#my travel time compared to the run time of the film is Not a good number. proportionally. but it was worth it i think

[youssefguedira]

today the bfi southbank cinema in london showed una questione privata as part of their season on the taviani brothers (who directed it) so of course i dressed up in my best approximation of what milton unaquestioneprivata is wearing in this movie and went. it was my first time (after like. uhh. a large number of watches) seeing this with actual subtitles that made sense and also just a lovely time. they handed out both a free book about the directors and a little page of their comments on the film. ideal experience for people like me who are a lil tiny bit obsessed with this one

(btw if this sounds fun to you and you're in london / able to reach it easily there's another showing on monday at 9pm!)

[constantinerkives]

Million Dollar (Wo)Man // teaser, (M)

PAIRING: Hotel Magnate! Yoo Jimin x Fem! Reader WARNINGS: Sugar Mommy AU, college AU, age gap, OC is in her final year of college while YJM is 34, profanity, strangers to paramours, Chopard and Cannes Film Festival Karina, good lord. OC has a slight crush on the dean lmao. OC short-circuits when pretty, older women talk to her, smut, more warnings to come SYNOPSIS: Money in exchange for companionship? Why not! If only she wasn't the dean's half-sister. Yikes.

"Excuse me, miss," Your ears perk upon hearing an unfamiliar deep yet feminine voice. Sultry and alluring. "But have you seen Joohyun?"

Joohyun? Your brows furrow. How can someone say the dean's name so casually? 

You turn in the direction of the stranger, and your eyes subtly widen at the sight of the towering beauty behind you. Your eyes take in her appearance. Her long black hair was styled; slid back, allowing you to have a good glimpse at her smooth, fair countenance, familiar doe-shaped eyes framing those sharp, intelligent hazel-colored crevices. You mentally pick your jaw from the floor. 

"Joohyun?" Your voice came out as a squeak, and you fought the urge to palm your face. "You mean our dean?"

A playful grin curls on her plump lips, "Yes," Her hazel-colored eyes scour your features, "And my," She purrs, "Aren't you a beauty?" Your cheeks warmed as the woman continued: "I should count myself lucky for asking a pretty girl like you." A subtle shade of pink dust your cheeks as you clear your throat softly, "Thank you," You muse as you shift your weight from one foot to another. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for-"

"Karina," Your posture straightens upon hearing her authoritative voice. Irene takes a stand beside you. Her face turns in your direction with slight surprise before she regains her calm countenance and returns her gaze to the said stranger: Karina. 

"I see that you've met one of my students," The dean gestures a hand towards the raven-haired beauty. "Y/N, meet my..." She trails off before Karina's lips release a deep chuckle, shivers run down your spine, and your stomach churns at the sound. "Don't be shy now, Hyunnie." 

Hyunnie? 

Karina holds out her hand for you to shake, "I'm Karina Bae, her half-sister. And you are?" 

Half-sister? 

Oh

That explains the familiar features, and if you have to compare the two of them by age, Karina seems to be ten years younger than the older woman next to you. But still, both women are drop-dead gorgeous. They won the battle of genes. 

"Seol Y/N," You reply in a trance as you reach to shake her hand, expecting a handshake, but she surprises you by bringing it up to brush her mouth against your knuckles, a shock traveling up your arm at the contact. Her eyes never leave yours, and you hold your breath, afraid you'll do something embarrassing if you do. Hopefully, your face doesn't show how the action flustered you. You gawk at her as she releases your hand. 

"A pleasure, Y/N." Your body glows at the way her tongue smoothly caresses your name. It's embarrassing how quick you are to succumb to the younger Bae. You instinctively look away from her raving eyes as the dean clears her throat. 

"Easy, Karina." The dean chides, "She's my student," 

A heart-throbbing smile graces Karina's lips, "Anyways," She raises a paper bag. Was she holding something all this time? How come you didn't notice? "As you can see, sister. I just returned from France," The hazel-eyed beauty hands it to her, "And I bought a present." 

You eye the two of them, feeling as though you're intruding on a moment between the siblings. Irene's lips curl upwards and takes the paperbag, "You shouldn't have, Karina. Is that why you came here?"

"Of course," Karina grins, "I can't come back to my alma mater empty-handed now, can I?" 

"Thank you, Karina." 

The latter merely hums in reply, "I'll get going now. There's no need for me to stay if a party lacks drinks." She grins while Irene rolls her eyes. "It's protocol," 

"Sure," Karina turns to you, "Take care, Miss Seol." 

Perhaps she was waiting for you to hold your hand out again, but your brain decided that risking another touch from this gorgeous woman would have undesirable consequences. A wave sufficed for now.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Karina." 

You were wrong. Karina doesn't even have to touch you to get you woozy. Her wolfish smirk was enough to make your knees wobble. She departs, leaving your eyes to follow her lithe physique. 

COMING SOON!

[artsywriter25]

Let’s talk about the Kung Fu Panda 4 Trailer 

Okay, we finally got the trailer after waiting for so many months! 

First things first, my reaction to the trailer. I thought it was decent, I didn’t react too much but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I couldn’t stop smiling seeing Po again, I was expecting to see more but this is just a tease. There probably is more that they can’t show us just yet. I watched this trailer multiple times. I’m gonna go on and talk about the things I like and things that I didn’t like. 

=

The Pros: 

- The animation looks great as always. I was hoping they add in the hybrid animation but the one they’re using is still amazing. 

- Po is now using his jade staff to make combo moves which is awesome and I can't wait to see the creative battles. 

- I like Zhen so far and Aquafina’s voice fits her. I know people are saying her design looks weird but I think it looks fine, and I have liked Aquafina since seeing The Farewell. 

- The Chameleon looks beautiful! If you pause during her transformations she actually looks scary. DreamWorks made a frecking chameleon scary, how do they do that?!

- I like how they kept the animals at their accurate heights like it took me the fifth watch to realize how small Chameleon was compared to Tai Lung yet she took him down easily. 

-Speaking of Tai Lung, he is so back! The fact that he is on the poster could be hinting at a possible redemption arc so for those die-hard Tai Lung fans out there, I’m happy for you. 

-I’m also happy they even got Ke Huy Quan to join the cast. I grew up watching The Goonies and after seeing him in Everything Everywhere all at once, I said that he should be in a KFP film and I’m glad he is.

The Cons:

- The jokes are okay, the only one that made me laugh was Po choking on the flower petals. I hate fart jokes, I know that’s what made DreamWorks famous like Sherk but it doesn’t fit well with KFP. Hopefully that’s the only one and there are not too many gross jokes. 

- I like we’re getting new characters but I’m afraid they won’t be complex characters with arcs of their own but just there as comic relief. 

- I’m already annoyed by those crazy rabbits. 

- Tai Lung cannot catch a break. First, his chi was taken from Kai and now the Chameleon took his chi, I hope he doesn’t end up as a punching bag for the rest of the film. 

-I noticed there is a lack of a color theme, I had always theorized it would be purple but I keep seeing gold, green, and white. That’s not a good sign.

- Okay this is just my nick-pick but I was shocked to find out they got Viola Davis voicing the villain. I like her in some movies but she gives me this impression of those actresses with big egos. Honestly, her voice is nice but I need a full clip of her to get a full impression. 

- Lastly, there is no Furious Five. I saw how the fandom is freaking out about this, but I think they are in the movie, just not for long. While I’m sad we don’t see them, the reality is there really is no other purpose for them but to help Po. I still think they may show up at the end for the final battle. I don’t know what the actors are doing right now, but Seth Rogan came out with his movie this year, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, so he’s probably busy writing the sequel. As for Tigress, I won’t be surprised if she doesn’t have speaking lines because Angelia Jolie is too busy dealing with her personal issues and her divorce right now. 

=

Okay I got the pros and cons out of the way, now I want to talk about what I think may happen in KFP4. There are some things I’ve noticed in the trailer and I have too many theories and so many questions running in my head and I need to write it out. 

So Po’s Jade staff is definitely going play an important role in the story, it seem to have a connection to both the living world and the spiritual world. My guess is the Chameleon wants the staff for a higher purpose of her plan or she needs it to travel to the spirit world herself. We can see her summoning spirits over to the living world, capturing them, and literally eating their chi away. Chi is what helps the spirits stay in living world but Tai Lung’s chi was taken and we don’t know how this will affect him. He may be stuck there until he can get his chi back. 

I noticed in one shot of the trailer there are these strange boxes in the room where Tai Lung was fighting and I realized those are cages. The Chameleon is probably planning on keeping the villains as prisoners to take more chi from them. Knowing Po, he’s going to see this as wrong and wants to save the villains. I know it’s a stretch but I think it could happen. It would be so cool seeing Po, Tai Lung, Shen and Kai working together to take down the Chameleon.

But the question is what is her motive in all this? Why does she say to Po ‘we are not so different you and I’? If she is a powerful sorcerer then why does she need his staff? They better not say that she was never taken seriously enough, there’s gotta be more to it.

And there is Zhen, who I want to know the most. I’m sure they would show some flashbacks to her story and show why she became a criminal. For some reason, I keep thinking she maybe leading Po to a trap, which I hope that’s not the case, but she seems to know more than she lets on. Po didn’t know who the Chameleon was until Zhen explained to him and she knows where she lives. I hope she doesn’t end up being a backstabber because this character is supposed to be the next Dragon Warrior, it would be hard to forgive her if they went that route. 

But these are just my theories and questions that I have. There’s really nothing else to say other than despite my cons, I’m still hyped to see this film and praying to god this will be still good. They may put up another trailer later on, if it’s good enough I’ll write my reaction to it too.

But tell me what you guys think? 

[crystal-lillies]

Okay okay okay first thoughts on the Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, with my best effort to avoid spoilers this time.

I had a blast watching it. I loved seeing the practical costumes and makeup for the creatures and I loved seeing the different ways spells were interpreted. And I did tear up a few times! Nearly full cried, but definitely got emotional on several points which is almost always a good sign for me.

I did not expect how the story played out the way it did. It was marketed definitely as a GOTG-style movie but Fantasy(tm) which both is and isn't what we got.

The whole thing felt like a campaign, or maybe the first arc of a campaign, but squeezed into a 2 hour and 15 minute movie. That being, it felt like a fast pace mostly because they sped-run the traveling bits with some gorgeous montage shots. Mostly fine by me, but at some points, it definitely felt like the scale of the world and time was off. It's by no means unique to this movie, and definitely not unique to the movies this film is emulating in spirit.

