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trensu · 5 years ago

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Episode 33: The One where WWX Needs to Stop Touching Swords of the Un-Sexy Kind

So we start the episode with MAXIMUM PAIN

JC is crying and shaking and clinging to jyl’s dead body and I WANT TO DIE

Plus side, wwx grabbed the guy who stabbed jyl and choked him to death

Now wwx is surrounded by all the stupid idiots that comprise the cultivator world and they’re all hurling insults and accusations at him and MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY IS JUST HAVING A BREAKDOWN

We get a shot of lwj who is fighting tooth and nail against the cultivators but he’s surrounded and can’t get to wwx

Also, just so you all know, LWJ HAS THE BEST FIGHT SCENES. He just stopped two blades at once and knocked the guys down

Oh noooo, wwx pulls out his demon flute and starts playing! Resentful energy starts going even more crazy!

Lwj: wei ying, stop!

EVERYTHING IS AWFUL

AND IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE

Wwx is crying as he’s playing and i’m DYING INSIDE

Oh no! Wwx just spat a bunch of blood

Lwj sees him spit out the blood

AND SUDDENLY THEIR SONG IS PLAYING ON A CELLO, ALL SLOW, AND IT HURTS SO MUCH TO HEAR IT PLAYED THIS WAY

While lwj is distracted by the sight of his soulmate breaking down some ASSHOLE ATTACKS HIM FROM BEHIND AND CUTS HIS ARM

He takes him down and then slides effortlessly into another attack that manages to legit slice some dude’s neck open

OUR BOY IS NOT HOLDING BACK AT ALL, FOLKS

SO FAR LWJ’S MAD FIGHTING SKILLS ARE THE ONLY THING KEEPING ME TOGETHER

Oh no

Wwx just pulled out Plot Device 2 after getting the high ground, and lwj is watching him from below as he does this

Wwx: since you want it so much, come take it with your own ability

And he just chucks it to the crowd

We get to see all the greed and desire for power from all the cultivators here as they start cutting each other down to get their hands on this thing

It disgusts me

Now wwx is laughing BUT IT IS NOT HAPPY LAUGHTER. IT IS DESPERATE GRIEVING LAUGHTER, I HATE IT SO MUCH

AND LWJ IS WATCHING WITH A HELPLESS LOOK ON HIS FACE

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WWX IS AT THE CLIFF

THAT ONE CLIFF WE HATE

I CAN’T DO THIS

OH GOD

Lwj: wei ying, come back

He says this so softly and full of desperation

He’s so scared

But wwx just steps back more, closer to the cliff’s edge and HE’S CRYING AND JUST LETS HIMSELF FALL

LWJ FUCKING LUNGES FOR HIM

OH GOD I CAN’T DO THIS

I CAN’T

Lwj barely manages to grab him in time and he grips him tight in his hand with all his might

Wwx looks so surprised, completely shocked that someone would try to save him at this point

Lwj, on the other hand, has a grim determined look on his face. He caught his soulmate, just barely, but he caught him and he will not let go!!

Wwx: lan zhan

There’s blood streaming down lwj’s hand from the wound on his arm and it’s just pouring over wwx’s hand

Wwx just hangs there limply, making no move to pull himself up towards lwj

Wwx: lan zhan, let me go

NONONONONONONO

Lwj’s grip SLIPS FOR A SECOND THAT GIVES ME A FREAKING HEART ATTACK but he manages to adjust his grip and clutch at him HARDER

He hasn’t said a word! He hasn’t said anything bc he’s focusing everything he has on holding onto wwx

Then we see jc striding into the scene and I’M DYING I’M DYING THIS IS GOING TO HURT SO BAD

Jc gets to lwj’s side and looms over the both of them

Wwx: jiang cheng…

And wwx for a split second looks happy; he’s happy to see his brother bc it’s his brother, the guy who’s been with him since they were children

But jc draws his sword and glares at him

And that joy peters off into pained acceptance bc wwx thinks he deserves this

Nononononononononononono my yunmeng bros don’t do this to me, please no

Lwj: Jiang Wanyin, stop it!

LWJ IS SAYING THIS THROUGH GRITTED TEETH BC HE SAW JC DRAW HIS SWORD

HE SEES HIM AIMING IT THREATENINGLY AT HIS SOULMATE

AND HE DOES NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH OR ABILITY TO BLOCK HIM RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HE CAN’T LET GO OF WWX

Jc takes his sword and tells wwx to go to hell and strikes the stone between lwj and wwx

It’s enough to wobble where lwj is at and wwx SEES this and panics

HE WILL NOT BRING LAN ZHAN DOWN WITH HIM

So he yanks his arm from lwj’s grip and lets himself fall

Lwj: WEI YING

AND WE HEAR LWJ SHOUT HIS SOULMATE’S NAME. IT’S FULL OF DESPAIR BC HIS SOULMATE IS LOST TO HIM NOW

AND HIS FACE IS JUST ALL DEVASTATION AND HEARTBREAK

KILL ME KILL ME IT HURTS TOO MUCH

And then the camera pulls back and lwj looks so small standing on that cliff as jc just walks away

Lwj: wei ying

He says his soulmate’s name one last time in a pained gasp, like he can’t get enough air in his lungs, like breathing hurts, bc EVERYTHING HURTS, HE JUST LOST HIS SOULMATE

And then before, i can spiral into a nervous breakdown from the sheer ENORMITY OF EMOTIONS THIS SHOW JUST SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT...

We get a time skip!

~16 years later~

The scene opens to lwj playing ~their song~ on the guqin

Oh god it sounds so beautiful

It’s played in a way that sounds soothing and peaceful

Probably to keep the audience from finding a cliff and taking a dive…

Also, this is the first time we see lwj with his hair down! Or at least it doesn’t have a fancy hairpiece in it; it’s still tied back a bit tho

It’s a fucking travesty that we don’t get to see his hair like this more often. He looks so freaking soft here…

In fact everything looks so soft here: out of focus shots of wwx and lwj, a breeze gently rustling the curtains…

It really is just what i needed to recover from what happened like, two seconds ago, tho, so kudos to the showrunners

Now we get a quick series of flashbacks to mo xuanyu, the juniors, etc etc

The show’s like hey guys, remember 30 episodes ago we started telling a different story with a whole bunch of other characters??

Yeah, we didn’t think so, let us remind you real quick

AND ~THEIR SONG~ IS PLAYING THE WHOLE TIME

Okay, we’re back at present-day Ancient Fantasy China and wwx just starts regaining consciousness

Of course the first thing he does is tenderly watch lwj play their love song

Wwx: sixteen years...it feels like a dream

IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE FLUTE PART OF THEIR SONG STARTS UP AS SOON AS WWX STARTS TO SPEAK

Lwj: you’re awake

I AM HAVING FEELINGS

MUCH LESS PAINFUL FEELINGS THAN 5 MINUTES AGO, BUT THERE’S A LOT OF THEM AND IDK WHAT TO DO

Lwj continues to play on his guqin

Wwx: i never thought i could still be alive

Lwj: the day you fell of the cliff, jc insisted on searching for your body but he could only see the bones of the dead

Wwx: what about you? Have you ever tried looking for me?

Of COURSE HE FUCKING DID YOU’RE HIS SOULMATE WHAT DID YOU THINK HE WAS GOING TO DO, OH MY GOD

Lwj: three years later, i went there but there were no bones left

God, they’re both speaking so gently to each other

like they can’t quite believe they’re able to have this conversation, that this reunion is happening at all.

Wwx: why three years later?

Lwj’s hands freeze over the guqin when he asks this

Lwj: these 16 years…

NOTICE HOW LWJ POINTEDLY DOES NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION

Wwx: if i say i don’t know where i was these last 16 years, will you believe me?

Lwj: yes, i believe you

His voice is all soft and full of feeling

Wwx: lan zhan, did you really believe me back then?

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT THEY’RE SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER EVER SO SOFTLY AND TENDERLY AND GENTLE-LIKE?? I AM FULL TO THE BRIM WITH EMOTIONS RN

WWX IS TEARY EYED THE WHOLE TIME, MY HEART MY HEART

Oh, now we cut to a freaking beautiful shot of lwj sitting on a rock with his guqin on his lap, surrounded by trees and a waterfall

HE’S FUCKING GLOWING IN THIS SHOT

And my god the scenery in this show is just so fucking gorgeous

Like, how did they make it so beautiful???

We cut back to wwx and watch as wwx steps out of the Silence Room (aka the jingshi, aka LWJ’S BEDROOM) and starts wandering the Cloud Recesses

And i’m here like ummm? Where’s your mask wwx? YOU’RE WANDERING THE CLOUD RECESSES PRETTY CONFIDENTLY THERE WITHOUT YOUR MASK.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING.

We do get cute little flashbacks as wwx reminisces about the last time he was here tho

It’s bittersweet

Oh, he’s coming up to the library pavilion and ~THEIR SONG~ starts playing again!

WE FLASHBACK TO ANGRY BB!LWJ

LOOK AT HOW PRECIOUS AND LITTLE THEY ARE HERE.

BABIES, THEY’RE ALL BABIES HERE.

Y’KNOW, BEFORE THEY GET HIT WITH ALL THAT WAR AND LOSS AND EMOTIONAL TRAUMA

Now we cut to wwx wandering the back hills of the cloud recesses and there are bunnies!!! HELLO BUNNIES, WE MISSED YOU~!

Wwx picks up one of the bunnies and starts petting them

Wwx: little bunny, do you remember me?

SO CUTE, I DIE.

Wwx: i didn’t know that you were still being kept here after so many years!

He’s holding the bunny so gently and petting them AHHHH

Wwx: didn’t that fuddy duddy say he didn’t like you?

HE SMILES SO SWEETLY AT THE PRECIOUS LITTLE BUNNY

Wwx finishes his time with the bunny and casually makes his way towards the cold spring

HALF NAKED LWJ

WET HALF NAKED LWJ

CHILLING IN THE COLD SPRING BEING TOTALLY GAY

Oh, but when wwx realizes who’s in the cold spring, he gets this pleased little smile on his face!!

That smile slips right off his face tho when he sees that lwj’s back is littered with scars

The music here gets all low and ominous here too.

Wwx’s brows get all furrowed and his mouth drops open in shock

Wwx: whips?

Lwj turns around and sees wwx standing there

he seems pretty surprised to see wwx there, actually, his eyes widen and everything

When he does this HE REVEALS THE WEN BRAND BURNED INTO HIS CHEST RIGHT WHERE WWX HAD IT BURNED INTO HIM IN THE MURDER TURTLE CAVE

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Wwx lets out a little gasp and jerks back in shock when he sees it

At that, lwj immediately flicks his gaze downward and to the side in an obviously nervous gesture

He robes up pretty quickly from here (like REALLY quickly)

Wwx is still staring at him with his eyes all wide but not in a “omg hot naked dude” way; more in a “oh no, what happened?!” sort of way

Side note to mention I LOVE HOW LWJ LOOKS WITH WET HAIR, IDK WHY BUT I DO

Lwj: you’re awake

Wwx: lan zhan, the whips on your back...

Lwj: *looks down and doesn’t answer*

Wwx: you have always been a model among the disciples. What on earth have you done to deserve such a severe punishment?

His brow is all furrowed and he looks almost angry

But his voice is soft and serious and full of concern

And i’m sitting here like, OH BOY, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION WWX

Wwx: lan zhan, answer me

WHAT IF HE DOESN’T ANSWER, WWX? HMMM? WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN?

REMEMBER THAT ONE TIME HE DEMANDED YOU ANSWER HIM AND YOU GOT ALL MEAN AND SNARKY?

BECAUSE I DO

I’M STILL NOT OVER IT, THAT WAS REALLY MEAN OF YOU

Lwj: *pointedly stays silent and keeps his gaze lowered*

And here the some lan disciples interrupt before we can get any answers

They’re here to give us Plot, how dare they

Apparently lqr got himself in trouble; couldn’t control a spirit or smth. What a rookie.

But we don’t care bc he’s wwx’s nemesis lol

Wwx and lwj rush over to the “Underworld Chamber” where lqr is at

Yes, they have a building called the Underworld Chamber bc the lan clan specializes in dramatics i guess

And also, somehow between the cold spring to the underworld chamber, lwj’s hair dries completely and he has it all done up again with his snazzy silver hairpiece??

Which, actually, is freaking hilarious if you think about it

Like, oh, gotta go save my uncle but if he sees me so disheveled he’ll make me write lines for sure...better get myself dolled up before i arrive there

Wwx does his cool magic talisman thing to bust open the doors of the dramatically named chamber and then locks the doors up behind them once he and lwj get in

Lwj looks very worried about his uncle, who is currently swooned into the arms of some rando lan disciple

Lwj immediately takes over the guqin bc he’s the Guqin Master and starts playing Magic Music

and the possessed sword is floating in the middle of the room exuding Bad Vibes™

Wwx whips out his shoddy flute and starts playing the Magic Music too bc it’s DUET TIME, BABY

Lol lqr immediately starts groaning when he hears the flute start up

Wwx’s like oh shit, lqr will recognize me if i play masterfully as i usually do so he switches from playing Magic Music to playing ~Their Song~ but, like, horribly??? It’s terrible terrible flute playing.

(also, like, i know they’re all acting, none of them know how to actually play the instruments their characters play but here i’m like ARE YOU EVEN TRYING?? DO THOSE FINGERINGS BELONG TO ANY ACTUAL NOTES???)

