#i also hated the commercial field

[mihai-florescu]

Procrastinating my actual assignments got me writing poetry for the first time in over a year

[byuntrash101]

Gryffindor cockiness

reader x dom!hyunjae

smut | nsfw | mdni

hogwarts!au, ravenclaw!hyunjae, enemies to lover (?), slut used once, unprotected sex, hate sex, bratty reader, cocky hyunjae, teasing, begging, some edging, dirty talk

requested | part of my 2023 prompts event [closed]

How can a Ravenclaw be that much like a Gryffindor... that's something you will never understand

[❛ i’m going to ruin you. ❜ + you better watch your fucking mouth. ❜]

TUMBLR IS BASED ON REBLOGS. PLEASE REBLOG MY WORK 🖤

Why? 

You kept asking yourself. Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be Lee Hyunjae? Why did he have to be voted captain of the Quidditch team?

The previous captain, Kim Namjoon, had graduated last year and he was just the best captain ever and he also happened to be your best friend. There was just no way in hell Hyunjae would be able to fill his shoes.

What a fucking disgrace for the Ravenclaw team… Your team used to be unstoppable! So much for winning the Cup this year, you thought, exhaling a heavy sigh.

You wondered how a thick head like Lee Hyunjae could carry your team or how he was even sorted in your house to begin with! He definitely had that Gryffindor cockiness that you hated… Always talking about himself… Thinking everyone should praise the ground upon which he set foot, pretentiously pushing his thick brown hair back and flaunting that toothpaste commercial smile… You scoffed, eyeing with disdain your new captain.

Results of the vote were announced and while everyone was celebrating Hyunjae you stood back and stayed silent, your expression giving away how you felt about the bitter news.

He immediately turned to you, glaring eyes shooting daggers your way.

“Okay everyone! Tomorrow we’ll have our first practice of the year. I want all of you well rested and sharp”.

Everyone was heading back to the Ravenclaw tower when he added.

“and on time too!” you groaned. “That's for you y/n!”

Captain for 30 seconds and he was already giving lessons and getting on your nerves. You hurriedly left not missing to nudge him in the shoulder on the way out.

“When is she going to admit that crush she has on you ?” Younghoon asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

Was that really what it was? 

The next day’s practice was a rocky processus. Everybody respected Hyunjae's skills. But you, on the other hand, were convinced he was the worst keeper the team had known since Park Jinyoung! (Actually he wasn't so bad but you would have died before admitting it).

After 2 long hours of being ordered around by the chief prick himself you finally got off duty. Everybody was being dismissed and going back to their other activities while the Slytherin team was getting on the field.

“Y/n” Hyunjae’s irritating voice called your name. “Can I see you ?” You rolled your eyes not even having the decency to turn your head.

“No” you replied before throwing the silver and blue scarf around your neck and heading for the door. But Younghoon stopped you.

“Y/n…” he said with the disapproving tone of a big brother. “You know you have to… Come on” he said, motioning his head to your captain standing a little further. 

“Fine” you groaned as Younghoon fist bumped you in the shoulder and left along with the rest of the team.

“What do you want ?” you barked at Hyunjae.

“What is your problem with me once and for all?” You looked at him with disbelief in the eyes. 

Did he really not remember? 

It was crystal clear in your mind. Your very first year at Hogwarts you Hyunjae found yourselves both in the same boat on your way to the castle. You were always afraid of water but Hyunjae made sure you felt safe. From that point on you felt blossoming for him and you even wrote him a letter on Valentine's day… but Hyunjae never even confronted you with a letter instead the very same day you heard in the great hall complain about the fact that he only got letters from the ugly girls… Your small heart was broken in half 

Well since then, puberty hit you like a truck and this Valentines day your owl brought you a couple of handfuls of mail from admirers but you didn’t care all you wanted was to make Hyunjae regret not seeing your potential…

But you couldn’t possibly tell that embarrassing story, especially if he didn’t even remember. Seriously… Only a gryffindor could be so oblivious about other people's feelings.

“You’re just cocky and you have literally no reason for it” you blurted. Hyunjae only lifted a puzzled eyebrow.

“You’re the worst keeper of our generation and also you’re just … ugly!” you spat, throwing back at his face what he indirectly told you 7 years ago. It felt good even if it was a lie.

Hyunjae chuckled and took a step in your direction. Somehow his aura had changed, felt different.

“Y/n” he clicked his tongue a few times. “Now you know that’s a lie”

You rolled your eyes. Again with the gryffindor cockiness. You turned to leave but he blocked you, trapping your frame between his arms against the lockers.

“I even heard you had a big fat crush on me” he added. You felt your cheeks burning red. “Awww. Are you blushing?” he laughed again. You wanted to transfigure into a mouse and crawl underneath the big heavy wooden door of the lockers.

“No! I'm just fighting the urge to punch you right now” you lied trying your best to sustain your eyes.

“What if I did that ?” suddenly he leaned in and kissed you. The kiss felt as unexpected as it was uncalled for.  It was surprisingly warm, soft and sensual. You even caught your shoulders slightly deflating, relaxing into him. When his lips parted yours you felt the loss of warmth being rather unpleasant.

“That was disgusting.” you whispered lips almost still brushing against his but not moving an inch. “I'm repulsed by you” you added, unconvincing but defying nonetheless.

He chuckled again as your eyes went half closed, his tall figure towering over you, strong and mighty.

“I don’t care how long it takes… I’m going to break you into the most obedient little chaser ever.” His hot breath hitting your face made your heart race. “I’m going to ruin you”.

“Not a goddamn chance, you fucker” you said more deviant than ever.

Hyunjae’s cocky smile dropped instantly and one of his head wrapped around your neck before you could even realize it, smashing your head on the metal lockers.

“You better watch your fucking mouth” he growled, his voice going an octave lower, usually soft and warm features turning ice cold.

“Fucking. Make. Me.” you challenged him and the smirk was back on his lips but this time he eyes were tinted with lust.

Without hesitation he kissed you again, crashing his lips onto yours in a messy and heated kiss. Your hand roamed over his body, slipping under his cloak, skin still lightly dampened from the intense practice. He caught your bottom lips between his teeth as he squeezed your throat a little tighter, rolling his hips into your making you feel his growing bulge.

You moaned as you felt your arousal soaking your panties. 

The handy thing with robes was that they were easily lifted off. You both took your respective cloaks off and as Hyunjae was making quick work of his zipper whipping out his hard cock while you were tossing to the side the soaked panties.

Hyunjae lifted your skirt as you wrapped your leg around his hips and started rubbing his hot tip at your entrance. You gasped and threw your hands around his board shoulder. 

“I’m gonna fuck that attitude right out of you” he said sliding his length inside you with ease as you moaned deliciously in his ear.

“Let’s see about that” you responded as he finally reached the bottom of you, Big fat cock perfectly filling you up.

“Fucking brat” he said before grabbing both your legs and lifting you up like nothing. Angling your hips to perfection. The very first thrust was already deadly. Hyunjae aimed his fat cock right at your sweet spot. Setting an unbearable rhythm. 

“Fuckkk” you groaned. Not expecting that much pleasure from the get go. 

“Take my fucking cock, you slut” Hyunjae groaned, completely turning your sobbing cunt inside out.

Rapidly the pleasure built up to a level that was completely new for you. You just couldn’t imagine being fucked so intensely, so precisely, so perfectly.

“Fuck! You’re dripping all over my pants. Does my cock feel this good?” he teased.

“No” you lied, eyebrows knitted in pleasure.

“Guess I’ll try harder then” Hyunjae said before going even deeper and faster. You squealed in total bliss, the knot in your stomach threatening to come undone at any second.

You were just a couple strokes away from high. So close you could taste it. 

But he slowed down.

When your panicked eyes met his evil twinkle your heart stopped. Hyunjae felt your desperate cunt pathetically gripping him, begging for more.

“Why did you stop ?” you asked, eyes brimming with tears.

“Say you’ll behave and i’ll make you cum”

You bit your tongue just to keep the words behind your needy lips. Out of pride.

“Say you’ll be a good girl and I’ll fuck until your forget your own name” Hyunjae added with one last powerful stroke reminding you on the pleasure you were missing.

“Fine please! I’ll be a good girl Please Hyunjae fuck me. Fuck me right now” you exclaimed, tears of deafeat overflowing your waterline. Shamefully trading your pride for your release.

“Good fucking girl” he said as he went back to the surgical brutal pace. And you came undone with only a couple strokes. Completely soaking him and yourself in your cum. Cunt twitching and clenching around his fat cock, as if it was never going to let go. Pure white pleasure crashing over your body.

“Fuck yeah” Hyunjae grunted. Finally pulling out, rapidly jerking his tip off and letting himself go all over your skirt. Huge streams of white cum painting the black pleated skirt. 

“Fuckkk” he hissed through gritted teeth as the streams grew less and less powerful until he was completely empty.

As you both were putting your clothes and cloaks back on, both trying to recover from this lawless act, Hyunjae turned to you.

“Next practice I’ll give a reminder of that promise if necessary”

“It will probably be needed, yes” you said, flipping your hair back in place.

A/N: any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated! Please reblog share comment. Even drop by my asks come say hello I don't bite I promise. Ily guys thx for reading 👻

[i-am-still-bb]

FiKi Week by @gatheringfiki - Day 3 - 06.24.24

Never have I known a soul more familiar than yours, more worn into softness, more moulded to the very shame of my fingers, so that they may curl in it and hold you fast and steady. 

A/N: This isn't quite finished, but I'm not going to finish it tonight and I need to get tomorrow's piece done tomorrow... so... I ended it at what felt like a good point. It will continue in a couple of days when I have the other prompts filled. Until then... <3

--

Fast Car AU - Before

Fili’s house was quiet. His mother was out of town for the day. She had driven down to Fresno to see a show with some friends. They were even going to be staying the night in the city. She told Fili that she wouldn’t be back until around noon the next day. She had reminded him to take the bins to the curb in the morning, left $20 dollars on the fridge of pizza, and told him to behave himself. 

“Why would I ruin my choir boy reputation?”

His mother had rolled her eyes with a smile before she backed the SUV out of the driveway. 

//  Want to come over? - FeeD  //

// What’s on cable? - KiliO  //

//  Law and Order. American Dad. Movies featuring spiders. James Bond. The history channel is doing a Roman Empire weekend again. - FeeD  //

//  Hmm… Tempting… I’ll have to check my planner. - KiliO  //

//  Did I mention that the house is empty until tomorrow? And I’ve got pizza money? - FeeD  //

//  You mean that you have garlic bread knots money. - KiliO  //

//  So? Or do you have a better offer? - FeeD  //

//  Now that you mention it Max did say something about having a fifth of tekela… :p - KiliO  //

//  If that’s all it takes… ;) - FeeD  //

//  I’m not _that_ easy. - KiliO  //

//  Don’t I know it :p - FeeD  // 

//  Rude. - KiliO  //

//  Do you need a ride? - FeeD  //

//  I’m at the library. I’ll just bike over when I finish up here. - KiliO  //

//  Can’t wait. - FeeD  //

They had settled for the Law and Order themed reruns. It was warm outside, but the house was dark and cool with the curtains drawn and the A/C running. Kili was stretched out on the chaise lounge of the couch. He was wearing jeans—he hated the way that his legs looked in shorts—and a dark band t-shirt, but he still had an afghan pulled over his legs. He also had a Fili draped over his lap. Fili had stretched out on the main body of the couch. He had his head on Kili’s lap and his arms around Kili’s waist. His face was pressed to Kili’s belly.

A commercial came on flooding the room with light and always being a bit louder than the show. Kili adjusted the volume down and dropped his head back on the couch cushion. He slipped his hand down the next of Fili’s shirt and absently massaged the muscles there.

Fili groaned and shifted to provide better access for Kili.

Kili chuckled. “I thought you were asleep.”

Fili stretched, toes pointing, legs stiffening, back arching before he relaxed again. “I was,” he nuzzled his face against Kili. “That feels nice,” he hunched his shoulders. “Dwalin’s been killing us at practice on the field and in the weight room. I’m just so exhausted. And sore,” he winced when Kili’s fingers worked over a particularly sensitive spot.

“That sounds like a you problem. You chose to do football again this year. You could have been a bum like me and done cross country or nothing.”

Fili grumbled. “And be the guy who didn’t get the pin his senior year?”

Kili rolled his eyes.

“Still sounds like a you problem.”

Fili retaliated by biting Kili’s stomach through the blanket and Kili’s shirt, but Kili still shouted in exaggerated pain.

