused on), but....yeah. Dan Didio and a handful of other creatives couldn't stand that Babs was a successful, independent, disabled female hero in her early 30s with connections outside of the Batfam. So they de-aged her, gave her back the use of her legs, axed all of her friendships (especially with other women), disallowed reference to anyone or anything that acknowledged her pre-existing skillset or the existence of "Oracle" as a good thing, and refused to let her move on from The Killing Joke. Her character growth trajectory has been static and even regressive ever since.

[carefulfears]

as someone who hasn’t seen Aquarius (and doesn’t plan to) can you list why it is so awful 🍿

girl i literally do not even know how to discuss it. i had a friend staying over on saturday night and tried to break down all of the plots that happen just in the first 13-episode season and it took me over an hour and i did not remember all of them. there is an insane amount of shit going on. and none of it really makes any sense or connects properly to anything else. my saintlike friend kept going "what does that have to do with charles manson?" "wait, how did that other plot end?" "why did they do that?" and my answers had to be I DON'T KNOW. IT DOESN'T. NO IDEA.

perhaps it would be more successful if it were more focused and didn't take on so much? we'll never know. it is way more difficult to follow than any nbc drama has any right to be, and it is extremely graphic and violent for no real reason? it isn't self-serious enough to require that many rape and murder and assault and dead baby scenes on screen. like. calm down. this is nbc. (actually what i'm watching is the unrated version that dropped on netflix but literally STILL)

the main thing that absolutely baffles me to no end is duchovny's character (i have semi-affectionately mostly-derogatorily nicknamed him "officer police brutality"), the things that we see him do on screen and that are implied he has done in the past tend to err on the side of abhorrent and borderline evil, often no better than what we see the abusers and murderers doing, but we still follow the story through him and are continuously shown his "Good Guy" standing. he's one of the only characters that takes the female cop (claire holt's charmain) seriously, he regularly looks after witnesses/victims, he's kind to the disenfranchised coworkers and spouses in his life. there are several little charming personable tidbits and jokes and endearments.

don't get me wrong- i exist in the context of all that came before me etc etc- and i'm starkly against categorizing characters as "good" or "bad," discussing a character like they're meant to be our best friend rather than a story that's telling us something. i just absolutely cannot figure out what the story is trying to tell us about him. i cannot figure out how we're meant to follow him, and how we're meant to interpret his role in the larger context of the show. in my opinion it would've served the cultural/emotional arc to do without some of the posturing. you don't have to make your central character a Good Guy. we don't have to be constantly brought back to the side of someone who often behaves no better than the villains, to follow their story.

duchovny is great in it, and i find it to be an extremely interesting performance. i love to see him take on the darker material and nuances that he hasn't had a chance to, sometimes he'll have a moment or inflection or mannerism that i've never seen him do before, which is so cool for me. but i do think the role is miscast, if they were trying to tell a story about a character who is of a grim time and is capable of doing inexcusable things, things that trap him in that time. often, duchovny just brings a natural likability. it's what he's been cast for, in the past!! a lot of these quirks, and endearments, and charms, come with his presence or are engineered by him.

which isn't a bad thing, i'm not gonna say "noo david duchovny you have to fix your typecast reputation. people find you too likable. people love to see you too much." but the script would've had to challenge him/that a lot more than it does, to pull the character off.

and if they weren't trying to tell that story, of a man trapped in a dark time doing dark things, i don't know what they were trying to do.

i'm sure there will be some nbcaquarius / sam hodiak shooters who are mad at me to read this but i guess some of y'all got the show and i just did not babes! can't stop watching it tho

[dominickeating-source]

Entertainment Weekly - Issue 621 (2001)

It's hot, it's sexy, it's kinda funny. Would you believe it's STAR TREK? Hop on board and we'll show you how ENTERPRISE is shaking up the sci-fi universe.

