#rommy my beloved

[leopardom]

cinematic parallels

[katinkulta]

It's your birthday? Happy birthday then 💖

Yuuuup! I'm at the ripe age of the 9th prime number now

Thank you 💞💞💞

[octoberautumnbox]

fromis as your girlfriend?

ok :DDDD

~~~

You wrap your coat around Saerom and plant a kiss on her hair once you get the chance.

"I was kidding," she giggles, "I'm not that cold." Despite her words, she snuggles your coat a little bit more before she tries taking it off. However, the moment the skin of her hands are exposed to the frigid air, she shivers and rubs them together.

"There's no point in lying, Rommie. You're about as hard to read as a children's vocabulary book." Your hands meet her cheeks, a miscalculation on your part, and she shivers at how cold you are. Her eyes fill with a sort of shy sadness, but her quick thinking saves you both.

"Uhh, my legs are tired too. Carry me?" she asks bashfully, knowing you can't refuse her. Of course you oblige, and as you pick her up in a piggyback ride, she wraps both your and her coat around you to keep you warm too.

~~~

The bowl clatters to the table, spilling its contents all over the surface. Your yelp is loud and sharp, reflecting the pain that covers four of your fingers in the hot soup.

"Fucking idiot," Hayoung grunts. She rushes to wipe your hand free of the liquid, while simultaneously righting and filling the bowl your dropped with cold water. She places it in front of you and dips your fingers inside.

"Be more careful next time." Her voice is stern like it always is when you get hurt. "I can't always be around to look after you and keep you safe. It's like you're doing all this on purpose, honestly."

Behind the scolding, you know her words come from a place of genuine worry and care. Of course they do; her heart can't bear seeing you in pain. Hayoung's gaze never leaves your hand, her fingers never leave your wrist. She has to make sure you're okay.

"It was just an accident, my beloved bread loaf. It wouldn't kill me." The worry in her eyes balloon more, as if she's near tears.

Ease her worries, pull her in and plant a kiss on her exposed forehead. "But okay, I'll be careful. I'm sorry."

Her gaze softens as she finally meets your eyes. A small smile forms at the corners of her mouth before her attention returns to your healing hand.

She fishes your fingers out of the bowl and carefully kisses each one after every word: "I love you too."

~~~

You find Jiwon outside the laundry room with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a finger between her teeth, evidently lost in thought. As you approach her, the smell of detergent overpowers you, and the sound of bubbles popping vigorously out of sight grows louder and louder.

She finally notices you getting closer, and she holds out her hand to stop you. "Okay, before you get mad, know that I did everything right. Something's broken."

"What did you-" you grunt, but as you round the corner and peer into the laundry room, you find the floor covered in suds and the washing machine whirring like it never whirred before.

"See? Broken." Jiwon places her hands on her hips proudly, proud to show none of this was her fault.

Your gaze flies to her in disbelief, and her features drop in disappointment. Her eyes meet the floor between her feet and her voice lowers in volume.

"You're mad," she mutters ashamedly, "I'm sorry, honey. I don't know what happened."

The washing machine finally stops whirring, but the lights all throughout your apartment flicker. You frantically rush for the circuit breaker and flip the master switch off, nearly slipping as you do, and darkness falls all around the two of you.

"It's alright," you sigh. You pat her on the shoulder and pull her in for a snuggle. "You're not hurt, honey?" Stroke her hair and comfort her, still wary that she might be keeping something else about the situation from you.

"Nope, I'm fine, but I have to own up to something: I maaaaybe forgot to read the instructions." Her laugh cuts through the tension of the situation, and you find yourself laughing with her. It'll be a headache tomorrow to get all this fixed, but for now, it's a welcome slow dance with your girlfriend in the dark.

~~~

The two of you head off to a nearby shade as Jisun hums happily at the sweet flavor of her ice cream. She's the type to take bites out of it, and while you found that a bit weird, it takes nothing away from how much you love her.

"What flavor is that again?" you ask while licking your lips free of your own ice cream. She takes a second before meeting your eyes, evidently really enjoying her cold treat.

"It's- Ahahaha, look at you!" She points to your chin while bellowing a hearty laugh. She nearly folds in half as her joy consumes her; each time she rises and takes in the sight of you, she laughs again.

