#where i come from we have one cinema that only gets movies two months after their main release

[pinktinselmonstrosity]

on the one hand i've never lived in a proper city before and i'm slightly terrified but FUCK am i excited to live somewhere with a proper cinema next year

[teddybeartoji]

me and toji me and toji me and tojiiiiiiii...

we started out as neighbors but it took us like three months to even propely meet lmao,, it takes me a while to get used to new places so when i first moved in i just stayed at home like a lot. a lot a lot. i literally only left to go to the grocery store and then to the park down the street and that's it. and toji is a big homebody too, so he didn't go out all that much either, just work and then the bar with a friend every once in a while. we just didn't happen to move at the same time, despite living right next to each other.

after about a month, i found myself a third place and slowly but surely grew more and more comfortable there – the cinema (nobody is surprised). i always liked to go during the day, as early as i could, just to make sure that there wouldn't be too many people. always in the last row, always in the middle seat. this is the mickey way. anyway, after creating a bit of a routine for myself, i felt more free to observe my surrounding some more too. felt more comfortable to start people watching. and that's when i saw him. mostly dressed in darker clothes, hoodies and big jackets. sometimes with a cap on, sometimes without it. it's not like he was always always there at the same time as me but when he was, he always sat in the last row but instead of fighting for the middle seat, he always sat at the very end of the row. obviously i thought he looked very handsome – we had made eye-contact a few times while buying popcorn by accident and let me tell you, that was enough to have my heart racing ok i am very weak. but i'm not bold enough to strike up a conversation like that so stolen glances and shared movie experiences were all we had. we btw have a very similar taste in films so we did end up seeing each other a lot there lmao

aaaanyway i just had a silly little cinema crush but never did anything abt it bc i'm a pussy ok😔😔 (he's literally the same). okay but so, one day i was coming home from whereever, just stepped into the elevator when a hand stopped the doors and HE appeared. i was very confused. he.. looked confused too lmao,, but now........ loookkkk.... no matter how handsome he is..... he's still a stranger, and a man too at that. a man who seems to be where i am multiple times a week and is now suddenly where i live. yes, i freaked the fuck out okay. don't judge me. he didn't press a floor button either yk so i really did start to spiral over the fact that maybe he's stalking me or smth..... and he saw that. he saw me tense up and he isn't stupid – he knows he's a tough big guy and it did seem like he could've been stalking me. so he immediately backed away a bit, trying to make himself smaller bc he obviously didn't want to make me any more uncomfortable. and then he just blurted out with his raspy voice that he lives here. it definitely cracked the tension a bit. he cleared his throat and slowly pointed at the floor buttons, saying that he lives on the same floor (btw i need everybody to know that he has a bit of an accent in my head it's very very important to me he speaks english very well but his accent still shines through and i love it very very much<33333). he even showed me his keys lmao and i did feel way more safe after that buuut we still didn't really introduce each other or anything. i guess the air still felt just a bit weird.. the doors opened and we both walked to out apartments in silence (it wasn't actually awkward or anything though it was just . silence) and then looked at each other with silly faces when we realized we literally live Right next to each other lmao that was funny. i just said that i moved in like two months ago and that was it. we went our seperate ways.

for a day.

bc you have no idea.. how awful i felt abt that elevator thing. oooooooh my god. IT'S NOT HIS FAULT HE'S SO BIG SO IT'S SO MEAN FOR ME TO ASSUME THAT HE'S SOME AXE MURDERED YK well it isn't but i still felt really really bad esp since he tried to immediately make me feel more comfortable and tried to reassure me that he was not, in fact, stalking me lmao but yeah idk it just weighed really heavily on me i couldn't help but keep thinking abt it soooo i ended up baking a batch of brownies the very next day. and i went to his door (still in my hello kitty pyjama pants mind you)(i forgot to change them) aaand then started rambling and STUTTERING BTWW while apologizing and he just stood there like ???? like he didn't even understand why i was apologizing in the first place lmao he felt it was a very understandable for me to have that fear and to think the way i was thinking (he actually felt a bit bad abt the whole thing inside too he just didn't really know how to express it). aaaanyway so he was just there staring at me with like a veeery faint smile bc at a point it got a bit ridiculous bc i really did start just rambling abt the whole thing lmao it was uhhh just a bit embarrassing (the fact that he's hot didn't help either thank you very much). he thought it was cute how i was there trying to apologize for smth that he should've been apologizing for himself lmao he tried to say no to the brownies at first and i shoved them at him so hard they all almost fell.. aaand i think that's exactly where he decided that hm. mickey . yes weird little creature i am intrigued i want to know more yk?

btw we still didn't exchange numbers or anything at that point, that happened later after i came knocking at his door at twelve am bc there was a big spider in my room but i'll talk abt that some other time:33333333 thank you for reading abt the miji lore i love you . and i love him. sooooso much he means the world to me<3333333333333333

[creative-caramel-coffee]

can i request 6, 14, 12, 21 and j from the prompts list? thanks

More Migraines

Prompts:

j) throwing up on the floor

4) “let me feel your forehead, no buts, come here.”

6) “honey no your not gross, you cant help being sick sweetheart.”

21) “Your obviously not capable of walking I’m going to carry you. ready? one two three up!”

12) “love we need to check your temperature again. i know i know you hate it.”

Pairings: Wanda x R

Word count: 1.8K

Summary: Reader has been hiding migraines but what happens when the team needs her for a mandated (by Steve) bonding day?

TW: Vomiting, mini fever, migraine, nausea, collapse

A/n YELENA IS IN THIS ONE (and Natty of course)

It was only 9am and you were feeling the begginings of a headache budding behind your eyes. You internally groaned. For the past few months it hadnt been uncommon for you to get migraines. Of course you had done a fairly good job of hiding them. Not even Natasha was suspicious yet.

Although it wasnt unlike you to randomly hide out in your room. It was perhaps odd when you did it for multipul days but nat and wanda had simply dismissed it as it was often after intense missions.

However today was not a day after an intense mission. It wasnt even the day after a mission at all. It was a random Sunday. A Sunday the team was suppost to spend relaxing as a team. Tony had everything organised for a movie night tongiht in the compound cinema. Steve had planned a nice walk through the bush that was only a short drive away. Wanda had been preparing a fancy lunch for a matter of hours. Nat had contacted her sister to come join in. And the others were either indirectly helping or simply helping orgisnie. You however were not. The headache you woke with was blooming into a bigger probelm. One that was become harder to ignore. You had shown in to breakfast in your pjs and wordlessly taken a bowl of cereal before retreating back to your room.

The lights were off and you had an arm over your eyes in an attempt to block any light that was seeping through the windows. Looking at the time with blurry eyes and a pounding head you squinted to make out the time on the clock. 12:15. It wouldn’t be long until somone came looking for you. Steve had made it very clear this day was one nobody was allowed to miss.

A knock startled you despite having expected it. It seemed to reverberate around your skull. Echoing in pain throuhg your mind. You softly called out “come in” you replaced the arm over your eyes as the door opened. The familiar scent of pine nut and rain filled the room and you knew it was wanda in the doorway.

“Y/n/n?” She said peeking her head through the door. “Honey?” She asked again when she was met with silence. This time you groaned and her brow furrowed. “Sweetheart im coming in” she said gently closing the door behind her. A moment later your felt her hands tangling in your hair as it was brushed away from yoru face gently.

“Honey are you feeling alright?” She said softly. “let me feel your forehead, no buts, come here.” She said and shuffled closed as she laid the back of her hand across your forehead. Luckily you didnt seem too warm but you were a touch above normal. “Hmmm” she hummed. “Honey can you tell me what your feeling lovebug?” She cooed, hands going back to your hair.

“Migraine” you whispered and she visably softened.

“Oh sweets.” She said using a hand she got her magic to block out some more light so there was just enough to see and nothing more.

“Honey im going to go grab us some food okay? Ill be back in a minute.” She hushed and you whined softly as she withdrew her hand from your bed headed hair.

Wanda walked into the kitchen. She was worried. Who wouldn’t be? Nat raised an eyebrow as wanda returned without you.

“Where’s y/n?” Nat asked.

“Shes not feeling to hot so im gonna have lunch in her room with her.” Wanda said walking over and beginning to plate up two bowls of food. Yelena and Nat soon decended into a round of aggressive footsies under the table that left them both wiht brusied shins.

“Well im still expecting both of you to come on the walk after lunch.” Steve said frowning. Wanda sighed and nodded taking the bowls and leaving.

When wanda returned to the room her heart throbbed for you. You looked miserable. Curled in a ball with your arms tucked into yoru chest as you head rested on a mountain of soft pillows. Wanda made her way to your side, sitting on the bed and placing the bowls on the bedside table. She rested her back against the bedhead and swung her legs up. She heard you shuffle a bit and let out a low whine.

“Y/n/n i have some food for you hun.” She said and helped you into a sitting position. You curled into her side and keened softly from the pain in your head that the movement had brought.

When Wanda noticed you werent eating she softly began to bring the spoon to your lips and tapped them. With your eyes still shut you opened your mouth and allowed wanda to feed you.

when you had both finished eating you were still leaning into wandas side so she curled her body around you in a soft hug. It was comfortable and sweet. Both of you began dozing lightly. The pain behind your temples seemed to be only getting worse and your stomach was twisting in knots of Nausea.

Knowing what was going to happen you tried to be quick. Throwing yourself out of the bed and jolting wanda awake you stood on shaky legs and took one step before your knees buckled. You went sprawling landing on all fours your stomach lurched and your back arched as you started to heave. Wanda was by your side in an instant her cool hands holding your hair back as you started to throw up. Guilt washed over you as you felt bad wanda had gone to all the trouble of making such a nice lunch. But soon you were heaving again as you threw up more on the floor next to the bed. While you were still hurling your guts up you didnt hear the door open until Nat spoke.

“Jesus Wanda you weren’t kidding.” Nat said.

You were just dry heaving now with nothing left in your stomach. Before you collapsed wanda wrapped her arms around you and pulled you to the side so you were sat on her lap. Nat walked past and into the bathroom dodging the puddle. A moment later she returned and crouched infront of you away from the vomit. Carefully she used a damp cloth to wipe your mouth and hands clean. Wordlessly she handed you some mouthwash and a cup to spit it in. You were exhausted and wanda could tell. Taking the cup from your hands wanda passed it back to Nat who went into the bathroom again.

Carefully wanda hooked her arms under your knees and your back and paused when you whined.

“Your obviously not capable of walking I’m going to carry you. ready? one two three up!” Wanda said and she carefully lifted you and placed you back on the bed.

“Does your head feel better now? Are you going to be sick again?” Wanda asked.

“My head still hurts alot and I still feel sick but its not too bad.” You whispered and nat remerged with cleaning supplies.

“Her head?” Nat asked.

“Migraine.” Wanda said back in a hushed voice and Nat nodded. “Scoot over.” Wanda said as she slipped into bed next to you. Nat seemed unbothered as she started to clean the floor.

“‘M sorry Nat. Im gross” You said and Nat hushed you.

“Honestly y/n im more worried about you than cleaning the floor. I’ve delt with so much worse.” She said with a small smile. You nodded swollowing back tears and curled into wandas chest. Now it was wanda who spoke. “Honey no your not gross, you cant help being sick sweetheart.” She soothed. She was laid on her side blocking your view of the floor as she rubbed patterns on your back.

