#warren's such an. interesting guy i just can't hate him

[longmaxsilvarg]

"or whatever" i just know he was shitting bricks when max didn't immediately agree to dinner

[backgroundagent3]

hey!! hope you're doing well!!

i know you're reading funny story right now (ahhh) and probably have a long tbr so there's no pressure to read this but i just read the ex vows by jessica joyce and i think you might like it!!!

it reminded me a lot of happy place in that it focused on a found family of friends and how they changed over the years, and it was a second chance romance, and there's a wedding they're prepping for, but it also felt completely like its own new and different thing! i think it's one of the best non-emily henry romances i've ever read and it's the kind of romance that emily henry writes, where it's more emotional and focuses a lot on the character journey.

anyways, since happy place is your favorite emily henry i thought i'd let you know about it!!

Hii! I'm doing good! Thank you so much for the recommendation, I always struggle a lot finding new books to read. I've got a couple of books I'd like to read first, but it sounds so good, I'm so excited!! I just loved the whole vibe of Happy Place, and I love reading about found families, so I'll add it to my tbr.

I'm almost done with Funny Story and on the one hand I can't wait to finish it and tell you about it, but I also never want it to end!

Also I forgot to tell you I finally finished Daisy Jones & The Six!! It's the book that's taken me the longest to read, which is weird cause it's so good! I guess I was really busy but anyways. I loved the format so much, it's so unique, and it also makes it so easy to read! I have a really short attention span, so a book that's basically all dialogue is perfect for me. Some spoilers ahead!

The characters were so funny to me. I went in thinking it was gonna be a found family but then it turns out they all kind of hate each other. They're all so unique and fun to read about. Camila and Karen are so cool, and Warren's the comedic relief, and Pete's just some guy, and Billy's insufferable, and Daisy's also kind of insufferable, but I still loved her. I've seen a lot of people hating on Eddie, and I genuinely don't understand it?? Yes he had a short fuse, but also yes he was justified (at least in my opinion. I hated how Billy kept screwing him over).

I also loved the "where are they now bit", because here I am thinking Pete is dead throughout the whole book, and then it turns out he just had no interest in being part of the interview (which is very cool of him, I too would try to forget about my incredibly dysfunctional found family). The Julia plot twist was so cool, and I couldn't believe Camila was dead all along! I loved her so much. It was so satisfying seeing what their lives look like today, and every ending was very fitting for each character too.

Also loved reading about Karen and Graham, and even though I knew they wouldn't stay together, I was so invested, and I cried my eyes out at their ending. It's so heartbreaking, and you kind of see both POVs, which makes it even sadder.

I think it's just one of these books that leave you staring off into the distance for a while. Just seeing the lives they lead, and knowing that this is how rockstars' lives were actually like feels so special and sad and exciting, and I don't even know where I'm going with this but yeah. 10/10.

Thanks again for the recommendation, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book! I'll try to finish Funny Story asap (I'm almost done, for real this time). <3

[positivelybeastly]

Do you think Xavier is a bad influence on beast and the X-Men as a whole?

"That is - that is pure - pure poppycock and balderdash! That is ludicrous! That is absolutely - how would you - "

And then Hank stops for a moment.

And thinks about it.

"I don't - think he's a bad influence, no. That's a ridiculous question."

*

So, I think it's important for me to state that I think Professor X as the secret bad guy/villain of the X-Men story is just. Dumb. The X-Men story falls apart if he is just evil, there's clearly enough good about him to justify why everyone believes in him and follows him and puts stock in his dream (and no, it isn't fuckin' telepathic control).

But.

. . . Okay, this is going to take some set-up and context, so bear with me.

I find that if you take just the original 60s run as fully, unaltered canon, which . . . some people do, then you're gonna end up hating Xavier because he is just such a massive piece of shit. But pretty much any characterisation past that point, especially Claremont's, takes much more care to depict him as still very much an authority figure, but with a strong caring, paternalistic (for good or for ill) side to him that's shot through with a strong, burning tendency towards manipulation.

I think a delineation does have to be drawn here, though, that Charles being manipulative is (usually) different to someone like Mr. Sinister being manipulative, because Charles I think genuinely does have people's best interests at heart, but he's got a tendency to believe that that means his idea of their best outcome is the correct one. And. It isn't.

You can see it with Scott most acutely, where he tried to give him something that would best utilise his talents and give him what he was missing from life, but he didn't realise (and I do think it's a case of realisation, rather than not caring) what that was going to do to him in the long run. Scott doesn't have anything other than the X-Men because Xavier didn't think to really give him anything other than the X-Men.

You can also see it with Hank, where he really should have realised that Hank was in the middle of a really bad behavioural spiral pre-Krakoa, and pushed him to be closer with his actual friends or get off the damn island, but because he was preoccupied with Krakoa and probably thought, well, Hank's one of us, we should try and help steer him back, he gave him X-Force.

Which was precisely the wrong thing to do. You don't give an emotionally compromised wreck of a man control over your intelligence agency. But I choose to think Charles tried to do it out of love, not wanting Hank to feel cast aside or useless in the new status quo.

Bobby, Warren and Jean don't have it quite as bad, mostly because I never got the impression Xavier connected with Bobby or Warren as closely, and Jean is so absurdly powerful that their relationship has been one of equals for a long time now rather than outright teacher and pupil, which was what Scott and him were for the longest time, and which Hank and him arguably still are.

I always liked the version of Xavier you see in Parker's First Class, which is a version that makes the O5 and the X-Men at large's loyalty to him make sense, but you can't ignore the paternalism and manipulative streak that really does run through his character. Even before a lot of the damaging retcons to his character like Deadly Genesis or Danger, he was still doing fucked up shit like erasing Hank from his parents' minds because it was 'safer.'

So, is he a bad influence on Hank and the X-Men? Yeah, kind of? But I don't think he intended to be. I think he genuinely had the best intentions for all of them, they just . . . didn't pan out, and he went about trying to actualise those intentions the wrong way.