Confused, you fish our your phone and inspect yourself in the screen. In your reflection you find a dab of your rocky road on your nose and a line of it from your lower lip to your chin. It suddenly connects what Jisun was laughing so hard about:

"I'm sorry, love, you a bit look like a clown!" She struggles to get her laughter under control, but loses it when you pull a funny face for her. She pounds your chest weakly, announces her sides are starting to hurt, and yet, her laughter never lets up.

There's no shame nor judgment in her reactions, and you know full well that she's only overflowing with joy to be spending a perfect day like this out with you. There's no harm in laughing at yourself once in a while, especially when you get to hear Jisun's as well.

~~~

You shut the door behind you and walk over carefully to Seoyeon's bed. She lifts up the covers and hurries you in despite you trying your hardest not to spill the ramyeon you cooked for her.

"Thaaank you, sweetheart," she cheers, taking the bowl and chopsticks from you and placing it carefully on her lap over the blanket. She cuddles up to you happily before taking her first bite of your cooking, and she shakes in contentment once the savory taste of the food washes over her tongue.

As the TV drones on in the background, you wrap her in a warm embrace. You have half a mind to scold her, wanting to tell her off for not getting up all day, but with a sight like this, you really hate to break the peace.

Instead, you watch as she devours the ramyeon bite by bite, her eyes never leaving the TV, and her head never lifting off your shoulder. The scent of her hair fills your nose, and the warmth of her body calms you down and releases tension you didn't even know you had.

"Say aaahhhhh." Seoyeon lifts up a bite of her ramyeon and blows on it, then brings it over to your mouth. She stares expectantly as she waits for you to open up, and who are you to decline?

She thoughtfully offers you the bite of her food, her food, and you eat it gratefully. Her eyes turn into crescents as her smile takes over her features, and for a moment you take in the beauty of Lee Seoyeon.

~~~

You snap what might be the millionth picture of her today, probably not even she knows how many you've taken for her so far, and hand your phone back to her for inspection.

"Hmm, no, still not it. Take a few more." She walks back to the wall and strikes another hot pose. Her finger flies towards the stairs, and you understand that she wants you at a higher vantage point for a better angle.

You take a number of steps up the flight, and point your lens at her once more. "Chae, please, we've been here for hours. Can't you just pick the best one?" you whine, but you still fulfill your duty of snapping pictures of her. The light from the flash washes over her features and figure, and you're once again reminded that she's gorgeous. Why even whine about merely taking pictures when this is your muse?

She swipes back your phone and scrolls through your gallery, carefully scrutinizing each photo. She settles on one, and favorites it. "Hehe, thank you, baby. Send all those to me except that one with the heart. "

You take back your phone and find the photo she's talking about, and you notice that by her standards it's the best one out of them all. She flashes a beautiful smile at you, no more pictures, as she wraps you in a warm and grateful embrace.

"Why not this one? I thought you'd like it the most."

"It is! And that one you keep for yourself. Only for your eyes." She kisses you playfully on the lips before smiling again, "For being the best boyfriend ever."

~~~

The live band fills the room with a sophisticated symphony, all the while pieces of silverware clink against plates and hushed, faraway voices of the snooty and rich reach your ears. You try your best to ignore the atmosphere of this fancy dinner, with the only thing in the world making it semi-bearable having a terrible time as well.

"I can't believe I let you drag me all the way out here." Nagyung's knife clacks against the fine porcelain making up her plate, most probably leaving scratch marks on the priceless dinnerware. She retrieves a poorly-cut bite of the tough steak, sighs, and eats it anyway. Nagyung spends a bit more time than usual trying to chew the meat before ultimately swallowing with a grimace. "My mouth isn't made for food like this. I need pizza and Yakult."

"If I recall correctly," you retort, your voice unexpectedly harboring a harsh tone, "it's your fault we're here. You weren't satisfied with suffering alone and you just had to bring me along as a plus-one." The fish's pepper overwhelms your taste buds and you make for your glass of water again. Just one gulp is enough to wash it down, but the sheer amount of fish left on your plate disheartens you.

"Look, I'm sorry. I knew it'd be boring, but I didn't think it would be this bad," Nagyung sighs, shuffling her peas and corn around the plate. You can tell with how she sounds that she means it, and by the way that she acts that she regrets ever mentioning this to you.

Feeling guilty at losing your temper, you attempt to reassure her. It's the least you could do, once you realize how utterly disrespectful what you just said to her was, and try to make up for embarrassing her like that. "This ends at 11, right? Just enough time to get to that Italian place by the park before it closes?"

She looks up at you with a face riddled with shock, but then is quickly replaced with a shining grin. Her teeth gleam in the candlelight as her adorable giggles reach your ears.

"We can just about make it if we break four speeding laws on the way." Her tone is now filled with an unmatched excitement, like the first shot of espresso on a dull morning.

"Awesome. Pick up the pizza, stock up on Yakult, get the hell home. Perfect crime."

Nagyung laughs out loud, attracting the attention of a few others near your table. She covers her mouth, but the smile never leaves her eyes as she whispers: "Are we stealing the pizza too? What do you mean 'crime?!'"

"Figure of speech, dummy," you declare as you twirl your fork in the air like a wizard, "But not completely off the table."

