#gotta say;;; love how tbis came out personally

[defness]

Garm :}

[johnnysdrums]

Kinds of Messes

Description: Wayne has finally returned home from the war just to have his life turned upside down. His wife and kids hardly recognize him and he has yet to get a letter back from an old high school friend. Rather, he’s gotten a very important telegram.

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“I know a guy. He’s kind of a mess. He made it back home in one piece, more or less. A genius on drums but on brain matter, shy.”

Wayne paused before responding to Donny’s question. He knew the answer to the question almost immediately but part of him didn’t want to utter the words out loud.

Wayne returned from war a changed man, to say the least. He ran his house like the Marine he trained to be. Unfortunately, children do not make good Marines. His wife tried to keep up with his antics but frankly, she was scared. What happened to the fun-loving Wayne Wright she fell in love with?

“He fought a war,” he’d reply, walk-in out the front door to check the mailbox at exactly 3 pm. He’d open the mailbox. Still no letter. Now Wayne was getting anxious.

Wayne and Johnny had promised to write each other weekly after having enlisted and they had done a pretty damn good job. Wayne kept up his end of the bargain more than he did to his wife. Johnny did as well for a bit until the letters just stopped coming. It didn’t get better when Wayne returned. Still no letter. At this point, Wayne would just have to accept the fact that the childhood friend to whom he confided all secrets to had been killed in action.

***

Wayne was watching the second hand on his watch tick past the 9 and towards the 10. When it hit the 12 along with the minute hand and the hour hand hit the 3, he got up and walked to mailbox. He expected nothing but bills and letters not addressed to him. What he didn’t expect was a telegram sent from the war office. He was going to wait to read it inside where he could use his reading glasses but he was too nervous and began to read, his eyes squinting and his hands trembling.

Wayne read the telegram three, four, five times over to make sure the words were real pen and ink and that they weren’t going to disappear on him. Johnny was ok-ish. Alive. Not dead. Wayne immediately rushed inside and called out to his wife.

“I’m stepping out for a bit. I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?”

“To see an old friend. He’s... in the hospital and... Look, I’ve got to go see him. It’s important.”

“Fine but you better be home by dinner.”

Wayne flung himself out the door, hopping into his car and heading straight towards the hospital. The thirty minute drive gave him a lot of time to think. Am I really the closest thing he has to family? Does he not have any cousins or other relatives? Wayne knew all too well about what had happened to Johnny’s family. In fact, had experienced it alongside him. The years of constant abuse and pain. The abuse so terrible that Johnny had to run towards war just to get away. How horrible are his injuries? They said it was an emergency... No, he’s alive. He’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. I hope.

Wayne arrived at the hospital and went up to the front desk to explain his situation. The secretary nodded and took him down the hall to the doctor standing right outside Johnny’s room.

“Mr. Wright, is it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah, wonderful. Have a seat, will you?” The doctor gestured to the chair outside the door with the metal back and Wayne sat down. The doctor sat in the wooden one. “So, Mr. Wright. How aware are you of Mr. Simpson’s... condition?”

Wayne tensed at the pause. “Just that it was pretty terrible and that I was his only contact. Do you know why?”

The doctor sighed. “I’m afraid Mr. Simpson does not have family that can take care of him. You appear to be the closest thing he has.”

“Oh.”

The doctor cleared his throat. “Now about Mr. Simpson’s condition. Mr. Simpson was in a vehicle accident. His Jeep flipped three times. He was the only one out of the three men in the car to survive but unfortunately that came with some costs. Mr. Simpson has had three operations on his back so far and hopefully we won’t have to do anymore. Of course, our work isn’t perfect and it appears that Mr. Simpson will be suffering from chronic pain for the rest of his life, not just in his back but in other joints as well.” The doctor paused to let Wayne absorb all of the information.

Wayne stood up having heard enough. “I’m going in,” he said and pushed past the doctor and into the room where a pale Johnny covered in cuts and bandages sat staring at the wall in a puzzled daze, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on the blanket. Wayne didn’t hear the doctor stammering behind him about how their talk hadn’t finished yet and that it would be best if Wayne listened to all he had to say.

“Johnny?” he exclaimed quietly so as not to frighten him. Johnny perked up at his name and stared at Wayne for a few seconds before breaking out into a large grin.

