#sound in his movies is always bonkers

[marypickfords]

The Sound of Summer (Guy, 2022)

[baitsharklton]

Finn Mertens x F! Reader; Line Without A Hook

In honor of the new Fiona and Cake show dropping! This is probably really dumb and lame but, I can only try.

—

Y/n giggled profusely, her insides feeling set ablaze since Finn had grabbed her hand and took off into the treehouse the second he opened the door, pulling her body flush to his.

He lifted her, arms held to her gum sides as he started to spin her relishing in the sound of her laughter.

“Y/N!” He screamed, a smile on his face so wide, his face was sure to hurt. He couldn’t help it, after all, he hadn’t seen his friend in a week.

Y/n replied with a scream of his name, her giggling increasing, though deep down, she knew how this was going to go. It was always the same after all.

He’d call her over when no one else was there, they’d watch movies, cuddle, she’d play with his hair, sometimes if he was feeling ever so bold, he’d offer to rub her back and relieve the sore muscles.

It wasn’t hard to figure out why he was so keen to get close to her, she was Y/n Bubblegum, the sister of her crush’s crush.

Yet while Finn swears that he doesn’t simply want to be around her because it could make him closer to P.B, or that he cares about Y/n and isn’t simply relying on her for emotional comfort the blonde boy would sometimes grab her hand, or cuddle her when they’re alone, close his eyes and just for a moment, a simple second, imagine it was P.B, but that was all, according to him at least.

That’s not who he is, he’s Finn Mertens, he’s a hero.

Sure, sometimes there would be a pang of guilt in his chest, or a fire would flicker in his stomach when she gave him a sweet smile.

However, Y/n was his friend, and as cool as she is, she’s just not P.B.

Y/n quickly peaked around for Jake, assuring herself of what side of Finn she was seeing, before she continued her mild ministering of affection.

“So, Jake is at Lady’s?” She mused with a raised brow “Only asking for me with an empty tree, Mertens ? Do you need a cuddle sesh ?”

Finn rolled his eyes with, a now sarcastic, smile. “I was just away in a dungeon crawl for a week, am I not allowed a cuddle sesh ?”

Another laugh slipped through her lips and the gum-girl fell back on the couch and pat her tummy, signaling for him to follow suit.

Finn fell onto her and cuddled against her, and she began to slowly caress his back to soothe him.

“Why am I never allowed to be affectionate with you when people are around?” Y/n hummed slowly, she wasn’t sure why she asked, she wasn’t even sure why she allowed herself to give in and show him this kind of affection.

She knew how he felt about her sister, was even there when he met and broke up with Flame Princess. Y/n remembered how she felt when they were younger and Bonnie herself had turned young.

Watching Finn fall further in love with her sister, and pull himself away from her. The way it felt to watch him fawn over Bonnie. The ripping burning pain in her chest as she sobbed, as it felt like her body could barely contain it.

The way she smiled and excused herself from playing her favorite video game on BMO in the treehouse, and barely made it halfway down the ladder before sobs began to try and escape.

She remembered taking off down the hill with bare feet, falling to her knees and finally letting it all out.

Jake had comforted her that day. He wrapped her in a squoze, and mumbled to her how wonderful she was, and that if Finn can’t see that he’s banana bonkers.



She remembered how hard it was to get over him, how she found solace in Braco, a suitor for her sister who took his father’s place in line when he passed.

Bonnie had called her into her lab and told her the situation, she asked Y/n to help him find joy in other things.

Y/n remembered the way they ran through the kindgdom, trying different food spots, how he made some small jokes when he was comfortable and made her laugh.

They ran throughout the kingdom even during the night, when she took him away to her favorite cliff, how they laid in the grass and watched the stars.

How he looked at her.

“Y/n,” he had mumbled “you’re very different from the princess.”

She had furrowed her brows in confusion “Is that bad? I’m sorry if I disappointed you.” She whispered, feeling ashamed momentarily, yet for the millionth time, less than her sister.

Branco’s face lit up in realization and he sat up on his elbow, looking at her in amazement “Are you serious? No! Y/n you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, your sister would have never even given me a chance, yet you came and showed me the kingdoms wonders, you never even gave up on me when I was being mega lame.”

Branco sat up, then helped Y/n sit up, taking her hands gingerly. “Y/n Bubblegum, you are absolutely wonderful, and if anyone can’t see that they are banana bonkers.”

Y/n couldn’t help it, she found this man absolute wonderful. Without a second thought, she had leaned forward and kissed him.

Later on, about two weeks later, he had left her.

For a clone of her sister.

It was Finn who had comforted her, who had told her she was wonderful. That was how they wound up in their current situation. He would allow her to be as affectionate as she wanted with him, only if they were alone.

Finn looked up at her, pulling off his hat and lightly scratching his scalp. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Finn,” The way he was looking at her, it felt scrutinizing, it made her feel self conscious. She hated it.

She used her arms to slide herself back, she hugged her legs to herself, she tucked her face to her legs. “Ugh, I just,”

“What?” Finn was starting to feel confused, he just wanted a cuddle sesh.

“Finn do you know what it’s like for me when you leave ? When you were crying over PB? When you sang a song for her?” Y/n stood up now, hands raking through her hair, she couldn’t contain it anymore.

“Y/n?” He mumbled, he wasn’t sure where this was going, but his face felt flushed.

“Did you know I got melted for you? You were crying over Bonnie and fawning over your new love interest and I got melted because I wanted to protect you! Then I get over you and you just pull me back, then when you’re in love again you just forget me!” Y/n began to cry slightly “Then you leave and I’m alone again, hoping you’ll just notice me.”

Finn frowned “I didn’t know you felt this way, I’m sorry Y/n, you’re wonderful and all it’s just, I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair again and furrowed his brows trying to think of the way to describe it. “You and Bonnie are just, I don’t know, different.”

Y/n froze, staring at him, her eyes locking on Finn for a moment. “What?”

Finn’s eyes went wide “But that’s not bad, it’s good, I don’t mean,”

“No, no. I get it. She’s smart, she’s pretty, she’s in control. I’m not, I’m just the little sister, right ?” Y/n smiled, wiping her eyes. Why cry? What was she expecting? A love confession? She’s not smart, but she’s smart enough to know better.

Finn stood up to stop her as she walked towards the ladder “No, Y/n that’s not what I meant, you’re not, not those things it’s just, I don’t know you’re just not enough of those things I guess?”

“Finn just, please, leave me alone. I get it, you never liked me, you just liked my affection, right?” Y/n mused, climbing down and brushing past him and taking off toward the door, stopping for a moment.

She felt like a burden, like someone who had told herself that he has to like her, right ? He was showing her this attention, but maybe she was overthinking it. She was just delusional. She was nothing like her sister, or like Phoebe, she wasn’t pretty, she wasn’t badass, sure she swung a mean hammer, but she was nothing at all compared to the two women.

But she also didn’t want to let go of Jake and BMO yet, as much as she wanted to push Finn away.

“I’ll see you around Mertens.”

That night Finn had a dream with the Cosmic Owl. He was with Y/n on a ship, they were laughing and talking at first.

Then he felt her hand on his face, gently tracing it, and she leaned in to kiss him.

He panicked and spouted out some nonsense he could barely understand, something along the lines of “You’re not Bubblegum, you’re nothing at all like her.”

His words turned into ropes, wrapping around Y/n, restraining her, finally he said “You’re just not enough.”

Then, with that, she fell into the ocean, drowning in the icy blue water.

Finn was stuck

I’m place, watching her form sink lower until it was out of sight, he tried to break free, to scream for her, but it was useless, and no words would come out.

The Cosmic Owl Perched on the side of the boat, staring at him.

Finn looked at him with pleading eyes, silently begging for help, any help, something so that he could pull Y/n from her fate, even if it wasn’t real.

But the Owl simply hummed a “Was it worth it ?” Before he flew away, leaving Finn stuck.

He hadn’t seen Y/n for weeks, but BMO and Jake visited her regularly, and would frequently talk about their hangouts.

It was killing him, to hear a joke she told and wish he could hear her laughing at her own joke, he wished he could be there to see the amazing trick with her hammer Jake would awe over, to watch the little dance she does when she beats a difficult level on BMO.

He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, he couldn’t think, and his chest hurt painfully as he thought of the words he couldn’t take back, the words he didn’t mean.

Finn had been away from her before, and it never had hurt him so much.

“It’s because you always knew she was going to be waiting for you man. You gotta face it Finn, you bit this one pretty big. I mean, she was crazy about you bro.” Jake had hummed as he cooked, glancing back at Finn for a moment.

“If I were her, you’d have been six feet under.” BMO had hummed, crossing his arms at Finn with a firm, disappointed look.

“I know, I know, I donked it, I totally donked it. It’s just, ever since I said it, she’s all I think about, it’s like,” he pulled his face up from the table and leaned his head on his hand in thought “it’s like we’re magnets, and I can feel her pull, but we’re just enough out of reach to connect.”

Jake made a small sound of understanding “Sounds like you like her cause you don’t have her anymore.”

Finn groaned in disagreement “No, no. I just, I think I was taking her for granted, I mean, she was my best friend, and I mean, she’s beautiful, and she’s really math, and she’s sweet and,” he sighed again, letting his head fall back to the table “and I think I really like her and donked it.”

Jake snorted softly “Finn, I love you brother but you gotta sort this junk out before you talk to her, otherwise none of us will ever see her again.”

Finn made a sound of distaste “Jake, the more I think about it, the more I think I may like her, and I don’t think she wants that from me anymore.”

BMO pat his head empathetically, making a small sound “If you like her, you should go do a big confession, and give her a kiss. That is what happens in the movies.”

Jake rolled his eyes, placing the pancakes on the table “BMO, we don’t know if he likes her.”

“Well, how do you feel about Lady ?” Finn asked as he pulled a plate to him, cutting a bite with his fork.

Jake hummed, pouring himself syrup “Well, she makes my heart fast, she makes me smile, I like spending time with her. There’s all kinds of things I feel about Lady, and trust me I can go on forever about it.”

“Well, Y/n makes me feel different?” Finn mumbled “She always smells good, and sometimes when I’m just sitting with her doing nothing it feels like the best place in the world, and it’s like she always knows when I need something or I want something, even before I do, or something for her will just pop in my brain, like we’re telepathically linked.” Finn tapped his forehead,

“Oh! It’s like when I’m with her, it doesn’t matter what we’re doing cause it’s always fun, even if I hate it with someone else.” He rambled on, about to open his mouth to continue, trying to sort out his feelings, not realizing the red in his cheeks or the smile on his face.

Jake looked to BMO with a knowing smile, while BMO grew annoyed.

“Oh my Glob, Finn, please just go tell her you like her so I don’t have to listen to anymore of your sulking.” BMO bit sassily.

Finn smiled widely “ I like her.” He laughed as he stood, looking at his brother and robot child in disbelief and glee, feeling like he finally cracked some ancient code. “Oh my Glob! I like Y/n!” He laughed and cheered as he ran out of the treehouse.

BMO rolled his eyes “He better not donk it up again.”

Jake made a sound in agreement.

Finn ran into the Candy Kingdom as fast as he could, yelling for Y/n the entire time.

Y/n had been in the ballroom, practicing a dance with her instructor, clad in an elegant gown so that she could get a feel for the way the dress would move with the steps.

When Finn saw her, he couldn’t pull his eyes away, she was truly a princess, every step she made was full of grace, elegance and poise. She was a royal lady, and what was he ? A boy, a hero boy, but still just a boy. One who made her feel less than everything he truly was.

He swore to himself in that moment, on his honor, on his life, on Jake’s life, that he would always, always appreciate her and remember who she truly is.

The most beautiful and awesome girl he’s ever met in his life.

He took one cautious step, the sound causing Y/n to freeze and look up, shock covering her features for a moment, then she regained composure and cleared her throat.

