#Being an an 'icon' is tiresome

[luveline]

(𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞) 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

Steve hears you wrong, thinks he’s your boyfriend, and begins to act accordingly. You try your best to go along with it until you can’t anymore. 3k, fem. requested here ♡ 

cw shy(ish)!reader, misunderstandings, steve being a huge sweetheart, fluff, hurt/comfort, bonus fluff scene 

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

The arcade is loud and brisk this evening, doors thrown open to allow for the constant ebb and flow of younglings, the machine music turned up to account for so many voices. You’re lost in a sea of rainbow flashing lights and the ticklish smell of sugar. Without Steve’s hand behind your shoulder, you’re pretty sure you would’ve gotten lost and trampled half an hour ago. 

A candy necklace pinwheels past your heads like a torpedo, forcing you closer together, your shoulders tight with a flinch. 

“We can leave,” Steve says immediately. He’s weirdly thoughtful. Before he asked you out you had no idea he thought so much about other people, but he’s always thinking about other people. You could argue he thinks a little too much, like you. 

“I wanna see Max.” 

“She has to be here somewhere.” 

That theory proves less and less likely. Steve’s hand falls away from you, tugging through his hair in a marker of stress as you circle the Palace Arcade for the tenth time. “Maybe she quit?” you suggest. 

Steve’s eyebrows pinch together as he gives the arcade another sweep. Max’s rough patch freaked him out, as it freaked you out, because ‘rough patch’ is a kind way to describe it. She could’ve got a whole lot worse; she was suffering, capital S. It’s nice to see her returning to society, but not if she isn’t actually settling in. That’s the whole reason you’re here. 

Steve frowns at you worriedly. 

“Who died?” asks a new voice.

You breathe out a sigh of relief. “Max!” Steve cheers. 

“That’s me,” Max says, looking at you both sceptically. Her ginger hair is pulled into two tight braids either side of her face, her cheeks flushed red. Mascara paints her usually pale lashes a darker brown, and a rosy tinted chapstick shines on her lips. 

“Hey, the uniform looks good on you,” he says affectionately. “You look like a valued member of society.”

“A society in need of better labour laws. I’m pretty sure this is child abuse.” She rolls her eyes. 

“Is it awful?” you ask. 

“It’s fine. Better when your stupid friends aren’t here making themselves sick on candy like they’re nine years old,” she says pointedly to Steve. “Are you going to throw up too? You look–” she grimaces in place of insult. 

“Who’s throwing up?” you ask. 

“Dustin. He’s outside.” 

Steve sighs and gives your shoulder a kind squeeze. “I’ll be right back,” he says, squaring his expression. “Goddamn kids.” 

He sounds like an old man, you think to yourself with a small smile. Disgruntled, he still goes to make sure everyone’s alright. He’s nice, even when that nice is begrudging and tiresome and plain gross sometimes. 

“Why are you smiling at him like that?” Max asks.

You school your impression. “Like what?” 

“Like you like him.” 

You shake your head. “Tell me about work, Max. What’s it like here? Are they giving you your breaks?” 

She drags you over to the counter to sit in the seat waiting behind. She glares at any kid who approaches, but besides that she seems in good spirits. The job isn’t hard, it’s just a job. She’d much rather be at home reading, but wouldn’t everyone? “And I get this sweet uniform,” she says, pointing at the embroidered icon on her shirt pocket. “What’s with you and Steve?” 

“Nothing,” you say, though it’s something. You’re mortified to have been caught having feelings. 

“Looks like something. Are you dating?” 

“I mean, this is a date,” you say, almost whispering as heat floods your face. “But we’re not together.” 

“He was touching you a lot.” 

“Max, he’s really nice. He’s a really nice guy,” you say gently, “and we’re not together, but if he does ask me out eventually, maybe I’ll say yes.” You realise what you’re saying and attempt to backtrack —you do like Steve, but Max doesn’t need to know that. “It’s not like he’s my boyfriend,” you say strangely. 

“Ew,” Max says with a laugh. 

“Not ew,” you correct. You hadn’t meant it in a bad way, it’s— 

“Not ew,” Steve says from behind you, his arm a heavy weight across your shoulder. 

You look wide-eyed up at his face, surprised by his huge beaming smile, an intense loveliness about him as he gives you a half hug. 

“What’s ew about that?” he asks you softly. 

Oh, boy, you think. 

As it turns out, being Steve’s girlfriend is kind of nice, but you aren’t ready.

From that afternoon at the Palace Arcade onward, he treats you like you’re made of gold. And it’s great, he’s so kind, he brings you flowers and takes you out for breakfast, where he pays the tab without any flourishes and talks to you as casually as always. You almost hope he hasn’t got it wrong at all, and that his soft tone a few days ago had been down to a brief overwhelming fondness. You’d get that. You have your moments with him, you’re falling for him, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re desperately in love, you’re sure, but then the waitress asks if you need anything else and he says, “Just a water for my girl,” and you realise you’re not getting off easy. 

Dating is sort of like being good friends; you’d planned to spend the day together anyways. You enjoy his company. It’s clear he’s eager, optioning off the day’s agenda as you return to the car, the bottom of your face hidden in your bouquet. 

“We could go to the movies,” he says, opening the passenger door, his smile seemingly permanent as you climb inside. “No science fiction, I promise.” 

“I kind of like sci-fi.” Petals press fragrant to your top lip.

“Well, we don’t have to go to the Hawk. We could go into the city. I bet they’re playing any movie you wanna see.” He checks that your leg is properly inside the car before he closes the door, jogging around to the driver’s side and practically throwing himself inside. He’s giggling like a kid. “Shit, I’ll see anything you want to.” 

“Steve.” 

“Or we can go do nothing? Until dinner.” 

“Steve,” you say again, thinking you’ll tell him. Nothing good ever comes from dishonesty. 

“What?” he asks. 

His eyes are so brown. Billions of people with brown eyes and you swear you’ve never seen anything like it before, their centres like hot honey, the sweetheart shape to them when he smiles 

You sigh. His smile is contagious, even while your stomach hurts. “Nothing. Let’s go see a movie.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“What?” 

“What do you mean, what? You sounded weird.” 

“I sounded weird?” 

“No!” He winces. “I mean, yeah, you sounded weird for you, like you… I don’t know. Sorry.” 

You feel bad, then. His apology is earnest, his hand resting open on the console for you to take if you could manage the flustering heat of it. 

“I wanna go to the movies,” you say, ‘cos you really do. 

“Alright, good. It’s just, I think my last relationship, I– I didn’t pay enough attention, and I want to do that better this time around. So yeah. Sorry.” 

Oh, Steve, you think. How are you supposed to tell him now? You’re gonna have to pretend to be ready for a relationship with him until you really are, it seems. He doesn’t deserve to have his heart played with twice. 

“Don’t be sorry,” you say gently. “Let’s go watch a movie, okay? I want to go, with you, we’ll watch a shitty daytime flick and then get dinner after. It’ll be fun.” 

You aren’t lying to him about what you want. It’s clear to everybody, Steve and his friends and especially you, that you like him, that you want to be around him and make him laugh. Maybe being his girlfriend won’t even be that different to being his something. 

After all, what’s romantic about seeing a movie? 

“You good?” he asks, half an hour later, your agony prolonged. 

You’re at the back of the movies where the seats have the most leg room, more popcorn and candy than you could ever eat at your feet and a litre cup stuffed into the armrest between you. Steve is tucking his shirt back into his jeans, his head parting the light of the projector and leaving a silhouette in the previews. 

“Steve,” you advise, gesturing for him to lean down out of the way. 

He leans down, further and further, face to face with you with his hands on his hips. A flirtatious teasing makes its way onto his lips. “What?” he asks, amused. 

“You were in the way of the light.” 

“That what it was?”

“Seriously!” you whisper-shout, laughing despite yourself. 

“You’re so cute,” he whispers back. “Want to take your jacket off?” 

Your lips part at his good suggestion. You hold your arm out and start to peel from your jacket, but he takes your sleeve and helps you out of it before folding it and sitting in the seat next to you, your jacket on his thigh. “How’s that, babe?” he asks. 

“It’s good.” 

“Okay, perfect.” He beams at you. He’s always smiling when he’s with you, like you’re the best thing since sliced bread. Like he loves you. “Tell me if you need something, yeah? I know you’re kinda shy.” 

He settles back in his seat with your jacket still in his lap and no indication that he might want to move it. Your knees touch as he relaxes, your knuckles as he puts his arm on the rest between you, a picture of contentedness as the movie begins and the opening credits play. “That’s us,” he says without looking at you. 

Two people walk down the street holding hands as the title of the movie blazes in yellow font with thick red outlines. A Day In Paradise! 

You bite down on a slither of the inside of your lip until it stings. You try to fight it off but the longer you sit there, the more your eyes burn, thinking about Steve and what he deserves and how unfortunate this whole thing is, and yeah, you’re overwhelmed, too. You aren’t ready for so much sweetness all at once. You don’t deserve it, he doesn’t deserve this. 

You force the tears away. The movie goes on and on, the lights low, the chatter of moviegoers and the occasional popcorn crush not nearly loud enough to cover the sound of Steve’s breathing. 

He pushes his hair out of his face. Somebody on screen makes a joke, his hand brushes against yours, and then takes it gently as he laughs. 

You pull your hand away and tip your head down, a frantic tear flicking from your lashes. 

“You okay?” he whispers. 

You try to answer. You whimper instead, a terrible, sorry sound stuck to your throat —you can’t hold it in anymore. It’s too much. 

“I’m sorry,” you mumble tearily, looking up, a tear rolling fast down the bump of your cheek. 

Steve sits still in moderate horror. “Why are you crying?” he whispers.

The thing about Steve that people tend to forget is that, while he takes care of people the best that he can, he’s really young. He doesn’t always know what to do. He stares at you now like you’re a foreign object, hand tucked back into his abdomen. 

A tear drips onto your lip. It tastes salty. “Sorry,” you say. 

“Why?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“I really like you, Steve.” 

He stares at you. “…But?”

“But I–” His frown hurts your heart. “I don’t know if I’m ready for all of this, I never– never had someone like me like this, I don’t know why I’m crying.” You say that last part to yourself rather than him, scrubbing your cheeks with your hands roughly before hiding your face completely. “It’s not you.” 

“I thought…” And of course he did. 

“I know,” you say. “I’m sorry, Steve. I thought it wouldn’t matter but everything’s going so fast.” 

He touches your arm gently. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I thought you wanted this. You– you said I was your boyfriend, to Max? I thought you liked me.” 

“I do like you,” you insist, meeting his eyes. 

“Can I wipe your tears away? They’re everywhere,” he says. You struggle to read his expression, but there’s no resentment or anger there for you. He looks quite serious. 

“Yeah.” 

Steve bends in his seat to wipe your tears off of your face gently. They really are everywhere, on your cheeks, your top lip, your chin, even down the arc of your neck. “I don’t understand,” he says, going back to your cheek for a missed streak, “but you don’t have to be upset. Please. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, I promise.” 

“Steve, when I was talking to Max, I said,” —you wince— “that it’s not like you’re my boyfriend. She was asking me about you, and I got all panicky because I like you, but I’m too weird about this stuff, I’m panicking now–”

“Don’t.” His hand lingers on your face, before a sorry flash of dejection passes over him, and he drops your face altogether. 

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. Please believe me.” 

“Of course I believe you.” He grimaces at you, and the heartbreak turns to something more manageable, like he’s brushing himself off. “I’m sorry. For getting the wrong idea.” 

“I like you,” you whisper. Your voice is nearly lost to the rustle of popcorn and drinks. 

“I like you too!” he says loudly. 

A few seats down, somebody turns, an angry whirl of hair and clicky nails. “Can you guys shut up?” 

