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milf-murdock · 5 months

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The Ghost of You (Part 3)

Simon "Ghost" Riley x 141!Reader Summary: The entire task force believes you to be dead. What happens when Simon finds you on his doorstep? Part 1 here Part 2 here (the rest of the 141 reacts to your death)

You awake in darkness. The dust is everywhere; you feel it coating your mouth, layering your lungs, prompting you to cough and sputter.

There was so much you didn’t know: how you survived, what exactly you survived–some kind of explosion, for sure, but what caused it? Enemy action? Was it a setup? Your head spins as you try to replay everything you remember. There wasn’t much to remember. One second you were standing in an abandoned warehouse on a routine recon mission. The next second, a devastating blast and everything went black.

In spite of everything you don’t know, there is one thing you know for certain. Everything hurts. As your body rattles with each cough, pain wracks your body. When the coughing fit finally subsides, you test the extent of your injuries with light movement. Toes? Movable. Fingers? Still attached.

Taking stock of your surroundings, you realize that it’s not the wholly darkness of night that surrounds you. There’s faint glimpses of sunlight trickling through the wreckage. It gives off enough light to see that you’re effectively trapped beneath a giant sheet of metal. It must have been the roof of the warehouse, snagged by fallen crossbeams that held it just barely over your body. A few inches further and it would have meant certain death.

The realization sends a bolt of adrenaline through you.

“Holy fuck,” you think to yourself. “I’m alive.” The gravity of that sentence hits you like a freight train.

You survived this. You are alive.

You need to get the hell out.

With your strengthened resolve, using every scrap of strength you can muster, you set to work slowly, carefully, freeing yourself from the debris. There’s not much give between the roof and your body, but you manage to make it onto your stomach so you can begin to crawl from under the wreckage. The pain threatens to pull you back under into unconsciousness, but up ahead lies a single golden ray of sunlight streaming through a gap in the wreckage–a beacon of hope. You fix your sights on it and power through.

Ghost sits alone in the darkness, consumed by his grief. The small velvet ring box is back in his hands, taunting him.

Every time he felt he had gathered up the strength to get rid of the damn thing, something stopped him–a small tug deep from within. One final shred of hope? One last desperate attempt to cling to what could have been? He just couldn’t let it go.

He had been so close to happiness, so close to letting himself believe for just a moment that maybe he even deserved to be happy, after all the pain he had endured in his life.

He was a fucking fool.

The box served as a painful reminder of everything he had lost: a future, a family, you.

But he hadn’t just lost you. No, he lost the man who was capable of that kind of love, that kind of hope.

The man who had happiness just within his reach. And then watched as it crumbled to ash in his fist.

Everything reminds him of you.

He can’t stand being in the kitchen; the ghosts of you two slow dancing, your favorite song playing in the background, pass him on the way to the fridge.

He can’t sit on the couch because the phantom touch of your familiar body tucked up into him is too damn painful.

He can’t even sleep in his own goddamn bed because even when sleep does eventually win out and take over, he never fails to wake up to that fleeting moment of hope when he opens his eyes, hands stretching out automatically to cup you, and for a split second all feels right in the world again. Then his hands meet empty air and the loss comes crashing back down to him tenfold.

And so Ghost sits on the floor. In the dark. With his bourbon.

Haunted by the ghost of you.

It takes every ounce of strength you have to limp to the safehouse roughly 3 klicks away. Collapsing onto the musty sofa, you finally allow yourself to succumb to the darkness that has been creeping into the edge of your vision.

You’re woken by a strong hand on your shoulder. Fight or flight kicks in as your hand flies up to grab the stranger’s arm, jerking awake to find a familiar face hovering over you.

“Nikolai?” You gasp in surprise. You’re not sure who’s more surprised: you or the rugged sergeant above you.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Just hearing Nikolai’s thick Russian accent was a comfort.

You survived. You made it to safety. And now, you’d be able to get home.

There’s footsteps on the doorstep once again.

‘That bloody idiot doesn’t know when to quit,’ Simon thinks to himself.

“Fuck off Price,” he shouts towards the door before taking another drink. “Damn prick needs to take the fucking hint,” he mumbles under his breath.

The door clicks.

Price doesn’t have a key, the thought races through his addled brain a second too late.

Typically, Ghost would be on alert. Someone entering his home? Not on his fucking watch.

But what does it matter? Ghost thinks. Maybe they’ve finally come to take me away.

Let them fucking come.

“Simon.” Your voice is hoarse–soft and broken.

The sound alone cleaves Simon’s heart in two. Was he hearing things? It sounded so real.

He stumbles to his feet, tripping slightly as he gets his bearings and steps into the hallway, moving towards the door.

When your broken and bruised body limps into view, Simon can’t even think straight.

It’s a trick. It’s not…it can’t be…

Regardless of what his brain is telling him, his feet move to you.

You make it all of two steps before you’re falling, collapsing into Simon’s outstretched arms.

The second he makes contact, he knows it's real.

His knees buckle beneath him and he guides your bodies to the floor, falling to his knees as he holds your trembling form tight against him.

“Oh my god,” he whispers, repeating your name over and over like a prayer. The pure shock and disbelief are overwhelming as he pulls you tighter, his grip a vice on your body, keeping you rooted to him.

He buries his face in the top of your head and breathes you in. Hot tears slide from his eyes, falling into your hair.

“You’re alive. You’re here.” His voice is ragged, desperate for this to be real, to be true. He has spent every moment since that day in Price’s office dreaming of your touch, longing to feel you in his arms again. Losing you was a pain incomparable to any other.

And here you are, your trembling body back in his arms as he holds you fiercely to his chest.

“You’re alive,” he repeats, voice equal parts pain and relief. “You’re here.”

“I’m here, Si,” you whisper into his chest. “I’m here.” He smells of bourbon and that distinct smell of Simon and it warms your heart–you weren’t sure you’d ever smell it again.

“How?” Simon’s voice breaks on the single syllable.

Simon carries the two steaming mugs of tea over to the couch, relief washing over him once again as he walks back in the room to find you sitting there. He was half convinced that you would have disappeared when he walked into the kitchen, nothing more than a mirage sent straight from the depths of hell to torture him.

But there you sit. Hair wet from the shower. Draped in one of his old t-shirts. You smile up at him as you take the mug, and the sight alone has Simon reaching up to press against his chest, as if he could soothe the ache that lay beneath there.

He takes his seat close to you, one hand instinctively finding purchase on your bare thigh.

“You were dead,” Simon’s voice chokes out the last word, his grip tightening further, like if he relaxed his grip even a little bit, you’d vanish into thin air.

“I survived.” Your own voice chokes up as the reality of your ordeal catches up to you. Your hand covers Simon’s and you absentmindedly trace the veins on the back of his hand, steadying your breath.

You recount as much as you can remember: escaping from the wreckage, searching for survivors, making your way to the safe house. How your good fortunes continued as Nikolai found you and helped you navigate your way back home.

The tea has long gone cold by the time you finish. Simon doesn’t look away the entire time, utterly transfixed by you. His eyes trace you up and down, as if he still can’t believe you’re sitting here before him.

You turn a pleading look towards Simon. “I tried to call you,” you explain. “So many times. But it never rang.”

For the first time, Simon looks away, something like shame settling in him.

He didn’t want you to see him like that–a mess of a man, hardly a man at all. A man who drowned his pain and his sorrows in bourbon. A man who couldn’t even sleep in his own bed. A man who turned off his own cell phone because he couldn’t bear the condolence messages and check-ins from his squadmates.

You spare him the burden of explaining as you sit up to press a kiss against his hollow cheek.

“It’s okay, Si,” you say quietly. “We’re okay now.”

Simon pulls you from your spot on the couch to his lap, holding you even closer. You bury your face in his neck, breathing in his familiar scent.

His strong arms wrap around your body, and it dawns on him that he holds his entire world within his arms. And he’d be damned if he would ever let anything take you away from him again.

He holds you tightly as your breathing levels out, sleep tugging at your edges. The sheer exhaustion deep in your bones weighs you down, but none of it matters as you fall asleep in the safety of Simon’s arms.

Masterlist here

#simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x you #ghost x reader #ghost x you #simon riley imagine #simon “ghost” riley x reader

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hopelesslonelyghost · 6 months

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kyle “gaz” garrick x DA!fem!reader

i know i promised more angst but i simply can’t get the right words. so here! have this cute lil gaz whip i wrote today 🫶🏻 again, not beta read, sorry for any typos!

this is completely self indulgent because i wish i had gaz as my patient. i also wish i could have my fingers in his mouth

kyle hates the dentist. ever since he was little he hated going. but what child likes going, right? he thought by now he’d grow out of his dental phobia.

but it’s that time of year again and his file needs to be updated and well… he needs to see a dentist.

his previous dentist retired and in his stead, a new doctor took over.

new doctor and new assistants by the looks of it. kyle sat in the lobby, waiting to be called. his leg bounced.

