#ted is perfectly made and so is jason

[my-soupy-brain]

soft prompt: counting the freckles on Ted’s back, shoulders and tummy

This man's skin is glorious and I love every inch of it. You do too. I bet Ted would appreciate some more body worship, hm? Maybe this is a second parter to Reassurance? Let's gooo!

---

Relationship: Ted Lasso x reader

Warnings: Mostly fluff, some teasing/foreplay, smut references

---

Ted is turned over slightly on his side and stomach in the morning when you wake. Your first night together was... a dream come true.

The way Ted held you.

The way he whispered in that deep Kansas drawl.

The way his hands touched you like you were a piece of art.

The beautiful praise he gave you.

They all echo in your mind.

You're so pretty, sweetheart. You make me feel so good. You're so wonderful. Just like that... You're perfect, everything I ever wanted.

Your thighs quivered as you reminisced about the last several hours. And now you're waking up in his warm bed.

You scoot closer to him and see his body breathing steadily. His shoulders rise and fall. A small breath puffs out of his lips. You move closer still, wrapping your arm around him, which he grabs and snuggles close, knowing you're spooning him a little.

"Mmmm..." he groans with a smile, falling back into slumber.

You retrieve your hand carefully, your fingertips dancing across his broad shoulders and down his back.

Ted doesn't think much of himself. Not really. He feels a little too puffy in the midsection, but you adore it. He feels a little weak in the arms, but you know and have seen those biceps flex.

So when you start tracing the fine freckles across his sunkissed skin, he giggles a little, falling deep in a dream.

Your fingertips drag between them like constellations, then over the ridges and planes of his back and shoulders as they're flexed in his sleep position.

He's so handsome. So sexy. So perfectly made.

As your hand drags down lower, down his side, you graze his love handles a little, making him whimper. The way they're soft to touch, but just right for the perfect body.

He carries himself so well.

His skin is so warm and smooth. His tan on his shoulders is rare: his forearms and lower upper arms usually get the sun from the polos he wears on the pitch.

But he has a natural glow to him all the same. Your fingers dance up his back into his hair. The dark brown-auburn is soft and spilled on the pillow as he slumbers. It's usually styled just so when he's at work, but you love seeing it spill over his forehead, especially last night when he hovered above you and buried his face in your neck when he came.

You move in closer to him, breathing him in. His woodsy cologne is still prevalent on his skin, and the scent of him that's so deliciously Ted.

Your hands work down his side again, roping under his arm and he holds you tight again.

"I feel you back there, darlin'," Ted murmurs with a grin. "Whatcha doin'?"

You kiss his shoulder and sigh.

"Just admiring you..."

He turns over in your arms, his eyes sleepy as they gaze at you.

"Yeah? I love that," he says, nuzzling against you. "Whatcha admire most? I'm curious."

"Everything. Your skin, your back, your shoulders, your hair...now your eyes..."

He smiles and leans in to kiss you.

"Well, that's quite a list, sugar. I appreciate that," he says, a little blushed from the disbelief of all your praise.

His hands fall under the sheet, grabbing your fleshy hips and pulling you toward him. His bicep flexes and you gasp a little.

"Now I'm admiring that," you add with a giggle. "So strong...so sexy..."

"Mmm-hmm," Ted says, kissing down your neck, making you whimper.

"And I like that," he says between kisses.

"What?" you ask, your head tilted so he can reach more of you.

"Those little noises you make," he whispers, his tongue joining the party as he makes his way down your chest. "That little look you get when I start doing this..."

You watch him disappear lower and now you can admire his shoulders from between your legs.

---

SPICY. Spicier than I expected, but oh-so-sexy. God, I just love this man. WHEN CAN WE CLONE OUR OWN TEDS?! I enjoyed this so much. Thanks for the prompt, friend!

#ted lasso x reader #ted lasso x you #ted lasso fluff #ted lasso smut #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso fanfic #ted is perfectly made and so is jason #i'll take no questions

[ericdeggans]

My List of the Best TV in 2023: An Abundance of Quality Even in Adversity

What’s the surest proof that there truly is too much television available these days?

The fact that, even though 2023 featured historic performers and writers strikes in Hollywood which crippled film and TV production for months, there was still enough great series and projects to fill an entire notebook page.

Way too many, in fact, for me to cover in my small part of NPR’s awesome annual listing of the best TV and film of the year, compiled among six different critics. It’s one reason the strikes went on so long in the first place – for fans of great TV, it didn’t really seem like much changed, as streaming services kept dropping cool stuff, thanks to their long production lead times.

Ironically, viewers may notice the strikes’ impact more next year – in part, because a lot of cool TV shows left us in 2023 (pour one out for Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Crown, Reservation Dogs, Succession, and, possibly, Ted Lasso) and also because the streamers will spend some time rebuilding lineups which got depleted.

Here, where I have a lot more room is my highly subjective and surprisingly long list of the Best TV of 2024:

TOP PICK - Succession – A show which perfectly captured how the dysfunctions of wealthy families can impact the world delivered a note-perfect finale that surprised – though I did predict Tom would win out – and yet felt completely inevitable. All while the world was second-guessing and writing their own endings. Masterful.

The Last of Us – Who knew reinventing the zombie apocalypse story was simple as coming up with a new cause – fungus, eww! – and the willingness to hand big chunks of the story over to compelling, fully drawn supporting characters. Doesn’t hurt to have ultimate zaddy Pedro Pascal and precocious acting genius Bella Ramsey on the case, either.

The Bear - Speaking of compelling supporting characters…this show’s second season sparkled by giving the other employees in Carmy’s greasy spoon-becoming-a-great-restaurant lots of narrative room. But it took flight with unexpected, brilliant cameos from Jon Bernthal, Olivia Colman, Oliver Platt, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis.

Reservation Dogs – Proof of the amazing, authentic, original stories which come from letting indigenous people tells their own stories, smashing together a crushing realism with the sense that a jarring visit from the spirit world is always around the next corner.

Fargo – Not sure I love the ultimate message on the healing power of suburban, white, upper middle class Midwestern family life (or what happens to the one major Black character). But crackling performances from Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason leigh and Dave Foley make this year’s installment the best version in many years.

Shrinking – An emotional and truly funny comedy that reminds us how hilarious Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams can be while not making us spend too much time on Jason Segel’s angsty privileged white guy shtick.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The TV series which scored the most by taking the boldest swings, leaning into Trek’s original heritage as an adventure-of-the-week which told the most ambitious stories on the small screen.

(The dancing, dubstepping, boy band-style Klingons on Strange New Worlds powered my favorite TV scene of the year.)

Star Trek: Picard – Yeah, I put TWO Trek series here, because everyone else in critic-land seems to be sleeping on the fact that they made more than one excellent season of a new Trek series filled with nods to what came before, including this show, which reunited the Next Generation cast in a storyline basically about old people saving the universe from young, clueless, mind-controlled pawns.

Barry – Wasn’t thrilled about how grim this series’ finale eventually became. But respected the fact that co-creator/star Bill Hader never shied away from the fact that the show was going to be his laboratory for all the directing and storytelling tricks he ever wanted to try, and a dark comedy about a hitman-turned-actor has to be seriously dark to mean something.

Beef – A road rage incident becomes a crackling, entertaining look at everything from Asian family culture to Elon Musk-level mogul dysfunction while also proving my girl Ali Wong can act her ass off.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Story – While other celebrities are executive producing documentaries to show how legendarily cool they are, Fox helped create an up close look at his struggle with Parkinson’s disease which show how hard it is to put on socks and take a walk on a new York street without crashing to the ground right in front of a concerned fan.

Only Murders in the Building – A comedy about over-privileged crime podcasters in an Upper West side apartment building should not stay entertaining over three seasons. But this show pulls it off, tossing in against-the-grain cameos by Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep that provide the best icing on a very fine cake.

Slow Horses – This show about a department filled with failed British intelligence agents not only subverts the spy genre, it subverts the satires which originally subverted classic spy dramas, like Get Smart. Topped by mesmerizing performances from Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, I would have subtitled this one, Get Smarter.

Happy Valley - This series about an experienced, ball-busting divorced single mom of a police sergeant in a mid-size town in Britain notched an underappreciated series finale featuring the amazing Sarah Lancashire as Catharine Cawood, finally confronting the man she blamed for her daughter’s suicide and her grandson’s emotional turmoil.

BS High – A great documentary often tells a story which keeps going deeper and better, like a descent into a spellbinding madness. This film achieved that by giving center stage to master manipulator/football coach Roy Johnson, who got ESPN to air a game featuring his Bishop Sycamore High School team; the film contends their crushing loss eventually exposed that the school didn’t really exist.

I’m a Virgo – Creator and activist Boots Riley made an urban parable where Black excellence became superpowers and the world’s exploitive class came for a 13-foot-tall Black teen played by the always compelling Jharrel Jerome. Always inspiring to see how Boots turns mainstream media’s tropes and expectations against itself.

#tv #youtube #npr #best tv of 2023 #succession #succession hbo #the last of us #the bear #beef #reservation dogs #Youtube

[lylethewaterguy]

Some of my favourite dc characters and songs that remind me of them because i felt like it:

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow: Island - Miley Cyrus

Sounds obvious I know, but it really fits him perfectly with his love/hate relationship to the island.

“And I won’t lie, it sure gets lonely here at night - But no one here needs nothing from me, and it’s kinda nice”

Roy Harper/Arsenal: Archer - Taylor Swift

This one also seems very obvious based on the title but I also think it just suits Roy and everything he’s been through both with addiction and with losing so many people close to him.

“I’ve been the archer - I’ve been the prey - Screaming, who could ever leave me, darling? - But who could stay?”

Dick Grayson/Nightwing: Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

This song is 100% Dick (/Jason) thinking about Bruce and you cannot convince me otherwise.

“And every girl I ever talked to said that you were bad, bad news - You called them crazy, God I hate the way I called them crazy too - You’re so convincing - How do you lie without flinching”

Justice League International: Americana - Jonas Brothers

No thoughts, just vibes. I don’t know why but this song is how I feel when reading or thinking about the JLI.

