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the-marshals-wife · 7 months ago

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Strangers Like Me (Orm Marius x Reader)

─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ⋅☆⋅ 𝐀𝐎𝟑 ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─

A/N: I love Orm so, so much, and I've wanted to write for him since my major obsession with the first movie back in 2019. The sequel was everything I could have wanted for his character, and now that he's had the perfect open ending to his cinematic story, I finally let the inspiration run wild. This is the longest fic I've ever posted, and I'm proud to say he was the muse that inspired it.

Description: Orm Marius/Ocean Master x Fem!Reader (human), friends to lovers | Warnings: suggestive themes, steaminess at the end, cataclysmic levels of fluff throughout | Setting: after The Lost Kingdom | Word count: 5.8k

Gif credit: user acecroft

Imagine Orm opening up to you about who he truly is, and wanting to be part of your world

If someone had asked you a few months ago where you liked to be most, you wouldn't have said the boardwalk. Now, it'd become your favorite place in the world. Not for the noisy crowds, overpriced deep-fried foods, or vendors overflowing with cheap beachwear and souvenirs for the tourists. Those things you could have done without. That is, until you met Orm. Ever since that fateful day, everything around you had transformed into something new and exciting. Today was no different.

"I can't believe you've never had a corn dog before," you say.

Orm walks alongside you, well into his second serving. "And I can't believe something this abysmal in appearance can taste so good," he replies before taking another bite.

"Seriously, what have you been eating all this time?" you ask, wiping the mustard from the corner of your mouth with a napkin.

He swallows before answering, "Fish, mostly."

He was completely serious, as usual.

"You really love seafood, don't you?"

"Where I'm from, it's just called food," he counters.

Once again, you found yourself wanting to ask where exactly that place was. The last time you inquired yielded little insight. He gave a vague reply to the tune of "somewhere far away" and quickly changed the subject. For a while, you'd assumed he was originally European or something like that. Yet the more time went on, the more difficult it became to believe in that explanation. There must be a reason he did not want to talk about it, and you knew when he was ready, he would probably tell you. Still, you couldn't help but wonder where he had come from, and why he had not showed up sooner.

"So, what did you think of your first corn dog?" you ask instead.

"It was excellent. And I imagine it will not be my last," he says, tossing the stick into a trashcan as you walk by, "I still don't understand the name though, if it's not made of dog."

"Me either, honestly," you laugh as you toss your trash as well, "I'll have to look it up sometime."

"Speaking of, I listened to the singer you told me about."

"You did? What did you think?!" you exclaim, almost bumping into a passerby in your excitement.

"She is quite good, vocally. But I do think Ms. Parton would have more success exposing her rival publicly," he suggests.

"I know you're not talking about Jolene right now," you burst out laughing, covering your mouth.

"Indeed. This Jolene is a siren. She lures men with her wiles, and then goes unpunished because of her beauty," he explains wholeheartedly, holding his arms behind his back.

"Well that's the point of the song. Dolly is calling her out," you remind, "Plus what about her man? Shouldn't he get some of the blame? Falling for Jolene when he's already in a relationship? I mean come on, he's talking about her in his sleep. That's pretty low."

"Indeed, he misses the treasure that is right in front of him because he too has no honor," he expounds, his expression turning thoughtful, "You're right. Ultimately, they're deserving of each other."

"See! I told you," you chuckle victoriously.

Orm shakes his head, "I could not be tempted by such a woman."

"Oh, I don't know. You heard Dolly. Her beauty is 'beyond compare'."

"That is merely a facade," he dismisses, waving his hand, "Besides, I have seen far more beautiful than her."

You're about to inquire about his remark, but then you realize he's looking over at you. You can only hold his attentive gaze a moment before averting your eyes toward your feet, heart fluttering.

The previous moment still hanging heavy in the air, you walk together quietly for a minute before Orm stops in front of a beachwear vendor.

"Now that is amusing," he declares.

You backup a couple of steps to stand alongside him, "What is?"

He points to a pink tee shirt, the image of a mermaid riding on the back of a smiling dolphin printed on the front. "Dolphins are actually quite aggressive. They do not enjoy having riders on their backs. Sharks are much better mounts."

You stare at him, brow furrowed. "And how do you know that exactly?"

"I, uh, saw it on a television program," he stutters, "about taming sea life."

That was a lie if you'd ever heard one, and a strange one no less.

"Uh-huh," you reply unconvinced, walking away.

In silence, you resume your short walk to the end of the dock, Orm trailing close behind you. Once you reach the end, you lean over and rest your arms on the weathered wood railing, and he stands beside you. A few moments pass as you watch the waves crash upon the shore below and breathe in the salt air. It's not long before you feel his gaze on you once again.

He finally speaks, hesitation thick in his voice, "Something...on your mind?"

You smirk to yourself before looking over at him, "I'm just trying to figure you out."

"What do you mean?" he asks, concern visible in his bright eyes.

"I've never met anyone like you before. So much of what you say is a mystery," you remark.

"That is a fair point," he concedes, "I don't wish to vex you. There's just...so much that I don't know how to say."

You stand up straighter, smiling at him softly.

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Everyone has parts of themselves that they hide. Parts they don't want anyone else to see. There's nothing wrong with that," you reply, turning towards the ocean, "You don't like talking about your past, and I respect that. I just don't want you to think you have to hide. It's awful feeling like you don't belong, just for being yourself. I wouldn't want that for you."

"That is kind of you to say. Truly." He mirrors your posture on the railing, moving closer to you as a result. "You don't make me want to hide, Y/N. Quite the opposite, actually. I've learned so many things from you these past few weeks, and I have greatly enjoyed your company."

You look back to him, your heart skipping, "So have I."

His gaze softens. "I've also never met anyone like you before. You find joy and purpose in even the smallest of things. It inspires me how gracefully you view the world. And I've known no one whom I've wanted to share it with more."

Everything else around you melted away as you find yourself becoming just as lost in his eyes as you've been in his words.

Before either of you can move an inch closer, the chime of your cellphone cuts through the thick air between you.

Cursing inwardly, you shoot upright, embarrassed, and retrieve it from your pocket. It's an all-caps text from your sister with many exclamation marks, quickly followed by another. The sister you just now realized you forgot needed picked up.

"Oh no. I have to go," you say, frenzied, "My sister's waiting for me. I have to drive her home from her class, I completely forgot!"

"I understand," he nods, touching your arm assuringly, "Do you want me to accompany you back to the lot?"

"I really appreciate it, but I literally have to run. I'm so sorry, Orm," you say, turning to leave.

You make it only a few steps before you hear him call out.

"Y/N!"

Despite the urgency of your escape, you can't help but turn on your heel expectantly.

"Would you meet me tomorrow? Down on the beach, beneath the pier around sunset?"

A grin spreads across your face. "I'll be there!"

♆

It took everything in you not to grin like an idiot the entire drive to pick up your less-than-amused sister. You weren't ready for the brutal interrogation that would surely come if she saw the look you knew was on your face. After apologizing to her profusely and letting her chew you out, as was her sisterly right, her suspicions were already raised.

"You've never looked this happy for me to yell at you," she said, glaring at you.

"I'm just really enjoying my book! I started the sequel I told you about," you defended, flashing a smile even you knew was pretty fake.

"Enough to forget all about me," she rolled her eyes and punched your arm, "You're not telling me something, I know it."

"I'm dying to know if she's really the lost heir to the throne, I heard the reveal is like halfway through," you add, ignoring her last words.

"Mhm," she grumbled, "Fine don't tell me. I'll figure it out, just wait. You can't hide from me."

"The only thing I need to hide from you is my chocolate bars," you argue in a desperate attempt to throw her off the subject.

"I'll find those too," she snickered confidently.

You laughed it off and went back to biting down hard on your lip. It was the only thing you could do not to spill everything to her as she continued to give you the side-eye. Your body was at the steering wheel, but your mind, and your heart, were back on that boardwalk. The final glare she gave you in her driveway was unmissable, but for now, you'd evaded being found out as you made a getaway back to your own apartment.

That night you'd hardly slept, the moment at the end of the dock replaying in your mind over and over well into the morning. Work only made it worse, the monotony making the perfect backdrop to picture what the coming evening would bring. When your shift ended, you couldn't get out of there fast enough to go home and change.

Now, with sunset fast approaching, you were circling the parking lot trying to find a space, and close to bribing someone to move, when a spot finally opened up.

"Someone loves me," you exhale, hurriedly locking your car as you throw your bag over your shoulder.

The words linger in your thoughts. You can't help but blush at the notion, given your current destination, and who was waiting there.

In some ways it seemed like a lifetime since you met Orm, and in others it felt like only yesterday. The memory of that fateful day comes to the front of your thoughts as you start the long trek to the path that cuts through the dunes.

Unlike your fib from last night, you'd actually been desperate to finish the book your coworker had been pestering you about all summer. With only four chapters left, you'd escaped to the boardwalk one sunny Tuesday afternoon, hoping to find a bench, a fresh lemonade, and far less crowds than the weekend so that you could finally finish in peace.

Just as you'd sucked up the last drop of your drink and reached the last handful of pages, you noticed something out of the corner of your eye. On a bench across the way from you, you saw a man trying to untangle the most knotted pair of earbuds you'd ever seen in your life. You watched him from behind the top of your book, and suppressed a giggle as he became more animated in frustration. He ran a hand through his blond hair and seemed near to giving up on the whole endeavor. Unable to watch him struggle any longer, you tucked your book beneath your arm, tossed your empty cup in the trash, and started to walk over.

"He did this on purpose," he muttered as you approached.

"I can take a crack at them, if you'd like."

In his fierce concentration, he hadn't noticed you approach. He jumped a bit at your greeting, and squinted up at you, confused.

"Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Would you like some help with those?" you smiled hesitantly, "I just, I couldn't help but notice you were having a hard time with them."

"Well, you are welcome to try," he invited with a sigh, extending them to you, "Although I have seen seaweed less entangled than this."

You took them and sat down beside him, analyzing the knots.

"Earbuds are pretty notorious for getting tangled," you began, pausing to focus a moment, "These, however, look like a sailor used them to practice tying his knots."

"Courtesy of my brother," he said with no small amount of exasperation, "He delights in making things difficult for me."

"As brothers are wont to do."

"Indeed," he conceded.

Untying your own numerous pairs of earbuds over the years had more than prepared you for this moment. You'd made quick work of separating the right and left buds, down to the last few kinks in each.

"You're quite skilled at this," he observed.

"I should probably put it on my resume, huh?" you chuckled as you conquered the final knot.

"I think you might consider it," he laughed as well.

At last, all the tangles were gone.

"There you go," you declared, handing them back, "Good as new."

"Impressive," he remarked, marveling at your handiwork before looking back at you, "Thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome," you smiled and pointed to the iPod in his lap, "What do you like to listen to, if you don't mind me asking?"

He hesitated, picking it up, "I'm...not actually sure how this device works. Are you familiar with the technology?"

"An iPod?" you laugh, "Yeah, I had one in high school. It's been a while and it wasn't this exact model, but they're all pretty much the same. MP3 players, that is. I had so many songs on mine, I couldn't add any more. Never went anywhere without it. I had to tape it together in senior year because I used it so much."

"Perhaps you could show me how to properly operate it?" he posed, turning towards you more, "My brother sent it to me. He said it contains music inside that I must hear, but I'm at a loss on knowing how to make it play."

You gazed at him bewildered a moment, caught off guard. Never had you met anyone who didn't know how to work an iPod before. But then again, you reminded yourself, not everyone had a chance to own one.

"Sure," you grinned, "I can show you. There's not too much to it, really, once you know the basics."

"Thank you," he replied sincerely, "It's not often that I've met a lady with such kindness, and lightness of fingers."

Heat immediately rushed to your cheeks at his gracious works, and suddenly it was difficult to hold the gaze of his rich blue eyes.

"It's no problem at all," you replied, offering your hand, "I'm Y/N, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Orm Marius, and the pleasure is mine."

Before you could blink, he'd taken your hand, and instead of shaking it, he kissed your knuckles. If he had lingered, perhaps it would have alarmed you. But he did it so quickly, it was like it was second-nature to him. Practiced or not, your head spun nonetheless, and launching into an urgent, flustered spiel about how to power on the iPod was all you could do to keep yourself held together.

You spent the next half an hour showing him everything from the buttons to the way to change the background image on the menus. Before long, you were talking about all of your favorite songs and artists, simultaneously making lists for each that he would have to listen to. Orm listened eagerly to your recommendations, and soon the conversation turned to any and every subject, from foods to places to dreams. You still remember the feeling of the rest of the world fading away as you talked to him, afternoon turning to evening. And the thrill you felt when he asked if he could see you again.

In the almost four months since, every meeting followed much in the same manner as that first day, with introducing Orm to the many things he'd never experienced before, and hours of conversation on the pier or walking along the beach. You'd stolen away to this area as many times as possible to see him, well over a dozen now. Of course your sister was more suspicious than ever after yesterday, but you still weren't ready to reveal where you'd been spending so many evenings, and who you'd spent them with. There was something exhilarating about you and Orm meeting secretly, and you wanted that feeling to last as long as possible.

He had such wonder about the world, like someone who'd not been in it very long. It was one of his oddest qualities, but his curiosity was endearing to you. Despite knowing so little about his past, you'd come to trust him like few others in your life. Whoever he'd been before, and wherever he was from, it seemed he had no intention on going back. If you were honest with yourself, you didn't want him to. There were so many places you wanted to take him further inland, yet he was still hesitant to go far from from the ocean. You'd never gone beyond a couple of blocks from the boardwalk together, but tonight, with the energy of yesterday's encounter fresh in your mind, you'd planned to breech the topic with him.

