#she also helped a lot with the filming of action scenes for my stand in

[poomphuripan]

Ladies of My Stand-In (2024) dir. Pepzi Banchorn Vorasataree

[impactrueno]

hello dear! I was wondering and i apologize if you’ve already been asked but I was curious…ik that that toonjuice cares about Lydia like a niece/daughter, and the musical cares about her too, how would both react at how keetenjuice treated movie Lydia in the first film when she was a kid?…like say they never knew he was a p#do, how would they react? (And I’m sorry if this sounds bad or weird I’m just curious if they’re protective and shit or?…😭😭)

ok sorry first off i gotta reiterate: movie beetlejuice is not....a pedo....he was just using lydia as a green card thing just like musical beetlejuice.........he says it himself

this misconception comes from people repeating it a lot, especially after they spread the knowledge about the first versions of the movie script (which they changed for good reason,) but when you watch the actual movie and pay attention to what he says and how the wedding goes, it's a lot more clear that his sole intent was to cross over as soon as the wedding was finalized and get the hell out. especially now that we can compare that scene to the sequel where he actually IS into lydia now as an adult (which is creepy as hell on its own but it's very much not pedophilia let's not water down the terms here) and THIS wedding is like a WHOLE thing, he relishes it, he's not frantically hurrying it up, he takes his sweet time trying to woo lydia and enjoys it. his attitude could not be more different this time around

ok now that that's out of the way

if you're asking about my comics specifically, i've been writing them like they're already caught up with what went down with their respective lydias. each of them knows that movie bj tried to marry his lydia twice and has been stalking her for 30 years (he himself mentions it and musical bj uses that against him to insult him,) that musical bj DID marry his lydia but she immediately killed him (cartoon bj called her the "little black widow" and movie bj mocks him for getting tricked into it, as if he himself didn't also get tricked into marriage and murdered by his first wife lol) and that cartoon bj is best friends with his lydia and hangs out with her all the time (babysitting her, as movie bj put it.) the rest, they've been finding out through their conversations.

cartoon bj as we already know is jealously protective of his lydia, but musical bj ehhh not that much. hell, i'd argue he needs to be protected from her, lol.

i think he just knows she can take care of herself, she IS tougher than she looks and he can personally vouch for that. he did step in to save her from his mother, but i think that might've just been because he literally owed her his (incredibly brief) life and he wasn't gonna let someone take that from her. that has more to do with how he himself feels about life and death than how he feels about his lydia, i think. i'm not saying he doesn't care about her because he clearly does. but it's not like the dynamic cartoon bj and lyds have.

cartoon bj's protectiveness of lydia stems solely from how much he cares about her. he's not noble, he's not a hero, he's not a good guy, he doesn't protect her because it's the right thing to do, but because that's HIS best friend and no one better touch a hair on her head or take her away from him. a little selfish but oddly sweet in his own beetlejuicey way. lydia thinks so, at least.

i went off on a tangent here but i think establishing how they feel will help ppl understand where i'm coming from with this argument.

your question is how they would react to learning how movie bj treated his lydia when she was 15:

i talked a bit about how cartoon bj wouldn't stand up to the other two because he knows he has no room to talk, and i think he would only take action if either of them tried to do anything to his lydia (which they won't, obviously, but HE doesn't know that and doesn't trust them) but he also can't help but have a fondness for the other two lydias even if he doesn't really know them. he probably thinks hey if they're lydia, they're probably great. cartoon lydia has similar feelings about the other two juices; she thinks they can't possibly be that bad. but she's not stupid, she's also a bit wary. i think she just wants to get to know them and understand them, maybe sees them as misunderstood, just like how she sees her own beej.

now musical bj.........lol he would be the KING OF HYPOCRITES if he gave movie bj any shit about what he did, because he did exactly the same and was WAY more aggressive about it. he's extremely volatile and that makes him the most dangerous of the three in my opinion. he and lydia became friends, she left him alone for a bit to find out if she could see her dead mom again, his mommy issues and abandonment issues made him take that extremely personally ("you wanna treat me like a demon? then i'll be a demon") and he immediately decided he was gonna backstab her and force her to marry him so he could become alive and not be alone anymore. he tricked her the exact same way jeremy tricked astrid and almost got barbara killed just to extort lydia into agreeing to the marriage and possibly to also get back at her for leaving him, at the maitlands for helping her and everyone else for getting in his way. full on rampage. then when he falls for her bait and switch, he goes "ok well my plan failed so now i'm gonna kill ALL OF YOU"

if anything i think movie bj would be the one questioning musical bj about this stuff, especially now that he seems to have genuine feelings for lydia and helped her save astrid and get rid of rory (the rory thing was a freebie too, but i guess he needed him out of the picture if he planned to marry lydia anyway.) how he dealt with rory and jeremy shows that he actually has some integrity, and from how he talks about dolores we know that "even he has his limits." he follows through with every single deal he's made and he's never lied to lydia once. you can't say the same thing for the other two juices (cartoon bj constantly disappointing his lydia with his lies and lack of integrity, and musical bj for lying to, tricking and backstabbing his lydia)

i think movie bj would come up to musical bj, drape an arm over his shoulder to pull him closer "hey c'mere. lawrence. may i call you lawrence? just wanted to know what the hell is yer damage. lydia can teach ya some breathing exercises to, yknow, control yer emotions so you can stop making a fool of yerself know what i mean?" pat him firmly and stare him down with a scary sleazy smile. musical bj does need therapy. like. asap lol

it's interesting because it's not how you would expect things to go. but when you look closely and compare each of them....it's what makes the most sense.

at least that's what i think, this is all my opinion of course

[studio-of-woof]

Ruh roh I’m having a funny idea again.

So a friend and I were talking last night about the Roger Rabbit universe and I had Digital Circus fresh on my mind. So I kept thinking about a Digital Circus actor AU.

Glitch Productions being this big recording studio with the sets of like, Murder Drones, Digital Circus and Gaslight District (that one still being under construction).

The Digital Circus cast would be rather different off-camera, like for example maybe Caine is actually kinda socially awkward yet still a loud boi. And this is his first big major role in a project.

Caine Interview:

“How did you end up with the role, Caine?”

“Well… Goose has heard my voiceover performances before and was like “I gotta get this guy on for something!” And so when I auditioned I kinda just got hired on the spot!”

Pomni would still be a bit reserved but she has a lot of confidence for acting. My friend also mentioned how she would probably have a lot of experience under her belt and so she’d kinda help mentor some of the more newer actors, like Caine and Ragatha.

Speaking of Ragatha… my friend said this about her

“Yes, and Ragatha played her character while doing collage and did not expect the show to blow up. She got to finish her last year before filming it full time.”

So the idea of Ragatha’s role also being a first big major role came to mind. So Pomni tries to mentor her, which is kind of a funny image.

Ragatha would still be the mom friend of the group for sure, she would make sure someone’s okay after doing a risky or scary scene.

Ragatha and Pomni interview:

“Pomni’s been kinda helping me with my role, like just—“

“Slowly kind of directing you?”

“That, yeah. [laughing]”

“Of course not disregarding the actual director!”

“Yeah no the director’s great, you’re great. [laughing]”

“But like, with that scene in the hallway? Where I had to act all frazzled? That took a few takes but eventually I got it down pat. I think it would’ve taken longer if Pomni wasn’t there to kinda help me with finding the right… uh… tone I guess?”

“Yeah, tone. You did amazing by the way!”

“No you did amazing!”

Now Jax is a fun one. He’s not a complete douche off camera but he still likes play harmless pranks on set. You know those pixar bloopers? Kind of like that.

Like being in scenes where he’s not supposed to be.

[Filming the scene where Pomni tries to find Caine]

“And… action!”

[Pomni opens up one of the doors. Only to see Jax standing there.]

“Sup?”

“[Laughing] HOW DID YOU GET THERE??”

“Cut!”

I’d also picture whenever he has to be a douche in a scene he’d apologise immediately after when the cameras cut off.

[Filming]

“Ladies first! … No wait why would I say that?”

[Jax pushes Gangle over]

“… and cut! That was good!”

[Jax helping Gangle up]

“I am so sorry-“

“Did I push too hard?”

“Yeah nah you’re good.”

“Alright cool. [giggling]”

Also this it was mentioned during the more recent Hunicast that everyone gets caught off-guard whenever Michael plays Jax since Michael isn’t like Jax at all, I reckon it’d be the same in this universe.

Jax interview:

“Everyone on set has said to me at least once that I don’t act like my character at all and it catches them off guard completely. I just think that’s really funny.”

The idea of Gangle being a really good actor so much so that she puts on a voice for the character has crossed my mind. Much like her VA she’d have a more deeper voice. Yet when acting she puts on the high pitched and nasally voice. Also my friend mentioned how she would say “bro” off-set so that’s a funny thought.

[Filming]

“Bro my comedy mask!”

“Cut!”

“Ah my bad.”

Not much to really say about Kinger, but I did have the idea of him accidentally pulling a hip or something when he did the scene where he spazzes out.

[Filming]

“They’re the two most mentally stable and capable characters to be pai—“

“OWWW! OUH! OUUHH! I think I pulled something!”

“Oh shit you alright?”

“Ye-Yeah yeah I think- I think I should go sit down can we take 5?”

Zooble is just a very chill person off-set. They still maintain that “idgaf” attitude, but they’re less rude about it. Though they would still have a foul-mouth. There also was probably a few times where they got caught smoking weed or having an edible behind the studio after filming.

Zooble Interview:

“Did the Gloink Queen actually eat you on set?”

“Ha. Nah. The one you saw get swallowed was a prop replica of my head. They got it pretty accurately for the budget we had at the time.”

Zooble and Gangle are besties in character and off camera for sure, but there would also be times where Zooble hangs around Ragatha a lot, kind of just unknowingly adopting her as their on-set mother lol (I blame you @/mod-bee)

More interviews:

“Are you scared of centipedes, like actually?”

“Out of character? Oh yeah. Definitely. Too many legs. No thanks. [laughing]”

“Is it sometimes frustrating having to put yourself back together a lot?”