You and Steve leave your mountain of snacks behind to stand in the theatre hallway, where the winter air is cool on your flushed skin, and the silence is stifling. You lean against a wood feature wall and try to calm down, because he’s the one who should be upset (or maybe he’s not that fussed about you). He stands a half foot away with his arms crossed, looking down at his shoes, though occasionally he glances at you for a split-second and looks away again. 

“You okay?” he asks tightly. 

“I’m sorry.”

He pokes his cheek with his tongue. “So you don’t want to be together?” 

You don’t know. He deserves the truth, even if you barely understand it yourself, and it stings to say. “I do, I like you, but I… I want to take things slowly.” 

He stands there without talking for a while. When he does talk again, he’s laughing, that achy awful sadness he’d worn a far off memory. “You’re this upset because you want us to take things slow?” 

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” 

“You haven’t,” he promises. “That would never hurt my feelings. I knew when I heard it that it was too good to be true.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I guess I gotta earn the title like everybody else does. Is that… cool?” 

You nod vehemently. 

Steve blows a relieved breath of air up his face, his hair ruffling off of his forehead. “I thought I was gonna lose you completely,” he says, smiling. “This is fine. I can work with slow. Slow’s my middle name.”

—♡—

The sun is a blistering heat today. “Can’t believe it’s only spring,” you murmur, eyes covered by the back of your arm. 

A weight sits down on the blanket beside you, the sound of dry grass crushed underfoot. He brings the fresh scent of lemon slices with him, the zest sticking to his hands.

“I think I might melt.” 

“I’d never let that happen,” Steve says, laying down beside you. 

“You can be my parasol.” 

“Your what?” 

“It’s a sun umbrella.” 

“Like this?” he asks, gently laying himself across your front, his face on the slip of your stomach that’s bare, his arms sneaking behind your thighs to hug them as you bring them up. 

You reach down to stroke his hair, taking your fingers through the silky lengths of it, fingernails scratching ever so slightly at his scalp. “Thanks,” you say.

He kisses your naked leg. “You’re welcome, honey.” 

If he’d done that at the beginning of your relationship, you’d have frozen up; not because he would’ve done it differently, not because he wasn't always your handsome sweetheart, but because being comfortable with someone this intimately takes time, and that’s okay. 

“Your face is digging into my hip,” you murmur. 

He shifts back, his ear above your belly button. “Is that better?” 

“That’s perfect.” 

“Are you falling asleep?” he asks softly. 

“No… I’m thinking.” 

“Nothing good ever comes of that.” 

“I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“I love talking to you,” he says. He sounds as though he might fall asleep himself, his tongue heavy in his mouth. 

You stroke his hair away from his face by touch alone. Long, warm minutes pass without conversation. You aren’t scared to tell him how you’re feeling. He’s proved to you over time that he’s someone you’ll always be able to trust, and that whatever you have to say will hold weight. 

“It’s a question.” 

He turns in your hold to face you. You raise your arm, greeted by the image of him sun-kissed and lazing, laid out across you without a care in the world. 

“Don’t tell me then,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Jesus, you’re terrifying.” 

“Would you wanna be my boyfriend?”

He narrows his eyes at you. A myriad of emotions pass between you both, until he’s smiling, and you know he’s sitting up for a kiss seconds before he actually does. He presses his lips to yours carefully. “Baby,” he says as he pulls away, voice as mild as his soft kiss, “I think we’ve passed that point.” 

“I realised I’d never asked you, is all.” 

His hair falls down into his eyes. You tuck it behind his ear. It’s pretty clear now you’re together, even after such a bumpy start. 

“Can I get it in writing this time?” he asks, rubbing the tip of his nose against yours, your eyes fluttering closed in tandem. 

“Give you anything you want if you kiss me,” you murmur. 

His laugh fans over your lips. He cups your cheek, your heart a hummingbird drilling at your ribs as Steve moves in to kiss you properly. Your lips part under the pressure, your head tilting a touch to one side to accommodate him as he searches down for you, melty hot pleasure and nerves that never seem to fade arising as his thumb moves up your cheek, a semi-circle of touch. It promises undulating care whenever you want it. 

You tip your head aside to catch your breath.

“Better late than never,” you joke. 

Steve talks into the soft skin beside your mouth. “You weren’t late, babe. I was early, and I didn’t mind waiting.” 

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

thank u for reading!! pretty please like/reblog or comment if you enjoyed cos it means so much to me and inspires me to write even more!!! but either way i hope u enjoyed❤️❤️❤️

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington drabble

[2-dsimp]

——|———-|———|———

Yandere hitman squad

Introducing the Boss

——|———-|———|———

Yandere Boss who’s known as a lazy sleezebag that makes the squad carry more weight than needed. He can never be bothered to do anything that he deems as tiresome and is often just chilling in the background. However, when it comes time to flip his ON switch that’s when he truly starts making boss moves.

Yandere Boss is a closeted Otaku of anime. Having shelves upon shelves of figurines, mangas, and unopened collector items. As well as walls covered in iconic wall tapestries of his favorite characters. Along with a secret closet filled with cosplay costumes that’s yet to be touched.

Yandere Boss that happens to go to AnimeCon one day in a shady disguise silently admiring the authentic cosplays and merch. Until something caught his eye which was you in the most glamorous mouth watering homemade cosplay that left him gasping for breath and leaning up against the wall as he tried to calm his pounding heart from how fantastic you looked.

Yandere Boss who immediately became a fan. Lacking the drive to part the Red Sea of cosplayers flocking to you like a bunch of fruit flies he settled for admiring you from afar following your every move from a short distance as he began snapping photo after photo, and even taking videos of his newfound cosplayer crush that he’s becoming absolutely obsessed with like it was love at first sight.

Yandere Boss who gripped his phone screen so tightly that it cracked from him spotting two losers harassing you now that you were in a somewhat secluded area. With a long drawn out raspy sigh he retreated from the wall’s corner and came out the shadows behind you.

Yandere Boss that tentatively slithered his lean arm around your shoulder towering over you with his tall lanky frame. Peering down at the two creeps with a deadpanned expression like they were nothing but sad insects as he taunted them with an disgusted sneer. Insulting the two harassers, his sharp tongue automatically cursing them out calling them gross dickless losers and disgraces to the anime community all in one. While flipping them a slender manicured middle finger painted black as he told them to fuck off since you were taken by him.

Yandere Boss who purposely made a whole scene causing everybody to collectively to look his way and ridicule the two offenders despite his inclination to being under the attention of the masses as he was doing this all for his lovely little cosplayer. He had a look of smugness on his face, seeing the two fools be escorted out by the security for trying to commit disrespectful acts at the convention. But in the end he got a tad overwhelmed from the attention thrown his way and began sweating a bit under the pressure.

Yandere Boss who couldn’t help but feel his social battery burning out at a fast paste due to the cheers of the crowd awarding his smartarian actions when to be honest he was just acting out on his own selfish impulses since he couldn’t stand those filthy losers touching his newfound idol he was going to worship for the rest of his days.

Yandere Boss who damn neared almost suffered a heart attack when his sweet idol saw his dilemma and guided him swiftly away from the crowd that chanting how much of a chad he was. Grasping onto the arm he slung over their shoulder with their soft hands. He couldn’t help but become stiff like a robot as his face flushed his natural tired aloof features with splotches of a rosy red on his pale skin.

Yandere Boss who’s lungs got caught in his throat as you spoke to him with your adorable voice continuously thanking him. He watched you intently as you paused for a moment to ask if you could give him a hug noticing how antsy he was with the the attention that was focused on him. Saying no words he opened his arms invitingly tired eyes now sparkling full of life as if he’d just received enlightenment from god while he nodded frantically to the point where afterimages of his bobbing head could be seen in 3 different layers.

Yandere Boss who fist pumped himself in victory after you gave him your number and left the scene. He was feeling faint with a rush of endorphins flooding his senses from the interaction. Relishing in your sweet scent that covered his clothes, he vowed in his head that he’d never ever wash these clothes that were touched by his adoring idol. He was already picturing them framed up in his closet to commemorate this beautiful moment in his life.

Yandere Boss who’s your number one fan and supporter for life, and will always be sure to disregard his duties if only to fawn over you like the crazed fan that he is.

#Danny the Boss #yandere boss #yandere drabble #yandere oc #yandere x reader #yandere imagines #yandere male #yandere male x reader #yanderecore #yandere concept #yandere content #yandere scenarios #yandere headcanons #yandere x y/n #yandere x you #yandere x darling

[crazysodomite]

It's so crazy how people assume the worst of other people. It happens with everything but I'm gonna use this as an example:

Let's say someone publishes a drawing and includes the mspaint interface in the screenshot. People immediately start trying to put that person "in their place" and saying "it's so annoying that people expect praise for drawing in paint 🙄 it's not even hard to do"

And like. Let's start with this: people like being praised for their work. People enjoy compliments and positive feedback when they put effort into something. It is a normal human thing to do that most people experience. It's not self-absorbed to want praise lol... And you're not special edgy and awesome for expecting other people to not want that...

Let's say it's not hard for you to draw in paint at all. It's not special to you. Well to that person who posted that it was maybe a challenge. It was hard for them and they wanted to show off what they accomplished. If you don't see anything praiseworthy about that you can just scroll past or block that person. No need to "put them in their place" or whatever.

Or even a simpler explanation: that person included the UI in the artwork because the mspaint ui is iconic and looks cool. And they thought it compliments their piece of art.

This weird mindset on the internet is really tiresome to me. A lot of people never grew out of the school bully mindset and genuinely believe "everyone in the world who doesn't behave and think exactly like me is a mindless NPC"

People in real life: hey man how's it going

[joeygoeshollywood]

My 25 Favorite Films of 2023

It's that time of year again! Here are my top 25 films of 2023.

25. Joy Ride

Following in the footsteps of Bridesmaids and Girls Trip, Joy Ride offers some of the biggest laughs of 2023 proving once again women can be just as raunchy as men. The cast includes up-and-comers Ashley Park, Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, and a scene-stealing breakthrough performance from Sherry Cola. Joy Ride marks a strong debut from writer-director Adele Lim.

24. Theater Camp

Anyone who had aspirations of becoming an actor can relate to Theater Camp, a mockumentary about the staff of a theater camp struggling to keep it afloat. Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, and Noah Galvin lead both behind and in front of the camera in this superb comedy that will leave you singing from the rooftops.

23. A Thousand and One

A Thousand and One is a heartbreaking indie film about a mother's desperate effort to form a bond with her estranged son by kidnapping him from the foster care system following her stint in prison. Teyana Taylor packs an emotional punch with her crushing performance with the help of A.V. Rockwell in her feature debut as a writer-director.

22. Thanksgiving

Eli Roth's filmography in horror is a mixed record, but his latest flick Thanksgiving may be his best work yet. Not only is it a solid slasher with great over-the-top killings, its brilliantly hilarious. In a time where horror franchises can be tiresome, Thanksgiving is one that could call for a second or third helping.

21. Somewhere in Queens

TV icon Ray Romano makes his feature directorial debut in the family comedy Somewhere in Queens. He stars as the father of a promising high school basketball player who goes through perhaps desperate means to assure he lands a college scholarship. Joined by the wonderful Laurie Metcalf, Somewhere in Queens has plenty of laughs as well as plenty of heart.

20. Dream Scenario

The remarkable comeback of Nicolas Cage continues with his brilliant performance in Dream Scenario, a dark fantasy horror comedy in which he plays a college professor who inexplicably starts appearing in everyone's dreams, sparking a national phenomenon that will ultimately take a personal toll. Cage balances the absurdity of the situation his character is in with emotional heft that comes with it. This marks Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli's first English-language film and based on how well-executed Dream Scenario is, hopefully it won't be his last.

19. The Covenant

Guy Ritchie's latest The Covenant is a heart-pounding war film based on the true story of Sgt. John Kinley's rescue effort of his Afghan interpreter Ahmed. Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim make a perfect duo in this dramatic, suspenseful film that may be Ritchie's strongest work to date.

18. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Judy Blume's 1970 adolescent classic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. finally made its way to the big screen this year in the heartwarming coming-of-age tale of a girl's awkward journey from childhood to adulthood as well as the complexities that come from being an interfaith household. Abby Ryder Fortson shines as the titular Margaret in an outstanding performance not often seen from child actors. Also, we need more Rachel McAdams.

17. BlackBerry

Arguably the biggest surprise of 2023, BlackBerry offers some of the best laughs in the comedic retelling of the rise and fall of the iconic BlackBerry device. BlackBerry is a showcase of talent of its star Jay Baruchel, Matt Johnson (who also directed and co-wrote the film), and Glenn Howerton of It's Always Sunny fame, easily giving one of the best on-screen performances of the entire year.

16. You Hurt My Feelings

Writer-director Nicole Holofcener reunites with her Enough Said star Julia Louis-Dreyfus with You Hurt My Feelings, which centers a turbulent chapter in a couple's marriage after a novelist overhears her husband mocking her latest book. The dramedy examines the thought-provoking nuances of how fully honest one actually should be with their spouse (the answer may surprise you!). The greatest strength from Holofcener's latest is how its humor comes naturally from the reality of relationships.

15. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Mission: Impossible does the unthinkable in Hollywood: keeping a franchise in top-notch shape. Dead Reckoning Part One, the whopping *seventh* installment of the Ethan Hunt saga, delivers on a compelling plot and incredible action sequences, all of which is cemented by the star power of Tom Cruise, who has carried this spy franchise for nearly 20 years. There have been hints that Dead Reckoning may be the beginning of the end for Mission: Impossible, and if that's the case, it's going out with a bang.

14. Talk to Me

The best horror movie of 2023, Talk to Me is a chilling film about a group of teenager's ill-fated decision of doing a viral challenge of interacting with the dead, only to mistakenly leave the portal open between the living and the spirit world. What makes Talk to Me work is the family drama at the core of the film and the powerful performance from its troubled heroine Sophie Wilde.

13. Sisu

Inglorious Basterds meets Mad Max: Fury Road meets John Wick, Sisu is a WWII-era revenge action flick about a gold prospector's quest to retrieve the gold that was stolen from him from a group of Nazis. Full of brutal, bloody fight sequences with a twisted sense of humor, Sisu is one helluva ride.

12. Creed III

Creed III is a throwback to the era where Hollywood blockbusters were able to provide complete satisfaction. The latest installment of the Rocky spin-off franchise marked the strong directorial debut of its star Michael B. Jordan and also may have sadly marked the final film of the incredibly talented Jonathan Majors, whose recent assault conviction may be a knockout punch to an otherwise booming career.

11. May December

Often having vibes of a soap opera, Todd Haynes' May December is a compelling and at times disturbing film of an actress (played by Natalie Portman) who shadows the woman she's depicting in a film (played by Julianne Moore) famous for her 90s love affair with a then 13-year-old, who later became her husband. Despite the powerhouse performances from the two Oscar winners, the film really belongs to rising star Charles Melton, whose character finally comes to grips with the trauma he unknowingly endured as a child. And Melton's performance is among 2023's best.

10. Anatomy of a Fall

We don't often get great courtroom dramatic thrillers these days which is why Anatomy of a Fall really stands out. German actress Sandra Hüller gives a breakthrough performance as a wife and mother who becomes the prime suspect in what authorities believe is the murder of her husband, who had fallen to his death from the attic window. With plenty of twists and turns, Anatomy of a Fall will keep viewers guessing throughout.

9. Maestro

Not only does Bradley Cooper give the performance of his career, he has also shown his ability to direct is no fluke. Maestro, a biopic that spotlights the personal drama of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, is a beautifully-shot, well-acted film that solidifies Cooper as one of Hollywood's newest talented filmmakers.

8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

One would assume that a Spider-Man cartoon would solely be geared towards children but Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is such a sophisticated film between its complex plot and the remarkable animation that are a continuation from its 2018 Into the Spider-Verse predecessor. Between a strong voice cast, an amazing score and a brilliant cliffhanger, Across the Spider-Verse was the shining gem of the many superhero duds 2023 had to offer.

7. Killers of the Flower Moon

At 81-years-old, legendary director Martin Scorsese hasn't lost his step with Killers of the Flower Moon, his best film in at least a decade. The crime drama is based on a true story on the 1920s murders of members of Osage Nation and its ties to the marriage Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Kyle, played by the reliably gifted Leonardo DiCaprio and powerful newcomer Lily Gladstone.

6. Saltburn

Following her strong debut with 2020's Promising Young Woman, filmmaker Emerald Fennell makes a valiant return with her twisted comedic psychological drama Saltburn, which surrounds an Oxford student who is quickly embraced by the wealthy family of a classmate and the jarring fallout as a result. Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Irisherin, Dunkirk) proves he's more than capable of being the leading man and is joined by rich ensemble including Rosamund Pike, Jacob Elordi, Richard E. Grant and Carey Mulligan. With stunning visuals and some of the most shocking things you'll see onscreen in 2023, Saltburn is a stirring work of art.

5. The Holdovers

It's been a long time since a new Christmas movie can live up to beloved holiday classics and Alexander Payne makes the closest effort with The Holdovers, a 1970-set dramedy about a miserable teacher at a boys academy who is stuck essentially babysitting the "holdover" students who didn't go home for the holidays. Joining the always-brilliant Paul Giamatti is newcomer Dominic Sessa as his troublesome student and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who gives a powerful Oscar-worthy performance as the cook mourning over the loss of her son. The Holdovers is the perfect film to warm your heart over the holidays this year and every year going forward.

4. Past Lives

Perhaps one of the more unsung heroes of 2023 cinema, Past Lives is a touching story about love and what if. Greta Lee stars in a breakout role as a married woman who rekindles a relationship with a childhood friend from South Korea but rather than going down the typical "will they, won't they" or "love triangle" paths this film easily could've taken, Past Lives delves into the emotional complexities with such tenderness that only writer/director Celine Song could've told (the film is semi-autobiographical).

3. Oppenheimer

If anyone knows how to make a biopic an epic, it's Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer is essentially two films rolled into one- a tick-tock thriller about the creation of the atomic bomb as well as a political drama that J. Robert Oppenheimer endured. Cillian Murphy gives the performance of his career and leads a gigantic ensemble cast in a film that despite its 3-hour running time goes by fast. And while Barbie may have won the box office battle, Oppenheimer certain won the war in more ways than one.

2. Polite Society

Polite Society is a brilliant action comedy following an aspiring stuntwoman who believes her sister is marrying into a sinister family. In the style of a Tarantino movie, up-and-coming filmmaker Nida Manzoor makes a strong feature debut that is the epitome of a fun popcorn movie, which have been in short supply in recent years.

Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos has quickly risen as of the strongest filmmakers of this generation, proving so once again with his latest film Poor Things. Emma Stone gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a woman brought back to life who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and autonomy and is accompanied by an excellent supporting cast. Like a modern-day Tim Burton, Lanthimos was able to create a mesmerizing universe with incredible production design, a whimsical music score, and stunning cinematography. Going to the movies is meant to be an escape, and Poor Things perfectly encapsulates that.

#2023 #Poor Things #Emma Stone #Spider-Man #across the spiderverse #oppenheimer #Past Lives #May December #Natalie Portman #julianne moore #charles melton #Theater Camp #Saltburn #jacob elordi #Polite Society #Bradley Cooper #carey mulligan #The Holdovers #Tom Cruise #killers of the flower moon #leonardo decaprio #Martin Scorsese #christopher nolan #miles morales #joy ride #barry keoghan #molly gordon #Ben Platt #oscars

[straightplayshowdown]

Angels in America: In the first part, we meet Louis and Prior and Harper and Joe, two couples whose relationships are on the rocks: the former because of Prior’s AIDS diagnosis and Louis’s inability to cope with illness, the latter because of Joe’s closeted homosexuality and Harper’s incessant fears and hallucinations, as well as her addiction to pain-killers. The second part focuses on the story of Prior Walter, a gay man living with AIDS who has recently been left by his partner, Louis, after he could not cope with the physical and personal impact of the disease.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure.

Propaganda under the cut!

Angels in America:

painful funny surreal and down to earth all at the same time somehow, even without being a landmark piece for me personally w/ regard to queer literature

The Great American Play. The definitive exploration of how AIDS affected an entire generation of queer Americans in the '80s, and what it left behind in its wake. Those more eloquent than I am will be better at doing this play justice, but my sincerest hope is that the sheer significance of this work is clear enough to carry it all the way through to the highest end of this showdown.

honestly the peak of modern theater 2 me. everything i write and create is in the hopes that i might someday make something that lives up to the bar that angels set. it treats every one of its characters with such depth and compassion and the world it creates is so vivid and fantastic. and the context in which it was created will always be beyond important to me like i don't know how to describe how important it is that a play widely considered an american classic is about the aids crisis. she's the blueprint she's perfect she's everything

genuinely changed my life when i first read it. andrew garfield played prior walter in the 2018 national theatre version and he fucking kills it. it's 6 whole hours of joy and heartbreak and, most of all, hope. stan harper pitt!!!

This epic stageplay has become more accessible since its HBO miniseries adaptation in 2003. It is epic, intersectional, commemorative of a collective trauma that had been silenced for too long at the time of writing. (also Harper deserves to be as much a Tumblr Sad Girl icon as Lana del Rey or Sylvia Plath.) 

The Importance of Being Earnest: 

Queercoded love interest and Victorian dandies, what’s not to love? 

Quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever read.

It's very funny.

there is a HANDBAG and it is a MAJOR PLOT POINT. jack pretends to be ernest because he's been doing it for ages and why not am i right? algernon pretends to be ernest to get a girl and also so screw stuff up. as one does. gwendolen and cecily have a REALLY passive aggressive tea party. this play slaps. it is so good. go read it and/or see it

“Nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury, and if you ever get married, which seems to me extremely problematic, you will be very glad to know Bunbury. A man who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious time of it.” 

Lady Bracknell: “I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square.”

Lady Bracknell: “My nephew, you seem to be displaying signs of triviality.”

Jack: “On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”

#angels in america #the importance of being earnest #round 3 #polls #the straight play showdown

[the-empress-7]

I am so frustrated with KC’s refusal to act with the Harkles. When he was wishing them well overseas, he should have made it clear that they will never return as working royals but he hopes that together they can take steps to reconciling as a family. We then wouldn’t have this will they won’t they every few weeks which is tiresome and makes this a soap opera and detracts from the good work of the actual RF.

On a separate note, part of me feels that I don’t care how much Meghan postures and tries to either be an independent ’global icon’ or back in the RF, the reality is nobody of substance is actually interested in her. They are only interested in her being a ‘link’ to the real royals and that reality stings. I mean just thinking, if Meghan landed a major deal, let’s say Dior, they would stand on her head if they thought they could get William or Catherine. So I’m mildly satisfied in that knowledge. 🙃

Maybe Charles wants the soap opera, it helps distract from the fact that since becoming King all he has done so far for his country is plan a party and a wedding.

[alwayschasingrainbows]

KILMENY OF THE OLD ORCHARD READALONG.

Ladies, Gentleman and Everyone in Between & Beyond, may I kindly introduce a honourable member of an elite Club of LMM CATS™, our new Royalty:

Sir Timothy the Cat:

Sir Timothy The Cat (Timothy to the few chosen ones Sir Timothy views as worthy of his friendship) Williamson, resides in Lindsay (Prince Edward Island) alongside his adoring parents: Mrs. and Mr. Williamsons. He enjoys being petted and praised, as well as eating first-class bacon from Mr. Robert's (his father's) plate.

Sir Timothy's favourite treat is a bowlful of fresh cream.

Sir Timothy never forgets his manners, eats in a dainty way, and purrs in a resonant gratitude.