—

The pizza box was open on the coffee table and the bread bites were balanced on the arm of the couch waiting for an errant arm or leg to knock it over. The two litre bottle of Sprite that they had been sharing sat where the two parts of the couch intersected. It was almost buried by the blanket when it had been pushed aside.

Neither of them knew what was playing on the television anymore.

“I forgot to ask earlier—are you staying the night?”

“I don’t know. Do you want me to?” Kili looked uncertain.

“Only if you want to,” Fili assured.

“I didn’t bring any of my stuff.”

Fili shrugged. “We’ve always got spare toothbrushes and stuff in the bathroom.”

“I don’t have clothes for tomorrow or pyjamas.”

“For tomorrow you can just borrow one of my shirts, but for tonight what makes you think you’ll be wearing clothes?” Fili asked with a lopsided grin. He caught his fingers under the exposed waistband of Kili’s underwear and gently snapped it.

Kili’s cheeks flushed even in the dim and flickering light of the television screen. He pulled away from Fili and looked over Fili’s shoulder before asking, “Do I… can I… do I have to…” he looked down. He pushed himself off Fili’s lap. Fili’s eyes were wide with concern.

“Hey…” Fili reached for Kili’s hand.

“Can I wear pyjamas?” Kili asked quietly.

“Of course you can!” the word rushed out of Fili. “I was just teasing. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I—”

“I know you were teasing,” Kili took Fili’s hand. “I just…” he sighed. “I don’t want anyone else to see me… I guess.”

“But we’re the only ones here?”

Kili looked away. “I know. I just…” he shrugged. “What if like your mom came home early or your uncle let himself in or… I don’t know…”

“Pyjamas it is.”

Kili’s smile was weak.

Fili pulled a pleading face. “Will I still get cuddles?”

Kili pushed Fili’s foot with his own. “Only if you let me have the last of the Sprite.”

“Deal.”

—

“Uncle Dwalin, can I ask you something?” Fili asked. He was watching Dwalin work on someone’s second-hand chopper. 

“I’m not letting you skip out on fifty 40s just because I know your uncle,” Dwalin replied without looking up.

“Good to know. But that wasn’t what I was going to ask.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you know if Uncle Thorin is going to be using the cabin this weekend or next?”

“I dunno, why?”

Fili glanced to the open door of the work bay, “I’m just trying to help Kili feel more comfortable with… you know,” Fili lifted his shoulders. “And I thought hanging out at the cabin would help him feel safer, you know, less like his fuckhead dad’s going to walk in any minute.”

Dwalin rubbed a wrench with a rag, checked to see if the dirt had come off before resuming the motion. He looked at Fili. “And why are you asking me instead of Thorin?”

The tips of Fili’s ears turned pink. He stuffed his hands in his jeans. “I just… I figured you would know, I guess…” he kicked at a patch of dirt with his boot. “And thought you’d be less likely to tell my mom?” he finished hopefully.

Dwalin laughed at that. “Kid, your mother busts my balls about that stuff and has given more sex talks to more guys in the club than I can count, she’s not the one I’d be worried about finding out about you using your uncle’s cabin as a love shack.”

Fili’s flush deepened. “It wouldn’t be a love shack,” he said defensively. “Kili’s just a bit jumpy, and I think it’d be nice for him.”

“And you,” Dwalin teased.

Fili scowled.

—

The key for the cabin was hidden in a birdhouse that was shaped like a motorcycle’s fuel tank. 

Kili crossed his arms, his sweatshirt that was at least two sizes too big hung from his sharp shoulders, and looked around. “Why are we up here again?”

Fili shrugged and fiddled with the lock. “I just thought that it’d be nice to get away from everything… everyone for a while.”

“It’s just going to be us up here?”

Fili looked over his shoulder, “Is that alright?” 

“Yeah,” Kili grinned. 

They had been up here many times before, sometimes with just Thorin, sometimes Dis, Thorin and Dwalin, Thorin and Dis, sometimes whole groups of the club. When that happened the area around the cabin would be filled with brightly coloured dome tents. They would roast marshmallows, hotdogs, toasted sandwiches in pie irons, chase each other with sparklers (depending on the fire warnings), play in the trees, and star gaze. All things that they remembered fondly.

“Can you get the cooler?” Fili asked, tossing his bag inside the now open door. “I’m going to open the windows, it smells like Thorin and Dwalin hotboxed it last time they were up here.”

They’d brought some basic sundries for the nearly two full days they’d be here—milk, cereal, materials to make toasties, energy drinks, boxed mac and cheese, chips, and packaged snacks. Kili busied himself putting things in the fridge while Fili did some dusting and pulled out the linens that had been sealed away from the dust.

The cabin was small. You walked onto a small porch before turning into the main living space. There was a couch to the left, a coffee table, and low bookshelves with games. Beyond that was a small kitchen table, the far wall had a fireplace with built-in bookcases. The books were mostly old thrillers, and books about the Sierra Nevada. The two chairs in front of the fireplace were well worn. There was a narrow kitchen, only room for one person, a cramped bathroom, and then a bedroom that was mostly filled with a king sized bed. The cabin often served as a base for hiking and backpacking, but all of that gear was stored in the  shed that was nearly as large as the cabin itself....

TBC

--

Tag List @silvermoon-scrolls @metztlilua @I-am-pinkie @dubhlachen

[taylortruther]

Hello!!

I recently discovered your blog and I love the way you voice your opinions. I'm not a Swiftie per se, but I am deeply interested in her discography and I follow the Eras Tour a lot(especially the surprise songs), so yeah. I had a theory about Taylor and Joe but i never shared it with anyone because it felt like crossing into the parasocial territory lol, but i feel like I can share it with you!

So I always had this thought that Taylor used to think that she will probably slide into a sort of a "veteran" territory of musicians- not like she will not release music at all, but her music will never catapult her to the level of success she had with Fearless or 1989 (like she said in Miss Americana), especially during Lover. So many performances and interviews during Lover to push that album as compared to little or no interviews and promotion during Midnights and TTPD (Yes, they were promoted too but it was more of a marketing push than her own efforts to promote it via interviews and performances). And she was not wrong, especially the way women are treated in music and acting fields as soon as they touch 30. Folklore was a surprise drop, and she probably dropped it with a thought that only her dedicated fanbase will enjoy it, like what happens with music veteran musicians drop. That period where she wrote Folklore and Evermore were probably the closest glimpse in Taylor and Joe's ideal life together in future- away from the prying eyes, living in peace, them collaborating on Taylor's music and Taylor supporting his career. After all, it worked very well for them during Reputation. It was sort of an unspoken path they silently agreed on. But then Folklore and Evermore gave her commercial as well as critical success, her rerecordings of Fearless and Red (which were also a project she thought will only be enjoyed by her fans) compounded that success- and she finally understood that this is her chance to have that level of success again- and she thought that Joe will support her. But probably their ideas of moving forward sadly clashed with each other. She was not only breaking their silent pact, but she was moving towards that level of success he was not comfortable with on a personal level at all. And the sad part is that I totally understand both of them. If someone as ambitious as Taylor was given a chance at success after thinking for years that she simply won't, it's so natural to take that chance. I would have too. But if your partner is wildly successful, it not only creates this unwanted resentment in your head but you're also scrutinized for not "stepping up". She kept choosing that "pain", and he kept wanting it "comfortable".

(Again, not wanting to step into the parasocial territory. I do not know these people and I cannot speak for them, but yeah. Just some thoughts based on her discography because Midnights was such an interesting era for me)

i think some of this is supported by ttpd - there was resentment and uncertainty he even wanted to be with her ala so long london, "he was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman," she said she tried dimming the shining in the epilogue! we don't know for a fact that joe hated she was successful because it made him feel lesser, but she does at one point say (about joe or matty) "you said i needed a brave man then proceeded to play him" implying that part of swindle was that he told her her life was too big, too complicated, too hard for anyone but someone willing to handle it all.

and it's just a really common phenomenon in relationships: growing apart, growing resentful, being in denial, not being able to give each other what you want. that's why "all breakups are the same" is the tagline here!

thanks for your thoughts bestie, interested in hearing more if you feel like sharing!

[omokers]

horangi headcanon list part 2

as written by a native korean

part 1 here

horangi viscerally hates k-pop

it’s just... really funny that way. people are like oh you’re korean? like jungkook from bts? like the girl kpop bands? that’s all i know btw. and he just bites them

on that note i think könig plays antifragile by lesserafim while working out and horangi has to stop himself from throttling him

this one’s a joke people would mention the north/south thing more

anyway onto more serious character backstory building HCs

horangi went to a shitty commercial high school and/or dropped out and joined the military early

if the gambling addiction developed during middle school, he may have decided that he needed to make money as soon in his life as possible; an allowance, however heavy, and part time jobs for students wouldn’t be enough.

in that case the best option for him would be to not go to an ordinary high school and instead go on to a commercial high school, which is a type of high school specialized in teaching their students business knowledge related to a specific field ie engineering, farming, fishing, hair and makeup, accounting, tourism, etc. they teach much less of anything involved with the university/college admission process, and so horangi would’ve given that up as an option.

if the gambling addiction developed during high school, he dropped out during high school so that he could work more and instead focused on getting a GED. education is big here; his family would not physically let him get away with not having that kind of qualification.

speaking of his family they would not have approved of these decisions at all; perception around commercial high schools are very bad.

related to the above headcanon; he joined the military as young as he physically could

that would be age 18. not korean age, international age 18. this is still within high school age- 3rd year of high school to be precise- but he would’ve dipped way beforehand.

depending on when his birthday is, because of course we don’t even know that, he could’ve joined as early as january or february- before people his age would’ve even begun their last year in high school.

he does get some shit for being so young and also having dropped out from high school, much less be in a university/college learning curriculum like everyone else

side note; korean AMABs, if they went on to university or college, usually take a break from school for 2 years after finishing anywhere from 1~4 semesters, the lesser the better, in order to serve their mandatory time unless they do not qualify physically to do so. in that case they do community service of various kinds instead but we ain’t talking about that. i don’t know any AMAB high school dropouts so i’m not sure how they’d do it, but they are definitely  the minority.

leading on from that one, he did not have a very accepting time in the military.

if your CO is younger than you that fucking sucks. and he’d be younger than literally everyone around him, even if he was deciding to just serve in the military for the rest of his life.

especially with the queer thing. we are on the website that we are and i am taking for granted that headcanons come with this guy is attracted to guys

korea’s still pretty homophobic. i don’t know personally any amab korean queers that have served in the military enough to expand upon this unfortunately but just from the age thing he wasn’t exactly immediately accepted into shit.

but he’s just that good. who cares if they don’t accept him. bitches.

[chloecherrysip]

This is probably starting to get annoying, but here are a few more scattered, silly thoughts about the mario movie. :)

(Did I go see the movie again for the 4th time in theaters last night? YES. Is that an excessive amount of times? YES. Have I spent a ridiculous amount of money at this point? YES. Do I have any regrets? NOT EVEN THE TINIEST BIT, NO.)

Trust me, I would be totally honest if I was starting to get bored, but I'm really, really not??? I had a really tough, busy week and I just wanted to be able to relax and have a good time and it was delightful as always!!! I left feeling so much happier. I'm already thinking about going to see it next week again! No one and nothing can stop me!!!! Other than possibly my bank account, LOL.

Obviously the reunion hug takes the lion's share of the focus, but I just want to express my undying love that Luigi and Mario share MULTIPLE hugs before we even get there, and that's not even counting moments at the beginning and the end where they have an arm around each other in kind of a half-hug! They are wonderfully, unabashedly affectionate and it's the best thing in the world!!!

