#the actress gave the good news in a unique way

[coffeetraces]

the judge from hell: ending thought dump

i would say i'm insane that the first thought i had when the credits rolled was "where's human bitna's soul???" not because the drama would be better if she shows herself, but because they showed her escaping and just didn't give us any closure. nevertheless, despite this, they gave us such a unique way to justify justitia's stay on her body. not to mention the bael deal (giving her 3 years of vacation before returning) and the cliffhanger lucifer deal (10 sinners killed in a year to be fully human) (we should get a season 2 at this point). the three scenes leading to the ending clearly showed us how her morals changed in the way she was conflicted with her decision about the un-remorseful defendant, to her (VERY BEAUTIFUL) callback on her scene with the children asking her about justice.

they also resolved the serial killing trope really well. the idea already of making the murderers feel how they killed their victims had such a nice build up from the first SA suspect until this serial killer. then when they built the coffin displays for all the victims while J was hanging himself was, in a way, a peaceful closure for the victims. it showed his remorse (despite bitna forcing him to do so), and putting an end to their worries that justice won't be served to him (he escaped, plus the way he told myeongsuk ahjumma that he was eating well inside jail) and he got what he deserved. again, not to mention that in the earlier episode, bitna and her chief judge refused to give in to the assemblymen's pressure to acquit him. i know, justitia has her own firm judgement already. but it made her human anyways.

side note: i found it funny (a bit) that bitna's death scene in episode 13 never fazed me. was this an effect of snowdrop still? jk.

and coming from this - i loved the pay off of every decision and interaction bitna and gabriel had. i already had the vibe initially that every test gabriel gave bitna would be beneficial for her to have more points from God, hence the reincarnation. and the cute scene too at the end - where his new form asked her to treat her to burgers because she promised on her funeral that she'll buy her dinner. the details of this show is very meticulous and i love it.

it was also so heartwarming to show all the victims after two years with the closures they showed. it's also really a good thing that the show only showed around 5 suspects instead of stretching it to how many episodes they have (a lot of law shows do that) so we still get to see everyone.

and, of course - han daon and kang bitna. i loved how much they trusted each other's judgments when it comes to the heavy decisions about their morality. i think this is the best way to show a relationship - or if anyone should pick a partner in the future, it would be with someone who trusts your wisdom to choose what's best for you. and both of them are, in a way, morally good decision makers. not to mention they were both so supportive of each other. daon never gave bitna the burden of giving up her future in hell by not doing the killings. he has his role as a detective, she has her role as a judge. such a nice partnership! and when it comes to their romantic scenes, i'm fine with all the subtle and natural moments that they had. they didn't have any extravagant cliche romance scenes except for the imaginary wedding. the long kiss was also a huge pay off after all the teasing of steamy moments with no kisses, interrupted kisses, the pecks, then we get "[nv] you should kiss me as much as you love me." [!!!!!!!!!!!] damn!

and park shinhye, of course! the best thing that happened to this drama. i apologize as i was a bit doubtful of her. i didn't like how she portrayed cha eunsang in the heirs and now i realized it was just because the writing of her character was so goddamn stale. but like what the director said - if there was an actress who can show her subtle cute style and be an action star villain-main character, it should be her. she showed well how justitia's mentality transitioned from being a full blown demon with no remorse to someone who felt immense sympathy from the victims and han daon's experience, and of course, the girlboss girlfriend vibe.

of course, not everything in this drama is unique. but it is refreshing. it also stresses important messages about justice that should be said especially in this era - the number one rule of justice is the law should not forgive what the victims couldn't. apologizing is an obligation, but forgiveness is not. justitia's trials cover admission of crime, asking for forgiveness to the victims, and remorse for the deed, all three core things that people sometimes forget when cases like murders and such happen. korea should know better after seeing this show. [coughs]

and, as always, we should never waste the potential of kim jaeyoung and park shinhye. GIVE THEM A MOVIE!!!!!

also kim jae young the new korea IT boy lfg

[rubykgrant]

Finally finished up the casual and the super-powered designs for Benito Espinoza! AKA, Phaze~

He's 16, Mexican (born in Mexico City, but his family moved to California when he was 2), the tallest of the kids (6ft 3in, he's a tree), a junior at school who does really good in music classes/geography/history, and has been learning how to box since he was 11.

He's been going to school with his friends for the last 3 years, but before that, he lived in a different town; he was going through kind of a lonely time, his parents were busy with new jobs (dad is a professional chef and currently has his own restaurant, mom is an actress who used to be stuck in a contract for a very stressful TV series but has currently found a more comfortable place working in live theater), he was an only child without many close friends, so he used to just ditch school and wander around by himself. He never really got up to anything bad, but teachers sure wanted to act like he was already a lost cause. His parents realized he'd been neglected, and this school REALLY was unpleasant, so they moved to a new place, and had a new start.

For the most part, it was a really good change... a little TOO good at first. Benito was the new kid, tall, good-looking, athletic, and instantly popular. Lots of other kids gave him attention, or wanted his, without actually caring about him as a person. He got his feelings hurt, and his heart broke, and almost decided he didn't care if he hurt anybody else's feelings either... but Benito really isn't built for that. He cares too MUCH, and emotions resonate very deeply in him. He felt guilty, and thought maybe he just didn't deserve friends... Andrew changed that, getting to know Benito, making a genuine connection, and being able to just enjoy each other's company. Andrew also recognized how much empathy Benito had for others; why it hurt so much when people even thought he hasn't "good enough", and why he tended not to ask for attention even when he needed it.

Since then, Benito has been able to be more comfortable with his feelings, he likes to be the one that helps/takes care of others, but he's not a people-pleaser anymore. His sweet smile and gentle way of joking around hides how nervous he can still feel when other people make assumptions about him (and he's very aware that being such a big kid means he's judged more harshly if he every gets upset/angry, which isn't FAIR). Benito has a lot of hobbies (boxing, arts and crafts, video games, collecting unique animal figurines that are carved/sculpted, and he likes finding both versions of a movie/book so he can see the whole story), and a lot of skills (he takes several health classes/emergency training), but he's not sure if he wants to make anything a "career goal" yet (though, he's really good with kids, and later thinks about maybe being a teacher/somebody who helps children that have been through trauma)

Benito is certainly strong, but when he starts developing super powers, his abilities are more "intangible", he can turn himself invisible, pass through solid objects, and rip open spiraling portals that allow him to teleport! When his powers first show up, he needs to be able to SEE where he wants to teleport to, but as he gains more control, he can also go to any location he is very familiar with, and also lock-on to his friends whenever they need help.

While Phaze is technically in the groups of kids who are "villains", they aren't legit "evil"; mostly just jerks/punks/brats who have some angst to work through... and also, especially for Phaze, kids who are sick of being forced to not only follow unfair rules, but STILL get treated unfairly no matter how hard they try! Benito has a LOT of issues with people who get ignored or hurt by a system that is supposed to protect them, while actual "bad guys" get away with whatever they want. So... as villains, Phaze and his team can BREAK the rules in CONSTRUCTIVE ways! Sometimes the only way to make things fair is to stop playing a game that forces you to lose (and the hero kids get this too, so eventually, everybody is on the same page).

I knew I wanted spirals somewhere in his outfit, but I tried not to make it too busy or "stripey". Way back in the day, and early design for this character had JTHM claw boots because my best friend and I had just gotten into all that, and I wanted to keep it somehow... after struggling to make the spirals work as the focus of the design, I thought about making them the accents/trim . So, it still needed SOMETHING. Instead of a sleek onsie kind of outfit, I tried to add a jacket... I didn't want it to be a big coat/cloak and hood, because then he'd have Grim Reaper vibes. Not bad, just not his brand exactly. Though, a spooky "darkness/underworld" touch might help. Less with the idea of death itself, more with the idea of moving between worlds/passing through the portals he creates. I started to lean into bats, WITHOUT making him look like a lost Batman kid (or a vampire). I thought about different depictions of Camazotz that I've seen, and that helped with the idea of the claw boots being like bat talons, and part of the mask design having a lower jaw with fangs, and bat wings as the collar of the jacket. I also took inspiration with some luchador designs, finishing up the mask, adding in the spirals, and at last- he looks OK!

