#as to why the script drew attention to THIS one and not the others

[lasarcasticpanda]

something that i thought was very well done in Barbie (besides yanno all of it) is how Margot's Babrie doesn't think she's smart, because she has been labeled as "stereotypical Barbie".

like, multiple times in this movie, she has moments of very well articulated and intelligent comments, which have excellent comedic timing, but serve a wider purpose of showcasing how women tend to be given a Trait and that is your thing. she mentions how she wishes Smart Barbie was here or to wait for Leadership Barbie to swoop in because she's Stereotypical Barbie, she's not smart, she's not a Leader, she can't do this.

at some point after childhood, women get pigeonholed into a category, right (sometimes even in childhood if I'm honest)? weird, smart, hot, pretty, ugly, bitchy, innocent, prudish, slut, nice. at most, you get two of these traits for your peers and friends to label you.

and its hard to see that when it happens! it's only as we go on and start having complex relationships and experiences and interacting with people outside of our space that we start seeing that and start putting a name to the feeling of constriction that we've been having for, what feels like, forever.

THEN you have to contend with the reality that you are so much more than even all of those things and that's scary! you cannot fit into these small boxes, humans were never made to fit into boxes, you have to throw it out even as others play tug-of-war with you in the rain and insist the soggy, tearing box is so important and where would we be without it? you have to constantly face that and insist that no, it's not, and we'd be right where we are now, arguing over a wet box in the rain when the only thing either of us wants is to be warm inside.

and you have to learn when to pick and choose to just let go and leave the box and the person in the rain and when to keep fighting, even if you're so tired and cold.

and this just! HAPPENS! like there isn't a manual, there isn't a magical age you turn where this becomes clear to you! it's different for everyone and some don't ever have that and some have it so young and others not until they're old! it's such a lonely thing sometimes!

but then you meet other women, different women, so many women with so many unique experiences to add. trans women, women of color, nonbinary women, disabled women, women of every differing religion, ALL have these unique experiences with this phenomon, some have more boxes to throw out in the rain, some have to try and throw out wooden or stone boxes in a hurricane, the danger they face in doing so is sometimes so much more than what others experience.

but that moment of realizing women all have this undertone of understanding and dealing with this gives us the courage to join and hopefully make the tug-of-war easier, to make sure we all get inside to be warm. it's hard to pull that stone box by yourself, but if we join behind you, maybe we can win.

this movie encapsulates that so incredibly well? that speech from Gloria about how tiring it is to see herself and other women feel this way and be made to feel this way and to buy into ourselves is just! that moment of looking every woman in the eyes and telling them they're seen and their struggles are seen and it is so unfair!

and then Barbie says something else smart and, for the first time, acknowledges she did. "Oh I can't believe that just came from me" it has the whole time, can't wait for you to realize that you were always human, and look forward to seeing you in the rain and for hot cocoa afterwards.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Accident

Kyra Cooney-Cross x Gorry!Reader

Summary: It wasn't planned

You were the best mistake Kyra ever made.

It was a complete accident when she kissed you, tripping in the crowded pub and smashing her lips against yours.

You giggled at the horrified look on her face when you helped her to stand, one of your hands still holding her waist. "Usually someone has to buy me a drink before kissing me."

You didn't yell at her or scream or punch her in the face so Kyra took it as a win even though her insides were twisting in horror and her face burned red.

"I can still buy you that drink?" Was what she offered in return.

"Sounds good."

Your love affair begun in that moment.

Kyra counted herself lucky that she managed to find the only other Aussie in London who wasn't attached to a football team. She also counted herself lucky that you avoided football like the plague.

Ever since the World Cup, the attention she was receiving was just a tad too excessive so it was nice to sit with you at home and relax, to not be Kyra Cooney-Cross the midfielder but just Kyra, your girlfriend.

"My sister plays," You said one evening as you swiped a chip off her plate," That's probably why I avoid it. Call me childish but I can't be into the same things my sister's into. It would make me seem like a very bad little sister."

"Or a good one, from her perspective," Kyra laughed.

"It's not that me and Kat aren't friends," You said," It's just we're very separate in our interests. I never really enjoyed being compared to her."

"And so you avoided football?" Kyra quirked a brow. "All football?"

"Well, clearly not all football," You replied, leaning forward to capture Kyra's soft lips with your own," Not yours."

Kyra drew away with a cocky smirk. "Of course not mine. You're my wag."

You rolled your eyes. "Whatever."

Domesticity with you was easy, Kyra found. It was completely stereotypical to move in after three dates but she was a big believer in if you know you know.

And Kyra knew.

So, she moved in with you.

You did the chores around each other. If you did the laundry then she did the dishes. If you hoovered then she polished. It was easier than ever before and Kyra settled easily into life with you.

"My sister's moving to London," You said one evening as you lay in bed together," Would you like to meet her?"

Kyra, who had been drawing absent patterns on your arm, froze. You didn't speak much about your sister just that she lived in Sweden with your niece and her fiancée. It was clear that you had a close relationship from the few times that you spoke about her.

Kyra's throat bobbed a little bit in worry.

You were her first proper girlfriend (and she was yours). She just knew that she had to make a good impression.

"You don't have to," You said when you noticed her silence," It was just an idea."

"No! No...I'd love to meet her."

"She'll love you, Kyra. I promise."

The week running up to meeting your sister was full of worry and anticipation. Kyra wrote out a script in her notes app about conversation starters and things to say about herself that would make her seem like the best possible partner for you.

She didn't want to leave anything up to chance with this. Not with you and not with your sister.

Kyra paced outside of the café where you agreed to meet her, wiping off her sweaty hands and muttering under her breath about how best to introduce herself.

"Kyra?" A familiar voice from behind said," Is something wrong?"

"Mini!" Kyra exclaimed," What are you doing here?"

"I'm meeting my sister soon," Mini said," She's meant to be telling me some big news. What about you? This is pretty far from St Albans, isn't it?"

Kyra laughed awkwardly. "I'm meeting my girlfriend's sister today. I want to make a good impression. I don't want her to kill me or something for knocking around with her little sister."

Mini laughed, clapping Kyra on the back. "Don't be stupid, Kyra," She said," You're the best girlfriend anyone can ask for. No one's going to want to kill you."

A blur appeared around the corner and you wedged yourself between the two of them, throwing your arms around both of them. "Kat! Kyra! You ruined the surprise! We were meant to tell her together!"

Kyra looked between you and Mini.

Mini looked between you and Kyra.

"She's your sister?!"

"You're dating Kyra?!"

You looked between them. "Do you two know each other?"

Kyra watched as Mini's eyes narrowed.

"I take back what I said," Mini said," I'm going to kill you."

[the-white-void]

"You have heard the Story."

Synopsis: A Play that was acted over and over again has finally reached a stir in script, changing the events that were supposed to happen. Will this Play finally lead to a happy ending? Or lead the play to the same script as before?

Warning: This contains mentions of violence, killings, torture, and repetitive deaths which may be uncomfortable to some readers.

One || two || three || four || five...?

Taglist: @kthehoeforfictionalmen @pix-stuff @kthehoeforfictionalmen @time-shardz @scarletttcroww @mysteriaqueen @atsukawolfcat @junkoslette @mefOrgOr @altheqo @obliviousariies2007 @mmeatt @quacking-simp @amnervous

Dreams are the manifestation of oneself. Made from desire,experience, trauma, and hate. Many things can warp the mind to elude the creature into a dream; one too familiar to let go, or the pain to make them reform. Dreams are a curious thing. It's been a long time since you dreamt. A feeling all too distant since then. 'What did dreams feel like? How do dreams make one feel?" Questions surged through your thoughts while sitting inside a cold and desolate cell.

"Why are these questions coming to me now?" You wondered as you gazed up at the ceiling, eyes wandering at every crack and fragment dangling from the stone before a loud clang echoed cutting your thought.

The sound was made when a guard thrust his sword at the bars. "Quiet fraud!!! This world doesn't need your corrupt thoughts out loud!" The guard sneered as he pulled his blade. back to its sheath.

Brushing off the guard's words, you stepped closer to the bars with a sly grin while leaning closer. "Hey, do you know how dreaming feels? It's been a while since I've had one." Yet the innocent act was returned with a clang banging into the bars.

"I said quiet fraud!!! You better shut your mouth if you know what's good for you." The guard's voice came aloud, echoing through the dungeon halls. Your face remained unchanged and unfazed by his threat, simply smiling, but yet the tone of your grin became unsettling, leaving a cold sweat down the once threatening guard.

"You know... I prefer my questions to have answers." Your tone of voice was sickly sweet, enough to come off as poison. Your eyes drew closer to the guard, your gaze piercing through his haughty façade. "Now tell me. What is it like to dream?". The guard quickly turned his back away to face you, still, he could feel his mind weighing over him as he felt his body slowly fading from his control, with your question burdening his whole being.

"What is it like to dream?"

Luck graced the guarding knight as a small figure appeared to interfere. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" A young and squeaky voice came as the figure came closer revealing itself as the Dendro Archon, along with another person wearing an expansive hat.

"Wait, Buer" the short man with a big hat came off surprised when the Dendro Archon suddenly dashed off to help the guard. Your smile faded as you saw the Archon come closer before returning, but with a different reason for grinning, then releasing the guard from his agony as he fell to his knees before hitting the ground.

While Kusanali focused her attention on the guard as Wanderer had his eyes on you, wary of your intentions as you had the guts to impersonate a being of another plane. "Why are you trying to act like a god? That won't get you anything." He sneered while keeping his distance. A low chuckle escaped your lips as you looked at him. "That's very rich coming from someone who tried to become a god." You teased as you lay your bum on the floor with your legs crossed, giggling at your little joke.

Your short statement made the Wanderer's blood run cold, if he had any. Ever since her erased himself from Irminsul, no one else other than the traveller, Paimon, and Bier could have known, yet, some imposter knew that. "How did you..." The Dendro Archon overhead you and Hat Guy's little exchange and came over with a tinge of fear behind her face brimming with courage. "How did you know all that? Ever since he was removed from Irminsul, no one should have known about that."

Your smile was unchanging as you looked up to her and giggled. "Tehehe... Maybe you could try guessing-" your voice leaving a little teasing tone as your eyes remain on the young Archon.

The Dendro Archon remains unmoving, her eyes still as untainted waters of a clear spring, the clarity deceivingly clear. "Because you've seen it before, again and again, countless times, in every loop you've experienced..." She voiced out with a tinge of pity laced in her stern facade.

Your smile was drowned out by the Lord's words, while also leaving her company confused. Standing up from your laxed form, slightly towering over the young Archon while your eyes were dead set on hers, your teasing aura vanished into a tense and trembling form. "You... remember...?" Your voice quivered as well as your eyes. Your once calm facade crumbled showing the same prey that was hunted countless times.

Walking back into the shadows that filled the cell you were locked in, turning away as thoughts and words escaped your lips in mumbles, mumbles no one else in the dungeon could understand. Facing the wall you clenched your fingers on the surface, grabbing onto what little sanity is left before madness drove your mind. "Lieslieslieslieslieslies... Even... evenifyouremember... You paused your rapid mumbling as you clenched your hands harder on the wall, breaking your nails before your blood oozed out.

Your silence filled the dungeon with a haunting flavour, like the clam before the storm, leaving the Dendro Archon and her companion uneasy. "Kusanali, we should leave this nutjob. We're not gonna get anything from them." Wanderer tries to tell his concerns, but Nahida was laser focused on getting more from you.

The silence was deafening before it was interrupted but the sound of a droplet hitting the floor, then another, and another. Your hands rested on your sides, before turning your head to the two outside your cell.

Your sudden change in form left the two alarmed as Wanderer gets in front to protect the Archon.

