#they really filmed so much with charles and i think he was in LA for only a week

[the-offside-rule]

Lando Norris (McLaren) - Two Hands pt. II

Requested: yes

Prompt: this ask

Warnings: smutttt

Part 1

The atmosphere at the Las Vegas Grand Prix was electric. The sun reflected off the vibrant paddock, buzzing with drivers, team members, and fans. Y/n and Tate had just wrapped up soundcheck for their opening performance and were now taking in the sights. It wasn’t every day that you got invited to perform at one of the most glamorous racing events in the world. "This place is insane." Tate said, spinning her phone around to capture the glitzy energy of the paddock. Y/n nodded, shielding her eyes from the desert sun. "Yeah, it’s wild. Let’s not get lost, though."

"Lost? In the middle of this crowd? No chance." Tate replied with a mischievous grin. "But you know what we should do? Film a TikTok." Y/n groaned. "Tate, no."

"Y/n, yes. It’s perfect! We’re at a Grand Prix, we’re musicians, and we have viral audio just begging to be used." Reluctantly, Y/n agreed. She followed Tate to an open section of the paddock, where they started filming. "Okay, when I point the camera at you, you lip-sync the 'Leclerc' part and strut like you own the place." Tate instructed. "Fine." Y/n said, rolling her eyes but unable to suppress a smile. The camera started rolling. Y/n gave her best sultry walk, mouthing the words perfectly as the audio played. "Leclerc! Leclerc! Charles Leclerc-"

She was so focused on the TikTok that she didn’t notice the person in her path until she collided with them. "Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!" Y/n exclaimed, hands flying up to steady the person she’d bumped into. "No harm done." The man said with a chuckle, brushing himself off. "Y/n?" Came the all-too-familiar voice from behind her. Her stomach twisted as she turned to see Lando standing there, arms crossed and his trademark smirk firmly in place.

"I see you’ve taken out my physio, Jon." Lando teased, motioning to the man Y/n had bumped into. "Oh my god, I’m so sorry." Y/n said again, her cheeks burning as she addressed Jon. "No worries." Jon said with a friendly smile, clearly used to the chaos of Lando’s world. "Nice TikTok work, by the way." Lando added, the teasing edge in his voice unmistakable. Y/n shot him a glare before grabbing Tate’s arm. "We need to go." She said quickly, dragging her friend away.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Tate burst into laughter. "That was gold! You walked straight into his team like you were aiming for it." Y/n groaned. “This day cannot get worse.”

"Oh, I think it just got better."

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Back in the hair and makeup trailer, Y/n leaned back in her chair while a stylist curled her hair. Tate, however, couldn’t help but poke the bear. "Alright-" Tate started, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Spill. What’s the deal with you and Lando? And don’t say nothing.' Y/n groaned. "There’s nothing to spill."

"Bullshit!" Tate exclaimed, pointing a comb at her. "Nothing does not constitute blushong like a schoolgirl when you bumped into him earlier. What happened? Did it end on bad terms?" Y/n hesitated, but Tate’s relentless stare wore her down. "It didn't end on bad terms, it just shouldn't have happened." She muttered. "It started in Miami. I was trying to get into this club, but the bouncer wouldn’t let me in. Lando saw me outside, recognized me, and invited me to join him instead."

"And?"

"And we ended up back at his hotel room. Drank way too much from the mini-bar, talked about everything, and... yeah, one thing led to another." Tate’s jaw dropped. "You know, i would have really appreciated if you had told me you had slept with Lando before all of this." Y/n shushed her frantically. "Keep it down!"

"Oh, this is gold." Tate said, practically bouncing in her chair. "Wait. Is he why you wrote Two Hands?" Y/n didn’t answer, instead focusing on the stylist adjusting her makeup. "Oh my god, it is!" Tate exclaimed, laughing loudly. "You’re shameless."

"Can we please focus on the performance? You're like a kid!" Y/n grumbled, desperate to change the subject. "Fine, butafterwards? I am asking every question under the sun."

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The stage lights were dazzling, the crowd roaring as Y/n and Tate took the stage. The beat of Two Hands reverberated through the paddock, and Y/n let herself fall into the music, swaying and singing like the world was watching. As the bridge approached, her eyes scanned the crowd. Her heart skipped when she spotted Lando standing near the drivers, arms crossed, a smug grin playing on his lips. The lyrics spilled from her like a confession:

I want them all to see, you look good on top of me. At this time, at night, I need. Not one, not three.

Her gaze locked with his, and she sang directly at him, her voice sultry and unyielding. Just your two hands on me. The smirk on his face faltered, replaced by something darker, more intense. She smirked as she turned back to the audience, the final notes lingering in the air. The crowd continued their cheers as Y/n and Tate began their dance break, before finally ending in their poses and smiling as the crowd erupted into roars. "Thank you Vegas!" Tate exclaimed before the pair ran off stage.

Backstage, Tate was practically vibrating with excitement. "Okay, wow. You really went all in during that performance. Wonder why?" She teased, winking exaggeratedly. "Shut up." Y/n muttered, though her cheeks were warm.

As they finally landed back in their hotel room, Y/n collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. Tate began rambling on about something random while Y/n's phone buzzed, and when she checked it, her stomach flipped.

Lando Come see me. Room 1208.

She stared at the message until Tate, who had been scrolling through her phone nearby, glanced over. "Oh my god. Is that?" Y/n nodded. Tate squealed, jumping up and down on the bed as Y/n thought of a response, or whether to respond at all. "You have to go!" Tate shouted, landing down beside her friend. "No way!" Y/n said, shaking her head. "Yes way!" Tate insisted. "You’d regret it if you didn’t and you know it. You gotta go."

After much convincing, Y/n found herself standing outside Lando’s door, her heart pounding. She raised a trembling hand and knocked and waited for him to answer, fumdbling with her fingers in anticipation. What if someone were to find her there? What would the media say? Not even a moment later, the door opened to reveal Lando, his grin as cocky as ever. "Took you long enough." He started as he leaned against the doorframe.

But Y/n didn’t let him finish. She grabbed his shirt, pulling him down into a kiss as she pushed him back into the room. The door clicked shut behind her as she kicked it closed with her heel. Their bodies collided, the familiar feel of his hard chest against her breasts igniting a fire within her. She moaned softly as his strong arms wrapped around her, his fingers digging into her hips possessively. "I've missed this." He whispered, his warm breath caressing her neck. "Missed having you like this."

Y/n's hands roamed over his broad shoulders, relishing the feel of his firm muscles beneath her palms. "I've missed you too." She confessed, her voice barely audible. "Missed the way you make me feel so alive." Lando's lips found hers, crushing her mouth in a hungry kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth, demanding and possessive, as if he was claiming her all over again. Y/n responded eagerly, matching his passion, their tongues dancing in a familiar rhythm. The kiss was a battle of wills, each trying to dominate the other, but it was a battle they both wanted to lose.

Breaking the kiss for air, Lando trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. His hands traveled up her thighs, lifting her skirt as he went, his touch sending shivers of pleasure through her body. "You're so fucking beautiful." He growled against her skin, his hands reaching her lace panties. He hooked his fingers into the sides, tugging them down her legs, his eyes never leaving hers. "I want to see all of you."

Y/n stepped out of her panties, kicking them aside, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew Lando loved to watch, and the thought of being on display for him only heightened her arousal. She stood before him, completely exposed, her breasts heaving with each rapid breath. Lando's eyes devoured her, his gaze traveling from her flushed face down to her glistening pussy. "So fucking wet already." He murmured, his voice thick with desire. "Eager, arent you?"

He dropped to his knees before her, his hands gently grasping her thighs, urging them apart. Y/n's breath caught in her throat as she felt the warmth of his breath on her sensitive flesh. With slow, deliberate movements, Lando leaned in, his tongue flicking out to taste her. A soft moan escaped Y/n's lips as his tongue swirled around her clit, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her body. He teased her gently, licking and sucking, driving her wild with need. His hands held her hips firmly, keeping her steady as he feasted on her, his dark hair brushing against her inner thighs. "Oh, Lando." She whispered, her fingers tangling in his hair. "Don't stop, please."

Lando chuckled, the vibration of his laughter against her sensitive skin sending her closer to the edge. He increased the pace, his tongue working its magic, driving her higher and higher. Y/n's thighs trembled as her orgasm built, her body tense with anticipation. "That's it, baby." He encouraged, his voice hoarse. "Let go, cum for me." His words were all it took. Y/n's body convulsed as an intense orgasm ripped through her, her juices flowing freely. Lando lapped at her eagerly, drinking in her essence, his tongue never slowing until she was reduced to a quivering mess.

As her trembling subsided, Lando stood, his eyes blazing with satisfaction. "That was just the beginning." He promised, his voice low and dangerous. Y/n's eyes widened, anticipation and desire mingling in her gaze. She knew Lando wasn't one to hold back, and the thought of what was to come left her both excited and apprehensive. He guided her towards the bed, his hands roaming over her body, leaving a trail of goosebumps. With a gentle push, he laid her down on the soft sheets, his muscular form hovering over her. "You're going to feel every inch of me." He growled, his voice laced with raw desire.

Y/n's heart raced as she felt the bulge in his pants pressing against her core. She reached down, unbuckling his belt with trembling fingers, eager to free the hard length of him. Lando's breath hitched as she slowly unzipped his pants, his cock springing free, thick and straining. "Fuck, you're beautiful." She whispered, running her fingers along his length, marveling at the way he throbbed in her hand.

Lando groaned, his eyes closing momentarily as he savored the sensation. "I need to be inside you." He rasped, his voice rough. With a swift movement, he positioned himself at her entrance, his tip nudging her wet folds. Y/n arched her back, inviting him in, her body yearning for the familiar fullness. With one smooth thrust, he filled her completely, their bodies joining in a perfect fit. "Yes!" Y/n cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders as she adjusted to his size.

Lando began to move, his hips thrusting in a steady rhythm. Each stroke sent waves of pleasure through her body, his cock hitting all the right spots. He moved with purpose, his powerful body driving into hers, his breath hot on her neck. "You feel so good." He grunted, his voice strained. "So tight around me."

Y/n's hands gripped his ass, urging him deeper, her body craving every inch of him. She matched his rhythm, her hips rising to meet his, their bodies moving as one. The room filled with the sounds of their passion—the wet slaps of skin, their labored breathing, and the bed creaking beneath them.

"Harder." She panted, her eyes wild with desire. "Fuck me harder, Lando." Lando obliged, his thrusts becoming more forceful, his cock pounding into her relentlessly. Y/n's body trembled, her orgasm building again, her senses overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of their union. "That's it, baby." Lando growled, his jaw clenched as he fought his own release. "Cum for me again." His words were like a trigger, sending Y/n over the edge. Her body convulsed around him, her pussy clenching and releasing his throbbing cock. Lando let out a primal roar as her climax milked him, his own orgasm building to an unbearable peak.

With one final, powerful thrust, he emptied himself inside her, his hot cum filling her depths. Their bodies shuddered in unison, the pleasure overwhelming, as they rode out their shared climax. As their breathing slowed, Lando collapsed onto the bed beside her, his chest heaving. Y/n turned towards him, her fingers tracing the contours of his face, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

"That was-" She began, searching for the right words. "Incredible," Lando finished, his eyes sparkling with satisfaction. "Just as I remembered it." Y/n's heart warmed at his words, knowing that despite the time apart, their connection remained as strong as ever. She snuggled closer, feeling his strong arms wrap around her, and they lay there, content in the aftermath of their passionate reunion.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

@f1fantasys @willowsnook @aerie717 @lifeonawhim @henna006

[jula483]

(x)

[halsteadlover]

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

• Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Fem!Reader.

• Summary: just a compilation of Charles’ ig posts showing how much he’s obsessed and in love with you and his baby.

• Warnings: none just pure fluff.

• A/N: I know I know… I’m a sucker for dad fics I just can’t help it 😭😭 this is my first time posting a smau so please be kind with me I know it’s bad 😭 let me know what I can do to do it better and what you think ❤️ love you all xx

Tagged: yourusername

Liked by yourusername, arthur_leclerc, carlossainz55 and other 1.718.661

charles_leclerc You have never been more beautiful than you are now mon amour. Watching you grow our baby is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed 🖤

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user1 Charles whipped Leclerc is back in town!

charlos123 screaming, crying throwing up 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

landonorris find yourself someone who loves you like Charles loves his wife (I'm 5'10 girls)

oscarpiastri Shut up no you’re not

user88 💀💀💀

yourusername Je t'aime plus que la lune et les étoiles mon amour ❤️ We’re both so lucky to have you (I love you more than the moon and the stars)

charles_leclerc Je t'aime beaucoup plus bébé❤️ (I love you so much more baby)

versclerc the way he just answers her comments 😭

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Liked by leclerc_pascale, yourusername, joris__trouche, carlossainz55 and other 2.054.101

charles_leclerc For you mon amour.

For you, who looks in the mirror and doesn’t like what you see but is truly the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

For you, who every single day gives me one more reason to love you even more, something I didn’t even believe was possible. Feeling something so strong for someone that the word ‘love’ isn’t enough to describe it.

For you, who taught me the meaning of true love and what’s really important in life.

For you, who are so beautiful that it still surprise me even after so many years being together how you manage to give me butterflies in my stomach.

For you for whom just one look is enough to make my heart race and my hands sweat.

For you who are the most beautiful thing life has ever given me.

For you, who can brighten my darkest day, who can make me the happiest that I’ve ever been.

