#the monsters are like the only good part of the film but i didn't see any gifs of them whats up w that

[arkashas]

Underwater (2020) dir. William Eubank

[kidasthings]

Noa and Mae: A Taboo Affair?

Hi, there! Kida checking in again with yet another controversy - you've been warned.

I see a lot of people on Tumblr and Reddit pointing out that a Noa/Mae (#NoMae?) pairing would be at best controversial, at worst beastiality.

I mean, he IS a CGI ape, right?

Not so fast.

I'd like to break down a few points, if I Mae (pun intended!), and address this argument. I'll be using a few of the comments I've seen on the web already to do so, on the part of the dissenters to the pairing.

1st Argument: "Planet of the Apes wouldn't show a kiss between a human and an ape. Ew."

Reply: Oh, they already have, my friend. Not in the full-blown sense, but they definitely did film Zira and Taylor kissing lips to muzzle in 1968. You can view that lovely bit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEp7yunwVF8

I apologize in advance for impinging on your delicate simian sensibilities. #sorrynotsorry

2nd Argument: "Why would they even depict a human/ape couple? Humans and apes can't even reproduce in the franchise."

Reply: They can't? News to me. There was a Hum-Ape written into the early scripts and screen tests for Beneath the Planet of the Apes in 1970. Seems the Planet of the Apes franchise truly thought it was worth exploring back then. You can read all about that little guy right here: https://planetoftheapes.fandom.com/wiki/Hum-Ape

Aww, just look at that adorable lack of face-fur!

3rd Argument: "The audience of today isn't ready for that kind of thing."

Reply: And the audience in the 1960's/early 1970's was? I didn't know we became even more conservative 50+ years later. I'll be sure to adjust my high neckline and clutch my pearls in absolute horror at the thought of all of those deviant libertines living before me. Excuse me, I must go confront my parents about this.

BUT, before I do, I do want to point out we seemed to accept an on-screen kiss between Goliath (a gargoyle) and Elisa (a human) during a certain Disney children's cartoon show in the 1990's - anyone remember that?

Disgusting. I bet his breath smelled like rancid pigeon.

Additionally, we have more recent films such as Avatar, The Shape of Water - which won 4 Academy Awards, including best picture (not bad for a human and a fish-man pairing), and Beauty and the Beast.

And hey, if a living monster is not your thing, you could always opt for Warm Bodies. Think female human and male zombie. Necrophilia, anyone?

4th Argument: "Okay, fine, I see your point on the Taylor/Zira thing. But that only worked out because it was a human in a monkey suit, and we all sort of knew that. It didn't make it so strange. As for the other films you listed, well, those creatures don't actually exist so it's out of the realm of true possibility anyway. Noa is depicted as a real chimp, and him getting with Mae just makes it hit too close to home for comfort."

Reply: #Ishetho? Let's take a good look at what a "real chimp" looks like:

He's so damn Chimpy.

Okay, now let's look at our leading man--er, ape:

Looks like Chimpy had a love-child with Owen Teague. #shudder

As you can see, the two are pretty different. Chimpy has a true muzzle and a mouth that curves around it. Noa has a flatter, human face with an actual nose bridge and wider-spaced eyes.

And the EYES. My god. If you don't see the humanity in those baby-blues you might want to get checked for psychopathy. Besides that, Chimpy lacks eye-whites and has rounder eyes than Noa. Additionally, that pronounced brow ridge on Chimpy has thunder clouds gathering beneath it. Don't get me started on the ear comparison between the two, I'm sure it goes without saying!

Anyway, I think it can be safely stated that no chimp alive on this earth looks like Noa. He's too physically humanized to resemble an actual chimpanzee of the typical zoo variety. Thus, I would place him safely in the category of fish-man, the tall, blue cat creatures from Avatar, and those barbaric blue aliens that keep cropping up on certain ice planets in books #ifyouknowwhatImean.

---------------------

All that said, everyone can ship what they want. If you want Noa playing house with Caesar, never mind that trifling little timeline issue, you go with your fine self and write that fanfiction. Create an account on DeviantArt.com and fill it with their anthropomorphic babies who eventually grow up to be the first ape astronauts. Someone out there is going to love it and eat it up, I promise you.

For the points above, this is about Noa and Mae. They've got something, something tangible. Whether or not it becomes canon is yet to be seen.

For now, it lives on in our minds. With our inner eye, we can see it just fine.

[mirai-e-jump]

TV Guide Dan Vol.53, October 2024 Issue ft. Kamen Rider Gavv Cast Members Chinen Hidekazu x Hino Yusuke Interview (translation below)

Publication: October 15, 2024

DESTINY!

"In "Kamen Rider Gavv," which is based off the motif of "sweets," Chinen Hidekazu-san plays the role of Shouma (Gavv), a young man who comes from another world, and Hino Yusuke-san plays the role of Karakida Hanto (Valen), a young freelance writer. How did you personally feel after seeing the broadcast?"

Chinen: Personally, I was curious to see what the Gavvgablade would sound like, and I was very excited to see the super realistic scene that depicted it slicing the shipping container in half. The way Kamen Rider Gavv's actions and sounds were conveyed through production was very cool and impressive.

Hino: We have almost no experience performing on film, and this is our first tokusatsu set, so we really didn't know right from left. We were frantically trying to keep up on set, so I would've never imagined that the finished footage would be that amazing.

"What mindset do you have when playing Shouma and Hanto, and what parts of your performance do you think have changed over the course of each episode?"

Chinen: Compared to episode 1 and 2, where Shouma comes from another world and is exposed to human food and culture for the first time, I feel that I've been able to more naturally express Shouma's reactions to the "freshness" he feels in the human world.

Hino: In the beginning, it was incredibly difficult for me to understand and act out how hard it was for him to live alone without anyone believing in him since his mother was attacked by a Granute when he was very young. More than that, just when he's finally getting close to the enemy through steady progress, he's now also lost his own mentour…it was especially important that I express the emotional breakdown he had at that moment. However, I didn't want him to become a "weak and pitiful boy." I believe that it's heroes who rise up from adversity and stand tall, and that's why Hanto was able to become a Kamen Rider.

"How will the relationship between Shouma and Hanto, and Gavv and Valen, change in the future?"

Chinen: Despite being treated as a monster himself, so far, Shouma's been a solo hero who's saved humans. However, when he meets a Kamen Rider named Valen, he learns that there are others fighting against the Granutes besides him, which gives birth to a new hope. How will these two interact, and how will Shouma change?…look forward to it!

Hino: When he faces off against enemies he'd previously pursued only out of a desire for revenge, as a Kamen Rider, he'll also be forced to face what it means to "protect people" and what kind of person becomes a hero. As his personal growth is also depicted, he'll become involved with Shouma, so I hope you'll watch the growth and the change in their relationship.

"Furthermore, since this is the first time you two have worked together, and the first time you've appeared together in this magazine, please introduce yourselves and what kind of person you feel the other is."

Chinen: Yusuke-kun is cheerful, mischievous, and has the openness to quickly get close to others. Yusuke-kun takes the initiative when it comes to talking, so everyone got along with him easily. On set, he's the mood maker and a reliable person, but off set he completely changes…(laughs). I think that gap is one of the good parts of Yusuke-kun!

Hino: Hide's a pure person without any evil feelings. He's a boy with a very strong will, which is hard to imagine from his adorable appearance. He's able to face his "dreams" and "likes" straight on, and for that reason, I think people are naturally drawn to him, and on set he's like our "sun." He's an airhead, and he doesn't seem to be all there, but including those parts of him, he's someone I love.

"During the advanced screening, Chinen-kun said, "If I was going to play the lead role, I wanted to work with this person," and that he had been thinking of Hino-kun ever since the audition."

Chinen: It wasn't something that was definite, but something I felt intuitively. When I exchanged lines with Yusuke-kun during the audition, he naturally drew me in. At that moment, I felt like, "With this person, we could honestly play off each other until the final episode." Yusuke-kun was the only one who made me feel that way.

Hino: Wow, you really felt that way?

Chinen: Yeah. That's why when I went to costume fitting and saw Yusuke-kun again, my heart was racing as I thought, "I knew it." It really was fate.

Hino: Thank you. Through filming, I once again thought about how glad I am that Shouma is played by Hide. I knew that Hide was qualified, both as my long term buddy and as the actor who would play Shouma.

Chinen: The same is true for Hanto and Shouma, but I think the relationship between Yusuke-kun and myself is also a perfect fit. We have areas where we complement each other, and he helps me out in a variety of situations on a daily basis. Yusuke-kun understands my traits, which makes me feel at ease, and I'm very happy that the role of Hanto is played by Yusuke-kun.

Hino: We also come from different agencies, so I think we're rivals as actors. But, even without those feelings, Hide has a certain appeal that makes you want to love him. Being together with him all the time makes me want to care for him (laughs). However, I don't want him to take advantage of that kind of relationship, and I want us to be able to express our thoughts to each other, even if it's harsh. This is why Hide and I are neither friends nor brothers, but perhaps we have a "one of a kind" type of relationship. Besides, I think it's similar to the relationship between Hanto and Shouma.

Chinen: Yeah. Even though we're both Kamen Riders, I think we're similar in that we have special feelings for each other that goes beyond that. Still, this is the first time I've met someone like Yusuke-kun.

Hino: It's the same for me too. If the world were full of Hide's, we'd be in trouble (laughs). It's good that there's atleast one Hide in this world.

"When Chinen-kun went to Hino-kun's house, did the gap between you two close?"

Hino: When filming had just started, Hide followed me home at the end of a shoot as if it were no big deal (laughs). I was like, "Alright then, let's have a meal at my place!," but the next thing I knew, we had been talking for about four hours (laughs).

Chinen: We ended up not eating anything, and just talked about each other's dreams and our own lives (laughs).

Hino: We talked alot about each other's lives before we decided to become Kamen Riders

Chinen: Strangely enough, I didn't feel like there were any barriers between us, and that I could just honestly say anything to Yusuke-kun. Right from the beginning, we were able to talk to each other as if we were stripped of any titles. I feel that our resolve to work together to overcome any difficulties on set in the coming future was solidified that day.

Hino: I'm glad I was able to talk to Hide that day. As I thought, there's no girl as pure and as nice as him. If he was my girlfriend, I'd have absolute confidence in him (laughs).