You were still as still a statue; in an instant, you leapt onto thern but you were stopped by the bars holding you in. Your eyes showed an insane victim conscience about freedom or a trap. "Remembering that means NOTHING!!! LIARS! You're just here to ask me SHIT aren't ya!!!" Your furious yells echoed through the hollow halls while. While your hands gripped harder on the bars, your blood continued to flow, blood of glimmering gold against the small ember of light flickering from a lamp.

"You're... The Overseer...?"

[genericpuff]

Hey so I have a question-

Is Rachel even contributing to LO's art anymore? Like, at all?

CAUTION: MILD FASTPASS SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

I've talked at length about the 'tells' of each assistant and artist, and while it doesn't guarantee that I can tell exactly who drew each panel, there's one thing there's been a lot less of in the most recent episodes that have caught my attention - things that I know Rachel would typically contribute.

And most of it comes down to her lineart.

The shading was always her, no doubt about that, you could tell with how consistently awful it is, how she would take actual decent flats from her assistants and proceed to butcher them with muddied shading.

AmyKim89's flats vs. after Rachel's gotten her hands on them:

(seriously Rachel why tf did you darken Persephone's legs here, it looked so much better before ??)

But there was also her lineart which, at first, I didn't realize who was drawing it. It didn't show up super often in LO but it was always very noticeable when it did so I knew it had to be someone on the team doing it:

The thickness of the lines and the extra little strokes added in along the knuckles and bends, that wasn't something that was really common in LO at this point... at least it hasn't been since S1:

And when comparing it to the lineart she used to do in The Doctor Pepper/Foxglove Show:

(look at the mouth in The Doctor Foxglove Show vs. Hera in the pilot version of LO, they're literally the same)

So yeah, it was certainly the revelation to discover that that one instance of "weirdly detailed lineart" wasn't one of her assistants having a little extra fun, it was Rachel herself. It was already so uncommon for her to contribute all the way back in S2 that her contributions seemed to be more of the exception rather than the norm.

And since seeing the art that's been in the newest FP episodes following the return of the series... is Rachel even drawing at all anymore? Because lately the lineart has felt very thin, in a way that I can't tell if it's her assistants just doing all the lineart now or if she's trying to emulate S1 LO more by using less lineart. But S1 didn't have thin lineart, it had very thick lineart, BUT only being used where necessary to emphasis shadows and depth.

Now the lineart feels very... dinky? Especially when you look at the eyelashes.

That said, there are moments from S1 that had similarly 'dinky' lineart, so take this with grains of salt. It still didn't feel as dinky though as it does today where the lines are practically non-existent in how thin they are.

There are also times when you can tell they're really trying to emulate that S1 look, the pieces are there but they aren't being put together very well:

So yeah at this point I wouldn't even be shocked if all Rachel's doing at this point is scripting and roughs. And considering there are definitely times where she'll just draw without knowing what to write, the 'scripting' is also practically non-existent. It's just her leaving her roughs off to the last second for her assistants to whip out with very little time to pay attention to what's being submitted.

Once again it's Rachel fundamentally missing the point of the criticism that's being made of her work. She's trying to forcefully emulate something that she didn't even have a process behind. I can attest as someone who's been trying to do studies of her past work to recreate it as faithfully as possible through Rekindled, it's very difficult to achieve the 'old LO' look because 'old LO' was literally just Rachel slapping down brush strokes until they looked good, there was no specific process or guidelines that she followed, she just made things look textured and colorful. Everything else was basically up to her figuring out what actually looked good, with panels often having their own vibes separate from others in isolation of one another.

Now she's trying to replicate that look while missing the point entirely that it's not something she can really replicate anymore. Though we do get the odd panel that's way closer to the point, those panels have one thing that she's clearly not putting into the comic as a whole anymore - love and effort.

(fr this panel is so gorgeous but I feel like at this point it was more sheer luck because of how rare it is to see panels like these nowadays, this feels like an accident LOL)

Case in point, this honorable mention towards Persephone's outfit which is literally just a color-swapped version of the sketch that Rachel posted to Blue Sky that got meme'd to death in the ULO sub:

Did you catch that though? The weird dark patch over her boob and the gap in the lineart of her cleavage?

That's because they copy pasted the first panel and then erased out the hands, but missed the part of the hand shading that was overlapping the breast and the gap in the lineart.

I shit you not, Rachel coming up with memes on Blue Sky that she's scraped out of shows she watched 20 years ago is basically the full extent of her writing at this point.

Haha take a thing and make it bigger! So funnyyyy!

(seriously Rachel's 'humor' feels like it's stuck in 2010)

Yep, you're really earning that #1 NYT Bestseller label that you haven't even gotten since Volume 3, Rachel. Put your hand down, there are no high fives for you here.

[puddleslimewrites]

Day Off

A throat cleared behind them and Villain turned, arms spread in a grand gesture of welcome. "Ah, Hero. Just who I-"

"Why are you causing trouble on my day off?"

Villain blinked at the abrupt interruption. Frowning, they took a moment to observe Hero's appearance.

They were dressed in pajamas. Though it was approaching noon, their sleep clothes were wrinkled, hair tossled like they just rolled out of bed. The sturdy boots they wore with thick soles were replaced by a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers. All in all, they looked wildly out of place. In fact, the only indication that they were on duty was the badge on their chest that cleared them to bypass the police baracade and step onto the crime scene.

Hero crossed their arms, waiting.

"Erm..." Villain hadn't been expecting this attitude. This wasn't a part of their script at all. Scrambling to regain their stance, they drew themself up to their full height. "I needn't explain myself to you. However, I will let you kn-"

"A hostage? Really?"

The eyebrow raised in their direction left Villain feeling insulted. How dare they! They put so much work into setting this all up, and what do they get? Hero barely spared them a glance and now-

Villain saw the punch coming but they could swear that Hero seemed to move faster in those damned fuzzy flip flops than they ever had in their suit.

~

It didn't take long for Hero to subdue them. They dusted off their hands and glared down at the villain, now bound and held in place by two of the responding officers.

"Anything to say before I go?" It was gracious of them, really, to hear their enemy out. Their free time was still slowly dwindling down, after all.

Villain refused to meet their eye. They were most certainly not pouting as they grumbled, "If you were busy, they could have sent Other Hero."

Other Hero wouldn't have been ideal - they'd staged all this to catch Hero's attention - but Hero didn't need to know that.

Hero shook their head, the scowl from earlier quickly returning to their face. "Other Hero is still injured from their last fight, so I had to take the call with no one else in this sector."

Villain looked absolutely pitiful the way they wilted under Hero's gaze. Hero knew not to fall for it - this villain was known for their trickery on top of the theatrics. Still, they offered them a small appeasement as they turned to go back home.

"Next time, pick a Monday," they said off-hand. "I never have those off."

They didn't see the way Villain's face brightened and paid no attention to the shouts of alarm from behind them as they left the scene. With their badge shoved deep into the pocket of their pajama pants, Hero squinted up at the sun. They still had some time left. Good.

As far as they were concerned, they were done for the day. They showed up and took care of the threat. Now they were going back to sleep.

[theroyalmisfitmess]

Why I think Sid is the father

Possible hints from the show (not the obvious and usually stated ones + not hints that could also apply to other contenders):

- When Sophie enters Pemberton’s to switch phones back with Sid, the engagement party crowd thought she was Hannah

- Sid remembered how much Tinder dates Sophie went on; he paid attention to her well (more on this later)

- Sophie and Sid both experienced relationship problems then found each other at the same time and same place. Sid later gave Sophie advice about finding the right person (funny enough, the advice parallels the situation because Sophie and Sid found each other at the right time to give each other advice)

- Two of Sophie’s by far most important love interests are connected to Sid—Jesse who is Sid’s best friend, and Drew who is a close friend of Sid’s wife

- Sophie remembers the Electric Slide; this time she is proven to pay attention to him

- If the father isn’t Jesse and Sophie is still married to the father, only Sid would be the perfect candidate to be understanding on why Jesse’s photo is on Sophie’s wall since he is Sid’s best friend

- The father is hinted to have loved Valentine’s Day even before he and Sophie even got together. Unlike the other guys, Sid’s memory for Valentine’s Day was always consistently good. Additionally, when Hannah walked in Pemberton’s to surprise Sid, only Sophie’s reaction was the focus

- Sophie and Sid both remember random facts they found out about each other offscreen; once again solidifying that they do pay attention to each other

- Sid somehow is the only character who has profound or notable interactions with both of Sophie’s parents

- Since we know that Sophie narrates the story, it’s important to note that she often emphasizes Sid’s stories by giving us in-depth insight despite their minimal interactions in episodes before 02x13. While she also does this for her other friends, it’s only Sid’s stories that we actually see play out long. To add, Sophie always paints Sid in a positive light in her stories

- EDIT: I forgot to add that the possibility that Sid’s last name not being revealed might also allude to Sophie’s future last name. Given, women can keep their names, but let’s not forget the possibility. Because of societal norms, women usually take their husband’s family name. If Sophie is indeed still married to the father in the future and took his last name, we can see why she won’t tell the audience her current last name. If Sid then happens to be the father and husband, it’s a strong possibility. In HIMYM, it was not needed to hide the maiden name of the possible mothers because it was Ted telling the story.

Parallels & Connections with HIMYM/Ted and Tracy:

- Alliteration names (Ted Mosby and Tracy McConnell, Sophie and Sid—if Sid’s last name also starts with a letter “T” like Tompkins then that would be interesting)

- Both are romantics. Sophie is a hopeless romantic who can’t find “the one” like Ted, while Sid is a committed romantic who is (and possibly going to be was) in a longterm relationship

- Sophie and Sid swap phones, paralleling the yellow umbrella swap

- Sophie and Sid’s banters are very similar to that of Ted and Tracy’s

- Sid has Ted’s old room

- In connection to a point from the previous section, Sophie painting Sid in a picture that’s so positive and feeling untainted is very similar to how Ted paints Tracy in his stories—perfect, an angel, someone who no one could say something bad about

- Not directly related to HIMYM, but in the original HIMYM spin-off (How I Met Your Dad), the lead character Sally met the dad as she was preparing to get divorced. The script of this scrapped spin-off was reworked into HIMYF. I’m not saying it’s a direct answer, but what if the divorce storyline is gonna go to HIMYF’s only married main character father prospective?

Now for personal feelings, I just think that out of all the guys, Sid is really the most “the father of my child” material for Sophie. His personality is so well-suited for her and they both have the same outlook in life. I know that the obvious is Jesse, but something in me is really screaming that it isn’t him. Now, I’m still on a limbo if Sophie and the father are still together in the future, but whether they are or not, I am gonna stick by with Sid as the father.

[katlandry]

I can’t stop thinking about Karen Wheeler and the fact that she definitely knows something.

It keeps me up at night the fact she got a S4 poster despite it being the season she’s been in the least, and why does she get a poster but Ted, Claudia and the Sinclairs don’t? Correct me if I’m wrong on these two points but I don’t believe she got a poster in S3 when she literally had her own little storyline and I don’t believe Dmitri or Yuri got posters in S4 when they’re in it waaaay more than Karen.

I’d also like to point out the fact that Nancy and Mike get targeted quite a bit compared to some of the others, like it was only their best friend’s who missing in season one, no one else. Ofc Lucas and Dustin are also Will’s best friends, but we really see Mike’s reaction and how he deals with it rather than Lucas or Dustin’s and we never see them hugging their parents or anything after “Will’s body” is found, then ofc Barb was Nancy’s only friend.

Nancy also gets targeted in season three at the hospital… “We’re coming for you, Nancy Drew.” and the fact the monster specifically targets her despite Jonathan being there AND trying to get its attention.