I feel like that's a more compelling characterisation for him, to be the man who loves his children but who can't stop fucking up their lives, or turning them into (in a roundabout way) weapons in his fight for mutant rights. The good man who can't stop doing bad things because he can't just let go.

[warrenwilkinson]

Texts: Erik & Warren

@erikdragon

Erik: there's someone like you in my town

Erik: I feel it

Erik: please don't tell me it's a fucking family reunion

Erik: I have a wedding to plan man, no time to deal with the apocalypse now

Warren: He's not like me

Warren: It wasn't my idea ok? And it's not a reunion per se... my older sibling decided they had enough one our younger brother and sent him my way

Warren: You can blame Death for it, he gave him my address

Warren: There won't be an apocalypse. I'll make sure of it. Your angel can help. He has an angelical blade right? that would be enough for Freddie to stay put

Erik: I'm not letting Seth get involved in your family mess, man, it's his wedding too

Erik: I don't follow your family tree, you know

Erik: who even is that? Pestilence?

Erik: damn you want Seth to kill your brother????

Erik: you guys should go to therapy

Erik: I've heard family therapy does wonders

Warren: I promise nothing will interfere with your wedding

Warren: It's literally common knowledge

Warren: Pestilence is the eldest, I'm the second Eldest, Famine is younger and believe it or not, Death is the baby

Warren: Freddie is Famine

Warren: I can't kill him myself so it would be much appreciated 😄

Warren: We're too fucked up for therapy

Erik: you forget dragons are not really well seen in church, bud, I'm not religious

Erik: Famine???? What the fun does he want here????

Erik: I'm a harvest and abundance dragon, he CAN'T be working here

Warren: still. You don't have to be religious to know about us

Warren: apparently he wants to learn to live among humans and other beings

Warren: I warned him about it. No causing shortages in town. He said he'd behave. I'll take care of him if he tries something

Erik: you're not THAT famous, you know?

Erik: at least not enough for me to know the order of the kids, like you're a Kardashian or something

Erik: you all seem to have that in common huh

Erik: good

Erik: I do have an angelic blade you know

Warren: are we gonna have this argument again?

Warren: something like that but prettier and with more power

Warren: well this is new for him. He never showed interest in this until now

Warren: feel free to. I can't say in super fond of him

Warren: tho he's the calmer of us all and he's not violent at all. He never attacks first and believe it or not he's not fond of suffering

Warren: He just does what he was created for. I used to be like that too a very long time ago

Erik: you're stupidly handsome but you're no Kardashian, man

Erik: he's your brother, why don't you get along?

Erik: wait, how come he's not fond of suffering when he's LITERALLY FAMINE??

Warren: I'm richer than the Kardashians, Erik. Probably  richer than you. And prettier too 😘

Warren: because he's an annoying little shit. He's the only one who takes being a horsemen seriously and he has a very intense sense of duty

Warren: his power doesn't really consist on making people starve to death. He makes them hungry enough to start wars. That's where I come in. Pestilence makes them sick. Famine destroys the crops and then Gilmore comes pick up the pieces. That's exactly how we all should work together

Warren: we haven't done that in a very very long time

Erik: not prettier

Erik: besides, I doubt Maia would call you pretty 😉

Erik: oh so you hate your bro bc he makes you do your actual work?

Erik: so lazyyyy lol

Erik: or you mean like

Erik: summon you?

Warren: I am pretty in a very manly way. She'd agree

Warren: Do you really want us all to keep on doing our job?

Warren: not quite like the big summon we were created for but yeah something like that

Erik: I'm gonna ask you to read that sentence you just typed TO HER.

Erik: nope

Erik: y'all should quit

Erik: that sucks man ._. being controlled like that is never fun

Warren: I already told her that. She says she agrees 😉

Warren: That's what I thought so you should actually feel calmer to know the bossy committed brother is on a sabbatical… here in town unfortunately

Warren: it's not but it is what it is

Erik: she's biased.

Erik: and you sound like you have a praise kink

Erik: which

Erik: you know

Erik: not judging :p

Erik: welp let's see if dear ol’ bro and his eons of years on earth still remembers the old customs and comes pay tribute to the dragon of the land

Erik: back in the day we used to judge the dangerousness of a visitor by their fruit basket

Erik: ah simpler times

Warren: I know but still

Warren: Maybe I do but so do you

Warren: he probably won't but you should take his calmness as a tribute because he was very serious about behaving and even got himself a job in town

Warren: I'm not gonna lie and say he's not dangerous. But we all are. The thing is that he's trying not to be

Warren: simple times indeed but won't deny I'm happier now with everything as it is

Erik: it's not a praise kink it's called being a dragon bud

Erik: oh wow

Erik: please tell me he's working at subway

Erik: got it

Erik: air conditioner and internet  is nice and all, but I miss the fruit baskets

Erik: and the dragon festivals

Erik: they always had such good wine

Warren: same thing

Warren: close... the blood bar. He can use his little talent there to make vampires pay more

Warren: ha ha really  funny

Warren: I still don't understand why you're not planning festivals again

Warren: you can still find that awesome wine if you know where to look or how to pay for it

Erik: one is being called a good boy, the other is being worshiped as a god

Erik: oooh that's smart, was it your suggestion?

Erik: bc people don't really believe in dragons anymore ):

Erik: I used to have my own priestesses, man

Erik: you'd have loved them

Erik: oh really?

Warren: I know  I'm not a good boy

Warren: why are we going at this again? I'm a god. There are millions  of statues dedicated to me in different centuries and civilizations

Warren: not really. He's very smart so he probably  figured that out for himself

Warren: well but now you have a former angel of the lord worshiping you? What else do you want?

