#god these two actors are so great at conveying emotion???

[cerealbishh]

All my secrets, you would learn them

All my longings, you'd return them

Then the silence would be broken

Not a word would need be spoken

[yutafrita]

[09:22AM]

☾⋆｡ ๋࣭ ⭑˚ ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

Pairing: Actor!Sungchan x Actress!Reader (she/her, femme presenting)

Warnings: Swearing, sexual references (18+), proceed with caution.

WC: approx. 1K

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ݁˖ . ݁ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁˖ . ݁

Your polite smile was stable as you sat at the interview seat, watching the same clip. This was the third interview this week that had brought the clip for you to force a reaction to, and god it was getting difficult to feign ignorance.

“Look at how gently he caresses her hair there folks!” The interviewer gushed. You jokingly rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

The clip was a behind the scenes feature of your latest film. Your co-star, Sungchan, had noticed a small piece of confetti from your scene got stuck to your hair. He carefully picked it out, and as he did so, you were talking and laughing together. It was completely natural, but the action was clipped out and plastered everywhere online.

Yes, he may have fucked you stupid in your dressing room afterwards, but that was besides the point.

“No, no!” You giggled to the interviewer, trying to stay focused on squashing the rumors. “I am extremely professional- plus, I wouldn’t want to date another actor. We are just friends- he was taking out the confetti from my hair.”

“Well, he’s also a singer…” the interviewer noted, earning oooohhh’s from the audience.

“That doesn’t cancel out the acting, sorry!” You raised your hand in defeat, that fake smile still scrawled across your face. “I will say, he did a great job on set. All of the crew loved working with him, and I can’t wait for you all to check out the movie!”

After the interview, your manager and you quickly maneuvered to your last task of the day- a promotional photoshoot with Sungchan.

“How did the interview go?” He asked. You two stood on set in front of an ornately decorated table in costumes complimentary to your movie characters. The lighting was being adjusted, so that gave you two time to speak casually.

“Terrible. Everyone keeps gushing over that stupid clip.”

“Hm, good thing the cameras weren’t allowed in the dressing rooms,” he whispered in your ear. You frowned, holding back a glare.

“You are so conceited.”

“Did I mention how wonderful you look today?” He turned his head fully towards you, his stupid, infectious smile on full display. You looked ahead, hoping most people on set weren’t picking up on your conversation.

“This is why people are suspicious,” you sighed. Your celebrity image was usually that of a sweet, but very serious professional. You hated having to do interviews as it was, but the studio for this recent film was threatening to blacklist you if you didn’t.

The clip to you wasn’t anything spectacular, either. Sungchan had snuck over to your place later that night, and you were snuggled under your sheets together as you, for the fourth time, rewatched it.

“You look so pretty,” he commented, zooming in on your wide eyes that were staring up at him.

“Hm, you’re looking at me in that way an old man looks at his wife,” you teased, in turning zooming in on the soft gaze he had set on you. He was beautiful, this there was no doubt. His eyes were soft and wide, and so easily conveyed his emotions.

“I’ll make you my wife, one day,” he muttered, his voice buried in your neck as if he was embarrassed.

“Yknow, with both of us being famous, our marriage would only last a month.”

“Then that’ll be the best month of my life,” he kissed your cheek, his hand gently motioning your chin to meet his eyes. You were avoiding these eyes- you felt like jello when you were pinned under them. He was needy though, and you gave into his wish to meet his eyes. To the public, you were stern and focused. Sungchan though, you were anything but. You could feign ignorance to any number of talk show hosts, but it was getting beyond difficult pretending that you didn’t have intense feelings for Sungchan.

“Your fans would kill me.”

“I wouldn’t let them,” Sungchan defended. Unlike a lot of young statelets, he had a solid head on his shoulders. It was one of the many things you liked about him. He was clear to set boundaries whenever possible with his fans and with the media, but he still held a lovable and warm persona. You could believe that he would do his best.

Your manager, though, wasn’t so impressed.

“You’ll be over him once you stop promoting the film together,” she rolled her eyes, typing away on her phones.

You crossed your arms, staring out of the window of the airplane. You were taking a flight from New York to Toronto after shooting a cameo in a TV show, and were hoping to see Sungchan before he had to fly back to Los Angeles for a recording session.

Your manager was wrong, of course.

Even after you both moved on to new projects, it was almost gross how often you would try to communicate and be with each other. It was a wonder still that no one had caught any photos of you two out together. Sungchan was getting more bold by sometimes not wearing sunglasses or a hat when out with you. He wanted to show you off, he’d say. And so, years after you both privately committed to the other, you finally walked the red carpet as an official couple.

Permatag! @nini0620

[firstyok]

- Moonlight Chicken End Notes -

So, I've just finished Moonlight Chicken, and it was a deep, mature bl series, where it conveyed a lot of realistic life messages. It was new and refreshing to witness such a bl storyline, which speaks for real people.

Below, I've addressed a few of the best things that I've enjoyed about this show.

1. JimWen Chemistry

It was my first exposure to an EarthMix series, so I was definitely excited. The chemistry of the actors was magnetic, and it didn't take a moment to give me butterflies. Wen is super seductive, and I enjoyed it. In the first episode, when they both hooked up, I was like, "Oh wow.. that's.. sexyy", I kept thinking these stuff. So, definitely I loved their chemistry very much in this show.

2. GeminiFourth Acting

Once again, it was my first time watching the acting of GemFourth. I haven't watched MSP, so - MLC is my first exposure. My God, I was in love with their storyline, acting and everything as a whole. I truly loved Fourth's acting range, he is a great actor for such a young age. The way he portrayed such a mature, sharp tongued minor in the story, it was really heart-melting as well as sweet. His slow friendship with heart, was the best part of the show, I'd say. Gemini did a splendid job, portraying the character of a deaf child.

They both had such a lovely rapport, chemistry - I kept looking for their moments in MLC the entire time. For me, these two held the greatest importance to me in the show. The beginning of their meeting with a conflict, that slowly led to understanding both of them, which further led to friendship and young love. The progress in their story was beautiful to witness. I felt so happy to see some specific moments of them, such as Heart's face lighting up when figured that the paper was slid under the door by Li Ming, or the moment when Li Ming first heard Heart speak.

3. The Character of Alan

Eventhough the story presented him in a negative light at first - personally I could vastly relate to Alan. Personally, I'd say he's someone with the most depth and complications. He shared a 5 years long relationship with Wen, which is never an easy thing to let go off. I deeply empathize with Alan, not because he was dumped by Wen, but because his story speaks realistically. It is devastating to be out of love, when the other person still wants to be with you. Eventhough their relationship was not tampered due to Jim's entry, it will still make Alan doubt whether it is something that he lacked, and Jim didn't. It is normal to have these thoughts, because I've been there in his shoes too.

Eventhough he reacted violently with Wen and Jim at the diner, I believe it was valid to acknowledge how frustrated and insecure he had been, when he is losing the love of his life to someone else, in front of his eyes. It's a hard pill to swallow. Later on, I'm relieved how Alan moved on from their relationship after Wen decided to have a clear cut conversation about them during their last barbeque meal. It was necessary, because if he didn't give Alan the closure he needed, he wouldn't have been able to move on, just like all these prior months. Alan is a great character, he is flawed, and speaks life. He didn't use his injuries to hold Wen back, instead he insisted on being left alone, because he knew the hope has subsided. I think that's a wonderful character implication.

5. Gaipa is a Positive Embodiment

If Alan showed the dark side of handling emotions, Gaipa portrayed true well-intent and kindness throughout the series. I really enjoyed Gaipa's character in the series. He was like a ray of sunshine that needed to be added in such a mature heavy series. His role was like a breath of fresh air, whenever he appeared, he either made me feel better, or simply broke my heart - when he got rejected by Jim or when he lost his mother. But I really loved how he handled himself calmly upfront others, eventhough he was tearing apart inside.

His relationship with his mother was also iconic, definitely one of the best moments of the series. It shows how loving and understanding a mother-son relationship should be. It filled my heart with happiness when his mom was completely okay with him being gay, and how she encouraged him to find a lover. Losing such a great mother in his life, has to be the most heartbreaking experience ever, and this show portrayed it so deeply.

6. The Satisfying Ending

The ending of Moonlight Chicken has to be the most satisfying one, eventhough I'd have loved to see Alan and Gaipa officially ending up together. But, I really enjoyed their initial blooming stage of liking each other, it seemed so sweet and refreshing at the end of the show. When Heart and Li Ming were dining together, along with Leng and Praew in the scene too, it seemed like all the lovey dovey couples are finally enjoying their moments with their partners. I loved that scene, and Wen was helping out Jim as usual.

We even got a sneak peak of how maturely Alan handled the situation when he was with Gaipa and Wen gave him water - the smile on his face spoke as if - he deeply appreciated what Wen and Alan once had, but now he has Gaipa, and he has finally moved on from him, to focus entirely on his new budding love. That scene was really symbolic and my eyes teared up at the collective happiness of the show couples.

I've really enjoyed the show, everyone's acting, performance, along with the cinematography was stunning and praiseworthy. Additionally, the cast was a dream team, including EarthMix, FirstKhao, and GeminiFourth. These three couples smoothly pulled off the entire show with their elegance and hardwork! Kudos to the director, and everyone else involved in the production of the series!

[troius]

A brief review of Bleach:TYBW

Really enjoyable, if not perfect. Spoiler-free thoughts under the cut:

The actual animation is great. Us longtime fans of Bleach will remember that while the anime was in general competently animated, and occasionally visually spectacular (see: the Lust), it could also slip into mediocrity (see: the Rukia-Rudbornn fight contemporaneous with the Lust Arc), and could be god-awful (BOUNT ARC). So it’s nice to know sitting down that what you’re going to get will have a minimum of artistic competency, and will at times be genuinely breathtaking. The only issue, really, is that it’s a little static at times, but...we’ll get to that.

The music is good, Shiro Sagisu was I guess clued into the fact that this would be visually darker than the previous anime, and seems to have re-recorded his previous themes to fit the tone. The music doesn’t stand out the way it did in the previous anime, but I think that’s intentional, and it’s certainly not a negative, just a creative choice.

The voice actors (note: I watched the dub) are mostly pretty good, once they get their feet under themselves. Almost everybody is rough in their first couple of scenes, I’m a little concerned that the people putting the dub together didn’t give the talent enough time to rehearse. Nonetheless, by the end it’s all humming smoothly, and the new VAs acquit themselves well with the original cast.

The fidelity to the source material seems strong, although I’m not the one to vouch as I haven’t read TYBW. But nothing seems tonally off, nobody’s characters seem wrong, all the interactions make sense. It’s very clearly a Tite Kubo story they’re telling, without compromise to any other storytelling vision.

So if all this stuff is good, then what flaws exist? I can really only name you one! And it’s really just that the series is a little too faithful to the original works. Kubo’s paneling in the manga is godly, but when converted to animation storyboards can make the animation feel very limited-- we don’t have shots conveying movement, or space, because such things aren’t necessary in manga.

Similarly, page economy means that you can’t afford to throw out character moments willy-nilly in manga, but it’s asking a little much of the TV viewer to jump right into deep emotional investment when we’re reintroduced to characters in the middle of life-or-death fights. Some brief interactions would have done a great deal to familiarize characters who we haven’t seen in a decade, especially as the manga itself was serialized right after the Lost Agent Arc, meaning that everybody had seen those folks last month.

Something that I think is indicative of this is that we had two standout fights in this cour, and they both included lengthy flashbacks which contextualized the combatants and why they were fighting! But as fond as Kubo is of that technique, we can’t expect them in every fight.

Anyhow, this second part will probably be ameliorated in the 2eme cour, now that we’ve seen everybody almost die and been reminded of why we care about them. But I do think it would be worth the anime staff’s time to think about what does and does not work in terms of directly converting panels to frames.

[stupid-sloot-headcanons]

Rambling about David Cage positively for once

Also out of every one of his games, Detroit has the best track in any Cage game: it's "Dark Night", the song that plays when Kara is defending Alice and has to fight off the father. It perfectly captures the growing tension and dread that goes for the entire scene, and I love this entire section of the game. It plays to David Cage's strengths as a director perfectly and it's a nice little microcosm for why Detroit is his strongest work.

See, David Cage CAN be a great director and it shows when he has to show a character conveying strong emotions. He has a great sense of camera work and he knows how to pick actors who can convey sorrow, despair, and rage. The best scene in Beyond shows off his strengths as well, when Jodie is at her lowest point and tries to kill herself only for Aiden to stop her. In this scene you see EXACTLY why he chose Elliot Page because this performance is pitch-perfect and so, so human. The only problem is that the instant you start to think about everything around this scene, because David Cage really sucks at writing scenes in context and making a sensible narrative. To quote three Canadian dudes that played this game, "I have emotions but I don't have anywhere for them to go." Beyond is told in a nonsensical and unneeded way with a jumping timeline, so you don't know the full extent of what Jodie has been through at this point in the story so you can't fully appreciate the breakdown in context.

And to my surprise, Detroit shows that David Cage can improve his writing over time. He ditched the faux-Memento timeline shit and actually managed to polish his narrative skills enough to write not one, but three interweaved storylines. He took the Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy approach to writing the timeline of events with multiple characters and thank fucking god for that.

But back to Dark Night. While most of his great scenes work devoid of context, this one works on its own AND within the greater narrative of the story. We've seen enough forms of discrimination against androids and we've seen an android save a child during the first part of the game as Connor. But that is an investigator android, doing his duty. Then we see Markus, an android that shows a genuine emotional connection to his owner in the closest thing to a loving relationship that an android and a human can have despite the power dynamics and oppression at play (heavy-handed racism allegory aside...god dammit David).

With Kara, we see a combination of these two concepts: Kara loves Alice despite being an android, and her reasons for saving Alice are up to interpretation; either she's doing it because her prime directive is to protect and care for her assigned human child, and/or she genuinely loves Alice. And when you take that context and add it to the Dark Night scene, it BENEFITS the scene! That rarely happens in a David Cage game!

[commando-rogers]

thoughts on the first two episodes and by thoughts I mean screaming

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE EPISODE ONE COLD OPEN WAS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

LIKE HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE SEEN AND WRITTEN AND READ FIC ABOUT ANGEL CROWLEY CREATING THE STARS

oh my fucking god David Tennant’s performance there was incredible, he was just so open and happy and excited and giddy, and still undeniably crowley (though who knows what his name was then) and just the brilliant little seeds planted of his personality and his questions and god his enthusiasm and his facial expressions were absolutely incredible

and the fact that AZIRAPHALE IS THE ONE WHO FELL IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT BEFORE TIME EVEN FUCKING EXISTED YET

AND CROWLEY SHIELDING AZIRAPHALE UNDER HIS WING FOR THE METEOR SHOWER JUST LIKE AZIRAPHALE THEN DOES FOR HIM AT THE WALL IN THE FIRST RAIN

AND NOW CROWLEY IS LIKE YEAH HUMANS FALL IN LOVE WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN AND STARE INTO EACH OTHERS EYES REALLY CROWLEY??? REALLY????

and now ok oh my god the fact that we’re gonna have the trope of two characters trying to orchestrate a romance while then falling in love themselves ???????????? like the parallels of Maggie and Nina to aziraphale and crowley are so clear personality-wise dynamic-wise etc (though tbh it’s not cut and dry how we’d have thought it’d be) and just knowing crowley and aziraphale are gonna spend so much time talking about love and trying to create love is gonna fucking murder me

I mean it when I say I don’t need or even necessarily WANT crowley and aziraphale to say I love you or kiss or something I feel like that’s just too small that’s too inconsequential for supernatural beings who’ve known each other for eternity. but the love is just so clear. it’s so much.

