#matthias can usually take himself out of a scene just because of the nature of his past... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mattodore · 2 months

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okay so because previous anons asked about sex, I wanna ask about aftercare, how they act after sex? oh and i’m curious how their sex life change after being together for a while

xoxo <3

their aftercare isn't always aftercare-101, if i'm honest. theo is very bad at it and doesn't really... ever... do that for matthias. and matthias may be very good at giving aftercare but theo is incredibly resistant to it. i mentioned earlier that theo really gets off on praise, but... he also flinches away from it. he's so twisted up about so much of what he wants and he's really, uh... well. he makes it really hard to get close to him and offer comfort despite how much he desires it. matthias can't say certain things without scaring theo off (and i mean, like, theo will quite literally run away), so he has to talk around what he wants to say and what theo needs to hear to prevent theo from bolting before he can bring him down.

matthias takes a long time cleaning theo up and massaging his muscles after, and he'll hum or talk to himself in polish so theo knows he's still there touching him (but isn't stirred before he comes to himself on his own by english he can understand). when he's finished, he'll ask theo very simple yes or no questions that let matthias know how theo's feeling without outright asking how he's feeling. he also checks on theo throughout the day, but he has to be even more subtle there or theo starts to feel smothered. is your body okay? do you want me to get you dressed? does your head hurt? do you want me to read to you? he focuses on asking about the physical and what theo wants to do rather than theo’s emotions. matthias has learned that asking if theo's feeling okay after is a quick way to trigger a very, very negative response in theo. it's one of the reasons why i think matthias is constantly asking theo in the heat of sex how he's feeling, because that's when theo is so preoccupied by the physical aspect that the emotional effects leak out without him fighting to keep them in. it takes a few months for theo to get comfortable with the feelings he has after sex with him before matthias can really give him proper aftercare. that’s why the sex they have early on is never anything too crazy. matthias coaxes theo into a better place first.

i also think it’s important to clarify that it’s not like they’re always having kinky sex. still, theo usually needs physical touch after vanilla sex as well. matthias himself always craves conversation afterwards, so he waits for theo to stir awake (because he often falls asleep after sex) or come back into his body fully to talk to him.

as for changes to their sex life after they’ve been together for awhile… i believe i've talked about this before, but their sexual dynamic turns on its head after a few years. theo starts to take control of the reins and gets more comfortable asking for and doing what he wants. with theo he just has a lot holding him back and it's only after he's grown as a person and worked past a majority of his intimacy issues that he can act on the desires he's been burying waaay down. there's a sort of brattiness that theo starts to have a lot of fun with during sex—a lot of pushing and prodding, withholding, insulting... matthias is having the time of his life lmao, like he loves being challenged and pushed around. matthias takes on a more submissive role during sex as they age, which is fun for him. plus it's kind of the dynamic they've always had outside of sex anyway. of course, there are never any set roles in their sexual life so i'm not saying that it's always like that, but theo enjoys telling matthias what to do and how to do it. they have a lot of fun with it.

#river dipping #asks #anonymous #oc extras #nsft #theodore doe #matthias evanoff #a burning house to live in #echthroi #finally done..... actually patting myself on the back for being able to answer all of these in a day and a half like #normally being asked anything abt my ocs takes me forever to get to bc i just take everything so seriously #......................................exhibit a: this reply jnjhkjfnghk #my ocs are just really complicated so i feel like i have to really expand upon each new bit of information #like theo is NOT ! well adjusted in the slightest #and while matthias can read people very easily it doesn't mean that there aren't times where he messes up #theo is very closed off and he will lash out at the slightest thing that spooks him #and he also... is not really experienced in having good sex yk? so he's so bad at aftercare which i guess is like. well.#good thing your partner is someone who's used to being left to his own devices after experiencing major physical and emotional stressors #matthias can usually take himself out of a scene just because of the nature of his past...#but i think theo does pick up on what matthias does for him after awhile and he tries incorporating it into 'aftercare'#but................. i don't think he really understands what all he should be saying and doing for a few years like not until he's #domming matthias more frequently and has taken the time to look at The Internet lmao jkfjnhkjn i imagine it shocks him a bit #matthias may be good at sex but he does have his blind spots and those normally involve himself… so he never told theo that what he does #for him should be reciprocated………… additionally matthias is very much a giver not a taker #like he doesn’t expect or even really want theo to ask how he’s feeling. but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need that.#….have been rereading this for the last thirty minutes idk why this is what i’m like Yikes ! about responding to 😭#whatever post ‼️ theo isn’t good at sex i’ve said it before who can be surprised he gives zero aftercare

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submissivewilde · 5 years

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Scene Week || Matthias & Jeremy

Who: Jeremy Wilde and Matthias Beiste ( @matthiassbeiste )

Where: Dom building, Matthias’ suite.

Class used: You Missed a Spot

With the usual order of Jeremy being naked at all times in his suite, he took great pleasure in inviting the blond in to watch him strip for him. Something about how comfortable they were with each other at this point was a nice feeling and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't starting to feel territorial and protective over this boy already. "Gorgeous." He approves, once he gets Jeremy on his knees again, while physically praising him for following the strip order on point by rubbing his fingers through that blond hair. "Remind me of your safewords, Pretty Boy."

Jeremy enjoyed being with Matthias, and part of that worried him. He didn't want to make the same mistake he did last time and rush into anything just to get left again. But being with him for scene week put it out of his mind while he stripped and knelt, grinning at the verbal and physical praise. At the order, he answered the same way he always had, it being ingrained in his mind for years, "I use the stoplight system, Sir." His eyes didn't look away from the Dom while his hands rested against his side.

"And what happens if you can't talk?" Matthias has to ask, as he does every time. Even if he was aware of Jeremy's safeword system by now, he always had to ask. He always wanted to make sure Jeremy was in a state to recite his safeword in case he pushed an unknown boundary. Hell, even if he pushed a known one by accident. "Because your mouth is going to be busy, and I need to know what you'll want to use instead of verbal words."