“Eh, sometimes. It is what it is, y’know? Plus as much as I have issues with his bod, it’s helped me gotten the role so… I can at least thank it for that.”

“What’s the worst prank Jax has pulled on set?”

“He hasn’t done anything remotely harmful, he’s too nice for that. But I’d say the time he made Zooble think they actually choked him out. He was a little too good at the bit I’d say. Zooble had words for him after that stunt. [slight chuckle]”

“The one time I regret nothing.”

“Did you end up getting hurt by that bowling ball Jax hurled at you?”

“Oh that? That was a stunt double! Thank god for stunt doubles. We actually go get drinks every now and again. It freaks out the local drunks every time.”

“A lot of people online have said you look like you suffer from scoliosis, is that true?”

“How can I suffer from scoliosis if I don’t even have a spine to begin with? [laughing]”

“Are all your more… cartoony movements CGI? Any special effects involved?”

“Well…. Don’t spread this around.. but… that’s all me. It’s a special talent I have.”

“Huh. Interesting. Does that mean you can actually fly?”

“I dunno! You tell me!”

[Caine slowly floats above his seat]

Bonus:

Whenever they’re not acting on the set of Murder Drones, Uzi, N and V help out with the more technical side of filming. Cameras, lights, and whatnot. Since they can fly they help out with filming bird’s eye view shots.

[lilpotatjj]

A/N: I can't belive this is happening. I just thought to give it a try and honestly it was so hard to write that BUT I read so much other Bella smut....here we go. This is my first smut and I think I only write another smut with requests cause I can't tell how often I was hiding under my blanket in shame. It's so different writing a smut story or reading good smut.

So if you guys want some naughty stuff request me.

WARNING: soft smut, fingering, no big things, just cute slice of live between Reader/Fem!Reader x Bella

Summery: Bella comes home from the set after a long day of filming and is completely exhausted, also have lots of wounds caused of the action. It didn't go quite as she had imagined and she had to keep repeating the same scene. You notice her mood and want to do everything to make her feel better.

Wordcount: 900

Proofread: Nope

Sweetn' Hot Steam (18+)

With a jerk, the door to your flat slams shut and all you hear is an annoyed gasp.

Bella enters completely exhausted, takes off her glasses and removes her scrunchie from her hair.

"todays filming was rough huh?" you stand up and walk towards her. "please don't remind me anymore....I have a bunch of bruises and abrasions from fighting" Bella grabs the back of her neck and rubs it.

"what fight scene?" you stand behind her and massage her neck.

"Nora vs Ellie.....too much running....too much knife action. I mean it was fun but something always didn't fit and we had to keep repeating" Bella looks behind you without turning.

"Sounds exhausting but you did good babe" You start kissing her neck which Bella obviously enjoys.

"I'm going to take a shower" She walks towards the bathroom and grabs a towel.

"I'll come with you and check your injuries. We don't want anything to get infected unnoticed" You grin and close the bathroom door behind you.

"my right arm hurts pretty bad....I don't know how many times I've pulled out my knife today and tried to kill Nora" Bella tries to take off her hoodie and fails miserably. "It's OK, I'll help you" You slowly pull on the sleeves and manage to take it off. Aside you first see the extent of today's filming.

"oh baby you look....good...?" you smirk and slowly stroke over the individual bruises and discover one or two abrasions.

"ohman I just want to take a shower and get rid of the dirt...I look like shit" Obviously uncomfortable with the idea of showing herself to you, she continues to undress. "I'll turn on the shower and come in with you" you also undress and look at her legs, which are completely covered in bruises.

"don't worry sweety I still love you" you go into the shower together and the warm water runs over both your bodies. You take a closer look at her wounds and crouch down to her leg injuries. "It looks really painful..." You grab one of your sponges and start gently wiping the sensitive skin, noticing that she gets goose bumps right away, and gently continue.

"feels good...." Bella closes her eyes a little and enjoys every touch of yours.

You start to kiss her gently and lovingly on her thighs and immediately notice that she flinches a little. The sponge moves up to her belly without stopping to kiss her thighs. "Y/N....." Bella looks at you in a daze and your kisses continue to move towards her centre.

Once there, you suck on her clit and she almost loses her grip on her legs. "feels so good...." She mumbles and grips your hair tightly with her fingers while you elicit a low moan from her again and again.

You only stop to continue at her chest, very tenderly and gently, sucking on her nipples. She puts her head back against the wall and closes her eyes to surrender more to the feeling after that rough day.

"relax baby" you kiss your way up to her neck and suck lovingly, grabbing her hair and getting greedier and greedier. The reason Bella is so wet is not because of the shower. Your hand gently strokes her sensitive spot, causing her soft moans to intensify.

You can't stop kissing her and keep biting her neck only to lick it apologetically afterwards. One finger penetrates her far too easily, which is why you immediately follow up with another. The neighbours in the hotel room next door can certainly hear how happy you are making her, but that doesn't matter at the moment, because all that matters now is you and Bella.

"you like it huh?" you tease her further,kiss and praise her and speed up your fingers which is the reason she becomes a moaning mess. "just like that....relax sweetheart and just let go all of that crap for today" She is getting almost too close and her legs shaking more and more bringing her on edge of her own universe. "do...don't stop please" she begs pathetically and melting complete in your grip.

The way she's wet even trough the hot water almost drives you crazy, so you have to hold back a lot from playing with yourself. Her moans are impossible to ignore and Bella has trouble catching her breath "your....y...your to...good...." she holds onto your hair with all her might and puts her head in your neck, screaming all her emotions into your ear while she comes all over your hand. "fuck......." You move a little more so she can gasp for air and Bella just hides her face in your neck a little longer. "holy shit...." her whole body still shaking, you hold her tight, stroking her back. "love you so much" she kisses your lips tenderly and the hot water still pours all over your hot bodys and the whole bathroom is full of hot steam. "I feel so much better" she smiles into the kiss. "have only tended your wounds..." you break away from the kiss with an amorous smile. "love you too my everything"

[miradanii]

More Transformers Spoiler thoughts...it's a jumbled mess.

1. I don't know why I didn't catch the rocks in the mines were moving on their own for the first time.

2. Also, I noticed and kept laughing way too much when someone said the word MINERS. Like I can't. It's the point where I wish there was a secondary word for it so I can stop giggling when someone on screen refers to them.

3. Silverbolt and Jetfire are in the race!!! And now gives me a shit ton of questions aside from the organic life that's on the surface of cybertron.

4. they did a close up shot of Optimus grabbing on to D-16 when he's about to go off the edge of the road. Had an ouch in the moment.

5. I wanted to watch this movie again cause someone pointed out how D-16 licks his teeth before fighting Starscream and...yeah wow one side of me appreciates small details about a character. Like think of Chihiro in Spirited away putting on her shoes and after standing up tapping the tip of her feet so the shoe feet's right before walking off. There's a lot of mini actions characters kinda do that you might miss and it's just wonderful attention to detail....and the other side of me just wanted to witness this man's tongue for myself because I did not catch it the first time. Because my first thought seeing the screenshot was...."they have tounges?" And I see it right?

I won't comment further.

6. Watching a second time had me pay way more attention to D-16's decent and inevitably to become Megatron. Cause I have seen some of the criticisms. Of maybe it coming out of nowhere or could do a bit more and yeah maybe? It felt much smoother second time around.

7. I also didn't realize Sentinel was the one who told him to "Rise Up" and not even like 10 minutes later D-16 uses it in his grand speech/as Megatron in the aftercredits. Orion making such a bad move to tell him not to be like Sentinal just ahhhh. So this reminded me of a show that did the same thing, a friend turning evil before their eyes, but despite being a good person, she says all the wrong things in the moment. Literally everything wrong.

Orion begging D-16 not to be like Sentinal is not what should even be said at the moment. It just made him more defensive and double down.

8. Facial expressions that are ingrained in my head

-B-127's face when D-16 is arguing with Oron nearly insulting B in his face.

-Orion's really sad during the second half of the movie

-Megatron's optics slightly dimming for a few seconds when Optimus tells him that he's banished from Iacon.

-Elita's change of expression when they reach the surface and Optimus looks at her though in the trailers seems romantic (knowing the history of Oplita) but it's more relief and a I told you so kind of way????

9. I like Elita more now. Her dialogue is what uplifts it for me, mostly in the realm of a supervisor in desperate need of a promotion. Idk if you work 9-5 or a nightshift that spans 10 hours her dialogue is really funny to me.

My least favorite trope is when there's just "girl that is competent and kick ass". For once, Transformers One doesn't let that bother me.

Pretty much due to all the characters having the same level of combat knowledge or scenes punching Orion because it's funny. Arguably Elita-1 doesn't heave weapons like the dudes, and is a fucking bike...and she's pink but overall it's not like there's anywhere in the film that remotely mentions any type of sexism or "girl needs to prove something". She was kinda already doing that with her job until she got fucked over.

Having at least another character relating to her goals in the movie helps too. She and D-16 emphasize wanting to rise the ranks and fear demotion/living through it.

(Now that I think about it...Elita hinting to becoming close to Optimus after Megs is more entwined in the story than I thought. It feels like a slow friend switch and then B-127 is also there).

I wanna see the movie again so I can she Elita-1 and D-16's interactions. Cause I can't think of any specific ones at the top of my head aside from the fight at the end.

10. I love B-127. I think he's a bit older given his immediate knowledge of the High Guard (idk)??? Yeah it's a gag pointing out WaveWave but I like it's his character moment where he just contributes to knowing something.

[lightofraye]

No way! GLEN POWELL?!?!?!? You're a fan too????!!!!

Oh boy.

All caps. Tons of exclamation marks and question marks.

I'm in trouble, aren't I?

Because... yes! I'm a huge fan of Glen's! And it's not because he has a hot bod either!

(Thank you, Top Gun: Maverick, for that volleyball scene. Ahem.)

But no, in all seriousness, the first role I distinctly remember him in was playing that stock market guy in The Dark Knight Rises--the one who promptly got his head beat in by Bane.