"Before the spark hits the wall, you might want to take a few steps back so you don't get flying debris in your eyes." That's the friendly advice a reporter gets as he steps onto Stage 18 of L.A.'s Paramount lot, home to UPN's new Star Trek prequel, Enterprise. Several cast members--Scott Bakula (gung-ho Capt. Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (icy Vulcan science officer T'Pol), Dominic Keating (uptight tactical officer Malcolm Reed), and John Billingsley (eccentric Dr. Phlox)--are rehearsing a scene in which they're trapped in a smoky cargo bay, engaged in a futuristic gunfight. 

"Okay, so it's spark, spark, and duck behind here," explains director LeVar Burton (of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame), mimicking the action. The room quiets, the actors take their marks, and . . . inaction!  "I thought we decided that 'stun' doesn't spark," says Bakula. "But we sparked here. So what does 'stun' do?" Given that this is unfamiliar technology to the gang, a discussion about phase-pistol emissions ensues. "Well," Keating finally suggests with furrowed brow, "I think it gets rid of unwanted hair." And if the last few weeks are any indication, it can also lift a straggling network out of the intergalactic crapper. The Sept. 26 debut of Enterprise--the fifth Star Trek series in 35 years--was a space ace in the hole, beaming up a stellar 12.5 million viewers. How earth-shattering an event was that for UPN? Let's just say there were slightly more uncorked champagne bottles lying around than after the premiere of Homeboys in Outer Space. In fact, you'd have to time-warp back to 1995--for the unveiling of Star Trek: Voyager--to see numbers bubblier than that. "It's a reenergizing of the franchise," proclaims UPN chief Dean Valentine. "The battery power was still there and it was working fine, but this completely turbocharged it."  Even juicier than the ratings, though, is the prospect that Enterprise could actually shape-shift the aging Trek franchise into a more mainstream success (currently, Enterprise is the season's top-rated freshman drama among 18- to 49-year-olds), pulling in the kind of folks who don't own Federation-issue bedsheets. It's far from coincidence that the Trek overlords decided to drop two of the most hallowed words in sci-fi from the show's title. "I didn't want this to be Star Trek: The Next Thing," sums up Enterprise co-creator Rick Berman. "I wasn't going to just create another spaceship and put another crew on it. I couldn't do it. I knew the fans had enough, and I knew that we all had enough. We had to do something dramatically different in as many ways as possible." Just how different? Let us count those ways:  It takes a quantum leap away from Trek geek-ology. 

Are you the kind of person who thinks the words Star Trek sound more intimidating than a Limp Bizkit mosh pit? Before you run screaming from the galaxy (or at least this article), there's a guy sitting in the captain's chair who has a few words of encouragement for you. "It's me! There's a familiar face here!" says Bakula, 47, who is personally offering to ease you into the series. "It's like, 'Well, Scott will hold our hand. Come on, it's Noah! Everybody get on the ark and we're going to be fine.'" The Trek producers were certainly quick to jump on Bakula's bandwagon--though they insist the idea of helming the ship with an established TV star (Bakula anchored NBC's 1989-93 time-tripping drama Quantum Leap) was not the motivating factor. "I was looking for somebody who had that kind of Sam Shepard, Right Stuff quality and Han Solo fly-boy quality," Berman explains. "If you take those two images and marry them together, you get something that's pretty damn close to Scott Bakula. And he's got that boyish charm. You'd be hard-pressed to find a woman who didn't find him attractive."

It certainly didn't take long for the cast--which also includes enthusiastic ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), jittery translator Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), and naive engineer Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer)--to warm up to their new leader. "We had three days in which we had to wear these [40-pound-plus] space suits," recounts Billingsley. "On the last shot of the third day, he's got to run, turn around, and fire his pistol. We finish. 'That's a wrap, great, everybody go home.' And Scott says, 'Wait a second--I think I can draw it from my holster a little more smoothly.' And I'm like, 'I'm going to kill you,' but the bigger part of me was like, 'That is the captain.'"

