#Like... Honestly outside of the duo are any of these relationships straight forward

[paper-cuts-and-fresh-bruises]

So I held off posting anything because I really needed to compile my thoughts first and what I’ve concluded is um......AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH LOOK AT IT, LOOK AT THEM, IT’S HAPPENING, MY HEART, I SQUEALED WHEN I FIRST SAW IT, I’M SO GIDDY

This was literally me when I saw it:

Okay but for real, we love this. And with the twist at the end of 2x17, everything has been written immaculately and honestly I’m just so impressed with this show that they went that deep, they’ve really taken due care with the creation of the show in each and every detail. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better it did, and I’ll be honest I was getting worried when in regards to the Nace content slowing down but now I realise that not only was it deliberate but they were saving up for this (at least that’s how I see it).

Now one of the biggest questions on our minds as Nace shippers has obviously been as to whether or not this moment is going to be, as I’ll say, “real” but I’m gonna say that we shouldn’t worry either way as to whether this will be in Nancy’s mind or a real moment between her and Ace. Now, putting aside all complications for now in relation to Amanda and the as ever annoying Gil, as far as I see it it’s real either way; if this happens in Nancy’s mind then it means she’s finally all in on how she feels and it will be a real moment for herself, accepting what it is she feels for Ace, and if this is for real outside of her mind (which btw I would absolutely die of joy) then they’re both finally on the same page and they both take on the responsibility of navigating what they’ve been dancing around and what they feel goddammit. 

I’ve got so many theories of what might lead up to this scene that we’re gonna get, because make no mistake they will kiss and it will be epic, but that’s for me to obsess over, besides words can’t do it justice right now. As far as what I’d like to see for them when they enter a proper relationship together, and yes I say when because there are no if’s at this point, and not to mention they’re definitely endgame; like how they’ve been slow burn, I want things to be subtle, little moments, very gradual, maintaining they’re investigative duo thing, maybe even not really telling anybody they’re together, having little nods with them holding hands and other stuff like that, and if you thought personal space was a thing of the past before then you won’t even remember it when they’re a thing. Oh Oh and maybe even having reminiscing moments where they remember times from past sleuthing’s to investigate or something, looking at each other with an affectionate gaze in their eyes even just for a split second, maybe even a “that’s when I knew I liked you” moment, or Nancy actually cuts her hand this time and Ace fixes her up, little touches that linger. Oh dear, see just like that I’m spiralling but anyways, yeah you get the gist, the list goes on. Small ones before big ones, and maybe the the odd big moment between the little ones at times of importance, yada yada.

Also, don’t think for one moment that in 2x18 it’s going to be without scenes of Ace being in fear of Nancy’s life, as this image below shows:

And if we look closer:

See me with them hands, because there’s no way he’s holding her like that if he’s not a) scared as hell for her or b) got feelings for her. That’s not just a supportive set of hand placements, that’s a “don’t you dare take her” and “I can’t lose her” kind of set of hands placements, specifically full on affectionate hand holding and hand on arm placement. You could say I’m reaching but I’m really not, this pic could easily have had everyone holding her or close in some way, but they chose just to have Ace doing this? that’s PLANNED. Which means that whilst Nancy’s coming to terms with what Ace means to her, Ace is definitely doing the same. Ace will definitely have his moments, looking at Nancy and most likely coming to some serious terms about what he feels. Even though they’re not necessarily, and most likely not, going to be boyfriend and girlfriend at the start of season 3, it’s end up like that at least, I’m sure.

Also on a quick note I was looking at this promo pic:

Nancy’s wrist is straight up cut wide open, and from the lack of blood the Wraith must really be doing a number on her at this point if it weren’t already apparent from the otherwise zombie-fied appearance she’s got going on.

Also this:

I bet they’re looking at Nancy, and from what I can tell the room matches up with the one in the previous pic, I’m guessing whatever contraption that box with the vials and stuff on it is has something to do with it or something.

Anyways, to say I’m excited would be an understatement. As much as I don’t want the season to be over yet, we’re definitely getting a feast, and with season 3 being a given I think we can handle it. Aside from the rising of Nace, Nancy Drew has and continues to be the one to raise the bar with every aspect, certainly I will remain intrigued with how they’ll progress everything going forward with everyone. Also, it’s most likely that season 3 will come sooner rather than later, at the earliest from what I’ve read it’ll likely be towards the latter end of this year that it’ll premier and at the latest is early next year. I mean any wait is torturous, but under the circumstances I think we’ll manage. Also, Nancy Drew is being moved to Fridays for next season so put that in your diaries, we are not letting this show go.

That’s my 2 cents anyways, anything any of you guys wanna add please do. What I’ll say for now is I am LIVING for this show, can’t wait to see what’s next. Keep up the good work! (oh and to all the haters of Nace in particular, keep it coming because in case you hadn’t noticed we’re winning and it just makes sense, I don’t need to explain to you why they’re perfect together, anything I say that’s for me and the rest of us to enjoy, I’m not doing it for you)

[gojosgoddess]

The Queen meets the Princess

Pairing: Jonathan Lyndale “DaBaby” Kirk x Black! Thicc reader

You finally meet Jonathan’s Princess.

Warnings: no warnings really, fluff

 You rubbed your clammy hands against your thighs and bit your lip. You were waiting on Jon’s call as he went to pick up his daughter; Serenity, from his baby mama’s house. You were nervous as this would be your first time meeting the two year old toddler who you shared a key with to Jon’s heart. Your relationship had finally meet the bridge of meeting his child, and you were happy that your relationship was moving forward but the thought of meeting the adorable toddler scared you.

 ‘What if she didn’t like you? What if she thought you were trying to replace her mother? What if she cried when she met you and Jonathan breaks up with you? The ‘what ifs’ were swimming and doing laps in your mind as you looked in the mirror and fixed yourself

 “Look girl, everything is going to be okay, Jon has spoken to her about you and he already assured that everything was going to be alright, so don’t worry.” You told yourself and nodded in affirmation. Your thoughts were cut off when you heard your phone ringing.

 ‘I keep it loaded when I ride cause I’m still a nigga

Fuck wit her to ease my mind, cause I be in my feelings’

 You grabbed your phone and pressed answer.

 “Hey boo.” You said smoothing out your outfit.

 “Hey baby, wassup witchu? We outside mamas.” He said in his deep voice that just made you melt. You held your phone in your neck and grabbed your bag, walking down the stairs. “Okay baby, I’m on my way out now.” You said walking out the front door and locking it.

  “Aight bae I see you coming out now.” He hung up as you looked up and saw him walking to you while holding Serenity’s hand. You breathed in and out as you placed your phone in your bag. You walked up to them and smiled at the father-daughter duo. Jon matched your smile while Serenity shyly stood behind her father’s leg.

 “Ooh baby you lookin’ hella good right now, just wanna eat yo fine ass up right now.” He said once he brought you in for a hug and kiss. You gasped and lightly hit his shoulder. “Boy there is a baby present, what’s wrong with you?” You both laughed at each other before looking down at the pretty child.

 “Baby, say hello to Daddy’s girlfriend.” He said in a soft voice which made coo in your head. She slowly came up from behind him. She waved at you with her thumb in her mouth. You waved back and she giggled, going back to her spot behind her father. You chuckled at the baby’s cuteness and crouched down to her level.

 “Hey there little one, my name is Y/N, what’s yours?” You asked softly. She came up from behind Jon and held her little hand out. “My name is Serenity.” You raised your eyebrows and shook her hand. She honestly spoke so well for a toddler.

 “Nice to meet you Serenity, that’s a very pretty name for a very pretty girl.” You tapped her little button nose and she started laughing.

 “Look at my two babies getting along.” Jonathan said above you. “Come on girls, we need to start the day.” He said looking around. Both you and Serenity shared a look before looking at the love of your life. You sighed and stood straight, Jon grabbed your waist with his other hand and he picked Serenity up. She then started struggling in his hands.

 “What’s wrong baby? We got to go.” Jon said confused. She then made grabby hands at you and Jon looked at you to see if it was alright. You nodded your head and smiled brightly. The young child smiled back at you as Jon passed her to you. You held her on your hip and made sure she was comfortable before walking with Jon again.

 Jon kissed your cheek as he saw how comfy and natural you two looked. He didn’t say anything but he was a bit worried about how this morning was going to go but it seemed as things were heading in the right direction.

 “I like your hair.” You heard the toddler whisper to you. You smiled and genuinely blushed before whispering back “thank you honey”. She then looked at her father and exclaimed “Daddy she called me honey!” She said with a smiled. You and Jon laughed before getting into the car and buckling her in.

  The day went absolutely great, when you guys went out to eat, Serenity asked you to cut up her food and she kept admiring and playing with your hair. She even made you promise to do her hair the same way when you two see each other again. You all went shopping together and you bought her some clothes as well as shoes. The day was sadly over and she had to go back to her mother’s house. Her mother was picking her up so you got her things ready and gave her a juice box in the meanwhile.

 “It was really nice meeting you today Serenity, you’re a very nice girl.” You said as you both sat on the couch side by side. She looked up at you and smiled, “Thank you, you a very nice lady too.” You both smiled at each other.

 “I actually got a little gift for you.” Once you said that, she got excited and started jumping up and down in her seat. You told her to close her eyes and she placed her hands over her eyes while smiling brightly. You turned next to you to retrieve the collection of Woody, Buzz and the other characters from Toy Story. Jon stopped you to look you in your eyes and kiss you. “Thank you mamas.” He mouthed to you. You smiled and pecked his lips again. You turned back around to face the toddler.

 “Okay baby, open your eyes.” She opened her eyes and literally screamed in happiness and kept speaking gibberish and pointing at the toys. You and Jon couldn’t help but laugh at her adorable freak out. She ended up hugging you tightly and repeatedly saying thank you. You picked her up and swayed her from side to side. You were so happy that she loved her gift.

 “Shit I want some love too, y’all tryna cut a nigga out.” Jon said coming up behind you, holding you both and kissing Serenity’s cheek. “Daddy, don’t say that, that’s bad word.” She said sternly. “My fault baby, I’m sorry.” He said shaking his head. The sweet moment was disturbed when the doorbell rang. Jon stood up and you and Serenity separated and you packed her gift in her bag. She excitedly told you about all the adventures she would go on with her new friends. You could definitely see this was Jon’s baby.

 “Serenity, come on babygirl, your Mama is here.” Jon said. You helped her down the couch and grabbed her bag and her hand as you approached Jon and his baby mama. You and his baby mama smiled at each other and nodded towards each other. There was never any bad blood between any of you for the sake of Serenity and also, it would be pointless.

 “Hey baby, say goodbye to your dad and Y/N so we can go home okay?” She said with a small smile. Serenity nodded her head and Jon picked her up to give a goodbye kiss and place their foreheads on each other and give eskimo kisses, you felt your heart cooing as you took in the adorable sight. She then reached for you and you took her into your hands and she kissed your cheek, making you the same and she hugged you tightly, waiting for you to hug her back before she allowed you to give her to her mother.

 You and Jon watched them get into their car and back out the driveway causing you to wave at them. You closed and locked the door when Jon grabbed you by your waist.

 “Thank you again for today mamas, I really appreciate everything.” He said looking in your eyes. You smiled and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Anything for you my love, plus I loved meeting her, you really did a good job raising that beautiful girl Jon.” You told him. He looked bashful and looked down before looking back up at you. He thanked you by kissing you and softly picking you up and taking you to your shared bedroom. “Been wanting to get in this ass since I saw you.”

 dababy

Liked by stunna4vegas, theestallion and 1,266,355 others

dababy My Queen (Y/IG/N) & My Princess

View all 250,000 comments

theestallion This is the cutest thing, I swear!!!

stunna4vegas My niece & my sister-in-law looking like fam already

 y/IG/n

Liked by theestallion, badgalriri and 1,407,888 others

y/IG/n Snuck away from @dababy big head ass to take pictures with my favourite person

View all 498,921 comments

theestallion My favourite hot girl and hot baby together!!

dababy @y/IG/n Girl you gone stop coming for my head, plus you love my head anyway & @theestallion don’t make me split y’all up now 

__________________________________________________________

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this, I wanted to try fluff since it’s been awhile since I had written anything fluff related, let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list down below.

Tags: @fullofmelaninsarcasmandepression​

~Natascha

[ayawriter]

Surprise

Character: Naib, Jack, and Friends

Plot: The manor is plotting something, and Naib is suspicious. And there may be a confession at the end of it all.

WARNINGS: TINY NON-GRAPHIC MENTIONS OF PTS/ANXIETY/MURDER, JACKNAIB AT THE VERY END

It was a normal morning. Or at least, that’s what it was supposed to be, according to Naib. But as he wandered the halls on his way to breakfast, he noticed a strange tension in the air, especially whenever he was present. It wasn't a bad tension, but it put him on edge nonetheless, the way the others kept whispering and planning something behind his back. At first, it didn’t bother him as much, but when hunters started letting him go, he began to get suspicious. 

“What is going on…”

The match this time was with the Ripper. His teammates this time were the Mind’s Eye, the Priestess, and the Cowboy. However, with Ripper spinning around so merrily, it seemed that he wasn't looking for a serious fight that day, so while everyone was busy decoding, Naib decided to take it easy and spend some time with him. 

“I don’t have a bad feeling so much as a feeling that they’re planning something...Even the hunters. No matter what, I’m always let go or ignored...It’s not so bad sometimes, but when they spare me after slaughtering the rest of the team...well…”

Jack nodded his head, humming in acknowledgement. The two were currently hanging out on the second floor of the Sacred Heart Hospital, with Naib sitting on one of the beds and Jack leaning on another across from him. It was no secret that the two were close. It still baffles many residents how the two became as close as they were, despite the rocky start the two had, with Naib’s complete distrust over the hunter, and Ripper mistaking the Mercenary for a child. Yet, when Naib had succumbed to the pressure and memories of his past during a match, it was Jack who had ultimately helped him through his panic, and occasionally kept him grounded when his friends were unavailable. They were also able to connect through the fact that both of them had a significant body count. Now they could be found spending time together even outside of matches, something the others rarely see him do, except maybe with the Seer, Embalmer, and Forward, and occasionally the TonTon duo. 

“You don’t happen to know anything do you? It’s not often you decide to take things easy either.”

Jack gave him a look through his mask, pausing his fidgeting with his claws. 

“You...Don’t know what today is?”

The Mercenary tilted his head in confusion. 