For you, who gave me the most beautiful gift I could have ever asked for.

We can’t wait to hold you mon petit, please hurry up 🙏🏻❤️

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user24 GOOD FUCKING BYE

user98 Dragging my teeth on the concrete

mstleclerc CHARLESJSJSIDJSOSKSNSJ OMFGGGGGG 😭😭😭

carlossainz55 you’re making me want one of those little shits

Liked by charles_leclerc and yourusername

landonorris I almost shed a tear not gonna lie

Liked by charles_leclerc

arthur_leclerc I’m so happy for you brother I can’t wait to spoil my nephew ❤️

Liked by charles_leclerc and yourusername

charles_leclerc By the way my wife just bursted out crying seeing this post and I was about to make a video but she literally threatened to kill me if I did ❤️ God I love her 😍

f1fun_12 This is such a Y/n thing to do 😭

sainzzzzzzzzzzzz As she should!

yourusername I can’t put into words how much I’m grateful for you and for everything you do for our little family. Our son is so lucky to have you as a father and I couldn’t have chosen a better husband. I’d be so lost without you baby, I love you more than my life ❤️ ps: stop making me cry for fucks sake I don’t have any more tears in my body thanks

charles_leclerc Can you please unlock the bedroom darling?

yourusername Nope, that’s what you get for trying to filming me

yourusername UNLESS……. You bring me a ketchup sandwich

charles_leclerc it’s already on the way my queen 👸🏻 your wish is my command

user7612 A KETCHUP SANDWICH??? What???

yourusername @user7612 it’s not my fault okay?

monof1 the fact Charles is so used to her cravings that he’s not even questioning them anymore 😭

charles_leclerc @monof1 fun fact: never NEVER argue with a pregnant woman especially if that pregnant woman is Y/n

monof1 @/charles_leclerc OMG CHARLES HI I LOVE YOU

charles_leclerc posted on his story

Viewed by yourusername and 99251 others

yourusername

What did I do to deserve you?

landonorris answered your story:

You’re so whipped mate

charles_leclerc can you blame me? Have you seen my wife and THAT baby bump?

carlossainz55 answered your story:

Yeah ok we get you’re in love and bla bla bla

Tagged: yourusername

Liked by pierregasly, landonorris, lewishamilton and other 1.524.793

charles_leclerc There are only a few days left until our baby arrives and I’m scared and impatient at the same time. My wife is sleeping next to me now breathtakingly beautiful and I’ve taken some time to reflect on how these 9 months have flown by and I can’t believe it, it seems like it was just yesterday that we found out we were expecting a baby. I can no longer remember what my life was like before knowing your existence, little one.

I can't help but imagine and think about you in everything I do and every step I make, thinking about how beautiful it’ll be to see you take your first steps, to see you run around the house, dirty everything, to see you measure my helmets, to see you trying my race suits, to see you go to school, to see you grow in the beautiful and amazing person you’re going to be.

We’ll probably argue sometimes, although I’ll make sure that never happens, but whatever happens, just know that I loved you more than my life from the first moment since I saw that positive pregnancy test and I hope you’ll never forget it even if we have any argument.

Mommy and I are so eager to finally hold you in our arms, hear you cry and take your first breath in this new life. It hasn’t always been easy, I’ll be honest, and it won’t be easy but I wouldn’t change anything. I love you mon petit ange. 🖤

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user90 CHARLES 😭😭😭😭😭

maxlecsainz I swear it’s not that I don’t want a baby it’s just men are not like Charles Leclerc

y/nmommy1 who wants to take a quick bath with a toaster?

user65 I’m on my way sis

y/ncharles82772 wait for me I’m taking a nap on a highway right now

norrizzzzz528 I know it’s the bare minimum but seeing the way Charles loves his family makes my heart so happy 😭😭😭

lewishamilton I’ve never thought there would be a day where I’d be jealous of Charles Leclerc but here we are… Jokes aside I’m so happy for you mate 🖤

Liked by charles_leclerc

user209 you’re so real Lew

landonorris when will the child see his fav uncle?

arthur_leclerc EXCUSE ME?

lorenzotl you’re so delusional

carlossainz55 Yeah. Clearly I AM already his favourite one

pierregasly you’re all so wrong @/yourusername said he’ll like me the most 💁🏻‍♂️

charles_leclerc @/pierregasly she literally never said that?

pierregasly @/charles_leclerc oh shut up you know it’s true

user42 what is going on in this comment section??? 💀

daddylec16 the way they can’t never leave Charles in peace even in his comment section 😭

maxverstappen1 Once I saw Charles crying his eyes out because Y/n sent him an audio with the baby’s heartbeat since he couldn’t make it for the ultrasound

user66 OH MY GOD!!!!!!! 😭😭

maxalonso1995 STOPPPPP GIVE US MORE MAX

charles_leclerc THAT’S NOT TRUE I was just having an allergic reaction to dust

maxverstappen1 @charles_leclerc oh c’mon Charlie

user66 CHARLIEHSJSJDJJS FUCK OFF

charles_leclerc @/maxverstappen1 it only happened ONCE

leclercfan12 every day Charles comes on this app and has to fight for his life poor baby

Tagged: yourusername

Liked by yourusername, landonorris, lorenzotl and other 2.631.966

charles_leclerc Our little boy Jules Hervé Leclerc is finally here.

I can’t even put into words how over the moon we are right now, I feel like my life just started all over again. Watching my wife give birth to my son is an experience I’ll never forget, you’re a force of nature baby I can’t thank you enough for everything you do for me.

And to my little Jules I love you more than the air I breathe I can’t way to start this new life with you ❤️

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yourusername Don’t let him fool you guys he went to sleep after I GAVE BIRTH

charles_leclerc OMFG THAT’S NOT TRUE DON’T LISTEN TO HER

yourusername hehe 😆 just kidding guys he’s the best. I love you so much Cha, Jules and I are so lucky to have you ❤️

user765 STOP THE WAY CHARLES IS CRYING IN THE FIRST PIC

user22 WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN

mclarengirllll112 JULES HERVÉ LECLERC DO YOU HEAR ME FUCKING CRYING

norrizzzzz528 WHAT IF I JUST KILLED MYSELF

user976 OUR PRINCE IS HERE EVERYBODY MOVE

daddylec16 I know I’ll find someone who loves me like Charles loves his family. I just know it

General tag list: @hngbrooks, @alexxavicry, @halstead-severide-fan, @mrspeacem1nusone, @allivzs, @omniaimy, @cursedashes, @kmc1989, @klovesreading, @firetruckstuckley, @23victoria

Charles Leclerc tag list: @softicecr3eam, @halsteadbrasil, @bwormie, @ssprayberrythings, @mynameisangeloflife

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Ask me anything 💭

[natailiatulls07]

Can you please do driver reader and she is the baby of the paddock and she gets sick and everyone is worried and looking after her including her team principal Christian

Worried Mothers Hens

Formula one grid & female!driver!reader

Summary - You get a cold/fever, and the drivers become like worried mother hens

Warning - Blacking out, crash, ibuprofen, mention of breaking your back

Reader drives for Redbull

-

- You're the youngest on the grid

- Only being 18 years old and the only female on the grid was a huge accomplishment

- Fans love you

- They think you’re the most iconic on the grid

- Your tiktok is filled with candid videos of other drivers

- Like this one time, you asked Carlos to crack your back

- Thing is he didn’t know that you had a uncooked piece of pasta between your teeth

- So when he went to crack your back, he freaked out

- The poor Spaniard thought he seriously broke your back

- “¡Dios mío!”

- “Y/n! I am so sorry! Are you okay?!”

- He kept worrying and apologised

- But when you started to laugh, he expression was concerned

- “¿Qué? ¿Estás bien?”

- “Carlos! It’s okay”

- The fans loved it!

- It was race day for the new Las Vegas Grand Prix

- And many cameras captured each driver as you all arrived separately

- But everyone noticed your pale face and sniffly nose

- Your race engineer, much like everyone else, was concerned

- “Are you sure you’re okay?"

- "Yeah I'll be fine"

- You weren't

- You crashed into turn 5

- "Y/n! Are you okay? Confirm you're okay?"

- Nothing

- You had blacked out down that straight from turn 4 to turn 5

- Luckily you're RB19 didn't cause any collision with any other car

- "That's a red flag! Red flag!"

- "Wait who? Where?" The british McLaren driver asked

- "Yeah I saw the collision, who was it Max or Y/n?" Daniel Ricciardo asked his race engineer

- But when they all found out who was in the car, their concerns for you went up like crazy

- "Is she okay? Has she responsed?"

- They were all instucted to enter the pit lane and would wait there until the race continued

- It's okay though

- You got out of the car unharmed and were told to head to medical centre in the paddock

- So thats what you did

- This did calm some nerves of the other drivers but they were all still that bit concerned as they were told they would continue the race soon

- The medical team told you to go back to your hotel and sleep this fever off

- And thats what you did

- You fell asleep straight away when you got into your hotel bed

- Only to be woken up a few hours later to a knock on the door

- "Come in" You shouted from the bed, only now noticing your scratchy throat

- Opening the door revealed Max, Carlos, Charles, Lando, Daniel and George

- (Pretend Lando didn't crash into the barrier and won)

- "Hey buddy how are you feeling?" The Australian asked as he came to sit by my feet on the bed

- "I've been better"

- Turns out after the race finished they all went to the local supermarket and made up a basket full of cold/fever remedies and all your favourite foods

- lemon cough sweets

- toffee popcorn

- ibuprofen

- etc

- For the rest of the evening, they completely babied you

- Happily watched your favourite childhood film

- Made sure the bed was comfortable for you

- Made you drink a lot of water and eat a lot of vitamin C

- And it's not like the fans missed out on this whole thing

- They all made sure to post regularly on their instagram stories

- Even agreeing to do a tiktok with you

- Overall, being the baby of the grid and being the most iconic really worked out in your favour

-

[nesiacha]

The Women of the French Revolution (and even the Napoleonic Era) and Their Absence of Activism or Involvement in Films

Warning: I am currently dealing with a significant personal issue that I’ve already discussed in this post: https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/765252498913165313/the-scars-of-a-toxic-past-are-starting-to-surface?source=share. I need to refocus on myself, get some rest, and think about what I need to do. I won’t be around on Tumblr or social media for a few days (at most, it could last a week or two, though I don’t really think it will).

But don’t worry about me—I’m not leaving Tumblr anytime soon. I just wanted to let you know so you don’t worry if you don’t see me and have seen this post.

I just wanted to finish this post, which I’d already started three-quarters of the way through.

One aspect that frustrates me in film portrayals (a significant majority, around 95%) is the way women of the Revolution or even the Napoleonic era are depicted. Generally, they are shown as either "too gentle" (if you know what I mean), merely supporting their husbands or partners in a purely romantic way. Just look at Lucile Desmoulins—she is depicted as a devoted lover in most films but passive and with little to say about politics.

Yet there’s so much to discuss regarding women during this revolutionary period. Why don’t we see mention of women's clubs in films? There were over 50 in France between 1789 and 1793. Why not mention Etta Palm d’Alders, one of the founders of the Société Patriotique et de Bienfaisance des Amies de la Vérité, who fought for the right to divorce and for girls' education? Or the cahier from the women of Les Halles, requesting that wine not be taxed in Paris?

Only once have I seen Louise Reine Audu mentioned in a film (the excellent Un peuple et son Roi), a Parisian market woman who played a leading role in the Revolution. She led the "dames des halles" and on October 5, 1789, led a procession from Paris to Versailles in this famous historical event. She was imprisoned in September 1790, amnestied a year later through the intervention of Paris mayor Pétion, and later participated in the storming of the Tuileries on August 10, 1792. Théroigne de Méricourt appears occasionally as a feminist, but her mission is often distorted. She was not a Girondin, as some claim, but a proponent of reconciliation between the Montagnards and the Girondins, believing women had a key role in this process (though she did align with Brissot on the war question). She was a hands-on revolutionary, supporting the founding of societies with Charles Gilbert-Romme and demanding the right to bear arms in her Amazon attire.

Why is there no mention in films of Pauline Léon and Claire Lacombe, two well-known women of the era? Pauline Léon was more than just a fervent supporter of Théophile Leclerc, a prominent ultra-revolutionary of the "Enragés." She was the eldest daughter of chocolatier parents, her father a philosopher whom she described as very brilliant. She was highly active in popular societies. Her mother and a neighbor joined her in protesting the king’s flight and at the Champ-de-Mars protest in July 1791, where she reportedly defended a friend against a National Guard soldier. Along with other women (and 300 signatures, including her mother’s), she petitioned for women’s rights. She participated in the August 10 uprising, attacked Dumouriez in a session of the Société fraternelle des patriotes des deux sexes, demanded the King’s execution, and called for nobles to be banned from the army at the Jacobin Club, in the name of revolutionary women. She joined her husband Leclerc in Aisne where he was stationed (see @anotherhumaninthisworld’s excellent post on Pauline Léon). Claire Lacombe was just as prominent at the time and shared her political views. She was one of those women, like Théroigne de Méricourt, who advocated taking up arms to fight the tyrant. She participated in the storming of the Tuileries in 1792 and received a civic crown, like Louise Reine Audu and Théroigne de Méricourt. She was active at the Jacobin Club before becoming secretary, then president of the Société des Citoyennes Républicaines Révolutionnaires (Society of Revolutionary Republican Women). Contrary to popular belief, there’s no evidence she co-founded this society (confirmed by historian Godineau). Lacombe demanded the trial of Marie Antoinette, stricter measures against suspects, prosecution of Girondins by the Revolutionary Tribunal, and the application of the Constitution. She also advocated for greater social rights, as expressed in the Enragés petition, which would later be adopted by the Exagérés, who were less suspicious of delegated power and saw a role beyond the revolutionary sections.