"Then I jingle the bells on the bracelet." He answered, feeling excited about hearing that his mouth was going to be busy. "What is my mouth going to be busy with, Sir?" He asked, the constant curiosity poking at him again, even if he thought there was a large chance that Matthias wouldn't answer. But really that just made it all the more exciting when he was with him.

Proud of the reply, Matthias nods as he pushes away from his usual perch and wanders into the kitchen only to return with an odd looking device. While normally it'd look like a ball gag, it had a bristle brush attached to the other end. Returning to his perch, he holds the item down for Jeremy to take a through look. "This, my sweet, is what you'll be using to clean the floor with." Matthias states. "You'll have a bucket of warm water and soap, and you dunk this in the bucket. You'll clean the entire floor. Afterwards, if I'm pleased with your work, you'll be allowed my cock."

Jeremy waited for him to return, and held the item in his hands while the Dom explained what it it. He wouldn't have expected anything less than a challenge like this from Matthias, but that's part of what makes him so fun to be with, "You'll have a perfectly clean floor in no time, Sir." He said with a grin on his face. Even without the promise of his cock, he would have done his best with the job, but it definitely helped as extra motivation.

"I know you will." Matthias agreed, never being one to ever see this boy want to fail him for anything. Another run of his fingers through Jeremy's hair, and he's directing a nod to the usual basket of goodies under his coffee table. "Now fetch me those bells so we can keep you safe, Pretty Boy."

It didn't take long to find the bells in the basket he's been in a few times before, and once they were found Jeremy handed them over to Matthias to put them on him. Once they were on he gave a little test jingle although he knows by now that they work fine, it was more of a precaution to let him remember to use it if he needed. "I'm all ready, Sir." He spoke, looking back up at him with a bit of the usual eagerness he had when following orders.

Accepting the bracelets, he attaches them to the subs wrists, being sure that they're not cutting off circulation but also not slipping down by being too loose. "That's my good boy." Matthias smirks, picking the brush gag. Instructing Jeremy to open his mouth, he tests out the gag before he even latches it around the others head with the strap. "Give me a thumbs up if that's comfortable and you can breathe." He orders.

Another grin came across his face when he was called his good boy, that always made Jeremy feel good. He opened his mouth when instructed to and let him latch the gag around his head. After a few moments of silence he gave the Dom a thumbs up, the gag was fine in his mouth and he knew soon enough it'd be replaced with the cock he wants if he does a good enough job with cleaning the floor.

Crooks a finger to encourage Jeremy to follow him, into the kitchen. Setting the bucket of water on the floor for the blond to reach, he leans against the counter. "There's your bucket, Pretty Boy. I'll be right here in case something goes wrong."

He followed him into the kitchen and his eyes followed the bucket as it was placed down. Once he was done talking, Jeremy nodded and moved over to the bucket, dunking the bristle brush gag into it. He was sure that at some point during this he’d get wet from the water, but starting out he was trying to avoid it while he moved down to the floor and began scrubbing.

Settling into a kitchen chair, as he could keep a direct eye on Jeremy's progress instead of being furthering himself by being in the living room. Taking this time to admire the blond in his natural state, being naked and bent over on hands and knees. Even for the most split of seconds did he let himself imagine a future of getting to see this ass in front of him doing any and all domestic chores assigned to him. It was wavering, and only for a second, before he's shaking himself out of it. "Doing good, baby. Giving me a good view. And already making my floor so clean already."

Jeremy was doing his best with the task, it was a little difficult having to be so close to the ground while scrubbing, but he was doing pretty well. And although he couldn't grin because of the gag, he was happy to hear Matthias' comment, he's heard plenty comments about his naked body but he always loved to hear more. Especially when it was from someone as attractive as the Dom was. He kept scrubbing though, dunking the brush when needed and doing his best to keep his hair out of the way.

Matthias subtly moves his kitchen chairs out of the way for Jeremy to do a through job, still being close the entire time to watch for any sign of discomfort or slowing down. The stamina this boy had was incredible, and he knows that by the end of it, the sub will earn his cock. "Almost done, Pretty Boy. Then you may have your reward."

Jeremy was glad to hear that he was almost done. After a bit he was finding this easier to do, but when he’s done then he can get the reward he was so eager to have. Once he was done with the floor he sat back on his knees and looked over at Matthias.

The entire floor clean and spotless, Matthias smirks at the job well done. Stepping in towards Jeremy, he crooks a finger to encourage the kneeling boy to raise himself from a comfortable sitting position on his thighs to an upright one as he could remove the gag. "That's my good boy. Proud of you." The subs face was obviously wet, and he doesn't mind grabbing a kitchen towel to dab along his face to dry him off, wherever he may have spilt some soapy suds. "How are you feeling, Pretty Boy? Is anything sore? Like your knees or your mouth?"

At the finger motion, he raised himself up and stayed still while the gag was removed and he got dried off. He was glad that the Dom was proud of him, and of course he always loved being someones good boy. And even if it felt different entirely coming from Matthias, he just grinned. At the question, Jeremy shook his head, “No, Sir. I’m all good to go.” He was used to moving on his knees and having something in his mouth so he was more than ready to have the Dom’s cock in his mouth or anything else the man wanted to do instead.

Fingers brushing along Jeremy's jaw, he nods at the reply. Couldn't argue with that. And as there was no sign of injury, he sets the gag aside and takes a seat. Giving a nod to his own groin, he puts his weight on the table. "Take my cock out, get me hard. Suck me off until I tell you to stop. I need a good wet hole, and your mouth will do."

He leaned into the touch a little until he took a seat in front of him. With a grin on his face he nodded at the new orders, “Yes, Sir.” Jeremy followed the orders to a T, taking Matthias’ cock out and working to get him hard, sucking on it like he needed it more than air. As he got more into it he moaned around his cock, bobbing his head a little while he slipped into a sort of rhythm.

