#that was where the barbie movies were at their peak

[thevampirekeke]

The Four Times Adrian Almost Discovers Your Identity And The One Time He Finally Did.

Warnings: none

Additional tags: gender neutral reader, canon x reader, reader is all stoic and serious, Reader works at a cat cafe in their free time, Adrian chase is a simp, secret identity, identity reveal, fluff, possibly ooc!Adrian,

Summary: The four times Adrian accidentally almost saw your face and the one time he actually accidentally discovers your identity without you even knowing.

Adrian was nosy, he tended to stick his nose where it wasn’t needed especially when it came to people he cared about. He was just a curious guy, and when it came to you his curiosity was peaked.

Now Adrian told himself he wouldn’t push it too far, you had your secret identity and he respected that as someone who also worked dutifully to stay anonymous and sadly failed. You were so mysterious and stern, rarely breaking character and always serious. Everything he wasn’t and god did he find it attractive.

he was head over heels for you and everyone knew it, well everyone but you. So nobody could blame him for wanting to know stuff about you and know your identity, especially after his was revealed.

He’d try and prod at you asking questions and cracking jokes in hopes you would laugh or tell him something about yourself but with out fail you always glared at him and went on with ignoring him.

So the first time Adrian almost saw you he was ecstatic and very very guilty because you had no idea and he wasn’t supposed to. He was leaned back in a chair with his feet on the table mask long discarded now that everyone knew who he was. His eyes had been shut for a long time, everyone just assumed he was asleep and left the room. Everyone but you.

You decided to do something risky, you decided to take off your mask ‘what’s the worse that could happen? Adrian is asleep and everyone is gone’ you thought and masks get uncomfortable after a long time. So you take it off.

Adrian hears the sound of something hitting a table and looks over to his right and finds himself staring at the back of your head. He feels his throat close up and he choked on the air. Luckily you didn’t notice and he quickly looks aways as his cheeks burn a bright shade of red. He shuts his eyes tightly, images of your head out of his mind. The way the sun from the window infront of you haloed around your body made his stomach flutter. Just as he went to turn his head to get another peak distant voices can be heard and you rush to put your mask back on.

Chris and Economos walk in bickering over something that Adrian doesn’t care for. He continues to pretend to sleep but is disrupted by Chris “yo vig wake up, tell this dumb ass that Ken was totally misunderstood in the Barbie movie” he says shoving Adrian’s shoulder causing him to groan “I’m sorry but everyone knows he was in the wrong” Adrian says playing it off as if he just got woken up.

Adrian looks over at you and you look back with your arms crossed and no expression. Mask on.

Damn those two.

—

The second time he saw you, it was a total accident too. He didn’t know he was going to see what he saw. You see Adrian was very observant much to peoples shock, it just comes with the whole vigilante job. So he is quick to notice how you start hiding something, you sneak off and duck behind walls for minutes at a time before appearing back like nothing happened.

One day you had quickly hid behind a wall and Adrian was quick to sneak behind you. He watched as you pulled up the bottom of your mask freezing for a moment you were taking off your mask and his heart was about to jump out his chest. His heart didn’t settle however as you stopped right below your nose “finally, I’m so hungry” you say pulling a plastic wrapped cookie out of your pocket quickly taking a bite after peeling back the plastic protection. He saw half your face… it’s all he could think of as he turns and quickly walks away cheeks burning.

as Adrian laid in bed that night staring at his ceiling he swore if he had laser eyes his stare would burn the image of your lips into his ceiling.

—

The third time he almost sees your face , you are all sat in the back of the van after a long mission, your bodies all hurt, everyone is exhausted and if you aren’t sleeping then you are sitting quietly keeping to yourself.

Adrian isn’t sleeping he just has his eyes shut once again, a habit he had gained when everything was blurry even with his glasses and trying to focus on anything made his head hurt. He jumped slightly as he feels a weight on his shoulder. He glances down to his left to find your head rested on his shoulder. He waves his hand in front of your face and finds you unmoving. His face heats up as he realizes you are asleep, he looks down and sees that you have your phone in hand.

He was just going to turn it face down in your lap he swore it, but as he gently took it from you hand the phone screen turned on and revealed a photo. He couldn’t help but look at it.

A photo of a grey fluffy cat zoomed in on its eyes as it is pressed up against the side of a humans face. Adrian focuses in on the beautiful color of your eyes and the way your long lashes curled up into your eyelid. It only showed your eye and the slightest sliver of skin, the photo was mainly cat face than yours but he couldn’t help as his heart squeezed with a horribly amazing feeling.

He slowly puts the phone down to not wake you and stares at your mask face trying to imagine what eyes went with those beautiful lips. He feels his face tingle More with heat and his heart speed up as he imagines said eyes staring at him.

——

The fourth time he almost saw your face is on another rough mission. This mission topped all missions on the level of hard. While everyone left with their life It left everyone injured and metaphorically dead. Especially leaving you out of everyone in rough shape. You had rolled your ankle while running leaving chris to carry you back to the van while everyone else was occupied. When Adrian made it back he had felt so guilty that he wasn’t there to help you in your moment of weakness.

I’m a desperate attempt to make himself feel better he offers to wrap your ankle. You hesitantly nod “I’m not taking off my suit though, you can do it with the suit on” he nods quickly “no yeah of course, I just need you to take your shoe off” he says pointing towards your foot.

You wince as you take off the shoe, the swelling in your foot making it a tight fit, but with some strength and a groan of pain you get the shoe off. The first thing Adrian notices is how your foot is enflamed and your ankle is a light yellowish brown as it begins bruising. The second thing he notices is the tattoo you have on your ankle. It was a cat curled up into a ball sleeping, it was small and dainty, nothing too big or easy to spot. But it was enough to once again make Adrian’s heart flutter, that happens a lot when he’s around you. ‘I should get that checked out by my doctor’ he thinks

He takes the blue bandage out of the first aid box he had grabbed and begins gently wrapping your foot.“you like cats?” He asks causing you to stiffen up slightly “calm down, I just saw your tattoo. It’s cute” he says making you sigh softly “thanks I forgot it was there. got it in memory of a very important little guy” you say looking down at your foot watching as Adrian’s hands wrap the bandage around. “How do you know how to do this?” You ask making him laugh softly “oh I have no idea what I’m doing”

And for the first time time Adrian’s heard you laugh. It’s soft and only lasts a short second but it’s still a laugh and it still comes from you.

He smiles brightly and finished off wrapping “all done” he says proudly before stranding “thank you, Adrian” you say and the way you say has name has his head reeling and stomach doing flips and jumps “anytime” he says.

—

Adrian had wanted to get you a coffee to make you feel better, he still felt guilty about you getting hurt so he had went out of his way to stop at this little cat cafe that had opened down the road from his apartment. He had never been to a cat cafe so he had no idea what to expect except for something cat related.

When Adrian walked in through the doubled up doors the first thing he notices was the bell going off above his head signaling his arrival.

The second was a small orange and white cat rubbing up against his leg “oh hello there” he says leaning down to scratch the cat. While he pet the ball of fur he looked around the room noticing tables and several more cats along with a barista bar in the back.

There were people spread around the cafe petting cats and chatting with each other. For some reason Adrian felt out of place within the space but still he persisted and made his way towards the counter where a barista was busying themself with preparing drinks.

The barista doesn’t notice him at first too in the zone if pouring milk into the coffee, Adrian takes in their appearance and he swears that hair and those eyes look familiar. “Hello!” He says causing the barista to whip around.

their eyes go wide and they fumble what their doing dropping milk all over the counter “o-oh my god- I’m- uh- hi I’ll be with you in one sec”

Oh my god.

That voice.

It can’t be…

Adrian feels his heart pick up as he looks over the counter at your legs, Trying not to look like a total creep. Yup and there it is soft blue bandaging that had yet to been changed within having such a busy schedule. “I-I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened there” you say tossing the milk soaked rag. “What can I get you?”

Hearing your voice and seeing it come from your face had Adrian reeling and had him short of breath . Somehow he had fallen harder within those few seconds. You were stunning, ethereal as you stood there in your coffee stained apron hair pulled back out of your face giving him a nice clear view. all those features he had saw separately now came together like the most beautiful puzzle. He just had to play this cool

“Yeah can I get caramel…meow meow??” He questions squinting up at the menu drawing a chuckle from you. Oh he was absolutely smitten.

Omg hello!! Thank you for reading my first ever fic. I’m both terrified and very proud with myself. I hope you enjoyed! Reblogs are very appreciated 🦇🖤

[swissboyhisch]

Halloween Surprise

Pairing: Matthew Knies x Marner!Reader

Summary: The team's Halloween party seemed like the perfect time to reveal to everyone who you were dating.

Word Count: 2546

Warnings: Alcohol, blood, a little bit of 18+ content towards the end.

THE MASTERLIST JOIN THE TAGLIST HOCKEY DISCORD

Halloween. Your favourite holiday by far. Growing up, your parents decorated the house with tons of decorations and your mum always went all out with family costumes. When you moved to Toronto to live with your older brother and his girlfriend, you were always in charge of organising the Halloween parties or costumes. 

And nothing changed. As soon as it was announced it was Mitch’s turn to host the team’s Halloween party, he came straight to you. It was your job to organise everything but luckily, since Mitch will be busy with the start of the hockey season, Steph is more than happy to help you. It would give her something to do. And it means the two of you can spend more time together. 

First thing was to create a list of people who would get the invites. Then organise a time and place for the party. Mitch and Steph said they’re happy to have it at their place instead of hiring out a place. Due to game schedule conflict, the party was going to take place on the Friday before Halloween.

Once the who, what, when and where was decided, Steph and you designed the invites and sent those out as soon as possible. Next was the entertainment. You had a couple Halloween Playlists from previous parties you had hosted so you just said you would bring your audio system and set it up around the house and use Spotify. Food wise, Steph said that she was thinking the two of you make the food the couple days leading up to it. She loved to cook, and you loved to bake so it was the perfect pair. Drinks were just going to be bins with cans of alcohol and soft drink in them and pitchers of cocktails. Then it was just costumes for you guys and decorating the house and backyard.