As much as the family is teasing Mario & Luigi about their commercial, I DO appreciate that after their dad's insensitive comment and Mario leaves the table, all the adults genuinely look a little taken aback and stare at the dad (except the grandpa who is in his own little world lol) as if to say Wow, Not Cool. Like, it seems like saying something like that would even be a step too far for the uncles! I just like that there's subtlety and layers to the family stuff, and no one is portrayed as being 100% a jerk (even if some of them have some jerk-ish qualities like the guy stealing food from poor Luigi XD)

ALSO: in fanworks, I've seen several people allude to the bedroom Mario's shown in as being only his bedroom - I was watching those scenes closely this time just to confirm to myself (because I'm annoying about being as accurate as possible, haha), and it's DEFINITELY both his and Luigi's room! It goes by quick, but you can see another bed with green sheets in the far corner of the room clearly in at least one shot, both in the Brooklyn version and in the Mushroom Kingdom version. For some reason, it just tickles me that it's SUCH a small little inclusion and not really necessary, they could have just left it ambiguous whether they actually share a room or not, but nope, that detail is there if you are looking for it! :)

Y'know, even when Mario is dragging Luigi into a dangerous situation and jumping down through what is essentially a WHIRLPOOL into the sewers, he STILL stands at the bottom and waits/watches to see that Luigi makes it down safely after him before moving forward. OVERALL A SILLY THING TO DO but, as he always does when it comes to Luigi, Mario has those extra moments of care and attention. :)

Peach going on and on about how small Mario is will always just make me smile, I'm sorry XD IT'S TRUE (and I love how he's just like "yeah, yeah, make fun of me if you want" and moves on to the important stuff without actually getting mad, it's clear he's heard it all before)

I JUST LOVE MARIO IN GENERAL. I LOVE HIM IN THIS MOVIE???? I LOVE HIM, ALL HIS LITTLE MOVEMENTS AND MANNERISMS. HE IS JUST THE SWEETEST, BRAVEST LITTLE MAN AND HE DESERVES MORE APPRECIATION

I might make a separate appreciation post but here is a shortlist of little things I love: his little "I don't want to eat this" wiggle-dance when first trying to eat the mushroom, the bashful way he kicks up his feet and holds his hands behind him when he's standing next to Peach in the Flower Fields, the way he just cutely, awkwardly WAVES HELLO at everyone wherever he goes (in Toad Town, through the crowd as they're leaving the castle, even to the Kong Guards), how he's genuinely excited to see Donkey Kong's kart for a split second before DK's "I hate you" comment, how he saves DK in the water with NO hesitation at the risk of his own life because he is just a deeply good person, etc etc etc.

As much as I deeply wish that this movie had an actual scene where Mario gets to talk more about Luigi to his new friends and the dialogue wasn't always operating at Maximum Efficiency, I DO appreciate that there are still those couple of beats where you are explicitly reminded that Mario is doing this, ALL of this, for Luigi's sake and only that. The one that got to me this time is when Peach and him have that sidebar before the DK fight where she's like "this is a REALLY bad idea" and his retort is: "well, do you have another way to save my brother!?" And then you see him go on a little face journey where he's calculating things before agreeing to the fight and proclaiming that yes, he WILL win. BECAUSE HE WILL DO ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING FOR HIS BROTHER AND IF THE ONLY WAY TO REACH HIM IS TO FIGHT AND WIN, EVEN IF NO ONE BELIEVES IN HIS ABILITY TO DO SO, THEN BY GOD, HE'S DOING IT. ANOTHER REASON THAT I LOVE HIM!!

The aesthetic of the shattered Rainbow Road pieces glowing in the ocean around DK and Mario (and then inside the eel) is genuinely very beautiful and I always love the effect of it!

I'M SORRY, I CAN ALSO BE VERY CRITICAL OF THIS MOVIE IF I WANT TO, BUT HOW COULD ANYONE - ANYONE - WATCH MARIO AND LUIGI WREAK ABSOLUTE HAVOC AND DESTROY BOWSER IN PERFECT, EFFORTLESS UNISON WITH THE SUPERSTARS MUSIC PLAYING AND NOT FEEL ABSOLUTE JOY??? That sequence is actually perfect, and the music is even MORE perfect. Every time, I hear it, I feel exhilarated and light as air and like anything is possible! HOW COULD YOU NOT THINK IT'S MAGICAL??? HOW??? [STANDS ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN AND YELLS] HOW????????

Something that I have never noticed until this last rewatch and caught me genuinely offguard is that when Bowser's in the jar and Mario makes the "told ya I'd get you a turtle!" comment to Peach, if you're paying attention to Bowser, he actually does a "hardy-har-har VERY FUNNY" fake laugh as he's being all pouty, and I laughed outloud at that.

ALSO IN GENERAL, I AM SO PROUD OF THIS VERSION OF THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO PUT BOWSER IN ACTUAL JAIL!!!! HE DESERVES JAIL!!!! Like, I get that we're all very sweet and forgiving here and he's usually allowed to just slink away in most of the games, but seriously, HE COMMITTED VARIOUS WAR CRIMES FOR INCREDIBLY STUPID REASONS, THANK U FOR PUTTING HIM IN JAIL

The last scene with Luigi and Mario doing their handshake and then Luigi just full-on playfully poking Mario in the belly before running off is the CUTEST thing and also has the most Younger Sibling Energy of basically anything in the movie, lol. He also does it to him in the opening scene! I loveeeee ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[deadoveater]

"there are more than enough reasons to hate her anon. also calling another woman a bitch, that too on anon like an invertebrate just cause she doesnt like your feminist queen uwu who doesn't let other women dominate top spots strategically and spreads pollution as if it's her birthgiven right to do so. lmao. average swiftie behavior."

lmao. never said taylor was a "feminist" (no woman in pop culture can be a real feminist because if she was her career would be over). she has however inspired millions of young girls and women (some of whom may grow up to be feminists in the future), made it normal for female artists to write their own music instead of relying on a man to do it for them and created a successful commercial brand.

yeah she achieved it all by being a lucrative capitalist so commies are gonna hate her no matter what, but unfortunately you have to play by the rules of society in order to succeed.

the pollution thing is a valid concern, but i find it so interesting how i never see any posts with thousands of notes slandering any of the megacorporations that contribute more to the pollution of our earth than 1000 taylors could. they want you to be mad at her. she's a distraction from the real culprits.

however the first point about her "not letting other women shine" really drives me up a fucking wall and it's insane. it's prime example of the "girl's girl" bullshit which is just misogyny disguised as feminism. shit like "women should always support women no matter the situation! you have to be a girl's girl" actually hurts women, especially in competitive fields, because it keeps them from breaking records and achieving great things like men do, because they don't wanna seem like they're "not a girl's girl" or "not letting other women succeed".

the music industry is a competitive field. charts are ranked. taylor has always cared about being #1 on the charts and breaking records. she has been ambitious and career-driven from the very beginning. if she were blocking only women because they were women, then it would be misogynistic. but she blocks EVERYBODY, regardless of sex. yes, she blocked billie eilish and charli xcx. but she also blocked drake in 2022 and is currently blocking kanye!

it's not about "not letting other women win". it's about being a businesswoman and using clever strategies to ensure her longevity and dominance for as long as she can. she's playing smart. she wants to break as many records and remain #1 for as long as possible. and to do that you have to keep other people, regardless of sex, from taking that #1 spot from you.

if other female artists wanted to beat taylor and go #1, they should've tried harder to make their music more commercially successful. women have agency. they are perfectly capable of working hard to earn that #1 spot themselves, instead of taylor having to give it to them as a form of patronizing charity. the fact that they are not as popular or lucrative as taylor is not taylor's problem nor her responsibility.

imagine if people went around saying "why is kendrick lamar dropping a diss track aimed at drake? he's not a boy's boy at all!" or "boys should support boys"... see how ridiculous and patronizing it sounds when you apply it to males?

let women compete in competitive fields the way men compete. ffs.

[bluetraverser]

Long post: The end of a story I never wrote - HighschoolAU - Stardew - Robert/Elliott

...They fell, crushed, stumbled into an embrace and he found himself crying uncontrollably. His entire body felt stiff and limp at the same time, his skin taut over his head and arms while he shuddered and sobbed at the sudden joy and pain of having him in arms reach again. While the life here was good, he had been so terribly lonely, so unable to let go of loving this man and…

(context and full chapter under the cut)

Okay, this needs a bit of introduction because this is basically part of a chapter for a story that would have had 20 or more chapters which I will likely never write. Or not for several years. Who knows. What follows is a very quick summary of the plot and then the actual story.

First of all: Chapter takes place in Pelican town - on the day Elliott moves there, much earlier than in any canon.

Story so far: Elliott and Robert both go to highschool??? Idk, a school where you go to when you're 18 at least, I am not comfortable with younger. Elliott is a rich kid who hates his parents and vice versa. Bookish, unpopular, somewhat aloof, pretty... in a word, Elliott.

Robert is a popular sports guy with all the cliches of gay guy who is terrified of people knowing he is gay so hes a bully and seemingly ladies man who always finds excuses to never actually do anything with them.

Obviously they fall in love.

Both are terrified of it, both pretend like nothings going on. After a very complicated instance of the good old "there is only one bed", they spend several nights of passion before ultimately Elliott breaks up with him and says they will likely never meet again because his dad is a monster, they will never be safe, yada yada, Robert does not take it well.

At the start of this chapter, neither of them has any idea what has become of the other but Elliott has finally managed to get away from his abusive family. Its been 2 years since they last met.

I think that hopefully set up all the most important points. Feel free to ask or comment about this!

-----------------------

Elliott felt an odd, uncomfortable weight within himself.

This was it.

He was free.

But he was also poor. He had no degree, barely any money… The bus stopped. „Pelican town!“ Elliott got off with a heavy heart.

It was beautiful.

He breathed in.

He dropped his bags.

Fresh, full air made his lungs blow wide, made the sheer act of breathing a joy. He smelled the ocean and the forests, the vitalizing greens of vibrant moss soaking in the country sun… It was invigorating.

Still, he picked up his bags again and looked around, trying to get a sense of which direction he was supposed to go. The shed he had rented was supposedly right at the ocean. From his notes, that meant he first needed to go left, then across a square, across a bridge and to the left again… But was that left from facing the bus stop or the other way around? He could see a fenced in farm with a house down the street, to his right. Going left was probably wise, but… He dropped his bags again and walked a little bit closer, curious as to his new environment and Neighbors. It was a nice little house that looked like it had recently been renovated. The fields that lay before it weren’t spectacularly wide but seemed to span a large assortment of different plants. How curious! He had thought it would be more common to source only one kind of plant per field. Was this a commercial farm or just someone living there with a big garden? His gaze grazed the mailbox and his heart stuttered in his chest as reality seemed to suddenly be turned on its hinges.

Robert Llyr

!

Elliott felt the air being sucked out of his lungs, stunned, confused, desperate in that insane hope suddenly rushing his mind away. It’s impossible! It can’t be him! It’s a freak coincidence! It’s...it’s…

He squinted over the fields, trying to find sight of anyone doing anything there and- A blond man surfaced between the rows of corn. He had spiky hair and bend down just now, doing something with the plants. Disappointment plummeted through his belly. He was starting to feel sick. The permanent up and down of this weird day, these rushes of hope and dread and pain and that blinding beauty of his new freedom but the sickness of being just so god-damn lonely on this path- He put his hands on his face, breathing. Trying to collect himself, trying to calm down. „Hey! You okay there?“

Elliott startled but the blonde was already approaching him in quick steps. „Looking a lil shaken there, mate.“

„Uhm. Uh. I’m fine, I’m fine, thank you!“

The man examined him for a moment, then his bags. „You new in town?“

Elliott awkwardly shrugged, then nodded. „Yes. I just got off the bus.“

„Ah. Lucky you that the bus runs at all. The man who lives here fixed it only last month. It was broken for years before that!“

„Oh. So. You, uh, you don’t live here?“

The man chuckled. „Nah man, couldn’t afford it. Robert lives here. He inherited the plot and moved here last year. My name is Sam, I live down in Willow Lane with my mom and brother. Do you know where you’re going?“

„I… Yes. I rented a place at the beach. And I wrote down directions. I was just curious I guess and…“ He contemplated for a moment how open to be with this person. He’d been friendly enough and… asking couldn’t hurt, could it. „...say, this Robert Llyr. Do you know him on a personal level? Like… do you know where he lived before?“

Sam made a motion to grab one of his bags. „Want my help carrying your stuff? I’m headed in the direction you’re going so I might as well help you out.“

„I- Uh- I… S-sure, that would be great. Thank you.“

Oh god, what a bumbling idiot I am being! One hint that even reminds me of him makes me a complete and utter fool! What must this man think of me already!

„Sorry, I just. I knew a Robert Llyr once and. It kind of shook me to see his name. I’m Elliott, by the way.“

Sam grinned at him widely. „Well hello Elliott. I’m Sam. But I already said that. Come on, let’s get going.“ He grabbed his bag and started walking. „And sure, I know Robert, we’re friends. Otherwise I wouldn’t have walked over his property and stolen one of his cauliflowers.“ He jangled a bag in his other hand around.

