#is that to me the heart of the movies and the most compelling scene by far is the lightsaber duel with vader in return of the jedi

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Rita Moreno (Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story)—She’s an EGOT, an absolute legend for how she navigated her career as a woman of color in the fifties and sixties. Her performance as Anita in West Side Story is why I go back to that movie so many times. She is an icon and she is the moment.

Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Morocco)—Bisexual icon, super hot when dressed both masculine and feminine, lived up her life in the queer Berlin scene of the 1920s, central to the 'sewing circle' of the secret sapphic actresses of Old Hollywood, refused lucrative offers by the Nazis and helped Jews and others under persecution to escape Nazi Germany, the love of my life

We are in the quarterfinals of the Hot & Vintage Movie Women Tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Propaganda is not my own and is on a submission basis. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Rita Moreno propaganda:

"Amazing showstopping actress in her one big memorable role as Anita in West Side Story. She sings and dances with unmatched joy and energy, and then breaks your heart with her acting. Rita took a role that felt as a stereotype to latina women and made it compelling and multifaceted. Her subsequent career was filled with mostly side roles, but she still managed to excel in whatever Hollywood threw at her."

"It’s Rita!! The EGOT herself! She can act, she can sing, she can dance, a triple threat. Obviously absolutely iconic as Anita in West Side Story (her part of the Tonight Quintet is the sexiest part of the film, fight me). But before that she was the amazing Zelda in Singin’ In the Rain!?! Thanks Zelda, you’re a real pal."

"She continues to be amazing but also she's got legs for days."

"THEE iconic rita moreno, EGOT winner, civil rights activist, theatre legend. watch her documentary "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It". also her rendition of "fever" on the muppet show"

Marlene Dietrich:

ms dietrich....ms dietrich pls.....sit on my face

its marlene dietrich!!!! queer legend, easily the hottest person to ever wear a tuxedo, that hot hot voice, those glamorous glamorous movies…. most famously she starred in a string of movies directed by josef von sternberg throughout the 1930s, beginning with the blue angel which catapulted her to stardom in the role of the cabaret singer lola lola. known for his exquisite eye for lighting, texture, imagery, von sternberg devoted himself over the course of their collaborations to acquiring exceptional skill at photographing dietrich herself in particular, a worthy direction in which to expend effort im sure we can all agree. she collaborated with many other great directors of the era as well, including rouben mamoulian (song of songs), frank borzage (desire), ernst lubitsch (angel), fritz lang (rancho notorious), and billy wilder (witness for the prosecution). the encyclopedia britannica entry im looking at while compiling this propaganda describes her as having an “aura of sophistication and languid sexuality” which✔️💯. born marie magdalene dietrich, she combined her first and middle names to coin the moniker “marlene”. she was a trendsetter in her incorporation of trousers, suits, and menswear into her wardrobe and her androgynous allure was often remarked upon. critic kenneth tynan wrote, “She has sex, but no particular gender. She has the bearing of a man; the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.” in the 1920s she enjoyed the vibrant queer nightlife of weimar berlin, visiting gay bars and drag balls, and in hollywood her love affairs with men and women were an open secret. she was an ardent opponent of nazi germany, refusing lucrative contacts offered her to make films there, raising money with billy wilder to help jews and dissidents escape, and undertaking extensive USO tours to entertain soldiers with an act that included her a playing musical saw and doing a mindreading routine she learned from orson welles. starting in the 50s and continuing into the mid-70s she worked largely as a cabaret artist touring the world to large audiences, employing burt bacharach as her musical arranger.

First of all, there are those publicity photos of her in a tux. Second of all, I have never been the same since knowing that she sent copies of those photos to her Berlin lovers signed "Daddy Marlene." Not only is she hot in all circumstances, but she can do everything from earthy to ice queen. Also, she kept getting sexy romantic lead parts in Hollywood after the age of 40, which would be rare even now. She hated Nazis, loved her friends, and had a sapphic social circle in Hollywood. She also had cheekbones that could cut glass and a voice that could melt you.

Her GENDER her looks her voice her everything

“In her films and record-breaking cabaret performances, Miss Dietrich artfully projected cool sophistication, self-mockery and infinite experience. Her sexuality was audacious, her wit was insolent and her manner was ageless. With a world-weary charm and a diaphanous gown showing off her celebrated legs, she was the quintessential cabaret entertainer of Weimar-era Germany.”

The bar scene in Morocco awoke something in me and ultimately changed my gender

"Her manner, the critic Kenneth Tynan wrote, was that of ‘a serpentine lasso whereby her voice casually winds itself around our most vulnerable fantasies.’ Her friend Maurice Chevalier said: ‘Dietrich is something that never existed before and may never exist again.’”

"Songstress, photographer, fashion icon, out bisexual phenom (notoriously stole Lupe Velez and Joan Crawford's men, and Errol Flynn's wife, had a torrid affair with Greta Garbo that ended in a 60-year feud, other notable conquests including Erich Maria Remarque -yes, the guy who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front- Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Claudette Colbert, Mercedes de Acosta, Edith Piaf), anti-Nazi activist. Marlene was a bitch - she had an open marriage for decades and one of her favorite things was making catty commentary about her current lover with her husband, and her relationship with her daughter was painful- but she was also immensely talented, a hard worker, an opponent of fascism and the hottest ice queen in Hollywood for a long time."

"She can sing! She can act! She told the Nazis to fuck off and became a US citizen out of spite! She worked with other German exiles to create a fund to help Jews and German dissidents escape (she donated an entire movie salary, about $450k, to the cause). She looks REALLY GOOD in a suit. If you're not convinced, please listen to her sing "Lili Marlene". Absolutely gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice."

Gifset link

"Bisexual icon and Nazi-hater. Looks absolutely stunning in the suits she liked to wear. 'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men'."

"would you not let her walk on you?"

[lusthurts]

**SPOILER WARNING FOR THE RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE MOVIE**

This movie was very entertaining. It hit all the beats of a great rom-com. I personally enjoyed the music a lot, even if it was at times very different from the music in the book. Nicholas Galitzine was a standout of the main cast for me - he really made me feel Henry’s angst just like the book did, and I think this is a character that the film truly did justice. My personal favorite character from the movie though was Zahra - Sarah Shahi was absolutely incredible. She had fantastic comedic timing and her dynamic with Alex, Henry, Shaan, and Ellen. I really enjoyed Bea, Nora, & Pez as well, although I think they were severely underused and I kinda hated how the Nora/Pez dynamic worked without June. I think the romance was beautiful - I particularly enjoyed the polo scene, the karaoke scene, the Texas stuff, and the V&A museum.

I also laughed out loud a ton during the movie. Zahra’s scenes were hilarious, and the royal wedding/cake debacle was handled perfectly. I miss June here a bit, but I generally was very satisfied with how it all went down. Also, despite many fans early fears of a lack of chemistry between Nick and Taylor, I thought their chemistry was fantastic. Maybe not the best I’ve ever seen, but it was definitely believable, entertaining, and one of the most compelling parts of the story.

I also liked that we got more of Henry’s POV than we did in the book. It didn’t add a ton in my opinion, but I do think it allowed Nicholas Galitzine to show off his acting chops. I think the heart of the book remains, and after the press/everything I’d heard about the movie going into it, I was pleasantly surprised with how the political stuff was handled. Alex’s arc with Texas in particular was beautiful, and I think the end of the movie left me with a similar feeling to the book.