It's got somewhat of an Indiana Jones/Goonies/The Mummy/even OG trilogy Star Wars vibe in that certain logics are hand waved in order to get to the good stuff (tm), but it isn't unforgivable nor a detriment to the enjoyment of the film.

The characters are all very enjoyable, each in their own ways. I wish we spent just a bit more time on each of them, but there's the rub with ensemble films. And truth be told, to no one's surprise, Chris Pine's character Edgin gets the most prominent focus. I was surprised, however, at the focus Hugh Grant's character Forge had, especially compared to Rege Jean Page's Xenk.

Forge is a very charismatic antagonist, who has a lot more to do in the story than I anticipated, and definitely is a delight to watch onscreen. Hugh Grant dips a bit hammy into his performance but it's in a fun way that reminds of a Saturday morning cartoon. Smarmy, not entirely serious, but occasionally shows a hint of the person beneath, good and bad.

I found myself a little disappointed that Xenk got a really interesting focus, with an emotional and engaging background, and then seemed to not get a satisfying conclusion to that focus. He felt like a guest player character, rather than a full time player character, like the others in the group. While it does still tie up in a self-contained story, I'm hoping this movie does well enough to maybe explore into his journeys beyond this one. They did say that he is the Archetypal Hero that doesn't really fit with the rest of the group, so I suppose that was their way of saying he isn't permanent, which is fair. And while watching I definitely felt it, and wondered how he would be past his point and if he would have dragged the story in a different direction than it needed. (Or maybe if he was too much of a higher level than they were to justify keeping him around.) But that still didn't keep me from wanting to see more of his character later down the line.

Justice Smith's Simon has a nice self-esteem arc, and I enjoyed watching his growth through the movie. He also has an interesting backstory that sort of gets played with, but has plenty more room to grow, and I also want to see more of him and his character.

Sophia Lillis' Doric is a lot of fun and strikes me as a Circle of the Moon druid. She gets a small, engaging focus of her own, but in keeping with the pacing and the ensemble directed at Edgin, I find myself wanting more of her as well.

Doric and Simon are paired up, sort of, and I'm not entirely sure if it works since they don't get too much time, but such is the curse of a fast-paced ensemble film. Hell, Casino Royale was barely an ensemble film, if you count the sidekicks and villains, and Bond got a life-and-sequel-movie-altering romance that was built through the whole thing and I didn't feel like the relationship had enough there by the time she was killed at the end of it, so mileage may vary I suppose.

Michelle Rodriguez's character Holga was also a delight to watch. She's not the lowest of Intelligence but she for sure rolled a nat20 on heart. (Yes I'm keeping that.) It may be since I've been watching a lot of the Mighty Nein campaign, but she reminds me a lot of Yasha. And given that this movie was filmed during the pandemic, and the people behind it are huge nerds themselves, it may be very likely they were in part inspired by Yasha when writing Holga. Who could say?

But Holga holds up the party with Chris' Edgin, and they have a great dynamic with each other. Edgin is the bard, and while he doesn't have his own colorful Bigby's Hand, he certainly and deftly weaves the story as his class is wont to do. And I worry for his lute because he swings it around like it's a sword sometimes and every time I think it's going to break.

The writing is fairly tight, fast pacing aside, and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and heartfelt moments. I want to see deleted scenes for this movie because I just want more of this story and these characters. And I feel like some things may have been trimmed that might have bloated a scene or two, but also would have been good to see. Hard to say at this point, but that's the vibe I get.

Overall, this movie is so much fun and worth going to see in theaters, more than once if you can. There is so much love in this story and it is absolutely felt when watching. You can definitely have fun with it if you have no experience with Dungeons and Dragons, if you're only familiar with separate properties like Critical Role or Dimension 20 and not so much the Classic Stuff(tm), or if you're a hardcore fan. There's good content in here for everyone, and it's treated well, and it treats its audience well.

If I were to give it a score as a movie, I would err on the side of 8.5/10. It's far from perfect, but it's a hell of a lot of fun and really well put together. Seeing it with friends/family in an engaged theater I would bump it up to a 9 or a 9.5.

I will be seeing it again, so I am going to reserve any Spoiler/Context-Specific Thoughts for after that time comes, and I will be interested to see how my experience with the movie changes depending on the theater and who I see it with, as I went alone this first time. But I'm very glad I saw it and look forward to seeing it again, and I hope they do get more opportunities to tell more stories in this world and other of the D&D worlds.

Both this cast, and John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein as writer/directors, and all the people who worked on this movie, hit one out of the park and I would be very excited to see what more they could bring.

[diablo-that-first-spark]

What's in store for Act IV?

Welcome cupcakes! I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2024 so far. If you have gotten this far in reading, I reckon you’d like to know what is going on with the fanfic, right? This is a status update on that very topic. No, That First Spark is not dead, don’t worry! This hiatus is entirely planned, although I wish I could tell you how long it will last. Months more than likely, maybe a year? This is all very new territory for me, forgive me, cupcakes.

TL;DR version: the final act needs massive amounts of pre-planning compared to the previous parts, and I also need to weed out potential storylines I really want in there, but don’t actually have a place in there (but may end up in a spin-off). Unfortunately, I am also not that good at pre-planning stories because I am a Discovery/Gardener type of writer, and boy oh boy, going into details before setting out on the road is not our forte.

So that is why I am asking for your patience, cupcakes! TFS is not dead until I say it is dead. In the meantime I have ideas to fill in the pause: illustrations of previous chapters; concept art; idea blurb posts; general personal tactics and philosophies on writing. Ideas, may I emphasize. These would be uploaded to my DeviantArt gallery and here (and later Blogger when I build that out) – links at the end!

If this is where you stop reading (understandable), then have a lovely rest of your day and keep being awesome!

For those who are interesting in the detailed explanation, here’s the long version:

A good question to ask is: it’s just fanfiction, why don’t I just go for it, screw the planning phase? Who cares if the act is filled to the brim with stuff, we are here to have fun!

Absolutely fair point to make. We are here to have fun, and I hope my fanfic has provided that so far, if you are here reading this! Unfortunately, it is not that simple situation on my end.

For one, I actually want to be a professional writer one day (I actually have the basis of three entirely original series figured out too!) and because of that, fanfiction is not just a place for me to have fun (although I am certainly often having the time of my life here), but it is first and foremost a training ground. I want to get better at writing and so I do my best to employ professional practices in all of my works. One of those practices is the infamous “Kill your Darlings” tactic, which involves getting rid of characters, storylines, scenes, entire worldbuilding elements which you really really love and/or worked hard on… but they just don’t have a place in the story proper.

Thus, Act IV is going to go through a whole bunch of darling-culling, from the looks of it. I want too much right now and it genuinely looks like one of those terrible Hollywood blockbusters: half-a-day long runtime yet still not enough to address everything that happens in the film. They tend to piss me off and I want to avoid making the same mistake if I can help it. Just to illustrate why Act IV needs pre-planning: Act III originally had a whole arch where Tyrael, Quiet and Zayl would have traveled across the war-torn desert around Caldeum, dealing with shitty mages and the necromancers Rathma would send against them, can you believe that? Yeah, that is the kind of wild swings in plans I need to avoid in Act IV as much as possible. I probably can’t avoid them entirely, given the Discovery writing style, but they can certainly be cut back.

Will all those darlings disappear forever? Not necessarily, actually. Some will, absolutely, because they prove to be just terrible ideas on the long run. But there are some ideas, unfortunately quite vague so far, that could actually turn into a spin-off series next to TFS. It depends on a lot of factors, so I’m afraid I can’t say or promise anything concrete, cupcakes. But the dream is alive!

For two, writing TFS takes insane amounts of time and effort, and I want to give myself a chance to finish this story in the near future. Now please don’t get me wrong, cupcakes, I do not regret in the slightest that I have embarked on this journey. I wouldn’t trade the time spent writing about Lyndon, Quiet, Tyrael, Malthael, Abd and everyone else, for anything in this world. I have learnt so damn much about myself and my style, writing in general, the lore of Diablo and historical facts of the real world. I have met truly horrible and truly amazing people through this story and for almost an entire year I could maintain a regular upload schedule, these are all very valuable experiences.

But on the other hand, there is no denying the time TFS consumes. I want to eventually write other, original stories (and hopefully make a good living out of them), I want to tackle other larger projects and Anu knows what else life will throw at me on the long run outside of creative ventures. I may one day learn to juggle multiple projects at once and progress in all of them effectively, that would be great. But for now, that is unfortunately not part of my skillset.

Yeah, I know I just talked about a possible spin-off story because Anu help me, I’m always so hopeful about my creative projects and I love Diablo’s world so much. Time constraints and my own abilities are two of the many factors that would decide the fate of that idea.

And let us not forget your time is valuable as well, cupcakes! You are absolute troopers for making it this far, and I am grateful beyond words to all of you for spending your time with my work, and even more so if you even leave comments along the way! But I know you have other stories to get to, other worlds to explore and people to meet. And yes, sure, reading one chapter every month or few months isn’t that demanding. But I have always believed, even before I thought about becoming a professional, that a writer should know when to end a story. Stretching that out, endlessly adding more and more plot points, characters and stakes which exponentially increase in ridiculousness, is a certified death sentence in my eyes. (Hells, I’m already on thin ice regarding the stakes, considering the main character is basically a creator god…)

Yes, I know this is a personal opinion, some people genuinely love decade-spamming tales, and hey, more power to those people! Sail those seas for as long as you are able!

TFS is not going to be one of those stories, and I hope it will be all the better for it.

So, to summarize my goals during this hiatus:

- Nail down the basic storyline of Act IV with as few future wild swings in the plan as possible. I will be mostly employing the lessons of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, if anyone would like to learn as well. That book is my personal Bible, no questions.

- Kill a city state’s worth of Darlings. See if any of them can be saved into a spin-off story. No promises, only dreams.

- Build up a buffer of chapters before I start uploading. I am most afraid of this challenge if I can be honest with you, cupcakes.

- In the meantime, possible ideas to fill out the hiatus: illustrated scenes from previous chapters; concept art of characters; idea blurb posts; general personal tactics and philosophies on writing. Again, just ideas.