[funkymbtifiction]

hi! i had a few questions because i’m trying to type an actress who’s currently stumping me a bit. on pdb she’s typed as infp 9w1 sx/so 927 but so many artists are typed as infp 4s or 9s on there and i’m not sure i agree with the consensus, but i can’t pinpoint why. so a few things:

in interviews, she states not being too interested in plot when selecting projects, but finding the most pleasure in deeply exploring a character. her process is to become the character, so she can know them inside out, feel what they feel, and embody that on screen. she had said that some characters stay with her forever and that all of them are her, to some degree, either dialed up or dialed down, and has expressed that acting is a safe way to explore different and more unhinged parts of herself - that in real life she second guesses herself a lot more and is more reserved. on her latest film, she said she went out to practice for her role by talking to men to see how she would seduce them, and it was important to her to know how SHE would go about it. she said throws herself into roles so completely that once she finishes a project, it feels like she’ll never work again. i don’t really buy into visual typing beyond extroverts being more animated and MAYBE fe using expressions, smiles, etc to signal and mirror - but in interviews i did notice a general lack of expressiveness (she def seems introverted and doesn’t appear to mirror anyone else or use her face to communicate much, only smiling when she seems to find something personally amusing)

now that all DOES seem like potential fi dom, but she has said a few times that on set, her body has better ideas than her mind and she often improvises based on her body. she also says that she’s not eager to work on a new project soon after finishing one because she thinks it’s important to go out and live life for a while, accumulate experiences and fill up your well of emotions, and that being too eager to jump on a new project would mean she didn’t do enough with the last one. she says that she knows she wants to act, perfect her craft and be good and she doesn’t have much interest in dabbling in things like producing. she co-wrote a previous film she was in and enjoyed it (and used a stream of consciousness process to write as her character) but is certain about acting being her future. she mentioned divine timing and thinking that certain roles come to you when you need them the most. i wonder if this points to se-ni, and if she may be an isfp instead?

in terms of her enneagram, at first i could see 9 in how she merges with her characters, and in the way she acts from her body/gut - but then i saw recently she said in an interview that everything she does in life, all her motivations are to feel safe and that acting presented a unique challenge because it’s not such a secure career. she said she enjoys challenges, and wanted to be an actress despite that, but that was the main thing that gave her pause about her career, the lack of security. she also mentioned that, when picking a project, the top priority (even above character) is director - that she must trust who’s leading the ship, or else nothing worthwhile can be made. she stated that she doesn’t like to be micromanaged, likes to have some say in decisions about the character and what they might do and that the set is not always going to be a positive place, and that’s okay, because some conflict and friction can produce even better results sometimes. could this be 6, maybe with a 9 fix, or at least 6 in her tritype instead of 7? i’m also not sure i see her as sp blind, as she’s mentioned a few times the importance to her of health and caring for her body so i feel like that would sort of rule out sp blind.

thanks!!

Wanting to live life to the fullest and have adventures can also be sp, since sp is the most aware of how "short" life is and possess a desire to enjoy themselves. But yes, you give a strong argument for sp/so 6w7 SFP. Living in the moment, trusting your body, seeing acting as secondary to having experiences (devaluing fantasy for reality) is extremely Se.

People are too quick to label actresses sx if they are "sexy" or "interesting." They forget that sx is about a magnetic/repulsive hook and living a lifestyle that shows an sx tendency to infuse, use up, and then abandon something or someone once the spark dies (sx/so Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times, for example...).

[lizzyworld]

These programs gave me so many thoughts.

First of all, I am happy that My you and Still with you will finally be official on streaming channels.

News came almost continuously today. Posters, MV details, and of course the schedule dates.

Sorry, not sorry, but I don't know the actress.

I did a little research and saw how similar their styles are. (Jungkook and Han So Hee) They will be perfect

Then came the poster. 😭

Every detail of this is hit. 🤌🏻😩

Rings, black boxers, shirtless Jungkook and the programs

The concept photo and a short film are also coming. 😩🤌🏻after the official mv teaser, the mv.

and this is supposed to be summer music and music video? 🤔 none of the details indicate this. Yes, it's very much a reference to Jeon Jungkook.

Anyway, I was always curious about what kind of music he would make all by himself.

I've always admired his art, the way he showed how good he was as a draftsman, lyricist or whatever

He is such a unique person. We can see this in each of his live Broadcasts. He is shy, likes black colors (he has a bit of a dark side), and is more active at night. But he is extremely kind and respectful.

When he sometimes marvels at things

I don't know, he's just the sweetest man I've ever seen. I hope he is prepared for what will happen now.

[chiveburger]

It’s airing on television again and I still stand by the fact that “hello missfortune” was one of hong kong’s most romantic and unique dramas as of late. It’s only 10 episodes and I’ve never been a huge fan of hubert wu as an actor but he actually fit the role of being pitiful so well... It’s very rare that hong kong dramas give off any sort of romantic vibe for me, just because they recycle actors all the time like I never feel chemistry between anyone. this is probably the first one where I did feel like these two gave off the feeling that they could be a couple, and a sweet one at that as well. erica being a new face, and relatively bright and natural actress is also what makes this drama memorable for me. some of the hidden messages in the show, and the way they drew back to them was so good... It’s also 10 episodes so it didn’t waste anybody’s time. I loved it.

[rmbabydoll]

Met on Set: A GentleBrava Actor AU

Prologue : My Hero Audition

A/N: I’m back! I promised an Actor AU and I hope I can deliver! This turned out to be a longer story than I thought, so I will be breaking the idea up hopefully in a few chapters. So enjoy, and seriously, tell me what you like and don’t like!

Breathe in, breathe out

Breathe in, breathe out

This was the mantra Aiba Manami told herself as she got ready for her audition.

Aiba Manami. 23 years old. Actress.

Her heart was racing as she waited in the audition room, memorizing her lines for a part in the popular tv show, My Hero Academia.

The show was amazing by far and scoring a part would be an absolute dream!

So far, Aiba had done pretty well for herself as a stage actress, performing since she was 15 years old, so she hoped to get at least a role since her agent recommended she audition for a superhero show since they were all the rage recently thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe across seas.

“Aiba Manami!”

It was time!

As Manami entered the room, she made a quick glance at the casting team, introduced herself and began.

Ring! Ring!

“Hello?” answered a man with silver hair and a splendid mustache.

Tobita Danjuro. 34 years old. Actor.

“Tobita-san!” replied his agent. “Great news! Bones Studios wants you to audition for a role in My Hero Academia! Can you make it tomorrow at 11am?”

“Yeah, sounds great!” answered Tobita as he wrote down the details his agent gave him about the studio.

Tobita Danjuro was also a prolific actor, but when it came to outstanding fame, you could call him “that guy from that thing”. But hey, work is work, and thankfully for Tobita, he always managed to find work.

“The heroes made it just in time!” quoted Aiba enthusiastically pumping her fist in the air, mimicking All Might’s pose during her audition.

“Good.” said the casting director. “Now try it as if you were villain about to be caught.”

Aiba nodded before giving a frustrated growl.

“The heroes made it just in time!” she quoted more menacingly standing in a defensive pose as if she was ready to fend off adversaries.

“Excellent. We will call you if we decide to move further with your audition.” The casting director concluded.

“Thank you.” said Aiba as she bowed and exited the room.

“What do you think?” The casting director asked his associates.

“I like her inflections, so I think we can use her in the show, even if as an extra” said one associate.

“If I can weigh in, I honestly think we can use her in a bigger role.” said another associate. “I’ve actually seen her perform in the western play “Much Ado about Nothing” as Hero and even as an alternate for the 2.5D musical of Naruto.”

“Which role did she play?” asked the casting director.

“Kushina.” answered the associate.

“Really!” The casting director said, surprised.

“Yeah, I understand that her height is unique, but I would like to do a callback for her to do La Brava.” said the associate.

“Anyone object?” asked the casting director.

After thinking it over, the others agreed and the auditions continued.

The next day, Tobita showed up for his audition.

Being handed a script, Tobita quickly memorized the cold read and began.

“To carve my name in history, for future generations! So that going forward, someone out there... will give a moment's thought to the way I lived, and aspire to it. And this dream is no longer mine alone. Today marks my first step towards true infamy. My dream would be trifling indeed if your words could move me to abandon my course! As you are a U.A. student... I assume you can comprehend... my penchant to dream.”

“Good. Good.” said the casting director. “I think we got what we needed. Thank you, Tobita-san.”

“Thank you.” said Tobita as he bowed and left the room.

“Honestly,” started the casting director. “I think we can use him for Gentle Criminal. All in favor?”

“Hai!” everyone agreed.

Cut to two weeks later at two different households.

“Aiba-San” started her agent over the phone.

“Tobita-san” started his agent over the phone.

“You got the callback.” Both told their respective clients.

A/N: See you next time!

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 191: Lo Sceicco Bianco (aka, The White Sheik)

Release date: September 20th, 1952 

Studio: P.D.C. 

Genre: comedy 

Director: Federico Fellini 

Producer: Luigi Rovere 

Actors: Alberto Sordi, Leopoldo Trieste, Brunella Bovo, Giulietta Masina 

Plot Summary: Ivan and Wanda are newlyweds honeymooning in Rome. Wanda is a dreamy young woman obsessed with soap opera photo comics of the day, and when she has the chance, she sneaks off to meet her ultimate romantic crush, The White Sheik. Events conspire to keep her from getting back to the hotel to be with her frantic husband, who has a prestigious bourgeois family waiting to meet his new bride.  

My Rating (out of five stars): ****¾  

I was eagerly anticipating this because I remembered it vividly from my film school days. I think I enjoyed it even more on the second viewing. It’s a quintessential lighter Fellini film with an eccentric kind of charming chaos and his trademark circusy feel. Underneath all the wild weirdness, though, there’s a lot of kindness and humanity. It’s not a serious film trying to make any grand statement, but for what it is, it’s a nearly perfect little film. 

The Good: 

Brunella Bovo as Wanda. The way she played an innocent sensitive starry-eyed girl made me giggle one moment and sympathize with her the next. Her eyes were so expressive, they slayed me. 