“kyle garrick?”

his head snapped up and now his stomach was fluttering for a different reason. the assistant was pretty.

her eyes crinkled as she smiled at him. pearly whites flashing him. kyle quickly stood up, subtlety trying to gulp without her seeing.

‘damnit, don’t make a fool out of yourself’

you introduced yourself, led him down a short halfway and then stood by a door to the left, motioning with your hand to step inside.

“have a seat kyle, we’ll be getting started shortly.”

after taking a seat and answering a few questions in regards to his health, you tore open a bag with yellow, blue, and red hooks, a gray circle, and two metal arms, one angled at a sharp 90 degree angle. both had two tiny metal tips at the very end.

you giggled.

“don’t worry, i’m just updating your x-rays today. after this, the doctor will come and do your exam. that okay with you?”

you must’ve caught him staring pretty hard at the instruments. kyle nodded at you and gave you a sweet smile.

“perfectly fine wit’ me, love.”

you clicked a few things in the computer behind him and then stood up, grabbing a blue lead apron and coming to stand beside him.

“gonna be a little heavy, okay?” you placed it down gently, “now i’m going to strap this around your neck. lean forward a bit for me…good thank you.” you whispered, right into his ear.

he couldn’t help the goosebumps that littered his arms. pretty and whispering into his ear? yeah, he’ll be thinking about today all night. maybe even all week.

quickly getting to work, you begun his x-rays. quietly asking him to open and close. gently angling his head in whichever way you needed him to. while the instruments and sensor in his mouth felt a little uncomfortable, it all felt worth it when you kept praising him after each beep! of the x-ray machine.

“open….good job… okay, now close. perfect. don’t move.”

he wouldn’t dream of it. he’d get on his knees right now if you asked him to. you already had your fingers in his mouth, might as well, right?

once you were done, you made quick work to get the apron off kyle.

“wow, that was fast.”

you smiled at him, “i try to be a fast as i can. i know getting your x-rays taken isn’t the most comfortable experience.”

you leaned over him for a split second, tying a bib around his neck. kyle was breathing in as you did, catching a whiff of your perfume. you smelled divine. sweetly floral, but not overwhelming.

fuck. you were pretty, empathetic, AND smelled good? yep. suddenly coming to the dentist’s office wasn’t that bad.

soon after, the doctor came in and checked out his teeth. humming and calling out notes which you were rapidly typing into the computer.

“well kyle! everything looks great! not seeing anything wrong in the x-rays or visually. you’re doing a great job. you’ll only have to come back for a cleaning! my assistant here can help you set up an appointment for that.”

the doctor thank you as they walked out. true to their word, you helped him set up at appointment for next week.

“you’re all set for today, any questions before I let you go?”

kyle stood up, “no doll, thank you. you’ve been wonderful.”

you gaped lightly at him, but quickly recovered. you flashed him a bashful smile.

you were so goddamn cute.

you led him out back towards the front and held the door open for him. you waved at him from the doorway as kyle made his way across the lobby and back outside, “have a good week! see you soon.”

kyle chuckled and gave you a two finger salute, “see you soon sweetheart.”

•••

n/a: just a lil disclaimer, not every dental office works the same. every place is different. this is just the way the office i work at does things. obviously i didn’t go into too much detail in regards to treatments bc i would be insufferable and i truly believe from the bottom of my heart that gaz flosses and brushes twice a day religiously. for the sake of fanfics being fanfics, reader isn’t wearing a face mask. realistically she should be wearing one.

DA= dental assistant <3

okay i’m done rambling!

thanks for reading!

#kyle gaz garrick x reader #kyle gaz garrick x you #kyle garrick x reader #kyle garrick x y/n #gaz x reader #gaz x you #gaz x y/n #cod x reader #cod x you #kyle garrick #kyle gaz garrick #gaz cod #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw2 #cod mw3

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staarlight-snow · 1 year

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Murky Waters - Island of the Slaughtered

TW: Gore, Horror

[Inspired by "last thoughts - Noah Mudaliar" by muridaecorps (on Ao3) and Island of the Slaughtered by @eavee-ry ]

Silence.

It was so silent it was as if nothing had happened. The wind blew gently against the leaves as the moonlight shone down into the pond. The crimson-tinted water glistened under the rays of the moon.

It was unfair. He would've enjoyed this view. The solitude and silence of the forest, the way the moonlight hit the water just right.

It was unfair. He could be sitting atop a rock, reading his favourite novel – far away from the nuisances and noise that was the camp and his peers but no. Instead of sitting in front of the serene view, enjoying his solitude and short-lived peace – his body floated lifelessly in the pond.

The only thing that ruined this ethereal and dream-like scenery was that of the body of a teenage boy that was cheated from his life. It was unfair. There was no denying, he was far different from other teenagers, yes but just like most of them – he had dreams, he had hopes and aspirations. Everyone did, of course.

So it was unfair. Everything was unfair. This isn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt. If he could – he'd find Chris and make him pay for abandoning them on this goddamned island.

The silence in his surroundings was disturbed by the sudden rustling of bushes. The frantic sounds of someone's footsteps ran in closer to the pond. Then, there was a voice.

"Noah?" A voice called out, a tone of worry and fear. It continued to call his name, over and over again, getting louder by the second. What kind of fool would deliberately risk his life to find a snarky, sarcastic know-it-all?

"Noah! Please! Where are you?" It was Cody. His voice cracked as he shouted his friend's name more and louder. The lake came into his view and he stopped in his tracks. He gripped the blood-stained book in his hands harder as his eyes widened at the sight that unfolded before him. "A-ah.." His heart dropped and his breathing stopped for what seemed like a full minute.

A loud gut-wrenching scream erupted from the brunette. He fell to his knees – his eyes welled up with tears as he started to shakenly hyperventilate.

"Cody! Oh my god you're okay!" A person followed from behind, embracing the shorter in a hug. "I thought the killer got to you! Are you insane!? I know you're worried 'bout Noah but-" They were cut-off from their words when they caught a glimpse of the murky crimson stained water in front of them.

The person with him, Gwen, comforted the boy. They weren't close the first few days and she honestly found him like an annoying little brother but as the nights passed and the more murders took place – she found herself as an older sister figure to the other. She couldn't possibly imagine what Cody is going through but she knew how heart-broken he probably is right now.

"Cody… I'm sorry.." Gwen spoke, "But we can't stay here. It's not safe." She stood up, gesturing for the other to do so as well. Cody followed. His mind was clouded, it was empty but somehow it was full of thoughts. It was too much to process, it was too overwhelming.

It was unfair.

Part 2

Sequel

i needed to practice more on my writing and im very obsessed w this au rn!! i dont rlly write fanfics esp on this acc but we'll let this one slide 🕴️

#total drama #total drama au #tdi noah #td noah #td noco #td gwen #td cody #island of the slaughtered #tdi #total drama island #total drama fanfiction #tdi fanfic #tw horror #tw death

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sarcasticsra · 1 year

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Okay but I’m seriously cracking up imagining everything from Mr. Henry’s perspective

Imagine this young genius dweeb you hired accidentally invents a mind control ray but doesn’t realize it, and he’s so obviously miserable and focused on ambition that he’s easy to fool and manipulate

Until he randomly impulsively steals the schematics, the whole paper trail, everything

So you zap him with said mind control ray and he not only resists it

BUT JUMPS OUT A WINDOW

WITH A GRAPPLING GUN

And then proceeds to crash through the window to his office, grab all the evidence again, and book it

You run into him again and think surely by now it’s had time to work, there’s no way he can still be resisting

Except then he CLOCKS YOU UPSIDE THE HEAD so hard you fall UNCONSCIOUS

Presumably to eventually wake up to find out you/the company you work for are now under serious investigation

All because this ridiculous little nerd finally listened to his goddamn conscience

What a wild fucking day lmao

#dimension 20 #mentopolis #*brennan voice* IN.CRED.IBLE #way to go elias #you’re doing amazing sweetie

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shortpplfedup · 1 year

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Only Friends Character Rankings Episode 8

Well this was a whole-ass SITUATION. I'm still processing, but another outstanding ep. The twin scents of audacity and desperation hung over this episode. Sand tries and fails to have any kind of backbone with Ray. Boston sits in purgatory and decides nope, hell it is. Cheum learns more valuable lessons about perhaps minding her own business. Nick might be moving on to Zaddy!Papang. Mew spirals. Yo and Plug break up. And Top...maybe set Ray up to get arrested so he could look like a hero? Everybody had the goddamn audacity this episode. Y'all went up for Mew's crazy eyes last week, let's see where the gworls are landing for me this week.

⭐1. Atom

People with self-confidence like you are very charming to me.