As for things I didn’t love, and I will say there were kind of a lot of small things, I’ve made a list that I’m sure no one cares much to read.

I missed June a lot. I identify a lot with her character, and although I totally understand why she was cut out (I do think in the book she serves less plot purpose than Nora), I actually think the choice to exclude her made even less sense after seeing the movie than before seeing it. Nora and Alex’s relationship felt very underdeveloped in the movie, and none of the romantic elements that I thought made their relationship important to the book ended up mattering at all in the movie. He kisses a different girl on New Year’s, there’s no mention of a sexual history between them, there’s no fake dating setup to detract from Alex/Henry, and Nora’s just generally absent. I feel like June would’ve served that purpose fine if not better.

The romance felt kind of rushed. The whole Christmas phone call that imo is so crucial to Henry & Alex’s relationship and character development doesn’t happen at all (probably because his parents are still together), and I didn’t have like a timer or clock or anything but it felt like the 100 or so pages leading up to the NYE kiss was like less than 20 minutes.

I hated that Alex’s parents were happily married, and I think it massively takes away from his character development. His arc honestly fell very short for me which is disappointing since he’s a character I identify so closely with. I don’t feel like they do his like major anxiety justice, and I think he goes from kinda being an idealist, reckless dummy to being a heartfelt, romantic, ready for a big commitment guy in the span of a few minutes.

I honestly could’ve done without the sex scenes. They were good, and I could tell the intimacy coordinator slayed with this one, but they were more explicit than the book imo (especially the one in Paris), and while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, I would’ve much rather had more fade to black so as to save screen time to develop the romance more at the beginning.

I didn’t enjoy the Miguel character at all. He has no character development, and I do not at all understand how this character is the Luna/Liam blend he was promoted as. He functions as a ruthless journalist who despite being queer himself decides to out Henry and Alex to the entire world, and we NEVER get an explanation for why. It’s alluded to that maybe Miguel had feelings for Alex and did it because he resented Alex for not feeling the same? But like, he literally outed two prominent figures to the entire world at risk of benefitting a homophobic predator running for office. And he never apologizes? Or faces any repercussions???? Like this is just kind of there?? And that is NOT AT ALL Rafael Luna or Liam who are both generally speaking positive forces in Alex’s life. I just don’t get it at all.

This is a personal issue I had that most probably don’t care about, but I’m from Minnesota, and seeing Minnesota red in the movie was infuriating. MN is not a swing state, never really has been, and was basically the only state in the upper midwest to stay blue in the 2016 election. I’m biased because this is my home state, but MN would NEVER vote red and I’m kinda just annoyed at the implication that it did instead of them just choosing to blame it on all the actual swing states.

Okay those are my thoughts. I doubt anyone cares that much, but I needed to get it out of my system. I will say I really enjoyed the movie, and I can see why the bulk of reviews are positive. I think anyone who didn’t read the book won’t feel like anything is missing, and fans of the book will for the most part still really enjoy it. I will definitely be rewatching when it comes out officially on Amazon Prime tomorrow, and I can see myself rewatching hundreds more times in the future. But it sort of needs to exist independent of the book for me, I guess. And that’s okay! I think everyone involved did a great job with the adaptation, and I look forward to watching it again.

[bestanimatedmovie]

Nimona vs The Thief and the Cobbler

Propaganda:

Prepare yourselves for the essay I'm about to hit you with. I remember feeling like the propaganda from before was woefully inadequate for something so gorgeous and tragic, so I came here to PLAY.

*ahem*

"Arguably the most lavish and infamous animated movie"

1. The Thief and the Cobbler is such an amazing Persian/American film. The aesthetics, tone, the art, even the biases. While Nimona is near and dear to my heart, that's because it felt like it was made for me, for the queer community. Whereas this one feels like it was made to blow everyone away, to bring Persian and Middle Eastern beauty into the spotlight. My roommate is Persian, and they absolutely adore it. They're been watching it since they were a child. (full disclosure most of the propaganda here comes from them, and they're a Persian who went to art school so... they've got The Creds).

2. It has such tenacious spirit. The Cobbler isn't as punk as Nimona, but that doesn't mean he's less compelling. He's charming, and animated so so cleverly.

3. Speaking of! The animation is ridiculously beautiful. The Cobbler's expressions are conveyed with (I think total?) mutism and so little animated features, most notably his tacks, which replace the mouth shape, and are so so cleverly applied to facial expressions. Nimona is groundbreaking, but this feels even more so for the time. Please watch the glorious mindexplosion of the chase scene, where you can fall deeper and deeper into the constructivist twisting illusions: https://youtu.be/Usf5vtaYDI0?si=oQGp7Ai1R7iMuT7t

4. It's got an even wackier production story than Nimona, by leagues. It was never truly finished satisfactorily because of a comedy of errors and I believe some people being buttheads, so you have to scrape pieces together, sometimes using storyboards or low-tech animated or deleted scenes to get the full film experience. More details here: https://youtu.be/GmBzY-FwTNM?si=tRwouRaN8sVaeFRa

5. Please watch the Recobbled cut if you can, and give the restoration team a little shout-out. Their work to recreate that vision is just. wow. It's all iterative, over more than a decade. They're working on releasing Mark 5 soon, but Mark 4 is still incredible.

[sparksly-mage-of-light]

I don't think I ever actually wanted a live-action ATLA adaptation

I've been seeing all the stuff the showrunner has been saying about the upcoming Netflix adaptation. I want to say it's discouraging, but it feels wrong because I can't say for sure that I was ever truly encouraged about it. The more I hear about it, the more I find myself asking "Why?".

Why do we care so much about ATLA getting a live-action adaptation?

The original was a good show. Not just a good kid's animated show, but a good show in general. It was a deep, compelling show about war and loss and spirituality and how people, especially children, work through all of that. It was beautiful. It was fun. It was tragic. It was silly. It was badass.

What can live-action do or add that the cartoon couldn't? Especially after cramming 20 episodes of story into 8. Grittiness? Blood? (The perceived legitimacy live-action has over animation?)

Sure, it looks like ATLA, and the visual effects are better than The Movie (of course they do, The Movie is turning 14 this year). But the visuals won't matter if the story isn't just as good. We keep hearing about things being cut out or "toned down" and new scenes being added that I feel are unnecessary. I'm not saying you can't change things in an adaptation or that the original show is perfect; it just feels weird when so many of the changes seem to misunderstand the original.

There's also all the talk about taking the show more seriously and trying to bring in people who like things like Game of Thrones. Adaptations are used to make a story more accessible to a wider audience, but most don't change the genre even if they're far removed from the source material (Moriarty the Patriot looks very different from the original Sherlock Holmes stories, but it's still a crime drama at heart). The Movie also tried to be more serious and look how it's been remembered.

The new show might be fine. It might even be good. But, personally, I don't think it will ever be good enough for me to choose to rewatch it over the original.

[astercontrol]

I've written a lot of this elsewhere, but today I feel like putting together a Very Long Post about how much I love Ram.

From the variety of different Ram-related posts I've made, I guess you can tell that I've got the type of all-cylinders obsession that the most devoted fanfic writers get about their blorbos. Obsession on all levels, to include both "wanting to see him hugged and comforted through every step of unpacking his trauma" and "wanting to see him get the absolute hottest sex of his life, over and over until exhaustion."

Because we do that, here in fandom (horny and loving creatures that we are, ourselves). And he really does deserve all the good things he can get.