The unclad banana guard assisting her, stopped, glancing between her and Finn with worried eyes, then dipped his head down, whispering in her ear “My lady, is anything wrong? Do you want me to ask him to leave?”

Y/n smiled softly, gently taking his hand and patting it “No thank you, Jason, you’ve been exceedingly helpful and generous, you may take a break and leave us for a few moments, I will yell if I need your immediate assistance.”

As he stepped away, Finn immediately stepped closer, but Y/n kept a stern look “Do you need something?”

She couldn’t help the ache in her heart, begging her to immediately start crying and run away, but she still cared for him deeply, and couldn’t bring herself to turn him away if he needed help.

“Just to tell you how absolutely, monumentally stupid I am for ever telling you that you weren’t enough of anything.” Finn hummed, staring at her as if she’d disappear if he looked away.

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way.” Y/n couldn’t help the smile and giggle that passed through her lips.

Finn smiled, relishing in her wonderful giggle, excited in her presence. “Y/n I like you. I really, really like you.” He admitted.

Y/n tilted her head “Do you now?”

Finn nodded “Yeah and I get it, I really really messed everything up with you, and you have all the right in the world not to believe me, but I mean it, and I will regret those stupid words every day of my life even if you forgive me.”

Y/n let out a small hum, Finn taking her hands “I just want one more chance, and if I donk this one up you can put me in the dungeon if you want.”

The gum-girl couldn’t fight back her giggles as she shifted her hands to rest around his neck “Alright,alright, hero, you can kiss your princess now, if you’d like to that is?” Y/n smiled, tilting her head to look at him curiously.

Finn smiled, his face turning red as he leaned down, pressing a gentle, long kiss to her lips, noting that while his by far weren’t the softest, in fact rather chapped and dry, hers were soft and lightly glossed.

What he noticed the most, however, was how fast his heart was beating, how when he pulled her closer he could feel her heart going as fast of his.

Other than that, simply that it was the most perfect kiss, and when she pulled away to bump her nose against his affectionately, that he would have no problem keeping his personal promise, because he is going to marry her, the most perfect girl in Ooo.

[acequeenking]

Does Kazuya Mishima have full control of his powers?

I keep seeing this everywhere, and for the life of me, I cannot find a source for it beyond one Harada tweet*. When did this happen?

I know, in his T4 ending he's able to merge with Devil and reawaken Jin, but Kazuya's Tekken 4 ending isn't canon. Heihachi officially won the tournament (note to Namco: dumb), and then Jin's ending is canon, but Jin's ending only makes sense if Kazuya's ending is also canon to a point, because it starts in media res during Kazuya's ending.

So I guess people are assuming Kazuya's T4 ending is fully canon up to the point Jin wakes up?

But...Kazuya has both eyes turn brown in his ending as he takes control over Devil. And in every Tekken since (T5-T8) he's consistently kept the demon-inflicted heterochromia he's had since Tekken 4. So I don't think his T4 ending actually happened at all? (Or happened differently.)

And in Tekken 5, I don't know what to call the bit in his ending movie where he does this if it's not Kazuya getting his tight little booty butt completely possessed:

LOOK AT HIS MOUTH. THAT IS NOT RIGHT. THAT IS HAUNTED SHIT IS WHAT THAT IS.

And then Devil! Jin's encounter with Kaz in T6 Scenario Mode also suggests he's not (entirely) in control one way or another: 

Kazuya Mishima: Look at you. So you've given yourself over entirely to the power of the devil. You weren't half the man I thought you were, Jin Kazama. Devil Jin: I'm surprised you've been able to resist it so long.

And Kazuya, who is unquestionably the most pro-demonic power person in canon, doubles down on that disappointment with Jin in T8. He encourages Jin to "bring out his Devil" and clearly enjoys the fight when they're both demonically powered and keeps edging Jin on, but when Jin lets the Devil fully take over, he's pretty vocally disappointed in him.

Kazuya: Pathetic. Your resolve, your tenancy. All of it, for naught!

(Notable I think, because resolve/tenancy are kind of Kazuya's biggest character attributes. Dude has a sheer will to live that's absolutely bonkers and has survived, to date: being thrown off a cliff, multiple blood-sport competitions, being dipped in a volcano, being psychologically experimented on, several assassination attempts, fighting Akuma -- twice, fighting Heihachi - ??? times, and won against Heihachi two out of three times in a fight to the death. And then when you add in the impressive amount of physical control he must have had to keep Devil subordinate to his personality at least some of the time? Jeez. You see why the man is a little control freak.)

And then he goes on to make a speech about humans have...relied on ordinance too long, which is a real interesting thing for a dude who's literally grown up in/owned a leading weapon conglomerate for a while to say! Almost like it's not him saying it!

And worth noting that his wording has switched to something considerably more archaic in this part than he usually has? Which sounds a lot more like Devil (who has always spoken kind of archaically; Kaz's speech in T4 with him around gets more ornate: "I am what you refer to as Devil"). The gleeful and wonton destruction is a lot more Devil, too.... and, you know, he's gigantically purple, walkin' around shooting frickin' eye lasers on the battlefield. Big Devil energy there. Less so Kaz, whose been shown to a pretty good strategist several times in the series.

And then there's Jin's Tekken 5 prologue, which has this fun bit in it:

After fighting Kazuya and Heihachi, an evil spirit swelled within Jin. Awakened by an unknown voice, Jin looked around at a forest completely destroyed. And he knew he was the one who did it.

Returning to Yakushima, Jin was plagued with nightmares triggering the devil gene.

"If this keeps eating away at me, I don't know how long I can hold on" says Jin.

Which kinda suggests to me that Jin and Kazuya actually become more demonic the more times they meet...? Which would explain why the Devil keeps wanting them to dual to the death, so he can reunify his physical form with whichever party is stronger. D! Jin and Jinpachi's encounter in Tekken 5 suggests this too, with Jinpachi saying that if Jin has full control of his demon, then Jinpachi has to absorb him.

And then there's this in T7 Jin's profile:

Jin, whose spirit had gradually been invaded and dominated by the blood of the devil, took over as the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and declared independence from and war on the world.

Which makes him sound exactly like his father in Tekken 2... and Tekken 8:

Using the full extent of his devil power and G Corporation, Kazuya Mishima went on a conquest for world domination.

Like...the more I look into this, it really sounds like Kazuya is actually pretty Lost in the Devil Sauce in Tekken 8.

But every wiki says that Kazuya's the only one in control, because they can switch at will.

...Except that was also true in Tekken 1 and 2, because nobody knew Kazuya was a demon back then (except Jun) so Kaz has to be able to use Devil's abilities even when not transformed. Not even Heihachi knew the full extent of Kazuya's possession, judging by how surprised he was in Tekken 4 to see Kazuya's demonic eyes. And dude saw Kazumi, so dude certainly knew what a demon looked like.

....And Jin and D! Jin can also switch at will in the (granted, non-canon) tag games. So that isn't that compelling to me. There really isn't a lot of room for Devil! Jin and Devil! Kazuya on the roster, and Devil! Jin is a lot more different, move-set wise, than Jin, so I can see why they made D! Jin the extra character and D! Kaz got down-modded to a stance change.

Also, we know they're more vulnerable to change when they're emotional. And man, Kaz is going through some shit emotionally the last couple of games. Dude just finally killed off his abusive dad. Found out his mom, one of two people in his life who seemed to want him, actually wanted him to die. And his son keeps trying to kill him from the moment they met (with the feeling being, granted, at least semi-mutual). And now world has just seen he's a demon, and there's no going back from that.

And while he's a Mishima, Tekken 7 illustrates he's a Hachijo, too. He knows better than anyone else what the world does to monsters.

I know Harada is the main story dude and I respect the man, but I'm not giving a tweet more weight than what's shown in canon, and what's shown in canon kinda suggests Kazuya doesn't have full control. If anything, it seems to indicate he has less than he thinks he has?

Also Kazuya can be a complete evil shit even without the Devil gene, my point is his actions sound a lot more like Devil than what has previously been his MO (a personal desire for power, control). And tbh I think it's hard to separate him from Devil because we've never seen him not possessed after the age of 5; I think the jury is still out as far as what Kazuya actually wants, because he seems to have consented to letting Jun repress the demon for a while in Tekken 2.

[my-soupy-brain]

making ted feel good about his dad bod (it’s honestly so hot to me)

God, and he deserves all the praise. He’s perfect just how he is — and by that I mean Jason, too. Don’t change a goddamn thing. Let’s goooo!

—-

Relationship: Ted Lasso x reader

Smut: We’ll see… but probably some smut

—-

You walked into the locker room when the guys were almost done getting dressed.

“Hi, y/n!” Jamie calls out, waving at you. You wave back. Everyone knows you and Ted are an item so it’s nice that the team has accepted your presence popping in and out of the coach’s office.

“Nice to see you again!” Dani adds, waving at you.

As you walk into Ted’s office, he’s sitting in his chair, his face long.

“What’s up buttercup? Why the long face,” you ask, leaning over to kiss the top of his head, running your nails down his back.

“Huh? Oh, nothin’. I’m just…” Ted answers, trailing off. Your brows scrunch in worry, uncertain what’s on his mind.

“Teddy?”

Ted looks at you, his big brown eyes wide and sad.

“Sweetheart, what’s going on?” You ask again, trying to pry it out of him.

“Nothin’, I’ve just got lots of stuff up there rollin’ around,” he says, pointing to his head. “It’s silly. You ready to go to dinner?”

You can tell he’s less than enthused.

“Let’s go back to your place instead, order in. Have a movie and a snuggle. How’s that sound,” you counter-offer. He smiles weakly.

“That sounds nice, doll.”

Once you’re back in Ted’s apartment, you toe off your high heels and he makes his way to the couch, sitting down with a heavy sigh. His face is still long and sad, and you’re starting to worry.

“Ted… do you…need to talk to me,” you ask pensively, bracing for a breakup. Oh, the ache in your heart is already starting at the thought.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know where to start,” he says solemnly.

“Please, just give it to me straight, honey. I don’t think I can hang out in this purgatory of you deciding if you wanna be with me or not.”

Ted’s head pops up quickly to look at you, his eyes searching yours, which are rimming with tears.

“Oh, darlin’ no, it’s nothin’ like that, come here…” he says, bringing you into his chest. “No, I’m not leavin’ you. I just…I wanna be sure you’re happy with me. I…”

He takes a deep breath.

“You’re so damn beautiful and smart and fun, and I was just seein’ how the guys were talkin’ to ya and lookin’ at ya when you walked in today and I thought… maybe they’d be more your speed, ya know?”

Now your eyes are wide and confused.

“They’re fit and handsome, they make a lot of money…”

You shake your head violently.

“No, Ted.”

“No what?”

“No. No. I couldn’t be less interested in those…boys. Boys! They’re boys. And they’re so not my speed, it’s bonkers.”

Ted looks at you and quirks a smile on his lips.

“And as for the rest of what you said…well…” you answer, starting to unbutton your blouse, pulling his polo out from under his pants. His breath hitches a little. You start to unbuckle his pants and he whimpers at the touch.

“This body makes me crazy,” you whisper, finishing your blouse, letting it flutter to the floor. You unzip your skirt, now left in your panties and bra. Ted’s eyes are wide and dark, watching your every move. You climb into his lap, your legs on either side of his hips. His hands draw little circles on your hips.

“Where do I start…” you begin, cupping his face in your hands. “Let’s start here.”

“Those eyes that can see right through my every emotion. Those eyebrows that are so expressive I know what you’re thinking before the words tumble out of that beautiful mouth of yours. This nose, that’s so perfect it hurts not to nuzzle it fifty times a day…”

He smiles, blushing.

“And those lips, that kiss like a god. That say the sweetest things. That are kind with every word that leaves them…”

He smiles again.