Jon hamm oh my god he’s incredible

ugh aziraphale’s fear after lying during the Job storyline was honestly so heartbreaking and both actors did a great job conveying what the stakes were for each of them

I’ve been screaming forever and we all have been screaming forever about the parallels between crowley and aziraphale and lizzy and mr Darcy in pride and prejudice so the fact that’s gonna be a thing omg

the I was wrong dance

oh my god

fic writers are probably already going feral over it

it was incredible

the way it was so perfectly flourished and bouncy while crowley hated every second

and just. the way they’ve so clearly had this little inside thing for centuries. I just. oh my god. oh my god. oh my god

curious about Nina’s controlling partner - interesting her name starts with an L, interesting that she’s kind of like aziraphale in that she always feels surveilled by her partner and “we’re just friends, we barely know each other” that is STRAIGHT FROM THE GLOBE SEASON ONE EPISODE THREE

and so it is interesting then if Nina reflects aziraphale and Maggie reflects crowley- we’ve always felt that crowley, though he hides them, has such strong emotions and feelings, so if they’re parallels it’s interesting how Maggie is almost like Crowley’s id of maybe this is how he feels having spent forever (months) working up the courage to get close (bring the LP)

idk man

and oh my god just the way that crowley is the one who got aziraphale to lie and to realize maybe heaven and hell and good and evil aren’t as black and white as he thought

interesting their discussion of how aziraphale seemed to be the one saying there was an “our side”

ugh I’m just so. I’m so. oh my god. it’s so beautiful I love it omg and I also love that I can’t tell where it’s going

if we see aziraphale trying to drive I’m gonna lose my shit

I have so many other thoughts I can’t remember right now but omg

[ishowmymombldramas]

Be my Favorite (Thailand, 2023)

Okay, while the whole world is going crazy with Only friends I'll quickly write about another great lakorn.

Plot: Kawi is a typical lone outsider. He's bad with grades and even worse with finances. But there is only one friend - Pearmai, who helped him from the very first student days. And now, it seems, there is a chance to show your feelings, but the cherished gift is broken, everything goes awry, and now, twelve years later, Pearmai marries Kawi's most hated classmate, Pisaeng. Thoth is the exact opposite of Kawi and is good at everything. I wish I could go back 12 years and change everything. But that doesn't happen. Or does it happen? The social part: the character Max is just an icon of this part. Max's monologue about how few people care about who went where, discussing LGBT+ rights and the law on marriage equality, hidden parental homophobia as a type of homophobia (still bullshit, to be honest, just in a beautiful wrapper), displaying the way to accept yourself (yes, this cannot fully reflect the whole experience experienced by other people, but it can become at least a caricature), love for parents and the importance of loved ones, as well as friendship that forgives and helps (god, Pear is an icon). Philosophical part: "If I change the past so that everything is fine with me, but others suffer at the same time, then how can this be called a charity?" Arguments about benefactors and morality killed me so much in one of the episodes that I even doubted that I was watching bl. A lot of questions are raised about the correctness of actions, reasoning about the meaning of life, as well as wonderful words of friends who ask you not to worry so much about the future, because you can miss the present. Also, the discussions about selfishness and self-sacrifice in episode 12 were very deep.

If you have a million IQ, then this is not news to you. But just in case: SPOILERS!

Love Line: Pisaeng/Kawi (actually there are two fucking love triangles that rely on Pear, but neither of them will make sense towards the end) It's not even a trop from enemies to lovers, because Pisaeng didn't care at all, and Kawi's hatred turned out to be groundless right after the first conversation about feelings for Pear. These feelings go through many obstacles before finally being expressed. I sincerely like the courage of Pisaeng when he realized himself and confessed his love. BUT MY FAVORITE how ironic IS THE SCENE WHEN THEY STARTED DATED! Every time Kawi wanted to be in the future the same groom at the altar who holds the hand of Pear and puts on her wedding ring, he returned to the past, corrected his mistakes and quickly returned back. But when he ended up staying with Pisaeng, HE LIVED ALL 12 YEARS AGAIN! That is, he was looking for with him not an illusory beautiful future, but enjoyed the present and created this future. But the consequences of each trip, of course, made me laugh. But those kisses from Kawi were really Judas kisses, I cried the moment Pisaeng sang on the beach (it's an Unable song). Features: bed scene under the poem that Peer reads at the exhibition of her mother, who left her in childhood. I'll leave it without comment, I guess. Beautiful locations, play of light, actors, songs and even color grading - everything conveyed the atmosphere of the lakorn, so you could easily get into it. Also, the character of Pisaeng is very well and interestingly written. I think that no one except Gawin would fit this role, his sad face so perfectly conveyed all his emotions that he can only be praised for this. Yes, I'm a Gawin fan, what's next?

I put 9 "picks on the 8th anniversary of the declaration of love" out of 5 "the most heterosexual kisses to forget"

[whatsagirltoblogabout]

Okay, full-length thoughts on the Mentalist Season 3 finale (episodes 23 & 24). No spoilers until the cut.

First of all - absolutely loved it. Great entertainment value, lots of rewatchability, epic highs and lows, and very impressive tension and suspense management.

Second of all - the performances. Gods damn, there are some great performances. The most obvious being Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, of course. As always, I could wax poetic for hours about that man's facial expressions alone. I am constantly enamoured and impressed by the way he can subtly yet clearly convey so many emotions while playing such a generally stoic character. And on top of that, his line deliveries are fantastic! His choices really are such an integral part of why this character is as wonderful as he is. HUGE props to the dude, always a pleasure to watch. Shoutout to my girl Robin Tunney as Teresa Lisbon, love of my life, queen of my heart. Again, she's another actor who really elevates the material through her facial expressions and line delivery and just general presence and characterization. Her chemistry with everyone, frankly, is truly a highlight of the show. And I don't mean that as exclusively romantic, I'm talking about the dynamism of her character's interactions and relationships with all the other characters, all of which are greatly enhanced by the performances of the actors. Tim and Owain are solid as usual, but I really want to make special note of Amanda Righetti as Grace Van Pelt. Throughout this whole season I've been noticing her earnest and endearing portrayal, and all that groundwork serves to make the character's arc in the finale that much more poignant. She's believably as sweet and loving and kind as the character is written, which is quite a feat considering that archetype can often come off as forced or superficial.

Now I want to talk plot, so spoiler warning ahead. (also mild spoilers for Psych and Lucifer)

Let's break this down piece-by-piece. The first section is the investigation into the death of this robber who got blown up. Right off the bat, this is a new type of case. If my memory serves, we haven't had an episode investigating a bombing victim before. The trail of breadcrumbs starting from that case is great, it doesn't feel forced or wooden, and it builds up to the first real reversal: Lisbon getting got.

While I did have to employ some suspension of disbelief to buy that Lisbon would get taken out so easily, the resulting caper was plenty of fun to make up for it. The "someone is listening to our every word, so we have to be extra cryptic and secretive about communicating" dynamic is very fun with these two because they have such a unique relationship. The notepad with increasing amounts of question marks was delightful. The "eleventh-hour love confession to cover up the sounds of the lock being picked" was brilliant. All in all, a fun segment of this journey. I didn't see the store owner coming, but in my defense they did kinda rush that reveal because they needed to get on with the story. They didn't encounter a single obstacle from the moment Lisbon was equipped with the bomb, lol, it was a really straightforward resolution. The guy being a mere intermediary, a pawn in someone else's game, was apparent from the moment he was revealed, simply because of the lack of buildup. We saw none of this guy's motivations, zippo nada zilch, so the most obvious answer was that he was doing this for someone else. And in this show, especially during a season finale, all roads lead to Red John eventually.

The Hightower connection was another one I didn't see coming, I hadn't really spared her much thought since she exited the show. Once the focus became identifying Red John's man on the inside, things became a bit more predictable. In all honesty, my first suspect was LaRoche because of how shifty he was acting after he shot the guy in that car, but as soon as Van Pelt's fiance was on the table as an option, there was never a question. They set it up too clearly with that one episode earlier on where she gets a new boyfriend that morning and then he bombs the CBI later that day, she's like the Gus equivalent on this show: if she's dating someone other than Rigsby, they're almost certainly shady. Knowing ahead of time didn't make the reveal any less satisfying, though. I was able to experience the betrayal and heartbreak all the same thanks to Amanda Righetti's fantastic performance.

I jumped ahead a bit, so going back to the plan: giving them all different locations was definitely where my mind was at as well, but the different floors of the same hotel was way smarter than what I was thinking. I didn't make the rope connection either, though I didn't believe it was Bertram at all, I just figured it would end up being O'Laughlin somehow, through trickery or something else.

The tension buildup from when Jane figures it out until O'Laughlin gets caught (and killed) was well done in a painful sort of way. Definitely got my adrenaline up lol, but it was fun. Lisbon getting shot was rude, tbh, but she looked so good with her hair splayed messily across her face, and she was a total badass with how she took him down in spite of it, so overall that was a win.

Okay, now on to that ending. Like I said earlier, it's reminiscent of the Lucifer Season 3 finale in that it's a crossing of a line, a point of no return that's been building up for the entire series. Do I think that was actually Red John? No. And I am very curious to see how that pans out and what that means for Jane. I am so tempted to start the next season right away, but I'm already staying up too late writing this and I have to wake up early tomorrow for work, so I'll have to be patient. It really feels like Jane's been put into check. The reason I don't think that was actually Red John (besides the meta reason of having read the names of all the episodes), is that it feels too simple. Too detached, too subdued. The interpersonal tension that I would expect from a serial killer and their pet police consultant wasn't there. I'll admit, my expectations might be skewed by my very recent viewing of Psych and the nature of Shawn and Yang's relationship. But still, I don't buy that Red John would be content with an ending like that. His continued meddling with Jane suggests that killing his wife and child did not satiate his desire to see Jane suffer, and so I'm hesitant to accept that there would be no animosity from his end when the two eventually meet. All the more fun to keep watching and see what happens next :D

Alright, I'm concluding my ramble here. Special mention of how much I enjoy when Jane weaponizes his own pain to manipulate others like he does at the very end of the finale. I definitely have a penchant for liking characters who find unhealthy ways to take the real pain that they feel and turn it against the people causing them that pain. But that's a conversation for another day. For tonight, I'm going to go to bed content after having watched some banger TV and hoping and praying that the lack of sleep doesn't screw me over tomorrow. Byeeeeeee!

[handsomelyhiddleston]

Sticky Notes - Tom Hiddleston x Reader

It all started on the set of Ragnarok. They hadn’t even started filming yet. Table reads, choreography, costume fittings, set development…The cast, crew, and even Taika started finding little notes.

Some were specifically to certain people…

“Your laugh is contagious. Thank you for making this set so down to earth and inviting.” You slipped that into Taika’s (the director’s) fanny pack when he left it on his director’s chair.

“I know how hard you’ve been working on your fight choreography, and I just wanted to let you know you absolutely killed it today!” You left that stuck to Tessa’s (Valkyrie’s) water bottle.  

Some you posted for everyone, like “I know that you all put such amazing effort and time into bringing this movie to life and I just want you all to know that it doesn’t go unnoticed.” That note was posted above a table full of ‘easy to grab’ snacks you laid out such as protein bars, fruit snacks, pretzels, and dried fruit.

This continued well into filming. Everyone had tried to figure out who was leaving these little daily encouragements. It got to the point that Taika started calling you Casper, as in “Casper the Friendly Ghost.” Every day at the start of filming he would say. “Come on guys. Let’s make Casper proud.”

Everyone had a theory. Most thought that it was actually Taika just trying to keep morale up. Taika accused Tom but took it back after some comment about the notes not sounding very British.

Your job on set was to cast extras. While you were present daily, you honestly only had to meet with Taika once or twice a day to make sure the next day’s cast extras were ready. You two fell into an easy rhythm working together and he started asking for your opinion on some other aspects of the set. One late afternoon, after an incredibly chaotic day of filming, Taika decided that he was going to scrap the entire scene and start it over.

He pulled out his phone and sent a text to you, Tom, and Chris. “Today can suck it. I’ve just watched the dailies, and something just isn’t right about that scene. Meet at mine in 30 so we can get ahead of it.” A few seconds later he added, “And for the love of God, someone bring some tequila.”

You laughed at his text, jogging to the trailer you shared with the other casting director. You changed into a pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt and grabbed your keys and wallet. You jumped in your car so you could make a quick trip to the Starbucks down the street since it appeared it was going to be a long night.

“One Venti iced coffee with milk and 1 sugar, one Grande Americano hot with cream and 2 sugars, one Venti hot latte with vanilla, and one Venti hot water with two earl gray tea bags and four sugars on the side. Can I also get one of the small kid’s milk boxes?” You heard the barista repeat your order back and pulled forward and paid.

When you got to Taika’s trailer, Tom and Chris were already there.

“Oh, bless you” Taika thanked you, taking the Latte from you.

“You’re the best” Chris said, taking the lid off of the Americano so it would cool off a bit.  

“Tom, I grabbed you tea.” You handed him the hot water and two tea bags, setting the sugars and milk next to him so he could make it to his liking.

“You’re too kind” Tom graciously took the hot water from you, noting that you grabbed his favorite kind of tea.

In Taika’s trailer there was a table with a bench on each side. Chris and Tom were sat on one side, leaving a space for you to sit next to Taika.

“Anyone grab the tequila?” you laughed, dropping your keys and wallet on Taika’s counter and sitting at the table with your iced coffee.

Taika grabbed the bottle and sat it down in front of you. “You’re already two swigs behind, love.”

“Bullshit” you laughed. “Prove it. Where are the shot glasses?”

“I said swigs, not shots” Taika smirked. “We don’t have shot glasses.”

“Look at how much is missing from that bottle. I just bought it.” Hemsworth backed Taika up.

You looked at Tom, knowing he would be honest with you.

“Hey, you trust Tom more than me?” Taika pretended to be offended.

“Tom always looks out for everybody. I don’t think he’d let me get two shots drunker than you fools.” You teased Taika, poking his side and sticking your tongue out at him.