“We’re gonna get home when we get home”

Beatriz Da Costa/Fire and Tora Olafsdotter/Ice: Green Green Grass - George Ezra

Both perfect colour wise but also captures their partners in crime energy super well I think.

“Green, green grass - Blue, blue sky - You better throw a party on the day that I die”

Scott Free/Mister Miracle: God Must Hate Me - Catie Turner

This is mainly based on the 2018 existential crisis Barbie Scott (aka my favourite Scott).

“Same hands that made the moon and the stars - Got carpal tunnel and forgot some parts - I don’t know what I believe - But it’s easier to think - He made a mistake with me”

Ted Kord/Blue Beetle: Groundhog Day - Em Beihold

I just feel like Ted is a very stuck in the past, doesn’t really have a place in the present, character and this song perfectly encapsulates that.

“I just wanna drive away - But I don’t have a car, so I guess I gotta stay - And it’s easy to say I’m okay - Up and down these emotional waves”

Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold: Used To Be Young - Miley Cyrus

Modern/post 2007 dad Booster thinking back to his days with the JLI.

“You tell me time has done changed me - That’s fine, I had a good run - I know I used to be crazy - That’s cause I used to be young”

Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold: DEAD FRIENDS - Demi Lovato

Feels somewhat self explanatory.

“I miss the hell we can’t raise, I miss the time we can’t waste - I miss the texts they can’t send, I miss my dead friends”

Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold and Ted Kord/Blue Beetle: Loved You Before - Peach PRC

They gay.

“Two complementary colors - The winter, the spring and summer - Forever just lost lovers that keep getting rediscovered”

(I thought about including songs from musicals but then I figured there’s so many more so that’s be better for a separate post)

#green arrow #dc arsenal #nightwing #justice league international #dc fire #dc ice #mister miracle #blue beetle #booster gold #oliver queen #roy harper #dick grayson #beatriz da costa #tora olafsdotter #scott free #ted kord #michael jon carter #no idea why I always include his middle name… #but it feels appropriate for some reason #like NPH

[romancomicsnews]

Who should play Ted Kord in the DCU?

*slight spoilers for Blue Beetle in theaters now!*

I have now seen Blue Beetle twice now, and I absolutely loved it. From the cast, the cinematography, to the action and the drama, it may be my favorite DC movie. If I had one nitpick, I was hoping to see a little more inclusion, at the very least a cameo, of Ted Kord.

Ted Kord in the comics is the second Blue Beetle and the sometimes mentor to Jaime, sometimes deceased hero. In this movie they opted for a middle ground, Ted is missing, and does not appear in the film.

However in our mid credits scene, we find a message from Ted, stating he is alive and needs his daughters help.

While this excites me for future installments of the franchise, it did leave my wheels turning as to who should play Ted in a sequel to Blue Beetle. And I think I have some solid picks. First let's look at what has come before:

Live Action Depictions:

None. Sorta.

While Brandon Routh plays Ray Palmer, the character was set up and meant to be the Blue Beetle. He originally appears in Arrow, described as tech CEO who looks to use technology to become a superhero and challenge the Green Arrow.

However, before this season, Arrow mentioned Ted Kord and Kord Industries so much, one can assume that the character that would become the Atom was originally Ted Kord.

And there are a lot of similarities! Both use technology, both are dorky, corny and well intentioned smart dummies. I think Routh does a great Kord audition here.

We want someone charming, dorky, and even silly. Ted Kord is a silver age hero, and needs to feel like it.

Film Stipulations

For the first time I fancast, we actually have some clues and hurdles for casting.

We learn quite a bit about Ted Kord from the Blue Beetle movie. He is obsessed with the scarab, he fought in and for Palmera City, but wasn't iconic enough to be remembered by many. He was remembered foundly by Rudy though, who is played by George Lopez, who is 62.

Bruna Marquezine plays his daughter, who is 28, and Susan Sarandon plays his older sister at 76. Gaging this range we can assume Ted is somewhere between 55-65, so our actor needs to be in that age range.

We also know Susan Sarandon is very white, and Jenny is mixed, so we're looking for a white actor.

Characteristics

Ted Kord is a classic hero. He is corny, he is fun, and he is weird. We know he is obsessed with the scarab, so someone who can get a little unhinged would be good.

One aspect of Kord I loved from the movie was this inventions didn't always work. He was a genius but a janky one. I like the idea of mad scientist meets heartfelt hero.

We also need someone who feels like they've been a hero for a longtime, and maybe not always the best one.

Honorable Mentions

One interesting aspect of Ted Kord is his history of being adapted through other characters. We brought up Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer playing a version of Blue Beetle, but Patrick Wilson similarly did so.

Alan Moore's Watchmen character Nite Owl II was based off or Ted Kord. You can see it in his suit, gadgets and even ship.

Blue Beetle is often compared to Batman for being so similar. While he just made his reappearance in The Flash, George Clooney is in our age range and kind of fits perfectly.

While I'm usually against actors playing separate superhero roles, I think in this case it can be a fun wink and nod to the viewers, while oddly enough honoring the character.

So if Brandon Routh, George Clooney or Patrick Wilson want the role, I think they should take it.

Finally, a popular fancast and rumor was Jason Sudekais was taking the role.

I absolutely love this casting, and would be happy with it. But I want some originality in my pick, so I have my own as well.

So let's get into my picks:

3. Eric Bana

Starting off strong with an actor who has done superhero media but not in the DC universe.

You may know him from The Other Boleyn Girl, Star Trek or the Time Traveler's Wife, but most would remember him as Bruce Banner from 2003s The Hulk.

While Bana was wrong for Banner, I think he has the making of an excellent Kord. He has those classic hero features, the voice, the look, and I think the range to pull this off. He even had a solid comedic voice performance in Chip n Dale as Monterey Jack.

I do think Bana can play a generic once was hero, but I'd like a little more life in my Blue Beetle. So while I think he is a solid, my top 2 and honestly my honorable mentions would be much better.

2. Patrick Dempsey

Known for roles in Grey's Anatomy and Enchanted, Patrick Dempsey's character work leads me to believe he'd be a good fit here.

Dempsey has a voice that if utilized well, can be very silver age. I think his background in romantic comedies can be utilized with such a funny cast. Dempsey would be the dorkiest to put in the suit, and would pull off that mad genius hero line well.

My main problem with Dempsey is whether he can feel like a mentor. While the others on my list can pull it off, I don't know if I've ever seen Dempsey play the guy who knew what he was doing. I think he's got the chops for it and I'd be happy to see him try.

1. Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci is a gem.

I could list off his credentials for days but you probably love him from something. He has charisma, mad scientist energy, and can clearly rock the bald look The Beetle costume gives ya.

Tucci also has charisma with just about anyone. I can't think of an actor more widely loved in pretty much everything he is in. He would bring his A Game with such an incredible cast.

He's also had experience mentoring a young hero. He played Abraham Erskine in Captain America the First Avenger, where he mentored a young Steve Rogers.

At 62, he is right in the age range we want. He's got the build, he's got the charm, and absolutely seems like the type of hero who would make a Beetle Mech with a fart button.

Overall, I can see Tucci returning and playing Kord for several solid movies, even spinning off with my Booster Gold and having adventures, or making the ultimate sacrifice.

Either way, Stanley Tucci is my Ted Kord.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can:

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#dc comics #dc universe #blue beetle #blue beetle 2023 #blue beetle battalion #ted kord #jenny kord #victoria kord #blue beetle graduation day #arrowverse #ray palmer #dceu #dcu #james gunn #justice league #brandon routh #superman returns #george clooney #batman #nite owl ii #patrick wilson #jason sudeikis #eric bana #the hulk #patrick dempsey #stanley tucci #fancast #fancasting

[undreaming-fanfiction]

With This Ring (4)

(chapter 3 here, Ao3 link here)

“Are you sure he just didn’t run away? He seemed pretty jittery to me.” 

Mary Harrington knew better than to let her practiced smile falter. Instead, she took a gentle step towards Ted Wheeler, laying a comforting hand on his forearm. All acceptable, not friendly but polite. Everything about her was made to impress. 

“I am sure he just got caught up in practicing the vows, Ted. He’s been incredibly nervous the whole day, you know how young people are.” 

As if Ted Wheeler had ever experienced anything remotely close to youth. 

As if Mary herself had. 

Ted huffed in disagreement, but the tension in his shoulders loosened. “Of course. It’s not acceptable, but perhaps understandable. Still, he needs to realize that this isn’t just about him. The whole wedding has been paid for, the guests invited...it’s not just about the money, mind you. It would be a scandal that none of us want or can afford.” 

His stern voice had alerted Karen, his wife. Mary sometimes wondered if Karen felt the same way that she did, molded into perfection by her older husband, but she never dared to ask. She’d definitely seen Karen happy, proud and content, mainly around her three children. But whenever her eyes traveled towards Ted, the laugh lines on her face faded, her eyes staring past him. 

“I wouldn’t worry, Ted. Steve has been nothing but reliable, and he cares for Nancy so much. He will be back.” Karen almost believed that perfectly modulated voice.

Ted Wheeler solemnly nodded. “I hope so. For all our sakes. I’d never forgive him if he pulled a Cunningham on us.” 

For a split second, Karen’s mask cracked. Out of nowhere, a thin line of disgust made its way to her face. And Mary understood her oh so well, she wanted to slap Wheeler. As if he could understand what it felt like, being trapped before your life could even begin. If Chrissy really had run away, Mary understood and even envied the young woman.

But there was always that if.

Gently shaking her head, Mary decided not to think of all the failed search parties, missing person posters and Jason Carver’s steely determination. This wasn’t the time or the place.

“I assure you, he will be back.”

With a polite nod, she turned on her heel and went to look for her husband.

Chapter 5 here

#steve harrington #stranger things #eddie munson #steddie #steddie au #steddie fanfiction #with this ring #corpse bride au #corpse groom eddie

[damelucyjo]

I’m kind of at a point now where I’m mellowed out about the finale now. As I’ve said there’s things I liked, things I didn’t. There were a good few things that still baffle me though.