~~~

Jiheon flips the leaf over and over, examining every vein it has. Her eyes rake over the stalk to try and find any defining features at all, but her search evidently turns up nothing of value.

"What type of tree is this?" Her question is innocent, and she's so engrossed in the specimen that she even forgets to look at you.

"Damned if I knew. What am I, a tree-ologist?" Your joke steals her attention, but she responds with only a blank stare.

"Arborist," she says in passing, her attention turning back to the leaf. "They're called arborists."

"Right..." you mutter, shame rising to your cheeks at your apparently immature attempt at humor. Jiheon is too smart for you sometimes, and you don't always connect.

She picks a leaf off the branch and walks over to you. Your girlfriend drops it onto your palm and says "Keep, please. Wanna look up when we get home."

You nod and put the leaf away in your jacket pocket, and she watches as you expertly stow her specimen in a secure place on your person. Once the both of you are sure the leaf is safe, she clings to your arm and snuggles, the image of pure joy.

"What's gotten into you?" Your question is innocent and maybe a little bit dense, but it only serves to make her smile grow wider.

Jiheon snuggles more into your arm and even plants a kiss on your shoulder. She looks up at you with adoration, but something tells you she has one teeny bit of mischief up her sleeve.

"Nothing, you're just cute, that's all. Thank you." She kisses you on the cheek and refuses to explain any further. Her eyes look ahead as the two of you continue your stroll through her neighborhood.