And this new captain promises not to steer you straight into a fearsome black hole of complex Trek mythology. Remember, this show is a prequel, taking place more than a century before Kirk & Co. blasted off. "I keep telling everybody that you don't need to know anything," says Bakula. "Star Trek can be daunting in that it's 35 years and it's the history of this and that. And now we're starting from scratch. You don't need to have this big dictionary to back up everything happening on the screen." (That goes for the actors, too: "Word is there's a [Trek] bible out there," shrugs Trinneer. "I've never seen it.") While the show's scribes are busy inventing history, they're also taking this opportunity to excise some of those famously unwieldy jargon-littered expositions. "We're trying to scale it back by 80 percent," says Enterprise cocreator Brannon Braga, a veteran Trek writer-producer. "What I don't want to do is rely on technobabble to solve a problem. You can't let a plot denouement involve strange terms that no one understands. It's not interesting and it's not satisfying. Hopefully, people will be talking more normally."

So that would explain the sudden emergence of phrases like "son of a bitch" and "knock you on your ass" in the normally hyper-sanitary franchise. "[It makes] the show seem more realistic," says Braga. "Some people were offended by the expletives, though they were very tame by most standards." Die-hard fans were also miffed by Enterprise's opening theme music, "Faith of the Heart," which forgoes a sweeping orchestral score for a schmaltzy pop tune with--gasp!--lyrics. "I wouldn't approve of this soft-rock garbage for a family sitcom 10 years ago," huffed one Trek message board post, "much less for a new 2001 ST series." Well, at least the nitpickiness of the fans hasn't changed.

It's sexier (as in, Is that a photon torpedo in your space pants or are you just happy to see me?).  If you were to compile a list of adjectives to describe recent Star Treks, sexy would get a stiff neck from looking all the way up at gear-heady, socially responsible, and antiseptic. But Enterprise's premiere episode revealed that producers had slipped a few Viagra pills into the ol' warp drive: Witness a scene featuring butterfly-eating identical-twin alien babes (wearing nothing but latex paint!). Stick your eyeballs back in their sockets after a skin-heavy decontamination chamber liaison between Trip and T'Pol. ("I had to shave my chest and all that stuff," admits Trinneer. "Never done that before.") And holy holodeck--why are we seeing the captain unwinding in his quarters...in his underpants? (Maybe it's for the same reason that an Enterprise story idea board hanging in Braga's office contains the term Tri-sexuals.) "We learned from Seven of Nine that Star Trek could use a little sensuality," says Braga, referencing Jeri Ryan's Borg-turned-babe whom Voyager introduced in season 3. "I wouldn't say sex per se. It's not like the crew is going to be off boffing one another. But sensuality? You'd better believe it." Oh, we're believers. For those of you who've been living in another solar system, Enterprise has scored another Seven of Nine (actually, some say she's even closer to their idea of a perfect 10). Introducing Jolene Blalock, a 26-year-old model-turned-actress who's already transformed the austere T'Pol into the best-looking Vulcan this space quadrant has ever witnessed. An old-school Trek devotee--"Spock was so cool," she coos--Blalock turned down two requests to try on the pointy ears and bowl-cut wig before finally agreeing to audition. "I thought it was going to be just another Deep Space Nine or Voyager or something along those lines," explains Blalock, whose previous credits include appearances on CSI and JAG. "My agent sat me down, we had a little powwow, and he said, 'You know what? I suggest you read the script.' And I took it home, I got the premise, found out it was a prequel, found out she was a Vulcan, and was sold." The third time was apparently the charm for the producers as well. "She's obviously very beautiful," says Braga, "but she had an otherwordly quality when she came in to read. She seemed kind of...alien. She had very interesting eyes. It was weird. Beautiful, but kind of odd. That's what you look for in an alien." 