Leopoldo Trieste as Ivan. Oh my god, this guy! If you want to see an example of perfect comedic reaction shots, look at this. He was so good at playing a kind of dorky sheltered guy thrown into the craziest and most stressful situation at the absolute worst time.

Alberto Sordi as The White Sheik. I seriously liked the fact that he was kind of a schlub! He wasn’t extremely handsome, he was kind of paunchy, and he was just ok. That worked beautifully here for the comedy and critique of the industry. 

Giulietta Masina! Giulietta Masina! I love her, I love her, I love her. If I had to make a list of my favorite actors, she’d probably be in my top five. She’s so unique, she has enough charisma to fill an ocean, and she can rip your heart out or make you laugh with just a look. All of this was on display in the precious few minutes of screen time she had here. I couldn't take my eyes off her!

There was a little boy who played one of Ivan’s relatives, and something about his appearance just melted my heart. He wasn’t a flawlessly beautiful child actor- he looked like a real unpolished kid, and the imperfection was both adorable and funny. Just another example of the way Fellini was a master at casting. 

This is probably redundant considering answers 1-5, but the casting in this was bloody perfect! 

There were lots of wonderful colorful minor characters- the writer of the stories who Wanda first meets, the cranky female lead actress, The White Sheik’s wife, the two prostitutes... 

The music in it was SO Fellini. It sounded almost like circus music sometimes, and it was full of a sprightly, lilting, bounciness that was perfect for a slightly absurd comedy. 

The look it gave us into the world of 1950s Italian photo comics was really cool. The humorous evisceration of it all was fun. 

This was the first film Fellini directed alone, and so much of his genius was already apparent here. It’s visually interesting in a way that's different from a lot of the Neo-Realism that was happening in Italy at the time, but it borrows some from it as well. He’s one of those directors who is good at using every element to serve the story. All of his quirks heighten the story and emotion of the film.

The image I remembered most from my initial viewing of the film was The White Sheik's introduction where he was swinging on a huge swing high up in the sky. It was just as insanely delicious and odd when I saw it today!

The final lines. Fellini really knows how to deliver a moving line of dialogue and then punctuate it with humor. 

The Bad: 

 I don’t always love the way Italian films of this time shot without sound and layered everything in later. Sometimes it works and feels ever so Classic Italian Cinema, which was some of the best in world, but sometimes it can be a bit distracting. In this film it was kind of a mix for me.  

[nikkireedsource]

Nikki Reed Has a 5-Minute, Not-So-Hollywood Cleanse for You

The actress, newlywed, and wellness guru is opening up her pantry for a new recurring column.

Welcome to Take Five, my new recurring beauty and nutrition column on ELLE.com culled from a lifelong passion for animals, the outdoors, and feeling good. For me, the notion of taking five—whether the number pertains to ingredients in a food or just a moment to ask your body how it's feeling—can make all the difference. Consider this your 300-second-long wellness retreat.

Six years ago, while living in Greece, I was eating everything under the sun, but still felt really clean, pure, and wonderful. When I came back to the States, after a year of being abroad, I realized that I was just not feeling well: I was putting on weight; my skin wasn't good; and I couldn't figure out what the issue was. I started putting together my own theories about our food system (more on that later), and I realized that being gone for so long, and cleaning myself out the way I did, gave my body the opportunity to start over—if I wanted it.

I realized that there was something unhealthy happening with our food system (an awareness that eventually led my husband, Ian Somerhalder, and me to work as ambassadors for Thrive Market, an organic-at-wholesale company). In addition to my own evolving instincts, I tuned in to the habits of the people around me such as my uncle, a yoga instructor and raw vegan, and my brother—my super handsome, super buff brother—who is a perfect example of someone who can live within a mostly plant-based diet and still look the way he wants.

In addition to recalibrating the foods I was putting into my body, I began tinkering with making my own beauty products. I wish I had some super secret formula that makes my creations really unique, but I mostly use items I pick up from the natural food store. My rule is: If I can eat it, I can put it on my skin. Coconut oil mixed with olive oil is what I put on my body every day; I put rose hip oil on my face. If my hair feels dry, instead of going and buying something filled with chemicals, I put egg whites or avocados or mayonnaise in my hair. I leave it on there for an hour or two and I wash it out.

It may sound complicated, by my routine really is so, so basic. If you look at the Polynesian culture in Hawaii—a lot of my family is from Hawaii—you can see how what they put into their bodies manifests itself in other ways. Polynesian women are known for their long hair, glowing skin, and thick nails. And that comes from the local diet, which is mostly plant based with a little bit of fish and a lot of natural fats and oils. It's about eating things that are living and raw and applying that same logic to what you put on your skin and hair.

For me it's all about not ingesting chemicals. I tried for a long time to only eat things with less than five pronounceable ingredients—hence the name of this column. If you're lost and looking to press the reset button, that's kind of a cool, easy way to start. (FYI: You can find some really great protein bars and nut bars that still only have three or four ingredients, like ground-up cashews, honey, and cinnamon!) This may sound surprising for someone who works in Hollywood, but I do not count calories and I don't even care about weight gain, which I know sounds really bizarre. I listen to my body. I don't just wake up in the morning and cook whatever I eat.

Routinely I go, 'Hmm, what do I want today? What do I see? Is there oatmeal? Does that mean I need carbohydrates? Is it bananas? Do I need potassium?' If you actually take a second to ask your body what it wants before you feed it, it will answer. Okay, so I know I sound like a crazy person, but how is my philosophy any more extreme than people who say, 'I'll diet for 36 hours' or 'I just won't eat today'? Nothing drives me crazier than girls who are doing these cleanses.

You can cleanse by just eating well. Don't believe me? Next week I will show you how. Until then, breathe in, breathe out, and remember to take five. (Also, feel free to laugh at this pic of me making homemade almond milk.)

Original article

[shoppinghauer]

I'm gonna add something because I love The Simpsons. Even the older episodes had a charm out of context. I'm latina and I watched the latin dub. A LOT of jokes, if not all of them, were changed to fit LatAm humor. Granted, the humor was still 80's-90's stuff but the writing was so good, the jokes landed even if you wrote over the USA context.

In the english version, Homer lies to the FBI and tells them he and the other drunkards were discussing Ludwig Wittgenstein, an austrian philosopher known for his obscureness. While in the latam spanish version, he says they were dicussing Gabriel García Márquez, a literature Nobel prize, more known to latam audiences but also culturish enough to sound snobby.

Now, don't get me wrong, by the 90s, specially in Mexico, USA culture was extremely popular. After 1992 and the introduction of the NAFTA, usian cultural imports were more and more mainstream, after all, this is the decade were globalization garnered strenght.

However, if you notice The Simpson's narrative structure, the episodes were "dreamlike": the main plot wasn't the one that introduced the episode but a minor, side plot b that suddenly opened the path to the main one. This allowed to deepen side characters and relations beyond their punchline and beyond the Simpson's family while mantaining an intelligible structure.

Gags were written for characters no the other way around. The Simpsons were by no means a perfect product, after all, they gave us "flanderization" as a concept. It was predictable though, there are just so many jokes you can make about the contrasting personalities of each character before it gets stale.

Nowadays, the contradictions that made each character unique were polarized or eliminated. Ned Flanders was the "just a cut above the rest" better neighbor, not a Jesus freak. Patty and Selma were the bitter spinsters who traveled a lot, had lots of free time and most importantly, were right about Homer. Smithers was a sycophantic yes man whose crush on Mr.Burns was less a "haha gay funny" character and more a "who in their right mind could fall for the worst person alive". All of these tropes were relatable to people worldwide despite cultural differences. In fact, a lot of dub actors and actresses work on top of them adding the cultural context it needed to succeed. Fast forward to 2000's. The cultural differences have flattened. With the popularization of the internet, inside jokes become memes, funny only within the context of online humor: fast and non-sensical.

News travel at lightspeed, to have a cultural context you must swallow these bullet speed pellets of pop culture. Celebrities become more and more niche and the shared culture becomes fragmented. The dreamlike narrative of older episodes cannot stand this, there is just no solid enough context that frames the gags. Notice how modern usamerican sitcoms build their own lore and derivate their own jokes after it. the office, community, even friends, thrive on the in universe drama their characters provide. The closest we had to a popculture sitcom was The Big Bang theory and it proved too bland to actually be good the way the Simpsons were.

In Latam at least, corporate greediness stopped letting the dub actors work on the writing. Now everything had to be approved by Fox. This flattened even more the context and made it homogeneous among dubs.

The fall of the Simpsons is not only because of the writers and company greed but also because how culture is created in a post-internet world.

Watched this video (very well done):

These are the comments that can pretty much sum up the title for you:

[lastofusfandom]

Documentary

“How do you start this show?” This documentary started this way to show us just how hard of a process it was to transform a video game into a film adaptation. They use actors and video developers to prove the authenticity of the documentary. They had the old voice actors from characters from the video game, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, which was a very neat part to me given that was the way the franchise was introduced to me.

