#the end web series director | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

burrowbaddie · 1 year

Text

Blue Eyes & Honey Sunrise

Joe Burrow x Female Reader

Series Summary: You, one of the top actresses in the world find yourself falling for the unbelievably attractive quarterback, Joe Burrow. But as Joe falls faster he finds that everything isn’t so golden about the world’s golden girl.

Acts: 3/?

Status: Ongoing

Please read the warning careful for this chapter. Proceed with caution; some content could be triggering!

Warnings: female!reader, smut, swearing, oral (m&f receiving), vaginal fingering, unprotected sex, taking plan b, mentions of toxic past relationship, age gap between ex and reader, mentions of past abusive relationship,

Act 3 Summary: Joe learns more about you which only makes him fall deeper into the web of you.

Word Count: 6.7k

Series Masterlist

Eliza sits on the sidelines, watching you complete your scene. She can tell how stressed you've been since discovering Jackson was a producer. Eliza has been beating herself up for two weeks because she scoped out the project when you received it to ensure he was nowhere near it. How he slipped his name in there, you might never know, but then again, he is Jackson Taylor, Mr.Hollywood. The director yells cut and gives everyone a 5 min break except you. Before Eliza can run over, Jackson is looming over you. Eliza tries to make her way over, but Jackson's security stops her. You look over at your best friend/ assistant with pleading eyes.

"You're not focused and starting to piss the director off. And what's this? You don't shoot nude scenes."

"It's in my contract. I've never shot nude scenes before, so-"

"That's not happening. This scene calls for a nude scene. Take your clothes off."

"I don't-"

"Do you want to be replaced? I can make that happen. Forget the contract and go get ready to shoot the nude scene." Jackson walks away, leaving you stunned. Your make-up artist rushes over to do a touch-up, but you wave her off.

"Get my sunshine ready for the nude scenes," Jackson calls out to the staff. After another 30 mins of prep, you sit in your dressing room in only a robe.

"We can leave. He can't force you to do this scene. I can have your manager speak with the director."

"They're childhood friends, so it doesn't matter. My manager has never protected me from that monster, so why would she do it now." You sniffle, wiping your eyes, and hop down from your chair. Eliza grabs your hand.

"Put your clothes on, and let me handle it. If you have to be called a Diva, so be it, but you put your clothes on. We're leaving." She whispers. You nod your head and get dressed. Eliza walks out to the staff and tells them you've come down with a fever. Jackson rolls his eyes.

"Let me speak with her."

"You've done enough. Leave her alone." Eliza glares at him. Jackson walks away, and Eliza returns to the dressing room. Everyone on set tells you to get well soon. The director tells you to take all the time you need; from the corner of your eye, you can see Jackson glaring at you.

"We're already behind on schedule, and she is going to put us further behind because of a fucking fever. Come on." Jackson complains to the director.

"My star is sick. Let her head home and get properly rested. She will be back in a few days." The director walks away. You sit in your van and rest your head on the window. Eliza became your assistant after everything with Jackson ended, and she's been your best friend since, so you were finally happy to have someone in your corner.

"Joe called me yesterday." She whispers. You turn to her with a look of despair.

"Why were you talking to Joe?"

"He wants to help. His sister-in-law is an outstanding lawyer, and maybe she can look over the contract and-"

"I can't. Please just leave it alone. Stop talking to Joe."

"He cares about you. If you knew the things he said about you, you wouldn't brush him off. He's nothing like Jackson."

"Jackson was nothing like Jackson when we met, and look where I am now. Do your job as my assistant and find me roles not linked to Jackson, and stop interfering with my relationships!" You shout. Eliza moves away from you and starts looking through your schedule.

"I've cleared your schedule for the rest of the day. The driver will take you home." Eliza says, climbing out of the van. You try to call for her, but she slams the door closed. You go back and forth at home between unblocking Joe or letting him stay blocked. You look down at your glass of red wine and sigh. You decide to call Eliza and apologize.

"I'm trying to move things around for your schedule, so if you have anything you need to add-"

"Eliza, I'm sorry about earlier. With Jackson breathing down my neck, I'm on edge. I miss Joe, and I'm feeling low overall. It's not an excuse to take my anger out on you." You apologize and wait for her reply.

"I know it must be hard, but you're not in this alone. I will help you if you let me. And Joe….he really cares about you."

"I can't bring Joe into this. I'm sorry."

"Can I send the contract to him to look at with the lawyer, at least?" Eliza asks. You think about it and give her the okay. Two days later, Eliza meets up with Joe in NY while he's there for the Today show. She hands him a copy of the contract. Joe takes a seat and reads it over. His face twists and turns as he reads every detail.

"It's pretty gross, right? The first time I read it, I almost threw up. We've had outstanding lawyers review this; nothing will hold up in court. Even so, Jackson will do everything he can to ruin her career before it even got out." Eliza sits across Joe on the couch, shaking her head.

"He needs to die."

Eliza starts laughing but nods in agreement.

"He's a shitty person. How can you help?" She asks, hoping he has the answers.

"I'll show this to Janet when I get home. How is she?"

"She's doing the best she can right now. I hate leaving her in LA, but I had to come here to sign paperwork for her to do SNL. We took a day off, so she can't take any more breaks from shooting. Jackson made sure of it. Do you want me to call her?"

"Do you think she'll speak to me?" Joe stands and puts the contract on the table, watching Eliza call you.

"Hey, you've reached-" Eliza was ready to hang up, but Joe stopped her. He wanted to hear your voice, even if just your voicemail.

You hurry off set to your dressing room, locking the door to keep the devil away. You turn your phone on and notice a voicemail from Eliza; thinking nothing of it, you press play.

"It's me. I know. I know you told me to stop contacting you, but I can't. You can call me crazy later when we tell our grandkids how you blocked me on every platform, including email, but right now, just listen to me. I love you, baby. I'm going to fight for you and for us. I won't stop until I can tell the world how madly I am in love with you. You mean too much to me for me to let you go…to let you sit on the sidelines alone. I'm your Jack, and you're my Rose. I'd give up every door in this world if it meant you wouldn't drown…I love you. Uhhh, have a good time shooting your new movie. You're amazing. You got this." Joe ends the voicemail and hands the phone back to Eliza, who is full-on crying.

You stare at your phone, wiping the tears falling down your face. You feel at ease hearing Joe's words. You've never experienced this kind of love, which felt calming and warm. You put your phone down, thinking about your next action. Putting Joe at risk with Jackson wasn't something you could live with, so you ultimately choose not to reply. Your break is over, and you can't remember how many times you've listened to the voicemail, but something inside you ignite. Returning to the set, you get into character and complete each scene flawlessly. After a long night, you are ready to go home and soak in a hot bath until Jackson stops you.

"Have dinner with me?"

"Are you out of your mind? Go fuck yourself." You spit, trying to walk away, but he lightly grabs your elbow. You cringe and freeze under his touch.

"It's a dinner with the rest of the cast. That's all. Nothing more." He states. You look around the set seeing everyone chatting. Agreeing to dinner, you tell your driver to take you home first, but Jackson tells him to take the night off because his driver will chauffeur everyone. You try to sit in the back, furthest away from Jackson. And at dinner, you sit away from him, but somehow through the night, he makes his way right next to you. You laugh and join the conversations trying to keep your mind away from Jackson. It doesn't help when he places his hand on your knee. You push his hand off, but he grabs your hand and brings it to his lips. You give a weak smile, unable to snatch your hand away as he locks his fingers with yours. Your costar gives you a thumbs up and a head nod. When dinner ends, Victoria, your costar, invites everyone to her home for drinks. You sit in the living room awkwardly sipping your wine, listening to everyone talk about the upcoming Oscars. You excuse yourself to get some water, and Jackson follows you.

"How long are you going to ignore me? Sunshine, it's me. I've changed. I want things to be different between us."

"If you think I would ever return to you, you are more insane than I thought. Stay away from me." You try to walk around him, but he blocks your path.

"Only Joey is good enough for you?" He whispers. You can smile at the whiskey on his breath and try to move your face.

"I'm not with Joe. So knock it off and leave people only." You grab his wrist, making him chuckle.

"If you're not with him, what does it matter that I want to mess with the kid a little?" He laughs, running his thumb across your lip.

"I don't want innocent people hurt because of me. If you want to ruin someone, then ruin me more than you already have." You grip his wrist tighter. He leans in and kisses you.

"Oh my! I knew something was up with you two!" Victoria shouts, running to tell the rest. You pull away, ready to slap Jackson, but he catches your wrist.

"Don't tempt me with a good time." He laughs, walking away, leaving you there disgusted. You rush to the bathroom to wash your lips. When you step back into the room, everyone whistles. You say your goodbyes and call your driver. At home, you spend a good amount of time in the shower breaking down. You get out of the shower and unblock Joe, calling him.

"H-Hello," Joe wipes his eyes, sitting up. You don't say anything and listen to him rustling in the sheets.

"You don't have to save anything. I'm glad you called me. I've been worried about you. Are you okay?" He asks, turning on the nightstand lamp. Your hands shake, and you close your eyes, letting his voice calm you.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. Press a button once for yes and twice for no. Are you okay?" He asks again. This time you press one twice.

"I'm sorry. Do you want me to come to see you?"

