#film isn't dead it's been here all along

[i-review-christmas-rom-coms]

The Holiday (2006)

Fun fact: I only picked up this film because I share a name with one of the characters. I won't disclose which one, but what I can say is that I was stressed trying to figure out which I was in the opening sequences. And goddamnit. I have never felt so called out by a piece of media in my entire life.

The energy of this film is so chaotic. It was like the actors had been split in two and given two different acting directions. You guys over there, camp to the max. In every situation where there are several normal, acceptable reactions, choose the surprise third option of going completely fucking nuclear. Have sex twice with a man (in his sister's bed??) and be in love, repair your intimacy issues, meet his kids, live happily ever after, etc. a silly little raunchy hallmark-esque rom-com. Amanda is insane. I love her.

The other characters in this film are living in a completely different universe. My girl Kate Winslet does an insane job balancing acting the most messy/good-natured/people-pleasing/oblivious and yet self aware woman in fiction. Iris spends half of the film trying to get over a man who has been stringing her along for years, and the other half going on friendship dates with an old man she picked up off the street. Her love interest (aka: the most Jack Black character Jack Black has ever played), is just her if she was less cool, and has about five minutes of screen time. Take him out of the movie and nothing about Iris's character arc changes. He's like a ken doll, laying forgotten in the dream house while a little girl (me) sends her barbies on dates together.

That being said, I loved them together. The way the studio resolved a character's issues with being down bad for douchebag men by putting her with a man in the same position as her (albeit with douchebag women), who was down bad for HER?? Obsessed.

The ending of this film was rushed, open-ended, and didn't make any sense. It was so good. Top 5 christmas rom-coms of all time, hands down.

9.5/10

[mariocki]

Infinite list of favourite lyrics: 223/?

Tina Turner - GoldenEye (1995)

"You'll never know

How I watched you from the shadows as a child,

You'll never know

How it feels to be the one who's left behind.

You'll never know the days,

The nights, the tears, the tears I've cried;

But now my time has come

And time, time is not on your side!"

[respectthepetty]

Unknown's Red Thread of Fate

@chicademartinica already pointed out the significance of red in Unknown, but I'm here to offer some more visuals to support that the red symbolizes the connection between Qian and Yuan.

The entire first episode is about fate.

Qian leaves his house simply stating he'll be back and takes a path down a red lit street.

Throughout the episode, he talks about how rich kids have the luxury of innocence but poor kids are left to fate.

And at the end of his journey, we meet Yuan for the first time sitting in front of a red wall.

Which is exactly the same path Qian took when he found Yuan the first time he met him.

They head back to the house together up the same red path Qian just walked alone.

Once they get back to the house, Qian gives his siblings red envelopes. It isn't for a ghost marriage like in the Taiwanese film Marry My Dead Body nor does it mean trouble is brewing like in the Taiwanese series Oh No! Here Comes Trouble. It's simply a New Year's tradition to wish prosperity and happiness on the receiver.

But the first time Qian received a red envelope while staring hungrily at a group of men eating, he took it for his family knowing the conditions that came with it.

And Yuan, although not as dire, did the same. Unlike Lili, he put the money aside, for the family.

(But fate has other things in store for Lili)

Because although they are all family, Qian and Yuan are connected, so while Qian runs to his family without hesitation,

Yuan runs for his family without any thought of himself.

And that's exactly what San Pang points out. Not only is Yuan named after Qian making their names the same, but they are the same. They are both stubborn. They are both smart. They both do everything for their families. They never think of themselves. They only listen to each other.

But somewhere along the way, something changed. They are no longer exactly the same.

Much like Yuan, Qian has always been intelligent, but when he was younger, he was abused.

And that abuse haunts him.

So red bothers him.

Because it reminds him of the abuse.

And the people who caused it.

To him, and his family.

Yet when it comes to Yuan, the red never bothers Qian.

It's the thing that ties them together.

Even when Qian pushes Yuan away after Yuan confesses what has changed between them,

The red thread of fate will still connect them.

So when Yuan is gone, the bond between them will remain.

Because they are bound together.

It's fate.

[silverskye13]

Silver I know next to nothing about the alien franchise and movie, I am giving you full permission to use this ask as an opportunity to spread propaganda to get me (and anyone else) to finally watch it

So it's, so like, the thing is, right. I'm not a movie tech kinda person [though it is technically impressive, the funny little tricks they did, like not having the budget for a Big Space Ship Derelict so they are a scaled down model that the director's kids in space suits walked up to so it would look bigger, and it was shown to the audience on a shitty CCTV because they didn't do a big matte painting of the set they filmed the tiny one, projected it onto a wall, and then filmed that.] So my rant isn't going to be about how technologically cool the movie was for 1979 on a less than optimal budget. But what I do like, what I excel at, is breaking down themes and tropes. And my god. My god. Just. Ugh. [Flails my arms.]

So a basic rundown for the movie, spoilers ahead, and my analysis of how fucking cool it is:

Basic gist of the movie: The crew of the commercial mining vessel Nostromo are awoken halfway through their trip back to earth by a mysterious signal, calling for help on a far away planet. Upon going down to investigate, one of their crew members is attacked by a strange alien parasite which attaches to his face. This kicks off a tale of increasing horror as the new alien kills off the crew one by one, culminating in Ripley [the main character] blowing up the ship and fleeing in an escape pod, not sure if she'll ever be picked up in the vastness of space -- with the ships cat, who miraculously also survives. [We all know Jonesy is the real main character 💜.] Along the way a plot by the Weyland-Utani corporation is revealed, one of the crew is discovered to be an android, and there is a lot of alien screeching.

Now! The themes that I go absolutely feral over can commence.

The horror of the movie, the reason why the alien is scary, and lethal to humans specifically, is it is a creature built for efficient survival, and this is a trait that Ash, the ship's science officer [and resident hiding android] highly praises in the critter. He describes it as beautiful, elegant, pure in its efficiency. The perfect organism. Efficient.

Humans, by comparison, aren't efficient. We are social. And efficiency preys on social needs. For example:

The xenomorph eggs can survive for ages [in the derelict they're found on, the dead alien who drove the ship is described as fossilized. These eggs have been here for thousands of years. But they activate immediately when a curious human pokes around them. It isn't a fast process. Kane is poking around for a few minutes, looking at the movements of the creatures in their eggs, making observations. Curious. Curiosity is an inefficient trait -- he would have survived if he had climbed out of the hole the eggs were in and left, or even waited for the rest of his team to enact quarantine and investigation procedures.

Speaking of quarantine! When Dallas and Lambert bring Kane, newly infected by an alien parasite, back to the ship, Ripley locks them in the airlock. There are quarantine procedures. We can't risk the whole crew. But they are scared for Kane's safety. He might die without help. They break quarantine. If they hadn't broken quarantine, the baby alien would've been born in the airlock, where it would get spaced the moment it was born.

When the face hugger parasite dies and Kane seems to return to normal, what they should have done to attempt to reinstate quarantine was put him in hyper sleep. His body would have been frozen in a stasis which might have frozen the parasite or, if it hadn't, would have left the new baby alien trapped in a stasis pod. But Kane, haggard and scared from his ordeal, asks can we please have one more meal together before I go to sleep? And that one meal is long enough for the new xenomorph to be born, and release terror on the ship.

There is more. Parker would have lived if he hadn't gone to find the cat by himself, leaving the safety of his group. Dallas would have lived if he let Ripley go through the vents, but he was the captain and he didn't want to risk someone else's life so he went instead. Brett would have lived if he'd left Lambert behind when she was being attacked, or if he'd hit the xenomorph with the flamethrower instead of insisting Lambert get out of the way first. And Lambert would have lived if she'd run instead of being paralyzed in fear by the creature killing her friends. And the xenomorph? Wasn't even eating it's kills. No gore. Little blood. It was killing them because it knew they would kill it, and it was neutralizing threats. Efficient.

The xenomorph is very clearly engineered for survival, and it's survival depends on killing the inefficient organisms around it. Even it's acid blood is described as a survival mechanism, not an offensive mechanism.

Okay Skye, we hear you talking about how scary the critter is because it's not a social creature. That's an interesting observation, but it's still just a monster story, right?

Well, let me tell you an alternative story. Just a little to the left of the original, but one I would argue is still very very canon.

You are an android built by Weyland-Utani, a company which is jealously hunting alien tech to use for its many space programs. You are placed on the Nostromo because there is a known anomaly in the area, and they want to find it. Your job is to get a specimen back to the company, all other protocols expended.

You are programmed to be efficient, so you get to work.

You wake the crew when you find the signal. You give them only the information they need to investigate: it is a signal that repeats every 12 seconds. You let them make the conclusion it is an SOS. Humans are social creatures. They want to help other social creatures in need. There is some arguing about whether they should go, but in the end an extra push from you sends them. Ripley, one of the more efficient members of the crew, keeps asking you why you haven't decoded the message.

"Mother [the super computer running the ship] is still working on it." This is true. She has only translated part of the signal. By the time Ripley realizes it's a warning, the crew is already on the way to the derelict. You tell her if she walks out there, they will have already figured out if it's a warning or not by the time she makes it to them. She agrees.

When they return with a specimen, Ripley [efficient, following protocol] doesn't want to let them on. But Ripley doesn't know you're an android, so when you break quarantine, and you tell her you just wanted Kane to be safe, she begrudgingly believes you.

When the alien is loose, it is easy for you to keep them from killing it. Humans are social, inefficient creatures, and you feel no empathy for their deaths. You do pity them though. Between you and the alien, their chances of survival are slim.

If only they were more efficient.

The horror in Alien is not the xenomorph. The horror in Alien is when anything, primal creatures, androids, a particularly greedy corporation, preys on human social needs in order to get what it wants. There is significance in that Ripley, despite everything, chose to save the cat. She needed companionship. All humans do. She needed to save that cat. A cat that was cantankerous and mean, and hissed whenever it was held, was better than the cold efficiency of empty space.

Any system that prioritizes absolute efficiency will be inhospitable to human life.

[mongpht]

[translate] Idia Shroud - Platinum Jacket SSR Personal Story

PART 1: Land of Dawning: National Museum of Art

Idia: Dynamic brushstrokes that can only be felt in a real painting…. Hehe! That's the true pleasure of appreciating hand-painted paintings!

Idia: Ha! Here and there…! An image of the King of the Land of the Dead and a chariot!!! Impressive! In order to free his captive friends, the King himself goes to the front lines…. Wow, it's too exciting, isn't it?

???: Right… but is it normal for a responsible commander to leave headquarters and go to the front lines?

Idia: Hua! S-silver-shi!? Stop interrupting my soliloquy*. That's why the community is so strong…

Silver: I'm sorry if I surprised you. It was an interesting opinion and I thought I'd talk to you.

Idia: While this episode is interesting, the interpretation of the King's personality is shallow…?

Silver: What do you mean by that?

Idia: If he were a politician, he could have chosen a strategy, such as telling his subordinates to take care of him and leaving them to run errands. Even so, the reason he went to a dangerous place to increase his military power was because it was an important mission that was key to the operation. Honestly… he has an extraordinary sense of responsibility!! No, he's not like some wussy and incompetent politician who just has a title.

Silver: You're saying he went it alone because it was a situation where he couldn't fail? He definitely has a unique sense of responsibility. Listening to Idia-senpai's opinion deepened my knowledge of this film and episode. You have a broad mind.

Idia: Well, well, well! Silver-shi should follow my example and take it one step further!

Silver: Right… However, there was a lot of real feeling in my statement about "what a politician should be". I heard that Idia-senpai was appointed dorm headman on the recommendation of former dorm headman Ignihide…. Maybe you were the head of a big group in the past? Were you appointed dorm headman because of your experience?

Idia: А!? No, no, what are you talking about? For some reason I don't have any experience in this kind of thing…. I'm a solo player, even in online games. Well, sometimes I'm a leader when I need to get a party together for a raid or something like that…

Silver: After all, you must have had experience leading someone.

Idia: That's not an exaggeration… Besides, I usually have a trusted mate who acts as a tank and leader. Most of the time I work as a healer or DPS. That is, most of the time I feel like I'm putting all my heart into buffs to instantly upgrade my firepower. However, my plans don't always coincide with those of my mates, and when they aren't around, I have to act as a leader…. I have no choice but to do so! The role of leader is usually played by an experienced, advanced player. I've mastered all the missions, so I understand how to move around properly. He can also be called a tank, or he can be called a leader. "Thanks to you, I was able to complete a quest of increased difficulty! I'm glad I was able to join your company!" …and I've been MVP, countless times! I had no choice but to become a leader. My talent is intimidating…

Silver: Receiving appreciation from those you've partnered with. It's proof that we can all rely on Idia-sempai's leadership.

Idia: Well, there's something to that…. maybe it's true? Fuhehehe, hehehehe! Well, I'm sorry I wasted my time leaving the leader to an incompetent person and failed the quest. Looks like from now on I'll have to form a party and be the leader when my mates aren't home! Well, the powers that be are having a tough time!

PART 2: Land of Dawning: National Museum of Art

Silver: A picture of a lion, a warthog and a meerkat? They sing as a threesome and seem to get along just fine.

Idia: Isn't it too much fun to walk while singing? This painting shows a lion, the heir to the throne, being chased out of his country….. He turns away in pain and walks with the friends he has met. It's an episode about him singing carefree, isn't it? It's lucky that we get to see a picture that glorifies his escape from his mission. Heh!

Silver: I heard once that singing makes you feel lighter. Maybe they were also trying to savor the sadness?

Idia: If you mean distracting yourself with songs, when I was little and my little brother was afraid to go to the toilet in the middle of the night….. we'd go there together, humming a song from our favourite anime….. Well, whatever the circumstances of the song's creation, the composition with the moon in the background is emo* MV style.

Silver: Ehm vi…?

Idia: Don't you know what a music video is? It's a video that accompanies a song or lyrics.

Silver: Ah, is that what you call MV? Roger.

Idia: Well, if you want to watch a music video, I recommend the Gakemo Idols music video called "People Need to Be on the Edge of a Cliff Too." The band's music videos are so good that you can watch them 100 times each…!

Silver: 100 times… is an amazing amount of times. Do you usually watch music videos that many times?