OH SIR! Talk about coming in hot! Atom's in an experimental mood and looking for somebody to blow his back out, so of course he thinks of Boston, and he's putting out whatever sauce he can muster to entice him. I gotta say, this is a wrinkle I ABSOLUTELY did not see coming but the mess is MESSING and I'm fully on board. Cheum is gonna LOSE IT.

🔺2. Boston (3)

Alright. I’m a social leper.

Well he didn't do a lot this week but boy did he make it count: his bitchface at Nick, who it seems he might have really started to care about; poking at Top's soft spots; telling Cheum maybe she should mind her own business; and just talkin' gay shit with Atom who is VERY into gay shit right now it would seem...every second Boston was onscreen was a second of perfection. ESPECIALLY the second when he decides to make yet another terrible decision and take Atom home and maybe give him what he's been sniffing around asking for. I mean, has learned not ONE goddamn thing and I LOVE that about him.

🔻3. Mew (2)

You take no space in my mind at all.

I haven't seen a classic post-breakup slut spiral this well executed in FOREVER. When Mew did the line of coke I gasped, and when he shoved his tongue down Ray's throat right in Top's face I SCREAMED. Oh honey, you're SUCH a cliché and I love you for it. Mew does not feel an ounce of anything resembling love or attraction for Ray, and he knows it, and he also knows the thought of him and Ray will keep Top up at night, so cigs, booze, yeyo and tonsil hockey it is.

⭐4. Daddy Dan

If you have a friend who likes old people, introduce us.

Papang has arrived, and he's playing the kind of guy who asks college students he's hiring to hook him up with their friends so...that's all present and correct. They love to cast Papang as charming but also slightly seedy and creepy and I'm very into it. Also, in my country there is a strip club/brothel called Dad's Dan so I cackled for a solid 5 minutes at the previews.

⭐5. Freddie Mercury The Second

I want no business with someone else’s boyfriend.

The only person this episode to exhibit even an ounce of self-respect. I salute you sir.

🔻6. Nick (4)

What should I do to earn your forgiveness?

Nick's licking his wounds and trying to get back in the game with Boston, but Nick having never met a boundary he couldn't trample has pretty much sealed that deal for now. As Sand pointed out to him: what was he even doing at that party, other than making a fool of himself?

🔻7. Top (6)

Are you really picking Ray?

Ok so Top's the one who called the cops right? Because they knew exactly who and what they were looking for, and his #1 priority was getting Mew out of Ray's orbit and back into his. Top's beggin' tour wasn't working on anybody except Cheum (who...girl. GIRL!), but he still managed to end the night in bed with Mew, so I guess he'll count that as a win?

🔹8. Cheum (8)

They're all selfish. They don't care about me.

GIRL. Your girlfriend keeps telling you to LEAVE THESE BOYS ALONE AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. Now you crying on the couch and don't nobody care except your girlfriend, WHO TOLD YOU. All them boys one by one just telling her to get out of their faces...GIRL YOU ARE A LESBIAN YOU ARE ABOVE BOYS MAKING YOU CRY.

🔻9. April (7)

I know you’re worried about Mew. But he’s a grown man. He can take care of his life.

Girl aren't you tired? That woman don't never listen to you and now instead of having a good time you're feeling her snot seep into your chest through your (slay) outfit and thinking about how you're not getting any sex tonight either. SHE DOESN'T EVEN APPRECIATE YOUR ART.

🔻10. Plug/Yo (5)

There were many people I gave all my heart to. I gave them everything I got. There were many people I gave my room key to. They all returned it to me in the end. I don't want you to raise my expectations. And then you leave me too.

Oof, poor baby Plug. He just wants to live that househusband life but Yo been THRU it and ain't interested in going thru it again. I was surprisingly affected by Mom breaking up with Cool Stepdad, given how little screentime they've had, but Jennie's just that good.

🔻11. Sand (5)

Friends? You and I have never been friends from the get-go.

What more can I say about this loser? He's so embarrassing I can hardly look at him. Ray does not give a good goddamn about him, he uses him as a plaything, a servant or a punching bag as it suits him, and instead of throwing rocks at his ass and telling him to GTFO, he FIGHTS THE DAMN COPS who are trying to take him away. It's almost fascinating, watching this bullshit: every time I think this is surely Sand's rock bottom, he goes lower. We've got 4 episodes left but I'm calling it now: Sand is the most pathetic character on this show.

🔻12. Ray (1)

Let's hire a DJ instead this time. I don't want a band anymore.

OH MY GOD FLAMES ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE. Does Thailand do 5150s? Because Ray needs to be committed as a danger to himself and others. He got everything he wanted and IT'S NOT ENOUGH, just as we all (I hope) knew it wouldn't be. And then on top of that Mew refuses his kiss in private but lays one on him in Top's face and it's like he just lost it. That ugly scene, breaking up Sand's encounter with Freddie II (shades of him doing the same with Sand's date earlier in the season), claiming ownership of him (told y'all) forcing a kiss on him because Sand's his property right? Ray was downright nasty this week, and not in an enjoyable way.

#only friends the series #bless this mess #only friends weekly character rankings #i support gay wrongs #only friends #only friends series #bl meta series

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beatricebat · 2 months

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This one is strictly for the Floch girlies.

Because 1) of a long, complicated, boring sequence of tangential thoughts; and 2) I’m a fool, I decided I needed to rewatch the scene where the Rumbling reaches the warehouse where Floch is, and go frame by frame through it.

This was a mistake.

This was a big fucking mistake.

I’m going to drop why behind the cut, because I didn’t know before, and it left me going, “My boy…my boy!” for several minutes.

MAPPA DROPPED A FUCKING IRON GIRDER ON HIS HORRIBLE, BEAUTIFUL HEAD.

That’s noooot in the manga! Floch’s last physical appearance is the panel where Hange says he’s dead. There’s one panel later where the Rumbling titans squish the warehouse in the background as the plane sets off, but there’s not a close up of a goddamn girder crushing his little skull.

If you need to see this horror for yourself BUT YOU SHOULDN’T but if you do then scroll down past all the ellipses

…

(Also real sorry for potato quality. I don’t have the Blu Rays, and Crunchyroll doesn’t let you take screen caps, so a photo of my screen it was.)

#floch forster

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memecucker · 2 years

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If you wanna surprise people with the answer to a trivia question, ask them to name the first Disney full length movie to use computer generated images?

Because the answer is 1961’s 101 Dalmatians. “They had CGI in 1961?!” you might ask and yes though it wasn’t anything we might call CGI nowadays but they were images which were “generated” by a computer so to speak. And by “generated” I mean they used a Xerox machine.

By 1961 Walt had started to become jaded when it came to animation following Sleeping Beauty being a flop at the box office in addition to costing twice as much as previous animated films from Disney (especially since Sleeping Beauty was something Walt actually put a lot of passion into, similar to Fantasia which and how that also bombed and I don’t care much for Walt as a man but I can get how this would be pretty demoralizing) and shifted his attention to theme parks and his futurist utopianism. So with 101 Dalmatians, Walt was less directly involved than in the previous animated movies and largely was there to approve ideas people had.

One day art director Ken Anderson came to Walt and proposed a cost that they use a new method for animating the film, Xerox machines. The technique is called “xerography” (Xerox is actually both “named after” the word but also invented it) and allowed for greatly reducing costs and time when it came to animation because rather than having people hand draw sketches onto animation cels they would instead xerox those sketches onto the cels. Now at the time this was only viable with black and white images and so the cels would still need to be hand colored but 101 Dalmatians ended up being the ideal movie to use the technique on because of the Dalmatians and particularly how there are certain scenes where you have dozens and dozens and at some points all 101 Dalmatians present at the same time. Imagine the amount of effort that would be used in hand drawing cels where you have all 101 Dalmatians present considering that each Dalmatian is supposed to have their own unique spots and the ample room for animation errors to come up and you can understand the appeal. And while it doesn’t meet modern understanding of “computer generated images” the fact that a machine was copying and producing these images and taking over what was formerly a human task (I mean human animators still needed to color it in but whatever) and Xerox machines at the time were essentially analog computers and you can get it. There’s an interview with Chuck Jones from the 70s where he talked about 101 Dalmatians and used the word “computer animation” to describe it so that was how it was seen at the time and even ten years later

Now like I said Walt had been disillusioned with animation but was aware it was his companies bread and butter so when Anderson came to him with the proposal he replied with “"Ah, yeah, yeah, you can fool around all you want to". But when Walt finally saw early versions of the movie? He fucking hated it and said Disney is never going to use one of those “goddamned” Xerox machines again. It destroyed the enchantment and wonder in Walt’s view. This was a guy that had already sorta given up for the moment on actually putting passion into animated films from his studio and just let the animation department handle it but upon seeing all the end result of xerogrgraphy, he was disgusted! Where was the humanity in this? All he saw was the work of machines and said Anderson would never be an animation director again (Anderson says Walt would eventually apologize shortly before his death).