“Is today some important event or something?”

The Hunter merely sighed and shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing....”

Naib hummed, suspicious. He’d have to check his calendar once the match was over. Right on time, the last cipher had popped, yet Jack’s eyes had yet to flare up. 

“I see you took off Detention.”

“Of course. I have no need for it if I’m planning on letting you all go free anyways.”

“Hah, fair point.”

He extended a hand towards the Mercenary with a gentlemanly bow. 

“Well, aren’t you being a gentleman today,” he remarked, taking the hand that was being offered, blushing slightly when it was kissed.

However, instead of being helped down, he was swept upward into a bridal carry, something Jack rarely ever did, unless it was a special occasion. Naib’s face was red in embarrassment, and could practically feel the smirk that was permeating through his mask. 

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“I try.”

And Jack proceeded to carry Naib to the gate, where the others were waiting. 

“Thank you very much, Mr. Ripper,” Helena bowed politely, her can gripped close. 

“I’m not one fer friendly matches, but thanks.” 

“Yes, it’s nice to be able to have some time to relax, even within matches,” Fiona agreed. “And I see you two have been having fun while we were out decoding.” 

The priestess had a knowing smirk, eyeing the mercenary being carried by the Ripper, making him blush brighter. 

“I-It’s not like I’m being carried like this because I like it!”

Kevin laughed heartily, “Yet yer not even strugglin’! Actions speak louder than words,kid.”

Jack put him down, as a flustered Naib tried to defend himself to his team as they left one by one. Once Naib was the last one left, Jack took off his mask, a privilege he gave only to Naib on the survivor’s side. He always did enjoy seeing Naib get all flustered, and because of him no less. No matter how many times he sees it, Naib’s cheeks always gets dusted in pink whenever he sees his face uncovered. With a shy wave of thanks and goodbye, he leaves. 

Jack sighed, staring at his hand. Today, he was going to do it. He had an inkling Naib felt the same, but even if he didn’t, he wanted to clear the air before continuing their current relationship any further. They’ve had their moments, but he wanted to make sure. So he was going to test the waters tonight. After all, what better day is there to confess than today?

---

Naib stood frozen in front of the calendar. July 23rd. His birthday. How could he have forgotten? No, it wasn't that he had forgotten. He just hadn’t celebrated it in so long, he simply forgot the importance. And to be fair, there was never any reason, nor was there time to celebrate it. War was no place for personal celebrations, especially as a Gurkha. 

At the same time, Naib wasn't stupid. The way the other survivors kept hiding something behind his back, the hunters letting him go free even if it was their loss. He should have noticed the patterns. Heck they did something similar for Servais’ birthday not too long ago. But since birthdays were things he didn’t deem necessary to celebrate for himself, he never stopped to consider how the others might view it.  A sigh escaped his lips as he combed his hand through his currently loose hair. But even with this newfound knowledge, he didn’t want to raise his hopes up. After all, despite his suspicions, there could always be the possibility of a different celebration. But in that case would the others be keeping it secret from him? 

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. It was Eli, one of his closest friends within the manor. 

“Good evening, Naib. I was just calling you down for dinner.”

“Yeah, sure. Gimme a sec, I’ll be right down.”

Since he was in his room, he had left his hair down and taken off his green hood. Once he deemed himself presentable, he left the room and headed towards the dining hall with Eli. But when Eli had walked straight past the hall, Naib couldn’t help his growing suspicions. 

“Hey, where’re we going exactly?”

Eli merely smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.” 

They stopped in front of the garden entrance. Naib was confused. What were they doing at the garden? He was about to ask, when Eli opened the door. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAIB SUBEDAR!”

Naib was greeted by excited shouts of congratulations and birthday wishes. The garden was brightly lit with paper lanterns courtesy of Michiko, Xie Bian, and Fan Wujiu, and there were tables set with food and sweets, complete with a huge birthday cake, courtesy of Hastur. Naib couldn’t believe the scene before him. For a split second, he was no longer at the manor, but at home, with his mother smiling warmly at him. For some reason, it filled him with a strange sort of happiness that was almost painful. He hadn’t even realized he was crying until his usual friends were surrounding him, and Jack was wiping them away, and the others became quiet. 

“S-Sorry,” he quickly wiped them away but the tears wouldn’t stop. “I...It’s been so long...I guess I forgot…” Despite the silent sobs that wracked his body, Naib made the most genuine smile, something he felt he hadn’t done in so long. “Thank you, everybody...Thank you so much!”

The worried faces quickly melt away to smiles. 

“It should be us who should be thanking you,” Eli spoke up. “You’ve done so much for us already, both in and outside of matches, this is the least we could do.”

Naib nodded, grinning at them wide despite the tears. William returned Naib’s smile with his own and a pat on the back, declaring with a loud voice, “Alright, what are we waiting for, let’s PARTY!”

Everyone cheered, and the party was a success. Naib was given many gifts, mostly handmade and small, due to the limited supplies in the manor, but to Naib they were something he would cherish forever. The festivities lasted long past midnight, till everyone just passed out in various parts of the garden. Only a handful of people were awake, helping clean up the mess in the garden. Naib was in the middle of taking the trash back inside when he was stopped by Jack. Michiko, with a knowing smile, just nodded at him, and took the bag inside for him. 

“This was honestly really nice. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I’m glad nonetheless.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Jack and Naib were sitting on one of the benches that was a bit more isolated and less brightly lit, so that they could see the stars clearer. Jack had his mask discarded by his side while Naib settled his head on the taller man’s arm, since he couldn’t reach the shoulders, much to his annoyance. 

“Thanks, Jack.”

“I didn’t do anything. It was more of everyone’s ideas, but, you’re welcome.”

They sat in silence. Jack took a breath. 

“Naib.”

“Hm?”

Without another word, Jack’s lips found it’s way onto Naib’s forehead. 

“Happy Birthday.”

Naib was frozen, wide-eyed, a bright blush dusting his cheeks. 

“You--”

“Sorry,” Jack immediately pulled away. “I should have asked permission first. You were just so cute, I couldn’t resist.”

Silence reigned between the two, awkward and thick.

“You could’ve just asked…” the mercenary mumbled.

“Hm?”

Naib sighed. “I said...You could’ve just asked...I wouldn’t have minded…”

Jack smirked. “Oh?”

Naib was now a very deep shade of scarlet, his eyes refusing to meet the Ripper’s own. 

“And...next time…”

“What was that?”

“...’

Jack’s smirk grew wider. He absolutely loved teasing the mercenary. “I’m sorry, Naib, you’ve got to speak up.”

“I said...Next time...You can do it on the lips.”

Naib was blushing deeply, while this time it was Jack’s turn to be caught off guard. Slowly, his shock faded into a more genuine smile, his long arms snaking around Naib and hugging him close to his side. 

“Thank you, Naib. Happy Birthday. I love you.”

“...Yeah. I love you too, Jack.”

[lgcchenglei-blog]

hello friends !! my name is jada, and...i’m so excited to meet you all !! this is my absolute heart and soul zhao chenglei, one of the newest additions to the legacy family !! i am actually...so stoked to be here, this group looks so cool !! i look forward to meeting you all, but i’m going to jump straight into things ! chenglei / lei is 20, a dance fanatic, and a lovebug ! you can find his info as well as a few connection ideas below,  and his profile here !! the other pages are wip, but i’m sure we can figure something out from there !! oh, and don’t forget to like this if my boy’s caught your eye and you’d like to plot together !! 

alright so !! he’s from hong kong, and born to a mom who was a model for a popular skincare company and a father who’s an anesthesiologist !!

his parents are quite ambitious & his name means “become great” since as their first child, they had high hopes !! he’s often called lei for short around friends.

his mom wanted him to follow in her footsteps so for the early part of his life she was obsessed with booking him baby modeling & acting gigs!! he was in a few commercials and an extra in some small shows, but didn’t gain much fame from it.

his family is originally from mainland china (which is why he’s pretty good at mandarin) but moved when he was born because they liked the atmosphere for him better ! also his mom started getting more opportunities to work there and rather than keep traveling when she had a newborn the whole family packed up and left !

to say the least he was raised pretty comfortably !!! his parents had a lot of influence in their respective fields and he lived well, always getting the things he asked for & such !

but honestly, he’s not the type of person that is obsessed money but that’s probably because he’s used to it? like ofc it’s nice to have, but he’d be perfectly fine living a normal life.

his parents don’t feel the same, they’re very invested in getting & keeping money, so they would always get mad bc he had a tendency of giving his friends things if they didn’t have it !!

he’s been really adamant on creating his own lifestyle recently though, so is trying to make his own name for himself & make his own money instead of relying on his parents forever.

he went to a private school in the city, which is where he learned english. it was widely spoken where he was anyways, but there were some exchange students who helped him too. 

also totally irrelevant headcanon but one of the students he became close with was australian & he traveled there in high school, so when he speaks english he’s a bit influenced by the accent !!

a dancing machine for real !! first got into dance 1t 5 when his mom thought it’d be cute for him to do ballet?? he hated it only because his friends made fun of him for it, but the more time he spent doing it the more he was kind of like...oh !! this is kinda nice !!

and then he fell in love with it, and to this day ballet remains his favorite type of dance. the older he got though he took more classes, and eventually joined a competitive dance team the city had !

he first got interested in kpop by a few friends in middle school, and that reflected onto his love for dancing! he began learning all the dances he could, and the more he saw them the more he felt he could turn his love for dance into a real dream.

long story short, his parents were v unhappy to hear he wanted to be in such a risky career, but after constant begging allowed him to audition! they promised thinking that he wouldn’t make it past first cuts, but when he did they were very shocked and kind of just in awe let him start training??

his first few months training were a huge struggle to face. right off the bat he could hardly speak korean, and it’s when reality really set in ?? as much as he said he wasn’t dependent on his wealth it was a big adjustment to go from his life in hong kong to living in dorms with other trainees. it was just...wild!!

not to mention chenglei can be an introvert when in situations he doesn’t know people in,  so he was probably really quiet at the beginning !!

but he definitely opens up once he becomes comfortable around others. he’s still on the quieter side, but definitely v sweet and even a little mischevious around the ones he’s close too !! so by now it can be assumed he’s this way around the trainees he encounters often.

but when he’s in work mode ?? totally different lei !!! he takes training very seriously, takes staff criticism hard, and just kind of beats himself up to work harder !! not the best method, but if one thing’s for sure it’s that he serious about improving and doesn’t put anything above that when it’s time to get serious.

and performing lei !! also very different. he’s definitely a worrier all the moments leading up to performance, but becomes some confident dancing machine when he gets on stage ! he doesn’t worry about looking too weird, just focuses on delivering a powerful performance. very different than his usual self !

he’s currently in his 2nd year as a university student, and it is h-a-r-d !! since he practically goes straight from school to practice, he’s burnt out 80% of the time and lives off of coffee and a prayer.

oh in terms of languages !! he speaks cantonese as his native tongue, learned mandarin through talking with his family in the mainland,  learned english through school, and is still actively learning korean ! he’s only completely fluent in cantonese, but learns korean the most out of all of them on a day-to-day basis.

he’s a little creative boy !! lovesloves to draw and paint and you can always catch him doodling things that went on during the day if he’s bored !!

also plays piano, which he was kind of forced into by his parents lmao ?? but it’s always a plus when he mentions it and it’s fun to play.

he’s quite a softy?? especially for a guy, he’s very affectionate, v loyal, and always looking out for his friends in any way he can ! it probably comes from his dad always being off at work, and his mom ( who is the more nurturing of the two ) being the most present, so he took after her and is very caring & sweet !

i’m not gonna lie...he’s a little bit of an eboy ?? let the sighs of shame arise lmao !! but honestly he’s like if an eboy & art hoe had a baby, but who’s also soft ?? the chaos !

he’s also a bilie eilish supremacist ?? don’t know how that happened since i don’t even stan her that much myslf ?? but like....if you couldn’t tell from his audition video he loves her & will cover each and every of her videos

he’s a baby pan !! he hasn’t really “come out” officially to his friends per se, but has vaguely expressed interest for something outside of a relationship with just girls ! he’s terrified to tell his parents & if he ever will...who knows !! but he’ll become more comfortable with his sexuality soon enough, at least.

his end goal, well semi-end goal, is to become a choreographer !! he wants to be an idol / dancer above all things, but he knows that career won’t last forever so he hopes when he gets out of it to help others achieve their dreams !! he’s very strong on the belief that what’s given to you must be paid back, so he wants to show his appreciation for his eventual debut by helping others reach theirs, too !! 

i think i’ve talked waaaay too much already, so...let’s move onto some quick plot ideas !! i promise i’ll have a legitimate plots page soon. xx

maybe some awkardness ? maybe lei thought he was helping this muse out by giving them presents & money, but they took it a different way as him flaunting his money or treating them like a charity case ? i think it could be interesting !

another foreigner ?? the classic helping each other out duo, but i think it could be really important for the both of them considering they’re still trainees navigating a new country together !

a senior he really admires ? even though they’re all trainees, lei treats those more experienced than him with lots of respect, so he’d probably do everything he could to learn from & get on their good side ! maybe a cute friendship could develop out of it !

on the flip side, someone younger / he’s senior to he can baby ! he’s kind of used to being babied around, but he tends to become a lot more protective & caring over those under him ! please give him someone to spoil & instill confidence in pls thanks

sibling-like friends ?? i need someone he can just be silly with, ruffle a few feathers with, and even have the occasional dispute, but in the end they’ve gotten really close and no one can mess with one without the other ready for a fight !

maybe lei’s got a boy / nb crush he wasn’t expecting ?? he’s a softie so i think it’d be adorable for him to have a little crush on someone, requited or not !

university students rise !! give my boy someone else to share his pain with and complain about how it’s impossible to get good grades and have good evaluations !!

little competition !! he’s mainly a dancer, though he also sings, so i think it’d be fun to have someone he competes with & is often compared to ! maybe they’re actually really close and help each other, maybe they’re true rivals trying to bring each other down !

[missmeikakuna]

So, Apparently, I Find Fairies Hot Chapter 2

Rated: T

Fandom: Original Fiction

Relationship type: Male/Male

Description: You know those movies and TV shows in which an effeminate gay character has a crush on the popular jock? Strike that, reverse it.

Daniel is technically popular at school but fades into the crowd. After an injury at footy (Australian football) practice, he is forced to focus on improving his grades, starting with English. Luckily, the new kid in school knows a lot about Shakespeare and is willing to tutor him. Now if only this new guy wasn't so attractive.