Sir Timothy has his own special place on the kitchen bench (warning: the place is NOT to be sat on by anyone else but Sir Timothy).

The other place Sir Timothy finds agreeable is the top of the dresser, where he is able to gravely address himself to the disposal of various tid-bits.

Here are some heart-warming photos of Sir Timothy's kittenhood:

Sir Timothy showing a grand dignity from the first moments of his life! (He shall not be teased.)

Sir Timothy accepting tribute and graciously bestowing a meow.

Sir Timothy living by the rule of Confucius "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail."

Wasn't he a handsome little lad?

But please, do not disrespect Sir Timothy, for he is a brave and courageous cat-being:

Let us hear the the cautious warning by a young gentelman, Mr. Larry West, a former school teacher of Lindsay (Prince Edward Island):

“The name of this animal is Timothy and as such he must always be called and referred to. Never, [...], let him hear you speaking of [him] as ‘the cat,’ or even as ‘Tim.’ You will never be forgiven and he will not consider you a fit person to have charge of the school." [Edit: Mr. Larry West himself had learnt this lesson too late].

Let us finish this short introduction by showing the recent photo session Sir Timothy agreed to take part in:

Sir Timothy during his daily morning exercise routine and strenght-training:

Sir Timothy enjoying his daily dose of being petted:

Sir Timothy being the subject of affection of many:

Sir Timothy during New Year's Eve Party (We love the sparkly coat! Sir Timothy is a fashion icon):

(A tip for those who want to achieve such an amazing effect: don't skimp on glitter):

Sir Timothy's daily beauty routine:

Sir Timothy enjoying his meal:

Sir Timothy having his well-deserved rest after such tiresome day:

Sir Timothy is the new member of the elite Club of LMM CATS™ - introduced via The Kilmeny of The Orchard. He is the BEST part of the novel and we love him for this!

WE STAN OUR SIR TIMOTHY! (PETITION TO REWRITE THE ENTIRE KILMENY BOOK SO THERE ARE ONLY SIR TIMOTHY AND HIS SERVANTS... I MEAN, PARENTS AND FRIENDS, PRESENT).

Thank you kindly for following our CAT-CELEBRITIES!!!!

#lm montgomery #kilmeny of the orchard #kilmeny readalong #tribute to timothy the cat #i know larry said that robert wouldn't forgive eric for calling timothy “a cat” or “tim” but it fit better that timothy wouldn't #lmm elite cat club #i adore timothy #i adore all lmm cats #lmm lockdown #cats #maybe i should think of making posts for other members of elite lmm cats club??? #headcanon: the reason larry had to leave his position of the school master was the fact he called sir timothy “kitten” or 'tim“ #sir timothy never forgave him

[naokiscoffee]

What makes Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo so special?

This is probably my twelfth thousand re-watch of this drama, but this is not like all the other rewatches. I have decided to make this one special by using it to analyse the drama in more depth, and attempt to uncover why I love it as much as I do, despite all it’s flaws. I am writing this as I watch the episodes, so it might be considered somewhat of a commentary.

Season 01 Episode 01

Starting off with the first episode, the opening scene is fantastic in my opinion. I love how we are getting introduced to Kotoko in the comfort of her own room, and getting a peek into her hearts deepest wish. I honestly think that this might be what made me like this version of Kotoko from the get go.

However, technically, the actual first scene of the story is the iconic confession scene (if you would even call it that). I am going to go on a tangent here and just say that I am an absolute fan of her letter, but I will get back to that in a later episode.

The way she is nervous and excited before confessing and the way he flat out rejects her before she even has the chance to confess always makes me feel crushed for her, and is the reason why I initially disliked him. But now that I am actually analysing it, it is less harsh than how I’ve always perceived it (or this might just be me trying to explain it away).

Hear me out, consider the implication that he has a whole queue of girls that like him, drool over him and confess to him in school, his reaction/rejection is really not that surprising. Imagine receiving confessions from a bunch of girls, when you just want to live your life in peace … that must get old and tiresome fairly quickly. Additionally, the fact that the whole entire school is talking about the rejection might explain why he didn't accept her letter; had he accepted it (even if he rejected her afterwards), the whole school would probably assume that they were dating. On the other hand it makes me think, why would the whole school be interested in someone confessing? are we back in kindergarten?

We see later on that she still has that card with her. I think that for her, getting rid of it would feel like getting rid of her feelings for him, which is why she holds on to it.

Anyways, I find it quite ironic when Kotoko’s friends tell her “you and Irie are from different worlds” . Their worlds are literally going to forcibly merge under one roof very very soon.

Another random thought I got, like a lot of my thoughts are, was why did Kotoko like Naoki, and not like Kinnouske? I mean he might not be handsome, he might not be smart, he might not be rich, but he is hardworking, talented and most importantly, he liked Kotoko, and was always nice towards her. This version’s Kinnouske has always been my favourite one. I think this version does a good job at portraying him as a three dimensional person, rather than a comic relief kind of personality *cough* Itazura Na Kiss 1996 *cough*.

When I started to pay more attention, I realised that although I do love Kinnouske, I do find him to often do things based on his own feelings, and does not consider what Kotoko wants. For example, I cant help but feel that he is a bit insensitive for being happy when Kotoko is sad after deciding to ‘give up’ on Naoki. This is a small detail, and perhaps I am reading too much into it, but I do feel that Itazura Na Kiss is all about the details. He sort of redeems himself for it by asking his friends to come and help her move, but soon it goes to shit again, which I will come to later on.

I really like — at this point, everything really, but anyways — the reoccurring mentioning of “less possible than getting hit by a shooting star”, which is a kind of teaser to what is to come later on in the show. Although I’ve always thought that the reason for their house being destroyed in this version to be a bit dumb, I admit, I do like the thought and metaphor behind it, so I will turn I blind eye to it. I also find it hilarious how it ended up all over the news.

Kotoko’s extremely optimistic outlook despite everything that happened is perhaps her most charming personality trait. It makes me feel that her optimism is somehow what everything work out for her in the end.

Now, to one of the scenes I dislike most in this story. I am always tempted to skip the first episode altogether to avoid it. And that’s the scene where Kinnouske is collecting donations for Kotoko. Here we see Kin-chan’s good intentions having not so good results. I get the feeling that he does what he thinks is helpful for her, and never once stops to consider her feelings or ask her opinion on it, and the way she gets annoyed with him tells me that she’s not that fond of this either, despite what his intentions were.

Back to Naoki. Looking at the size of that entrance, he could have 100% just walked around Kotoko and Kinnouske and gone in. Heck, following the little pattern we have so far, wouldn’t he purposefully avoid them to maintain a quiet and peaceful life? Now, he did just the contrary and approached them. Considering the fact that by the end of the episode he already knows about the arrangement (of her going to his home to stay there with her father), it would be safe to assume that at this moment in time, he already knows that she would stay in his house. This is supported by his response to her “preferring to die over taking his money”; “are you sure you want to tell me that?”. Therefore I assume that he approaches her out of curiosity.

If you pay close attention to this interaction, you will notice that Naoki did not say one thing that was wrong or out of line. Naoki giving Kotoko the money was not very nice. But more than anything, it was quite confusing. He told her “If I donate this money, you won’t argue with me anymore”. Now, Kinnouske was the one arguing with Naoki, so why would Naoki tell Kotoko that? Is it because he sees her as the most reasonable one, or rather, is it because they’re ‘her’ friends (thus making her responsible for them)?

Kotoko was the one with an explosive reaction in this situation [although she was in the wrong, I like how she stood by her friend eventhough they were fighting a few moments ago (if she realised the previously mentioned point that is).], and was more than a bit mean when saying “do you even have friends?”. Here we see just how much of an opposite to her he is. Instead of having an explosive reaction like Kotoko had, Naoki just finds her reaction amusing and leaves calmly.

Now to when she goes with her father to the Irie household. Naoki’s mother’s (Noriko’s) comment of “you and I seem like we were meant to meet” and the fact that she knows that she’s in the same school as Naoki tells me that he told her about Kotoko; which in turn makes me think that she left a memorable impression on him. Kotoko’s reaction to seeing Naoki is Hilarious, especially te part where she’s too shocked, and is not shy to say “I’m just do surprised … because Iri-chan-san and Irie-kun don’t look alike at all” (I really am starting to realise and understand why Naoki finds her amusing).

Another one of those small details; the way her father scoots away right off the bat when he saw Yuki asking her a question about a kanji character, and pretending to look at a random décor piece kills me (It’s nice to keep in mind; despite how similar Kotoko might sometimes be to her dad, he still has more awareness of his own ‘stupidness’ than her).

I recently watched one of @Machitsuki2 ‘s analysis videos, and like she pointed out, I did in fact notice how Kotoko was going straight to the food and cakes, while Naoki was mainly only sipping coffee (even during breakfast). This will become really important later on.

Lastly, I love the interaction between Noriko and Kotoko when she takes her up to show her her room; Kotoko found a mother she never had, and Noriko found the daughter she never had. They are the first puzzle pieces that fit into each other perfectly.

When Naoki comes in and tells Kotoko that she took Yuki’s room, I get the feeling that rather than an insult it served to make Kotoko understand why Yuki disliked her so much. I might be a bit delulu, but I kind of feel that Naoki did this on purpose? anyone?

When Noriko asks Kotoko “do you like(suki) Sukiyaki?” and Kotoko looks at her (in Naoki’s direction) and confidently answers “I like it! (suki-desu!)” almost feels directed at Naoki. It is in fact the first time he hears her say it. This next part I had to go back and watch once more; Naoki only starts being mean to her when she pulled the bag from him (not wanting his help) and he saw the letter she wrote him drop out of it. I do wonder if he is mean to her because of that letter, or maybe because he thought she was rude towards him?

To be continued…(maybe)

#itazura na kiss #itazura na kiss love in tokyo #aihara kotoko #miki honoka #irie naoki #yuki furukawa #Ikezawa kinnouske #yuki yamada #character analysis #story analysis #drama #jdrama #japan #s01e01 #episode 1 #recap #review

[medicuum]

Second Opinion

Starter for @ask-human-ratchet

Life aboard the Grantham's medical wing was, for the most part, an endless source of monotony and standard every day practices. Bumps and bruises, the occasional flu or cold, and when it came down to the person in charge of the medical wing? Paperwork. Endless amounts of paperwork. It was tedious, and tiresome, and Doctor Argyris practically gnashed her teeth with the desire to find something, anything to break up the standardized monotony that came from being stuck in a contained are with dozens of other people.

Her stylus tapped against her datapad in thought, paperwork was collected on one corner of her desk in favor of being ignored, diagrams and blueprints of various prosthetics, and one very specific one that she was aware of on the ship, had been pulled up. The current prosthetic was an issue, an older model that devastatingly needed an upgrade and the battery and backups draining at far too swiftly of a rate when in the middle of the operator's critical work was, in her professional opinion, a catastrophic problem just waiting to rear its ugly head.

Attempts to ask Zizi had unfortunately proven...useless. The little blue and yellow python AI was certainly helpful for the majority of the time but this needed less calculations and more of a...medical approach with human touch.

Tap tap tap ta-

Wait! Didn't they recently gain access to a secondary AI program specifically for such approaches? Tabbing through her datapd, she searched through her programs until she could find what she was looking for...and clicked on the icon.

#askhumanratchet #au || vast expanse

[boinin]

One last rambly post before I go be productive. This one is less shitposty... though it's also about Kunigami so, you know. Expect copium from a stan.

He features in four panels during this week's chapter, which is a development. He features once in each of the preceding chapters (230 & 231), minor appearances in either case. Squint or you'll miss him altogether.

That said, the mangaka and writer continually remind us of his presence, much as they have with Hiori in the run up to and during the Ubers match. Although he hasn't had a proper line of dialogue since chapter 218, and he hasn't done anything particularly meaningful since chapter 219.