I have no idea how long the hiatus will last. I have a feeling I should take a bit of a break from Diablo as a whole, but I still have a 19-page fancomic to finish about the Angiris Council, good lord. It will be posted to my DeviantArt gallery for sure by the way! :D

And to here as well IF I don’t nuke that bastard and move to Blogger by the time it is finished. (There will be a post here when that happens, it will be up for a year at least, don’t worry about missing it)

Back on track…

I can’t even give you cupcakes an estimate, I have never done anything like this before. I’m flying blind but bloody Hells, bring it on! >:D If you wait out the hiatus, I love you for it. If you give up on the fic, I totally understand it and I thank you for your time up to this point!

So, thank you for reading, thank you for your patience, and hopefully we will see each other soon with the first proper chapter of Act IV! Lilith needs some proper ass-whooping, and I shall deliver, cupcakes! Take care and keep being awesome!

2024.03.07.

[pallastrology]

what i read in 2023

hello! here's what i read over the last year, including some stuff i read/re-read for uni. all in all, it was a great year for reading, despite having a newborn who didn't sleep much lol. i haven't been able to write detailed reviews because i never take notes (oops) but here are my thoughts on what i read. hope you enjoy :-)

the prophet, kahlil gibran - 4 ⭐️ i originally rated this a 3.5 but have revised that rating... reading anything deep when sleep-deprived with a newborn is not a good idea, although i believe this was a lovely novel, i can't remember it all that well and will have to read it again to write a fair review.

lady chatterley's lover, d.h. lawrence (audiobook) - 4 ⭐️ i think i would prefer to just read this myself, rather than listen to it as an audiobook. i'm not really one for "spicy" books but this is very tame going by today's standards, and the story was gripping. when you consider the historical significance it makes it all the more interesting too in my opinion.

the professor, charlotte brontë - 3.5 ⭐️ i usually love anything brontë but was a little bored reading this. i didn't really like the protagonist and just found the plot a bit dull. not a bad novel by any means, but not my cup of tea.

watership down, richard adams (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ beautiful!! just beautiful. i watched the film as a kid and was slightly traumatised, but the book runs rings around it. it's something that can be enjoyed by all ages and balances fantasy with reality. as a bunny servant, i really appreciated the level of detail the author went to to ensure he wrote rabbits correctly too!

the turn of the screw, henry james (audiobook) - 3.5 ⭐️ didn't hugely like this. i'm not a massive horror fan because i'm sensitive lol, but i find classics like this aren't too much for me. if anything i almost wished it were a bit more intense at times, it felt more sad than anything.

the time machine, h.g. wells - 4.5 ⭐️ really interesting story with a thought-provoking ending. i read it over the course of a day and it stuck with me ever since. it's also become inextricably linked with joanna newsom's album divers for me, with its themes of time travel, war and walking through ruins. would definitely recommend!

the fellowship of the ring, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ a completely and utterly beautiful book. i could probably write a whole book myself on how much i adore the lord of the rings, but now isn't the time or place. i was hooked instantly and as someone who grew up with peter jackson's trilogy, it was lovely to get to know the hobbits more at the start and explore the world more fully.

the cats of ulthar, h.p. lovecraft - 4 ⭐️ sinister and gripping short story. it takes something like ten minutes to read so i'd recommend it to anyone to be honest, especially if fantasy or horror are your cup of tea. i haven't read anything else by lovecraft to compare it to, but as a fan of lots of games that borrow from his lore i think the story probably fits into his world nicely.

the two towers, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ the opening to the second novel in the series was just heartbreaking, but still, i was glad to be back in middle earth. again, the level of detail in the books compared to the films is just astounding, and i found myself going back to relisten just to take it in fully.

a room with a view, e.m. forster - 4 ⭐️ i started this years ago and ended up putting it down. i'm glad i came back to it, though i still found it hard to get into actually. it was definitely a slow burn for me, but i do really enjoy books about the lives of regular people.

the return of the king, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ cried a little bit when i finished this. i truly love lord of the rings and this first listen to the audiobooks will hopefully stay with me forever. this year i hope to read the physical books and dive into middle earth all over again.

icons of the iron age: the celts in history and archaeology, susan a. johnston (audiobook) - 4.5 ⭐️ only because i listened to this through audible and sometimes found the presentation a little hard to follow. very informative and a great intro to the subject of the celtic peoples.

the silmarillion, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ definitely one to reread later on down the line, with a notebook so i can take notes, it’s so detailed and dense that it’s hard to remember recurring plot points and characters at times. but a beautiful book depicting a mythology.

the lifted veil, george eliot (audiobook) - 3.5 ⭐️ an interesting but, for me, unmemorable novel. i think i'll come back and read it again before i write anything significant about it however.

the last of the wild days, volume one: the howling hunt is nearing..., daniel j. loney - 3.5 ⭐️ a lot of potential, with engaging characters and intriguing lore and story, but lots of technical errors and issues with pacing and wordiness. looking forward to more instalments, but the book is definitely in need of an editor.

ogwen blues, george veck - 4.5 ⭐️ very dark, very gritty. left me feeling quite depressed afterwards to be honest, though the novel was an excellent and immersive read. not something i'd usually pick up but i'm glad i did.

cranford, elizabeth gaskell - 5 ⭐️ a really lovely little book. very quaint, exactly the kind of thing i love, just the goings on of regular people. i really enjoyed it, especially as 'brain bleach' after ogwen blues.

tender is the flesh, augustina bazterrica - 3 ⭐️ a quick and intense read but not a book i can say i’d recommend… very well-written but the content is highly unpleasant and not for the faint-of-heart. an interesting and horrifying commentary on the meat industry and, i suppose, how far humanity will go to keep up appearances of civility.

sir gawain and the green knight, pearl, and sir orfeo, j.r.r. tolkien - 5⭐️ really beautiful translation, with especial care taken to retain the alliteration of the original poems.

sir gawain and the green knight, brian stone - 4.5 ⭐️ loved it, but skipped through much of the original text section as i can’t read medieval english (maybe someday).

[sertimusthechao]

Super Mario Bros. Movie 4DX Thoughts + Review (SPOILERS)

Oh gosh, where do I begin.

Let me just preface this by saying that this was my very first experience with a 4DX film. I'd learned that there's a cinema that opened near me which is a much more affordable drive compared to traveling over 100mi just to catch a single showing. I'd actually long sought after a presentation like this since Promare made its limited release in US theaters back in '19 and '21 and, at that time, the new cinema hadn't even opened yet. So I'm not only glad I got to catch the Super Mario Bros. Movie's theatrical release, I'm also glad I now get to experience 4DX closer to home.

I've watched some demonstrations of the technology in action and it speaks to me especially as a thrill ride enthusiast. It reminds me a lot of those 4D theater-style rides that usually operate in theme parks, so I went in with that expectation in mind but for feature-length films. Well, this experience brought a lot more than I expected, in a good way. I will elaborate more on this shortly.

The one thing I will probably say is that the motion seats will violently heave and rock during certain action scenes to the point where the backrests will slam your back and, in some cases, you will be bouncing off your seat briefly, so if that's not your thing or if you have certain sensory/health issues which may be agitated by the motion seats and/or environmental effects (air/water jets, wind, rain, occasional scents, vibration, lumbar kick, etc.), then 4DX Mario might not be for you, even 4DX presentations in general. The manufacturer of 4DX has a safety guidelines page you can read before considering attending a presentation like this.

Of course, this goes without saying that this post will be full of spoilers. You're probably better off not reading beyond this point if you plan on watching this movie in the near future or even plan on experiencing it in 4DX just like I did.

That said, thoughts! This was actually a pretty fun watch. It prefaces with Bowser anchoring his floating fortress in front of the Penguin King's castle and the Penguin King's army getting a taste of Bowser's fury. From there he claims the Super Star being held there and imprisons all of the Snow Kingdom's inhabitants. The 4DX effects, including motion, were fairly mild but provide a little taste of what's to come further into the movie. There was especially some use of fog and air to provide atmospherics, including forced air that occurs as Bowser uses his fire breath to destroy the Penguin King's castle.

With that, the movie starts out fairly relaxed with a completely normal day in Brooklyn with the Bros. starting out with their plumbing business. Then everything starts to ramp up steadily with their first job and then the manhole leak, which they find the pipe which transports them into the Mushroom Kingdom. During those parts of the movie I felt a little bit of the action from the Mario Bros. including their jumps and parkour-like maneuvers. This is also where the 4DX effects start to slowly build up in intensity and prepare the audience for the more brutal parts of the film.

However, this is also where I felt like the world building could've been improved. There seemed to be some missed opportunities to further develop his character. I especially felt like I only got to see to a glimpse of his family, too. His life in the Mushroom Kingdom was no different either, as a lot of his run-ins with the Kingdom's denizens seemed rushed. I might not have so much of an issue with it especially as a Mario fan/vet but it might be confusing to those completely new to the franchise. Though, there could be a reason for this too, especially with Nintendo's preference to stray from vivid backstories in Mario's universe.

With that said, I'd like to talk about the fun parts of the film, but mostly the action-y stuff; from Princess Peach's training regimen, to Donkey Kong's challenge, to the karting on Rainbow Road, eventually leading up to the showdown with Bowser. But especially Donkey Kong's scene, holy moly. Let me tell you about it. It's a trip—actually no, it's a roller coaster. The 4DX editors for this film really made sure you felt Mario's pain in the form of violent seat motions. They're pretty much a combination of sudden tilts, rolls and heaves every time Mario gets beaten up and thrown around.

It's especially to the point where the seat hit my upper back and even gave me brief airtime. It is peak whiplash. I think there may have been some use of forced air and water jets too, but it feels somewhat insignificant compared to how the seats move during the fight. It's nuts and it's very effective at actually making me feel bad for Mario here. Eventually, Mario does come across the cat power-up and overpowers DK through his enhanced agility and you also feel DK get a beat-down in the process.

I enjoyed the kart scenes especially, where it is a slightly smoother experience. It isn't until the Koopa army starts rolling in on Rainbow Road and defeating the Kongs that the motion starts ramping back up in intensity, though not as much as the aforementioned scene. There is some use of atmospherics in play, including wind, fog, air/water jets and strobes. After the blue shell of the Koopa General destroys part of the road, both Mario and DK fall into an ocean where they are eaten by a Maw-Ray which, if I remember well, is where the rain effect comes into play. There has been very occasional use of 4DX's rain effect throughout the film, though my memory has not been the best since watching through some parts of this film in 4DX were sensory overload for me, heh.

