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hankinslegacy · 2 years ago

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So this lil’ weirdo is who we’re currently with !

But let’s recap

It started with Alaina Hankins, she had kids, including Callen who had Addison who had Etta who had William who had Finley who had Quinn who had Daphne who had Eden who had Reginald who has Thaddeus and Riven and Gwendolyn.

Alaina was a cool young woman who was just starting her life in Windenburg, she worked for a bit, saving up for college, And then her dream of attending Britesheter became a reality! She studied hard, found out about the secret society, joined them, studied some more and after all that she got her honors degree in communication! After that she found a nice job and ran a blog on the side ; and boy did she make some money with all that!

But as lucky as most aspect of her life felt, there was something missing, she wanted to find love and have a nice big family! But all the guys she met were… not it! They already had a special someone or they were like, really not compatible!

Then one night, after a festival, she was a bar, a few drinks in, and she shot her shot on this guy, introduced herself in a flirty way… and lo and behold: that was love at first sight ! They matched up perfectly and got along so well that their relationship built really fast! And THE guy was Travis Scott!

So they got married and moved in to a superb house in Strangerville and had a few kids (Callen being their second born, he had an older sister, a younger sister and the two youngest were adorable twins!)

Callen was a one really smart cookie! He always aced it, be it toddler-hood or school! He was also the one to notice that things in Strangerville were a bit, well, strange! So in his teens, he started to investigate the matter. And it was crazier than he could ever have thought! But he came out the other side a hero : the Strangerville Hero!

That whole ordeal was however a bit much for Alaina and Travis, so they decided to move away from town, but Callen loved this place to much, and had been through so much for it! He couldn��t see himself move away!

Even when he studied biology at university he stayed home (and then got a high paying job and was a king at gardening too!) And the local bar bar is where he met the love of his life : Nyla (she was working at the military base).

They had a few kids of their own, including Addison!

Addison’s life kinda revolved around the love of his life: Abigail. They knew each other their entire lives, as their dads were absolute best friends who fought an alien plant together! And from the start it was clear to see that these two were it for each other!

They fully realized it in their teens and started dating, then they got married (pretty young too!) and moved away from Strangerville, first to a cute little house in Oasis Springs, but after their first kid they move to a brand new and big house in Newcrest.

And let’s just say they were active lovebirds… that had a set of triplets (including Etta) and a set of twins, and a singleton too (she was actually the oldest)! They also adopted a kid that was the same age as the twins,

They were good and fun parents and the whole family was very happy!

But Etta was different! She was never that interested in her family, only her goals; and her goals were simple: be rich and be influential and powerful. So she worked really hard at everything and then got into politics. She wasn’t interested in romance, but she did enjoy some casual fun here and there. But the casual fun had consequences: William.

William was a wonderful child, but he wasn’t what Etta wanted and their wasn’t really a bond there. So as a child, William finally convinced his mom that everyone would be happier if he lived with his dad in Mount Komorebi than with his mom in that big Willow Creek mansion.

And he was right! Life with his dad and stepdad in their adorable little house was perfect for William, and he finally got to grow up happy!

When he was in college he met Ruben, and they really hit it off! William even proposed before they graduated!

They moved in to a house in Newcrest and… well things were a bit weird, with the house. But surely it was just the fact that in was an older one, wood moving, that sort of thing… right?

Yes surely the weird substances and light were simply quirky old house things.

So they started their little family, trying to ignore the weird doll their daughter Finley played with, and ok maybe read a bit about the paranormal and learned some things… and then they accepted that their wonderful home was haunted.

So they saw through that particular problem with their skills and their love and a certain friendly ghost’s help.

Finley grew up in that chaos, but for her it was fun, she was too young to realize otherwise.

And so she grew up, finished high school, didn’t feel like college was her speed, she moved to a nice sunny place (Tartosa) and fell in love with this nice guy, they got married, she got pregnant (with Quinn), he randomly died (and by that I mean the game erased him when I was checking up on another household, after Quinn was born and had siblings, I believe, they might have been triplets as well, but I don’t have pics to reminisce, Finley was kinda boring haha). Quinn loved a lot of things, like books, school and space. But not romance, he was not into romance at all!

So after he grew up and aced school and college, and when came time to find a place just for himself, he found out that the old family house, the one at Creek Corner Cove, was ready for a new inhabitant! It was perfect for him, a house with history and mystery (it is Strangerville, after all, and if there hasn’t been anything weird going on, doesn’t mean there aren’t rumors of extraterrestrial activity!

And living there and partaking in his passion (space watching) Quinn may have ended up with more than(or exactly) what he bargained for: he got abducted by the aliens!

It was all quite a blurry experience, so much so he doubted if it had happened or was just a dream; but then things started to feel weird (it tingles… in weird places! - being the tummy) and Quinn discovred he was expecting a little alien Noboo!

It was a shock, for sure! But he also felt quite happy about it!

And he was right to, because his little purpled skin daughter Daphne was everything to him! He really spoiled that child! And helped her through life, as navigating as an alien was a bit, well, different!

But Daphne lived a good life! But romance wise, it was quite soap opera worthy! You see, she had this childhood friend named Rylan, and they both loved each other. But being friends and really close, they both were afraid that 1) they other might not reciprocate or that 2) they did but then they’d fumble the relationship and lose each other anyway! So they both buried those feelings like idiots!

Daphne ended-up falling in love with this guy called Princeton, and he was great! She was really happy with him, maybe too much too young as Daphne got pregnant before finishing high school! Quinn was a bit taken aback by it, but very supportive; anything for his daughter!

Princeton moved in with them, and then to complete the surprise, they had triplets (Eden, Janae and Orion)! (it must really run in the family!)

So good thing they lived with Quinn as it was all hands on deck!

As they grew into adulthood, they got married and moved into their own home in Oasis Springs.

They triplets kept on growing, the happy couple had another daughter, and despite all that happiness, Princeton couldn’t stop himself from wondering if their was ever anything between Daphne and Rylan. And there wasn't, until there was, until Daphne did the bad thing and cheated in Princeton. And Princeton felt the change, so he asked Daphne about it and she loved him enough to come clean. Princeton was devastated. Wasn’t he good enough? Was he always just a distraction? In the end, he asked for a divorce, it was hard, but quite amicable. He though it’d just be easier on him and the kids. He got his own house really close so the kids could just come and go between the two, and worked hard on himself to turn the Daphne page.

Daphne on her side felt quite guilty, for a while at least. But in the end, she and Rylan decided to officially date, and after a while he moved in and they got married (and don’t worry, Princeton found love again as well, and had two kids with his new wife and so did Rylan and Daphne!).

By that time though the triplets were quite older and already in high school!

They were three very different kids; Janae was very hard working, Orion was creative and Eden was very free spirited (maybe too much as she ended-up being expelled from school because she never attended class!). Her parents were not happy about that! But she found a way as she was really good with computer and programming!

Janae wasn’t very lucky in love, but she also wasn’t looking really hard. Orion was very lucky in love, he met this guy called Ed and they really hit-it off and they even got engaged whilst still in school! As for Eden, she wasn’t really looking for love, just for fun, but before getting expelled, she got to attend a school dance, and she was not going alone! So she kinda picked a locker at random and put a note asking that person to prom! That person turned out to be Malia, a kind but awkward girl who ended-up endearing Eden so much she stole her heart!

After school, the triplets decided to move to Evergreen Harbor, in these cute three neighboring houses. Orion and his Husband Ed had one, where Orion worked on his art career and Ed started a streaming channel; Janae had another, where she lived whilst attending college, but she droped out to join the military; and of course Eden and Malia had the last one. Malia went to college to be a school teacher and Eden worked freelance with her programming skill.

Malia and Eden also got married, and honeymooned by having a wild adventure in the Jungle!

Orion and Ed wanted a child, and Eden, after discussing it with Malia, accepted to be their surrogate, and so was born Mila, a cute little girl who looked so much like her dad Ed!

That did get Eden and Malia thinking about family, and they decided to have to kids, use donors and have each a pregnancy, and so they started on that journey.

Janae decided to give love a try and met a guy through a dating app, she really like him and they started going out!

Eden gave birth to a little boy, called Reginald.

And then everything went wrong it seemed! Ed died from a fly attack and Janae’s boyfriend died electrocuted at his house! It was so much at once, Janae decided to leave, take a high paying in Strangerville at the base, and be done with love!

Orion and Mila moved along with Eden, Malia and little Reggie in a house in Copperdale, they took it upon themselves to refurbish it as a grief project.

Life went on, what felt earth ending to Orion quieted into a dull ache, and little Mila helped a lot!

Eden and Malia went on with their family project, and trgady struck again as Malia lost the baby! But they didn’t give up on their dream, and soon enough Malia was pregnant… with twins!

Mila grew up and learned a lot, about life and about themselves: as it turns out Mila is not a girl, he is a boy, and he decided to change his name to Milo! The whole family was very supportive!

Then the twins were born and the house started to feel a bit crowded; but no worries, at it seems Orion had found love again! And we’re not gonna judge the fact that it’s with Ed’s twin brother and move on, because if they’re happy!

When the twins were it appeared the donation clinic fucked up a bit, as one turned out to be a werewolf! She was quite the whirlwind of a kid, luckily her brother was naturally much calmer.

He could aslo be very determined, as he decided early on he would find a cure for his sister condition! (and he did, before they even graduated high school!)

But that left Eden and Malia with three kids and they didn’t want an odd number, so Eden went for it and they had a forth, a little girl, who despite being the youngest, was definitely the forgotten child! As the kids kept on growing up, Eden and Malia found their old love of jungle adventuring and were off to Selvadorada quite often, which left Reggie in charge. Not the greatest parenting technique, but Reggie did love his little siblings!

As Reggie grew up to a young adult, he partied quite hard, and as we’ve learned, you should always have protected fun or else you might get a surprising phone call a while later. But Reggie was more than happy to take this little baby he named Thaddeus and raise him, he was not lacking experience after all!

The twins grew up and moved out to their own lives, and Reggie had a revelation as his high school best friend came out to as trans to him (ahhh so it was a crush he had ! Marquise really made him doubt his sexuality until she came out and it all made sense).

So Reggie confessed this to her and she was relieved as she had always felt the same!

And so they got together, had a beautiful wedding, and kept on raising Thad, They planned for more kids but only after Reggie’s youngest sister graduated high school.

And so when it was time they had Riven and Gwendolyn. And they are a happy, drama free family, they are just all working on growing together! Reggie paints and Marquise is an author. It allows them both to work from home and spend so much time as a family to raise their kids.

Which brings us here, to Thad turning into a teen, cute toddler Riven and Baby Gwen,

So let’s continue the story of the Hankins family, shall we!

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gumnut-logic · 4 years ago

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Brothers II

This one is for @chenria and a followup to Brothers which I wrote for @flyboytracy Sorry this took so long...it was a little more of a challenge than the last one :D

As usual, thank you to @tsarinatorment @scribbles97 and @janetm74 for their amazing support ::hugs you all::

I hope you enjoy it :D

-o-o-o-

“So, you’re brothers?”

Scott stared at the woman. She had obviously had enough something to be happy and a little loud, but it was the piercings enough to attract lightning that were particularly striking. If he wasn’t so tired, he might consider her a challenge. “Yes, ma’am. We are brothers.”

“You don’t look like brothers.”

Beside him, Virgil shifted his feet. Give him any excuse and his younger brother would be dragging him out of the building. It was late and to be honest the only reason they were still here was because of Penelope.

Usually, this kind of party would be right up Virgil’s alley. It was being hosted in an art gallery featuring several master works of some artist Virgil had babbled about for most of the week, but it had been a long day and Virgil was beat and both of them really just wanted to go home.

As it was, his brother was frowning at the painting behind the woman fit to bust a blood vessel in his forehead.

Speaking of the woman… “Regardless of how we look, we are indeed brothers.”

The three piercings through her bottom lip stuck out as she pushed her chin up at him.

“Prove it.”

Scott arched an eyebrow. “I’m afraid you’ll have to take our word for it.”

“Your word? What about his word? All muscley and scrumptious here hasn’t even said hello.” Her eyes literally crawled all over Virgil and Scott was hard put not to roll his eyes.

One of those.

This time with extra surgical steel.

He shot a glance at his brother and as expected, Virgil was completely oblivious.

Lightning rod took a step towards Virgil. Scott nudged his brother in warning.

“Huh?” A dopey blink followed by a frown at the woman. “Oh, I am so sorry. I was distracted by the Dali behind you. The elephants have always fascinated me.” His eyes darted back to the painting only to be drawn forcibly away again by courtesy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name, ma’am.”

“Ooooh, ‘ma’am’. Really, Muscles, you are something else.” Was that a diamond in her eyebrow? “The name’s Exe.” She pronounced it ‘X-E’ like a computer’s execution file.

Definitely one of those.

“Nice to meet you, Exe.” But Virgil’s attention was still drawn back to the painting and he was frowning again.

“So, you like a little Dali, do you? Surrealism your thing?”

Virgil didn’t answer immediately, again distracted by the painting, and Scott had the urge to nudge him. It was very unlike him to ignore someone like this.

Not that she seemed to care. In fact, she edged closer as if his distraction was just an extra lure.

How did Virgil do that?

His brother didn’t even have to do anything and women were fawning all over him.

And he didn’t even notice!

“You know, I think this painting is a fake.” Virgil’s frown deepened as he stepped around the woman as if she was just an obstacle.

The obstacle turned and followed Virgil coming to stand beside him, her hand on his arm.

Scott felt the urge to slap that hand away.

Virgil continued to be oblivious.

Scott fought the urge to slap him up the head.

But fake art? Scott stepped up beside the woman hanging of his brother’s arm and feigned interest. Okay, so it wasn’t totally feigned because mystery, but the amount of interest he had in the painting was being countered by that woman’s other hand that was now on Virgil’s chest.

This prompted his brother to frown at Exe, but all polite manners and all, Virgil only took a tiny step away before blurting out the detail he had spotted on the canvas that proved this was definitely not a Dali Llama or whatever it was.

Something about an elephant?

God, the woman was literally swooning at every word Virgil said. If she got any closer she was going to get one of those piercings on her face caught in the fabric of Virgil’s suit.

Typical.

His brother was too damned polite for his own good. Scott stepped forward a little to bring himself into her eyeline. “So, Exe, do you have a favourite painting here tonight?” He threw some energy into his smile.

And was completely ignored.

Exe appeared to be staring at Virgil’s ear.

Virgil was back to frowning at the painting.

