#there's many instances of him having fun during the performance

[winston-ramone]

George doesn't want to go on the roof

[bettsfic]

one of the things that really stuck with me about The Bikeriders is that it's all about performative toxic masculinity, but there's no womanizer character. not a single guy who picks up women for the fun of it. there's also no casual, unquestioned infidelity, which is a staple of dudebro narratives. like obviously the badass leader guy is going to have a woman on the side, and both his wife and myriad girlfriends will just be set pieces for him with no characterization whatsoever.

on my first watch i just assumed Johnny has a wife at home and a girlfriend in the club, but then i realized the woman hanging all over him during the picnics is his wife (Betty), as evidenced by this pic from VANDALS, the photobook of the shooting of the film.

sorry for the poor quality. this is a picture of a picture.

the implication here is that Betty is supportive of the club (if not Johnny himself, as we see near the end), at least more so than Kathy, who only dresses in bikerider attire for [spoilers redacted].

it's possible in the present timeline of the film that both of their daughters have grown up and moved out. we see Johnny watching The Wild One on television, a film released in 1953, and two girls run behind him, maybe around 10 years old. the timeline of the story begins in 1963, and the last we see of Johnny's home life is 1971. by all means, their daughters might be in their 20s. in some ways, The Bikeriders is a story of middle-aged boredom.

in multiple instances, we see physical affection between married couples. Benny and Kathy, Johnny and Betty, and Brucie and Gail are all depicted at least once snuggled up beside each other. in many films, if a man is both married and faithful, we see him be at the very least physically neglectful, never touching his wife in a loving way. conversely, we never see men receiving real affection, either, unless it's been earned through the intense action of the film. and even then, it's often something he takes, not something he's given.

i was also surprised by Benny and Kathy's relationship, which i assumed would go south asap, given the intensity of it. and although there's plenty of tension between them, none of it is of the "i fell out of love with you, i regret marrying you" variety of angst. they fall in love and stay in love. and they have problems, but losing interest in each other is not one of them.

i find it very funny that Benny remains covered in dirt even when it makes no sense to be.

to me these are all markers of a story that's about toxic masculinity rather than operating from within toxic masculinity. when we're in a toxically masculine story, we're meant to buy into the fantasy of that masculinity. the protagonist is an ideal, a man who fucks around with any woman he looks at and wins fights and becomes a hero. in The Bikeriders, though, we see from the outside that Johnny is trying to craft that impossible fantasy for himself. he's performing the man he wishes he could be and it's making him miserable. and he tries to put that burden on Benny, who refuses it. Benny is his fantasy. conversely, Johnny is Benny's. they have the other on a pedestal of a male ideal that's impossible to achieve.

in this era of American history, we see increasingly intense narratives of heroism. by the 70s, the sons of WWII veterans had grown up. many men of that time looked up to their fathers as war heroes, fighting on the right side of one of the worst wars in the history of humanity, and winning. but those men were then given the Vietnam War, which arguably had no right side, no front, and no land lost or gained. most importantly, it had no clear beginning or ending*. no closure, no resolution. even outside of war, in industry the task of making something became narrower as merchant trades veered toward assembly line production rather than craftsmanship. Benny refuses to step up in part because he belongs to a generation of men who see no real fruits of their labor. conversely, Johnny is witnessing the slow degradation of honor that comes as a result of losing the concepts of resolution and completion.

*the Fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War, but by then Nixon had pulled out all US troops.

i keep reading these shallow reviews of The Bikeriders, and they're positive but they don't seem to really get it. like The Holdovers, i think so much of the nuance and meaning comes from the historical context of the action of the film, which can't really be elaborated on (you can only do so much in two hours), and so it's depicted in these broad strokes of cultural knowledge, much of which is either that the Vietnam War is simply a thing that happened, or information that is flat-out wrong. i mean, there were like 18 possible sides to this war and you can't read a single fact about it without having to analyze or consider the side it's writing from. even wikipedia is full of subtle rhetoric that indicates sympathy toward one side over the other.

people ask me a lot, "why are you researching the Vietnam War?" and the answer is that it's everywhere. its failure is woven into the fabric of American identity. it changed the very definition of masculinity, and being as we are in a patriarchal hegemony, that new definition has in turn affected everybody else. whenever i talk to any American around my age about the Vietnam War, they've got a story about it. either their father/grandfather was there or he wasn't. if he was there, that's a story. if he wasn't, that's a story too.

many of us in our 30s and 40s and 50s are gaining the expertise and audience to begin telling these stories, in an attempt to answer the question of what even happened back then, and why were our parents so cruel, and why is everyone so miserable now? and we find ourselves on impossible pedestals handed down to us from a generation defined by failure and loss.

[ateez-himari]

HEATED COACHELLA STAGE

After many attendees holding their breath for the next bold move MinAri might enact, it seems as though their shyness finally dissipated.

April 20, 2024 (6:48PM)

While weekend two unfortunately marked the last performance held by ATEEZ on a Coachella stage as of this year, the group left an ever lasting impression with powerful choreography paired with breath taking visuals and raw vocals. Through the numerous clips circulating online there is a specific instance that has been sending social media platforms into a reposting frenzy, one involving a rather passionate display by main rapper, Mingi, and lead vocalist, Himari.

While viewers were expecting something such as this to happen due to the intimate moment shared between the two during their first performance, it seems as though none were truly ready to witness it with their own eyes on stage. The interlude to their song 'Arriba' left gasps echoing in the crowd as Mingi pulled the maknae in for a true lover's kiss, an arm tightly draped across her waist whilst the other motioned for attendees to make some noise. In contrast to the beginning of the group's career where the two saw their reputation nearly torn to pieces following dating rumors, which were later disproved as nothing more than a scheme to have the vocalist removed, the crowd showed their support through loud cheers and vibrant excitement.

Their own bandmates could be seen encouraging them as some used water bottles to simulate rain, every artist on that stage including backup dancers visibly enjoying the relaxed atmosphere that had been created. Following the performance several members had gone live for a few minutes, one of them being Seonghwa who briefly mentioned a comment refering to the heated kiss as the vocalist could be seen giggling in the background prior to him playfully scolding her.

'That...we definitely expected it since he had talked about it during rehearsal, but I thought it was going to be like the first day. It flustered me too but seeing everyone having fun made me happy.'

Despite these heated stage interactions no official label has been placed on their relationship due to no statements coming out regarding the situation, leading some to believe that it was no more than a rehearsed act to rile up fans or that whatever is happening between them is simply a more intimate level of friendship. There is a possibility that this moment stemmed from the artists' immersion in the performance as well as the heat of the moment, as the youngest is after all a member of the 'Demon Line' and both are known to have rather intense stage personas.

'Seeing people say that they're still 'just friends' is so funny to me 😭Like do you guys not see everything they've been doing for a year now ? I get the people saying they could be 'friend with benefits' but come on...' - X user

It seems as though neither artist not the company intends to lift the mystery surrounding their relation to one another as of yet, leaving netizens to create countless speculations without the certainty of a confirmation. One thing that everyone can be sure of however is that this group knows how to set a stage on fire no matter who the people watching might be, living up to their newly earned nickname of 'Pirate Kings of Sahara'.

Share This Post

[edoro]

one idea i really like as far as Halstarion is Halsin not actually picking up on Astarion's dissociation or the way that he's going through the motions, because in many respects Astarion is very good at faking it, and Halsin himself is such an earnest and honest person that it doesn't even occur to him that someone might be doing what Astarion's doing

at first, it's just a practiced seduction, the mask Astarion has worn for the last 200 years - he's interested in Halsin, Halsin's interested in him, they can have a fun time together, and if it all seems a little practiced or flowery, well, Astarion's just kind of like that, isn't he? he's a melodramatic, poetic, silver-tongued sort of person, very performative in many respects, so why wouldn't he be that way during sex?