So then Bowser. He attempts to marry Princess Peach but his plans are briefly thwarted when Peach finds an opportunity to freeze Bowser and Mario + DK make their way to the wedding via a turbo jet from DK's kart. Lots and lots of action from there, which then ramps up in intensity when Bowser breaks free from his ice prison and sends a Banzai Bill toward the Mushroom Kingdom in a fit of rage. Mario then knocks it off course and sends it into a warp pipe, averting imminent destruction of the Mushroom Kingdom; but then Bowser's castle gets teleported to Brooklyn where the showdown continues. This is where the seats start to move violently again as Mario receives a beat-down from Bowser, feeling seemingly defeated but was reminded of his very mission—to save not only the Mushroom Kingdom, but Brooklyn too. Mario jumps back into the fight alongside Luigi to help him too, and eventually the two grab the Super Star, become invincible, knock Bowser out, shrink him to the size of a pet rat and trap him in a jar, ending his stranglehold on the Mushroom Kingdom and saving Brooklyn from a similar fate.

So, what do I think of this movie? I think it is very fun with a classic 'Mario saves the Princess (and the world)' plot that leaves a little more to be desired. I think most Mario fans will be able to enjoy it. I think the 3D + 4DX features make this an especially very fun watch and they don't distract a whole lot from the actual movie; the effects feel very relevant to what goes on in the movie and are not too gimmicky. However, I'm a bit on the fence on possibly recommending the Super Mario Bros. Movie as a first-time 4DX movie due to the intensity of certain scenes which may agitate those who deal with certain sensory issues like the sensation of bumping into cushions and strong movements of the seats in general.

This can depend on the feature that is being presented with 4DX, but it's always something to keep in mind going into a 4DX theater. Action movies are probably going to be common with most cinemas that offer such types of showings, so strong movements of the seats is a very common characteristic with them. However, if you're really into roller coasters or thrill rides in general as much as I am and you love to go into movies with a sense of adventure and a craving for immersion, I'm certain you'll have no problem breaking into the 4DX format.

Nonetheless I found the experience to be genuinely fun and unforgettable, especially for my first time watching a movie in this format. It's not something I'll be doing all of the time but I will definitely consider booking my next action movie screening in this format. In fact, I'm considering hitting up Across the Spider-Verse in 4DX in about a couple of months. :>

[lupismaris]

top 5 best meals you've ever had (so far) - seriously the way you talk about foods/restaurants in your area has me intrigued

Oh Lords okay we're going to stick SPECIFICALLY to meals in my area (Baltimore) and recent meals because if i were to bring in places I've traveled and go back past years the list would go on forever lmao

In no particular order-

Cosima- for my birthday last year we went to our local favorite Sicilian restaurant and had mussels with spicy Italian sausage and broth, a pizza to share with scallops/bacon/chili oil, I had the duck breast with yam puree and cranberry confit, and they brought us a limoncello tiramisu for dessert. The drink parings were an Italian golden ale and an amaro Manhattan.

Lamb tajine - i made this myself in the traditional clay tajine my bf got me for Christmas. We take half a leg of lamb, dice and marinade it in olive oil and Ras Al hanut, then brown it in a skillet. Once that's browned you add yams, beets, onions, figs, carrots, about two cups of beef broth, and a cup of red wine. Let it simmer for ten minutes then carefully ladle it into the warmed tajine, which should have been brought to temp in the oven. It cooks at 300° for about three hours or so, occasionally adding water if it gets too dry. It's excellent with pita and saffron rice.

Petit Louis - after i got out of my recent cancer treatment and isolation we went for dinner to my favorite french place here in Baltimore. It's a classic bistro style place with dusty mirrors and red leather seats and wine bottles on the wall. Their best deal is the prix fixe lunch they do from 11-2pm but i can't get away with it all the time. We shared the Pâte de campagne, had a glass of wine each to pair with our main courses, and i got the roast lamb, which was some of the best I've had in a while. And yes i treated myself to a pot of chocolate mousse and a glass of Armagnac for dessert.

Neopol Smokery - this is the smokery/deli I've been talking about a lot recently they have a store front set up in an open market and visit a few farmers markets where you can get their prepared salmon filets, pies, grav lox, and more. The smokery in the market however makes some of the best sandwiches I've had and they also have smoked mussels, duck confit, salmon plates, all kind of daily rotating offerings for lunch and dinner and the staff are phenomenal, everything you want out of the old school deli you become a regular at.

Mason's Lobster Rolls- look. I do not live in New England. I know that. Our lobster will not compare. These are however the only lobster rolls i will eat outside of New England. They do them every still, CT/Bar Harbor/RI, and have a few soup options as well. It's pricey as good seafood usually is, but it's filling and delicious so i tend not to mind as a treat. Also fantastic crew running the show.

Honorable mentions

Wet City Brewing - great drinks, great brisket poutine, excellent vibes. Highly recommended for hanging out and getting some food after a long day though parking will be a headache.

Di Pasquale's - old school Italian deli and market that is so old school Al Capone once did their book keeping as a teenager. Yes it's actually true the owner has the old employee registers from his grandfather hung up on the back wall of the new store. The sandwiches are stunning, the arancini are authentic, the cannoli are worth getting two. Tied with Pastore's for my favorite Italian deli (the latter is closer to work).

Clark Burger - great burgers, great poutine, next to a vintage 1920s movie theater that routinely shows golden age classics alongside new films. My favorite local burger joint.

[ccthewriter]

CC's New Watch Ranking 2022: #2 - The Young Girls of Rochefort

1967, dir. Jacques Demy

Every year on Letterboxd, I make a list of the 100 best films I’ve seen for the first time. It’s a fun way to compare movies separated in time, genre, and country of origin, and helps me keep track of what I’m watching! This is a series of posts about my Top 10.

This is the pinnacle of cinematic joy. No other film contains such happiness, such leaping mirth, such radiant sunshine. This is a glass of lemonade at the height of spring; this is a giggling kiss given behind a carnival. Every few days I turn to my wife and scream-sing “Nous sommes deux soeurs jumelles! Nées sous le signe des Gémeaux!” and it never fails to make us laugh. You’ll find this year’s ranking contains a lot of serious films, many of which touch on the darker elements of our lives. Les Demoiselles de Rochefort stands in stark contrast as a true comedy in the classical sense, concerned only with love and laughter. It is the best musical ever committed to film. 

Young Girls follows a pair of twins looking for love. Their mother runs a cafe in the town square, where a caravan of performers have just arrived to set up a carnival. They dance around this space as they seek romance, their soulmates passing through and barely missing them each time. It’s a wonderful comedy of errors, interspersed with the greatest musical numbers you’ve ever seen. 

I want to express my affection for this movie with a high-pitched squeal, because every element is perfect. But I’ll try to isolate what’s working here. The story is simple and classical. The visual language is divine. It begins with a very long shot of the caravan traveling over a bridge to arrive in town. The lingering intro makes viewers feel transported into Rochefort, which becomes less of a real city and more of a fairytale kingdom. The set design and costuming is brilliant, and is displayed with a relatively still camera that will rotate to view its subject, but rarely go dutch or do anything else fancy. The stillness makes the contents of the frame shine. 

There’s some Wes Anderson levels of symmetry and color at play here, too. The sisters are coded in yellow and pink, and the entire world is tinted to match them. They pass through the Frenchest, most beautiful locations imaginable. An antique store with rococo furnishing and white marble. Little shops made of wood and glass. Cobblestone alleys lined with bright plaster. Truly, every detail, from top to bottom, is made with cinematic beauty and grace. And the music! It soars, it's jazzy, it's a little funky, it's just the best you could imagine.

I’m finding myself at a loss for words! I don’t know what else to say other than this is good - really, really, really good. No movie embodies the freeing feeling of love better. There’s a production history I don’t know about and couldn’t begin to describe. Catherine Deneuve is incredible, but we’ll spend more time talking about her very soon. If you find yourself sad and looking for something to cheer you up, this film is it. Treat yourself to the freedom of the soul this film can instill. You deserve it. When we think of building a better world, we should focus on making it feel like this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading! If you made it this far why don’t you give me a follow on Letterboxd, where I post reviews and keep obsessive track of all the movies I watch. Feel free to drop a line if you checked this movie out and want to share your thoughts!

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let's Talk #TheLoudHouse: Season 6 Final Thoughts

While it lacked any major changes, Season 6 of The Loud House built upon the fifth season with a variety of highs and lows.

For my thoughts on Season 6, feel free to keep reading. There will be spoilers.

The sixth season for the most part followed up on the fifth's change in the status quo by expanding upon the siblings. It also felt like the writers rectified some of the fifth season's flaws, as there were less episodes about Lincoln at school and more featuring his sisters to varying degrees. Nearly every sibling got an equal amount of episodes and Lily began to play a much more active role.

During the season's absurd length of 14 months, including hiatuses, the show saw both the end of The Casagrandes and premiere of its live action spinoff The Really Loud House. The former's cancelation appeared to occur at some point midseason, giving the show a chance to reintegrate Ronnie Anne and their respective original characters. Their reappearances were basically the spin-off's unproduced episodes, especially by how the Louds were often sidelined.

For Ronnie Anne, it marked her first appearance on the show since Season 4. It also followed up on the spin-off's finale with Bobby now living in his own apartment and Lori finally meeting his father Arturo.

Season 6 also surpassed The Fairly OddParents to become the third longest-running Nicktoon, with the season finale "Love Stinks" surpassing that show's individual segment count. It is an impressive feat considering how it took ten seasons over multiple hiatuses and inconsistent episode orders for OddParents to reach that goal, while this show did it after only six seasons with no breaks.

When it comes to the season's best episodes, there were a few.

The Taunting Hour: Seeing how people can't stand the family made this come across as an unofficial response by the show's writers to their online detractors.

Time Trap!: After teasing the concept, the show finally embraces time travel in a half-hour episode in the vein of Back to the Future.

Puns and Buns: A rare episode focusing on a supporting character, in this case Luan's boyfriend Benny.

Small Blunder: Lily plays an active role in this episode and for the first time ever speaks in full sentences.

Fashion No Show: This felt like a salvaged story from The Casagrandes, especially by how Carlota plays a bigger role compared to Leni. It finally offered the opportunity for the two fashionistas to clash in the perfect premise.

Despite those positives, there were still several bad ones.

Sofa, So Good: A retread of the ending of "Come Sale Away", right down to the siblings running around town, the only difference being Lily getting involved in lieu of Lori.

Eye Can't: A lackluster Lisa story that sets up a conflict about her eyesight but instead focuses too much on her robot Todd.