Ram... it's hard to explain WHY I love him so much. Why so MANY of us love him so much. He gets a lot of fan love for hIs comparatively small role in that movie, and I think it's a combination of things, the LAYERS of the movie, the subtle complexities that are never clear in canon... maybe never even thought about or planned by the scriptwriters, but still THERE.

There is of course a level on which he seems very innocent, pure, naive... (thinks doing actuary work at an insurance company is helping people, poor sweet summer child...) (/my cynical jaded pharmacy technician voice)

But at the same time.... He went from that clerical office job to being a warrior, and is GOOD at it. You don't really see him kill, but you know he must have. Many many times.

...okay, technically you do see him kill, once.

Collaboratively with Tron, when they derezz their Lightcycle opponent. And it's bizarre to see how much FUN he seems to be having in that moment ("So long, sucker!")

Maybe he's been oppressed by the Red warriors for so long that he really feels nothing but joy in killing them. Maybe he's feeling unusual joy in that moment because Flynn's just offered him a way out. Or maybe some programs just get taken over by a playful, campy energy when they're put in Gaming mode, even lethal games, even if it overrides their usual nature. I don't know.

Anyway, somehow, despite all he was made to do... Ram managed to keep some of that air of innocent playfulness.

And hope. And caring for others. Trying his best to comfort whoever needs it. At the beginning of the movie he was honest with Crom about what probably awaited him, but then he did his best to take Crom's mind off it by asking him what's going on outside-- that's the best he can do, even though it probably kills him on the inside that he can't help more.

Amd he is SO sensitive to others and what they may be feeling and needing (though this is shown in such small, understated ways).

There is that scene where he's alone with Tron in the cell, and says "the new guy was asking about you." We never actually saw Flynn ask Ram about Tron, and there isn't any obvious point at which he could have asked him offscreen. Pretty sure this was an unintentional plothole-- I think there was a line in the early script, but it was cut.

Which leaves me, in my ill-advised attempts at Watsonian interpretation, getting the (probably unintended) impression that Ram noticed that moment just before Flynn got dragged out of the cell. That moment where he was looking at the place where Tron had been before, and looked like he WANTED to ask, but didn't get the chance. And Ram saw him "asking" with body language, and remembered it.

Which, I don't care if they did that by accident, I find it damn compelling, okay.

And then Tron says he'll probably never get to meet Flynn because Flynn's in a match, but Ram says "you might, there's something different about him." Ram has some kind of perceptiveness about Unfamiliar Things In The System that even the security program lacks. He's shown with SUCH empathy and sensitivity... even if it's so subtle it might not be on purpose.

And ...gah, the tenderness of that scene where he holds hands with Flynn before derezzing.

I mean... aaaahhhh. it breaks my heart. He deserved better... And I know the scene feels less powerful after we write fix-it fic. But hey, there's the side of me that likes a good tragedy, and there's the side that wants everyone to live happily ever after, and there's enough possible universes to satisfy both.

I WANTED to see so much more about him.

There was SO much unexplored potential in the dynamic between his playfulness and Tron's seriousness. We know Tron can smile and be affectionate, but I wanted to see SO MUCH more of it-- and so much more of Ram getting to bring that side of him out.

He'd have been so good at it.

And now I'm gonna get into the horny side of things... because the horny side, to me, can also be an important part of what makes a whole, multidimensional character. (And also because I sometimes just feel like going into the horny side, which is fine too. I'm a complicated enough character myself.)

I talk a lot about my headcanons/theories, but I don't think of them as "canon" exactly. They aren't more "real" to me than other interpretations; they're just one possibility. (Or sometimes more. For a few things I have multiple contradicting possibilities I like to explore.)

As for Ram and his sexuality:

I think of him as gay, but in a weird Program-specific sense. Programs don't have genders in quite the same way as humans. There's the visual render, which is changeable, and underneath is a lot of energy and data that Programs can perceive about each other... some of it is analogous to human gender identities, but not all of it translates exactly.

I think what attracts most programs to each other is the inner energy, not the outer graphics. And in Ram's own experience I think he tends to be attracted to the energy of masculine programs (those whose programmers are considered men in the User world).

I think he's only felt this powerful attraction a few times, though. Certainly to Tron, and also to Flynn (really, that User-energy seemed powerfully attractive to all three of the programs Flynn befriended in there).

But I think Ram is still very free and generous with intimacy, even to those who don't attract him in that way. He's a kind soul by nature, canonically getting his own kind of empathetic pleasure ("great feeling") from helping people with their "needs."

And (in my own smutty but strangely wholesome imagination) I think this would extend to the Program version of sexual needs.

The first Tron fic I wrote was about Ram "comforting" Crom when they both realized Crom probably didn't stand a chance in the Games. I think Ram genuinely enjoyed this, and took plenty of pleasure in his own way, although the attraction was not the same kind he felt for Tron and Flynn.

In the "headcanon" I like to write, Ram did this often, because it was the only way he could think to help other programs in the cells and the games (when helping plan for their future seemed like a lost cause). ....I think when he's in this mode, he sees beauty in everyone, and takes pleasure in giving pleasure, no matter who it is.

But I imagine that the more intense attraction becomes active when it comes to being in a triad with Tron and Yori.

And this is because Ram is very attracted to the intimate connection that Tron and Yori have *together.*

He wants to be shared between them, because he sees their love as a powerful amplification of *Tron's* energy that he's so attracted to. And he's very excited by the idea of being swept into the middle of that.

Which is projection on my part.

I mean, when I got into Tron fic, I immediately latched onto a specific headcanon about how Program intimacy and attraction works, the one that most closely meshed with what I myself was into... which got me exploring some stuff about my own complex place on the sorta-queer, sorta-poly, gray-ace-gray-aro spectrum.

And Ram's feelings (as I imagine them) are a bit like my own experience of being poly.

At least, even though I'm probably somewhere on the aro-ace spectrum and don't have quite as much capacity for romantic love and sex drive as other people... a big part of what I love about having multiple partners is being close to the connections they have *with each other.* And this supersedes whatever inclinations I'd have towards "attraction" in a one-on-one sense.

Soooo yeah. Watch me project my whole self onto Ram, and then maybe get better at loving myself because of how much and on how many levels I love him. That's what being a fan is all about, okay.

[bamdelune]

In Hindsight 📹 Ch. 13 "new year, old me"

notes. long narration ahead, will do a bonus episode from scara's pov!

The beach was somewhere you imagine to be as peaceful and serene just as they had portrayed it in your favorite films and novels. You yearned to feel the gentle intrusion of the saltwater sea between the gaps of yout feet, to feel the grainy sensation of sand as you draw the faintest of patterns, leaving shapes in its wake. These thoughts were exactly why you ended up in a car ride with Kunikuzushi on the way to a mildy popular place to celebrate graduation. Both of you didn't have any plans for the week; your hometown was miles away from the city you lived in, meaning you wouldn't be able to see your parents—not that you'd want to anyway in this state while Kuni just didn't want to plainly stay home.

The car ride was silent for the majority, save for the occasional question of "Do you want to switch places?" after each hour of driving, perhaps you can include small chitchat in between stops, and changing the song that was playing on the speaker. You've come to find that Kuni likes songs with slow tempos, maybe R&B.

Once the both of you finally settled down in your shared room, the sunset had already started to fall on the shoreline. The calm waters of the sea nearby illuminated by the shine of the sun, you could compare it to the most eye-catching scene in a fantasy movie where the two leads would share a romantic gesture.

Except those two leads weren't you and Kuni, you were just friends.