A moment later a knock sounded on the door and nat walked over and opened it.

“Ew it smells gross in here. What are you guys doing?” Yelena asked you grumbled somthing into wandas chest and flipped off yelena.

“Y/n was sick.” Nat said “Yelena can you tell steve we’re not coming on the walk.” Nat asked and yelena nodded before leaving to find steve.

When yelena left wanda looked down at you. “Love we need to check your temperature again. i know i know you hate it.” She said as you grumbled somthing and smushed your face further into her chest. Wanda carefuly peeled you back from her and laid a hand on your forehead.

“Hmmm still a little warm but im not sure.” You closed your eyes and felt her remove her hand, a moment later another cool hand pressed to your cheek, wearily opening yoiur eyes you saw Nat looking down at you.

“Your right Wands she’s a little warm but nothing too bad. I can grab a cool cloth for her if you’d like?” Nat offered.

“That would be great thank you natasha.” Wanda said. Nat nodded and returned a moment later with a damp red cloth. She laid it over your closed eyes and you hummed in content.

“That good y/n/n?” Wanda asked chuckling and you nodded slighlty. “Good.” She said placing a kiss on the crown on your head. Another few minutes passed and Nat went and sat on the edge of the bed. The bed was huge thanks to tonys money and could easily fit four or five people.

A knock sounded on the door again and you winced at the sound. Wanda covered your ears with her hands and called softly for the person to come in. Yelena opened the door and flopped down on the bed kicking her shoes off.

“Shes not contagoius right? Cuz i dont feel like puking my guts out later.” Yelena said and natsha rolled her eyes.

“Shes got a migraine.” Nat deadpanned.

“Oh ok. In that case do yeed anything y/n/n” yelana said patting your leg.

“No.” You muttered.

“Cool. Well steve was annoyed but the four of us can stay here while they go on a walk. I was thinking we could watch somthing.” She said and wiggled up on the bed next to Nat. All four of you laid on the bed now and there was still room. Yelena was next to Nat who was next to wanda who you were currently cuddled into.

“Y/n what do you want to watch?” Nat asked.

“Ask wanda im probably not going to watch it and can you put the volume on soft for me please?” You whispered the red cloth still over your eyes.

“Sure. Wanda?” Nat asked.

“Can we watch a sitcom?” Wanda said sheepishly.

“I dont see why not. Any in particular?” Nat said.

“What about the dick van dyk show?” You said and wanda nodded.

“Coming right up.” Nat said scrolling before she found it and pressed play. You began to drift to sleep which is exaclty where the boys found you a couple hours later. In a cuddle pile with wanda, natsha and yelena all curled around you on the big bed.

It was good to have a family that loved you. And it was even better to have that family be the avengers.

MASTERLIST

[thecameronchronicles]

Lights Down Low

TW: semi-public smut. 

SUMMARY: Sexual fun at a movie theater with Rafe. 

WORD COUNT:1300

*ORIGINAL CONCEPT*

Lights Down Low

After two months of pleading for him to take you to this recent book-to-screen adaption of one of your favorite romance novels, you turned to find his scowl. Even if there had been a moment that enticed him, he wouldn't admit it as he already planned to guilt you for wasting two hours of his life. It was enough to make you feel guilty without him having to say a word. But you weren't Rafe Cameron's girlfriend because you were selfish. At least, not right now...

"Rafe?" You whispered as you positioned yourself towards him, crossed legs now leading your feet over his scandals. 

"I'm not getting you another box of candy. You didn't even finish-" Your hand came to his thigh, raising up the fabric covering your favorite seat aside from the one making up his grin. 

"Baby-"

"You're so good to me Rafe...I want you to enjoy this too..." His eyes flashed forward to the small cinema filled with those he knew. Those who would ridicule him for being charged by his hormones. But the second your lips came to his neck, he didn't care about anything else. 

"Then uncross your legs for me..." You obeyed as his fingers didn't waste time with the seduction yours had. He moved directly to your panties, feeling you having soaked through the center. 

"This better not be because of him..." He motions to the screen as Topper shushed him as he sets his arm tighter around Sarah. 

"I only get wet for your, Rafe..." You moaned into his neck as he smirked. A single huff is his chest feeling his scoff as he pulls her panties aside. 

"But we both know you can't be quiet...even if you can, you're so fucking wet, everyone is gonna hear my fingers fucking you."

"I hope so..." You began to ride into his hand, your mouth already slack as he watched you silence your moans. 

"Don't come..." He warned as you nodded. "I mean it, if I feel you tighten, I'm bending you over the chair next to topper and I'll take you right here..." You nodded, biting your bottom lip. The threat more rousing than it should be as his thumb rounded off your clit. 

"Dirty girl...my dirty girl letting me touch her like this where anyone can see you ..."

"I need you..." You whined in a whisper against his neck as he pulled your hand to his seam. A quiet but swift release of his belt and your hand was wrapped around him. 

"Feel me...feel how much I need to come?" You nodded. 

"I want to be inside you..." He spoke with a hold on the back of your neck. Tighter as you rode hard into his fingers. 

"Rafe-" you wanted quickly. 

"Faster?" He smirked as you nodded, but he only slowed. Pumping into you painfully slowly as you moved closer to him. 

"You want me inside you to relieve that pressure, don't you baby? My fingers aren't enough to make you come?" You nodded as he pulled your hair into a yank, making you gasp. 

"You greedy little thing. My fingers are all you're gonna get..." You groaned while rocking against him, two fingers supplying a tease of the pressure you needed as his thumb circled around your sensitive nerves. 

"You're making too much noise, you want everyone to see how desperate you are for me?" You were too desperate to care as he took hold of your hair. 

"I want you to stay quiet..." He almost hissed as he guided you over his lap. His hips immediately reacting to the feeling of your breath taken over him. Your tongue torturing him in slow stripes and swirls as you rolled your eyes to the taste of his precum. 

"Take me all the way." He fucked himself up until your mouth, reclining back into he seat as it tattled his movements. But neither of you cared. 

"Bend." He ordered as you readjusted in the seat so your ass was more in the air. The second he could, he pulled your skirt to the side and your panties to your knees. His fingers inside of you, fucking you slowly. 

"Good fucking girl...choke on me baby..." He groaned as you were devoted to his head, sucking slowly from an angle that made his hips and breathing synonymous in their unsteady existence. 

"Fuck..." He grunted as he pulled you up for just long enough for you to see Topper looking at you. Lustful eyes trained to your body. 

"Look at him while I make you come..." Topper bit the bottom lip swollen by this as your mouth pulled into a silent series of moans and pleas. 

"Don't get any ideas, man...she comes for me..." Sarah was too distracted in the movie to notice the way Topper was almost salivating over you. 

"Show him how good you take me baby..." You kept your eyes on him as best you could while taking Rafe in your mouth. Hollowed cheeks and devotion pulled that grip through your hair. 

"She even swallows..." His fingers adjusted to a murderous pace, the sounds audible before Rafe paused to squeeze your ass. 

"Lap baby...I need to be inside you." You turned away from Rafe, eyes wide to Topper who was analyzing you with ease. Shamelessly as you moaned silently for him. 

"You like being watched?" 

You nodded. 

"Then show him what he'll never have..." With this, Rafe made your breasts spill forward as Topper jumped upwards from the seat, pulling Sarah with him. Their absence let you reach forward to where their leads rested as Rafe pounded into you. 

"Good girl, take every fucking inch you're responsible for...good fucking girl..." He grunted, quiet enough to be withheld by the other moviegoers, as he pulled his hand to your clit. 

"I can't!" You gasped at the abundance of pleasure. 

"You will..." He grunted as he used one hand at your nipples and the other at your clit. Your body was close to erupting several times before his teasing finally faded. 

"Right now baby...all over my cock...let me have it..." Your body obeyed as he flicked and pinched your clit, pain and pleasure left as his effect over you as he fucked you into his own release. 

"Clean me up..." He sat back as you moved into your knees, his eyes just as dangerous now than when first aroused. 

"Slow-" he corrected as you optioned for overstimulation as he had done to you. But even as you obeyed, you felt him harden again. 

"Stay on your knees and make me come like this..." He sat on the edge of the chair, bracing himself over the chair where your grip had been just moments prior. 

"God, your mouth is so..." He smirked. "Did I say you could touch yourself?" You only continued to stare. "Your fingers feel better than me?" 

"No." You shook your head. 

"Oh fuck....You just that desperate..." You nodded quickly. "Then you better come before I do...or you're gonna have to explain why you've soaked these seats." Unfortunately your skilled mouth had him too close to the edge as he came in hot spurts down your throat. Not even a second allowed until you swallowed him whole. His hand pulling you to him. Once again, you faced the screen. Only now, his feet pinning your legs apart. 

"Rafe..." 

"You're gonna come again baby. This time with nobody watching you...nobody but me..." He teased your nipple. Tugging and pulling enough to make you groan. 

"That's it...yeah baby...you're staining my shorts..."

"I'm sorry..." 

"That's nothing compared to how hard you're about to come..." He curves two fingers inside of you, a decadent and cruel pressure. 

"Make yourself come...use my hand...it's fucking tired with how needy this little pussy is..." He kissed into your neck. "I'm busy..." He played with your breasts, every sensation too much until you began to tremble. 

"That good?" 

"I'm gonna come...I'm gonna fucking come...."

"Yes you are...hard..."

"Hard..." You gasped. Cum. Spurt after spurt as his fingers ravage you to lengthen it. This wasn't just an orgasm. You fucking squirted. And you were needing more. He sucked against his teeth. 

"Oh, you want more?"

"One more...please Rafe...I'm so..."

"Desperate?" You nodded. 

"Then come for me baby...one more time, only because you'll have to make it up to me later .." but as he began that brigade, the credits began to role. Your words of ecstasy no longer covered as you were careless. He made your eyes roll as he made you widen your thighs with his feet pulling your ankles apart. 

"Give them something to clean up..." Your eyes rolled as you unleashed. Wave after spurt as he smirked. 

"You wanna see another movie next weekend?" You smirked as he sucked off his fingers and you tried to find some semblance of normalcy in your clothes left in disarray. Just wondering how you could ever look in Topper's eyes again. Wanting to...

TAGLIST:

@rafesmoon @maybankslover @puzziepoppin @gillybear17 @onclouds999

@hopebaker @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4tangerine @slvtherinseeker @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @camilynn @sweetestdesire @jjmaybanksangel @phildunphyisadilf 

@belcalis9503

MASTERLIST

RAFE CAMERON MASTERLIST

RAFE CAMERON 2ND MASTERLIST

RAFE CAMERON 3RD MASTERLIST

[timeagainreviews]

Doctor Who isn't Dead Yet

Last month “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” made headlines for having the lowest box office numbers on Memorial Day weekend. This is in spite of also being number one at the box office, just beating out “The Garfield Movie.” The movie was a certified flop, which is a shame because it’s stupendous (seriously, watch it sometime if you haven’t.)  I saw it a week after its release and already it had been relegated to the smallest theatre in the complex with only two screenings on a Friday. This small theatre had maybe eight people in attendance. To look at it, you would have to agree with those who say cinema is dying. It’s ironic then that Sutekh’s gift of death is what appears to have breathed a lot of life into my local cinema over the weekend.