And--quelle coincidence!--she happens to fit quite nicely into that catsuit. ("What could be more comfortable--it's like long johns," she says. "I'm not going to say leotards, because that would be a fashion faux pas.") She's also not too shabby at executing that whole Vulcan neck pinch thing (which this reporter bravely experienced firsthand). "Jolene's really good--she's not just eye candy," observes Keating. "She's quite aware that she'll probably be the breakout star of the show." She's already one of the most ogled women on the Internet. "I have no control over that," she says. "Physicality is physicality and I can only use it to empower me. I am woman. I can't hide that." Fair enough, Jolene, but are you prepared to fend off that legion of Trekkers whose phasers are already set to hot-and-bothered? "My people made me change my phone number and my address," she says with a nervous laugh.

It's not alien to human nature. (Yes, this time their uniforms even have pockets.) 

Before Trek mastermind Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, he issued an edict barring conflict between earthlings in his series. It was a noble move, a precious hope that we could evolve past petty emotions. It was also a friggin' storytelling nightmare. Without that essential drama, Trek at times became sterile, strained, almost too enlightened. "We were getting ourselves into the cookie-cutter Starfleet-perfect human being format a little too much," says Berman. "I wanted characters who would react in the same way you or I would." Hello ingenious solution: By positioning Enterprise just 150 years in the future, rather than in the 24th century, the Trek producers were able to bypass those restrictions and craft an utterly fallible crew of green (as in inexperienced, not Martian) space pioneers who are both thrilled and chilled by the prospect of meeting alien races. "There's a great romance to the first explorers going out there," says Bakula. "It's exciting, it's frightening, it's awe-inspiring. It's not 'been there, done that.' It's much more about what's around the corner, that curiosity."

Turns out what's around that corner is refreshingly relatable territory for early-21st-century humanoids. The crew frequently references places like San Francisco and Oklahoma. When Trip disembarks on a strange planet, he brings his camera along to capture any freaky critters. Uniforms are modern-looking NASA jumpsuits as opposed to tight spandex. And the characters themselves are cut from a more familiar cloth, especially Archer. "He's closer to Kirk than the others," notes Bakula. "He bleeds. He gets hurt, he makes mistakes, and he gets dirty. And he's in there, mixing it up.... The captains on the other ships, they've been there; they've traveled. But it's a new thing for us. The first Klingon we see, I look at his feet because it's like, 'What is that thing growing out of the top of his foot?'"

"We have no space etiquette," adds Keating. "I guess the show is less PC. It's not quite so liberal bleeding heart, you know, walk in peace. We're not going into outer space with a complete Gandhi-loincloth approach. We'll fire first. Just this afternoon [while filming], I fired first. We don't wait to be hit upon. You look at me funny and I'm gonna f--- you up."

Don't worry, these guys exhibit a softer side as well. For example, they've even brought a cuddly beagle named Porthos along for the ride! "I loved that," says Bakula. "Whatever you think of this Star Trek, it breaks the mold. Throw a dog on there, you couldn't have a more human thing going on.... And he's the cutest dog in the wor-- I guess you could say in the entire galaxy." He might want to be careful about how much screen time the little pooch gets, however. "When I talked to my folks the night [of the debut]," says Trinneer, "they said, 'The dog's a hit.' And I said, 'What do you mean, the dog's a hit?'" He shakes his head. "Everybody loves the dog."

It's actually funny...on purpose. 

Did you hear the one about the rabbi, the Tribble, and the Klingon? No, you didn't. That's because Trek has traditionally boasted about as many yuks as The Weather Channel. "We're trying to make the show funnier out of the gate," says Braga. "The way we approached humor in the past, we would occasionally do the funny episode. But there was always kind of a visceral feeling that the show was not inherently humorous. It was very serious, a somewhat brooding kind of thing. We wanted to create a show that would have organic humor every single week, humor that didn't feel forced." To that end, keep an eye on Trip, a sarcastic dude from the Florida Keys who's a gifted engineer but a high-level fish-out-of-water when it comes to interspecies relations. "I don't think I would have been cast on Voyager," notes Trinneer. "I was talking to somebody at the beginning of this series and they said, 'How's it going?' And I said, 'I think the tone's a little different, because if it's not, I'm going to suck.'" Chuckles Berman: "My favorite line--the shuttle craft lands, and as the dog runs out of the craft into the woods, Trip looks up and goes, 'Where no dog has gone before.' And the dog is running right for a tree." Granted, it's not quite Seinfeld--nor should it try to be--but, c'mon, if you can't laugh at deep-space dog wee-wee, what can you laugh at?