Scott sighed. Perhaps some reinforcements were required. He scanned the crowd looking for one particular splash of pink.

Bingo.

A gesture with his eyes and Penelope was zeroing in on them fast.

“Oh, Lady Exeter, I see you’ve found our Dali.” Lady P, all refined and poise swooped in between Scott and the Lightning Rod.

Virgil took one look at her and began spouting forgery claims. “Lady Penelope, this can’t be a Dali, just look at the colour on that elephant. That pigment was not available during Dali’s time.”

Penelope turned to stare up at the painting. “Oh my, that is disconcerting.”

Not as disconcerting as Exe resting her head on a still oblivious Virgil’s shoulder. He was that focussed on the painting, the rest of the world apparently did not exist.

Maybe Scott needed to find some good coffee. That had dragged Virgil out of his studio at the worst of times.

“I will see to that immediately, Virgil. Inquiries will be made and the culprit found.”

“Virgil? Oooooh, what a virile name.”

Virgil startled and it was as if he suddenly realised exactly how close and how clingy this woman he hardly knew actually was. His eyes widened and screamed help to Scott.

Exe just smiled up at him and snuggled in more.

“Oh, Lady Exeter, I do believe your father has arrived.” Penelope held a straight face, but it was a knowing one.

“Dad’s here?”

“I do believe so. I can have the car sent around to the rear exit if you like.”

“Yeah, better do that.” A grimace. “He doesn’t know about the extra nose piercings yet.” But then she looked up at Virgil. “Hey, Muscles, wanna come have some fun? I have a real Rubens in my apartment. It might need a…close examination.”

Her intended examination obviously had nothing to do with any painting other than perhaps body paint.”

Scott took a step toward her just as Penelope caught Exe’s arm gently and nudged her away from Virgil. “Come dear, Lord Exeter is coming this way.”

As the two women moved, Scott closed the gap between himself and his brother. It gave him a great view of the longing look sent in his brother’s direction as Penelope dragged Lady Exeter away.

Virgil swallowed hard.

Scott just didn’t get it. “How do you do that?”

His brother blinked up at him. “Do what?”

“No effort flirting.”

“What flirting? I wasn’t flirting.”

Scott sent him a flat stare and then parroted Virgil’s voice. “Oh, this painting is a forgery.”

“It is!” And that prompted a whole bunch of babbly art words to fall out of his brother’s mouth.

Okay, so Scott got the gist of most of it, but honestly, the sight of Virgil being so passionate about something did the same thing it always did.

It made Scott smile.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Scott Tracy #Virgil Tracy #earth and sky

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footballerimaginess · 4 years ago

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A Huge Prompt List

Basically we all know I can’t resist a good prompt list, so when I saw @emwritesfootball doing this. I had to stop myself from doing it, I crumbled lol. So I am only blaming myself here and only me. This is a huge prompt list I know, so I will take my time getting through it. But I thought it was a bit of fun and I loved all the prompts. Credit to the very talented page @creativepromptsforwriting who created these lists. Request with the number as well as which list you are choosing from. I will write beside it who got which prompt. If you do any ideas for the prompt, let me know. Also if a prompt has been taken, I will see if I can do multiple players on that request for you. Enjoy reading through the huge list. x

Touching

touching foreheads Declan Rice

running fingers through hair Harry Winks/ Mason Mount

hiding face in neck Eric Dier

caressing the other’s hand Dominic Calvert Lewin

feeling their pulse Kepa

patting the other’s head Marco Asensio

holding hands

shielding the other one with their body Ben Godfrey/Dominic Calvert Lewin

listening to the other’s heartbeat Trent Alexander Arnold

spooning at night Kieran Tierney

laying their hand on the other’s neck Marco Asensio

pushing a strand of hair behind their ear Martin Odegaard

nudging the other one Mason Mount

putting an arm around the other’s waist Sergio Ramos

hugging each other Christian Pulisic

massaging them

holding the other’s chin up Dominic Calvert Lewin

squishing the other’s cheek Reiss Nelson

high fiving

bandaging/stitching up an injury Jordan Henderson

kissing the other’s brow Reece James

falling asleep on the other’s shoulder Martin Odegaard

carrying the other one in their arms Roman Burki

whispering in their ear, lips touching the skin Sergio Ramos

stroking the other’s arm soothingly Jadon Sancho

kissing the top of their head Mason Mount

pulling the other one towards them Dominic Calvert Lewin

feeling for each other in the dark James Maddison

tickling the other one

grabbing onto their arm

doing a pinky swear Reece James

caressing the other’s back Ben Chilwell

tasting their smile Ben Chilwell

washing the other’s body Roman Burki

kissing their bruises and scars Trent Alexander Arnold

lifting the other one up

putting their head on the other’s chest Dominic Calvert Lewin

stroking their leg Calum Chambers

leaning into the other’s side Jadon Sancho

patting them on the back

sitting close and knees touching Eric Dier

braiding the other’s hair Jadon Sancho

giving them a piggy-back ride Pierre Emilie Hojbjerg

sitting on the other’s lap Scott McTominay

feeling their temperature Ben Chilwell

linking arms with each other

touching their elbow to get their attention Ruben Loftus Cheek

dancing with each other

holding onto the other’s shoulders for support Jack Grealish

putting a hand over the other’s mouth to shut them up

Kisses

goodnight kisses Harry Winks

hand kisses Jack Grealish/ Pau Torres

smiling while kissing Ben Chilwell

lips barely touching Federico Bernardeschi

morning kisses Declan Rice

slow kisses Patrick Bamford

passionate kisses Mason Mount

kisses on the cheek Leighton Baines

first kisses Jadon Sancho

goodbye kisses Reiss Nelson

welcome home kisses Ousmane Dembele

kisses on the corner of their mouth James Maddison

frustrated kisses Virgil Van Dijk/ Joe Rodon

kissing each other breathless Dominic Calvert Lewin/Son Heung Min

soothing kisses Mason Mount

nose kisses Declan Rice/ John Stones

kisses as a promise Jesse Lingard

short pecks Ben Chilwell

forehead kisses Ollie Watkins

kisses on head Sergio Ramos

“we’ll face this together” kisses Marcus Rashford

kisses in the rain Son Heung Min/Leon Goretzka

life-or-death kisses

kisses for a cover Eric Dier

hard kisses

giggling while kissing Martin Odegaard

desperate kisses

neck kisses Mason Mount

hushed conversation in-between kisses Dominic Calvert Lewin

eyelid kisses

gentle stroking of cheeks Eric Dier

small kisses Martin Odegaard

kissing it better Roman Burki

jaw kisses Pierre Emile Hojbjerg

wake-up kisses Emile Smith Rowe

kissing away tears Japhet Tanganga

public kisses Ben Chilwell

relieved kisses Callum Hudson Odoi

kisses for comfort Martin Odegaard

tummy kisses Jadon Sancho

kisses to shut them up Eric Dier

slowly kissing down the body John Stones

“we’ll see each other again” kisses

kissing each finger John Stones

sleepy kisses Virgil Van Dijk

angry kisses Pedro Neto

feather-light kisses Christian Pulisic

kisses with trembling lips

secret kisses Mason Mount/Dominic Calvert Lewin

kisses with their last dying breath

Hugs

friendly hugs James Maddison

hug around the waist Ansu Fati

hugging while twirling around

comforting hugs Jack Grealish

side hugs Kai Havertz

hugging and gently holding the other’s head James Maddison

pulling someone into a hug Matty Cash

hugging while walking

eye-to-eye hugs

hiding their face in the other’s neck Callum Hudson Odoi

clinging to each other Marco Asensio

hugging while lying down together Jadon Sancho

group hugs Mason Mount

hugging with head on shoulder Sergio Ramos

tender embrace

‘not wanting to let go’ hugs Declan Rice

hugging from behind Mason Mount

bear hugs Harry Winks

hugging with hands in each other’s pockets Marco Asensio

cuddling Reiss Nelson

hugs and kisses Martin Odegaard

hugging and jumping up and down together

familiar hugs

hugging with height-difference Tammy Abraham

gentle hugs

hugging with patting on back

piggy back hugs

quick hugs Ben Godfrey

hugging while slow dancing Harry Winks

one-sided hugs

hugging while straddling the partner Mason Mount

long-lasting hugs Martin Odegaard

‘picking them up’ hugs Kylian Mbappe

hugging while grabbing butt Roman Burki/Ben Chilwell

cuddle pile

Hand Holding

tiny hands in big hands Eric Dier

calloused hands in soft hands

cold hands in warm hands Kieran Tierney

hands with the perfect ratio to each other for hand-holding Eric Dier

platonic hand-holding Tyrone Mings

running their thumb over the other’s hand Jadon Sancho

dancing with their hands holding onto each other

squeezing hand for comfort and encouragement Callum Hudson Odoi

holding hands across the table Ruben Loftus Cheek

happily doing everything with just one hand, if it means they don’t have to let go Martin Odegaard

not wanting to lose each other in a big crowd Matty Cash

possessive hand-holding Billy Gilmour

linking hands together during sex Jadon Sancho

grabbing hand to show them something Joe Rodon

loosely holding onto each other’s hands, laying in one’s lap John Stones

only linking the pinkies together, not ready to let go completely

holding hands while skating

excitedly grabbing each other’s hands during a concert, jumping up and down together

playing with each other’s fingers Ben Chilwell

pressing the other’s hand against their cheek Dominic Calvert Lewin

holding hands while one is balancing on a small wall

grabbing the other’s hand to pull them back from something Tyrone Mings

holding hands under the table Ben Godfrey

only realizing it when they have to let go

standing in front of each other, holding both their hands Tammy Abraham

holding their hands above their head, fingers linked together

passionate hand-holding Harry Winks

grabbing the other’s hand so they don’t fall

holding hands while running through the rain

brushing against each other, linking fingers together for a second

grabbing their hand to grab their attention Reece James

not really paying attention, both doing something else, but still holding hands

bandaging the other’s hand and not quite letting go James Maddison

holding hands while driving Leon Goretzka

grabbing the other’s hand to pull them back to them Sergio Ramos

unconsciously searching out each other’s hand while sleeping Dominic Calvert Lewin

not realizing they’re holding hands till someone points it out Eric Dier

swinging hands back and forth, skipping like children

holding hands in a museum to pull them to the next exhibition Tom Davies

letting go when there is an obstacle in their way and immediately grabbing each other’s hand again when they pass it Emile Smith Rowe

loosely holding onto each other’s hand

dragging the other with them, holding their hand

raising the other’s hand to their lips to kiss it softly Mason Mount

holding hands while jumping down from somewhere together

comparing hand sizes, then linking fingers together Tyrone Mings/ Martin Odegaard

Casual Affections

smiling at each other from across the room Dominic Calvert Lewin

randomly texting a gif or emoji

laying their hand on the other’s leg Ben Godfrey

kiss to the side of the head Mason Mount

squeezing the other’s shoulder

fixing the other’s clothes

guiding them with a hand on the small of their back Ben Godfrey/Mason Mount

embracing them from behind Memphis Depay

ruffling their hair

placing their chin on the other’s shoulder Dominic Calvert Lewin

calling them nicknames Jadon Sancho

winking at them Dominic Calvert Lewin

teasing each other good-naturedly Billy Gilmour

putting an arm around the other’s shoulder

washing the other's hair Jack Grealish

taking a photo of the smiling or in their element Tyrone Mings

looking in each other's eyes Dominic Calvert Lewin

putting a blanket on them Dominic Calvert Lewin

tugging at the other's clothes to keep them close

making them food they like Eric Dier

laughing at their jokes Tyrone Mings

placing a hand on the back of the other’s neck Mason Mount

brushing strands of hair away Loris Karius

patting their head Jadon Sancho

sharing an umbrella

bumping shoulders into each other John Stones

randomly face-timing just to hear their voice/see their face Jadon Sancho

pressing their foreheads together

nudging them to show they are right beside them

laying their head on the other’s shoulder Trent Alexander Arnold/ Dominic Calvert Lewin

#prompts

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grigori77 · 3 years ago

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Summer 2021′s Movies - My Top Ten Favourite Films (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

10. WEREWOLVES WITHIN – definitely one of the year’s biggest cinematic surprises so far, this darkly comic supernatural murder mystery from indie horror director Josh Ruben (Scare Me) is based on a video game, but you’d never know it – this bears so little resemblance to the original Ubisoft title that it’s a wonder anyone even bothered to make the connection, but even so, this is now notable for officially being the highest rated video game adaptation in Rotten Tomatoes history, with a Certified Fresh rating of 86%. Certainly it deserves that distinction, but there’s so much more to the film – this is an absolute blood-splattered joy, the title telling you everything you need to know about the story but belying the film’s pure, quirky genius. Veep’s Sam Richardson is forest ranger Finn Wheeler, a gentle and socially awkward soul who arrives at his new post in the remote small town of Beaverton to discover the few, uniformly weird residents are divided over the oil pipeline proposition of forceful and abrasive businessman Sam Parker (The Hunt’s Wayne Duvall). As he tries to fit in and find his feet, investigating the disappearance of a local dog while bonding with local mail carrier Cecily Moore (Other Space and This Is Us’ Milana Vayntrub), the discovery of a horribly mutilated human body leads to a standoff between the townsfolk and an enforced lockdown in the town’s ramshackle hotel as they try to work out who amongst them is the “werewolf” they suspect is responsible. This is frequently hilarious, the offbeat script from appropriately named Mishna Wolff (I’m Down) dropping some absolutely zingers and crafting some enjoyably weird encounters and unexpected twists, while the uniformly excellent cast do much of the heavy-lifting to bring their rich, thoroughly oddball characters to vivid life – Richardson is thoroughly cuddly throughout, while Duvall is pleasingly loathsome, Casual’s Michaela Watkins is pleasingly grating as Trisha, flaky housewife to unrepentant local horn-dog Pete Anderton (Orange is the New Black’s Michael Chernus), and Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story) and Harry Guillen (best known, OF COURSE, as Guillermo in the TV version of What We Do In the Shadows) make an enjoyably spiky double-act as liberal gay couple Devon and Joaquim Wolfson; in the end, though, the film is roundly stolen by Vayntrub, who invests Cecily with a bubbly sweetness and snarky sass that makes it absolutely impossible to not fall completely in love with her (gods know I did). This is a deeply funny film, packed with proper belly-laughs from start to finish, but like all the best horror comedies it takes its horror elements seriously, delivering some enjoyably effective scares and juicy gore, while the werewolf itself, when finally revealed, is realised through some top-notch prosthetics. Altogether this was a most welcome under-the-radar surprise for the summer, and SO MUCH MORE than just an unusually great video game adaptation …

