#no other WWI film will do

[beronicalongcon]

MY TOP 10 RIVERDALE MOMENTS

In honor of the most gorgeous beast of a show to ever air being put in the ground tonight, here are my top 10 Riverdale moments. It was pretty impossible to make this list because I had to leave out so many beautiful things like that time Archie got forged, that time Cheryl was Queen of the Bees, and that time he was looking for the girl next door, but instead he found me.

10. JUGHEAD MEETS THE RAT KING

Sweaty, unhinged Loser-Jughead hallucinates his literary agent appearing to him as a Dark God of sewer rats. In a bid to save his life, he offers to be the Rat King's personal storyteller, like a Riverdalien Scheherazade. Betty appears to him and guides him out of the underworld and it's revealed that he was in the hospital for RABIES, which is made one billion percent funnier by the fact that rabies is 99% fatal. This made me so happy I was literally riding the high for weeks.

9. Archie boxes Hiram in the secret speakeast while Veronica sings "Daddy Lessons" by Beyonce.

This is just one of those great Riverdale musical moments - cutting between the blood spatter and bulging muscles of Archie and Hiram's furious machismo coming to fruition and Veronica dressed in gold singing about her terrible and vital love for her insane mob boss Daddykins.

8. PSYCHO KILLER PROM NIGHT

This whole plotline is great because 1. the auteur making big, clunky comic book caricatures of the main cast and having them relive their traumas through the mode of film with all the edges sanded off is metatastic, 2. Jellybean is the coolest middle schooler ever, and 3. Psycho Killer playing at Prom Night while they all dance around Mr. Honey's corpse is just objectively great television.

7. THE FOOTBALL WAR OF UZBEKISTAN

"Haha football war" shut up this is one of the most artistically cohesive and interesting sequences in the entire series. It lays bare the twisted knot of dream logic and aestheticism that governs Riverdale's universe. "Why do all the visual cues point to Archie fighting in WWI if Riverdale is set in 2021?" Because WWI was the period where America most successfully fetishized the IMAGE and AESTHETIC of young men going to war as a MASCULINE IDEAL. "Why are they fighting on a football field?" Because football is another heavily fetishized mode of expressing American masculinity and violence as heroic. "Why is Jughead there?" Because Archie loves Jughead.

6. BERONICA KISS IN OUTER SPACE

I may not like season 7 but my URL is 'beronicalongcon', and the way this episode reminds us how Betty and Veronica are historically positioned as diametrically opposed forces vying over Archie's love before bringing them together and letting them truly see each other is really nice. Also they kiss in space to symbolize that the world of the narrative by definition cannot allow women to connect independent of men, the only way they can truly be together is by inventing a new universe that is able to hold them.

This got long so I am making another one.

[64-jungle-planks]

Night at the Museum: Redesigning Characters 2/4(?)

Character profile: Al "Scarface" "Snorky" Capone

This character is based off of and takes inspiration from the historical Al Capone.

Real Name: Alphonse "Al" Gabriel Capone

Nickname and Meaning: Scarface - He earned this nickname because of the three scars on the left side of his face, two on his cheek and one on his neck. Embarrassed by them, Al hates the nickname and never shared the real story of how he got them, siting that he actually got them fighting in WWI.

Snorky - Snorky was slang for sharp dresser. Al loved expensive, flashy clothes. Only close friends used it for him

Age: 26 (January 17, 1899)

Time Period: America's Prohibition in the 1920s, around mid-1925 Johnny Torrio, Al's boss, stepped down and let Al take over the Outfit.

Family: James "Jimmy" Vincenzo Capone, Raffaele "Ralph" James Capone, and Salvador "Frank" Capone + Three younger brothers and one sister that wasn't brought back.

(Headcanons under the cut)

Based on/taken from History:

Can play Banjo and Mandolin, prefers Mandolin

involved in the Five Points Gang with mobster John Torrio as a kid. John Torrio mentored him and gave him the role as the Chicago Mob leader

Only got into the mob for the money to care for his family

Can go from 1 to 10 very quickly

Played in a semi-pro team in Brooklyn as a kid/teen with Ralph. They were known as the Al Capone Stars

+ Intelligent + Generous + Confident - Overdramatic - Attention seeker - Petty

My own silly headcanons:

A little twerp, Al doesn’t respect authority

Feels that he’s better than Ivan and Napoleon because he’s from a newer generation and knows more.

“Okay boomer” vibes

Acts like he hates Napoleon and Ivan (mostly Napoleon), but likes them secretly. They are two men in history that did grand things- in fact he liked learning about Napoleon in school! Al just thinks he had a too big of a head.

Only has one tone of voice- really loud

Swears every other word

He’s a basically still a kid, one with too much power. Al knows his way around the mob, he’s been in it since he was around 15, but now he’s been given power over the Outfit and hasn’t come down off that high yet of being in charge.

Hes happy to have Frank back, they were four years apart in age and were extremely close. He’s missed Frank the year he’s been dead

Was extremely tempted to play baseball using the Einstein’s as balls. He doesn’t like them.

On that note, Al is slightly unnerved around the miniatures. He doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself around them.

He likes sitting at the bench in middle of the hall of miniatures just watching them. Al liked Cowboys and liked playing cowboys and robbers with his brothers as a kid. Some part of him wishes he could be part of their group.

After finding the Sinatra songs made after Al died, he’s constantly found humming them and making up his own lyrics to go along with them. He likes That’s Life the best.

Al somehow acquires a camcorder and films the whole night that they’re trying to take over the world, making himself a big star and part of the plan. He wants that stardom, he loved it when he was alive – he was just getting a part of it when he was alive

Really loves making up nicknames and short stories for people around him. One of his favorite things to do with Ralph is people-watch.

Al: I don’t like Napoleon! He’s a fuckin’.. fuckin’ bitch! A short ass goblin! Ralph: Yeah.. goblin’ that dick. Frank: MMHHEHEHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! Al: What.

Makes jokes about Napoleon and his boys being gay because he's frightened about questioning his own sexuality. He knows he likes women, but he's got that good ol' "1910's Christian beat the gay away" ideal still stuck in his head. It takes a bit for Al to realize he's bi

Loves giving gifts

He likes having at least one of his brothers by his side. Historically it's been Ralph, but during the events that take place during NATM 2, Al kept Frank close because he was frightened of loosing him again.

Frank, Ralph, Napoleon

[copperbadge]

I was unaware that Diego Rivera had done a set of massive fantastical-industrial murals for the Detroit Institute of Arts -- he was commissioned to do only a few panels but apparently wanted to do the entire courtyard, so one of the Fords (as in Henry) ponied up the cash for it. It’s absolutely fucking epic and spectacular; if you like the above you really should check them all out. 