Sleepstakes: Lana's fears about sleepovers could have worked better with a sibling whose friends have previously appeared, such as Lucy, Lincoln, or even Lori (albeit the latter two as flashbacks).

Food Courting: This was straight up boring, and the most memorable thing to come out of it was a GIF of an excited Leni.

Doom Service: It tries to turn Vic (a recurring character) into an ongoing antagonist. Instead, it just comes across as being written by a fanfic writer who hated the show only to then be hastily rewritten to have a happy ending.

If there is anything else left to say about Season 6, it was overall enjoyable. Possibly the only other thing to say would be that it would have been great to see more stories with Luna and Sam as well as Benny and Luan.

Season 7 will be much shorter, with only 20 half-hour episodes rather than the usual 26. It remains to be seen if the show will get an eighth season. Considering Really got renewed for a second season and has an upcoming Halloween TV movie, the recently announced Casagrandes movie, and a second animated film (unintentionally confirmed via a LinkedIn profile), it is only a matter of time.

It will also break another record. At some point during Season 7, the show will surpass the episode count of the original Rugrats. By the end of Season 7, The Loud House will become the second longest-running Nicktoon (by episode count).

As for the upcoming season, it will feature the show's first serialized arc where the Louds go on a road trip. Within those episodes, they will visit not only Great Lakes City (the setting of The Casagrandes) but also the White House.

Hopefully, Season 7 will feature more great episodes and preferably less vitriol from certain commentators.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[suihime]

The Life of Mary Sue

Chapter 3

The fact that Cheng Xueyi's acting skills have improved rapidly spread to Su Yu's ears.

Su Yu smugly felt that she had brought a malleable talent, so her ambition swelled even more.

She even felt that it was not impossible to turn Cheng Xueyi into a first-line actress with both traffic and strength.

The result of this ambition was that Su Yu hired an acting teacher for Cheng Xueyi. After all, traffic was a thing that could reach the sky in one step if one found an opportunity, but hard power needed to be accumulated.

So Cheng Xueyi had another task besides filming - to attend classes at the Film Academy in B City.

On Sunday, Cheng Xueyi had no drama to film, so she made an appointment with Professor Wu who was introduced by Su Yu for her first lecture.

Professor Wu was a powerful actor when he was young. He once won the Golden Lion Best Actor. Later, he gradually faded out of the big screen and devoted himself to drama and education. He was very prestigious in the film and television education circle.

Cheng Xueyi didn't come from a major family, so the opportunity to learn from her seniors was something she could only wish for, so she asked for advice humbly.

And Professor Wu was worthy of being a veteran drama actor. His explanation method was profound and simple, and he even showed two impromptu performances that were particularly vivid, which benefited Cheng Xueyi a lot.

It was already afternoon when she came out of the Film Academy, and she was so absorbed in the class that she didn't know when it started to rain outside.

A rain in the early autumn came fiercely, and the leaves on the sycamore trees on both sides of the teaching building were blown to the ground by the wind, which looked like a mess.

Fortunately, Cheng Xueyi brought an umbrella.

This was a habit she has always had. She was originally born with bad luck, and it rained eight times out of ten during the rainy season.

Even though she changed her identity and traveled to another world, she still felt that it was better to be prepared.

She stood at the entrance of the Furong Building and opened her umbrella. As soon as she took a step, she heard someone calling her hastily from behind: "Miss, wait a minute!"

Cheng Xueyi stopped in her tracks, and when she turned her head, she saw a little girl who had just run out of the teaching building. She looked 18 or 19 years old, wearing a pink sweater, with a high ponytail, and a pair of big bright eyes, like an energetic girl in a movie.

The girl ran up to Cheng Xueyi, and without even breathing, she hurriedly asked, "Miss, sister, can I share an umbrella with you? It's a short distance," She even compared the short distance with her fingers. Very playful. "My brother is waiting for me in Shaw Building, but the car can't get here in the Furong Building."

Good-looking girls always easily make people feel good about.

What's more, it was just a small favor, she has no reason to refuse.

Cheng Xueyi smiled at her in a friendly manner: "No problem."

"Thank you, young lady, you are so kind. As a reward, I will let my brother drop you home later."

"No need."

The two squeezed together arm in arm under the small folding umbrella out of the teaching building.

"Don't refuse, it's raining so hard. You have nothing to worry, I'm not a bad person. I'm a freshman in the Department of B Film, Film, Television and Literature. I can show you my student ID card." The girl said and really reached out to search in her bag. She couldn't get her student ID card for a long time, "Hey, where is my student ID card?" The fine rain slanted over and soon soaked the cuffs of her pink sweater.

Cheng Xueyi pulled her closer: "Don't look for it, I believe in you."

About 5 or 6 minutes after walking out of Furong Building, Cheng Xueyi saw a black Bentley parked in front of the teaching building. In the rain curtain, one could vaguely see a blurred figure in the driver's seat.

The girl beside her excitedly waved her hand towards the car: "Brother!"

Before Cheng Xueyi could react, the girl had already grabbed her hand and quickened her pace, "Sister, let's run faster."

The small folding umbrella was indeed in a bad state, so Cheng Xueyi didn't insist anymore, and followed the girl into the back seat of the car.

The interior of the car was dry and warm, and was completely isolated from the bad weather outside, making people feel comfortable.

Cheng Xueyi carefully placed the folded umbrella by her feet, for fear that she would not be able to pay for any damages to the luxury car.

The girl next to her stuck behind the driver's seat and said in a coquettish tone, "Brother, I borrowed the umbrella from this young lady just now. She is very nice. Look at the heavy rain. You can drop by and take her home later, okay?"

"Trouble…" Cheng Xueyi couldn't say the following words, because when she looked up, she saw a pair of familiar eyes in the rearview mirror.

The man sitting in the driver's seat had dark and cold eyes, and his facial features were as deep and three-dimensional as sculptures. Such a handsome face was hard to forget once seen.

At this moment, he was holding the steering wheel with one hand, his fingers were white and slender, with smooth lines, beautiful but still powerful. If it wasn't for the wrong timing, Cheng Xueyi really wanted to give these hands a rainbow fart.

But she couldn't.

The corner of Cheng Xueyi's mouth twitched, and it took her a long time to force a smile, and she greeted the other party awkwardly: "Well, President Xu… what a coincidence."

This person was actually Xu Qiyan.

"You know each other?" The girl beside her asked in surprise.

This girl called Xu Qiyan her elder brother, so there was no doubt that she was the third young lady of the Xu family, Xu Jianing. Within two days of transmigrating into the book, she met all three siblings of the Xu family.

Xu Qiyan sneered silently in the driver's seat.

Cheng Xueyi bit the bullet and explained: "I am an artist from Sheng Jia Media."

"It turns out that you are an actress, sister. No wonder you are so good-looking."

Cheng Xueyi wished she could dig a hole in the ground and fill the hole with soil to bury herself.

"Um," Cheng Xueyi looked at Xu Jianing, and said awkwardly, "I'd better go down and take a taxi by myself."

"Don't bother, you can't get a taxi in this weather." Xu Jianing grabbed her arm kindly, with an expression understanding, "Don't be afraid, my brother is actually pretty good."

Ha ha ha, do you have a different kind of meaning for that word?

"Fasten your seat belt." At the stall where Cheng Xueyi and Xu Jianing were arguing, Xu Qiyan had already made a decision for her.

All right…

Along the way, Cheng Xueyi expertly showed what it meant to be as quiet as a chicken. Xu Jianing was too busy sending messages on WeChat, but luckily the sound of rain outside made the silence not too awkward.

The car stopped in front of a high-end shopping mall about 15 minutes after driving out. Xu Jianing put on her backpack and was about to get off the car, "Sister Xueyi, I have an appointment with someone so I'm leaving first." Then she looked at Xu Qiyan, "Brother, remember to send her home."

Cheng Xueyi smiled dryly and waved at her. She didn't want her to go, but the girl's pretty figure quickly disappeared into the boundless rain.

Now, she and the president were the only ones left in the car.

Cheng Xueyi wasn't afraid of people like Song Qing, but she was afraid of Xu Qiyan. His aura was too strong, and she felt depressed even in the same space with him, and she had to be careful even when breathing.

Rather than being suffocated in this car, it was better to go out and be rained on. After making up her mind, Cheng Xueyi leaned forward.

"President Xu can just drop me at the nearest subway station as to not waste your time."

Xu Qiyan started the car silently and continued to drive forward.

Just when Cheng Xueyi thought that Xu Qiyan had acquiesced in this plan, he suddenly said in a deep voice: "I thought, what I said that day was very clear."

? ? ?

Cheng Xueyi was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had misunderstood.

From what he said, Xu Qiyan felt that she had a wicked heart and purposely borrowed Xu Jianing to get close to him.

Although there was nothing wrong with the CEO being handsome, wasn't he a bit too narcissistic?

"President Xu, this…"

"It's a misunderstanding?"

The two voices said in unison.

It was just that one tone was a little urgent, while the other was calm.

Cheng Xueyi looked up at Xu Qiyan in surprise, who also looked at her expressionlessly.

"Don't you have any other excuses?" he said quietly.

The unemotional president didn't believe her.

Although it was indeed an excuse to say that he was molested when she was drunk last time, what she said today was the truth.

"President Xu, I came to the school today to take classes with Professor Wu. Professor Wu was introduced to me by Sister Su. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

Xu Qiyan looked ahead and drove the car as before: "You don't need to explain to me."

Cheng Xueyi's mind exploded a bit.

She also has self-respect, and never thought of climbing the high branch of Xu Qiyan. The original owner did something wrong, but in the end it was her who took the blame again and again.

She couldn't bear it anymore.

"Stop the car."

It was raining heavily outside, and the wipers flicked frequently to barely maintain a clear line of sight.

Xu Qiyan turned his head slightly, as if he didn't hear what she said clearly.

"I said stop." Cheng Xueyi repeated. "I can go back by myself, and I won't bother President Xu to drive."

As soon as the words fell, Xu Qiyan stepped on the brakes. Because the road was slippery in rainy days, the car coasted forward for a certain distance before stopping. The man's expression was as cold as ice, and his thin lips pursed lightly, and he said in a cold voice, "As you wish."

Without any hesitation, Cheng Xueyi opened the car door and resolutely walked into the rain without even opening the umbrella.

Bean-sized raindrops slammed down, and the world in front of her quickly became blurred.

The rain was really heavy, even bigger than the day when Yiping(1) went to Lu's house to ask for money.