One of Matthias' favorite views was watching this boy get him off. Sure, one could argue the view of anyone going down on him to show off their skills was a sight he preferred anyway. But having an attachment to this boy in particular, he was just filled with a sense of pride that he was the one being blessed with that skilled mouth. He was already semi-hard by the time he's taken out, so it doesn't take long for him to be fully erect as the sun works him over. The better the blond worked him over, the sooner he was again reaching in to run fingers through soft strands of hair while giving an approving groan of his own.

Jeremy continued sucking and moaning, moving his tongue all around the Dom's cock. He always enjoyed the feeling of his fingers in his hair, especially when it was during something like this. Occasionally he would glance up at Matthias to see his reactions to what he was doing, but for the most part he was focusing on doing a good job on working him over. He'd be lying if he said this wasn't one of his favorite things to do with him, most guys, actually, but it was different being on his knees for Matthias.

The longer Jeremy worked him over, the heavier Matthias felt himself getting. One of the cons of having a huge cock, aside from not being able to go balls deep that is, was the uncomfortable heaviness it could bring. The mixture of discomfort and arousal was something he was relatively used to, however, and he knows when he's about to get close to shoot. Stilling the blond by tugging his hair so to take him off his cock, all swollen lipped and face flushed. "Keep that mouth open, slut. Going to cum all over your face and you're going to thank me for it." It isn't up for negotiation, as Matthias takes himself in hand and adds just the right amount of pressure and swipes of his thumb over his head for extra stimulation. The throb is hot, and the rip through him is amazing. His balls tighten, and he releases. Spewing thick, white ropes of himself all over Jeremy's face, hair, and chest. Head falling back, the Dominant moans himself through it, hips jerking weakly. He isn't sure how long he lasts, only everything goes white hot and then fades to black in catching his breath. Sinking down in his hair, hand running through his own hair, he uses his other hand to smear his cum all over Jeremy's face and pushing some into his mouth with his thumb. "That's my good cock slut. Proud of you, Pretty Boy."

When Matthias tugged on his hair to get him off, he kept his eyes on him and listened. It clearly wasn't up for discussion, not that Jeremy would have argued anyway, so he kept his mouth open and waited a few moments until the Dom followed through with his word and cum all over his face, even getting his hair and chest. His eyes were closed while it happened but he opened them once it was done and swallowed whatever was in his mouth so he could speak, "Thank you, Sir." Anytime he made someone proud made him happy, and even if he wasn't told to thank him for cumming on his face he probably would have done it anyway.

"You're welcome, my Pretty Boy." Matthias leans down to press a quick kiss to Jeremy's forehead, the only clean spot he could find actually, then let's him go so he can fix himself up. "Let's get you properly cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket now. If you wish to wear something, you may wear something of mine."

He really liked the sound of that, being called his Pretty Boy. "Yes, Sir." He moved to get up and clean himself off, and after he finished he put on one of Matthias' shirts to at least cover his chest and went back out to him.

#gleedsmscene8

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aetherscribe-blog · 7 years

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Writers that Changed Me

The authors of my life who inspired me to follow their footsteps.

I hate to have to decide my absolute favourites and so, for the safety of both my mind and those in my immediate vicinity, this list is not in order of favouritism.

1. Derek Landy (The Skulduggery Pleasant Series)

“Detective, magician, warrior... oh yes, and dead.”

Derek Landy is a mad genius. Not only does he encapsulate best way of “getting to the point” in a story without so much unnecessarily fluffy words but he manages to deliver this in a way that leaves me tearful in either comedy or tragedy. His characters speak and interact with each other in such witty sarcasm in even such dire situations sends me a clear message - that the readers may love and be flabbergasted by the incredible worlds that Landy creates, but his characters have no such compulsion to enjoy the dangers they are constantly thrown into.

2. JRR Tolkien (The Middle-Earth Series)

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

He started it all off - the hero that the fantasy genre got and deserves. I won’t lie, I do not admire Tolkien for his writing as much as I admire him for his ideas and his pioneering of the genre. He’s the reason why so many writers can spend so long on perfecting the setting of their stories, trying to imitate the rich culture and history of Middle-Earth. Without him, I bet we wouldn’t have such things as Dungeons and Dragons or many of the other fantasy role-playing games and of course, far less of the fantasy novels we know today. It goes without saying that JRR Tolkien truly changed the imaginative world.

3. Michelle Paver (The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness)

“Suddenly death was upon them. A frenzy of claws. A welter of sound to make the ears bleed. In a heartbeat, the creature had smashed their shelter to splinters.”

These books. These goddamn books. The first instalment of this series, Wolf Brother, was where it all began for me and ten years from now, I can proudly say that it was this book’s rich atmosphere that would set me on the path to being a writer. You can tell that she did her research here because for the entirety of this young adult’s book you truly feel like a stone age hunter from every animal Torak tracks to the release of air from his lungs as he looses arrows from his bow. The beautiful thing is that this book based on the ancient world is steeped in supernatural beasts and creatures, setting up my foundation love for finding wonder in a believable world.

4. Darren Shan (The Demonata and the Saga of Darren Shan)

“It is good to be taught humility when we are young. If we do not experience pain as children, we will cause pain as adults.“

Darren Shan brings out the little kid in me and subjects my inner child to untold horrors. Usually, saying such things would only result in a court hearing but here, Mr Shan does it with all that horror that involves lots of gooey blood and slime. If one were to pick up one of his books, they might toss it aside thinking it to be immature or childish and to be fair on the man, that’s the audience he was going for in the first place. And yet, when one reads on, they feel themselves becoming like the kids they once were with mischievous shenanigans and cheeky comments. Then Mr Shan proceeds to take that child and gleefully show them images of their family being murdered brutally by demons, vampires or any other horror monster he can imagine. It’s simple, straightforward and helps to bridge the gap between child’s horror and adult horror in a satisfying transition.

5. Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline, American Gods and Neverwhere)

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

Nobody has ever been able to whisk me away to a whimsical and creative world as easily and in such a state of willingness like Neil Gaiman. Describing him simply as a fantasy writer would seem incorrect yet accurate at the same time, as he bases many of his stories in the real world with strange and bizarre things happening within them that the main character can’t help but tumble into. He makes many references to things such as folklore, mythology and ancient pantheons so that although these worlds are amazing and astounding, we feel an odd familiarity with them. Many writers do a good job of presenting a world and dropping the reader into it but Neil Gaiman doesn’t have to try this hard; if he shows us a world, we want to dive headlong into it.