Now, the sun is sinking lower in the pale orange sky and your pulse quickens with the threat of being late. With all your reminiscing and daydreaming, you'd lost track of the time. You nearly run across the wooden walkway over the dunes and down the broad stairs. As soon as your feet hit the sand, you remove your sandals. Grasping them in one hand and the strap of your bookbag in the other, you take off into the best sprint you can manage. The pier is still a good distance up the beach, and you want to curse out whoever built the access so far away. You run at an angle towards the water, the wetter ground giving you better traction than the loose sand.

Just within the shadow of the great structure, you finally see Orm up ahead, his back turned. Out of breath, you slow your pace and try to catch some of it back before you reach him. Once he's within ear shot you call out to him.

"I'm sorry I left in such a hurry yesterday," you pant.

He spins on his heel. Relief is written all over his face.

"You came. I was afraid you might not," he sighs, walking up to meet you.

"Of course," you exhale, dropping your shoes and brushing away the hair clinging to your forehead, "Why wouldn't I?"

His expression indicates he had not thought of an answer to that question.

"I don't know," he hesitates, "I didn't mean anything by that. I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't. I did ask you at the last minute."

You can't help but chuckle as he stumbles regretfully all over his words.

"I brought you something," you declare to change the subject, much to his gratitude.

"A gift? For me?"

You can tell by his tone that he is actually baffled. Reaching into your satchel, you retrieve the item. In your outstretched palm, you hold a small snow globe, a miniature skyline of New York City contained inside.

His confused expression leads you to elaborate. "It's called a snow globe," you say, turning it upside down so that the little flakes inside swirl around, "You told me once that you never get to see snow where you're from. Now you can see it whenever you want."

He tentatively takes it, entranced by the miniature flurry.

"That's where I'm from. Well, I grew up there. We moved here when I was sixteen," you add, chuckling, "It's a little bit nicer in person."

Orm looks up at you, visibly touched by the gesture, "It's wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," you smile, "I, hope that I can show you the real thing some day."

"I would like that," he replies with the smallest hint of sadness, pausing to behold it again, "I will treasure this always."

You'd never met anyone who talked like he did. Everything word he spoke was with full conviction. Others might sound pompous or conceited speaking the way he does, but when he said something, you believed he truly meant it.

"I'm glad you like it," you say, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I do, very much," he says, frowning a bit, "I'm only sorry that I have nothing to give you in return."

"That's alright," you dismiss.

"Will you keep it safe for me while we are by the water? I regret that I have no pockets large enough to carry it."

"Absolutely," you say, putting it securely back inside your bag, "I know that feeling all too well."

When you finish with the zipper and lift your head up, you see Orm offering his arm to you. Surprised, and twice as excited, you take it.

As you cross beneath the pier and set off down the beach together, you suppress the urge to glance up at him. You agonize over what to say next, hoping he would speak first. When he did, it only made your heart beat faster.

"Actually, when I said I had nothing to give you, that was not entirely true," he said, clearing his throat before going on, "As much as I enjoy your educating me in foods and traditions I've never tried, I was hoping this evening we might enjoy a treat of a different kind."

Just up ahead, something on the shore comes into view. Your mind races in anticipation, and moments later, you come upon a blue blanket spread out neatly across the sand. A single white rose lies in the middle.

"Oh Orm," you breathe.

"It's not much, but I thought you would like to watch the sunset with at least some level of comfort," he says, a veil of nervousness in his voice.

"It's perfect," you exclaim.

He releases your arm and picks up the rose, presenting it to you.

"For you."

You feel nearly breathless once more as you take the flower and inhale its sweet fragrance.

"It's beautiful," you sigh, "Thank you."

He smiles timidly at your approval. "Shall we?"

"This is amazing," you say, removing your bag and carefully sitting down on the soft blanket.

He follows suit, and you gently place the rose in your lap as he comes to rest close beside you. The glow of the setting sun warms your skin, but it's nothing compared to the warmth in your chest.

You'd never seen him act like this before. He was normally so calm and collected, but now he was almost pure nerves. You work up the courage to glance over at him. He's staring hard ahead, clenching his jaw and rolling a seashell between his fingers. It's slowly becoming clear that you're not the only one who wanted to say something this evening. Normally, you found the rolling of the waves to be one of most soothing sounds in the world. But at this moment, they were far too loud.

You decide you have to break the excruciating silence.

"I've only watched a true beach sunset alone before."

Your voice brings him out from his trance. "I've also been by myself. I'm glad I have someone to share the splendor with."

"Me too."

He smiles weakly, and fixes his stare back on the horizon.

To your disappointment, the silence returns. Before long, everything is bathed in golden light. The sky transforms into rich oranges and reds before your eyes. The beach is surprisingly deserted apart from the seagulls and sand pipers, making it seem all the more that this moment was tailor-made just for the two of you.

Just when you're about to speak again, Orm at last turns towards you.

"I wish I could show you my world, Y/N. It is a realm of beauty, and strength, and light. You belong in such a place."

You feel your cheeks flush as he continues.

"Where I'm from, you can't see the stars at night. But there is a place with magnificent, glowing lights. A cave, filled with luminescence of every color you can imagine. You would absolutely love it."

"That sounds magical." You hang on his every word as you try to picture it.

"My mother used to take me there when I was a boy. I remember my whole hand disappearing inside hers." He smiled at the memory, but it faded as he spoke once more, "We used to go there seeking solace from my father."

Frowning, he throws the seashell towards the water. The sun begins to dissolve into the ocean, but neither of you take notice.

"Did you not get along?" you ask, hoping it was not too personal to do so.

His gaze falls downward again. "That's one way of putting it. Growing up in his shadow was- challenging. He was severe about many things, and against all of the rest. He expected me to become just like him. Demanded it, more like. Yet he was never up to the task of teaching me how. I wanted nothing more than to please him, but as I look back on it now, I'm not sure that I ever did. I was never worthy enough to be his son."

His words make your chest ache. You reach to gently touch his hand on the blanket.

"You are not an unworthy son," you assert, your feelings coming to the surface, "He was an unworthy father. I don't need to have met him to know that. Because I know you, and you are a good man. The most thoughtful, polite, decent man I've ever met."

He stares at you, emotion all over his face. A wistful look shines in his eyes.

"If only I had known you then," he reflects, "Perhaps I would not have gotten so lost in the tides of his storm."

"I wish I had known you too," you agree, more shyly than you'd expected, "But wouldn't have needed me. You already survived it, all on your own. You're stronger than he ever was."

His expression steels.

"Y/N, there is something I must tell you," he says, his tone turning grave, "It will not be easy for you to hear it, but I can't go on without you knowing what I am. I cannot hide it any longer. You deserve to know the truth."

Your heart starts to race quicker than your thoughts at his startling declaration. "What do you mean?"

Without warning, he casts off his jacket and stands up.

"Orm, what are you talking about?"

"Perhaps, it would be better if I showed you," he says, reaching out his hand to you, "I want you to understand. No more secrets."

For just a moment, you look up into his pleading eyes. Then, as if it had even been a choice, you carefully set the rose aside and take his hand. He helps you to your feet and leads you down past the water's edge. The cool water on your feet sends a shiver up your spine. The foam is lapping at your ankles when he stops just in front of you.

"You see that marker?" he points ahead.

The breeze whips your hair into your sight as you fight to push it away. You have to squint to see the outline of the buoy, the red light on top twinkling faintly in the twilight.

"Yes," you hesitate.

"Keep your eye on it," he directs calmly.

With that one instruction, he retreats further into the water, stopping until it is well above his waist. You cross your arms against the chill of sea spray and wait worriedly. He looks up and down the beach, as if to make sure no one is watching. You are still alone. Before you can call out to him, he dives headlong into the waves.

What follows you can only describe as a thunder beneath the water. It looks as if a missile has been launched from where Orm stood, careening toward the marker. Mere seconds later, a blast like a whale spout shoots above the horizon, and the buoy rocks violently as it is landed upon by the figure that flew up out of the sea.

A gasp escapes from your agape mouth as you witness the silhouette wave at you, and proceed to dive back into the blue.

Three pounding heartbeats later, Orm immerges from the surf and walks toward you, slicking back his dripping hair. His tee shirt clings to his muscular form, and his soaked jeans don't seem to encumber him at all. You're frozen in the sand, staring at him with only one word on your parted lips.

"How..."

"There's no simple way to say it, but you must know. I am from the Kingdom of Atlantis," he confesses, struggling to hold your stare, "I am Prince Orm Marius, son of Queen Atlanna. Although I was once ruler, I made many mistakes during my time on the throne for which I was banished. My penance is served by my exile here on the surface. I deserve my fate, and I gladly uphold it, but it is not something I wanted to keep from you any longer. I'm sorry that I was not honest with you sooner, but I didn't think that I could trust any surface-dweller with my secret. I was...proven wrong."

"You're a real Atlantean?" you manage to get out.

"I am," he nods, apprehension still in his voice, "I was raised to hate the surface and its inhabitants, but much has changed. You, Y/N, have had no small part in that."

Despite your reeling head, it's slowly becoming clear what Orm is saying by this grand unveiling of his true identity. As you struggle to process it, however, your silence compels him to go on.

"If all of this is too much, I understand. It is my burden to bear, and you did not ask to be part of it."

"I-It's not that," you stammer as the shock starts to wear off. You step closer to him. "Not at all. It's just a lot to take in. I need a minute, that's all. I promise."

Hope lights up his eyes.

"Absolutely," he agrees eagerly, "I apologize, I know this reveal was sudden. Please ask any questions that you have. I will withhold nothing from you."

As you finally begin look at him instead of through him, only one question lodged in your throat.

"Why?" you ask through threatening tears, "Why did you tell me all this?"

You knew why, because it was the same reason you wanted to tell him all of your own secrets. The same reason you came back to this beach over and over. The same reason your heart skipped every time you saw his handsome face, and heard him speak your name. You just wanted to hear him say it. For any of this to work, you needed to hear it.

His anxious gaze softens as he weighs his answer.

"I meant every word of what I told you yesterday. When I'm with you, I see a future that I never thought I would deserve. You make me feel like I can be more than I've ever been. And for the first time in my life, I have felt true happiness," he says, finding the words along with his conviction, "I never thought I would belong anywhere but Atlantis, but now, I want to know more about this world and its many gifts. And most of all, I want you to be by my side to show it to me."

"I want that too," you respond, tears threatening.

He gently takes your hand in his. "Even after all that I've done, part of me hoped that I might find some kind of redemption here on the surface. I wasn't sure how, and then I met you," he says tearfully, searching your eyes, "Y/N, you gave me that hope. Your goodness, your charity, your beauty. This realm has much to offer, more than I ever dreamed, but you are what I love most about the surface. From that very first day we spoke, I knew that you were what I was meant to find here."

Your vision blurs as he reaches to gently stroke your cheek.

"All of that to say...I've fallen in love with you, Y/N."

A sob escapes your throat as you look into his eyes and see it.

"I fell for you too. From the first day," you nod, finding your own confidence, "Being Atlantean doesn't change that. I don't care about who you've been or what you've done. I want to be with you. I love you too, Orm."

His composure crumbles along with yours as you embrace. The distance between you vanishes as your lips meet in a desperate kiss. You rest your hands on his chest and melt into his touch. He sighs and deepens the kiss, pulling you close against him. You feel the coolness of this still-dripping clothes soak through to your skin as you become lost in the taste of salt and longing. When you're forced to come up for air, you're both beaming.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he smiles, caressing your face.

"Me too," you giggle, lacing your arms around his neck, "What did you think of your first surface-dweller kiss?"

"Not too bad. I think I'll have to try it again before I decide if I really like it," he smirks.

"Well, if you get me out of this frigid water, I'll see what I can do about that," you tease back.

"Now that I can do," he announces.

You shriek in surprise as he swiftly lifts you from the water and into his arms as if you weighed nothing at all. He chuckles in amusement and carries you bridal style back toward the shore.

"Orm!" you protest, in an obviously half-hearted fashion.

"I have to admit, concealing my Atlantean strength has been considerably more difficult than I anticipated," he reveals, wincing a bit, "I intended to bring a bottle of wine tonight as well, but- the glass here is far weaker than what I'm accustomed to."

You laugh. "Well, it's the thought that counts."

"I'm glad you think so. Because I thought since I'm responsible for us missing the best part of the sunset, that perhaps we could lie under the stars instead?" he suggests, setting you down gently on your feet upon the blanket.

"I would love to," you say, looking up at him, "But aren't you freezing in those clothes?"

"I'm used to it," he shrugs, "I don't think I feel the cold the same as you."

"In that case," you say, pulling him closer into a tender kiss, "What do you think about that?"

He grins.

"It was perfect, and I'm certain it will not be my last."

You no longer feel the chill as you cling to him, and he rests his forehead to yours. It didn't matter where the tides of life would take you next. As long as Orm was there to hold you in the waves, you would always be in your favorite place.

#orm marius x reader #orm x reader #ocean master x reader #orm marius #orm imagine #aquaman and the lost kingdom #patrick wilson #aquaman imagine #orm fanfic #aquaman fanfic #my writing #strangers like me from tarzan is 100% orm-coded and i couldn't resist using it for the title #aquaman

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estrellami-1 · 1 year ago

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Steddie Microfic

September prompt: charm

Word count: 548

No warnings apply

Rated G

@steddiemicrofic

This is Eddie’s third try.

That’s a sportsball thing, right? Three strikes and you’re out.

Eddie hopes he doesn’t strike out.

His first try had been completely abysmal, in which he’d walked into Family Video, promptly gotten flustered and nervous and tongue-tied, grabbed Rocky Horror Picture Show, and walked out after paying.

That wouldn’t have been as horrible as it actually was had he not already owned Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The second time was slightly better, if only because that time he’d actually managed to flirt a little.

He doesn’t entirely remember the exchange, is the thing. He knows it happened, and according to Robin he and Steve were flirting for roughly five minutes straight until another customer (“a real customer, Munson, as opposed to your freeloading ass,” Robin had teased) had walked in.