Chinen: Hahaha! I'm grateful that he always looks out for the people around him, and even when I run off on my own, he helps me out with a precise follow up. He's prepared for anything, and can act quickly when the time comes, but that's not a simple thing to do, as I don't think you can do that unless you have the composure to do so. If I were the opposite sex, I'd fall for him (laughs). Also, we like alot of the same things.

Hino: It's more like Hide's imitating me! (laughs). To my surprise, Hide tends to be influenced by trends, but that's also what's cute about him.

Chinen: When I see a hat of Yusuke-kun's that I like, I try to buy the same one. This is how I'm imitating him, so naturally, my things are becoming alot more like Yusuke-kun's (laughs).

Hino: I hope I haven't been a negative influence…(laughs). But really, it's more about our underlying desire to learn, we have the same mindset of absorbing everything and "learning as much as we can," so I think that's a big part of it. I myself have alot to learn from Hide, and we're able to take in alot from each other.

Chinen: Even when we're having trouble with filming or acting, we've been able to build a relationship where we can say, "We're happy to be able to participate on a set like this." The Director gives us strict, but loving instructions, and I'm glad that the two of us are able to accept it as love, and not with any opposing views.

[animeomegas]

Headcanons for Dabi and Todoroki (separate) with a super loving and sappy Alpha? Snuggling him whenever they can, making him breakfast in bed, absolutely disgustingly cute compliments, getting him a gift or at least some candy once week. Just a total simp.

Aww, this ask is just too cute!! <33 I live for alpha being a complete simp for their omega. Enjoy~

WHEN THEIR ALPHA IS A COMPLETE SIMP

Dabi has a lot of conflicting emotions about an alpha like this, and it's definitely a journey for him.

At first he thinks you're making fun of him.

Then he thinks that you're a bit pathetic tbh.

And finally, when you refuse to give up, he decides you're totally insane to be so smitten with him. He really has no idea how or why.

Eventually he just accepts that you're weird and lets you get on with it.

Of course, he finds himself slipping into loving the constant positivity and adoration, slowly but surely.

He comes back from a running some villainous errands one day, and he's aching and sore and his mind starts wandering, wondering what you're going to have set up for him.

A hot bath? A lovely homecooked meal? Pizza and a film?

He starts trying to guess, until it suddenly hits him.

Oh.

He's being spoiled by an alpha who has made their desire to mate with him very, very clear, and...

He likes it. He's used to it. He doesn't want it to end.

Oh no.

He almost turns around a books it, but then he thinks about how sad and worried you'd be if he didn't go home, and shit, he's got it bad.

He opens the door slowly. He doesn't know why he can fight heroes, steal from banks and literally murder people just fine, but suddenly opening this door has his heart beating out of his chest. What's wrong with him?

He's greeted immediately with the sight of you cuddled up on the sofa with a pile of blankets and a bowl of fresh popcorn. Popcorn and a film, that's what you had planned. He was close.

Your face lit up as he came in, your beautiful smile directed to him and only him. He felt the urge to crawl into the blankets with you, and he definitely needed to get a grip on that. He'd never felt safe enough to nest before, but you were ruining everything.

"Dabi! Welcome home! I missed you so much," you said. How disgustingly domestic.

"Yeah, I'm back," he said lamely.

"I can see that. Here" -you pat the space on the sofa next to you- "I've picked out that new comedy you wanted to see. Come watch it, unless you need to shower or change first?"

Dabi shook his head, mouth dry, "No, I'm good."

"Great! Come on then!"

He blindly obeyed. This was not part of his plan, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't feel angry about it.

At first, Todoroki is so confused. And a little embarrassed.

Why are you doing so much for him?

He knows you're in a relationship and that people do things like that sometimes, but you just seems so happy when you're doing things for him?

Is he doing enough for you? He doesn't know.

But this only lasts for a few weeks, or as long as it takes for you or Midoriya to encourage him to embrace being in a healthy, loving relationship, and then he embraces it whole-heartedly!

And it unlocks a (cute) monster.

Todoroki lives to be pampered.

You could definitely use 'my prince' as a pet name, because it absolutely fits him.

He basks in the genuine and constant affection. It makes him feel fuzzy and warm, and he's always reaching out for you.

He quickly turns from the kind of omega who only holds hands in private, to the kind that always wants to sit on your lap and fall asleep on your shoulder, no matter where he is or who is watching.

If you bring him breakfast in bed, or stroke his hair, or bring him gifts for no reason, you get that beautiful little smile from him every time.

He engages spoilt cat mode very quickly.

Todoroki is cuddly, you just have to introduce him to it and then he never gets enough.

Please cuddle him, stroke his hair, buy him soft clothes, cook him dinner, it makes him so content and happy.

At first, Todoroki is so confused. And a little embarrassed.

Why are you doing so much for him?

He knows you're in a relationship and that people do things like that sometimes, but you just seems so happy when you're doing things for him?

Is he doing enough for you? He doesn't know.

But this only lasts for a few weeks, or as long as it takes for you or Midoriya to encourage him to embrace being in a healthy, loving relationship, and then he embraces it whole-heartedly!

And it unlocks a (cute) monster.

Todoroki lives to be pampered.

You could definitely use 'my prince' as a pet name, because it absolutely fits him.

He basks in the genuine and constant affection. It makes him feel fuzzy and warm, and he's always reaching out for you.

He quickly turns from the kind of omega who only holds hands in private, to the kind that always wants to sit on your lap and fall asleep on your shoulder, no matter where he is or who is watching.

If you bring him breakfast in bed, or stroke his hair, or bring him gifts for no reason, you get that beautiful little smile from him every time.

He engages spoilt cat mode very quickly.

Todoroki is very cuddly, you just have to introduce him to it and then he never gets enough.

Please cuddle him, stroke his hair, buy him soft clothes, cook him dinner, it makes him so content and happy.

"I'm home!" you called out as you pushed open the door, carefully manoeuvring the little shopping bag you had clutched in your hand. A smile automatically bloomed on your face as you heard the tell tale sign of Shouto coming to greet you. The sound of his socked feet padding along the floor was just too cute.

"Alpha!"

"My darling boy," you cooed as Todoroki's smiling face came around the corner to greet you. You opened up your arms and he ran into them, squeezing you tightly and nuzzling his face into your shoulder. "How was your day? You must have got back from patrol about an hour ago, right?"

Shouto pulled away and pouted, "You weren't here when I got back."

"I'm sorry," you said, pressing a kiss to his nose and watching as his pout melted away. "I went past that new bakery and I couldn't resist getting you a little something."

Shouto's eyes focused on the little bag in your hand for a moment before taking your hand and bringing you through to the kitchen. You placed the bag on the counter and gently pulled out the box of macarons. The box was half red (strawberry, red velvet, and cherry) and half white (coconut, white chocolate, and cookies and cream). He opened the box slowly, eyes wide.

"They look amazing," he said breathlessly. "Half red and half white?"

"There's nothing as pretty in my opinion," you cooed, ruffling his hair. His little smile lit up the room.

Shouto picked up one of the cherry ones and fiddled around with it for a moment. Taking the hint, you took the macaron from him and held it up to his mouth.

"Open wide, darling."

[desmon1995]

Female Warriors, Broadway, and the American Dream.

The Warriors have been out for about 2 weeks now and it's slowly but steadily building up a pretty passionate following.

I think one of the biggest changes that have been rough for some long time over years 79 fans is that the Warriors are now female, which some argue ruins the point of the original and or softens the story too much.

While I do respect everybody's opinion when it comes to artistic criticism, I do think that dismissing the concept album just because it features women is a little short-sighted IMHO.

Regurgitating the original male cast just in musical album form would not only be repetitive but would make it no different than other Broadway show that focus on gang violence like West Side story or now The Outsiders.

We have so many shows that focus on brotherhood, kinship, and just masculinity not even within film but also on Broadway, but we hardly ever see the same for female characters.

The Female Warriors are very rough around the edges, foul-mouthed, violent at times, and in the case of cowgirl, lustful.

They're also different body types, present themselves differently, and are all played by BIPOC.

I've seen a lot of Broadway shows in my 30 years of living, and we just don't get diverse female characters like this a lot if at all.

If any female character had the above traits they would likely be presented as being the less than ideal woman or flat out villainous.

The girls have flaws, but these are just things they picked up because of how rough the world has been to them, and at the end of the day they're not only friends but a family.

That's a big difference between the female warriors and their male counterparts from the movie and novel.

The Male Warriors are supposed to be seen as what ends up happening when youths get tangled up in gang culture and how it turns them into monsters.

When the police arrest Ajax in the film it's because of how unruly and savage he was acting and likewise Fox getting killed along with Cleon is supposed to be seen as a consequence of them even being a part of this culture to begin with.

I've said it before, but I think while the intentions may be good it's viewing these marginalized groups through a very White and conservative lens.

Nobody wants to be a part of a gang or run away from home but sometimes living in poverty, an abusive household, or just being crushed by the system forces people to do desperate things and more often than not that's banding together with like-minded people.

Another thing is that most of the Warriors in the original film are White and that's largely just due to the fact that an audience back in the 1970s would be less willing to watch something that didn't at least feature several white main leads otherwise they'd be uncomfortable and uninterested.

From a modern-day perspective, a person like male Ajax would likely get away with his sexually aggressive behavior because of the color of the skin ( you can look at a certain orange politician to see that in present day) and we now know thanks to things like BLM that the police do not always operate in good faith nor to protect the people.

I think that's why the concept album is so good and culturally relevant despite having being created nearly a few years ago.

The Warriors consisting of a group of marginalized women that banded together to support one another to conduct a world that really doesn't care for them is a story you really get to hear not just on Broadway but in Hollywood in general.

Luther being a white gang leader and killing a black cultural figure like Cyrus in cold blood to stop any semblance of progress is the tale as all this time and how he mocks the AAVE the non-white groups he surrounds himself with after making life hell for them is especially painful.

Luther and Crosby literally don't have to worry about ever being hounded by the police because of how they look which allows them to get away with literal murder, but it is very telling that he ends up crumbling the moment he's confronted and called out for his misdeeds.

The cops themselves are also completely reworked for the concept album as opposed to them just being the boys in blue doing their job to get rid of the trash that is the Warriors like the original film, they're essentially the biggest antagonist even more so than the Rogues.

Both police officers that appear in the album have a cat calling motif which doubles as sounding like police sirens just to illustrate how dangerous and cancerous they are not just to the Warriors but to the community as a whole.

Captain Victor and Barnes abuse their power and end up nearly subduing the Warriors by killing Fox and sexually a harassing and later arresting Ajax.