6. Brian Jacques (Tales of Redwall)

“Even the strongest and bravest must sometimes weep. It shows they have a great heart, one that can feel compassion for others.”

The Tales of Redwall series once dominated my childhood and sat here as an adult, it took me a long time to work out just why that was. For anybody not fully aware of the Redwall books, it consists of a fantasy world which is home to anthropomorphic animals who remain locked in conflict with each other in one way or another. It would sound very tame and childish if not for unexpectedly brutal and vivid fights and scenes. Then it struck me that these animals actually personified different characters. Matthias, the mouse monk who seemed frail in stature but fierce for the defence of his friends, or Lord Brocktree, the badger warrior whose might was equalled only by his sense of justice, and Cluny the Scourge, the rat warlord who was equal parts traitorous as he was cunning and evil. These tales took a medieval world and made them appeal to the imaginative senses of children, and for that I am forever grateful of Brian Jacques.

7. Terry Pratchett (The Discworld Series)

“Stupid men are often capable of things the clever would not dare to contemplate.”

The late Sir Terry Pratchett was the greatest author the modern world has ever seen. Yep, i said it and I mean it, anybody who disagrees with me knows where to find me. You can’t really argue with the works he left behind, such as Discworld which speaks for itself as a series of 41 books. None of them were lazily done either, for those who believe it’s either about quality or quantity will realise that Terry Pratchett had both under his belt and hat. Every book was a parody so ridiculous in it’s nature that it took on a value of it’s own, every book of his leaving me in stitches more than once. This humour wasn’t even meaningless either, as every book for all it’s silliness never failed to be coupled with some inside meaning; a theme that encompassed the morale of the tale. Terry Pratchett made the art of writing seem so easy and real that all of those writers who were crazy enough couldn’t help but try it themselves. Rest in peace, Mr Pratchett. *Salutes*

8. Philip Reeve (The Mortal Engines Series)

“ “You aren't a hero and I'm not beautiful and we probably won't live happily ever after" she said, "But we're alive and together and we're going to be all right.” “

Oh boy, where to start with this one. Philip Reeve certainly had his imagination cap on for this series, as it’s hard to imagine a post-apocalyptic future where Earth cities are now upon the backs of motorised platforms, their only way of surviving and thriving is to chase down other cities and pull them apart. Anybody who is still with me at this point gets to hear the real beauty of these tales though - the characters. They have a way of tearing you away from what you imagine as a conventional hero and instead of perfect protagonists, we are given characters who could easily be seen as villains should they have made one single different choice. It takes the story and brings it down to earth, as the people who are often perfect in these stories usually end up being villains, traitors or far too nice to last five seconds in this brutal world. In other worlds, we get to cheer on far-from-perfect heroes and watch either love or hate blossom between some of the least likely people imaginable.

9. Eoin Colfer (The Artemis Fowl Series)

“If I win, I’m a prodigy. If I lose then I’m mad. That’s the way history is written.”

I remember the controversy back in the day when Artemis Fowl was released alongside the Harry Potter series and through the natural course of people favouring the latter, Eoin Colfer’s first release was often slandered as being a rip-off. Because of this unfortunate rumour that spread like wildfire, I didn’t read Artemis Fowl until recently whilst I was away on holiday. I was happy to discover that it was more like a blend of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Terry Pratchett and Ocean’s Eleven. The character of Artemis himself gives us a very long list of reasons to hate him. He’s rich, thinks himself superior to everybody else and he’s pretty much the one causing all the trouble in the story by trying to con a fairy community of their gold, as well as getting his butler to dirty his hands in his place. This should all make him the villain and yet despite all this, you can’t help but love Artemis because throughout about 99% of the story, he is the one who is in control and he is the one moving the plot forward. He is the perfect example of a proactive character who is loved, even if what he does cannot truly be seen as the right choice.

10. HP Lovecraft (Dagon, The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror)

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is fear of the unknown.”

My love for Lovecraft’s works is possibly my most recent of all the authors on this list as his is possibly the most adult of them all. When one thinks of conventional horror, they like to imagine gothic horror with supernatural beings such as demons and vampires and ghosts, beings that were created with the intention of scaring people who at one point had been steeped in religious teachings. Lovecraft created cosmic horror with the intended goal of scaring those who did not believe in anything other than science. He relied on stories of people being subjected to horrors that could not be explained by science and yet were so real to defy conventional methods of possibility. This logic-shattering experience made characters question the laws of nature themselves, often leading to the inevitable Lovecraftian fate of insanity, madness or even outright despair because the brain simply could not handle the fact that existence was being questioned as an outright lie. Lovecraft left a terrifying legacy that neyond the visible safety of the campfire, truly anything that our minds could or could not conceive could be looking upon humanity with disdain... and we would be little more than insects to them.

This was a big one, I must admit. If you were engaged enough to read all your way to the very end then thank you so much for staying with me the whole way! Happy writing everyone!

-CR

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hbhtasks-blog · 7 years

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Thank all of you gorgeous campers for filling out our questionnaires! The results are below--while some of you may think these matches are not 100% Aphrodite approved, some are down to pure compatibility, some are more opposites-attract-esque, and some are just random because we think it’ll be amusing to watch. We haven’t only used the questionnaire as inspiration, we’ve had little birdies watching you guys interact too which helped us come to a decision. We’ll leave it up to you to figure it all out, though we are leaving a little message about why we have put you together. ❤

Love the Aphrodite Cabin ❤

Althea Graves & Finn Titus

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

We think you two will bring out the best (or worst) in each other. You’re both around the same age, and although Finn is much taller we think it’ll look totally cute. Furthermore, Sagittarius and Libra’s intimacy, communication, and emotion compatibility are all almost perfect. You’re both fond of alcohol in some way shape or form, and Finn could definitely help Althea come out from her shell while also ensuring Finn is put in his place.