Halsin is so dedicated to servicing his partner that he tries very hard to be what he thinks Astarion wants from him, and Astarion meanwhile is playing the role of seductive little minx who needs protecting... so Halsin is passionate, eager, and dominant with him

he checks in, he asks Astarion what he wants and how he likes it, and at every point Astarion encourages him - he likes this, he wants this, that's good, more, harder, yes, just like that

i can imagine he would pick up on more blatant instances of dissociation, ask Astarion if he's alright or nudge him back into being present with him - but zoning out or getting distracted or in your own head during sex is not abnormal

as he starts to learn more about Astarion's past, he starts to understand the need for more caution, but surely he's shown himself to be someone who cares for Astarion's comfort and pleasure and who can be told no or stop or not like that, right? he can't really make decisions about what Astarion is thinking or feeling for Astarion, he has to take him at his word

and then we get to Moonrise, and what happens with Araj, and Astarion's confession - that he had no feelings for Halsin at first, that he just did what he felt like he needed to do in order to survive, that even as he came to enjoy it and sincerely care for Halsin he also still felt used and disgusted with himself and that he doesn't know how to have sex without feeling that way, and that because he's come to care for Halsin, he wants to take a break and try to figure his own shit out

i think that would be really devastating for Halsin precisely because he's so oriented towards his partner's pleasure. realizing that he's been having sex with someone who didn't want it, was going through the motions, and was often triggered during or afterwards and didn't realize it would really shake him, i think.

it's not like he doesn't understand, of course. he has his own trauma and i can imagine that he engaged in all kinds of unhealthy sexual behaviors in the immediate aftermath of it (and that even if his relationship with sex is healthier now, he still tends to neglect himself emotionally in a way that's very common with trauma, and still struggles to see his own desires as mattering as much as his partner's) and is probably very familiar with the experience of wanting or enjoying something while simultaneously being triggered by it

but it's terrifying for him to realize that he missed that! it's not really his fault for taking Astarion at his word, but it would feel like it was and like he'd done something terrible

and since he spent so much time asking and checking in before and Astarion just lied and went along with what he thought Halsin wanted and agreed to things that ultimately ended up hurting him because he didn't know how to say no... how can he believe Astarion going forward?

i think it would really damage his trust in Astarion when it comes to sex, and that he'd be incredibly wary of resuming their sexual relationship. it's not that he doesn't want to - quite the opposite, he still very much desires Astarion, and if anything, this revelation makes him even more eager to give Astarion real pleasure and have the kind of sex Astarion wants to have with him - but that he just doesn't know how to believe that Astarion wants to, and the idea of harming Astarion sexually (not in terms of like, masochism or kink or anything, but causing emotional harm during sex because of Astarion's trauma) completely terrifies him

i just like the idea of him wanting to help Astarion have a healthier relationship with sex and process his trauma, but also having his own issues that make it hard for him, and needing time of his own and assurances for his own comfort before he can start engaging sexually with Astarion again, and still struggling and being very cautious

[skzpixiekaifei]

Pixie and her relationships with the guys

I.E, what makes her relationships with the men memorable

Taglist: @mynameisnotlaura, @palindrome969

Chanxie (Chan x Kai) - Mother and Father duo 

Popularity: 9/10 

Labeled as the mother and father of the group, the two are extremely close. When the two of them are paired up together, they take on caretaking roles. She makes sure Chan is eating and drinking properly, going as far as to hiding his laptop when he gets too workaholic. This led to many fights in their early years, but now when he starts overworking himself, all she needs to do is give him a look and he then takes a break. 

He introduced her to production pre-debut days. She is the only one in the group to be one of the producers that is not a part of 3racha 

He helped her discover her love of cooking, particularly Australian foods. 

When he starts getting homesick, she overnight ships ingredients to make homemade pizza or sashimi 

He makes sure she’s in bed at a reasonable time 

She is a shoulder to cry on for him and vice versa 

Minai (Minho x Kai) - Mother and daughter 

Popularity: 8/10 

When Chan is the father, kind to Kai, Minho is the tough love. Sure, he makes sure she’s okay first if she gets hurt, but when he knows she’s okay, he roasts the hell out of her. The two have an... interesting relationship. The two could be having skin ship one second, and then wrestling the next.  

Ex. “Have you eaten yet? Did you get hurt?” “Yes, Min. No, Min.” “You’re going to be” proceeds to chase her around the kitchen, going for her sides to tickle her. 

Teases her about her height (How’s the breeze down there?) 

She was the first one to eat lunch with him at the company 

She comforted him when he got eliminated. (“So what if you got eliminated? You have a friend in me now. I refuse to leave you behind; you are my family now”) 

Gets genuinely upset when he self-deprecates. He had to stop in front of her when she started crying 

Cooking duo 

Binxie (Changbin x Kai) - The lovebirds 

Popularity: 9.5/10 

The loudest two in the group become the quietest when the two are paired together. I mean it. Changbin can go from yelling in one second but when Kai is touching him? Sedated. They are each other's rocks, and they are never not touching each other when together. And they are always together. 

Started calling her princess during the survival show 

Always gropes his ass or tits (It's not in a sexual way, it genuinely gives her comfort) 

Each other’s biggest cheerleaders 

They always give each other praise and compliments 

Whenever she starts crying on camera (Because let's face it, she’s very emotional), he cups her face and wipes the tears away himself. There is a five-minute compilation of him doing this on YouTube of just 2023 alone 

Gym duo (They always go together. It's scary to see how much she gained muscle when she went with him) 

Jinx (Hyunjin x Kai) - Sibling duo 

Popularity: 6/10 

The two are extremely close due to their dramatic flair. It seems like she is more dramatic than Hyunjin in some instances. She is like his big sister even though he’s older. They physically fight (Playfully, it’s all-in good fun), and she says he in her sleep paralysis demon at times. 

Was the first person she came out to 

She is helping him learn Mandarin 

Gave each other black eyes once. The makeup artists had a field day with that one 

Once, she hurt her ankle on stage by twisting it early in the performance. Hyunjin put her on his back and proceeded to finish the concert with her on his back. 

Hanai (Jisung x Kai) - The loud introverts 

Popularity: 6/10 

What happens when you put Kai and Han in the same room? Opposite to Changbin and Kai. Loudest mfs EVER. They were forced to sit in different cars because they would scream like mfing seagulls. I mean it. 

Helps Han with his anxiety 

He helps her practice her rap 

She fuels his americano addiction 

Yonxie (Felix x Kai) - Baking duo 

Popularity: 4/10 

Kai and Felix together can only bring chaos. The two have been in a prank war for roughly five years. She always compliments him, to follow up with a slew of dance battles. She and him do so many tik tok challenges together, that her public tik tok is filled with dances from the two. 

Tease each other on each other's accents 

Cuddles everywhere 

He is teaching her self-defense 

She helped him come up with his brownie recipe 

He is the testing dummy for all new baking creations. 

Seungmai (Seungmin x Kai) - Puppy duo 

Popularity: 7/10 

Savages. They roast the hell out of each other. She tries to compliment him, and you know what he does? Call her a pervert. She proceeds to manhandle him, due to her being very strong, despite her small stature.  

Laughs at him at every chance she gets 

While Seungmin is the more hyperactive puppy, she is the sleepy kind 

Has a collection of images on his phone of her asleep in places she isn’t supposed to be in 

Jeongai (Jeongin x Kai) - Platonic soulmates 

Popularity: 8/10 

Since the two are the Maknaes of the group, they are extremely close. They are attached to the hip. If Kai isn’t with Changbin, she’s with I.N. He is the person to realize her love for singing more than dance.  