(I know i wasn’t the greatest at playing the flute in high school--okay, i was actually a pretty shitty flutist BUT EVEN I CAN TELL THAT THOSE FINGERINGS ARE BULLSHIT)

(okay i’m done yelling about the flute-playing now)

AND LOL LWJ’S FACE IS LIKE WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING, THAT SOUNDS HORRENDOUS HOW DARE YOU MUTILATE OUR LOVE SONG THAT WAY

Lqr: stop the flute! Get out!!

I’M D Y I N G LOLOLOL

Wwx stops playing and looks at lqr like, yikes

Lqr: no more…

And then he passes out like a drama queen omg

Wwx looks at lwj like “oops, sorry about your uncle??”

But after lqr is very much unconscious he starts playing Magic Music well again

So that all happens and eventually the sword spirit chills out and clatters to the floor

It’s still very obviously exuding Bad Vibes™ and doing this creepy whisper thing so of course wwx is like IMMA GRAB IT

OMG WWX STOP TOUCHING SCREAMING SWORDS

HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING JFC

Yeah so for some reason, wwx thinks it’s a good idea to touch the possessed sword and it starts screaming at him obvs and he starts to shake

Lwj is watching him all worriedly

The screaming seems to overwhelm wwx bc he’s flung back STRAIGHT INTO LWJ’S ARMS

Like, no hesitation. Lwj IMMEDIATELY catches him all tenderly as he falls

We cut back to the silence room with lwj at lqr’s bedside, checking his meridians/spiritual energy/whatever the hell

He’s very focused but all the juniors are cheeping at him like baby birds, it’s adorable

Except one of the juniors starts talking about the possibility of the yiling patriarch possessing someone and lwj opens his eyes and glares at him

HE GLARES SO HARD

AND ALL THE JUNIORS DUCK THEIR HEADS IN SHAME

Lwj dismisses them

Lwj: sizhui, go to bed

Lsz: but dad!!

Lwj: say no more, go

Lsz: yes father

I LOVE DADJI AND LSZ MOMENTS, I HAD TO INCLUDE THIS EXCHANGE

Lsz leaves and bumps into wwx who’s lounging casually outside that building. It’s night time. He’s dressed all in black. Wearing a mask. He looks sketchy af is what i’m saying.

Like, you choose NOW to wear a mask?? WHERE WAS THAT MASK EARLIER???

Wwx: are you okay, random junior that i’m fond of for some unknown reason?

And lsz opens up to him and starts being all Clever and talking Plot Points

Wwx is watching him puzzle this out and he’s so proud and impressed with lsz

Wwx: good analysis, it seems you’ve studied really hard!

More plot talk and then lsz is all why are you wearing a mask again?

Wwx: i’m afraid of being seen by some old friends…

“FRIENDS” LOLOL YEAH OKAY

Cut to a new scene. It’s morning time!

Lwj is staring longingly at wwx

Wwx: you’re not suspecting me are you? I’ve been sleeping for 16 years.

HELLO DENSE!WWX. CAN’T SAY THAT I’VE MISSED YOUR OBLIVIOUSNESS

HE’S OBVIOUSLY USING EVERY OUNCE SELF RESTRAINT TO NOT GRAB YOU AND KISS THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU

Also, is this how he’s coping with being dead and resurrected? Pretending he took an extended nap?? this is a crowley approved coping mechanism, and i too approve of extended naps

Lwj: of course i believe you

Now they’re doing Plot Talk but we’re not gonna go into detail

Instead we’re going to enjoy their general proximity to each other and watch their pretty beautiful gorgeous faces as they bask in each other’s presence and talk smart with their wonderful voices

*dreamy sigh*

WWX IS BEING CLEVER

AND LWJ IS KEEPING UP WITH HIS CLEVERNESS

AND THEY REACH THE SAME CONCLUSION AND SAY IT OUT LOUD SIMULTANEOUSLY

BC THEY’RE GENIUS SOULMATES

(their conclusion has to do with Xue Yang and Plot Device 1 that may have something to do with Plot Device 2?? Only mentioning it vaguely bc it becomes relevant to wangxiantics later. We don’t need to know more than this lol)

Ooh, the end of their Plot Talk wwx says something about how whoever planted the sword ghost is obviously coming after him

Like, he realizes that he’s the target (presumably; i suppose it’s a reasonable assumption for him to make at this point). He stares off into the distance totally accepting of becoming the target again

But lwj gazes at him like OVER MY DEAD BODY IS ANYONE GONNA TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME AGAIN, I JUST GOT YOU BACK!!

Maybe i’m projecting bc OVER MY DEAD BODY AM I LETTING ANYONE HURT MY PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY AGAIN,. COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN/WOMAN/NB PERSON

Now they’re back at the Underworld Chamber where the sword ghost (sans sword) is just chillin there and it’s all glowy and blue instead of smoky black.

Blah blah PLOT blah blah Follow the sword ghost blah blah Find sword ghost’s owner blah blah

Oh, and here lwj says they’re going on a trip together for Plot Reasons

Wwx is very excited about it. He hops and LEANS HARD into lwj.

Like, he’s putting weight into it guys, just getting all up close and personal with lwj’s strong sturdy shoulder~!

Wwx: i finally won’t be controlled by the strict rules here!

UM EXCUSE ME???

WHEN HAVE YOU EVER FOLLOWED THEIR RULES, WWX

WHEN

NAME ONE TIME

GO AHEAD, I’LL WAIT.

Lwj steps back slightly and wwx barely catches himself in time, it’s GREAT.

GUYS, OUR BOYS ARE TRAVELING TOGETHER AGAIN

ON A MISSION

TOGETHER!!

SIDE BY SIDE!

TO HUNT DOWN EVIL!

TOGETHER!!

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES BEFORE ALL THE ANGST AND TRAUMA HAPPENED!!!

Look at our boys! Together! In qinghe!! Qinghe brings back so many fond memories!

They go into town to explore

Lol, we meet a mountebank selling portraits of the yiling patriarch that are supposed to ward off evil

Wwx gets distracted by him and stays behind to chat while lwj keeps going

Wwx inspects the portraits and is SUPER DISAPPOINTED AND OFFENDED

THOSE PORTRAITS PHYSICALLY PAIN HIM

Wwx: the yiling patriarch was famous for his good looks! Who are these losers?? If you never saw the actual person, don’t draw randomly!! Stop misleading the younger generation! THEY HAVE TO KNOW HOW PRETTY I AM

Ah, poor wwx. Nobody can capture his beautiful perfect face.

SURPRISE JIN LING!!

ANGRY LITTLE BOY

KNOCKING DOWN THE POOR INNOCENT MOUNTEBANK

He’s all, that guy should be grateful all i did was kick him. I will kill anyone who mentions the yiling patriarch around me!!

Lol he’s such a brat, i love him.

Wwx: *internally* i wonder how his personality turned out this way. Poor temper, strong hostility. He learned all his uncle’s and father’s defects but none of his mother's strengths. If i don’t start working on him now, he’ll definitely suffer in the future…

LOOK AT WWX BEING A CONCERNED UNCLE!! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

Except he hasn’t had much practice being an uncle so he brings up the time he pinned him to the ground with a talisman

Jin ling gets offended...

Aaaand here comes FAIRY THE WONDER DOG!!

Wwx hears the dog barking and making their way towards him AND FLIPS THE FUCK OUT

HE RUNS AWAY SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS

IT’S HILARIOUS

And we end on that high note.

Talk about emotional whiplash.

How can you make me want to tear my heart out of my own chest at the beginning and 40ish minutes later have me giggling like a loon??

Return to Masterpost

#WangXiantics #wangxian #the untamed #cql

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movienotesbyzawmer · 4 years ago

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August 21: Mission: Impossible II

(previous notes: Mission: Impossible)

Not gonna lie, this is without question the Mission: Impossible movie that is remembered most unfavorably by me and, I'm pretty sure, everyone else. My recollection is that they tried SO SO SO SO HARD to make an action movie for Today's Kids; I'm typing this with the title screen of the 4K Blu-ray blasting its turn-of-the-millennium neo-metal version of the classic theme with Tom Cruise running in front of a wall of flame and it's just like come on. Is there even must fun spycraft in this? The first one promised lots of gravely furtive glancing, world-class makeup disguises, and dazzling gadgetry. Did this movie's director John Woo replace those with just way way way too much shooting and chasing and sexy vehicles? That's how I remember it but it's been a couple of decades.

I should probably address this series' exciting approach to director selection. The first one was directed by the legendary Brian De Palma, who brought us Carrie, The Untouchables, and Carlito's Way. Whether or not this one worked out, the trend here seemed to be to choose a respected director with a certain cred that could be imported into the franchise. More on that as this series unfolds. I am now to press play.

Opening scene is about a scientist who injects himself with something while a voiceover teases us with I-already-forget-what.

Oh, he's pals with Ethan; they're on a plane together out of Sydney when some bad-guy shenanigans totally thwart the whole fly-to-the-destination-safely thing. But! It wasn't even Ethan! It was good-ol' makeup fake-outery! It was a heist to take the warn leather pouch that the scientist had.

This I remember - during the opening credits, the REAL Ethan Hunt is climbing somewhere impressive, all freestyle like. All the related supplemental marketing materials never fail to talk up Tom Cruise's penchant for doing his own stunts, but these don't look real.

He then receives a fancy techno-message in a very, very dramatic and action-movie-ish fashion, which is that someone flies a helicopter by his climbing mountain and fires a rocket near him containing message-glasses tech! The voice in the message glasses sounds like Anthony Hopkins. Is it Anthony Hopkins?

Anyway now he has to go to Spain to recruit Thandie Newton and here is where it's already starting to get way too the-style-of-John-Woo. There is a flamenco show and Ethan and TN spot each other across the room. There is SLO MOTION and SPANISH STOMPING and ACOUSTIC GUITAR, and THOSE TWO GAZING AT EACH OTHER. I tell you I do not care for it.

What happens next is TN proceeds to use fancy technology and lockpicking skills to steal a well-concealed necklace. Ethan tags along flirtatiously. She still tries to steal the necklace even though this Lothario, this smarmy but irresistible cad, is trying to distract her with his testosterone.

Ugh, I was very right to remember not liking stuff about this movie. Ethan fails to recruit her at the jewel heist, so he car-chases at her the next day! He calls her during the car chase to irritate/seduce her, and she's all "you'll have to catch me ha ha", and it ends in a nearly fatal crash and then they KISS. The director worked very hard to ensure the kissing was HAWT, and Ethan has now successfully recruited TN for both spy work and boinkage.

Anthony Hopkins! He is in the next scene! That really was him! How did I forget that he is in this movie. This scene where he meets with Ethan and fills him in on everything is effectively expository. But then after he knows what he's gotta do, he walks with INTENSITY and it is in SLOW MOTION next to a BURNING EFFIGY THING with ELECTRIC GUITAR MUSIC GOING ON.

0:33:40 - Oh now it's a little more what I like, with a montage about using spy tech to get Ambrose, the bad guy who was pretending to be Ethan on the plane in the beginning, to track TN. And to further assure us that there is techie-fun to be had, Ving Rhames returns to be that guy for Ethan's team. But there is also time in this sequence for shots of TN walking slowly and looking super pretty. You know, so she can seduce Ambrose. A flowing scarf figures prominently in this imagery. A John Woo Film.

I like that they tricked Ambrose into thinking he is so damn smart for tracking her down. I also like Ambrose's compound on Sydney Harbour, it is a bitchin property.

Scene just happened where Ambrose seriously menaces his friend and uses a cigar-clipper on his finger. Ambrose is a bad friend.

But then they're all at the horse race game, even Ambrose's injured friend, who we learn is named Stemp and who is spying on TN, and Ethan and VR are spying on them all. There are shots of TN doing sleight of hand to steal a tape from Ambrose's pocket and it's pretty good spy-shot stuff.

I guess I should mention that there's one more guy on Ethan's team of four, an Australian guy. I haven't caught his name, so he is Australian Guy now, and he is pretending to be an employee of the horse race game venue. He gets bullied by Stemp! We don't like Stemp!

The tape she stole, they watch it right away and it shows footage of what the virus (there's a virus problem at the center of this) does. It is effective, and a little shocking.

But then, this is surprisingly actually kind of well-conveyed - they made it VERY clear that the tape was originally in Ambrose's left jacket pocket, and they showed very clearly that TN returned it to the wrong jacket pocket, AND it's obvious a moment later that Ambrose knows it has been replaced in the wrong jacket pocket. Don't know why, but at least it's keeping us on top of this situation.

Also not-too-shabby is how they're doing the consequences of Ethan and TN fancying each other, except then she has to go and seduce Ambrose and that's uncomfortable and drama-making. In Ethan's defense, as well as Ambrose's, I am also in love with TN right now.

1:02:12 - Ethan disguised himself as Scientist, the dead one from the beginning, and I'm just saying I'm glad this movie is embracing the disguise-craft theme that was established in the first movie. Ooh, is the show like that too?

And then just as I've typed that, it turns out that Ambrose did an Ethan disguise (it was established by Anthony Hopkins that Ambrose was an IMF agent so he can do that stuff too) to trick TN into outing her intentions. They make it very clear that there is voice-fake tech with their disguises that involves a wire mesh thing stuck to the throat.