Idia: If you're a real otaku, you'll definitely watch it! After all, it's presumptuous to think you understand everything about a music video after one viewing! The first time, you just enjoy the whole video along with the song. The next three times you watch the dancing and facial expressions of the three participants. And if you go deeper into the structure of the video and the messages that come out of it… at least…. And if you dig deeper into the structure of the clip and the message it conveys… you have to watch it at least 10 times. Moreover, even one random frame in the "Gakemo" clip contains a message worthy of a film director! To deeply understand their work, it's not enough to watch the clip a few times. That's why I watch it over and over again, hundreds of times.

Silver? Is this work really that deep? It seems like it could be useful for emotional education as well. However, I think it would be a good idea to include it in school music lessons.

Idia: No, no, that's all… But it seems like Silver-shi was able to see how amazing these girls are. There are a lot of casual fans of hers who don't understand their artistry, even if they are Gakemo fans. Every time a new MV comes out, there are people who ask, "Who was featured for how many seconds?" or "Who did the management think was there?". Does that have anything to do with the quality of the work? None, right? You just don't want to understand the thought and substance behind it.

Silver: I can see… I feel like my knowledge has expanded because of Idia-senpai. Once I get back to school, let's watch some gake…mo clip, shall we?

Idia: No kidding! Is this for real? All the latest MVs are on the public account on Magicam! Be sure to watch them! You won't regret it!

PART 3: Land of Dawning: National Museum of Art

Idia: Oh, the Sea Witch, appearing in the dark… She has a nice smile and a suspicious aura.

Silver: Is this the painting that depicts the episode about the Sea Witch making a contract? It is said that the contract she made at that time was so strong that not even a powerful spear could break it.

Idia: Come to think of it, I think it was enough that it didn't tear and the letters didn't smudge, even if they got wet…

Silver: Maybe there was something spelled out in the contract that they really didn't want to break.

Idia: I'm more concerned about the material of the treaty than the content. How strong is the defence that it can't even be terminated in advance? But there are times when you want to do something that will never work, I understand.

Silver: I don't quite understand… For example, what would an Idia-sempai do?

Idia: "A game console power cord that you can never hide" or…I actually tried to make one of those once. I played games from morning to night every day, and my mum started hiding cords. If she only hid the code, I could just make a new one, but she politely hid the cord materials as well. Then I thought, "I'm going to make it impossible to hide the cords!"

Silver: I think she was worried about your health… Didn't you have the opportunity to get out of the game?

Idia: How could I have? No, I was hard at work developing the game at the time, in my own way. I installed motion sensors so that the cord would automatically disappear from people's hands… I made it transparent so the cord couldn't be found, and added a homing function so it would return on its own… And after many failures… I finally completed it…! A transparent power cord that only the authorised owner can recognise!

Silver: I can't even imagine… It's amazing that you were able to create what you wanted with your own hands.

Idia: No, it's not amazing at all. Since there was a formidable genius in the family, the technology he developed was quickly defeated by other countermeasures… This cat and mouse game went on for months until I realised that all I had to do was modify my game console to wirelessly charge. Phew… However, the brief peace that came after developing wireless charging didn't last long…. Later, a strange device that disables all wireless charging within a 10 metre radius appears as the final boss. Yeah. Well, the experience I gained from developing things like motion sensors and autonomous controls came in handy when I was making Ortho, so all my trial and error didn't go to waste.

Silver: Even if you can imagine an ideal, it's hard to realise it. However, Idia-senpai has achieved a lot. I respect that.

Idia: Wait, what is this suddenly happening? I'm afraid of unexpected, direct compliments…. Are you trying to get me to buy a vase or something?

Silver? Why are we suddenly talking about a vase? Um, has it been that long? I got held up for a while. Oh, I'm sorry. Thanks for letting me hear your valuable story. Well, I must be going.

Silver's gone.

Idia: Phew… I haven't talked to a lot of people in a while and I'm tired. Need to calm down and look at the picture… Ah, that…

Idia: He's a hero from mythology. That sparkling gaze… He looks like he's sure of his bright future. There's no way his life could have turned out so well… I hope he doesn't get carried away and float down the river of the underworld.

*Soliloquy — speech addressed to oneself.

*Emo is emotional

[astrronomemes]

CORALINE (2009): STARTERS

a collection of quotes, phrases, and sayings from the 2009 stopmotion film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. change & alter as needed.

"He's not really my cat. He's kind of feral — you know, wild? Of course, I do feed him every night, and sometimes, he'll come in my window and bring me little dead things..."

"It's not real scientific, but I've heard an ordinary name, like [name], can lead people to have ordinary expectations about a person."

"You know, this house is a hundred and fifty years old."

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"You're just in time for supper, dear!"

"We've been waiting for you, [name]."

"As soon as you're through eating, I thought we'd play a game."

"You know, I've never been inside [place]."

"[Name] said you'd like it. Boy, she knows you like the back of her hand!"

"Do you want to come along? You can pick out something you like."

"I'm sorry I called you that. I really am."

"You probably think this world is a dream come true. But you're wrong."

"You do like it here, don't you, [name]?"

"You could stay here forever, if you want to."

"It's your decision, darling. We only want what's best for you."

"What's wrong, [name]? Don't you want to play?"

"If you won't even talk to me, I'm gonna go find [name]. He'll help me."

"And what do you think you're doing?"

"She wants something to love, I think. Something that isn't her."

"How can you walk away from something, and still come back to it?"

"They say even the proudest spirit can be broken... with love."

"You are not my mother!"

"You may come out when you've learned to be a loving daughter!"

"Well, she can't keep me in the dark forever."

"Where are you hiding, you little monster?!"

"Don't believe me? You can ask the cat!"

"[Name]? Aren't you getting ready?"

"They're not coming back, are they? Mom and Dad?"

"You know, you're walking right into her trap."

"She may not play fair, but she won't refuse. She's got a thing for games."

"Now, don't be difficult, [name]. Have a seat, won't you?"

"Why don't we play a game? I know you like them."

"Don't worry! I'm getting the hang of it!"

"You know I love you."

"Even if you win, she'll never let you go!"

"Now you're going to stay here forever."

"Don't leave me! Don't leave me! I'll die without you!"

"Get yourself cleaned up. We're going out tonight."

"We've got a lot to celebrate."

"It's a fine, fine thing you did for us, [name]."

"You're in terrible danger, girl!"

"I'm really sorry I didn't believe you about all this evil stuff, [name]."

"Oh, man... what am I going to tell her?"

"Just bring her by the house tomorrow. We can tell her together."

"You know, I'm glad you decided to stalk me."

"I'm [full name]. I've got so much to tell you!"

[prodbymaui]

Phantom Limb (Equidistant)

did we come close to having it all?

PAIRING: jeong jaehyun x you

GENRE: slice of life; the hows of us

TEASER WC: 848 words

SYNOPSIS: Between the distance of sorrys and goodbyes, where does 'us' lies?

RELEASE DATE: October 30, 2023

TAGLIST: open !! (you can send an ask or comment your usn)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: if you have questions, you can send an ask. and NO, I didn't re-write the whole movie and replaced Jaehyun's name. the teaser is just a teaser and the actual fic will have a lot more which will be different from the movie.

YOU WERE YOUNG.

''Hmm this is how it feels when you've finally bought something with your own money, huh, Jo?''

''Jo? Is that the name of your ex or side chick?''

''What.. No.'' Jaehyun chuckles. ''Jo in scottish means darling, sweetheart–.. beloved.''

''Pfft, fine. I like that. Jo..''

YOU DREAMED TOGETHER.

''When we're both finally stable and successful in life, wouldn't you be arrogant?''

''Arrogant? Why would I be?''

''Because your boyfriend is the world's most famous singer.''

His imaginations emit a hearty scoff from you. ''Then you're arrogant by then as well.''

''Uh-huh, and why is that?''

''Because your girlfriend, the president of your fansclub, is the doctor who found cures to cancers and rare diseases.''

''And I would be so proud of you when that happens.''

''Someday, love.''

''Someday, Jo.''

THERE WERE UPS.

''Happy birthday, the love of my life!''

''Thank you so much, baby! You didn't have to!''

''Uh-uh, I have to and I want to. You've been juggling studying and working at the same time and I know it has been hard. A great woman like my love only deserves the best of the bests.''

''You're such a sap. I love you, Jeong.''

''I love you, Jo. So much that it hurts.''

THERE WERE DOWNS.

''Jaehyun? Could you maybe wash the dishes before you go? I'm just really short of time.''

''I'm sorry, Jo, but I need to go. All the guys are there and you know how they go when practicing by themselves.''

''Oh.. I'll do the dishes. You take care, hmm?''

''Dude, are you tone-deaf? You're literally fucking out of tune.''

''What do you mean, bro? I think it sounds fine.''

''No, no, you're not fucking hitting the right note. You know what? Get out.''

''Jaehyun–''

''Get the fuck out of my house. What the fuck is happening to musicians nowadays? If they're not taking it seriously, they're fucking tone-deaf.''

''Love, maybe you should rest first.. ?''

YET YOUR LOVE WAS STRONGER.

''Girl, be honest with me. Are you still studying? Your life before used to be all about studying, studying, studying, and a sprinkle of Jaehyun. But now it's all Jaehyun, Jaehyun, Jaehyun.''

''Rosé, come on. You know we're still waiting for Jaehyun's biggest break. After that, I can focus back on studying.''

''And if that break doesn't happen?''

''Don't be so negative!''

STORMS AFTER STORMS.

''Hello? Do you know anyone named Jeong Jaehyun?''

''Hi, yes. That's my boyfriend. May I ask why you're calling from his phone?''

''You might wanna pick him up, he's dead drunk, been here since last night and won't leave. I'll just text the address from his number, I guess.''

''A-alright, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience–''

''Oh, and you might want to bring extra cash with you. His 7k bill is not yet paid, not even a penny.''

''Rosé–''

''Where the fuck are you? You can't miss this exam!''

''I-I'm coming, I just.. Jaehyun– fuck, he's–''

''Fuck him! Just leave him alone! A few minutes left and we're gonna start. This is a bar exam, get that shit inside your head! Get your ass here if you don't want all your efforts to go to waste.''

''Rosé..''

''Please, you don't deserve this. Think about all those nights you stayed up to study. I'm sure Jaehyun will understand..''

''I.. Okay– okay, I'm coming.''

''I love you, best friend. Jaehyun will understand, okay?''

You cradle Jaehyun's face in your hands, brushing his hair out of his face as if your own isn't a mess along with the tears running. Jaehyun looks through the hazy film of his eyes, he sobs with you.

''I'm sorry, love. I'm so so sorry– God– I'm sorry. Just this one time, please? Just this once, I need to take this exam. I'll call Eunwoo to pick you up.''

Giving one last kiss on your lover's forehead, you quickly catch a taxi and close the door on Jaehyun's face. You bury your face in your hands as you stifle your sobs. Maybe you can stop worrying. Eunwoo will pick him up, he's Jaehyun's best friend.

AND YOU WONDER..

But as you turn your head, Jaehyun with his clothes wrinkled lays on the cold ground, in his own pool of vomit. As he meets your eyes, he starts reaching out to you. For you.

You're just a lover. One that has so much love for Jeong Jaehyun.

The tires screech as you plead stop to the taxi driver, giving him the last of your money before running towards your boyfriend who's grunting and murmuring.

Your heart hurts at the worst state you've ever seen Jaehyun. The ache only gets unbearable as you take him in your arms and carry all his weight. Your heart.. it's as if being squeezed a thousand times, getting pricked with thorns.  

''Just leave him alone!'' Rosé's voice rings in your head.

''I'm sorry.. I can't.'' You whisper an apology. Not to anyone, no.

Because as you fix Jaehyun, clean Jaehyun, tuck him in bed– no one deserves an apology from you more than yourself.

IS IT ALL WORTH IT?

[jadelotusflower]

Stargate Rewatch: 1x01 Children of the Gods

After rewatching the original film I'm kicking off with the show's pilot - I actually watched both the original version and the "final cut" because there are aspects I enjoy of both. The final cut removes a few problematic elements and adds in some new material, but also cuts a few lines I really enjoy and the original version is really where my nostalgia lies, so... as always, my feelings, they are mixed.

Cold open with some redshirts - four men and one woman, sadly representative of the gender ratio the show will have going forward.

The unlucky Smurfette is Sgt Carol Weterings, not that I think she's ever mentioned by name in the episode.

"Probably the only thing it ever did was cost money." Heh.

I will say that Teal'c turning against Apophis at the end of the episode is nicely built - starting here where he examines the gun and identifies it as technology far advanced beyond the humans they’re used to dealing with.

When your name is above the title, you get introduced with an extreme close up.

The differences between the film and the show don't really bother me - I view the show as taking place in a very similar but alternate universe to the film rather than trying to squeeze them together - so O'Neil becomes O'Neill, Sha'uri becomes Sha're, Tyler becomes Charlie, Abydos is the closest planet to Earth, not the other side of the known universe, etc etc. But I consider the events of the film to be canon to the show universe unless directly contradicted.

But otherwise the pilot tries very hard to stick as close as possible to the film, to the point that Major Samuels states that General Hammond replaced General West.

Hammond says it’s been “over a year” since the events of the film, unclear exactly how much over.

The final cut has a longer version of the dead Jaffa, revealing one of them was a woman, and with all the changes to eliminate plot holes I don't know why Brad Wright put one back in. While we do see Jaffa women in the series, Goa'uld and Jaffa society is depicted as highly patriarchal and female Jaffa soliders are rare - we never see them in Apophis's ranks. It's an odd inclusion.

"What if the aliens get it?" "Well, they could be blowing their noses right now." hee!

"THANKS SEND MORE" Remember when Daniel had allergies? Give it a few episodes and the show sure won’t!

Amanda Tapping, doing her absolute best with some terrible dialogue. Brad Wright blames the "reproductive organs" speech on Jonathan Glassner, and it is terrible and thankfully removed from the final cut version, along with some other 90's era sexism from the bros. However there is one great moment, where Kawalsky asks "Have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F16 at eight plus Gs?" and without missing a beat, Sam deadpans: "Yes." I love Sam.

"I'll give you exactly 24 hours to either return or send a message through - no Kleenex boxes, please." Hee, Hammond isn't quite the cuddly commander we know and love yet, but he has his moments.