9. THE TOMORROW WAR – although cinemas finally reopened in the UK in early summer, the bite of the COVID lockdown backlog was still very much in effect this blockbuster season, with several studios preferring to hedge their bets and wait for later release dates. Others turned to streaming services, including Paramount, who happily lined up a few heavyweight titles to open on major platforms in lieu of the big screen. One of the biggest was this intended sci-fi action horror tentpole, meant to give Chris Pratt another potential franchise on top of Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, which instead dropped in early July on Amazon Prime. So, was it worth staying in on a Saturday night instead of heading out for something on the BIG screen? Mostly yes, although it’s mainly a trashy, guilty pleasure big budget B-picture charm that makes this such a worthwhile experience – the film’s biggest influences are clearly Independence Day and Starship Troopers, two admirably clunky blockbusters that DEFINED prioritising big spectacle and overblown theatrics over intelligent writing and realistic storytelling. It doesn’t help that the premise is pure bunk – in 2022, a wormhole opens from thirty years in the future, and a plea for help is sent back with a bunch of very young future soldiers. Seems Earth will become overrun by an unstoppable swarm of nasty alien critters called Whitespikes in 25 years, and the desperate human counteroffensive have no choice but to bring soldiers from our present into the future to help them fight back and save the humanity from imminent extinction. Less than a year later, the world’s standing armies have been decimated and a worldwide draft has been implemented, with normal everyday adults being sent through for a seven day tour from which very few return. Pratt plays biology teacher and former Green Beret Dan Forrester, one of the latest batch of draftees to be sent into the future along with a selection of chefs, soccer moms and other average joes – his own training and experience serves him better than most when the shit hits the fan, but it soon becomes clear that he’s just as out of his depth as everyone else as the sheer enormity of the threat is revealed. But when he becomes entangled with a desperate research outfit led by Muri (Chuck’s Yvonne Strahovski) who seem to be on the verge of a potential world-changing scientific breakthrough, Dan realises there just might be a slender hope for humanity after all … this is every bit as over-the-top gung-ho bonkers as it sounds, and just as much fun. Director Chris McKay may still be pretty fresh (with only The Lego Batman Movie under his belt to date), but he shows a lot of talent and potential for big budget blockbuster filmmaking here, delivering with guts and bravado on some major action sequences (a fraught ticking-clock SAR operation through a war-torn Miami is the film’s undeniable highlight, but a desperate battle to escape a blazing oil rig also really impresses), as well as handling some impressively complex visual effects work and wrangling some quality performances from his cast (altogether it bodes well for his future, which includes Nightwing and Johnny Quest as future projects). Chris Pratt can do this kind of stuff in his sleep – Dan is his classic fallible and self-deprecating but ultimately solid and kind-hearted action hero fare, effortlessly likeable and easy to root for – and his supporting cast are equally solid, Strahovsky going toe-to-toe with him in the action sequences while also creating a rewardingly complex smart-woman/badass combo in Muri, while the other real standouts include Sam Richardson (Veep, Werewolves Within) and Edwin Hodge (The Purge movies) as fellow draftees Charlie and Dorian, the former a scared-out-of-his-mind tech geek while the latter is a seriously hardcore veteran serving his THIRD TOUR, and the ever brilliant J.K. Simmonds as Dan’s emotionally scarred estranged Vietnam-vet father, Jim. Sure, it’s derivative as hell and thoroughly predictable (with more than one big twist you can see coming a mile away), but the pace is brisk, the atmosphere pregnant with a palpable doomed urgency, and the creatures themselves are a genuinely convincing world-ending threat, the design team and visual effects wizards creating genuine nightmare fuel in the feral and unrelenting Whitespikes. Altogether this WAS an ideal way to spend a comfy Saturday night in, but I think it could have been JUST AS GOOD for a Saturday night OUT at the Pictures …

8. ARMY OF THE DEAD – another high profile release that went straight to streaming was this genuine monster hit for Netflix from one of this century’s undeniable heavyweight action cinema masters, the indomitable Zack Snyder, who kicked off his career with an audience-dividing (but, as far as I’m concerned, ultimately MASSIVELY successful) remake of George Romero’s immortal Dawn of the Dead, and has finally returned to zombie horror after close to two decades away. The end result is, undeniably, the biggest cinematic guilty pleasure of the entire summer, a bona fide outbreak horror EPIC in spite of its tightly focused story – Dave Bautista plays mercenary Scott Ward, leader a badass squad of soldiers of fortune who were among the few to escape a deadly outbreak of a zombie virus in the city of Las Vegas, enlisted to break into the vault of one of the Strip’s casinos by owner Bly Tanaka (a fantastically game turn from Hiroyuki Sanada) and rescue $200 million still locked away inside. So what’s the catch? Vegas remains ground zero for the outbreak, walled off from the outside world but still heavily infested within, and in less than three days the US military intends to sterilise the site with a tactical nuke. Simple premise, down and dirty, trashy flick, right? Wrong – Snyder has never believed in doing things small, having brought us unapologetically BIG cinema with the likes of 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel and, most notably, his version of Justice League, so this is another MASSIVE undertaking, every scene shot for maximum thrills or emotional impact, each set-piece executed with his characteristic militaristic precision and explosive predilection (a harrowing fight for survival against a freshly-awakened zombie horde in tightly packed casino corridors is the film’s undeniable highlight), and the gauzy, dreamlike cinematography gives even simple scenes an intriguing and evocative edge that really does make you feel like you’re watching something BIG. The characters all feel larger-than-life too – Bautista can seem somewhat cartoonish at times, and this role definitely plays that as a strength, making Scott a rock-hard alpha male in the classic Hollywood mould, but he’s such a great actor that of course he’s able to invest the character with real rewarding complexity beneath the surface; Ana de la Reguera (Eastbound & Down) and Nora Arnezeder (Zoo, Mozart in the Jungle), meanwhile, both bring a healthy dose of oestrogen-fuelled badassery to proceedings as, respectively, Scott’s regular second-in-command, Maria Cruz, and Lilly the Coyote, Power’s Omari Hardwick and Matthias Schweighofer (You Are Wanted) make for a fun odd-couple double act as circular-saw-wielding merc Vanderohe and Dieter, the nervous, nerdy German safecracker brought in to crack the vault, and Fear the Walking Dead’s Garrett Dillahunt channels spectacular scumbag energy as Tanaka’s sleazy former casino boss Martin, while latecomer Tig Notaro (Star Trek Discovery) effortlessly rises above her last-minute-casting controversy to deliver brilliantly as sassy and acerbic chopper pilot Peters. I think it goes without saying that Snyder can do this in his sleep, but he definitely wasn’t napping here – he pulled out all the stops on this one, delivering a thrilling, darkly comic and endearingly CRACKERS zombie flick that not only compares favourably to his own Dawn but is, undeniably, his best film for AGES. Netflix certainly seem to be pleased with the results – a spinoff prequel, Army of Thieves, starring Dieter in another heist thriller, is set to drop in October, with an animated series following in the Spring, and there’s already rumours of a sequel in development. I’m certainly up for more …

7. BLACK WIDOW – no major blockbuster property was hit harder by COVID than the MCU, which saw its ENTIRE SLATE for 2020 delayed for over a year in the face of Marvel Studios bowing to the inevitability of the Pandemic and unwilling to sacrifice those all-important box-office receipts by just sending their films straight to streaming. The most frustrating part for hardcore fans of the series was the delay of a standalone film that was already criminally overdue – the solo headlining vehicle of founding Avenger and bona fide female superhero ICON Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow. Equally frustratingly, then, this film seems set to be overshadowed by real life controversy as star and producer Scarlett Johansson goes head-to-head with Disney in civil court over their breach-of-contract after they hedged their bets by releasing the film simultaneously in cinemas and on their own streaming platform, which has led to poor box office as many of the film’s potential audience chose to watch it at home instead of risk movie theatres with the virus still very much remaining a threat (and Disney have clearly reacted AGAIN, now backtracking on their release policy by instigating a new 45-day cinematic exclusivity window on all their big releases for the immediate future). But what of the film itself? Well Black Widow is an interesting piece of work, director Cate Shortland (Berlin Syndrome) and screenwriter Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok) delivering a decidedly stripped-back, lean and intellectual beast that bears greater resemblance to the more cerebral work of the Russo Brothers on their Captain America films than the more classically bombastic likes of Iron Man, Thor or the Avengers flicks, concentrating on story and characters over action and spectacle as we wind back the clock to before the events of Infinity War and Endgame, when Romanoff was on the run after Civil War, hunted by the government-appointed forces of US Secretary of State “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) after violating the Sokovia Accords. Then a mysterious delivery throws her back into the fray as she finds herself targeted by a mysterious assassin, forcing her to team up with her estranged “sister” Yelena Belova (Midsommar’s Florence Pugh), another Black Widow who’s just gone rogue from the same Red Room Natasha escaped years ago, armed with a McGuffin capable of foiling a dastardly plot for world domination. The reluctant duo need help in this endeavour though, enlisting the aid of their former “parents”, veteran Widow and scientist Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and Alexie Shostakov (Stranger Things’ David Harbour), aka the Red Guardian, a Russian super-soldier intended to be their counterpart to Captain America, who’s been languishing in a Siberian gulag for the last twenty years. After the Earth-shaking, universe-changing events of recent MCU events, this film certainly feels like a much more self-contained, modest affair, playing for much smaller stakes, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less worthy of our attention – this is as precision-crafted as anything we’ve seen from Marvel so far, but it also feels like a refreshing change of pace after all those enormous cosmic shenanigans, while the script is as tight as a drum, propelling a taut, suspense-filled thriller that certainly doesn’t scrimp on the action front. Sure, the set-pieces are very much in service of the story here, but they’re still the pre-requisite MCU rollercoaster rides, a selection of breathless chases and bone-crunching fights that really do play to the strengths of one of our favourite Avengers, but this is definitely one of those films where the real fireworks come when the film focuses on the characters – Johansson is so comfortable with her character she’s basically BECOME Natasha Romanoff, kickass and ruthless and complex and sassy and still just desperate for a family (though she hides it well throughout the film), while Weisz delivers one of her best performances in years as a peerless professional who keeps her emotions tightly reigned in but slowly comes to realise that she was never more happy than when she was pretending to be a simple mother, and Ray Winstone does a genuinely fantastic job of taking a character who could have been one of the MCU’s most disappointingly bland villains, General Dreykov, master of the Red Room, and investing him with enough oily charisma and intense presence to craft something truly memorable (frustratingly, the same cannot be said for the film’s supposed main physical threat, Taskmaster, who performs well in their frustratingly brief appearances but ultimately gets Darth Maul levels of short service). The true scene-stealers in the film, however, are Alexie and Yelena – Harbour’s clearly having the time of his life hamming it up as a self-important, puffed-up peacock of a superhero who never got his shot and is clearly (rightly) decidedly bitter about it, preferring to relive the life he SHOULD have had instead of remembering the good in the one he got; Pugh, meanwhile, is THE BEST THING IN THE WHOLE MOVIE, easily matching Johanssen scene-for-scene in the action stakes but frequently out-performing her when it comes to acting, investing Yelena with a sweet naivety and innocence and a certain amount of quirky geekiness that makes for one of the year’s most endearing female protagonists (certainly one who, if the character goes the way I think she will, is thoroughly capable of carrying the torch for the foreseeable future). In the end this is definitely one of the LEAST typical, by-the-numbers MCU films to date, and by delivering something a little different I think they’ve given us just the kind of leftfield swerve the series needs right now. It’s certainly one of their most fascinating and rewarding films so far, and since it seems to be Johansson’s final tour of duty as the Black Widow, it’s also a most fitting farewell indeed.

6. WRATH OF MAN – Guy Ritchie’s latest (regarded by many as a triumphant return to form, which I consider unfair since I don’t think he ever went away, especially after 2020’s spectacular The Gentlemen) is BY FAR his darkest film – let’s get this clear from the start. Anyone who knows his work knows that Ritchie consistently maintains a near flawless balance and humour and seriousness in his films that gives them a welcome quirkiness that is one of his most distinctive trademarks, so for him to suddenly deliver a film which takes itself SO SERIOUSLY is one hell of a departure. This is a film which almost REVELS in its darkness – Ritchie’s always loved bathing in man’s baser instincts, but Wrath of Man almost makes a kind of twisted VIRTUE out of wallowing in the genuine evils that men are capable of inflicting on each other. The film certainly kicks off as it means to go on – In a tour-de-force single-shot opening, we watch a daring armoured car robbery on the streets of Los Angeles that goes horrifically wrong, an event which will have devastating consequences in the future. Five months later, Fortico Security hires taciturn Brit Patrick Hill (Jason Statham) to work as a guard in one of their trucks, and on his first run he single-handedly foils another attempted robbery with genuinely uncanny combat skills. The company is thrilled, amazed by the sheer ability of their new hire, but Hill’s new colleagues are more concerned, wondering exactly what they’ve let themselves in for. After a second foiled robbery, it becomes clear that Hill’s reputation has grown, but fellow guard Haiden (Holt McCallany), aka “Bullet”, begins to suspect there might be something darker going on … Ritchie is firing on all cylinders here, delivering a PERFECT slow-burn suspense thriller which plays its cards close to its chest and cranks up its piano wire tension with artful skill as it builds to a devastating, knuckle-whitening explosive heist that acts as a cathartic release for everything that’s built up over the past hour and a half. In typical Ritchie style the narrative is non-linear, the story unfolding in four distinct parts told from clearly differentiated points of view, allowing the clues to be revealed at a trickle that effortlessly draws the viewer in as they fall deeper down the rabbit hole, leading to a harrowing but strangely poignant denouement which is perfectly in tune with everything that’s come before. It’s an immense pleasure finally getting to see Statham working with Ritchie again, and I don’t think he’s ever been better than he is here – he's always been a brilliantly understated actor, but there’s SO MUCH going on under Hill’s supposedly impenetrable calm that every little peek beneath the armour is a REVELATION; McCallany, meanwhile, has landed his best role since his short but VERY sweet supporting turn in Fight Club, seemingly likeable and fallible as the kind of easy-going co-worker anyone in the service industry would be THRILLED to have, but giving Bullet far more going on under the surface, while there are uniformly excellent performances from a top-shelf ensemble supporting cast which includes Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice, Sicario), Andy Garcia, Laz Alonso (The Boys), Eddie Marsan, Niamh Algar (Raised By Wolves) and Darrell D’Silva (Informer, Domina), and a particularly edgy and intense turn from Scott Eastwood. This is one of THE BEST thrillers of the year, by far, a masterpiece of mood, pace and plot that ensnares the viewer from its gripping opening and hooks them right up to the close, a triumph of the genre and EASILY Guy Ritchie’s best film since Snatch. Regardless of whether or not it’s a RETURN to form, we can only hope he continues to deliver fare THIS GOOD in the future …