So here are 2 thoughts that won’t leave my head;

1 - They just needed to add little hints from Henry throughout the season that he really missed his dad and wanted him back in Kansas. Add in a couple of little scenes where there’s a little bit of a FaceTime where he says ‘I miss you, dad’, or even make a point of it in part of the episode where he stayed with Ted whilst Michelle went off to Paris. As far as I can remember he never once told his dad that he missed seeing him all the time. Little things like that would have really helped make Dottie telling Ted that his son missed him not seem like a manipulative tactic on her part too, and would have made him deciding he had to leave not feel like it suddenly came out of the blue.

2 - Why did Ted feel like he couldn’t speak to Rebecca once she told him she was ready to talk about it. He never had trouble talking with anyone before. If he was so sure of his decision, why couldn’t he reassure her that it was all going to be okay. We were never shown them having a conversation about it. But to me, not having Ted say anything in the scene in the stands, other than agree that he’d made his decision, felt like he hadn’t truly made a decision he was really set on or happy with. He didn’t want to go, but he just didn’t want to talk to her about it. The same in the airport. She kept trying to get him to stay because, again, to me, I felt like she knew he didn’t want to leave. I do believe it’s all more to do with what happened with his dad and Ted being all about never wanting people to feel like they’re alone. But he doesn’t know how to help multiple people at once. He had to go back so that Henry never got to a point where he felt like he didn’t have a dad (which I believe he never did or would have, but this was the case in Ted’s brain), but in going back to Kansas he was leaving Rebecca. He had to do that though because Henry’s more important to him. And I could go off on another tangent about how it was apparently more important for them to show this platonic loving friendship between these two, yet I saw more love between Rebecca & Keeley than I did Ted & Rebecca. They spent so much time seemingly not talking! God, I really could go on and on apparently, but I’m gonna shut up about them now 😂

I have many other thoughts that won’t leave me alone either. One the same as everyone else - how Ted & Rebecca are supposed to be very close friends and nothing more, yet why all the fake outs and specific acting choices from both Hannah & Jason. Or the many thoughts I have after reading Brendan’s AMA. But most of these are angry thoughts…

My overall impression, I guess you could say, is that many of the final choices that were made in regards to this show really reflected on the fact that is was basically run by a group of men. I don’t want to believe that many of the things that happened would have happened if they’d had any women who had more say. I may be completely alone in that opinion, and that’s perfectly fine.

But one ‘bad’ episode, even if it is the finale, isn’t going to taint my love of the show overall. I will still rewatch it, just maybe not the last episode as often. I’ll just believe the idea that the ending was all a dream and that they had plenty of conversations off camera. Ted was just popping home to sort things out before starting a new chapter of his life in Richmond.

#Ted Lasso #still have too many thoughts running through my brain #this post also wasn’t supposed to be this long #but once I started I couldn’t shut up #I also feel safer running my mouth off here than I do on Twitter #So I’ll subject you all to it instead! Lucky you!! 😂

[heclosescases]

Ted's Panic 🥺

(Seasons 1-3)

A few months back me and another fan were talking about Ted’s experience of panic, and we were considering whether it would be something they touched on in S3.  I hoped that it wasn’t the end of that particular arc because panic doesn’t just go forever.

One of the main reasons the show has me gripped by the collar so hard is because of the representation of panic attacks and anxiety. I remember watching S01E07 for the first time and my jaw dropping. It made me feel not completely abnormal for the first time in ages. Jason plays the part perfectly.

I can honestly say that this show has given me a different perspective, helped me talk about my thoughts more easily, and has made me believe in myself again. 

Pumped for S3!! <3

#ted lasso #ted lasso season 3 #jason sudeikis #panic attack #anxiety #sorry for getting real

[dirchristophernolan]

i know we can't really compare two shows from different genres (i.e., succession-tragedy and ted lasso-comedy) but like- i can't help but see the ocean between the two trajectories/arcs. succession was completed in a perfect way; it was consistent with its characters, their upbringing, their goals, their nature and core; yes, season 3 was not as good as previous seasons BUT jesse managed to recover it all FLAWLESSLY and delivered what is imho the best ending for one of the best shows in decades (if not tv history). and then we have: ted lasso. it started out INCREDIBLE. the show brought hope in a time of dire need. it made us feel good at a time where everything and everyone felt obscure and uncertain. it made us believe that happy endings were possible. until all fell flat at season 3. idk if it was apple's doing or jason's doing or the writers room's doing but season 3 felt.. greedy. like they knew how big they got so they had to cover as much plotlines and characters as possible. episodes with duration of over 1 hr that had a lot of scattered feel good moments yet that amounted to pretty much nothing. a lesson on how to fuck up a perfectly good show. it's funny yet heartbreaking how it was the tragedy that delivered, where the comedy just disappointed.

#succession #ted lasso #it took me 4 days for succession and 2 days for ted lasso but i finally digested my feelings

[wibble-wobbegong]

list of people who will not be shocked At All to find out mike is in love with will

jonathan - witnessed both monologues (knows he was lying to el) and has known mike since he was five

lucas - is the only person who witnessed how different mike’s reactions were to fighting with el and fighting with will and has known both of them almost as long as they’ve known each other

he’s also aware of the importance dnd holds for mike and will because of this, and being in hellfire with mike, he’ll see how much mike loves the stuff he was ignoring for el’s sake and loved doing with will

hopper - he knows how mike refuses to listen to him when he really cares. he knows mike gets angry in fights back. he completely disobeyed hopper in s1 and was absolutely livid with him at the end of s2 over hiding el. that is very different to the reaction he got when telling mike not to come see el. he listened and he barely argued back.

he also might’ve noticed how mike refused to leave will’s side in s2 vs how he wasn’t even sitting with el after she had her leg cut open in s3

joyce - it’s joyce. next question

karen - the coded s1 talk. next question

el - be serious. she was there for the entirety of s1. she knows mike has been lying to her. she won’t be surprised at all to find out mike simply wasn’t in love with her but in love with will. she’ll probably be surprised to see the force in which he loves him bc she hasn’t seen him act like that since that week in s1, but i don’t think it’ll be a surprise that he’s in love with will. more of an Oh moment than anything

ted - not bc he knew but bc he doesn’t have the emotional capacity to give a fuck despite being a reaganite

people who ARE gonna be shocked

dustin - has the world’s worst gaydar and hasn’t really been around mikeandwill much, according to what’s being shown on screen. as far as he’s aware, mike and el are perfectly happy but his relationship with will has become kinda strained thanks to joyce’s telemarketer job (he knows he isn’t calling for el bc if he wanted to call el he’d have to use cerebro). he’s unaware of the significance dnd has for mike, unlike lucas

nancy - they live in the same house but barely talk to each other. again, she isn’t aware that mike isn’t happy with el and knows that mike and will’s relationship is struggling. the only clues she has are the small bits she actually sees from mike and mike’s feelings are all internal

erica - she’s known mike and will since she was like 2 or 3 years old and somehow she’s the only character to ever consider queerness* as something beyond something people bully you for (outside of the actual gay people and the people they’ve told). she doesn’t even know mike has a girlfriend. this is totally a hc but she probably thought mike and will were dating beforehand

*when she made a sarcastic joke about lucas going on a date with jason, which is a “step down from max”

max - she hasn’t been exposed to mike and will’s relationship very much (according to what’s on screen) and barely knew either of them in s2, she doesn’t even seem like she noticed they were gone. her only interactions with mike have been while he was dating el or before when he seemed angry about her trying to join the party which she finds out is bc of el. she thinks he’s a dick but she doesn’t really have any reason to believe mike isn’t in love with her. also there’s a pretty good chance she’s gonna wake up after they get together so it’ll be even more of a shock bc to her it’ll just go straight from mike being in love with el to mike being in love with will and also he’s gay??

as of right now, nobody else is really close enough with mike or will to care that much beyond the initial shock of Oh Shit Gay People! unless something changes i can’t imagine anyone else’s reaction being focused on except robin’s

#byler

[katmaatui]

24, 26 for Starfire, 32, 40, 45 for Dick Grayson

24.) Ship(s) that makes you cringe.

For Kory, I honestly have only seen two things I don't like, both of which are based on RHatO so my hatred tracks. Its Jayfire and Joyfire. The way they are written will always hurt Kory, and Roy too usually.

26.) What’s the worst costume design for [Kory]?

RHatO outfit one hundred percent. What, what is this? It looks so uncomfortable, and there is no way those boobs are staying up.

32.) Which character got a solo that didn’t deserve one?

Should I be a one trip pony and say Jason, again? Nah. I’ll be different and say Harley Quinn, a character I hate so much I edited her out of a cover I used as my homescreen. She is boring and I want to give her space over to Roy or Kory (with a good author). 

40.) What’s your most detested plot point?

I’m going to go with a Nightwing plot point, and hmmm. I’m split between the recent “Bats of Christmas Past” story that made teenager Dick responsible for ruining Christmas because BRUCE didn’t call. (Oh yeah to that person I told that I would write an essay over it, its coming eventually. I just got busy right after I told you that.) Or I do hate Death of the Family aka the plot point where somehow Joker manages to beat all of the batmembers, trick them into thinking he cut off their faces, and put in chairs they couldn’t escape but Bruce could escape easily. You can see why its detested.

45.) What’s the worst take you’ve seen about [Dick] (popular or not)?

The Robin situation and his role in it. First thing, actually Alfred was the one to first give Damian, Robin. This meant that if Dick were to keep Tim as Robin, then he would have to take away the one thing that said that they even wanted or cared about Damian from a traumatized 10 year old assassin. Second, Dick never abandoned Tim, threw him into Arkham, or whatever other things people make up to trash on him. What actually happened was that Tim pushed everyone away while hanging onto what really was at that point a wild goose chase. They had Bruce’s body. There was no reason to think he had traveled through time. Thirdly, Tim forgave Dick years ago for what happened. It was literally like the 11 issue of Red Robin and they were getting along great. Finally, please stop taking everything that happens in Red Robin as perfectly unbiased because Tim even admits that he is unreliable. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

#I really didn't realize how much pent up anger I had over the Robin issue #Dick Grayson #Tim Drake #Koriand'r #Anti Rhato #Ask Reply #Ask games #Edit: I fixed the name of the recent Nightwing story that annoyed me #I accidently mentioned one of the other stories in the issue by accident #I was referring to 'Bats of Christmas Past' not 'Carol of the Bats'

[hintofelation99]

Headcanon #10

Batfamily Sexualities

Happy Pride Month! Here are my headcanons for batfam sexualities and my fav pairings.