Jiheon is too smart for you sometimes, and you don't always connect. In the rare times that you do, it feels like the world is right. But in the times that you don't, like now, it only reminds you how much more of her you're looking forward to seeing.

~~~

a/n: that was fun! thank you for the great ask anon :DDDD

[lnights]

He's also took pictures of Rilla and Rommi!! People who are attracted to animals like that are usually very good people so it makes me think Joonas is even more precious

Soft animal boy Joonas my beloved 🥺💕

[thebirdsofgay]

Really loving this Rommy entity

[vanibear]

allium duo over they are now rommy

[thatnimrodmusician]

every allium duo interraction on tubbos halloween stream is just them screaming at each other or arguing over something incredibly strupid to the point where you can’t actually distinguish their voices from each other and it all just becomes a blur of sounds and you have no idea whats happening until they both sit back and kinda just nod at someone else to continue their conversation. 

[i-love-the-smell-of-your-blood]

you get my favourite duo (other than us of course) today

and a bonus?

ROMMI!!!!

Also why does Rommi look like he's about to kill Niko in the 6th picture?

dog dad Niko when?

[donniemines]

genuinely thought bench trio were most feral when theyre all together but no. its allium duo. theyre crazy and i love them

[gingerbreadz]

i started these back when the tom simons gun vlog came out but i just finished it so oj well youre getting it late

[jslittlebirdie]

Take My Hands

Pairing: Soft!Ledger!Joker x Reader

Summary: You are tired, stressed and exhausted. But J gives you comfort by letting you hold his hands.

Word count: 1,213

Genre: fluffy comfort / self-insert

Warnings: none

Notes: I'm back with my way too soft characterization. But that's what I need right now. Because this is a self-insert and exactly what I would like to do with J. I'm longing for a break and a bit of softness. I hope this little fic brings some joy and comfort to others as well. Unedited.

Taglist: @ajokeformur-ray @sacredempressnatlyia @rommies

Another long and stressful day is slowly coming to an end. As Gotham City is slowly engulfed by the darkness of the night, you and J are sitting together on the sofa in your living room. Your back flat against his broad chest while he has both arms wrapped tightly around you, his leather clad hands resting in your lap. Your body shakes from exhaustion as you press a little closer to him to feel as much of him as possible. If you could, you would probably crawl under his skin so that he could envelop you completely and you would be safe from this cruel and overwhelming world. Only the warmth and safety of your beloved clown around you. Kind of ironic that you feel that way with him, considering who he is and how he acts when he isn't with you. But to you, he's so much more than just Gotham's most feared criminal. He's your love, your home. A small barely audible sob escapes your lips. And of course, J notices your attitude, he shushes you softly, whispering sweet nothings into your ear, and places a tender kiss on your temple. Something that immediately makes you melt. Oh, how much you love him.

You lazily turn your head and watch him for a while. His dark rimmed eyes are fixed on the TV and you see the corner of his mouth twitching upwards every now and then into a sly smirk as the reporter talks about his latest crimes. Normally, you would have asked him about his day and joyfully listened to everything he had to say. You love to listen to his wonderful gravelly voice, especially when he was full of excitement talking about his ideas. His giggles and cackles. The way he changes his voice when he makes fun of his henchmen. But you are tired. So tired…

You shift a little, your head resting against his shoulder, and bring your hands forward to meet his. You slowly and reverently trace the stitchings of his purple gloves. Even through the leather, you can feel the warmth radiating from him. In some places the material is already scuffed, dirt and stains of the day's work. But you find them incredibly pretty and if they weren't much too big, you would have stolen them long ago. Like his shirt. When you told him once, he replied that he will just hide them on a high shelf so that you can't reach them. That's how small you are. You can still hear him chuckling at his own joke.

You play with the hem of his gloves where leather stops and his wrists are exposed. Fingers move and you carefully tamper with the buckle that holds the garment in place. For a brief moment, your eyes meet as J notices what you're doing. You smile at him, heat rising in your cheeks, and he gives you one of his beautiful grins. He knows how much you love to do all this. Even if he doesn't quite understand what's so special about it. But somehow he likes it and he secretly basks in the tenderness you give him. A low hum of appreciation rumbles in his chest, so you continue, first freeing one hand and then the other.

And his hands are large. Especially compared to yours. Hands that are skillful and work with deadly precision. Hands that can destroy and take lives so easily. But also hands that are always gentle with you. You can feel the ghost of his touch on your body and you sigh softly. His touches make you feel safe, comfortable and loved. You trust him. Again, something that sounds incredibly ironic, but it's true. You know he's not going to hurt you. He decided against it a long time ago. Instead, he decided to stay with you and allow you to slowly sneak into his heart. Yes, that's exactly what you do. Every time you are together like this, you sneak a little more into his heart. To the point that every now and then he catches himself longing for you when he's out for his business. Not that he would ever admit that.