CONTENT WARNING: Homophobic slurs are used. Also, there are some sexual references but nothing too graphic.

Chapter 2: Is it gay to read a play?

Daniel sniffled, rubbing his nose. As he walked home he scowled at every flower he passed. He was walking alone, looking at his phone several times a minute in case Eddie cancelled. 

He gasped a little when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a grinning Eddie with his hand on his shoulder, moving forward from the momentum of running.

‘I may as well walk with you,’ he explained with heaving breaths. ‘That way I can get to your place straight away and we can study a bit earlier.’ He took a closer look at Daniel. ‘Why do you look so grumpy?’

Daniel sighed. ‘Spring. Fucking hay fever.’

‘That’s a shame. I love Spring. It’s like all the plants are rising from the dead. That and Halloween’s in Spring.’ Daniel chuckled. ‘What?’

‘Rising from the dead? The only thing that’s rising is my impatience for all this pollen.’ A sneeze.

Eddie turned to his side but continued walking the same direction. ‘Are you taking any medicine for it?’

Daniel shook his head. ‘I’ll be fine. I’m just being whiny.’

‘You really should take care of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll end up in the doctor’s office or worse, you’ll be miserable all season.’ Eddie leaned in even closer, not noticing how Daniel’s body tensed up. ‘So, what do you do besides footy… and sucking at Shakespeare?’ Daniel glared at Eddie. ‘What? Okay, to be fair I’ve always sucked at sports. Or does surviving a mosh pit without being squished or trampled to death count as a sport?’

‘I, uh… don’t do much outside of that and watching TV. I need more hobbies. Speaking of which, what did you have on last night?’

‘Corpse Windmill was on and it was their last performance before they head back to the Netherlands. They’re this really obscure comedic technical death metal band. They debuted in 2004 as a reaction to postmodern notions of-’

‘I think I get the point.’ Eddie pouted and Daniel’s heart twisted. ‘Uh, well, actually, instead of telling me about the band you can tell me about that technical metal stuff.’

Daniel halted as if a record had just been scratched. ‘You listen to metal?’

Eddie pointed at his face and laughed. ‘Why are you so surprised? It’s obvious by the name I gave myself. Eddie’s the mascot for Iron Maiden, and Ironpoe’s a combo of Iron Maiden and Edgar Allen Poe, who’s the best gothic writer; you cannot change my mind.’

Daniel frowned at his hands. Into his pockets they went. ‘I don’t know much about metal.’

‘What do you listen to?’

‘Pop and Rap mostly.’

‘Well, there is rap metal but it doesn’t have the best reputation. I’ll try and find a really good artist and show it to you.’

‘Thanks. I just thought you’d listen to, I dunno, songs you’d play in a gay bar.’

‘What songs do they play at a gay bar? I’ve never been to one.’

Daniel looked at the ground. He sneezed. ‘Oh. I haven’t either, obviously, but I imagine they’d be the songs that go ‘doof doof doof doof’ or ‘ins ins ins ins’. I dunno.’

Eddie laughed so hard that tears began seeping out if his eyes. ‘Say that again.’

Daniel bit his tongue.

Eddie scoffed. ‘You’re no fun.’

‘Sorry.’

The two took the rest of the trip in silence.

Eddie took a good look at Daniels home, which was a two-story grey concrete monstrosity with big glass windows and a sizeable garage. The garden was covered with ferns, a palm tree casting a shadow over the sand-coloured cobbled driveway.

When they stepped through the front door, the duo saw Daniel’s mother standing by the kitchen counter, a phone up to her ear and a scowl on her face.

‘Why hasn’t he fired her yet? Honestly, if I have to work with her one more time…’ Eddie waved at her. Daniel’s mother failed to notice him. 

Daniel grabbed Eddie by the arm and dragged him to his room before he could do something to grab her attention. 

Eddie struggled not to turn up his nose when he saw how messy Daniel’s room was. Underneath the unmade bed was a pile of dirty dishes that had been shoved there. Posters of half-naked women were placed across the walls without a thought to making their heights match. However, one part was as clean as Mother Theresa’s criminal record. The desk seemed to have never been touched.

The two boys pulled their copy of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ out of their bags and sat on the bed. 

‘Okay, first I need to properly assess the damage,’ Eddie said. ‘Could you read the bit we read yesterday again? Actually, read it from here.’ He pointed to the start of the first miniature monologue by Robin.

Daniel took a deep breath. ‘The… king… doth…keep…his-’

‘You can stop now.’

‘I didn’t even finish the first senten-’

‘I’ve heard what I need. I think you’re reading it word by word, even though in real life the words in a sentence should flow together. Try reading the whole sentence before speaking.’

‘What if I get a word wrong?’

‘You keep going. In the theatre, you can’t just stop or slow down if you don’t know what to do. You’ve got to improvise. With Shakespeare, it’s tougher since everybody already knows the lines but the show must go on.’

Daniel did as he was told and smiled when he finished a monologue. When he saw that Eddie’s expression didn’t match his, he frowned.

‘You don’t need to put on a posh voice. Shakespeare’s plays were performed in front of commoners, so everyday people were able to enjoy it.’

Daniel gulped before repeating the monologue. ‘Now what the hell did I just say?’ he asked.

‘Okay, so you’re a fairy jester talking to another fairy. According to you, the king of the fairies is having a party and he’s mad at his wife because she kidnapped a child and now pays lots of attention to the child, making the king jealous. Now read it again with that in mind.’

Daniel nodded. After he finished the monologue, Eddie clapped. Daniel grinned. ‘Now let’s talk about themes,’ Eddie declared.

He taught Daniel the same things Dr Daylings said but rephrased them to be more relatable. Daniel nodded in understanding the whole time.

Eddie looked at the time on his phone. ‘Oh my god, sorry for lecturing you for so long. Let’s take a break and just hang out or something.’ Daniel lied down on his back and sighed in relief. ‘Was I that annoying?’

‘No, you were really good. Where did you learn so much about Shakespeare?’

‘I’ve watched his plays live a lot.’

‘Makes sense. So, um, I have a question. Don’t take this the wrong way.’

‘Well, now I’m worried. What is it?’

Daniel bit his tongue for a moment before continuing. ‘Why do you act so… stereotypical? Like, you almost look like a chick. I mean, you’re clearly not because chicks are hot and… I mean, not that you’re not hot, but… I didn’t mean that that way!’

Eddie spat with laughter. ‘Jesus, you’re blushing!’ He breathed slowly to calm his laughter. ‘I’m just being myself.’

‘But how can you be so open to people you’ve just met?’

Eddie was silent for a few moments as he pondered the question. ‘Well, some gay people can’t really hide it. It’s too obvious. So why should I bother? I know some gay guys just act like regular guys, but I’m just not that. I was always kind of girly. When I officially came out to my parents, they had this bored look on their faces. It kind of pissed me off, not gonna lie. I mean, thanks, Mum and Dad! What, was all this fear for nothing?’

‘When did you know you were gay?’

Eddie chuckled. ‘Oh god. I think it was the cashier at the café my parents took me to every week that made me realise it. He was so cute. Of course, nothing was going to happen between us because he was around fifteen and I was seven, plus I’m pretty sure he was straight.’

Daniel put his hands in his pockets, still lying down. ‘Do… all gay guys know they’re gay that early?’

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t…’ He frowned for a second before smiling again.  ‘I don’t know any other gay guys outside of the ones I see on Drag Race. Oh, I did meet a bi guy once at an Iron Maiden concert. He didn’t look super stereotypical, but when we were waiting for the show to start I saw he had a pink, purple and blue pride bracelet.’

‘Bi?’

‘You know, bisexual. Bisexuals are… wait, you probably already know that. Phew, I guess I can stop a lecture before it starts.’

Daniel was silent as the image of his old friend spiralled into his mind like a tornado before spinning away, leaving a destroyed mood in its wake.

‘Let’s get back to studying,’ he grumbled.

The next day had English class. After asking the class who wanted to read a part, Dr Dayling’s eyebrows jumped up when he saw Daniel’s hand up.

Daniel read a monologue, constantly looking at Eddie for approval. Eddie gave him the thumbs up and a smile.

Dr Dayling nodded. ‘Well done, Daniel. I have no idea what fairy used their magic on you, but you should thank them.’

During lunch, Daniel invited Eddie to sit on the couch with Daniel’s other friends. James glared at Daniel, but he didn’t notice.

‘Shit, we’ve got PE after lunch, don’t we?’ Eddie asked. James nodded. ‘How do I get fitter?’

Daniel smiled. ‘Well, my gym has a free trial for new members.’

James snickered. ‘What, so he can stare at all the guys in the shower?’

Daniel wanted to respond to that, but he kept his mouth shut. Eddie rolled his eyes. ‘Seriously? Jock guys aren’t my thing anyway.’

A quick, sharp pain pricked Daniel’s heart.

Just as quick was a girl’s response. ‘You watch too many American movies. We don’t have ‘jocks’ here.’

Eddie ignored her and continued ranting about homophobia, making everyone near him groan except for Daniel, who could no longer pay attention to anything Eddie said.

[luckilyluculent]

2, 6, 7, 13, 17, 18; Eleanor: 31, 34, 39, 45; Felix: 26, 35, 40; Belsaadi: 36, 38, 43.

This is long as hell so all the answered questions are under the cut

EVERYBODY(as of 5/22/2018)’SQUESTIONS –

#2 – WHAT OC CHARACTER IS/HAS AMENTOR?

The first OC of mine that likedirectly leaps to mind whenever I see the word “mentor” is probably Henry Blake—he’s.One of the many unlisted and not directly on my blog, but his literalprofession is teaching and you don’t get more mentor-y than that! He’s alsotaken people under his wing before directly. Henry was also straight up made asan homage to my first ever like, thought out character (a warrior cat namedFicklestar lmao) and one of the more important things to the character he wasbased on was his role as mentor to a friend’s character. I wanted to keep thatprevalent in all iterations of this character, Henry is just the most recentreally (though he and Ficklestar aren’t even that similar rofl).

I’d also probably categorize myboy Malik as a mentor as well, seeing as he just sort of. Casually adoptseveryone and everything that he comes across. He would definitely like to thinkthat’s more of him just defecting to be a pack leader, but he spends so muchtime teaching others and trying to help them grow that I can’t help but want tolabel him as that. He’d make a great teacher if he wasn’t so busy trying tokeep all of his adopted children safe smh.

#6 – WHAT OC IS THE MOM FRIEND?

Funnily enough, I think thatlabel would go to my character Cat the most. Mostly because he’s the one thattends to take a position of responsibility and look after everyone. Likeliterally, he basically quietly sits back and watches most of the time. But he’salways there with an open ear or shoulder, and because he’s veryobservant/insightful he tends to notice when things are going wrong or ifsomeone needs help. Cat’s also got like, a super strong mama bear streak withthe people that he cares about and though he’s usually very calm, cool andcollected he gets real mad real fast when someone he loves is in trouble.

#7 – WHAT OC REALLY NEEDS THE MOMFRIEND AROUND?

I wanted to give this to Bels—I reallydid, but like I’ve realized that a huge part of Belsaadi’s character narrativeis that I wanted her to learn how to stand on her own. Not just with people,but sometimes in front of them and without them. So this took a little bit morethinking on my part, and I actually think I’m going to land on my character Eleanorfor that.

Eleanor is just very young andnaive! She was prone to making snap decisions that weren’t so great, andDamakos (who I am dubbing the mom friend of that party, sorry Tess) was oftenwho she looked to for guidance when she thought that she needed some. Eleanorneeded someone in general that filled a role of looking after her, and I’vetried playing her outside of her original party and it has just felt odd andincomplete. Maybe I can try again sometimes, but who knows.

#13 – WHICH OCS COMPLIMENT EACHOTHER THE BEST?

HM this is an interestingthought. I don’t often think of my characters as duos or as hanging out—out ofthe D&D squad I’d probably say that Eleanor and Belsaadi would make areally good compliment to one another. Eleanor has enough gentle warmth toreign in the times that Bels tends to dip toward more bloody and not-so-goodsolutions, she’d be very good for keeping Bels firmly “good” aligned to behonest and would be a good force for her to not only look after (and thusfinally take on some responsibility) but also to keep her mindset towardherself more healthy since Eleanor’s not afraid to call people out and steerthem gently into more positive thinking. Bels would be great for Eleanor inthat Bels would probably encourage her to try to consider people’s intentionsmore. She’d let Eleanor flourish in her positivity but would actually probablybe one of the few characters that would try to curb her naivety, using her ownexperiences to guide and steer her straight. So they’d both sort of guide oneanother, which would be lovely in its own way. Bels would also absolutely callEleanor out often on her choice of men, which is something Eleanor needed tbh.

As for the whole Delry crew(which is where the likes of Cat and Henry and Malik are popping up) I wouldlove, absolutely love to have my Jester and Flavius tear shit up together. Youtake my sassy magic-eating demon-boy and mix him with the swashbuckling rogueand I’m sure they’d have some really fun adventures together. They wouldn’tnecessarily compliment each other emotionally (if anything they’d get into alot of trouble together and Jester would aggravate Flav’s want to keep peopleat a playful arm’s length and Flav would aggravate Jester’s issue of notnecessarily caring about others if he doesn’t know them at all). Still! They’dbe a fun like, fighting team in any case. Their physical and magical abilitieswould compliment in fun ways, and I’d love to write it out sometime.

#17 – WHICH OCs DON’T KNOW EACHOTHER, BUT WOULD HATE ONE ANOTHER IF THEY DID?

…Bels would hate my characterStephanie. Steph was the first dnd character I had and lawful evil, and Belswould have just enough insight on her (Steph, even though she was a bard, hadmost of her stats in intelligence) to pick up on the fact that Steph was mostlytrying to manipulate everyone into liking her. That alone would drive Bels upthe wall, but Stephanie’s need to play dumb so consistently that she keepsinformation that could ultimately help others close to her chest unless itbenefits her would make Bels want to wring her neck. Steph wouldn’t care forBelsaadi because she’d call her out all the time, and that would make heruncomfortable and honestly just. Pissed off most of the time.

#18 – WHICH OCs WOULD MAKE THEWORST COUPLE?

[steeples fingers] I.

Huh.