In Derailed Victor even tries to kill the warriors with his squadron before they run away to the cemetery and all of this is done because they can.

The fact that these two are portrayed by people from the 1979 Warriors film sort of acts as a double entender because in the original, the Warriors themselves are supposed to be seen as monsters and what happens when kids fall too deep into the sins of the world, so the cops view the women as nothing more than street rats who need to be exterminated .

The Warriors are guilty because they're marginalized women and that's enough for them to be blown away as far as society and the system is concerned.

I think in some ways, the Warriors is basically the reverse of LMM's other work Hamilton because it shows that the American dream isn't really for everybody and that sometimes you have to find another means to live by.

The system very much failed the Warriors so they had to rely on themselves to make it through the world because nobody else would bother with them.

It's for this reason why I'm sort of against the idea that this album needs to be radically changed in order for it to move the Broadway.

Doing things like giving Luther more complex feelings, adding in things to help the predominantly white audience and critics understand how Urban culture works, and rewriting the characters themselves just to be more stage appropriate seems like it undoes what the musical was trying to say.

I think this story as it is is one worth telling and beyond maybe a bit of polish I don't really think it should be tempered with too much.

If Lin and Eisa were to doll the Warriors up too much it would basically be a completely different story altogether and what we would have is just another Broadway musical that allows the audience to digest certain things that they may not understand nor possibly want to hear.

I think we as a society have moved beyond watering down things so that people who aren't even from the community that these stories come from can sleep better at night.

I think that's why this album and the original movie have dedicated fan bases to them because it does speak to a generation of people.

[weirdmarioenemies]

The Critic's Arrival

It appears we've been visited by some sort of critic. We didn't order any critic! Are you a film critic? Food critic?

"The name's THE Critic- get it right! I ridicule, just out of spite! And now you've got me at your door, You've no idea what you're in for! For I'm The Critic, that's no ruse! I'm here to criticize all youse!"

Oh? You're here to criticize us...? I don't think I like whatever it is you're imply- oh, he's already invited himself in. Okay! So, Mr. The Critic, can I... get you something to drink, I guess? We certainly have a lot of water.

"That's all you offer? You're the worst! Good thing I've not much of a thirst! This living room... it's oh so drab. And are you serious? A CRAB? Your home decor is just no good. I'd burn this poster if I could! You must have all been in the dark, For not a soul likes Wonder Park!"

Come on... Boomer the Ride Tester is funny... right? Is there anything else we can do to make your stay more comfortable? And maybe make you more polite?

"I hope my message makes you cry: This home of yours is much too dry!"

Is that so? At least here in Wet-Dry World, that's easy to fix! I'll just activate this Crystal Tap and raise the water...

"This isn’t any better yet. The whole affair’s now far too wet!"

Oh... how about a more neutral level?

"The moisture level’s at its middle, But I’m afraid, too late too little! You just can't seem to be a winner! Now, with that done, let's have some dinner!"

Okay, I've been trying to be polite, but you can't just be mean to us and expect to receive a free meal for it! Spikey's only made enough potatoes au gratin for us mods!

"Oh, THAT'S the stench? It's just some gratin? I could have sworn something was rotten! I see you're near fed up with me, And knowing that fills me with glee!"

Why are you doing this, The Critic? Why us? What did we do to you?

"Well, here's what's written in my log: You lot all run a Tumblr blog! Where posts are foolish, simply silly, Goofy creatures willy-nilly! You don't need to be analytic To know you're talking to The Critic. It's how I live, it's what I do. I've come here to criticize YOU!"

Hey. Words really hurt, you know that, The Critic? But no matter what you say, you can't break our spirits! We'll post what we want no matter what you say!

"Now comes the part I love the most... rescinding your license to post!"

OUR POSTING LICENSE?! The only thing that legally allows us to post about funny pretend creatures online... you're a monster! Unhand that license this instant!

"Ha ha! Hee hee! It's too much fun! And with that, I'll be on the run! Your permit's all I need to rob. I hope you've got a backup job!"

He's gone. That utter fiend... without our posting license, we're nothing. He's right. We'll need a new job. After all this time, we'll need to return to where it all began, where all of us met for the first time, and where we all worked before starting this blog, but it was never relevant so we never mentioned it...

...the TROUT HATCHERY! See you there...

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 2, Unspeakable, Pt. 3

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) No language in this one; I am SHOOK! Brief mentions of sex, Tolkien nerds, the first appearance of the green-eyed monster, repressing of feelings.

Word Count: 603

Previously On...: Girls' Night with your friends led to some... interesting discussion about your friendship with Bucky.

A/N: Was this scene absolutely necessary? No. Could I resist including a moment to showcase the adorableness of Bucky and Pocket's friendship? Absolutely not.

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!)  @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21 @buckybarnessimpp

About an hour later, you were getting ready to watch the first Hobbit movie. You'd changed into your pajamas and were getting your movie snacks in order. Bucky was sprawled atop your mattress; the two of you hardly slept apart anymore, and you alternated whose room you stayed in. Tonight was your turn to host the Nightmare Sleepover, as you'd come to call it.

"How was Girl's Night," Bucky asked as he watched you put on your lotion.

"Interesting," you replied, rubbing the lilac-scented balm into your skin. You knew how much he loved the smell of it, so you always made sure to have it on hand. "They think we're sleeping together, so they wanted all the salacious details."

"Doll," he chuckled, rolling onto his side to get a better view of you, "we are sleeping together."

You shot him an arched glance. "You know what I mean."

Bucky fiddled with his vibranium thumb and looked up at you through his lashes. "What did you tell them?"

You plopped yourself next to him on the bed, grinning. "Well, obviously, I told them you're hung like a horse and have the stamina of a steam engine, but that you always cry after you come and you insist on calling me 'mommy.' It’s fairly off-putting."

"You are an absolute menace!" He lunged for you and began tickling you without mercy. You fought him off as valiantly as you could, but you were no match for a super soldier and you both knew it.

"Yield!" you cried, breathless, a few moments later. "I yield!" He reluctantly let you go so you could catch your breath. "I told them the truth-- we're just friends," you said once you could talk again, "but they all think you're very sexy and one of them-- and I will not say which one-- said she would let you do, and I quote, ‘unspeakable things to her body.’"

Bucky's face lit up like a Christmas tree; you knew how much he relished any kind of praise. It was like physical touch-- he had been deprived of it for so long, he was starved for it. "Was it Natasha? It was Nat, wasn't it?"

The readiness at which he jumped to that conclusion left a gross feeling in the pit of your stomach. All you could do was give him a tight-lipped smile and shrug your shoulders, playing coy. You definitely did not want to examine why his comment made you feel so icky.

"We should get this movie going," you told him, instead. "Otherwise we'll be up all night." Bucky fluffed up your pillows against your headboard while you fiddled with the remote to queue up the film. Because this was Tony's place, you didn't have a regular television. Instead, your room was equipped with a projector embedded in the ceiling, and the entire wall opposite your bed was the screen. It was as good as a movie theater.

"Are you excited?" you asked as you leaned back against the pillows next to Bucky.

"Are you kidding me?" he said, scooting closer to you until your shoulders were touching and passing you an open pack of Twizzlers. "Watching an adaptation of my favorite book with my best girl? I've been looking forward to this since the moment you told me there were movies."

A warmth flooding your insides like liquid sunshine. You poked his mouth with a Twizzler until he opened up and ripped a bite off of it. Grinning, you took a bite and rested your head on his shoulder, feeling completely content in this moment with your best friend.

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[athanza]

Starlett - Final part

Cooper Howard/fem!OC (not self-insert)

Tags: Hurt/comfort (sort of?), non-allowed romantic connection, lots of tention, pre and post war drama, romance, some fluff

Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse (no graphic scenes or descriptions of that nature), angst, canon wasteland violence

This branches out from canon but I thought it was a cute story idea so I had to write it. Enjoy! ♡

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

2077

That night, after dinner, Irene found Cooper on the sofa with Janey asleep on his lap, watching an old noire film with the volume down low.

"Thank you very much for dinner Mr. H- Cooper." She corrected herself, speaking low so as not to wake Janey. "It was lovely."

He looked up as she walked over. "It was no trouble at all. Janey loved having you here."

She smiled at his daughters sleeping face as she sat down on the edge of the sofa. "You've got a good kid there."

He looked down at her proudly. "Yeah, I sure do."

"She reminds me of my baby sister, she lives with my folks in Sacramento. I don't get to see her much anymore with my work and everything with Frank and Lee. It'll be good to see her again."

"How long has it been?"

"Almost 2 years. I know my sister resents me for how much I'm away, but hopefully that'll change now that I'll be away from Frank, at least until the divorce proceedings." She sighed with uneasiness.

"You'll be fine." Said Cooper encouragingly. "You're stronger than you think."

"Ditto." She smiled warmly. "And don't worry about Janey, you both love her so much. She'll understand when she's older, I promise."

He smiled, touched by her words. "Thank you."

She looked into his eyes and saw something she never had, a good man, a man who loves unconditionally and stands up for his family.

She, just for a moment, imagined what it would be like if he was her husband instead of Frank, if Janey were their daughter, if this was her life and not the daily abuse she had been going home to every night.

She could feel emotions begin to well behind her eyes and she snapped out of it before she embarrassed herself.

"Well, I should get some sleep, I'll be leaving early tomorrow. Thank you again."

The warmness that emanated from her was a welcome comfort in the midst of everything that had happened in the last few months. He almost didn't want her to leave, but he couldn't let himself fall, not now, not for her. They were meant for another time, another world, not this one.

"Irene?" Said Cooper, stopping her before she left. "This whole thing with Vault Tec...something's happening, something I'm not sure we'll ever come back from.

You're free from it now. Whatever's coming...it won't be worth giving up your happiness."

What he said about Vault Tec concerned her, not that it was surprising, but he was right about her happiness, he was right about everything. She wasn't going to be held back any longer.

"Thank you." She said, smiling softly.

2296

The sky was still dark when he left the cave. He'd covered Irene with whatever he could find to try to conceal her from raiders, hoping nothing else would find her while he was gone.

He knew there was a clinic in this area somewhere but whether it had anything left in it was a gamble.

As he made his way hastily through the area, he couldn't stop thinking about her and it just made him angry, 219 years of trying to become the monster that he had to be in order to survive, only for her to show up and remind him of that warmth that he'd long since forgotten. It made him weak, but he couldn't let her die, not now.

