#the director for father is strange produced this

[greengoblinswifey]

i loved "Shattered" although i would have loved for her to keep the baby and have the same success as in the original ending, would you consider writing something like that? as an alternative ending

Alternative Ending to Shattered— Nicholas Chavez x Actress!Reader

warnings— cheating, mature language, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of unprotected sex, mentions of abortion, happy ending, mentions of birth.

Shattered

When Nicholas told you to get an abortion, you felt a flash of anger surge through you. “No,”you said firmly. “You can’t force me to do that.” Nicholas looked shocked, then furious. “I have a girlfriend, and a kid on the way to raise,” he argued, voice hard and unyielding.

A surge of pain mixed with rage bubbled up in you. “I’m your girlfriend, Nicholas,”you shouted back. “And this is your child. You should be here for us, helping raise them, not running off to hide.”

Without another word, Nicholas stormed out, leaving you sitting there, heart pounding as you clutched your stomach protectively. You weren't showing yet, but the weight of the choice before you felt heavy. “Screw Nicholas”, you thought, wiping a tear from your cheek. “I’ll raise this baby on my own if I have to.”

That night, you lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, your mind spiraling as you weighed your options. If you kept the baby, everything would change. Your career, just beginning to gain traction, would be stalled indefinitely. You’d be a single mother, left alone to care for a child Nicholas had already written off. And as a man, he’d be fine. Even with two babies on the way, he wouldn’t be the one carrying or caring for them.

On the other hand, if you didn’t keep it, you weren’t even sure if you’d get another chance. The thought tore at you, but you knew what the world would say. They’d call you a homewrecker, maybe even try to destroy your reputation, and all without knowing the truth. It would be you, bearing the weight of his lies.

Finally, with a heavy but hopeful heart, you decided that you were going to keep the life growing inside you. Thoughts raced through your mind, layering one worry after another. How would your career hold up with a pregnancy? The industry wasn’t always kind to young actresses, especially not ones who suddenly had a child in the picture. You imagined the directors and producers who’d invested in your rising stardom questioning your ability to maintain the same dedication once you had a baby to care for. The idea of managing both a career and motherhood alone felt overwhelming.

Filming the rest of the season with Nicholas suddenly seemed like an impossible task. Every scene together would remind you of how easily he had turned his back on you both, his other life casting a shadow over every word he’d said to you. But you’d have to keep it together, remain professional, pretending there wasn’t a storm beneath the surface whenever you shared the screen with him.

And then, there was the question you dreaded most: Who’s the baby’s father? Interviews, press conferences, appearances, the media would demand answers eventually. How could you admit the truth? How could you tell the world that you’d trusted him, fallen for him, fucked your co-star raw, and now were left to handle the responsibility alone because he had a life, another girlfriend and another baby, in his hometown? The thought of admitting you’d opened your heart and legs to your co-star, only for him to abandon you, made your stomach twist. You couldn’t bear to let the world see that vulnerable side of you.

But despite it all, you rested your hand on your stomach and felt a strange sense of resolve. This baby was a part of you, forget being a part of him, and you knew you’d find a way to raise them, no matter how many obstacles lay in your path.

The next day on set, you were barely holding it together, trying to keep the morning’s nausea from spilling over into the day's work. Nicholas approached you quietly before filming began, his expression tense.

“So, did you take care of it?” he asked, his voice cold.

You looked him right in the eyes. “No, Nicholas. I’m keeping this baby. That’s final.” You could see the frustration in his face, the way he clenched his jaw, but he didn’t argue. He only nodded, his gaze shifting away.

Soon, you were called onto set to film a scene, and as you moved into the frame, you felt the weight of your reality pressing down. The scene called for a romantic kiss, but as you leaned in, all you could think was, How could he do this to us? Every touch felt hollow, each moment of pretend affection a painful reminder of his betrayal.

Still, you held it together for the rest of the day, determined to protect yourself and, more importantly, the little life growing inside you. You’d give them all the love they need, you thought, so they wouldn’t feel the absence of their father.

As days turned into weeks, filming continued then the season wrapped, and you noticed subtle changes, how your clothes fit a bit more snugly, the quiet flutter in your stomach that grew stronger with time. You poured your focus into auditions for roles scheduled to film after the baby’s birth, crafting a new life plan that prioritized their future as much as your own.

Finally, when you went to the doctor alone, you learned you were having a baby girl. The news was bittersweet. Part of you ached for the weight of responsibility, raising a girl, teaching her strength and self-worth under such circumstances. Yet, you held onto a fierce determination to make the most of it, to show her resilience and love, no matter what lay ahead.

The night of the premiere, you walked onto the red carpet in a breathtaking gown that hugged your figure, showing off a noticeable baby bump. As you made your way through the crowd, congratulations poured in from all directions, and you felt a mixture of pride and nerves. Then you spotted Nicholas, standing nearby with his girlfriend, who was visibly pregnant as well. For a moment, his eyes met yours, and he did a double-take, clearly taken aback by how radiant you looked with your growing belly.

His girlfriend approached you, offering her congratulations with a polite smile, and you returned the sentiment, fully aware of the irony, that you both carried a piece of him, each in your own way. Nicholas lingered close by, watching intently, as if afraid you might reveal something.

As you spoke to the press, questions about your pregnancy inevitably came up. When asked about the father, you simply smiled, deflecting with comments about your happiness and excitement for what lay ahead, both as a mother and in your career. You radiated confidence, making it clear that your future was only beginning.

Later, you received the incredible news that you’d been cast in a new movie, and the production team was willing to accommodate your new role as a mother. Filming was set to begin after you'd had time with your baby, and they even offered a nanny and daycare on set. Knowing this support was there, you accepted the role, feeling your career blossom alongside your journey into motherhood.

When the day finally arrived, you gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl, the spitting image of you. Holding her for the first time, you felt an overwhelming relief that she looked nothing like Nicholas—she was purely yours. Your sister stood by, sharing in the joy, and as you looked down at your daughter, you felt stronger and more certain than ever.

Motherhood suited you well, and as the months passed, so did the fascination with your personal life. Though speculation about the baby’s father lingered, it eventually faded. Fans and the public were captivated by your story, a young mom balancing stardom with raising her baby girl. As offers poured in, it was clear that your future was bright, your daughter by your side as you continued to captivate the world.

Meanwhile, Nicholas seemed to fade from the spotlight, mostly at home with his girlfriend, waiting for their baby. Until, finally, karma came for him, an article revealed that the child he thought was his was actually someone else’s, belonging to a rockstar his girlfriend had left him for. You couldn’t help the satisfaction that spread through you. He’d reaped exactly what he’d sown, and you hadn’t lifted a finger.

The night of the Oscars was monumental. Walking the red carpet, you held your baby girl close, basking in the awe and admiration from all around. When the ceremony began, you took your seat, unaware that Nicholas was there, too, until he approached you during a break, nervously glancing at your daughter.

“She looks just like you,” he said, trying to keep his voice soft.

You looked at him coldly, replying, “Yeah, and I'm fucking grateful for that”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Look, I’m so sorry for everything. I miss you, I really do. I was an idiot. Please, give me another chance.”

You took a steadying breath, keeping your tone calm but firm. “Nicholas, we’re done. The moment you cheated, lied and then told me to abort my child, you lost any future with me.” You glanced down at your daughter who was playing with your hair not sparing her father a glance, feeling the strength in your decision. “If you want to be in her life, that’s up to you. I’d prefer it if you weren’t near us, but I won’t deny you the right.”

He hesitated, his eyes darting away. It was clear he hadn’t come to build a relationship with his daughter, he was more interested in your newfound fame.

“That's what I thought,” you said, voice sharp. “Stay out of our lives. Don’t speak to me again.”

With that, you walked away, feeling lighter than ever. When your name was called for Best Actress, you took the stage, holding the Oscar with pride as the crowd erupted in applause. This was your night, a celebration of everything you’d fought for, a testament to your resilience and talent, with your daughter’s future in your hands.

[songbirdseung]

gleam & glow / yang jungwon

synopsis: make the clock reverse, bring back once was mine. heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design.

pairing: director!jungwon x florist!reader

warning: pov changes midway, angst, not proof read

wc: 14k

Highschool Freshman

"Honey, you're gonna be late for school!" your mom calls you for the nth time from the back door. It was nearing the time where your dad had to drop you off to school, but there you were with your father, helping him plant another set of flowers and plants.

You glance back at the array of blooms, their vibrant colors dancing in the morning sunlight, and you smile to yourself. This is where you belong, among the petals and leaves, nurturing life and beauty. The scent of soil and fresh blossoms fills your senses, grounding you in the present moment.

Despite your mother's persistent reminders, you can't tear yourself away from the garden. Each flower tells a story, and you're determined to be a part of it, to coax every bud into full bloom. This passion for floristry has been with you since you were a child, and it's only grown stronger over the years.

As your dad finishes planting the last flower, he gives you a proud smile. "You've got a green thumb, just like your old man," he says, ruffling your hair affectionately. You grin up at him, feeling a surge of pride at his praise.

With a reluctant sigh, you finally tear yourself away from the garden and head inside to grab your school bag. As you rush to the car, you can't help but steal one last glance at the flowers, already imagining the arrangements you'll create when you return home.

-

The film set buzzed with energy as lights flickered, cameras rolled, and actors delivered their lines with precision. Amidst the organized chaos, Jungwon stood tall, a determined expression etched on his face as he observed the scene unfolding before him. His mother, the main producer of the film, moved gracefully among the crew, her presence commanding respect and admiration from everyone on set.

During a brief break in filming, Jungwon found himself standing beside his mother, watching her confer with the director about the next scene. Despite his young age, he felt a sense of pride in being part of the filmmaking process, a passion he inherited from his mother.

"Jungwon, darling, are you ready for school?" his mother asked, her voice cutting through the din of the set.

Jungwon nodded, but before he could make his way to the car, his mother's assistant, a young woman with a brisk manner and sharp wit, approached them.

"Mrs. Yang, I can take Jungwon to school. It's on my way," she offered, her gaze flickering briefly to Jungwon before returning to his mother.

Mrs. Yang considered the offer for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Thank you, Minji. That would be a great help."

As they made their way to the car, he couldn't shake the feeling that today held the promise of something unexpected, something beyond the confines of his usual routine.

-

As your father pulls up to the school gates, you gather your bag and prepare to step out of the car. Just as you're about to open the door, you notice Jungwon's familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction. Your eyes meet, and for a brief moment, a spark of recognition passes between you.

"Hey" Jungwon says with a friendly smile as he reaches your side.

"Hey" you reply, returning his smile.

You fall into step together, walking side by side towards the school building. It's a strange feeling for both of you, this newfound camaraderie born out of shared history and mutual acquaintances. Normally, you would exchange a polite greeting and then go your separate ways, but today feels different somehow.

"So, how's it going?" Jungwon asks, breaking the silence between you.

"Pretty good, I guess," you reply, shrugging. "Just the usual school stuff."

Jungwon nods, his expression thoughtful. "Yeah, same here. But hey, at least it's Friday, right?"

You share a laugh at Jungwon's remark, the tension between you easing with each step you take. It's strange, you think, how comfortable you feel in Jungwon's presence, as if you've known each other for much longer than you actually have.

As the bell rings signaling the start of the first class, you and Jungwon find yourselves walking side by side once again. The easy rapport you shared earlier continues as you chat about random topics, enjoying each other's company more than you expected.

As you enter the classroom, you head towards your usual seat, but Jungwon surprises you by walking over and taking the empty seat beside you. You exchange a glance, both surprised and pleased by his decision.

"Hey," Jungwon says with a grin as he settles into the seat next to you. "Mind if I sit here? I was enjoying our conversation earlier and thought we could continue it."

You can't help but smile at his words, feeling a warmth spread through you at the thought of spending more time with him. "Sure, I'd like that," you reply, scooting your chair a bit closer to his.

As the teacher begins the lesson, you and Jungwon continue your conversation in hushed tones, exchanging thoughts and ideas with a newfound ease. It's a refreshing change from the usual monotony of class, and you find yourself more engaged and focused than ever before.

By the end of the class, you and Jungwon have covered a range of topics, from your favorite movies to your dreams for the future. As you gather your things to leave, Jungwon turns to you with a smile.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you," he says, his eyes sparkling with genuine appreciation. "I had a great time talking to you."

You return his smile, feeling a sense of warmth and connection that you haven't felt in a long time. "Anytime," you reply, meaning every word. "We should do it again sometime."

As you and Jungwon part ways after class, a sense of contentment lingers in the air, leaving you with a smile on your face as you step out of the room. However, your thoughts are quickly interrupted as you spot your best friend waiting for you outside, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she teases, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Seems like someone had a little study date with Jungwon, huh?"

You roll your eyes at her playful tone, but a blush creeps up your cheeks nonetheless. "It wasn't a study date," you protest, though your voice lacks conviction.

"Uh-huh, sure it wasn't," your friend replies, nudging you with her elbow. "I saw you two in there, chatting away like old friends. Don't think I didn't notice."

You sigh, knowing there's no point in denying it. "Okay, fine, maybe we were talking. But it was nothing serious," you insist, though a part of you wonders if it could be.

Your friend raises an eyebrow, her grin widening. "Sure, keep telling yourself that. But mark my words, something's brewing between you two. I can feel it."

You shake your head, unable to suppress a smile at your friend's antics. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it," she says with a shrug. "But seriously, if something is going on with you and Jungwon, I'm here for it. I ship it."

You laugh at her enthusiasm, grateful for her unwavering support. "Thanks, I guess. We'll see what happens."

With that, you and your friend head off down the hallway, the teasing banter fading into the background as you both prepare for the rest of the day ahead.

For Jungwon, he steps out of the classroom, he's greeted by his friends Sunoo and Ni-ki, who are waiting for him with smirks on their faces. Sunoo nudges him playfully, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Look who decided to grace us with his presence," Sunoo says, a teasing lilt in his voice. "And who's this mysterious girl you were strolling in with earlier? Spill the beans, Jungwon."

Jungwon rolls his eyes at his friend's antics, though he can't help but feel a twinge of embarrassment at being caught. "It's nothing," he insists, though his tone lacks conviction.

"Nothing, huh?" Ni-ki chimes in, his grin widening. "That's not what it looked like from where we were standing. You two seemed pretty chummy."

"Okay, fine, we were talking," he admits, feeling a flush of warmth spread across his cheeks. "But it's not a big deal." Sunoo and Ni-ki exchange a knowing glance, their smiles turning into mischievous grins. "Sure, whatever you say," Sunoo says, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"But seriously, who is she?" Ni-ki asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I don't think I've seen her around before."

"Just someone from my class," he replies, hoping to deflect their interest. "We were just talking, that's all." "Alright, man, if you say so," Sunoo says with a shrug. "But if anything juicy happens, you better fill us in."

-

As you make your way home from school, the events of the day replay in your mind like a movie reel. You can't shake the feeling of warmth that lingers from your conversation with Jungwon earlier. Despite your initial hesitation, you have to admit that you enjoyed spending time with him, and a small part of you wonders what could come of your newfound friendship.

The familiar sights and sounds of your neighborhood greet you as you approach your house, the comforting familiarity wrapping around you like a warm embrace. You take a moment to admire the flowers blooming in your front yard, their colors vibrant against the backdrop of the setting sun.

As you step inside, the scent of dinner wafts through the air, signaling that your parents are already home. You find them in the kitchen, chatting animatedly as they prepare the evening meal. You join them at the table, eager to share the events of your day.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," you greet them with a smile. "Guess what happened at school today?"

Your parents turn to you with interest, their eyes lighting up as you recount your encounter with Jungwon. You tell them about how you walked to class together, how you ended up sitting next to each other, and how you had a surprisingly enjoyable conversation.

Your parents listen intently, their smiles growing wider with each passing moment. But then, your dad chuckles and gives you a playful wink.

"Careful, sweetheart," he jokes, "don't let any boys distract you from your studies. You know, we don't want any boyfriends until you're at least thirty!"

You roll your eyes at your dad's teasing, but a laugh escapes your lips nonetheless. "Don't worry, Dad," you assure him, "I'm not planning on getting a boyfriend anytime soon."

Your parents share a knowing look, their smiles filled with affection. They can see the spark of excitement in your eyes, the hint of something new and promising on the horizon.

"Well, it sounds like you had a wonderful day," your mom says with a smile, reaching out to squeeze your hand. "Who knows, maybe this Jungwon will turn out to be a special friend."

-

You and Jungwon's bond deepens with each passing day, as you share lunches, late-night texts, and study sessions at the local library, stealing glances and smiles between equations. Movie nights at Jungwon's house become a regular occurrence, where you snuggle up on the couch with blankets and popcorn, discussing your favorite films and sharing laughs.

Together, you embark on adventures, exploring hidden spots in the city, trying new foods, and making memories that will last a lifetime. When you faces challenges with your floristry, Jungwon is there for you, offering encouragement and a shoulder to lean on.

