#speaking of Rock Hudson

[wilde-shit-posting]

I'm trying to sir up some shit posting energy but I'm looking at clone high Oscar Wilde on Google

Whyyyy is he Rock Hudson's prom date?

[of-fear-and-love]

Syroco plastic wall clock, as seen in the background of A Gathering of Eagles (1963) (source: ebay)

[terrence-silver]

Hi there. I came across your blog some time ago. You have some wonderful Terry goodies! Absolutely love these even if Cobra Kai never dug this deep with this character. I just wanted to know if you could help in finding other tig movies. I've been looking for a good copy of 'Rock Hudson: A life shrouded in mystery' lately. I would really appreciate it if you could assist me in finding it. It's totally fine if you don't either. Feel free to ignore this request if it's too much. Much love💜

I found it is a pretty notoriously difficult movie to casually dig up, but maybe someone else can help and guide you in the right direction on that one; I unfortunately cannot. So sorry. Meanwhile, what I can do is thankful for your beautiful words. You are too kind. I am humbled.

[gilverrwrites]

Hellooo! I was reading a fic and this idea was integrated in my mind because of that.

Dick with someone who never touched herself and slowly guiding/talking to her through it

Sex on the phone; beats orgasming alone

Dick Grayson/Reader, 2K AN: I may have taken some liberties here, but I thought this was such a cute idea! Tbh 90% of my Dick requests are for him to be a gentle guiding hand, and I wanna write them all so bad. Dick would be such a good first-anything. CWs: Teasing, swearing, pet-names/very mild name-calling

“Will you let me do this for you?” His voice is like honey, soft and sweet, trickling through the phone and making you feel all warm and fuzzy. This hadn’t been his intention upon calling you, heck, he almost felt bad waking you from your slumber, but he missed you. It had been a rough day, and he needed to hear your voice. The sound of your sleepy drawl had quickly eased his nerves, but the more his body relaxed, the more he found himself craving something else from you. That’s how he’s descended to laying it on thick, itching for your permission to guide you through your first (partly) self-attained orgasm. “Please? You know I only want to make you feel good.”

By the time your quiet “Okay, Dick. Let’s do it.” comes he’s already lazily fisting his cock, having not even bothered to take off his boxers. He’s already rock hard, heart racing at the idea, but he wants to savour this, make sure you enjoy it, so he deliberately keeps his rhythm slow, stopping to massage his thumb against his head whenever you speak. “How do we start?”

“Slow down, princess. What are you wearing?”

“Dick!” You groan, tone laced with a giggle. His first goal is to get you completely relaxed, and he knows laughter is the best way to do it. Plus, your goofy chuckles are like music to his ears. “I’m wearing your Hudson U shirt and the blue panties.”

“The Milan ones?” Fuck. That image would be ingrained in his head until he saw you again. Probably until he died. “Oh baby, that’s hot but they’ve gotta go.”

You laugh again, the sound of it combined with the rustle of your clothes being tossed away is enough to have him squirming, heady as he imagines you stripping off for him, laying back against your pillows and giving him those come-hither eyes. A drop of precum seeps from his tip and he hums down the phone as he spreads it down his length.

“Dick, are you already touching yourself?” You accuse with no real malice. He loves it when you play angry, you’re like a kitten without any claws.

“Can’t help it, you get me so worked up.” He answers shamelessly, pressing the cell between his ear and shoulder as he finally shifts out of his own underwear, putting you on a level playing field. “Catch up. Start right at the top, run your finger through your lips.”

Your already heavy breaths grow deeper, but otherwise, you give no indication that you’re following his instructions beyond his blind faith in you.

“Did you do it?” He prompts, chest trembling when you answer him with a strained and racy; “Yeah.”

He always forgets just how pornographic your normally innocuous voice gets when you’re being his dirty girl.

“Are you all wet down there?” He bites his lip, eagerly anticipating your response; an equally raunchy “Yes, Dick!”

“Good, good. Put another finger in there and get them all slick for me, yeah?”

“Then what?” If he could have his way completely, he’d tell you to stick the phone down there too so he could hear the soaked, sticky sound of your fingers swirling around in all your wetness. All the wetness he’d caused. But that might be a tad too vulgar for your first time.

“Then rub your fingers back up.” He internally counts to five. “Then back down, over and over. Push down harder when you touch your clit. Are you doing that?”

A quiet moan rings in his ears, which he assumes means ‘yes’. Your soft whimpering catches at the sound of him spitting. He moistens the palm of his hand before stroking it against the head of his cock in sweeping motions, closing his eyes and pretending he’s rubbing himself between your hot folds, basking in the lewd fantasy, wishing he could slide into your tight pussy and fuck some real noise out of you. Wishing he could feel your sweat-slick skin on his as he kisses you something desperate and fucks you dumb.

“Now speed up, rub fast little circles on your clit, okay?”

“Okay~” Your pretty voice goes up an octave with every new instruction, a sign that you’re touching yourself just right.

“You’re a natural baby, you won’t need me soon.”

“No! I need you!” Your whine of retaliation might just be the cutest thing he’s ever heard. He never considered himself a cruel man until he was faced with many opportunities to tease you and mercilessly pounced on every single one.

“Need me? Need me to what?”

“Need you to make me feel good.” When he gets home, he’s gonna make you feel more than good, he thinks. He’s gonna fuck you so long and hard you won’t be able to sit for a month. He’s gonna fuck you so hard you forget your own name, so fast and deep all you’ll be able to say is ‘Dick, Dick, Dick!’

“Don’t you feel good already?”

“I do, I do. Because of you, nobody makes me feel the way you do.” Logically, he knows this, but that doesn’t stop your statement from making his already heated body feel flush with pride. He rewards himself by jerking his cock faster, harder. Just until his balls start to feel tight.  

“Because of me.” He parrots back, not to mock or play but to stroke his own ego and give his nonplussed brain a second to think. “Gonna make you feel a thousand times better when I get back to you baby, but now I need you to do something else.”

“Anything!” You don’t hesitate, he wonders what else he could get your needy self to promise to right now if he wanted.

“Put me on loudspeaker, you’re gonna need both hands.”

It takes a second, he can hear you pawing at the screen, clearly not in full control of your muscles right now, until you both hear the beep of the right button being pressed. There's more muffled movements, as you find a place to put the phone down before you bring him up to speed. “I’m ready, Dick. Tell me what to do.”

“Put a finger in that pretty cunt for me, fuck yourself, but don’t stop rubbing your clit either.” The little cry of frustration you release sends a shock down his shaft which he chases with his fingers straight to the base. Setting him off pumping at a rapid pace, he knows he won’t be able to hold off much longer, but he’s determined not to cum until you’re right there with him. “How you are doing, angel?”

“Feels better when you do it.” You answer, factual but weak. He knows you’re not complaining, just missing his body as much as he misses yours.

“I know, you want my long fingers inside you, don’t you? Or my cock? Spreading your juicy little pussy, filling you in all the right places.” You reply with a chant of yes yes yeses, and it has him rolling his head back, jutting his hips, reflexively fucking into his hand and babbling down the phone to try to bite back his climax. “Use another finger, two more, fuck, whatever you can take, do it.”

The line goes quiet save the soft sound of you shuffling around on the bed, the feint sound of your hands slapping against your core, and the heavenly sound of your cooing and moaning through the phone speaker for him. Your lusty voice fuels the clumsy, desperate jerking of his cock. He closes his eyes, imagining the slick pump of his hand is your body around him, riding him through his pleasure. He remembers how you look above him, bouncing and panting, pleading with him to fuck you raw. There was once a time when you’d been too shy to utter a word during sex, but he’d put in the work, learned how to make you yap for him like a noisy bitch in heat.  

“Dick, I think I’m gonna cum.” At once his cock twitches, begging for release and he sucks in a breath that catches in his throat causing him to cough out a pathetic strangled noise that he hopes sounds like a laugh to you. “Fuck, please, Dick I’m gonna cum.”

“Do it, be a good girl and cum for me. Don’t hold back, I wanna hear you.” He means all of it, unable to hold his tongue, endlessly spouting whatever filth his heart desires. It’s all he can do to hold on for an extra few seconds. “Come on baby, you can do it.”

You howl out a mouthwatering lament, calling his name like a prayer and he hopes with every shaking bone in his body that you’re seeing stars right now because there isn’t a force on earth that can keep him from spilling his cum all over the hotel bed. If he’d had the forethought, he would have mustered up something to say, walked you through it, but instead, he’s grunting and swearing down the phone like a damn animal, even a thousand miles apart you bring something feral out of him.

When he finally comes back down to earth all he can say is; “Fuck, you drive me insane with how hot you are.”

“Me?” You answer with half-dramatized incredulously, your voice audibly drained by your orgasm. “That was all you.”

“That was mostly you, I just told you how to do it.” Perfectly in sync, he hears the creaking and shuffling of your mattress as he rolls over to find something to clean up with. It’s hard to enjoy the post-nut glow without you to distract him from the cum soaking into the sheets, you’re hopefully thinking the same. “So how was that, you know, for your first?”

“Amazing Dick, but I still prefer the real thing.” Your flattery has never failed to get you anywhere with him, and he feels his cheeks growing warm at your praise. One day he’ll put a ring on your finger, and he’ll probably still blush if you compliment his wedding suit.  