Neil Druckmann was the creator, writer, and executive producer of the video game and said that there are people that might never pick up a controller so he wanted to show the world how amazing the game truly was. Pedro Pascal, the actor of Joel in the show, talked about his experiences when accepting the role in the show; his sister's nephews even knew about the video game and pushed him to accept the role. The actress who played Ellie in the show, Bella Ramsey, was advised actually not to play the video games so as to not copy the original voice actor's version of Ellie, but to become her own unique version. She did admit it was too hard to stay away from it and she did watch some of the gameplay from the videogame. Ashley Johnson said in the documentary that she was excited for Bella Ramsey to take over her character after watching her act in hit shows such as Game of Thrones. Pascal stated that he thought the producers did a great job with the script because they were able to explore and nourish certain parts of the show to expand the game to what the show was capable of. Pascal also spoke about the internal life of the characters saying that he was thrilled with the way the show dug deeper into the characters' lives from the game and gave them all a thrilling backstory in the show.

“You wanna know what the biggest surprise of adapting The Last of Us is?” Neil Druckmann, the creator of the game, was very generous, flexible, and smart to be able to reinvent The Last of Us in the way that he did. The show will bring in various scientific side cuts to show how serious of a tone they were trying to take and emphasize the worldwide dangers of the cordyceps fungi and everyone's scared reactions to the disease. They said they wanted to show the viewers the reality of the science behind the show. Barrie Gower, the visual designer of the fungus and humans on the show, explained why he made the progression of turning into a fungal zombie the way they do. They talk about how the actors who played infected in the show did a very good job and were dedicated to performing the task they were put up to. They brought in the old clicker voice actors that were from the video, as well as introduced a new male clicker in the show.

The show had location managers go out and scout places for the show to travel across the United States. The abandoned mall site they used in the show was demolished right after they were done using it in the show. They used something so old and dilapidated but made it look so amazing in the show to get demolished right afterward. They brought in people to shovel snow from around an area to use in their one setting and included three hundred and fifty dump trucks worth of snow to cover their area for it to snow right after they were done that night. They used four big wind machines to create the snow drift effect in the show. They used a completely empty field to create the cul de sac scene where they put 5 houses and a plow truck that blew into many cars and even a house that exploded later on. For that scene, they selected a whole library of scenes that they compiled onto each other to get the best effect for the show.

The Bloater was one of the most exciting things to see re-created in the show. They used cgi because they needed to make the bloater move faster and have inhuman motions that an actor in their prosthetic suit just could not do. 

[clarklovescarole]

April 1936: Pictured Together

April 1, 1936 – The Argos Reflector

Inside Gossip: Last week’s famous matinee idol, who is reported to be seeing much of Carole Lombard, is Clark Gable.

April 19, 1936 – St. Louis Post Dispatch

WHEN I WAS at Paramount a day or so ago, Carole Lombard came in looking chic in a gray tailored costume. She was to have some stills made – ordinary photographs to you – of her last picture to use for fan mail which is very heavy. And maybe, too, they were being made for Clark Gable, for that romance which started out as more or less of a joke is taking on a much more serious aspect and they are seen constantly together.

April 20, 1936 – The Des Moines Register

Filmland’s latest romance rumor began when Carole Lombard, film actress, sent Clark Gable, screen star, a unique valentine – an old broken down lizzie, festooned with paper hearts. This is the first time they’ve been pictured in public together, and the camera man discovered them at the midget auto races in Hollywood. 

April 21, 1936 – The Tribune

Frequent appearances together at Hollywood resorts has lent credence to reports that Carole Lombard, former wife of William Powell, and Clark Gable are planning to middle-aisle it. Their romance started when Miss Lombard presented Gable with a dilapidated automobile as a valentine joke.

April 22, 1936 – The Minneapolis Star

The Carole Lombard-Clark Gable business will bear watching. They see each other all the time. Both being whimsical that way, they travel about in the once dilapidated flivver which she gave Clark for a valentine present and which he spent $300 having fixed up.

April 26, 1936

William Powell and Carole Lombard still rub noses when they meet.

They adopted this good old Eskimo custom when they were man and wife. Divorced, they keep it up. 

Powell and Miss Lombard are working together now in a picture, “My Man Godfrey.” When they walked on the set for the first day’s shooting, it was the first time in many months they had met. They scanned each other carefully, for a moment, in silence. Then – 

“Hello, Bill.”

“Hello, Carole.” 

As though at a signal, they walked up to each other and rubbed noses, bursting in to affectionate laughter.

Miss Lombard was Mrs. William Powell for two years and two months. Then, without preliminaries, she flew to Reno and won a sealed divorce. The complaint was incompatibility and for once movie colony gossips had no “low down” to offer on the breakup. It was understood they just weren’t happy in the limits of the wedding ring.

But amiability and even friendly affection characterize their relationship now. On the “set” between scenes, they seem to find a lot to talk about.

Occasionally, Miss Lombard linked her arm through her ex-husband’s or leaned against him, one hand on his shoulder.

They consult each other constantly on what actors call “business,” that is, inflections of the voice on particular bits of dialogue or facial expressions in specific scenes; in short, the modes and means of acting.

“What do you think of this, Carole?” Powell will say. She replies and frequently asks his advice on some little problem of her own.

There are love scenes, but no actual clinches in “My Man Godfrey.”

Neither would discuss the situation in relation to the present.”

We’ll be glad to talk about pictures in general, this picture in particular, or anything you want,” Powell grinned. “But the past – is the past.” 

retrieved from The Birmingham News

April 28, 1936 – Hartford Courier

That Clark Gable-Carole Lombard romance is still in the sizzling stage. “If only they could act as well in front of the camera!” sighed Hal Roach at a recent Beverly Hills party.

April 30, 1936 – The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Clark Gable is actually driving the pristine $25 flivver that Carole Lombard gave him as a gag. He has had the valves ground and the body painted white. The result is terrific, if not colossal. Mr. Gable drives it everywhere, but hasn’t yet dared ask his chauffeur to take the wheel.

[decomarc]

Barbara Stanwyck on screen was down-to-earth, accomplished, and self-assured. She was immediately home in any milieu and in any costume, though dry and perhaps somewhat cynical. With Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, she makes a Hollywood triumvirate of "strong" women. Like them, in a couple of films she menaced, the frightened heroine, but it was unlikely casting. Barbara was in her element running the show, directing traffic. She was/is an incomparably better actress than Crawford, and she measures up to Davis at her best. But she was never as bad as Davis got in some of her thrillers. In fact, she never gave a bad performance. Barbara remains a one-of-a-kind breed. Unlike most major starts, she has never been subject to temperament on the sound stage and has remained throughout the years one of the most liked players on film sets. Barbara Stanwyck has rarely sunk to self-caricature. As a matter of fact, her professional posture is too tough, too honest, and and self-styled to be carbon-copied easily or successfully (Her one professional vulnerability is her cultivated diction which wavers incongruously back into Brooklynese enunciation on occasion). As a superstar Barbara realized that to have a successful show business career required adapting with the times like Joan Crawford. During her decades on screen, she altered her image to suit changing public taste. But bursting through it all she has an engrossing individuality. Reliable Stanwyck made her movie reputation in the 1930's as the self-sufficient Miss who survived by hock or by crook. Perhaps the penultimate Stanwyck performance of her earlier cinema years was the much-censored Baby Face 1933, Warner Brothers). If anything supercharged Barbara's screen career in the late 1930's it was her romance and marriage to MGM's handsome screen idol Robert Taylor. It demonstrated to moviegoers that the off screen actress had definite sexuality and desirability about her, qualities which frequently eluded the camera in her film roles. Most, veteran moviegoers think of Stanwyck in terms of ultimate screen neurotics. Double Indemnity (1944), And The Strange Of Lover's Of Martha Ivers (1946) are excellent examples of this stereotyping. Devotees of this type of Stanwyck performance relish her machine-gun delivery of vituperative dialogue, as her insolent character's would delivery with relish and extreme credibility. But there is also Stanwyck the facile comedienne, who could shine in Preston Sturges' witty The Lady Eve (1941), or radiate as an amusing stripper in Ball Of Fire (1941), and in Lady Of Burlesque (1943). And what of the romantic Stanwyck, the heroine of Remember The Night (1940), Christmas In Connecticut (1945), and of course her personal role in My Reputation (1946). In the 1950's, when film roles became fewer (or non-ex-existent) for mature stars of Barbara magnitude, she readily accepted assignments in lesser films (B-movies). In this period, she capered through a series of Westerns, a genre she always preferred since the days of Annie Oakley (1936) and Union Pacific (1939). Once again she demonstrated how integrity of performance, uniqueness of character (her lioness like, prowling walk; her snarling delivery of dialogue), and expert stunting ability could make even the best plausible quickie Western film interesting to the viewer. Although she had tried her luck with an anthology series in 1960, it was it was an hour-long program, "The Big Valley" (1964-1969), which brought her renewed popularity, a good many awards, and a chance to demonstrate her mettle against the new breed of generally marshmallow performers. Truly, Barbara Stanwyck is in every way exemplary of the term "Legend."

joy’s 1K follower celebration: 💜 + Barbara Stanwyck for @lindir

Barbara Stanwyck as Nan Taylor in Ladies They Talk About (1933), dir. William Keighley & Howard Bretherton.