Your fingertips move over his veins that stand out so delicately until you reach the first knuckles of his fingers. His nails probably need to be clipped again soon, but there will be time for that later. You let out a breathy giggle and shake your head as you think of his reaction, how he would roll his eyes and groan dramatically. Then you turn his hands so that you can touch his palms and trace the fine lines. His skin is rough and calloused, but soft at the same time. Remnants of paint on his slender fingers, from when he put the makeup on his pretty face. If it were up to you, he wouldn't need to hide behind it. Scars or not. They are a part of him and you love all parts of him equally. To you, he's the most beautiful and handsome man, nothing can and will ever change that.

When you think you worshipped this part of his hands enough, you turn them over again. Here too, you see various small pale scars his past and job have left on his skin. Cuts, burns and even something that looks like an old gunshot wound. Your heart hurts... Sometimes it hurts so badly that you secretly wish he would cut it out and keep it. Of course, you are speaking only metaphorically. But your silly heart belongs to him and him alone. Your urge to love on him only gets stronger. You want to kiss each of his knuckles separately, every inch of his skin. So you decide to put your thoughts into action. You bring his right hand to your lips and kiss it. You pepper small, soft kisses on the entire back of his hand and pay extra attention to the marks. A cheesy thought pops into your head. - If I could, I would kiss away all his scars and bad memories. - A single tear rolls down your cheek and you quickly wipe it away, hoping he didn't notice. You're sure he doesn't like knowing how many tears you're shedding over him. But you can't help it.

You hear J sigh. Again, beautiful dark and chocolate brown eyes look at you. And if you didn't know him so well, you would miss that something soft is swirling in them. But you do know him well enough and so you get to read all the little signs of his love language. Right now you understand him very clearly. He makes you feel so content, calm and happy that you only get sleepier and you yawn. Your eyes become heavier and heavier with each passing second.

"Aww, seems like someone needs to sleep, hm?" J chuckles with mock sympathy and wraps his arms around you again. "It's fine, toots. Just rest for me, okay?" - You're safe, I'm not going anywhere. - Another tender kiss on your temple. - I love you, Y/N.

Finally, you close your eyes and let your tiredness get the better of you. But not without intertwining your fingers and giving them a gentle squeeze. You smile and whisper, "I love you too, J… Thank you."

[leopardom]

nikovilhelm Rommi

[theflyingfeeling]

Very random idea for AU, but... something along the idea "I went to my close friend's wedding, and I'm all alone and don't feel comfortable with the atmosphere of love and joy around, so I hide in a corner, but there I meet you, who is a lonely friend of the other part of now married couple, and maybe we will leave together 👀"

Bonus points for unexpected pairing

Ah, yeah, I wish that had been me at my brother's wedding last summer... 😐

I hope you like the pairing I chose 💕

Niko took a sip of the red punch as the rest of the guests cheered on when Tommi pulled Olli in for another sweet kiss to the lips. A wave of awwwwww swept over the room, and both men's cheeks were flushed, red as the liquor in Niko's glass.

It was a wedding, so of course there would be public displays of affection; Niko understood that perfectly. Yet, ever since the I dos and the kiss at the flower arch, Niko had been consciously avoiding laying his eyes on the newly-weds or anyone else at the reception for that matter. All the embraces and the sentimental expressions seemed so awfully overblown that it made Niko almost sick at the stomach.

Niko was happy that Tommi finally got around to putting a ring on Olli, his partner of five years, because of course Niko would be happy for his friend; he wasn't a heartless asshole after all. But he was a bit of a cynic, firm in his belief that those who found happiness would be better off keeping it to themselves instead of forcing other people to be interested in how smitten they were for each other, not to mention all the awkward speeches by people either too emotional to speak coherently or saying all sorts of sentimental things that sounded genuine only in Hollywood rom-coms. If Niko was the marrying type, he'd make sure that the only people hearing his vows would be the person they were directed at, and possibly the compulsory witnesses needed to make it official. The person performing the ceremony could be there too, Niko supposed, if they absolutely must.

However, that was something Niko definitely didn't have to concern himself about, since at the moment there was absolutely no one in his life to whom he could be reading sappy poems. Hell, even Rommi's love life was probably more active than his, since the cat kept disappearing into the night every evening and came back at early dawn with his pupils blown and his whiskers in wrinkles.