Heart-to-heart conversations about hopes, dreams, and fears deepen the connection, while shared hobbies like photography and hiking bring you even closer.

-

Highschool Junior

As you and Jungwon spend the afternoon together at your house, watering your flowers and sharing laughter, you can't help but feel a sense of warmth and contentment wash over you. The sun filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground as you work side by side, tending to the garden you love so much. Suddenly, a thought crosses your mind as you watch Jungwon carefully water a delicate orchid.

"Hey, Jungwon," you say, a playful smile tugging at your lips, "did you know that your name means 'garden' in English?"

Jungwon looks up from his task, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Really? Well, in that case, I guess you must love me, huh?"

You can't help but laugh at his joke, the sound echoing through the garden like music. But then, in the midst of all the banter and laughter, Jungwon's expression turns serious, his gaze softening as he looks at you.

"Actually, YN," he says, his voice quiet but earnest, "there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

You pause, feeling a flutter of anticipation in your chest as you wait for him to continue. Jungwon takes a deep breath, his eyes never leaving yours.

"I think you're cute," he blurts out, his cheeks flushing slightly. "And I'm attracted to you, more than I've ever been to anyone else."

Your heart skips a beat at his words, a rush of emotions flooding through you. You can hardly believe what you're hearing, but the sincerity in Jungwon's eyes leaves no room for doubt.

Before you can respond, Jungwon reaches out and takes your hand in his, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through your veins. "I know this might be sudden, and I understand if you don't feel the same way," he says softly, "but I couldn't keep it to myself any longer. I just had to tell you how I feel."

For a moment, you're speechless, overwhelmed by the intensity of your emotions. But then, with a shaky breath, you meet Jungwon's gaze and offer him a shy smile.

"Jungwon," you say, your voice barely above a whisper, "I… I feel the same way."

A smile spreads across Jungwon's face, lighting up his eyes with joy and relief. Without another word, he leans in and presses his lips to yours.

Inside the house, your parents glance out the window and spot their daughter locked in a passionate embrace with Jungwon.

"Looks like our little YN has found herself a boyfriend," your mom remarks with a knowing smirk, nudging her husband with her elbow.

Her husband chuckles, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Let's just hope he knows how to water the flowers as well as he kisses our daughter."

-

Senior High

As a senior in high school, being in a relationship with Jungwon feels like a dream come true. Every day is filled with laughter, love, and shared adventures, and you couldn't be happier. Walking hand in hand through the halls, you feel a sense of pride knowing that he's yours and you're his.

Together, you navigate the ups and downs of senior year, supporting each other through exams, college applications, and the uncertainty of the future. Jungwon's unwavering encouragement and belief in you give you the strength to pursue your dreams, whether it's opening your own flower shop or exploring new passions.

But it's not just the big moments that make your relationship special. It's the little things, like stealing kisses between classes, passing notes in study hall, and sharing inside jokes that only you understand. Even on the toughest days, Jungwon's smile has a way of brightening your world and reminding you that everything will be okay.

As graduation day approaches, you can't help but feel a mixture of excitement and sadness. Excitement for the adventures that lie ahead and the memories you'll create together, but also sadness at the thought of leaving behind the familiar comforts of high school and stepping into the unknown.

But one thing is certain: no matter where life takes you, Jungwon and you will face it together, hand in hand, heart to heart. Your love is strong, your bond unbreakable, and you know that as long as you have each other, you can overcome anything that comes your way.

In the cozy sanctuary of your bedroom, soft lamplight casts a warm glow as you and Jungwon settle onto your bed, surrounded by an array of fluffy pillows and blankets. With a laptop balanced on your laps, you browse through a selection of movies, trying to decide on the perfect one for your movie night.

As the opening credits of your chosen film roll across the screen, you can't shake the nagging feeling that's been gnawing at you all evening. With a hesitant sigh, you turn to Jungwon, your expression serious.

"Jungwon, can I ask you something?" you begin, your voice tinged with uncertainty.

Jungwon turns to you, his brows furrowing slightly in concern. "Of course, what's on your mind?"

You hesitate for a moment, gathering your thoughts before speaking. "Well, with college just around the corner and everything… I've been thinking about us, you know?"

Jungwon's expression softens as he reaches out to gently squeeze your hand. "What about us, YN?"

"It's just… I've heard people say that high school sweethearts don't usually last once they go off to college," you admit, your voice barely above a whisper. "And I can't help but worry about what that means for us."

Jungwon's lips curl into a reassuring smile as he leans in to brush a kiss against your forehead. "Hey, relax," he says gently, his tone soothing. "We haven't even graduated yet, let alone started college. There's no need to worry about what might happen in the future."

Despite his attempt to lighten the mood, you can't shake the feeling of unease that lingers in the pit of your stomach. "But Jungwon, what if…?"

Before you can finish your sentence, Jungwon interrupts with a playful grin. "What if we end up ruling the world together? What if we discover a portal to a parallel universe? What if we become famous movie stars?"

You can't help but laugh at his antics, the tension in your chest easing slightly. "Okay, okay, I get it," you say, shaking your head in amusement. "You're right, we shouldn't worry about things that haven't even happened yet."

With a shared smile, you turn your attention back to the movie, content to lose yourselves in the world of cinema and each other's company. And as you snuggle close beneath the blankets, you find yourself feeling grateful for the love and reassurance that Jungwon brings into your life, knowing that no matter what the future holds, you'll face it together, hand in hand.

As you and Jungwon navigate the bustling aisles of the dress shop, the anticipation of graduation hangs heavy in the air. With each step, you can't help but feel a flutter of excitement mingled with a hint of nervousness. This moment marks the culmination of your high school journey, and finding the perfect dress feels like an important step in celebrating the occasion.

After browsing through racks of dresses, you finally settle on a few options and make your way to the dressing room. As you slip into the first dress and admire yourself in the mirror, you can't help but feel a rush of excitement. This could be the one.

With a deep breath, you step out of the dressing room, the fabric of the dress flowing gracefully around you. Jungwon's eyes widen in awe as he catches sight of you, his breath catching in his throat.

For a moment, time seems to stand still as Jungwon takes you in, his gaze tracing every curve and contour of your figure. In that instant, you can see the love and admiration shining in his eyes, so pure and unguarded that it takes your breath away.

"You… you look incredible," Jungwon stammers, his voice barely above a whisper. "Absolutely stunning."

A blush creeps up your cheeks at his words, a warm rush of emotion flooding through you. In that moment, you realize just how deeply Jungwon cares for you, his love shining brighter than ever before.

With a shy smile, you twirl in the dress, feeling the fabric swirl around you like a dream. And as you meet Jungwon's gaze once more, you know without a doubt that this is the dress you were meant to wear on graduation day.

As you step out in the stunning dress, Jungwon's reaction is priceless. His eyes widen, his jaw drops, and for a moment, he's utterly speechless. You can't help but giggle at his reaction, feeling a surge of confidence wash over you.

"Like what you see?" you tease, a mischievous twinkle in your eye as you twirl in the dress, enjoying the way it sways around you.

Jungwon snaps out of his trance, a playful grin spreading across his face. "You have no idea," he says, his voice filled with admiration. "You look absolutely breathtaking, YN."

You chuckle at his flattery, feeling a warmth spread through your chest at his words. But before you can say anything else, Jungwon steps forward and envelops you in a tight hug, his arms wrapping around you protectively.

"Hey, no need to tease," he says, his voice soft and sincere as he holds you close. "I mean every word. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen, inside and out."

You melt into his embrace, feeling a rush of love and gratitude wash over you. In that moment, you're reminded of just how lucky you are to have Jungwon by your side, supporting you, loving you, and making you feel like the most special person in the world.

After buying the dress, you and Jungwon spend the rest of the day together, soaking up each other's company and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Whether it's strolling through the park, sharing ice cream cones, or simply enjoying each other's presence, every moment is filled with love and laughter.

-

High School Graduation

As the sun rises on graduation day, a sense of excitement and anticipation fills the air. After years of hard work and dedication, the moment you've been waiting for has finally arrived. Today marks the culmination of your high school journey, and you can't help but feel a mixture of emotions as you prepare to embark on the next chapter of your life.

With butterflies fluttering in your stomach, you slip into your graduation gown and mortarboard, the fabric smooth against your skin. As you look at yourself in the mirror, you can't help but feel a swell of pride. This is it – the moment you've been waiting for.

Stepping outside, you're greeted by a sea of familiar faces – classmates, teachers, and proud parents – all gathered to celebrate this milestone moment. The atmosphere is electric, filled with laughter, hugs, and congratulations.

As you make your way to the ceremony venue, the excitement builds with each step. The sound of Pomp and Circumstance fills the air, signaling the beginning of the procession. With your heart pounding in your chest, you take your place among your classmates, ready to take the next step forward into adulthood.

The ceremony itself is a blur of speeches, awards, and diplomas, but amidst the whirlwind of activity, there are moments of profound significance. You listen intently as your classmates deliver heartfelt speeches, reflecting on the memories and friendships forged over the years.

And then, finally, it's your turn to walk across the stage and receive your diploma. As your name is called, you step forward with pride, the weight of this accomplishment settling on your shoulders. The applause rings in your ears as you accept the piece of paper that represents years of hard work and dedication.

But the true highlight of the day comes afterwards, as you gather with your friends and family to celebrate. Amidst the joy and laughter, you take a moment to reflect on the journey that has brought you to this point – the late nights studying, the friendships formed, the challenges overcome.

As the sun sets on this momentous day, you can't help but feel a sense of optimism for the future. Yes, there will be challenges ahead, but with the love and support of those around you, you know that anything is possible.

And as you look to the horizon, ready to embark on the next chapter of your life, you know that the memories of this day – of graduation day – will stay with you forever, a reminder of the strength and resilience that lies within you.

As the excitement of graduation day begins to wind down, you find yourself seeking a quiet moment amidst the festivities. Spotting Jungwon across the crowded room, you make your way over to him, a smile playing on your lips.

"Hey," you say softly, your voice barely above a whisper amidst the noise of the celebration.

Jungwon turns to you, his eyes lighting up at the sight of you. "Hey," he replies, his voice warm with affection.

As you stand together amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, you can't help but feel a surge of gratitude for this moment – for Jungwon, for the love you share, for everything that has brought you to this point.

Without a word, Jungwon reaches out and takes your hand in his, his touch sending a jolt of warmth through your veins. In that simple gesture, you feel a connection that runs deeper than words could ever express.

With a shared smile, you step away from the crowd, seeking out a quieter corner where you can be alone together. Finding a secluded spot beneath the shade of a towering oak tree, you settle onto a nearby bench, the world falling away as you focus on each other.

As you sit together, hand in hand, you can't help but reflect on the journey that has brought you to this moment – the highs and lows, the laughter and tears, the love that has blossomed between you.

"Can you believe we made it?" you say softly, breaking the silence that hangs between you.

Jungwon squeezes your hand gently, his gaze never leaving yours. "I can," he replies, his voice filled with certainty. "Because we did it together."

In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of the afternoon sun and the gentle rustle of leaves overhead, you feel an overwhelming sense of peace. No matter what the future holds, you know that as long as you have Jungwon by your side, you can overcome anything that comes your way.

And as you lean into his embrace, feeling the steady beat of his heart against yours, you know that this – this sweet, simple moment of togetherness – is all you'll ever need to be happy.

-

A week after the whirlwind of graduation, you find yourself enjoying a quiet moment with Jungwon, just the two of you, on a romantic date. As you stroll hand in hand through the park, the late afternoon sun casts a golden glow over everything, bathing the world in warmth and light.

With the hustle and bustle of graduation behind you, you relish the chance to simply be together, away from the pressures of school and the uncertainty of the future. With each step, you feel a sense of freedom and possibility, as if the world is yours for the taking.

As you walk, you find yourselves lost in conversation, sharing hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future. Jungwon listens intently, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding as he takes in every word you say.

And then, as the sun begins to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the grass, you come to a stop beside a tranquil pond, its surface shimmering in the fading light.

Without a word, Jungwon takes your hand in his, his touch sending a rush of warmth through your veins. In that moment, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the quiet stillness of the evening, you feel a sense of peace wash over you.

With a smile, Jungwon pulls you close, his arms wrapping around you in a gentle embrace. And as you lean into his warmth, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against your chest, you know that this – this sweet, simple moment of togetherness – is all you'll ever need to be happy.

As the stars begin to twinkle overhead, casting their soft light upon you, you close your eyes and simply savor the moment, grateful for the love and companionship that fills your heart.

And as you stand there, wrapped in Jungwon's arms, you know that no matter what the future holds, as long as you have each other, you'll always find your way.

A week after your tranquil park date, you find yourselves embarking on another adventure together. This time, you've decided to explore the vibrant streets of the city, eager to discover hidden gems and create new memories with Jungwon by your side.

As you wander hand in hand through the bustling streets, the energy of the city surrounds you, filling you with a sense of excitement and anticipation. With each step, you're greeted by a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and smells – the laughter of children playing in the park, the aroma of freshly baked pastries wafting from a nearby bakery, the colorful murals adorning the walls of buildings.

With no destination in mind, you let your feet lead the way, allowing yourselves to get lost in the rhythm of the city. You stop to admire street performers, their music filling the air with joy and laughter, and browse through quirky boutiques, discovering treasures at every turn.

As the afternoon stretches into evening, you find yourselves drawn to a quaint café nestled on a quiet side street. With its cozy atmosphere and twinkling fairy lights, it feels like a hidden oasis in the midst of the bustling city.

Seated at a small table by the window, you and Jungwon share a delicious meal, savoring each bite as you engage in lively conversation. You talk about everything and nothing – your hopes, your fears, your dreams for the future – basking in the warmth of each other's company.

As the evening wears on, you find yourselves lingering over dessert, reluctant to let the night end. With a smile, Jungwon suggests taking a leisurely stroll through the city under the stars, and you eagerly agree.

Hand in hand, you wander through the quiet streets, the cityscape illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights. With each step, you feel a sense of closeness and connection, as if the world has faded away and all that matters is the two of you.

As you reach the end of your journey, you find yourselves standing on a bridge overlooking the river, the lights of the city twinkling in the distance. In that moment, with Jungwon's arms wrapped around you and the world at your feet, you feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love.

And as you lean into Jungwon's embrace, watching the stars shimmering overhead, you know that this – this sweet, simple moment of togetherness – is all you'll ever need to be happy.

-

As you and Jungwon sit down to dinner with his family, the warm aroma of home-cooked food fills the air, creating a cozy atmosphere that feels like a home away from home. Around the table, Jungwon's family members chat and laugh, their voices mingling with the clink of silverware and the gentle hum of conversation.

As the meal progresses, Jungwon's parents turn their attention to you and Jungwon, their eyes filled with curiosity and warmth.

"So, YN, Jungwon," his mother begins, her tone gentle but inquisitive, "now that you're about to embark on your college journey, have you thought about what you want to study?"

You exchange a glance with Jungwon, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips as you consider the question. It's something you've thought about often in recent weeks, weighing your passions and interests against the possibilities that lie ahead.

"I've been thinking about studying botany," you reply, your voice steady with conviction. "I've always had a love for plants and flowers, and I think it would be amazing to learn more about them and maybe even pursue a career in floristry."

Jungwon's parents nod approvingly, their expressions filled with encouragement and support. "That sounds wonderful, YN," his father says with a smile. "It's clear that you have a passion for it, and we have no doubt that you'll excel in whatever you choose to pursue."

Turning to Jungwon, his parents pose the same question, their curiosity piqued.

Jungwon takes a moment to consider his answer, his brow furrowing slightly in thought. "I've always been drawn to storytelling," he begins, his voice thoughtful. "Whether it's through film, photography, or writing, there's something about the power of storytelling that fascinates me. I think I want to study film and pursue a career as a director."

His parents nod in understanding, their expressions filled with pride. "That's wonderful, Jungwon," his mother says, her voice filled with admiration. "We've always admired your creativity and passion for storytelling, and we have no doubt that you'll go far in whatever path you choose."

As the conversation continues, you and Jungwon share a smile, grateful for the love and support of his family. In that moment, surrounded by warmth and acceptance, you know that no matter what the future holds, as long as you have each other and the support of your loved ones, you'll be able to achieve anything you set your minds to.

As the time to apply for colleges approaches, you and Jungwon find yourselves facing a myriad of decisions and possibilities. Together, you sit down to discuss your options, weighing the pros and cons of applying to local universities versus pursuing opportunities abroad.

With a stack of college brochures spread out before you, you pore over the details, each option representing a different path forward. Local universities offer familiarity and the comfort of home, while studying abroad promises adventure and new experiences.

"It's a tough decision," Jungwon admits, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "On one hand, staying local means we can be close to our families and friends. But on the other hand, studying abroad could open up so many new opportunities for us."