“What are we going to dress as?” Asked Mitch as he joined the planning party of you and Steph on the couch. 

You just smirk, “You two are going to be a ken and barbie variant. It fits so perfectly.”

Steph let out a squeal of excitement. It really was perfect for them. “Oh my god, yes!”

“And Auston is going to be Alan. A permanent third wheel.”

“What are you going to do?”

“It’s a surprise,” You retorted to your brother. As a fashion major, you had an endless number of options. But one in particular was the number one choice. It wasn’t hard but it was a fun one. “You’ll see at the party.”

Then it was onto planning the couple’s costumes. For Steph, you were thinking of a cute pink satin dress that stopped mid high. Low cut but not as low as you could go. A pair of cute white heels and white accessories. Her hair is in waves with pink makeup and hints of silver. A white clutch to top it off.

Mitch, luckily, will go with whatever you choose. Which is going to be matching pink pants, a white button down not fully buttoned and a pink satin scarf in the pocket. That will be made from the same fabric as the dress. His hair will be styled and maybe you can convince him to have a little makeup on.

Auston was a little harder, but he was going to be dressed in blue pants that are the same as Mitch’s and shirt striped like Alan’s sweater in the movie. A permanent third wheel who you question their involvement in a relationship.

You lived in an apartment in the city, close to where you work. Since Mitch and Steph got married, well a bit before that, you managed to find an apartment and skedaddle out of there. So, you found yourself the night before the party organising your bag full of your costume to take over to Mitch’s place early in the morning. It was late but it had to be done now and you had gone to the game against the Stars.

Your apartment's buzzer going off surprised you. No-one was expected. When you peaked at the camera footage, the familiar boy dressed in the same suit as earlier was standing there waving at the camera. You were quick to let him in and eagerly await his arrival. 

“Hey,” Matt greeted as you let him into your apartment. Pressing a kiss to your lips. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing here at this time of night?”

He shrugged off his suit jacket and hung it up on your coat rack, “Was on my way back to John’s from the arena and thought I’d stop in.”

“And does John know where you are?” You question. 

“Yes, I told him,” Matt whispers, his lips brushing against yours softly. His warm breath mixes with your own. “Don’t worry your pretty little head.”

You had to shower so despite Matt already showering at the arena he took up the opportunity to join in on your naked task. The two of you took a little longer than necessary but it was all in good fun. Now you were cuddled up in your bed with Coraline on the tv.

“Seriously?” Matt chuckles when he sees the movie title card. 

You just shrugged innocently, “it’s a favourite at this time of year.”

“This time of year?” He laughs harder knowing the truth behind that statement. “You mean any time of year.”

The next morning you were up early regardless of Matt’s whining when your alarm went off. The brunette tried to keep you in bed a little longer, but you wanted to get ready and head over to Mitch’s. The boys had a morning skate so you knew Matt would have to get up anyway. No sympathy from you.

“I’ll see you tonight. You have your costume right?” You mumble. 

Matt hums, pressing a reassuring kiss on your lips. “Yes, I have everything. I get dressed then just have to style my hair and splatter some blood from that bottle over my face and hands.”

“Perfect.” You pressed a kiss to his lips one final time and headed out the door. “Lock up on your way out!”

Steph and you had done most of the cooking and baking yesterday. The big decorations were already done as well, just the main decorations and little bits and pieces were to be put in place. 

The drive to your brother’s went quicker than you expected. But it was welcomed as you and Mitch crossed paths; him heading to practice and you arriving. He gave you a quick hug before you retreated into the house where Steph was eagerly waiting.

“Let’s get this started,” She says excitedly, pressing play on her phone.

Halloween themed songs started playing through the music system you guys had set up the previous day. You two finished off the food first giving it time to rest and cool. Then onto decorations. Starting with the inside, you decorated the entryway, then lounge room and dining room before finishing with the backyard.

“I think we are finished,” Steph states happily, looking over the pair of you’s hard work.

With a glance at your phone, it was 3pm. Perfect time to slowly start to get ready. “I’m gonna go have a shower and start getting ready.”

“Good idea.”

You went straight to your old room that had an ensuite and started to lay out your outfit. A pair of black booty shorts, a black lace corset bra, a blood splattered white button down and a pair of fishnets. That was the basis of your costume. Then a mask that was the same as Matt’s, both lighting up blue.

First things first, shower and prep first before starting on your hair. Then onto make-up, pretty simple, before getting into your costume. The last touch was blood splattering over your make-up. When you finished getting ready, you went downstairs to make a cocktail for Steph and yourself.

“Oo, what’s on the menu?” Steph questions as she comes downstairs in her costume.

“You look so good!” Steph did a twirl for you. “Ah, I picked the perfect costume.”

At the mention of that, Mitch came down solidifying the choice. He was the perfect Ken. Complimenting Steph’s barbie. When he came into the kitchen, he looked you over. Looking at your costume. “What are you?”

“From the purge,” You answer. You poured two cocktails into nice glasses and slid it over to Steph. “Cheers to another successful Halloween.”

“Cheers.”

When you took your first sip, the doorbell rang. Mitch went to greet whichever teammate had arrived first. And knowing the team, it’s either Mitch’s boyfriend (Auston) or the captain and his wife.

“What’s up little Marns?” Auston greets as he presses a kiss to your cheek. “I like the costume.”

“Thanks Aus.”

The group all enjoyed the music that was playing and the alcohol while waiting for others. Soon Will and his girlfriend arrived dressed as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. Penny joined the other two girls drinking cocktails while the boys sat around outside chatting.

“So, are you still talking to that guy?” Steph asks.

Penny immediately turns on you. “Guy? What guy?”

“Uh,” You stutter. Steph was the only person to know you were talking to a guy. But she didn’t know who he was. “Yeah, I’m still talking to the guy.”

“Who is he?” 

You shrug and go to answer the door as an excuse to leave the conversation. The person knocked at the door again as you walked down the hallway. 

“You will tell us sooner or later,” Steph calls from the kitchen.

The door opened to reveal Matthew, dressed exactly how you envisioned. God, he looked so good. Even with the blood splattered all over him. The brunette lifted his mask and smiled down at you. Well, more like smirked. 

“Heya babe,” he muttered, making sure to peek over your shoulder before pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Hey, you look good!”

“So do you.”

You shut the door behind him and lead him through to the kitchen. As soon as Steph took in Matthew’s costume, she knew exactly who you were talking to. Her eyes lit up as she ran to hug the boy. It was the first team event for Steph to meet the rookie player.

“Hi, welcome to the team,” Steph rushes out excitedly. She looked over the pair of you and your matching costumes. “How are you liking Toronto?”

“I have a good guide,” He replies, sending a small smile to the girl beside him.

“Where’s the captain?” Mitch asks when he sees Knies. 

You waited for your brother’s reaction but it seemed like it wasn’t clicking. Oh well, it will make sense at some point in his golden retriever brain. 

Matt shrugs, “He and Aryne were waiting on the babysitter.”

“Ah, come join the boys out back,” Mitch suggests, already making his way outside again. 

Steph lets out a chuckle, “We’ll see if it clicks for him at some point.”

Matt just shrugged again and kissed you once more and made his way to join his teammates outside on the patio. When the backdoor shut, Steph and Penny both turned and gave you a look.

“The rookie? Really?”

“He’s cute,” You argue.

The pair both agree with a laugh and start to ask you a billion questions. When did you meet him? Where? What was your first date? At the arena before a preseason game. Then he took you out for a late-night meal at a diner.

Soon the house was full of team members and staff dressed in every type of costume you could imagine. Funny, scary, awesome, iconic. You name it, someone is dressed in it. Everyone was mingling and snacking on all the things you and Steph had made during the week. 

“Hey,” Matt greets as he comes up to you talking to Aryne. 

Aryne smiled at the two of you dressed up together. “I love the costumes.”

“That was all her,” The brunette grinned. He pressed a kiss to your temple but soon was interrupted by a yell.

“What?!” You turn to where Mitch was standing with William and Auston. “No way.”

Steph was quick to drag Mitch inside, with the other two of the trio following suit. Luckily not many people had seen the scene created. Knowing your brother, if you and Matt delayed the conversation any longer, he’d come and drag you too in as well. 

“Let’s get this over with,” You mutter, slipping your hand into Matt’s.

As soon as you stepped foot into the living room, Mitch only paid attention to the joint hands. “Oh no, no, no.” He speeds up to you two and separates you both. “Not for the life of me are you dating a hockey player.”

“Come on Mitch.”

He shook his head. “No. I told mum and dad I’d protect you when you moved out here with me.”

“Mitch, I’m not 18 anymore. I’m a big girl. I can date who I want without your permission.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to convince you, he turned on Matthew. He got up in the rookie’s face. “And you! I told you that my sister was off limits!”

Matt couldn’t get in a word before you stepped in and pushed your brother a step back. But he was quick to pull you into his side. 

“Mitch,” Steph murmured.

“I’m serious about her,” Matt spoke up. “She’s perfect. Smart, beautiful, talented. She’s not your sister, she’s just her own, amazing person.”

You teared up. That last point he said was an insecurity you had shared with him. People only want to be with you because of your brother. “Matty.”

“She’s my person,” Matt stated. Making sure to look your brother in the eyes to convey how serious he was. 

“Let them be Mitch,” Auston chuckles, “They like each other. If he hurts her we can beat him later.”

“Fine,” your brother huffed. 

You skipped up to him and hugged him. “Thanks Mitchy. Love you!”

Without another word, you intertwined your fingers with Matt’s and dragged him to your old room.

“Door stays open!” Mitch screams when he realises where you were going. 

You didn’t listen to your brother’s order though. Matt made sure to slam the door loud enough for your brother to hear it over the music. When the door was closed, Matt immediately pulled off your mask from the top of your head before kissing you hard. 

“God you look so good,” He groaned “And your ass in those shorts.”

After making sure the door was locked, you pushed Matt onto the bed. First piece of clothing to come off was the button down. Revealing the lacy corset for all to see. For Matt to see. 