…

Probably my character Gawain andEleanor. Gawain’s basically a paladin housing like 200 ancient evil spiritsinside of him (like Gawain himself would be fine, but not like… the one withthe fun ghosts in him) to protect his brother. He’d probably try to see how farhe could push Eleanor’s want to “save” him by doing truly awful things—first tostrangers, then to her family and the people around her. Eleanor wouldn’t stickaround for the whole thing, but she’d hold out faith for long enough to gethurt and it would… eugh. It’d be bad. Toxic, abusive. Not a good time.

ELEANOR QUESTIONS

# 31 – DOES OC HAVE SIBLINGS? DOTHEY GET ALONG IF THEY DO? DO THEY WISH THEY HAD SOME IF THEY DON’T?

Oh yeah! Eleanor’s the youngestof several siblings and she gets along really well with all of them. In fact,of all my characters Eleanor has the most healthy like, family relationship Iswear. She was using Sending to contact her parents regularly while adventuringon the road, and even sending letters and gifts to other members of her family.I’m fairly certain she’s on good terms with her extended family too tbh.

#34 – WHAT IS SOMETHING UNUSUALOC HAS BONDED WITH SOMEONE OVER?

Perhaps the oddest—and one of myfavorites—thing Eleanor ever did to bond with someone was to dangle off of Theo’sbicep to see how strong he was. This while wearing her full armor by the way.Also her entire friendship with Athrun in general? The fact that he talked inher head constantly when he was a warlock and she was just like “mmkay!” thewhole time basically? It was pretty wild.

#39 – WHO DOES THE OC CONSIDER TOHAVE LEARNED THEIR MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON FROM?

Pelor—yeah she’s that kind ofcleric haha. Eleanor just wouldn’t be Eleanor without Pelor to guide her, it’ssuch a large part of who she is and what she does and what she views as goodthat I honestly can’t even really play her in a game that doesn’t include himin the pantheon. She’d probably follow that up with saying her father—he taughther that being kind was not always easy, it would often—in fact—be the hardestthing she could do, but to embrace her kindness because it was part of who shewas.

#40 – HOW MUCH DO OC’S FRIENDSKNOW ABOUT THEIR PRIVATE LIFE?

Eleanor is pretty open withpeople that she loves and cares about! She tends to tell those she trusts whenshe has a crush on someone, and has never been the sort that likes to lie. Shedoes, however, often hide when she’s not feeling happy or good about something—it’sher job to be the happy cheerful one after all! She’s their sunshine! Sometimesshe feels like she has to put aside her fears because of that.

FELIX QUESTIONS

#26 – DOES OC HAVE A HARD OR EASYTIME MAKING FRIENDS?

Well, considering that during aone shot Felix very warmly convinced two guards of the place we were sneakinginto that he was a recruit and ended up mopping the floors for a good portion ofthe boss battle—Felix makes friends very easily. Having a high charisma helps,but Felix is just a warm and friendly person in general. He rarely dislikespeople, and when he does he tries to see their point of view before stickingwith it. He’s pretty endearing too, even if he’s a bit of a dope.

#35 – WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANTRELATIONSHIP IN OC’S LIFE?

This is a little hard to say—currentlyI’d probably state his mother, though his friend Cass is edging up there to behonest. He’s always been supported and loved by her, and she did a lot for himwhen he was transitioning in just being a great loving force. She didn’t evenreally blame him for when the house burnt down in the end! He cares very muchabout her and wants her to stay safe, no matter where he is and what he ends updoing.

#40 – WHO MOTIVATES OC?

Is it odd to say himself? Felixisn’t a selfish boy by any means, but he believes in growing and learning andbeing the very best you can be! He doesn’t like to let things get him down forvery long, and is quick to motivate himself and push himself forward when hefeels he might end up in a slump. Though he can be sad or upset like manypeople and faces a lot of situations that make him worry, he wants to besomeone good and help people out!

BELSAADI’S QUESTIONS:

#36 – HOW HAS OC BEEN AFFECTED BYTHEIR FRIENDSHIPS?

Bels has changed so much as a character since she firststarted her journey—genuinely being loved and cared about by other people was ahuge factor in that. Bels actually kind of cares about herself now? Which isutterly wild to me. She cares abouther future, and what she does. She doesn’t want to throw her life away but livefor the people that she loves and cares about—and for herself. Which is huge. Bels started out filled to thebrim with self-loathing, half certain that the reason she was abandoned andtreated how she was was her fault. She’s grown in confidence since then, butalso in the person that she is. She’s not just someone who can turn into a bearnow, she knows her own flaws but she’s aware of her strengths too (and not justthe physical ones).

Also, god can I talk about whatwould have happened if Rowan died? She loved Rowan, Belsaadi adored Rowan. It’sthe strongest example of platonic love I have literally ever written in mywhole life. I love them and their relationship to pieces, and for a long timeif Rowan died Bels would have just. Stopped. I couldn’t imagine her withoutRowan at all.

And then I thought, but Rowanwould not like that.

And then Bels started thinking Rowan would not like that. Bels lost a lot ofpeople on her adventures—first Darth, her sort of adopted brother Meero andeven her very first friend Nilus. Rowan was the last of the main party still left with Bels, and I knew losing herwould break her heart—but it wouldn’t make Bels break herself. Or breakentirely. Or just stop trying. Because Bels lost so much she finally learned what it meant to lose people you loved.

She learned that you need to keepliving and carrying on the pieces of them with you. You try to be cautious likeDarth, but sometimes you’re reckless like Meero, you laugh like Nilus whenthings seem darkest. She learned that you’re all at once the people you loveand your own self, and that she—Belsaadi—deserved to live even if she lost itall. That she could get sad, get angry, but she could never let it poison her. Because ultimately what all thosepeople, the people that loved her, would want is for her to keep livinghappily.

Anyway. So yeah, she changed alot. My Bels, I was proud of her by the time that campaign couldn’t continue,even if we never reached the full end of her story.

#38 – HOW HAS OC BEEN AFFECTED BYTHEIR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP(S) OR LACK THEREOF?

Ah. I talk a lot about howBelsaadi falls in love easily—far easier than any of my other characters. I don’toften consider that trait a flaw, but when you go to the extent that Bels did thenI definitely do. Belsaadi was so, sodesperate for love. Even after she got it she was always clawing for it ineverything she needed—and Bels, she had a lot of love to give, but she was desperate. And that was a character flaw. Bels had a lot ofromantic relationships that were either barely touched or regrets that shenever acted on. It made her very prone to leaping headfirst into it. She lovedthe idea of love.

#43 – HOW DOES OC MEET MOSTPEOPLE?

Lately? In moments where shefeels like her life is on the line unfortunately. Or when someone else’s lifeis on the line. Whether she’s stepping through portals to answer misguidedcalls for help or if she’s trying to keep herself and her friends alive—a lotof her adventure has been GO GO GO. There haven’t been many lasting friendsthat she’s made where she was feeling something below the level of EXTREMESTRESS. Guess that’s what you get for trying to save the world.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Home and Drive-In Edition June 26, 2020 – MY SPY, IRRESISTIBLE, THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS and more!

June comes to an end as we passed through the summer solstice over the weekend. The 4th of July is next week, and the opening of movie theaters in New York and L.A. is edging closer, yet it still feels like the summer of 2020 will be forever known as the summer that never happened. I’m not even sure if I’ll be trying to predict the box office until things settle down, and we get into some semblance of normalcy, and that may never happen if scientists are to be believed that COVID will return in the fall.

The big release for the week isn’t actually coming to theaters but to Amazon, and it might be the biggest movie to air on the streamer to date. As you may have guessed from the title, I’m talking about the STXfilms action-comedy MY SPY, starring David Bautista, which was one of the first movies to be delayed when COVID hit back in March, but that was after it was already delayed a number of times before that. The simple high-concept premise has Bautista playing super-spy JJ, who is demoted to keep an eye on the wife of a suspected gunsmuggler with his tech assistant (Kristen Schaal). No sooner do they start this surveillance mission, the woman’s 9-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman) catches them and she blackmails JJ to teach her how to be a spy.

Yup, this new comedy from Peter Segal (Get Smart, Second Act) is as high concept as you can possibly get, and yet, and quite surprisingly, My Spy is rated PG-13, as opposed to be a straight-up kiddie friendly PG, but you can read more about that in my review.

Mini-Review: It seems like every potential muscle-bound action star has to have one of these movies in their filmography where they’re teamed with a young child co-star that inevitably steals all their scenes – I won’t bother to list them all. Former WWE star and Marvel regular, Dave Bautista, has a precocious co-star in Chloe Coleman, who is so delightful as Sophie you can easily forget that this is straight-up formula comedy  

I’ll be honest about the fact that totally unironically, I’ve been looking forward to seeing My Spy since I first saw a preview at Cinema-Con back in 2019. It was a bummer to miss the press screening in March, because it meant having to wait three extra months to finally watch it on my computer. Surprise, surprise, the movie more than met up to my expectations, as I found it funny, cute and from time to time, it even throws in a few unexpected surprises.

I’m definitely in the camp that Bautista hasn’t done anything particularly great as an actor outside playing Drax in the MCU, and JJ isn’t that much smarter or less muscle-bound. The set-up for his character to connect with Coleman’s Sophie is pretty obvious, but there’s no denying that Bautista and Coleman are so adorable and hilarious as an on-screen duo that it more than makes up for any of the misgivings one might have about what is meant as an accessible movie with mainstream appeal.  (In other words, this was never meant as an artfilm, so if you’re one of those snobby critics who gushed all over last year’s Uncut Gems, and you refuse to accept that there’s an audience for My Spy, then you’re a fucking hypocrite, plain and simple.)

Speaking of the F-word, I have to mention My Spy’s rating, which is not the PG one might normally expect, though it’s not due to violence or bad language or anything that awful that you couldn’t watch and enjoy this with your 8 to 10 year old. I felt I should get that out there in case any parents have misgivings.

Besides the main duo, there’s some nice added comedy from Kristen Schaal, as well as the seemingly obligatory gay neighbors, played by Devere Rogers and Noah Dalton Danby, who somehow manage to avoid stereotypes while providing a recurring bit of humor.

The movie starts getting a little predictable when Sophie pushes JJ to start dating her now-single mom, and things start losing a little steam as the movie gets away from the JJ/Sophie bonding and back to the actual plot, and that’s where the movie’s biggest problems lie. When the “villain” of the piece shows up, things get back into the usual formula that most will be expecting anyway. I will add that director Peter Segal seems to be particularly well suited at directing this, particularly when it gets into some of the action in the last act.

Sure, some of My Spy’s funniest jokes have shown up in various trailers, but turns out that it’s a fairly warm and funny movie that does its job in providing solid family entertainment.

Rating: 7/10

Jon Stewart returns to political comedy with his new movie, IRRESISTIBLE, (Focus Features), starring his former “Daily Show” correspondent Steve Carell as Gary Zimmer, the Democratic strategist who failed so horribly running the 2016 Presidential election. Undaunted, Zimmer hopes to revive the party by rallying behind a likeable everyman, Col. Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper), as he runs for mayor of the small town of Deerlaken, Wisconsin. It would seem like an odd decision but clearly, the Republicans know that Zimmer has something bigger planned so they send their own strategist, Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne), to get behind the incumbent Republican mayor.

It’s pretty obvious this movie is probably more in Stewart’s wheelhouse than his previous film, Rosewater, but it also has more mainstream appeal and could help Stewart continue to get directing work in the future. Sure, there have been many similar political comedies like this that have tried to find the audience -- Bob Roberts, Primary Colours, Wag the Dog,Swing Vote -- but I’m not sure any of those came out when the country has been as divided as it is now.

It’s pretty nice seeing Stewart reuniting with Carell, who does a decent job in this fish-out-of-water comedy that mostly relies on how a DC bigwig might acclimate to a sociable smalltown – think Groundhog Day to the Nth level – which makes this comedy fall more into the vein of  Matt Damon and John Krasinski’s Promised Land, which I thought was a very underrated political film.

I’m a big Rose Byrne stan, and once again, we can see how delightfully funny she can be when playing such an awful person like Faith Brewster, but there’s quite a bit of fun awkward sexual tension between her and Carell. Another part of the equation is Hastings grown daughter, played by Mackenzie Davis, and most people watching this will probably hope this doesn’t go too far into that romantic realm, and thankfully, it doesn’t.

Irresistible may be a little predictable at times, but there’s a nice turn towards the end that makes up for some of the more obvious aspects of the storytelling, and Stewart certainly seems to be enough in his element to make this not too horrible an experience.

This week’s “Featured Film” is Peter Medak’s documentary, THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS (1091), about how Hungarian filmmaker ran into problems with Sellers while trying to make the 1973 pirate comedy Ghost in the Noonday Sun, an experience that almost ruined the filmmaker’s career. It’s kind of interesting for a filmmaker to take an in-depth look back at his own failures, but Medak’s story is particularly touching, only because it didn’t seem like he stood a chance when Sellers refused to show up on set and then brought in his equally eclectic best friend Spike Milligan to work on the script and create even more chaos.

Honestly, I have never seen Ghost in the Noonday Sun, but I enjoy a lot of Medak’s films that followed, including The Changeling and the excellent Romeo is Bleeding, so I went into this doc knowing that this incident didn’t completely kill Medak’s career, but obviously, it had a huge effect. It ends up being a fairly emotional film as Medak interviews some of the producers on the film as well as Milligan’s widows and others who were around during that period. He also learns new things about how he was dismissed from the project and used as a scapegoat for all the problems faced by the production, which began when the boat built for the movie crashed upon arriving in Cypress.  I generally like movies about the making of movies even when I haven’t seen the original movie, and Medak finds a way to offer some true sentiment and emotional insight into his tenuous relationship with Sellers.

Out now on VOD is Laura Holliday’s DADDY ISSUES (Gravitas Ventures), starring Kimberley Datnow as a Henrietta, a 20-something stand-up who has moved from London back to L.A. to take over the family business after her father dies and leaves her the company. She takes on this challenge in hopes of earning her now dead father’s approval.

I knew from almost the minute this started that I was going to hate this twee high concept indie that seems like so many other indie movies where the person putting it together had so many ideas but not enough actual story glue to hold all those ideas together. It’s fairly obvious from the slice of “Henry’s” stand-up set that begins this movie that she isn’t particularly funny. On top of that, she seems like another one of those spoiled and entitled Millennials who just isn’t happy unless she’s getting her own way. When the story quickly shifts  to L.A., and she’s surrounded by even more annoying Millennials, it gets even worse, especially because it feels the need to follow her best friend and housemate on their own journeys as well.