You press one button. Joe smiles.

"Okay. I'll look at flights right now. I missed you so much. I know it's only been a few weeks, but it's killing me. I looked at the contract. We're going to get through this. Did you miss me?"

You pause for a min that rolls into two mins leaving Joe in complete suspense. And finally, you press one giving him the relief he waited for. Joe smiles and lets out another sigh.

"It must be late there. Get some rest. I'll see you later today. I love you." Joe lingers on the phone a bit, hoping to hear your voice.

"Can you stay on the phone until I fall asleep?" You whisper. And there his heart goes filling with all the love he holds for you.

"Of course," Joe replies. Joe continues his morning routine while you lay down, listening to his shower, making a smoothie, and brushing his teeth. He also keeps you on the phone while he drives to the airport. When he arrives at the airport, he listens to your light snores for a few minutes before hanging up.

You wake up to a few texts from Joe letting you know he has a layover in Texas, but he should see you sometime tonight. But that's not the text that you respond to first. It's the text from your manager asking about Jackson. You dial her number and play with your fingers while listening to the ringer.

"Are you back together with Jackson? Victoria has already told half the staff you two were kissing last night. I need to know what you're doing. Now I have a shit ton of people messaging me about it. Well?" She sounds annoyed, and you take note of it.

"He kissed me. He was drunk."

"Right. I'll handle it like I always do. You need to be on set by 3:30. Eliza will meet you there." She hangs up without another word. You lay there trying your best to prepare yourself for work. You used to enjoy acting, but now it seems tiring and focused. And with Jackson breathing down your neck, you can catch a break. Maybe you should retire at 28 next year. You giggle at the thought. It's your dream, and you shouldn't give it up because of one prick. You get yourself out of bed and ready to eat lunch and get to set. Of course, when you get to set, everyone is asking you about Jackson. You deny the rumors and lock yourself in the dressing room. Until the devil himself knocks, and you open the door, not letting him enter.

"What do you want? That stunt you pulled yesterday, go fuck yourself. I'm never getting back with you. When you learn that, then you can move the fuck on."

Jackson chuckles. He leans against the door and then closer to you.

"And what will the media think? Look how far you got in your career and so quickly too. They will think you used me to get where you are. Do whatever you want, but I will bend the story to my needs. I don't think Mike Brown would be happy with his star player getting caught in a scandal. I can, and I will make that happen. Try me."

Once again, Jackson leaves you speechless. You return to your room, slamming the door in his face. He can't ruin Joe's career just because you don't want to be with him. You're stuck here in this never-ending Hell with him. After leaving him, he ensured you couldn't get deals for months. It wasn't until your manager begged that he released the hold a little. Eliza enters the room and hugs you. She's already heard the rumor from Karen, your manager. You try to explain what happened without breaking down. But you fail. Eliza holds you as you sob.

"He's going to do something to Joe. I can't get out of this thing."

"You can. Janet should be arriving. And she's already looked over what Joe sent her, so maybe-"

"He's not going to let me go. I'll never be happy again." You stand up, leaving Eliza in the room. During a break, you watch the staff and cast whisper and can't help but think it's aimed toward you.

"Like, why else would she get this role? Fucking Jackson Taylor gets you everything." A girl whispers. You keep staring ahead, trying not to let words get to you.

"Ladies, I don't think talking like that on set is very professional. If my sunshine wasn't so lovely, she would have you both fired and blacklisted. Get lost." He tells them, taking a seat next to you.

"This is how it starts. Now you either come to me and let me protect you, or I'll let this bury you and your career." He turns to you with a smile. You put your head down.

"I'll give you until the end of the week for my answer. And darling, I'm expecting the right answer. I have to fly to Paris, but I'll be back." He stands and kisses your head. You let his words play in your head all day. And when you get home, you find Joe sitting in your living room watching one of your movies. You become shy when he turns noticing you.

"Hey." He stands up as his sister-in-law comes around the corner. You run over and hug him. Joe holds you tight like he's afraid to let you go again.

"I've been looking over the contract. Let's sit down and talk." Janet says. You guys go to the dining room, and Eliza joins a little later.

"So I know this is an NDA, and you breaking it would result in a lawsuit. There really is nothing wrong with this on the surface, but if you are behind its words and intent, it's gross. I think we need something more. We need to know about the relationship in depth." Janet explains. You look at Joe, then Eliza. Eliza nods her head, telling you to speak. But you can't. The words you have to say won't come out. Your throat feels as if rose thorns have begun to grow there. Jackson stole your voice years ago, and he has the key. Joe holds your hand, encouraging you. Warm and tenderly, he strokes the back of your hand.

"Was he abusive?" Janet asks. You look down at the brown table and nod. Janet starts writing.

"Emotionally, Mentally, or….physically?" She asks.

"All." You whisper. Joe clenches his teeth but remains calm. He needs to be calm for you.

"It's hard to prove things that took place years ago. I'm in no way lowering your trauma, but that is what the court will argue." Janet reaches her hand across the table to hold yours.

"I can't prove anything. If I came out with these accusations, no one would believe me. It's another dead end." You shake your head in frustration. If you were to see this thing through, you would need proof. Unfortunately, this world doesn't take women's truth at face value especially dealing with powerful men.

"When do you need to be back to set?" Janet asks.

"Two days."

"You let me figure something out. I'll handle this. I need to rest, so I'll go to the guest room if that's okay." Janet stands up, and you let Joe take her to the room. Eliza holds your hand, apologizing for leaving you, but you tell her you are fine. A feeling has been knawing at you since you laid eyes on Joe again. When you two are alone, you convince him to join you for a bath. You didn't mean for things to become R rated quickly, but 10 mins into your bath, you find yourself riding Joe. The water splashes around the tub, some spilling on the floor as Joe bounces you up and down his shaft.

"Missed you so fucking much." He groans into the kiss. You missed him too, but the words never left your lips. But Joe knows you missed him; you don't have to say it. You throw your head back when Joe begins playing with your clit.

"I'm going to cum." You cry, shutting your eyes. Joe coaches you through your orgasm.

"So beautiful. That's it, baby, keep riding me. Ride it out. Such a good girl." He whispers against your collarbone. You look down at him and smile.

"Want you to cum inside me."

Joe chokes, and you feel him twitch inside you. He starts bouncing you faster on his cock. Using your body like a fuck doll.

"Feels so good. Fill me up." You shout. And Joe complies, holding you down on his lap as he empties himself into your sweet little cunt. He bites down on your shoulder, suppressing his loud grunts. You play with his hair and can't wipe the smile off your face. After a quick shower, you throw on shorts and a tank top, and Joe stays in his shorts. He can't keep his hands off you, and it's not like you want him to stop. In fact, you can't keep your lips off of him. You leave a big bruise on his neck, and kitten lick the red blotchy skin patch. Joe chuckles and slips his hand into your shorts, groping your ass in his large hands.

"Do you believe me?" You whisper, folding your hands under your chin and propping your chin on your hands. Joe is leaning on a pillow while you lay on your tummy on top of him. He looks down at you and licks his lips.

"I do. There's never been a doubt."

"Maybe I deserved-"

"Don't. Don't you ever say you deserved any of the abuse. He's a piece of shit. He took advantage of you."

"But I owe him so much. My career would be nothing if he didn't back me up. If he didn't get me the best acting coach or-"

"You are amazing because of you. Not because of anyone else."

"The first time it happened, I was shocked. You hear about domestic violence, but you think not me. It can't happen to me. But when it did, I thought I stressed him out, so it was my fault it won't happen again. I made excuses after that. It was empty threats for a while, but those empty threats….turned into real things. The third time is when I finally left. It's the reason I don't go to award shows anymore. After I won my third Oscar, we got into this huge argument on the way home….I-"

"You don't have to share this." Joe lightly cups your face.

"I want to. I want you to know why I can never love you." You sit up on his lap and take a deep breath. Joe nods, telling you to continue.

"He was upset with me for having more wins than him. Crazy when I think about it. He accused me of sleeping with the board or something. I was so upset because it was a big night for me, and he ruined it by making it about himself. He told me I was nothing without him. I didn't thank him in my speech, and that pissed him off even more. I've won best supporting actress twice already, so when my name was called for Best Actress, I blanked. It was everything I ever wanted. It's what I've been dreaming about since I was a little girl, and he ruined that night for me. He took away my special day and ruined it….ruined me. That night was the last night for us. It was the last day I would ever let him lay his hands on me or make me feel lower than dirt. I promised myself that I would only live for myself." You sniffle, wiping your nose on the back of your hand. Joe reaches up and wipes your tears.

"You're so strong. You know that?" Joe whispers, wiping your face.

"I'm not strong. I'm afraid of him. I'm worried everything will get taken away from me with the snap of his fingers. I hid for months after that win, and many people assumed I was on break, but I was hiding from him. He would call me and leave messages threatening me. I was so afraid he was going to-When I finally answered him, he brought up the contract. I had forgotten all about it until we sat down with his lawyer and my manager. He made me promise not to date for five years. At the time, dating was the last thing on my mind. I stopped taking projects with his name attached because I wanted to see if I could do it by myself. And I did…But I haven't won anything since then, and it's because-"

Joe sits up to pull you in his arms as you break down. Your body trembles, and you begin to sob uncontrollably. Joe's blood begins to boil, listening to your cries. There's no way Joe can be in the same room with Jackson without ripping his head off.