“Damn baby.”

You giggle and dance along to the faint sound of ‘I Put A Spell On You’. Matt grabs your hips guiding you close and flipped the script, making you on the bed and leaned over you. His hand gripped onto your hip as he rubbed his hard dick against your pussy. You let out a quiet moan which only spurred the man on more.

“Yeah, I’m gonna make you scream,” He smirks.

Matthewkniews posted on Instagram!

Liked by mapleleafs, johntaveres and others

matthewknies: What a killer halloween 🔪 tagged: y/nmarner

user: Holyyyyy. This was not on my 2023 bingo card

mitchmarner: Still not over this

y/nmarner: did I ask for your opinion?

stephmarner: be nice you two

user: KNIES OMG

user: new kink unlocked Liked by y/nmarner

TAG LIST

@findapenny @mp0625 @hischierhaze @11zegras @lvrzegras @francesfarhadi @cixrosie @daisysthings

[zerobaselove]

zb1 as date ideas, fall edition ♡

pairing: zb1 x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: alcoholic beverages in jiwoongs, reader wears a barbie costume in ricky's but its still gn! lowercase intended, not proofread

notes: i am so rusty guys i am so sorry,, but ohhh this was so lovely to write. i know not all of these are explicitly fall themed or whatever but ITS FINE,,, i hope u all enjoy it as much as i enjoy fall bc ohh im so excited <3

jiwoong ;

"and this here is one of our specialties," the vineyard tour guide explained as he poured samples for both you and your boyfriend jiwoong. "it's a dry cider, so it's got a bit more of a refreshing taste, much more similar to an apple wine."

jiwoong swirled the cider in his glass for a moment before taking a sip, a pleasant expression crossing his face at the taste, urging you to try it as well. as the drink passed your lips, you couldn't help the sour expression as the bitter liquid hit your tongue. "not a fan?" jiwoong giggled at your childish palate, and you only shook your head.

"you like that?" you say in disbelief, "i feel like it's not as sweet." you pouted slightly, missing the previous sweet cider you had tried that was right up your alley. he couldn't help but smile and ruffle your hair. "i'll get you some of the sweet cider before we leave, yeah?" a smile spread across your face as you nodded.

you turned to the tour guide once again, "what's next?" the man chuckled at your eagerness to move on, watching jiwoong down the rest of his drink before moving on. the guide started to explain the next drink, describing it as a middle ground between the sweet and the dry ciders, and you found yourself being pleasantly surprised by the drink.

soon enough the two of you were walking out of the vineyard hand in hand, jiwoong laughing once again over your reaction to the more bitter drink. "listen okay, i just like sweet things." you jokingly huffed. "that's why you like me, right?" jiwoong smirked, earning a smack on the arm from you followed by a laugh, "yeah yeah, that's why i like you and the bottle of cider in the bag."

zhang hao ;

you don't remember choosing such a gory film for your movie night with your boyfriend hao. sure, you wanted something scary, even if both of you weren't the greatest with jumpscares, but it was that time of year. the leaves had started changing and so in your mind, it was halloween, and your movie choices had to reflect that.

that being said, not even 30 minutes into the movie and you had given up, opting to bury your head in your boyfriend's neck as he barely peaked through his fingers to see the screen. you tried to tune out the shrieks blaring through the speakers, focusing on the scent of your boyfriend's cologne, or the feeling of the new sweater he had just bought. but it was no use.

"i know i picked the movie but, can we please change it," you pouted, remote in hand. "don't have to tell me twice." hao chuckled, finally at ease now that the movie was paused. you scrolled through the selection of movies for a bit before settling on a fan favourite.

"the nightmare before christmas?" hao questioned, letting out a smile, "much better."you smiled back, finally getting comfy as you laid your head on his shoulder, readjusting the blanket that covered your legs. "i thought so too."

hao placed a small kiss on your temple as the movie started, letting his hand grab ahold of yours as the familiar tune of "this is halloween" played through the speakers, a much better alternative to the earlier screams.

truthfully, you didn't last long through the movie. the combination of the warmth radiating from your boyfriend as well as the cozy blanket covering you had knocked you out before the credits rolled, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

hanbin ;

"sung hanbin, where are you taking us?" you chuckled, eyes trained on the orange and red leaves surrounding you as you made your way further into the countryside. he only smiled, turning down the music on the radio before grabbing your hand as he kept his eyes on the road, "you'll see."

you simply shook your head at the vague nature of his response and looked back at the passing trees, humming along to the quiet radio. as curious as you were, you honestly wouldn't mind if hanbin had driven you around in circles, as long as you got to spend this time with him.

soon enough you had driven into a small town seemingly in the middle of a forest. the trees that surrounded the road had been cleared out and replaced with small business-lined streets and people walking their dogs in the chilly autumn weather. you couldn't help the questioning look on your face as he pulled into the parking lot of a small hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. "welcome, y/n" he smiled, opening the door for you, "to my very first barista job."

a smile quickly spread across your face as you connected the details of the small shop that you had heard about through hanbin's reminiscent stories. the small dent in the wall from where he had accidentally hit the wall with a piece of equipment he was moving, or the dusty chalkboard that he would get to draw the specials on every day. this was like a second home to the boy, and you could see why. the cozy atmosphere was more welcoming than you had expected.

"hanbin!" an older woman behind the counter called out, catching the attention of both of you as a wide smile spread across hanbin's face. "hi mrs. lee!" the older woman, who you now learned was the infamous mrs. lee, smiled at the two of you, "and who's this?" she inquired, "oh hi mrs. lee! i'm y/n" hanbin took your hand in his, "this is my lovely partner, i thought i'd show them my second home."

"well it's a pleasure to finally meet the person hanbin's been talking so kindly about." you smirked, turning to your now blushing boyfriend. "mrs. lee~" he playfully whined. "you talk about me?" a hint of curiosity laced your voice. he sighed, squeezing your hand, "can you blame me?"

matthew ;

"matthew?" you called out, faced with rows upon rows of fruit-bearing trees and no boyfriend to be seen. "matthew~" you dragged his name out, "where are you?" but alas, no response.

after a few moments of silence, you feel something hit your foot, glancing down you see that an apple had rolled and hit you. you chuckled as you picked up the fruit, your line of sight raising as you look down the row of trees to see your boyfriend standing there, holding in a laugh. "strike!" he yelled, jogging over to you with a basket full of bright red apples.

"you know i was almost worried about you for a second there." you playfully hit his arm, "you just disappeared." he let a sheepish smile pull across his face, "sorry 'bout that," he grabbed your hand with his free hand, leading you two down the path, "but what really could've happened, death by apples?" he chuckled, shaking his head.

"listen," you started, mindlessly swinging your interlocked hands, "i've seen the wizard of oz, apple trees can be brutal." you were stopped in your tracks as matthew planted his feet in one spot, pulling you in close. "well i'm right here my angel," he placed a kiss on your lips, a smile spreading across his lips in the process before pulling away, "and it's gonna take a lot more than a sentient apple tree to take me away from you."

you chuckled at the seriousness behind the rather silly sentence, "that's gotta be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, matthew." you let a chuckle escape your lips as you continued walking. "well you know," matthew let out a laugh of his own, "i'm quite the romantic."

taerae ;

bonfires were perfect this time of year, at least to you. the bright flame complimented the changing leaves so well, not to mention how nice the warmth was in the chilly fall nights. so you couldn't think of a better way to spend your evening than you were right now. you and your boyfriend taerae sat in chairs by the fire.

the two of you could talk for hours if given the chance, whether about something at work or a fond memory or really whatever came to mind. the conversations never seemed to lull. and right now, the topic of conversation was a song taerae had been working on that seemed to be stressing him out.

"can i hear what you have done?" you asked, smiling at the opportunity to hear your boyfriend's sweet voice. he nodded shyly, running inside to grab his guitar from the living room. after a few moments he had returned, guitar in one hand and a blanket in the other, handing the latter to you. "it's getting chilly," he smiled before sitting down and getting situated.

as he started strumming the first few chords, you found yourself swaying to the melody as he hummed the missing lyrics that had yet to be written. even in moments like this he still managed to sound angelic, and you found yourself getting lost in thought, wondering how you got so lucky.

"so that's all i've got," he let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head, putting the guitar down beside him. "all you've got?" you exclaimed, "taerae, you don't give yourself enough credit my. love."

he couldn't help but blush at the compliment, his hand quickly waving it off, "you're too kind, my dear. thank you"

ricky ;

after what felt like an eon of begging, you had finally convinced your boyfriend ricky to throw his ego to the side and come pick out a halloween costume with you. and you would be damned if you let this opportunity go to waste.

that is how the two of you ended up in the back of a spirit halloween, back to begging for your boyfriend to come out of the changing room. "it can't be that bad ricky, c'mon." you exclaimed, looking down at your outfit, the cop to his robber costume, though you hadn't seen his part yet as he paced in the closed off room.

"fine," he sighed, slowly opening the door, revealing his large frame covered in black and white stripes with a mask covering his eyes, looking like the robbers straight out of the sims 3. you stifled a laugh as you glanced over his figure. "my little criminal," you cooed, getting a scoff in return. "how is it fair that you look nice and i look like this." he let out a dry laugh at the situation.

"let's try the other one then!" you smiled, turning back to your changing room where one other costume stayed hung up. you couldn't help but smile as you looked at the bright pink outfit adorning your body in the mirror.

this time, you didn't have to beg ricky to reveal the outfit, finding him adjusting the shirt in the mirror outside the fitting rooms. "hey ken~" you dragged out, watching his face light up as he turned around at the sound of your voice. "hi barbie," he smiled, grabbing your hand to pull you in, standing next to him in front of the mirror.

"i think these are the ones." he exclaimed, and you couldn't help but nod in agreement, "the ken to my barbie."

gyuvin ;

if someone were to hear the situation going down between you and gyuvin right now, you were sure they'd assume someone was being killed, and in a way someone was, or rather something. two poor pumpkins sat on the table next to a bowl full of their insides, which gyuvin had now decided to grab a handful of.

