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justagirlsearchingforamuse · 4 years

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I wanted to write what characters I think should’ve been romanacable or at least been able to have a one night stand with in Cyberpunk 2077 because I feel they should’ve had more options tbh. I will talk about what kinda missions they should’ve had for the characters were romanceable and how their relationships should’ve developed or could’ve per say.

1. Jackie Welles

First and foremost, I believe Jackie Welles who a lot of people want to romance believe me I can see why but I feel that if you wanted to keep his death in there, I could see V and it wouldn’t matter if what gender you were confessing to liking him. V is realizing that he’s dying right before them and is begging him not to go whilst putting pressure on his wound, Jackie cups their cheek before apologizing and giving them the chip. V manages to say that they love him and whether it’s platonic or not it’s up to you especially if you talk to other characters such as Judy, Panam, & River. You can talk about your relationship with Jackie as being somewhat like unrequited love, if you have the guts and the balls to you can even tell Misty that you had these feelings for him. But it’s gonna slightly bring down your relationship with her, she’ll express how she wasn’t surprised and how she noticed it. If you choose to end yourself in the final mission, depending on if you saw Jackie as a love interest you’ll end up saying how you love Jackie and how you can’t wait to see him. Even kissing the necklace and putting it on yourself before it all ends. But if you managed to keep him alive, I’d say that you’d be able to have a threesome with him and Misty cause honest to god I thought that’s what the developers were hinting at with the fucking ;). If you would manage to pull off such a feat you’d have to collect all of the tarot cards, do all of Misty’s missions as well as Jackie’s which I might talk about more in depth in future posts. Depending on how you’ve been treating them both which is well I hope, Jackie will bring you back to his apartment and talk about your relationships as well as your sex life. It eventually leads to Jackie whispering in your ear about how would you feel having a threesome with them, you can answer according to how you’re feeling. If you say yes then Misty will soon come into the room and she’ll sit right beside you, touching you and kissing on your neck whilst Jackie kisses you. If you guys would want me to write a Misty/V/Jackie smut or go into more depth about it then just send an ask in my ask box.

I’d like to imagine that if you manage to keep him alive up until the very end, he is with you when you visit Alt and when the bad news comes, you’re both pissed and it’s even to the point of Jackie nearly breaking down in tears. Jackie begins to blame Johnny for this, getting pissed at him and Alt, saying this should’ve never happened to V. Johnny can choose to argue with him or try and talk Alt into more options. Depending on how you played V, you can get a scene where if you choose to take over V’s body then V will end up confessing to Jackie saying how it’s the end for them and how sorry they are for this happening. V can even kiss Jackie and apologize once again before saying a tearful goodbye to Jackie. I’d imagine that Jackie would want little to nothing to do with Johnny not just because he believes it’s his fault for taking away his best friend but because everytime he sees Johnny he sees V and it breaks him every time. Jackie can break up with Misty sometime after the incident and is seen just living life with Mama Welles but he’s always thinking of V. If you choose to sacrifice Johnny, depending on how you treated Jackie and Misty you can end up in a polyamorous relationship. Though you all are trying to do your best to manage this, your relationship is pretty decent with them both.

I believe that you couldn’t romance him without Misty being there or I feel that he would never break Misty’s heart to date V or cheat on Misty with V because he doesn’t give me those vibes. If anything he’d seem to be against cheating, but I’d like to imagine if you’re a dick and whatnot that you’d be able to try and romance him but he keeps pushing you away if you end up being too touchy or romantic with him. So naturally he’d be quite hard to romance that’s if you include Misty. He is bisexual/pansexual and should be able to be romanced no matter your gender. Also, he gives me bottom vibes or power bottom vibes.

2. Johnny Silverhand

Personally I believe that you’d be able to romance him slightly towards the end of the game, like I imagine that if you manage to get on his good side and get him to trust you as well as remaining non romanceable to other people. I’d imagine that it’d all really depend upon the endings really, like you’d able to confess to him or kiss him in all of the 5 or 6 endings. You can confess in both of the main endings, it goes the same with you crying and saying how he’s one of the bestest friends you’ve ever had and saying how he really impacted your life. You can choose to kiss V or to hug them in a totally platonic way, as Johnny you can choose to say whether you liked them or whether you just wanted to give them as kiss as being able to recognize their feelings for him. Johnny in the Temperance ending will talk to Steve about V vaguely saying about whether he had feelings for them or how they were an amazing friend. He can even say kiss the necklace that V always carried with them before saying something like, “I won’t forget you, babe.” if you chose to make it where Johnny began to develop feelings for V. V in the ending if you had feelings towards Johnny, you can see that she tells that to her Life Coach or whatever if you are a Corpo V and she’ll confess that she liked him, saying how she’s been missing him a lot lately. As much as I’d love a Johnny and V sex scene that I’d be able to imagine in the game, I can’t see sex happening, maybe making out but Johnny seems like the kind to really become angsty at the idea of not being able to actually feel you. But I’d imagine if you could by some miracle would be able to get him to kiss you early on in the game then I’d say it’d be a lot of making out and Johnny getting off of you. Feeling as though he has nothing to offer you or that he hates not being able to actually feel you. But basically a romance with Johnny Silverhand and V would be angsty af or would be short-lived, sorry guys. Also, Johnny is bisexual so it doesn’t matter what gender you are. Though I do like the idea of an ending where you choose to spend your final days with Johnny whether it’s having sex (in some way), doing stupid shit, or just being in each other’s presence, I feel in this ending he’d ask you if you’d want him to take over your body before you go, if you say yes you can kiss him before telling him to take care of them. But if you say no, then he just spends his and your final moments just laying on the bed and staring into each other’s eyes.

He is bisexual especially from how much he regrets not fucking or getting with Kerry back then but he goes give me heavy dom vibes but at the same time he doesn’t seem to care as long as he’s getting some.

3. Viktor Vector

He’d also be bi, I feel that most of the romances are bi/pan or are gay such as Judy. He gives me bi nerd vibes though as well as I am a tired bi vibes. You should’ve been able to romance him in game or at least have something with him tbh. I feel he’d have about 4 quests which should lead to a romance, once you pay Viktor what you promised he’ll say how he thanks you and will text you a quest which would probably be something like being his boxing partner or something. i feel his quests would have to do a lot with him reliving his younger years of boxing or just doing what he’d call stupid shit with V, I can imagine that the quests would be V getting Viktor to do things he usually doesn’t do. In the final mission, I’d imagine that he’d come to your apartment or he’ll text you about having dinner and some drinks or even the final date being after the last mission you guys both did which was dangerous, something that resulted in you being checked up on by Viktor. Depending on if you’ve been playing your cards right, I can imagine him finishing up on your wounds or whatnot and you end up being the one to confess that you’ve grown closer to him, you caress his cheeks and he ends up telling you to shut up and he kisses you. It leads to you both making out on the chair before you end up on top, you caress his cheeks once more before kissing him again and he in between kisses says how you need to be more careful with your wound. You snarkily tell him to shut up and you kiss him again before it fast forwards to some cute yet steamy sex with plenty of Viktor trying to be gentle on you. Though I’d imagine if you were Male V/Non-Binary V he’d be a little less gentle on you or the roles would be reversed in the mission before I’d imagine in the mission before he either took a bullet for you or you took a bullet for him. He’s a little less gentle with you and a huge tease towards you whether you’re fem’ V or male’ V. He’d play a bigger role in the ending if you romanced him, I feel similar to Panam he should have his own ending or at least a secret ending where it ends with him just trying to take care of you in your final moments. He is there with you along with Misty and Jackie if you managed to save him and you say your final words to them, thanking them for being there forever and always with you. Viktor takes off his glasses and ends up kissing you before nearly breaking down in tears as you begin to slowly fade away from this world, muttering how you’ll never forget them. Viktor ends up wanting to keep his business, wanting to try and help people if he can with you always on his mind and he ends up becoming a big thing, He always is thinking of you, even adopting a child who takes after you with their mischievous personality. It ends with him gifting your child with the necklace that Jackie ends up giving you, beginning to tell your child the journey that you went on that he witnessed. He gives me strong bisexual or maybe even gay vibes tbh. Also, gives me major switch vibes.

4. Goro Takemura

Of course everyone loves him, I do too just not as much as some do. I feel a romance should’ve formed or he should’ve had a few sidequests that would lead to more of a romance. His side quests should’ve been exploring the city with him as well as him just trying to find people who can help V with the chip, 2 or 3 of the quests are you and him exploring the city and helping him learn about Night City. Even learning more about his past and him learning more about yours, which could lead to you both having a romance. Realistically speaking I feel there wouldn’t be a sex scene, so sorry but I feel he’s the kind to want to want things to get more serious and whatnot before considering having sex. He gives me very much if you like it then you better put a ring on it vibes. I can imagine on their last quest which I can see being an expensive dinner date that Takemura keeps insisting on paying for but you choose to because you want to see his face twist in pleasure at the amazing food. I imagine he takes you to an expensive restaurant and once you say all the right things, you can grab Takemura’s hand and take him to his car in which you’ll end up making out with him heavily and before you can get his pants off. He pushes you off, insisting that he doesn’t want to move too fast with you and that he’s enjoying the relationship he has with you he just doesn’t want to give that up yet. But I can imagine if he lives he plays a bigger role and even gets his own ending or plays a big role in the endings where you choose to follow after Hanako, he keeps telling you that you’re doing good and that you made the right choice. I can imagine if you romanced him/kept him alive he’s the one trying to convince you to do the final test/experiment to keep you alive. i can see him playing a good role if you manage to keep him alive and if you romance him, overall I feel he’s bisexual or demisexual. He gives me strong demisexual vibes and or bicurious vibes. Also, he’s a bottom/power bottom and I’m leaving it at that.

5. Kerry Eurodyne

He should’ve remained bisexual tbh, I get it wanting gay rep but also don’t do bi erasure, I see him as bi leaning more towards guys but he’ll be happy to date fem’ V as long as they play their cards right. I feel he should’ve been a more serious option or could’ve been more serious, I feel in the first quest or 2 you have to make a good impression on him and show him you’re down for whatever. Show him that you will make an impact on him and that you’re different, during the first few quests which I can see are just helping him with fans who have no boundaries or helping him get rid of his writer’s block and get back into music. I can imagine the first quest he is calling you anxious about a bunch of fans out in his driveway which you can try to convince them that this isn’t right or knock the fans out which the latter can have Kerry a little distant from you. Thought if you don’t manage to convince them they might try to get violent if it means Kerry would come out, which results in Kerry coming out and helping you I’d imagine he’d need someone who can handle the crazy lifestyle that he has, the fans, handle all of the crazy shit that is in his life. I feel the love scene would happen all the same to be honest and would happen after you finish all the quests and show great interest in becoming more. I’d imagine that he wouldn’t play that big of a role but he’s there and often texting you about random ass shit and he’s honestly just enjoying having some company. Also, he gives me power bottom vibes or a switch who likes to talk a lot of shit and tease you, lol.

6. River Ward

I would talk about River Ward who is my favorite love interest in the game tbh but I feel I’d be repeating what I’m saying for Kerry, River should’ve been bi imo or maybe even bicurious and Male/Non-Binary V is his first boyfriend. The love scene could be different in which I feel he’d be the bottom this time, he’d be trying to tell you to go easy on him and saying how he hasn’t done this before. Honestly it’d be just a fluffy love scene with River and he gives me total bi or demisexual vibes. Also, he is a total switch but he is dom more than he is submissive.

Also, this should go without saying that I feel that you should be able to go on a date that is a sidequest with them or even be able to call them and plan dates out with your respectable partners and you can go to bars and food places or even your own place. It’d be nice to have that added in the game but it’d be a lot to do.

Alright so I promise to do girls next and I am totally down to writing about what should be included in Cyberpunk that could improve the game greatly, cause honestly I feel that the story is great and immersive but it’s everything that happens outside of the story that is kinda not done right. Also, send me asks about these possible scenarios such as a Takemura and V dinner date quest, lol.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #cyberpunk river ward #river ward #kerry eurodyne #johnny silverhand #goro takemura #viktor vector #jackie welles

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thescoundrelprincess · 3 years

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The Way You Look Tonight

Jugenea Fan Fic

This was originally gonna be a snippet but I got too involved in it... just a fun and sweet one :)

(Mature Content)

December 1947

“After you dear,” Vincente gestured to Judy into the Mocambo.

Gene and Frank were sitting with all their friends around the bar, clowning around with each other. Gene was only a bit tipsy, not wanting to get wasted tonight. He did that yesterday. He didn’t want to have a shitty hangover again. Although it was fun, and worth it, he actually wanted to feel well and normal on Sunday.

“Want a shot, chum?” Frank slurred to Gene, holding a shot glass in Gene’s face.

“Sure, vodka though.”

“Alllllrighty.”

Frank was the drunkest among all of them. However, Peter, Van, Mickey, and many other stars he was just at work with this past week weren’t far behind.

“The man wants vodka,” Frank gave the bartender the shot glass he had. Gene and the others chuckled.

“Man, Frank’s already plastered ain’t he?” Van chimed to Gene.

Gene nodded. “Maybe he’s having women troubles this weekend.”

Frank accidentally fell into Gene, almost falling over. His balance was comparable to a teeter totter. Gene grabbed Frank’s arm, catching him.