Eddie had walked out without renting anything, but that’s alright. Half the time he walks in, he walks back out empty-handed.

And, okay, maybe this being the third try is a slightly conservative answer.

He’d thought about it before, is the thing; thought about leaning over the island in Steve’s kitchen, kissing his pout as he’s focused on assembling sandwiches. He’d thought about reaching just that little bit more, “accidentally” past the popcorn bowl during movie night, brushing the backs of his fingers against the back of Steve’s hand.

He’d thought about truly terrible pick up lines—falling from heaven as an example—and swiping that little piece of hair off his forehead.

He’d thought about Steve’s reactions. How maybe he’d kiss back, maybe he’d twine their fingers together. Maybe he’d roll his eyes, blush.

Maybe he’d scoff, disgusted, and ignore Eddie.

Robin had tried to convince Eddie that wouldn’t happen, and he finally believes her, at least enough to take a leap of faith and try.

He walks into Family Video like he would any other day, making a beeline straight for the counter. “Robin,” he sings, gripping the edge and leaning over until his toes are scraping the ground. “‘S he here?”

“Depends,” she hums. “You gonna do it? Or chicken out again?”

Eddie collapses onto the counter with a groan. “You wound me, Buckley,” he says, before popping up when he hears Steve’s voice.

“Hey, Eddie!”

He looks around and spots Steve waving from his position in an aisle. He grins and makes his way over. “Stevie!” He says. “Your soulmate is being mean to me.”

Steve snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, she’s mean to me, too.” Robin squawks, and Steve sticks his tongue out at her. Eddie’s in love.

“So, um.” He clears his throat, looks at the movies Steve is shelving. Rom-coms. “There’s-” he pauses, worrying at his bottom lip.

Steve looks at him, concerned. “Eds?”

“Just.” He squeezes his eyes shut. “I need you to not punch me if it’s not true, okay? I’d prefer you not hate me either but I’d understand if you did, if I were in your shoes I’d probably hate me, but just. You- please don’t tell anyone.”

Steve’s brows furrow. “You’re started to scare me, Eds.”

“Fuck,” Eddie mutters. “Sorry, just. I’m not good at this.” He takes a breath. “Um. Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Steve grins. “I’d love to.”

Turns out, third time’s the charm.

#steddiemicrofic #steddiemicroficseptember #September prompt #charm #y’all this was SO hard idk why #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #starambles

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mister13eyond · 1 year ago

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Hoffman is truly the funniest jigsaw heir because my man was made to star in a slasher film not a Saw movie. He's great at rampaging through places murdering everyone and stalking his prey, which would be great in literally any other horror series, but is an abysmal failure at the basic premise of being Jigsaw which requires setting up elaborate games with clever methods and messages and then stepping the fuck back and letting your test subject do all the work. Hoffman just wants to murder people and he's forced to make these shitty little escape rooms to justify it but the SECOND something goes wrong he resorts Immediately to just. Slaughtering everyone in the room. He's so fucking funny

#saw series #saw franchise #saw 6 #mark hoffman

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justauthoring · 2 years ago

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Shadow of Yourself [11/18]

Prompt: “You’ve changed, Eli. I barely even know who you are right now.”

A/N: we are so close to the prom episode and therefore the tournament and OH MY GOD i am so excited lol

Based off of: Cobra Kai 04x04, 04x05, 04x06 and 04x07

Warnings: some swear words (because tumblr apparently doesn’t like that)

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x F!Reader

Tag List: @moonydrafts - @ashwhowrites - @traveleraroundsworld - @truly-abysmal - @likecherriesinthespring - @hollxe1 - @asonofpeter - @scarlett-verse - @musically-ambiguous - @kayda1 - @moon-zoons - @dwcode - @day-dreamsinthedark - @leilani788 - @silvermagnolias - @hawkinsavclub - @animewolflover278 - @gruffle1 - @b-tchymoon - @maggiecc - @beetea38 - @hawkinsavclub1983 - @crpytids - @embersparklz - @kimilight - @httpjiikook - @marauderssmut - @fyckcore - @multinci - @lqveabby - @oh-well-whatever-nevermind - @redskull199987 - @silvermagnolias - @shortneko - @okjaeminn - @thecyclonetragedy - @vamproq - @siriusfahey - @cobrakaigirlie - @kaylinfayezink - @oursuh - @aphroditelxver - @minl0u - @cherrywinepoison - @bath1lda - @fixalice - @fallsofserinity - @maisieibae - @ssrcsm - @notplutos - @kaitieskidmore1 -

THE NEW DO:

Eli had walked you home after you’d calmed down.

He’d asked you if you wanted to stay over, that he didn’t mind letting you take his bed and he’d take the couch – that he was sure his mother wouldn’t mind either and had been asking about you anyways. But you declined. You didn’t want to impose and still, despite all but sobbing on him, you didn’t know if spending the night at Eli’s was the best idea.

So, instead, you’d both compromised and he walked you home.

An awkward goodbye that consisted of silence, warm cheeks and a hug, before Eli turned to walk off; not without inviting you out with him and the rest of Miyagi-Do/Eagle Fang out tomorrow. Apparently, they were all going to the drive-in movie tomorrow and Eli remembered hearing Sam say she’d text you about it, but wanted to ask you out just in case. The thought had made your heart flutter and a warmth to flood you – it’d taken you a moment or two to find your words and nod.

I’ll pick you up tomorrow, then.

That’s what he said before leaving, a simple wave your way and assurance he’d see you tomorrow.

The butterflies that had fluttered in your stomach were undeniable, and you’d almost completely forgotten about your mom until you opened the front door to find her sitting on the couch, before promptly jumping to a stand when she heard you come in. One look at her face and the worry was plain, her eyes were puffy and red and you couldn’t help the small bit of guilt you felt realizing she’d been crying; though you’re sure you looked much the same.

“You weren’t answering your texts,” she breathes, shoulders falling as if a weight had fallen off of her. “You can’t just not answer your texts.”

Hugging the sweater Eli had given you (and the one he refused to let you give back), you glance down at your feet. “I’m sorry,” you whisper, “I wasn’t thinking.”

Your mother sighs, “look, Y/N, you have every reason to be upset and I’m not gonna ask you to forgive me. You don’t have to talk to me. Just, please, don’t run out of me like that again. I was so worried.”

Nodding, you bite your lip. “Okay,” you concede, not knowing what else to say. Really, you didn’t want to say anything else. “I won’t. I promise.”

“Now, get to bed,” she says, stepping back as you finally raise your head to look at her. “It’s late.”

You watch as she hastily brushes back strands of hair, the messy bun on top of her head half-hazardly falling out of its elastic. She looks tired, bags under eyes and stressed, and part of you feels guilty – for reacting the way you had, for not listening to her, for just running out and not even giving her the chance to explain. But when your lips part to say something, anything, you’re still angry and hurt and the fact is you don’t want her to leave more than anything else.

But she’s still going to.

“Goodnight,” you offer quietly, moving to the stairs.

“Goodnight, honey.”

You leave it at that, silently making your way up the stairs until you make it to your bedroom, letting the door shut softly behind you. Once alone, you stand there for a moment, lips pressed tightly together as you think of your mom, just downstairs, clearly upset and the fact that, by the end of the week, she won’t be there anymore.

You’ll be home alone all again.

Slipping Eli’s hoodie off of your shoulders, you bundle it in your own hands, holding it to your chest as you slump to the ground. Bringing your knees up, you hug yourself, bringing the hoodie up to your nose, you breath in, taking in the familiar scent, and trying to ignore the way your body reacts in response, a small smile despite everything curling onto your lips.

At least there was that.

“Robby?”

You reel back at the sight of the boy, the drive-in being the absolute last place you expected to see him – not to mention, you could’ve sworn you just saw him talking to a boy in a Cobra Kai t-shirt. You’d known he’d been staying there, the sensei that had taken over having taken some sort of liking to him and offering him a place to stay but… but you didn’t think he was still staying there.

That, and the fact that he’s still not answered any of your texts and you were starting to think something terrible had happened to him–

Turning at the sound of your voice, Robby’s eyes widen.

“Robby!” His name leaves your lips in a breath of relief, rushing towards him, oblivious to the pair of eyes that follow behind you. “What the h*ll! I’ve been texting you and you haven’t been answering me!” Not even giving him a second to speak, your eyes flicker around, taking the truck behind him and the sight of Tory and Kyler inside. “I thought… Are you?” You can barely finish the words, eyes flickering back to him in disbelief.

It’s all piecing together bit by bit.

“Y/N–”

“You said you weren’t going to join Cobra Kai.”

Avoiding your eyes, Robby huffs; “it’s not what you think.”

Crossing your arms over your chest, you scoff; “it sure looks like it.” Then, shoulders slumping, you take a step towards Robby. “Why haven’t you been answering my texts, Robby? I was worried.”

“Things have gotten complicated,” Robby sighs, “I haven’t had the time to respond.”

“Yeah, complicated because you did exactly what you said you wouldn’t and joined Cobra Kai.”

Eyes narrowing, Robby just shakes his head; “I have it under control.”

In disbelief, you can’t believe what you’re hearing. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

He glares at you, and you have to resist the urge to reel back at just how angry he looks. You haven’t seen him look at you like that since when you first joined Miyagi-Do – funnily enough, that had been when he thought you believed in Cobra Kai.

Now look at him.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Y/N. So, don’t act like you do.”

Blinking, your lips part, stunned. Stunned that Robby would actually say that to you. And most of all, hurt because this was starting to sound almost entirely too similar to so many conversations you’ve had before with another boy. And the look in his eyes felt like Deja vu staring back at you, like a slap to the face, when you realize just exactly what’s happening right in front of you.

“Robby–”

“Piece of shit.”

You never get to finish what you’re going to say as the words leave Robby’s lips. He’s stepping around you in the next second, barely giving you another glance and confused, you spin around to see where he’s going only to pause when you realize just exactly who he’s heading towards.

Sh*t.

“You should watch where you’re going, kid.”

“Yeah, same goes for you.”

Quickly making your way over to Robby, you falter in your step as your eyes meet Eli’s. You also notice Bert and Nate behind him, the both of them quickly rushing to stand slightly behind Eli as Robby walks up to him, the other boy who’d been there moving to stand next to Robby instead.

This did not end well.

“Look who it is,” Eli calls, walking up to Robby threateningly.

“Eli,” you plead, his name leaving your lips before you can stop yourself. You rush towards him, pressing a hand to his chest to stop him as you glance back at Robby briefly; “it’s okay. Let’s just go.”

Eli meets your eyes and it almost looks like he’ll listen to you, until;

“You betrayed Miyagi-Do,” Nate spits at him, “traitor.”

Eyes falling shut in frustration, you realize it’s too late to hope for this to end peacefully.

“Oh, there’s a traitor here for sure.”

And there comes Tory.

Glancing over your shoulder, you turn, facing Tory as she makes her way over, eyes set straight on Eli; Kyler and a few other Cobra Kai’s behind her.

“He’s gonna get what he deserves.”

“I don’t think so,” a new voice speaks up, and your eyes widen when you see Sam, Miguel, Chris and a few others from your class making their way up to the group, obviously standing on Eli’s side. “Not if I have anything to say about it, Princess.”

There’s a moment of tense silence, either side just staring at one another, before Demetri cuts in.

“Hey, guys. Can you believe that they have Mr. Pibb and Dr. Pepper?”

Everyone turns to look at him and as his eyes meet yours, you raise a brow.

The meaning is not lost on him.

“Oh, shit.” He huffs, “not another rumble.”

“Careful, Larusso,” Tory taunts, “your mommy isn’t here to play peacemaker.”

Sam’s eyes narrow; “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Guys, stop!” Miguel cuts in, voice desperate; “we can’t do this. We’ll beat them on the map.”

Letting a small smile grace your features, you find yourself proud at Miguel’s reluctance for violence – at the very least unsupervised and regulated violence.

You’ll take what you can get.

“You remember what happened last time we fought, right?”

Turning to Robby in disbelief, your lips part.

Why would he–

“Okay,” Miguel nods, playing into the bait. “Meet us at the baseball diamond in thirty minutes. And no weapons.”

So much for his reluctance to violence.

“Yeah, we won’t need them.”

“Yeah.”

Turning when the rest of your group does, you can’t help but let out a sigh.

You just wanted to watch a movie with your friends.

You’re proved wrong however when Miguel says that you won’t be fighting like he expects – he assures you all that you’ll still make your move, but there’s no need for it to get violent. So, slightly puzzled, you sit squished between Sam and Demetri in the back seat of Eli’s car, and watch as Robby, Tory and the rest of Cobra Kai make their way onto the baseball field, eyes peeled for sight of any of you.

Only for the sprinklers to turn on just then, dousing them in water.

“Dude,” Eli laughs, “genius move! We didn’t even have to throw a punch!”

Demetry laughs, reaching forward to nudge Miguel lightly; “my favourite kind of victory.”

Letting out a laugh, you can’t help but agree.

Johnny isn’t quite as impressed with Miguel as you are.

“You just poked the bear,” Johnny huffs at his student. “What do you think’s gonna happen?”

Confused at his response, you turn to look at Demetri.

“Think they’re just gonna leave well enough alone?”

Mr. Larusso walks in just then; “from everything I heard, it sounds to me like Miguel practiced restraint.” He offers, coming to Miguel’s defense. “Found a way to get out of a bad situation without anyone getting hurt. What did you want him to do, get in a drive-in switchblade fight?”

Honestly, you can’t help but agree.

However, as Mr. Larusso turns to Miguel, setting his hand on his shoulder, smiling and proceeds to compliment Miguel, it isn’t hard to see the way Johnny’s eyes narrow.