To celebrate the Doctor Who season one finale, the BBC opted to show it in theatres across the UK. The screening began at eleven o’clock with “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” and followed into midnight with “Empire of Death.” As we arrived, I saw many happy Whovians in cosplay buzzing with excited energy. The lobby was full of people in Tom Baker scarves and blue TARDIS t-shirts chattering away about their fan theories while they loaded up on snacks. The person dressed like the Fourteenth Doctor sitting in front of me was bouncing in their seat so much that I kept getting glimpses of David Tennant hair in my periphery. Needless to say, people were very excited. I don’t know if it was the fact that it was nearly 1 AM, but I did not see that same energy on the way out. So what happened?

It’s no secret that the overall fan reaction to RTD’s finale episode is one of being very underwhelmed. I even used that exact word to my friends on the way out of the theatre. I chose that word carefully. I didn’t want to imply that I hated it, because I didn’t. But after an entire season of build-up, I expected certain conditions to have been met. I’ve mentioned in the past that one of the benefits of this new midnight release schedule is that I often watch the episodes more than once. I find this helpful because the second viewing always allows me the opportunity to view the story divorced from my own expectations. But I have to ask- were my expectations so unfounded to begin with? Where did they come from if not the show itself?

Recently in an interview, Russell T Davies stated that he has been writing Doctor Who in such a way that it would generate a buzz on the internet. If people were talking about it, then maybe people would start watching it. While I am sure this method can increase engagement, it also has its shortcomings. Trickling information is all well in good, but when is it not enough? There is a point where teasing becomes more tedious than tantalising. Just look at Steven Moffat and Trenzalore- a concept that got so dragged out that by the time we finally got there, it was hard to care. Another downside is that it also raises people’s expectations to such a degree that it can be hard to meet said expectations.

Had this episode been written by Steven Moffat, we wouldn’t have picked up right back where we had left off. We’d have probably begun the episode on Agua Santina with the Doctor receiving the spoon from the kind woman. But this is more of a classic Doctor Who-style episode where the cliffhanger continues along. Last week I had guessed that Sutekh was a sort of trinity of Susan Triad, his jackal aspect, and Ruby Sunday. But as we learn in this story, not only is Ruby not related to Sutekh, but Susan Triad is no more Sutekh than Harriet Argbinger. That is not to say that she is any less dangerous in this moment. She holds out her hand to spread the dust of death which quickly begins to envelop London, then the world, and eventually, the universe, or at least the places where the Doctor has visited.

I rather liked the getaway scene with the Doctor and Mel. It was great to see Mel taking control of the situation. The Doctor almost feels like the companion following her away from danger. Her “Come on, cowboy!” line was so good. Once again, I really like what they’re doing with Mel in this season. The fact that she could have been this person in classic Doctor Who really annoys me that she wasn’t. While I grew to appreciate classic Mel in her own right, I’ll take modern-day UNIT Mel over screaming Mel any day. Bonnie Langford is coming here to Glasgow Film and Comic Con in August and I fully expect her line to be longer than when I saw her in 2015. She has been a highlight of this season and I fully did not expect to love her return as much as I have.

As the dust spreads through London, UNIT is still reacting to the presence of Sutekh wrapped around the TARDIS. Last week my friend said to me about Morris’ segway “How much do you want to bet that thing shoots lasers?” And sure enough, it shoots something. The UNIT team unload holy hell on Sutekh and Harriet, but nothing lands. Before getting in a little reference to her father, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and her team are reduced to dust. Even the Vlinx’s head pops off, so not even robots are safe. Once again, the RTD2 era has borrowed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Sutekh’s dust of death spread across the globe causing people to disintegrate, I leaned over to my wife and said “Mister Stark, I don’t feel so good,” in reference to the Thanos snap. Whatever. Marvel doesn’t own disintegration.

We see Mrs Flood and Cherry get swept up in the dust. Before she dies, Mrs Flood delivers some cryptic words that lead me to think she’s more than just a Time Lord but something far more powerful. However, she’s not so powerful as to avoid Sutekh’s gift. It’s hard to say just what is happening there, so I am not even going to attempt it. The Doctor and Mel find their way through the dust back to UNIT HQ where Ruby is still standing in the time window. Last week I mentioned that the memory of a TARDIS could become the Memory TARDIS from “Tales of the TARDIS,” and boy was I right. I love being right, especially after being wrong all season. I still want someone to be the Rani. At this point, they’re just messing with me.

Before we move along, I do want to call out an aspect of the dust scene that bothers me, and that’s Carla. Last week we saw Ruby tell Carla that she needed to either help or get out of the way. Historically, this would be where someone like Jackie Tyler would find some way to be helpful. I half expected a moment where it feels like all is lost until Carla comes out of nowhere like Ric Flair with a steel chair, saving our heroes from certain doom. It could have even been a self-sacrifice moment where she is still turned to dust. It would have been tragic and fuelled the Doctor and Ruby’s resolve. Instead, we see her in a cab on her way home after having witnessed her daughter's memories invoke the devil. What was even the point of her saying “Well, if your mother's part of it then, Ruby, you can tell her your mother is too,” if they do nothing with it? It felt so out of character for her to up and leave Ruby behind like that, and I feel like that lies solely at Davies’ feet.

It’s funny to me that in the lead-up to “Empire of Death,” people were saying “I hope they explain how Sutekh escaped the time vortex.” Mostly because it hardly matters, but also because they rarely explain how the Master or Davros escape death time and time again. Why is Sutekh any different? What is funny is that Sutekh escapes dying of old age in the time vortex by hitching a ride through the time vortex for thousands of years. Instead of dying, this just makes him stronger. He goes from an Osiran to a full-blown Titan. Sutekh reveals to the Doctor that Susan Triad was an aspect of the Doctor’s granddaughter who he had learned about while integrating himself with the TARDIS. He peppers these aspects of Susan throughout the universe wherever the Doctor lands. However, other than sharing a name, I don’t understand what Susan Triad has to do with Susan Foreman. They’re both brilliant and kind, but is this implying that Susan Triad is what the Doctor’s granddaughter might regenerate into? It’s a bit confusing.

After using Ruby’s memory to fully materialise the Memory TARDIS, the Doctor and his two companions escape Sutekh’s grasp, but even the Doctor senses that maybe Sutekh is keeping them alive. The visual of Sutekh sitting atop the TARDIS in his silent empire of death is an arresting one. I appreciated the sound design allowing the audience to really feel that silence. No music. No people. Nothing. Though on a scientific level, it does strike me as a bit odd that the entire universe is now dead. The Doctor may have had thousands of adventures across time and space, but I have to imagine there are countless planets out there which remained untouched by Sutekh’s dust. But I’m willing to suspend disbelief in this instance. 

After tying the Memory TARDIS together with intelligent rope, the Doctor, Ruby, and Mel, drift aimlessly in the Memory TARDIS. It’s uncertain how long they travel this way, but they manage to fit a costume change for the Doctor and an entire episode of “Tales of the TARDIS,” in there. Carrying a television screen still linked with the time window, we learn that the time window is still obeying Ruby’s commands as it had last week. Originally I had suspected this was because she was some sort of aspect of Sutekh, but as we have now learned, it’s simply Sutekh aiding Ruby’s search for her mother. After using the screen to explain to Ruby who and what Sutekh is, the screen also begins to show the Doctor and Ruby a way forward in the form of Roger ap Gwilliam. Meanwhile, Mel is being tracked by Sutekh through the dead cells in her body.

The scene on Agua Santina with the Doctor and the Kind Woman played by Sian Clifford was one of the strongest moments in the episode for me. We had watched the death wave spread across the earth, but this was a way to see how it affected people on an individual basis. Because the death wave happened at multiple points in time, we were able to see how it manifests from multiple angles. Having established the analogous relationship between time and memory, we can see how memory may begin to fade before life. People may still exist, but they won’t remember the name of their birth city because the person who would have named it died before they were able. But even more chilling is how the death wave doesn’t just travel up through bloodlines, but backwards as well. There’s an undeniable cruelty to making a woman have to experience losing her child before experiencing the same fate. It’s evil for evil’s sake and proof that Sutekh isn’t just an arbiter of death, but a demon as well.

The Kind Woman gifts the Doctor a spoon which he promises her he will use to save the universe. Fans of the Twelfth Doctor will have gotten excited by this promise as we’ve seen what the Doctor can do with a spoon. Instead, the Doctor uses it for metal, and possibly not even for metal, but for the memories within the metal. I found this all very weird as they literally showed Mel holding the Thirteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver which is not only made of metal, but several spoons. Was there really nothing on the Memory TARDIS with enough memory to jam into that TV screen? It’s a weird series of events punctuated by yet another weird occurrence when the Memory TARDIS gifts the Doctor with a whistle like we’re supposed to know why it’s significant. Nothing in the history of Doctor Who has been controlled by a whistle other than K9. Yet the Doctor puts it around his neck like it makes total sense and isn’t just some non-sequitur moment.

I said last week that I was waiting for “Empire of Death,” before I could fully know how I felt about “The Legend of Ruby Sunday.” Sometimes, a follow-up episode can enrich the experience of a previous story, while other times it can sully it a bit. You can imagine then my surprise when the episode that was sullied wasn’t “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” but rather “73 Yards,” instead. My takeaway from “73 Yards,” was that the Doctor stepped on the fairy ring, releasing Mad Jack and setting the events of the story into motion. Ruby would then use the semper distans woman to scare away Roger ap Gwilliam and then again to save the Doctor. The Doctor doesn’t stand on the fairy circle, and Mad Jack never escapes. So if Roger ap Gwilliam still exists in the future, what was the point of any of of “73 Yards”? This doesn’t feel “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey,” as much as it feels “wibbly wobbly, shitty witty.” It just feels messy.

The Doctor tells Ruby and Mel that in 2046, DNA cataloguing became compulsory to anyone living in the UK. It feels on brand with Roger ap Gwilliam’s xenophobic platform, so no problems there. Meanwhile, Mel is being used like a spy, but the Doctor has been wary of her since she started appearing exhausted on the Memory TARDIS. The Doctor takes a blood sample from Ruby but just as they get a match on the DNA database, Evil Mel takes the wheel and transports them back to UNIT HQ leaving the Memory TARDIS behind. Finally, Sutekh has the information he needs to learn the name of Ruby’s mother. He will now learn how this unknown person has been able to thwart his gift of death and avoid detection.

What happens next is probably the weakest part of the entire episode. The Doctor and Ruby manage to fool Sutekh into thinking they are about to tell him Ruby’s mother’s identity, but it’s only so Ruby can get close enough to slap some intelligent rope around his collar. Why this feels weak to me is that it means somehow the Doctor and Ruby managed to squirrel away intelligent rope before exiting the Memory TARDIS. This means they would have had to do this without Mel noticing. And while I get that it’s intelligent rope, they basically pull it out of their asses because it’s nowhere to be seen. The fact that intelligent rope is a McGuffin that’s a callback to a pair of gloves many of us will have forgotten since the Christmas episode makes this moment all the weaker. The Doctor then uses his whistle in yet another McGuffin moment that allows him to control the TARDIS and shoot Harriet out the door. With the TARDIS finally back in the Doctor’s control, it’s time to take doggo for walkies!