You nod in agreement, understanding the weight of the decision that lies before you. "I know," you say softly, reaching out to squeeze Jungwon's hand in reassurance. "But no matter what we decide, we'll figure it out together."

After much deliberation and soul-searching, you and Jungwon finally come to a decision. You'll each apply to a mix of local and international universities, keeping your options open and embracing the possibilities that lie ahead.

As you fill out the applications and gather the necessary documents, you can't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation building within you. The world is full of possibilities, and no matter where your college journey takes you, you know that you'll face it together, hand in hand, heart to heart.

As the months pass and the application process comes to a close, you and Jungwon find yourselves facing another hurdle on the road to college: entrance exams. With determination and resolve, you throw yourselves into studying, pouring over textbooks, reviewing notes, and practicing sample questions late into the night.

On the day of the exams, nerves flutter in your stomach as you and Jungwon make your way to the testing center. The atmosphere is tense yet electrifying, as students from all walks of life gather together, each one hoping to secure their place at their dream university.

As you take your seats and the exams begin, time seems to blur together, hours melting away as you focus all of your energy and concentration on the task at hand. With each question, you feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins, driving you forward even when doubts threaten to creep in.

Throughout it all, Jungwon is by your side, offering words of encouragement and support whenever you need it most. His presence is a source of strength and reassurance, grounding you in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the exams come to an end, leaving you and Jungwon exhausted yet exhilarated. As you step out of the testing center and into the fresh air, a sense of relief washes over you, mingled with a hint of anxiety as you await the results.

In the weeks that follow, you and Jungwon anxiously await news of your exam scores, each passing day feeling like an eternity. But no matter what the outcome, you know that you've given it your all, and that together, you'll face whatever the future holds with courage and determination.

As the days pass and anticipation builds, you and Jungwon find yourselves eagerly checking your mailboxes and email inboxes, hoping for news of your college acceptances. Each day brings a mix of excitement and anxiety, as you wait for the letters and emails that will determine the next chapter of your lives.

Finally, one afternoon, the long-awaited news arrives. With trembling hands, you and Jungwon tear open the envelopes and click on the emails, hearts pounding in your chests as you read the words that will shape your futures.

At first, the news is promising. You've both been accepted to several prestigious universities, each one offering its own unique opportunities and experiences. For a moment, you allow yourselves to bask in the glow of success, celebrating the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

But as you delve deeper into the details, a sinking feeling begins to settle in the pit of your stomachs. Despite applying to many of the same colleges, none of your acceptances align. Each of you has received offers from different universities, each one pulling you in a different direction.

For a moment, the realization hangs heavy in the air, casting a shadow over the excitement of the moment. You exchange a glance with Jungwon, a silent understanding passing between you as you come to terms with the fact that your college paths may be diverging.

But even as disappointment threatens to cloud your thoughts, you know that this is just another chapter in your journey together. No matter where life takes you, you'll face it together, supporting each other every step of the way.

As the reality of their diverging college paths sinks in, YN and Jungwon find themselves sitting together in Jungwon's room, the weight of the situation hanging heavy in the air. There's a palpable tension between them, a sense of uncertainty that neither knows quite how to navigate.

Taking a deep breath, YN breaks the silence that stretches between them. "Jungwon, we need to talk about this," she says softly, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

Jungwon nods in agreement, his expression mirroring her own. "I know," he replies, his voice equally subdued. "It's just… it's not what we expected, is it?"

Shaking her head, YN reaches out to take Jungwon's hand in hers, seeking comfort in his touch. "No, it's not," she admits, her voice trembling slightly. "But that doesn't mean we can't figure it out together."

Jungwon squeezes YN's hand gently, his gaze meeting hers with unwavering determination. "You're right," he says, his voice filled with conviction. "No matter where we go, we'll always be there for each other."

For a moment, they sit in silence, lost in their own thoughts as they grapple with the uncertainty of the future. But even amidst the uncertainty, there's a sense of reassurance in knowing that they have each other.

"I just wish…" YN begins, her voice trailing off as she struggles to find the right words.

Jungwon nods in understanding, knowing exactly what she means. "I wish things were different too," he admits, his voice tinged with regret. "But maybe this is just another chapter in our story – one that will make us stronger in the end."

As they sit together, hand in hand, they find solace in each other's presence, knowing that no matter what challenges lie ahead, as long as they have each other, they'll always find a way forward. And as they look to the future with hope and determination, they know that their love will carry them through whatever comes their way.

-

As the summer stretches out before them, YN and Jungwon find solace in the simple pleasures of spending time together, cherishing each moment as if it were their last before embarking on their separate college journeys.

They fill their days with laughter and adventure, exploring their favorite spots in the city and discovering new ones along the way. From picnics in the park to lazy afternoons at the beach, every moment is savored, every memory etched into their hearts.

Together, they revisit old haunts and reminisce about the moments that have shaped their relationship – the highs and lows, the laughter and tears, the love that has grown between them. And as they look to the future with uncertainty, they take comfort in the knowledge that no matter what lies ahead, their bond will remain unbreakable.

But amidst the laughter and joy, there are moments of sadness too – moments when the reality of their impending separation hits them with a force they can't ignore. In those moments, they cling to each other, finding strength and solace in the warmth of their embrace.

As the summer draws to a close and the time to choose their colleges approaches, YN and Jungwon find themselves faced with a decision that will shape the course of their lives. But no matter what the future holds, they know that the love they share will endure, guiding them through whatever challenges lie ahead.

-

Seeking solace and guidance, YN turns to her father, knowing that his wisdom and insight will help her navigate the difficult decision ahead. Sitting together in the comfort of their living room, she pours out her heart, sharing her fears and uncertainties about choosing between her dream school and being close to Jungwon.

Her father listens attentively, his expression thoughtful as he considers her dilemma. "YN," he begins, his voice gentle yet firm, "ultimately, the decision is yours to make. But remember, sometimes the right choice isn't always the easiest one."

His words resonate with YN, stirring something deep within her. She knows that her father is right – sometimes, the path to greatness requires sacrifices and difficult choices. But she can't shake the feeling of uncertainty that gnaws at her from within.

Turning to her siblings for advice, YN seeks their perspective on the matter. They offer differing opinions – some believe she should follow her dreams and choose her dream school, while others argue that she shouldn't sacrifice her aspirations for the sake of her relationship with Jungwon.

Feeling torn and conflicted, YN turns to her mother, hoping that her calming presence will help her find clarity amidst the chaos. Her mother listens with an open heart, offering words of comfort and encouragement.

"Listen to your heart, YN," her mother advises, her voice soft yet steady. "You know yourself better than anyone else. Trust your instincts and follow the path that feels right for you."

YN takes her mother's words to heart, realizing that the answer has been within her all along. With renewed clarity and determination, she sets out to make her decision, knowing that no matter what she chooses, as long as she follows her heart, she'll find her way. And with the unwavering support of her family and loved ones, she knows that she'll never be alone on this journey.

Jungwon finds himself torn between his passion for filmmaking and his desire to be with YN. Seeking counsel from his parents and sister, he grapples with the weight of their advice.

His mother's words echo in his mind – the prestigious film program beckoning him with promises of unparalleled opportunities and growth. Yet, the thought of being separated from YN gnaws at his heart, filling him with a sense of longing and uncertainty.

As he turns to his father for guidance, he finds reassurance in his words of wisdom. "Son," his father says, his voice steady and reassuring, "love is a powerful force. If you believe that YN is the one for you, then trust in that love and let it guide you."

His father's words strike a chord within Jungwon, reminding him of the depth of his feelings for YN and the strength of their bond. Yet, doubts linger in the back of his mind, overshadowing his convictions.

Turning to his older sister for advice, Jungwon finds validation in her perspective. "Follow your dreams, Jungwon," she says, her voice filled with conviction. "You've worked hard to get where you are, and you deserve to pursue your passion. YN will understand – true love knows no distance."

Her words resonate with Jungwon, filling him with a sense of resolve. Despite the challenges that lie ahead, he knows that he must follow his heart and chase his dreams, trusting that YN will be there by his side, no matter the distance.

With a newfound sense of clarity and determination, Jungwon sets out to make his decision, knowing that whatever path he chooses, as long as he follows his heart, he'll find his way. And with the unwavering support of his family and loved ones, he knows that he'll never be alone on this journey.

-

As YN and Jungwon meet in their favorite spot by the river, the air crackles with tension, each of them holding onto their decision like a precious secret. Sitting side by side, they exchange nervous glances, the weight of their choices heavy in the air between them.

Finally, summoning the courage to break the silence, YN takes a deep breath and speaks. "Jungwon, I've made my decision," she says, her voice steady despite the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "I've chosen to attend one of the colleges that's closer to you, so we can be together."

Jungwon's heart skips a beat at YN's words, a surge of conflicting emotions washing over him. On one hand, he's filled with gratitude and love for YN, touched by her willingness to make sacrifices for their relationship. But on the other hand, he can't shake the nagging feeling of guilt, knowing that his decision may pull them apart.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Jungwon meets YN's gaze with a mixture of admiration and regret. "YN, I…" he begins, his voice catching in his throat as he struggles to find the right words. "I've also made my decision. I've chosen to attend my dream school – the one with the renowned film program."

The words hang heavy in the air between them, the silence stretching out as they grapple with the reality of their choices. For a moment, YN feels a pang of disappointment, a flicker of sadness clouding her expression. But then, she meets Jungwon's gaze with unwavering determination.

"I understand," she says softly, her voice filled with acceptance. "We both have dreams to chase, and I wouldn't want to hold you back from yours."

Jungwon's heart swells with gratitude and admiration for YN, overwhelmed by her selflessness and understanding. "Thank you, YN," he says, his voice choked with emotion. "I promise, no matter where life takes us, I'll always be there for you."

With tears glistening in their eyes, they share a bittersweet smile, knowing that while their paths may diverge for now, their love will remain as strong as ever. And as they sit together, hand in hand, watching the river flow gently by, they take comfort in the knowledge that no matter what challenges lie ahead, as long as they have each other, they'll always find their way.

As YN returns home, a whirlwind of emotions swirls within her, threatening to consume her from within. With each step, she feels the weight of her decision pressing down on her shoulders, the burden of sacrifice heavy in her heart.

Locking the door to her bedroom behind her, YN collapses onto her bed, the floodgates of emotion finally breaking open. Tears stream down her cheeks as she allows herself to surrender to the overwhelming wave of sadness and grief.

In the solitude of her room, YN lets out all the pent-up emotions she's been holding back, the tears flowing freely as she releases the pain and uncertainty that has been gnawing at her from within. Each sob is a cathartic release, a cleansing of the soul as she confronts the reality of her choices.

Hours pass as YN allows herself to grieve, the weight of her decision slowly lifting from her shoulders with each tear shed. And as the night wears on and the tears begin to dry, a sense of clarity begins to settle over her like a comforting blanket.

Wiping away the last of her tears, YN sits up straight, her resolve renewed and her heart lighter than it has been in days. With newfound determination, she reaches for her laptop and begins to draft an email to her dream school, accepting their offer of admission.

Though the road ahead may be filled with challenges and uncertainty, YN knows that she's making the right decision – the decision that aligns with her true passions and aspirations. And as she hits send on the email, a sense of peace washes over her, knowing that she's taking the first step towards a future filled with promise and possibility.

-

As YN begins to pack up her belongings, the reality of her impending move weighs heavily on her heart. With each item she carefully tucks away into boxes, she can't shake the feeling of sadness that threatens to overwhelm her.

As she sorts through her belongings, memories flood her mind – mementos of her time with Jungwon, reminders of the love they shared. A photograph of the two of them laughing together on a sunny day, a ticket stub from their first movie date, a pressed flower from their favorite park �� each item a bittersweet reminder of what they're leaving behind.

But amidst the sadness, there's a sense of excitement too – the promise of new beginnings and adventures waiting just around the corner. YN clings to this sense of hope as she continues to pack, channeling her energy into preparing for the journey ahead.

Meanwhile, Jungwon finds himself faced with a similar task as he begins to pack up his belongings for his move abroad. Though the prospect of studying at his dream school fills him with anticipation and excitement, there's a pang of sadness in his heart as he realizes that he'll be leaving behind the life he's built with YN.

As he sifts through his belongings, he can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for the memories they've shared – late-night study sessions, lazy weekends spent exploring the city, quiet moments of togetherness that he'll cherish forever.

But even as he packs up his belongings, Jungwon knows that this is just another chapter in their journey together. Though they may be separated by miles and oceans, their love will remain as strong as ever, guiding them through whatever challenges lie ahead.

And as YN and Jungwon stand on the brink of their respective moves, boxes packed and ready to go, they find solace in the knowledge that no matter where life takes them, as long as they have each other, they'll always find their way home.

A week later, YN and Jungwon find themselves standing face to face once again, their hearts heavy with the weight of impending separation. Though they had hoped to savor every moment together before their moves, the reality of their impending departures hangs over them like a shadow.

As they meet in their favorite spot by the river, the air is tinged with a bittersweet sense of nostalgia. Memories flood their minds – the laughter, the tears, the countless moments they've shared together – and for a moment, time seems to stand still.

"I can't believe it's only a month until you leave," YN says softly, her voice tinged with sadness. "It feels like time is slipping away too fast."

Jungwon nods in agreement, his expression mirroring YN's own. "I know," he says, his voice filled with regret. "I wish we could freeze this moment and stay here forever."

For a moment, they stand in silence, lost in their own thoughts as they grapple with the reality of their impending separation. But even amidst the sadness, there's a sense of determination in their hearts – a determination to make the most of the time they have left together.

As they walk along the riverbank, hand in hand, they savor every moment, committing each detail to memory – the sound of the water rushing past, the warmth of the sun on their skin, the gentle breeze ruffling their hair.

And as the sun begins to set on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the landscape, they find solace in each other's embrace, knowing that no matter where life takes them, their love will remain as strong as ever.

With a shared smile and a silent promise to cherish every moment they have left together, YN and Jungwon watch the sunset, knowing that even as they part ways, their hearts will always be intertwined, bound together by an unbreakable bond that transcends time and distance.

-

YN and Jungwon decide to spend a day at their favorite park, seeking solace in the familiar surroundings and the simple pleasures of nature. They stroll hand in hand along the winding paths, the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds filling the air around them. Finding a secluded spot beneath a towering oak tree, they spread out a picnic blanket and unpack a basket filled with their favorite snacks. As they lounge in the dappled sunlight, they share stories and laughter, basking in the warmth of each other's company.

-

On a warm summer evening, YN and Jungwon decide to take a leisurely bike ride through the city streets, the soft glow of streetlights casting a romantic ambiance over the bustling cityscape. They pedal side by side, the cool night air brushing against their skin as they weave through the maze of streets and alleyways. With each turn, they discover hidden gems – quaint cafes, vibrant street art, and secret gardens tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. And as they pedal into the night, their laughter echoing through the streets, they feel a sense of freedom and exhilaration that comes from exploring the world together.

-

In the comfort of YN's living room, YN and Jungwon spend a cozy evening curled up together on the couch, surrounded by stacks of their favorite movies and snacks. They take turns selecting films, ranging from classic romances to action-packed thrillers, losing themselves in the captivating stories unfolding on screen. Between movies, they share whispered conversations and stolen kisses, their laughter filling the room with warmth and affection. And as the night wears on and the credits roll on the final film, they find themselves reluctant to part ways, cherishing every precious moment they have together.

-

As they stand together at the airport, YN and Jungwon find themselves enveloped in a whirlwind of emotions – sadness, excitement, and a profound sense of longing. With their fingers intertwined and their hearts heavy with the weight of impending separation, they cling to each other as if they never want to let go.

The bustling terminal fades into the background as they share a quiet moment, their gaze locked together in a silent exchange of love and understanding. Words seem inadequate in the face of such intense emotions, so they simply stand together in silence, finding solace in the warmth of each other's embrace.

As the final boarding call echoes through the terminal, reality comes crashing back down around them, pulling them from their private reverie. With a heavy heart, YN looks up at Jungwon, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I'm going to miss you so much," she whispers, her voice barely audible above the din of the crowd.

Jungwon pulls her into a tight embrace, holding her close as if trying to imprint the feel of her against him into his memory. "I'll miss you too, more than words can say," he murmurs, his voice choked with emotion.

They stand together for a moment longer, clinging to each other as if their lives depend on it. But eventually, the inevitable moment arrives – the moment when they must say goodbye.

With a final, lingering kiss, Jungwon releases YN from his embrace, stepping back with a heavy heart. He watches as she fades into the crowd, a solitary figure lost in a sea of faces, until she's nothing more than a distant memory.

As he turns to make his way to the gate, Jungwon carries YN's love with him, a beacon of hope and strength to guide him on his journey. And though they may be separated by miles and oceans, their love will remain as constant as the stars, shining brightly in the darkness, lighting the way back to each other's arms.