"DON'T YOU DARE GYUVIN!" you shrieked, running around to the other side of the table, away from your boyfriend's pumpkin gut covered hands. "c'mon give me a hug!" he smiled, almost menacingly as he outstretched his hands to reach you from across the table, only narrowly missing you.

"keep you and your gross hands away from me," you laughed, though only half joking, "i don't want to smell like pumpkin for the rest of the year thank you." he only laughed as he placed the pumpkin bits back into the bowl on the table, sitting down to return to carving eumppappa's face into the pumpkin.

in a false sense of security you sat back down next to the boy, hopeful that you'd be able to finish your pumpkin in peace. but there was no such thing as peace with your boyfriend. in your focus on the carving in front of you, you failed to notice the way your boyfriend had gone eerily quiet, until you felt something be placed on your head. "a hat." gyuvin said simply, grinning ear to ear, hands covered in the contents of the bowl.

"kim gyuvin, you didn't" you carefully turned your head, trying not to knock off this new "hat" he had given you. he tried to keep a straight face at your cautious actions, "but i did." a laugh escaped his mouth as he picked up the pumpkin off of your head and putting it back in the bowl. "oh it's on." you mumbled, grabbing a handful yourself and mirroring his earlier actions, plopping it atop his head. and just like that, the night-long pumpkin war had begun.

gunwook ;

"y/n," gunwook smiled, tugging on your hand like a little kid, "let's go ride the ferris wheel!" you chuckled as you jogged to keep up with your boyfriend gunwook and his long legs. you two had spent all day running around the fair, trying new foods and petting cute animals, not to mention riding every ride you could imagine. but now the sun was setting and you were both winding down, so the ferris wheel sounded perfect right about now.

after waiting for a few minutes in line, you and gunwook finally got a seat in a bright purple basket. "i've had a really good day," gunwook smiled, grabbing your hand from across the basket. you took your eyes off the surrounding area, looking at your grinning boyfriend, mirroring a similar expression. "i did too wook, even if you totally cheated in the corn maze."

he shook his head, a laugh escaping his lips. "it's not my fault the corn was shorter than me! and besides," he paused, looking at you, "if i didn't, we never would've gotten out of there." he wasn't wrong. with your sense of direction, you would've been walking in circles for hours. "that's true," a comfortable silence came over you as you both admired the view below you.

"y/n look!" you turned back to the boy, a confused look on your face as you waited for him to continue. "we are stopped at the top!" both of you smiled from ear to ear, you had both hoped to get to stop at the top, but knew the chances were slim. yet here you were.

"aren't we lucky?" you exclaimed, taking in the setting sun and the way it lit up your boyfriend's skin. it only took a moment for gunwook to feel your eyes on him as he turned to you, a shy smile across his face before he leaned over, placing a soft kiss on your lips, keeping your faces close enough for you to hear his whisper.

"i really am lucky."

yujin ;

you and yujin weren't exactly the bravest people in the world, both having to be convinced to go to this haunted house in the first place. "it's fine guys, we will all be there together!" your friends had convinced you. you had almost thought for a moment that it wouldn't be so bad, that was until it was just you and yujin walking through the dark halls of this building.

you weren't sure how, but somehow early on, you and yujin had gotten separated from the rest of your friend group, and had been left to fend for yourselves. your false sense of hope quickly diminished as you heard the screams of other people up ahead.

"it;s fine yujinnie, we will just keep our heads down and blast through this, no big deal." you said, trying to convince yourself more so than him. "yeah, no big deal." he repeated, letting out a pathetic laugh as his eyes lowered to the ground in front of him. the plan was working until one of the "ghosts" had silently walked beside you, sticking their face in your line of sight. sure, you knew it was just makeup and prosthetics, but that didn't stop a scream from ripping from your throat and your hand instinctively grabbing yujin's.

yujin froze at the action, though you assumed it was just from the ghost appearing. what you didn't know was that your action had become the perfect distraction for yujin. no longer could he think about the creepy atmosphere or hear the screams of other people, his brain too focused on the feeling of your hand in his and the fact that at some point, you'd have to let go.

soon enough, like the light at the end of the tunnel, you both had found the exit, picking up your speed as you jogged to the glowing sign, dragging yujin along, hand in hand. once you had escaped the haunted house, you turned to the boy, wrapping him in a tight hug, "we did it!" you cheered, the boy joining you in the cheers.

"you made it!" your moment was interrupted by your friend's remark. "yeah and to no help of you," you joked, grabbing yujin's hand in yours again, "you can all thank yujin for letting me get out in one piece honestly." the statement caused the boy to flush a deep red, so much so that he didn't notice the way your cheeks mirrored his. maybe tonight hadn't been so bad.

[sgiandubh]

Onlies at large

Sometimes (often, even), I can't sleep. And when I can't sleep, I get easily bored, if not focused on something. And there was nothing of particular import on Netflix or Amazon Prime, yesterday night. Aaand, as I don't have access to my bookshelves back home, I went looking for a light something to read myself to the Land of Nod.

I am, since forever, a solid reader of non-fiction. Memoirs, diaries are a special interest, too. So I just wanted to see if there were any nice memoirs of people who went to Scotland in search of a new life/love/whatever, Under The Tuscan Sun -style. Everand/Scribd is a decent starting point for the such, at 2 AM.

There weren't and I wonder why. But as I was browsing around, lo and behold, I found a tiny, self-published memoir by a certain Ninya (not her real name, of course): Scotland with a Stranger (2020).

Great literature it is not. It is naive and the narrative line sounded really, really meh to me: a 43 year old Alabama depressed divorcee finds healing and a renewed purpose for life, while traveling to Scotland with an improbable companion.

So, I skimmed and skimmed and skimmed (FFS, when is she going to PACK, this one?). Then, I found this and no, I am not sorry AT ALL for the length (passages are bolded by me).

Thank you Baby Jesus, she finally made it to her EDI flight:

'(...) I noticed a little emblem on the shirts of many of the women on this flight. It looked like mountains and said Peaker. All the women were laughing and chatting and carrying on like they had known each other forever.

“Is this your first trip to Scotland?” I tried to make small talk with the lady next to me.

“Heavens, no! It’s my sixth.”

“Wow,” I said. “It’s such a big world, but you keep coming back here?”

“Yes, it’s just incredibly beautiful. I never get tired of it. There is no other place as magical on earth.” She smiled wistfully. “I’m actually coming for a gala.”

“A gala?” I parroted back to her. I thought galas were reserved for Barbie movies. In my social circle, no one I knew ever attended a gala.

“Yes! It’s called My Peak Challenge.” She leaned in closer, excited to share. “Have you read the Outlander series?”

“Funny you ask that because I just downloaded the first book.” It seemed like required reading when you went to Scotland. I loved to read and had nothing but time due to my social media fast, so it was sitting unopened on my iPad.

“Well, the character of Jamie is played by Sam Heughan, and he is the founder of My Peak Challenge. It’s not just a club; it’s a movement, and every year they have a gala in Edinburgh. People come from all over the world for this event.”

The germaphobe next to me chimed in. “This is my first year, but he has truly changed my life. I’ve lost twenty-two pounds.” I was impressed, having weighed nearly two hundred myself at one point. Losing sixty of it was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

“Losing weight is so hard,” I commiserated with her. “How did you do it?”

“The boring way, eating right and exercising.” She laughed, and I laughed with her because I knew too well it was the only way that worked long-term.

She continued on. “My Peak Challenge is a training and nutrition program where we support and challenge each other, but it’s not just that because Sam has raised nearly two million dollars for charities all over the world. He’s just incredible.” She was practically swooning and literally fanning herself. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was hot, or because she was.

That nutrition program must include the Sam Heughan is a God Kool-aid.

“This conference includes a meet and greet and a gala and a special workout that Sam leads. He’s just an amazing human being,” she gushed. She clearly was in love with Sam Heughan.

“I have been chosen to introduce him,” the sweet older lady to my left said. “So, I’ve got the next eight hours to figure out the words to say to introduce the man who has completely changed my life.”

“Yes!” She went on. “It’s an incredible organization. He’s really affecting change on a global level.” (sic!)

Great. I am stuck between two evangelists at a Sam Heughan-is-the-greatest-human-in-the-world presentation.

“We have a Facebook group, and everyone is just so awesome and supportive. It really is a family.”

“And how much does it cost to be in this family?” I asked skeptically.

“It wasn’t much,” she defended, quickly changing the topic. “Nearly every penny is donated to charity. He is changing lives,” she stressed so incredibly seriously I had to cover my mouth to stifle a giggle.

Is this a cult? It sounds like a cult. I am trapped on an airplane for the next eight hours with the Sam Heughan cult.

Luckily for me, headphones exist. It was an overnight flight, which meant I could close my eyes and pretend to sleep, and there were movies to be seen.' (Ninya - Scotland with a Stranger: A Memoir, Chapter Thirteen).

For some reason, I doubt Ninya ever opened that OL first tome, on her IPad or elsewhere. But the point of my post is not to poke fun at SRH, MPC and all the gracious Peakers who read and often comment on this humble blog (@ladyjane-lj, @rosfrank immediately come to mind and I am sure they are not the only ones).

The reason I quoted this passage at almost full length, despite the paltry writing skills and abysmal grammar/spelling on display (Sweet Baby Jesus, please make people see the real difference between affect and effect, thank you and amen) is that we are dealing here with a unique perspective on a sizeable chunk of this fandom. You see, Ninya has no damn agenda to promote, in OL terms. She is not a shipper, but she is not an Anti, either. She couldn't care less if S+C=❤️, or if Tait rhymes with Fate (it rhymes with Bait, if you ask me). She doesn't know anything about OL, its cast, its Best Fans Ever, you and me and her.

And this is precisely why her perspective is so damn interesting. She is a mere passer-by, who failed to be grabbed in by the OTT Only Mommie gushing and who saw possessiveness and objectification disguised as love. She saw the most problematic, hypocrite and unimportant side of this whole experience and this whole fandom. And it's terrible and I am really sorry she did.