[heyyyharry]

Deja Vu (part 2 of 'Drivers License')

(inspired by deja vu by Olivia Rodrigo)

Word count: 2.5k

Read part 1 here

.

.

.

“What the fuck is this?”

Harry flinched as his girlfriend shoved the phone at him. He’d just got out of the shower, hair still dripping wet, but it wasn’t so out of the ordinary that she would start a fight first thing in the morning.

He sighed and gently pushed her phone away from his face. “Baby, if it’s another rumour about me cheating on you...I was with you this whole week!”

“No.” She lifted the phone up to his face again. “That girl just released another song about you.”

Even though Harry didn’t let it show, whenever he heard about Y/N, his heart would always skip a beat. He couldn’t remember exactly when the last time they’d spoken was, but he knew in his last message to her, he’d congratulated her on that new song about him. She’d never replied, and he’d taken it as the answer — they could never go back to the way it was.

It had broken his heart to listen to ‘drivers license’. Y/N had never been the kind of person to be vocal about her feelings. Or maybe she’d expressed it through actions instead of words, and he had been too nonchalant to see? He hadn’t meant to break her heart and leave her in the dust. After all, she used to be his best friend.

“Y/N’s a songwriter. She writes about her own experience the same way I do. Maybe that song is not even about me, babe,” he calmly told his girlfriend, who was standing in front of him with fresh tears in her eyes. He hated to see her cry, and he hated that this wasn’t the first time she’d done it because of him. He tried to reach for her but she stepped back, shaking her head.

“Listen to the song.”

“Baby.”

“Listen to the song,” his girlfriend repeated without looking at him. “Why are you so afraid?”

“I’m not.”

“Then listen to it and tell me it’s not about you, and that she’s not throwing shades at me. I’m so tired of this girl telling the world about how horrible we are as if you had even dated her in the first place—”

“Fine,” Harry exhaled sharply, his eyes pinched shut. He hated that when his girlfriend got mad, she would get so mean for no reason, and the last thing he wanted to hear right now was her insulting Y/N. He knew Y/N. She had always been respectful to his new relationship. However, he wasn’t in the position to tell his girlfriend how to feel about this situation. He knew it was all his fault, so he stayed quiet, took the phone from his girlfriend and sat down on the edge of the bed. His girlfriend stood with her back against the wall facing him, waiting for him to play the song so she could see his reaction to it.

“Go on,” she told him, her voice emotionless.

Harry looked at the song on Spotify. It was titled deja vu. He took a deep breath and one last look at his girlfriend before finding enough courage to press play.

Y/N’s previous song about him had been blasted in every shop he’d visited, all the time when he was filming, every time he was in the car, and now, the moment he heard her voice again, it really did feel like deja vu.

Car rides down Malibu

Strawberry ice cream

One spoon for two…

.

.

.

“Are we there yet?”

“No, stop being so impatient! Just keep on driving!” Y/N said and looked out of the window on the passenger side. The sun was going down, and the horizon was gradually turning the colour of an egg yolk. It was their last day in Miami. They had been filming for every day that week, and this was the only day they could spend just for themselves.

Harry stole a glance at Y/N and saw that she’d finished half the strawberry ice cream while bobbing her head to the song Uptown Girl on the radio. He frowned, making her laugh when she noticed.

“Open your mouth,” she said and fed him a spoon of ice cream.

“Ahh, brain freeze!”

“But it’s good, isn’t it?”

“So good.” Harry licked his lips. The face he made got Y/N laughing harder.

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a secluded beach. Y/N had found this place when she traveled to this city alone two summers ago and almost got lost.

Together, she and Harry carried their picnic things through a palm forest, and by the time they saw the ocean, the moon had made a fading presence on the pink Miami sky.

Y/N picked up her shoes and ran towards the waves, letting it chase her back into Harry’s arms and nearly knocking him over. Their laughter echoed in the wind as their shadows stretched out long and lanky on the empty beach. In that very moment, it felt to Harry as if they were the only people in this world, and he had a sense of peace that he might never be able to experience again.

“You don’t get to see this in the city,” Y/N said dreamily as she pulled Harry’s jacket tighter around herself. It was dark now, and the sky above them was full of stars. They sat shoulder to shoulder on a picnic blanket, listening to the whispers of the ocean and the wind. Harry used Y/N’s jacket as a blanket because it was too small for him to put on. They’d laughed for five minutes straight when she told him he looked like that monkey from Aladdin and took plenty of photos just to prove the point.

“I don’t want to leave tomorrow,” he said, still looking at the sky.

“Me neither,” Y/N sighed, her shoulder brushing his. There was a pause, and he could feel her eyes on him, so he turned and saw her looking. “When I get home,” she said with a small smile that made her eyes sparkle, “I’ll learn to drive, and when we come to Miami next time, I can drive you to this beach.”

“I’d love that,” Harry said, then made her pink-promise him.

.

.

.

“They went to Miami last week.”

Y/N blinked. The beach and starry sky disappeared in a second, and she found herself once again standing in the fitting room with her stylist and best friend.

“What?” her best friend marched over to where she stood in front of the full-length mirror.

Her stylist was holding the phone up to show her the article. “Here. Harry took that actress to Miami last week.”

“Don’t show her these!” Y/N’s best friend grabbed the phone and put it on the vanity desk as she gestured to the stylist. “You do your work. Enough chit-chatting.”

“I took him there,” Y/N said. She didn’t even recognise her own voice at first because she was too in shock. She didn’t think Harry would do something like that. But let’s be honest -- how much did she really know about him?

It had been a few months since his last text to her, which she had ignored, and now her song had been overplayed, and nobody cared about the drama anymore. The whole world had moved on, and she had, too. Or so she’d thought. Now, seeing these pictures of him and his girlfriend on that Miami beach made Y/N feel betrayed.

“Asshole,” her best friend said and grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t worry baby. You’re prettier.”

Y/N worked up a smile and opened her mouth to say that she was fine, but then she heard someone call her name and turn around. They weren’t calling for her. Just a name similar to hers that had become an inside joke between her and her friends.

The moment she locked eyes with Harry’s girlfriend, her heart seemed to stop as she held her breath, her lips thinned as if to hold back a scream. She didn’t know the girl personally and had never run into her before today. How unfortunate that they had to be in the same room after Y/N had seen those Miami pics.

“What is she doing here?” Y/N’s best friend asked the stylist the question Y/N was too afraid to ask.

“Fitting for an event, I guess,” the stylist said.

Y/N told them to just ignore the others and mind their own business. The sooner they got the measurements, the faster she could leave. Or she could leave right now and come back another day, but that would make it look like the other girl’s presence was bothering her. They were both actresses, and so they would have to run into each other at some point. She must be professional about it. This was normal. Just act normal.

“He’s so unique,” Harry’s girlfriend said while laughing with her team. Y/N didn’t mean to overhear the conversation, but apparently, the girl was making sure that Y/N heard her loud and clear. “We were watching reruns of Glee last night, and he even sang to me and told me he loved me inbetween the chorus and the verse. Don’t touch the jacket! It’s Harry’s and it’s Gucci. We exchange jackets sometimes. Isn’t that adorable?”

“Show off,” Y/N’s best friend scoffed while shaking her head.

Y/N didn’t say anything. In her mind, she agreed with her best friend for a second and immediately felt that she was being petty so she forced herself to just be nonchalant about it.

She could not. She could not ignore the fact that she’d been replaced as if she didn’t matter. Harry was doing all the things he used to do with her with his new girl. Even taken her to that Miami beach. Their place.

Y/N bit her lip and tried to hold back the half-formed tears in her eyes as the stylist went on talking about the fabric. She chose a random one just to get this over with.

“I hope that fucker gets deja vu.”

“What?” Y/N blinked at her best friend, who gave a mean shrug as she glared at the girl.

“He’s probably thinking of you while doing all that shit with her.”

Y/N pondered over it. Over and over. Even after the girlfriend’s laughter had faded down the hallway, and Y/N was also packing up to leave the studio. Her best friend’s words stayed with her as she got into the car and watched the street of London pass by her window.

That night, when she was alone in her living room with her piano. She sat down and started playing a few experimental chords. Then, she cried. Her tears blurred the handwritten lyrics on her notebook as she tried again.

“I have this idea,” she told her manager on the phone before sending the recording. It was three in the morning.

“Oh my god,” her manager exclaimed, sounding much more enthusiastic than he had when picking up her call. “This song...is so gonna win a Grammy!”

.

.

.

Y/N’s song had won a Grammy.

They had talked about it for so long. Harry had encouraged her to pursue a singing career, because she’d started out as an actress but was blessed with the most beautiful voice he had ever heard.

Ironic, wasn’t it? Now he was sitting at the front row and looking up at her as she received the award from an artist she looked up to, for the song written about him. She smiled at the crowd as the light shone on her and everyone was cheering because she deserved this. She said her thanks and expressed her gratitude to her family, her teams and her fans. She didn’t say his name. He hadn’t hoped that she would, because he knew there was no way his name would come with a positive message. So he was kind of glad she hadn’t mentioned him.