Dick: Pansexual; Wally/Dick

I also love Dick and Kori (Cause Teen Titans nostalgia) but the way their relationship ended in the comics sorta ruins it for me.

Jason: Demisexual; Roy/Jason

I do think Jason is still figuring some things out but overall I think of him as demi.

Pre-death I think he was really scared of being gay or liking men, cause growing up with Willis wasn't exactly an accepting environment.

But post-death he was able to come to terms with he sexuality and feel comfortable in exploring it (mainly emotional exploration).

Tim: Asexual/Homoromantic; Kon/Tim

Am I projecting? Probs. Do I care? Nope!

Tim loves physical affection and he isn't sex repulsed, but sex just it's not it? Like it's a thing and sure it's, uh, interesting? But like it ain't all that.

Being ace was super confusing for Tim cause for a long time he didn't realize you could be ace and still like cuddling/kissing. It was so confusing to him until he finally talked to Jason (who had been researching sexuality and shit) and Jason actually explained the ace spectrum.

Damian: IS ALWAYS A BBY IN MY MIND SO IDK

I always see him as a bby so he hasn't thought about it.

But when he's older I tend to think of him as ace or demi (mainly cause I want more characters on the ace spectrum. Like represent me pls).

Duke: Bi-curious

Duke is also on the younger side and hasn't thought a whole lot about sexuality in my mind.

Steph: Aromantic/Homosexual

She's a gay disaster and I love her.

Also she has a huge crush on Black Canary (mostly in an idolizing way tbh).

Cass: Questioning

I'd imagine that after her not so typical childhood Cass is still trying to figure out who she is as a person and honestly has sorta put romance/relationships on the back burner. Because of this she hasn't put much thought in to it.

She thinks she might be pan so she's been talking with Dick about it, but she's still confused.

Barbara: Fluid; Kara/Babs (based on The New Batman Series)

Babs doesn't really associate her self with a specific sexuality.

Usually she goes for more masculine ppl but she'd not quite straight.

Bruce: Straight

I can easily see Bruce being bi or pan, but tbh I just love imagining straight Bruce who never knew anything about the queer community trying to figuring out how to support his children

Like Bruce going to pride for the first time absolutely decked out cause he maybe emotionally constipated but he will always support his queer disaster children.

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

Just a quick little side note: Sexuality is complicated and confusing. I have struggled most of my life trying to figure out where I fit in on the spectrum of sexuality. But, now that I've had more time to become comfortable with my sexuality and my self, I've realized I will never fit one label perfectly. Sexuality is a spectrum nothing is perfect, labels have flaws, and we are all just human. So, if you're struggling with your sexuality, I get that and I know it's rough, but it does get easier. And if you're weirded out by me assigning sexualities to random characters, well... idk what to tell you, sucks to suck? Like I grew up with almost no representation so of course I want to see my favorite characters fit into a community I am apart of. Also if we're being honest comic books are basically company approved fanfiction. Like timelines are bullshit, characterizations change constantly, and there are a shit ton of random pairings. So in my mind comics are made to be fucked with.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk :)

#cassandra cain #stephanie brown #duke thomas #damian wayne #jason todd #barbara gordon #dick grayson #tim drake #bruce wayne #black bat #spoiler #oracle #batgirl #the signal #robin #red hood #red robin #nightwing #batman #sexualities #happy pride yall #gay #the batfam is queer

[mindibindi]

Beyond disappointed in Ted Lasso. What were they thinking?!

The writing is a complete betrayal and insult to Rebecca’s character and Hannah’s skills as they’re being seriously underused. It’s also insulting Sam’s character.

Hoping someone pulls Rebecca’s head out of her ass tbh. Sam shouldn’t be getting caught in the crossfire of her looking for romance. I know he showed up at her doorstep but she still should’ve turned him away, and not even messaged him in the first place.

Hey, I'm with you, Anon, though we do seem to be in the minority. Sam is definitely not blameless here, he is also in the wrong. But if one of them is more in the wrong, it is Rebecca. I can't speak to whether her head has left her arse as yet because I have quit watching (at least for now). I hear she called it off with Sam in the most recent ep, though not because of any major crisis of conscience or because anyone in her inner circle expressed any reasonable reservations in response to her bad behaviour. And to be honest, I'm not sure we should need to hope and pray that Rebecca's precocious god-daughter, her slimy ex-husband, or the brutal British press will act as a moral compass on this ill-advised relationship. Both Rupert and the press have been set up to some extent as the villains of the piece. And a 14 year old should never have to school her elders on what is and isn't acceptable. Nora's needs have already been neglected by Rebecca for far too long.

If a moral position is to be taken on this, it needs to be taken by the show (because stance matters) and/or by its characters. But the show has for the most part depicted this relationship as ill-advised but ultimately hot, sweet, funny and romantic. As for the characters themselves, Sam has shown at least once that he has some moral backbone but seems to be adorably clueless when it comes to fucking his boss who keeps trying to set boundaries with him. Meanwhile, Rebecca's whole arc in s1 was about learning not to misuse her power for her own selfish ends. In season one, she misused her power within the club in order to exact revenge. In season 2, we have seen her misuse her sexual power, though I still cannot see to what end. I'm a bit at a loss as to what exactly she gets out of this 'relationship' but then I'm a grown woman so I have absolutely no interest in sleeping with a Harry Potter enthusiast barely out of his teens. I couldn't think of anything less sexy and more ick. I was certainly hoping for better character development for her this season.

As to what the writers were thinking, obviously I was not in the writer's room, but I would guess that they were thinking that any drama is good drama, people are stupid and fan devotion will trump any meaningful critique. In other words, they were thinking exactly how every other television writer thinks, despite the fact that this show posited itself as 'not like other TV shows'. This, to me, is where the blame really lies. Not with the characters or with the actors who are doing their best to sell this ludicrous turn of events. It must be noted, however, that both actors were completely blindsided by this relationship that had supposedly been so cleverly foreshadowed. Newsflash: if the people actually living these stories did not see this coming then you haven't foreshadowed shit. Sure, there were a handful of people that paired Rebecca with Sam but this does not constitute proof either. Fans have free-range to imagine and re-imagine characters. In some cases this may extend to imagining relationships between characters who have barely, if ever, interacted. There may be little to no evidence that these characters have even clocked each other's existence and some fans will still ship it. The existence of a handful of shippers does not legitimise such a problematic and divisive plotline making it onscreen.

But wait!, you might argue, this may not be a case of a popular show seeing just how far they can stretch fan devotion. This may not be a case of fan service to a handful of shippers. After all, the creators mapped out the entire three-season arc of Ted Lasso before they even pitched it to Apple. This was their brilliant plan all along! To which I would say: then maybe they should've rethought their second act based on people's strong reactions to their first. Ted Lasso was touted as the show we all needed in 2020. The writers and creators have all marveled at the chord it struck considering it was conceived prior to the pandemic and all the chaos it wrought. And while there is something to be said for having/sticking to a creative vision, there is also something to be said for being flexible and responsive to your audience and the cultural zeitgeist with which you're engaged. Season 1 of Ted Lasso told its story so gently, without creating distrust, division or unnecessary anxiety. It did not treat its audience like a gaggle of stupid lemmings to be led over a succession of narrative cliffs. THIS is what I mean when I say the show has broken with its brand. And look, this whole dark forest thing would be okay if the narrative arc was as well-crafted as s1. Season 1 gave us meaning, cohesion, comfort, sense in a senseless time. It was an almost perfectly crafted season of television. And I kept the faith for 6 episodes, despite the first half of s2 being pretty damn wobbly. But the follow-up to this stellar debut has been less than extraordinary so yeah, perhaps they should've thought a little harder about what made s1 so special before throwing it all out the window.

But wait!, I hear the faithful say, you don't know how things will pan out yet! Wait until the season is over and everything will make sense! But -- wearily and once again, I say -- we should not need to wait until the end of the season to understand what the hell is happening. By this point (over halfway through the season and show) we should have a v clear idea of the show's themes and the characters' arcs. And tbf, from what I can tell there are some fab things happening in other aspects of the show that I wish I could watch and enjoy. But my biggest fear at this point is that they are going to use Sam to solve Rebecca's childlessness. That, like Rupert (because the parallel cannot be avoided), she will become pregnant with a young fling and the show's attitude to this relationship will ultimately be: oh well, it was a bad idea and didn't work out for them but it was all for the best in the end cos who can be mad about a cute lil baaaayyybbbeeee??!! If they do go down this path then I will definitely be abstaining from the rest of the show. I will simply recall my repeated viewings of s1 with fondness tinged with regret at just how badly they fucked up a good thing.

Ultimately, Anon, I think this may be a case of there simply not being a diverse enough perspective in the writer's room. I am not saying that every single woman or every single person of colour will necessarily object to this relationship. I am simply saying that women and people of colour will be more sensitive to the issues of gender and race that are relevant here but that have not been fully or sensitively acknowledged in the writing of this plotline. Neither am I saying that Rebecca is the first woman to sleep with a man much (much, much, MUCH) younger than herself or indulge in an ill-advised relationship. But the comparison with Rupert both works here and doesn't because Rebecca is not being written like a white woman, she is being written like a white man. Realistically, only a white man can engage in this kind of hugely imbalanced relationship seemingly without any major moral qualms or societal ramifications. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this kind of relationship is reserved for all the Bills and Joes and Brendans and Jasons out there -- not for the Rebeccas and definitely not for the Sams. We are way beyond the point in feminism where we believe that liberation is simply the right for a white woman to behave as badly as a white man. The truth is that whatever wealth, power and privilege Rebecca has, the rules are different for men and women. She will not be treated the same as Rupert if and when this affair is uncovered. She will be treated far more savagely than Rupert ever was and Sam will be treated far more savagely than Bex was. This is not an argument for the equal treatment of these two relationships. It is an argument against how the relationship between Rebecca and Sam has been envisaged, i.e. through the wrong perspective. In writing from a 'neutral' white male pov, the show has invisiblised all the many issues activated by this storyline and revealed a blindspot that was always there.