Olympe de Gouges did not call for women to bear arms; in her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen, addressed to the Queen after the royal family’s attempted escape, she demanded gender equality. She famously said, "A woman has the right to mount the scaffold; she must equally have the right to mount the rostrum," and denounced the monarchy when Louis XVI's betrayal became undeniable, although she sought clemency for him and remained a royalist. She could be both a patriot and a moderate (in the conservative sense; moderation then didn’t necessarily imply clemency but rather conservative views on certain matters).

Why Are Figures Like Manon Roland Hardly Mentioned in These Films?

In most films, Manon Roland is barely mentioned, or perhaps given a brief appearance, despite being a staunch republican from the start who worked toward the fall of the King and was more than just a supporter of her husband, Roland. She hosted a salon where political ideas were exchanged and was among those who contributed to the monarchy's downfall. Of course, she was one of those courageous women who, while brave, did not advocate for women’s rights. It’s essential to note that just because some women fought in the Revolution or displayed remarkable courage doesn’t mean they necessarily advocated for greater rights for women (even Olympe de Gouges, as I mentioned earlier, had her limits on gender equality, as she did not demand the right for women to bear arms).

Speaking of feminism, films could also spotlight Sophie de Grouchy, the wife and influence behind Condorcet, one of the few deputies (along with Charles Gilbert-Romme, Guyomar, Charlier, and others) who openly supported political and civic rights for women. Without her, many of Condorcet’s posthumous works wouldn’t have seen the light of day; she even encouraged him to write Esquilles and received several pages to publish, which she did. Like many women, she hosted a salon for political discussion, making her a true political thinker.

Then there’s Rosalie Jullien, a highly cultured woman and wife of Marc-Antoine Jullien, whose sons were fervent revolutionaries. She played an essential role during the Revolution, actively involving herself in public affairs, attending National Assembly sessions, staying informed of political debates and intrigues, and even sending her maid Marion to gather information on the streets. Rosalie’s courage is evident in her steadfastness, as she claimed she would "stay at her post" despite the upheaval, loyal to her patriotic and revolutionary ideals. Her letters offer invaluable insights into the Revolution. She often discussed public affairs with prominent revolutionaries like the Robespierre siblings and influential figures like Barère.

Lucile Desmoulins is another figure. She was not just the devoted lover often depicted in films; she was a fervent supporter of the French Revolution. From a young age, her journal reveals her anti-monarchist sentiments (no wonder she and Camille Desmoulins, who shared her ideals, were such a united couple). She favored the King’s execution without delay and wholeheartedly supported Camille in his publication, Le Vieux Cordelier. When Guillaume Brune urged Camille to tone down his criticism of the Year II government, Lucile famously responded, “Let him be, Brune. He must save his country; let him fulfill his mission.” She also corresponded with Fréron on the political situation, proving herself an indispensable ally to Camille. Lucile left a journal, providing historical evidence that counters the infantilization of revolutionary women. Sadly, we lack personal journals from figures like Éléonore Duplay, Sophie Momoro, or Claire Lacombe, which has allowed detractors to argue (incorrectly) that these women were entirely under others' influence.

Additionally, there were women who supported Marat, like his sister Albertine Marat and his "wife"Simone Evrard, without whom he might not have been as effective. They were politically active throughout their lives, regularly attending political clubs and sharing their political views. Simone Evrard, who inspired much admiration, was deeply committed to Marat’s work. Marat had promised her marriage, and she was warmly received by his family. She cared for Marat, hiding him in the cellar to protect him from La Fayette’s soldiers. At age 28, Simone played a vital role in Marat’s life, both as a partner and a moral supporter. At this time, Marat, who was 20 years her senior, faced increasing political isolation; his radical views and staunch opposition to the newly established constitutional monarchy had distanced him from many revolutionaries.

Despite the circumstances, Simone actively supported Marat, managing his publications. With an inheritance from her late half-sister Philiberte, Simone financed Marat’s newspaper in 1792, setting up a press in the Cordeliers cloister to ensure the continued publication of Marat’s revolutionary pamphlets. Although Marat also sought public funds, such as from minister Jean-Marie Roland, it was mainly Simone’s resources that sustained L’Ami du Peuple. Simone and Marat also planned to publish political works, including Chains of Slavery and a collection of Marat’s writings. After Marat’s assassination in July 1793, Simone continued these projects, becoming the guardian of his political legacy. Thanks to her support, Marat maintained his influence, continuing his revolutionary struggle and exposing the “political machination” he opposed.

Simone’s home on Rue des Cordeliers also served as an annex for Marat’s printing press. This setup combined their personal life with professional activities, incorporating security measures to protect Marat. Simone, her sister Catherine, and their doorkeeper, Marie-Barbe Aubain, collaborated in these efforts, overseeing the workspace and its protection.

On July 13, 1793, Jean-Paul Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday. Simone Evrard was present and immediately attempted to help Marat and make sure that Charlotte Corday was arrested . She provided precise details about the circumstances of the assassination, contributing significantly to the judicial file that would lead to Corday’s condemnation.

After Marat’s death, Simone was widely recognized as his companion by various revolutionaries and orators who praised her dignity, and she was introduced to the National Convention by Robespierre on August 8, 1793 when she make a speech against Theophile Leclerc,Jacques Roux, Carra, Ducos,Dulaure, Pétion... Together with Albertine Marat (who also left written speeches from this period), Simone took on the work of preserving and publishing Marat’s political writings. Her commitment to this cause led to new arrests after Robespierre's fall, exposing the continued hostility of factions opposed to Marat’s supporters, even after his death.

Moreover, Jean-Paul Marat benefited from the support of several women of the Revolution, and he would not have been as effective without them.

The Duplay sisters were much more politically active than films usually portray. Most films misleadingly present them as mere groupies (considering that their father is often incorrectly shown as a simple “yes-man” in these same, often misogynistic, films, it's no surprise the treatment of women is worse).

Élisabeth Le Bas, accompanied her husband Philippe Le Bas on a mission to Alsace, attended political sessions, and bravely resisted prison guards who urged her to marry Thermidorians, expressing her anger with great resolve. She kept her husband’s name, preserving the revolutionary legacy through her testimonies and memoirs. Similarly, Éléonore Duplay, Robespierre’s possible fiancée, voluntarily confined herself to care for her sister, suffered an arrest warrant, and endured multiple prison transfers. Despite this, they remained politically active, staying close to figures in the Babouvist movement, including Buonarroti, with whom Éléonore appeared especially close, based on references in his letters.

Henriette Le Bas, Philippe Le Bas's sister, also deserves more recognition. She remained loyal to Élisabeth and her family through difficult times, even accompanying Philippe, Saint-Just, and Élisabeth on a mission to Alsace. She was briefly engaged to Saint-Just before the engagement was quickly broken off, later marrying Claude Cattan. Together with Éléonore, she preserved Élisabeth’s belongings after her arrest. Despite her family’s misfortunes—including the detention of her father—Henriette herself was surprisingly not arrested. Could this be another coincidence when it came to the wives and sisters of revolutionaries, or perhaps I missed part of her story?

Charlotte Robespierre, too, merits more focus. She held her own political convictions, sometimes clashing with those of her brothers (perhaps often, considering her political circle was at odds with their stances). She lived independently, never marrying, and even accompanied her brother Augustin on a mission for the Convention. Tragically, she was never able to reconcile with her brothers during their lifetimes. For a long time, I believed that Charlotte’s actions—renouncing her brothers to the Thermidorians after her arrest, trying to leverage contacts to escape her predicament, accepting a pension from Bonaparte, and later a stipend under Louis XVIII—were all a matter of survival, given how difficult life was for a single woman then. I saw no shame in that (and I still don’t). The only aspect I faulted her for was embellishing reality in her memoirs, which contain some disputable claims. But I recently came across a post by @saintejustitude on Charlotte Robespierre, and honestly, it’s one of the best (and most well-informed) portrayals of her.

As for the the hébertists womens , films could cover Sophie Momoro more thoroughly, as she played the role of the Goddess of Reason in her husband’s de-Christianization campaigns, managed his workshop and printing presses in his absence accompanying Momoro on a mission on Vendée. Momoro expressed his wife's political opinion on the situation in a letter. She also drafted an appeal for assistance to the Convention in her husband’s characteristic style.

Marie Françoise Goupil, Hébert’s wife, is likewise only shown as a victim (which, of course, she was—a victim of a sham trial and an unjust execution, like Lucile Desmoulins). However, there was more to her story. Here’s an excerpt from a letter she wrote to her husband’s sister in the summer of 1792 that reveals her strong political convictions:

« You are very worried about the dangers of the fatherland. They are imminent, we cannot hide them: we are betrayed by the court, by the leaders of the armies, by a large part of the members of the assembly; many people despair; but I am far from doing so, the people are the only ones who made the revolution. It alone will support her because it alone is worthy of it. There are still incorruptible members in the assembly, who will not fear to tell it that its salvation is in their hands, then the people, so great, will still be so in their just revenge, the longer they delay in striking the more it learns to know its enemies and their number, the more, according to me, its blows will only strike with certainty and  only fall on the guilty, do not be worried about the fate of my worthy husband. He and I would be sorry if the people were enslaved to survive the liberty of their fatherland, I would be inconsolable if the child I am carrying only saw the light of day with the eyes of a slave, then I would prefer to see it perish with me ».

There is also Marie Angélique Lequesne, who played a notable role while married to Ronsin (and would go on to have an important role during the Napoleonic era, which we’ll revisit later). Here’s an excerpt from Memoirs, 1760-1820 by Jean-Balthazar de Bonardi du Ménil (to be approached with caution): “Marie-Angélique Lequesne was caught up in the measures taken against the Hébertists and imprisoned on the 1st of Germinal at the Maison d'Arrêt des Anglaises, frequently engaging with ultra-revolutionary circles both before and after Ronsin’s death, even dressing as an Amazon to congratulate the Directory on a victory.” According to Généanet (to be taken with even more caution), she may have served as a canteen worker during the campaign of 1792.

On the Babouvist side, we can mention Marie Anne Babeuf, one of Gracchus Babeuf’s closest collaborators. Marie Anne was among her husband's staunchest political supporters. She printed his newspaper for a long time, and her activism led to her two-day arrest in February 1795. When her husband was arrested while she was pregnant, she made every effort possible to secure his release and never gave up on him. She walked from Paris to Vendôme to attend his trial, witnessing the proceeding that would sentence him to death. A few months after Gracchus Babeuf’s execution, she gave birth to their last son, Caius. Félix Lepeletier became a protector of the family (and apparently, Turreau also helped, supposedly adopting Camille Babeuf—one of his very few positive acts). Marie Anne supported her children through various small jobs, including as a market vendor, while never giving up her activism and remaining as combative as ever. (There’s more to her story during the Napoleonic era as well).

We must not forget the role of active women in the insurrections of Year III, against the Assembly, which had taken a more conservative turn by then. Here’s historian Mathilde Larrère’s description of their actions: “In April and May 1795, it was these women who took to the streets, beating drums across the city, mocking law enforcement, entering shops, cafes, and homes to call for revolt. In retaliation, the Assembly decreed that women were no longer allowed to attend Assembly sessions and expelled the knitters by force. Days later, a decree banned them from attending any assemblies and from gathering in groups of more than five in the streets.”

There were also women who fought as soldiers during the French Revolution, such as Marie-Thérèse Figueur, known as “Madame Sans-Gêne.” The Fernig sisters, aged 22 and 17, threw themselves into battle against Austrian soldiers, earning a reputation for their combat prowess and later becoming aides-de-camp to Dumouriez. Other fighting women included the gunners Pélagie Dulière and Catherine Pochetat.

In the overseas departments, there was Flore Bois Gaillard, a former slave who became a leader of the “Brigands” revolt on the island of Saint Lucia during the French Revolution. This group, composed of former slaves, French revolutionaries, soldiers, and English deserters, was determined to fight against English regiments using guerrilla tactics. The group won a notable victory, the Battle of Rabot in 1795, with the assistance of Governor Victor Hugues and, according to some accounts, with support from Louis Delgrès and Pelage.

On the island of Saint-Domingue, which would later become Haiti, Cécile Fatiman became one of the notable figures at the start of the Haitian Revolution, especially during the Bois-Caiman revolt on August 14, 1791.

In short, the list of influential women is long. We could also talk about figures like Félicité Brissot, Sylvie Audouin (from the Hébertist side), Marguerite David (from the Enragés side), and more. Figures like Theresia Cabarrus, who wielded influence during the Directory (especially when Tallien was still in power), or the activities of Germaine de Staël (since it’s essential to mention all influential women of the Revolution, regardless of political alignment) are also noteworthy.

Napoleonic Era

Films could have focused more on women during this era. Instead, we always see the Bonaparte sisters (with Caroline cast as an exaggerated villain, almost like a cartoon character), or Hortense Beauharnais, who’s shown solely as a victim of Louis Bonaparte and portrayed as naïve. There is so much more to say about this time, even if it was more oppressive for women.