Why did it make an impression on me? Because I believed it when he stood up to Bane. It was a stand out scene.

Later, Hidden Figures, I remembered liking John Glenn--and hilariously didn't make the connection of the actor! Not until much later. He made other small roles that I remembered... and then forgot the actor. (Hey, life is busy.)

Then Top Gun: Maverick came out and I remembered sitting back in my seat and going, "Who the fuck was that?!"

Because wow. Arrogant, snarky, could back up his claims. It was another Tom Cruise in so many ways. Hangman, Glen's character, was just like Maverick, Tom Cruise's character. He popped on the screen and I just had to know more about him.

Cue a deep dive in his history, his Instagram, and his roles. And discovering he was in other roles that I liked!

Then learning about his history as an actor. He said it was Denzel Washington who inspired him to make a try for it in Hollywood--a real try.

By 2007, Glen had made a few roles, small ones, but he credits Denzel for putting faith in himself. Trying out for The Great Debaters, Denzel asked Glen to come back and try for a bigger role... and to drop his noticeable Texas accent. Glen was determined to impress the movie's producers--and succeeded.

He was just 17 years old.

Glen recounted Denzel's advice to him:

"This race, Hollywood, it's a marathon, not a sprint," Powell relayed from the Oscar-winner's advice. "You're running your own race. Don't look in the other lanes. It doesn't matter how fast somebody else is going, where they're going, or if they look better doing it. It doesn't matter."

When he tried out for The Expendables 3, he wrote to Sly Stallone and explained why he was the best choice for the role. Later, Stallone told him it was the reason he got the job.

He then got into Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens on Fox. (And making friends with John Stamos!) It helped him show off his comedic skills and helped make his name in Hollywood.

He actually admitted when he got into Hidden Figures, he was worried he ruined it. It was such a powerful movie and he feared he wrecked it. (Needless to say, no, he didn't. That movie shone!)

He made a rom-com with Zoey Deutch on Netflix that also cinched his skills as an actor who could do romance, comedy, and Top Gun (along with The Expendables) showed he could also do action. He's very well-rounded as an actor.

But what really catapulted him was Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney. For the last few years, Hollywood had struggled to make really big rom-coms (in my humble opinion). Most just don't really break the box office.

Then Sydney Sweeney came along with her clever mind and manipulated the hell out of the chemistry between her and Glen. It worked too well--he had been in a three year relationship with Gigi Paris.

During the filming of Anyone But You, there were so many candids, behind the scenes photographs, that left quite a few convinced Sydney and Glen were having an affair. (Sydney is very much engaged with her longtime boyfriend of, what, 6 years now?) But some speculated it was too much for Gigi and she broke it off.

It's never been confirmed as to why they broke up, but it was interesting....

Then Glen went and adopted a freakin' adorable dog, a mutt, and named it Brisket. That dog has been with him everywhere now! Even during promos!

What I like about Glen? He includes his parents in a lot of his movies as extras! He's frequently seen with his niece and nephew, photographs with them all the time... and a couple of years ago, reenacted, I kid you not, some scenes from ELF in New York with his family. (Seriously. Watch it. I couldn't stop laughing.)

He's made a hit for Netflix with Hit Man. Twisters is doing pretty well in theaters. He's so busy I'm staring at his schedule and thinking to myself, "When does he have time to breathe?!"

What I'm also impressed with is how, upon talking to Matthew McConaughey and realizing how soul-sucking Los Angeles could be, Glen sold his home in Los Angeles and relocated back to Texas!

My last tidbit of amusement? He has green eyes. He's Texan.

Seriously, what is it with me and green-eyed men from Texas? Yeesh.

(I turned into a gossip columnist. Haha!)

[stephstars08]

Still Alive ~ Chapter Four

Ethan Landry x Reader

Warnings: Murder, Violence, Weapons, Adult Language, Parent Issues, Nightmares, Trauma, Death Threats, Angst, A tiny bit of Fluff, Blood, Ghostface Attack, and Stabbing. (Sorry if I forgot any!)

Word Count: 2,540

Author’s Note: Hello Again Everyone! Happy to say that this chapter is finally when the action starts to begin!!! I wanted to tell you all now that I am currently writing another scream fanfic however this is in a universe where there is no ghostface! It takes place in high school. It’s based off the song called Teenage Dirtbag. It’s a Ethan x Reader story again. I will say it won’t be ready to post for a while since I’ve got a lot going on in my personally life so my writing process is slowed at the moment. I have a Jack Champion one shot in mind that includes some of the Avatar cast. I do want to write some Avatar stories as well which I know will be a challenge that I’m up for! Anyways, thank you to the ones who are reading this and the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter and next chapter will be posted Sunday!

When Chad brought Sam into the apartment Y/N was sitting with Ethan on the chair while Quinn was sitting on the couch with Mindy and Anika. Tara was sitting on a different chair by herself. Everyone had a worried gaze on the TV. A guy who lives downstairs followed Sam which Quinn noticed right away. “Cute boy. Nice!” Quinn said to Sam with a nod of her head. “What’s going on?” Sam asked with worry in her tone. Chad just pointed at the television.

 “I’m standing in front of the apartment building where the mutilated bodies were found.” The reporter said. Everyone in the room had their eyes glued to the screen. “Their names have been released by the police. Jason Carvey, and Greg-.” The reporter said but before the group could listen to the last name of the other victim Mindy spoke.  “Holy shit, that’s that chod from our film studies class! The one obsessed with Orchento.” Mindy said to Tara in a surprised tone. “Also found at the scene were various Ghostface costumes, the character popularized by the ‘Stab’ movie franchise.” The reporter said.

 Y/N felt her whole-body tense up. She quickly thought back to the party. That guy who was dressed as Ghostface. Could that have been one of them? Did they go and kill those guys and head right to the party acting like it was nothing? She jumped a little when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders but quickly relaxed when she realized it was just Ethan. He gave her a comforting smile which helped her relax. She returned the smile but also felt a strong glare on them. When she looked over, she noticed it was Quinn looking at them with a glare. When their eyes met Quinn looked away and back to the television. Y/N is close to everyone in this room but Quinn. She feels like Quinn has a huge problem with her and she has no idea why.

 “Pack a bag, we leave in ten.” Sam told Tara in a stern tone and walked out of the room. “Sam! Wait, Sam!” Tara called out as she quickly stood up. “We’re getting out of the city.” Sam called out from the kitchen. “What?” Cute boy said with a mixture of confusion and concern in his tone. “Thank you, very much suspicious new guy, but I think we can handle it from here. Have a good night, get home safe.” Chad said as he pushed the guy out of the apartment and shut the door.

 Tara called out to Sam again. Sam grabbed a knife and walked back into the living room. “Sam wh-what, hold on.” Tara said with panic in her tone because of her sister holding a huge kitchen knife. “Come on.” Sam said to her, acting all calm. “Hold on, wait, let’s talk about this for a second.” Tara started. “Cause’ this-this might not have anything to do with us.” Tara explained stumbling over her words again. “Are you serious?” Sam said she was starting to get annoyed with her sister again. “You knew him!” Sam hissed pointing at the TV. “Barely.” Tara hissed back.

 “Chad, Mindy, Y/N, back me up.” Sam called out to them trying to get some sense into Tara. “I mean it is a little bit- “Chad started to say shuffling his feet around. “Close to home.” Mindy said finishing Chad’s sentence. Everyone then looked at Y/N which made her sigh. Why does she have to be a part of this fucked up situation? “As being the daughter of a former Woodsboro cop who went through this shit like a hundred times. This can’t be just a coincidence.” Y/N explained to Tara with a serious look in her eyes. “See!” Sam told Tara.

 “Quinn, your dad’s a cop, right?” Tara asked looking over at Quinn. “Can you call him and find out what’s going on?” Tara added on. “Before you make the unilateral decision to abandon my college education and flee the fucking state!” Tara snapped looking back at Sam with a nasty glare in her eyes. “I’m calling him now.” Quinn said, putting her phone up to her ear. She stood up from the couch and walked into a different room.

 The room was all quiet till Sam’s phone started to ring, making the whole room tense up. Sam walked over to her phone that was on the dining table. “Who is it?” Y/N asked trying to not sound scared but didn’t do a very good job. “Your mom.” Sam said relieved seeing the name ‘Gale Weathers’ flashing on her phone. “Hit fucking decline!” Y/N hissed now angry and annoyed.

 Sam did exactly what she told her to do. Y/N knew her mom just called Sam to ask her for a comment about the latest murders. Y/N feels like her mom cares more about her stupid ass career than anything. Quinn came running back into the room. “Sam, my dad wants to talk to you.” Quinn said, handing her phone over to Sam. Sam let out a sigh as she took the phone.

 As Sam talked on the phone with Detective Bailey the whole room was silent which made Y/N slip deep into her thoughts. Of course, she was thinking about this new Ghostface, but she was also thinking about her careless mother. A normal mom would call her daughter up to ask if she and her friends are okay. Not to call up one of them to ask them questions about the fucking murder. Y/N really wished that her dad was here with her. If he was here, she knows she would feel a whole lot safer. Y/N broke out of her thoughts when Sam spoke.

 “Detective Bailey needs me to come down to the station.” Sam said giving the phone back to Quinn after she changed her shirt really quick. Sam grabbed her phone putting it into her back pocket. She also grabbed her jacket and keys and walked out of the apartment. Tara grabbed her jacket and quickly followed Sam.

 “I’ll be right back.” Y/N said as she stood up. “Where are you going?” Ethan asked her. “I need to go give my mom a special call.” Y/N said, taking her phone out of her pocket and walked into the kitchen. “Expect to hear some yelling.” Mindy warned everyone as she let out a sigh.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

It was the next day and Y/N was completely exhausted due to the lack of sleep. Right when she and Mindy got back home to their apartment, they got a call from Tara saying her and Sam got attacked by Ghostface. She reassured them that she and Sam didn’t get hurt and were at the police station for questioning. That was one of the reasons why Y/N didn’t get enough sleep. It was like every time she closed her eyes, she had a nightmare, and they were worse than before.