As much as I loved and still love season 1 of this show, it has definite blindspots when it comes to representations of race and gender. There are at least two moments in s1 that stand out for me as being so obviously written by a man. Not necessarily because of what they do but because of what they don't do: what is missed, absent, unacknowledged. I was willing to overlook such minor failings in a debut season for many reasons. But s2 seems to have exacerbated these minor flaws rather than correcting them. And here I can't help thinking of Tina Fey speaking of the diversification of the writer's room at SNL during her tenure as co-headwriter. This notoriously male-dominated environment only began to shift and produce better work when a greater diversity of minds, voices and persepectives was allowed in the room. In this richer environment, she notes, different jokes played differently. Different sketches made it to air. Different perspectives were represented and different performers were celebrated. I can't help wondering if this plotline would have made it to air if there had been a female writer, a writer of colour or both further up the chain of command to challenge the ideas of the straight white dudes in charge.

One of the reasons I didn't think Ted Lasso was for me was that it centred a straight, white, cis-het, able-bodied man who rose to a position he didn't earn. That is just not a pov I would normally choose for myself, especially now that there is such a rich array of alternative perspectives through which to view the world. But I think the show won a lot of females fans with its first season largely due to its portrayal of Rebecca. She is the first person we meet. She is arguably the protagonist of s1. And while she would have been figured as a villain in previous pieces, the show never took that stance with her (because again, stance matters). Other elements like the depiction of female friendships, all centred around Rebecca, made this show female-friendly viewing. But imo, the major reason this show won over female fans (this one, at least) is because, in this post-MeToo, post-TimesUp era, it stood up and said: domestic violence is not okay, we stand with women and all victims of abuse, we will defend you, we know words can hurt, we know it can happen to anyone, we know all about toxic masculinity, we do not take this lightly and we will support you in your healing. Needless to say, this is how women hope men will act when they speak of their most difficult experiences but it is not how they always do.

The shift away from Rebecca this season has however meant that the white male experience is more centred than it was in s1. Rebecca's journey to recovery, health and happiness has been trivialised and sidelined, reduced to a highly questionable sexcapade. Meanwhile, we get overwrought manpain at every turn. We get Beard wandering around London (no, I haven't seen it and no, I don't need to. We've all been raised on white dudes thinking they're genuises when they have a figurative wank all over our screens). We get NO queer represention at all. And the only other female characters on screen are in care/service roles to men. The father/son, mentoring and toxic masculinity themes are all still there but they're no longer balanced out by ANY other competing perspective. One of the reasons I was okay with Ted failing upwards in s1 was that he used his power and privilege to lift up others. He was the one in service. He used his enormous privilege for good, as anyone with such privilege must. (Admittedly, it could be argued that this is just another version of a white savior narrative).

My point here is that I'm not sure that peeking behind the mask at the sad clown is as revolutionary as some might believe. We love it because it's familiar. But this is a narrative with a long and problematic history. Do I believe in tearing down toxic masculinity in all its forms? You bet. Do I believe that patriarchy traumatises men as well as women and every other minority in existence? I mean...nowhere near as much, but absolutely. Do I believe in men expressing their feelings and going to therapy? Wholeheartedly. But I am also aware that 100 or so years ago, we were in a very similar place with our narratives. Everyone is looking for a recapitulation of modernism and frankly, this might be an indicator of just that. Whenever women and people of colour have demanded rights and recognition, there has always been a resurgence of tales about just how frickin' hard it is to be a white man. Minority genders and non-white people have never in western history been as visible or vocal as they are now. So forgive me (or don't, I don't care) if I critique a show not only for centering fathers, sons, boys and men but for blindly and boldly writing one of its only female characters and one of its only black characters as if their gender and race just do not exist. There are many other power differentials at play in this relationship, including age, experience, wealth and position, but race and gender are the two that patriarchy is most invested in invisiblising. So I don't care how brilliant they think they are, I will not trust the writing of a bunch of white dudes trying to tell me that race and gender are irrelevant.

#ted lasso #rebecca welton #sam obisanya #ask #yeah this one got out of hand

[internalsealpanic]

Fabulous Friday Evenings

Summary: You were having a really bad day.  Conner decides to help cheer you up and make sure your drunk ass doesn’t face plant on the side walk.

masterlist 

word count:  2,652

a/n: Special thanks to @anothertimdrakestan for helping with the ending and helping with editing! Love you, Elle!

warnings: alcohol and swearing and author does not know how alcohol works.  No one is under the drinking age. This may benefit from more editing. 

"Mosht people are jusht the careful scaffolding of complexshesh," you slurred, your face red, head half buried in your arms, and golden ear cuffs winking under the dim bar lights.

"You somehow still sound like a fucking nerd even you're when drunk," Conner laughed throwing his head back, handsome face stretched with a cheeky smile.  "You look like a mess," he said softly, reaching out for your cheek.

"Fuhk you! Not eberyone can be born too pretty for their own guhd- how did yah evehn know I was here? It was Tim wasn't it! "

"Good guess buuuut it was actually Bart" Conner explained casually taking a seat next to you as you lifted your head momentarily before plopping it back down to stare at the amber gloss of the drink. The light from the ceiling seemed to dance so elegantly in your eyes even as you wrinkled your brows. "That rat," you cursed miserably into your arm. 

Across from you, a pretty brunette shot you two a wink and without looking you could tell Conner flirted in kind. Normally, you'd have the audacity to steal the girl's attention away before Conner could even make a proper move but tonight you were in absolutely no mood to be charming. In fact, you were sloshed. You didn't know whether it was the fourth or fifth drink that did it but there you were sitting next to one of the most attractive people he knew with your makeup smeared and  eyes still swollen and puffy. You kind of just want a portal to open up and swallow you.

 The brunette made a motion to her friends which indicated that she was gonna try her luck and you wished her the best of luck. You bit your soft lips before pressing them into a pout. It took everything in Conner not to kiss you on the spot. Be the responsible one they said. It would be fun, they said. 

"We should go. You're-"

"Have fun," you said, patting him on the shoulder, cutting him off curtly; placing some cash on the bar before leaving. The buxom brunette approached Conner placing a hand on the shoulder you’d just touched moments before. He didn’t seem to notice her, his mind still lingering on the warmth of your hand.  Before she can say anything, he pivots and runs towards you .

The casual slump in your shoulders in place of your usual elegance was a pretty good indication that you would probably fall in a gutter before you got home. Conner highly doubted  you could see straight. 

"I can’t believe Roz let you get this sloshed without checking on you," He joked bringing one of your arms over his shoulder and slinging his own arm around you for balance. You walked like a newborn horse. It was incredibly embarrassing and you wanted to die. Conner, on the other hand, just found it incredibly hilarious.

 "She's out getting into her own brand of sloshed at a bachelorette party,"

"Huh. Didn't know she was the wedding type. Thought she hated going to those,"

"She's the stripper," You deadpanned, sounding abnormally sober.  With that Conner let out a genuinely hearty laugh. You would trade all the martinis, dackories, and margaritas in the world just to get drunk on that laugh. 

"That reminds me," Conner drawled, adjusting his hold feeling just how shaky you were from the late October Metropolis weather pressing you closer to his warm body. You kind of wanted to melt into his side but you had too much pride. "Bart never said why you were out here getting shit faced," You frowned at him but couldn't really muster any sharpness into your expression.

 There were lots of reasons to get 'shit faced' even in shiny Metropolis. You twitched your nose and mouth side to side gathering the makings of a sentence. Where do you even start? Your little sister got suspended, your mother (who somehow found out you were in Metropolis) is either demanding money or for you to drop everything to go back home to help around the house (translation: help out with the bills while babysitting your siblings), Bats and some other league members were on your ass for the last mission (probably the only thing on this list you found reasonable),  this morning, you got fired from your library job so they could hire Marco's girlfriend (who is in fact a perfectly nice person which means you can't really hate her), or the dozens of little annoyances such as Bart not being able to keep his trap shut. 

"This week was just a little much," 

A long moment of silence passes between you. Uncharacteristic for Conner but it was cute that he thought silence would make you fess up. 

"You know I could have gone home on my own. That brunette looked like she was up for a good time," 

"Yeah right. Also you're welcome." 

"You're right. Thank you for getting blue balled this fine evening to escort me" you didn't want to be prickly but Conner was being too nice and that made your skin crawl. Why couldn’t he be mean to you right now like a normal person? 

"First off, she wasn't even my type-" You raised a brow. 

"Kon, her tits were the size of Jupiter-" 

"Did you really  just say 'tits'?" 

You threw him a scowl clearly sobering up from irritation.

"Shut up. Point iiiis, you didn't have to-"

"You just said-"

"Oh for the love of- yes, I said tits. Speaking of which you should be staring at some instead of having to lug my sorry ass around on this fabulous Friday evening."  Your hand fluttering, gesturing vaguely in the air.

"Eh. There'll be other Fridays" Kon shrugged.  Pulling you closer and some selfish part of you felt relieved. 

----------

Much to your surprise (you really ought not to be), Roz wasn't home yet which meant you had to dig out the keys from the secret hiding spot- another hassle. You reached out peeling a hilariously well concealed hole in the wall and fished out the set of jingling keys. Conner looked like he was between amusement and bewilderment. Good enough.  At least, this stopped Conner's 30 minute TED Talk about the new 70s sitcom he'd found. 

You two entered the shoe box apartment clumsily thanks to your disastrous limbs. 

You blew out a breath and muttered a thanks as Conner helped you plop onto the couch.  Though, it was more like gravity decided to magnetize your body to the couch and Conner just let it happen. 

You shut his eyes for a moment wrapping a ragged blanket around you. You made a mental note to raid the thrift store for a new one. Preferably one void of holes. 

"So what's up and don't you dare say it was nothing. I've never seen you this hammered before," He said handing you a mug of steaming hot chocolate. 