Two friends at the beach at such close proximity that anyone passing by would've thought otherwise.

The soft splash of the water against your bare feet made you wonder how you weren't able to visit this type of calmness earlier. The sun was about to set at any time now, while the both of you sat in comfortable silence on the blanket he had laid out on the sand.

"Y/N."

You turn your head to Kuni, hugging your knees as you were watching the sun starting to set behind the sea.

"Hm?"

Kuni looked hesitant, almost bashful if you looked closed enough. He reaches for something in his pocket and fishes out what looked like a bracelet. You peer at his hands, examining the design.

"Consider this a graduation gift. I didn't know what type of stuff you liked so I had to make a guess. You like wearing accessories so I figured... well—" He looks away, hiding a tint of pink on his face that had bloomed out of slight embarrassment. You laugh, taking the bracelet from him.

"It's really pretty, Kuni. Thank you... so much."

Huh.

At your words, your heart twists slightly, a twinge of sadness punching in.

This bracelet... and Kuni gifting it to you, it just meant something that you didn't want to think about. You don't want to think about how with this seemingly small and minor item, it meant that you were close enough with Kunikuzushi to be able to receive something from him.

Ergo, that was one more person added to the list of people you were going to have to say goodbye to the time 10 months had passed.

You hope that Kunikuzushi doesn't catch the way your smile falters ever so subtly, tearing your gaze away back to the sun as it set. The moon starting to take its place as the cape of nighttime draped over the shore.

You felt compelled to ask a question, one that was quite surprising if you examine it closely.

"Kuni, do you make friends with your patients?"

He stiffens a little at your question, his eyebrows lowering in thought. "No, why?"

"Alright... are you friends with me out of pity then?"

He looks at you with a confused expression, his indigo bangs moving along. He thinks about it for a while.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason."

Oh.

"Ah." You only say in response.

"—But, I guess it's more than that now. Listen, Y/N. I may have agreed to this because Baizhu said I had to and I felt bad, but after the past few weeks, I think that... we're kind of alike."

"Alike?"

Kuni nods, "My mother— holy shit, even saying that makes me a little nauseous, she's the type to control every minor and trivial detail of my life. Where I go to school, who I'm friends with, where I go after graduation. I guess with an overbearing person like that watching you like a goddamn hawk, I wanted to live a little. And you, well, you convinced me that it was okay to do that."

His tone was soft and gentle, much different than that of his normal and teasing attitude. Genuine feelings latched onto every syllable and burned into your mind.

Silence fills the conversation again, before you open your mouth to speak.

"Do you.. hate your mom?"

His lips purse a little, "I couldn't if I tried, and believe me, I tried. Even with amount of fuckery she did to me, I still love her as a mother."

"Maybe if she wasn't so busy as the director of the hospital, we would've been able to sit down and talk about our issues."

You smile assuringly at him, hesitantly taking the fingers of his left hand and tracing patterns on it as you reply, "I'm glad you get to have a little wiggle room, Kuni."

Kunikuzushi lets you draw shapes on his hand, his eyes trying to deduce what you were tracing. You don't catch the way his pale face blooms pink as he watched your features focus on the silly little shapes you formed on his skin.

He was falling.

He was falling and he didn't like it.

footnotes. i do apologize once again for the slightly (very) late update T_T i got caught up in a lot of summer programs

synopsis. You are a singer-songwriter. Music has always been a part of you, it's a part of your identity that no one can ever take away. However, there's always a catch: you are diagnosed with a chronic illness that puts your life on a timer. Those who have heard your countless melodies have grown to notice that the notes on the sheet played a gloomier tune. Would the snarky and capable medical student you've met be able to bring life back into these melodies? Even as life begins to seep out of your own body? (scaramouche x gn!reader)

tags. gender-neutral reader, angst, fluff, crack, heavy contexts of death and illnesses, friends to lovers, slowburn, profanities, drinking (characters are in college), suggestive themes but no nsfw.

taglist. (status: open) — @beriiov @alatusorrow @br0oke96 @ohmyfinggod @itzblazekun @featuredtofu @sketcheeee @lazy-sanns @sakurapeach @sheraffim @vxmp-loml @sukunasrealgf @sleepning @yukiipc @thenightsflower @aqvvas

masterpost ★ masterlist © bamdelune 2023. do not repost, translate, plagiarize any of my works without permission, thank you so much! reblogs, notes, and comments are always appreciated!

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Holy shit, ya'll, holy shit. This movie, THIS FUCKING MOVIE is probably one of the most insanely BEAUTIFUL, expertly crafted MASTERPIECES, not just from Dreamworks, but from any studio EVER. Like what the hell, how did they DO THIS? How did they take a sequel to a decent, but somewhat forgettable spinoff movie and turn it into something THIS FUCKING GREAT? It's utterly unbelievable, and yet absolutely magical in every way. So let's get into me gushing about how much I adore this movie because how can I not?

After losing the eighth of his nine lives, Puss falls into something of a slump, until he hears word of a magical Wishing Star. Hoping to use the star's power to get his nine lives back and escape from the (utterly terrifying) clutches of Death, he once again teams up with Kitty Softpaws, and a new addition to the group, the adorably innocent Perrito, to brave the Dark Forest and find the Star. However, they're not alone in the race to the star, as Big Jack Horner and Goldilocks and the Three Bears are all determined to beat Puss and crew to it and take the wish for themselves.

So there's like... so much happening in this movie, you'd think it'd be a jumbled mess of characters and plotlines with nothing getting the focus that it should, and yet... I don't know how they did it but everything just... fits so perfectly here? The pacing is some of the best I've seen in any movie, all the plot beats and scenes go on just long enough and everything flows so naturally and right? The charactesr are all given so much depth and time to just interact here, and not just our leads either (I'll get into that more in a sec). At no point does anything feel like its dragging and at no point does anything feel like its going by too fast. I don't know how they did it, but it all feels, in the words of Goldi and the Bears, just right.

As for our characters, Puss is just as great as always here, with a really compelling arc of him learning to value his life and the people in it. Kitty herself has a good arc too of learning to trust as her and Puss rekindle their relationship. Perrito is absolutely precious and adds this genuine sweetness and heart to an otherwise grizzled and world-wary duo. Goldi and the Three Bears are absolute standouts though, like oh my god, ya'll oh my god the feels I had for this sad little orphan girl and her theiving bear family? I want an entire series or spinoff movie about them, Dreamworks, PLEASE I'm BEGGING you, I need MORE of this beautiful little found family!

We have two villains here, and both are pretty great in their own right! Jack Horner is our more traditional insane villain played for laughs (the fact that he's voiced by John Mulaney helps) and he's pretty funny while also being appropriately sinister and ruthless, making him effectual to boot. But then there's Death and holy shit, if this movie had come out when I was a kid, I think this wolf would have had me pissing my pants because he is terrifying. Like seriously, hands down, the scariest villain in any Dreamworks movie by both design and in terms of just the way he moves, the way he speaks, his eerie whistling any time he enters a scene? No wonder Puss has multiple panic attacks when faced by this motherfucker, because honestly, I would too.

The themes of this movie are all so wonderful as well, from the ones I mentioned above (learning to value life, trust, found family, etcs), but I think its overaching message is absolutely beautiful and shines its way through all of its various subplots. The idea that sometimes, the thing you're wishing for most is something you already have. Like damn, Dreamworks, hit me hard with that kind of beautiful, inspiring truth.