 Since she knew that they would continue to the point where she wouldn’t be able to sleep at all she gave Sam a call when she got up this morning asking for the number of the therapist she’d been seeing. Sam gave her the number and then mentioned to her that they had a run in with her mom outside the police station which had her fuming. Why won’t her mom just fucking listen to her? After she ended the phone call with Sam, she gave the therapist a call and was able to get an appointment this afternoon since he had a cancellation.

 Y/N was sitting in the plaza on the school campus with the whole group. Y/N was sitting in between Ethan and Tara. Tara was sitting next to Chad while Sam, Anika, and Quinn sat on a bench together. Mindy was standing in front of everyone. “Already nerds, listen up!” Mindy said as she clapped her hands together.

 “As terrifying as this all is, I’m actually glad I get a chance to redeem myself for not calling the killers last time.” Mindy said with disappointment at the end of her sentence. Y/N rolled her eyes. She didn’t even want to be there, but Mindy made her. “It’s fine.” Mindy said quickly, changing her mood. “The way I see it, someone is out to make a sequel to the requel.” Mindy told everyone. Anika raised her hand. “Um, what’s a requel?” Anika asked in a curious and innocent tone. “You’re beautiful sweetie, let’s hold questions ‘till the end.” Mindy said to her girlfriend as Anika put her hand down. “Stab one took place in Woodsboro, Stab two took place in college.” Sam chimed in. “Do we think that the killer is trying to copy the movies?” Tara asked in a curious tone. “That is one possibility.” Mindy said, pointing at Tara.

 “Hero’s now in college, check. Suspicious new characters brought in to round the suspect list and/or body count, check, check, and check.” Mindy explained by pointing to Quinn, Anika, and then Ethan. “I don’t like this!” Ethan said with a mixture of fear and nervousness in his tone. Y/N could tell that his heart was racing so she took one of his hands into hers and gave it a light squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. Relax.” Y/N told him in a calm tone as she gave him a smile. “Okay.” Ethan said with a nod as he looked into her eyes, which were helping him calm down. “Hey lovebirds.” Mindy called out getting their attention. “May I continue?” Mindy asked with a stern look in her eyes. “Yes, please continue.” Y/N said in annoyance as she shot a glare at Mindy. Mindy was really getting on her nerves today.

 “As I was saying, it can’t just be about Stab two.” Mindy said, getting back to her lecture. “Why not?” Tara asked her. “It would make sense if that were just a sequel, because nobody just makes sequels anymore!” Mindy said as excitement started to build up inside of her. “Don’t say, don’t say, don���t say it!” Y/N mumbled out. “We’re in a franchise!” Mindy said, throwing both of her arms up into the air. “There it is.” Y/N said with a groan. “And there are certain rules to a continuing franchise.” Mindy told them. “I had a feeling.” Sam said with a sigh.

 “Rule one, everything is bigger than last time! Bigger budge, bigger cast, bigger body count, longer chases, shoot outs, beheadings, gotta top what came before to keep people coming back.” Mindy said starting to list off the rules of horror movies. “Beheadings?” Chad asked looking up from the notebook he was writing in. “Beheadings.” Mindy told him with a point of the finger.

 “Rule two, whatever happened last time, expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by subverting expectations, and if the killers last time were whiny snowflake film nerds with letterboxed accounts instead of personalities, you can bet the opposite will be true here.” Mindy said explaining rule two. Mindy was starting to give Y/N a headache.

 “And rule three, no one is safe.” Mindy said in a stern tone. “Legacy character, cannon folder at this point. Usually brought back only to be killed off in some cheap bid for nostalgia.” Mindy said it in a much nicer tone than before. “It’s not looking good for Gale and Kirby.” Mindy said with sadness which made now made Y/N’s heart rate speed up. “Woah, hold on!” Y/N said before Mindy could continue.

 “You’re telling me that my mom is on the list to get butchered.” Y/N said in a worried tone. “Like I said, no one is safe.” Mindy told her which struck Y/N’s last nerve. “You know what, I’m done!” Y/N said standing up which made her let go of Ethan’s hand that she actually didn’t even realize she was still holding onto. “Y/N, I’m just- “Mindy started to say but Y/N immediately cut her off. “NO!” Y/N yelled making everyone in the group jump.

 “I lost two family members because of this Ghostface shit!” Y/N said with anger as she picked up her bag from the ground. “This isn’t a fucking movie, Mindy; this is real fucking life. I’m not going to fucking sit here and let you tell me I’m going to lose more people, especially my mom.” Y/N told her in a snappy tone and walked away from her friends. Yes, she may be super pissed at her mom and doesn’t want to talk to her but she’s still her mom and doesn’t want to see another family member killed. Ethan wanted to follow her, but he knew that she most likely wanted to be alone to cool off. Everyone was in complete shock because they had never seen Y/N like that before. She finally let her friends see all of the anger and frustration that had been building up inside of her.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

Y/N went back to her apartment to cool down and take some medicine for headache. She relaxed a little bit till she had to go to her appointment. Y/N decided to just walk since it really wasn’t that far of a walk. When Y/N got to the address she saw the front door was wide open and a body was just lying there. As she walked closer and closer to the door her heartrate kept speeding up. When she got to the door she gasped in complete horror. The therapist was laying on the ground. His face was all bloody, it looked like he was stabbed through the face.

 Y/N stepped into the house to get a better view but that turned out to be a huge mistake because she was grabbed from behind. As Y/N struggled she noticed the familiar black sparkly gloves holding onto her tightly. “Get off me you motherfucker!” Y/N hissed as she used all of her strength to back Ghostface into the wall which made them let go of her.

 Y/N ran into what seemed like the living room to find some kind of weapon. Before she could grab anything, she felt something sharp going into her shoulder making her scream in pain. She fell to the hard wood floor after Ghostface took their knife out of her now bleeding shoulder. Ghostface kept trying to stab her legs, but she kept kicking them away as she held onto her shoulder wound.

 Ghostface finally had enough of her, so they grabbed her by the neck and pushed her up against the wall. Y/N struggled to breathe as they held tightly onto her throat. “Say hi to daddy for me!” Ghostface said into their voice changer as they raised their knife. Before Ghostface could stab her with the bloody knife a gunshot rang out. Ghostface dropped her and quickly fled the house. Y/N groaned in pain as her ass hit the hard wood floor.

 “Hey Y/N.” She heard a familiar voice say. When she looked up, she saw Kirby. “Kirby!” Y/N said in a relieved tone. “It’s okay, I got you.” Kirby said walking over to her helping her up from the floor. “Where did they get you?” Kirby asked with concern. “In the shoulder.” Y/N answered in pain as she let Kirby help her out of the house.

 *Tags*

@sweetirilly @aqellano @igotmajordaddyissues @athenalive @hotweeb @ghostlyboiii @marshallowy

[ivycrowned]

hello! i saw your post about terry pratchett being very comforting even while the world burns and it really spoke to me. (um i saw the post here--ivycrowned/737425041001709568/the-older-i-get-and-the-more-on-fire-the-world) i'm sorry to disturb you, and please feel free to ignore, i wouldn't want to impose, but i was wondering if you'd have any Discworld book recommendation for someone who has never read one. i'm always staring at them in the bookstore, but i always overthink which book to get (because it will be my first) and online articles rank Discworld books differently. i'd be so thankful if you do answer. thank you and have a great day :)

Oh I'm super happy to help with that! In a lot of ways, which Discworld book you read first depends on what you find most interesting! I'll fully admit though, the very first one I read was 'Hogfather' which is neither a stand alone, nor the 'first' in a series. So here are a few reccs for what I think would be good places to start!

Wyrd Sisters -- The start of the Witches series, which is one of my favorites! This is Hamlet in Discworld. There's a particular scene involving Death that actually made me cry with laughter. This book is ALSO the source of something you may have seen in tumblr shitposts -- '"Come hither, fool!' / The fool jangled miserably across the floor'.

Mort -- The first book in the 'Death' series, my beloved series. A young man becomes Death's apprentice. The 'Death' series in general tends to have the theme of a 'Death' who loves humans and wants to be more like them, but fundamentally does not really understand how.

Monstrous Regiment -- This one is a stand alone book! No series attached! A young woman pretends to be a man in order to join the army, so she can find her brother! Only to discover she's not the only one in her regiment pretending to be a man.

Guards! Guards! -- The first book in the 'Night Watch' series, and generally where most people suggest you start. It's about a dragon, and it's a bit of a police procedural! All the Night Watch books are more or less in the police procedural genre. I've only read the first two in this series.

I hope one of these works for you! And good luck on your journey! Discworld is a lot of fun, and has some pretty good audiobooks, and even a couple of film (live action, and animated) adaptations!

(You can find 'Hogfather' in its entirety for free on YouTube last time I checked!)

[elstreem]

Camelot Movies appreciation post~

Warning: very, very long because I have no idea how to condense my thoughts. Also very rambly. I would include more screenshots but I don't really have much, but I do have a few for the 2nd movie!

So when I first watched these film adaptations I was pretty harsh on them and with the first film specifically, I was left wanting for more because of how much it cut out. While it's a shame that they had to, given the constraints of film (one hour and 30 minutes for each film, for an adaptation of a chapter with I dunno, 200k or more words?) I remember feeling disappointed with what it didn't do (no Arash Airlines, no goofy Bedivere moments, and booting out Hundred Faces).

But being the simp I am rewatching the movies some more, I did realize it what was trying to do with its more limited time, and it did a good job showcasing just how horrifying the conditions of the Sixth Singularity was for the people living in it...and something that only recently came to my notice, something that the films did a great job at building up slowly and subtly, was Bedivere slowly opening up to Fujimaru and Mash. And Bedivere finding out, he was not alone.