He heard movement up ahead, two men laughing drunkenly as they stumbled to find somewhere to relieve themselves.

Raiders.

The cages and skewered bodies around the building were a dead give-away and their little base just happened to be the clinic he was looking for.

Jackpot. They definitely had a stash in there somewhere.

The two men separated to find somewhere to piss but just as one got comfortable, Cooper blast his head off and took the other one out just a split second later.

"Oh HELL no!" Came a voice from the doorway of the clinic.

Without hesitation, Cooper shot him too, a bloody mess left on the door frame behind where he had been standing.

He stormed inside, his pump-action shotgun in hand, willing to use up all of his ammo to get what he needed.

Bullets and wood chips were flying every which way, and he took a bullet or two, but it took him no time at all to obliterate every person in that building.

He searched hastily for supplies, and when he found a first aid box full of stimpaks and cotton thread, he grabbed it and left, picking up several blood packs on his way out.

2077

The next morning, Irene was up early, her bag already in her car when Cooper came out to meet her.

"You weren't kiddin' about leavin' early." He said, the clock in the hallway reading 7:12am.

"I thought it'd be best if I left earlier rather than later."

He knew why. He didn't argue.

"Give this to Janey for me, would you? I noticed she liked it and I know it'll be in good hands."

She handed Cooper a silver locket with a daisy engraved delicately on the front.

He looked at it a bit surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I don't much care for it anymore. It'll be more appreciated with her." She smiled.

She did one last check of her purse to make sure she had everything and the tention in the air was starting to thicken. When she knew she had everything, she looked back up at him.

"Cooper?" She asked. "Do me a favour and don't let the world harden that heart of yours, ok? That part of people is important, even if it makes us feel weak, always remember that, ok?"

She leant forward and kissed his cheek. "See you 'round cowboy."

She smiled at him one last time before getting in her car, and as he watched her drive away he felt his heart ache a little. He would miss her, her warm smiles, and how she made Janey laugh, but it wasn't meant to be, and he knew that.

2296

He pulled off the foliage covering her now pale body and opened the case.

Her breathing was shallow and laboured, a puddle of blood underneath her that had started to coagulate.

He used one of the stimpaks, then another, then another until he had used all six, then pulled out the thread and started sewing up the deep gashes on her side that were sticky with blood.

He remembered the last time he saw her, her smile, the kiss. He remembered watching her drive away and wishing she hadn't. He remembered the last things she said to him.

"...don't let the world harden that heart of yours, ok? That part of people is important, even if it makes us feel weak..."

When he finished sewing, he hung up one of the blood bags and attached the long tube to her arm.

He was still and focused, hoping he wasn't too late, his hands now covered in her blood.

When she woke up after only a few minutes, she saw him sitting by the fire beside her and smiled sleepily.

"Hey there cowboy."

The End

[scorpionyx9621]

Can I just say how jarring it is getting into Jacob Elordi and his acting roles out of order?

Full disclosure I never watched Euphoria until just recently. I knew Tik Tok loved Jacob Elordi and that he was their rotating 'white boy of the month'. He always was on the periphery for me and while I thought he was attractive I never paid him too much mind.

The first thing I saw him in was Priscilla in which I was very pleasantly surprised with his acting as Elvis. He nailed the voice pretty naturally but played a very subdued, very emotionally wrought but complicated Elvis that I liked a lot. It also helped that Cailee Spaeny who plays Priscilla Wagner is 5'1 whereas Jacob literally towers over her at 6'5 so there's a great deal of physical acting on Elordi's part and I was thoroughly impressed.

Then comes Saltburn, social media's favorite weird art house film-thing. And here we get to see Jacob play Felix, the Bohemian, hippy-dippy college student who plays around with his sexuality and knows nothing of struggle due to the excessive wealth of his family. This acting here while still good didn't really knock my socks off. Not at all saying it was bad.it most definitely wasn't. But it showed a flippant attitude and side to Jacob that made me comfortable around him.

And then we get to Euphoria. Again I knew little to nothing about Euphoria other than the memes. So when I see lovey-dovey sexually comfortable and unrestrained Felix go to what I can only describe as a total fucking monster in Nate Jacobs I got such MASSIVE whiplash. I know Jacob himself isn't straight but seeing him go to such a deeply internally homophobic character that has genuine venomous hatred for that part of himself was shocking. Beyond the internal struggles Nate is a character who I can only justifiably title as a full-blown sociopath who actively enjoys hurting people physically and mentally. To that scene where he gets into a physical fight with his father and once Nate's father gets the upper hand and we watch Jacob Elordi descend into a total mental breakdown full of him screaming and growling banging his head against the floor like an animal genuinely scared me.

All of this is to say Jacob Elordi he has the range darling. I know he's in some legal hot water right now but from what I can tell it's moreso paparazzi and the media intruding on his personal space. But man does this man have the range and I'm excited to see what he does next.

[w0rmdahl]

practicing mercy — MM

gif ©: ayoedebiris, myy-moonflower

film: monkey man (2024)

synopsis: following his suggestion of working at kings, kid runs into ishani and manages to stumble his way into a late-night drinking game, finding himself already caught up in her alluring web by the time he remembers why he was there in the first place.

word count: 4.2k

featuring: kid, (oc) ishani, alphonso, queenie mentioned, chief rana mentioned

warnings: drinking, physical violence (pretty tame this time!)

a/n: part 1 if you so please :3 happy to have this up

with a heavy sigh and a bandaged hand swiping at stray hairs, 'bobby' exited the kings' kitchen for a breath of fresh air away from the bleach he'd been inhaling for the last 30 minutes, fingers tender and raw pulling at his collar as he stepped into the back alley. his watery-eyed vision met the white grout of the building next door and kid could finally smell something other than the burn in his sinuses — namely the sweltering garbage bin baked in the heat all day — almost closing his eyes entirely as he pressed a shoulder against the wall to support his tired muscles.

"hey,"

the soft yet abrupt voice emanating from his left nearly had him flinching back inside, brows narrowed and eyes wide as he found a familiar face staring back, though her abnormal clothing almost put them back at square one — strangers. to be fair though, they still were only strangers. right?

"funny seeing you here." ishani hummed, a knowing glow in her gaze as she shifted in her elegant but uncomfortable-looking gown. "i didn't know pimps wore aprons."

a joke. kid flashed the slightest glimpse of a smile as he took a step in her direction though his gaze pulled to his shoes, nose pointed down at the cement whilst he squeezed life back into his fingertips. "only the best." he replied. kid swore he could hear her smirk grow into a grin.

"oh, so the monkey thing is just moonlighting, huh?"

he meets her eyes once more to truly witness that smile before attempting to match her warmth. "actually...it's the grunt work;" he says, still starkly monotonous and solemn compared to her consistent and outward congeniality. now a step closer to press his back into the wall, kid pinches the thick strap of fabric over his shoulder with his good hand and forces his lips upwards. "the apron."

"i see...well, don't tell anyone but," she leans toward him in a strained whisper, "i'm doing the same."

there's a smile finding its way to his lips again, coming easier to him as he nods like a swear to secrecy. with his palm pressed to the wall and a suppressed grumble in his throat kid sits beside her on the concrete. "i didn't think i'd see you here."

"did i give you that impression?" her question sounds accusatory — it is accusatory — and yet he can't seem to find a hint of hostility in her tone, the imprint of a grin still lingering in the corners of her mouth. he's shaking his head before he even knows what to say.

"just thought i went about it wrong. i didn't expect to see you here so soon, at least. how'd you find queenie?"

"...literally? or...?"

still playful, ishani trails off to watch his split lips upturn once more before she actually answers his question, the echoes of 'why?' lingering in the back of his mind.

"yeah, she's — uh..." she taps her brow with two fingers in a lazy salute "major bitch."

"i have to agree with you there. it's kind of...admirable in a way, though."

"to be that much of a monster all the time and still have everyone bow down to you? i'm jealous."

"that, too."

kid can feel the lull in conversation looming above his head once she turns to mirror his position and, a man of few words, finds anything to say in an attempt to avoid the (typically comfortable) silence. "so..." he starts, finding the words along the way "how's the night been?"

with his own eyes on the brick and focus on his peripheral, kid notices the pause before her response, an atypical quirk in her mannerisms. even through the very minimal interactions they'd had, kid did not understand her to be someone with a buffering time before her response — she always knew what she was gonna say and did it in a far timelier manner than himself — so this delay in her reply had him holding his breath.

"honestly;" she starts off like a warning — as if to offer the opportunity for him to skip this dialogue — "harder than i expected. worse than expected."

kid has to clench his jaw to ground himself in his seat, to disregard the imagery of absolute chaos flittering around the foreground of his mind and focus on the now. it wasn't hard to guess what exactly she meant. the tired-looking man nodded and swallowed thickly to rid the lump in his throat.

"sorry." he didn't know what else to say — how to express some semblance of understanding or sympathy. he sounded almost like a guilty child.

"it's okay," ishani stands with a heavy sigh and a grumble as she swats the strangling locks of curly hair over her shoulders. "work is work. right?"

wet eyes angled up at her from his place against the brick, kid silently nods in agreement, watching how her kindred smile returned along with the enigmatic sparkle in her eyes while she moved toward the back door. she offers one last salute with her hand on the knob before disappearing back inside.

"i'll catch you in the ring, monkey man."

and that she did, of course; her floor-length gown traded for skintight spandex as she made her circles around the ring with her signature smile and that stupid sign. the beast was beaten bloody as per usual and, though he was always rigged to lose either way, ishani could have sworn he was more distracted tonight.

the thing was — while she was no fighter herself or anything — it wasn't hard to tell that he could fight. he knew how to throw a hefty right hook and he was quicker on his feet than most of the bulky hogan rip-offs, so he could win if ever given the chance. (not that tiger would even consider it.)

some nights ishani hoped — even believed — that the beastly kong would finally grow sick of being the losing dog and show rhino or khan or cobra a taste of their own pulverized medicine. but her faith was always in vain, always ending with the monkey man flat on his back spitting up thick, frothy blood through the mask.

ishani typically didn't dare follow after him to see the aftermath — not that she could, anyway, usually stuck at the ring to congratulate the false winner — but something about their previous conversation instilled her with confidence tonight. enough so, in fact, that she would find herself inching into the locker room to look for the battered man without half an idea of what she'd say.

he was sitting alone with his back turned when she entered, grime and sweat covering every inch of skin she could see, drenched curls shaking with each wince as he wrapped his hand. for a brief moment ishani contemplated turning back — totally disregarding the intrigue as well as the blood smeared along his forehead — and then she was diving in headfirst with the tap of her knuckles to the tile wall. the monkey man shot a narrow-eyed look over his shoulder before he realized who it was.