Also fucking hell, the ANIMATION??? IS UNREAL??? This is by and large the most BEAUTIFUL movie dreamworks has ever made, with such a unique and vibrant style that makes everything feel so... dreamlike, I'd say. The texture work here is so complex and yet so simple, the backgrounds are so intricate and colorful, the MOVEMENT IN SOME OF THESE FIGHT SCENES? Insane, unbelievable, Idk how they did it, but they DID it, and it's GORGEOUS. Also so is the music! The score SLAPS, especially in those fight scenes and also I just gotta say, Favorite Fearless Hero? Gonna be stuck in my head for a week. I ain't even mad about it.

So yeah, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is probably one of the single greatest things Dreamworks has ever made. It just hits in every way, an excellent ride from beginning to end with a story that flows so well, characters that are just a delight to watch, animation and music that practically make me foam at the mouth, gah, its just... perfect. Truly, utterly perfect. (Or Purrfect, if you want to be catty about it (ok, I'll stop).

Overall Rating: 10/10

Verdict: Have a realistic depiction of a panic attack

Previous Review (The Bad Guys)

Next Review (Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken)

[alexissara]

Quick Review: Asumi-chan is Intrested in Lesbian Brothels! Vol 2

Asumi-chan is an utterly charming little "porn" yuri. While the story revolves around a simple concept, that Asumi-chan is looking for her childhood crush who she heard works at a Lesbian Brothel booking a different girl every weekend to meet her again it manages to be so much more then a collection of different sex scenes. We're seeing a younger queer woman explore her sexuality, her life change and how she changes as she discovers more about herself.

We intercut Asumi's journey with cuts to Mai who is still in love with Asumi from their first kiss. The formula is mostly the same as it was in Vol 1 only now Asumi-chan has a few recurring characters in addition to the last batch including going on a not at all smutty little hang out with a new girl to watch her favorite anime series' new movie [which leads to her having cosplay sex with a different girl the next week].

The writer clearly as a bit of a thing for roleplay and cosplay, which is fine by me because as asexual as I am those are basically the only forms of sex that are appealing to me, personally. There is a fairly hot threesome scene too, I just love when girls get to enjoy other girls with other girls, it's really good, fills my polyamorous lesbain heart with glee.

The recurring characters are all fun, they show up long enough to give Asumi a life outside of having sex at brothels. The core romance is compelling in that you want to see if Asumi and Mai would out and if maybe Asumi should take a moment to stop and see what's in front of her too and the potential relationships she is passing up on.

Something very nice about this series is it is very humanizing of the sex workers, all of them are treated like full people with hobbies, lives, preferences. They all become smitten with Asumi to some degree but that's just a part of the fantasy. In this volume we find out one of Asumi's friends is a former sex worker and quit and Asumi herself while not engaging in sex work does have a job at a lesbian cosplay bar with the intention of delighting the women who come in.

This is a masterfully done series that naturalizes sex and feelings and exploring in ways I've never seen in most pieces of art. This is truly a special series and I can't wait for Volume 3 and 4 and more if they make more.

[If you enjoy this review consider sending me support on Patreon so I can make more gay art and read/review more gay art.]

[badlysummedupmoviestournament]

Round 3!

If you recognize the movies hiding behind the decoy titles, please do not give identifying details about them in the notes.

Movie n°1: Red hair and hand-me-downs

Red-haired orphan has to steal food to survive. Betrayed by a theft partner, he forces his way into his petty criminals gang, winning their hearts to the point they defend him from a loan shark's goons who were about to beat him up. When he finds a good home at last, his friends feel betrayed and abandonned, though, and he joins them again. The daughter of the family that took him in is kidnapped by the previous loan shark though, and now they all have to get to her rescue.

Movie n°2: Junji Ito

Guy is intrigued by woman for years. It takes being her third husband, Europe, and two deaths to wake him up. Girlboss is conflicted about Guy for just as long and arguably more struggles to realize her own feelings. The scene where these two developments collide is indescribable.

[anyarlly]

Favorite AP side character and why?

Patrick 100%,, like he's such a compelling character? (in the book moreso than in the movie imo) get me another guy who cooks a jellyfish, i'll wait. no but in the book, when he goes on and on how he doesn't feel like a person and how he doesn't feel he's there and all that- i felt that! felt the same things. i think bc of those human things a lot of ppl can relate to him somewhat? at least on that psychological level. but also he's funny? name me another guy who has a 300 step skincare routine, and directs his own porn movies. obviously fuck him for maybe murdering those people, slurs, and being a genuine menace to society but gooood does he make a compelling character.

uhh but also evelyn!! i love a blonde girl, like it's my nauture, i'll always love a blonde girl. make her bitchy and i'll love her even more. but i also love her in relation to patrick (bc we really don't get a lot of her) and their weird relationship. and also while we're on that, the only women he dates (sans jean) are women he's a little bit,, not scared, but like idk weirdly afraid of? or not afraid but there's deffinetly some complex feelings involved. in the book he fucking almost has a heart attack when meeting up with an ex,(he's mentiones how he always wants her aproval i think? maybe i'm making that up i don't remeber, but then he publicly embarasses her to get that power back) and he never seems to kill evelyn despite her always getting up on his nerves. and also the same thing happens to evelyn, he embarasses her (in a less obvious to everyone way)and then breaks up with her and then she makes a scene. it's the women he doesn't date that get fucked most of the times, courtney, jeanette (yo don't let me get strated on jeanette) other women in the book. omg this getting entirely too long haha sorry

[alicent-vi-britannia]

5 reasons why Kagino doesn't work (and 3 reasons why Kalulu does)

I was planning to prepare the small analysis of the final scene of the last episode of the first season, but, given the latest events that have occurred on my other Code Geass page, I decided to postpone it and work on a publication that I had planned for the future: explaining why Kagino is the most forced ship in Code Geass, besides Lelouch and CC in the infamous movie Lelouch of the Aberration (you will know it as Lelouch of the Resurrection). Also why Kagino is one of the worst ships in Code Geass. Please note that I use the term ship because this is a fandom pairing. Gino was never a love interest for Kallen and vice versa, according to official material (including the series).

1.It's a forced ship. This ship was invented by the Newtype magazine, which was ProCluClu, after they tried to do the same with Xingke and the ship had no support. What is the need to promote this ship? Kallen was becoming too close to Lelouch for the liking of CluClu fans, so it had to get her rival out of the way, and what better way for her heart to have an owner other than Lelouch? Actually, there could be other ways, but even the CluClu shippers saw the chemistry and sexual tension between Lelouch and Kallen. She was a threat, from their point of view. I have emphasized this because ""coincidentally"" the CluClu shippers are the only ones who pair Kallen with Gino (yes, I'm seeing that they are realizing that they are losing credibility due to their bias, so they are trying to hide what they are pretending they are Shirlulu or Kalulu shippers; they clearly don't understand what they are doing wrong, right?). The other 0.0002% are people who ship them because they believe that CluClu is canon and Kallen is alone and deserves someone to take care of her heart, but, as Miley Cyrus said in her powerful song, Kallen can buy herself flowers, ask herself to dance, telling herself things that only she understands, holding her own hand and loving herself and being happy.

Kallen is a romantic interest of Lelouch. You can see their relationship develop and take on a romantic nature as the episodes go by in R2. There is a narrative construction. Unfortunately, I won't be able to track their relationship here since that requires a separate analysis.