So with that in mind, I don't mind the first film as much as I did before, because now I notice how Bedivere went from being distinctly cold and unfriendly (pushing away Salia when she asked him for help, and refusing Arash's offer of food and immediately leaving after the conversation ends) to putting his trust in Fujimaru and Mash, and it just warms my heart. Because, really, he was on his last chance to fix his mistake, and he knew he was going to die once he finished his journey, no ifs, ands or buts about it. He had no reason to reach out to others, so really, it makes all sense he was in this quiet despair at the start of the movie.

But then, as in the game, he saw Fujimaru and Mash trying to protect the refugees during the Holy Selection, so he stepped in to save them. A little while later, he also witnesses da Vinci apparently sacrificing herself for their sake, but in spite of that Fujimaru didn't give up. And that's when Bedivere first takes an active interest in someone else outside of his mission, curious of who Fujimaru is as a person.

So when Fujimaru asks for his help - he actually touches his hand, in contrast to what happened earlier in the movie. He physically reached out to Fujimaru and began to trust him, too.

It keeps building up from that point of contact, with Bedivere actually apologizing to Arash for hiding his identity, and accepting offers of food here and there. Another small interaction I missed seeing the significance of was when Fujimaru remarked to Bedivere that the Lion King was a horrible person - but rather than getting angry, or defensive, Bedivere simply reminisced on who she used to be. It's easy to gloss over, but keeping in mind that Artoria is someone Bedivere looked up to, it would have been easy to get offended by Fujimaru's remark, but Bedivere wasn't, and instead, he shared his own memories of her. my heart

And so, even in the darkest part of the movie, with the village under attack and Tristan himself facing Bedivere in battle - it just means a lot more, the scene when Mash steps in to block Tristan's attack, and Fujimaru actually goes into the battle, helps Bedivere stand up, and continued to carry him while walking towards Tristan to deliver a decisive strike.

Actually, these movies overall helped me appreciate Fujimaru more as a character, he's so sweet and caring.

Now, the second film is a better experience with all the flashy battles and more action scenes, but I also loved its quiet talking scenes. I can gush on and on about the scene where Bedivere and Fujimaru are taking a morning walk, especially.

But even at the beginning of the movie, when Fujimaru and Mash go on to check on Bedivere, was very sweet, the both of them so concerned and there is this ease in the way they interact that's so nice to see.

Another easy to miss moment is when the party reunites with da Vinci at Lancelot's camp and they begin discussing and theorizing why the Lion King is the way she is - when Bedivere tenses up, Fujimaru was the only who noticed and glanced over.

It ties later on with what he tells Mash, that he suspects Bedivere wasn't telling them the whole truth, but despite that, he trusted Bedivere would be with them.

My favorite scene out of the movies, of course, was the morning after, with Bedivere opening up to Fujimaru about his fear of a meaningless ending. Everything about this scene - the way Bedivere sounds and looks so fragile, standing on this rocky mountain slope in the cold morning light, and he fact that even Fujimaru was at a loss what to say at first - it breaks my heart.

But then, Mash tells them that Rushd found his determination to keep on living as a way of honoring Salia (oh, and it's sweet that when Rushd kneels down to cry at a distance, Mash goes after him to comfort him!) And Fujimaru tells Bedivere it's the same case for him, that there was always meaning in what he did because he was doing it for someone else, and then the sun rises and bathes everything in a warm glow as Bedivere cries from relief -

It's. Just. So good.

Oh, and another thing I noticed after rewatching the movie an unhealthy amount of times? During that scene, Fujimaru gives Bedivere Arash's dagger. Later on, that same dagger was the weapon Bedivere used to deal the finishing blow to Gawain, and it just - the whole resolution to Bedivere and Gawain's personal conflict -

Bedivere never left Artoria during her life, and was present even at her death, while Gawain always regretted that he was not there for her at Camlann, and he wanted to make up for it by standing by Artoria's side in the Sixth Singularity, even when she was in the wrong. Both Mordred and Gawain actually resented Bedivere for this, and I think a part of Gawain even blamed Bedivere for not saving Artoria.

But during their battle in the film (which is an amazing, if brutal fight) Bedivere won over Gawain using Arash's dagger, proving that his mission to restore Artoria to her true self was the right way. His loyalty won over Gawain's empty vision of standing by her side, and true enough, Gawain wasn't actually standing by Artoria because he chose to battle with Bedivere.

Oh, and another very, very fast moment I never noticed during my first few times watching this - when Bedivere, Fujimaru and Mash are heading for the castle and they run into Tristan, Tristan's attack was actually aiming for Fujimaru's head. And if you slow down the scene enough, it's actually Bedivere who pushes Fujimaru back to protect him - you can tell because his metal arm was actually in the frame for a few seconds, pushing back Fujimaru.

Bedivere, probably, "I just met this guy but I will protect him with my life so I have nothing more to say to you Tristan -"

And Fujimaru definitely trusts Bedivere back, because when they got separated during the vs. Gawain fight, Fujimaru tells Mash they should keep going, believing Bedivere will come back for them.

I am mostly gushing about Bedivere here, here's some love for the other characters:

Nitocris and Ozymandias's final scene together was also pretty sweet. It's a bit harder to grasp their relationship in the film since they have shorter scenes and less dialogue, but when Ozymandias gently touches Nitocris's shoulder and tells her she's done enough, and she regretfully says she hasn't - but the visuals indicate, that Ozymandias actually took her with him to the Egyptian afterlife just before the pyramid crumbled.

Sanzang giving peace to Mordred in their last moments was also very heartwarming. Also, Mordred saying in that battle that they didn't mind dying there and then because they hoped that in the world the Lion King was about to make, there were going to be no fools like them? Poor Mordred needs a hug and therapy. This isn't the post to go into how Mordred has such a depth of character in that they also despaired at putting an end to Artoria, so all I'll say is, I'm glad they got a great dad in Kairi in Apocrypha to make up for all the awfulness they felt with Artoria.

Serenity fighting with all she had against Tristan despite knowing their plan failed was both very sad but definitely an awesome moment. And the fact that she did what was a seemingly useless desperation attack to hold Tristan's attention while Cursed Arm was releasing Shaytan (all the while Tristan was slashing her limbs by the way) - she did good. I'm not much for fight choreographies, but I think the 2nd movie had especially great ones!

So the final conflict, and here's another detail I love about this movie - it's pretty consistent with how each fight wears Bedivere down a bit more, and by the time he makes it to the Lion King, the fight with Gawain had already made him throw his cape as a distraction, gashed his armor, burned away the ends of his skirt (I'm not sure what the correct term is for that part of the outfit), and even his ribbon is gone. At first I thought that Bedivere's hair got loose after being hit by Rhongomyiad, but now, its actually when he activates Airgetlam, you can see the metal tube thingies he's wearing burst apart.

Okay, but that was one indestructible hairstyle though, lasting for 1500+ years and even after fights with fellow Round Table knights, and it was only when Bedivere looses Airgetlam at the end that his hair gets out.

Anyway, silly commentary aside, the music track for the final fight "I am Bedivere" makes me so emotional :'>

Also, the fact that Fujimaru and Mash tear up when they realize the horrible truth that Bedivere was disintegrating before them...but they fight alongside him anyway, honoring the end of his journey. And when Bedivere is so, so spent, and he asks for the last Command Spell? And Fujimaru gives it with no hesitation?

Here, when he was at his end, Bedivere knew again, he wasn't going to die alone...and he had friends with him. Just, the way he smiled...it speaks of so much gratitude.

And he even bids Mash to take care of Fujimaru, before he makes his final charge.

Thank you movies for hurting me in the best way possible.

Oh, and one last rewatch realization? Bedivere actually died onscreen, they just didn't indicate it because it was mostly just showing his and Artoria's silhouettes. But I was rewatching it and then realized, "Wait, he's not moving or speaking anymore..."

He was crumbing away even as he presented the sword, and in the time it took for Artoria to remember who she was...when she finally recalled her last memories of seeing Bedivere's face, I believe sometime during that - Bedivere died. He didn't react to her final words to him, or her touching his face - and shortly after that, his body finally disintegrated, so I think, before that, his soul finally hit his limits.

Brb just sobbing.

So are the Camelot movies perfect? Not by a long shot from an objective point of view. But do I still love them? Hell yeah. I think they are something that can be appreciated with more rewatching, and it makes me sad that most discussions I see about the film are that the animation sequences look different depending on the scene? Which I don't really mind, I think each scene looked fantastic.

One last little addition I noticed recently: the battle damage Bedivere received (the fight against Gawain burned off the chest ribbon and cape he wears, and singes his skirt)...it resembles the state of his First Ascension art, since he also lacks the cape, chest ribbon, and his skirt is shorter there. Not sure if it's just a coincidence, or a proper nod to the in-game art. Either way, it's really neat detail.

[quite-right-too]

Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) - Chapter Three

Summary: After preparing for the arrival of her new housemates, the last thing Rose expected was for one of them to be the man whose flat she had snuck out of the night before. Thank you to my amazing beta @demdifferentstories-29 for dealing with my indecisiveness and random plot jumping for this chapter. She is the glue that has been holding this story together by making it legible and keeping the timeline straight.

Read here on AO3

“Absolutely.”

Just that word — that one, single word — changed the dynamic of the household immensely.

Well, it did for James and Rose, at least.

For starters, it took several weeks full of awkward shuffling and hesitant glances before life found a bit of a rhythm for the group. Nobody seemed to notice that any time Rose and James brushed against each other, even just a little bit, their cheeks would have the slightest tinge of pink. Sobriety turned out to be one of the downfalls when trying to confront your growing feelings for your one-night-stand-turned-housemate.

They also didn’t notice the fact that James and Rose had begun to get along quite quickly as the month continued. Maybe a little too quickly, all things considered.

The household would often host movie nights — usually twice a week if everyone’s schedules aligned — and the genre was entirely dependent on whose turn it was to pick. Jack usually went for action while James tended to lean on the science fiction side of things. However, Donna loved a good romcom. Rose would argue that she wasn’t picky, but horror seemed to be a genre she wasn’t a huge fan of.