But that's to be expected.

What happened in chapter 219? It's the build up to Kaiser's goal in the following chapter (220). As a reminder, Kunigami initiated that attack himself, and cleared many of the defenders single-handedly. But without support, his attack chances were goosed. So Isagi intercepted the ball, and through a series of plays, Kaiser ended up scoring.

What's happening now (in chapter 232)? Another Bastard Munchen goal attempt, this time spearheaded by Kaiser from the start.

Kunigami has fallen into operating as a goal poacher. Where he positions himself in chapter 232 is reminiscent of his positioning in chapter 185, where he scores against Manshine using Isagi's shot attempt. You can understand why he continues to use this method. Compare his placement here with where he positions himself beside Aryu, in the leak panels above.

It doesn't work out for him this time though, because Lorenzo deflects the ball away from him... and he doesn't have metavision like Isagi, allowing him to foresee that chain of events. He waits around for the opportunity like a scavenger, unable to use his mind to play the potential scenarios out. It's less efficient, and he also has no one to support his plays. Respectfully, Isagi would be a lot less efficient too if he didn't have Kurona, Hiori or even Yukimiya for assists.

Kunigami himself isn't playing up and down the pitch because he's a forward, and in part because he has no metavision. Tellingly, he barely featured during the Star Change system, when Ubers were the dominant attackers. But is he still an effective player overall?

Certainly. Had Lorenzo been sloppier about that deflection and sent it the other direction, it'd have been on Aryu to keep that ball out of Kunigami's reach within a split second. Kunigami's a difficult player to contain, even two on one. Ubers would have been in danger there, had the ball gone his way rather than Isagi's. While the deflection could be random, I wonder whether that's something Lorenzo considered. If the choice was Aryu V Kunigami, or Aiku V Isagi... well, I'd put my money on Aiku every time. No shade, glam king, you're still an icon ✨

The point I'm making is, Kunigami is always present when Bastard Munchen are attacking. If he's not driving the attack himself (as he was in chapter 218/219), then he's hanging around to see if he can steal a goal opportunity from another forward (Isagi, and now Kaiser too).

As much as I enjoy the jokes about Kunigami being absent in this match due to his shinigami side hustle, it is tiresome to read through people slandering his ability to play overall. He can, and he continues to pose a danger to the goal whenever the ball is in play in that area. We can dump on him for being inflexible, for not having metavision, or for his shitty personality change. But I wanted to highlight as per the latest chapter, how he's shown to be engaged and present within this match.

Further reading: I did a deep dive on what Kunigami's role is in the Neo-Egoist league here.

I take the piss out of him here and here, if memes are more your speed.

#blue lock #blue lock spoilers #blue lock manga spoilers #blue lock manga #blue lock analysis #kunigami rensuke #i have spider senses for spotting this idiot in new chapters #i just about found him in chp 230 that was sneaky #bllk manga #boinin talks bllk #bllk analysis #bllk chp 232

[themattress]

A look at Dragon Ball Z's sagas and the incarnation I prefer them in: manga, anime, or Kai.

The Vegeta Saga

Manga: 48 Chapters (Vol. 1 - 5) Anime: 35 Episodes (Season 1) Kai: 16 Episodes (Season 1)

This one is really difficult. The arc is a good one in all incarnations, of course, but I especially love both animated renditions. The original anime has strengths like filler episodes that flesh out the year between the major Saiyan battles quite well and provide more development to characters like Gohan and Piccolo, and even spotlight characters that were underutilized in the manga (in Launch's case, not utilized at all!), but weaknesses like filler episodes that are particularly bad and contradictory to canon material, plus the battle with Nappa and Vegeta having more padding stuffed in than is necessary. Kai loses those weaknesses, but it also loses those strengths. On the plus side, it feels perfectly paced, with 8 episodes before Nappa and Vegeta arrive followed by 8 after their arrival. So, which version gets the victory?

Well, the winner is....

The good filler in the original anime is very good, but the bad filler is literally story-breaking levels of bad (ex: the space pod Goku came to Earth in gets blown up, and then when it's canonically needed for the story no reference is made to the fact that it was ever destroyed), and more importantly than that, Kai has the only consistently good English dub of the saga.

The Freeza Saga

Manga: 87 Chapters (Vol. 5 - 12) Anime: 72 Episodes (Seasons 1 - 3) Kai: 38 Episodes (Seasons 1 - 3)

Let's rule out the anime right away, because its filler and padding was more often than not atrocious and dragged the whole thing down in spite of the arc's soaring highs. Kai retains those highs and trims the fat, with almost half the amount of episodes. However, a few things it couldn't quite work around such as Captain Ginyu's pointless return in Bulma's body and the fight between Goku and Freeza getting interrupted by a fight between Gohan and Freeza still ended up remaining. The pacing is still slightly better than the manga's and seeing the battles and transformations all fully animated is always a plus, but as a minus Toriyama's writing is more consistent as Toei's aforementioned retained additions are just that obvious.

So, when weighing them carefully, I've got to give the nod to....

The original manga arc was immediately iconic for a reason. Also, it's the only version where Vegeta says that Zarbon spilled Freeza's secret of being able to transform...and Zarbon actually did so! Yeah, in both anime versions they totally forget to have Zarbon say that to Vegeta, so it comes out of nowhere when Vegeta says the line to Freeza! When you make such a monumental narrative blunder, you just can't be the definitive version of the story.

The Cell Saga

Manga: 91 Chapters (Vol. 12 - 19) Anime: 77 Episodes (Seasons 4 - 6) Kai: 44 Episodes (Seasons 3 - 4)

It's a nigh-perfectly paced and utterly riveting story arc in all three versions, so each version's weaknesses being minor compared to their strengths. So this one is practically a coin toss!

But the coin lands on...

It's the best of both worlds. Truer to the manga with a lot of filler excised, while maintaining great animation and voice-acting that the anime made possible, plus keeping some of the better changes such as how the final epic beam struggle between Gohan and Cell plays out. Also, I much prefer the arrangement of the Kikuchi score here compared to the original.

The Buu Saga

Manga: 99 Chapters (Vol. 20 - 26) Anime: 92 Episodes (Seasons 7 - 9) Kai: 69 Episodes (The Final Chapters)

This arc was never gotten right in any version. The manga's goes further and further off the rails and gets rushed to a flat, underwhelming conclusion; the anime's drags on too long and the many battles against different incarnations of Buu grow tiresome; and Kai bafflingly keeps in a lot of the anime's worst additions which feels totally against the original point of Kai.

But the lesser of three evils is....

At the very least, when this arc starts to get really bad in the manga, it goes by fast. It's mostly in the last two volumes and you can read through it easily. That's way better than spending 22 minutes after 22 minutes after 22 minutes putting up with the decline in quality.

But that leads me to my big Hot Take: Dragon Ball Z is a legendary anime, important to and cherished by many, myself included. But nowadays there's....really not much of a good reason to watch it. Kai is far more in line with the original manga and actually goes at a reasonable pace. 167 episodes is still lengthy; longer than Dragon Ball's 153 and Dragon Ball Super's 131, but it still falls under that reasonable umbrella, whereas 291 episodes just feels way too daunting, especially when not being broadcast on a weekday-by-weekday basis.

So aside from checking out episodes here and there as a curiosity, I wouldn't recommend the original Dragon Ball Z to anyone anymore. Maybe I'm going to HFIL for that, but it's true!

#Dragon Ball #Dragon Ball Z #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Hey, you're from Germany, right? Do you have any tips for writing a German character? Most specifically, a German character studying abroad, and another character placed in Germany working In a office.

Things like relationships (familial, platonic, and romantic), office culture, normal habits, and cultural shocks a German may have would be very appreciated!

Sorry if this ask is tiresome. Thank you so, so much! <3

As always, Germans are like other people. Different personalities, different opinions, different worldviews — every German is different. So, you have a lot of options to build your character with a unique character.

That being said…

Studying abroad/living in Germany

So…I assume studying in ’merica, aye? I have been there when I was a teeny tiny cat but I have also heard stuff from people who have studied abroad. And uhhhh Germans hate Americans lol (though this could also be a European thing, not a German thing).

We make fun of your school system a lot. I don’t wanna be mean but things like education, school safety, your food etc. are often victims of our dark humour. A friend of mine was studying abroad and the people could genuinely not tell what exactly Germany is. Is it a country? A continent? A city?

Adding to that, she was overwhelmed with things like “Do you know Hitler?” or “Are you a Nazi?”

Bro…we spend months and years learning in detail about our country’s history. We visit concentration camps. We watch movies from that time, analyse in detail how the people got manipulated. We read books the victims wrote. Germany still imprisons people who are a hundred years old. Germany is well aware of its past. It’s also aware that something like this cannot happen ever again.

Since that was a bit deep uhhhh let’s go over to food. I dunno about y’all but from what I’ve heard…you’re ordering food for dinner and eat it on paper plates…? Look that’s what I’ve heard and I gotta tell you that most Germans eat bread and Brötchen for dinner (though this is also changing, a lot of people are cooking warm meals for dinner nowadays).

And — can’t stress this enough — Germans love bread. When you go into a supermarket, the first thing you’re gonna see is a bakery.

And inside the supermarket is also a mini bakery.

We love it. Can’t really live without it.

Germans complain (at least here in the East). You go out with friends? Instantly complaining about your stupid neighbours. You go to the club? Instantly complain how lame it is. You went somewhere for a special occasion? Instantly talking about everything that went well and all the things you would’ve loved to be better.

Germans love football (soccer). Personally, I hate it more than anything. But Germans love it. It’s insane to me. They sit in the stadium and scream…definitely has something Romanesque to it.

I’d say most people have a rather difficult relationship with their parents. Generational trauma is a big thing. I mean, Germany being split and being reunited is a big part of my parents’ childhood. And since healthy communication wasn’t really a thing back then, most parents just don’t really know how to communicate with their children. So, I’d rather say it’s kinda messed up? Again, I can’t speak for everyone but that’s just what I’m getting from talking to my friends etc.

It’s not that they don’t love us, it’s just that they cannot always show it when we need it.

I believe it is best if you watch a few TikToks of people who aren’t from Germany experiencing Germany, they can definitely tell you about all the different things way better. For example this one is about “language,” cake, grocery stores, German windows lmao, and this German tiktok icon making fun of Americans.

I hope this is somewhat helpful? I’m not working in an office, so I can’t tell you much about that, unfortunately but maybe someone on Tiktok could help you with that. People documenting their life is a pretty good source of information. (Other than that do not trust TikTok ever!!!)

#writing tips #no writing #pls don’t cancel me LMAO #hope this helps

[stevesorgasmicriffs]

tw: mentions abuse

ten years before i became gender-fluid, and ten years before i aquired a girlfriend, i remember sitting in the backseat of my mom’s car as we were driving to allie’s house.

she lived on a big hill, and every so often i would ask my mom the same nagging “are we there yet?”

not because i was looking forward to my sleepover there.

but because i just wanted the anticipation to be over.

allie was my friend, and i knew her two brothers as teachers at my school. henry was 27 and was what they called my “general education teacher.” percy was 25 and taught phys ed. i loved that class, because to me, it was like a second recess.

“vin,” my mom tossed me her phone. “make sure my location’s off.”

i knew then to tap the setting icon in the bottom right corner, go to “locations,” and press the green switch icon. she’d trained me to do that while she was driving.

and i knew why.

daddy’s pick-up truck would sometimes follow us. she got irritated when that happened. she’d mumble a lot of times “that man deserves to go to jail.” but when i asked why, she would reluctantly say that she didn’t have it her heart to send him there.

my daddy never kissed her, never cuddled her, never told her that he loved her even a slight amount. all he wanted was money. he cared about her too much. always wanted to know where she went, make sure she didn’t “cheat on him with nobody.” he’d be watching.

but he hardly cared about me. that was the most frustrating part. wasn’t he supposed to love me? he was my daddy. he was my parent. a parent was supposed to love their child. not neglect them. not abuse them. not treat them like their whole existence was an accident.

a text flashed on my mom’s home screen, from some guy named “p heart-emoji kiss-emoji heart-emoji.” whatever that meant. “e, we’ll be outside.”