"Does it occur to you that I might get hammered like this often and you might just not see it? Who knows maybe I'm actually a functional alcoholic?" 

"Ok, first off, you are barely functional. Second, that might be your weakest deflection yet.  Try again," 

"Ok... did it occur-" 

"I didn't mean it lite- just tell me what happened. Everyone's worried," 

You stared at the steam rising from the fresh cup of cocoa. It was none of Conner's business. It was no one’s business.  Your friends were too goddamn nice. Blowing out another breath, you said "You might wanna sit down too," 

Conner takes his own mug of hot cocoa and sits next to you because for some reason eye contact made you a better liar and Conner for all his dumb decisions wasn't gonna let  you off the hook that easily.  You shifted uncomfortably and muttered about either Cassie or Roz ratting you out. He assumed it was the eye contact thing. Conner felt a little offended. He might not be Tim but he’s smart enough to figure it out on his own. Despite his hurt feelings and bruised ego, he decided to table that and focus on the current issue or, likely, issues.

 "Do you want it in alphabetical order?" 

"Please tell me you can actually do that," Conner teased with a wide grin. You couldn’t fight off a smile forming on your face. "Sadly, I am not Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. My brain cells work like a normal person's,"

"Didn't you die?" 

"Death only fixes stupid when you stay dead. You've seen Red Hood and whichever other Ex-Robin has been to the pearly gates,"

"You say that as if Jason wouldn't tell the big man to fuck off," 

You blinked and turned your head up to the ceiling. "Ok that's true," You conceded, your mouth twitching rapidly from side to side making you look like an exasperated rabbit.  Cute.

"So what's up?" 

 All the good mood from the past few minutes dissipated in an instant. You looked down solemnly at the still steaming mug. You were silent for what felt like an eternity. 

 "It's family- Immediate.  And the source of all evil-"  

 "Lex Corp?" 

You snorted a shy tired smile cracked across your face.  You shook your head. Those little gestures just make Conner feel a little warmer. You, on the other hand, cursed at how easily Conner could make you laugh. You were  supposed to be sad damn it. 

"Money," Conner knew immediate family was always a sore spot for you. No one knew the specifics except Roz but that was inevitable when you're cousins.  Money was also a sore spot and based on your near dead tone. You’ve either lost a lot of it or you’re in a tight spot but not ready to elaborate. 

"Wanna try buying a lottery ticket?"

"What?"

"Who knows you might get lucky?" 

"You could have gotten lucky you if you-" 

"Are you seriously gonna keep bringing that up?" 

"Yes, most likely. Depends," 

"On what?!" 

"On whether I can think of something funnier to give you shit about or if you can convince me-whatever the fuck you're thinking of doing stop!"Conner's cheeky grin did not disappear nor did the faint flush on your cheeks. 

"I wasn't thinking of anything, you sick pervert" he laughed. You really should have been exasperated with Conner. You tried damn it. You looked at him skeptically before violently letting his head rest on Conner’s shoulder causing the other boy to fall over. 

"Aaaaaaawwwww babe , if you wanted to cuddle you could have just said so," 

You wanted to. In fact,  both of you wanted to. But unfortunately neither of you were martian and neither of you was willing to say jack.  You closed your eyes trying to pretend Conner wasn't a little shit. Conner radiated too much smug for that though. 

"Shut up," You mumbled into Conner's shoulder already feeling sleep pull him under. You clung to him. Maybe just for tonight you can indulge in this. Just for a little while you can cling to Conner's warmth. Maybe in the morning your head will ache too much to remember this. Waking up alone wouldn't be too painful then. Hopefully. 

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

You woke up feeling like a troop of Can Caning hippos decided to host a live performance all over your head. You sighed remembering that you had in fact run out of Aspirin just days before so you decided on just lying there and praying that Roz also needed Aspirin and  had more energy to run to the store. 

You settled in nuzzling in to the warm- 

Wait. It was October. 

Nothing in the apartment should be warm. 

NOTHING. 

Then, you heard it.  A LOUD snore. It honestly sounded more like the roar of an engine than anything.  Everything else followed. The slow rising and falling of the chest beneath you, the press of stubble against your forehead, and the strong arms loosely wrapped around you. 

Yeah. You died again. Yeah. You finally went to heaven. Yup. You were ok with that. You were  definitely 100% A Ok with this if this was heaven. Being held tenderly by the guy you liked while you got a good night’s sleep was definitely heaven. God, you were such a sap.  

How the hell you missed all of that baffled you.

 Oh wait. Dancing hippos. Fuck. 

Your head felt like it was threatening to crack open but somehow you honestly could not mind even if you tried. You were  laying on top of a hot (literally and metaphorically) guy mutually cuddling. You nuzzled into the junction between Conner’s neck and shoulder in an attempt to steal more warmth. Sure, you were probably gonna go deaf from the snoring. Sure, you were definitely irritated by the stubble pressed against your face. And sure, you would probably die of embarrassment once Conner woke up. You could worry about all that later. All you could think about was how nicely your arms fit around Conner’s neck and how Conner’s arms wrap around you a little tighter in return. 

Click. 

Click. 

You could hear the distinct sound of your own camera shutter. Each sound chipped away at your peace of mind. You lifted your head only to see Roz holding your camera. 

TAKING PICTURES. 

Your cousin was nothing if not a petty opportunist. 

“I would tell you to get a room buuuut the only bedroom iiiiis preeeeeeetty occupied,” Roz drawled  smugly way too pleased with herself. You opened his mouth to ask but you’d already made the mistake of walking in on Roz and a guest once and you were  pretty sure you needed more therapy for that than you did for your murder. You just sighed as Roz took another picture.

“Come on, (y/n), smile a little,”

“I’m not smiling for your blackmail material,”

Roz gasped trying to sound scandalized. She failed, only sounding amused beyond belief. “It’s only blackmail if you’re ashamed of it. Personally, I think you’re scoring big time,”

“Roz please just fuck off before you wake him up,”

“Too fuckin’ late for that. He’s been awake for awhile,” 

You could  feel Conner smiling into your hair and his arms wrap around you  a little tighter. You tried to straighten up. To tower over him. To look intimidating. 

But…. you couldn’t. You were kind of trapped because, yanno,  super strength.

 You were seething and threw a scowl at Conner who only chuckled at you in response.  

“You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you?” You snarled, clearly exasperated and feeling the hippos start their encore performance. 

“ Mmmmmm, it depends,” Nope. The hippos did not only come back for an encore. They brought friends. Based on the absolutely smug look on Conner’s face, you were in for an entire parade. 

You let out a breath not sure if you wanted to play this game but not really seeing any other options.  “On what?“

Conner paused and hummed and hummed and hummed some more as if he was actually thinking but you knew from the crook of his lips that he had this planned out. Maybe not this exact scenario but something close“Go out on a date with me,”

You blinked then rolled your eyes theatrically enough that your head rolled along with it.   “And be seen with you in public?” You teased, an almost sheepish smile tugging at your features.

Yeah, Conner wasn’t exactly expecting you to say yes.

 “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” You said playing it off as casually as possible but you couldn’t help but mirror the absolutely goofy grin plastered on Conner’s face.  His happiness was infectious. You felt weightless. It was probably the fact that you were floating with him but you were pretty sure you were just on cloud nine. You were doomed. Definitely, inevitable, indubitably doomed. Even though everything has been shit up to now. The happiness radiating off of Conner was enough to make everything feel a little better.  

Thank you so much for reading!

tag list: 

@idkmanicantenglish

@batarella (I thought you might like it?)

#conner kent x reader #conner kent #conner kent imagine #My writing #dc fanfiction #DC comics #kon el x reader #kon el imagine

[sleepykittypaws]

Celebrate the Olympic Spirit

Sure, the Olympics aren’t a holiday, per se, but the every-four-year, or two if you count both Summer and Winter editions separately, massive international sporting events sure seems like a reason to celebrate, especially given their recent, unprecedented delay. And what better way to get into the Games mood, than by watching a sports movie?

Here are my favorite motivating, inspirational, and aspirational tales of athletic derring do…

Favorite Sports Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992) - This figure skating romance was released around the 1992 Olympics, and actually name-checks that year's winter host city, Albertville, more than once.  It's not good in the traditional sense of great storytelling or athletic veracity, but I loved it so very much I saw it three times in the theater as a teen. Watching it at some point during every Winter Games is a tradition for me so, yeah, I can’t help it, I love this silly sports movie/romance, which also features a bit of holiday feels.

Wimbledon (2004) - It's a rom-com. It's a sports movie. It's a rom-com sports movie that really should be better known. Notting Hill but set at tennis' best-known event. Paul Bettany and Kristen Dunst have surprisingly great chemistry, and there's more sports-related tension than you'd think.

Friday Night Lights (2004) - A football movie for people who don't really like football. a.k.a. 🙋‍♀️. The TV series it spawned is also brilliant (”Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” indeed), and well worth a watch, but the original movie, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is, honestly, a masterpiece. Definitely Peter Berg's best work and the original book, written by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger, is a great read.

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - You mean you forgot this Australian export, which made Toni Collette a star, was a sports movie? Yep, one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre, this absolutely brilliant, ABBA-soaked comedy is not only a girls-night go-to, but also a stealth Olympic sport classic.

Remember the Titans (2000) - OK, football isn't in the Olympics, but it sure does make for a good sports movie setting. Even if this early 1970s-set story is most definitely Disney-fied, Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling and a baby Hayden Panettiere really sell this sort-of true story.

Invictus (2009)-Rugby isn't an Olympic sport, or even one most Americans know much about, but this Matt Damon-led, Clint Eastwood-directed, based-on-a-true-story tale made me care about a sport I'd only tangentially knew even existed before watching.

Hoosiers (1986)-I grew up in Indiana so, by law, I have to include this basketball classic on any "best of" sports movie lists. Also, it actually is really very good.

Rudy (1993)-Ditto the above. But, again, it's hard not to root for Sean Astin (and Jon Favreau!) in this love letter to the Fighting Irish. Plus, there’s no better scavenger hunt task or TikTok challenge than going into a bar and convincing a patron to allow you to put them on your shoulders and march around chanting, 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.' 