As things would have it, James and Rose got into a habit of sharing the love seat during the films. It started out innocently enough with either person on the opposite ends of the cushions to give the other enough space. 

Until it got too cold, of course.

After four movie nights — one of which being a horror movie — it seemed that the two of them were more comfortable with just being near each other. A warm blanket would be shared, with Rose leaning against his side while they watched the scenes play in front of them. When she got startled, she would curl more into him while he tightened his arm around her. Sometimes his fingers would trace mindless circles onto her forearm as they laid together. Even after the grotesque scenes were over, she stayed cuddled into him.

And on days where they weren’t all either working or spending time together as a group, it was easy to find James holed up in the library. He took solace in the quiet, comfortable room that held so many secrets within the confines of the pages.

The library itself wasn’t massive by any means. It was generally one of the darker rooms in the house, only being lit by the soft, warm glow of the table lamps or fireplace. Glancing around the room, a large portion above the fireplace was taken up by an ornate painting. It wasn’t actually a painting, but rather a television disguised as such. A large red and gold oriental rug took up the majority of the central floor space, and sitting atop it was a rather comfortable brown fabric couch facing the fireplace. In front of it was a rectangular dark wooden coffee table. This was exactly the spot James spent most of his time.

Reading was a pastime that Rose had silently enjoyed for most of her life. The ability to immerse herself in a world that was entirely alien to her helped a lot during the hardest times in her life. It was late, so she wasn’t surprised to, once again, find him in the library. Attention fully focused on the book, he didn’t notice when she walked in — or the fact that she was staring.

The golden lighting from the lamp on the side table accented him beautifully, shading in just the right areas. She could see his eyes as they moved erratically across the page, glasses on the bridge of his nose. He wore a simple light grey jumper that accentuated his lean torso perfectly. The burnt sienna pants made his legs look extra long as they laid out in front of him and took up the rest of the couch. His signature cream trainers completed the look, everything about the scene screaming ‘James’.

God, she wanted to draw him.

As Rose quietly entered the library, she attempted to not disturb the state of concentration that he was currently in. Unfortunately, the floor creaked under her foot, prompting a small jump from James when he finally noticed her. 

“Oh, hey,” he coughed nervously. Shifting awkwardly in his seat, he quickly rearranged himself in such a way that his legs draped over the edge. “Here, have a seat.”

How could Rose say no when he gave her a soft smile that made her heart flutter?

“What’re you reading?” she questioned as she took a seat on the cushion next to him. His free hand nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he closed the book that was now forgotten about on his lap. 

“It’s a book on astrophysics. Well, technically it’s not just a book — it’s arguably one of the best books on astrophysics.” He handed it to her, continuing his rambling. “It’s ‘An Introduction To Modern Astrophysics’, and it’s brilliant!”

She gazed as he adjusted his glasses to sit properly on his face and she can’t help but notice just how attractive he is.

Okay, maybe she wants to do more than just draw him right now.

“So, what are you, some kind of teacher?” she teased. Looking over the leather-bound hardcover, it was obvious that it was well loved. Her fingers traced over the embossed cover and an image of a younger James looking through the book during his years in uni flitted through her head. She couldn’t help but smile as she handed the book back to him.

“Doctor, actually,” James retorted with a smirk. He tossed it onto the coffee table, grinning as she cocked her head at him.

“You’re joking, right?” His left eyebrow raised, an amused twinkle in his eyes. He wasn’t. “Doctor of what exactly?”

James waved his hand dismissively. “Ah, you know. This and that.” He leaned back against the couch, propping his legs up on the coffee table and looking directly at Rose. “Although, my main degree is in astrophysics. I recently got a second degree in philosophy, though.”

“You think you’re so impressive, don’t you?” Rose crossed her arms, staring back at him. “I suppose there’s a lot I don’t know about you, Doctor .” The nickname rolled off her tongue naturally.

He realised that he was very fond of it.

It had been about two days since that simple interaction. It had ended with a mobile ringing and James suddenly having to go per Donna’s request. Albeit a bit disappointed, Rose had already learned better than to keep the ginger woman waiting.

He was yearning for another interaction with Rose. Just the two of them. Alone .

Three days after that, car keys in hand, James pulled his jacket on at the door. It was a classic green field jacket, reminiscent of one you would see a soldier wearing. As he opened the door, Rose rounded the corner.

“Where are you off to, then?”

“Ah, I’m just off to get some chips. Had a craving, y’know?” he explained.

“And you’re driving there?”

He looked at her quizzically. “Of course I’m driving there. Why would I walk into town when I have a car to get me there so much faster?”

“There’s a chippy down the road from here. It’s more than within walking distance.” A laugh bubbled from her throat. “Blimey, did you even look into what was around before moving in?”

Her laugh lit a fire within him that made him match it. “No, I don’t suppose I did.” Pocketing his keys, he opened the door and held it open for her. “Since you seem to know the way so well, Miss Tyler, care to join me?”

She bit her lower lip as she smiled. “I would love to, Mr. Noble.”

The walk there was quite nice. The quiet town was 30 kilometres away from the city and adjacent to the Thames, which gave them a beautiful riverfront view while they strolled in. Being from central London, James and Rose were used to seeing the widest part of the river, always bustling with noise, as opposed to the small, peaceful section of it that they got to experience here. The walk there was spent laughing, telling each other small memories they had. Rose told him about the estates she grew up on and her mum. She felt the warmth bubble up within her as he smiled at her — not with pity but with understanding. He told her about how his family hadn’t been very well off either, most of his fond memories revolving around his relationship with Donna and their grandfather. The cool October breeze nipped at their faces as they walked hand in hand.

Neither knew who started holding their hands first. Fingers fit together perfectly, arms swinging between them during their trip down the riverfront walkway Thames.

It wasn’t long before they arrived. The chippy was small, boasting only outdoor seating and a small awning above the ordering window. The smell, however, was absolutely delicious and made James’ stomach gurgle. They quickly ordered their chips and sat down at a table, excited to continue their conversations.

“So,” James asked, “how did you meet Jack?”

“He saved me from being drenched in a rainstorm. Gave me a lift back to my flat that I shared with my mate Shareen. Then he had the audacity to ask me out on a date!” She shook her head, chuckling.

“Well, I can see why,” he spoke softly. “You’re beautiful.” His chin rested in his palm as he smiled at her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to break the rules about bringing up our…” He trained off, swallowing hard. “Anyways, go on.”

She attempted to cover the blush on her cheeks. “Well, we hit it off and stayed friends, nothing more. We ended up both needing a new place to live and rented a flat together until he got his grandad's house. It wasn’t a huge love story, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Her teasing smile was met with one that matched. “How do you know Jack?”

“We met when we were both soldiers. We were pilots, however of different sorts — I flew a fighter jet for the Royal Air Force as a combat pilot. We were both stationed near Suffolk for a time and ended up travelling together soon after we got out.” James sniffed, finger tracing the same circular patterns into the table. “A lot of things happened during my life when I served, Jack being one of them. I can’t say it was a grandiose romantic meeting either.”

James didn’t talk about his military past often. Part of it was the memories — the shame he felt when he was engaged in combat, taking the lives of so many. Not even just members of the enemy militia, but innocents caught in the crossfire — children, even. The sinking feeling in his stomach when he responded to the transmissions that would come in from his radio.

‘TARDIS One, this is Whiskey Zero Seven. Target number echo-alpha-foxtrot four thousand. One round. OT direction heading five-zero-five-zero.’

“Copy,” James responded over his radio, “mark target.” He began to lose altitude, preparing for the close air support the joint terminal attack controller had requested.

They were in a city in Afghanistan. It was still a fully functioning city, full of life and children and normal people. If it hadn’t been for the Western media’s portrayal of the state of combat, nothing would have seemed out of place.

‘Mark out.’

“Looking.” His eyes scanned the landscape as he manoeuvred his aircraft to the coordinates given to him prior. He spotted the distinction he was indicated, pressing his thumb onto the microphone button on the centre stick. “Contact.” Committing to his attack run, he gave another response. “In.”

‘Clear hot.’ 

The release of ordinance confirmation was all he needed before he released the laser guided bomb from his terminal and watched from his navigation panel as it hit the intended target — an apartment-type building where the enemy snipers had set up their nest, directly along the route generally taken by NATO forces.

“Ordinance deployed.”

‘This is Whiskey Zero Seven. Cease ordinance. Good effects.’

He tried to ignore the knowledge of the innocents who had been in that building, completely unaware of the horror that awaited them.

Rose’s name being called disrupted the spell they had weaved during their conversations. Offering him a small smile, she stood up and went to grab their chips. “Be back in a mo’.”

Utilising the time he had with her away, James worked on composing himself. Some of the techniques he had learned after being home helped him push away the disheartening thoughts and bring him back into reality. He was alone with Rose. They were getting chips. And he was really trying hard to not think of this as a date.

Sitting back at the table, Rose handed him his basket of chips. “I’m bloody starving.” She quickly grabbed a chip, tossing it into her mouth. 

The first bite caused Rose to let out a moan — one that would have been completely obscene and downright filthy , had it not been for the fact that it was caused by some chips. 

The sound pulled him completely out of his thoughts of war and deep into his thoughts of his initial meeting with Rose. How she sounded when her nails dug into his back while he drove his hips into hers, savouring the feeling of her — tight and wet around his cock.

James had never been more thankful for a table to be covering his lap.

It didn’t take long before they had themselves completely enraptured in conversation again. It was mostly simple banter regarding their living situations. 

“You really need to learn where the dishes go,” he quipped while swallowing the starchy snack. “Cups and bowls go on different shelves.”

“Oh, come off it,” Rose laughed, tossing the chip in her hand directly at the man sitting across the table.

“Oi!” It wasn’t hard for James to catch the chip, eyes wide in mock disbelief at the assault that had just taken place on his person. “That is unfair , Rose Tyler!” He grinned at her, popping the chip into his mouth as she giggled joyfully — a noise that James would be willing to hear every day if he could.

“All’s fair in love and war, Doctor.” It came out automatically.

