#slade would be a good grandpa

[002yb]

toobey, do you - do you know about an alt uni Red Hood named Thomas Grayson who's also dressed like deathstroke.....because i feel like a dickjay kid would be up your alley!

(i just found out today)

This feels like an alt. universe where Deathstroke finally achieves his lifelong dream of becoming a grandpa. Dick might not be his biological kid, but there's no way Slade doesn't hound Dick about grandbabies relentlessly. And he doesn't want just any grandkids, he wants Dickjay grandbabies. His greatest adversary + his best student. It's a good match. He'll waive his contract fee if they ever need a babysitter.

[robbinghisdick]

What about the Robins? Do they have a role in Elani's life and care if Slade is her dad??

- Jason: he is 13 when Elani is born! He was NOT told who the father of Elani was. He was a little shit teen who tried very hard to get Elani to say his name before she could say "dada" lmao. As a teen boy, wasn't super interested in her, but would talk and play with her. Post-ressurection I imagine he eventually finds out/figures out who her dad is, but doesn't particularly care. I'm still learning his character as well, but I find it extremely funny at the prospect of him randomly kidnapping her to spend some time and Dick REALLY wishes he'd just be fucking normal about it oh my god, the note you left looks like a RANSOM NOTE! He doesn't have a super active role in her life, but does teach her how to shoot a gun and is her #1 defender of "this girl has never done a thing wrong in her life" whether or not it's true lmao

- Tim: this is honestly the Robin I know least about, but would be the most prominent in her life! Tim sees one weird interaction between Slade and Dick and instantly figures it out lmao. Finds it extremely weird, but also he's new here (at the time) and didn't really have much of an opinion. He's 15 and she's 4 when they meet! I think they're not noticeably close, but Tim is the one Elani tends to go to with a problem and I think they have mutual yapper and listener dynamic. Relationship dynamic to be updated as I learn more!

- Damian: this is THE Robin she has the most complex dynamic with. Elani is 7 and he's 10 when they meet and it's ON SIGHT. Mfers can't stand each other and cannot be left in the same room alone. It doesn't help that Elani has a SUPER bad jealousy streak and she does not care for how much attention Damian takes up, especially concerning her dad and grandpa. Damian doesn't learn that Slade is her dad for a good long while. The two eventually get very close, but that's a whole post in itself lmao. They are very special to me you have no idea 😭

[anawrites3]

Jaden back in time!!

Still a good boy!

Universe swap- royalty!!

Thank you for asking <33

So Jaden back in time is the story I was talking about lately! It’s omegaverse fic where Jaden, Dick and Slade’s son, gets sent back to the time when Dick and Slade aren’t together yet. They’re not even lovers at this point, just enemies so you can imagine all the drama :3

I posted a snippet some time ago, you can find it right here but lemme post here another one!

Everyone was already in the Cave when Dick got there. They were standing in a loose circle around the pup not to overwhelm him but even from a distance Dick could see it’s not an issue – the puppy just seemed excited, talking about something at a rapid pace. There was a smile on his lips, so broad it was pushing at his cheeks and he kept gesturing widely with every word. Dick felt himself smile as well as he watched. Jason was crunching in front of the kid, nodding attentively at the pup’s story. Tim and Damian, one smiling and one frowning, were standing a bit further away but still close than Bruce was. The man sat at the computer, watching the pup with a calculating gaze and didn’t even react when Cass poked him in the forehead to show that she didn’t apprentice him doing it. “-and then we got some ice cream!” Dick heard the pup say as he got closer. “We even convinced dad to get some and he doesn’t like sweets much. That’s so weird! Who doesn’t like sweets?” Jason looked in Dick’s direction when he noticed him and a moment later the pup turned around as well. Dick met the puppy’s eyes – they were a shade of blue, like a sky before a storm – and watched the way they widened as the pup gasped. “Mama!” He yelled out, running towards Dick. Dick froze. Everyone in the Cave froze, save from the pup who threw himself at him with all he got, almost shoving him off his feet. Little arms wrapped around Dick’s waist as pup’s head pushed against his stomach and it was like all air was pushed out of Dick’s lungs. “What- I…” He started, unconsciously hugging the pup back. His inner omega was purring somewhere in the back of his mind and he looked at the pup with wonder. ‘Mama’, he said. And he came from time travel or another dimension. “You’re here, mama! It was scary, I didn’t know what happened because one moment dad was there and then everything disappeared and I was alone on the street! And you and dad always say that when something happens on the street I can look for grandpa or my uncles or aunt Cass and I found uncle Jay and he took me here but you weren’t here and I still don’t know where dad is and-” The pup’s scent was pushing off happiness and the last hints of fear and when he looked up at Dick there were tears in his eyes. Dick found himself shushing the pup without even thinking about it, gently wiping at his eyes. “Hey, it’s alright now.” He mumbled softly, hugging the pup tighter. “Mama’s here, baby. You’re okay.” His.

“Still a good boy” is an apprentice Dick story that I talked about right here so go check it out! Have a little snippet as well <3

“It’s like I’m still there.” He whispered, voice cracking. He looked down at his hands, clamped tightly together and didn’t dare to meet Bruce nor Jason’s eyes. “When I see him… It’s like I never left. He said it himself. One word from him and I… I’m…” “It’s not your fault, Dickie” Jason insisted. He placed a gentle hand on the edge of Dick’s shoulder – the last time anyone touched him too close to his neck he started screaming – and peered down to met Dick’s gaze. “Ya hear me? It’s not. I know you know it too.” “I just want to get him out of my head.” Dick cried out. He wiped roughly at his eyes before he started crying. Slade didn’t like it when he cried and Dick didn’t care what Slade thought but it was still difficult to just allow himself to cry. It was difficult to ignore the panic that burned his chest when he thought his master would see him like that and what he’d do. “I want… I want to be normal again.” “And you will be.” Bruce promised. “You just need time.” Dick hiccuped.

Last but not least uniwerse swap - royalty is a fic where Dick gets thrown into a universe where he’s a crown prince of Gotham! He has no idea how it happened or what is happening but basically he’s just to survive there without revealing that he’s from future and also without fucking up that Dick’s life.

In that world Dick and Slade are secret lovers :3 This Dick doesn’t know that and he’s certain that Slade is there to kill him and the rest of his family.

I talked about this wip the last time I did the game so you can check it out right here as well!

A snippet;

Maybe a few minutes passed by – really, why the hell would they need a castle this big? Even the manor was too big for all of them – when a hand wrapped around his face and was yanked through the door he was just passing. He shoved his elbow into attacker’s stomach and the man grunted but didn’t let him go. “It’s me.” A familiar voice whispered in his ear and it did nothing to calm his nerves. Slade let him go before Dick managed to send another elbow, this time into his throat, and turned to close the door after them before turning back to face Dick with a smirk. “We haven’t seen each other for weeks and this is how you greet me?” He chuckled. “I should have guessed.” “You grabbed me.” Dick accused him, trying to subtly put more distance between them. Of course, Slade noticed. And he moved closer, not stopping until their chest were pressed together. “So it’s my fault?” He teased with a smirk. “Naturally.” Dick swallowed heavily. “Naturally.” Slade allowed with a quick dip of his head, his lips still curled into that grin. “Let me make it up to you then.” And then he leaned down to press their lips together.

Ask me about my wips!

[jonmyblaze]

Uncle Wilson theTerminator.

Slade Wilson wasn't even looking for the girl, he was just on a kill mission but NoOoo...

apparently this little teenage blue haired twerp just TELEPORTED right in front of him after he sliced up another one of his targets.

Crap and now she's crying to.

And Christ the lungs on her. Not even Joey had that's strong of a lung

Oh look a whole minute. And now she's taking a breath.

----

Lian Harper remembered the Pain, she hated the teleportation, the heartache of being ripped away from her family

oh she fucking hated it it took her years but she hated it. She had finally gotten a chance to hug her father(see Green arrow 2023 #1)

But now she was ripped away again. Fuck.

Not even 10 minutes not even 10 fucking minutes that she could have with her own fucking dad without disappearing to God knows where, with blood and death and it looks like a meat grinder went off and killed everything in its path.

Her life was hell.

She just wanted to be with her family dad Uncle dick Donna! Ollie Wally conner. Anybody

Even mom. Fuck she forgot to tell Mom. Shit she dropped the mask.

She was alone. And Mom couldn't even find her. all because she wanted to hug her father.

------slade

It took the girl 10 minutes to finally calm down from crying. But still she knew how to wipe off the blood in less than a minute. That was strange. She even made sure to have none of the blood on her clothing.

"Who are you kid"

Slade wanted to know, no normal teenager would just teleport directly in front of his Carnage without some reason of being here.

"My name is l-Lian. " The girl with blue hair answered, almost unsure that was her own name.

"Well Where the hell did you come from Lian." That ignited something defensive in her it seemed.

"what's it to you? What, are you a cop? "

"So that I could send you back. To wherever the fuck you came from"

"Why the hell would you do that? Are you Fed? Black ops? cop? "

Because I don't want to deal with extra terrestrial bullshit. "

slade Wilson knew that if some random teenager teleported in front of you it's better to deal with their issues and then forget about that entire adventure it was best for his own sanity.

" Ha! Good luck with that." She smiled a bitter smile." I'm cursed"

Cursed kid? Sheesh

Kid I deal with the supernatural and mortal realm, I think you're exaggerating things

No! I'm not ! every time I'm with in my family I just get teleported to another part of the fucking Earth. I can't even hug my own damn father without being violently thrown across the planet."she was breaking again, she was going to cry slade did not want that.

He already had dealt with her for 10 fucking minutes of crying, pathetic ugly subs.

he did not want to be in that position again.

""I I just wanted to be with my family. Just want my dad. I'll take Mom even."

It was said on that day, The mercenary's heart grew three sizes that day. Or shrunk six sizes and just wanted to deal with the child and get her out of his hair. Depends on how you look at it.