Germaine de Staël is barely mentioned, which is unfortunate, and Marie Anne Babeuf is even more overlooked, despite her being questioned by the Napoleonic police in 1801 and raided in 1808. She also suffered the loss of two more children: Camille Babeuf, who died by suicide in 1814, and Caius, reportedly killed by a stray bullet during the 1814 invasion of Vendôme. No mention is made of Simone Evrard and Albertine Marat, who were arrested and interrogated in 1801.

An important but lesser-known event in popular culture was the deportation and imprisonment of the Jacobins, as highlighted by Lenôtre. Here’s an excerpt: “This petition reached Paris in autumn 1804 and was filed away in the ministry's records. It didn’t reach the public, who had other amusements besides the old stories of the Nivôse deportees. It was, after all, the time when the Republic, now an Empire, was preparing to receive the Pope from Rome to crown the triumphant Caesar. Yet there were people in Paris who thought constantly about the Mahé exiles—their wives, most left without support, living in extreme poverty; mothers were the hardest hit. Even if one doesn’t sympathize with the exiles themselves, one can feel pity for these unfortunate women... They implored people in their neighborhoods and local suppliers to testify on behalf of their husbands, who were wise, upstanding, good fathers, and good spouses. In most cases, these requests came too late... After an agonizing wait, the only response they received was, ‘Nothing to be done; he is gone.’” (Les Derniers Terroristes by Gérard Lenôtre). Many women were mobilized to help the Jacobins. One police report references a woman named Madame Dufour, “wife of the deportee Dufour, residing on Rue Papillon, known for her bold statements; she’s a veritable fury, constantly visiting friends and associates, loudly proclaiming the Jacobins’ imminent success. This woman once played a role in the Babeuf conspiracy; most of their meetings were held at her home…” (Unfortunately for her, her husband had already passed away.)

On the Napoleonic “allies” side, Marie Angélique, the widow of Ronsin who later married Turreau, should be more highlighted. Turreau treated her so poorly that it even outraged Washington’s political class. She was described as intelligent, modest, generous, and curious, and according to future First Lady Dolley Madison, she charmed Washington’s political circles. She played an essential role in Dolley Madison’s political formation, contributing to her reputation as an active, politically involved First Lady. Marie Angélique eventually divorced Turreau, though he refused to fund her return to France; American friends apparently helped her.

Films could also portray Marie-Jacqueline Sophie Dupont, wife of Lazare Carnot, a devoted and loving partner who even composed music for his poems. Additionally, her ties with Joséphine de Beauharnais could be explored. They were close friends, which is evident in a heartbreaking letter Lazare Carnot wrote to Joséphine on February 6, 1813, to inform her of Sophie’s death: “Until her last moment, she held onto the gratitude Your Majesty had honored her with; in her memory, I must remind Your Majesty of the care and kindness that characterize you and are so dear to every sensitive soul.”

In films, however, when Joséphine de Beauharnais’s circle is shown, Theresia Cabarrus (who appears much more in Joséphine ou la comédie des ambitions) and the Countess of Rémusat are mentioned, but Sophie Carnot is omitted, which is a pity. Sophie Carnot knew how to uphold social etiquette well, making her an ideal figure to be integrated into such stories (after all, she was the daughter of a former royal secretary).

Among women soldiers, we had Marie-Thérèse Figueur as well as figures like Maria Schellink, who also deserves greater representation. Speaking of fighters, films could further explore the stories of women who took up arms against the illegal reinstatement of slavery. In Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, many women gave their lives, including Sanité Bélair, lieutenant of Toussaint Louverture, considered the soul of the conspiracy along with her husband, Charles Bélair (Toussaint’s nephew) and a fighter against Leclerc. Captured, sentenced to death, and executed with her husband, she showed great courage at her execution. Thomas Madiou's Histoire d’Haiti describes the final moments of the Bélair couple: “When Charles Bélair was placed in front of the squad to be shot, he calmly listened to his wife exhorting him to die bravely... (...)Sanité refused to have her eyes covered and resisted the executioner’s efforts to make her bend down. The officer in charge of the squad had to order her to be shot standing.”

Dessalines, known for leading Haiti to victory against Bonaparte, had at least three influential women in his life. He had as his mentor, role modele and fighting instructor the former slave Victoria Montou, known as Aunt Toya, whom he considered a second mother. They met while they were working as slaves. They met while both were enslaved. The second was his future wife, Marie Claire Bonheur, a sort of war nurse, as described in this post, who proved instrumental in the siege of Jacmel by persuading Dessalines to open the roads so that aid, like food and medicine, could reach the city. When independence was declared, Dessalines became emperor, and Marie Claire Bonheur, empress. When Jean-Jacques Dessalines ordered the elimination of white inhabitants in Haiti, Marie Claire Bonheur opposed him, some say even kneeling before him to save the French. Alongside others, she saved those later called the “orphans of Cap,” two girls named Hortense and Augustine Javier.

Dessalines had a legitimized illegitimate daughter, Catherine Flon, who, according to legend, sewed the country’s flag on May 18, 1803. Thus, three essential women in his life contributed greatly to his cause.

In Guadeloupe, Rosalie, also known as Solitude, fought while pregnant against the re-establishment of slavery and sacrificed her life for it, as she was hanged after giving birth. Marthe Rose Toto also rose up and was hanged a few months after Louis Delgrès’s death (if they were truly a couple, it would have added a tragic touch to their story, like that of Camille and Lucile Desmoulins, which I have discussed here).

To conclude, my aim in this post is not to elevate these revolutionary, fighting, or Napoleonic-allied women above their male counterparts but simply to give them equal recognition, which, sadly, is still far from the case (though, fortunately, this is not true here on Tumblr).

I want to thank @aedesluminis for providing such valuable information about Sophie Carnot—without her, I wouldn't have known any of this. And I also want to thank all of you, as your various posts have been really helpful in guiding my research, especially @anotherhumaninthisworld, @frevandrest, @sieclesetcieux, @saintjustitude, @enlitment ,@pleasecallmealsip ,@usergreenpixel , @orpheusmori​ ,@lamarseillasie etc. I apologize if I forgot anyone—I’m sure I have, and I'm sorry; I'm a bit exhausted. ^^

[belle-keys]

Saltburn: The Reign of British Bourgeois (Meta)

I recently had an interesting conversation with a close friend of mine who said, "I don't think Saltburn is really about class." She said she thought it was mainly about obsession, in the most individualist and interpersonal way possible. I naturally disagreed, and we argued about it for an hour. But I think the reason she didn't think it was really about class was because the film had a categorically anti-Marxist conclusion. That is, a very British conclusion. In many ways, Saltburn is a Thatcherite's wet dream. Let's discuss.

Saltburn isn’t an “Eat The Rich” narrative. It’s an “Absorb The Rich” narrative. I disagree that Saltburn is merely about an individual’s obsession with a particular guy or family. Saltburn is about the bourgeoisie’s obsession with the old English aristocracy.

Let’s establish the establishment: the modern English aristocracy whose family seats litter the shires. Saltburn aims to satirize the English Country House family drama, and then some. This is made evident when Felix informs Ollie that, whoa, the Evelyn Waugh himself based Brideshead Revisited and other works on Saltburn, on Felix’s family. The film, in my opinion, was kinda ballsy to go there and to do it so bluntly. So yeah, Saltburn wants to poke fun at the long-established English tradition of aristocratic family dramas such as Downton Abbey, Brideshead Revisited, Bridgerton, Poldark, Rebecca, etc. It’s no coincidence that the movie begins with an egregiously stereotypical sketch of Ollie struggling to fit in at Oxford, à la Charles Ryder. Felix Catton is Sebastian Flyte, and then some. And Ollie is obsessed with him, because look at him. Except… I believe Ollie’s obsession with Felix is less of an interpersonal homoerotic deranged clusterfuck than it is the bourgeois boy’s perennial fixation with the unreachable closed-door English aristocracy, the national pinnacle of inherited class and status in a nation founded on inherited class and status.

Saltburn, butler and all, is a perfect symbol of English aristocratic privilege (seconded by none other than Oxford, but the film didn’t care to explore the hierarchies present in British education and instead chose to focus on family in lieu of academia). Saltburn is grand, medieval, kitchy, isolated in the middle of whereverthefuckshire. One would think that Ollie was intending to infiltrate Saltburn to possess Felix, but I rather think he was intending to infiltrate Felix in order to possess Saltburn. To possess Saltburn is to possess the rank and place of the Catton’s in the world, to be the world. And Ollie doesn’t want to destroy the Cattons nearly as much as he wants to embody them.

I suppose Ollie’s need to absorb, to consume, to possess and to incarnate is obvious through his actions—drinking Felix’s semen in the bathtub, the period blood bit, the grave-fucking debacle. He worms his way through every aspect of the family members’ lives with the intent to become them, to suck them dry (see: “I’m a vampire”, how gothic). By the end when the Cattons are all dead, Ollie celebrates the privilege he has grasped, and in turn, the film applauds his feat rather than condemns him. Saltburn is a film that congratulates Ollie’s usurping of wealth and privilege, rooting for him from beginning to end. And the film never tries to interrogate itself and ask why Ollie is our hero. Ollie, who does not want to break the wheel as much as he wants to be in the room where it happens, even if that means destroying everyone else in his path. Ollie’s obsession, generally speaking, arises from the desire for status and rank rather than an inoccuous maniacal insanity. This is symbolized by his possession and control of Saltburn. If Saltburn were a gothic ghost story, then Ollie is our specter. And Saltburn is definitely rooting for the specter, full stop.

Britain is a nation of ranks and hierarchies, naturally averse to watering down pristine intergenerational blue blood with filthy postmodern capitalist dollars. “Stay in your place”, that is the Tory way. Even in a “modern, democratic” nation nonetheless governed by an antiquated Tory hegemony and quite opposed to both radicalism and revolution. Ollie, however, wants to be in the room where it happens in a world where only those who are born in that room ever get to enter it. It is why he faces this overwhelming yearning for Felix’s world and Saltburn’s beauty – it is, by default, off-limits to him no matter how hard he tries to reach it. In my opinion, Ollie’s fascination with Saltburn isn’t due to a homoerotic fixation on Felix. It’s due to an outsider’s bourgeois fixation on the romantic world of inherited English rank, status, and wealth. The romance of Saltburn, our need to romanticize the privileged upper class, is evident in the stunning cinematography and costuming. Farleigh is the first person in the family to notice Ollie’s insecurities and see it for what it is – he’s begging to be let in. Farleigh likewise takes the opportunity to constantly, antagonistically remind Ollie that Saltburn isn’t his world, that he will never fit in and will never be accepted as one of them: the tux will never perfectly fit. It is the tragedy of the almost-theres. So Ollie decides to just get rid of everyone in his way and prance about naked since the tux refuses to bloody fit.

It’s just so English, culturally speaking. To claw your way to the top to sit with the big boys rather than to criticize the system that bred the arduous, back-breaking, fatal climb in the first place. This is Tory meritocracy, founded on decades of policies to reduce taxes on properties such as Saltburn in Britain, to keep old peers in the Lords. Felix Catton is Sebastian Flyte is Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher who, despite brandishing her “common” background as a selling point during her political career, painstakingly perfected the Received Pronunciation of her Eton parliamentary peers and successfully died with the coveted title of Baroness added to her name. Thatcher, an Oxford scholarship kid like Ollie, who wormed her way into a title and country house and was yet forever plagued by her average, middle-class upbringing.

Ollie is obsessed with much more than a mere man. If Saltburn were a Marxist class story, truly dedicated to class critcism or subverting the English Country House drama, Ollie would have burned the whole damn place down. But Saltburn is rather a Tory class story about the insane lengths the British bouregoisie, obsessed with ascending class hierarchies and disillusioned by the lies of meritocracy, will go to possess the near-unpossessable ranks at the peak of English-textured privilege. The film is a performance in English upper-class tomfoolery and a celebration of its infiltration by the almost-theres.

And yet, the cycle perpetuates itself. Saltburn is ruled by a new lord. Nothing, really, has changed.

[chibrary]

INTERVIEW: "Ferrari, I won't stop believing in it. I see myself as world champion" (La Repubblica, 2022)

source: alessandra retico, la repubblica published: june 15th, 2022 series: f1, 2022

excerpts:

Do you envy Verstappen at all? No and I don't think he envies anything about me either. We are two different drivers, I focus on myself to be the best version of myself, I will never be someone else. I am happy with my development and will continue to evolve.

You're very tidy on the track, are you also very tidy in your private life? No, I'm messy. I reserve order and discipline for motorsport.

In the film [Lightyear], there is a kiss between two women that has already created controversy: does it surprise you? For me, homosexuality is a completely normal thing, I have gay friends, I don't understand how today there are people who don't understand that love is for everyone. F1 must lend a hand to those who don't have such a powerful voice to express difficulties in everyday life.

They have given you many names: predestined, prince, which one do you recognize yourself in? They are all positive and make me very happy, but what I like most is what my father gave me, pins à roulettes when I started racing, I was 4-5 years old, I was all small and you could only see the big helmet.

Were you never afraid? No, never, even if looking back at the accidents I tell myself I was lucky.

What did you buy with your first paycheck? A 1969 Fiat 500, off-white, convertible. The side-by-side? I didn't have too much trouble driving it. Then I went to Indonesia in Bali with my best friends.