But as the saying goes, people don't make steamed buns to gain credit, she can't let Xu Qiyan look down on her, even if this kind of behavior doesn't prove anything, she at least fulfilled her pride.

Cheng Xueyi opened the umbrella, her back straightened, and she felt like walking slowly in the heavy rain.

At this time, the black Bentley suddenly increased its horsepower and drove past her at a high speed. The wheels rolled over the puddle on the side of the road, and the water was splashed all over her.

Ahhh! ! !

Cheng Xue was very angry! ! ! !

But the bad day seemed to be far from over.

The place where Xu Qiyan left her was so remote that there were no village, shop nor taxi to be seen. It was almost evening when Cheng Xueyi returned home after several turns.

The wind and rain have stopped outside, but the sky was still dark, and the sun has yet to set.

Cheng Xueyi took off her damped clothes, but before she could get into the bathroom, the phone rang.

The other party's voice was gentle and polite: "Excuse me, is this Miss Cheng?"

"Yes?"

"Hello, we are calling from the Municipal Hospital. We need to inform you about your mother's condition. Is it convenient for you to come to the hospital now?"

Hearing this, she paused, turned around and went back to the hanger to take out a sweater and a pair of light-colored jeans.

"Okay, I'll come right away."

...

The author has something to say:

President: She obviously likes me.

Cheng Xueyi: No, I don't, don't get me wrong! ! ! !

The male protagonist will chase his wife to the crematorium, please believe in Tangerine! ! !

...

Translator's Note: I hated the ML because of this chapter and the few succeeding ones, ugh. Almost dropped this haha. Can't wait for the ML to suffer!

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[joylinda-hawks]

Sometimes it seems to me that some people cannot understand simple relationships. And therefore they draw wrong conclusions even when the thesis is fundamentally correct. I did not write here about the emerging news or photos because they all present one unchanging model. The more photos are shared on IG, the more I am convinced that the person/people presented there are not ZZH. When you compare photos shared until July 2021 and those that appeared after that date, you can notice a lack of consistency in their selection and method of presentation. The "new" photos are an unsuccessful attempt to copy photos that appeared on IG before July 2021. The aesthetics of the photos and the way the text is conveyed indicate that the profile is not run by the same person, or the same person does not have any influence on it. In addition to the photos from IG, I will mention two important issues here that some people miss, or that people carefully avoid this topic because they don't really know how to approach it. Foreign trips that took place after July 2021. As we know, such trips require a passport and, in many cases, a visa. What we know about the Chinese passport is that CN citizens need a visa to travel to many countries (including Hong Kong). To obtain it, they must submit an application and probably indicate why they need a visa. And also pay a "deposit", something like security. (this is my general knowledge, if something is wrong, please correct me.) The decision to grant or not to grant a visa may be a subjective decision of the officer issuing the visa. Let's think about how such an official would perceive a person who in his home country is called a tra1tor. A person who, instead of fighting to restore his good name, goes abroad every now and then to relax. In my opinion, such behavior does not look good, especially in a country that wants to have some control over its citizens. Would ZZH decide to travel so frequently when the proceedings in his case are pending and would he publicly boast about these trips? Additionally, he would have to pay this "deposit" each time he left. I don't expect an answer here, everyone should answer this question for themselves. The second thing is concerts. There are some elements here that are also important. The first is the visa I wrote about earlier - every CN artist going to concerts abroad should have an employee visa (I think) and the consent of the relevant state and industry organization for such work. It seems to me that without the consent of the state and industry organization, the artist would not be able to obtain a visa and organize a concert. In my opinion, this control is related to ensuring that the artist does not avoid paying taxes. That's why I assume that it exists, even though it is not officially mentioned. I don't have to write here which industry organization can issue such consents. We all know her very well since August 2021. Let's consider whether the organization that imposed a ban on ZZH would suddenly allow his concerts abroad and in CN without any objections. If it allowed concerts, why didn't it lift the ban? Lack of logic in the procedure? And he doesn't expect an answer here either. Finally, one more thing. The term "international star" and how this concept is understood. It's hard to be an international star if you're banned in your home country. No serious clothing, cosmetic or other brand will be interested in someone who is banned in their own country. No one will invite such a person to an important event in the world of fashion or the world of film. And such things prove that someone aspires to be an international star. Creating an alternative reality about an international star does not lead to anything, in the end both this person and his fans look pathetic and can be the object of ridicule. A little logic in thinking would be enough.

[marvel-ousmondays]

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

So, it's no secret that Edward Norton got dropped and swapped for Mark Ruffalo in the MCU. That said, there is a small scene at the end of the movie that does connect, as well as some more recent references back to both the Abomination and Samuel Sterns, making it still a necessary part of this insane quest.

Plus, Edward Norton is a good actor and I enjoyed the movie the first time, so might as well.

I'm not going to be able to stop myself from comparing Norton's Hulk to Ruffalo's, so I'm just going to be direct about it. Both have a sadness but Norton's is more desperate and striving, where Ruffalo's is more depressed and resigned. While I like Norton's acting, I actually am glad in this case they switched to Ruffalo (all the drama notwithstanding- I'll actually say it sounds like Norton may have gotten a raw deal from the studios) because I think Mark fits better with the team. Mark Ruffalo's strength is he CAN blend into the background and NOT be forgotten. He can be part of a team, not the star, and yet you still care about him, still WANT to know what happens to him.

Norton can't. His acting demands attention from the audience and I mean that in an absolutely positive way. When Edward Norton is on screen, you CANNOT pay attention to anything or anyone not directly interacting with him. For someone normally so softspoken, his presence is commanding and I cannot see how that would have jived with the rest of the Avengers' cast.

All right, on to the movie.

I've got to start off discussing the grittiness again. That's the word that just stands out to me on these re-watches: the first movies are gritty. They're dark. The banter is there but there is an undercurrent of living in a rotten world . I'm watching for when this changes and shifts, because I know it does. I didn't have that feeling when I went to The Marvels or when I've been watching Loki- Season 2. (Yes, I am also watching new stuff because I live in the real world and want to discuss that stuff with friends and could never complete my ENTIRE MCU GOD DANG IT challenge in a timely fashion.)

Thinking about it, these first two movies feel like they fit in the Venom universe more than the actual MCU. Hmm.

On a more comic note, I joked with a friend that the title of this film should be changed to "The Incredible Running Man." The amount of shots just of people running, especially at the beginning, is crazy.

Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/the Abomination is really compelling. I found this doubly interesting as I noted how much smaller (stature wise) he is than many of the other soldier actors. His fire as a fighter stands out even though he's NOT the epitome of brawn.

The writers depictions of women in this movie frustrated me this round. First of all, I count 3 females TOTAL. We have Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, we have the 1 female soldier (that's it- we get one people) and she's outright called a bitch by Blonsky's character, and we get Marianna, the ONE (again- really- there were no other female actors?) female at the factory. I'm sure there will be some excuse about this making Betty stand out or whatever (never mind that that doesn't stop them from having plenty of male actors in movies where the female hero is the focus). But what doubly frustrates me is that Betty is supposed to be this super scientist and yet she does really dumb stuff. The big one for me on this was when they pawned the necklace to be able to travel to Sterns (because they only had $40) and she BUYS A DIGITAL CAMERA. Guys, this was 2008- digital cameras weren't cheap. Phone cameras SUCKED at that time, if you even had one. Why would she EVER have spent that money? Because the director wanted to have her look at a photo later, that's why. (I want just 1 single mom on a budget in every writer's room to say things like "They wouldn't do that, you morons.")

I liked the use of the smartwatch with the pulse tracker both when I first watched it and now. That is a factor I kind of wish they would have kept in some way- though I know they went more with the "I'm always angry" method.

Time for a sidebar- there's a LOT of internet discussion about what it means to be worthy in terms of wielding Thor's hammer. I haven't stumbled as much into discussions about anger and Hulk's "powers." The closest was the discussions about the scene in She-Hulk (which I haven't seen at all, except for that clip where he's trying to teach her how to control it and is frustrated at how easily she manages). I think anger is an emotion that doesn't get dissected enough. It's usually labeled as bad and thrown in the bin. But anger can be good- it can propel someone to make changes or stand up for what's right. This movie does a great job of showing that a LOT of Hulk's anger only really rears up when Betty is in danger. It's a protective impulse, not a destructive one. Obviously, unchecked, it's terrible and terrifying but within proper contexts, anger can be its own superpower.

This one overall did feel a bit slower on the re-watch, but I do think the fact that I now know it doesn't connect as much to the others made me impatient. It's still a solid film and worthy to see if you haven't.

Note for me:

Directed by: Louis Leterrier

[takato1993]

What i Watched in February

getting ahead of things and going to write these as i go

this time around while i did watch a lot on Tubi there were also a lot of movies that were on TV this month specifically on the channel MoviesTV.

Dog Soldiers 8/10

definitely one of my top 10 werewolf movies

The Exorcist III 6/10

I don't know why this movie is more Zodiac Killer investigation than Exorcism but it is surprisingly strange and fun.

Heathers 5/10

i am going to be honest I did not really understand Heathers or why so many people like it so much, but i would like to.

The Initiation 5/10

Trollhunter 7/10

a fun mockumentary about a film crew that end up following a real life Trollhunter and learn how very real trolls are. I enjoyed this one a lot and i really like the troll designs.

Bless The Child 5/10

Abnormal Attraction 5/10

Trigun: Badlands Rumble 6/10

I have been meaning to watch this for 10 years and with the release of the new Trigun series the timing seemed right. I think this is just an okay addition to the series but I appreciate the aesthetic and even that it showed a legitimate flaw in Vash's philosophy

Dark Night of The Scarecrow 2 4/10

this is a cash grab and nowhere near as amazing as the original

Knightriders 5/10

about a small group of traveling performers essentially a renaissance fair but where the jousts are performed on motorcycles and the weapons are recklessly close to real weapons. this movie is very philosophical, absolutely says ACAB, and well it's knights on motorcycles so it has a lot going for it

if I could compare this movie to anything I would call it a modern Don Quixote

at over two and a half hours with characters that are pretty unlikable for a lot of the film it is a commitment

but the character growth fuels a satisfying last 20 minutes

Body bags 7/10

if someone told me this was connected to the Tales from the Crypt i would believe them. The first story is a bit weak the other two are very solid, and the host segments *chefs kiss.