Then in S4 Nancy gets possessed by Vecna but he doesn’t want to kill her, he just wants her to give El a message (why her? why not Steve? Dustin? Lucas? Dustin and Lucas are definitely closer to El and Nancy’s like, the most ruthless character) she is also the only other character to have been in the void (albeit briefly) other than El, which is a whole other interesting point but I digress. Nancy’s weird relationship (?) with the Upside Down really should be it’s own post.

Back to Karen, in the finale script for S4 when it starts to “snow”, it says Karen looks on in “concern”… why would she be looking in concern? Surely she should be confused that it’s snowing not concerned?

To say she supposedly doesn’t know anything, she’s has quite a lot of scenes compared to Claudia and the Sinclairs and I feel like her having a poster in S4 is foreshadowing something…

You see this? This is the face of a woman who knows SOMETHING

[leilaxwhite]

𝙛𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙨

this is a list of the fanfics that i recomend to you along with their synopsis! they are all categorized so you can look for them easier!

*i did not write any of these fics, all the credits go to the owners who wrote them. they are tagged next to their work.*

* smut

𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙮 / 𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙣

late night rehearsal @r66dus *

synopsis: can u do a drew starkey x reader SMUT! where y/n goes to drew’s house to rehearse an obx script, then things get heated..

“i don’t care if he’s Brazilian babe” @starkeysbaby

synopsis: at a sleepover with kie and sarah, they convince you to tease your jealous and overprotective boyfriend...

sex tape || camboy!rc @rafescokewhore *

synopsis: basically in the title rafe and reader make a sex tape

blue eyes + bruises @illicitfixations (series)

synopsis: tragic car accident leaves you thinking you'll never find love. But, with your care in the magic hands of resident orthopedic surgeon, Rafe Cameron, you learn a thing or two about love and sadness and how they intertwine perfectly.

quiet, baby. @rafesangel *

synopsis: you get a bit to loud while Ward’s in the room next to you and Rafe.

𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙣 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙨

sweet girl / take a break @theicearchives

synopsis: in which quinn gets you to take a break.

returning home @brandonduhaimes

synopsis: After a long roadie Quinn is back home only to find a very stressed significant other.

doin’ you right * @hischierdevils

synopsis: y/n overhears Quinn having a conversation and gets a little hot and bothered

hockey jersey * @hockeybabe

synopsis: You and Quinn can’t exactly get along until you show up at a game of his wearing his jersey.

𝙡𝙪𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙨

the (infamous) hughes brothers sleepovers: luke hughes @theicearchives

synopsis: in which the hughes brothers have a sleepover! (y/n x luke hughes)

boot @h34rtsfr0m3

synopsis: prompt #1 "You're so cute." "what did you say?" "I said you look like a boot."

they definitely heard us * @greazyfloz

synopsis: Smut: 5. "Shh baby, we have to be quiet", 12. "I'm so horny right now" "it's 3 in the morning, go to sleep" "please", & 13. "They wont hear anything" w/ Luke Hughes

man child @h34rtsfr0m3

synopsis: luke being lovey dovey with reader and a man child lol

𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙨

pillow hog @bordysbae

synopsis: 6. "i want attention", 7. "quit stealing all the pillows!", and 9. "why are your feet so cold?" with Jack Hughes? Maybe the reader is trying to sleep but Jack just wants attention

i cant sleep @ifimdreaming

synopsis: wakes you up at 2am becasue he cant sleep an wants mcdonalds lol

stay the night @eyesthatroll

synopsis: loosely based of of this prompt: "one character thinks their relationship is a fling, the other thinks its destiny" but not really because i kind of strayed away from that completely.

take me * @heypeople2

synopsis: in which y/n helps jack forget the loss

winner * @hughesyluvr

synopsis: Jack Hughes smut where the reader surprise Jack on game 7 of the playoff and at the end they did celebratory sex while almost getting caught by Jack family

𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙬

i want dada @jackharloww

synopsis: The one where Grace wakes Jack up for cuddles

[beauregardlionett]

you've walked a hundred times before - ch.4

AO3 Link

“I know she doesn’t look pleased about this,” Mar said with a tired chuckle. “But if you hold her like this a few times a day to stretch out those muscles, her temperament should start improving quickly. And once we start seeing some improvements in muscle length, we can work more on some strengthening.”

The mother of the baby currently in Mar’s arms nodded with an expression of great relief. “Thank you so much. The doctor was rushing during the appointment and didn’t explain any of this. I was so worried it was going to be more permanent or something.”

Mar pursed their lips and tried not to sigh. “I’m sorry to hear that happened. I can assure you that little Becca here will be okay. Torticollis is usually fairly easy to treat in little ones. I’ll go over some more things you can do at home between visits, too.”

Becca squirmed in Mar’s hold as they gently shushed her. Becca’s mother giggled and waved her fingers at the baby.

Mar spun in a careful circle while slightly bouncing Becca and continuing to hold her in a position that stretched her neck. Becca cooed with delight and Mar couldn’t help but grin, wide and pleased.

A knock on the half open door of the tiny pediatric gym drew Mar’s attention.

One of the front desk employees was standing in the doorframe, smiling at Becca’s adorable, chubby face.

“Everything okay Ryan?” Mar asked, walking over as they kept lightly bouncing Becca.

“Actually, I was wondering if I could steal you for a few minutes. We’ve got someone at the front that needs an intake appointment and we want your input before we put them on your schedule.”

Mar’s brow furrowed. “You mean the opening I have after this? Why would you need my input?”

Ryan ran a hand through his messy brown curls and sighed heavily. “It’s hard to explain but…” he glanced at Becca’s mother before dropping his voice into a whisper.

“It might be a sensitive case.”

Mar paused their bouncing, catching their lower lip between their teeth. It seemed they were always getting “sensitive” cases these days. First it had been Nightwing, then it was Red Hood last week, and then there were all the pediatric patients on their caseload right now that had less than stellar diagnoses. It had been a rough month, basically.

With a short sigh, Mar nodded. “Okay. Give me five minutes, I’ll be right there.”

Ryan nodded, tense, before leaving for the front desk.

Mar turned back to Becca’s mother and smiled pleasantly.

“I have to go up front for a few minutes. Let me show you how to hold her for this stretch so you can practice while I’m gone.”

Five minutes later, leaving Becca’s mother performing the necessary stretch, Mar stepped into the front office. Ryan was at his computer, typing rapidly at the keyboard, and the other front desk attendant, Basma, was on the phone at her computer. Mar tapped Ryan on the shoulder and he glanced up, eyes wide.

“Oh, hey, sorry,” Ryan scrambled to get up, snagging a piece of paper from the pile beside him and holding it out to Mar.

“This is the ‘script they gave us, and they’re sitting in the waiting room,” Ryan said, subtly gesturing to two figures sitting in the far corner. Mar glanced at the pair before looking down at the paper.

“This just says the kid needs PT after falling and breaking his arm. What’s the sensitive part of this?”

“Well, first off, the kid seems like he’s here against his will, so I’m worried it might be a mandatory report case. Second,” Ryan reached over the paper and pointed to the name printed in the top corner. The patient’s name was typed in short, bold letters - standard font for medical paperwork.

Timothy J. Drake.

Mar glanced back at Ryan, eyebrow raised. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

Ryan gaped at Mar. “The…you know, the Drakes? One of the richest families in Gotham?”

“Okay?”

Ryan spluttered for a moment before whisper-shouting, “what the fuck would a Drake be doing here, of all places? They usually resort to private care, not a city funded hospital! And the person sitting next to him is certainly not a Drake, either! What if he’s been kidnapped?”

“A rich person’s son was kidnapped, broke his arm, and then the kidnapper not only took him to a doctor about it, but also followed up on said doctor’s recommendation for physical therapy? Ryan, I just want you to process the series of events you’re insinuating here. You understand how ridiculous that sounds, yeah?”

“Mar,” Ryan stressed, looking two seconds from pulling his hair out.

Mar sighed, heavy and long as they stared down at the ‘script again. They were beginning to regret not bringing Ginny and Shelley along today. But they had worked a long shift at pro bono the night before, and while Mar hadn’t taken today off, they gave the girls the day off as an apology.

“Fine,” Mar pushed the paper back to Ryan and turned to leave. “I’ll talk to them and see if they want the next appointment.”

Mar stepped into the waiting room and walked over to the pair in the corner. The elder of the two had a face mask on, covering the lower portion of his face. Mar guessed they could understand where Ryan’s caution came from.

“Hello,” Mar said pleasantly, smiling as they pulled a spare chair over in front of them. “My name is Mar, I’m a physical therapist here. My coworker told me you were interested in an evaluation.”

“Yes,” the elder of the two said at the same time the younger venomously said, “no.”

The skin around the elder’s eyes tightened as he turned to the younger, presumably Timothy, and said, “Tim, we talked about this.”

“No, you talked about it and I pretended to listen. I never agreed to this.”

“The doc said you need physical therapy if you want to stay strong and not fall behind in training. You really don’t have a choice here, kiddo.”

“Why not? It’s my arm. I don’t see why I have to be here when we have an entire gym at home.”

The elder made a frustrated noise and Mar decided to step in.

“If I may,” Mar said, leaning forward slightly. “There’s a lot we can do here to advise your recovery so you stay strong. If it works better with your schedule and preferences, we can arrange minimal appointments and give you plenty to work on at home, since it sounds like you have a good setup for doing so.”

“I don’t need your help,” Tim said bluntly.

“Tim!” The elder hissed, lightly whacking Tim’s shoulder. “Don’t be rude!”

“If you don’t want to be here,” Mar said, unfazed. “That’s fine. You don’t have to take the appointment, but if you change your mind, you know where to find us.”

Tim glared at Mar as they stood up, pushing the chair back to its original position. The elder scrambled to his feet, pulling down his mask as he held out a hand.

“Wait, I’m sorry about him. I’m one of his guardians, Richard. Everyone calls me Dick, though.” Mar shook Dick’s outstretched hand. His smile was strained and stressed and something about the tight line of his lips and the set of his nose felt familiar to Mar.

“Tim’s a bit resistant to asking for help,” Dick explained, Tim making an indignant noise of protest behind him. “But I would really appreciate it if you could see him and help him out.”

“I understand,” Mar said with a nod. “But if he doesn’t want to be here, we can’t make him.”

“But he’s a minor,” Dick stressed, shoving his hands into his pockets as his smile disappeared. “Wouldn’t I be held responsible for neglecting his care if I didn’t bring him here?”

Mar softened, glancing back at Tim as he made a barely perceptible noise behind Dick. He was staring up at Dick’s back with an upset lilt to his mouth and a furrowed brow, no longer angry even if he sort of seemed that way. Mar was beginning to realize this very likely was not a mandatory report case, and simply a misunderstanding.

“Not at all,” Mar answered, tucking their hands into their scrub pockets. “It would be a different story if he was sitting there without a cast on that arm. It’s often recommended that people get physical therapy after breaking something, but not everyone does. And like I said, if Tim doesn’t want to, we can’t make him, even if he is a minor. At the end of the day, the choice is his. That being said…”

Mar stepped sideways around Dick to make eye contact with Tim, who had been staring at the back of Dick’s head until Mar moved. 

“In case the doctor you saw didn’t inform you, wearing a cast for a prolonged period of time to allow bone to heal properly is good. However, because of the immobilization, your muscles begin to atrophy and weaken due to disuse. On top of that, the range of motion in any joint that is immobilized also tends to decrease and become stiff. Physical therapy can help you regain strength and motion so you don’t have to figure it out on your own.”

“But I could figure it out on my own,” Tim insisted after a moment, lifting his chin stubbornly.

Mar nodded. “Probably. But do you want to?”

Tim blinked at Mar like he hadn’t considered that option before.