“That’s a relief, hope that means you’ll keep me around a bit longer.”

“You’re stuck with me.” Your scoff is interrupted by a loud yawn, which reminds him to check the time. He woke you in the middle of the night and had kept you up for over an hour. Really, he should feel guilty, but the selfish part of him regrets no part of this. He’d needed to hear you, and he’s glad he called, if only because it gave him the chance to experience another first with you. He’s delighted by your willingness to let him coach you through this, proud of himself for making it an enjoyable escapade, and hopeful for the opportunity to keep doing stuff like this with you. He wants to be your first, and your last.

“I should probably let you get back to sleep.” He muses, pleased by the sleepy sigh you give him in response.

“Will you stay on the phone till I drift off?” He couldn’t say no to you if he wanted.

“Is that even a question?” It's his turn to fake offence. “Have I ever left you high and dry like that?”

“Never.” That’s right. Sure, he’s had to skip out on an urgent mission a few times, but he’s never left you wanting more when he can help it. He only wishes now that he could be close to you. He wants to wrap you up in his arms and snuggle you into your sheets. Wants to put his head on your chest and listen to you breathing until you’re snoring down his ear. God, he even loves your snoring. Jason’s right, he is whipped.

“Want me to sing Golden Slumbers to you.”

“Never ever.” Rude, maybe he doesn’t love your snoring! Not after a comment like that.

“Too late; Once, there was a way…”

[shyshitter]

holy shit watching the pjo movie for shits and giggles and i forgot how TERRIBLE it is as an adaptation. it is. However. herculeanly CAMP. the joss wheden level shallow interpretation of Percy Jackson ever. i don’t have the brain power to explain so i will just dump. percy and grover are canonically in high school. percy lives with his mom. they BLACK SIDEKICKED GROVER. percy’s boy band emo fringe. WEARING HEADPHONES IN THE MUSEUM WHILE BRUNNER WAS TALKING. “leaving you was the hardest thing he ever did” speech. pierce brosnan is chiron. alexandra daddario. the high school lock eyes across the field “she’ll eat you alive” shot. leather harnesses instead of camp shirts. the hogwartsification of camp half blood. “my father is poseidon. yup, we’ve known all along. here’s a quest that i forbid you from going on.” no clarise. annabeth and percy fight at the end of capture the flag. luke’s private cabin with an entire video game system. “i broke into my dads house and stole these shoes and shield hope they help you on your quest to find fUCKING PEARLS i guess also here’s a glowing map that tells you exactly where to go.” the complete misinterpretation of the major plot points/locations/relationships/characters in general. annabeth is a 90s bridewife heroine who makes snarky does she like him does she hate him comments the entire time. percy is a 16 yo dweebjock who makes incel turned hero comments the entire time. grover is a polyamorous slut who makes black sidekick comments the entire time. percabeth’s h2o just add water pool scene. “our parents speak to us in our minds and give us advice” THEY DRIVE MOST OF THE TIME. percy uses the flying shoes multiple times. they get high in a las vegas casino. the entirety of the casino scene. GROVER TRIES TO PAY CHARON, GUARDIAN OF THE UNDERWORLD, WITH $170 AMERICAN DOLLARS CASH. rosario dawson persephone hits on grover IMMEDIATELY. gay roman soldier miniature as hades. the bolt was in the shield luke gave them. persephone’s kissem and stab ‘em move to take the bolt. “you can’t take your mom because you only have three pearls :(“ grover volunteers to stay and percy like doesn’t fight it at all and persephone immediately has offscreen sex with him. luke’s “im the lightning thief” speech. the sky battle with the flying shoes. “maybe they were wrong. maybe you’re not a son of poseidon.” *immediately drowns in electrically charged water* “idk. maybe i am i the son of poseidon.” *makes a water trident and throws it at luke, careening him across nyc into the hudson river* the way the movie takes away all agency or criticism from poseidon’s/the gods’ shitting parenting by inventing a law by zeus forbidding gods from making PHYSICAL contact with their children. grover getting horns and elevating him to “senior protector” bc i guess they had to rate his protection skills for some reason. percabeth’s almost kiss turned “never let your enemy distract you” ya novel vomit. PERCY PUTTING MEDUSAS UNCOVERED HEAD IN HIS KITCHEN FRIDGE WITH A “NEVER OPEN THE FRIDGE EVER LOVE PERCY” NOTE, PROMPTING A PETTY GABE TO OPEN IT AND GET ROCKED BY MEDUSA. truly the rick and morty parody of a 2010 YA fantasy novel turned franchise movie. it’s defining redeeming factor: annabeth is taller than percy.

[animefreak1145]

Lightning in a Bottle(Adler x Bell!Reader)(Oneshot)

Word Count: 2k Summary: A one in a million chance. Impossible.

But Bell always was a chance, weren't you? Just like Adler always was confident in his odds. Warnings: Mature Rating/Graphic Violence, Dark Themes, Torture, Brainwashing, Manipulation, Toxic Relationship, Trauma, Female!Reader Bell, Adler x Bell, Crack Treated Seriously, Solovetsky Ending. A/N: Don't treat this fic seriously. You might get dissapointed. This is literally crack at the start which turns serious. Me and @makeyourpeacenow were just fooling around and she inspired me to write this thing out as we chatted. Less tumblr meme format and RPG style and more actual story. She added a paragraph in here that I kept.

The afternoon sun did nothing for the chill that hung in the air, the crispness only adding into the classic Russian cold. The waves hitting against the cliff side in the distance where you’re sure they were doing the same on the cliff they were on, as the flowers and long grass moving with the cool breeze.

It was beautiful.

Beautifully tainted as your hand made quick work of releasing from your holster just as Adler did, both pulling the trigger and the sound of twin guns breaking the calm atmosphere. Broken just as Adler did to you, your heart torn and anger boarding in your veins still hot from the betrayal.

Clang!

The sound rung in your ears more than the bullet being released from the gun, a brief spark in the air. A violent flash that went in the next blink before a bullet ricocheted to the rock to your left while the other dug deep into the ground by the flowers that were just innocently moving along—petals torn from the speed of the bullet. 

Your eyes were wide, mouth parted as you stared at the area where the bullet hit the rock, your grip on your pistol a tad loose although still up and ready. Adler in your peripherals sharing his own silent disbelief at what just occurred, gun still raised as well but head facing towards the torn flowers.

The air of heavy silence broke when you finally blinked your shock away, jerking your head towards Adler who continued to stare down at the bullets with a pressed frown.

“You just tried to kill me!” You accuse, gun gesturing wildly at the bullets on the ground while also motioning towards him.

Adler finally lifted his eyes, throwing you a blank stare. “That makes two of us,” he said blandly. He gave you a gave you a once over before stupefyingly deciding you were no threat for he took a cigarette out of his tactical vest and lighting it while managing to keep a grip on his pistol. You could only stare in bafflement as he took a lazy drag,  giving a subtle nod of his head towards you. The one you always were desperate for before. “Say…you’ve been a good team mate, Bell. Take this as a sign. Second chance.”

“Are you…are you seriously not gonna talk about this?!” Your voice pitched higher at the end, completely bewildered.

Adler’s nonchalance was not something that bothered you before. You were actually thankfully for it and even a hint amused by it when he told Hudson he would be taking you and only you to Lubyanka. You remember his cool praise about you towards Hudson, how it created a warmth in your cheeks and feeling light momentarily before Hudson went off in a huff. Adler giving you directly words of comfort, speaking of Hudson not liking things in his control.

Adler was just mocking you. You were in the palm of his hand all along, accepting treats from said hand with casual pats to the head.

You feel like you might hurl. Or cry.

“Hm?” Adler took a hefty drag, his gaze not leaving your form. It made you shift your legs, swallowing dryly. "Something on your mind, soldier?"

His words dripped with smoke, going purposely in your direction and hurrying it along by blowing the rest.

Your jaw tightened, glaring. You waved the smoke away before moving forward, Adler tensing but not making any move as you just snatched his cigarette from his silver tongued mouth and throwing it over the cliff. Adler turning his head with only a quick press of the lips to show his displeasure at your waste. As if he didn’t prompt you to feel your wrath in the first place. It only made your blood boil further.

“You just tried to kill me and now you’re what? ‘Giving me a second chance?’ You can’t be this crazy! Cause you have to know, this—“ You wave your pistoled arm around the area with the bullets back and forth from your chest to his, even poking him with the barrel of your gun. “—is crazy!”

You knew he had some issues. Your “shared” past and all, you saw things from his past maybe you shouldn’t have. He cut off a piece of his mind, forcing the piece to fit into yours with brute force—all blood and brain matter and pokes of needles. Your fault for thinking you were special knowing him so well and intimately, knowing his way of thinking and plans before he even finished the sentence. Your mind clicking away at the possible scenarios he would suggest before zooming into one and stating it out loud. He always paused when you did that, assessing you before there it was—the reward, the ghost of a smirk before nodding at you with the words “Exactly my line of thinking.” or “A bit of a mind reader, are we, Bell?” or “And that’s why you’re my protege. Good job, Bell.”

It’s not fair, you want to cry out, clenching your grip around the pistol still to his chest yet your fingers off the trigger. Your throat feeling tight as you gazed up at the man who only rose a brow at you. It’s not fair! 