So far, Niko had been succesful in avoiding their mutual friends from high school, who Tommi had been much better at keeping in touch with than Niko, never mind the fact Niko didn't particularly mind not hearing from any of them since they had graduated. Even less did he care to hear how those people had met their spouses in uni or at work and were now expecting their second (or third, or fourth) child some time before Christmas, how their new log house would be finished by the end of the summer, and how they had to finally give in and get that golden retriever just to have the kids stop whining about it, and now they simply couldn't imagine life without their beloved Coco or Lucky or Rexie. Whenever Niko accidentally ended up making eye-contact with someone, he was quick to turn at his heels and escape the flood of questions and, even more so, the unprompted answers to the fartherst corner of the room, or at least hide behind the closest pole.

At around 8, Niko was all but ready to leave and begun scanning the room for Joel, who was his drive home. He frowned when he couldn't instantly spot him among the guests, so he downed the rest of his drink and headed to the bathrooms to relieve himself before proceeding in his effort to locate Joel.

Opening the door to the men's room, he no longer had to wonder where his friend had disappeared: there he was, lips glued together with the curlyhead from Tommi's bachelor party, arms wrapped around the mans' torso, eyes closed and mouth curving into a smile as they kissed eagerly. The opening of the door didn't seem to disturb them in the lightest, considering how far down the front of Joel's pants the curlyhead's hand was travelling. Niko turned around and closed the door after him before heading straight back to the bar counter.

The air in the large room felt even thicker and overly sweet than it had earlier, so Niko grabbed the gin and tonic the bartender handed him and headed outside, defying the rainy weather that had been threatening to ruin the ceremony held by the pond in the afternoon and had since forced the whole party to stay indoors.

Once he stepped outside, he felt like he could breathe freely for the first time that day. He inhaled the fresh air deep in his lungs and closed his eyes, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain and the chit-chat coming from inside.

He had left his suit jacket somewhere by his assigned seat in between Joel and one of Tommi's cousins, and he didn't really feel like going back any time soon to fetch it, so he wrapped his arms around his upper body to protect himself from Finland's chilly summer weather. He savoured the taste of the drink in his glass before swallowing it, the burn of the alcohol keeping him warm from the inside. Then he leaned his back against the wall and let his eyes close and open lazily, enjoying the peace and quiet, until the door next to him opened and a man stepped outside.

"Oof, what a weather," he chuckled, rubbing his palms together.

"Mmh," Niko only hummed, disappointed to have his little break interrupted. From the corner of his eye, he could see the man glancing at him, showing a friendly smile.

"The dance is about to start."

Niko snorted and looked down at his drink.

"Good for them, huh?"

The other man laughted shortly.

"Not a fan of dancing?"

"Not a fan of weddings, rather."

"Well, that makes two of us," the man sighed. The unexpected comment made Niko turn his head to take a better look at his new companion, who looked back at him from behind the black hair fallen on his face.

"In that case," Niko reached his hand towards the man, "I'm Niko."

"Aleksi," the other man replied and shook Niko's hand. Aleksi's palms were yet to be chilled by the air outside, making Niko want to linger in the touch a little longer.

"So," he asked. "How do you know the happy couple?"

Aleksi looked down, as if to hide his bashful smile.

"Olli is my ex. From a way back."

"Ah. Oh. Okay."

Well, that's an interesting piece of information.

"What about you?"

Niko cleared his throat, giving him a moment to collect his thoughts again. "Tommi and I went to school together. He was my roommate in uni, actually, right until he moved in with Olli."

"Oh, what a traitor," Aleksi grinned.

"I know right? Like, where do I send my notification of friend neglect?" Niko laughed, happy to hear Aleksi joining him.

"And now he has to put up with Olli's sleep-talking for the rest of his life. Seems like a fair punishment for abandoning you like that," Aleksi says.

"Olli sleep-talks?"

Aleksi nods with an amused expression. "A lot. Even wanders out of bed some nights, it's kinda creepy."

"Welp, there goes my plan of moving in their spare room. I really miss Tommi's cooking."

"Right. I guess that explains a lot," Aleksi noted. "Olli's never been much use in the kitchen."

"He's happy to have Tommi in his life, then," Niko said wistfully.

"Yeah, they seem happy," Aleksi added with a quiet voice.

"I mean," Niko paused to fix his hair, "I am thrilled for them, of course. But like... It's just..." he struggled finding the words to describe his thoughts about the whole event.

"It's a lot, isn't it? So much ado about something as simple as two people loving each other so much that they decide to share their life together. It's amazing, for sure, but it's just... not for me, you know?"

Niko stared at Aleksi, blinking as what the man just said sank in his brain.

"Yeah, I... Actually, I totally get what you mean," he said and took a few steps closer to Aleksi. "And it doesn't exactly help that everyone else in there is draping themselves on someone else. Like, how to tell me I'm the only single over the age of fifteen here without telling I'm the only single over the age of fifteen here?"

Please get the hint, please get the hint.