“Tim,” Dick said beside Mar, voice low and strained. “Please?”

He sounded very…familiar.

Mar observed the stoicism on Tim’s face for a long moment as he processed. Eventually, he shook his head slowly.

“Can I think about it?”

“Of course,” Mar said immediately. “I’m here Monday through Thursday every week, but this clinic is open every day except Sunday and works shortened hours on Saturday. You can either come in person to schedule or you can call the office number for anything you need.”

Tim nodded, pushing to his feet and holding his injured arm close to his center. “Thanks.”

Mar waved goodbye and went back to the gym to continue working with Becca.

Tim’s name and appointment were on Mar’s schedule for the following week by the next morning.

--

“Why do you keep rejecting the blind dates I try to set up for you?” Lydia whined as she trudged alongside Mar. The sidewalk was mostly empty as they turned the corner to head to the pro bono clinic. Ginny and Shelley trotted along happily in front of them, leashes jingling against their collars. “I’ve been working really hard to vet all these people for you!”

“Again, something I never asked you to do, Lyds.”

“Mar, c’mon,” Lydia said, dramatically dragging out the end of her words. “Just one date? I want to see you happy with someone!”

“Lydia, I’m perfectly fine as I am. I know you think you’re helping, but it’s really not appreciated.”

“They aren’t even blind dates when I show you what they look like before…you haven’t been mildly attracted to even one?”

“Lydia–”

“Just one more! Give me something to work with and I’ll just try one more time - please?”

“Lydia,” Mar said, firm and more than a little angry. “I get you want to help, but you aren’t. You didn’t even ask, and if you had, you would know the reason I’m rejecting all of your candidates is because they’re all men.”

Lydia’s steps faltered and she blinked, eyes wide. “Well, shit.”

Mar huffed, half a laugh and half an exasperated sigh. “I know you mean well, but seriously, cut it out.”

Lydia caught up to Mar and nudged their shoulder with her own. “I’m sorry…I should have asked. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Mar held open the door of the clinic building for Lydia as they sighed again. “I know.”

They entered the lobby, Mar reaching down to unclip the leashes from Ginny and Shelley as Lydia paused beside them.

“Are we expecting a new coworker?” Lydia murmured to Mar. They glanced up, first at Lydia and then to where she was looking. Through the window of the front desk, Mar could see a tall woman with bleach blonde hair pulled into a messy bun at the base of her neck. The lines of her cheekbones and jaw were sharp under the ugly fluorescent lights, but her slightly crooked nose and beaming, bright smile met that sharpness in the middle and softened everything about her. She had a dark gray leather jacket over a simple black shirt and matching black spacers in her ears. 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Mar whispered, voice hoarse.

Lydia’s gaze immediately zeroed in on them, a wicked grin pulling at her mouth.

“Shut up.”

“You’ll have to catch me first,” Lydia teased, making a beeline for the office door.

“Lydia!” Mar all but screeched. They signaled distractedly for Ginny and Shelley to follow as they sped after Lydia, face warm with embarrassment already. “Do not be a menace today, I’m begging.”

Mar slipped into the front office just after Lydia, the dogs bounding in after them, clearly thinking this was a game. The blonde newbie turned to grin at them all, green eyes bright and wide.

“Hi there!” Newbie said, taking a hand from one pocket to wave. She clearly was about to say something else before her gaze caught on the dogs. Newbie gasped and dropped into a squat, showing off the definition of her thighs against her jeans. Mar immediately felt lightheaded.

“Puppies!” Newbie said, her deeper voice lilting up in a coo. Ginny and Shelley weren’t on duty yet, so they eagerly trotted over to a clear source of love and attention without hesitation. Mar felt about ready to melt into the floor at the way Newbie was petting the dogs’ ears and making kissy faces at them.

“Nice to meet you,” Lydia piped up, looking smug beyond reason. “I’m Lydia, one of the therapists here. And this is Mar, another therapist and the owner of those puppies.”

Newbie looked up, smiling widely yet again. “Nice to meet you! I’m Nora, your new security guard.”

Mar blinked out of their stunned haze and frowned. “I didn’t know we were getting a security guard.”

Nora’s gaze shifted over to Mar and fuck, that was worse. Mar’s knees were definitely about to buckle under the weight of being looked at by Nora.

“I’m a volunteer,” Nora said, as if that explained anything. “My boss made it perfectly clear that since this is pro bono, security detail is pro bono, too. It wouldn’t really seem fair, otherwise.”

Mar glanced at Lydia and then at Fariha, who was sitting at her desk with a slightly strained smile this whole time. Neither of them said anything, so Mar took the plunge.

“Who is your boss?”

“Red Hood!” Nora said brightly, attention re-focused on petting the dogs begging for attention.

“Huh,” Mar said, suddenly remembering the moment on the sidewalk a little over a week ago. It was sweet, Mar supposed, that he cared enough to send them a security detail. “That’s nice.”

“Mar, Lydia,” Fariha piped up, that strained smile still in place. “Your first patients should be here in a few minutes, if you want to get logged in and prepared.”

“Right, yeah,” Lydia said, reaching over to snag Mar’s wrist. “Thanks, Fariha.”

Lydia dragged a stunned Mar from the office and toward the back room where they stored their laptops. As they ducked into the back, Lydia ran a hand down her face and sighed, weary and sharp.

“Well, that sucks.”

“Huh?” Mar said intelligently, still coming back to their senses. “What does?”

“I know you think she’s hot, so it sucks that she works with Red Hood.”

“What does that have to do with me thinking she’s hot?”

Lydia turned to face Mar, put her hands together and tipped her fingers in Mar’s direction. “I know you are currently rebooting that queer little brain of yours, so I’ll say it again. Nora works directly with Red Hood.”

“I fail to see why that should stop me.”

“Because you would be dating someone who has openly admitted to working with one of Gotham’s most notorious crime lords?” Lydia said incredulously.

“Hot,” Mar said, nodding sagely.

“Literally what is wrong with you.”

“Handsome lady,” Mar said with a shrug. “Look, if you think that’s going to stop me, that’s on you. As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t seen her commit any crimes, nor have I seen Red Hood commit any crimes. I plead the fifth, et cetera.”

Lydia stared at Mar for a long few seconds before turning and thunking her head against a nearby storage shelf.

“I’ve been trying to set you up on blind dates for weeks, only to find out you’re not into men less than half an hour ago, and now you want to pursue a criminal. I can’t believe this.”

“Frankly,” Mar said, shrugging out of their jacket and hanging it up. They scooped up their laptop and paused by the door. “I’m surprised you didn’t see this coming sooner.” 

--

Mar hadn’t forgotten about Tim, but they were horrible with the passage of time and therefore had forgotten that Tim was coming in for his first appointment that day. They always checked their schedule for the day ahead of time to feel somewhat prepared, but Mar often got caught up in singular appointments and forgot things until they were staring Mar in the face. The way Tim and Dick were staring at Mar right now, for example.

Mar placed Tim’s chart down on the desk next to Basma’s computer and smiled pleasantly through the window at them.

“You can follow me,” Mar said. They had looked through the papers in Tim’s chart and felt grounded enough in the broad details of his case to get started. Mar had learned through exposure to this field that half the things on paper that weren’t post-op protocols meant little in the way treatment progressed. Patients reacted to things differently and healed at their own pace. The only information that would affect Tim’s treatment in those notes were weight bearing restrictions and range of motion considerations.

Once they were in the small pediatric treatment gym that Mar occupied mostly on their own, Mar sat on their rolling stool and faced the other two.

“It’s good to see you again,” Mar said. “I’ll re-introduce myself. I’m Mar, and I’ll be your physical therapist for this evaluation. I did look over your papers, but can you tell me a little about what happened?”

Tim sighed, running his fingers back and forth over his injured wrist. According to his papers, he had been freed from his cast a few days ago by his doctor. Even at a glance, Mar could see the mild atrophy between his arms.

“I was skateboarding with some friends when my wheel got caught on a loose piece of pavement or something. I caught myself when I landed but I misjudged how fast I was going, so I broke my arm.”

Mar nodded, typing a few things down in their notes as they asked, “is that your dominant hand?”

Tim shook his head no. Mar made a quick note in his chart.

“What things have you been struggling with while in your cast?” Tim gave them a look and Mar chuckled. “I know that’s a broad question, but give me two or three tasks that are most important to you that are made more challenging because of your injury. We can start with those and go from there.”

Tim glanced sideways at Dick, who smiled encouragingly in response.

“Skateboarding isn’t an issue, but sometimes I do gymnastics stuff with Dick, so that’s a challenge obviously. I also practice martial arts…” Tim paused and glanced at Dick again, chewing on his lower lip for a moment. “I guess those are the two most important things.”

Mar nodded and wrote both of those down in his chart. “I can’t say I’m overly familiar with the intricacies of those activities, but I know the basics and we can always work through things that are more challenging for you as we go. Anything you think of in future appointments can be added in, too. I know things work a little differently with other healthcare providers, but in physical therapy, your treatment is a conversation, not a unilateral decision.”

Tim blinked at Mar, then glanced at Dick, before staring at Mar again.

“Everything okay?” Mar asked, calm and polite.

“Yeah,” Tim said after a moment.

Mar nodded and decided not to push, figuring Tim could voice his thoughts when he wanted. “I’m going to take you through a few tests, first, just to get an idea of your baseline and starting point, and then we’ll go through a few things you can do at home before your next visit. Does all of that sound okay?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Tim said with a shrug. “Are you going to ask me that after every new thing you tell me?”

Dick shot a look at Tim, but Mar spoke up before he could say anything.

“I usually do, to let patients know they can interject whenever they want, but if it bothers you, I can stop. But I want you to know that if I ask you to do something during these tests that you don’t want to do, all you have to do is tell me and we’ll stop.”

Tim nodded, looking skeptical.

Mar almost went to reiterate their point to him, but the look on his face stopped them. It would probably only annoy him. With that in mind, Mar kept a careful eye on Tim’s expression as they started running through strength and range tests. They usually monitored patient reactions anyway, but knowing Tim might try to muscle through, they were extra careful now.

And it seemed to be for good reason. As they were slowly applying pressure to test how far Tim’s wrist could move, they saw him wince and try to hide it. Mar immediately stopped and moved his wrist back into a neutral position, holding the appendage carefully.

“Why did you stop?” Tim asked, staring at Mar with his brow furrowed.

“Because the movement was hurting you.”

Tim opened his mouth, likely to argue, before Mar cut him off.

“I saw your reaction. It’s okay if you need a moment. Now I know where to stop the motion to take a measurement without hurting you this time.”

“What ever happened to no pain, no gain?” Tim asked, tone wry.

“That statement is grossly misunderstood,” Mar said with a heavy sigh. “It’s supposed to be about muscle soreness, about working only to the point of fatigue if you’re capable of it. Pain that causes discomfort and feels like something sharp, stabbing, burning, or anything like that is a warning signal. It isn’t meant to be dealt with and pushed through.”

“Oh,” Tim said, glancing down at where Mar still held his wrist.

“The amount of times I have to explain that to patients shouldn’t be surprising, and yet sometimes it is,” Mar said with a half-hearted chuckle. “But I digress. Are you okay if I move your wrist again?”

When Tim nodded, Mar continued with the evaluation. They finished running through the standard battery of examination items relatively quickly and without much issue. The problem came when Mar gave Tim a handheld device to test his grip strength. The difference between his two hands seemed to frustrate Tim, scowl spreading with each trial completed. At the last repetition, Tim’s fingers trembled around the device and he set it down on the table in front of him with a harsh clunk.

“Tim,” Dick said, half pained and half admonishing.