Deathstroke removed his mask

+------

Lian looked at the man, he was grizzled old and with gray hair, wearing an eye patch.

A grizzled old pirate assassin? Just her fucking luckz, can't get a good education because teleporting can't be with Dad because teleporting, can't be with Grandpa Ollie because he's fucking dead, can't go to Dinah can't go to Connor Lian was fucked and all she has was this damn fucking old assumingly assassin.

Why in all that is holy was she cursed to have such a life of pain and misery what did she do?, At least she could fucking remember what her dad looks like. At least he remembered her name now.

Something's going on with the timelines she did not know but this was her fucking life, and if she has to use some grizzled asshole to get uncursed or find Mom she would use them.

Turning Real tears and fake tears into bargaining power against mercenaries was one of Lian's top skills. Even if that was only against mother.

-----

"I'll make you a deal child,

You give me information on your family names, addresses and stuff like that that I could use to hunt them down and then once we get this whole teleporter situation under wraps then you could be with your family happily ever after..

You'll be safe alive with your family in no time."

-----

Lian was desperate where was she to go, this wasn't Gotham this wasn't any other cities she was used to,

It was some kind of bunker in the middle of nowhere, she already looked around the premises and everything like Mom would have wanted her to. Like Dad would have wanted her to. And there was nothing.

If this will get her home this would be the only chance she has

------

*"You mean it?"she asked with a false innocence. She had to get home she couldn't take it anymore. No more teleporting no more bullshit.

"I promise I'll do everything in my power to ensure that you return home to your family"

Slade Wilson thought this would be easy.

Oh how he wished it was easy

[amischiefofmuses]

Ghost Rider - A stream of consciousness while watching.

Decided I'mma post my notes I made while watching the movie, might do it for every movie rather than spam the feed with liveblogging me watching it. Some of it has absolutely no context and I want it to be known that especially for this one, I don't know the comics for ghost rider AT ALL so this is a blind reaction with only the movie itself as source material. I'm starting with movies not tied to the MCU or XMCU for now - then I'll be working my way into those too.

Younger Johnny is actually a decent enough actor, even if the film is super cheesy. The penance stare sequence with evil laughter, gunshots, a baby crying, screams, just so over the top I actually giggled.

Little disappointed that the cop checking his speed didn’t cut to it saying 666 - feels like a missed opportunity to lean into the silliness. So many unneeded flashbacks, yes I know what happened 5 minutes ago thank you.

The old guy is an actually decent actor, I like his vibes - wish he was the ghost rider the film focused on ngl. THE MIRROR SCENE WHERE HE’S CLACKING HIS TEETH TOGETHER AND MAKING FACES TO TRY AND TURN INTO THE GHOST RIDER, HELLO? Kjashdkjsha No wait, this whole scene of him trying to gain control is goofy. Good lord.

The ‘YOU’ thing is meant to be iconic, instead it’s so ridiculous- maybe because it’s cage. The prison scene, good lord, this man cannot act. ‘Don’t put me in here’. Pffttt. Criminals are angry he didn’t die in a jump??? ‘NICE JACKET.’

Modifying the jacket?? What ARE his powers? He can manipulate things like that just because he MUST look edgy????

I ALMOST DEFINITELY HAD A CRUSH ON BLACKHEART, this is the first time I remembered a line and it was that ‘Forgive me father, for I have sinned. I’ve sinned a lot’. Come on now young magnus, you gay as hell. No wonder I watched it so much.

The zoom on the guard pfftt. Goofy af. Finger waggle was kinda cold tho. If he didn’t blow things up wherever he went then maybe he wouldn’t draw so much attention smh. Flipping the cops off while driving away on top of the water was FIRE.

Remembering another line - ‘The suspect is going UP’, the delivery was great. Pulling in a helicopter, how strong is he actually????

I do think the elemental nature of the villains is p cool and their designs aren’t too bad, they are defeated shockingly easily though. The chain as a tool/weapon is also damn cool. Leave the old man alone dammit, stop kicking him. I know he’s a ghost rider but damn.

THEY DID KILL HIS FRIEND. I KNEW IT. Blackheart faking the penance stare working on him, this sassy little fucker. I really do have a type.

ALSO why is the old man hot, I hate it here. I would smooch that grandpa. Music choices bang HARD. Hate that carter slade only rode with him there and left, I was so hyped for the team up goddammit.

Bike giving him encouragement. Hell yeah. I’d love that tbh. Also is the bike sentient then???

DRAMATIC WILD WEST EYE ZOOM PFFTT. Reading the contract was a bit underwhelming, they could have added some latin fanciness in there or smth. ‘This is the contract. All of you,,, come to me!’

The red effect on blackheart’s eyes when he turns into legion, LMFAO NO. Turning the gun to a hellfire gun? Again, sir, what ARE your powers? Another penance stare, fuck yeah gimme the silliness.

His fire turning blue when he looks at her is cute af honestly, that is cute.

THE POSE. THE POINT. It’s kinda growing on me. Also I hope it’s acknowledged that he’s a known criminal now because,,, oof? Not gonna be easy if he can only be Ghost Rider at night. I LOVE THE ENDING SONG. Getting it later.

[ohlookitsthearkhamknight]

*Rose is babysitting Lian*

Rose: “I have to go to the store and get a few things. Dad your in charge please for the love of god dont let me see you on the fucking news.”

Rose *turning around*: “okay lian be good for me ok and when i get back we can watch a movie ok?”

Lian: “Okkkkkkk”

*Rose turning back to face Slade* : “I’m watching you and dont think for a second i wont call jason or kori over here”

Slade: “please rose i know what im doing. We”ll be fine ive did this before. Kinda.”

Rose: “okay fine be good i gotta go”

*Rose leaves*

Slade: “okay li- Lian?!?!”

*Slade running down the hall*: “LIAN?!?!?”

*Slade runs into his office where his suit and weapons are*

*Lian holding his sword*: “oooooooo whats this?”

*Slade picking lian up and taking his sword away from her*: “okay rules, no touching anything thats sharp okay???? Also this room is off limits ok!?!?!”

Lian: “okie dokie” *skips away*

*Slade running his hand over his face*: “this is going to be harder than I thought”

2 hours later

*Lian playing with some toys*: “uncle ollie can be stupid sometimes and grandpa batman is always angry”

Slade huffing : “tell me about it”

Lian: “everyone doesnt like auntie rose because of what she does and because your her dad. Just like they dont like mama.”

*Lian looking down*: “At least you dont think im going to grow up and hurt people”

Slade: “who the hell thinks that!?!?!?! YOUR A KID”

Lian: “they act like i cant hear them but i can. I heard them talk about daddy too and mama. Uncle jaybird says to ignore them but thats hard.”

Slade: “who your parents are has nothing to do with who you become. Your a good kid lian. Your not like us. Your better. Dont listen to them. They’re probably just jealous they dont have cool aunt and uncles like you do”

*Lian giggling*: “hehe no they dont. They are just mad they dont have a cool grandpa like you”

Slade.exe stops working

*Slade smiling but also maybe crying a little*: “yeah they dont. Wanna go get some ice cream kid?”

Lian: “YEAH AND WE CAN TAKE BAD GUYS DOWN TOO”

*Slade nodding his head in agreement* : “yeah we can take bad guys down too”

A few hours later

*Rose walking thru the hallways when she hears slade singing and stops to look into her room*

*Slade humming an old lullaby*

*Lian drifting off to sleep*

Rose: “and here i thought you were going to call me panicing”

Slade: “i almost did but i think i got the hang of it”

Slade: “shes a good kid.”

Rose: “yeah she is. I just wish roy was here. I know what it feels like to have one dead parent and one incompetent parent. No offense but still”

Slade: “yeah I understand. But she isnt alone. Shes got all of you guys to take care of her. She has a good family. She has you.”

Rose: “and you”

*Slade chuckling*: “everyday you remind me more and more of your mother. I might have messed up at being a parent but she didnt.”

Rose: “you werent all that bad. I mean look at you. Lian trust you. Something she doesnt give out willingly.”

*Rose smiling*: “your a good grandpa”

Slade: “i try my best”

*Rose sighing*: “thanks for this. she needed something to cheer her up”

Slade: “well ice cream has always worked for me when i get down. I honestly didnt do much.”

Rose: “you know thats not what i mean. Thank you for making sure that she knows shes good. I know what it feels like for people to talk behind your back about you when your parent isn’t exactly your average textbook good guy”

Slade: “i tried my best. But seriously you ever find who was saying shit tell me. No one is going to talk about her. Not if im still breathing.”

Rose: “dont worry i will. Now come on i have groceries to put up.”

Slade: “ill make dinner”

Rose: “no uncle billy is coming over and hes cooking. He doesnt trust you since last time”

Slade: “oh come on that was one mistake.”

Rose: “yes one mistake that ended with me having to buy a new oven”

Slade: “ok ok ill keep my hands away from be oven”

*Lian suddenly appearing in the living room*: “i cant sleep. I want to watch a movie now”

*Rose slowly turning towards slade*: “when did you give her ice cream”

*Slade nervously turning to face rose*: “maybe right before she was supposed to go to bed”

Rose: “damnit dad”

Lian: “ooooo A DOLLOR IN THE SWEAR JAR”

Rose: “and who did you get that from?”

Lian smiling: “grandpa alfie”

Slade and rose: “of course you did”

[femalechibiblogger]

Celebrities Who Were In ‘Fallout’ Games Part 2

1. Ron Perlman

Ron Perlman is an actor who has been in both live-action productions, and has voice animated characters such as: ‘Matt Hagen/Clayface’ in Batman: The Animated Series, ‘The Stabbington Brothers’ in Tangled, ‘Slade Wilson/Deathstroke’ in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and ‘Xibala’ in The Book of Life. 

As for his live-action roles, Ron Perlman has played characters such as: ‘Johner’ in Alien Resurrection, ‘Dieter Reinhardt’ in Blade II, ‘Hellboy’ in the 2004 Hellboy, ‘Luther Braxton’ in The Blacklist, and ‘Clay Morrow’ on Sons of Anarchy. 