And I think that’s interesting. Without knowing any better, would any contemporary person watching 101 Dalmatians claim it’s anything other than “hand drawn animation”? Because that’s not what it was considered to be at least circa early 60s Disney animation department. Hell, the technique isn’t even really noticeable unless you’re watching the blu-ray version of the movie which is in a higher resolution than it was ever intended to be watched in (there’s actually a lot of agreement that the film is much visually worse in blu-ray). But for Walt Disney, the futurist who in 1961 had already been stepping away from animation? He only saw the work of machines and something stripped of its humanity. But nowadays? You can have CGI movies in our sense of “cgi” where you aren’t even working off any hand drawn sketch but instead images wholly created by computers being directed by artists and the humanity and passion can be made readily apparent in something even more removed from the days of hand drawn cels than the Xerox machine technique.

Anyway, whenever there’s new technology in the arts it’s normal for people to initially see just the work of machines and artificiality. But once people get used to it and it becomes normal, they stop seeing the machine and start seeing the people behind it. Same as it ever was

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harrowharks-iliac-crest · 1 year

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Harrow the Ninth: Appendices

Glossary

I don't actually have much to say about the Glossary here, except for remarking on this one sentence in the entry for the Blood of Eden:

On Wake's death, Blood of Eden withdrew somewhat out of the eye of the Houses to regroup, but were enlivened by the reappearance of their legendary commander in the form of a revenant.

It's news to me that Wake was a revenant! Revenants, if I followed the lore correctly (rudely, there isn't a Glossary entry for them here or in GtN), exist when planets are killed (or resurrected - as the Resurrection Beasts are revenants). Is Wake's form as The Sleeper a revenant, and could she possess Cytherea's body as a revenant? This might be the first mention or inkling that people can become revenants as well.

(Hang on, I have to look something up -)

Ah, here it is, right at the beginning of the book:

"What happens to the soul?" "In the case of gradual death [...] transition is automatc and straightforward. [...] In cases of apopneumatic shock, where death is sudden and violent, the energy burst can be sufficient to countermand osmotic pressure and leave the soul temporarily isolated. Whence we gain the ghost, and the revenant."

This was early enough in Harrow the Ninth that I didn't pay much attention to it, I didn't know what it meant, but I remembered revenants coming up in this conversation. Though the mention I remembered was a little later:

"[...]when a soul is so rudely taken away from the planet--" [...] "A revenant," you said. "Always a revenant," he said. "Every single time, a goddamned revenant."

So I remembered revenants in the context of planets and resurrection beasts, but not people. But people very much can have revenants, and that's what was going on with Wake. Interesting!! Something to look out for for the reread.

Let's move on.

Blood of Eden Memorandum for Record

Oooohh, a look into some of the inner workings of Blood of Eden: The underlying ideology, strategies and plans of this group of rebel insurgents. Should be a fun read!

Your first tactical consideration should always be to identify present necromancers with the highest achievable degree of certainty.

Sounds easy, is anything but; the section directly after this goes into dispelling a bunch of myths regarding necromancers.

I'd look for someone who is physically small, unimposing, even weak or easily overlooked; possibly someone who is with a cavalier (armed, physically larger and stronger). This is by no means a fool-proof method, though.

Necromancers cannot "resurrect" the dead, [...] They often can animate human corpses--whether recent or heavily decayed--and use them as puppets [...] if a comrade is killed in battle, and their body is later seen walking around, they are not "alive." [...] They cannot be salvaged; they can only been avenged.

Well, when you put it like that, necromancy does sound like an absolutely horrifying craft which needs to be opposed at all costs. Yikes.

The offensive technique most commonly attributed to necromancers in popular anecdote - the so-called "death ray" - appears to be complete fiction.

This made me laugh. Though the idea is terrifying, it seems like the idea of necromancers has been rather elevated and twisted in popular culture. This is most likely to be common on occupied planets, where necromancers can't access thanergy and therefore don't have their full powers - and therefore presumably just don't go there very much.

Oh -

Necromancers seemingly do, however, gain energy from proximity to violent death. Although this is a disgusting notion, intelligence sources and tactical analysis make clear that a major House strategy involves trying to inflict multiple ground casualties as quickly as possible at the beginning of an engagement, in order to give any necromancers present a "boost" in their abilities.

Makes sense - if a planet lacks thalergy, just make some.

The actual mechanics of this process are still very poorly understood, and investigating them remains a strategic priority.

It didn't occur to Wake to ask her Lyctor friends about this? They should be able to explain at least the basics of this just fine.

If a necromancer happens to be in the next room - even if it cannot see, hear or in any way perceive your presence - it will immediately know that its minion has been killed, and how. Even if you conceal yourself or leave the room, it will still somehow know where you are.

The use of the "it" pronoun here is chilling. Clearly, necromancers are not quite seen as humans by the Blood of Eden. The act of necromancy - even the aptitude for necromancy - depersons them in the insurgents' eyes. (At least some of them - assuming that this was a collaborative effort - in the next bullet point, necromancers are referred to with singular they.)

Like, I can see why you'd want to deperson them in this way, given how they see necromancy. But hey, necromancers are people too.

Anyway, what they're describing here is definitely scary, especially from a recon/assassination attempt perspective. How the fuck do you even.

Ah yes, by killing the necromancer(s) first, if you can, or just avoiding engagement if you can't.

It would be dangerous to end this memorandum without mentioning the Emperor's most powerful servants, the so-called "Lyctors". Where these creatures are concerned, no normal rules of engagement apply. Avoid them at all costs.

This memorandum was likely written before Commander Wake's time, if they know so little about necromantic theory and caution to avoid Lyctors at all costs. I kinda really want to know how the collaboration between Wake and Augustine and Mercymorn kicked off - did she seek them out? Or did they look for her? She was driven by the desire to find a way to kill the Emperor, and with him the Empire - the Lyctors were driven by the desire to find out what had happened to Alecto, and what was in the Locked Tomb. And they were willing to sacrifice an entire Empire for it.

Which also, still doesn't explain the affair between Wake and Gideon the First/Pyrrha.

This concludes today's liveblog session - we will be back tomorrow hopefully, with As Yet Unsent!!

#tlt liveblog #the locked tomb liveblog #tlt spoilers #the locked tomb #tlt #gideon the ninth #harrow the ninth #harrow the ninth appendices #harrow the ninth liveblog #harrow the ninth spoilers #htn spoilers

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derelictheretic · 2 years

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Tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton, @clicheantagonist and @baldurrs (Thank you!!) to list 5-10 songs that describe or relate to my fav otp/personal ship(s) ! Stuck to my fc5 ones for this <3

Tagging: @viktor-sinclaire @trashcatsnark @bluemojave @ishwaris @unholymilf @roofgeese @sukoshimikan @detectivelokis @strangefable @necro-hamster @deputyash @rejected-beater @jollybone @eur0paa-2 @i-am-the-balancing-point

I just went with 5 songs for each ship, I've been obsessed with Sleep Token recently so they have snuck into a few playlists lmao

Spotify

Clueless by Ellie Williams

Do you think she has seen i'm captivated by her speech?

Or is she clueless?

The Only Exception by Paramore

And up until now I had sworn to myself

That I'm content with lonlieness

I Love you but you make me cry by Elthia

You try to protect yourself

So I have to rip through you

I Wish I never Met You by Babygirl

I wish I knew forever would end so soon

I wish I never kissed you in my living room

Enemies by Lauv

Oh tell me, why did we throw away the love we had?

And tell me why do, why do we love to make it hurt so bad?

Spotify

River by Bishop Riggs

Shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver

Holy hands, will they make me a sinner?

Obsessed With You by The Orion Experience

Your love is better than cocaine

I need you more than oxeygyn

Room For Two by Will Knox

If there is a heaven

I hope I go to hell with you

John My Beloved by Sufjan Stevens

I am a man with a heart that offends

With its lonely and greedy demands

Granite by Sleep Token

I was more than just a body in your passenger seat

And you were more than somebody I was destined to meet

Spotify

I love you baby by Surf Mesa, Emilee

I love you baby, and if it's quite alright

I need you baby, to warm these lonely nights

Dance Alone by Talya Parx

Left hand up, right hand on the bible

You walked in, I was dead on arrival

Angel of small death and the Codeine scene by Hozier

Feeling more human and hooked on her flesh

I lay my heart down with the rest at her feet

My Attic by P!nk

I will give you all my secrets

If you promise you can brave my attic

Lovefool by The Cardigans

Say that you love me

Fool me, fool me

Spotify

It Will Come Back by Hozier

Jesus Christ, don't be kind to it

Honey, don't feed it, I will come back

Once Upon a Dream by Lana Del Ray

And I know it's true, vision are seldom what they seem

But if I know you, I know what you'll do

Alkaline by Sleep Token

And she's changing me

It's too late for me now, I am altered

Deity by Valeree

I'll be your deity, fall to your knees

Oh, honey, pray to me between the sheets

Religion by ZAND

My angel's most polite

When I am on my knees

Spotify

Hit Me With a Kiss by Solo

And when he hit me with his kiss

I tasted whiskey on my lips

Persia by Until The Ribbon Breaks

If I can't be your prince

Then I like to whisper, I'd like to leave you in my fingerprints

Love Is A Weapon by Letdown.