“That dimple! I always know it’s a real, true-blue smile when that dimple appears,” you say, kissing his cheek. Your hands go under his polo, pulling it off of him now left in his white undershirt.

“Oh those shoulders… Christ, you have such broad, beautiful shoulders and they make me feel so safe when you wrap me up in those arms. And oh, God! Your forearms! When your sleeves are rolled up just right, and they flex when you blow the whistle, or when you’re writing something in your notebook…”

“These? They’re just arms…” he says, and you hush him.

“Hush your butt while I praise you, sweetheart…”

He giggles, loving you using his own phrase against him.

“Mmm, and that chest. The first time I saw that chest, when you were between my legs, I could’ve died right then,” you add, your voice low as your skate your fingers under his shirt, over his chest and down his belly.

“You’re perfectly built, Teddy. Sturdy and strong, masculine, and mature… I love snuggling with you, but I love the power you have when you…fuck me…” you whisper, making his body shudder. He groans a little, his cock growing hard between your thighs.

“I love hanging onto you while you bury yourself in me,” you whisper, your hands caressing his torso, his hands cupping your ass and rubbing your back.

“Those legs that can carry me to the bedroom in a moment’s notice. Those legs that keep you on the pitch, marching around and cheering on your team. Those legs that brace against the bed when we make love…”

He moans lightly, leaning forward to kiss your neck.

“There’s that mouth again…” you flirt back. “Making my whole body tingle…”

His hands rub your skin and you whimper at the contact.

“And your hands, Teddy… your hands. The way I daydreamed about those hands on my body and in my body before we started dating. When I just had an office crush on you…”

He hums against your neck, “Mmmhmm… what about them?”

“I used to dream how they’d feel on my body, or how they’d feel taking off my clothes. Or how they’d feel holding my thighs just like this, with me on top of you…”

Your breath comes in short bursts, completely turned on by the moment. His fingers sneak between your legs, feeling the wetness gathering in your panties. You writhe a little on his lap, as his hands start to move your hips back and forth over his erection.

“Like this,” he asks with a low, gruff voice, grunting in pleasure.

“Yeah, just like that…” you pant, your voice weak from arousal. “I couldn’t possibly want another man on earth when I’ve got you…”

He groans at that, feeling so loved and worshipped by you his heart could burst. You lean in his ear, whispering, “I need you so bad.”

Wasting no time, he slips his pants and boxer briefs down, moving your underwear aside to take him at once. What would’ve been a quickie becomes a passionate, deep, slow love-making session. You pull his undershirt off, letting your bodies feel the warmth of skin-on-skin, his hands cupping you and caressing you as you kiss.

“You make me feel…so good, darlin’…” he pants, watching you move on him. “I…have never felt as good as I feel with you…”

You smile, holding his face in your hands as you kiss him.

“Now you understand why it’s you and only you I want…”

He kisses you back deep, his long arm and big hand tangled in your hair; his other wrapped around your back as your bodies move together. You don’t know if Ms. Shipley is home but you’re about to find out as you cry out his name and come.

Ted joins you seconds later, groaning loud against your neck, your name on his lips. You lean into his chest and smile, your bodies breathing deep to catch air.

“I believe you,” Ted says breathlessly, kissing your cheek. “I believe you.”

—-

You can’t worship this man’s body and NOT take it into sexy times, right? RIGHT? Hope this was fun, friend. Thanks for the prompt!

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

Fuck, Oppenheimer is intense.

I mean, it’s no surprise, given it’s subject matter...but there are several scenes that have nothing to do with the actual bomb itself that are so gripping, I was hanging on every word.

While the movie is three hours long, it doesn’t feel like (except when we were getting close to the end, but that’s because it’s tough to sit in one position for that long)...the pacing it very fast...and since I don’t know much about this period of history, I really had to pay attention, because there is a lot of information being given by so many characters.  I think this might be why they chose to cast so many known actors for characters who only appear in two or three scenes.  The cast is mostly male, and in the 1940′s, guys tended to look alike...similar haircuts, always wearing suits, etc.  It can make it tough to distinguish one character from another...but if you see an actor onscreen and go “hey, it’s Rami Malek!” or ”I didn’t know Tony Goldwyn was in this movie!” it will help you remember who everyone is.

But seriously, the cast list they have for this movie is bonkers:

Cillian Murphy (of course), Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, Rami Malek, Dane DeHaan, Kenneth Branagh, Tony Goldwyn, Harry Groener, Josh Peck, Alex Wolff, and Gary Oldman!  *And this all off the top of my head, I’m sure I missed some*

Robert Downey Jr. is phenomenal.  I know we’re a long way from the Oscars, and who knows what is going to happen with the strikes (hopefully the writers and actors getting what they want), but I want him to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.  Obviously, it’s very early, but I’d be very happy if he won.  His performance shows us what we’ve been missing with him playing Iron Man for so long...and he’s great as Tony Stark, but I’m glad he’s able to move on and do more work like this, because damn, he’s good in this movie.

And I have to talk about Cillian Murphy.  He carries this movie on his back, and he is fantastic.  There’s a lot of scenes where he is just sitting there...thinking...and you are so engrossed.  

And I have a little side tangent about him for a sec...about halfway through the movie, someone was speaking offscreen...and the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it...and after a minute I thought “ROBIN WILLIAMS?!”  Now, it wasn’t him, of course...it was actually Cillian Murphy...but the vocal choice he made for this movie actually made him sound a lot like older Robin Williams...like from the late 90′s/early 2000′s.  It was so uncanny, it actually took me a while to stop hearing it.

Anyway...this movie is fantastic and absolutely needs to be seen on a big screen!  The sound design alone is worth the price of admission.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Looney Tunes Characters

This year is truly an auspicious one indeed. It marks the centenary of not one, but TWO of the greatest film and animation studios that have ever been. One of them, as many are doubtless aware by now, is Disney, and I do have some things planned for later this year to celebrate that. However, another studio that’s been getting less attention than I think it deserves for its own 100th Anniversary is Warner Bros.! WB started the same year as the Disney studio, and they’re still going strong. When one thinks of WB Animation, chances are good the first characters and cartoons that come to mind are the Looney Tunes. These cartoon classics were a staple of theatrical animation from the 1930s all the way into the early 1960s…and since those days, the characters have continued to pop up in all sorts of places. Movies, TV shows, video games, comics…you name it, the Looney Tunes have been there. These toons are some of the most recognizable characters in the history of animation, more than on par with Mickey Mouse and his allies, and I’ve always loved them. So, I decided it was time to pay them proper tribute! With that said, what better way than to talk about some of my personal favorites? That’s what we’re here to do today. So let’s waste no more time! Mind you don’t slip on any banana peels or similar slapstick cliches: here are My Top 10 Looney Tunes Characters!

10. Speedy Gonzales.

Speedy is one of a few Looney Tunes characters who has sort of faced some controversy over his career (I refer you to Pepe Le Pew, for example). Some people have complained he’s a negative stereotype, but thankfully, the majority of people seem to really love the character. I think the reason why so many love him is because Speedy is one of the most positive and genuinely good characters in the Looney Tunes canon: he’s a character whose able to be heroic while also genuinely being really funny and interesting to watch. The self-proclaimed Fastest Mouse in All Mexico loves to race, loves to play, and isn’t afraid to shoot down the absurdity of some of his more bonkers co-stars, just as he isn’t afraid to outrun and outsmart any cat that tries to harm him or his friends. He’s a lot of fun himself, and he loves to have fun, and that’s probably the best type of cartoon hero there can be.

9. Sylvester the Cat.

Sylvester is one of several characters on this list notable for his sheer versatility. Most of his cartoons do focus on the same basic setup, mind you: Sylvester is hungry, and trying to catch something to eat…but inevitably gets foiled at every turn. Sometimes his prey is the aforementioned Speedy, who - in Coyote-and-Road-Runner-esque fashion - Sylvester is just never quick enough to slow down. He’s also occasionally gone after a kangaroo named Hippety Hopper, whom Sylvester somehow keeps mistaking for an oversized rat. (My comments on him “not being quick” stand here, too.) Most famously, of course, he’s the “Bad Ol’ Puddy Tat” constantly trying to gobble up Tweety Bird…who you will NOT be seeing on this countdown. (I’ve never actually liked Tweety, save for a few appearances. I WANT that super-cutesy little PSYCHOPATH to be cat food someday, and I don’t care how heartless that makes me sound.) While all of these did follow some similar patterns and formulas, each of these opponents offered a different kind of conflict for Sylvester to overcome, and therefore a different set of gags that could be utilized, and a lot of different scenarios to allow for comedy to happen. He also popped up in a few cartoons with Porky Pig, which brought a new dimension to the character: in these appearances, a mute Sylvester is depicted as Porky’s pet cat, who constantly has to save his oblivious master from all sorts of dangerous situations. Whether he’s a well-meaning scaredy cat or a greedy predator, he’s always fun to watch.

8. Yosemite Sam.

One of the most renowned villains in the Looney Tunes catalogue. I like to think of this loudmouthed little cowpuncher as the WB equivalent to Disney’s Pete. Both are characters who are versatile in how they have been fitted into just about every sort of time period and setting imaginable, with just about every antagonistic role you can think of. He’s most famous as being a Wild West outlaw, naturally, but Sam has also played a Black Knight, a Hessian Soldier, a Space Invader, a Crooked Politician, a Pirate, a Prison Guard, and many, MANY other things. Each time, his personality is the same: wild, hysterical, ornery, scheming yet somehow gullible, and eternally frustrated, usually due to the efforts of “that lowdown, long-eared, carrot-eatin’ varmint,” Bugs Bunny. Sam’s personality is just such an easy one to handle, and so fun to play with, you can put him into just about any type of situation, and without needing to change him much, he can work just as easily. I actually feel really bad placing him so low on the list, but hopefully those above him won’t disappoint.

7. Elmer Fudd.

Elmer is another character, sort of like Sylvester, who can play either protagonist or antagonist just as easily as the other. In fact, he’s been both more often than Sylvester has! We know him best, of course, for his many attempts to hunt down Bugs Bunny (and Daffy Duck), and these stories already have plenty of fun reinventions, twists, and overall moments. Everything from putting Elmer in different time periods (like the Stone Age), throwing him into different settings (like chasing Bugs into an opera house), or just changing up his role in some crazy way (like making him a viking with a magic helmet). No matter what you do, these always end the same for Elmer: either he never gets Bugs, or he THINKS he does, and then immediately regrets it because he’s just too softhearted and slow-witted for his own good. However, Elmer’s played other parts as well: sometimes he’s not even hunting Bugs, he’s just the victim of that “Wascawwy Wabbit’s” cruel pranks. Sometimes he’s just trying to get by, and Daffy Duck starts causing chaos for him. Poor Elmer just can’t catch a break, and that’s kind of why we like him: even when he IS the bad guy, he’s far from the WORST guy. Add to that his iconic voice and mannerisms, and it’s no wonder he remains one of the most recognizable characters in this group.

6. Porky Pig.

Believe it or not, Porky was the first real superstar character in the Looney Tunes library. That’s one of the reasons the classic ending line we all know and love was given to him (it’s also why Bugs would later take it over a couple of times, when HE became a star). Much like Yosemite Sam, Porky is one of the most versatile characters on the team, but in a different way: while Sam is a versatile antagonist, Porky is a versatile protagonist. Porky is essentially the straight man to all the other totally bonkers toons around him. He’s sort of the Kermit the Frog of this universe: a guy constantly trying to keep his cool and be civil, but forever aggravated and tormented by the world around him. With that said, the way he bounces off different characters already has a lot of different ways of working: his most famous co-star is probably Daffy Duck, and even just with that one character, they’ve had a relationship that has gone in just about every direction it can go. Sometimes Porky is Daffy’s sidekick, who always proves to be more competent and level-headed than the vain and over-the-top Daffy could ever hope to be. Other times, Daffy is actually HIS sidekick, forever frustrating Porky with his goofy antics. And still other times, there’s no “sidekicking” involved, Daffy just…kind of shows up to totally ANNOY the pig until Porky inevitably snaps and goes berserk. Even Porky cartoons that don’t involve Daffy (and there are plenty of those) usually follow one of these three patterns: Porky is eternally an Alice in the Wonderland of the Looney Tunes…you know, if Alice had a stutter. And was a pig. And was no longer female-okay, that analogy didn’t work, but you get the idea.