“So you want me to kill you?” Adler moved your pistol hand away, you letting him as you looked down with a defeated scowl. Your hold on your pistol obsolete. Your eyes tightened at that fact. You notice Adler kept his own pistol loose by his side. All it would take is one quick movement and you’ll be dead. Truly this time. Luck can’t save you like this. You’re closer to the cliff’s edge, maybe your body will fall into the waters below. Forever separate from him. Your stomach coiled back at the image. “What is it, Bell? What do you actually want?”

You can’t say. It gets stuck in your throat. 

You can’t say and you hate you still have it. This wretched feelings. Even after a deadly shot towards your chest. Even after his gall and apathetic nature to what just occurred(despite him still calling you soldier. “You’re still one of us.” Even now when you tried to kill him yourself, ignoring your own hypocrisy.) Your chest still bleeds only for one. You think only ever one.

It’ll only be the one because you’ve been ruined. Forever. Your trust dismantled for another yet still hopelessly, despairingly wishing to actually think you might have a chance. Even after this.

With him. You’ve been ruined for others. And the worst thing is, you’re actually fine if he is the one that’ll keep ruining you. This vicious cycle. You shot at him yes. But he had the gall to save you in Trabzon and make you think you’re close and something more. Not quite lovers. Not quite friends. Something in between.

He had the gall to make you feel this, your loyalties switched at the flip of a coin—you’re the tails he’s the head.

A coin. He had the gall to make you his other half. The tails. And he tried to kill you. And now he’s saving you. Because of…chance?

Take it, begrudgingly. Argue the matter, even if it's a nonsensical position. Argue because you want to argue—because you need to yell. Even if your feelings on it are oxymoronic. How can you hate him so much, yet refuse to part from him. Your stomach churned at the mere thought of your dead corpse even being away from his live one.

Fate? Bullets together? Is that what this is? Is he saving you to stick by him or to throw away and be by yourself? You don’t think you could be without him. Too tied together. You know his deepest secrets from Vietnam and he knows your mind. You’ve played in each other’s mind palaces, hands digging and blood spilling and bones crunching, napalm strikes on bodies—you’re tied.

You stay silent too long, biting at the inside of your lips before forcing yourself to look up at him meaningfully—eyes meeting for you can see them behind his shades at this distance, the sun helping you. Adler tilting his head and something passes over his gaze but you lower your head again and scoff, putting your pistol back in its holster begrudgingly.

“You’re stuck with me, then. Hope this is worth it.”

You notice the exhaustion set in his soul, the weight he bears. He carries it, alone, and you have no pity to offer.

You feel his weighted gaze just like you sense his exhaustion, putting his own pistol carefully away. Cautious if you will change your mind and decide to tear out his neck like he tore at your heart. You don’t.

Tied, your mind repeats. For better or for worse.

Like a twisted marriage.

You don’t look until your eyes widen when you feel the familiar touch of a hand on your head.

“Come on, kid. You know we’re stuck with each other. You’ve always been a slippery little thing,” his hand shifts and it’s on your cheek, feeling the leather as your eyes take in the quirk of his scarred mouth. What you always hunger for—the uptick to suggest a smile  “But not with me. I have you, Bell. I have you.”

You’re so easy.

You fall so prettily for him. 

You hate it. You love him.

You hate that too.

So it’s no surprise you let out a breathy sigh when he thumbs your lips and say an “Okay.”

He’s like a snake wrangler, you've got venom; you bare your teeth but you'll never bite—never him.

Always for others. He just has to point. He can be America’s Monster. 

But you? You can be Adler’s Dog.

You can accept that. You can accept the little touches and mindful quips of philosophy and books—even if you burn more at his touch then the danger close you experienced a mere half an hour ago—you can live with it. You can.

That’s your mantra in your head. Even as you stare up at him longingly, adoringly—a little lost yet accepting of whatever he says and does as he seems to look into you—that’s what you keep thinking.

You’re fine with this.

Be the tool. You can be that again for him. Willingly this time. He doesn’t have to love you like you do him. He doesn’t.

Even if you know him as equal or better than Sims. Even if you know the man behind the Vietnam soldier—behind the brave face. Behind the mask he’s made(the mask wasn’t supposed to be for you). Even with knowing where his mind goes and tracks, you’re satisfied with this.

You have to be. After all, nothing was personal. Those conversations outside the safehouse, the roof, the elevator of Lubyanka( “I need Bell”), defense against Hudson, the camera—

You don’t expect—

A tilt of the chin with firm fingers and a touch to the lips. You can feel his face on yours.

Your pupils are blown and your hands are still just as your mind has stopped. He didn’t seem to mind, a tease of your mouth and that’s all it takes for you open for him. Ready. Just a touch. A hint.

That’s all you need. Adler always gets what he wants. You’ll give it to him. 

You grab at him, the back of his neck and feel that hair underneath his beanie. Uncaring if it falls to the floor. You’re embarrassed at the pitiful sound you made when he pulled away. Only to silence when he taps his forehead to yours, hands on your waist with a comforting squeeze.

You can see his eyes. That electric blue.

“I have you, Bell,” he repeats, his breath tickling your face with that light smirk that unmakes you.

You blink. You assess, even with cheeks hot. 

You hold back the cheek splitting smile for a more mild hopeful one.

“Okay,” you breathe.

▞

▚ 

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A/N: Adler knows how to manipulate Bell perfectly well. Poor Bell. She knows how easy she is too. They're both satisfied where they're at. Sucks.

Tag List: @tr1ppylady @parkeepingparker @weirdoartist21 @gojocat247 @mayaibnlaahad @dallmaistir @salvija @kylezkie4adler @asaltryefl @stupid-stinky @aurora-windu @zachfoxx121 @pyxis-stellae @makeyourpeacenow @obsessedgremlin

You have to tell me if you want me to tag you for each update or else I won't know. Or if you wish to be removed.

[georgiapeach30513]

Just because it's Friday and I think it may help with a few reminders in case your inbox starts to get flooded with the same old bs since a movie is releasing today:

R1 was filmed two years ago. It was supposed to be released at the end of last year but got delayed. The movie is now releasing this weekend so of course there will be tons of promotion because I'm sure the Rock and his crew spent a hefty amount on marketing and PR for this film. Chris is second billing so he's going to help with promoting the film and if that includes some other fluff pieces, then so be it. And People magazine loves to write fluff posts.

The movie was filmed TWO years ago. Chris has long moved on from this film, despite whatever reception it may get, and people may want to remember that. He is apparently already back to work on his most recent project, and he's already filmed two other projects this year. Nobody knows when these films plan to release or how they will release, but I expect it'll happen in the next few months or year.

Chris has had some recent misfires and from what I can see, it feels like some decisions were rushed due to the pandemic and also perhaps some business decisions made on the backend (get some bigger paychecks, then cushion your way to doing some smaller indie films). The way his last three projects appear to be much smaller in budget and scale, I think this is a safe bet that's what happened.

If your intention is to go looking for confirmation bias, that's what you're going to get. Searching for bad reviews and justifying it as a reason to be mad or upset, of course you're going to revel in misery loves company.

It looks like Chris did a great job in this otherwise lackluster movie and he has a lot of charm and charisma, but him carrying the film on his back isn't much if he's the only one doing the lifting. JK Simmons actually did lift heavy weights but he got wasted in this film because of his role being the "kidnapped Santa." So I wouldn't harp too much on that.

General audiences and critics are disappointed Chris's post MCU career hasn't been super exciting, but most agree they think he deserves better and wants better for him. Perhaps it's a testament the legacy he left in his most famous role, that has people just rooting for him regardless. Let's see what he does next. I think he's slowly carving a new path as we speak.

Lastly: Remember that in the world of public relations, marketing, and entertainment, agenda is always underlying. That being said, sometimes less famous and less influential people latch onto the more influential and famous in order to get a leg up. This usually happens when someone either doesn't have the ability themselves, or there's a bigger and more strategic story behind everything or there's transactional mutual benefits. Why do actresses like Sydney Sweeney and Florence Pugh seem to be able to go so far on their own, while others like Jordan Hudson (aka Bill Belichick's new gf) or every one of Leo D's gfs of the last decade seem to pop up on scene leveraging their relationships to get attention? Well...think about it. For example, Jordan is a former collegiate cheerleader that is now dating a famous ex head NFL coach. She's getting a lot of press right now due to this relationship and she was papped showing up to cheerleading practice recently in a Porsche. I'll just leave you with that. (And no, I don't think it's just because Bill is suddenly going through his mid-life crisis when he's 70 years old.)

You know what, anon? I’m not going to add anymore to this post. You’ve said it all.

I will say, I’m going in a few hours to watch the movie. Got a snack box made for us, and I’ll see what it has to offer. People who think that a Christmas movie with Dwayne is going to anything more than fun, high octane, and goofy are fooling themselves.

And let’s be honest, most people haven’t checked out a ton of Chris’ movies outside of Knives Out and Marvel anyways. They want him to do more unique roles, and he has, but they don’t watch 🙄 he’s creating the career he wants.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

A lot of good sources linked in the original article!

By Bruce Mirken

As the dangers of Long COVID become more recognized, the country's going backwards on preventing new infections.