These are just two of my favorite panels; one shows the manufacture of chemical weapons (note bomb in background -- this was done in 1933 prior to the atomic bomb, so very prescient). The other is what I started thinking of as the Nativity of the Vaccine -- it’s a scene of scientists vaccinating a young child, but it’s deliberately designed to invoke images of the adoration of the Madonna and child. As the docent explained, the Madonna is also based on Jean Harlow, which caused a scandal when it was unveiled, “A Mexican Communist putting a sexpot film star into the role of the Virgin.” Absolutely compelling, richly-layered, beautifully wrought work. 

[ID: Two panels from the courtyard murals; one shows a number of men in WWI-style gas masks, doing various industrial tasks including checking the pressure on a vat, while a large bomb hangs ominously in the background. The other shows a young child, draped in a towel, being held by a woman in a white dress while a man on the other side vaccinates the child in his arm. Three “wise men” scientists are at work in the background, and several farm animals used to develop vaccines are shown in the foreground.]

[romanceyourdemons]

i’m not done not doing a great job talking about the neverending story (1984). the film deals with the crisis of fantasy that’s dogged the euro-american literary sphere since wwi: “the pressures, traumas, and exponential technological development of the twentieth century are robbing us of our sense of wonder. children are being made adults too early and adults are no longer permitted to be children again and as a consequence our cultural grasp of fantasy is slipping away. magic is disappearing, because we are too cynical and frightened and desperately grounded in the practical and quantifiable to hold onto it.” this is a very widespread concept, but frequently (and more and more recently, it seems) stories only identify the problem. they say “peter pan is a traumatized adult who has forgotten neverland, alice has no choice but to kill, we’ve woken up from our childish fantasies to find that the world is cold and gritty and we can never go back to sleep.” but the thing is that this response to the crisis of fantasy only feeds into and perpetuates the very problems it identifies. the neverending story (1984) not only identifies the problem, but proposes and enacts a solution to it: “let go of your obsession with the real and instead embrace the genuine: the genuinely poignant, the genuinely pleasurable, the genuinely childlike, no matter how indulgent it may be. take your own pain and offer it on the altar of your child self and let yourself accept the gift your child self returns. make wishes and expect them to come true. leave the twentieth century and create fantasia yourself.” that’s why navel-gazing gritty reimaginings come and go, but the neverending story (1984) has remained so beloved, so referenced, and so effective. it is genuine and childlike where so many other works seek refuge in grown-up cynicism, and it encourages us to let ourselves be genuine and childlike too

[tobiasdrake]

Oh, on the topic of James's birth.

The opening scene takes place in the "Northwest Territories" of Canada in 1845. General knowledge (by which I mean most of the wikis) place Wolverine's birth as Alberta, late 19th century with no specific year.

So they're moving his date of birth back a bit here. But they also don't reference Alberta.

That's actually correct. They shouldn't. Wolverine cannot actually have been born in Alberta. He was born in the territory of Canada that would become Alberta, established 1905. Whether you go with the year the film is set in minus however old he is in this scene or with the "late 19th century" estimation, James Howlett's birth predates the province of Alberta.

So, why did they move Logan's birthyear back? Probably because they had to in order to do this cool bit in the credits.

In which Victor and James travel thousands of miles to go fight in another country's civil war.

That might seem silly but actually tens of thousands of Canadians did, in fact, come south to fight for the Union. Slavery had already been abolished in Canada for about thirty years when the American Civil War happened, and so the cause of fucking up the Confederacy elicited some sympathy from the Union's closely-tied northern neighbors.

Probably goes without saying that, like everyone else, Canadians were in WWI. In fact, WWI is where Canada developed their reputation for being absolutely fucking terrifying. Merciless and brutal combatants who drank the tears of prisoners and pissed out war crimes.

Sending invincible regenerators into enemy trenches is honestly tame compared to the shit Canada was actually doing in the war.

By the way, I love this shot.

Victor gets shot and we cut straight to James like.

"Oh, I think I left the mustard gas on in the other trench."

Oh you better believe Canadians were there in WWII. You think Canada would miss out on a chance to remind Europe that they're the scariest motherfuckers on the planet? Nah.

"Hey, is it weird that my bruh enjoys being here?"

"Bro, it's D-Day. This is a weird fucking time to start hand-wringing about whether I'm too violent. If there is any conflict in history where Canadians' love of war crimes is acceptable...."

"Alright, it's Vietnam. This war historically sucks and our country refused to join it, though tens of thousands of citizens nonetheless enlisted in American forces. Now can we talk about this?"

"Dude, I'm getting my slaughter on. You've waited twenty years to have this conversation. You can wait another day."

Tragically, Logan does wait another day to have this conversation, and the results are disastrous. Victor starts team-killing our own troops because he wanted to do some raping. The famously rapey Vietnam-era U.S. Army opposes Victor's raping so he just starts killing dudes.

And Logan's over here like, "Something seems peculiar about this man. I can't quite put my finger on it.

They're trying to convey so much gradual character development in these two men's relationship in the span of an opening credits sequence, which has to be done entirely in the form of Logan giving Victor increasingly questioning gazes.

Like, I get what they're going for here but it's also hilarious. Their entire military history is a hundred years of Sabretooth and Logan throwing themselves into armed conflicts and then Logan stopping periodically to go, "Pourquoi mon frere?" before I guess resuming the killing.

Like. Even after this scene, they're executed by firing squad and then they're just chilling in their cell.

"Hey man, remember when I got us executed because I'm a rapist and I guess the Americans don't like that this week? Good times."

Like. They don't even talk about it. James gives Victor another Concerned Face

"You know, I'm beginning to think this guy might be problematic. Hm. Food for thought."

And then they're cool.

[zenithabovemarshland]

Replying after this post on Pluto in Aquarius & fame

@luciddownloading said:

Great post! Something I wanted to add about the opposing signs is that my studies have shown me that the sign opposite from Pluto dictates a lot about the culture. It's no shock that throughout Pluto in Capricorn, there has actually been a more sensitive approach to social issues, a desire for more "accessible" celebs and an obsession with remaking films/shows from the past. All Cancer vibes So, continuing that theory, I actually think Pluto in Aquarius will make society and pop culture more Leo-like in many ways. Hopefully, more of a focus on individuality and not needing to look like everyone on IG, more actual creativity in Hollywood, etc. I think I will do a post on this in a day or so because I love this subject, too.

I didn't think of that! You're so right! And I have heard that before, too, that big planet transits can't be messing in one sign without dragging on the opposite sign, too. @corvoidea mentioned that Pluto in Cancer era was also really about the end of WWI, which makes a lot of sense bringing in what you said about the opposite sign affecting culture. Government and welfare, emphasis on the roles of family, etc. Those are absolutely way more Capricorn things than Cancer things.