5. Taz.

Taz, a.k.a. The Tasmanian Devil, is a rare example of a character whose star has risen over time since his initial appearances in the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes. Back then, Taz only showed up in five cartoons, between 1954 and 1964; the twilight decade, many would say, of these great cartoon stars. No one would have likely guessed that Taz would take off to become one of the most iconic and popular characters in the Looney library, with tons of merchandise, a TV show with him as the main protagonist, several major video game and film appearances, and so on. For some reason, however, this wild, ravenous, spinning-and-slobbering devil just kept being used, and the public kept eating him up just as fast as he ate…well…EVERYTHING up. He went from a pure villain who would devour anyone in sight, to suddenly becoming a slightly more heroic, albeit not always terribly bright, character. He can, could, would, and WILL just as easily play the role of an ally to characters like Bugs and Daffy, as much as their adversary. It’s hard to say exactly why Taz caught on, but I’m certainly not complaining about it, since he’s a ton of fun to watch every time. And again, that’s really all a great cartoon star needs to be. (Also, for anybody who may be curious...I do have a mild crush on this guy. I’m weird, shush.)

4. Wile E. Coyote.

It was actually really hard for me to choose between Taz and the Coyote, and I’m not honestly entirely sure if I made the right choice. It was essentially a tie between the two characters; on any given day, my mind could change. But, in the moment of making this list, I felt Wile E. deserved slightly higher placement, and thus here we are. (Also, yes, much like Taz, I do have a mild crush on the Coyote. Again, I’m weird, shush.) Having said all that, I imagine this self-proclaimed Super-Genius hardly needs an introduction. Much like Sylvester, Wile E. mostly spends his time trying to get something to eat. Usually, he’s found chasing the Road Runner and trying to trap him, but on a couple of occasions he’s bedeviled Bugs Bunny, and once in a blue moon he’ll have encounters with other characters. In most of Wile E.’s appearances, he’s a silent character, communicating solely through body language, facial expressions, and the occasional random sign he pulls out of nowhere. Whenever he DOES speak, he speaks in a smooth, slick, uppercrust English or Mid-Atlantic dialect. Whether silent or speaking, this Coyote’s basic trouble is always the same: despite his own confidence in his supposed superior intellect, a combination of clumsiness, shortsightedness, and his bizarre obsession with relying almost entirely on the ACME Corporation’s clearly faulty products always leads to him getting bamboozled. Over time, animators, writers, and directors have found new ways to spin off of Coyote’s usual formula, with stories like him taking the Road Runner to court, or turning into a fat slob due to an over-reliance on his own inventions. It’s the bizarre blend of brilliance and determination against poor planning and overconfidence that makes him such a fun character to see in action. He may never win…but I think a lot of us wish he could.

3. Daffy Duck.

While Porky was the first superstar character among the Looney Tunes (and Merrie Melodies), Daffy was really the first breakthrough character that was TRULY befitting of the title “looney.” In the early days, Daffy was a wisecracking, wild character, zipping about and causing trouble; a constant trickster who was a bundle of energy, causing mayhem for various hapless boobs. Most of the characters who followed suit on this idea - including his future rival, Bugs Bunny - essentially took their cues from Daffy’s book. Over time, the character crystalized into the mad mallard we know today. Daffy is still zany, but what he’s most known for today is his ego. Daffy is practically a narcissist, selfish in just about every way, as well as frequently quite greedy. Everything he does is for either the spotlight, cash, or both. He’s yet another character who has been the villain just as often as he’s been the hero…but even when in a more protagonistic role, he’s ALWAYS a flawed character, whose self-serving attitude leads to disaster for himself, and usually for many others. Just like Yosemite Sam, he’s also a character who has played many roles: any time the Looney Tunes want to parody a particular genre, it seems like Daffy is always the character who gets chosen. Whether he’s imitating Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes, or going on high-flying escapades as the incompetent space hero called Duck Dodgers, you can go on a lot of different adventures with him. He’s been partnered up and pitted against nearly every character on the crew, and each and every alliance, rivalry, and so on is fun to see in action.

2. Bugs Bunny.

Just as it was hard to choose between Taz and Wile E. Coyote, it was also hard to choose between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. In the end though…maybe it’s too predictable, but I ultimately did feel I preferred Bugs SLIGHTLY over Daffy. What’s interesting is that, in the early days, Bugs was pretty similar to Daffy: in a lot of his earliest appearances, they’re almost the same character. Both were madcap tricksters who seemed to exist just to drive other characters completely insane for the sheer sake of it, and both had big egos that needed to be satisfied. (In Bugs’ case, this was most evident in encounters he had with the character Cecil Tortoise, who might be the only character in all of Looney Tunes to truly outmatch Bugs on the cartoon battlefield, over and over again.) Over time, however - mostly thanks to Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones - Bugs began to evolve. While still a trickster with a wild sense of humor, the character became more laid back, casual, collected. He was someone who went into situations with the confidence that he could come out okay, if he just thought fast and didn’t let it all faze him. And while he could be downright cruel in the ways he would trick and toy with people, the attacks became unprovoked less often: it was usually a case of others doing something wrong to Bugs, and he would finally lose patience and declare, “Of course you realize THIS means war.” That’s essentially the Bugs Bunny we know today: he still faces conflict and such, but it’s his approach and the way he reacts to situations that makes him such fun to watch. Once again, it also makes him quite versatile, as he can be anywhere and play just about any role, from the star of the show to more of a narrator or similarly peripheral character. He can be the everyman, the superman, and as long as it always sticks to the traits he started out with, it will always work. In fact, the only real question about his placement on this list is…why isn’t he number one?

1. Marvin the Martian.

I don’t know WHY Marvin is my favorite Looney Tunes character, but he is, and really always has been. He’s not by any means the funniest of the Looney Tunes, but there’s something about this little world-destroying gremlin I find endlessly endearing. Much like Taz, Marvin started out as a small fish in a big cartoon pond; in fact, just like the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian (originally called “Commander X2,” and later “Antwerp”) only showed up in five cartoons during the Golden Age of the Looney Tunes. He fought Bugs Bunny in four of them, and Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in another. And while he hasn’t become the merchandising mammoth that Taz has, he’s still got a very loyal fanbase and following, and has remained a mainstay among the Looney Tunes ever since. Just like Taz, creators just kept using him, and fans kept asking for more; somehow, this little martian never faded away. What I love about Marvin is that he’s essentially another straight man, much in the way Porky is…but now, he’s a straight man on the opposite side of the fence. He’s usually the bad guy, while Porky is almost always the protagonist: whether Marvin’s trying to abduct people, conquer worlds, or blow up the Earth (because it obstructs his view of Venus), he’s always an obstacle the other characters have to overcome. Yet he’s depicted as so loveable and so mild-mannered, it’s hard to be scared of him or dislike him. It also means the moments where his inner rage gets the better of him, and his temper flares, become all the more hilarious: seeing that pomposity and stiff-upper-lip nature get blown apart at the seams is always a ton of fun. It’s difficult to describe my reasoning, but regardless, Marvin the Martian will always be My Favorite Looney Tunes Character.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Foghorn Leghorn.

Michigan J. Frog.

Rocky & Mugsy.

Road Runner.

Lola Bunny.

Gossamer. “Th-The-The E-THAT’S ALL FOLKS!”

[rewordthis]

Ah, Kamo my boy.

I know you just wanted to be a good kid and a good leader for the Kamo clan but you should consider the chance that both Maki and Mai may never wanted to be married to you.

And especially considering Maki’s personality, if she indeed had inherited the Ten Shadows Technique, she would most definitely try to assert dominance on her clan instead of let herself get married into another clan!😗

Also, why are Megumi’s eyes brown?! Who forgot to colour them??? 😂

And featuring my biggest pet peeve in 2D Universe: Paper-dimensional teeth. I’m not going to tolerate this from MAPPA again! 😤😒

Points of focus that got my attention under the cut (spoilers obviously).

Retrospect:

“It hurts…” Yuuji after killing Eso. 🤨

Gojo is more tanned than we all think. The only ones that have a darker complexion than him are Yuuji and Yaga! This came a bit as a shock to me because I usually notice these things pretty quickly but his white hair are quite misleading. Haha I only noticed after watching him interact with the other characters in back to back episodes in my rewatch. 👀

Why was Kamo thinking of reuniting with Miwa when they fought Hanami? Does Miwa have the potential to exorcise special grades? I highly doubt that… hm.🤨

Ever since I heard this when I first watched JJK, I’m having so many thoughts about what this truly meant; what exactly Gojo meant when he told Megumi that he ‘won’t even measure up to Nanami’? Is this because Nanami is extremely strong? Like he’s the second strongest after himself— THE Gojo Satoru? Or — like I always understood it — because Nanami is extraordinarily strong despite not being complete as a sorcerer? This is giving me headaches for a year now… ugh… 🫤😬 Of course, it could mean both senses… Nah, coming from Gojo, it really sounds like the later meaning, right?🧐

What really bothers me in the movie; did Gojo really said “I love you” to Geto? Ahaha, not so much that it bothers me but more like the manga had Gojo blushing the minute he sets eyes on Geto, but Geto doesn’t blush until after Gojo’s last words to him. Yet, the movie never shows them blushing at any moment. What version is accurate? Not to mention… Gojo really had to decapitate Geto. Geto himself is a reversed curse technique user, which is probably why Yuuta went after his head during their fight (this kid knows his subject!). Geto got momentarily lucky that the katana broke but… Well, did Gojo do his job properly? He better— 😒

I think this is an unpopular opinion and people will go bonkers if I say this out loud, but the only reason for Gojo to tell Geto that he loves him in that moment and Geto to reply — well, like he did — is that besides friendship there was really nothing more between them. Individually, Geto must have loved Gojo in the more ecumenical or platonic sense— more like how you love your family, your friends, the people in general. It’s a fairly broad range of love. That’s why he didn’t consider Gojo’s ‘love’ a curse. Or at least that’s what he was comfortable with… Poor Gojo, really. This was his last chance to confess to Geto and the guy is just as blockheaded and dense as a cementbrick. Because make no mistake, by the narrative, Gojo speaks of love in the same sense of how Yuuta loves Rika… erm, loved(?) Rika… He means it as romantic love. Again, poor Gojo. If he really said ‘l love you’ to Geto, then that means he finally found the courage to admit his feelings, but his feelings didn’t come across! I did say before that his existence is a joke, right? He deserves this pain because he’s Over Powered. He can take it. 🤭😗

And what really bothers the shit out of me: what was the bluff Geto pulled while at Jujutsu Tech that they all still believe??? What did his stupid ass did??? It can’t be that he was referring to the way he manipulates cursed spirits, right? That’s too simple! Though it may hold some truth, I don’t think it is — or rather, it shouldn’t be — something so simple. Grrr 🙄😤

Ah! Btw, because I forgot to say this earlier, what was that bubble Yuuta used to heal Maki, Toge and Panda? Was that a reverse cursed technique? It seemed to sooth Maki’s pain. And in the manga, it looked like she was more or less healed(?)… 🧐 Yes, I don’t know.

Bonus Favourite juju strolls:

Gojo asking Nanami out just to break his nerves.

Gojo, Nobara and Yuuji ruining Megumi’s ‘pick up’ time.