Maybe someone else than us reads this. For once, I wish they did, for it is an unadulterated, faraway echo of Real Life and the Real World. Selling that Toy Boi image is WRONG, *** and PR and TPTB. It's counterproductive and a total turnoff to real people who can't be arsed to even look for the Balmaclellan Adonis on Google, just because this fan substack is really, really embarrassing.

Of course, they blindly buy the booze, religiously sign in year after year to just about everything he sells around. Of course they show up every single time and pitch their tents on the rude city pavement in front of God Knows Which liquor store in Whoville, America. But they also show up with baked lasagna, pinch his ass (Madame Tussaud's, anyone?) and geriatrically swoon front row, cackling and giggling and catcalling like they were 12. It's also because of these women that OL lost its fabulous innocence and authenticity and it's because of these women we do have the Global Merry-Go-Round Seasonal Shitshow that keeps all of us (sickly, I am the first to admit it) engaged here.

Finally, this is also why I am closely following all the business side of this ahem, universe. It's the road less traveled by and of course, probably the most rewarding.

Shoot me, the very moment I turn into Neilie. Let it be clearly known beforehand. And no, please do not resuscitate. I'd be too ashamed.

[aquabuggy]

“Imagination, life is your creation”

Say, what band was it that wrote that song again? Escapes me… Oh well, anyways,

Happy Barbie Movie Release Day!

It’s nice to feel excited about something again.

It’s not every day you see a toy product centered movie gaining this much positive attention, much less one that deals in the existential horror of being alive. Which is, actually, exactly what I expected out of it and am very happy to see.

Barbie’s probably one of if not the most recognizable and successful product Mattel has, and it’s been that way for decades. But why am I talking about that here? This is a things-full-of-liquid-with-heavy-emphasis-on-water-games blog!

Well, you’re not gonna believe it, but Mattel being a toy company that’s been around for this long, has actually dabbled a bit in our territory! And they actually made a good couple of water games themed around a certain blonde blue eyed doll and her best friends!

So! Without further ado, may I present to you……..

Polly Pocket Tiny Games!

What? Was that not where you thought that was going?

Believe it or not, there really aren’t many Barbie water games at all, just cheaply reskinned ring toss games with a Barbie backdrop…which is both baffling and disappointing considering Barbie has had COUNTLESS beach, pool, sea, and just general water themes. Polly Pocket though? Got 6. You may recognize these if you’re a veteran of this blog.

Being one of Mattel’s latest ventures in water games, my sources tell me that these were actually received incredibly poorly, averaging at a 2-3 star rating. While definitely cute and unique, reviews often mention that the games seem to be designed more for aesthetics than actual play, and that it’s very hard to get some of the play pieces to actually move. Not too surprising looking at those cramped tanks. Wasted potential for sure!

Ohhh but I can’t just end the post there can I? That’s such a bummer! Well, what if I told you this wasn’t the first time Mattel tried their hand at making water games? What if I told you that in 1989 Mattel was one of the few big toy companies that actually dared to challenge the reign of Tomy’s Waterfuls during the peak of its popularity? Oh it’s very true, and considering you’ve probably never heard of it, you can safely assume how that endeavor went. But it’s intriguing nonetheless!

Introducing….

[ photo credit- rww121212, lb-squared, whats-in, and gilbe-niema on eBay ]

Trouble Bubbles/Fun Bubbles

Documentation of these online is mostly limited to listings on buy-and-sell sites (As always. I can’t stress how vital these sites are to conserving lost/obscure media.) so there’s not a lot known about these, and not many pictures of them either. What I can gather is that Mattel made at least 6 of these as well, 3 Trouble Bubbles games and 3 Super Trouble Bubbles games. The main difference between the 2 being Super Trouble Bubbles having a small switch that allows you to redirect the jets of water, which is pretty cool and admittedly not something I’ve seen in other water games! Both also have a wind up timer to challenge yourself to complete the game in a short period.

I’ve yet to collect one of these myself, but they look pretty decent in terms of quality and stand out nicely. They never fully took off in terms of popularity but I think they’re pretty cool, especially as a piece of toy history! Not too shabby at all for Waterfuls competition, my hat’s off to them! Not bad Mattel, sad they haven’t recaptured the same inventiveness for their Polly games. But hey, honestly? Nowadays would be a GREAT time to bring back Trouble Bubbles if you ask me. Water games are coming back in style and Waterfuls has been slow in new major products for quite a while. Who knows? It may just be able to snag that crown sometime in the future…

Unlikely.

But hey, anything’s possible in this crazy age!

[titikawai]

BARBIE THE MOVIE

Beware this review is full of spoilers

The movie is good! Special mention to the music, the costumes, the accessories, the direction... the beginning of the film at BarbieLand is just perfect with the house, barbie's kitchen, her dishes, her shower...

I really liked the criticism of the patriarchy when Barbie Land turns into Ken Land: the big motorcycles, the barbecues and especially the mini fridge! The scene where Barbie knocks on Ken’s door and he tries to appear tough really is on point (portraying toxic masculinity and how patriarchy negatively affects men too).

But honestly beyond that… especially after we leave barbieland the scenario really lacks… they just wanted to do too many things and by the end of the film, nothing makes much sense anymore…

In particular, for me, I started zoning out of the film when barbie meets Mattel’s CEO. It wasn't interesting and it added almost nothing to the plot. Moreover the CEO is still the CEO at the end of the film. They did not even ask Barbie to replace him!

I didn't believe in the mother/daughter duo either, their jokes fall flat and didn’t add much to the film. Cellulite Jokes Didn't Make Me Laugh either by the way and appeared quite shallow and stereotypical.

I cringed so much over the fact that the Barbies agreed to Ken patriarchy as if all along they were indeed just bimbos playing smart girls. Not very feminist as a subtext... I would have preferred Ken Gosling to become the real nemesis of the film and overthrow barbieland because of his toxic masculinity before realizing him with the other Kens that the city turned to flame in less than 48 hours. They should’ve come back to the barbies, begging them to come back. Then in general I didn't like the OH NO MATRIACHY IS JUST AS BAD AS PATRIARCHY subplot. Especially since only Ken Gosling notices it because he hates not being the center of Barbie's world.

Then all the mom’s talk about patriarchy that brings the Barbies back to consciousness when they have never experienced the real world? Meh. I prefer the show don’t tell approach (I loved the scene where Barbie and Ken are on rollerblades on the beaches and it shows Barbie's feeling of oppression).

In addition there is the whole queer and camp aspect of the film when it was really just bland and heteronormative! (So we are supposed to understand that Allan is gay because he hates leather sofas in Ken's casa house? Yeah ok....). I don't know, when Ken learned that he could be whatever he wanted at I thought he would realize that he didn't give a shit about Barbie and preferred giving friendly not so friendly cuddles to the other Kens ?? Then they didn't even use Ken Earring and Ken Sugar Daddy at all when it could have been iconic!!

Finally I absolutely hated the end of the film, very predictable, the final joke being really borderline transphobic : so now the peak of female experience is having a vagina and going to the gynecologist? Then all the pictures of babies, of marriage that we are shown at the end of the movie when Ruth shows her what being a woman means really enforced gender norms… it doesn’t even show her the bad side of it : sexist violence, being underpaid… Barbie shouldn’t even want to become human because she’s Barbie and SHE’S EVERYTHING

I would have preferred an ending where barbie thought she wanted to become human before seeing the truth about womanhood and deciding that "No thank you I'm good, I'm gonna stick to BarbieLand”

[twinsunstars]

Thoughts on Ahsoka Episode 5 - Shadow Warrior - A Discussion Post

Episode 5 of Ahsoka was truly an emotional rollercoaster. There were so many surprises and details that everyone just could not miss. Filoni truly fed us with content, and we love getting to see some touching moments. Buckle up and let's talk about it!

(all screencaps from Ahsoka are from cap-that.com! https://www.cap-that.com/starwars/ahsoka/105/index.php?page=4)

Let's start with the one and only Anakin Skywalker. With Hayden Christensen reprising his role, he comes to Ahsoka in the version she grew up seeing: her master. Anakin states that he wants to complete Ahsoka's training, and they engage in a lightsaber duel that gets intense with every step.

Whenever he said "Live... or die", my mind had flashbacks to when he had said in Rebels, "Then you will die." My head just kept going to it and I had chills.

Ahsoka falls from the World Between Worlds into a flashback of the Clone Wars, reliving the battle. Ariana Greenblatt, who played young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, the little sister in Stuck in the Middle, and was recently in the Barbie movie, plays young Ahsoka, which I find amazing. She really captured how young Ahsoka was during the war and her emotions towards everything around her.

Seeing the Clone Wars scenes made me feel like I was the young high school girl during the pandemic again who had just recently discovered Star Wars and had quickly watched all of Clone Wars to catch up to Season 7 and see every masterpiece of the show. This was such an exciting moment for all of us fans. Hayden nails the Clone Wars Anakin with his outfit and his movements.

Ahsoka sits beside an injured clone, putting her hand on his. The clone gently holds her hand, right before he falls to his death. Ahsoka's emotions take over her as she begins to cry, grieving. These scenes truly show how young she was; she was just a child forced into a war that has to be fought. Greenblatt's portrayal of Ahsoka nails the spot on these details.

We also got to see the Siege of Mandalore in live action, which has become one of the best Clone Wars arcs. Anakin steps into the scene, getting to see the Siege of Mandalore for the first time with his own eyes. I will never get over the way that the two are standing together, it's literally the same shot from Season 7 of Clone Wars.

One of the most brilliant surprises in the episode was getting to see Captain Rex. LIKE LOOK AT HIM!! The king only had a few lines and a few shots, but he slayed as usual. We could hear Temuera Morrison's voice under the helmet, which got my excitement up. I'm so glad he voiced Rex and we got to see him in live action. (Now where is Rex during the present in Ahsoka???)

Back to the present above the water. Hera had found Huyang, who stands near the cliff, holding Sabine's Mandalorian helmet. He wished that they stayed together, and is sad now that they are apart and who knows where.