“You good?” Gene asked, holding back his laughter.

“Yes Mr. Kelly, everything’s just swell.”

Frank regained his balance and the bartender handed all of them their shot glasses.

“Shall we make a toast gentleman?”

“Sure Frank,” Peter chimed in. “To what shall we toast?”

“Hmm…” Frank said, stroking his chin. He looked around for a minute, in thought, staring at everybody. Then, he turned back to all of them, eyes wide. A lightbulb lit in his head.

“Alright men, get your glasses ready, I’ve got a toast!” Frank yelled.

“We aren’t deaf Frank,” Bing yelled across the bar.

“Aye, Crosby, you can shut your trap now,” Frank replied sarcastically, raising his glass. All of them raised their glasses towards Frank’s.

“Fellas ready?”

“Yes Frank, who’s the toast to?”

“To Judy Garland!”

In the doorway, Gene immediately caught Vincente slipping off Judy’s beautiful mink coat, revealing a jet black, off the shoulder dress, hugging Judy’s luscious curves. She had a pearl necklace on with pearl earrings. Pure white gloves covered both her hands. His eyes drifted towards her legs. She had sexy, jet black stilettos on, matching her dress. Her hair was down in pin curls, a look he never got sick of. However, this time, she looked even sexier. Arousal shot to the pit of his stomach.

Gene quickly raised the shot glass and gulped it, wincing a bit from the burn, still gazing at Judy. As the drink went down his throat, it was almost like the farther it went down the more memories flooded his mind about Judy, and they got even naughtier as time passed. While Judy was smiling and waving at everyone, he could only focus on her curves. They just finished filming The Pirate about a month before, and he hadn’t seen her since. Throughout filming he not only supported Judy and helped her out through her troubles but also brought her affection… and pleasure. They would release their pent up sexual frustrations in their trailers when no one was around, or when filming was over, especially after a passionate scene between their characters. Gene and Judy tried to stay away from each other, but it was virtually impossible. They both knew there was some uncanny magnetism between them they would never escape unless they never saw each other again, but they could never bear that; they loved each other dearly, more than any sort of love in a purely sexual relationship.

At The Pirate end-of-filming party, Gene and Judy made love one last time; they silently agreed to end their affair, both knowing they had to focus on their marriages and children. Especially Judy. She struggled terribly on The Pirate and she wanted some stability in her life. She hoped to get that stability back after the picture was over.

Gene wanted to shake off his nerves. “Hey, can I have a gin cocktail?” The bartender smiled and nodded. Everyone was gazing at Judy now since Frank toasted to her.

“I need to get a drink for the gal,” Frank slowly spit out, becoming more obnoxious by the minute, yet still charming. He could see Judy making her way to the bar with Vincente. The bartender handed Gene his drink.

“Helllllooooo Judy! And hello Mr. Vincente Minnelli!” Frank kissed Judy on the lips and hugged Vincente. They both could tell Frank was quite drunk.

“Hello Frankie,” Judy giggled. She looked over and caught Gene’s eye. She could sense his nervousness and could tell he was eyeing her dress. She felt herself blushing.

“Hello Frank,” Vincente smiled, patting his shoulder. “It’s nice to see you here.”

“Nice to see you too!”

Judy smiled at Gene and he returned the gesture. Holy shit, Gene thought. She’s even sexier up close. She walked over to him and he slowly leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. The aroma of her fruity perfume hit his nostrils like a wave, turning him on instantly. His lips on her cheek felt heavenly, her skin was so soft. Removing his lips, he exhaled against her face and leaned away.

“Hello darling,” Judy said to him, full of warmth. Vincente came over and shook Gene’s hand.

“Hey, glad you guys could make it,” Gene stated enthusiastically. “There’s a ton of us here and I couldn’t imagine you guys missing. But I have to admit, I didn’t think you guys would show, just because you have Liza.”

“Oh, we’ve had a babysitter for her, so it’s fine. Vincente and I are planning on taking her to the park tomorrow.”

Gene couldn’t stop smiling at her… and staring at her. Her whole face lit up when talking about her baby girl. Even though talking about Liza put a barrier between him and Judy, he loved the little girl and he was proud of Judy being a mother. Plus, he didn’t care at the moment, because she looked so beautiful and he was distracted by it.

“You guys care for a drink?”

“Of course, after we say hello to everybody first though. Hopefully it won’t take too long. Come on darling,” Vincente grabbed Judy’s hand. Judy smirked back at Gene. She looked him up and down. He knew that she knew he was looking at her, in a non-innocent way. But he also knew she liked it. She had this uncanny sense of knowing what other people, especially men, were thinking about. And he knew she liked the attention on her. Did she do this because I’m here? No, how would she know I was here? … His arousal was growing. He needed to stop this… her husband was here.

“Hey Van, I’m heading outside really quick, I need a breath of fresh air.”

“Alright, see you later.”

Judy walked over to almost every table, saying hello to everyone, until she sat down at a table with Kay, Roger, and Arthur. She talked and talked for many minutes, but she couldn’t get Gene off her mind. Butterflies were fluttering inside her stomach. She would never forget his support and love for her during this past shooting of The Pirate, and of course their love making. She thought things would get better between her and Vincente after filming, but their fights persisted. Their romance and passion dwindled ever since Liza was born. Vincente was the perfect father, just not the perfect husband anymore. Judy was having doubts. And with each sip she took of her drink, the more Gene stuck in her mind. Him staring at her… He looked so good too. She wanted to go and talk to him, maybe spend time with the boys near the bar. She glanced over at the bar; all the guys were laughing and clowning around. Ugh. They were having so much fun. She lowkey wanted to get drunk… she needed a break. But she knew Vincente wouldn’t want her to. It would just cause a fight, or at least an irritating tension between them. And she hated it. So, she held back.

“Darling, would you like to dance?” Judy asked Vincente.

“Sorry honey, I would, but I’m feeling a little queasy right now. I’m not sure how much longer I want to stay.”

“Darling, what’s wrong?”

“I just feel a little sick, that’s all. Do you want to go home right now?”

They had only been there for about 90 minutes. It was only 10 o’ clock. Judy was not about to leave.

“Not really, I mean we just got here. I wanted to take a nice break, release my stress…” Judy muttered to him, looking away. “Everyone’s here, you know, I’d like to catch up.”

Vincente didn’t want to upset her. He understood her logic. He wanted her to have fun, as long as she got home safely.

“I guess I can just leave. Can someone take you home?”

Vincente paused and glanced around. Everything seemed to be going haywire. Tons of people were drunk. Then, he spotted Gene. He looks sober. Maybe he can take Judy home.

“Hold on honey, I’ll be right back.”

Judy watched Vincente leave the table, and walk in the direction of the bar. She watched as he approached Gene. Her heart stopped. Why was he talking to Gene?

Gene got a bit drunk but was sobering up a bit. He thought it was strange that Vincente was approaching him.

“Hey Gene, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, anything.”

“Can you take Judy home for me tonight?”

Gene cleared his throat. “Well, uh, of course. Why, are you leaving?”

“Yes, I feel a bit under the weather. Judy wanted to stay and catch up with everybody. You look the most sober among everyone, and I trust you. Would you please keep an eye on her as well? Don’t let her get too drunk. She seems to really listen to you.”

Gene was touched in a way. Him and Vincente had become great friends and they were very close. And of course he was close with Judy as well. He felt bad that he had an affair with Judy during the picture, but the feelings he had for her overrode his guilt.

Gene looked down and contemplated. Of course he would say yes, although he was a bit nervous. Judy was making him nervous. The way she looked made him so giddy and aroused, he wasn’t sure he could control himself. But, he would try to stand ground. He wanted to keep Judy in good care while her husband left.

“Yes, anything Vince. I hope you feel better. I’ll get Judy home whenever she wants to leave.”

“Okay, just don’t get her home too late. If anything happens please get a hold of me.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“See ya Gene.”

He watched Vincente walk back to Judy. Judy was staring at Gene. She looked a little confused. I wonder how she’ll feel about this.

“I asked Gene to take you home so you wouldn’t need to look for a ride. He’s responsible and the most sober out of any of them.”

Judy swallowed nervously but a little excitedly. “Oh, okay. Thank you darling.” Vincente leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, holding her hands. “I’ll see you later honey. Have fun.”

“Thank you, I hope you feel better.”

She watched Vincente walk towards the door and leave. Now she could do whatever she wanted… and she wanted to talk to Gene. Immediately she turned around in his direction. He wasn’t in her line of vision anymore. Where’d he go?

She knew she’d see him eventually. Heading back to the bathroom, she went to apply more powder and another layer of red lipstick.

After a few minutes, she walked out and felt someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned around.

“Heyyyy.”

It was Gene.

“What were you trying to do, scare me or something? It didn’t work.”

“No Judy, just wanted to talk to you, that's all.” She saw him eyeing her collarbone and towards her breasts. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat, and Gene’s eyes immediately lifted upwards. He met her gaze.

“Whatcha lookin at, buster?”

“A very beautiful woman.”

“Hmm, am I the only woman you’ve said that to tonight?”

“Who else would I have said it to?”

“Literally anyone else.”

Gene raised his hands to her shoulders and ran them down her crossed arms. “No Judy, you’re wrong. You look smokin baby. Why, when you walked in everyone turned to look at you.”

Judy’s butterflies fluttered even more; she loved whenever he called her baby.

“That’s only because Frank’s drunk ass held a toast to me.”

“Yes, to the most special and sexiest woman ever to enter the room.”

Judy blushed at his comment. His smile was adorable, and she couldn’t help but accept his compliment and giggle.

“Okay, well I don’t know about you, but I need some drinks. Take me to the bar? I’d like to socialize with all you clowns. Although I love sitting with Kay and the others, I’d like a change. I need to catch up with everyone.”

“Sure.”

Judy turned and started towards the bar until Gene grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

“Ah ah ah, now wait a minute. You got to promise me something.” Gene pointed at her, giving her a parent look.

“What did you have in mind?”

“You can’t get wasted. Someone told me to keep an eye on you.”

Judy suddenly became irritated. Didn’t Vincente trust her? But, she decided to be playful.

“Mr. Kelly, since when do you give me orders?”

“Your husband gave me orders which I must give you. Get it?”

“Eh, I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Judy grabbed Gene’s hand and walked quickly towards the bar.

“Hey Judy!” Frank and all the others slurred loudly.

“Hey fellas!” Judy took a seat next to Frank and Gene sat back where he sat previously. She was the center of attention. “Can you get me a greyhound please? Double the vodka,” she smiled charmingly at the bartender.

“You sure about that Garland?” Gene eyed her, raising his eyebrows.

Judy grabbed his tie and yanked it towards her, his face about a foot away from hers. “Yes Gene, I’m not a child.”

“Woahhh Judy, what’s going on over here?” Frank turned to face them. “I like a feisty Judy, at least when she ain’t feisty towards me.”

“Vincente left and he wants me to-”

“Ah, hush.” Judy put her finger to Gene’s lips. “Vincente doesn’t want me to have fun. He doesn’t want me drinking too much.”

Gene tried to be the bigger guy and take care of her but he was struggling. All he wanted to do at that moment was swoop her away and fuck her against the wall. She looked so sexy and she was acting very sensuous towards him. Her pulling his tie, her finger on his lips, her piercing brown eyes… the blood was flowing to his dick. Her outfit wasn’t helping it either. She looked stunning.

“Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t black out, but I’d have a few drinks. I’ve only had a few and I feel grrreat,” Frank stated, exaggerating his hand movements while he talked. Gene couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else watching Frank sort of embarrass himself. Frank was his buddy, and he loved him, but he realized that Frank influencing Judy to drink a lot would not help his predicament.

The bartender handed Judy her drink. “Thank you darling.” She turned to Gene. “You getting anything?”

Gene admitted defeat. He couldn’t completely control Judy. He would just have to sober her up a bit before he took her home. “A whiskey sour, please.”

After he got his drink, they all just sat there and socialized. Judy was loosening up, and Gene was too, even though he wasn’t planning on it. Almost everyone else was approaching the plastered stage, but still managed to function somewhat normally. They all socialized together, but Gene and Judy couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. And even though they had just filmed The Pirate, they still had a lot to catch up on.

There was a band playing very slow, sensual, serene music. Judy was having a great time. However, she still hadn’t gotten to dance with anyone. Gene would be the perfect partner of course. But, this whole time she could feel their sexual tension; she had no idea what would happen at the end of the night. She honestly didn’t care. Vincente had been pissing her off lately and she wanted to get away from him. Studio stresses as well barely kept her on her feet. So, why not spend the night with Gene? It doesn’t sound so bad… does it? Judy silently shuffled through these thoughts while loudly socializing with Gene and the others. I don’t want him to think this is just a one night stand though… I want to be with him forever. He means more to me than this. Judy could barely think straight; she had quite a few drinks. Let me just ask him to dance.

“Gene?”

Gene turned to look at her. “Yes Judy?”

“Are you up for dancing with me?”

Gene slowly smiled and nodded. “Always.”

He held out his hand to her and guided her to the dance floor. Gene loosely wrapped his arm around her waist and intertwined his fingers with hers. Feeling bold, Judy leaned her head on his shoulder, scooting closer to his body.