It's very cute that Sam has a very similar reaction to the one Daniel had in the film just before going through the gate, although his was based in the wonder of something incredible and unknown, and hers is based in the physical manifestation of knowledge - says a lot about each of them and their similarities yet different perspectives - the marrying of these two points of view is what makes them such a good duo.

Michael Shanks, doing the James Spader impression that won him the role. He was only 26!

And of course Alexis Cruz, the only holdover from the movie (other than Erick Avari, who won't appear until season 2).

The original team sure did leave a bunch of weapons with the Abydonians, didn't they? I presume they taught them how to fire the guns because there's no way Daniel could/would have. He did however teach them very good English.

"Greetings from Earth, Doctor Jackson" - very cute, it's sad that Ferretti disappears into the ether by season 2.

Not the face of a woman who is shy, but a woman who knows how to make An Entrance. She even smirks a little as she walks over.

There is however a weird little moment where Sha're is reluctant to shake Jack's hand and looks to Daniel first - maybe she wasn't impressed about his little joke brushing by her husband? Both of these beats are removed from the final cut version which is probably for the best.

It's criminal Sha're doesn't actually get to speak in this scene, and in fact how few lines she has in the episode altogether.

It's disappointing, because Sha'uri was such an integral part of the film, and yet the show tries to get rid of her as quickly as possible to get Daniel on SG-1 and give him a core drive for the next three seasons. Her abduction is the precipitating event of Daniel's ten-year character arc and defining moment of transition from film!Daniel to show!Daniel, and yet she doesn't get a character arc of her own.

However I do think Shanks and Vaitiare Hirshon sell the relationship in the few scenes they have - they're very physically connected/protective of one another, perhaps concerned that Jack's there to take Daniel back with him (which is in fact the case). And of course Sha're, annoyed at being left behind while Daniel shows the others his discovery, gives him a very proprietary kiss to show everyone what’s what.

I think show!Sha're gets a bad rap, she's spunky and I love her. I just wish there was more of her.

Sam and Daniel insta-bonding. Daniel making an intuitive leap to solve the puzzle and Sam filling in the gaps with science to make it work, they really are kindred spirits.

The issue with the cartouche though is that the symbols look like hierogyphs, not star constellations/Stargate glyphs.

Back in the pyramid, there's a scene sorely missing here - imagine if rather than ogling Sha're, Ferretti had a conversation with her, giving us more of a chance to know Sha're on her own terms rather than just Daniel's wife and the object of others desire. Especially when Ferretti was on the original mission so knows she's more than a "beautiful woman" - it would also give additional weight to him being the one to remember the gate address where she's taken later on.

Teal'c clocks Skaara's gun as the same tech he saw on Earth in breadcrumb no. 2.

"Nothing good can ever come through this gate!" "You came through it , Daniel" I mean...I realise there are a lot of problematic white savior-y aspects to the show, but idk, this scene and the Abydonians all petting Daniel to say goodbye gets me. Sean Amsing as Tobay also returns in Full Circle which is a nice callback to this scene.

The final cut removes a reaction shot from Jack which I have mixed feelings about - I get that the focus probably needs to be on Daniel at that moment, but I do think it's important for Jack to appreciate how Daniel really found a home with the Abydonians and was appreciated and loved by them, and it's nicely played by RDA.

LOL, watch out for how many times Jack pats Daniel on the shoulder. Apparently that annoyed Shanks so RDA kept doing it, but it's also a nice little setup of their relationship going forward.

There's a second shoulder pat in the hallway.

Just two dudes, drinking beer, (not) talking about their feelings.

“She was the complete opposite of everyone else, she practically fell on the floor laughing every time I tried to do some kind of chore they all took for granted.” Underrated line, because it gives important context to Daniel and Sha’re’s relationship, and perhaps more importantly, how Daniel characterises her - she is the one who keeps him grounded, who teases him, there is balance to their relationship. There’s potentially an interesting parallel there to Vala in the later seasons, although it manifests in a very different way.

“I think she forgave me for what happened to our kid, she just couldn’t forget…I’m the opposite, I can never forgive myself, but sometimes I can forget.” This is a great scene.

The Final Cut removes all the “harem scenes” and while I can see why, we do lose a bit of context to Teal'c's involvement in the process as he is the one who chooses the women from the holding cell to go into the harem, and then from the harem to be presented to Apophis.

There was another missed opportunity to actually see Sha're interact with the other prisoners - she could have had a conversation with Weterings at least, find out she was from Earth, perhaps assure her that the others would be coming to rescue them.

To the surprise of no one I’m sure, this episode does not pass the Bechdel test.

But there is a hint of solidarity among the prisoners - first in the holding cell where the others hold Skaara back, and here in the harem Sha're squeezes the hand of another woman.

Weterings is killed by the hand device which keeps the electrical current aesthetic from the movie the show will later abandon - as Teal'c looks perturbed.

Daniel back on Earth immediately getting stuck into the coffee even though no one else is drinking, lol.

"Ra played a god, the sun god, he borrowed the religion and culture of the ancient Egyptians he brought through the gate and used it to enslave them." A bit of a change from the movie here, where it was the other way around - slightly less problematic!

Everyone is in dress blues except Kawalsky who is in camo, and Daniel, who is wearing Jack's clothes.

"Colonel I'd like to remind you that rescuing Dr Jackson's wife is a secondary objective." This line was removed in the final cut and I don't know why? It adds to Samuels’s bastardry.

Has everyone forgotten about Weterings?

Shoulder pat no. 3!

In the second harem scene, Sha're is now sitting isolated from the other women - did she argue with them? Just trying not to be noticed? What happened offscreen?

Also what's going on in the top left corner - it looks like the healing device! Maybe Sha're did throw down with one of the others and that's why she's on her own. I have to read into things, because the show gives us so very little of Sha're and it's a real shame.

She does get a good moment fighting against the guards though - earlier she was defiant and told them she wasn't afraid of them, here she bites one of them on the arm.

I understand from a narrative perspective why Sha're is the one who gets taken over, but it really is Schrodinger’s fridging - until she’s found Sha’re is both alive and dead for the purpose of the narrative, both Daniel’s primary drive and source of inner conflict.

Christopher Judge does so much with so little. Master of the cheek twitch!

Oof, the nudity. In isolation from everything else, it doesn’t bother me - it’s intended to be horrifying, not titillating, and is effective in conveying objectification and dehumanisation by the Goa'uld.

However, it was a studio request, Wright/Glassner regretted doing it, it doesn’t fit the tone of the show going forward, but most importantly Hirshon was pressured into the full frontal when she only agreed to topless, and for that alone it should be excised.

The puppet symbiotes are so much more effective than the cgi they use later. I don’t think there’s another scene in the show that really captures the menace of the Goa’uld like this one - the symbiote (who we'll later learn is Amaunet) slithering around on Sha're's body is just so visceral and horrifying. The glowing eyes before implantation is an effective touch.

Jack sticking Daniel in it with Sam by saying Sha're was a gift could be amusing, except the conversation gets cut off before Daniel can explain. It annoys me, because Daniel not "accepting" Sha're was actually the point? It's kind of important! I assume he does tell Sam the whole story later.

"Unless we want to get ourselves a really bad reputation, I just think we should avoid shooting the first people we meet on a new planet" is a nice follow up to Daniel's sarcastic "well that would have been an excellent reason to shoot everyone" from the film. At this point, Daniel doesn't appear to be carrying a weapon other than a knife. Oh, how that will change!

The Chulak priests speak "a derivation of Arabic" and something else - the Goa'uld language is meant to be similar to Abydonian, which is based on Ancient Egyptian. Of course modern Egyptian is an Arabic dialect that came much later, but perhaps we are to assume Goa'uld - or at least the Chulak vernacular - evolved along similar lines.

Jack unable to shoot Sha're when she stands in front of Apophis is a nice movie callback.

The final cut has a good extra scene between Sam and Daniel where he is quite delusional thinking Sha're might just be drugged, and Sam tries to talk sense into him. Daniel's blind optimism against Sam's pragmatic realism will be an important aspect of their relationshio going forward.

Shoulder pat no. 4!

Teal'c P.I. sees Skaara talking to Jack and starts putting pieces together - the weapons from the opening scene, the weapons on Abydos + Jack's watch, and Daniel helpfully supplying the Earth glyph.

Alexis Cruz is committed to the film pronunciation of Sha’uri, bless him.

“But you are a great warrior, we defeated Ra together!” Skaara’s faith in Jack is so pure.

Skaara gets a shoulder pat too.

"Another fine day on planet Kawalsky" - This line was removed from the final cut! What a tragedy. I get the sense Brad Wright feels a bit cringe about the campier aspects of the show, but it's part of the charm! To be fair Ferretti was more of the wisecracker in the movie rather than Kawalsky, but I love that show Kawalsky is a little goofy.

I'm sorry, what is this silver monstrosity? I guess a sliver of credit that after the nudity not going for a sexy alien outfit, but this is a hate crime. I also have a very high tolerance, and even affection for, silly Stargate headgear, but there's camp and then there's ugly.

Peter Williams as Apophis though: 10/10, no notes.

"They're going to choose...who will be the children of the gods." I do love it when they say the title of the thing in the thing.

The subtle moment where Teal'c motions that Jack should kneel is a nice setup - Skaara being very reluctant and angry about kneeling, and being the last to do so, is nice movie continuity. Skaara really gets shortchanged by the show after this episode.

"How much would I remember if you chose me?" I wonder if Daniel ever thinks that maybe him drawing the attention of the Goa'uld contributed to Skaara getting chosen. You know, just to really lay on the angst and guilt.

So the premise is that these Apophis underlings are choosing hosts for their children who are symbiotes ready for implantation, which doesn't really fit with what we learn about Goa'uld queens/reproduction later. We also learn later that Skaara is taken as a host for Apophis's son Klorel which doesn't sqaure with these two choosing him.

Headcanon time! This is actually Zipacna who we meet later arguing for Klorel at Triad - different actor, of course, but he wears a similarly silly hat. So Amaunet now has access to all of Sha're's memories of Skaara and she and Apophis decide that he will make a good host - maybe she also likes the idea of a family resemblance between herself and Klorel (I think we can assume he is also Amaunet's son?). But Apophis doesn't want anyone to know he's choosing a host for his offspring, so sends Zipacna out to do it for him.

This makes sense of Klorel later claiming that Apophis chose his host, and also gives backstory to Zipacna showing up in Pretense. And in the scene, the Goa'uld make a very quick decision to take Skaara, while the rest get very grossly examined people before choosing.

Shoulder pat no. 5!

"I have nowhere to go." Teal'c turning on his brother Jaffa to save a roomful of people, not expecting to survive himself, really hits.

"For this, you can stay at my place." hee!

Jack not wanting to hear it when Teal'c tells him Skaara is no longer himself is a turnabout of the earlier scene with Daniel. Not so flip now it's your Emotional Support Abydonian, are you Jack?

Kawalsky getting Goa'ulded doesn't seem to hurt as much as Sha're's - because the symbiote isn't mature, or because Amaunet is particularly sadistic?

Soon to be SG-1 posing for their album cover.

It was the late 90's when tvs were tiny, so everyone had to stand uncomfortably close.

And we end with shoulder pat no. 6!

[kerrikins]

Hope Springs Eternal

Or: why I still hope for and see potential in PheeJin in Dead Friend Forever.

First of all, let's get the basics out of the way.

Yes, I'm aware that Jin has absolutely made some monumental, killer mistakes. Yes, he has done some really bad things that he shouldn't have done, things that lead to Non getting hurt.

In spite of that, I still think that PheeJin has potential as a relationship within the context of the show, in large part because I don't think that this is a show engaging in black and white tropes. It just depends on which path that the writers intend to go down, but I want to lay out why I, personally, am still hedging my bets.

A lot of it boils down to two points for me. One: Jin is actually seen defending Non over and over again in the past. Two: Phee also hurt Non as well, and a lot of fans overlook this or handwave it.

I know that @raelle-writing has already posted about this, so feel free to go over there and check out some of her posts. But the show has been very careful about laying out the fact that of the friend group, Jin is the one who shows true care and concern for Non. He's the one who says that the group should consider his initial idea, he gets the group to include Non as they go along, he defends him more than once (to his own detriment) when Non isn't even there.

I know that a lot of viewers are frustrated with him, but to me it seems clear in the show that he is the least culpable of the group in terms of the overall scenario (with the exception of the video). I'd even argue (though I'm sure some will be aghast at me saying this) that Jin is ultimately a good kid trying his best, particularly in comparison to the others.

Like, let's run down the group:

Top: He is the reason why Non is in this mess in the first place because he broke the camera. We've seen Tee confide in him multiple times throughout all of this, so he's in deep. He's also the one who helps Tee take Non to his uncle, which means he's directly culpable in Non's disappearance.

Tee - obvious, he's the one who's working with his uncle and got Non involved in the money laundering.

Por - is also responsible for Non being involved in the money laundering due to threatening him. Also stole his script and has been the ringleader of the mental and physical bullying going on.

And Fluke?

Fluke, to me, is actually the character who is everything people accuse Jin of being: the bystander who does nothing and lets it happen. He knows everything! He knows that Top broke the camera. He knows about the video that Jin took. Perhaps if he had been willing to stand by Jin's side, the two of them could have come forward - but he doesn't.

And I want to note something here, because I keep seeing people bang on about it: of all of them, I think Jin is the one who's the least 'guilty' for lying to the police. Why? Because he just saw his friends drug Non, who then disappeared!! It's four against one and we're also dealing with a corrupt police force but people expect Jin - who is a teenager - to go up against all of that? C'mon. And in the hierarchy of the friend group I'd argue that the others would stand a higher chance of being listened to, so yeah - I'm not going to hold Jin to a higher standard.

Now, coming back to Jin: of course him filming the video is indefensible. So what about Phee?

I know that most people regard him as the hero and I want to make it clear that I LOVE Phee. I have Phee defender in my bio on twitter, lol.

But I don't really think that Phee is necessarily supposed to be the knight in shining armour that people think him to be. I ask you: is telling your partner to go off and die 'defensible'?

What about the fact that he reacted to the revelation that Non was being preyed upon by his teacher by calling it cheating and telling Non he hadn't changed, etc?

I want to be clear here: I don't blame EITHER boy for these things. I think that they are understandable if you truly put yourself in their shoes and try to imagine looking at the world through their eyes.