Miracle (2004) - Given how much more popular the Summer Olympics are, it's weird that the Winter Games seem to get all the good movies made about them, but this Kurt Russell-led true tale is another Disney sports movie classic.

McFarland, USA (2015) - Disney, and Kevin Costner, just really know how to make a sports movie, damn it! This movie made me care about cross country for which it, too, could have carried the title Miracle.

A League of Their Own (1992)-The best baseball movie ever. Yeah, I said what I said. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty—even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are making it work. 1992 was a weirdly great year for sports movies.

Moneyball (2011) - A movie about baseball, and math, and yet it's also great, I swear. In addition to all of the above, it's also a stealth Christmas movie and maybe Chris Pratt's best non-Marvel, movie role.

Creed (2015) - This surprisingly effective Rocky reboot starring Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's illegitimate son has spawned its own movie series which, in many ways, exceeds the original Rocky franchise.

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Maybe it's because I was a toddler when the original Rocky came out, so only saw the ever-worse sequels as a kid, but this mid-aughts return to the character for Sylvester Stallone, as both writer and actor, is a triumph.

Eddie the Eagle (2016) - That Hugh Jackman features in as many movies (spoiler alert) on this list as Kevin Costner surprised me, too. This story of the English ski jumper who became infamous for being, well, less than golden, is one of those non-Olympic triumph stories that really works. If you're going to watch one underdog-at-the-Games movie, I definitely prefer this this to the more ubiquitous Cool Runnings.

Love & Basketball (2000) - Only because I'm an anglophile is this great, chemistry-filled Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps college basketball romance not my favorite sports-movie-meets-rom-com.

I, Tonya (2017) - Margot Robbie and a nearly unrecognizable Sebastian Stan are perfectly cast in this sarcastic, highly stylized look at the Tonya Harding scandal.

Pride (2007) - Apparently I like this swimming movie, which I think almost no one saw, better than critics, but I found this 1970s-set, Terrence Howard-Bernie Mac-starring story of inner city kids excelling in the pool emotional and entertaining.

Field of Dreams (1989) - This Kevin Costner magical realism baseball classic is often goofy and imminently tease-worthy and yet…It also works. Maybe it's no surprise that someone who loves cheesy Christmas movies as much as I do would have a soft spot for Field of Dreams.

42 (2013) - Chadwick Boseman is absolutely fantastic as legend Jackie Robinson. One of those movies that's ostensibly about baseball, but is really about so much more, except not in a pretentious way.

Race (2016) - Before Jason Sudeikis was Ted Lasso, he was famed track coach Larry Synder in this Jesse Owens biopic that is far from perfect, but still important. Plus, I honestly don't think Stephan James got enough credit for his relatively nuanced portrayal of Owens.

Goon (2011) - This overlooked gem starring Sean William Scott as a semi-pro hockey player whose main skill is his ability to take, and dole out, a beating, is surprisingly great.

Real Steel (2011) - This is a robot-boxing movie starring Hugh Jackman that is basically Rocky meets Over the Top—and yet it's actually really good. Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Forget Paris (1995) - OK, so maybe Billy Crystal playing an NBA referee doesn't really make this a sports movie, but it does begin and end (spoiler alert) at real NBA games, and I will die on the hill that this rom-com co-starring Debra Winger is wildly under-rated.

Bend it like Beckham (2002) - This girl-power sports movie has some highly questionable romantic dynamics (the coach is their love interest???) but this Parminder Nagra-Keira Knightley movie is also a heckuva sports movie and an inspiring immigrant story.

Bonus Pick: The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso is one of the best things I watched in 2020, and I'm sure of that, because I watched it twice since, just to be sure. Jason Sudekis is absolutely perfect as an American college football coach taking over a UK Premier League team. This sweet show with a heart of gold is smart, funny, and absolutely impossible not to love—even for a cynic such as myself.

More Sports Movies Worth Watching

For someone not very into sports, I am, apparently, into watching movies about sports, so while not a comprehensive listing of the entire, vast genre, here are a few more suggestions I personally think are worth watching.

The Miracle Season (2018) - This movie about high school volleyball champs whose star player dies suddenly stars Helen Hunt and is a lot better than you'd think based on its tiny budget and, honestly, fairly small story. Just missed making my Top 25.

The Way Back (2020) - This Ben Affleck as a drunken high school basketball coach movie is a lot better than expected. Released just as the pandemic kicked into high gear, it was overlooked last year, but worth seeking out.

Fighting with My Family (2019) - Does it count if it's a show, not a sport? Either way (but that's why this isn't in my Top 25), this stealth Christmas movie/love letter to the WWE is a lot better than it ever needed to be thanks to some really great performances from Florence Pugh, Lena Headey and directer Stephen Merchant. Even The Rock reins it in.

Warrior (2011) - You couldn't pay me to watch an actual UFC bout, but this Tom Hardy story of (literally) battling brothers is incredibly compelling and well done.

Win Win (2011) - This movie isn't really enough about wrestling, even though its ostensibly centered around the sport, to make it into my Top 25, but it's still really good, and Amy Ryan gives an outstanding performance.

Fever Pitch (2005) - Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon star in this remake of a UK film whose ending they had to shift when the Red Sox unexpectedly won the World Series.

Fever Pitch (1997) - This Colin Firth-starring, Arsenal-centered original is much smaller, more realistic and arguably better than the big budget Barrymore-Fallon redux.

We are Marshall (2006) - A real-life sports tragedy made into a sports-movie tearjerker starring Matthew McConaughy. And my tears were very much jerked by the end.

Coach Carter (2005) - Samuel L Jackson plays real-life basketball coach Ken Carter and, because it's a Disney movie, doesn't use the F-word even once. Now that's a feat worthy of its own sports movie.

Invincible (2006) - Yes, it's Mark Wahlberg, and another based-on-a-true-story, Disney sports movie that hits all the cliches, but dang it, that works on me. It just does.

Glory Road (2006) - If you're sensing a theme with me and Disney sports movies…Well, you're not wrong. This look at the first all-Black starting lineup at the 1966 NCAA Final Four does, unfortunately, center white coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas (though I always mis-remember it as Josh Charles), making the important story it tells less than what it should be, but it still mostly works.

Million Dollar Arm (2014) - Admittedly one of the lesser Disney sports movie entries, and another that centers a white guy in a film mostly about people of color (not a great look), this Jon Hamm movie about a scout seeking an Indian cricket star who can make it in the Major Leagues still mostly worked for me.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) - One of the few movies on this list aimed directly at kids, this beloved peewee hockey saga actually is cute, and mostly does hold up.

Cool Runnings (1993) - Kind of shocked this movie that is part White Savior-movie and part-wacky kids movie essentially making fun of a real group of athletes of color came out in 1993 and not 1973, but the earnest charm of John Candy and a general Disney gloss keep this from being totally unwatchable and mostly just mildly, rather than extremely, offensive. Not really recommending, but feels like it belongs on an Olympic movie list.

Nadia (1984) - This made-for-TV, mostly true biopic, starring Talia Balsam as Nadia Comaneci, was a Disney Channel staple in that network’s early days. 

Munich (2005) - It's a movie with the Olympics very much at its heart—namely the 1972 Israeli athlete hostage tragedy—that isn't really about the Olympics at all, but this Steven Spielberg-directed movie about national revenge is compelling, if problematic if you think about it for too long.

American Anthem (1986) - Is this Mitch Gaylord-Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (a.k.a Janet Jones) starring movie good, realistic and/or well-written? No, no and none of the above. But did I still watch it 8,000 times as a kid on HBO? Yes. Yes, I did.

Men with Brooms (2002) - Once, on a business trip to Canada, my husband was stuck in a hotel that only got three channels, and one of them always seemed to be showing curling, which actually got him weirdly into this obscure sport. This movie wasn't quite as fun as I hoped, but it's still a mostly charming, if slight, Canadian classic.

Unbroken (2014) - The harrowing and incredible real-life story of Louis Zamperini deserved better than this Angelina Jolie-directed movie delivered, but it's still a serviceable version of a worthy tale.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I remember being bored out of my mind by this movie trying to watch this movie on cable as a kid, but no denying that, if nothing else, the score is iconic and indelibly linked to sports-movie magic.

Without Limits (1998) - Jared Leto’s Prefontaine beat this one to the theaters, but this Billy Crudup-starring film is the better of the two movies about the life of running pioneer Steve Prefontaine. There’s also a 1995 documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

Personal Best (1982) - Mariel Hemingway’s story of ambition at odds with love, is a sports and LGTBQ+ classic. 

Olympic Dreams (2019) - The story of how this small, meandering movie was made during the 2018 Winter Games is, unfortunately, more interesting than the movie itself, but there is some charm in watching Nick Kroll as an Olympic dentist making his way through the real Village, while interacting with real athletes.

Foxcatcher (2015) - This excellently-acted story is more true crime than sports inspiration, but if you're seeking a look at the dark side of the Games—and don’t want to turn on a doc like Athlete A—this is very dark tale indeed.

Seabiscuit (2003) - Every great athlete deserves to have their story told.

Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone and Al Pacino take on pro Football. 'Nuff said.

The Replacements (2000) - I mean, the movie isn't amazing, but Keanu Reeves is super charming and Gene Hackman is always worth a watch.

The Program (1993) - Another bit of a dark-side-of-football take, worth it if only for the fantastic cast: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Eps, Joey Lauren Adams.

Everbody’s All-American (1988) - Not a movie I particularly love, but this Dennis Quaid-Jessica Lange football story that spans decades has always stuck in my memory.

Bull Durham (1988) - Just let Kevin Costner play actual baseball already.

[schraubd]

Should I PlagueWatch It?: Series Finale!

In March 2020, I inaugurated on this blog what I said "may but hopefully won't(?) become an ongoing series": Should I PlagueWatch It? Basically, it took the thing Jill and I do best -- watch TV -- and offered our recommendations for what you should watch to get you through the pandemic.

Over a year later, Should I PlagueWatch It? did, indeed, become a series. In addition to the first entry -- HBO's Avenue 5 -- I also did entries on Gentleman Jack, Marvel's Runaways, Alpha House, Never Have I Ever, Jelle's Marble Runs, Making the Cut, and a "roundup" post that covered Billions, Insecure, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimate Tag, Titan Games, and Holey Moley.