“Hiya, there! Nice to meet ya! I’m Johnny Simpson but you can call me Johnny,” he giggled, stretching his hand out to shake. “And who are you? Do I know you? I feel like I should know you. You see, my Jeep flipped three times. Three times, I’m telling ya! The best decision I ever made was holding on to that steering wheel, I’ll tell you that much. And I just had three operations on my back! Can you imagine? The doc says I have a TBI which is a traumatic brain injury, I think. I can’t remember things. That’s because my Jeep flipped three times. Three times, I’m telling ya! So who are you?”

Wayne stood there in shock, unsure how to respond. He didn’t shake Johnny’s hand. Rather, he stared at the man who had become a shell of himself. A shell, how fitting.

“Wayne Wright. We were friends in high school,” he replied in the most formal manner. Johnny didn’t seem to notice.

“High school? Wow that musta been a long time ago. Anyway nice to meet you... William?”

“Wayne.”

“Oh yeah, Wayne! See I forget things because during the war my Jeep flipped three times. Three times, I’m telling ya! So now I forget things. The doctor said I’m outta here though on Sunday. What day of the week is Sunday, again? I’m afraid I don’t remember.”

Wayne felt like he was going to throw up. His best friend may be alive but he sure as hell wasn’t living. He had forgotten everything. And that made Wayne’s head explode into a throbbing headache. “Sunday is in two days.”

“Ah, swell! Say, you got any idea as to when my parents are coming to see me? I don’t remember their names but I’m pretty sure I have ‘em. Parents, ya know.”

Wayne rushed immediately out of the room before Johnny could see the tears beginning to fall down his face.

***

“So, who was the friend?” his wife asked as the family sat around the table eating their lasagna. Wayne was ready to answer but he couldn’t get over the small action that was bothering him.

“Grady, I don’t want to hear you eating,” he said sternly causing his wife to eye him. Grady continued to smack his lips and slurp his pasta.

“Grady, that is enough. Stop it.” Grady just giggled as a response. He grabbed his forkful of food and shot it at his father, hitting him square in the chest. The tomato mess ran down into the pocket of his shirt.

“Grady, what is your problem? You want to do fifty push ups because we can make that happen.”

“Wayne.”

“You need to grow up and get some manners.”

“Wayne.”

“The Marines ain’t gonna coddle you forever.” Wayne froze once he realized what he just said. He left the kitchen and went back to the bathroom to wash the stain out of his shirt.

The stain was just about out when he heard a knock on the bathroom door.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Wayne’s wife opened the door and walked in, quickly closing it behind her.

“Wayne, what happened at the hospital?” she asked, her face plagued with worry.

Wayne took a moment to compose himself before talking. “It was Johnny Simpson. Remember, he went with us on that double date to prom?” She nodded. “He isn’t doing too good. Jeep flipped three times. Three surgeries on his back. A TBI. Can’t remember anything. Didn’t know who I was, didn’t know the days of the week practically, didn’t remember what his parents... did. It was awful, I,” his voice trailed off.

She leaned forward and gave Wayne a tight hug and then moved her hand down his shoulder towards his own hand.

“The doctor says he doesn’t have any other family. That I was the only person they could find that was close enough to him. They’re releasing him on Sunday. The doctor suggested he live with us. That we help him acclimate. I don’t even know if he’d be able to survive on his own,” Wayne croaked as tears began to pour out of his eyes.

Wayne’s wife sighed. “You know we can’t do that,” she said softly.

“He needs us.”

“Wayne, the kids hardly even recognize you anymore. I don’t even recognize you anymore! And I want to fix this. He’ll just get in the way. I’m already stressed enough as it is taking care of you and the kids. We can’t just let some man you haven’t talked to in 5 years come live with us. Especially someone who can, I don’t know, hardly remember his own name! Wayne, you need to be realistic. We can’t take care of him. We gotta take care of you first. I want this to all work out and for that it just needs to be you. No buts. That’s it and you know it,” she stared into his eyes, a frown upon her face.

Wayne wiped a final tear and nodded. “I hope he doesn’t hurt himself out there. Already bad enough the way some of these men are going. I’d hate to lose one who already survived so much as it is.”

“I know, I know.”

***

“So, do you know anyone?” Donny Novitski asked Wayne who clutched his trombone as if it were a lifesaver.

Wayne did know someone. He knew someone who played drums with him in high school. He knew someone who had the most infectious laugh and goofiest grin and was downright the nicest person you’d ever meet. He also had abandoned this someone when he needed him most. But maybe this would give him another chance at life, joy. Maybe it would put his fingers to good use. Maybe it would stir up old memories of the two of them in high school. Maybe it would get him to remember. It was worth a shot.