Next up is a heist scheme to break into a skyscraper where they're growing stuff about the virus, and it's a little bit of that style I liked so much in the last movie, with the added twist that Ambrose is somewhere else anticipating what Ethan's planning, and, I think, plotting a separate, way-better heist. They're still talking about it and the heist is happening and it is suspenseful! I totally like this more than I remember.

1:13:30 - Ethan is at the part of the heist where he's at fancy lab facilities with robot arms and AI voices and oddly no people. VR and Australian Guy are observing everything that's happening using technology and Australian Guy's helicopter, making it more suspenseful, but I also don't know exactly what's going on? We appear to be where Scientist originally injected himself, and Ethan is I think killing the virus while also somehow visualizing Scientist injecting himself.

But then that all goes away because a platoon of thugs in black burst in and are shooting at Ethan. It all quickly became an action movie with blazing guns and VR's tech van getting bombed.

In the fracas it's clear that one of the injector guns contains the last of the virus, and also gunplay might shatter it and make them all infected, so that's decent suspense. But also, the lighting in this bio-lab is like a nightclub, with inexplicably roving spotlights and neon accents that pop in 4K.

TN is in the mix, and she decides to inject the last of the virus into herself, and there's a dumb moment where it's like ETHAN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SHOOT ME WITH YOUR GUN and Ethan, Man of Ethics, does not do that. Instead there is more gunplay and Ethan jumps out a hole he made in the wall.

1:28:45 - We've moved to new location, a new compound, and it's on a guard-patrolled island and Ethan sneaks up on a guard and does a totally unnecessary body-flip martial arts move to take him out. I think he needs to steal the antidote from this compound so that he can save TN, who is somewhere else. He is visually passionate about this mission.

Ethan got caught sneaking in to this new compound by Stemp, and he did a whole grenade blowup thing but he still got caught. It's a trick, right? Yup, he put an Ethan mask on Stemp and a Stemp mask on himself and got Ambrose to kill Stemp. He realizes he just killed Stemp because of the finger injury, good job with that.

I am reminded that this movie is from the director of Face/Off, so I needn't have feared that the mask/disguise conceit would be forsaken.

But did he get the antidote? He must have. Sometimes when I'm typing notes I miss stuff, but he's now motorcycling away while VR and Australian Guy are providing support from their chopper.

This is now the vehicle-chase opera that I remember ending the movie so terribly extendedly. Much gunplay. Vehicles pirouette with violent elegance. Ethan can do such exquisite dances with his motorcycle and firearm. This climaxes in the ridiculous feat of Ethan and Ambrose riding their cycles at each other and jumping at off them at each other to finish the job sans vehicle. It ends as a tussle on the beach, and Ambrose has a knife that almost gets in Ethan's eye. The visual on that is striking. But it's no good, Ethan is too Tom Cruise for him. He gets the knife from him and DISCARDS THE KNIFE, and punch-kick-fights him a lot instead. Ethics.

Turns out Ambrose has a gun after all oh no. But then it turns out Ethan is standing by a sand-obscured gun somehow also oh good. He does a thoroughly storyboarded sand-kick-body-twirl gun recovery that ends like you'd guess.

So although there are some dumb things about this movie, I think it's better than I remembered. And having just watched the first one, I think it actually did a good job of having a story where you don't have to ignore a lot of stupidness. It's not like it's an especially good plot, but it didn't try to make you forget its holes like the first one. I still like the first one better, though.

(next: Mission: Impossible III)

#Mission: Impossible II #MI:2

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lothrilzul · 7 years ago

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Things about my Dovahkiins

A recent convo with @mrninjapineapple reminded me of this unfinished thing.

I started this questionnaire around March 28th, 2015 and it’s been sitting in my sta.sh unfinished for so long that I forgot who tagged me to do this.

Looking back, it’s quite a silly list of questions, and I originally wanted to scrap the whole thing, but I liked some of my answers, so here it is. You can compare the personalities of my different Dragonborns by their answers.

[I’m planning to make a more serious questionnaire for the characters involved in our collection of stories (The Age of Restoration). I’ll also plan to post some screenshots of them in a later post.]

Onto the questionnaire with 40 silly questions!

1. What is your name? Z: Zinnia(h Fire-Hearth) Y: Yrgrod Ragvirsson C: Casts-First-Asks-Second N: Nicholaus (the Goldsmith) S: Shurag gra-Burz

2. Do you know why you were named that? Z: No. [After a horse called Cinnia, because I thought it sounded unique.] Y: I was named after an old hero and I inherited my fathers family name too. [It was formed from parts of my name, "rág" & "Vir"] C: Yes, I named myself. [And it sounded cool!] N: No, I was too little to ask it by the time and later I was already used to it. [Because he was created on 6th of December, the day of Saint Nicholas (Mikulás in our country)] S: I don't really care about it, it's just a name... [it was formed from a part of my name, "s Virág" sounding "shwirag", with different spelling] 3. Are you single or taken? Z: Taken. Y: Taken. C: Single? I'm unique! N: Was taken. S: Single. 4. Have any abilities or powers? Z: I'm the Dragonborn and a werewolf and I have an ability called Ancestor's wrath Y: I'm the Dragonborn and a werewolf. C: I'm a Volkihar vampire N: Not that I know of, other than still being alive. S: I can go berserk answering such questions. 5. Stop being a Mary-Sue! Z: I do have a bunch of titles, but this one, I never heard of... Y: Isn't that a female name? C: Why should I? N: Silly... S: You mean Shu, right? 6. What's your eye color? Z: Pitch black. Y: Somewhere between blue and green. C: White with a red pupil. Originally my pupil was light blue. N: Green as an emerald. S: It's red. The other one's blind. 7. How about hair color? Z: It's almost black. Y: Some kind of blonde. C: Hair? Phew, filthy thing! I have beautiful horns! N: It was brownish, now it's grey. S: Brown. 8. Have you any family members? Z: A husband and adopted daughters. My parents are dead. Y: I have a wife and adopted kids. My sister and her son died during his birth. C: No, and I'm happy about it. N: I had. S: I adopted a daughter, but I haven't found true love yet. 9. Oh? How about pets? Z: I love horses and I have four: Arvak, Blaze, Frost and Shadowmere. My daughter's pet fox, Vix sometimes lets me cuddle her. Y: I'm a dog man. C: I don't know the Dead Thrall perk yet. Pity. N: I like animals, but I don't want to attach anyone again. S: I have a good horse. I don't need useless critters around me. 10. That's cool, I guess. Now tell me about something you don't like. Z: The Blades. Y: Unnecessary friction. C: Werewolves, Vigilants of Stendarr and the Silver Hand. N: Boots. S: Dragons. 11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do? Z: Reading. I have a library of around three hundred books. Y: I like to sing (though some say that I shouldn't) and listen to the bards. C: I tend to drink guard's blood in Riften. Broad daylight. N: I like to craft jewellery. S: Exploring the vast wilderness of Skyrim. 12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before? Z: Pretty much. Bandits, creatures, some people. But I only regret some of them. Y: Yes, and he deserved it. He was the reason why my sister died. C: Most possible ways, yes. N: I did, but I wish I shouldn't have. I'm not afraid to protect myself, though. S: I gladly smash in anyone's faces, who deserves it. 13. Ever... killed anyone before? Z: I did. Most time I followed orders, but sometimes for my own good. Y: To name the most important: the usurper Ulfric Stormcloak. C: With pleasure. Also, I need hearts and flesh for crafting. N: Same as Q12. S: It was me or them. No question. 14. What kind of animal are you? Z: I'm a werewolf. And the Dragonborn. Y: I'm a werewolf. C: I'm beastfolk, not animal. I should shed your blood for this question. N: I always considered myself a small and peaceful creature, therefore a squirrel, I guess? S: Orcs are no animals. Oh, you mean metaphorically? I'm a sabrecat. 15. Name your worst habits? Z: Hoarding stuff. Especially ingredients and books. Y: I tend to be hot headed and sometimes I regret things. C: In others eyes, killing for my own amusement is one. N: I tend to be melancholic. S: Smashing in faces. 16. Do you look up to anyone at all? Z: Talos. Y: Sometimes, but they mostly prove they were unworthy to it. Sad. C: No. N: Quite a number of people, yes. S: My mother, Shuzhra was the greatest personality ever. I miss her. 17. Are you gay, straight, or bisexual? Z: Straight. Y: Straight. C: I'm not picky. N: I always thought I was straight, but now I'm not that sure... S: Straight-in-your-face, what kind of unashamed question is this? 18. Do you go to school? Z: No, but I learn new tricks on a weekly basis! Y: No, I'm old enough. C: I never needed school to achieve my goals... N: No, but you are never too old to learn! S: I don't need that, unless it's about potions or fighting! 19. Ever wanna marry and have kids one day? Z: Already married, first child is on his way! Y: I already am, and that second... would be good. C: I don't think so. No kids. Never. N: I had a beautiful wife and daughter, but they both died long ago. Now I'm searching for my grandson! S: Maybe... maybe not. 20. Do you have fangirls/fanboys? Z: I don't know. Maybe. [She’s just modest, she has some.] Y: I... have? C: Of course. N: If I have, that's cool. S: I don't need such admiration. 21. What are you most afraid of? Z: That something happens with my family or with those who I care about. Y: Having to fight those who I called my friends once. C: The Sun. Hiss. N: Bonding. S: That I hurt someone who’s not deserving. 22. What do you usually wear? Z: Light armor crafted by myself and a hood. Y: Heavy armor without helmet, or a helmet which doesn't cover my face. I need my foes to know who bested them. C: Light armor with dark tones, hood, sabatoons, veil or scarf and a mask to hide my teeth. N: Plain clothing. I was dressed in burlap clothing with bare feet before the Sparrows made it cool. No, I'm not a religious fanatic. Does it mean I'm a hipster? S: Blades armor with a Greybeard cloak, to shorten the cooldown of my Shouts when I kill dragons. 23. What's one food that tempts you? Z: Most kind of sweets. Y: Milk. C: Hehe. Blood, my dear. N: Elves ear. My favourite spice. S: Dried venison. 24. Am I annoying you? Z: No, these questions are interesting. I love to explore myself by thinking about stuff I usually don't. Y: Not really. C: I don't know yet. N: No. S: A bit. But I manage it. 25. Well, it's still not over! Z: Good! Y: Alright. C: Go on! N: Alright. S: Oh. 26. What class are you? Low class, middle class, high class. Z: Started as middle class, now high class. Y: High class from born. C: Low class to high class in two years. N: Middle class. S: Orcs are orcs, not classy people. 27. How many friends do you have? Z: I don’t like to count, but many. Some are close, the most not much. Kharjo, J’zargo, Brelyna, Aela, Farkas, Lucan, Belethor, Urag, Lydia, Sasha (mod) and my Housecarls. Oh and Paarthurnax. [Non canonically she likes Aronansa and Jenna Sajpa] Y: Who can be sure about that anymore? The Companions, especially after purging our beast blood together. C: Anum-La, The Swamp Knight [from the interesting NPC mod] N: Some people here or there, but I don’t make want to make new friends, I’m too old. S: A few. Why? 28. What are your thoughts on pie? Z: Delicious! Y: I hope it’s a meat pie. C: Bleh. N: I don’t mind one coming my way sometimes. S: Uh, they’re food? 29. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Z: Talos! Or my father. Y: My beautiful sister Hroda. C: My enemies, so I can flay them! N: My grandson, Mercer. You heard about him? S: Right now? 30. Favourite drink? Z: Red wine and clean water. Y: Milk! C: Fresh blood. N: Mead. S: Magicka potions. They are good for thirst. 31. What's your favourite place? Z: Hm. Skyrim, as a whole, but I like Heljarchen because that where we live now. Y: Dragonsreach is nice. C: Lakeview, my place. N: Solstheim volcanic side. S: The Reach. 32. Are you interested in anyone? Z: My husband, Balimund! Y: My wife, Zinnia [copy of Zinnia as a mod] C: Not now. N: Don’t tell him but I fancy Tolfdir. S: Not right now. 33. How tall are you?

The game gives the height of the character compared to the average. Different races and sexes have different base values. (e.g. Nord males are 1,03, while Khajiit women are 0,95) I headcanonned the average to be 175 cm (5’74). If you think the average Skyrim player character has a different height value, it modifies my calculation (also, sorry, my brain works in centimeters ))

Z: 175 cm (1) Y: 187 cm (1,071=1,04*1,03) C: 175 cm (1) N: 175 cm (1) S: I'm tall enough, thanks! [It’s a bit sensitive topic for her. She’s 164 cm (0,94=0,9x1,045)] 34. Would you rather swim in a lake or in an ocean? Z: A lake. Salty water is not my type. Y: Both are fine. C: I’d rather not, but if I need; the Ocean. N: How about neither? S: Swimming in heavy armor is not good idea. A brook, maybe? 35. What's your type? Z: Bulky nords with beard! Y: My wife. C: Zero negative, but I can eat any blood type. N: Um, people like Tolfdir? S: Someone who’s brave! 36. Any fetishes? Z: Why would I tell you? Y: No. C: I might have some but it’s none of your business. N: None. S: No.

37. Seme or uke?

[I googled what these mean and not going to answer, because my dragonborns don’t know about such things.] 38. Camping or indoors? Z: Indoors. Y: Both. C: Outside. Hunting. N: Indoors. S: Camping? Adventuring! 39. Are you still wanting this quiz to end? Z: I could do other things, yes. Y: It’s indifferent to me. C: Yes. N: If there’s more question, ask. S: Kind of. 40. Well, it's over! Now tag five people to do this.