Jacen was truly adorable this episode. He hung out with Chopper and Hera the whole episode, and when he was playing with Chopper, the sight was so cute. Jacen listens to the waves, eventually hearing the lightsabers clash between Ahsoka and Anakin. The Force truly thrives through this kid, and Kanan would be so proud. Also, the fact that Kanan was mentioned this episode shattered my heart. Huyang is forced to take Jacen aboard the ship for "a tour", the kid's interests peaked about the Jedi. He asks Huyang if he can be trained, which he straightforward says "No", which I found funny.

Returning to the flashbacks, Ahsoka kept on seeing Anakin turn into Vader between quick shots that flashed with each burst of light. The sight that scares us all. When Anakin turned into Vader during the Siege of Mandalore scene, the way his voice changed sent chills down my spine. If I looked at an image from that part, I could hear his voice.

As Ahsoka fights the Vader side of Anakin who eventually appeared back in the World Between Worlds, she manages to get ahold of his lightsaber. The red blade glows under her face, and her eyes slowly turned into those red-yellow Sith eyes, just like Anakin's. Anakin sees his padawan as a Sith briefly right before the blade extinguishes. Everything eventually turns back to the calm normal. Ahsoka bids farewell to her master before falling back into the water.

After Hera and the crew rescued Ahsoka from the water, we got a hug between Jacen and Ahsoka, which was adorable. Ahsoka has now begun wearing white, which I feel like is definitely symbolic of something. The white outfit reminds me of the one she wore in the Rebels finale, even if it's not exactly it.

With the New Republic after their tails, Hera talks to Mon Mothma about the situation, who unfortunately can't do anything about it. Senator Organa was also mentioned, which means our girl Leia was trying her best to hold on for Hera. Hera, the rebel she is, goes with her own plans anyway.

The purgills were the ones who took Ezra and Thrawn away into a whole other galaxy, so how do we try to find them? Follow the purgills! Ahsoka (with Huyang) follows the purgills (and actually goes inside one... yeah she's Anakin's padawan with that plan). Both are ready to go with the purgills to find Sabine, and hopefully find Ezra.

Jacen watches the purgills while sitting in the Ghost, talking to his mom about the stories regarding the purgills that took away Ezra and the "bad guys". I'm so glad Jacen knows about Ezra, even if it has to be through stories. The day the two meet will be such a joyous occassion. Even though Hera won't go with, she hopes that they return safely with Sabine and (praying) Ezra.

There's only three episodes left now, and I just know even more chaos is about to ensue. Ezra and Thrawn should definitely be making appearances very soon, which is going to be so fun. There was more focus on Ahsoka this episode rather than Sabine, and I loved the directions it went in. Filoni really gave us fans all the emotions and incredible shots, and he is still responsible for my therapy. I feel like next episode will definitely be much more of a rollercoaster, and here's to manifesting again that Ezra (and Thrawn) will show up soon.

[little-pup-prince]

🧸🪀little Jill Valentine headcanons ○°♡ 🛍🎀

• she has her polly pocket collection from childhood and sometimes adds onto it. they were stored in a shoebox until a caregiver/ friend convinced her to buy them a plastic one

• as a kid she was allowed a lot of tv-time so she could keep up with all kinds of shows. her childhood favorites were scooby-doo, road runner, jabberjaw, josie and the pussycats, the addams family and the pink panther. later when she found out her beloved toy line (polly pocket) got a cartoon, she was extatic and of course kept up with the new releases of episodes.

• likes to have these shows on a physical carrier, either on dvd or via other methods. it makes her feel safe. the arrival of streaming services and the sites that update entire series that may have otherwise be very hard to watch, never mind get a physical copy of them, felt like a blessing. no obscure times to stay up late when the tv channel decided to play the episodes due to low view rates or rushing home to record them.

• the rise of 3d animated movies were a time when she frequented the cinemas. tried to watch everything on the date of release. (chris sometimes accompanied her, his fave was shrek for sure. he didn't mind talking about and analysing them as it provided a little break from his everyday life.) they just got to watch madagascar before going on a mission in revelations 1 and after the events of re5 upon learning these movies got sequels the first thing she requested was them and a tv in her recovery room.

• finds working with beads calming. makes friendship bracelets and her room is decorated with bead animals that get more intricate in their design by time. gave origami a try, but enjoys more durable material. sometimes makes trinkets from polymer clay. at first she just wanted to create something from a show that hasn't got a lot of merch. her phone definitely got some of these figurines as charms.

• as an adult she really grew fond of barbie movies and monster high. probably made some stop motion dance videos of the dolls. also designed some of her own characters and sewn the clothes for them. her friends/cg bought a big dollhouse for them too.

• likes all kinds of games. she almost always wins even regressed. gets really happy and giggly when it happens.

• definitely read the lord of the rings and hobbit series. later it became something to bond over with her teammates for example.

• tw food • when visiting a fast food place she always buys the kids meal, and honestly noone bats an eye. it's cheaper and sometimes her friends too are interested in the toy. a comfort food for her is fairy bread and cinnamon toast. when at home she drinks out of a sippy cup.

• tw trauma • after the events of re5, she regresses a lot more and it's more sad and involuntarily than before. she took up playing with dolls like the baby born line and gardening. they ground her and make her feel capable of caring again and help her believe that she won't hurt her loved ones again.

• at the peak of flash games she somehow got chris into gaming. on girlsgogames. he could really get invested, especially in those, where the story kind of progressed. to this day there are some that stuck with her, because they were ahead of their time. also they laughed a lot at trollface games.

• doesn't like to have a curfew, and her cg probably just lets it pass. tho, she wants to do all these night activities like putting away the toys and vrushing teeth together with them and doesn't mind if they go to sleep earlier.

• she definitely wants to invite her cg to play eith the barbie and monster high dolls, but doesn't let them touch the polly pocket collection at first, since that may be the only thing left from her childhood.

• likes to play with wigs and accessories, dressing up as some of the movie characters, but in her daily life too, sneaks in cutesy accessories.

[lunagalemaster]

I'm at the point where I'm just sad about people's reaction to the Barbie movie. If you enjoyed it! Good! I'm glad you enjoyed the movie. If you had fun because it was a fun movie, even better.

If you enjoyed it for the feminism aspects, I'm glad you did but hear this: you deserve better.

You deserve so much better than the Barbie movie. This is not peak feminism. This is barely gender studies 101. You deserve more than a movie that cares more about rebranding the Barbie mythos into a feminist brand than actually having anything productive to say about the nature of women in society other than "being a woman is hard, am I right girls?"

If you were inspired by Barbie, good.

But this movie is a step 1 at best. Enjoy it but ask yourself, what's next?

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

saw the barbie movie! it was incredibly fun and camp before anything else and that was really all i was looking for so it was a good experience!

i appreciated the feminist messaging however i felt like the monologue the mom gave especially was inserted a little awkwardly among other things. most of the comments in the movie felt like provocative statements without actually offering the movie's own take on it which i don't think contributes much to the conversation in 2023. the Big Monologue especially was used specifically to be provocative enough to snap the barbies out of brainwashing in-story so i feel like that's a waste. at least they did something more with the idea of that later.

i really like what they did with ken and im glad will ferrel wasn't the villain in this. ken's arc kind of tied in with barbie's arc of discovering for herself which i guess plays into one of the themes of the movie that ties into the big monologue? but anyway i noticed ken's simp thing during the marketing and thought that if the movie was about barbie breaking out of her archetype then there was a lot of potential for ken to develop outside his relationship with barbie and im glad they acknowledged that!

there were some other throwaways lines and concepts that were never expanded on and ultimately that makes the feminism of the movie feel a little shallow. it doesnt try to break any new ground, so it feels very safe and corporate. the corporations summarizing the past 20 years of feminism discourse into one general take that you'll probably agree with if you're not ben shapiro.

but for a corporate cash grab it had a great atmosphere, fun characters, and banging music numbers so even if i wouldn't call it "peak cinema" like all the memes do it's still very fun! and a nice tribute to barbie and ruth handler herself. its only been like 12 hours since i watched the movie though so i may change my mind on this as time goes on

anyway my Super Hot Take about this movie is: this would have worked 100x better as a musical. the great musical numbers and dance sequences aside, there are several sections of the movie where it feels like the characters are just saying the themes the writers came up with instead of natural dialogue. like the mom's monologue i already talked about. it feels awkward in dialogue but it would be REALLY good as a solo number! also the chase scene in the mattel building is just asking to be turned into a dance sequence. stuff like barbie and ruth's conversation at the end would be even more emotional with some vocals too i think. idk maybe i just want a barbie musical. mattel take notes.

also my friend @f1ddlyb1ts was right this really is just like book 3 of infinity train. at least ken doesn't get his face melted off.

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

Mercelot Week 2023 Day 3: Locked Room/Midnight Meetings (When Love Was An Act Of Defiance Sneak Peak)

In which Lancelot doesn't die and that changes... well, not that much, actually. Up until it does.

<< That's what the summary would be IF I HAD A COMPLETE FIC TO POST. These are sneak peaks posted as part of Mercelot Week 2023.

--------------------------------

Lancelot is feeling kinda bummed about his new job. Good thing Merlin is always there to recommend medically beneficial crime!

HEY. THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE WIP AHEAD. Except for how it's about things that happen in the first and second chapter. Like, I'm not pressed about you reading it, but I have recently seen people complain about how the Barbie movie trailer provided info about the movie, so. We've moved past the fanfic tropes that might appear in tags and into the meat of the story. It's from an original chapter called "A Wake". Anyway, Fill for Day 3: Locked Room/Midnight Meetings. Ao3

Merlin and Lancelot reached the end of a darkened corridor and peered around the corner. Two guards were posted along the next turn.

Merlin whispered, “Hie wēmaþ þé”, and a flurry of steps sounded in the next corner. The guards rushed over and they sneaked the same way, turning left where the other two had turned right. Some hallways later, they came across the room they’d been looking for.