But isn't it interesting how there are some parallels there? Parallels that I actually think a lot of fans ignore or are blind to, mostly because they empathize more with Phee than they do with Jin.

The truth is, however, that Phee behaved horribly to Non as well. I absolutely 100% understand his behaviour, but I also know without a doubt that he hurt Non in the process, broke his heart, and also misinterpreted and shamed Non for what happened to Mr. Keng.

So with that in mind, we're left with the below:

Both Phee and Jin tried and failed to help Non. Both contributed to his spiral. Both of them are visibly broken at the end of episode 8, shattered by their role in what happened to him. Both of them are obviously weighed down by guilt and anger.

And that's where I see the potential. Because sure, it absolutely could be pure stock revenge, that's not surprising for horror. Maybe Phee is the lover riddled by guilt that is out for revenge to make up for his failings.

But what if the show instead decides to explore the fact that if they both feel like they are guilty and culpable in what happened to Non, that could be something that connects them together? Because the possibilities there are so rich, to me. Both of them have been through a hellish, traumatic situation and have seen Non - who they both care about, albeit at different levels - disappear. Both of them feel responsibility and guilt towards it.

So how is this possible?

Two options, in my mind.

Option one is that at some point over the last three years, Phee and Jin connected and Jin confided in him about what happened. I'm hesitant over this one and think it's probably unlikely and would have to go back and rewatch 1-4 again, I think, to see whether or not I think this is possible. I'd love it if this were the case as it gives the background more richness, but unfortunately I feel like with what we've seen in the present, it's not possible, because a lot of Phee's reactions etc seem to indicate that he doesn't know what happened to Non, and if Jin confided in him then he should. However there's a small possibility that his reactions are due to getting confirmation, etc, so there's that to keep in mind.

Option two is that at some point while Phee and Jin are isolated from the others, Jin confesses to Phee.

Side note: I haven't been able to track down where I saw it, again, but I could swear that I saw that Copper said at some point in an interview that Jin filmed the video because he felt like Non was betraying his boyfriend. This caught my eye because I thought oh? Isn't that interesting with the way it ties in with the fact that Phee felt betrayed? But I'd want to validate this again as I'd really like to reread that tweet and now I can't find it, so take that with a giant grain of salt.

At any rate, how will Phee react if Jin confesses everything to him? I mean the situation certainly seems ripe for him to do so at some point. I also see potential here because if this has been going on for three years, then I get the idea that more than anything, Phee just wants to know what happened. There are signs that Phee genuinely cares about Jin - why did he put the blanket on him in episode two, when nobody else was watching and Jin was asleep? Our cold-hearted murderer had a pang about Jin being cold? There was also the conversation that he had with Tan in episode one, that seems to indicate that Phee has confided about wanting to make things with Jin work.

And if he's come to care for Jin then wouldn't Jin opening up to him mean something to him? Especially since at this point Jin has no reason to suspect Phee, so if he confesses then it'll be the truth and from the heart.

So yeah, I still see a ton of potential for these two if they are developed right. Now, will the show go that route? I have no idea. I'm 50/50 on whether we're going to get a rather bog-standard horror ending or something more compelling and nuanced. I know that lots of fans are rooting for the first, and of course sometimes that's the 'fun' of horror, rooting for certain characters to die. Oddly enough, though, I don't get the vibe that this is what this show is about. The characters are too well developed and fleshed out for that in my eyes. I know many might disagree but I don't see the usual hero/villain/victim dichotomy here. Even Non is guilty of lying to Phee and even gaslighting him a little when Phee thought that something was going on with Keng. These are very much 'real people' being depicted on screen and that means that they're fallible. This is fantastic, but it also unfortunately means that I'm going to be a little disappointed if the culmination of all of this is 'yeah Phee was just out for revenge this whole time and is cold enough to fuck his target and try to make him fall in love before killing him/turning him in'.

Oh, one last note - that's another point where I'm struggling with the revenge story arc, because what does that say about Phee's arc as a person? Is that really what people want for him as a person, for him to go from what we see in the flashbacks to brutal enough to do the above? Because that's on Vegas' level and I'm not sure I buy that, for Phee.

So that's where I'm sitting on this whole thing.

Now I want to be clear, here - I'm a horror fan so IF the show decides to go down the standard horror route of 'loved one of victim comes back for revenge' then I'll totally understand it. It's a horror trope for a reason. It's just that after episode 4 we've kind of strayed really far from stock horror and it'll be disappointing to me if we end up going back in that direction.

Time will tell, and in the meantime I'll do my best to hand on for the ride :)

[angelthefirst1]

The time of Jacob's (Daryl's/Israel's) trouble and Daniel's 70th week (Revelation) Part 1

Part 2 here.

So there are rumors going around that Daryl Dixon season 3 will begin filming in Spain 🇪🇸 this June.

Norman told a fan in NY just this past week, and while it's not officially confirmed, I've seen multiple accounts stating it's a reliable source, and it's all but confirmed.

I'm inclined to agree with them because there has been symbolism in the show that points to Spain 🇪🇸

Keep in mind that in the TWD universe, physical locations shift to symbolically represent a totally different location depending on the story they are telling. The main story is the biblical last days, so locations shift symbolically to tell this story.

With this in mind, I'm going to unlock some of the different locations and what they represent in the biblical narrative in this series, which will be over several parts. The title will eventually make sense to you.

We all saw Rick leave the show on a bridge, so what if Daryl finds Beth on a bridge? Very fitting right...

Well, the episode that gave us some Spanish clues was the episode where Tara (Daryl) fell off a bridge and washed up at Oceanside. 706

We all saw how Tara and Denise XX were repeats of Daryl and Beth.

Tara's story backwards is Bethyl's story.

Tara leaves the satellite station (a representation of France and its radio Eiffel tower)

Ultimately, the nest in France represents Israel because it's named after the Archangel Michael who is the protector of Israel, I've written about that here, and I'll confirm this more as we go.

So she starts in France (satellite), and then washes up in a representation of Spain 🇪🇸 (Oceanside)

After Oceanside she makes her way home to Alexandria to find out Denise is dead from an arrow to the head.

At Oceanside, she learns that the bridge she lost Heath on is the bridge on Windsor...

Daryl left home and floated past the Windsor bridge in Spain that is along the Gibraltar straight before washing up in Marseilles France.

In the backgrounds, here at Oceanside draped over the flag shaped blackboard are streamers of yellow, red, and a touch of blue and pink, making up the Spanish flag colours.

When she leaves Oceanside, she comes across a boat turned on its side, and she finds a first aid kit in it. Similar to Daryl's journey when he washed up in France. There is a lot of repeating imagery in this episode and DD1

Tara desperately wants to get home to Denise, who she thinks is alive (but isn't), opposite Daryl, who wants to get home, but he thinks Beth is dead.

Tara, on her way back (home) to Alexandria, goes to a store that has a sign saying sunglasses (a hint to the eclipse of episode 508) and the word Curios

The word Curios and its etymology gives us a plan of Daryl's journey, where he will go, and what he will find in the end.

The word means...

Something (such as a decorative object) considered novel, rare, or bizarre

It stems from the word Curious - from French curios, from Latin curiosus - meaning careful, inquisitive, from cura/cure.

The language origins stem from French, Latin/ Spanish, and Romanian (Roman empire).

The Spanish word is Curio, is something Norman recently posted about...

The term means a few different things, but they all work together to tell us how Daryl will find Beth.

It can mean bizarre or unusual trinket or art kept in a museum (Louvre) or to be curious for knowledge, (which is what TD's are) but it also can mean cure, and a thirst for knowledge will help lead people to a cure.

Inside this bizarre trinket shop, Tara gets herself orange sunglasses (eclipse symbolism, as everyone puts on special glasses to view an eclipse).

The red and yellow of the Spanish flag, make orange.

In this Spanish Curio shop, She also finds twin doctor bobble-heads, a representation of Denise (Beth/Cure) in "Spain" 🇪🇸

Norman also posted about Mr. Hyde recently, specifically Mr Hyde's bizarre. Remember that the term curios means bizarre trinket.

I recently wrote about the Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde statue found in the eclipse episode of 509 here.

These two doctor statues that Tara finds are a representation of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (light and dark, lies and truth, cure and fake cure)

In the background behind the doctor's statues, you will see squirt guns. They are a representation of vaccines that will ultimately be the cause that starts the outbreak in the first place, and it will be linked to the mark of the beast - antichrist who rises from a revived Roman empire. Cura

The beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning.

We also see in this same shot flower symbolism 💐 look at the flowers - death.

Patient Zero in TWD universe was a drug (pharmakeia) user who dies and comes back as the Immortally undead.

Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, good vs. evil.

The bible in the book of Revelation (which we know they are using as a template) describes the whole world being deceived by "sorceries" of "the great/powerful men on the earth", which in the Greek the word is pharmakeia, from which we get our word pharmacy.

Revelation 19.20

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet (Pope in Meridian is linked to the false prophet) who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

The mark automatically will lead to being separated into a "goat" at the sheep and goat judgements. I talked about that in my Millennium post.

The sheep represent those who have accepted the real human cure (Blood of Christ), and the goats represent those who have rejected the human cure and have taken the mark.

Taking the mark leads to burning up (fever of the virus) 🔥 eternally (immortal dead) in the lake of fire because it will be linked to changing human DNA to non-human DNA. The real cure (the blood of Christ/Beth) can only be applied to humans.

We saw the fake cure mentioned with Eugene in season 5 when he talks about the human genome project, which is a hint at genetic modification of the DNA, which will be linked to this mark causing zombies.

The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.

Patient zero had a DNA change through a pharmakeia "squirt gun" poison "cure".

Leading to "burning up" and then eternal death in the lake of fire.

Fire with fire.

The thing is, everyone is infected, in this world and everyone becomes Immortally dead no matter if they get bit or just die of natural causes. So a real cure is needed and i believe it will come through Beth and Daryl's blood.

Taking the mark of the beast (fake cure will be the beginning of it all, the start of the outbreak, beginning to end) and will lead to disqualification of taking the real cure (Christ) who comes through the line of Abraham who was from BE'ERSHEBA or Be'er Sheva.

Fear the Walking Dead used beer 🍺 as a first hint at a cure because this region was where Abraham was from. There are so many biblical names in this show and they unlock the real meaning behind the story.

Beersheba was known as the location of Abraham's Well, a historical water well in Beersheba, Israel.

Abraham made 7 water wells in Beersheba, and this water and Beer symbolism is used in fear TWD to show us the location of the story but also the cure coming through the line of Abraham.

We see Sarah (Abraham's wife) as a big supporter of Be'er sheva in fear the walking dead. And yes Abraham in the show is another biblical clue i won't go into now, but he does mention Alpha and Omega beginning and end.

Beersheba marked the southernmost boundary of land in Israel. The proverbial phrase from Dan to Beersheba is used to describe the whole of the Promised Land—Dan being in the north, and Beersheba in the south.

Abraham was promised this land by God from Dan to Beersheba and that through his line, the cure would come. The well name also means agreement or oath.

In fear, TWD, it's Martha who poisoned the water.

In the Bible, Martha is the sister of Lazarus who dies of a progressive illness such as sepsis but Christ resurrected him. Lazarus is from Bethany which means house of affliction, everyone who drank the poisoned water in Fear was in Bethany (house of affliction), but the line of Beersheba heals them.

Jesus and Martha share this exchange...

“If you had been here (the arrival of Christ through the line of Abraham's well at Beersheba), my brother would not have died (Antifreeze). But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:21–22). Notice Martha’s faith: she firmly believed that Jesus (beersheba line) could have healed Lazarus of his illness. And her faith is not diminished by the fact that Jesus had arrived “too late.” (generations after Abraham and Sarah)

Jesus encourages Martha with one of His “I AM” statements: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die

So curio and the bizarre trinket cure are pointing us to the biblical promised land and the line of Abraham from Beersheba.

We see Tara sit next to a sign inside the curio shop that says country hams. Abraham's country.

To reinforce this link to Abraham's land, we can look at Daniel in fear TWD.

Dan or Daniel (Daniel's 70th week), in fear, the walking dead, was taken by a man named Ephraim, one of the other tribes of Israel. He survives the fire through the tribes of Israel (Christ/Cure)

From Dan to Beersheba AbraHAM's country.

Daniel, in fear, the walking dead, has an orange cat with red and blue collar - red and blue make the royal purple. The cat is symbolic for the lion of the tribe of Judah.

The lion is the symbol of the house of Judah, and Jesus is a descendant of the House of Judah. Daniel and the royal cat are symbols of Beth and Daryl. We know Beth was recently seen advertised with the purple on resurrection Sunday

The Lion is something Norman posted about recently while in Hungary on his way to a wedding (eclipse) that Nova 🌟 was in.

In that post about the Lion, i asked the question if Norman was Hungry for his Beth?

I would say yes because at Meridian Daryl was seen with Leah (Beth) in his cage with red and blue shoe laces, like the cat/Lion.

Pope is a reference to the false prophet and anarchist rising during Daniel's 70th week which is just another way of saying the book of Revelation. They rise from Europe (revived Roman empire) Which is why i believe they took the show to Europe.

Back at Oceanside, we see Tara has a visible tattoo on her wrist when she washed up.

The visible ROMAN numerals on her wrist add up to 70. This is pointing to Daniel's 70th week.

Daniel (Who was the one that was put into the lions den, but they don't eat him) has a dream about the future of Abraham's line, and part of his dream was about a 7 year period of time known as the 70th week of Daniel. It's about what happens to Israel throughout the book of Revelation or end times.

Before we see Tara's 70th week (Revelation) tattoo, we see Cindy looking at a clock and watching the time counting down to the start of this time period.

The clock points to V111 and 1111, but the long hand is really on XX11 or 8.22. XX11 is 10.2 or 22.

We saw Carol get the numbers 22 Balaam's donkey symbolism for DD2. D=4 x2=8 (8.22)

Well, it literally links back to the promise God made to Abraham at Beersheba and to his descendants, which is, that the cure would come through his blood line (Christ) and God made a promise to Abraham's descendants saying "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" which is what the story of Balaam's donkey is all about.

So once again, The Book of Carol is the book of Revelation and Daniel's 70th week, and it's about the return of Christ (Beth)

I want to again mention the blood moon I wrote about here, which is associated with the Wolf of Rimini and the Antichrist rising in a revived Roman empire because another blood moon is scheduled in Spain 🇪🇸 on 03 14 25 next year.