As Jungwon walks towards the gate, his heart heavy with the weight of leaving YN behind, he can't help but replay their final moments together in his mind. The image of her tear-streaked face and the echo of her whispered words linger in his thoughts, a constant reminder of the love they share.

Taking a deep breath, Jungwon pushes aside the wave of sadness threatening to engulf him, focusing instead on the excitement of the journey ahead. He knows that he's embarking on a new chapter of his life – one filled with endless possibilities and opportunities for growth.

As he boards the plane and settles into his seat, Jungwon's mind drifts back to YN, his heart aching with longing. But even amidst the sadness of their parting, he finds solace in the knowledge that their love knows no bounds – transcending time and distance, it will keep them connected no matter where life takes them.

And as the plane takes off, carrying him away from YN and towards his future, Jungwon holds onto the promise of their love, knowing that no matter what challenges lie ahead, as long as they have each other, they'll always find their way back together.

Throughout the flight, Jungwon's thoughts remain consumed by memories of YN and the life they've shared together. He finds himself flipping through photos on his phone, each image a poignant reminder of their love and the moments they've shared.

As the hours pass and the plane makes its way across the sky, Jungwon finds himself lost in a whirlwind of emotions – sadness, longing, and a deep-seated sense of uncertainty about what the future holds. But amidst the turbulence of his thoughts, there's a glimmer of hope – the knowledge that no matter where life takes him, YN will always be with him in spirit.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the plane touches down on foreign soil, signaling the beginning of a new chapter in Jungwon's life. Stepping off the plane, he takes a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenges that lie ahead.

As he makes his way through the bustling airport, Jungwon feels a sense of excitement building within him – the thrill of adventure and the promise of new beginnings beckoning him forward. And though he knows that the road ahead will be fraught with obstacles, he takes comfort in the knowledge that YN's love will light his way, guiding him through the darkest of times.

With a renewed sense of determination and purpose, Jungwon sets out to embrace the opportunities that await him in this new chapter of his life, knowing that no matter where his journey takes him, as long as he carries YN's love in his heart, he'll always find his way home.

As YN watches Jungwon's plane disappear into the sky, a profound sense of emptiness washes over her, leaving her feeling adrift in a sea of uncertainty. The bustling airport fades into the background as she stands alone amidst the throng of travelers, her heart heavy with the weight of his absence.

With a heavy sigh, YN gathers her belongings and makes her way out of the airport, the world around her a blur of motion and noise. Tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she navigates the familiar streets of her city, each step a painful reminder of the void Jungwon has left behind.

As she arrives home, YN finds herself surrounded by memories of their time together – the photographs adorning the walls, the trinkets and souvenirs they've collected over the years, the empty space beside her in bed where Jungwon used to lay. The realization that he's truly gone hits her like a punch to the gut, leaving her feeling raw and vulnerable.

But amidst the pain of their parting, YN finds solace in the knowledge that their love will endure, transcending time and distance. She takes comfort in the memories they've shared and the promise of a future filled with possibility.

With a heavy heart and tear-stained cheeks, YN resolves to carry on, knowing that Jungwon's love will be her guiding light through the darkest of times. And as she looks to the future with hope and determination, she knows that no matter where life takes them, as long as they hold onto each other in their hearts, they'll always find their way back to one another.

In the days that follow Jungwon's departure, YN finds herself navigating a world that feels strangely empty without him by her side. The once-familiar routines of their shared life now seem foreign and unfamiliar, each passing moment a painful reminder of his absence.

Despite the ache in her heart, YN throws herself into her studies and her passion for botany, finding solace in the simple pleasures of caring for her plants and nurturing new life. With each bloom that unfurls under her tender care, she feels a sense of renewal and hope – a reminder that even in the darkest of times, beauty can still thrive.

But no matter how busy she keeps herself, YN can't shake the feeling of longing that lingers in the pit of her stomach, a constant reminder of the love she's left behind. She finds herself reaching for her phone instinctively, only to remember that the messages and calls she once took for granted now feel like distant echoes of a past life.

As the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months, YN finds herself counting down the days until she'll see Jungwon again, her heart filled with anticipation and longing. And though the road ahead may be fraught with challenges and obstacles, she takes comfort in the knowledge that their love will see them through, guiding them back into each other's arms once more.

-

In their respective college experiences and careers, YN and Jungwon find themselves navigating a world of new challenges and opportunities, each forging their own path towards their dreams.

YN immerses herself in her studies at her dream school, throwing herself into her passion for botany with renewed determination and enthusiasm. Surrounded by like-minded peers and inspiring mentors, she finds herself thriving in the vibrant academic environment, pushing herself to new heights of achievement and discovery.

Outside of the classroom, YN explores her interests and talents, seeking out opportunities to grow and expand her horizons. Whether it's participating in research projects, joining student organizations, or volunteering in her community, she finds fulfillment in every new experience, each one bringing her closer to her goals.

As she delves deeper into her studies and explores her career options, YN finds herself drawn to the idea of combining her love for botany with her passion for environmental conservation. With a clear sense of purpose and direction, she sets her sights on a future where she can make a meaningful impact on the world around her, one plant at a time.

Meanwhile, Jungwon finds himself immersed in the world of filmmaking at his dream school abroad, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the industry. From the moment he sets foot on campus, he feels a sense of belonging, a certainty that he's exactly where he's meant to be.

In the classroom and on set, Jungwon throws himself into his studies with a relentless drive and determination, soaking up knowledge and honing his craft with every passing day. With each film project he undertakes, he pushes himself to new creative heights, exploring new techniques and pushing the boundaries of his own imagination.

Outside of his academic pursuits, Jungwon immerses himself in the vibrant cultural scene of his new city, soaking up inspiration from the sights and sounds around him. From attending film festivals to collaborating with local artists, he finds himself constantly inspired by the energy and creativity of his surroundings.

As he navigates the ups and downs of his college experience and embarks on his journey towards a career in filmmaking, Jungwon remains driven by a singular vision – to share stories that move and inspire audiences, to capture the beauty and complexity of the human experience on screen.

Though their paths may be divergent and their lives filled with their own unique challenges and triumphs, YN and Jungwon find strength in the knowledge that they're each pursuing their dreams with unwavering passion and determination. And as they continue to grow and evolve, they carry with them the love and support of each other, a constant source of inspiration and encouragement on their journey towards success.

One night, as the city lights glitter outside YN's window and the stars twinkle in the sky above Jungwon's new apartment abroad, they find themselves drawn to each other once more, their hearts yearning for the familiar comfort of each other's presence.

With a soft chime, YN's phone lights up with a notification – a Facetime call from Jungwon. Her heart skips a beat as she accepts the call, a rush of warmth flooding her chest as his familiar face fills the screen.

"Hey," Jungwon says, his voice filled with warmth and affection. "I just wanted to see your face."

A smile spreads across YN's lips as she takes in the sight of him, his tousled hair and tired eyes a testament to the late hour. "I've missed you," she admits softly, her voice tinged with longing.

Jungwon's gaze softens, a look of tenderness in his eyes as he reaches out towards the screen as if to touch her. "I've missed you too, more than words can say," he murmurs.

For a moment, they simply gaze at each other in silence, the distance between them melting away as they lose themselves in the connection they share. Despite the miles that separate them, they find solace in the knowledge that they're still bound together by the unbreakable bond of love.

As they talk into the night, sharing stories and laughter, they find themselves transported back to a time when they were inseparable, when the world seemed to revolve around their love for each other. And though they may be far apart, their hearts beat as one, their love transcending time and distance to bring them closer together once more.

As the call comes to an end and they bid each other goodnight, YN and Jungwon are filled with a renewed sense of hope and determination. Though their lives may be filled with uncertainty and change, they know that as long as they have each other, they'll always find a way to overcome whatever obstacles come their way.

In their academic and career pursuits, YN and Jungwon continue to excel, each making significant strides towards their goals while facing their own unique challenges along the way.

YN immerses herself in her studies, delving deeper into the world of botany and environmental science. She spends long hours in the lab, conducting experiments and research that push the boundaries of her field. Her dedication and passion earn her recognition among her peers and mentors, opening doors to new opportunities and collaborations.

Outside of the classroom, YN takes on internships and volunteer positions that allow her to apply her knowledge in real-world settings. Whether it's working in botanical gardens, conducting field research in remote locations, or advocating for environmental causes, she throws herself into every opportunity with enthusiasm and determination.

As she nears graduation, YN finds herself faced with a myriad of possibilities for her future. With her passion for botany and her dedication to environmental conservation, she knows that she has the power to make a positive impact on the world around her, no matter where her career takes her.

Meanwhile, Jungwon continues to hone his craft in the world of filmmaking, immersing himself in every aspect of the industry. From screenwriting and cinematography to directing and editing, he throws himself into every project with creativity and passion, constantly pushing himself to new heights of artistic expression.

Throughout his college experience, Jungwon seeks out opportunities to collaborate with fellow students and industry professionals, building a network of contacts and mentors that will serve him well in his future career. He takes on internships and apprenticeships that allow him to gain hands-on experience on film sets, learning from the best in the business and honing his skills as a filmmaker.

In the first two years of their college experiences, YN and Jungwon manage to maintain a strong and consistent level of communication despite the distance between them. They make time for regular Facetime calls, text messages, and emails, eagerly sharing updates about their lives, their academic achievements, and their career aspirations. Despite the challenges of being apart, their love remains a constant presence in their lives, providing them with strength and support as they navigate the ups and downs of college life.

However, as they enter their third year and approach the final stretch of their college careers, the demands of their academic and professional lives begin to take precedence. With looming deadlines, internships, and job applications to contend with, they find themselves increasingly strapped for time and energy. As a result, their communication begins to falter, with days or even weeks passing between messages.

At first, they reassure themselves that it's just a temporary hiccup – a byproduct of the hectic pace of college life. But as time goes on and their communication continues to dwindle, they can't help but feel a growing sense of unease and distance between them. What was once a source of comfort and joy now feels like a burden, a reminder of the growing divide between their lives.

Despite their best efforts to stay connected, YN and Jungwon find themselves drifting apart, their once vibrant conversations giving way to awkward silences and strained exchanges. They struggle to find common ground amidst the chaos of their busy lives, their priorities shifting as they focus on their own individual goals and aspirations.

As they enter their fourth year of college, the silence between them becomes deafening, each unanswered message and missed call a painful reminder of the growing distance between them. They wonder if their love can withstand the test of time and distance, or if they're destined to drift further and further apart until they're nothing more than distant memories of a love that once was.

Despite the challenges they face, YN and Jungwon cling to the hope that their love will endure, that the bond they share is strong enough to withstand whatever obstacles come their way. And as they navigate the uncertain road ahead, they hold onto the belief that no matter where life takes them, as long as they have each other in their hearts, they'll always find a way back to one another.

As graduation approaches, Jungwon finds himself faced with a world of possibilities for his future. With his talent and dedication, he knows that he has the potential to make a name for himself in the fiercely competitive world of filmmaking, to tell stories that inspire and move audiences around the world.

As the distance between them grows and their communication dwindles, Jungwon finds himself grappling with conflicting emotions about his relationship with YN. What was once a source of comfort and joy now feels like a burden, a constant reminder of the growing divide between their lives. He can't help but wonder if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges they face, or if they're simply clinging to a fading connection out of fear of letting go.

With each unanswered message and missed call, Jungwon feels a growing sense of frustration and resentment building within him. He struggles to reconcile the image of the vibrant, passionate love they once shared with the reality of their current situation – one marked by distance, uncertainty, and a lack of communication.

As he reflects on his own hopes and aspirations for the future, Jungwon finds himself questioning whether YN still fits into the life he envisions for himself. He wonders if their relationship is holding him back from pursuing his dreams, or if it's simply a casualty of the inevitable changes that come with growing up and moving on.

Despite his doubts and fears, Jungwon can't shake the lingering feelings of love and affection he still harbors for YN. He knows that walking away from their relationship would mean letting go of a part of himself – a part that he's not sure he's ready to give up just yet.

Caught between his desire for independence and his longing for connection, Jungwon finds himself at a crossroads, unsure of which path to take. As he weighs his options and contemplates the future, he knows that whatever decision he makes will have far-reaching consequences for both himself and YN. And as he grapples with the uncertainty of what lies ahead, he can only hope that he'll find the clarity and courage to follow his heart, whatever the cost.

As the silence between them stretches on, YN finds herself consumed by worry and doubt, her mind plagued by thoughts of Jungwon and the possibility that he may have found someone else. Each unanswered message and missed call only adds fuel to her fears, leaving her feeling increasingly isolated and alone.

Unable to shake the nagging sense of unease that gnaws at her insides, YN finds herself endlessly scrolling through social media feeds and online profiles, searching for any sign of Jungwon's whereabouts or activities. With each new photo or status update, she feels a pang of jealousy and insecurity, wondering if he's moved on without her.

As the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months, YN's anxiety reaches a fever pitch, her imagination running wild with worst-case scenarios. She tortures herself with thoughts of Jungwon with someone new – laughing, smiling, and sharing intimate moments that were once reserved for her alone.

Despite her efforts to push aside her fears and focus on her own life, YN finds herself consumed by thoughts of Jungwon and the life they once shared together. She wonders if she'll ever be able to move on from him, or if she'll spend the rest of her days haunted by the ghost of their failed relationship.

As she struggles to come to terms with the possibility of losing Jungwon forever, YN finds herself torn between holding onto hope and letting go of the past. She knows that she can't control his actions or his feelings, but she can't help but cling to the faint glimmer of possibility that maybe, just maybe, their love is strong enough to withstand the trials they face.

With a heavy heart and a soul weighed down by uncertainty, YN braces herself for whatever the future may hold, knowing that no matter what happens, she'll always carry a piece of Jungwon with her – a reminder of the love they once shared and the bond that still lingers between them, even in the darkest of times.

As YN sits alone in her room, tears streaming down her cheeks, she feels a heavy weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating her with the weight of her worries and fears. Lost in her own thoughts, she doesn't hear the soft knock on her door or the creak of the hinges as it swings open.

"Hey, sis, are you okay?" YN's brother's voice breaks through the haze of her despair, his concern evident in the furrow of his brow and the gentle tone of his voice.

Startled, YN looks up to find her brother standing in the doorway, his eyes filled with worry and compassion. Despite her efforts to hide her tears, she knows that he can see right through her façade, that he knows she's been struggling with something for weeks now.

"I'm fine," YN mumbles, her voice barely above a whisper as she tries to wipe away her tears. But her brother isn't fooled by her feeble attempt at reassurance, his gaze softening as he steps further into the room.

"Sis, I know something's been bothering you lately," he says gently, his voice filled with empathy. "You haven't been yourself, and I'm worried about you."

With a heavy sigh, YN collapses onto her bed, her emotions spilling out in a rush of tears and choked sobs. Unable to hold back any longer, she pours her heart out to her brother, telling him about her fears and insecurities, her worries about Jungwon and the possibility that he may have moved on without her.

As she speaks, YN's brother listens intently, offering words of comfort and understanding that soothe the ache in her heart. He assures her that her feelings are valid, that it's okay to be scared and uncertain about the future. And most importantly, he reminds her that she's not alone – that no matter what happens, he'll always be there for her, ready to offer support and guidance whenever she needs it.

With her brother's words echoing in her ears, YN feels a sense of relief wash over her, a weight lifted from her shoulders. Though her worries may still linger, she knows that she doesn't have to face them alone – that as long as she has her family by her side, she'll always find the strength to overcome whatever obstacles come her way. And with a newfound sense of determination and hope, she wipes away her tears and resolves to face the future head-on, knowing that no matter what challenges lie ahead, she'll always have her brother's unwavering support to see her through.

As YN's brother listens to her pouring out her heart, he feels a pang of sadness knowing the depth of her pain. He reaches out and pulls her into a warm embrace, holding her close as she cries out her frustrations and fears.

"I'm so sorry you're going through this, sis," he says softly, his voice filled with empathy. "But I want you to know that you're not alone. Whatever happens, I'll always be here for you."

YN clings to her brother, finding solace in his comforting presence. For the first time in weeks, she feels a glimmer of hope flicker to life within her, a tiny spark of light in the darkness of her despair.

"Thank you," she whispers, her voice choked with emotion. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Her brother smiles gently, brushing away her tears with a tender touch. "You don't have to do anything alone," he says reassuringly. "We're family, and we'll get through this together."

With her brother's words ringing in her ears, YN feels a renewed sense of strength and resolve wash over her. Though the road ahead may be difficult and filled with uncertainty, she knows that she doesn't have to face it alone – that as long as she has her family by her side, she'll always find the courage to keep moving forward, no matter what challenges lie ahead.