“It’s alright,” Mar spoke up quickly. Tim was digging his good thumb into the palm of his injured hand, glaring down at it and blinking rapidly. They reached over and removed the device from the table, setting it back in its box.

“Tim, why don’t you come with me? Let’s take a walk around the gym.”

Mar expected Tim to refute the offer, but after a moment, he shoved to his feet and swiftly ducked out of the pediatric gym. With a quick look at Dick and a hurried, “we’ll be right back,” Mar followed.

Tim was only a few steps from the door as Mar fell into step beside him. He had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, staring down at the floor as they walked the perimeter of the somewhat busy main gym floor. They made it two laps around before Mar spoke up.

“May I ask why you’re so frustrated?”

“Who said I was frustrated?” Tim shot back, sounding bitter. Mar didn’t deign that with a response and kept walking with him. After another few paces, Tim sighed and shifted the cross of his arms.

“I told you I do martial arts,” Tim said, slow and measured. “My preferred practice is with the bo staff and…all that test showed me was that I’m not strong enough to hold one. What if I can’t do it again?”

“You will be,” Mar said with ease.

“But what if I can’t?” Tim stressed, glaring more forcefully at the ground. “I have to be able to hold one again.”

Mar wasn’t sure why Tim was putting so much emphasis on something he had claimed was a hobby, but they also weren’t about to push that thread right now.

“Tim,” Mar said, firm but kind. “I know this is frustrating right now. I’ve not been in your shoes, but I’ve treated enough patients who have experienced this level of frustration that I can say I understand. You want to be able to do the things you used to, you want to feel yourself again, you’re scared of the changes to your autonomy. It is frustrating, and it can even be scary. But that is why I’m here, and it’s why you’re here. Muscles take several weeks to actually rebuild strength again, but it isn’t impossible. You just have to be patient, okay?”

Tim slowed his steps and Mar matched his pace, patient. Eventually, he looked up from the floor to study Mar.

“How many times have you given that spiel?”

Mar blinked at Tim and huffed a noise in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“You said in the room that you’ve explained certain things to patients before, over and over again. So how many times have you given that speech?”

“I have said a lot of that before,” Mar admitted after another stunned moment. “But educating patients is a big part of my job, so I do tend to repeat myself. That doesn’t make anything I say less true or less important. It’s just…what I do.”

“Don’t you get tired of repeating yourself?”

“Nope,” Mar said immediately, smirking in the face of Tim’s disbelieving look. “I don’t. Everyone learns differently, and everyone deserves to understand what’s going on with their bodies and their treatment. I’d repeat myself at every appointment for a whole day if that’s what it took.”

“That sounds annoying,” Tim said.

“It’s not for everyone,” Mar admitted with a chuckle. They fell into silence as they kept walking. On their next lap, as they approached the door to the pediatric gym, Tim paused. 

“Ready to go back in?” Mar asked. “We’ve only got a little bit left.”

“Yeah,” Tim said.

The rest of the appointment went smoothly enough, Dick seeming remarkably relieved by Tim’s return and compliance. Mar talked them both through the impairments caused by the immobilization and printed out a sheet of exercises they compiled for Tim to work on at home. It was beyond easy to get Dick on board to monitor Tim and his progress so that he wouldn’t over do it between appointments. Mar took them both through a brief explanation and demonstration of each exercise and gave them their business card in case they had questions.

“Alright, I think that’s everything,” Mar said, standing from their stool. “I’ll walk the two of you out.”

“Thanks again,” Dick said, grinning broadly as they walked toward the main entrance. “I really appreciate everything you did.”

“My pleasure,” Mar said, meaning it. They glanced at Tim on the other side of Dick and smiled. “It was lovely meeting you both, and I hope the next appointment sees some improvement in that arm of yours.”

They reached the front door, Tim pausing to turn and look at Mar. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“Thank you,” Tim said, voice low. “For understanding and being patient with me.”

“Of course,” Mar said with emphasis. “Reach out to me any time if you have questions or concerns.”

Mar waved to Dick and Tim as they left. They couldn’t help but recognize something in the set of Dick’s shoulders as the pair walked away from Mar.

[artificialkids-2k23-official]

Is Spike really artificial? He was hatched by magic, but he seems to be a naturally created dragon who just came out of his shell under unusual circumstances.

I was actually hoping someone would ask this, and I went into this prepared to defend my position. Bear in mind that this is based on my interpretation of what happens in canon, rather than being something that is itself canon. However, I feel like my interpretation is the one that makes the most sense; I will also be using this as my precedent for other entries that will themselves be up for interpretation. (This is why I told y'all on the forms to make your cases and allowed a clause for inclusion based on how well you plead it. You won't always be successful, but you might be.')

Anywho, let's get into it.

So, what we know of Spike's origins in canon, and on screen, is that he was hatched from an egg via Twilight's magic during a magic test, as a result of Twilight witnessing Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom and opening up magic that she'd up until that point struggled to do at all. This was what got her entry into Celestia's magic academy and drew Celestia's attention to her, and later got her taken on as Celestia's personal apprentice. We also know that after that, Spike was raised by Twilight's parents and trained in his own type of magic by Celestia.

And that's what we know, because that was what happened on screen. We have also been told several things, but those things do not, in fact, line up with what has actually been shown.

Or rather, what we haven't been shown.

Because. Where are all the other students' dragons? Why is Twilight the only one who actually has a dragon, if hatching a dragon egg is the test for entry into the academy? Surely, if the entry test is hatching a dragon, then there should at least be some other dragons at the Academy, right? And there should have been preparations in place for their care when they were hatched?

And what was Celestia doing with a dragon egg anyway? Where did she get it, and if that's the test, then where did she get any of them? Why was no attempt made to return Spike to the dragons after he was hatched?

And for that matter, why is hatching a sentient creature via magic the test for entry into the magical academy?

Here's my interpretation: it's not. Because the egg isn't real. The test is, in fact, a Kobayashi Maru type test- the egg is fake, because they aren't interested in whether you can actually hatch the egg, they want to see your magical aptitude, they want to see the range of spells you know and how you go about magical problem solving. How do you approach a task that you must complete using magic? What spells do you turn to, what processes do you choose?

But Twilight didn't know this. And so her magic didn't know this. So, when her magic was brought screeching into the forefront, it looked at the task she was doing, hatching this dragon egg, and said, oh, okay, no problem. Oh there's no actual dragon in here? No problem there, either, I'll just make one.

And thus was born Spike the Dragon, and Teen Mom Twilight Sparkle.

And you will never convince me otherwise.

(By the way I'm aware that Lauren Faust had some very specific interpretations, but she made it clear this was her own interpretation, and one of the later writers had different ideas, and so I'm going by what we actually see on screen rather than any word of god interpretations. If they wanted that interpretation to be canon, they should had put it in the script and on the screen. Anything left open to interpretation is that.)

Now, you don't have to agree with me. But this has been my working interpretation of Spike's birth for well over a decade, and this is my poll, and I make the rules, so he gets to ride. As far as I'm concerned, Spike was created by magic, and thus qualifies for inclusion.

[midnightprelude]

Major Arcana: Heirophant

Written by @oftachancer and I for the @30daysofdorian event!

Masterpost | Next

The salt air raised goosebumps on his arms despite the bright afternoon sun. A storm brewing on the horizon, darkening the usually glimmering Nocen. A summer storm. 

“Are you listening to me, Dorian?”

He drew his attention back from the sea and met his father’s stern gaze, then glanced down at the scroll in his lap. What had he been talking about? Dorian scanned the script: a list of names and birthplaces and- “Yes, sir.”

“Very well,” Halward peered at him with a slight smirk that clearly spoke to the fact he disbelieved him. “Thucian the Gold.”

“Killed his brother in a duel, negotiated the purchase of the sapphire mines in Marothius, married Dorinne Samelser. Sired six children, five girls and Savander the Wise.”

Halward hummed thoughtfully. “…very well.”

Dorian swelled with the praise, his shoulders relaxing and sinking back. Not only praise, but the subtle shift of his father’s lips that was so very close to a smile. 

“Now tell me what you were thinking about.”

Dorian ducked his head, plucking at the stray black ribbon dangling from the baton. “The storm.”

Halward glanced out towards the sea. “…Do you still think of the squall on the ship?” 

Waves crashing over the bow, soaking the deck, rushing down into the cabins inside. Books floating in sea water. Dorian woke from nightmares of it tasting bile on the back of his tongue. “…sometimes,” he replied carefully. 

“No matter how strong we become or how much we prepare, nature can always undermine us. It is an important lesson, Dorian; that is all. Take it as such and move on from it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Fear will only make you weak.”

Dorian nodded, winding the ribbon around his thumb. “Yes, Pater. A Pavus is never weak.” His words earned an actual smile, pride warming his father’s eyes.

“Just so, my son. We cannot afford to be. You cannot.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“I know you won’t.”

“…but you protected us during the storm,” Dorian said softly, remembering watching the wardrobe bob once then sink below the waves. “You weren’t afraid because you knew you could keep us safe.”

“That is not why,” his father disagreed with a slight shake of his head. “What I knew was that I could not fail this family. Family comes first, Dorian, always. It is my duty and my privilege to protect our name and line. One day, it will be yours. And from that purpose, you will learn that absolutely anything is within your power.”

“I won’t fail you,” Dorian murmured, rolling up the scroll. “I remember the rest. Do you want me to recite a branch?”

“It is not your memory that worries me, Dorian,” he chuckled wryly. “It is your attention. The storm is out there. We are here.” He rested his hand on Dorian’s shoulder. Broad and strong, a rare weight. “You have many years ahead of you of listening to things you think you already know. You must seek gems out of the scattering of stones. There is always something new to be learned and no teacher will want a dismissive student.” 

Dorian peered up at his father, smiling at the contact and letting the words wash over him like so many waves. “If I listen, can we stay and watch it come in?” An idea came to him suddenly, nearly making him vibrate with excitement. “Will you teach me to catch lightning? I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

“Purpose will help you to prevail over fear,” Halward Pavus told him, steady and patient. “But I will tell you something that none of your teachers will: spells are an illusion. How one mage has accomplished a task before you is only one way of succeeding. Don’t let others constrain you. Finding your own path to the goal will make you unstoppable.” He bowed his head, thinking. “I will teach you to catch lightning, in this way: fetch the chessboard. We will play until the rain begins.”

[mbrainspaz]

okay I just finished the new live action Avatar season 1 and

y'all are being too mean about it.

All I've seen is posts about how horrible and not-like-the-cartoon it is—and it definitely does deviate quite a bit—but it's still an enjoyable show. I even thought it was good. Not perfect, but definitely fun.

My two favorite things about it are 1: It stayed true to the emotional narrative of the original. While it's a bit 'darker' with how it doesn't shy away from showing some of the more horrific war stuff they obviously couldn't show in the cartoon, the focus stays on the main cast and the growth of their friendships, and still takes time for their individual growth. I did think it was funny how much more emphasis Zuko's storyline is getting so far, but that leads us to the 2nd thing I really liked:

This version, at it's best moments, expanded on the character stories presented in the original in intriguing ways. The added depth of the backstories really drew me in to an adaptation that otherwise could've been a stale repeat. The extra attention given to Iroh in particular was so cool. They couldn't keep every character or story, but the ones they could, they mostly did a satisfying job with.

Am I bummed that they had to cut so much of the story for the compressed runtime? Absolutely. But that's what they had to work with, I guess. I was kind of impressed with how they chose to weave some of the plots together, especially in the Blue Spirit episode. You can tell that the writers had tremendous respect for the original show and genuinely cared about paying tribute to it.