2. The "other reasons" that accompany this ship are superficial. The ship background that I expressed above is the real reason. There are no other compelling reasons to pair Kallen and Gino apart from the fact that they are both handsome, the same age, they exchanged a few words, and they are Knightmares pilots. Still, for CluClu shippers, those reasons are enough to prove that they are "soulmates." It's complete nonsense. You have work colleagues or study partners and your mother or your friends or your teacher or your boss aren't matching you with any of them, right? Furthermore, Suzaku also meets these requirements and no one is pairing him with Kallen (for the record, I find this ship interesting; but I don't think it works in the context of the series either).

My point is that just because two people are contemporary, attractive and (more or less) doing the same job doesn't mean that they are each other's ideal partner or that love will arise between them. Love is a spontaneous and free thing, which brings me to my next point…

3. Gino and Kallen have no romantic attraction for each other or sexual tension. The biggest "evidence" there is in favor of this ship and surely what started this nonsense was a comment Gino makes in episode 9. But, far from demonstrating a romantic interest or sexual attraction for Kallen, it shows that the fandom has problems of reading comprehension. Let's see, read the comment: "Anya: This is the ace of the Black Knights. The pilot of the Guren. Gino: Yes, the one from before. She is much prettier than the wanted poster of her. "That's my kind of woman!" What does this tell us? 1. That Gino recognizes that Kallen is pretty. 2. That the type of women Gino is attracted to are pretty. There is a big difference between "I like women like you" and "I like you." Just because you appreciate a person's beauty doesn't automatically mean that you like him, that is orthodox and childish thinking (this makes me think of men with fragile masculinity who refuse to admit that another man seems handsome to them because they think they would look like homosexuals and they have been made to believe that masculinity and homosexuality don't go together). Even more important is Kallen's reaction, when he makes the comment: she just turns away. She doesn't smile or blush. Zero interest.

This is very different from what happens between Lelouch and Kallen. She does react to Lelouch's comments, no matter how minor they may be. Like this double entender in episode 5. "Kallen: Are you talking like Zero or Lelouch right now? Lelouch: It's not like everyone knows about our relationship, right? Kallen * blushes *: Stop saying weird things like that, okay?"

Just a few days ago I read a phrase on Twitter (or X) that said that the moment preceding the kiss was even more valuable than the kiss itself. That's where you find the so-called sexual tension and Lelouch and Kallen had two moments like that. Three, if you want to tell the dialogue that preceded the kiss in episode 22. I will go into more detail about the kiss and the two almost kisses of Lelouch and Kallen the day I'm going to talk about those things from theory. In fact, I don't want to stop to examine the romantic relationship between Lelouch and Kallen like I said.

Gino and Kallen never flirted or had intimate moments. At most, they only poked each other in the last Picture Drama, but it was a display of friendly rivalry. No other thing. Pretending that that never happened, there is one moment in particular that I want us to review, as I consider it crucial to explain why this ship doesn't work:

4. Gino didn't accept Kallen because of who she is. At some point in episode 17, Gino is looking for Suzaku and went to visit Kallen in her cell believing he was there. Instead of leaving, he shows her the photo album he was originally going to show Suzaku and they start talking about him (did I tell you that it makes more sense that Gino would be more romantically interested in Suzaku than in Kallen? I'll tell you again, so). The conversation changes and Gino starts talking about Kallen.

"Gino: I understand that you are half Britannian and half Japanese, right? If you chose the name Stadtfeld instead of Kouzuki, you could have a good life, right? Even become one of the Knights of the Round if you have such ambitions. Kallen: Is this going anywhere? Gino: What I mean is, wouldn't you like to come back to us, Kallen?" What is wrong here? That Gino doesn't understand nor is interested in understanding why Kallen chose to embrace the cause of the Japanese and the Black Knights. Instead, Gino brazenly advises her to abandon everything and join them since life is much more comfortable fighting on Britannia's side (this is the kind of flippant comment that comes from the mouth of a person who is in a position of privilege, if you ask me).

Gino doesn't realize that Kallen's motivations for fighting are tied to her principles and ideals. Therefore, this is like asking Kallen to give up who she is: an ally of justice, a patriotic woman, and a defender of freedom. This reflects a clear disinterest on Gino's part and this is a problem because you can't love someone without knowing them and accepting them for who they are.

This is in stark contrast to Lelouch. While Gino asks Kallen to turn her back on her beliefs, her values, and the people she cares about (the Japanese and her family), Lelouch prefers to push Kallen away from him rather than force her to give up her principles and her life for him because, for Lelouch, Kallen's well-being and integrity are much more important than being together. This is the true definition of love.

5. Gino and Kallen don't share principles. A couple doesn't have to be two conjoined twins. They may have different tastes, ways of thinking, preferences, interests, hobbies… If they truly love each other, they will learn to adapt to each other because one doesn't really change who they are for another person. But a couple needs to have, at least, the same values, ideals and life plans (I would add, also certain beliefs). Otherwise, it will be difficult for this relationship to prosper.

Gino is a Knight of the Round and has been an active collaborator in the conquest and colonization of independent nations. He clearly agrees with Britannia's expansionist policy. He has no problem with imperialism or colonialism. Kallen, on the other hand, belongs to the largest insurgent group fighting against Britannia and fighting in the name of freedom, justice and equality. She detests colonialism and imperialism due to her own experience, so she disagrees with expansionism. These discrepancies would prevent Gino and Kallen from having anything (that is, they wouldn't even have been friends).

Only Gino showed some empathy with Kallen, when Lelouch killed the Emperor and usurped the throne, claiming that he finally understood what it feels like to have another come to take power illegitimately and arbitrarily. However, a coup d'état is not the same as colonialism and, of course, this doesn't mean that Gino will change his principles. Only he's going to have a just reason to fight (finally). It would have been better if Gino had apologized to Kallen, but that was an act that required a great deal of effort.

Lelouch, for his part, is a rebel at heart like Kallen. He may have lied about many things, but he genuinely believes in the ideals that he has preached as Zero and Kallen welcomed them as her own because they fit her values, which are no different from Lelouch's. It's not a coincidence. There is a small parallel between the dramatic situation of the Japanese and that of Lelouch and Nunnally. They were all dispossessed of what they had, including their identity, and forced to live as strangers in their land. Therefore, Lelouch and Kallen are more compatible. Even if they hadn't met in Shijunku, sooner or later their paths would cross over their hatred of Britannia, their contempt for the empire's Social Darwinist ideology, and their desire to change the world (well, this desire would germinate in Kallen once she met to Lelouch who, in turn, would obtain it as soon as he received the Geass).

The same can be said about Lelouch's other ships, by the way. Shirley wants to be a loving wife and have a happy family, CC wants to die (at the end of the series, she is focused on living every small moment of her life to the fullest just like Jamie Foxx's character in Soul) and Suzaku wants to change.the system from within. I won't enter the swampy terrain of reviewing the ideals and values of these characters. It's not my goal.

In conclusion, Gino and Kallen don't stick with glue or tape. Lelouch is emerging as a more worthy suitor, despite everything. And, therefore, Karen-chan only has eyes for him. Kalulu is better.

PS: of course, a fanfic could correct all of these things. But I don't think it even exists and I'm focusing only on the series, too.

[mushroom-punk]

the renfield movie review.

After getting rained on, having our first movie theater’s projector break, and having to drive to a different theater, I have finally watched Renfield (2023). ...and it was...fine? The movie’s overall tone is campy and fun, and it never takes itself seriously. It’s writing is horrible, god its so bad - the characters say exactly what they’re thinking at all times, and no emotional arc feels earned or fought for, there are no stakes (haha). But due to how silly the film is, this never makes it hard to watch. Nicholas Hoult truly shines in this movie and makes each scene with him engaging and fun. But god the writing. More thoughts bellow!