*Inaudible mumbling, noises of chairs scratching the floor, bootsteps as they leave to their realities.*

[I’m not tagging, I was tagged more two years ago!]

#skyrim #skyrim is life #skyrim headcanons #headcanons #elder scrolls OC #zinnia fire-hearth #yrgrod ragvirsson #shurag gra-burz #nicholaus the goldsmith #qp #silly questions #questionnaire #casts-first-asks-second #my dragonborns #dragonborn #dovahkiin

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applesandbannas747 · 4 years ago

Photo

first of all, you need to understand how much I love lyric comics. Like. I love them so much, they’re one of my favorite parts of fandom and I’ve found a lot of my favorite songs through them, so I am ecstatic to have a lyric comic in the Fence fandom, especially because I love the song it’s to! so just hell yeah to that right off the bat

I love the difference in their stances at the start of the whole thing—Jesse looks like a snot and Eugene looks friendly and that really sums them up XD also I love that Eugene’s chest is out here doing the work. we stan. and aaah Eugene holding out his hand for a shake, I love that—I love him reaching for Jesse always <3 and Jesse’s little surprised face is so cute, but I also like that he’s no longer sneering—seriously, who can resist that grin? Not Jesse, that’s for sure. Eugene’s smile here is great, I love how it’s pulled to one side and that his eyebrows are doing a cute little wave <33 And their reactions to the final score! First off, that’s a really clever way to show the score with the board floating between them. And then I love that Jesse just turns from the match (and Eugene) like he doesn’t care because to win is to be expected. But EUGENE my precious boy ugh I love how happy he is—I love that those 2 points are a victory to him—that big smile and the little excited sparkles in the background!! he’s just so happy im gonna cryyy. And his profile here really is amazing, I love everything about it. And the little hairs sticking out from getting messy under his mask! Brilliant detail! and of course Jesse’s gotta sneak a look back at Eugene <3 I love his little blush, and his eyes look so pretty here, like the detail on the irises and the big reflections in his big eyes—just v v pretty, and I love also that his eyebrows look concerned because he doesn’t know what to do with how he feels about Eugene <3

ooooh this next page is super cool! I love all of Jesse’s fencing poses, they look so cool and full of action. I’m especially in love with the middle figure—the foreshortening and the arm behind him and the HAND (and that expression heheh hes so cute) are just amazing! Also the way the epee blades kind of fade out is cool too—you fit so much into the space without making any of it overlap in a way that’s cluttered. And I also love the variety of expressions here from Jesse, they’re all really cute—love that smug ass ‘im the best, look at my fancy medal’ expression at the bottom XD He’s such a brat i love him. And I love that Eugene seems to haunting his thoughts all through this—and the way he kind of wards off the darkness—like the dark clings around Jesse tightly, but stipples around Eugene’s face, and that’s pretty cool. Also Eugene’s expressions are all great too! Love his soft smile and wink, and his worried expression (my poor baby dont make him sad :(( ) and his big bright smile at the bottom! I love that their expressions kind of mirror and match each other all the way down.

Jesse preening fora crowd of adoring fans, how like him<3 You really captured his charm here and I love it. And Eugene looks cute here, I love his nose showing just a little from this angle and the shape of his mouth is daring. I love him noticing Jesse, and Jesse noticing him noticing, but turning away from the eye contact to keep up his image talking with his friends/fans. the angst of it all is so good, Jesse looks as upset as Eugene to be turning him away and watching him go, and I adore that little detail of the hand that have him up curling in on itself as Eugene leaves—that’s such a cute tell that he’s disappointed with something, even if he brought it upon himself. And Eugene walking away! I LOVE that he’s in a Kings Row tank top, hell fucking yeah!and he is ROCKING it. like i know the poor baby is sad and I’m sad for him, but also that shoulder and arm we get a good look at? fucking amazing dude just hell yeah you can really see all that muscle. he has the best arms <3 but he really does look so sad, something about the hand in the pocket makes him look extra dejected :(

HA Jesse getting what he deserves <3 we love that for him. Seriously, I love that his eyes zero in on Eugene and how friendly he is with Nick and how all else fades out and goes dark around him because he’s so upset at it. Rip to Jesse but I love seeing my boys being best bros—look how cute they are!! joshing around and laughing together <3 and of course Eugene would have his arm slung over Nick’s shoulder! Also love that he’s in a baseball tee because hELL YES he looks so good in those (and I love Nick going out in public in his black tank tops. i can feel Seiji judging him). Jesse turning away and Eugene noticing it!! I love ho aware of and intone with Jesse Eugene is, like he can’t help but be tapped into his feelings and his needs. And the little wobble of Jesse’s lips is adorable. Also! I really like his shirt too! That style of shirt is perfect for this posh prince and I love the artfully open collar of it to show his collarbones and just a little cleavage. Also love that Eugene and Nick were on their way to meet Bobby and Dante—Bobby skipping toward them is so cute. aaaa Jesse’s little wobble breaking into tears <33 Poor baby look how sad he is. The way he’s brought up his hand to rub tears away is really cute and so is that little redness under his eyes and the way he’s shaking—you can tell he’s trying really hard not to cry but that he can’t help it. oooh and that lyric with the hand hoping for Eugene to take it is just!! Genius!! I love it, and that hand is gorgeous

Oh man this last page is just spectacular. Again, the hands are amazing, I especially love Eugene’s reaching for Jesse’s, it looks really cool, and the way the black stippling turns to yellow as their world turns to full color when they finally touch? fuck that’s just absolutely brilliant and beautiful.I love the color of their shirts, Jesse looks so pretty in blue and Eugene in his classic yellow is always amazing. I just love Eugene catching Jesse because he isn’t willing to let him go <3 and I love their expressions here too as they say whatever it is they needed to to be with each other <3 I love their hugs!!!! And that we get an angle to see both of their expressions in it AND that we can see the height difference so well! Just,, i love it. and the little yellow hearts exploding behind them!! I love. Eugene’s smile is so sweet as he pulls Jess in, and Jesse looks so happy with that little blush and a tear still caught in the corner of his eye and ugh they’re so sweet i love themmm

This is so sweet and well done, Elisse!! <33

Lyrics from Willow by Taylor Swift, featuring Eugesse

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @athousandeaths!!! You are an absolute sweetheart and I adore you sooooooooo much, you have no idea!! Thank you for always being your authentic self and sharing your silly antics with me. I am happy every damn day that you reached out to me on here to chat and we haven’t stopped since. I tried to combine 2 of your favorite things (Fence + Taylor Swift) to create a Eugesse comic to some of the lyrics of “Willow.” I hope you have a wonderful day and I love you, girl!!

#fence comic #eugene labao #jesse cost #eugesse #fav

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ryttu3k · 8 years ago

Note

For the ask meme: Sycamore for 3, 6, 7, 12, 14, 19, 28, 30, 33, 34, 45, 49!

Oh boy howdy let’s go :D These will generally be for both gameverse and animeverse versions, although where they diverge, I’ll note it down.

3. Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?

Just working at the lab is pretty good exercise! Looking after the Pokemon in the enclosure and running around after them, giving squirming baby starters their check-ups, meeting up with students - he doesn’t have an official exercise regime or anything, but does plenty of running around just in his everyday life.

6. Eating habits and sample daily menu

Vegetarian, although that’s very much the norm in my headcanon Pokeverse. His eating habits are best described as ‘holy shit dude how are you not malnourished’, since when he gets right into working, he pretty much subsides on pastries and coffee, aside from when friends/family/concerned coworkers actually get him something with actual vitamins and minerals that aren’t caffeine and go “EAT THE FUCKING HEALTHY FOOD, AUGUSTINE” and stare at him intently until he shows a bit of self-care. …Ahem. If he was to go out for dinner or something, he prefers comfortable, homey dishes like ratatouille and minestrone and green salads and some nice crusty bread, nothing super fancy. He is a bit pickier with his coffee, though, and has pretty refined tastes there.

7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time

Drawing. He’s a natural doodler. Given a few spare minutes, out come the pencils, drawing everything from still-lifes of his surroundings, to Pokemon, to people and landscapes from memory. He does tend to feel guilty about wasting time, though, and will generally tell himself off and make himself get back to work. Animeverse version also enjoys TV, including watching performances. (Great use of lab equipment there guys A+.)

Putting the rest under a cut, it’s getting long ;D

12. Favorite book genre?

Very much with escapism, he’s pretty fond of fantasy, when he’s reading for pleasure. It’s pretty rare these days, but he enjoys it a lot just as an escape from everything else, and there’ll often be a novel at the bottom of his bag.

14. Physical abnormalities differences? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)

So if we’re including disabilities, then technically Aspergers and ADHD comes under this? So, comorbid Aspergers and ADHD, yeah, although they’re much more just… neurotypes rather than disabilities.

On an actual illness note, for the gameverse version, he also has depression, anxiety, and is prone to insomnia, so general health issues resulting from not enough sleep and a fairly shoddy diet. Medication-wise, he takes an antidepressant for it, something Diantha encouraged after everything with Lysandre.

The animeverse version doesn’t seem to have the same depression and anxiety issues, I feel? He’s still autistic and has ADHD, but basically has his life together more. Still kind of prone to overworking, weird sleeping patterns, and not eating as well as he should, but not quite as badly as gameverse.

19. What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

For both versions, work work work, lots of thinking about work. Gameverse version tends to have a lot of dark/sad/upsetting/guilty thoughts about everything with Lysandre, which, honestly, is a big part of his insomnia. Animeverse version had a lot of trouble sleeping through stress after the Flare incident, mostly in the form of guilt about not realising what was going on with Alain sooner, but that’s slowly working out, especially since he knows that Alain is sleeping comfortably in the next bedroom.

28. Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?

Best friend is Diantha, and that’s true whether they’re twins (gameverse) or unrelated (animeverse)! Although her career does tend to mean she’s pretty busy, they get together as often as they can and just. Hang out. In animeverse, Meyer is also one of his closest friends as well as his partner.

Worst enemy is… uh, in gameverse, it’s basically himself :| Lots of guilt over Lysandre. In animeverse, it actually is Lysandre and his only regret is not being able to punch the fucker in the face in person for everything he did to Alain.

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)

Gameverse, he canonically does the whole “:) :) :) Nothing is wrong :) :) :)” thing. Like the Couriway scene, he starts out pretty flat and sad, using a lot of ellipses, generally subdued body language, actually turning away from the protag. Within seconds, he’s all smiles and energy and !!! again, so basically suppress, suppress, suppress, and fall apart when there’s no one else around.

Animeverse strikes me as being more emotionally honest and proactive? Like gameverse did make moves to stop Lysandre from behind the scenes, but animeverse, when Gabby was stolen, actively and immediately went out to find her and like. Flung himself down a cliff to defend her! He acts quicker and actually shows much more honest expressions - when he’s angry with the Rockets, it shows, when he’s scared, it shows. So I feel animeverse would react to intrapersonal disaster by actually reaching out to people and not bottling everything up (unless he’s trying to keep a strong face for someone else, like Alain or the kids).

33. Concept of home and family?

Family and home are basically synonymous! I see him having a pretty good relationship with his biological family (gameverse Diantha, Auntie Drasna, parents, et cetera), but also others becoming part of family of choice. Best example, of course, is in animeverse, with Alain, who is definitely his son, and his relationship with Meyer, and Clemont and Bonnie becoming his stepkids (and he’s already great with Bonnie even before that, like lifting her up to pet Gabby in the second episode!), and he’s sort of adopted all his other students too, especially Manon (protective Papa Wolf Sycamore defending Manon from the Flare grunt was SO GOOD). Whoops, he’s acquired another child :’)

Gameverse version pretty much adopts all his students too, although since they seem to be older than in gameverse, the dynamic can sometimes be more like a mentor and protege than a parent and a younger child. Sina and Dexio, for instance, are more like grown-up offspring - he’s still protective and proud of them, but also trusts them more to be independent. He’d have quite a different dynamic with 10-year-old Serena (a child, he’s protective of her, is proud and encouraging of her, and basically looks after her during the Flare crisis) than he would of 17-year-old Serena (still protective, proud, and encouraging, but he knows she’s much more capable of taking care of herself, and sees her more as a protege or apprentice than a dependent).

34. Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)

Private, definitely, although he’d basically joke about TMI without actually like… revealing actual things. So he’d basically deflect attention with masks and jokes, because he doesn’t want to worry people, or he doesn’t think it’s anyone’s business, stuff like that.

45. Superstitions or views on the occult?

So I always get stuck on this question for the Pokeverse because they have like. Actual canonical Ghost-types and various Gods and stuff like that, haha. Ghost-types definitely exist! Ghosts of Pokemon and people, probably, there’s been reputable sightings. Also, frankly, the Paris/Lumiose underground is probably A Mess thanks to the catacombs, I bet they’re packed with Ghost-types and. Actual ghosts. Probably more ‘it could definitely happen but haven’t personally encountered them’ for the actual ghosts. Superstition-wise, I bet there’s a ton related to the legendaries, and I’d bet the ones relating to Zygarde become a whole lot more interesting for animeverse version now that he’s actually met them! “Oh, yes, the deity of the balance between life and death? Yeah, swabbed the little one, they didn’t seem too pleased. My stepdaughter carried them around in her little bag. Cool li’l bean. Well. Big bean.”

This question becomes really funny for my Xerneas!Sycamore, incidentally.