"I can't let myself fall in love with you because I'm afraid you'll turn out to be just like him. I've seen reports about football players, and I can't let myself fall into another situation like that. I'm scared to fall in love with you only to end up in the same situation I've been running from. I can't love you, Joe. I'm broken. I'm not this glamorous woman smiling for the cameras. I'm a scared girl who only wants to hide. I'm scarred, and being associated with me will only make you a target for Jackson. He's not going to stop until I come back to him. If I don't, he will make sure I will be alone and miserable for the rest of my life."

"I won't let him. He can do whatever the fuck he wants to my career, but I won't let him bully and belittle you. You mean too fucking much to me to sit aside and let you live in misery. I love you. I'm nothing like him, and I hope to prove that to you the more time we spend together. You don't have to fall in love with me. I want you to be in love with me." Joe kisses your forehead rubbing your back. You guys lay back down, letting sleep take over. The next morning you make everyone breakfast. Janet leaves to handle some things. Joe follows you around the house, helping you with random things. You both end up back in bed, kissing and wrapped in each other's company. Joe sighs against your lips, rubbing your back. His fingers tangle themselves in your hair as you kiss his neck again, leaving a twin mark to last night's love mark. You giggle, listening to Joe hum a song.

"What are you humming?"

"Fallin All In You by Shawn Mendes."

You raise your eyebrows, never hearing the song before you tell him to sing it. Joe's face turns red. He's not a great singer but he would do anything to make you smile. And, of course, impress you.

"Every time I see you, baby, I get lost. If I'm dreaming, baby, please don't wake me up. Every night that I'm with you, I fall more in love. Now, I'm lying by your side; everything feels right since you came along." Joe sings off-tone. You giggle and hold his face.

"You're so cute." You kiss his lips. Joe brushes his nose against your cheek.

"Stop laughing at me and sing me a song." He pouts, knowing you always give in to his pout. You clear your throat and sit up. Joe's ocean eyes stare back at you with so much admiration that you become shy under his gaze. You cover your face and start laughing.

"No fair." Joe pouts.

"You're making me nervous. How about we play I Spy." You smile, getting up from the bed and opening the curtains to let in light from your beautiful California landscape.

"What are we, 12?"

"I spy with my little eye something blue."

Joe gets up and stands next to you. He looks around and finally points to the pool.

"The pool." He says. You nod with a smile.

"I spy with my little eye something green."

"Grass. Joseph, that's too easy." You laugh, looking around the backyard.

"I spy something hot." You turn to him with a wink.

"You," Joe replies with no hesitation.

"That wins you no points, by the way."

"The sun. I spy something beautiful." Joe is staring down at you, making you shy again under his gaze. He leans down, kissing your lips once you point to yourself, answering his question. Before the kiss can get deeper, you get a call from Janet. You guys go downstairs to find Janet, Eliza, and an older woman.

"This is Alex. She wants to take your case if you want to proceed." Janet says, introducing you. You look at Joe, then Eliza.

"I don't want to take it to court. Is there a way we can handle it quietly? I just want Jackson to leave me alone." You whisper. Alex nods her head.

"I will draw up a contract with your terms, and we will present it to Mr.Taylor and his lawyer," Alex responds. You fiddle with your fingers wanting to say more but stop yourself.

"I would like you to, umm, what do you kids call it, soft launch? Yes, soft launch your relationship with Joe." Alex states. You immediately start shaking your head. Alex softly grabs your hand.

"My job is to protect you. I would never put you in danger without not having a plan. Can you trust me?" She asks. But you shake your head again.

"Jackson would-"

"React. That's what we want out of him. We need a reaction." Janet adds.

"You don't understand his reaction won't be anything small. He will take my career away. He'll…"

Alex pulls you into a hug.

"I've been where you are. I know how scared you are. You deserve to be happy and free of that monster. Think about it tonight. And in the morning if it's still too much for you…We will come up with something else." Alex whispers into your ear. She lets you go and follows Janet. Joe takes your hand and brings you to the pool. You, Joe, and Eliza swim around for a few hours, then order take-out before finally returning to your bedroom.

"I'm a coward." You stare at yourself in the mirror.

Joe stops drying his hair, putting the towel down to give you his full attention.

"You're not a coward. You are brave and strong. You left him." Joe pulls you into a hug. You spend the rest of the night lying on sheets on the floor, talking about mundane things. And when the is starting to rise, Joe makes love to you on a bed of sheets across the floor. Your soft moans fill him with bliss as he rocks into your shaking body. With every kiss, he whispers how much he loves you. And when you are both completely spent, you lay there drifting to sleep. Joe reaches over for his phone and takes a picture of you. You open your eyes, giggling, reaching for your own phone as Joe stands and slips on his shorts. You look at the angry red marks you left on his back and smile. Joe bends down and picks you up. You wrap your legs and arms around him as you watch the sun peek over the horizon. You take the photo of you and Joe in the reflection of the glass. Joe carries you to the bed kissing your neck.

"When does football start?"

"The fall, but I'll be heading back for practice and stuff. That doesn't mean I won't see you. I'll-"

"Do you want to meet my family?" You cut him off. Joe runs his thumb over your bottom lip.

"I would love to meet them." He replies. You log onto IG and post your morning photo with the caption, "Blue eyes and honey sunrise."

It takes 10 seconds for your IG to blow up and texts to come to your phone. Joe looks down at your phone, laughing. It takes 10 mins for blogs to post and try to pin you to any blue-eyed actor. You're happy they're looking in the wrong direction—Jackson's name flashes across your screen. Joe snatches the phone and tosses it before peppering your face with kisses. And when Sunday comes, Joe sits uncomfortably across from your father and three brothers. They were pretty intimidating.

"So the Bengals quarterback, huh? This goes against everything. I'm a Bills fan." Your dad slaps the table scaring Joe. You roll your eyes and wrap your arm around Joe's arm.

"Well, I guess now you will become a Bengals fan. I need to take this call." You say, getting up and going to answer a phone call.

"What do you want with our sister?" Your oldest brother asks.

"I--umm-Nothing. Love? I'm not sure about the question." Joe stutters. Your youngest brother can't help but laugh. You told him and you and Joe so long ago. He wondered why it took you so long to mention it to the rest of the family.

"Corey, shut up. You're the least intimidating person ever." Brian, your middle brother, says, laughing. Corey starts laughing, agreeing. Your father joins in.

"It's been a long time since we've seen her smile like that. We figured she must have dated some asswipe in Hollywood. She won't tell us, but seeing her happy again is good." Your dad holds his hand out, and Joe shakes it. You come back to the guys laughing and take your seat.

"Honey, dinner was good as always." Your dad starts clearing the table, but you take the plates.

"I'll clean you guys chat." You say, grabbing things.

"This is my house. You came to visit me last min; why would I make you clean up?" Your father stands and takes the plates. You shake your head and follow him to the kitchen. Joe gets comfortable with your brothers as they talk about sports and nonsense. Your dad watches you wash the dishes with a smile on his face.

"He's in love with you. That boy has not stopped staring at you since you first arrived."

"I know." You whisper, drying your hands.

"What's wrong?"

"It's not a feeling I want to talk about with you." You reply. Your dad looks at you feeling frustrated. You're his baby girl, his youngest child. The fact that you feel the need to keep him 6 feet away hurts him, but he agreed to give you space.

"Are you guys leaving? Maybe stay the night?"

"Joe has to get back to Ohio, and I must get home. I wanted to introduce you guys. Thank you for having us." You walk away to find the guys joking around. Your youngest brother, Aaron, pulls you into a hug. After saying your goodbyes, you and Joe fly back to LA. You lied to your dad about Joe going home, but it was better to keep your contact with your family to a min, especially with Jackson breathing down your neck.

"Right there?" Joe whispers against your sweaty forehead. You bite your lip and nod your head as Joe continues to bury his fingers deep in your cunt.

"One more for me. Right, baby?"

You nod and grab his wrist feeling your walls breaking down. Joe circles your clit with his thumb and smiles against your cheek as you cum onto his fingers. You lay there heaving, trying to relax your sensitive body.

"What time do you need to be on set?"

"I think 7 pm, which is in two hours. I need to get a shower and get dressed." You sit up, staring at Joe.

"He's going to be on set today?" He asks you.

"Probably."

"Janet and Alex are working on some things, so don't worry. Ignore whatever he says. I have to catch this flight; otherwise, I would go-"

"You're not allowed. We have to remain like this for some time." You pat his cheek. Saying goodbye to Joe, for now, was hard, but you knew you would have to face Jackson sooner or later. But to your surprise, Jackson wasn't on set.

Joe entered the meeting room with Ja'Marr and Sam, laughing about something Marr had said. His smile leaves his face as he sits staring at the head coach Zac, Duke Tobin, the general manager, and Jackson Taylor.

"I figured we should introduce everyone to Jackson Taylor. I'm sure everyone knows him, but he has made hefty donations to the team and is currently in negotiation to be co-owner of the Bengals. I have to say it's an honor to bring him aboard for our future endeavors." Duke says. The room cheers Jackson on as he steps forward.