[rphelperblog]

Eleanor and Park Quote Rp Meme

“I want everyone to meet you. You're my favorite person of all time.”

‘Life’s a bastard.” 

"Next time, I'll just say, ‘ follow me down this dark alley, I want to kiss you.'"

“..I love your name. I don't want to cheat myself out of a single syllable.” 

And you look like a protagonist."

“I don’t like you. Sometimes I think I live for you” 

She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” 

"I don't think I even breathe when we're not together,"

“Nothing before you counts, and I can't even imagine an after." 

“You can be Han Solo, and I'll be Boba Fett. I'll cross the sky for you.” 

"You look like the person who wins in the end. You're so pretty, and so good. You have magic eyes,"

“Can't you just like a girl who likes you back?'

"You're not the Han Solo in this relationship, you know."

‘You look like you.You with the volume turned up.”

'None of them likes me back. I may as well like the one I really want.”

“I just want to break that song into pieces and love them all to death.” 

“You act like there are two kinds of girls. The smart ones and the ones that boys like.”

“What are the chances you’d ever meet someone like that? Someone you could love forever, someone who would forever love you back? And what did you do when that person was born half a world away? The math seemed impossible.” 

“There’s no such thing as handsome princes. There’s no such thing as happily ever after.” 

“The me that's me right now is yours. Always.” 

“I might not use capital letters. But I would definitely use an apostrophe…and probably a period. I’m a huge fan of punctuation.”

"I think you're..." Beautiful. Breathtaking. Like the person in a Greek myth who makes one of the gods stop caring about being a god.” 

“Don't bite his face. It's disturbing and needy and never happens in situation comedies or movies that end with big kisses.

“And because I’m so out of control, I can’t help myself. I’m not even mine anymore, I’m yours, and what if you decide that you don’t want me? How could you want me like I want you?” 

‘It’s up to us not to lose this”

"Yesterday happens.” 

“He'd stopped trying to bring her back. She only came back when she felt like it anyway, in dreams and lies and broken-down déjà vu.”

“If you can’t save your own life, is it even worth saving?”

“...and his eyes were so green they could turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.” 

"Nothing, really. I just want to be alone with you for a minute." 

“I just can’t believe that life would give us to each other, and then take it back.’

'That's not even the right kind of racist.” 

“And when she smiled, something broke inside of him.Something always did.” 

“The world turned itself into a better place around him.” 

“Goodbye. Just tonight. Not ever.”

“Everytime, he breaks your heart. And everytime, he expects me to pick up the pieces.” 

I want to be with you all the time. You’re the smartest girl I’ve ever met, and the funniest, and everything you do surprises me. And I wish I could say that those are the reasons I like you, because that would make me sound like a really evolved human being …‘But I think it’s got as much to do with your hair being red and your hands being soft … and the fact that you smell like homemade birthday cake” 

"Don't talk about after."

“I'm not ready for you to stop being my problem.”

“I don’t think there’s enough of her left.” 

“Ophelia was bonkers, right? And Juliet was what, a sixth-grader?” 

“We're going to listen music in my room.'

"I just meant that... I want to be the last person who ever kisses you, too.... That sounds bad, like a death threat or something. What I'm trying to say is, you're it. This is it for me.” 

“It was the nicest thing she could imagine. It made her want to have his babies and give him both of her kidneys.” 

“My girlfriend is sad and quiet and keeps me up all night worrying about her.” 

“They agreed about everything important and argued about everything else.”

“I'm not even mine anymore, I'm yours, and what if you decide that you don't want me? How could you want me like I want you?” 

“Because being assaulted with maxi pads is a great way to win friends and influence people.” 

“She couldn't repay him. She couldn't even appropriately thank him. How can you thank someone for The Cure? Or the X-Men? Sometimes it felt like she'd always be in his debt.” 

“It’s easier for me to make peace from a distance.” 

'I told you to smile because you're pretty when you smile.'

"Don’t laugh. It just encourages me.” 

'It'd be better if you thought I was pretty when I don't.” 

He knows I'll like a song before I've heard it. He laughs before I even get to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes me want to let him open doors for me.There's only one of him.” 

"Don't get so hung up on gender roles,"

'Just don't get anybody pregnant.” 

“Girl, you need to learn a lesson about standing in your own light.” 

All I do when we're apart is think about you, and all I do when we're together is panic. Because every second feels so important. And because I'm so out of control, I can't help myself. I'm not even mine anymore, I'm yours, and what if you decide that you don't want me? How could you want me like I want you?"

“There's no reason to think we're going to stop loving each other,” 

“They’re a metaphor for acceptance; they’ve sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them.”

"This fight doesn’t change that. You can’t start kicking people every time someone thinks I’m weird or ugly … Promise me you won’t try. Promise me that you’ll try not to care."

“Dumb. He should have gotten the pen. Jewelry was so public... and personal, which was why he'd bought it. He couldn't buy her a pen. Or a bookmark. He didn't have bookmarklike feelings for her.” 

"You always ask that. Why. Like there’s an answer for everything. Not everybody has your life, you know, or your family. In your life, things happen for reasons. People make sense. But that’s not my life. Nobody in my life makes sense …” 

“Like more tired than usual. Hard and crumbling at the edges.” 

“He kept making her feel like it was safe to smile.” 

She’d be brave and noble, and she’d find a way.”

“I'd want to fly. I know it's not very useful, but ... it's flying.” 

“All I do when we're apart is think about you,and all I do when we're together is panic” 

“It was like their lives were overlapping lines, like they had their own gravity. Usually, that serendipity thing felt like the nicest thing the universe had ever done for her.”

“His eyes missed her as much as the rest of him.” 

The children of hell shan’t go hungry on my watch.” 

“She didn't know there were things worse than selfish.” 

“But he kept finding new pockets of shallow inside himself. He kept finding new ways to betray her.” 

“All of her bones seemed more purposeful than other people’s. Like they weren’t just there to hold her up, they were there to make a point.” 

“But the explanations fell apart in her hands. Everything true was too hard to write--he was too much to lose. Everything she felt for him was too hot to touch.” 

[sporadically-writing]

Hi! Can you write a Robin Buckley x reader where Robin had a nightmare and reader is there to comfort her?

Thanks

Broke my own heart a little with this one, enjoy!

I’m Right Here

Pairing: Robin Buckley x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Nightmares, The Upside Down, Vague Allusions to Season 4

Word Count: 863

Whether you were personally involved in the Hawkins gang crusade against creatures from The Upside Down or not (and it’s more likely that you were) Robin would have informed you all about it.

It had slipped out in one of her info dumping sessions and at that point it was too late to stop herself.

You, like you always did when Robin was speaking, listened intently and let her finish before adding to the conversation.

You didn’t call her crazy, thank god. That’s what she had been expecting you to do. But you believed her and not in the way some people tell you they believe you where it’s really just a ploy to placate you and they really actually think that your bonkers.

All the strange things that had happened in town made so much sense with the information she had given you. Also, no one could sound that wary of something they made up.

Whether you got involved in the actual fight or not is up to you but there was a very important fight to be had at home after the fact.

Once the danger had past, there was a whole new battle to be won at night.

You were “having a sleepover” with Robin one night a month or so after it all went down. A nice covert term to allow you to spend the night with your girlfriend without your parents finding out that was what you were doing.

You both may have recently graduated from Hawkins High but that didn’t mean you were out of your parent’s house yet.

Robin’s parents were gone so you two had the house to yourself to watch whatever movie she smuggled out of the store, eat as many snacks as you wanted and talk about whatever you hearts desired.

You both were having so much fun on one of the first proper dates the two of you have had that you lost complete track of time and you fell asleep on each other’s shoulders on the living room couch.

You woke up later when Robin began shifting uncomfortably.

You blinked your eyes open, brain taking some time to recognize that it was still dark outside.

Robin was whimpering slightly beside you and it didn’t take you long to connect the dots.

“Robin? Robin?” you asked, tentatively reaching for her shoulder. When your voice did not appear to wake her up, you started lightly shaking her. This also proved ineffective, so you kept increasing the intensity of your shakes and the volume of your voice until you finally seemed to get somewhere.

Robin gasped as she awoke, the scream at the tip of her tongue swallowed out of fear of the scream itself. As if she was afraid someone would hear it.

Her eyes, you could see them now that your eyes had adjusted to the darkness, were wild and bright with panic like a chased rabbit’s.

“Hey, hey, hey! Robin! Robin, sweetie, I’m right here. I’m right here.”

Robin looked around, trepidatiously.

She didn’t speak and her breathing was still labored and quick.

“Robin?”

She looked at you but her expression and demeanor did not change. Oh no. This was bad.

You swallowed and said, “Robin, honey, I’m going to take a few steps this way and turn on the light, okay?”

You did that, turning a nearby lamp on and bathing the space in some soft semi-orange light.

You sat back down in front of her. Her breathing had calmed a little but she still looked afraid, like she was still trapped in whatever horrors her mind had conjured up.

It broke your heart but you thought you knew what was happening. You told her that you were going to look for the Walkman in you backpack in the corner of the room and then grabbed the device from your bag.

You softly explained what you were doing as you placed the headphones on her head and hit play. You sat across from her, waiting for the song to play out, rubbing your thumb along her cheek.

Once the song had completed, she took the headphones off herself, tears brimming in her eyes.

“I’m sorry-“ she choked out.

“No, Robin-“

“I’m sorry, I-I- I thought that-“

“Hey, it’s okay-“

“I- I didn’t think this was real, I- I didn’t think you- I didn’t trust you, I’m sorry-“

“Robin,” you cooed, “Robin, you have nothing to apologize for. Okay?” You kissed her cheek softly, unbothered by the tears. “You had a nightmare that’s all.”

“It just-“

“It’s okay. Nothing about what just happened is wrong, understand? You were having a nightmare. Given everything you’ve gone through, that’s normal. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Don’t apologize, please. Robin, I love you. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“I love too” she said, albeit weakly, but with the beginning of an adoring smile on her face.

The two of you closed the distance between you and shared a soft sweet kiss. One that carried with it a sense of love, safety and determination with it. The kiss said “I’m right here. I love you. We’ll get through this together. Don’t worry, I’m right here.”

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[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 2/7/23

feeling sort of neutral to apathetic about a lot of media this week! two pics of my cat tho to make up for it

listening

NOT feeling neutral or apathetic about the tuesdaysong, pont alexandre iii off the 1998 album Noir by alexander lasarenko. this is a sort of fun little film score exercise by a composer who did a lot of tv work, including PBS' NATURE. the drum fill does sound like it’s from 1998 and i mean that as a compliment. bond movies are emphathetically not noir although they occasionally borrow some visuals, but this piece reminds me of early daniel craig bond movies with the sleek synthy orchestra and subdued horns. they both have the same fuckin uhhhh. the british exotic location travelogue strings. the piano makes me think point and click mystery game.

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reading

star wars: yoda dark rendezvous by sean stewart. i am about halfway through but this reread is reviving memories of my last reread in uhhhhh. summer 2011 probably. this feels like it was half a concept for a middle grade book about a padawan finding her confidence and ability after losing her master very early in the clone wars, and half a concept for an adult book about the deep sorrow and loss between the treacherous count dooku and his former master, yoda. and in the background of all this ventress (ventress my worstie i love her) is begging and pleading to be made an apprentice while dooku flatly refuses. a generous reading would be “this is all history that rhymes and points to how the master/padawan relationship is not a good pedagogy method for either side and is deeply fucked up” but i think this idea is quite muddied in the middle of this book. it does not always feel deliberate that everyone at once is having trouble managing either their padawans' or their masters' emotions.

the tonal whiplash between the first few chapters is absolutely bonkers. like it's star wars, you couldn't Really show torture on screen or on the page in this specific storytelling era, but it's certainly implied. and then we get a fun field games day for the padawans in the next chapter!!! you don't really consume any star wars media for the prose, but the prose here occasionally gets in the way of itself. it does take a few chapters to find its footing but it is, as i remember, a snappy and fast read. one of the most goth settings in the starred wars imo. the soft plush moss that will start to dissolve your skin if you take a nap in the blood forest has stuck in my brain in the. idk, decade plus since i read this book.