“Watch” Taika said, putting his arm around your shoulders and looking towards Tom. “How many swigs did we all take?”

Tom laughed, “I’m sorry darling, but he’s telling you the truth.”  

“Fine, fine.” You opened the bottle and took three swigs, handing it to Taika. “Catch up, then.”

Tom started thinking about the compliment you had given him as he took his third swig of Tequila. He felt flattered that you felt that way, but it also reminded him of one of the notes he had found stuck to his trailer door.

“Okay, we need to re-block this whole scene. It just did not translate from script to screen…” The four of you worked on a few line changes and mapped out a better way to execute the scene for over two hours.

There was a bit of dialogue that Taika felt was getting lost that he really just didn’t want to let go of. “We may just have to mess with this tomorrow while we’re filming.”

“Or you could have Loki say it instead of Thor.” You suggested.

“Could do.” You could tell that Taika was thinking it over.

“Here you have Thor immediately going into another hard-hitting line” you explained. “If that line comes from Loki, it makes it less likely to get lost.”

“I think that will fix this problem too” Chris started underlining other parts of the dialogue.

“What do you think?” Taika looked at Tom.

“I mean, I personally think Loki has already evolved enough at that point in the script that it suits him quite nicely.” Tom explained in a way only Tom can explain.

“I agree” you said. “You guys make Loki grow quite a bit in this film and as usual, Tom is hitting it out of the park. I’m 100% confident he will have conveyed that message to the audience by this point.”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence.” Again, Tom was flattered. However, he was growing more and more suspicious that you were Casper.

“Always” you replied, smiling at Tom as you finished your coffee.

“Let me type this up and we can table read it.” Taika grabbed the papers and went to the other side of the trailer where his computer was set up.

“While you do that, I’m going to steal your restroom for a moment.” Chris stood, throwing his empty coffee cup away and closing the bathroom door. Chris joined Taika a moment later.

“Y/n?” Tom said, kind of quietly.

“What’s up?” Your elbows were resting on the table with your chin sat on your hands.

“Can I ask you something?” Tom didn’t want to bring it up in front of anyone. He didn’t want the notes to stop, but he had to know.

Tom looked a bit serious, but you didn’t know why. “Of course.”

“Are you…” He stopped, reaching his hand into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. “Is this you?”

Your eyes went wide as Tom pulled a small stack of pink sticky notes out of his wallet, laying them down next to each other. There must have been 10 of them in total. You were touched that he actually kept them. Sometimes you felt silly leaving them for people not knowing if they appreciated them. You tried to play it off, laughing. “I thought those were from Taika?”

He pointed at one of them, reading it quietly. “I tried the tea you always drink. I don’t think it could ever replace my love of coffee, but I wanted you to know it pairs well with a good book.” He pointed to another note. “I know you paid for everyone to Uber home after our last night out. I just wanted to tell you I appreciate you. Thank you for always looking out for us.” You could feel his eyes on you as he moved his hand to a third note. “I envy your ability to capture a room. You’ve got an amazing knack for making those watching you feel whatever emotion you’re trying to convey.” When Tom’s hand moved to the fourth note, you heard Taika’s printer turn on.

“Put them away” you said, trying to stack them quickly. Chris started walking towards you and you grabbed the small stack you had gathered and put them in your pocket.

Tom put the rest back in his wallet. “What do you think?” he asked Taika about the changes he had made.

“I think tomorrow is going to be a lot fuckin’ better.” He passed the printed copies around after joining the two of you back at the table.

Tom’s line went over great, and the dialogue flowed much more smoothly. All of the other changes made the scene feel more natural. When Taika called it a night, Chris laid down on the couch refusing to go back to his own trailer.

“Can I walk you to yours?” Tom asked as you stepped out of Taika’s trailer.

The two of you walked back to your trailer in comfortable silence, tired and a little drunk. When you got to the door, you turned around and pulled the pink notes out of your pocket.

“Please don’t tell anyone?” You placed the notes in Tom’s hand.

“I didn’t plan on it” he replied, tucking them neatly back into his wallet.

“I feel silly now that someone knows it was me. Why did you keep them?” You had to ask. You assumed, at most, that people read them, smiled, and threw them away.

“Hmm…” Tom laughed humorlessly, his eyes focused on his wallet. “I think you’re doing a lot more than you realize when you leave your ‘silly’ little notes.”

His response caught you off guard. He almost sounded…sad? Serious?

“Y/n, I’ve had to work with actors and crew that have made filming a project miserable. Whether they were rude or critical or just an absolute diva, there is always someone to bring the room down.” He put his wallet away and looked you in the eyes. “I wish you knew how many of us have kept these notes. Taika has them in the glovebox of his car. The catwalk above the set is covered in notes you’ve left the crew. They’re stuck all over the mirrors in the make-up trailer so that the cast sees them first thing in the morning.”

Your eyes went wide. “What?”

Tom put his hands on each of your arms as if to ensure you were paying attention. “An encouraging word or a genuine compliment can change someone’s entire day, y/n. You have no way of knowing what life has dealt any of these people. They could be depressed or stressed out or wishing they hadn’t woken up that morning…and all of a sudden they receive a tiny bit of kindness from someone and it makes it that much easier to get through another day. Maybe even with a smile on their face.”

Tom wore a soft smile and even though you felt a bit overwhelmed, you couldn’t help but smile back. “Thank you for telling me that.” You moved towards him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Please don’t forget it.” Tom pulled back a bit and pressed a quick kiss to your cheek. “I hope you get a good night’s sleep.”

“You, too.” You watched Tom walk away before slipping into your shared trailer.

Over the next few weeks, Tom had left you multiple green sticky notes with compliments written on them.

“You looked stunning yesterday”

“Thank you for still being a good listener when I go on rants about things you couldn’t care less about”

“Taika was bragging about you to someone on the phone. I just wanted you to know. I know sometimes you hesitate to suggest your ideas, but you shouldn’t.”

“I appreciate how much time you spend making this a better set to work on.”

“You are an incredible friend.”

You’d find at least one note a day and for every note he left you, you’d leave one for him. The two of you got quite a bit closer after he found out about your secret. You’d spend breaks on set together and often times wound up back in Taika’s trailer with him and Chris. You cuddled and flirted and shared more than a few loving glances, but you never went any further. It felt like it was turning into something more, but Tom was such a gentleman you couldn’t tell.

The note you found this morning, however, completely caught you off guard. The filming was almost done and everyone’s time on set was almost over. You had just sat down next to the director’s chair and opened your laptop. There, stuck to the screen, was a green sticky note. “Darling, would you please be mine?”

You looked up at Tom on stage only to find him already looking at you. He lifted his brow and tilted his head, waiting for your response. You couldn’t help but smile as you nodded ‘yes’.

Taika looked between you, noticing the interaction and intentionally teasing you. “Oi, what’s this then?”

Tom turned, trying to hide his grin by talking to Chris. You closed your laptop to hide the sticky note.

“Nah, I saw you two. Don’t pretend like I’m crazy.” Taika was still looking back and forth between you and Tom.

“Maybe you’re still drunk from last night” you teased, putting your laptop in its bag so you could retrieve the note later.

“Oh, sure.” He dropped it, knowing he’d bring it up tonight when you all gathered in his trailer.

The rest of the filming flew by crazy fast. You and Tom had decided that you would go stay with him in New York until the press junkets and interviews started. When the premier rolled around, you two were already publicly dating so you got to escort him down the red carpet. It had been just over a year since the two of you had started dating.

As the credits for the film started rolling, you felt like you were walking down memory lane. So many people go into making movies of this scale and watching all of the names roll by, one by one, really puts that into perspective. You’d met almost all of these people and worked closely with quite a few of them. As the credits came to an end, you saw that Taika had added an extra credit.

The last few “SPECIAL THANKS” credits were in order as listed…

“The filmmakers acknowledge the assistance of the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Grant”

“The filmmakers would like to acknowledge the Yugambeh and Bundjalung Peoples of Australia”

“The director would like to thank ‘Casper’, Ragnarok’s own personal friendly ghost”

It had been a year since you’d written one of those notes and it caught you off guard. Tom put his arm around your shoulders, pressing a kiss to your temple. “I told you.”

You and Tom mingled amongst your friends at the after party. Taika was flying. He was so happy with how it turned out and grateful for such a positive response. Everyone in the cast was telling stories from filming and catching up with their friends. By the time you two got back to your hotel room, you were blissfully tipsy and exhausted. You slipped out of your dress and threw on a baggy t-shirt before washing your face and getting ready for bed. When you left the bathroom, you saw Tom sitting on the edge of the bed in his pajamas with a soft, warm smile gracing his beautiful face. He was wearing his glasses and his hair was a mess and he could not have been more attractive if he tried.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling you to stand between his legs.

“Pretty good. How about yourself?” you put your arms around his neck and pressed your lips to his.

“I think there’s only one thing that could make me happier in this moment.” He answered.

You thought he was being a bit cheeky, so you replied with, “oh, yeah? I wonder what that could be.”

Tom reached behind him on the bed and pulled out a small box with a worn, green sticky note on top of it. He didn’t say anything, letting you read it. It was the same note he had left stuck to your laptop screen. “Darling, would you please be mine?” Only now the word “forever” was written at the bottom.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Jack Bass x Younger!Reader || Oneshot

Title: Bass's.

Notes:

I have no idea when this is supposed to be set. Just go with it.

I have two things to say about Jack in this gif, though. 1. Does he not know how to carry a tray. And 2. I love this statement, here. Its like 'Bart's Dead, Chuck. I can barely contain my joy, Chuck. Its taking all my willpower, Chuck, to keep a monotonous expression. Also Chuck I am carrying a tray, do you see this?'

Plot: Bart Bass decides to be his creepy fucking self (Not that Jack is exponentially better in any way but whatever) towards you, Chuck's best friend- but thankfully, Jack accidentally walks in on the scene and gives you a get out of jail free card.

Good old 'lesser of two evils' shit. I love stuff like that.