Re: Leo-Aquarius axis part, that is so fascinating! And so true, too. Aquarius and Leo are outcasts and oriented around watching and being watched. Leo wants to express its authenticity and specialness, which absolutely matches the glitz and glamour of the period. But you're so right that we have been made to take those images as examples to model, reach for, and emulate, which is totally Aquarian. We're needing the shock to the system!

Like I said in my original post, I've been watching what's been happening to the idea of "celebrity" and trying to find patterns, but you've already got a hypothesis! Have you noticed anything so far that is inching towards what you've hypothesized? (If you wrote this in a post I hope I can find it on your blog, I'm scrolling but I may have missed it.)

Something comes to mind for me. I've heard talk about how AI could eliminate the need for actors, for example. It would be able to superimpose images of yourself and others of your choosing onto any frame and tell a story with your own face on the hero. Personally I don't think that would ever become commonplace. But I do wonder about how that affects story, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and our capacity for change (Scorpio things, which would be square in Pluto in Aquarius). This kind of thing may be very Leo.

[hephaestn]

Ok, I admit I have no idea what "Masters of the Air" is about so... convince me to watch it 👀 How would you describe it to a stranger?

i managed to get several people into it so, uhm let’s see 🤓

masters of the air centers on the 100th bombardier group of the american air force during wwii. i’ve never been too much into neither wwi nor wwii bc i detest war—i mean, who doesn’t? but i’ve always avoided media with it at its core bc it’s very unsettling to me to see the horrors human kind are able to provoke on one another (same thing with true crime shows, podcast etc, i just cannot)

1917 (dir. sam mendes) changed something in me when i watched it—it was probably the first time i watched something war centered that didn’t center so much on the actual war but the people in it, their relationships, their humanity, good humanity. so, it became one of my all time favorite films and opened my curiosity for these type of stories within war. and masters of the air falls right in that category for me—it has kindness, friendship and love as a center core to it in a setting which is nothing but despair and terror, and that speaks to me, so much!

since masters of the air, i’ve watched the other hbo war shows of this spielberg/hanks trilogy, which i hadn’t been able to do before because of what i mentioned earlier, and whilst the other two were much more raw and gore and harder for me to watch, i found that humanity within them too and i’m very glad i’ve watched them now.

and if you weren’t a stranger, but a fellow alexander enthusiast who i’ve known for years (cough, cough) i’d say HELLO WE HAVE AN HEXANDER EQUIVALENT SHIP IN THIS SHOW RUNNNNN

and if you want the short, concise version. pretty boys suffering some terrors.

i hope i’ve convinced you, eos 😌💕

[cer-rata]

I do like Batman very much, but I admit it does bother me when people portray the Justice League as dumb in his presence. Like he IS smarter than most of them generally, but that's a symptom of Batman being very notably smart as a stand in for actual powers. Most of them are very intelligent if not fellow geniuses, and a lot of them have skills that Bruce doesn't, or realistically shouldn't have. One of the few good things about the Synder films was the clear implication that Diana was more worldly than he was, because of course she should be, especially in timelines when she's been around since before WWI. Superman is very smart. Like very very smart. Like his intelligence is actually a minor power that no one ever really pays attention to, but he's incredibly keen and well read and thinks faster than other people much in the way some speedsters do. He knows a bazillion languages, he understands earth AND alien technology, he's an investigative reporter, and while he's no Lois, he's still exceptional at it. I could go on about so many other heroes. Every one one of the main members that sits around that table and makes decisions with Batman are there for both their power AND their expertise, and I just...It's not hard to make Bruce cool and useful without throwing everyone else down a flight of stairs. Come on.

[loiladadiani]

Irina Alexandrovna Romanova (1895 -1970)

When Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich married Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (sister of the then Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich), he was marrying one of the best matches in Europe: Xenia was the daughter of the Tzar Alexander III and the sister of the future Tzar Nicholas II. She had been in love with "Sandro," her second cousin, since childhood (and he saw no reason to discourage her affections, of course)

Sandro and Xenia had seven children. Irina was their first child and only daughter. This beautiful, quiet, delicate child was the first grandchild of Alexander III (who died the year before she was born) and would be the only biological niece of Tzar Nicholas II.

During the first few years of their respective marriages, the Tzar and Empress Alexandra and Grand Duke Alexander and Grand Duchess Xenia spent a lot of time together, and their daughters Olga and Tatiana, and Irina being very close in age, spent a lot of time together and developed a relationship. Distance would later grow between the couples and the children.

By the time Xenia was pregnant with her seventh child, her marriage to Sandro had gone sour. Sandro had fallen in love with a French/Spanish woman and was having an affair with her. Subsequently, Xenia started an affair of her own. Some sources say that they managed to keep their marital problems from their children; others that their quarrels might have had something to do with Irina's decision to marry Prince Felix Yusupov when he asked.

Felix was handsome, extremely smart, and one of the richest men in Russia, but he had a reputation. Irina accepted him as a bridegroom regardless of her parents' misgivings. Felix had a wild youth which seemed to include affairs with men and women. He enjoyed dressing as a woman and wearing his mother's jewels; apparently, he even caught Edward VII's eye at some point. When the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna talked with him about this behavior before his marriage to Irina, he did not deny it. Still, he said that his wild days were over, and he was very much in love with Irina.

Irina had no qualms about signing away succession rights for their future progeny when she married Felix, who was not royal (their marriage was morganatic.) She married him wearing a veil that had belonged to Marie Antoinette. Both looked beautiful. Their wedding was the last grand happening (1000 guests) before the Great War.

Felix and Irina were out of Russia when WWI started and had difficulty passing through Germany to return to Russia.

The Yusupovs settled in a section of Felix's parents' Moika Palace. Felix and Irina had one daughter (whom they named Irina but called "Bebe") and helped the war effort in Russia by opening two hospitals and a sanatorium in their Crimean state of Koreiz.

Felix would go on to kill Rasputin (he was banished to Koreiz by the Tzar) in a misguided effort to help the dynasty survive. As things in Russia became worse. A group of members of the Imperial Family, including the Dowager Empress, Irina's parents and brothers, and several Grand Dukes and their families, avoided being imprisoned and murdered by seeking shelter in Crimea. The Russians held them, prisoner until the Treaty of Brest-Livtosk was signed. Interestingly enough, the Germans liberated them. They left Russia in a warship sent by England to rescue the Dowager Empress.

They lived in an apartment Felix had in London; they had also smuggled out paintings and jewelry. There was a car they had not used in years waiting in a garage in Paris. The couple was extremely generous to the Russian Community and gave a lot to the exiles in need. They eventually bought a mansion in Paris and opened a couture house in Paris, which was very successful for a few years.

Felix and Irina lead an expensive lifestyle, and their couture business went bankrupt (after significant success.) By 1934, as luck would have it, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a film named "Rasputin and the Empress." Felix sued the company for slandering Irina and won the lawsuit. He also released two books which did very well.