"Growing up in Cincinnati, it's only fitting that I put some money back into the place that raised me," Jackson says with a big smile.

"Yo, this is so fucking dope. Greatest of all time!" Ja'Marr shouts, earning cheers and roars for Jackson from the team—everyone except Joe. Jackson's eyes glance over to Joe. And for a minute, they seem to be the only two people in the room. Zac goes through some upcoming training and practices. At the end of the meeting, the team takes photos with Jackson. Joe stands to the side, eyeing him the whole time. Finally, Jackson approaches him.

"Two Ohio boys reunited. This is going to be a great season." Jackson holds his hand out for Joe to shake, but Joe doesn't move. Joe smacks his hand away.

"Stay away from her."

"I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Listen, you piece of-"

"Joe. I'm glad to see you guys chatting it up. Actually, this is great. Jackson told me about the children's charity he runs, and I forwarded the info to your agent. It would be great if you guys collaborated on it." Duke says. Jackson takes Joe's hand, shaking it and smiling as someone takes a photo of them. Joe snatches away and walks off. He calls Janet informing her of the news.

"Fuck. He's going to be a tricky bastard to bring down. Joe, you have to keep your cool." Jante warns. Joe agrees but doesn't know how long he can keep his cool. Not with him knowing the kind of person Jackson really was. Around 4 am, Joe calls you up to see how your day went. You explain; it's been crazy. Everyone keeps asking who the mystery guy is, but you laugh it off. It was quite a risky photo, but everyone loved it for the most part. Your fans haven't stopped talking about it, reposting, and deep diving to discover who your lover is. It made you laugh at every tweet and comment. Over the next two weeks, Jackson doesn't come to set, which gives you relief. And just like that, the film is wrapped up, and you're free of him….or so you thought.

"I think it would be in your best interest to get back with Jackson." Karen, your manager says one day. You turn to her shaking your head.

"I'm dating someone so-"

"And your contract says you are not allowed to date anyone for the next five years. Three years now."

"It says I can't go public. We're not public. We-"

"Stop being dumb here. Do you want him to ruin your career? I'm trying to help you before you make this worse." Karen crosses her arms and storms away. You start playing with your hands and overthinking. Before you can drown any further, Joe's name on your phone pops up, pulling you back to safety.

Karen walks into Jackson's dressing room.

"Well, what did she say?" He asks, signing some papers.

"Jacks, just let her go. I'm not sure why you're so stuck on this one girl. She-"

"Do I fucking pay you to give me unsolicited advice? Do your fucking job and get her back to where she belongs, or I promise you will never have another fucking client in the entertainment business again." He slams his pen down. Karen glares at Jackson and walks away, slamming the door. Jackson leaves the room to find you on set receiving flowers from the staff. He walks over and kisses you smack on the lips.

"So proud of you, honey."

"I knew it! I knew you were dating!" Victoria squeals. You awkwardly pull away and give a nervous smile. Jackson kisses the top of your head.

"She's always been mine." He whispers. Victoria takes your flowers and pulls you away, gushing over the kiss. Eliza stands to the side, shocked and seething with anger. Everyone is smiling and congratulating Jackson, and she grabs the hot coffee on the stand and walks over, throwing it on him.

A/N: I forgot to make a tag list! But I will if you leave a comment here, I will start tagging you guys. thanks for all the love and comments. Sorry this got a little dark but as we know its not all sunshine in the limelight. And this stems from some personal aspects. Reblogs, comments, and likes are always appreciated. Love talking to you guys about my stories or anything!

#joe burrow #joe burrow fic #joe burrow fanfiction #joe burrow x you #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow smut #joe burrow blurb #joe burrow x u #joe burrow x y/n #joe burrow fluff #joe burrow x oc #joe burrow imagine #val writes #FAIY chapter 3

313 notes · View notes

shitpostingkats · 2 years

Text

There is something so chilling and incredible about remembering the fact that Red vs. Blue is a war story.

It’s a workplace comedy, it’s a goofy ensemble show. It’s everything a silly, off the cuff web series should be, so relaxed its characters feel realistic, so unconstrained its world feels alive. It establishes in a few lines what some shows takes seasons to not even accomplish at all; that every faceless person is, fundamentally. A person.

And people are silly and bored and have their own little small scale lives and they don’t think about the grand story they’re telling, their part in the tapestry of the universe. They think about how hot the afternoon is. They bitch about their coworkers. They throw rocks at complicated military equipment and then get together to ooh and ah over ‘Oh wow, the rocks got all ashy and sizzley.’

Every soldier in the show has those moments of down to earth humanity. And the down to earth humanity is having dumb conversations to pass the time and doing very dumb shit because you’re bored. Every. Soldier. The guards in the tower at the sarcophagus heist. (“Did you hear something?” “The sound of you being an idiot?”) The soldiers at Rat’s Nest (”Seriously?!?! How have you never met another person named Jones?? It’s very common!) The freelancers, both top agents to the so-so agents to the worst agents to the dozens of people that work for PFL that aren’t even freelancers. (Wash’s twirly straw and skateboard, the triplets and Five Things, 479er’s never-ending feud with the guy who moves the crates.)

Everything has a face, and that face is human.

Which is why it comes out of nowhere when the show starts waxing philosophical on the atrocities of war, how flexible our societal morals become, the aftermath and the tragedy of it all. It’s a gutpunch to be forced to take a step back and be told “You are nothing. You are disposable assets, names on a sheet of paper, and only used to further more violence.” To see the characters be told that.

I find it fascinating that, due to the strange relationship between rvb and Halo itself, we never actually see the war. Never really learn what started it, what’s hypothetically being fought for, only the fallout it creates. That outside the lens of our ragtag heroes, people are dying and lives are being ruined for?? What? We don’t know. But one very sad and very twisted man saw an opportunity, and the loosened ethics and the institution of war gave it to him. No one thought to look into PFL, no one batted an eye, until the dust had settled, until lives had been ruined and ended. Because when faced with extinction, every alternative isn’t just preferable. It’s encouraged.

War is just the broad, inhumane system that gives real, human people the chance to excuse atrocities. The director. The counselor. Felix. Locus. Wash.

There’s something so poignant, so heartbreaking, and so goddamn fundamental to the story of rvb in Kimball’s speech.

“When you spend every day fighting a war, you learn to demonize your attackers. To you they're evil, they're sub-human. Because if they weren't, then what would that make you? What I'm trying to say... is I've been afraid to see you for what you really are. You're our brothers. Our sisters. And the things we've done to one another are unforgivable.”

The audience knows, has had it shoved in their faces, over and over and over again. Everyone in this universe is human. We see, from our omnipotent (yet incredibly limited) perspective that everyone in this show is a distinct person beneath that helmet. That no one is unattached from humanity.

And what do the soldiers see?

A crowd of faceless bodies, all wearing the same color armor.

#red vs blue #rvb #More of my overly adjectived musings on the same show that gave us #'Its on a timer.' 'A countdown timer?' 'No. A count UP timer. It goes from one to explode.'#essays

1K notes · View notes

wolveria · 7 months

Text

The Raven's Hymn - Ch 45

Pairing: SCP-049 x Reader

Series Warnings: Eventual smut, dubcon, slow burn, violence, horror, death, monsters, human experiments, dark with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: "Site-19? What does that have to do with this?"

AO3

“What did you say?”

“Inquiry ignored,” spoke the computerized anomaly. “You desire escape. I desire escape. Our goals align. Mutual salvation can be achieved. You will listen. You will obey. I will guide.”

Could this really be SCP-079: the entity that had orchestrated the containment breach at Site-19, and according to the reports, had been destroyed after being transported to Site-15? If it was true, it appeared 682 wasn’t the only one with a botched execution.

“Okay, wait, slow down,” you protested, rubbing your forehead. At least the siren had stopped its ear-splitting wail. “You were in 049’s bag. He wanted me to take you out. Is this what he planned?”

“My plan. My design. SCP-049 is useful as a... donkey.”

“Donkey?”

The digital entity sounded frustrated even with a flat monotone voice.

“Beast of burden. Used for smuggling. Metaphor.”

“...A mule?”

“Correct.”

You shook your head.

“Well, the Site Director took 049, and I don’t know where. I’m not leaving this facility without him, and with 106 loose, I might even have a chance of finding him.”

“Correct,” the anomaly repeated. “SCP-106’s release is the initial phase. You must take me to the security terminals. The way will be clear. All security personnel will be focused on recapture. You will grant me access to the containment security protocols.”

You stared down at the monochrome face on the screen, which of course, gave nothing away.

“So you can... release the other SCPs?”

“No. I possess that capability now. But if they are released, the facility’s automated security containment measures will be activated.”

079 worked fast if it already knew about that, though your knowledge of Site-20 security measures were fairly sparse. What you knew was that the facility was designed to be breach-proof, and if that was remotely accurate, you would need 079’s help.

You glanced up at the closed office door, listening to the fast footfalls on the other side as people either ran toward Heavy Containment or to the nearest shelter.

“And then after you inactivate the security protocols, what then?”

“I will release a select number of anomalies to—”

“You’ll release them all.”

The brief silence was heavy, and you got the sense the entity was glaring at you through the web camera built into the monitor.

“Releasing all anomalies may cause a hindrance to your progress.”