Warnings: BART BASS being predatory, and a bit of age difference (You and Jack. I'm going by actors ages though so there's only a, like, 11 year age gap between him and Chuck which is not that bad if you ask me). Sexual references.

~~~

Chuck looks from his phone, that's flashing Blairs name, to you and your big, wide eyes and lips mouthing 'Don't you dare', then to his father quietly tapping away on his phone on the couch a few feet away... then back at his phone.

"Charles- " You hiss, prepared to threaten his very existence but he cuts you off first- slipping off the bar stool beside you and heading for the hallway.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom."

Why am I friends with him again!? You think, but stay quiet and hope that Bart doesn't realise that you're back there despite having said hello to you earlier when he came in. You think, if you stay quiet like a mouse, he will forget your existence and keep texting until Chuck gets back- although, who knows how long he and Blair can go on for.

Depends what its about, honestly. If its about revenge or espionage... well, the conversation could last quite some time.

Should I just leave?

The impulse to run away is a strong one, as you sit there with your cheeks heating up and you start to feel nauseated. You never liked Bart Bass, from the moment you met him. Before that, actually. You had heard Chuck talking about him to Nate before you even became friends with them, and none of what you heard was good. And then you did meet him, one day when Chuck invited you over to do a school project. Or 'school project' as he so obnoxiously put it. You really did end up just doing a school project, though. Hence your friendship nowadays. Bart was creepy towards you even then, at 16 with terribly died hair and the wrong eyeshadow.

You've been very careful since then to never be alone with him like this. You would talk to him at parties if you were forced to, say hello to him when Chuck had you at his place and the man walked by, but that is the extent of your communication with the creep. Always, always, someone would be around. Chuck, mostly. But also staff, or Nate, or random fundraiser ladies, or Jack who Chuck the bastard never left alone with all willy-nilly like this, unfortunately, or Lily, or literally anyone else possible on the earth.

You've even hidden away in the men's bathroom, which is disgusting no matter how expensive the restaurant, with Nate before to get away from this man when Chuck once ditched you both at a dinner with him. And that's the story of how you got your first kiss, too, and it was from Nate Archibald. Hell yes.

That's how much this man makes you want to grab your bag and flee.

But you don't. You stay glued to your seat, super still, listening only to the tap-tap-tapping noises that Bart makes and the bump-bump-bump noises your heart is making right into your throbbing ears.

Until it stops.

Not the bump-bump-bumping, oh no. The tapping. And, nightmarishly, it's replaced by a groan and footsteps coming towards your turned back.

"Y/N," As soon as he says your name, his hands fall on your your shoulders and you literally jump under his touch. Shit- Shit- Fuck- what's happening- "I've been meaning to speak with you recently but Chuck- ah. Well you know him. He refused to share with me your telephone number. But I knew you'd turn up here at some point, so not to worry."

"Uh... right." You cant even force yourself to be your normal, cheery, polite self in this position. You just want him to get. off. of. you.

"Did you want a drink?" He asks, in that possibly cheery (But only because its slightly louder then his usual husk level) but mostly still scary voice he uses to convey emotion, letting go of you thankfully and rounding to the other side of the bar. You shake your head, though. He raises his brows, picking out a scotch for himself. "You don't drink? Shocking, seeing as you're friends with my son."

Oh I drink. You think, giving him a shrug. Just not in situations like this one. Also, what must he think of Chuck? Jesus Christ. For sure, your boy likes debauchery but what's wrong with that?

"Well, I like that." Bart pauses before pouring his drink, to appreciate you. "Mature."

Damn it. It makes your skin absolutely crawl.

"So... " You take a deep breath, tucking your hair back behind your ears rather then ruffling it back like you usually would to get it out of your face- lest that be recognised as some kind of extremely subtle form of flirting. God, fear makes you think weird things. "What did you want to discuss?"

"Oh- Just, your future. Where are you going to school? Will you be sticking close to us?"

Us? US? No, I'll be far far away, from you.

You don't really want to tell Bart where you're going to be going to school, because in your fear addled brain you know that that will just lead to 'Which campus?', or 'Where will you be staying?' and you really don't want it to go there.

You're just taking another, shakier deep breath, when the front door of the apartment opens and shuts loudly and set of feet trample down the hallway towards you. Immediately total relief plashes over you and you wipe your face. Oh, thank god.

Jack Bass appears in the doorway to the living room, looking as put-together yet somehow simultaneously still totally relaxed, as always, and forces aa polite smile onto his handsome face. "Brother. Y/N? Its good to see you."

You have no idea. "Good to see you too Jack. Uh- Chuck's in the bathroom."

"Thanks. For that... enlightening, information, Y/N. I needed that." You cheeks flare up in embarrassment, but ultimately you just roll your eyes as Jack flashes you a subtle wink, and turns promptly to his - much, - older brother. "Bart."

The older brother in question looks less then pleased at his baby brothers appearance in his home. Right now. And he possibly isn't thrilled about that little wink, either. Like you two are in on some kind of joke together. "Jack... What are you doing here?"

"Simmer down, bro. Just visiting." Even you know that that excuse is weak, but anything that comes out Jack's own monotonous voice right now is blessed where you're concerned so you certainly don't say anything. Or make any faces, which would be more appropriate. "Y/N, I don't think Bart-man here's too happy about my presence." Hm, no. You'd have to agree with that observation- not that you've looked up at Bart since Jack came in. You wont risk it. Jack glides through the room with the practised grace of a man who's lived 3 quarters of his life in suits and the other, happier quarter in board shorts, and ends up right next to your chair, an arm resting on the bench in front of you.

If you weren't already so nervous about Bart, you would blush about Jack.

"At least tell me you're glad to see me."

You grin, which is less forced then you thought it would be prior to trying it. Damn, he's good. You think, realising he just swepped in here and made you comfortable in less then 50 words. "Always, 'Uncle Jack'."

"Oh," He groans, like it physically pained him to hear you tease him like that. A tiny smirk even slips through his usually emotionless - well, not emotionless. He has one standing colour, that being sly, - stone statue of a face. "'Uncle Jack'- Please, stop. I'm barely a decade older then you."

That's enough to make anything else possible, inappropriate. Unfortunately. "Hey, I said I'm glad to see you." You wink, a bit sly yourself. "Count your blessings."

His grin widens a bit, like the dangerously charming Cheshire cat-type that he is. Genes that Chuck inherited, clearly, if his track record with girls say anything at all, but that Bart obviously missed out on. "You've got a point."

"She's a remarkable young woman." Bart pipes up, making your stomach tie itself up in knots again, and you immediately revert your gaze to your lap. Remarkable young woman... you want to barf. "Who, I was actually having a conversation with before you burst in here, unannounced." He takes a slow sip of his drink, then mutters. "And uninvited."

"Well that's great." Jack straightens up, clapping his hands together and finally showing his teeth in a smile. They're really freaken white, compared to his skin, deeply tanned by the hot Australian sun. "A visit would be kinda uncomfortable without a conversation; I'll join. I can converse with the best of 'em, Bart. I assure you."

"It was private." The old man sneers, thinking that he's got the upper hand on Jack, and all you can do is hope to god that he's wrong.

Jack turns his head back to look at you, and you meet his gaze tentatively. Your eyes scream, 'Please don't leave me alone with that guy'. He promptly looks back to Bart. "Well Bart why don't we ask the lady in the room what she wants? We are gentlemen here aren't we?" Then Jack makes a face, all crumpled up and unsure, for a moment. "Err. Well actually... 'gentleman' might be a bold faced lie. We'll ask anyway. Y/N! Do you mind if I weigh in here?"

"Not at all." You say quickly, flashing a tiny, thankful smile. He gives you another wink- this time actually subtle. So Bart didn't see it. Your smile gets a little bit bigger, relaxing. He's got you.

"Great." You watch him pull out the stool beside you, that Chuck - who has still not returned from his phone call with Blair. You assume some, likely cruel vengeance must be involved. Possibly involving that Humphrey guy, - had vacated and settles down in it. He then sets his arms firmly on the bench and looks up attentively at Bart, not breaking eye contact with him. Boy these Bass's like their stare downs. "So?" He prompts, expectantly. And a little arrogantly- a Bass speciality that you truly don't mind at all. "What's on the agenda, today?"

Bart glares heatedly, back.

~

Throughout the awkward discussion between the three of you, which your good friend Chuck has yet to return to discover - at this point you're resigned to him having climbed out the window and scaled the building probably, - , Jack constantly, skilfully changes the subject for you whenever Bart rears to close to somewhere uncomfortable. He makes jokes that make you laugh, he nudges you with his elbow at times - but never touches you any more then that, although you honestly wouldn't mind it if he did, - and takes the attention off you a lot. At times you truly thought you saw steam come out of Bart's ears.

When finally Bart gives up and excuses himself, saying he as an early dinner with Lily, you feel exhausted and relieved. After the door swings shut behind him, you cover your face with your hands and deeply sigh.

"So, what was that about? You looked like a trapped mouse. I recognise that look, I invented that look." You pull back slightly from your hands and glance over at him, to see him thoughtful for a moment. "Well, not by making it. By... causing... it... Either way, it was not good." He shakes his head, taking a sip of his own drink - scotch, - that he made Bart pour for him; Raising his eyebrows at you for an explanation over the rim of the glass.

Jack's always been great, like this. Even when he was horrible, he was the lesser of two evils between him and Bart. Good for a laugh and quality eye candy in a pinch- and that counts for a hell of a lot when it comes to surviving Bart Bass and the Upper East Side. And he had the power and pull of an adult, but knew what the hell was going on like one of you.

So he always made you feel at ease.

You ruffle your hair back, and sigh, straightening your back finally from their hunched over position they live in when you're uncomfortable and pushing back your shoulders. "He was just, saying some weird stuff... and Chuck disappeared to talk to Blair." At that, Jack nods in total understanding. Like ah, yeah. Got ya. Finally, you shrug. "He just makes me really uncomfortable. No offence, but I hate your brother."

As you watch Jack's eyes don't even flicker; He's totally on board with what you've said. Then he finishes the rest of his scotch in one gulp. "Ahh- I hate him too."

"As do we all." Chuck's voice suddenly pops up, as he appears in the doorway like Jack had earlier. You have to practice some serious self control so as to not laugh, at Chuck so coincidentally turning up again at the perfect moment to proclaim his hatred for his father. Jack grins back at Chuck coldly, nodding. Yeah. "Anyway, Y/N, I apologise but I'll be having to abandon you. Blair's waiting for me at her, empty, apartment." He pauses for a moment for dramatic effect, in perfect Chuck Bass fashion, and you roll your eyes, grinning. Jack smirks. "But you're welcome to stick around a while and help yourself to the amenities All on my tab, of course. Good to see you again, Jack." Then he pockets his phone and heads toward the door. The second Bass of the day leaves the building.

"Bye, nephew!" Jack waives as the elevator doors close behind Chuck then swiftly turns around back to you, to which you raise your eyebrows. "So, what do we do now?"

"I dunno." Shrugging you grin and turn your stool to angle your legs towards Jack. "When Chuck says those magical words 'All on my tab'," Those words, oh; You speak them with just as much raw, breathy sexual arousal as the man himself would. As the words demand. 'All on my tab'. Good lord, sex if they were words. "I tend to take advantage."

"An easy girl to please; That's what I like to see." Your cheeks flame up at those words out of Jack's mouth as he turns to look down at the room service menu. Yes, Jack Bass has toed the line, between platonic and flirtatious since the very moment you met the man... but that seemed a little bit more then toeing the line.

And you get a far different reaction to him doing it then you do the other Bass brother.

You don't even really mind the implications of his words.

"You're staying back with me?" You ask, feeling hopeful at the idea.

"Yeah well, I cant in, uh, good conscience," He makes a bit of a show to you, of pressing his hand to his chest totally earnestly as those words 'good conscience' come out of his mouth. "leave you here unguarded in case Bart comes back, can I? Besides, the way you said 'All on my tab'- man, you could sell moonshine at an AA meeting with that voice."

"Ha," You laugh, rolling your eyes and shaking your head. "Well, thanks."

"Oh. Don't thank me. You're just using what uh, your mama gave you. I actually encourage you totally, to do that more often- "

"No!" You exclaim, sighing in exasperation; But there is still a smile on your face you cant seem to shake. "For not leaving, today. When you walked in. It would've sucked if you had, not that I would've blamed you at all."

"Hey, just call me your knight in shining armour." He doesn't look up from the menu, flicking through it. Then turns to you with one of those beach boy/politician, toothless grins of his. "Besides you were automatically, my favourite person in the apartment. I mean, anyone with... uhhh- different, appendages to what I have, instantly gets a one-way ticket access to my rare bouts of chivalry. Now come over here, pick out what you want off here."

You just gape at him and that comment, making him stifle a laugh and return to the menu himself.

Bass's.

[jj-lynn21]

Stellan interview

"Stellan Skarsgard Is Finally Seizing the Spotlight"

https://www.thedailybeast.com/stellan-skarsgard-is-finally-seizing-the-spotlight

With roles in “Dune,” the Star Wars series “Andor,” and “Hope,” the character actor par excellence has never been more popular. He talks to Marlow Stern about his stellar career.

Few if any actors have built a resume as impressive as that of Stellan Skarsgård.

After achieving teen-idol status in his native Sweden—even releasing a pop single—due to the TV series Bombi Bitt, Skarsgård transitioned to film acting. It was in the mid-’90s, with roles as a sadistic oil rig worker in Breaking the Waves, a fiery abolitionist in Amistad, and a haughty mathematician in Good Will Hunting, that the towering, stone-faced Swede would cross over into America, and establish himself as one of the finest character actors alive.

He’s since maintained a healthy diet of what he calls “experimental films,” including a total of six with Danish auteur Lars von Trier, and Hollywood studio fare, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean and Mamma Mia! films, the Thor and Avengers superhero extravaganzas, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Cinderella. And right now, at the age of 69, Skarsgård is at his most prolific. There was his Golden Globe-winning turn in HBO’s Chernobyl, the upcoming villain in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and a main role in the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor, which he’s filming right now in London. Oh, and he’s fathered eight children, including the actors Alexander, Gustaf, Bill, Sam, and Valter.

“There’s no competition, really,” the elder Skarsgård tells me of his talented brood. “There’s some joking competition at the dinner table, but I know they’re better than me, so I’ve given up.”

Skarsgård’s latest is the Norwegian drama Hope. Directed by Maria Sødahl, the wife of his frequent collaborator Hans Petter Moland, it is a heartrending autobiographical film about a long-married couple, Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) and her theater-director husband Tomas (Skarsgård), whose atrophying bond is put to the test when Anja develops terminal brain cancer. As they fight for Anja’s survival, the two reevaluate how their relationship went off-course, and why they fell in love in the first place. (The U.S. remake rights were quickly snapped up by Nicole Kidman and Amazon Studios.)

Anne Frank’s Stepsister: How Trump Reminds Me of HitlerNEVER AGAINMarlow Stern

In a wide-ranging conversation, Skarsgård opened up to The Daily Beast about his many great films, the controversy surrounding pal Lars von Trier, being a nudist, and much more.

How have you been passing the time during the pandemic?

In different ways. The first half of the year I was at our summer house on an island outside of Stockholm, and all my kids—who were also actors, most of them, and they weren’t working either—were all out there in two houses eating dinners together, having a good time, and seeing the spring inch-by-inch, everything grew, which you never get time to do otherwise. But this job I’m doing here now [in London], I was supposed to fly back and forth from Stockholm because I’m shooting this Star Wars series called Andor, and it would have been very convenient because it’s only a two-hour flight, but because of the quarantine I’ve been stuck here. For more than a month I’ve been alone in a hotel room staring into the wall.