I have to say, as someone who didn’t automatically hate the recent Valley Girl remake, that Daddy Issues is infinitely worse, not only because it doesn’t have the fun musical numbers but just because it seems like such a precious endeavor that doesn’t seem like it will really be able to connect with anyone other than the filmmakers.  I found Datnow’s Henrietta to be so pathetic and again, not very funny, so getting through this movie was grueling, to say the least. At one point, Henri falls for an asshole named Hunter whom she had one date with. When that doesn’t work, she tries to reconnect with a couple other idiotic guys, but then she goes back with Hunter, and the whole time I was watching this movie thinking, “What’s the point? Are there really people this stupid and annoying on the planet?” (That’s rhetorical.)

Jon Swab’s RUN WITH THE HUNTED (Vertical) stars Michel Pitt, Ron Perlman and Dree Hemingway, and it will premiere On Demand this Friday. At first, it follows a young boy named Oscar (Mitchell Paulson), who commits a murder and runs away from home, leaving his childhood friend Loux wondering where he went after saving her from an abusive father. Oscar joins a band of misfit kids who pick pockets and commit crimes, but 15 years later, Loux goes looking for Oscar (now played by Michael Pitt).  

I’m not even sure where to begin with this indie crime-thriller that’s so flawed from beginning to end, it was tough to get through most of it.  The first hour deals with the younger Oscar and much of it deals with him getting in with a teen girl named Peaches and a young gang of hoodlums, led by Mark Boone Junior and Ron Perlman. It’s kind of interesting seeing Perlman playing the leader of a group of young pickpockets and thieves since he played the protector of those sorts of kids in one of my favorite movies, The City of Lost Children. That’s really the only thing those two movies have in common, as this feels like another poorly-realized attempt at… possibly modernizing Oliver Twist? (I mean, the band le by Pitt’s character are even referred to as “The Lost Boys,” so it’s obvious that Swab didn’t care too much about originality.

The sad truth is that Pitt has been fairly mediocre as an actor lately, after showing so much promise in his early days, and Run with the Hunted doesn’t really offer anything particularly new to what’s generally a pretty tired genre. Perlman is one of the better parts of the movie along with Isiah Whitlock (last seen in Da Five Bloods), and they have a fine scene together, but otherwise, the material is weak, and it leads to a dull and often outright dumb offering.

I still haven’t figured out what Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is, but apparently, it’s a spoof comedy starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams that will debut on Netflix this Friday. It also reunites McAdams with her Wedding Crashers director, David Dobkin, so I’ll definitely check it out, since it looks very funny. 

Mini-Review: I have to admit this movie seemed to come from out of nowhere. I really felt like I only started hearing about it when the trailer debuted last week, but otherwise, I had no idea that Ferrell had reteamed with his Wedding Crashers director and with that film’s romantic lead, Rachel McAdams. What this spoof comedy has going for it is that it combines a number of things I enjoy, including music and Iceland.

Will Ferrell plays Lars Erikson, one half of the synth duo Fire Saga, with his childhood friend Sigrit (McAdams), the two of them having the life-long dream of representing Iceland in the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Lars also has to contend with his disapproving father, played by Pierce Brosnan, but in general, everyone in their Icelandic town thinks they’re awful. They seem like longshots to represent Iceland in the song contest but an unfortunate incident leaves them as the only option.

We might as well get out of the way the fact that this is essentially a one or two joke comedy that follows the formula of so many other Will Ferrell movies, including Blades of Glory, but if you’re a fan of his comedy, then you’ll probably enjoy his latest offering, which he also co-wrote and produced. When Dan Stevens shows up as the Russian competitor, Alexander Lemtov, who has machinations for Sigrid, it’s pretty easy to figure out where things are going.

Either you like what Ferrell does while in full-on “idiot mode” or not, and Fire Saga’s on-stage mishaps probably offer the biggest laughs. The other level of humor involves just how silly the actual Eurovision is, even though it’s obviously more of a European thing than it is something that Americans will understand. I’ve always loved Rachel McAdams, and I generally think she’s better when she’s doing comedy, as she makes for a great counter to Ferrell’s zaniness.

In general, the movie allows actors like McAdams, Stevens and Brosnan to goof around and have a fun time being as outlandish as Ferrell.  (Just watching Brosnan trying to pull off an Icelandic accent may be worth the price of admission alone.)

Make no mistake that this is not a small movie, and it’s quite a huge production when you consider all the enormous musical numbers representing the different international contestants. I could have easily seen this doing decently in theaters, although its 2-hour run time does seem a bit frivolous since there’s also quite a bit that could have been trimmed.

As much as Eurovision Song Contest leans heavy on its main overall joke about Fire Saga being quite inept, particularly Ferrell’s Lars, I generally enjoy this type of spoof of comedy even when it ventures into very predictable territory. In the end, Eurovision Song Contest offers as many laughs as Popstar: Never Stop Stopping, even if it’s not quite as heady as a movie like Walk Hard.

Rating: 7/10

Former lawyer turned filmmaker, Cam Cowan’s documentary, Madagasikara (Global Digital Releasing), takes a look at three women in Madagascar fighting for the survival of their families and education of their children amidst domestic political instability and the poverty that’s been caused by it. Cowan made his first trip to Madagascar in June 2014 and spent four years filming and doing post on the documentary which will debut on Amazon Prime and Docurama Friday after its festival run, but will be available platforms down the line.

The Blind Melon/Shannon Hoon doc All I Can Say (Oscilloscope) has the singer returning from the grave by compiling the many videos he filmed of himself between 1990 and 1995 before his death at the age of 28.  Co-directed by Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould and Colleen Hennessy, it will hit virtual cinemas as well as record stores and music venues this Friday.  (Not quite sure how that all works, but hey, I was never really a Blind Melon fan anyway.)

Coming to Virtual Cinema on Friday is Ina Weiss’ The Audition (Strand Releasing) that follows a violin teacher named Anna Bronchy (Nina Hoss) who finds talent within Alexander, a student at the music-focused high school, neglecting her own family in the process.

Opening in Virtual Cinema Friday through almost 50 arthouse theaters across the country, including Brooklyn’s BAM, is the British-Nigerian drama, The Last Tree (Artmattan Films) from filmmaker Shola Amoo, which received a number of awards at the British Independent Film Award after its Sundance 2019 World Premiere.

Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema will present Three Short Films by Sergei Parajanov (FilmLinc), featuring work by the Armenian-Georgian filmmaker that range from 1967 through 1988. FilmLinc will also premiere Bora Kim’s 2018 South Korean film, House of Hummingbird (West Go USA/Kino Marquee), a Berlinale prize winner set in that country I 1994, as it follows a 14-year-old through a series of romances and indiscretions.

Film Forum’s own Virtual Cinema will conclude its Alaistar Sim trilogy with the 1951 comedy, Laughter in Paradise, directed by Mario Zampi, as well as screen Zhang Yimou’s 1995 film Shanghai Triad, starring Gong Li. (There’s actually a lot of movies available via Virtual Cinema that will end this Friday, including two series of Kid Flicks shorts, so definitely try to go through the listings and catch what you can!)

This week also sees the third and final volume of Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time with Volume 3 looking at “Comedy and Camp,” once again hosted by Joe Dante, John Waters, Ileana Douglas and Kevin Pollak. Some of the movies covered in this volume include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Rock and Roll High School, Office Space, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Showgirls with guests that include Gina Gershon, John Cleese, Fred Willard, Jon Heder and many more. I really have enjoyed this documentary series, and if you’re a fan of movies that are just a little outside leftfield, this is a great addition to your library.

Available on DVD this Friday is the documentary No Small Matter (Abramorama), co-directed by Danny Alpert, Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, which looks at early childhood education and how that has changed how kids learn, now at an earlier age than ever.

This week’s big virtual festival is the 25th Nantucket Film Festival, which will be running from June 23 – 30 with a combination of films and events like a number of “In Their Shoes..” talks with Norman Lear and screenwriter Eric Roth (both hosted by my pal Ophira Eisenberg), as well as one with improv comics, Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, that one moderated by Michel Ian Black. Also, the Oxford Film Festival will screen two features virtually starting on Friday, Mindy Beldsoe’s The In Between and Braden King’s The Evening Hour, although the latter can only be viewed in Mississippi.You can get tickets for both on Oxford’s Eventive site.

Also this weekend, there are a few returning shows, but they’re coming to HBO Max only, and that includes the third season of Search Party and the second season of Doom Patrol, which originally premiered on DC Universe. So yeah, there’s definitely a lot to watch this weekend.

Netflix will also release George Lopez’s new stand-up special, George Lopez: We’ll Do It In Half on Saturday and the third season of the German series, Dark.

Next week, it’s the 4th of July weekend, and we’ll have more movies not necessarily in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[mattbrothersscriptwriter]

My Top 20 Films of 2019 - Part One

I’m back and prising open this tomb of a blog like I’m Lara bloody Croft, let’s do this thing.

2019 was a huge year for movies and thanks in part to my ever obsessive Letterboxd account, i chalked up 150 total 2019 movies seen, which is... too many. Thanks again in part to the rise of Netflix originals, broader theatrical releases and a handful of festival showings (Sundance London, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Frightfest etc), I saw as much as I could. STILL some I didn’t catch (Rocketman, Shazam... Cats...) but as always, for my full breakdown, jump over to my Letterboxd ranking here - https://letterboxd.com/matt_bro/list/films-of-the-year-2019/

20. The Death of Dick Long

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this, partly because it’s from one half of the ‘Daniels’ duo, who made the equally expectation-defying Swiss Army Man and also because I saw it at Sundance London back when there was no poster, trailer and barely a logline. Some vague word of mouth from Sundance proper was about it. And that’s how I’d recommend seeing it - as blind as you can - as it’s many surprises are unlike anything I’ve really seen before.

It’s a triumph of carefully balanced tone and pitch perfect black humour. Essentially a Fargo-esque tale of two idiot hillbillys who get involved in the mysterious, titular death of their friend Dick Long (played in a cameo by director Daniel Scheinert), things slowly unravel as they realise that in reality, covering your tracks and getting away with a crime is, actually, pretty damn unlikely. The tension that mounts as hidden truths inevitably begin to come to light can rival any straight thriller and the humour always comes from a place of character. But the genius comes in the film’s ability to maintain said tone with a straight face once a very specific spoiler comes to light. It’s deliberately absurdist but you still find yourself swerving from laughing at it to being wholly invested at the sincere pathos and tragi-comedy on display. The film, for all it’s surreal trappings, never punches down at it’s characters, treating them as flawed and vulnerable as any of us, and the leads Michael Abbott Jr and Andre Hyland remain a wholly tragic and relatable pair - against all odds.

19. The Farewell

Lulu Wang’s immensely crowd pleasing indie sensation manages to be many things - a witty comedy, an ode to family, an examination of another culture’s traditions and a character study of the American-Asian experience. Like most really great movies, it’s universal appeal comes from it’s specificity - telling a unique story based in a human truth that taps into themes we can all relate to: alienation from one’s own family, feeling like you don’t belong, truth and honesty within our closest relationships and our own mortality. Or more specifically still; how we would want to face death should we be fortunate/unfortunate enough to know that is is coming.

Awkwafina really is a revelation here, showing off her dramatic chops with a heartfelt performance that utilises her strengths as a funny everywoman and as a tortured individual trying to understand not only her own relatives but herself as well. The whole cast are equally impressive, especially Chen Han and Aoi Mizuhara as the clueless couple getting married and of course, Zhao Shuzhen as Nai Nai - delivering a touching portrayal of a grandmotherly figure we can all recognise. Definitely one of the most moving films of the year for me, it’s a marvel that never succumbs to easy schmaltz or signposted resolutions.

18. Pain and Glory

I’m a big admirer of Pedro Almodovar’s body of work, having studied him since college but I’d be hard pressed to say I was a proper fan. I went into this off the back of it’s buzz and came out more profoundly moved than I first predicted. This very self reflective piece tackles a lot of Almodovar staples - Spain throughout the decades, the pain of love, film-making, mothers! - but is so strongly rooted in a career best Antonion Banderas, here playing a thinly veiled and somewhat fictionalised version of Almodovar himself.

Like The Farewell, it is deeply personal but incredibly universal, dealing with life long regrets and suppressed trauma and memory. Cruz the Muse is back in magnetic form and the tenderness in both the flashbacks and present day make for a surprisingly comforting watch about an awful lot of self-examination. It also cannot be understated how strong Banderas is here, possibly the most human I’ve ever seen the man known for playing gun toting mariachis, sword wielding masked heroes and... sword wielding, um... cats. It’s possibly his most mature and unflashy role in years but he reminds us why he’s such a consistent and evergreen movie star ten times over here.

17. Dolemite Is My Name

Eddie Murphy is back baby! This was hands down one of the most joyful and life affirming films this year, so much so that I’m gutted I didn’t see it in a packed cinema instead of on Netflix. Still, it’s a huge win for the streamer. Before now, it’s been easy enough to write off a ‘Netflix’ movie as one of three things - the modern equivalent of going ‘straight to video’, a blank check passion project for a headline grabbing filmmaker (Noah Baumbach, the Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese) or a big blatant push for awards glory (Roma). But this breaks through and hits the sweet spot, being the sort of mid-budget biopic the studios used to put out, a comeback vehicle for one of our most missed stars and as a straight up killer piece of film making all round.

From the writers of Ed Wood and the director of Hustle and Flow, Murphy stars as Rudy Ray Moore, a true over-the-hill underdog who stubbornly chases his dreams of reaching stardom as a middle aged man, who refuses to be put down in the face of mass criticism and overwhelming odds. It’s an empowerment story about pursuing what you believe in and saying fuck you to the haters. It understands that the only judge you need to answer to is yourself. It’s a testament to the power of a minority voice, in finding the unstoppable force who will fight to be seen - not just by his peers but by society at large. 

I’m a sucker for films about a group of people stretched outside of their natural talents who strive to create something that wasn’t there before. Whether it’s Ed Wood or The Disaster Artist, Brigbsy Bear or Bowfinger - these movies never fail to strike a chord with me. I think championing a belief in yourself, often in the face of huge pessimism or swarms of naysayers, is so incredibly important and seeing these central figures who probably shouldn’t have succeeded, manage to do so, is so touching. The scene in the limo when they read the shitty reviews of their movie and all take a moment to arrive at the conclusion of ‘fuck them, we made a movie, it’s ours’ is an antidote to everybad review any creative endeavour may end up receiving. If it’s important to you, that’s all that matters but like all art, even if you reach one person and affect their life for the better, then it’s all been worth it.