5. FEAR STREET (PARTS 1-3) – Netflix have gotten increasingly ambitious with their original filmmaking over the years, and some of this years’ offerings have reached new heights of epic intention. Their most exciting release of the summer was this adaptation of popular children’s horror author R.L. Stine’s popular book series, a truly gargantuan undertaking as the filmmakers set out to create an entire TRILOGY of films which were then released over three consecutive weekends. Interestingly, these films are most definitely NOT for kids – this is proper, no-holds-barred supernatural slasher horror, delivering highly calibrated shocks and precision jump scares, a pervading atmosphere of insidious dread and a series of inventively gruesome kills. The story revolves around two neighbouring small towns which have had vastly different fortunes over more than three centuries of existence – while the residents of Sunnyvale are unusually successful, living idyllic lives in peace and prosperity, luck has always been against the people of Shadyside, who languish in impoverishment, crime and misfortune, while the town has become known as the Murder Capital of the USA due to frequent spree killings. Some attribute this to the supposed curse of a local urban legend, Sarah Fier, who became known as the Fier Witch after her execution for witchcraft in 1668, but others dismiss this as simple superstition. Part 1 is set in 1994, as the latest outbreak of serial mayhem begins in Shadyside, dragging a small group of local teens – Deena Johnson (She Never Died’s Kiana Madeira) and Samantha Fraser (Olivia Scott Welch), a young lesbian couple going through a difficult breakup, Deena’s little brother Josh (The Haunted Hathaways’ Benjamin Flores Jr.), a nerdy history geek who spends most of his time playing video games or frequenting violent crime-buff online chatrooms, and their delinquent friends Simon (Eight Grade’s Fred Hechinger) and Kate (Julia Rehwald) – into the age-old ghostly conspiracy as they find themselves besieged by indestructible undead serial killers from the town’s past, reasoning that the only way they can escape with their lives is to solve the mystery and bring the Fier Witch some much needed closure. Part 2, meanwhile, flashes back to a previous outbreak in 1977, in which local sisters Ziggy (Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink) and Cindy Berman (Emily Rudd), together with future Sunnyvale sheriff Nick Goode (Ted Sutherland) were among the kids hunted by said killers during a summer camp “colour war”. As for Part 3, that goes all the way back to 1668 to tell the story of what REALLY happened to Sarah Fier, before wrapping up events in 1994, culminating in a terrifying, adrenaline-fuelled showdown in the Shadyside Mall. Throughout, the youthful cast are EXCEPTIONAL, Madeira, Welch, Flores Jr., Sink and Rudd particularly impressing, while there are equally strong turns from Ashley Zuckerman (The Code, Designated Survivor) and Community’s Gillian Jacobs as the grown-up versions of two key ’77 kids, and a fun cameo from Maya Hawke in Part 1. This is most definitely retro horror in the Stranger Things mould, perfectly executed period detail bringing fun nostalgic flavour to all three of the timelines while the peerless direction from Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon) and wire-tight, sharp-witted screenplays from Janiak, Kyle Killen (Lone Star, The Beaver), Phil Graziadel, Zak Olkewicz and Kate Trefry strike a perfect balance between knowing dark humour and knife-edged terror, as well as weaving an intriguingly complex narrative web that pulls the viewer in but never loses them to overcomplication. The design, meanwhile, is evocative, the cinematography (from Stanger Things’ Caleb Heymann) is daring and magnificently moody, and the killers and other supernatural elements of the film are handled with skill through largely physical effects. This is definitely not a standard, by-the-numbers slasher property, paying strong homage to the sub-genre’s rules but frequently subverting them with expert skill, and it’s as much fun as it is frightening. Give us some more like this please, Netflix!

4. THE SPARKS BROTHERS – those who’ve been following my reviews for a while will known that while I do sometimes shout about documentary films, they tend to show up in my runners-up lists – it’s a great rarity for one to land in one of my top tens. This lovingly crafted deep-dive homage to cult band Sparks, from self-confessed rabid fanboy Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim), is something VERY SPECIAL INDEED, then … there’s a vague possibility some of you may have heard the name before, and many of you will know at least one or two of their biggest hits without knowing it was them (their greatest hit of all time, This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us, immediately springs to mind), but unless you’re REALLY serious about music it’s quite likely you have no idea who they are, namely two brothers from California, Russell and Ronald Mael, who formed a very sophisticated pop-rock band in the late 60s and then never really went away, having moments of fame but mostly working away in the background and influencing some of the greatest bands and musical artists that followed them, even if many never even knew where that influence originally came from. Wright’s film is an engrossing joy from start to finish (despite clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes), following their eclectic career from obscure inception as Halfnelson, through their first real big break with third album Kimono My Place, subsequent success and then fall from popularity in the mid-70s, through several subsequent revitalisations, all the way up to the present day with their long-awaited cinematic breakthrough, revolutionary musical feature Annette – throughout Wright keeps the tone light and the pace breezy, allowing a strong and endearing sense of irreverence to rule the day as fans, friends and the brothers themselves offer up fun anecdotes and wax lyrical about what is frequently a larger-than-life tragicomic soap opera, utilising fun, crappy animation and idiosyncratic stock footage inserts alongside talking-head interviews that were made with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek style – Mike Myers good-naturedly rants about how we can see his “damned mole” while 80s New Romantic icons Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, while shot together, are each individually labelled as “Duran”. Ron and Russ themselves, meanwhile, are clearly having huge fun, gently ribbing each other and dropping some fun deadpan zingers throughout proceedings, easily playing to the band’s strong, idiosyncratic sense of hyper-intelligent humour, while the aforementioned celebrity talking-heads are just three amongst a whole wealth of famous faces that may surprise you – there’s even an appearance by Neil Gaiman, guys! Altogether this is 2+ hours of bright and breezy fun chock full of great music and fascinating information, and even hardcore Sparks fans are likely to learn more than a little over the course of the film, while for those who have never heard of Sparks before it’s a FANTASTIC introduction to one of the greatest ever bands that you’ve never heard of. With luck there might even be more than a few new fans before the year is out …

3. GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE – Netflix’ BEST offering of the summer was this surprise hit from Israeli writer-director Navot Papushado (Rabies, Big Bad Wolves), a heavily stylised black comedy action thriller that passes the Bechdel Test with FLYING COLOURS. Playing like a female-centric John Wick, it follows ice-cold, on-top-of-her-game assassin Sam (Karen Gillan) as her latest assignment has some unfortunate side effects, leading her to take on a reparation job to retrieve some missing cash for the local branch of the Irish Mob. The only catch is that a group of thugs have kidnapped the original thief’s little girl, 12 year-old Emily (My Spy’s Chloe Coleman), and Sam, in an uncharacteristic moment of sympathy, decides to intervene, only for the money to be accidentally destroyed in the process. Now she’s got the Mob and her own employers coming after her, and she not only has to save her own skin but also Emily’s, leading her to seek help from the one person she thought she might never see again – her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), a master assassin in her own right who’s been hiding from the Mob herself for years. The plot may be simple but at times also a little over-the-top, but the film is never anything less than a pure, unadulterated pleasure, populated with fascinating, living and breathing characters of real complexity and nuance, while the script (co-written by relative newcomer Ehud Lavski) is tightly-reined and bursting with zingers. Most importantly, though, Papushado really delivers on the action front – these are some of the best set-pieces I’ve seen this year, Gillan, her co-stars and the various stunt-performers acquitting themselves admirably in a series of spectacular fights, gun battles and a particularly imaginative car chase that would be the envy of many larger, more expensive productions. Gillan and Coleman have a sweet, awkward chemistry, the MCU star particularly impressing in a subtly nuanced performance that also plays beautifully against Headey’s own tightly controlled turn, while there is awesome support from Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and Carla Gugino as Sam’s adoptive aunts Anna May, Florence and Madeleine, a trio of “librarians” who run a fine side-line in illicit weaponry and are capable of unleashing some spectacular violence of their own; the film’s antagonists, on the other hand, are exclusively masculine – the mighty Ralph Inneson is quietly ruthless as Irish boss Jim McAlester, while The Terror’s Adam Nagaitis is considerably more mercurial as his mad dog nephew Virgil, and Paul Giamatti is the stately calm at the centre of the storm as Sam’s employer Nathan, the closest thing she has to a father. There’s so much to enjoy in this movie, not just the wonderful characters and amazing action but also the singularly engrossing and idiosyncratic style, deeply affecting themes of the bonds of found family and the healing power of forgiveness, and a rewarding through-line of strong women triumphing against the brutalities of toxic masculinity. I love this film, and I invite you to try it out, cuz I’m sure you will too.

2. THE SUICIDE SQUAD – the most fun I’ve had at the cinema so far this year is the long-awaited (thanks a bunch, COVID) redress of another frustrating imbalance from the decidedly hit and miss DCEU superhero franchise, in which Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn has finally delivered a PROPER Suicide Squad movie after David Ayer’s painfully compromised first stab at the property back in 2016. That movie was enjoyable enough and had some great moments, but ultimately it was a clunky mess, and while some of the characters were done (quite) well, others were painfully botched, even ruined entirely. Thankfully Warner Bros. clearly learned their lesson, giving Gunn free reign to do whatever he wanted, and the end result is about as close to perfect as the DCEU has come to date. Once again the peerless Viola Davis plays US government official Amanda Waller, head of ARGUS and the undisputable most evil bitch in all the DC Universe, who presides over the metahuman prisoners of the notorious supermax Belle Reve Prison, cherry-picking inmates for her pet project Taskforce X, the titular Suicide Squad sent out to handle the kind of jobs nobody else wants, in exchange for years off their sentences but controlled by explosive implants injected into the base of their skulls. Their latest mission sees another motley crew of D-bags dispatched to the fictional South African island nation of Corto Maltese to infiltrate Jotunheim, a former Nazi facility in which a dangerous extra-terrestrial entity that’s being developed into a fearful bioweapon, with orders to destroy the project in order to keep it out of the hands of a hostile anti-American regime which has taken control of the island through a violent coup. Where the first Squad felt like a clumsily-arranged selection of stereotypes with a few genuinely promising characters unsuccessfully moulded into a decidedly forced found family, this new batch are convincingly organic – they may be dysfunctional and they’re all almost universally definitely BAD GUYS, but they WORK, the relationship dynamics that form between them feeling genuinely earned. Gunn has already proven himself a master of putting a bunch of A-holes together and forging them into band of “heroes”, and he’s certainly pulled the job off again here, dredging the bottom of the DC Rogues Gallery for its most ridiculous Z-listers and somehow managing to make them compelling. Sure, returning Squad-member Harley Quinn (the incomparable Margot Robbie, magnificent as ever) has already become a fully-realised character thanks to Birds of Prey, so there wasn’t much heavy-lifting to be done here, but Gunn genuinely seems to GET the character, so our favourite pixie-esque Agent of Chaos is an unbridled and thoroughly unpredictable joy here, while fellow veteran Colonel Rick Flagg (a particularly muscular and thoroughly game Joel Kinnaman) has this time received a much needed makeover, Gunn promoting him from being the first film’s sketchily-drawn “Captain Exposition” and turning him into a fully-ledged, well-thought-out human being with all the requisite baggage, including a newfound sense of humour; the newcomers, meanwhile, are a thoroughly fascinating bunch – reluctant “leader” Bloodsport/Robert DuBois (a typically robust and playful Idris Elba), unapologetic douchebag Peacemaker/Christopher Smith (probably the best performance I’ve EVER seen John Cena deliver), and socially awkward and seriously hard-done-by nerd (and by far the most idiotic DC villain of all time) the Polka-Dot Man/Abner Krill (a genuinely heart-breaking hangdog performance from Ant-Man’s David Dastmalchian); meanwhile there’s a fine trio of villainous turns from the film’s resident Big Bads, with Juan Diego Botta (Good Behaviour) and Joaquin Cosio (Quantum of Solace, Narcos: Mexico) making strong impressions as newly-installed dictator Silvio Luna and his corrupt right hand-man General Suarez, although both are EASILY eclipsed by the typically brilliant Peter Capaldi as louche and quietly deranged supervillain The Thinker/Gaius Greives (although the film’s ULTIMATE threat turns out to be something a whole lot bigger and more exotic). The film is ROUNDLY STOLEN, however, by a truly adorable double act (or TRIPLE act, if you want to get technical) – Daniella Melchior makes her breakthrough here in fine style as sweet, principled and kind-hearted narcoleptic second-generation supervillain Ratcatcher II/Cleo Cazo, who has the weird ability to control rats (and who has a pet rat named Sebastian who frequently steals scenes all on his own), while a particular fan-favourite B-lister makes his big screen debut here in the form of King Shark/Nanaue, a barely sentient anthropomorphic Great White “shark god” with an insatiable appetite for flesh and a naturally quizzical nature who was brilliantly mo-capped by Steve Agee (The Sarah Silverman Project, who also plays Waller’s hyperactive assistant John Economos) but then artfully completed with an ingenious vocal turn from Sylvester Stallone. James Gunn has crafted an absolute MASTERPIECE here, EASILY the best film he’s made to date, a riotous cavalcade of exquisitely observed and perfectly delivered dark humour and expertly wrangled narrative chaos that has great fun playing with the narrative flow, injects countless spot-on in-jokes and irreverent but utterly essential throwaway sight-gags, and totally endears us to this glorious gang of utter morons right from the start (in which Gunn delivers what has to be one of the most skilful deep-fakes in cinematic history). Sure, there’s also plenty of action, and it’s executed with the kind of consummate skill we’ve now come to expect from Gunn (the absolute highlight is a wonderfully bonkers sequence in which Harley expertly rescues herself from captivity), but like everything else it’s predominantly played for laughs, and there’s no getting away from the fact that this film is an absolute RIOT. By far the funniest thing I’ve seen so far this year, and if I’m honest this is the best of the DCEU offerings to date, too (for me, only the exceptional Birds of Prey can compare) – if Warner Bros. have any sense they’ll give Gunn more to do VERY SOON …