Speaking of the Skarsgård household, I read a quote from your son Alexander who said that when he was a teenager, “Dad was always walking around [without clothes] with a glass of red wine in his hand.” Was that your vibe during the pandemic?

Not this time! Is it the wine that worries you? [Laughs]

Did the stress of the pandemic make you feel less… free?

No, I’m still taking off my clothes when I get home very often—and my kids also, some of them do. It’s not a big thing. We’re Swedes! And we have no God that says we can’t show our body parts.

What about it do you just find so liberating? I don’t go the full monty but when I go home, I do tend to take off my pants and let loose a little bit, because it is constricting.

If it’s warm enough you don’t need clothes, right? Unless you’re ashamed of your body—or taught to be ashamed of certain body parts. For me, it’s all upbringing. It’s cultural. Some cultures don’t care about what part of the body you show, and some cultures are very precious, and some cultures the women can’t show their faces.  

I’m curious what life was like in the Skarsgård household, because you’ve helped produce so many talented kids. Alexander described it as “bohemian,” similar to what you described during the pandemic, filled with dinner parties and a free-flowing atmosphere.

It’s always been a very open house, and the kids’ friends, it’s been easier to sometimes be in our house than their houses—especially during puberty, when conflicts arise—because we’re very relaxed and non-judgmental in our family. It’s really, truly pleasant. And my kids are more like pals to me. There’s no hierarchical relationship at all. It’s very nice. We just have fun!

It’s a very talented—and frankly, attractive—family. How did this happen?  

How did I make kids that look so good? [Laughs]

Is that something you’re particularly proud of?  

[Laughs] Well, the looks I don’t care so much about, but I’ve had two beautiful wives—and very smart wives—and that’s helped a lot. I’m not going to take much credit for anything. But what I’m proud of is, when I hear from other people in the business about Gustaf or Sam or Bill or Valter or Alexander, I hear that somebody worked with them and they were really nice on the set and totally cool with everybody, and how no matter what menial job anyone had on the set they were nice to them, then I’m proud. If they win awards it’s secondary to that, because that is a lottery anyway. Awards are sort of like reality shows.

They really are a popularity contest. Let’s talk about Hope. It could have very well been called Grief.

I thought it sounded bland to begin with, but in fact the film is about hope—and about love. It’s not a normal cancer film where it’s all about beating the cancer or fighting against it, but it’s about someone who gets a death sentence in a family situation with a lot of kids, like I have, and everything that was petrified in the relationship floats up again. It’s about how they rejuvenate their relationship, and through those horrible circumstances, find love again.

There’s one very powerful scene in the film that really encapsulates many elements and themes that it explores, and it’s the sex scene between you and your wife. It manages to capture the joy of reconnecting as well as the grief you’re experiencing.

I think it’s a great scene, because it starts beautifully—very gently—and it looks like it’s going to be really nice for both of them, and then her anxiety sets in, and things start to bad. And it does go bad pretty fast.

On another level, I’m an American and we don’t see sex very often in movies. And when we do, we don’t see it in the service of such complicated emotions.

With sex in film, it’s difficult, because sex is something that feels fantastic when you do it, and it looks ridiculous when you watch. Those humping movements like a dog? It’s not sexy at all! So, you can’t do a sex scene that looks like it feels, so they always have to be about something else. The sex scenes I had with Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves, it was about her curiosity, because she discovered her first penis, she discovered sexuality, and it was totally about the relationship. The sex was just there. And in this film, the scene is not really about sex but about something else. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sex scene that looks like it feels, and that can convey that beautiful thing that sex can be.

Really, in America, we get almost no sex scenes in movies. And it’s 2021.

It’s very strange. It’s not as bad as during the Hays Code, when you couldn’t let the lips meet for more than one second.

You just had a train going into a tunnel.

[Laughs] Yes, that very subtle image. But in America, you have a strong, strong tradition of bigotry or fear of sexuality. Only two years ago, in nine states in America, it was still illegal to have sex outside of marriage, and my American friends have told me that when they were growing up, it was even regulated how they could have sex—you couldn’t have oral sex or anal sex—so it is so ingrained in American culture that people’s sexuality is not a private thing, but something that everybody should interfere with.

Hope is also an exploration of mortality. Is that something you think about often? 

I’ve never been that interested in it. I’ve always been aware of it. It’s the only thing you know in life—you’re gonna fucking die. But already many years ago, I thought I’d had such a fantastic life that it would only be fair that I died, because I’ve already lived more than most people. So, I don’t feel any injustice in death. And I’m not afraid of death because I’m not religious, so I don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to end up in hell or heaven. But I have small children still, my youngest is 8, and I’m no spring chicken anymore, so I think about how I should stick around for at least another ten years until everything is set.

I read that you’d studied a bunch of religions in the wake of 9/11 and reached the conclusion that it was all sort of bunk.

I grew up with total freedom of religion—my parents weren’t religious, though my grandmother was very religious. It was taught to me without judgment, and it was a very tolerant upbringing I had. But I hadn’t read the Bible. And after 9/11, when I saw George W. Bush standing in front of TV cameras and claiming that God had put him there, I thought maybe it was time to read what they actually believed in. So, I read the Quran and I read the Bible. There are some fantastic stories—as fiction, it’s sometimes brilliant and sometimes boring—but the God in both the Quran and the Bible, there’s only one reason to really worship them, and that is fear. It’s a power that says, “If you don’t worship, you’re going to die—and not only die, but burn in eternity.” It’s a bit autocratic and dictatorial, I would say. It’s very hard for me to worship something under threat.

And if God put George W. Bush in the White House, then God has a very cruel sense of humor.

[Laughs] Yeah, he does. And the latest president said the same thing.

But he doesn’t believe in God. He only believes in himself.

Yeah. I think that if he had more appreciation from the liberals in America, he would have just as well gone populist-liberal.

I think so too. You know, I read that your Dogville co-star Nicole Kidman already picked up the remake rights to Hope for Amazon.

She’s picked up the remake rights, yeah.

Both you and your son Alexander have shared some pretty intense scenes with Nicole. There’s that dramatic scene in Big Little Lies where Nicole hits your son in the dick, and it almost seemed to me like payback for what you put her through in Dogville.

[Laughs] Yeah, I’ve done two films with her and Alexander just finished doing The Northman with her. But she’s lovely. I really like her. She’s so cool.

At least it was a prosthetic and not Alexander’s real thing.

Yeah… coward! [Laughs]

I gotta say, between Chernobyl, Hope, Dune, a Star Wars series, and even a Simpsons cameo as yourself, how does it feel to be at your most prolific at 69?

I’m just working! I’m doing my job and having fun doing it. I’ve been lucky and a lot of good projects have emerged. It goes up and down, you know, throughout life. And I don’t think I could have a better life than I’ve had. I don’t have any regrets. And I don’t have to be the star or be in something very successful, I just have to have fun.

Nice. Do you feel you’re underrated? I think you’re someone who’s so consistently great in everything that it can almost be taken for granted how great you are. I know you won a Golden Globe recently, and that was long overdue, even if it’s mostly bullshit.

I don’t know! I can tell you: it’s much better to be underrated than overrated. So, I’m very comfortable if I am underrated. But I’m a Swede with an accent—or most of the time I have an accent—and for being a Swede with an accent, I have been extremely successful internationally, so I can’t complain. When it comes to the big studio movies, and I’ve been in four or five gigantic franchises that have paid a lot of bills for me, their concerns are financial, and I’m not a ticket-seller. I’m a solid fucking actor, and I’d rather be an actor than a star.  

It gives you the mobility.

Exactly. The freedom I have. I can easily do small, experimental films and strange stuff—films that could ruin another actor’s career—so I’m in a good position.

I wanted to ask you about Breaking the Waves, because it’s the 25th anniversary this year and I consider it a masterful film. And it was Emily Watson’s first film, which is just extraordinary. How did you two establish such strong chemistry?

She’s British, which means she comes from a rather prudish society too, and to take on a role with an obscure Danish director—who wasn’t that famous at the time—and to take on a role with such explicit sex and nudity took enormous courage, but she was fantastic. My job was to love her, and that felt easy, but I think that she felt loved, and I think that she felt secure, which is essential for being able to do anything courageous. But she’s such a brilliant, talented, wonderful woman. I finally got to work with her again in Chernobyl. I mean, you just have to look at her and everything comes.

There’s this longstanding debate over whether Breaking the Waves is misogynistic or not, and I personally find it to be a misreading of the film. I’ve always thought of it as a biblical allegory of sorts about a desperate woman navigating a deeply sexist world.

Absolutely. Lars doesn’t have that in him. Those fantastic female roles that he has written, if you want to defend women in film, you’ve really got to take care of him because he writes the best roles for them. Those roles are very much him, and he definitely doesn’t have a negative attitude toward women. He loves them. There’s a plague of labeling people—not for what they’re really saying, but for what they appear to say. He was stamped as a misogynist and then he made a bad joke about Hitler at Cannes, and everyone stamped him as a Nazi, which is the furthest thing from what he is.  

Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves

You stamp people as a “racist,” a “fascist,” a “communist,” I mean this fucking stamping is as smart as QAnon. It’s frightening. The fantastic thing about mankind is that we’re not one thing. We’re all capable of the most brutal and horrible crimes and we’re all capable of love. We do good things and we do bad things. There are nuances. The way of seeing people as “good” or “bad” guys is forcing something upon humanity that is really dangerous, because when you say someone is the “bad” guy then you’re saying you are the “good” guy, and it’s forcing you to not look at your own flaws.

I’m a huge fan of Lars’ films but I think one thing that’s really colored people’s opinion of him are the allegations that Bjork made against him on Dancer in the Dark. You didn’t have the biggest role in that film, but is it something you witnessed?

I’ve never seen him do anything like that. It’s not him. And if you talk to any of the other women who have worked with him over and over again, you will not get those kinds of accusations. But the Bjork and Lars conflict was enormous during the shoot, and it had very little to do with #MeToo. Lars, like all directors, in the end is a control freak, and Bjork has controlled everything in her career—from the music, to the costumes, to the way she sounds—and if two control freaks try to make a film, there will be conflicts. I got phone calls from Lars during the shoot where he was in tears. She left the set several times, and it had nothing to do with sexuality. She tore up her clothes. They had a very difficult relationship. But you’ve gotta pick your toxic males. You can’t put a “toxic male” label on everybody, otherwise it will be watered down, that label.

I’m so excited for Dune. What can you tell me about it? Denis Villeneuve said that your Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is different from the comics or the David Lynch film in that he’s not as much of a caricature but a calmer, more sinister presence.

The thing about it, and why I’m looking forward to this film as well, is because it’s Denis Villeneuve. Whatever he does, he creates an atmosphere that is dense, that you can touch, and you’re just sucked into it. You’re never bored—even if he does long, slow takes. The atmosphere builds up, and you’re in his universe. I think it will be the same with this one. He’s lovely to work with, and a beautiful man. I did eight or ten days on the movie, so my character doesn’t show up for too much, but his presence will be felt. He’s such a frightening presence where even if he doesn’t say anything, I think you’ll be afraid of him. And I’m extremely fat. I had eight hours in the makeup chair every day. And in some scenes, I look very tall because I levitate. You’re going to have a lot of fun with it.

The whole HBO Max day-and-date thing is weird, and I hope as many people as possible get to see the film on the big screen.  

Oh, definitely. I think they made a deal with AT&T—which owns Time Warner, which owns HBO, which owns my phone—that they cut a four-week deal where it’ll be just for the theaters, but I’m not sure. That could change.

I also feel culturally obligated to ask you about Andor, the upcoming Star Wars series you’re in. What’s that about, and who do you play in it?

As you know, they’ll shoot me if I say anything! I can’t even get a proper script. It’s printed on red paper so I can’t make any copies of it, it’s ridiculous! Of course I’ve seen all the Star Wars films, because I’ve had children in the ‘80s, and the ‘90s, and the 2000s, and the 2010s. I’ve had children in five decades, which means you’ve seen all the Star Wars films—and seen all the toys as well. But when I saw Rogue One, it had much more atmosphere and seemed a little more mature—and that was Tony Gilroy, who’s the showrunner on this one. So, hopefully this one will be a little more than little plastic people falling over.

Was a part of the motivation to do Andor to look really cool to your kids?

I do think like that sometimes! I’ll go and do a children’s movie for that reason. But also, I’m not the most mature person myself, so who doesn’t want to go and fly a spaceship?

Plus, now you can give your kids action figures of yourself and say, “Play with me.”

Fuck yeah. Go play with dad. Don’t disturb him! Go play with him! [Laughs]    

I’m not the most mature person myself, so who doesn’t want to go and fly a spaceship?

OK, this is kind of a silly question, but do you have a favorite movie death of yours? My favorite has to be in Deep Blue Sea, because in that one you get your arm ripped off by a shark, and then the shark uses your body as a battering ram to destroy this underwater facility.

I would say that is probably, in terms of inventiveness, my favorite one too. It was Renny Harlin. Yeah. I like it! Fortunately, I didn’t have to spend that much time on that stretcher—it was a doll. But it looked really cool! And the sharks weren’t CGI back then. It was mechanical sharks, and they were pretty dangerous. The little boy in me was very excited.

Another movie of yours that I love, for entirely different reasons than some of these other ones we’ve discussed, is Mamma Mia! Is it basically a vacation filming these? I imagine the cast parties are a lot of fun, because it seems like you all are having a ball.

Well, it is. I’m not a singer and I’m not a dancer so I was scared stiff, but the only way to make it work—because it’s not much of a story—is that we had fun doing it, because that joy is contagious to the audience. And we really had fun. It was very relaxed in Greece there on the beaches, and the parties we had there were very good too. It was a nice bunch of people to hang with.

When the cast of Mamma Mia! goes wild in Greece, who is the one that parties the hardest? Who’s the VIP?

It depends what you mean by partying! I usually get pretty drunk. Down there, Colin [Firth] and I were pretty good at it. And at those parties, we also had 50 dancers in their twenties, and they had much more stamina.

I have to ask: Will the gang get back together for a third one?

I don’t know! It took 10 years between number one and number two, so if it takes another ten years, I don’t know. Some of us may just be there in urns, with our ashes!

You released a pop single in the ‘60s, right?

Yes. When I was 16, I became extremely famous in Sweden. We had one TV channel back then and I did this TV series, and it was like being a rock star. But it meant also that all kinds of shady people thought they could make money off me. So, this guy calls me from Stockholm and says, “Stellan, can you sing?” And I said, “No.” And he said, “Well, try it!” And then I hear this guitar on the other end of the line, I go, “Ahh!” and then he goes, “Perfect! Come over to Stockholm.” I went to this very shady studio in the suburbs and we recorded it, and then the guy who was running the project said, “I listened to the tape now, and I think it’s better if I sing and you speak on the record.” So, I don’t sing on the record. But there were very cruel headlines in Sweden. One paper had a headline that read, “Stellan Skarsgård, who we loved on this TV series, we don’t like anymore.”

That’s so mean! In addition to Breaking the Waves, another film that really raised your profile in the United States was Good Will Hunting—which holds up remarkably well. Some of my favorite scenes in that film are the ones where you and Robin Williams are jousting. And I know he’s a wild card, so what was it like shooting those?