Emily has written about watching the moon turn bright blood red from her tree house bed in the song Mortal. Again this is a reference to the Antichrist who receives a mortal head wound but survives.

Rev 13.3

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.

At Oceanside (Spain) Tara eats fish called "Perch" which is another term for a birds Nest. Tree house bed.

We get visuals of these perches or "tree house" nests at Oceanside.

When the group at Oceanside become aware of Tara intruding, they use a clicking sound to indicate a threat is near.

The clicking sound they make is the sound Grasshoppers make, when clicking their legs together. You will have to go re-watch it to hear the sound.

We know the grasshopper is linked to Beth and a museum from TOWL when Thorn says to Rick the girl they saved lived in a museum and hid in a GIANT grasshopper sculpture.

Well the "Giant" and "Grasshopper" symbolism is another link to the story of Moses, when he is leading his people into the promised land-Israel.

The verse they are pulling from in the story Thorne tells is Numbers 13.33

When Moses leads his people to the outskirts of the promised land, they send scouts ahead, to go into the land before entering it. This verse is what the scouts report back.

There we saw the giants and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

They saw giants in the land and they seemed liked grasshoppers because they were so small in comparison.

Curio, bizarre, unusual, museum, giant, grasshopper all linked to Beth Spain (Oceanside) which Daryl gets to through France.

I will continue this series when i can, in future parts as there is so much to cover including how Daryl is Jacob (Israel) and what the moonshine, ethanol symbolism means.

If you have any questions just ask.

[not-5-rats]

What do you guys think the YV boys would do if they were all put into like a Belko Experiment situation?

Cw: idk how to list this kind of stuff but, death, violence, psychological horror/torture, really shitty writing

(Quick explanation, the Belko Experiment is a film in which an entire company is locked in their building and told that they need to kill 30 coworkers or 60 of the will die then they're told if they break any rules little bombs in their heads will go off and they will die. By the end all but one are dead. Practically a kill or be killed situation) (this is going to be very angsty, I mean it's a definite death situation for almost everyone)

((I'm using a count of 13, Auron, Seth, Alphonse, Faust, Finn, Charlie and all their listeners along with Angel, I feel as he's a demon and probably has an upper hand it wouldn't be entirely fair for Lucien to be here but count him if you want. And I know nothing about Jack- like at all))

All the boys and listeners are trapped and told 6 of them have to die within the next two hours or else a random 10 will be killed. I wonder which characters would use their time to hide, who would find weapons, who would be the first to kill?

How quickly would people turn their backs on those they're meant to trust?

I think Al, Seth and Boo would stick together. Potentially drag Charlie and Casper along with them because Cas is a tough person and could be helpful and Charlie is willing to do alot to stay with a group.

Auron would try take charge of the situation, organise the chaos of the building. This would work for people such as Finn, Sunflower, Rook and Angel I think they would appreciate some order in this situation. Whereas people like Star, Faust and Al would probably not want that kind of organisation.

The first people to panic would probably be Faust, Angel, Charlie or Finn. For many reasons. I mean Angel hasn't been apart from Lucien in so long and now they could die and him have no idea. Faust doesn't seem like he'd do great in this kind of thing, or he'd be amazing I honestly can't tell. Finn and Charlie are anxious kings, which isn't very helpful here. Finn would probably isolate himself, well not entirely I feel Sunflower would refuse to leave him so they would hide out together. And Charlie would stay so close to Cas, almost physically clinging to their arm

Auron and Cas would probably be the last people to succumb to panic, I doubt Auron would for such a long time. Cas would try and keep their confidence up, partially because they are naturally a less panicky person and also partially because they want to be brave for themself and Charlie. Charlie is like a pet, he knows what Cas is feeling and his feelings are directly impacted by that and Cas knows this so tries their best to stay brave.

Sadly I think Casper and maybe Charlie would be first to die, the panic would slowly set in and an argument potentially break out between those two and the Bittersweet Trio. Cas seems they would be rather fast to violence in this kind of situation but the Trio would overpower them. Charlie isn't great at fighting, we know this and Cas could only do so much. It was an accident, they didn't mean for Cas to die. They would all regret it as soon as it happened but they knew they couldn't go back now. Idk if they would actually kill Charlie but even if they didn't I don't believe he would do very well without them.

That is alot for a tumblr post so I'm gonna write an entire fic about this if anybody is interested 👍

[coldgoldlazarus]

After rewatching Into the Spiderverse last week, and my third viewing of Across the Spiderverse this weekend, a bit of a crack theory has been percolating in my head. Some spoilers here, so putting this under a readmore:

I think Doc Ock has a chance of returning in Beyond The Spiderverse. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.

Point A: Lack Of Resolution

This is pretty obvious so I won't belabor it; despite her role as a pretty significant villain in ItSV, along with Kingpin and Prowler, the mind behind the supercollider and given a pretty fantastic reveal, she also winds up getting hit by a truck during the climax and not being heard from again. The Prowler died, Kingpin got defeated and webbed up for the police, even Tombstone was seen getting arrested and shoved in a cop car, and the other henchmen like Scorpion also got pretty conclusive defeats at the hands of the 2D spideys during the fight itself.

But with Liv, there's no real confirmation of what happened afterwards; whether she got arrested, or ran off, or the impact was fatal and her body recovered, or what; no clue. (And if she did end up shoved through the Collider and landed in another dimension, she'd be subject to the same glitching, cell decay, and eventual death as the others, without the Spider-society tech to stabilize herself.) And like, that doesn't necessarily mean anything on its own, but at the very least the principle of "didn't see the body" is in play.

(Interestingly, I remember hearing somewhere that there was a deleted scene of her intentionally jumping into the collider portal while saying the "power of the [X] in the palm of my hands!" line that later went to Spot. Though idk where I heard it, so am unsure if this is actually legit. And even if it is, it was still a scene they chose to remove from the final film, so while it could mean that intent is still there, they also could have changed their minds on the idea entirely.)

On its own, I'd be willing to accept that that's probably the last we've seen of her... but as of AtSV, it actually isn't.

Point B: Aaron Haunts The Narrative

This part has no direct connection to her, but bear with me here. If you've seen it, (I hope you have) you know that AtSV ends with the reveal that Miles wasn't sent to his home timeline/universe, but a darker parallel version where his dad is dead but Uncle Aaron is not, and is working with the parallel version of Miles as the Prowler. He does say "I'm not" when our Miles refers to him that way, but the impression I got is that he's halfway-retired from the role but still acting as support for Miles G; the "guy in the chair" if you will.

I digress. Point is, it ends with a return for both Uncle Aaron and the Prowler identity, but this didn't come out of nowhere; all throughout the movie leading up to this, Aaron and/or the Prowler are brought up or indirectly hinted at on an honestly pretty frequent basis. Gwen's drumming recap at the beginning, the memorial grafitti on the rooftop, the Donald Glover cameo, the flash of him on the side of the building during Miles' breakdown sequence as he's rushing to get home, plus a few smaller mentions here and there. ("He takes after his uncle!" during the meeting with the guidance councilor, and a visual comparison with Uncle Ben during the "canon events" presentation, and I feel like there may be a couple others yet that I'm forgetting as well.)

The movie goes out of its way to remind you of him and his importance to Miles at every turn, and part of that is just inherently because he is so important to Miles. But it also feels like, from a writer-to-audience perspective, part of the purpose is also as a reminder; if anyone either saw ItSV but forgot most of it in the intervening time, or simply missed it altogether and for some reason decided to see AtSV first anyway, this makes sure they know exactly who and what he is, so the reveal at the end carries the full emotional weight it needs to. No matter what, you will have the proper context to appreciate Miles' reaction when Aaron steps through that door.

(Also, I just wanna say that I love that reaction in of itself; the hyperventilating panic at first, only to rush in for a tight hug. The mix of terror and comfort that comes with full awareness of both sides of him, and all the associated memories both good and bad, combined with this unexpected chance to see him (or at least a version of him) again. It's just a really great moment on that front.)

But anyway, I'm getting off track again, too many Prowler feels. ^^; What does this have to do with Doc Ock?

Point C: Aaron Isn't Alone In Haunting

This is admittedly both the key part of my theory and also the weakest one overall, so I will readily admit upfront that I may be reading too much into things, and Liv really did bow out for good in ItSV. That being said, here's my thought:

Even if a much lesser extent than Aaron, I couldn't help but notice a similar-seeming trend of brief reminders of her. On one hand, most of these can be fairly easily dismissed as simply maintaining continuity and connection with the first movie, as the bulk of them were in relation to The Spot's backstory as Jonathan Ohm; she was there for the flashback to the misplaced 42 Spider, and then seen again in a framed photo of him, when Gwen was inspecting the remains of his makeshift apartment lab. So while it's a neat inclusion, it doesn't necessarily mean anything more, right? Kingpin got mentioned too, during the Guggenheim fight with Vulture, but I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be making a comeback.

But there is one other instance that feels a bit more significant and out of place, and is what led to this theory in the first place. I mentioned this scene already in relation to the Uncle Aaron foreshadowing/reminders, but going back to it now, there is what I've dubbed the Falling Apart sequence. (From the score that plays during it.) Right after Gwen's talk with her father resolves, we cut back to Miles, swinging through the city in a desperate rush to get back home to his parents in time. (Unaware yet that this isn't his city, his home, his parents, because this isn't his universe.)

Tangential Gushing Over That Scene

It's sort of a dark parallel to the Leap Of Faith/What's Up Danger scene from ItSV, with previous bits of dialogue and past moments echoing in his mind again. There, it was all the inspiration pushing him to finally take the leap and truly become Spiderman; whereas here it's reminders of all the stress and uncertainty he's under as he races against time and possibly destiny itself, not to mention being plagued by doubts after Miguel revealed he possibly shouldn't have become Spiderman to begin with.

But what I especially love is the animation of this sequence, which on first watch I thought was stuff actually happening, but reads more on subsequent viewings like hallucinations during what's basically a panic attack. It's both gorgeous and stressful, with trains derailing and rerailing to chase Miles; the space between the skyscrapers growing narrower and more claustrophobic; and stuff like the 42 Spider, the Spot's arms, and Doc Ock's tentacles also appear briefly to hem him in even further until the end. He finally breaks free at the end, with Aaron's dying words to "just keep going" pushing him to make it the rest of the way 'home' unimpeded, a tiny bit of much-needed catharsis amidst all the overwhelming... everything else.

I really love this scene, in case it wasn't obvious.

Point C, Continued: Why Tentacle Happen?

But to get back on track, nearly everything about this sequence is mainly focused on ideas introduced in Across; the Spot, Miguel, Jefferson's predicted demise. The Spider is from the first movie, but still given extra context now; the first big exception is the reuse of Spider-Ham's line about how "the hardest part of this job is that you can't always save everyone" while images of him, Noir, and Peni appear on the glass building Miles is swinging past. Even that is still relevant to the current crisis, and their appearance there is further justified when they too properly show up again in Gwen's 'band' at the very end.

But then there's this:

The dialogue at this point is a line from Rio; while the appearance of the tentacles definitely further intensifies the claustrophobic crush of the city, it also feels like much more of a non-sequitor than even the 2D Spideys just a few shots earlier. Liv has had nothing to do with anything going on, (or at most, very indirect involvement like the displacing of the 42 Spider) has no dialogue called back to here; and heck, even in ItSV felt more like a rival to Peter B specifically instead of being especially relevant to Miles, compared to Prowler and Kingpin. So why call back to her here? It could indeed just be that the tentacles are good for adding to that entrapped feeling, but given how well-constructed the rest of the sequence was, and how deliberate animation as a process is in general, this would seem oddly careless to include so casually.

Conclusion

On the whole, I'll still readily admit that this is a pretty flimsy bit of 'evidence' (more just symbolism, really) to base a whole theory off of. Yet still, between that part of the Falling Apart sequence, the parallels to how Aaron and Miles G were foreshadowed, Liv's abrupt disappearance and lack of closure in the first film, and the knowledge that this is the first half of a split script, with all sorts of other setup in Across still awaiting payoff in Beyond, I do kinda at least feel like there may be something here.

(At the same time, the docket is already packed with a shitton of stuff that Beyond needs to be able to address and resolve, plus apparently some additional new stuff mentioned in interviews like another Gwen, Toei Spiderman, and Hobie's universe. So with all that going on, I'm not entirely sure they'd have the room for yet another returning character in amidst literally everything else.)

So while I'm not strictly counting on this to come to pass, at least for now, the basic idea is that Doc Ock got hit by that truck, fell through the collider portal and into another universe, (probably Earth 42, possibly elsewhere we may have yet to visit) and somehow found a way to stabilize her glitching to survive during the intervening time, set to make a dramatic return appearance during Beyond.

As to what role she may play, I'm not sure. I could see her making some sort of temporary truce with one of the main Spider-people for a common goal, without giving up on her evil mad science in the long run. Possibly with Miguel's group against the Spot, in exchange for freedom to keep experimenting with the Multiverse instead of getting sent back home, though I also don't think he would be willing to make that bargain unless things are truly desparate and he's fully lost the support of the rest of the Spider Society. So it could also be with Gwen or Miles, against both the Spot and Miguel; the former's more unpredictable tampering and newly eldritch nature getting in the way of her research, while the latter would of course want to put an end to her experiements and send her back home in his efforts to restore order, giving her reason to ally against.

On the other hand, her remaining entirely villainous and antagonistic would also make a lot of sense, if not moreso. If she landed in Earth 42, she could wind up as the big obstacle of the detour instead of Miles G, allowing the latter a more nuanced and dynamic role. Alternately, I could possibly see her further experimentation being connected in some way to the destruction of the universe Miguel replaced himself in, unknowingly sending him on his canon-hardliner spiral, which would certainly give her a lot more relevance to the current conflict.

But ultimately, all of that depends on whether she really would show up again, which as neat as it would be, definitely does feel like a bit of a long shot at the moment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[waitingonavision]

Consider this- I headcanon that after the events of Encanto, Pedro NEVER forgave Alma for her actions.

He believed that she had gone “Too far”, and for that he would never forgive her.

“You destroyed this family, you took the miracle for granted, and neglected our son!”

“B-But Pedro…!”