The Doctor drags Sutekh through the Time Vortex bringing death to death, which causes life. Miraculously, if not luckily, people who we had watched die to the dust are now alive again. Colonel Chidozie is back. The Vlinx’s head is reattached somehow. And Cherry whose final memory of Mrs Flood was of her being cryptic and creepy is so happy to be alive again that she’s hugging the creepy old freak regardless. Cool. Not weird at all. Just people acting like real people. I don’t understand Cherry. She thinks the Doctor is trouble, but Mrs Flood is totally normal. What is it with these last two episodes and getting both Carla and Cherry’s characters so wrong? What gives, Russell?

The Doctor then does the right thing and cuts the intelligent rope, causing Sutekh to burn away in the Time Vortex. I guess this time it’s deadly because he’s not integrated with the TARDIS. That’s my best bet. I’m also willing to bet that the reason it snowed around Ruby and played Christmas music in her presence was due to Sutekh’s influence. He wanted to know the answer so badly that the memory manifested around her any time she got close to it. This is just speculation on my behalf, but it makes enough sense.

Speaking of Ruby’s birth mother (and not her real mother as they kept calling her) UNIT is able to find out who Ruby’s mother is, and she’s just some lady. I know some people were mad about this and I guess I can see why. There was so much emphasis on who her mother was that for it to be nobody special must have been a disappointment. Personally, I thought it was the least interesting mystery of the entire season. I get that she wanted to know who her birth mother was, but I was never emotionally invested in the storyline. The only thing that made it sort of interesting was the idea that there was a reason it was a big deal. You can’t feign surprise when audiences expect something to be big when it’s you who told us to feel that way. 

What I find strangest about Ruby’s mother is the way she points at the sign that says Ruby Road. First of all, why the hell was she standing like that? As body language goes, she looks less like she’s naming her child, and more like she’s marking the Doctor for death. Furthermore, why is she dressed like she’s about to hitch a ride on Shai-Hulud? But even weirder is how Ruby even ended up with the name Ruby. Ruby says “I always thought I was called Ruby because the social workers chose it or the paramedics or whatever. But, no, it was her.” But literally the only person who would have seen her pointing was the Doctor, and he left immediately after. So it really was the social workers who chose it or the paramedics or whatever. It feels less like she was pointing to name Ruby, and more like she was pointing to get the internet rumour mill buzzing. It worked, but at what cost?

Ruby finally meets her birth mother in a coffee shop. She’s a nice woman named Louise Miller who looks a lot like Lucie Miller, but I’ve learned my lesson this season with getting my hopes up. While Ruby and Louise embrace for the first time, the Doctor looks on remembering the granddaughter he left behind. Divorced from the hype, I’m fine with Ruby’s mum being nobody special. While I wasn’t a huge fan of Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi,” one aspect I really enjoyed was that Rey’s parents were just a couple of nobodies. It reinforced the idea that a Jedi can come from anywhere. Ruby doesn’t have to be anyone special for us to care about her. Unfortunately, so much of her story was tied up in this because ultimately, it did hurt her character development. I’d like to think that this is all part of the growing pains in finding a new equilibrium of fan excitement and good storytelling.

The Doctor knows he and Ruby must part ways. She has a whole new chapter of her life to explore and he would only get in the way. I mentioned after “Rogue” that Ruby was reminding the Doctor to embrace his human side, and here it is all over again. She has reminded him of the importance of family. He lets Ruby go because he can see that her need for a place to belong is greater than his need to have a travelling companion. Even if Ruby can’t see it right away, the Doctor is right. Their time together has come to an end. While Ruby has left the TARDIS, you do get the impression that we’ll see her again. There have been rumours that Millie Gibson has filmed some of season two, so don’t be surprised if we do see more of Ruby Sunday.

On a second viewing, I liked this episode a lot more than the first time. Like I said, divorced from my own expectations, I could see the episode for what it is. But the audience’s underwhelmed reaction is partly the fault of Davies’ machinations to get the internet talking about Doctor Who. He spends an entire season talking about the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan, but the only time we see Carole Ann Ford is in a flashback of her face with zero dialogue. We’re led to believe Mrs Flood is going to be something, but every time we feel like she is about to reveal some more information, she gives us more of the same tired bullshit she’s been doing since the first time we saw her. It begins to feel like television done in the same model as live service games. Keep subscribing. Stick around for additional content. Things trickle out over a gruelling pace. They gave us answers, but it feels like they could have given us more. Who was the Boss the Meep referred to? Is it the same Boss as the one giving Rogue so much paperwork? Will Susan actually appear at some point? Who is Mrs Flood and why is she always dressing like the Doctor’s companions? Instead, we learned who Ruby’s birth mother was, which, as I said, was the least interesting mystery of them all.

I do hope that these are just Davies and Co. finding their footing. The previous first season with Christopher Eccleston had a lot of experimentation as well. I somewhat wish that they had waited to see fan reactions before filming so much of season two. It might have done them some good to see people’s reactions to some of their big changes. I’m as rainy day a fan as rainy day fans get and even I felt they missed the mark on occasion. I think in trying to court a younger audience they lost a little of the essence of what made the show so appealing in the first place. Good writing and unique situations are the bedrock of Doctor Who. It doesn’t need to be Star Wars or Marvel. The fact that Doctor Who isn’t those things is why I love it so much. I can’t be alone in that.

The Christmas special is next. Followed by season two. After that, who knows? While Doctor Who has been number five in streaming drama, it hasn’t quite done the numbers Disney and Davies were hoping for. The show haemorrhaged viewers during the Chibnall era and even more when culture war pissants cried foul over trans actors and Davros redesigns. But it’s also just a symptom of the times we live in. Television is changing. People prefer short-form videos in portrait mode. The glut of streaming services is pushing away consumers while AI threatens to replace writers and artists alike. I’m reminded of Alan Moore when he said “I believe that our culture is turning to steam.” It’s important now more than ever that we continue consuming art made by real people. Regardless of whether you felt underwhelmed with the finale, keep watching Doctor Who. Show it to your friends. Host watch parties. Go see it when they play it in the theatres. Rewatch it when you’re feeling blue. Keep making fan art. Keep writing fanfic. Keep voicing your reactions, good and bad. Get over petty fandom squabbles. Because there may come a day soon when there is no new Doctor Who to get upset over.

[elly99]

Satellite

Part 2 of 5. Check here for more details.

Summer sunlight pries your eyes open. Check your phone to your left. It says 07:05, your favorite numbers. Turn to the girl on your right. She says nothing, fast asleep on her side.

But she makes your heart say many things.

Resigned to the waking world, you decide to put on some music to pass the time. The first playlist, hanni's recs. The first song, Satellite.

You got a new life Am I bothering you? Do you wanna talk?

You entertain the question. Do you bother her? Another comeback is on the horizon, yet here she is, staying over for the weekend. Again. Yes, it's always been this way. You both knew it would have to be this way. Only on the weekends. Only in secret. Still, you begin to wonder. Does she still want this? Is this too hard for her? Your head is spinning.

I go 'round and 'round Satellite

Perhaps you were thinking too loud, because she turns around and sees you awake. She smiles and wraps her arms around you. Enveloped by all the warmth in the world, you feel your worries begin to melt away.

"Good morning, baby bear," you whisper, kissing her head. She doesn't reply. She's asleep again. But the smile that's still on her face offers reassurance. It's that same smile from months ago, from that day on the beach.

Spinnin' out, waitin' for ya to pull me in I can see you're lonely down there Don't you know that I am right here?

As the song continues, so do your thoughts. You wonder if she knows how much she means to you. You wonder if she knows that no matter the time and place, no matter how hard it gets, no matter how lonely she feels, you're always right there for her. You wonder if she knows she's your whole world and you just want her to pull you in. You let her embrace answer your questions for now.

But you know you can't always have her near like this. You're confined to your apartment and to the two days of the week you get to spend together. You make the most of it by dressing up and ordering in food, pretending you're out on a date. Or by watching a movie and eating ice cream, pretending you're at the cinema. Or by planning trips to places you want to see when you're both older, pretending you'll see them in a week.

But she makes your heart yearn for more than just playing pretend.

The music goes quiet as your right earphone is removed.

"Why so serious, baby?"

You love the way she looks in the morning. No makeup. No compare.

"I was just thinking about you."

She buries her head in your chest to hide her blushing.

"What about me?"

It's muffled but you feel her voice resonate within you. It takes you a while to figure out how to answer. You stare at the ceiling, hoping to find the right words.

"About how much I love you." After a few moments without a response, you look back down to see her eyes on you.

"Your hair looks funny, bro. Let me fix it."

Of course. That's how she says it back. You sit up, laughing softly as she stands to go get her brush. The music is still playing in your left ear.

Spinnin' out, waitin' for ya

She comes back and sits behind you. You feel the bristles caress your hair. She's so gentle. As always.

"So what were you really thinking about?"

With her soft touch comforting you, you know you could tell her everything.

"Well I couldn't help worrying about things. Like, is meeting on the weekends too much of a hassle for you? Especially now that you're so busy..."

"Where else would I be, bro?" she cuts you off and gives your back a weak punch. "At the end of the week you're what I want to come home to."

You know she could only say something like that because you were looking away. But you could picture exactly how she'd look if you turned around. Beautiful is one word you'd use.

"What else?"

You wait a few strokes of her brush to respond.

"Minji, you know you're everything to me right? Like, I know this is hard but I want to make it work. And I hope you know that I'm always here for you no matter what. Even if we don't get to see each other a lot."

You hear the brush hit the side table, then you feel her arms wrap around you again. She rests her chin on your shoulder.

"I know, baby," she whispers in your ear. "I know."

Blinded by the light streaming through the window, you close your eyes. It allows you to feel only her warmth, her glow, shining brighter than late May sunshine.

"Your turn. Come here." You pat the bed in front of you. She kisses your cheek then passes you the brush. Now you're the one blushing like crazy.

Now behind her, you watch as she looks out the window, sparkling in the golden light. She must be an angel.

"That feels nice," she says as you begin brushing her hair. "What were you listening to earlier?"

"Satellite."

"Oh, Hanni recommended that one!" She begins to sing.

Right here, right here Spinnin' out, waitin' for ya I'm here, right here Wishin' I could be there for ya

"I love your voice, bro."

"Thanks, bro."

You both chuckle. Then she becomes serious again.

"Hey, I kissed you first, remember?"

How could you forget?

"And I confessed to you first. So I hope you always remember that you mean the most to me and I'm not going to give up on you. On us. Yes, it's hard keeping us secret. Every day that I'm away I miss you. But it won't always be that way, baby. I promise. It might take years, but this is worth fighting for. I'm always here for you, too, ok?"

She finally turns to you and your heart stops as she meets your eyes with tears in hers. "But for now we'll just have to keep pretending."

You drop the brush and reach for both her hands, pulling her close. This time it's you who leans in. But the kiss feels exactly the same as it did that day on the beach. It feels like home.

You nearly weep at the sound of Sunday morning traffic outside. She would be back, yes, but you would give anything for her to be able to stay. Forever.

"I love you, Minji."

You don't want to be a satellite anymore. You want to plummet through the atmosphere even if it burns you up. Even if you shatter on impact, you just want to be with her on the ground. To truly be with her under the same sky, under the same stars, always.

You want to tell the whole world that she is your whole world.

But when she says it ditto, maybe it isn't so bad to just play pretend.