1. A QUIET PLACE, PART II – while UK cinemas finally reopened in early May, I was determined that my first trip back to the Big Screen for 2021 was gonna be something SPECIAL, and indeed I already knew what that was going to be. Thankfully I was not disappointed by my choice – 2018’s A Quiet Place was MY VERY FAVOURITE horror movie of the 2010s, an undeniable masterclass in suspense and sustained screen terror wrapped around a refreshingly original killer concept, and I was among the many fans hoping we’d see more in the future, especially after the film’s teasingly open ending. Against the odds (or perhaps not), writer-director/co-star John Krasinski has pulled off the seemingly impossible task of not only following up that high-wire act, but genuinely EQUALLING it in levels of quality – picking up RIGHT where the first film left off (at least after an AMAZING scene-setting opening in which we’re treated to the events of Day 1 of the downfall of humanity), rejoining the remnants of the Abbott family as they’re forced by circumstances to up-sticks from their idyllic farmhouse home and strike out into the outside world once more, painfully aware at all times that they must maintain perfect silence to avoid the ravenous attentions of the lethal blind alien beasties that now sit at the top of the food chain. Circumstances quickly become dire, however, and embattled mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) is forced to ally herself with estranged family friend Emmett (Cillian Murphy), now a haunted, desperate vagrant eking out a perilous existence in an abandoned factory, in order to safeguard the future of her children Regan (Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and their newborn baby brother. Regan, however, discovers evidence of more survivors, and with her newfound weapon against the aliens she recklessly decides to set off on her own in the hopes of aiding them before it’s too late … it may only be his second major blockbuster as a director, but Krasinski has once again proven he’s a true heavyweight talent, effortlessly carving out fresh ground in this already magnificently well-realised dystopian universe while also playing magnificently to the established strengths of what came before, delivering another peerless thrill-ride of unbearable tension and knuckle-whitening terror. The central principle of utilising sound at a very strict premium is once again strictly adhered to here, available sources of dialogue once again exploited with consummate skill while sound design and score (another moody triumph from Marco Beltrami) again become THE MOST IMPORTANT aspects of the whole production. The ruined world is once again realised beautifully throughout, most notably in the nightmarish environment of a wrecked commuter train, and Krasinski cranks up the tension before unleashing it in merciless explosions in a selection of harrowing encounters which guaranteed to leave viewers in a puddle of sweat. The director mostly stays behind the camera this time round, but he does (obviously) put in an appearance in the opening flashback as the late Lee Abbott, making a potent impression which leaves a haunting absence that’s keenly felt throughout the remainder of the film, while Blunt continues to display mother lion ferocity as she fights to keep her children safe and Jupe plays crippling fear magnificently but is now starting to show a hidden spine of steel as Marcus finally starts to find his courage; the film once again belongs, however, to Simmonds, the young deaf actress once and for all proving she’s a genuine star in the making as she invests Regan with fierce wilfulness and stubborn determination that remains unshakeable even in the face of unspeakable horrors, and the relationship she develops with Emmett, reluctant as it may be, provides a strong new emotional focus for the story, Murphy bringing an attractive wounded humanity to his role as a man who’s lost anything and is being forced to learn to care for something again. This is another triumph of the genre AND the artform in general, a masterpiece of atmosphere, performance and storytelling which builds magnificently on the skilful foundations laid by the first film, as well as setting things up perfectly for a third instalment which is all but certain to follow. I definitely can’t wait.

#movies 2021 #werewolves within #werewolves within movie #the tomorrow war #army of the dead #Black Widow #black widow movie #black widow mcu #wrath of man #fear street #fear street trilogy #fear street movies #The Sparks Brothers #gunpowder milkshake #the suicide squad #a quiet place part ii #a quiet place part 2 #awesome sauce

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theseaeaglelives · 4 years ago

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Round 11

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE TRULY GREAT AGAIN!!!

Round 11

Manly Sea Eagles 28

Defeated

Parramatta Eels 6

This was a display of muscle, power and solid defence tinged also with sadness following news of the unfortunate passing of immortal and Manly legend Bob Fulton who for obvious reasons will be the focus of this week’s report (see below). Bozo’s passing no doubt cast a shroud of sadness over the Manly camp, but not surprisingly showing due respect to the great man, Manly smashed the hapless Eels into submission in this away fixture at Bankwest.

Manly now have staked their claim as a genuine top eight side and possible top four contender (as long as Tommy Turbo plays).

Manly were up for a big game and they delivered. Manly have now gone from wooden spoon contenders to top 8 contenders in the space of 6 weeks. In fact as it stands today, only the high rolling Panthers and to a lesser extent, the Filthy Wrestlers are playing in better form.

The impact of the Manly forwards in taking the game to their allegedly more fancied Eels rivals cannot be underestimated in this one. Manly gave it to the Eels forward pack and came up convincing winners. When the Manly forwards dominate in a side that contains the likes of Tommy Turbo (and also the second Turbo known simply as Saab Turbo - ie Jason Saab), backed up with the skill and class of Cherry Baby and Turbo's brother Jake, rising star Josh Schuster and quality goal kicking from Ruben Garrick, it will take a very good side to defeat Manly.

In this fixture that side was certainly not Parramatta.

Special mention must also go to young Reuben Garrick who is sharp shooter with the kicking boot , and is now showing a lot of class on the wing. Young Garrick, a Gerringong junior formerly mentored by Eel legend Mick Cronin, could well have drifted away this season, but he has held strong, no doubt under the coaching of master coach Des Hasler. Manly are the better for it.

The Sea Eagle would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the performance of ever improving centre Brad Parker. The Sea Eagle now officially retracts all prior criticism of the attributes of Brad Parker in questioning his ability as a genuine first grader. The time has come to announce that Brad Parker certainly is now of first grade quality and the Sea Eagle publicly apologises for all prior criticism in not recognising what obviously the Manly football management and coaching staff clearly did, and that was to persevere with young Parker.

Wallabies now sponsored by Cadbury

Cadbury now sponsor the Wannabees.

How did Darrel Lea let this one slip by, who wouldn’t want to see the brand “Soft Centres” on the back of each Wallaby player???

Still, we still have the prospect of a Wallaby renaming to the Caramello Bears to look forward to.

Or perhaps:

And, as a sponsor incentive, if they start winning some big games (to wit a Bledisloe Cup or a World Cup):

At least we won’t have to put up with QANTAS as a Wannabee sponsor and their Woke view on the world. The handling of the Israel Folau debacle surely must be placed at the feet of this shameful airline (personal opinion).

Woke Soft Co8!ck Award of the Week

Absolute stand out this week. The organisation known as PETA. These clowns go by the name People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Their motto “ANIMALS ARE NOT OURS TO EXPERIMENT ON, EAT, WEAR, USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, OR ABUSE IN ANY OTHER WAY”

This week these geniuses disputed the traditional methods used to eradicate the potential life threatening consequences of the western NSW mouse plague (life threatening terms of destruction of food for livestock and for humans to eat). Those methods being poison and associated other nasties to send said rodents to Manyana for ever.

As per the 3AW website on 19 May 2021

Animal rights organisation PETA is advocating for mice, as a mouse plague wreaks havoc in NSW, Queensland and some parts of regional Victoria.

Crops are being destroyed, farmhouses are being invaded, and there are reports some farmers are being forced to spend up to six hours cleaning up mouse droppings.

….

In a radio interview ****, PETA spokesperson XXXX , …

“Our common advice to rodent overpopulation is, of course, to avoid poison which subjects these animals to unbearably painful deaths but also pose the risk of spreading bacteria, and there are alternatives which exist,” she said.

XXXXX blamed governments for the mouse plague.

“It is so unfair that these mice are going to suffer these horrible deaths,” she said.

“It’s the fault of the government because they really should have taken control of this situation earlier .. through humane methods like humane trapping, birth control.

“Their inaction months ago has led to this situation.

“The situation has gotten so bad that not only farmers are suffering, but mice are suffering.””

Sea Eagle Comment:

Whilst cruelty to animals can never be condoned, and live exports fits nicely into that basket, the simple fact remains that humans like beef, chicken, pork, fish, kangaroo, veal and a range of other animals to eat. As well, there is no doubt a wild fish (eg Shark) or mammal (eg bear, dog, lion, tiger etc etc) will not hesitate to take out a human or anything else within its range, in order to eat, or defend themselves, at will, and with impunity. So too will a plague of mice if given half a chance.

Have these clowns never heard of the famous fairy tale the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Perhaps one of them could go through their school things, pull out the old recorder, and take a trip to the Western NSW and see if they can play a nice little ditty to persuade these rodents to follow them into to the Murray Darling basin (PETA members going in first), in order to avoid mice extermination by poison (or attempted extermination by poison by humans). Death under this scenario of course, still being inevitable to said mouse.

The Sea Eagle recognises here that the mice have the upper hand. Firstly though they be small, they be many, and they reproduce at exponential rates. It is probably already too late to stop them.

The Sea Eagle would personally like to see a few card carrying members of PETA, as part of the 2021 Origin series pre game entertainment, to be forced to run successive sets of six against the respective NSW Under 18’s and Queensland Under 18’s forward packs, the task being to see if PETA can break the defensive line. Who wouldn’t want to see that.

And, in the interest of gender equality, perhaps a pre match parade around the ground (if for no other reason than to see how a rugby league crowd might react to a bit of gender equality morphed into animal rights activism) – ie. something along these lines:

VALE BOB FULTON

Manly Sea Eagles legend and rugby league Immortal Bob Fulton has died at age 74 after a long battle with cancer. The news was announced on 2GB by one of Bob Fulton’s closest friends, Ray Hadley.

The legendary Manly, NSW and Australian representative is survived by his wife Anne, sons Scott, and Brett, and daughter Kristie.

Bob Fulton joined Manly in 1966 aged 18. He never played reserve grade. He won premierships with the club in 1972 and 1973 before captaining the Sea Eagles to a third title in 1976, in his last game for the club. He also played in two other grand finals for Manly in 1968 and 1970 where Mainly were unsuccessful against the then mighty South Sydney Rabbitohs.

He joined Easts in 1977. He took over as captain-coach of Easts in 1979 but his playing career came to an end midway through the season after succumbing to a knee injury. With Bob Fulton as full time coach, Easts qualified for the 1980 grand final and were minor premiers that season. Unfortunately, Easts lost the 1980 grand final losing to the then very strong Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (the Entertainers).

At this point, mention needs to be made of the well known phenomenon known simply as “they never go better when they leave the Nest”.

In the case of Bob Fulton, he is an obvious exception to the rule. Whilst it's true he did not win a Premiership for Easts after having left Manly in the late 70’s, it could hardly be said that he went worse, particularly when he was coming off an exceptionally high benchmark. He still played for Australia and captained Australia through to the end of his career. That he made a GF in his first full year of first grade coaching, proves that he certainly did not go too much worse, in fact he was only just beginning his meteoric rise as a coach.

Bob Fulton of course returned to Manly in 1983, where he stayed for the rest of his rugby league career. After losing the 1983 grand final to the then mighty Parramatta Eels, he steered Manly to premierships in 1987 and 1996, and coached Australia from 1989 to 1998. During this period he coached Manly to 5 grand finals for two Premiership wins.

This coaching record alone proves that it is well and truly possible for a former Manly player to maintain the same high standards when they return to the Nest, and there's no doubt that Bob Fulton maintained the same high levels of winning success upon his return to Manly as coach and the absolute head of football during that time.

As an Australian Test coach he led the Kangaroos to two World Cup victories and numerous test successes.

Bob Fulton was part of the first four players to be granted status as ‘Immortal’ in 1981, alongside Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper. To be named in the Immortals is the highest honour in Australian rugby league and there can be no doubt that Bob Fulton deserved that accolade.

Manly have had some very good players over the history. Players like Roy Bull, Rex Mossop, John O'Neill, Malcolm Reilly, Fred Jones, Max Krillich, Graham Eadie, Terry Randall, Paul Vautin, Des Hasler, Cliff Lyons, Michael O'Connor, Geoff Toovey, Steve Menzies, Glenn and Brett Stewart, to name a few. No doubt there are plenty more, who cannot be named in the interests of brevity. And then there is the current crop of Cherry Baby, Jake Trbojevic and of course his brother Tommy Turbo.

With that said, and in such illustrious company, there is still no doubt that the best Manly player ever was Bob Fulton.

As a Coach, whilst it might be considered a close thing when one considers the top line coaching abilities of the likes of Ron Willey, Frank Stanton and current coach Des Hasler, in the Sea Eagle’s opinion, Bob Fulton was the best Manly coach of all time.

The Sea Eagle had the privilege of watching Bob Fulton play live on many occasions as a young lad growing up. Simply put there was nothing quite like him. He was remarkably strong defensively, had blinding acceleration, he could draw and pass, he could offload, he could chip over the top regather and score, and he was not injury prone. Above all else, he was always the difference between Manly winning and not losing, when it really mattered.

The Sea Eagle recalls seeing on one occasion in the 70’s, at a church at Manly, a sign displayed that asked the simple question “What would you do if Jesus returned tomorrow?”. In a time when Graffiti was unheard of, someone had written their well-researched answer underneath said sign, which was “put him at 5/8 and move Bobby Fulton to centre”.

There is not much more that needs or can be said.

May he rest in peace.

THE SEA EAGLE

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daemurae · 5 years ago

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my gift is my song → 50+ songs of Jaskier’s POV after “Rare Species”, for all your angst, loss, despair, yearning and crying your heart out needs.

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brandon flowers - crossfire // young tapes - liability matt johnson - your song // franz ferdinand - walk away (acoustic) // hozier - take me to church // ryan dolan - million reasons // years and years - worship // // grace porter and the nocturnals - stars // the killers - read my mind // the killers - mr brightside // kodaline - all i want // mumford and suns - white blank page // foals - mountain at my gates // lp - lost on you // max schneider - give me love // zara larsson - symphony (acoustic) // dodie - sick of losing soulmates // eli lieb - lies // chester see - say something // sleeping at last - make you feel my love // lord huron - the night we met // boyce avenue - my immortal // sound behavior - she wolf (falling to pieces) // j. rice - jar of hearts // boyce avenue - set fire to the rain // boyce avenue - never enough // sea wolf - dear felow traveler // jesse ruben - this is why I need you // eli lieb - turning tables // keaton henson - you // ben howard - promise // the paper kites - bloom // daughter - run // ellie goulding - i know you care // jason castro - hallelujah // mikky ekko - stay // andrew belle - in my veins // gabrielle aplin (acoustic) - my mistake // the goo goo dolls - iris // damine rice - cannonball // florence + the machine - cosmic love // callum scott - dancing on my own (acoustic) // lissie - everywhere I go // lissie - look away // birdy - keeping your head up // laura marling - night terror // band of horses - no one’s gonna love you // anya marina - satellite heart // florence + the machine - ship to wreck // jason chen - clarity // howie day - collide (acoustic) // sara bareilles - gravity hozier - like real people do // the amazing devil - that unwanted animal

——————————————————————

○ Spotify link ○

#have to post this again cause I accidentally deleted yesterday's post while blog cleaning >.<#also omg I broke own my heart with this damn playlist #these two will be the end of me #geraskier #jaskier #dandelion #my edit #r: music

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joleneruberj · 4 years ago

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He stood with his back to me, looking at the painting by Rubens “The Fall of the Damned"

I looked at his silhouette, and goose bumps ran down my spine. I haven't seen him for so long. I literally forgot what he looks like, but only the back of his head recalled everything that I once had time to lose.