It's just a masochistic love

I've got the push under your shove

I Go Hungry by Mother Mother

When I go hungry I go nail and tooth

When I go hungry, I go hungry, I go hungry

Puppy Pound by Jazmin Bean

Normally i'm no stray, you won't find me in the lost and found

So why'd you make me feel like I am in the goddamn puppy pound?

Spotify

Power by Isak Danielson

When you move, you make my oceans move too

If I hear my name I will run your way

I'll Keep You Safe by Sleeping At Last

Our mistakes, they were bound to be made

But I promise you I'll keep you safe

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

And Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

The Summoning by Sleep Token

Oh, and my love

Did I mistake you as a sign from God

His Hands by Blegh

But you know I was still down on my knees

Like it was a religion

#misc: music #misc: tag game #ship: Pick Your Poison #ship: The Angels Baptist #ship: It Was Me and You Until it Wasn't #ship: Only Us #ship: In The Bliss #ship: Through Heaven's Eyes #I listen to the John/Dean and Jacob/Dean playlists the most they got my fave vibes

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cloudydreams21 · 2 years

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No Turning Back|Part 2Chapter 2

Something Expectedly Unexpected

Check out my Archive of Our Own and Wattpad under the same username cloudydreams21 ☁️

V. Light smut in this chapter

Chapter Songs: Dark Red- Steve Lacy and Same Room-JP Same

Goddamn, the universe had a sense of humour.

Rick stared at her blankly for a second, barely being able to work through the swarm of thoughts and questions congesting his brain. His inner monologue was giving him whiplash. He was kicking himself for not taking the time to learn more about this dimension before settling himself in.

How does Beth even know her? Why is she here? Oh fuck, did she know the previous Rick who lived here- the Rick I replaced, the Rick I killed? Wow, she really is beautiful. Crap, what the fuck am I even meant to say right now? Right, fuck this, I’m not doing this, I’m not having this shit in my life. I’m not one of those Ricks who-. But fuck me, those Citadel Ricks were right; she is a knockout. Why did I have to choose one of these dimensions. Okay, act natural, she doesn’t need to know you’re a fucking idiot Rick.

Rick couldn’t help but find something special about this version of her-my version? No, not my version, Jesus Rick you just met the girl. How is it that she seemed to radiate warmth and comfort even in the few seconds he had been in her presence. He took as many moments as he could to take her in without coming across like a tongue-tied fool. She wore a long skirt which rested just below her knees, and a simple black top cropping at her ribs. She wore golden jewellery on her fingers and long layered necklaces. She was truly a ray of sunshine. Shit, she was goddamn angelic.

Beth managed to break into his thoughts, clearly not noting the absurd battle raging just inside his head.

“Daaaad, this is my best friend, she lives over the road but we met in College.” She cheerily gestured to her friend before frowning at Rick’s blank expression. “Oh yeah! Right, of course you wouldn’t know.” She feigned lightheartedness but he registered the frustration behind her cheery tone. “Dad, after I had Morty... Jerry was a stay-at-home dad for a while. I went to the local College to become a Veterinary Surgeon. You know my job, horsesurgeon…” She explained, becoming increasingly bad at hiding her frustration with her dad’s blank stare. “Well, anyway, we met in the library-” Beth gave her a meaningful smile and her friend let out a soft chuckle, “-and we just hit it off! I hadn’t even known her grandma lived on this street, just over the road! She moved in to her house a few years ago when she left it to her and she's been a big part of this family ever since! Well, she is family.” She finished giving her friend the brightest of smiles.

She got up from the sofa now, pulling down the skirt as it hitched up on her thighs before extending a hand towards Rick offering him her name. “Beth gave me call a couple of months ago to let me know you had moved in! Sorry I hadn’t been able to introduce myself sooner, I was away for work…but you’ll probably be seeing a lot of me now that I’m back. I can't wait to get to know Beth's dad. Hope that’s not a problem!” She finished with a soft laugh that tickled all of Rick’s senses.

He observed her face and noticed her septum and nose piercings... Holy shit, seriously. It was like she was trying to be as attractive as possible. Rick snapped out of his reverie again and finally managed to unfreeze himself putting on his usual disinterested face. He reached into his lab-coat for his flask, looked at her extended hand once pointedly, before ignoring it and taking a sip. He finally steeled himself, preparing to talk and keep his voice level although his senses were extremely heightened to the point where he felt jittery.

“R-right…” he spoke, forcing impatience to paint his tone as he maintained boorish eye contact with her.

She dropped her hand back down and Rick noted some confusion, and perhaps even some disappointment in her eyes. He felt like an asshole and began regretting his crassness. But this sense of vulnerability he was feeling was not something he was comfortable with, he wasn't sure how best to proceed.

She sat back down, took a deep breath, and rubbed her hands up and down her thighs briefly to sooth herself. Rick’s gaze dropped to her thighs as she soothed herself and back up slightly to rest on her chest as she leant over to reach for a cup of tea sat on the coffee table. He managed to shift his gaze to her face before she noticed. She smiled awkwardly at Rick again, before glancing at Beth.

He looked away quickly and snapped his eyes to Beth. “S-sweetie, I-I gotta go the garage, I l-l-left an alien egg in the incubator and it could hatch a-any minute.” He turned away before she could respond and made his way back to the garage.

“O-okay, Dad! Are you gonna be around later? I’ll be cooking dinner for us all!” Beth called out as he walked away.

He just managed to get out a brief “Mmmhmm.” Before sealing himself in the garage and leaning against the door. Fuck.

-------

Before Rick knew it, he was on his knees fumbling through box after box until his fingers finally wrapped around them. He pulled the goggles out and began frantically turning the dial to the Rick from Earth Dimension B-814, the Rick whose life he had before. He had finally clicked that the first Rick he had observed and the random girl sitting with his family wasn't a random dismissible person at all, but rather one of the few versions of her. After all this time avoiding snooping into his alternate lives, it was clearly time to get some answers, to see if she was somehow significant in some way and if he could figure a way to avoid it. Avoid her.

I can do anything. I'm fucking Rick Sanchez, smartest man in the universe. I choose my own life, I'm fucking god.

But why did she have to be so captivating. In the few short moments he had interacted with her, she made him want to know her. He wrote it off as just sexual attraction and nothing more. Of course I’m attracted to her, I’m a human male, I have eyes and a brain. She's attractive, sure. She’s smiley and approachable too, the total opposite of me. Of course that peaked my attraction to her. Nothing special, nothing important. Not significant.

He told himself B-814 probably never even pursued anything with her, she was just there all those years ago because of Beth.

Once he put the goggles on, he saw the one thing he hoped he wouldn’t.

B-814 was lying in bed on his side, with his arm draped over a woman lying with her back to him. Rick leant forward and kissed a spot behind her ear. His effect was immediate, she giggled and rolled over to look into his eyes, smiling softly.

“I still can’t believe you actually moved in-”. She shifted forward to kiss him, and she placed her hand on his face. She gently pushed his hair out of his eyes as she continued. “After all the obstacles and reservations. All these years…”. She looked into his eyes with such adoration.

B-814 broke into a teasing smile, “Baby girl…y-you don’t need to remind me how old I am. All these years… I don’t know why you even feel this way f-for an old ass man. Shit, d-do you even know how old I am? Babe-i have to tell you something. I’m not the smartest man in the universe, I-I’m the oldest.” She laughed hard at his teasing and shoved him playfully. “Okay, o-okay, I’ll stop.” He urged as he frantically pulled her back into bed because she was rolling her eyes and getting up. He settled his hand on her waist pulling her in and continued in a more serious tone. “L-look, I- I-I know I’ve been stubborn, I just never thought in a million years that Beth would end up being so excepting of us! I know I had some shit to figure out in my own head too. Y-you know I don’t, or didn’t, really resign to relationship stuff or love. I mean love is just familiarity over time, or at least I thought it was. Ugh, shit, I’m so fucking lucky to have such-such incredible women in my life.” He shifted the hand on his waist to grasp her hip. She had a playful look in her eyes as her cheeks flushed slightly pink. She then opened her mouth to begin another round of teasing, but Rick swiftly cut her off her incoming remark with a kiss. She hummed happily into his mouth as he shifted his on top of her, his hands caressing every inch of her.

Rick C-149 was stunned. What were the chances he came across that interaction? This couldn’t be a common outcome. He was even talking about love? Living with each other. Rick had maybe expected a small fling but nothing that, deep.