"Oh," Aleksi said, his eyes glistening through the curtain of black hair, "You're not the only single here."

Niko fought back his smile, which was a strenuous effort. Then he inhaled sharply, bracing himself for his next question.

"Did you come by car?"

"I did. Why?"

Niko emptied his glass and nodded towards the door leading back inside.

"As much as I love Tommi and his new bride, their bartender can't make a proper drink to save his life, so why don't we go back in there to get our jackets and take this party some place else where they serve real booze?"

Aleksi raised his eyebrows, momentarily scaring Niko into thinking he had totally been misreading the situation. His worries were washed away by the rain, however, when the corners of Aleksi's lips started slowly curving upwards.

"I'll meet you here in a minute, yeah?"

[freebooter4ever]

The Shelton’s Christmas Card 1949 | Art Prints | Sledgefu Masterlist

Dear Burgie,

Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I realize this is a month late. It is entirely my fault. I gave the film to Snafu to take into town and develop. And then the canister sat in Snafu’s truck for three weeks before either of us realized. Snaf is watching me write this or else I would blame him more harshly. 

My beloved Snafu requests I add that the reason he was distracted was because he was too busy building tiny houses for my garden. Ever since we moved up North to “Wild Country” (as my mother calls it), my more delicate plants have taken a real beating during winter. At first I used tarp to cover them, but then Snaf found some old wood in the lumber yard, and he got one of his ideas. Two months later we now have a miniature town in my garden. Snafu gave all the little buildings names like “General Store” and “Library” and “Saloon” (Snaf’s favorite). And every morning I expect to go outside to water only to discover the squirrels having a gun fight in the middle of our tiny Main Street like we are truly living in the “Wild West” my mother fears so much.

Snafu insists I include his schematics in this letter, and that I tell you to tell Florence that the little houses are hollowed out underneath with no bottom so they can be easily fitted over any plant size and lifted off depending on the weather. I tried to tell him Texas has no such cold problems like we do in Oregon, but no dice. He insists. Take it up with him.

Okay, Snaf’s gone away now that he is satisfied with the contents of my letter, and I can write freely. I do love Snafu so damn much, Burgie. I don’t know how we four - me and Snaf - you and Florence - got so gosh darned lucky ending up like this. When the snow thaws you guys will have to come visit us again. You know how much Snafu and Florence enjoy taking that gaudy boat of his out on the river to catch no fish.

Inside the big package with this letter is a wooden fire truck Snaf carved and built for Rommy Jr. I supervised and made sure none of the moving parts were too small to break off so it should be safe, but now you are aware of what’s inside that box so if you want to wait to give it to him in a year when he turns five, you can.

The apron in the box is for Florence. I sewed it specially with her in mind. I know she doesn’t like any flounces so I left those off, and the ties are short enough that Rommy Jr. can’t grab onto them when he’s toddling around. I hope she likes the sunflower pattern. It felt very bright, and sunny, but still no nonsense. I’m learning to sew aprons very well because Snafu has a tendency to cook in the nude, and at least this way he has one bit of cloth between the fool’s delicate skin and extremely hot grease. Unlike Florence, Snafu likes when I sew flounces and ruffles into his aprons, so I’m getting to experiment with all kinds of stitching. Please don’t tell Snafu or Florence I told you any of this.

All our love to the family, and the kangaroos, and cattle,

Eugene and Merriell

[ghostbonetv]

Rommy my beloved

[tcm]

A History of Hollywood Dog Stars by Susan King

Over the years, I have received hugs and pecks on the cheek from my interviews. But alas, I was taken aback when one star of an Oscar-winning best film gave me a French kiss. But before we get all #MeToo about the kiss, I have to tell you that the roué who gave me the kiss was none other than the late four-legged scene stealer Uggie from 2011’s THE ARTIST.

I was sitting in the living room of the house that adorable Jack Russell shared with his trainer Omar von Muller and his family: six other dogs, two cats and even some birds to talk to the Palm Dog Award winner because he had—with the help of Wendy Holden—penned his autobiography Uggie--My Story. He bounded into the small living room, gave me the “kiss” and stuck his nose in my purse, probably looking for food!

I’ve also had other close encounters with famous four-legged stars, like Cosmo, the adorable Jack Russell from the 2011 film BEGINNERS for which Christopher Plummer won the Academy Award. Cosmo sat on my lap with his squeaky toy in his mouth while I pet him. And then there was Enzo, another Jack Russell, who starred in the 2000 weepie MY DOG SKIP (he was also the son of Moose who played Eddie on Frasier). Enzo was so relaxed during our meet and greet, that he flopped on his back and enjoyed a good scratch on the rug during the interview.

I’ve petted horses, met zebras and talked to numerous trainers including two camel handlers. I think my love affair with animals began because of Walt Disney. He was always presenting animal-themed episodes of his TV series and I would also beg my parents to take me to such Disney flicks as THE SHAGGY DOG (’59), THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA (’63), THAT DARN CAT (‘65) and THE UGLY DACHSHUND (’66).