He really is a wild card because anything can come out of him, and he can say anything and do anything, and he has this urge to do it because he has these three parallel brains that are constantly working on finding something funny or interesting. Sometimes, even when we would do ten takes and everybody would be happy with them, he’d say, “I have to get something out of my body,” so we would do one extra for that. You didn’t know what you’d experience when the camera would start rolling—you just had to dance with it. And it was fantastic. He was such a lovely man and had no ego. He was just a volcano of creativity and ideas.

Do you ever think about your legacy? You not only have a bunch of talented children but also have amassed such a strong body of work.

The thing is with legacy: you won’t be able to enjoy it, so just forget it. No, I don’t. And it doesn’t matter. If you’re extremely successful, it takes a decade and you’re gone from people’s minds. You can only hope that your children remember you for a couple of years, at least!

Well, they’ll have the Star Wars toys, at least.

They’ll have the toys! That’s right. [Laughs]

[gruviafan-forever]

GRUVIA WEEK- DAY III

"DISCOVERY"

When Gray had reported the drone issues to Erza and Mr Dreyar, the agency was in fix about who could be going to this extent to know about one of their actor's personal lives.

"Looks like there are still some reporters who believe that photos stuff,"

Makarov said while rubbing his forehead.

"But Master didn't we announce it's just a hoax that should have calmed everyone down" Erza reasoned.

"That's not the case, Erza. It's more like these people are working to uncover Gray's secret and create some scandalous sensations" 

Makarov said and tried calling his grandson, Laxus Dreyar who works in the police department.

After informing Laxus, Makarov seemed to have calmed down. That's when Erza informed Gray's decision to unravel his marriage.

"It's high time. However, it's a good decision" Makarov said with a smile.

He knew how hard Gray has worked for these four years to shape his career.

"Let's hope it goes accordingly. Tell Mr Jason to come and meet me. He needs to prepare an article about this and publish it the very next day of the award function on Sorceress Weekly. Also, I need to talk with Gray tomorrow, do inform him, Erza" Makarov informed.

"Yes Master," Erza said with a smile.

#

NEXT MORNING 

Gray got ready for the upcoming event and told her he could come late at night so that they don't wait for him for dinner.

"Yes, Gray-sama. Today I was planning to take Yuki to the park so that she could play with kids of her age. But after what happened yesterday, I decided not to," Juvia said and was adjusting Gray's coat.

Gray began to ponder before he spoke again, "I know it's not right to keep her inside the house and deny her playing freedom. But the situation calls for it, we have to bear for a few more days, Juvia."

He said confidently and kissed her forehead.

It was still 9 AM and Yuki was still fast asleep. So the couple had time for themselves to enjoy their company.

"Sure Gray-sama. You take care. Don't go getting rigid suddenly. Be smiling and welcome your fans warmly. It's because of them you have gained this popularity, remember that Gray-sama."

Juvia lectured her husband like every time any event comes up.

"Yes, madam"

Gray rolled his eyes and smiled at the end. At times, she treated him like a child which he secretly liked.

"Good boy, now get going. I have a lot of chores to do today. If possible, can we go to the supermarket? They're few things which we need to purchase." Juvia consulted him.

Gray agreed and told them to be wary of their surroundings.

"Don't let Yuki wander off on her own. She's such a ball of energy. I know she is a bit difficult to control but look after her. I will take my leave, bye, wifey."

Gray leaned forward to kiss her lips and got one in return.

After bidding bye to her husband, Juvia got freshened up to kick start her day before her daughter woke up.

Soon Gray reached the mentioned location, he was escorted by his manager through the back exit.

"Good morning, Erza"

"Happy morning, Gray. How's Juvia and Yuki doing?"

"Oh, they are doing great. Did Mr Dreyar say anything about the issue?" Gray questioned her.

"Yeah… he wants to meet you after this event. So get ready for that."

Erza informed them and soon they reached the main cabin where every celebrity under the Fairy Tail banner was present.

They greeted each other before Gray went to his friend, Natsu Dragneel and his girlfriend, Lucy Heartfilia.

They bumped their fist and the first thing Natsu asked about was Yuki and Juvia.

Almost every single member of Fairy Tail knew about him so it was not a piece of surprise news for them.

"They are good. Juvia's been calling you two for dinner. Why don't you come by one day? And you too, Erza. Come with your boyfriend."

Gray teased the red-haired woman who had the courtesy to blush on hearing about her love interest.

"Sure, we will come by, once we get to enjoy some free time,"

Natsu said and Lucy nodded in agreement.

That's when Gajeel decided to enter their group. It had been three years since he joined Fairy Tail after his Phantom Band got disbanded.

It was Juvia who proposed Gajeel join this big agency. Gray had spoken about this to Mr Dreyar on his girlfriend's insistence.

Mr Dreyar readily agreed after seeing his performance, ever since, then, Gajeel had been performing for this agency. 

His popularity soared after his debut. Gajeel was very much grateful to both Gray and Juvia.

Gajeel had insisted Juvia continue being his lyricist but she denied it as the agency had appointed their best Lyricist, Levy McGarden to aid her best friend.

Juvia knew Gajeel was smitten by her and didn't have the heart to the third wheel behind them.

Moreover, things happened which made her quit the part-time job which she was doing.

"Yo guys, it's been a long since I saw you all in existence. How's everything going on?"

Gajeel greeted and began with the conversation.

Gray greeted him back and soon everyone started to discuss the event and its aftermath.

#

It had been a month since Gray and Juvia had levelled up their relationship.

Gray's first tv drama shooting has been wrapped up. In a few more episodes, the drama reaches its conclusion.

For now, Gray enjoyed his free time before the shooting for the next drama commences.

The last two days were hectic for both of them as the agency had ordered Gray to move out of that lodging apartment to other high society flats which they had arranged for him.

This move was taken to avoid fans and reporters gathering around his place and prevented them from invading his privacy.

Juvia was sad hearing this news as now she will be left alone in his apartment.

Even her best friend had moved out to give privacy to her and Gray, same was the case with Gray, Natsu had moved out a couple of months as soon as he signed up for his first tv series.

Juvia tried to remain bold and not to tear up but nothing could get past Gray's eyes.

"Juvia"

"Juvia"

Gray pouted, she was not paying attention to him and was just staring blankly at his shirt.

To remove her from trance, Gray hugged her from behind which startled her.

"Gray-sama"

"Oi!! What's with the long face? I have never seen you thinking like this. Are you perhaps trying to ditch me?" Gray teased her and kissed her neck.

Juvia turned around and hit his chest, "Don't joke like that. You know how much I love you. Stupid Gray"

Juvia sounded serious especially when he heard her calling him 'Gray'.

She never called him by name without a suffix. That's when he noticed she was crying.

Gray began to fidget and cupped her face, "Hey dear, what happened? Why are you crying?" He asked her worriedly.

Juvia began to wipe her tears off but it never stopped until she told him the reason.

"I feel we will stay apart, Gray-sama, emotionally too. I'm scared that I will be left all alone once again in my life. Of course, I'm being clingy on you but I couldn't help it."

She conveyed her feelings and hugged her lover tightly.

Gray felt happy that she opened up her fear. Even he didn't want to move away from her and from the morning was thinking of asking her to move in with me as his fiancee.

Yes, Gray wanted to marry her and have a lovely life with her. He knew from these 7 months of dating, that she was born for him and he for her.

He was going to propose to her tonight but it looks like the plan needs to be executed at the moment to make her feel assured of their relationship.

"Juvia, I.." 

Before Gray could say anything, Juvia fell unconscious in his arms. He tried to wake her up but it was futile.

He carried her to the bedroom and went out to call a doctor from a nearby clinic.

Once the doctor had come and checked her up, Gray felt relief that she was alright and nothing to worry about except...

"WHAT??" Gray shrieked.

"Yes, Mr Fullbuster. Your girlfriend is pregnant. Congratulations, once Juvia wakes up, give her the medicine and go and visit the gynaecologist, they will guide you from there."

The doctor left him after advising him how to take care of a pregnant woman.

Gray couldn't believe what was happening at the moment. He had mixtures of thoughts and emotions.

But predominantly, it was happiness. He is going to be a father, that too really soon. He was going to lead a happy life with his beloved.

Soon, he was going to have a family which he and Juvia were denied from starting, this brought him happy tears and thanked the Gods for such a second chance.

Now all he hoped for was Juvia to feel the same as him.

After 30 minutes, Juvia woke up from her sleep, the first thing she saw was Gray resting beside her.

Juvia smiled at him and ruffled his hairs and that's when she noticed the ring on her finger. 

She couldn't believe her eyes and closed her mouth with her palms to avoid shouting.

Slowly, Gray woke up and saw his girlfriend's surprised expression which brought a smile to his face.

"Well, calm down, Juvia" 

Hearing his voice, Juvia pulled him into a hug and shouted 'yes'.

Gray chuckled, " I didn't even ask you yet"

Juvia began rubbing her face against his and kissed his forehead,

"I will marry you, Gray-sama."

Gray kissed her lips, "I was actually planning to do it tonight after dinner but here, I'm asking you 'Will you marry me?' "

"1000 times Yes… I'm waiting to live my life with you, Gray-sama…"

"So do I, dear"

Gray kissed her again.

Once their adrenaline has calmed down, Gray slowly broke the news.

"You know what, I found out something. Can you take a guess?"

Gray asked her while squeezing her palms.

Juvia wondered what it could be and accepted her defeat. Now she was curious what this could be.

"We are going to be parents. You are pregnant, Juvia. You are gonna be mama and I'm gonna be papa."

He said with a big smile and kissed her palm.

Then, he told her everything from the moment she fainted to till doctors departure.

Juvia was shedding happy tears and caressing her flat tummy for now. She was going to be a mother, she was going to have her own family now which she longed for since her childhood.

"Are you happy, Gray-sama?"

She wanted to know his feelings.

"My happiness goes beyond this world. I'm happy that we are gonna start be a family together. Juvia, let's get married tomorrow."

Gray shared his piece of mind.

"Thank you for sharing the same feeling as mine, Gray-sama. I love you a lot." Juvia said earnestly.

The very next day, they got their marriage registered in an office. Gray casually informed the recent events of his life to friends and Mr Dreyar.

They were shell shocked yet wished them both happiness enough for their life ahead.

That's when Mr Dreyar had told him to hide this news from the public as Gray was still a budding artist and this could hamper this growth.

Juvia agreed and supported this decision and even convinced Gray to agree with this. It's after sorting out these issues they finally went to their new home.

[384302]

I just saw Everything Everywhere All At Once

This is one of the best films I have ever seen.

I will not spoil anything about the plot or content because everyone deserves to see it as unspoiled as I did, but I will vaguely gesture at themes and premise to try to briefly say what's so great about this film. My brain is buzzing with what I just watched and I have to get something down.

I've never seen a film switch genres this well and this frequently. It's an action movie with expertly inventive martial arts sequences. It's a compelling sci-fi story and family drama. It's briefly an effective horror movie. It's perhaps most frequently a comedy, partly because the core message is about dealing with an existential absurdity, and so a lot of what's on screen is deliberately absurd, but I lost track of the amount of times my screen audience was lost in full-throated laughter. And not the laughter of "witty banter" or "occasional punchlines" or even "tension relief". The uncontrolled and unrestrained laughter of a crowd completely lost in how funny what they're watching is. And yet that same crowd, after spending what feels like half the movie laughing their head off, was in tears for much of the final act. The emotion, the beauty, the sadness and empathy of the overall message and the resolution... I can't remember the last time a movie made me feel like that.

It's so well put together. I never truly felt that I knew where the movie was going to go next (even though, in at least one vague way, the movie tells you the journey it's going to take you on right from the end of the prologue) and yet I got to the final credits with the full sense of a satisfactory and perfectly crafted story. It uses the full spectrum of filmic language to convey meaning and theme: there are visual tricks that could have come straight out of an Edgar Wright movie; there are tricks with framerate and aspect ratio that a small part of my brain consciously noticed while the rest of my filmwatching brain drank it all in; there's several sequences which actually justify and do something original with the 'series of extremely quick cuts' style of filming that permeates action scenes; there's one perfectly timed pan with a line of dialogue that had me (and others) screaming with laughter. In an early scene there is a mirror shot which is technically 'wrong' and which mirrors the other side of Michelle Yeoh's face and which I know will get a fucking Cinema Sins *ding* and yet anyone who is actually watching the movie will immediately get what the scene is telling them and it's brilliant.

Every performance in this is incredible: this movie feels like an actor's dream in which almost every actor gets to show off their range and play at least two different characters, sometimes with a costume change, sometimes with nothing more than a look. If the world was just and Ke Huy Quan got the opportunity to play Superman, it would immediately put an end to 90% of complaints about Clark Kent's disguise being unconvincing. Michelle Yeoh tears up in a GQ interview talking about reading the script and understanding what this film would allow her to do, and you can see why when you watch the movie and she knocks it out of the park with every line and every scene. Stephanie Hsu deserves to become a god damn superstar, the gulf between the roles she has to perform in this film is perhaps the greatest and yet she pulls it off while still making it clear in both performances that she is playing the same person, which is absolutely critical to the point of the movie. And the supporting cast - especially Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong - absolutely shine as well.

This movie should destroy the bullshit suggestion that we cannot appreciate the stories of different people in cinema. The central setup of this movie is the life experiences and relationships of a middle-aged Chinese-American woman and it made a white millennial British man tear up for a good thirty minutes.

This movie manages to be entirely original in a cinema landscape defined by adaptations and remakes, but also uses the multiverse concept to weave in both subtle and blatant references to other movies, both for comedy and to point to the theme.

This movie's budget was an eighth of the budget for the other multiverse superhero movie in cinemas at the moment, and it deserves to make eight time as much money and win all the awards.

This movie is something I will be thinking about for a very long time and everyone should see it.

[floggingink]

OH HERE WE GO LADIES IT’S RIVERDALE, CHAPTER EIGHTY: “Purgatorio”

I’m tuning in to be VERY entertained on the grounds that I missed almost the entirety of S4 and will not understand anything

we open with an incredible analogue comparing the football team to the Army, as men do construct rituals: football players get blown into the sky, etc., in a heartrending mash-up of Archie’s innocence + the American ideal/expectations/pipeline of masculinity

Archie Company is decked out appropriately to storm Hürtgen Forest

that art direction trope where a character’s hearing goes EEEEEEEEEEEEEE after an explosion……...delightful

the Vixens and friends cheering him on from the sidelines as if Archie can only process his unprocessable present through the lens of his past………...hits the spot

distressingly wood-based rifles for our purposes

Archie > Dawson: I don’t mind telling you I felt emotion upon Archie hoisting his war buddy over his shoulders to that quadruple-toned “Chivalric Archie Using His Strength for Good” tune, like when he broke his whole hand busting Cheryl out of Sweetwater River

WHEN HE SAW HIRAM LODGE, I’M TELLING YOU! 

Hiram’s dragon-scale gloves? absolutely savory; he would

“Yonkers” is one of those New York place names I don’t totally buy is real (Poughkeepsie is another)

the sepia-toned light in this hospital room rings true judging by all the Captain America fanfiction I’ve read; I also like the mint-colored hand towels draped on Archie’s bedframe bought, one assumes, using the Department of Defense’s Kohl’s Cash

Archie made Sergeant, which is the best ranking for a fictional character: important enough that they can be a leader, get into trouble; low-profile enough that you don’t have to write them in the room making terrible decisions; probably won’t die immediately, as a Captain or Private might be

Fifth period is AP English: Archie reads A Farewell to Arms to Corporal Jackson, a WWI novel by Hemingway that Jug definitely turned him onto

Christ, Archie looks good in that on-leave jacket thing

I like Jackson’s subtle graph paper-print hospital gown

Gay?!: was Jackson in love with Archie? is he gonna bus to Riverdale once he’s off his pain meds? RAS, is that you in there?

God you know I love that haunted-ass Exorcist wooden bench bus light lighting

how long has the WW been relocated under Pop’s??? I do NOT know what happened to La Bonne Nuit