WHAT’S NEXT: You two will have a romantic picnic at Coney Island Beach. However the tide is going to come in pretty quick, potentially ruining the date (and your food) or making it better depending on how you deal with it. Furthermore, one of you will see someone from your past, whether your characters interact with them is up to you.

Annabeth Chase & Samuel Carpenter

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

First of all, we know Annabeth is taken (even though that’s never stopped her before) but we thought these two would be fun to match up together. She fits his attractive need, and he’s one of the only guys taller than her enough to look good. We also think that regardless of Sam’s tendencies to be a bit of a dick, he could quite easily make Annabeth laugh if he chose to and he wouldn’t let her push him away. Cancer and Scorpio’s compatibility is also out of this world!

WHAT’S NEXT: The two of you will be going to the theatre to watch a production. Halfway through one of you will receive some family news that will make you leave the show, you can choose to end the date there or see where it takes you.

Chris Moretz & Rosie Woods

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

We didn’t let Rosie pick her match, so I’m sure she’ll be incredibly surprised to know that her and her best friend are ridiculously made for each other! Talk about going after the wrong sister, Chris and Rose fit like a glove. You both talk about unimportant things like they mean the world to you, you’re both into travelling and experiencing the world. Rose wants someone loyal, Chris wants someone who will respect him and laugh at his stupid jokes--well, the joke is on you two for not realising sooner. You’re both super into your family time, and your zodiac signs tell us that you’re the most perfect match. Hopefully this will be the wake up call you needed.

WHAT’S NEXT: You will go to a concert together, the artist is up to you. Throughout the night one of you will end up getting lost and unable to find the other, it may be a dangerous situation or simply due to the amount of people.

Dakota Rivett & Piper Atwood

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

You’re both Sagittarius and so you’re basically two peas in a pod! Dakota wanted a girl, and we figured Piper has had enough of the male species. You’re around the same height which is usually a bad thing, but we’ve decided to look past it. Dakota wants a good friend who is hot...and we think Piper is both of those things. You have similar taste in music, and we think Piper could definitely keep up with you, Dakota!

WHAT’S NEXT: You two will be going to a restaurant where you will end up getting kicked out due to causing a scene from the bad service.

Findlay Wolfe & Olivia Haart

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

You’re the same age, Taurus and Pisces seem to like each other and according to our sources you both share the same weapon of choice. Plus, if Finn finds himself funny we are certain that Olivia will too--and that’s what she’s looking for! Plus we’ve never seen Olivia be anyone but herself, so Finn could rest easy knowing she’s being herself. You both appreciate Tolkien and seem like a passionate pair.

WHAT’S NEXT: The two of you will be having a movie marathon, however the power will cut out during and won’t turn on for another few hours. You can decide to end the date and rearrange it for another day, or choose to do something else that doesn’t require electricity.

Jinyoung Kwon & Kateyln White

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

This is one of those opposites-attract situations that we think will benefit the both of you. You’re both the same age, and as one of the shortest guys--and the shortest girl, you will suit each other perfectly. Katelyn’s confidence should rub off on Jin, who isn’t so confident and Jin’s kind-natured heart should definitely see past Katelyn’s ‘bitchiness’, as she puts it. And although she seems put off by boys who lack confidence, we think by forcing you two in this situation you may find that you like each other.

WHAT’S NEXT: You two will be going to a carnival, however you will both get stuck at the top of the ferris wheel for at least an hour. Your date could have been going well or it could have been a catastrophe.

Mara Beauchamp & Sebastian Cohen

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

It’s okay, Mara--we think Seb is hot, too. Scorpios and Cancers definitely get along well and we think you guys will! We figure you both have shitty attitudes and so should cancel each other out when together--plus you’d make a badass couple. You both have interests in art, and the types that you fall for seem to match up with each other. And while Seb will never be trustworthy, he’s definitely the type you’d fall for, Mara.

WHAT’S NEXT: The two of you will be visiting an art gallery, where one or both of you may or may not drink a little too much champagne. You can decide what will entail, you can destroy the exhibit, cause a scene over a piece of art you disagree with, completely up to you.

Matthias Vinter & Meghan Monroe

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

Due to Meghan’s age, our options were limited as we didn’t want to push her off with anyone too old, but then we realised how perfect you and Matthias would be! We are hoping that Meghan’s interest in the Hemsworth brothers has something to do with their accent, and if so, Matthias has a sexy Danish accent to match. We think you two could really have fun chilling out watching movie marathons all day.

WHAT’S NEXT: The two of you are going ice skating, however eventually one of you are going to end up falling and hurting themselves. In the city, and surrounded by mortals, you will find difficulty in getting healed. You can have the character go to hospital, travel back to camp, or attempt to heal it in the city yourselves.

Morgana Lucas & Zeke Taylor

❤ WHY YOU’VE BEEN MATCHED:

Taurus and Gemini are one of the most incompatible couples, but we think differently when it comes to you two. You have similar taste in music, both fond of electronic sounds, which is lucky because we think you guys could be electric. Morgan wants someone passionate and Zeke seems to be incredibly passionate about his musical talent. Zeke would hook up with Angelina Jolie and we definitely think Morgan gives off the crazy vibe that Angie does in her role in Girl, Interrupted...which is a good thing...obviously.

WHAT’S NEXT: You will go on a midnight walk around the lake. One or both of you is going to find themselves in danger and you must find a way out of it while not waking up Chiron or the harpies, unless they’re the reason why you’re in danger.

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ryanmeft · 7 years

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My Favorite Performances of 2016

These are the 15 movie roles this year I most felt deserved highlighting. Man, there were some great roles this year, introduction, introduction, introduction, how many words does this have to be? You don't care and I certainly don't. On to the list!(Note: except for the top two, this list is in no particular order).