49. If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?

OPERATION HIDE BEHIND THE GARCHOMP. …Okay no he does grab that Flare grunt but, uh, that wasn’t really a fist fight, and he was still pretty quick to get Gabby out, haha. He’s, um, not formidable. (Gameverse is basically the same except it’s OPERATION HIDE BEHIND THE CHARIZARD or something XD )

AND DONE.

#pokemon #memes #professor sycamore #long post #whew!

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stylingmrstyles · 8 years ago

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so. I don´t even have a proper title. This is the Zessie drabble (probably more than that? since it´s over 4k...) many endless thanks to @queerlyalex who betaed it. I´m so lucky to have someone as talented as them to help with my writing <33

Zayn/Bressie, 4041 words, rated explicit (well of course)

When Zayn gets into his room - after leaving the bathroom nearly nearly tripping over his own feet - he´s finally alone, and all his thoughts starts catching up on him, overwhelming him, making him sick. All the things he's just done. But it's not enough. He already wants more of it.

When Zayn emerges from the bathroom, Bressie is standing by the bed, mid-chat with Niall. His eyes snap towards Zayn immediately, his expression openly surprised before he manages to quickly transform it into something more neutral.

Zayn smirks to himself, shrugging on his cotton t-shirt, taking his time with the process. He slowly drags the fabric down his stomach, hoping that perhaps Bressie will get a good look.

“So, are you ready or what?” Zayn asks Niall, who is sprawled on the bed, guitar resting on his lap. He intentionally ignores Bressie, waiting for Niall to answer.

“Sure, mate,” Niall says happily, strumming his guitar mindlessly. “I’ll be ready in a sec.”

“Cool,” Zayn casually runs a hand through his already styled hair. “Meet you in the hall in ten,” he adds over his shoulder on the way out of Niall’s hotel room. It’s not easy to pretend that Bressie isn’t present since he’s always taking up a good chunk of the space. However, Bressie himself likes to overlook Zayn so why Zayn can’t do the same for once.

***

The club is full to the brim. And loud. Too many sweaty, drunk people crowded in a too small space. Zayn is kinda indifferent towards places like this. It’s not like he loves being squashed and pushed around by strangers, but sometimes the noise and bodies and dark can be comfortingly numbing. Easy to get yourself lost in it, to feel small and insignificant. Just another guy wanting to chill. To get laid. Maybe.

It’s not hard to get attention with his face. People don’t have to recognise him to hit on him. To chat him up. Girls and blokes alike. Tonight, he makes it his mission; engaging in meaningless conversations, letting people touch him casually without calling them out on it. It’s because from the other side of the room, he can practically feel Bressie’s eyes on him.

Or is that wishful thinking.

***

“You’re going to ruin your voice,” Zayn hears a deep rumble next to him, making him jump. He hates when someone sneaks up on him and startles him.

Of course, he knows whose voice it is before he looks up. So, he doesn’t. Either way, it’s still Bressie next to him, as surprising as that is. They´ve been dancing around each other for months now. A weird sort of a dance. Sometimes, Zayn´s sure he's imagined all the times he caught Bressie looking at him, or the times when Bressie left room only to avoid being alone with Zayn.

Zayn shrugs, taking an unnecessarily long pull from the cigarette between his lips.

“It’s not like we don’t do tons of things that could kill us every day.”

He can feel Bressie next to him. Imagines that he can smell Bressie's laundry detergent. His cologne mixed up with sweat.

Bressie lets out a laugh.

“Yea, you’re probably right.”

Zayn doesn’t intend to actually ask, but he says, “So why are you here, then? If you're not here to get closer to death by nicotine?” He squints somewhere behind Bressie´s shoulder to where people are crowding the little smoking area in the club´s beer garden. He doesn’t think he’s brave enough to really look at Bressie when they are alone. Well, alone without the other lads.

It’s Bressie´s turn to shrug. “Just getting some fresh air,” he crosses his arms over his chest, biceps bulging prominently - and Zayn isn’t even really looking! God, Bressie’s chest is, like, massive, pecs clearly visible where his grey t-shirt is stretching the soft fabric. And Zayn never wanted to be this affected by a man he barely knows, but he is.

Tipping his head back against the wall behind him, Zayn takes an extra care to blow out the greyish smoke as slowly as possible, hoping that if there’s even a slight chance that Bressie could fancy a bloke - fancy him - that along with the fresh air, he’s getting a good look at the column of Zayn’s throat and pursed lips. There’s no doubt it feels fucking weird to behave like this in front of someone who Zayn finds fit as hell, instead of flirting back with strangers he’s not interested in.

He doesn’t actually knows if this works. It’s just that he’s seen his own pictures in magazines, and knows what looks good. It’s fun, though - watching people’s reactions.

When Zayn dares to glance sideways, he finds Bressie occupied by his mobile phone - a teeny tiny thing in his giant paws, the screen illuminating his concentrated face, tapping away and then scrolling furiously, instead of showing any interest in Zayn. Brilliant. Fucking brilliant, Zayn winces soundlessly.

“So,” Bressie says suddenly, pocketing his phone. “How are ya finding the tour?”

And isn't that just the weirdest question?

Zayn raises his eyebrows, amused. He's also pleased to have Bressie´s attention back.

“Chill,” he says around the cigarette nonchalantly, giving Bressie a lazy look from under his eyelashes. The other man isn't able to hold it for long, shuffles on his feet, bits his lip with a little smile. Shit. It shouldn't be so cute, but Zayn does find it brutally attractive. He wants more of it, more of Bressie, now.

Zayn’s got everything he could ever dare to dream of, and more. Still, he’s been feeling oddly empty, alone and reckless in the most peculiar way. It’s the money, it’s the fame, they told him. Sitting with their band therapist. Maybe that makes it easier to grasp, but it's not less of a fact.

Bressie lets out another laugh, hearty and good-natured.

“That's what you say about fifty thousand people watching you on stage most of the nights?”

“It's less,” Zayn says and Bressie chuckles in response. “Usually,” he allows then, realising that this is the first time he’s talked to Bressie like mates would, that Bressie’s letting it happen, relaxing the usual vigilance he possesses when Zayn´s around.

“Oh, are ya good with Maths?” Bressie looks fake surprised, raising up his eyebrows comically.

The corners of Zayn´s mouth curve up, he shakes his head. It's a terrible line. If it's a line, he muses.

“Actually, I was more into English.”

In the next moment, a large group of severely tipsy people pass through, one of them manages to shove into Zayn hard, sending him tumbling right onto Bressie. For a fleeting second, Zayn is almost sure he's gonna smash his nose against Bressie´s sternum. Luckily, a pair of strong arms grab him, preventing the catastrophe.

“Sorry,” Zayn stutters, getting himself upright again. It takes Bressie a second longer than necessary to take his hands off of Zayn, while Zayn drags his eyes slowly up Bressie´s chest and neck and stubbly jaw. Unlike Bressie, he doesn't try to hide his interest -- something he usually masks with indifference.

“You alright?” Bressie asks, voice flat, already withdrawing himself, pulling away as if nothing happened.

Coward.

Zayn only nods, scratching at his eyebrow. He looks around, searching for something to concentrate on.

The awkwardness doesn’t last very long, out of nowhere Louis bounces towards them, practically jumping on Zayn's back to drag them back in, scolding them for disappearing.

Zayn jokes along, pinches Louis nipple and kisses his cheek sloppily. Bressie seems genuinely happy to answer Louis´ absolutely batshit stupid questions about rugby, and Zayn frowns from behind Louis shoulder.

For the whole night he doubles up his efforts - lets blokes chat him up and get close to him, buys drinks for pretty girls, while watching Bressie´s reactions from the corner of his eye. He thinks that Bressie can see right through that kind of facade.

***

Sometimes, you have to push really hard to get what you want. With that on his mind, Zayn knocks on the door of Niall’s room that he’s been sharing with Bressie for the length of his visit.

The door opens after a few moments and Zayn’s met with Bressie, all soft and sort of sleepy, in his tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt, surprise clearly written all over his face.

“Hi,” he breathes out, leaning on the door with one arm.

“I- uhm, I think I’ve left my shampoo in the bathroom.” He licks his lips and Bressie´s eyes drop to his mouth without missing a beat.

It’s not really a lie, honestly, since Zayn did use their bathroom earlier that day.

Bressie steps away. “Oh, ok,” he says, and let's Zayn come in before shutting the door.

Zayn makes his way through the darkened room, a lamp by Bressie’s bed the only source of light. With pounding heart, he briefly notices Niall’s sleeping body under the duvet, then disappears in the en-suite.

When he switches on the lights there he grimaces at their sharp brightness, finally letting out a long exhale. Bloody hell, he didn’t even know if Bressie would open the door. If Niall would be already asleep. Why does he come up with the stupidest ideas that he actually intends to follow through with after getting spectacularly drunk?

There’s no time for serious plotting, Bressie steps in the room only mere moments after Zayn, the door clicking shut behind him.

Zayn jumps a good few inches, hand flying to clutch at his chest to stop his heart from hammering out of his chest.

“Jesus fuck,” he swears, turning around half-way before realising who the intruder is -- snapping back to face the mirror above the white stone finish counter once he does.

He looks pretty much how he’s feeling - eyes wide, shoulders rising and falling rapidly with his heavy breaths, pupils dilated from the shock and booze. He’s got pretty impressive bags under his eyes which - sucks. In the end none of that matters, because Bressie’s right behind him and the air is suddenly charged with this weird energy; tension, and so much more that Zayn isn’t able to describe yet.

“Looking for the shampoo?” Bressie’s voice asks, coming from much shorter distance than Zayn anticipated, all low and gravely. Keeping his head down, he doesn’t dare to glance in the mirror to check the proximity.

“It´s not here,” he babbles, swallowing. “I must have put it - somewhere else.”

It's strange to talk to someone with your body facing away, while they can watch you. A shiver runs down Zayn's back.

Zayn doesn't even think about the lost battle when he tries to leave, turning back from the mirror towards the exit.

Only his poor attempt to flee is thwarted by Bressie who simply doesn't budge up.

Zayn grips the edge of the counter top for a second, eyes squeezing shut. It takes one little movement to find out just how far behind him is Bressie standing. Or how close.

It doesn't take more than a couple of inches to come in contact with Bressie´s chest when Zayn leans back purposefully. He can feel every intake of Bressie´s breath against his nape.

“What - what are you doing, bro?” Zayn whispers harshly, well aware of sleeping Niall just behind the door. “Is this some kind of a joke?!”

The morning before, Zayn got a new haircut; Lou trimmed the sides according to his instructions, navigating the clippers with a sure hand. Zayn´d kept his hair kinda longish for quite some time so he´s been slowly adjusting to the new style. Having the now-vulnerable back of his neck fully exposed to Bressie´s eyes makes his skin crawl. Not in an entirely unpleasant way. He tenses up to stop himself from fidgeting.

Bressie´s hand brushes against Zayn´s hip; his stomach drops.

“So I reckon that you like people watchin´ you, don't ya. You like being the centre of attention. That's why you're in the band. That's why you were showing off in front of everyone in the club.”

Zayn wants to deny it quickly, but finds himself unable to speak up. Too taken aback by this whole situation, by Bressie so close to him. By Bressie acknowledging that he actually did notice what was going on in the club.

Yes, Zayn was showing off. But not for everyone. He was doing it to catch Bressie´s attention. Of course, without knowing that it would ever affect Bressie in any way, let alone made him act upon it. All the brief, barely existent touches Zayn had so carefully executed while passing Bressie at the bar. When going to the loo. When reaching for his new drink. Totally accidentally.

“Well, maybe for once I wanna have a look too.”

Zayn pulls in a sharp, surprised breath, and this time his eyes snap to the mirror so quickly he's barely able to process it -- he's staring right into Bressie´s in the mirror. While Zayn has no time to take in how he might look at the moment, he can clearly see Bressie's stern face -- determined with something that Zayn can't identify, since Bressie's more of a stranger than a mate to him.

Bressie rests his forehead on the nape of Zayn´s neck.

“Tell me I'm reading this wrong,” he whispers into the silence, voice barely audible, aimed to the floor.

Later, Zayn will be surprised how little it took to deliberately, with the highest level of confidence he could muster at that time, reach for the waistband of his tracksuit bottom and grab his own dick.

Chin pointed proudly up, Zayn´s teeth sink into his bottom lip. “Ready?” The single word sounds utterly wrecked already, cracked up and rough, very similar to how Zayn´s feeling right now, even though he is ready to give everything to cover it up.

Behind him, Bressie shuffles the last inch forward, pressing his chest against Zayn's back.

He hums appreciatively. “Eyes up, then.”

Zayn smirks at that. He has to. It's basically the last option left here, he thinks, hiding the desperation behind cockiness. And, well, isn't he master of that?

Their eyes meet in the mirror without any preamble, and it's almost like a challenge. Who´s gonna chicken out first.

Zayn begins to stroke himself slowly, without prompting, thinking of how fucking right Bressie was. He loves attention, alright? It gives him a bloody rush every time without exception, every time they perform or do photo shoots. Press is a different topic - if it goes Zayn´s way, he chooses not to speak all that much. He's always been more of an observer.

He'd changed into a t-shirt that he would normally sleep in - a washed out green thing with a Marvel picture printed on the front, threadbare and shrunk two sizes down from the tumble dryer. It's short enough to ride above his belly button while he keeps wanking himself, more purposeful now. The fabric only restricts his movements, so he pulls the waistband of his bottoms and pants down. For the view, he reckons, glancing at his own reflection.