After this, the coupled lived a quiet life (for them), supporting young artists and attending various functions of the Russian emigre community.

Irina remained close to all her relatives and helped them whenever she could. Her father, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, died in her arms.

Felix's and Irina's marriage turned out to be a great success. They were married and lived together, supporting and caring for each other for over fifty years. When Felix died in 1967, Irina was grief-stricken. She died three years later.

[rms-mauretanic]

Something I think people don't appreciate enough is just how batshit insane Charles Lightoller's life was, because, for better or for worse, the man had incredible main character energy.

Most people probably know of him from the sinking of the RMS Titanic - he was the highest-ranking officer to survive, and he was the one that refused to let any men on the lifeboats (Jonny Phillips portrayed him in the '97 movie). When the ship went down, he got sucked into one of the ventilators but was trapped against a grate, then a blast of hot air blew him back to the surface, where he climbed onto an overturned lifeboat and spent the night coaching the others on the boat through keeping their balance until they were finally able to get into one of the other boats.

Since apparently that wasn't enough insanity for a single lifetime, here's some other completely normal and unremarkable facts about his life:

During his early career as a seaman, the ship he was on ran aground on a deserted island in the Indian Ocean and he (and the rest of the crew) was stranded for several days.

He tried his hand prospecting for gold in the Yukon (unsuccessfully). Then he became a cowboy.

He met his wife, Sylvia, while serving on the SS Suveic. She had a bad foot so he would help her up and down stairs, and they became close. He was apparently so upset about the idea of not seeing her again that some of the other officers just told him to marry her, which he did. They had five children, and by all accounts were very happy.

While serving on the HMS Garry during WWI, he sank German U-boat UB-110, then allegedly opened fire on the survivors, which he later admitted to in a memoir. He received a Distinguished Service Cross for this incident.

During WWII, he sailed his personal pleasure yacht, the Sundowner, to assist in the Dunkirk evacuation, during which he rescued 127 men. The character of "Mr. Dawson" in Christopher Nolan's 2017 film Dunkirk was inspired by him.

He wrote an autobiography called Titanic and Other Ships. I don't know why but I just find that title funny.

Please, do with this knowledge what you wish.

[johntorrington]

Thanks for Rope posting: it is one of my all-time favorite movies! I have a pet theory that in the film version, David is a WWII veteran, and Brandon and Phillip are not. For example, David is still an undergrad even though it seems implied that he was in the same prep school year as Brandon and Phillip; did something delay his education, maybe? And a lot of service-aged men who didn't enlist got harrassed for it by people in their communities (happened to my grandpa, a pacifist, until he got fed up and joined the nursing corp). Imagine Brandon's reaction to a perceived loss of status like that. He especially seems like he has an inferiority complex and a pointed jealousy for David, who in this scenario would enjoy the status Brandon feels he has lost. Given Brandon's preexisting ideas about murder, it also seems possible that he would perceive David's status as being awarded not because he served his country (as the line goes) but because soldiers kill people. In Brandon's mind, David got to do the thing that he thinks should be his privilege. What do you think?

oooooh this theory is really interesting!! one thing i really like about rope is we only get character backstory in small glimpses bc the whole thing takes place in one setting with people who largely already know each other, so i think there’s definitely room for speculation. i also remember vaguely from the play that rupert (who is significantly different from the movie version) was only a couple of years older than brandon and granillo (the play version of phillip) and had fought in wwi, and i think that there’s room for a similar exploration there. i gotta reread the play though it’s been a minute

[justkending]

Finding Memories. Chapter 4.

Series Summary: Waking up with little to no memory of her past, and being saved by a group of individuals who call themselves heroes, sends a long time captive for a whirlwind trying to find some form of grounding in this world she quickly learns runs on chaos. But she’s not the only one trying to figure out her forgotten backstory. Bucky Barnes, along with the other Avengers, can’t help but sense that there is a lot more to the whole situation than a diagnosis of amnesia. Her background slowly starts to come forward in pieces of her past and hidden information discovered. Who is she? And why was she in the room they were meant to destroy?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader 

Chapter Word Count: 3400+

TW: Torture, cussing, and blood. 

A/N: I finished chapter five yesterday, and am currently working on chapter 6 after I post this. Also, Happy New years! I hope this upcoming year is everything you all manifested and hope for. It’s all about setting those intention and acting as if the things you want are already happening for you:) Love you all and here’s to 2023! xoxoxox

Chapter 4:

A week and three days at the compound had passed. Y/N had become more comfortable with her environment and had been introduced slowly to a few more members of the team.

Parker had been a little overwhelming at first, but quickly his dorkiness and clumsy side showed he wasn't a threat to her. If anything, he was more helpful in the pop culture area than he had been for the 100-year-old soldier.

When he was doing history homework at the kitchen island one night after a meeting, Y/N's curiosity brought her to him and she learned about the different wars including the Cold War, WWI, and WWII. Of which Bucky and Steve had a few comments on when Peter knew just the right questions to ask to bring up stories.

Wanda had shown Y/N how to cook a few simple and easy meals in case she was hungry and didn't want to microwave a frozen meal. Oatmeal, soup, and grilled sandwiches of different varieties had become favorite ways for her to have some independence.

Nat helped her add to her wardrobe besides sweats and sweatshirts that only held up for a short-term stay, whereas her stay was looking to be longer and longer due to no updates in her case.

It gave her a chance to try out some new style pieces even if they were only for casual and lounge-type situations. It was better than the gray and black sweatpant materials for all articles of clothing she had been wearing the first few days here.

She was still discovering her likes and dislikes from all the different genres of fashion, but at the end of the day, she liked the simple yet comfortable look.

One night, Wanda, Nat, and herself spent the majority of their movie night just online shopping for her new wardrobe with Tony's credit card.

Bucky had walked in and seen the James Bond movies Nat was obsessed with playing in the background as the three were pointing out different websites and styles they thought she would like. The exploding car on the giant movie screen did nothing to pull the three away from the smaller screen in front of them.

And on the nights Y/N had enough energy and enough people were there, the team would host a movie night in the theater room and each took turns sharing their favorite movie with her in hopes to add to their fan club.

Nat stuck with a different variation of James Bond movies for the most part, wanting to show the differences in actors and how they carry out the idolized role of 007. That and to make note of where she got the inspiration for some of her moves.

Wanda stuck to old 50's films or movies that were set in that decade. She had a love for the classics, but she was moving through her favorite decade movies the more movie nights they had.

Steve chose historical movies but was kind enough to do historical fiction to please the boos and annoyed grumbles from his friends.

Sam's choices ranged from classics that everyone needed to see, to rom-coms from the 90s. He argued that his sister was the reason he had started watching them, and he didn't really care to stop.