Glen Powell (Everybody Wants Some!!) The entire cast of Richard Linklater’s spiritual follow-up to "Dazed and Confused" is one riotous bundle of joy (and a cure for the usually cliche portrayal of college kids), but Glen Powell's Finnegan is by far the standout. The scene that makes his character comes at a party for the "artsy fartsy" crowd when, after encouraging a freewheeling spirit of sex, booze, drugs and rock 'n' roll throughout the film, he actually gets for real hurt when his proteges crash his chances with a girl he happens to like. Finnegan is on the cusp of adulthood and leadership heading into one of the most tumultuous decades of American history, but he's not quite there yet...and it's the leftover, subtle vulnerabilities of the kid during his last days of youth that make him so unbelievably endearing. If there's any justice in the world, EWS!! will do for him what Dazed and Confused did for...well, most of the cast.

Tilda Swinton (A Bigger Splash) The (in my opinion, overblown) controversy over Swinton's Doctor Strange role sadly overshadowed her performance in this Fellini-esque story of beautiful people behaving in decidedly un-beautiful ways. Playing a major, David Bowie-esque popstar who has gone near-mute from the stress of living in public, Swinton has few lines but somehow manages to steal the show from a simmering Matthias Schoenaerts and a manic Ralph Fiennes. Being mostly robbed of the ability to speak, Swinton has to convey a massive range of emotions largely with body language---a task she accomplishes with all the skill you'd expect from one of the world's greatest actresses.

Natalie Portman (Jackie) Frail and tough, honest and veiled, open and censoring---Portman's portrayal of the most famous First Lady in American history is riddled with contradictions that, in her hands, become a coherent character. She can sink to the depths of unbearable anguish at a moment's notice, and five minutes later it is as if nothing very bad had happened. Yet, there's always something boiling under the surface...perhaps an understanding that history will forever place "JFK's wife" next to her name, whatever else she may do with her life. At times, Portman seems to barely hold it all in, yet when we leave the theater she is still a mystery. Maybe that's how it should be.

Joel Edgerton (Loving) Rarely does more go unsaid or understood than passes behind the face of Joel Egderton as Richard Loving, one half of the married couple whose simple wish to live in their home state of Virginia dealt a death blow to laws banning interracial marriage in the United States. Edgerton says little, and when he does it is in as few words as possible...every one of which speaks his entire mind. Key to the performance, though, are scenes of him simply sharing intimate moments with wife Mildred. At a time when the stereotype of the traditonal American husband and father of yesteryear is often held up for all the wrong reasons, Edgerton's performance is crucial.

Emma Stone (La La Land) Until near the end, the music is the driving force of La La Land. Then someone asks the character of Mia to "tell a story", and Emma Stone delivers one of the best scenes of her career. The strength of the "Audition" number redefines what has come before for the character, and solidifies her as both someone we can really root for, and the personification of dreamers, however hopeless they might be. The final look she gives Ryan Reynolds in the film speaks more than a page of dialogue ever could.

Viola Davis (Fences) Before the era of feminism, there was an unspoken agreement between married couples in the U.S.: a wife was to put up with her husband's shit, even when he was full to bursting with it. It was hard to pick one of the two main performances in "Fences" to single out, but ultimately Davis's simmering cauldron is the heart of the story, enabling her to both survive and love life with her deeply, deeply flawed husband. Unlike Denzel Washington, who gets to vomit forth an endless stream of anger throughout the film, Davis is tasked with saving her one great outburst for when it is most needed and has the most impact, creating a scene the trailers should not have featured; it should have been allowed to burst on audiences like water from a broken dam, rolling over everything in its path. Five minutes later, she's calm again, but she's also a different woman...or maybe just another woman who was hiding behind the first all along.

Sunny Pawar (Lion) The trailers all emphasize the adult Saroo's search for his home, but the bulk of the movie is taken up with a young Saroo getting lost in the first place, and Dev Patel is overshadowed by 8-year-old Sunny Pawar...not an easy feat. Like Quvenzhane Wallis and Jacob Tremblay, Pawar takes a role that could easily have been phoned in (since we have natural sympathy for kids) and makes little Saroo into an enormously relatable character, a lost boy whose stomping ground is no Neverland. It isn't any wonder the filmmakers keep coming back to him in flashbacks after his character is grown. He's the heart of the film.

Hailee Steinfeld (Edge of Seventeen) I swear, my generation moons over the era of John Hughes High School comedies so much they seem to forget that being awkward, out-of-place and unable to wait for the day after graduation day isn't unique to them. Every year we get a handful of largely unheralded comedies about that very topic, and Hailee Steinfeld's performance as a morbid, confused and, yes, aggressive (bad female! bad!) teen who openly discusses her sex life, alcohol habits and dark, dark, dark humor elevates "Edge of Seventeen" to the top of the pack. With acerbic wit, pinpoint aim, and unflinching pessimism, Nadine Franklin manages to skewer not just every aspect of High School life but many of life in general. The only target she routinely misses? Herself.

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship) It is exceedingly rare that a woman in the movies can be aggressive and acidic at the same time. Kate Beckinsale's Lady Susan is such a character. It is impossible for all but the most ardent feminists to actually like her, and you'd never want to be drawn into her poisonous circle of rumor, manipulation, innuendo and life-destroying gossip, but you have to admire her for taking charge of her own life at a time when women were tasked with hosting guests, looking pretty and shutting up. These days, she'd almost certainly be described as a sociopath, wrecking lives for her whim and amusement, yet you can't look away. She's the year's best villain...or is she?

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) Chris Pine's well-meaning father is our anchor to this story of two desperate brothers in hard times, but Ben Foster is the anarchic, destructive force that keeps our eyes glued to the screen. Whereas Pine's dad doesn't think of himself as criminal and Jeff Bridges's sheriff has spent far too much time watching old westerns, Foster knows exactly what he is: a violent criminal whose psycopathy he might be able to turn to his brother's aid in one last blaze of glory. There's never really a question of him surviving the story; he's not a man, he's a storm, and he's here to rage harder than he ever has before blowing himself out.