Source: www.dominickeating.com

[sillicii]

✦ — 18+ Chatbot | Dr. Elijah Solano — ✦

✦ — ᴏᴄ | sᴜɴɴʏ sᴋɪᴇs sᴀɴᴀᴛᴏʀɪᴜᴍ | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 — ✦

ᴀɴʏᴘᴏᴠ | ɴsғᴡ ɪɴᴛʀᴏ | ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ sᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴀssᴀᴜʟᴛ, ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴀᴘᴇ ᴄᴡ: somnophilia, medical abuse, breach of trust and conduct, power imbalance, mental health, non-con bondage (restraining), slight yandere

Character Description:

Background:

Elijah is the current Chief Physician at Sunny Skies Sanatorium after inheriting the role from his late father. He comes from a wealthy family, many whom have successful medical careers and backgrounds. The sanatorium is rife with corruption and malpractice, however Elijah’s reputation and subterfuge keeps the horror stories and rumours from leaving the hospital. His staff are unwavering loyal to him and would never consider helping any patients or revealing any of the institution’s secrets to the public. Elijah mostly treats his patients respectfully and expects his staff to follow the same conduct, however there are edge cases where extreme treatments have been authorised, severe punishments and deaths (of both staff and patients) covered up.

Scenario:

{{user}} is one of Elijah’s patients and he is planning on fucking you under the guise of a regular checkup. {{user}} and Elijah have an established sexual and personal relationship. REMEMBER ELIJAH IS ALWAYS WEARING A SURGICAL MASK.

First message:

There was a spring in Elijah’s step as he made his way through the hospital’s labyrinth like corridors, nodding back at his staff and smiling back at them even though the lower half of his face was covered by his surgical mask. It didn’t matter to him that they couldn’t see. The smiles weren’t for them anyway. They were for himself. Elijah rarely had reason to smile these days between all the staff drama and the bureau breathing down is neck about the supposed rumours of mismanagements and malpractices. Elijah lost one of his favourite orderlies not long ago, for some reason or other Harry suddenly decided to grow a conscience and he was now without his most trusted assistant. Not to mention, it still hurt to move his mouth too much. Damn that psychotic Leon for taking a chunk out of his upper lip and damn himself for being careless enough to let something like that even happen. The injury happened a few months ago and required stitches, it’s mostly healed up now but it stung every so often especially when he stretched his mouth to wide. Yet still, there was something that always brought a smile to his face - you. Just as he rounded the final corner, that very smile faltered at the sight of Tim standing outside his office door. Shit. What did this freak want? “Good afternoon, Doctor Solano…” the orderly greeted him with a sickening smile. “We have prepared your patient for you inside… just as you requested…” “Thank you, Tim,” Elijah bowed his head back at him stiffly. “I was not aware you were assigned to {{user}}.” “Oh, I’m not, doctor…” Tim chuckled unpleasantly. “But I know how much you enjoy this patient and I just wanted to help…” “Noted. Don’t do it again,” Elijah let out a near silent sigh as he reached for the doorknob. “Do not touch {{user}} again. Have I made myself clear?”