"sorry." she echoed his earlier sentiment, though (as usual) she had a little more to say while taking chary steps forward. "i don't always mean to scare you."

kid endured two more heaving breaths before offering his own flat-affected quip. "sometimes?"

sitting beside him on the metal bench with a restrained grin, ishani has to force her prying eyes from his hands, landing instead on the gash above his brow. "sometimes." she affirms with a teasing shrug.

"good to know..."

a beat passes before she's then clearing her throat, her own hands visibly trembling in the corner of his vision. it was the mousiest he'd ever seen her — uncharacteristic of this woman who'd literally stormed into his life — and though he'd tried to conceal the heap of bruises in his skin by keeping his head down, kid couldn't help but look up to analyze her uneasy features.

"um...you know...i still feel bad for kong. every time, honestly. i uh — i wanted to know — i was wondering — do you think a beer would soften the blow a little bit?"

even ishani looks wary of the proposition, looking away to shrug once more with a small voice. "maybe...tonight? on me?"

a mere glimpse of his bloody smile leaves the anxiety swirling in her chest as nothing more than a need for oxygen, lungs expanding to their full capacity while his creased features smoothed out all skepticism. he looks back down at the blood on his shoes and ishani swears she hears a low chuckle before he asks, "how does 12:30 sound?"

"sounds perfect." she has to remind herself not to appear too delighted.

looking at them now, not one person in this dingy bar would believe what they did for work — the absolute hell they endured all day just to end up at a dim booth in their 'regular people clothes' (as she called it) for a late night beer.

"i'm getting red — i can feel it."

"it's not bad."

they were already halfway through their plans, ishani's cheeks graduating from a warm pink to a full-fledged crimson as she met the midway point of her drink. "you're a liar" she'd chuckle before collecting the sweat on the glass in her palms to then press to the flushed skin.

kid hides his smile with another sip from his own mug. "it's your half now." he says, nodding towards hers before wiping the froth from his mustache.

"oh, come on, man! i still barely know you."

"i still don't know you at all."

with a proud smirk ishani slouches back in her seat, arms folded over her chest as if to protest the shift of power over to him. "you know my name" she suggests, noting how his eyes narrowed before realizing the tell of what her next question would've been — as well as the fact that she was technically wrong; he didn't know her name. he knew ishani.

"okay," the flush-faced woman relented "maybe not my name, per say..."

"chalo, i'll start out easy."

"unlike me?"

he chuckled. "unlike you." with a feigned sigh of surrender and another shift in her seat, ishani tucked away any stray hairs from the rats nest of a bun on her head and readied herself for the slew of questions (and answers) that would follow.

"alright." she hummed, "shoot."

he was the one to wiggle in the booth now, lifting his elbows from the table to mirror her distance before asking the first thing that came to mind — that is, the first thing in mind that was easy to answer; "where are you from?"

"korea." she stated plainly. kid's brows jumped in surprise at the distance. "oh. long way from home...what brings you to india?"

he can see the contemplating reflection in her eyes letting him know that this follow up was in fact not an easy follow up, nimble fingers raising to brush the already-tucked hair behind her ear. "just like you said; long way from home."

"i see. when did you get here?"

"india? or mumbai?"

you'd think he was still the one in the hot seat with how his mannerisms became asynchronous as he navigated which route to go, head shaking whilst he shrugged. "um — mumbai." ishani simply smiles.

"maybe...two weeks before i started at tigers? but i'd been in india for almost a month by then."

he nods now, pausing briefly with pursed lips before his following inquiry. "so...why'd you leave korea?"

there is a brief moment where ishani looks off to think about her answer with a telling grin — or grimace, he couldn't tell — before she's suddenly reaching for her mug to raise it towards him. "cheers" she replies before taking a sip. kid is chuckling again.

"enough said. well, how are you liking it here so far?"

"it's nice! it's certainly different from what i'm used to. and i guess every country's like this but — it's nice seeing all the land and cultures. — and the food, of course."

"do you have a favorite?"

finally, a question that ishani visibly wanted to answer, the corners of her mouth turning upward as she sifted through the choices on her tongue. "jalebi is pretty addicting, but i've had an issue with gulab jamun recently. i just can't stay away from it."

"oh, so you're a sweets person?"

his shoulders drop half an inch when she laughs. "that and — anything is good fried; i'd eat a rock if it was smothered in oil!"

with his own dry laugh caught under his breath like he still had to tiptoe around her, kid takes another gulp of the earthy beer to postpone the buffering time he and only he expended on finding what to say next. it was so strange to him — how the silence of life he'd grown close with felt so overwhelming when it came to ishani — and how she never seemed to shy away from saying something, even if it was the uncomfortable questions both parties knew would be left unanswered.

and yet, she asked anyway, leaving them both inebriated a lot quicker than if they hadn't decided on this drinking game. maybe it was a good thing, though; her intimidating boldness. perhaps if they'd just spoken like normal people kid wouldn't've had the guts to tell her about his childhood under the trees and, in turn, wouldn't have seen the way she leaned in to listen. perhaps, even, if they'd just spoken like normal people, it wouldn't have been apparent enough to notice that they were not 'normal people.'

but they did go this route — avoiding questions with a swig of beer, indirectly indicating each and every bit of information they withheld, making it evident to the other just how much they had to hide. and though he would've been offput by the ambiguity between them had the roles been reversed, ishani remained seated before him with an endearing and honest smile, red-faced and far more candid than ever outside the walls of their workplaces.

with the lick of his beer-slick lips and a leap of faith into her outward hospitality, kid sets his elbows back on the table to ask what he actually wanted to know. "so..." he starts slowly "what brought you to tiger's temple? i can't imagine that was your first choice."

"you're right; it was not my first choice, but i'm used to..." her nose scrunches while she searches for the words "biting the bullet, i guess. — plus, sex sells, and you needed a ring girl. it just kinda...worked out...in a way."

ishani's hesitant cadence almost sends him reeling back to the surface but the steadfast attention trained on his every word has kid's mouth moving before his brain. "so that's why you ended up going to kings? just another bullet to bite...in a way?" for a moment he's worried he'd said too much, and then ishani's mischievous giggle lures him back in.

"in a way. had i known about queenie i probably would've thought about it a little longer, though."

"understandable." he's letting his own laughter out now, tired eyes and smile panning to his glass. "i probably should've mentioned that."

ishani leans forward to grab her drink again and paused to answer before she took another sip. "it's alright, i can deal. i just don't understand how — how she's so angry alll the time. it can't be good for her blood pressure."

"i mean...aren't you?" it seemed like an easy question to him — it was an easy question for him, and yet she hesitated.

“honestly?”

there it was again — the warning for him to maybe interrupt her or stop her from saying something with substance — and just as he had before, kid only tuned in further.

“no.” she says quietly. “just tired.”

these would be the words that truly stuck with the monkey man well after their last goodbyes outside the bar — even more so than the 'maybe we can do this again sometime' offered by ishani before she turned to walk home — and he'd catch himself internally mulling over this response throughout the day whenever there was a breath of silence. whether he was drying dishes or tossing out the trash, kid thought about what this response said about her deep down — how all of her seen or unseen experiences led to fatigue instead of fury. and it baffled him.

it came to the point where kid finally noticed how much space she took up in his mind only after stepping into queenie's office to pour her tea, overhearing something about chief rana that brought him right back to reality. simply hearing the name of this man chilled his blood and effectively reinstated his fervor for the scheme bubbling inside that had his scarred hands subconsciously balling into fists. the consistent hum of ishani within his skull subsided shortly to make room for the actual reason he was here and by the time he thought of her again, kid was ready to do whatever he needed to get back on track. even if it meant clamming up on the new acquaintance.

and yet, in spite of his decision to lapse back into strangers, kid saw her once again while exiting the back door of kings to head to tigers. he was entirely prepared to give her the cold shoulder — to practice mercy and sever any ties he'd stumbled into, relieving her of the horrors to come — and then he saw how her face lit up once she spotted him. how cruel.

"hey" ishani smiled, striding closer with both hands in her hoodie pocket. kid has to look forward as to not get caught back in the loop.

"hey. today alright?"

"yeah..." her voice is high like she's unsure — like she's questioning her own response. "busy, but alright. what about you?"

he starts out carefully, reworking how he'd normally respond into a version that kept her at an arm's length, holding strong in his attempt to refocus on the end goal.

"uh...pretty much the same..."

he trails off, spending half a second to debate whether or not he'd tell her about the discussion with their coworker before making the fatal mistake of looking into her eyes — his white-knuckled resolve lost entirely once he found her gaze.

"have you met alphonso?"

ishani's eyebrows furrow together at the sudden shift in conversation, though she plays along. "no, i don't think so."

"good." kid sighs "alphonso works under queenie — short guy, s'got a limp — he'll be in the stands tonight."

"okay...why are you telling me this?"

for the first time between them thus far ishani is looking at kid suspiciously, visibly distrusting and aware of something being off despite not knowing what, exactly. it was almost frustrating to him, how he struggled to stay on guard around her — and even more frustrating how well she read him. he looked forward once more.

"just...keep an eye out for him. he's alright, just — don't be shocked if he comes up to you."

ishani was left acutely unsettled by this vague warning — especially considering the lack of explanation and increase of idiosyncrasies in the monkey man's demeanor — but without a prior reason to mistrust she had no choice other than to take it on the chin and keep her eyes peeled for the aforementioned 'alphonso.'

after entering the ring ishani spent the entire first round scouring every inch of the bleachers and making uncomfortable eye contact with patrons in the stand before she finally gave up on the guessing game. by the 3rd and final round, she had all but forgotten about the beastly kong's disclaimer in favor of looking away at the right time to miss his assault. the fight concluded without a hitch and by the time she began closing everything up, ishani was already basking in the relief of missing out on an uncomfortable conversation.

— and then, low and behold, ishani's eyes would catch on a man with a limp approaching while she wrapped up the chord to tiger's microphone. with a plastered-on smile and a bated breath ishani internally prepared herself for the worst and awaited his word.

"hello, madam." the curly-haired man grinned like he knew something she didn't.

"hello, sir. can i help you with something?"

he stops about a foot and a half in front of her with narrow eyes on her features and a never-ending grin, index finger raised to point at the ring girl. "you're ishani, right?"