Since 1997, Ron Perlman has narrated the intros for every game in the canon Fallout game franchise. Not only has he narrated the games, but also played two characters, a trader in The Hub named ‘Butch Harris’ in Fallout 1 and the ‘Newscaster’ in Fallout 4. 

Ron Perlman is a great actor who knows how to create a serious and dramatic scene in his roles. 

2. Lynda Carter

Lynda Carter is an actress, singer, and former model who was crown Miss World USA in 1972. When her acting career took off, Lynda Carter became very well-known for her role as ‘Wonder Woman’ in the 1975 tv series. Since then, she made guest appearances in other tv shows around the time her singing career took off.

Since 2002, Lynda Carter has voice characters in video games such as: ‘Female Nords’, ‘Gormlaith Golden-Hilt’ and ‘Azura’ in the Elder Scrolls franchise. 

In Fallout 4, Lynda Carter voiced a singer in Good Neighbor named ‘Magnolia’. Magnolia spends a majority of the game singing beautiful songs for the patrons of The Third Rail and can also be helpful at times.

No matter how many years have passed, Lynda Carter continues to shine bright and has a beautiful singing voice. 

3. Wayne Newton

Wayne Newton is another singer who is best known for his performances in Las Vegas, being one of Vegas’ most famous performers since the 1970′s. Besides signing, Wayne Newton has also made guest appearances as himself in movies and tv shows such as: The Lucy Show, Vegas Vacation, Dancing With The Stars, and The Price is Right. 

In Fallout: New Vegas, Wayne Newton voices an artificial intelligence named ‘Mr. New Vegas’, who was created by RobCo CEO ‘Mr. House’ to be a radio DJ in Las Vegas. Even after 200 years, Mr. New Vegas continues to host his radio show and will talk about the actions of ‘The Courier’ as they travel through New Vegas. 

Even today, Wayne Newton continues to be one of Las Vegas’ living legends. 

4. Malcolm McDowell

Malcolm McDowell is a British actor who is most well-known for his roles as: ‘Alex DeLarge’ in Clockwork Orange, ‘Max Gunter’ in Voyage of the Damned, ‘Metallo’ in Superman: The Animated Series, ‘Bret Stiles’ in The Mentalist, and ‘Grandpa Reginald ‘Reg’ Fletcher’ in Phineas and Ferb. 

Other than live-action and animated series, Malcolm McDowell has also voiced characters in video games such as: ‘Molag Bal’ in the Elder Scrolls franchise, ‘Dr. Monty’ in Call of Duty: Black OPs III, and ‘Daedalus’ in God of War III.

In Fallout 3, Malcolm McDowell voiced the President of the Enclave, ‘John Henry Eden’, an advanced computer AI who wants the Lone Wanderer to poison the water supply with a special form of FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus), and will declare war on the Capital Wasteland if he is not destroyed. 

Malcolm McDowell continues to play such dramatic roles that amazes the audience. 

5. Jim Cummings

Jim Cummings is one of the greatest voice actors of all time. He has performed many characters that we all know from our childhoods and even our adult lives, such as: ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and ‘Tigger’ in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, Ed the Hyena from The Lion King, ‘Darkwing Duck’, ‘Pete the Bulldog’ in the Mickey Mouse franchise, ‘Chief Powtan’ in Pocahontas, and ‘Lord Boxman’ in O.K. K.O! Let’s Be Heroes. 

In the first Fallout game, Jim Cummings played three different characters: A wealthy casino owner in Junktown named ‘Gizmo’, the leader of a community of Ghouls named ‘Set, and the main voice for the game’s main antagonist ‘Master’. Jim Cummings would appear again in Fallout 4, where he mainly voiced Settlers and other minor characters. 

Nevertheless, Jim Cummings is someone who as been around throughout our childhoods and continues to make both children and adults smile today.

[fantastic-wiles]

Baby!Dami meets his grandpa enemies or meeting his dad old mentor(aka Slade) in "Oh, He's Not A Wayne?". What do you think would happen, especially with the Birds of Prey & Slade

So, in Slade's case, I don't think he'd really do anything. He might find it mildly interesting, but asides from that, it wouldn't really matter to him. It'd be vital information for later if he wanted to hold something over Dick, but he wouldn't prob hurt Damian, considering his moral code involves not killing people he thinks are in the right (Well, I'm talking about classic Deathstroke here, so I can't say anything about modern Deathstroke)

I actually don't know a lot about Birds of Prey. I don't follow their comics. So I wouldn't be able to give you a good answer in that regard.

I imagine Joker would love to torture Bruce's family by involving Damian. Poison Ivy doesn't mess with kids, so I don't think she'd do anything.

Catwoman would ADORE Damian, you KNOW she would! Take him around the town, pretending to 'kidnap' him, thus sending the fam on a wild goose chase. Turns out they were just having fun, and Selina likes to make up drama for the heck of it.

Scarecrow, Riddler, and Penguin wouldn't be too interested in Damian unless he became prominent in the vigilante scene. They'd treat him just like every other sidekick at that point.

Ra's would be intrigued. Unlike Talia, who despies Damian's existence, Ra's would be gauging Damian's potential. Observing him.

In fact, who's to say he isn't doing that right now? ;)

[spartanbunjase]

Server Sunday.

I can’t think of any warnings...mob stuff? strip club office. 

As the music thumped through the club. Dancers were draping themselves over poles for others to watch. Patrons were flashing cash and drinking like fish. Most of the back booths were full of clients having conversations, awaiting their turn in the more private rooms for a dance.

The club’s owner Jason Todd-Maroni looked down at the biggest stage of the three strip clubs he owned. All were legal as Jason had had enough of illegal activity growing up and his Pa and Grandpa, CJ and Salvatore Maroni, were understanding of him wanting to be away from it all. The music was giving Jason a slight headache. His vision feeling a little fuzzy around the edges as he watched and waited for his mate to return.

There was currently a group performance going on; four omegas, four betas and two alphas entertaining the crowd. He could see the tell-tale flash of green that would mean a good night’s revenue as half was directed at the dancers and the other half was going to the bar. If the itch under his skin was any indication then his heat was due, he’d pull in more money if he danced but he just didn’t feel safe. Plus, his alpha was due back in town for the first time in a month and their daughter was going to spend the week with her Grandpa CJ.

Instead of joining his employees in the break room, Jason turned the frequency of his earpiece to the table the Falcone boys always used. They had a set table they converted in the club, something Jason didn’t fight against as it made them feel comfortable. When people were comfortable they acted freer. Free with their money and free with their mouths. He’d had to ban several of them over the years for stepping out of line, but the family still came by.

“Just give me my cut of the money and I’ll be out of here. The Mrs will nag me if he finds out I was here.” Felicity, a blonde alpha who was every bit an arsehole of an alpha Jason grew up with, grumbled out. Jason had seen her around his neighbourhood before he’d gotten out. She’d always been rude to anyone who wasn’t an alpha and he felt sympathy for her wife, a kind omega that seemed to use all his time to worship the ground his husband walked on.

He didn’t usually allow that sort of business. He didn’t want a shootout in his clubs. Except something about this transaction had him on edge.

“You got to wait.” Falcone’s second son, and the least favourite out of the four, passed her a glass of whisky. “We ain’t got the information yet. They should be here, ah, Dom over here.” Jason looked over to where he was waving. Ice ran down his spine as he saw Dom Taglioni, a former friend of CJ who had disappeared just before Jason had been taken in. CJ had ensured Jason knew about the dangerous beta. His love of torturing people for information infamous within their circle. He’d become a turncoat and fled to save his own skin.

Jason watched as Dom handed over a brown envelope. Felicity pulled out the contents and Jason flinched. CJ’s face was looking back at him. A recent photo at that, it had been snapped as he’d left The Park View two nights ago. Jason knew this because he’d been the one CJ was having dinner with. More photos appeared. Each one detailing where a member of his family had been during the week. Luckily, he and his daughter weren’t included.

Thank fuck for speed dial, Jason thought as he punched in his unlock code and called CJ. “Pa,” he said as soon as the line connected, “dancing is strong tonight.” It was a code they’d set up when he’d opened his first club. It meant he had information and was alone, needing CJ to be in the same position.

“Let me just turn down the TV.” His Pa replied. Jason listening as he stepped away from whatever he was doing. “What’s up?”

“Tag resurfaced and handed a packet with all you guys in it to the Falcone family.” He could feel himself shaking. Fear trying to crawl in at the prospect of his Pa and Grandpa being taken out. “All recent, even one from our dinner. Pa, I’m scared.” He hadn’t felt fear much since getting his new family. None of them ever raising a hand to him or trying to control him because of his secondary gender.

“Just wait there. Don’t reveal yourself or how you know. The club is your livelihood son and I won’t have you risking it for us.” Jason went to interrupt his Pa, but he knew his son too well. “Nope, you know Grandpa would agree with me. Your clubs mean too much to you. Zsasz will meet them all outside.”

Jason gave a sigh of relief and went over to his safe. “I’ll give Zsasz his money Pa, you just focus on this.”

“No Jay, I’ll deal with all that. You need to stay put or get home. I know your heat is coming soon and Floyd is going to be back tonight too. You can still leave Zoe here. I’ll never let anything happen to my grandbaby.” Jason smiled softly to himself. CJ had a reputation as a hard bastard who took no shit. Jason had been nervous when he’d had to introduce Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, to his Pa and Grandpa; especially as he had a kid from his first omega. They’d welcomed the man in with only one shovel talk each. Now they were as much a part of the family as Jason. Sal only complaining minutely about being a great-grandpa for his then twenty-three-year-old grandson.

With the current crisis unfolding in his club, Jason knew that CJ’s priority would be ensuring Zoe and he were safe. Money would change hands, with the potential of Deathstroke being called in to subtly guard them while he went through his heat. If not Slade, then Floyd would call in his Squad. CJ would keep his mate in the loop so he could relax. There was nothing else he could do, so he kept listening and watching the door for Floyd.