“I know a guy. He’s kind of a mess. He made it back home in one piece, more or less. A genius on drums but on brain matter, shy.”

***

They were finally having their first practice. The air in the room was already tense as the band members slowly unpacked their instruments, questions about each other’s service experience floating through their minds. Wayne had just put his mute in when the door flung open.

“Gee, is this the right place? I think it is. So glad I made it. I’m Johnny, by the way. I play drums. I think I’m here to be in a band. I don’t quite remember. See, my Jeep flipped three times. Three times, I’m telling ya! And I had three operations on my back. And now I can’t remember stuff. Glad I remembered this, though. Wouldn’t miss it for the world! I have a pencil and paper to thank for that!” he chuckled, scanning the room of unfamiliar faces. Well, mostly unfamiliar.

“Wayne Wright, right? Wayne? Yeah, I had a feeling that was you. I remember you coming to visit me in the hospital. My only visitor. You see, I was in there because my Jeep flipped three times. Three times, I’m telling ya! And I had to have three operations on my back. You were my friend in high school, didn’t you say? Gee, it’s great that I already know someone here. Well, sort of know them. I forget things easily. I should go set up. Nice meeting ya, Wayne!” Johnny smiled as he walked past the stunned man.

When Johnny was turned around and focused on his drums, a wide grin crept upon Wayne’s face. Maybe you didn’t abandon him after all.

[cumaeansibyl]

The Predator

I want to watch something really fucking stupid and by all accounts this is that

After thirty seconds of incidental music: “They got one of the lesser MCU composers in on this soundtrack” -- turns out it’s Henry Jackman but I liked his work on Winter Soldier so I apologize for the value judgment but I'm also right

This cast is fucking stacked though, like they got a dude from Moonlight and the little kid from Room and Sterling K. Brown still looking for a genre lead in a movie that’s any good

You know, for once can we have an autistic person in a movie who’s NOT magic for God’s sake, like I don’t even mind if the character’s super smart as long as they don’t have the exact ability required to advance the plot (looking at you, Cube)

Wow, has Thomas Jane ever been in anything good (answer: if you don’t count Deep Blue Sea, no)

“Is it your imagination, or is this haunted room actually streeeetching?” okay, I laughed

JAKE BUSEY IS HERE YAAAAAASSSSSS

Whoa, Jake Busey and Olivia Munn stripped naked in the same room for decontam and the movie refused to make it weird. It’s the small things, you know?

Everybody in this movie is a dumb asshole and I’m into it. Like Shane Black is trying to recreate the helicopter scene from Predator and he’s definitely nowhere near that level of quality (though Keegan-Michael Key is better at delivering grossout jokes than he ever was) but we’re all kind of leaning into the dipshit aesthetic

hey, you know I don’t think we’ve ever gotten to see a predator just full-on biting a dude with its mandibles?

I gotta be honest I don’t think dude in the predator suit’s doing a great job, though I think they might’ve weighted him down with more armor than they did Kevin Peter Hall in the original (also they never made Hall sprint and that’s  maybe not something predators should do at all)

okay so Olivia Munn has wound up unconscious in a hotel room full of mentally ill ex-military prisoners and they’re... bringing her tea and anxiously fluttering around and one of them made her a unicorn out of tinfoil because they want her to feel comfortable and I love them

Trevante Rhodes’s character is unreasonably charming and I think he wants to marry the boring white dude which, y’know, can’t say much for your standards but if that’s what makes you happy you should have it

when this came out reviewers were really offended by the portrayal of mental illness, and certainly Comedy Tourette’s isn’t a great look any more than Magic Autism, but honestly I love these dumb assholes from the loony bus and I want them all to be happy

Irish asshole to guy with TBI: “what are you, retarded?”

bland white dude: “could you use another word?”

guy with TBI: “yeah, a little sensitivity! his son’s retarded!”

(okay that was fucking funny shut up)

OH YES BULLSHIT HANDWAVY SCIENCE GIVE IT TO ME RAW

people were also offended by the implication that autism is the next step in evolution but you know what, we’re also in a movie where predators are doing home genome therapy with random spines so, fuck it

I haven’t been this proud of how stupid a cast of characters is since I watched Good Omens and there are even more idiots in this

FLARE BEING USED FOR INTENDED PURPOSE!!!

This definitely has the requisite levels of unnecessary machismo, though no one here is as ridiculous as Jess Ventura

The final act gets pretty sloppy as Black decides it’s just time to kill off as many people as possible in increasingly stupid ways, but the finale is all right