"that i am. what can i do for you?"

"what is this?" he asks with a dry chuckle "you two masterminding some laundering scheme or something?"

ishani's head is tilting as she hears his question, a lone, incredulous "what?" being her immediate reply. he laughs again.

"you know — mister bobby."

bobby...there was a fighter here whose real name was bob, though he got pretty upset whenever someone called him that. ishani modestly shook her head as she set down the thick cord to instead place her hands on her hips. "no, doesn't ring a bell. sorry." honestly, she was just ready for the conversation to be over.

"the monkey?" he continues, and it only takes a second before she's put the pieces together and working up a response. "oh!" she exclaims with a giggle to postpone her explanation.

"i'm sorry, i'm not familiar with a lot of our fighters by name."

he nods with a laugh of his own, though she can't tell which part is particularly funny. "well, could you give him a message for me? tell him alphonso says 'it's a done deal.'"

"of course." ishani is clenching her jaw as she smiles, goosebumps raising the hair on her arms. "i'll let him know."

alphonso promptly presses his palms together in thanks before he turns to leave, dropping one last line that had heat rushing to her face while he walked away.

"thank you, miss seo."

she was turning on her heel to run into the locker rooms the second he was out of sight, surveilling the barren space with her heart in her throat only to find the monkey mask hanging on its usual locker door. with the only noise being the few other guys' hushed discussions and the echoed water from a faucet in the bathroom, ishani places her bets and rounds the corner with a clenched jaw, back pressing into the adjacent wall as she watched 'bobby' run his index along his molars before noticing her in the mirror. he's removing his finger from his mouth to spit a glob of blood into the porcelain as she clears her throat.

"so, alphonso came by." she says in a stern voice, the usual warm timbre found when she'd spoken with him up to this point gone and replaced with a tangible distance lodged between them. "said to tell bobby that his deal was done."

kid turns to face her as he leans against the sink and she swears his gaze held more weight, like he had to really concentrate to look her in the eyes. "he say anything else?"

she simply shrugs. "just if we were in on some laundering scheme or not..."

it was both a blessing and a curse that they read each other so well up till this point, both sides positively certain without a shadow of a doubt that the other had ulterior motives lurking below the surface. there is a moment of silence that leaves them suspended in limbo — both preparing their own play in wait for the other — before ishani takes it upon herself to speak again. since he wouldn't.

"i was thinking about getting a drink tonight. wanna come?" even her presentation was different, a cunning edge weaved into her words and tone. kid's not sure what to make of it.

"sorry, not tonight."

she nods with a pursed lip and her eyeline falls to her shoes. "i see. well, maybe some other time."

"yeah." he says, "we'll see."

and with that, ishani's got all she needs. she knows what he's doing as well as he does, and though it was frustrating and (naively) hurtful, who was she to make him be friends with her? were they even friends anyway? — whatever. didn't matter.

she doesn't even make an effort to respond before she's turning to leave him at the sink, jaw screwed tight as to disregard the burn in her nose or the prickling at her eyes. maybe it was just nice to know someone — to not feel entirely alone in this huge country with double the population — but she'd managed just fine all by herself, even now, so was it really a big deal?

'no.'

she decides when crawling into bed for the night, the blisters on her heels burning with every other shift and turn.

it wasn't a big deal, but it was nice while it lasted. — he was nice...

whatever. she just hoped she could avoid him the following workday.

[azelmaandeponine]

Originally I was angry at the moment, where Ford says that "If I know my brother he'll say he'll join his trip to find treasures and babes." and also, that in the show Ford asks Stan if he wants to sail with him, why Stan didn't played dumb or wondered if Ford was asking him to find a partner-in-crime, like, he's not understanding him and if Ford says he means Stan, he laughed at him, like he was pulling his leg or something. I also was angry the part of "Ford is looking for a partner-in-crime". Now I'm realizing I was petty with all of that and my P.O.V. changed.

But what it makes me to realize is that all of this happens after the "Scrapbook Theraphy", like... of course many things, specially insecurities arose around this time, also for some things:

The whole "treasure and babes" thing, wasn't Ford being controlling for wanting to impose things onto others like with the outfits, I mentioned. It took me to realize that: He was cheering himself up and was a display of how he's learning to read-the-room, since like with McGucket, Ford is fully aware that he also ruined Stan's life and harmed him so much, he doesn't blame him if he wants to stay away from him or hates him for the rest of his life, but since he witnessed Mabel doing a second miracle, he tries to find the positive side of life.

Since this happens after the "Scrapbook Theraphy" and of course the old home films, while Stan was recovering his memory. Maybe seeing their past again, made not only Ford to start taking responsibility of his actions, but also made him sad, the only memories happy of him and Stan together, were when they were children/teens. They never made a memory of theirselves as adults, even when Stan got him back and with the realization that they can die of age, maybe Ford thinks that it was about time they do something now with their lives. Also, with the whole Sibling Brothers books stuff, now that we know that Stan and Ford were enemies with them, maybe Ford got reminded of when they meet the Jersey Devil back then and how he wants to see another monster with Stan.

Also, I think in the show, it was clear that Stan is unable of hiding his emotions, so, it's clear that Stan couldn't hide his joy again when Ford asks him to sail the world together... maybe in part was intentional, maybe during the Scrapbook Theraphy they got reminded of the portal incident.... maybe Ford wanted to overwrite that memory and made sure of repeating a similar scenario. Like, turning a bad moment into a good one. Maybe it was in purpouse. So, when they now remembered the Portal Incident, instead they recall this memory as well, since it's similar now. Also, Ford is the one asking, because since he's aware he wronged Stan, then he needs to make things right, another sign that he's taking responsibilities of their actions. I mean, Ford wanted that he and Stan finally let go a bad moment of their lives, by redoing it and giving it a good outcome. I mean, turning a bad memory into a good memory.

What do you think? I wonder if you liked this?

Well, Ford didn't ruin Stan's life (that was Filbrick), but Ford did hurt Stan (and Stan has hurt Ford), and it was Ford's way of further reaching out so make something new for him and Stan.

Weirdmageddon, seeing Dipper and Mabel work together (and seeing them in danger) is what Stan and Ford to work their shit out. Bill was defeated by Stan and Ford working together.

Though that's given the childhood dream about the boat WAS brought up during the portal incident (by Ford), it's interesting to think about viewing it as a parallel to the portal incident, except with a good ending.

[purpleheartskies]

Robby is the underdog - Part 7

In s6e5, the leitmotif for Daniel's kk1 win against Johnny was used for Robby's captaincy win against Miguel.

(Watch with sound. Credit to another Robby fan who pointed this out to me and created this video.)

"A leitmotif is a repeating melodic phrase in music that is used to represent a character, setting, emotion, or theme. The intentional use of music as a means of communicating character, tone, or theme is a leitmotif." "The leitmotif has proven particularly effective in film scores as a means of creating continuity, heightening the drama and building an emotional connection between characters and the audience.

The fact that the leitmotif for Daniel's (first) win against his bully in kk1 is used for Robby's (first) win against his bully blatantly indicates that Robby is the underdog and Karate Kid of this story. This is more evidence that Robby is the Daniel in this kk story and Miguel is the Johnny.

It's important to note that when Miguel won the s1 avt final against Robby, no leitmotif was played when he won the match and was handed the trophy. Right before his win, an ominous motif was played, indicating that the win wasn't good. After he's handed the trophy and asked to speak, the shot slowly zoom's in on Johnny and starts playing his leitmotif in Cobra Kai (called Father and Son), because his focus was on Robby and his loss. This "win" for Johnny was a major loss in their relationship. In the s4 avt final, a triumphant motif was used for Eli's win, while a more melancholy one was used for Tory's win / Sam's loss.

No kid who has won a trophy so far had gotten the kk1 leitmotif for Daniel's win until Robby did in s6e5.

During the tournament in s1e10, Daniel approached Robby in the locker room and spoke to him about the "need" to find balance:

Robby: "I just wanted to get back at him [Johnny]." Daniel: "I know. But you're never going to find balance that way. You can't let that bad blood change who you are. I'm not saying you need to like the guy. I know I never will, but he... he is your father. And believe me, you're lucky to have one. You just gotta try to remember, he's... he's not a monster. He's just a guy with a lot of demons. Mr. Miyagi always told me there's no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher. And your dad had the worst teacher there ever was. It sent him down a wrong path. But you don't have to go down that path. Do you understand? You don't have to ever become him. Trust me. You let go of all that anger, and I guarantee you, no matter what happens tonight, you go home feeling great."

In kk1 tournament, during his conversation with Miyagi in the locker room, Daniel talked about his need to find balance.

Daniel: "Can you fix my leg with that thing you do?" Miyagi: "No need fight anymore. You proved a point." Daniel: "What? That I can take a beating? Every time I see those guys, they'll know they got the best of me. I'll never have balance that way, not with them, not with Ali... ...not with me."

Both Daniel and Robby are injured in these scene because a Cobra Kai had injured each of them during their semi-final fight and got disqualified for it. Both Daniel and Robby were then automatically given the semi-final win and were supposed to fight their bully, the main Cobra, in the final. (In my Robby is the underdog - Part 1.5 post, I go over some more of parallels between s1 Robby and kk1 Daniel in their respective avts and that Miguel had already been set up as the bully and Robby as the underdog going into the tournament.)

Both of their mentors had also told them that they didn't have to continue the tournament but both of them insisted that they wanted to. Daniel said what I've quoted above. Robby said, "Yes, I do. I'm going to have to face him sooner or later. Might as well be today."

Miyagi's original lesson to Daniel about balance was this:

"Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?"

In s6e5, Robby was losing the match, until he found balance when Tory arrived.

During the tournament in kk1, when Daniel was fighting to win a spot in the semis, Miyagi told Daniel: "Remember your defense. Points coming. Concentrate. Focus power. Remember balance. Make good fight."

During Robby's final match in the s1 avt, Daniel told Robby, "Breathe. Focus. Find your balance."

In his captaincy match, Robby was fighting offensively until he found balance, then he switched to mainly defense and won.

Interestingly, in the s4 avt, Daniel had at first told Eli something similar to what Miyagi had told Daniel in the kk1 tournament: "Concentrate, defense, focus, power. You find your balance, and those points will come."