“You caused this whole mess, and you know it. I am sorry, but I refuse to accept your apology. You’ve gone too far.”

🤔 ...I'm of several minds about this...

On the one hand, Pedro is canonically dead. And I'm no believer in an afterlife, a heaven or hell, so respectfully I don't think Pedro has any opinions on the matter...

At the same time, I can totally understand wanting to see someone within the family express their anger and hurt (I mean, my Gd, I admire fifteen-year-old Mirabel for doing that in the movie). I tend to feel deeply ambivalent about Alma as a character. I don't want to villainize her. As a trauma survivor myself, I really feel for her; it's hard not to. And as a person whose parents were abusive/neglectful and who also knows they had issues of their own (going back at least one generation), I can sympathize with Alma, who wasn't ever even able to process her trauma, while not excusing her behavior or overlooking the impact(s) of her (grand)parenting. And and, I can also understand the possible catharsis of flat-out not forgiving Alma/having a character in-universe flat-out not forgive her, if that's what such headcanons provide.

But then, say Pedro survived, or if he could speak beyond death... well, hmm. I've been trying to get through Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal's The Sunflower, a heavy and thought-provoking read which discusses forgiveness and the limits thereof. Now, I am not comparing Alma's and Wiesenthal's experiences. But when it comes to the topic of forgiveness, I'd argue along similar lines as many of the contributors to The Sunflower: that Pedro isn't the wronged party here, so he's not even in the position to forgive or not forgive. Whatever he'd say/not say can't absolve Alma, either. Maybe Pedro would be able to forgive Alma for the "taking the miracle for granted" part. But the other things? Alma needs to make amends directly with the members of the family she hurt, something we see begin to happen in the film. (And really, the family as a whole has a lot of work to do...)

All that to say that forgiveness is complex; it's not automatic, can't always be given when asked for, and survivors aren't obligated to forgive, etc.

Oh, if y'all haven't read "A Place for Crows (to rest their feet)" by @acewithapaintbrush, I recommend it! It's a fantastic post-canon AU fic that explores all the bitter and sweet emotions/events surrounding the premise of "what if Pedro actually lived and years later finds his way to the Encanto and his family...?"

[alakeeffectgirl]

cruisequarries PART TWO

PART ONE What did we get up to yesterday? 2018? Okay. I will put everything behind a spoiler cut again (there are more pictures/a video today).

Actually, let's rewind just a little, for some Fallout premiere pictures just because.

Paris, July 12th:

London, July 13th:

Seoul, July 16th (according to the designer's website, the hanbok Heather is wearing was designed as a wedding dress, mmhmm)...

I love this picture because they're making those faces at Chris. Here's the bit of Tom making Heather cry in Tokyo:

I highly recommend listening to Tom & Chris commentary track on Fallout, which starts with McQ introducing himself as the writer/director and then Tom introducing himself - as McQ's friend. After the Fallout press tour wraps up, work starts in earnest on Top Gun: Maverick, which Tom and McQ have been discussing - idly, on McQ's part - for years now. "Our relationship is one long conversation about movies," indeed.

While TGM is filming, pre-production is also happening on MI:DR, which McQ has signed on to direct. (These two are usually juggling at least two projects at a time, and really it's probably more like five projects at a time.)

In January of 2019, they're all back in LA so Tom and McQ can pick up some awards.

The McQuarries also go to a premiere and look fantastic (I love McQ's suit):

Tom and McQ go to Ukraine to scout Dead Reckoning locations later in 2019, meet President Zelenskyy, and McQ gets to put his arm around Tom for once instead of their usual other way around.

OH NO I ALMOST FORGOT - at the end of 2019, Tom took the whole McQ clan with him to Las Vegas to see Lady Gaga and ask her to write the TGM song. [cries in 'that's his family']

Production ramps up on DR - and then unfortunately, as we all know, COVID. Most of the cast and crew were in Venice when everything shut down, but Tom hadn't arrived yet.

Production resumes in Rome in October (their production struggles/trying to keep everyone employed/Tom rightfully yelling at people to follow protocols because a lot of jobs depend on them is all well documented), and then moves to Venice. Heather and the dogs are also part of this traveling band.

This isn't six feet apart, dudes...

Production breaks for the holidays, and resumes in Abi Dhabi for the airport/desert sequences, and also one of my favorite pictures of Tom and Heather, just for her expression.

Train sequence filming in Yorkshire in April of 2021, that's Heather in the blue coat:

DR production then breaks for a bit over the summer so Tom can take all his friends to Wimbledon, go to several car things, and make McQ watch football (the soccer version).

DR filming resumes in the fall/winter. Heather goes with to South Africa and they rent out what is basically an adults-only hotel (and save it from having to close!), for part of their stay. I love this picture because Gypsy looks so long-suffering:

OKAY IT'S 2022 NOW, time for the Top Gun: Maverick premiere tour to start - finally! (Do any of these people SLEEP? No. I think it's well-documented that Tom Cruise does not sleep, which is part of what makes him Tom Cruise, but also this means he calls McQ at two in the morning to talk about movies. There's a podcast somewhere where McQ says he thinks Tom might sleep "between the 2:05 email and the 2:40 email", or something along those lines.) (After getting back from South Africa, there was a bunch of test screening stuff for TGM, which is why there are those parking garage pictures. Wouldn't the movie be done, you'd think, since it was supposed to be out in 2020? COVID gave them a reason to tinker with it even more.) The San Diego premiere on the USS MIdway (all the McQs were there, but there aren't any good pictures):

Then Tom went to Mexico, and McQ went home to London for a few days before Tom returned, and they went to the Royal Windsor horse show together.

THEN EVERYONE WENT TO CANNES. Sorry I have just a shitty screencap with a watermark here but alas tumblr only lets you put one video per post. Tom and McQ stopped to get their picture taken en route to the actual photocall and Tom made Heather come back and be in the pictures with them. There is video here.

Cannes, of course, was amazing. I have garbage homemade gifs but they're too big for tumblr (also they're garbage) but all the Cannes red carpet footage is available on YouTube, here and here. (Worth it for Heather, tbh.)

They went straight from Cannes - on Tom's helicopter - back to London for the Royal premiere. Where the McQuarries looked amazing and McQ wore his McQ shoes.

And the after party, because heaven forbid they not all ride in the same car:

And then the McQuarries got a slight break, while Tom went to do more TGM press. But he was back in London by the end of June, and they went on what can only be described as a string of dates. First, they went to the Rolling Stones concert at Hyde Park.

McQ was on Tom's other side, but he's only visible in video (the Daily Mail might be garbage but they do come through with the media).

Then Tom and Heather went to The Eagles show at Hyde Park:

And they all went to see Adele - also at Hyde Park. (The woman in the pink sweater is Tom's CAA agent Maha Dakhil Jackson - I found the picture where you can see Heather over Tom's shoulder.)

Then for Tom's birthday, they went to the F1 British Grand Prix (with some other TGM folks, but they aren't three steps behind Tom like the McQuarries are).

Oh no, we're not done. Tom takes Heather to Wimbledon, where she holds his sunglasses (not visible in this picture).

McQ did not go with, as he was recording a Light the Fuse podcast - which he surprise-dialled in a bunch of DR folks - and his final surprise was Tom. Who was still at Wimbledon with Heather. McQ calls Heather to get Tom, and Heather plays dumb and is like, "oh I don't know where he is, did you try calling him?" and Chris says he already told the podcast guys that they were together. So Tom does his segment from the car he's in with Heather, and his part is only supposed to be like ten minutes but he talks for about forty-five and this includes telling the world they basically all live together. Then they went out to dinner!

And the next day they all went to Wimbledon with Maha and her husband.

I'm stopping here because this is already SO LONG and 2023 is going to be wild just by itself! PART THREE

[sodaabaa]

stolen tires, chapter five

jason returns to gotham after the world believed him to be dead. heavily inspired by the film, under the red hood.

tw: mentions of death, angst, self loathing, grief, abuse

"Well that was close." Roy said, mock wiping sweat off his brow. 

I rolled my eyes and turned to Koriand'r. 

"So what were you saying before we got so rudely interrupted by Mr. Bruce Wayne?" I said. 

I was shaken over the fact that he had walked up to us. I hadn't seen Bruce in over five years and I honestly don't know how I feel. The moment he walked in I felt as though I would start yelling at him or crying. Either way I had emotions bottled up inside me with nowhere to go.

"Right, I was thinking of forming a team of our own. I left the titans a while ago and Roy isn't Oliver's sidekick anymore so I thought we could make a little trio of misfits and fight crime together. It doesn't even have to be based in Gotham. There's so many place we could go." She explained.

I had to admit, this was a good idea. The three of us could make a well oiled team. I saw the possibilities but for right now my focus was on Bruce. I would have to decide some other time. 

"Are you in Jason?" Roy asked.

The two looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I couldn't let them down but I also didn't want to make a decision I would regret later on so I said, "Give me a day or so to make up my mind, this is a serious commitment and last time I checked Roy, you're not so good with commitment." 

Roy chuckled and said, "You've got forty-eight hours to decide, otherwise... BANG! You're dead." 

I laughed along with him and Kori smiled at us and said, "Well I've got to go. I'm meeting up with Dick." 

After Kori left, Roy and I had a drink and then left the club. We said our goodbyes and I made my way to my car while Roy went to his. My car was parked out back behind the club in near a narrow alley. I walked to the parking in the back and heard a crash. I jogged in the direction the sound came from and saw my car's tires being removed by a boy who looked about thirteen with shaggy hair and torn clothes hanging off his body. He was on his knees, wrench in one hand and the other was holding onto the tire. He was stealing the tires of my car. I had to get these tires. They were in perfect condition and clearly looked expensive. I was rushing to unscrew the tires from the sleek, black car. It was a beautiful car and I almost felt bad for dismembering it but I needed the money these tires would provide me with. I might even be able to afford a new pair of shoes! Before I could finish taking off the second tire, I heard footsteps and someone clearing their throat. I froze. Shit. I had been caught. I turned around to see a tall, dark figure. It was him. It was the Batman. Out of all the tires I could steal, I somehow came across his car and his tires! Just my luck. 

"Care to explain what you think you're doing?" He said. His voice was just as intimidating as his height. 

"U-um. Sorry, Batman sir. My parents, my parents are dead and I need money and food." I stuttered. Was he going to kill me? Wait, he doesn't kill. I was at least safe from that fate.  "Come with me. I might be able to help with that." He said. So I followed. 

"Sorry mister. I needed the money and food those tires could give me. Can you spare some change mister?" I heard.

I looked down at the kid and felt a twinge of pain. He was just like me. I crouched down and pulled out my wallet. I took out three hundred dollar bills and some loose change. It was all I had with me. I didn't need it half as much as he did.

"Here you go kid, spend it wisely. I was just like you once. I did the same thing, stole tires for a living. Be strong and you'll make it through." I said, smiling I handed him the money and gave him a pat on the shoulders. He looked at me with a look of gratefulness and for a moment I thought he was going to cry. Instead, with the money clutched in his fist, he threw his arms around my torso and hugged me. I hesitated but gave into the hug, wrapping my own arms around his frail figure. He pulled away, smiled at me and turned around and ran off into the alley. I stood in the alley for a moment, wondering what had just happened. I shook my head and crouched down to restore the tires and make my way home.

When I arrived home, I plopped down on my couch. I sat there and took a breath for a second, rewinding everything that had happened so far and planning out everything I was going to do. I sighed and went to freshen up a bit before tracking the shipment that was supposed to arrive at the docks later.  "The shipment is a robot. Why would Kord Industries send a robot, and that an amazo robot to Gotham? It would be better off in Metropolis where there's actual superhumans. I mean isn't that the whole point of an amazo in the first place? Suck up all the abilities of a superhuman? Do you think there's metahumans here? Or maybe they're trying to take Batman's 'powers'." Roy said.  Since we found out what the shipment is we've been trying to figure out what it could possibly be doing in Gotham. We were keeping watch of the docks over a rooftop trying to hide from plainsight at the same time. Because of Roy Bruce knows where I'm going to be tonight so I'm trying to be a bit more stealthy. 

"Four armed hostiles at twelve." I said. 

There were four armed men. Two were sitting on the dock and the other two were keeping watch and walking in lines back and forth. 

"Shoot an exploding arrow towards the dock to get rid of them." I told Roy. 

He looked at me smiling through his mask and was already pulling back his bow with the exploding arrow. 

I counted down and he shot the arrow. The men were most likely dead but who were we to care, they were probably part of Black Mask's operations. This whole thing was probably funded by him. Roy and I were getting ready to jump of the rooftop when a batarang was thrown our direction. The batarang scraped my arm and left a small scratch. It landed in the wall right in between us. I looked back to see the Bat himself and his little sidekick Nightwing. 

"Look who decided to show up, the Bat and his trusty sidekick Robin." I spat.

"Sidekick?! I'll have you know that I am no longer anyone's sidekick bucket head." He retorted. 

I couldn't help but laugh at his remark. Dick really thought he wasn't a sidekick anymore just because he wore a new suit. 

"Who are you?" Bruce grunted 

"He speaks!" I said back. 

This whole time he had been quiet, no doubt he was trying to figure out who I am. 

"I asked you once, I'm not going to ask again." 

"Yeah I'm totally gonna tell you who I am right away. No, I want you to go crazy over this. There's no doubt you're already obsessing over trying to figure out who I am. I want you to be a clueless. And they call you the world's greatest detective. Yeah right." I scoffed.

He glared and made his way forward but by the time he took one step forward I took two back, Roy and I fell backwards off the roof, he shot a grappling arrow to the right and I shot my grappling hook towards the left. We split up to make it harder to track both of us. I ran as fast I could towards the closest building with Bruce right on my tail. I jumped up onto a wall and grabbed onto anything I could, window sills most commonly. I scaled the walls but being over two hundred pounds of muscle I had some trouble, as did he. I made it up to the rooftop and ran across, jumping onto the next and using my grappling hook occasionally to provide backup in case I lose footing. Bruce threw a nylon cord around my ankle but before it could wrap around too tightly I pulled out my knife and sliced through it in one swift motion. I kept running across rooftops and I saw a motorbike below me. I had to do it. I closed my eyes, took a breath and jumped down, landing on my side causing the impact to knock the wind out of me. Quickly recovering I scrambled to get up and ran to the bike and hopped on. I revved the engine and just as Bruce made it down I yelled, 

"You haven't lost your touch Bru-" I was cut off by a bus driving between us. By the time the bus left I was already gone and Bruce was left in the dust.