“I’m proud of you,” Mr. Larusso grins. “You’ve taken Miyagi-Do teachings to heart.”

“Okay, Larusso,” Johnny huffs, “we need to have a talk.”

Yup. Just as you figured.

Only, neither of them get to say anything as everyone’s attention falls on the two new men who have just walked into Mr. Larusso’s dojo. One, you instantly recognize as John Kreese, but the man standing next to him is a new face.

Yet, even just one look at him makes you feel instantly nervous.

There’s something off about him.

“Gentlemen,” the new face grins, “it seems we have a few things to discuss.”

With that, you and the rest of the students are quickly ushered inside; both Mr. Larusso and Johnny not wanting any of you to hear what John Kreese and Terry Silver you learned his name was, had to say. Of course, none of you listen as everyone gathers near the sliding doors of Mr. Larusso’s dojo, opening the doors while everyone shoves their head through to try to get a peek at what’s happening.

It’s hard to hear exactly what they’re saying, but one thing you can tell is Mr. Larusso looks madder than you’ve probably ever seen him look.

“Your dad’s pissed,” Miguel whispers to Sam, noticing what you had; “who is that guy?”

Just as confused, Sam shakes her head; “I have no idea.”

“He looks like Highlander,” Bert offers.

“The Highlander,” Nate corrects, “there can be only one.”

“Well, whoever he is,” you speak up, worrying your lip. “I don’t trust him.”

No one responds – but everyone's face is clear; they feel the same.

Making your way around the corner, your face brightens at the sight of Moon, offering her a smile and a wave when she does the same. You only briefly meet Yasmine’s gaze along the way, her offering a small, somewhat forced smile that you don’t bother to respond – you were happy for her and Demetri, truly, but that still didn’t erase the years of torment that she had inflicted on you.

And without an apology, you weren’t so willing to forgive.

So, continuing on your way, you hold the textbooks in your arms to your chest, gaze on your feet before you catch sight of purple, and your eyes widen when you realize that that purple is Eli.

He’d changed his hair.

It looked... good.

He’s standing with Demetri, but your gaze is focused on Eli completely and wholeheartedly.

Picking up the speed in your step, you move to greet the both of them, only to falter when you hear what Demetri’s saying.

“What about you and Moon, eh? Did I detect a note of rapprochement in the air?”

Steps faltering, all excitement quickly fades through you as Demetri’s words register in your mind, the disappointment heavy on you as you feel your shoulders sag. A glance back reminds you of who you’d just seen walk by, and the pieces come together as a weight falls over your chest. You take a step back, nothing bothering to listen to what Eli has to say in response – truthfully, you’re too afraid to hear what he has to say back, fearing the worst.

And because of that, you don’t hear him vehemently correct Demetri that he and Moon were just friends and were better that way or the way that Demetri smiles knowingly at that and your name leaves his lips as Eli’s cheeks warm.

You also don’t notice the both of them see your figure hastily rushing off either, not until, at least, you hear Eli call for you.

Your body stops on its own, doing so without evening realizing, and when you turn back to face him, Demetri has walked off and it’s just Eli.

Forcing a smile on your lips, you pretend like you hadn’t just been eavesdropping on them. “Hey,” you smile, moving to fall into step with him, briefly meeting his gaze before you let your eyes wander to your feet, watching your steps. Eli pauses slightly at that, wanting to have stopped and talk to you, but he follows after you quickly regardless.

“I, uh, like the purple. It suits you really well.”

It’s what you’d wanted to say to him anyways.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” he grins distractedly, touching the side of his head. “I felt like a change was due.”

You smile up at him, nodding; “I liked the red, but the purple really suits you.”

He smiles, but doesn’t say anything in response. You turn to him just as the both of you turn the corner, his lips parting to say something as the look on his face turns to one of concern. Only, he doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying as the both of you are interrupted by Miguel, Demetri and Sam rushing up to you.

“Yo,” Miguel calls, pulling your attention on him. “You guys won’t believe this. Sensei got drunk and went on a Twitter rant.”

He holds his phone out, Eli easily grabbing it as you raise a brow; “I believe everything except for the part where he knows how to tweet.”

Demetri snorts; “that’s what I said.”

Sticking your tongue out at him, you move to lean over Eli’s shoulder, ignoring the slight moment of pause from him as you grow closer, letting your eyes flicker across what sure enough is a series of tweets from Johnny himself.

Tomorrow night. Eagles reign supreme.

It’s time for the Valley to see what karate is all about!

IT’S ON: LAWRENCE-LARUSSO REMATCH! hashbrown dead meat.

You snort; “hashbrown?”

Meeting your eyes, Miguel shrugs; “he doesn’t really understand how to hashtag things.” Then, shaking his head, he sighs, “it looks like he and Sensei Larusso are gonna have a rematch.”

“Wait,” Eli calls, “so they’re really gonna fight?”

“Apparently,” Sam shrugs, “should’ve seen this coming.”

“Who does he even think he’s tweeting for?” Demetri calls to attention, “you’re his only follower?”

“I don’t know,” Miguel sighs, dejected. “H-He seems serious about it.”

“Yeah,” you grin, unable to stop yourself as you point at the phone; “he ‘hashbrowned’ dead meat.”

Eli and Demetri chuckle, and you like the fact that Eli responds so positively, but Sam and Miguel just frown at you.

Biting your lip, you offer an apologetic smile.

“So, this is real?” Eli grins, looking entirely too pumped; “Sensei and Sensei are gonna throw down?”

Sam and Miguel nod.

“That’s awesome!”

Johnny’s tweets get around – whether that’s because of the students actually finding his tweets or word getting around from namely Demetri and Eli, the entire class is there at the dojo when you arrive.

Well, everyone but Eli.

When you ask Demetri, he just shrugs, not sure himself. It worries you, given you remember how excited he’d seemed over the match between your two sensei’s, but you barely have time to worry either way because the match is starting before you can do much about it. And reluctantly your attention is stolen by the match as Johnny and Mr. Larusso makes their way to the sparring deck, Miguel and Sam moving to either side of their respective sensei to help keep watch of points.

Chris is center front of the group, his phone stretched out on a tri-pod to catch every second of said match.

The match starts after a few short words are shared between both Mr. Larusso and Johnny, stepped away so none of you can hear. And you watch as Johnny manages to get the first point, a strike to Mr. Larusso’s arm, but Mr. Larusso is able to easily gather said point right back in similar fashion.

It continues on like that, intense sparring that results in the match ending up two to two until whoever gets the first hit wins.

You’ve never seen a match quite like theirs. They’re pretty much equal in strength, the match being able to go either way, and it’s hard to keep up with their movements as each one moves with precise and quick movements.

It ends with the both of them striking each other straight in the chest, knocking them to the ground.

“Point, Lawrence!”

“Point, Larusso!”

Confusion falls over everyone as Miguel turns to Sam; “are you sure?”

“Are you sure?”

“Check the replay!” Demetri calls out next to you, everyone quickly moving to do just that, gathering around Chris who rewinds the video just until the moment of the final kick.

It doesn’t really help clear anything.

“Go to another angle,” Johnny shrugs.

“There is no other angle,” Chris turns to him, confused.

“Don’t you guys have another phone?”

“I–”

“Hawk?”

Turning alert at Miguel’s voice, your eyes instantly flicker upwards, glancing at Eli who had caught Miguel’s attention and instantly seeing what was wrong. His face is covered by the hood of his hoodie, hiding most of his face, and his shoulders are curled in on himself, and it isn't hard to tell there’s something wrong.

“Shit, Eli, what–what happened?”

Pushing your way forward, you pause right in front of Eli.

He avoids your gaze, refusing to meet your concerned gaze, as he raises his hand, pushing his hood off.

Your eyes widen, lips parting as he reveals just what had happened – his mohawk had been ruthlessly cut off, half-hazardly, strands of purple hair sticking up from the sides, while the middle is completely shaved, uneven in it’s cut. You’re honestly surprised he’s not cut anywhere given how rough it looks like his hair had been shaved. But what really catches your attention is how red and puffy his eyes are, something that’s clear now that his hood is no longer covering his face.

Hands falling to your lips, you feel your heart break in worry for him.

Johnny steps forward, moving to a stop right in front of Eli; “who did this?”

Eli only hesitates a moment; “Cobra Kai.”

There’s a collective series of sighs, but you hardly care. You rush to step forward, moving towards Eli as Johnny steps back, giving you room.

“Kreese and Silver did this,” you hear Johnny call out, “they need to pay.”

“Eli?” You call softly, hand falling on his arm as he moves to pull his hood up, hiding himself once again. “Eli, are you–”

He just turns away from you, shrugging your hand off of him.

“Jesus, Johnny,” Mr. Larusso huffs, “please. Kreese tried to kill you last time. You wanna fight them both?”

Frowning, you turn back to Eli, but he won’t meet your eyes.

“Damn right,” Johnny argues, “look at what they did.”

“Dousing the fire with gasoline, that’s your answer? Why am I not surprised?”

Distressed, Miguel steps towards Johnny; “sensei, stop.”

Johnny just disregards him. “You still think your way is the only way. You were so proud when they pulled their little sprinkler prank. But if they stood their ground and kicked ass like I taught them, this never would’ve happened.”

“If they fight every time they’re provoked, where does that lead?” Mr. Larusso recalls, throwing his hands up. “Back to the hospital? Or to jail?” Come on, just ‘cause you spent time in both–”

“Enough, dad,” Sam cuts in, voice pleading as she steps in front of Johnny, as if protecting him from her own father. “Johnny’s right. It doesn’t matter how many times we stand up to Cobra Kai, if we don’t strike back, they’re gonna keep coming at us.”

The silence that follows is thick.

“And you were worried about my influence on your kids?” Mr. Larusso breathes, “is that what you wanted, Johnny? To have my daughter and the rest of my students acting like you?”

“You don’t have to worry about it anymore.,” Johnny assures, taking a step towards Mr. Larusso. “Cause we’re done.”

“Works for me.”

There’s a moment where the two just stare at one another, before Johnny concedes, stepping back and calling for Eagle Fangs to follow him. You straighten out at that, panicked as you move towards Eli, watching as Johnny hesitates, staring back at Miguel, who only after a moment, reluctantly follows Johnny.

Eli makes a move to walk off and you grab onto his wrist, grip tight, pleading; “Eli, just wait. I just want to know you’re okay–”

“Just leave me alone, Y/N,” he brushes you off, ripping his wrist away from you. The action stuns you enough that you don’t move at first, body freezing at his harsh words and his complete dismissal of your concern. His back turns to you and he doesn’t offer you another glance back as he walks off, following after Johnny.

Your hand hangs in front of you, bewildered.

When Miguel walks past you, he frowns at you, but doesn’t say anything, slowly following after the rest.

Biting your lip, you hold back the tears that threaten to fall as you watch them walk off.

As you watch Eli walk off.

You stare down at your phone, those tiny little letters staring back at you.

Read.

Yeah, you can’t help but scoff. Read, but still blatantly ignoring you.

“Hey, everyone, gather around. I have news.”

Sighing, you push your phone into your back pocket, moving to gather around Mr. Larusso with the rest of the students.

“The All Valley committee just announced big changes for the tournament.”

“What kind of changes?”

Handing the paper over to Sam, Mr. Larusso smiles; “see for yourself. It’s a whole new ball game.”

Leaning over Demetri, you squint to read the letter.

“They’re introducing skills competitions?”

“Yup.”

“Kata, board breaking, weapons display?”

None of that even matters to you as you read what’s below it.

Glancing up you meet Sam’s eyes, “and there’s gonna be a separate girls’ division.”

She nods, “so that means…”

Mr. Larusso smiles; “there’s gonna be two All Valley champs.”

“Wait,” Chris calls, puzzled, “what does that mean for the bet with Cobra Kai?”

“There’s a Grand Champion trophy for whichever dojo wins the most points,” he explains.

Sam shrugs; “all I know is the girls’ division is mine.” Then, pausing, she falters, turning to you; “I mean…”

You just laugh, shrugging as you hold your hands up; “it’s all yours, Sam. I hardly doubt I have the skill to compete with you.”

“It could go either way,” Mr. Larusso cuts in before Sam can reply, smiling at the both of you. “At the very least, I’m positive we have one of the winners here.” He gestures to the both of you, a reassuring smile on his lips as he meets your eyes.

Turning to meet Sam’s eyes, you can’t help the smile that curls onto your lips at Mr. Larusso’s encouragement.

You? Win? You doubted it… especially if you ended up having to face Sam.

Still, it felt nice to know someone at least believed in you.

“And that just leaves the skills and the boys,” Mr. Larusso smiles, turning to the rest. “I’m counting on you guys.”

Demetri and Chris pause.

“Who, us?”

“Yeah,” Demetri nods, “we’re a bunch of Rudys. I mean, sure, we’re good for the occasional inspirational moment, but we’re not exactly center mat material.”

“Demetri,” you call, frowning up at him. “That’s not true.”

“Uh,” he pauses, pointing his finger at you. “Yes, it is.” And honestly, he doesn’t even look the slightest bit offended or disappointed by his own words – he wholeheartedly believes them.

“We were much better off with Miguel and Hawk,” Chris reminds.

“Or he who shall not be named.”

Robby.

“Rhymes with ‘Dobby’,”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go on a whim and assume they knew who you meant, Demetri,” you snort, setting your hand on his arm with a shake of your head.

“Look,” Mr. Larusso sighs, “I know you’re missing some of your friends. And of course I wish Robby was here.” Letting your gaze fall to your feet, you hug yourself. “But it’s time to put the past behind us, all right? Don’t worry. By the time the tournament comes around, you’re gonna realize this was the best thing that could’ve happened to us.”

He’s not answering any of my texts.

I think he’s embarrassed.

Why? I would never make fun of him.

Yeah, and he knows that but he doesn’t want you to see him as some loser.