[jealousjersey]

interlinked 🍊 mike schmidt x reader

🍊ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 🍊ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 🍊ʚ

description ★ mike finds out everything about you and uses that information to ask you out.

mentions ★ perv!mike, semi stalker!mike, fluff

warnings ★ afab fem reader, oblivious reader,

a/n ★ a little out of my normal vanilla comfort zone but cmon yall know this is hot, set modern day but still same age in the movie (if that makes sense)

˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.⋆.ೃ࿔*:･˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.⋆.ೃ࿔*:･˚ ☁️

you're always so exhausted coming home from work. the only form of release you have is the pink wand in your bed stand but recently it's not doing you any good. your job isn’t facisnating but it’s easy money.

every once in a while you get compliments, telling you how beautiful you are and men always try to get your number. you always politely decline. you just want to meet the right one eventually. you never really dated anybody because anyone you’ve ever talked to just wanted to fuck and go.

until you met mike. mike worked with you but you never really spoke to him for long periods of time. but you never knew how obsessed he was with you. he wanted to know everything about you. he would stalk your social media finding out every thing he can about you, your favorite food, drink, restaurant, etc. and he would bring them up in conversation.

you were always very surprised about how he knew just what to bring up in small talk, occasionally asking you if you would try a new food place in your town. but politely you always declined.

mike always took in interest in things you talked about just to get closer to you. you just always thought that he was just into everything you were into, which fascinated you.

“hey have you seen that new movie with Molly Ringwald in it? we should watch it sometimes” he awkwardly suggested. “oh my god i love her! she’s my favorite actress!” you responded enthusiastically. “wait no way she’s my favorite too!” he smiled. he knew just the kind of things to say to you.

later that week you finally agreed to go out with him, after he tried for 4 months to take you out. it was simple and sweet.

you took a taxi to the movie theater after he offered to drive you, you declined and said you would take a taxi. you thought it was safer if anything went down.

in the movie theater you both sat down beside each other. mike got you both a giant bag of popcorn and two sprites. he knew you loved sprite from shamelessly stalking your social media before arriving to the cinema.

“what’d you get me to drink?” you asked him. “i didn’t know what you wanted so i just got a sprite.” he said, awkwardly smiling at you as you say “thank you, sprites actually my favorite drink”

halfway through the movie he puts his hand on your leg, it’s in good nature, he wants to make sure you’re okay. it shocks you for a second.

the movie finishes and as you’re walking out you say “this might be my new favorite movie” as you sip on your drink. mike is holding your jacket and carrying it out for you.

mike offers you a ride to his place and you agree. sitting in his beaten down truck you say to him “i feel like i’ve known you my whole life mike” as you put your hand on his knee and look into his soft brown eyes. he looks up at you from his steering wheel and gives you a soft smile.

obviously mike knew where you live, he knew everything about you. but when he offered to take you to his house and he’d make dinner you were down.

you walk into his house first and sit on his couch, “is chicken alfredo good?” he says to you. “i love chicken alfredo!” you exclaim. you swore you could hear him say “i know” under his breath but you didn’t think anything of it, besides you were too busy watching the tv to overthink it.

“dinners ready” he yells at you from the kitchen. “i got you a place to sit” he follows up. you walk to the kitchen and even your form is placed on the right side of the plate, so is your drink.

“i feel like ive known you my whole life. it feels like we’re just eternally interlinked.” you say, sincerely. “i feel that way too.” he replies as you take a bite of your food. mikes obsessed with you, hell, he worships the ground you walk on. he would spend every waking moment with you if he could. sometimes you wish he could too.

over the course of 2 weeks you’ve slowly started to fall in love with mike. simple gestures he does to make you more comfortable. you like when he does that, and the way he takes a interest in your interests makes you want him badly.

mike invites you over again, but this time when you enter the living room he’s holding a bouquet of waterlilys and you run up and thank him you hold his hand and bring him over to the couch to watch some movie. “do you think there’s a chance of us being more than friends” he says to you as you’re on his couch

you stop for a second, letting your mind repeat the sentence 100 times. “i would like that mike” you smile. he puts his hand on your thigh and squeezes a little, as you look up at him he looks down into your eyes and smiles. “i really like you y/n” he says to you softly, just slightly a whisper. “i like you too mike” you say as you match his tone.

mike leans in close for a kiss and you engage. it felt like a taste of heaven making out with mike schmidt. he was gentle, his tongue asking for entrance into your mouth. its sweet, really. you just wish you could stay like this, his hand on your thigh, his tongue in your mouth and seeing heaven in his eyes.

mike breaks the kiss first, you noticing a tent in his jeans. it angers you at first, thinking “this is why i don’t go out anymore. what the hell is he thinking.” but then you notice the wet spot in your panties, soaking through your pants. mike grabs your wrist and stares you in the eyes, this is the most intimate you’ve ever been with someone. it’s simple and sweet. “i think im falling in love with you y/n, and i don’t know what to do.” mike says to you, he feels dumbfounded. at first it was infatuation, but now he’s becoming head over hills.

“me too” you reply, face bright red. mike wraps his arm around you and sits his face on your chest. this is comfortable, and safe. you could really get used to this.

˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.⋆.ೃ࿔*:･˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.⋆.ೃ࿔*:･˚ ☁️

[oddbunny]

Found this Gael interview from 2006 in the comments section on another interview. Accidental rabbit hole.

2006 New York Post interview:

It's not for nothing that Gael Garcia Bernal was twice cast as revolutionary Che Guavara. The Mexican actor is as charismatic as he is outspoken - especially when it comes to issues concerning his native country.

He's also responsible for some serious box-office magic back home: 2001's "Y Tu Mama Tambien" was the biggest opening weekend ever for a Mexican film, and 2002's "The Crime of Father Amaro" was the most successful Mexican film in history (and possibly the most controversial - he played a secretly non-celibate Catholic priest).

Bernal is currently starring in director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Babel," alongside Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and was recently seen riding a stop-motion stuffed horse in Michel Gondry's fantastical film "The Science of Sleep."

Q: Mexican directors are hot right now. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu made waves with "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams." Alfonso Cuaron did it with "Y Tu Mama Tambien." Is Mexico becoming a center for film?

A: There's definitely a worldwide sense that Mexican cinema is pretty big, or a bit "in fashion," right now. Latin cinema as a whole, really. There's this rebirth feeling. But this is nothing, for what the country deserves - Mexico is a country of 100 million people. The year "Amores Perros" was made, there were only six films made there! And this year, it's 65. So there's been a big increase.

But unfortunately, in Mexico, it's harder to make a movie, to even contemplate the idea of directing a film - not many people have the opportunity. I'm sure people from the mountains in Oaxaca find it so far away [from their reality] to do a film. And at the same time, it's exactly those kinds of voices that you want to hear.

If I had to stick with one reason why films matter, it's that: getting to know the "other," and finding that the other is not so different than you are. That's what I think of when I feel like I don't want to make movies anymore.

Q: You have moments when you want to get out of movies?

A: Yeah, I mean, sometimes you feel unprepared, you feel untalented, like you're doing something you don't like, or that you're just doing it terribly. Or you don't like the industrial side. But at the end of the day, there is always that thing. I want to do films because I am an audience first, and films have made me know more about the other - and that the other doesn't exist, really.

Q: Which is one of the points of "Babel." But some people, like the busload of U.S. and British tourists, come across worse than others, don't they?

A: Well, there's two points of view about this movie - you can see that, OK, the people from the U.S. are portrayed as scared people, really worried about health and dirt. But you can also see the other side: Why are the ones that die always from poor countries? We are always the ones that die.

Q: Your character in "Babel" makes pretty bad decisions after he's stopped by an aggressive cop at the U.S.-Mexican border. Have you, or someone you know, ever experienced anything like that?

A: My character makes a bad mistake in a drunken state. But yeah, when you're Mexican, it's a bit of a situation. You have to apply three months before, and it costs $80 for the visa. Sometimes you have to show bank statements to show you're earning money, you're not coming to the U.S. to work. It's kind of stupid - as if money was a sign of honesty, or goodwill. It's a rite of humiliation. They act as if you are coming here to steal.

Q: Is it easier for you to avoid this than most, though?

A: No, no - the last time I crossed the border, walking, I was asked, "Where do you come from?" And I'm like, "Well, I'm from Mexico." And they say, "No, where do you come from?" And I say, "I come from Mexico." I mean, what am I supposed to explain? And they say, "What were you doing in Mexico?" And I say, "Well, I live there." And they say, "No, but what were you doing right before you came here?"

I'm not gonna answer that. Because - you know, what do you care? We're radicalizing the process of integration, and that's terrible. Because it's going backward in time. But it's not just the U.S.'s fault - Mexico is shamefully not providing a place for people to work and live properly. It's everyone's fault.

Q: Did that experience make you want to avoid the U.S.?

A: No. I mean, we share the same territory! But Bush just signed off on the law to start building a wall. It's the second biggest wall that's ever going to be built, it's going to rival the Great Wall of China. And it costs so much money, and so much human resources. Maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but it's kind of ridiculous to build a wall. Walls are always destroyed eventually.

Q: Aside from acting, your production company organizes a worldwide traveling documentary film festival, Ambulante. Are you planning the 2007 festival yet?

A: Yeah, it's happening in 18 cities, on commercial screens, with a big chain - for half-price! Very cheap, it's like $2. And we're going to get together some 15-20 films, divided into three sections. One section we're calling "Dictator's Cut," which is about censorship. For one of those, we're showing both the "official" version and the real one; the rest are already restored, but some of them were completely not shown. It's very exciting.

Q: Your role in Michel Gondry's "The Science of Sleep" was one of your least political roles - was it fun to cut loose and just be weird?

A: It was great, it was a joy to act in. I had a lot of fun doing it. I think not many people have seen it here. Maybe because it was done in France? I mean, it's got good numbers, but still, I wish it would be much more.

There is still this myth - like, for example, I saw the trailer for [Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming film] "Pan's Labyrinth," and they don't show you it's in Spanish. You never see a character speaking. I just think that's cheating, you know?

If they actually tell me that there's this weird Iranian love story - I want to see it, because it's in Iran. If it's about a love story in Florida, well, I've seen that before. I'm interested in the further-away, the more surprising.

Q: Do you ever worry that people will take you less seriously because of your looks?

A: [Laughs] No - there are prettier boys than me.

[softboiledwonderland]

Thank you for tagging me in this @konartiste 😊 being very lame and doing it months after the fact <3

LOTR themed tag game! Reblog with your own answers and tag three or more people you want to get to know better!

- How old were you when you were first introduced to LOTR? I was nine when my mum took me to the cinema (I think I'd read and loved The Hobbit by then) to watch the movie. I did not like it at all! 😂 We didn't know what it was about and had no idea it was part one in a trilogy, which came as a nasty surprise after three hours of horrible movie lol. I loved the beginning, but like: the troll terrified me to my core and for a long time afterwards I was scared it would somehow come after me, Gandalf died, I thought Boromir had a suspicious face from the start and didn't mind that he died (cue 20+ years later and I'm writing the most important fic in my life so far about him) but his death was still traumatic, and I just wanted my comfort hobbits to get a happy ending and instead they were crying and resigning themselves to more misery. I didn't even watch the other two movies when they came out I was so disgusted with the whole thing lol. Read the books and watched the movies as an older teen and loved them all.