A pinhead with wheels underneath. The yellow helmet was so big and he was so small, that his father called him pins à roulettes: "It's the image that corresponds to me and I like best about myself." Even though Dad Hervé is no longer here, Charles Leclerc still goes fast and stings the heart with the same ardor as when he was a child. He has a Ferrari to do it. "I want to become world champion , I will believe in it until it is no longer mathematically possible." Six poles in 8 grands prix but only 2 successes, now he is 3rd behind the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez. Two retirements in the last 3 races (Barcelona and Baku) due to reliability problems, in the middle his very bitter Monte Carlo: from 1st to 4th due to a mix-up of strategies. His engine is in Maranello: in Montreal he will fit a new one, to be determined if he will need a fourth turbo which would cost him a penalty.

Still optimistic? I will never give up, this has always been my mentality. I want to win, the World Cup is long. We have to understand the problems we had, they were three tough blows. Not an easy moment, but this doesn't change my motivation.

Doesn't reliability worry you? No, but a lot of attention is needed, the customer teams also had problems. But I have faith in this team and once the problems have been resolved, the pace and performance are there. I believe in it. I may be crazy, but I also believed in the two previous seasons as soon as I put the visor down, even though I could aim for a 10th place at most. This year we're really there, we just need to focus on ourselves and solve the problems as soon as possible. It's an important championship, we have a great opportunity to do well. There is too much positivity when things go well and too much negativity when they go badly. We need to find a balance.

Did you sleep after Munich? I did it, even if it hurt. But already in Baku I reset and got back in very good shape. It will be the same here in Montreal too.

How do you recover from disappointment after delusion? I know well what it means and what it feels like when you win, it's one of the few things that give me such great happiness. It's this that drives me to train every morning. This year we should have had more successes than we have for the reasons we know, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time to get back to where we want to be.

Do you need more calm or a winning mentality? Everyone has their own way of arriving at things. For me, being calm and concentration are fundamental. And when there is an excess of emotions it is important to return to your own bubble without being disturbed.

Do you have anything special about qualifying? I don't know, you can make a difference on the flying lap, because every mistake you make costs you in the end. For now it's gone well, I understand the car enough. But I'm also happy with the race which was my weak point in 2019, I worked on it and I think I improved a lot.

Compared to your partner, Sainz, you seem to have more confidence with the car. I can't speak for Carlos, this year I prepared better than in the past. Lots of simulator and in the pre-season tests I tried things that perhaps didn't make sense but I didn't want to overlook anything and be as ready as possible for the first race, there I wanted to be where I am and give it my all. It paid off. These new cars are difficult to drive and the details of going fast have changed. All the drivers have made mistakes and it's up to me to make as few as possible. I take risks, like in Imola. Even when you can't see it. I think it's the right approach and for now I'm happy.

Do you envy Verstappen at all? No and I don't think he envies anything about me either. We are two different riders, I focus on myself to be the best version of myself, I will never be someone else. I am happy with my development and will continue to evolve.

How did you miss the plane to Montreal? I went home on Monday. The flight from Nice to Paris was delayed. So I missed the connection but then I arrived safe and on time.

You're very tidy on the track, are you also very tidy in your private life? No, I'm messy. I reserve order and discipline for motorsport.

What do you write in the notebooks you read during free practice?

Everything: my feelings on the car and the things I want to try on the track. I get lots of ideas so I write them down so I don't forget them. And I write them in pen so I'm sure I'll find them again, before I used an app on the tablet which often deleted it all.

You voiced a character in the Disney Pixar film, Lightyear: The True Story of Buzz . Do you feel like a superhero? No. I feel like a normal person, even if I do a sport, I don't call it work, very special which isn't for everyone. I'm just lucky.

In the film there is a kiss between two women that has already created controversy, does it surprise you? For me homosexuality is a completely normal thing, I have gay friends, I don't understand how today there are people who don't understand that love is for everyone. F1 must lend a hand to those who don't have such a powerful voice to express difficulties in everyday life.

What are you like in everyday life? I have a routine: diet, gym, rest. Discipline is the biggest change I've made. In a year like this I want to be at 110% for 22 races. Will we get to 24? I'll be even fitter.

They have given you many names: predestined, prince, which one do you recognize yourself in? They are all positive and make me very happy, but what I like most is what my father gave me, pins à roulettes when I started racing, I was 4-5 years old, I was all small and you could only see the big helmet.

You play the piano. If F1 were a musical genre, what would it be? A very strange mix between classical and rock and roll. I think it's an exercise in adaptation between aggressiveness in qualifying and gentleness in tire management in the race. Playing helps me, I did it as a child, my brother Arthur is very good, I I started again during the pandemic by taking back the piano that was from my mother.

Don't you sing? Sometimes in the shower. Out of tune? I don't know, I just wouldn't have the courage to do it in front of someone. Poor Seagull sung in Bahrain? A joke with some of the team. I prefer to invent on the piano, it's something I share with my girlfriend Charlotte who will become an architect in two months. Like me, she is very creative.

Is creativity also useful for being a pilot? You need speed, precision, concentration. And courage. Let's take Jedda: a very fast track, close walls. There you feel the risk you're taking but you have to go and not think about it, this is what I like about this sport. I know it's dangerous, but I like to play with limits.

Were you never afraid? No, never, even if looking back at the accidents I tell myself I was lucky.

What did you buy with your first paycheck? A 1969 Fiat 500, off-white, convertible. The side-by-side? I didn't have too much trouble driving it. Then I went to Indonesia in Bali with my best friends.

You love fashion, when will your first clothing line be launched? I would like to do it in the future, it is one of my passions, I believe that fashion is a means of expressing oneself without speaking. For now I am content with wearing things that I like. My mind is busy trying to win the Championship.

Have you already booked your summer holidays? In Sardinia with my friends on my Riva boat. Then in Ibiza with the family, but I remain focused: gym and equipment within reach.

Who will you cheer for at the World Cup in Qatar? Since there is no Monaco and Italy, France.

How do you see yourself at the end of the year? World champion and that's it.

[greenofrain]

Only Murders In The Building Murder Board

I watched episode 1 last night and I can't wait for next week, so I just wanted to compile a list of people I think could have done it. I'll probably come back and reblog this when new episodes and new clues come out.

1. Bev Melon

It must be terrible to be named after a fruit.

Bev, the producer of the film, is passive aggressive to our crew and aggressive about filmmaking. Would she go so far as murder to close a film deal? My best theory is that she tried to non-lethally shoot Charles in order to convince him that New York was unsafe to get him to come to LA for the meeting. Once she found out that she actually shot Sazz, she took her to the incinerator so that nobody would know. Of all the film crew, I think she's the most likely. The brothers sisters are oddballs, but a misdirect, and the screenwriter and VPs don't strike me as suspects... Yet.

2. Howard Morris

I'll admit, I didn't really buy into the "Howard is the Mastermind" theory until this episode. But there are too many weird coincidences to ignore. How did he let himself in to Charles' apartment? Why does he text Mabel as soon as they've broken into Sazz's apartment? Why does he need a cadaver dog in the first place? Much to think about. Maybe he tried to kill Charles to usurp his place on the podcast? With all that said, I don't think it's Howard for 2 reasons. Firstly, if he's the mastermind and we know the show has five planned seasons, why reveal it in season 4? Second, he was way too helpful with Gravey to find a body that he killed. But then again, who knows? This murderer is much more aggressive and confident than the others, anything is possible.

3. Emma (Lucy's Mom) OR Lucy's New Stepdad

It's the return of a recurring character from a few seasons ago! I think that maybe in the year between seasons 2 and 3, Emma got a new boyfriend who tried to be a father to Lucy, but she liked Charles more than him. After Ben Glenroy's death, they forbid her from seeing him again because "he's too dangerous," and she protests like teenagers do or runs away, so they take matters into their own hands. This is a long shot, but it could be possible. We know the next episode is about two figures from Charles' past returning, and this is about the only thread from Charles' past that we haven't touched on in some capacity, so we might see Lucy return or Emma make an onscreen debut.

4. Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and/or Eva Longoria

Hear me out.

One or all of them wants to take over for their respective podcaster. Eugene Levy has the clearest motive, wanting to become Charles in real life after playing Brazzos in Quebec and now Charles in the movie. Zach Galifianakis is clearly the most hostile to Oliver, and that may transfer over to Charles as well. Eva Longoria described Mabel's age gap with the guys as "creepy," so maybe she's trying to get the guys out of the picture so Mabel can get her "shit ton of money and build something with it." It's a crackpot theory, but a theory none the less.

And that's what I've got for now. Please let me know what you think, I'd love to hear other people's theories!

[onlymurdersintheafterparty]

OMITB S4:E9 "Escape From Planet Klongo"

We have finally reached the penultimate episode of the season! Being so close to the finish line feels great but at the same time I'll be sad when the season is over. It's been so much fun coming up with theories and seeing everyone else freak out each week at the plot twists. It's too bad The Afterparty is canceled because I feel like it would have come back around this time of year. What We Do in the Shadows is back though so maybe I'll recap the final season 🤔 But I digress. Here are my thoughts from tonight's episode behind the cut because of the major spoilers.

Marshall is the Killer

It was so obvious from the beginning. I side eyed him when they didn't even check his alibi after he offered to show them the video of him doing live stand up and the subreddit clocked him after Glen seemingly recognized him while delivering that bread to Charles' apartment. I don't think it being predictable takes away from how great the season is or the fun because it shows that they trust the fans to solve the mystery with the information given. I was so upset at the end of season two when they revealed 14 Savage was actually 14 Sandwich and had no lead up to it whatsoever. Even though I could tell it was Marshall by the way the flashback was framed I still felt impending danger when he forced himself into the apartment and my heart was racing at the picture reveal and that he stole Sazz's script. Shoutout to everyone that guessed it because I found it believable but was still on the fence.

RIP Glen Stubbins

I said it a few weeks back but I've waited the whole series for a season where the bodies pile up. When Glen woke up I had a feeling that the killer would come back for him to finish the job and he actually did! And then on top of that we're definitely getting another murder at the wedding in the season finale. This is officially my favorite season unless they can top it with season five.

Who is the accomplice?

Now that Marshall is confirmed to be the killer I wonder who the accomplice is. On the subreddit they keep bringing up that there is another Asian character who is working on the film set that they think is connected to Marshall which would tie into the whole doubles thing if they're revealed to be twins or siblings. Would the writers throw in a wild card like that though? Perhaps Bev is the accomplice but then again that wouldn't make sense because why send Mabel to the person that would reveal the killer's identity? I know it seems like we have a million suspects but we really don't at the end of the day. The Westies are innocent, it's unlikely the actor trio is involved and as far as we know Scott Bakula is still in LA. Marshall could very well be working with at least one of the Brothers sisters though or one of the other staff on the production.

Mastermind reveal in season 5?

I can't remember who said it but someone theorized that maybe the mastermind will be behind the death at the end of the season finale and that season five will be the trio trying to figure out exactly who it is. As of now we still don't know because the Westies only admitted to the rent scheme. It would be super bold if the writers revealed the mastermind in the last few minutes and season five was not a whodunnit but a howcatchem (reverse where the crime and killer are shown up front and the story is the about the detective coming to the conclusion of who the killer is ex. Elsbeth and Poker Face). My guess is still Lester because of how long he's worked there and all the information that we've learned about him so far.

Final Thoughts

Next week is about to be wild and I cannot wait. I was annoyed with the Loretta and Oliver plotline for most of the season because it was unnecessary drama but I am excited to see them marry even if it is in the cursed Arconia. Let's just hope that we don't lose another fan favorite like Uma because I saw someone suggest her as a potential victim and I rebuke it. Also if Theo shows up as Mabel's plus one I am going to be insufferable. Delulu is the solulu so maybe if we all manifest it we'll make it happen 😂

[snifflesthemouse]

Hmm flying pasta huh? You've given us much food for thought, Mouse. It's all a bit confusing, so I have to use little but of my brain here. But let's see... HnM, and essentially the BRF, is throwing a lot of random, some true some false, stories out there to see what gets the audience engaged. Right?

Trying to list all the random pasta being thrown out lately. As in, all the random disconnected PR tangents out there. Let me know if I'm missing something ..

1. HnM are separating and their marriage is really bad (too.much chatter about this, makes me think this is not true and very much orchestrated by HnM themselves to further their joint victim narrative)

2. The car chase

3. Random awards for Meghan and her humanitarian work

4. Meghan got new agent, WME. She is going solo. My guess is WME was already engaged by Harry for zoom/lecture circuit but it was not official. This is because he has been working with Jill, Serena william's agent for sometime now. Meghan then hired WME the agency via Jill's recommendation.

5. They will not do any more interviews, podcasts, shows about the BRF.

6. Harry and his Visa issue and that court caseim the US (my guess is nothing will happen with that and that Harry already got his O1 Visa renewal this year. It's a 3 years visa that he first got in/around June 2020)

7. Harry and his very many media lawsuits in the UK.

8. Harry maybe is, maybe isn't still a counselor or state. He keeps going back to UK just when his dad is overseas. Once can be a coincidence, but twice??

9. HnM looking for houses in LA

10. HnM selling their montecito mansion. Or renting it out?

11. Harry has a spare room always on hold at a hotel in LA/SF. (Previously this same rumours came out about Meghan but turned out she was shooting for her podcast at the hotel)

12. HnM and their mystery friend whose house address they did not want to disclose in NYC. My guess is that it was Fitzpatrick the hotel guy.

13. Travlyst put a new ad out a few weeks ago. Interesting timing, and my guess is that Travelyst and the CHIMPO gig are somehow related to Harry's visa and tax status. That's why the only time we hear about Travelyst is 2020 and 2023 when his Visa was due.