And the Parker kid... His were all old 70's and 80's sci-fi movies. Bucky never quite understood them, but they were interesting concepts. At this point, he had fought space aliens and Star Wars just seemed odd after that.

Bucky never suggested a movie as he was just happy to see that Y/N was truly comfortable with the team about a week in. It was impressive how fast she trusted them, but also it's hard to be shocked by how fast it all happened when you had a team like theirs.

Right now, Wanda and Y/N were out on a walk around the compound. They found themselves scheduling times to walk and talk by the waterside behind the facility. Wanda was also one to know what it was like to be experimented on in a lab. Though her situation was different, as she had volunteered, it didn't mean that trauma for her reasoning and what happened after didn't affect her.

Bucky could see them walking back into the compound from the seat by the window he was at. He put his book down and slowly started making his way to the kitchen.

Steve had walked in shortly before him and was grabbing a protein shake from the fridge.

"Hey, I thought you were going to meet me in the gym earlier," Steve spoke up, removing his headphones which sat on his neck after spotting his friend.

"Yeah, sorry, I needed to run an errand," Bucky replied, moving to lean on the island opposite him.

"All good. I figured something came up," Steve waved off, taking a long drink.

"Hey, quick question," Bucky spoke up. Steve hummed for him to continue. "You don't think it's too early to take her out in public do you?"

"Y/N?" Steve questioned, even though he knew to whom he was referring.

"Yeah, I just don't want to freak her out if she's not ready for that," Bucky explained.

"Well, I don't think it's a bad idea. But why exactly do you want to?" he asked.

"We haven't got any updates on her since Bruce got back to me on the blood analysis. As you know, Nat said the system crashed while she was hacking it and wiped half of the memory on it. The little bits and pieces of her case have been sorted through with a fine-toothed comb. We're running out of things to narrow down what happened to her and what the purpose of her being the weapon could be." Bucky sighed as he said his thoughts aloud and continued to think about what he could do. "Her memory isn't getting much better."

"That's not true," Steve nodded off, twisting the cap to his drink back on, and walked to get a glass of water. "She remembered her birthday the other day and she hadn't even seen her own file."

"True, but information-wise, that was something we already knew," Bucky shrugged.

"But it's still a part of the process," he countered and Bucky shut down as he thought more. "Look, it's like you said. The safer her environment and the more comfortable she becomes in who she is and where she is, she'll start to unlock some of those memories."

"That's the thing, the stuff we need to unlock aren't necessarily the things I want to unlock..."

Steve could see the hurt and conflict on his friend's face. He knew in order to help her and everyone around her, the ugly things would have to be sorted through first. They were at a standstill when it came to the next step in the investigation. With most of the data lost, it meant they needed to find a different route around it.

One of those options being to provoke her trauma and have her relive it to get details from it.

"Then start small. Think of a place that's public, but gives you a sense of peace still. What's a place you would go to clear your mind, but also helps ignite some deeper thoughts?" Steve offered a solution.

Bucky hesitated as nothing came to mind immediately then it sparked in him.

"I think I have a place," he replied.

Perfect timing, Wanda and Y/N walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," Wanda greeted.

"Hey," Steve replied. "How's the weather out today?" he asked in casualty.

"It's chilly, but nothing too bad," she answered, grabbing fruit from the basket on the counter. "Y/N and I found that duck family on the pond again."

"About time for them to head south soon, huh?" Steve continued.

"Give or take a week," she nodded, peeling an orange. "What are you guys up to?"

Bucky watched as Y/N did her best to blend into the background of the group and not stick out. She may be comfortable with them, but trauma doesn't heal overnight. Her need to not be a centerpiece was a behavior developed from being under constant surveillance most of her past.

"I'm about to head down to the lab to talk with Stark and Banner about something," Steve answered. "Which reminds me, I think there was something Bruce wanted to ask your opinion on. Wanna go down there with me?"

Bucky knew it was his friend's way to give him and Y/N a second to talk, but it was subtle and no one picked up on the actual reason for his invitation.

"Yeah, sure," Wanda nodded, quickly throwing away the peel and saying goodbye to the two as she followed the blonde.

"How are you feeling today?" Bucky asked after a few seconds of silence.

The night before, Bucky had heard sounds coming from her room that sounded as though things were crashing and breaking. He had knocked, but never actually waited for a response as he knew something wasn't right.

She was having a nightmare that initiated a panic attack upon waking up.

He had noticed as soon as he walked in that the lamp on her bedside table had been pushed off and shattered on the ground. She was still on the bed asleep, but before he could make it to her bed, she jumped up and was panting for air.

Her eyes were scanning the room for threats and upon seeing a large dark frame in the corner, she reached for something to protect her and managed to throw a remote at Bucky.

Her aim was surprisingly accurate for being in such a state of distress and for being in the complete dark, but Bucky was quick and caught it before it could hit him square in the eyes.

Once she recognized who he was, her adrenaline came crashing down quickly triggering a panic attack from everything put together.

He had to console her but realized quickly she didn't want to be touched. He kept his distance at the end of the bed as she curled into herself and he coached her through a breathing exercise.

About 45 minutes later, he could hear her heart rate slow down to a normal speed. Once he knew she wasn't in a high alert stage anymore, he offered a drink of water to help calm her nerves some more, but all she asked was that he stayed in the room. He still kept his distance but understood that she didn't want to be alone with her thoughts.

He was just glad he could be some form of peace in those types of moments even if the most he could do was sit and help her from the sidelines.

The event seemed to make her quieter this morning and afternoon. He contemplated if today would be a good day to even try Steve's idea.

She cleared her throat and nodded before answering.

"I'm doing better. Every other day I have a night like last night and it just leaves me pretty tired the next day..." Made sense. "I think I may need a change in routine truthfully," she added.

It was the perfect window to suggest his idea and he was slightly surprised that she was the one to ignite the solution.

"I was actually wondering if you'd be up for somewhere outside the compound," he hinted.

Her eyebrows raised at that.

"In New York?" she questioned.

"I have a place in mind and don't think it'll be too overstimulating," he noted. "I know that it's a big step from a place you just got your groundings in, but I'm hoping maybe it'll help with your memories as well."

"What did you have in mind?" She had a look of interest and Bucky knew he had her attention.

________________________

After getting changed for a public outing, Bucky grabbed a car from the garage and helped her in.

It was nice seeing her normal day-to-day clothes that she had a choice in. Her style was simple yet classic as Bucky could best put it.

She had put on a pair of high-waisted jeans with a gray turtleneck sweater tucked in and a cropped winter coat that fell just below her waistline. Her hair was down and had a slight wave to it from brushing it out after the shower and sleeping on it.

She looked like a normal civilian and a part of Bucky's heart was happy that she could have that experience now.