However, after Eli told Daniel that Robby knows Miyagi-do better and Robby had scored one point on Eli, Daniel told Eli to fight using Cobra Kai and to put Robby on defense. This means that Robby was relying more on Miyagi-Do to fight, while Eli was relying more on Cobra Kai and won the tournament primarily using Cobra Kai teachings, despite representing Miyagi-Do. Eli didn't rely on having balance to win. He won by channeling his anger into fighting. It wasn't a real/pure Miyagi-Do victory.

Daniel had given up on Miyagi's teachings pretty quickly in order to secure the win in the s4 avt. Robby in turn still believes in and follows those teachings. In fact, his balance was off during his match with Eli because Robby had adopted "no mercy" while fighting Kenny and that had affected Robby greatly especially when he saw Kenny and had the realization that Cobra Kai wasn't helping him with his need to find balance.

In his captaincy match, he still relied on those Miyagi-Do lessons and teachings about balance. After he was able to find balance, he won the captaincy match primarily using Miyagi-Do. His win secured him the spot as the male captain, representative, and potential champion for Miyagi-Do in the final tournament in the series. His win was also celebrated using the OG Karate Kid leitmotif for winning by finding balance.

The overall theme of the series is about finding balance not just in karate, but in life as well.

“You remember lesson about balance? Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better. Understand?”

In my post Robby is the protagonist, I describe the role the protagonist plays in the story. One signifier of the protagonist is that the theme of the story is told primarily through their story:

The protagonist in a story is the character who offers the most conflict in situations, has the longest emotional journey, and has a primal goal to root for. Their transformation shapes the story's theme. Their choices and motivations affect the direction of the story. They're at the center of the conflict and their decisions push the plot forward. In a story with multiple characters with journeys, there is ultimately one character who is the primary driver of the overall story and their story tells the theme of the overall story. The other characters' can be protagonists in their own journeys but these become subplots of varying levels of importance. The protagonist is the character whose fate matters most. They have the highest stakes and the greatest obstacles.

Everything about the above statement is captured by Robby's story in s6e5:

He offered conflict by resisting Miguel trying to gaslight him about his greater need to win.

His issues with balance have been ongoing since s1, "the longest emotional journey":

"You may know the moves, but none of that matters unless you have balance.... I didn't mean balancing your body. I mean balancing your life. Look, Robby. I know it's hard growing up without a dad, believe me. Mine died when I was young, so I know. But when those bad feelings all weigh you down, you gotta... you gotta search inside for the good stuff, you know, and just... Because then you can find some balance in your life. Understand. It's not easy, but you'll do it."

He has primal goals to root for. He has to find balance in life. He also doesn't believe in his future but has to make a future for himself by knowing who he is and believing in himself and his future:

"Well, you are the tree, Robby. You've got strong roots. You know who you are, right? So now all you've gotta do is visualize what you want your future to look like, and then you make it happen." He also needs to find balance.

Robby's the only character that actively tries to grow and find balance, the theme of the story. Finding balance is emphasized for his story specifically, though other character's stories touch on the theme to different extents.

Robby's choices and motivations really do affect the plot. For example, Robby could have given into Miguel's claim that he deserves the win more, but Robby didn't. Robby stood up for himself and his future for the first time since he stopped doing so in s5e5. Robby didn't back down after that.

At the end of s6e5, although others in Miyagi-Do care about Tory, Robby is the one most connected to Tory and is the most affected by her rejoining Cobra Kai. That is, he is still most central in his connections to both sides in the dojo war.

Robby's fate has been set up to matter most. Robby issues with balance will greatly affect his ability to fight and lead. He has the highest stakes and the greatest obstacles during this tournament. (Though, Sam is also a captain, she won the spot by default, isn't an underdog the story, and balance is mentioned but is not a focus in her story and doesn't affect her karate.) Interestingly, even most Miguel fans are wondering about what will happen to Robby, though they viciously want him to get injured so that Miguel can take over and win.

Robby's story in Cobra Kai, like Daniel's in kk1, is about finding balance. Daniel's issues with balance in kk1 were centered around his issues with Johnny bullying him, how that made Daniel feel, and the trauma it caused. Robby's issues with balance are also centered around his issues with Johnny's behavior towards him, how it makes him feel, and the trauma it causes him. This parallel of kk1 Daniel's issues with balance being about Johnny and Robby's issues with balance being about Johnny is an interesting one.

The stark contrast in their stories is that Daniel had the support of his loved ones including his mentor in his kk1 match, whereas Robby doesn't have the support of his loved ones and his mentor. Johnny, Sam, and Daniel specifically have been on Miguel's side for some time. They all were on Miguel's side during the captaincy match. (Daniel did seem concerned about Miguel after this loss and not that enthused by Robby's win.) Everyone siding with his bully plays a significant role in Robby's issues with balance. Johnny, especially, choosing Miguel over Robby while neglecting and abusing Robby has played the biggest role in Robby's traumas and issues with balance. Tory was his only support during the captaincy match. However, going into the ST, Tory is no longer on/by his side too. Robby is indeed all alone going into this tournament.

Overall, this story is told from the pov of the bullies, Johnny and Miguel, who are unreliable narrators. Right now, all the "good guy" characters have been on the sides of Robby's bullies. They each frame themselves as the good guy. In s6e2, Robby explicitly called out Miguel for framing Robby as the bad guy. Overall, there is so much evidence throughout the story that Robby is the protagonist, underdog, and Karate Kid narratively and thematically in this story.

(This post is part of my Robby is the underdog post series and is also titled "Finding balance - Part 4".)

[fantasygerard2000]

Fandom's Rigid Standards

In my previous post about issues I have towards the Starboy craze, I briefly discussed about how most human Star designs tend to just stick with the Jack Frost "inspired" design over creating their own original designs for him.

Most fan designs try to stay loyal to the rather infamous piece of concept art.

While they made changes based on their own preferences, they kept major core elements like the glowing gold hair, floating, cape, and being white. However, what they neglected, or rather leave out is that this early version of Star can also shapeshift like Genie and Maui. Also, another factor is that this version Star was her grandfather's spirit as an early version of the story has him passing away instead of her father.

The reason why most people didn't know about these early ideas was because they only heard about the Starboy and Villain Couple ones from the more vocally outraged fangirls who cried about "being robbed".

This tweet in particular only adding fuel to the dying fire as most people would just express disappointment to the film, but this only give them an excuse to dislike it even more. Majority of people are so anti-Disney that they would even fact check from official sources from the people who made the film and only listened to the ones who have seen it and have totally not biased opinions on it.

Anyway, even with info about the actual early version of the film being out, most of them just stick with the love story idea. An idea that was the result from the lack of context and spite from said lack of context.

Coming back to the topic of human Star just being Jack Frost but yellow, that also brought up about how fandom has this awful habit of only caring about characters if they are attractive and white. We literally see this behavior with Magnifico and that this is also happening towards a character that doesn't exist says a lot. The fact that most human Star designs just colored Jack Frost yellow is proof of this.

Hell, back then, Disney themselves considered making a non conventionally looking love interest back when Tangled was in early production. Bastion was made to be your non standard prince.

Heck, an even early version of Tangled had the "prince" look like this.

There are people who genuinely like non conventionally looking characters for their looks. Beast is literally known for making people prefer his animal form than human form for crying out loud. You literally have zero restrictions to design a human or even monster Star. But instead, y'all ironically did this meme.

Y'all accuse Disney for not going with this early alternative design for Asha for "not being conventionally Disney".

But y'all also thought this ain't too pretty so you "borrowed' from the most conventionally good looking character from a different film.

Now, this is the part where I focus on the issue regarding Asha and her "romance". Well, lack there of.

Someone once said that people only like a work for the tropes they like being present over how they were executed, comparing how ads are recommending you to buy a book that lists off tropes you're into. L To fandom, the presence of tropes only matter.

When you think of Disney romances, you might thought of the princesses. And ONLY the princesses because their films have romance as a major factor. However, romances in Disney is notoriously bad, especially in their older films. It's not until in the later films that we got a more proper romance with Naveen and Flynn/Eugene. Romance requires both characters to be equally treated. In regards to the "potential" romance he has with Asha, there's this underlying feeling that Asha is treated like a vector for the reader/writer to insert themselves as.

Most romances, especially ones made for women, always centered on the main lead with the "protagonist" being in situations to ensure they get together. Majority of romances are made to be like a dating sim. There's nothing bad about going on fictional dates with a fictional partner but the issue here is that how the protagonist is barely a character of their own right. They are made to be relatable so the reader can insert themselves into, with any personality they have being treated as traits and quirks. Even with examples where both the protagonist and the love interest are both main leads, there's likely more emphasis is put onto the love interest.

And Asha is being somewhat unintentionally treated like this, especially in fiction where Starboy is the focal character is really upsetting. I get that Asha wasn't a great character but she shouldn't be treated like this. Or any character at all.

Asha being rewritten to be a completely different character to the point of being given a different name is just so jarring. That isn't Asha anymore. Just like the concept art above, she's small core traces of what was her there, but it's mostly all fan interpretation.

And this, to me at least, are the vibes I'm getting from. Wish being "remade" into something that it isn't. Being made to cater to a niche demographic whose tastes are just plain bad. I'm not one to judge people's preferences but disregarding the concept of a deceased family member who became magical shapeshifting creature from space for a more generic love story where you could self insert yourself into?

This isn't to say to giving Asha a love interest or making Star a human aren't bad ideas. I do in fact find the early concept interesting and I was initially neutral towards Starboy until that's what most of this "fandom" consists of.

This isn't the Wish fandom. This is the Starboy fandom.

[idleglowingpixels]

I was rewatching Monster High: The Movie (2022) cause the sequel's coming out next week and upon rewatch, the fucking signs that Komos was actually Hyde's son not from the writing but from the COSTUME DESIGN for him was so striking to me that I'm pissed I didn't realize sooner.

Not only does he have the glasses, sideswept bangs and general human appearance of Jackson (minus the horns, I think in this universe Komos's mom was like a centaur or something, would explain why he's still so human-looking besides the horns), but there's nods to Jackson and Holt specifically all throughout his outfits in the movie.

(Also for the sake of ease I'm referring to the teacher as Komos cause typing Hyde Jr. or something constantly is gonna drive me nuts)

First, there's his main outfit which we see across the film as well as in promotional images, and YOU CANNOT FUCKING TELL ME the posing for his promo pic wasn't an intentional nod to Jackson LIKE LOOK AT THIS SHIT!!