Shining a light on the rise of Blaxploitation also helps to champion an era of outsider art that reflected the lives of millions and gave many more than chance to see themselves represented on screen as their OWN heroes and not just reductive stereotypes. Plus... Snipes is also back baby! Cripes it’s Snipes!

16. Monos

What a gargantuan feat this film is. Shooting in some of the most inhospitable locations ever seen, this tense, survivalist story of a band of young soldiers slowly imploding whilst they guard an American hostage is elemental and animalistic - a 21st century Lord of the Flies for sure.

Moises Arias is unrecognisable here as the eventual alpha Bigfoot. A former Disney star, he is most fondly remembered by me as the polar opposite Biaggio in one of my other favourite films of the decade, The Kings of Summer. The rest of the cast are fantastic too, from the captured Dr Watson (Julianne Nicholson) to the morally torn Rambo (Sofia Buenaventura). With some of the most breathtaking cinematography of the year to yet another stunning Mica Levi score, this feels like a lost Herzog masterpiece from the 70s. In other words, the kind of impossible thriller that you see all too rarely these days.

15. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Any new Tarantino is a cause for celebration, especially as he approaches his long-threatened ‘final’ 10th movie. I’m a massive western guy so I’d been loving his detour into the genre through both Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight but was definitely looking forward to his depiction of 1960s Hollywood. And Tarantino being Tarantino, the western influences manage to find their way into most, if not all, of his filmography.

OUATIH certainly ended up a divisive piece. Too much of an aimless character hangout for some, not enough dramatic bite for others. I was initially left a bit cold myself, knowing I’d enjoyed what I’d seen but wondering if it would go up or down in my estimations upon a second viewing. While that second viewing still hasn’t taken place yet, I tend to believe it will be even more favourable knowing where it’s all heading. I’m in the camp that loved where this film ended up and thought it stuck the landing wonderfully and in DiCaprio and Pitt, the film found a truly dynamic and compelling central friendship fuelled by two A-listers back on A-list form. The two veterans instantly deliver some of their best work in years (DiCaprio is 10x more alive here than he was in his Oscar winning turn in The Revenant) and 2019 would go on to be Pitt’s year, alongside Ad Astra. Margot Robbie is luminous in her limited screentime and while some were disappointed she wasn’t more of a major player, he Tate is arguably the lynchpin of the whole piece. Perhaps more as a symbol than a person, sure, but the scene where she gets to witness the joy her big screen clowning brings others (complete with tactfully judged real life Tate footage) is magic.

At first glance, this could seem like QT regressing somewhat but there are moments in here that stand out as some of his best work, from DiCaprio’s stroppy meltdown to Pitt’s visit to Spahn Ranch to the whole bloody climax. If it ends up being the odd duck of his filmography (Four Rooms aside) then it will end up all the more interesting and I am already captivated.

14. Stan & Ollie

Easily the most underrated film of the year in my eyes, I sort of understand most people’s dismissal of this charming biopic as grey pound fodder and even I admit that it falls into a sub-genre quickly approaching cliche: ageing Golden Age Hollywood movie stars have one last stab at fame and redemption by reviving a stage act in the UK - see also Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool and Judy. But this is so sweetly put together in every sense and manages to transcend the biopic trappings to create a more loving portrait of two old friends accepting that they love each other. It’s about male, platonic love and that in itself is rare enough.

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly are incredible as Laurel and Hardy respectively, both disappearing into the roles completely. Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda provide brilliant comic support as their two very mismatched wives. The decision to focus on the duo’s later years, rather than to speed chronologically through their early days and movie making prime (glimpsed in the opening flashback) means that the film is free to draw pathos from a life long lived. There are mere hints at the history between them; chasms of time that hold so much importance yet are left to us (and to the actors) to speculate about, to draw from and to imagine. The performances are so strong that you can feel the weight of their professional careers in a sideways glance or a barbed retort or an exasperated sigh. It’s so much more interesting and allows practically the whole film to feed off this feeling that their entire lives are about to reach an impasse that we’re about to witness. This is the emotional resolution to the story of Laurel and Hardy and it’s wonderful to know that this is how it went down in real life too - that two lifelong colleagues couldn’t see how much they meant to each other until it was all about to come to an end. 

Ultimately, it’s a story of loyalty and friendship in the face of a fast approaching curtain call. It’s bittersweet and truly sad, watching these two iconic titans perform to tiny crowds and hopelessly chase the dream of a comeback they both know, deep down, is long dead. It also contains two of the most tear-jerking scenes of the year: the very public bust up after one of their shows (”You loved Laurel and Hardy... but you never loved me”) and the ‘turn’ in the climax that wrong footed me so suddenly, despite it’s arguable foreshadowing, that I was almost immediately weeping. A truly touching British film of the highest calibre, it’s much more affecting that you might believe.

13. The Favourite

How does it feel like a million years since I saw this? Man, 2019 was long! Yorgos Lanthimos’ biggest hit yet, this is full of wild, punk energy and gives the period piece a real anarchic streak. Easily the best three hander in years, the ever evolving dynamic between Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone (hot off an Oscar win) and QUEEN Olivia Coleman (heading directly into an Oscar win) is a joy to watch. The dialogue is biting, the visuals sumptuous and the debauched attitude running through it makes it a wicked fun time. It’s influence is already being felt too - just check out that teaser trailer for the new Emma!

12. The Art of Self Defense

Unfairly shafted to VOD, I caught Riley Stern’s follow up to the ace Faults on the big screen whilst in Edinburgh, along with a fellow filmmaker and we had an absolute blast. Playing like a capital D dark comedy mash up of Fight Club and The Foot Fist Way if directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, Jesse Eisenberg utilises his weedy, beta male persona into an effective portrayal of a guy sick of being shit on in life, who takes up karate lessons after a traumatic mugging and slowly descends into a cult-like world of aggressive toxic masculinity. 

It’s a fantastic satire of perceived manliness, with some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen all year instantly flipping into something completely shocking. It’s another great showcase for Imogen Poots, who seems to be most often caught playing students despite being in her 30s (looking at you, Black Christmas) but it’s Alessandro Nivola who utterly owns this movie as the intimidating dojo leader; a truly twisted creation that, in a just world, would be generating some serious awards buzz. Mark my words now that by the time the Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark lands later in 2020, we’ll suddenly all be talking about him.

11. Us

Another one that feels about three years old already, Jordan Peele’s Get Out follow up finds him with free reign to really get crazy (”you wanna get crazy?”) as he uses his blank check on another bitingly original horror social satire. Leaning a bit more heavily into both the straight up genre elements AND the often-times confusing social allegories, Us is a cabin in the woods slasher that evolves into a Twilight Zone ‘what-if’ scenario before going all out with it’s underlying metaphor.

The results can occasionally be mixed but the sheer ambition on display here is invigorating and it’s captivating to sit back and let a writer/director present something to you as unique and multifaceted as this. His love for horror fuels a tense plot that constantly looks to re-shuffle the stakes every twenty minutes, Lupita Nyong’o is mindbogglingly good as two very different versions of ‘one’ character and Elisabeth Moss is the supporting standout of choice, making 2019 her year with this alongside the brilliant Her Smell... (let’s not mention The Kitchen).

COMING UP - a Canadian stuntman, a wheel of knives, space baboons and every superhero ever

[linchan637]

I’m in Love with Lost Love in Times

I’ve been trying to find a really good C-drama since Scarlet Heart with the right blend of fantasy/history, heartache, and story, and I think I’ve found it in Lost Love in Times. It is, without a doubt, the most engaged I’ve been with a C-drama in a long time - let’s hope it continues to be that way.

Mild spoilers ahead.

Story

Qing Chen is a Mage, a magic user sworn to protect the Wei State. Yuan Ling is the 4th prince, a general meant to bring peace to his people. After being saved by Qing Chen, Yuan Ling takes over the throne and is determined to marry her. However, nothing good can come between the union of the Grand Sorceress and the Emperor. When Yuan Zhan, the 7th prince, throws a coup on the couple’s wedding, Qing Chen is forced to cast a spell to reset the world, where she will make things right and swear to not be the cause for her love’s downfall.

Comments: The first five episodes go by so fast that if you blink you might miss it. But once we get to the altered timeline where the meat of the story is, it keeps going at a brisk, refreshing pace. Conflicts arise and get solved within the next episode or two but there are always consequences so it never feels like things just happen for no reason. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve watched a drama where there is a logical progression of story where events scaffold on one another, where the big event everything leads to actually meets and exceeds my expectations. I really hope for this pacing and story to continue as it has because it’s great so far.

Characters

Qing Chen (Cecilia Liu) is a wonderful mix of intelligent, cunning, and proactive. She initiates a lot of her interactions with the other characters and is always doing something to move the story forward in a transparent way. For example, when she is investigating a brothel that’s a cover-up for a cult of Dark/Black Mages, she goes to ask Yuan Ling for advice because he had looked into them before. There is no time for any shenanigans here, no “I can’t tell him I’m doing this thing because I’m a noble idiot” that so many other dramas do. I love it.

Yuan Ling (William Chan) is aloof, serious, and confident. Like Qing Chen, he’s very proactive in the story and doesn’t bother trying to play games. It also helps that he acknowledges the females around him as equals in intelligence and physical strength. When the other mages (who are female) help him during an ambush, he doesn’t brush them off but kindly says thanks and that’s that. No need to act macho or anything.

Yuan Zhan (Xu Hai Qiao) is calm, refined, and loves music and flowers. At first, he’s not into politics and wants to stay out of it. But when his mother kills his brother to frame Yuan Ling, he goes straight into action and is shown to have a strong sense of morality. He’s a nice foil to Yuan Ling as an intellectual and more emotional partner to Qing Chen.

The whole cast of characters are well put together. It helps that each one feels like they have lives outside the main story and are shown to be just as competent as the main trio. The villains' plans are thought out and their motives aren’t just petty things. The other supporting characters have just enough screen time to showcase their abilities and honestly do a lot for the main story.

And FOR ONCE, there isn’t an evil, jealous girl who’s out to get our heroine or do stupid things to get our heroes’ attention. Like, thank you.

Technical Stuff

The costumes are well put together except for a few choices of head pieces. Lots of flowing sleeves and soft fabrics, which is my type of thing. I couldn’t be happier.

Cinematography is done well here, as well as integration of CGI. When we’re in a more fantastical setting, you can tell, but it’s not so much in your face. Also, no CGI talking animals so far, so everything’s alright with me. There is a little too much sparkle for me, but that’s more of a personal preference.

Stunt work is done well and integrates the magic nicely when we need it. There are a few nonsense hand motions that I find cheesy, but nothing that takes away from the story.

Overall, I like the way the drama looks. It adds more to the story than it takes away.

Ramblings - Female Characters and Complex, Mutual Relationships

I love how equal men and women are in Lost Love’s universe. The Mages, for the most part, are all female and are treated with just as much respect as the trained warriors (because that’s what they are). The relationships we see between men and women are generally mutual and based on admiration and acknowledgment of the other’s strengths. Even when relationships aren’t mutual, there’s a common understanding of why. This makes for more interesting conflicts down the road and more complex relationships.

The first couple we actually see on screen is Xi Xie and Tao Yao, two top-ranking Mages. The former is Qing Chen’s mentor and father figure. The latter is her senior and mother figure. They’re clearly a couple, but never act on it because of their devotion to the Wei and the Mages. They both understand where the other is coming from and would do anything to protect what the other wants. At the same time, they aren’t completely dependent on the other. Tao Yao is competent in her own right and is shown coming up with her own strategies and fending for herself quite well. In the altered timeline, Xi Xie is missing but that doesn’t stop Tao Yao from protecting the other Mages by basically building an underground city. She loves Xi Xie, sure, but isn’t going to let that stop her from defending her sisters.

Another great female character is Princess Duo Xia of the neighboring A-Chai tribe. She is first shown on screen commanding her own small army to free the captured Mages so they can help her people. Later, she fights Yuan Ling and is bested by him. It is then that she decides she wants to marry him, but she explains that her reasons aren’t just that he beat her in martial arts or that he’s handsome. She knows of his reputation as a general and thinks that that’s what the A-Chai need. She isn’t being petty or single-minded. She’s thinking of all sides of her situation and picking the best option. When she confesses later and guesses Yuan Ling loves Qing Chen, and instead of plotting to murder Qing Chen (which is soooo refreshing for a second female lead in these kinds of dramas), she acknowledges Yuan Ling’s feelings for another and doesn’t try to push the issue. Then she challenges Qing Chen because she KNOWS Qing Chen loves Yuan Ling but won’t act on it. There is a mutual understanding of feelings, and that makes Duo Xia’s relationship to both so much more fun to watch.

Honestly, I can go on and on, but I’m gonna stop there because I think you get my point.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Because of the great characters, interesting story, and visuals, I’m gonna stick with this drama. It’s the only one so far that’s managed not to play into too many annoying cliches and stands out from the plethora of historical, fantasy romance I’ve seen so far.

If you’re also looking for a C-drama with smart characters, a faster pace story, and beautiful visuals, this is one to watch. Just hold out through the first five episodes and I swear it’ll be worth it.

[emeraldxmonarch]

Amori Aetherium (Pt. 8)

(AND HERE IT IS!!!! The plot twisty chapter 8!! I will warn you that there is a MAJOR plot twist in this chapter, and the plot for the story is officially going to take off now! A GIGANTIC thanks to @voice-addicted for all of her help editing and helping me work out how to put the plot twist in!! Thank you so much honey!! <3 Couldn’t have done it with her, or without all of you lovely readers <3.

I hope you enjoy~!

P.S: If anyone can figure out where her middle name is from, you literally will get ALL of the cookies >w<

-SxW)

~Previous Chapter~                                                             ~Next Chapter~

Feyre was drinking tea with Elain when she heard the soft footsteps on the stairs. She glanced up, expecting to see Rhys or Nesta coming down, and almost dropped her cup when she saw Amarantha.

“Oh, you’re awake! I’m glad.” Feyre rushed to get up, and Elain watched the girl carefully, who seemed to shrink away from them both. It was obvious that she didn’t expect to see the High Lady of the Night Court casually drinking tea.