As they sit together in the quiet of her room, YN and her brother find comfort in each other's presence, knowing that no matter what the future may hold, they'll face it together, one step at a time. And with a renewed sense of hope in her heart, YN wipes away her tears and resolves to take each day as it comes, knowing that with her brother by her side, she can overcome anything that comes her way.

As Jungwon throws himself into his studies and filmmaking pursuits, he finds solace in the familiar rhythm of his daily routine. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities for growth, and he throws himself into his work with a renewed sense of determination and focus.

On set, Jungwon immerses himself in the world of filmmaking, his passion and creativity fueling his drive to succeed. He pours over scripts, storyboard ideas, and hones his directing skills, pushing himself to new heights of artistic expression with each project he undertakes. Despite the pressures and demands of his studies, he finds a sense of fulfillment in bringing his vision to life on screen, knowing that he's pursuing his dreams with unwavering dedication and passion.

In the classroom, Jungwon embraces the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry, soaking up knowledge and honing his craft with each lecture and seminar. He dives into film theory and criticism, dissecting the works of master directors and studying the intricacies of storytelling and visual language. With each passing day, he feels himself growing as an artist and a filmmaker, his skills sharpening and his confidence soaring as he inches closer to his goals.

But despite his outward success and determination, Jungwon can't shake the nagging sense of emptiness that gnaws at his insides. As he throws himself into his work, he finds himself haunted by thoughts of YN and the love they once shared. He wonders if he made the right decision in distancing himself from her, or if he's simply avoiding the pain of confronting his true feelings.

With each passing day, Jungwon finds himself retreating further into himself, his focus on his work serving as a distraction from the turmoil of his emotions. He throws himself into his studies and filmmaking pursuits with a single-minded intensity, hoping that if he can just keep himself busy enough, he'll be able to push aside the ache in his heart and move on with his life.

But deep down, Jungwon knows that no amount of work or distraction can erase the love he still feels for YN. And as he wrestles with his inner demons, he can't help but wonder if he'll ever find peace and closure, or if he'll spend the rest of his days haunted by the ghost of their failed relationship.

As YN and Jungwon find themselves on a rare break from their busy schedules, they seize the opportunity to connect over Facetime, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of their screens. For a moment, they simply gaze at each other, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them.

Then, with a deep breath, YN gathers her courage and breaks the silence. "Jungwon," she begins, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "I need to ask you something."

Jungwon's brow furrows in concern as he senses the seriousness in YN's tone. "Of course, YN. What is it?" he replies, his own heart racing with anticipation.

Taking a moment to steady herself, YN plunges ahead, her words tumbling out in a rush. "What are we, Jungwon? Are we still in a relationship, or… or have we moved on? I need to know where we stand."

There's a beat of silence as Jungwon absorbs YN's words, his heart clenching with a mixture of emotions. He knows that this moment has been a long time coming, that they can't continue to dance around the truth forever. With a heavy sigh, he meets YN's gaze, his eyes filled with a mix of regret and determination.

"YN, I…" he begins, his voice trailing off as he searches for the right words. "I don't know, YN. I've been trying to figure that out myself. It's been hard, being apart from you and trying to focus on my studies and my career."

YN's heart sinks at Jungwon's words, the reality of their situation hitting her like a ton of bricks. She had hoped for clarity, for reassurance that their love was still alive and worth fighting for. But instead, she's met with uncertainty and doubt.

"I understand," she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's just… it's been hard for me too, Jungwon. I miss you, and I want to believe that we can still make this work. But I need to know if you're still in this with me."

Jungwon's heart aches at the pain in YN's voice, the knowledge that he's the cause of her suffering weighing heavily on his conscience. He knows that he owes her honesty, that he can't continue to string her along with false hope.

"I'm sorry, YN," he says softly, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't have the answers right now. But I promise you, I'll do whatever it takes to figure this out. I won't let you down again."

With a heavy heart, YN nods in understanding, the weight of their conversation hanging heavy in the air between them. Though they may not have all the answers now, they know that they can't continue to ignore the truth forever. And as they face the uncertainty of their future together, they cling to the hope that their love will see them through, no matter what challenges lie ahead.

[elennemigo]

NEW PROJECT ALERT!

EXCLUSIVE: Benedict Cumberbatch has signed to star in Dylan Southern’s adaptation of Max Porter’s acclaimed novel Grief is the Thing With Feathers about a father and his two young sons dealing with the sudden death of their wife and mother.

Cumberbatch will play a young father whose hold on reality crumbles following his wife’s death as a strange presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons.

“Having been a huge fan of Max Porter’s extraordinary book and Enda Walsh’s stage adaptation I was sceptical about a film adaptation. But the experience of reading Dylan Southern’s adaptation rekindled the cinematic memory of reading this most visceral tale of a family consumed by grief,” said Cumberbatch.

“Dylan has handled the deftness of Max’s kinetic poetry masterfully. It’s so well realised both on the page and in the deck and pitch. It holds all the wildly sharp turns of changing tones and colours between the domestic and mythic, between the despair, comedy, and every day of loss. It’s a thrilling read, and I couldn’t be more excited to be taking Dylan’s cinematic vision of it to the big screen”, he added.

“This is a genuinely meaningful story – but it’s also scary, thrilling, and subversive – and it achieves all of the above whilst remaining unsentimental. As a director, adapting this book provides the opportunity to combine striking genre elements with drama in a way that will not only move an audience, but will frighten them and make them laugh too”, said Dylan Southern (Director).

The feature adaptation, entitled The Thing With Feathers, is produced by Andrea Cornwell with SunnyMarch’s Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke. The script was developed with Film4, who will executive produce and co-finance. The crow figure will be created for the screen in collaboration with the sculptor Nicola Hicks.

[everythingispirates]

We have to face the fact that Elizabeth hated piracy and left it for good. She wanted a peaceful life and that is exactly what she got.

We have to face the fact that Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and moviemaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead horror series, beginning with the short movie Within the Woods (1978). He has also featured in many low-budget cult movies such as Crimewave (1985), Maniac Cop (1988), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002).

Bruce Lorne Campbell[1] was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on June 22, 1958,[2] the son of advertising executive and college professor Charles Newton Campbell and homemaker Joanne Louise (née Pickens).[3] He is of English and Scottish ancestry,[1] and has an older brother named Don and an older half-brother named Michael.[4] His father was also an actor and director for local theater.[3] Campbell began acting and making short Super 8 movies with friends as a teenager. After meeting future moviemaker Sam Raimi while the two attended Wylie E. Groves High School, they became good friends and collaborators. Campbell attended Western Michigan University and continued to pursue an acting career.[5]

Campbell and Raimi collaborated with a 30-minute Super 8 version of the first Evil Dead movie, titled Within the Woods (1978), which was initially used to attract investors.[6] He and Raimi got together with family and friends to begin working on The Evil Dead (1981). While featuring as the protagonist, Campbell also participation with the production of the movie, receiving a co-executive producer credit. Raimi wrote, directed, and edited the movie, while Rob Tapert produced. After an endorsement by horror author Stephen King, the movie slowly began to receive attention and offers for distribution.[7] Four years after its original release, it became the most popular movie in the UK. It was then distributed in the United States, resulting in the sequels Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992).[8]

Campbell was also drawn in the Marvel Zombie comics as his character, Ash Williams. He is featured in five comics, all in the series Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness. In them, he fights alongside the Marvel heroes against the heroes and people who have become zombies (deadites) while in search of the Necronomicon (Book of the Names of the Dead).[9] Campbell also played as Coach Boomer in the movie “Sky High”.

He has appeared in several of Raimi's movies other than the Evil Dead series, notably having cameo appearances in the director's Spider-Man film series.[10] Campbell also joined the cast of Raimi's movie Darkman[11] and The Quick and the Dead, though having no actual screen time in the latter movie's theatrical version.[12] In March 2022, Campbell was announced to have a cameo in Raimi's Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.[13]

Campbell often performs quirky roles, such as Elvis Presley for the movie Bubba Ho-Tep.[14] Along with Bubba Ho-Tep, he played a supporting role in Maniac Cop and Maniac Cop 2, and spoofed his career in the self-directed My Name is Bruce.[15]

Other mainstream movies for Campbell include supporting or featured roles in the Coen Brothers movie The Hudsucker Proxy, the Michael Crichton adaptation Congo, the movie version of McHale's Navy, Escape From L.A. (the sequel to John Carpenter's Escape From New York), the Jim Carrey drama The Majestic and the 2005 Disney movie Sky High.[16]

Campbell had a major voice role for the 2009 animated adaptation of the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and a supporting voice role for Pixar's Cars 2.[17]

Campbell produced the 2013 remake of The Evil Dead, along with Raimi and Rob Tapert, appearing in the movie's post-credits scene in a cameo role with the expectation he would reprise that role in Army of Darkness 2.[18] The next year, the comedy metal band Psychostick released a song titled "Bruce Campbell" on their album IV: Revenge of the Vengeance that pays a comedic tribute to his past roles.

Campbell worked as an executive producer for the 2023 movie Evil Dead Rise.[19]

Other than cinema, Campbell has appeared in a number of television series. He featured in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. a boisterous science fiction comedy western created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse that played for one season.[20] He played a lawyer turned bounty hunter who was trying to hunt down John Bly, the man who killed his father. He featured in the television series Jack of All Trades, set on a fictional island occupied by the French in 1801. Campbell was also credited as co-executive producer, among others. The show was directed by Eric Gruendemann, and was produced by various people, including Sam Raimi.[21] The show was broadcast for two seasons, from 2000 to 2001. He had a recurring role as "Bill Church Jr." based upon the character of Morgan Edge from the Superman comics on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.[22]

From 1996 to 1997, Campbell was a recurring guest actor of the television series Ellen as Ed Billik, who becomes Ellen's boss when she sells her bookstore in season four.[23]

He is also known for his supporting role as the recurring character Autolycus ("King of Thieves") on both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which reunited him with producer Rob Tapert.[24] Campbell played Hercules/Xena series producer Tapert in two episodes of Hercules set in the present.[25] He directed a number of episodes of Hercules and Xena, including the Hercules series finale.[26]

Campbell also obtained the main role of race car driver Hank Cooper for the Disney made-for-television remake of The Love Bug.[27]

Campbell had a critically acclaimed dramatic guest role as a grief-stricken detective seeking revenge for his father's murder in a two-part episode of the fourth season of Homicide: Life on the Street. Campbell later played the part of a bigamous demon in The X-Files episode "Terms of Endearment".[28] He also featured as Agent Jackman in the episode "Witch Way Now?" of the WB series Charmed, as well as playing a state police officer in an episode of the short-lived series American Gothic titled "Meet The Beetles".

Campbell co-featured in the television series Burn Notice, which was broadcast from 2007 to 2013 by USA Network. He portrayed Sam Axe, a beer-chugging, former Navy SEAL now working as an unlicensed private investigator and occasional mercenary with his old friend Michael Westen, the show's main character. When working undercover, his character frequently used the alias Chuck Finley, which Bruce later revealed was the name of one of his father's old co-workers.[29] Campbell was the star of a 2011 Burn Notice made-for-television prequel focusing on Sam's Navy SEAL career, titled Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe.[30]

In 2014, Campbell played Santa Claus for an episode of The Librarians. Campbell played Ronald Reagan in season 2 of the FX original series Fargo. More recently Campbell reprised his role as Ashley "Ash" Williams in Ash vs Evil Dead,[31] a series based upon the Evil Dead series that began his career. Ash vs Evil Dead began airing on Starz on October 31, 2015, and was renewed by the cable channel for second[32] and third seasons,[33] before being cancelled.[34]

In January 2019, Travel Channel announced a new version of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! reality series, with Campbell serving as host and executive producer. The 10-episode season debuted on June 9, 2019.[35]

Campbell is featured as a voice actor for several video games. He provides the voice of Ash in the four games based on the Evil Dead movies series: Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick, Evil Dead: Regeneration and Evil Dead: The Game.[36] He also provided voice talent in other titles such as Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man,[37] and Dead by Daylight.[38]

He provided the voice of main character Jake Logan for the PC game, Tachyon: The Fringe, the voice of main character Jake Burton for the PlayStation game Broken Helix and the voice of Magnanimous for Megas XLR. Campbell voiced the pulp adventurer Lobster Johnson in Hellboy: The Science of Evil and has done voice-over work for the Codemaster's game Hei$t, a game which was announced on January 28, 2010 to have been "terminated". He also provided the voice of The Mayor for the 2009 movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, the voice of Rod "Torque" Redline in Cars 2, the voice of Himcules in the 2003 Nickelodeon TV series My Life as a Teenage Robot, and the voice of Fugax in the 2006 movie The Ant Bully.[37]

Despite the inclusion of his character "Ash Williams" in Telltale Games' Poker Night 2, Danny Webber voices the character in the game, instead of Bruce Campbell.[39]

He has a voice in the online MOBA game, Tome: Immortal Arena in 2014.[40] Campbell also provided voice-over and motion capture for Sgt. Lennox in the Exo Zombies mode of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.[41]

In addition to acting and occasionally directing, Campbell has become a writer, starting with an autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, published in June 2001.[42] The autobiography was a successful New York Times Best Seller.[43] It describes Campbell's career to date as an actor in low-budget movies and television, providing his insight into "Blue-Collar Hollywood".[42] The paperback version of the book adds details about the reactions of fans during book signings: "Whenever I do mainstream stuff, I think they're pseudo-interested, but they're still interested in seeing weirdo, offbeat stuff, and that's what I'm attracted to".[42]

Campbell's next book Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way was published on May 26, 2005. The book's plot involves him (depicted in a comical way) as the main character struggling to make it into the world of A-list movies.[44] He later recorded an audio play adaptation of Make Love with fellow Michigan actors, including longtime collaborator Ted Raimi. This radio drama was released by the independent label Rykodisc and spans 6 discs with a 6-hour running time.

In addition to his books, Campbell also wrote a column for X-Ray Magazine in 2001, an issue of the popular comic series The Hire, and comic book adaptations of his Man with the Screaming Brain. Most recently he wrote the introduction to Josh Becker's The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking.

In late 2016, Campbell announced that he would be releasing a third book, Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor, which will detail his life from where If Chins Could Kill ended. Hail to the Chin was released in August 2017, and accompanied by a book tour across the United States and Europe.[45]

Campbell maintained a weblog on his official website, where he posted mainly about politics and the movie industry, though it has since been deleted.[46]

Since 2014, the Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival, narrated and organized by Campbell, was held in the Muvico Theater in Rosemont, Illinois. The first festival was originally from August 21 to 25, 2014, presented by Wizard World, as part of the Chicago Comicon.[47] The second festival was from August 20 to 23, 2015, with guests Tom Holland and Eli Roth.[48] The third festival took place over four days in August 2016.[49] Guests of the event were Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert and Doug Benson.[50]

Campbell married Christine Deveau in 1983, and they had two children before divorcing in 1989. He met costume designer Ida Gearon while working on Mindwarp, and they were married in 1992.[51] They reside in Jacksonville, Oregon.[51]

Campbell is also ordained and has performed marriage ceremonies.[52]

[brokehorrorfan]

Paramount Scares: Volume One will be released on October 24 via Paramount. The 4K Ultra HD box set collects Rosemary's Baby, Pet Sematary, Crawl, Smile, and a mystery fifth title making its 4K UHD debut.

1968's Rosemary's Baby is written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on Ira Levin’s 1967 novel. Mia Farrow stars with John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, and Ralph Bellamy.

1989's Pet Sematary is based on the 1983 novel by Stephen King, who also penned the script. Mary Lambert (Urban Legends: Bloody Mary) directs. Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, and Miko Hughes star.

2019's Crawl is directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, High Tension) and written by Michael & Shawn Rasmussen (The Ward). Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper star. Sam Raimi produces.

2022's Smile marks the feature debut of writer-director Parker Finn, based on his 2020 short film Laura Hasn’t Slept. Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan star.

The limited edition set comes with an special issue of Fangoria magazine, Paramount Scares enamel pin, sticker sheet, and exclusive slipcovers for all five films. Special features are listed below.

Rosemary's Baby special features:

Rosemary’s Baby: A Retrospective

Mia and Roman

Theatrical trailer 50th anniversary trailer

Like most first-time mothers, Rosemary experiences confusion and fear. Her husband, an ambitious but unsuccessful actor, makes a pact with the devil that promises to send his career skyward.

Pet Sematary special features:

Audio commentary by director Mary Lambert

Interview with Mary Lambert

Fear and Remembrance

Stephen King Territory

The Characters

Filming the Horror

3 image galleries: storyboards (with introduction by Mary Lambert), behind the scenes, marketing

Dr. Louis Creed, having just moved to Maine with his wife and two children, is heartbroken when he finds that his daughter’s beloved cat has been hit by a truck and killed. Thankfully, a strange, elderly neighbor called Jud knows a secret that may spare the young girl’s tears. He takes the dead cat to an ancient Indian burial ground that lies hidden in the surrounding hilltops; and when he buries the feline there, it comes back to life a few days later. But Louis can’t be trusted with the secret, and, despite strong warnings that something horrible will happen, he uses the power of the burial ground to bring his son back from the dead.