“that p guy texted,” i told my mom.

“okay,” she sighed, “tell him, uh, we’re coming in five mins. make sure to sign it off as ‘e’ for me, ‘kay?”

i nodded and went ahead to text him.

i knew my mom didn’t like texting and driving, she didn’t like to take her eye off the road, and off the rear-view mirror, for one second. there was always that fear of the pick-up following us. every. where.

finally, we reached the top of the big hill. i passed the phone back to my mom and looked out the window.

the house on the right of the road had a giant yard, and that’s where i saw henry and percy, and allie. allie was running around, with henry and percy chasing after her.

that looked like fun. better than being confound to a prison of a bedroom. hiding from the enemy. the stranger-person. the menace.

we parked, and i unbuckled my seatbelt while hearing my mom get out of the car, shutting the door gently behind her. came around to my side to help me out, shutting the door after i hopped onto the pavement. i was more used to hearing the doors slam, any door, really, the car door, my bedroom door. my daddy liked to slam things. he liked to be aggressive.

as we walked up to the three others running around the yard tiresomely, they stopped in their tracks and came up to us, greeting us with friendly smiles and waves, opening their arms up for embraces.

“elodie!” percy cheerily exclaimed, the first to run up to my mom and wrap her up in his warmth. “so glad you could make it.” he then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, still keeping comfortable hold of her forearms. but i noticed my mom’s expression, and she looked smitten. happy. like it was her first encounter with him, even though it most certainly wasn’t. my daddy reminded me of this constantly, and i had the dark red marks on my collar to prove it.

“is vinny with you?” percy asked. typically, the greeting my mom was met with was a much more anxiety-inducing, aggravated-sounding “where’s vinny?”

i wasn’t used to a friendly and nice and kind demeanor that they couldn’t have more clearly possessed. i was still trembling slightly, out of fear, hiding behind my mom’s leg, clutching onto her jean with nubs for fingers.

“aw, don’t be frightened,” i saw him smile down at me, bending down slightly and resting his hands on his knees. “it’s only me.” he stuck out one of his hands, cocking his head to the side a bit. “you remember me, don’t you?”

i nodded.

his smile grew a bit wider. “we’re playing a small game out front here, and we were hoping if you could join us.”

his voice sounded so much quieter compared to my daddy’s. more calming. more endearing. i wasn’t sure if i could trust it.

suddenly i felt my mom’s hand on my back, pushing me forward just a bit. “go ahead,” vin,” she whispered down to me. “he’s nice. i promise.”

so i glanced back to percy and took a couple steps forward, tentatively sticking out my trembling hand so he could take it.

i was stunned by how gently he took it, not a sudden, forceful grab, tugging me into the kitchen, yanking me into the sitting room. that’s when i would dread what came next.

“how are you?” percy asked me, still bent down to me.

i smiled slightly and shrugged. “i don’t know.”

then i felt a tap on my arm. “i’ll be back to pick you up in the morning tomorrow,” my mom carefully explained. “you be good to percy and henry now.”

i nodded, fearful of what may happen if i broke that promise. “i’ll be a good girl,” i said to her obediently.

“alright,” she blew me a kiss and waved to me, getting back in her car, although i could detect a slight amount of hesitation in her steps.

i watched as her car engine rumbled and she backed away, turning around and driving back in the direction we came.

“vinny, you remember my sister allie, don’t you?” i turned around and saw henry and allie both staring at me, probably wondering why i was so frozen stiff.

i nodded. “yeah, from school.”

percy chuckled. “c’mon, we’re all playing a game. it’s called launch attack missile. allie kinda came up with it.”

the way it worked was, each of the brothers were a target, and allie and i were the “missiles.” percy and henry each carried us like we were actual torpedos, and got to launch us into the other brother by counting off “one… two…” throwing us back a bit during each count, building up the anticipation, and when they went around to saying “three,” they released us onto the grass and we went running towards the other while they comically tried to run away from us. the way we attacked was by grappling onto the other’s legs and bear-hugging, tackling them down to the ground. of course, if we weren’t careful and didn’t return to home base (the brother that was carrying us), we were then met with an attack of our own, an attack of tickles coming from the brother that we just tackled. but it made me squirm and squeal with pure, finite delight. i loved the game so much, and allie told me she did too, but it only worked with two players, and of course her brothers.

before the game even began, allie practically begged percy to be her home base, but percy waved her over to henry. “you never pick henry,” he reasoned. “but percy…” allie whined. “he doesn’t throw me as far.”

“oh, please,” henry grumbled. “i throw you plenty far.”

“but henry’s a better tickler,” allie whined again. “you don’t tickle as well.”

“that’s because i don’t wanna hurt you, silly,” percy chuckled. “c’mon, just this once, i promise when emily comes over next week you can get tickled by henry.”

“fine,” allie muttered.

i wondered if there was a reason percy wanted to be the one to throw me, to get to hold me in his grasp.

but i knew mom trusted him as well. so i could trust him.

percy offered me his hand again, when he saw that i hadn’t moved from the position that my mom left me.

“i promise it’s fun,” he smiled. “you have fun in gym class, don’t you?” he pointed with his thumb over to allie. “allie over here wishes we played attack missiles in gym.”

“why don’t we?” allie asked.

“you gotta have both of us,” percy reasoned, pointing to himself and henry, “and henry’s busy teaching. so you’re out of luck.”

allie pouted at this and folded her arms.

“aw, chin up, kid,” henry rubbed her head, “you play it plenty here.”

so we ended up playing a few rounds. and i slowly got into the swing of it. the more percy held me, the more comfortable i felt. the more safe i felt. the less i wanted him to let go.

“now can we switch off?” allie asked through an impatient grumble.

“erm…” percy looked down at me, and i flashed a fearful glance back up at him, not wanting to switch off at all. “no, allie, not just yet. we’re only gonna do one more round, anyway, it’s getting a little late, and i bet you’re getting hungry.”

“percyyy,” allie whined. “you’re no funnn.”

“allie, do you want to play, or do you want to go to bed early tonight?” i heard henry ask her.

“fine,” allie moaned.

but when the game did end, i found myself siding with allie: not wanting it to ever be over. i was actually having… fun..?

“didja like it?” percy asked me, bending down a bit to put a hand on my shoulder. i grinned and nodded. “i wanna play it again.”

he chuckled. “maybe another time,” he winked at me.

our dinner that night was a whole cheese pizza, with cookies and milk. i wasn’t used to the offer of such delicacies. only in school, and only on my birthday, did i ever recieve a treat such as that. so i didn’t quite know what to make of all of the others helping themselves to multiple slices, and multiple cookies.

“you sure you don’t want more?” percy asked me, flashing me a playful glance of disbelief.

i sat back in my seat and rested my hand on my stomach. “my tummy hurts,” i giggled.

“oh, c’mon, it can’t be hurting already, you’ve only had one of each, and no milk!” henry laughed, pushing the cookie platter my way. “c’mon, vinny, just one more.”

i shook my head, pushing it away, my smile fading slightly. “i… i don’t want any more.”

“she doesn’t eat much when we have pizza parties in class,” i heard percy mumble to him, and henry flashed a sad, almost concerned glance back at him in response.

“what’s the matter? why can’t she eat?” allie asked, a bit louder and more obnoxiously.

“she’s not used to rich food that we can afford. and that the school can afford,” percy explained further to her. “but she’s alright. she can eat what she wants to eat.”

contrary to what my daddy would always say to my mom, “she eats what i want her to eat. nothing more.”

i was used to eating hardly anything. i was used to watching my daddy eat the lion’s share. my mom getting what was left over. what more could my daddy want to eat? he was already grossly overweight.

“vinny,” i felt percy take my hand, “why don’t i lead you upstairs, into allie’s room? you’ll be sleeping there for the night, is that alright?”

i was too fearful of the consequences if i objected. so i nodded, with a small smile.

but i want to sleep with you, i thought to myself. you’re safe. you’re nice. you’re gentle. you’re happy.

so i let him take my hand and lead me upstairs.

“getting sleepy at all?” he asked, and i yawned in response.

“that game wore you out, didn’t it?”

i nodded, grinning. “but it was fun.”

he mirrored my smile and rubbed the top of my head. “i’m glad it was. you’re really good at running around.” as if i wasn’t forced to stay put in my room all day. he didn’t know that. did he?

“anyway, here it is.” we came to the top floor of the house, looking into a giant blue room with a blow-up mattress next to a queen-size bed. that was the biggest room i had ever seen. ever. it was nearly twice as big as my own room. it felt like a mansion.

then percy took a knee beside me, taking hold of both my hands.

“if you need me, i’m downstairs in the creamy yellow room,” he explained carefully to me. “it’ll be the second door on the left. and the door will be left open a crack, so you’ll know. i’ll even put a sign, if you’d like. i’m always here if you need me. okay?” he looked me directly in the eyes as he said this. something my daddy never did with my mom.

i nodded slowly, smiling a bit. “okay.”

he smiled back at me and ran a hand from the front of my head to the back. “you’re a beautiful girl,” he said to me in a considerably lower voice. “really beautiful.”

“thanks,” i felt myself blush a bit. i didn’t quite understand why he was being so nice to me just then. i knew that he had a reputation for being nice to all his students, very welcoming, embracing. but it seemed like this, right now, carried a special purpose and meaning to it. i just didn’t know what it was.

after percy gradually let go of my hands, stood back up and left, allie came running in.

“sleepoverrr!!!” she grinned, jumping onto my air mattress.

“hey, don’t break that thing,” i heard henry call after her, “it cost us a lot of money.”

then he walked into the room, instantly taking notice of me.

he flashed me an empathetic smile and thumbs up. “you good?” he asked me, and i nodded.

“you like it here?”

i nodded again.

“okay, good.” he pointed to allie. “don’t let her wear you out too much. she’s supposed to only do that to us,” he chuckled.

then i watched as he turned around and left the room, leaving just me and allie there.

i looked back to allie, who was now jumping on her own bed.

“i’m not tired,” she sang, right before flopping down on the mattress with her head hitting the pillow with a soft thump.