“You look good,” Bressie says behind him, voice deep and hushed, as if to remind Zayn that he's still present. As if that could be forgotten.

Zayn wants to preen under the praise. When he looks up Bressie´s eyes are fixed on his midsection, greedy, tracking the movements of his arm; sliding lower to where the head of Zayn´s cock peeks out of the curl of his wrist.

Bressie´s cheeks are tinged pink and he looks desperate, like holding himself back, rigid against Zayn's back.

Zayn concentrates on breathing evenly; he wouldn't want this to end too soon. He leans against Bressie more heavily, hoping it might prompt Bressie to actually do something - to reassure him that it's ok if he decides to.

Bressie smells good, Zayn thinks fuzzily, it's driving him nuts. He's trying to keep his head clear, which proves to be mildly difficult with the amount of alcohol he´d consumed tonight.

As if sensing that Zayn might be zoning out slightly, Bressie speaks again, this time in a calm, slow voice.

“Gorgeous. You're fuckin´ hot,” he murmurs, loud enough for Zayn to hear, and his hand brushes the exposed skin on Zayn's belly, abdominal muscles jumping at the soft contact.

Bressie´s hand stays there, fingers splayed wide, thumb brushing Zayn´s sharp hipbone - and bloody hell how is his hand so fucking large, it easily covers most of Zayn´s tummy.

“You're perfect, sweetheart. Shit, ” Bressie says, and Zayn feels himself go warm with the sincerity of Bressie´s words.

Zayn would really, really like to be sensible and just keep quiet, but an unintentional moan makes it out of his mouth before he even notices. He flushes instantly, huffing out an annoyed sound -- he doesn't want to let Bressie know how much is this affecting him. That he's getting off on it as much as he hopes Bressie is. On the other hand, he very much wants to show him that he's enjoying himself.

He knows he looks hot. There's been months of exploration when he started masturbating, amazed with what his body could do - how it can look. It only escalated with Zayn´s sexual life. And like, of course he bloody wanted to see how he looks when he comes.

He concentrates on the feeling of a dry hand on his sensitive cock, squeezing around the dark pink head and prolonging the strokes. Tilting his head to the side and baring his neck to Bressie knowingly, he watches how his forearm muscles flex and jump.

A sudden noise of a thump comes from nowhere, cutting into the charged silence. They both freeze, Bressie´s hand flying away from Zayn´s tummy as they listen. After a few moments of complete stillness, they both decide that the noise must have come from a hall or one of the rooms around.

Zayn purses his lips in a pout, because clearly, this is going nowhere, and he's almost had enough of waiting. They are both very obviously into it (he hopes that Bressie is at least half as into it as Zayn is), so he goes back to wanking.

It´s easy to fall into a rhythm, so he doesn't wait for Bressie to catch up. Zayn´s ready to give him the show of his life.

He grips the counter with one hand to steady himself, his right hand going back to stroking. It feels fucking good, he only wishes that Bressie would participate in this, too.

The quiet, heavy breathing coming from behind him is lovely. And Zayn greedily drinks in the way Bressie's watching him, eyes flicking between Zayn's face and hand. His cock is not even fully in view but Bressie can’t seem to stop dropping his gaze there, eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment.

Zayn desperately wishes that Bressie would touch him again. Like, grab him by chin and kiss him, or grope his arse, or rough him up a bit in general. It never happens, though.

Until it does. Zayn sees from the corner of his eye Bressie´s hand move, he reaches up to brush Zayn's hair out of his face. The touch makes Zayn shiver, properly like. Shudder.

He leans into the touch a little, eyes falling shut on their own accord as he speeds up. He didn't even notice he's started sweating until Bressie touched him. Now he can feel the dampness in under his arms and on his neck. It's starting to be too much to bear, less possible to control his own actions - the low whimpers and surprised gasps when he manages a particularly good stroke.

He starts fucking into his own fist, hips flexing, and his arse keeps bumping against Bressie´s front every time he draws back, feeling the obvious bulge of Bressie´s cock.

And he definitely moans at that, no shame.

“Fuck, pet, this is -” Bressie groans, losing it as much as Zayn is, and he only arches the small of his back more, bowing it, resting the back of his head against Bressie´s shoulder lightly.

Bressie turns his head, unexpectedly. “Jesus,” he whispers, lips brushing against the side of Zayn´s neck. He drags them up to Zayn's ear, nuzzling the sensitive skin there.

“Fuck,” Zayn spits out, desperate to get himself to the finishing line as soon as possible, heat pooling in his belly and the bottom of his spine. “Just touch me. Touch me.”

Bressie looks beautiful and wrecked, as sweaty and as turned on as Zayn, but he won't listen.

Zayn sways forward, bangs his fist on the top of the counter. “Touch me,” he repeats, eyes shut and he wants. By now, he's managed to sweat through his t-shirt; it's sticking to his back uncomfortably. He makes another noise. Small and hurt. He just wants to come, badly, but needs that extra something.

Behind him, Bressie runs his hands through his hair helplessly, eyes flicking around wildly, and then - while sucking in a shaky breath - Zayn can see the moment he gives up - yes yes yes yes -

Bressie slips his giants hands past the waistbands of Zayn´s tracksuit bottoms and pants, palming his arsecheeks roughly, squeezing. His strong fingers dig in painfully, and it's so good.

Zayn hmmm´s deep in his throat, which accidentally comes off more like a whine. “Yes. Please,” he stutters pathetically.

“Eyes,” Bressie reminds him sternly, “eyes on me.”

Zayn shakes himself, ready to oblige.

Once met with Bressie´s hungry stare, Zayn couldn't look away even if he wanted to. There's so much written all over the man´s features, and it frustrates Zayn that he's unable to read it.

His pink lips are slightly parted, nostrils flaring. He's watching Zayn watch him, and it's so hot that Zayn can barely stand it. Zayn can see himself and he's beyond any attempts at pulling any extra sexy faces, really. He's biting on his lip - has been since the beginning, probably - his forehead is crinkling, skin around his eyes pulling tight at how hard he's fighting to keep them open when all they want is to close in pleasure.

He's going to come, he can feel it, tries to hold it back - just because - but Bressie decides to paw at his bum some more, massaging it while muttering things like, “So perfect, can't believe you are letting me,” which only half makes sense - a finger slides into Zayn´s crack, accidently, judging from the way they both gasp at the same time.

Zayn´s eyes go all wide and he gulps in a breath, tensing. It's impossibly dirty - letting a guy to do this to him, and liking it.

Bressie´s ready to withdraw, reading the signals all wrong. Zayn can see the shadow of worry, of doubt, run across his face.

“Don´t -” he fumes, “don't stop touching me. Just. Please.” Zayn pants again, needy.

Bressie makes a pleased noise in return, two of his fingertips slide back in tentatively, prodding at Zayn´s entrance, patting gently. They hold each other gazes the whole time, which is so unbelievably hot, Zayn tenses even more before finally letting go.

He literally whines, because keeping his eyes open at this point is almost impossible, but he wants to please Bressie. Everything's falling apart, he must be so noisy, but he can't do anything about it, until Bressie´s lips are suddenly on his, warm and persistent.

He's angling Zayn´s jaw delicately with careful fingers, trying to swallow his cries. Zayn´s whining through his nose, because that can't be helped, and somewhere in the back of his mind he's praying that Niall's asleep.

He rocks through his orgasm, breaths sharp and caught in the rhythm of his pounding heart. He can't feel Bressie's hands or lips on him anymore, and all of a sudden everything feels oddly cold and too real. There's jizz like, everywhere. On Zayn's hand and clothes, and a bit on the counter.

Head still spinning and only half-aware of his body, Zayn grabs a handful of tissues from the thing by the basin, wiping the counter listlessly with one hand, tucking his dick back in his pants with the other. It's not even a conscious decision to shoulder past Bressie, who´s standing there awkwardly, and just get out of there without a word.

#i might put this to ao3 too later #i hope this pairing witll get many MANY more fics #i guess i´m planning on writing more in this verse?#zessie #zayn #bressie #zayn/bressie

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newstechreviews · 5 years ago

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(Miss this week’s The Leadership Brief? This interview above was delivered to the inbox of Leadership Brief subscribers on Sunday morning, Aug. 2; to receive weekly emails of conversations with the world’s top CEOs and business decisionmakers, click here.)

When Chris Kempczinski was appointed CEO of McDonald’s last November, he was replacing a successful but flawed leader. His predecessor, Steve Easterbrook, was credited with revitalizing the global fast-food behemoth; during Easterbrook’s nearly five-year tenure, annual net income grew 33%, to more than $6 billion in 2019, and the company’s stock price doubled. But Easterbrook was fired for having a consensual affair with an employee, a violation of company policies. As if stepping into the top job unexpectedly—Kempczinski had been running McDonald’s USA at the time of his promotion—weren’t challenging enough, he’s spent the bulk of his first year as CEO managing through a global pandemic. While McDonald’s in the U.S. has remained open since COVID-19 hit, the accompanying economic turmoil has taken a toll on business. In addition, some McDonald’s workers have recently gone on strike, protesting the company’s safety procedures, benefits and pay policies.

Just hours after McDonald’s had released what Kempczinski, 51, called possibly the “worst” quarterly results in the history of the company—sales dropped 24%—the CEO joined TIME for a video conversation from his Chicago home. One of the factors that impacted the company’s bottom line for the quarter was 12 million free meals it donated to frontline workers during the pandemic, at a cost of $30 million to $40 million. Kempczinski discussed with TIME how consumer behavior is changing as a result of the pandemic, allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald’s restaurants, and de-escalation training for employees who encounter customers who won’t wear masks.

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

This interview with McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What’s your outlook for the public-health picture going forward?

One of the things that we’ve been saying to our team is that until there’s a vaccine that’s been widely distributed, we’re going to be in this period of regional hot spots that keep flaring up. Everything that we’re seeing right now suggests that that is going to be the pattern for probably the next year.

What is the status of your U.S. outlets?

They never shut down. One of the things that happened early on is that the government at the federal level basically denoted which businesses they viewed as essential businesses. McDonald’s and restaurants were deemed an essential business, and as a result, we were allowed to stay open, albeit in most cases with drive-throughs only. So with 95% of our restaurants in the U.S. have a drive-through, the vast, vast majority of our restaurants stay opened.

How has the pandemic affected your breakfast business?

Breakfast has definitely been the most impacted day part. If you think about breakfast, lunch and dinner, breakfast is most susceptible to people not going to work. We did some work, looking at cell-phone data and tracking mobility: what we saw in the mobility data was consistent with what we saw in the restaurant, which is essentially that people moving around was down dramatically in the mornings.

I was surprised to learn how extensive your delivery business is, approaching $4 billion in revenues.

We have a very robust and fast-growing delivery business. Over the last several years, it’s been a significant growth driver for us.

Going forward, will delivery play an increasingly large role in your business?

I think it will. What we’ve seen is, even in markets that kind of get back to quote-unquote a more normal situation, delivery usage tends to stay elevated. And it’s not just unique to restaurants. There’s kind of a macro trend that customers like the convenience of getting delivery at home.

Any other consumer behavior shifts?

The other thing that we’re seeing is the whole notion of contactless is going to be one of the enduring things that stays with us after this pandemic. Whether that is mobile-app usage or using kiosks to do ordering or doing delivery, customers seem to be increasingly preferring service channels that minimize contact with other people. I think that that is something that is going to be enduring.

What do you see the McDonald’s experience looking like in five years?

I think in the U.S., you’re going to continue to see drive-through and delivery be important parts of it. But I don’t think dine-in is going away. I think there’s still this kind of fundamental human need to socialize over food with other people, and so I think that behavior will still exist. It won’t be as pronounced as it was, but it will still be there.

Will you ever build a ball pit again?

There’s probably some good public-health reasons not for us to be doing a lot of ball pits.</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">[Laughs.] I don’t know if we’ve got ball pits in our future. There’s probably some good public-health reasons not for us to be doing a lot of ball pits.

You’re requiring masks starting Aug. 1. What are the consequences for not wearing masks? Recently, an employee was assaulted in Oakland, Calif., after asking a customer to put on a mask.

We’re trying to strike a balance here. There’s certainly a public-health need for people to wear masks. There’s also situations out there, [where employees are] having to police the wearing of the mask. We’ve trained all of our restaurants how to handle or de-escalate those types of situations. But ultimately if a customer is not willing to wear a mask, that is where we encourage our crew to call law enforcement and let them deal with it. We don’t want to have our crew being put in a situation where their safety is somehow being put at risk by policing this. But I think the vast, vast majority of the customers out there recognize the importance of wearing masks.

TIME for Learning partnered with Columbia Business School to offer a series of online, on-demand classes on topics like effective leadership, negotiation and customer-centric marketing. To sign up or learn more, click here.

But what does it say about our society that restaurant workers, many of them teenagers, have to be taught de-escalation training?

For a long time, McDonald’s has in our communities played a larger role beyond just serving food. In many cases, we’re the town square. We’re the community center. We’re less comfortable or excited to be a policing entity. We have different times and different places that we get put into situations like that, whether it’s homeless who are trying to use our restaurant as a place to wash up or whatever. Or we have incidences that periodically occur where people have drug overdoses.

The whole parade of humanity.

When you serve 70 million people a day, which is what we do globally, what you tend to see in McDonald’s is what is happening in society at large. And so, we do the best we can with our crew to make sure that they’re able to serve our customers, but ultimately we have to make sure our crew are safe and so we don’t want to be putting them in situations where they’re in harm’s way.