He began adapting the goggles. He had to get into these Rick’s heads, he needed to know what they were really thinking. After some rushed tinkering, he managed to make the goggles fully immersive. He would now experience the alternate Rick’s emotions and sensations. He would be able to be in their minds as if it was his own.

He swiftly used one of his now shaking hands to move the dial to another dimension, twisting and twisting until he saw her again. This time he landed on Earth Dimension S-223.

Rick was back in his garage in the midst of an argument.

“We should have never rekindled whatever the fuck this is.” she spat. “We should’ve never pursued this all those years ago, I mean, I’m your daughter’s best friend! Why do you keep constantly leaving and coming back again? Every time you do you reopen these old wounds. It’s been years of this on and off bullshit Rick. I’m dating Sam now. I’m settled, I’m happy.” She glowered into S-223’s eyes, waiting for a response.

Rick said nothing, somehow lost for words. He turned his back to her and started to fiddle with some metal scrap on his workbench, trying to appear busy. She sighed heavily and Rick sensed her moving toward him. She rested her hand on his lower back, and his whole body tensed.

“Rick…I was taken with you from the moment we met. Remember? You crashed into Gran’s house with that stupid spaceship of yours. God I remember Beth running across the road, a thousand apologies flying out of her mouth-" She paused to laugh at the fond memory. "-That was the first time Beth and I met too and we grew close quickly.” She sighed again, a sad nostalgia lingering in the air. “Rick, I think I always felt something for you. I mean- I was always making up some kind of excuse to come round, even when I hadn’t made plans with Beth. I’d linger in the same room as you, and visit Gran more and more often to do gardening in her front yard when your garage door was open. I remember even offering to help with your experiments.” Even with everything that had passed between them both, she still blushed at her confession. “Then once Grandma passed and I moved into her place...I think things…shifted. I mean fuck. Your presence in any room made my head spin. It still does.”

Rick B-814 was fighting hard not to react as she pulled his heart strings, warmth spreading across his chest. He remembered her enthusiasm to help out, her slightly too long glances at him. Her hours in her Grans front garden, planting flowers, weeding and trimming the hedges. She had this uncanny knack of knowing when he would be home, conveniently planning her visits to her Grandmother accordingly. She thought she was subtle, but he picked up on it easily. How could anything she did be subtle when he noticed her every little thing. He couldn’t help but spend more time in the house when she was over, or opening the garage when he saw her car pull up to her Grandma’s house. He had been just as taken with her the moment he dropped out of his ship onto that front yard. The memory of it gave him a mix of shame and but deep fondness for her. He felt so wrong feeling that way, it was wrong lusting after her, especially when she had become so close to his daughter.

C-149 felt floored being pulled into B-814’s memories, experiencing the surges of fondness and doubt and nostalgia.

“We risked your relationship with Beth the moment we kissed.” she sighed.

Guilt began to flood his brain at the mention of Beth. He turned around slowly and held her hands, not daring to look into her eyes.

She squeezed his hands, her voice suddenly filled with urgency. “She doesn’t even know about us! Whenever you leave for a year or two at a time and come back, she always thinks it's something she’s done! Because she's not good enough for you, not because you can't handle being around me. Our-whatever this is. This back and forth is getting too exhausting. Why can't you just stay here this time, for real? If-if we can’t be together then, fine. But I know these feelings can eventually pass, I know we will get used to being around each other but not touching, eventually we won’t even want each other anymore. We just need to give it time, a true chance to settle.”

Rick began shaking his head knowing his feelings would never fade but knowing he could never be with her; he couldn’t let himself admit to wanting all of her. She didn't deserve to be mixed up in his life more than she was already. A true relationship with him would ruin her more than he already had. She deserved a true partnership, a joyful life. The chance to make her own home, her own family. He could never be enough for her and settling down would never be enough for him.

She watched his head shake and grew in frustration. “Or-or just leave then and this time stay gone! Don’t come waltzing back in a year’s time to start the same infuriating cycle. This limbo you’ve thrown us in is poisoning everything. Sam he- Sam is a good guy, I want him to move in, I-I want to - I need to start my own life with him. But every time you come back, I lose myself in you again.” She let out a rattling breath, trying, but failing to fight tears back.

“Baby…d-don’t talk like that.” He reached a hand up and brushed her tears away which had finally broken free. “I didn’t-we can’t- I-I can’t help feeling w-what - wanting you, I-I just can’t-I can’t be- we can’t be -us.” He struggled to explain himself and instead pulled her into a tight hug as she sobbed into his chest.

She pulled away to look into his eyes, “What, what even is this? How do you even feel Rick, do you want me, want us or do you just like possessing me? My body? I mean is this all some twisted game for you? If it is really just about us screwing, I don’t get why you feel the need to leave. I mean surely you can get over yourself and stay? But if you want us, like truly want us, then tell me and we will figure it out. We can tell Beth. I'll break up with Sam because it is not fair on him, I can’t do this to him any longer.”

He looked away again becoming agitated at her new line of questioning. “I-I don’t know? W-why would you e-even ask that?” He asked incredulously. “I-I just like being around you, I - we make - I make you - I like touching you. You feel r-right. D-don’t try and make it something-something-It’s not-or maybe it is? Christ-it's not that I don’t feel- don’t feel-”. Rick reluctantly looked into her eyes again, they could’ve burnt a hole right through him.

He could see her mind whirring as she tried to figure out what was going on behind his eyes. She usually saw right through him, and this time was no different. Fed up she started pulling away, but he held her tighter. “You-you can’t even admit it to yourself! You can’t even say it-”. A torrent of accusations began to flow, but he cut it off, pulling her into a desperate kiss. After a moment of resistance, she returned it with the same frantic energy. They clung to each other like they were each other’s life raft, the other one’s kiss lifesaving sustenance.

“I can’t...”, she gasped between kisses. “Sam he-”. Rick kissed along her jawline, hands digging into her waist and travelling lower. “He doesn’t deserve this-”.

She jerked her head back and grabbed Rick's face so he would look into her eyes.“Rick. You're destroying me.”

His eyes filled with hesitation but before he could second guess himself, she pulled him in for another urgent kiss.

They gave into their need melting into each other’s arms. She wrenched off his lab-coat, as he lifted her onto his workbench. The pair almost fit together like two parts of a whole.

Filled with desperation and yearning he pushed into her again and again until she came apart in his arms.

I got some inspo from Bridgeton Season 2 for one of the lines in S-223’s section. It hurt 🫥

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 1 year

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ELEMENTAL Still Climbs

Surpassing $400m worldwide, surpassing 5x for its multiplier (an exemplary result for a summer release film), and still hanging on weekend-to-weekend... ELEMENTAL is the "comeback" everyone has called it in the recent weeks. From Pixar's lowest unadjusted opened of $29m to leggy sensation...

Even if it doesn't make 2 1/2x its ridiculous $200m budget, that's quite something... Even Disney themselves are acknowledging that, because legs - as I often say - speak VOLUMES.

The digital home media release and physical releases have been set (mid-to-late September), the Disney+ debut date is presumably right around the time of the latter. Disney did the same for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, while their LITTLE MERMAID remake releases on D+ before the Blu-ray comes out... Though, maybe Disney holds off on ELEMENTAL's D+ release. It being absent from the recent home release announcements makes me wonder... Keep that thing 'til Christmas, I say. Give it time to slowly putter out domestically, give it time to make decent money in digital rentals/sales and disc sales... Demand for those who won't rent/buy the movie would only increase if they hold out 'til December.

But, I have a feeling they'll just debut it on Disney+ in September...

Anyways, I'm happy to see it doing well, especially for director Peter Sohn. His debut feature-length picture, THE GOOD DINOSAUR, was Pixar's first money-loser. I chalk it up to the movie being a little too bizarre for audiences (a.k.a. it's a movie for ME), the troubled production no doubt ballooning its budget (if the hyperrealistic visuals already didn't), and Disney quietly putting it out a month before STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. Bah. Who knows how it would've done if released at another time, or if it were the original version that Bob Peterson conceived and was directing. ELEMENTAL definitely appealed to audiences more, even if the trailers seemed to not communicate that.

It's like a small hope spot for theatrical Disney-released animation.

Of course, WISH is a bit up in the air at the moment because of the ongoing strikes. That we might not get a new WDAS movie in the studio and company's goddamn centennial... because Diz executives and the other dingus companies just can't do the right thing and pay their writers/actors... Absurd how they just keep picking the worst possible option, prolonging all of this.

But whenever it does arrive, hopefully with those who were paid well giving the movie some extra promotional push (not the sorry state of affairs we saw with HAUNTED MANSION's premiere, and for a non-Disney example, Sony's GRAN TURISMO relying on random people tweeting about the movie), I hope that also does well... We haven't had a Disney-released animated movie that was a "box office success" (as in, made 2 1/2x its production budget) since FROZEN II... All the way back in 2019. ELEMENTAL has to make it to $500m to clear that, and it's out now in Japan, where it opened spectacularly... Maybe it could make it? Maybe not. It'll come very close if it doesn't.