The two always are seen asleep together. Where I.N goes, she goes 

Was the first person to know of her mental problems 

Extremely protective over her, more so than the other members 

The only person he allows excessive amounts of skin ship from 

They both go drinking together 

[pain-in-the-butler]

Season Four review

Last night I finally had time to finish the new anime, and here are my thoughts, because I had at least one or two of those while I watched. I saw the whole thing with my bud @warmmilk-n-honey, whose presence helped to make the whole thing bearable:

I've seen some other people mentioning the lack of animation and the fact that most of the angles were copied straight from the manga, and yeah it's very evident lol... At one point while I was watching there was a thunderstorm, and I just had to marvel at the fact that there was far more movement outside my window than there was on the computer screen -

The episodes felt like they went by really fast and yet nothing really happened during them. It did make it clear that this is probably not an easy arc to adapt to an eleven-episode run, but then it just makes you question the small amount of cut content. Easter episode? When did they decide to get rid of you? Why? It's the Nina curse I swear to god -

Even when action was happening, sometimes it was painfully obvious they were padding for time. I nearly lost my mind during the Midnight Tea Party when Undertaker just ate an entire cupcake in between dialogue. Like, sir, please. You are on television -

The CGI moments were sometimes pretty state-of-the-art but other times really badly executed. Though warmmilk-n-honey did note that the terrible-looking horses are tradition, so thank god for them -

I felt the lack of budget most during the scene where Ciel has to run up to Sebastian and pretend to be excited that Seb elected him to be on the cricket team. He says something like "oh damn people are around, guess I'll have to milk the performance" but there's like two boys in the background and they're not even looking his way?? Guys... -

Some of the background music was fun and I will likely listen to it again on my own time. The opening really won me over too. While I still don't know what was up with the titan, at least the imagery was interesting, and we only ended up skipping it when we were in a hurry because it was fun to watch -

The voice actors did a good job, as far as I could tell. Funimation has definitely made some odd casting choices in terms of accents, but I really felt like the new members of the Japanese cast were giving it their all especially, and it was admittedly pretty fun to have so many familiar voices back in the roles in both languages -

I've always found this arc, especially the second half, to be a weak one, and overall I just thought the execution here worsened it. Goofy faces were made less goofy, flavor text was cut, and Funimation was actually out here changing some lines of dialogue for who knows what reason? Weird vibes -

The last episode was the most fun one by far. Cloverworks finally figured out how to do silly chibis, and they increased the Phantomfam antics in order to pad for time again, but in this instance it actually worked. The teaser at the end was slow-paced too but it was also for a legitimately good reason, so yay. The ambiance in the forest was spooky and quiet. It made me actually excited to see what comes next despite how rough this season was

I can't really say I was too disappointed though because I definitely expected not to be satisfied, you know me, I'm a stinker. I'm still glad the anime exists: the fandom was really out here starving and finally we've been given some juice. But overall I'm gonna give it a 4/10, which I think is actually very generous of me because I don't have a lot of nice things to say. Oh well. Green Witch, here we come

[baby-zakarii]

Regressor Freminet with Cg Lyney Hcs!

Requested by @azuresky-agere

- Freminet is a teeny, tiny babyre regressor, so he requires a lot of care. Fortunately, Lyney doesn't have a problem with helping him while he's small! He mostly does things like feeding, bathing and changing Freminet since the latter can't do them by himself. He's a baby after all...

- Lyney tries his best to hide Freminet's regression from Father in fear of getting his brother in trouble. In reality - Arlecchino doesn't care what the children do in their free time as long as it doesn't affect their performance during missions. Still, Lyney prefers to keep the baby in their house to avoid detection.

- There aren't many activities you can do with such a young regressor, but that's not a problem since Freminet is interested in only one thing anyways - bathtime. He loves splashing in the water and "diving", catching his toy fish in the tub! When it's rime to get out, it's the only instance when he may throw a tantrum.

- Lynette doesn't really help with baby Freminet, but she sure does spoil him by always getting him new mechanical toys or tasty sweets (which make his tummy hurt and then Lyney has to deal with a fussy newborn). She's like that one fun aunt who's the worst influence as well!

[thousand-winters]

Do you headcanon Hunter as having any issues with food/ eating from the EC?? I’ve been projecting myself way to hard lol

It's likely he definitely has some issues with that, because frankly... his whole life there was SO bad.

Mostly I figure Belos didn't really withhold food from him or anything like that, not directly anyway, because Hunter was supposed to be an scout and then his Golden Guard, if he just doesn't give him food, Hunter is going to end up passing out and being unable to do his training and his missions. Which, you know, it's not like it was vital for Belos, but he did keep the appearances of Hunter being important to him to some degree.

Now, I say not directly because while I imagine Hunter had his meals in the mess hall or whatever the Emperor's Coven has for that, just like everyone else, he ended up not getting as many meals as he could have because he felt too committed to his duties. It's clear he didn't sleep properly already, and if he had too many responsibilities, he probably cut corners when it came to eating as well, very "oh, I think I'll be fine if I just have one meal today, this work is more important".

Also, there was the guilt factor, with Belos constantly reminding him he took him in and gave him everything he has, so every time he failed a mission or simply didn't perform to the level that was expected of him, while I personally don't think Belos would straight up go "you're not eating today" or anything like that, Belos would very much make him feel like a waste of resources. He took him in, he gave him a place, a room, food, clothes, and Hunter can't even do what's asked of him? Ultimately the guilt would have made Hunter simply decide that he has NOT earned the right to go get some food because he has obviously disappointed his uncle. I feel like it fits Belos' methods of manipulation in which ultimately he made Hunter feel like he deserved everything bad that happened to him and at some level he didn't have to punish him himself for it to work.

The one instance he could be a little bit more carefree with that, I feel, is his missions. Because Eclipse Lake also showed that those were like privileges to him, and being withdrawn from them was horrible to him, which makes sense with the extra context in Thanks to them that it was the only times he was even allowed outside of the castle. I'm basing this solely on that one box of crackers in Separate Tides, sue me, but I think he would feel that he's worthy enough during those, because the emperor has entrusted him with them, to not have to feel like he hasn't earned food.

The problem would be that anything he got that wasn't assigned rations would have to come from his own pocket, and he probably had an assigned budget for each mission, so I don't think he could constantly afford snacks and fun things anyway, so even if it was the one moment he let himself have a little treat, it wouldn't happen often.

Once he's living with Darius and Eber, this is absolutely going to come up. Maybe not right away because he also would have gotten a positive and healthy example from his friends at the Human Realm, but I could see him getting a bad grade at school or something like that and then just... deciding he can't go eat because he failed and he can't just go and waste resources when he can't even do that, right?

... So the short answer for if I think he has food/eating issues is yes.

[it-happened-one-fic]

Ballroom Tango - A Unique Intensity - Strictly NRC Dancing

Author Notes: Wow, three posts in one day. I'm on a roll. I'm being kind of mean here, I know. But I thought it would be fun to have who the dancing partner is be a surprise. At least until you click keep reading or read the tags. This dance was inspired by Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani’s Tango to “When the Doves Cry” on Strictly Come Dancing: 2015. Keeping with the rest of the AU, reader is female. I hope you all enjoy this more than I enjoyed researching the dances.

If you would like to read more of this AU the fics can be found here: Strictly NRC Dancing AU Masterlist.

Type: Kinda romantic if you squint/probably can be taken as platonic though/female reader

Word count: 1240

I inhaled deeply as I once again questioned why on earth the teachers decided that having the ballroom tango as the subject for the first dance class held would be a good idea. Or maybe it was Crowley’s idea; he seemed to be in rare form as of late.

Either way, I’d learned astonishingly quickly from Crewel’s strict teaching that the various views I’d long held about the tango were largely wrong. Apparently there were many, many different types of tangos, and all of them, thankfully, did not necessarily include being constantly plastered to your partner. 