“allie…” i whispered, looking around… “there’s no… monsters here… are there?”

allie looked around with me, shrugging. “no,” she grinned, “no monsters, only shadows. monsters aren’t real, they can’t hurt you.” she gestured to all the fairy lights all around her, glowing in a rainbow of colors. “let’s play fairies, who live in fairy kingdom,” she giggled. “i’m the queen fairy, and…” she yawned. “they’re very… very… friendly… nice… sweet… fair….ies…” suddenly i could see her head turn around in the pillow, facing away from me.

suddenly the lights grew dark, and outside the window, the sky was pitch black.

nighttime was the scariest time for me. it was the time of night where i often experienced night terrors, tremors. i had to be on high alert. that was, until i drifted off to sleep naturally. but i had a hard time falling asleep. i was never finally diagnosed with insomnia. but i was always fearful, of what would happen when i was asleep, because when i was asleep, i was unconscious. unable to put up my defenses. not from anything physical. no, no. he was asleep. i guess that was something i could look forward to. but really, what was there to look forward to, in a life like mine?

in my dreams, i was a delicate, fragile object. a subject of even greater fright and fear.

i would hear the glass shattering against the wall. the muffled, disgruntled screeching, screaming, yelling. cursing the lord’s name. listing off sins that i was too innocent to grasp comprehending. the hits. the slaps. the punches. the yelps of pain, of agony. the loud, overbearing threats. and i could see the clenched fists, the large boots that made those loud footsteps that i always dreaded hearing. the ones that made my pulsing heart catch in my throat.

and when he came for me, my heart stopped entirely.

i felt numb, dizzy. i could feel the large, grimy hand tickle the back of my neck. grip it with a force i couldn’t describe in accurate words. the pressure that my bones felt. oh i’d always feel claustrophobic even if the space was open as ever. and the verbal torture. the demands. the questions. the “don’t play dumb with me young lady,” followed by and even gruffer “you ain’t know shit.” the throwing against the wall. the concussion. everything being blurry to me. “don’t you hurt her like that, she’s only five!” more screaming. yelling, cursing. the voices raising to a crescendo thag only led to an ear-splitting headache.

the next morning, i’d always awake to the tiny lacerations he left behind. all the bruises. and i’d hurt. and i’d hurt knowing that the cycle would repeat in precisely twelve hours from then.

my eyes shot open, my breath quickening, lungs feeling like they were catching fire and burning down into black ash. i looked outside the window. the black sky was still there. everything was black. the room was dark. i felt comfortable knowing that for once, something other than my eye was that color.

i scrambled out of my bed and ran out of the room.

the hallway was dark. my heart was bound to leap out of its chest with every passing second. i counted them in my mind with each footstep crewing closer and closer to the staircase.

i walked slowly, carefully, gradually, fearing any misstep that would surely wake the entire house up. but how could it, when the place was so huge?

i never could admit being fearful of the dark. but maybe the fear was subtle. lingering. i never knew for sure until my therapist gave a thorough analysis. more than anything, i was fearful of pain. of abuse. and of neglect. and compared to all those fears, a fear of the dark seemed so insignificant. so childlike. i was a child. i was still. so. innocent.

i began to run down the stairs, before reaching the bottom. i nearly tripped on the last of the stairs, coming so close to falling flat on my face. i thought i was going to throw up, and my heart would come right out along with the vommit.

and that’s when i heard it.

footsteps.

my heels did an entire 180° turn and i bolted in the opposite direction, about to leap right back up those stairs, before i felt a hand grab one of mine.

i used the other to stifle the scream that nearly jumped out of my vocal chords. instead, it merely sounded muffled.

i felt my whole body shake uncontrollably, frozen in place. i could move. i couldn’t breath. i could barely speak. as if i was paralyzed. this feeling i was so used to, although to anyone else, it would probably feel like the worst feeling in the world.

“p-please d-don’t… please don’t hurt me daddy…” my quiet voice stammered, the routine response i gave anytime i was caught doing anything wrong… or just… anything.

but the grab my hand received wasn’t at all like the ones i’d been so used to receiving.

it was a simple grab.

not a yank. not a tug. not a pull.

just a hand holding mine. and it didn’t feel hairy, or rough.

the skin felt soft to touch. and almost… comforting.

but i was still skeptical.

the fingers intertwined with mine, something my daddy never did.

and it held it firmly in place, not shaking my arm loose and treating me like i was some rag doll.

no. to this hand i was a person. a human being. just an innocent little kid.

and then i recognized it.

suddenly a light flickered on, and we were both in a creamy yellow room, sitting on a quite comfortable bed. i was too much in a daze to even pay attention to where i was being taken to, where i was walking to.

“percy,” i whispered when i saw his face, nearly jumping into his lap and wrapping my arms around his torso, squeezing him tight. “i was so scared.”

i felt his hand rub my back gently. he felt so warm. so soft. unlike any person i’d ever seen or felt before.

“you were having a nightmare, weren’t you?” he whispered in my ear.

i nodded.

“oh, darling,” he pressed a kiss into my temple. “i’m so sorry to hear that. i promise i won’t hurt you. i promise.” he held me closer to him, squeezing me just a touch. “i promise i won’t let anything hurt you, okay?” he kissed me again. “i promise.”

he could still feel me trembling slightly. the nerves were still lingering.

“your mom told me about your nightmares… and how you have them every night, yeah?” now he was speaking to me in an almost-whisper.

i nodded, not wanting to let go.

“that’s… that’s horrible…” it felt like he was muttering this to himself moreso than me. “i’m… i’m so sorry…”

there was a brief lull in the conversation, before i felt his hand rub my back again.

“vinnie… you would trust me… wouldn’t you?”

i nodded.

“you promise?”

“i promise.” the inflection in my voice was more genuine than when i made the promise to my mom. it didn’t feel like i had to be obedient. it felt like… it felt like i was speaking to someone i knew i could be honest to.

“i don’t want you feeling scared,” percy whispered to me. “i never want you feeling unsafe. or that you’re not wanted. or loved. i never want to hurt you. i never want to treat you like a prisoner. i never want to harm you with my words. i never… i never want to do any of that. because that’s just… that’s just wrong.” he shifted my position around in his lap so that i was facing him, tilting my chin up so my eyes met him.

i nodded slowly, to show that i was understanding what he was saying. and i knew that what he was saying was true. my mom knew this as well, but our opinions were always stifled under the only opinion that mattered in our own household… so they carried no significance. here, with percy, someone finally understood.

“it’s wrong,” he whispered to me, shaking his head. “very wrong. you… you go to jail for shit like that. why… why isn’t he in jail…” as if he was asking me.

i shrugged.

he looked down at me, shaking his head with a small smile. “sorry, just talking to myself. i don’t think you know what all that means yet.” he rubbed the top of my head, bringing it into his chest. “that’s okay.”

“can i… can i stay here?” i whispered with slight hesitation.

“of course you can.” there was no hesitation in his. “you poor thing. i hate to see you so scared.”

he seemed lost in thought for a brief moment.

then he smiled, looking down at me again. “did your mom ever tell you a bedtime story?”

i shook my head.

“no?” he stroked the top of my head again. “well, i guess it’s time you hear one. you… wanna hear one?”

i nodded, my curiosity instantly piqued.

so he began to tell the story of a small boy, about my age, with a missing front tooth and a plush duck he carried around with him all the time, named num-nums, and how he loved to spend his time in his backyard, playing in his treehouse, making up these strange creatures in his head, monsters he called them, but they weren’t scary monsters. they were friendly monsters, that were colored all these different bright colors, and had different numbers of eyes. some had horns. some looked really, really mean, and really, really big, but they were all gentle and kind. and when he’d tell his classmates at school about them, they would all be scared of them. later on, they would laugh at him, for still believing in “imaginary friends.” and even more later on, he realized that his monsters were much, much nicer than humans ever were to him, and could be to anyone. humans were the real monsters. the real-life monsters.

“that’s why he liked children so much,” he said. “they love to frolic in fantasy, to play pretend, and to not care about the real world.” he sighed. “i wish i could still be a kid... but, eventually you grow up and you learn just how terrible the real world is.”

there was a sad gleam in his eye as he looked off to the side, at the wall closest to us, before glancing back down to me.

“you like your mom, don’t you?”

i smiled and nodded.

“she’s nice, isn’t she?”

i continued to nod.

“yeah, she’s real nice. very nice… she adores you… so much… you’ve no idea…” he brushed a tuft of my hair back behind my ear with his fingers. “and you take right after her,” he swiped my nose. “beautiful. kind. cute…” he tickled my tummy a bit. “got a cute laugh.” he rocked me a bit in his arm. “she never told me how adorable you were.” his smile only seemed to grow wider. “and now i know.”

i’d never heard someone speak as quiet as he did. it almost hit you straight in the heart, how genuine he sounded, how endearing he acted… he truly meant what he said and did. he had nothing but true intentions. he didn’t have to put up a single act. all he wanted was for me to be safe, comfortable, but not just that. he went beyond that. he wanted me to be happy as well.

and i couldn’t stop grinning every time he spoke to me.

“your mom never married that jerk, did she?”

i shook my head.

“she’s gonna run away from him, isn’t she?”

my mom never mentioned that, so i shrugged.

percy shook his head. “never mind that.”

i thought back to what i did remember her telling me. that she did want to get married. that she wanted to have another baby. she always wanted a family with the right person, and she always wanted two kids. two was a lucky number for her.

“look at this,” percy reached over and pulled something out of his bedroom drawer. it was a small box, and when he opened it up, a small diamond ring was inside. it looked dazzling. like something out of a dream.

“you think she’ll like it?” percy asked me, putting the box in my hands.

i took one good look at it before passing it back to him, nodding. “yeah.”

“you think she’ll like wearing it?”

i nodded.

i didn’t know what significance that ring held, but the way percy made it sound, it seemed super important.

i watched as he put it back away in the drawer.

“tell me this, vinnie…” percy’s voice caught my attention as he sat back down. “how would you feel about you and your mom moving closer to here,” he pointed down at the ground, “and having me come stay with you guys for a bit? like, living together? would you mind that?”

i didn’t have to contemplate that for one second, something in my mind told me that i could immediately say yes to that question. i just knew.

“i would like it,” i grinned.

“would you?” there was an eager inflection in his voice. “what about if i stayed…” he leaned in close to me, “forever?” when he said “forever,” he made it sound like a mysterious whisper, which made me giggle.

“i would like that,” i said again, without second thought.

he chuckled a bit and squeezed me tight. “aw, that’s great. then we could have sleepovers every. single. night. and pillow fights. and more pizza and cookies…” he looked down at me, caressing my cheek a bit. “you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

i eagerly nodded, giggling.

“yeah, that would be fun.” he gave my back another rub. “you’re such a love.”

this made me feel warm inside. it was the strangest feeling, something i never thought anyone was capable of making me possess. except maybe in school, where i could be as far away from my daddy as i possibly could. or rather, someone that i wouldn’t be calling “daddy” for much longer.

“i wish i could see you more,” i found myself saying to him.

“ah, well, you’ll be getting that wish,” percy chuckled. this made me smile wide.

i threw my arms around him again and squeezed him tight, this time, not for protection, but rather, genuine affection. something i never knew anyone was capable of possessing, let alone me.

he smiled and kissed my forehead, running his fingers through my hair. “i love you,” he whispered. “i mean it. i really do. i just… i just hope you love me too.”

“i love you too,” i whispered back, nuzzling into his shirt, finding myself drifting off into the most comfortable sleep i’d remembered having, quite possibly ever.

and as the weeks and months passed, i learned how to trust and love percy more and more. he grew to be my favorite person in the entire universe. he was the one i always turned to, even more than my mom.

now, ten years after that night i remember so vividly, i was proud to no longer call him percy, but instead, a name that i used to hate saying with all my breath, sounding so revolting once it rolled off my tongue.

now, that word carried a complete opposite meaning, a meaning of love and trust, of care and compassion.

now, i didn’t feel pity when i said that word.

now, i felt proud to say it, every time i did.

because now, i could call him dad.

and he was the happiest dad you could ever meet, because he didn’t just have one daughter to gush over.

he had two.

i now had a baby sister named pepper, that was biologically his.

and he loved her to bits and pieces.

the man that i once called my daddy eventually did get sent to prison, it only took long enough, but once that day came, we celebrated with full vigor… and lots of pizza, of course.

that came after we moved into the house right next door to allie’s, where she and henry still live. but percy now had a life of his own.

as did i.

and now, i was ready to start a new chapter of my life.

a chapter with my girlfriend, connie.

#my fiction #my fic post #my fic writing #my fic tag #original fiction #my fic #fiction #fic writing #my writing #writing #original writing #original story #short story #storytelling #storytime

[vintage-bentley]

re: doctor who ask

gender stuff in newer episodes really IS annoying. esp the recent 60th anniversary rtd episode with david tennant and katherine tate. like it was fine all and all, even donna's trans daughter is fine as a concept. but the way they went waxing about identities and pronouns again and again it just felt tiresome. a chunk of plot is just talking about identities and non-binaries. and the ep still got shit bc they tried to kill two birds with one stone and make a jab at men via pointing out that doctors won't understand women (donna and her trans daughter), unless he is a female regeneration himself and all the previous talk abt doctor being non-binary just went out through the window. like lmao pick a side ore something. it was an okay sci-fi plot, but a lot of stuff was underwhelming because of the constant talk about identities.