The ride there was pretty quiet for the most part. Bucky noticed Sam had left a CD in the car from a past trip and Y/N took in her surroundings while listening, deciding if she liked each song or not.

Bucky eventually found parking and came around her side to open the door for her. Whereas she would normally leave enough space between her and those around her to have room to escape if need be, Bucky noticed that she was a lot closer to him now in the new crowds.

It made sense as he was the only one she knew the intentions of while walking on the crowded sidewalk in New York.

Luckily the place they were going to wouldn't be as crowded and was just around the corner.

Bucky paid for their tickets and thanked the worker in the booth. He could tell she knew the place they were in from reading the sign outside, but her eyes showed she wasn't quite sure if she had actually been to an Art Museum before.

"What are you thinking?" he asked when he handed her the ticket and paused with her as she took in her surroundings.

"Hmm?" she hummed as if being brought out of her thoughts. "Oh, um." She paused trying to think. "Something about this atmosphere seems..."

He had become used to her sentences never being completed as most of the time she never quite knew how to put things into words.

"Familiar?" he asked.

"I guess something like that," she shrugged looking back at him.

"I'm hoping we can help figure out what makes it familiar," Bucky replied. "And if not, then it's just a new experience you get to add to your story."

Y/N smiled at his patience with her. She felt amity about the man in front of her that allowed her to lower her walls just a little more with each moment she spent with him.

"Have you been here before?" she asked, nodding to the gallery that waited in front of them.

"A few times," he answered. "There are a few pieces I want to show you once we get past these if you're up for it."

"Lead the way," she approved, staying a close step behind him as he began walking toward the art.

They got through about three different rooms of modern and portrait types of art. There were a few sculptures and abstract pieces as well.

Though she was intrigued by the forms of media, nothing seemed to spark much of her past...

What Bucky did notice though was her trait as an observer was still prevalent. With each piece of art she was intrigued by, she took the time to read the backstory, the artist's thoughts, and how they went about the piece from their perspective.

She made comments about the ones that were inspired by loved ones or someone close to the artist, saying things about how sweet and nice it is to see that type of love in the world. It was actually one of the same reasons Bucky loved museums like this.

In a life where the world has only shown you the pain and anger it holds, it's refreshing to see that there are merciful things in the same world. It gives a sense of hope to the ones who have yet to experience it.

"This part of the exhibit is my favorite," Bucky whispered as they turned a new corner.

Inside there was an immersive part of the art show. On the walls, floor, and ceiling; famous paintings and murals were in motion as they were projected on every part of the room.

It switched as they sat and watched the pictures slowly spin and flow around them as if they were in the painting itself.

Her mouth opened in shock and she looked all around her as she tried to comprehend the impressive spectacle.

"This is," she started, but again, couldn't find the words to finish it.

"I know exactly what you mean," Bucky chuckled, knowing that kind of response from experience.

The reason he had brought her to this was because it was his gateway to diving into the experiences he wasn't sure he had before. It was a way to put oneself in new environments and spark pieces of the past without having to travel outside one room.

They found a bench close to the back wall and perfectly positioned to be out of the traffic in the room and to watch it from all the best angles. Bucky couldn't help the grin that grew on his face as she was enamored at the changing colors and scenery in front of them.

And his grin only grew when she let a smile grace her lips.

That was until she saw The Starry Night by Van Gough and her face went from fascinated to freaked out.

Bucky knew that look from a mile away. That was the look of familiarity. Whether it was good or bad was unclear, but considering she looked troubled by the new scene, he was worried it was bringing up bad memories.

"Y/N?" he asked when he saw her eyes searching the room as if for an answer she was worried to discover. "Hey, you ok?"

For a split second, he could see the stars reflect in her eyes before she blinked rapidly and brought her hand to her head as if an instant headache had hit her.

"Um, yeah," she tried to shake it off.

As a reflex and without thinking, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder in an attempt to ground her some, but all it did was startle her. She jumped at the contact causing Bucky to take his hand back quickly.

She noticed the anxiety she had passed to him and started stumbling out an apology.

"I'm sorry... I d-didn't mean to jump. I-I-," she was taking short breaths in. "I, um," she looked around. "Is there a bathroom somewhere?" she asked, fidgeting uneasily in her seat.

"Yeah. I mean, yes," he stood up and gave her space as he motioned for her to follow him.

Luckily the bathroom was just around the corner and she excused herself quickly as she rushed in.

He was concerned for her but figured it was best to give her space. Trying to eavesdrop on her inside, and checking to make sure she wasn't having a panic attack, he stayed close to the door.

Just as he had tuned in, the intercom of the art exhibit started playing through the halls. It was louder than needed and the spy in him marked it as strange. It started with a simple announcement and then music to go along with the show went up in volume.

Another woman turned the corner and gave him a slight smile as she excused herself by him to use the bathroom herself.

The conversations of a few other bypassers Bucky had eavesdropped on, noted how the volume level was louder than usual and Bucky's instincts seemed to feel buzzed. Then he heard it. The lock on the bathroom door clicked.

It was a multi-person bathroom so the need for a lock on the exit door wasn't exactly for privacy. Something was wrong.

A muffled scream made him kick into action. The sound issue was a distraction.

"Y/N!" he turned to the door, banging it with his fist.

Again he heard muffled noises covered by metal doors being slammed into and what sounded like something being thrown and crashing into the wall.

"Y/N!" he shouted, this time knowing for a fact she was in trouble.

It would take more than a common lock to keep the soldier out. With a quick and calculated kick to the door, the crack of the lock busted against the wood and splintered the threshold.

The scene in front of him instantly switched him into fight mode.

If you would like to be tagged in this series, please send an ask here. Thank you:)

Finding Memories Taglist: (some would not let me tag. so if you see your name but didn’t get the notification, double check if your blog allows tags:)

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[denimbex1986]

Everyone gets lost in Cillian Murphy’s eyes. At the end of his latest film, “Oppenheimer,” in which he plays the titular character, Oppenheimer stands alone, staring at the pattern of rain droplets over a still pond. As the camera lingers on his face, a ring of fire begins to consume the Earth, and an immense blaze fills the whole scene. Not a sound is uttered, but the emotion conveyed in those piercing blue eyes speaks louder than words.

Murphy’s eyes that speak surely bring the character of Oppenheimer to life, even in the black and white parts of the film. “I try not to think of actors as I write, but Cillian’s eyes were the only eyes I know that can project that intensity,” Nolan said to the New York Times. This is their sixth collaboration, but the first time Murphy has played the lead. With “Oppenheimer” surpassing $900 million at the global box office — becoming one of the most acclaimed biopics to date — audiences have become as eager to learn about it’s as they are about the father of the atomic bomb.