Though every type of animal imaginable has played integral roles in film, it is man’s best friend that has become cinematic superstars. A collie named Blair is credited as the first dog star. The family pet of British director Cecil Hepworth, Blair made his film debut in his owner’s 1905 thriller RESCUED BY ROVER. The film became notable for its cinematic advancements to the medium and Blair became a star. The short was such a hit, the negative wore out and Hepworth had to reshoot the film twice.

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the 1918 Charlie Chaplin short A DOG’S LIFE in which the Tramp befriends an adorable strayed white dog named Scraps, described in the comedy as a thoroughbred mongrel. Scraps was played by Mut, whom Chaplin found at a shelter. The two had a strong bond and after the film was completed, Chaplin made him the mascot of Chaplin Studios on La Brea in Hollywood (now Henson Studios). But Mut became a lost soul when Chaplin left to sell Liberty Bonds to benefit the U.S. World War I effort. He reportedly stopped eating and died of a broken heart shortly before Chaplin returned home. He was buried on the lot.

Rin Tin Tin was the first canine superstar. The stunning German Shepherd was discovered in 1918 in a bombed-out dog kennel on a battlefield in Lorraine, France by a U.S. serviceman named Lee Duncan. He brought “Rinty” (Duncan’s nickname for the dog) and his sister Nanette back to California and began to train them. Rinty was “discovered” performing at a dog show four years later in Los Angeles, and in 1926, Rinty was the biggest box-office star in the world. He appeared in 27 films and helped make Warner Bros. studios a success in the late 1920s. Rinty was given the key to New York City and he was even featured in ads for Ken-L Ration, Ken-L-Biskit and Pup-E-Crumbles. He died in 1932 at the age of 13.

Susan Orlean, author of the bestseller Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend, told me in a 2012 interview for the L.A. Times that she fell in love with the breed of dog watching the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. “I just thought he was a cool dog, then I watched his silent films and you are kind of taken aback,” she noted. “He is a really good actor. He had charisma. He had a real presence on film. I think the proof is in the statistics when you appreciate how many other dogs there were in films at the time and how many of them we remember. It is kind of a statement of his ability to project something special.”

Though Rin Tin Tin was a dramatic canine there were also several comic dogs, such Pete the Pup with the bulls-eye circle around his eye in the Our Gang and Little Rascals comedies. Also, Skippy, the adorable wire-haired terrier who played Nick and Nora Charles’ pooch Asta in The Thin Man movies, Mr. Smith in THE AWFUL TRUTH (’37), George in BRINGING UP BABY (’38) and Mr. Atlas TOPPER TAKES A TRIP (’38).

And of course, who could forget Terry? The talented Cairn Terrier who performed in 16 movies, most famously as Dorothy’s constant companion Toto in 1939’s beloved THE WIZARD OF OZ. The diminutive pooch did all of her own stunts and unfortunately during production, one of the Winkie guards stepped on her foot. She spent two weeks recuperating from her ankle injury at star Judy Garland’s house before she returned to the sound stage. Her last film was 1942’s TORTILLA FLAT. She died at the age of 11 in 1945. Her daughter Rommy also got into the act, appearing in such films as REAP THE WILD WIND (’42), AIR FORCE (‘43) and WITHOUT LOVE (‘45). There is a permanent memorial for Terry at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Garland also is now buried at the famed cemetery.

One of my favorite memories growing up was watching Lassie Sunday evenings on CBS. Since I was a toddler, I loved the beautiful collie and dreamed of owning one. I had no idea that Lassie was actually played by a boy and that he had been a superstar at MGM in the 1943 family classic as LASSIE COME HOME, as well as such hits as SON OF LASSIE (‘45) and 1946’s COURAGE OF LASSIE (‘46).

Lassie was played by Pal in all seven Lassie movies, the 1940’s radio series and the pilot episode of the television series. Pal, who was born in North Hollywood, had a fondness for chasing motorcycles. “He was a great dog all the way around,” trainer Bob Weatherwax told me in a 2002 L.A. Times interview. He was the son of Pal’s trainer, Rudd Weatherwax. “All the Lassies have been great dogs, but this was a particularly great dog in the sense that he was very physical and almost was never doubled.” MGM initially cast a prize female collie to star in the 1943 film and hired a trainer with scant movie experience. To be on the safe side, said Weatherwax, the production manager hired his father and Pal just in case the star wouldn’t perform. And it wasn’t too long into the production the star refused to swim in the river.

Weatherwax’s father had not only taught Pal how to swim, he also choreographed the sequence to demonstrate the dog’s uncanny acting abilities. “When Pal swam the river, when he came out the other side, my father had him collapse and crawl and get on his side and struggle. The director, Freddy Wilcox, got up and said ‘Well, Pal swam in and Lassie swam out.’” When he wasn’t in front of the camera, Pal went on press tours and visited children and World War II vets. He retired at the age of 14 and died at the age of 18 in 1958. And every Lassie since then have been descended from the legendary Pal.