“Judy, what are you doing?”

“Dancing, that’s all.”

“Yes, but what are people gonna think with you being up on me? Your husband was just here.” Gene wanted to pull her even closer, but he had respect for Vincente, and also her reputation, so he was trying to place logical thoughts into her intoxicated brain.

Judy looked up at him. “Was just here, those are the key words. Was.” Gene could see her eyes watering a bit. “Lately he hasn’t been supporting me, we aren’t as compatible as we used to be. These past few months have been hard, especially with Liza. He’s a dear father… but not… well, you know.”

Gene didn’t know what to say, he knew she was hurting. He rubbed her back a little bit, and he leaned his cheek a little closer to hers, nuzzling it slightly. “Everything will work out in the long run honey.”

Gene wanted to change the subject. Talking about her and Vincente made him uncomfortable, especially since he knew him and Judy had been intimate while she was with him. Startling her, he quickly spun around in a circle, pulling her closer to him so she wouldn’t fall. Judy started laughing.

“Woah Gene, I’m dizzy,” Judy said while trying to stay balanced. “Do it again.”

Gene did it once more, but in two circles. Judy was laughing hysterically. Gene couldn’t help but laugh with her; he loved seeing her happy, even if part of it was from being intoxicated. She deserved a night away from her stresses.

“I guess you aren’t as sober as I thought you were.”

“I’m fineee,” Judy said, dancing again slowly in his arms. “I feel swell.”

“Okay, I say you don’t drink anymore for a bit.”

“Only if you keep dancing with me.”

“That’s fine with me.” Gene ran his free hand up to her hair, pushing away the baby strands from her face. He caught another glimpse at her; her big chocolate eyes staring at his, her cute button nose, and those beautifully shaped red lips that looked so inviting. Her white alabaster skin that was so silky, contrasting with her jet black dress. He wanted his mouth all over it, but he refrained. He didn’t want to jump back into a relationship, or whatever it was with her. That all ended with The Pirate. But Judy’s charm was becoming increasingly irresistible. If she made a move, he didn’t know if he could control himself.

The band began to play, “The Way You Look Tonight”, that melodic Jerome Kern song. Gene always loved this song, and Judy did too. Everyone did. This song suits her perfectly, Gene thought.

Yes, you’re lovely, with your smile so warm,

and your cheeks so soft,

There is nothing for me but to love you,

and the way you look tonight

Judy nuzzled her cheek against his, and suddenly they were dancing cheek to cheek, Gene swaying her back and forth. He could hear her humming against him; it was so sensual. Any sound that came out of Judy’s mouth was hypnotic.

“I’ve been wanting to dance all night with you, you know.”

“Oh, have you?”

“Yesss,” Judy hissed. Judy was melting into him.

“Why me?”

“Well, first of all, you’re the best dancer in this joint.”

“I guess I can’t protest against that.”

“And also,” Judy ran her hands up his chest, “I've been wanting to thank you for what you’ve done for me.”

Gene knew how much he helped her, especially during The Pirate. Whenever her and Vincente argued he was always there to comfort her; she confided in him. And even though Gene and Vincente became close partners during the shoot, Judy knew he could trust him. Their relationship stemmed from For Me and My Gal, and he would never do anything to upset her or rat her out.

“Of course Judy, I’d do anything for you.”

“Would you?”

Gene nodded and squeezed her hand in confirmation.

Gene whispered into her ear the lyrics playing,

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,

touches my foolish heart

Lovely; don’t you ever change,

Keep that breathless charm,

Won’t you please arrange it?

“Cause I love you,” Judy looked up at Gene. “Just the way you look tonight.”

Judy smiled wide at him, her eyes sparkling. The wrinkle in her nose was so adorable. She was so full of warmth, and the feeling of her against his body was delicious.

“This song fits the occasion perfectly,” Gene chimed into Judy’s ear, his nose grazing over her hair, smelling her perfume.

“Why’s that?”

“Like I said earlier. You look stunning, Judy.”

Judy was fishing for compliments. “So I don’t look good any other day?”

“Now you know I didn’t mean that. You always look beautiful, but tonight…” Gene whispered, “You look especially sexy.”

Judy giggled. “I must say you look very handsome as well.”

“Thank you. You’re also very flirty when you’re drunk.”

“No, I mean it,” Judy wrapped her hand around his neck. “Thanks for everything, really, even dancing with me. I’ve been going through a lot lately and it seems like you perfectly understand me, and I don’t even have to say anything at all sometimes.”

Gene knew Judy was being a bit vulnerable since she was drunk, but he did feel bad for her. He could give her the world, but it wasn’t possible; they both had separate lives, and significant others.

Gene and Judy continued to sway to the music for many minutes, occasionally taking a break for a few drinks, until Judy started to get tired. It was a few minutes past midnight.

“Darling, I’m getting tired. Can we leave?”

“I’m kind of tired myself, so yes. Let me drink some water first. You need some water too.”

“No, I’m allergic to water.”

“Judy,” Gene ran his hands down her arms. “Listen to me, you need some water. Come on.” He latched onto her hand, he sat her down at a table, and then he went to get some water.

Judy's senses were reeling. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was drunk or because her feelings were real, but it didn’t matter. She loved Gene, and she needed him. In the past few hours, she felt happier than she had in a long time. And those hours were after Vincente was gone. Dancing with Gene this evening did something to her; it increased her longing for him. Her previous feelings never really went away even though they pretty much agreed to end their affair at the end of filming. They elevated. She didn’t want the night to end… to have to leave Gene. She missed the days where they would see each other everyday and let out their frustrations in their trailers. Or when Gene would comfort her after filming ended for the day. It was very emotional to think about; she was torn, but she didn’t want to do anything she would regret.

Gene returned with two glasses of water. He handed the one to her. “Drink,” he instructed Judy. Judy grabbed the glass and sipped at it, stealing glances at Gene. When she was almost finished, they made eye contact.

Gene could see a twinkle in her eye, a look of desire. No, I can’t do this. He had a great time with her tonight too, and his feelings were just the same. Him and Betsy were doing well at the moment, but just one touch from Judy and he’d completely let his guard down, even if he didn’t want to. She was so hypnotic to him. Once she latched onto him with some sort of glance or quip she couldn’t escape his thoughts. Ever since he saw her walk into the club with her gorgeous, sexy outfit, he couldn’t get his mind off of her. Okay Gene, Vincente wants you to take her home. He trusts you. Don’t ruin it… Maybe there’ll be another time in the future.

“Judy, did you drink all of it?”

She tipped the glass vertically up in the air until all the remnants of the liquid were gone. Then, she set it down. “Ahh,” Judy let out a breath. “Yes Gene, I drank it all. Please don’t tell me you’re gonna give me more, because I won’t drink it.”

Gene thought about it. Just one glass of water will be adequate. She’s stubborn anyway. She’ll be fine.

“No, I’m not gonna give you anymore. When did you want to leave?”

“What time is it?”

“12:30.”

“We can stay for another 15 minutes, say our goodbyes, then leave.”

Judy and Gene sat down and socialized for another 15 minutes, saying goodbye to everyone. Their last stop was the bar. Gene also wanted to check on Frank.

Peter walked over to Gene while Judy was going around the circle. “Hey Gene!”

“Hey Pete, we’re heading out, I just wanted to say goodbye.”

“Who’s we?”

“Judy and I.”

“Where’s Vince?”

“He felt a bit under the weather and left early, and Judy wanted to stay. He asked me to take her home.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you. Wish you could stay longer.”

“No, I’ve been wanting to head out myself. I wasn’t wishing for another hangover after what happened last night.”

Peter laughed, remembering the chaos. “Don’t blame ya man. Drive safe.”

“Thanks bud. Also, where’s Frank? Last time I saw him he was pretty gone, just wanted to check on him.”

“Someone took him home, I don’t know who. It was pretty chaotic over here. Now that I remember, you were probably too busy dancing with Judy to notice, I’m assuming. He made a pretty big scene.”

Gene chuckled nervously. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Peter laughed. “That’s true. Alright man, I’ll see ya,” he shook Gene’s hand and they parted ways. Gene waited for Judy. Finally, she was finished.

“Ready kiddo?”

“Yes,” Judy replied, seemingly a bit tired.

Gene went over to the coat rack to grab her mink coat. Judy followed him and allowed him to put it on for her. As he put it on, he got the perfect view of her back. All he wanted to do at the moment was run his tongue all over it. Stop it, Gene. However, he couldn’t completely control himself. He leaned in close to her neck, letting the pleasant scent of her fill his nostrils.

He whispered into her ear, gently, “After you.”

Judy was a bit startled, but in a pleasant way. She had nervous butterflies. Does Gene feel the same way I do right now? His lips so close to her cheek made her skin tingle, and she felt even more pleasant since she was still quite a bit tipsy. Gene held the door open for her and she walked out.

“Thank you sir.”

Gene bowed playfully, with gratitude. “Anything for the charming, beautiful date I had the privilege to be with tonight.”

Judy giggled, smiling. Gene held his arm out to her, and she locked hers with his. It wasn’t too dangerous of a move, it was only innocent. But they both knew deep inside that this physical touch might trigger something more.

They finally reached Gene’s car. He grabbed his keys and unlocked it, opening the door for Judy. Helping her in the car, she easily sat down. Before he shut the door, he stole a glance at her slim legs and stilettos. He loved her legs.

Opening the door on his side, he plopped down in his seat and started the ignition. He sat there for a moment, realizing he was almost out of gas.

“Fuck,” Gene muttered, annoyed.

“What is it?”

“I gotta get gas. I’m on E.”

“Do you think you can get me home before that?”

“No, I’m sorry, we’re gonna have to go get some.”

Judy didn’t mind. The more time with Gene the better.

“No, it’s totally fine Gene. Besides, I get to spend more time with you.”

Gene raised his eyebrows at her, pointing at himself. “Aren’t you sick of me yet?”

“Never.” Judy flirtatiously responded, tapping his nose with her finger. He loved when she did things like this. But, it only increased the tension between them.

“Are you fit to drive buster?” Judy asked, breaking the silence.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you were drinking.”

“I drank more water than you and drank less alcohol than you, and you seem fine.”

Judy sat there for a moment, trying to think of what to say. “I’m still a little tipsy, but I feel great. Just in case, how many fingers am I holding up?” Judy held up her two fingers.

Gene laughed at how cute she was. “You know that isn’t a true test Judy. I see your two fingers,” he moved his hand to put her fingers down. His hand was now covering hers, on her lap. When he didn’t move them, Judy slowly intertwined her fingers with his. She gazed at him with nervous excitement but tried to hide it.

“It’d probably work on Frank,” Judy quipped.

“Yes, you’re probably right about that one.”

Gene pulled out of his parking spot, fingers still intertwined with hers. She turned on the radio, and “The Way You Look Tonight” was playing. Gene involuntarily squeezed her hand; it brought him back to the intimate dancing they did only hours before.

“Hey, what do ya know? And it’s Crosby! Turn it up.”

Judy turned up the volume. She felt Gene squeeze her hand moments before. He must really think I look good tonight.

The song ended right when they arrived at the gas station. Gene let go of her hand to turn off the ignition.

“Alright honey, I’ll be just a second.”

While Gene was pumping the gas, Judy’s mind was reeling again. Her gut was telling her something was about to happen, between her and Gene. And she had this sense that Gene was sensing the same thing too.

When Gene finished, he got back into the car and began to drive off. The weather was perfect outside, so he rolled down his window.

“You should roll down yours too.”

Judy began to roll down hers. The cool air hitting her face felt so refreshing. She closed her eyes and delighted in the feeling.

Gene looked over at her, and was happy to see her enjoying herself so much. And she looked so beautiful. The pale glow of the moon reflecting off her face, along with her beautifully shaped side profile… her upturned nose and her lips… Who could resist that?

“Hey, you wanna go stargazing or something?”

Judy opened her eyes wide and turned to Gene. “What?”

“Go stargazing. It’s beautiful outside. We don’t have to for long, but it’s such a clear sky, we can see the stars so clearly. If you want we can lay out on some grass, I have a blanket in my trunk. Or we can just sit in the car. I think we’d have a better view outside the car though.”

Judy contemplated the idea. It does sound lovely… but will Vincente be worried? She honestly didn’t care what he thought but she just didn’t want to start another argument with him. Gene read her thoughts.

“I won’t get you home too late. Besides, it’s only about 1 o’ clock. We don’t have to stay for long.”

Judy’s mind said no, but her heart… and body… said yes. To lay with Gene in the stars was a dream come true.

“I’d love to. And I agree, we’d get a better view on grass or something.” Judy smiled at him bashfully, but full of charm. It went right to Gene’s heart, and also his groin.

“I know the perfect place.”

Gene kept driving for about 5 minutes, until he went over a bridge and they arrived at a park, with surrounding trees and benches. He turned the car off and walked over to open Judy’s door, helping her out. He opened the trunk to grab a blanket.

“There’s one spot where you can see them very well, but we’ll have to walk. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, but let me just kick off these heels. My feet are killing me.”

Judy playfully kicked her stilettos off, them flying a few feet in front of them. Gene laughed at her silliness. He went over to pick them up for her. “I can carry them for you.”

“Thank you darling.”