Take the ballroom form of the tango that I was going to be performing today, for instance. It maintained a certain distance between the partners and was, in many ways, less intimate. That said, it made up for the distance by including sharp motions, angled bodies, and stalking yet stealthy steps, as well as an undoubtedly passionate nature.

Crewel and Sam had both spoken up for me, citing my inexperience as a reason for why I should only have to perform twice for this class. Once for my own grading and once for the lucky winner of the game of straws. Which was a blessing. 

But standing there, staring Leona down from across the ballroom floor as we waited for the music to start, I couldn’t deny that I was nervous. At odds with this, Leona was completely relaxed. In fact, he looked almost bored. 

I couldn’t say I was surprised, though. During our choreography practice, Leona had revealed in a rather smug manner that he already knew how to tango. He technically wasn’t cheating, though.

Apparently, Leona had already learned the Argentine tango quite some time ago for unknown reasons. He’d chosen this class because, since he already knew how to tango, it would be easy for him. In fact, he’d described the ballroom version as a stuffier version of the dance he already knew.

All too soon the music began, immediately laying out what would soon become a rather heavy beat that had the two of us walking towards each other. I rolled my shoulders as I met the beastman in the center of the room and the lights dimmed. 

It had already been decided that we were going to be dancing a more aggressive tango, but it wasn’t until we had entered hold for the first time during choreography practice that I realized exactly how aggressive it was going to be.

Even now it was sort of alarming as he marched me backwards. Our feet hitting the floor in perfect timing to the relentless beat of the song. 

If nothing else, Leona was a perfect match for the stalking aspect of the dance. I didn’t typically think of him as predatory, but… Well, I could say that he certainly lived up to being a lion-beastman.

I was considerably thankful that I didn’t have to hold eye contact with him for the entire dance. In the brief flashes where we would meet each other's gaze in a rather defiant fashion, there was a unique intensity to those too-bright green eyes.

I was almost impressed with my ability to meet his stare without quailing, but there was something challenging and snarky about the look he gave me. Almost like he was taunting me. 

 It was probably that sense of amused challenge stemming from the usually nonchalant 3rd year that made me refuse to back down even though this was my first performance and our little tango had already swelled far beyond what I’d been prepared for.

And a tiny part of me felt like he’d planned that. Especially since there was something incredibly smug about his expression as the song fell into another lull, not ending but lessening in fervor while maintaining that same pounding beat. 

It was like he was pushing me, just like he had when I’d been staying in Savannaclaw for that short three-day period. Like he wanted to see just how far he could push and how well I could meet him on the playing field.

I leaned towards him, wholly relying on him to support me as he took a one long step backwards. My hand cupped his cheek, and I held his gaze even as our noses practically brushed one another.

Impulsively, I pushed away. All but glaring at him as I forcefully slipped us back into a more distant hold. After all, if I were to entirely slip away from him, he’d lose points for having broken the constant closed hold found within the ballroom tango.

It was a challenge to remember that this was a performance. We were putting on a show for our viewers. An aggressive one.

 I heard him chuckle lowly as I flung my head to the side, staunchly looking away from him as we began to whirl across the floor once more. I was already determined that there was no way I was going to lose out and mess up this dance just because I had a distracting partner. 

Even if a small part of me was irritated by how easy teasing was for him. But then it couldn’t be helped when he knew exactly how attractive he was.

The ending of the dance came far sooner than I expected as he yanked me to the side into a partial dip, all but forcing me to look up at him for a brief, but incredibly intense moment. The hold didn’t last long though before I was back on my feet once more. I held his gaze for the briefest of seconds before he rapidly twirled me and stepped to the side. Following alongside my whirling form as if he were pursuing me as I spun quickly across the stage. 

Just as my speedy twirling came to an abrupt stop, he lowered his forearm, and I flung myself backwards. Bracing myself to fall even as I reached up to catch hold of his shoulder. 

But I didn’t fall. Instead, I felt his arm wrap around my back and his hand securely grasp the shoulder furthest away from him. 

In that perilous leaned-backward position, I rested against his arm. Wholly relying on him to support me yet again as I looked up at him.

I stared up at him, breathing heavily as applause filled the room, briefly deafening me but at last signaling the end of the performance. Not my first dance by a narrow margin, but definitely the most dramatic one.

Leona exhaled slightly before leaning down and wrapping his other arm around me to pull me back up as I gripped his shoulders tightly. I found my footing quickly and was relieved to discover that my legs were not, in fact, wobbly, even though I felt adrenaline leaving my system at alarming speeds as I stepped backwards.

I briefly met Leona’s gaze, quietly thanking him for helping me back to a standing position before we turned to face the judge panel. Crewel, Trein, and Sam all looked politely impressed while Vargas and Crowley had a hold of each other and were already rapidly speaking about our performance.

I could only catch snatches of their frantic whispers, “Did you see when he-?”

“OH! But when she-?”

I snuck another glance at my partner, meeting his eyes and confirming my thoughts immediately as I registered the smug smirk on his face. He'd already realized the exact same thing that I had. He’d passed.

If you would like to read more:

Previous post

Next post

[bluewinnerangel]

Harry's band still has 'Chicago' on their overalls. Harry set up a phone box so people could call him from Chicago 👀

Okay anon I had to come across some twitter threads to see what you were getting at and let's sum it up yeah, a list of coincidences, things to do with larry and Chicago. I'm probably gonna miss a bunch (and prob not gonna list a bunch of others- i barely see the logic in these being intentional already), soo its a bunch of things that are in the realm of chicago + bears + phones/calling + home coinciding? I guess? Anyway:

Obviously the main point that's making us talk about this is Louis releases the song Chicago. With lines like "if you're lonely in Chicago you can call me (baby)" (that's not whole the takeaway of the song but I'm bringing in TSBL in a later point so we're highlighting her)

Adding here he said its half based on real events half theoretical, and he does have an affiliation to Chicago:

To start off with your points, during Harry's Chicago residency in October 2022, there was a phone booth at the venue and llama Doris posted about it (they havent much since :( ), with a description about calling Home.

Harry's band wears overalls with names of cities they've performed at, since Chicago some have showed up on stage with the name on it, for instance Mitch yesterday (that is nov 25th 2022.). I don't know how often they wear what. The band was also wearing Chicago overalls (Sorry for shit pic) on Nov 9th 2022, but like again I have no clue what they wear every other night.

On that note, nov 9th 2022 was also when the Silver Tongues mv released, and the shirt Louis wore in it, the Englandy Homey one, he was last seen weaing innnnnn padapadapada Chicago! (Feb 2022) (He wore it on stage before in Indianapolis)

Sidetrack on recent music videos, somehow the Sushi mv features a dude wearing a shirt that says "LT HS SENIORS", from a high school in Chicago. Although I think the highlight here is LTHS idk how many LT highschools are there to pick from if we're going for intent here.

More sidetrack on the Silver Tongues note: first teased couple days before it via photoshopped phone (or was it even, unclear, maybe a ref to all the calling lyrics in FITF incl. Chicago, is the phone in the mv?, he just said have a phone via youtube xoxo):

During Harry's 2022 Chicago shows he did some ring related stuff ( pointing a sign out in the crowd) and posted that pic of him with a ring backstage that looks like he was making fun of all the peace ring talk lol

During Harry's 2021 Chicago show(s sept 24 and 25), this was I believe the only time (or one of the rare occasions) there were mentions of Home playing before the show - artists pick

In 2021 he also first played To Be So Lonely ("don't call me baby again - it's hard for me to go home - to be so lonely") at Chicago night 2, mind this is the 12th show of the tour and only then added it, and it was and continued to be bathed in bluegreen lights (but then he got bullied into playing it thr previous shows and especially chicago night 1 so that's most likely the reason eh... and also i hope the fans never do that again.)