But now, it feels we're finally closing the chapter on the pandemic. Jill and I are vaccinated, my parents came to visit this past weekend, we're seeing friends, the CDC says we can go unmasked. It seems, alas, that all good things must come to an end. And while the pandemic itself is certainly not a good thing, some of us may be feeling a bit bittersweet at the prospect of being expected to interact with other humans rather than sit around and watch Netflix all day.

So to wrap up the series, one more omnibus "quick hits" review of all the shows we PlagueWatched that haven't yet gotten their own entry.

* * * Mild spoilers * * *

Blown Away

Reality TV can be wonderful in its formulaicness. Take a random hobby, find ten people who are pretty good at it, dangle $50,000 in front of them, and bang, you've got a competition show. This one's about glass blowing. I know nothing about glass blowing, but the competitors seem pretty talented to me?

I was impressed at how versatile a medium glass is. I worried when I started the show that the challenges would end up being pretty one note (how many vases can one make?). But the competitors actually made a lot of really cool material!

There's a lot of running and swinging and flailing given that they're handling molten-hot material.  It stressed me out. Also, apparently "glory holes" are an essential part of glass blowing, and nobody made a joke about it.

This show is definitely more in the "everyone likes and supports one another" mold of reality TV compared to the "constant cat fights and 'I'm not here to make friends'" mold. No judgment, just letting you know what to expect.

Sexify

A Netflix series about a young college student with no sexual experience who decides she needs to develop an app to optimize the female orgasm. It's not the most innovative concept, but it works well enough.

Of the core trio, my favorite character is Paulina -- the religious Catholic best-friend who is having (bad) sex with her fiancé and feels guilty about even that sin. She does a lot of great expressive work and has some superb character beats (her popcorn addiction -- just casually munching away while watching porn). 

Speaking of Paulina, at the outset I told Jill she looked like someone and Jill's first guess was "a plainer Emily Blunt" (that's not an insult -- who isn't plainer than Emily Blunt?). It wasn't who I was thinking of, and soon I realized the answer was like six women I've known over the years. So maybe "plainer Emily Blunt" is a more common face than I realized?

The show is in Polish (with subtitles), and I'm very proud that I managed to identify the language as Polish right away (I do not speak a word of Polish).

The musical motif for the show combines one of the catchiest guitar riffs I've ever heard with a sample loop of a woman's sex moans. It fits the show perfectly, but it's a bit awkward to listen to on its own.

Wandavision

You shouldn't need me to tell you about this show. It's good, but my hottest take -- and I stand by it -- is that as an exploration of grief Never Have I Ever does it better and it's not close.

Can we concede that Wanda is the unambiguous villain of the show? With only the barest shift in perspective, Wanda could be the nemesis with an admittedly sympathetic motive. To some extent, I think the show was far too forgiving of her. Motives aside, how different is she from Kilgrave on Jessica Jones?

Poor Emma Caulfield. So much build-up for her character, and it's only a head-fake.

Space Force

I liked it. It's not in the most elite of the elite comedies, and maybe that's the standard when Steve Carrell is the lead, but it was quite funny. That said, I keep on almost forgetting that I watched it, and have no substantive commentary to offer. So take from that what you will.

AOC lookalike alert (the character even gets the nickname AYC -- "Angry Young Congresswoman")!

Mythic Quest

I love that Ubisoft is actually involved in the show (which is set at a game studio producing a popular massively multiplayer online RPG).

Surprisingly, given my love affair with Community, Danny Pudi is one of the least interesting characters on the show.

The actress who plays Poppy isn't the very strongest (though she's improving), but Poppy herself may be my favorite character. Of course, everyone knows I'm a sucker for an Australian accent.

The show has some great characters in side parts who don't get enough attention, like Sue the community manager and Carol the HR director. Also, Aparna Nancherla has a small recurring role in the first season and apparently doesn't come back for season two? I don't get why she keeps getting sidelined like this -- she's funnier than the rest of the cast put together.

Ted Lasso

Good, sweet, endearing, fun. British soccer comedies with heart are a winner for me (Bend It Like Beckham, anyone?).

Ted's estranged wife is played by the same actress who plays Linda in Better Off Ted. This was very strange, though admittedly I'm probably the only person who cared enough about Better Off Ted to notice or care.

Lupin

Dashing gentleman thief who's always a step ahead of his adversaries, except maybe the one nemesis who actually can match him step for step in a constant cat-and-mouse game? Look, it's a cliché for a reason. I'm not going to say Lupin breaks the mold, but it certainly is a well-crafted entry into the mold.

If there is anything innovative, it's how Lupin particularly leverages stereotypes about race and class to maneuver more freely in certain spaces (e.g., he can smuggle himself into prison because the guards can't tell him apart from another inmate -- sad commentary, but useful for Lupin!).

It did do something I hate, which is release "half a season" and just leave the audience hanging at the end. Maybe it was the pandemic's fault, but one could really feel its incompleteness.

Kim's Convenience

Of the Canadian shows I've been watching, I'd say Working Moms (not in this post because it is pre-pandemic) is the stronger of the two. But this is fun as well.

It just got cancelled, unfortunately depriving it of the chance to wrap up its single greatest storyline (that's been ongoing since season one). That's a real, real shame.

Simu Liu as Jung is the latest iteration of the Jason Mendoza trend of "dumb male Asian hottie leads". I guess it's a blow against stereotypes?

Pastor Nina also could be an AOC lookalike. I think the show struggled a bit to draw a bead on her character.

Legomasters

I actually mentioned this show in my post about Jelle's Marble Runs, but it is such a joy to watch. I can't wait for season two, which is dropping very soon. For pure, simple, uncomplicated happiness, Legomasters beats out everything on this list.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/3yamzYb

#reviews #television

[andyridgeley]

Questions about films from the Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein podcast...Jason Sudeikis edition...cause I was bored

First movie you remember seeing? it was probably horrible bosses, i remember growing up with him on SNL but i think the first movie i’d have seen him in was horrible bosses and i definitely went to see it in theaters *chef’s kiss*

Scariest film? this ones funny cause he’s not done any “horror movies” right so i’ll go with...movie 43 cause that’s just one of the worst films ever made right like..cmon now what were they thinkin. completely disconnected terrible skits whew, only funny thing is his bad party store batman costume.

Funniest film? it’s probably we’re the millers, there’s just, something so fucking hilarious about that film to me, watched it when it came out and i watch it everytime i see it playing on tv and it still holds up for me. i think the premise is funny at the start and just all the actors are *chef’s kiss* anytime you add kathryn hahn to the mix ya got me am i right.

Movie that made you cry the most? it was probably kodachrome something about a parent and child having been fighting for most of their lives and rarely talk and then they try to slowly reconnect when the parent is about to pass away...that gets to me. and i think this movie does that trope pretty well.

Film you loved as a kid and think is shit now? drinking buddies, ok i don’t think it’s shit now at all, but i watched it when it came out and absolutely loved it. like it was one of my absolute favorite movies. and on my rewatch it just didn’t hit the same? i’m not sure why? it was still good, again it’s not shit, but i just didn’t connect with it the way i connected with it when i first watched it.

Film people hate but you love? a good old fashioned orgy, it wasn’t THE BEST but fuck it, it was so much better than i’d thought it would be.

Film people love but you hate? race, listen i liked it!!! i liked this one!!! and i thought it was perfectly fine!!! but it just...could’ve been...so much better. it just jumped all over the place for me and sudeikis was GreatTM in it but it just missed the mark, had a great look but substance was Lacking, but it’s like...a really well-rated film? wild?

Worst film? it’s hall pass i wanna burn it, burn it with fire. it’s such a shit film i hated rewatching it, hated the first time i saw it, hate when it randomly enters my mind. it’s so BAD and the funny bit is is that he’s in another film called permission that is essentially a very similar premise but SO MUCH BETTER

Film that means something special to you? (like you watched with a girlfriend or first film you watched in cinemas or something  sentimental) unfortunately i don’t really have a good answer for this one, and that stinks, because i usually do have strong connections with films but i just haven’t had a connection like this with any of his particular films. i might go with the campaign because i remember seeing this in theaters with my dad and we both enjoyed it. also, just, i’ll mention ted lasso here because that’s his work that means the most to me.

Film you relate to the most? even though he’s not in it much, it’s booksmart!! i definitely relate to the two main characters who are trying their best to get into good schools and get good grades and sure they’re quite close themselves but they’ve ignored the rest of their classmates, wish i would’ve gone to a blow out party before i went to college.

Sexiest film? sleeping with other people, definitely. and not just because the sex scenes are...surprisingly actually sexy it’s cause of everything in that movie. you’ve got a happily married couple that’s been together for over a decade, sexy. you’ve got characters working on themselves and you see them grow naturally throughout the movie, Sexy. you’ve got a lot of great romantic and platonic friendship moments in the movie like Ultimate Sexy.

Best film (not your personal favorite, aliens come to earth and you have to explain movies to them, what film are you showing them)? colossal for sure. i’m showing aliens this one and being like this is how you slowly reveal characters and how you work on a budget and come up with something completely unique and creative and engaging for your audiences to enjoy.

Favorite film? honestly it’s gotta be we’re the millers, and i think i’d put it here just based on the fact that this is the one movie of his i could watch and rewatch...and have... and never get tired of it.

What one film would you take to heaven with you (doesn't have to be any from the list)? i’m between 3 for this question...but...i think i’d have to go with sleeping with other people. it’s my favorite rom com and i think it’d be the most enjoyable to watch again and again...but i don’t know...maybe i should bring we’re the millers...i’ll have to think about this for the next 17 hours and get back to you.

#so i've died and i was smothered by dogs just...a bunch of dogs got to me that's how it happened... #and here's my life through sudeikis films lakjsdlfkjasdf #i like how i only had to think about this for like 15 minutes and i was good alksdjf #this was just for me honestly i just love this list of questions and thought i'd give myself stricter parameters so i could actually do it #i'm working on a more general one too but in the mean time this was fun #personal thingys