The graphics, as many have complained about, are not spectacular all the time. There are some really cool money shots but other times it's like—aaaand, that whole scene was done in Blender, yikes. Some of the child acting was bad and a lot of the line deliveries felt really stiff and scripted, but there were a lot of good moments too. Zuko and Iroh were the highlight, and Xao was very punchable. Ozai had perfect bad evil father energy, which was great (I'm an expert on this). King Boomie was probably the low for me. So was his whole episode.

I've always been in the 'why do we need live action remakes of perfectly good animation anyway' camp, but since they did it—SURE WHY NOT. IT WAS FUN! Seeing everybody jumping out of their seats to scream and cry about how bad it was.... yes there are valid criticisms to be made but I'd like to see more people talking about all the stuff they did right.

Nobody was expecting this to be a dramatic masterpiece, especially after the og creators split ways during production. I'm still impressed with what we got. If all you wanted was an identical copy of the cartoon with real people and CGI, it's just never gonna happen. That's not how media adaptation works.

Granted, I wouldn't complain if they did another version that leaned more into the silly goofiness of the cartoon. The loss of the frozen frogs scene cuts deep, and Aang wasn't 100% Aang without his sillier side.

[screenspirit]

55 years of George A. Romero’s political horror masterpiece Night of the Living Dead

Starring Duane Jones and Judith O’Dea in one of horror’s most acclaimed scripts, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, released 55 years ago as the filmmaker’s first feature-length film, still holds up as a chilling, entertaining grizzly and layered zombie horror classic. Co-written between the director and famed screenwriter John Russo, Night of the Living Dead focuses on a town’s desperate attempts at survival after a never ending sea of Undead ghouls rise from their graves due to radiation brutish attack. The townsfolk don’t know why the dead are leaving their graves or if or when they’ll go back. All they know is the ghouls want to feast on their flesh and bites can transfer the ghoulish state.

Romero’s work is credited as the first modern onscreen depiction of the now cliched zombie trope even though the film never directly refers to the creatures as that once. Additionally, the classic script drew minor influences from Richard Matheson’s 1954 prose I am Legend in its depiction of a nightmarish disease infecting and decaying a civilised society that was also influential in the zombie apocalypse style. “I thought I Am Legend was about revolution. I said if you’re going to do something about revolution, you should start at the beginning. I mean, Richard starts his book with one man left; everybody in the world has become a vampire,” Romero told Cinema Blend in 2008. “I said we got to start at the beginning and tweak it up a little bit. I couldn’t use vampires because he did, so I wanted something that would be an earth-shaking change.”

He added: “Something that was forever, something that was really at the heart of it. I said, So what if the dead stop staying dead? … And the stories are about how people respond or fail to respond to this. That’s really all [the zombies] ever represented to me. In Richard’s book, in the original I Am Legend, that’s what I thought that book was about. There’s this global change and there’s one guy holding out saying, wait a minute, I’m still a human. He’s wrong. Go ahead. Join them. You’ll live forever! In a certain sense he’s wrong but on the other hand, you’ve got to respect him for taking that position”

Romero’s interpretation of a growing story was made under a budget of $114,000 and was able to gross a total of $30,236,452 worldwide through word of mouth broadcasting its blend of suffocating suspense and stomach-churning carnage. Night of the Living Dead persevered against initial controversy and negative reviews that focused heavily on its explicit violence and gore, refusing to see its artistic and contextual potential, to earn a cult following who did recognise these underlying properties and become one of horror’s greatest and most influential. Romero’s work has also established a prosperous franchise, comprising five sequels that were released between 1978 and 2009, all of which were directed by Romero and an authorised 1990 remake of the original alongside numerous unofficial re-tellings due to the work’s public domain.

Night of the Living Dead utilised its stark black-and-white cinematography, attentive mise-en-scene suspenseful narrative and engaging performances to create a milestone in horror filmmaking. Furthermore, Romero’s direction, despite seemingly working on a gory tale of people being eaten alive, actually commented on the social and cultural developments that were taking the 1960's by storm and this is reflected in the concept of people being hunted by cannibalistic ghouls. The Undead reflect the new generation flourishing with progress and openness and the victims are the older who are restricted by tradition. During Bravo’s 2004 miniseries 100 Scariest Movie Moments, Romero instructed viewers to think of the ghouls as the “new generation devouring the old” in a symbolic sense of cleansing the past with merciless force to seek out something extremely new and different. This coded meaning is evident in the terrifying “feast” sequence which sees the ghouls devour the flesh and organs of one of the character’s charred corpses in a car. Romero’s camera focuses on wide shots to capture the group of ghouls approaching the car and tearing the body apart, before tightening into close-ups of individual ghouls feasting on body parts to accentuate the gruesome horror. This is the exact gore that shocked audiences in 1968 and it’s understandable, given the blunt presentations of internal organs being pulled out of a dead body to be eaten on the spot. However, this carnage can easily be interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict between ideology in generations and the disastrous aftermaths of nuclear action as radiation is the cause for this blood bath.

Night of the Living Dead earned historic status in casting a black male, Jones’s Ben, as his courageous and resourceful protagonist, something nearly unheard of by ’60s standards and further illustrates the feature’s concepts of and push for change. Ben is a true horror hero; headstrong, observant, ambitious and willing to fight till the end. Such a presentation of a black character was considered controversial by 1968’s standards due to bigotry and the film was subsequently linked to the Civil Rights movement. Romero told Bravo that the night he finished filming the project and began driving down to producers, he heard on the radio news that activist Martin Luther King Jnr had been assassinated, a chilling echo of Ben’s unfortunate demise in the film’s conclusion at the hands of rednecks who mistake him for a ghoul. Writing for CineAction in 2018, writer Mark Lager commented that the “connection between Ben’s demise and the racial violence besetting the Civil Rights Movement was all too clear. Night of the Living Dead (a low-budget horror film) had dissected American society in the 1960s more truthfully and unapologetically than any mainstream Hollywood movie.” However, the director was persistent that he did not consider race when casting his protagonist or any of his characters. Instead, he simply cast the actor who impressed him the most during auditions.

A bleak and nihilistic picture that still manages to garner entertainment for horror lovers, Night of the Living Dead is one of the touchstones in the social thriller, something now explored by modern filmmakers such as Jordan Peele. It’s a timeless and unforgettable piece that has allowed several original areas of the genre to take flight.

[estensity]

˖⋆࿐໋₊ Modern Acting AU (Part 1):

A!Kaeya x A!Cosmo x Kaveh

╰─━━ Pining and Admiration

Playlist:

Secret Love Song - Little Mix

Dress - Taylor Swift

Warning !: a bit of spice in the end?

Cosmo.

ㅤ

Just a mere mention of her name can make every single person in Teyvat snap their heads and pay attention to you. She's a famous and the most adored actress who came from Sumeru after all. Most people admire her for her outstanding acting skills, if they add something about it and compare her to other actresses out there, they will simply say she's one of a kind. Meanwhile for others, what they admire from her the most is how real she is; both in and behind the cameras. Perhaps that's why her past co-actors admire her so much.

ㅤ

Admiring her to the point that they even fell for her.

ㅤ

"Ah, choosing Miss Cosmo and Mr. Kaeya to work together on a project is really one of the best decisions that this entertainment company has made." Amber, the script supervisor, gushed as she flipped through the final script that had just been submitted for the last episode of the series they're working on together. The series gained a lot of support both from the actress and actor's fans the moment it was announced and when the first episode was aired, it had topped all the series that has been released in Teyvat and gained multiple awards.

ㅤ

But as the saying goes, "good things must come to an end", the entertainment company recently announced that the series is nearly reaching its end.

ㅤ

"It is indeed a pleasure to work with Miss Cosmo." Kaeya chuckled as his gaze reached his leading co-actress. "Although it is a shame that this will be the last day we'll be together on our set." He continued, his voice faltering a bit.

ㅤ

Cosmo laughed as her brow arched. "Oh? What's with the sudden use of 'Miss' before my name, Sir Kaeya? I thought we were already friends to the point that there's no need to use such honorifics~", She grinned, nudging the male lightly. Kaeya just smiled as he shook his head.

ㅤ

"Aww friends? And here I thought something special was going on between us... don't you think that's a bit of an understatement, Cosmo?" A smirk drew its way to Kaeya's lips, earning a gasp from Amber as she clasped her hand over her mouth and gave the two a funny look.

ㅤ

Cosmo's eyes widened as she felt heat rising up to her face. "Kaeya, you are scandalous of a man." She groaned as she attempted to pinch Kaeya on his sides but fortunately for him, he managed to dodge it. "Don't believe him, Amber. He's just being the teasing jerk like he always is." She spoke as she gave Kaeya the eye. The one that absolutely tells him to 'please-shut-your-mouth' looks of an eye. Kaeya just shrugged his shoulder and smiled.

ㅤ

"Hmm, whatever you say, best actress~" Amber grinned and nodded her head. "Anyways, the shooting will start in a few minutes so I'll leave you two to prepare now. The crew looks forward to your last acting together so give all your best that you got!" She added and finally left the room.

ㅤ

"Oh that girl..." Cosmo sighed and dropped herself towards the couch. Kaeya just stood in his place, seemingly drowning in his deep thoughts. This, of course, didn't slip past Cosmo's concern as a frown with a concerned look flourished her face.

ㅤ

"Kaeya? You okay there?" She asked, causing the male to snap out of his thoughts and look over her.

ㅤ

"Oh yeah yeah, I'm fine. My, you're really concerned for my well being huh?" Kaeya smiled and crossed his arms. Cosmo grabbed the script folder beside her and clicked her tongue.

ㅤ

"Of course I am. Why are we friends if we're not going to care for one another?" And after saying that, Kaeya's expression somewhat... darkened.

ㅤ

"... Friends? Hah." He uttered.

ㅤ

Cosmo placed the folder down and glanced at Kaeya. "What's the matter with you?"

ㅤ

"You." Kaeya answered and started walking towards her. Cosmo suddenly felt a tension building in the atmosphere and couldn't help but back herself away in her seat. Although the thing is... there's no space for her to back away.

ㅤ

"Kaeya, what is this game you're playing agai— oh..." Her breath hitched when she realized that Kaeya is already in front of her, caging her down at the couch. What is he doing...? Cosmo gulped and attempted to keep direct contact to his eyes. Those alluring eyes that hold such beauty... it never fails to draw her gaze like a sunset over water.

ㅤ

But Cosmo always wonders... how can those eyes always hold such an empty gaze but manage to flare up a mirage of emotions.

ㅤ

Perhaps that's why Kaeya is one of the best actors out there. He's unpredictable and always pulls ad-libs whenever he's acting. But fuck, we're not acting right now...

ㅤ

"K-Kaeya... What is the meaning of this?" Cosmo asked. She tried to push him away but he just stood there and rather seemed unfazed.

ㅤ

Kaeya furrowed as he tilted his head. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked, fighting the urge to smile and laugh at the girl caged between his arms. Cosmo rolled her eyes as she heaved out a sigh.

ㅤ

"This, Kaeya. This. Stop pretending that you have no clue what I am talking about."

ㅤ

"Oh? And what if I really don't know what you're talking about?" Kaeya asked as he leaned closer. His fingertips now tracing Cosmo's cheek down to her chin as his gaze slowly travelled to her lips. "Would Miss Cosmo care to explain, hm?" He smiled as he gently raised her chin to look at him.

ㅤ

He...

ㅤ

He's teasing me...

ㅤ

Of course, Cosmo should have seen this coming in the first place. Fine, he's going to play a game with her? She will gladly accept and show him how it is truly played.

ㅤ

"Do you truly want me to explain or just want to kiss me?" Cosmo asked as she slapped Kaeya's hand away and pulled him by his collar, catching him off guard as she leaned close to his ear. "Just tell me the answer and I might consider it." She whispered and chuckled lightly before pushing the male to grab the script folder beside her. Kaeya just sat on the floor, processing everything that just happened.