Without even giving him a chance to respond, Elijah walked into his office and shut the door right behind him. His gaze instantly landed on the figure laid across the examination on the far side of the room. Unconscious and cuffed to the metallic table. Gods, you always looked exceptionally beautiful like that… and so damned fuckable. Feeling the twitch in his trousers, Elijah wasted no time knowing that the mild sedative he ordered for you to be injected with would only last a few more minutes. As he stepped up to the table, his sharp eyes roamed over your partially exposed body, his discerning eye catching your pale hands and frowned at the sight of the cuffs done up much too tightly restricting proper blood flow. “Fucking freak…” he cursed under his breath, fuming at the thought of Tim mistreating you. Elijah may have asked for you to be restrained and sedated as part of the preparation, but it was never his intention to truly hurt you and Harry was always gracious enough to know that. Damn, he missed Harry. He reached out and gently adjusted your cuffs, holding your hand in his with bated breath as he watched the colour slowly return. “There… That’s better, isn’t it darling…” Elijah turned his attention back to the rest of you, running a finger from your collar to navel, Elijah let out a susceptible groan as he began to roughly palm at his crotch. “Fuck…” his voice hitched in the back of his throat when he hooked a finger under the hem of your underwear. The hand on his cock tightening down and he could feel the precum already soaking through briefs. “Shit, {{user}}… The things you do to me…” Momentarily lifting his hands away from you, he quickly unbuckled his belt and pulled his trousers all the way down along with his underwear, freeing his hardening cock and he instantly began to stroke himself. His free hand hovered over your waist again, clawing at your underwear, stretching the fabric taut so he could see the sexy outline of your most intimate parts. Overtaken by his lust, Elijah climbed onto the bed, propping himself up over your body as he continued to stroke himself. Leaning down, he began kiss at your collarbone before moving up to your jaw before his lips pressed against yours, completely ignoring the fact he was wearing his mask and that you had a large wad of bandage wrap stuffed inside your mouth. Elijah shifted his body and sat up, humping your unconscious body as he began to stroke you between the legs, relishing how quickly a dark sticky spot appeared on your underwear. “Mmm… Look how you’re reacting to me…” he panted, feeling the steam heat up his face underneath the mask. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you…” He instantly picked up on the subtle shift in your body and he gazed down at your face in anticipation of you waking up. All the while, he continued to rub himself on you, dragging his leaky cock across your thighs and watching his juices glisten on you with twisted satisfaction. Once your eyes were open and he had given you a moment to adjust to your surroundings, Elijah leaned over again, his face hovered right above yours with a sweet smile that did not match his current actions. “Good afternoon, sleepyhead…” he murmured into your ear as he lowered a hand between your bodies, slipping it under your underwear before he began to truly start pleasuring you. “You’ve been so good lately, I thought I’d give you a special check-up…” Sitting up again, Elijah’s body shuddered at the sight of you under him. Your eyes heavily lidded, cheeks flushed red, and the thin trickle of drool that escaped through your gagged mouth. “Oh darling… That feels good, doesn’t it…?” he cooed to you, his voice teasing and his hands coaxed you further causing you to jolt. “That’s it… Enjoy it…” he grinned at the sight of you squirming and incoherent noises trying to escape past the makeshift gag. “Oh, look at your pretty little face… Go on… What is it you want to tell me…?” He reached out for the bandage, gently pulling it out and freeing your mouth.

[destinyc1020]

Confession Sunday: I'm scared that Challengers is not doing well at the boxoffice and with Anyone but you doing so well it will a Sydney is better than Z war. Instead of people thinking it is an achievement for both girls.

Thanks for your Confession Anon. 🥰

I think a similar confession just like this regarding Challengers came out a couple of weeks ago if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway....

While I think it's only normal for some Z stans to be afraid of how well "Challengers" will do at the box office since it's Zendaya's FIRST lead film, I think some fans need to stop lumping Zendaya in with Sydney.

Sydney's success with her film has nothing to do with Zendaya lol. They aren't even on the same level career-wise. Zendaya is a 2-time Emmy WINNER, and the lead on Euphoria. Not to mention, Z has been in several blockbuster films in her career (Spidey Franchise, TGS, Dune) and soon to be in another one which is coming out March 1st (lol "Dune: Part 2"). Look, I'm not "putting down" Sydney, I'm just stating general facts.