I think this movie’s biggest flex is its art direction, with over the top set pieces that create this nasty atmosphere that hangs over the whole film. Its like a grimy combination of The Lost Boys and The Phantom of the Opera. This is all complimented by the score. Without spoiling anything, there’s a moment where Dracula is monologuing and a sinister, orchestral rendition of Swan Lake plays, another reference to the 1931 movie it’s so heavily based off of. Although, it does get points of for the worst use of “na na na na” by MCR I’ve ever seen. It’s second best quality is certainly Nicholas Hoult, who took the shitty script he was given and really made something good with it. There’s a moment when Awkwafina’s character is on the phone, telling another character how fucked up Renfield is - who is sitting in the background cutely drinking some tea. Another detail I really appreciated about Hoult’s performance was the unexpected intensity with which he delivered some lines. On top of keeping Dwight Frye’s iconic laugh, it’s clear Hoult cares deeply for the source material and, if the script was better, I think he could have done a compelling book-accurate Renfield. NICHOLAS CAGE ITS NICK CAGE BABY HE WAS AWESOME ITS NICHOLAS CAGE! His portrayal of Dracula is fun and nasty as hell and might have fucked Ben Schwartz’s mom? The down side to having a movie that uses stylized hyper violence is that any threats of violence Dracula makes don’t really stick. Oh you’re gonna be violent? This is the violence movie! This isn’t an effective threat, you’re not scary! Contrasting this, the few moments where Dracula is simply talking to Renfield, acting like a real-world abuser and not the cartoon villain he is for most of the movie, are eerie and off-putting. Awkwafina’s there. Onto the bad. This film has no stakes, there are few things Renfield can’t slice apart or Awkwafina’s character can’t shoot, and due to the stated hyperviolence, Dracula never feels like a real threat to anyone except the main cast. The characters state what they feel, they experience something, and then state that they feel different in detail.  I’ve mentioned that it’s extremely frustrating that 2023′s Renfield is not written with psychosis in mind, and how this is made worse by its use of pop-psychology terms and the labeling of Dracula as a narcissist - a real condition that doesn’t make the people who have it inherently bad or abusive. This is still true, in fact the frequent references to the 1931 film, while well done, simply reminded me of what Hoult’s performance could have been. The poor writing is this film’s largest downfall, it betrays the heart Hoult brings to his role and its art department. ....however, none of the pop-psychology ever seems to really...do anything effective? Yes, Renfield literally calls Dracula a narcissist and they never really discredit it, but its also shown that calling him all these things and using snappy language doesn’t actually do anything. What does help Renfield the most is finding community and bonding with other people who have experienced abuse. What helps him is talking to people about it and realizing he isn’t alone, which I think is a pretty decent take. I’m going to watch it again when it’s uploaded to my pirating site of choice, but overall it felt more like a criticism of pop-psychology, rather than a celebration of it. Oh and also that the most effective thing you can do to get out of an abusive relationship is to beat the shit out of your abuser with your best friend. 6.5/10.

[claudiasescapesubmarine]

hiii for the ask meme, how did you discover it or get interested in the show? an unpopular opinion? and/or have you read or watched anything because it was referenced in the show? :)

Hey!!! Finally getting around to answering this haha.

How did you discover it or get interested in the show?

It was actually @minim236 who inspired me to watch it back when I had my old blog! Anyway, the trailer had Jacob Anderson in it and I was like Greyworm ok let's go! And although I had not read the book or watched the movie yet, Claudia the child vampire is so well known I already knew about her, so was interested in that concept. Naturally, she became my favourite character :)

An unpopular opinion?

I feel I have soooo many unpopular opinions haha, but I'll say what I think is my most unpopular one, just because I feel like I'm following the right people here who won't mind:

Lestat as a character just does not compel or interest me in any way. I don't care about Loustat, about Lesmand, or any other relationships that involve him. Sam Reid did an amazing job, and got me drawn to him initially, but by the end of episode 3 I was getting a bit, well, and by the end of Episode 5, all sympathy for him went out the window, as did my interest. And full respect to other people who are still invested in his character btw! But I feel like because they made the abuse blatant rather than just brushing over it, many book fans were pissed, so now had to argue contend with a whole bunch of people not liking their special boy whom they've cherished for years. I disagree. I feel like the writers did a brave thing by not brushing over the negative impact Lestat has throughout the entire series. They, in a way, made the relationship more human and real, as this type of abuse is unfortunately still very normal today. They're not showing him through rose-tinted glasses, they're asking you to really look at it, so it'll be much more of a writing challenge to make him likeable and redeemable again to the general audience. It's an interesting concept, but until then, I just don't care at all about him! I don't feel anything when it comes to the romantic scenes between him and Louis either now, and I'm not excitedly waiting to explore his side of the story in the future seasons. The appeals to 'them being vampires' and 'this is supposed to be a gothic romance' has no affect on me, not because I 'can't handle dark subject matter', but because.... Lestat's not really imo the complex character everyone makes him out to be. His behaviour is actually pretty predictable and there's not that much there for me to work with, even as a villain. It's just: sad boy with tragic backstory ends up repeating cycle of abuse that was inflicted on him. Is extremely lonely with an ill temper. Uses dominance to feel in control and to hide his massive insecurities. Is "bad" but secretly has a heart of gold. Mommy/daddy issues. Loves usually only one person more than anything and it's seen as his salvation, but struggles with that relationship because he's emotionally stunted and can't communicate properly. It's something you've seen a million times already. It's what makes the much more layered and harder to grasp characters like Claudia and Armand so much more interesting to me, the vampires who are the most vampire-like of them all, yet ironically get a lot of hate and are mischaracterized from the same people who shout 'they're vampires!', but that's another discussion for another day.

Have you read or watched anything because it was referenced in the show?

I have! I watched Nosferatu, and read Madame Bovary and Marriage in Free Society, although I was going to read Madame Bovary anyway because my little sister heavily recommended it (she massively likes 'unlikeable' female characters and compared her to Anna Karenina, which she didn't like as much due her being too likeable. Which is funny because apparently Tolstoy originally wrote Anna to be an ugly, evil, conniving character who hurt her completely innocent husband and lover and son, but as he was writing, the character became more and more beautiful and sympathetic, and the husband and lover became more incompetent and unkind). I currently have The Doll's House and Nausea next on my list! (I really need to read The Doll's House, it's been on my list since I watched Bojack Horseman lol).

Although this probably doesn't count, because of the after show podcasts, I was inspired to also read The Gilda Stories because they had Jewelle Gomez make an appearance. I ended up being a bit mad afterwards because I soooo wished I read this book in high school, as I was an angry teenager still in the closet then, and this book might have helped me calm down a little lol. There's just something so different and radical about the way Gomez writes her vampires: in a lot of other media, the vampire/monster finally obtains the ability to have cathartic releases of rage due to their isolation/repression and/or abuse, but here, her main character opts for kindness, compassion, and community each time (she still uses violence and murder if needed to defend herself and others, but doesn't let violence consume her entire being). That was very refreshing, having the character be able to do so much damage and take revenge without consequence, yet instead find more fulfillment in the bonds they make with others and refusing to let other people bend her right to actually, well...live.