“M-My High Lady...I never...I’m so sorry...I...” She tried to stutter out, and quickly bowed at the waist, causing Feyre to slightly panic. “No, No! You don’t have to do that.” She rushed forward and gently straightened out the trembling girl. “I’d like to talk to you...so please, relax. No one will hurt you here. I promise you that.” Amarantha stared at her in awe, wondering if she was dreaming because her High Lady was promising her, a servant girl, protection? But why?

What did she do to deserve that?

“But...My Lady...” 

“Feyre.” 

“..I’m sorry?” 

“My name is Feyre. I’d prefer you’d use that.”

“Ah...I...don’t think it would be very proper...I’m just a lowly servant...I couldn’t just call my High Lady by her given name...” 

Feyre sighed softly, and gave her a slight pout. “I can’t force you, but I would prefer that over High Lady.”

Amarantha blushed and ducked her head, honestly finding the pout more cute than anything, before bowing slightly. “Well, either way, we do have some questions for you. Come into the main room, but you can relax. Like I said, we won’t lay a hand on you.” Feyre gently led the nervous girl into the living room, and sat her down in the armchair. “Wait here while everyone comes in. If you’d like something to eat or drink, just ask Nuala or Cerridwen.” With that, Feyre walked away further into the house and left Amarantha to her own devices.

                                                            ~ 

Feyre was...conflicted to say the least. This girl felt like the complete opposite of that Queen. Physical appearance aside, she was meek and quiet around her, lacking any kind of confidence or even malice. But....she would have to leave the character analyzation to the others. She’s had enough experience of a gentle demeanor hiding a complete demon inside (CoughIantheCough). She remembered how a mistake in judgement, almost cost her her freedom. Cost her sisters their humanity. And the sick satisfaction of feeding that bitch to the Weaver. 

It was worth it. 

After a few quiet words, Rhysand appeared with both Cassian and Azriel. She walked upstairs, and quietly informed her sisters and Mor that they were downstairs.

Soon, the entire Inner Circle of the Night Court was ready for this questioning. 

                                                                 ~

Amarantha wasn’t sure what was scarier, sharing a bed with Keir’s nephew, or seeing Cassian up close. She was leaning towards the latter. 

With his wings flared, and his body straight and tense, he was every bit the Commander she heard rumors of. 

“I’m going to ask you a few questions. It would be in your best interest to answer us honestly.”

Scratch scary, terrifying fits better. “Y-Yes My Lord...” She bowed her head in what she hoped looked respectful. 

When Feyre heard the “My Lord”, she had to bite back a smile, being reminded of the first time she spoke to Cassian. By the looks on Rhys’ and Mor’s faces, they remembered the same thing.

“What is your name?” 

She bit her lip, before looking up, and quietly choking out, “A-Amarantha...Amarantha Izalith...I have no memory of my last name...”

There was a collective flinch from the group, including Amarantha, who cursed every bit of her fate. 

But before Cassian could speak again, Elain spoke up, “Do you have a nickname..?” 

Amarantha looked at her almost desperately, “Y-Yes, Yes! My...friends used to call me Amara...and my cousin used to call me Iza from my middle name..” At that, Elain gave a soft smile. “Then let’s use Amara, shall we?” 

The relief was clear on her face, and it tugged on Feyre’s heart. Even Rhys had to admit it was a little heartbreaking to see how relieved she was to be called by something she was familiar with. 

“Well...Amara, how did you stay in the Court without revealing your name?”

“I...was referred to the job by my cousin...and when Keir met me...he never asked for a name...” She slowly wrapped her arms around her waist, “So I never gave him one...the only ones who knew were the servants who knew me before  I came to work there...” Cassian took a deep breath, not enjoying what he was going to ask next.

“How far did your relationship with Keir’s nephew extend.” He offered a silent apology when he saw the color drain from her face. 

“I....May I ask what you mean My Lord..?” She desperately tried to remain respectful, but the question was vague. He sighed softly, before looking at her.

“Call me Cassian, and what I mean is, were you involved in any inside dealings alongside him, because of the fact you shared a bed with him.” 

She felt sick. 

“No...No...I swear it...Our....relationship only extended to...” Heat flared in her cheeks, and she couldn’t keep her eye contact with the Commander, “To the bed chambers....I have no knowledge of his or Lord Keir’s planning and inside works of the Court...I was not allowed within the meeting rooms, even as his personal servant...and I saw the result of...asking too many questions from the other servant girls...”

Cassian took a deep breath, and after a glance at Azriel, nodded. “I’m sorry. But  I needed to know. How did you come on the trip to Velaris? The agreement was only for Keir and his own inner court.”

Her eyes widened at his apology, but tries to keep herself focused on his questions, “Keir’s nephew...recommended me as his personal servant, and Keir didn’t question him..he knew I wanted to see Velaris after the stories I had heard..”

Cassian’s expression softened slightly, and nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you, Amara...” 

She stared at him in shock, “N-No...I should be thanking you! You...you all saved me...and...I can never express my gratitude...” She scrambled up and bowed deeply in front of the Inner Circle, and Feyre is the one who quickly piped up. “Please. You don’t need to be so formal with us..” She glanced outside, and saw the sun beginning to set. “Actually, A..Amara, will you come outside with me?” She silently cursed the soft stutter in saying her name and motioned the confused girl to the door. “Follow me”

Feyre led her outside, and Rhys curiously followed the duo. 

Feyre took her a ways down, to the Sidra, where the Sun was shining in rays of red and gold right on the water, reflecting it across Velaris.

Amara’s eyes teared up when she saw the sunset, and stared out at the water, wandering closer to the edge of the water. The sunlight reflected across her face and body, and she stretched her hands out towards the water, never having seen something so beautiful in her life. 

Both Feyre and Rhys watched her, in some sort of trance, and Feyre very softly broke the silence, “Do you like it..?”

Amara twirled around on her heel, excitement lighting up her face almost as brightly as the sunlight that illuminated her figure from behind, her blue eyes brimming with tears from the happiness that was bursting in her chest, “Yes! Yes I love it!” 

And that’s when it happened.

A force, so powerful, so primitive, that it slammed into Rhys and Feyre first, and then Amara, so hard that it knocked Amara off her feet, and Feyre was brought to her knees. Rhys staggered back, and they could all feel it.

They could feel a thread, a thread that connected the three of them together.

First Rhys realized it.

Then Feyre.

and finally Amara.

A mating bond had snapped into place, between the three of them.

And connected them together. 

[thesffcorner]

Men In Black: International

MiB: International is the fourth film in the MIB franchise, or possibly the first in a spin-off series, set in the same universe. No matter how you want to look at it, this film is directed by F Gary Gray, and stars Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth as Agent M and Agent H respectively.

Molly has been obsessed with space and aliens since she was a little girl, when she helped an alien escape from MiB agents. Now, as an adult she manages to get into the Agency, and gets sent on a probation mission to London, at the behest of her boss (Emma Thompson). There she runs into the supposed best Agent, H, who single-handedly saved the universe, 2 years prior. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, the duo gets involved in an intergalactic conspiracy that may destroy the Earth once and for all.

I have a… difficult relationship with this series. I have never liked any of the films more than just average and passable; I didn’t think the first film was that good, and as such I was only mildly disappointed by 2, and mostly just indifferent to 3. I wasn’t even going to see this, but I kept hearing how bad everyone thought it was, so I got curious.

And you know what? It’s fine.

The base thing is, no one asked for this film. I will give the filmmakers props in that at least they try to expand the universe, and we do follow new characters, instead of just remaking the first film. This is even in continuity with the previous films, as signaled by a painting in Liam Neeson’s office. So as far as remakes go, things could be much much worse.

Let’s talk about the world-building first. This film suffers from exactly the same thing that all of these films do, and that is that the world-building is lackluster and doesn’t take advantage of the setting or the premise. I have never understood this; what exactly is the job of the MiB? Other than protecting Earth obviously. If there was a massive alien migration on Earth, how come there aren’t whole communities and hidden cities where it’s just aliens? At best we get a nightclub, which mind you also has humans in it, so like… if no humans are allowed to know that aliens exist, then who the hell are those guys?

This film involves traveling to a bunch of places like Paris, London, Morocco and Italy, but for the most part, the locations aren’t really cleverly used. I’ve already seen the idea that the Eiffel tower is some kind of space station before, and I’m honestly shocked that we didn’t go to the Pyramids and say the same.

There are a few set pieces in the film, but none are particularly engaging. I will say that the design of the two aliens who we spend most of the film fighting are really cool, and some of their powers are pretty neat; they can manipulate the states of matter, so scenes where they melt things and then re-solidify them in weapons were well done. But for the most part, the only fight I really enjoyed was the one in Riza’s mansion, and that’s entirely because Rebecca Ferguson, Thompson and Hemsworth are great in fight scenes. Seeing as these are the actors in the film, I expected more fight scenes, but this really is the only one, and even this one is pretty brutal considering how cartoonish the rest of the violence is in this film.

The rest of the action is again, fine. There are a few chase scenes, some gadgets (the scene in the trailer with the car that’s all different weapons, being the standout), but the ending is really rushed and underwhelming. This is partly a self-inflicted problem; the Hive, the main enemies have a design that is near incomprehensible, so I don’t really see how one could go about fighting a creature like that. However, no one forced the filmmakers to chose that design especially if they didn’t know what to do with it.

Let’s talk about the story and the characters. The story is pretty straight forward and honestly kind of predictable; I really dislike films where the plot hinges on some kind of reveal or twist as to who the villain is, and the film has one well known actor who is playing some kind of benevolent mentor figure. Gee, I wonder who the bad guy will be?

In fairness, they do kind of try to throw in a wrench here, with Rafe Spall’s character, who is antagonistic towards Hemsworth. What ends up happening though, is that the relationship between him, Hemsworth and Neeson become the most interesting part of the film; I was wondering what the deal was, why Spall hated Hemsworth, if they had been friends, if they were rivals for Neeson’s affection and approval, or even if Spall was Neeson’s actual son, but Neeson preferred Hemsworth. I was surprised to see the route that they ended up taking with Spall’s character, clearly set up for a sequel, but I really liked it.

Kumail Nanjiani plays Pawny, the only alien in the crew, who gets attached to Molly after she manipulates him into not taking away his life. He was one of the funniest parts of the film, and the longer the film went on, the more I enjoyed his jokes.

Riza was another character that I felt was underused. I again, was interested in what kind of relationship she had with Hemsworth; he has a scene previously with Molly asking her if she’s ever been in love, and it’s implied that Riza might have been said love interest, but nothing ever comes of this.

Finally, we have Molly and H. Even though Molly is the lead character, and the film follows her arc, I found H infinitely more interesting. The issue with Molly is that she’s a blank slate; she has personality, and she was relatable, but she had no backstory, and was so narrowly motivated, that I had trouble caring about her. All she cares about is becoming part of the MiB; she even says she has no pets, no family, no lovers, only her determination to get into the Agency. Combined with her inexperience, and having to have all these pre-established explained to her, this made the first half of the film unbearably boring. The reason this worked so much better with Will Smith’s Agent J, was because J was allowed to have charisma, and things outside of his Agency ties. This is why H is a better character; he has a past, established relationships, he’s kind of a mess and makes a lot of mistakes and smartass comments.

The chemistry between these characters was mostly just awkward, which was so frustrating, because I have watched them TOGETHER in Ragnarok, where they played more or less the same type of character (just reversed) and they had excellent chemistry! But for whatever reason the pacing and writing of this film made their dynamic so awkward, for a very long time; they only started making sense as partners in the very last third of the film. What’s even more frustrating is that Hemsworth didn’t have that issue with the other characters; he had excellent chemistry with Neeson and Ferguson, and his banter and back and forth between him and Spall’s Agent C was not only funny, but also felt ad-libbed.

Overall, this film was fine. It’s not as bad as people claim it is; it’s about on par with MiB3, and if you like the series, you will probably enjoy this. If it makes enough money for a sequel I have no doubt it would be better, so maybe give it a watch and see for yourself.

[starrfait]

Dig: Chapter 5/?

Relationship: Bughead Summary: Betty Cooper attempts to put her life back together after moving out of Riverdale. Easier said than done.

Rating: M

Warnings: Mentions of self-harm, eventual smut Past Chapters: 1 2 3 4 Read on AO3

It was a particularly chilly night. A brisk wind blew, rustling the trees. Betty stood in the parking lot of her apartment complex, leaning against the rental car. She had to dip into the monthly allowance her parents gave her, but it was all worth it.

She was overwhelmed with a need to make things right, to help Jughead in any way she could. Not to mention that they’d also be getting a few days away from all the monotony.

Jughead made his way across the parking lot. He held a small duffel bag in one hand, Hot Dog’s leash in the other. “Are we even allowed to have pets in the car?”

“Absolutely not.” She replied, opening the door to the backseat. “But what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

Hot Dog jumped inside and settled down on the towel Betty had placed on the seat. Jughead patted his head before closing the door.

Once inside, Betty turned to Jughead. “Do you have everything?”

He offered her a smirk. “I’m pretty low-maintenance, in case you haven’t noticed.”

With an eyeroll and a laugh, Betty pulled out of the parking lot and made her way onto the highway. The duo stayed silent, listening to the sound of the radio playing softly. Jughead’s eyes stayed glued to his phone, reading what looked like an news article.

“You’re gonna get carsick, Jug.” Betty said, placing a hand on his knee. The boy jolted slightly at her touch and set his phone on the dashboard.

“Sorry. I’m just anxious, I guess.” He twirled a piece of hair that was falling into his eyes. “I haven’t seen them in years. Couldn’t afford it.”

Betty nodded, a sad smile on her lips. She couldn’t help a slight pang of guilt at the thought that she was being nosey once again. Damn her and her stubborn blood.

“Listen, Jug. If I’m overstepping or anything…” Her voice trailed off a bit. “I mean, I’ll drive you there. If you want to meet them alone I completely understand. It’s not really my pla-”

“I want you to be there.” He cut her off. “If you’re okay with that.” Jughead looked her in the eye, his cheeks tinged with red. She was convinced that those eyes could make her do anything.

“Of course.” Betty said with a soft smile. “I’d love to meet your family.” She took his hand in hers. Jughead seemed to hesitate for a moment before threading his fingers between hers.

“This means so much to me, Betty. Thank you.” She shook her head, turning her attention back to the road. There was no need for thanks. Rolling down the window slightly, she took her hair out of it’s ponytail. The night air felt unbelievably refreshing.