Crawl special features:

Beneath Crawl featurette

Category 5 Gators: The VFX of Crawl featurette

Alligator Attacks

Alternate opening

Introduction to alternate opening

Deleted and extended scenes

As a category 5 hurricane tears through Florida, Haley rushes to find her father, who is injured and trapped in the crawl space of their home. The storm intensifies and water levels rise, just as the pair face an even more terrifying threat—alligators lurking below the surface, ready to chop.

Smile special features:

Audio commentary by writer-director Parker Finn

Laura Hasn’t Slept - Original short film with introduction by director Parker Finn

Something’s Wrong with Rose: Making Smile

Flies on the Wall: Inside the Score featurette

Deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Parker Finn

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Pre-order Paramount Scares: Volume One.

[rampents]

| zendaya & she/her | Welcome to the crossroads, CATIE CATCHER. Another lost soul that stumbled across a fallen tree in their path. They appear to be 25 years old, but it’s hard to tell. The town bares no resemblance to LOS ANGELES, are you sure we can trust them? Seeing as they ended up here because, SHE WENT TRAVELLING TO GET AWAY. They definitely weren’t looking to end up here. Now they’ll have to rely on being CONFIDENT to survive. Hopefully their HOTHEADED doesn’t get in the way of that. I guess if we’re going to pass the time tonight, might as well request THE PHANTOM BUZZ by DECLAN MCKENNA. Oh, and one more thing, your new role here will be STORE CLERK. We’ll be sending out welcoming party over to the MOTEL. Welcome to Oblitus, the only thing you have to remember, when the sun sets– don’t open the door.

Born into Hollywood, Catie’s life was orchestrated by her parents: her father, an unsuccessful actor, thrust her into the spotlight, seeing her as his last chance at fame.Her mother, a well-known director, supported this to appease her father, grateful that it stopped his endless complaints about his career.From a young age, Catie learned to mask her feelings; any resistance to her parents' plans led to her father calling her ungrateful, forcing her to perform a “perfect daughter” act.

As Catie got older, her anger grew sharper. She tried to push it down, and it came out in other ways: outbursts on set, arguments with fellow cast members, and eventually, an attitude problem that branded her as “difficult.” When directors or producers gave her orders that felt too controlling, she’d snap. Despite her struggles, Catie became a recognisable child actress, starring in several TV shows and movies. However, by the age of 20, she could no longer endure the demands of her career and decided to disappear from the industry.

She fled to London, wanting a fresh start. Catie dabbled in teaching an acting class, but her lack of passion (and talent for that matter) for the craft rendered her ineffective as a teacher. She also tried her hand at writing, producing a debut book that fictionalised her childhood in the industry. She attempted painting, but her works lacked depth. She ventured into photography, only to find her skills were mediocre at best. Graphic design, jewellery making, and even a brief stint as a musician followed, but none of these pursuits worked out. Each new venture would start with excitement, but as soon as things got tough or she faced criticism, her frustration would turn to rage, and she’d quit before she could "fail."

Defeated, embarrassed, Catie relocated to Manchester, hoping to carve out a more conventional life away from her past. While the book garnered some attention, it wasn’t actually all that good and she stopped doing that too.

In Manchester, it seemed manageable for a while, but with her father back in her life, her old triggers flared up. His attempts to control her life, combined with his sense of entitlement to her inheritance, stoked her anger again, yet she couldn’t bring herself to confront him outright. Instead, Catie’s anger came out in bursts: shouting at strangers, smashing dishes, leaving situations abruptly. Her impulse to keep running—to leave her anger and the people triggering it behind—was strong. She decided to take off travelling. Despite her first trip being to Brazil, she finds herself in a deceptively American town. Welcome to Oblitus!

- how did they find the tree that led them here? what were they doing?

Catie was drifting from town to town with no particular plan. After a few weeks in Brazil, she booked a budget bus ticket to a coastal town. Somewhere along the route, the bus took a detour. While most passengers seemed unbothered, Catie grew restless. The landscape felt disorientingly wrong—dense forests pressing in on both sides of the road, with no sign of towns or rest stops. After hours on this unfamiliar route, the bus finally halted at a strange wooded clearing. They’d stopped to help someone change a flat tire. Impatient and wanting to stretch her legs, Catie wandered off into the trees.

She spotted an enormous old oak tree, its roots coiled and twisted, partially rising from the earth as though inviting her to step closer. She reached out, touching the bark—and suddenly felt a rush, almost like a sharp tug. She stumbled forward, losing her footing. When she straightened and looked around, the forest seemed different—too quiet, too dense. She looked back for the bus, but it was gone, replaced by eerie silence.

- describe your character’s first day/night in town? 

Catie's first day in the town is surreal, unsettling. When she first stepped out of the trees and into the heart of the town, it was too unbelievably quiet. The buildings look worn, faded, as if they hadn’t been touched for years. As she wanders the streets, Catie feels like she‘s walking through the set of an abandoned movie.

She eventually comes across a group of people gathered in what looked like a town centre. Relieved to see anyone, she approaches, half-expecting them to recognize her from her old acting days. Instead, the townsfolk just exchanged wary glances. She asks the way out of town but is met with, ‘There is no way out.’

She laughs, assuming they’re trying to scare her. But as the day wears on, the reality begins to sink in. She wanders the roads, trying to find a path back to the tree where she had first arrived, but each attempt leads her back into the town. Frustrated and confused, her anger starts to bubble up. She confronts a few people, demanding answers, but they just look at her with pity and fear.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Refuge (2023)

The best thing I can say about Refuge is that it has its heart in the right place. Though the evil in this horror film comes from Afghanistan, writer Ben Sztajnkrycer and director Renny Harlin really want to make it clear that not all Middle Easterners are terrorists and that the Afghan immigrants living in the United States are our friends. That’s admirable but it doesn’t make up for a lack of scares or a story you’ve seen so many times it’s more likely to put you to sleep than give you nightmares.

After a tour in Afghanistan, Sergeant Rick Pedroni (Aston McAuley) returns home after a strange incident. His wife, Kate (Sophie Simnett) hardly recognizes the quiet, cheerless man before her now. After sudden fits of violence, nightmares and events that can only be described as "supernatural", Kate reaches out to Ibrahim (Raza Jaffrey), an Imam at a nearby temple, for help.

Some trivia I read claims producer Gary Lucchesi was inspired by the 2017 National Geographic Article “Behind the Mask: Revealing the Trauma of War”, detailing a type of art therapy that has veterans use masks to express the way they feel on the inside. I was stunned to learn this because while watching, you’ll swear the mask therapy stuff is all made up. Every person we see at the clinic wears something that would be at home in one of the “Purge” movies, except for Rick, whose mask looks like a paper bag soaked in dirty water. The evil spirit possessing him eventually spreads to the clinic's other patients, making the guys already wearing creepy masks act creepy. I was going to criticize the film for doing the obvious thing… but the masks in the article are creepier than they aren’t, so it’s merely taking advantage of a real-life unsettling visual. If anything, that's a strength.

Continuing down this line, we can see why this film was made. We know soldiers come back from armed conflict with PTSD. Rick’s father, Sebastian (Jason Flemyng), still has nightmares and it’s been decades since he saw combat. The idea of your loved one returning as a different person is scary enough. What if what everyone assumes is PTSD is something even more serious? Something… satanic? That’s a good idea but unfortunately, the creativity stopped there. Everything in this film you’ve seen before and better. The demonic possession scenes aren’t shocking or frightening, they don’t showcase any new visuals, say anything interesting about the human psyche or reveal anything about what war does to people. The “exorcism” performed is pretty standard, with the key to defeating the wicked spirit being the kind of thing that makes you go “I guess that’s clever… but it also seems way too easy”.

I mentioned the film’s good intentions earlier. These are showcased primarily in the scenes with Ibrahim, his wife Rasha (Mila Lyutskanova) and their teenage son, Farid (Shervin Alenabi). There’s tension between the men because Farid has been getting into trouble. The police officer who keeps bringing him back home hasn’t been too subtle about his racist views. Farid is fed up with the hate he encounters. When Kate comes to them for help, Farid sees her as just another white woman who didn’t care about them until she needed their help. He thinks the evil spirit isn't their problem. Ibrahim wants to help and his wife is like “Well, is helping these people you don’t know really worth it?” For the wife of an Imam, she’s not very sympathetic, particularly this isn't some charity handout she's asking for, it's an exorcism. The best thing I can say about those scenes is that their heart is in the right place. It doesn’t make them any less clichéd.

The performances in Refuge are not strong but in the actors’ defense, the material they’ve working with is forgettable. Writer Ben Sztajnkrycer doesn’t have a lot of credits to his name but he's been working on feature-length films since 2006. As for directory Renny Harlin, it's time to accept he’s not the same director who made Die Hard 2 anymore. Among its many flaws, Refuge isn’t scary and even when it’s genuine, it feels phony. (October 2, 2024)

[out-with-the-boys]

The Dance- Chapter 10

Homelander x Supe OC

Notes: 18+ No warnings apply for this chapter. Each chapter will have individual content warnings as they apply to avoid spoilers. Find this work on AO3. Tumblr master post here.

Previous chapter.

It didn’t surprise Morgan much that life was back to normal so shortly after she and Homelander returned to New York from her father’s funeral. A part of her would still mourn him always, but she couldn’t put the rest of her life on hold anymore. The world was still spinning, and she had to carry on.

While she wasn’t allowed to go on any saves for a while longer, or exert herself too much in other ways, Dr. Foster had cleared her to get back to work. Ashley was still pushing her ‘Girls Get it Done’ initiative, and had found a few ways to incorporate Morgan’s unique talents into it. When she realized she could roll it into ‘Women in Stem,’ Morgan half expected her to start frothing at the mouth with excitement.

When she wasn’t working on keynote speeches or interviewing with the press, the rest of her time was filled with shoots for the new Vought movie. Dawn of the Seven was well underway on production, and the director, Adam, had been dying to get her on set now that she was cleared for work. She wasn’t particularly wowed by the script, but it was a surprisingly fun aspect of her job.

Maybe she had inherited a little of Sammy’s acting bug after all.

The Dawn of the Seven set buzzed with activity, a carefully controlled chaos that mimicked the real-life missions she couldn’t currently be part of. Extras in costumes rushed around, crew members darted between trailers, and the ever-present hum of cameras and lighting equipment filled the air. Adam was already calling out orders, his voice barely audible over the commotion.

Today’s scene was a reimagining of a past mission, complete with exaggerated dialogue and explosive action that bore little resemblance to what had actually happened. Morgan’s role was minor—more of a cameo, really, but she hadn’t even been a part of the original mission in the first place. None of it made a lot of sense, but that was cinema.

“Psyren!” Adam called, waving her over. “We’re ready to run your lines. Remember, you’re stepping in just as Homelander’s about to finish off the bad guy. It’s all about power and presence.”

Morgan nodded, adjusting the exaggerated version of her suit Vought had designed for the film. It was flashier, more stylized, and far less practical than the real thing, but it photographed well. The real thing still looked pretty battered after Harlem anyway. 

Off to the side, Homelander was chatting with one of the producers, but Morgan could feel his eyes flicker toward her every so often, studying her. His presence had become a constant lately, a mix of genuine interest and strategic maneuvering that made her head spin. She wondered if this was all part of his latest game—showing up just often enough to remind her that she was never really alone.

Adam gave the signal, snapping Morgan back into the present and the cameras began to roll. She delivered her lines with the right amount of bravado, channeling a confident, commanding persona. With a mock telekinetic wave toward the villain, they flew backward in an impressive stunt choreographed to the last detail. 

Acting might not have been her first choice, but it offered a strange kind of escape—a momentary illusion where she didn’t have to worry about all the nitty gritty of her role at Vought, even if just for a few takes. Eventually the scene wrapped with applause from the crew, and Adam gave her a thumbs-up, clearly pleased.

As the crew moved to reset for the next scene, Homelander finally approached, his expression casual but his eyes sharp.

“You looked good out there,” he said, voice low enough for only her to hear. “The spotlight suits you.”

“I’ll be sure to pass your compliments along to wardrobe.” she snorted, brushing the compliment aside with a modest shrug. 

Homelander’s smile lingered, his gaze fixing on her with a different sort of intensity than she was accustomed to. “You don’t have to do that, you know. That whole ‘self-deprecating to appear humble’ thing? I thought we were supposed to be more honest with each other.”

Blinking, she wasn’t quite sure how to feel about him calling her out like that. He wasn’t exactly on the mark about why she often talked herself down, but he was close enough to make her question a few things. She narrowed her eyes slightly, pushing back the small flutter of discomfort.

“I am being honest,” she snorted lightly, arms crossing in front of her as if to shield herself from the weight of his gaze. “What you’re talking about is a purely subjective thing.”

“You could always just take the compliment,” he offered, his lips curling into an amused smirk. “A simple ‘thank you’ wouldn’t kill you, would it?”

Her brows raised a little further, and she leveled him with a dry look. “I don’t know. It might.”

Homelander chuckled, stepping just a little closer, but his movements were slow, deliberate. “Well, let’s find out, shall we?”

Morgan’s breath caught in her chest for a split second, but she masked it with a shrug. “Fine. Thank you,” she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Happy?”

His eyes flashed with that same intensity, a mixture of amusement and something a bit mercurial. “I don’t know. Are you?”

 Shifting her weight, she tried to shake the feeling that he was attempting to peel back layers she wasn’t ready to expose. “You sure know how to make something out of nothing, don’t you?”

He smirked, undeterred. “I know what I see. You can pretend you don’t want the spotlight, but you’re made for it, Morgan. You could be something... bigger. Something more.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, pushing down the surge of unease that came with his words. He wasn’t wrong, and that was what unsettled her the most. “And what, exactly, do you want me to do with that? Shine so bright that no one can look away?”

His smile softened, but his eyes remained sharp. “Something like that. Or, you know, you could just stop hiding behind all this modesty and let yourself be seen for who you really are. I think you’d like it more than you think.”

Morgan felt her heart skip a beat at the intensity in his voice, and her defenses shot up instinctively. “Maybe I’m just not interested in being put on a pedestal,” she countered, her voice cool. “That’s more your thing, isn’t it?”

There was a glint of something mischievous in his eyes. “You say that now. But one day, you might realize you belong up there too.”

Forcing a smile, she stepped back slightly to create some space between them. “I’ll leave the high-flying acts to you. I’m fine keeping my feet on the ground.”

Before Morgan could fully retreat from the moment, Ashley came zooming toward them in a golf cart, braking hard before she got too close. The wild-eyed look of panic on her face told Morgan everything she needed to know before she could even think about peering into her mind. There was a fire to be put out somewhere.

“Can I speak to you?” Ashley addressed Homelander sharply. “Privately,” she added quickly, her gaze flitting between Morgan and him.

There was a chance she could gracefully make her escape, but his eyes locked with hers and he smiled. It was a triumphant and wry expression that made her want to wither a little. She had been honest with him, and now every interaction they had was hinging on that fact.

“Oh, Psyren can stay,” he said with a dismissive wave. “There aren’t any secrets between us.”

Exchanging glances, neither she or Ashley were about to argue with him. She was about to deliver bad news, and Morgan was already anticipating that she might need to soften the blow. From the details Morgan had picked up on amidst the chaos, she didn’t imagine Homelander would react well.

Start with the positives. If you can.

Ashley flinched slightly as Morgan silently nudged her in a direction that she hoped would help. Swallowing hard, Ashley took the tablet she’d had tucked under her arm and pulled up a video to show them. 

“So, it’s been scrubbed off the web already, but this was online for about twenty minutes, give or take.” she began, a slight tremble betraying her nerves. “People have definitely seen it.”

Morgan had already seen the content of the video through Ashley’s memory, but hearing it out loud made her stomach churn. There was a super-powered man causing havoc in a village somewhere she didn’t recognize immediately. Homelander had taken him out with hardly any effort, cutting through him with a single short blast of his heat vision. 

That blast caught somebody else too.

Tensing slightly as she listened to the despairing wails of a woman over the tablet speaker, she kept her gaze averted. The shock from Homelander was palpable as he tried to replay his own memory of the event back in his mind. He was in and out of there so fast, he hadn’t realized his mistake.

“How? I–” he paused, a million questions all bubbling to the surface, each one of them a concern with how the public would see him now. On one hand, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disgust. Someone had needlessly been killed in a conflict he was involved in, but that was the least of his worries.

Then again, she thought back to that fleeting image of that small boy– he was so desperate for love and approval, no matter what form it took. It didn’t make it right, but she could feel his desperation so strongly it made her stomach give an uneasy twist

“I assume there’s already a plan in place on how to address this, yes?” Morgan pressed, giving Ashley a pointed look. 