His girlfriend squeezed his arm as if she knew what he was thinking of. He smiled at his girlfriend. A smile of reassurance. They had put it behind them and promised to try again after all the fights about the song they were playing right now. Nothing would change after tonight. Because there was nothing Harry could change.

He caught Y/N’s eyes for one brief moment as she ascended the stage. Although he was sure he loved his girlfriend, there was something about that look that made him sad. Would he be happier to come here with Y/N tonight instead of his girlfriend? He wouldn’t know, because that would never happen. He didn’t even know if she still resented him, or if she was still the same person he remembered. A lot could change in a day let alone many months. And it was scary to think someone you used to know so much had become a complete stranger. The opposite of love wasn’t hate. It was indifference. And Harry felt it deeply as Y/N never paid him a second glance.

At the after-party, he worked up the courage to approach her when he found her standing alone texting on her phone.

“Hi. How are you?” he said.

Y/N looked at him as if she couldn’t understand English. If she ignored him and walked away, this would be the most humiliating moment of his life.

But no. She pressed her lips into a gentle smile and said, “I’m good. How are you?”

“Good.” He nodded, wanting to shake her hand, but his fingers stayed glued together behind his back. “Congratulations on your win.”

“Thank you.” She picked up the glass of wine on the table beside them, and Harry knew he’d lost his chance of shaking her hand tonight. “Did you like the song?”

“Yeah. It was good,” he said, finding it difficult to hold eye contact with her. There was something new about her that unsettled him, and he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For speaking out about it.”

“Oh.” Y/N showed no emotion as she shrugged. “It’s alright. I only said the truth. The song was fictional, and I don’t want anyone to get hate for it.”

They both knew it wasn’t true, and he couldn’t tell her that his girlfriend had almost broken up with him for it. Even if he had told her that, he didn’t think Y/N would care. She didn’t look like the Y/N he knew anymore. Suddenly, he recalled that night on the beach, when she was still looking at him with feelings.

“Look, Y/N, I—”

Before he got a chance to form a proper thought for what he was going to say, his girlfriend, who was obviously drunk, shouted from somewhere behind him. “Babe, Jeff’s wearing a tiny jacket! He looks more like the monkey than you!”

Harry looked at Y/N. She held his gaze. The corners of her red lips quirked as she raised her glass. “Deja vu?”

Just like that, she left him standing there all by himself.

[libelelle]

OK HERE IT IS content warning for discussions of death and horror movie stuff below. Nothing graphic but it's there

OK to start, I'm gonna poke at the development and my general impressions of how they did all this. So one thing that is important to note about the quiet place is that the protagonist is Deaf. Not only this but they taught all the actors involved how to sign with asl experts and gave the actress an interpreter on set. These are appropriate accommodations to make for something like this! The actress had a hand also in helping the other actors learn to sign and their characters each had unique incharacter ways of signing! I like that! On the other hand, the Silence casted a hearing actress and is criticized for the sign language and the poor representation of Deaf culture. I actually noticed that the sign language in the Silence was inconsistent and weird. They use lip reading as a crutch. I didn't like how they did it but I'm not qualified to speak on it much more. One thing about sign language in the quiet place however, it doesn't have a lot of focus. Signs are partially cut out of frame and blocked, often enough that I couldn't always tell what movement they made. Subtitles told us what was being said but I'd prefer if I could see it.

Next thing is immersion. Watching the Silence was hard because I never felt immersed yknow? The acting felt awkward and like. Idk one thing that bothered me was the sound design. In a movie where noise is supposed to be a death sentence, it is wayyyyyyy overused. Whenever there is a moment of rest for the characters I get slapped with the [serene piano music]. They talked almost constantly. When a damning noise happened, it never made me frightened. I never jumped. Because the sound design is treated very similarly to a normal movie, just with certain times where it's silent, lkke someone took a normal movies soundtrack and erased a few gaps. I adore the sound design in the quiet place cause noise feels SCARCE. everything is so quiet that every sound feels amplified and it really helps me feel like I'm there yknow? Also like there was narration some times and tbh it doesn't feel like it belongs there, in a horror movie about being dead silent.

Losing focus but I want to bitch about the monsters. Cause I'm a hater and i love biology. THOSE THINGS MAKE NO SENSEEEE. IN EITHER MOVIE. I can forgive the quiet place for more because presumably they are aliens and don't work the same, but what kind of creature expends so much energy listening for, then hunting down, then maiming violently, only to abandon the 30+ corpses to kill something new. That's not how predators work. Predators conserve energy cause hunting is HARD. they eat their prey while they can cause there's no guarantee that it'll stay untouched for long. They don't slaughter anything and everything. It's also unrealistic that one of these things can hear and pinpoint a noise from miles away, but then be unable to hear a heartbeat in the same room. This is also unsustainable. If these things eat meat (debatable, given the abandonment of their kills, but why are they killing?????) They are depleting their resources way too fast. They'd have died out this far into the crisis, cause there isn't enough food, CAUSE THEY KILLED IT ALL. That's my gripes with the monsters in the good place in short form. Next: those cave bat things. The "vesps" come from a darkkkk cave. Dark cave. That's why they can't see. And why they hear good. Hmm. They don't have ecolocation though. Also cannot hear heartbeats. Btw FASCINATED by that cave they came out of..... pitch black, yet somehow able to support thousands and thousands of carnivorous bats for long enough that they evolved blindness and super hearing. Assume this was a closed ecosystem since none of these things got out. WHAT. DID. THEY. EAT. I can't have been meat. Or plants. Like idk I'm so confused. I'm not even sure why they would leave either, since it was the environment they were built for and it seemed to be able to support them perfectly fine. I will give them this though, they did address the method of reproduction and environmental limits even if they don't make sense. They also were shown to actually consume what they killed, and the scale of death is realistic due to how many of them there were.

The quiet place >>>> the silence

[angelkurenai]

So much for a surprise - Chris Evans x Reader

Title: So much for a surprise

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Warnings: None

Prompt: I'd love a chris evans x reader one shot, where they're dating, and after the knives out movie, he's been spending a lot of time with his co-star Ana de Armas, and like in one specific interview she was getting very flirty and such with Chris, and touching his arm and stuff, and I'd just want to see how you'd interpret jealous!reader, and Chris reacting to that jealousy!!

Looking at your phone, for what seemed like the millionth time that day, you tried to suppress a sigh, though you couldn't help the roll of your eyes. Despite the amount of messages and notifications, and there were plenty for sure, none of them including your boyfriend.

You didn't want to hold it against him, after all you knew he was particularly busy these days what with all the interviews and promoting his newest movie. And despite all the games and laughs it could be, or at least it seemed to be to the rest of the world, you were an actress yourself and understood that it could be tiring, exhausting and on more than one occasions very nerve-wracking especially if one was already anxious about taking on a new role after years of being famous for another one. You understood because you had gone through all of that yourself, and you could have excused his lack of contact. You would have, really, if it wasn't for the fact that those interviews were no longer part of his job and a stressful one at that. No, if anything, they were obviously only an excuse now.

An excuse to not answer phone calls or messages, an excuse to spend less time at home, an excuse to make plans to go out with without you – oh you couldn't even remember the last time it had been just the two of you out for a simple drink – an excuse to pull further apart from you, an excuse fool around and be playful with another woman. It was that last part which brought a bitter taste in your mouth. If it was his friends, long-time ones or not, you wouldn't have paid so much attention to it but when he said that he was going out for the third time in a row with Ana and maybe some costar might tag along but he didn't know then there was only so much you could take.

You didn't doubt him, you would never doubt him or his fidelity to you, because you knew the kind of man you had beside you. After years of being together you how much he loved you, he made sure show it every chance he got and made sure you never forgot it, so you always trusted him even if he more often than not ended up surrounded by so many beautiful women at a time. But that didn't mean you could trust her, just like you couldn't blame her. Alright maybe you could andyou would if she ever tried anything with Chris, but the lingering touches or easy smiles and casually frequent glances were no reason for you to start anything or try to hold it against her. Not yet.

You could very easily hold it against him, though. For allowing all of it, but above all for allowing himself to be pulled away from you because of another woman. It wasn't your fault that you couldn't stop the pang in your chest. You weren't to blame for the way your heart squeezed, a bit painfully sometimes too. It was not on you that whenever he said, in that casual simple way that “Oh just going out with Ana.” as if she was his girlfriend of three years and not you, you felt your throat close up and your eyes burn with something akin to unshed tears. You refused to believe it was tears and you refused to believe that he was hurting you, that this situation was hurting you, when it could all easily be just in your head so instead you shrugged most of it off.

“Hey, we were-” the man started but paused when he saw the deep frown that had set on your face, the concern that slipped on his features was touching to say the least. Especially as he gave a small sign to his friends and approached you. Your friends as well and you tended to forget that lately just like you couldn't enjoy anything good that happened to you because of how things with Chris were but then again you had not shared much of it with him and when you didn't get to share your happiness with him it always tended to feel less true or real.

“Are you alright?” the hand on your shoulder along with the small squeeze and warmth it brought was comforting in a way you had almost forgotten you wanted but clearly more than needed, you realized.