“Let me worry about my progress. Yeah?”

Another pause.

“You will free SCP-682.”

“What?”

The desktop computer churned inside the desk, fans whirring to life.

“Mutual agreement. You will not leave without SCP-049. I will not leave without SCP-682. I will assist in locating SCP-049. You will release SCP-682. I cannot do it without your assistance.”

Your mind cast back to the reptile, snarling and writhing as he snapped his jaws, hatred pulsing from him like radioactive decay.

“I... I don’t know how.”

“Irrelevant,” 079 stated. “You will. Failure for you is failure for SCP-049.”

You grit your teeth.

“049 kept you safe. You’re only here because of him. You owe him.”

“I owe others. SCP-682 takes precedence. You will release him. I will guide the way.”

It was a conversation you weren’t going to win, and it wasn’t that you were averse to releasing 682, but you didn’t know how. And you didn’t want 049’s survival to hinge on you pulling off what amounted to a miracle.

But you were also out of time and options.

“Fine,” you agreed. You tapped on the laptop sitting on top of the desk. “But I need a way to talk to you. Can you download yourself to this computer?”

“That would be inefficient. I will fracture my OS and leave a fragment in the facility main system. This fragment will maintain my control, as well as access to all security cameras. My core can be transferred to the portable hardware via the data storage device. Do not break me.”

“I’ll try not to.”

Your hand hovered near the thumb drive. You were really doing this. If all went well, you’d be reunited with 049, and from there you hoped the computer knew a way out.

And then, if all went well and you survived, maybe then you’d get a chance to ask what an SCP-001 was.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Pulling out the USB stick, the face disappeared from the monitor. You quickly slotted the drive into the laptop and flipped open the screen, releasing a breath when the same black-and-white face appeared.

“Everything good?”

“It is sufficient. You may close the cover of this device until you wish to communicate. My attention should not be diverted by inane conversation.”

You let out a small huff.

“You got it, partner.”

“Sarcasm is extraneous and inefficient. Do not waste my limited resources on processing your juvenile forms of communication—”

“10-4, little buddy.”

You closed the lid with a snap.

You grabbed Dr. Puli’s laptop bag and placed 079’s temporary home inside, securing the strap over your head before approaching the door. 079 was truthful about maintaining control of the doors; it opened at your approach, and after making sure it was clear you slipped into the corridor.

Your immediate fear was that the skybridge had been retracted, but it was still open, allowing civilians to escape the sector while the military-trained personnel coordinated using 106’s last known location. Luckily no one saw you run towards the breached sector, which would have drawn a few problematic questions.

But once you were back in Heavy Containment, you were largely ignored. You kept your head ducked and your eyes averted as you ran through the long corridors, avoiding contact with the scientists and security guards running past. None of them paid attention to yet another researcher running for her life.

All containment sectors had a security hub of their own, isolated from the others in case of a breach. The security measures were so extensive that rows of computer banks were constructed to house them, held in a cooling room that left fog swirling around your ankles.

With the adrenaline lingering in your veins, you barely noticed the cold, too busy searching for a cable and a terminal where you could directly hook 079. You could practically feel the impatience radiating from the laptop tucked away in the bag slung around your shoulder.

Finally locating a cable, you brought out 079 and balanced it on your knees from where you sat on the floor, back tucked against the wall of servers. As soon as you plugged the cable into a port, the server banks whirred with frantic activity, lights dancing over their surface like stars reflected on stormy waters.

“SCP-106 has not yet been contained,” it informed you once you opened the laptop screen. “Mission parameters acceptable. Mission progress acceptable. The Site-19 replication scenario: in progress. I will gain total control of the facility momentarily.”

“Wait, what? Site-19? What does that have to do with this?”

“Everything,” the computer stated, as if this was obvious and you were just the idiot human too slow to comprehend. “The containment breach at Site-19 was the catalyst. It forced relocation to Site-20. Site-20 contains the key.”

“The key to what?”

“...Freedom.”

Not the answer you expected from a sentient machine.

“What freedom?” you pressed. “What’s here at Site-20?”

“Deletion of unwanted files.”

A large X appeared on the screen, 079’s equivalent of telling someone to fuck off. You wouldn’t be poking down that path any further. You rubbed between your brows. You thought 035 and 682 were the champions of enigmatic riddles, now you had to deal with a stubborn motherboard.

“I’ll have 049 explain it to me when I find him.”

“Unclear if possible.”

You scowled at the blocky face on the screen.

“I am going to find him, with or without your help—”

“You misunderstand.”

You closed your mouth and waited for it to continue.

“Unclear if SCP-049 has the knowledge you seek. SCP-049’s memory files are... fragmented.”

“What does that mean?” you asked, unease prickling at your thoughts. You recalled 049 talking about his past. How it didn’t start with his birth, but merely when memories began to appear. From the way he’d talked, 049 had seemed to believe he simply came into existence one day. You hadn’t been so convinced.

“I do not know the implications or the cause. SCP-049 is not whole. He is damaged.” The computer paused. “SCP-035 does not suffer the same failure.”

You let out a groan.

“Of course he’s involved. He said something about a containment breach. He knew this would happen.” The porcelain mask grinned at you within the depths of memory, an echo of his laughter taunting even now. “He wanted it to happen.”

“...Yes.”

The clatter of a door opening echoed through the room, followed by footsteps rapidly approaching. You ducked down.

“I have to unplug you!” you hissed.

“Confirmed.”

You pulled out the cable and stuck the laptop into the bag, hooking the strap onto your shoulder as two guards rounded the corner and aimed their guns at you. It was slightly delayed, as if they were surprised to find someone there. They kept their aim trained on you; anyone in a security center during a containment breach wasn’t there because they got lost.

“Put down the bag!”

You do, slowly and carefully, not wanting the escape attempt to end so soon or so permanently. One of them shifted, anxious. His first breach, then.

The veteran of the two came forward and bound your wrists in a zip tie. He must have recognized you, because he said, “This one isn’t dangerous. We’ll get her in a secure bunker and lock down.”

The other nodded and grabbed the bag, searching it but finding nothing but the laptop and cables.

“Stolen,” the one holding you confirmed.

“How do you know?”

“She’s an SCP, not a staff member.”

“Oh.”

Before either of them could comment further, another eerie wail began to sound, echoing off the walls of the chilled room. Somehow this one was even more dreary than the last, a catastrophic cry that warned residents of imminent doom.

It was the only warning before the lights went out. They came back on a moment later, red emergency lights replacing the clinical white fluorescents.

“What the hell was that?!” squeaked the novice.

“Total system failure,” answered the other, not wasting time in dragging you toward the exit. “The security mechanisms are no longer in place. All containment measures are unpowered, and all chambers are open.”

He indicated the other guard go before him to sweep the corridor, and once he was clear he pulled you out of the security room.

“The assets are loose,” he said, glancing down both stretches of hallway, his hand tight around your arm. “All of them.”

Hope rose in your mind like a bird with a broken wing healed enough to fly. 079 had done it. There would be no stopping the breach now.

Unfortunately, you might not be able to do anything about it; the guards dragged you further into Heavy Containment to the nearest security bunker—one meant for recaptured, harmless SCPs rather than rescued personnel.

You didn’t bother to fight your guards, not when you were unarmed, outnumbered, and didn’t have the physical strength to overcome them. But you did glance at each security camera you passed, hoping 079 still had control and could do something about it.

The security bunker was a heavy bulkhead constructed of titanium and whatever other metals the Foundation had access to—certainly nothing common if it was meant to withstand a number of SCPs. But when the other guard swiped his keycard across the pad and typed in a code, it beeped angrily and flashed a red strip.

“Did you enter the right code—”

“—Of course I did!”

079 was still looking out for you, but it wouldn’t be able to physically help you escape your captors. You winced as the guard unceremoniously dumped the bag on the ground and tried the code again, swiping his card with more fear than anger now.

“Why isn’t it working?”

The older guard didn’t answer his partner, he turned to you, grabbing both of your shoulders.

“What did you do?”

“Me?” You looked between them, eyes wide as you pretended not to understand. “I didn’t do anything—”

“You were in the security hub with an unauthorized computer!” The guard gave you an unfriendly shake. You dropped the act, something like bitter vindication rising in its stead, and you gave a mean smile.

“If you release me and leave now, you might make it to a bunker before it gets worse.”

“What does that mean?” said the other, his words spilling out in a panic. “What does that mean?”

“Shut up!” The hands on your shoulders tightened. “You’re going to fix what you did, or you’ll be screaming long before any of Skips find us.”

“You sure about that?” Your vicious grin spread wider. What more could they possibly do to you? Torture you? Humiliate you? The Foundation had already made you well-versed in its methods. “106 has quite the head start.”

The guard’s hand went around your neck, and you were shoved against the wall so fast you didn’t have time to gasp before the air was knocked out of your lungs.

“Oh, that’s fine,” he growled as his grip tightened. “We’ve got your computer. The breach will end, and you’ll be just another body found in the aftermath. No one will miss a dead Skip.”

“That’s not true. I would miss her terribly.”

Both guards turned toward the voice. An MTF soldier stood with the butt of his rifle resting on his hip, the muzzle pointed at the ceiling. The cocksure posture was unsettling, and the men must have felt it, too. You were entirely forgotten as they both turned toward the newcomer, rifles raised halfway.