He did not sense that there was someone else in the room. Maybe I was a ghost in his eyes. Perhaps he knew that someone was there, but ignored it. His breath echoed in every corner and dug into my soul.

Since the last time I saw him, he had not been so stately, and now his presence filled the room with a gloomy but cozy scent of oak.

I took a step forward, hinting at my presence. The sound of a heel thump filled the empty room.

He turned slowly, and my heart felt like it was torn apart. It was as if I was paralyzed.

He tried to see me at a fairly distant distance, trying to figure out who he should be addressing.

“Sorry, I didn't notice you,” he said, as if he had never met me before.

He took a step forward, and I realized that the meeting had already taken place, and it was already impossible to avoid it.

“I'm Scott,” he said lightly in his voice. - "and you?"

His question stabbed me with a knife. He doesn't remember me. Or maybe he doesn't even know. Like I never knew.

- "(y / n)." - I answered in the same way as when that long ago, to our first acquaintance - “(y / n). Remember me?"

The slight smile faded from his face, with his eyes he looked for a clue on my face

“… I haven't seen you for so long. Sorry, I wouldn't even think it was you. Everything has changed so much.”

“Fortunately or unfortunately, time always takes its toll. And then he took what belongs to him.”

"All in the past." he said with a stern voice, reminiscent of the Scott I remember. “I don’t really want to remember any of this. The past is in the past. Now a new life has come.”

I looked into his blue eyes, filled with longing and fatigue, which a couple of minutes ago were glowing from familiarity with the unknown. Probably I was looking in them for the answer to the question that torments me these years, which I all this time dreamed of asking him looking into his eyes. Well, here he is.

“Are you happy?”

His blue eyes in the darkness seemed to darken even more, he looked down at his shoes and sighed, replied:

“I don’t remember when I was happy. I remember that it was a long time ago, I was different. With a different environment, different thoughts. I was happy with those who mean nothing to me now. I do not remember their faces, voices and names. I'm not happy (y / n). I died once, and now I live the life of a dead man.”

I wanted to hug him. But this was the most difficult decision in my life in recent years.

But As if something pushed me, and I easily hug him.

I closed my eyes, not hoping that I would be reciprocated. But thin fingers gently touched my back, and then the palm completely lay on it. He squeezed me tightly in his arms like never before. His clothes smelled the same as they did long ago. The hair was soft and the touch was so familiar.

Tears came to my eyes. I didn't want this to happen, but I gave vent to my feelings. I wanted to drown in his arms and stay in them forever.

My hands slid down his back, the fabric of his jacket felt softer, and the air around him went cold. Soon the embrace eluded me.

I opened my wet eyes. The room was dark. The open window stirred the curtains.

Getting out of bed, I glanced at my watch. 4:23 am, November 8th.

A photograph of Scott was staring at me from the bedside table. So young and handsome.

“We haven't seen each other for so long,” I whispered.

In the photograph, he glows with life. But unlike Scott, photography won't die. She will live forever.

#rubens #david spade #david spade x reader #david spade fanfic #very well written #fanfic #tumblr writers #aestethic #Spotify

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tvfandoms · 4 years ago

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your ships!!

*soulmates before the writers ruin them!!

**should have got together

*****both of the above

***had potential to be soulmates

here are my ships ive shipped over the years !!

Bad girls - Janine & donny*

Harvey & sabrina - sabrina*

Janet & Andy - Scott and Bailey***

Mount pleasant - Lisa & dan*

the a word - maurice & louise*

Joey - joey & Alex

What I like about you - Holly & gary

Ordinary lies - Beth & Mike

Family affairs - tanya & conrad*

Us - Douglas & Connie***

The syndicate - jake & keeley *

Eastenders

Jamie & sonia*

Ricky & Natalie***

kat & anthony

zoe & anthony

kat & alfie *

Vicky & spencer

phil & sharon (sharongate only on youtube)

Martin & sonia*

Oliver & little mo

Sharon & grant

sharon & dennis*

Dennis & zoe

Mickey & kareena

phil & kate

jake & chrissie ***

jake & carly

Patrick & Yolande*

Peter & Lauren *

phil & stella (till she became a syco)

Shirley & vinnie (before she liked phil)

Denise & Kevin*

grant & jane***

Bobby & Tiffany

max & stacey ***

max & tanya *

stacey & bradley *

jack & ronnie*

Jack and stacey NEW SHIP

Roxy & jack

Sean & tanya

phil & shirley *

Dawn & jase

Abi & jay*

Darren & libby

Darren & jodie

Sean & carly

tanya & jack

christian & syed *

roxy & al

Ryan & Stacey

Roxy & aleks

Joey & Lauren

Bianca & ray**

max & emma

Ian & jane*

Tamwar & alice

Ronnie & charlie

Ben & johnny***

Ben & paul*

Nancy & tamwar*

Sonia & tina***

Jack & ingrid

Mick & whitney

Abi & Steven***

Donna & jay**

Robbie & donna

Louise & travis

Shakill & bex*

Bex & gethin

Woody & whitney

Josh & lauren

Honey & jay

Emmerdale

matthew & perdy

matthew & sadie

Matthew & louise

Louise & jamie

carl & chas *

billy & diane

Donna & Ross (1st)

Laurel & ashley*

Daz & scarlett

Nicola & jimmy

Kelly & jimmy

Andy & katie*

Cain & angie

Paul & jonny

Carl & anna

Carl & grace

Corrie

Katy and martin

Neighbors

karl & susan *

bridge & declan*

Max & steph

Ringo & donna

Oliver & camilla

Oliver & Ellie

Toadie & dee*

Drew & libby*

Paul & lyn

Boyd & janae

Sky & boyd

Sky & Dylan

Scott and charlene

Shane and daphne

Casualty

Tess & fletch

harry & selina

harry & ellen

adam & alice

adam & kirsty

Ethan & lily**

Ruth & jay*

Charlie & Maggie *

Connie & sam

Lenny & mads

Abs & nina

holby city

michael & chrissie

Michael & connie **

sam & chrissie

sam & maria

Dan & malick

Hansan & sahira

Waterloo Road

Izzie & tom*

Eddie & Rachel*

Jess & jonah***

Michael & Christine

Christine & George**

Kim & andrew

Tom & davina

Jack & davina

Finn & sambuca*

Kevin & Dynesty*

Scout & phoenix

Karen & rob

Liberty & tariq

Tom & rose

Tom & nikki**

Tom & Eleanor

Nikki & Lorraine

Friends

Monica & chandler*

Monica & Richard

Ross & Rachel*

Ross & Elizabeth

Ross & Emily

Ross & charlie

Ross & mona

Phoebe & David

Phoebe & Mike

Joey & Rachel

Rachel & tag

Chandler & kathy

Chandler & aurora

Rachel & gavin

Monica & ethan

Joey & kate

Death in paradise

Humphrey & martha

Richard & camille******

Jp & ruby

Strictly

Jill & Darren

Matt & flavia

Vincent & flavia

Films

Maria & George - the sound of music

Johnny & baby - dirty dancing

Edward & Vivian - pretty women

Sam & Annie - sleepless in seattle

Sandra & Tony - beautiful thing

Alex & isabel - fools rush in

Rose & jack - titanic

Kathleen & Joe - you've got mail

Six days seven nights - Robin & quinn

Healy & Mary - there's something about Mary

Nick & Elizabeth - the parent trap

Josie & Sam - never been kissed

Anna & William - Notting hill

Sonny & leyla - Big daddy

Maggie & Mike - runaway bride

Sara & Derek - save the last dance

Sarah & Tom - just married

Grace & Bruce - Bruce almighty

Legally blonde - Elle & emmett

Polly & Ruben - along came polly

Lucy & Henry - 50 first dates

Matt & jenna - 13 going on 30

Jane & John - Mr and Mrs Smith

David & Elizabeth - just like heaven

Jeff & Sarah - rumor has it

Gary & brooke - the break up

Alex & Sophie - music and lyrics

Eddie & miranda - the heartbreak kid

Jenny & John - Marley&me

Robbie & Georgia - Angus thongs & perfect snogging

Margrate & Andrew - the proposal

Burke & eloise - love happens

Milo & Nicole - the bounty hunter

Jonny & Kim - chalet girl

Katherine & Danny - just go with it

Larry & mercedes - Larry crowne

Ally & Colin - what's your number

Wallace & chantry - what if

Wesley & Bianca - the duff

Nicky & jess - focus

Saroo & lucy - lion

Ellie & jack - yesterday

Kat & Charlie - marry me

10 things I hate about you

Bianca & cameron

Kat & Patrick

Theatre

The bodyguard

Lauren & Paul - Fat friends

Hairspray - penny &

#In addition to this you need to know more about it.#In addition to this you need to know more about it

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Upcoming Marvel Movie Releases: Complete MCU Phase 4 Schedule

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We’ve got everything you need to know about the upcoming Marvel movie(and TV!) schedule all in one place! The Marvel Cinematic Universe plan now stretches all the way to 2023 (and beyond). The amazing thing is, it’s even more ambitious than we anticipated, with new movies getting announced all the time. It looks like even something on the massive scale of Avengers: Endgame was only the beginning. How can anything ever be bigger than that crazy Avengers: Endgame finale?

Well, it looks like we’re going to find out…eventually.

We’ve compiled as much information as we can find on every Marvel movie coming out in the next few years in a handy release calendar for you. This is where you can check out all the details on Marvel Phase 4 and beyond. You probably want to know a little more about the future of the MCU and all the other Marvel movies in development. Well, we’ve got you covered! However, be advised, almost every single MCU Phase 4 date has recently shifted because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which is wreaking havoc with every industry in the world, so update your calendars accordingly!

These dates have already shifted several times recently, and the most recent changes affect Black Widow, Eternals, and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Don’t be surprised if they continue to move as things develop with the pandemic, but hopefully by the time Black Widow is ready to come out, we’ll have reached the end of this nonsense.

WandaVision

release date: Jan. 15, 2021

Yes, technically this isn’t a movie release, but with all of the release date changes, and the fact that it has been over a year since the last actual MCU release, we’ll take the good stuff where we can get it. And make no mistake, WandaVision very much appears to be the good stuff.

Ever wonder what happened to Wanda after she went all Scarlet Witch on Thanos in Avengers: Endgame? Well, you’re gonna find out in WandaVision, which appears to depict a grief-riddled Wanda dealing with the death of Vision in less than healthy ways.

Elizabeth Olsen is, of course, back as Wanda, and so is Paul Bettany as the Vision. This show is going to have serious ties to the MCU, with elements that will be important for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Captain Marvel 2 having prominent roles. The trailer is packed with MCU strangeness, which we wrote about here.

WandaVision is the first of a number of MCU focused shows coming to Disney+ over the next year. 2021 will then (hopefully) bring us Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki. Since these will also be vital to the future of the MCU, we’ll add them to this calendar as they get release windows and/or trailers get released.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

release date: March 19, 2021

“The legacy of that shield is complicated.”

Yes, it is. And we’re going to find out just how complicated when Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes reckon with the legacy of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience—in Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Yes, like WandaVision, this isn’t a theatrical release, but also like that show, this is far too important to the future of the MCU to ignore.

Morbius

Release Date: March 19, 2021

Spider-Man spinoff Morbius is Sony’s next big Marvel release, and it’ll officially be the first spinoff to properly connect to the MCU.

Safe House‘s Daniel Espinosa directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, as former Joker Jared Leto plays the anti-hero biochemist who finds a cure for his rare blood disease by using vampire bat blood. As you can imagine, there are consequences: he turns into a living vampire, for one.

Um…don’t be surprised if this one ends up moving off this date at some point at the rate we’re going.

Read more about the character of Michael Morbius here, and find everything you need to know about his upcoming movie, right here.

Black Widow

Release Date: May 7, 2021

The Black Widow movie was heading for a May 1, 2020 release before the coronavirus outbreak, but Disney and Marvel have decided to delay it until the industry’s infrastructure is back to some semblance of normal. First they bumped it to November, but now we have to wait almost a full year from that originally scheduled date before we see Natasha and friends. Disney and Marvel Studios seem absolutely committed to keeping Natasha on a theatrical release rather than sending her to Disney+.

Cate Shortland directed the film, and Scarlett Johansson stars, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour alongside her. One of the movie’s villains is Taskmaster, and we wrote a little bit more about him right here.

Natasha Romanoff will get a prequel movie of sorts here, as we catch up with Widow around the events of Captain America: Civil War. Will the plot affect her character’s ultimate fate in Endgame? Do not count on it.

We have more information on the Black Widow movie right here.

Loki

release date: May 2021

Tom Hiddleston will reprise his most famous role, as Loki finds himself on a heist through time and space after the events of Avengers: Endgame! Oh, and based on this trailer, there’s all kinds of weirdness awaiting, including the return of Heimdall, some other Asgardian hijinks, and…Loki running for President!

Look, he couldn’t possibly do a worse job than the guy who’s been there for the last four years so…Vote Loki!

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release Date: June 25, 2021

Andy Serkis (Mowgli) steps behind the camera for Venom 2, which now boasts the catchy title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, replacing Ruben Fleischer as director this time around. The first film, buoyed by a terrific showing at the Chinese box office, made an absolute ton of money, despite being released to mostly scathing reviews.

Venom 2 will follow up Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man-less spinoff film, but will likely be more connected to the MCU this time around, thanks to a renewed deal between the company and its Marvel Studios partners. Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock, of course, and as you can probably guess from that title, he’ll be facing off against Woody Harrelson’s villain, Cletus Kasady aka Carnage!