Warren: tell me which wine is you favorite and I'll make it your wedding present

Erik: because you're a god and a good boy for Maia :p

Erik: now -I- get to worship an angel of the lord, man (:

Erik: I guess I just want more noise around the house. it's too much space for two people and a cat, it was made to accommodate at least 15 priestesses, there's a whole wing we never use

Erik: awww you're such a softie :3 thanks man

Warren: I'm not gonna get into details here but the praises aren't for me in this household

Warren: true, that's true

Warren: have you ever thought about children? You And Seth would be good parents

Warren: if you tell anyone I'll kill you

Erik: oh so she's the

Erik: you know what

Erik: I don't wanna know

Erik: how's basically-married life treating you btw?

Erik: you think so?

Erik: I mean he's great with children, that's for sure

Erik: I'm afraid they're too breakable to be around me tbh

Erik: have you?

Warren: exactly, don't ask

Warren: fantastic. I never thought things could be this perfect

Warren: I think it's the next step so why not?

Warren: you have a cat and you're careful with it. They're breakable too so why a kid would be different?

Warren: I can't bear children and Maya is worried she's too fucked up for kids

Warren: they aren't in the cards for us but if she ever changes her mind I'm open to foster or adopt

Erik: I don't wanna say I told you so

Erik: but I did lol

Erik: I suppose so

Erik: I don't even know how to go about it

Erik: but do you want them?

Erik: that's the thing

Erik: me and Seth, I have no idea what kind of parents we'd be

Erik: I was HATCHED, he was made by God himself

Warren: and you were right, and this is the only time you'll hear this words from me so enjoy it

Warren: you could just ask him how he feels about kids maybe?

Warren: I've wanted kids since Barachiel. We even tried but that's when I learned I'm barren

Warren: both of you are kind and that says a lot about the good type of parents you'd be

Warren: I was created too but still. It doesn't matter where we come from

Erik: (:

Erik: sometimes it's hard to ask these kinds of things of Seth. I worry he'll think I'm starting my needs instead of asking his opinion and he'd give in to make me happy

Erik: he's already given up too much bc of us

Erik: oh

Erik: welp maybe it's just not supposed to work between you and angels? maybe witches are another thing

Erik: thanks man

Warren: He loves you so I'm sure he would do it for your happiness but for his own too. Do you really think he wouldn't want kids around?

Warren: do you think ids would be giving up on something?

Warren: yeah it's not working, you don't need to know but if I was able to give her children, we would have a football team so no, no biological kids for me

Warren: anytime

Erik: kids would be giving up on his freedom, he'd be stuck to people he'd never met

Erik: oh god

Erik: how's she even still BREATHING

Warren: if that's what you think about kids then maybe kids are not really what you want

Warren: and that's ok, kids aren't for everyone

Warren: you say it as if sex with me was so terrible 🙄

Erik: I want them

Erik: but I want him to want him, I don't want him to agree to it, you know?

Erik: Seth is too giving for his good, it needs to come from him

Erik: WE BROKE DOWN A BUILDING, WARREN

Erik: and I'm a fucking dragon

Erik: she's HUMAN

Warren: then just ask someone to ask him maybe?

Warren: the little wolf is his best friend right? He could help

Warren: yeah and I'm not a monster! I treat her delicately!

Erik: like a fucking middle schooler?

Erik: Chris is a) dead scared of me and b) a fucking excitable puppy. I talk about kids he'll go to Seth with fucking baby shoes in his pocket.

Erik: sorry, people don't usually think of DELICATE when they think about WAR behaving, you know

Erik: nor pretty

Erik: but what do I know

Erik: look at you being out of the box lol

Warren: well I'm sure he wouldn't lie to his friend, and he wouldn't feel pressured to say yes if he doesn't want to

Warren: Christopher is a lot more serious and mature than you think

Warren: well that's cause you never got to see this side of me, this side is reserved just for her

Warren: I'm surprising, I know

Erik: you call him Christopher? I didn't realize you both had met

Erik: SUCH A SOFTIE

Erik: look at you

Erik: :³

Warren: The wolf and the hunter are Maya's close friends, of course I know him

Warren: I'm gonna ignore you now

Erik: you only ignores me when I'm right, you know (;

Warren: or when you're stupidly annoying

Erik: which I get when I'm right~

Warren: Also when you're stupidly stubborn

Warren: lemme ask you something: What would you do if Seth says no to having kids with you?

Erik: not have kids with him

Erik: and then bury myself in a deep hole

Erik: for at least a couple of years

Erik: why?

Warren: this is exactly the reaction he might fear and why he would say yes even if he doesn't want to

Warren: which won't happen if someone else asks him about it

Warren: intermediaries aren't a bad thing

Erik: so you see how I can't just ask him about it right?

Erik: I'll think about talking with Chris

Warren: yes but I also know you want to know

Warren: and the idea won't vanish from that stubborn head of yours until you have your answer

Warren: good! It'll help

[15 min later]

Erik: he said yes

Warren: Who said yes?

Erik: Chris

Erik: what, did you think I just went over to ask Seth to have my babies? come on man get on with the program

Warren: I told you he was a good ally

Warren: you're unpredictable like that

Erik: he did send me an audio reply SQUEALING tho

Erik: heh I like to keep ya on your toes

Erik: are you ready to become uncle war?

Warren: A very Christopher like response

Warren: Are you gonna le me spoil that kid rotten?

Erik: good luck out-spoiling me, man

Warren: it's not a competition, we both can spoil them

[silvvermst]

SWEATER WEATHER

SYNOPSIS :: the night where things get messy with feelings and mutual pining.

NOTE :: all characters are 18 and above

TYPE :: fluff / smut

WARNING :: dorks in love, aftercare, foreplay !!

I haven't even begun how the fuck he was able to climb up to my room, in a middle of a storm.

“Now, explain, what are you doing here?” I asked him with my arms twisted in front of my chest. Instead of answering, he let out a weak chuckle. Seriously! This guy!

“Alright, alright, before you throw me out of your window. I was, just, I was missing you. I get it, you were busy given that this is your last semester. I even texted you a bunch of times but you weren't picking up, I got worried and shit, I ended up here.” He continues his reasons, but I was already at my limit from laughing my ass off. “Hey! Stop laughing.”