„You stole of him?“

„Not really. It’s cool with him if we take stuff and tell him later and he tells us what we owe once a week. Works out pretty okay. He’s a good egg but I don’t know where he lived before. He’s a little bit secretive like that. But he’s been working his ass off with the farm and making this town a better place, so. Not like anyone could complain about him, ever. What’s the Robert like that you know?“

„He’s...well…“ Handsome. Beautiful. Brave. Sad. God I miss you-„...complicated. We met under somewhat...difficult circumstances and he wasn’t always as nice as he could have been, I guess. But that wasn’t his fault and…“ He sighed. „It’s. Complicated. I mean, I’ll see if its him in good time, right?“

„I would guess so.“ They had reached what was probably the center of town. „This is basically the place where it gets most busy in this place. If at all. You got Pierres over there, selling mostly groceries n stuff, you got the mayors house over there and theres a notice board in front of Pierres shop if somebody in town has a small job or something.“

„Jobs?“

„Yeah, like, if they want somebody to fetch something for them or help them with a project. Things like that. Usually pays okay and people are grateful. Theres also a joja markt a lil further up the road and Clint’s shop is over there but I think he only sells rocks, no idea. I don’t really talk to him.“ They had gone across the square. „And this is the road where I live, Willow Lane.“ He handed Elliott's bag back to him. „You got any questions before I leave you to find your way across the bridge?“

Elliott stared for a moment, still trying to somehow digest the entire situation. „I...No.“ He managed a smile. „Thank you so much. You’ve been a great help.“

„No sweat, man! Take it easy!“ He waved and wandered off, leaving Elliott with a pounding, heavy heart and all the questions in the world.

Where would this person be? What should he do if it wasn’t him? ...what if it was him? Would he forgive him? Was he single? Ye gods, he was desperate to be with him. Had been for the past two years! But the need had been lying dormant and buried for so long now, it had been bearable. The current state was like a fresh, overwhelming physical urge to find him and hold him. To just have him back in his arms! But it was impossible. Impossible. He had to steel himself for the strong likelihood of this just being a freak name coincidence. That he would never see him again.

He walked across the beach and to the ocean.

It was the first time he saw the ocean.

It should be a wonderful moment. And it was. It was amazing to see it.

But it also felt hollow.

Everything seemed to mean nothing like this. Everything was just so dull, so… A figure sat at the end of the pier, near the hut he assumed to be the one he had rented.

Black hair. Slightly hunched.

It couldn’t be.

Elliott dropped his bags again and slowly walked onto the pier, barely daring to breathe. The figure looked even buffer than Robert had been. A broad back. Strong arms. The man was fishing. He looked. A lot like Robert did. As far as he could tell from behind. But the possibility of the man turning and it just being someone completely different-

He took another small step forward.

Another.

And Another. He had to know. He had to know…

The person turned and Elliott's heart stuttered out of his chest, unable to say anything in this moment.

It was him.

Robert looked at him with an unreadable expression. He got up, wiping his hands on a tissue, stepping up to him. He looked just a little bit different. Stronger around the jaw. Overall, even fitter. Kinder in the eyes. More peaceful. A small smile started gracing his features as he stepped up to him, reaching out with one hand, as if to see if he was real.

Elliott took his hand. Heard himself make a whimpering, emotional sound. Or had Robert done that? Robert smiled wider, blinking tears from his eyes. „How… are you here?“

Elliott pressed his lips together, unable to keep the tears from falling. „I...I don’t know.“ He wished he had something poetic to say but he was completely overwhelmed, clasping both his hands now, so full of uncertainty and need and-

-----

They fell, crushed, stumbled into an embrace and Robert found himself crying uncontrollably. His entire body felt stiff and limp at the same time, his skin taut over his head and arms while he shuddered and sobbed at the sudden joy and pain of having him in arms reach again. While the life here was good, he had been so terribly lonely, so unable to let go of loving this man and… He cupped his face, looking at him, drinking in his strawberry hair and those green eyes.

And remembered.

He sighed and let go, rubbing his eyes. „I… it’s. Good to see you. Elliott.“

Elliott stared at him with pained eyes. „Yes… i… Robert I’m. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry! At the time… I was sure there was no hope! I didn’t think so now! Or I wouldn’t have…“

Robert shrugged. „It’s… not like I didn’t understand. I. I’m. I just. I’m not sure what to feel right now.“ He swallowed hard. „What are you doing here?“

„I… guess I’m moving here today.“ Elliott smiled. „I finally got a restraining order against my father and his goons, I worked a little while to get some money and then just. Left. I…“ He sighed. „I would have tried to find you if. If I had had any idea… I suppose. It didn’t occur to me to investigate where you could have gone, to be honest. I didn’t feel like I would deserve your forgiveness. And I felt. I would not be able to bear your disdain, should you… should you feel bitter towards me.“ „So you had no idea I was here?“

Elliott shook his head. „No. I just. I worked for a little while to get a few savings. Then looked for a cheap place near the ocean somewhere. Earlier I saw your mailbox and. Dared not to hope. But. I. Longed for you anyway.“

„God… you make me feel so...conflicted.“

Elliott smiled wryly. “And why is that?”

Robert groaned. If only he wasn’t so cute! If only he hadn’t missed him so goddamn much! Robert had been in absolute agony when Elliott had left with the definitive statement that he didn’t think they would meet again. That Robert should move on. Give up on them. That they would never be safe together. Had left without really giving Robert a say in any of it. And he had been mad for a long time. Because he still loved him. Because he had missed him more than he felt appropriate for what had ultimately been a quick fling in his school years… And yet. Looking at him now, he wanted nothing but give in and fall into him again completely. Robert leaned his head on Elliott's shoulder, sighing. He felt Elliott slowly, hesitantly put his arms around him again. Allowing him time to stop him if he had wanted to… “I’m sorry I hurt you, Robert. I understand if you don’t want to just forgive me.”

------

“It’s… less that I don’t want to. More like I’m not sure if I should.”

Elliott leaned his head against him, trying to just… to just not… God. He wanted this to be okay. He wanted him to be okay. Both of them. They were finally together again but… but… He pressed a kiss to the others head.

I love you.

He had never said the words to him. He hadn’t known when they were together. And later...later… “I. Don’t want to pressure you. And I won’t. I…” He took a deeper breath, trying to feel okay with maybe letting go off him, but Robert was holding on to him tightly, despite the situation… “...I mean. I will be living here now. And you are too. And. If you don’t want to see me for a bit. Then. I understand. Even though I. I would. Of course. Very much want… to see you…” He was staring at his lips. Robert looked at him through tear-stained eyes with a stubborn expression. Elliott waited for a reply but Robert was just staring at him now. Elliott tried not to be too obvious the way he stared at him, tried to stop thinking about wanting to kiss him but the more he tried to stop himself, the more he wanted it, imagined what their lips felt like together, wanted to find a quiet place with him and-

Robert put a hand on his face and kissed him. Elliott felt a bolt of energy unleash in him as he rushed against him to kiss him back, pulling him closer, losing himself in the sweetness of his mouth that dissolved all thoughts and filled him with bliss… They slowly opened another more, lips rubbing and pressing against another while his tongue sought entrance into his mouth and… Mmmh…

He stroked through his hair, down his back, pulled him closer around the hip while he pushed himself forward, thoroughly lost in the sensation now, kissing his lost love on this pier at the edge of his new life, unexpectedly having salvaged the best thing from his old… They finally broke apart after who knew how long, heated and dazed… Elliott stroked his face, fighting the urge to kiss that dazed smile some more. He brushed his lips over his cheek. “Does this mean you want to see me some more too?”

Robert laughed and kissed his nose. “I don’t know if I will regret this. But right now I want to drag you to my home and have sex with you. Which is not actually what we should do, given that you just arrived and all. But yes.” He smiled. “I guess I do want to see you ‘some more’.”

[Plot note, timeskip; off-screen: they go back to the beach. Robert say he needs to sell his fresh fish, Elliott uses the chance to say hi to willy who is please he already knows someone and immediately knows whats up so leaves them alone in the cabin pretty soon but they soon realize they should go to roberts place cause they cannot keep their hands off eachother and Elliott simply wants to shower before doing it for the first time in two years. they decide to shower together] [some mild sex stuff ahead]

Elliott unfastened his tie while brushing his teeth, tracing his eyes over his now-finally-again partner, likewise brushing his teeth. Elliott could barely wait to take his clothes off and see all of him. He already looked delicious, sweats and sweatshirt sticking beautifully to his strong body regardless of fashion choice. Robert rinsed his mouth and Elliott started nearly tripping over himself when he took off his shirt. God, he looked good. The farmwork was certainly working in favor of his physique… He quickly rinsed his mouth, put down the toothbrush and the next moment they were kissing again. Elliott groaned into the kiss, thoroughly delighted to feel his naked chest beneath his hands while they both worked on opening Elliotts remaining buttons… Robert pushed himself against him and his hands wandered down… They had to at least briefly wash themselves, he knew. But stumbling naked beneath the shower with him, so close, so… mmh…

------

Robert wanted to savor this. Two long years since he’d been with him. And all the last times they’d had sex had been fast and desperate in half-public places. Uncomfortable and full of fear in so many terrible ways… But he wasn’t really thinking anything any-more. The water was rushing around them, his hands wandering across Elliotts back and chest and ass, tempted to rub his cock, take it in his mouth, to turn over and…

Elliott pressed him against the wall, kissing him deeply, reaching between his legs-

Robert cried out in pleasure, trying to adjust, trying to spread his legs more in the slippery space when Elliott kneeled down somewhat suddenly and his brain gave out…

He started coming back to himself more when Elliott washed off the shower lotion he’d spread on both of them after. He’d been holding on to the grip bar while Elliott was pleasuring him and was now slowly coming down from the high…

“You okay, darling?”

“...yes…”

Elliott smiled and kissed his forehead, then turned off the water. “I suppose, there goes my plan of keeping my hair dry.” He reached for the towels.

“Heh. Well, you didn’t have to go down on me.”

“Mmh, but I loved doing it.” He squeezed his hand, then pressed a couple of kisses to his cheek. “...And I cannot wait to continue.” ---- They tumbled to bed, kissing and stroking and a part of him reminded him just how incredible this was. Twenty-four hours ago he hadn’t known if he would ever see him again. Had been anxious and unsure about leaving his old home for good, going to a place where he knew nobody with very little resources…

Now he had him in his arms, entwined as they kissed and loved another and it felt better than any time they had done this before.

They were free. They were both free.

He stilled. Pulled himself out of the kiss and focused on embracing him. He rubbed their cheeks together and pressed close, sighing softly. He had his eyes closed and just breathed. Breathed the beauty of the moment. Focused on this feeling of his loves strong arms holding him so tight and so loving, of this buzzing heady feeling in his mind that blinded him to all but the delicate feeling pouring out of him… “I love you.” He whimpered, overwhelmed by his emotion. “I love you, Robert.” He looked into his partners tear-stricken ocean-blues. “I never thought I’d see you again. But in the pain of being heart-broken, I relished in knowing the truth of this feeling. I was prepared to carry the pain until my end, if it meant I could also keep carrying the love. Even if it meant loneliness for all this life.”

Robert sobbed, emotion heavy on his face, changing from sorrow to contemplation and perhaps, some joy in a small moment until a smile graced his features and he stroked over Elliotts face again. “...and now?”

Elliott laughed. “Now I hold you in my arms… in what seems like the most unbelievable twist of my life. In what seems like the universe must have a conscience because our paths leading us here seem to unbelievable to be possible. Now up is down, the world is a circle. The birds sing and will always sing in the mountains of the world because I have you now and in this moment. And if all fails and my heart will be broken again, my love for you will still be whole. Made full, finally, by being here with you, finally offering my heart to you in earnest.”

Robert rubbed his face, crying, shaking his head… “Jesus christ, Elliott… How can you...how…”

Elliott pressed his lips together, hoping, praying he hadn’t ruined it all, That this didn’t mean… Robert embraced him again. “You goddamn dramatic idiot… Of course I love you too!”

Elliott shuddered, hugging him back, more tears flowing from his eyes while his brain seemed to spin and dance and light bloomed deep within him. “I love you.” He cupped his face, smiling like a fool no doubt but more happy than he’d ever been in his life. “I love you.” He kissed him once, twice. “I love you.”

“I love you too! And I hate that I had to wait two years to be able to tell you!”

Elliott smiled and kissed his nose. “Me too. But now we’re together. Isn’t that all that should matter?”