Has the pandemic led to any supply shortages?

One of the things that’s been remarkable for us is through this whole pandemic, we haven’t had a single supply break on food, packaging, cleaning materials, etc., which is pretty extraordinary. In the U.S. in particular, there were some issues, about six weeks ago or two months ago, with beef shortages being of particular concern. I’m happy to tell you, those never impacted us. They impacted some of our competitors. There were industry supply pressures earlier around proteins. Those have let up, and throughout McDonald’s didn’t have any problems with it.

I’m guessing if you’re a McDonald’s supplier you are going to make sure that is one order that gets filled without fail.

We have made a point similar to that on a few different occasions.

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Has there been one menu item that has gained in popularity in recent months?

The surprising thing is that in the pandemic, consumers are gravitating back to our core menu. You’re seeing it in grocery-shopping behavior where these brands that in some cases people have viewed as, years ago I used to eat soup, and now all of a sudden people are eating soup again. You’re seeing a similar desire for trusted favorites … Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, french fries. They’re less willing to be trying new things. They’re less likely to go out there and try some fancy new burger at McDonald’s.

Are you happy with your menu offerings?

Our menu is a very democratic process; whatever the customer wants is what I want on that menu. If it’s not something that the customer wants, it’s not on our menu. I get asked quite often, Why isn’t this on the menu? Why isn’t that on the menu? And my short answer to all of those is because it didn’t sell enough. We are completely agnostic. We will put on whatever sells.

Beyond a hankering for the old favorites, any shifting tastes?

I do think one thing that is a global trend that we’re also seeing in the U.S. is protein consumption is shifting from beef to chicken. We’re paying attention to that in a number of markets again because consumption patterns are changing.

Last year, in fast food, it was the year of the chicken sandwich. But the Washington Post declared you late to the game and was pretty harsh about your offering, calling it “an amalgamation of various spare parts, lying around the company garage.” Snap!

That’s the great thing about working at McDonald’s, you never lack for attention. We always will get different perspectives. But we’re certainly working on ways that we can update and upgrade our chicken offering in the U.S. Suffice to say we will continue to be competing and innovating in chicken. And I’m sure we’ll continue to be getting critiques about how we’re doing.

You’re still working on your chicken-sandwich formulation?

Well, I don’t want to get too into revealing competitive secrets, but I think we are feeling good about where we’re at, and we look forward to bringing the customers some more innovation in chicken.

Given the environmental impact, should people even be eating meat at all?

It’s not our job to tell people what they should or shouldn’t be eating.</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Well, that’s a larger question that I think is not for McDonald’s to answer. That’s for consumers to answer. If consumers decide they don’t want to eat meat and they want to eat something else, we’ll serve that. It’s not our job to tell people what they should or shouldn’t be eating.

I understand you’re a marathon runner. How much McDonald’s food is part of your diet?

I eat it five days a week, twice a day. I have it every breakfast and lunch five days a week. I eat a fair bit of McDonald’s. I know my way around the menu pretty well. So I have my days that I’m going to eat healthy, and then I have my cheat days. And the great thing about our menu is you can do both.

What is your healthy go-to order?

If you’re talking breakfast, my healthy go-to order would be getting an Egg McMuffin sandwich with no bacon on it. And I might with that get either a cup of coffee or a small Diet Coke. And that’s typically all I’ll eat for breakfast. Lunch, it could be a salad. It could be our filet of fish with no tartar sauce on it. Double ketchup. Or it could be, if it’s a cheat day, it could be the Quarter Pounder.

The CDC says one-third of Americans are obese and frequent fast-food consumption has been shown to contribute to weight gain. You talk a lot about values. And I know you’re serving customers what they want. But how do you reconcile that with the fact that a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a large chocolate shake account for more than three-quarters of total recommended daily caloric intake, heavy on the sodium and saturated fat?

Our philosophy is that it’s ultimately the customer’s choice. We do disclose all of our nutritionals, and so it is prominently featured on the menu. It’s prominently featured on the app if you were to order. Essentially any of our order channels, you can see what the nutritionals are. And then a customer will make those choices that they need. For us, our obligation is to make sure we’re giving the customer all the information that they need, and ultimately they’ll decide what they want to do.

I understand that it’s not an urban myth, that there are specific reasons why Coke does taste better at McDonald’s. Can you tick off a few?

We have a very tight and special relationship with Coke. And it’s in our mutual best interest for us to have the best-tasting Coke in McDonald’s. One of the things that is helpful and why we have such a great-tasting Coke product is because of our volumes. We have in the back of our restaurants these tanks that essentially allow us to have a better mixing process in our restaurants between the syrup and the carbonated water than what someone else is able to do.

And there’s some adjustment of the sweetness to compensate for melting ice?

We have a process with Coke, where we have what we would call a gold-standard product. And we work with Coke to make sure that what is ultimately coming out of the fountain machine and into a customer’s cup reflects the gold standard. And that does entail tweaking, when needed, the sweetness.

Could you talk about how you follow a talented leader who was also very human? How do you approach that? At the town hall after you were named CEO, you talked about how emotional that was for you.

Part of what I tried to do is just to start with being honest with people and authentic. And I didn’t try to wrap it in any kind of corporate speak or euphemisms or anything like that. I mean I tried to just speak pretty openly about how I felt, which was conflicted because on the one hand, I considered Steve a friend. He brought me into the company. He supported me. But on the other hand, Steve made a mistake, and he made a mistake that CEOs shouldn’t be making. So have that trove of emotions that you do in any situation where someone does things that surprise you, disappoint you. Steve was at the company for 20 years. So there were a lot of friendships that were built, but also by the same token, I know there were a lot of people very upset and disappointed.

The Nation just published a detailed article describing a culture of sexual harassment at many McDonald’s outlets. Does McDonald’s have a sexual-harassment problem in the restaurants?

Anytime I hear about one of those situations, it’s disappointing to me because it flies totally in the face of what we stand for as a business. We stand for diversity, inclusion. We want to be a place that everybody feels welcome and that they’re treated based on their abilities and their contribution. Not for anything else.

What’s management’s role in responding?

It’s our job to take action and make sure that whatever were the conditions for the situation that led to that, that we deal with it very quickly. And also part of my obligation as CEO is to set the tone at the top. And I’m spending a lot of time just making sure that people understand my expectations around values. People understand my expectations about speaking up if they see anyone deviating from those values and giving them the confidence that if they do that, they’re going to be protected and that we’re also going to deal with it swiftly. And that’s what I think we have done, and that’s certainly what I’m going to continue to do as CEO.

Can you address the recent employee strikes over sick days, health care, personal protective gear and wages?

I think all of those in light of the pandemic make a ton of sense in that people are very worried about their health. They want to make sure that when they go to work that they’re going to be protected. I don’t think any of us—myself included—want to be in a situation where you’re having to decide between your health and going and getting a paycheck. One of the misconceptions is that somehow or another through this pandemic, McDonald’s workers haven’t been able to get sick pay. The vast, vast majority of our restaurants are offering sick pay to crew working in the restaurants right now. In the vast, vast majority of restaurants, people aren’t having to make that trade-off between safety and getting a paycheck.

And personal protective equipment? Do you feel the company is doing a good job in supplying that to workers?

Yes. We have global safety standards, and one of those is that crew are required to wear PPE in the restaurants. So that’s a face mask, that’s gloves. We ask the crew, and there’s a whole set of procedures around washing hands every hour. And if you look at the infection rate in our restaurants relative to the general population, we typically are better than the general population. So it doesn’t mean that we’re complacent about it. But I think we’re doing a nice job of keeping our crew safe.

One of the first things you did as CEO was change advertising agencies to Wieden + Kennedy. How involved are you in the advertising?

Let me put it this way, my team hopes I’m never involved in the advertising piece. When I’m involved in the advertising, it usually means there’s a problem. Or that something is not maybe as good as it needs to be. So I would say like most things in my job, I’m usually not involved until there’s a problem, and then I get heavily involved.

I’m Interested in those 15-second spots that focus on ingredients with the wonderful Scottish actor Brian Cox from Succession. He doesn’t seem like the most obvious choice for McDonald’s voice-over work.

You’re always trying to find something that is arresting or grabs your attention. That’s always a challenge in advertising. How do you get someone to pay attention? And in many cases, it’s that little bit of that odd juxtaposition that creates interest. To have his voice, which people either unconsciously or consciously know who he is, juxtaposed with the ingredient—there’s something unique and kind of makes you pay attention to that, and that’s why I think it worked.

Your mother was a kindergarten teacher. Do you ever have a bad day and go home and think I basically have the same job?

[Laughs.] That feels like a very dangerous question for me to answer. I would just say that I feel like I have an opportunity to build the future in a very good way for the company. So like my mother as a kindergarten teacher, she’s looking at the future, I feel like my job is to look at the future as well.

KEMPCZINSKI’S FAVORITES

BUSINESS BOOK: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

AUTHOR: I do love Philip Roth on the serious side. He was a phenomenal, phenomenal writer. My guilty pleasure is tabloid journalism: TMZ, the Daily Mail, Page Six. I can give you the latest and greatest on all the happenings.

EXERCISE: I like sports. I’m good at none of them, but I love all of them.

APP: Outside of the ESPN app, Google Maps is a phenomenal app. I use that one for everything.

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

#Blogger

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itsfinancethings · 5 years ago

Text

New story in Business from Time: McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski on Changing Consumer Behavior and the Future of Those Ball Pits

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

This interview with McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What’s your outlook for the public-health picture going forward?

What is the status of your U.S. outlets?

How has the pandemic affected your breakfast business?

I was surprised to learn how extensive your delivery business is, approaching $4 billion in revenues.

We have a very robust and fast-growing delivery business. Over the last several years, it’s been a significant growth driver for us.

Going forward, will delivery play an increasingly large role in your business?

Any other consumer behavior shifts?

What do you see the McDonald’s experience looking like in five years?

Will you ever build a ball pit again?

You’re requiring masks starting Aug. 1. What are the consequences for not wearing masks? Recently, an employee was assaulted in Oakland, Calif., after asking a customer to put on a mask.

But what does it say about our society that restaurant workers, many of them teenagers, have to be taught de-escalation training?

The whole parade of humanity.

Has the pandemic led to any supply shortages?

I’m guessing if you’re a McDonald’s supplier you are going to make sure that is one order that gets filled without fail.

We have made a point similar to that on a few different occasions.

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

Has there been one menu item that has gained in popularity in recent months?

Are you happy with your menu offerings?

Beyond a hankering for the old favorites, any shifting tastes?

You’re still working on your chicken-sandwich formulation?

Given the environmental impact, should people even be eating meat at all?

I understand you’re a marathon runner. How much McDonald’s food is part of your diet?

What is your healthy go-to order?

I understand that it’s not an urban myth, that there are specific reasons why Coke does taste better at McDonald’s. Can you tick off a few?

And there’s some adjustment of the sweetness to compensate for melting ice?

Could you talk about how you follow a talented leader who was also very human? How do you approach that? At the town hall after you were named CEO, you talked about how emotional that was for you.

The Nation just published a detailed article describing a culture of sexual harassment at many McDonald’s outlets. Does McDonald’s have a sexual-harassment problem in the restaurants?

What’s management’s role in responding?

Can you address the recent employee strikes over sick days, health care, personal protective gear and wages?

And personal protective equipment? Do you feel the company is doing a good job in supplying that to workers?

One of the first things you did as CEO was change advertising agencies to Wieden + Kennedy. How involved are you in the advertising?

Your mother was a kindergarten teacher. Do you ever have a bad day and go home and think I basically have the same job?

KEMPCZINSKI’S FAVORITES

BUSINESS BOOK: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

EXERCISE: I like sports. I’m good at none of them, but I love all of them.

APP: Outside of the ESPN app, Google Maps is a phenomenal app. I use that one for everything.

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/39NbCQx via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

littledonkeyburrito · 8 years ago

Text

He just looked at me and my tiny serious expression and said, “No.”

1. What was the reason behind the last time you wore a bandage? I think the last time I wore a bandage was when I hurt my wrist in karate training when I was like 16. I really don’t get injured often.

2. What music artist have you listened to a lot lately? Genitallica. I love their music, so long as I don’t listen too hard and translate the lyrics haha. Then again, they’re barely more dirty than Despacito...

3. Have you ever been to a karaoke bar? Yeah

4. Who is taller, you or your best friend? She is. I am little.

5. When did you last go to a library? I think I went to a library in 2013 to print some documents and get them signed by a JP. That would have been the last time. I can’t believe I remembered that.

6. What did you last purchase at a gas station store? I think the last time I went to a gas station was when my Dad was visiting and we drove through the south of spain. I probably just bought a drink or something.

7. Which time zone do you live in? Central European. GMT +1

8. Do you remember what you wore yesterday? I had to think about it for a second but yes, I do.

9. When did you last lose your voice? It got husky a few times while I was travelling in Central America due to being drunk in clubs/loud bars and attempting to have a conversation with someone.

10. What was the last thing you looked up on the Internet? Give me a sec to check my search history... Last thing I googled was “Dahl Barcelona” because I was trying to find contact info for a shipping company

11. How much did you spend the last time you went out for food? I think it was about 20 euro which tbh was a bit more than I’d like to have spent. I don’t go out much though so it’s not like it broke the bank.