14. HnM will make a royal feature film for Netflix. My guess, HnM and neyfy will work that into the promotion for The Crown S6, that's the only way HnM will make any money.

15. Charles and Camilla don't like Catherine. That's the weirdest news I have heard lately, and think it's not true at all. Mainly because Catherine is too classy to let a fued with the King and Queen be known publicly within months of their reign.

16. Harry has hired lawyers months back.

This is a very long list and I'm sure I missed some points. I'm just wondering what the purpose for PR salad is... how does it serve HnM other than just keeping them in the news cycle? Where's the money for them in this?

And how does it serve the BRF other than just putting the main players under immense (and unnecessary) scrutiny?

Hello! Thank you for this lovely, thought out and detailed message!! You definitely named a lot of the main PR Pasta stories I was discussing. From what I've read here, you have three main questions:

1. How does this serve H&M?

2. Where is the money in all of this?

3. How does the Flying Pasta Game serve the BRF aside from putting the main players under immense and unneccesary scrutiny?

Let's look at question 1:

If you strip back the sensationalism that is in the press, and you strip back the titles, money, and fame... what do Harry and Meghan really have to offer? Not much. Keeping them in the press, like you mentioned in your question, does keep them relevant. And, we'll discuss why this equates to dollars in a moment. But, think of this. If Meghan and Harry weren't in the press... all their critics would move on. They don't need fans, as they don't have a whole lot of them in truth. They need people to criticize them so they can cash in on those victim interviews. But those have run out.

If you remember, this mouse said way back in the day that eventually MM and H would run out of steam regarding the victim narrative and the BRF. You can't be a victim of someone you aren't even allowed to see. UNLESS... they can use the press to weaponize it and keep this going until something better comes along.

A lot of the time, people give narcs and cons too much credit. They think that these people go out and have detailed master plans, and most times, it is just on the fly, go with the flow kind of things. While there IS ALWAYS a general plan and direction, there isn't a step-by-step, day-by-day list of boxes to check. Most Narcs make it up as they go. And it's that way because information is always changing. One insignificant little point someone says could be something used against them later.

So, to summarize my answer for the first question... ultimately, the press not only keeps them relevant in a fast forgetting world, it also gives them a way to perpetuate the victim narrative. Most importantly, these stories give the powers that be feedback on the general public. You can't read the comments section and see if it's the right time to drop something or do something if you don't have anything written about you.

Question 2: How does that equate to money?

Well, at face value it does not. But, EVERY pap shot and leaked source story probably follows with a favor or payout. The laws in CA are strict. You cannot take the picture of a child and publish it without consent of the parents first. So if you see a picture of their children, and they aren't suing... it is because they can't sue after consent. Like Harry suing PageSix rumors.

Even when they are not getting paid with direct cash for scoops, stories, or pictures from Paps... they are using these stories to garner sympathy and empathy from people with money, planes, houses, beaches, etc. We saw proof of this recently from TB. Tom Bower said that is exactly why everyone marked them as grifters. They keep pushing woe-is-me to get handouts. They also use these stories to create relationships with people to manipulate them. An example of this is how MM used Jessica Mulroney to get into SoHo. If you can relate to someone, you can get them to trust you. If they trust you, you can get them to help you. If they will help you, you can manipulate them later on. It's how cons use emotions to manipulate.

Now to Question 3: How does this serve the BRF aside from creating unneccessary pressures (paraphrasing of course):

I am a firm believer that Daddy never cut Harry completely off. For several reasons aside from the source I have in London. I've posted their actual mortgage docs way back. The mortage, escrow, upkeep, etc... well let's just say the bank put a clause in there where they could rent the property out at any time, and they could do whatever they legally can to recoup that money for the mortgage. It even says if they fail to upkeep maintenance, they will come in and keep it up and then bill them.

While most rich and famous trusts are like that, the payments for the property alone are astronomical. Then security. Clothes. Cars. Trips. Appearances. Hair. Makeup, ETC.

It is expensive. And they haven't brought much in to set that off. So who is injecting the gap funds? IMO Daddy is paying for it all.

These stories are serving the BRF at least two-fold. Charles looks like the dad who tried everything. Wills the brother burdened with the crown he didn't ask for, and now little brother is estranged. Insert poor family member of the narcs and cons story here. The second way it serves them is because it keeps everyone focused on this drama instead of the other dramas they could be focusing on. It doesn't matter if the rumors are true... if it takes our attention away from LITERALLY ANY OTHER scandalous senationalist story regarding Andrew, or the suitcases of Cash, or the Rose rumors. Even the lizard rumors (LOL THAT IS A JOKE). Confusion is the goal here.

Another way this serves the BRF is it allows Charles to gauge the public opinion. YouGov polls aren't what they seem. Polling is very skewed. As with the Harkles, this allows for an echo chamber. This allows for Charles to see what his real options are with containment.

Charles is an expert with the Press. He has managed to turn the other woman (IMO the only woman, as he loved her but married for duty) into the Queen. When they wed in 2005, did you expect Queen Camilla? I didn't.

Charles is self-absorbed, and you can see that by how he acts in the shadows. He told his mother he cut Harry off because he wasn't a bank. But yet, there is really no proof he cut anything or anyone off. Just them hoping we all buy it. And I do not.

You do not release something as explosive as Meghan and Harry from the fishbowl unless you have a goal or you have no choice. I've said it before, and I will remind some readers...

I believe the Queen kicked Harry and Meghan out. I believe she made them leave. And I believe that Charles always had it in his mind, that if he had to do it to protect his own hide and reign. I believe he would pay for every kind of story to see how gullible we are all and how we all feel about things.

If you know the masses will forgive surrogacy but not smack-talking a dying lady in her late nineties, you can proceed differently.

Summary:

Q1: H&M use the press to get paid for leaks, pap shots, and mainly to keep themselves relevant. They curate and change themselves to fit the response

Q2: H&M benefit from always being in the news because they can use the victim narrative to manipulate and grift their targeted people. They probably already have an audience and purpose in mind with every story. Stories are the way cons use and abuse their targets

Q3: The BRF benefits from the Flying Pasta Stories because it keeps the masses focused on that trainwreck instead of other issues. They benefit from using the narrative to garner their own empathy. They benefit by seeing how the public will respond to potential decisions, too.

At the end of the day, I cannot believe that Harry and Meghan can afford everything they claim they are doing. And when I got contacted from a London source, I started to see things from a different perspective. When some of the things I was told came true, well... I started to change my whole outlook. It all boils down to data analysis. All of this provides data, and it allows them to manipulate people with the stories on both sides.

When I was in active conman mode, I would often just post stories on my social media so that my friends and family would see them. Say I knew one friend just got paid and they lost their mom to cancer... I would make up some nonsense to use that connection to pull on their heartstrings to get their money. I did it in all kinds of ways. I am ashamed of the things I used to do, and it is why I try to expose it when I see it now. This holds me to account in my own way. That's why I see things the way I do. I see what I used to do right there in the news all the time. And it's sad that it's allowed to happen. Because journalism isn't what is was before.

Thanks so much for the question, and I am deeply impressed with your list so far!!

[spideyhexx]

oh kit i watched so much of the crown just for josh and :( king charles is a bitch but the first episode he’s in made me tear up a little

fbsbcbeb I think I tried watching the crown a while ago and couldn’t really get into it

but i have like all of Josh’s films on my watchlist, haven’t gotten to most. But did watch La chimera few months ago and I still occasionally just…think about it :,)

[denimbex1986]

'...with Ripley, the writer-director Steven Zaillian does the unthinkable and unmentionable, he shoots in high contrast black and white and stretches his drama long, and some might say thinly, over a total of eight episodes. But although the series has the feel of a younger generation in terms of its directorial emphases, Zaillian is technically an old man, probably in Shakespearean terms in stage six of the seven ages of man: the lean and slipper’d pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side; yes, he is indeed 71 years young but with an impressive and substantial track record behind him: an Oscar for the screenplay of Schindler’s List and a successful collaboration with Martin Scorsese in Gangs of New York, amongst much else. This surely allowed him to basically dictate his terms to Netflix, which included engaging a genius of a lighting cameraman, Robert Elswit, who lit the masterpiece, There Will be Blood. Indeed, Ripley runs the risk of the camerawork overtaking the content and this is an ongoing near-run thing.

But just as Citizen Kane in anyone else’s hands but Orson Welles would have first and foremost been praised for its cinematography, as indeed might Charles Laughton’s only great stab at directing, The Night of the Lonely Hunter, the intense collaboration of director and cameraman in the case of Ripley pays multiple dividends, even on the smaller screen. It invokes the Italian milieu of Rome in the 60s, of La Dolce Vita, Visconti and Fellini, but not curiously the one director who experimented seriously with documentary style shooting- Roberto Rossellini. whose Rome Open City was shot in grainy black and white. Zaillian etches everything in exquisite detail, wet streets, rain falling on a terrace, pens and cigarette lighters all dance to his sombre tune. This series would look even more spectacular projected onto a large screen.

Interestingly, Zaillian’s work has split opinion right down the middle, with a rave from The New York Times and a thumbs pointed firmly earthwards from The New Statesman. Both draw comparisons with previous versions, with the latter much in favour of Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr Ripley, and being much more impressed with the colourful sun-drenched scenes than the rain soaked black and white ones.

One question worth asking of this latest effort as well as the best of the previous ones, is what on earth is the attraction of Ripley, almost always portrayed as a blank canvas, to both actors and directors? I think it is precisely for that very reason, that Ripley can be anything or anyone to whoever is contemplating him, and this metaphor of the blank canvas is cleverly taken up by Zaillian, making the subject of Ripley’s first murder, Dickie (Johnny Flynn), an amateur painter. Ripley is not Ripley in anyone and everyone, the great difference is that when he acts, he does so decisively without pity, regret or concern other than an obsession with clearing up any mess he may inadvertently leave behind. If anyone wants to learn how to lie, cheat, steal, seduce and ultimately kill, Highsmith’s novel can provide a comprehensive training manual for the uninitiated.

Most of you literature and film buffs will be familiar with the story, so I intended just to concentrate on elements of the series which seem to me to bend and occasionally break rules to considerable effect. To begin with, during the first two episodes at least nothing really happens, and that is for approaching two hours screen time. But the almost hypnotic engagement that the cinematography engenders allows us to take time with the characters as they slowly reveal more about themselves. Interestingly, Zaillian does not cast 20 or even 30-year-olds in the main parts, as imagined at least by Highsmith in her original novel. Instead, he opts for Andrew Scott (Ripley) at 47 and Dickie (Johnny Flynn) at 41. They are in fact middle-aged, but as portrayed by Scott and Flynn appear younger, but at the same time, almost ageless. This gives an additional twist to the strange ambience in which the drama takes place. Characters take much longer to frame their thoughts, to react and to initiate actions. It is as if they are somehow under water, and it is water which is the most intrusive element in this version (as opposed to sunlight in Minghella’s). Right up to the point of the first murder which occurs on top of, and within water. In Zaillian’s world, the streets are always wet and his characters frequently find themselves in baths, seas or simply the victims of relentless rain clouds.

All in all, this is very clever stuff, and not just from the director, but the writer as well. It is an object lesson in how to balance form and content and to reference parallel elements obliquely and very cleverly. Caravaggio is mentioned and his work shown to us quite frequently. Why, one wonders? Simple. Caravaggio is a painter who became a murderer; Tom Ripley is a murderer who became a painter.'

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

Fotografia di Pierre-Ange Carlotti @Phenomena Styling di Tobias Frericks Grooming di Petra Sellge Produzione di North Six

Eddie  Redmayne for GQ Italia 

Eddie Redmayne torna, di nuovo, a fare sul serio Dopo avere interpretato per la terza volta il ruolo di "Magizoologo" nel franchise di Animali fantastici, uno tra i più validi attori di Hollywood, nonché premio Oscar, è pronto ad affrontare la scena nei panni di un vero criminale

di Jason McBride

27 ottobre 2022

in English:

Last summer after playing The Good Nurse and before starting rehearsals for the Cabaret revival, winner of the Olivier Awards 2022, Eddie Redmayne back to school at the very specific and renowned academic institute  l'École Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq, more know as the Clown school, to Paris.

Redmayne took a  course in theatre of the absurd for two weeks where he spent the time to improvise and play.The course was very demanding and the instructors were extremely honest and even strict.

Redmayne’s classmates were between 18 and 60 years old and all came from professional acting background. He was the only one who won an Oscar and the only one  to have starred in a billion -dollar film franchise, he felt like an absolute amateur (dilettante). This was the point, he wanted to start all over again to get naked and try to free  himself from all the tics of acting patterns accumulated in twenty years.

We are sitting in a suite hotel in Toronto, two days after his son Luke, 4 years old, finally started attending his school  in london, redmayne is a caring  parent and he wouldn’t  miss Luke’s first day for nothing to world, but soon he had to fly  to World Premiere of The Good Nurse.

Redmayne it’s been at TIFF five times and he said is thrilled to be back as well as to have the opportunity to face this particular chat “ I’ve never released a real interview” he says “ that of talking about  a movie you really believe in, is a rather rare occasion”

In  The Good Nurse, Redmayne plays Charles Cullen a nurse who killed as many as 400 patients during the 1990s and early 2000s  murdered his victims with insulin and other drug mixes. Today he lives in New Jersey  prison where he’s serving  18 consecutive life sentences. Cullen remains the most prolific serial killer in Criminal History.