Robert made a face. “Kind of. I guess. I...argh! You’re just… you’re just…you’re… ah…”

Elliott had started nibbling at his neck, breathing warmly into his ear making soft, urging sounds while he touched him some more and…

“Elliott-”

“Hmm?” He kissed him…

...and all thought vanished...

[shrinkthisviolet]

1, 2, 10, 12, 16, 21 for the roots asks for Morgan :)

1. How many living parents does your OC have? If they're alive, where are they now and what’s your OC’s relationship with them? If they’re dead, how did they die?

Ooh well right now, 1 with Tina. Though later it'll be 2, because of Henry (and probably later 3, when she comes to think of Harry as a father figure too).

Obviously, her relationship with Tina is very strong—naturally there’s tension at times, especially after Tina finds out about Eowells, but that’s bound to happen. Spoilers perhaps, but they come back from this tension stronger.

For Henry, it’ll be a bit of a bumpy ride given Morgan’s…difficult history with the concept of fatherhood. Calling Henry “Barry’s dad” is far easier than thinking of him as “stepdad”, but…she’ll get there. For Harry, she will probably never actually call him Dad, nor will he ever call her any form of “daughter” to her face, though they’ll probably refer to each other as such when talking to others. (More details about both of these relationships are TBD)

Harrison and Tess…well, Morgan’s relationship with them is ofc complicated. They’re her parents, but she doesn’t remember anything about them—she was too young when they died. Everything she knows about them is secondhand from Tina (or to a lesser extent Eowells*), or via what she can glean from Harry…though the latter is so E2-specific that it’s still lacking. So really, they’re her parents in a much more distant sense…and she barely even feels like she has the right to mourn them 🥺 more easily referring to them as “Aunt Tina/Mum’s friends” than “my parents”

*about this, btw…he does something quite underhanded that I can’t say too much about. You will hate him more than you thought possible when I reveal it.

2. What was your OC’s first job? Do they still work that job (or in that field), or do they do something else now?

Barista at Jitters! Then in s2, barista at Starbucks. Though once she transfers to CCU in s3 and sophomore year of college gets going, she decides to stay unemployed for a while 😅 juggling college and superhero duties (especially since Organic Chem is one of her classes during s3) is hard enough

10. What’s the first significant injury your OC remembers getting? Did it leave any scars?

Hmm maybe the time she fell off a Razor scooter when she was in kindergarten and got a scrape above her eyebrow. It was a pretty bad scrape, and she had to get stitches, though luckily it healed up fairly quickly.

One of the good memories she has of Eowells is him taking the day off work to spend with her in the hospital, and letting her curl up with him in bed. It was one of the few truly good days she had with him…and as with those good days, it was a rarity undone as soon as the next day

(He took her to the doctor that morning to make sure her stitches had dissolved and that her ill-effects were mild, then dropped her at school around noon before going off to work himself. And with that, they were right back to normal)

12. Does your OC’s family practice any faith or religion? Does your OC still practice? Why or why not?

She’s not really religious tbh, neither were her parents. She celebrates Christmas, but not in a super religious sense, more in a commercial sense (caveat: I do think Christmas is to a degree religious in nature, which is why I don’t celebrate it, but I do think people often do celebrate it secularly. Such is the case for Morgan)

Cut for length (16 and 21 are below):

16. What does your OC’s childhood bedroom look like?

Ooh well she has two: one in Tina's house for the most formative 6 years of her life (7-13, though she does also use it from ages 17-18 (and maybe beyond that)...possibly? Depends on if she dorms at CCU), and one at Eowells's mansion/house that she uses from 1-7 and then 13-16.

Her room at Eowells's house is fairly plain—Eowells had it painted a tactful pastel yellow, though when she was 13, in the early days of moving back in, she managed to convince him to paint it pastel blue instead (her superhero costume may be dark green, but blue is her favorite color). She doesn't have much decoration on her walls, no posters or anything of the like, though she did convince him to let her hang a whiteboard calendar on her wall. She still uses it. She also always keeps her room very neat, because Eowells gets tetchy when even a hair of it is out of place. He also doesn't see much point in knick-knacks or books that he seems "frivolous", so she learns quickly to keep those hidden

That aforementioned calendar was actually a gift from Tina, when she was 12. And her room at Tina's is much more lived-in, much more of "organized chaos"—knicknacks littering her dressing table, her clothes not always neatly folded, books scattered on every surface...though she always remembers to make her bed. And her four walls are alternating dark blue and dark green, the way she likes it 💞

21. If your OC could speak to their childhood self, what would they say?

“You are enough. You are more than enough, just as you are. And you don’t have to settle for him, you deserve better. One day, you will have so much better, I promise.”

oc ask game!

Taglist (send an ask or DM to be added or removed):

@arrthurpendragon @ocappreciationtag @raith-way @vexic929 @ironverseocs

@thechaoticfanartist @goldheartedchaoticdisaster @negative-speedforce @starstruckpurpledragon @angst-is-love-angst-is-life

[suomeen]

Chapter 4: Hyvää Joulua

We arrived on December 21, which was just a day before the Winter Solstice, the year’s longest night. And winter nights are even longer in Finland. The sun only rose up around 9 and by 15 it got dark. It’s interesting how it moves in the sky too. It rises about 30% above the horizon, goes “nope!” and goes down again.

We stayed at the house of my mother’s Ukrainian friend, or rather, her Finn husband, Markku. He lives far from civilization, out on a hill among fields. There’s a rather notable village that’s just 5 minutes’ drive from there, [more on that later], but the house feels very secluded in winter.

Our friend is named Oksana, but in Finland everyone calls her Oona, which is supposedly a local equivalent. Oksana lived in Bucha but thankfully left the country just as the war started. She worked in Finland and met this nice local man. He’s 55, a mechanic who works at a sawmill. He used to live near Helsinki but he hated the city so he moved out into the wild. He’s tall but has a heart of a child. She’s small, 53 but looks 40 at most, a single mother who lost her parents early and had a very tough life. She looks like a kid next to him. They got married within a few months. They take good care of each other.

The next day, we drove to the city. Oksana had a doctor’s appointment and we had to go officiate our visit. Markku dropped her off at the hospital first and took us to the police department. It was a bit nerve-wrecking as we weren’t sure what to expect. I was preparing myself for some degree of humiliation, ready to tell my story to justify them welcoming us and giving us home. There was no humiliation and no hard questions asked. The staff were calm and friendly. When we were done, the young handsome officer said “Dyakuyu!” It felt very misdirected.

We then had to go to the reception centre to fill out all the forms and applications regarding our stay. We knew there shouldn’t be any issues but it was still stressful and confusing. The staff were friendly and almost seemed sorry they couldn’t do more for us. Well, the Finnish staff at least. The few Ukrainians working there always look mildly annoyed. And frankly, I can now understand why.

We took care of all our stuff and were immediately given the keys to our apartment. We went there, dropped off the bags and then left again. We were supposed to pick up Oksana afterwards but things didn’t go as planned. It was supposed to be a checkup, because her blood pressure was getting too high. Turned out 3 of her heart arteries were partly blocked and needed to be fixed. What’s more, they were ready to operate her immediately.

The hospital itself is a large regional medical complex, very spacious and modern. Cozy even, for a hospital. There are pictures on the walls that make it look like a museum. There is also a nice little cafeteria for staff and visitors where we dined. Not to mention the kind of technologies they use. They basically cleared and repaired the arteries without cutting up the chest while watching the process through some kind of 3D imaging.

The surgery went fine but they only cleared one artery, so two more surgeries were needed. But that day, she was home by evening. The bill came in later. She owed them a hefty sum of 42e.

Oksana wasn’t feeling great in the following days and we didn’t either. The stress of the trip was heavy and for days I had a vertigo and a headache. We weren’t going to stay at Markku’s place for a whole week but they insisted we stayed for Christmas and it was an hour-long ride to the city, which was hard on them, so we relented.

I am very unreligious but Christmas is all about traditions so I was curious so see how it was celebrated here. I have to say if there’s one place that’s perfect to spend Christmas in, it’s Finland. Finland on Christmas looks like a place from a Coca-Cola commercial. It’s like they made a set to film it and then forgotten all about it. Small quaint houses covered in snow, perfect pine trees and illumination, it all makes one’s heart warm.

There wasn’t a big celebration, however. Markku brought in a tree and we decorated it. We ate some of the traditional foods, including a number of gooey purees, made from sweet potatoes, beetroots, and carrot. Not a fan. On Christmas eve, we went to a cemetery to put candles. It was already dark and a very solemn sight.

Markku shares the house with his mother who is the head of the family. Around Christmas, many members of the family came to their house to have a nice little gathering. It was a good chance to observe Finns in their natural habitat.

About 15 people came, mostly women. There was no alcohol and no feast, as one would expect, just a few tables set up with tea, coffee and snacks everyone brought in. People just grabbed drinks and snacks and went to hang out wherever they wanted with whoever they wanted. Nobody was dressed up. Literally just regular comfy clothes and no make-up. The only festive elements were a few cutesy headbands with reindeer antlers. Worm by older women. It was a very quiet evening with a family catching up, exchanging sentimental gifts and singing a beautiful song at the end.

A few members tried to talk to me and some expressed their sadness at the things going on in my homeland. But most politely ignored us. Which was fine, I suppose. It was their day and we were just spectators. It didn’t feel right to ruin the innocence of this day. Who know how long they can stay in it?

[just-lndifference]

I'm convinced this year is just a dream or simulation or something because generally what the fuck is happening.

someone I looked up to for 5 years that I originally named myself after turned out to be an abuser and wrote the most chat gbt ass ""apology"" and only cares that shubble was brave enough to speak out. (SUPPORT VICTIMS)

taylor swift announced her 5th album in 5 years (not including re records) WHILE WINNING A GRAMMY. and then being the amazing woman she is became the first person in history to win aoty 4 times.

twenty one pilots not only announced a new album, but is open with the lore and released a single that is one of the best songs they've ever made. when clancy drops this whole fandom is cooked.

this is the first time I've genuinely been terrified because of an election. if trump wins I genuinely don't think I'll be safe in this country because of project 2025. I'm a bisexual nonbinary person, I will never have a chance to get gender affirming health care and will lose the right to get married. and that's just the stuff that will happen to me! I can't imagine how scared people that are in more affected groups then me feel if I'm this scared. I know he's a horrible option but if your seeing this and old enough to vote in america PLEASE vote for biden. independents just don't have a chance, yes he funds a genocide but trump will too, and hell do much worse things. as a minor I'm literally begging y'all to think of everyone who isn't old enough to vote yet.

erm this is very unserious compared to the last part of my rant but I like lana del rey now!! 😭 obviously not her as a person (free palestine) but her music. and this is a major unseen development I've aggressively trashed lana and her fans since midnights came out bc of snow on the beach (turns out that it's just a really shit song 🙏). idk shout out to the person who made me feel obligated to listen to born to die (album)

also my henry danger hyperfixation from when I was 10 just decided to resurface?? like yes I had it for like 4 years BUT WHY IS IT BACK HELLO??? idk but ray is like super hot now that I'm older and I really want to date his goofy ass 😭😭 I remember not liking him much for some reason but like.. he's just a silly little guy.. babygirl if you will.. just a little rat boy..

I accidentally convinced 2 people to read the forest fic (neither were clikkies and I just met one of them). I don't think anything more needs to be said I made 2 full grown adults cry over a band they've never listened too 😭🙏

on that note joshler is big on twitter again but it's widely accepted?? idk what happened there but a good chunk of the art on my tl is clancy x torchbearer and I honestly don't mind.

jason kelce retired. in my family it's a thing to hate the eagles but holy shit I cried so much. the edits literally fucking destroyed me. I had no idea how much of an amazing person he was until taylor started dating travis and I wish I had more time to be a fan of this wonderful man while he was still on the field. he's so goofy and always made me laugh, I genuinely love the guy now.

the chiefs once again won the superbowl, I was honestly terrified the whole time and cried a few times that was the most stressful game of my life. I'm so fr I tried to get a rep tv announcement date from the disney plus commercial, taylor immediately being shown when the game came back on with a chiefs jacket that magically appeared out of nowhere that had a number that wasn't a player I lost my shit 💀

I could go on for hours, and it's only March. genuinely so much shit has happened and I'm not ready for more.

[nickgerlich]

Looking For A Miracle

In the history of American retailing, there has never been a chain whose name became synonymous not just with an event, but an entire holiday season. While younger generations may not have the same level of intense memories as their parents and grandparents, it is still part of our fabric. It starts on Thanksgiving and runs through Christmas.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is as much tradition as is the turkey that will be front and center on dining room tables later that same day. The parade dates to 1924, and it was a shrewd move on behalf of the department store to put its name on it. Little did they know then it would become synonymous with not just the parade, but also the day and the holiday shopping that would ensue the day after.