[ghoulinpieces]

𝑽𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑪 𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑺𝑴 ✦ 𝑫𝑹𝑾

╰─➛ vampires surely couldn't exist. & surely, you wouldn't know one personally. so, obviously, no, your boyfriend isn't a bloodthirsty monster... right? so then why was he so odd?

❪ cw: a tad suggestive at times. brief mentions of drugs and overdosing. blood, obvi. arguing. kinda angsty, i suppose. fluff for the most part. a little rushed at times, mb. ❫

❪ ghoulie speaks !! first full fic i'm posting and it's lowkey a little shitty but it's okay. it's severely unedited so just ignore that, and happy spooky season babes <3 ❫

Growing up comes with fears. Whether that be the dark, or heights, or even stupid things that don't exist such as the boogeyman who sits all night under thousands of kids beds, terrorizing them into sleeping earlier, tucked in tight, as to avoid him.

These horror stories are told to you from a young age. From parents who need their kids to listen or older cousins who think it's hilarious to see the scared look on that poor six-year-olds face when they're told the story of why you hear howling on a full moon.

Some kids grow out of it, others don't. Either way it's all fictional superstition, isn't it? No need to be scared of that.

Not when there were very real things to be scared of, such as the spider crawling above the toliet that you were calling your trusty boyfriend to kill.

You were by the door, slipper in hand. He was on the couch, remote in hand. Looking for the perfect horror film to make you cringe when he faintly heard you call his name, jumped up the second time you yelled.

"What?" He approached you, noticing the slipper. He let out a sigh, smiling when you looked at him.

"Kill it." You frowned, "Please, I really gotta go and I can't." He laughed, palm outstretched for the slipper you immediately put in his hand.

"You know... we have two bathrooms. You don't always have to use this one."

"Okay, and? My pads are in this one.. what's the point of using that one when I have everything here?" You leaned on the doorframe, watching as he pushed the slipper against the creepy crawly on the wall. He made a face when you mentioned the pads, as if he was making a mental note of your time of the month. He was always weird on your period.

"Rest in peace, Charlotte." He shrugged, wiping it up with toliet paper.

"Stop doing that! You make me feel bad!" You laughed, hitting his bicep. He had begun referencing Charlotte's Web whenever this situation occurred. He thought it was the funniest thing seeing you cry over the helpful spiders death when you call him to play exterminator in your own home.

He laughed, "Relax. I mean, it's just a spider with friends and family. Wife, kids, a dream." You hit him again as he fixed his hair in the mirror, his freckles prominent in the bathroom lighting before finally walking towards the door.

"Get out." You giggled, "You're an evil man, Danny. Starting to think you don't have a soul." He sighed, his smile dimming a bit.

"Oh, if only you knew... hurry up in here. I wanna watch that new Saw movie." He smiled, closing the door. That was odd, wasn't it?

His words seemed so serious, too serious to be playing along. Maybe you're just overthinking, I mean... what could've he had meant?

But you've been noticing a lot of strange things lately. Ever since you had offered for him to start spending weekends at your place since he's always complaining about his roommate, plus he's barely at his own place anyways, and after much hesitation, he obliged. You've seen more and more of the things he thinks he keeps well hidden.

You've always noticed how he talks very vintage like. Not as in 18th century vintage but just like he's a kid from the 60s with no cares and the only thing he was looking forward too was Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin at Woodstock. But that was explainable, he likes old things, has an old soul.

But, something not so explainable is that he often ventures out at night, late when he thinks you're sleeping, and doesn't return till hours later, hair messed with and slightly out of breath when he snuggles back up to your form. Hands always cold. You swore you saw blood on his lip one time.

You've left your mind gone wild with explanations of that. Cheating always at the forefront but Danny could never do that. Not with his kind heart and his puppy eyes that worship you. His praises and actions that he reserves for you and you only.

You're not even sure if he sleeps at all. You're quite the insomniac yourself but even then you end up passing out of exhaustion. You've never seen him sleep.

He also doesn't eat garlic, can't be in the same room as it... odd but not the most strange.

You smile as you walk out the hallway and into the living room, your female pitbull cuddled up with him. You named her Rhiannon, it had been the song playing in the adoption center when you met. "Aw, aren't y'all just the cutest. I love that she loves you now." You scrunch your nose, bending over to kiss her snout.

You were always happy seeing them get along. When you first had Danny over, she had barked nonstop. She had even snapped at him, wouldn't let him near her or you. Which is odd considering she's the sweetest dog on Earth. She's never bitten anyone or even tried to, she's loves people, especially ones you're close with.

Odd she didn't like the man you're inlove with. Oh, well, she does now. That's all that matters, right?

Danny gently wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you onto his lap as you shivered from his cold touch.

He is always freezing.

For a man like Danny, you'd expect him to always run warm. Just like a human furnace, instead, he's the North Pole.

"You okay?" He knows you're okay, just like he knows why you're cold. Of course he does. He's managed to cover up the truth by telling you he has low iron.

You simply nod, grabbing the throw blanket from behind him and snuggling closer to him on his lap. He smiles softly as he starts the movie, setting the remote down before holding you tighter. You moved your legs to be touching Rhiannon, just to let her know she's not forgotten.

It's the simple things you do that make his heart ache, make him yearn for a forever with you. Yearn to be able to grow old and watch your grandkids play in the backyard. Yearn to be able to tell you the whole truth.

But he can't. He wouldn't do that to you. Let you know there's a limited time frame between your love before he has to move cities to keep his charade going. He must rather suffer with that knowledge alone then break your heart before it's time. Or break his when you inevitably fear him.

Oh, how he curses his soulless body for loving you so deeply.

Perhaps he should've gone with the twins to Nashville, he thinks the distraction of them would've kept him from falling inlove.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

It was sunny out, far too sunny for an October sunday afternoon but you weren't complaining. Danny was outside, playing with Rhiannon while you were in the kitchen, knife in hand, apple on the plastic plate you've had for far too many years.

He had offered to cut it for you but you declined. He does so much for you, the least you could do is cut your own fruit.

But even then, you always were a klutz. You grip on the knife had slipped, sending the blade straight into your middle finger as you, stupidly, tried to catch it. "Fuck!" You hissed grabbing a paper towel to wrap around the wound.

"What happened, are you okay?" You jumped as Danny appeared behind you. He's always been freakishly fast, Rhiannon just now approaching the kitchen and she was running.

"Jesus, fuck! Don't sneak up on me like that." You sighed, "Sorry, sorry... 'm fine, just cut myself." You frowned watching as he picked up the knife and dropped in the sink, his body tensing when you mentioned the cut. He shouldn't... it could go horribly wrong, he knows that... he does it anyways.

"Let me see." His voice is so soft you could cry, hand outstretched for yours which you give gladly. Winces escaping you as he looks at the cut, blood pooling slowly from the broken skin. His jaw clenched and eyes zeroed in on it, "You scared me, y'know, thought something worse happened."

"I'll be fine. Sorry I scared you, it just fucking hurt so bad." You sigh, he shook his head.

"Don't apologize, you hurt yourself. You're allowed to be as dramatic as you want." He smiled softly, looking up at you making a face at him. He smiled wider to which you smiled back before looking back at your finger.

"Shit, Danny, it's bleeding. Can you go get the band-" You cut yourself in shock when instead of doing what you had asked, he wrapped his mouth around your finger and sucked the blood away.

His eyes never left yours, it was strangely erotic. You just blinked at him, breathing quite heavily, "Never thought those fingers would be in my mouth in a different context." He just barely whispered, kissing the cut that had stopped bleeding. The cut that was barely a cut anymore and instead skin somewhat stitched back together.

He's panicking. He shouldn't have done that, what normal person does that? He just fucked everything. Fuck, there's no excuse or reasoning for that... blood kink? Wouldn't be too far from the truth. He ran his tongue over his teeth, panicking further when he feels the slight poke of his fangs.

You just laughed in slight disbelief, reaching up to kiss his cheek, "Thank you for helping me."

He laughed, "You gonna let me finish cutting it for you?" He hid his face by turning around to find another, clean, knife.

"Have at 'em, baby, I'm done. I'm injured." You sigh dramatically, walking over to kiss the base of his neck and wrap an arm around his waist, "Just so you know, and not to be weird here... that was strangely sexual... kinda hot" He laughed loudly, his eyes crinkling.

"You liked watching me suck your blood? Really? That's what does it for you?"

"Hey, you can suck my blood anytime you want, Dracula." If only you actually knew what you were saying.

"Might take you up on that, weirdo." He nudged you with his elbow. He wouldn't. He'd never do it, too risky. He could kill you. He's not too good at self restraint.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

Nights were always your favorite with Danny. Ever since he started spending nights over, your nighttime routine had been weaved along with his.

The two of you had learned to dance around each other in the bathroom. Maneuvering around one another so you get to your toothbrush or facial cleanser.

You were in the middle of scrubbing your teeth when Danny finished, putting the toothbrush he bought down at CVS to keep at your place in the cup. He leaned against the counter, watching you with the softest look on his face. He was a goner when it came to you, especially to the domesticity of your time spent together.

"Why you lookin' at me like that?" You smiled softly, looking over at him.

"Like what?" He laughed.

"You know how you're looking at me." You shook your head, putting your own toothbrush away.

"Like I love you?" He smiled, his arms wrapping around you, "Like you're the best thing to ever happen to me? Like I couldn't imagine never knowing you?"

Despite the blush on your face you laughed, and grabbed his arms, "Come on! Now, you're just bein' cheesy." You leaned your head back against his shoulder as he looked at you through the mirror, his own head resting ontop of your shoulder.

"Thought you liked cheesy." He kissed your cheek, his hands tightening their grip ever-so-slightly for just a moment before loosening.

"I do but sometimes you take it so far." You smile, walking out of his grip and grabbing his hand.

"There is never too much cheese." He sounded offended and it made you smile wider, "You think there's such thing as too much cheese?"

"I know there's such thing as too much cheese now get in bed. I'm tired."

With you cuddled up close to him and fast asleep, your arm around his waist and Rhiannon on his other side, her snout on his stomach, he decides to stay in that night. He can miss one night.

He hates leaving every night, to leave you in an empty bed that's cold for hours on end, but it's the only time he can get away long enough to do what he needs to. He wishes he didn't have to, he wishes he could stay wrapped up in you and your arms. Or at the very least he wishes he could sleep, he wishes for a lot of things.

But, when you're like Danny, most wishes can never be granted. And if they can, certainly not without a price. A risky, dangerous, scary, price.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

Perhaps you were bored or perhaps your Twilight binge had rotted your brain, but you were knees deep in vampire facts.

You were definitely bored.

You were simply curious as to what the original folk story had about vampires, what had been added over time for the sake of storytelling. First clicking on Reddit, horrible but what else would you use? But then, you started to notice that too many things stated seemed quite familiar.

You couldn't remember who it had reminded you of... it was annoying you if were honest.

Cold skin. Nocturnal. Freakishly fast. Doesn't like garlic. Little to no eating. Obviously likes blood.

But then, there were things that counteracted it like them burning in the sun and having no reflection. He loved to look in the mirror and he practically lived in the sun.

He... oh shit.

It was Danny. He fit every description.

You began to look more into it, going on odd forums and weird websites that seemed like they were created for the weirdos of the internet and everything you saw reminded you of him more and more. He fit everything. It was quite scary. But, it's just a coincidence, right? Vampires don't exist, right?

You'd just have to pay more attention than you already do the next time you see him.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

The week had came and gone since that night but you hadn't heard from Danny in days, you were worried. You had no one to call to see if they knew about his whereabouts. Sure, he had friends. Work friends. They rarely spoke outside of his job.

Sometimes you think you're the only one he hangs out with. He's a bit of a recluse but you can tell it's not by choice, he's far too much of a social butterfly and outgoing in public to be this lonely in a city as big as yours. Another odd thing about him. You might just start making a list. After you find him.

It wasn't like him to disappear, not like that. He always returned within the day. It's been radio silence since Monday morning when he left. He had even missed your date that was planned for Wednesday, ignored all your messages and calls while you sat at the book store, browsing alone.

You had considered going to his place after that but... he didn't necessarily allow you there.

It was never explicitly stated that you were banned from his home but he never invited you over, always made an excuse why you couldn't come in, never had you pick him up from his complex.

#7 on the list of things that make him odd and another reason to the possible vampire theory, but they don't exist. You don't even know why you're entertaining the idea.

So, maybe he is cheating. It explains the late night departures, you never spending time at his place. There's not much to go off of but... it's the most sane explanation you could think of.

You wouldn't believe he was a vampire. Fuck what all those sketchy websites and forums and reddit posts said. Vampires are not real.

But, oh, how it pains you to think of him cheating. To think that every moment between you two was an act, that every praise and act of service wasn't true, that he pleases other women in the dark of their bedroom the same he pleases you. That he doesn't love you.

You two had been together for a little over a year and you were madly inlove. He was your gentle giant and it pains you to think he could be someone else's as well. Maybe that's why he hesitated so much when you brought up the weekend stays, he had someone waiting for him back home.

If he did, she wasn't there. You had hesitated multiple times before finally knocking on the apartment door, you waited about a minute or so after hearing a dog bark before deciding to just leave. Maybe nobody was home.

But then the door swung open, his roommate on the other side. You had seen photos of him. He was tall and skinny, long brunette hair with a bit of a wave to it and downturned eyes accompanied with an amazing bone structure. "Oh, hello." His voice was a bit raspy, not too much but enough to notice.

"Hey... um, is Danny here?" Your voice was timid, you felt odd showing up out of the blue. Even odder and uncomfortable when his brows furrowed together in confusion.

"No... he isn't. Do you know him?"

Oh.

You realized you were staring when he tilted his head, "Oh, yeah... yeah I do. He's um... I'm Y/N. His girlfriend." You wanted to curse yourself for sounding so scared.

His face fell before his jaw clenched and his eyes widened, whether that be in panic or anger, you weren't sure, "You are? Well, he didn't tell me he was seeing anybody... I'm Sam." He reached his hand out and when you took it, all you could notice was that he was cold too.