During one of the 2021 shows he also found 2 people in the crowd in Chicago where he went off (paraphrasing, check link) YOU LOVE EACH OTHER? [out of the fking blue:] YOURE BEST FRIENDS?? GET MARRIED. Mind you this was a few days before a 4 day break including September 28 so I can think of better reasons than the place he was at if we wanna read into that fhfhdhd. This was also when we got those Louis spotted in uh relative close proximity receipts.

For Louis' 2022 tour the only exit song among the massive list of curated post show songs that still stands out to me (although yes I can place it in the list of songs-we-fucked-around-with-on-stage-during-1d like I can make it make sense still thematically it's a detour from the rest imo) is Ceelo Green's Fuck You, yepyep played in Chicago

Were going back in time now: Louis got his 28 tattoo in Chicago in 2015 (together with the buttpenguin which keeps being brought up in current interviews)

In 2015, 1Ds Chicago show featured these bears:

Like there's so much shit going on here there's a masterpost.

Basically the worst in terms of things to read into. Go read that post.

Again 2015 when the rainbow bears came up with this sign, borrowed from the Chicago Bears. (See the logo bottom right). Now that is the first sign you find on the Google when you try to find a sign about bears coming out so again seems coincidental, but still.

(Also green bay packers <> chicago bears? Eh? Eh.)

There was an attempt to get them points together tumblr. They're gathered from all over the place but instigated by anon as well as this thread woop credit.

Honestly I think we just notice more Chicagos now? They're just being their regular home calling rbbsbbs and also do that in chicago and thats it lol. On the other I do like to entertain the thought they for whatever reason have this connection with Chicago (also yes im very much aware of stunt related connections) and its showing in the quirky stuff they do beyond the obvious (being writing a song called Chicago huh).

Out of all this the one thing that does make me go OKAY THEN is Harry first playing TSBL in Chicago, 12 shows in, bluegreening, the idea Ls around at the time, and then a year later blep parallels Louis' Chicago.

Oh also I think getting the 28 tat in Chicago could be significant. He sure still knows that number dhdhdhss

[snallavanta]

how i differentiated and remembered the 13 members of seventeen when i was a baby carat

just a psa that this is just for fun! i obviously remember their full government names and faces now but it’s funny to see how far i’ve come.

i’m arranging them in order of who i noticed first to last so that the nicknames make more sense. for context, i learned about them mostly through nana tour so a lot of these have nana tour references

vernon — loml (funny story: i refused to acknowledge that his name was vernon because it reminded me too much of vernon dursley and i didn’t want to associate that character with him so i just called him my pookie every time i saw him on screen 🙃 i have now accepted vernon as an endearing term and not as the annoying harry potter guy though)

woozi — loml number 2. also known affectionately as girlypoppies (because of the way he dressed in GoM & world performances)

mingyu — blue suit guy (apparently he wore blue suits a lot to me? even though i literally cannot tell you one (1) instance off the top of my head where he wore a blue suit—unless you want to count the dior fashion week suit but that happened months after i first recognised him lol). cowboy guy (his performance outfit in GoM gave off cowboy vibes). innisfree guy. poor guy who couldn’t make a meringue in peace 😔 at this point, mingyu had too many nicknames that i kept forgetting which one was him. was also constantly confusing him with dk and wonwoo (especially in performances) LOL

s.coups — thai guy (he looked thai to me ok). also the guy who got the acl tear and couldn’t go for nana tour

hoshi — chef (he made a comment about how too many chefs would ruin the food—also happened while there were like 6 guys in the kitchen—and it was so funny that he has been etched in my memory ever since)

dino — sister’s main favourite guy. i couldn’t see the hype about him until the whisper game and he kept going “dino? dino. dino in korean is di-no. DINO.” that was hilarious. after that i could kind of remember which one he was

the8 — the chinese guy. red hair guy. also sister’s favourite (which i laughed at btw when she told me. then she didn’t want to talk to me about him for weeks which was so funny)

joshua — the other american guy

seungkwan — sister’s least favourite guy (btw i do not agree with this sentiment and i think her opinion of him is completely unjust). also the guy who cried in nana tour

wonwoo — the glasses guy. also brought his camera everywhere with him and wore the cute orange bucket hat. was easy to tell him apart during nana tour because he kept wearing the same nana tour t-shirt with his name on it so loved him for that <3

jeonghan — the feminine one. was always mixing him up with joshua though

jun — the other chinese guy. the guy who was alone a lot. also thought he was a genius when his mission in nana tour was to make someone fall asleep and he said coups because of the time difference. big brain behaviour, he earned my respect. also thought he was very charming during performances 🫣 like my guy just has a way with the dances (world specifically) that captivates me

dk — the guy who sings a lot. salute. also wore the cute green granny square bucket hat. kept confusing him with mingyu in their performances though

in conclusion, bless nana tour for having them wear shirts with their name on it because it made identifying and differentiating them so much easier. it’s so fitting in my case that the one guy who i knew and recognised was the one guy who REFUSED to wear the nana tour shirt until the last day 😭

[nikibogwater]

Niki Blethers: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio LET’S FREAKIN’ GOOOOOOOOO--

In case it was not already obvious, this was my most anticipated movie of the year. Heck, it was my only anticipated movie of the year. Having learned the hard way just how deeply disappointment stings, I don’t usually get my hopes up this high. But darn it, everything I heard about this movie prior to its release just filled me with too much excitement to ignore, and now that it is finally available to the wider public, it is my great pleasure to say--

HOLY MOTHER OF MARMALADE, DID THIS MOVIE LIVE UP TO MY HYPE AND THEN SOME

(Mild spoilers below the cut, GO WATCH THIS MOVIE IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IT’S A MASTERPIECE)

First up: stop motion animation. We love to see it. And this movie doesn’t cut any corners with the stop motion. Even the fire is stop motion. The backgrounds are paintings (gorgeous ones at that), not just CG landscapes. The sets are so incredibly detailed I could’ve spent several minutes just staring at any given wide shot. There were very few instances where I could clearly see any effects that were obviously done in a computer. The animators and set builders went hard on this movie, and they have 1000% of my respect for it. 

Despite being a whimsical fairy tale, there is a pretty heavy sense of realism with this movie. Like, one scene, you have an overeager Pinocchio singing a cute little song about how excited he is to be alive, and then in the next one, he and Geppetto are walking past buildings plastered with posters promoting Mussolini’s Fascist regime. The way the film balances these two tonal opposites is absolutely genius, and I can’t remember a single instance of a jarring shift in tone. The light and whimsical always eases into the dark and realistic in a way that makes me feel like the two sides couldn’t exist without each other. 

Also speaking of realism, CAN I GET A HALLELUJIA FOR SOME HONEST-TO-GOODNESS CATHOLIC REP IN A CURRENT-YEAR CHILDREN’S MOVIE?!

This is obviously a personal thing for me, but I pretty much never see any accurate, respectful portrayals of my religion outside of films that are specifically made for Catholics. And I’ma be real with you, more often than not, the films made specifically for us turn out to be unbearably preachy or saccharine (and they’re never animated--another major point against them). To see a character who simply IS a Catholic (because this is Italy during the 1910s, so it’d be a little out-of-the-ordinary for him not to be), doing his little Catholic things, without it being a huge focus of the story or directly influencing the plot--ie, Catholicism being portrayed as just another normal part of every-day life--GAH. IT WAS JUST REALLY SPECIAL TO ME, OKAY? 

Also Geppetto locking Pinocchio in a closet because he doesn’t have time to deal with this, it’s time to go to Mass is a big fat Catholic mood. 

Okay, I’ll shut up about the Catholic stuff. Back to the movie.

If I had a nickel for every time David Bradly made me cry with his performance as a struggling father-figure overcoming the estrangement between him and his adopted son, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t very many, but it’s great that it happened twice. 