Gene led Judy to a patch of forest. Judy felt uneasy. It was pretty dark in there, you could barely see.

“Now we just have to walk through this.”

“What?!” Judy asked him, petrified. “You don’t know what’s in there Gene!”

Gene grabbed her hand assuringly. “Trust me, it’ll be fine. There won’t be any flying monkeys or anything.”

Judy couldn’t help but laugh at his joke, and it put her at ease. “Well, if there is any, I’m letting them take you first.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Maybe some chicken hawk will swoop down on you and carry YOU away.”

“Gene, you’re such a ham,” she playfully hit his chest. The Pirate reference hit them both in the heart. Memories of their romantic rendezvouses flooded back to them. Neither of them knew what was in store for the next few minutes but they were willing to take that chance; they didn’t want to leave each other.

“Okay, be quiet.”

Gene led Judy through the forest for about a minute. The moon lit up the defined trail they walked on, which settled Judy’s nerves. Suddenly, an open field appeared in front of them, revealing the most perfect view of the sky.

“Ahh,” Gene breathed out in success. “What did I tell you?”

“Alright, sorry for not trusting you at first.”

“Apology accepted.”

Gene laid the blanket out on the ground, sat down, and patted it, gesturing for her to sit down. He put her shoes near his feet. Judy came over and sat down next to Gene.

“I’m honestly a little hot, would you help me take this off?”

Gene nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

He grasped the edges of her mink coat, pulling it off, revealing her in that sexy dress again. Shit. Gene could feel his pants starting to bulge. He couldn’t help it. His mind didn’t want to go there… and he didn’t want to do anything with her, out of respect, but just seeing her like this threw away any sort of self control he possessed.

Judy really wasn’t that hot; maybe a bit from the previous alcohol but otherwise she was fine. She knew that Gene was really affected by her outfit. My God, he only complimented me a million times. She wanted him to make a move on her. She missed their intimacy even though it was wrong. But in her heart, and based on the way her body felt, it felt anything but wrong. Butterflies coursed through her stomach.

Gene folded the coat and put it down by her shoes. Judy laid completely down, stretching out. Watching her, he got a full view of her body; from her feet up to her waist and breasts. She’s really trying to make me cave isn’t she? She yawned.

“I could just sit here and sleep, it’s so peaceful.”

“Yes it is,” Gene replied. “And also no one else is here. I kind of got a headache from how loud it was at the Mocambo.”

“I didn’t actually, when we were dancing all the sound seemed to blot out…” Judy looked at him longingly. “It was peaceful for me then, in a different way. It was like I was able to escape all my problems by just swaying with you to the lovely music.”

“Yes, I guess so. I’m glad you felt that way. I felt the same way too, and I confirmed it when we left because Pete told me Frank created a chaotic scene at the bar,” Gene paused, “He ended up leaving, but neither of us noticed. We were too busy… dancing.”

Judy looked at him surprised. “So that’s why we couldn’t say goodbye to him?” She chuckled. “That’s Frankie for ya.” She sat there for a few more moments in silence. “You’re right, we were too distracted.”

Gene leaned back to lay down with her. He kicked his one foot over his other and crossed his arms behind his head, resting peacefully under the starlit sky and crescent moon. They kept stealing glances at each other through the corners of their eyes; the silence increased their tension, but also made it tranquil.

Judy pointed to the left, over Gene. “Isn’t that the Big Dipper?”

Gene's eyes followed in the direction she was pointing. “Yes, good job. And that's Orion,” Gene pointed over her to the right. “See the three stars in a row?”

“Yes,” Judy squinted at it. “I’ve never noticed that one before.”

“Really?”

“No,” Judy continued, “I haven’t done something like this in awhile. I’ve always been so busy and stressed out.” She placed her hand over Gene’s, turned, and gazed into his eyes. “Thank you for taking me here.”

“You’re welcome sweetheart.”

Judy snuggled in towards his chest. Gene’s heart started to beat a million miles per minute. I hope she doesn’t notice. He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, however in a loose manner. They continued to sit in perfect tranquility.

He looked down at Judy. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic, her eyes closed. He noticed her beautiful eyelashes resting against her eyelids. The natural light from the sky lit up her face, accentuating her highlights. The bridge of her cute nose, her cheekbones, and her Cupid’s Bow were even more beautiful than before. Wow.

“Judy?” Gene whispered. No response. “Dorothy? Springtime? Manuela?” Judy stirred and started to smile.

“What’s with you and the picture references?”

Gene chuckled, happy she was awake. “They all bring me back to you.”

“Why do you need to come back to me?”

Judy knew she was making the situation uncomfortable, but what Gene said really stunned her. This almost confirmed that Gene was feeling the same way she was.

Gene sat there in silence, and then sighed. “Darling, memories of you just elate me.”

“What memories?”

Gene almost choked on air. She was really digging into his soul. Not only with her words, but with her pleading eyes.

“Oh, well, there’s so many,” Gene responded slowly, thinking of the right words, “Most recently our last picture.”

Judy inwardly smiled. She knew it now. They felt the same way. Memories of him consoling her, comforting her… pleasuring her, rushed into her mind. And the same thing was happening to Gene.

“You know Gene…” Judy whispered, hardly audible, “I feel the same way.”

Gene exhaled, his heart beating faster now. He couldn’t take it anymore. The tension was too much to bear. He started to lightly stroke her forehead, his hands slowly running through her gorgeous curls.

Judy knew he was flustered; she could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest. His hands running through her locks felt heavenly. She wanted to fall asleep again, but didn’t want to waste the precious moment and opportunity. Inch by inch, she moved up to meet his face; Gene was hypnotized. Her bare moonlit skin contrasted with her black dress. The curve of her hip while she laid on her side so close to him was in his plain view. He felt his hand inching towards it, wrapping up around her back to pull her in closer. They both looked at each other, eyes clouded with anticipation, waiting for the other to do something. Judy wrapped her one arm around his neck, while her other elbow propped her up next to him. Shivers went down Gene’s spine as her slender fingers cradled the nape of his neck.

They didn’t have to say anything. Their touches and gazes said more than words ever could. Judy longed for Gene; with him she could escape reality… but that wasn’t the only reason. He met her every need in the perfect way. She knew he always wanted the best for her, and he did everything in his will power for that to happen. If Judy needed to talk on the phone late at night? He would answer. If she needed comfort on the lot? He would meet her. If she needed backup? He would do his damndest to help her get her way. Did he always understand? No, he didn’t have to. Did he ever say no to her? Never….

They were so close they could feel each other’s breath against each other’s lips. Gene smelled the faint scent of alcohol coming from her… Was it her or the alcohol doing this? As if Judy could tell what he was thinking, the grip she had on his neck became tighter, letting him know this is what she wanted. She leaned her head in, inching closer to Gene’s lips. Gene tried to keep his eyes open, to witness the beauty of her face before she kissed him. Her eyes were closed, lips were parted… for some reason her face wasn’t lit from the moon anymore. It got a lot darker outside; the ambiance was so sensual, full of passion. The thickness in the air, awaiting her kiss, was choking his senses…

Right before Judy met his mouth, a huge boom shook the ground. Judy shrieked. They both immediately sat up. The sky was dark and the moon and stars were blocked by clouds. Rain started to pour on them.

They both came back to reality. “You’re really scared of storms, aren’t you?”

“Hell yes,” Judy replied in confirmation. They made eye contact; they could both see how flustered they were, their chests rising and falling rapidly. “I could tell you about this story that happened when I was little but I don’t feel like boring you with that. We’d better go. My coat is gonna get all wet.”

They both quickly stood up and Judy grabbed her shoes and coat, while Gene folded the blanket.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Gene and Judy ran through the forest, back to the park, and to the car. Gene fiddled with his keys while the rain drenched them. He stuck the key into the keyhole and unlocked the car. Both of them plopped onto the seats, and Gene threw the blanket in the backseat. Trying to catch their breath, they sat there in silence while Gene turned on the car.

“Cold?” Gene breathed.

Judy nodded. Gene turned on the heat, it immediately kicking on. After a minute, Gene took a deep breath and sighed.

“What are the chances of that happening?”

“It didn’t look like it was going to rain at all. It was so clear outside.”

“Maybe it was nature telling us to go home,” Gene chuckled. “What time is it anyway?”

“Don’t know,” Judy glanced at the time on the clock. It was two in the morning.

“As much as I don’t really want to go home… You should take me. It doesn’t seem this late though. Sure your clock’s right?”

“Yeah, it’s right.” Gene put the car in reverse and began to pull out of the park, back onto the road.

It was almost silent the whole car ride. Neither of them looked at each other, they were almost too nervous too. I can’t believe it, Gene thought. They almost started to make out back there, or at least that’s what would’ve happened. Gene wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. Why is it so hard for me to resist her?

Judy’s insides were tingling. She was having the same thoughts. But she honestly didn’t care. She wanted it. She needed it. Why did it have to rain?

Gene turned right onto Judy’s street. Approaching her house, he put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Rain streamed heavily down his windshield and all the windows. They couldn’t even see outside.

“I don’t even want to open the door, I’ll get soaked,” Judy said, defeated.

“You’re already soaked.”

Judy eyed Gene, annoyed. “Not that bad. My hair’s a little messy but otherwise I’m fine. Sitting in here dried me a little bit. I’m not about to go back in that downpour.”

“Suit yourself.”

Gene turned the key in the ignition slightly so they could play the radio and keep the heat on. The awkward silence was terrible.

Judy wanted to break it. “Are you going home after I leave?”

Gene’s rapid thoughts about what had happened in the field were interrupted. “Yes. Tomorrow I wanted to just relax and do stuff at home. I didn’t want to be out super late and I didn’t want to drink a ton, I had a wicked hangover this morning.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry, I’ll let you leave,” Judy turned to reach for the door handle. Gene leaned over and grasped her hand.

“No, Judy, it’s fine,” Gene said quickly. “What I meant was out late drinking. It’s not even that late for me. Don’t worry about it. I don’t want you to get sick going out in that pouring rain right now.”

Judy smiled tenderly at him, intertwining her fingers with his slowly. “No, I need to stop being such a baby. I’ll be fine. I’m tired anyway, and I’m sure you are too. Thank you so much for everything. I’ve had such a wonderful night.”

Gene smiled back at her. She’s so adorable. “Okay, if you insist. Maybe I’ll see you around soon.” He slightly squeezed her hand.

“Yes, I hope so. I’ve haven’t seen you since our last picture. That’s why I like making pictures together… we see each other almost everyday.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Yeah.”

Judy didn’t have anything else to say. She looked around and started to reach for the door handle with her other hand. Gene took the hand he was holding and kissed her knuckles. The sensation sent shivers throughout her body. She tensed a bit; Gene felt it.

“Anything wrong?”

“No, I’m just dreading opening the door.”

“Take your time, whenever you’re ready.”

Judy fiddled with her coat on her lap. Her shoes were drenched on her feet. She was pretty sure her feet were covered in mud and dirt, but she didn’t care. She felt bad for keeping him here, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave. However, it seemed as if there were no other option.

“Okay, I think I’m gonna open the door now.”

“Alright, have a good night Judy.”

Judy turned towards him. She leaned in to give him a friendly hug, then pulled back. With her one hand on his shoulder, she whispered, “Thank you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. His lips lingered against her skin, his hot breath warming her cheek. He felt Judy relax, her fingers less tense in his.

After a few seconds he pulled away from her face. Even though they got drenched a few minutes ago at the park, her makeup still looked perfect, and her hair looked beautifully messy. And her outfit was still sexy.

Judy sighed. “Okay, I’m gonna go now.” She looked out the window, dreading leaving. It started to rain harder; the rain pellets slamming against the car were now deafening.

“Ugh,” Judy groaned quietly.

Gene’s mind was on overdrive. All he wanted to do now was kiss her sweet lips. He didn’t get the chance to when stargazing. Why not now?

“Wait, Judy, you aren’t gonna leave without giving me that kiss back, are you?”

Judy faced him, laughing nervously. “Oh yeah, sorry about that.” She slowly leaned in, tilted her head, and tenderly pecked his lips. It had more of an effect on her than she thought it would; she didn’t want to pull away, but she knew she had to.

“Is that okay?” Judy puffed out against him, suddenly seeing his eyes full of desire. Her face turned blank. Their mouths were only a few inches apart. Even though she only pecked him her mouth was tingling from the feel of his lips.

“No,” Gene breathed softly.

“What?” Judy furrowed her eyebrows at him.

Gene tilted his head a bit and was leaning towards Judy. His arm started to trail around her waist, his lips parted. This time Judy saw his gorgeous face, full of passion, with his sexy scar. She closed her eyes and parted her lips too.

Gene stopped right before he met her lips, wondering whether or not this was right. It was right. Gene, too eager to think about the consequences, met Judy’s lips with fervor. He heard and felt the vibration of her satisfying groan against him. She let go of his hand and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. Thank God the rain was pouring; no one would be able to see clearly inside the car. Yet, no one was probably outside anyway in this weather.

Her mink coat steadily fell on the car floor and she repositioned herself, kneeling on the car seat, Gene doing the same on his side. Gene tugged and pulled against her luscious lips; he was so hungry for them.

