#this movie is a loss for the human race

[moophinz]

Gripping the hand that is the awful visuals of the Minecraft movie is a crooked hand full of deeply sensitive hatred and anger. And by that I mean the unhinged, extremely verbal racism I’ve seen about the one black woman in the film.

The gaming community is not a cesspool. The gaming community and all the grifters who sink their rotting teeth in it are not doing large amounts of harm. It’s all good on Twitter in reaction to this spectacular film.

[natalievoncatte]

Lena knew her pulse was racing, but Kara was either pretending not to notice or too tired to care. They were curled together tightly under the blanket, Kara’s head resting on Lena’s chest, the pair of them curled into each other with a desperate intensity.

An outside observer would see no difference between the way that Nia was tucked and folded neatly into Brainy, his head lolling against hers as they slept on the other side of the couch. Nor would they see any discrepancy between the way Kelly and Alex were stuffed together in the armchair next to it, curled up in one another like a pair of cats tucked in against a cold night.

The outside observer would see three couples who’d begun with a game night and progressed to an unplanned movie marathon and started to crash out and fall asleep, full of wine and mirth and too tired to get home.

One couple wasn’t. One of these pairings was just friends, and the knowledge of it was like a ragged gaping hole in her chest, where something had crushed and torn through her and left a gap that would never be filled.

Lena was terrified.

Alex and Kelly were married now. Nia and Querl were getting very serious. They were going to start building lives.

Kara’s coming out had gone well. She was truly growing into herself in a way that frightened Lena as much as it warmed her heart. The Girl was growing to equal the Super, Kara becoming more and more herself even without the crutch that her suit provided. She was uninhibited, free.

In her secret heart, Lena hated it. In the end, Kara had been right, damn her. The Secret had meant something. They once had a space that was uniquely theirs, where Kara was a person only Lena knew, that not even Alex ever experienced. Yes, the Secret frequently intruded, but in those moments where it hadn’t, where their mutual pining to be normal met and they used it to build a space all their own, the real Kara came out.

That space had been shattered by their falling out but rebuilt stronger, its foundations laid the day that Kara came home from the hell outside the multiverse, the first brick laid when Kara had leaned in as Lena broke their hug and stared at Lena’s lips.

God damn me, Lena thought, why didn’t I make the move? Why didn’t I do it?

The moment was lost.

She looked down at Kara now, purring away on her chest. Kara had begun embracing her alien self, slowly stripping away all the ablative secrets that she’d layered onto herself to pass for human. Lena was delighted to discover that Kara could do that; that if she relaxed it would happen on its own. It made Lena contented and sleepy, especially when they were close in like this.

God, she was so beautiful. Lena had never laid eyes on Kara’s equal and never would, and when she walked tall and smiled and flashed her easy, invulnerable confidence, the sight of her was almost unbearable. Looking at Kara left marks on Lena’s heart the way that looking at the sun left burnt streaks in her vision.

Fear, cold and merciless, clenched in her chest. One day it would happen. Someone would succeed where James and William had failed and Mon-El had come so close. They’d snatch her away and Kara would throw herself into it with abandon and Lena would lose her.

Lena pressed her eyes shut to fight back tears. She willed herself not to mourn a loss before its time, to savor the soft weight propped on her chest and the tangy scent of Kara’s skin but she couldn’t help herself.

“Lena?” Kara whispered.

With all the guilt of a thief found red-handed, Lena froze, her mouth dry.

“What’s wrong?”

Lena glanced around the room. The others were all sleeping soundly, passed out in each others arms. Lena wondered what that was like, to sleep with the joyful comfort of assurance that they would not wake alone, that the others would stay.

“Nothing,” Lena lied.

Kara knew. In the dark, her blue eyes seemed to emit a faint light, another peculiarity of Kryptonian physiology that Lena honestly just hadn’t noticed before The Secret was revealed.

Kara turned slightly, shifted, and tucked the blanket in close, wrapped tightly round them. It was chilly in her loft and Kara was like a living furnace, warming Lena’s cold bones. When Kara slipped a hand free, her skin was fever hot on Lena’s cheek. She leaned into the touch, greedy for it.

“It’s okay,” Kara murmured. “Nobody’s gonna get you while I’m here.”

Lena smiled sadly. Kara knew about the night terrors, about her fears and how she sometimes hated the dark, because the barriers of their friendship, the walls that defined it, were so bent and strained that they’d never return to shape, even as they refused to yield.

“That’s not what I’m scared of. I’m scared of when someone gets you.”

Kara blinked.

“Sooner or later you won’t have as much time for your best friend. You’ll find someone else.”

“Why would I want someone else?” Kara said, almost too loud. “I want you.”

Oh God, that hurt so much. It made the frayed edges of that hole in her ache, at once raw and fresh and old and desiccated. She couldn’t go on like this. Why did Kara say things like that?”

“Were you going to kiss me the night we got you back?”

Kara flinched, and now she looked the thief.

They were both silent. Kara stared.

“I was scared to. We’d only just… I was afraid everything would break.”

Lena swallowed hard.

“Kara, what the hell are you waiting for?”

She blinked a few times more, a storm of emotions clouding her angelic features. She flushed, eyes wide, and was looking directly, openly at Lena’s lips.

She tasted like cherry lip balm and red wine. Kara’s kisses were like Kara herself, ardent and gentle in equal measure, the chaste softness of pressed lips smoldering with the same alien fire that burned under her lushly warm skin. Lena moaned softly, and that from little more than a soft peck on the lips.

She was an addict who’d just tasted the ambrosia of her dreams and her head was spinning. In an instant everything had changed, though Kara had barely moved. There was something new in the way Kara’s arms snaked around her. A slight shift and Kara touched her forehead to Lena’s before kissing her again, deeply this time. Lena let her eyes drift shut and savored it.

“I. Am not. Going. Anywhere.”

There was a heavy, almost oppressive silence. A sob of relief choked out of Lena and she hugged Kara fiercely, freely, joyfully free to crush herself against her unbreakable love.

“I mean,” Alex said, “you could move to the bedroom. I think we’d all prefer that.”

Lena almost jumped out of her skin. Kara let out an equally surprised yelp, as they both realized that everyone else was awake and watching them get lost in each other.

Lena cleared her throat. Kara sat up. She was beet red, and Lena was sure she was, too.

“Guys,” said Kara. “Get out.”

[devoutvesta]

A Deep Dive Into Disney’s Most Underperforming Princess

Princess Aurora can’t even be described as controversial. To most, she’s simply boring, too passive, and a continuation of the bland cycle of white princesses who wait around for magic or a prince to save them. Although no one hates her, they find her irritating at the worst, uninteresting at best. In the fifties, they must have thought the same thing. Sleeping Beauty was a commercial failure, and led to company wide annual loss. Sleeping Beauty had followed several other financial flops, such as Bambi and Alice in Wonderland, the latter costing Disney around half a million dollars. Due to her lack of popularity, Aurora may be one of the most neglected Princesses. Many cling to her out of nostalgia, or because she has a nice design, and they find it hard to defend their love for the movie. But the movie’s turbulent history and the amount of detail that went into Aurora herself is what really makes her so incredibly fascinating.

Starting with her design, Disney hired Marc Davis as the supervising animator for Aurora. He also animated Maleficent. The intention was for them to be realistic enough to be placed against the heavily detailed backgrounds of the movie. Davis had embraced this artistic direction, while many of the animators found it, and especially Aurora, laborious and tiring to work on. Both Maleficent and Aurora had to be refined and dynamic. Davis was Disney’s go-to animator for ‘pretty girls’, examples being Tinkerbell and Alice. His knowledge of anatomy and the human body brought both Aurora and Cinderella to life, two of Disney’s most visually iconic characters. Davis had also incorporated Art Nouveau and Art Deco into Aurora’s design, while the tapestry-like art style of the movie was chosen by Eyvind Earle, who was inspired by pre-Renaissance European art. The score and songs were based on Tchaikovsky’s ballet.

Aurora alone required more effort and attention to detail than any princess before her. It took Walt Disney and his team three years to choose a voice actress. They nearly scrapped the project until they discovered Mary Costa, but Disney himself avoided interacting with her in person early on in the project, fearing that she’d influence his vision of the movie.

Aurora was loosely based on her voice actress. Her appearance and her habits (such as gesturing when speaking and singing) were both incorporated into Aurora’s animation. She was also drawn to resemble both her live action model, the same one as Cinderella’s, Helene Stanley, and actress Audrey Hepburn. Davis took inspiration from Audrey Hepburn’s slender physique and elegant demeanour.

In the book Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment, author Douglas Brode referred to Aurora as “a model of modern (50’s) female glamour” and compared her to Brigitte Bardot. He also compared her gown to the work of Christian Dior.