While I’m far from the only person worried about Long COVID and our society’s general inclination to look away and pretend it’s not there, people like me certainly feel badly outnumbered. It’s beginning to feel reminiscent of how people with AIDS and their loved ones felt circa 1986—and maybe it’s time for the same kind of response.

For those of you lucky enough not to have lived through that era, by the end of 1986, AIDS had killed nearly 25,000 Americans, but president Ronald Reagan had yet to speak the word “AIDS.” His press secretary had joked about it and the White House press corps laughed. While individual scientists were doing important work, the bureaucracies running the NIH and FDA seemed very much to be in business-as-usual mode. Because the casualties had largely been gay men and injection drug users, it seemed like no one with any power cared whether we lived or died.

So, a group of New Yorkers – mostly gay men – decided it was time to start raising hell. Calling themselves ACT UP, they disrupted the New York Stock Exchange and, as chapters sprang up nationwide, they staged protests that shut down the FDA and NIH. Eventually, people like Anthony Fauci began to see they had a point. I joined the Los Angeles ACT UP chapter in 1988 and ended up getting arrested half a dozen times in protests at the LA federal building, the County Board of Supervisors and the U.S. Capitol, among others. We won major improvements in HIV/AIDS care in the Los Angeles County health system, which cared for thousands of people with AIDS who had no health insurance. When I landed in San Francisco in 1993, I connected with ACT UP Golden Gate.

Here I am (with my late boyfriend Tim at the left) at one of the protests in that L.A County healthcare campaign. Most of my closest friends from that era have been dead for decades.

I get that COVID has played out very differently than HIV/AIDS. AIDS ramped up slowly and seemed not to affect “normal” people until it killed closeted gay movie and TV star Rock Hudson in 1985, and even then officials largely looked the other way. Only scientific breakthroughs in the 1990s finally stemmed the tide of death. In contrast, the much more highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus came on fast and furious, turning Americans’ lives upside-down almost immediately.

But now, we’ve arrived at what seems in some ways like an eerily similar place. When needed precautions to curb a highly infectious airborne virus spurred frustration and political pushback, officials largely threw up their hands and gave up. Even measures that don’t involve mandates or restrictions on behavior have mostly either been dropped or never happened in the first place.

LONG COVID’S GROWING TOLL

Unfortunately, the virus hasn’t gone away, even if the initial wave of mass death has receded. In August, as a summer surge peaked, US COVID-19 deaths exceeded 1,000 per week, though the latest September data suggests the numbers have begun declining toward pre-surge levels, when deaths were generally in the 300-400 per week range. That’s still equal to a 9/11 every eight to 10 days. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracking of SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater—probably the best data on US viral prevalence now that cases aren’t being reliably tracked—showed 15 states with “very high” levels and another 19 rated as “high” as of Sept. 19.

But COVID is not just a matter of cases and deaths. The disease’s long-term effects have disabled millions of Americans, and the numbers keep growing with each new wave of infection. An updated review published in Nature Medicine puts the current global number of Long COVID sufferers at 400 million and estimates the worldwide economic impact at a staggering $1 trillion.

We now have plenty of people experiencing repeated SARS-CoV-2 infections. The good news, if you can call it that, is that these reinfections may produce fewer new cases of Long Covid than a person’s first infection – but they absolutely produce some, and the Omicron variants circulating in the last year or two seem to produce more Long Covid than earlier viral varieties. Every time you get COVID, you roll the dice with your health – maybe for the rest of your life.

If I sound alarmed, well, I am. As longtime readers may know, I have some first-hand experience with Long COVID, though in milder form than many experience. My January 2022 infection left me with peripheral neuropathy—painful nerve damage—in my legs and feet. It’s incurable and nearly impossible to treat, as conventional pain drugs don’t help. I will likely never live another day without pain and walking more than six or seven blocks at a stretch is a struggle. I used to enjoy hiking, but will probably never do it again. Still, I don’t have the more debilitating symptoms like crushing fatigue or dysautonomia—disruption of the part of the nervous system that controls automatic functions like heartbeat, blood pressure, digestion and breathing—that afflict some Long COVID sufferers. Lots of people have it way worse than I do.

We know that COVID can have lasting impacts on many parts of the body, including the brain. A recent study of 52 COVID survivors—about half with mild to moderate initial illness and half with more severe disease—found that compared to healthy controls, both groups “had a significantly higher score of cognitive complaints involving cognitive failure and mental fatigue” 27 months after their original illness, with no significant difference based on the severity of that initial illness. On a series of tests, researchers found “changes in brain function” that may explain the reported problems.

Just as scary, a study of people aged 65 and up just published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease reports that “people with COVID were at significantly increased risk for new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease within 360 days after the initial COVID diagnosis.” This review of the medical records of over six million patients found that the risk escalated with advancing age. As with many of these long-term impacts, the mechanisms involved remain unclear.

Survivors of an initial SARS-CoV-2 infection also have increased rates of high blood pressure, now documented in multiple studies. High blood pressure increases your risk of deadly cardiovascular complications like heart attack and stroke.

I can’t help but wonder whether these issues have affected me, but there’s no way to be sure. My blood pressure, well-controlled for a dozen years with a very low dose of medication, began ratcheting upward about a year and a half ago, necessitating three medication adjustments since then. I’m also definitely more forgetful than I was, mostly little things like walking into a room and forgetting why I went there. But those things can happen to older people with or without COVID, and it’s hard to know cause-and-effect in a given individual.

But I sure as hell know I don’t want to get this virus again and risk these and other issues getting worse. Unfortunately, avoiding it is getting harder by the day, and neither government at any level nor public health authorities seem to care.

PREVENTION? WHAT PREVENTION?

While there’s some evidence that the antiviral drug Paxlovid can reduce the likelihood of Long COVID if administered early enough, the results so far are mixed and not overwhelming. The best way to avoid Long COVID is to not get infected in the first place. As a society, we’ve pretty much stopped trying.

The government is still encouraging vaccination, as it should. But it’s been clear for some time that while the vaccines are very good at reducing the chance of severe illness and death if you get infected, they offer only limited protection against getting infected in the first place. “Vax and relax” can prevent mass death, but it can’t prevent mass infection and an ever-growing number of cases of Long COVID, even if most people get vaccinated. And vaccination rates have been declining for a while, with a new Ohio State University survey reporting that only 43% of U.S. adults have gotten or plan to get the new COVID-19 shot.

And in a bit of absolute madness, Florida’s Ron DeSantis-appointed Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has actually advised against use of the newly updated mRNA vaccines. In a post on Mastodon, Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves called this “beyond irresponsible. It is malpractice.”

Ladapo is an outlier, but even his saner colleagues around the country downplay the fact that we don’t have to limit ourselves to vaccination. It’s an airborne virus, so there are two main ways to stop it from spreading: 1) Get the virus out of the air, or at least reduce its concentration to a very low level, and 2) Protect yourself from breathing in any virus that’s in the air around you. We know how to do both.

Masking works, but the type of mask matters. As the Mayo Clinic notes, “Respirators such as nonsurgical N95s give the most protection. KN95s and medical masks provide the next highest level of protection. Cloth masks provide less protection.” Two and a half years ago, a CDC study found that those who reported regularly wearing an N95 or KN95 respirator in indoor public settings had an 86% lower risk of catching COVID-19.

Recently, during my first return visit to San Francisco after moving in early 2022, I met my nieces for lunch at the Ferry Plaza. It was a Saturday, Farmers Market day, and the place was jammed. In three-plus hours I saw no more than half a dozen people wearing any sort of mask, and only a couple were N95s. In my new hometown of Hilo, masking is only slightly more common. At the supermarket, I see barely 10% of customers and staff in some sort of mask. In some venues, it’s less.

A recent Ipsos survey found that half of Americans believe they’ll never get COVID again. Only 20% described themselves as “trying to stay as safe as possible.”

None of this is a surprise—people are simply responding to the messages they get from the people supposedly leading on health issues. The CDC promotes vaccination but barely talks about masking anymore; it acknowledges the value of indoor air quality but doesn’t seem to be doing much about it. In interviews, CDC Director Mandy Cohen regularly urges vaccination but almost never brings up masking or air quality and says little about Long Covid. Political leaders mostly talk about COVID in the past tense and pat themselves on the back for a job well done in prior years. The result is what you’d expect: Most Americans now treat COVID like a common cold, disregarding most precautions and not bothering to test when they get sick.

Back in 2022, when public policy on COVID was still relatively sane, the Biden administration published indoor air quality guidance and made congressionally-approved funds available that “that can be used in schools, public buildings, and other settings to improve indoor air quality.” It’s unclear exactly how much of that money has been used and for what, although some school systems have definitely made HVAC upgrades. But we’ve never had either enforceable indoor air standards or a coordinated plan to implement them. As Science noted in July, “The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown the vulnerability of society to the spread of infectious diseases. At the same time, with frequent outbreaks in elder care facilities and school classrooms, it became clear that it was a fatal mistake to largely neglect the recommendations of scientists and engineers regarding minimum standards for ventilation and indoor air quality.”

In any case, those federal dollars were aimed at schools and public buildings. It’s been left entirely to the private sector to do, or not do, anything to reduce airborne pathogens in supermarkets, theaters, clubs, malls and other privately owned spaces. Local groups like Chicago’s Clean Air Club and Austin’s Clear the Air ATX have tried to fill the gap by lending HEPA filters and other clean air equipment to arts and performance venues and other gathering places.