[practically-an-x-man]

Your OCs are told they're going to watch a Star Wars movie. Which one will make them happiest and which one will be the most disappointing?

Ooooh good question! I'm gonna open this up to movies and shows because... I'm a nerd lol

Rae: happiest with Empire Strikes Back, most disappointed with the prequels

Robin: Loves all of them, but would be particularly pleased at the Tuskan Raider sign language in Book of Boba Fett

Madison: I think she'd love the sequel movies, actually! She'd like Rey as a protagonist for sure. And she's not familiar enough with them to have a least favorite.

Ophelia: Hm... she regularly has Star Wars marathons with the Peters and Ned, so she's familiar with all of them, but I think she'd be the most fond of the Clone Wars show (and would have it on constantly when she's working in her lab)

Jasper: Also has a lot of Star Wars marathons and loves them all, but I think they just couldn't sit through Rogue One. It's not bad, it's just... long, and they prefer to have established characters.

Katherine: Being a nerd kid (like me!) she grew up on the original and prequel movies and those will always be close to her heart. Though she'd go nuts for how cool and artistic the different episodes of Star Wars: Visions are!! And she found the Rise of Skywalker to be a little disappointing, like a lot of people

Kestrel: Has not seen any of them, and probably only would if one of the kids managed to corral them into it.

Quinn: I think she'd actually really enjoy the Force Awakens, but neither of the other sequel movies. She likes how many cool ideas were set up, but felt like they sort of lost focus and got less compelling as the series went on

Eris: Has only seen them because Rick made them have a marathon one day, and doesn't really have any strong opinions. If they had to pick a favorite, he'd like Mando: a rogue fighter, affiliated with no one side? That's Eris' thing for sure, and they think the fight scenes are neat.

Nikoletta: Likes them all, but in a detached way. No favorites, no least favorites, they're entertaining to have on (and Abner likes them) but she won't seek them out on her own. She's more of a Star Trek fan (and before you ask, the original series and Next Gen mainly)

[annierosaart]

Ask game:

Fandom: RWBY 3, 19; Arknights 13, 15, 16.

Ship: FiaExu 10, 16; TexLapp 1, 9

Character: Exusiai 5, 7; Gavial 17, 20

Forgot to answer, my bad!

RWBY:

3 - ...which scene I would like to erase from the universe and why.

Weiss getting stabbed so Jaune could unlock his semblance. Yeah.

19 - ...one behind-the-scenes trivia fact I've learned somewhere and my thoughts on it.

from the Volume 9 commentary. get this shit away from me.

Arknights: (presume when i say fanon, i mean the queerer part of it, not the very reddit part)

13 - ...which canon or popular fanon relationship I can't stand or feel 'meh' about and why.

i've talked about how on the best of days i'm neutral towards FiaMos, and usually just don't like it, but here's a 'hot' take specifically for the side of the fandom i'm in:

PL just. does not read as a polycule to me. for various reasons i won't get into, you can DM me about it, but i'm really just meh on it, they don't feel close in that way.

also despite loving Mumu, SaMuel as an actual thing just doesn't do much for me, soz.

15 - ...which character I would choose for the chopping block if I knew the writers wanted to kill someone.

I think one that has the potential to end up being a meaningful death would be Hoshiguma or Swire. Note that I don't dislike them, far from it, I just think the death of either would shake things up for the LGD gang's dynamics in a compelling way.

16 - ...which character's death would (or did) make me rage-quit.

knowing Outcast's fate has made it difficult for me to start catching up on Act 2, haha. but not enough to rage-quit. if i had to say... Blaze. her hypothetically dying at this point would be for cheap shock value alone.

FiaExu:

10 - ...rate the level of stupid they reach in their pining.

on a scale of "regular" to "no media literacy" in stupid... burns ramen in the microwave. hopelessly pining, thinking the other has no interest in them, when it's mutual, extremely so. like lovers exchanging sexually charged letters in the 1800s.

16 - ...three of my fic recs for this ship. And (in the event that I've written something for them) one of my fics involving them that I'm most proud of.

brother there's barely that many to begin with. but!

Birdhouse In Your Soul by burstfoot on Ao3 (and tumblr! hi @burstfoot)

The movie was a pretense to curl up on the couch with you. by inRemote on Ao3 and tumblr as well, made for me as a gift!

aaand the Arknights Drabble Collection by wolfgirlsmooches, the FiaExu sections :3

... aand of course, the one I'm most proud of?

Night Running BAYBEEEEEEE

TexLapp:

1 - ...about my absolute favorite of their scenes and why I love it so much.

a tie between the sexually charged chocolate feeding (for obvious reasons) and the truck scene. the truck scene has a place in my heart specifically because it is the most direct homage Arknights has made to Yakuza/Lika A Dragon, specifically to Majima's various truck stunts!

9 - ...what my ideal endgame for them is.

what Kiryu and Majima end up having: a bittersweet, tenuous rivalry that at the same time is lined by an understanding that only they are allowed to kill each other, no one else.

Exusiai:

5 - ...if I feel like the writers mistreat them or if the story would be better if they were taken down a peg.

please for the love of god let her participate in laterano events i'm begging on my knees it's literally her place of birth

7 - ...the scene that I think adds depth to their character or the relationship this character has with someone.

2-7 after. despite an earlier comment of Exusiai's showing she still has a lot to learn about Infected, this is one of the first... and also few examples we get of a Sankta directly sympathizing with others.

other examples of this always come from Ezell and herself, which I think is no coincidence.

the anime emphasizes this further by having her get mad on the Infected's behalf

Gavial:

17 - ...how well they'd do if they got dropped in a horror movie.

gavial is half serious, half gag character. that gag half protects her from any serious harm a horror movie villain could do to her.

20 - ...my queer headcanon for them. Unless they're canonically queer, in which case whether or not I think they're good representation or kinda badly explored.

Bisexual, demiromantic!

[existentialbogwitch]

I’m listening to the Dune audiobook again for like the sixth time to prepare myself for watching Dune 2 when it comes out on streaming on April 16.

I am SO EXCITED.

Dune is one of my favorite book series and these audiobooks are amazing and I’m having the best time listening to them again.

If you’ve ever been like “man, I’ll bet I would love Dune but I tried to read it and my brain melted.”

GET THE AUDIOBOOK!!!! !!!!!!*

It’s so so well done. There are *sound effects* and different voice actors for character dialogue in some scenes. It’s tasteful and amazing and I love it so much.

I listened to the first six Dune audiobooks on repeat like 5 years ago because of autism (🙃).

And one of the things that has been compelling me to continue pursuing a corporeal existence has been various books, stories, movies, and tv shows with characters exploring ideas that helped me cope with my own existential depression.

Dune has been one of those things.

I love all of the ways the Dune stories have been presented, the books, the David Lynch film, and the new films. The aesthetic is something dear to my heart and I do not have the words to adequately express why I like it so much.

I think it’s the allure of a good character arc.

It’s watching human development pass through different stages and observing how humanity adapts to those changes.

Dune expresses this is such a unique visceral way.

I don’t want to go into more detail because it would spoil significant plot points.

But suffice it to say, I love Dune and I think about it a lot.

I wish more people had really read and thought about the *implications* of the ideas presented in the story so I could discuss it with others.

But most people don’t like going in that deep.

I live for that shit though.

So if you’re reading this and resonating with any of it, let me know! I would LOVE to talk about it!

I will also say that I’m a queer, non binary afab person and I will not tolerate any bigotry.

🪱💙✨💜🥰