“N-not yet, but we’re working on it.” Ashley stammered. “But, there’s something else you should know.” 

With a swipe of her finger, another video began to play, but this time it was a live feed. Congresswoman Victoria Neuman was poised in front of an angry crowd, calling for justice. With a long, quiet exhale, Morgan closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.

“Wait… They’re protesting?” Homelander’s voice wavered between disbelief and a simmering anger as he stared at the live feed. “They’re protesting me?”

The camera panned over the crowd—hundreds of people holding signs, shouting, their faces twisted in anger. Neuman’s voice rang out clearly over the speakers as she condemned the reckless actions that led to an innocent life being taken.

Ashley flinched as Homelander snatched the tablet out of her hands, the plastic casing creaking under the pressure. Morgan could feel the panic rolling off him in waves, but it wasn’t just the fear of public backlash. It was the deeper wound—the idea that people were turning against him. 

“They can’t... They don’t know what they’re talking about,” he muttered, shaking his head as if trying to convince himself. “I was saving them. Those ingrates wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for me.”

“Homelander,” she said softly, stepping forward but keeping her tone measured. “It’s not about what you did—it’s about how it’s being framed. Neuman’s spinning this against you because she knows how much you mean to people. This isn’t just about you—it’s a power play.”

His eyes snapped to hers, the flicker of vulnerability vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. “A power play?” he echoed, a dangerous edge creeping back into his voice.

Morgan nodded, her heart pounding as she tried to keep him focused. “If you react out of anger, you’re playing right into her hands. They’re trying to paint you as reckless, but if you show restraint, if you get ahead of this, you can still own the narrative.”

Homelander’s jaw clenched, the tablet still trembling in his hand. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he would listen or if the rage would consume him. His eyes darted back to the screen, the protesters’ chants echoing in the background. 

“They need me,” he muttered, almost to himself. “They don’t understand what I did for them.”

Morgan hesitated, then took a step closer. “Then show them. Show them who you are, but on your terms. You’ve always had the power—don’t let them take that from you.”

There was a long, heavy silence as Homelander processed her words, his gaze shifting between the live feed and her. The tension in his body didn’t ease, but his grip on the tablet loosened, if only slightly. He let out a sharp breath, his face still twisted in frustration but not the explosive anger she feared.

“Fine,” he growled, handing the tablet back to Ashley with a flick of his wrist. “Fix this. Spin it however you need to, but make sure Neuman knows she’s just painted a target on her back.”

Ashley gulped and nodded rapidly, her hands fumbling with the tablet. “Y-yes, of course. I’ll get the team on it right away.” Before she scurried off, she projected a quick and unsure mental ‘thank you,’ toward Morgan. 

Don’t thank me just yet, she warned her silently. Things seemed to be in hand for now, but the gears in Homelander’s head were still turning. Something in him was still deeply unsatisfied with the resolution they’d agreed upon.

The air between them was heavy with unspoken words. She could sense his emotions simmering just below the surface—anger, frustration, and something else. Something sharper, more focused. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Morgan glanced up at Homelander, waiting to see if he would voice his dissatisfaction. His jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed, but there was no immediate explosion of anger, no outburst.

“You did the right thing,” she said carefully, watching for any sign that her words would set him off. “By giving Ashley the chance to spin it. If you’d gone out there—”

“I know,” he cut in, his voice low and controlled, though there was a definitive edge to it. “You don’t need to remind me.”

Morgan nodded, falling silent. She didn’t push him further; she knew better than that. But there was a shift in the air. He wasn’t just angry anymore—he was thinking, calculating, and his focus landed squarely on her.

“You always know what to say, don’t you?” he asked, his tone softer now.

Morgan frowned slightly, taken off guard by the change in his demeanor. “I just know what makes sense in situations like this. If you’d stormed out there, it would’ve given Neuman exactly what she wants. You don’t want to give her that satisfaction.”

A slow smile crept across Homelander’s face, but it wasn’t the smug, triumphant grin she was used to. It was different. Almost… appreciative. “You think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Morgan replied, her voice measured. “But I understand how the public sees you, and how easily things can get twisted. You have to be careful.”

Homelander’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, his blue eyes sharp, as if he was trying to peel back layers she wasn’t showing. “Careful,” he echoed, his voice soft but carrying weight. “Funny. You’re telling me to be careful, and yet you’re one of the few that’s not afraid to stand up to me.”

The silence between them grew thicker, more charged as Morgan floundered to find a good response. She could feel the shift in him—the way he looked at her, not just as someone who could manage a situation, but as someone who saw through the layers of power and persona. She wasn’t fawning over him, wasn’t trying to manipulate him–as far as he could see. She was different. He’d noticed it before, but now, after this moment of crisis, he was seeing her in a way he hadn’t before.

“You know,” he began, his tone almost playful now, but there was a glint of something more in his eyes, “I could get used to having you around like this. Not just when things need fixing, but... in general.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow, her instincts on high alert. She knew where this was heading, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face it. “I don’t think Vought hired me to be your personal advisor.”

Chuckling, he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in its intensity. “No, but they hired you to be my handler, didn’t they?”

Morgan felt the weight of Homelander’s words hanging in the air, his gaze unrelenting, as if he were waiting for her to flinch or falter. But she didn’t. Instead, she took a slow breath, keeping her voice steady.

“I already told you, I’m not looking to control you,” she said, her tone just light enough to deflect the tension but still firm. “I’m just extending a helping hand.”

His smile widened, a predatory glint in his eyes. “A helping hand? Is that all?”

She held his gaze, keeping her expression calm, though she could feel the weight of his scrutiny pressing down on her. His interest in her felt dangerous. It wasn’t just growing, but she could sense it evolving into something new.

He stepped even closer this time, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off of him. It was a subtle but unmistakable reminder of just how easily he could overwhelm her. But Morgan didn’t flinch. 

“I think you’re doing just fine on your own,” she replied smoothly, her tone measured. “I’m just providing a little backup is all. You know, like a good teammate should.” 

Homelander tilted his head slightly, studying her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. “I don’t need backup,” he said softly, taking another step closer, so close now that she had to crane her neck slightly to meet his eyes. “I don’t need anyone.”

The words hung in the air between them.. His gaze shifted, and something flickered behind his eyes—something more personal, more dangerous.

“But you,” he continued, his voice dropping even lower, “you stand apart from everyone else.”

Morgan swallowed but kept her expression neutral. “I’m just doing my job.”

His smile softened, but it sent a chill down her spine. “No,” he said quietly. “You’re doing more than that. You don’t try to control me. You don’t cower in fear. You stand your ground.”

There was a dangerous undercurrent to his words, but Morgan held his gaze, refusing to let him see the unease building inside her. “It’s just about mutual respect,” she replied smoothly, her tone calm but cautious. “That’s all.”

Homelander’s eyes flashed with amusement again, but the possessiveness in his smile deepened. “Respect,” he echoed. “You’re one of the few who’s earned it, Morgan.”

She could feel the shift in his tone, the way his gaze lingered on her a moment too long. It wasn’t just respect anymore—it was something darker, something that made her pulse thrum with quiet dread. She had worked so hard to stand her ground, to not be like the others who cowered in fear, but now she wondered if she had miscalculated. Had she drawn him in too close? She didn’t know what was worse—that he respected her, or that he seemed to want something more.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she replied cautiously, trying to keep the tone light.

“You should.” He smiled again, but there was a possessiveness in it now, a subtle claim that sent a chill down her spine. “I don’t say that to just anyone.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” she murmured, struggling to find her voice for a moment. “But let’s not get too far off-track here. There’s still a fire to put out, and I don’t think lingering here at the movie lot is going to help.”

His expression faltered, the intensity in his eyes dimming slightly as her words pulled him back to the present. For a brief second, she could see the flicker of surprise—almost disappointment—at being reminded of the real world creeping back in. He had been so swept up in his own delight, in the surprise of her defending him. The shift in his focus was palpable.

“Right… We should go back to the tower.” His voice was quieter now, the earlier edge gone.We… That one, simple word suddenly felt like an anchor hung around her neck, dragging her into depths unknown. She didn’t want to be enemies anymore, that was for certain. Whatever it was he wanted them to be though–that was something she wasn’t entirely sure she could ever be ready for.

Song: I’m Not the One by The Black Keys Author’s notes: Last chapter, I planted a seed. This chapter, I feel, was the perfect place for it to take root in Homelander. Morgan has been starting to prove herself as an equal in his eyes, and now that she seems to be falling into the role of ally, he’s going to cling hard and fast to that.  Anyways, I’m excited for things to start picking up from here. I’m also starting to turn into some of the darker territory with things The Boys doesn’t shy away from. That said, if you have any specific triggers you’re worried about, you’re always welcome to shoot me an ask.

Next chapter.

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (#172):

"May I watch you eat?"

The taste of things is the latest French 'Food-porn' movie, following the recipe of so many before it, and paying homage especially to 'Babette's Feast', with Juliette Binoche playing the simple cook Stéphane Audran in a similar style. They knew what they were doing, romanticizing the 'olde thyme' vision of culinary bliss, making it like a summertime Renoir tableaux [but without any of the dozens of assistants needed to chop the wood, peel the potatoes, pluck the geese, and do the dishes]. Food as love.

I saw it on the same day I read this article about 'The Hottest Restaurant in France', which got me in the mood.

🍿

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please forgive me..."

Samsara is not Ron Flicke's film of the same name (him of the The Qatsi Trilogy). But this 2023 film too is a meditative, spiritual essay about life, death and change. It specifically tells about the Buddhist idea of re-incarnation.

Like the Italian poem 'Le quattro volte' it transforms the philosophical concept of 'Bardo' into a visual story about a bed-ridden old Laotian woman who turns into a new-born goat in Africa after her death. And like Philip Gröning's patient 'Into Great Silence', it follows the simple life in a monastery, quietly and poetically. (Photo Above).

It tells two separate stories: A young boy reads from 'The Tibetan book of the Dead' to a dying woman in a village in Laos. And exactly at midpoint, there's an unexplained, abstract 2001 "Star Gate" light show, where the (Spanish) director asks the audience to close their eyes, and get lost in the vortex with her for about 15 minutes. Long stretch of strobe lights and strange dead sounds, as her soul travels though the afterlife into new birth. Then her spirit transmutes into an another form, as a pet goat for a young Muslim girl in Zanzibar. It's a fragile, silent and unfocused vision about the circle of life.

🍿

Thoroughbreds, my second unsettling thriller by Cory Finley (after 'Bad Education'), his accomplished debut feature. It tells of two rich, psychopathic Connecticut girls who scheme to murder, a-la Raskolnikov, the mean father of the richer one. Terrific direction choices and well-made execution, but I can't stand the young, unlikable actresses (and actors!), and their emotionally-stunted upper-class coldness left me cold too.

I loved JunePictures's lovely animated logo at the beginning!

🍿

Invention for Destruction, a Jules Verne steampunk'ish adventure fable. It was made by Karel Zeman, the "Czech Méliès", in 1958, and is considered "the most successful film in the history of Czech cinema". It's a fantasy sci-fi story that includes rollerskating camels, underwater biking pirates, a giant man-eating octopus, submarines with duck-foot paddles, Etc. It mixes real-life acting with special effect Victorian engravings and animation, including traditional, cut-out, and stop-motion, along with miniature effects and matte paintings. 4/10.

🍿

2 by French feminist Germaine Dulac:

🍿 Dulac was a radical, impressionist, avant-garde film-maker who had made ground-breaking surrealist silent films even before Buñuel and Dalí made 'The Andalusian Dog'.

The Smiling Madame Beudet (1923) is a strong feminist story of an intelligent woman unhappily married who's dreaming of killing her boorish husband. It includes a literal Chekhov's gun. [*Female Director*].

🍿 The Seashell and the Clergyman is based on an experimental story by avant-garde artist Antonin Artaud. A year before 'Un Chien Andalou', it's just as opaque & untamed. Anybody interested in early Buñuel, should visit her films. It's about the "erotic hallucinations of a priest lusting after the wife of a general." Distorted images, bizarre fantasies, impolite subversions... [*Female Director*].

🍿

Another silent era classic, made by a towering pioneer, Alice Guy Blaché's 1906 The Life of Christ. [On IMDb, Alice Guy is credited with directing 464 (!) films, producing 32 and writing 18!]. Composed of 25 individual tableaux, telling of mostly his last days, and noted for her focus on his mostly women followers. The poor baby who had to play Jesus in the manger!... [*Female Director*].

🍿

Crack-up, a confusing 1946 Film Noir, made by a second-rated director, with a terrible script and bad acting all around, including the miscast Pat O'Brien. A stolen art piece, not up to 'The Maltese Falcon' levels. 2/10.

🍿

"I was drugged and left for dead in Mexico, and all I got was this stupid T shirt."

A single re-watch this week: the sophisticated mystery The Game, again♻️. Still my favorite David Fincher film, even more than 'The social Network'. With the magnificent Memory montage opening, which was also copied successfully by the show 'Succession'. Chasing a "White Rabbit", a birthday present to remember...

🍿

2 more selections from the US National Film Registry:

🍿 I am somebody is a 1970 documentary about a strike by 400 black hospital employees (all but 12 women) for better pay in Charleston, South Carolina. Racist discrimination against poor blacks in Amerika is so appalling and so deep, it's hard to watch. The fight for equality and civil rights never ended. 9/10. [*Female Director*].

🍿 Jammin' the Blues is a 1944 Warner Bros. jazz short featuring Lester Young and (new to me) singer Marie Bryant. Oscar nominated in 1944. 'Smokin'!

🍿

I used to really like British magician Darren Brown, and saw many of his shows. Pushed to the edge (2016) is a disturbing experiment in social compliance, a-la Stanley Milgram, taken to the extreme. With dubious morality, he manipulates an unsuspecting guy to push another man from the roof of a building. But the more elaborate the set up, the more uncomfortable it is to watch it.

🍿

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, a lame, loud, shallow music mockumentary by The Lonely Island. It had only one good number, "Fucked Bin Ladin" (which came at 46:00, exactly one hour before the end, so they did follow some script writing rules after all..) and about one million celebrity cameos, including Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. 2/10.

🍿  

In They're Made Out Of Meat (2005) two aliens meet in a night Diner. One of them tell the other, dressed in St. Pepper-type uniform that he discovers that all people on this planet are "made out of meat". It's a cute concept, but that's the whole thing, and there's not more to it.

RIP, Terry Bisson!

🍿  

Semiotics of the Kitchen was an angry installation piece by artist Martha Rosler, at the heights of the second wave feminism years (1975). A parody of a cooking show, where the host gets more and more agitated. [*Female Director*].

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

[chaos-has-theories]

Ok I gonna give Valente's book a chance

*explodes*

Mum, dad, look, I'm an influencer!

No genuinely this is so cool please DO report back to me how you liked it, anon, I am so curious.

I'm gonna add a slightly more accurate and thorough pitch below the cut so you actually know what you're in for - but if you're already committed anyway then godspeed. I do think this book is best experienced without warning. Honestly, this might be my favorite of Valente's books. Which is saying something, considering I've got a whole shelf dedicated to her.

Anyway, without further ado:

It's the Golden Age of Hollywood, but Hollywood is on the Moon.

The Solar System is full of life, and all the reachable rocks have been settled since the first intrepid explorers climbed into a cannon and shot themselves at the moon. It's made possible by the nutritious callowmilk, produced by the whales-which-are-not-whales that live deep in the oceans on Venus.

Severin Unck is the daughter of famous Director Percival Unck, and she has since made her name as a maker of documentaries. She stands out not just through her parentage, her short-cut hair and masculine attire, but also by her willingness to pay for the privilage of making movies that talk.

Severin Unck is dead. Almost certainly dead. Nearly conclusively dead. She is, at the very least, not answering her telephone.

She vanished during filming of her last documentary. It had been meant to investigate the disappearance of the village of Adonis, and the strange boy who walks in circles where the village used to be, not eating, not drinking, not talking.

Radiance is about Severin Unck's death, if that is what it was.

The book is cut together from recordings and newspaper clippings: Her second stepmother's diary. Scenes from her early movies. The movie her father is trying to write to make sense of his daughter's loss. Ancient radio shows, and the many, many recordings of Severin as a young girl, when her father filmed every step she took on his favorite camera.

Come in, come in, there's so much to see. No sitting down though. We need you standing. There's a projector here, just there--have a care, sir--to your right. Another--mind your hems, madam--to your left. But you will find no screen. You're it.

[trevorsmith-partnerpictures]

Fargo season 5's story [begins] with Dorothy "Dot" Lyon (Temple). After a series of unexpected events gets her in trouble with the authorities, Dorothy is suddenly thrown back into a life she thought she left behind. Dorothy, a seemingly Midwestern housewife, is the person that North Dakota Sheriff Roy Tillman (Hamm) has been searching for. A rancher, preacher, and constitutional lawman, Tillman believes he's above the law.