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers 6/10

A Comedy of horrors Volume 1 8/10

another top tier horror anthology, this one has a more manic comedic vibe. this one has a grand total of four stories instead of the traditional 3 stories and it gets a lot out of them, the first 3 are the strongest with story 4 being the weakest

and once again the host segments are very fun and will not disappoint.

I really hope theres a volume 2. Walmart seems to be selling both movies together but as Volume 2 does not exist and the rating for that item is terrible i think some people are getting ripped off big time.

Wake Wood 6/10

This one is about a family who loses their daughter and finds a way to bring her back from the dead temporarily but things go very wrong. CW: scary and intense scene with dog

Tag 5/10

a very bloody and surreal Japanese horror film. to be honest i kind of liked where it was going before the more surreal twist started. but If you like a very surreal film don't pass on this one.

Duel 6/10

A man finds himself at the mercy of a murderous trucker determined to run him off the road and kill him. I went in expecting to be disinterested in this plotline but as the movie picked up pace I began to find it very compelling.

the way the Trucker without ever being seen or speaking makes it clear that he is in control and things are going to go by his rules is brilliant this he is after this guy but he is only going to kill him with his truck and only while the man is in his car never on foot but he won't let him stop to call the police or get comfortable either.

the tension, the dread its so evil and i appreciate it so much. but don't worry too much the protagonists journey of personal growth is equally impressive but no spoilers here.

High Tension 6/10

Mothers Day 4/10

Motherly 5/10

Dagon 7/10

A lot of people say the H.P Lovecraft stories have no good movie adaptations. but most of the ones I have seen have gorgeous practical effects and this is probably one of the best examples alongside From Beyond, The Unnamable, The Curse, and Reanimator

if you want a nice spooky story about a fish people cult and some sort of eldritch abomination this is for you

The Lost Empire 3/10

the name, time period it was released, and the cover/poster would have you believe this was one of the many 1980s Sword and Sorcery movies.

it is not its a very low budget action movie about secret agents stopping some sort of cult. this movie is mostly about the large breasts and skimpy costumes and even there this movie is limited.

Communion 5/10

This is probably the second very psychological alien themed movie where it is revealed that the reason the aliens look the way they do is because they are wearing some sort of spacesuit that hides their actual bodies.

I also found the acting in this one to be very good and Christopher Walkens characters was very fun to watch.

The War of The Gargantuas 5/10

this was a rewatch but my first time really giving the movie a fair shot. I learned that the same people that work on the Godzilla movies also worked on this and i must say it shows the effects were enjoyable, the ( lyricless) music was good, and I think most of the people who worked on it enjoyed themselves which matters a lot

I will say I think they should have kept the name they called the monsters in the Japanese version: Frankenstein

it's not a perfect fit but it would have been a very funny choice.

The Leopard Man 3/10

I don't want people to think i cannot appreciate subtlety, atmosphere, good filmography, and acting this movie has all of that however what it barely has is a leopard and what it definitely doesn't have is a leopard man and the story is unsatisfying

Mortuary 4/10

TBH I don't know how this movie got on my to watch list it is not my usual type of horror movie. nothing wrong with cults and murderers and it probably deserves a rewatch when i am more awake but I was not very impressed.

It's Alive 6/10 (1974

Theres probably a few movies out there about killer mutant babies but this one really leans into it thematically. CW- animal death

the Birdcage 5/10

always nice to see a Robin Williams movie I haven't seen before it was funny enough but the ending feels very sudden.

i Frankenstein N/A

I remember not being impressed with this movie and I am not fully willing to backtrack on that as the acting, dialogue, story, and use of CG are all pretty bad

and having gargoyle characters that look fully human is also kind of baffling, why did they pull a Supernatural they had a big movie budget.

But the exaggerated gothic architecture, sense of fun, and general badassness of this movie make it worth a watch after all. I think this movie wants to be like Castlevania so badly and it should have leaned into it more, or more like Van Helsing would also have worked

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish 10/10

I was probably one of the last people that desperately wanted to watch this movie to watch this movie and my first viewing I was a half hour late in a movie theater with a blurry dark screen and static coming through the speakers uncomfortable seats at the top of a hill so steep I was afraid my car was not going to make it all the way up.

and even on that viewing I had to say it was one of the best animated movies I have seen and definitely the best animated movie so far in 2023

also anybody else notice that Shrek started with Allstar by Smash Mouth and the series is essentially ending with an actual star very poetic symmetry? I know there is going to be a Shrek 5 and maybe some other stuff but i feel like Puss in Boots 2 wrapped up the series in a very important way that doesn't mean that Shrek 5 cannot be a companion in doing the same.

I think we are past wearing out animated movie series with cashgrab sequels constantly. I really feel like genuine passion was revived for Puss in Boots 2 and nothing should take that away.

[baekhvuns]

Hopefully the kid has a great career, I'd hate if he became "one hit wonder" like many young stars before. Man City who??? Idk I'm not seeing anything, my eyes are closed. Arsenal first <333 cristiano can't go back to ManU so he's choosing the next closest thing, ManCity??? 😭

Ahhh yes me and my friends figured it must be Torres and taste! I used to be a huge El Nino fan. Btw random, I had no idea David Villa works in an Indian club?! Also I joined tumblr (don't ask me how many years ago...) because of the Spanish NT and the first user I followed was actually a Barca fan lmao. Dark times

Noooo I'm probably not attending Lolla in Paris 🔫 I want to, since Skz are headlining, but it still won't be a full concert and I don't care for any other artist in the line up. Btw I'm travelling to SK next week, ngl I'm not that thrilled, but hopefully once I'm there it'll be worth it. I have so many vegan spots to visit in Seoul! Maybe I'll be too distracted to feel petty and sad about the Euro tour

The enemies to lovers prompt has so much potential AAAAAAAAAAAA a slow burn me thinks, a slow and painful one! I really need to read it 😭

I don't think any of the royals are particularly normal jjshshahshagaha maybe Beatrice and Eugenie, they're just kinda there? We know who's the worse tho, Andr*w that old fuckhead. Camilla and Charles don't have good reputation and we all also know why. Guess they can be funny sometimes, but I wish they had sense of morality instead of sense of humour 💀

That Hannah Montana doll, I need to see it 😭 Baek but have you seen The O.C, Skins, 90210 (not the OG one even though it slayed, but I watched the spin off and it was insane)

Not ANOTHER After movie oh god, this and the Hoover movie, we're doomed :/

Literally can't remember anything from that Nascar cartoon, but I watched the shit out of it for a while???

I have that webtoon you mentioned saved actually. Also I noticed a webtoon I started on Kakaopage has made it into ENG webtoon, it's called Complicated Cohabitation. I only started it, because nuna content <3

You wanna steal Soohyuk from me??? Well that's ok, I'm on my way to propose to Hwa. Also the football rings hold ooooon wjdjwjsjjshahash. I actually bought some jewellery from this website before, but I just noticed all the funny rings

I try to be respectful towards religious people, but sometimes it's hard ajsgahshshajaj rip, they can't enjoy Lucifer nor Changmin's Devil, SNSD's Run Devil Run or You Better Run 😬 actually I saw a post on Reddit asking whether Halazia has religious themes, because OP couldn't listen to it if they used religious symbolism. Also pretty sure TXT always had angelic and devilish theme going on (btw that song is my fave off their album - me liking every song that has villain or devil in it)

Uhhhh bestie do you remember this video 😭🤧❤ (but the camera mostly filming his lips, neck and hands drives me INSANEEEE 😳😳😳😳)

Gonna start Nayeon x Hongjoong dating rumours jdjsjsjsbshsh. And You're right Atz and Dox served CEOs at the wedding

???? and hmmm

Okay rich...... do NOT remind me are you insane Park Seonghwa?! But he's cruel and vile

Omfg I haven't been on twt that much, I totally missed two new Seonghwa fansites and they have some gold content like this 😭 and this and oh wow god it's me..... - I need to arrange flowers for him, make him a big ass bouquet 💐💐💐💐

Okay that's enough of Hwa spam :3 - DV 💖

hello!!

Hopefully the kid has a great career, I'd hate if he became "one hit wonder" like many young stars before. Man City who??? Idk I'm not seeing anything, my eyes are closed. Arsenal first <333 cristiano can't go back to ManU so he's choosing the next closest thing, ManCity??? 😭

it’s really sad seeing new comers come up and be compared and being called the “the next messi, the next ronaldo!” and yet they disappear after a year or something,,, MAN CITY BLUE !!!!!! they’re still 5 points behind but u best believe they are on their way, and 3 el classico’s????? + barca women coming for another win?? also 😭😭 idk if this is someone who had a fan account but it seems a little real take ur barca hate away HES A KPOPPER cr7 he needs to get back to rm, forget man city bro will ruin it 😭😭

😭😭 is this not true atp this has to be intentional is chelsea doing, 3 TIMES???? barca having to go to court to register a member and suing la liga WHILE CHELSEA SPENT €500MIL ON SIGNINGS???? INSANITY

Ahhh yes me and my friends figured it must be Torres and taste! I used to be a huge El Nino fan. Btw random, I had no idea David Villa works in an Indian club?! Also I joined tumblr (don't ask me how many years ago...) because of the Spanish NT and the first user I followed was actually a Barca fan lmao. Dark times

EXACTLY TASTE!!! he’s actually a goal scoring machine, so insanely talented,,, I THINK HES UNDER SOME ODISHA CLUB that was very surprising 😭😭 want to see him play in euro again,,, rmr how iniesta went to japan’s fc bc he didn’t want to ever face barca if he wasn’t playing in it 😭😭 LMFAOOO DARK TIMES AND BERE U ARE CONVERSING W A BARCA FAN ☺️☺️

Noooo I'm probably not attending Lolla in Paris 🔫 I want to, since Skz are headlining, but it still won't be a full concert and I don't care for any other artist in the line up. Btw I'm travelling to SK next week, ngl I'm not that thrilled, but hopefully once I'm there it'll be worth it. I have so many vegan spots to visit in Seoul! Maybe I'll be too distracted to feel petty and sad about the Euro tour

NOOOOOOO there’s so much happening in paris this time around 😭😭😭 right you are!!! omg it’s also come back season ur gonna see so much again! baekhyun comes back 😭😭 i saw this one video on a vegan cafe in itaewon called plant cafe & kitchen and the food looked so good! here’s also some restaurants to check out if ur going jeju! i hope u have a fun and safe time there!! I THINK YOU WILL BE DISTRACTED IF U STAY AWAY FROM TWT 🔫🔫