Redmayne plays him as an affable  person, dressed in the classic cardigan, a nice guy, so to speak, but sequence after sequence emerges  more devil side “

“Charlie had really two opposites personality in him” said redmayne, who know him described him as “dissociated” and when this emerged his eyes went in different  directions, “ I spent about  three days in the mirror trying to” says laughing Redmayne “ in the end thought f.....and made my version”

The Good Nurse couldn’t come at a better time in redmayne’s artistic career, he had just finish playing the third part of FB as Newton Scamander, and he longed to act on a smaller set “ It was really liberating for me” Redmayne sais” After trying my hand at so many epic and impactful films that can certainly be fun and spectacular, but they make you lose touch with the human dimension and the intimacy of the production process of a cinematographic work”

Redmayne was struck by the script, loved it, much more when he learned that he was directing by Tobias Lindholm “ He has an extraordinary moral sense” says Redmayne  and Lindholm , in turn, has found a precious ally  in Eddie.

“ I think making a movie is like  being the manager of a football team” says Tobias “ and Eddie is definitely one of those players you would want in your locker room for sure on the pitch too, but this  qualities in the locker room are second to none””

When Redmayne learned that Jessica Chaistain would play Amy he was very happy, they never worked together. “ It can be embarrassing to work with friends, a workplace is a particular space, it’s different, you can getalong when you are with your family and then you clash at work”

According to Redmayne  he and Jessica have the same approach in the way to preparing their characters. “You have to do  a detective work, as accurately as possible” said Redmayne” “ then you throw everthing away and try to act alongside someone” 

Eddie prepared himself  on Charles Graeber’s 2013 book of the same name, but also from the material he gave him, interviewa, court documents and this mean to study all the Cullen footage in circulation. The Ideal would have been to speak with him, but it was impossible. Redmayne just had a zoom with Amy, who today is a grandmother resident  in Florida. 

Before plaiyng Cullen, Redmayne hired Reynolds ( Choreographer who helped him to  capture every specific detail of Hawking’s physical deterioration) which helped analyze and then impersonate the characteristic, step and posture of the nurse. “ It was kind of a question mark” says the actor  worked alongside a  vocal coach to refine the slight New Jersey accent.

With Jessica Chastain  Eddie attented a nursing school where they spent two weeks learning how ro effortlessly insert the picc line in the vein and hang  the saline bags.” I was just a total clumsy ironic, you would never want to see me running to your rescue in a moment of crises” 

Such a thorough and obviously tiring preparation takes a long time. Not all actors do this. but in case of Redmayne its’s synonymous of seriousness  and also works like as a lifeboat or safety belt. “ Some need a short runway to take off, “ he explains, “ others need a long ramp, I must have a very long one”

In the book Graeber defines Cullen as self -deprecating and vulnerable, this description also fits stragely on Redmayne, the acotr often mentions never having attended  an acting school, and tends to describe entire career as a kind o happy accident. “ I don’t have specific plan” he says “ I’m just inprovising”

In fact, his words might even sound like a strange form of boasting.  Redmayne started, so to speak, from the top when he was only 11 years old, thanks to a small role in an Oliver production  portrayed by Jonathan Pryce and directed by Sam Mendes, Then, while still at Eton, he played Viola in a Globe anniversary production of Twelfth Night, starring and directed by Mark Rylance.  His first best-known film roles were Hawking and, a year later, transgender artist Lili Elbe in the film The Danish Girl which earned him, at the age of 30, several nominations for the most prestigious awards.  The Theory of Everything, for example, also earned him a BAFTA and a Golden Globe till to win the Oscar.  After these two films he seemed well on his way to becoming the answer of his generation of Daniel Day Lewis Ralph Fiennes

Participation in the 2016 film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has in a sense moved him away from that path. Suddenly, Eddie Redmayne found himself in the Harry Potter franchise, a high-budget production with big special effects, with big star like Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Mads Mikkelsen. What kind of preparation is needed to deal more deeply with the role of a Magizoologist? It is not possible to register for a crash course at Hogwarts. Redmayne does not express himself in these terms, of course. When he talks about the Harry Potter spin-off film series, he’s very accommodating and generous. "The moment I accepted to enter that type of universe," he says, "I knew I was ending up inside a mechanism much larger than me. He has given me so much and I have loved acting alongside some of the best and brightest actors in the world. The possibility of continuing to work with them every two years, in an industry that is nomadic and circus, has been an extraordinary experience of continuity ». An undoubted advantage on the human level he says, not necessarily at the level of acting. It has been a fun journey, but perhaps not the ideal place to continue learning. "The thing I'm sure of is that comfort and I don't get along very well," says Redmayne. "So I always try to go beyond the boundaries of my comfort zone." Fantastic Beasts has also been plagued by some controversy of an extracurricular nature: the scandalous views of J.K. Rowling on gender identity, Depp's libel case, the recent arrests of Ezra Miller and a drop in box office results. While Redmayne doesn't want to talk about all of that, the decision to focus on more intimate films like The Good Nurse is the best answer.

During our conversation , Redmayne reflected on his own creative ambiguity, his "cynicism" and "pessimism". When I ask him where this way of feeling comes from, he’s careful not to attribute it to any particular project, but he struggles to identify its true source. "Acting is a strange mix of control and freedom," he specifies, choosing his words. “When you start making a movie, you lose a bit the control . You become a cog. You can work on the script for years, but there comes a time when you have to give up on yourself and that's a complex thing, you know? At best, you do this with someone you trust and it makes you feel completely free. But it doesn't always work like that ».

If Redmayne has always worked hard, he has also, by his own admission, worked little. Now, thanks to Cabaret and The Good Nurse, he probably expects to work even less. "This year has served to make me more demanding," he says, bursting out laughing again. Unlike most artists, he doesn't really know what he'll be up to in the future. However, after finally working with a friend, he would like to do it again. Perhaps with one of his longtime British colleagues, such as Ben Whishaw and Andrew Garfield. Maybe with his Cabaret co-star Jessie Buckley. Or, dare, even in a comedy, the kind of film in which it might come in handy to have attended clown school. «I gave myself a move», he concludes, «and I rediscovered the love for my work that perhaps I had lost a bit».

https://www.gqitalia.it/show/article/eddie-redmayne-intervista

[roy-the-dork]

Die Hard December - Days 14 - 23

More Die Hard December days are under the read more with commentary, ratings, and doodles! :)

Day 14 - Richard Thornburg is awful, gotta love his determination to be the first one to break the Nakatomi Plaza story only to end up with the most garbage footage of him reporting….And of course his horrid “interview” with Lucy and John Jr….

⭐️ - 2/10 he didn’t get punched enough

Day 15 - Argyle is probably the best character in Die Hard (and you can fight me on that). I have a head canon that John and Argyle remain friends and meet every Christmas. Also Argyle deserves a djungelskog

⭐️ - 10/10 Skogs

Day 16 - More Argyle, more skogs :)

⭐️ - 11/10 I found out they sell djungelskogs in California now!!!! So Argyle and the McClanes can go get skogs!!!!

Day 17 - I only just now realized I own the same plaid shirt as John McClane

⭐️ - 8/10 solid movie watching shirt

Day 18 - Remembering that Harry Ellis is super high when he decides to be an idiot makes everything he does make so much more sense. And yet I always forget about it, despite it being 90% of his character

⭐️ - 5/10 he annoys me

Day 19 - I think Joe Takagi is the character who’s grown on me the most through watching this movie over and over? He’s witty and kind, and the more I think about it the more I realize he’s probably the bravest person in the film. I wish he got to interact with everyone more. He’s the only character who really doesn’t deserve his fate.

⭐️ - 9/10 He needs more screen time

Day 20 - The guy John talks with on the airplane who gives him the idea to take his shoes off. Been thinking about all the obscure characters with the minor/tangential interactions with the main plot. Do they realize their role in the events later? Do they get interviewed/dumped into research for books about what happened at Nakatomi Plaza? Do they have Wikipedia pages that center this extremely minor event in their lives??? Are they the Charles Allen Lechmeres and Louie Steven Witts of the Die Hard universe???? (I’m losing my mind)

⭐️ - 7/10 I can’t believe this guy has the first line in the entire movie

Day 21 - Thinking about Nakatomi Plaza after Christmas. For being the set piece of most of the movie, it almost disappears after the first movie. No one even knows what the Nakatomi Corporation does??? How did they recover from the events of the first movie? All it’s ever known as is “that thing in the building in LA,” how did the company respond, were there legal ramifications, did people quit, how did it affect the surrounding area, what did they do????

⭐️ - 5/10 I have invested too much thinking time into this fictional universe

Day 22 - Thinking about John and Hans being petty adversaries (friends) again.

⭐️ - 9/10 Friendship

Day 23 - Holly Gennero is an absolute badass and I love her

⭐️ - 12/10 Holly

Die Hard December - Days 4 - 13

I finished Die Hard December!!! :D Individual days with commentary, ratings, and doodles are under the read more line

Day 4 - Kristoff is severely underrated and I personally hope he survived getting pistol whipped in the face. Head canon that he is best friends with Theo

⭐️ - 7/10 Kristoffs

Day 5 - Fritz has Rapunzel hair, also the best blooper in the film (They’re using the elderly on us!)

⭐️ - 9/10 for the blooper alone

Day 6 - Hans and Theo are definitely dating. Like the only times Hans smiles are around Theo??? (Yeah yeah vault whatever). Also Theo’s birthday is Christmas Eve, you cannot tell me they didn’t have a party for him

⭐️ - 10/10 they are gay

Day 7 - Uli!!!!! It’s Uli!!! :DD

⭐️ - 10/10 Crunch bars

Day 8 - I think Eddie more than anyone deserves the title of cowboy. He actually has cowboy boots for goodness sake

⭐️ - 6/10 fake cowboy employees

Day 9 - Karl is so overdramatic and I love him for it. Honestly a more terrifying villain than Hans (not more competent though)

⭐️ - 9/10 dramatic head turns with equally dramatic musical stings

Day 10 - In an AU where the Die Hard villains are just petty criminals, Tony would 100% befriend John and Al. And Karl would try to kill them both for it

⭐️ - 7/10 for being a Die Hard character with a Funko Pop

Day 11 - Also in an AU where the Die Hard villains are just petty criminals (because it’s wormed its way into my brain) Hans would always call John “Mr. Cowboy” before dramatically disappearing. John thinks he’s annoying as hell

⭐️ - 10/10 I want them all to be friends

Day 12 - My guinea pig watched Die Hard with me (she’s never seen it before). She has no fear and a strange fascination with Hans Gruber. She made me pick her up so she could see him better

⭐️ - 8/10 weirdly fearless guinea pigs

Day 13 - I think Hans Gruber is very cool, but I will never understand why people think he is hot. I am in severe opposition with Die Hard TikTok about this, apparently

⭐️ - 3/10 why

[justalarryblog]

Hi, I was wondering if you have any fanfic recommendations with art in it? Like maybe one of the boys is an artist or a writer in the fanfic

Hi, love. I do have a few! I collected here all fics I have with them as artists, writers, painters and photographers. I hope you like them!

The Charles Compass Trilogy by @sadaveniren (8k) | Explicit

Louis Tomlinson is a successful writer who rents a beach house on the Cape to try and finish the final book in his successful Charles Compass trilogy.

Hint: I want to be yours by @greenblueish / bluegreenish (11k) | Mature

Thinking back to Harry’s rut, Louis shivers, needing to put effort into keeping other bodily reactions at bay.

“Are you cold?”

While Niall’s been commenting through the entire film, Harry had stayed mostly quiet, so it’s a surprise when he speaks up, eyes zeroed in on the omega.

“Uh, yeah. It’s a bit chilly, innit?”

Niall shrugs, dressed in a sleeveless t-shirt and seemingly unbothered by the room temperature. Harry doesn’t ask for an explanation though.

“You can have my hoodie, wait, here.” Before Louis can counter, Harry’s pulling the light grey piece of clothing over his head and handing it to the omega.

or, the one where Harry unconsciously starts acting like Louis’ alpha after they spend his rut together and Louis finds ways to make sure Harry’s affection doesn’t end.

All That Matters by @Centa0592 (12k) | Mature

Harry comes to NY with a bag of clothes, and lots of dreams. Tired of sleeping in Niall’s spare bedroom, Harry decides to get a job. When Harry applies for Louis’ bartender position he gets a lot more than what he bargained for after falling for vampire Louis Tomlinson.

Photograph by @UnicornSoldier (13k) | Explicit

AU where Harry is a professional photographer and Louis is a tattoo artist. They meet through a project and this is all so fluffy, you can from now on call me Flufflepuff. :P

As there is too much drama in reality, there is no drama here. Promised.

I absolutely love Louis, Harry and London and I hope you can feel that.

Well obviously this is all made up and pure fiction based on my imagination. :P

(I really don’t know what else I actually have to put here…)

Niall, who is only mentioned shortly, is a member of the LSO in this fic, which is my personal tribute to this wonderful and perfect fic LIARB by Gloria Andrews and 100percentsassy.

Thank you LolaTommo for being an inspiration with your beautiful collages!

This fic is what happens when you don’t have a lot of uni courses because you should be writing your thesis in the spare time. Guess what, I haven’t written a lot for that thesis so far…

No Bunny But You by @crinkle-eyed-boo (13k) | Explicit

“So you saw the bunnies then?” Harry clarifies, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Yeah, those were a bit of a surprise,” Liam huffs. “I mean, they definitely weren’t part of what we commissioned from him, but they’re kind of cute, right?”

Harry sputters a laugh.

“What?” Liam asks, the furrow in his brow deepening. “They are cute little bunnies!”