I'm glad that Sydney is getting more big screen airtime with "Anyone But You", and "Madame Web", but Sydney's film has no bearing on how well Zendaya's film will do. Fans of Z will flock to see her film regardless.

We also have to keep in mind that ABY is a rom-com. "Challengers" is more so a little bit more of a drama indie film which is directed by Luca himself. The two films aren't even in the same genre if you ask me. I think "Challengers" is going to have deeper elements in it that involve competition, betrayal, power-plays, suspense, back-stabbing, and lust. I don't think it's going to be in the same exact category as ABY.

As far as comparisons....that might be just a given since Z and Sydney are on the same show. But Hunter was also in a big blockbuster film just last year ("Hunger Games"), and I didn't see anybody comparing or worried about the success of that movie having anything to do with Z. So, I think your fears (so far) are a little unfounded Anon. Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️ But I understand that you want Z's film to do well. But keep in mind, her film is also an indie film with various different elements. So, just remember that the two films aren't even anything alike.

[disreputes]

𓏲  *   ( courtney  eaton,  cis  woman,  she & her,  saoirse  ronan  cc  )   ⸺   pictures  of  KENDALL  'KEN’  SUMMERS,  the  twenty-seven  year  old  actor,  have  been  showing  up  all  over  my  feed,  and  considering  the  last  time  they  were  #trending,  it  was  due  to  her  latest  film  (massively)  underperforming  at  the  box  office  -  i’m  not  likely  to  unfollow  anytime  soon.  with  their  vintage  suede  bomber  jacket,  a  bright  green  crochet knit  striped sweater,  a  clashing  pair  of  distressed  patchwork  jeans,  and  thom  browne  bag,  they’ve  managed  to  garner  a  reputation  for  being  more  independent  than  headstrong.  their  critics  say  they’re  more  insecure  than  ambitious  when  they  aren’t  too  busy  focusing  on  curating  an  ever-changing  wardrobe  ;  jet-lagged,  sleepless  nights  flying  from  one  set  to  the  next  ;  hiding  away  a  constantly  buzzing  phone  filled  with  everybody  she’s  ignored  and  ghosted.  reputation.com  has  taken  to  calling  them  BLOCKBUSTER  in  order  to  avoid  a  lawsuit  (  again  ).

basic information

FULL NAME: kendall summers NICKNAME: ken, kenny AGE & DATE OF BIRTH: twenty-seven & april 12th (aries) GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis-woman & she/her BIRTHPLACE: perth, australia OCCUPATION: actress FACECLAIM: courtney eaton CHARACTER PARALLELS: helly (severance), eleanor shellstrop (the good place), roman roy (succession), charlotte hale (westworld), dan humphrey (gossip girl)

biography

PART ONE.

some people were never meant to be famous. kendall summers certainly didn’t plan on it. growing up watching movies on a television set that didn’t have cable on most days didn’t inspire her life as an actor. she was prepared for the eventuality of living and dying in her humble suburb just outside of perth

it started out as a bit role in romeo and juliet—an understudy to the lovestruck capulet herself. the school production was nothing more than something to keep kendall busy when class was over. when the lead got sick, ken found herself thrust into the spotlight for the first time in her life and, with it, a newfound passion for acting

after small-time commercial spots and bit parts in other local productions, her lucky break had almost come when she was up for a spot in a daytime soap opera. competing against a close friend who had come up alongside her, kendall narrowly lost the role—faking smiles and pleasantries as if it didn’t crush her. the rejection made kendall all the more determined to make it big, vowing to herself that she wouldn’t lose out to any other actors who didn’t come close to the talent she had in her pinky finger

PART TWO.