“Mmmm,” Gene moaned in response to her passion. She was pulling at his neck, shivers coursing throughout his body. He felt his erection growing. Despite the fact that Judy always turned him on, this time he really felt the love she had for him over the desire; this kiss was filled with feeling, unspoken words, and longing. His heart filled with warmth and giddiness.

Judy was so glad he finally kissed her. She felt his passion and love for her as well through the kiss. It couldn’t be any more perfect. Although she started to get aroused, she felt more emotional than anything else. His lips tugged at hers in sincerity, love, and care.

After making out for about five minutes, they both needed more. Gene felt his hands moving towards her breasts, cupping them through her dress. Judy moaned in reply, leaning into his hands. Then, his hands trailed to her sides, going down towards her ass. She felt him pulling her up off the seat, cupping her bottom. He placed her on top of him. He picked her up as if she were a feather.

Gene leaned the seat back a bit so she wouldn’t beep the horn on accident. He latched onto her for dear life, afraid somehow she might disappear. His hands roamed everywhere; all over her curves, he kneaded her sides, her ass, her breasts. Sparks of arousal shot down between Judy’s legs.

Judy cupped his face, and nudged her tongue into his mouth. He gladly accepted it and passionately intertwined it with hers. He massaged her tongue so sensually, rhythmically, matching the movements with his caresses. He tried to emit every inch of love he had for her through his touch. Judy did the same, running her hands through his hair, down his neck, and along his chest.

Gene pulled back for a second to catch his breath. “I’ve missed you, Judy.”

Judy latched onto his lips again, sucking them between hers. “Trust me, I did too. And it wasn’t just because of this.”

Gene growled against her lips, slowly tracing them with his tongue, then plunging in again. They were getting even more heated even faster. Judy’s hands began traveling towards his groin. But, Gene didn’t want anything further to happen; although he wanted to fuck the daylights out of her, he didn’t want it to be a quickie in the car. He quickly pulled her hands away, intertwining his fingers into hers.

Judy accepted it, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out. Her heart was pounding and her chest was heaving; she felt lightheaded from the tingles she was feeling. She felt her nipples peeking and her center aching. She began to rock against him slowly, brushing over his erection. It felt so good. But, Gene held her still. She whimpered.

“Touch me, Gene,” Judy whimpered pleadingly, grabbing his face, staring into him. “Please.”

Gene was torn. He could barely resist her begging, but he didn’t want to make love to her, for good reason. He was returning her to her husband, and it didn’t feel right when Vincente had his trust. And once again, he didn’t want just a quickie with her at the moment.

He smashed his lips against her once more, silencing her. Then he pulled back. “Judy,” he panted. “I don’t want to have just a quickie in the car.” He leaned in to kiss her neck lovingly. “And I know that you, deep down, wouldn’t want that either.”

Judy sat back for a minute, brushing her sweaty, messy hair out of her face. “Yes, you’re right,” Judy admitted. Her core was aching so bad. “But,” she squeezed his hands pleadingly, “Please touch me. I promise it won’t go any further. I’ve missed having intimacy with you. If you don’t want me to touch you that’s fine, but please, Gene.”

She gave him such an irresistible, seductive, yet innocent look. He thought for a second. Can I control myself? I want to please her… but is it right?

“Are you sure Judy?”

She let go of his hands and pulled at his neck tie, bringing his mouth to hers. “Yesss,” she hissed, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning into him and meeting his lips. At this point, he couldn’t say no to her.

He ran his hands up and down her sides, then flipped her around. She sat on his lap, leaning back against him. Hands hovering her breasts, he started to circle her peaks. Judy couldn’t help but lean her head back against his shoulder, relishing in pleasure. She let out a moan.

“Yes Gene,” Judy puffed out. She ran her one hand behind his neck, rubbing it. Then, he took one hand away from her breast and lightly brushed the outline of her arm and side with his fingertips, back and forth. He knew she loved this kind of touch.

Judy’s senses were on overdrive. His touch made her shiver with pleasure, but made her heart full of warmth.

Gene planted wet kisses and licks onto her neck and he continued to touch her rib cage and then down to her navel. He got the perfect view of her body, in the sexy black dress she was wearing; it was almost too much to bear. Even though he loved it, he wanted to rip it right off. Hands trailing down to her hips, he loved the little sounds of anticipation she was making.

“Please Gene,” Judy begged. “More.”

His hands approached her legs, running his hands up and down her thighs. Each movement up he pulled up her dress even more, so he could have access to her inner thighs and center. He could feel her breathing in short, shallow breaths. She tensed up a bit as he met her inner thighs.

“Relax Judy,” Gene whispered into her ear, biting her earlobe. “You wanted this, so just take it in.”

He ran his palms along the upmost part of her inner thighs, touching where her thighs met her sex. Her dress was far enough up now to where he could touch her most intimate spot. His hand hovered her core.

Judy was throbbing by this point. She couldn’t control her breathing. Being intimate with Gene was different compared to any other man she was with; even her husband. Vincente and her lost their spark a while ago, mostly after she had Liza. Despite that, Gene always made her feel something no other man did. He put pleasing her and tending to her needs first. She felt so free and sexy with him; she never restrained herself. Just a touch from him could heighten her senses, when a touch from anyone else would feel like nothing.

Gene lightly touched her mound through her panties. Then, his hand went down further. He felt how wet she was; she was soaked through the cotton fabric. He felt his erection grow even more. Judy moaned at his touch, and the fact that she could feel his erection pressing against her bottom.

“Baby,” Gene growled in response. He pulled his hand away and then gripped the hem of her pantries, slipping his hand inside. He collected her arousal on his fingers and began to rub her pearl in intimate circles.

“Gene,” Judy moaned into his ear. He kissed her neck slowly, letting his lips linger.

“Yes?”

“Don’t stop.”

Gene kept at it, running his fingers up and down her slick folds. He felt her melting into him more and more as he circled her bud. He took his free hand and ran it up to her breast, circling it through her dress, in a rhythm matching his caresses on her core. Judy sighed in pleasure, running her hands along his neck and into his hair. The continued rain pelting on the car was deafening, but Gene and Judy were so focused on each other that the sound drowned out.

Gene continued his caresses, running his lips along her cheek. Her face looked beautiful; she looked angelic. Her lips were parted, and her eyes were closed. She had the most perfect face shape.

He moved his leg a bit under her to spread her legs wider. She felt even more euphoric than before. She thought she’d die from the sensations. Gene started to move his fingers faster; he felt her get even more soaked and swollen.

Looking down at her, he saw her brows starting to furrow. He made his caresses even faster, and he felt Judy lean even more against him. Wanting to kiss her when she came, he pressed his lips into her, slipping his tongue inside. He felt her tense up; he knew it was time.

Judy was sweating so bad; he made her feel so good. And his lips on hers triggered her orgasm; a wave of pleasure flooded her senses, until it kept coming in more waves. She moaned loudly into his mouth, her hands gripping onto him for dear life. He continued to caress her nipple and her bud, faster now, helping her ride out her orgasm. She involuntarily jerked her bottom against his pelvis. Gene almost came from her movements, and her contractions near his finger. She looked so sexy; her sounds made it even better.

Judy was finally sated, and she let out a sigh. Gene removed his hands from her.

“Aching anymore?”

Judy shook her head.

“I could tell how horny you were.”

Judy laughed weakly. “Well, you do something to me, darling, that no one else can.”

“Same here.”

Judy met her lips with his once more. You couldn’t fit a sheet of paper between them, their bodies melted together. Gene’s erection was ever-growing, but he didn’t want her to do anything. He thought it would be best to let her leave… even though he was in agony.

Almost instantly, the rain settled down, and the car became visible inside again. It was the perfect signal for her to leave. Gene gently pushed her chest, moving her away from him.

“Alright Judy, you better go.” He glanced over at his clock. It was 3 am. Judy eyed it too.

“Holy shit, time flies.”

“Yes, when you’re with someone you love.”

Judy smiled warmly at his comment. She met his lips again once more in a tender kiss, then she moved off of him back into the passenger seat. She grabbed her coat off the floor.

“Thank you again Gene. I had a lovely night.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Gene grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

Judy noticed his prominent erection bulging through his pants before she got out of the car. She giggled.

“What?”

“I’m sorry about… that.”

She pointed to his groin. Gene looked down and laughed.

“Don’t worry about it honey.”

“I’ll be returning the favor next time,” Judy replied, raising her eyebrow at him with suggestion.

“Sounds good to me.”

Judy leaned in once more and pecked him on the lips. “Okay, I hope to see you soon.”

“Me too,” Gene replied smiling, turning on the ignition. Judy grasped the door handle and opened the door, getting out of it slowly. She looked at him.

“Goodbye, Gene.”

“Goodbye, Judy.”

#jugenea #judy garland #gene kelly #fan fiction #fanfiction #i loved writing this one #sort of just let my mind flow ideas

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trashcatsnark · 3 years

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Oh, let me continue the subject of the jealousy of these two. You're saying that Johnny isn't the type to hold back when it comes to emotions. And it really is. But... there is a moment in the game when V talks about his exes or about stupid compliments in a conversation with River. And Johnny doesn't say anything. I would write it off as a scenario move, so as not to shift the focus from the River. But this isn't the only time Johnny ignores events in this quest line. See the second question

Part 2 for context: So... I continue. Do you remember the moment when you watched brain damage and lost consciousness, when you and River were searching for clues about the mayor's murder? Johnny never ignored the moments when V passed out. Here River comes to the rescue, and you would think that he knows that there is someone to help and nothing to worry about ...But in similar situations with Judy and Panam, he would appear and deliver his moralizing remarks or make snide comments. 🤔

Personally, I do believe this is sort of a meta issue. I’ve talked about it a little bit before in a general post; how given his characterization, Johnny does not in my opinion talk as much as he should. In a more comedic example, I mentioned how could anyone honestly look me in the eye and say that Johnny wouldn’t have a comment on the guy with the exploding penis implant???? Like Johnny is majorly characterized as a guy who can’t leave well enough alone and always has something to say; yet theres a fairly large percentage of gigs and missions and moments where you’d think Johnny would have something to say and he doesn’t. There’s also times where lines are blatantly reused and in a jarring way.

Like, I could be wrong, but I think they reuse him saying “There it is” with both V getting Nibbles and a man committing suicide in a gig. Like?????

Meta wise, I do think it’s partially a fear of over incorporating Johnny to the point players found him annoying. Because even now, some people find him irritating and wish he’d talk less. So, that could be a factor. The idea of not sidelining love interests is a factor of course. While, he has commentary through out each love interests questlines. He always does mostly bugger off during the romantic lead up and the actual kiss then sex. Because well, it might be a bit of a buzzkill and if you’re trying to get laid and Methed Out Future Keanu Reeves is yelling at you from the corner of the room. I mean, it’d probably enhance my experience but some people aren’t into that.

As for why stuff like, him ignoring V getting zapped by the braindance in River’s quest. I’ve always thought that was ooc. Like, short of potentially the bd having fried him up for a bit, kinda like the emp blast does when V and Panam take down the AV. But overall, over and over again, Johnny is shown to be the first one there when V gets hurt. Even if its to yell at them for going into the toxic water or he waits a beat to appear once Panam is done looking over V.

And that could be because they potentially again wanted to give more attention to River or... and I always hate to get into this sort of discourse, cause I know it aggravates some people. It was an oversight, something not caught, something not thought of, just because to be fair...River has the least polished questline of the love interests. The male love interests in general imo were sidelined more. But, River A) has the least amount of quests to build up to his romance, B) is the most easily missable love interest since he’s not even required to meet for the secret ending the way Kerry is. and C) this could just be my own personal experience, maybe cyberpunk 2077 provides unique bugs for everyone, but his quests are the buggiest for me.

And to be perfectly clear, this is not me being a dick to River. Do, I think some aspects of his character are kinda tone deaf, sure, but I like River. I think he’s a sweetheart, who’s usually pretty stiff, but has his cuter jokey moments and is a puppy dog underneath. I love doing his quests because they’re truly very emotional, being able to help his family. Like, being able to save Randy is one of the best feelings in the game to me, knowing you saved him and so many other young boys. That’s why it honestly breaks my heart to see how little polish and attention his quests were given. From the calls glitching, him not staying on comms in the first quest, Johnny in my game doesn’t even give the dialogue warning my V about River wanting to sleep with her, like it just does not show up for me, The cobbled together family photo. The weird pacing of the romance that goes from 0 to a 100. Randy’s face glitches and clips through the mask when you’re saving him. Like the concept, the investigation, the intense stakes, and the emotional impact of his quest are all so good; but CDPR just did not in my opinion take enough time with it.

So, maybe they didn’t bother to script and put Johnny in that scene despite it being something he’d most definitely pop in for; cause they just didn’t take their time with it like they could have/should have.

And in regard to Johnny in universe and talking; while like I said he’s more upfront and direct with his anger and side comments that he uses to hide his real feelings. I do think, especially if its post oils field convo, a part of him tries desperately to bite his tongue and just sit with his feelings if he think its best for V. In the more love dovey romance moment with River, I could see him being like, “okay, V wants this, as much as it pisses me off, V deserves to have some good in their life” and tries to hold back and be good and then five seconds later “CANT BELIEVE YOU’RE GONNA MAKE ME FUCK A COP” cause he can only behave for so long.

And I do wanna note; I am by no means consider myself a Johnny Silverhand expert. I’ve said this before, his characterization and just him as a person can be very messy, very all over the place, and contradictory at times. He can try to kill V and then the next day pop up to chat with them in a diner and be like “why aren’t you happy to see me?????? you still mad?????? its been a whole ass 5 hrs since I told you to kill yourself and bashed your head into a window, gotta learn to let shit go dude.” So, sometimes I worry I’m making him ooc, but its fun nontheless, so.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077 #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #johnny silverhand #silverv #kinda???? i spent a lot of time complaining about how they did river's quest dirty so #not tagging him though cause uhhhhhhh me no wanty discourse #idk if i said anything discoursable but just in case #orly-view

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princesssarisa · 3 years

Text

Snow White Winter: "Let's Pretend – Snowdrop and the Seven Dwarfs" (1949 radio show episode)

Nila Mack's Let's Pretend was a classic children's series in the Golden Age of Radio, offering 30-minute fairy tale retellings every Saturday on CBS from 1934 to 1954. Ever since early childhood I've loved listening to recordings of the show, especially from its 1940s heyday when it was hosted by "Uncle Bill" Adams, and one of the episodes from that era is 1949's Snowdrop and the Seven Dwarfs.

This is one of the very few Snow White adaptations to call the heroine "Snowdrop," which Edgar Taylor gave her in the first English translation of the Grimm's tales in 1823. "Snow White" is a more accurate translation of her German name, "Schneewittchen," but Taylor apparently found more poetic appeal in the name of the snowdrop flower, and Nila Mack apparently agreed.

As usual, the series offers a straightforward, faithful retelling of the fairy tale. After the opening narration recounts the story of Snowdrop's birth and her mother's death, it opens with a brief scene establishing the Queen's jealousy and cruelty toward Snowdrop (the latter also has a governess named Margo, but she only appears in this first scene to provide exposition), then moves on to the magic mirror and the main thrust of the plot. In a slight variation on the usual wording, the Queen's chant before the mirror is "Mirror, mirror, on the wall/Am I the most beautiful of all?", and the mirror speaks with a female voice. As in the Disney film and many other retellings, the Queen's first two attempts to kill Snowdrop in disguise are cut, leaving only the poisoned apple.

The seven dwarfs' names are Morgan, Torgan, Lockton, Groat, Eric, Basel, and Yaha. Predictably, Yaha is the comic relief dwarf, the goofy "runt at the end" like Disney's Dopey or Winthrop Ames' Quee. He also has a trait in common with another Disney dwarf: a tendency to let out enormous sneezes. Unlike with Sneezy, however, this actually plays a role in the plot! Near the end, the Prince asks to take Snowdrop's glass coffin to his palace in hope that the court doctors will find a way to restore her to life, and the dwarfs carry it forth, but then Yaha sneezes, jolting the coffin and shaking the piece of poisoned apple from Snowdrop's throat.

(It really is interesting to see such a clearly Disney-inspired element as a Sneezy-like dwarf. Most other Let's Pretend episodes that share their stories with Disney films predate their Disney counterparts, but Disney's Snow White was already a cultural phenomenon in 1949, and in this one detail, it shows.)

Unlike in most adaptations, the Prince and Snowdrop don't meet before he sees her lying "dead" in the glass coffin, but their romance, such as it is, is written to minimize any discomfort. As I mentioned, the Prince asks to take her to his palace because he can't believe she's truly dead and hopes to find a cure for her, not because he already "can't live without her." After she wakes, he asks for her hand in marriage if "someday in the future" she will consent, and she replies that she believes that someday she'll grow to love him. It's clear that they're not about to rush into marriage. The script also takes two cues from Winthrop Ames' play and film in the end: first by having Snowdrop and the Prince bring the dwarfs to live at the palace with them, and secondly in the fate of the Queen, who smashes the magic mirror in anger when she learns that Snowdrop is alive. This backfires on her, not by turning her ugly in this version, but magically causing her to suffocate and drop dead.

The broadcast only survives in the form of an AFRS rebroadcast, for children of overseas military personnel. This means that most of Uncle Bill's host segments are cut, replaced by segments from AFRS host characters named Gramps, Judy and Tommy. Unfortunately, one of the cut segments is the cast list. But from having listened to so many other Let's Pretend broadcasts, I can still identify the voices of several leading players. I'm almost certain that Sybil Trent, the show's co-host and frequent performer of beautiful princess roles, is Snowdrop, while Miriam Wolfe, the show's mainstay actress in villainess roles, is an imposing Queen. The Huntsman is unmistakably Jack Grimes, and the sweetly ethereal voice of the magic mirror I think is Patricia Ryan. (It would have been one of her last performances, as she died tragically young the same year.) In an especially interesting touch, Albert Aley, the actor most often cast as princes and kings, lends his warm, rich tones not to the Prince this time, but to Morgan, the leader of the dwarfs: this casting lends a sense of dignity to the dwarfs that they often lack in other retellings. Meanwhile, I'm nearly positive that character actor Michael O'Day is the silly Yaha, and that Arthur Anderson, the future TV voice of Lucky the Leprechaun, is one of the other dwarfs. But regardless of who is who, the entire cast performs their roles excellently, and Maurice Brown's musical score enhances the story well.

For anyone who loves both fairy tales and vintage radio, not only Snowdrop, but the entire series of Let's Pretend is a must-hear.

@superkingofpriderock, @ariel-seagull-wings

#snow white winter #fairy tale #snow white #let's pretend #radio #snowdrop and the seven dwarfs #1949 #old time radio

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randomfallout4posts · 3 years

Text

I played over 30 hours of Cyberpunk 2077 and here’s what I thought

What I liked

I like driving around and looking at the city, thankfully my game isn’t as buggy as it is for others.

I’m really invested in the plot, it’s a little slow at first, but once you meet Johnny, things get really interesting.

The side quests of a lot of fun, like the ones with Judy, Claire, and Delamain.

That talking vending machine.

How there’s so much to do in the city. People are talking about how they already finished the main storyline, but I’ve been playing for a while and I still haven’t come close to finishing the main quests cause the side quests are so much fun.

Speaking of Judy, I really liked her romance arc, albeit the scene where you sleep with her was a little awkward.

Overall, the characters are all pretty well written in my opinion.

The weapons and clothing look pretty cool.

What I didn’t like

I’ve been following news about Cyberpunk for a while now (like over a year) and there were a lot of rpg elements that I was looking forward to that they cut out, i.e picking your childhood hero, reason for coming to night city etc.

The whole customer characterization was way overhyped, especially with the whole picking your genitals thing, but I’ll make a separate post about that later.

That gross transphobic ad that they keep putting everywhere in the game.

This one’s kinda petty, but I hate hate hate how there’s a name picked out for V, like I did not agree to the name Valerie.

I don’t like how it’s in first person, I know it’s supposed to make things more immersive but it just makes things looks awkward.

Apparently there’s only one ending, from what I heard, which I don’t like.

What I hope they add in the future

Some kind of way to update my V’s appearance later in the game, like some kind of plastic surgeon option. It’s weird how in a game where appearance is everything, you can’t change yours after the initial character customization. And no don’t tell me “just use nexus mods!!” I’m on console and I shouldn’t have to download mods to make the game more enjoyable.

More hairstyles, clothing, cyberware, skin tones, and tattoo options.

Allow a trans V to romance someone of the same gender (like Judy or Kerry).

More patches to fix bugs.

This may seem like wishful thinking but maybe an option to adjust weight, height, muscle mass, fat for our V. Also not have voice tied to pronouns and add they/them pronouns.

#lmk if i missed any #cyberpunk 2077 #johnny silverhand #female v #male v #CD Projekt RED

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laughingpinecone · 3 years

Text

ToT letter 2021

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

Hello dear author! I hope you’ll have fun with our match. Feel free to draw from general or fandom-specific likes, past letters, and/or follow your heart.

Art likes: characters doing something, even something very simple, illustrating a moment rather than abstractly posing. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s). Or dressing them up for some outlandish AU!

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships), emphasis on inhuman traits of characters who were human once and have sort of shed it all behind

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay!), canon retellings

All requests are for both fic and art!

Death Crown: Death, trick

(I haven't played the DLC yet so, alas, no demons, or no spoilers for the demons, at least) I am absolutely charmed by the overall mood of this game and would like to see something more in that vein! Anything! Got more sacred (or unholy?) geometrical architecture for Death to interact with, maybe in greater detail than just wrecking it? What else feels like a contemporary take on a Bosch painting? Can Death get lost?

Ghost Trick: Jowd, Cabanela, trick, treat

Anything focused on Cabanela being an unstoppable force (confident, untiring, sparkling, stubborn, dexterous, loyal to the bitter end, legs) and/or Jowd being an immovable object (sarcastic, strong, depressed, self-deprecating but knowing he's hot stuff, also stubborn, clever but an emotional dumbass, round). Figuring out stuff? Something in the new timeline is linked to the old timeline? Coat? Dancing? Scarves? Halloween costumes?

I like Cabanela/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma in scenarios where Jowd isn't around and Alma/Jowd in general (REALLY like all these, okay. like this is the one request where I'd love the most self-indulgent shippy takes as well), and dig Lynne/Memry. Yomiel/fianSissel and Emma/JM also cool!

Hylics: any, trick, treat

(I have only played the first game so far so please no overt spoilers for Hylics 2. Feel free to include stuff from it but... stealthily, I guess?) This is an "anything that feels somewhat like canon, please" sort of request! Love the mood, love the cast, love the little added details in their menu screen. Those can be prompts? Or the oddball stats? How do ToT's trick and treat freeforms apply to Hylics' overall... hylicsness, what would those guys think constitutes a "creepy" moment or a "fluffy" one?

Not into ships for this one, however I WILL say that Dedusmuln has all the proverbial curves in the right places. mostly their face.

Kentucky Route Zero: Weaver

Math, debt, the liminal state of almost being a ghost, seeing the world with a strange clarity... just anything Weaver, please! How'd she make her way to the town? What was it like for her to be working on Xanadu for a time? What about the community broadcast! Does she have an opinion on Carrington's oeuvre? You know... things... stuff. Weaver things. and stuff.

I love the whole cast and Weaver... wove... her story through most of them so feel free to bring in whomever. Not interested in ships here though.

Paradise Killer: Lady Love Dies, trick

A post-canon glimpse of life on '''''perfect''''' 25? That's not QUITE enough class consciousness to make the whole thing work, you guys. What does 'normal' life feel like to LD now? After following Henry's case and talking to Shinji so much, can she see that it's doomed to fail again, and then what? What IS Island 25 like, anyway? (what comes after Island 25, even?)

I liked the choice of canon romances - if it has to be just one I'd prefer it to be Crimson, but I'd also be interested in seeing what a V or triad with Doom Jazz would look like. They're all so chill about stuff

Pyre: Volfred, trick, treat

Pragmatic idealist, charismatic and bad at people, pacifist, activist, physiologically incapable of shutting up for a hot second, what's there not to love... I am very into either of the following: C. Volfred Sandalwood has a fantastic day; C. Volfred Sandalwood has a terrible no good day. Everything is great! Pre-exile antiestablishmentarian antics, maybe with Bertrude? Political gambits? The very physical dangers of the Downside which may or may not catch a scholar by surprise (who saves him?)? Tree problems? Meeting Oralech for the first time and Volfred thinks he himself is hot stuff but out of the two, Oralech is clearly the VIP? Feeling like he should live up to Lu Sclorian's legacy but he feels much closer to other Scribes (and what does Lu have to say about it, one way or another?)? The thrilling intimacy of Reading? The thrilling intimacy of lowercase reading also, maybe reading old manuscripts found in the Downside?

I very much ship him with Tariq and/or Oralech. The only canon ship I like is Hedwyn/Fikani. I also like Soliam/Gol, Bertrude/Pamitha and Celeste/Jodariel. Love all the Nightwings + Dalbert (+Deluge...?); love to dunk on Manley, Brighton and Lendel (I don't enjoy flat-out bashing, more like... I enjoy the way they are portrayed as horrible gremlins in canon and if they turn up in fic I'm not interested in more positive portrayals)

Signs of the Sojourner: Rhea, Elias, trick, treat

Once again pretty much an "anything in the style of canon" request. I love this setting, its themes and all the little lives that fill it. I am interested in a wide range of postcanon scenarios and love the whole cast - does Rhea come back to $town any number of years down the line and find $character? How'd their storyline end up in the medium-long term? What the hell is up with the Stranger (seriously, three runs and I never managed to speak with them, I have no idea)? What's life like for Elias back home, or in a new home if they can't keep the store, or if Rhea landed the Oscar ending or whatever (just, please, not dead Rhea. I love that ending but can't stand to consider what it'd do to Elias)? Or does he join the caravan just once? Who did Rhea grow to really like and can't wait to see every time? Any ghost stories or creepy encounters on the caravan's route? Does Thunder help?

I'm neutral on ships here - good with Rhea&Elias, good with background Rhea/Elias but I wouldn't like a romantic focus.

Totally Normal Wizard Apprentice: apprentice, wizard, master, trick, treat

(conflict of interest disclaimer, I illustrated this but didn't write nor nominate it) What awaits the apprentice outside the wizard's tower? It sounds like a pretty wild moon out there, I loved all the worldbuilding hints of the bigger setting. Does the wizard keep track of the apprentice, with her telescope or otherwise, and how does she take care of her ruined parlor? Was this all some sort of 5d chess on the master's part, and if so to what end? And what kind of otherworldly patience does this man possess, anyway, to handle the apprentice on a daily basis?

Twin Peaks: Margaret, Diane, Lucy, Tammy, trick, treat

(bass-boosted ethereal whooshing) For tricks, I would like to see any of these characters face the woods, the mystery of the woods, and/or a new symbol of your liking. Or: Margaret in the city, Diane and the moon, Lucy and the color blue, Tammy incognito.

For treats, a happy meeting. I love the whole cast and I'm always thrilled by gonzo "&" pairings, bring in whomever! Coffee and pie? The Bookhouse Boys? A kinder aspect of the woods?

Fandom-specific notes: love s3, love the books too. I like Lucy/Andy, Margaret/Sam fwiw, and rarepairs Tammy/Cynthia and Diane/Constance. Please no Fireman's-house-is-the-white-lodge, no Twin Perfect, no Judy-was-destroyed (nor is destroyable).

Arcade Spirits: Percy, Teo, treat

More than anything, I love the sense of group and camaraderie among the arcade's staff and regulars, and I'd love to see some more of it. I picked Percy and Teo 'cause they're my faves but anyone you may want to add, up to and including Sue, is very very welcome. Is there any aspect of gaming that feels like it could be adapted to this strange world of contemporary arcades? Cosplay shenanigans for everyone courtesy of Ashley? Any other activity that could show how Percy and/or Teo get along with the others, like they were all forming little groups during the beach chapter? It's such a feel-good canon, any feel-good situation would be great!

My Ari is with Percy but I'm not really interested in shipping here. All sorts of friendships though!

#letter

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hotvintagepoll · 3 months

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Propaganda

Machiko Kyō (Rashomon, Floating Weeds, Older Brother Younger Sister)— Considered an early sex symbol in Japanese cinema. Also just an ethereal beauty who can also go feral/unhinged in a glorious way.

Judy Garland (Meet Me In St. Louis, A Star is Born, Summer Stock)— Judy is the GOAT when it comes to classic movie musicals. The voice of an angel who deserved so much better than she got. She can sing she can dance she can act she's a triple threat. Though she had a turbulent personal life (her treatment as a child star by the studio system makes me mad as hell like Louis b Mayer fight me ((she was made to believe that she was physically unattractive by the constant criticism of film executives who made her feel ugly and who manipulated her onscreen appearance by capping her teeth and using discs in her nose to change its shape and Mayer called her "my little hunchback" like imagine hearing that as a child and not having damage)) she always goddamn delivered on screen and in any performance she gave. She began in vaudeville performing with her sisters and was signed to MGM at 13. Starting out in supporting parts especially paired with mickey Rooney in a bunch of films (she's the best part tbh) she eventually transferred to the lead role. She is best known for her starring role in movie musicals like the iconic Wizard of Oz (somewhere over the rainbow still hits hard and is ranked the top film song of all time), meet me in St. Louis (Judy singing have your self a merry little Christmas brings tears to the eyes she is that powerful), the Harvey girls (she looks like a technicolor dream and sings a catchy af song about trains), Easter parade ( dancing and singing with Fred Astaire), for me and my gal, the pirate, and summer stock ( with pal Gene Kelly who she helped when he was starting out and he helped her when she was struggling). But she also does non- singing just as well like the clock ( her first movie where she sings no songs and is an underrated ww2 era romance), her Oscar nominated a star is born ( like the man that got away she put her whole soul in that and I have beef with the fact she lost to grace kelly ((whom I love but like still not even her best work)), and judgement at Nuremberg (a courtroom drama about the nazi war criminal trials). Outside of film she made concert appearances to record-breaking audiences, released 8 studio albums, and had her own Emmy-nominated tv series. She was the youngest (39) and first female recipient of the Cecil B DeMille award for lifetime achievement in the film industry. Girl was a lifelong democrat and was a financial and moral supporter of many causes including the civil rights movement (she was at the March on Washington and held a press conference to protest the 16th street Baptist church bombings). She was a friend of the Kennedy family and would call jfk weekly often ending the calls by singing the first few lines of somewhere over the rainbow (she thought of them as Gemini twins).She was a member of the committee for the first amendment which was formed in response to the HUAC investigations. Though she died far too young and tragically she remains an icon for her work and her life. As a girl who didn't feel like i was as pretty as everyone else I have always felt a connection to Judy and I just really love her.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Machiko Kyō:

Judy:

Judy's voice alone qualifies her for at least top ten hottest HOT VINTAGE MOVIE WOMEN. She was a truly incredible swing singer, with a stunning voice on top of her technique. Her short dark hair looked incredible in just about any style. Have I mentioned her swagger? I can’t do it justice with words. She had swagger. She was funny as hell, and clever too. Incredibly charming and cool. I adore her.

Her eyes, her voice have bewitched me

I mean how can you beat the one and only Judy? She's beautiful, her smile is contagious, the way she sings with her whole body. You can't help but love her.

youtube

Beautiful woman, love her singing voice. And she can do everything between happy or silly and angry or heartbroken

#judy garland #machiko kyō #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 3

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pandaburner · 3 years

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I-

I’m not gonna lie I didn’t expect Cyberpunk 2077 to hit me that hard... Based on the bugs, the glitches and the overall meme-ness of this game.

I wasn’t really expecting I’d be reduced to tears by this game...(spoilers underneath)

Before you proceed any further, please be aware that this post talks about the suicide ending. I wasn’t sure if I should tag it since I don’t think I talk about it much in this post, just that this is a post where I share my feelings and thoughts about the ending where V kills herself.

Right so I was trying to get all the endings cause I wanted to know what they were. Like I’ve gotten the star ending, which was my first ending, and the temperance ending.

The latest that I got was the shortest one, the one where V tosses the pills out of the balcony, asks if Johnny was ok with this decision, and shoots herself when he said that it was unexpected but a valid option. Initially, I thought that this was ok...

Like it was a fitting end, for how I played V anyways.

It was a decision that was all V, an end to everything in her own terms. No selling her soul to Arasaka, no letting Johnny take over and make the important choices for her, and most importantly no (potentially) sacrificing the Aldecaldos and putting them in harms way.

V was happy with her decision, Johnny was also at peace with it, I was a little sad? But yeah, I understood it as an end to the story. They lived in Night City, and as Johnny said in another route, it was the wrong place if you were looking for a happy ending.

It was sad, but I was ok with, it was bittersweet but like I said I thought it was fitting and was overall happy with it.

That was until the credits started rolling and the voicemail messages played...

Mama Welles’ message/reaction was one that I never expected. I knew in the other endings that she cared and worried for V. But V’s death hitting her that hard? I didn’t expect it. Her voicemail was the one that got me crying, I wanted to take my decision back and spare this poor woman the grief of losing a person that was like a daughter to her, so shortly after losing Jackie...

Judy’s one was just...

Her one was a punch to the gut...

Seeing her lying down, streaks of eyeliner running down her face, voice shaky and struggling to finish her message...Her voicemail broke me especially so because I romanced her. To give her hope after everything she went through and to take it all away with a single decision? Yeah...I’m just- yeah...

Panam’s one was also...To see her rage, her anger at your death. And her cursing your name for deciding to end yourself after everything you two had been through, It felt like a slap on the face. I remember actually feeling ashamed for doing this ending and apologising to the screen...

And then there was Misty’s. When she said:

“But...Well you should know it didn’t just affect you. It hit your friends, too.

I don’t think...I don’t think you knew just how many friends you really had.”

I think those lines will forever haunt me...I think this ending, this game will forever haunt me...

I don’t think I’ll ever end the game this way again, I don’t have the heart to. But this will be an ending that I will remember, it’s one of my favourites so far. More because I didn’t really expect it to have this much of an emotional impact on me, hell I think this is the first game where I genuinely cried at an ending...

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #i'm sorry i'm not the best at writing down feelings and thoughts lmaooo #but this game man #i love it #and i know that there were more messages but the ones mentioned were what hit me the most

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atarahderek · 5 years

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Let’s talk about shipping: Moana and Zootopia

Zootopia and Moana are two of the more popular CGI entries to the Disney animated canon. They came out the same year, with Zootopia beating Moana out for best animated feature at the 2017 Academy Awards due to the fact that Zootopia dealt with some sensitive topics of modern day society while Moana more or less played it safe with the plot and subject matter. Both were buddy films depicting an unlikely friendship between a strong female protagonist and a comical but troubled male deuteragonist. And despite the fact that both films ended with each friendship pair remaining just friends, shipping inevitably happened. Nick/Judy (the ship name of which I don’t actually know) and Moana/Maui (called Moaui or Hooked Wayfinder) are both quite popular ships among Disney fans. Like all non-canon ships, they have some controversy surrounding them, mostly regarding whether making either pair an official couple would subvert the storyline, character development or message that were established in canon. For that reason, the issue of shipping in each fandom has created two main camps: Those who do and those who don’t. Those who don’t tend to stand firmly by their assertion that it would be detrimental to make Nick and Judy or Moana and Maui a couple. They prefer to treat each pair as platonic life partners, in part because their being so would avert the standard Disney coupling tropes. Especially in the case of Moana and Maui. Fans will sometimes ship one pair but not the other. In that case, the shipped pair is much more commonly Nick and Judy, as they are ship teased by the film’s writers and directors, and their interspecies relationship would make them stand out somewhat in the context of their story, especially with one being a predator and the other being prey. Moaui is shipped less frequently because fans don’t find as much payoff in that couple in terms of progressivism and virtue signalling. Basically, Moaui is just too plain vanilla for them, and they seem to think that’s a problem.

To those people, I say you just lack imagination. A couple doesn’t have to be a token to be interesting. Héctor and Imelda aren’t a token couple, but they’re quite interesting, and all of you will admit it (more on this later). Also, vanilla is delicious, so there.

As far as chemistry goes, Nick and Judy are identical to Moana and Maui. Both pairs start off as antagonistic to one another and eventually develop a true friendship over the course of their first adventure. Both even endure a plot-mandated friendship failure, a staple of Disney and Pixar films these past several years. Both end their films as good friends and nothing more. And both leave the future of their relationships entirely up to fan interpretation. Which is why I say that if you do or don’t ship either pair, more power to you. I can understand why you do or why you don’t.

For my part, I’m in one of the smallest camps; I ship Moaui, but not Nick/Judy.

I have two primary reasons for not shipping Nick and Judy:

They don’t need to be a couple. Zootopia is a modern metropolis identical in almost every way to American society. It is a melting pot of every mammalian species and culture in the world, with relationships of every type represented, including one that is both interspecies and same sex. So tick off the diversity box, those of you who are keeping score at home. About the only type of relationship we don’t see is between a predator and a prey species, but there’s absolutely no reason Nick and Judy must be that token couple. There is no pressure on either of them to find romance, be it in one another or in someone else entirely. For all we know, both are asexual and aromantic (I very much doubt that, but it could happen). And in the context of their society, there’s no reason they should be in any kind of relationship. Making them a couple wouldn’t really add anything to their characters or impact their society in a way that would be unique from any similar couple impacting it. Nick and Judy are free to remain best friends. And I like them better that way. That’s not to say there aren’t some adorable pieces of shippy fan art out there, as well as ship fics that are quite good. But I just don’t see any need to ship them myself.

Their careers get in the way. Nick and Judy are partners on the police force. And as long as they work in the same precinct, it’s best that they not become romantically involved. This is standard workplace practice for most police departments, because romantic relationships can get in the way of field work. Many other employers discourage couples from working in the exact same area as well. My employers actually go out of their way to assure that siblings, parent/child pairs, and couples never work in the same house. Allowing people who are that close to work just as closely could potentially lead to conflict, divided loyalty, distraction or, worst of all, an enemy exploiting the relationship. All of which could compromise a case or put lives in danger. If Nick and Judy were to start working separately in different precincts, then I could see them safely developing a relationship with little or no risk to their careers. But as things stand now, it’s just better that they don’t become romantically involved. Any story where they did would have to address this issue and find a realistic resolution for it.