- Favourite LOTR character? Probably Aragorn, but also the hobbits (they're a unit). The entire Fellowship is so dear to me though. And Boromir is my blorbo.

- Books or Movies? Books! The movies are cool and all, but the books are where Tolkien is.

- Which location in Middle Earth would you want to visit? If I had to choose only one it'd probably be Rivendell, but also the Shire, the Old Forest, Rohan, Dol Amroth, Gondor... and the Great River, just because of my fic. <3

- Favourite Movie? Not sure, perhaps The Fellowship, ironically enough.

- Favourite scene? I'm so bad at remembering movie scenes! Maybe the Council of Elrond? There are so many amazing ones with such beautiful music so I'm not sure. Love Gandalf charging at the Nazgûl with Pippin in tow <3

- Favourite quote? “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”

- What Middle Earth race would you like to be? I'm usually a Hobbit in every online quiz, but it'd be fun to see what being an Elf is like.

- Favourite LOTR ship: This is going to sound weird because I'm writing a long, shippy, Canon Character/OC fic at the moment, but I'm not really into LOTR for the ships so I kind of don't have one? I adore Aragorn/Arwen and Faramir/Éowyn as much as the next person and Sam and Rosie are precious, but I'm not really fussed.

Going all out and tagging all the mutuals I THINK I saw reblogging LOTR at some point, if I'm wrong I'm sorry, if you already did this back when it was making the rounds please ignore it, if you want to ignore it anyway by all means feel free to do so, thank you and have a nice day <3 @dangerously-human @to-be-frank-i-dont-care @phoenixflames12 @ass-deep-in-demons @spifflocated @erathene

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

I'm looking at the forecast for JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX, and I also saw how low the attendance was at my cinema job yesterday, and... It got me thinking again about where big comic book/superhero movies are at in the post-COVID outbreak world...

And how JOKER 2 - along with films like QUANTUMANIA, SHAZAM 2, THE MARVELS, and THE FLASH - sorta fit a weird group of pictures that probably would've made boffo bucks in 2019 but not now. Backwash, you could say, from a bygone era that's only like five years ago...

Meanwhile, we saw the recent successes of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 and ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, superhero movies that were more than just your usual garden variety superhero movie. They had some kind of vision or passion or spunk behind them. DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE is, I feel, the anomaly to this, as I felt it to be a fairly vision-less movie. Just a big budget parade of your favorite characters and action bits and lots of cameos, but done well enough with a sense of fun that kept audiences coming back after it made over $211m on its domestic opening weekend. I certainly had a fun time with it, but I wouldn't say it's anything other than "here's some fan favorites and some bloody action."

And then smack-dab in the middle of all this is MADAME WEB, which by all accounts was hacked to pieces in post-production much like how MORBIUS was. A film that could've stood out amongst the superhero pack as a period piece (2003 as a period piece, that's frightening to me lol), but ended up being molded into your usual schlop with lots of noticeable ADR.

Then you have two other Sony Spider-Man-adjacent movies this year, out within two months of one another. VENOM: THE LAST DANCE, out in a few weeks from now, should do good business because of the campy buddy comedy appeal of these particular movies. KRAVEN THE HUNTER, which was delayed multiple times, I have no idea. That might get a little lost in the Christmas season feeding frenzy. I have no idea how much further these Sony movies will go, outside of the VENOM movies. Remember how they wanted to do an EL MUERTO movie and then it got canned?

It seems like it's all a slow, prolonged sea change in comic book movies. I think they'll still get made, but something will have to change... as even a sequel to JOKER - which prided itself on resembling a '70s/'80s New Hollywood Scorsese-esque project - isn't cutting it. The idea of the new one being like a classic musical and a courtroom drama sounds really cool on paper, but in 2024, it's just not enough. The first one seems to be of a specific time, and belongs only to that time, it could be argued. A Trump-era slog about a "misunderstood" lonely guy who eventually ends up killing people, that devolves into a cacophony of violence... Its most controversial aspects were outside of the movie itself. I remember all the pre-release worry about the film possibly being a rallying cry to shooters... It came out and nothing happened, but it got tons of people to flock to the movie. It just hit at the right time, the noise around it created an appeal of sorts. It being this R-rated gritty street level movie and not your usual comic book movie.

But in 2024, now it's just "Eh, a new JOKER movie?" Add in the extreme genre shift, and a chunk of the audience was alienated.

Next year... CAPTAIN AMERICA 4... Looks - to me - like the most anticipated movie of 2015, honestly. THUNDERBOLTS* also looks too little, too late and also kinda just... There... James Gunn's SUPERMAN could really go either way, it could pull a MAN OF STEEL, or it could really break out. Maybe a BATMAN BEGINS-esque performance is in the cards here, where it opens kinda okayish because of a general fatigue w/ constant superhero movies (not to mention Henry Cavill's Kal-El not being that far behind) but has great legs. FANTASTIC FOUR Again, maybe this new take does the same? Maybe it's just more MCU fluff that gets a handful of fans on opening weekend and just fades away afterwards. There's an untitled Sony Spider-Man adjacent movie set for summer 2025 as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if that gets nerfed from the schedule. By now I think we'd know what it is, unless it's some kind of surprise project. Still, you'd know about it because it'd be filming or wrapped up by now. Speaking of which, BLADE is definitely not out next year, I'm surprised Disney and Marvel haven't changed its release or removed it from the calendar. We'll have to see where it all goes...

Ya know what comic book movie sticks out among all these 2025 entries?

DOG MAN!

Which I expect to be a respectable success for DreamWorks, come this winter. Its animation and visuals were outsourced to Jellyfish, much in the same way CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS was to Mikros. Jellyfish got SPIRIT UNTAMED out for $30m, I'd imagine this didn't cost anything more than that. Plus it's well after SPIRIT's timeframe, which was when vaccines were still rolling out, and this new movie is based on the Dav Pilkey CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS universe so it should do pretty okay. But to me, this is probably the most distinct CBM of next year, in a sea of big budget spectacle. A little cartoon movie about half man/half dog from a comic book written by fictional children that plays out in the way a comic drawn up by a kid would.

Leave it to animation to save the day here, lol. We need something to hold us over in comic book movies until BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE, whenever they decide to release that.

2026 is home to what looks like the usual array of late 2010s CBM backwash... AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU, possibly a fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie, two other untitled MCU movies (BLADE will likely take one of those slots)

There's also Gunn/Safran-verse DC's SUPERGIRL, but we gotta see what SUPERMAN looks like, first, before I can say whether their new DC shared universe feels like it belongs in the past decade or not...

You also have another animated entry with the MUTANT MAYHEM sequel, the first one - from last year - being a great and fresh new spin on the TMNT property. And THE BATMAN - PART II, the first one got a very strong response back in 2022. I would say THE BATMAN and MUTANT MAYHEM are of this new post-ENDGAME superhero movie era, the first SPIDER-VERSE arguably kicked that off in late 2018 before ENDGAME was released.

Again, it's a real "we'll have to see". Tracking this stuff can be fascinating for me.

[shipskicksandgiggles]

45 or 49 for the prompt lists. Idk about characters except Eddie has to be involved for 49 lol

LMAO of course Eddie would need to be involved with the nipple piercing prompt, it's too good. I hope you love this as much as I do

prompt: “What is the purpose of nipple rings?” “Decoration.” “Like a Christmas tree!” (from this list)

Family Video Paradise also on ao3

Thursdays were, without fail, the slowest day of the week at Family Video. 

It took about a month of working there for Robin to notice the pattern. 

Fridays were the busiest. Families having movie nights, teenagers going on dates, adults eager to unwind from the work week. 

Saturdays and Sundays passed in a similar fashion, with more people wanting breaks from reality before work and school started up again on Monday. 

This is where the pattern diverted from where she expected it to lead. Instead of Mondays being slow, Mondays were busy with the people returning their movies from Friday. 

Then Tuesday with the returns from Saturday. 

And Wednesday with the returns from Sunday. 

There weren’t many checkouts that happened on those days, maybe a few here and there for sick days and vacations, but by and large, those first three days of the work week were for returns. 

This left Thursday as the odd one out. The reset day. Hardly anyone came in because most everything had been returned, and the public would be back the following day to check out something new.  

It was quiet. Peaceful even. Keith wasn’t as strict about the movies she and Steve put on in the store because no one else was likely to see them. 

Steve would flip through the magazines the store got in the mail, usually some pop culture, borderline tabloid thing that he found entertaining, and she would pick up a film she probably wouldn’t watch on her own time. 

Because as much as the store had a pattern, they had a pattern too. 

A pattern that started to involve Eddie Munson a little under a year after it had cemented itself into their lives. 

Eddie had also picked up on this pattern, and would choose that day to come in and bother them about something or other, which did add a bit of variety to their day, so neither of them seriously wanted to kick him out, even if they threatened to do so. 

That’s just how it was. 

So this particular Thursday wasn’t out of the ordinary whatsoever when Eddie walked in the door, already making noise like he was going to be a nuisance. 

Steve was flipping through his magazine. Robin hadn’t seen which it was that day, but she heard the glossy pages turn as if he hadn’t registered Eddie’s presence. 

Not that she had stopped in her task either. She had two movies she was trying to decide between, although one of them was an action movie thrown into the ring for Steve’s sake since she never let him pick. 

She probably wasn’t going to pick that one, but she was trying to be fair. 

The sound of Eddie picking up a VHS almost made her break. He checked out movies with the kids on Fridays, but maybe he was checking something out for himself. 

He set the case down in front of her. Only then did she look up. 

“Munson,” she greeted. 

“Buckley. Have you considered the merits of-” he glanced at the tape “-Cinema Paradiso.”

“I speak French and Russian, not Italian.”

“You don’t have to speak a language to appreciate art, birdie.”

Robin glared at him for a moment before adding it to her pile. Without her asking, he took the generic action movie she’d grabbed for Steve. 

Before she could protest, he interrupted her. 

“Don’t give me that, we both know you weren’t going to pick it. Humoring Steve is nice but don’t hurt yourself.”

Steve let out a quiet huff that Eddie probably couldn’t even hear, and she suppressed a smile. 

She rolled her eyes instead. “Whatever. Put it on the cart so it gets reshelved correctly this time.”

“As you wish, Bluejay.”

He did as she asked, and before he could go back to bothering her, Steve tapped on the counter. 

They both looked over at him, giving him their full attention. 

“What is the purpose of nipple rings?”

That wasn’t at all what she was expecting him to say.

Robin choked on nothing.

Eddie had yet to make a sound. 

She realized that this was because Steve had asked the question while staring directly at Eddie, as if he was asking him the question, rather than just throwing it out to the room. 

“Decoration,” Eddie answered easily as if this wasn’t the most exciting thing to happen in the store on a Thursday. 

“Like a Christmas tree!” Robin chimed in helpfully. She’d gotten her voice back, and was curious to see what would happen next. 

Steve nodded and went back to reading as if nothing had happened. 

“Not so fast, Harrington. I want to see what you’re reading that made that particular question occur to you.” Eddie swiped at his magazine, blocking Steve’s attempt to get it back. 

He angled it towards Robin, who was grateful to have an ally in these kinds of situations. 

“Hmm. Rolling Stones. I guess that sort of makes sense,” Robin said. “Some of those musicians make eccentric style decisions.” She looked at Eddie pointedly. 