As if that weren’t enough, Hollywood picked up on this beautiful romance, and in 1947 released Miracle on 34th Street. It was almost like it was a 96-minute commercial for Macy’s as it spun the tale of a drunk man hired to play Santa Claus at their downtown store.

With all of that good fortune, it would be easy to think the company was set up for life. Alas, no one is immune to change, and even Macy’s, which continues to benefit from its association with the parade as well as the month that follows, is in trouble. They just announced 150 more store closings, leaving the chain with 350 stores. It once had many hundred more.

The news comes not long after Macy’s rejected a $5.8 billion buy-out bid. They must be feeling pretty confident that they can take it from here, choppy waters be damned.

But this does not address the elephant in the room, that being the one whose name is Change. Much has indeed changed in the century since the birth of that parade, when downtown flagship department stores were a matter of civic pride and family tradition. I remember my family always traveling to downtown Chicago to go to Marshall Field, then the leading store in the region. It was an event, complete with seeing Santa, dining in the restaurant, and shopping all day. Side note: Macy’s eventually bought Marshall Field and changed the name, but Chicagoans still refer to that downtown location as Field’s.

Today, department stores are in the throes of death, along with the suburban malls in which they reside. Whereas mall owners could once count on these anchor stores to attract the foot traffic that would keep the ship and its smaller tenants afloat, that is no longer the case. The US is littered with abandoned malls or those so eerily like a ghost town that you begin to wonder why we went down this road in the first place.

Of course, we can point to e-commerce as a big contributor for this decline. This includes Amazon as well as the upstart fast-fashion site Shein. But there’s more. COVID taught us that curbside pickup and delivery are also viable options. Mass merchandisers like Target and Walmart have upped their game, and provide more outlets for our shopping dollars. All of these have combined to create a perfect storm.

It’s not like Macy’s hasn’t mounted its own response with a reasonable e-commerce site. It’s just that through so many decades of focusing on its roots that it overlooked the need to grow in new ways. Worse yet, it has developed a rather stodgy image. Just like Sears did toward the end of its life, Macy’s is now where your old aunt shops.

Eeewwwww.

I have to wonder how much longer the chain will survive. I hope they do not face the same fate as Sears. For that matter, I would not wish upon them the challenges that JC Penney has faced. At best they can hope for the comparatively calm seas that Dillards finds itself in.

This is the challenge for every legacy retailer. You have to maintain relevance. And while an annual parade may stir romantic notions, I don’t think it is going to be close to enough to keep the company going for 12 months a year, not just one. I hate to rain on their parade, but it’s looking kind of overcast out there, and it’s time to reach for an umbrella.

Dr “But Miracles Do Happen” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[joe9cool]

Collide-Justin Herbert-17

A/N disclaimer: I do not know Justin Herbert, the LA Chargers, or know of any drama. This is fiction and for story purposes only! 

This sucked ass. He missed Sara, he had just gotten home from practice and treatment. It was Tuesday night, and usually he would come home to Sara on the couch, dinner being ready. They would eat, watch a movie, she would be on her phone or laptop or play with Nova. Afterwards they would get ready for bed and cuddle. Maybe it would lead to sex but he was content just holding her.

She was a two hour drive away from him. He thought about just going to visit her. She was supposed to get on a plane Thursday to New York for a week. However, he had a busy schedule with this game being away at San Francisco.

It was a game that Taylor would be covering. 

Apparently she had been assigned to cover Rams and 49ers games. Which was fine, it kept her out of his business. But this time she would be conducting field side interviews before and after the game. 

He was hoping that he didn't have to speak to her. Even if he did, he would give his usual answers and just end it. Hopefully that she would leave him alone afterwards. Can't she find someone else to date?

He made himself one of his prepackaged meals before sitting on the couch to watch some film. The 49ers were pretty good, even if they weren't, the NFL season was unpredictable. That was proven when they lost against Jacksonville.

Nova jumped up on the couch and laid against him. She mowed and Justin scratched her head. "I know, I miss her too." He mumbled

He had no idea how he was going to Survive January.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara wanted a bed. Her bed.. or Justin's bed. Or just a bed that wasn't a fucking hotel room.

The music video was wrapping up. They shot the end scenes, and the director was going over any footage to see if they had to refill anything. So far so good.

If all went well, she could head to New York early, get everything done early and head back to California.

However, the next day she met Heidi and Alex on the plane. The plans had changed.

"Okay after New York we are heading straight to Michigan to film the Vide Noir movie. Ben wanted it to be filmed in his hometown. The trip will take us to Thanksgiving. By the way, I sent your mom a text saying you're coming. Erica arranged your stuff for St.Louis."

Sara was floored. "I never said I would be going to Thanksgiving! Also, why St. Louis?"

Heidi shrugged. "Your mom said there was a change of plans and that Alyssa would be hosting it. Now I want photos of you and your family to post. You know how people want to see families together for the Holidays!" 

So that's all this was. Heidi wanted it to look good All American girl having a picture perfect Thanksgiving with her family, that was why the sudden change of the whereabouts. It was so everyone could be there.  Sara couldn't back out now, especially with someone like her mom."

It made her think of something. "Heidi?"

"Yes?"

"When I come back from all of these trips, I want December to be free."

"But the Fenty shoot!"

"All my stuff in California can stay. I just want no more trips until I leave in January. I'll get a runway coach in Los Angeles."

Alex tried to step in and argue but Sara stopped her."I'll find another team who can accommodate me"

She didn't want to pull that card. She wasn't that person who made demands. But she wanted to spend as much as December as she could with Justin before being gone for those long three months. 

That comment shut them both up quickly.

As the plane started down the runway Sara looked outside. 

She just wanted Justin.

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"Lights, camera, and action!" 

On cue, Justin approached the "sideline reporter" he was filming a commercial for SoFi Bank, which he had recently partnered with.

He had said his lines and when the director yelled cut he went back to the chair. His manager Ashley walked up to him. "How ya doing champ? I know how much you hate this."

He sighed. "It's fine," She gave him a look, knowing her client too well. He laughed "How much longer?"

The makeup artist began applying for coverage to his cheek. "A couple of hours, we still have the photo shoot."  He groaned and she laughed. "You got this kid."

He was called back to set to redo certain scenes. Once the SoFi team was satisfied, they headed to the locker room to set up. As he was sending a text to Sara he heard his name "Oh my god Justin?"

He looked up and saw a familiar face. "Kristen! Oh my god! How are you?"

Kristen was a girl he went to University of Oregon with. She played Basketball and dated one of his teammates. She was really sweet and friendly to everyone.

"Oh my god it has! I knew you were doing the promotion but I didn't think I'd see you." They hugged and when they pulled away she said. "Look at you, you big star, making everyone from Oregon proud."

He blushed. "Oh stop. So how have you been? What have you been up to since graduation?"

"I've actually moved to Colorado after I graduated, then I got a job with SoFi in their marketing department, and I will be moving to Los Angeles hopefully early next year or before Christmas!"

Justin smiled, happy to see his friends follow their dreams. "That's awesome! I'm happy for you! If you need any help navigating Los Angeles I'd be happy to help. How's David?"

David was Patrick's teammate who Kristen just started seeing. She smiled. "Good! He's happy about me moving to Los Angeles. He says Colorado was too far."

"I agree, Los Angeles is perfect, I just got back from Eugene visiting everyone."

"Oh I need to go back! Everyone says they miss me. How about them Ducks? And Patrick! I'm so happy to see he is finally playing."

Justin smiled, thinking of his little brother. "Yes he got his first touchdown a couple of weeks ago."

Kristen smiled. "I saw!"

They were interrupted when the director called Justin to shoot. "That's my cue."

"Hey I'm in town for a week. Why don't we grab lunch and catch up?"

"Actually want to go after the shoot? I know a lowkey restaurant by my house if you're down!"

"That sounds perfect! Send me the place and I'll meet you there!"

Justin smiled and went to get in position for the set, excited to catch up with an old friend.

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"Okay now when you walk. Straight forward, and swing your hips. Put some umph in it."

Sara started to walk to the end of the room. She felt like she was auditioning for America's next top model. As soon as she landed in New York she came to Bella's apartment. Following the announcement of Sara being in the lineup for Fenty vol. 4 the paparazzi were swarming. Thankfully she had her stylist with her to lay out her outfit and hair. 

Bella and the runway coach, Stephanie, were waiting for her. Stephanie was an expert in her field and Sara needed help. Nothing worse than walking with supermodels and looking stupid. This was the official coach that Fenty would be working with. Bella's front room was rearranged so she had a space to walk. "Shoulders back!" Bella called. Putting herself in position Sara tried again. Once she reached the end of the "runway" Erika clapped.

"It's the height, and the weight. She has some potential, but her legs aren't long enough to swing. Her weight is distributed awkwardly and this is barefoot. I don't know how she is going to do it with stilettos."

The comments about the height and weight stung, but Sara had to remind herself it was part of the business. She had heard the worst comments from others including her bitch Aunt Willa, who she found out would be in St. Louis. Life really stuck it to her sometimes.

"So what should I do?" She asked the coach. 

"Well I would first say you need to lose some weight, specifically in the legs. I can send you some exercises. Now we need to work on walking with heels. Do you have what Fenty is having you model"

Bella cut in. "We are heading to Los Angeles after Thanksgiving for practice and fittings."  Stephanie clapped her hands together. "Excellent! I'll meet you there for more training. But right now we got to get the basics down. Okay now Sara" She walked up to her and put her in position. "Okay now walk?"

Sara did her walk and Stephanie sighed. "Okay a bit better. Now bring in the shoes."

She was exhausted. They have already been up at this for three hours. She was hungry. "Can I have a snack first? I haven't eaten on the plane."

Stephanie scoffed. "After what I told you and you want to have a snack? You have two months. The last thing you need is a snack. In fact, I'm recommending a 1,000 calorie a day diet."

"I'll starve!" 

"Oh dear, beauty is pain. You're still trying to understand." Sara was fuming, as she slipped on the high stiletto heels. On the next take Sara wobbled a bit on the heels, but overall the anger seemed to take effect. 

They did about six more takes before Stephanie had her next appointment, but she would be there early tomorrow. When she left Sara looked at Bella. "I don't know how you work in this industry. I've been torn to shreds!" 

Bella laughed, "you get used to it. Now come on, let's order some sushi and talk about your trip to Oregon!"

Erika ordered a massive plate while Sara dished on the trip. Bella was shocked at how well her friend's relationship seemed to be progressing. She was showing a new sense of self. It seemed like things were coming together.

Bella couldn't help but watch Erika's expressions. She seemed so fake, Bella would never admit it but she always got an off vibe from Erika. It seemed like she was only Sara's friend for fame and the lifestyle.

The three girls stayed up for hours catching up about life. They made some silly Tiktoks before heading to bed for another day of coaching.

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"I'm so glad we are doing this. It's nice to catch up and see someone I know.I swear everyone in LA is so damn fake." Kristen sat across from Justin in the booth of the restaurant.

He was the first one there to get a table in the back so he wouldn't be recognized. Luckily this place was by the Santa Monica pier so it was a bunch of teenagers ditching school or college age kids who were out of class. No one cared about a football player.

Kristen came about ten minutes later and the waitress took their drink orders and disappeared. "Why do you want to move to Los Angeles then?" Justin joked

She rolled her eyes. "My career obviously, but it's close to Oregon."

Justin still didn't understand. "Why don't you just move back?"

"Would you move back to Eugene?"

That was a dumb question. "I mean if Oregon suddenly got an NFL team I'd jump very fast."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay dumb question, but I'm saying I want to go out there and explore. Try new places ya know?"

He got that. "Yeah I guess."

Kristen laughed. "I see LA hasn't changed you at all, you're still the same old recluse and creature of habit."

"Hey It works for me."

The waitress came back with their drinks and took their orders. Once she left they resumed their conversation about each other's families. "So you said you just came back from visiting Eugene. How was it? I know you usually don't go home til the off season." Kristen took a sip of her lemonade.

Justin smiled, thanking back of his trip with Sara. "Um yeah I took my friend to visit Eugene, meet my parents and Patrick, who had Carly in town, so it was nice to see all of them."

Kristen smirked. "This "friend" wouldn't happen to be a woman wouldn't it?" He blushed and Kristen laughed. "I knew it! You aren't slick Justin, we all know you too well."