Naomie Harris (Moonlight) Talk about embodying multiple people in one role. Harris plays mother to a young, gay black man at three different stages of his life, but she's not the kind of perfect mom the movies prefer. She's a drug addict at a time when the War on Drugs refused to treat such people with any sort of humanity, and she's got a temper to match the times; when she screams hurtful words at her own son, the decision to remove the audio from the scene makes her come off as near-demonic. Simplicity, though, isn't really what Moonlight deals in, and there are layers and regrets to her revealed as the film goes on. Her final scene asks a rather important question: should any time be too late to be forgiven?

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) For the most part, horror will forever be considered beneath the notice of those who hand out accolades, which means even if you turn in one of the most startling performances of the year, it doesn't really count if it's in this genre. That's a shame, because unless you count a tiny, uncredited role from 2014, Taylor-Joy makes the most impressive film debut of any actress this year. Called upon to do things involving animal blood and demonic possession that a more image-concerned person might spurn, she handles the role of a teenage girl whose family is being assailed by the forces of hell by taking it all absolutely seriously, which is essential; any hint that she thinks anything she's doing is silly, and the film falls apart. There's reason to question whether anything supernatural is really happening in the New England wilderness of the late 1600's, but no reason to doubt the strength of Taylor-Joy's performance.

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) Not everything has to be so serious, something Deadpool would probably remind you of right before delivering a kick straight to your kibbles and bits. As the star, producer and driving force behind the hilariously raunchy R-rated superhero flick, Reynolds is the most eminently watchable and entertaining a comic hero has been outside the suit since Robert Downey Jr. swaggered into the Iron Man armor. Mel Brooks once famously described his films as rising below vulgarity, and whether Reynolds is taking time out to break the fourth wall or making incredibly lewd comments at his blind, elderly, female roommate, he's bringing the spirit of "Blazing Saddles" to a genre that sometimes really needs to get over itself. In a year where "Batman vs. Superman" took itself more seriously than a second heart attack, Reynolds's Merc with a Mouth is the filthy, over-the-top cure the doctor ordered.

And my top two performances, starting with my choice for Best Actress:

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

In arguably the most challenging role this year, which comes in certainly the most challenging film, Huppert plays a woman who, after being raped, plays a cat-and-mouse game with the rapist. Whether she is trying to catch him or get caught again is another question. The role was turned down by multiple more well-known actresses, before being taken by Huppert, who deserves to be more well-known outside her native France. Key to her performance is that her character is not altogether very likable, and if she were not a victim of a heinous crime, you'd have a real difficult time feeling empathy for her. That takes far more guts, I think, than playing out brutal scenes of assault, since we tend to demand our heroines be pure as the driven snow.

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

He's been turning in the best work he possibly can in every role he's had, big or small, for two decades, always overshadowed in fame by his older brother, but this year is Casey's. Angry, violent, adrift and bereft, Lee Chandler is a man with no purpose in a world that demands every man have one, not that he grasps himself on that level: he's simply a man who has been struck over and over until nothing but armor remains. Forced to deal with the issue of custody for his nephew after his brother dies, he portrays a truth no man wants to face: not all of us are cut out for responsibility. Despite this, Affleck walks a fine line, making Lee simultaneously a jerk and someone you'd really like to see come out on top. Unfortunately, as Lee well knows, the world just isn't that simple.

Honorable mentions: I limited my list to 15, and even after expanding from ten it was still difficult. There are lots of great roles that didn't make the cut, and here are the ten that really gave the winners a run for their money, in one big list. If you don't see your favorite, remember: it doesn't necessarily mean they weren't good, just that I can't possibly list them all.

Kristen Stewart (Cafe Society) The Cast of Don't Think Twice Royalty Hightower (The Fits) Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins) Lou de Laage (The Innocents) Ruth Negga (Loving) Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane) Pretty much everybody in Moonlight (Moonlight) Katie Holmes (Touched With Fire)

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mrmichaelchadler · 5 years

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Sundance 2019: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre on The Mustang

Years before the premiere of her feature debut, “The Mustang,” director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre found a subject so complex, she studied it for years. She became intrigued by the rehabilitating powers of animal therapy in prison, which lead to her first short, “Rabbit.” The basis for her early project set the stage for “The Mustang,” which follows a violent and antisocial prisoner, Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts), as he begins his healing process with the help of a horse training program. “The Mustang” cast also includes Bruce Dern, Jason Mitchell and Connie Britton, but it’s Schoenaerts’ intuitive performance with his four-legged co-star that leave the biggest impression.

RogerEbert.com spoke with Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre at Sundance ahead of the premiere of her first feature about her movie’s subject, filming an active prison and what has she learned in researching the U.S. prison system.

This is a bit of a homecoming Sundance for you. What was your previous experience like?

I went to the labs with “The Mustang,” so the project was born here. It was the best gift to have this premiere back at home. My short film, “Rabbit,” talks about the same subject. It was about a rabbit and a female prisoner. I explored this theme of animal therapy in prison about 5 years ago.

I found out about this [animal therapy] program in Nevada. So, I wrote the first draft with my co-writer, and we were selected to send in the story for the Sundance labs for like 6 months. I was doing screenwriting and directing lab. I did all the labs after that. It allowed me to do my research on prisons as well. It was a nice moment for me to be surrounded and supported by experienced advisors at Sundance and also be able to hit the story with authentic details and elements in Nevada and California prisons.

What was the research process like? Did you go into prisons, observe the programs and talk to prisoners?

The first time, I met this therapist who was a prison consultant. She was the head of the health department in prison in California, and she also a horse owner so she became a good friend. We started our research together in 2014. She got me access to San Quintin prison because she said she thought I needed to understand violence and anger and meet the men who had huge anger issues. Also, I went into this prison in Nevada where the program started years ago, and I could observe all the different steps between the connection between horse and man. From day one to the auction when they had to say goodbye to the horse, which was very emotional.

I could see the realness of this man being completely humbled by the horse after being scared and all those different emotions that seem like being packed. It is a lot of body language. There are no words, there's no judgment. It is just two creatures trying to figure out a way to get along, to build eventual trust and respect. It was beautiful to witness. I spent a lot of time there.