If the conglomerate heads keep being fools, I expect some more animated movie delays. Sony moved back a ton of pictures, and undated BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE (which was always going to move to begin with, strike or no strike). I won't be surprised if Disney, Universal, et al. follow suit. Like, could ELIO end up being a summer 2024 release that pushes INSIDE OUT 2 to summer 2025? Could titles like GARFIELD and DESPICABLE ME 4 also be affected?

We shall see...

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life-er · 1 year

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Okay so what. So what I think about he/him pronouns and going on testosterone sometimes. I can’t take that kinda heat NOW, look at my pockets. Sad, SAD empty pocketses. Im simply turning the other cheek and averting my gaze because I can’t handle this right now.

I will remain floating in this lazy river of gender. Oh shit I can’t see you waving and yelling at me, it’s probably because of my shades. Oh what am I watching right now? The back of my eyelids as the gorgeous succulent rays of the sun beat the brakes off my little epidermis. Why face the music now when I can simply put it off for several years down the line. Why open the package now when I can return to sender and get it mailed back anyways because it’s my goddamn package and why didn’t I just open it the first time. Sad, SAD little fool that I am… sad sad sorry little fool of a Took. Oh well! Piña colada down the non-binary hatch.

I am allergic to coconut and pineapple, the two titular ingredients of the classic and infamous aforementioned beverage in real life but on this virtual blog post? Anything goes. I can even say bah humbug. Suspension of disbelief who

#gender #pronouns #bruh #they/them #now but I think about #he/him #too so………#idk #I think I will do nothing about it. currently an amorphous blob

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thewestern · 8 months

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Drums/Space

Needle Drop (noun) is a show business term for when movies or television shows score a scene with popular music. Or rather anything that isn’t part of the original soundtrack. Like when you’re watching something and you recognize a song from before in your life … that’s a needle drop. It’s a clever way of connecting you, the viewer to the story, — you don’t personally know these characters but you do know this song, by heart — lending it an added depth. Or better still, if this is your first time hearing the song, and the program is introducing it to you in the context of this narrative, causing the opposite phenomenon to occur. Suddenly this virgin melody is imbued with some synthetic meaning. What a great way to discover music. Sure beats any goddamn algorithm. Fucking ‘a-man to that, brother.

Yes. Needle drops. Maybe you are familiar with some well-known examples from these classic films. The End by the Doors, Apocalypse Now. Mad World by Tears for Fears, Donnie Darko. Where Is My Mind by the Pixies, Fight Club.

The iconic filmmaker Martin Scorcese for our purposes could be considered a founding father of the needle drop. Of pop music, he once said, it’s the soundtrack to my life. (Same, dude.) They are inseparable, music and film. (Like peanut butter and jelly, baby. Sonny and Cher.) So it is that popular songs feature prominently in his work. From Slippin’ And Slindin’ (Peepin’ And Hidin’) by Little Richard, Casino … to I’m Shipping Up To Boston by The Dropkick Murphys, The Departed. Quite famously and hilariously he uses Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones in three of his films, including the aforementioned two as well as his masterpiece Goodfellas, which in and of itself is a bukakee of needle drops. There’s the Sunshine of Your Love by Cream, wherein the camera zooms in on Robert Deniro as Jimmy Conway, capturing the precise moment he resolves to kill the fool Morrie Kessler, a mob-connected wig salesman portrayed by character actor Chuck Low. Of course, lest we forget Layla by Derek & the Dominos, but crucially the piano coda; not the signature guitar lick, which would have been way too obvious. For the non-Clapton Division, please consider Then He Kissed Me by the Crystals. Because there are two words to make any cinephile cream his khakis on command: Tracking and Shot. And then … holy fucking shit, the cold open. Take a beat. Transport yourself there. The year is nineteen-ninety. Your girlfriend wanted to see Ghost, but last time you went to the movies you saw Pretty Woman, which you actually liked, but still the point stands. This time, you get to pick. After all, you’re paying. Popcorn, soda and tickets, for two … that’s twenty bucks! You take your seats on the aisle. Not because you want to be able to scramble for the emergency exits in the case of a mass shooting. Because you’re a bit on edge, on account of some whack job shot up a screening of the third Batman movie at a cineplex the town over from where you grew up. No, this was the early nineties. Even then you had a small blatter. Besides, you heard from your creepy coworker Jeremy, the movie buff, that this movie is like two and a half hours long. No way, Jose. Okay, shh, it’s starting. The house lights go dim.

Exterior: pulled over on the side of the road, in the pitch black dark of the pre-dawn. Our anti-heroes’ faces are underlit — as if from the fiery depths of hell — by the sinister red bath of the brake lights. A fresh-faced Ray Liotta as Henry Hill pops the trunk. With his last laboured breaths, a badly beaten and bloodied Billy Batts begs for mercy. Pesci as Tommy stabs. Deniro, Jimmy the Gent, shoots. Liotta — still Henry — slams the trunk, locking us, the audience, in for a ride we will not soon forget. Cue voiceover (one of the few masterful deployments of this oft-misused cinematic storytelling device):

As Far Back As I Can Remember I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster.

Hard cue, horns.

I know I’d go from rags to riches

If you would only say you care

And though my pockets may be empty

I’d be a millionaire

(Ladies and gentlemen, Tony M.F’n. Bennet.)

Marty, man. The freaking GOAT, dude. Ain’t no other filmmaker out there can touch him. However, they can and have used needle drops to relentlessly bite his steeze. There have been some worthwhile innovations in the form though. One special movie magic trick therein is if the characters in the story are also listening to, or better still singing along with the song in question. It’s sort of like, have you ever seen a movie that’s set in the place you live? If it’s New York or Chicago or Seattle or some other metropolis, usually you think, hey, that’s not [Name of city]! And you’re probably right. It’s not a major American city. It’s Toronto or Vancouver or Atlanta. Some city in a province or state with a film production-friendly tax incentive program. But imagine the rare cases the producer did spring to have it shot On Location, in your exact neighborhood, on your block even, right outside your old building. There’s something uncanny about it, isn’t there? Sure all the street names and the skyline is the same, but you’re a local. You notice subtle differences. Like they swapped out all the signs in the shop windows, probably to satisfy some product placement deal. Or the homeless guy who’s always passed out cold on that corner, regardless of the time of day. Probably some production assistant woke him up. Gave him ten bucks petty cash. Told him to take a hike for the afternoon. All that being said, if those actors are hearing a real song, one that You also know — it doesn’t matter if they’re on some soundstage in the deep recesses of a studio lot in fucking Burbank … well then quite feasibly you could exist within the fictional universe of this film. Their joy, their sorrow — become yours. You are now a part of this story. And that, my friend, is the good stuff. Here are some such examples:

I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher, Groundhog Day. Fight the Power by Public Enemy, Do the Right Thing. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, Say Anything. Twist and Shout by the Beatles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seger, Risky Business. Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band, Anchorman. Hip to Be Square by Huey Lewis & The News, Almost Famous. Tiny Dancer by Elton John, American Psycho. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Wayne’s World. Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, The Sopranos (the only admissible example from the world of television as recognized by the court). Scorcese’s got a great one of these too, inwhere the character is interacting with the music, quite demonstrably so in this scene. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon, The Color of Money. (TCOM also has another great Clapton [solo] drop: It’s in the Way That You Use It.)

Those are all well and good, but when it comes to movie characters interacting with music as a part of the story, well, let’s just say that Quentin Tarantino is the sensei of this dojo. You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry, Pulp Fiction. Thurman and Travolta do the twist. Then the very next scene (chronologically), wherein Uma drops the actual needle, although technically it’s a reel-to-reel tape deck, on … Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon by Urge Overkill. Followed shortly thereafter by Vinnie Barbarino quite forcefully dropping a hypodermic needle through her breastplate, injecting pure, pharmaceutical-grade adrenaline directly into her heart. No music plays during this scene. They say jazz is just as much about the notes you don’t play.