I immediately wrapped my hands in his mouth, “Remember, you're not supposed to be here.” His shock was evident by how fast I have closed the gap between us. Yet he still nodded, and it was my cue to let him go.

“You busy?” He asked in a more shushed voice, with his hand scratching his nape.

“Obviously, but since you're here might as well just take a break. Want to pop a movie? I have a subscription with Netflix... I think, check it out if I still have it.” I told him, while I prepared a snack. A bucket of popcorn and two bottles of beer I snuck in last night.

I sat the popcorn and beer down at a small table and hopped on my bed, while Warren fixed my projector. “Come on, it's already good.”

He looked at the projector one final time, before plopping down on the floor. “What are you doing there?”

Surely enough a blush appeared on his cheeks, staining it like a fairy dust. “You're gonna let me sit at your bed?”

“I don't see why not.” I answered and didn't wait for him to move his ass because I was already pulling his arms towards me.

The beginning of the movie in which I picked out–because he was too flustered by the fact he is just realising he was in a girl's room, even though he's the one who barged in– a rom-com movie, 10 Things I Hate About You.

“Are you uncomfortable?” He asked, his body was as stiff as a board sitting on my bed which is opposite from me as I'm laying while munching down on the popcorn.

“Warren, stop worrying about me, in fact I feel the exact opposite. So, I'd feel even better if you start getting comfortable as well.” I informed him, patting the space he's not occupying that's next to me.

He grunted but obliged, laying down with his back pressed against a ton of soft pillows. “I might be stuck in your bed forever, how come ours was never this soft and fluffy.”

I chuckled at his reaction, “That's because I always make sure to at least clean it from time to time.” Then, all I heard from him was a small ‘Hmm’.

The movie was halfway towards the end and I can feel him get closer with occasional comments about how cliché and predictable the scenes are. Of course, I have to defend my favourite movie.

“But isn't it romantic?” I dejected when the next scene was the characters kissing in the car.

I waited for his answer but he's gone quiet by how he keeps watching the scene. “Have you even got your first kiss?” God, my mouth won't shut up today.

In an instance, his head snapped back to me. It was a long second before he answered I added immediately, “I was kidding, you don't have to answer that.”

“No..” He answered, cutting off my initial plan to back out from my question. But the way he said it makes it sound like he's not even sure.

“Seriously? Come on, you can't be that much of a virgin loser.” I joked, but he smacked my arm lightly yet he's still laughing.

“I don't, I don't think anyone is interested in dating me, let alone kiss me.” He said, but I can hear the melancholy in his voice.

I sat up and got closer to him, "Hey, Warren, anyone will be lucky to have you. Jesus, you're a joy to be with. I know that since you've been my best friend ever since.”

He smiled, but I don't think he meant it, “Yeah, friends. Are we really just friends?”

The moment the words left his mouth, I felt uneasiness. I'm not oblivious with the fact how there were lingering glances when he thought I wasn't aware, or how his hands softly touched mine and wouldn't let go when I let him. Fuck! This was dangerous to play.

“Don't you consider us friends?” Pretend, that's what I've been doing ever since I found out about his feelings. If I do this, surely, his feelings would go, right? Wrong!

Instead his hand touched one of mine, “Do best friends go around kissing when they're drunk in a party?”

My body felt like it's been dumped with water that's filled with ice. Fuck! He remembers that? It was that stupid party by the Vortex Club, I was too fuck out of my head that the moment I saw him at that party I didn't get to control myself and just kissed him.

I was speechless, where do I even begin with. I looked at his features, the laughter we had together, his quip comments, all of it was gone, just his stoic eyes staring right at me.

The credits of the movie faded into black, making his features blurry and only a silhouette was what I saw. “Warren, I–”

My words and breath were knocked out of my mouth and instead, replaced it with his lips. I feel my body paralyzed for a minute and all my senses were blocked from his kiss.

He's kissing me? Oh, shit. Goddammit, kiss back!

The minute has already passed by but his left hand was already on my waist pushing me down the bed and got on top of me, his lips never once leaving mine and only urging me on for more.

I have to stop this, it won't end well. Things will get much weirder between us, I'll lose him if it doesn't work.

“Warren..” I breathed out when I slightly pushed him away, giving time to breathe. Yet he didn't stop, his lips were tracing my jaw leaving small kisses. I almost moaned his name when he kept going further. “We have to stop.”

“One more minute, please. Then, I'll go.” He begged, his hands roaming my body. I didn't even stop it, one of my hands was on his head patting his hair almost as if encouraging him to continue.

Fuck, please, give me strength to resist him.

“W, we really have to stop.” I breathed out, but my words fell deaf on his ears, instead he sucked a spot where my jaw connects to my earlobe. This time, I didn't get to stop moaning his name out loud.

My noise was enough for him to stop from what he was doing and looked at my face, it was only this time I got to see his eyes that was full of desire and almost as if he was going to cry.

“Do you really want me to stop? If you mean it, then I'll leave.” His voice was filled with desperation.

I looked at the rain, how hard it was pouring. “Don't look at anything else, look at me.” His hand softly touched my jaw guiding me to look at him face to face.

The truth dawned on me, I really can't resist him from the very start so why even bother. I closed my eyes and instead pulled him closer to me, this time, I'm the one who initiated the kiss. Only this was much more passionate. When two parties both want the same thing it usually ends where their clothes are disposed of and left on the ground.

The soft touches turned into harsh grips on my waist as his lips press small bites on my neck that will surely leave red bruises for the majority of the next day. Do I even care if it means he's the one who's doing it?

My hands started fidgeting and he took it as a sign to take my hands and make it wrapped around his torso. “You don't have to do anything, I'll do it for you.” He gently says near my ear before kissing my cheeks and pulling away to look at the state he put me in. My ears were ringing and all I hear is the sound of our pants and moans, did the rain already stop?

He mumbled with his words but I got to hear some of it, “I don't think I'll be able to let you go after this.”