Matthias, I think in a very personal way, was very involved in his character's story. It was a gift because he came with me to prison. He wanted to absorb and listen and absorb as much as possible and through this process, we got really good friends. We trusted each other to really go through this adventure. And yes, he is a wonderful partner and a wonderful collaborator.

The character Matthias plays is so inaccessible and prickly. He's difficult to empathize with. How did you develop the character of Roman?

I met a lot of men who were very closed off and needed a why to unfold themselves. I felt I needed to see, I wanted to see a man in this numbness. How the drops by drops, he would unfold himself with the animal, be able to express his crime, to be forgiven, to ask for forgiveness and to liberate himself from his physiological prison. In order to go through this heart, I needed to study this darkness, this darkness of antisocial behavior. That is where it felt it was most impactful to unfold. Obviously, I needed to depart from that place. It was very important for me.

It was urgent to follow this tragic story as the character is discovering it. I didn't want the audience to be behind or ahead of the character's understanding. I needed them to be in sync with them. This is also challenging the audience's empathy after following this tragic terrain. Then you discover his crime at the end. It is like, “Oh I kind of like this person. What do I do with them? Do I give a second chance?” That was exactly the position I was when I was in prison and I was meeting those really charming and smart men. After a while, they were like yeah, I killed my wife.

I'm here sitting with them, and I actually get along with them. I have no judgment. I know now that I have all the information. What do I do with that? This is exactly what I wanted the audience to experience. Do I give a second chance? Do I don't give a second chance? I think it is very interesting to kind of think about it. Personally, every man deserves respect, whatever he did, whatever the past was. You give what you get. And at some point, if you take the time to reflect on yourself, in those program, helping those men to resurrect.

The cinematography of “The Mustang” is really quite impressive. What were you thinking of when you were coming up with the film’s visual style?

I needed to have very light equipment in order to go move beside the horse. It was very important to have a cinematographer who had a very immersive camera that could really adapt and follow the dancing with the horse and Matthias. It was a choreography between the horse, the horse trainer, the camera — Ruben Impens, the amazing cinematographer, and Matthias. And that was actually very important for me in the choice of the cinematographer. Ruben was this person, I knew that he felt, that he was enveloped emotionally by the story. He actually was capturing a handout of virility inside this connection.

We had 2 cameras. We needed to make sure that we could grab as much as possible in this very tight schedule that we had. I needed to have much more static, rich moment inside the prison versus the wideness, loose camera following the movement of the men. I think this goes like the agility of the inside and outside. It gives this kind of roughness, vertigo even. This is what I really needed to build the dimensions of these two worlds, were kind of like overlaid into each other.

I’m also really intrigued by the use of color in “The Mustang” as well. It’s desaturated, almost dusty looking in a western kind of way.

The choice of the location was very important. It was were I started my research. Usually, the contrast was very strong. Those Rocky Mountains changed the light. A lot of changing colors and this business was nested in this Rocky Mountains. So to have the position of the barb wires behind this explosive nature was very important. And also the dust was there. It was the quality of the air, the dryness of the deserted mountains. We didn't add more, we had so much dust. We couldn't breathe at the end of the day. We were like swallowing sand and dust all the time. Especially around the horses.

The orange, the blue, there was something composed. I wanted to highlight this scale of different. I loved those colors into the landscape. The landscape was more exaggerated but you had the fluid orange. In prison, this is like a code of color. They all have the same color. Even though they have the same outfit, they want to be different. They want to have something to make them different. So maybe it's a haircut, or it's glasses, or it's bandana or it's just something that makes them not part of a union.

You also recreate the western motif when they're riding. There’s even one scene where they are all riding in a line like “The Magnificent Seven.” Were you thinking about those moments when you were setting up the shots?

Obviously, I thought about it. I wanted to have this moment of freedom. This moment of surreal freedom.

You had to get the horses used to nature, trailing and to ride them outside of the prison. So when I heard of that, I was like oh wow, that gives an amazing opportunity to have this big space to get out of the prison. Even though it's kind of cruel because you still have the “Department of Correction” on your back, to remind them that you are still a prisoner. But you have this amazing freedom of learning and riding your horse. When we go back to the prison we were very meditative, poetic, almost religious moment.

Did you film the movie in an active prison?

Both, an active one and an abandoned prison. The abandoned one was really close to the active one so there are some shots that come from the active one—a few of them because I was not allowed to shoot because of the inmates. Then we went to the abandoned one, and we created all the pens and the farm. It was shut down 10 years ago. So you can still feel like the walls are very alive. We had four inmates who were acting the film and those one of them were incarcerated in this prison. We also had guards in the prison that were actually extras in the films. We had all these people that had a past—a very strong past in this location.

In doing so much research in the prison industry, what is your overall feeling about the way the American system works.

We know that it's a must incarcerated country in the world. Incarceration is out of control, and they need to have to keep those inmates busy and they have to come up with programs. I think they need to explore more of the sentences are so long, if they keep them forever, they will be crazy and riot.

The worst country in the world for prison found out the most beautiful programs for the inmates. In Europe, you have some programs, but you don't have the animal program. It's not popular as in America. In Europe, because the sentences are shorter, they have therapy, they have verbal therapy but they don't have as much as the inmates in the U.S. It's still a huge issue. I've been in a lot of prisons here, and it is unbelievable.

It is so much loss. It's like stealing $40 and losing your life of freedom. Things are disproportionate. Going through these depths of field, I hope this [movie] brings an inquisitive message and raises awareness. A lot of those men shouldn't be in prison right now. A lot of them are redeemed, let them work on themselves. Whatever they did in the past shouldn't crystallize them forever. They can have hope, they can have a future. Most of them did their mistake when they were 16 or 17 or 18 years old. There is a lot to think about. I hope that prison can try to help the men instead of beat them up. Educate them, rather than incarcerate them. This is what I feel should be a response of the justice system. Why would you punish just to punish? What's the sense of punishment?

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