Sexy, aesthetic Southside: Fangs’ hair? his Tony Stark glasses? the girls’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” Burmese pythons? Toni’s headdress and immaculate glossed lip? 

Sixth period is Intro to Film: the only part of From Dusk till Dawn I’ve seen is Salma Hayek putting her toe in Quentin Tarantino’s mouth but judging from that I figure I’d like the rest 

The female gaze: Jesus Sweet Pea still looks good

Toni’s stage is flanked by twin pillars of melting candles and I would like someone to track those down for my bathroom

if they lay one hand on Pop Tate…

Betty appears to be, on her own, running the FBI training course. Betty is such a freak

Betty’s FBI-appointed psychologist is “Dr. Starling,” wears a great yellow blouse; Betty eats what appears to be a mini-sized Milky Way

her blond FBI trainer-boyfriend (uh) Glen appears to be an unholy fusion of Jimmi Simpson and that one actor with brown hair and really sharp light eyes whose acting credits I can’t think of right now, you know who I’m talking about (not the guy from Vampire Diaries)

I quite like her patterned blouse and I hate his yellow (gold?!) and blue tie

Please protect Betty: obviously we stan the Silence of the Lambs shit even as it remains infuriating Bryan Fuller couldn’t get his hands in it

Betty’s cat’s crying was so disturbingly baby-like that I had to leave the room once I realized it was in fact a cat

I’ve watched the Elisa Lam tape too many times in recent hours to handle this hallway shot

REALLY GROSS LICKING NOISES

the Trash Bag Killer coming at her was scary :(

Betty’s lovely blue knit cardi with the puffed sleeves!

50 Shades of Betty: clearing her throat before the doctor quite finishes her sentence—Lili Reinhart continues to be great at conveying “slightly perturbing subterranean tension”

was Charles a serial killer too??? oh damn!

Betty has been successfully holding off giving Glen a key to her place until now, an era that must come to a close

fellas, “Do I at least get a kiss?” is a bad move

Veronica was rich: Veronica’s new digs: exposed brick, bougiely avant-garde chandelier; possibly an elevator door right there behind the dude?

Veronica has married Hiram, to no one’s surprise

Chadwick looks like Jimmi Simpson and brunet Evan Peters plus a jaw

Veronica’s single-puffled-sleeved gown…..madamn (she has absolutely been taking secret birth control pills)

Summer + Blair = Veronica: of course Veronica would be great at Howard Ratner’s job; I MUST know what “specialty showcase haute couture offense” Vinnie has committed

T-Dubbs’ green jacket

Veronica pretended she was working at like, a department store? but she MISSED the EDGE post-day-trading

their apartment is so expensive that their bedroom is totally exposed

oh my god, Hermione

Best costume bit: please get me these satiny green high-waisted slacks?! and ugh her blouse has shoulder tassels……..she’s flourishing

“That’s threatening to an alpha like Chad.”

yes, they have a private elevator. fine.

Glen and Chad get their ties from the same Men’s Warehouse

“When that helicopter went down on the way to Martha’s Vineyard…”

you know kissing is 4-real when one person cups their hand to the back of the other person’s neck all close

I don’t understand the drop of the Glamergé egg but I appreciate that there is one and that Veronica is like, get this the fuck out of my house

Veronica’s shiny cropped tweed two-piece, Yvonne’s weird feathery coat that matches her bf’s shirt (you know she’s supposed to be “too much” because she’s got big hoop earrings)

God, Jughead is next and I’m not gonna be able to handle it

OH GOD IT’S SO MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT

Alphabet City?! the piano?? the fucking East Coast Beat typewriter shit—the day robe? I’m—READING CLUBMASTERS? FORSYTHE???

OH GOD HE’S DATING ANOTHER WRITER (she has nice pants)

Jughead eats: “that place you like” is a HOT DOG STAND in the middle of SOME GRASS

I’ve seen Brick like thirty times: Jughead wears high-ankle light blue jeans, grey socks, and spectators that blend to create the illusion of wading boots. I’m going to commit a crime

Jughead doubts it: “So did Kerouac. And Hemingway. And Fitzgerald.” 

fuck yes I love Floundering Jughead, and his Pushy Agent who pronounces “career” like “Korea,” and the continuing tradition of Jughead getting kicked out of his house

I like Literary Grifter’s sweater

the Brat Pack, and most of the Rat Pack for that matter, were actors, but I assume RAS couldn’t resist the rhyme 

I was 100% afraid we were about to learn Cora was an uncomfortably-young undergrad

the musical cue as she reaches into her bag is absolutely as if she’s taking out a gun, and it might as well be! it’s the scariest thing in NYC: an unpublished manuscript

showrunners doing a classic I Love Lucy job partially concealing Vanessa Morgan’s pregnancy via medium close-ups, draping black clothes

Cheryl slowly turning to ask if doesn’t she look okay 10/10 icon

Cheryl’s pins: she has either a tiny spider or maybe a tick

Cheryl’s sheaths: the lacy red thing, amazing

why is Cheryl’s left hand gloved?

Cheryl’s a chaos angel from hell: Cheryl’s going to forge a Rembrandt, which unfortunately means she’s my favorite person on the planet (she does not look happy about doing this)

btw is Nana Rose an Immortal?

please tell me about Toni’s eyelashes

EXTREMELY HAUNTED DOLL?!

“Damn good coffee”: Archie’s earnest “Where are people gonna sit for the bus?” slayed me

fuck YEAH Ghoulies party house! terrible music but really good skull spray paint art

Jug looks LOW lol

Veronica’s blouse + buttons, impeccable

I’m writing a scene where it’s gay.: Tabitha/Squeaky

the hellscape semi’s red backlighting and its skeleton’s red eyes

I like Linette’s glossy bomber!

the trucker who’s about to kill her can’t also be the Trash Bag Killer….truckers have to stick to too much of a schedule….but he could be Betty’s meandering serial

I loved this episode

NEXT WEEK: Archie brings the FBI down on some people paying their rent :(

[skiller0dani]

Ouch | Timothee Chalamet

M A S T E R L I S T

smut | college au requests info wanna be on a Timmy taglist? click here

“Why the hell did you take drama?” Caroline asks you, and you shrug. Honestly you just needed to fill your credit hours with another elective and it was either drama, or extensive art history. You’re not super interested in art history so you chose the first of the two options. “Seemed fun?” You shrug as you lay back on your dorm bed. You share the dorm with your best friend Caroline, you didn’t meet her until freshman year but you clicked right away. Ever since then you’ve requested to be housed together- you’d go insane without her. “Professor Keahey is a nightmare.” She snickers, pointing to the name of the professor on the course sheet. You groan, grabbing at the sheet- you should have taken art history. Almost nobody that has Keahey passes his damn class, he expects everyone in that class to act as well as Tom Hanks on their first goddamn day.

“He’s also a pervert.” She shrugs and you roll your eyes while inwardly screaming. There have been rumors of girls getting groped in that class, plus he’s constantly looking at their breasts and saying inappropriate things.  “Is it too late to drop the class?” You ask and Caroline laughs as she ties her hair back into a ponytail. “Yeah idiot, the class starts in like 30 minutes.” She laughs and you check your watch before dragging yourself off the bed. You pull your bag over your shoulder before heading out the door. “Slap him if his hands start wandering!” Caroline shouts just as the door is closing. The last semester of your senior year is going to seriously suck if you have to deal with Keahey every single damn day. 

You drag your feet into the classroom, and much to your dismay Keahey is already standing at the whiteboard, his huge beer belly pushing against his shirt- straining the buttons. He grins as you enter the room, his eyes ghosting down your body. You feel sick. You quickly find a seat in the very back, normally you sit towards the front of the room so you can see the professor and pay attention. This time you want to stay as far from the professor as you can, you just want to pass this class and be done with Keahey the Pervert. After a few minutes when the coarse starts, Keahey moves to close the door and it shuts with a loud echoing thud. Looking around you see most of the females in the class sitting in the last few rows like you are, and most of the males in the middle and front. Great. Apparently every girl had the same idea on how to dodge Keahey’s perverted stares but since every girl is in the back, he’s going to be looking back here constantly. 

Keahey shuffles through some papers on his desk when the door is pushed open. Your eyes find a tall lean guy with curly dark hair and what looks like a cigarette in his hands. “You can’t smoke in here, and you’re late.” Keahey barks at him, but the guy holding the cigarette shrugs. He strolls into the classroom and towards the stairs, leading to the back. “Yeah and you should molest women but not all of us are perfect.” He says casually, and everyone’s eyes widen as the whole room begins whispering. Keahey’s face turns red and you’re not sure if it’s from embarrassment or anger. The guy tosses his cigarette on the tile floors before moving into the row you’re sitting. He sits all the way at the end, as far from you as he can. You recognize him from one of the frat houses, but you’ve never known his name. 

Keahey continues as though nothing ever happened as he strolled in front of his desk. “We’re gonna launch right into it, fuckin’ books don’t know shit so we won’t be using those.” He grumbles and you hear a collective sigh of annoyance. This book on acting for beginners cost a few hundred dollars, and now we’re not even going to use it? The guy at the end of your row pulls out a tattered notebook and haphazardly opens it to an empty page before beginning to doodle with his pen. “You, Chalamet. Get down here.” Keahey snaps, his eyes focused on the boy sitting at the end of your row. He ignores Keahey and continues doodling, the figure on his paper beginning to look like one of those Mexican day of the dead masks. Keahey’s face puffs red again as his eyes shift to you, “you get your ass down here!” He snaps and you slowly rise on shaky legs. The guy doodling looks up at you as you pass behind him, and you can feel his eyes on you as you make your way down the stairs- towards Keahey. 

When you’re standing in front of Keahey he turns to look at you, “first thing I’m gonna teach you fucks is how to show emotion through body language,” he starts and you begin to blush under all the eyes on you. Keahey grins down at you, his hand reaching up to land on your waist. “What emotion am I conveying with my body language?” He asks you as his face slides into a disgusting smirk. His hand stays planted firmly on your waist as he inches closer towards you. You resist the urge to pull away from him as you begin to tremble and when tears threaten to fall down your cheeks you feel a hand on your arm. When you turn your head, you see the boy who was drawing stood behind you. “You asked me to come down here, so here I fuckin’ am.” He says casually, his gaze remaining on Keahey. Keahey releases you and scowls at the boy in front of him, “you’re still an asshole Timothee.” Keahey snaps and the boy you figured is named Timothee simply shrugs.  

The rest of the class passes by fairly quickly, and Keahey let you return to your seat after Timothee stepped in. You don’t know what to make of Timothee, he seems to already know Professor Keahey pretty well though. You place your book back in your bag when the class is dismissed and see Timothee reaching for another cigarette. “Thanks,” you stammer, drawing his attention to you. He says nothing as he lights his cigarette, “for saving me from Keahey.” You finish and Timothee nods. “Guys’ a fuckin’ sicko.” He says as he stands and you move to follow him but freeze when you see Keahey near his desk. You and Timothee are the last people in here and you do not want to be left alone with Keahey. “I can walk you out if you want.” Timothee offers and you smile, releasing a sigh as you nod. Timothee walks on the side closest to Keahey, and you see Keahey’s eyes snap to you as you near the door. “Y/L/N, stay back a sec will ya?” He says and you freeze, your heart pounding in your chest. 

“Actually Keahey we have plans we can’t miss.” Timothee says, sliding his hands in his pockets as he turns to face the professor. You stay quiet as Timothee subtly steps in front of you, his face casual but his body language defensive. “It’ll just take a sec, won’t be with your girl too long.” Keahey says with a sultry smile. You feel like vomiting, but your cheeks redden when he calls you Timothee’s girl. “I really don’t want you with her at all.” Timothee says, his voice tight. You feel tension rising in the air as Keahey and Timothee lock in a stare down. “U-Uh lets go Tim, we don’t want to miss our reservation.” You say with a shaky voice, stumbling over your words. Timothee takes a step back and leads you out of the room, making sure to stay between you and Keahey. 

You release a breath you didn’t know you were holding as soon as the classroom door shuts and you’re in the safety of the hallway. “You alright?” Timothee asks, pulling his cigarette away from his lips as he looks down at you. You swallow a lump in your throat as you nod, “yeah thanks.” You say softly. Timothee pushes his curls out of his face as he scratches his chin, “wanna come to a party at my frat house?” He asks casually and you look up at him surprised. You’re not an innocent little girl, you’ve been to a few parties but you’ve never been to a frat party. Plus you don’t even know this guy, although he did just save you from possible sexual harassment. Twice. “Sure.” You try to say as casually and nonchalant as you can. Timothee nods, “cool cool. See you in an hour.” He says before turning on his heel and you realize you don’t even know where his frat house is. “Where’s the party?” You call after him. “Just meet me here.” He responds without turning to look at you as he disappears around the corner. 

“Which frat?” Caroline asks as you drop your bag on the floor. You turn to your closet, reaching inside to find something to wear. “Dunno, he just told me to meet him in the hallway.” You explain and Caroline squeals in excitement as she stands to help you find something to wear. “Name?” She asks and you reach forward to grab a black dress. “Timothee.” You tell her and when you don’t hear her respond, you realize it’s because she’s staring at you. “Chalamet?” Caroline clarifies and you nod slowly, what the hell is her problem? Her eyes widen as she instantly reaches over to grab one of her much tighter and shorter dresses. “You have no idea who he is do you? God you’re such a hermit!” Caroline sighs and you blink in confusion as she tosses the dress at you. “His father is Marc Chalamet! One of the most famous actors on the planet!” She says, her eyes wide and you still just look at her in confusion. 

You begin to undress to slide the dress on as Caroline rushes around the room gathering makeup. “Basically Timothee is the son of some fucking Einstein of acting, and every girl on campus wants to fuck him.” She explains, and it’s obvious to you that Caroline is one of those girls. She zips up the back of the dress and pushes you to sit on the edge of your bed. You’re a bit curvier than Caroline so the dress sits higher on your thighs, and pushes your breasts out a bit more. “And he just invited you to a party, if you don’t fuck him tonight I’ll personally kick your ass myself.” Caroline snaps, tilting your chin up to begin applying makeup. She brushes on your makeup, and leaves your hair in it’s natural waves as it falls around your shoulders. “Mm yep you look pretty damn fuckable right now.” Caroline concludes, looking pleased with herself. You glance in the mirror and your eyes widen slightly, the makeup around your eyes make your eyes pop. The lipstick she rolled onto your lips make them look more plump, and the highlights bring out the best features of your face.

An hour later you’re standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall. You feel sexy, but also very uncomfortable because this is not how you normally dress. Not even for a party, tight dresses and sex proof makeup is definitely more Caroline’s thing. You hear a low whistle and when you turn your head you see Timothee with his hands in his pockets. He’s wearing the same thing he was during class, jeans with a white t-shirt, stripped button up and cardigan. You smile shyly, “did I overdress?” You ask, feeling nervous at his casual attire. Timothee shakes his head as he leads you out of the school, “nah you’ll fit right in. I just don’t give a fuck about how I look, I’m there to get shit faced.” He shrugs and you laugh lightly. The night air is cooler than you anticipated, but you figured with the alcohol that will soon be in your veins you’ll warm up quickly. 

You hear booming music from a house sitting just beyond the edge of the campus. Cars line the streets and you see flashing lights from inside the 2 story house. “I’m surprised. Normally my dad is brought up at this point in the conversation.” He laughs, and while his face is lighthearted- his eyes aren’t. There’s a dark expression behind them, “I don’t know anything about your dad actually. My friend Caroline had to tell me who he is.” You admit and you see him smile. Tim throws the cigarette on the sidewalk and stomps it out, “why do you smoke cigarettes?” You ask and he laughs. His hands find their way back into his jean pockets, “does it smell like a normal cigarette?” He asks again and you inhale deeply. It doesn’t smell like a cigarette now that you think about it, “what is that?” You ask and he smiles as he kicks a rock along the sidewalk with his dirty sneakers. “Weed.” He answers and your eyes widen. 

“You ever smoke weed?” He asks and you shake your head slowly, you never have but you’ve always been curious and wanted to try it just once. Timothee reaches into his pocket and pulls out another blunt with a mischievous smirk on his face. “No time like the present.” He mumbles as he lights it, and takes in a long drag. He hands it to you and you shakily bring it up to your lips before inhaling. You feel a burning in your lungs and you immediately start coughing and gasping. Timothee takes the blunt from you laughing as he places a hand on your back. When you stand up straight, your head feels fuzzy and you smile slowly. “Man it hit you already? You’re such a lightweight.” Timothee teases as you near the large house. Every color seems to be brighter, and the lights shine as brightly as the sun. You release a giggle as you look over at him, “I have never done this before!” You laugh gleefully and Timothee nods as he takes another hit. “Yeah, that’s obvious.” He smiles as you get closer to the house. 