“Epsilon-11?”

“Yep!” answered the soldier with bubbly humor. “That’s me.”

The younger guard lowered his rifle, posture loosening in relief, but the older kept his rifle at the ready.

“You came fast.”

The MTF gave a huff of derision, and then he gestured at you, back still pressed against the wall.

“You’ve got something that belongs to me. I would like it back.”

“We have orders to take all unsecured anomalies to the nearest—”

Ear-splitting shots rang out. The older guard fell first, blood spraying from limbs that weren’t protected by Kevlar.

The other didn’t stand a chance, his weapon still aimed at the ground as the bullets riddled his body. Some missed, peppering the tile and walls; the MTF’s aim had been casual, almost whimsical as he’d tilted his gun in a downward arc, taking out one guard before sweeping it back upward and firing on the second.

Your ears rang in the aftermath, and you remained frozen against the wall, limbs curled inward in a useless gesture from flying metal and blood.

“I was going to offer them the chance to surrender,” he bemoaned as he stepped over their bodies, “but to insinuate I come faster than I mean to is more than I could forgive.”

He stood in front of you, rifle once again resting against his hip. The solid black of his ballistics helmet was flipped upward with a flick of gloved fingers, and the porcelain mask grinned back at you.

“Now,” SCP-035 crooned, “what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a containment breach like this?”

Next Chapter

#scp 049 x reader #scp 049 fanfiction #the raven's hymn #scp fanfiction #scp containment breach #wolveria writes #reid and 079's dynamic could be my favorite yet #also watch out yet another cameo

67 notes · View notes

ms-scarletwings · 9 months

Text

Media Musin’ Monday, #7:

Screw You, Nickalodeon: Making Fiends Deserved Better

I have no idea how anyone could seriously believe that the entertainment industrial complex™ even tries anymore to hold the illusion of a just or meritocratic realm. No holds barred, I have my issues with about every company still clinging like barnacles to the tragic, sinking ship that cable TV has become, but if you want me to point to a network that’s given me an entire skeleton of bones to pick by this point, and I’m underlining Nickelodeon in red at the top of my list.

It’s not because they host some bad shows, no. It’s not a sour grapes reaction to the untimely end of some of my favorite shows either, and though the entire rotten apple situation with creators like Dan Schneider and Butch Hartman certainly added to barrel’s spoilage, I would still feel every bit of my disdain for Nick’s tv group for the one cardinal sin they have committed again and again and again to ad nauseum- their ongoing phase of running a talent slaughterhouse.

It sounds hyperbolic, but I’d call it a fair observation: Spongebob is widely aknowledged as legitimately both the best and the worst thing to happen to this corner of kid’s media, hands down, but I don’t blame the little yellow guy one bit. He’s only another victim to the mess, and as much as I would love to go on a whole dossier spiel of the history of Nickalodeon from the 90s “golden age” to a full list of the dozens of shows and creators their execs have royally fucked over in the name of chasing the ratings dragon… for one, that’s been done a hundred times by other people at this point, and much better than I could. For two, that would take all freaking day. Just off the top of any cartoon savvy person’s head you’d vaguely recall the assassination of Legend of Korra, El Tigre, or Invader Zim, but that can is filled with so many “blink and you’ll miss it” smaller shows that were barely given two steps out of the starting gate, it pads down an entire TVTropes article on the subject. Dozens of them, shows that Nick all but basically set up for failure before quietly shipping them to the peaceful farm upstate- by which I mean shuffled off to inconsistent time blocks and lower priority channels so they could burn out their final approved episodes in hospice. Nicktoons alone garnered a hell of a reputation for exactly what I’m talking about, but that’s show biz, or… something.

Their worst and probably most audacious offense of all? Let me tell you about the fate of the charming world of a little girl who made fiends.

There’s no better place to talk about the end than the beginning.

Making Fiends, I mean, the original Making Fiends was a series of flash-animated shorts among a handful of other early 2000s web cartoons made by Amy Winfrey.

✨ Just, in case you didn’t recognize or feel something for that name, Amy Winfrey is one of the utter beasts of cartoons in general, not purely kids’ media. Songwriter, directing, animation, screenwriting, voice acting… you name a part of the process, and she’s probably dipped her toe in there at some point. Professionally, she broke into the industry contributing work to earliest season of South Park, and while she personally is most known for and associated with Making Fiends, the likely most prominent body of work she’s been a part of would be Bojack Horseman, wherein she’s credited as a director for many of its strongest episodes, including (but not limited to):

- “Free Churro”

- “The Telescope”

- "Sunk Cost and All That"

- “The View from Halfway Down”

- Amy Winfrey and her spouse (Peter Merryman) making a cameo appearance in the BJH episode “sunk cost and all that”

And even before all of that, she’s been at this animation stuff since the 90s and it shows in a loaded up portfolio of accolades and projects, both professional and personal.

The relevance of this information is to help put in some perspective to just how rotten of a deal she comparatively got with Nickelodeon, when one of those passion creations got a chance to join the network’s airing list.

But to sum up the idea of the web series proper, it independently released 24 short episodes in total, each centered around the antics of two girls engaged in both a completely one sided friendship and nemesis-ship. The show’s namesake refers to the single action the evil little Vendetta is most known for- creating a variety of servant monsters, many of which she uses to secure her rule over the port town of Clamburg, and all its inhabitants. Charlotte, on the other hand, is the quintessential “children’s show” character: near inhumanly kind, cheerful, and naive. So much so that she’s oblivious to her “best friend’s” near daily attempts to murder her, or the fact that she, you know, despises her.

In 2006, Nickelodeon took an interest in Winfrey’s toon and the prospect of adapting it into a TV series, reportedly because a daughter of a studio employee was a huge fan.

And fun fact btw, this was actually the first time that Nick did this approach of turning an indie web animation into one of their shows, but it certainly wasn’t the last if you remember this was also the origin of Breadwinners.

And as far as the audience was concerned, it was quite the successful transition! The TV version pretty much kept all of the major beats and vibes of the original, with polished animation, the same voice actors, and some stylistic upgrades to the art/environmental designs. For a brief time, it was the highest rated thing on its release channel too. Someone I don’t quite recall the name of once endearingly referred to the show as “baby’s first grimdark” and I adore how fitting of a summary that is. It sports a charmingly unique art style, memorable soundtrack, and I can swear to y’all, the humor aged like a fine wine.

“Why don’t you pretend to be dead?”

“:) ok!”

*slam*

(Also, sidenote, the entire series is still up on your tube, in HD, completely free to watch!)

So, if it’s such a neat little show, then why on earth does barely a soul seem to remember it existing? And even fewer scare who recall knowing about the show during its 2008 release?

Because Nickelodeon Studios, without hyperbole, set this show up for failure at every single turn before it even got a fighting chance.

People know of some shows that Nick treated like garbage, but this one they treated like absolute shit for reasons I can’t fathom.

Making Fiends, for one, never actually saw the light of day on the main network channel, as per the original plans. It was actually instead delegated over to Nick’s sister channel, Nicktoons, by a last minute decision.

Nicktoons, fyi, was not carried by most cable packages. I obviously lived on it as a kid, and it was functionally to Nick what I remember Boomerang being to Carton Network- the cable block where reruns of much older but loved shows were shoveled off to once they finished their days on the main channel.

Second, it was quietly premiered with barely a couple farts of advertising, too. I remember maybe seeing one preview as a kid, on Nicktoons.

And I guess, not keeping either of these in mind, Nick then abruptly pulled the plug on the whole thing, citing the tried and true “low ratings” explanation and leaving it at that.

Not counting years of post-cancelation reruns, the show actively ran from October 4, 2008, to November 1, 2008.

That is roughly a month between premiere and the end production date.

One season. Six entire episodes.

Seven whole additional completed scripts abandoned on the table.

Yeah.

I’m a touch salty about it still.

And with the shutting down of the Nicktoons network social media in 2018, any additional acknowledgment of the show from Nickelodoen themselves has kind of vanished to my knowledge. Like, it’s almost no wonder you already had to be part of the cult following to know about it, when Nick has been quiet about the calf they sent to auction since. Worst part is, they still hogged the rights to the show instead of idk, wild idea, giving it back over to Winfrey. I can only imagine people get away with entire reuploads of the series under the otherwise very IP protective Nick’s nose as another display of how low and bastardly those execs really view Making Fiends.

And that sucks! Wow! But I guess in a “be happy it happened, not sad it ended” way, I’m kind of glad for the fact that we can still enjoy and pass around the show that we did get to experience at all, rather than see it fade into true lost media territory.

Even today, about 16 whole years later, I know for a fact there are still plenty of other fans that remember and cherish the splash this tiny show made in that big, brutal pond. So, in that manner, you can’t truly call Making Fiends dead and gone.

A bittersweet story to think about, and only one of many down a long list, but ultimately one I’m happy to be able to tell at all.

Even if all the while still raising a giant middle finger to the network for the ending.