He smirked, standing over the table to get closer to the teasing blonde across from him. “So, I’m the Doctor then?”

“No arguments from me.” She met his gaze, leaning over so they were nearly nose to nose. His eyes shone like stars when she looked into them, the brown pools of a man who had seen so much in so little time — reflecting the beauty of space and exploration. Of war and triumph. If they both went a little further, she knew she would be able to feel his breath on her lips. 

When his hands instinctively went to hold hers, she gladly intertwined them.

[butchbetty]

having read the book right before i saw the movie i really enjoyed it of course, but i have a few issues with the way things were presented;

i feel as though they made coriolanus more sympathetic (to make the movie as a whole more appealing) and gave his character more excuses for his actions by having other characters vocalize what was just his paranoia that motivated him in the book

while i’m on this point i think they made sejanus less sympathetic and didn’t do enough to go into the internal conflict and the moral obligation he was feeling

i was with people who hadn’t read the book and their friendship came off as more genuine with snow having to do what he did out of self-preservation rather than snow manipulating sejanus into trusting him and betraying him by choice

i know since film is a visual medium it was necessary to put lucy gray in the middle of the action and have to fight for herself on a few occasions, but i found it almost hilariously unrealistic how many near death scenarios she escaped

i think the dialogue between coriolanus and lucy gray in part 3 was lacking and came off more as just building up the love story; the two of them finally getting to know each other was a big part of revealing how cynical snow really was and the fundamental differences between them becoming dangerous way before the ending

i also think it would’ve helped narratively to reveal what coriolanus really thought of lucy gray; that he had to convince himself she wasn’t really district in order to respect her and that his romantic feelings were incredibly possessive (but again i think they ignored this to better sell people on their romance)

ultimately, i think the gravity of his betrayal at the very end was undersold. his paranoia sending him after lucy gray making the stakes so high that she feared for her life, and finally him using sejanus’ death as a stepping stone to get to the power and wealth he thought he deserved.

i know that was all pretty negative but there was a lot i loved about this movie!

this film stands as a great addition to the hunger games series and will have great re-watch value in the future

i was going to shout-out one of the actors but it doesn’t seem fair because they all did a great job! they made the story so real and did such a good job bringing the characters to life

the music!!!! i could go on and on!! but my favorite thing about it is they kept all the lyrics from the book and did a great job translating these scenes into film, especially since it was hard at times to picture what hearing her sing was like at those moments

speaking of the auditory storytelling, hearing the jabberjays at the hanging was so haunting it’s definitely what suzanne would’ve wanted

lucy gray’s accent was so cute and had all the charm i imagined it with while reading the book

i like the added line that no one will watch the games if there isn’t a victor; making it even more clear why they don’t just kill 24 kids at random and why they were forced to let katniss and peeta win (it also adds more dramatic irony that if not for this belief snow held katniss and peeta would’ve died in their first hunger games, squashing hopes of rebellion, just like gaul was trying to do by killing all of the tributes!)

overall it’s so great having a visual counterpart to the book since it is so action-packed and uses so many visual descriptions; i think just like the other 3, if you’ve read the book getting to actually see everything unfold is such a treat!

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Night Has a Thousand Desires (Franco, 1984)

This has a lot of the same stuff as Jess Franco’s other movies, so if you like what he does, you’ll probably have a good time as he pulls them off pretty well here. I often like hanging out in Franco’s films, so I had a good time. I also always like hanging out with Lina Romay, so I had a good time in this respect too. In fact, there’s a little more of her to enjoy hanging out with here, as she has, how you say, filled out nicely, and Franco’s camera as always attentively traverses her voluptuous form. Anyway, I’ll stop expressing my thirst over Lina Romay, otherwise we’d be here all day. Until the next review.

The plot here has a psychic played by Romay being mind controlled into having a good deal of sex and committing a handful of murders, captured in Franco’s characteristic dreamy haze and rendered with his usual fluid sense of narrative. What makes this one stand out visually is the faint bluish glow that radiates throughout most of the film, helped in part by the stained glass windows that decorate the nightclub in which Romay performs her act. But Franco’s style gets put to especially good use during the murder sequences, which each share that same hazy quality but get their own grace notes.

There’s the scene where Romay approaches an older man, seemingly in his dreams. ("I'm not real. relax. This is only a dream.") Romay’s eyes pierce through the screen as her head bobs over his waist, the sexual act seemingly abstracted, not unlike the bloodshed that follows, of her knife dipping in and out of the screen, covered in blood.

There’s the pot party turned orgy where the camera follows the joint being passed around but then stops once we get to Romay’s stare. The action is coated in a dissonant sonic jumble, like an evil New Age record, or if a xylophonist and a windchime player got into fisticuffs. Eerie narration pierces the fog, and much of the sound cuts out until Romay does as she’s commanded and once again metes out bloodshed. (Those with viewing habits similar to mine will note that two of Romay’s partners in this scene bear a resemblance to Jamie Gillis and Anna Ventura, respectively. Spanish Gillis is especially diligent about ensuring the joint makes it way to everyone.)

And there’s the scene where Romay makes love to her victim against a window, both of them shrouded in the bluish glow, and the way the scene shifts into dread once Romay’s eyes lock with her psychic master, and the eventual bloodshed is rendered as an abstract splash of red against blue. Franco and Romay have the supernatural ability to make Romay’s eye contact during a beej unsettling, and of making Romay’s subsequent distress convincing and full of pathos.

[joyfuladorable]

What peni's role will be in beyond the spiderverse perhaps beyond will do for peni like what across did for Gwen?

Hmmmm, good question…

Personally, I don’t think it’ll be much more prominent than her role in ITSV, especially now that the team is Bigger. She’ll likely be paired with Margo for tech stuff and then of course probably fall back with Noir and Ham during combat. Spider-Verse has that very fun thing I love in voice direction where it lets the VAs talk over each other and stuff so there’ll probably be a lot of that happening since Spideys are Naturally Chatty. Maybe there’ll also be a convo between Miles and Peni about her dad and how she’ll do everything she can to help Miles save his dad because he has the Chance To. Also Also!! I’m SO excited for whatever action scenes they’re cooking up cuz the team up sequences are Literally some of my Favorite parts of the films and it’ll be awesome seeing the new SP//dr suit in action!!

Now, if you’re asking me my take on how Peni could have a larger role in BTSV, we can dig into it a little.

Imagine the film opening on a computer screen, running calculations after calculations that keep being Rejected. A lone girl is working on a mech, slapping silly stickers where she wants to and letting a Spider crawl around her arms and pointing to equipment and tools she needs. A PA crackles and calls SP//dr to action.

The girl finishes up what she’s doing as Spider skitters to his spot in the mech to start it up. Putting aside the equipment, the girl listens as a man, her Uncle Ben, informs her of the situation. She climbs into the mech, stares for a moment at the computer still rejecting calculations, and lets the hatch close shut.

The console lights up. Music plays, techno pop, the volume low at first as SP//dr swings through the city and confronts a Baddie. All the while, a narration plays:

“My name is Peni Parker. When I was 9, I was bitten by Spider and followed in my father’s footsteps to become SP//dr. I didn’t know he was a hero until the day he died. He was just there, one day, and gone the next and then I met my Aunt May and Uncle Ben for the first time, and they gave me a Choice.

“To be honest, it hadn’t really felt like one.

“I made it work. I had to. What would Oscorp do without its best asset! I did everything I had to and More. I had Ben and May and Spider and that was it. I was alone.

“And then I wasn’t.”

Cuts of ISTV of Peni with everyone.

“Five other Spiders!! And the potential for so many more.”

Cut to Peni returning to her dimension and rebuilding SP//dr. Her working on how to dimension hop willingly. Her meeting Addy and eventually becoming friends.

Her going out with Addy for VE#m’s first real field mission. Her having to Fight VE#m as her Aunt May enters the mech to rescue Addy.

Her opening the mech after the fight and realizing it’s Too Late.

Her huddled on her bed with Spider and going over how to rebuild SP//dr Again.

Then, a portal opens, and Gwen steps out and finally (Finally) Peni isn’t alone again.

“The Spider Society. I thought it was everything we needed. But…”

Canon Events are explained to her. She sees the endless row of Spiders huddling over their dying loved ones and sees herself standing quietly over her father’s grave. She hadn't been with him during his last moments. He’d taken her camping the week before he died and the last thing he’d said to her after dropping her off at school was that “things will be different soon. Better.”

The last words she’d heard from Addy and her Aunt had been of terror. Not goodbyes.

And I’ve mentioned this before, but at first Peni rejects the idea that Things have to go a Certain Way. Cut to her computer that continues reject calculations. Cut to her as techno pop roars and she beats the Baddie.

She gets a message from HQ. Miles has finally (temporarily) been allowed in. They’re going to Explain, and she should be there to help Soften the Blow.

Peni knows it’s not gonna work, but she goes anyways because Miles is her Friend.

“…I was wrong.”

Miles explodes containment with his venom. SP//dr takes a moment too long to right itself and everyone else is already in hot pursuit. She lags behind and eventually stands in the Go Home room and watches Miles escape and Gwen call the Society out.

Peni shares a look with Peter B, with Margo, and then leaves for her dimension. She rips her watch off her wrist and throws it on her workbench as she turns to her computer.

She enters in a new calculation, something she hadn’t thought of before.

Miles was a factor she’d never considered.

The computer hums as Peni fiddles with a different watch with Spider. A “just in case” machine that Hobie had suggested in passing one day.

She slaps it on as a chaotic portal opens up and Gwen waits for her. Peni grabs her jacket and drapes it over her shoulders as she climbs into SP//dr.

The computer beeps.

A probability. A Chance.

Peni smiles and follows after Gwen.

(Imagine Peni handing Miles a new set off web shooters as he adjusts a punk rock dimensional watch on his wrist. She lingers in the moment and tells Miles that if she’d had a chance to save her loved ones, she’d have taken it and done everything she could. She tells him that he’s got the chance and the probability for success is Low, but when has that Ever stopped a Spidey from Trying?