It’s fascinating to me that such a long-running and iconic series feels the need to do this. Is it losing relevance or something? 😂

And the idea of a man telling another man he won’t ever understand what it’s like to be a woman…lmao.

It’s also interesting how quickly talk of pronouns and NBs and gender identity etc. took off in media compared to LGB representation. It feels like we’ve been waiting YEARS for proper representation and still aren’t quite there yet, but the TQ+ managed to swoop in and have everyone scrambling to pander to them. But they’re super oppressed, of course.

#asks #anon

[phoenix-knight]

K-DRAMA REVIEW: MASK GIRL

HER:

Kim Mo Mi is the epitome of the ugliness the beauty standards in South Korea regurgitate after their society is done boxing young girls into what they think they should be. Her mom berated her for being the ugly duckling even if she had a beautiful swan for a mother. Why is she so ugly? Do you think you can succeed as a performer with that ugly face? These lines hit home so hard. Whether she had the stage presence and talent to be a performer never mattered. She just was not "pretty" enough.

The portrayal was spot on. I could see and relate to the gradual darkening of her personality because she believed those fucked up opinions and resigned herself to a life of tiresome morning coffees and botched office reports. Her childlike crush on her handsome married boss and her heartbreak when she accidentally sees him fucking the pretty rookie... this is such a cliche, but more or less, this is the truth. I think every twenty-something will know the growing pains of being ugly and feeling unloved or undesirable.

I did not think her choosing online streaming as an outlet for the performer inside her was wrong. It was the only way she could quench the thirst inside her, and as a fellow creative, I know what it feels like to be hollow when you don't. It served to prove an important point because the moment people looked beyond her face and focused on her talent, she quickly gained popularity. The men jerking off to her streams made it all about her boobs, and so did Oh Ju Nam, her sleazy porn-addicted coworker.

The men. Good Lord, the men. I wanted them all to burn in hell. Those fuckers thought they were entitled to her body each and every time they discovered she was "ugly" behind the mask, as if they were doing her a favour by pity fucking her. As if letting them cum inside her was the price she had to pay for their attention and money online. Ju Nam was a man-child whose love meant stalking Mo Mi, taking advantage of her by helping her get rid of a rapist's body, then becoming a rapist himself the moment he feared Mo Mi would leave him behind. I have to protect you. I love you so much. I am the only one who understands you... he said as he forcefully ripped her shirt open and shoved his tiny dick inside. No wonder she chose to take control and stab him with a fucking screwdriver. He died a death befitting him. He was stabbed while cumming inside the love of his life. I have maniacally cackled each time she killed those rapist bastards and felt the bloodlust of feminine rage subside. Vengeance was sweet. Ironically, despite everything, the child born from that traumatic incident brought hope to Mo-Mi's life.

I thought things were finally looking up when she found a best friend in Chun Ae who had an almost identical story to herself. The endearment and affection between them was heartwarming. This is what we mean when we say female friendships are forever. Women sticking up for women is the shit, man. Chun Ae's death was well written, but I would have liked some on-the-road lesbian action while parenting their child. There was some really queer-coded shit going down there. What's more, it's genetic. Later in the series, her daughter also developed a similar relationship with a classmate.

I absolutely enjoyed seeing Mo Mi go ape-shit feral on the gangs in the prison. I was impressed; the dedication to consistently beat the shit out of one of the gang henchwomen every time she got out of solitary confinement was badass. The Queen Bee had no choice but to declare a truce. I never believed Mo Mi had found salvation in the Lord and the Bible because her instinct to protect her daughter from Oh Ju Nam's psycho mother superseded them all. The nuance, emotions and skill displayed by the three actresses who pay Mo Mi at different stages in her life is really sublime. I support women's rights but also women's wrongs. Mo Mi is an icon of badassery.

HER BEST FRIEND:

Chun Ae's innocent crush on the hottest guy in class backfires in her face louder than a string of firecrackers. That fucker used her as his cash cow for years while sweetly batting his eyelashes. She must have really believed she was helping him, and I am sure he was an excellent liar.

Was it worth posting pictures of his underage drinking, smoking, abuse, school violence, and assault online? Meh, I don't know. Did it spitball into a huge controversy that ruined his whole fucking life as an aspiring rookie idol in the Korean showbiz? Hell to the yeah. Honestly, I don't blame her. It is superb that we do not get to see him abuse the money and fame to sexually assault and extort countless other girls. Men accumulate privilege and entitlement from birth, and somehow it is even worse in the case of these conventionally handsome types.

I don't think she needed to feel guilty about screwing him over. In fact, I was really surprised she still wanted to fuck him, even offering to let him stay at her house until he found a stable job. Surprise! Surprise! That two-faced leech never moved out until Mo Mi and Chun Ae chilled him, chopped him up and dragged his ass to the lake.

He mooched off her so bad while all this shit was happening, and the old woman was creating chaos looking for Mo Mi while Chun Ae tried to secretly protect her best friend. He confronted Chun Ae about the pictures she had uploaded and lashed her with her fucking dog's leash. I cannot express how cathartic it was to see both Mo Mi and Chun Ae desperately clutch two ends of the rope around the fucker's neck and pull...pull...pull until he croaked. Their eyes reflected a fury a long time in the making.

Chun Ae's sacrifice and death at the hands of Oh Ju Nam's mother were perfectly written and beautifully executed. I was heartbroken because Mo Mi had lost the one person who became her true family. Their strength and resilience while replying on each other was a marvel to see. I wished there was more of their friendship or maybe even lesbian shit, but that was too much of a stretch.

HER DAUGHTER:

Exquisite acting by all the child actors in this drama; even the supposed betrayals and lies felt real enough to be tasted. Mi Mo was portrayed realistically while she lived under the infamous shadow of her Serial Killer Mother, Mask Girl. She had sirens blaring and neon signs everywhere she went to warn off potential kindness by declaring that she was a murderer's daughter. She quit school and moved a dozen times because of that.

I am glad the best friend turned out to be loyal. It was a delightful twist to keep Oh Ju Nam's mother alive and still itching to get revenge. The actress who plays the best friend is someone i have been following online, and I can really see her growth. Not only has she done a splendid job, but she conveyed each and every emotion so convincingly that it didn't snap me out of the story. Not once.

The Grandma choosing to suddenly care about her grandaughter's well-being was a necessary redemption arc for the final climax, but man, she really did suck at being a mother to Mo Mi. The trauma is real, and the struggle hits hard.

Mi Mo is surrounded by the worst adults. I don't think you can call them adults cause in what universe is this mess something to learn by example? Oh Ju Nam's Mom. That psycho bitch. I understand the unfathomable pain of losing a precious child, but she was goddamn crazed. In her blind efforts to make Mo Mi feel the pain of losing a child just as she had when she realized her son was murdered, she makes a fuckery of Mi Mo's life in the most fucked up way. She pretends to be Mi Mo's adult role model, caretaker, and lovable Shopkeeper Granny who gives out free tteokbeokkki... but spreads rumors about her being a serial killer's daughter behind her back. She proudly writes a letter to Mo Mi in prison, saying she should enjoy the taste of her own medicine by watching her destroy her daughter. The AUDACITY, my God! Mi Mo had literally nothing to do with whatever happened, and it is really fucked up to think that a mother could just as easily kill another child just to spread the pain. Regardless of whose child it is, that's still a fucking child. Leave it the fuck alone. I shook my head so hard every time Mi Mo took care of that old hag, celebrated her birthday and sought to make her happy. All this while, there was no way she did not know the child did nothing wrong, and she says as much, but I guess after a certain point, she had come too far to turn back. In her desperation to make Mo Mi feel the same anguish, she fucked with that child's emotions, trust and faith so bad, I was crushed. As a result, that poor thing was betrayed by her so-called granny, who also killed her other granny and her mother, who had broken out of prison to save her. She lost everyone she loved and cared for in one single day except that chubby best friend. She will remember the blood on her hands and the tears in their eyes forever.

Thankfully, one advantage of her best friend's lies was that her parents were not abusive at all and they became Mi Mo's de facto legal guardians, which meant she could try to live normally.

As for Oh Ju Nam's Mother, I have no words. I guess that speaks to Yeom Hye Ran as an actor and her exceptional skill at conveying her character's emotions, however raw and ugly they were. She made it convincingly surreal and so believable that I began to hate her character with a passion. So kudos to her. The character herself was someone I could not relate to. I have lost a dog that was my child, and I loved it like a mother. If my dog was murdered and cut into tiny pieces, I would kill the person who made him that way. I would never be able to kill the murderer's dog. Because the innocents in a case are glaringly obvious no matter how you try to excuse or justify their death. The innocents have the possibility of a life beyond the trauma that pervades yours. Mi Mo could have had a relatively normal childhood if not for that granny's antics. She ruined an innocent's life. I hate her for that.

Moreover, I would be so fucking ashamed if my own son was a rapist who died trying to force himself on a woman. I would be so disgusted. I might have wanted to kill off that scum of a son myself and end the bloodline there. I would disown him, make sure he stands trial and serves prison time and honestly, I would not have blamed Mo Mi if she had explained that she had killed him out of desperation to protect herself. I would thank her for doing something I would not have been able to do myself because such degenerate fuckers do not deserve to live. In the end, the two Mothers, Mo Mi and Ju Nam's mom, made for the perfect pair of anti-hero and villains pitted against each other, with their own reasons for survival and justifications for murder. Their explosive chemistry as actors made the series a thrilling edge-of-the-seat ride I did not get off until I devoured all the episodes on Netflix.

MUST WATCH | MUST RECOMMEND | REWATCHABLE | ADDICTIVE STORYLINE | EXCEPTIONAL CAST | IMMERSIVE ACTING | A FUCKING 10/10

#spilled thoughts #inspirational quotes #book quotes #motivational quotes #life quotes #quote #spilled journal #cute quotes #mental health #spilled ink #mask girl #kdrama review #kdramadaily #kdramaedit #kdramagifs #netflix kdrama #k drama #kdrama #kdramanetwork #korean drama #mask girl netflix

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

@maryofboston SH's career did not start with this film. He played in two films before The Young Alexandre. SH could play a teenager Alexander, at 25, it is possible for an actor, and it is not because of his good looks. How did this film helped over time to SH in his acting career at 30 (2010) and now 43, if the film never was released at the cinema 🎦? 🤷 Don’t tell me, the charisma and charm of Sam are from birth, But that does not exist. Unfortunately, he didn’t grow as a remarkable actor. This is not cute, or so sweet. He has only one audience, which inflates his ego.

How you can compare SH to Paul Newman? These comparisons between SH and Paul Newman must soon end because are tiresome. SH doesn’t impress as the young Alexandre. Paul Newman had his own intense brilliance, was grown into a very handsome man and an outstanding and inspirational motivated actor who never boasted of his accomplishments as Sam does.

Paul Newman was an accomplished actor and a style icon, including what made him who he was and neither of his hallmarks of style, SH had/has and he’ll never have. Maybe you are talking about “The Silver Chalice” where Paul Newman made his film debut in this Biblical saga at 29 years old, playing a silversmith who crafted the Holy Grail. A box office failure, but it helped springboard him towards other roles, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance, Newman later called it "the worst motion picture produced during the 1950s". It’s not the same as SH’s situation with this film. Remember SH’s quote at San Diego ComiCon “I made a movie that will hopefully never see the light of day”...

Newman acted in 65 movies over 50 years and played tragic figures, antiheroes, and rebellious figures in classics. He had effortless charm, and it shone through in each role he took on and later in each film, he directed. He was nominated for numerous awards and won Oscars as well throughout his career. Newman remains an integral part of Hollywood history for all this and more. SH is simply the wildcard in a pack of cards of Sony+Lionsgate+STARZ in a candy land but not because of its outstanding performance.

#Youtube