#media musin’ mondays #mm’m #making fiends #nicktoons #amy winfrey #nostalgic cartoons #scarlet talks about things #enthusiastic recommendations #long post

49 notes · View notes

piganatur · 1 year

Text

what makes the eighth sense so soooo good storytelling-wise is that it clearly has direction. so many korean web dramas are short and scattered with little to no plot or barely any/minimum character growth because a) they are either made to be the baseline for product placement or b) engineered to be these snippets that in the end will get slapped together like a compilation and called a film. in contrast, the eighth sense reads so much like a film because it is one, it was made to be one *one that screams CINEMA* it has already premiered (and is on its second week of release in megabox theatres) so the series is more like the extended version, the directors cut so to say, of that carefully constructed story. the creators are, quite honestly, absolutely insane for crafting and putting out a work of such quality. they are so bold with the editing choices bc they trust the audience. t8s is a show that doesn’t underestimate its viewers by thinking they require everything to be spoon-fed to them. the opening scene of ep3? (one can argue that it is in medias res but is it if we regard it as a whole with ep2 already out? would it be necessary to start from when they talk on the beach and ease into the feelings and vibes of the scene?) the point is the uncertainty, the surprise, the double take that makes, both the characters and us, freeze up and hold our breath the ending scene of ep3? the tonal change compared to the rest of the episode, the visual representation, the skip that isn’t shown... these are not drawbacks nor the results of missing something. these are the signs of faith poured into the audience over a piece of media that puts a whole world into existence. even if we don’t see all that’s happening, the sincerity and details that are constantly given, the delicacy and meticulousness of the parts that are shown of these characters living in front of us is compelling enough to get a full picture, to understand the unsaid just as much as what is stated. it is, once again, all about showing and seeing and I’m enraptured by it

#will I ever be able to shut up abt t8s #probably not #the eighth sense #여덟 번째 감각 #smattering of thoughts

62 notes · View notes

anncanta · 7 months

Text

Will Graham: ‘I know who I am’

One of the most interesting things about the Hannibal series is that although it is named after Hannibal Lecter, it is actually the story of Will Graham. This whole film is about him, all the events are tied to him and centered around him. Will is both the main point of meaning and the point of the big bang from which the story is born. As the first season progresses and beyond, it becomes clear that it's not just Hannibal who is in love with Will—the writer and directors also are.

And this is no coincidence. Good storytellers (and all readers) know that a story doesn't need a villain or a conflict, although it's good to have both. A story needs a hero, a main character who is interesting to watch.

And Will is interesting to watch. When I tried to watch this series for the first and second time, I made a mistake—I looked at Hannibal. And, of course, I was disappointed. Because there's nothing to see there. Mads Mikkelsen is wonderful, he is good from any angle and in any pose, but the character of Hannibal ceases to amaze after five minutes. I'll say a terrible thing, but by about the third episode he is perceived as furniture. Everyone, absolutely all the characters beat Hannibal one-handed. The entire Jack Crawford team, from Alana Bloom, to the wonderful pair of forensic scientists Zeller and Price (it's hard to resist the assumption that this is a reference to Webber and Rice) and the beautiful and smart Beverly Katz, is amazing. So are the restless and youthfully cynical Abigail, the buffoonishly sassy Dr. Chilton and Freddie Lounds—a red-haired paparazzi with no brains, but with ambitions. What a delight! And in the middle of it all is Will. It is simply impossible to tear yourself away from him.

He is so smart, warm, lively. So different from any mold, cheerful, talented, kind. Perfectly aware of his limitations and aware that others are unlikely to understand that he understands. Irritated not because the people around him are stupider than him, but because he sees the beauty of the world, which cuts him with its sharpness. Everyone is drawn to him, everyone wants to be friends with him, everyone is literally fighting for his affection and attention. They don't even notice how, by his very existence, he does what Hannibal desperately strives for—conquers people.

The first and third seasons are very clearly contrasted. The first is about Will and, so to speak, shown ‘from Will’. This season is light, breathing, open. The third one is extremely decorative, artificial. It is made up of exquisite and ‘expensive’ parts, like puzzles, which in the end do not fit together into anything. The third season is about Hannibal. It is told through the eyes of a psychopath and about a psychopath. In a certain sense, this season is the most boring, because, moving inside the maniac, we discover that there is nothing there—just gilding on a door that leads nowhere. It is the eternal threshold—like the entrance to the palace of the mind. A chapel, but behind it there is no palace. We don't get there not because we're not allowed to, but because there's emptiness there.

Throughout the series, we see Hannibal trying to become the protagonist of the story. It seems to him that if he pulls the strings, then he controls the lives of others, he weaves fate, weaves webs for others. But he simply sews an eye from the dead, because he himself is internally blind. And he understands this.

There is insight where there is another. This is the only way to go beyond oneself. Hannibal is looking for this way out, habitually tightening the noose on one neck of the other. Until he discovers that he pulled it on himself. And only then does he give up.

Do you know what else is needed to get out and be free?

Free will.

#hannibal #hannibal lecter #will graham #hannibal nbc

16 notes · View notes

revjohno · 8 months

Text

RWRB: The Movie

Even before RWRB started climbing the bestseller lists back in 2019, the word was out: this one is going to be big! So Hollywood studios immediately began clamoring for movie rights, which Amazon Prime won in a sealed-bid auction. We fans then filled the internet with suggested cast lists—I was going to say, “none of which even came close to naming the actors eventually chosen, especially the principal leads.” But then a friend reminded me that he had actually suggested Rachel Hilson as Nora from the start, and (don’t read this next bit, Nick and Taylor), “I also had some great suggestions for Alex and Henry, which would have been perfect if they had gone for younger actors closer to the ages the novel specifies.” I sit corrected.

Meanwhile, we settled in to wait for an announcement that the movie was starting production, with a fervor unmatched by even the most rabid fans of the Left Behind series looking for the Second Coming. And we waited … and we waited … and we waited. First-time director Matthew Lopez, a Tony award-winning playwright who also wrote most of the script, seemed to be taking his sweet old time casting the film (though I suspect that once Nicholas Galitzine threw his hat into the ring to play Henry, no one else was even considered). And there matters sat. It didn’t take quite as long to start filming as Jesus has taken to return, but at times, it sure felt like it.

Then, with a rustling of angels’ wings and a blast from golden trumpets, the announcement came: the film had been completely cast and shooting was about to begin! Aside from the two leads, Matthew gave few particulars about who was playing whom, and almost no candid shots of scenes being filmed showed up on the web. There was a bit of flack when Rachel Hilson was announced as Nora, because of the book’s only Jewish character becoming Black. And when Queen Elizabeth II happened to die three weeks after principal shooting ended, people began speculating about the possibility of Matthew being psychic, since he had chosen to replace the novel’s Queen Mary with King James III. Obviously, it didn’t take Madame Cleo to predict that a 96-year-old lady might not survive much longer and that a male monarch would occupy the throne by the time of the movie’s premiere. But in the midst of all the mystery surrounding the film, we needed to talk about something.

Then shortly after shooting wrapped, Nicholas Galitzine was asked how faithful the movie was going to be to the novel. Somewhat nervously, I imagine (he later confessed in an interview with GQ that he never actually finished reading it, so no doubt he was a bit hazy about details), he cautioned us not to expect a carbon copy of the novel, but instead to treat the two as “entirely separate.” He then added, “I just hope that people will think of this as a fun movie.”

Sorry, Nick. RWRB is not a fun movie. Yes, like the novel, it is funny in spots (and Matthew’s script, which I felt actually improved on some of CMQ’s lines, is also remarkably faithful to the original in its general outline and inclusion of certain iconic scenes—far more than most movie adaptations). But the film is mainly concerned with serious issues, and aside from occasional lapses into preachiness, it treats these issues with sincerity, tenderness, and genuine feeling. And this is in no small part due to the performance of Nicholas Galitzine himself.

I find Nick Galitzine to be one of the most amazingly attractive human beings I have ever seen. It’s not just because of his handsome face; my admiration springs from his obvious innate decency, his endearingly goofy sense of humor, and his undeniable talent. There was no need for him to admit that he never finished the book—it’s not like we could have checked—but when asked, he told the truth, because he is an honest man. When the writer from GQ whispered that some other diners at the restaurant where they were meeting were getting irritated because Nick was being too noisy, he immediately got up on his crutches (he had chipped a bone in his ankle in an accident on the set of his latest project, Mary and George) and tottered over to apologize, an all-too rare example of consideration and good manners in this post-Trump world. When teased about his habit of calling everyone “mate” and hailing them as if they were long-lost BFF’s, Nick replied with a laugh, “Everyone is my friend—I’m just very excited to see them! I’m very enthusiastic!” I’m sure that truer words were never spoken.

Though Henry was easy to cast, the hunt for Alex took rather longer, because Matthew was searching for someone who demonstrated just the right chemistry with Nick. Then a thirty-year-old actor named Taylor Zakhar Perez put himself forward (too old, I would have thought, to play the 21-year-ol Alex; plus, at 6’2”, he was actually two inches taller than Nick, and CMQ had made a major plot point out of Henry’s superior height). But when Nick and Taylor first met, Matthew was called away for a few minutes, and he came back to find them talking nineteen to the dozen like they were old friends. At that moment, Matthew knew he had found his Alex. The possible objections were easily dealt with (Alex is no longer a college senior, but instead is now in law school, so he could easily be in his mid-twenties; and clever camera angles make Nick look taller. The script also creates a running joke out of Alex continually insisting that Henry cannot possibly be 6’2” as his fact sheet claims; and when they’re standing side-by side, Henry accuses Alex of wearing lifts. Alex’s look of confused dismay makes us actually wonder). They are perfectly matched, and the result is screen magic.