Even though it took Hollywood a while to recognize Murphy’s potential to play a starring role, this quietly intense actor has long been celebrated in the UK and Ireland. A survey of his portfolio since his debut in 1996 reveals a daring selection of characters: Jackson Ripper, a terrorist leader in “Red Eye;” Fischer, the heir to a multi-billion empire in “Inception;” Daniel O’Donovan, an Irish republican in “The Wind That Shakes the Barley;” an anonymous, shivering soldier in “Dunkirk.” None of these names carry the same fame as the legendary physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer on screen today, but Murphy honored them all.

In order to get ready for the part of Patrick “Kitten” Barden, Murphy spent weeks working with a real-life drag queen, who took him clubbing with friends so he could study women’s body language and learn how to dress. To be able to convincingly act out Tommy Shelby, a WWI veteran, he followed a hard-hitting workout plan to look “physically imposing” for the part. The quest to achieve Oppenheimer’s chiseled cheeks and a haunted look took him to the opposite end of the spectrum. According to costar Emily Blunt, on set he would only eat one almond a day to slim down and was so immersed in the role that he skipped cast dinners. According to Murphy, “It’s not the scale, it’s the quality.” For him, great dedication is necessary in order to fully embody his characters.

Clearly, his hard work has paid off. Murphy is now the 5/4 favorite to win Best Actor at the 2024 Oscars for his performance in “Oppenheimer,” as predicted by The Online Betting Guide, and his last role as Tommy Shelby in “Peaky Blinders” earned him his first BAFTA TV Awards nomination for Leading Actor. Prior to this, he also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role as a transgender woman in “Breakfast on Pluto.”

Yet Murphy did not always know he wanted to be an actor, and it took him a long time to discover his life-long passion. His father was a civil servant and his mother a French teacher, but the house was always busy — non-stop music, bookshelves filled with literature, and the radio often on. His parents sent him to an all-boys private school, where he was involved in rugby for some time before giving it up. Then, he tried for a law degree at University College Cork, but he quit that too. He devoted years to doing what his parents wished for, not necessarily what he wanted, and “he didn’t feel good enough.” After that, he had a fleeting music career before a stage production of “A Clockwork Orange” guided him to his true passion — acting.

His first breakthrough came in the 2002 movie “28 Days Later,” where he played Jim, the lone survivor of a pandemic in a desolate London. It was a modern horror classic which served as a launching pad for Murphy’s career, with Nolan later recalling the poster of Murphy with his bald head and “crazy” eyes in a conversation for Entertainment Weekly. His profile continued to grow in 2005 following his roles in several successful films, namely the Scarecrow in “The Dark Knight” and the villain in the action thriller “Red Eye.” For the last two decades, he has built strong relationships with directors such as Boyle and Nolan and continuously wowed audiences with his talent for playing dark, troubled, and tormented characters. But these complex characters are not strictly villains. As Murphy said in an interview with The Guardian, “Villains are good if they’re well written, but if it’s one note or a trope, then they are dull.” He relishes playing these complex characters and likes scripts to stretch into “all the shades” of the human spectrum.

“I can’t remember which director said it, but he said it takes 30 years to make a good actor,” he said to PORT Magazine. 27 years later, coming off the heels of a starring role in a major film, Murphy appears to have achieved his aim.

In an industry that often rewards fast success, Cillian Murphy has chosen a different path. “Peaky Blinders” made the Irish actor a household name, and Nolan’s blockbuster epic took him even further. However, Murphy continued to pursue roles which were often underrated, because it is “a film that you're very sort of proud of and excited by.” Known for his introverted personality, Murphy has chosen a quiet, normal life away from the public eye, even revealing at one point that he did not enjoy the “personality part” of being an actor. “I don’t understand why it’s expected I’ll be scintillating on a talkshow,” he said in an interview with The Guardian. He is true to his word — Murphy’s bored face during interviews has become a popular meme. Indeed, 67 million people on TikTok have watched videos on “Cillian Murphy interview zoning out,” and they can’t seem to get enough of his dissociating clips. Part of his appeal to fans seems to stem from this authenticity, in contrast with so many other celebrities who aim to please.

To Murphy, character is in fact all that matters. Murphy is satisfied with being the man in the shadows, and though he may not be as flashy as Tommy Shelby with “that charisma and swagger,” he believes that this shows that “I’m doing my job” correctly. “Cillian and Tommy are almost polar opposites,” Steven Knight, the “Peaky Blinders” creator, attested in an interview with Esquire.

As recounted in the Esquire interview, when Murphy auditioned for the role, Knight doubted whether this very thin man was the right fit for a Bringham-based gangster. Murphy said a simple yet powerful thing then: “Remember, I’m an actor.” His point was that when he enters a room, he is not Tommy Shelby. But when he is acting, he can become anyone — a gangster, a woman, or a physicist.

What is so mesmerizing about Murphy’s eyes? It is not the color, but the complex, varied emotion that is seen in each glimpse. Murphy can draw people into a story and make them think twice about it afterwards. While he has worked for close to thirty years in the acting industry, making him one of the most prolific actors, neither the standard film crew hierarchy nor his fame will keep him from choosing what truly captivates him. His success is a natural result of his unwavering pursuit and love of the craft.'

[romanceyourdemons]

the well-known cult film pearl (2022) provides, like its precedent film x (2022), an interesting perspective on film, film history, and stardom. first of all, the film is technically beautifully done. it beautifully replicates the feel of an early technicolor film, from the slightly garish color timing to the wipe and iris transitions to the sweeping, full-orchestral soundtrack. whereas x (2022) had a more rough and openly indie feel, visually and tonally drawing on the texas chain saw massacre (1974) and narratively exposing the wires of film creation, this film focuses on stardom in its most abstract, dreamlike state. in many respects, stardom and the cinema are the female version of the american dream—the way a woman can gain financial independence and even financial leverage through hard work and gumption and iron will, or so the narrative runs. as with many post-wwi “american dream” stories, this one centers around what happens when hard work and gumption and iron will are not enough, and when, even if they were, the reward is no reward at all. pearl grows up in the rubble of her parents’ more traditional, my antonia-style american dream, a dream centered around a desire to nurture. pearl’s mother is trapped in a state of constantly, single-handedly nurturing and caring for her husband and her farm, bitter and betrayed by her dream. pearl’s american dream is the twentieth-century dream of stardom: to perform for an audience and be loved for it. and yet, as pearl’s attempt at gumption and struggle for this dream only draws it further away, it becomes clear that to perform itself is agony. pearl is constantly performing a role, and she resents being witnessed and observed—by her parents, by her husband’s portrait, by the projectionist and by mitsy and by the animals on the farm. to be a dancer and an actress, to be, technically speaking, a star, one must relinquish one’s will and play a role for the pleasure of others—precisely as pearl could not bear to do on the farm. this is not the freedom pearl’s fantasized american dream promised. what pearl truly wants to do is not just perform, but to write and direct, to place the people in her life as props and smile big for the camera when she decides it is time for it to turn to her. unlike x (2022), in which those in front of the camera prove to have more power than those behind it, pearl (2022) argues that being a beloved performer is not enough: to truly be an american-dream star according to pearl’s definition, one must also somehow occupy all the other roles in the filmmaking process, or else one is no better than a scarecrow dragged down from its post for a waltz

[frodothefair]

New OC for Expats, let's go!