The main thing that strikes me is the inversion of the yellow/gold and blue with Komos's tie and shirt, also the fact the colors are significantly desaturated in comparison to Jackson's flashy yellow and blue. My interpretation of this is that it's representative of the bad-guy/villainous interpretation Komos represents, in comparison to Jackson/Holt which seem to be a rare good-guy/positive interpretation of Jekyll and Hyde. It's like, yes this is the Jekyll/Hyde guy of this gen, his outfits are nods to G1 but is otherwise an entirely different character than Jackson/Holt. Which I mean, I do respect the writers for not having Komos be this gen's Holt Hyde and just as "Hyde's son," I feel like separating the two (three??) characters is and was the best decision. Just two different interpretations of the "descendant of Jekyll and Hyde" thing.

Another part of the decision to go with Jackson's more traditionally nerdy or professional type of fashion style is interesting to me. Komos does not want to be perceived as his Jekyll half, he wants to just be Hyde, hence why he refers to himself as Hyde's son not Jekyll and Hyde's son. And yet, it's like he can't deny his human Jekyll side. To be honest Jekyll's only referenced a few times in the movie (which okay, Hyde's the monster half, I get that, but you'd think he'd be a little more important yeah??) so it makes sense they're focusing on Hyde more but I did find it an interesting decision.

Next there's THIS OUTFIT which on rewatch made me audibly point like that soyjak meme like "THAT'S A REFERENCE TO JACKSON AND HOLT CAUSE OF THE YIN YANG DUAL COLOR SHIT"

Red and blue are mainly Holt's colors, but Holt's signature outfit's shirt is also dual-toned, split through the middle.

It's just with Komos, there's less of an emphasis on the yin-yang thing Jackson & Holt had in their interpretation of Jekyll & Hyde -- he's unbalanced in comparison to them -- hence it's not a black and white cardigan. Also, THE BOWTIE! Can't get more obvious with the Jackson nods than that.

There's also this outfit I wanted to mention, the one he wears during the Founders' dinner toward the end of the movie. Notice It's fully red-toned, where his initial outfit was mainly blue-toned, and the cardigan showed the transition between. It's like at first, he's studious and mellow-natured with a bit of flare but nothing too crazy -- Jekyll. Then when he's wearing the cardigan, he asks Clawdeen about her research, almost insisting she provide him the information she's gathered because of his desperation to lose the duality going on with him. And finally, at the end, he takes the potion his father made, fully embracing Hyde and abandoning Jekyll once and for all.

---

That's pretty much all I wanted to mention regarding the outfits, but I remember when I first watched the movie, I was severely disappointed that Jackson/Holt were basically confirmed to not be making a return in this generation (or at least in the live-action films but I imagine it'd be pretty confusing to have two characters represent the same specific monster character in the same gen). They were a really underutilized character concept outside of Ghouls Rule, and I feel like especially with Clawdeen being half human in this version that they could've been friends or something!

Maybe Jackson/Holt could've served as the antagonist of the film in Komos's position, but not out of malice, moreso misguidance. Holt was kinda hinted at in his diaries to have depressive symptoms, it would've been interesting to explore that with how he might have low self-esteem because of his half-human-ness. Also, apparently Deuce in G1/G2 was half human too? Why did they get rid of that this gen??? I don't know why they keep shifting representation around at times.

Questionable decision making aside, I actually did enjoy this movie a lot. From an objective standpoint it's a DCOM-quality movie with average writing (except Frankie bro they were funny as hell in this movie), slightly more fashionable outfits than DCOMs, and a basic self-acceptance plot. There's several movies, including one or two in G1, with similar but better-executed writing and storytelling and similar themes. But DAMMIT I can't get enough of this movie when I see it. It's a comfort movie. :'D

I could go ON about the Jackson/Holt erasure all throughout this movie, especially with the rumors it was based off an abandoned movie concept for the two back in G1, but this post is too long already and I've distracted myself from my work enough. :'D If anyone on this side of Tumblr wants to hear that ramble, I shall ramble about it another day.

Also, HAPPY SPOOKY MONTH!!! My Monster High AU is beginning this month with the main 5 ghouls' designs as well as a one-shot I've written. Maybe stick around for that if you want to idk! :D

[meloncolliemovies]

THE SUBSTANCE (2024)

Director: Coralie Fargeat

Demi Moore (Elisabeth Sparkle), Margaret Qualley (Sue)

"Take care of yourself."

4.5/5

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

TW// BODY HORROR, GENDER DYSPHORIA, NEEDLES, PROFANITY

Ok- I know what you're all thinking. "This is a queer film blog, The Substance isn't queer!" and let me state this- nothing can sum up the feeling of gender dysphoria more than some good uncomfortable body horror.

The Substance is almost like what Poor Things wanted to be (I am uploading my Poor Things review oh so very soon). I came out of the cinema at exactly 5:30pm with a feeling in my body which can only be described as euphoric disgust. From start to finish, Fargeat set out to do something phenomenal, and that is what she did.

I think my best springboard for this review would be the sound. Fargeat opens this film with an egg, injected with brat green "substance" and I was immediately disgusted. We hear everything. The visceral sound of everything in this film, needles, heels, eyes, and of course a body being morphed into a horrific pile of skin and bones, accompanies a score from Raffertie like no other. The score is punchy, funky, and dark, and it's even got song names like "Blood, More Blood". I'm sure you could figure out the plot of this film from song titles alone. But my favourite part, the "2001, A Space Odyssey" needle drop. It reminds viewers of who Fargeat is- she's asserting a genre which Kubrick couldn't even begin to create, in my opinion. That needle drop sums it all up, this hope for filmmaking, this new invention which made me think "we are so fucking back".

The Kubrick references in this film got a cinephile like me excited for horror again. My favourite little reference was the classic hallway from "The Shining"- the mise-en-scene of the "Hall of Fame" which Elisabeth (Demi Moore) once walked down, and now Sue (Margaret Qualley), was very similar to the classic horror film, and it also represented the reminder of blood- I mean, what is a film without blood? This film was not short of it. It made me question my body as an afab person, how much blood really is in me? This film felt like my period. My body being destroyed and the insecurity which comes with it. I think that many a body dysmorphic person can relate to this feeling. Now, I'm not saying that Elisabeth is trans, but I am saying that Fargeat has captured an experience, maybe purely by accident, of the negative feelings that come with womanhood as someone who was born differently from it.

Which leads me on to talk about performance, Dennis Quaid as the disgusting, exaggerated male he is. "Girls look prettier when they smile", is unforgettable. The line delivered at the perfect point, as if it is a punchline to the whole film, and we watch as his "beautiful creation" becomes a monster worth shooting, one who smiles for nothing. On the topic of, "we are so fucking back", Demi Moore was perfect for her role because she is Elisabeth, an unfortunately fading star, and this role reminds viewers, that this is Demi Moore after all, and she can act. I love anything with Margaret Qualley in it, she's fucking fantastic.

My only criticism about this film is really quite silly, but I think it is slightly obvious. I was trying to find deeper and different meanings to it, because I wanted to think more, but it didn't require me to think more, which was enjoyable except when I found myself thinking about heroin, motherhood and all sorts of stuff which Fargeat probably didn't even think about during the creation of this film

Summing up this review, I think this film is everything it needs to be. It's here, it's new, it's satirical and completely unrealistic and it is down right disgusting. Fargeat is bringing back films in a big way, and I can't wait to see her next.

If you liked my review my letterboxd is @1nd1g0o, I review on there too.

[yippeecheapdvds]

On Friday I suffered throh "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (2018) Sic-Fi/Adventure

God I hated this. I knew i was going to hate it. I didn't want to watch it, but my friend wanted to do a double feature where we watched the original movie and it's sequel so she dragged me down with her 😭I tried to open my mind to the possibility that it could be at least ok, and it started out mid, but the longer it went on the worse and worse it got and the more I hated it. I did have some fun tearing it apart with my friend but it still hurt to watch and for most of the movie i was audibly groaning to drown out the cringe dialogue or gripping my head and screaming "NOOOOOO"

Shit I liked:

The squareheaded Mr Litwack. it was cute. also seeing his office.

Learning that the arcade is located in Sothern California

the green pop up ad guy and Knowsmore.

The little part where Ralph went to the old internet, and it had signs like "y2k" and "dial up" covered in dust.

The way the player characters moved in Slaughter Race

the chase sequence in Slaughter race. made me think for a second that I could actually like this movie.

Uhhhhh yah that's it

Shit i have mixed feelings about:

Felix and Calhoon were barely in the movie. Turbo wasn't in it at all. Sad that I didn't get much/any of my favorite characters but good thing they were barely/not here so the movie didn't have much/any time to ruin them.

The giant ralph monster was creepy as hell which like, good job on that but conceptually I hated it.

Shit i fucking hated, sorted by how mad it made me:

The way they made the internet super squeaky clean, only full of cat videos. like i know why they did it but it comes off as super fake.

The insults ralph was reading were all super lame.

Ralph going viral was stupid as shit

the pancake bunny. vile.

The friendship break up was stupid as shit. Ralph was hella dumb and acted like a kid i hated it.

the way they desaturated the colors in sugar rush to make it seem boring and less appealing. i saw that. fuck you.

most of the dialogue was hella cringe and hurt to listen to.

ralph game jumping in the middle of the day to make Vanelope that track. couldn't you have just waited untill after hours???????? fucking idiot.

the fucking missed potential??? we could have had a movie where they like visit internet games and feel like arcades are fading in relevancy, or had them meet versions of themselves from like emulators or other arcades or something; like seeing a Ralph that did go turbo, a Turbo that diden't, a Vanelope who never had trauma. it really felt like whoever wrote this movie didn't care about the original film and just picked out a stock kid's movie conflict that spat in the face of the original move's themes and meseging.

the oh my disney section, and the princesses. just all of it. easily one of the most painfull parts of the whole movie.

The way Ralph acted the entire godam movie. they completely threw out his characterization and character development in the last movie and had him acting like a creepy tween. WHY DID THEY MAKE HIM SO STUPID???

the idea that Vanellope 'belongs in slaughter race' is a travesty for multiple reasons one of wich being that SHE'S 9 and that game is almost certainly teen and up.

The WAY VAN ACTED OH MY GOD GIRL she spent the entire last movie trying to belong in sugar rush and then she just got bored and threw it all away???? why???? WHY DID THEY MAKE HER GO TURBO I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT

The fucking ending.

Congratulations RBTI, you managed to achieve the extremely rare rating of 2/10 and become the second worst movie I've ever seen. Don't see this. forget it exists.