How about some later-period Tarantino? Straight Shooter by The Mamas & The Papas, Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood. (Did you know that the sheet music for this song was discovered by investigators at the crime scene for the first of two Manson Family Murders, on the grand piano in the director Roman Polanski’s home on Cielo Drive, mere feet away from the lifeless body of his eight-and-a-half months pregnant wife, the actress Sharon Tate, who had been stabbed sixteen times? Now that’s an Easter Egg.) Pair that recent offering with a stone-cold classic from his directorial debut … Stuck In The Middle WIth You by Stealers Wheel, Reservoir Dogs. (Obviously, the whimsical nature of the music and the lyrics, which are literally about clowns and jokers, juxtaposed against the sheer menace of Mark Madsen as Mr. Blonde, dancing with glee at the prospect of torturing this, his bound and gagged victim, Sean Penn’s brother, is played for effect here. This application of music in film as an agent of contrast will go on to be oft-immitated, especially in movie trailers. More on that later. In the meantime, as long as we’re indulging in a little Hollywood trivia, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database, Tarantino burned the entire budget allotment to score on securign the rights to this one song. Implying he was content with having no other music in the movie, so long as he had Stuck in the Middle for this one scene. Of course that’s not the case. There are other songs, but only because the producers managed to cut a separate record deal for the soundtrack.) Come to think of it, that movie opens with a needle drop wherein the needle doesn’t technically drop. The dialogue only refers to a popular song. Like a Virgin by Madonna. Just a crew of hardened criminals — we’re talking real bad hombres, here — sitting around the table at greasy spoon diner, shooting the shit about pop music, mouth love and metaphor. (BTW, best not step to Louisa with that — Actually, I Don’t Believe Tipping — bullshit, Steve Buscemi. She’ll have Thadeus go to work on your ass with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch. Mr. Pink. What kind of pussy-ass name is that anyway?)

So now that we’ve established this crucial discourse, what then is the best needle drop, according to consensus? We needn’t look any further than QT’s contemporary and friend, PTA. Paul Thomas Anderson, courtesy of. PTFA. And this one’s a double dipper: Sister Christian by Night Ranger >| Jessie’s Girl by Ricky Springfield, Boogie Nights. He’s a buddy of mine!

Have you seen any of these movies, or have you heard any of these songs? What are some of your favorite songs from movies?

(Postscript: As previously mentioned, ultimately, the needle drop became so ubiquitous that They started using them to punch up movie trailers, much to the dismay of underemployed baritone voice actors in a world over. Ever the evolutionary, Marty had one of the best of these coming attraction needle drops, too: Black Skinhead by Kanye West, The Wolf of Wall Street, trailer. [For my theme song {Black} / My leather black jeans on {Black} / My by any means on / Pardon I’m getting my scream on {Black}.] Three years prior, the preview for The Social Network — best picture runner-up to The Artist — famously and quite influentially featured the backing track of a Belgian girls choir covering Creep by Radiohead, already an anthemic standard. It bears repeating how in subsequent years this became sort of cliche — movie trailers soundtracked by seemingly happy reimaginings of sad songs, or vice versa. It’s a cheap illusion. Sleight of hand. Pay close attention and you’ll see how it’s transcended advertisements for upcoming movie releases, and been increasingly deployed to promote household items and other consumer products. One campaign in particular comes to mind. It’s a series of stop motion-animated Short Films produced by a chain of Fast Casual Mexican restaurants. They’re self-aggrandizing as artistic stands taken against the societal ill of factory farming, but don’t let that fool you for one fucking second. They’re still fucking burrito commercials, at the end of the day. Same as ever. Only sans chihuahua. Not that it matters, but the needle drops used are sort of a spooky indie rock reimagining of the theme song from Willy Wonka, as well as two separate country-fried covers of fucking Coldplay.)

Ain’t it fun, remembering stuff? Tell you what: if you’re ever laying awake at night, tossing and turning, choose a category of something you like and make a list of the stuff you can remember within it. It could be anything. World capitals, say, if you like geography. Suppose instead you’re one of them sports nuts. Then how about backup quarterbacks, or singular team names is a fun one. (I.e. the ones that aren’t plural, or in other words don’t end in the letter -S- … e.g. Orlando Magic, Colorado Avalanche, Boston Red Sox, etc.) Also you could do saints. New Orleans or Catholic. Either works. Maybe comic book characters, you fucking nerd. Car makes and models. U.S. Vice Presidents. Dog breeds. Non-sporting group. Types of legumes. See, your brain isn’t rotting from the inside out. Go on and try it. Keep the nightmares at bay. For just a little bit longer. No, I am Not a Robot. Why do You ask?

###

Hank didn’t have a record player. Funny, doesn’t he seem like the very model of a Vinyl Man? Like imagine if there were a museum exhibit about how humans throughout history listened to music — with all manner of gramophones and jukeboxes and walkmans — there’d be taxidermied Hank in a life-size diorama of a finished basement, dropping the needle on an Al Jarreau LP. Truth is, if he couldn’t hear it live and in-person, which was his preference, Hank didn’t much care how he listened, or even what the music was. (Just so long as it wasn’t rap. Like JG, he was woefully dismissive of hip hop in all forms. Was this a manifestation of white guilt, considering all the music he did like had been ripped off of black music from the first? Perhaps. It’s hard to say.) The people he was listening with, is what was important to him. They could choose for all he cared. And so they did. Mary Ellen Moffet’s love wagon had an eight track. Russ got named as one of several hundred co-defendants in the suit brought against Napster by Metallica, persecuted as an early adopters of pirated music, apostates of the record company industrial coplex. Of course, Skip had his radio. Thadeus and Louisa enjoyed the music of the conversation. He didn’t get the pleasure of knowing Grace, but she was known to be a witchy woman on the aux chord. (Zeke had a device called the Zune that he was terribly self-conscious about.) And after all these years the New Frontier still had that five CD changer. The Mick resisted any attempt to upgrade. What for? The carousel goes on forever. There is no dead wax, turn over to side B, pop the cassette, start a new playlist. Once one of the discs from Mick’s binder ends, the cartridge rotates, and another begins. Case in point: Jerry Garcia Band. Spring 1990. 20 May 1990, Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hawaii (Big Island).

Tough mama

Meat shakin' on your bones

I'm gonna go down to the river and get some stones.

Sister's on the highway with that steel-drivin' crew,

Papa's in the big house, his workin' days are through.

Tough mama

Can I blow a little smoke on you?

#novls of tumblr #needle drops

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mmmcheetos · 11 months

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https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2bw85cjBOzhXwMflMumwe4?si=b4fa8ff4dc1049a6 - idk if i've ever shared the jinxue story playlist with you so here!! (yes ik there is a disturbing amount of fnaf songs, i'm on tumblr, what did you expect?)

If i may be so bold, I'd like to elaborate on the song choice 'Main Character'! It's Jin Yuran 1.0 and the song is him sloooowwwwlllyyyyy descending into insanity while trying to keep positive because he's the beaming eldest son made of sun rays. However, the bridge is when he properly loses it, and i've assigned little lyrics to people in my head so forgive me briefly while i explain it to you like a goddamn film script: Lai Yingxue: "Judge me by what my cover shows/" (practically emotionless on the outside and this is how everyone percieves him) "author becomes beyond reproach/" (Because of his disposition, he's talked ill off) "you don't know the prose or is the spine is still intact" (No one ever actually bothers to get to know him, his thoughts and feelings are ignored due to his demeanour, a book never read because the words look too long)

JYR's Dad: "...The Royak We/demand a standard of loyalty/in order to be reverent, lick the emperor's new boots" (Forcing the guoshi all to listen and obey and basically suck up to him, at risk of their loved one's lives)

Mai Guiying: "The court's fool got the guillotine" (1, his head was cut off, 2, he is the 'fool' of the court, naive and trusting but too scared to actually seek help until, eventually, he goes to the wrong person)

all guoshi: "we all do what we need to to get through/" (them taking their anger out on the children, slowly becoming cruel and bitter as being held hostage in a gilded cage put on display makes them slowly begin to lose any care they had for being in the moral right, just desperate for catharsis) JYR, in the immediate following lyric: "But I ain't done a fucking thing to you!" (He's an innocent bystander who was caught as a ransom in a war he didn't know existed - he never hurt anyone until he broke)

Also JYR, fast forwarding a few lines: "I mean, imagine if antagonists lacked any evil scheme!" (This one is a scene in my head of emporer JYR holding a hostage LYX's face, screaming desperately into a blank expression - the impact of the line comes from the irony: LYX was no antagonist, he didn't have an evil scheme. He and his friends lashed out and it hurt the wrong person. JYR was never part of the equation but he was the one who ended the game by destroying it. His descent to madness was an accident, not deliberate, but he cannot see it any other way because he simply doesnt know. In his decimated mind, LYX is a man of no love, empathy or kindness; he is a true villain)

Yikes, i just went english student-ish on you my apologies-

anyways, enjoy my thoughts!!!

🐉

au contraire there is not enough fnaf songs (i am on tumblr too my friend). there are so many bangers in this playlist tho love to see it

also don't apologise !!! i loved reading through this (especially after a ridiculous amount of math, i think i'm descending into insanity)

i'm now thinking about what you said ("while trying to keep positive because he's the beaming eldest son made of sun rays.") and how "i'm the main character, you have to like me" applies to jyr bc he's he prince! he's trying so hard to impress his tutors! and yet, they all hate him and make him suffer. and his second chance at life is a chance for him to be that likable, o.p. main character. idk tho i am not the english student here i have lost the ability to analyse texts

#ask ever

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