12. What was the last thing you purchased online? A sleeping mask for my brother for his birthday because he does shift work like I used to so I understand the need for a comfortable sleep mask.

13. Do your celebrity crushes tend to be more of actors or band members? Actors. I don’t follow many bands.

14. When was the last time you were at a coffee shop? I have no idea. I don’t drink coffee so I would only ever go if the people I’m with go. The last time might have been that super pretentious coffee place my friend dragged me to in Cartagena in Colombia.

15. Where is the farthest you’ve travelled this week? This week? To the grocery store.

16. Is your first language something other than English? No.

17. Are you a good cook? I’m alright. I like my food but I don’t know how other people feel about it because I don’t cook for others. Tbh I barely cook for me aside from the noodles I make.

18. Did you ever take music lessons for singing or playing an instrument as a child? I took drum lessons for most of highschool.

19. When’s the last time you ran? In the airport in Panama City when I almost missed my connecting flight to San José 20. Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them? No, I don’t like jeans with holes in them 21. Do you celebrate 420? No. 22. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night? When I’m not working/travelling, yes.

23. Have you ever been on your school’s track team? No, but I made it to districts for javelin/shotput a couple of times, and to regionals once. 24. Do you own a pair of Converse? I own a few 25. Did you copy and paste this survey? Sure did. No shame. 26. Do you eat raw cookie dough? When the opportunity arises 27. Do you wear your shoes in the house? Sometimes when my feet are cold I just won’t take them off when I get home. But not in a carpeted house. 28. At what age did you find out that Santa wasn’t real? I approached my dad at approximately age 7 because I’d been having this debate internally about whether santa was real and I was conflicted about it. So I went up to him and straight up asked, “Dad, tell me the truth. Is Santa real?” He just looked at me and my tiny serious expression and said, “No.” “Easter Bunny?” “No.” “Tooth Fairy?” “No.” “Okay thanks,” and then I continued with my life 29. How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house? Just my 1 mobile phone.

30. Who would you call first if you won the lottery? I’d message a bunch of people but the first call would be either mum or dad, depending on what time of day it was. 31. Last time you saw your best friend? February. 32. Are you in high school? Fuck no, thank god 33. How do most people spell your name? Maddy. And then sometimes people get my last name wrong even though it’s really easy and not that uncommon. 34. Would you wear a boy/girlfriends clothes? Around the house I suppose I probably would 35. Will you keep your last name when you get married? Probably. Would maybe consider hyphenating if they had a cool name 36. When was the last time you left your house? Yesterday. 37. Do you have a dishwasher? No. My last 2 apartments had one and I never used it anyway. 38. Would you survive in prison? I hope I’d be able to keep my head down enough to not get shanked 39. Who is the youngest in your family? I have a little cousin that’s 14 I think. 40. Do you know anyone with the same name as you? I know several people with my first name but I’m not actively friends with any of them. When I was in grade 10 at school, there were 4 of us, each with slightly different spellings. 41. What’s the last thing you purchased? Groceries 42. What brand are your pants right now? C&A. I stood in the corner of the shop googling for like 10 minutes to find a comparison chart for australian and spanish jeans sizes. 43. Ever been to Georgia (the state)? Just in the airport. The accents are so thick and southern that I couldn’t understand the girl working at maccas 44. Do you watch movies with your parents? Mum and I would often watch movies together when I lived in Aus. Either at her place or at the cinemas. 45. Do you get your hair cut every month? I get my hair cut every 2-3 months. 46. Do you go online everyday? Yep

47. Have you ever experienced something paranormal? Aside from the party pirate ghosts that apparently haunt my apartment, no. 48. What’s the longest amount of time you’ve been stuck in traffic? I don’t think it was the longest but when I left the San José airport in the cab we hit bumper to bumper traffic almost immediately and it took an hour and a half to get to my hotel.

49. Have you ever been to New York City? Not yet 50. What is the most amount of money you’ve spent on a meal before? Probably when my brother and I took mum out for her 50th birthday and we took her to a nice fancy place. I think in all it was close to $100 per person and of course we paid for mum too. 51. What’s your worst travelling experience? Oh god I’m sure I have a few but I can’t really think of any off the top of my head. Getting sick in India in 45 degree heat wasn’t fun. And then having diarrhoea during my flight stopover in southern china (read: squat toilets) was even less fun.

52. Have you ever dealt with noisy neighbors or roommates? How did that go? At one of my old apartments, my bedroom shared a wall with the bedroom in the apartment next door. They often had sex at like 3am which was super frustrating, especially considering I was still a virgin at the time and was like, “wahh why can’t I be the one getting laid” and then they stopped banging and started arguing and sometimes it sounded like it was getting violent. Anyway, my flatmate and I called the cops on them once because it sounded like she was attacking him and like throwing stuff at the walls. Cops came and spoke to them. They stopped fighting. Month or so later they started banging again. That was not a fun place to live. 53. Who was (or is) the teacher that gave you the hardest time in school? Nah, my teachers loved me. The trick is to suck up to them at the start of the year and from then on so long as you get okay grades you can basically do whatever the fuck you want and they won’t care. I could literally just get up and walk out of class and not come back and they wouldn’t even question it. Actually, I often did but it was usually for a music lesson. But a lot of the time I would go to my lesson super early because I was bored and my drum teacher didn’t mind helping me skip class. 54. How do you feel when you meet someone with the same music taste as you? It’s fun to drive with those people 55. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen outside of your house? A couple were fucking on my street a couple of months ago at like 5am. I only looked because I was still half asleep and didn’t recognise what the sounds were until it was too late 56. How reliable is your internet connection? Better than Australia 57. What’s something that makes you incredibly nervous? Confrontation 58. What’s the latest you’ve ever stayed up to finish homework/a project? 2 nights without sleep. Here’s a tip kids: Don’t start a 10,000 word research assignment 2 days before the deadline 59. What is the worst thunderstorm you’ve experienced? I grew up in the sub-tropics so there’s been quite a few. I fucking love storms and floods (so long as people aren’t hurt and homes aren’t destroyed) 60. How quickly can you write an essay? Doesn’t matter because I don’t need to 61. Have you ever had problems falling asleep in class? Yes, actually. It always took me way too long to fall asleep in class. 62. Have you ever been on the barrier or front row at a concert? Yeah, that time @aturinfortheworse got hi fived by Jack Black at a Foo Fighters concert and I didn’t because I have little arms. 63. If you have a job, who is your least favorite coworker/manager? From my old job, my least favourite was probably one of my staff, Dave, because he was such a pain in the ass and always made problems and bitched about people and thought he could do my job better than me.

64. Are your parents supportive of you? Yes. My parents are pretty great. 65. How often do you take the train to go places? Whenever I have to go somewhere that’s not walking distance and not the airport (I bus to the airport)

66. What is the closest grocery store to your house? The closest big grocery store is Carrefour but I don’t go there because it’s right on the tourist strip.

67. When was the last time you colored with crayons? At a mexican restaurant in Panama City called Orale. The table is covered in paper and you get a pack of crayons. Keep in mind that this place is really really not designed for kids considering the amount of tequila they give you. When I went there at the start of my trip I was talking to a guy in Spanish but the music was too loud for me to hear him properly so I just handed him a crayon and told him to write it down. It legit took me over an hour to realise he was hitting on me...

68. Have you met anyone famous? Just at conventions

69. Do you have any special talents? I am weirdly good with money. I can be on the exact same salary as someone else, have more bills to pay than them and somehow I’ll still always have more money than them. I don’t even necessarily hold back in my day to day life. I don’t know how but money stuff just always seems to work out well for me. I suppose that’s a talent. A very useful one.

70. Have you ever been to a nursing home? No

71. What kind of job did your mom have when you were growing up? She had a few different jobs here and there when I was a kid, mostly in retail I think. But when I got to highschool, she went back to college and studied her ass off and now she does really well as an architect (side note: I accidentally wrote arquitecta which is spanish) and she loves her job. It’s great to see her succeed. I’m very proud of my mama.

72. Have you ever known anyone that’s been on TV, including you? There was a guy that came like 3rd or 4th on The Voice a couple of years ago that I went to school with. I also went to school with a girl who now has like 3 olympic gold medals for swimming so presumably she was broadcast on tv.

73. What was the most interesting animal you have seen in the wild? One time an echidna literally knocked on our door. I’ve also seen dingoes, sea turtles, goannas, baby foxes, koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and so much more because I grew up in the Australian rainforest. More recently, I saw sloths.

74. What was the first video game you ever played? Crash Bandicoot 2 on playstation1

75. What is the one thing you own, that if it got lost, you would be bummed? My passport because it would be expensive and a pain in the ass to replace.

76. What do you find yourself buying all the time? Flights. Haven’t bought any for a while though because I’m running out of money.

77. When was the last time you got a real letter in the mail? A few months ago from my health insurance company.

78. Were you born in the state you live in? Not even close. Firstly, I live in a province. Secondly, I was born in a county.

79. What is your favorite cheese? Probably camembert or brie. I like those soft cheeses. Also a big fan of feta.

80. What color are your jeans? Black. When I travel, I assume people think I only have one pair of pants when in reality I’ve probably got 4 pairs of black jeans on rotation that are not the same at all.

81. Do you get embarrassed when the buzzer at the airport goes off on you? I always dress so that it won’t go off. Except one time back in aus I had to go to the domestic airport and go through security to drop some documents off with one of the bosses on his flight changover and I completely forgot I was wearing steel capped boots and was so confused when it went off.

82. What does your last received message say? “NOICE”

83. What’s a smell that makes you feel ill? Puke

84. Have you ever deliberately tripped someone? When I was ~14 some boys at school were playing some tackle ball game thing and one of them ran right by where I was was so I stuck my leg out and tripped him. He got up and kept running. I hobbled to a seat, half thinking I’d just broken my goddamn ankle. It wasn’t broken but it did swell up so much over the next couple of hours that my friend told the teacher and they forced me to go the first aid room. Then my shin/ankle got the most colourful bruise I’ve ever seen in my life. I wish I had photos of it because it was fucking spectacular. I think the last of the bruising took about 3 weeks to fade.

85. Do you have any boxsets for TV shows? I had the boxsets for Buffy and Angel but I gave them to Mum when I moved

86. Are you tired? Usually

87. What was the last TV show you watched? Luke Cage

88. Is your door open right now? No

89. What was the last conversation you had with someone about? Whether I should agree to look after someone’s cat for a week

90. What was the last parcel you received? Probably a tshirt I ordered online a few months ago

91. Is the person you last messaged single? They both are, yes.

92. What color is your favorite bra? Red

93. What is the newest addition to your wardrobe? A red tshirt with little white birds on it

94. Do you have any currency that’s not your native country’s? I currently have 7 different currencies on my shelf, and I had 4 others when I was in Australia

95. Were you messaging someone right before you fell asleep last night? No.

96. Did you have any unread messages when you woke up today? Yep - it was a photo of their cat.

#Other potential survey titles:#4 pairs of black jeans on rotation that are not the same at all #Yep - it was a photo of their cat.

0 notes

itsfinancethings · 5 years ago

Link

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

This interview with McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What’s your outlook for the public-health picture going forward?

What is the status of your U.S. outlets?

How has the pandemic affected your breakfast business?

I was surprised to learn how extensive your delivery business is, approaching $4 billion in revenues.

We have a very robust and fast-growing delivery business. Over the last several years, it’s been a significant growth driver for us.

Going forward, will delivery play an increasingly large role in your business?

Any other consumer behavior shifts?

What do you see the McDonald’s experience looking like in five years?

Will you ever build a ball pit again?

You’re requiring masks starting Aug. 1. What are the consequences for not wearing masks? Recently, an employee was assaulted in Oakland, Calif., after asking a customer to put on a mask.

But what does it say about our society that restaurant workers, many of them teenagers, have to be taught de-escalation training?

The whole parade of humanity.

Has the pandemic led to any supply shortages?

I’m guessing if you’re a McDonald’s supplier you are going to make sure that is one order that gets filled without fail.

We have made a point similar to that on a few different occasions.

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

Has there been one menu item that has gained in popularity in recent months?

Are you happy with your menu offerings?

Beyond a hankering for the old favorites, any shifting tastes?

You’re still working on your chicken-sandwich formulation?

Given the environmental impact, should people even be eating meat at all?

I understand you’re a marathon runner. How much McDonald’s food is part of your diet?

What is your healthy go-to order?

I understand that it’s not an urban myth, that there are specific reasons why Coke does taste better at McDonald’s. Can you tick off a few?

And there’s some adjustment of the sweetness to compensate for melting ice?

Could you talk about how you follow a talented leader who was also very human? How do you approach that? At the town hall after you were named CEO, you talked about how emotional that was for you.

The Nation just published a detailed article describing a culture of sexual harassment at many McDonald’s outlets. Does McDonald’s have a sexual-harassment problem in the restaurants?

What’s management’s role in responding?

Can you address the recent employee strikes over sick days, health care, personal protective gear and wages?

And personal protective equipment? Do you feel the company is doing a good job in supplying that to workers?

One of the first things you did as CEO was change advertising agencies to Wieden + Kennedy. How involved are you in the advertising?

Your mother was a kindergarten teacher. Do you ever have a bad day and go home and think I basically have the same job?

KEMPCZINSKI’S FAVORITES

BUSINESS BOOK: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

EXERCISE: I like sports. I’m good at none of them, but I love all of them.

APP: Outside of the ESPN app, Google Maps is a phenomenal app. I use that one for everything.

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