"It's obvious isn't it?" He smiled. "Yeah I'm seeing someone."

"It's obviously serious if you took her back to meet your family. Tell me about her, anyone who can make Justin Herbert blush like a school boy is obviously one special woman."

As he was hesitant to mention too many details he thought that if Sara could tell a close friend about them why couldn't he say something? "Her name is Sara and she works on television sets." He didn't want to mention that she was of the most famous people in Hollywood.

"Ooh is she like an extra or something?"

"Sorta, she does behind the scenes stuff, sometimes she does extra stuff on the side."

"Has she been in anything I know of? Does she have an IMDB page?" Kristen was about to get on her phone before Justin stopped her. "No she actually prefers to be lowkey." Kristen nodded. "Oh okay I should have known, I can't picture you with a Hollywood actress." She laughed and Justin did a phony laugh.

As far as Justin was concerned no one was watching him…….

Twitteruser4 :Jherbo was at the [restaurant] today! Didn't get a chance to say hi as he was with a blonde girl.

Twitteruser2 @tu4 was it Taylor Biscotti?

Twitteruser4 @tu2 I didn't know who that was so I looked it up, yeah I only saw her from the back but blonde hair, thin, it looks to be her.

Twitteruser6 so we can say that brunette that was with him in Oregon was just a family member. Do you have a pic?

Twitteruser4 @ yes I do. It's blurry but I got it. 

[Pic is a distance and a bit blurry, but obviously Justin and a blonde head from behind.]

On Tumblr.

Anon: Hey you see this? Twitter.com/picture

Blog: Do we know for sure it's her? 

Anon: I can't imagine it being anyone else. The person who took it said it looked like her. So I guess Justin is just a player or he is seeing her and the brunette was just a family member.

Blog: He's  probably just having fun. I thought he and Taylor were done. I guess not. Probably keeping it down low.

Anon: how many questions do you have in your box right now? 

Blog: a ton. Look I'm gonna say this, I was wrong obviously he and Taylor are still together. Now all these girls are irrelevant.

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"Okay now Sara and Bella can you press your cheeks against each other. Not too much though. Just enough.. there ya go. Gorgeous ladies.," The photographer snapped a few pics before looking into his camera and showing it to Anna Wintour, who nodded in approval. "Gorgeous, I love the minimalist aesthetic."

They were on a rooftop of the empire state building. They were there since 430 am trying to set everything up. Fans and paps were now waiting outside the building's lobby hoping to catch them leaving. Alex and Erika informed them that they could stop for a few pics and autographs but they had to be at the studio for runway practice. Sara had shown some improvement the prior day but she needed some work. As usual Stephanie emphasized the weight loss which again pissed Sara off but she couldn't say anything. At one point she pushed back a little. "How is this promoting body positivity if you're telling me to lose weight?"

To which Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Oh please anyone can slap body positivity on something but that doesn't mean it's real. This is all a fantasy, they don't want to see legs rubbing together." It made no sense, because the list that was announced saw other Plus sized models on the runway.

They wrapped up the shoot, and headed to an empty studio to film the interview portion for YouTube. Which was a relief, try wearing spring wear in November in New York outside.

Once Bella and Sara were done it was nearing 6pm and they had to go all the way uptown to see Stephanie. Erika made sure she had her practice outfit and heels. While Sara was signing some pictures for fans and taking selfies. (She had a mask on for protection, the last thing she needed was to get sick) and Erika, who had her phone, yelled out. "Sara! Your guy texted you."

She heard the gasps from fans and one asked. "Sara you're not single?"

She was able to control her emotions. "No, I'm waiting on a message from my agent" The fans seemed to buy it as she played it off cool.

Once she and Bella finished they headed into the black car that was waiting for them. Where Sara was pissed. "Erika! What the hell is wrong with you?

"What?" 

"Don't give me that! Why would you say that? In front of everyone! You know me and Justin are trying to keep it private." She snatched the phone out of her friend's hands. "That was so stupid!"

Erika was upset. "I'm sorry! I just wasn't thinking!"

Bella was mad too, it was a dumb, rookie mistake. "That was incredibly stupid! You didn't have to say anything until we were in the car!" 

Tears were falling down the redhead's face. "I'm sorry! Its just we are so busy I didn't even think about it!"

As Bella and Erika were still going at it Sara checked the message from Justin.

Justin : Hey babe I just finished practice and had lunch with a friend. Love you! Can't wait to see you next week!

She sighed. She hadn't had the chance to tell him she wouldn't see him til the 28th. Nineteen more days.

Sara: I'll call you tonight babe.

The car pulled up to the studio. Paparazzi were swarming the place. When Fenty put out the announcement it set off a big, excited buzz from her fans and the fashion world.

The driver opened the door and Bella, followed by Sara, left the vehicle first. They headed into the studio and onto the elevator, watching the flashes of the cameras disappear with the doors closing.

Sara looked over at Erika, who was in the corner sulking. She carefully approached her. "Erika  I'm sorry, I've just been really stressed out. I didn't mean to get that upset. Our friendship is too good to fight over this. Forgive me?" 

Erika smiled and pulled Sara for a hug. "I forgive you hun. The whole thing is silly."

Bella narrowed her eyes, noticing how the redhead didn't apologize for something she did wrong. 

They got off at the right floor and there was Stephanie in her studio, which was set up like a runway with seats facing it. "Welcome ladies! I hope you're ready for this!

Sara smiled but really wasn't into it at all. However, duty calls.

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Taylor was confused.

She had just left the NFL headquarters after a long day in the office. She was getting ready to cover the 49ers Chargers game, which meant she would see Justin again. So far her boss kept her covering 49ers and Rams games, which upset her because she wanted to show Justin what she was missing.

After getting to her apartment and getting ready for bed, she scrolled social media and noticed many people were mentioning her. Typing her name in the search bar she was surprised. Justin was at lunch with a blonde woman who people assumed was her. 

It made her think, so this woman was a blonde girl. He had a weakness for blondes. However she noticed that there was a separate conversation about him being spotted in Oregon with a brunette who was probably a family member. He didn't mention spending his bye week in Oregon.

Someone tagged her in a tweet.

Well I'm glad to see Justin and Taylor are still together. She probably stayed away from the Chargers cause of everyone's sexist comments.

Smirking to herself, she clicked the heart and decided to leave it in the morning. That way people can get screenshots. Even if she wasn't with him, why couldn't she pretend? It's not like Justin was going to address any rumors about his love life.

She didn't know what her plan was. But she was going to get back at him one way or another.

She opened her phone and texted her boss. 

Is it okay if before the game I interview a few players? Maybe as the pregame show?

It didn't take long for him to reply

Of course! Send me the questions.

She smiled and got to work researching before starting up the list of questions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara entered through the back way of the posh upscale NYC restaurant. She was running a bit late thanks to her spin class running a bit over time. By the time she got back to Bella's apartment, showered and made herself look presentable she had sent a text to Katie saying she was going to be running late. She didn't think her oldest sister would care, being a mom of four; she was never on time herself.

She managed to avoid any cameras by having the car pull up to the back alley. As she spotted her sister looking at the menu, the click of Sara’s heels alerted Katie as she looked up from her menu. Once they hugged and did their greetings they sat down. Despite it being a Saturday afternoon the restaurant was pretty empty. It wasn't peak lunch hours which she was thankful for.

The waiter took their drink orders. Sara originally ordered lemon water due to her strict diet, but Katie decided it was a dry martini for both of them. "Where are the kids?" 

"They are home with Charles. This is technically a work trip for me. I don't need any distractions."

Sara rolled her eyes. "You're only in town for the weekend and you're seeing me for one day to discuss my finances. This is hardly a work trip."

"Hey if you become a mom one day you'll understand you need an excuse to get away." 

There it was, that 'if' for all of the sisters the term 'when' used because all their family and friends knew it was set and stone they would get married and have families. For Sara it was because no one in a million years would think she would have that life. 

"Anyways, your investments look really good. I am a little worried about the stock market, but the Roth IRA's look good. Your agency reached out and once I receive your check from Fenty you should be good. I can move it over to your Swiss accounts." The nice thing about having a family in finances and lawyers is you have people you can trust. 

Their martinis came and Sara sipped hers. "Jesus this is strong." It was straight vodka. They ordered their food (Katie a pasta carbone and Sara and lemon salmon salad) "So I heard you're coming to St. Louis for Thanksgiving. It'll be fun to see Alyssa get flustered trying to cook." They both laughed. While Alyssa was a wife and mother they both knew that she had to take cooking lessons before marriage.

"I think that's why I'm heading there a couple days early, I think I'm going to be stuck doing most of the prep." Sara sighed "it'll be nice seeing everyone. A nice small gathering." Katie was biting her lip nervously. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Uncle George and Aunt Willa will be there." Sara groaned and threw her head back. Uncle George and Aunt Willa targeted Sara with their "good natured" cut ups that border on bullying. "Why the fuck are they there? And please tell me Brittney and Scott are bringing liquor."

Her sister scoffed. "Are you kidding? Mom probably ordered the whole Binny's" they both laughed and clinked their drinks in a cheer before taking a sip.

"Please tell me she's not bringing Trevor?" Katie was confused. "Why would Trevor come?"

Sara rolled her eyes. "Didn't ya hear? Apparently mom thinks I'll be his new fiance after his dumped him."

Katie busted out laughing so loud that the other diners turned in her direction." Sara was confused and embarrassed. "Katelyn Marie shut up! Everyone is staring! What is so funny?"

Once she settled down, she explained. "Do you know why Trevor and his fiance broke up?"

"Why?"

"Sara, he's gay" She let out a gasp. "Get the fuck out? Since when?"

"Well we all saw it. You would know if you came home often. The signs were all there, they ended up mutually breaking up. Our mother refuses to believe it, he's too handsome to be gay!"

"Oh my god, that sounds like mother." It was silent, then Katie and Sara bursted into giggles. Sara had to admit she did miss her sisters. Despite Katie being nine years older than her they still had a close bond. Sara remembered crying her eyes out as a nine year old when Katie was packing her bag for college in Michigan. When Katie got married in 2016 she had all three of her sisters as maid of honors. 

"I missed you Katie, I'm sorry I've been ignoring everyone, I got a lot on my plate." 

"Everyone misses you, the kids miss Auntie Sasa" She smiled at the nickname that Katie's oldest boy gave her when he couldn't say his r's and the name stuck for the rest of nieces and nephews.

"I miss those brats too. Speaking of, I haven't even started Christmas shopping, I'm such a bad Aunt." Katie laughed "it's fine, they really don't need anything."

Their food arrived and they began picking at their plates Sara was starving  after an intense workout. After about ten minutes of talking about how good the food is Katie decided to switch topics. "So who's Justin Herbert?"

Sara choked on a sip of the martini "what?"

"Justin Herbert? I noticed on your personal page a few days ago that he follows you. He plays football?"

This was it, Sara could lay it out on the line about the man she was serious about. She could say he has had her heart for four months.

But she wasn't ready. Her family wasn't like Justin's. The whole Pittsburgh would know within two hours. Her dad's work associates would know that Sare bear grew up and has a boyfriend. All the questions would start and the press would be tipped off. She wasn't ready for that. 

"I met him at Joe's wedding, he's a cool dude." That wasn't a lie

Katie was staring at her, trying to look for any signs. "So are you seeing him?"

“No, As a matter of fact, I don’t see him at all. I met him at Joe’s wedding, he came to Joe’s house a couple of times and that’s it."

Katie whistled. "Well I was looking through his profile and he is really cute. He is 6'6!"

Sara laughed. "Yeah when I met him the first time I was so intimidated. He is so big!"

"I looked him up, you two would be cute together. Too bad he has a girlfriend.”

Sara had to bite her tongue. Knowing exactly who she was referring to. She felt the anger boil inside of her and was half tempted to just forget what she had just thought of and just blurt everything out. But she had to control herself. "I don't know anything about that." 

Katie studied her sister. She may be a critically acclaimed actress but she wore her heart on her sleeve. "You like him don't you?"

Sara stubbed a piece of lettuce with her fork, maybe a little too aggressively. "I find him attractive, that's it. Come on Katie, why would he want me?"

Maybe she was looking for some validation or a compliment. "True, I mean an athlete and a celebrity. You'd be Tom and Gisele 2.0"

That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "What's going on with Harry? You were at his concert a couple months ago. Are you guys friends again?"