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watching

The Big Sleep (1946, dir. Hawks) is just as good the third time around. i still have a great deal of difficulty following the plot, but this is a movie that first and foremost Looks incredibly good. shoutout to physical media once again bc this 2005 dvd from the turner classic media co. has solid, reliable, properly timed subtitles. none of the pirate streaming sites i like can boast the same for this particular movie.

in other news new felix colgrave short dropped and it is a bizarre perfect delight

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playing

beat wolfenstein: the new order on the babiest level and it still took me like forty minutes to sit through the cutscenes. it does such a good job of presenting you with all these very fun environments to run through that you manage to forget that you are very much on rails and it's essentially a boomer shooter (over the top maximalist first person shooter) cramming itself into hallways until the last level in the castle, which feels like endless corridors. im also cranky they showed me so many airships but never let me walk around on an airship. or throw a nazi off an airship.

might wanna get that tesla coil on fire checked out. like i know it's my fault but someone should be alerted about this

i don't really know that this game stuck the landing, for me. i think the last castle level really dragged, and the courtyard arena + the last hallway arena with the catwalks felt very same-y. it's also annoying to me that they give me a sniper rifle but there's no real way to use it as part of a stealth run. there aren't a lot of opportunities for stealth in the back half of this game. it is too much of a shooter and not enough of a narrative/rpg for my tastes, i think. i don't think i'll be continuing on with the series bc i'm not terribly attached to blazkowicz.

this and fallout are like The big AAA alt-history tentpoles, but it's a very small tent. this game was fun for what is was, which was a self-contained and fairly short shooter you're meant to play through twice to get two slightly different narrative routes. it reviewed well at the time and i think the reviews are pretty fair, i had a normal amount of fun aside from the sharp glee of the moon exhibit ramps and crawling through vents in the moon base, i liked it a normal amount and will not be integrating it into my personality. so it fuckin goes sometimes.

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making

a baby (not mine) blanket, which will absolutely not be ready for the baby (again not mine) in a month and a half. this is going to end up about 40" square and is this pattern off ravelry. it is some flavor of caron baby yarn (i cannot currently find the ballband) on 4mm bamboo circs bc u cannot make a delicate baby blanket. what's the point. its going to go through the wettest hell you can imagine bc a baby's one job is to make fluids.

this pattern is just spicy enough that it's hard to watch TV and count stitches at the same time so i am BURNING through podcasts. slowly but surely getting caught up on A More Civilized Age and their three hour discussions of each star wars episode of Andor. five star podcast five star runtime

[sophieebdaily]

Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the return of ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ – and watching ‘Saltburn’ with her mum

. The pop icon tells NME about the runaway global success of her 2001 hit, and the experience of soundtracking that already infamous NSFW scene

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has spoken to NME about the resurgent success of her classic single ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ after its feature in Saltburn – as well as the experience of watching the movie with her mother and teenage son.

‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ was first released in 2001 from Ellis-Bextor’s debut album ‘Read My Lips’ – reaching Number Two in the UK singles chart at the time and going on to become a pop cult classic. Now, the song has found a new audience after soundtracking an already infamous nude scene in the 2023 hit film Saltburn, and is currently at Number Eight in the UK as well as breaking into the Billboard 100 in the US for the first time.

Speaking to NME, the singer explained her shock after having “nothing at all” in terms of awareness or success in America until now.

“That’s what’s been quite extraordinary. To them it’s a new song, and that’s bonkers,” she said. “It didn’t do anything there the first time around, and I’m fine with that. If I’ve learned anything along the way it’s that you’ve got to go where the momentum is.”

She continued: “The glamour of being big in America would have meant a lot of time away, and I’d rather go where there are already things happening. I had an absolute ball with the first record in Latin America, South East Asia and all these places – but if this ends up being something that takes me there now then let’s see what happens.”

Asked if she’s set for a US tour or perhaps a surprise appearance at Coachella 2024, she replied: “Oh golly! I’ve always been quite open to what happens next and love the dot dot dot of whatever I do. Energy and momentum are what you need if you’re a creative to keep things going and things are much harder from a standing start.”

Ellis-Bextor described how she came to be involved in Saltburn, and was always on board with soundtracking the NSFW finale scene that sees lead Barry Keoghan dancing naked around the titular hour.

“A little while back I was asked for approval for having ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ featured in a film,” she told NME. “I was told very little information apart from the key components, like: Emerald Fennell was the writer/director (and I was already familiar with her and thought she was great), that the film was called Saltburn and that the main character would dance to the whole of the song with nothing on!

“That was all I knew and it was plenty. I said, ‘Count me in for that! That sounds fun’.”

After months of not thinking about the project, Ellis-Bextor started to hear “murmurs” about how the film was “really special”.

“I went along to a screening with my whole family – including my mum and my eldest – and luckily we all survived and we all loved it,” she said. “I got that feeling that I find really delicious where afterwards you just want to think about the movie and talk about it. There was a whole atmosphere to it and I just wanted to get back into that headspace as quick as I could. It was funny and had so many great songs in there, so it was special to be a small part of that.”

The film caused a further stir online as it hit Amazon Prime’s streaming services just before the Christmas period – leading many to watch it over the festive break and take to social media to voice their discomfort at viewing the more NSFW scenes with their parents or elderly relatives.

For Ellis-Bextor however, this was not an issue.

“I wasn’t too worried about my mum!” she admitted. “We don’t have a penchant for watching particularly challenging films together, but it was more about the fact that my teenage son was sat in between his mum and his grandma. I just kept thinking, ‘I hope he’s OK!’ There were definitely a few moments where I had my head in my hands thinking, ‘This is quite a lot!’ But he was completely fine and dealt with it very calmly. He said it was one of the top 10 films he’d ever seen, so he was very happy!”

“I don’t think my dad has got around to watching it yet, but he has seen the bit that’s got my song in it…”

Asked about her part in creating such a memorable Christmas for so many families, Ellis-Bextor replied: “I’ve always been a fan of juxtaposition; it really tickles me. The fact that Saltburn went on Amazon Prime the same weekend that I sang the song from [Channel 4 special] Mog’s Christmas was perfect for me. Those are the two ends of the spectrum. Mog’s was such a sweet and wholesome family affair then you’ve got Saltburn – I like that.”

After an eventful 2023 – that saw Ellis-Bextor perform at Liverpool’s Eurovision village and deliver a fan-favourite set at Glastonbury as well as releasing her “psychedelic, proggy” seventh album ‘HANA‘ – now she’s focussed on new material for the year ahead.

“I’ve been songwriting with plans for making a new record,” she said. “I did three albums with [acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer] Ed Harcourt and we’d always decided it was going to be a trio. In a weird bit of serendipity, I had plans to go back and work with people from my first album. It’s like I’ve bumped my head and it’s 2002 again. I’ve been working with a lot of top writers that I’m really fond of.”

“I felt so safe writing with Ed and found it really liberating. It was a decade of working together and I’m so grateful as I needed that space to write with complete freedom without second-guessing anything or sending it to a committee of people for their thoughts. Now it’s quite strange to go back out blinking into the light, but I’m feeling really enthusiastic.”

After a resurgent few years that saw her enjoy a renaissance with the success of her Kitchen Disco lockdown streams and subsequent tours – along with her podcast Spinning Plates – Ellis-Bextor said that she wouldn’t be letting her growing popularity shape what’s to come.

“I don’t know if that’s really how my head works,” she admitted. “When I finished Strictly Come Dancing, they expected that I’d make an album of covers from musicals – but instead I made an Eastern European-inspired folk album with Ed. Then I did the Kitchen Discos then ‘HANA’. I can only do what I feel like doing and not what’s expected, but as luck would have it I was already planning to do a pop-dance record.

“If anything, it feels like having a nice breeze behind me. You have to do what your heart wants.”

She added: “I don’t want to analyse anything; I just want to enjoy things and jump on the momentum and have as much fun as possible.”

Source: NME

[popculturebuffet]

It's Not The Years It's the Mileage: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Comissioned by WeirdKev27)

Welcome back folks to "It's Not the Years, It's the Mileage", my long look at the Indiana Jones Franchise. And we've come, a bit belatedly thanks to my recent move throwing my schedule out of wack, to our penultimate chapter, what was until just a week ago the final film in the franchise.. and the one most fans like to ignore when their not shaking their fists at it..

So going into this one was a bit loaded to say the least. I thankfully still had mostly fresh eyes: i remembered this one a bit better thanks to having seen it theatrically with my dad and his friend Don, a really neat guy who really loved star wars and who we also saw the Star Wars Prequels with. As a teen.. I thought it was eh, but I also wasn't that invested in the franchise. So the question is as an adult who now genuinely loves this franchise after two great movies and a mess so far, how will Crystal Skull hit me now? The answer, as always is under the cut.

Saucer Men from Mars

Naturally Indy's 4 starts in the 90's. Last Crusade really felt like the end of the road: The Indy films were now a trilogy, Speilberg wanted to move on, and while Harrison Ford wasn't convinced that more coudln't happen, he also saw the writing on the wall. George Lucas though WANTED to keep it going and during the early 90's tried to convince both men to do a film: Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars

You know I thought Indiana Jones and the Monkey King was going to be the most bonkers draft to a potetial indy film I heard of on this journey. Given it involved human chess, cyborg nazis, and Sun Wukong, I had every reason to. But friends thanks to this article at den of geek , I can tell you.. saucer men is somehow WEIRDER.

So the film follows Indy as he tries to marry someone we just meet, has a wedding with every prevoius supporting character present including both of his exes, gets left at the alter , and then has drinks with Marion and Willie. Oh and it turns out his bride to be was called away to investigate A FLYING SAUCER.

Yeah... the film has Indy having to solve an ancient puzzle before invading aliens torch the earth. Oh and he also has to deal with cold war paranoia, the russians, and DEATH RAYS THAT MELT PLANES OUT OF THE SKY. Did.. did professor farnsworth write this? It also all apparently takes place in one small town which fits the astethic Lucas was going for but REALLY dosen't fit indy at all. indy is about globetrotting.. this is just

Also Indy gets abducted in a drive in. Yeah this film really sounds more like an invasion film that Lucas just plopped indy into than an actual indy film.

SHOCKINGLY Speilberg wanted nothing to do with this: After doing Schinlders List he decided he was done with Blockbusters for a while, only returning to them for Minority Report and ironically, War of the Worlds, but both had a thinky sci fi undercurrent where as this is just stuff blowing up. As for harrison ford

So Lucas instead focused on the star wars prequels, and the matter was tabled for a while, though he kept having the film rewrote each time, piece by piece replacing itself. Eventually Speilberg and Ford wer ein just the right position Lucas needed...

And the film shockingly went off without a ton of hitches despite a near endless script cycle. a few cast subtstitions, some extra cgi and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull happened pretty easily.

And this might come as a shock given it's modern presentation, it certainly did to me.. but the film was WELL recevied at the time. Many a critic, including Roger Ebert, loved it, and it made money hand over fist. Fan response at it's most vitrolic was a resounding..

Not liking the hoakiness but not really getting the hate the star wars prequels got till later.

So the question is where do I fall in this debate? Is it okay or a true disaster? One that salted the earth so the franchise would never grow again?