ㅤ

"Let's go now, the crew are probably already waiting for us." Cosmo smiled before closing the door behind her. Kaeya whipped his head towards the door that Cosmo had just closed and heaved a shaky sigh. He knew what she is capable of but he did not expect her to say that at all.

ㅤ

A hearty chuckle escaped Kaeya's lips as he ran both of his hands through his hair. Does she even have any idea on how much impact she has on him? He may be acting unfazed and all but just the sight of Cosmo in front of him and being that close... that's enough to make his knees weak. I can't even stand properly... can you at least spare me from your charms, Cosmo? Even just for a while.

ㅤ

"Do you truly want me to explain or just want to kiss me?"

ㅤ

"Just tell me the answer and I might consider it."

ㅤ

Kaeya stands up as he starts to prepare for their taping. "Will you truly consider it, Cosmo?"

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ°°••....••°°

ㅤ

My Kaveh ♡

Hey, Cosmo. I'll be fetching you today, just tell me once you're done okay?

ㅤ

Cosmo squinted her eyes as she read the contact name for the fifth time. What the... Did Kaveh change his contact name here? Cosmo thought to herself as she tried to recall the events of her changing his contact name but to no avail, she really doesn't remember anything. Whatever, she'll just change it later.

ㅤ

This is actually the fifth time that Kaveh had been sneakily stealing her phone just to change his contact name. He keeps insisting that it is right and just to change his contact name on her phone instead of having a "plain and boring one". Funny how Kaveh can be sort of a hot-head perfectionist sometimes and be passionate about things but can be childish about these resorts.

ㅤ

We're already done. You can come pick me up ;)

ㅤ

Today is the premiere of the final episode of the series that Cosmo has been leading and in fact, it just ended a few minutes ago. She has been in the industry for almost six years and yet, the feeling of emptiness still lingers whenever she finally finishes her projects. It's the journey, friends, and supporters that she had gained that always makes her attach with each and everyone from her career.

ㅤ

If she would be given a chance to work with the same people again, she will do it over and over again but that's not how it works. All Cosmo can do is hope for everyone's best and perhaps one day, she will be able to meet and work with them again.

ㅤ

"What's with the long face?" A familiar voice suddenly spoke, snapping Cosmo out of her thoughts. Standing in front of her is her best friend since high school, Kaveh. He's definitely the definition of a 'pretty best friend'.

ㅤ

"Kaveh— how did you get here so fast?! I literally just replied to your message--" Cosmo opened her phone and checked her last reply to Kaveh. "--five minutes ago. Have you been waiting around here for a long time?" She asked as the blonde male only flashed her a smile and nodded. "Of course, I can't afford to keep you waiting too long so I arrived here thirty minutes ago so I can pick you up right away. You look dazzling in that dress of yours by the way."

ㅤ

Cosmo's eyes widened a bit upon hearing his statement but nonetheless, she flashed Kaveh a smug smile and crossed her arms.

ㅤ

"Alright mister, what is it that you want in return hm?" She asked and raised her brow. Kaveh's smile widened as he took out a paper bag from the car and grabbed a bucket hat and placed it on Cosmo's head.

ㅤ

"Wait, isn't this the hat that I gave you a few years ago?"

ㅤ

"Mhm, your second Christmas gift for me. Here, wear this too." Kaveh spoke as he gave her sunglasses. Cosmo frowned as she hesitantly grabbed it. "What exactly are we going to do?" She asked.

ㅤ

Kaveh just smiled at her as he reached out his hand towards the girl. Cosmo tilted her head as she unsurely placed her hand on top of his. Is he asking to hold hands or...

ㅤ

Before she could even pull her hand away, Kaveh intertwined his fingers against her and glanced at her. "I want you to visit a place with me." He grinned and fixed her hat. "Shall we?"

ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ°°••....••°°

"... A room?"

"Okay Cosmo, I know this might seem a bit weird and suspicious—"

ㅤ

"It is totally weird and suspicious."

ㅤ

"Yes yes I know but... would you believe me if I tell you that this is the place where we used to stay back then? This is once our apartment floor." Kaveh spoke. Cosmo whipped her head towards him as she looked around the place.

ㅤ

Their apartment floor...? Wait—

ㅤ

"...the apartment where we faced hardships just to achieve our dreams huh? Yes, I remember." Cosmo smiled as memories started to plague her mind. Back then, Cosmo auditioned for seven entertainment companies and none of them accepted her. Kaveh was there to support her and cheer for her to make sure she never gives up. Kaveh dreamt of being an architect and inquired about an admission to four different academies but unfortunately, they're already full of applicants. Cosmo was also there to support him and kept reassuring him that he will get admitted soon.

ㅤ

During those hardships, their friendship became stronger than it could ever be. Though, is it really friendship or is it simply a mirage to cover up those caged feelings that have been screaming to be let out.

ㅤ

"I saw the premiere of your series awhile ago and I am proud to say that my best friend is the most talented actress out there." Kaveh grinned which earned a laugh from Cosmo. "And I am also proud to say that my best friend is the best architect out there! You think I wouldn't notice your building designs? Almost all of the settings we've visited have your signature designs." She smirked as she nudged him.

ㅤ

"Ah, so you know?" Kaveh laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, what can I say? My blueprint designs are perfect."

ㅤ

"Pfft of course, of course. No need to point it out captain obvious." Cosmo rolled her eyes playfully as they both burst in laughter.

ㅤ

Kaveh glanced at Cosmo who was still laughing and unconsciously walked towards her. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you, Cosmo. Thank you for believing in me." Kaveh smiled as he snuggled on the crook of her neck. Cosmo buried her face against his chest as she gladly returned the hug.

ㅤ

"Of course, there is no day where I had even an ounce of doubt to you."

ㅤ

Kaveh pulled away to look at Cosmo's face as he reached for her hands, caressing them with his thumb. "Can I ask something?"

ㅤ

"Ask ahead."

ㅤ

"What is Kaeya to you?" Kaveh asked, long gone was his delighted expression as soon as Kaeya's name drifted from his lips. Kaveh had noticed how the two became close the moment they were paired together and it really bothered him. Sure, Cosmo has been paired with different actors before but there's something about Kaeya that infuriates and ignites something in Kaveh and he doesn't like it in one bit.

ㅤ

"Oh, Kaeya? Why do you want to know?" Cosmo asked, confusion lacing her voice.

ㅤ

"Just answer me, Cosmo, please..." Kaveh muttered.

ㅤ

"Kaeya is a friend of mine." She answered. Cosmo's heart beats faster and faster as she worriedly gazes at Kaveh. Why is he suddenly acting strange and asked what Kaeya is to her?

ㅤ

"Are you sure he's just a friend?" He asked once again.

ㅤ

"Of course, Kaveh! Why are you even asking me this—"

ㅤ

"When you and the whole film crew went to a resort to celebrate the successful final taping of the series." Kaveh interrupted as he pulled Cosmo closer to him once again, leaning closer to her ear as the warmth of his breath sent a shiver down to her spine. "You texted me that night that the whole crew ganged up on both of you and insisted that you and Kaeya should share a room together...

ㅤ

ㅤ

Did something happen between you two?"

ㅤ

"Kaveh..."

ㅤ

"Do you have any idea how those hours of you not being able to reply to me that night drive me crazy?!" Kaveh continued, this time his voice is slowly rising and that could only mean one thing to Cosmo. He's getting frustrated.

ㅤ

But why...?

ㅤ

Surely, it's not because he's jealous right?

ㅤ

She's just a friend to him, isn't she?

ㅤ

Cosmo squirmed from his grasp as she distanced herself from the blonde male. Confusion is written all over her face as she silently gazes at her best friend who has been acting strange just now. "Kaveh, I don't know why you're so frustrated right now but I don't like it! Why did we even end up talking about this? We were just talking about our accomplishments that we achieved together! And that whole thing where I didn't get to reply to you, I told you that there was a bad signal at the resort!Nothing happened between me and Kaeya! Just what has gotten into you?"

ㅤ

"After all of that you still didn't get any clue? Cosmo, how long will it take for you to realize that I want something more than what we have? I am so tired of holding myself back from you. I am desperate to hold you and keep you to myself! I just want to be reassured that I don't have to worry about anyone snatching you in just one snap anymore! Why won't you realize that?" Kaveh exclaimed, his ruby eyes holding a longing look as he looked at Cosmo who has been pacing in the room back and forth.

ㅤ

Overwhelming emotions swirled through her heart as she closed her eyes. After clearing things with Kaeya and everything that happened between Kaveh and her, what is she supposed to do now? Cosmo is in fact aware about Kaveh's feelings towards her and to be honest, she too had fallen for her best friend. It's just that she never said anything about it because she doesn't want anyone to ruin their relationship given the fact that there's always eyes and cameras wherever she goes. Cosmo thought that perhaps it's a good idea to keep these feelings hidden and find a right time for it someday.

ㅤ

"Kaveh, do you have any idea how hard it is for me too? I have feelings for you too but I can't just say it to you and get involved in a relationship with you! I just... don't want us to get ruined too. Everyone will do anything to destroy a celebrity's relationship and I am no exception." Cosmo cried out, her voice slowly breaking down. Kaveh ran towards her and before she could even move and walk away once again, she found herself caged in his arms. "Let me go, Kaveh."

ㅤ

"After hearing you say those words, you expect me to let you go just that?" Kaveh smiled as he tightened his hug. "Cosmo, you do know that no one will ever destroy us right? Look at us right now, we've been through a lot and yet we're still here together. And here you're fearing that just a simple bunch of ordinary people will ruin us? I don't think so, darling." He continued.

ㅤ

"But—"

ㅤ

Kaveh pulled away and gently cupped her face. "Shh don't worry, okay? It's going to be alright. So please, let go of your worries and let yourself love me and I'll love you." He spoke and gave Cosmo a reassuring smile as he pressed both of their foreheads together.

ㅤ

Cosmo felt her breath hitched after hearing those words and just like that, she felt all the worries and fear vanish in an instant. If Kaveh said that everything will be alright, then everything will be alright, right?

ㅤ

Cosmo inhaled and mustered all the courage she's got in her as she looked up to see Kaveh's face.

ㅤ

If everything will be alright then I should do the only thing I've been meaning to do back then.

ㅤ

Grabbing Kaveh's face, Cosmo pulled him in for a kiss. Despite being surprised, Kaveh smiled between the kiss and kissed the love of his life back to his heart's content. It would be ironic if Cosmo were to say that this is her first kiss but in fact, this is actually her truest first kiss. No acting and script involved, just love and anticipation.

ㅤ

Kaveh immediately pulled away and carried Cosmo to his arms, earning a surprised yelp from her before breaking into a fit of laughter. "Let's continue this inside the bedroom, shall we?" He smiled as Cosmo nodded and wrapped her arms around Kaveh's neck.

ㅤ

As they finally reached the room, he gently dropped her in the bed and pinned her down. Kaveh placed a kiss on top of her forehead down to her cheeks, finally reaching her lips. Cosmo closed her eyes as tears cascaded down to her face. Is this the taste of what love really is? Is this what she has been depriving herself for a very long time? If so, then damn. It is truly her biggest regrets.

ㅤ

Kaveh pulled away as the two of them began to catch their breaths. The tired breaths of what seems to be a never-ending race, finally reaching their destination. "Can... I... have the permission... to mark... you?" He panted between his breaths. Cosmo smiled and pinched Kaveh's cheek as she pulled him closer to plant a kiss on his forehead.

ㅤ

"If that will put you at ease, then who am I to oblige?" She whispered, earning a smile from Kaveh as he leaned towards her neck. His lips traveling in every part of her, leaving marks in her neck. There is a reason why those marks are called love marks. For those marks left in every inch of her represents longingness, pain, fear, excitement, happiness, reassurance, and acceptance. All those emotions embodying love.