Imagine her confronting Miguel as they hold him down from making Another Mistake. Lyla going over the calculation herself and agreeing. And Peni opening up her mech to look into the eyes of a still mourning father reflected in her gaze as a mourning daughter. “There’s Hope, Miguel. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

And imagine her at the end of it all, coordinating with other tech Spideys to Prevent Tragedies. They’re the good guys. They’re supposed to Help People and they will and they are and This is the feeling of Togetherness Peni was chasing and has finally Caught.)

[studio-of-woof]

Hiiiiii back with more TADC Actor AU stuff this is moreso just some silly tidbits I thought about.

[Gloink Queen and The Fudge]

So GQ and Fudge were animatronics (mixed with CGI for certain scenes) that had people voice over them. Since some of the Murder Drones cast help out with technical stuff, Uzi decided to voice the Gloink Queen, and have the team edit it in post so it sounded more monstrous.

Uzi: “I AM GLOINKS. YOUUU WILL BE GLOINKS. GOD WILL BE GLLLLOINKS!”

N: “‘God will be gloinks’ how does Goose come up with this—“

Uzi: “Liam’s made me say wackier stuff on set this is nothing new to me.”

Another thing I thought about is the TADC toon cast posting behind the scenes stuff on apps like Twitter or something. Nothing spoiling anything too big just kinda to show what they’re working on. And probably post some videos of them goofing around on set.

JustTheRagdolly posted: We just got done with filming for the day and I had my arms stuck through my torso for like ten minutes, Jax was losing his shit, probably should’ve brought in the stunt double 😅

KingofChess posted: I ACCIDENTALLY HIT POMNI WITH AN ANCHOR ON SET I FEEL SO BAD.

JaxTheLuckyRabbit posted: Was in line to get some food when a kid approached me and asked if I was Bugs Bunny. I just replied with “I wish” lol

(RibbonReindeer posted a video):

“So something went a bit wrong-“

“[Wheezing] ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᶠᵘᶜᵏᶦⁿᵍ ᵇʳᵒᵏᵉⁿ”

“I don’t know what happened but…”

(Camera moves to the Gloink Queen animatronic with it’s head detached)

“We were just filming and it- it’s head went POP and fell off.”

“(Uzi in the background doing the GQ voice) I HAVE BEEN DECAPITATED!”

“I think our session’s over for today.”

“We were at a dramatic part too and it just— [wheeeeeze] POPPED OFF!”

Another thing, Jax’s on set pranks. You know how during the Toy Story 2 bloopers, Woody played pranks on Buzz? It’s like that. Jax popping up in scenes he’s not supposed to be in, writing on stuff, purposely trying to make the other actors break character, etc.

“And… action!”

“Gotta say, this was a lot more anticlimactic than I was hoping it’d be.”

“What were you hoping for?”

(Pomni laughing behind the camera)

“… Pomni why are you laughing what happened-“

(Jax trying not to laugh)

“Why’re you-“

“Gangle- Gangle you might have something on your face there buddy.”

“Huh?”

(Gangle I takes out her phone and opens the camera to see she has two rings around her eyes left by the binoculars)

“OH- [laughing]”

“Jax was that your doing?”

“Maybe!”

“[Giggling] You son of a bitch-“

“Cut!”

“Take one, action.”

(Gummigoo looks over the still stood models of everyone in the Candy Canyon Kingdom… until the camera pans over to Jax standing in a T-Pose next to Looli’s model)

“[silent wheeze]”

“Hey man-“

“Why—“

“I’m just chillin’ man.”

“Cut!”

Miscellaneous blooper stuffs too:

“I’m sure that you’ve heard of your miss— oh jesus this dress-“

“You alright?”

“Yeah just tripped nothing to worry about.”

“… Why are you tryna cheer me up…? How does this benefit you at all?”

“… I… guess I just don’t want you to feel like you’re noth— I gotta sneeze ah fuck-“

“Oh my god.”

“A-ACHOO!”

“Ok ok we’re good.”

“[Laughing] WE WERE HAVING AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT!”

Once again this AU is too fun to write so I might also draw stuffs for it who knows.

[adamwatchesmovies]

A Cat in Paris (2010)

Sometimes, the Academy Awards make it too obvious they'll just nominate any decently budgeted animated film. Treasure Planet? Brother Bear? The Croods? A Cat in Paris is the exception. It didn’t win and doesn’t quite have the emotional depth necessary for it to have been worthy of that shiny trophy but this is a lovingly-made, tense and extremely stylish action/comedy.

In Paris, Zoé (voiced by Oriane Zani) watches her pet cat Dino leave every night through the window. No one could suspect the feline spends its nights with Nico (Bruno Salomone), a cat burglar. One night, his path crosses that of crime boss Victor Costa (Jean Benguigui).

Right away, you’ll notice the film's outstanding character designs, shading, color palette, and art style. While not all 3D animated movies look exactly the same, there are few you could point to and say “I can clearly see who worked as the art director on this one”. Every frame of Une Vie de Chat/A Cat in Paris comes from Jean-Loup Felicioli. Don't know who that is? That's fine. It just means you're seeing something new. Even before we get into the action or anything else, it’s a joy to just sit back and look at the film. The way faces look when they turn sideways, the proportions of the characters, the angles of the floor patterns, which details are preserved and which are omitted, etc. It all stands out to make a unique vision.

Clocking in at a mere 65 minutes, this is a fast-paced story. The bulk of it takes place in one night when Zoé’s police superintendent mom, Jeanne (Dominique Blanc), organizes the city’s police force to secure the Colossus of Nairobi statue. She knows Victor Costa will try to steal it and that he’s responsible for the death of her husband so it’s extra important that she get him. As Costa and his bumbling henchmen try to organize, all of the separate plot threads converge. There’s a lot of running and dodging as people try to get away from the police, try to warn the authorities about what’s going to happen or try to prevent people from getting to the police. The score by Serge Besset helps amplify the intensity.

Despite several characters' murderous intentions, this is not a heavy story. You get a lot of laughs from Costa’s goons and from Dino as well - he’s got a knack for jumping on people’s faces at the right time. My favorite gag concerns a yappy dog who annoys its owner whenever Dino passes by. Movie fans will also have fun with a couple of references to gangster/crime movies, like Reservoir Dogs and Goodfellas but what I enjoyed most was the way the animated medium is used. There’s a scene set in complete darkness where Nico has to sneak by some people and it’s brilliantly done. There aren’t any colours so it doesn’t quite encompass all of the film’s best qualities, but it’s close.

Fans of animation should make the effort to check out A Cat in Paris. It’s short so you won’t be investing too much time, you’ll be entertained all the way through and the art design/animation is inspirational. It’s light but that’s perfectly fine. This just makes this the kind of movie you pop in when all you want is something entertaining. (Original French version, On DVD, April 23, 2021)

[grandoldmovies]

Furious Secrets

The title of the 1950 film The Secret Fury is a bit of a puzzler.  Just what does it mean?  I’d like to think it refers to the passions aroused in the well-to-do wedding guests when bridegroom Robert Ryan shows up at his high-society nuptials with a rented-tuxedo box tucked under one stalwart arm.

People, as Ibsen’s Judge Brack observed, don’t do such things...

Secret, and not-so-secret, furies abound in the film (up at my Grand Old Movies blog here).  There’s local district attorney Paul Kelly, the bride’s former boyfriend thrown over by her for Ryan; later he’s the prosecutor grilling the bride on the witness stand when she’s tried for murder.  Or there’s flustered aunt Jane Cowl, who’s thrown into bafflement by her wealthy niece’s wish to marry the hunky, lower-class Ryan — please don’t do anything “eccentric” at the ceremony, she begs the latter.  There’s also legal advisor Philip Ober, who always seems too ready to throw in advice, much of which turns out to be not too helpful...

And then there’s the bride herself, starry-eyed Claudette Colbert, whose wedding march is interrupted when a guest raises an objection to the marriage--on account the bride is already married to someone else.  That last piece of news throws the bride into a tizzy, which ends up in a murder, for which she’s tried and found guilty, which then lands her in a pricey asylum by reason of insanity.  It’s there we finally learn the title’s secret meaning — said to be the suppressed rage within a psychotic mind.  No evidence of which, the asylum doctor remarks in puzzlement, shows up in Colbert’s EEG analyses.  So, how crazy can she be?

I liked Bosley Crowther’s review of this film as “cheap and lurid twaddle.”  It makes it sound so much more exciting than it is.  Much of the film is first a back-and-forth search by Colbert for evidence of her earlier wedding, which she says she can’t remember...and then a back-and-forth search by Ryan for murder suspects.  In between, the asylum-trapped and make-up-deprived Colbert stares moodily into space or pounds frantically on the piano for emotional release.  She then escapes from the asylum —we’re not told how —to confront the One Behind It All, an action I thought showed a lot of gumption on her part, and which I wished could have been more a part of her character.

Probably the best thing/s about the film are two brief performances not highlighted in the film’s publicity.  The first is an unbilled cameo by Jose Ferrer as an attendee at a jazz session.  He doesn’t do much but he looks so right in the scene, the way he listens, with slight rhythmic head nods; and sits, with a mellow attitude and a lank, loose posture.  Ferrer is so natural and unassuming, he shows up the other actors as fussy and artificial.  I wish his role could have been enlarged.

And the second is Vivian Vance —yes, that Vivian Vance, the beloved Ethel Mertz of I Love Lucy fame —as a chatty hotel maid claiming to have met Colbert during her earlier ‘honeymoon.’  Talk about cheap and lurid.  Vance is surprisingly sexy-slutty in her brief bit, looking as cool and hard-boiled as the most glamorous noir femme fatale.  Vance didn’t make many films, and she was ambivalent about her fame as Ethel Mertz, due mainly to that character’s utter lack of glamor or sex appeal.  I wonder if she would have wished to be remembered for her performance here instead.  Ethel Mertz she ain’t.

You can check out my full post on The Secret Fury at my Grand Old Movies blog here.  Tuxedos (rented or not) not required.