Then he proceeded to finish his work, but this time, his hand slides dangerously from my waist to hips, fiddling with the fabric of my panties. If only I could read his thoughts, I wonder how much self control he has to stop himself from pulling it off of me. His lips found the curves of my collarbones and he didn't wait a second when my hands pushed him further into my chest. The warmth of his mouth filled my senses, the nudge of his tongue on my nipples is enough to send shivers to every part of me.

“Warren...” I softly called out to him and of course, as a gentleman he immediately stopped.

In return, he looked at me with the softest eyes I have ever seen that was almost filled with worry. “Did I do something?”

“No!” I replied, softly brushing his hair out of his flushed face. “I, I don't think I'm ready yet... for what's to happen next.”

“Oh.” Here we go, he's gonna get mad that I just led him on. But instead he smiled and kissed me on the forehead. “It's alright, we'll do whatever you want.”

“You're not mad?” I perked up, surely he might get angry.

We both sit up on the bed, he and I were already shirtless but the difference is he still has his jeans on. “Why should I? I'm in my happiest state right now. I just kissed you, and you kissed me back! Hey, I'm not mad at you for taking things slow. I'm respecting your decision, sunshine.”

Right, this is Warren. He's not the guys I've dated before. “Here, you can wear mine.” He told me, picking up his sweater from my floor and dusting it off before handing it to me.

I thanked him and the moment I wore his sweater his scent that filled my nostrils earlier came back. I couldn't resist hugging myself to feel his clothes on my body.

“You know, when you asked me earlier about my first kiss I was contemplating whether or not I should even consider our kiss from that night on the club.” He says with his hand behind his neck.

Of course, I remembered it. How could I not? It was one slip up, I had to pretend it never happened or he might be weirded out from my behaviour. It was better to blame the alcohol rather than my feelings.

“I'd prefer if you didn't regret it.” His eyes were the one thing that kept me grounded, I couldn't even look away from shame. “I knew you remembered it too, I just don't know why you have to hide it.”

“It would be better for the both of us if none of it happened. Warren, if this doesn't work out, I might lose...”

“Would you rather want to lose me now?” His question left me stunned. “Or don't you at least want to try and see what it's like to be with me? I love you, for such a long time. I was just afraid you didn't feel the same.” He paused, his voice trembling with anticipation. “But tonight, my perception changed. Give me a chance, please. If you think it won't work out in the end, at least we had the chance to love each other.”

I thought about the endless possibilities, considering the consequences, but none of it mattered the moment he kissed me tonight. All I wanted was to kiss him back, to feel more of his warmth. So in the end, all the worries and doubts turned my feelings around.

I was speechless, but I mustered my strength to look him in the eyes before kissing him again. With the same passion as earlier. He's right, he always has been right. It didn't take him too long to wrap his arms around me and kiss me back.

The moment we pulled away I could see from his eyes how happy he was, even though his smile was evident from his cheeks.

“I love you.” There, I finally said it. Caressing his cheeks.

Then a knock interrupted both of us, “Hey, lovebirds at least keep it down. We have a test tomorrow.” Juliet's voice echoed throughout my room that we have to prevent ourselves from laughing out loud.

“We should get some sleep, or they'll definitely report us.” I said, scooting over to give him some space on my bed for him to lay on.

“You want me to stay?” He asked when he realized what I was doing.

“Why? You want to go back with how hard it is raining outside? Absolutely not!” I said with my hands settled on my hips, “So please, come and sleep with me for tonight. Then, I'll throw you out my window tomorrow.”

He chuckled before bending over to me, “Thanks, sunshine. That's so sweet of you.” He said with sarcasm and sweetness in his tone.

The night ended with both of us cuddling together as I'm wearing his sweater, while his hands kept stroking my hair. As the storm outside brewed, my thoughts wandered, if ever I would have to sacrifice anything, it would be for this boy.

[cray-cray-anime]

Omfg boo, yessssss

Literally sad when searching casey jones fics and got jr instead 😢

Even googling casey jones rottmnt, casey jr will come first

Below read more is a longer version to my thoughts on what op said but

Tldr: jr is all fine and dandy and can be interesting given his shift from apocalypse to semi normal life. But he does seem more favoured than og casey and seems og casey pushed aside as background character or centred around jr.

Jr most likely was most prominent in movie to appeal to og tmnt fans and less backlash on og casey.

Og casey tho has many things in her character that is interesting and ppl jusy don't write/talk abt it much; from diehard loyal and undervalued to running her own "clan" all while being funny, loud and passionate. But no doubt hard frome her time in the foot clan to enjoy life and be part of the hamatos.

I think the reason why in the movie jr was a prominent character while casey was just a few seconds is partly cos

casey is a girl

Not necessarily outright misogyny, BUT the fact is all caseys before were always guys

And this movie being made for both new comers and those that actually watched the show; so had to keep to main characters tho crew literally wrangled producers to literally get warren and hypno (that's why you won't see others like big mama or barry)

Putting a casey in that isn't a guy probably gotten some hate (we've seen alot where movies will have "girl-version" or even just general women lead and ppl will get pissed at it as some kinda "feminazi agenda") and would also be more unfamiliar to other tmnt fans.

But also know how some og tmnt fans saw rottmnt changes and hated it. Yk

"Why are the turtles different species? Can't they tell the difference"

"Why do the turtles have different weapons"

"All the turtles are just mikeys"

And ofc

"Why they raceswapped april"

Ect ect

So having jr probably better appeal to og tmnt fans who are more familiar w the other caseys.

I can't say abt the whole "ppl babify jr" thing mostly cossss I don't really feel like reading fics/comics centred around him (tho few exceptions: looking at you cass apoc series)

I will say in general jr could be pretty interesting character as he only lived in a apocalypse w no doubt trauma to suddenly thrown into normal life. Also who knows how his childhood development from literal war affected him now. And the fact he now w the younger versions of the family and friends he had before are actually alive and well must be wild. But in the end w only the movie we haven't seen much of him and his character.