Jughead spoke up. “As a kid, I always looked forward to visiting my grandparents every summer.” He smoked fondly, as if he was reliving each memory in his head. “Actually, my grandma is a big reason why I got into films. She has this room in the basement with a home theater. Movies as far as the eyes can see. I always spent the day with my grandpa, out fishing. But as soon as we finished dinner, I’d go straight to the movie room.”

Betty shot him a glance, smiling. It was refreshing to see such a genuine smile on his face. “That explains a lot.”

“She showed me the classics: Casablanca, Gone with the End, Singing in the Rain…you name it.” He continued, as if lost in his thoughts. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen them. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen them since before my parents separated.”

He said it so casually that it took Betty by surprise. She looked over at the boy. The smile had fallen from his face, his eyes cast downward. He was clearly holding a lot more pain than he showed to the outside world. Beneath his sarcastic facade lay a lot of pain and anger.

They sat in silence for several minutes, until Betty spotted a fast food joint on the side of the road. She pulled into the parking lot and took off her seatbelt. “Do you want me to get you anything, Jug? My treat.”

His eyes visibly lit up. “Can you get me a cheeseburger and fries? With a large cola?”

“Sure thing.”

When Betty returned, food in hand, Jughead seemed to be in higher spirits. He accepted the takeout bag with a smile. “Thanks, this is awesome. I haven’t had a burger is ages.”

They continued their drive, sharing some light conversation between bites of their food. It didn’t take them long to scarf their meals down. Betty sweared there was something that made road trip takeout taste ten tines better than usual.

She was about to say as much, but was interrupted by the sound of snoring. Jughead’s head was lolling the the side, a content smile on his lips. His hands laid on his now full stomach. So this was what people meant when they said “food coma”.

She rolled the window up and let him him enjoy his rest. Ignoring the heaviness of her own eyelids, Betty stepped on the gas.

——-

Jughead opened his eyes, squinting as he was met with an image of a bright white void. There were absolutely no features to speak of. Everything was silent.

He suddenly felt hands touching him. They caressed his face gently. Opening his eyes, Jughead attempted to see the owner of the appendages, but it was to no avail. The white was so intense that it nearly blinded him.

The hands began to grab at his shirt, slowly peeling it from his body. He shivered as they continued, stripping him until there was nothing left.

Millions of new sensations bombarded him at once. It was as if he was being pushed over the edge, in ecstasy, and in pain all at the same time. His body tensed, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Jughead opened his mouth in a silent scream, only to choke. His eyes shot open. An underwater expanse spread out before him. Panic quickly set in as water rushed into his lungs.

He began to struggle, attempting to rise to the surface. The water now burned in his lungs, as if he had inhaled molten lava.

A pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He quickly turned around, once again trying to see who they belonged to. His eyes widened.

Betty stood naked before him, a peaceful smile on her face. Her golden hair was fanned out, floating languidly with the current. Jughead had stopped struggling against his inevitable drowning. The burning had subsided. The girl pulled him close, their lips meeting. He closed his eyes as she breathed into him.

“Jughead!”

Before he knew it, he was being shook awake. He inhaled sharply as breathing came natural to him once more. Betty was leaning over him, her brow knit with worry. Her eyes looked incredibly tired.

“Thank god. You were having a coughing fit in your sleep. Are you okay?” She let out a sigh of relief, rubbing his shoulder gently.

Jughead wiped his eyes, sitting up straight. They were parked on the side of the road. The sky was painted in pastel hues of twilight. He could hear Hot Dog snoring from the back seat.

“I’m fine, Betty. Thanks for waking me up.” He looked at her briefly before shifting his eyes, remembering the image he had seen in his dream. Surprisingly, he hadn’t woken up in a cold sweat like he usually did. “Where are we?”

She shifted back into her seat, turning the engine on. “You’ll be pleased to know that we’re almost there, Juggie.” Betty smiled at him as they got back onto the road.

He didn’t think he had slept that long. It must have been a good six or seven hours since he fell asleep. “Shit, Betts…aren’t you tired? Let’s take a break.”

Betty shook her head, eyes focused on the road. “We’ll be there in another thirty minutes or so.” She glanced at the car radio’s clock. “It’ll still be early when we get there. We can take a rest until the day officially starts.”

Nodding, Jughead gazed out the window. He took in the scenery, painted by the the colors of the dawn. The closer they got to the city, the more his heart ached. Sweet childhood memories were rushing back. The smell of the air in the summer, the feel of the grass beneath his bare feet, the smell of one of his grandma’s homemade apple pies.

The sun had just barely risen when they arrived in town, searching for a place to park for a few hours. Eventually, they settled upon a 24-hour diner’s parking lot, opted for a spot at the very back.

The duo situated themselves in the back of the car. The seats had been laid flat, and Hot Dog repositioned himself to the back corner before falling asleep once more. Jughead laid on is back, using his duffel bag as a pillow.

It would be just his luck that he couldn’t catch a few more hours of sleep when he actually laid down. He cracked an eye open, looking over at Betty. She returned the gaze.

“You can’t sleep either, huh? How are you feeling?” He could hear the tiredness in her voice.

“Honestly…I’m kinda terrified. Showing up unannounced and all.” Jughead admitted. He had no idea how his mother would react.

Betty moved closer to him, reaching her hand out to caress his cheek. Her fingers ran over the constellation of freckles she found there. “You’ve got this, Juggie! I’ll be right by your side.” She smirked. “And trust me, I know how to deal with crazy mothers.”

Jughead leaned into the touch of her hand, recalling his dream from earlier. He looked into her eyes, beautiful emerald pools that he could get lost in if he wasn’t careful. “Betty…”

“Yeah?”

He brought his hands up to cup her face before closing the distance between them. The kiss started off gentle, Betty’s lips soft and sweet against his. The flowery smell of her shampoo filled his nostrils.

Betty soon wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He could feel her soft breasts pressing against him. It was enough to drive Jughead crazy.

The kiss grew more desperate as he slid his tongue against hers, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. His heart hammered in his chest. She returned his kisses, open-mouthed and needy.

Pulling away for air, Jughead breathed heavily, his cheeks burning up. Betty looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, her lips swollen from his kisses. What was left of her pink lipstick was now smudged across her mouth. His head spun at the sight.

“Well, I was not expecting that.” Betty said between labored breaths.

Jughead smirked before moving in for another

[ntrending]

Meet the birds that work as wingmen for other males

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/meet-the-birds-that-work-as-wingmen-for-other-males/

Meet the birds that work as wingmen for other males

It starts with a song. The two birds will sit on the same branch, about 4 inches apart, and perform a carefully coordinated duet. Both are male lance-tailed manakins, a small bird found in the forests of Central and South America. Then, if a lady bird alights on their perch, the duo launches into the main event: a dance that begins with one male leaping into the air and flying backwards over his partner, who springs forward at the same time.

“They form this sort of backwards leapfrog display where they have to be really tightly synchronized or they run into each other,” says Emily DuVal, a behavioral ecologist at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The dance can include up to 11 different moves. Eventually, the less socially dominant male in the pair will fly away, while his partner continues with a solo performance. Then he will bow and—if the female invites him—finally make his move.

The lance-tailed manakin is one of a few animals for which sex is not all about competition. They participate in a rare reproductive strategy called cooperative courtship where males work together to attract females or convince them to mate.

“It’s a weird thing to do and yet it’s spread across the animal kingdom,” DuVal says. This can take the form of “unpleasant multi-male harassment.” Some bottlenose dolphins form alliances so they can herd females or steal them from other gangs, while coalitions of lions join together to defeat rival males and take over their prides. In other cases, cooperation helps males show off more effectively by creating elaborate displays to catch a female’s attention.

For the manakins, these partnerships can last up to six years. Time and again, the subordinate, or beta, male will bow out so his alpha can get laid. DuVal has been spying on the manakins for years to understand these intense relationships and when it pays to be somebody else’s wingman.

Better together

So, why partner up? In some animals, cooperating males are close relatives. Wild turkeys that display to females in pairs tend to be brothers. Even though the subordinate brother doesn’t get to mate, some of his genes will still be passed on. Not so for the manakins; DuVal has found that the males in a given pair are no more closely related than any two random birds in the population.

“I considered the possibility that maybe the females are flying off into the bushes and mating with the betas when we’re not looking,” she says. So she started giving manakin chicks paternity tests—and discovered that an alpha male was nearly always the father. “Every once in a while a beta does sneak in a copulation, but it’s so rare that it just wouldn’t be a good option to pass on your genes.”

But the betas are getting something out of the arrangement. It turns out that a beta is more likely to become an alpha in future than a male who displays alone. By paying their dues as betas, the birds increase their chances of one day getting to breed.

At first, DuVal and her colleagues thought that the betas might be promoted when their partner dies. “It makes a lot of sense that these males might be waiting in line,” she says. “Then they inherit this great spot.” But beta manakins don’t always take over their partner’s territory. Sometimes birds that have served as betas for years will find a completely new site and start displaying as alphas. “So what is it about being beta that helps them become alpha? I’m honestly still not sure,” DuVal says.

This is especially puzzling given that some alphas didn’t even bother to serve as betas first. “They just skip the whole thing and go straight to alpha status,” DuVal says. These birds do just as well with the ladies as males that spent up to six years helping somebody else before becoming alphas. However, they also tend to have shorter lifespans.

“We don’t yet know whether that’s because it’s dangerous to be an alpha and so they’re just exposing themselves to risk early on in life,” DuVal says. So this could be a live fast, die young situation. But it’s also possible that there are underlying physiological differences that make some males short-lived, which means they don’t have time to invest in serving under an alpha.

Once a bird moves up in the ranks, he can find a dance partner. For the alphas, the advantage seems obvious. If females are drawn to more elaborate, multi-male displays, having a beta should give him a better shot at mating. However, there is a twist. A male lance-tailed manakin will sometimes display without his normal partner—and have more success at wooing females.

It could be that a female needs to see males display as a pair first, then returns later with her decision already made. In fact, females may call on the same male between six and 25 times before deciding to mate. “They don’t just go on one date,” DuVal says.

She’s started to wonder if cooperation is really just about attracting a female, though. Birds in these alliances will defend the breeding territory together against other males. If an intruder cuts in while the pair is displaying, the beta will break off and chase him away. “Just because she’s watching doesn’t mean it’s all about her,” DuVal says.

Team-building activities

The lance-tailed manakin has plenty of relatives that also put on intricate shows for females. Some of these performances take teamwork to the next level; the blue manakin dances in troupes of up to six males at once.

Other manakins practice looser agreements that might offer clues about how cooperative courtship evolved. White-ruffed manakins will take turns displaying when a female drops by, although it’s likely the more dominant bird will get to mate. In other cases, several manakins will display for their peers in what seems to be a practice run before the females arrive. And some manakins will gather in leks, or arenas where many male animals can strut their stuff at once. This lets females compare prospective mates.

Groups of up to 30 white-bearded manakins have been known to congregate in a space about the size of a conference room, DuVal says. “They’re just a few feet apart from each other and they’re making these loud snapping, jumping displays and when a female comes into that area they all just go nuts at the same time.”

Though each male performs independently, being in a group can come in handy; assembling en masse and making a lot of noise means the males are easier to find.

Certain bats may profit from a similar strategy. In the forests of New Zealand, male lesser short-tailed bats stake out small tree hollows and sing late into the night to lure females. Some males sing alone, but others form timeshares—roosts where several males take turns singing in a given night.

Timeshares are most often occupied by large males, which don’t vocalize as much as their smaller peers, says Cory Toth, a biologist at Boise State University in Idaho. Bigger bats might have to work harder to fly and forage, leaving them with less energy to sing. “It appears as though if a larger male were to go one-on-one against a smaller male in terms of courtship output, he’d lose,” Toth said in an email.

He and his colleagues have tagged more than 700 bats with microchips, sampled their DNA, and set up video cameras outside singing roosts. Over time, bulky males seemed to be as successful at passing on their genes as their smaller peers. The team also found that smaller males individually spent more time in their bachelor pads than larger males did, but communal roosts were occupied for longer each night. This means that timeshares may ultimately attract more females.

“Females will hear more songs coming out of a singing roost if males trade off their singing duties, which may entice them to visit,” Toth says. “If multiple males weren’t singing from that roost, then there’s a greater chance that the roost would be silent when the females pass.”

This means that timeshares could be a form of cooperation among large males that would otherwise be unable to compete with smaller, solitary bats. These roosts are often occupied by males that are unrelated or only distantly related to each other. “We know bats, in general, are very social, and cooperation by unrelated individuals is not uncommon,” Toth says.

Bats that have joined a timeshare don’t appear to compete with their fellow members. None of the bats gained entry to their roost by kicking another male out. Timeshares also seem to be populated by the same group of males each night. In fact, two of the roosts the researchers are watching have retained the same membership over several years. That indicates that timeshares, like teams of lance-tailed manakins, are relatively stable relationships.

The right fit

Cooperative courtship is not all sunshine and roses. The birds DuVal studies sometimes squabble or undermine each other. “It often looks like such a polished, easy interaction where everybody knows exactly what they’re doing and it just goes like clockwork,” she says. “There have been some pairs where that’s not the case and the partners are clearly in conflict.”

One such pair had worked together for three years before they started fighting in earnest. “The beta would literally turn to his alpha and knock him off the perch,” DuVal says. “Then they would chase through the undergrowth and nearly hit us in the head.” Afterwards, the alpha would be left panting in exhaustion. “This went on for a month, and then the alpha disappeared and was never seen again and the beta took over,” DuVal says.

On another occasion, she captured an alpha to take a blood sample—and his partner took advantage of the situation to quickly mate with a female. “That was a good indicator that there was some tension in that pair,” she says. “So it’s not necessarily happy alliances always.”

To probe the relationship between male manakins, DuVal is running an experiment that gives them some time apart. By catching betas and keeping them in a cage for 10 days, she hopes to find out if alphas will immediately forge a new alliance with another bird. In one case, an alpha chased away other males that approached him, then got back together with the beta upon his release.

This suggests that certain males are better suited to go courting together than others. “These males…spend a lot of time singing and broadcasting these songs together, they display for females together and are kind of that well-oiled team,” DuVal says.

So perhaps cooperative courtship isn’t for every male. But when it works, the alliances are impressive to behold.

Written By Kate Baggaley