ㅤ

That night, two hearts beating for one another escaped the grasp of pining and finally embraced the euphoria of love.

[brian-in-finance]

Video 📹

Why Lauren Lyle in new crime drama Karen Pirie is your autumn must-watch

Lauren Lyle on Police jargon, that Patagonia bumbag and what she hopes audiences take away from the series.

Credit: Joseph Sinclair

Lauren Lyle is a woman to watch. From her much-loved role as Marsali in Outlander to her gritty character in Vigil and now, fronting the first female-led primetime detective series from ITV featuring a police detective in their 20s since Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect.

We sat down with Lyle ahead of the first episode of the three-part series Karen Pirie airing this Sunday on ITV at 8 pm (add it to your diary now and thank us later), to discuss the process of bringing this beloved character to life and why the justice Karen seeks feels so personal.

Lyle is fresh from a busy few days at London Fashion Week where she sat on the front row at S.S. Daley and Paul & Joe. Not only is she garnering attention from fashion designers, but industry execs are also watching her every move closely. So much so, that she was spotted at the table read-through for Vigil by an executive who ‘saw me, and said “we need to see her and get her involved with Karen Pirie”‘. You can see why. It’s the most perfect casting. Like Karen, Lyle is petite, blonde, immediately likeable and also hails from the character’s native Scotland.

Joseph Sinclair

‘It’s been so cool working on something really relevant that’s truly saying something,’ shares Lyle. ITV is deeply beloved for its detective series, and characters like Vera and Lewis are long-established icons within the crime drama genre. How did she feel joining such a beloved collective?

‘I never thought I’d get to play an iconic British detective in my 20s. Let alone one who has so much depth.’

Karen Pirie is actress and screenwriter Emer Kenny’s adaptation of celebrated crime writer Val McDermid’s first novel, which focuses on the reopening of a cold case murder investigation. Karen is tasked with looking into a murder that’s been the subject of a provocative true crime podcast. When teenage barmaid Rosie Duff was stabbed to death in 1995, suspicion fell on the three male students who discovered her body.

‘It felt so meaningful for the show to be seen through the lens of a woman. A woman who knows what it means to walk home at night and not know if you’re going to get home safe. To fight for this woman that the unimaginable happened to’ shared Lyle.

‘The need for justice is very personal for Karen.’

Contributing fashion editor, Sarah-Rose Harrison sat down with Lauren to talk all things Karen Pirie…

What drew you to the role of Karen?

The scripts were just so witty. It was such a self-aware adaptation of what it is to live in the world we’re in and what it means to be a woman within it.

Something that a lot of men have asked me is, ‘is Karen firey?’ and you would never ask a guy that. ‘Is he firey?’ I asked my boyfriend what he associated with ‘firey’ and he said, aggressive. Karen’s really not. She’s smart and hopeful.

We’re so used to seeing middle-aged male detectives who are going through a divorce or a drinking problem and they’re dealing with that and then the case comes along and they struggle through it. Whereas Karen is at the beginning of her career. She’s passionate, excited and slightly out of her depth but that’s her advantage.

Joseph Sinclair

We all had those moments dressing up as a doctor, police officer or fireman, did you ever consider being a police officer?

It’s funny I actually never wanted to be a police officer but I always thought the uniform was cool. In the first week of filming when Chris Jenks and I got given our police badges we would go off between camera setups to would practice flipping them at each other. We got really slick at it as you have to look cool doing this stuff.

It’s tricky because the police are quite controversial, but I think Karen’s a realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be in the force. Learning the police jargon was fun. With all the interrogations I had to learn everything backwards. There’s a really big monologue, like 14/15 pages that I actually spent my birthday learning. We filmed that scene all in one take, I felt like I really trained a muscle after that.

On your podcast, She’s a Rec, you ask guests to share their favourite albums and songs. Was there a particular album or song that helped you get into character?

I had Tresor’s album Nostalgia on repeat. It was the most buoyant way to wake up to those 5 am Scottish sunrises. My Spotify-liked songs became my morning routine. There were 45 songs from that summer that I played non-stop. Especially Lipstick on The Glass from Wolf Alice’s album Blue Weekend. It had just come out and I listened to that a lot – I actually had their lead singer, Ellie, on the first season of my podcast so that was a lovely reuniting of creativity to listen to her whilst preparing each day.

I got really into upbeat electronic music like BAYNK and Fred Again. Really epic music that fitted the epic locations.

Karen’s partial to a knitted vest. Was there a particular item of clothing that helped you get into character?

Oh, her bumbag for sure. I’d get in my trailer every morning have my porridge and my process was to dance along to my playlist of those 45 songs, pop the collar of my shirt – which is quite a Scottish thing to do – and, put the Patagonia bumbag on.

The bumbag was a staple. What did you keep in it?

I had little snacks and protein bars, we got really into Pastel de Natas on set but I wouldn’t put one of those in there. It came in handy for my mic pack and on set, we loved the ongoing mystery of ‘what’s in the bumbag.’

I had a lot of creative control over Karen’s wardrobe. Lesley Abernathy (head of costume) and I really got together as the only note for the character was that she ‘that she wasn’t fashionable and didn’t know how to dress.’ So we embraced sweater vests, which I love and a popped collar – a little nod to androgyny. It felt like her armour.

‘I loved the idea of her being accidentally fashionable and a little bit iconic.’

Joseph Sinclair

1 in 3 women experience sexual violence, a heartbreaking statistic Marie Claire shone a light on within our Abuse is Not Love campaign. Whilst the series focuses on a crime that fictionally occurred 25 years ago it felt very current. It evoked the murders of Sarah Everard, Sabrina Nessa and Ashling Murphy. What do you hope audiences take away from watching Karen Pirie?

A number of young women were murdered during the time we recorded the series simply just trying to get home. That’s literally it, isn’t it? We’re just trying to get home.

Emer wrote things into the scripts during filming to keep it mainstream and how, what we as women are already doing, ‘calling when walking home, keys within our knuckles never feels enough.’ We’re doing everything already and it can’t keep happening where women are told to do more. Something has to change.

I hope people who might not have engaged with this conversation previously watch the show and do. Whether that’s by speaking to their male friends about how easy it is to help get a friend or a woman get home safely rather than expecting them to do it themselves. It’s been on us for so long.

The line, ‘Rosie and all of the Rosies deserve better’ stayed with me after the show.

Emer talks a lot about how she writes what her questions are. She writes about how she sees the world and her questions to it. She’ll put different options and answers as well as alternatives to each answer into different characters so those questions can be thrown up and the audience can make the decision for themselves as to what’s right.

That’s why I’m so proud of the show. It’s not shying away. This can’t keep happening, that’s why it’s so personal for Karen to get justice for Rosie and how heartbreaking it is for the families.

Your best friend on the show, River is actually played by Emer. How was it working so closely with the show’s writer?

We really bonded, we now call each other Clooney (Emer) and Pitt and we’re hopefully going to work together forever. There were moments with especially particular police jargon where I ask her, ‘do I have to say it exactly like that, it’s so difficult and she’d laugh and say ‘I’ve done 12 drafts, you have to do it exactly like that.’

Where will you be watching the series?

I’m having all my friends around and we’re going to hunker down and watch it at my house. We’re getting Homeslice pizza and I’ve told everyone to bring champagne. It’s terrifying but I’ve seen the series 100 times now so I’m excited to watch their reactions.

Karen Pirie is on ITV, Sunday 25th September at 8pm.

Photography, Joseph Sinclair

Makeup, Maria Asadi

Hair, Joe Pickering-Taylor

Styling, Emily Tighe

Marie Claire

Remember… a number of young women were murdered during the time we recorded the series simply just trying to get home. That’s literally it, isn’t it? We’re just trying to get home. — Lauren Lyle

[adultswim2021]

Space Ghost Coast to Coast #70: “Snatch” | October 15, 1999 | S06E02 Alternate ending version aired January 28, 2000

Snatch is a very memorable one, because it’s pretty singular and story-driven and has a specific atmosphere AND! It had a GIMMICK that yielded variations of the episode. In fact, if you are the type of person who likes to pay attention to italicized text under headlines, you will note that I made mention of the “alternate ending” version airing a few months after this. I assume that was the first rerun of this episode. But before I talk about that, I should say other stuff. 

This one features Steven Wright, deadpan comedian who I remember loving around this time. He’s one of those very specific guys that is easy to glom onto and think is a genius. I never formally stopped loving him, per se, I haven’t seen him on my TV screen in a very long time. I don’t know why I made it sound like I was going to denounce him or something. He is a great Space Ghost guest, and plus I think he’s cute. 

A bunch of Invasion of the Body Snatchers style pods show up and threaten Space Ghost and co, including the guest monitor. Long has been the custom to treat the monitor itself like a sentient being and not just a communication tool, hence Wright being in mortal danger. They can’t flee Ghost Planet because the blob has covered the building. Also the pods are feeding off the rays!!

The interesting thing about this is that it’s a single guest episode, but they dispense with the guest roughly halfway through the episode when he is consumed by the pod, and screams for way too long about it. The rest of the episode is just Space Ghost and co. being menaced. No second guest needed, baby except for the city of New York (where Space Ghost takes place).

This one originally ended with Dave Willis as Colonial man, who, as we all know, is a the owner of Burger Trench (as well as a fascinating Colonial book). Space Ghost and company succumb to a decaf-induced slumber (not shitting on the episode but “decaf” rivals “paycheck” as one of those adult-sounding words meant to make children laugh that just hits my ear poorly), and we cut to Colonial Man announcing that the show is auctioning off the ending on eBay. This was in script form. According to the lost media wiki, the script has yet to resurface, and I don’t think anyone officially knows who won it.

The “alternate ending” version is simply a slightly animated title card reading “The End” after Space Ghost et al fall asleep and the pods begin to descend on them, clearly about to do them in. There might be variations on this, or maybe not. (Colonial Man voice) I don’t know! 

EPHEMERA CORNER: 

Dinner with Steven (Unaired episode)

Found on the Volume 4 Space Ghost DVD (or on archive.org) is this recorded, but not animated episode of Space Ghost featuring the same Steven Wright interview. In this one, it seems to be a stage production of a My Dinner With Andre style play (note: My Dinner With Andre was not based on a play). Clay and George recorded for it, but the soundtrack is unfinished. There’s a scene where it seems like somebody is walking out while Space Ghost holds everything up to glare at him. 

The problem with this one was likely that it involved too much new animation/backgrounds. Moltar plays the waiter. Zorak, as announced in the beginning, is being portrayed by understudy Kathy Kinney (aka Mimi "big bitch" Bobeck from Drew Carrey). This only comes up in one scene, when Steven demands Space Ghost fly around with Zorak on his back, and this is expressed by showing Space Ghost with a TV monitor on his back, which presumably was going to include a clip of Kinney saying something kooky (they did not include a clip in the animatic). 

This one has a really great moment: Space Ghost starts stuffing his face and asks Steven what the worst thing he ever did was. Wright claims to have “axed” somebody to death. George Lowe gasps as if Space Ghost is genuinely shook to his core. It’s really fucking funny. Then it’s followed up with Steven Wright laughing at his own ad-lib, and how it’s inappropriate for a children’s show, which I guess this sort-of is.

MAIL BAG 

I have to let the record stand on this: I'm pretty sure the DVD version of chambraigne uses all different stock footage during the chambraigne commercial, and the footage the aired version uses is funnier imo. So it's still a mixed bag of an edit.

Thank you! This was on my mind but I failed to mention it because for some reason I tricked myself into doubting myself and I just didn’t have a handy way of checking it.