But we have seen alot more of og casey character and is awesome!

She's trained since she was 7! And yet she's only been "foot recruit" despite how clearly loyal she is. Her individuality stripped, always held back from going out and undervalued; she finally take control of her life.

She tried to rule the world by herself by freaking brownie girl scouts! And she let them be as bloodthirsty as they wanted unlike the foot lieutenant and brute! And she's actually smart with all the notes and calculations she took to figure out running a business to rule the world: AND IT WAS 10 YEARS IT WOULD'VE TAKEN!

And then given the chance she went against the clan's stand to control shredder to "free" him; despite everything she was always loyal to the foot clan even if the people actually in it goes against it. But when realising this isn't wanted she wanted, she stood up against shredder too!

She's also just generally a funny character but still skilled and good fighter. And she can be impulsive, but very much loud and 200% passionate in anything she does.

Though no doubt, her time in the foot clan still affect her in enjoying her life fully.

I mean as far as we seen, she helped the hamato fam defeat shredder, but must be hard to just go w them when the only ppl she really known as far as we've seen is the foot clan.

And tho in the movie we see she's still w the brownie girls scouts, is there anything else she's done for just her? She initially done this scout thing just like why she's in the foot clan; to rule the world.

But has she just done stuff for her? School/college? Met other ppl? Other yokai? Heck even just wearing non foot clan clothes? She's spent years trauning and fighting for the foot and now she left to just do her own things and maybe it's still not that easy.

Ok this might be an unpopular opinion but someones gotta say it...

Cassandra is a better Casey Jones than Casey Jr

Ive gotta be honest... i think casey jr is a kinda mid and i dont particularly think all the fanfare about him is warranted LOL

I want to note real quick that i dont DISLIKE him! He is a good character who only got as much development that a 2 hour movie could give him, and he filled and satisfied the role he needed to play in the movie, but the way the fandom latched onto him over the og casey... kinda makes me raise a brow

(Essay/rant about the prioritization of casey jr vs og casey under the cut :P)

Fandom spaces love a traumatized boy from the future, and believe me i do too! But the amount of attention given to casey jr after being revealed as casey is a wild amount compared to the amount of attention the original casey gets. Maybe its just me getting into rottmnt after the movie aired, but this seems a little baised?

Not only that, but the amount of... idk the best way i can think to describe it is infantilization of casey jrs character isnt helping my opinion of him. It feels like most content surrounding him babify him and reduce him only to his trauma post movie. I understand that it can be interesting to explore his trauma now that he no longer lives in the literal apocalypse, but it feels strange to see him reduced to someone who cant get around on his own and lives with the turtles when the original pitch for the movies ending has him leave to explore the world, which i feel is very appropriate for him and wish they had kept it in

In the movie when april shows us where the og casey has been and what shes been doing throughout the film, it tells us that casey is friends april which in theory, shouldve also shown us that she and the turtles are friends to some degree as well and should already have her place established within the group as this generations casey jones

However the final shot of the movie is a group shot of the family+casey jr, which subtlety implies that he's the new casey instead, and that this is the main cast moving forward (should it move forward *sob*). While both caseys being considered in the main cast could be true, it does strike me as a little odd that this was the final direction the rot team decided on for the official ending versus the scrapped ending, especially because it complicates the pre-established canon. It wouldve been one thing if our og casey was a different character, but that isnt the case.. y... (<_<)

Casey jr is an interesting character though! And i can understand why he appeals to fans, especially as his character post movie is fun to expand on aswell as developing his past involved with future versions of the main5, but one (me lol) could argue that the og casey is just as interesting of a character to delve into as she was involved, when you boil it down, a cult most of her life, and that concept, as well as the guilt she could hold for working with the foot and releasing the shredder, ontop of trying to befriend and gain the turtles and aprils trust are also intriguing concepts that could be explored, yet finding content that mentions her at all beyond her relation to casey jr is scarce

It feels as though shes been reduced to a background character within the fandom despite being a reoccuring character for the entire show.

For the two seasons of rottmnt that we did get, we are shown just what kind of character casey is and her possible dynamics with the turtles+april. Shes passionate and powerful and beyond determined to prove her worth and reach her goals. Shes also playful and reckless, a side that fits well with the main cast and their humor and, if the show was given more time, couldve developed naturally as the newest addition to the family as most caseys are. I could also argue that her characterization fits that of previous caseys more than casey jrs does (though i will admit that considering the plot of the movie, i cant positively say what hed be like outside of life or death scenarios, but i also cant imagine hes going to make a 180 in personality without it feeling jarring and ooc)

Now, i wont ignore the fact that her arc was cut horribly short and her involvement in the movie was quite literally a brief mention, both of which definitely play into how under appreciated she is. But at the same time it almost feels like everyone, including the show runners, have willingly pushed her aside for this new boy version to fill the role of casey jones. Hell, even when you look up rottmnt casey jones, cassandra barely shows up. Its casey jr which further proves my point

Idk, TLDR im pretty disappointed that despite being a consistent character for the entire show, no one seems to write or acknowledge her and if she is mentioned, its only relevant to push forward casey jrs character development or a brief cameo. As much as i do love casey jr (i can feel like hes mid and i can like him!) it seems like most people forget about the original casey, or favor casey jr in her place and she deserves more love and credit than shes given!

[introvertguide]

Bonnie and Clyde (1967); AFI #42

The next film that we covered for the group was the period true- crime drama, Bonnie and Clyde (1967). It is the story of the notorious Barrow gang, led by Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, during the American Great Depression. This film features a cavalcade of some of Hollywood's biggest actors including Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Gene Hackman. It is supposedly quite accurate because some of the witnesses and even a couple of the gang members of the actual crimes were still alive during the production of the film. Actress Estelle Parsons won Best Supporting Actress for he portrayal of Blanche Barrow, which I would like to comment on. I also want to speak a little to the accuracy of the story, but first I want to spoil the plot of the film.