He ignored her. “So, there’s a perfectly plausible explanation for why he asked the question. I do have a follow up question though,” he stage whispered conspiratorially.

“Which is?” Robin stage whispered back.

“Why did he ask me?”

Steve, to his credit, looked a bit embarrassed, but remained silent in favor of glaring at them. 

“Do you have a theory, Munson?”

“Well,” he had a look on his face as if he was trying to contemplate the state of the universe, “perhaps he thinks it’s the sort of thing I would be attracted to.”

“Could be.” Robin tried to look equally as contemplative. “Or maybe that you know someone with them and might have some knowledge on the subject?”

“Ah yes, stereotyping the metalhead, I see how it is.” 

Steve let out an irritated sound which Eddie finally cracked and directed the question at him. “Which is it Stevie?”

“Neither,” Steve retorted.

“Then why did you ask me?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, staring Eddie down as if he would drop it. 

Eddie however, refused to do such a thing. 

After another minute, Steve gave in. “I thought you might have them and wanted to know why,” he mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

Robin burst out laughing while Eddie’s jaw dropped. 

“You’ve seen me shirtless!”

“A while ago, you’ve gotten more tattoos since then.”

“A tattoo is not on par with a piercing, you weirdo. Anyways, the government never gave me my one nipple back and it wouldn’t be worth it unless I could get both pierced.”

“The bats took your nipple, not the government,” Steve reminded. 

“Tomato, potato.”

“That’s not the saying-”

“You could get a tattoo of a nipple with a piercing to even it out,” Robin interrupted.

“Not helping,” the guys said in unison. 

“It was just a suggestion, geez.”

“There are easier ways to ask if someone has a piercing, Harrington.”

“I was just thinking about it! No better time like the present.”

“You’re thinking about me shirtless? Damn, Stevie, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

This was another thing that had become routine. The flirting. 

Robin could have done without that.

Steve flushed a light pink, and Robin gave up. 

“My god,” she muttered, throwing her hands up. “I’m going on break. By the time I get back, whatever this is needs to be sorted out. You have 15 minutes.”

And with that, she walked back into the break room. She was glad she’d packed a book and a snack today, so she settled into the beat up couch she was sure upper management found at a thrift store, and glanced at the clock so she knew when she had to go back out. 

She gave them a few extra minutes while she finished her chapter, but they probably didn’t really need it. 

When she walked back out, Steve was smiling at Eddie like he was the only person in the world, and Eddie’s face was so red it was almost purple. 

It took her a second to realize why, and then Steve pulled him closer to kiss him on the cheek before shoving him away with promises of picking him up at the trailer park later that day. 

Eddie nodded and stumbled out of the door, groping a few times at the handle before he was able to push it open since he wouldn’t stop staring at Steve. 

Robin let Steve keep watching out the door until Eddie’s can tore out of the parking lot before she finally made her presence known. 

“Jesus Christ, finally!”

Steve smacked her with the magazine, and she squawked. 

“Shut up or I won’t tell you a single detail of that conversation.”

She just gave him a look. 

He seemed to genuinely resist for a moment, but then his facade cracked. “I’ll tell you everything, just put whatever movie you’re going to pick into the player so if anyone comes in there’s actually something on the screen.”

Robin looked down at the two movies she had to pick from. She didn’t remember why there had been such a debate in the first place. She chose Cinema Paradiso.

[imjustabeanie]

uhh i may have to organize this or else im gonna ramble lol-

can i have a matchup for hazbin hotel and helluva boss pls :>

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: demisexual/demiromantic

Star sign (if that helps-): Leo

Personality type: INFP

Ambivert

I use emoticons a lot as you'll see :>

Favorite colors: Purple and black especially since they work so well together

Very much a night owl :)

Personality: I'm a kind of a fun and laid back person but I do like do cause chaos every now and then. I tend to hyperfixate a lot on random things that i tend to find. At first im very quiet but can get more chaotic as time goes on. I can tend to get hot headed at times or be somewhat irrational every now and then and it takes time for me to calm down. Other times im very hyper. Also i have a slight caffeine addiction so that might be why :D

Moral alignment: true nuetral

Aesthetic: Dark academia-ish along with some glitch core because i just really like the look of both

Hobbies: I play the violin, read, write, draw, and i love listening to music a lot. Probably one of my favorite things to do honestly. I also love chilling and watching tv and binge watching stuff. I also have a habit of just analyzing shit for the fun of it because why not. I also really like learning about greek mythology and i like a few musicals. I also watch horror quite a bit and mysteries because I just think that they're fun. I'm also learning spanish as of currently-

Pet peeves: people who cant take a hint... like at all, or they take the hint and just dont care. it annoys the shit out of me. also really stuck up people who think theyre better than everyone else, like we get it youre a child who never grew up. move on. mouth noises are also just the most annoying thing ever.

Appearance: tan skin with dark brown eyes and hair. i wear glasses sometimes but dont usually because theyre not fit properly and i keep trying to get them fir but it never works so ive just given up-. honestly i mostly wear softer clothing such as sweatpants, leggings, or sweaters/sweatshirts. but sometimes i wear jeans and actually style myself although i usually just keep it casual.

Hi! Thank you for your patience I am sorry for being so slow to answer to this trade. I was very sick last week.

Without further wait...your Helluva match is...Stolas!

Stolas was a pretty obvious choice for you to be honest. Your interests and aesthetics click and just like you he’s chill but then pulls out the most chaotic actions out of nowhere.

You two met at night at one of those libraries you only see on pinterest. He honestly just came in cuz he was bored and wished to seek a recent human astronomy book. He found you peacefully reading a mythology book in the corner and was gonna leave you alone till he couldn’t help himself but comment on it. You were so laidback and easy going that you two had a nice conversation where he taught you a few things about mythology (given his age and position he does have an interest in those subjects). It was nice and you two decided to do it every month, then every two weeks and you see where it is going. Stolas just likes coming to you to cool off with no repercussions. It’s what made him fall for you. He confessed after inviting you to watch the stars or a movie he thinks you’d like (high chance you already watched it before but shhh). He confess and also tell you real quick about his marriage situation in case you want out.

Stolas is a caring and passionate lover. His love language is mostly affection and quality time but I believe he’ll wait till you’re ready if you catch my drift. He LOVES spoiling you with numerous gifts and dates. He’d be pretty upset (pouty) if he’s not your go to contact when you need help. He wants to be someone you can rely on, a safe space for you just like you are for him. His gifts range from cinema/concert tickets and your favorite snacks (he doesn’t consider any food as a gift) to actual mythological pieces and priceless violons. Sometimes they even come from his personal collection.

Stolas lives for your chaotic moments! He highly encourages them which results in weekly trouble for both of you (you’re always safe dw but he did get you two banned from a few places). When your hot headed side comes out he’s here to calm you down or get angrier on your behalf. There is no in between cuz your couple is pretty much in sinc. It means you either calm the other down or join them.

Despite his extraverted self, Stolas enjoys some home time. Especially with you. He actually purchases a house in the human world and spends most of his time there now. He wants (begs) you to move in with him. This house has a huge library, two studies, a music room and a very much needed coffee corner. Yeah with those machines you see on tiktok with all the material. Stolas isn’t a morning person at all so he needs his daily coffee and only accepts premium quality. He invested in a home cinema and loves binge watching with you. Those are all things he didn’t get to do often so discovering them with you is a priceless experience in his eyes. Horror doesn’t bother him at all and he can show you much better horror tbh. Stolas also likes analyzing things with you (he listens and chimes in) and actually keeps up with your fixations really well. His favorite thing to do at home is to stay glued to your side.

Stolas often drags you to dance with him in the music room. He is attentive to your tastes and shows you his favorite pieces too! In general he is an attentive lover who adapts to your needs without being overbearing. If you accept his flaws your relation will be…stellar.

Your hazbin match is...Husk!

I did hesitate between a few characters (mainly Vaggie) but in the end Husk won. He’s chill but knows how to have fun. And he’s loyal.

You were at the hotel when you got to know Husk. He was being his usual snarky self but after a few nights (and talks) he slowly became friendlier. He even cracked jokes with you! Music definitely got the two of you to bond. You became someone he felt at ease with. The moment Husk considered sharing some of his problems with you he knew he fell, and fell hard. He started being more attentive to your needs and lost in your voice during your conversations. Everyone knew he was in love so one night they somehow managed to leave the two alone for the night. That’s when he confessed, knowing he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

As mentioned beforehand, Husk is a very attentive boyfriend. His love language is mostly acts of service and some quality time. He makes you your favorite drinks and will even learn the ways of a coffee barista for you. He’s proud of the way he makes you smile and feel loved as well as being your shoulder to vent to. Husk knows he has a way with words and people to make them feel at ease, he’d say it’s a positive trait of his that’s why he wants you to be included in it. Plus he gives good advices for someone with so many bad decisions. Husk likes going on weekly dates with you (besides dinner together every night that he cooks) to watch new movies. He’s mostly a domestic guy so going out in public is something he’d only do for you.

Husk calm demeanor is really helpful when you start getting irrational. He always help you keep a head on your shoulders and is the rational voice. Doesn’t mean he won’t encourage you to go ape shit when someone deserves it. While he prefers the calm, Husk still enjoys your occasional chaotic moments. He knows you try to lessen them for him but isn’t fully opposed to them as long as you’re safe. Low chance he’ll join you but some nagging will work. People are surprised that he’s with someone way more energetic than him but he just shoots some lovey dovey comment and they shut it. Angel is probably your biggest cheerleader in the relationship, he gives a lot of (sometimes helpful) advices to Husk.

While your hobbies differ greatly, I can see Husk appreciating them a lot. Especially your artistic side that he fully encouraged. He’s always there when you practice, even when you get frustrated or have an art block. Husk will become your hype man and do his best to motivate you. He probably got the binge watching habit from you much to Alastor dismay and he actually gets into soap operas….it’s funny to watch. Husk likes listening to you analyze or talk about greek mythology. He’s not great at that but tries to participate (he likes listening to your voice).

Husk will lessen his drinking habits with you. He wants to be the best version of himself for you just like you are for him. He’s really trying and it’s commendable. His gambling is another issue and he needs another fixation for him to stop. I guess with you it could become watching tv as it takes up a lot of his time (not saying that in a negative way but you see what I mean). Aesthetically talking, you two also fit together if we judge by clothing type and your personal aesthetic. Overall he might not be the best guy but he’s willing to change for his love.

[impossiblebird]

Still me :) Here are a few Pluto afterthoughts for you!

- Newt is obsessed with movies. He and Thomas go to the cinema every week. His favourite genres are fantasy and science fiction. He might be a tad obsessed with Star Wars 🪐 Their movie nights always end with getting fast-food at the drive-in and eating hamburgers in the car, at a spot from where they can watch the stars.

- Newt struggles a bit to find his place in 21st century society, but eventually, he does. He attends night classes at the university, works at the animal shelter during the day. The animals don’t think he speaks funny, and they don’t ask where he comes from.

- Whenever Thomas does a late-shift at the hospital (because he did graduate nursing school, don’t ask him how), Newt wears his purple sweater. It makes him feel less lonely. He often falls asleep on the couch with the TV on, wrapped in that hoodie that brings him so much comfort; and when Thomas comes home, he turns off the TV and joins his lover on the couch. „We should just move our bed to the living-room,“ Newt joked once, not expecting Thomas would actually do it. He should have known better.