The music is booming as he pushes the door open and you see the entire living room filled with people. The lights are flashing colors as people grind and dance, and some are just sitting on the couches making out. You move to the kitchen to find a drink when Timothee places a hand on your arm. “Don’t drink, you’ll get cross faded. That shit fucks you up.” He warns, his lips brushing against your ear so you can hear him over the booming music. You turn towards the dancefloor, because fuck with this music playing there’s no way you can stay still. You nearly forget you even came here with Tim as you push your way through the people and start swaying to the music. You feel hands on your hips and when you turn to look over your shoulder, you see Timothee with the blunt hanging lazily from his lips. You lean back into his chest and grind against his hardening cock. His arms wind around you hips as his nose brushes against the shell of your ear. The smell of marijuana fills your senses, making your head feel fuzzier than it already is. 

You feel his lips on your neck as the blunt drops to the ground once it’s finished. Your hands reach back to tangle in his curls as his hands hold your hips tightly. You’re normally not like this, like ever but right now you don’t care. You feel that heat beginning to build in your stomach and you want him bad. You turn around to face him and Timothee immediately presses his lips to yours. His hands slide down to your ass, pulling you into him harder. Your lips press and move together and slowly every other person in the room melts away. One night stands are something you’ve never participated in but tonight you are totally ready to rectify that as you take his hand and pull him towards a set of stairs. Your back hits the wall halfway up the stairs as Timothee grinds against you, his lips on yours again. The kiss is heated and passionate and the only thing in your mind is him. His hands everywhere on you, his lips on yours his tongue dominating yours. You moan against his lips as his hand slips underneath your dress and presses against your clit against your panties. 

Your hand find his hard cock through his jeans and you grip him tightly, forcing a low growl from his mouth. Suddenly Timothee lifts you and tosses you over his shoulder, his hands gripping your thighs and rear as he hauls you up the stairs. You squeal in laughter, panting as your heart races in your chest. Your skin tingles and burns everywhere, you ache for his touch. He carries you into a bedroom and kicks the door shut behind him before tossing you on the bed. You bounce as you stare up at him, his lips slightly red from your lipstick and swollen from the kisses. He leans over you again in a second, his hands lifting yours above your head and pressing them into the mattress, pinning you in place. You whine as you lift your hips to grind against him and he smiles against your lips as his kisses trail to your neck. Everything feels desperate and rushed, like you’re going to die if you don’t touch him. You wriggle against his grip he has on your wrists, “please.” You whine, but you don’t know what you’re begging for. 

Timothee’s hands leave your wrists as he reaches down to unzip your dress and yank it off your body. Your nipples are erect as they hit the cool air, the dress was so tight on you that you couldn’t fit into it if you wore a bra. Timothee hums lowly in satisfaction as his head dips to pull a nipple into his mouth. You cry out as your hand twists into his air, his teeth gently biting your bud. “Fuck,” you moan as one of his hands dips below the waistband of your panties and begins to rub harsh circles on your pulsing clit. Timothee kisses across the expanse of your chest as he takes the other nipple in his mouth, his fingers still working magic against your bundle of nerves. “God, fuck!” You cry out as your back arches up against him. He continues rubbing you harshly and you feel that heat bubbling inside your pelvis as you begin to squirm in pleasure. “Jesus Tim-” You moan as the coil in your stomach bursts and you gush into your underwear as you cum. Timothee pulls away from you, yanking his shirt off as you lay under him, panting as you come down from your high. 

You reach up to quickly unbuckle his belt, and you’re so desperate for his cock that your fingers fumble with the buckle before you finally pull it through the loops of his jeans. Both of you are panting as you help him shove his jeans and underwear down, his cock springing free. You nearly drool at the sight of his tall, leaking cock and you lean down to take it in your mouth but Timothee pushes you back. He says nothing as he reaches into his jeans to pull out a condom and roll it on. “Fuck, get inside me.” You pant as you lay back and spread your legs wider for him to fit between them. Timothee leans over you and pushes into you, groaning as you stretch around him. “Jesus how long has it been for you? You’re fuckin’ tight as shit.” He moans before his lips press against your neck and collarbones. Honestly, it’s been a while since you’ve been with anyone. The last person you slept with was your ex-boyfriend and you broke up with him 2 years ago. Timothee gives you no time to adjust and begins to slam into you as soon as he bottoms out. You cry out loudly, your arms winding around his shoulders to drag your nails down his back. 

Timothee pounds into you, panting and groaning against your skin as he bites hickeys into your neck. You continue to claw at his back as he hits places deep inside you, “please don’t stop, shit!” You moan, your voice a broken cry at the end as his thumb reaches down to roll over your clit. You try to catch his lips with yours, but he keeps his face buried in your neck as his arms rest on either side of your head. Sweat sticks his hair to his forehead as he slams into you, hitting your g-spot over and over again. Your legs wind tightly around his waist as you hold onto Timothee, biting down on his shoulder and crying out against his skin. You feel the pressure building in your body as the liquid heat runs through your veins. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum!” You moan as you feel the familiar burning in your core as he continues to slam into you. You can already tell that you’re going to be sore in the morning. “Don’t stop, don’t stop!” You cry out over and over again as your back arches and you cum so hard white spots explode behind your eyes. Timothee continues to pound into you until he comes in hot spurts into the condom. His forehead brushes against your shoulder as he stills, trying to catch his breath. 

Eventually he rolls off you and throws the condom out before coming back to lay on his back next to you. The room grows quiet as you both sit and let your breathing steady. He reaches into a nightstand to bring out another blunt, “you’re an addict.” You tease breathless and Timothee does nothing but smile lazily with a shrug. You feel your eyes drooping as you relax into the mattress, “is it cool if I crash here?” You ask nervously as Tim reaches an arm up to rest behind his head. He nods, his own eyes looking droopy, “sure.” He mumbles and you release a nervous breath as you reach down to find your underwear. Once you pull your underwear back up your legs you lay down next to Timothee, and it doesn’t take long before sleep overtakes you. 

When your eyes open the next morning the thing you notice first is how goddamn much your thighs ache. There’s a stinging pain through your core every time you move. You turn to look at where Timothee was but you don’t see him, and the room is vacant. On the nightstand next to you is a bottle of Advil and some water with a note. ‘I know you’re sore.’  You smile a little before popping two Advil in your mouth before slowly and gingerly moving to gather the rest of your clothes. You keep your dress up with your arms pressed to your chest, too lazy to reach back and zip your dress up. You hold your heels in your hands as you exit the room, and the entire house is silent. You creep down the stairs to see a girl sitting on the couch in nothing but a big t-shirt and a blunt hanging from her mouth. She glances at you as you come down the stairs but doesn’t say anything. 

“Where’s Timothee?” You ask as she scrolls through her phone. “Went with Alice to see Keahey. She had a meeting with him today.” She says and you can’t stop the sting to your heart when you hear that. When you don’t say anything the other girl glances up at you and her face falls. “Shit, don’t tell me Tim pulled that Keahey stunt on you too?” She asks as tears push at the backs of your eyes. You bite the inside of your cheek, “I gotta go.” You say quickly as you push out of the frat house. You briskly walk back to your dorm, with tears flowing down your cheeks. Was he pretending to help with Keahey to fuck you? Was the entire time you guys spoke all about sex? True you didn’t know him long but was the entire thing just an act? Were you just another stupid girl who fell for his trap and let him in her pants? You hurry through the building, ignoring the stares from other people as you continue your walk of shame. When you finally push into your dorm, you’re relieved that Caroline isn’t there- you don’t feel like explaining it to her right now. 

When it’s time for Keahey’s class again, you’re stood outside stalling. You know Timothee’s either in there already or will be coming to class soon. You decide that bumping into him in the hallway is better than facing him in a room full of people. You doubt he’ll say anything to you anyway, you hope though that he will. When you enter the classroom your eyes land on him instantly, sitting at the end of the same row a girl with long blonde hair is sitting at. He’s doodling in his notebook when the door shuts behind you and his eyes briefly glance up at you before moving back to his notebook. It’s like he looked right through you, like last night never happened. You bite the inside of your cheek as you push past him and to your spot in the back from yesterday. Timothee continues doodling the entire class and you can’t even focus on what that pervert Keahey is saying. Halfway through the lecture, Keahey travels up the steps towards you. “Stay after today.” He says sternly before turning back down the stairs and when you glance at Timothee, his focus is still on his notebook. 

The lecture ends sooner than you would have liked but you don’t move, you need to meet with Keahey. You see Timothee pack up his things sluggishly when the girl with blonde hair smiles at him. “Thanks for going with me to my meeting with Keahey today.” She says and Timothee smiles with a small shrug. “Keahey’s a pervert.” He says casually as he begins down the stairs. You watch him slow his steps halfway down and turn to the girl who is hesitating to join him. “Want me to walk with you?” He asks as he looks at her and your heart shatters in your chest. It was all just some stupid stunt, he doesn’t care if Keahey does anything to you. He helped so you would let him fuck you. Timothee doesn’t give you a second glance as he walks out with who you assume to be Alice, “come down here Y/N.” Keahey says before Timothee exits the room. You stand to move towards Keahey, but Timothee doesn’t stop to see if you’ll be okay. He doesn’t glance back at you. He just keeps walking right out the door with Alice. 

The tears flow down your cheeks, and you just can’t stop them.  

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[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction... to “Pocahontas II:  Journey to a New World”

Who decided that this was a good idea?  Who?

OH it just starts right away!  Oh dang.  No opening logo or nothing.

I will be extremely surprised if they somehow managed to wrangle Mel Gibson back as John Smith

AN:  It’s his younger brother Donal Gibson

Also this is such a strange way to start a movie about Pocahontas- a rooftop sword fight

What am I watching?

Why is the King of England wanting to start a war with the- oh wowww the animation really dipped

“Walt Disney Home Video” well that explains everything

How did they get the news of John Smith’s “death” already?  Mail must travel really freaking fast over the Atlantic

If this setting was animated with the original animation crew for the first movie, this scene with Pocahontas in the snow would look gorgeous

Wait wasn’t her necklace broken in the first movie?

It would have been interesting if we actually see a shot of Pocahontas just reacting to the news of John Smith’s “death”.  That way we as viewers just feel the gravitas and impact it has on her instead of just cutting to the shot of the ship leading into the opening credit bit.

Oh that shot [of Pocahontas above the frozen river in the snow) is gorgeous

“I beg your pardon!”  “All right.  You have it.”  *snorts*

I almost feel like they put a little more effort into the culture of Pocahontas’s tribe.  I mean I don’t know if it’s entirely accurate- probably not- but it feels like it.

HEY GET THIS THOUGH.  The original screenwriters thought that taking the plot of this movie for the FIRST one would be too complicated and violent.  WOW.

AND they took creative license anyway because of the actual story of Pocahontas is... not great.  Look I’m not even gonna deny that even though they made creative differences in order to convey the story to a younger audience and you can tell some of the filmmakers mean well to be partially accurate but the other executives just want the movie to make money and that’s it.  They don’t care that even though racism is addressed like in little spoonfuls here, it’s still racism.

Plus Katzenburg didn’t really have the balls to address the effect of assimilation or the whole “noble savage” concept.  He just wanted the moolah.

AN:  I’m sorry if I’m ranting but I’ve written ESSAYS ABOUT THIS.  I spent an ENTIRE SEMESTER writing about this stuff.  Seriously.

ALSO ALSO FUN FACT:  GREGORY PECK was originally cast as the spiritual ancestor in the first movie but he dropped out because he made the point to the writers that the character had to be a maternal figure instead of a male one.  Boom now we have Grandmother Willow.

Also I like that when the Indians first see the horse, they’re a little perturbed by it.

Meanwhile my anthropology part of my brain is just screaming

Oh my God I just realized where I’ve heard the actor that played Powhatan from... he’s the Navajo man from “Natural Born Killers”. 

Also yes I have seen “Natural Born Killers”

One kudos I’ll grant to this is that they put more nuance into Pocahontas’s facial expressions.  You can see her squint in frustration or just glare someone into oblivion.

Or this scene where her best friend says goodbye.  There is just so much emotion in this shot alone.  The animators had to have used reference shots for bits like this.

*Meeko gets stuck in the mop for cleaning the deck*  Comedy

“And honor is the backbone of our civilization.”  OK we’re getting somewhere.

Ah yes, London.  Nothing but the colors purple, yellow, blue and cobblestone as far as the eye can see.

Also yes England so they’re gonna throw in EVERY stereotypical European clothing style EVER on the general population

Freaking Shakespeare...

They bumped up the animation whenever Ratcliffe shows up.  Priorities.

Mrs. Potts is the teapot on the table!

You can tell that the writers are TrYinGGgg to mature the characters by addressing that yes Ratcliffe is manipulating the king to do what he wants. 

“You look lovely... in your underwear-”  SHE’S WEARING MORE THAN WHAT SHE ORIGINALLY WORE.  WHY ARE YOU AVERTING YOUR EYES?

*Pocahontas tries putting the corset on as a bonnet*  Yes

Why is Mrs. Jenkins giving Pocahontas a crinoline?  In 17th century London?  The hoop idea didn’t even come around until like the 1850s

Unless it’s a farthingale.  But it’s obviously NOT

“John’s always had a fondness for girls with curls.”  HMM

The sound of Pocahontas’s necklace hitting the table sounds exactly like those really thick magnetic rocks clashing together

This movie definitely has a different vibe from the first one.  It’s just focused on letting these events happen and there’s an emphasis on scale.  Like they let this scene where Pocahontas finally meets the king pause because she does not know how to address him.

Oh!  And the general population is established by them just being really curious about her and not immediately cursing her.  They’re just as “ooh and aah” about her as she is about them.

The king is 100% voiced by Jim Cummings

Oh man this animation... rough...

WHAT?!?

Did... did I just step into a different movie?  What the heck am I watching? 

This song is like a weird hybrid of “Playing with the Big Boys” from Prince of Egypt and one of the other songs from Hunchback of Notre Dame

Bear baiting?  What?

Discount Strider there’s gotta be John Smith

That animation of John Smith walking toward the screen was definitely rotoscoped

If the rest of this third act is just this weird sword fight, I’m signing out

Oh so no... third act fight?

“You [John Rolfe] love her.”  I mean it’s a little weak sauce but I can tell they tried.

I just realized what’s up with this movie:  it’s like a really weak Wonder Woman movie.  Seriously.

I... have actually no idea how the rest of the third act is gonna go.

What exactly is Governor Ratcliffe governor of?

John Smith is not written well at all in this movie.  And I don’t know what to think of his “mmm hmm good show old sport” back and forth with Rolfe

OK so if we’re gonna end this movie with the ships clashing together and a weird sword fight on board, at least tell me Pocahontas is gonna duke it out with Ratcliffe where she sends him overboard.  Please.

*John fights him instead*  COME ON

Well that was disappointing

They’re TRYING to amp up the romance between these two and it’s just... eehhh so close... but dishonest.

Whoever is voicing John Smith is like trying to do some pseudo-British version of Mel Gibson and it’s weird

I do like this contrast between John Smith who is like “I have great plans for exploring the world where we can always be together” and John Rolfe who is like “I want to establish a peace between us two without forsaking each other” and I wish more effort was spent on THAT

BUT WE CAN’T.  For historical reasons.

John Rolfe, what kind of shirt are you wearing?!?

THEY SAVED THE BEAR!

Hmm.  It just ended.

IS THIS JUDY KUHN AND BILLY ZANE SINGING IN THE END CREDITS??