SPOILER WARNING!!!! I AM GOING TO REVEAL THE WHOLE MOVIE SO I CAN COMPARE TO WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THE ACTUAL HISTORY!!! THE MOVIE AND THE REAL LIFE STORY WILL BE SPOILED COMPLETELY!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

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In the middle of the Great Depression, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) of Texas meet when Clyde tries to steal the car belonging to Bonnie's mother. Clyde had spotted Bonnie hanging out in her room naked from the heat, and she spotted him watching her and was intrigued by the danger. Bonnie is bored by her job as a waitress, which Clyde correctly guesses, and decides to take up with him and become his partner in crime. They pull off some weak crimes including a bank heist at a location that has been hit by the depression and there is no money. Clyde actually makes the teller come out to the escape car and tell Bonnie what the deal is and she just laughs at the situation.

The pair find an extra man in a worldly ignorant but mechanically inclined gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael Pollard). Clyde apparently has a way with words because people just join him for no real reason besides being bored. Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter, also join them. The two women dislike each other at first sight because Bonnie thinks that Blanche will ruin their fun (she does) and Blanche believes that Bonnie is evil and wants to get rid of her (she does). Keep in mind while watching this that Estelle Parsons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this portrayal.

Bonnie and Clyde turn from pulling small-time heists to robbing banks since they now have a full gang. Their exploits also become more violent when C.W. comically botches a bank robbery when he sees an open parking spot and decides to parallel park. He can't get out of the space quickly and he delays their escape, forcing Clyde to shoot the bank manager in the face when he jumps onto the slow-moving car's running board. The gang is pursued by law enforcement, including Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Denver Pyle), whom they capture and humiliate by taking his photo and setting afloat on a little dingy on a nearby river.

The group likes to switch out cars because they treat the getaway vehicles very rough. When they are seen stealing a car by its owner, a young man named Eugene Grizzard (Gene Wilder) and his girlfriend Velma Davis (Evans Evans), the robbed couple attempt to follow the stolen car. The gang stops and takes the couple hostage in the chase car and even pull over to get some burgers. They let the couple go when they find out they are in their 30s (too old apparently) and find a roadside stop. A raid later that night catches the outlaws off guard, mortally wounding Buck with a shot to his head and injuring Blanche so she can't see. Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. barely escape alive. With Blanche sightless and in police custody, Hamer tricks her into revealing C.W.'s name, which they use to find any safe places where the remaining gang might go (until then, C.W. was only an "unidentified suspect").

Hamer locates Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. hiding at the house of C.W.'s father Ivan (Dub Taylor), who thinks the couple have corrupted his son (as evidenced by an ornate tattoo that Bonnie convinced C.W. to get). The elder Moss strikes a bargain with Hamer: in exchange for leniency for the boy, he helps set a trap for the outlaws. When Bonnie and Clyde stop on the side of the road to help Mr. Moss fix a flat tire, the police in the bushes open fire and riddle them with bullets. Hamer and his posse come out of hiding and look pensively at the couple's bodies as a nearby flock of swallows fly away.

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This film stood out as it was a comical version of the super violent gangster films that were popular in the 30s. Storywriters David Newman and Robert Benton wanted to punch up the violence with a romantic undertone so they sent the script to French New Wave director Francois Truffaut for contributions. Warren Beatty was visiting Paris and heard about the project then decided he wanted to produce the picture. He was going to have his sister, Shirley MacLaine, play the roll of Bonnie until he decided that he was going to play the part of Clyde. That would have been really awkward, so he tried find a lead actress that he could have a romantic scene with. Many actresses were approached and Faye Dunaway was eventually chosen for the part.

Beatty decided that they needed an American director and offered that job to a plethora of established directors in Hollywood and finally landed on Arthur Penn even after he turned down the position multiple times. What it all comes down to is that not a lot of people wanted to be part of this production. It was considered somewhat of a risky art film at the time because of the questionable sexuality of Clyde and the heavy violence.

So what was so risky? Looking at films that were made only a few later, this seems rather tame. This film came out just a little before the MPAA was established and the writers had been influenced by the French films that didn't have the same restrictive film rules that were present in the United States. It was originally proposed that Clyde be played as bisexual, but the script eventually called for him to be more asexual. The real Clyde Barrow had been sexually assaulted in prison so he would have been scarred by that experience and might not have been interested in Bonnie in that way. This depth into a character's sexuality had generally been avoided in American cinema before this film and there was concern about audience reactions. They shouldn't have worried because the movie was a sleeper hit, eventually making $75 million on a $2.5 million budget.

The number of graphic murders actually shown on screen (especially when Clyde shot a guy in the face who jumped on the car during a get away) was unprecedented at the time. There was also some dismay by critics about the portrayal of Bonnie as sleazy and the whole gang as somewhat stupid. These were a bunch of uneducated folks that grew up in a time when it was more important to find a job. They were smart enough to avoid capture for years, which is shown in the movie, so they had to have some sort of intelligence.

There is a little bit of an elephant in the room with this movie and it involves the historical accuracy. The dates and crimes are well documented and a lot was known about the characters when the movie was produced. However, a major part of the movie was speculation and fabrication about the personalities in the gang. The characters that were based on living people at the time were actually the least accurate as C.W. Moss was a fictional person based on two different gang members (one who was still alive) and the actions of Blanche Barrow were based on a different member of the gang. The real Blanche Barrow lived until the 1980s and famously complained that Parsons's portrayal "made [her] look like a screaming horse's ass!" Parsons is the one the went on to win Best Supporting Actress.

This film was much more enjoyable for me on second watch. The first viewing left me hating the character of Blanche and I wondered if there was some sort of conspiracy to get that actress an Oscar. On second view, I realize that she was necessary to be a foil to the gang. There had to be a weak link in the chain and the audience knew that she would be the downfall of the group. Her presence made the police encounters all the more intense because there was this crazy wild card that could ruin everything at any time. It really adds a touch of comedy along with a bigger element of suspense. She is annoying, but enjoyable, and the people around her react to her behavior in a realistic way, so I appreciate what the character brings to the table.