“Cute little bunnies that are fucking,” Harry snickers.

“What?” Liam gasps.

“Liam,” Harry says, trying to school his face into a serious expression. “Those bunnies are fucking.”

A slow Monday night behind the bar turns into something else entirely thanks to a new mural and a new customer.

What do you mean he’s coming? by @mediawhorefics / MediaWhore (15k) | General Audiences

When Harry accepted to be his sister’s Maid of Honour, despite how non-traditional of a choice he was, he didn’t think writing a speech for the wedding reception would be this hard. Now, not only does he have less than two weeks left to find something moving and inspirational to say, but Gemma just confided in him that her old childhood best friend is going to be in attendance. The one who moved to LA and they haven’t seen in fifteen years because he was too busy becoming an Academy Awards winner. But hey, no pressure. It’s just Louis Fucking Tomlinson.

Harry is screwed.

hit me with your sweet love, steal me with a kiss by @icedwaters (27k) | Explicit

Louis would like to know when his life became a huge romantic comedy, because he’s starting to get tired of being the butt of every joke. Harry’s already at the club when he, Zayn, and Liam arrive. He’s got on the tightest jeans Louis has ever seen in his life (including his own), and this flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off, the buttons mostly undone to reveal the majority of his chest and a few tattoos. Louis’ eyes are first drawn to the big butterfly inked above his abs, then to black lines drawn on his shoulders, partly hidden by the edge of his shirt. He can’t help staring, his eyes clinging to Harry’s exposed skin.

(or louis is a 22 year old photographer in his third year of uni, and harry is his 19 year old cat-loving neighbor.)

can i be him? by @amory (29k) | Mature

Louis is twenty years old and has been waiting for his soulmate and true love to come along since the day he was born. Harry is an eighteen year old youtuber who is skeptical of soulmates and the pressure of being the person someone else has been dreaming of their entire lives.

They meet at Playlist Live

heart born out of fire by @bloody_blade0 (31k) | Mature

au where louis is a sad, sad omega in hiding who hides from everyone and trusts no one. until he does.

blind from this sweet, sweet craving by @ missandrogyny (31k) | Explicit

“So, I guess we’ll go?” Louis asks later, when Harry has calmed down and eaten his weight in Chinese food. He plays with this chopsticks, spearing another piece of chicken and pops it in his mouth. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind. We could make it an adventure.”

Harry observes him, watches him seated across from him on their old living room carpet, with a container of food on his lap. He’s fidgeting, avoiding meeting Harry’s gaze–he probably knows that Harry’s mad at him for ruining the one chance they had to get out of this situation. And he’s not wrong, Harry is definitely very mad. Harry wants to strangle him and castrate him and smack him upside the head.

But he’s also Harry’s best friend, and despite everything, despite all the fuck-ups and the plot twists and everything just not playing out the way it should, he’d still rather be stuck in this situation with Louis than any of the other boys. He’s got Harry’s back, and in a weird, abstract way, he knows they’ll be able to get out of this situation, together.

Harry sighs. “We’re going,” he says resignedly, his shoulders slumping.

Oh well. There are definitely worse ways to spend the weekend than pretending to be engaged to his best friend.

(And Things Will Be) Hard At Times by @lululawrence​​ (34k) | Mature

Louis and Nathan had been talking about marriage and kids and a family for years now, but it had never felt right. If anything, the talking about it had petered out over the past while because they were busy living the lives they had settled into. It wasn’t that they didn’t think they’d ever have kids, just that they weren’t to a point where they were ready for it yet.

Well. Ready or not, it was happening.

Or the one where Louis and his boyfriend of five years unexpectedly find themselves pregnant and Harry is the paternity photographer that makes everyone think twice.

Hidden Gardens by @pinky-heaven19 (41k) | Mature Harry burst out laughing, the sound mixing with the loud chatter as more people entered the pub.

“I knew you'd say that! It's just too easy to get you riled up, isn't it?” Harry took another sip of his beer, cleaning a little foam off his upper lip

“Why do you like to piss me off so much?” Louis said, rubbing his closed eyes with the tip of his fingers. He didn't feel as angry as he looked, but apparently he had a reputation to keep.

“Believe me, the only time I did it on purpose was just now. Hey, is this going to be our dynamic forever? I come here, you snap at me for no reason at all, throw me out and I come back? It's getting pretty predictable.”

“Why do you keep coming back, exactly?” Louis said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I like your pretty face. And Niall has sick jokes. The beer is fine, too."

OR the one where Louis owns a pub and Harry is a photographer who needs his help for a project. Louis is grumpy, Harry is not. Louis has a secret. There is some pining and a lot of fluff.

Show Me Life Like I've Never Seen by @all-these-larrythings / Rearviewdreamer (42k) | Mature

Louis never expected to leave the small art studio three blocks down from his job with anything besides the painting he caught a glimpse of and simply couldn't forget.

Falling Slowly by @ LHStylinson (43k) | General Audiences

You’d be surprised how much you can have in common with someone completely different from you.

Or

Louis is a quiet and shy famous football player who has a secret obsession with fish and Harry is a photographer who talks enough for the both of them.

the impossible now by @stylinsoncity (49k) | Mature

A wish on Christmas Eve sends Louis to an alternate dimension where Harry is a member of One Direction.

baby we could be enough (i’ll make this feel like home) orphan_account (52k) | Mature

“Did you clean the table?” Harry asks Louis once Rose is done speaking, now occupied with trying to see if she can reach over and touch Harry’s hair from where she’s sat. At Louis’ nod, Harry frowns. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guests here, I could’ve dealt with it later.”

Louis just smiles easily, though, adjusting Rose on his lap so that she’s facing Harry better. She manages to tug on a loose wave of hair, and she makes a noise of triumph that both Louis and Harry smile at.

“I don’t mind,” Louis murmurs to Harry, even though he’s looking at Rose. “This one here seemed very excited to talk to you.”

And, okay. Harry can’t help but think of how domestic this feels, all of a sudden.

[harry is a photographer who’s trying to find his place. louis is a single father with a smile that feels like home.]

Hamartia by @tomlinvelvet (66k) | Explicit

“Your scent lingering on my pillow… oh Honey, If only you knew that the moment I dread most every time you leave… Is when it fades.”

Six years is a long time for Louis to mend his heart back and erase every lingering, stubborn memory of his ex-lover, Harry Styles. But when news of the war being over spreads across the world like wildfire, and he stumbles upon the alpha he vowed himself to never see ever again, he realises that not even a lifetime will be enough for him to pick up the scattered, broken parts of his soul. He’s far from expecting the alpha he loved to be struggling in the same way.

All the ointments in the world might never soothe the pain out, but it doesn’t take long for them both to come to the conclusion that, maybe, the only medicine to their heartbreaks are what caused them in the first place.

Strawberries & Cigarettes by @dimpled_halo (76k) | Explicit

Harry looks up and immediately freezes. Next to Ms. Archie stands the boy from just the other day. The boy with the leather jacket and chipped black nails, that might or might not be sketched in the very book Harry has just placed on the table in front of him. The leather jacket is missing today, probably because they aren’t allowed as part of their required uniform attire, but Harry can still see the fading black nail polish on his nails, and eyeliner around his eyes. Harry’s mouth goes a little dry. This boy is so intriguing to him.

“Ye-yes, Ms. Archie?” Harry tries to play it cool, but he’s almost positive that his cheeks are burning red, and he’s relieved neither of them can tell how fast his heart is beating in his chest.

The boy seems to also recognize Harry, because his lips curve into a knowing smirk.

“Harry is at the top of his class. He’s your best bet at getting familiar with things around here.” She explains.

Louis nods, his smirk still very prominent on his face. “Thank you Ms. Archie. I’ll be sure to take advantage of young Harold here.”

*

Summary: Two stories, eleven years, and the two boys that never stopped loving each other.

Consequences by @allwaswell16 (78k) | Explicit Two years ago Harry let his powerful family come between him and the love of his life, something he deeply regrets. Louis has tried to move on from their devastating break up. Sometimes, he even thinks he has. It only takes one moment to freeze them back in time. An amnesia au

Behavioural Ecology Series by @turtlekz (92k) | Mature

Louis Tomlinson is a primatologist working with the Jane Goodall Institute for primate conservation; and Harry Styles is the photojournalist sent from National Geographic to write a piece promoting awareness about the endangered species. They meet, and love is never, ever simple, as we know.

Featuring Eli the chimpanzee, bickering humans, storytelling, and five men who come to gain an understanding of what it means to be human; all stationed in the Republic of the Congo.

Mine Would Be You by @crinkle-eyed-boo (114k) | Explicit

Louis blinks his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering as the room swims around him. He takes several gulps of beer once he confirms that he’s definitely not hallucinating, that the very first portrait Harry Styles ever painted of him is hanging on that wall.

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache. A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn’t intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

Legacy: Charlie Cox on kissing his best friend's wife and tasting disappointment in LA.

Radio Time - 28 November 2012 (X)

The Stardust and Boardwalk Empire actor tells us all about his disastrous attempt to be a spy and the "clown tie" and sideburns he had to sport as Charles Thoroughgood

Ever since Charlie Cox's breakout role in 2007 blockbuster Stardust he's been quietly adding to his CV, chalking up roles in Downton Abbey's pilot episode and a long-running supporting part in HBO's acclaimed Boardwalk Empire. Now he's taking the lead once again in Paula Milne-penned Cold War thriller Legacy, playing trainee spy Charles Thoroughgood who is tasked with re-establishing contact with Victor (Andrew Scott) – a Russian university acquaintance – with a view to 'turn' him.

He certainly looks the part, modelling an almost comically large tie and some rather fetching sideburns. "It feels like a clown tie," he exclaims. "On the first day I said, 'This is a joke. It's not real.' I feel like I should have a squirty nose as well." As for the sideburns, he's quick to point out they're not his off-duty look. "I'm not sporting them, although [Legacy's director] Pete Travis has got massive sideburns so I couldn't really say, 'I hate these, they're ridiculous.'"

But while Cox makes light of his appearance, his role in Legacy – which sees Milne and Travis reunite for the first time since the critically-acclaimed Endgame – is heavy stuff. Once a bomb disposal expert, Charles is recruited by MI6 after his best friend is killed. "He wanted to be more involved in what is referred to as the front line of any war, be it the Cold War or the war in Belfast, and he saw a move to MI6 as the way to go about that."

The story takes a twist when Victor reveals a secret about Charles's father – a revelation that has ramifications both emotionally and professionally. "I think the family aspect to this film is a little unique because when you think about the Cold War and films documenting it, you think about what the implications were in a general sense – as a country. But the case that Charles is working on goes from being a case – exciting but formulaic – to personal, and yet he still has to do his job and treat it as impersonal."

Part of the "personal" exploration is in Charles's relationship with Anna (Romola Garai) – a fellow spy. She's married – to yet another MI6 insider – but her connection with Cox's character soon moves from professional to romantic... "It's beautiful because nothing happens and everything happens between them," explains Cox. "And you're hopefully left at the end wondering where they go from here. It's not a conventional love story – there's so much potential but at the same time so much that is preventing it.

"I've worked with Romola before and I introduced her to her husband. He's one of my best mates so before I found out she was doing Legacy, I got a text from him saying, 'Buddy, you're going to be kissing my wife.'"

But Cox's admiration for his co-stars isn't limited to Garai... "Andrew Scott happens to be one of my favourite actors of all time – I saw him on stage a few years ago and we share the same agent so I got his number and texted him saying, 'I really hope we get to work together one day'. And then literally six months later this came up. He's just extraordinary."

So, forty years on, why does Cox think TV and film audiences are still so fascinated by the Cold War? (Legacy is part of a BBC2 season focusing on the period.) "The nature of there being no actual fighting that people were really aware of is kind of intriguing. Impending doom is so much worse than when something actually happens because at least when it's happened you can rationalise it in some way and take some action. When you're waiting for something that could happen, that's really hard to deal with because your mind goes into all the different scenarios."

Would he have made a good spy? "No, I'd make a terrible spy and I discovered this because I have a friend who comes around before I start working and we go over the script and talk about things. I got a text from him saying, 'Osterburg rendezvous in Highbury fields. Third bench from the ice cream truck. Find note. Remember code. Destroy note. Follow instructions'. He’d set up some sort of spy thing.

"So I set off from my house and there were people on the bench. I went up there and said, 'I dropped something'. It was taped to the bench so they immediately looked at me like I was an absolute lunatic. Then I went to a bin and got out my lighter and lit it and the plastic that was sticking it came off and attached itself to my hand. I was trying to be really covert and there was smoke coming out!

"Eventually I met up with him and he had photos of me from the moment I left the house. I was the worst spy ever. It was so nerve-wracking – it made you think that if you were doing something like that for real it would be a real buzz. These people are living on a knife edge every single day and I think that’s quite an interesting thing to remember. Their daily life is a thrill."

Some would say the same about the cutthroat acting industry where a promising acting career can easily stutter and stagnate. Cox has tasted success, but equally struggled with a feeling of worthlessness. "I'm not very successful in LA. I don't tend to work there and I thrive on confidence and feeling like I have a valid interpretation of a character or a role.

"In London – because things happened rather quickly for me when I started – I go in and the casting directors know me, I'll often meet the director and be given time and that really helps me. In LA, I got there and they couldn't give a s**t. I was auditioned by one of the casting director's assistants and never hearing anything. It's all heat and what you've done and if there's a buzz around you."

~*~