- On Christmas night, five years after they’ve met, Thomas proposes to Newt. “You’ve given me a ring. It’s only fair I give you one too.”

- Newt is really distraught when he learns One Direction broke up, literally. It takes him a good 4 months to recover (please no one tell him about the Beatles).

- Newt was also a bit distraught when Thomas and him moved to the city, he didn’t like leaving his observatory behind. So Thomas bought him one of those lights that project stars on the ceiling. He is positively obsessed with it.

- Thomas tries to teach Newt how to drive. Once. Then never again. Never. For both their sakes.

OUGH i’m really being spoiled this season 🥹

- i’m obsessed with newt loving star wars, and the two of them eating hamburgers (!!) under a starry sky.

- i did think a little about how victorian newt would fit into 21st century and where he’d find his place, but it’s just so fitting that he’d find it at an animal shelter. i love your reasoning behind that one too 💛

- yay for thomas graduating!!!!!! and omg for newt wearing his purple hoodie when he misses him, even though he hates the colour :’) (and they move their bed to the living room OH)

- HE PROPOSES HE PROPOSES HE PROPOSES

- oh god nobody EVER tell him about the beatles

- a starry light projector!!! 😭 of course he’d love that <3

- SJDKSHDKDBDKDBDKDBD CRYING. yup, driving would absolutely be a no-go for someone who hadn’t seen a car (a time travelling car!) until he was 21. nope.

my dearest santa, thank you so much for sharing these post-Pluto thoughts with me 💛 i don’t know what i did to deserve someone as brilliant as you, but i must have done something right <3 thank u thank u thank u

[alpaca-clouds]

Fluffcember Day 23: Snow Surprise

Yesterday forgotten to post here, again. The prompt was Leise rieselt der Schnee.

Fandom: Digimon Xros Wars (Manga)

Shipping: Taiki/Kiriha/Nene/Akari

Genre: Polyamory Fluff

Length: 623 words

[Ao3 Link]

December the 23rd was finally a day all four of them had off and they had spent it accordingly. While it was too cold, really, to go to an amusement park, they had taken the sub down to Odaiba, visited the indoor Joypolis, before deciding rather spontaneously to go watch a movie. One of the Chinese fantasy movies was still playing and while it was a bit corny, it had been nice.

Kiriha could not help bit blush, as they were finally leaving the cinema and two people grabbed for his hands. With Taiki to his right and Nene to his left, there was an exchange of gazes and a bit of a shared chuckle between them.

“So, where are we going?” Akari asked, looking over to them.

Her implication was clear. They had a free day tomorrow and the day after and they might well spend it together.

“Kotone is coming over tomorrow,” Nene said. “She wants to spend Christmas.”

“That's lovely,” Akari said. “I have not seen her in… what now?”

“About three months,” Taiki offered.

“Yeah. It had been forever. Have you planned anything?”

“Not much,” Nene replied. “Just some gifts and… you know? The usual.”

“The usual meaning, that Kotone will probably drag us across Tokyo in two days,” Kiriha replied. Because ever since his future sister-in-law had moved away from the metropolis, she could think of so many things to do there, whenever she returned. Be it a certain restaurant she wanted to visit or a shop she wanted to go to.

“Can we come along?” Akari asked.

Nene shot Kiriha a side glance. “Maybe we could make it a girl's day.” She knew how easily he grew exhausted by the younger woman and her antics. Because, really, ever since returning from the Digital World by now nine years ago, Kotone had lost none of her energy. She had rather gained some more. At time he had to wonder, whether she was on drugs – or if just her overconsumption of caffeine and sugary drinks was to thank for it all.

At this Taiki pressed his hand. “That might actually sound like a great idea.” He too exchanged gazes with Kiriha, making him unwittingly chuckle.

Yeah, there was so much implication going around between them.

Usually, he did not like it. Being so open about it all. It was just not the way he had been raised. But even Odaiba grew deserted after 11 in the evening and thus he did not really mind.

Down here by the harbor, the icy wind was more noticeable. It was a freakingly cold winter so far, as the temperatures had been around zero degrees for over a week now. But it was nice. Yeah. This was nice. When he was with them, he did not feel alone any longer.

“Yeah,” he agreed softly. “It sounds like a good idea.”

They all laughed at this, as Akari brought up her question from earlier: “So, where are we…” She stopped short and looked up at the sky, with Nene quickly mimicking her.

Only then Kiriha did the same and was surprised. “Snow?” he whispered, as he saw the first flakes slowly float down towards them.

Taiki stretched out one hand, catching a single snowflake in the air and watching it melt.

“Maybe we get a white Christmas,” Nene said, her smile now wide and warm. “Oh, Kotone would love that.”

“Yeah,” Kiriha muttered and could not help but smile himself, as their warm happiness was so infectious. “Yeah. I guess…” His gaze drifted up to the sky, where more and more white flakes came into few, softly reflecting the street lights, as they fell towards the ground. “Yeah, I guess that would be nice.”

[denimbex1986]

'Picture the scene, if you will: It’s sometime in the Before Time, in the blissful ignorance of the late 2010s, and I tell you about two new summer movies that are about to premiere. One is a superhero flick featuring the long-awaited return of an iconic actor in the role that made his career. The other is a prestige, 3-hour-long biopic that consists almost entirely of a bunch of guys sitting in rooms talking. Which one would you expect to flop, and which one would you bet on to bring in almost a billion dollars worldwide? Yes, that’s purely rhetorical.

It’s a funny thing to think about, though, because earlier this year I was excited about two summer releases that fit those exact descriptions. But it seems that in our topsy-turvy, post-pandemic world, the box office really has been turned upside down because Oppenheimer became a worldwide sensation just about a month after The Flash crashed and burned. (Yes, this is me admitting I was excited for The Flash. Just roll with it.) What the heck happened?

As a movie lover generally and a champion of the theatrical experience more specifically, I will admit to being particularly anxious about the fate of the cinema as an institution after the pandemic. We all spent the better part of two years cooped up in our apartments, avoiding any semblance of crowded public spaces, and learned to just stream the latest blockbusters from the comfort of our living rooms. It’s only logical that after getting so comfortable with couch viewing, it would take more than a little coaxing to get us all back in line for the popcorn. My fear is that, when push comes to shove, not enough of us will be lured back to keep the cinema as we know it alive. And there’s good reason for me to feel that way, as the aggregate box office numbers are still significantly below where they were in 2019.

Do the shocking financial performances of The Flash and Oppenheimer offer us some clues as to the secrets of the weird post-COVID box office? Maybe, but first and foremost they tell us a great deal about those two movies. Context is everything, after all. The Flash is a long-delayed movie starring an actor who is more famous for assaulting people than for their filmography, all set in a cinematic universe that was announced by the studio (itself suffering the growing pains of a recent merger) to be defunct about 6 months before the film’s release. Oppenheimer, on the other hand, is the passion project of one of the most recognizable big-movie directors of our time—himself a significant box office draw—starring a murderer’s row of A-list actors that benefitted from a viral social media association with Barbie, the summer’s biggest movie in the lead up to its release. So yeah, there’s that.

But I do think these two movies tell us a little more than that. They are the perfect illustration of the truth of the current box office, which is that people won’t just go to the movies reflexively anymore. Gone are the days of paying to see absolute schlock because you’re at least out of the house. Indoor activities simply aren’t anyone’s first idea of a good time these days. (As a side note, I’ll point out that there’s evidence, at least in places like my home base of Richmond, that people are turning to outdoor entertainment like minor league baseball instead.) If people are going to leave the cushy, inviting embrace of their couches, you’re going to have to show them something new and enticing.

And as The Flash can attest, we’ve all seen plenty of superhero movies already. But it’s been a while since we all had a chance to see something directed by Christopher Nolan (Tenet doesn’t count because, you know, COVID), and even longer since we’ve seen anything with Josh Hartnett in it. That probably has something to do with why Oppenheimer is likely to outgross four of the last six MCU releases by the end of its run...

I do strongly believe that the movie theater business will have to adapt to our post-COVID environment, where people won’t show up to the cinema quite like they used to. That could be a good thing too, as lower attendance will likely force filmmakers to lower their budgets. I’d love nothing more than to see the demise of the bloated, behemothic, in favor of more mid-budget and independent films. You heard me right: Give me less Fast X. Bring on the Cocaine Bear.'

[thejacksmit]

First Take: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 - there’s another maverick-like success coming

SYNOPSIS: Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Spoiler free as usual. This message will self destruct in 5…

His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to promote the big screen experience. Tom Cruise has done so much for the industry these last 12 months, firstly with Top Gun Maverick, and now, after 5 years in the works and an intercontinental shoot which started in the midst of Italy’s toughest Covid restrictions, Mission is back. And we’re in the Endgame - the first of a two part finale to the series (or so we’re being lead to believe), this is the biggest and arguably most impossible one they can do. To that we say this: damn, this is a true big screen movie.

At the helm, as you would expect if you’ve seen the last 2 missions, is a man who has earned the shortened name McQ. Yes, Christopher McQuarrie is back directing (and co-writing with Band of Brothers exec producer Erik Jendresen) this two parter, and he is the ideal choice, having worked with Cruise for a long time now. This is by no means a short film, coming in at 2 hours 43 minutes, and a lot of audiences have struggled with this - but there is so much plot to explore in this runtime that it does feel justified, if a smidge excessive (only by 5-10 minutes though). It is shot brilliantly, although digitally (a departure from tradition) by Fraser Taggart, with every action setpiece looking right at home on screen 3, or even an IMAX screen, plus I also have to single out Lorne Balfe - returning to soundtrack another Mission after his iconic bongo-heavy score for Fallout - who takes things even crazier by getting 555 musicians (including orchestras in London, Rome, Budapest & Vienna; the Top Secret Drum Corps in Switzerland; 20 bongo players and a choir in Venice) playing on this score. Zimmer’s prodigy, my backside - he’s the real deal now.

On to the cast, and before we tackle Tom Cruise, we have to mention Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Rebecca Ferguson - we’ve seen them develop Benji, Luther and Ilsa respectively over the last few films, and knowing how Part 1 ends, a lot of narratives for them are being tied up from their respective introductions up to now. Joining the ride is Hayley Atwell, who is an inspired addition to a strong cast, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales as villain Gabriel, the return of Henry Czerny as his character from MI1, and we also have Vanessa Kirby back as the White Widow too, someone we still don’t know too much about after her role in Fallout. And then we have the modern day miracle of science himself. 60 years old. And pulling off stunts like he is, without a double, without any injuries (this time) is still a sight to behold - say what you want about him, but when it comes to Hollywood’s time honoured traditions of showmanship, Tom Cruise is one of a rare breed of showing exactly where that $300million budget has gone: on screen, with REAL effects.

THE VERDICT

He’s done it again. He’s only gone and done it again. One year after giving cinema its first billion dollar movie since Covid, Mr Cruise and his team have casually gone and delivered another guaranteed box office success. Action turned up to 11, a well thought out plot, and everything you expect from a Mission Impossible movie is all present and correct - all it needs is the screens to be filled during a busy week of competition with ‘Barbenheimer’ as the kids are calling it.

RATING: 5/5