I really have one primary reason for shipping Hooked Wayfinder, and it’s basically the opposite of my first point for not shipping Nick and Judy. And it focuses mostly on Moana herself:

Moana will get married someday. And in my opinion, Maui would make the best match for her. I already explained the relationship dynamic that they would have in an earlier head canon meme I wrote. I believe Moana and Maui’s marriage would be one of political and social convenience, and they’d treat it like a friends-with-benefits situation. As heiress to the position of Motonui chieftain, Moana would be expected to strike a good match that would establish her as a strong leader with a lot of influence, especially when dealing with any other people whom the people of Motonui meet on their voyages. And because Moana’s people have been declining in population, Moana will be expected to have kids and keep the line of chieftains going strong. Basically, Moana’s situation is almost polar opposite to Nick and Judy’s situation. There is a lot of pressure on her to marry and have kids, and it’s downright unrealistic of her to not end up married with a family. Her cultural context won’t allow her to pull a Merida (even in Merida’s case, she was granted an extension of time and the right to choose her suitor; she is still obligated to eventually marry). But this is Moana we’re talking about. She wants to prove herself as a leader, and she would not be the type to tolerate an obligatory husband stealing her spotlight. She needs a man who will support her as her people’s leader, who will be there to act as added muscle if someone challenges her (but only if she needs him to), and who will generally let her be herself. Maui is the only man she knows who would be willing to do all of that. Yes, he’s hammy, but he wouldn’t steal Moana’s thunder as a leader. Just as a performer. And Moana can live with that. Moana would definitely take the lead in the relationship, as her position as chief allows her to do that, even over a demigod. Maui’s been absent for the last millennium and was the cause of their recent problems to begin with, so he doesn’t carry a whole lot of authority with Moana’s people. Marrying Moana would actually give some of that authority back to him. But he would still be her second, not the other way around. True, they are no token couple, but they are still an interesting one. It’s unusual in media to show the wife as the one who is front and center in the relationship without making her seem naggy or otherwise unrealistic.

A good example of such a couple is Héctor and Imelda from Pixar’s Coco. Yes, Imelda has a fiery temper, and can come across as nagging or the type who would treat Héctor like a whipped puppy (Ernesto almost certainly accused Héctor of being such at some point). But in every single one of their interactions as a couple (when they’re not estranged, that is), it is shown that Héctor and Imelda are nothing but the best team a married couple can be. She’s the alpha to his beta, but she doesn’t nag him or treat him as subservient in any way, form or manner. And he fully supports her out of genuine love and not a trace of fear. He is completely dedicated to her, even though she played a not-insignificant role in his nearly being forgotten. They are just as compelling as a couple as they are as individual characters.

But those two are also more traditionally romantic (i.e. sappy). Moana and Maui wouldn’t be that type of couple. Maybe they’d wax romantic every now and again, but their focus would be on their relationship as a leadership team. They’d bicker and joke much the same way siblings would. They would definitely be family, and they would definitely enjoy the more carnal aspects of their married relationship. But they wouldn’t be singing cheesy love ballads to one another or making out in front of the kids (unless it was to very deliberately embarrass them). Their marriage wouldn’t cause them to lose any of the chemistry they had in the film, and would actually add an interesting component to that chemistry. They would have a relationship unlike any seen in Disney so far, and I think it could really add to their characters and their storyline.

In the case of either movie, I would be just as content with a Zootopia sequel that made Nick and Judy an official couple as I would with a Moana sequel that made Moana and Maui an official couple--so long as it’s done right. I don’t think any fan would be happy if either of these power teams became strangled by the red string.

#Disney #shipping #Zootopia #Moana #Hooked Wayfinder #Moaui #Judy/Nick #Wilde Hopps #or whatever you want to name their ship #TV Tropes

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josieandthepussycatsofficial · 5 years

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i have done my classic thing: i have started pride and prejudice 2005, i am 7 minutes in, and i am disgusting with this bastardization of the text

my liveblogs below the cut

elizabeth is a man-hating love-hater? not according to any book jane austen wrote!

elizabeth is too silly and improper, mrs bennet, kitty, and lydia are not at all silly enough

this sucks

lizzy is upset that mr darcy didnt find her attractive? that is a devastating mischaracterization and sets the whole plot and their relationship off on terrible and incorrect footing.

also wtf are they sitting under some benches at a dance?

hate that darcy immediately looks at elizabeth (in a way we’re meant to assume means he finds her attractive) as if his attraction to her comes from her initially from her appearance. he really was not interested in her until he began observing her behavior and interacting with he

when mrs bennet says, “it’s a shame [charlotte lucas] isn’t more handsome,” a terribly improper and humiliating thing to say, mr bingley snorts a laugh. mr bingley is not supposed to be improper at all. he has good breeding, he’s rich, he’s just also very nice and friendly. he would never laugh at that

i do not know enough about the regency era to comment, but it seems to me that there are certain liberties with historical accuracy wrt clothing and such in this film that you don’t see in the bbc miniseries. for instance, elizabeth coming to netherfield with her hair down? i don’t believe women ever wore their hair down at this time (*edit* the bbc series and this movie take place in different periods. bbc series: 1813, movie: 1797)

why is mr bingley so awkward? i mean i know why, it’s to make him seem charming and unthreatening and cute and relatable or whatever, but it’s just inconsistent. his character is extremely warm, friendly, polite, not terribly intellectual, but not a bumbling mess who can’t execute a thought without backtracking because he’s so nervous around his lady love

the book has comedy to spare, you don’t have to cheaply manufacture it in this way just because the director’s scared that his audience won’t understand the original humor/scared that he won’t have the ability to make the original humor understood/doesn’t understand the original humor himself because he doesn’t understand the source material!!

i also hate the sharpness and vitriol that this darcy puts in his language. he’s supposed to be uber-polite but cold and haughty. propriety doesn’t permit active hostility (such as when he’s bemoaning the liberal use of the word “accomplished” when applied to women) in regular conversation. that’s intense and insane

why does he speak so quickly? also they really should not have cut the whole netherfield drawing room scene, at least not the conversation between darcy and elizabeth about teasing and pride. they actually now that i think about it cut his whole thing on how a great man can never be too prideful. that’s really fuckin important character stuff! for both of them!

the comedy in this mr collins scene is not landing. they’re like laughing at him before he’s gotten too outrageous. and the actor is such a quiet, mild-mannered dude that he’s not really grating as he should be. this is supposed to be an extraordinarily annoying character, so annoying that the bennets can’t stand him for literally one meal.

ugh they have mrs bennet suggest to mr collins that he should pursue lizzy instead of jane. that’s not out of character for her at all but it misses the opportunity to show how scuzzy mr collins is, and also how fucking little he cares about who his wife is, assuming she meets the criteria of lady catherine de bourgh

ew mr wickham is so skeevy! lizzy’s into him because he’s hot and picked up her handkerchief? that’s it? is she an idiot? he’s not charming or good-natured or fun or funny at all. lydia: he’s a lieutenant! wickham: an enchanted lieutenant (referring to being enchanted to meet lizzy). like scream! what a gross pick up line!!!!)

and their flirtation is based on banter (no!) and him being self-deprecating (maybe, but not in such an obvious way “ignore me i’m next to nothing” what a fucking weird thing to say)

he literally charms her by pulling a quarter out of her sister’s ear. are you kidding? is she 8?

this dance scene btw elizabeth and darcy is all wrong. she immediately jumps on him with “it’s your turn to say something” after it’s been .1 seconds since he last spoke, and he spoke way more amiably (”indeed, most invigorating”) than would be his wont.

oh my god they’ve stopped dancing to angrily talk to each other in the middle of the dance floor? this is so incoherent with the characters (so improper!) and the time period. just cultivating more drama. this scene’s already juicy, they don’t have to be spitting angrily into each other’s mouths for it to come across

so silly and melodramatic that twice in this movie the entirety of a loud crowded drunken ballroom has screeched to a halting silence immediately for some minor drama. the first being the bingleys and mr darcy simply entering the room. the second being mr collins introducing himself to mr darcy (that one is especially ridiculous)

oh god why are they portraying mr collins as so sympathetic and sweet? he’s a fucking asshole! he’s not just annoying he’s a dick! that’s important, otherwise elizabeth is really unjustly mean to him, especially while she’s rejecting his proposal

oh i disagree with the way they play charlotte’s reasons for marrying mr collins. instead of her just not being romantic and marrying for practical reasons because that’s her nature, they make it a biiig thing like she has to marry because she’s old and ugly and otherwise she’ll go to the poorhouse

it’s not surprising that a lot of my critiques have to do with them pumping drama that doesn’t make sense into the story. making characters shout or spit words etc, because of course that’s what a hollywood film was going to do with a 19th century novel of manners

i guess i should say some good things about this movie. the cinematography is very lovely, obviously. i think it’s well cast, especially judi dench, with the exception of kiera knightley and the actor who plays mr collins. i think matthew mcfayden could’ve been a great darcy had he actually known anything about the character beyond the script

actually i take it back, judi dench isn’t quite amping up the ridiculous nature of this character like she should. they keep a lot of her silly lines but she doesn’t hit them to emphasize just how silly they are. she’s almost too stately to play this woman who, despite her great rank, enjoys spending her time being condescending to lower rank people

here comes my agreement with the grand critique of this movie: they make darcy out to be socially awkward rather than a haughty ass. he’s leaning in and whispering that he has trouble conversing with people, as if he means he has social anxiety and doesn’t mean, “small talk with simpletons bores me”

oh no they cut the delicious piano practice scene! they rewrote it and lizzy just says, “you should practice,” and we don’t get to have this famous, witty misunderstanding that elucidates darcy’s character so well!!!

oh no no no in this scene where colonel fitzwilliam tells lizzy that darcy split up bingleys attachment he tells her that the problem wasn’t the lack of fortune but the family! why?????? that’s half of the big reveal of darcy’s letter????? it’s when she realizes that oh his intentions weren’t so bad

i know i already said it but fuck darcy speaks fast. it sounds like shit. why doesn’t he just shut the fuck up and slow down? it’s weirdly inconsistent with his character. though i guess if they’re trying to rewrite him as socially awkward this could be part of that. but they shouldnt be! because it invalidates the whole premise of the story, their romance, and his character arc!

whoa whoa whoa and in the proposal scene when she says “why did you propose by telling me you’re doing this against your better judgement” he interrupted apologetically, trying to explain. what!!! no!!! he is an asshole! he’s insulted that this low rank woman would dare reject him. he didn’t suspect for one instant that she would. he’s fucking fuming from her first word

wow they’re chopping up this iconic proposal scene huh. i guess to make darcy still seem like a Nice Guy. he didn’t get to accuse her of only rejecting him because she was insulted by his proposal, she had to say that line. this movie is like, let’s make lizzy seem as insane as possible, and darcy as sweet as can be.

you’re not supposed to realize how wrong lizzy is, it’s supposed to creep up on you very slowly. youre supposed to feel like she’s been very reasonable up to this point, and you’re as shocked as she is when she reads the letter.

even his face! so shocked and sad like a kicked puppy standing there in the rain (we won’t even touch why the fuck they’re standing outside in the pouring rain). he’s angry right now! he’s so mad! he’s supposed to be fucking mad, because he’s a proud, arrogant, asshole!

oh my god and look he’s saying the lack of fortune of the bennets had nothing to do with it, and lizzy wow she’s sooo crazy for suggesting it, even though 20 seconds ago he just said it sucks that i’m in love with you ‘cause you’re so low class. god this scene sucks

there’s a reason this is all written in a letter in the book, it works much better that way. this is not a back and forth, lizzy doesn’t get to ask questions and poke holes. he offers his defenses and is still kind of a dick, and lizzy has to read it all without responding or rejecting it, really has to sit with it, the way you can’t do in a fight

oh and he just apologized for accurately noting that elizabeth’s family is often really disgustingly improper! how fucking out of character! both in general and in the scene because, and i can’t stress this enough, HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ANGRY

oh ok i have to redact some of my former criticism. he finally gets mad at the very end here, and makes the comment about “did you expect me to rejoice in your low birth?” though he still didnt say the crucial “perhaps you would have accepted had not the manner of proposal offended you”

wait what the fuck??? did they just lean in for a kiss and lean away?? like a whole, i’m angry at you i’m hot for you let’s fuck thing? what the fuck? not only is that cheap romance melodrama but also lizzy HATES this man. not like oops i love-i mean hate you but really hates him

why do they choose to have elizabeth not tell jane about the proposal? i can’t imagine there being any reason? except of course that’s she’s secretly already in love with him and doesn’t want to admit it! gag

this scene between elizabeth and mr bennet about lydia going off with the forsters is well done imo

ugh god but they’ve given lizzy’s “what are young men to rocks and mountains?” line to mary, making it seem stupid and platitudinal, because that’s mary’s character

oh good, elizabeth is going on another “all men are trash” rant that is a thinly veiled reference to darcy. they’re just fucking taking a wrecking ball to this character’s credibility and intelligence huh?

this is really devastating actually because at this point the movie is telling us that lizzy is fighting through the anger and hate and realizing she loves darcy, after their sexy confrontation and his letter. in reality, she’s realized she was wrong and is doing some deep self-reflection.

she feels a little sheepish about how she boldly she accused darcy of things she was so wrong about but she still isn’t in love with him because he’s still a fucking proud ass! he just happened to be right about some shit that she was too prejudiced to realize

it doesn’t make sense if she falls in love with him before he grows and becomes a good person. it shows a weakness of character on her part and makes his eventual character growth just a cherry on top. oh that’s nice, they’re in love *and* he’s not gonna treat her like shit. totally invalidates the whole point of the story, overcoming personal defaults and finding healthy love that way

wow they make lizzy so stupid! she objects so stupidly to visiting pemberly! oh let’s not. he’s so…. he’s so… he’s so rich! wtf are you talking about? in the book she’s just kind of like eh idk…. do you really want to go? i guess if you think we should go… oh he won’t be there? oh cool let’s do it

ok so i’m 1:21:54 into the movie. i have 45 minutes left. i’m stopping. i’m angry and getting no joy from this so. this was a humiliating project for me, thinking i could enjoy this movie. never again

#pride and prejudice

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