Oh…

Look, I’ll talk to him okay?

Okay… thanks, Demetri

Of course.

Setting down your phone, you let out a heavy sigh, hands running across your face.

You were happy Eli was at least still talking to Demetri, but you couldn’t deny you were a little hurt that he’d all but shut you out. You thought things had been going well between the two of you, that your friendship was starting to mend bit by bit and… you’d even thought maybe something more would happen.

For him to just completely shut you out, refusing to answer your texts, ignoring you when you try to visit him…

He doesn’t want you to see him as a loser…

That’s what Demetri had said, and you guessed, when you thought about it like that it did make sense. You’d known that that mohawk had meant something more to Eli than just some haircut, that it had been a staple of change in his life. It wasn’t hard to tell it was something that gave him confidence, that made him feel better about himself and you don’t think you’re wrong to assume that he probably thought it was what defined him as a person now.

Hawk. The kid who could fight. The kid who kicked ass. The kid who wasn’t bullied anymore.

The kid who wasn’t a loser.

Without that mohawk, he must’ve thought none of that was true anymore.

You only wish you could tell him that that wasn’t the case. Be there for him like he’d been there for you…

“Y/N!”

Eyes falling shut at the sound of your mother’s voice, your shoulders sag. It takes you a second longer to gather your courage, leaving your phone on your bed as you make your way out of your bedroom and down the stairs, stopping just in front of your mom who’s stood by the front door; a suitcase in one hand and her purse in the other.

She’s leaving.

“I’ll text you when I’ve landed, okay?”

Nodding, you wrap your arms around yourself. “Sounds good.”

“I’ve left you money as usual, but if you need anything else, just text me. Extra too for your prom dress.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll be good?”

“Always am.”

Frowning, your mom raises her brow at you.

You concede; “I’ll be good.”

“Okay, well, I gotta go.”

She makes a step towards the door, and your body flinches, the thought of running and hugging her crosses your mind – but you don’t move.

“Bye,” you offer quietly after a moment, raising your hand in a wave.

She looks disappointed, but doesn’t say anything.

She leaves in the next second, the door falling shut behind her with a soft click.

“So, that’s new…”

Eyes trailing after Tory, you can’t help but nod at Moon’s words.

“I didn’t know she was even allowed back,” you mull, turning to look at Moon as her eyes follow Tory for a moment longer, before meeting yours. “Pretty sure Sam had to give the okay first, and last I saw, she was anything but okay with it.” Watching Tory disappear down the hallway, you shrug; “clearly she changed her mind.”

“It’s weird,” Moon mumbles, “having her back.”

“Yeah,” you breathe, “I agree.”

Moon shifts beside you, her hand falling on your arm; “enough of that,” she brushes aside with ease, causing you to blink at her in confusion as her face breaks out into a bright grin. Her eyes twinkle with mischief, a sight that instantly makes you feel apprehensive. Over your short time of knowing Moon, that look has never meant anything good.

“Are you excited for prom?”

Oh.

“Um, yeah, I guess,” you shrug, unsure.

The truth was, you weren’t that excited. Not as much as you should be. After everything that had happened recently, with Cobra Kai and Robby, and then Mr. Larusso and Johnny splitting, your mom leaving and now Eli… well, it was hard to really feel excited for such a thing in the midst of it all.

Especially, because you’d always hoped you would go with Eli and it didn’t really feel like there was a high chance of that happening.

“Come on!” Moon laughs, pulling at your wrist, “you’re not even the least bit excited?”

You pause. “Not really,” you admit, “I don’t even have a dress yet.”

Her eyes widen, lips parting as if you’ve said the most unbelievable thing ever.

“What?”

Jerking back, you frown; “I’ve been really busy with school and karate and–”

“Are you free after school?”

Turning to Moon, you hesitate; “well, no… Mr. Larusso said he was going to focus on the boys for this class so–”

“Perfect,” she smiles, not bothering to let you finish your sentence. “Then me and you are going dress shopping.”

Your lips part; “oh, I dunno Moon… I don’t really–”

“You don’t have to go to karate, yeah?”

“Yeah…”

“Then, I’ll find you the perfect dress,” she assures, squeezing your hand tightly in her own. “I promise you.”

You meet her eyes, seeing just how excited she is and you find as you stare back at her, you can’t say no. Not when she’s looking at you like that and certainly not when she looks so excited.

“Okay,” you smile lightly, nodding. “Sounds like a plan.”

She practically squeals from excitement. “Perfect! Trust me, Y/N, I’ll find you a dress that makes you stand out from everyone else.” Then, pausing, she smirks at you; “one that’ll maybe catch the eye of a certain boy, yeah?”

It isn’t hard to tell who she means.

Cheeks burning, you avoid her gaze. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Sure,” she laughs, shaking her head as she drags you along the hallway.

As soon as you got home from Moon practically dragging you to every bridal shop she could possibly find, not settling on one dress until she was absolutely sure she’d found the right dress, you were more than exhausted.

Your feet dragged beneath you as you made your way up your driveway and to your front door, your bed calling for you as you held your dress tightly in your arms, fishing for your keys. You’d had homework that you were supposed to get done, but it could wait another day, and honestly, all you wanted to do was fall asleep and never wake up again.

But, despite all that, you couldn’t deny you’d had a fun day. Moon was incredibly sweet, if a little pushy, and she made you feel like a goddess in almost every dress you’d tried on all whilst making sure to find what she deemed the ‘perfect’ one. What you’d settled on had surprisingly left you feeling excited for prom, even if you currently had no date and were positive no one would be asking you anyways… Prom actually seemed exciting to you now, and you were oddly looking forward to wearing your dress.

You were never one to dress up and honestly, going out of your comfort zone was something you avoided. You’d learned over the years that it ended up just embarrassing you more than it ever made you feel beautiful.

Yet, the dress in your hands did make you feel beautiful and you had only Moon to thank for that.

With a small smile, you shift the dress, flipping your keys in your hand, only to pause at the sight of Eli sitting on your front porch.

“Eli?”

He jumps at your voice, sitting up straight when he realizes you’re standing in front of him. Almost instantly, he moves to his feet, your eyes following him as he steps towards you, eyes distantly flickering to the bundle in your arms before meeting your gaze.

“Hey,” he calls softly, hands shoved into the pockets of his sweats.

“Hey,” you breathe.

He looks different then the last time you saw him. The most notable changes are the fact this time he isn’t teary-eyed and the strands left from his mohawk are completely shaved off, leaving him with a buzzcut. But, you notice it just like you notice everything about Eli the way he’s not curling into himself or hiding, and he’s meeting your gaze without an ounce of hesitation and he just appears… more confident.

Even if only slightly.

“What’s, uh, what’s up?” You ask, head tilting to the side in curiosity.

“I just came back from class,” he explains, scratching behind his ear.

“Oh,” your face falls with understanding, eyes softening. “Johnny was able to find a place to train? I know Miguel was saying he wasn’t sure where–”

“Uh, no,” Eli cuts in, making another small step towards you. Your brows furrow at his words. “I was actually at Miyagi-Do…”

Your eyes widen; “wait…”

“Yeah,” he nods, “I joined Miyagi-Do… I, uh, wanted to be there for Demetri and um, well, you too.”

You can hardly believe what you’re hearing.

There was a time where Eli would’ve scoffed at the mere mention of Miyagi-Do.

“Woah,” you laugh lightly, “I missed one class and we get a new student.”

Eli chuckles at that, shrugging; “we… I missed you there. I wanted to see you and apologize for not responding to you… I shouldn’t have ignored you like that, it wasn’t fair of me and–”

Taking a step towards Eli, you shake your head; “Eli?”

He pauses, meeting your eyes. “Yeah?”

“It’s okay,” you assure, voice soft. “I know you needed time. And I’m glad you figured it all out.”

Even if I would’ve liked to be there for you too.

His smile brightens at that, and there’s a moment of silence before he asks what had clearly been on his mind; “where, uh, where were you?”

“Oh,” you jump at that, stepping back and staring down at the bundle in your hands, cheeks warming slightly. “Moon and I were out shopping,” his eyes widened at the sound of his ex. “For, um… a prom dress for me.”

His lips part; “I didn’t know you and Moon were close.”

You shrug, “she’s good company.” Then, ignoring the way it makes your heart hurt, you tease; “you lost something good with her.”

Eli shakes his head. “We’re better as friends.”

You try to ignore the hope that floods through you at that.

“So, uh… prom.”

Body tensing, you meet Eli’s eyes; “yeah… prom.”

His cheeks flush, the tension turning awkward as he avoids your gaze, staring down at his feet and your body feels like it’s electrified with anticipation.

Was this it?

Was he going to ask you?

“Should be fun.”

It takes everything within you not to show just how disappointed you are.

Your shoulders sag and you almost feel like crying as the words you’d so desperately hoped to hear from Eli don’t happen.

Forcing a smile to your lips, you nod; “yeah, should be.”

His lips part, as if to say something, before he stops himself, body faltering as he turns, “well, I should… I should get going.” He says, and you try to ignore the disappointment that courses through your veins.

“Oh, okay… sure,” you nod, stepping out of his way. “I guess I’ll see you at class, then, huh?”

Meeting your gaze fleetingly, Eli nods; “yeah, I’ll see you then.”

You wave at him as he walks off, waiting until he’s completely disappeared out of sight before you let your shoulders fall, biting your lip to stop the tears that threaten to fall.

You’d… You’d really thought he was going to ask you.

It was stupid of you to get your hopes up.

Eli probably didn’t even like you in that way. Not anymore. He probably wanted to ask Moon, and you hardly doubted he really thought the two of them were ‘better as friends’. It was silly of you to ever think otherwise…

Not when prettier girls existed.

Glancing down at your dress, you swallow thickly.

Yeah, it really was stupid of you.

#cobra kai #cobra kai x reader #cobra kai imagine #eli moskowitz #eli moskowitz x reader #eli moskowitz imagine #eli moskowitz x you #eli x reader #hawk x reader #hawk imagine #hawk #jacob bertrand #robby keene x reader #robby keene

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vicontheinternet · 7 months ago

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this come up every 3-5 business months and we have to keep telling y'all grown adults that y'all are wrong

Hi I am here to remind you that tony stark was not in the right in captian America civil war and not to bring real world politics in to it but by now I'd think we'd seeing how utterly useless the un is. If Tony had cared at all to stick by the accords or if they had any repercussions at all he would’ve had to wait and go to the un and petition the un to say that there are fucking aliens attacking earth then ask them if he could stop then wait for their answer. But he doesn’t even have respect for the thing that he had a hand in making instead he played the victim and took no accountability in his part and said the avengers broke up and then said that’s why my idea for the shield around the earth was a great idea. The accords were abysmal and Tony wrote him a way out while the other members of the avengers either had to sign or retire he wrote into the accord that he was exempt so ofc he was going to peddle that thing he was going to face nothing. The only reason he was doing this was because an American mother made him feel guilty he didn’t feel guilty for the town of ppl whose were ruin he didn’t feel guilty abt Wanda’s brother and she was sleeping in avengers tower he got to see her more often then that singular woman. Tony broke the accords like 3 separate times and you want me to be on his side. Don’t get me started on Peter because y’all irondad fans are weird. Y’all want me to see the guy who canonically kidnapped a kid peter was 14 in cacw he didn’t have a passport until homecoming and Tony withheld any information from Peter so that he couldn’t make an informed decision on what happened and what team he would want to be on and Tony took a 14 year old Peter to Germany under false pretense to fight a fight that he had no business being in without informing his legal guardian that is the textbook definition kidnapping. Ppl can say team cap is wrong all they want but at least their team stayed together and respects ppls consent. Why would cap trust the un when just the last movie it was exposed that hydra was in the government. I truly believe that ppl who are team iron man throws out all logic because “bucky killed his parents” even though he was brainwashed and they beat his ass even though he started it that man is grown grown if he didn’t want to lose a fight he shouldn’t have started it. He didn’t even like his father yall get on Peter quil’s ass for his emotional reaction but that was a fucking emotional reaction and he got his ass beat. I’m sorry but his ego got him thinking he could take out Bucky Barnes who was formerly the winter soldier with his friends right next to him and thought Steve wasn’t going to do nothing. And to dispel this misconception Steve and Tony weren’t friends they were barely co workers they tolerated each other

#tony sought out general Ross and the un because he got his feelings hurt #without his team he knew abt way before the team #he waited until like 3 days before they had to sign it before he told them #he ain’t shit #anti mcu #anti tony stark #anti cacw #anti captain america civil war #long post

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mylifeincinema · 1 month ago

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My Week in Reviews: October 12, 2024

Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024)

Wow... that a weird mishmash of tones, styles and ideas. Seriously, this film is a truly bizarre clusterfuck; the screenplay is all over the place, the direction and visuals rarely fit their scenes, and the cast is so wild that I honestly don't quite know whether I love or hate just how unpredictably full-ham they all go throughout this overlong mess of a movie. Is this experimental cinema gone wrong? Is it the misguided, warped vision of a once visionary cinema great? Is it an ahead-of-its-time, slyly brilliant satirical dismantling of a world gone mad? Is it all of the above? Who knows? It might be awful, but at least it's interesting. - 4/10

I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun, 2024)

::YAWNS:: Well... looks like A24 should just become partners with Letterboxd at this point. This whole snooze-fest feels entirely engineered for the Letterboxd faithful. To be fair, though, there are some interesting/relatable ideas about our emotional connection to the art we consume in our formative years leading into that abysmal final act. But that awkwardly shoehorned musical performance, the insufferable pacing and performances, and the overall aesthetic approach are just so painfully bad. - 2.5/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#movies #i saw the tv glow #megalopolis #francis ford coppola #a24 #film review #cinema #my week in reviews #film #movie #movie reviews #etc.

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drapopia · 1 year ago

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la squadra headcanons

authors note: hello everyone! i've been dead for a while, but my la squadra fixation has once again returned, perhaps even stronger than ever. honestly, i'm not phased. but my brain has stronger, more coherent thoughts about this bushel of babes. enjoy, and my inbox is always open to thoughts!!

risotto

joined la squadra at age 21 shortly after his cousin's accident/incident.

he is egyptian and sicilian.

he is the leader of la squadra, and appointed gelato as his second in command due to his intelligence in the area of arranged killing and his general ability to command a room/read his teammates (with the help of his stand, of course)

risotto may be slightly standoffish, but he truly does care for his team. he is also a natural worrier, and tends to check in with them often. whether it be strict business, or just in general keeping up.

his sclera are tattooed because of his stand's general changing of his appearance and his eyesight. after the gradual change of his whites, he decided to jump the hurdle and get it professionally blacked out.

considers himself to be on good terms with everyone on the team, but gets along best with formaggio. he appreciates that formaggio is spunky, and makes him chuckle to himself.

loves to draw, and has a notebook in his room of nonsensical drawings. one of ghiaccio's greatest treasures is a drawing risotto did for him after an especially bad morning (he accidentally left his car windows open during an entire night of rain without his knowledge) it's of a cat on a park bench! it is framed and on his dresser

his favorite ice cream flavor is either double chocolate, or raspberry.

he wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle so badly, but is scared of being too big and crashing. he knows how to ride a bicycle, it's just hard to find something that adequately fits his body.

his favorite genres of music are goth (duh), metal, and shoegaze. he wants to feel the bass in his feet. has gotten into several (mostly) lighthearted arguments over the punk rock scene with formaggio and gelato

he sleeps in a tanktop and extremely large sweatpants. he wears socks while he sleeps, an abysmal sight. he does have some trouble sleeping at night, but once he's out, he lays stiff as a plank. his thoughts before he goes to bed are of the general day, and random thoughts. often times he will remember something random, like he forgot to switch clothes from the washer to the dryer, and will bolt up and ruin his sleepy groove. (we're all guilty risotto, it's okay)

his favorite movies are the exorcist, carrie, and trainspotting. he likes most movies, but he HATES jaws. it makes him viscerally upset to think of the way sharks are treated because of these movies

prosciutto

he joined la squadra shortly after illuso, did, still one of the first to be initiated. he joined because he it was just the family business, it was why his father had moved his entire family to the country. while he doesn't consider it to be in his blood by any means, he finds it is remarkably easy for him to take on the role of a mafioso.

originally born in prague, his family immigrated to italy when he was around 4 years old. so while he grew up in florence, he had strong czech influence in his childhood

he feels like he should be the one in the team that people should feel inclined to go to for advice. he also thinks he's mysterious and seductive, and while he has an air of confidence and and elegant stride, the others have all seen him standing in his bathrobe screaming at the espresso machine for not working (it's not plugged in prosciutto.)

despite seeing him at his goofiest, the others on the team know that they can go to him for a lot of stuff that needs help. after all, he's the best marksman on the team and taught melone how to shoot. he's also the best to go to for advice on high end stuff.

his favorite genres of music are big band music, jazz, and psychedelic rock. he also loves blues and some occasional soul.

he used to have his bellybutton pierced for an entire year, but he almost had it ripped out on a job, so he had it retired.

he is a surprisingly good cook, and makes a mean roast pork, and knows exactly how long to bake a good sourdough bread to get a pleasantly crispy exterior. also, he somehow learned how to make an absolutely delectable hummus, and will not tell anyone how he knows. (prosciutto, spill your secrets, you devilish man!)

his favorite flavor of ice cream is either plain vanilla bean or coffee. would much rather have a pastry of some sort, but he gives in too quickly for anyone to believe that he hates sweets.

he sleeps in silk jammies, with no socks on. he is serious about his bedtime, and hates whenever people interrupt his sleep time. his thoughts before bed are similar to risottos, going through the day meticulously. he also thinks about his errands for the next day, often stopping to think of his grocery list for the coming day or so.

he does not exercise often, only opting to do some light walking, and uses the small personal gym that la squadra owns occasionally. has a freaky fast metabolism

his favorite movies include overboard, the man who fell to earth, and what ever happened to baby jane?

gets along best with sorbet. regularly lament over old man things, even though sorbet is substantially older than him. the stingy old bastards are fond of sitting on the veranda outside and mocking each other

pesci

pesci was the last to join la squadra, and joined because of pressure from his family, and low income from his family back in prague.

he is prosciutto's cousin, and immigated to italy with prosciutto's family when he was around 2. his family was in dire straits, and could not afford to provide for themselves, let alone pesci. he is still in contact with them, and regularly sends most his income to them. he hopes that they're doing better.

he is very unsure of his abilities as an assassin, and of his abilities in general. he has so many good traits though! illuso would never admit it, but he finds himself spending a good chunk of his socializing talking to pesci because he's so personable. he has good advice outside of work, and prosciutto is proud of him for being a good source of wisdom. (even if it's just for pesci knowing where the best place to fish is.)

pesci has tattoos! (and he also gets bitches!) he has the third most tattoos out of anyone on the team. his most special one is an intricate vine piece on his thigh representing his journey from prague to italy. only prosciutto and ghiaccio know that though. his second most fond piece is a petite tattoo of a turtle on a skateboard that he got on a night out with formaggio and melone. does not regret it whatsoever.

pesci's favorite genres of music are surf rock, pop, and a bit of hip- hop! he loves a good surf guitar.

his favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip, proud defender until he passes

pesci is BUFF, let's get that out of the way. he, formaggio, ghiaccio, and risotto often work out together. he thinks it's genuinely so fun, and loves that good content feeling after a rewarding session. he spots for ghiaccio, and risotto spots for him. (formaggio HATES lifting weights)

gets along best with everyone, but he does have a soft spot for gelato. gelato was worried about pesci's adjustment to mafia life, and checks in with him personally. whether this is lunch at a local thai restaurant, or just a chat while brushing their teeth at the sink in the base. pesci often feels incompetent next to prosciutto, so he appreciates gelato's encouragement.

makes a mean baklava, like is such a good baker

he sleeps in comfy jammies, and no socks. such a deep sleeper, will not wake up even for the apocalypse at his door. does not remember falling asleep at all, so no coherent thoughts are really going through his head while he drifts off for the night.

his favorite movies are steel magnolias and uncle buck, loves john candy almost reverently

illuso

was the next to join after sorbet and gelato were assigned to risotto's team. is a former mercenary for hire from argentina. he emigrated from argentina to multiple different countries, but stuck in italy because he got into some trouble with passione. nothing too serious, he paid his debt, but he vibes with mafia life.

south american and italian!

illuso wouldn't admit that he gets along with anyone in la squadra, he enjoys teasing them a little too much to ever admit that out loud. he is an avid gossiper, and tends to bond with everyone in the group because of this. he's an information fiend, and this reflects in his work.

illuso's room is a calculated mess, and it is BEAUTIFUL. a comfy bed draped in luxurious blankets and throw pillows, extravagant rugs and lush carpeting, and ambient lighting that makes you instantly relax. he loves shoplifting, and uses his stand to his advantage. he used to steal jewelry from his grandmother when he was a child, and you can find it draped over a lamp or two.

for workouts, he loves pilates. (pilates princess all the way). he will occasionally join melone to work out, but that's just code for jogging on the treadmill and talking shit lol. melone tries to cajole him into yoga, but illuso ate shit stretching once and his ego was bruised

his favorite genres of music include psychedelic rock, pop, disco, and hip-hop. he occasionally enjoys metal, but he has to be in a very specific mood or else it just gives him a migraine. he just loves some sensual music that makes you wanna lounge on a love seat dramatically

has a smattering of ear piercings, his favorite is his conch piercing. formaggio is trying to convince him to get his nipples pierced, but illuso hates needles. he especially doesn't want needles near his sensitive bits.

his favorite ice cream flavor is either blueberry cheesecake, or bubblegum. not bubblegum with huge chunks, but just the flavoring.

of all the people on the team, he is closest to either melone or formaggio. being partners with formaggio is comfortable, and puts him at ease whenever they're on the job. formaggio can reciprocate his crude and teasing humour, so they mesh well. they watch trashy soap operas together. he can't explain why he and melone get along so well together, only that they're both smarmy bitches.

wears silk jammies to bed, and sleeps with a silk eye mask as well. has his hair in a bonnet, and has a complicated bed setup. he is a light sleeper, and sleeps in the mirror world to reduce the risk of being woken up super easy. his thoughts before going to bed are of things he wants to buy, and an uneven flow of things that happened that day.

has skin care nights with ghiaccio and melone, or anyone else that wants to join. risotto and formaggio join occasionally

his favorite movies are black christmas and girl, interrupted.

formaggio

formaggio joined after ghiaccio, so right in the middle! he fell into the mafia, and was originally a part of polpo's squad after gelato was reassigned to risotto's squad. after polpo discovering how useful and destructive formaggio's stand ability was, he was reassigned to risotto's squad.

if you want fun and some healthy emotional balancing out, formaggio is your guy! he is the one on the team who the others go to for some fun and laughs. while he is a calculated and malicious killer, he is also very lazy and loves a good nap.

spanish and italian, his mother is from spain and his father is from genoa, italy.

he has the second most tattoos of anyone on the squad. while some are emotionally rooted, like the heart tattoo of his mom's name, some are for goofs, like an american traditional pinup of a woman with a cat tail. (formaggio what are you telling us)

his cat is named amoreena, and he is exceedingly fond of her. he used to have two cats, amoreena and cecilia, but cecilia passed away from a urinary tract infection. at the time of his death, he was actively looking for a kitten for amoreena to bond with. that is why she seems so agitated, she's just a sad girl at the moment (and formaggio shoved her into a damn bottle LMAO)

his favorite genres of music are soft rock, blues rock, and punk! he loves himself some music that reminds him that he's a tough guy and that he is rough and tumble! is a sucker for some celine dion and cher though

formaggio makes his own clothes from punk diys, and is very proud of his fashion. sticks very true to punk ideals and tries not to consume what fashion he could just make himself. definitely owns crust pants lol

as stated before, he regularly works out with pesci, ghiaccio, and risotto. he's mainly a cardio guy, and some light agility based stuff. i don't believe he likes weight lifting mainly because he hates how his arms ache a little the next day. he finds it irritating, and just generally agitating. my mans also loves jump roping

his favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate and cookies and cream! will genuinely eat any flavor though, he is not picky by any means, he loves food

is such a good cook, i am being so serious right now. his food has that home cooked and feel good taste, one bite will have you pleasantly smiling. he will casually say "let me make something super quick" and make the most mouthwatering, delectable meal known to man. he used to get put on timeout often when he was a kid, and spent that time watching his momma make food from his seat at the table.

formaggio considers himself a fan of everyone on the team! sure, ghiaccio may be prickly, and illuso can be a little too catty sometimes, but he vibes well with everyone. if you forced him to choose, it would be either gelato or pesci. he thinks they're both fun and down to earth, and he admires that they know who they are pretty well!

he sleeps shirtless with some boxers or lounge pants. his bed, to put politely, is kind of a mess. he snores, and he is also a deep sleeper. his thoughts before he goes to bed are goofy, like "i wonder if prosciutto has ever pissed himself" or "is ghiaccio's hair naturally that color?" also thinks about things he said that day, or he could have done differently.

his favorite movies are jurassic park and interview with the vampire (don't ask him why, he'll just talk about how sexy antonio banderas is)

melone

melone joined after formaggio, and before pesci. he joined the mafia as a means to pay for his university tuition, but got in way too deep and lost much more than he ever imagined he could,

melone knows the nature of his stand is offputting, a reflection of his mind that he tends not to reflect upon. however, he does find that despite that, his relationship with the others is well off. they come to him with strange questions that they know melone would have the best answer for. he is the only one on the team with a higher education. (highest being melone, lowest being sorbet).

korean and italian! his mother is korean, while his father was born in florence. he was raised in florence, but he visited korea with his mother every year or so for the summer. he feels very in touch with his roots on both sides.

melone has his nipples pierced! he has one tattoo, a small gene sequence of his grandmother on the inside of elbow. besides this, i don't believe he has any more body mods. he likes to make his fashion more flashy instead.

he is most fond of ghiaccio on the team, they mesh well. ghiaccio and he spend so much time talking about such strange topics, and he doesn't get offended by ghiaccio's frustrated and impassioned outbursts. he finds them endearing, actually. melone is a naturally levelheaded person, so ghiaccio appreciates him for that. they can be caught playing games on their nintendo 64 at 3 am

i don't believe that melone is a sexually oriented person, if that makes sense. i think he's someone who believes very strongly in sexuality being an inherent part of the human experience, whether you feel it or not. he thinks nudity is natural, and being a person is naked! we are all born naked, and we leave the world just as naked when we decay. (in the manga, he isn't as much of a pervert as the anime portrays him). he is a very logical person, but his spiritual beliefs are wide and varied. he shares them with ghiaccio and have conversations frequently with him about culture and their views on things similar to sexuality, natural expression, etc.

don't get me started on how his stand is a small reflection on trans parenthood

he does workout, and he does mainly yoga and pilates. he likes to stay toned and fit, not overly muscly. he workouts mainly with illuso and ghiaccio. ghiaccio tries to make him lift weights and he gets fussy.

his favorite genres of music are r&b, bedroom pop, and anything sensual! he loves him some britney spears. he also dabbles in techno and perv digital. (he likes the sound)

his favorite flavors of ice cream are strawberry and lemon! he prefers a nice melty sherbet.

he has only purple lights in his room, and he wants to own a ferret.

owns extremely expensive hygiene products, just like illuso

sleeps naked lol, likes to let his body breathe. (again, firm believer in casual, non-sexual nudity) he likes to meditate before he goes to bed, and has a nice linen bedspread and fluffy pillows. has similar thoughts to formaggio before he goes to bed, like "hmm, should i buy a fish tank?... probably not." drools SO MUCH

favorite movies are suspiria and phantom of the paradise

ghiaccio

joined la squadra after illuso, was officially inducted into the squad after a disastrous turn of events after dropping polpo's lighter and killing multiple people. with the destructive ability of his stand, it made sense to assign him to risotto

ghiaccio finds it hard to control his temper and be a welcoming person. he resents that he can be so anal-retentive about stuff. thankfully, most of the team just accepts it as part of ghiaccio. they know that he's just.... very passionate about stuff. however, ghiaccio is very knowledgeable about most topics along with melone, so anyone can go to him about the most random thing and he will probably know. he also has good workout tips!

he is italian and he is very, very proud, don't get that mixed up.

has no tattoos, but he has his ears pierced. he just doesn't think he would look that appealing with tattoos. and no, he doesn't mean appealing to others, he could care less about what others think about his appearance. he just doesn't believe he could be truly comfortable with something on his body for the rest of his life.

ghiaccio gets along the easiest with risotto and sorbet! risotto took him under his wing whenever he entered the criminal underworld, and he internally thanks him every day. sorbet is also very caring towards him, doing for him what gelato is doing for pesci. sorbet is levelheaded and solemn, and can keep ghiaccio's temper where it needs to be, and assessing where that feeling is coming from. risotto and ghiaccio also love metal, so it's a funny pairing (tiniest on the team and the tallest on the team)

ghiaccio's favorite ice cream flavors are green tea and lemon. he prefers sorbet, but those two flavors together are heaven to him. he once tried a limoncello cake ice cream and he went bonkers. (this actually exists in america guys, it's in most chain stores, PLEASE TRY IT, it's limited edition)

workouts so much, with literally everyone! loves cardio, and is extremely in shape. he uses it as an outlet for pent up energy. he's like a cup of water with energy, it keeps filling up so he has to drain it using excess means.

collects books about his favorite topics, and regularly watches lectures online about culture and linguistics.

LOVES LINGUISTICS, he knows three languages fluently !

his favorite genres of music are glam rock, some bedroom pop, and METAL. he loves metal because risotto introduced it to him when he was formative, and now we have this amalgam of music.

ghiaccio sleeps with a band shirt too big for him and some lounge pants. his thoughts before sleep range from "oh my god that is the most embarrassing thing I have ever done, please stop brain" or "wow ghiaccio you are so smart and funny and everybody on earth wants to give you a smooch to show that you are the coolest boy ever!!" and sorbet and risotto give him an award. he sleeps the earliest and wakes up the latest out of the team.

his favorite movies are the dark crystal, what's eating gilbert grape, and poltergeist.

sorbet and gelato

first guys to join the team! they were both first on polpo's team as reconnaissance and information, but gelato switched over to risotto's team. at polpo's reluctance, he allowed sorbet to go with as well. both joined the mafia to find something. sorbet joined because he thought it was the last thing he would do, gelato joined after the military. they found one another, and the rest is history. both were late teenagers.

gelato is belarusian, and sorbet has no clue of his ancestry because of lost adoption records. he suspects he is italian and some asian descent.

as second in command, gelato is sought after for advice and direction commonly. his job is to keep the risotto's schedule and jobs for everyone bundled together, and to keep everyone else's shit together. as a bubbly guy, leadership comes naturally to him, although he doubts that often. sorbet may not have a leadership position, but he does have seniority over all in the squad, seeing as how he has been in passione longer than a lot of them have been alive even.

as of being fond of anyone in the team, they are biased towards one another. they are a package deal, and everyone is aware. if you see sorbet, gelato is lurking close by, and vice versa for sorbet. otherwise, gelato is closest to formaggio because they're both lighthearted guys with superstitious hearts! as for sorbet, he is closest to prosciutto or risotto. gelato and sorbet both have a fondness for ghiaccio, he's so pumped up!

sorbet will only eat plain vanilla ice cream, and gelato loves strawberry!

gelato loves cooking! sorbet is so bad at it <3

sorbet collects knives, and gelato collects old vintage vinyls, especially the ones with vintage sexy music lol.

sorbet and gelato take dual self defense lessons in lieu of working out. they also do martial arts lessons, and regularly teach everyone as best they can, or if the other members ask. sorbet also sticks to weight lifting, and gelato does cardio mostly.

for music, these two like different things. gelato is a pop fan! he's fond of 80's pop mainly, but he also rolls with psychedelic rock if he's feeling nostalgic for his younger days. sorbet prefers jazz and blues. the best way to describe it is lower class songs that remind you that everyone is just a normal common person. (examples: tom waits, johnny cash, warren zevon, the talking heads, dolly parton)

sorbet sleepwalks, and gelato splays out on the bed like a ragdoll. neither of them are the type to remember what they thought about before they slept.

their favorite movies include the rocky horror picture show, the labyrinth, possession (1981) and 9 to 5.

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kyliafanfiction · 8 months ago

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I'm genuinely impressed how bad and completely missing the point of... everything that a take can be, on this website.

Just... it was impressive, how far-reaching the complete 'I am showing I understood literally nothing' wrt to the movies.

I've seen my share of bad prequels takes but MY GOD that one takes every cake. Absolute worst, and the Prequels hatedom has some truly abysmal takes.

#Nonspecificblogging #It's the 'Anidala makes more sense if Padme is a cougar' post that I was just cursed to have to see #my god that post is so far off the mark it killed half the audience #The Prequels Trilogy #Blue Hellsite (Derogatory)#Just Little Fandom Things #Noxious Takes On This Hellsite

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inhibited-irregularity · 2 years ago

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Since the voting was truly abysmal and the real winner was robbed by the corrupt juries, might as well make a "they deserved better" list including both semis and the grand finale and considering both juries and the general public. So, in an attempt to be as objective as I can, here's my

☆♥︎THEY DESERVED BETTER♥︎☆

In no particular order:

🇩🇪 Germany, Lord of the lost - Blood and glitter: I admit that I wasn't a fan in the beginning, and even made a post about how I wish that the rock entries went harder and that LOTL should either commit to hardcore or be more silly with the song. I found the cheesy lyrics delivered in such a serious and dramatic manner cringey, BUT, after their performance last night, changed my mind completely. First of all, I ADORE the lead singer's vocals (and he seems like a cool guy), and the song itself has some seriously good moments, not to mention how freakin catchy it is. Their energy was through the roof, the performance was flawless, and in spite of my initial reaction to the song, I bought it and genuinely loved it. It felt like watching a concert by one of my favorite bands. Not my winner, but I was really disappointed with how low they scored.

🇪🇸 Spain, Blanca Paloma - Eaea: ROBBED. Over the years, the juries projected an image of people that look for all things *artistic* in a song (even though it usually translates as a pretentious kid in art college with no real taste picking the thing they think their 50yo profesor would approve of). Well, they be blind, since Blanca Paloma brought IT, and they failed to recognize. Outstanding vocals, stunning visuals, the power of the entire performance, and all the emotion and significance packed into a seemingly simple concept. It was more like a movie scene than a musical competition entry, she transported me into another dimension and unlocked something ancient and wonderful. All the people I've talked to had different favorites, but they all had strong, immensely positive reactions to Spain. I literally teared up and had a spiritual experience with Blanca Paloma's performance, and the energy she exuded was undeniably healing, freeing and over-all cathartic. While I knew that her chances of winning were slim and I didn't count on the public vote, she deserved SO MUCH MORE from both general public and the juries.

🇦🇹 Austria, Teya and Salena - Who the hell is Edgar: One of my favorites from the very beginning. A quality pop song with a bop-y rhythm and ingenious lyrics. Under the guise of random and silly, there's quite a few things implied - the obvious criticism of the music industry and the more subtle "people are readier to believe that a ghost of a famous writer possessed me than that a woman can write quality lyrics and have a sense of humor" (shout-out to generations of men claiming Kurt Cobain wrote Courtney Love's songs and lyrics, work on your reading comprehension) While that might be a personal observation, here's what absolutely stands. They're adorable, funny, had a fun choreography, a catchy song, the lyrics that are fun even if you don't analyze them, great personalities, solid performance, perfect delivery and the right amount of quality with a dash of random that matches Iceland's Dađy Freyr and that y'all claim to respect. Shame on the audience; the jury can't recognize talent anyway.

🇸🇮 Slovenia, Joker out - Carpe Diem: Not much left to say. Good song, good vibes, all the charisma in the world. They had Måneskin's synergy, they had a good time, the audience had a good time with them, and they were confident in a non-pretentious manner. Special mention for Bojan, the lead singer, who's shown such sportsmanship, was truly an example of a perfect esc. representative. The entire band seems very fun to hang out with, and while they're goofy, they seem very smart with how they manage to balance witty and respectful in interviews. Members aside, their music is refreshing and perfect for people that find mainstream pop repetitive but aren't into anything too heavy. Perfect for a summer music festival or a feel-good playlist.

🇵🇹 Portugal, Mimicat - Ai, coração: you know she's something special when her entire home country shows such support and excitement. I wasn't a fan at first when I saw the national performance, it seemed a bit out-dated and frankly a bit too weird for my taste, but she changed my mind as soon as she took the stage in the first semi. In my opinion, a Broadway-worthy performance, and such personality! Fun aunt vibes, and one of the coolest people this year. When I grow up, I wanna be her.

🇭🇷 Croatia, Let 3 - Mama, ŠČ: The juries are such cowards, honestly. I was familiar with some of the band's history and not everything they did was exactly my taste, but what else to expect from a band so unhinged. I had some misgivings, but they won me over quickly. The punkest thing Eurovison has seen in recent years. That's how you do anti-war, Switzerland. Satire on point. Weird, meaningful, fun, grotesque. How something like that didn't do better in Eurovision is beyond me. But leave it to the cowardly juries that left Italy's Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro with almost no points to do just that. I'm still butthurt.

🇷🇸 Serbia, Luke Black - Samo mi se spava: Listen, I was NOT a fan. All the homophobes aside, everyone in the country and their mom was gushing about how original and unique the song is, which can be annoying to someone who's as exposed to various aspects of pop culture as I am (humble,I know), and I still think his singing could be better. At first, he was a bit awkward and seemed pretentious during the national selection. However, the performance did stand out, he amped his energy and put such effort, and there's no denying the flawless staging and production and how well it suits him, and over time, he's proved to be a funny, likeable and down to earth guy (with flawless fashion sense). I'm proud of him and how he represented the country, and he definitely didn't deserve to be at the bottom of the list.

🇮🇸 Iceland, Diljá - Power: I'm OUTRAGED that it didn't qualify and can only call lesbophobia idk. I mean, Im not familiar with her sexuality, but if I've ever seen something that doesn't give a damn about the male gaze, this would be it. Still, it's beyond me how she didn't qualify. One of the best vocals this year, not to mention she sung FLAWLESSLY while running and jumping all over the stage with zero breaks. The track itself is meh to me, but should be something that Eurovision fans enjoy; that being said, the vocal and performance can make or break a song with such a track, and she ATE. Power indeed, I was blown away. Her being super-cute is just a bonus. She has my heart and my votes ♡ Too bad people didn't agree.

🇷🇴 Romania, Theodor Andrei - D.G.T: Ok, I can't shout that he deserved to qualify, I knew the chances were slim and the song had some ways to go, not to mention the hot mess of a national performance. However, he doesn't deserve ANY hate that he's getting, and in my opinion, he was the best male vocal this year. I'm in love with his voice and he doesn't lack charisma either. I loved the re-vamp with the acoustic guitar, but at the end of the day, the stage was a bit empty. I will add D. G. T. to my playlist though, and I wish him a wonderful career and a powerful return.

🇱🇻 Latvia, Sudden Lights - Aijā; Well, this one hurts. I know it wasn't a fan favorite, but I was rooting for it so much and still think it deserved to qualify over some *questionable* entries. While it was something straight out of my high-school playlist, I didn't find it derivative and it was warm, touching and comforting. And beautiful, goddammit. I get how it's not everyone's cup of tea, but come on.

🇵🇱 Poland, Jann - Gladiator: Was this a jumpscare? Lol. No need to write a huge paragraph, the entire world knows that he was robbed. I've never seen someone so charismatic and meant to be a performer, and I enjoyed both the song, the lyrics and the delivery, even though I immediately noticed a similarity with Judas by Lady Gaga. However, I feel obliged to say that he should work on his vocals and that y'all wouldn't be so mad if he didn't look the way he looks. Still, the true choice of Poland, and I have no doubt he would've done great in the final.

AND FINALLY .....

THE ONE TRUE WINNER

💚💚💚💚🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮💚💚💚

Käärija (my beloved) - Cha Cha Cha:

Ok, he didn't lack the love or the appreciation. But the RIGGERY. The ROBBERY. THE AUDACITY.

First of all, the song is a banger. It mixes industrial rock, techno and eurodance perfectly, with flawless transitions, while managing to catch the ears of people that aren't into any of those genres. Great intro that pulls you in immediately, and the pacing done just right. Now onto Käärijä himself. He's a fucking star. A legend. It's impossible not to like him. Every video of him I've seen was so much fun. Performance wise, great energy, great delivery. The song manages to appeal so many people with staying unique and checking all the boxes. Want something for the angst? He got you. Want something upbeat? Cha cha cha motherfuckers. Want weird? "My name is Kääärijää", there's our green man. Want quality production? Boy from Vantaa's got it.