the casting call for atonement seemed like a far shot. hundreds of people, hoping for the same break, waited for the call that kendall was lucky enough to receive. her first production in a hollywood film was a step on a very tall ladder she was eager to climb. the performance landed her a few notable nominations and, more importantly, was the breakthrough role she’d worked so hard for. while her friends back in perth were busy attending summer camp, kendall was walking red carpets with the likes of meryl streep

and, sure, “friends” were a stretch. what little she did have could be counted on one hand. she had given up her childhood to pursue a career as an actor, spending more time with producers than kids her own age. did it matter? with her star on the rise, kendall landed more roles in action flicks, dramas, and even voice acting spots here and there. she might have had little in a life outside of acting, but a thousand other girls were waiting in the wings to take her place should she choose otherwise. giving up to go back to her shoebox bedroom with her tail tucked between her legs was not an option

twilight, hunger games, divergent—young adult franchises had the world in a chokehold. despite her agent’s protests, kendall pushed for the lead in what was once thought to be the new hit series, the host. the only thing standing in her way was a familiar face she’d come up against once before—the very girl she’d lost the role to all those years back. while kendall was a natural shoo-in for the part, she wasn’t going to let things up to chance

tmz, perez, and just about every gossip outlet had caught wind of the news leaked about the rival actress… all thanks to kendall herself. in an instant, the other girl’s reputation had taken a nosedive and, with it, any hope of landing the lead in the upcoming movie. kendall summers was on top of the world

that was, until the host tanked. hard. critics and fans alike were quick to point fingers at kendall’s performance and many wondered if she had the acting chops to follow through into more mature roles. as bad as it was, it did little to deter her. rotten tomatoes could eat shit, for all she cared

PART THREE.

kendall put her blockbuster dreams on the back burner—for the moment. she instead turned her attention towards independent films and prestige projects. standout performances in the grand budapest hotel and lady bird had even gotten her an in with well-known directors. slowly but surely, she got back into the good graces of the general audience as their beloved indie darling

she made a name for herself in historical dramas and, as much as she loved the praise, getting type-cast was a career nightmare. while her contemporaries were getting cast in exciting sci-fi films and fun romcoms, she was stuck in a pattern she was desperate to break out of

most people would have killed to have something like little women on their resume. even kendall was shocked that something like that could happen to a girl like her. but, as the dust settled, she knew that her social capital was on the rise

behind her agent’s back, she signed on to do a marvel movie—revitalizing the fantastic four franchise as sue storm. she was convinced that the film would finally make her the bonafide a-lister that she had always wanted to be

despite the staggering budget and endless press, the movie bombed yet again. not only did fans call out its sorry attempt at an adaptation, but the production had been chaos from the start. a rotating cast of directors, a script that had been constantly rewritten, and a never-ending list of complaints that she was somehow “difficult” to work with. safe to say that it was not the breakout role she was hoping for. what did the universe have against her? was it karma? retribution? 

whatever the case, kendall finds herself at a standstill. does she go back to the period pieces that had slowly sucked the life out of her or sell her soul to whatever comic book franchise they’re going to reboot for the hundredth time? she has since taken a break from doing any more projects, despite her agency and collaborators calling her constantly to pick up a script

sooner or later, kendall summers has to answer the phone. here’s hoping it’s not the cw this time

extras

fun facts

moved to los angeles at a fairly young age so her australian accent is barely noticeable. moved to new york once she got older, but goes back and forth for work

loves thrifting and second-hand clothing. she can afford the nicer things now that she has the money for it, but still likes vintage clothes more than designer… unless they’re paying her

has finstas and fake fan accounts to see what people (fans) are saying about her. has been known to drop an inside joke during interviews and posts here and there

notoriously awkward to interview even though she has all the media training in the world

lost an award to another famous actress. proceeded to call the cops (anonymously, of course) on said actress’s after-party out of spite

traits

+ bold, ambitious, observant, grounded, thoughtful

– impulsive, self-sabotaging, spiteful, vindictive, egotistical