“Onirn,” Merlin unlocked the door and they slipped in. “Alright, they should be in the back. Unless someone hasn’t been listening to Gaius,” he snorted, already walking over. “Why don’t you take the last row and I’ll take the one before that? You’ll know them when you see them, but remember not to touch anything else.”

“That was too easy,” Lancelot complained, following after him.

“Is that a problem for you?” Merlin looked back, incredulous.

“I mean… Now that I’m in charge of the castle’s security…” he admitted.

“Well.” Merlin turned that over in his mind. “If it makes you feel better. It wasn’t really any easier than when Leon was in charge. So.”

“Just,” Lancelot waved it off and walked past Merlin to the shelf he’d been sent to.

Merlin bit his lip, but left it alone while he got to work as well. They searched in silence for a few seconds.

“It wasn’t that bad, you know?” Merlin called out.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Merlin peeked through a gap in the shelf at Lancelot’s back. Those were definitely angry shoulders and he’d never known his friend to be angry at anyone but himself.

“Considering it was your first time and everyone just decided to be an arse about it.”

“I forgot to tell them to bring their weapons. I forgot to tell them I’d be leading the training at all. All of them, our friends, too! That was just…” He stopped and dropped his forehead against the shelf, groaning.

“You made a mistake,” Merlin soothed. “It could happen to anyone. Also, take your face away from there, you don’t know what it’ll do to you.”

“Did it happen to Arthur?” he challenged, straightening up.

“Arthur’s been training for this since birth.” Merlin did a weird voice at that last part, although he knew Lancelot wouldn’t get it. “Honestly, he shouldn’t even have been a knight when I got here, he was too young. They probably let him cheat,” he accused in mock-indignation.

“He must have proven himself in battle,” Lancelot denied, not getting into the joke.

“How did he prove himself worthy to be in a battle in which… to… prove himself?” Merlin blinked. “Besides, I assure you, no one would’ve dared to say anything to him, even if he’d made an idiot of himself.”

“You mean, like I did?” Lancelot asked bitterly and Merlin knew he’d walked right into that one. Before he could protest, he went on. “Did he ever even make an idiot of himself?”

“Depends on who you ask,” Merlin muttered.

“Did Leon?”

Merlin looked at the boxes in front of him. After a moment of silence, he heard Lancelot sigh and his rummaging resume. Then, it stopped again.

“I found them.”

Merlin perked up and crossed the shelves to look.

“See?” he bumped his shoulder against Lancelot’s. “You are good for something.”

That earned him a snort. They set to work, filling the bag they’d brought along with fritters, careful to leave the remaining ones more or less orderly to avoid suspicion. Once it was full, they dashed among the preserved meats and fruits out of the storage room, through the castle’s hallways and back to Lancelot’s chambers.

“Sneaking around and stealing things doesn’t feel right when we’re only trying to get some sweets,” the knight reflected from where he sat on the floor, considering a dragée under the light of the fireplace.

“You need it,” Merlin said through a mouthful of his own loot, a sugar-coated strawberry. “It’s good for your humours.”

“I’m not sure,” Lancelot laughed. He tipped over to grab the poker and stoke the fire, but he couldn’t reach it, even stretching so far he was lying down. He sighed, as if weighing the chill in the room against his reticence to get up.

Merlin made a noise to stop him. He stretched his hand towards the fire and whispered, “Onǣl.”

The flames flared up. He wondered what would happen if he tried that spell on a fire without enough kindle and turned to ask Lancelot, but then he met his eyes. He was still lying halfway down, leaning on an elbow to look at him with a soft smile. The golden light of the fire seemed to play in the ends of his hair, the folds in the corners of his eyes, his hands as he fiddled with a sweet and brought it up to his mouth.

“What if there hadn’t been enough wood?” Merlin blurted out, flustered all of a sudden. He realized that hadn’t made sense and was about to explain, but he didn’t need to.

“Well,” Lancelot said, shifting to better hold his food on the hand whose elbow was propping him up and feed himself with the other, “you can make a fire in your hand, right? And I assume you’re not using your own flesh as fuel—“

“You don’t know that,” Merlin pointed out.

“It would smell,” he countered with a grin.

“Alright, but, see, that spell didn’t mean ‘fire’, exactly—“ Merlin leant forward to explain, already seeing Lancelot’s eyes light up with interest, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

They both looked at it and then each other. It was the small hours, much too late for social calls, present company excluded. The only thing that made sense was that someone had caught them nicking the desserts.

“Lancelot?” came Percival’s hushed voice.

They shared a wry smile.

“Good thing we got enough to share,” Merlin whispered.

Percival pushed the door in a crack, took one look at them and withdrew. “Sorry!”

“To hell with that, I do not believe he has a girl in there,” said Gwaine, barging right in. His eyes fell instantly on the pile of food they’d dumped between them and he pointed at it. “Told you!”

“About the girl thing or about the food thing?” Elyan asked, walking inside. “Hi, Merlin. Do you guys mind?” he grinned, already grabbing some sweets and sitting with them.

“Shame on you, Lancelot,” Gwaine tutted, doing the same. “The Marshal of Camelot? Stealing from the royal pantry?” His voice was muffled with food when he said, “My, my.”

Percival slipped in and closed the door.

“They’re medicine, actually,” Lancelot told him.

“For the humours,” Merlin insisted, also with his mouth full.

“What’s in this?” Elyan asked, lifting a comfit.

“Sugar,” Gwaine said.

“I know that, I mean what’s inside the sugar.” Elayn shoved his shoulder.

“Ginger, I think,” Merlin said, leaning forward to get a better look.

“Will that help with my humours?” he asked, popping it in his mouth.

“Um.” Merlin shrugged. “Can’t hurt.”

“Cheers to not hurting,” Gwaine toasted with a comfit of his own and they all joined in.

“Cheers to the marshal,” Percival added, which they all repeated so loudly that the honoree had to shush them, in between being shaken by multiple hands that reached to push his shoulder and ruffle his hair.

“Well, not everyone’s as happy,” Lancelot remarked.

“Bunch of snobs,” Gwaine waved it off. “They just can’t accept that they’ve sucked that silver spoon dry.”

“What about Brennis, then?” he challenged. “He never had a problem with any of us, he’s still fine with all of you, but today—“

“Maybe he didn’t see you behind him,” Percival suggested.

“Oh, he definitely saw you,” Elyan denied with a snort, then he smiled sadly. “I don’t think it’s really about you, though. Wait a little. Until everything’s less” —he sucked in air— “fresh with Leon. You’ll see how they turn around.”

“I’m not so sure,” Lancelot said, but he didn’t elaborate.

Merlin wished he would. Maybe it would help him to have a knight’s perspective on the whole thing, to assure him that he wasn’t any less brave or honourable for having left the quest. He couldn’t break his friend’s confidence, though.

“Cheers!” Gwaine lifted another sweet. “To Leon!”

“To Leon,” they all joined in.

“Who’d have been so very done if he’d found us eating stolen food in the middle of the night!” The rest of them laughed as he went on, gesturing at Lancelot. “Who no one would’ve dared to emasculate with a mace!”

“Attempt to emasculate, thank you,” Lancelot corrected.

“Important,” Merlin agreed.

“And who would’ve let us keep on, as long as we gave him a bribe, and maybe even joined us,” Gwaine sighed.

“And who would’ve told Lancelot that he was doing just fine and to stop sweating it,” Elyan added.

“Gelding notwithstanding,” Merlin finished.

“Cheers!” cried Percival.

“I dodged,” Lancelot insisted, raising his own comfit.

Notes:

Hie wēmaþ þé: “They lead you astray.” (Hopefully) Onǣlan: 1. to set fire to; kindle; ignite; light (a fire ; lamp ; etc ) 2. to burn; burn up 3. to make hot; (by extension) to inflame; excite intense feeling; kindle passions. (The version in the story is in imperative.) I was going to use another one that meant literally “to attend to a fire” but asfasdfasd.

[fasole-dulce]

The Barbie movie promo has me thinking about when I played with Barbie’s. Now I’m old so peak Barbie time for me was the later 1970s to about 1981.

Now the Barbie movie is all pink and pretty

By contrast. My Barbies spent time outside in the dirt. They were also washed in the bathtub with me and some had ruined hair because of the soap. Some were missing limbs (I think those were the off brand ones cause limbs were harder to remove from the Mattel ones). And during their down time they mostly laid around naked.

Where’s that Barbie movie?

[sakebytheriver]

Ok I'm actually kinda pissed now, because like Ryan Gosling didn't even fucking do any real method acting to be Ken, like Ryan has admitted himself that he is not a method actor, he is self-described as an actor that just plays himself, like that is literally the exact opposite of what you bitches think method acting is

You know who is actually a real method actor? Margot fucking Robbie.

You wanna know who probably actually did method acting techniques for her role in the Barbie movie? Margot fucking Robbie.

You wanna know what an actual method acting technique is? Adopting the mannerisms and the gait/walk of your character into your body and muscles WITHOUT being the character all the time

You wanna know who most likely spent weeks walking on her tiptoes and making her muscles and limbs stiff and straight like a Barbie doll? Margot fucking Robbie.