Ewan McGregor practically carries this movie as Sebastian J. Cricket. I knew he was going to be good, but somehow I failed to foresee just how good he truly is in the role. This interpretation of Jiminy Cricket as a mildly self-absorbed novelist who sees Pinocchio as little more than his house for most of the film is just *chef’s kiss.*

Ron Perlman as the Podestà was incredible. I actually didn’t realize it was him until three-fourths of the way through the movie, he just vanishes into the role so smoothly. And gotdang, is that character scary. 

Christoph Waltz clearly went all out with Count Volpe and I bet recording sessions with him were very fun. 

Gregory Mann did so great for such a little guy! It’s hard to find child actors, and even harder to find child voice actors, but he was fantastic, and really sold the character. 

Speaking of characters, OH MY GOSH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WHERE DO I BEGIN

Geppetto is a very sentimental old guy whose only joy in life was his son Carlo. After Carlo is killed in a bombing raid, Geppetto completely collapses under the weight of his grief. Carving Pinocchio isn’t something he does out of creativity or joy, but rather the result of drunken and despairing rage. The scene is played out as a grotesque and heartbreaking moment, and I LOVE it. 

Pinocchio himself is a Very Real Boy from the start--by which I mean, he never shuts up, he gets into everything, he’s kind of a brat, and he brings unbridled chaos to Geppetto’s life in the way that only a young child can. I like it when movies portray children as, y’know, actual children, not just tiny adults. Yeah, kids are loud, they break stuff, they annoy the heck out of you, and they are also so, so precious, they’re worth every second of it. 

I’ve already talked about Sebastian J. Cricket so all I’m gonna say here is I felt the line “Oh, the pain! Life is such hideous pain” right down to my core.

This movie covers a lot of heavy themes, such as the difficulties of fatherhood, abuse, war, death, and grief. But it does so in a way that left me with a sense of hope. It doesn’t shy away from the reality of these things, but it assures you that you can endure them, that you can find immense joy even in the midst of great suffering. 

To get a little personal for the second time, the way this movie goes about presenting the reality of death and the grief of those left behind resonated with me very deeply. I’m the youngest child in my immediate family, and deep down, there’s a part of me that dreads the day when they will pass on and leave me behind. Barring any unforeseen accidents, I will likely outlive most of my siblings, and I’m lowkey terrified of that inevitablilty. So there was something oddly comforting about a film that speaks directly to my fear like that. A film that doesn’t sugar coat or try to persuade me that it won’t be so bad. A film that tells me my time with my family is so much more precious because it is so fleeting. 

So yeah, tears were shed, I’m not ashamed to admit it. 

I could probably say a bajillion things more about this movie, but it’s getting late now and I’ve prattled long enough. In conclusion, 10/10, easily the best movie of my year, and I truly think I can forgive Del Toro for Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans now. 

[skittlewaffle]

Different Flavors of Daycare Attendants (WIP maybe ??)

PLEASE NOTE that I do not read fics a lot and certainly don’t know everything. These are just general headcanons about the Daycare Attendant placed into categories! Personally my view is a mix of a good handful of every category

But yes this was all made for fun because I have brainrot. I’ll keep adding to this post or make a part two if this is something people enjoy, and I’m happy to accept any help! I know there are plenty more headcanons that I don’t have under categories yet.

… Some sections were rushed because I just wanted to post this before Ruin comes out and the Biblically Accurate section gets muddled.. haha. JUST,, enjoy !!!

Canon

Sun

Unhinged

Potentially partially virused, though it’s generally assumed not

Theatrical antics

Probably overdramatic on purpose / playing his theater role but in a child care setting

LIGHTS ON!!

Overbearing, offputting, and loud

Stickler for rules and cleanliness

Keeps daycare clean and organized, but not himself or his room

Might not be restricted to daycare out of frame, but implications are present that he may be lonely

It’s unclear if he and Moon have a connection in their headspace, but it is sometimes assumed they don’t

Probably unaware of Moon’s virused state

Moon

Silly gremlin

Fully virused

Theatrical antics amplified; evil stage persona is more literal

Naptime protocol amplified; what feels to him like putting people to sleep is actually killing people

Childcare and entertainment programming still seems functional

Creepy

Loves to stalk, dance, and play pretend

Shares Sun’s obsession with rules and cleanup

Strong enough to knock out a Glamrock

Seems quite lightweight

Sounds like he has a built-in, broken music box ??

* HEADCANON: Has a different mode meant to reflect the gentler character he appears to be in the Moondrop candy advertisements, instead of his theater villain role

Anxious boys

Sun

Restricted to daycare, refuses to take even a single step out

Doesn’t know what he’s doing

Scares or hurts the kids on accident, proceeds to freak out over it

Weak to compliments and praise; he just wants to do a good job

Needs affirmation, stat

Will 100% fall in love with anyone who is consistently nice to him

Acts like a kicked puppy when spoken to sternly, lectured, or yelled at

Lets people walk all over him

Constant fidgeting

Stutters a lot

Stressed OUT

Constantly at his breaking point; help him

Moon

Self-conscious about his naturally creepy looks and mannerisms

Bad first impressions

Often keeps a distance, watching from afar

Uses few words

Wishes to be liked

A kid likes him? His child now.

Sad to see them go :(

Rather graceful, slow movements that give him eerie vibes

Tends to word things in ways that sound like red flags (like offering candy in a shady area), but doesn’t quite realize it

False reputation amongst patrons

Many complaints from parents for his bad vibes

Heavily misjudged; really means no harm

Wet napkin

Likes to dance on his wire; keeps him busy when he can’t socialize

Will perform many tricks for people who do become his friend

Never forgets anyone who is kind to him in even one instance

Confident boys / high experience DCA

Sun

Practically built for childcare; knows what to do in pretty much every situation

Loved by all the children

Social towards everyone, no matter how stubborn or closed off they may be

Manages to put a smile on all faces

Really not afraid of drawing attention or being embarrassing if it means making a child happy

Always knows just what to say

Very helpful to new employees

Might step outside the Daycare from time to time

Reads faces very well, in adults and children

Capable of disobeying protocols for more serious reasons

MUCH more observant than you think

Roasts Karens lol

Moon

Is both the Naptime Attendant and a nighttime security bot

Many children want to cuddle with him during nap time

Has a ton of patience

Especially loves getting to hold babies

Very protective of the little ones

The most feared security in the entire Pizzaplex

Takes his job as security bot very seriously; loves his job as a childcare worker

High Tech

DCA has many upgrades

Still very versatile and could be upgraded more

AI advanced enough to be considered eligible for human rights

Movements, speech, and feelings are very realistic, almost not robotic at all

Can experience human senses (smell, touch, etc.)

Softer casing to simulate a more human feel

Can blush and cry tears, but not bleed (unless it’s oil in their machinery)

Feels pain and temperature, and is ticklish

Can get overstimulated and feel disgust at certain textures

Has certain mannerisms that could classify them under certain diagnosable human conditions or mental disorders (which they technically aren’t; the diagnoses are worded for us humans to better understand and relate to)

Cannot get sick and doesn’t need to eat or breathe, but can pretend to

Has eyelids, lips, tongue, and movable facial features to emote better

Acts sleepy or drunk when low on battery, and genuinely feels like that

Has a simulated heartbeat and breathing

Waterproof

Multipurpose

Perfectly capable of obtaining a PHD

Seems to have built-in tools for almost anything, mostly for human health and first aid purposes

Might need some recovery time after P&S visits, similar to pain after human surgery (tight screws, rearranged wires, etc)

More capable of fighting viruses and defending themself and others

Low Tech

Basically a stereotypical cartoon robot

Still sentient and can learn, but still operates mostly on programming

Still have the basic qualities of Sun and Moon’s original personalities (cheery and loud; calm and quiet)

States what they’re doing out loud (processing, downloading, initiating protocol, etc.)