[windona]

YJ finale

Thoughts on the last three episodes:

-Episodes 25 and 26 felt like post script episodes in many ways

-What a way to screw over Brion's character arc in five seconds. He solidified what he had learned in episode 24 when Granny was taunting him, but apparently he threw it away in 26 in 30 seconds.

-Though Brion did have a few good points. Bedlam had committed high treason, conspiracy, etc at the beginning of season three but was apparently unguarded in prison with other prisoners who were collaberators, allowing him to initiate a coup. And because Artemis didn't inform anyone about Tara she was able to give Slade vital information for starting the coup.

-Aw, Brion wanted to make Violet his queen.

-Swinging back to episode 24, rainbow Halo! But yeah, they really did not need to make Violet not Muslim for this arc. It feels like they wanted credit but not to put in the work. It would have been an excellent time to allude to her faith or something, but nah they didn't.

-I swear Artemis' need to talk to Wally's ghost felt out of nowhere, especially since it seems Dick was having more trouble with it throughout the season.

-Yay Cyborg! Feeling comfortable with his powers, becoming a hero, having a new dickish grandpa- things are looking up for him

-I appreciate every minute of Jaime

-I don't know anything about Infinity Inc in the comics, but is absolutely nobody suspicious about a theoretically American team pledging loyalty to King Puppet?

[sixpillarsofgenesis]

Jason drops his teacup when Bruce explains how he’d gotten the favor.

“You stole from the Vatican?” Jason yelps, and Bruce gave him a vaguely unimpressed look. On the other side of the screen, he can see Elyan's biting back laughter, the Kents are all varying stages of horrified (With grandpa Kent looking ready to bust a gut laughing), and Tim and Dick are staring.

“Of course I didn’t.” Bruce sniffs. “Selina was already in the area, so I asked her to pick them up for me.”

“B!” Jason yelps. “You are not getting the point. You stole from the Vatican.”

“So? I’m Jewish,” Bruce points out, and Jason’s mouth hangs wide open. Then he splutters.

“That’s not the point! What if it was Jerusalem?” Jason says, and Bruce looks mildly confused.

“Jason, I think you’re misunderstanding a key point here.” Bruce reaches out to him then, ruffles his hair. “I gave you my word that Joker would pay for killing you.” Jason’s breath punches out of his lungs, and he can hear how Dick sighs, amused.

“Jeez B,” Dick sounds entertained, but also a little… Jealous? “What would you have done if it was in Talia’s domain?”

“Probably just picked it up myself,” B says nonchalantly.

Everyone stares.

“What? I know the floorplan.”

Jason doesn’t know who cracks up first. Maybe it’s Tim.

It might be him.

But in short order, the whole room is in hysterics, and Jason’s leaning against Bruce’s shoulder.

“I hate you,” Jason wheezes. “Not literally, don’t even,” Jason manages through strangled snickers. Bruce deflates immediately, relieved. “You make it really, really hard to stay mad at you, B,” Jason says, and Bruce smiles down at his son softly, fingers running through the boy’s hair.

Blue eyes peek up at him, before Jason sighs, leaning against his father.

“I love you, B,” Jason mumbles, and Bruce hugs him, resting his head on Jason’s. It… it was also so, so weird now. B had always shied away from physical affection, he’d never truly been comfortable with it. He remembers how Dick had talked about his childhood, and he wonders - without Clark, would B have been like that then too?

Jason’s not sure, but the idea chills him.

~~~~~

Dick wants to be happy for Jason. Dick wants… well. He wants a lot of shit, but why -

Tonight’s not a good night. He’d gone back to Blüdhaven to figure himself out, completely out of sorts at the - rather unhelpful - thoughts cycling in his head. A whisper of your fault, your fault, if you were better Bruce would have done this for you too -

“If you’re here to kill me, do it another day,” Dick says flatly. It’s silent. And then a figure drops from the shadows.

“Funny you say that -” One of his smaller knives embeds itself in the brick next to his head.

“I mean it, Deathstroke. Whatever you’re looking for in our usual little tête-à-têtes, you aren’t going to find it today.” He glares at the man, and Slade merely looks at him, head tilted to a side. The silence stretches, and then Deathstroke snorts.

“You know what? That sounds fair.” The man says, strolling up and taking a seat on the edge of the building with him. It’s… it’s weird, this little equilibrium. He and Slade have had this ongoing… friendship? Mentorship? Dick doesn’t know, really - for a while now, and while Slade always complained about being his unpaid therapist, he never said no.

“Good.” Kicking his feet up, Dick looks up at the night sky.

“You know, I’m not a therapist, kid.”

“Yeah yeah, you keep saying. And then you keep offering advice, so what’s it to ya?” Dick complains, and Slade chuckles, leaning on his arms.

“What did dear Bat-Daddy do this time to aggravate you? Is this about Joker getting dragged to hell?” Slade wonders. “Never knew the man had it in him.” Dick doesn’t grit his teeth.

“That’s not what I’m mad about.” Dick says flatly. It really wasn’t. He was more mad about -

“Bat-Daddy picking favorites again?” Slade guesses, and Dick hates how well the man knows him.

“If I say yes will you fucking go away?” Dick asks, and Slade snorts.

“When was that the last time you knew me to do that?” He wonders, amused, and Dick hisses a little

“Fuck’s sake, go away,” Dick groans. “Let me wallow in peace and fucking quiet.” Deathstroke eyes him.

“You’re much too easy to rile up today. Making it easy,” Slade jokes, looking at him with a tilt to his head. Dick groans, and wonders if he should just jump off of the building and be done with it. He doesn’t, of course, because Slade only ever comes when he wants something, and better to let him get on with it.

“The fuck do you want?” Dick asks, unimpressed.

“What makes you think I want something?” Slade asks, unimpressed right back.

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t think you could do something with what you’ve learned,” Dick says flatly. “So either pitch or leave.” Slade chuckles, leans in and tugs at a strand of black hair. Dick twitches, a bladed wingding in his hands in the next moment. Slade wisely lets go.

“Don’t you ever want to go renegade?” Slade offers, leans in. “Get out from that Bat-daddy’s thumb you’ve been under since you were a kid?”

Dick grits his teeth again.

He hates how well Slade can sense weakness in him, how much he fucking hates Slade for going after him while the insecurity is still fresh.

“What do you want?” Dick says, tone sharp. Slade chuckles.

“Lex Luthor’s put in a contract.” Dick’s head tilts, and he scowls. “He’s looking into a clone of his, says he wants to get an uninterrupted hour or two with the boy, no questions asked.” Slade leans in closer. “Seeing as you’ve got an in with the big blue guy himself, I’d think this is a pretty good job for a first timer like yourself.” Slade’s arm slings over his shoulder, and Dick shoots him a look.

“Why are you really asking?” He bites the words out, and Slade smirks. He knows Dick well enough to know Dick doesn’t like being used as a stepping stone,

In the dark of the night, there’s nobody there to hear Slade’s words or Dick’s laugh as he listens.

~~~~~

Jason returns home two days before Christmas - a record, really, for any trial, but then again, it was less a trial and more an affirmation of guilt. Everyone’s busy the moment he enters the house. B is off to an investment meeting - though he looks horribly unhappy by that fact - so Jason goes looking for his brothers. He’d gotten a text from Clark telling him that Tim has had some issues with school, so he’d sent back some recommendations for that.

But he hadn’t heard anything from Dick recently, so once he’s sure everything’s all good, Jason tells an amused Alfie where he’s going and hops on a subway train with his gifts.

“Remember to turn on the television around noon, Young Master Jason,” Alfred tells him, and Jason nods agreeably before running off to catch the shuttle to the train.

The ride to Blüdhaven is only about an hour long, so Jason packs one of his lighter books and enjoys the ride. He knows Dick’s apartment number, so he hops right on up and knocks on the door. Nobody answers. A minute passes.

Two.

After the third, Jason’s cheer begins to wane, and he wonders if maybe he’d come at a bad time. Finally, he hears the sound of sneakers, and turns around to see a surprised looking Dick staring at him from the stairs, holding a giant bag of groceries.

“Jay!” Dick’s confusion melts into a ready smile at the sight of him, and Jason smiles sheepishly. “Just got in?” He chatters easily away, and Jason relaxes at the realization that he’d just forgotten Dick’s schedule.

“Yeah, the flight landed two hours ago. B got dragged into an investment meeting, and Clark’s apparently helping Tim out with alternative schooling options, so I thought I’d see you.” He smiles sheepishly. “I didn’t come at a bad time, did I?” He asks, and Dick rolls his eyes.

“Psh, nah. Glad I caught you, though. Would have hated to miss you being back.” Dick sounds sincere, but Jason knows Dick well enough to know something’s bugging him, and that it’s probably pretty serious, if Dick is trying so hard to be cheerful when he’s so obviously tired. They’re quiet for a bit, Jason helping Dick put away his food and looking skeptically at the ice cream sandwiches.

“You look at me and tell me after an eighteen hour day you want to scoop ice cream.” Dick defends, and Jason snorts.

“Fair enough,” Jason says, puts them in the best spot for Dick to get them after a long night. Dick winks at him playfully, and he sets up a plate for the both of them. “Anything exciting?” Jason asks, and Dick smiles a little wryly.

“Nothing that exciting,” Dick deflects, and Jason pouts at him, makes Dick laugh. “How are you? How was the Netherlands?” Jason offers him the bag, fights to keep a straight face as Dick blinks, but accepts the bag. He reaches in, and pulls out -

“Jaybird, you are so lucky I refuse to commit homicide,” Dick says firmly as he stares at the gift - er, gifts - that Jason had gotten from the Amsterdam sex museum. “Is this-”

“A bag of dicks?” Jason says, lips twitching. Dick’s glare intensifies, and Jason loses it, snickering gleefully into his palm while an unimpressed Dick watches him in irritation. “Oh come on, Dick,” Jason says, amused. “Was I not supposed to go? You would have pouted at me for not making the ultimate pun.” Dick’s brow twitches, and he stares at him for several minutes, before giving a defeated shrug.

“Fair play, I guess,” Dick sighs. His hand goes up to scrub at his hair, and he moves to tuck the gift away. Jason raises a brow, and Dick arches an expressive one back. “Oh, you want me to dig through this bag of dicks? Ha-ha, Jaybird,” Dick complains, but he obediently digs around until he gets to the actual gift.

Jason looks sheepishly at Dick when the man stares at him.

“I couldn’t carry the whole set on public transit,” Jason says shyly. “But they had a cool-looking Nightwing-themed set, and B let me buy it as a gift.” At Jason’s eager look, Dick’s smile becomes more real, the man chuckling as he looks at the mug fondly.

“You know I probably will just have to keep it at B’s, right?”

“More reason to visit?” Jason says hopefully, and Dick laughs, a warm thing.

“Sure, sure. Miss me that much?” He teases.

“Yes.” The flat response makes Dick blink, visibly surprised. Jason gives his big brother an amused look. “I miss seeing you around, and Timbo’s great, but he’s a little brother, not the cool big one.” Here Jason gives him another annoyed look. “Blüdhaven’s way too far for my tastes,” Jason complains. Dick gives him a warm little chuckle, reaches out to ruffle his hair.

“Love you too, Little Wing,” Dick says, a warm smile spreading over his lips, much more fluid and free than the tight, slightly stressed one of earlier. Dick leans in to press a kiss to Jason’s forehead, and he preens under the attention. Dick leans on his hands, looking indulgently amused at Jason’s cheer.

“What mischief are you up to?” Dick asks, and Jason shifts with a sheepish smile.

“I’m thinking about moving out.” Jason admits, and Dick’s brow shoots up. He looks at Jason seriously, before frowning.

“Why would you want to move out?” Dick wonders, and Jason twiddles his fingers together.

“Would you believe me if I said that I think if I don’t, B’s going to start smothering me?” Dick hums.

“I can see that,” Dick says, and Jason’s shoulders untense. “I don’t think I’m the best person to talk to about this, honestly. You know B and I - we’ve gotten along like cats and dogs since I was about the same age as you.” His lips twist into a bittersweet smirk. “He and Harvey were school buds. So I ended up splitting from him because of that.” Jason winces slightly. He knows bitterness well, especially this kind. Jason reaches out, and even though Dick’s eyes flash with irritation, he lets Jason hold his hand.

“B loves you, you know,” Jason says carefully, and Dick’s mouth twitches into a bitter grin.

“Sure as fuck doesn’t feel that way,” Dick says, and Jason squeezes his hand.

“Wanna watch TV with me?” Jason asks, and Dick’s lips quirk up slightly.

“I can be distracted, Little Wing,” he says gracefully, knows Jason’s trying to play peacemaker, and amused enough to let him, the two of them taking their plates and absconding to the tiny living room, both of them curling up around each other and watching mindless TV together.

Near noon, Jason changes the channel, much to Dick’s confusion.

“Alfie told me you needed to see this,” he says, and Dick hums slightly, unamused.

“Well, nobody dares to defy Alfred,” Dick says, allowing Jason to be pushy.

“This is Gotham Five news - in a shocking turn of events, There has been several arrests made in just the last three hours, prompted by a release of information from the infamous Batman himself! Among the arrested is former District Attorney Harvey Dent, for murder, attempted murder, and abuse of authority. It seems like with the removal of the Joker, Gotham’s Dark Knight has proven he’s - heh - hell-bent on clearing up Gotham, come hell or high water.”

The screen goes black, and startled, Jason looks at Dick, whose hand is tightly wrapped around the remote hard enough to make it creak.

“Did you know?” Dick asks, and Jason shakes his head.

“He said he was going to step up some stuff after we got back, but no, not anything more than you did, I think,” Jason says quietly. Dick’s expression is carved from stone, his eyes hard as flint.

“That son of a bitch makes it damn hard to be mad at him,” Dick says flatly. With a defeated sigh, Dick sets the remote aside, dragging Jason into his arms much to the teenager’s alarmed squeak. “Zip it Little Wing. If I gotta put up with B finally getting his shit together, then you owe me this much.” Jason flails a little helplessly, before curling up close and letting Dick hug him as he pleased.

“What a day,” Dick grumbles into his hair. Jason squirms against his big brother’s grasp, but with a sigh, he gives it up.

“It’s not B if he doesn’t have the emotional range of a teaspoon,” Jason offers, and Dick snorts.

“Quarter teaspoon.”

“Half.”

“Are we really arguing about Bruce’s emotional range?” Dick says, amused, and Jason shrugs.

“What else are we supposed to do?”

Dick can’t help his laugh.

~~~~~

Jon is a curled lump on Elyan’s chest when Clark comes back, the man ruffling his hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“How is everyone?” Elyan wonders, and Clark pulls a face.

“Shaken. Jason’s dragging Dick back over here later tonight - says he wants to talk to you.” Clark arches a brow, and Elyan shrugs.

“It’s not exactly rocket science that he’s annoyed with B, papa,” Elyan says, his smile wry. Clark concedes the point. “I’ll do my part - he and I used to work together, so I think I can head him off some.” Clark gets that confused-not-confused look on his face that he has whenever he thinks too much about Elyan’s other life. It’s vaguely homicidal, which Elyan can’t help but find funny. The other Clark had always looked uncomfortable instead. He bounces Jon, and the boy blows a sleepy raspberry at him. Clark looks unbearably fond of the two of them, and he reaches out for his son, kneeling down to plant a kiss against Elyan’s forehead.

“Geh,” he says, more to be contrary than because he doesn’t actually like it. Clark gives him an unimpressed look for it, and he grins sheepishly. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he says, grinning, and Clark, just to be a jerk, presses a kiss to his cheek, makes him squawk indignantly, before absconding with Jon, the little boy giggling gleefully at it all.

“Hey!” He complains, Clark tossing him a cheeky grin and wink at him.

Blegh. Papas.

Good morning, please have this thought:

Due to shenanigans that Clark cannot possibly comprehend, let alone understand, Bruce has somehow talked him into being Batman for a week.

He comes out of the experience bewildered and wondering how in fuck's sake Batman ever held onto his no-kill rule.

And then he runs into Dick Grayson who is staring at him with starry eyes.

Clark is ten seconds away from a meltdown can you please help him Bruce -

No, help does not mean lean against the doorframe sipping coffee and hiding laughter dammit Bruce HELP HIM -

Clark thinks it's over.

And then he fills in when Jason is Robin. Ten minutes in, and Clark is infinitely fonder of this Robin. Robin gives him magic? God, so cute.

Tim is entirely too smart and sleep deprived and scares him, but at least he puts his brain towards being a menace on main towards Luther.

Stephanie is a national treasure, he thinks, and they join forces for sassing sessions against Bruce.

Damien... He's totally not helping this kid sneak in a tiger, Bruce, just look the other way.

This is perfect

Thank you for the thought

I am enjoying it immensely

I will probably spend a significant portion of the day ruminating on this idea

[ndrebellion]

The Contemplative Motions of Life: A Series of Questions and Answers Between Generations

Caroline Slade (CS) asked her grandpa, Don Ringkamp, a series of questions about his movement through life. Don is best known for his witty comments and wisdom. For several decades now, he has been referred to by family and friends as YGD (Young Grandpa Don). At 86 years old, YGD is pleased to be featured in this issue of The Rebellion.

CS: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word "movement"?

YGD: Me riding my four-wheeler at my farm... and I'd stop every once in a while. I'm hunting.

CS: If you could tell yourself anything when you were a teenager, what would you say?

YGD: I wish I had some more pretty girls to take on a nice date. I had everything else solved. (Thinks for a moment) You want another one? Enjoy freedom from anybody who is trying to command your attention. Do what is best for yourself.

CS: How has life changed since you were young?

YGD: Well, first of all, it was technology. In 1941, World War II, I was only seven years old, so they couldn’t draft me. Anyway, after that, the automobile industry took off, and all kinds of good cars are in 1953. Plus, there’s a lot of good singers in ‘53. And some of them are ol’ hat, but there are some that are good. I go on the Internet every once in a while to look some up, like Jennifer...Jennifer Aniston.

CS: If you could go back to any age in your life, what age would you be again? Why?

YGD: Well, I’d go back—there is one thing I did wrong in college. Up until of the second [semester] of the last four years, I threw everything to the wind and went out a lot. I didn’t study as much. Therefore, my GPA went from 3.8 down to 3.799. So, I missed (Magna) cum laude by a hundredth of a point.

CS: You would go back and study more?

YGD: No. I would look for a different job. (laughs)

CS: What is the most rewarding thing about getting older?

YGD: In my case, to assure my legacy. The question is how I would do that. Well, I did most of it all along. The best thing that happened to me was that I married your grandmother (pauses and smiles). Then we had four children.

CS: Any more advice for the readers on growing up?

YGD: Stick to your objective.

CS: Any final words of wisdom?

YGD: You gotta have a place in your heart for your closest friend, and in the end, your spouse should be your closest friend.

[happyclown]

OC TAG - Reed Tetsuya Azahara

tagged by one of my favorite babes, sonja 😘😘😘 @20-44-sims, I’ll do willa later lol

QUESTIONS below:

1. What is your name? Ello there, the name’s Reed

2. Do you know why you were named that? Hmm, uh, to be honest, I don’t. *googles name meaning* apparently, my name means “red-haired” on nameberry.com...huh, maybe that could explain my friendship with Luka hahah...but seriously tho, wtf mum.

3. Single or taken? *plays the celebration song on his phone and starts shuffling* ya man finally got married, it was the best day of my life!

4. Stop being a Mary Sue! ...Uh, don’t you mean Gary Stu? I’ve read enough shitty fanfics to know that.

5. What’s your eye color? They’re just brown

6. How about hair color? Dark Brown right now, but I’ve been thinking of going blonde for a while. I’m getting older, might as well try different colors before I’m old and balding right? *shrugs*

7. Have you any family members? I have my mum, dad, lil sis, and *in ned from buzzfeed voice* MY WIFE... sorry, bit obnoxious? I couldn’t help myself hahahah. I’m still reveling in my marriage.

8. Oh, how about pets? Well, excluding the cats my family owns, there’s my good old boy poe and then the newest addition, noodle. Still warming up to noodle tho, he’s a little cold-blooded *chuckles* get it...

9. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like? Hmmm, probably heights...pretentious snobs, bad writing, fucking marmite, not that much I can think of right now.

10. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do? I love traveling, especially with friends and family, there’s also playing my bass guitar, reading some good novels, cooking, eating, and painting with my wife

11. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before? Emotionally, maybe?

12. Ever… killed anyone before? what the actual fuck. Do I look like someone who could kill?

13. What kind of animal are you? Probably a giraffe hahahahah...they’re tall, spend most of their time eating, and have big hearts *gives a cheeky smile*

14. Name your worst weaknesses. I work too much, super duper emotional/sensitive...(you cry imma cry harder kinda person), i can’t focus for shit sometimes, lotta things to work on hahahah

15. Do you look up to anyone at all? My parents. They worked very hard to raise my sister and I.

16. Are you straight, gay or bisexual? I’m straight...surprised?

17. Do you go to school? Yup, even got a master’s degree in fine art media from slade.

18. Ever want to marry and have kids one day? Haha, already got married *does a little shimmy* and yeah sure, why not? Doesn’t really matter how many kids we have or if we have kids at all. It would be rather cute to see a tiny Will or me running around the house tho

19. Do you have fangirls/fanboys? I don’t think so. I’m not famous or anything. My wife is the famous one.

20. What are you most afraid of? Losing my friends and family, especially my wife. They’re my everything. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.

21. What do you usually wear? Weird old dress shirt that your grandpa would wear, my lucky denim jeans, and some cool accessories. 

22. What’s one food that tempts you? a good fish and chips

23. Am I annoying you? Nope, takes a lot to annoy me.

24. Well, it’s not over! Ok, keep the questions coming then.

25. What class are you (low class, middle class, high class)? I was born middle class, still am. I make enough money to have a decent living and have some money on the side.

26. How many friends do you have? Many close friends and I love them all to death. Would do anything for my friends.

27. What are your thoughts on pie? cake is better... sorry not sorry

28. Favorite drink? guinness beer, mixed drinks are good too

29. What’s your favorite place? The tree house at my parent’s house is still one of my favorites. Lotta fond memories made there when I was younger.

30. Are you interested in anyone? *ned from buzzfeed voice* MY WIFE...sorry, you probably think I’m being annoying...I just love telling people I have a wife.

31. That was a stupid question. *shrugs* eh.

32. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean? doesn’t matter, i still have to drag will around anyways

33. What’s your type? I like people with big personalities. If you make me laugh and have a great smile, I’ll usually fall head over heels with you. 

34. Any fetishes? ....only my wife knows, nobody else has to know.

35. Camping or indoors? I love camping, kinda wanna do another camping trip with will and some friends. Just gonna stock up on bug spray hahah

That’s it? Well, okay then...

[hokkaidodo-blog]

there’s snow business like hoe business

In my life so far, there have been many things that I have started to do. Many things that have interested me greatly and captured my intrigue and thus,  I have made it my mission to accomplish said things. This process usually includes equal parts of both impulse buying tat from the Internet that I am convinced will be beneficial to me in some way for my new hobby and also developing slightly obsessive behaviours with regards to the aforementioned new hobby and putting every second of my spare time into it. This undoubtedly all occurs before the dawning realisations that I was, in fact, unfortunately born with the attention span of a goldfish and that either 1) I’m bored shitless of my new hobby and can’t believe I was ever interested in it in the first place,  or 2) I have a huge tantrum because I’ve started something new and difficult for 10 minutes a week but somehow I’m not automatically a pro at it immediately. The third step is the abandonment of my new hobby never to be seen, mentioned or eluded to in any way, shape or form for the rest of my fickle existence. My current list of personal pathetic pursuits includes – but is by no means limited to – the following things:

Learning German. Ask me what I ate for breakfast and as long as it’s cereal or an apple, I can tell you in German.

Dance aerobics classes. Lol.

Intricate adult colouring books. My eyes go fuzzy after colouring one leaf and my friends think I’m mad when I turn around and “hey guys, look at this cool art-nouveau squirrel I just spent three hours colouring in 47 shades of brown.”

Going to the gym. Cried for two weeks solid when I pulled a toe muscle and then was appalled and disgusted when I didn’t wake up the next day after one mild workout with a toned tummy and arms like Popeye.

Eating healthier. People who say they prefer a green smoothie over a share-bag of pretzels and a pot of cheese and chive dip are fake. Steer clear and do not trust.

THIS BLOG. Somehow, it’s been two months since I last posted my last post which ALSO started out similarly by saying something along the lines of “omg lol how has is been so long since I’ve written?!” lol.

Anyway, this time I present to you another smattering of pictures and verbal diarrhoea (is this still verbal?) digital diarrhoea and stories and stuff and a bunch of I-don’t-even-know-what from the past two months.

To start with, the season here turned faster than my stomach when sometimes I would get home from a terribly draining and emotionally tiring day at school of playing with poster paint and lentils in GSCE Art BTEC and ask Mum what we’re having for dinner, to which she’d reply with the dreaded: “mackerel salad”.  One day I was still in my T-shirt and jumper, walking to campus wading through piles of golden foliage and then suddenly two days later and I’m skating to school on sheet ice covered in bruises from spectacular tumbles and a good three feet of snow on either side of me. A lot of my friends in sunny Spain or France or even Tokyo say to me (whilst surprising smug giggles) “how’s Sapporo, Ross? Enjoying the snow?” to which I adamantly reply, “It’s not that cold!” and then rummage for a third pair of socks and my thermal undies. It’s beautiful though and I don’t regret a thing!

Snow business like hoe business, amirite

As for Christmas, – and no I am not a Scrooge – I am not feeling at all Christmassy this year. People still work and have classes on the 25th - which is gross for me - but there are still decorations and huge light displays up until midnight on Christmas Day, when as soon as it is over every trace of the festive season is torn down and everybody gets ready to welcome in the New Year.

“can you take a picture of us, we’re a couple”

This being said, I will definitely miss getting plastered with my Grandma on Christmas eve by glugging a bottle Amaretto and then waiting for her to request that the entire family sings “O Come Let Us Adore Him” in five part harmony whilst accompanied by Grandpa on the stylophone; sitting around in my pajamas on Christmas morning, laughing for thirty minutes because the puppy gets present opening priority and then Mum gets the black bin-sack out because he’s covered the living room in wrapping paper confetti and glitter; and then also eating Iceland out of their entire supply of frozen duck spring rolls, mini pizzas and garlic mushroom bites on Boxing Day, before complaining about how full you are yet still continuing to inhale a quarter pound of the leftover turkey, half a block of cranberry Wensleydale (with pickles), some coleslaw, a pile of bubble and squeak and some Mingles whilst the same annual festive episode of Top of the Pops lulls you gently to sleep with Fairytale of New York and Slade.

OTARU

I didn’t realise how much I missed the ocean until I hadn’t seen it for a couple of months and the sea was longer than a 15 minute drive from my house. Luckily, the seaside town of Otaru is just a train ride away from Sapporo and it felt so good for my soul to be back by the water. (Hippie child alert.)

Otaru is a picturesque little town famous for glassblowing and its beautiful canal which is lit up with candles every year for it’s winter festival. Ironically (yet gruesomely hilarious to me), after visiting the aquarium which is apparently super famous, and admiring all of the fab fishies and strange creatures, we went to a seafood restaurant and had some of the best sushi and sashimi that I have eaten so far. In other news: the demolition of a seven-tier soft-serve ice cream that left me questioning my lactose tolerance; the discovery of yet more face-cut out standees that left us all with a questioning outlook on Japan; and a two-storey shop stocked full of music box pieces. Who knew the demand for that was so high?

“Hey guys, can one of you Google whether or not you can die from eating too much ice cream because I don’t feel all that hunky dory right now”

A bear in his pants holding tissues! Japan!

Yes! It’s meant to be a penis! Awesome!

Why is it that when it comes to telling people about what you’ve been up to that your brain just turns to porridge and you can’t help but reply with the bog-standard “Oh the usual; you know, not much”.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

So, three months in (eek) and what are my thoughts on Japan? Well…

1)      Japanese people (in general) seem to be very organised and structured. Take for example, the rush hour on the underground. In London it wouldn’t be unusual to have an unwashed armpit of a local hipster thrust under your nose on your morning commute whilst a lady next to you gossips loudly on the phone to her girls about the chlamydia disaster that happened with Tony last night. This may or may not be accompanied by the gentle pitter-patter sound of some 90s trance music seeping out from underneath some headphones somewhere; twelve people standing on your foot; a distinctive scent wafting from the gentleman opposite you who forgot to eat breakfast so decided to delight everyone with his loud munching of a Lamb & Mint from The Traditional Cornish Pasty Company; and occasionally the fleeting anxiety that comes with frantically patting yourself down and hoping that you haven’t dropped your wallet.

The Japanese subways are deathly quiet, however. Sometimes it’s peaceful in the morning, and sometimes it’s unnerving. You’re awkwardly scared to breathe in case it tickles someone’s neck and you’re all in a line facing the same way and you daren’t get in the way of the station attendant with the big wooden shield who squeezes you in so the doors can close. There’s no crazy rush or crowd on platforms, just two neat lines and an unsettling calmness for someone who is used to (and who quite enjoys) mild chaos and hecticness.  

 2)      Went to the Asahi Beer factory; the most lit class field trip ever. With free beer. 10/10 would recommend.

3)      Japanese staff in restaurants, ticket offices, libraries etc absolutely will NOT speak Japanese with a non-Japanese person. It’s incredibly frustrating. As someone who’s main focus here is to improve my language skills, it is tough to do so when you struggle to get natives to treat you like anybody else. Whether some Japanese people just assume that there is categorically no way that a non-Asian person could become conversational in Japanese, I have no idea. For example, you will order in a restaurant in near-perfect Japanese to which you are just started at blankly. The waitress turns to my Japanese friend who repeats word-for-word and accent-for-accent exactly what I just said, and everything is fine. This usually continues for a few minutes and each time leaves me questioning my intelligence, my language competency and my foreigner-ness, and also just what do I need to do to try and win over the Japanese? (Video link)

I think that’s it for now. I’m sure I had more thoughts so I’ll try and write them here more often when I remember them (part 2 of me saying that). Nothing much is happening in the next few weeks, it’s that kind of winter jaded-ness that happens every year. BUT – everything is beautiful, I’m still smiling and I’m still in Japan and very lucky to be alive. I’m looking forward to January where things will kick-start again, and I can start travelling and exploring some more. Just got to finish 2017 with as much love as possible and give it a good end.

BONUS PICS: Some pretty skies at the Hokkaido Historical Village and me riding a humpback whale at the museum. You’re welcome.

Every single typewriter stamp from an old Japanese printer press.

I'm putting on my shades to cover up my eyes, I'm jumping in my ride, I'm heading out tonight ;)

[withgraceandlight99]

a Moira Queen drabble

I came up with this as I was listening to a dramatic song. Don’t mention the fact that it’s really...strange. I know it is, but I thought I’d post it. I’m thinking about doing three parts: one from Moira’s POV, one from Oliver’s, and the other from William’s. SIDE NOTE: If someone can come up with a name, that’d be great! 

She still remembered her reaction to the first pregnancy test. Joy. Terror. A little sadness, knowing that her freedom—and her body—would never be the same. But the same elation that surrounded her heart when she stared at the two pink lines captured her soul when she held her son for the first time. Oliver Jonas Queen was a screaming, purple-faced baby who didn’t stop crying until she put him on her breast. Her fear of motherhood dissipated that day. He was perfect, even as he grew up to be a terror around the house. Always dragging in friends to play board games that usually ended with wrestling matches in the living room. And then his teenage years started. Then her fear returned. Fear for his life but also for her sanity.

And then he told her he’d gotten a girl pregnant. Her mind went to places it shouldn’t have gone. What would become of their already crumbling reputation? What about Oliver? He wasn’t ready to be a dad yet. He didn’t know how to be one, either. The baby…the baby didn’t deserve that. Neither did Oliver.

So she told the woman—Samantha Clayton—to tell Oliver she lost the baby. She didn’t predict the brokenness Oliver showed when he found out. Nor did she think she would find him in his room that night, crying. She almost told him that night. Let him figure it out. Maybe it would be okay.

Then, not too long after that, she got a call. One that a mother and a wife prayed she’d never get.

“Mrs. Queen, I am so, so sorry. But the Gambit…there’s been an accident. The boat…” that’s all she needed to hear. Robert was gone. But it was Oliver she grieved for the most. Twenty-one. It was too young to die. He would never get the chance to woo a woman, to put a ring on her finger, and to stand at the altar and become her husband. And he would never meet his child. A son, she discovered. Samantha named him William. William Jonas Clayton. The boy would never get to know his father. Never sit on his lap and giggle. Or sit shot-gun as they drove a convertible up the coast.

Every time she stood at the balcony and wished—begged—for her family to return to her, she thought about her grandson. As the years went by, she made sure he had enough birthday presents. And definitely Christmas presents. Samantha never knew where they came from. Moira knew how to get them to her, and sometimes someone would tell her that they saw William playing with one of the toys.

Then Oliver called her. Her boy called her.  He begged her to stay on the phone, to keep talking. He apologized over and over again, and every time he spoke, she thought of William. How happy he should be right now. His dad was back. But he didn’t even know who his dad was. Oliver didn’t know he existed. She wondered if maybe she should tell him. Maybe it would help.

Or maybe it would cause more problems.

William didn’t deserve a father who couldn’t handle his own heart. Oliver was too broken. Too cold. At least in the beginning. As the time wore on and he hung out more with a blonde woman who he’d introduced as ‘my friend’, and his bodyguard, he started smiling more. Thea brought out the best in him. She seemed to bring out the worst. But she watched him with that little boy he and Laurel brought to their house. William would be about the same age. Oliver found straws and taught him how to blow bubbles into his milk. Played jacks on the carpet. She watched the moments from afar, tears in her eyes. Maybe he would be a good dad. He was kind. Loving. He would wrap William in his arms and never let him go.

Then she discovered his secret. He was the Hood. The man terrorizing and saving the city. At the same time. She didn’t care about the first part. Only the saving. Her son was a hero. William would love that. Imagine finding out your parent was a superhero. But Oliver couldn’t know about him. Not now. He couldn’t be in his life. Too dangerous. Too filled with chances of death. Her grandson needed to be safe. From everything. What if Malcolm Merlyn found out? Or the next person to try to terrorize the Arrow? That boy didn’t deserve to be in this family. He deserved so much better. A grandpa and grandma who could love correctly. That’s what he did deserve. William deserved Oliver, but he didn’t deserve the life and family that he could give him.

As her life shattered around her, she told Oliver. Told him she knew his secret. He tried to downplay everything. She didn’t want to hear what he wanted her to hear. All she wanted to tell him was that she could not be more proud. When he flashed a tearful smile, she knew. He deserved to know about his son. What he did with that knowledge was up to him. He had a team now. A life. He loved Felicity. He had a brother. He needed his boy. She would tell him. Apologize a hundred times for what she had done.

And then Slade Wilson kidnapped them. Tied them all up, and told Oliver to choose. She knelt on the ground, watching her son strain against the ropes. Begging Slade to kill him. Just like a father would. He would be a good dad. A great one. She almost told him as she stood up. He deserved to know. Oh, God, he would be so angry when he found out. At her. Hopefully not at Samantha. Hopefully the girl allowed him to be a father to William. If only she could call her and tell her what Oliver tried to do tonight. Convince Slade Wilson to kill him instead.

As she stood there, preparing to die, she thought about her family. Robert and Walter. One suffered because of himself, the other suffered because of her. Her darling daughter who deserved so much than she’d been able to give her. And Oliver. Her oldest. Her son. The one she’d lost and found so many times. And her grandson. Hopefully, one day, he’d find a picture of her. Maybe Oliver would give her grace and paint a picture of happiness. It wouldn’t be a total lie. Their family had happy moments, and hopefully they would continue to have them without her.

“Close your eyes, baby!”

I am so sorry, Oliver.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

[nathanneedsausername]

2018 Film Retrospective

This is my retrospective of all the movies I saw in 2018. This is based on UK release dates so films such as The Favourite, Vice or Eighth Grade will not appear on this list despite technically being 2018 movies as I have not yet been able to see these yet. There are also many movies that I have missed in 2018.

I will still be updating this list throughout 2019 here: https://letterboxd.com/nathan_r_l/list/2018-from-best-to-worst-3/

If you want to see where these movies fall on this list as I see them.

So, anyway here from the worst of the year to my personal favourite are all the films I saw in 2018:

 37. The Queen and I (Dan Zeff):

I only saw this film a few days ago as of writing so it may seem a little harsh to call it the worst of the year as it hasn’t had any time to grow on me yet. Although I don’t see this getting any better with age. Sky intended this new David Walliams’s TV movie as a sort of Christmas present, but this must be one of the very few films I have ever seen that has actually made me angry. Nothing more than royalist propaganda that manages to completely miss the potential of the concept as well as missing the point of the sequence from Les Miserable that it decides to “pay homage too”.

36. Death on the Tyne (Ed Bye):

Not much to say here. Really it isn’t a surprise that UKTV made a bad comedy.

35. Fahrenheit 451 (Ramin Bahrani):

I promise that I saw more than just TV movies this year, it just so happens that most of them were really bad. All of the changes that were added to the story were stupid and when they actually tell the story it is painfully boring.

34. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (J. A. Bayona):

Let’s be real, despite ranging in quality none of the Jurassic Park sequels have warranted their own existence. That being said Fallen Kingdom might be worth watching just to see how hilariously bad these films can get. Despite having the same director as The Orphanage and A Monster Calls no amount of good tracking shots can fix a script that is this ridiculous. The script comes across like two different ideas for new Jurassic Park movies were awkwardly stitched together when the best treatment for both would have been not to make either of them. Through in an incredibly stupid and unneeded twist and the most underwhelming Jeff Goldblum cameo in cinema history.

33. Grandpa’s Great Escape (Elliot Hegarty):

Oh, look another bad TV movie. Davis Walliams consistently finds himself attached to these boring BBC productions never quite capture the heart and care of his writing. Walliams is a good children’s author, but the small screen adaptations of his work always feel rushed and unfocused.

32. Venom (Ruben Fleischer):

The biggest disappointment of 2018. Venom is corny, bland and forgettable. According to IMDB, Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer is behind this mess but judging by Tom Hardy’s performance and the incomprehensible CGI finale no-one directed this.

31. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard):

A soulless, lifeless film that stinks of studio interference. All of the cast feel as if they are just playing the type of character they are expected to (especially  Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37). There are moments in this film where it feels like there is supposed to be a joke that has awkwardly been edited or written out after Lord and Miller left the project, these moments haunt the film and make me feel like this could have been great, but alas. 

30. Death Wish (Eli Roth):

At this point it might be time to consider that Eli Roth might be making bad movies on purpose. I went into Death Wish expecting something needlessly graphic and entertainingly violent and stupid but that’s not what this is. For the most part the gun violence in this film is pretty tame and the dialogue is far to generic and boring to be funny. There is one scene in a garage that showcases what usually makes Roth’s films memorable, but it comes too late to bring this movie into guilty pleasure territory. I do believe that Roth is a good filmmaker but the more he releases these mindless, generic thrillers the harder it is to defend him.

29. The Meg (Jon Turteltaub):

Half of this movie is a self-aware special effects movie that is genuinely entertaining. The other half is a boring and cliché. It should be good but never quite manages to keep up any momentum that it builds.

28. Tomb Raider (Roar Uthaug):

Technically better than the 2001 Lara Croft film although I know which one I would rather watch. Some interesting set pieces and homages to the newer tomb Raider games mixed with bland dialogue and an uninteresting plot.

27. Deadpool 2 (David Leitch):

Not as funny as the first movie but has better action. Deadpool 2 is mixed bag, the satire falls short when the movie insists on upping the stakes and having its audience feel emotionally connected to the story. David Leitch is a good action director and I look forward to seeing what he does next, but I can’t say that I’m all to exited about the next instalments in the Deadpool franchise.

26. Tag (Jeff Tomsic):

I don’t think that this film deserves the hate it seems to have gotten. Tag is a pretty funny movie with memorable characters and good camera work. It’s a little corny and the ending gets way to soppy but it’s a good film to watch with a group of friends if not just for some good Hannibal Buress quotes.

25. Click & Collect (Ben Palmer):

Hey, a TV movie that didn’t suck! Airing on BBC 1 on Christmas Eve this is an example of cringe comedy done well, the plot doesn’t always make sense but that doesn’t stop the comedy from really working.

24. Outlaw King (David Mackenzie):

A pretty good historical drama about Robert the Bruce. That’s all this is really a serviceable movie about an interesting topic. Not bad by any means all though a little forgettable, the performances and fight choreography are great but the writing lacks any real direction.

23. Aquaman (James Wan):

A list of other movies scenes from Aquaman made me think of:

Ratatouille

Splash

Raiders of the Lost Arc

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Black Panther

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Wonder Woman

Full review coming next

22. Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed):

Not as funny or engaging as 2015’s Ant-Man. This is a decent blockbuster with some good special effects and funny moments. A lower tier Marvel film for sure that gets completely overshadowed by the other two movies that the studio brought out in 2018 but still a fun watch.

21. Ocean’s Eight (Gary Ross):

About as good as Ocean’s 13. All of the hallmarks of the Ocean’s trilogy are present. The last 15 minuets begin to over explain what we have already seen and the name of the movie spoils and reveal at the end of the movie. A well-directed heist movie none-the-less that should be enjoyable for any Ocean’s fan

20. Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg):

This movie is at its best when it is at its most Spielberg. There is a really great car chase and a plot that revolves around kids standing against authority. It goes on for way to long and some of the references are on the nose. It certainly needs to be cut down but it’s a movie worth seeing if you know your pop-culture.

19. Searching (Aneesh Chaganty):

By far the best example of found-footage to be released in years. Having the entire film appear from the perspective of computer screens and phone calls makes the experience feel far more real and personal as if you are right there figuring out the mystery with the character. The story itself separated from its gimmick has been seen before and the twist is a bit of a reach but with its unique style it feels completely fresh. If you hated Unfriended there is a high chance that you will love this.

18. My Dinner with Hervé (Sacha Gervasi):

A HBO movie featuring a fantastic performance from Peter Dinklage. The life story of French actor Hervé Villechaize is told through a crazy interview based on the one that the actor had with the director in the early 90’s. It’s a small film but one that has been made with a lot of passion from its director and star. Absolutely look this one out if you can.

17. Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson):

Wes Anderson is responsible for some of my favourite films of all time. While his latest may not be his best work to date it is a beautiful and insanely well-crafted film full of life and wonder. Anderson has a particular style and this movie sums up exactly what makes that style work so well with every shot working perfectly.

16. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (David Slade):

It’s hard to tell at this point whether or not this will start a new craze for choose your own adventure movies the way that Avatar started a craze for 3D. Honestly I don’t think Charlie Brooker has left anywhere to really be explored with the this concept as he dives head first into a meta-narrative all about free-will. Certainly, an ambitious endeavour for the crew of Black Mirror that has taken over the cinematic discussion for a little while. I saw this with a group of friends trying to uncover as much of the story as we could in one sitting and I highly recommend that experience if you haven’t seen/played this yet.

15. Black Panther (Ryan Coogler): 

A Marvel movie that appears to have nudged its way into Oscar conversations, regardless of whether or not I think that it deserves that acclaim this is a great film. Black Panther has some of the smartest writing of any MCU movie and one of the best villains to ever appear in a superhero movie. This is a film that will be talked about for years because of what it means for representation, it also helps that it is a really good movie.

14. Game Night (John Francis, Jonathan M. Goldstein):

The biggest surprise of the year is that the two guys behind 2015’s awful Vacation reboot managed to make one of the funniest and well-made comedies of 2018. The camerawork in this film is brilliant, one long take in particular has to be one of my favourite scenes of the year. The plot takes some logical jumps but who cares when the film is this good.

13. A Quiet Place (John Kransinski):

Sure, it doesn’t all make sense when you analyse it but watching A Quiet Place on the big screen is one of the tensest experiences I have ever had. When the credits rolled after the first time I saw this film I noticed that for the past 90 minuets, that’s the sign of some effective tension.

12. First Man (Damien Chazelle):

Chazelle has proven himself to be one of the best directors working today. While I may not love his latest as much as his previous work on La La Land and Whiplash it has to be said that First Man is a solid base hit for a great filmmaker. The third act of this film features some of the best special effects of the year mixed with one of the most emotional sequences of the year. Gosling and Foy are both brilliant and both deserve nominations as does Chazelle.

11. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh):

Slightly twisted and very enjoyable Three Billboards is a strange film. McDonagh is able to find humour in the darkest of places but never undermines the serious nature of the subject matter.

10. Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird):

Going into the top 10 it feels important to restate that these rankings are based purely on my own personal opinions on each film. Incredibles 2 is objectively not as good as the 2004 original, but it doesn’t have to be, this is a very fun movie featuring some great animation, fantastically directed action sequences that only Brad Bird could pull off and do I even have to mention the Jack-Jack scenes? Brad Bird is one of the greatest filmmakers to ever work in animation and this feels like his victory lap, not his best film but absolutely one that showcases just how great he is.

9. The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro):

Best picture winner, The Shape of Water deserves all the acclaim that it has gotten. This “adult fairy-tale” features a wonderful score, fantastic performances, beautiful set-design and characteristically excellent direction from one of the world’s greatest directors! Everyone has already lumped praise on this film and so I am not left with too much else to say other than see this film.

8. The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (Judd Apatow):

I hear that 2018 was a great year for documentaries, I wouldn't know because I only saw this one but if Three Identical Strangers and Won’t you be my Neighbour are better than this then I need to see them. Judd Apatow looks into the life of his friend and fellow comedian Garry Shandling only 2 years after his tragic death. His approach leaves no stone unturned as he dives head first into the late comedian’s mind using his own diaries and interviews with his closest friends and collaborators. As a stand-up comedy fan it is absolutely fascinating to get a look the real life of an often misunderstood legend like Shandling for it to be as neatly put together and wonderfully entertaining as this is a welcome bonus.

7. Avengers: Infinity War (Joe Russo, Anthony Russo):

For the technical achievement alone Infinity War deserves a place in my top 10. The Russo brothers managed to pull off a stunt that just a year ago I was ready to call impossible, bringing together 10 years worth of character arcs and plot points while still making an enjoyable film. Even though it has been 9 months I still don’t know what to say about this film and my lack of words may be the best compliment I can give it.

6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie):

If you asked me in June I would have said that the Mission: Impossible franchise had peaked with Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol in 2014, I also would have been dead wrong. Fallout is not just the best film in the franchise but an absolute high point in action cinema. Seeing this on the big screen was one of the most visceral and intense movie going experiences I have ever had, every stunt is a nail-biter and the whole time I was on the edge of my seat.   

5. Thoroughbreds (Cory Finley):

This is the movie that I saw alone and have yet to properly have a conversation with someone about. This film slipped under almost everyone’s radar and then disappeared. I am telling you now find this movie it is a fantastic, quaint little film with the power to make you uncomfortable and make you laugh at the same time. Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor Joy are both brilliant and the ending has one of my best moments of the year with a single long shot and the power of suggestion. If you missed it, which you probably did, go look it out. 

4. BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee):

Loud, funny, unapologetic, stylish and controversial. Those are the five words that describe all of Spike Lee’s best movies and BlacKkKlansman is no exception. With multiple Oscar worthy performances, a great score and a screenplay that shows Spike at his angriest and smartest in a long time, this film will get under some peoples skin, as great cinema should. 

3. I, Toyna (Craig Gillespie):

Every now and then a movie comes along that perfectly sums up why I love this art form, I Tonya is one of those movies. Deeply impactfull on an emotional level while remaining hyper stylised, Gillespie manages to make the audience feel sympathy for characters that would be the villains in any other story by taking you on an emotional roller coaster through the life of Tonya Harding that leaves the viewer feeling just as broken as the titular character by the conclusion.

This film is so good I watched it twice in two days.

2. Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig):

I fell hard for this film. Greta Gerwig’s painfully honest look at growing up feels like watching a selection of incredibly well shot home movies from a real person. The real achievement of Gerwig’s directorial debut is how it manages to feel relatable even if you aren’t in the same situation as the protagonist. When the credits role it’s hard to feel slightly disappointed that you can’t keep watching what is going to happen to this character next and when the only criticism you have is that you didn't want it to end, the film must have been pretty good.

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman):

I’m just as surprised as you are.

Somehow and for whatever reason this is the movie that resonated with me the most in 2018, this is the film I see myself going back to the most. Sometimes the best film is the most entertaining one, this film had me hooked instantly and kept me in a near trance-like state during its run-time. In don’t have anything to profound to say about this film it’s just really a great film that everyone can enjoy. If this is still playing near you and you haven’t seen it yet, go check it out you won’t be disappointed.