A RADICAL IDEA: DO WHAT WORKS

We know what to do. As Clean Air Club founder Emily Dupree and co-author Shelby Speier wrote in Sick Times in May, “We possess the technology to make public spaces safer. Studies show HEPA air purification and far-UVC lamps drastically reduce the number of airborne pathogens in a room and therefore lessen the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission. When combined with other layers of protection, these tools have the potential to finally make our shared spaces more accessible during an airborne pandemic.”

A key word here is accessible. Failure to address indoor air quality and other prevention measures makes public spaces seriously dangerous for those at highest risk, including the elderly, the immunocompromised and those with long-term health issues, including Long Covid.

Such simple, factual messages are rarely heard in official statements about COVID. “What I find the most frustrating about official handling of COVID and prevention is the lack of care, education, and honoring the science around COVID,” comments Clear the Air ATX founder and Long Covid activist Katie Drackert. “Telling people to ‘stay home when they feel sick’ for a virus that spreads asymptomatically? Well, they are just straight up ignoring science.”

Admirable as they are, the small, volunteer-driven efforts of groups like Drackert’s and Dupree’s are not remotely comparable to the scale of the problem. For now, people must take matters into their own hands. “In the year 2024, people still need to be wearing a well fitted KN95 or above for optimal communal and individual protection,” Drackert says. In the absence of reliable information about air quality in indoor spaces, she suggests getting a portable air quality monitor, which can be reasonably affordable. “High CO₂ levels indicate poor ventilation, which may lead to higher concentrations of aerosols that could contain the virus,” she explains. “Some air quality monitors track particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), which are small airborne particles. While COVID is smaller than these particles, high PM levels may indicate poor indoor air quality.”

Most of us can’t entirely avoid being in spaces with poor air quality, and that leaves us with masking, which the country has largely abandoned. Worse, we’re starting to see bans on face coverings in public spaces being enacted—for example, in Nassau County, New York, and North Carolina.

These laws typically contain exceptions for people masking for health reasons, but, as New Jersey’s Star-Ledger noted in a recent editorial opposing a proposed mask ban, “t leaves it up to the cops to decide whether someone has a legitimate medical reason for wearing a mask at a public gathering. “How will they know that? It’s subjective. And based on past experience, we know what that means: Police will disproportionately stop and question Black and brown people, who have also been the most likely to continue wearing masks to protect against COVID-19.” It’s hard to imagine a more demented public policy than making disease prevention illegal. And it’s not hard at all to imagine a COVID-19 prevention framework that would make a meaningful difference without causing a nationwide freakout: Encourage masking. Even if mask mandates are a political non-starter, there’s still plenty we can do. First, officials can talk about it and actively encourage people to wear high-quality protection like N-95s when in busy, indoor spaces. They can remind people of its importance—that COVID is not over, not just a cold, and that even a “mild” case can change your life forever. Federal, state and local governments could distribute N-95s or KN-95s free or at minimal cost. Get serious about indoor air purification. Build on what the Biden administration started a few years ago: Develop medically informed, enforceable indoor air quality standards and create a verification system so that people know when a building they enter meets them. Start with public buildings and the largest, busiest private venues, like sports arenas, concert halls and theaters, and move on from there. Give business owners generous technical and financial support in meeting those standards, and a reasonable amount of time in which to do it. While this program is ramping up, fund the local organizations now struggling with limited resources to fill the gap. None of this is that difficult. It’s not even that expensive when you consider that the federal government is in the process of spending $634 billion to upgrade nuclear weapons that with any luck will never be used. What’s missing is political will, and that won’t be there until people scream bloody murder. That’s why I think it may be time for a new version of ACT UP focused on COVID-19. The issues are somewhat different, but less so than you might think. While the original ACT UP focused a lot on research, treatment and care, it also addressed prevention. ACT UP chapters around the country started syringe exchange programs, handed out condoms at high schools, and sometimes succeeded in shaming the system into doing the right thing. And of course, there are issues to tackle around Long Covid research that I haven’t addressed here, but which I will try to cover in a future piece. The fundamental problem is much the same as people with AIDS faced in 1986: a system stuck in neutral, politicians stuck in denial, and a public closing their eyes, covering their ears and shouting, “I don’t hear you!” The first task must be to break the system–and the broader population, as much as possible–out of its present inertia, complacency and denial. I honestly don’t know whether ACT UP tactics like occupying the CDC and disrupting state and local health commission meetings will have the same effect they did decades ago, but at this point I don’t know what else to try. Nothing good lies at the end of our current path.

[treasure-goblin]

Lu Elementary School AU

Bus Ride pt. 2 (ft. Sky and Wild)

Sky yawned and rubbed his eyes slowly as he trudged towards the buses for the ride home. Sun was at home, sick, so he got to leave early. If it had been a Wednesday, he might go study with Warriors and Legend, but it was only Tuesday, so no such luck.

His stuffed loftwing under his arm, Sky kicked a rock along the sidewalk, not looking forward to the bus ride home without Sun. It was always boring when she wasn't there. Even if he did try to nap the whole ride home, her chatter was always welcome.

The boy was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of sobbing, and what sounded like Mr. Hudson, the bus driver, speaking. Looking up from his rock, Sky winced when he saw little Wild bawling his eyes out, backpack thrown to the ground and clutching his stuffed wolf in a death grip.

“Is he, um, ok?” Sky whispered awkwardly as he approached the two, looking up at the other kids not so subtly watching from the bus windows. Mr. Hudson shook his head with a sigh.

“He won't calm down, pretty sure he misses his brother, but he won't tell me.” The man explained, shaking his head. “I need to get you kids home, but I'm not going to force him onto the bus, and I can't leave him here.”

Sky nodded in understanding, wincing as Wild continued to wail loudly, tears streaming down the younger kids' cheeks. This was a problem. Sky knew Twilight, so he knew the other boy was at soccer right now and couldn't just leave practice to go home with his brother. Thinking quickly, Sky took his little stuffed bird and poked Wild's cheek gently with its beak.

Wild's eyes popped open after a few ‘pecks’, and his wailing subsided to sniffling, although the tears still fell. The little 1st grader looked baffled at the plush bird pecking his face and turned to Sky in bewilderment. Sky took a deep breath and smiled.

“*squawk* Why are you crying, *squawk*” Sky asked in a silly voice, flapping his bird's wings a few times. Wild blinked and wiped his eyes, remaining silent but reaching out to poke the bird.

“Ah! Hey, *squawk*, how rude!” Sky joked, pecking Wild's cheeks again. The little boy giggled weakly, scrubbing his eyes again and holding up his wolf stuffie.

“Woof woof.” He said quietly, almost a whisper. Sky's smile softened, and he let Wild have his wolf ‘sniff’ his face. Mr. Hudson had backed away, apparently confident in Sky's ability to help Wild, so the boy decided to tackle the issue at hand.

“*squawk*, Mr. Wolf, do you want to get on the bus?” He asked kindly. Wild's smile fell, but he didn't start crying, at least. His little wolf shook its head slowly. Sky nodded.

“Aaaah, I see. Mr. Wolf, is the bus too scary, *squawk*?” Suprisingly, the wolf shook its head no again. So, Wild wasn't afraid of the bus itself. Sky knew the kid loved Mr. Hudson. He also had a favorite seat, which, from where he was standing, looked unoccupied, as it was the only row that didn't have faces pressed against the windows.

“Hmmmmm, Is it, maybe, because Mr. Wolf needs a friend to sit with?” He asked, lowering his loftwing to look Wild in the eyes. The boy hesitated again but nodded slowly.

That made more sense. It wasn't the bus that was scary. It was riding the bus alone.

“Wild, do you wanna sit with me on the bus?” Sky asked sweetly. “Sun is at home, so I'm all alone, and I don't want to be lonely on the ride home.”

Wild blinked and looked at the bus for a moment before nodding shyly and taking Sky's hand in his own small one. Sky smiled brightly and picked up the other boy's backpack, and the two got into the bus together, ready for the ride home.

Masterlist - Pt. 1

Divider by @/cafekitsune

[salvadorbonaparte]

2024 in Films - Part III

I watched a lot of stuff again, some even for grad school.

August

Lola Rennt (1998) - banger soundtrack and editing

Vertigo (1958) - the most boring of the Hitchcock films I've seen so far

A League of Their Own (1992) - makes me want to watch baseball

White Men Can't Jump (1992) - did not expect jeopardy to be so important in this film, also loved the fashion

The Fall Guy (2024) - my mum loves the original series so we had to watch this and I had an amazing time

Blinded by the Light (2019) - the dialogue is strange at times but a banger soundtrack (obviously) and some amazing editing, very uplifting and I watched this on my flight to the US btw

Good Will Hunting (1997) - I watched this during my first week in Massachusetts before starting grad school here

Alien3 (1992) - this film says so much about gender, actually

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears (1973) - taking lots of liberties with Texan history and also surprising homoerotic subtext

September

Causeway (2022) - a film that I originally only found meh but then kept thinking about all the time

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - equally blood libel as the og with an added bonus of cycle of violence, might write an essay about this

Sleepaway Camp (1983) - another horror film that says so much about gender and I could write an entire essay about it

My Best Fiend (1999) - Werner Herzog must be studied under a microscope

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) - not as good as I saw the tv glow imo but asking some important questions about online communities and reality

Jacob the Liar (1974) - the film felt a little too empty but I also don't want to say something negative because I am still angry about a bad review I saw

Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson (2024) - absolutely transformed the way I think about stand up comedy

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - the old lie dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

The Shock (1923) - as ableist and racist as you expect from the 20s but with a great performance from Lon Chaney

Trap (2024) - I actually really enjoyed this, even though I was waiting for an even crazier plot twist

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (2014) - a documentary that nearly made me cry

Hudson Hawk (1991) - technically a rewatch but I need to speak my truth and it's that I like this film

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - I have so many issues that this would take an entire post or even conference paper

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966) - had me in stitches half the time, I love a good cold war comedy

The Bone Collector (1999) - spooky!

Monkey Shines (1988) - also horror and gender but also silly

Death in Venice (1971) - boring :/

October

UPSIDEdown (2013) - I watched this one twice, once with the director, also had lunch and coffee with him, I had an issue at first with how child protection service is portrayed but that part is apparently real, also he cast a neurodivergent kid, which is awesome

The Master (2012) - I love when men are also poorly trained attack dogs, also can you imagine sending that guy to the cult from Midsommar? Also still haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Like Stars on Earth (2007) - neurodivergent kids need neurodivergent role models!!!

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) - I have so much to say about this tbh

Farewell Disco (1990) - at first I found this kinda boring but then I was also enchanted by the inclusion of Sorbian culture

The Kangaroo Conspiracy (2022) - just read the books

November (so far)

Srikanth (2024) - fairly standard biopic, meanders a bit but solid soundtrack and performance

Innocent Witness (2019) - this one impressed me so much I recommended it to multiple people, also I'm an autistic person who is besties with my lawyer so bonus points for that, I could talk a lot about this too

Hunt (2022) - Probably less confusing if you know more about Korean history, fun plot twist and imo some homoerotic tension

Scarlett Innocence (2014) - tbh I didn't even watch the whole thing because I don't go for erotic thrillers, I just watched the scenes where Jung Woo Sung is a poor little meow meow

Inseperable Bros (2019) - some dialogue was a bit awkward but that might have been the translation, I like that this was about interabled platonic relationships

Remember You (2016) - the first plot twist is predictable as hell but the second one hit me in the face like a brick

The Childe (2023) - Kim Seon-ho has the range (creepy and babygirl) (covered in blood and coughing up blood)

The Good The Bad The Weird (2008) - not only the best western I've ever seen but also one of the best films I've seen this year at all

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) - very unsatisfying, but in a good way

[doc-pickles]

I've got you | anthony beauvillier

summary: sequel to til forever falls apart. anthony gets traded again, but everything is different this time.

warnings: unfortunately mentions the bl*ckhawks

a/n: can someone PLEASE get this man out of Chicago?! also let's just pretend he played his first game there I know he didn't but that wasn't good for the plot. enjoy!

xoxo

nina

The light in the nursery is low, only a soft glow coming from the sound machine as you sit in the rocking chair. Hudson is curled up against your chest, the two-month-old snoozing away after finishing a feeding. 

“My sweet boy, you look so much like daddy,” you whisper the words into the darkness as you hear the door to your apartment close. “Sounds like he’s home. Should we go say hi?”

Tito finds you instead, slipping quietly into the nursery and smiling as he sees you and Hudson. But the smile doesn’t reach his eyes as he kneels next to the rocking chair and settles his head onto your chest so he’s face to face with Hudson. 

“What’s wrong, mon amour,” you whisper as your fingers come up to Tito’s hair and stroke slowly. “Anthony?”

“I love you,” he whispers as he looks at Hudson. “I’m sorry my job doesn’t offer any stability right now.”

You hold your breath, knowing that Anthony was on the block for a trade. You try to school your features as you look down at him and meet his eyes, “Tito?”

“I got traded to Chicago,” he whispers the words before he sighs and buries his face in your chest. “I’m so sorry, bébé.”

Your hand continues to card through Anthony’s hair as he struggles to keep himself together. You can feel his staggered breaths and the way he’s trying not to cry as he sinks into your hold. Holding him and your son close to you, you take a deep breath before speaking. 

“Don’t apologize, mon amour,” you whisper as you run your fingers down his cheek. “We’ll go wherever you go. No matter what.”

Your words seem to calm Tito as his shoulders sag and he relaxes in your hold. He doesn’t move until Hudson starts to stir, tiny wails coming from him as he squirms in your arms. Tito immediately grabs for him, holding your son against his chest as he sways silently. You watch your husband and son for a moment, Tito whispering to Hud in French as he walks in slow circles around the nursery.

“Are you upset because of what happened last time you got traded?” you ask quietly. Tito stops for only a second before he continues walking, but it’s enough for you to frown as you watch him. “Oh Anthony, you have to know that things are different now, no?” 

“I-,” Tito turns to look at you with unshed tears shining in his eyes. “I almost lost everything last time. And I don’t want to be there again.”

You stand and gather Tito in your arms, careful not to squish Hudson between you, “You’re not going to lose us, you never could. Okay? No matter where you get traded to we’ll be by your side.”

The three of you stand in silence for a few more minutes, Tito’s grip on you never wavering. Despite the uncertainty ahead, you’re confident that your little family will be okay.

+

“Okay Hud let’s go find Daddy,” you whisper to your son who’s currently strapped to your chest with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones on. He looks adorable as he watches everyone milling around the arena, fascinated by all the activity.

Tonight is Anthony’s first game playing for Chicago and you and Hudson had come to surprise him. You’d moved into your temporary apartment two days ago and had told him that you were still settling into a routine with Hudson so you couldn’t come tonight. As you walked towards the ice though you knew you’d made the right choice in coming.

Tito is warming up in the corner, a few guys coming up and saying hello intermittently. A smile forms on your face as you watch him interact with his new teammates, his outgoing personality shining through. 

“Hey 91!” you smirk as Tito whips around, a huge grin settling on his face when he spots you. “We couldn’t miss your first game!”

Your husband skates up to the glass, his smile growing as he notices Hudson looking up at him with wide eyes. When he meets your eyes your heart melts, knowing that your show of support meant so much to him.

“Love you,” Tito mouths as he presses his hand against the glass.

“Love you,” you mouth back, your hand coming up to mirror his. “Now go score us a goal!”

[bitter69uk]

Last year, Little Richard fans were spoiled with two comprehensive documentaries about The Bronze Liberace. In 2024, within months of each other, we get Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes and Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar about the late, great volatile showbiz diva. In Lost Tapes, director Nanette Burstein marries previously unheard audio of 32-year-old Taylor in conversation with journalist Richard Meryman in 1964 (for a book that never came to fruition) with newsreel footage and clips from Taylor’s films. The results are entrancing, and Taylor – whether talking candidly about her desire to be challenged as an actress, guffawing when Meryman calls her a “sex goddess”, admitting she realized immediately the marriage to Eddie Fisher was a mistake or her brushes with death - emerges as remarkably open, blunt and emotionally intelligent. By comparison, the three-part Rebel Superstar is more of a dumbed-down "idiot's guide" seemingly intended to make Taylor palatable to the TikTok generation. It’s characterized by jarringly insensitive and inappropriate music (Billie Eilish, Goldfrapp and Donna Summer. Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” is used twice!) and celebrity talking heads (executive producer Kim Kardashian, Joan Collins, Sharon Stone, Paris Jackson) either stating the obvious or talking in vapid showbiz platitudes. But to its credit, the final episode - covering Taylor's struggles with addiction and her AIDS activism – is genuinely moving.  And of course, any account of Taylor’s tempestuous life is bound to be juicy and enjoyable. Both docs are best when they let Taylor speak in her own words and both are illuminating at how the line between public and private was always blurred (for her first wedding, 18-year-old Taylor wore a replica of the gown she wore in the 1950 film Father of the Bride). Both focus on her sympathetic friendships with closeted gay and bisexual actors like Rock Hudson, James Dean and Roddy McDowall. Interestingly, Montgomery Clift barely rates a mention. Is the assumption that 2024 audiences don’t know or remember him? Pic: Taylor by Douglas Kirkland, 1961.

[emojellyace08]

Hi!! Loved your work of demon reader. But what about vampire reader?? Yk?? Or what about siren reader?? Like lookism characters just take a break for the day and just decided to go to the beach. They just explore the beach until they come to secluded part of the beach they decide to go back but than...they hear singing? So they go investigate who in the world is singing...than they saw it..someone sitting on a rock singing beautifully..than they noticed a tail..omg a siren. Yeah I know its very silly. Its alright if u don't want to write this anyways have a nice day/evening or night!!♡♡

♡ "Lookism Men x Siren/Memaid! Female Reader🐚🌊💀" ♡

Hello fellow human! (and Daniel simp lol). This is a very cool idea! (I want to go on the beach so bad yet I don't have free time because of school). Genre: fluff? (Kind of inspired and based on The Little Mermaid, just edgier) Note (quick fact!): Sirens are different from mermaids. Sirens are half birds with a face of a human (female mostly) to lure men/sailors and wreck their ships with the use of their voice and singing while mermaids usually keep their distance away from humanity, wanting to live peacefully (at least in most versions). Now I don't know what to call this "evil mermaid" creature that I made up on my mind and it's really tricky to write since sailors get killed by sirens when they are lured by the song so I kind of made it a mix of a siren and mermaid😭(pls bear with me lmao😀👍). Another note!: (D/n) stands for dog's name

꧁ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ꧂

He is a strong, sturdy, and focused sailor whose duty is to operate the ship and vessels and maintaining a safe work environment, him being admired by every women and envied by men. And everybody knows that he's not here to make friends or companions. And you're a living-sea creature whose business in life is to wreck ships with your strong-level of power and with the great advantage of your luring singing voice and your different level of speed in swimming. You don't know why you were acting like this. Is it because of that mentality when you believed that humans are disgusting creatures who take advantage of mother nature or you being hostile is just part of your natural instincts.

Well, he made your heart pounding though when he helped you carry out the anchor that has been stuck on your tail when you're minding your own business on your cave even though you're already hissing at him almost telling him to back off if you were able to speak the "human-way". It was very unusual for him to be generously kind to other people, let alone a sea-creature. So it's different (almost weird) for his co-sailors to see that side of him. Now you're the one who won't leave him alone when he's out to do his work, you swimming with your full speed to catch up to the big ship even when it's moving at a decent speed. Making him sigh and giving you a glare, almost not giving you attention because of you following him with that puppy-eyes even if you have the fiercest orbs ever.

*Sigh* it's weird for him, but he does find you cute (and threatening) in some ways.

Johan Seong/Samuel Seo/James Lee (DG)/Gun Park/Jichang Kwak/Hudson Ahn/Mandeok/Xiaoleoung/Taesoo Ma/Cheon Taejin/Magami Kenta/Seokdu Wang/Gapryong Kim

꧁ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ꧂

He is not only a dreamy and eye-catching prince but also a compassionate, helpful, and kind lad not only to humans but also to animals. He is well-respected by his fellow sailors when they're out riding his ship on the middle of the ocean, either fishing for food or him just wanting to explore the outside world of his lonely castle. Him admiring the sapphire-like color of the water as he often gets curious if mythical creatures like mermaids, even the predatory ones like sirens exist. But he never expected to meet a mixture of both.

Unexpectedly, a raging storm interrupted their ride as everybody recruited on their boats "D/N!" He knows it's one of his weakness. He's too caring for others even on the smallest things that can be "replaced" but he knows that the memories won't fade forever. So as risky as it sounds, he went back on the now sinking ship and giving the animal to his body guard before he was quickly swept by the harsh water waves, slowly drowning and loosing his breath. But a miracle happened.

He woke up on the seashore. Clothes wet and some parts ripped. Good thing that he is safe despite getting mild bruises. He was lost in his own thoughts when his assistant screamed for his name to get his attention and asking him if he's alright. Before that, he remembered when he was opening his eyes, he saw a striking face of a female with the familiar color of that specific scales and ear fins before it went away at that moment. He smiled as a warm blush covered his cheeks as he remembered that time when he was younger, he explained that he helped a mermaid-looking creature yet an attitude aggressive like a siren when it's injured yet his servants laughed at him. Now you're the one who rescued him when he needed help. It's unlike in your predatory nature but you've been curious about what he's being doing lately as he's curious about your well being. You often get excited when you see his ship, following the smell of the young man as you watch on the distance, wanting to know things about him. If you weren't so different of worlds, would you make it work out? If you only had legs...

Daniel Park/Jay Hong/Zack Lee/Vasco (Lee Eun Tae)/Yuseong/Jake Kim/Eli Jang

꧁ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ꧂

He's literally the definition of a struggling yet determined and hard-working man. Not only he has to provide his daily necessities, but he also helps out his family too. Poor guy needs a rest. The dark circles that is ringing on his gloomy eyes have gotten deeper because of the lack of his sleep with the mixture of sea sickness that is starting to make his stomach grumble. He needs something to eat.

Stopping by the land, he went in the caves as he wanted to spend his free time before going on duty again as his stupid co-sailors wasted their time by chugging off the strong scent of alcohol that is stinging his sensitive sense of smell. Despite the place being a bit dark, good thing he brought his lantern with a box of matches for safety measures, a pocket knife, a small bag of biscuits and a jug of water. He sat down on a rock, sighing as he gets lost on his own thought thinking about his future especially for his loved ones who relies on him. He just wants to experience living of the life of luxury, eating everything he craves for and sleep every time he wants with his family, not wanting to leave them out. He wants to feel peacefulness even just for once in his life but he knows that he needs to focus on his work if he doesn't want to starve for a whole week, a month rather than smelling the stench of the fish that he catches every time he went out for fishing .

He was overthinking again before he noticed a movement on the small body of water that he is near to. "Eh- Who's there!?" He asked as he sticks up his lamp up to see if there are any near predators in the place. He could be in danger. He was surprised to see a tail move upward as the creature swam deeper in the water. He was about to get out when you suddenly grab his legs making him yelp. Your hand is slimy and soft yet the way you grab him was gentle. But he wouldn't risk getting drowned so he got up, ran away while wailing his hands up and screaming. You're just curious about the young man, he looks like a nice guy. Yet you scared him off. How do you properly approach humans anyways? (lol).

Zack Lee/ Vasco (Lee Eun Tae)/Warren Chae/Eli Jang/Jerry Kwon/Duke Pyeon/Brad Lee/Jason Yoon/Jihan & Jibeom Kwak/Sinu Han/Jiho Park

꧁ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ꧂

Well nobody knows if he really is a professional marine biologist or if he's just a smart amateur. But everybody knows that he's one hell of a smart fellow for their era. He's intelligent and logical, yet idealistic and curious about the things around him. He has worked on big projects like mechanicals in big marine transportations that has been successful over the years for his age. Now he wants to explore what lies beneath the ocean.

He got curious when he read about a book related to hybrids of marine animals and humans, basically the mer-folk. He usually doesn't believe in fairy tales (often thinking it's dumb at times in realistic situations). But in terms of creating writing and his curious thinking getting in the way again, he can't help but to consider the possibility that the fish-people even sirens may exist. The past few cases of sunk ships have been very interesting for him nowadays.

He and his crew decided to have a short trip on the seas for him to have a break while secretly working on his research and investigation. Every island and shores have been discovered and dug to find artifacts yet none of it are a provable evidence of its' existence. He was about to give up when a singing voice is heard from the distance. He knew it was dangerous based on the novels that he had checked out, yet the sailors with their stupidity followed the sound and decided to catch whatever is moving under the water. He thought he was going to die when you approached the ship, but instead his weirdness got the best of him again as he ordered the fishermen to release you. It may be the dumb decision to let you go, but it's for the best for your and everybody's safety. He got a valuable evidence of your blood on the fishing hook that was used though.

Jace Park/Yoojin/Goo Kim/Baek Hangyul/Jinyoung Park/Tom Lee/Manager Kim/Gapryong Kim

꧁ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ꧂

He is just a normal person, a person looking for thrills in his boring life. He causes chaos in his place, almost getting caught by the soldiers when he's doing dumb shit again. *Sigh* well, he thought he's not an ordinary person if he keeps risking his life for pranking other people though. But this behavior crosses the lines when he decided to sneak in the castle to see the beautiful ocean that he's been dreaming to visit. But for some unexplainable reasons the king decided to shut down the access of the place. Was it because of the irresponsibility of the people who dumps their trash and dirt into the ethereal place? Or was it because of the missing fishermen that has not yet found for almost a year now? Nobody knows the real reason if the higher ups won't open up about the issue.

Yet here he is now, feet feeling the warmness of the earthy-brown color of the sand as he admires the view of the horizon. It is beautiful, almost breath taking as if he is in paradise. But his moment was cut off when the guards noticed his presence on the abandoned place. "OI WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Shit, he's been caught again. He knows that it's probably the time he face the consequences of his actions. But that feeling of adrenaline is getting him excited, again and again as it repeats the cycle of the feeling of a masochistic happiness that he can't explain. He can't let that happen. To be beheaded in front of the pathetic people around him. No, he will run. As fast as he could.

Running away with his swift speed, he managed to escape (once again) the higher ups as he hides on the unfamiliar cave. Laughing to himself yet keeping quiet to not have the guards' attention. He once again admired the beauty of the rocks yet keeping his guard up. He knows that it's dangerous because of what ever is lurking in the dark. And it seems that he is somehow right. He noticed a shadow of, a human-like form with a tail on the water? He can't be serious right now. That living-creature doesn't exist, right? You slowly rise on the water, eyes like snake keeping your attention to the unfamiliar man as he pleaded for his life. "Oi, I don't know what the hell you want but, I"M HERE TO STAY FOR A WHILE SO PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He winced as he has his eyes closed ready to be attacked. But as you got up and sat down on the rocky ground, you just kept your attention to him. Your pupils unusually dilating as you got curious about his presence which once again is unusual in your instincts as you attack other people. He heard on the gossip that mermaid-like creatures kills humans. Yet you just sat there, admiring his beauty as he did the same. If he isn't "normal", then he probably found someone like him too. Probably a new friend?

Goo Kim/Olly Wang/Jiho Park/Kuroda Ryuhei/Vin Jin

꧁ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ꧂

Feedbacks would be appreciated!

A/N: What if I make a vampire! lookism men x reader 🌚

[221beloved]

"What's wrong?"

Martha Hudson filled the kettle and placed some of her biscuits on a plate. Every now and again she glanced through the open door to the man sitting in her living room. She sighed again. When the tea was ready, she placed it on the tray beside the biscuits and went over to Sherlock. “Sherlock dear, you have to eat. Tell me you ate something today?” The man lifted his gaze and blinked at her in confusion, as if he had no clue where he was or what he was doing. It was quite possible that he really did not know. Mrs Hudson sat down next to him and placed a hand on his back. Sherlock had come down to her about two hours ago, and was now sitting in her flat like a statue, not moving, not speaking, looking utterly lost. “Sherlock, what's wrong?” she asked in a gentle tone. Sherlock blinked again and slowly, so slowly, turned his head. He frowned, then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he looked shattered, utterly broken and forlorn. “I love him,” he said eventually, in a low and distant tone, as if he was bewildered himself. Mrs Hudson's face fell with this confession and she stroked Sherlocks back in a reassuring manner. “Oh dear...” Sherlock put his elbows on his knees and placed his face in his palms. “I'm in love, Mrs Hudson...” His voice cracked, and he looked completely broken. Her chest tightened at the sight and she searched for words to soothe Sherlock, when he continued. “I fell for him, exactly one year ago.” He took a deep and shuddering breath. “The night we met. The night he saved my life. And I'm still falling. One year, Mrs Hudson. And every day, every single day, I look at him, and I love him a bit more than the day before. And it hurts.” His breathing was fast and rough, his entire body was tensed and positively trembling. “It hurts... and it's not getting better. When will it stop? Is it ever going to stop?” His eyes were red and he was looking so desperate, so done with everything. Mrs Hudson closed her eyes as she thought about all the rude and thoughtless comments of Sherlocks flatmate. 'Not a couple,' 'Not gay' and so on. She closed her arms around the broken man and shushed him, rocking him gently back and forth. “Maybe it will never end, and maybe it will continue to hurt. But you will learn to live with it. You will learn to love him in your own way, to live with him and for him. And on the days you think it is too much, I will be there for you, and you can talk to me. Remember, that you can always talk to me...” She squeezed him tightly and lowered his head onto her shoulder, while the strongest man she knew, shattered into pieces in her arms.

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[charlidos]

Since I'm going through everything about Viggo & Orlando anyway, I might as well bring out the gossip that used to surround them. I don't put a lot of trust in blind items from Ted at E!Online and it's impossible to know if he actuallly had any real intel, or if it was just idle gossip about popular celebs. But it does say one thing for certain: that this was something people talked about back then (in 2004, mostly). That it wasn't just the "Viggorli tinhats" talking. And that, in itself, is interesting.

And I think it's beyond doubt that it WAS Orlando and Viggo that he was talking about here. Regardless if the gossip was true.

From 2004:

We still need to zero in on Grimy Gus and Harland Fuss (or as they're known to their most secretive of buds, Gussy 'n' Fussy). G. 'n' F. have been on location recently. Well, one of them has, at least. Don't think too many folks know that Fuss has joined his good bud Gus for a little mattress messin'. Look, I'm the first to give a hearty shout-out to two guys who want to do what they want, sexually speaking. But when both--all right, make that one--of these men go to great lengths to make the public believe he's bedding down with rising supersweet starlet Eartha Bertha, well then, I get a little pissy. Although it sure was romantic when Gus 'n' Fuss went to such a Secret Service-defying to-do while Gus was out of the States (in a film-friendly environment) making his latest butch-it-up celluloid job. Public lobby and elevator trips at the sumptuous Springtime Suites hotel with Fuss 'n' Eartha were arranged. Photographers just happened to be around, sorta the same way Rock Hudson lived his whole fake life. But I'm getting terribly off the point here, aren't I?

At this time, Orlando was (very) publically dating "starlet" Kate B, and Viggo was filming History of Violence (playing a "butch" character) in Canada. And they were both at the Toronto film festival that year, where this supposed secret romp happened. Also, the nicknames seems to refer to the whole "Prissy elf" and "Filthy human" thing they had going on the set of LotR. And during LotR PR, there was very inane gossip about Viggo seeing L, a woman around O's age, but that they broke up because V didn't care about his personal hygiene. If you look at gossip rags from around 2002-3, it was mentioned a lot...

So yeah, no doubt that it's O, V and K referred to. It's generally considered a "solved" blind. Again, doesn't mean the gossip is true.

In 2010, Ted mentioned HF again, just around when Orlando got married. In this one, there's no mention of "Gus", so of less interest to me. It's all about HF being bi, and how he and his newly wedded wife got hitched because they both needed a career boost (and HF needing a "beard"). A whole lot of nothing really. But again, quite obviously referring to Orlando.

More interesting to me, but also a bit more confounding, are some questions answered around 2009/2010:

Dear Ted: Since you dusted off the old Harland Fuss B.V., can you give us an update on his relaysh with Gus, please? Are they still together? If not, who broke up with whom? And who is Fussy seeing on the DL, then, if not Gussy? —Agusta Dear Gus Who: Long over, babe. Too bad, too, because they were way too hot together, but it was always more of a short-term (very) steamy hookup sitch. Neither dude expected a serious relaysh to come of it, just sex, sex and, oh yeah, more sex. Dear Ted: This is a question about an old blind item that I don't expect you'll answer but I thought I'd give it a shot. Are Harland Fuss and Grimy Gus still together? —Silver Dear Oldie: No. Nor were they ever. Dear Ted: Has Viggo Mortensen ever been a B.V.? I absolutely love him, and he did spend several years with those B.V.-worthy Hobbits in Middle Earth. Did they rub off on him? —LOTR Lover Dear Viggo Go Go: Oh, yeah. One of my (and readers') all-time favorites!

Again, quite clear this blind item was about Orlando and Viggo. This idea that they were just meeting to hook up, short-term (not sure if it's short term as in short meetings, or if it's short in terms of how long this relationship went on), feels a bit off for these two. But it fits that they lost touch (as per Orlando himself) sometime after 2008 or so. And what do I know, really?

No one but them knows. I'm just here, speculating wildly and letting my imagination run free.

(And I looks like I need to keep posting about them - until I've completely exhausted the subject. Or myself. Or tumblr.)

[eva-knits12]

The Hate and Death Threats Are Uncalled For

Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide. If you are feeling suicidal, please dial 988 or 911 immediately!

DISCLAIMER: If you believe that Chris Evan's "marriage" is PR, then fine. I know it's PR, it's fake, there's a contract involved. If you believe it's real, then fine. I have nothing against you if you believe it's real. I disagree. I think we can find some common ground here.

PR contracts aren't a new thing in Hollywood. They've been around since the beginning of Hollywood, and they'll keep coming out with PR contracts. PR contracts were a way to cover up a star's sexual orientation, which is where fake marriages come into play here. They were legal up until 1965. Liberace was gay. So was Rock Hudson. Katherine Hepburn was a closeted lesbian. All of them were in PR marriages, and under PR contracts. So, this isn't the first time we've had a PR contract, and it's not going to be the last PR contract. They'll still exist even after Chris and the porn troll break up.

A few bloggers on here have been getting hate asks, and death threats. I refuse to name this person, and I refuse to give her the space on my blog. She doesn't deserve the space on my blog, and she doesn't deserve to live in my head rent-free.

There are bloggers wishing death upon Chris. Wishing that he'd drown, kill himself, etc. That's uncalled for! If I didn't like Chris, I wouldn't wish death upon him. That speaks volumes about your character.

These same bloggers have sent hate asks to several people, and have even accused certain bloggers of switching sides. I'm #Team Chris. I haven't changed my stance that this is PR. I was team PR until all of this hate, all of these DM's and all of the bullying started to intensify. Like I said, if you believe that this marriage is real, then fine. As I have stated before, I disagree. I'm still adult enough to let you have your beliefs, and guess what? That's okay! All I want is for Chris to be happy.

Chris looks miserable right now. There's no life in his soul, no life or light in his eyes, he's lost so much weight due to stress. There is little holding him together at this point. This is beyond guilt. He's in this contract, and it's deeper than we think.

This PR stunt will end when it's supposed to end. Chris and the porn troll will break up at some point, and it's not up to us to put out articles because it's not going on OUR timeline. Only two people know when this will end.

Telling someone to off themselves, wish they'd unalive themselves, and even making death threats is uncalled for. There are kids that have committed suicide because they were told to off themselves. There are people sitting in jail on murder charges because they have told a person to do this. You can be arrested for this!

The police can build a case easily because posts on IG, tumblr, facebook, e-mails and texts are time stamped. So, it doesn't take a detective to build a case.

I have lost two people in my life to suicide, and it never gets any easier.

All this hate right now is just uncalled for. I don't care what side you're on, I think both team PR and team real are unhinged. Both sides keep attacking each other over their own personal beliefs, and when someone walks away, or even interacts with someone from the other side, we're accused of switching sides. If you switch sides, fine. I have nothing against you if you do.

I'm Team Chris. There's still good in the man, and we just want to see him happy. He is still a decent human being underneath all this.

"Be excellent to each other."-Bill and Ted

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.