States warnings and errors out loud (low battery, update failed, null object reference, ERROR!!)

Static smile

Uses prerecorded lines often; new lines sometimes sound broken like AI or TTS

Might not understand certain topics

Might mishear you

Sometimes treats other everyday machinery like they are alive, mostly holding grudges, fearing them, or being jealous of them

Cares much more about the feelings of others than their own

Less capable of fighting viruses or preventing other unwanted actions towards them

Whores

Aimed towards the more mature side of the fandom

Bastards / smug / absolute sluts (affectionate or derogatory, whatever you feel lol)

Wear suits, ties, suspenders… fancy stuff

Shirts are often only partially buttoned, ties loose or just draping over

Also may wear feminine clothing, depending on the type of storyline

Can drink and smoke somehow

More laid back and flirtatious

Occasionally / casually threatening

Might have cool hats

Sometimes have guns / some kind of weapon

AWOOGA

Often involves suggestive implications

Call you nicknames you probably love but your Y/N often hates

Plot involving high stakes and serious danger

Simp material

We are attracted to any red flag they may have /hj

Animalistic

Sun

Dog

A big dog who thinks he’s a lap dog

Probably fell in love with you immediately

Separation anxiety / abandonment issues

Loyal; will always wait for you no matter what

Whines if you’re gone for too long :(

Misses you sooo much

Begs a lot

Head tilts

Extremely attentive, affectionate and excitable

Might tackle you

Loves playfighting

Always weak to praise and cuddles

Is a good boy, the best boy

Full of energy; loves to play

Rays fold backwards / retract when guilty, angry, or defensive

More apologetic than really necessary

Would probably be very sorry if you called him bad, even if he did nothing wrong

Easily excited / distracted at particular things or favorite items

Highly possessive of favorite items

Hides his favorite items in random corners of your house

Gets the zoomies (and may or may not accidentally break something from jumping over / running into furniture and stuff)

Very aware of people

Likes to sunbathe

Got muddy and needs a bath .. again

Has stim toys, many of them squeaky

Doesn’t sit on the couch right

Wants to protect you

Loves the outdoors and going for walkies

Always sleeps on your bed / somewhere in the same room

Wakes you with a complete ONSLAUGHT of smooches

Moon

Cat

First meeting was likely him hunting and pouncing at you

Still likes to stalk and prowl for fun / as a game

Likes to rest in elevated places, including the top of your fridge

Loafs

Hisses

Interested in silly / shiny little trinkets

Gremlin; knocks your stuff down on purpose and runs away

Has claws, could be retractable

Eyes dilate / shrink

Might flinch when touched, but still leans into it if he wants the attention

Slinks away from touch when distracted by something else

Likes to fall asleep on you; you can’t move (he is aware of this)

Likes laser pointers and dangly thingies

Enjoys sneaking up on you

Purrs (or has some robotic equivalent of purring, like whirring or broken music box)

Gets 3AM zoomies

Elegant s t r e t c h

Changes from bipedal to quadrupedal when he feels like it

Likes the window

Hates water, but likes to keep clean and tidy

Movements are fluid; he is liquid

Tries to fit into small spaces, twists his animatronic body to do so

Has favorite hiding places

Territorial

Hunts pests in your home if he’s bored.. might even bring them to you

Stares at you. Slow blinks. Affection.

Head bonks while sitting next to you

Lazy / sleepy bitch disease

Prefers to stay inside, but likes to explore occasionally and go for nighttime walkies

Always curls up beside you at night

You wake up to him kneading at you or rubbing his face on you

* DCA may have tails and / or beans

Brothers

Mostly tends to be a separate bodies view

Inseparable either way

Chaotic duo

Quite the opposite in a way they still have a close bond

Lots of playfighting

Sometimes actual fighting

Care a lot for each other, but have a sort of friendly rivalry

Never one without the other

Not afraid of speaking their mind plainly, to their benefit or detriment

Great teamwork on their better days

Immature pouting / silent treatment on their worse days

Do most everything together

Often competitive

Disagreements are most often more comedic than serious

Their fights are childish and silly; you can’t help but laugh

Sometimes complains about who the “big brother” is

Get into the silliest shenanigans; it’s trouble, but endearing all the same as they love having a story of adventure to tell

Know each other better than anyone else can

Look very closely after each other, especially when someone else gets close

Favorite colors are what the other wears most often / is themed after (Sun: blue; Moon: yellow)

Applies to their eye colors, especially if chosen by them for upgrades

While both are very different, both also exhibit certain behaviors that directly parallel / mirror the other

Lovers

(NOT brothers at the same time. Fuck off)

The most wholesome shit you’ve ever seen

Fluff, comfort, cuddles, words of affirmation… the dream

Tons of celestial nicknames, phrases, and metaphors

Very poetic; immerses you in calm, dreamlike scenery, like a storybook

Emotional support partners

Each often doesn’t take care of themself until the other notices and helps them

The cutest little dates (tea parties, art sessions, and sleepovers are common)

Still prone to angst, but has a happy ending

I hope

AUGHH

That is all for now; I hope you enjoyed!! If we have a continuation of this, I have category ideas, such as a Cartoonish DCA, a DCA with very very many features, Sun and Moon as enemies, or any other types of DCA you have in mind! Thanks for reading :D

[the-white-soul]

We've got some good thoughts already, aside from Sans. The only thing he's eager about is quitting. You can't blame him with how hard this all is, but we have to win this case despite that!

Let's see... During the war, we couldn't even manage to take one life while countless monsters died. They were also allowed to make these murders since it's a given of war, but all this means is monsters haven't manage to kill anyone until Asgore's seven souls. Humans are much more bloodthirsty, and most monsters could hardly even hurt humans if they tried. At the point when souls were taken, we were forced to do so just to live free from a barrier which was put in place for no real reason in the first place. Monsters were innocent for the longest time and beaten down on by humans for that one instance with the curious child who absorbed the soul of their already dead friend. The kid didn't even try to harm anyone with it, like Alphys said.

I'd like to say I should go as a witness as well since I also know asgore well and grew up in politics so I know how things work, but then again I didn't perform well last speech and I might ruin this again in addition to sparking some negative reactions just by showing me face.

Speaking of, d'you think people are going to try to take me for murder? Or would the police not care since that human was obviously an idiot? At least I hope it was obvious.

(Kara) "Honestly, I have no idea. How hasn't he been arrested? I'm happy about it but confused." (John) "While you are probably a criminal, you are a criminal of war, so…" (Dess) "It doesn't matter. We have great security." (Kara) "People spraypainted your house." (Dess) "They were protecting you. They are everywhere." (Kara) "Spies cost money." (Dess) "You want to know how we can afford everything? There's one monster who's so popular even some humans give him plenty of money." (Mettaton) "It's me, darlings! You can see why, can't you? I'm so glamorous it connects the world because everyone agrees I'm hot." (Kara) "Whatever pays. Now, one last question." (Dess) "What is it?" (Kara) "What will we do with the Anons?" (Dess) "I was about to ask the same thing."