“Just fine, don't worry about me. Going without any sleep for two days in a row kind of takes a toll on you, I guess.” you shrugged softly, slowly tucking your phone in your pocket; hoping even in the last couple seconds that there would be a message from your boyfriend.

“Are you trying to be reassuring now?” his eyebrows rose “Cause you're doing a really shitty job at it let me tell you. Hey remind me again who you've been taking acting lessons from at first? Hugh Jackman? Well it shows.”

“No, I swear I-” you couldn't help the giggle that left your lips, feeling light even for a few second “I am alright, really. A tad tired but only because I had so many scenes today. I recover fast and I have tomorrow off so all will be good. It's not anything I'm not used to.”

“I-” his small smile dropped in the end, worry showing through once more “Are you sure? Because I've seen you check your phone plenty of times in between breaks so I worried that- Well, something might've happened.”

“No, it's- Well, I expected some phone call or message from my boyfriend but apparently he's still busy with interviews, so I might just have to go ahead and meet him in person there. We might go out later... I think. We usually do every Friday so...” you trailed off and shrugged, not wanting to burden him with unnecessary worries and information despite how close you were lately.

“Oh well, in that case-” he nodded his head, glancing over his shoulder for a second before facing you again “It seems like you've already got plans with him then but uhm in case anything happens and you're off early or in the mood for drinks we know where we will be-”

“Oh but I'm not sure if I will have time to-” you said with slight worry and wide eyes.

“I know, I know.” he chuckled softly, quickly trying to calm you down “Just letting you know in case there's an off chance that it happens. We'll be waiting for you either way. I'll be waiting.”

You didn't dare say much to him after that, only gave him a shy smile and nod with a promise to at least try, and him that he was alright with anything, and watched him leave with the rest of your friends before you got in your own car to make your way to the studios where the interviews would be held. For the first time, probably in days if not weeks, you felt much lighter. Maybe it was good to see that you were wanted somewhere, in someone's company even though it wasn't your boyfriend's - despite your deepest hopes.

If only your good mood could last for longer than the whole 30 minutes of the ride, that would have been ideal. However, in the end, part of you wished that said interview was probably on the other side of the globe instead of so close to your filming location. Because as you walked into the studio, try as you might, you couldn't hold back the lump in your throat as you saw the scene in front of you.

“Don't know what that is but it sounds good!” Chris said with a grin on his face, soon followed by easy laughter from both him and Ana.

Ana's hand was in that very second on his arm, giving a small squeeze as they kept laughing together, until it slowly but surely started sliding down until her hand was holding his. The interview kept going and they both had smiles on, an occasional laugh escaping here and there. Her hand remained with his long enough for you to notice how he thumb was rubbing soothing circles one moment and playing with his fingers the next in a slow and easy manner that you knew he loved, you knew relaxed him even in the most stressful situations – especially during interviews which you knew he always needed – and that you knew... was your thing. Or at least so you thought.

And apparently you had been mistaken for at least three years now. You had been mistaken to think those warm comforting touches were just for the two of you to share and say things without having to verbally phrase them. You had been mistaken to think that the smile you saw on his face as he looked at Ana was saved just for you. You had been mistaken to believe that the way his face softened and his eyes focused with an unmistakable spark of interest were reserved just for you when you spoke to him about things you loved and not also her as she answered a question that very moment. You had been mistaken to think that the way his shoulder fell in relaxation, in easiness and comfort, as if coming back home for a long day, was reserved just for you and was something that came naturally. As naturally as the feeling of love which he so openly showed both with his actions and words whenever he saw you... or at least used to.

Come to think of it, many of the things you had been considering as important, as unique, for the two of you, were probably nothing more than maybe you getting sentimental or worse too attached. And, for sure you now realized, not happening lately much if not at all. But maybe that was to be expected when you were hardly spending any time together whatsoever. Maybe even not as meaningful... not as true?

But if that love, if those looks and touches and words, were not true then what else about your relationship was in the first place? What was real? What was unique? If he could so easily relax around her, flirt with her and accept her flirting back so easily, so openly then-

You shook your head and tore your eyes from the scene before you, effectively silencing their laughter in your head, even though it already sounded very far off. The unpleasant feeling was back, squeezing your heart, tightening your stomach in knots and making your eyes burn. The bad taste in your mouth, as your throat closed, was there too and you decided to bite on the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from saying or doing anything you wouldn't like. Even the taste of blood was better, anything was better, really than the bitterness that came when you watched them interact like that.

You were above this, had always been especially with all the fans and female costars he had that got a bit more handsy and yes, you brushed most of it off. Most of it, when your blood wasn't boiling like it was right now because of how long this had gone on for.

Watching Chris making his way towards you, with his usually warm smile -even though you couldn't feel its sentiment at the moment -and a clear look of surprise on his face to see you there you felt that over the bitterness, you did feel mad. What you heard didn't help.

“Hey, Chris, don't forget about the meetup later yeah?” it was Ana and really you had nothing against her, not anymore, and not much more than your boyfriend.

Especially when he looked at her with a smile and nod “Sure thing I'll meet up with you there.”

“Honey, hey!” he breathed out and pecked your lips though you didn't even blink up at him, let alone smile “What a surprise, what are you doing here?”

“Surprise huh?” maybe you had originally planned it as that but now even the word made you huff angrily “Oh I'm not sure, maybe you would know better if you did check your phone once in a while. What the fuck is wrong with you, I called you so many times, Chris. Damn it I almost thought something happened. You always answer at least for a couple seconds, you always-” you stopped yourself immediately when you realized you were close to raising your voice and causing a scene which was the last thing you wanted.

Chris' eyes were somewhat wide and his smile had vanished. He considered your expression and stance for a few more seconds before he said in more serious voice “Maybe you'd like to talk in private then?”

Shaking your head, you huffed a humorless laugh but followed him as he took hold of your hand, linking your fingers and leading you away from the main set. No sooner were you alone than you pulled your hand from his grasp, not fact or angrily, only in a cold way without a single emotion on your face which you saw made his frown deepen.

“What's the matter baby?” he asked, voice low and somehow hoarse as he saw you wrap your arms around yourself and take a step back from him. A flush of hurt was visible in his eyes and you didn't like that it felt good to see it, but it was what it was.

“No first, let me ask you a question Chris.” you took a deep breath, trying to straighten your back “Do you know what day it is today?”

“Friday, why are you-”

“Oh so you do know, splendid! Then you haven't lost track of the date and you certainly haven't lost your phone or anything because you would have mentioned it when I brought it up. Which means you haven't been checking it or have checked, seen my calls, and didn't bother. Both of which, especially today, are equally bad. So, to sum it up-” you let out a shaky sigh “You don't give a damn about me anymore.”

“What?” he blinked in surprise “Where did that-”

“You know it's Friday and we always make plans for Friday night, always Chris. You make sure to text me about it first thing in the morning every single time. No matter where we are, even when we cannot be together, because we had promised. You had, Chris, because you knew. You knew how important it was to me to know even in the most simple way that my partner cares, you knew how much I needed that and I never asked for more never cared for more than just an hour out of your day, you knew better than anyone what I've gone through, and you promised Chris!” you pressed your fingers over your pursed lips when you realized you'd let yourself get carried away, raising your voice was not something you wanted. His eyes did widen this time and his eyebrows shot up.

You shook your head and made sure to wipe any sort of emotion from your face. Mostly caring to wipe out the proof of pain, that is, which you had been constantly feeling, because you were absolutely fine with him seeing the anger. If he managed to attribute it to your jealousy as well then you didn't care, you were beyond that now. If only it was as easy for the tears to be concealed.

You looked at him, and despite your red-rimmed eyes, your voice was low and cold “You always made sure to call. For the past three years. You never missed a single day. Until today. But of course-” you laughed bitterly, your words laced with venom as you nearly glared at him “You already made plans with somebody else, didn't you honey?”

“What- No, I-” he shook his head, eyebrows knitted together and baby blue eyes glistening with sadness and, dare you say, guilt “That's not what it looks like. Really, if this is about it then I promise I- (Y/n), of course you're welcome!”

“Welcome where? Cause I don't feel welcome anywhere in your life, Chris, let alone around her. And no it's clearly not just about this, but how would you even know how you've been making me feel all this time when you're hardly ever around, Chris?” you hissed before looking away from him.

“Hardly ever around?” you didn't know if your words hurt him as much as angered him, based on the way his eyes darkened with anger “Given that you do the same job, I didn't think you'd just show up like this only to pick a fight over something you know I have little control over. These days are harder on me and you know it, you can't really blame me for that! I was doing interviews all day and in between breaks I was so tired I forgot to check even my own phone, I didn't know that's a crime now.”

“So you do think that that's really what I'm trying to say here huh? Wow.” you blinked several times “You think you're the only one having a hard time, Chris? You have no idea about how hard of a time I am having then. No idea how emotionally exhaustion this new role is or how tired I am all the time. No idea how despite all that, I still can't go to sleep lately. And insomnia doesn't even begin to cover it, because of the doubts and constant thinking that I do and you're not there Chris, during any of it. You have no idea about any of it but I mean, how could you? We barely even talk anymore and no!” you raise your hands to stop him “It is not because of this job, it is because of her that all this is happening.”