As a character, she was described by Nerve as being “the apex of women who made no choices for themselves.” Aurora is a member of the “Golden Era” of Disney heroines, the original Princess trifecta. Her dreams are the same as those before her. But it’s possible that Aurora’s dreams of true love derived from the need for companionship outside of her three fairy godmothers.

On their website, Disney describes her as, “graceful and kind. She knows that a wonderful future awaits, if you just have the courage to dream it. Aurora enjoys using her imagination and sharing stories with her forest friends. She is also loyal in her relationships -- to her animal friends, her fairies, and her kingdom. Aurora believes in a wish and remains hopeful that she will find the adventure she is looking for.”

Walt Disney himself described Aurora as being “a very layered character/different. She’s calm, yet playful. She has a sense of humour, and she has an imagination.” We can not argue that she was considered layered through the lens of the fifties, because many critics disliked all three of the original princesses for their passive personality, or lack thereof. But from the perspective of the team working on the show, they saw much more to her.

This was the film that Walt Disney worked his hardest on, it took ten years to complete. It was also the very last Princess film he was involved in. Her ‘layers’ were very much intentional. Disney tried to do the same thing with Cinderella.

With Cinderella, they attempted to make her less passive than Snow White, and they showed this through her rebelling against her abusive stepfamily. Maurice Rapf said, "My thinking was you can't have somebody who comes in and changes everything for you. It can't be delivered for you on a platter. You've got to earn it. So in my version, the Fairy Godmother said, 'It's okay till midnight but from then on it's up to you.' I made her earn it, and what she had to do to achieve it was to rebel against her stepmother and stepsisters, to stop being a slave in her own home. So I had a scene where they're ordering her around and she throws the stuff back at them. She revolts, so they lock her up in the attic. I don't think anyone took (my idea) very seriously."

The toned down version of Cinderella, although rebellious in her own way, is still toned down. That part of her character was written out. In comparison to what she would have been, she is passive. Aurora and Cinderella are both less passive than their predecessors, but passive nonetheless. All three of them are the staple damsels in distress.

However, Mary Costa described Aurora as “very strong”, citing her urge to defy her guardians as a display of independence and an example of her strength. Aurora was raised by three women, and had never met a man in her life. Costa believed that because of this, she was ‘innately romantic’ as opposed to lonely or depressed with her sheltered life. To quote, “there was a certain part of her that maybe she didn’t realise, that was just so romantic and maybe expecting something that–she didn’t even know what.”

She believed that her being raised by three older women rather than her parents made her “a little bit older, and yet, she…had this young, outreaching spirit.” Author Douglas Brode points out that the fairies’ independent raising of Aurora mirrors “precisely that sort of women’s commune numerous feminists experimented with throughout the seventies.” Aurora living in an isolated, female-only space, with female authority, is reminiscent of the bold and liberating radical feminist movement. In her own way, as a peasant, she was independent. And that independence and autonomy was taken from her upon discovering that she was royalty and betrothed to a prince. She was leaving her home and the presumed man of her dreams behind, and not of her own free will.

Aurora had enjoyed her simple life, it had fulfilled her, even if she desired more. She had dreams of finding romantic love, which she talks about in the movie’s song ‘I Wonder’. Additionally, her close relationship with animals demonstrates her loving and kind personality. She has a whimsical imagination, and it’s scenes like the ones from Disney’s Enchanted Tales series and ‘Once Upon a Dream’, that would support Costa’s claim of her being a romantic. Where she’s changing in and out of pretty gowns with a magical wand, and giggling to herself. Or dancing happily with the forest animals, thinking about her imaginary prince. In ‘Keys to the Kingdom’, she proudly sings about wishing to make decisions with her heart.

Her independence is demonstrated on multiple occasions in Disney’s discontinued Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. Aurora graciously accepts responsibility of her kingdom while both her and Philip’s parents travel away for a business trip. All on her own, she is determined to get all of her Princess duties finished on time, the hard way. She refuses to take the easy way out, time and time again, even when she doubts herself. She works harder than even her father, who would take the easy way out by signing royal documents without reading them. Even when Meriwether gives her a magic wand to help her out, she reads and fills out every royal form diligently, and helps out all of her subjects. She manages to complete her tasks on time and throw a banquet for her family and Philip by the time they return. The lesson here is to ‘stick to it’ and to ‘persevere’. But her insistence on doing everything on her own is shown once again in A Kingdom of Kindness, where she must plan a surprise party for Philip. The three fairies attempt to help her, but she continues to tell them that she wants to do it on her own. This series was cancelled, and it is difficult to find any clips of it online. But this short-series gives us some insight into Aurora’s character.

She is assumed to be the protagonist by most, but many consider the three fairies to be the protagonists. They help move the story along, they protect Aurora, and they have distinct, in-your-face personalities. Many consider Aurora authentic, or the title character, but whether she is the protagonist or not has never been agreed upon. Her lack of role in the story has been criticized by many. But some take it as an allegory for the lack of control

The most lengthy debate surrounding Aurora has to do with how feminist her character is. She may have been an improvement from the previous princesses, but she is not regarded as a particularly feminist character.

The three original princesses, all being pale-skinned European princesses with a naive and endlessly forgiving (an unrealistic standard), sends a message to their viewers that this is what princesses should look like, how they should behave. All three classic princesses are deeply intertwined with Disney’s long history of racism and bigotry. In an attempt to amend this, Disney has released back to back live action remakes of their movies, all receiving mixed reviews. Maleficent was Sleeping Beauty’s remake, focused on a maternal relationship between Maleficent and Aurora. Many people interpreted the scene where Maleficent’s wings get cut off in her sleep as sexual assault. This inclusion made many survivors of sexual assault feel represented by the character.

From my perspective, the original Sleeping Beauty is technically a movie centred around women. A teenage girl lives with her three surrogate mothers, who end up saving her in the end from the female antagonist. Although Prince Philip’s role in the story is still a large part of what moves the plot along. It is Philip who is captured, as Maleficent knew that he would go looking for her. He courted Aurora, defeated Maleficent with the help of the three fairies, and kissed the princess awake. But he still doesn’t get as large of a role, or nearly as much screen time, as the three fairies.

In short, both the movie and the princess fascinate me. And although there is depth if you squint, a character does not need to be fleshed out to be lovable, or at least endearing. Aurora is my favourite Disney Princess, and I find the history behind her and the film to be more interesting than what meets the eye.

[justordinarygirl]

Living doll

Soft yandere!Knockout x reader

He's gorgeous and he knows it. You can't pass a guy like that up. English is not my first language, sorry.

Knockout didn't like organic life forms and he couldn't be blamed for that, more than half the population of his and a few other planets supported and understood the sentiment. There was a lot of organics in the Universe, a variety of creatures met on his way and on the way of others traveling through the vastness of space. Needless to say, they were disgusting in their own way. Spitting slime, devouring everything in their path or just chewing on something stinky and slimy. They're filthy and disrespectful. What an abomination.

So stopping on a planet full of similar creatures didn't please any of them. But maybe he was wrong about the whole negative assessment, slightly. He loved their races, he loved their media space, their hilarious reactions to everything that happened. But he loved his pet even more.

The grace was the lack of interest and questioning about his life. Is he on the spot when medical attention is needed? Good. He went on a mission and at least he didn't die? Then he's free to go. Where he was and who he was with in his free time was nobody's concern and for a while it might have touched his spark, but not now. His little secret is safe, hidden from prying eyes. First just an interest stolen for his own gain and study, then, after the loss of his partner, his comfort, and in the wake of that, addiction.

He needs to escape from his workplace, just for a little while, to hold the soft you in his manipulators. He needs to tuck himself into a human movie with your sweet voice and commentary on the silly actions of the characters. He needs your warmth pressed against his shoulder while you help polish the places he has trouble reaching. That's so sweet of you, because now no one else will come to his rescue. That's one of the many reasons to love you even more.

There are many other reasons, but they can boil down to one thing: you're not like everyone else. Anything he might find repulsive in others is simply not in the nature of your personality. He discovered this back when he was able to get you into his interior for the first time, Primus gracious, you had the good sense to take your flimsy and filthy armor off your legs, hold it in your hands the whole ride, and keep him clean! He was ready to kiss your head at this point!

Knockout loved to groom his precious pet. He had read so many articles and books on human hygiene and beauty that there was no one on Nemesis, no, on all of Cybertron, who was or would be more professional than he. The territory that had belonged to Breakdown was drearily deserted, but the comrade wouldn't mind if his place was put to good use, would he? All shelves and surfaces are now occupied with jars, sponges and bottles.

Knockout loves to take a bath with you. Technically, you're the one who washing, human cleaning products leave streaks and are ineffective on him, and the pressure of his shower is too rough for delicate human skin. So he's bathing you. His pet didn't like it at first. Оf course, he knew too little then and human boundaries. Turns out humans hide the crotch and breast plate areas too. Buying, though more like stealing, fabric for the important places calmed you down, though also after a few tries.

Knockout appreciates a perfect shine, so his pet should shine too. Forgetting all body hair, he will meticulously remove everything but your head so that nothing interferes with the shine of your skin, and then gently sit you down in warm, almost hot water. He steams your skin, rubs all the places well, twirls your figure in his palms and enjoys your appearance, chooses the smell of the gel according to his mood, does not forget the masks and his favorite part - creams.

Mech won't admit it to you, much less to anyone else, not even himself, but your damp, soft skin, into which he rubs the sweet-smelling cream in circles, seems to be driving him slightly insane, giving him glimpses of strange thoughts he doesn't want to ponder further. He just enjoys your scent, your warmth, your quiet voice, fighting the urge to just eat you up because of how adorable you are.

He doesn't want anyone to know about you. When Knockout blabbed to Starscream that he'd seen zombies in a human movie, he stopped himself a split second before talking about your funny comment. It was as if an electric shock ran through his body, and he swallowed the sudden fear.

It hit the doctor.

What will he do if others find out about you? What will they do? Will they use you? Take you away so they have someone to vent their anger on? Throw you out because he's spending too much time on you? What percentage of you are even safe? So often he'd just leave you in his compartment and go on shift, even if he'd run to you on breaks under the pretext of ‘make sure I'm as beautiful as usual at the moment', but he could have higher-ranking Decepticons coming in, they had every right to, and there you were, defenseless and so small.

***

He may be paranoid, so what? Doing a little more than necessary never hurt anyone. You're confused that the new bracelet doesn't come off in any way, looking almost like a handcuff on your arm, but that shouldn't mess with your nicely styled head. Now he can track your every move and may you not know it yourself. He's nobly arranged for you to have your own corner on his desk, behind the datapads, so you won't be throwing yourself into the optics if someone walks in. But it didn't make him feel any better.

Knockout has already had someone dear to him taken away, someone close to his spark and no one cared. He can't lose you, too. So he clings to you more and more with each sunrise, not wanting to leave the compartment, not wanting to part with you, not wanting to leave your warm organic fingers.

As he walks down the corridors, he thinks about the fact that he really would go to great lengths to keep things the way they are now. The thought of being willing to betray the Decepticon cause for the sake of your collective safety halted his stride and made him look away warily. Even if he did, he would never, ever say that to anyone.

[jonathanrogersartist]

A cold hard truth for Rise of Skywalker haters/Last Jedi lovers:

No matter what, Episode 9 was going to have to do 'something' to try and deal with what was now an extremely volatile and fractured fanbase. Lucasfilm and Disney did NOT see the backlash to TLJ coming, at least not at that scale and intensity. It was an absolute PR nightmare. The trilogy's reputation was at stake. They were going to always do some level of 'okay, let's go back to basics again and recenter this with classic Star Wars vibes' for the final film, after seeing how fans responded to TLJ.

In a world where the entire human race unanimously adored TLJ? Maybe it would have gone a bit differently. But even THEN, they also had the unexpected loss of Carrie to deal with, and that alone caused so many logistical problems for how to finish this story. No matter what, Episode 9 was going to be fighting a lot of bullshit real-life factors compromising its storytelling.

And you know what... I think the writers/director genuinely tried to make the best of the REALLY bad hand they had been dealt. They tried to make a good movie, that honored the Star Wars spirit and paid off all three trilogies, and resolved as much as they could find time for. And they tried to honor Rian's choices with TLJ while also addressing basic needs of narrative drama and how to give the characters personal problems to overcome (you know that Colin Trevorrow script that many think was better? That too was going to retcon info about Rey's backstory! That was never going to be just left-be, with TLJ as the final word on it).

One can hate how Rise of Skywalker was executed, but I think it's deplorable to accuse the people involved in making it of NOT making a genuine effort, or at worst deliberately catering to shitty people. I'm sure JJ was probably under tremendous studio pressure to do certain things plot/character/casting wise to salvage a now-deeply-unpopular trilogy, and he just had to do what he could with it.

[laughingwith-bluelips]

I finally got why I love so much the "dragons are gone" ending in the books while I hate it in the movies:

The books set the dragons free.

The movies simply sent them away.

That's basically the idea but I had a vision yesterday at 3am so I will be getting into detail below the cut.

The books have a very strong message about slavery. Some would say that it is a concept that is only important within the context of the last five or four books, but the ones that have been paying attention to the saga as a whole knows that there are things happening in the background. You know, stuff like

People eating dragons

People stealing dragons from their families so

The dragons can serve the vikings

And they're expected to obey because

People threaten to turn them into bags.

That's mostly the first book.

Dragons are constantly showed as unsatisfied with the status quo trough out the books, some more annoyed with the vikings than others. We have complete monologues from different dragons before the war is even a possibility. Sincerely, when it happens, it feels natural.

The idea of freeing the dragons is not one that comes up in the last book, not even close. The first time it is considered an option is in book 9 (I think), and, by the time being, we've already stablish lots of concepts as slavery within human beings, the dangers of a war, how this could lead to the end of all and freeing the dragons is the only option.

It is fatalist to say the least, but it's not going out of nowhere. There is a lot of worldbuilding (more on that later), but it is also the right thing to do. By the time Hiccup is presenting the option, Cowell has made us root for the dragons to be free and wild and do whatever they want, even if what they want is to hide under sea for thousands of years. Or if they don't want, or if the want to but just not in that moment, they can do it.

Oh, yes, because they leave GRADUALLY.

It is a sad ending, but still manages to get as satisfactory because, yet again, we know this happens and the books remind us this will happen eventually every time they can. “There were dragons when I was a boy” is literally the first phrase in the saga.

And then we got the movies.

The movies never followed the books. Like, not very much. The writers decided that they wanted to tell a story of a broken relationship between a father and a son while using dragons, the heroic and prophetic aspects of the books were getting on the way of that and they scrapped the idea. So, no, you can't tell me the movies actually follow the books.

However, if you're very technical, you know the Hiccup we see in the movies resembles Hiccup I, the one that stopped the war between vikings and dragons in the books, stablishing an equal relation between the two races. And this idea of the movies being a prequel can work for the second and specially the first movie, disregarding the fact that there are no prophetic or magical elements at all.

But THW exist and... Exist.

Suddenly the writers and producers decide that they want to follow the books and want to get rid of the dragons, something that is completely against the message of the other two movies.

(I am just talking about the movies, the shows-books relationship is very different and I will someday make a post ranting about it)

The movies do NOT talk about the dangers of dragons being with vikings or how the vikings mistreat the dragons or how bad is slavery or anything like that. The second movie does, yes, but the second movie also sends a message about how people benefit of being with dragons. They have their dragons and they're strong because of that friendship. Being at war with one another only brings loss and suffering for both bands while being together promises an actual future. A bright future that no one imagined before the first movie and that now they cling to.

Dragons and vikings are friends and together cand do basically anything.

That's a very strong message, you know?

And you know what? The third movie decided that such a strong and important message about friendship should leave the franchise completely.

“Free the dragons” it's a concept that doesn't fit with the movies. They're not slaved, they're not away from wildness and, most importantly, they CHOOSE to be with the vikings in the first place. They are already equals, they can do what they want and, you know, they are with the vikings because they want to.

But no, let's do a movie about letting friends go as if it could actually fit in the saga.

(I know it could actually fit but the execution was terrible).

As I said before, the movies resembles Hiccup I befriending dragons and we know how it ends. And someone who has never read the books will go and say "well, it was bound to end that way, why are you mad?” I tell you the difference right now: there's 1000 years of difference between the befriending and the parting in the book, 1000 years in wich we witness the deterioration of said friendship (from being friends and equals to being slaves). That's no what happens in the movies. The films give us 6 years and the only deterioration is within Toothless' character and how they made him a horny dog.

The dragons shouldn't have leave. This was a whim from the writers that thought that ending both stories the same way would be cool. It isn't. At all.

Long story short, it doesn't fit thematically. The movies and the books have different themes with different concepts and different characterizations of the dragons. While the books got story building and present the theme's since the beginning, the movies get it out of no where ignoring the themes in previous works.

Anyways, go read the books they're jewels and the ending isn't as shitty as thw make it look

[tokuvivor]

Due to circumstances beyond the control of any others, @violetganache42 and I are splitting duty on this week’s highlights post (Competition Night edition). She did it for the shorts and episodes, I’m doing it for An Extremely Goofy Movie.

So without further ado, here we go.

“Polar Trappers”:

We bring ‘em back alive

@puffyducks: bro where is pabo

Donald hunting a penguin, which is now illegal to do so

Not the kid!

The baby penguin’s tear becoming a massive snowball

“Need 4 Speed”:

QUACK PACK (Again!)

Disney Ducks meet The Fast and the Furious

@spamtoon: huey you guys aren't in phineas and ferb

Daisy appearance!

The idea of Comet Guy Night

@ducklooney and puffy going off about humans being in the Duckverse

Us calling Donald and the authorities to kill Rocky the Rocket Throttle

From Negaduck ass car to Ratcatcher

@writebackatya: "This is like the Family Guy of the Duckverse"

Ludwig appearance!

puffy: "where's dick dastardly"

Puffy, Missy, and I using 90s slang

Daisy seeing the triplets in the race:

RIP ethnically stereotyped racers

WriteBackAtYa: "DuckTales 2017 needed a car race episode"

Violet: "Would Huey and Launchpad be commentators?"

WriteBackAtYa: "Yes Always"

Violet: "SOLD!"

Ludwig's toy kangaroo winning the race

@tealottie: erection joke

“The Missing Links of Moorshire!”:

Webby giving Scrooge semi-permanent hearing loss

Launchpad: "This lake will be used for the swimming portion of the competition."

Huey: T_T

Violet: "Cue theme song!"

Missy betraying Della with Daisy

Tony the Tiger?!

The entire coin toss scene 🤣

Us praising Glomgold

Missy commenting how Scrooge and Glomgold can't tuck their tails for golfing

The audio glitching like CRAZY

Fluttershy and Bubbles the Kelpies

Webby: "Talking animals wearing clothes?! :D"

@fantasticenthusiasttale: "Webby…"

Violet, internally:

"Bologna. Trampoline."

THE MUSIC USED FOR THE MONTAGE!

Louie yoinking money out of Glomgold's sweater pocket

Emo Dewey

"You people are no fun."

Webby: "Not everything has to be a life lesson."

Violet:

Violet pretending to be turned to stone by the Medusa Mist (as I like to call it)

Launchpad ending the episode with a life lesson… before trying to devour golf balls

“Dog Show”:

puffy: "you know who else is an orphan"

Dreamy: "Everyone in this shit is an orphan"

The dog show people being dogs

Goofy literally begging

Pixar ball

Mickey unleashing his inner dog

An Extremely Goofy Movie

Calling out all the characters from the previous movie as they show up

The fact that Pete is celebrating his own son leaving💀

How is Goofy single?

Goofy having major rizz (this point comes up quite a bit during the movie, and for good reason)

Max’s character development from A Goofy Movie being undone

Sad Goofy☹️

HDL mention!

Bradley Uppercrust III

@kaitosduckmania: “god this shit is so pretentious LMAO”

Will: “I want this review on the back of the DVD”

Max/Roxanne vs. Max/Bradley on Tumblr

Beret Girl!

Puffy: “you know who ELSE is called tank”

Violet: “MY MOM”

Puffy: “they’re snapping at us…MENACINGLY”

Bradley having the same VA as Johnny Bravo (also, The Man with the Yellow Hat)

Max’s horrified face when he sees that he and his dad are in the same class

Bobby wearing pink panties/briefs

Hidden Mickey

Goofy’s mispronunciation of the word “trigonometry”

Puffy: “the WHAT decimal system”

Sylvia being adorable

Goofy does a Donald-esque voice

Kai: “WHAT THE FUCK GOOFY YOU CAN MAKE THAT VOICE?”

Will: “Max’s whole character is that he doesn’t want to be like Goofy but like he is so much like his father that he doesn’t even know it”

More cheese pull (pizza in the last movie, nachos in this one)

BONGO MUSIC

PJ has rizz, too

Goofy and Sylvia dancing to Shake Your Groove Thing

Papa Dog

Us dumping on the inherent cult-like nature of fraternities, sororities, and the National Honor Society

The German judge low-balling everyone

Dreamy: “Is this the olympics all again”

Puffy: “this is MY olympics”

Max shooting down Goofy in the worst way possible

Goofy’s weed/acid trip dream (plus the Goofy holler!)

More Goofy sadness

Meta humor about almost everyone wearing gloves

Missy betraying Daisy with Sylvia

CHEATING!!!!!

PJ flying off

Dreamy: “He went to visit Della”

“Mud! My only weakness!”

Will mentioning that the scene with the X crashing down was removed from the broadcast version of the movie after 9/11 (which we completely understand, because holy shit)

Also, sort of a Hindenburg reference

Goofy graduating! (And then telling Max he was getting a job at the school)

Sylvia having the same VA as Emma Glamour

Spam floating the idea of Max vs. Gosalyn for the X Games

Disco end credits!

Also, that was a goofy movie. Extremely, even.

[justanotherperson1]

Imagine the kids scrambling to handle this mess. Jack handles Prime, Raf goes for Ratchet and Miko deals with Bay. Someone needs to remind the bots that not everyone is against them.

Miko thinks the only way to get Bay's mind out of this unhealthy slump is to remind about the good side. Throughout all his adventures, he had key help from humans who still believed in him despite everything. Bay died to protect Sam who later almost dies bringing the Matrix of Leadership to bring him back.

Cade still repaired the Autobot Leader despite knowing his identity and kept faith in him. It's okay to not fully trust others but he can't group an entire race in the same category when there were humans who helped the Autobots until the end. Plus Cybertronians are in the safe boat. Both species have their good/bad sides.

Raf and Jack remind everyone that if Fowler really wasn't on their side than everyone would already be in hiding already. He may be rough at times but the agent is like Lennox. Still loyal to his companions.

A liaison doing the best he can to keep the peace despite the Autobots absolutely sucking at staying incognito. You want to prepare or be cautious? Okay but don't throw someone whose clearly still has faith and trust into the possible enemy bin.

There's also issues with the Matrix of Leadership. Both Optimus have gone through a personality change and Ratchet doesn't trust the relic one bit. Orion Pax incident already showed what Prime was like before becoming the person he is today.

It will mark any potential threat to Cybertron as a danger despite the circumstances. A onesided piece of scrap metal that cannot be trusted. Everyone has to work together or sink by the inner turmoil than just Decepticons.

I feel like Bay! Optimus would find the most wisdom from Arcee in this moment. Though Miko’s words would be kind, Arcee’s experience would be a inadvertant comfort.

After the reveal of what the humans did to his Ratchet he would retreat to the roof where Arcee would find him.

She wouldn’t scold him or try to lure him back with the others but istead, under the low light of a setting sun, they would sit and look over the world just beyond Cliffjuper’s memoral in a certain solidaridy.

They are the most alike and therefore, Arcee would be the most likley to understand him. Unlike Prime! Optimus who is the ‘figurehead’ and the ‘ideal’, I feel she would be more likley and more willing to hear Bay!. Does that exuse his actions? His brashness? What could Arcee say? She’s been where he was and is still activly trying to tame the rage she sure as the pit feels.

That’s not to say none of the others in the team don’t experience loss, but Arcee and Bay! Prime seem to deal with loss and the feeling of failure the same way.

She wouldn’t try to defend humaninty as a whole, but tell stories of Jack and how he helped her after the death of Cliffjumper, and maybe…. Just maybe, Bay! Would recall the young boy he once knew that the first human he ever talked to. Who was there when few others would stand with him.

But your last line couple of lines raises an iteresting thought.

Bay!’s matrix has been stained long before him and found a kindered spirit in a Crucader become Prime. In the very first movie he said that Cybertron was an Empire, and later we learn that he and other knights like him traveled the stars in a PRISON ship Lockdown later comindeared from him. Do you guys remember what it looked like? What was in it?

“Bone grinders, brain blinders, flesh peelers, chromazonal inverters, catatonic slug, black hole trap doors and, of course, radiation.” - Crosshairs, Age of Extinction.

What the hell is he doing with a ship like that?!

Even then, everything the Bay! Allspark touches turns into a rage-filled, blood thirsty vile creature who’s only initiative is to destroy everything around it. We see this again and again in the years we Optimus is on Earth. The more and more electronics accidently get turned into Cybertronian creatures- so then what rules does the Matrix follow when heralding and protecting such a naturally violent race? What morals would it really have.

What was he doing? Before and after the matrix?

And what was the Matrix truly instilling in him?

Do you think, in Prime! Optimus seeing himself he saw something not like him? a being who was already a conqueror before the fall of their race? Something who, in theory shared his ideas, but in action truly was brutish? A Cybertronian more like Unicron than that of Primus?

Did Bay! Optimus really change after the Matrix?

[silvermoon424]

Since you watched Evangelion, what's your opinion on Yui Ikari? Like yeah, the show and movies showed her as kind and benevolent in flashbacks and ofc she shows her mama bear instincts when Shinji is in danger. But... the later episodes and movies show that Yui might have ulterior motives when it comes the Evas and Angels. Like maybe Yui has a benevolent mask to hide her insanity...

this was sent a month ago and I didn't remember enough about Eva to articulate my thoughts, but I've actually just rewatched it so now I can answer!

I think Yui is an ultimately benevolent figure, even if her methods weren't always straightforward or even moral. The manga does a really good job of fleshing out her personality and motivations, iirc. My take on her is this:

Some supplementary materials reveal that Yui is the daughter of a high-ranking member of SEELE. She ended up working for them, so I imagine that she must have been aware of the Human Instrumentality Project for many years. Maybe she initially went along with it, but after giving birth to Shinji, she realized how important it is to embrace humanity and life as we know it, even with all its flaws.

She doesn't want humanity to be collected into one consciousness because, as the manga shows, this is a purgatory-like existence. There may be no fighting or death or sadness, but there's also no joy or excitement or actual connections to others. As such, she puts into motion a years-long plan to disrupt Instrumentality.

My impression of Yui is that she is someone who deeply loves humanity and believes we are worth preserving. That's why, at the end of the series, she- inside Eva Unit 01- decides to exile herself into deep space so that she can be an eternal monument to humanity. She alone will be proof that we existed in the vast cosmos, even once the Sun engulfs the Earth in billions of years. As she herself says, it will be a very lonely existence, but she believes it's worth it to carry on humanity's legacy.

This is the kind of anti-nihilism that Evangelion is built on. The universe may not intrinsically have meaning, so it's up to us to make that meaning. Yui's final actions and decision to act as a monument to humanity in the face of a vast, cold, uncaring cosmos also harkens back to the First Ancestral Race, the progenitors of the Seeds of Life (Adam, Lilith, and the rest of their kind). As revealed in supplementary materials, they too were faced with extinction and the eventual loss of their place in the universe, so they decided to fling a light into the future and ensure that other planets in the cosmos would develop life.

[rabbits-foot-bah]

I understand if not but could I get some alters based on the Them (good omens)? we have an adam who has been here for a long time and misses his friends a lot and we’re at a loss on what to do (if you wanna add another adam though too he wouldn’t mind!)

Hello! Sorry if these seem a bit rushed or unfinished, we're really tired today and we haven't seen the first season of Good Omens (or read the book) in a while. We hope these are accurate enough and Adam is happy to see his friends! (We wanted to include Dog but we're tired, though totally willing to make him later on once reqs are open again)

✺ ✺ ✺ ✺ ✺

Name(s): Brian, Bree, Bo, Blue

Age: 11-16 

Pronouns: He/Him, They/Them

Gender(s): Cis genderqueer boy

Sexuality: arospec straight

Species: human

Race: caucasian/white

Likes/interests: comics, bike riding, pirates, witch hunts, action movies, icecream, good ideas

Dislikes: rom-coms, his parents kissing, being forced to do what he doesn't want to, being too serious

Boundaries: don't make him do what he doesn't want to, don't yell at him, don't make him feel dumb

Fav/Associated song: Buddy Holly - Weezer

Sign-off: -⚽🍦

Faceclaim: 

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Name(s): Wensleydale, Jeremy, Wendy, Wen

Age: 11-16

Pronouns: He/Him

Gender(s): cisgender boy 

Sexuality: unlabeled

Species: Human

Race: Caucasian/White

Likes/Interests: reading, studying, learning history and english, playing pretend

Dislikes: being insulted, getting bad characters in play pretend, being tricked or scared

Boundaries: don't make fun of his interests, don't make stupid arguments to him

Fav/Associated song: Touch-Tone Telephone - Lemon Demon

Sign-off: -🗺🔍

Faceclaim: 

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Name(s): Pepper, Pippin, Peregrine, Mooney

Age: 11-16

Pronouns: She/Her, They/Them

Gender(s): demigirl 

Sexuality: biromantic asexual

Species: Human

Race: Black

Likes/interests: gender theory; climate change, witch trials history

Dislikes: gender stereotypes, assumptions, people with no nuance, being scared, being ordered around, being treated unequally

Boundaries: listen to her, don't play off her feelings, don't make her angry

Fav/Associated song: Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill

Sign-off: -🌼🗡

Faceclaim: 

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Made by: mods 🖖🏽/🎡

[meilas]

Socks’ Star Trek must-watch list

Socks’ list of must-watch Trek episodes

OG Trek

Welcome to the NCC-1701 starship, known as the Enterprise. The captain and crew follow rules when the plot says so, the captain is often on away missions with his top-ranked crew members leaving some unqualified guy in charge, and the captain gets to snog a lot of ladies. Like, a lot. Seriously. This series features lots of questionable fashion choices, including men’s heeled boots and miniskirts. 

Space Seed - our introduction to Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalban. Khan is the villain of the second Trek movie Wrath of Khan which is why this episode is on the list.

Taste of Armageddon - Do you remember the game Battleship? Two planets wage a war against each other. There is staggering loss of life, but no destruction. The Lottery in Space.

Mirror, Mirror - obligatory parallel universe episode! This parallel universe shows up later in Deep Space Nine which is why it is on this list.

Trouble With Tribbles - Clue in Space. Just a fun episode. Also shows up in Deep Space Nine!

A Piece of the Action - another fun episode. And the reason I don’t know if the proper expression is concrete galoshes or cement overshoes.

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield - two individuals who are the very last members of their races who were at war are still trying to kill each other. This episode was about racism and it is not subtle about it at all.

Next Generation

Welcome to the NCC-1701D, also known as the Enterprise! Not the Enterprise from the original series, but a younger, more advanced starship that is the successor to the Enterprise name. And since the Enterprise and trouble go so well together, the crew of this Enterprise find lots of adventures to keep them busy as they explore strange new worlds and seek out new civilisations.

Encounter at Farpoint - The very first episode. Not great, but it also serves as an introduction to Q, who will show up several times throughout the series. So that I don’t fill up this whole post, just go ahead and watch every Q episode (which will 99% of the time have Q in the title.)

Measure of a Man - Data is put on trial to determine if he is property or his own person, and Riker is forced to testify against him for plot reasons. This episode explores individuality and friendship.

Q Who - I said I wouldn’t fill this up and I won’t, but this episode is special because it introduces the Borg. There’s also a great moment between Picard and Q toward the end.

The Survivors - An elderly couple are the last survivors on a planet. Hard to explain why I like this episode without giving away the whole plot.

Sarek - This episode can be pretty sad as it deals with dementia and what it can do to people.

Menage a Troi - Any episode with Deanna’s mother, Lwaxana, is always a funny one. (Except the one that is sad, more on that later.) This episode is excellent because we get to hear Sir Patrick Stewart recite Shakespeare in the most over-the-top delivery possible.

Best of Both Worlds, parts one and two - THE CLIFFHANGER TO END ALL CLIFFHANGERS HOLY SHIT THIS EPISODE HAS ALL THE DRAMA

Family - A follow-up to Best of Both Worlds. Deals with family that is gone, family that can be A Bit Much, and family that is estranged.

Suddenly Human - This episode is similar to the Deep Space Nine episode Cardassians: a boy who has been adopted by others is discovered and found to have living family who want him back. Which family is the child supposed to stay with?

Darmok - An episode all about language and how ideas are communicated. Yes it has some flaws, but overall it is interesting from a linguistic point of view. By the end of the episode, you will understand how darmok=memes and inside jokes.

The First Duty - A good Wesley episode. This explores truth, loyalty, and doing what is right.

I, Borg - The Enterprise rescues a Borg teenager, who begins to develop individuality. He is named Hugh. Hugh is adorable.

The Inner Light - THIS IS THE BEST EPISODE EVER. IF THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING ON THIS LIST THAT SOUNDS INTERESTING PLEASE AT LEAST WATCH THIS.

Rascals - Picard and a few other randos (no seriously why is this bunch of people even on a shuttle together?) experience a transporter malfunction and are beamed aboard the Enterprise, except they materialise as pre-teen children! This episode is just pure fun. Contains: bby!Picard throwing a tantrum, and bby!Guinan jumping on the bed.

*Frame of Mind - This is a pretty heavy episode that deals with hallucinations. Riker is supposed to be performing in a play, but suddenly he’s in an alien mental institution and accused of murder. Riker repeatedly flashes between being on the Enterprise and being in the institution and he increasingly cannot tell which is real.

*Technically, this episode does not contain gaslighting even though it will seem like it. Please make sure you are in a good place if you decide to watch this episode.

**Dark Page - Lwaxana Troi is back! But something is up with her.

**I can’t explain why this is a serious episode without giving it away, so here it is: this episode deals with child death.

Deep Space Nine

By far my absolute favourite series, and the only one I have seen every episode of. Deep Space Nine is about a Cardassian space station that is now occupied by joint Federation and Bajoran forces. Deep Space Nine just so happens to be situated right by a stable wormhole that goes to another quadrant of space that would take years and years and years to travel to by starship alone. Naturally, everyone wants to be in control of the wormhole. The closest planet, Bajor, was until recently occupied by Cardassians. (Think of Cardassians as Space Russians.) The Bajorans are deeply spiritual people (literally every fucking Bajoran subscribes to the same religion) and they believe that their gods reside in the wormhole. (THEY ARE WORMHOLE ALIENS FFS AND THEY DON’T CARE ONE BIT ABOUT BAJOR OR CARDASSIA OR THE FEDERATION.) Because this series is set on a space station that does not go anywhere, we get to see that actions have consequences. If Next Generation was the fuck around series, this one is the find out series.

Emissary - A two-parter and our introduction to Deep Space Nine and the majority of the major characters in this show. 

Past Prologue - This episode is important because we meet Garak, a tailor and the only Cardassian still living on the station. What could he possibly be doing here?

Duet - A Cardassian arrives at the station, as they often do, but this one seems to be hiding something. This explores topics of colonialism, genocide, terrorism, and how complicated people really are. This was one of the episodes that made me watch the entirety of DS9. (The other was Take Me Out to the Holosuite.)

Cardassians - Another Garak episode. This one has a similar plot to the Next Generation episode Suddenly Human. Garak and Bashir discover a Cardassian boy is the adopted son of a Bajoran man. But since Bajorans and Cardassians kind of hate each other because Cardassions tried to colonize Bajor, there is a concern that the Cardassian boy is being abused by his adopted father. To make matters worse, Gul Dukat gets involved. (Gul Dukat is played by a native Wisconsinite!)

Shadowplay - Kind of similar to the Next Generation episode Survivors.

The Wire - Garak episode! This episode deals with the topic of addiction and friendship.

Second Skin - Kira might actually be an undercover Cardassian agent?!?

Crossover - Welcome back to the mirror universe, which we haven't seen since the OG series. Here we find out what happened after Kirk left that universe. Told you this was the 'find out' series.

Fascination - A fun Lwaxana episode

Past Tense, parts one and two - Time travel episode! This episode takes place August 30-September 1, 2024. The Bell Riots occurred in San Francisco, and were a turning point in earth history. These are pretty heavy episodes, and they deal with things that still resonate today: poverty, racism, classism, homelessness.

The Visitor - Similar vibes to The Inner Light. Sisko jumps through time at increasing intervals. Meanwhile, Jake lives his life with his father literally popping into existance for a short time only. Jake is older every time. Sisko is not.

Trials and Tribble-ations - The 'find out' episode to OG Trek's Trouble With Tribbles. This is just a really cool episode that blends footage from OG Trek with DS9.

Things Past - An interesting episode where some of the crew wake up in the bodies of people living on the station during the Cardassian occupation.

Ties of Blood and Water - Kira's Cardassian "father" (the guy from Second Skin) arrives on the station.

In the Cards - Jake and Nog do increasingly weird tasks in their quest to obtain a baseball card for Jake's father. Oh and that bitch Kai Winn is there too.

Statistical Probabilities - This episode introduces the Jack Pack! They're a bunch of genetically altered humans, just like Bashir! Oh, and they are extremely neurodivergent and would probably be tons of fun to hang out with.

Far Beyond the Stars - The crew, but what if they were science fiction writers in the 50s? Deals with the topic of racism.

In the Pale Moonlight - How far is Sisko willing to go to get the Romulans to join the war against the Dominion?

Take Me Out to the Holosuite - One of DS9's obligatory holosuite episodes. A Vulcan that Sisko knows shows up and in a very un-Vulcan-like manner boasts to Sisko that he and his crew are superior beings who have been trying Sisko's favorite sport and just absolutely crushing it. Sisko challenges him to a baseball game. The only problem is that most of his crew are not human and have never played baseball before.

Chrysalis - Have you ever read Flowers for Algernon? The Jack Pack returns.

[dannyreviews]

Ordinary People (1980)

Yesterday, news came out that Hollywood legend Donald Sutherland had passed away. In a career lasting 60 years, he played a myriad of roles, leading and supporting, comedic and dramatic and everything else in between. Out of the wide breadth of his filmography, his best performance came from Robert Redford's Oscar winning masterpiece "Ordinary People", probably one of the best tearjerkers since the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The plot revolves around the Jarretts, an upper class family living in the Chicago suburbs. They seem like the normal family next door, but are marred by a family tragedy, the death of the eldest son Buck. Mom Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) copes by acting as the dutiful housewife to her attorney husband Calvin (Sutherland) and their surviving son Conrad (Timothy Hutton). When Conrad is released from a mental hospital due to a suicide attempt, he is referred to psychologist Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch). It is through subsequent therapy sessions that Conrad opens up about the demons that plague his family in the aftermath of Buck's death, such as blame that he puts on himself for the tragedy, how his mother favored Buck over himself and his father's unwavering love and attempt to keep the family together. Over a one year period, the Jarrett family is pushed to the breaking point and their lives are irrevocably changed.

"Ordinary People" is a rarity as it treats its characters like human beings and doesn't trivialize their plights. The dialogues, the fighting and the tears are all realistic, almost to the highest degree. Redford, in his directorial debut, puts together a top notch ensemble that not only play these roles, but live and breathe the trials and tribulations of a grieving family. At times, when it's just the three main characters on screen, the drama is at its rawest the tension is as sharp as a knife. This isn't a Lifetime Movie of the Week, or an After School Special, where you can predict the next line in some paint-by-numbers scenario. It isn't even like a Douglas Sirk melodrama where the performances are too theatrical in nature. "Ordinary People" is a whole different drama that removes itself from the sugar-coated cliche factory and makes the tragedy of losing a child relatable.

As stated before, the ensemble of "Ordinary People" is at the highest level of acting. Mary Tyler Moore as Beth runs the gamut of emotions that make you both hate and empathize with her at the same time. To see this actress, best known for her comedic performances on television, transform into a character without a funny characteristic in her body goes far and beyond ones versatility. Timothy Hutton, in his Academy Award winning performance, portrays Conrad not as a pathetically over-emotional mess, but level-headed in the face of strife. There are moments of calm where he rolls with the punches, and then there are the gut-punching scenes where the loss of his brother is still fresh in his mind. Judd Hirsch's provides the perfect balance as the stern but caring psychiatrist who gradually unravels the root of Conrad's issues. And then there is Donald Sutherland, in the role of his career, as the almost too controlled Calvin, whose vulnerability slowly seeps out and culminates in a heartbreaking monologue that puts everything in perspective.

"Ordinary People" won Best Picture in a contentious race with Scorsese's "Raging Bull", Michael Apted's "Coal Miner's Daughter" and David Lynch's "The Elephant Man", but nonetheless a well deserved honor. Timothy Hutton won Best Supporting Actor in an indisputably amazing performance that is still talked about positively to this day. Robert Redford's win for Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay round out the film's 4 Oscar wins. Unfortunately, Mary Tyler Moore was nominated in the wrong year for Best Actress because Sissy Spacek's performance as Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter" was too great to beat and sadly, Donald Sutherland would never get an acting nomination in his career, and was robbed of a nomination for Best Actor. "Ordinary People" is the kind of film that once its over, you feel the impact of its characters for hours on end and that is a credit to the 4 main actors. The only other films to rival this in a non-melodramatic, and realistic intensity is Mike Leigh's "Secrets and Lies", and Michael Haneke's "Amour". As far as I'm concerned, drama has yet to reach heights like these masterpieces.

10/10

[liliesonpandora]

Her Nightmare: Where he goes when he is not here

This story takes place soon after the events of the first movie. Neytiri dreams that Jake’s consciousness has once again returned to his human body. When she wakes, Jake comforts her and they share loving words after a discussion of acceptance and guilt.

Neytiri opened her eyes to the stars in the night sky and the sounds of the forest around her. It seemed like she had gotten only a few hours of sleep, which was normal for her these days.

It had only been a few weeks since the great battle with the sky people. They had been sent back to Earth and the war was now over… but the damage remained.

Although the Omatikaya were resilient, the losses were forever ingrained in the hearts of The People. Neytiri often had nightmares; losing her father over and over again and losing her home. As a result, restful sleep had been scarce.

Neytiri had woken in Jake’s embrace, with her head laying on his chest. Despite the distress that plagued her, she was mostly comforted by his presence.

Sometimes she thought about how things would have been different if she had chosen another path. But it was difficult for her to imagine a life without him now. They were a pair for life, hearts beating as one.

She sat up and stared at him with loving eyes while he slept. Although she wanted to let him to rest for as long as he could, she remembered that he instructed her to wake him whenever she felt restless during the night.

“Jake?” She put a hand to his cheek but he did not stir.

“My love, wake up.” She shook his shoulder gently, but he continued to sleep.

The comfort left her body immediately, and panic began to set in. She shook his arm with more force hoping to jolt him awake, but this too was unsuccessful.

“No, no, please” she pleaded as tears welled up in her eyes. ‘He has left this body,’ she thought. ‘How can this be?’

“Jake!” She shook him hard but his arms fell to his sides, motionless.

Impulsively, she balled her hands into fists and hit him on the chest repeatedly… feeling every emotion coming to the surface.

“You can’t leave me, please!” She rested her head on his chest and began to sob. She had tired herself out with her useless efforts to wake him. Neytiri knew where he would go and why, but it always hurt her the same every time. This time was different though, he was supposed to be all hers. He had chosen this life with her, so why wasn’t he here? She felt completely alone.

Just then, Neytiri’s eyes sprang open and her breathing was heavy. She wiped a tear at the corner of her eye and took in her surroundings. She noticed that she was laying next to Jake, his chest gently rising and falling. She quickly processed that she was having a nightmare and relief flooded over her.

‘None of it was real,’ she thought. Her heart was racing and she could not slow it down. She began to feel overwhelmed with emotion and tears immediately ran down her face. She tried to suppress any noise by covering her mouth with her hand, but she failed. Jake jolted awake at the sound of her cries and his eyes settled on her figure in the moonlight.

He scooted next to her and put one hand around her shoulder. He noticed her heavy breathing and put his other hand over her heart. “Baby, what’s wrong? Did you have another nightmare?”

She looked to him and nodded with her hand still over her mouth. As he removed her hand and pulled her into a hug, she broke down.

He guided her head to his shoulder and rubbed her back while she cried. “Shhh it’s okay, I’m here. It wasn’t real.” Jake was used to her nightmares, but he had never seen her react this badly before.

“Take a deep breath with me, and release it slowly” he instructed. They often did this when she started to panic but sometimes she needed the reminder. After several deep breaths, he finally felt her heart rate relax. He was concerned for her, but he waited patiently until she was ready.

She removed her head from his shoulder to look at him, but she stayed silent.

“You okay?” He asked her.

“Mhm, I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Please don’t apologize, baby. I told you to wake me up every time. I don’t care about losing sleep if it means I’ll be here with you,” he said while wiping the tears from her face.

Feeling incredibly grateful for him, Neytiri pressed her forehead to his. Jake noticed her body trembling, unsure if she was cold or still shaken up with anxiety. He ran his hands over her arms and felt her relax a little with his touch.

After a while, he leaned back and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Tell me about the dream?”

Neytiri took another deep breath, hesitating because she knew how Jake would feel once he heard the contents of her nightmare. Despite this, she didn’t want to hide things from him. She wanted to share every part of herself with him, so she spoke. “I thought you left me again. I thought we were back there… in that time.”

Jake understood immediately and felt immense guilt. He thought back to before he permanently became Na’vi, when his consciousness would return to his human body as he slept. Neytiri would be left with just a shell of her mate… wondering when he would return to her.

At the time, Jake didn’t know how much his absence affected her, and how much sacrifice it took for her to be with him. But he knew now, and it pained him to hear that she thought he had left her once again.

She continued. “I was crying and screaming at you, but you just wouldn’t wake up and I couldn’t understand why. It was like we never won the battle… like you had not yet fully chosen this life. It felt so real, I was so scared.” Neytiri got choked up when saying the last few words.

Jake pulled her into a tight embrace and pressed his lips to her temple. “I’m so sorry baby, I’m here. It’s over now, I will never leave you again.”

Neytiri nodded against his chest and then looked up at him. She knew him so well that she could already tell what was going through his mind. “My love, please don’t blame yourself… for me having these dreams.”

He looked down at her. “It’s hard not to. It’s my fault that you ever had to go through that. I wish it could have been different, it was so hard on you.”

“I made the choice to love you, and that meant accepting every part of you. I knew the repercussions.”

Jake got silent after she said this, seemingly deep in thought. He brows were furrowed. Neytiri knew this meant he was having some inner turmoil. She began to run her fingers over his battle choker, the one made from the river stones he collected while training with her. ‘It’s been a year already, but this feels like yesterday. So much has happened,’ she thought to herself.

“Neytiri…”

“Hm?” She responded without looking up.

“You’ve lost so much because of me yet you continue to love me. I can live a thousand more lifetimes and never deserve to be with you. I don’t even know if I deserve this body, this new life where I can walk again. I will never stop being sorry for everything I’ve put you and the clan through.”

She stopped tinkering with his necklace to look at him. “We deserve each other, you are one of us now. Despite everything that has happened, I would still choose you.” She paused to think for a little and then continued. “Do you love me?”

“Of course.”

“As my mate, and as olo’eyktan… will you continue to protect our people and the great balance?”

“I will do everything in my power.”

“Then that is enough. I forgave you a long time ago… but you must also forgive yourself.” She placed her palm to his cheek and wiped a tear away. “The great mother felt that you were needed here. Tsu’tey…” She paused after saying his name, his death still affecting her. “Tsu’tey chose you to lead for a reason, do not let it be in vain. You have proved your worth, Jake.”

Jake listened to Neytiri’s words and made a promise to himself to continue to be worthy. Back on Earth, he had no one and nothing to live for. But he was given a second chance at life and he wasn’t going to waste it.

He nuzzled his face into Neytiri’s neck before placing gentle kisses along it’s length. She giggled as it tickled and she got goosebumps from his touch. He moved upward to her jaw, cheek, and eventually her lips. But she anticipated his movement and kissed him first. He smiled at this and whispered through her lips. “Thank you for your faith in me. I love you so much.”

“And I love you. Whatever there is to face, we will face it together.” She held his face in her hands. “Thank you for being here with me, and for helping me through this.”

“Always.”

[edgessunflower]

May I please request headcanons for Hotch, Derek, and Reid having an S/O who's the leader of a biker gang and supporting her when her best friend dies and she pays tribute to the friend at the funeral?

Oooh I need to find and watch this movie stat

Reid

He had known from when he met you that you were in a biker gang and that never bothered him from being friends nor falling in love with you even going with you to races and annual events for fundraisers

When he had heard about your best friend Rita also called Tequila getting killed knowing how close the two of you were for years when you both started out joining the gang under the wing of a couple who had been in the gang for years he was worried and heartbroken for you

You called after stopping on the side of the road crying telling him everything that happened as he listens just wanting to hold you while you cried and he did just that as soon as you got home and saw him on the couch

You both went to the funeral together and as an honor to rita and her family but also your gang you made a flag with her name in her favorite color and the gang's symbol with pictures of her smiling on it laying it over her casket before she was buried

You and the rest of your gang do a rev up in her honor and spencer joins you on your bike during the rev up before you all drive off until you made it back to her family home where you had a wake and party in her memory

Derek

He had been around people who were in different types of gangs when he was younger but he never thought he would meet someone like you

Despite your tough exterior and how you acted over and for your gang you were also a loyal,kind,and caring person who saw the people in your gang more than people you worked with or drove around but as family always helping them when they needed it and treating them as such

After meeting through your best friend Tania who was called Mama Bear by the gang due to her very protective but also loving behavior to everyone she cares about and she also becomes great friends with morgan as well

You and him were at one of the annual charity races that your gang did to help sick children but you had to leave early both after you got sick and Derek getting a call of a case at the BAU

While in bed sleeping off and on with derek working a case in D.C. you had gotten a call from your friend and fellow gang member Antonio learning not only had tania been in an accident but that she also passed away only 12 minutes before the call

You called derek and as soon as he hung up he told everyone he was going back to Quantico to be with you and for the funeral immediately on the jet back to Virginia

You cry in his arms as he holds you and tears flow down his face at the loss of your beloved friend helping you and her family plan her funeral

He joins you and your gang in the honor of decorating her casket and as common tradition at a member's funeral in your gang you all have a bonfire in her honor and have cookout talking of all the memories of her in order to honor and grieve

Hotch

The two of you had been childhood friends since you were both 5 years old and despite how he felt about crime and gangs when he saw you slowly hanging around kids from your high school in the motorbike gangs the two of you were still peas in a pod

By the time you both graduated and he was starting college you had slowly been taken in by a non violent and non crime gang who did charities for sick children and fundraisers for civil and human rights

He soon learned that despite most biker gangs being a bit violent there were always more that did more good in the world

He understood that more when he met your gang but really felt it at heart being around your best friend Melody who was mostly called sunshine opposite of your nickname the giver being the ones who always are supporting everyone in everywhere

He would sometimes bring jack with the two of you when you went to charity events,celebrations,and barbeques with gang who always enjoyed when people brought their family with them especially the kids who always got toys and little kid friendly clothes to match with the gang's clothes

When he heard that melody was killed protecting a group of children from a shooter who was opening fire on everyone at a charity party he was crushed but when he saw you walk in with your shirt soaked in her blood from trying to help her you just collapsed in his arms sobbing

You and everyone planned her funeral being that she had no family except her younger sister who was only 17 being taken in by you and Hotch and in her honor wrote her letters putting them in her casket,doing weekly ride outs around town,and every year of the anniversary having a cookout with other biker gangs who knew her as well

[pansexual-puppy-pack]

@theoraekenapperciation 's theo week 2023, day 7: dealer's choice! — teen wolf: the movie

Liam, Hikari, Mason, and Corey were walking through the Hales' Mechanic Shop parking lot when Liam spotted a flash of brown hair that didn't belong to Eli. His instinct kicked in.

Liam ran towards whoever it was, only stopping when they turned around, hazel eyes with a tortured look behind them.

"...Theo?"

"I, uh," Theo stopped, a deer in headlights. "I heard you were back in town."

He had grown a beard, and there were small traces of human age showing on his face. Things seem to have changed in Theo, probably the same things that changed in Liam the last time they saw each other.

"Fifteen years." Liam said after a pause, voice low enough to be considered a growl. "Fifteen years—a whole decade and a fucking half—and you were here the entire time?"

Theo seemed to be at a loss for words—Mason, Corey, and Hikari, too. He took a step back, but Liam matched him with a step forward, unwilling to let him go.

"Why?" Liam asked, but it was sharp, acted more like a command, a plea. "Why didn't you say anything?"

His heartrate skyrocketed, Hikari and Corey's scents going confused when they heard it, too. He still didn't reply.

("Should we go?" Mason asked Corey and Hikari.)

Liam took another step forward, Theo staying planted to his position on the floor. He reached forward, quick, and lightly took Theo's wrist.

"Theo," Liam spoke, quiet.

"Liam." Theo swallowed, then put on a smile that danced on the line between genuine and deceitful—a dangerous one—and said, "Been a while."

Liam's instincts got the better of him. He punched Theo in the face. (It connected really well.)

"Nice to see you, too." Theo said, voice breaking for a split second, quickly moving his hand to his face. Liam was sure it was broken.

"You're kidding, right?" Liam asked, but it didn't really sound like a question. "All this time?"

"I heard about the dead girl," Theo said, but that wasn't exactly what Liam wanted to hear. "What's her name, Allison?"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Liam asked, and he felt the shift in his bones, threatening to come out through the mix of emotions that raged within him.

Theo put his weight on his back foot and slowly took his hand away from his face. He looked straight at Liam as he said, "How the hell was I supposed to?"

Liam made a disbelieving face. "Text me?"

"And say what?" Theo asked. "'Oh, sorry for kissing you in that elevator. Anyway, I have to disappear because I'm probably going to be arrested for attempted and successful murder'—is that what you wanted me to say?"

"It would've been better than nothing!" He replied loudly, to Theo's actual, literal surprise. "I would've taken a shitty text over a decade and a half of pure silence—I thought you were dead."

"Trust me, things would be a whole lot simpler if I was."

And Liam felt his entire being sink into the floor, his heart dropping to hell. His heart stilled for a second. "...What?"

Like it was any other day, Theo said, "Argent and the Sheriff put on supernatural parole for a few years. Never really recovered."

Liam couldn't handle it anymore. He took Theo's wrist and dragged him to a secluded spot of the parking lot, just far enough so that Hikari and Corey wouldn't be able to hear unless they tried.

"I tried to find you." He told Theo, not letting go. "Mason, Corey, and I looked everywhere—the hospital, the sewers, any parking lot that the cops had caught you in before—but we couldn't find you. Where were you?"

Theo pressed his lips into a thin line before he answered, "Gone. I got in my truck and skipped town."

Liam heard his heart race.

"Argent caught me a few weeks later."

"And then what?" Liam asked, tightening his grip. "He put you to work, and you decided to just not let us know?"

"I thought Argent told you," Theo said quietly.

"Well, he didn't." Liam said, searching Theo's expression. "Or we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

Theo looked away—Liam placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled so they were facing each other again.

"You don't just—" Liam started, angry. He took a breath.

He tried again, gentler, this time.

"You don't just leave like that, Theo."

The next part went unsaid.

And now that I have you again, I'm not letting you go.

happy theo week 2023!!

[rowiewritesstuff]

Hi and Good day/night <3

I wanted to request if it isn't a problem, so here it is:

Smokescreen and nb Cybertronian s/o who has a lot of work in general and takes little to no time to take care of themselves and Smokescreen tries to make them understand that they need time to relax (and for him too, ofc). They ask Optimus to take some load of work from them and even get them some cycles to spend time alone and with him

If you can headcannons, but if not tiny story (don't remember name, sorry) is great too

Sorry if it's a little confusing, ooc and messy, just wanted more Smokescreen love

Please and thank you

Smokescreen X Cybertronian Reader

You were Optimus Prime’s second in command and scientist. You worked tirelessly to make sure that the team had everything they needed. There wasn’t a time you weren’t working, other than the short little breaks you took to recharge. You often skipped refueling too- you’d put it back in the reserves room in the event there was an emergency. Everyone else needed it more than you, you thought.

One day, Smokescreen saw you putting back your portion of the energon. He was confused, but brushed it off. Surely it was nothing- maybe you’d refueled another time. 

When he saw you do it again, a week later, he questioned you.

You stuttered out your answer. “I-I just refueled earlier. Don’t worry about it.”

Smokescreen grabbed your arm. “Don’t play dumb. I know you didn’t refuel last week- so what’s up?”

You pursed your dermas together and vented. “Others need it more than me- I’m hardly on the field anymore.”

“That’s a dumb idea!” His faceplates showed disappointment. “You need to refuel- or I’m telling Ratchet.”

You were already on thin ice with Ratchet this week for not recharging enough. You hesitantly picked up the cube. “Fine.” 

You were going to your lab but he shook his head. “Nuh-uh. I want to make sure you drink it.”

You rolled your eyes and drank the energon in front of him, chugging it down quickly so you could get back to work. As soon as you finished, you began your walk back to your lab. 

Smokescreen had to rush to keep pace with you. “Don’t you think you should take some time off? Just a few solar cycles even. You work wayyy too much- you almost remind me of Alpha Trion” 

You got a little annoyed at him. “There’s kind of a war going on, Smokes. There’s no time for slacking. Unlike you- I have responsibilities I’m taking care of.”

The bot scowled at you and jumped in front of you. He grabbed your arms in his servos and made you look at him. “Don’t you see how you’re running yourself thin? I hate to see you like this!”

At a loss for words you merely blinked. You looked to the side at a shiny metal pipe to see your dull optics. You really hadn’t been able to rest at all. You’d been far too busy with projects and data gathering.

“I… suppose you’re right. But I can’t abandon my duties-”

“Get Optimus to take em! Or Ratchet.”

You nervously asked Ratchet and Optimus to take some of your workload, just a few days- and they seemed so relieved. You’d finally taken time off. 

While you felt guilty, they assured you that there was nothing to worry about and that you should enjoy the time of low-Decepticon activity while you still had it. Who knows when they’d start causing mayhem again?

Smokescreen convinced you to try some human activities with you. You both went to see a movie at a drive in theater- you quickly left in disgust. They were playing what was called a ‘slasher’ film. 

Next, he took you to a race. You were rusty and quickly fell to the back of the group. You didn’t like this activity much either. Activity after activity you tried at the behest of Smokescreen, and yet none of them actually felt relaxing. 

Finally, he convinced you to go to one more place. 

“How long will this take?” You huffed.

“It’s just up the hill! Come on!” Smokescreen grabbed your servo and a blue tint covered your faceplates. He dragged you up the hill. Right as you got to the top, your mouth dropped open in shock. You took a few steps forward in admiration. 

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon. Pink, orange, and golden clouds drifted around the sky. Before you sat a large lake that reflected the sun. Flowers of all colors littered throughout the field. 

“Like it?” 

You almost couldn’t get out the words. “It’s beautiful…” You sat next to the now-sitting down Smokescreen. 

You both just sat there in silence, enjoying each other’s company. As the moon rose into the sky to replace the sun, you took Smokescreen’s servos in yours.