(Kara) "How many problems can we handle? I feel like I'm about to explode. You can change your voice, as well. Great, now you could all be psychos. 'Hey Kara, did you have enough stress today? No? Well, let's make it so you want to pull out your hair and punch yourself so hard you'll be unconscious. Won't that be great?'Looks around and sees the monsters hiding behind a chair. Sorry, something slipped out. Now, how did you get here? Cause when one person gets in…"

(Kara) "Wait, Chara did this again?" (Dess) "Um, Kara? I don't mean to alarm you too much, but we're not hiding because of you." Kara turns around and sees Chara pop out. (Chara) "Howdy!" (Kara) "Oh shit!" (Chara) "Don't worry, I'm not here because of blood lust. Well, not now. Tee hee. I'm here because I thought a flower would've been my mailman, but he seems too afraid. Don't worry. I'll tell them. Winks. You see, I think you should take this more seriously." (Kara) "Why?" (Chara) "Oh, let's just say monsters will be free one way or another, whether it's by death or love. Most likely both. I guess you've met some of the anons. I thought about giving you a little fun because we all know how boring court dramas can be." (Dess) "Don't you want monsters having less discrimination? How does bringing more hate solve anything?" (Chara) "Well, if you can't handle a simple creature like an anon, you should give up! I promise you I'll make it quick." No one spoke. The wind could've gone 1 MPH, and everyone would've heard it. (Chara) "Okay! If you want a ridiculous trial, then who am I to judge? Good luck! Try not to die to the anons!"

[adamwatchesmovies]

Oppenheimer (2023)

Visually striking, magnificently performed and expertly written, Oppenheimer is the kind of movie that doesn’t really contain any twists but makes you feel like you need to see it more than once. This is a movie that sticks with you.

In 1954, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) attends a private hearing before a Personnel Security Board to dispute his clearances. As the man who helmed the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer feels personally responsible for the use of nuclear weapons. He seeks to limit their use and the development of future, more devastating weapons. As part of the hearing, Oppenheimer’s past is examined. Everything from his time studying experimental physics in Cambridge to his working relationships with famed physicists, his supposed communist ties and his many extra-marital affairs are laid bare.

The first thing to discuss is the picture’s running time. Oppenheimer clocks in at about 3 hours if you include the credits. That’s a lot but only in the sense that you probably shouldn't start watching it at 10:30 pm. In practice, it doesn’t feel long; not at all. In fact, the extended running time is one of the reasons why this film is so successful. There are A LOT of people to keep track of. We meet Albert Einstein, Niel Bohr and other physicists you haven’t heard of. More relevant to Oppenheimer's personal life is his second wife, “Kitty” (Emily Blunt), the woman he has an affair with, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), his brother, Frank (Dylan Arnold), the director of the Manhattan Project, Gn. Leslie Groves (Matt Damon), and the man who recruits him, Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.). If this movie was cramming everything in 90 minutes, you’d struggle to remember who’s who, what are they doing and why.

Having that extra bit of time to process everything is a blessing. Those extra minutes also allow director Christopher Nolan (who co-wrote the screenplay with Emma Thomas and Charles Roven) to show us what makes Oppenheimer tick. There’s an immensity to the picture. We understand the destruction these weapons are capable of and the responsibility that accompanies them because we saw how big a project it was, how long it took and how worried the people were during their development. The secrecy, the uncertainty, how it consumed the lives of those involved. We understand the magnitude of what Oppenheimer and his team unleashed when no one else seems to.

One of my favorite things about biographical films is that they teach you about people. Specifically, they teach you to love some and hate others. Well, maybe that says more about me than about the movies. During Oppenheimer, you’ll develop a love-hate relationship with many people. On the one hand, Oppenheimer is so mature in his handling of the nuclear equation. In other aspects of his life, he’s so irresponsible he threatens to doom us all. Why can’t he stop cheating on his wife? Why can’t he understand that associating himself with communists puts him and his work at risk, regardless of how little he actually believes in the political system’s merit? The one you’ll develop the strongest feelings for is undoubtedly Lewis Strauss, but he’s in the movie a lot. You might excuse him as a… complicated person.

Pairing the pink-infused Barbie with Oppenheimer, preferably as a "Barbenheimer" double-feature (two 5-star movies in my book) is fun and begs an important question: which do you watch first? I saw both, back to back. The funny thing is that in some ways, they're not as different as they'd seem. Both, for instance, contain surreal fantasy sequences that allow us to peer into the protagonist's mind and ask big questions about where their titular characters belong in our world, how they affect(ed) it and what we, as audiences, can learn from that. The main difference is that Barbie is often funny and uplifting, while Oppenheimer is somber and heavy. That might make you lean towards the doll movie second, as a way to leave the theater feeling good, but honestly, you can't go wrong with the reverse order either. While Oppenheimer can feel overwhelming, teetering towards the depressing, it's also so well made, so powerfully acted and so grandiose of an experience that ultimately, it makes you feel good to have witnessed it. See them both. See them more than once - just don't start your marathon at 10:30 pm. (August 11, 2023)

[ryanhamiltonwalsh]

BILLY RUANE

The long awaited premiere of The Road to Ruane documentary is this weekend in Boston. Who was Billy Ruane? He was Boston's modern-rock-scene lunatic godfather, a trust-fund kid who decided to blow it all on his friends and artists, a ceaseless promoter of bands he loved, and a pure injection of uncut chaos in anyone's life that happened to cross paths with his.

We were one of the last bands Billy championed. He tracked us down, on tour, to a bar patio in Knoxville, TN. The club we were playing that night brought the cordless phone out to me and I was certain someone back home must be dead. Instead I heard this on the other end: "This is Billy Ruane. I need Hallelujah The Hills to play my birthday party at the Middle East." When I asked why he had tracked us down to a club in TN to ask *tonight* he said, "It couldn't wait. I love you guys. Just say yes."

I felt like I had just met Hunter S. Thompson's New England cousin. We did say yes and the lead up to the show featured all manner of wild, rambling emails sent to the entire lineup, alternating between excitement and admonishing us for not promoting it harder. The following day, an apology email: "i guess that night i went loopy."

Billy's whole rock-scene origin story began with a birthday party he threw himself at the Middle East, and this one would be his last. It was a wild, fun, emotionally charged night. The video here is from our performance, complete with one of several mid-set announcements from Billy. I enjoyed his unpredictable presence and was so honored he added us to the list of bands he thought were worth a damn in Boston.

After that night, he used to call me at work sometimes (no idea how he got the number) and talk for, like, an hour at a time. The calls were very different than the dancing, kissing, shouting Billy you saw at a show. The thoughts were still wild, but it was delivered in a calm, understated manner, like an AM talk show host or something. I would never initiate the end of the call. If he wanted to tell me more, I always let him keep going. If he couldn't attend one of our shows—sometimes it was for really weird reasons, like he heard rumors that someone he had a beef with would be in attendance—he would send a videographer so he could enjoy the show later at home.

Looking back at my inbox, I see we were emailing weeks before his death about doing another show he was putting together. He had a theme in mind: bands with strings in them.

The last time I saw him in person, he picked up a round of drinks at a Drug Rug show at the Museum of Fine Arts. His Billy-isms seemed especially so willfully in defiance of the accepted rules of society when placed in the context of a fancy art museum. I remember marveling that he knew my name, loved our band.

Hills performed at his memorial concert where, to everyone's absolute shock, his sister tossed some of his ashes onto the audience from the stage. Some people were visibly covered with Billy. One more sloppy kiss. I remember asking people next to me if that had actually just happened. I don't even remember performing that night, but I'll always remember Chris Brokaw's astounding electric guitar feedback tribute to his friend. I can still remember how centered I felt witnessing it.

For many, many years after, his ashes resided at the Middle East Upstairs. A few years ago, I realized that the photo to the left of his urn was him on stage with Hallelujah The Hills; that's me visible right behind him in plaid. All because I got a phone call in Knoxville one night. What a world.

The documentary, I have no doubt, will solidify his legend for music fans far outside of Boston. It can't lose. Just capture 1/10th of the stories, ya know? For instance, Billy once booked the Del Fuegos at Walpole Prison. Apparently, during the set, Billy started dancing in the aisle between the prisoners. Soon they all chanted, “David Bowie! David Bowie!” at him.

These are the kinds of beautiful, surreal tableaux we just don't get if everyone one of us colors within the lines. I'm so grateful Billy didn't even know there was a coloring book in front of him.