Method acting as invented by Konstantin Stanislavski is NOT staying in character at all times even to the detriment of the people around you, but it is about adopting the character into your body PHYSICALLY so that it is easier for you as the person portraying them to understand their inner emotional state and replicate that emotion every performance you do because you have the built in muscle memory of their physicality which helps you get basically halfway to the emotional peak youre character has to reach without forcing it every time. Also did you know that method acting as invented by Stanislavski has a whole bunch of written homework attached to it too? Did you know that I had to do entire 20 page long essays about characters from questions given to me by teachers based on the questions Stanislavski says you should ask yourself about your character? And you have to do this big fucking questionaire about your character and the inner life they have even if they only appear in one scene. Stanislavski's method tells you to give them an entire life like they are a real person, you have to know when they were born, who their parents are, where they grew up, when they expierenced their first love and their first heartbreak and how the character felt or reacted physically when they had those expierences, this is NOT telling you to live like this person, but instead to understand them, to put yourself in their shoes and experience the life within them, it's about making the character into a real person instead of some lines on a page. It's about finding the authentic human being within the lines you have to read and showing that person to the audience watching you. Method acting is about finding the pieces within yourself that relate to the pieces within your character, it's not about becoming the character, but instead learning to experience the world the way that they do

You're not supposed to live as your character under Stanislavski's method, you're supposed to find the parts of yourself that give your character life

[chryzure-archive]

whats some media that is soooo chrysijacks/chryzure? what would their fave pokemon be.... any random assorted thoughts you've been thinking abt them lately? and ofc any new songs you found that are chrysijacks/chryzure...

chrysijackscoded media:

moulin rouge‼️‼️‼️

the princess bride

labyrinth….

anastasia

enchanted

ella enchanted too <3

tangled (i want jacks DEAD)

wicked :)

the scarlet pimpernel

all those early 2000s barbie movies. jacks makes an excellent pretty barbie <3

the phantom of the opera, but i also have a chryzure au for this, so i’m putting it in both of their categories

chryzurecoded media!!!!:

beauty and the beast (for reallllll)

the bone witch (azure is coming back to life to be w chrysi… peak chryzure)

the night circus <3

h.hadestown……….

the corpse bride!!!!!

the addams family

THE MUMMY.

nightmare before christmas

haunting of bly manor…

legend of zelda, but esp twilight princess

phantom of the opera !!

the velveteen rabbit… i can make it work, i can MAKE IT WORK

fablehaven <3

the nutcracker….. i will not elaborate.

chrysi’s fav pokémon is probably phantump, since she can see ghosts and talk to them… this is jst another ghost. she has adopted a new child.

my friend showed me a purugly and i literally gasped and said, “AZURE WOULD LOVE IT”, so there’s THAT answer! i’ve never seen a more azure-coded pokémon in my life

jacks i’m less certain of, but i looove espurr’s design bc it’s sooo little creature + i think jacks would take one look at it and jst keep it at all times. he’ll never admit it, but he’d die for this creature

misc chrysijacks thoughts consist of how funny it is in most aus that they’re already divorced. it’s jst a question of them getting back together. why are they trying out this relationship again when chrysi would’ve gladly thrown jacks out a window? who knows! they’re kissing so hard rn though!!!!!!!!

then come the other half of the aus where they’re childhood friends and it’s like. yeah no it’s totally normal for friends to have napped together since they were in middle school, all bc chrysi got nightmares when she slept on her own. it’s totally normal that jacks kisses chrysi regularly. friends do that, esp when one friend is immune to the curse. and then jacks has the gall to be shocked when ppl call him out for being in love w chrysi. okay, darling, don’t worry your pretty little head over that.

misc chryzure thoughts are fkskgkskcjsjzkjfkkdkckfjwksmcnekzmdndns……. like??!!? sticking a fork into the wall outlet rn because i am sooo!!! jst down to the simple day to day domestic life, it’s so clear how much they love each other…. they’re comfy w preparing each other toast and teasing each other for the way they like their tea and they’re both teasingly mad when the cat picks one of them over the other.

and then the whole reincarnation curse makes me go insane go wild. the number of lives they hold, where they loved each other unabashedly and wholly, only for them to die tragically? and the fact that both chrysi and azure have started to look forward to their next life, because the agony will stop, for just a little while… they get to be happy for a fraction of time in each of their lives, and that’s enough. that has to be enough. oh, the agonies…

also, azure’s hickey game is insane + chrysi wears off the shoulder shirts a lot. what’s she supposed to do w these, blue??? knock it off!!!!!!!

chrysijacks songs:

summer // circadian clock, baethoven

love song // sara bareilles (i’m not justifying my choice. jst know this is the same era of chrysijacks as the era when i first discovered his hair would be blue and i was horrified for the next two hours)

casanova // allie x

oh l’amour // erasure (i’ve mentioned this before but it’s sooo chrysijacks to me)

chryzure songs:

tether // sleep state

below my feet // mumford & sons

divine créature // la femme

see you tomorrow // evgeny grinko

[bwaldorf]

Hi angel! Since someone already did 4 (one of my usual numbers) I'll send some others:

6, 8, 10, 22, 27

hiiiiii kendra! thank you for always sending some in for these ask games 🥺💞

6. do you prefer movie theaters or your couch?

home!!! for so many reasons 😭 including, but not limited to: i'm more comfortable there, subtitles, the fact that i can pause, and that i can yap freely with whoever im watching with!

8. what's your comfort film?

i have sooo so many! they're all definitely heavily nostalgic ones for me, often from childhood. i could list off a shit ton but here's a (somewhat) small sampling of them:

the sound of music (1965)

star wars: return of the jedi (1983) -- this was a big one for me as a kid! i had an especial fondness for the ending when they were all celebrating .,. and when we got to see force ghost anakin 🫣 but yeah it really was such a serotonin inducing part for me

enchanted (2007)

barbie as the princess & the pauper (2004)

the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe (2005)

hum saath saath hain (1999) -- peak example of a comfort movie for me as a kid 😭 like its mostly all good vibes with very little conflict and the conflict we do have is pretty low stakes

shrek 2 (2004) ... obviously!

scooby doo 2: monsters unleashed (2004) -- another duh moment!

main hoon na (2004)

om shanti om (2007)

10. most recent movie you saw in theaters?

answered here!

22. have you ever watched a horror film so scary you had to turn the movie off or walk out of the theater?

answered here!

27. are you enjoying the remaking of old films or do we need to get creative and do something new?

i definitely wish that the industry would platform and promote more original movies for sure! bc it's not that they aren't being made.. it's just that mainstream hollywood in particular is just way too obsessed with milking its cash cow franchises to the ground and/or relying on existing fanbases when remaking classics. THAT SAID. i don't think all remakes of old films are bad or that they should be discouraged entirely. i think there's definitely plenty of cases where remakes are actually better than the original or at least can improve on them. whether its bc of technological advancements or by bringing something new or more developed to the story, or whatever else! so basically, my long rambling answer is more new, original content please! and remakes only if they can actually bring something worthwhile to the table. otherwise, just go watch the original!!

movie ask game questions! 🍿

[juangallojongaro]

Recently, I spent a non-insignificant sum on tickets to see The Killers during their upcoming Las Vegas residency. A couple months prior, I bought tickets to see Death Cab & The Postal Service perform their now 20 year old breakthrough records. This is not to brag, but only to say: I am not relevant. I am a skeleton. I am an irrelevant skeleton. 

Once I looked at my music list as an Important Document of the Past Year. I’d try to listen to all the stuff, read the lists, and put together a coherent and definitive list. I didn’t do that in 2024; I didn’t try, I didn’t care to try, and, therefore, I just didn’t listen to that much stuff. This is fine! My life is no better or worse for the change! Also, no one gives a shit about what I listened to last (or any) year! 

So, a format change. I’m gonna list a bunch of songs I liked with the normal commentary. After that, I’ll rank my top ten movies of the year and my top five favorite books I read in 2023. Sound good? I think it’s fine.

2023 YEAR IN MUSIC!

Big Thief - “Vampire Empire” A slow dawning of just, like, oh, Big Thief is just one of my favorite bands. They’re hitting that mid-2010’s (teens? Twenty-tens? What are we doing with this one?) The National-zone where every record they put out is a unique and rockin’ bop. This track is a good example of the more aggressive yelly-stuff. 

boygenius - “Not Strong Enough” 2023 was the year of Taylor Swift and the guys were a part of it. My favorite supergroup was at their peak powers last year, releasing the ALBUM OF THE YEAR as well as MY FAVORITE CONCERT OF THE YEAR WHERE I CRIED A BIT DURING “COOL ABOUT IT”. I fucking love that record so much. Before they all blew up, Baker was the stealth star carrying the pathos while Dacus made us sad and Bridgers screamed excellently. Just watch them on SNL; they’re so happy. It’s nice.

The New Pornographers - “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies” Not much to say about a middling album that produced this banger with the funniest line of the year, “Now you're clearing the room just like Pontius Pilate/When he showed all his home movies/All of his friends yelling, ‘Pilate, too soon’” Side note: You ever notice how English people don’t say “quotation marks,” but instead, “inverted commas?” Frankly, it’s fucked up.

Slaughter Beach, Dog - “My Sister in Jesus Christ” Really enjoyed this album by the former Modern Baseball co-frontman. He’s settled into a more shambolic pop-oriented sensibility which suits him fine.

Sufjan Stevens - “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” I kinda came to Javelin late but after sitting through several listens it’s definitely in the pantheon of Stevens albums. I’m not sure there’s anything on here that’s a hit, but it’s so lush, dense, and achingly beautiful. He’s a man genius. ALSO ALBUM OF THE YEAR; SURE, WHY NOT?

Taylor Swift - “Cruel Summer” I don’t care this song came out in 2022. I’m in my Lovers Era! It’s pop perfection! I love(er) it! I have a lot of thoughts about Taylor Swift but no one caaaaaaaaaares. Go Chiefs.

Wednesday - “Chosen to Deserve” A twangy, meandering tune about all the embarrassing things you did when you were younger and still torment you and will forever except now you’re in love so maybe it won’t be so bad anymore? BONUS: Really enjoyed MJ Lenderman’s live album; those Wednesday folks are doing great!

2023 YEAR IN CINEMA!

Best Pictures

Past Lives (*****)

Anatomy of a Fall (****1/2)

Godzilla Minus One (****1/2)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (****1/2)

The Zone of Interest (****1/2)

Poor Things (****1/2)

Barbie (****)

All of Us Strangers (****)

Oppenheimer (****)

Showing Up (****)

Four Daughters (****)

Honorary Mention

Stop Making Sense (****)

Best Short Film

Donald Trump NOOOOOOO

The First Twelve Seconds of the Maestro Trailer “If Movie List doesn’t sing in you, then nothing sings in you. And if nothing sings in you, you can’t make Movie List.”

2023 YEAR IN BOOKS!

(In no particular order)

Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man by Garry Wills

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

The Goodbye People by Gavin Lambert

Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy