firstprince-ao3feed · 5 months ago
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but daddy you love him
by theprinceandagcd Alex peers up at Henry’s face, the familiar tenseness in his jaw and mildly disinterested eyes nowhere to be seen. Instead, Henry’s expression is open and borderline delighted, like Brie used an extra strong shot of sorcery to draw Henry in and melt the ice that he usually stays locked behind. Suddenly, Alex’s vague crush on an unapproachable coworker feels realer, all because he’s standing there and looking at Alex’s daughter like she hung the fucking moon. He’s treating the most important person in Alex’s life—his entire goddamn heart—as if she truly matters to him, giving her fist bumps and smiling at her and telling her she’s beautiful like her dad. It’s doing weird things to Alex’s chest and making his palms sweat even in the air conditioned office, and he can’t decide if he’s okay with that development or if he wants to stick his head in Brie’s Easy-Bake oven. --- or, the matchmaker kidfic :) Words: 16397, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Original Child Character(s) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz & Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Coworkers - Freeform, Kid Fic, Meddling Kids, Mutual Pining, they're idiots in every universe your honor, Rizcriz Prompt (Red White & Royal Blue), except i went SO rogue with the prompt, the kid was cute and I couldn't stop via https://ift.tt/E3stMa7
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bookclub4m · 5 months ago
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Episode 194 - Indie Publishers
This episode we’re discussing the topic(?) of Indie Publishers! We talk about how to define an indie publisher, weirdo metro stories, song lyrics, and more!
You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.
In this episode
Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards
Join our Discord Server!
Things We Read (or tried to…)
Trial of the Clone: An Interactive Adventure! by Zach Weinersmith and Chris Jones
Any Other City by Hazel Jane Plante
Songs of Love, Death and Pleasure by Hazel Jane Plante
Video of the reading that Jam bought their books at last year!
A Short Journey by Car by Liam Durcan
Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli
Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca Solnit
Of Thunder & Lightning by Kimberly Wang
Other Media We Mentioned
What About Crowdfunded Comics? by Matthew Murray 🦇 and Mara L. Thacker
Podcast version
How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler's Memoir by Amber Dawn
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by Zach Weinersmith
The Platform Edge: Uncanny Tales of the Railways edited by Mike Ashley
When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll
Boy Island by Leo Fox
Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers edited by Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett
Links, Articles, and Things
Image Comics (Wikipedia)
Creative Commons
SkyTrain (Vancouver) (Wikipedia)
Oulipo (Wikipedia)
Podcast episode where one host tries not to say the letter “e”
Denver Small Press Fest
Spaghettieis (Wikipedia)
“spaghetti ice cream”
45 New & Forthcoming Indie Press Books by BIPOC Authors 
Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.
Fiction
Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman (AK Press)
False Idols: A Reluctant King Novel by K’Wan (Akashic Books)
Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti (Archipelago Books)
Bad Land by Corinna Chong (Arsenal Pulp Press)
These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Catapult)
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Catapult)
Cecilia by K-Ming Chang (Coffee House Press)
Fog & Car by Eugene Lim (Coffee House Press)
We’re Safe When We’re Alone by Nghiem Tran (Coffee House Press)
A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (Counterpoint Press)
Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle, translated by Heather Houde (Feminist Press)
The Default World by Naomi Kanakia (Feminist Press)
The Singularity by Balsam Karam, translated by Saskia Vogel (Feminist Press)
I'll Give You a Reason by Annell López (Feminist Press)
Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa, translated by Jennifer Feeley (Feminist Press)
Outcaste by Sheila James (Goose Lane Editions)
Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (House of Anansi Press)
Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park (Inhabit Media)
Secrets of the Snakestone by Pia DasGupta (Nosy Crow)
The Burrow by Melanie Cheng (Tin House)
Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House)
The World With Its Mouth Open: Stories by Zahid Rafiq (Tin House)
I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall (Soft Skull Press)
Non-Fiction
RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age by Chuck D and Kathy Lopez (Akashic Books)
All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee (Catapult)
My Pisces Heart: A Black Immigrant's Search for Home Across Four Continents by Jennifer Neal  (Catapult)
Beyond the Mountains: An Immigrant's Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe by Deja Vu Prem (Catapult)
Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco (Coffee House Press)
Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe (Counterpoint Press)
Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience by Alpha Nkuranga (Goose Lane Editions)
Jinny Yu (At Once/À La Fois) by Jinny Yu (Goose Lane Editions)
Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Cross (LittlePuss Press)
Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray (Milkweed Editions)
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments  by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)
Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatar (Soft Skull Press)
The Story Game by Shze-Hui Tjoa (Tin House)
Black Meme: The History of the Images That Make Us by Legacy Russell (Verso Books)
Poetry
i heard a crow before i was born by Jules Delorme (Goose Lane Editions)
We the Gathered Heat: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, Noʻu Revilla, and Terisa Siagatonu (Haymarket Books)
A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks (Haymarket Books)
[...] by Fady Joudah (Milkweed Editions)
Comics
A Witch’s Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)
Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn & Quarterly)
Lost at Windy River by  Jillian Dolan, Trina Rathgeber and Alina Pete (Orca Books)
Give us feedback!
Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!
Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group or Discord Server, or send us an email!
Join us again on Tuesday, June 4th we’ll be discussing non-fiction Pop Culture!
Then on Tuesday, June 18th it’s time once again for One Book One Podcast as we each pitch a book we think we should read and you (the listeners) get to vote!
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fanfictionfanatic · 1 year ago
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AO3Feed-RWRB
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/GZVSXeh by ScuderiaLeclerc Henry, like most of what adorns the rooms of Kensington Palace, is neatly manicured and kept, as often as possible, dust free and behind glass that's bullet-proof. After all, being a dashing prince and heir to the British throne requires you to be in tip-top condition at all times. Though as a spare, much of the presentation and pomp serves to do nothing but imprison and torture the young prince. But a simple handshake sets in motion a series of events that will change his life forever. Henry and son of a US presidential candidate, Alex Claremont-Diaz, are sent hurtling into a feud iced with buttercream that slowly blossoms to romance, threatening to rock not only two nations, but also destroy Henry's glass prison and all he has left in this world, especially his heart - A retelling of Red, White and Royal Blue from the perspective of Prince Henry. Words: 5210, Chapters: 1/15, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Nora Holleran, June Claremont-Diaz, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Shaan Srivastava, Philip Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Catherine Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Zahra Bankston, Ellen Claremont, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue), Leo (Red White & Royal Blue), Percy "Pez" Okonjo, David the Beagle (Red White & Royal Blue), Queen Mary (Red White & Royal Blue) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Inspired by RWRBMovie, Loss of Parent(s), Depression, Grief/Mourning, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Royalty, British Empire, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, POV Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Racism, Closeted Character, Book-style Sex Scenes, Gay Sex, We're going for a book-accurate retelling read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/GZVSXeh
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my-muses-in-op · 5 years ago
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@treasuregal21 continued from this
The grin never left the lips of the young fox woman, as she moved towards Nami, pick-pockting a few unknowing by passers. In her right ear was an earring that had the symbol f the Whitebeard Pirates, the same simple one that Marco wore on his chest. “Ouch now I’m hurt. Haven’t you seen my wanted poster? It’s quite new and my first one. I thought for sure Luffy would have beamed at it.” A small pout was on her lips, but she pulled out her wanted poster anyway. ‘Icy Fox Casey - dead or alive - 99.000.000 beries’. “It’s only this low, because my full name hasn’t been reveal yet.”
She grinned again and was now right in front of Nami. “It’s Monkey D. Casey.” Her name left her lips in a whisper, eyes studying Nami’s reaction to hear the full name of the young fox. Casey was sure that Luffy hadn’t mentioned her, why should he? Her little brother always lived in the moment, rarely in the past or thinking about hte future, besides becoming the Pirate King, kick asses and when to eat. “So what about it? Wanna hang out? I’m bored and a D. who’s bored always causes trouble.” Another byasser was relieved of his wallet.
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placeinthemiddleofnowhere · 2 years ago
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Bring me a dream
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Part 2: Cherry Cheescake
Status: Ongoing
Masterlist
Pairing: The Corinthian x F!Reader
Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, smut, horror elements, manipulation
-🍰-
You spent all day on a knife edge. You couldn’t take your mind off of the ‘date’ you were to go on that night. At least, that was what you’d told Casey when she asked why you were flitting around the kitchen, baking all manner of different tray bakes and cakes. Your human companion was less than pleased that her kitchen was rendered unusable for breakfast before her work, but you didn’t have the mental capacity to think about that. 
“Oh my god, will you stop already!” 
You looked up from the messily iced cupcake you’d been working on and faced your roommate, looking into her incensed green eyes. Your hands shook for a second, continuing to pipe out icing until finally Casey reached out and snatched the bag from you. It left you standing like a hamster with your hands still in position, staring ahead into the abyss.
“What’s up with you? This should be exciting! You’ve never even talked about fancying a single man or woman, or anyone since I’ve known you and now the minute you go on a date you’re acting like you’re in a TV heartbreak!” she said, half laughing, half looking ready to strangle you.
You sighed and looked around at the floury mess you’d left all over the room and at the numerous treats you’d made, finally registering the extent of your work that day. You couldn’t believe what you’d done. You wondered for a second where you’d get the time to give them away, until you realised that her presence meant that she was back from work. Time was creeping on you faster than you'd realised  and you were going to need to prepare to go out soon. Shit.
“O-oh well I um- I’ve never been on a date before,” you said truthfully, looking back at Casey as she started to clear up your damage. 
She stopped in her tracks just as she began to take your mixing bowls over to the sink and whirled back around. Her eyes were as wide as an owl’s. Now you were beginning to think that your excuse wasn’t the best cover up. 
“You’ve never been on a date?” she echoed.
You nodded and rubbed the back of your neck, already regretting your idea so much more. It was obvious she was invested now. Invested in your date with the Corinthian, oh gods, what were you going to do? You didn’t want to get all dolled up for him, you didn't want to indulge him in any way really, but the look on Casey’s face now was the ‘you’re not getting out of this without a makeover’ look.
“Hold on, before you get any ideas-” you tried.
“Oh I have so many ideas!” She interrupted. “ We need to start getting you ready now, we need to prepare you. Right, you go get in the shower then I can do your hair and bring up first date topics- oh and then we can-”
You zoned out while she rambled on about her schemes, lost in your own despair. Her head was filled with roses and your’s was occupied by those dark soulless shades and fox-like smile. You were going for a date with the devil and she was acting like you were meeting prince charming and getting ready for a life in a castle. It made your lips turn like you’d just eaten sour candy.
You knew better than to argue with Casey, however. Once she got on one of her tirades you’d never be able to stop her, especially not while she looked so full of childlike excitement. Who were you to ruin her dreams of preparing her friend for her first date? 
-🍰-
You looked like something out of a magazine. Your eye makeup was perfectly applied and glittered like a fairy had flown over you, your cheeks were glimmering with highlighter and your lips were pink and glossy. Kissable, she had said. As if you were going to allow him to kiss you. Ha!
You stood in the doorway, glaring at the thought of the nightmare you were going to meet. Only for a second though. Casey turned back around to face you and continued to rattle off her first date rules, while you stared off into the distance. Somehow, you didn’t think you were going to need to use them. Instead of listening, you played with the skirt of your white cotton dress and admired your pretty pink nails.
“Are you even listening to me?” Casey snapped.
“Oh- yes! I’ll let you know as soon as I’m there and I’ll call you if anything happens,” you said dutifully, gesturing away with your hand.
“That’s not what I was-”
“Actually, you know what, I really should be going! Don’t want to be late,” you interrupted, finally growing tired of humouring her.
With a squeal of good luck being shouted out to you, you closed the door and rushed down the stairs of your apartment toward the exit. You stood in the lobby for a second, feeling as if your breath was being stolen from your lungs. You didn’t want to have to go to the club, you didn’t even know if he’d be there yet, he hadn’t been so prudent as to give you a time. It made you wonder if he’d make you sit there all night for him.
Think of the humans, you said to yourself over and over like a mantra. You whispered it at first until you got into the cab you’d called, and even then, you took to recycling it in your head instead. You had to protect these beings' lives with your own, no matter what fiendish plans the Corinthian had in store for you. 
“You look real pretty tonight, miss,” the driver said, eyeing you appreciatively in his mirror. “Somethin’ special on?”
“Oh, thanks,” you mumbled. “Not really…”
“Really? You look nervous, I figured you might be going to an event,” he probed.
“I guess I just get nervous going to clubs,” you lied.
The cabbie grunted something at that, he must have realised you didn’t want to talk. Good, you’d thought. Talking was too much at that moment. Everything was too much. The smell of old worn leather and cigarette smoke was overloading your senses and it only served to make you antsier. 
You’d been so nervous to get in the cab, but now you wanted nothing more than to get out. Though, ideally you’d be getting out somewhere other than the club. Somewhere that was filled with fresh baked treats and the smell of sugar thick in the air.
“That’s us here, miss.”
The cabbie broke you out of your thoughts and glanced at you again through his mirror. You caught sight of his coppery almost orange eyes and blinked back at them, forgetting for a second where you were. Oh gods, you’d have to get out now. You forced a smile, feeling the corners of your lips pull unnaturally and handed him a note, telling him to keep the change. 
“Thanks! By the way, don’t be nervous tonight, you’re gonna knock em’ dead,” he said, grinning a sharp toothy grin. 
“Hopefully,” you smiled back, your thoughts straying to how you wished that to be true.
If only you could give the Corinthian a look and send him into the darkness then you could enjoy your new life and let the humans live peacefully. Though you knew you didn’t have power like that, only one being did and he was lost long ago. Another thought that had you frowning when you left the taxi.
You slammed the door shut and embraced the cool night air, feeling it stroke your cheeks and bring you back to reality. It was no use, you weren’t going to be able to escape from this. You realised you had to get out of your head and prepare for your night ahead with the Corinthian, prepare for him relentlessly calling you ‘sugar’ and invading your personal space. 
How fun.
You advanced up to the club with little issue, even though you’d hoped that the bouncer would deny you, soon you were embraced by the flickering lights once more. There was a growly, sensual song playing over the booming speakers and bright red lights were illuminating the space. It reminded you of the drink he’d bought you the night before. 
You gulped and looked around, watching as dancing bodies already filled the floor and writhed together in a collective mass. You were hot already despite only being there about a minute and you were suddenly more aware of your heavy makeup, like cloying fingers grasping at your face. You took a frustrated breath and just as you were about to go to the bar you bumped into something solid.
“Oh, excuse me!” you gasped.
You looked up, trying to see who you bumped into, only to find yourself greeted with a familiar set of dark lenses. It was him. Of course it was him.
Tonight he was dressed in a white sweater and grey slacks, his smart black shoes were shining in the crimson light. His hair was neatly parted as usual and of course he was looking as full of himself as ever. He stood over you like he thought himself a god.
“No problem, sugar,” he growled, noticeably tilting his head to look at you. 
You folded your arms and hooked your chin up in defiance, trying to cover yourself a little. It only made him laugh. Already, you were considering seeing if kicking him would cause him pain. The thought brought a smile to your face. What would be better, a kick to the nethers or one in the knee and then square into those stupid shades?
“So…what is it you want?” you finally asked.
“Is that all you’re capable of saying?” he groaned, leaning back dramatically.
“Only when it comes to you, nightmare,” you said, finally finding your courage. “I’d like to fulfil my purpose here and leave as soon as possible.”
“Oh really? Is that why you dolled yourself up all pretty? So you could convince me to leave,” he teased, reaching out and flicking the fabric of your dress.
You gasped and looked down at yourself, forgetting that you’d come so dressed up and felt your cheeks heat in embarrassment. Well now you looked like an idiot. You gazed back to his smug smile and just as you were about to defend yourself he crooked his finger and gestured his head toward the entrance.
“You’re dressed up far too pretty to be in a place like this. You got everyone’s heads turnin’, sugar,” he’d said it smoothly, but there was a glint of something that passed through his face, a twitch too quick for you to really tell. 
You frowned at him and looked around. Was he serious? Surely everyone couldn’t be looking. You bit your lip, catching a few men’s eyes as they looked away from your gaze, you were shocked. Apparently Casey had worked her magic a little too well. Well now he’s definitely going to think I’m trying to flirt back with him, you thought sourly.
“I want to know where we’re going before I leave with you.”
“Can’t I surprise you? I know a spot I think you’ll like.”
“Oh really? You know a spot I’d like? I somehow doubt we frequent the same kinds of places,” you said, voice heavy with sarcasm.
“Trust me,” he said, cooing your name, “I’m not all bad.”
You gave him a pointed look, but it was no use. It was either you follow him or…god knows what. He’d lash out and hurt some human most likely. You knew what he was like, knew his reputation, you couldn’t leave all the humans around you at his mercy. So soon enough you found yourself following behind him like a hellbound duckling.
You rubbed at your arms and felt your legs get heavier with every step. The last thing you wanted to do was go to an unknown location with your current company, but he was being very insistent. As soon as you’d left the thick double doors, Corinthian put his arm around yours and had you walking in step with him.
His grip on you was reminiscent of the night before. His arm was locked on yours, trapping you next to him, you wondered what he had in store for you. Where could he be taking you like this? Was he going to drag you to a torture dungeon, find some way to hurt you? Would he take you somewhere dark and filled with blood and bodies, somewhere cold and lonely where he could lock you up?
While your thoughts were filled with dread, the Cornithian’s were anything but. He was leading you through the darkened streets with renewed vigour, excited by his new little plaything. His sweet little dream, all pure and dressed in white and sprinkled with glitter. He could almost taste you. When you’d showed up dressed like that he could’ve sworn there were fireworks erupting at your entrance. 
“So how come you dressed up for me then, sugar? Is your little ‘I hate you’ act crumbling already?” 
“Act?” you laughed back at him. “I’m not acting, I think you’re repulsive.”
“Repulsive is a big bad word for such a small thing,” he replied dryly, tightening his already iron grip on your arm.
Asshole! You muttered under your breath and struggled in his grip. Though it was futile, it felt like you needed to test if you had the opportunity to break free. Was he made of metal? You cursed Morpheus for making him so strong.
“For your information, I’m not small! And I’m only dressed like this because when my friend asked me where I was going tonight I had to lie and say I had a date.”
“A date? Oh, isn’t that sweet,” Corinthian crowed, stopping in his tracks.
“Like I said, I had to lie to her.”
“Mhmm, you know what I really think?” he said, smile as bright as ever. “I think that somewhere in that little head of yours, you know that I’m not as bad as you think I am. Maybe you wanted this to be a date.”
You rolled your eyes and opted not to dignify that with a response. Like you’d ever want to go out with that monster willingly. Even if he was being a gentleman for the time being, you thought, there was no telling when he’d reveal his true nature to you. Even though he’d been fairly pleasant to you so far…
You shook your head and urged him to keep walking in the same direction he’d been going. The sooner you got to this place, the sooner you could be done with him you reasoned. Yes, that was why you gripped him back, and moreover how you began to enjoy how soft his sweater was on your bare arms. 
“So you and this friend…how did you meet her?” Corinthian asked, taking you off guard.
Was he actually asking about you? Was he being legitimate? Did he actually care? Your thoughts raced for a second, wondering how candid you should be. You knew you couldn’t reveal too much, couldn’t give him any information that would allow him to hurt Casey. He was a tiger in the brush and he had you in his sights. You would try to hold that thought close. 
“I met her in a dream first,” you finally revealed.
“Oh really? So what, you came down here to look for her?”
“No…I uh- I left the dreaming and didn’t really know where to go, I suppose. I wandered around for awhile not really knowing what to do and then when I saw Casey for the first time here I guess- I guess I just knew I could trust her. So I live with her now. ”
“Makes sense.”
“Does it?” you asked, narrowing your eyes suspiciously.
“Anyone that dreams of you must be innocent enough,” he shrugged, glancing down at you.
“If that’s the assumption you want to make,” you said bristling.
“Are you always this defensive, sugar? Don’t you get tired of being so uptight?”
You froze at his accusation and felt your spine go stick straight. Defensive? If he didn’t like you being defensive then maybe he’d prefer angry? You felt your heartbeat quicken as your thoughts simmered like molten lava through your body. 
“Maybe i wouldn’t be so defensive if you didn’t literally threaten to murder people if I didn’t come out with you tonight!” You hissed, poking your finger straight into his hard chest.
“Woah there, sugar. Calm down! I didn’t make any threats, when did I make a threat?” He said lowly, taking your hand away from his chest. 
You watched as he took your hand and raised it to his lips, planting a kiss on the back of it like an old fashioned gentleman. His lips felt like cool rose petals on your heated skin. What the hell? You took a second to register what he said and felt yourself getting more riled.
“You literally said you would seek out another pair of eyes!” You squealed, grabbing your hand back.
You winced at your tone and looked around at the empty street around you, sighing when you realised no one was around to hear. At least you didn’t sound crazy to anyone else. Just yourself. The silence echoed in the street, all you could hear was the hum of the streetlights and sirens in the distance. 
“You’re a dramatic little thing aren’t you?”
“I’ll show you dramatic!” 
You blinked a couple times when he raised his brows at you and huffed out a breath of air. You’d only proved his point. Again. 
“You’re cute when you’re angry, look at your little shoulders gettin’ all tensed up! How about this, sugar. We share the rest of the walk in silence and when we get to where we’re going you don’t act like I’m kicking you every time I speak. What do you say?”
“I think if you want more pleasant company, you shouldn’t coerce it out,” you said dryly, tugging on his arm again so he’d continue. 
That made him laugh. His chuckle was rich and deep, it filled the night air around you and made your heart beat faster. You bit your lip and tried to ignore him a while as he finally relented and led you to your mystery location. There was something about his tone of voice that was so soothing, so dreamlike. Nothing like you’d expect a nightmare to be. 
A few streets later, after walking a few more minutes, you found yourself in front of a brightly lit ice cream parlour that proudly said it was open till 1am. The building oozed blue neon that poured out into the street and enticed you in with the smell of sugar and polished linoleum. It was like Corinthian had read your mind, you’d much rather have been there than at that club. It was a shock, he hadn’t taken you somewhere that displayed guts at the door like wind chimes, and those being your expectations, it was a pleasant shock. 
“Do you come here often?” You found yourself asking.
“I’ve been here a few times, it’s the best ice cream in town,” he smirked, walking you leisurely through the glass doors. 
“You don’t seem like the type that eats a lot of ice cream,” you murmured. 
“What kind of monster doesn’t like ice cream?” He said scandalised. 
You could barely contain the giggle that escaped your lips. The big bad Corinthian was a dessert lover. Who knew? It was probably the last place you thought he’d take you, though you wouldn’t be found complaining. It made you think that maybe there was more to the nightmare than murder and fear, maybe there was a heart thawing in amongst that scary exterior. Had you been too judgmental? 
What were you thinking? This guy is literally a known killer, you reminded yourself, you couldn’t fall for this glamour he was putting on. You bit your lip and tried to concentrate on the cold glass case he was leading you up to, his grip now relaxing and falling till he was eventually just loosely holding your hand. You looked down at it curiously and then back at the ice cream, figuring it was best not to fight it. 
“Pick anything you like, sugar. My treat,” he smiled, catching the attention of the motherly looking woman behind the counter. 
“So sweet,” she cooed, looking between you both warmly. “You make a cute couple!”
Her comment immediately got your back bristling, and it took every fibre of your being to stop from correcting her. You were holding hands so it’s not like her assumption was baseless, but it didn’t quell your urge to throw up any less. Instead you distracted yourself with the colourful array of different ice creams while the Corinthian thanked the woman for her ‘compliment’. 
Eventually you settled on two scoops of cherry cheesecake and even felt yourself get excited as you were handed your chocolate sprinkle dipped cone. It was almost enough to make you forget your present company when you slid into the baby blue leather booth. Almost being the operative word, given you did have to stare up at his face when he sat in front of you. At least he’d bought you ice cream. 
“What’s your verdict then?” He asked, taking a pink plastic spoonful of his salted caramel.
You put the cone to your mouth and smiled as you tasted the sweet dessert, tart cherry and crumbling biscuit pieces combined to perfection. You took in a few more mouthfuls and lost yourself, realising you might’ve found a new favourite treat. You didn’t even consider the fact you were ignoring your company until he cleared his throat and brought you back to reality.
He quirked a brow as he looked at you and tilted his head in thought. You were cute. There was something about the way you smiled and closed your eyes to properly enjoy your ice cream that was so endearing. It only made him want you to make you his all the more. He’d decided long ago that you weren’t going to be Morpheus’ little pet anymore, you were going to be his dream. He’d break down your walls one way or another and when he did, you’d be far from the dream Morpheus created.
“This is delicious,” you answered finally. “You were right, I like this place!”
“See. A little trust goes a long way.”
“Mhmm, Well forgive me for not immediately trusting someone like you,” you snorted. 
“And what am I like,” he asked, pointing his little plastic spoon at himself. “As far as I’m concerned I’ve been nothing but a gentleman to you.”
“You being nice to me doesn’t excuse the fact you said you’d seek someone else out for the night if you couldn’t have me. And before you try to say anything, because I can see the defence cooking up in your head already, I know what you meant by it.”
He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, propping an arm up on the leather. 
“Just because I said I’d seek someone else out doesn’t mean I’d kill them,” he said matter of factly. 
“Shh!”
You looked around, eyes wide as saucers, and paranoid that someone would hear, but it was only you two and the nice lady behind the counter. She was far too busy humming away to herself and cleaning to listen to your conversation. It sounded like something you’d heard off of the radio. 
“Do you really think I go round killing everyone I fuck?”
“Would you stop!”
“What? I’m trying to reassure you here, sugar. You keep making me out to be some kind of lunatic, and I’d like to let you know I’m a very reasonable man.”
“I’m so glad to know that you’re not a completely ruthless killer, just a murder inclined whore,” you said dryly. 
“Well I bet most people are whores compared to you, huh sweet thing,” he grinned. 
You narrowed your eyes at first, ready to try and defend yourself but you didn’t have much of a rebuke. It was true that you didn’t have much experience in those sorts of things…ok truthfully you hadn’t even kissed someone before, but it wasn’t like you were one of those kinds of dreams. You were a baker for gods sakes, you were too busy perfecting recipes to be dealing with romances and flings.
“Before you start making fun of me, it’s only been a few months since I left the dreaming,” you huffed, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.
Not only did you end up on a date with the corinthian, you ended up revealing your personal life to him as well. This was far from your idea of what life on earth would be like. For one, you hadn’t thought of what you’d do if you ran into nightmares and for another you hadn’t really thought much about sex before. You’d had a job to do and you’d rigorously made sure to make that your only commitment, those kinds of thoughts hadn’t crossed your mind before…
Now apparently, you had all the time in the world to think about it. The idea had your breath racing and your palms sweating. What had you been doing all these months? 
“Sugar, I would never make fun of you for being innocent. You’re just what dream made you is all,” he intoned soothingly.
“What do you mean?” you asked with a frown.
“Well…you’ve been here for a few months like you said, and in that time have you done anything other than bake and hang around that little friend of yours?”
“Well no, I guess not,” you said thoughtfully, eating more of your ice cream before it could spill onto your fingers.
“And that’s because you’ve not really released yourself from your dream's hold yet,” he explained, talking as if it were the simplest thing in the world. 
“What’s so wrong with that?” you hissed.
“Well nothing much for you I suppose, me on the other hand…” he said, with a dramatic sigh. “He made me what I am, he made me The Corinthian. He made me the thing you’re disgusted by and, so while we’re being honest with each other, I don’t think that’s very fair.”
You tilted your head and watched as his smile faded for once and he looked almost…sad? It made you pause in thought, realising that maybe what he was saying was the truth. Immediately you felt terrible for how judgmental you’d been, the realisation sunk through you heavily and made your throat constrict. Had you really been so harsh to someone that you didn’t know?
“So…do you mean you want to change that?”
“I’ve been on earth for a century and do you know what I’ve come to realise? All the evil I’ve wrought here hasn’t brought me any joy at all. The reason I asked you - well forced you I suppose, which I apologise for,  is because  I think I need help. I figured someone as sweet as you might be just what I need,” he explained, smoothing a hand through his hair.
You swore you could feel your heart pulsing in your ears. Was the Corinthian really pouring his heart out to you in an ice cream parlour? Were you in a dream? You had to stop yourself from pinching your arm. This was real. He was really looking at you with those pouted lips and raised brows seemingly full of hope.
Gods, this was a lot more than you’d signed up for.
“So when you say I’m what you need, do you mean you’re going to stop- well y’know,” you said, making a stabbing motion with your cone. 
He laughed at that and his smile returned to his face. Soon enough he was nodding, balancing his head on his hands now, looking intently at you. For once you didn’t look at him like he was a lion before it gave chase, now there was something sweet about the way he gazed at you. Something that made you want to reach out and stroke his arm, reassure him things would be alright.
Maybe that was a little bit too far for now. You weren’t entirely won over, but it definitely seemed like there was something honest about his story. Afterall, you had left the dreaming after vowing you’d never do that and so if you could change, then maybe he could too. 
“So what are you asking of me?”
“I want you to help me on the new path i'm on,” he smiled, “I don’t want to be good or bad, a nightmare or a dream. Now that Morpheus has left us and gone, gods know where, and this is all that’s left, we need to make the most of it. What I want is to be more human. Don’t you?”
You gasped as he made his admission and looked out the window for a second, staring up at the night sky and looking at the moon and stars that peeked out from their blankets in the clouds. It was all so much to take in, but as you reflected on his words, you had a sinking feeling that what he was saying was right.
After waiting so long for your lord to return and being faced with so much disappointment, it made you wonder if your ridgid ways of thinking were really all that accurate anymore. Was there such a thing as a dream or a nightmare now that Morpheus was gone? Now that you lived for yourself and not under his rule, you needed to find a new purpose and surely reforming the once terrible Corinthian would be a worthy cause.
Perhaps Corinthian was right. Maybe striving for something more was the path forward. Striving for humanity rather than merely observing it. That made you smile. Being human sounded like fun.
“So,” you said giggling a little and looking back at your new friend, “I guess that means I need to make you better…and you get to make me worse.”
“Well, sugar, you said it not me, but I think I like where you’re going with this,” he grinned, reaching his hand across the table and  out to you.
You bit your lip and considered him for a second, still trying to see if there was a veil of trickery to be spotted. Though, there was nothing obvious to you. He didn’t seem much like a monster to you anymore, he just seemed like someone reaching out for help. If helping him meant you were going to keep people safe and figure out a new purpose then maybe you didn’t really have anything to lose. 
You reached out and grasped his hand, swearing that it felt warmer than before, softer, and clasped it tight.  You were really doing this. You were going to make Corinthian into a good man.
Next Part Here
-💕-
Tag List
@ravenous-says-stuf @jvybirrd @padawansubscription @pinkybee926 @heurimariquinha @the-corinthian-og-begay-docrimes @autistic-dream
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lawandorderimagines · 4 years ago
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Ten Years (Elliot Stabler x fem reader)
warnings: angst, morning sickness, pregnancy, Elliot Stabler bashing, best friend!Casey Novak
Takes place after Elliot shoots Jenna Fox 
You tapped your pen against the notepad, glancing over at Elliot’s desk every few seconds. You had to keep reminding yourself that he was just taking some time off and that he would be back next week, but next week came, it is now Thursday and he won’t answer his phone. When you felt bile rising to your throat, you ran for the bathroom, going into the first open stall and emptied the contents of your stomach, and as you were cleaning yourself off, Amanda walked in. “Y/N, are you okay?” she asked softly. You nodded, the ringing in your ears still making your head hurt.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Any new leads yet?” you questioned, quickly changing the subject. You didn’t need her asking questions, your period is late and you’ve never been late in your life. “The victim’s mother’s flight just landed and she’s meeting us at the hospital.” You tried to refocus, get your mind back in work mode... but you just couldn’t, so many things were going through your head: you have to take a pregnancy test and fast. There’s a possibility you might be going it alone. 
Elliot (the probable father) isn’t answering your messages. “Uh, you go ahead, I’ll meet you front in a minute.” Rollins, looking a little unsure, headed out the door, you whipped your phone out of your pocket, the text thread between you and Elliot, and composed a new message: El, please, we need to talk, it’s an emergency. I need you. You hit send and it took thirty seconds before you got a message saying that yours didn’t go through. What the fuck?
Whatever you’re feeling, you shoved it deep down and switched your brain back to work mode; you’ve been in the bathroom for fifteen minutes and Rollins is waiting for you. You were gathering your notepad and a pen when Cragen called you into his office. “Now? Rollins is waiting for me---” “I know, I told her to go with Fin. Now sit. There’s something I have to tell you.” You did as told, immediately on edge, your hands sweating.
“What’s wrong?” You hate that your voice sounds so weak, it reminded of you of your early days at Special Victims Unit, when you didn’t speak in more than a whisper. Elliot changed that. Your Captain stood in front of you, his hands gripping the back of his chair. “Elliot put in his papers. He’s not coming back, Y/N.”
Cragen was looking at you as if you were going to fall apart as you took in this new piece of information, and in all honesty, you might. Maybe in the privacy of your apartment or on Casey’s couch, but definitely not here. Not now. “And I need you to take some time off as well,” he added, and you snapped your head up. “Captain, I promise, I can handle it, this is just---” “It wasn’t a suggestion. That stomach bug is making the rounds, and I can’t have anyone else getting sick.”
You’re glad that he didn’t suspect anything else. “Okay. I’ll make a doctor’s appointment.” You moved in a fog, not paying attention to anything and you almost missed your stop. You bought a pregnancy test kit from the store a few blocks away from your apartment as well as your favorite ice cream. As you waited for the timer to go off, you sat on the toilet lid, trying to stop her hands from shaking and when you reached for phone this time, you deleted Elliot’s number and dialed Casey’s.
“Case, you have to get over here now!” In the years Casey has known you, she’s never heard you sound so frantic. Her first thought was of you being hurt but when she showed up to your apartment at 7:30 she found you curled up on the couch watching The Little Mermaid. “Y/N, what’s wrong?” You didn’t appear to be physically hurt, but you weren’t paying attention to the movie.
“I have to tell you something.” You told her everything, your relationship with Elliot after he and Kathy divorced, about Elliot retiring and then blocking your number, and you started crying when you told Casey that you’re going to have his child. “God, I’m so fucking stupid, what the hell was I thinking?” You thought back to your relationship with Elliot, he was seventeen years older than you, you’re not that much older or younger than his oldest daughter Maureen, and you were twenty-two and fresh out of the academy when you started working with him. Elliot took you under his wing, and the once quiet woman who wouldn’t speak about whisper became a force to be reckoned with with in the 16th precinct.
At the time, in your early days at SVU, you were on your on in the real world for the first time, with your parents moving to France. Elliot was all you had, and no one had ever looked out for you the way he did. To make a long story short, he and Kathy divorced a few years later and the two of you began a secret relationship. You thought everything was going well until he shot Jenna Fox, and even though he was a bit shaken up, you thought after his administrative leave he would be okay. But that was a lie.
Elliot didn’t love you the way you loved him, that much is obvious. “Y/N, you’re not an idiot, and there’s nothing wrong with you. You were in love,” Casey told you softly. The redhead sat next to you on the couch and wrapped her arms around you. “God, Casey, what am I gonna do? A baby! What am I gonna tell my parents? I never told them about me and Elliot. What about Cragen? IAB?” You didn’t even think about telling your bosses, but you’re scared as shit to tell your parents.
Sure, you’re an adult, but it wasn’t like they would approve of him, which is probably why you never told them in the first place, with the seventeen year age difference and rank over you. “Relax, Y/N, you have plenty of time. And I’ll be with you. Every step of the way.” In this moment you were so grateful to Casey, and you know that you can handle this parenting shit. “You don’t need Elliot, Y/N, and he absolutely didn’t deserve you.” “Casey, what the hell would I ever do without you?”
The ADA simply bumped her shoulder against yours and smiled at you. “You can worry about telling Cragen and Tucker later. Right now, we’re gonna order pizza and Chinese and watch Disney movies and talk shit about Stabler.” That made you smile; Casey knew that you would have eight years worth of insults and burns stored up for Elliot that is just begging to be let out. “That sounds like a plan. You order the food and I’ll get you some pajamas. You’re gonna be here all night.” While Casey ordered the food, you changed into your pajamas and got some clothes out for her as well.
The night was spent eating good food, watching Casey get tipsy with the wine and watching Disney movies as you talked shit about Elliot. “Out of all of his worst qualities, I hope your kid doesn’t come out with his Easter Island head shaped head.” You accidentally spat out your cherry coke. “Casey! How long have you been holding that one in?” You simply couldn’t stop laughing, and the worst part, as you compared both images in your head, it only made you laugh so hard, tears started forming.
“Ever since I met him. It was my first thought.” The two of you ended up watching three Disney movies: The Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, and Cinderella. It was the middle of Cinderella where she and Prince Charming are dancing in the ballroom. It’s sort of silly, but you wished for a love like a Disney Princess. Yes, it’s a little unrealistic, but you couldn’t help it. You wanted someone to love you like your dad loves your mom, the way Thomas O’Malley loved Duchess.
You felt stupid for thinking that Elliot Stabler could ever be your Prince Charming. “One day, Y/N, that’s gonna be you, dancing with your prince.,” Casey started slurring as she finished up the last of the wine, the bottle of wine you bought when you were with Elliot. “Casey, if I ever see Elliot fucking Stabler again, it’ll be too soon.” You promised yourself that if you ever saw Elliot again, you would absolutely slap him.
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zipadeea · 4 years ago
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Chapters: 7/8 Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont/Leo Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont, June Claremont-Diaz, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue), Leo (Red White & Royal Blue), Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Nora Holleran, Rafael Luna, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, David the Beagle (Red White & Royal Blue), Amy Chen (Red White & Royal Blue), Cash (Red White & Royal Blue), Zahra Bankston, Shaan Srivastava, Philip Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Martha Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Assassination Attempt(s), Hospitals, Alex gets shot, everyone loves alex, Emotions, the president is bad at emotions, then she isn't, Christmas Movies, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Pride and Prejudice References Summary:
["June stopped by at lunch; she showed me a delightful channel called Hallmark, which repeats the same story every hour after they swap one round of white, straight, small-town conventionally beautiful actors for another. It was entertaining.”
“June and I used to play a drinking game with those. Take a shot every time someone goes ice skating, sledding, or leaves the big city for their tiny hometown.”
“Good lord, you must’ve been sloshed in the first ten minutes.”]
***
On December 4, 2021, an attempt is made on President Ellen Claremont's life.
Alex gets shot instead.
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lokigodofaces · 3 years ago
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thoughts on loki ep 2: the variant (spoilers)
under cut to not disturb your scrolling
Overall I enjoyed so that's good
Uh frick my mind blanked so sorry if things are completely out of order
I don't know, I expected the renaissance fair to be 2012 or 2021 or 2024 (Loki's time, our time, current time in the "sacred timeline"). So I was genuinely surprised when it was in 1985.
Ok, i really like the title card thing. And how the year scrolls around. It's a nice aesthetic touch there.
I wonder why the female Loki variant chooses her locations? Does she have a thing for renaissance fairs, French cathedrals, and Oklahoma?
1985 is when Back to the Future came out. And it's y'know, one of the most popular time travel movies ever. So I think they chose that year as a reference.
Again, not liking that the minutemen only have numbers, not names. It is giving me lots of Clone Wars vibes. If you don't know anything about Clone Wars, the clones are given number identifiers by the Kaminoans. Things like CT-7567. The clones would give themselves names (CT-7567, for example, names himself Rex). A really good sign throughout the series that someone is a sketchy person is if they call the clones by their numbers. The clones don't want to be known as numbers. They are people too, they deserve names, so they come up with all sorts of creative names (Rex, Fives, Cody, Tup, Hevy, Hardcase, Echo, Waxer, Boil, Wolffe, Jesse, Kix, Fox, Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, Omega, Tech, Matchstick, etc). The jedi respect this, and the only jedi that i can think of that called clones by their numbers is Krell, who fell to the dark side. the Kaminoans and other sketchy people all call them by their numbers and the clones don't like it. A big focus of the show is on the clone's agency (at the end, they all have brain chips that take away their agency and force them to kill jedi), and how the clones need to be respected. So for me to see in another series that people are only given numbers is bad. What's worse is that the minutemen are fine with this. They don't see it as dehumanizing or belittling. They are brainwashed into being okay with it. Which says a thing or two about the Time Keepers.
did. did the renaissance fair really have Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" for their renaissance themed fight? Is this normal? Was it normal in the '80's? We saw later that the female Loki can do electronic stuff. Did she rig it to play it? For the vibes?
Also the stuff before the song was about fighting for a princess, and in the end she kidnaps C-20.
Okay, btw, I'm just gonna say Lady Loki for a while because no one has explicitly said Sylvie yet, so I'm going to refer to di Martino as Loki until she or another calls her Sylvie. Cool? Cool.
I was thinking the "Holding Out for a Hero" fight would be the roomba fight or something. It is such a good song that has huge potential for this genre. Why did they use it in a lame fight as that one?
When Lady Loki did the spell on C-20, it looked similar to what Wanda and Agatha can do. As in, it had similar visuals.
Loki reading a random magazine he finds while sitting with his feet on the desk bored out of his mind because he has to learn sh*t is a MOOD.
What is Miss Minutes? She can jump around anywhere, and pop into computers. But she can't be just a projection. She took the effort to dodge Loki swatting at her, so that may mean she was corporeal. She also could be something similar to the Kree's Supreme Intelligence?
So, did Mobius give Loki the shirt, tie, and slacks, but really didn't give him the jacket until they had to call him in? What? That makes no sense? Did the TVA not have any jackets with the variant label? Did someone have to custom design a jacket for Loki?
What is up with this show giving me things I wanted to see only in holographic form? First we saw Coulson's death, and now Loki in his Jotun form in a holograph of another variant.
Okay, Loki being someone the TVA has to constantly deal with is very on brand. Loki is a creature of chaos, of course he's going to unknowingly rebel against the sacred timeline.
Also, headcanon that the Jotun Loki we see is king of Jotunheim because that would be epic.
Also, for personal reasons I choose to believe there is a Loki variant that defeated the Avengers and immediately went queer rights.
Loki's reaction to there being many Loki variants. He's seen what his life is supposed to be. I think he is even more upset that the TVA often deals with him, that there are so many things that could have been instead if it weren't for the TVA and the "sacred timeline."
Also, I totally think Mobius was waiting for another Loki to show up to help him defeat Lady Loki. They get them so often, it makes sense.
Loki explaining the difference between illusion projection and duplication was great. And very helpful to me personally understanding lore. Also, Mobius, get your crap together. If you're a Loki expert, figure this stuff out.
Loki calling the TVA out on propaganda, we love that.
The wolf quote is actually very nice, I quite like it.
Okay, the TVA doesn't even bury or cremate or do any sort of ritual for their fallen minutemen, they just reset the timeline. Which to me seems like another way to show how little the TVA actually care for their workers.
There are statues of the Time Keepers in Ravonna's office. The camera pays extra attention to it. Keep reading for more about Time Keepers and cinematography choices.
What. What sort of relationship does Ravonna and Mobius have? What is going on there? I am really confused.
Who is this "analyst on the side?" What is going on there?
Ravonna is MEGA SUS. Along with that, the Time Keepers are mega sus.
She signs R. Slayer. Yeah. Slayer. Not at all subtle, Marvel. Letting us know that she'll do the deed if needed.
Mobius you are sending me mixed signals. What do you want?
Okay, Mobius saying Loki was a "cold, scared boy" and an "ice runt" and stuff was totally a jab at Loki being Jotun.
Mobius saying Loki is insecure because of Lady Loki is...probably true.
With the elevator, the camera stops and focuses on the Time Keepers.
The Creation of the TVA, the beginning of time, the end of time, all classified. That is sus.
Loki almost crying over Ragnarok was good. Let him cry over the destruction of his home.
Loki being the one to discover something the TVA had no idea about after a day is on brand for Loki. And it shows how the TVA really are vulnerable.
Mobius: Really? In front of my salad?
No but the object lesson was well done and actually did help me understand what Loki was talking about.
Casey! Casey drinks grape juice! Imagine how confusing this is for Casey though. Loki is captured, threatens to gut you like a fish (whatever that means), and now he's dressed like an analysist, stealing your juice box. Does Loki get Casey more juice?
Honestly, Loki looking at everything logically and scientifically is fantastic. Adds to the science = magic thing Marvel's got going on, since Loki is a sorcerer.
Loki saying volcanoes are cool is fun. I agree. Volcanoes mean the planet is geologically active, which means we won't die. Also, there is a volcano named Loki on one of Jupiter's moons. I wonder if the creators knew that and put Loki in Pompeii because he is already linked with volcanoes.
Mobius telling Loki to start off small and Loki completely disregarding that felt very personal to me.
Loki being absolutely chaotic and telling everyone they were going to die while speaking perfect Latin was iconic. I want more of that content. Let the man be buckwild.
Again, Loki finding something out after a day that the TVA never knew about is on brand.
"Be free, my horned friends, be free!" I love that way too much.
Mobius being obsessed with jet skis wasn't something I expected, but I'm down for it. Heck, even Loki admitted they were cool.
The discussion on beliefs is going to lead to saying the Time Keepers are bullcrap. Hopefully.
Grapes and nuts are "candy" on Asgard. So, when Loki was eating grapes in Ragnarok, we can interpret that as him eating M&Ms. Second, this might add to something I've seen around here. I've seen things about a book somewhere with Loki saying chocolate fountains are mythical (which is really funny to me). So, I guess Asgard really doesn't have chocolate.
Oh my gosh, so many apocalypses between 2047 and 2051...hopefully none of those happen in real life.
Roxxcart is probably part of Roxxon, something that has been around in Iron Man movies.
Lady Loki got the shovel thing from Roxxcart that she left in Oklahoma! The minutemen said it was from the early third millenia, which is where we are now! 2050 also fits that category!
I saw something about the file saying Class 8 hurricane...there are only 5 classes...which means this is a crazy storm.
Does B-15 want Loki dead? This is a legitimate question, because I think she does. Dead or pruned.
Loki looking around at the storm, I love it. This could be him loving science, or him missing Thor, since Thor creates storms. Also, at this point Loki probably things Thor dies shortly after him in the sacred timeline, so Loki would be particularly sentimental about Thor.
I love Loki drying himself off and not anyone else. And B-15 yelling about his magic. And Loki's motions are so fluid, it's so aesthetically pleasing, I love it.
Dudes, I thought B-15 was going to try to prune Loki when they were alone.
Okay, was Lady Loki bsing about the azalea sale, or does Roxxcart actually do that? I want to know.
Wunmi Mosaku did a really good job as Lady Loki, I loved it.
Loki being annoyed at Lady Loki and saying he understood how Thor felt, does that insinuate Loki can do what Lady Loki was doing?
B-15 and C-20 were both very shaken after being possessed by Lady Loki. I wonder how that felt for them? We've had different explanations of mind control/brainwashing/similar from Clint, Bucky, Daisy, Mack, Fitz, and Monica in the MCU (including AoS). I wonder what is specific to Lady Loki's possession.
C-20 kept going on about something being real. What was that about?
C-20 revealed the location of the Time Keepers to Lady Loki!
Lady Loki not wanting to be called Loki could be a sign she is Sylvie.
There's something weird where Loki's voice echoed around while the camera focused on Lady Loki. Maybe she's telepathic?
Someone needs to keep a tracker on people telling Loki this isn't his story in a show literally about him.
But, that does add to themes for his life, and how everything was always about someone else in his life. He was always a supporting character for Thor, for Odin, for Thanos. Now, even in his own story, everyone insists he doesn't matter.
I was wondering what the reset charges would be used for. I wasn't expecting a massive bombing of the sacred timeline! Wow! That was unexpected and I loved it!
Okay, this isn't from me, this is from New Rockstars. But to list all the places mentioned on chronomonitors, either bombed or not: Knowhere, Barcelona, Niflheim, Dartford, Phong Nha, Lisbon, Vormir, Thorton, Cookeville, Asgard, Rome, Sakaar, Barichara, Porvoo, Ego, Titan, New York City, Tokyo, Hala, Kingsport, Xandar, Beijing, Madrid, Portland, Jotunheim. Bolded are other planets. Those are almost all the planets visited in the MCU. So fun easter eggs there!
I like Lady Loki's aesthetic. The fingerless gloves, the cloak, I love it. And YES SHE ISN'T SEXUALIZED. So many genderbent characters are excuses to sexualize women. But Lady Loki is just as covered as the male Lokis.
Lady Loki just...left the time door open for Loki to follow...for a really long time...I'm worried he's running into a trap.
What is Loki going to do now?
Theory time y'alls: Lady Loki bombed the sacred timeline to flush the minutemen out of the TVA, leaving it defenseless. And she's gonna go after the Time Keepers themselves. We know she gets into the TVA from trailer footage, and that's what I think we're gonna see next episode. I think she (like the Loki we are following) is upset over the lack of free will, and she plans to change that. That's why she wasn't interested in helping Loki "take over" the TVA, because she doesn't want to become the leader of a new TVA, she wants it destroyed.
Alright, back to the Time Keepers stuff. They keep focusing on the middle Time Keeper. Even in the end credits they have a weird cut to focus directly on his face. I'm not 100% on this, but I like this theory. That face is similar to Jonathan Major's, the actor confirmed to be Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Kang is a well known time travelling villain in Marvel. Maybe he is Kang, and is using variant versions of himself (that's a Kang thing in the comics) to mess with the timeline, and no one expects that from him. Also, Renslayer was his S/O for a bit in the comics, and they keep framing her in front of that one Time Keeper's face. I feel like this would be a good way to set up Quantumania and to show how sus the Time Keepers are.
Also, Loki was absolutely adorable the entire episode. And he got to sleep! Yay for him!
Again, I enjoyed, and can't wait for next week!
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by zipadeea
["June stopped by at lunch; she showed me a delightful channel called Hallmark, which repeats the same story every hour after they swap one round of white, straight, small-town conventionally beautiful actors for another. It was entertaining.”
“June and I used to play a drinking game with those. Take a shot every time someone goes ice skating, sledding, or leaves the big city for their tiny hometown.”
“Good lord, you must’ve been sloshed in the first ten minutes.”]
***
On December 4, 2021, an attempt is made on President Ellen Claremont's life.
Alex gets shot instead.
Words: 4181, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English
Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: F/M, Gen, M/M
Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont, June Claremont-Diaz, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue), Leo (Red White & Royal Blue), Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Nora Holleran, Rafael Luna, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, David the Beagle (Red White & Royal Blue), Amy Chen (Red White & Royal Blue), Cash (Red White & Royal Blue)
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont/Leo
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Assassination Attempt(s), Hospitals, Alex gets shot, everyone loves alex, Emotions, the president is bad at emotions, then she isn't, Christmas Movies, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies
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firstprince-ao3feed · 5 months ago
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my name is papa not Alex
by Kamaria12 When Alex and Henry's 2-year-old daughter, Alexis, discovers her papa's government name and starts calling him by it,. ------ “My name is not Alex or Alexander,” Alex replies. “Yes, it is,” Alexis argued. “No, it’s not. It’s papa.” “It’s papa,” Alex added. "Nooo,” Alexis whines. Words: 848, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 3 of Life With Kids (FirstPrince) Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Original Child Character(s) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Non-Royal Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz is not First Son of the United States, Established Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz Loves Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Loves Alex Claremont-Diaz, Married Couple, Kid Fic, Family Fluff, Ice Cream via https://ift.tt/csBovHu
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artycloudpop · 4 years ago
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1hey are u bored at home, wanna chill and netflix....... but just can’t find some thing nice to watch? here’s a list of movies for u watch
A Ghost Story (2017)
Director David Lowery (Pete's Dragon) conceived this dazzling, dreamy meditation on the afterlife during the off-hours on a Disney blockbuster, making the revelations within even more awe-inspiring. After a fatal accident, a musician (Casey Affleck) finds himself as a sheet-draped spirit, wandering the halls of his former home, haunting/longing for his widowed wife (Rooney Mara). With stylistic quirks, enough winks to resist pretension (a scene where Mara devours a pie in one five-minute, uncut take is both tragic and cheeky), and a soundscape culled from the space-time continuum, A Ghost Story connects the dots between romantic love, the places we call home, and time -- a ghost's worst enemy.
Airplane! (1980)
This is one of the funniest movie of all time. Devised by the jokesters behind The Naked Gun, this disaster movie spoof stuffs every second of runtime with a physical gag (The nun slapping a hysterical woman!), dimwitted wordplay ("Don't call me, Shirley"), an uncomfortable moment of odd behavior ("Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked?"), or some other asinine bit. The rare comedy that demands repeat viewings, just to catch every micro-sized joke and memorize every line.
A24
American Honey (2016)
Writer/director Andrea Arnold lets you sit shotgun for the travels of a group of wayward youth in American Honey, a seductive drama about a "mag crew" selling subscriptions and falling in and out of love with each other on the road. Seen through the eyes of Star, played by Sasha Lane, life on the Midwest highway proves to be directionless, filled with a stream of partying and steamy hookups in the backs of cars and on the side of the road, especially when she starts to develop feelings for Shia LaBeouf’s rebellious Jake. It’s an honest look at a group of disenfranchised young people who are often cast aside, and it’s blazing with energy. You’ll buy what they're selling.
Anna Karenina (2012)
Adapted by renowned playwright Tom Stoppard, this take on Leo Tolstoy's classic Russian novel is anything but stuffy, historical drama. Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander are all overflowing with passion and desire, heating up the chilly backdrop of St. Petersburg. But it's director Joe Wright's unique staging -- full of dance, lush costuming, fourth-wall-breaking antics, and other theatrical touches -- that reinvent the story for more daring audiences.
NETFLIX
Apostle (2018)
For his follow-up to his two action epics, The Raid and The Raid 2, director Gareth Evans dials back the hand-to-hand combat but still keeps a few buckets of blood handy in this grisly supernatural horror tale. Dan Stevens stars as Thomas Richardson, an early 20th century opium addict traveling to a cloudy island controlled by a secretive cult that's fallen on hard times. The religious group is led by a bearded scold named Father Malcolm (Michael Sheen) who may or may not be leading his people astray. Beyond a few bursts of kinetic violence and some crank-filled torture sequences, Evans plays this story relatively down-the-middle, allowing the performances, the lofty themes, and the windswept vistas to do the talking. It's a cult movie that earns your devotion slowly, then all at once.
Back to the Future (1985)
Buckle into Doc's DeLorean and head to the 1950s by way of 1985 with the seminal time-travel series that made Michael J. Fox a household name. It's always a joy watching Marty McFly's race against the clock way-back-when to ensure history runs its course and he can get back to the present. Netflix also has follow-up Parts II and III, which all add up to a perfect rainy afternoon marathon.
NETFLIX
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Coen brothers gave some big-name-director cred to Netflix by releasing their six-part Western anthology on the streaming service, and while it's not necessarily their best work, Buster Scruggs is clearly a cut above most Netflix originals. Featuring star turns from Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, and more, the film takes advantage of Netflix's willingness to experiment by composing a sort of death fugue that unfolds across the harsh realities of life in Manifest Destiny America. Not only does it revel in the massive, sweeping landscapes of the American West, but it's a thoughtful meditation on death that will reveal layer after layer long after you finish.
Barbershop (2002)
If you've been sleeping on the merits of the Barbershop movies, the good news is it's never too late to get caught up. Revisit the 2002 installment that started Ice Cube's smack-talking franchise so you can bask in Cedric the Entertainer's hilarious wisdom, enjoy Eve's acting debut, and admire this joyful ode to community.
NETFLIX
Barry (2016)
In 1981, Barack Obama touched down in New York City to begin work at Columbia University. As Barry imagines, just days after settling into his civics class, a white classmate confronts the Barry with an argument one will find in the future president's Twitter @-mentions: "Why does everything always got to be about slavery?" Exaltation is cinematic danger, especially when bringing the life of a then-sitting president to screen. Barry avoids hagiography by staying in the moment, weighing race issues of a modern age and quieting down for the audience to draw its own conclusions. Devon Terrell is key, steadying his character as smooth-operating, socially active, contemplative fellow stuck in an interracial divide. Barry could be any half-black, half-white kid from the '80s. But in this case, he's haunted by past, present, and future.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
You can't doubt the audacity of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomalisa), whose first produced screenplay hinged on attracting the title actor to a script that has office drones discovering a portal into his mind. John Cusack, Catherine Keener, and Cameron Diaz combine to create an atmosphere of desperate, egomaniacal darkness, and by the end you'll feel confused and maybe a little slimy about the times you've participated in celebrity gawking.
A24
The Blackcoat's Daughter (2017)
Two young women are left behind at school during break... and all sorts of hell breaks loose. This cool, stylish thriller goes off in some strange directions (and even offers a seemingly unrelated subplot about a mysterious hitchhiker) but it all pays off in the end, thanks in large part to the three leads -- Emma Roberts, Lucy Boynton, and Kiernan Shipka -- and director Oz Perkins' artful approach to what could have been just another occult-based gore-fest.
Bloodsport (1988)
Jean-Claude Van Damme made a career out of good-not-great fluff. Universal Soldier is serviceable spectacle, Hard Target is a living cartoon, Lionheart is his half-baked take on On the Waterfront. Bloodsport, which owes everything to the legacy of Bruce Lee, edges out his Die Hard riff Sudden Death for his best effort, thanks to muscles-on-top-of-muscles-on-top-of-muscles fighting and Stan Bush's "Fight to Survive." Magic Mike has nothing on Van Damme's chiseled backside in Bloodsport, which flexes its way through a slow-motion karate-chop gauntlet. In his final face-off, Van Damme, blinded by arena dust, rage-screams his way to victory. The amount of adrenaline bursting out of Bloodsport demands a splash zone.
Blue Ruin (2013)
Before he went punk with 2016's siege thriller Green Room, director Jeremy Saulnier delivered this low-budget, darkly comic hillbilly noir. When Dwight Evans (Macon Blair) discovers that the man who killed his parents is being released from prison, he returns home to Virginia to claims his revenge and things quickly spin out of control. Like the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple, this wise-ass morality tale will make you squirm.
WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMEN
Burning (2018)
Some mysteries simmer; this one smolders. In his adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, writer and director Lee Chang-dong includes many elements of the acclaimed author's slyly mischievous style -- cats, jazz, cooking, and an alienated male writer protagonist all pop up -- but he also invests the material with his own dark humor, stray references to contemporary news, and an unyielding sense of curiosity. We follow aimless aspiring novelist Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in) as he reconnects with Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), a young woman he grew up with, but the movie never lets you get too comfortable in one scene or setting. When Steven Yeun's Ben, a handsome rich guy with a beautiful apartment and a passion for burning down greenhouses, appears, the film shifts to an even more tremulous register. Can Ben be trusted? Yeun's performance is perfectly calibrated to entice and confuse, like he's a suave, pyromaniac version of Tyler Durden. Each frame keeps you guessing.
Cam (2018)
Unlike the Unfriended films or this summer's indie hit Searching, this web thriller from director Daniel Goldhaber and screenwriter Isa Mazzei isn't locked into the visual confines of a computer screen. Though there's plenty of online screen time, allowing for subtle bits of commentary and satire, the looser style allows the filmmakers to really explore the life and work conditions of their protagonist, rising cam girl Alice (Madeline Brewer). We meet her friends, her family, and her customers. That type of immersion in the granular details makes the scarier bits -- like an unnerving confrontation in the finale between Alice and her evil doppelganger -- pop even more.
THE ORCHARD
Creep (2014)
Patrick Brice's found-footage movie is a no-budget answer to a certain brand of horror, but saying more would give away its sinister turns. Just know that the man behind the camera answered a Craigslist ad to create a "day in the life" video diary for Josef (Mark Duplass), who really loves life. Creep proves that found footage, the indie world's no-budget genre solution, still has life, as long as you have a performer like Duplass willing to go all the way.
The Death of Stalin (2017)
Armando Iannucci, the brilliant Veep creator, set his sights on Russia with this savage political satire. Based on a graphic novel, the film dramatizes the madcap, maniacal plots of the men jostling for power after their leader, Joseph Stalin, keels over. From there, backstabbing, furious insults, and general chaos unfolds. Anchored by performances from Shakespearean great Simon Russell Beale and American icon Steve Buscemi, it's a pleasure to see what the rest of the cast -- from Star Trek: Discovery's Jason Isaacs to Homeland's Rupert Friend -- do with Iannucci's eloquently brittle text.
Den of Thieves (2018)
If there's one thing you've probably heard about this often ridiculous bank robbery epic, it's that it steals shamelessly from Michael Mann's crime saga Heat. The broad plot elements are similar: There's a team of highly-efficient criminals led by a former Marine (Pablo Schreiber) and they must contend with a obsessive, possibly unhinged cop (Gerard Butler) over the movie's lengthy 140 minute runtime.  A screenwriter helming a feature for the first time, director Christian Gudegast is not in the same league as Mann as a filmmaker and Butler, sporting unflattering tattoos and a barrel-like gut, is hardly Al Pacino. But everyone is really going for it here, attempting to squeeze every ounce of Muscle Milk from the bottle.
NETFLIX
Divines (2016)
Thrillers don't come much more propulsive or elegant than Houda Benyamina's Divines, a heartwarming French drama about female friendship that spirals into a pulse-pounding crime saga. Rambunctious teenager Dounia (Oulaya Amamra) and her best friend Maimouna (Déborah Lukumuena) begin the film as low-level shoplifters and thieves, but once they fall into the orbit of a slightly older, seasoned drug dealer named Rebecca (Jisca Kalvanda), they're on a Goodfellas-like trajectory. Benyamina offsets the violent, gritty genre elements with lyrical passages where Dounia watches her ballet-dancer crush rehearse his routines from afar, and kinetic scenes of the young girls goofing off on social media. It's a cautionary tale told with joy, empathy, and an eye for beauty.
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Eddie Murphy has been waiting years to get this movie about comedian and blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore made, and you can feel his joy in finally getting to play this role every second he's on screen. The film, directed by Hustle & Flow's Craig Brewer, charts how Moore rose from record store employee, to successful underground comedian, to making his now-cult classic feature Dolemite by sheer force of passion. It's thrilling (and hilarious) to watch Murphy adopt Moore's Dolemite persona, a swaggering pimp, but it's just as satisfying to see the former SNL star capture his character at his lowest points. He's surrounded by an ensemble that matches his infectious energy.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
As romanticized as adolescence can be, it’s hard being young. Following the high school experience of troubled, overdramatic Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), The Edge of Seventeen portrays the woes of adolescence with a tender, yet appropriately cheeky tone. As if junior year isn’t hellish enough, the universe essentially bursts into flames when Nadine finds out her best friend is dating her brother; their friendship begins to dissolve, and she finds the only return on young love is embarrassment and pain. That may all sound like a miserable premise for a young-adult movie, except it’s all painfully accurate, making it endearingly hilarious -- and there’s so much to love about Steinfeld’s self-aware performance.
FOCUS FEATURES
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Romance and love are nothing without the potential for loss and pain, but most of us would probably still consider cutting away all the worst memories of the latter. Given the option to eradicate memories of their busted relationship, Jim Carrey's Joel and Kate Winslet's Clementine go through with the procedure, only to find themselves unable to totally let go. Science fiction naturally lends itself to clockwork mechanisms, but director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman never lose the human touch as they toy with the kaleidoscope of their characters' hearts and minds.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Before Bruce Campbell's Ash was wielding his chainsaw-arm in Army of Darkness and on Starz's Ash Vs. Evil Dead, he was just a good looking guy hoping to spend a nice, quiet vacation in a cabin with some friends. Unfortunately, the book of the dead had other plans for him. With this low-budget horror classic, director Sam Raimi brings a surprising degree of technical ingenuity to bear on the splatter-film, sending his camera zooming around the woods with wonder and glee. While the sequels double-downed on laughs, the original Evil Dead still knows how to scare.
The Firm (1993)
The '90s were a golden era of sleek, movie-star-packed legal thrillers, and they don't get much better than director Sydney Pollack's The Firm. This John Grisham adaptation has a little bit of everything -- tax paperwork, sneering mobsters, and Garey Busey, for starters -- but there's one reason to watch this movie: the weirdness of Tom Cruise. He does a backflip in this movie. What else do you need to know?
A24
The Florida Project (2017)
Sean Baker's The Florida Project nuzzles into the swirling, sunny, strapped-for-cash populace of a mauve motel just within orbit of Walt Disney World. His eyes are Moonee, a 6-year-old who adventures through abandoned condos, along strip mall-encrusted highway, and across verdant fields of overgrown brush like Max in Where the Wild Things Are. But as gorgeous as the everything appears -- and The Florida Project looks stunning -- the world around here is falling apart, beginning with her mother, an ex-stripper turning to prostitution. The juxtaposition, and down-to-earth style, reconsiders modern America in the most electrifying way imaginable.
Frances Ha (2012)
Before winning hearts and Oscar nominations with her coming-of-age comedy Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig starred in the perfect companion film, about an aimless 27-year-old who hops from New York City to her hometown of Sacramento to Paris to Poughkeepsie and eventually back to New York in hopes of stumbling into the perfect job, the perfect relationship, and the perfect life. Directed by Noah Baumbach (The Meyerowitz Stories), and co-written by both, Frances Ha is a measured look at adult-ish life captured the kind of intoxicating black and white world we dream of living in.
NETFLIX
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)
Everyone's favorite disaster of a festival received not one, but two streaming documentaries in the same week. Netflix's version has rightly faced some criticism over its willingness to let marketing company Fuck Jerry off the hook (Jerry Media produced the doc), but that doesn't take away from the overall picture it portrays of the festival's haphazard planning and the addiction to grift from which Fyre's founder, Billy McFarland, apparently suffers. It's schadenfreude at its best.
Gerald's Game (2017)
Like his previous low-budget Netflix-released horror release, Hush, a captivity thriller about a deaf woman fighting off a masked intruder, Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation of Gerald's Game wrings big scares from a small location. Sticking close to the grisly plot details of King's seemingly "unfilmable" novel, the movie chronicles the painstaking struggles of Jessie Burlingame (Carla Gugino) after she finds herself handcuffed to a bed in an isolated vacation home when her husband, the titular Gerald, dies from a heart attack while enacting his kinky sexual fantasies. She's trapped -- and that's it. The premise is clearly challenging to sustain for a whole movie, but Flanagan and Gugino turn the potentially one-note set-up into a forceful, thoughtful meditation on trauma, memory, and resilience in the face of near-certain doom.
A24
Good Time (2017)
In this greasy, cruel thriller from Uncut Gems directors the Safdie brothers, Robert Pattinson stars as Connie, a bank robber who races through Queens to find enough money to bail out his mentally disabled brother, who's locked up for their last botched job. Each suffocating second of Good Time, blistered by the neon backgrounds of Queens, New York and propelled by warped heartbeat of Oneothrix Point Never's synth score, finds Connie evading authorities by tripping into an even stickier situation.
Green Room (2015)
Green Room is a throaty, thrashing, spit-slinging punk tune belted through an invasion-movie microphone at max volume. It's nasty -- and near-perfect. As a band of 20-something rockstars recklessly defend against a neo-Nazi battalion equipped with machetes, shotguns, and snarling guard dogs, the movie blossoms into a savage coming-of-age tale, an Almost Famous for John Carpenter nuts. Anyone looking for similar mayhem should check out director Jeremy Saulnier's previous movie, the low-budget, darkly comic hillbilly noir, Blue Ruin, also streaming on Netflix.
The Guest (2014)
After writer-director Adam Wingard notched a semi-sleeper horror hit with 2011's You're Next, he'd earned a certain degree of goodwill among genre faithful and, apparently, with studio brass. How else to explain distribution for his atypical thriller The Guest through Time Warner subsidiary Picturehouse? Headlined by soon-to-be megastar Dan Stevens and kindred flick It Follows' lead scream queen Maika Monroe, The Guest introduces itself as a subtextual impostor drama, abruptly spins through a blender of '80s teen tropes, and ultimately reveals its true identity as an expertly self-conscious straight-to-video shoot 'em up, before finally circling back on itself with a well-earned wink. To say anymore about the hell that Stevens' "David" unleashes on a small New Mexico town would not only spoil the fun, but possibly get you killed.
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Quentin Tarantino has something to say about race, violence, and American life, and it's going to ruffle feathers. Like Django Unchained, the writer-director reflects modern times on the Old West, but with more scalpel-sliced dialogue, profane poetry, and gore. Stewed from bits of Agatha Christie, David Mamet, and Sam Peckinpah, The Hateful Eight traps a cast of blowhards (including Samuel L. Jackson as a Civil War veteran, Kurt Russell as a bounty hunter known as "The Hangman," and Jennifer Jason Leigh as a psychopathic gang member) in a blizzard-enveloped supply station. Tarantino ups the tension by shooting his suffocating space in "glorious 70mm." Treachery and moral compromise never looked so good.
High Flying Bird (2019)
High Flying Bird is a basketball film that has little to do with the sport itself, instead focusing on the behind-the-scenes power dynamics that play out during an NBA lockout. At the center of the Steven Soderbergh movie -- shot on an iPhone, because that's what he does now -- is André Holland's Ray Burke, a sports agent trying to protect his client's interests while also disrupting a corrupt system. It's not an easy tightrope to walk, and, as you might expect, the conditions of the labor stoppage constantly change the playing field. With his iPhone mirroring the NBA's social media-heavy culture, and appearances from actual NBA stars lending the narrative heft, Soderbergh experiments with Netflix's carte blanche and produces a unique film that adds to the streaming service's growing list of original critical hits.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Hugo (2011)
Martin Scorsese hit pause on mob violence and Rolling Stones singles to deliver one of the greatest kid-centric films in eons. Following Hugo (Asa Butterfield) as he traces his own origin story through cryptic automaton clues and early 20th-century movie history, the grand vision wowed in 3-D and still packs a punch at home.
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)
A meditative horror flick that's more unsettling than outright frightening, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House follows the demise of Lily, a live-in nurse (Ruth Wilson) who's caring for an ailing horror author. As Lily discovers the truth about the writer's fiction and home, the lines between the physical realm and the afterlife blur. The movie's slow pacing and muted escalation might frustrate viewers craving showy jump-scares, but writer-director Oz Perkins is worth keeping tabs on. He brings a beautiful eeriness to every scene, and his story will captivate patient streamers. Fans should be sure to check out his directorial debut, The Blackcoat's Daughter.
NETFLIX
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)
In this maniacal mystery, Ruth (Melanie Lynskey), a nurse, and her rattail-sporting, weapon-obsessed neighbor Tony (Elijah Wood) hunt down a local burglar. Part Cormac McCarthy thriller, part wacky, Will Ferrell-esque comedy, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a cathartic neo-noir about everyday troubles. Director Macon Blair's not the first person to find existential enlightenment at the end of an amateur detective tale, but he might be the first to piece one together from cussing octogenarians, ninja stars, Google montages, gallons of Big Red soda, upper-deckers, friendly raccoons, exploding body parts, and the idiocy of humanity.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
With a bullwhip, a leather jacket, and an "only Harrison Ford can pull this off" fedora, director Steven Spielberg invented the modern Hollywood action film by doing what he does best: looking backward. As obsessed as his movie-brat pal and collaborator George Lucas with the action movie serials of their youth, the director mined James Bond, Humphrey Bogart, Westerns, and his hatred of Nazis to create an adventure classic. To watch Raiders of the Lost Ark now is to marvel at the ingenuity of specific sequences (the boulder! The truck scene! The face-melting!) and simply groove to the self-deprecating comic tone (snakes! Karen Allen! That swordsman Indy shoots!). The past has never felt so alive.
Inside Man (2006)
Denzel Washington is at his wily, sharp, and sharply dressed best as he teams up once again with Spike Lee for this wildly entertaining heist thriller. He's an NYPD hostage negotiator who discovers a whole bunch of drama when a crew of robbers (led by Clive Owen) takes a bank hostage during a 24-hour period. Jodie Foster also appears as an interested party with uncertain motivations. You'll have to figure out what's going on several times over before the truth outs.
DRAFTHOUSE FILMS
The Invitation (2015)
This slow-burn horror-thriller preys on your social anxiety. The film's first half-hour, which finds Quarry's Logan Marshall-Green arriving at his ex-wife's house to meet her new husband, plays like a Sundance dramedy about 30-something yuppies and their relationship woes. As the minutes go by, director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body) burrows deeper into the awkward dinner party, finding tension in unwelcome glances, miscommunication, and the possibility that Marshall-Green's character might be misreading a bizarre situation as a dangerous one. We won't spoil what happens, but let's just say this is a party you'll be telling your friends about.
Ip Man (2008)
There aren't many biopics that also pass for decent action movies. Somehow, Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip made Ip Man (and three sequels!) based on the life of Chinese martial arts master Yip Kai-man, who famously trained Bruce Lee. What's their trick to keeping this series fresh? Play fast and loose with the facts, up the melodrama with each film, and, when in doubt, cast Mike Tyson as an evil property developer. The fights are incredible, and Yen's portrayal of the aging master still has the power to draw a few tears from even the most grizzled tough guy.
NETFLIX
The Irishman (2019)
Opening with a tracking shot through the halls of a drab nursing home, where we meet a feeble old man telling tall tales from his wheelchair, The Irishman delights in undercutting its own grandiosity. All the pageantry a $150 million check from Netflix can buy -- the digital de-aging effects, the massive crowd scenes, the shiny rings passed between men -- is on full display. Everything looks tremendous. But, like with 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, the characters can't escape the fundamental spiritual emptiness of their pursuits. In telling the story of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a World War II veteran and truck driver turned mob enforcer and friend to labor leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Steven Zaillian construct an underworld-set counter-narrative of late 20th century American life. Even with a 209 minute runtime, every second counts.
It Comes at Night (2017)
In this post-apocalyptic nightmare-and-a-half, the horrors of humanity, the strain of chaotic emotions pent up in the name of survival, bleed out through wary eyes and weathered hands. The setup is blockbuster-sized -- reverts mankind to the days of the American frontier, every sole survivor fights to protect their families and themselves -- but the drama is mano-a-mano. Barricaded in a haunted-house-worthy cabin in the woods, Paul (Edgerton) takes in Will (Abbott) and his family, knowing full well they could threaten his family's existence. All the while, Paul's son, Trevor, battles bloody visions of (or induced by?) the contagion. Shults directs the hell out of every slow-push frame of this psychological thriller, and the less we know, the more confusion feels like a noose around our necks, the scarier his observations become.
WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Jupiter Ascending is one of those "bad" movies that might genuinely be quite good. Yes, Channing Tatum is a man-wolf and Mila Kunis is the princess of space and bees don't sting space royalty and Eddie Redmayne hollers his little head off about "harvesting" people -- but what makes this movie great is how all of those things make total, absolute sense in the context of the story. The world the Wachowskis (yes, the Wachowskis!) created is so vibrant and strange and exciting, you almost can't help but get drawn in, even when Redmayne vamps so hard you're afraid he's about to pull a muscle. (And if you're a ballet fan, we have some good news for you.)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Perhaps the only movie that ever truly deserved a conversion to a theme-park ride, Steven Spielberg's thrilling adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel brought long-extinct creatures back to life in more ways than one. Benevolent Netflix gives us more than just the franchise starter, too: The Lost World and JP3 sequels are also available, so you can make a marathon of it.
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
Killing Them Softly (2012)
Brad Pitt doesn't make conventional blockbusters anymore -- even World War Z had epidemic-movie ambitions -- so it's not surprising that this crime thriller is a little out there. Set during the financial crisis and presidential election of 2008, the film follows Pitt's hitman character as he makes sense of a poker heist gone wrong, leaving a trail of bodies and one-liners along the way. Mixed in with the carnage, you get lots of musings about the economy and American exceptionalism. It's not subtle -- there's a scene where Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn do heroin while the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" plays -- but, like a blunt object to the head, it gets the job done.
Lady Bird (2017)
The dizzying, frustrating, exhilarating rite of passage that is senior year of high school is the focus of actress Greta Gerwig's first directorial effort, the story of girl named Lady Bird (her given name, in that "it’s given to me, by me") who rebels against everyday Sacramento, California life to obtain whatever it is "freedom" turns out to be. Laurie Metcalf is an understated powerhouse as Lady Bird's mother, a constant source of contention who doggedly pushes her daughter to be successful in the face of the family's dwindling economic resources. It's a tragic note in total complement to Gerwig's hysterical love letter to home, high school, and the history of ourselves.
A24
The Lobster (2016)
Greek style master Yorgos Lanthimos' dystopian allegory against romance sees Colin Farrell forced to choose a partner in 45 days or he'll be turned into an animal of his choice, which is a lobster. Stuck in a group home with similarly unlucky singles, Farrell's David decides to bust out and join other renegades in a kind of anti-love terror cell that lives in the woods. It's part comedy of manners, part futuristic thriller, and it looks absolutely beautiful -- Lanthimos handles the bizarre premise with grace and a naturalistic eye that reminds the viewer that humans remain one of the most interesting animals to exist on this planet.
Mad Max (1979)
Before Tom Hardy was grunting his way through the desert and crushing tiny two-headed reptiles as Max Rockatansky, there was Mel Gibson. George Miller's 1979 original introduces the iconic character and paints the maximum force of his dystopian mythology in a somewhat more grounded light -- Australian police factions, communities, and glimmers of hope still in existence. Badass homemade vehicles and chase scenes abound in this taut, 88-minute romp. It's aged just fine.
Magic Mike (2012)
Steven Soderbergh's story of a Tampa exotic dancer with a heart of gold (Channing Tatum) has body-rolled its way to Netflix. Sexy dance routines aside, Mike's story is just gritty enough to be subversive. Did we mention Matthew McConaughey shows up in a pair of ass-less chaps?
The Master (2012)
Loosely inspired by the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard -- Dianetics buffs, we strongly recommend Alex Gibney's Going Clear documentary as a companion piece -- The Master boasts one of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s finest performances, as the enigmatic cult leader Lancaster Dodd. Joaquin Phoenix burns just as brightly as his emotionally stunted, loose-cannon protege Freddie Quell, who has a taste for homemade liquor. Paul Thomas Anderson’s cerebral epic lends itself to many different readings; it’s a cult story, it's a love story, it's a story about post-war disillusionment and the American dream, it's a story of individualism and the desire to belong. But the auteur's popping visuals and heady thematic currents will still sweep you away, even if you’re not quite sure where the tide is taking you.
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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
When Danny (Adam Sandler), Matthew (Ben Stiller) and Jean (Elizabeth Marvel), three half-siblings from three different mothers, gather at their family brownstone in New York to tend to their ailing father (Dustin Hoffman), a lifetime of familial politics explode out of every minute of conversation. Their narcissistic sculptor dad didn't have time for Danny. Matthew was the golden child. Jean was weird… or maybe disturbed by memories no one ever knew. Expertly sketched by writer-director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) this memoir-like portrait of lives half-lived is the kind of bittersweet, dimensional character comedy we're now used to seeing told in three seasons of prestige television. Baumbach gives us the whole package in two hours.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The legendary British comedy troupe took the legend of King Arthur and offered a characteristically irreverent take on it in their second feature film. It's rare for comedy to hold up this well, but the timelessness of lines like, "I fart in your general direction!" "It's just a flesh wound," and "Run away!" makes this a movie worth watching again and again.
A24
Moonlight (2016)
Chronicling the boyhood years, teenage stretch, and muted adult life of Chiron, a black gay man making it in Miami, this triptych altarpiece is at once hyper-specific and cosmically universal. Director Barry Jenkins roots each moment in the last; Chiron's desire for a lost lover can't burn in a diner booth over a bottle of wine without his beachside identity crisis years prior, blurred and violent, or encounters from deeper in his past, when glimpses of his mother's drug addiction, or the mentoring acts of her crack supplier, felt like secrets delivered in code. Panging colors, sounds, and the delicate movements of its perfect cast like the notes of a symphony, Moonlight is the real deal, a movie that will only grow and complicate as you wrestle with it.
Mudbound (2017)
The South's post-slavery existence is, for Hollywood, mostly uncharted territory. Rees rectifies the overlooked stretch of history with this novelistic drama about two Mississippi families working a rain-drenched farm in 1941. The white McAllans settle on a muddy patch of land to realize their dreams. The Jacksons, a family of black sharecroppers working the land, have their own hopes, which their neighbors manage to nurture and curtail. To capture a multitude of perspectives, Mudbound weaves together specific scenes of daily life, vivid and memory-like, with family member reflections, recorded in whispered voice-over. The epic patchwork stretches from the Jackson family dinner table, where the youngest daughter dreams of becoming a stenographer, to the vistas of Mississippi, where incoming storms threaten an essential batch of crops, to the battlefields of World War II Germany, a harrowing scene that will affect both families. Confronting race, class, war, and the possibility of unity, Mudbound spellbinding drama reckons with the past to understand the present.
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My Happy Family (2017)
At 52, Manana (Ia Shughliashvili) packs a bag and walks out on her husband, son, daughter, daughter's live-in boyfriend, and elderly mother and father, all of whom live together in a single apartment. The family is cantankerous and blustery, asking everything of Manana, who spends her days teaching better-behaved teenagers about literature. But as Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß's striking character study unfolds, the motivation behind Manana's departure is a deeper strain of frustration, despite what her brother, aunts, uncles, and anyone else who can cram themselves into the situation would like us to think. Anchored by Ia Shughliashvili's stunningly internal performance, and punctured by a dark sense of humor akin to Darren Aronofsky's mother! (which would have been the perfect alternate title), My Happy Family is both delicate and brutal in its portrayal of independence, and should get under the skin of anyone with their own family drama.
The Naked Gun (1988)
The short-lived Dragnet TV spoof Police Squad! found a second life as The Naked Gun action-comedy movie franchise, and the first installment goes all in on Airplane! co-star Leslie Nielsen's brand of straight-laced dementia. Trying to explain The Naked Gun only makes the stupid sound stupider, but keen viewers will find jokes on top of jokes on top of jokes. It's the kind of movie that can crack "nice beaver," then pass a stuffed beaver through the frame and actually get away with it. Nielsen has everything to do with it; his Frank Drebin continues the grand Inspector Clouseau tradition in oh-so-'80s style.
The Notebook (2004)
"If you’re a bird, I’m a bird." It's a simple statement and a declaration of devotion that captures the staying power of this Nicholas Sparks classic. The film made Ryan Gosling a certified heartthrob, charting his working class character Noah's lovelorn romance with Rachel McAdam's wealthy character Allie. The star-crossed lovers narrative is enough to make even the most cynical among us swoon, but given that their story is told through an elderly man reading (you guessed it!) a notebook to a woman with dementia, it hits all of the tragic romance benchmarks to make you melt. Noah's commitment to following his heart -- and that passionate kiss in the rain -- make this a love story for the ages.
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Okja (2017)
This wild ride, part action heist, part Miyazaki-like travelogue, and part scathing satire, is fueled by fairy tale whimsy -- but the Grimm kind, where there are smiles and spilled blood. Ahn Seo-hyun plays Mija, the young keeper of a "super-pig," bred by a food manufacturer to be the next step in human-consumption evolution. When the corporate overlords come for her roly-poly pal, Mija hightails it from the farm to the big city to break him out, crossing environmental terrorists, a zany Steve Irwin-type (Gyllenhaal), and the icy psychos at the top of the food chain (including Swinton's childlike CEO) along the way. Okja won't pluck your heartstrings like E.T., but there's grandeur in its frenzy, and the film's cross-species friendship will strike up every other emotion with its empathetic, eco-friendly, and eccentric observations.
On Body and Soul (2017)
This Hungarian film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, and it's easy to see why. The sparse love story begins when two slaughterhouse employees discover they have the same dream at night, in which they're both deer searching the winter forest for food. Endre, a longtime executive at the slaughterhouse, has a physically damaged arm, whereas Maria is a temporary replacement who seems to be on the autism spectrum. If the setup sounds a bit on-the-nose, the moving performances and the unflinching direction save On Body and Soul from turning into a Thomas Aquinas 101 class, resulting in the kind of bleak beauty you can find in a dead winter forest.
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The Other Side of the Wind (2018)
Don't go into Orson Welles' final film expecting it to be an easy watch. The Other Side of the Wind, which follows fictional veteran Hollywood director Jake Hannaford (tooootally not modeled after Welles himself) and his protegé (also tooootally not a surrogate for Welles' own friend and mentee Peter Bogdanovich, who also plays the character) as they attend a party in celebration of Hannaford's latest film and are beset on all sides by Hannaford's friends, enemies, and everyone in between. The film, which Welles hoped would be his big comeback to Hollywood, was left famously unfinished for decades after his death in 1985. Thanks to Bogdanovich and producer Frank Marshall, it was finally completed in 2018, and the result is a vibrant and bizarre throwback to Welles' own experimental 1970s style, made even more resonant if you know how intertwined the movie is with its own backstory. If you want to dive even deeper, Netflix also released a documentary about the restoration and completion of the film, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, which delves into Welles' own complicated and tragic relationship with Hollywood and the craft of moviemaking.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Guillermo Del Toro’s dark odyssey Pan’s Labyrinth takes a fantasy setting to mirror the horrible political realities of the human realm. Set in 1940s Falangist Spain, the film documents the hero’s journey of a young girl and stepdaughter of a ruthless Spanish army officer as she seeks an escape from her war-occupied world. When a fairy informs her that her true destiny may be as the princess of the underworld, she seizes her chance. Like Alice in Wonderland if Alice had gone to Hell instead of down the rabbit hole, the Academy Award-winning film is a wondrous, frightening fairy tale where that depicts how perilous the human-created monster of war can be.
Paranormal Activity (2007)
This documentary-style film budgeted at a mere $15,000 made millions at the box office and went on to inspire a number of sequels, all because of how well its scrappiness lent to capturing what feels like a terrifying haunted reality. Centered on a young couple who is convinced an evil spirit is lurking in their home, the two attempt to capture its activity on camera, which, obviously, only makes their supernatural matters worse. It leans on found footage horror tropes made popular by The Blair Witch Project and as it tessellates between showing the viewer what’s captured on their camcorders and the characters’ perspectives, it’s easy to get lost in this disorienting supernatural thriller.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Poltergeist (1982)
If you saw Poltergeist growing up, chances are you’re probably equally as haunted by Heather O’Rourke as she is in the film, playing a little girl tormented by ghosts in her family home. This Steven Spielberg-penned, Tobe Hooper-directed (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) paranormal flick is a certified cult classic and one of the best horror films of all time, coming from a simple premise about a couple whose home is infested with spirits obsessed with reclaiming the space and kidnapping their daughter. Poltergeist made rearranged furniture freaky, and you may remember a particularly iconic scene with a fuzzed out vintage television set. It’s may be nearly 40 years old, but the creepiness holds up.
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Taking Jane Austen's literary classic and tricking it out with gorgeous long takes, director Joe Wright turns this tale of manners into a visceral, luminescent portrait of passion and desire. While Succession's Matthew MacFadyen might not make you forget Colin Firth from 1995's BBC adaptation, Keira Knightley is a revelation as the tough, nervy Lizzie Bennett. With fun supporting turns from Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, and Judi Dench, it's a sumptuous period romance that transports you from the couch to the ballroom of your dreams -- without changing out of sweatpants.
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Private Life (2018)
Over a decade since the release of her last dark comedy, The Savages, writer and director Tamara Jenkins returned with a sprawling movie in the same vein: more hyper-verbal jerks you can't help but love. Richard (Paul Giamatti) and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) are a Manhattan-dwelling couple who have spent the last few years attempting to have a baby with little success. When we meet them, they're already in the grips of fertility mania, willing to try almost anything to secure the offspring they think they desire. With all the details about injections, side effects, and pricey medical procedures, the movie functions as a taxonomy of modern pregnancy anxieties, and Hahn brings each part of the process to glorious life.
The Ritual (2018)
The Ritual, a horror film where a group of middle-aged men embark on a hiking trip in honor of a dead friend, understands the tension between natural beauty of the outdoors and the unsettling panic of the unknown. The group's de facto leader Luke (an understated Rafe Spall) attempts to keep the adventure from spiralling out of control, but the forest has other plans. (Maybe brush up on your Scandinavian mythology before viewing.) Like a backpacking variation on Neil Marshall's 2005 cave spelunking classic The Descent, The Ritual deftly explores inter-personal dynamics while delivering jolts of other-worldly terror. It'll have you rethinking that weekend getaway on your calendar.
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Roma (2018)
All those billions Netflix spent paid off in the form of several Oscar nominations for Roma, including one for Best Picture and a win for Best Director. Whether experienced in the hushed reverence of a theater, watched on the glowing screen of a laptop, or, as Netflix executive Ted Sarandos has suggested, binged on the perilous surface of a phone, Alfonso Cuarón's black-and-white passion project seeks to stun. A technical craftsman of the highest order, the Children of Men and Gravity director has an aesthetic that aims to overwhelm -- with the amount of extras, the sense of despair, and the constant whir of exhilaration -- and this autobiographical portrait of kind-hearted maid Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) caring for a family in the early 1970s has been staged on a staggering, mind-boggling scale.
Schindler's List (1993)
A passion project for Steven Spielberg, who shot it back-to-back with another masterpiece, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who reportedly saved over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Frank, honest, and stark in its depiction of Nazi violence, the three-hour historical drama is a haunting reminder of the world's past, every frame a relic, every lost voice channeled through Itzhak Perlman's mourning violin.
A Serious Man (2009)
This dramedy from the Coen brothers stars Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics professor who just can't catch a break, whether it's with his wife, his boss, or his rabbi. (Seriously, if you're having a bad day, this airy flick gives you ample time to brood and then come to the realization that your life isn't as shitty as you think.) Meditating on the spiritual and the temporal, Gopnik's improbable run of bad luck is a smart modern retelling of the Book of Job, with more irony and fewer plagues and pestilences. But not much fewer.
WELL GO USA
Shadow (2019)
In Shadow, the visually stunning action epic from Hero and House of Flying Daggers wuxia master Zhang Yimou, parasols are more than helpful sun-blockers: They can be turned into deadly weapons, shooting boomerang-like blades of steel at oncoming attackers and transforming into protective sleds for traveling through the slick streets. These devices are one of many imaginative leaps made in telling this Shakespearean saga of palace intrigue, vengeance, and secret doppelgangers set in China's Three Kingdoms period. This is a martial arts epic where the dense plotting is as tricky as the often balletic fight scenes. If the battles in Game of Thrones left you frustrated, Shadow provides a thrilling alternative.
She's Gotta Have It (1986)
Before checking out Spike Lee's Netflix original series of the same name, be sure to catch up with where it all began. Nola (Tracy Camilla Johns) juggles three men during her sexual pinnacle, and it's all working out until they discover one another. She's Gotta Have It takes some dark turns, but each revelation speaks volumes about what real romantic independence is all about.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The late director Jonathan Demme's 1991 film is the touchstone for virtually every serial killer film and television show that came after. The iconic closeup shots of an icy, confident Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) as he and FBI newbie Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) engage in their "quid pro quo" interrogation sessions create almost unbearable tension as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) remains on the loose, killing more victims. Hopkins delivers the more memorable lines, and Buffalo Bill's dance is the stuff of nerve-wracking anxiety nightmares, but it's Foster's nuanced performance as a scared, determined, smart-yet-hesitant agent that sets Silence of the Lambs apart from the rest of the serial killer pack.
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and David O. Russell’s first collaboration -- and the film that turned J-Law into a bona fide golden girl -- is a romantic comedy/dramedy/dance-flick that bounces across its tonal shifts. A love story between Pat (Cooper), a man struggling with bipolar disease and a history of violent outbursts, and Tiffany (Lawrence), a widow grappling with depression, who come together while rehearsing for an amateur dance competition, Silver Linings balances an emotionally realistic depiction of mental illness with some of the best twirls and dips this side of Step Up. Even if you're allergic to rom-coms, Lawrence and Cooper’s winning chemistry will win you over, as will this sweet little gem of a film: a feel-good, affecting love story that doesn’t feel contrived or treacly.
Sin City (2005)
Frank Miller enlisted Robert Rodriguez as co-director to translate the former's wildly popular series of the same name to the big screen, and with some added directorial work from Quentin Tarantino, the result became a watershed moment in the visual history of film. The signature black-and-white palette with splashes of color provided a grim backdrop to the sensational violence of the miniaturized plotlines -- this is perhaps the movie that feels more like a comic than any other movie you'll ever see.
Sinister (2012)
Horror-movie lesson #32: If you move into a creepy new house, do not read the dusty book, listen to the decaying cassette tapes, or watch the Super 8 reels you find in the attic -- they will inevitably lead to your demise. In Sinister, a true-crime author (played by Ethan Hawke) makes the final mistake, losing his mind to home movies haunted by the "Bughuul."
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Small Crimes (2017)
It's always a little discombobulating to see your favorite Game of Thrones actors in movies that don't call on them to fight dragons, swing swords, or at least wear some armor. But that shouldn't stop you from checking out Small Crimes, a carefully paced thriller starring the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister himself, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. As Joe Denton, a crooked cop turned ex-con, Coster-Waldau plays yet another character with a twisted moral compass, but here he's not part of some mythical narrative. He's just another conniving, scheming dirtbag in director E.L. Katz's Coen brothers-like moral universe. While some of the plot details are confusing -- Katz and co-writer Macon Blair skimp on the exposition so much that some of the dialogue can feel incomprehensible -- the mood of Midwestern dread and Coster-Waldau's patient, lived-in performance make this one worth checking out. Despite the lack of dragons.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Did people go overboard in praising Snowpiercer when it came out? Maybe. But it's important to remember that the movie arrived in the sweaty dog days of summer, hitting critics and sci-fi lovers like a welcome blast of icy water from a hose. The film's simple, almost video game-like plot -- get to the front of the train, or die trying -- allowed visionary South Korean director Bong Joon-ho to fill the screen with excitement, absurdity, and radical politics. Chris Evans never looked more alive, Tilda Swinton never stole more scenes, and mainstream blockbuster filmmaking never felt so tepid in comparison. Come on, ride the train!
The Social Network (2010)
After making films like Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, and Zodiac, director David Fincher left behind the world of scumbags and crime for a fantastical, historical epic in 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The Social Network was another swerve, but yielded his greatest film. There's no murder on screen, but Fincher treats Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg like a dorky, socially awkward mob boss operating on an operatic scale. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's rapid-fire, screwball-like dialogue burns with a moral indignation that Fincher's watchful, steady-handed camera chills with an icy distance. It's the rare biopic that's not begging you to smash the "like" button.
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
In this shrewd twist on the superhero genre, the audience's familiarity with the origin story of your friendly neighborhood web-slinger -- the character has already starred in three different blockbuster franchises, in addition to countless comics and cartoon TV adaptations -- is used as an asset instead of a liability. The relatively straight-forward coming-of-age tale of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a Brooklyn teenager who takes on the powers and responsibilities of Spider-Man following the death of Peter Parker, gets a remix built around an increasingly absurd parallel dimension plotline that introduces a cast of other Spider-Heroes like Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glen), and, most ridiculously, Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), a talking pig in a Spider-Suit. The convoluted set-up is mostly an excuse to cram the movie with rapid-fire jokes, comic book allusions, and dream-like imagery that puts the rubbery CGI of most contemporary animated films to shame.
Spotlight (2015)
Tom McCarthy stretches the drama taut as he renders Boston Globe's 2000 Catholic Church sex scandal investigation into a Hollywood vehicle. McCarthy's notable cast members crank like gears as they uncover evidence and reflect on a horrifying discovery of which they shoulder partial blame. Spotlight was the cardigan of 2015's Oscar nominees, but even cardigans look sharp when Mark Ruffalo is involved.
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
No movie captures the prolonged pain of divorce quite like Noah Baumbach's brutal Brooklyn-based comedy The Squid and the Whale. While the performances from Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as bitter writers going through a separation are top-notch, the film truly belongs to the kids, played by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline, who you watch struggle in the face of their parents' mounting immaturity and pettiness. That Baumbach is able to wring big, cathartic laughs from such emotionally raw material is a testament to his gifts as a writer -- and an observer of human cruelty.
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Starship Troopers (1997)
Paul Verhoeven is undoubtedly the master of the sly sci-fi satire. With RoboCop, he laid waste to the police state with wicked, trigger-happy glee. He took on evil corporations with Total Recall. And with Starship Troopers, a bouncy, bloody war picture, he skewered the chest-thumping theatrics of pro-military propaganda, offering up a pitch-perfect parody of the post-9/11 Bush presidency years before troops set foot in Iraq or Afghanistan. Come for the exploding alien guts, but stay for the winking comedy -- or stay for both! Bug guts have their charms, too.
Swiss Army Man (2016)
You might think a movie that opens with a suicidal man riding a farting corpse like a Jet Ski wears thin after the fourth or fifth flatulence gag. You would be wrong. Brimming with imagination and expression, the directorial debut of Adult Swim auteurs "The Daniels" wields sophomoric humor to speak to friendship. As Radcliffe's dead body springs back to life -- through karate-chopping, water-vomiting, and wind-breaking -- he becomes the id to Dano's struggling everyman, who is also lost in the woods. If your childhood backyard adventures took the shape of The Revenant, it would look something like Swiss Army Man, and be pure bliss.
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Tallulah (2016)
From Orange Is the New Black writer Sian Heder, Tallulah follows the title character (played by Ellen Page) after she inadvertently "kidnaps" a toddler from an alcoholic rich woman and passes the child off as her own to appeal to her run-out boyfriend's mother (Allison Janney). A messy knot of familial woes and wayward instincts, Heder's directorial debut achieves the same kind of balancing act as her hit Netflix series -- frank social drama with just the right amount of humorous hijinks. As Tallulah grows into a mother figure, her on-the-lam parenting course only makes her more and more of a criminal in the eyes of... just about everyone. You want to root for her, but that would be too easy.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Travis Bickle (a young Bobby De Niro) comes back from the Vietnam War and, having some trouble acclimating to daily life, slowly unravels while fending off brutal insomnia by picking up work as a... taxi driver... in New York City. Eventually he snaps, shaves his hair into a mohawk and goes on a murderous rampage while still managing to squeeze in one of the most New York lines ever captured on film ("You talkin' to me?"). It's not exactly a heartwarmer -- Jodie Foster plays a 12-year-old prostitute -- but Martin Scorsese's 1976 Taxi Driver is a movie in the cinematic canon that you'd be legitimately missing out on if you didn't watch it.
FOCUS FEATURES
The Theory of Everything (2014)
In his Oscar-winning performance, Eddie Redmayne portrays famed physicist Stephen Hawking -- though The Theory of Everything is less of a biopic than it is a beautiful, sweet film about his lifelong relationship with his wife, Jane (Felicity Jones). Covering his days as a young cosmology student ahead of his diagnosis of ALS at 21, through his struggle with the illness and rise as a theoretical scientist, this film illustrates the trying romance through it all. While it may be written in the cosmos, this James Marsh-directed film that weaves in and out of love will have you experience everything there is to feel.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Paul Thomas Anderson found modern American greed in the pages of Upton Sinclair's depression-era novel, Oil!. Daniel Day-Lewis found the role of a lifetime behind the bushy mustache of Daniel Plainview, thunderous entrepreneur. Paul Dano found his milkshake drunk up. Their discoveries are our reward -- There Will Be Blood is a stark vision of tycoon terror.
Time to Hunt (2020)
Unrelenting in its pursuit of scenarios where guys point big guns at each other in sparsely lit empty hallways, the South Korean thriller Time to Hunt knows exactly what stylistic register it's playing in. A group of four friends, including Parasite and Train to Busan break-out Choi Woo-shik, knock over a gambling house, stealing a hefty bag of money and a set of even more valuable hard-drives, and then find themselves targeted by a ruthless contract killer (Park Hae-soo) who moves like the T-1000 and shoots like a henchmen in a Michael Mann movie. There are dystopian elements to the world -- protests play out in the streets, the police wage a tech-savvy war on citizens, automatic rifles are readily available to all potential buyers -- but they all serve the simmering tension and elevate the pounding set-pieces instead of feeling like unnecessary allegorical padding. Even with its long runtime, this movie moves.
STUDIOCANAL
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
If a season of 24 took place in the smoky, well-tailored underground of British intelligence crica 1973, it might look a little like this precision-made John le Carré adaptation from Let the Right One In director Tomas Alfredson. Even if you can't follow terse and tightly-woven mystery, the search for Soviet mole led by retired operative George Smiley (Gary Oldman), the ice-cold frames and stellar cast will suck you into the intrigue. It's very possible Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch are reading pages of the British phone book, but egad, it's absorbing. A movie that rewards your full concentration.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
Of all the entries in the rom-com revival, this one is heavier on the rom than the com. But even though it won't make your sides hurt, it will make your heart flutter. The plot is ripe with high school movie hijinks that arise when the love letters of Lara Jean Covey (the wonderful Lana Condor) accidentally get mailed to her crushes, namely the contractual faux relationship she starts with heartthrob Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). Like its heroine, it's big-hearted but skeptical in all the right places.
Total Recall (1990)
Skip the completely forgettable Colin Farrell remake from 2012. This Arnold Schwarzenegger-powered, action-filled sci-fi movie is the one to go with. Working from a short story by writer Philip K. Dick, director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop) uses a brain-teasing premise -- you can buy "fake" vacation memories from a mysterious company called Rekall -- to stage one of his hyper-violent, winkingly absurd cartoons. The bizarre images of life on Mars and silly one-liners from Arnold fly so fast that you'll begin to think the whole movie was designed to be implanted in your mind.
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Tramps (2017)
There are heists pulled off by slick gentlemen in suits, then there are heists pulled off by two wayward 20-somethings rambling along on a steamy, summer day in New York City. This dog-day crime-romance stages the latter, pairing a lanky Russian kid (Callum Tanner) who ditches his fast-food register job for a one-off thieving gig, with his driver, an aloof strip club waitress (Grace Van Patten) looking for the cash to restart her life. When a briefcase handoff goes awry, the pair head upstate to track down the missing package, where train rides and curbside walks force them to open up. With a laid-back, '70s soul, Tramps is the rare doe-eyed relationship movie where playing third-wheel is a joy.
Uncut Gems (2019)
In Uncut Gems, the immersive crime film from sibling director duo Josh and Benny Safdie, gambling is a matter of faith. Whether he's placing a bet on the Boston Celtics, attempting to rig an auction, or outrunning debt-collecting goons at his daughter's high school play, the movie's jeweler protagonist Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) believes in his ability to beat the odds. Does that mean he always succeeds? No, that would be absurd, undercutting the character's Job-like status, which Sandler imbues with an endearing weariness that holds the story together. But every financial setback, emotional humbling, and spiritual humiliation he suffers gets interpreted by Howard as a sign that his circumstances might be turning around. After all, a big score could be right around the corner.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2018)
Nightcrawler filmmaker Dan Gilroy teams up with Jake Gyllenhaal again to create another piece of cinematic art, this time a satirical horror film about the exclusive, over-the-top LA art scene. The movie centers around a greedy group of art buyers who come into the possession of stolen paintings that, unbeknownst to them, turn out to be haunted, making their luxurious lives of wheeling and dealing overpriced paintings a living hell. Also featuring the likes of John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Billy Magnussen, and others, Velvet Buzzsaw looks like Netflix’s next great original.
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Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Oscar-baiting, musician biopics became so cookie-cutter by the mid-'00s that it was easy for John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, and writer-director Jake Kasdan (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) to knot them all together for the ultimate spoof. Dewey Cox is part Johnny Cash, part Bob Dylan, part Ray Charles, part John Lennon, part anyone-you-can-think-of, rising with hit singles, rubbing shoulders with greats of many eras, stumbling with eight-too-many drug addictions, then rising once again. When it comes to relentless wisecracking, Walk Hard is like a Greatest Hits compilation -- every second is gold.
The Witch (2015)
The Witch delivers everything we don't see in horror today. The backdrop, a farm in 17th-century New England, is pure misty, macabre mood. The circumstance, a Puritanical family making it on the fringe of society because they're too religious, bubbles with terror. And the question, whether devil-worshipping is hocus pocus or true black magic, keeps each character on their toes, and begging God for answers. The Witch tests its audience with its (nearly impenetrable) old English dialogue and the (anxiety-inducing) trials of early American life, but the payoff will keep your mind racing, and your face hiding under the covers, for days.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Before taking us to space with Gravity, director Alfonso Cuarón steamed up screens with this provocative, comedic drama about two teenage boys (Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal) road-trippin' it with an older woman. Like a sunbaked Jules and Jim, the movie makes nimble use of its central love triangle, setting up conflicts between the characters as they move through the complicated political and social realities of Mexican life. It's a confident, relaxed film that's got an equal amount of brains and sex appeal. Watch this one with a friend -- or two.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Zodiac (2007)
David Fincher's period drama is for obsessives. In telling the story of the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who captured the public imagination by sending letters and puzzles to the Bay Area press, the famously meticulous director zeroes in on the cops, journalists, and amateur code-breakers who made identifying the criminal their life's work. With Jake Gyllenhaal's cartoonist-turned-gumshoe Robert Graysmith at the center, and Robert Downey Jr.'s barfly reporter Paul Avery stumbling around the margins, the film stretches across time and space, becoming a rich study of how people search for meaning in life. Zodiac is a procedural thriller that makes digging through old manilla folders feel like a cosmic quest.
13th (2016)
Selma director Ava DuVernay snuck away from the Hollywood spotlight to direct this sweeping documentary on the state of race in America. DuVernay's focus is the country's growing incarceration rates and an imbalance in the way black men and women are sentenced based on their crimes. Throughout the exploration, 13th dives into post-Emancipation migration, systemic racism that built in the early 20th century, and moments of modern political history that continue to spin a broken gear in our well-oiled national machine. You'll be blown away by what DuVernay uncovers in her interview-heavy research.
20th Century Women (2016)
If there's such thing as an epistolary movie, 20th Century Women is it. Touring 1970s Santa Barbara through a living flipbook, Mike Mills's semi-autobiographical film transcends documentation with a cast of wayward souls and Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), an impressionable young teenager. Annette Bening plays his mother, and the matriarch of a ragtag family, who gather together for safety, dance to music when the moment strikes, and teach Jamie the important lesson of What Women Want, which ranges from feminist theory to love-making techniques. The kid soaks it up like a sponge. Through Mills's caring direction, and characters we feel extending infinitely through past and present, so do we.
for more cool stuff life this, follow my page an send me a message for suggestions and queries
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my-muses-in-op · 5 years ago
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@revolutionaryxsabo continued from this
“No shit.” She looked deadpanned at him, as he said he’d fallen asleep in her bed. Plopping down next to him, she poked his nose teasingly. “Next time I’ll kiss you.” There was a teasing smirk on her lips, though she would do it. A cold kiss on the forehead, as she had done to others, when they had fallen alseep where they shouldn’t. A giggle left her, thinking about how her brothers had reacted to be awoken by a frozen kiss.
As he continued, a soft smile crossed her face and she leaned against him. “Can’t blame you. My bed is soooooo~ comfortable.” She pured and wiggled her rear intot he matress, as to prove her point. It was soft and just right for her. After getting this bed, she had slept better than in a  long time.
“I’m happy you came to see me. Sorry to make you wait, but at least you found something to do while waiting for me.” She chuckled. Oh she would so remind him of this. Over and over. Making him blush and feel slight embarrassed was just her way of saying she did in fact care for him.
Still leaning against him, she looked at his face. “Is something up or did you just miss the amazing me?” Hearing he waited to talk to her, made her both curious and happy. She did in fact miss him, even if she couldn’t help teasing him or even prank him now and then. Maybe they could do something together. She was up for almost everything, dangerous or not.
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ao3feed-tmnt2k12 · 5 years ago
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The New Super Ridonculous Race
read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/36IzNNU
by Thenewsubwayguy
After quite a few successful seasons behind him, Don was prepared to host the biggest reality show ever. 128 duos going around the world in 44 legs with a chance to earn 2 million dollars would already be crazy. But with zombie killers, superheroes, super villains, sarcastic duos, angry critics and many more wacky teams dealing with the former cadets, ice dancers, ordinary stepbrothers, determined stepbrothers and other such teams...travelling from country to country, continent to continent is about to get insane! With many personalities, all of the drama that you can get, surprising interactions and unique challenges from these many countries on TV, this race is looking super ridonculous.
Words: 36429, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English
Fandoms: Family Guy (Cartoon), American Dad!, おそ松さん | Osomatsu-san (Anime), Dragon Ball, Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race, Total Drama (Cartoon), Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Ryuuko no Ken | Art of Fighting (Video Games), Azumanga Daioh, King of Fighters, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious (TV), King of the Hill, Pinocchio (1940), Peter Pan (1953), Rick and Morty, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Final Fight (Video Game), Fillmore!, F-Zero (Video Games), Metroid Series, Street Fighter, Rocko's Modern Life, Savage Reign (Video Game), Buriki One (Video Game), Mickey Mouse and Friends (Cartoon), Futurama, Persona 4, Sam & Cat (TV), The Loud House (Cartoon), Tekken (Video Games), Phineas and Ferb, Austin & Ally, Donkey Kong (Video Games), Kirby (Video Games), Good Luck Charlie, SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), Dead Rising, Darkstalkers (Video Games), 私立ジャスティス学園 LEGION OF HEROES | Rival Schools: United By Fate, Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney, Miraculous Ladybug, Viewtiful Joe (Video Game), Devil May Cry, Regular Show, Johnny Bravo (Cartoon), Samurai Jack (Cartoon), Initial D, Kim Possible (Cartoon), Gintama, Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Puyo Puyo (Video Games), Advance Wars, ARMS (Video Game), Zootopia (2016), We Bare Bears (TV), The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Star Fox Series, Undertale (Video Game), Ed Edd n Eddy, The Nutshack (Cartoon), Sly Cooper (Video Games), 光神話 | Kid Icarus (Video Games), Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio Future, Dexter's Laboratory, The Nut Job (2014), Bunk'd, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Skullgirls (Video Game), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, Banjo-Kazooie Series, Spyro the Dragon (Video Games), Crash Bandicoot (Video Games), 6teen (Cartoon), X-Men Evolution, Grand Theft Auto V, Persona 5, RWBY, Metal Gear, City Hunter (TV), Gravity Falls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Corpse Party (Video Game), Streets of Rage (Video Games), Beavis and Butt-head, Soul Calibur, Hellbenders (Web Series)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: Multi
Characters: Drake Parker (Drake & Josh), Josh Nichols, Takino Tomo, Kagura (Azumanga Daioh), Sakazaki Ryou, Sakazaki Yuri, Hugo Andre, Poison (Street Fighter), Chet (Total Drama), Lorenzo (Total Drama), MacArthur (Total Drama), Sanders (Total Drama), Katie (Total Drama), Sadie (Total Drama), Samus Aran, Captain Falcon, Wario (Nintendo), Waluigi (Super Mario), Heather (Total Drama), Alejandro Burromuerto, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Zooey (Sonic Boom), Rocko (Rocko's Modern Life), Filburt Shellbach, Cornelius Fillmore, Karim Fillmore, Yabuki Shingo, Nikaidou Benimaru, Sho Hayate, Gai Tendo, Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Satonaka Chie, Tatsumi Kanji, Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty), Morty Smith, Hank Hill, Bobby Hill, Hayley Smith, Jeff Fischer, Philip J. Fry, Bender Rodriguez, Spencer Shay, Carly Shay, Tori Vega, Jade West, Sam Puckett, Cat Valentine, Stromboli (Pinocchio), Il Conduttore del Carro | The Coachman (Pinocchio), Mortimer Mouse, Terry Bogard, Duck King, Julia Chang (Tekken), Bob Richards, Jasmine (Total Drama), Shawn (Total Drama), Mario (Nintendo), Luigi (Nintendo), Candace Flynn, Stacy Hirano, Leni Loud, Lori Loud, King Dedede, King K. Rool, Majin Buu, Hercule Satan, Austin Moon, Ally Dawson, PJ Duncan, Gabe Duncan, Tom (Total Drama), Jennifer "Jen" (Total Drama), Ryu (Street Fighter), Ken Masters, Jacques (Total Drama), Josee (Total Drama), Radicles (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Enid (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, Hinata Wakaba, Batsu Ichimonji, Frank West, Chuck Greene, Morrigan Aensland, Felicia (Darkstalkers), Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Yahari Masashi | Larry Butz, Karuma Mei | Franziska von Karma, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth, SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Dante (Devil May Cry), Trish (Devil May Cry), Joe | Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe), Silvia | Sexy Silvia (Viewtiful Joe), Samurai Jack, Johnny Bravo, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Rigby (Regular Show), Mordecai (Regular Show), Chloé Bourgeois, Sabrina Raincomprix, Fujiwara Takumi (Initial D), Takeuchi Itsuki, Matsuno Jyushimatsu, Matsuno Karamatsu, Lord Boxman (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Toudou Kasumi, Shijou Hinako, Shiranui Mai, King (King of Fighters), K' | K Prime, Maxima (King of Fighters), Ash Crimson, Shen Woo, Beth (Total Drama), Leshawna (Total Drama), Nostalgia Critic, Angry Video Game Nerd, Kim Kaphwan, Jhun Hoon, Amitie (Puyo Puyo), Maguro Sasaki, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, Sakata Gintoki, Shimura Shinpachi, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Sami (Advance Wars), Max (Advance Wars), Spring Man (ARMS), Ribbon Girl (ARMS), Dexter (Dexter's Lab), Dee Dee (Dexter's Lab), Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Jody Summer, Dr. Robert Stewart, Peacock (Skullgirls), Big Band (Skullgirls), Emma Ross, Pit (Kid Icarus), Dark Pit (Kid Icarus), Beat (Jet Set Radio Future), Rhyth (Jet Set Radio), Eddy (Ed Edd n Eddy), Edd "Double D", Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Panda (We Bare Bears), Grizz (We Bare Bears), Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Sly Cooper, Carmelita Fox, Surly (The Nut Job), Andie (The Nut Job), Jimmy Neutron, Cindy Vortex, Ramon (King of Fighters), Tizoc | Griffon Mask, K.O. (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Dendy (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Kirby (Kirby), Bandana Waddle Dee, Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie Series), Kazooie (Banjo-Kazooie Series), Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Lilla My | Little My, Meg Griffin, Chris Griffin (Family Guy), Vega | Balrog, Balrog | M. Bison, Kitty Pryde, Kurt Wagner, Casey Jones (TMNT), April O'Neil (TMNT), Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines, Minnie Mouse, Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot), Coco Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Hunter (Spyro), Duke Weaselton (Zootopia), Mochida Satoshi, Mochida Yuka, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Jonesy Garcia, Jude Lizowski, Sakamoto Ryuji, Kitagawa Yusuke, Cammy White, Juni (Street Fighter), Beavis, Butt-head, Saeba Ryo, Makimura Kaori, Trevor Philips, Michael De Santa, Solid Snake, Meryl Silverburgh, Geo Dampierre
Additional Tags: Crossover, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Team Dynamics
read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/36IzNNU
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zipadeea · 4 years ago
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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont/Leo Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont, June Claremont-Diaz, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue), Leo (Red White & Royal Blue), Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Nora Holleran, Rafael Luna, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, David the Beagle (Red White & Royal Blue), Amy Chen (Red White & Royal Blue), Cash (Red White & Royal Blue) Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Assassination Attempt(s), Hospitals, Alex gets shot, everyone loves alex, Emotions, the president is bad at emotions, then she isn't, Christmas Movies, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies Summary:
["June stopped by at lunch; she showed me a delightful channel called Hallmark, which repeats the same story every hour after they swap one round of white, straight, small-town conventionally beautiful actors for another. It was entertaining.”
“June and I used to play a drinking game with those. Take a shot every time someone goes ice skating, sledding, or leaves the big city for their tiny hometown.”
“Good lord, you must’ve been sloshed in the first ten minutes.”]
***
On December 4, 2021, an attempt is made on President Ellen Claremont's life.
Alex gets shot instead.
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omniversalobservations · 5 years ago
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Rifftrax (2014)
Music by Jonathan Coulton Animation by Harry Partridge
0:02-0:05 -- Opening RiffTrax logo resembles 20th Century Fox
0:09 -- Mike is watching Plan 9 from Outer Space
0:10 -- Bill is watching "Manos" The Hands of Fate, playing with Torgo and Master hand puppets (both from Manos)
0:16 -- Split-second secret QR code! (I won't spoil where it leads, but it doesn't go anywhere currently)
0:17 -- For another split second, there are names on the treasure chest. They are:
Top portion of chest: David D., David G., Kevin, Casey Bottom portion of chest: Diana, Sarah, Sean, Bill, Mike, Conor, Jason, Jeff, Erik
I believe that's everyone "behind the scenes" at RiffTrax?
0:20 -- Mount Rushmore! Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett, DisembAudio
0:25 -- Anakin Skywalker is eating a sausage off the end of his lightsaber
0:26 -- Transformers scene, with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Getting into Optimus Prime, who then transforms. Yeah, that's gonna happen.
0:29-0:30 -- The gang of Harry Potter laughs at Voldemort trying to zap on a new nose.
0:30-0:33 -- Jake Sully and Neytiri from Avatar are chased by Gargamel from the Smurfs
0:33 -- Notice that the fake borders of the video (television screen) are melting away
0:34 -- Hey, look! It's the Satellite of Love from Mystery Science Theater 3000!
0:44-0:45 -- The big entrance, in order of entry into the door:
Spartan from 300 Gargamel (again) Tod Lubitch (The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, played by John Travolta) Evil clown from Ghosthouse Gremlin from The Clean Club Batman (from the 1940s serial series) Supersonic Man Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe Vampira (from Plan 9 From Outer Space) Nicholas Cage from The Wicker Man (2006), wearing a stylish torture hat full of bees Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox from Transformers (again) Mustache Dad from the Twilight movies Vanilla Ice, from Cool as Ice The Guy from Harlem, from The Guy from Harlem Torgo, from "Manos" The Hands of Fate Troll-headed guy (from Troll 2?)
0:46-0:47 -- The couch, starting at top left to bottom right:
Top Row Moose Baby (from Moose Baby) Venus Flytrap "monster" from The Revenge of Doctor X (cradling Moose Baby) Guardiana (a.k.a. "Safety Woman"), from Safety Woman: In Danger Out of Doors and Safety - Harm Hides at Home The Crater Lake Monster from The Crater Lake Monster, or dinosaur from Planet of Dinosaurs (take your pick) Troll from Troll 2 (again) Middle Row "Mr." B Natural (from Mr. B Natural) The Ice Cream Bunny (from Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny) Vanilla Ice (again) Mustache Dad from Twilight, again Torgo (again) Spartan (again) Bottom Row Supersonic Man (again) Evil clown (again) John Travolta in a bubble (again) The Guy from Harlem (again) Vampira (again) Buffalo (from Buffalo Rider) Nicholas (wearing bee) Cage (again) B&W scantily clad woman (from The Apple?)
0:57 -- Mustache Dad is reading Stache magazine.
0:59 -- Ralph Macchio (from The Karate Kid Part III]) laughs at young Darth Vader (From Star Wars: Episode I). Big mistake.
1:02 -- Santa and the Ice Cream bunny terrify children, as they did in their own movie.
1:03 -- Something something Twilight, morphs into Thor (from Thor and The Avengers) using his hammer to pound a stake into Edward while Bella watches on in horror (displaying more emotion than at any point in her life).
Source: RiffTrax
(images via YouTube)
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by Nununununu
Pushing his glasses off, Alex rubs his eyes with fingers and thumb, and regrets the fact he’s already eaten his way through all of the ice cream they keep in the freezer. The cursor blinks on the glowing screen in front of him like an accusation, the few paragraphs he’s managed to scrape together painfully inadequate, the feeble sentences blurring together like they’re mocking him.
Words: 1587, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life, Post-Canon, Feelings, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, Don't copy to another site
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