“H-her?” he frowned in confusion before you saw the realization set down on him and a small sigh escape his lips “Ana? Really, this is all about that? (Y/n), you were always above this, you've never had a jealous fit. We both know I'm just spending some time with a friend, there is nothing more to that. There could never be, how could you ever believe otherwise?”

“How?” you couldn't stop a scoff “Really? You ask how? Oh my gosh, Chris, she is flirting with you nonstop! I have seen the looks and touches and everything, you can't be that oblivious. No I refuse to believe it. For the love of, that was the exact way I acted around you at first! It's crystal clear that she likes you and flirts with you and asks you out all the time and you- you're encouraging this! Chris, you spent twice the time with her than with me and I clearly don't mean work. You're constantly out with her, you do nothing to stop it and even when you're supposed to do something for the two of us you- you go and put her first. And only on second thought, as if to do me a favor, you think to invite me over because oh poor her she'll spend our night all alone. Honestly-” you laughed humorlessly “I wonder who's really your girlfriend after all. Or better yet-” you paused, hesitating for only half a second because maybe you were too hurt and the part of you that was angry was easily controlling your words but you didn't hold it back.

What is the point in being your girlfriend in the first place?

You heard him take a sharp breath in, his eyes and face all showing unbelievable guilt and pain at your words as if it was finally downing him the extent of his mistake. But you didn't let yourself feel sorry even for a second and if he really deserved a taste of his own medicine he was going to get it.

“I didn't know I- I made you feel this way.” his voice was shaky and you could see the beginning of tears make his eyes glisten. You were probably too cruel but so was reality and everything you had been experiencing so when he took a step forward you took one backwards as well. “Honey-” he made to touch you but you shifted away and he didn't insist, although his hands were shaking and his eyes were wide, he forced himself to stay calm you “You know that... I- I love you more than anything.”

“Do I?”seeing the way his lips fell apart but he shook his head and tried to get it together.

“(Y/n), hear me out please.” his hands were shaking and he let out a trembling breath as he ran his fingers through his hair.

He finally got the courage to back up “You know that I love, that will never- it can never change, no matter what. I would never do something like that to you, certainly not knowingly. I'm not that kind of man, I would never be and even more so not to you! You know how important you are to me, goodness, I love you with all my heart! I've loved you for years, nothing can take it away. It breaks me to think I made you feel like this, hell to even realize you're jealous--” he scoffed angrily but you could see it was directed at nobody else but himself as he ran a hand down his face “It's not anywhere near flattering or funny or cute when I see you like this. I shouldn't have let it get this far, it's my fault you feel like this, I know, but I promise-”

“Promise?” you breathed out, your voice barely above a whisper but somehow more effective than any screaming or jealousy fit you could throw as it made him stop on the instant, lips pressing shut “I think I've had enough of promises, Chris, don't you think?”

“Baby, I- I-” he frowned, not understanding how this had gotten so bad and maybe that was somehow comforting - certainly preferable to him encouraging her flirting knowingly or as a joke “I love you.”

“And I love you, but this-” you let out a shaky breath, shrugging numbly “It's not even jealousy, not anymore. Was it at first? Yes, yes it was. You're my boyfriend and you spent more time with her, out for drinks with Ana, out for a dinner with Ana and maybe some costar, interviews with Ana and talking in between breaks with Ana, letting Ana calm you down and comfort you when I-” you sighed “But as I said, not anymore. At this point... I don't have it in me to feel anything at all.”

“So-” you took hold of your things again “You can go ahead and have your fun and you don't have to feel sorry for me-” you hated how you sniffled but remained proud for how put together you still were “I hoped things were different but don't worry, I do know there is someone out there that at least wants my company, my presence in their life. I won't doubt that. I wished it was you but... what can you do?”

“Wh-what?” he breathed out shakily, his voice gruff as he slowly came to realize what you meant “What do you me-”

“Bye Chris, hope I'll see you... sometime within the next week, if you decide to show up at our place.” you gave him a tight-lipped smile before you rushed away.

He tried to reach out for you but you were faster, and him being still in shock and a mess of emotions, didn't have time to catch up with you. He stood in his place for a good few seconds, his heart hammering in his chest, eyes burning, lungs hurting and mind foggy. It didn't even register when he heard Ana speak to him, asking whether everything was alright, and him brushing her off with a small mumble before closing the door, maybe a bit too in her face but doesn't bring himself to care, and asking for some time alone. All the time he couldn't help but wonder how it all had gotten to this.

“Who...” he could only hear himself whisper with a deep frown, the thoughts running through his mind nowhere near pleasant as your words echoed again and again in his mind. He wanted to be even a bit angry, and maybe he was deep down underneath all this, but he couldn't fight the ache in his chest, the deep burn of jealousy which oh stung a lot, and ultimately the hurt than ran deep - even deeper when he realized that this was how he had made you feel - inevitably it brought a feeling of self-loathing as well.

But when he heard the small thud, of something falling, he realized it wasn't really a matter of who. He didn't even have the right to be angry at whoever was making you feel good, welcome and at ease; hell even if they made you feel wanted and desired, he had it coming and he even deserved it as much as he deserved the bitter taste in his mouth and jealousy in his heart. It was him who was at fault, him who had screwed up everything.

Looking down he saw the small object that had fallen from his pocket where he always kept it with him the past couple days, secured and safe away from eyes that could find it before it was the right time. He wanted to scoff bitterly at the thought, would he get the chance to find one after all?

“So much for a surprise huh?” he asks practically noone as he opens the box and takes the ring to toy with between his fingers.

[ravenadottir]

okay I'm really curious how do you think the Li voice sounds like? does any of them have a good voice to serenade mc? because every time i listen to love song (aint always so good) by isaac gracie it keep reminding me of henrik lol

((this took me so long! and not because it's a complicated question but because suddenly i couldn't remember any actors' or singers' voices lol))

if there's mentions of american artists, just picture that tone of voice with an accent. (some voices change slightly when changing a language or accent but you'll catch my drift)

bobby. i always picture him with a velvety medium tone while singing, like the weeknd or bruno, something that melts you while listening to it. but when talking somehow the boy gets slightly raspy, like trevor noah. just a solid medium tone. ((i often imagine bobby with the voice cody and noel gave him though... especially when he's being funny, but that's just the codel episodes ruining bobby for me))

henrik. i didn't know who isaac gracie was but i have to agree henrik would sound like that as well. in my head he always had a raspier voice, and highly energetic. the only person i could think of that gets closer to that was damiano from maneskin... but one thing i think we can agree a hundred percent is that IT WAS A DAMN SHAME WE NEVER GOT TO "SEE" HENRIK SINGING because i know damn well he's always humming or singing when doing chores! we were so goddamn robbed...

lucas. right off the bat, he thinks it's tacky to serenade someone... i'm sorry, but there's no fucking way lucas is into it! his speaking voice, and often *clears throat* commanding one, might be close to felix', from stray kids. i'm still in shock so... it just makes sense to me that lucas has a clean and composed voice, and that's the closest i could find to illustrate that sentiment. plus, i saw comments about this boy's voice, such as "felix looks like a baby but his voice can make one" and "this boy hit puberty at 2 years old" and i think that sums it up...

gary. taron egerton. i always associate him with arctic monkeys but i don't believe he has alex' voice. have you seen the size of this boy's chest??? yeah, no, much deeper than that... speaking voice resembles something around tom ellis'. i say speaking voice because i know he's a damn disaster when singing. gary would probably try his best just to get a laugh from his girl but i really think he's a walking "nails on a blackboard" when trying anything musical.

carl. richard medden. i feel like spock boy is surprisingly good at singing. definitely don't think he would be serenading anyone at any given point but he definitely hums when distracted with a chore or work. you could probably hear a really low voice coming from his office and he doesn't even notice he's doing it.

kassam's voice is deep but... how can i explain this? right! robert pattinson's voice is pretty much how i imagine kassam talking, except with a new castle accent. i just love imagining him being snarky in that tone just like robert is whenever talking shit about twilight... plus, i really think he can serenade, but won't, because reasons lol

noah. we had a brief description of his voice when henrik and lucas come in... bobby talked about it being velvety. i would add deep into the mix, something like taye diggs' tone really clicks for me! of course adding the accent.

ibrahim is winston duke in my head. i can't explain it, he just is.

lottie. kristen stewart, because i can definitely hear it whenever lottie is on screen. it stayed with me since the beginning.

marisol. phoebe waller-bridge. sooo unique and recognizable, and there are many syllables the actress says that i pictured marisol saying even before i saw fleabag or knew about phoebe's work.

elisa. naomie harris. i just love her voice and how she speaks certain words. her speech pattern makes my brain tingle and elisa definitely has that quality about herself, so i figured her voice would be part of it.

as for the others not on this list, i really couldn't find anyone that would explain as well as i intended to. like priya. i picture her with a very commercial voice since she was a real estate agent, and she often gives me the impression of someone that could make a speech and people would stop what they're doing to hear it because it's so magnetic, but i can't think of someone like that that would fit priya's profile. if you have any ideas, please, let me know!