The enemies to lovers prompt has so much potential AAAAAAAAAAAA a slow burn me thinks, a slow and painful one! I really need to read it 😭 //// I don't think any of the royals are particularly normal jjshshahshagaha maybe Beatrice and Eugenie, they're just kinda there? We know who's the worse tho, Andr*w that old fuckhead. Camilla and Charles don't have good reputation and we all also know why. Guess they can be funny sometimes, but I wish they had sense of morality instead of sense of humour 💀

plots like those are truly the bane of my existence, can go into so many routes, rivals? mafia enemies? sworn since birth enemies? EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING,,, right eugenie and beatrice! they’re yeah just there 😭😭 i also like princess anne, she has a witty personality irl it seems and the crown version was just hilarious fbwnbdsjckc the tampongate is never escaping charles ever 😭😭😭 NO UR RIGHT FBFB i think those who aren’t the direct heirs families tend to be unhinged, the one who are the siblings tend to be more lowkey

That Hannah Montana doll, I need to see it 😭 Baek but have you seen The O.C, Skins, 90210 (not the OG one even though it slayed, but I watched the spin off and it was insane) //// Not ANOTHER After movie oh god, this and the Hoover movie, we're doomed :/

IT WAS THIS FBWKFHWKCJC THO MINE HAS HER ONE FEET CUT OFF 😭😭😭 THE SONG IS DIFF! do u rmr the bratz dolls and the strawberry shortcake ones 😭😭😭 IVE, IVE SEEN THE O.C AND LOVED IT DESPITE THE CONFUSION I GOT UNFORTUNATELY NOT THE OTHER TWO, are they quite similar?? ANOTHER MOVIE YEAH 😭😭😭 at least we have a redemption coming in ??? freaky friday revamp?? desperately need blake to leave that movie 😭😭

Literally can't remember anything from that Nascar cartoon, but I watched the shit out of it for a while??? //// I have that webtoon you mentioned saved actually. Also I noticed a webtoon I started on Kakaopage has made it into ENG webtoon, it's called Complicated Cohabitation. I only started it, because nuna content <3

it does look quite interesting to watch fhwjdhen the characters are <33 U DO?? ITS SO GOOD LIKE AN UNHINGED VERSION OF ONE SIDED ENEMIES TO LOVERS 😭😭 NOONA ROMANCE??? SIGN ME UP !!!!! the younger mc trope is so >>>>

You wanna steal Soohyuk from me??? Well that's ok, I'm on my way to propose to Hwa. Also the football rings hold ooooon wjdjwjsjjshahash. I actually bought some jewellery from this website before, but I just noticed all the funny rings

JFVWKFJWKCJCK GET BACK HERE HELLO TASIR IS WAITING!! TASIR. WAITS. omg those are so interesting to look at, THE DRAGON STOP IT SOMEONE NEEDS TO GIVE IT TO HIM 😭😭 do u think they have a anklet that has the golden boot charm bc that would be something ppl would buy fbwnd the world cup looking necklace 😭😭 maybe we should mail it to ronaldo <3 i know this is a parody acc but i just know he did something like this

I try to be respectful towards religious people, but sometimes it's hard ajsgahshshajaj rip, they can't enjoy Lucifer nor Changmin's Devil, SNSD's Run Devil Run or You Better Run 😬 actually I saw a post on Reddit asking whether Halazia has religious themes, because OP couldn't listen to it if they used religious symbolism. Also pretty sure TXT always had angelic and devilish theme going on (btw that song is my fave off their album - me liking every song that has villain or devil in it)

NO SRS i also think it’s like selective for many people, if a group they like do it it’s amazing and even praise it! but if one doesn’t it’s devil worshipping 😭😭😭 NO LITERALLY HOW WOULD THEY SURVE THE F(X) RED LIGHT ERA 😭😭 ayo ngl i expected halazia to have a pentagram or some rituals and a hook like zimzalabim 😭😭😭 yeah! they always seems to have that theme, very garden of eden x edgy australian band vibes <3 u know they should cover imagine dragons i think that music suits them well! like bad liar esp! THAT SONG IS SO GOOD UR RIGHT BUT TINNITUS??? 🤲🏻🤲🏻 they have the funniest titles 😭😭😭 what the heck 😭😭 lionel mbappe

Uhhhh bestie do you remember this video 😭🤧❤ (but the camera mostly filming his lips, neck and hands drives me INSANEEEE 😳😳😳😳) //// Gonna start Nayeon x Hongjoong dating rumours jdjsjsjsbshsh. And You're right Atz and Dox served CEOs at the wedding

I DO AND WHY WOULD U REMIND ME OF IT WHTMWHDKW THE ZOOM IN ON THE HANDS !!!! GRRRRRRRRRR nayeon x hongjoong giving ✨ ceo romance ✨ the bright and cherry fl and the reserved always squinting ceo <3

???? and hmmm //// Okay rich...... do NOT remind me are you insane Park Seonghwa?! But he's cruel and vile //// Omfg I haven't been on twt that much, I totally missed two new Seonghwa fansites and they have some gold content like this 😭 and this and oh wow god it's me..... - I need to arrange flowers for him, make him a big ass bouquet 💐💐💐💐 /// Okay that's enough of Hwa spam :3 - DV 💖

san’s an ass guy,,, bro just be going into all the details 😭😭😭 do u ever just randomly, out of no where rmr the texture of the smoothness of his hand? no? it’s okay BECAUSE HE WILL REMIND YOU FBWNBDWNDJKS

oh i just screamed

he’s giving junior hwa tutor au but also steve jobs

what the hell

WHAT THE HECK im going to d word if he doesn’t put that inside

[daisyvstheworld]

Day 14 - Jan 14 - Salzburg

Oh dear god lmao

Some girl checked in to stay in the bed below me at midnight and she was making so much noise.. I woke up at 4am obviously and I think I did a stinking good job at being quiet. Although on the train I realized I forgot my underwear that I washed and left to dry on the bed. Oh well, it was an old shein pair.

I remembered in the early of the morning that I needed to remove the sheets which was a whole process - THAT was what was so loud when that girl checked in, freaking crazy

Anyways, I started walking at 4:30am to the Neubegasse U station and I almost panicked bc I thought it was closed for construction.

Anyways, I eventually found it and then I got to the Wien Westbanf train station and took the train no problem to Salzburg. It wasn’t super comfortable but I fell asleep for an hour or so and got to Salzburg on time!! I walked to the hostel and put my stuff in the locker. The hostel had free coffee so I had some and charged my phone. I realized I had time to walk around a bit so I walked around the east side of the old town area and ended next to Mirabell Palace where The Sound of Music tour stop was.

The tour bus was fairly full (mostly Australians, some English, and just a handful of Californians lmao) but I sat at the front so I could be closer to the tour guide, who I initially thought was fun but she ended up giving me a weird vibe.

We started driving around the city and then went to the palace hotel where the lake scenes and back of the house was filmed. It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day, everything was perfect. She told us a bunch of great fun facts about the movie and how it compared to the actual Von Trapp family story, which I knew some of bc I read the wiki page the night before lol.

Our second stop was the -insert- palace where the bodega from “16 going on 17” was and the yellow long wall is from the song “I am Confident” also very pretty

Our third stop was this viewpoint in Mondsee that was LITERALLY ONE OF THE MOST GORGEOUS VIEWS IVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I’m soooo grateful it was sunny!!!

After that we drove into the town bc that’s where the church where they filmed the wedding ceremony was and it’s so interesting how editing makes a place look soo different. This church is PINK! It looks so dark and emo in the movie. The town is cute and I bought a goat HAHAA

I tried apfelstrudel too but they served it cold so I was like meh it’s aight. People seemed to give me a really cold shoulder for traveling solo for some reason.

When we got on the bus tho some Australian asked the tour guide if the nuns actually sabotaged the Germans cars and like of course not lady they didn’t even run away from the Germans like that, that part is entirely made up. Except the guide said it in a nicer way and then the lady responded “Yeea naur yea naur ok” HAHA Australians are so funny I was dying

Anyways; after that we watched this doc that Liesl the oldest sister filmed a while back revisiting Salzburg and Mondsee.

The tour was just absolutely everything. It was amazing and I cried.

After we got back to town, our last stop was the Mirabell Palace and Gardens where they filmed Do Re Mi except in the winter it looks quite depressing bc the flowers aren’t in bloom, its not very green, and it’s blocked off. Sad. So I just rushed to old town to see the museums and fortress before everything closed. The town was bustling which was very cool. I started with the Mozart House and it was interesting to learn about him and his family. He died super young but composed so much in his time. I didn’t realize his dad was the talent that shaped him into a prodigy and that his sister was also a super talented pianist and composer.

Afterwards, I walked up to the Salzburg Museum which was super empty and much bigger than I expected. The history was quite interesting to learn about bc music and art is such a huge part of this town, especially with Mozart being nearly synonymous with Salzburg, but the political powers have also been trying to transform the town into an economic city beyond the tourism. I remember seeing the town when I first arrived and thinking it was far more modern than I expected.

I was starving after the museum, so I ran to Billa and grabbed another Mediterranean chicken sandwich and literally SCARFED it down while hiking up to the Fortress. I probably looked like a homeless person who hadn’t eaten in days.

The hike was brutal - I was sweating, but I caught the most BEAUTIFUL sunset. I was in AWE. This whole day was incredible. Panoramic views of the city. Missed the museums though lmao. I thought it closed at 6pm but it actually closed at 5pm. Thank god I left the museum early and made it for most everything though.

After that, I just went back to the hostel, showered, and decompressed. It was only like 6pm so I was like I should be social..

so I messaged on the Hostelworld app and a girl Lana said she was down, and then I was chatting with this guy in my hostel and he also was down to come out. He ended up being kind of weird. A big of a prick if I do say so myself. Lana was super awesome though and her suite friend was also super chill - both from Australia, different parts. We ended up spending the whole night together chatting, walking from one place to the other. We didn’t stay out too late but it was like 4-5 hours together! They both had pretty cool lives

Oh- we ran into other yoho mates but they was weird

One guy who lived in Italy from El Paso, lived in Korea who was dating this girl from Guam who “looked asian but isn’t” like wtf yes she is if she looks asian. And then he kept ripping on the US and I was like ok

So we ditched them

Went to a wine bar in old town

Walked into a 50th birthday by accident

Went into another wine bar

Dog loved my cuddles

Went home

Went to sleep

Awoke remembering I forgot to book my Swiss trains and realized they’re twice the price now and cried