This one was originally tentatively scheduled for October, 2020, but has been shuffled away for the moment as studios continue to move release dates around because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Read everything else you need to know about Venom 2.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release date: July 9, 2021

Simu Liu has been cast as the titular Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as The Mandarin (hey, that name sounds familiar! But this time, we’re getting the real Mandarin on screen). Destin Daniel Cretton is directing from a script by Dave Callaham. Given its “Ten Rings” title, Shang-Chi should be steeped in Marvel lore!

This has been delayed twice. Let’s hope that’s the end of it. At least it has resumed production!

We have more info on the Shang-Chi movie right here.

The Eternals

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

The Eternals has completed principal photography and is on post-production. Chloe Zhao is directing from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo.

The cast features Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, the Black Knight.

This one was another victim of the release date shuffle, having moved from February of 2021 to November of that year. We’ll get to see Jack Kirby‘s wildest creations eventually!

You can read more about The Eternals movie right here.

Spider-Man 3

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021

While the next Spider-Man movie doesn’t have a title yet, it’s happening, and the best news of all is that it’s happening in the MCU! Marvel and Sony solved their differences, good sense prevailed, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will remain a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This one, well…this might be a live action Spider-Verse movie from the sound of it. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from the maligned Amazing Spider-Man films and Alfred Molina will return from the Raimi era as Doctor Octopus. Wait. Are they trying to make this a multiversal Sinister Six movie? Because…we could be down for that.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Release Date: Feb. 11, 2022

Taika Waititi, who gave us the delightful Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write and direct. Chris Hemsworth will be back, but will it be as Thor? Natalie Portman is your new Thor (yes, you read that right, Jane Foster will wield the hammer…just as she did in the comics!). Christian Bale has also joined the cast as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher.

We have more info on Thor: Love and Thunder right here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like it will open up the storytelling possibilities in the MCU like never before. And that’s just based on the name alone. Scott Derrickson was scheduled to direct, but has bowed out because of “creative differences” with Marvel. But the good news is that Marvel found a suitable replacement in none other than Sam Raimi, who of course has plenty of superhero experience thanks to his Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s!

This one has loads of connections to the wider MCU. Elizabeth Olsen will be here as Scarlet Witch, and the film will also connect to the untitled Spider-Man 3 and its own multiversal ambitions. There are also a few rumors doing the rounds that Jericho Drumm aka Brother Voodoo could be introduced in this sequel. We’ll keep an eye on that and update this if there’s any substance to them.

We have more information on Doctor Strange 2 right here.

Black Panther 2

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Black Panther 2 is still on Disney’s release schedule, despite the tragic, untimely death of star Chadwick Boseman. Marvel has made it official that they have no intention of recasting the role of T’Challa, which is absolutely the right move.

Ryan Coogler will return as director, but there are no other details currently available. We have more information on Black Panther 2 right here.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Is it technically an MCU movie? Nope. But with all the legal weirdness going on between Marvel and Sony, and this franchise’s very multiversal concept, who’s really to say that it ISN’T an MCU movie either, right? In any case, the sequel to the best Spider-Man movie of all time is coming in 2022 with Avatar: The Last Airbender mastermind Joaquim Dos Santos directing and David Callaham writing.

There’s also an “untitled Marvel movie” still technically scheduled for this date but…that is almost certainly not gonna happen now. Expect whatever that project was to move to one of these below dates or to some other currently unspecified date on the calendar.

Captain Marvel 2

Release date: November 11, 2022

WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell has been tapped to write the screenplay for Captain Marvel 2. You know what else is really cool? Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct!

We have no idea where we’ll find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the sequel to her hugely successful first standalone MCU entry. Will she be fighting to loosen her former Kree pals’ iron grip on a pre-Avengers galaxy? Or will the follow up film see her fighting for justice in the present?

Read more about Captain Marvel 2 here.

And then there are still some dates that Marvel has announced that they have yet to match projects to. Those dates are…

Feb. 17, 2023

May 5, 2023

July 28, 2023

Nov. 3, 2023

Some of those dates could very well be good fits for the following films…

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Peyton Reed will return to direct the third installment of the Ant-Man saga, perhaps the most unlikely trilogy in Marvel’s entire arsenal. Paul Rudd will return as Scott Lang, and you can almost certainly expect Evangeline Lilly to return as The Wasp and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

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The villain of the film? That will be Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors. The inclusion of Kang opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for the MCU, and may even tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four down the line! We wrote more about those possibilities right here.

We’re also going to need fast confirmation on Michael Pena’s return as Luis, though. Luis is key…

This will probably slide in to one of those 2023 release dates above.

Blade

Well this one was a surprise. In 2019, Marvel announced that they will be rebooting the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali playing the titular daywalker. Ali’s True Detective co-star – and former Blade villain – Stephen Dorff is excited to see what he can do with the character, and so are we.

We have more info on Blade here.

Deadpool 3

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin will be the writing team tasked with bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. What a Deadpool 3 could look like in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, anybody’s guess, but if anyone can crack wise about the follies of this kind of corporate synergy, it’s Ryan Reynolds.

Fantastic Four

The MCU Fantastic Four movie is finally happening! Marvel’s first family will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a film directed by Jon Watts, who did such a wonderful job with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. That’s all the information that’s out there at the moment, but as soon as we have more, we’ll update this.

We have our own theories on why Marvel went with the Fantastic Four before the X-Men, but that’s another story.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Avengers: Endgame left the team in an interesting place. We broke down some of the story possibilities right here.

After a tumultuous period which saw James Gunn fired and then rehired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, he will become the first Marvel director to ever complete a trilogy for the studio. However, Gunn can’t even begin filming Guardians 3 until he finishes production on The Suicide Squad for DC, as well as an HBO Max Peacemaker prequel. Once those projects are finished, he’s free to return to the MCU.

We have everything else you need to know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 right here.

And as for those others? Well, we’re still waiting on word on where Deadpool 3 will fit since that is (finally) official, as well as movies to bring the X-Men into the MCU. Could any of those 2023 dates do the trick? It’s very possible! And this doesn’t even account for all of the other MCU Disney+ TV shows that don’t have release dates yet like She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Ironheart, Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, and more!

We’ll keep updating this with new information as it becomes available.

The post Upcoming Marvel Movie Releases: Complete MCU Phase 4 Schedule appeared first on Den of Geek.

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literaryeagle · 6 years ago

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For today's Venom book review, here is Japan's Venom movie program. Japanese movie theaters sometimes sell souvenir booklets that are not available in North America, so I'm super happy that I was able to acquire this for my collection! This publication contains pictures and information about the movie, including interviews and behind the scenes stuff. It's around the size of a magazine, but with a sturdier cover and pages made of high quality paper. Seriously, my scanner could not do justice to the front cover art (shown above). The cover actually has a metallic shine that looks gorgeous in person.

This booklet is not available in English or French (although there are a few little bits of English text here and there), but there are plenty of pics to enjoy. Some of them are in full color, and some of them are in black-and-white... well, perhaps black-and-pewter would be a more accurate description, because the program uses a silvery gray instead of white. It looks lovely, although some of the images are a bit darker than they would have been if regular black-and-white had been used.

Want an example of the contents? Check out this two-page spread from the center of the booklet, which shows the development of Eddie and the Venom symbiote’s relationship:

Sorry for the bad photo, but a two-page spread of that size is way too big for my scanner. Anyway, hopefully you can still see how that spread compares two images. One is a frightened Eddie having a face-to-face conversation with the Venom symbiote for the first time, and then the second pic is from near the end of the movie, with Eddie and the symbiote working together to stop Drake's rocket. Awww, they fell in love and saved the world!

Keep reading for the rest of the book review, plus a few more pictures!

The Introduction section of this booklet is illustrated with a stunning two-page spread that is half Venom, half Eddie. It's the same art that was used as the Blu-ray cover for the North American release of the movie, but in a huge size so the details can be seen more clearly. Wow! After that is a story synopsis and a few pages of screenshots from the movie. Here are two of those screenshots:

Next, there's an interview with Tom Hardy, and then a cool of drawing of Venom. So although most of the art in this book consists of screenshots from the movie (and a few behind the scenes pics), there are some additional images! Here is the drawing of Venom:

After that is the Making of Venom section, which is in black-and-pewter. I tried to scan one of the pictures from this part so you can get an idea of what I mean by "black-and-pewter", but once again my scanner couldn't really do it justice. Anyway, here it is:

It just looks black and gray in the scan, but if you see the booklet in person you'll notice that the gray has a slight metallic shine to it. Pretty! Anyway, for some reason the Making of Venom section stops after two pages so the booklet can cover a bunch of other stuff, and then resumes later. So the first part of this intermission is for short Cast Interviews with Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, and Jenny Slate. Then the booklet switches back to full color for a Cast Profiles page featuring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, and Reid Scott.

Next is an interview with the movie's director, Ruben Fleischer. This interview is illustrated with some screenshots from the movie that have been modified with different colors. So a picture of Eddie sprinting down a corridor has been altered to look yellow, and a shot of Riot attacking looks greenish, and so on. After that is the center of the booklet with the two page-spread that I showed earlier in this review, then a column called "Kowakute Tanoshii Entertainment Venom" ("Scary and Fun Entertainment Venom"), and a couple more pages of screenshots.

Then the booklet switches back to black-and-pewter for the rest of the Making of Venom section, and after that it switches back to full color for the remainder of the booklet, starting with another cool drawing of Venom. Next is a Filmmakers page that credits some of the other people who worked on the movie, then a page with two more screenshots. This is followed by a column called "Kyouakuna Shugosha Venom" (Um... something like "Brutal Guardian Venom"? I guess it's the Japanese equivalent of Lethal Protector Venom). And to illustrate Venom's role as a brutal guardian, after that column there is a two-page spread of Venom defending Mrs. Chen from the "protection money" guy.

After that is another credits page, and then a page with comments from three of the voice actors who worked on the Japanese dub of the movie. Here are the Japanese voice actors (from left to right) for Venom, Eddie, and Anne:

For those of you who don't recognize those names/faces, Shido Nakamura (Venom) is the voice of Ryuk in Death Note, Junichi Suwabe (Eddie) is the voice of Victor Nikiforov in Yuri!!! on Ice, and Shoko Nakagawa AKA "Shokotan" (Anne) is a singer and also a presenter on Pokemon Sunday.

The booklet comes to an end with full color versions of the Eddie and Venom portraits from the Making of Venom section, and a couple of advertisements for Venom stuff. Check out this ad for a Venom figurine:

Overall, the Venom movie program is beautiful! It's so cool that Japanese theaters sell stuff like this! By the way, in Japan there are also little mini-posters called "chirashi" that are used to promote movies. I was able obtain a couple of those for Venom as well. Yay! So I'll take this opportunity to show those to you now. The first one has a very simple design, showing Venom's eyes:

In the above poster, the small line of Japanese text says "Tom Hardy", and as I'm sure you can probably guess, the larger line of text says "Venom".

The other mini-poster I have is the same art as the front cover of the movie program, although it doesn't have the metallic shine:

Cool, huh? Was the Venom movie promoted in unique ways in your area? If so, I would love to hear about it!

Well, I guess that’s it for today. Gosh, this was a long post, heh. I hope you enjoyed it! Keep my checking my blog for more Venom content! :)

#Venom #Symbrock #Veddie #Eddie Brock #Venom symbiote #Anne Weying #Carlton Drake #Shido Nakamura #Junichi Suwabe #Shoko Nakagawa #book review

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lettersofwrittencollective · 6 years ago

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She’s Back in Town

A/N: So very, very many congratulations to @justauthoring for making it to 14K! If you don’t know who she is, you should go check them out. Click the name, i promise it is sooo worth it!!

Prompt: “If I ever see you anywhere near her/him, you’ll have to deal with me.”

Pairing: Stiles x Reader

Word Count: 1903

Warnings: None apply.. maybe some fluff? (on a side note does anyone wanna help me figure out this warnings thing?)

Masterlist || Teen Wolf Masterlist

You were used to moving around. Your dad had some government contract job that meant you had lived in 5 different countries and countless different cities. St. Petersburg to Cairo to Accra- large cities and new faces were nothing new. So, you were unsurprised when you were pulled out of classes your junior year and once again moved, but you never expected that you would be back in this particular small town.

As you pulled into the small parking lot you grabbed your book bag and made sure to lock the car behind you. You shouldn’t have been but you were nervous as you walked up to the once familiar building and the sign that proclaimed the building to be Beacon Hills High School.

After getting your schedule from the guidance office, you were walked to your first class. Of course they had made an announcement that you were new and to welcome you. That was one of the things that never changed, at any of the schools you had been to. As if it would somehow help the transition.

There was only been one available seat and you end up sitting next to a boy with brown hair that seems vaguely familiar though you don’t bother to dwell on it. When class was over you quickly gather your belongings and make your way to your locker.

“Y/N?” a voice called and you turn to see the same boy from the classroom. “Y/N Y/L/N?” he asked and you’re trying to figure out if you actually know this guy when it suddenly clicks.

“Stiles… Stiles Stilinski!?” you ask, surprised that you actually recognize him and before you realize it you’re launching yourself at him and throwing your arms around his neck a laugh escaping your lips.

Stiles just knew it had to be Y/N. It had been years since he’d last seen her, sure but her features were still the same. So, he had followed her to her locker and was now trying not to fall as she was suddenly clinging to him. It took him a moment to make sure he didn’t fall, dragging her with him but as soon as he was sure of that, he wrapped his arms around her, tightly.

She pulled back from him though they did not break physical contact and he found her smile to be just as infectious as it had been when they were kids. “What are you doing here?”

“My dad got transferred back out here.”

The bell rang signaling the end of the short break between periods so you asked Stiles to save you a seat at lunch and made it to your next class.

When lunch came around, you met up with Stiles and Scott and get caught up with old friends. When Stiles asked you to head over to his house after school you immediately agreed.

Getting to the Stilinski household, you wondered if the spare key was still in the fake sprinkler. You went to check but the fake sprinkler was no longer there.

“Too many people knew about it, so we changed it.” Stiles voice floats to you and you nodded your head. The thought making perfect sense to you.

“Well, some things are bound to change after almost 10 years.” you had chuckled before you turned to him with a somewhat serious expression “But- if you tell me that you don’t want to watch Star Wars I am going to disown you, completely… I mean we’re getting divorced and the whole nine yards.”

Stiles looked confused, as if he wasn’t sure what you were talking about for a moment before understanding flooded his face and he was laughing, “Y/N, I’m pretty sure they don’t recognize marriages that happened in second grade.”

“Wait- so are you saying there’s no Star Wars?”

“What- no- no! Of course there’s Star Wars!”

“Awesome, then, let’s begin the marathon,” you say and Stiles motions for you to enter the house. Inside, it’s just as you remember it from all those years ago.

The next few weeks went this way, you finished out junior year, you and Stiles spent most afternoons together and usually Scott or Lydia would join you. You met Malia, who Stiles seemed to have a soft spot for, and Kira who was dating Scott.

Stiles told you about the supernatural world and at first, you didn’t actually believe him, thinking that it was some prank they had decided to pull on you. But after a couple days, you realized that you had always trusted Stiles and you still did so you decided to accept his words. You were shocked at the amount of things that your childhood friends had been through.

Summer before senior year, you spent even more time with the group of supernatural beings. One day, though, it was just you and Stiles and you convinced him that it would be a good idea to go swimming in the river in the preserve.

Stiles helped Y/N get off Roscoe and watched as she tried to find a place to set all their stuff at while he began to gather the cooler and the chairs. She wasn’t all that different from what he remembered of her. Sure she had grown and matured since the second grade but she still had a passion for the world around her. She was still curious about everything she learned. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth whenever they would hang out.

When they got settled in, finding a small patch of grass where they could leave their stuff, he made his way to the water. Diving in, he came back up and turned to Y/N to make sure she was still coming in. What he saw, made his mouth drop open. He had known that Y/N was a gorgeous girl but the way that the light hit her in that moment made her look, ethereally beautiful. When she took off the white dress he found her even more beautiful.The confidence she had pouring off her making him grin from ear to ear.

Unfortunately, it would seem that you two were not the only ones that had had the idea to cool off in the river. It seemed that some of the other lacrosse players had also decided to go swimming on the same area. The group of them began to cat call Y/N..

He saw as you looked around before finding three boys not too far away. It took a moment as he watched you try to place them but he watched as you shook your head and straighten your spine before you were making your way into the water. The boys tried to grab your attention but Stiles watched as you just ignored them. Eventually, the group of boys, seeing that neither he nor Y/N were going to pay them any attention, moved on.

The rest of the afternoon passed, just the two of you and Stiles was happy for it. With everything the supernatural community liked to throw at them, he wa sure that this wasn’t going to be something that would last long. Before he knew it though, the afternoon had come to an end as the weather cooled and the sun sank. He took Y/N back to her house and she informed him that Lydia was apparently going to be taking her for some last minute school supplies while the boys had lacrosse practice.

The next day, after practice, Stiles was leaving the showers when he overheard some of his teammate talking.

“You should have seen her dude. Definitely a view I wouldn’t mind having more often.”

“Those legs though- they go on for days.”

The group continued to talk and Stiles merely rolled his eyes and ignored them, not really caring for the conversation. He changed pretty quickly and was drying off his hair when he heard his name being called. Turning, around, it was one of the boys from earlier who had called his name- Ruben.

“So what’s it feel like?”

Stiles, who had not been paying attention, was confused and his must have shown his confusion because a moment later Ruben clarifies

“Having her legs wrapped around you while you ram into her.”

“What?..” he begins, his brain trying to piece together what conversation he had just found himself in. It takes him a moment to figure out what they’re saying but why they would be asking him escapes him and the who.

“I bet she’s a screamer, isn’t she?” one of the other boys, Mark, smirks.

“Who are you talking about?”

Mark bursts out laughing at that, his guffawing loud and obnoxious. “The girl you were at the river with… what’s her name again?”

Shaking his head, Stiles decided to take a page out of Y/Ns book and turns back to the boys. As he’s grabbing his things from his locker, he hears,

“Stiles hasn’t had her. He’s not man enough for it.” Ruben mocks. A moment later, Stiles feels the boys hands come down on his shoulders and he shrugs them off.

Just as Stiles is walking away, Ruben speaks again, “Don’t worry Stiles, I’ll make sure WE take good care of her.”

In that moment, Stiles sees red. Turning around, he grabs Ruben by the throat and lifts him him against the lockers. HIs voice is deadly when he says, “If I ever see you anywhere near her, you’ll have to deal with me.”

Rubens about to say something, but Stiles pulls him forward an inch before forcefully shoving him back into the locker. “Don’t test me.”

Ruben is beginning to choke and Stiles squeezes the boys throat a little harder, as he sees that the boys about to pass out, he lets him go.

Ruben sinks to the floor, holding his throat as he looks at Stiles. “You’re fucking crazy man!” he tries to exclaim but his voice is weak.

Stiles kneels down in front of the lacrosse player, his fingers lacing together, “I mean it. If you go near her, I will destroy you in every way imaginable. You get it?”

There must have been something in his eyes or his voice, Stiles knows the team doesn’t see him as particularly scary, that makes Ruben nod. Looking over at Mark, he catches the boys eyes and sees him pale. A moment later, he’s nodding his head along too.

Stiles smiles at the idiot on the floor before calmly standing and leaving the locker room. Scott and Liam were both waiting by the jeep and could tell that Stiles was mad. His leg was bouncing and his fists clenching tightly.

“Dude- what’s going on?”

Shaking his head Stiles takes out his phone and dials. Putting the phone to his hear, he keeps muttering “Come one...Come one... pick up..”

Just when he thinks the phone is going to go to voicemail, he hears her voice.

“Hey Stiles!”

“Y/N... oh thank God!”

He can practically feel the confusion radiating off of her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason.. I just-- I needed to hear your voice is all.”

“Alright then... well Lydia and I are finishing up at the store. Did you wanna meet up for a Marvel movie night??

“Yea! That actually sounds pretty great!”

“Awesome! I’ll see you tonight then!”

Masterlist || Teen Wolf Masterlist

Tag list: @stiles-o-dylan24

#justauthorings14kspecial #stiles stilinski #Stiles #stiles x reader #stiles stilinksi x reader #stiles imagine #stiles stilinski imagines #reader insert

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stainedglassgardens · 5 years ago

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Watched in April

Queen of Earth Black Christmas Dogs of Chernobyl Firecrackers Les Misérables The Evil Dead The Daughters of Fire (Las hijas del fuego) The Fallen Idol The Wailing (곡성, Gokseong) Inherent Vice Sorrowful Shadow Mistery Lonely The Grand Bizarre Zombieland: Double Tap Waves '98 Uncut Gems The Last Séance Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven) Room Queen & Slim The Holy Mountain (La montaña sagrada) The Chaser ( 추격자, Chugyeokja) Made in Dagenham The Color of Pomegranates (Նռան գույնը, Nřan guynə) Lost Girls Ghost Town Anthology (Répertoire des villes disparues) And Then There Were None Doctor Sleep Meshes of the Afternoon Circus of Books Catfish Wildling Delphine The Strange Love of Martha Ivers The Red Balloon (Le Ballon rouge) Nona. If They Soak Me, I’ll Burn Them (Nona. Si me mojan, yo los quemo) The Lodge Invisible Man Sans Soleil

Did not finish

Horsehead (Romain Basset, 2014) Sinister (Scott Derrickson, 2012)

Did not like

Sorrowful Shadow (Guy Maddin, 2004) Mistery Lonely (Harmony Korine, 2007) Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019) The Last Séance (Laura Kulik, 2018) The Holy Mountain (La montaña sagrada, Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973) Doctor Sleep (Mike Flanagan, 2019)

Okay

Queen of Earth (Alex Ross Perry, 2015): The way it was filmed reminded me of The Midnight Swim and Always Shine. I watched it because Elisabeth Moss is in it but was rather disappointed in the end -- it was beautifully shot but went nowhere

Black Christmas (Sophia Takal, 2019): Like Assassination Nation, this is a film I'm glad young people today have -- and it was fine, and if there’s anything I’ve got to say about so-called raging feminists it’s that we need more of them, but yeah the ending was disappointing and I felt that I had aged out of the target audience a good number of years ago

The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981): Finally saw this! Love me a a good campy horror story once in a while

The Wailing (곡성, Gokseong) and The Chaser ( 추격자, Chugyeokja) (Na Hong-jin, 2016 and 2008): A healthy dose of wtf in both of those, I’m still not sure I “correctly” grasped the intended tone. I also just lost all interest in The Chaser when (spoiler) the girl died. What’s the point of that? Are we in Game of Thrones now? I may still be angry about that, actually

Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014): I know it’s a good film but it bored me to death. I don’t like stories about men or drugs

Zombieland: Double Tap (Ruben Fleischer, 2019): A sympathetic, slightly disappointing sequel

Waves '98 (Ely Dagher, 2015): I don’t remember much about this short but I did think it was good

Room (Lenny Abrahamson, 2015): I couldn’t watch this as separate from the book, it felt more like a companion film to me than anything else. It was good I think, but I’m definitely not the best judge on this one, because the book was so amazing and I’m still not over it, apparently

And Then There Were None (René Clair, 1945): Was it good? Who knows. They changed the ending and added in a crap love story, so who cares, really

Wildling (Fritz Böhm, 2018): I liked it? I didn’t really see the “feminist themes” in this but it was good

Delphine (Chloé Robichaud, 2019): This is one of those short films that are a little too “slice of life” for me to really enjoy. I can tell it’s good, tho

The Red Balloon (Le Ballon rouge, Albert Lamorisse, 1956): This is apparently a classic short film, and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot had I seen it in 1956. Seeing it today, when everything in it has been used in a hundred thousand other films, made it fall flat a little

Nona. If They Soak Me, I’ll Burn Them (Nona. Si me mojan, yo los quemo, Camila José Donoso, 2019): Watched this because it was directed by a woman! Did not know what to expect at all. The non-linear narration kept me trying to remember if there was something I could possibly have skipped that would have made more sense of it. I think the premise (old woman throws Molotov cocktail at former lover’s car) is better than the finished product, although it is very well-shot and the acting is amazing

Good

Dogs of Chernobyl (Léa Camilleri & Hugo Chesnel, 2020): Short documentary that had me on the verge of tears several times (you can watch it for free on YouTube!)

Les Misérables (Ladj Ly, 2019): It’s hard to talk about films like these. It is very good, very important, I think everyone should watch it. Think a new La Haine

The Daughters of Fire (Las hijas del fuego, Albertina Carri, 2018): Loved the reflection on pornography. The pornography itself was a little more... boring... but I appreciate the intention, and the guts it took to shoot something like this

The Fallen Idol (Carol Reed, 1948): An amazing British classic (adapted from Graham Greene!) that I had somehow never heard of. Great acting, especially considering the main character is a small child

Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven, Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, 2018): There will be people in this world to say that "uhh nothing happens in this film", a statement to which my reply will be twofold: first, it's beautiful so who cares, and second, how many other films have you seen that take place in a commune in the 1990s in Chile? That's what I thought. Shut up

Made in Dagenham (Nigel Cole, 2010): Films like this and Suffragette, that is, mainstream films about the working classes and political activism, are almost bound to be flawed, but I'm grateful they exist all the same. And how many of those have we seen that are about workers’ unions, with an all-female main cast, and nuanced dialogue about communism and the place of women in the home and of men in feminism? I’m glad that male directors have finally figured out that one of the best ways to avoid showing a one-dimensional idea of women is to have lots of them in one film. And Sally Hawkins! I love her

The Color of Pomegranates (Նռան գույնը, Nřan guynə, Sergei Parajanov, 1969): Another one of those classics I had never heard of (until I got Mubi!). Indescribable, beautiful

Lost Girls (Liz Garbus, 2020): Really liked the speech at the end about the police failing the victims and their families, really liked that the old inspector guy wasn't made to be someone who was on the side of the victims instead of on his own side. Bleak, sobering. When I watched this I didn't know Garbus was the person who directed that Nina Simone documentary, which I also love.Will definitely seek out more Liz Garbus in future

Ghost Town Anthology (Répertoire des villes disparues, Denis Côté, 2019): I watched this not knowing anything about Denis Côté or the film, and I loved the atmosphere even before the supernatural element really kicked in. Films like this and The One I Love or Everything Beautiful is Far Away are my kind of low-key science fiction

Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943): Aaaand another classic I finally saw! It just warms my heart to see that stuff like this was being made (by a woman!!) in the 1940s

Circus of Books (Rachel Mason, 2019): I saw a headline calling this “the queer Stories We Tell” and I loved Sarah Polley’s documentary and wouldn’t go quite that far but I can see where it’s coming from. A good autobiographical documentary about the complexity of families

Catfish (Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, 2010): I think everyone going into this today knows what this is going to be about, but let me tell you, it does not reduce the impact

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Lewis Milestone, 1946): Barbara Stanwyck and Lizabeth Scott! Murder! Intrigue! Love and sleaze!

The Lodge (Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala, 2019): This was so efficient. It is so well-done, and Riley Keough is amazing as usual. More subtle than Franz and Fiala’s last effort, Goodnight Mommy, and at least as good

Sans Soleil (Chris Marker, 1983): It’s hard not to be disappointed by this after hearing every film bro I’ve ever met describe this as his fave ever. It is... pretty racist and sexist... but yes, very pretty, very nice if you can get past that

Faves

Firecrackers (Jasmin Mozaffari, 2018): Is this a coming-of-age story? Anyway it’s about two working-class teenage girls in small town Canada who are this close to making their dream of leaving for New York, and one of them is fuuuuucked up...

The Grand Bizarre (Jodie Mack, 2018): I think this is what I want from a non-narrative documentary. I’m tired of seeing pretentious Godfrey Reggio knockoffs. This quite simply blew my mind and is one of those very rare films I can see myself rewatching ten times

Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas, 2019): I can’t not compare this to Natural Born Killers and Thelma and Louise, both of which I used to love and haven’t seen in a number of years -- but Queen & Slim is quite possibly better than both of those. The tone, the breadth, the acting -- even the soundtrack. It’s a masterpiece

Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell, 2020): This is about a man who creates an invisibility suit. This is also about a woman who is being stalked and abused by a controlling man who just won’t rest until he has completely destroyed her -- but of course, since this is cinema and the woman in question is Elisabeth Moss, she ultimately beats the shit out of him. This was very difficult to watch for me but I’m glad I stuck through

I got Mubi this month! So glad I did. It’s so much better than both Filmstruck (RIP) and Amazon Prime. I like that choices are made for me up to a certain extent -- and those choices often turn out very good, and always interesting. And yes, we’re still in lockdown, I’m still unemployed, hence the number of films watched this month. Hopefully we can get out in May and I’ll end up watching less!

#watched in 2020 #films

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