Yeah honestly Crystal Skull is just.. mediocre. It's not OFFENSIVELY bad, but it feels like two legends half assing it. So because of this film being uniquely half assed and having such a rep, i'm going to break it down into diffrent parts than usual: The three biggest complaints people have with the film, Then what I thought about it beyond those. Of Ancient Aliens, Nuked Fridges and Mutt Williams: So yeah when you tend to hear complaints about the film, the three things that get brought up the most are the nuking of the fridge, using aliens, and Mutt Williams. So i'm going to go ahead and get out front of these. Nuking the Fridge: For those not as familiar, which I suspect is almost none of you but humor me, early in the film while fighting the russians, Indy accidently ends up in a nuclear test site and hides in a lead lined fridge to survivied, getting blown clean. He should be dead but isn't. And I... love this sequence. Is indy surviving this implausable? Entirely. Should he have been blown clear for this to at all work? Fuck no. But is it a beautifully shot, tense and fun sequence? Absolutely. The reveal of the manequins got me as a teen and as an adult, knowing the town was fake, I spoted how .. artifical it looked and loved the suspense as I waited for Indy to find out and even knowing how he'd survive this, the tension is awesome. IT's a classic indy ploy. And look this is a series where Shiva killed one antagonist and the Judeo Christian god killed the rest and let a knight live forever. It's okay to have a small bit of bollocks and frankly Indy's survived stuff that should kill him anyway, this is just the first time it was made painfully obvious he's indy-structable. I get not liking it, it is over the top.. but I fucking love it. The Aliens are more of a mixed bag. Now the alien itself we see.. is awesome: the way it arrives by having the skulls assembled with it slowly shifting into the statues, it's intimidating apperance, and the way it fries the big bad's brain in the same way she tortured Indy earlier, a look of contempt on it's face as if to say "You wanted our knowledge CHOKE ON IT". I also really don't have an issue WITH aliens being involved. Is it a tad more sci fi than fantasy? Yup. But honestly pulp adventure is the kind of genre you can take anywhere. While Scrooge McDuck mostly found lost cities he did visit the moon, aliens, and fantasy creatures, and Lucas made the right call in having the aliens be extra dimensional instead: instead of a ship it's more of a teleporter. It being aliens in itself isn't the problem The problem.. is the execution. Looking back on previous indy macguffins and forward to Archemedies Dial, each one has a reason why it exists: The Arc was made to hold the commandments and has the power of god because it's construction was ordained by him and it was hidden because no one should have this power. THe stones were in a place of worship before being pilfiried, fitting for a dieties power. And the grail was hidden because it could ONLY be used in that spot, similar to how in the arthurian stories, which I looked up, the grail had to be kept near the fisher king to heal his father. Here the aliens skulls are spread world wide, beam information into people, and summon the aliens themselves because...

I don't need to know WHY the arc can melt nazis or the stones can shoot lightning, but I need to know WHY the crystal skulls are what they are. You could say "to get the temple back".. but then WHY did they leave it there? Why were they worshipped? I'm fine with going with the flow and filling in the cracks myself if the storys good enough.. but the mystery here just isn't. Lucas and Speilberg REALLY coast on the idea "aliens isn't that neat", without building up the intrigue from before. The exposition here is just boring. It's just indy talking, saying really nothing, instead of building up a compelling mystery as to WHY these things are here and what the skulls ultimately mean. IT's the films fatal flaw: I often don't care about this adventure beyond Indy and his family... because the story dosen't seem to care. It's scattered around the world because "Well that's what these pictures do" instead of for intresting and well thoguht out reasons. If you want a globetrotting adventure.. you have to have a reason to trot the globe otherwise you just make me wish for the next set peice and that's NOT what these films should be. The non set peice stuff is there to build character, build the mystery and give us a second to calm down. It's just.. boring. Even temple for all it's issue iwth it's downtime scenes, didn't make me wish to turn the film off.

Finally we have Mutt who again is a mixed bag... but mostly a good one. For the first half of the film.. Mutt is actually a great character. He's a greaser sure, and the fact he says Daddy-O later physically hurts, but he's also shown as a troubled kid who has daddy issues, runs away from his problems and is passionate about what he does. He's indy himself, years younger, simply lacking his passion for discovery, somethign Mutt finds along the way allegedlys. And look.. as a person Shia Lebouf sucks. He truly sucks and he's an absuive monster. But I have to admit through gritted teeth he's a good actor, with Transformers being more bad direction and a script that called for him to SCREAM LOUDLY AT THINGS HAPPENING.. ALL THE THINGS ALL THE SCREAMING. He was a good choice for the part and plays off ford well. Sure the Tarzan thing was stupid, and Shia LeBouf was RIGHT to call it stupid no matter what Speilberg thought. No really Stephen took it personally and said "There's a time to speak and there's a time to shut up and eat"

Dude, oscar award winning film changing dude... sometimes ... it's okay to say something in a film you were in was bad TWO YEARS after it came out. Because it was. You admitted Temple of Doom was bad and should feel bad. How did this bother you?

Mutt isn't a terrible character the issue is more the film.. forgets to really finish his arc. He's mad at indy when he finds out even though he really.. shoudln't be? Indy had no idea he existed? , but this.. never gets resolved. He just accepts it because the movies over, picks up his hat and thankfully never puts it on. Mutt COULD have worked.. but the film just forgets to give a shit about him once his mom shows up and aliens are a comin. He's sadly wasted potetial and luckily the next film finds a way to make up for it with a whole new sidekick reminding indy of his past mistakes. Speaking of character

A Weakness of Character

In my Temple of Doom review I pointed out how it's lack of character arc was one of it's biggest weaknesses: By resetting indy to where he was before raiders, there was no where to really take him. Crystal Skull has the oppositie problem: Now set a few decades later, with an older Indy in a world he dosen't understand the film keeps him ... largely the same. We get some intresting seeds of a man out of time early on: The Goverment, originally indy's steadfast allies, are now in full red scare mode and instantly question Indy for simply having been friends with a traitor to the soviets without considering Indy didn't know, nearly costing him is job. He served in the army, worked hard, did all the things he thought were right.. and now he's getting spat on for stuff not his fault. So what does the film do with this?

Yeah after our hero leaves on his quest with Mutt and gets trailed by the KGB.. NOTHING comes of this. It has no impact on the plot. And that's the real issue... the movie brings up intresting character arcs for Indy and dosen't pay them off in any meaningful way. We get the knowledge he left Marion at the alter and has commitment issues.. and he uh marries her at the end and their married all the way to dial of destiny. That's it. He clamps down hard on wanting Mutt to go back to college and trying to be a dad.. and er.. he's a dad now I guess? The film starts up intresting ideas but can't finish a goddamn one. IT's what holds the film back: it STARTS really strong but then falls apart. Marion at least is awesome as ever and bringing her back was a top notch choice. Karen Allen is as good as ever, and feels like she's still fleshing Marion out and she plays off Indy and Mutt perfectly. My only regret is she really.. dosen't have much to do in the plot. She's held hostage, gets free, teams up with the rest of the heroes and.. really dosen't add anything. It's a far fall from last time. And that's the REAL problem with the crystal skull. Don't get me wrong, I get why the big three issues I tackled are such a big deal... but this is the subtle death that kills the film. Lucas and Speilberg and writer David Koepp, who wrote freaking Spider-Man and thus should knwo better, just didn't care to finish anything.

It's more apparent in the villians. Kate Blanchett is an awesome actress, as much as I didn't like Tar she does a phenominal job there and was amazing fun as Hela in Thor Ragnarok, but all she's given to be as Irina Spalko is a very sterotpical cold war russian bad guy. There's not substance to her and unlike with Toht there isn't any.. cold looming menace. It was much more personal with the Nazis and I fully respect Speilberg, after portraying them at their deadliest seriousness in schindlers list, for not using them again. This is personal to him for damn obvious reasons. But it was shown with Molla Ram he could make an intimdating villian outside the nazis. Here it's just a cartoon caracture. Irinia comes off like a bad 60's era iron man villian wanting to CRUSH AMERICA AND THE CAPTALISTS instead of the very real dread of a nation ran by dogma and under an unflinching uncaring leader, the stuff we deal with NOW with Russia as they continue to invade an inncoent country.

There's also Mac, Indy's friend who just loves money... and that's it. That's his character. He loves money and sold out to the reds to get it. He's a complete waste of breath and space and should've died int he prologue. I do not care fo rhim. There's also Ox. While John Rhys Davies tries his best... he's just diet Henry Sr. And that's not hyperbole: they wanted him to replace connery, he refused so we're just given this guy we're told is important who mostly goes around half brain dead till he gets his mind back at the end. Crystal Skull.. just has weak character. There was no care or depth put in. Even Thot as horrbile as he is had the thought of being a simple for just how purely monsterous the Nazi's were. Ther'es juts NOTHING here and it makes the film a slog. If your not going to finish any arc or give me a bad guy to actually want see taken down, why do I care?

Odds and Ends: So yeah ONCE AGAIN an Indy film does a racisim. You'd think after last Crusade reduced it to Sallah, who I begrudgingly accept at this point, they WOULDN'T go back to this well. You'd think 19 years later and after they already turned down one idea for the third Indy film for being too racist they wouldn't instead...

Yeah there's a weird martial arts cult of indegnious peoples depicted as savages. So .. THAT happened and i'm less lenient. Again they had 19 YEARS to learn this shit wasn't okay. Granted anyone familiar with episode 1 can tell Lucas really had learned nothing. But given Speilberg had done MULTIPLE films heavily tackling prejudice, slavery, and genocide at this point, you'd THINK he'd know better. YOU'D THINK. YOU'D. THINK. It's not as in your face as Temple but it's still very much beneath them. I have nothing but contempt for this choice and for them going with it and learning NOTHING about being culturally senstive after 19 years.

There's also a lot of CGI in this film. It wasn't intended and the practical effects, as before are good.. but the CGI here has aged like mayo topped with a fresh egg and dumped on the sidewalk and left in the hot unforgiving sun for 19 years. The Jungle Chase is paticuarlly bad: while they coudln't find a clear cut jungle to use, they'd of been better off.. doing somethign else. The actual stuntwork is good.

The Motorcycle Set piece is great and should feel great. And overall the goofy tone of the film is one I don't mind: I don't mind it being ab it more over the top outside of it's racist bullshit, and it's more over the top moments remind me of the good in temple of doom and help catapult me out of the dry rest of the film.

So overall.. Crystal Skull.. is

It has the potetial to be a good film, but dosen't care to actually use it. It's not a GOOD film.. but it's also just not bad enough for me to truly hate it. The good parts help keep it above that as does Karen Allen. It's a bad indiana jones film and a very bleh adventure film.. but it's just not this "RUINED THE FRANCHISE FOREVER" .. thing people desribe it as. If it was to you, I totally get it and could see that, but for me it's just a mediocre disapointing sequel. I've had plenty of those and plenty of worse disapointments sequel wise. Maybe the fact we got a much better one makes it impossible for me to really care. I deeply love indy now, I love this franchise and this is a bloch.. but it dosen't erase the two great films before this or the highs temple had amid the extreme lows. And with the power of time and nostalgia.. it didn't stop someone else from taking one last crack at it. Next Time: We put this retrospective in a box to be examined by Top Men as I look at the final Indiana Jones film, which is still in theaters: Dial of Destiny. Is it good, bad, mediocre? find out with me next time.

[whats-rambled-rambled]

You know that I never write rpf stuff. And yet–

Ever since I saw that one interview, the image’s been stuck in my head and I thought today is quite a good day to share it with you all. 

A little over 400 words. Just a tiny glimpse from a random encounter.

Happy birthday Rob! ✨ I hope you’re having a great one!

—-

The sun warms your cheeks and you sigh, closing your eyes. There’s still some time left to bask in the early morning light before you’ll have to get inside and start your shift, and you intend to spend every minute of it on this bench.

A familiar voice. 

Right on time. 

He’s been wandering around the city for almost two weeks now, always passing by your cafe on his stroll. Must be someone from that film crew hanging around, or at least you figured as much. Always with a phone in his hand, memorizing lines and playing with them, bending and stretching the vowels in the maddest ways you’ve ever heard. Listening back to his own voice and cringing, or giggling uncontrollably. Then spinning the words again ever further, for his amusement.