Ok, this wasn't even that hard! I was in the shower, and came up with a character sketch for my movie-star OC for Expats. What do you think? (Any similarities to real people, living or dead, are purely incidental).

Meet Elliot James. He is a Hollywood actor who got his start as a child star, but came to prominence when he appeared in a fantasy epic loosely based on events in early Medieval Britain, where he played a sweet, heroic squire who saved the day, but ended up giving his life in the process. Afterwards, he became a household name and in demand for everyone's epic or period piece anywhere, and while this was certainly very nice, it was somewhat disappointing to be typecast, so he tried to seek out other roles -- in indie films, horror movies, and genre cinema.

In rapid succession in his early 20's, he played a sick WWI veteran in a period piece with a plot like Flowers of Mordor, a prince in the medieval French history franchise Les Rois Maudits, a young Louis XIV, King Francis in a movie about Mary Queen of Scots (ok, yes, a lot of Frenchness here), and Nikolai Rostov in War and Peace. He also played Pip in Great Expectations, and Link in a cinema franchise of Legend of Zelda, and was one of the brothers in a multi-season Regency-era show similar to Bridgerton. He came to see his period piece and fantasy work as a "Jury duty" of sorts, but did it to please the fans and because he had some difficulty saying no. In the end, however, he put his foot down, and instead of taking the role of Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, which he was all but being bribed to do, he insisted on auditioning for Blind Pew and Israel Hands.

Why does he get typecast playing young literary and historic characters, you may ask? Well, this is because after age 20, he looks like he essentially stopped aging. He is also short and slightly built, and looks like he stepped off a renaissance painting. He has striking hazel eyes that look like liquid gold, and naturally curly dark blonde hair.

In terms of personal history, he hails from South Dakota, from a long line of ranchers and early settlers to the area of Swedish and German extraction. (Hello, inspiration from Mr. Nisilë's white heritage). His mother raised him and his sister alone, and he has a very loving, down-to-earth and supportive family of origin. However, work as a child actor gave him a lifelong hair-pulling habit, to the point of trichotillomania at times, and he is completely unable to grow a beard of his own as a result.

In his personal life, he gets together with a fan named Marina who is an immigrant from Ukraine and has both Ukranian and Russian heritage. They connect over his upcoming work on War and Peace, and impending trip to Eastern Europe to film it. (This is obviously well before the present day). During his (very ample) free time, Elliot enjoys collecting and listening to vinyl records, attending live concerts, traveling as incognito as he realistically can with his distinctive looks, and watching off-off-Broadway plays (or whatever the LA analog is for this). Ironically, he has never been in a play himself, except for a school play at a very young age.

With his girlfriend and later wife, he is a total sweetheart, and his mental illness helps him understand hers. He is also a complete and utter goofball, slightly disorganized in his household and self care, and unassuming and slightly awkward whenever the cameras are off. The weirder the topic of conversation with him, the better.

His partner, Marina, works as a medical malpractice lawyer who defends doctors, and has a crazy, domineering mother who both loves and dislikes Elliot, and belittles his work behind his back, comparing him to old Soviet actors who she thinks are the true greats. However, she has no qualms about accepting gifts and financial assistance from him. (Guess who this is based on, haha).

Elliot never went to college himself, but he paid for the college education of his sister and Marina's law education. The only thing he asked for in return was that Marina and his sister share the particularly interesting things they learned whenever they could.

What do you think?

@konartiste @emmanuellececchi

[lol-jackles]

What do you think of Rachel Zegler and her badmouthing Snow White every chance she gets? It seems like she doesn't even like the character but it doesn't seem smart to bash such an iconic and beloved character, who's a Disney princess no less! She's been going viral on tiktok for this reason. The beginning of this clip has made it's way into so many tiktoks all saying they hate this girl and that she doesn't deserve Snow White (I kinda agree tbh). Conversely, it did make the actress from The Little Mermaid trend positive because if nothing else, she at least loved playing Ariel.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8N8YXQP/

Hold on while I work through the mental equation where Gal Gadot would be jealous of Rachel Zegler's ~superior beauty. *The Evil Queen is beautiful in her own right. It is the opinion of the mirror that causes all the drama.* There it is.

Okay, first, having seen West Side Story and Shazam, fury of the gods, Rachel does a good job convincingly playing sweet and kind characters on screen, which makes her ideal for Snow White. Now with that said, Disney either dropped the ball on providing Rachel media training, or she's saying exactly what Disney want her to say, thinking it will appeal to feminists Zoomers.

Whether or not these are Disney's talking points, let's review (link):

"She's not going to be saved by the prince"

Um, well, okay, let's give them that in the original Grimm she was not saved by the prince.

"She's dreaming about becoming a leader"

As the commentator said, she can have both true love and a career since male superheroes do it all the time. But I would argue that in the original film, Snow White was already a leader: she survived childhood abuse and assassination attempt, ran into the forest to save herself, then ran her own household as a teenager, and never gave up believing that she deserved love and care regardless of how people treated her in the past. Above all, Snow White was a tale about resilience and never giving up on the life you desire regardless of your current circumstances.

Then the commentator point out that it makes sense for Snow White to dream about true love because she doesn't remember what it was like to be loved after her biological parents died and she was mistreated by her stepmom and forced to work as a scullery maid for years. The prince was the first person to show her affection and kindness.

I've seen Rachel disparage the OG Snow White as outdated since it's from 1937. I wished I could explain to Rachel (or her Disney handler) that in 1937, many Americans had been through WWI and the Great Depression and Americans needed a message of hope and a reminder to stay positive and carry on despite hardships. Snow White embodied this resilience, her strength is underappreciated. I mean, come on, despite the shocker of a day Snow White had with the assassination attempt and all, when she found the house, she was deeply moved by the thought that seven little children with no mother lived there, so she cleans their house to surprise them. She’s always thinking of others. And despite the horrible situation she’s in she remains kind and optimistic, and quietly holds tight to her dream.

Disney did such a great job with the first live action remake of Cinderella in 2015 that I don't understand why it was down hill from there. They kept the same character traits as the 1950s version, being kind, never giving up hope, and then improving on that. It's message about "having courage and be kind" is a very good one because it's easy to become hardened and bitter when people treat you badly, but it takes a very strong person to be kind even after all that.