Tillman has Gator (Keery), his loyal but feckless son at his side. Gator is desperate to prove himself to his father. However, since Tillman can't rely on his son, he calls on the help of Ole Munch, described in the Fargo season 5 synopsis as a "shadowy drifter of mysterious origin." As her darkest secrets begin to unravel, Dorothy tries to protect her family from her past, but her loving and well-meaning husband (Rysdahl) keeps running to his mother, Lorraine Lyon (Leigh). Lorraine is the CEO of the largest debt collection agency in the country, and she's not too fond of Dorothy.

Dorothy's strange actions also catch the attention of Minnesota Police Deputy Indira Olmstead (Moorjani) and North Dakota Deputy Witt Farr (Morris), while Lorraine turns to her in-house counsel and adviser Danish Graves (Foley) to help her daughter-in-law. Fargo season 5, produced by its showrunner, writer, and director Hawley, looks to rely on a talented ensemble to weave another complicated tale about crime and family.

source: Deadline/Screen Rant

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

A priest with a gun sets the scene in TV’s newest ‘whydunit’

Jay Ryan, Luke Arnold and Bella Heathcote star in Scrublands. Credit: Stan

The story starts with a bang. A priest in his white and purple robes strides out of a country-town church with a rifle – yes, a priest with a rifle – and starts shooting parishioners, leaving five of them dead. Father Byron Swift is then himself shot dead in self-defence by the local copper. Thus begins the saga of Scrublands, a new mini-series set in regional Australia – and obviously there’s no mystery about whodunit.

Jay Ryan stars as the gun-toting Father Byron Swift in Scrublands. Credit: Stan

In fact, at first there’s no mystery about anything at all. The priest had recently been accused of paedophilia, and the official explanation is that he got himself killed rather than face up to the crime. But then, a year later, burnt-out Sydney Morning Herald journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in town to write a perfunctory story about how the town is faring 12 months on, and starts to smell a rat.

Based on former journalist Chris Hammer’s best-selling novel of the same name, Scrublands is a thriller set in a remote country town, Riversend, which has been battered by years of drought, fire and flood, is reeling from a terrible act of violence, and harbours a profound distrust of outsiders generally, and anyone in the media specifically.

Producer David Redman, whose credits include Charlie & Boots and Strange Bedfellows, says distilling the novel, a whydunit rather than a whodunit, into a four-part series is no mean feat. “It’s amazing how much story you can tell in four episodes,” he says. “It’s pacy. No one’s going to fall asleep in this one, particularly not after the opening scene. It’s such an iconic and unusual way to start, as far as making sure you have an engaged, attentive audience.”

Writer Felicity Packard (Underbelly, Janet King) agrees. “The opening scene is pretty much what takes place in the novel. That’s a really powerful way to start. You’re not hiding your light under a bushel, it’s right up there in episode one, scene one.”

Luke Arnold plays burnt-out Sydney Morning Herald journalist Martin Scarsden in Scrublands. Credit: Sarah Enticknap/Stan

Director Greg McLean has form when it comes to filming Australian crime drama. His CV includes the legendary outback horror flick Wolf Creek. Packard enthuses about his vision. “He has such a strong idea of what he’s doing. He’s already got the edit in his head, so he know what he’s shooting for. He doesn’t just shoot the shit out of things, he knows what he wants.”

The story revolves around two men, the charismatic and dedicated but mysterious priest Byron, played by Jay Ryan (The Creamerie, Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake) and the jaded, frustrated journalist Martin, played by Luke Arnold (Michael Hutchence in INXS biopic Never Tear Us Apart). Linking the two is Mandy Bond, played by Bella Heathcote (The Man in the High Castle, Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows), the beguiling owner of the local bookstore-cafe who has a few secrets of her own.

Bella Heathcote in Scrublands. Credit: Narelle Portanier

It was McLean who introduced Heathcote to the project. “I’d worked with him on Bloom [with Bryan Brown and Jacki Weaver] a couple of years ago and he and I were going to do another project together and that didn’t happen sadly, and he said, ‘I’ve got this other great project.’ He sent me the first two episodes, and I was hooked, I wanted to know what happened next.”

Heathcote’s character, who had studied at uni in Melbourne before returning to look after her dying mother, fascinated the actor. “Mandy just seems so tough and cool. No bullshit, the way she carries herself through life, the way she interacts with people in the town. I just really admired her. So often she has those quips I wish I had in any given situation!”

Instinctively playing her cards close to her chest, Mandy has to decide if she can trust the journalist who’s just shown up in town. Martin, meanwhile, is reassessing his commitment to unearthing the truth after an investigative story that spun horribly out of control.

“Martin is someone who was jet setting around the world righting wrongs, bringing justice to the world,” Arnold says. “This truth is so important that you know, if I’m going to hurt a few people along the way, it’s worth it if the story gets out.”

“There’s been the tragedy of a massacre happening here and the media stomping around, and is Martin going to contribute to that, or through setting the story straight can he help give this town a new future?”

The other main character in the story is the fictional town of Riversend. Film crews worked on location around Maldon, near Bendigo, and at the more remote Nyah West, up in the Mallee. “The advantage we have over the book is we can show things,” says Redman. “So visually, I don’t know if it’s literally a thousand words per image but we are definitely able to express the sense of isolation very quickly through what we show.”

The town author Chris Hammer created is inherently cinematic, Arnold says. “The idea of the kind of isolated town that was really wrecked by the event, picking up the pieces, so lent itself to screen”, Arnold says. “These key moments, these key locations, the bookstore-cafe being the centrepiece for a bit of romance.

“This was a beautiful country town, there was the chance for a flourishing community, but what happens when a town gets tarred with this, all people now think of when they hear Riversend is this awful massacre. If you’re a business owner, if you’re a local, if your family has grown up here what does this do to yourself, your future, your investment in your community and your family?”

There’s always the temptation, Redman says, to make films in studios, citing his movies Charlie and Boots and Strange Bedfellows, both starring Paul Hogan, as examples that benefited hugely from breaking out and working on location. On this production, recent floods gave them plenty of detail to work with. “In Baringhup [near Maldon] there was a caravan park we were using for some of the scenes. In October last year it was 2 metres under water so all the caravans were ruined, these were people’s houses. We could’ve created that visually on a backlot somewhere, but you wouldn’t have got the same feeling that these are people’s homes.”

Also, filming on location can produce moments of visual serendipity. Packard recalls a scene where Martin is talking to the sympathetic local cop Robbie (played by Adam Zwar). “At the end of the scene Robbie’s left sitting on a park bench. Greg McLean didn’t call ‘cut’ straight away, just waited to see what the actors might do. The actors didn’t do anything, but a flock of 200 corellas came swooping down and circled around him and then took off. The whole crew just gasped.”

With its dramatic scenery and the increasingly murky activities of the townsfolk, the series has all the hallmarks of an Australian thriller, but still, the heroes, villains and victims of this tale are not the usual suspects. “There’s an awful lot of stories about young women being killed,” says Packard. ”Not that it’s great to see five men being shot dead, but we’re doing something quite different there, it’s a different sort of crime.”

Scrublands premieres on Stan on November 16.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

[docrotten]

TO THE DEVIL… A DAUGHTER (1976) – Episode 214 – Decades Of Horror 1970s

“It is not heresy … and I will not recant!” But if you don’t recant, you can’t have any pudding. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr along with guest host Gregory Crosby – as they take a trip to Hammer-land for To the Devil… a Daughter (1976), the last horror film from the original incarnation of Hammer.

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 214 – To the Devil… a Daughter (1976)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

An American occult novelist battles to save the soul of a young girl from a group of Satanists – led by an excommunicated priest – who plan on using her as the representative of the Devil on Earth.

  Directed by: Peter Sykes

Writing Credits: Christopher Wicking (screenplay by) (as Chris Wicking); John Peacock (adaptation); Dennis Wheatley (from the novel by); Gerald Vaughan-Hughes (additional material) (uncredited)

Produced by: Roy Skeggs (producer)

Music by: Paul Glass

Cinematography by: David Watkin (director of photography)

Special Effects by: Les Bowie

Selected Cast:

Richard Widmark as John Verney

Christopher Lee as Father Michael Raynor

Honor Blackman as Anna Fountain

Denholm Elliott as Henry Beddows

Michael Goodliffe as George de Grass

Nastassja Kinski as Catherine Beddows

Eva Maria Meineke as Eveline de Grass

Anthony Valentine as David Kennedy

Derek Francis as Bishop

Izabella Telezynska as Margaret (as Isabella Telezynska)

Constantine Gregory as Kollde (as Constantin de Goguel)

Anna Bentinck as Isabel

Irene Prador as German Matron

Brian Wilde as Black Room Attendant

Petra Peters as Sister Helle

William Ridoutt as Airport Porter

Howard Goorney as Critic

Frances de la Tour as Salvation Army Major

Zoe Hendry as 1st Girl

Lindy Benson as 2nd Girl

Jo Peters as 3rd Girl

Bobby Sparrow as 4th Girl

Ed Devereaux as Reporter (uncredited)

Bill Horsley as Curator (uncredited)

Juba Kennerley as Man Entering Art Gallery (uncredited)

Alan Meacham as Guest at Book Launch (uncredited)

Peter Sykes as Man at Airport (uncredited)

It’s time to explore the final Hammer Horror film of the 1970s, To the Devil… a Daughter (1976). [Note: The mystery comedy film The Lady Vanishes (1979) would drop and… vanish… in 1979.] To the Devil… a Daughter has the reputation of putting the final nail into Hammer’s filmmaking coffin. The quality and success of Hammer productions spiraled throughout the decade as the landscape of horror films changed – especially after The Exorcist (1973). Surprisingly, the film is much better than how the Grue Crew remembers it and how its reputation proceeds it. That is, up until its abrupt and head-scratching ending and that strange devil puppet. If you know, you know. Check out what the Grue Crew thinks of the film directed by Peter Sykes and featuring Christopher Lee, Richard Widmark, and Nastassja Kinski.

At the time of this writing, To the Devil… a Daughter is available to stream from Peacock and PlutoTV as well as various PPV from Amazon and Fandango At Home. To the Devil… a Daughter is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray from SCREAM Factory.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Jeff, will be Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), an ABC Movie of the Week starring Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, William Demarest, and Barbara Anderson. Grue Believer Lone Wolf suggested this flick. Woot!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!

[haggishlyhagging]

Farsighted thinkers have pointed out that the moral imperative of respect for life, formerly understood in quantitative terms, must now be understood in terms of the quality of life. This has obvious implications, such as the need for population control and for bringing a halt to the waste of resources and pollution of the environment. Such needs are not understood by the machismo mind. Marcuse uses the category of obscenity to describe the behavior of the "affluent monster." He points out that "this society is obscene in producing and indecently exposing a stifling abundance of wares while depriving its victims abroad of the necessities of life . . . in its prayers, in its ignorance, and in the wisdom of its kept intellectuals." Meanwhile, of course, the affluent society pretends to be improving the quality of life, disguising what is actually happening by its usual techniques, which I have called "reversal."

Marcuse observes that the Establishment abuses the term "obscenity" by applying it, not to expressions of its own immorality but to the behavior of another:

Obscene is not the picture of a naked woman who exposes her pubic hair but that of a fully clad general who exposes his medals rewarded in a war of aggression; obscene is not the ritual of the Hippies but the declaration of a high dignitary of the Church that war is necessary for peace.

Marcuse's perception is acute, and he rightly calls for "linguistic therapy" which would free words from almost total distortion of their meanings by "the Establishment." Yet I must point out that the therapy will never be radical enough if the basic obscenity is perceived as capitalism rather than sexism. The very word "obscene" itself, as used by "the Establishment," suggests the locus of the essential perversion and victimization. Marcuse's own insightful juxtaposition of the naked woman and the fully clad general reveals the basic reversal in phallic morality which is still observable in socialist as well as capitalist societies. Such social criticism does not go far enough. It employs revealing instances of the powerful elite's sexist behavioral, imaginative, and linguistic distortions while still perceiving these distortions' radical source in capitalism and their cure in socialism.

Another sentence from the same essay of Marcuse is symptomatic of this phenomenon of shortsightedness. He writes:

Thus we are faced with the contradiction that the liberalization of sexuality provided an instinctual basis for the repressive and aggressive power of the affluent society [emphasis mine].

It should be stressed and this is what feminism is doing—that the so-called liberalization of sexuality "provides an instinctual basis for the repressive and aggressive power" of the sexist society. For of course it is not a genuine liberation of sexuality that displaces the obscenity of generals and projects it upon naked women, and the essential disease is not affluence in itself. The lifting of taboos on genital sexuality does nothing to liberate from sex roles. Marcuse himself says that this relaxation binds "the 'free' individuals libidinally to the institutionalized fathers."

Such expressions of insight into the sexist nature of the oppressive society, strangely coupled with failure to direct the critique directly and essentially at sexual oppression, is characteristic not only of intellectuals such as Marcuse but also of more "popular" expressions of social criticism. Such films as The Godfather, The Ruling Class, and Deliverance can be seen as brilliant exposes of the social disease which is patriarchalism. One could almost believe that the writers and directors must be committed feminists. Yet the functioning of these productions, with their amazingly revelatory juxtapositions of sex and violence and their exploitation of phallic symbolism, has not been directed intentionally to the service of feminism. Perhaps one could call such "understanding" of sexual alienation "subintentional." Recognition of the real enemy's identity is so close to the surface of consciousness of the writers and directors of such productions that some feminists tend to find the experience of reading such books and watching such films almost unbearable. "They know not what they say," it would seem. Then it is clear that women will have to speak forth the identity of that which is destroying us all. The subintentional revelations of male critics indicate that some receptivity to this knowledge may be possible—that the capacity to hear is closer to consciousness than we would have expected. The time for us to speak is precisely now.

-Mary Daly, Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation

[fearsmagazine]

THE EXORCISM | Official Trailer, Images & Poster

Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe stars as Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he's slipping back into his past addictions or if there's something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.

“The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist”, explains director/co-writer Joshua John Miller. “If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how ‘cursed’ the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries— the list went on and on. The lore of any ‘cursed film’ has captivated me ever since.”

He continued, “With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (’Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!’) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another. We were gifted with an extraordinary cast and creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons.”

THE EXORCISM is directed by Joshua John Miller, screenplay by M.A. Fortin & Joshua John Miller and produced by Kevin Williamson, Ben Fast and Bill Block.

The devil may retaliate, but what other choice do we have?

Vertical will release THE EXORCISM in theaters on June 7th, 2024.

[dgct2]

Pedro Pascal, riding a wave of Emmy buzz for toplining HBO’s The Last of Us, has signed to star in Weapons, the newest movie project from the filmmakers behind the surprise horror breakout Barbarian.

New Line is behind the feature which has a script written by Zach Cregger, the actor-turned-moviemaker who is also sitting in the director’s chair.  

Cregger will also produce alongside his Barbarian producing team, Roy Lee of Vertigo and J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules of BoulderLight Pictures. Vertigo’s Miri Yoon also produces. 

Plot details are being kept in a lockbox but Weapons is described as an interrelated, multistory horror epic that tonally is in the vein of Magnolia, the 1999 actor-crammed showcase from filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.

Character details for Pascal were not revealed.

A fall shoot is being eyed.

Weapons was the subject of an intense bidding war in January as Hollywood studios and streamers fought for the chance to work with Cregger, whose Barbarian, produced for only $4.5 million, became a favorite of not only audiences and critics but cineastes and fellow filmmakers and actors. New Line ultimately won the auction, making a deal rarely seen in modern times that included, among other stipulations, a guaranteed green light and guaranteed theatrical release.

Pascal appeared in series such as Narcos and Game of Thrones before nabbing the role of helmeted bounty hunter Din Djarin in Star Wars series The Mandalorian. And while the actor’s face was not often seen in the show, Mandalorian’s popularity upped Pascal’s galactic appeal.

That appeal took on a whole new level when he earlier this year starred in The Last of Us, HBO’s adaptation of the Sony videogame. Playing the broken and stone-hearted father figure guiding a headstrong young woman in a post-apocalyptic America, the show defied the expectations of the zombie genre to focus on the drama and relationships. Critics and TV watchers followed, with the show growing its audience week after week to become a ratings smash for the cable network while also continuing its tradition of putting out elevated and curated series.

Pascal is now gearing up to go in production on the Gladiator sequel for Ridley Scott and Paramount. He also has Ethan Coen’s film Drive-Away Dolls set to be released by Focus Features in September and will head to the Croisette for the Cannes film festival premiere of Strange Way of Life, Pedro Almodovar’s short film which also stars Ethan Hawke and that will distributed by Sony Pictures Classics this fall.