And yours, too.

You never bothered him, why would you. It was more about the simple pleasure of watching him work these pronunciation puzzles - or rather of listening to him, as you always sit with your back to the pavement.

On the first day he lowered his voice when he passed you by, but as you didn’t react to him in any way, and neither did you on the next day, he seemed to accept your presence there and since then he carried on with his walks. 

And today, the sun is shining bright and there’s a little breeze in the air. 

You take the briefest of peeks from under your lids at him, close your eyes again, then listen. He seems kind of nervous. Uncertain. Not going through the longer passages, sticking to shorter sentences or single words. He tries one of the variants of the quote, it lands flat even to your untrained ear. Then he goes for it again and something switches. The lines are more refined now. There’s a certain truth in them, too. Even if they still sound completely bonkers.

And before you can stop yourself, you say:

“That’s it, that’s the one.” The footsteps halt behind your bench and you turn in your seat, only to meet his confused stare, the brows knitted in a silent question. “You’ve been searching for a voice, right? That’s the one.” 

“You think so?” 

“I know so. You’ve got this.”

He drops his gaze and lets out a small embarrassed chuckle When he looks up, the blue eyes are lit up and he sends you a shy grin.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” You smile at him and turn away.

And some time later, you stumble upon a movie trailer and you almost don’t recognize the face. But you recognize the voice, and the way it commands twisted lines into chaotic perfection.

All the time.

[everydayzefron]

I’m just going to write into the void… (And it may sound silly, because this blog is about Zac Efron so naturally it’s gonna sound bias… Neither do I think this will be read much..)

But if you haven’t seen it already, ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ is a wonderful and sweet film, and a wonderful crowd pleaser.

Those are the exact words I can think of immediately to define it. I think the film critics really unfairly panned this movie because they missed the whole reason of the film (which is that, is based on a true story, but it’s one of those ‘it’s so crazy; you can’t believe it actually happened’) scenarios. Which seemed to be forgotten by critics and expectations were much different.

That being said — to start off with. This film is beautifully shot. And I mean it. The cinematography is so incredible that is memorising. The whole time I could not stop thinking about it and that tends to be in a rarity with films these days. Where you, an audience member can’t stop thinking mentally about the cinematography. The costume department and lighting team also did an equally beautiful job. As it comes together so perfectly within the scenes. Almost like actual artwork. Out of all the films this year, it would be fitting for an Oscar nomination in those departments because it’s that memorising. It’s just ‘wow.’

~~~~~

Zac’s performance as ‘Chickie’ was incredible as well. He starts off as a young goofy guy who’s light hearted. That’s how ‘Chickie’ friends see him as well (both in real life, and film portrayal in this movie.) By the end of this film though you will see how gradually ‘Chickie’ transforms as his perspective of war (and politics) shifts from his experience. Zac captures his emotion (and damage of war, mentally and emotionally) perfectly.

There is also this scene near the end (I won’t spoil) where the sound goes muted is absolutely heart breaking, you can feel the exact emotion, and tension almost like you’re there WITH him. The subtly of the scene too is really loud and really a brilliant way of the tell tale experience OF war. Really subtle but message telling scene.

Russell Crow was also great as always, despite being a minor character. Great performance from him.

So, basically — if you’re not a fan of Efron. You will be shocked. Because his performance is THAT impressive.

~~~

TL:DR & Conclusion:

This movie is A GREAT movie. It got an unfair dog piling from the critics who visibly didn’t understand the concept of the film, or weren’t willing to give Efron a chance, or wanted a bone to pick (revenge for Green Book).

I highly recommend watching this movie with friends (I did it, and everyone who seemed off put by the idea of Zac Efron, were so shocked & thoroughly enjoyed it, as it’s an easy crowd pleaser.)

The story theme is highly revolved around friendship and despite light hearted (very dark) equally, which is a rare theme in films these days, and what is bonkers it’s a true story.

So if you haven’t seen it already! It’s a definite must watch. That will pull on your heart strings.

Don’t listen to the critics and give it a chance.

[becca-alexa]

Comfort Movie Tag!

Rules: post 10 of your favorite comfort movies and then tag 10 people or as many as you want (i did 11 oops lol) 💗

A million thanks for the tag @i-me-mine and @chaotic--agraphia !! 💗💗💗

I don't tend to watch new movies - I'm the kind of person where I'll wait until a movie comes out and I'll read a plot summary before going into it, purely because I don't like surprises. Usually, I'll default to the same movies to watch, so this list wasn't too difficult to make 💗

Howl's Moving Castle (2004): literally how can anyone not love this movie i could watch this on repeat every single minute of the day and love it every single time - it's first on the list for a reason 💗

Hairspray (2007): i am a big musicals girlie and when i tell you i will put this on and sing along from start to finish that is not a lie - i have watched this regularly for the last fifteen years or so and i love it so much 💗 how could you not love it when Edna and Wilbur serenade each other????

Pride and Prejudice (2005): okay i will say i refrained from watching this movie purely because i thought it was overhyped but OH MY GOD when i finally did???fell in love my heart crumbled i have never been the same -- i understand the hand and it is all i crave from a man plus like Matthew Macfadyen's a total babe???

Encanto (2021): this movie made my cry as i'm sure it did for plenty people - it tickled my little latina heart in all the right places 💗

10 Things I Hate About You (1999): again another film i had refrained from watching because i thought it was all hype but it's so good?????legit did not expect to love it as much as i did???

Treasure Planet (2002): can anyone who grew up in the 00s say they didn't have a crush on Jim Hawkins???legit had a crush on him before i knew what crushes were this movie was just SO GOOD and the end when he takes care of his mom???my turn WHEN 💗💗💗💗💗

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001): AGAIN. WHO DIDN'T HAVE A MASSIVE CRUSH ON MILO??? literally will watch the movie purely for him because he is such a babe

Spaceballs (1987): legitimately funny movie and i love the dynamic between Lone Starr and Princess Vespa (i adore han and leia but something about lone and vespa just....hits different) plus i would love to own a winnebago

While You Were Sleeping (1995): AND SPEAKING OF BILL PULLMAN -- i remember watching this movie for the first time and just rooting my little teenage heart out for lucy to end up with jack 💗💗💗 plus the concept for this is just BONKERS??? like who the hell would believe this???? and the falling in love??? perfection 💗💗

The Prince of Egypt (1998): i remember watching this movie every sunday for a solid eight years -- if you grew up evangelical this was required watching -- and religion aside it's just a beautiful movie with an INCREDIBLE cast???the music slaps and the art style is phenomenal and let me tell you this movie is part of what inspired me to go into animation and film so it holds a special place in my heart 💗💗 also like You Know Better Than I makes me cry every time so double points for that

The Sound of Music (1965): THE FIRST "REAL" FILM I CAN REMEMBER WATCHING THAT WASN'T JUST HAND ME DOWN CASETTES OF TURMA DA MÔNICA 💗💗💗 the tension!!the music!! the enemies to lovers!!! the thrill of the escape!!! the OUTFITS??? how can a more perfect film exist i wanted to BE maria purely because she got to get with captain von trapp -- legit top movies of all time for me and also another musical i know every word to

No pressure tags as always 💗: @hellfire1986baby @hellfirehottie420 @punk-in-docs @aftermidnightwriting @navnae @munsonsduchess @munsonology and anybody else who would like to try 💗💗💗

[bealovesmarauders]

🧜🏻‍♀️mermaid - send me a description of yourself (personality-wise, hobbies, favorite things, physical characteristics, or all of the above, whatever you’re most comfy with!) and i’ll ship you with someone :) pls include gender preference and fandom!!

(every time i start writing this i get interrupted, this is my third try 😩)

umm, any gender and i don't want to say any fandom because i feel like that's too broad but literally whatever you pick i'll be happy with. Still, to narrow it down I’ll say marauders but if you think of another match i’ll love it no matter who you say<3

Personality: I'm a terribly anxious person, not to the point that it's like crippling or anything, just that like,yeah, anxiety be anxieting. So sometimes if i’m with people i’m not entirely comfortable with i just won’t talk, like i’m very very quiet at parties (also very quiet in general). I was recently described as a "Walking intrusive thought" which i'm actually ok with because her reasoning was sound. I'll either be very calm or very bonkers and off the wall (i know too many things so i must share them with the masses lest they go stale in my brain). I'm always worried that i'm too pretentious because i talk like i learned my vocabulary from a period drama. When anyone does even the littlest thing for me, I get so happy like aaahh you care about me (like yesterday i was very overwhelmed and I have tics and they have taken control of my hands so i was doing my land-synchronized swimming routine with my arms and then my friend was just like "Here just hold my hand" and i was like aaahhh you care about me🥰🥰🥰) I'm like, hella funny. I try to be humble but it's true so why deny it. it’s sort of a dry humor and it’s all about waiting for the opportune moment. and also great swaths of sarcasm… and my love languages of how i receive it is acts of service or physical touch (definitely physical touch) and how i show my love is definitely gift giving.

Hobbies: sewing (i’m making my prom dress), reading, writing, and learning anything i can about historical fashion<3 OH MY GOD I ALMOST FORGOT THE BUTTER i make butter often and frequently, sometimes i get fancy with it and make roasted garlic butter, black garlic, honey, lavender honey, cinnamon, and i Loooove giving it to people all the time. I also make stickers for people, and my typical gift is butter and stickers <3

Favorite things: the color burgundy, sea shanties, weighted blankets, 4XL sweatshirts, my dior lucky perfume my aunt gave me, collecting antique books, crystals, pre-raphaelite paintings, having deep philosophical conversations about ridiculous things, crystals, when my sister braids a piece of my hair when one of us is going away, pirate shirts, arctic moneys + the last shadow puppets, Western movies specifically with Sam Elliot, anything to do with pirates and 40s music

physical characteristics: Brownish-blondish hair depending on the lighting, blue eyes, vertically challenged (i’m 5’3 on a good day😭), and small enough to the point that if anyone needs to get something out of a tight space they call me (also small enough that random women think they can grab my waist and say “you’re so small omg”)

whenever, if ever you get to this i’m sure you’ll pick someone perfect and i’ll love whatever you come up with <3 no pressure ever and take all the time you need 💕💕 and congratulations again <3<3<3

hi my love! i ship you with remus!

obviously he definitely can relate to the anxiety part,,, i think you guys would meet at a party or something cause you both would be in the corner 😭 rem is such a voracious reader and i like to think he pics up vocabulary very easily so he's like the only one who understands when you use big words (the other marauders would probably tease you for it, albeit lovingly). he's probably not used to getting little gifts but he definitely loves trinkets and has a whole section of his bedside table dedicated to you<3

i think he'd also be really understanding about your tics. remus knows what it feels like to have all eyes on him, and since he picks up on details and body language really quickly i think he'd be pretty attuned to them. he'd probably be like your friend and hold your hand if you wanted<3 you'd also have conversations about anything and everything, especially philosophical (i hc that remus HATES david hume and loves mary wollstonecraft). he'd also be so in awe of your sewing, maybe you'd sew him something sometime and he'd wear it everywhere. you'd also share a love for antique books and he'd probably buy you a first edition of your favorite one for an anniversary or something.

and the height difference omg. since you love big sweaters he's constantly giving you his jumpers (or maybe you're stealing them, shhh) and his favorite thing would be to just see you all swallowed up in his comfy clothes. remus is also such a handholder, and i can definitely see you guys just being attatched physically one way or another literally all the time (it comforts both of you). i also think that remus is definitely all about the little things- opening the car door for you, walking on the outside of the sidewalk, holding the door open, etc. and again on the height difference, rem would 100% put things on the top shelf just so that you would need his help <3

i hope this is okay and that you like it<3