Sara sighed thankful for the topic switch. "It's complicated. He insisted on speaking with me at the premiere and a flirty text about our past. But other than that it's been radio silence. I'm just glad I don't have to go through that media circus again.”

“I liked you two together, I wished he didn’t screw you over like that.” Sara rolled her eyes, her family loved Harry and getting to know him though he and Sara’s friendship over the years. They were thrilled when they started dating and were devastated about the breakup.

“Would you be interested in becoming friends with him if he wanted to?”

“I don’t know. The whole thing was really hurtful, I forgave him, but I want to forget him if that makes sense.” Katie nodded.  “I get it” 

They moved on to other things, overall they had been at lunch for a good few hours. However, Sara needed to leave and get back to her runway training. As they hugged goodbye and pulled away Katie told Sara. “Look I know you feel like we don’t miss you and mom and dad don’t care and are wrapped up in their own little world. But your presence is missed, you and Alyssa. We all miss and love you guys.”

Sara nodded and pulled her sister into another long hug. They went their separate ways, Katie going out the front way and Sara going the backway to avoid the cameras. As she sat in the car on the way to the studio she thought about Katie’s words

Maybe Thanksgiving won’t be so bad afterwards.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Were you just watching films all day?” Sara asked Justin over facetime. He was in the hotel room in San Francisco. It was nighttime and despite the time difference she wanted to make sure she spoke with him and wish him luck.”

He laughed. “I’m sorry babe, I can’t take you seriously with all that stuff on your face.”

She rolled her eyes. She was wearing a purple clarifying mask for her pores. “Oh shut it, have you been keeping up with your skincare?” The look on his face told her the answer. “Hey I have been wearing sunscreen!” 

She smiled. “Well at least that has stuck.”

“I miss you, I can’t wait to see you next week.” She was quiet, and Justin noticed. “What?”

“An emergency came up, I have to fly to Michigan to do the Vide Noir movie for Ben, and then I’m going to Missouri for Thanksgiving at my sisters. I won’t be back til the 28th.”

She could tell he was upset. “Justin I’m sorry I-”

“Its fine, its a holiday you should be with your family. I get it.” He looked like a pouting kid. “It just sucks. You’re leaving shortly for a few months and I want to spend as much time with you, and I can’t do that.”

“This isn’t easy for me Justin, but I mean you can visit me once the season is over. We can celebrate you winning the Superbowl.” She winked. Justin rolled his eyes. “Don’t say that, plus you know I don’t really do international flights. Also a movie set? Aren't there cameras around?”

So he was back to his old self, any progress she saw in Oregon was gone.  “Its a suggestion, you know there are two people in the relationship" He looked away from his phone, he knew she was right. "I know it's just so much that I'm not ready and prepared for."

She sighed. "I get it, but Justin I'm going to be gone for three almost four months. Can you deal with that?"

"I can, it's you I'm worried about."

She was shocked. "You don't trust me?"

His eyes widened. "No no! I'm not saying that. It's just that you are around all these fellow famous people. Guys you want you, and would be more comfortable around the cameras than I would be."

"It's not about how their lifestyle is. I love you Justin Patrick, and I need you to understand that."

She saw the smile come across his face. "I do. I get a little insecure sometimes. I love you too."

"I can't believe Justin Herbert admitted he's insecure, you're good at everything."

He turned pink "good at everything except relationships"

Sara smiled. "I got to tell you something, I'm not too good at them either, but that is what this is about correct?"

Sara wanted to switch topics.

"Oh by the way, your mom sent me a copy of your baby pic." She laughed as she saw Justin turn more red with embarrassment. "Why would she do that?"

"Because I asked, oh and Pat will be getting his autograph in the mail next week."

"I'm going to kick his ass." He mumbled and Sara laughed harder. After a brief silence, she studied his face harder and  noticed something was different. "Oh my god you shaved!"

It was his turn to laugh. "Oh my god we've been on the phone for almost an hour and now you noticed? You like it when I'm shaven!"

She blushed. "Well at first I did, until you ate my pussy."

He growled "such a dirty girl, you're so lucky I don't have a roommate to hear you talk like that."

"You want more?"

Before Justin could answer they heard the knock at his door. "Fuck. I would love to, but that is the guys, we were going to play before bed."

She shrugged, "your loss."

He smiled. "Not really, I still have those photos."

"You better make good use of them because I won't see you til the 28th."

He moaned. "It will go by fast I promise."

They said their goodbyes and I love yous and called it a night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, on fan blogs and some news sources things were going down.

TAYLOR BISCOTTI CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP WITH JUSTIN HERBERT

THE SPORTSCASTER "LIKED" AND UNLIKED A TWEET DEFENDING BISCOTTI, 31 RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LA CHARGERS QB 24. 

Anon: Hey [tumblrblog] are you seeing all these reports?

Yes I did, I personally think that's really shitty of her to do that especially since Justin is a private person. But nevertheless I guess they are official. Everyone else can stop speculating and guessing

Justin and Taylor are together 

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Kinda a note to myself about story structure...need to add notes about erasure

I have a habit of looking up the paratext of books I kinda know, but don’t know well, especially around book adaptations. I’m the type that loves Behind the Scenes and probably have watched a ton of BTS more than some of the shows. 

And yeah, umm. CW, gay erasure coming up. Iunno if this is CW, but yeah... you’re about to be frustrated. I need to share it with someone.

The first time I was introduced to Forster was when I was younger, and full disclosure, I really didn’t like Howard’s End. I thought it was boring as !@#$. No, I’m not kidding. I hated a lot of it. Might not have helped that I watched it with my parents who like to think they are art snobs, but that’s questionable in my PoV.

That given, when I ventured into doing story structure, I found him again through writing books, and I kinda like a lot of his writing advice, though some of it isn’t great, the take down of Percy Lubbock, I did enjoy after reading Percy Lubbock’s Craft of Fiction (1921). Aspects of the Novel, is not that bad, but it gets used by the structuralists later as the pinnacle of horrid writing advice repeatedly (Say like Robert Scholes’s Fabulation and Metafiction (1979, BTW, in the backslide era after the 1960′s) who manages to go on a good clip of hating women, and gays in the same two pages in a WTF rant, comparing the 3/5 act structure to cishet male version of sex.), probably because Forster is gay. But in all honesty, I don’t think this is fair. I mean I’ve read a lot of writing advice books to track down the history of it, etc, and Forster is not the worst of the lot. (I’m kinda leaning towards Freytag to be honest, with Aristotle up there, but in this particular case, it was the times does work for Aristotle, though Aristotle was not a storywriter and also a terrible person--which to be clear yet again, is not excusable with “It was the times”. Maybe some of my ire is at how horrible they were. But some of the advice is things they did were rotten.)

So, I was watching Lady Chatterley's Lover, so looking up the Paratext, and I found that the story was likely influenced, or wholesale stolen from Forster. !@#$. Forster had a novel, “Maurice” and yeah, it’s very close to the plot of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Only privileged people say crap like people can’t steal ideas. Privileged people steal ideas from marginalized people and then scrub the diversity.

Anyway, the reason I was writhing is such pain was because I saw the damage people had tried to do to Forster and to try to take his ideas and scrub them either out of literary canon, discredit him, snobbily call him a Modernist without commercial value, or steal his ideas without credit. And the thing is that I’ve seen this behavior before with other writers in the Literary canon. They ignore or shoot them out, not for their ideas, but the identities they cannot control.

If you don’t have Forster, you have Lubbock, who came out gay later, and they quietly erased all credit to him. (I feel stabby about that one too--I don’t agree with him on a lot of things, but seriously, I hate plagiarism and erasure and while how he demonstrated his examples were probably rotten, some of his ideas are not?). If you don’t have Lubbock, then quiet erasing of Woolf’s commentary on Lubbock. Because if you mention Woolf as anything other than a Modernist, you have to mention Lubbock and her reaction to his text. (She didn’t hate it, she was iffy on it. More like Hate-love relationship to the text.)

If you don’t have Lubbock, then you have hating on and actively trying to erase Gertrude Stein. (The amount of free for all on her isn’t fair, really... I mean without her a lot of conventions you think of as normal wouldn’t be in film, plays or books.) But hate on the openly lesbian (And don’t worry, hating on women, in general, is a theme with structuralists, either directly or indirectly. Such as Field mentioning how he knew some great modernists in one version of his book, but then hating Stein anyway, even if she influenced their work.--;;)

If it’s not hating on gays, women, lesbians, then it’s also hating on Jews. !@#$. Of course they tried to erase Freytag for a time, but I think he came back with credit later. Introducing erasing credit for Lajos Egri, whom Syd Field didn’t credit until the last edition of his book when he was in poor health and died shortly after, as if 2008-ish was a terrible time to tell everyone you got some of your ideas from a Jew. (Yes, some sarcasm, considering the treatment of women in Field’s text even through 2008)

We haven’t even gotten to the erasure of PoCs who often didn’t get writing advice books published, so had to do it through memoirs. The amount of queer memoirs by fiction writers I had to read to delve deeper is kinda high. (If you’re queer, your icon’s advice are in memoirs and autobiographies).

Honestly, this part irks me about story structure study. The amount of discovered painful erasure. I love undoing the erasure, but discovering the erasure itself is always a moment of “Why?” And also “Why did that matter to this author?” (Rowe though I don’t understand... why plagiarize so hard and then warp the ideas of the original authors?)

The fun parts of it are that I love that people philosophically think about it and it’s not as brutal as say, discussing the tea trade which the first 3/4 makes me happy and then the last 1/4 makes me incredibly sad. As an import/export item, Story structure is pretty harmless, maybe more harmless than humans themselves. This is because while story structure is often imposed destructively, people also still remember their old story structures, change and adapt, go back and forth with them, so the colonized never really get colonized with story. And to me, the best parts of humanity aren’t when we are hating each other, but when we’re thinking, examining, and consensually sharing with each other.

But the dark side of humanity is still in the study of story structure. So I’m crying for Forster. I’m not exactly in love with his fiction, but I do like his writing advice. Someone else has to feel my unending pain at how shafted this guy got by the writing community. People hate him for being openly gay. But why not celebrate some of the good things he contributed to us?

(Maybe I don’t love his attitudes towards colonialism, but I still can appreciate Maurice? We need nuance.) BTW, I would 100% watch an adaptation of Maurice. 

[prettyblondguys]

"I'd like to stay, but I might have to go to start over again"

a pretty picture but also me talking below the cut lol

On the way home tonight (what? I left the house? Ikr) , we had to make a short stop somewhere, and so I rolled my window down and enjoyed the night air a bit, something I actually haven't been able to do without fast food places and commercial lights ruining the experience for me in YEARS . And while it was so nice to see the mist over the fields again, and to be able to smell the grass and nature on the wind blowing deafeningly in my ears, it also reminded me of just how much I miss living in the country country, where my neighbors had horses or cows or pigs or literally anything. I miss not having to hear traffic 24/7, being able to properly see the stars, having a sense of peace in my surroundings. I have been living in this Nashville wannabe city since 2015 and I am so, so tired of it. I didn't like it then and I hate it now lol. Like this stop was so pretty and reminded me so much of the places I grew up but even it was barely contained in itself away from the rest of the area.

I wanna move back to Arkansas so bad :( Even just somewhere like Holladay again, if I can't leave this god forsaken state lol

[steampunkforever]

Days of Heaven does spectacle like its trying to remake the Ben-Hur 50s in its own muted image. This was done on a smaller budget, of course, but visually the film is stunning not just through its sophisticated camerawork but through its scale and graceful assertion of the story’s size.

I find that many movies delving into spectacle tend to be very proud of this. And they should be! You’re a director who’s slogged through a number of indie mumblecore films and the obligatory miserable commercial work, and now you’ve been recognized for your work (and ability to shut up about that one thing you saw) by the fat cat execs and they’ve given you your shot at (and the blank check necessary to realize) the big time. Celebrate it some. Let your audience know how cool this is. I don’t grudge them this. How can you look at maximalist productions like Magnolia and not be happy for the director so clearly taking his chance and cashing in with a total blowout spectacle film? Many won’t land (Babylon, sadly) but you can’t blame Tarantino for going all out and bringing Morricone in on the soundtrack for the hateful Eight either.

Malick also had Morricone on the soundtrack, but Days of Heaven carries itself with more composure than even the spectacle films of old. This is Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, not Dr. Strangelove. Malick’s second film out of the gate and he pulls this off. There’s so much to be learned here, and the monologing while the camera pans across waving golden fields is only a fraction of Malick’s cinematic genius on display in this film.