The only possible criticism I can see him receiving is something along the lines of "it's gimmicky", which is frankly a ridiculous thing to say about a Eurovision entry (insert the Maryl Streep from Devil Wears Prada meme) and if it were gimmicky, he wouldn't have become the only artist to ever have his name chanted by the entire audience while Sweden gets points, and I wouldn't have replayed it so many times since it came out without getting bored. Honestly, one of the rare songs that puts me in a good mood, cos it has that "starting from anger and angst and acknowledging bad feelings and THEN bringing you to upbeat and happy" thing going on. Eh. Fuck the jury.

This concludes my list. Special mentions.

Not my cup of tea, but deserved the praise - Norway, Italy, Australia, Armenia

Deserved more public votes, undeniable quality, but faded into the background compared to my other favs - France, Czechia

Not for me but I get it- Moldova, Estonia, Georgia

+ Acknowledging Malta for pulling that performance and getting everything possible out of a song that relies entirely on one catchy hook. Most improved entry since the nationals, good show, likeable group, fun staging.

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neechees · 1 year ago

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I feel like unless its truly abysmal, I'm really bad at detecting whether or not cgi is "bad". I could be watching a movie with cgi & think "wow that animation is actually REALLY good" & then later I'll find a youtube vid of someone calling the animation "terrible" in the comments

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fruitsofhell · 8 days ago

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Lowkey been really fucking obsessed with the Fazbear Toddler Fun analog horror series for days now and I hate it cause it is utterly phenomenal in ways that just look goofy af to anyone who isn't incredibly in tune both with authentic recreation of niche video game visual tropes and the narrative significance of the Five Night's at Fredsy's chronology.

The final sequence of the last episode has unparalleled levels of attention to detail in replicating every ounce of old edutainment game tomfoolery, and to top it off it does not even stumble for a second in using that to tear the game's in-universe existence and the protagonist apart.

Cause its not just the period accuracy of IRL video games but the timeline of in-universe Freddy's locations and rebrands. Like it's actually a choice that the characters are based around the FNAF2 location cast, just with Foxy as well likely cause he was so iconic and The Mangle (adorably adapted as "Funtime", Foxy's little sister) wouldn't cut it. You can actually assume this is a late 90s game in context of being after the brands peak in the 80s, or honestly if you're weird like me you always got a very 90s vibe from the Toy Animatronics and assume this game was in tandem with THAT rebrand. OK OK BUT EIRHER WAY. The game as a vapid attempt at a rebrand borrows its cues from the most dramatic and vapid canon rebrand, and it makes every call back to the original tragedy sting so much more.

FNAF2's location has always been one of the furthest away from the Bite of '83 and original MCI, with the FNAF1 location existing more directly in its shadow cause it's where the story was first told even if it's ironically furthest from it. The sort of grunge and shoddiness that defines the atmosphere of the other tragedies is not present there, and its abysmally short run (canonically was only open for weeks as every other returant was assumedly for years) gives it a certain innocence and purity to it. The Toy Animatronics did not have the time to accumulate that physical and metaphorical rot which pervades the brand through the felt animatronics. They were literally retired and revived to carry the legacy of that pain, but the Toys were a genuine - and short-lived - attempt to almost fully separate.

But this all to fucking say - when the ghost of the crying child uses the games stupid little movie maker to tell the story of his death, and when he snaps the misshapen model of Fredbear atop the shiny new Toy Freddy on that stage... it's fr. It's so fr. It's so "how dare you think you can escape..." how dare you think you can run from that past while tracking prints - while not truly letting go.

It gets SO WELL at that angle of corporate whitewashing and greed that is the ONE THEME in FNAF, to the point I can (almost) forgive it for its demonization if Michael. Because he ties into it to. Oh you think it's just cute and a little messed up that they tried to overwrite the tragedy of my death? You think it's just a spooky little game to come back here, to this complete mockery and erasure of my pain? The way that you said you were sorry but I knew you never were? Like fucking christ man.

The magic of obtuse storytelling methods is how they can thread together odd symbolism and ideas into a story in a way something straightforward cannot. Stories of haunting are fascinating because it allows for the expression of harsh and terrible emotions through manipulation of symbols, and I love when internet horror takes that to the umpteenth level in the found footage/found game subgenre by twisting those symbols of the truly light and unassuming in media even when it's goofy af.

When you're dealing with death of children at a bootleg Chuck E Cheese you're most realistically going to get a Chuck E Cheese style haunting, but the point is to embrace that. Find the perversity of something that is supposed to be so light and childish being forced to bare a heavy, meaningful pain. For a model of a crusty dancing bear in a CG point and click game to be the most chilling graphic imaginable.

#fnaf #fazbear toddler fun #five nights at freddy's #inconsolable. dont touch me.#shut the heck up #media analysis #midnight rambles

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meeblo · 6 months ago

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I want a 500 word minimum review of Madame Web after you're done watching it

I haven't the slightest idea why my dad wanted to watch this movie of all things but I did not have the heart to tell him the reputation it had. The movie every bit deserves its abysmal reputation. That said, it was not quite as bad as I expected it to be. I was expecting MCU-level quips, bathos, and lampshading. Thankfully, Madame Web did not suffer from that, though by god it suffered from so much else. Its dialogue was barely serviceable but at least not actively grating. There was nothing that stood out as a good line or a particularly good line read, but the truly bad lines weren't terrible enough to be funny. The biggest, most notable, and what will undoubtedly be the most memorable issue of the movie is its god awful editing. The cuts between scenes are almost always incomprehensible in tone, with quiet scenes immediately throwing you into a tense and active segment that leaves itself entirely unresolved before suddenly slamming you into what is supposed to be a softer emotional scene. There are parts in the film that attempt to do this deliberately, mixing timelines together as the main character sees visions of potential futures, but the effect there is lost when those parts of the edit are no more logical than what are supposed to be normal transitions between scenes. They do not have the contrast that they wish to have. Even if they did, I do not think that it would have been a good directorial choice. Those sequences at times go for the shock value of a 'bad future' that removes the tension of events knowing that they are too absurd to happen in the actual plot, which itself is flat and almost, but not quite, pathetic in an interesting way. The plotline of a villain assuring their own downfall in trying to prevent it is a classical structure that goes back to some of the earliest recorded stories we know of, which makes it all the more impressive that Madame Web manages to make it so limp and unsatisfying. The story constantly dangles a future in which the villain is defeated by the three teenagers after they become superheros; it is obvious that such visions would be subverted, but the movie does not do that. Instead, the visions simply have nearly nothing to do with the way in which the villain dies. This movie was so uninterestingly bad that I can't think of a way to structure this 'review' at all. There are a number of scenes that do not feel like they need to be in the movie at all, as they show establishing shots of a character doing something, only for nothing to happen with them in that location and the scene to cut to that same character in an entirely different location where the plot actually moves forward that was not given establishing shots and is thus hard to immediately discern as a separate locale. Wordcount met.

#I'm not tagging this #you got your 500 words.

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tanis-fics · 10 months ago

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Kiss your friend goodnight

Walking her best friend home after a night of partying in the city, Barbara gets a bit nostalgic, a bit possessive, at the thought of her friend's husband waiting to snatch her up when they get there. And between the booze and her affection the eventual sight of him proves abysmal, ending on an innocent gesture feeling like a declaration of war.

Pairing: Alan Wake/Barry Wheeler ♦ Words: 1426 ♦ Note: Genderbend au

[on ao3] ♦ [on squidgeworld] ♦ [read on site]

Coming home was the hardest part, almost as hard as dealing with the fallout of Al's worst habits, if Barbara was honest. She could deal with those (some of those, at least) ever since they were both in primary school; not a writer and her agent but two girls, one with a predisposition for annoyance and bursts of anger, and the other with a motor for a mouth that could get her out of almost any trouble she'd cause or get tangled in.

No... cleaning up Al's messes was, if anything, the only art she truly excelled at.

But coming home -Al's home- and feeling the bubble of night excitement mixed with booze burst by the eventual presence of her husband was such a sour pill to take, she hated it. And, only in her weakest, most inebriate moments, she would hate him.

What did it matter if Alana ran off from party to party into the night? It was good for business, she argued, and it wasn't like she was alone! She had her best friend and best agent on her side, god dammit! Did he not trust her to keep her safe? Bold words from someone that only knew her for a couple of years when they've been together practically all their lives!

Alana laughed at her side, a tsizing sound that betrayed her drunken state, and Barbara wondered if she said that last part thing out loud or not. Probably not. Hopefully not.

"Anyway, Al," she continued, slurring her words on pair with her feet, stealing a couple moments more with her, "What, what I'm trying to say is..."

"Is...?" Her best friend dragged, in the sweet middle point between encouragement and mocking.

"I just miss you, is all!" Alana snorted, stopping on the hallway to lay her back on the cold wall, dropping her coat on the floor in the process.

"Barb, we see each other all the time, we, we work together" Barbara joined the wall at her side, her now naked arm warm to the touch.

"I know! I know, but..."

"I think you just miss crashing at my house." She laughed, a bit harder than she anticipated.

"Hey, can you blame me? You have a gorgeous place, despite your hubby's tacky photography." Alana rolled her eyes, but the smile didn't waver. Barbara's did, only when she realized the sudden light under the door at the end of the hall. God, did he had a sixth sense? What was he up for, anyway? It was late. "I just miss having you around off the clock, is all..." With him always skulking around, she didn't say, sighing instead. "Remember how we used to do movie nights and stuff? When was the last time we had a girls night at your place, huh?"

"We should have a girl's night." Alana nodded, booze and sleep tinting her words as she leaned her head on her friend's shoulder, both of them ignoring the fact that they've been going out nearly weekly by now. Alana liked the alcohol, and Barbara loved to see her friend happy. Alec wasn't fond of either, apparently, for when the door at the end of the hallway eventually opened the eyes that met Barbara's were cold.

"Alana...?" And just like that the warmth at her shoulder ceased, as the other woman turned to meet her lover with a dopey smile.

"Hi honey. I love you." His face softened, and Barbara rolled her eyes.

This was her cue to quietly get away if she didn't want to hear a mouthful later, yet as they said their soft greetings Alana didn't move from her spot at her side. Her skin burning now with inevitability.

Barbara shook her head and that thought off her mind and instead decided to say goodbye on her own terms. She wouldn't give Alec the satisfaction.

"Well. Guess I'll be going then." She stated, slowly bouncing off the wall to stand upright, grabbing Alana by the waist so neither of them would fall down by the inertia. A faint noooo came out of her mouth as she slightly wavered on her grasp, like a tree by the wind or some other colorful metaphor that she'd use in one of her books, before the extra height that separated them fell to meet her in a lazy departure hug while she nuzzled her neck.

Laughing, Barbara wrapped her arms tightly around her friend, squeezing her for good measure, and then some more at the sight of her husband standing still on the threshold, waiting for his lover to finally say goodnight and come back into his loving arms. He'll have his time later, she thought, as she sank her face on the nook of her shoulder not quite ignoring but pointedly defying his gaze.

In nights like this, Barbara almost wanted to be selfish. To snatch her up in the name of a concerned agent for the ever growing popularity of her star. It was a matter of business, nothing personal.

And yet, when an idea sparked on her mind she was too drunk to pretend there was no ulterior motive behind it.

Without dislodging herself from her thinner frame Barbara pulled away just enough to face her, cradling her head with a proud smile shinning through. Alana's eyes were so glassy, yet immediately lighted up at the gesture.

"Hey, Bestseller, you did good today, you know, right?" Fingers affectionately running through her long hair made her friend hum, smile sliding as easily as hes eyes closed with content, until she finished with a chuckle. "Zero broken noses and I didn't have to call the lawyers once!"

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding."

She chuckled again, before taking a breath. Biting her lip, she wondered. And without thinking about it too much -she swears- Barbara angled Alana's face a bit to plant a kiss on her warm cheek. Her friend's hands still idly wrapped around her waist pulled her closer as she heard her make a noise, between a content humming and a surprised giggle. Alana got affectionate and touchy-feely when smashed, couldn't Barbara be the same? Couldn't she kiss her cheek a second too long, her touch linger on her skin a moment too much?

When she parted her cheeks were red, partly flushed because of the alcohol but mostly for the matching tacky lipstick mark she left on her wake, something burning on her chest that she refused to acknowledge most days but could easily distinguish as possessiveness in that moment.

Oh, her best friend was so pretty, like that.

Her best friend.

Breathing in that picture Barbara smiled, fondness washing over her as her best friend beamed. She really loved seeing her happy.

"Night, Al."

"Night Barb..."

Finally letting her go from her embrace, it was Alana who paused to look at her before looking at the window, ignoring the way Barbara locked eyes with a now beyond pissed off Alec behind her back as she called the elevator. She expected her to leave now, and instead she asked:

"You sure you'll be okay, going home at this hour?"

Barbara raised an eyebrow, lightly wondering what would the alternative be and trying not to enjoy Alec's reaction in the background.

"Don't worry about me, Al. New York is not as bad as it is in your books, most of the time."

As the elevator's door finally opened with a charming ding Barbara stepped inside with a last hand wave, a smug smile escaping her lips in private while hearing the remnants of conversation between her dear friend and her husband.

"What the hell was that?"

"What...? Oh. You know how Barb is."

"I can't believe she'd just-"

"Relax, that's what girls do"

Oh, he really was fuming, wasn't he? Mirth filled her for a second as the voices faded away, giving room to the mechanical sound of the building followed by the roar of the city life, persistent even at the supposed death of night. Embarrassment would come later with a hangover, alongside hints of guilt for disturbing Alana's precarious marital situation further. She really disliked seeing Alana unhappy... and Alec, well, dealing with him after an argument was always a drag she tended to avoid.

But for now, Barbara quickly fastened her scarf as the cold autumn wind hit her without the human warmth of her best friend at her side, the faint scent of her perfume the only reminder of her presence, as a goofy smile crept on her lips at the memory of that crimson kiss.

#alan wake #barry wheeler #alan x barry #alanbarry #wakewheeler #alan wake fanfic #alan wake (character)#genderbend au

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