"Yeah, he's... he's told me about you." You smile softly when he nods.

"I'd hope. I only live with the man." He laughed, quite stoner like, "He's never mentioned you. I can see why, you're quite gorgeous. No wonder he wants to keep you a secret from me." Lie. He knows why Danny never told him and he knows it's not because of how gorgeous he finds you, "How long have you been seeing him?"

"For like a year or so..." You sigh as his face falls, "Kinda odd he never mentioned me, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. Really odd." He shrugged, "But, yeah, he's been down in Nashville since Monday. He returned home from wherever it is he spends his weekends, which I assume is your place? He left that afternoon, a family emergency popped up. I couldn't go, I mean, I have a dog to feed. Can't leave her all by herself." He laughed.

"Since Monday?"

"Yeah... I gather he didn't tell you? Missed whatever it is you had planned Wednesday?"

"Did he tell you about it?" How could he tell Sam he had a date but not about you? You were starting to regret this, you just wanted to go home. Maybe you could distract yourself with terrible Netflix romcoms.

"Not really. All he told me he was busy on Wednesday but I just assume he must've cancelled once he left..." Sam tilted his head, "Quite cruel he didn't."

You frowned, "It is, isn't it? Um... if you hear from him at all.. can you just tell him to give me a call?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Sam will, but he can't promise that he'll tell Danny he can keep seeing you. It's far too dangerous, not just for you but for them too, "You have a nice day, Y/N." He smiled, you smiled back though it had to be forced.

"You too, Sam." The interaction did more harm than good, you felt odd and off balance as you walked away. More saddened than anything. What was Danny hiding from you? Why was he hiding you? Were you some dark secret?

You were taken out of your memory revisit when you heard a knock on the door, Rhiannon barking as she you shushed her and stood.

You sighed when you opened the door. Your gentle giant standing with sunflowers in hand, fiddling with his necklace and his short curly hair moving when he looked up at you. You were relieved he was alive, pissed that he disappeared and showed up with flowers.

"Hi." He breathed. He thought you looked radiant, he always did. You could show up covered in dirt and mud and slime and he'd happily clean you off while complimenting how beautiful you are, "Got you flowers... sorry that I missed-"

"Where the fuck have you been?" You cut him off, hand on your hip as you eyed him.

Shit.

He's heard that tone before. He's seen you use it on the phone with your mother when she's pissed you off, and he's seen you use it with Rhiannon when she won't listen. You've used it hundreds of times, pissed off beyond belief, he's just never been on the receiving end.

"You disappear for fucking days, ignore all of my texts and my calls then you show up like everything's fine? With fucking flowers?" You sighed, pushing the door open with more force than necessary, "Get in, I'm not arguing with you in the middle of the hallway." He quickly obliged. If there's one thing he's learned about you when your mad, it's to listen.

"Baby, believe me when I say I am so, so, sorry I missed our date and didn't call. I was going too but I had a family emergency and it just slipped my mind." It's not a lie, but it's not the whole truth. The truth would involve exposing him and the twins to you, he couldn't do that.

Now, he sounded genuine, but the anger that seeped itself into your bones refused to leave that easily.

"It slipped your mind to call me and tell me you were going to Nashville? What? Did it also slip your mind to tell your roommate I existed, Danny?" He tensed up, eyes wide, once you mentioned Sam.

"You went to my apartment? You talked to Sam? Why would you do that? What's wrong with you?" He knew he fucked up when the words left his mouth and you frowned,

"What's wrong with me? Are you shitting me, Danny?"

"You know I didn't mean it like tha-"

"You were gone for fucking days! I didn't know where you were, not one fucking call or text in eight days! What did you expect me to do?!" You snapped, you were not going to be painted as the one in the wrong for caring, "He at least had the decency to tell me where you were!"

"What did you tell him?" You wanted to scream, that's what he was worried about? "Y/N! What did you tell Sam? Did you tell him we're together?"

"No, I told him I was a fucking alien from Mars looking to probe your brain. Of course I told him we're together, why wouldn't I?" You sighed, arms crossed. Danny looked tense, scared. You've never seen him like that.

"Because I'm not supposed to be seeing you... I'm not... I was never supposed to be even talking to you." He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. You just felt more confused and hurt.

"What the fuck do you mean? ...Danny!" You exclaimed when he didn't answer, "Are you... are you cheating on me?"

"What?"

He looked bewildered, maybe even hurt you'd think that. You regret asking but what was were you supposed to say? You two were on opposite sides of the world, he was in the light and you were in the dark. You needed to know.

"Are you?"

"No, baby, no. I'd never, I... even if I could I wouldn't." He sighed, frowning. He walked over to you, grabbing your biceps softly, "I promise you, I would never. I love you and only you, where would you even get such an idea?"

"Are you shitting my dick? Do you think you're good at hiding shit? I know you sneak out in the middle of the night for hours, Sam didn't even know about me and now you're saying you're not supposed to be seeing me." You sigh, dropping your arms which he immediately grabbed your hands. And you let him, "What the fuck is going on with you?" He sighed, looking down at the ground before back at you.

"Listen, I can't tell you-" You scoffed, taking your hands back and going to walk away before he grabbed your arm and turned you to him, "You don't know how badly I wish I could, but, please just trust me when I say it's for your benefit. It'd be dangerous for you to know." His hands grabbed your face, his fingers gentle as they cradled it, thumbs brushing your cheeks.

"What are you in a gang? I can't... I can't be with you if you're hiding shit from me, Danny." You frowned, "You can't just keep lying to me."

"I know but... it's better if I do." He whispered. He didn't want to lose you, ever, but maybe it is for the better.

"So you're fine with me walking away? You're okay with losing me?"

"No, I'm not but I can't tell you the truth."

"You'd much rather I break up with you than tell me?" You couldn't believe it, it seemed like a such a stab. It was worse for him though, he knew he was going to lose you but he thought he had at least another three years with you. At least he'd be able to get over it now rather than mope about leaving you behind when him and Sam move down to Nashville to be with the twins, "I can't fucking believe you, Danny. Seriously. What is so fucking bad that you'd rather lose me than just be honest?" You weren't sad, not at that moment. You wanted him to fight for you instead he gave up as if it was a battle he could never win, which in his eyes, it was.

"Y/N..." He sighed, "I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry, Danny, don't act like you are. Jesus Christ, you don't even care! Do I really mean that little to you? Like seriously, did I ever matter?" You scoffed, taking a step back.

"You mean everything to me, Y/N, and you know that. Do you seriously think I don't care?" He seemed hurt that you'd ever think that but what else were you supposed to think?

"You're not showing me otherwise." You frowned, "Just... just tell me!" You exclaimed, opening you're mouth to speak before he beat you to the finish line.

"I'm a vampire! Okay? I'm a fucking nocturnal blood sucking monster!"

Is he... is he serious? ...Does he think you're that fucking dumb?

You can't help but laugh loudly, putting your head into your hands. He's scared out of his mind, he doesn't know how you're gonna react. He just knows he can't lose you this early, he needs you. He's an addict and you're his heroine.

He's quite literally the vampire and he considers you to be the blood.

"I can't believe you. Are you fucking with me? Like... are there some hidden cameras here?" You look around to emphasize your words while he stares at you, "Jesus, fuck, Danny. Y'know-"

"You don't believe me?" He seemed shocked, as if he didn't just say he was a vampire.

"Of course I don't believe you! Vampires don't exist!" You exclaimed, "You seriously much rather fuck with me? If you're cheating, the least you could do is tell me! It'd make this a whole lot easier!"

"Make what easier? You're seriously gonna leave me? Even after I told you the truth?" He seemed in disbelief. He swears, if he had a heart it'd broken like a dropped vase. Shattered. Pieces scattered around the floor that he'll have to pick up one by one and try his best to glue and tape back together but inevitably fail because he'll be missing the key part. You.

"You're not telling me the truth, Danny!"

"I am! I swear to God I am!" He was getting frustrated now too, you had never seen him so annoyed. If you weren't drowning in your arguement, you'd want him to take you then and there.

Anger looked good on him.

"Prove it!"

"What?"

You sighed, rubbing at your forehead, "You heard me, Danny. If you're really a nocturnal bloodsucker, prove it."

He scoffed, "How do you want me to prove that?" You rolled your eyes, "I'm not gonna start fucking running around here like I'm Edward Cullen." You scoffed this time. Did he have to be so fucking cute? And dumb?

"Your fangs. Show me your fangs." You stepped closer to him, hands on your hips. Watching as he sighed before opening his mouth, you waited a moment or two, just looking at a regular human mouth. But then, you gasped as his fangs began growing in. His teeth changing right before your eyes.

His eyes, however, were no longer the sweet brown you adore but instead piercing red. Scarier, sure, but his puppy dog eyes were still there and you loved it all the same.

"Believe me now?"

"But you don't burn in the sun... and you have a reflection..." You whispered, eyes wide and frantic.

"All myths." He shrugged as if he didn't just reveal that he was a blood thirsty monster, "Do you believe me?"

"Yeah.. yeah, I believe you." He smiled at that, putting his fangs more on display, "Oh my God... you don't... all those nights you disappeared, you weren't eating people were you? You're not gonna eat me, right?"

"No! Oh my God, no." He laughed a bit, his hands immediately shooting to grab your arms, "I feed off of animals. I don't... I never liked the idea of killing someone. I mean, I don't have to kill you to feed off you but..." He trailed off, shrugging.

"But what?" You tilted your head. You wanted to understand, you needed to, "You're afraid you'll go too far?"

"I have gone too far. One too many times." He sighed, "So, animals are the next best thing. They work just as well as people."

"You're a vampire." You laughed, the information fully settled, "Oh my God! Is that why Sam didn't know about me?" You frowned as he looked down at the ground.

"Yeah.. yeah, we made a deal we wouldn't going to get close to anybody here, let alone date them. Too many broken hearts, too many risks. Plus, we'd have to leave eventually." He sounded sad, telling you all this. And you couldn't help but hang onto to the leaving part, "But I just... I couldn't stay away from you even if I wanted too... you know that."

"You're gonna have to leave at some point?"

"Listen, I don't want to but... I can't stay forever. I mean, either way, I'm immortal... you're gonna grow old and blossom while I'm stuck being 24." He frowned, stepping closer to you. Your chest against his, "I promise you, if I could stay and give you the life you want I wouldn't even think twice about doing it." You just nodded, wrapping your arms around him.

This was going to take some getting used to.

✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦

It had been three months since that night. Things were the same for the most part but you could tell, the fact that you'll have to inevitably part has been looming over both your heads. You just decided to ignore it, live in delusion. It hadn't exactly worked.

You two had always been inseparable but even more so now. Constantly touching, constantly talking, constantly just being together. You still never went to his place, Danny claiming it's because he likes the privacy of your apartment, and something about Sam being a whore.

However, that didn't stop Sam from wanting to get to know you. Ever since he found out about you, he claimed you're all Danny ever talked about. He never realized just how little Danny talked before then. You've invited him over once or twice.

He'll come in, eat all your food, because apparently vampires not being able to eat human food is also a myth, something about how as long as they drink blood they'll be fine. He'll talk to you about whatever, whenever, as if you're old friends and be completely barefoot the entire time.

You've also overheard their little conversations once or twice, mostly about you. Mostly about how badly the break-up will hurt, the seconds counting down to it.

"Y'know..." Sam started, looking in your fridge, his tone immediately tensing Danny up. That's the tone he'll use whenever he's about to suggest something outrageous, "You could always turn her, wouldn't exactly be difficult-"

"Are you fucking crazy?" Danny exclaimed, accidentally slamming his water bottle down. Eyes shooting daggers at Sam, "Seriously, Sam? Do you know what could fucking happen?"

"Yes, I know. You have no restraint and you'll end up killing her which you know isn't true." Sam sighed, closing the nearly empty fridge and leaning against it, arms crossed.

You were currently standing in the hallway, trying your best to eavesdrop quietly.

"Isn't true my ass. Do you not remember Annie? Her death was my fault." Sam rolled his eyes, sighing. He always brings up fucking Annie.

On that note, who the fuck is Annie? He's never mentioned an Annie to you.

"Annie died because she was coked out and shooting heroine while you did it. She would've died either way from an overdose, you just sped up the process. Y/N isn't a fucking drug addict, she'll live." He wasn't wrong but Danny could never risk it.

"You don't know that, Sam."

"Yes, I do. You love her too much to ever risk hurting her, I know. But guess what? You didn't love Annie, not the way you love her, and Annie surely didn't love you, she used you for drugs and sex, man, and you know that." Danny did know that, but that doesn't make the blood on his hands wash away, "You think Y/N wants to lose you too?"

"No, I don't but guess what, Sam? I'm not ever doing it, no matter what. I'm not risking her life or taking away her fucking soul." Danny sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I can't... I don't want to. I could never forgive myself if she died, just like I could never forgive myself if I took her away from her life."

What life? You rarely talk to your family in years and all your close friends live in different states. Danny had been the one constant.

"Just because you didn't get a choice in the matter doesn't mean she shouldn't either." God, he hated when Sam was right.

"She wants to grow old and have a family, Sam, she doesn't want to move from state to state every three to six years." Danny sighed, looking down at the counter he was leaning on.

"How do you know that? How do you know that girl won't follow you to the ends of the Earth? 'Cause it's clear as day that she'll do whatever if it means you won't leave." Sam had grabbed Dannys water now, going to sip from it when you finally decided to walk into the kitchen. Saving Danny from the conversation.

"Hey, weirdos. What'd I miss?" You smiled, seeing Danny immediately soften at the sight of you. And you didn't miss the look Sam gave him either when you walked up and wrapped your arms around his waist.

"Nothing. Just vampire shit." Sam smiled.

"Yeah... just vampire shit, nothing interesting." Danny smiled, "I'll go get the popcorn ready if you wanna go put movie on."

"Sam... you wanna do that for me?" Thank God he took the hint and walked to the living room, both hands raised as he did. He usually complains whenever you imply you want to be alone with Danny, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" He turned around in your arms, his hands resting on your face, "Got you in my arms."

You scrunched your nose at him which he kissed, "You're so cheesy. Go get the popcorn ready, Dracula." You kissed his cheek, leaving him alone in the kitchen when you walked away.

You'll bring it up another day. For now, you're enjoying all the time you have left with Danny... and apparently Sam.