I would highly suggest looking into the real life of Bonnie and Clyde along with the whole Barrow Gang because they took major advantage of the Great Depression banks, but not so much the suffering people. To some, the members of the Barrow gang were considered celebrities or even heroes because they were getting back at the banks that had mishandled so many people's money. I started my search off with this nice article on the Encyclopedia Britannica site and dug deeper to find out more about the connections between the real people and the film:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-and-Clyde-American-criminals

So does this film belong on the AFI top 100? I absolutely think so. It has some connections to French New Wave, but it is American directed with American actors and it tells the story of some of the most notorious criminals in American history. It is also a very good film that won Oscars and was a box office success. Bonnie and Clyde are part of Americana and were almost the equivalent of a Robin Hood character to many at the time. Would I recommend this film? I would. Keep an eye out for the Blanche character because she can be annoying, but know she serves a purpose and the movie is not all about her. The connection between Bonnie and Clyde is epic and has influenced a lot of American films, so enjoy it for the cinematic quality, the history in film, and the history of the United States.

[itstheheebiejeebies]

I'm reading this interview Buck Compton did in '07 about his life after the war especially in relation to his time as a prosecutor and judge and lemme tell you this, I have a lot of respect for the guy, but I hate his feelings on a lot of important things. Like his opinions on the Miranda warnings that because mandatory in the late 60s 😬😬

Just no. Like no thanks my dude. They're so important and to paraphrase Chief Justice Earl Warren, if you can't make a case with a Miranda warning in place you never really had one.

Also he got into law school before the LSATs because a thing, he just had to take a small aptitude test that was a sorta precursor to them and I'm honestly jealous because they suck super hard and I have to study for it and retake it.

Also he apparently got the job on the California Court of Appeals because he was friends with a guy who was close to Reagan when he was governor and he was also a strict constructionist of the Constitution. And personally I hate strict constructionism, like there's no way to be a faithful one, and often the Constitution is so vague, which is intentional, that you can't get more than a gist of how it applies to a case

We were lied to! He only had 3 holes in his ass not 4 from that bullet!

It was an interesting interview for sure and I recommend reading it if you're interested in more about him, it's 64 pages, but a lot of each page isn't used because of the way the transcript is set up.

[the-robot-bracket]

Okay, I'm going to make sections. Please note that these are my opinions, and I'm not insulting your grandma here.

Gravity Falls:

I enjoyed watching Ducktales (2017) a lot more than watching Gravity Falls.

Gravity Falls isn't actually written very consistently. It has some flaws that many people would rather not admit. The hate Mabel gets comes from a lot of that inconsistent writing in her character development that repeats (not saying all of it comes from that, but a lot) and some people would rather call her a bad person than admit the writing isn't as stellar as they make it out to be.

Danganronpa:

Many people kill Sonia off to give Kazuichi character development in their fanfics. Kazuichi should not get character development from that. You don't need to make him a better character by killing her off just because the writers could not develop the Simp #let Sonia kick Kazuichi

Dr2 Chapter 3 would have been a whole lot better if Mikan got cured along the others and just tried to cover up the murder with no idea why she did it

Undertale:

The concept of the Amalgamates is way more interesting than what most of the community made Sans out to be. There are monsters who were supposed to have died who now share a body and can't separate.

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared:

The Friendship episode with Warren the Eagle was my favorite of the new series. I loved how they kept insulting him. In fact, I have no least favorite episode

FNaF:

The plot would have been a lot better if Purple Guy and William Afton were different people. Purple Guy is obviously still the Serial Killer while William Afton is just a business man trying to make profit out of the whole 'remnant' thing while not actually understanding anything only for it to backfire. (Also have Vanny be a Copycat Killer)

Fazbear Frights Into The Flesh and its metaphor (i think that was one) could have been saved if they had just turned Matt into Springtrap

I really don't like Gregory (or his writing). The way the main game endings present him feel off from his characterization while you play him. I don't know how to describe it

Anyone want to hear some of my Fandom Hot Takes?

[goldenheart-supremacy]

Right? Some people just look for flights and I don't even know why.

Pfft, yeah, I would just redeem Todd 'a little bit' for the sake of comical scenes. He's not 100% redeemed unless they make a sequel and they actually do something remarkable with him, like say, what writers did with Nebula from the MCU. I'm trying to think of a bully character that got redeemed and all I'm coming up with is the guy from 'Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs' 😅 Bullies are pretty hard to redeem. Does Warren Peace count in Sky High? Don't really think so, cause he wasn't actively bullying them and just had some anger issues to work with.

As a reply to the tags, yeah I get that

Like, I also get why some people like the comic version better? Also, since it was the way the original creator originally wrote them, I can't hate on it too much and it gives a different perspective to relationships and how they're complicated and I'm actually still pretty interested to read about it, especially to get more Goldenheart content.

However, I do prefer the movie's take on Goldenheart. You could also assume that maybe Ambrosius was jealous of Ballister for being better when he was younger since it could be possible for a child to think that way, but this Ambrosius clearly wised up and matured faster and chose friendship (then love) than letting it get the best of him.

Goldenheart rules, otherwise, DNI

1. Goldenheart is not toxic. If you think they are, did you watch the movie?

2. Nimona is like their daughter, the original creator even makes some drawings showing that. DON'T ship Ballister x Nimona, or even Ambrosius x Nimona. That's also a no for Ballister x Nimona x Ambrosius.

3. Todd is their bully. I don't mind some content of him getting "redeemed" or whatever, maybe even some weird unlikely friends thing or just camaraderie at best, but I also don't want to see content of him being shipped with Ballister or Ambrosius [cause now, THAT'S toxic] unless it's, like, crack of how it wouldn't happen. You can if you want, just don't tell me about it. Find other birds to flock with, yeah?

I don't wanna start a fight, and these things might so just an FYI ✌️