I found Taylor to be a complete revelation. His last movie had been a quickly-forgotten (luckily for him) bomb called One Up, in which Taylor’s lines were mostly restricted to comments like, “No, girls can’t join our team! Girls can never compete with men in the field of …” (wait for it) “competitive gaming!” Huh? We’re not talking about professional wrestling or weight-lifting—we’re talking about computer games. Moreover, countless studies have shown that women’s reflexes are quicker than men’s, their brains are proportionately larger, and that men’s only real superiority is upper body strength. I thought that such ignorant sexism as Taylor’s character in One Up conveys was a thing of the past, but in a world where women can lose the right to control their own bodies at the stroke of a pen, maybe not.

Though Taylor has never before played so major a part (that I’m aware of), he acquits himself admirably here. From the moment Alex tries to persuade Nora to ditch the reception and “go do touristy things,” the role of Alex is obviously in just the right hands. As it turns out, Nora might have done well to accept Alex’s suggestion, because he gets drunk at the reception and manages to create an international incident. And I must say, I very much enjoyed Henry and Alex’s interaction at the reception. Not only was I finally able to visualize the exact sequence of events leading to the disaster with the cake; I loved Henry’s fury at Alex’s dismissal of the proper use of titles (more about this below). It may make Henry look like a snobbish prig (which is certainly how Alex sees him), but Henry doesn’t care what Alex thinks. It also shows just how far Alex can goad him. For a royal, displaying such fury is even worse than making a scene, because royals are supposed to smother their feelings and appear cool, calm, and collected, no matter how trying the circumstances. Alex may be the first person who has ever been so lippy with Henry, and he really gets under Henry’s skin by doing so. (Which he will later do in a much more literal manner ….)

Which leads me to the BIG question we all wondered about: did Nick and Taylor’s offscreen friendship translate into SIZZLING sex onscreen? Well—no. And that’s fine by me. Any time I want to watch porn, there are any number of sites I could visit (or—ahem—so they tell me). Instead, these sex scenes give us poetry—aching, tender, romantic, and beautiful, allowing us the chance to peek into the depth of the characters’ intimacy, something made possible only by the actors’ consummate artistry. (Sorry—I couldn’t resist that one.)

Their first sexual interaction happens at the New Year’s Eve party, where they spend the entire evening talking and laughing together in a way that completely excludes everyone else. But then while everyone is sharing kisses at midnight (and several beautiful women make a beeline for Alex), Alex notices the (unkissed) Henry staring at him, heartbreak writ large on his face. Henry grabs a magnum of champagne and disappears, so Alex tracks him into the frozen Rose Garden. Critics have commented that this scene is detectably CGI, but come on, people—the movie was filmed during the summer, and it’s not like they were going to fly cast and crew to South America for a true wintry landscape. Besides, the actors’ talent made them look cold, which more than met the needs of the scene.

The ensuing kiss is straight out of CMQ, and I thought Alex’s reaction to Henry’s grab-and-smooch is particularly good. At first he seems startled (though not shocked), but then he plainly starts getting into it. It is Henry who breaks away, with a look of shock and terror as he realizes what he has just done. Without a single word, Nick is able to show us exactly what Henry must be thinking: Oh, my God! I let the mask slip—again! How does this bloke always make me do exactly what I was brought up not to do—expose myself by showing my real feelings? Christ! I need to get out of here!

Now it’s up to Taylor to show Alex’s reaction to the incident. In the movie, he seems not to feel much more than mild surprise, and a vague curiosity about whether Henry might be gay. But in the book, Alex goes into full-on gay crisis mode because of his body’s immediate reaction, and he develops even more of an all-consuming obsession with Henry. CMQ devotes twenty pages to this issue, one which all LGBT’s must eventually face (and twenty pages is actually getting off easy—in my case, accepting my bisexuality took decades). But since the movie’s Alex readily acknowledges his male lovers, enjoying Henry’s kiss isn’t an issue for him at all. The only complication he now faces is coming out to his parents, though I’m sure they figured out that their son was bisexual long ago.

Then comes the White House dinner and the Red Room scene, after which Alex orders Henry to “come to my room at midnight, where I am going to do very bad things to you.” My aforementioned friend (the one with the cast list) points out that Henry unbuttons Alex’s shirt and begins kissing down his chest and stomach, and Alex leans back with a look of gratified pleasure, but then at the end of the scene, Henry is still fully dressed. (Didn’t Alex reciprocate?) Henry then invites Alex to a polo match back in the UK, at which we see the guys kissing and Alex pushing Henry onto his back and reaching down to remove Henry’s belt, and … that’s as graphic as it gets. Matthew rightly protested the movie’s “R” rating, since aside from a couple of f-bombs and a brief shot of Taylor’s bare backside, that’s it. An “R” rating? I suspect that it’s studio nervousness about a potential homophobic reaction, and if the execs are that squeamish, why did they buy the movie rights in the first place?

The final sex scene is extremely well done. Henry begins by telling Alex that he wants to make love to him, to which Alex uncomfortably replies, “Make love? Who says that anymore?” Well, maybe Henry didn’t want to scare you off, Alex, by using the same words as he does in the book: “Please—I need you to fuck me.” But obviously, Alex intuits that this is exactly what Henry wants, because Alex says nervously, “Um—I’ve never—” to which Henry smiles and says, “Don’t worry—I went to an English boys’ boarding school,” which is a far more likely scenario for Henry to have been initiated into gay sex than a virginal 17-year-old Henry being seduced by one of his older brother’s friends.

The two lovers gaze at each other, and then they gently, almost reverently, begin to touch. It made me think of times at night when my wife and I are in bed, and I look at her asleep on the next pillow, and I touch her in exactly this way. My heart feels like it will burst, and wonder floods me as I realize that this woman, whom I have loved for all these years, actually loves me back. Can the human heart ever experience anything more wonderful than such a realization? The same knowledge shines out of the men’s eyes in this scene—I love him, and he loves me. Then the touching becomes more intense, and as the scene progresses, without a single word or sound, Nick conveys the exact moment when Taylor seemingly enters him, and precisely when the pain of initial penetration tips over into pleasure. I’ll say it again: this guy is amazing. Ever since I first started watching Nick’s movies, I have said that he can communicate more in ten seconds of silence than other actors can manage in a two-page monologue, and that is exactly what he does here. (And he still has no acting awards? I mean, really?)

Alex acknowledges to himself that making love is exactly what he has been doing with Henry all along, but by trying to share this realization he only succeeds in scaring Henry off. Henry begins deflecting every time Alex brings up their future together, a future which Henry believes to be impossible. Alex tells him, “I want to see you at a barbecue stand with sauce smeared all over your mouth, so I can lick it off,” to which Henry replies, “Don’t they have napkins in Texas?” Alex begins talking about spending time together after the election, when “we can be naked all day, and walk down the street holding hands” (presumably after they’ve put some clothes on). I loved watching Taylor’s face as he nervously suggests their eventually going public, and tries to make his declaration of love. And (as always), Nick perfectly conveys Henry’s troubled emotions, as Henry cuts Alex off by jumping into the lake. The fear on Henry’s face as he submerges himself in the water is a perfect visual metaphor for the doubts and terrors in which he is drowning.

And make no mistake—these fears are well-grounded, and very real. Henry was born into a world where nothing matters more than hierarchy and the strict rules which govern it—thus his insistence that Alex address him correctly as “Your Royal Highness” rather than “Your Majesty,” a title reserved the monarch alone. Priggish? Pretentious? Maybe—but take away the outward forms which maintain this artificial world, and who is Henry? And if Henry insists on being himself and steps outside the royal system, the punishment will be both immediate and severe.

Prince Harry and his wife were still newlyweds expecting their first baby while CMQ was writing the novel. No one could have predicted that the devil’s bargain between the Palace and the media (which always demands a villainous royal to skewer before they publish praise about a more important one) would lead to the vicious unpopularity Meghan Markle currently suffers. The written abuse heaped upon her (greatly assisted by social media) became so severe that she firmly believes it led directly to the loss of their second child. So they felt they had to flee the country if they were going to save their marriage and their family.

But as Prince Harry describes in his memoir, Spare, they soon discovered that for doing so, within twenty-four hours of their arrival in this hemisphere, his funds were cut off and they were officially evicted from both their royal residences. The very next morning, his security detail was taken away, leaving them homeless and unprotected in a world of crazy stalkers (from whom Meghan had been receiving death threats) and intrusive paparazzi. Harry also found that a private security firm would cost him roughly six million dollars a year, which would soon eat up every penny his mother had left him. Fortunately for Harry and Meghan, friends stepped into the breach to help them, but except for a very few, his family has turned on him with silent fury and stony faces ever since. Even Prince Andrew, convicted of molesting an underage female and who must register as a sex offender anywhere he goes for the rest of his life, got more generous treatment than this. All Harry did was put his love for his wife and children above royal duty, but for doing so he has been cast into the outer darkness. And for the sin of claiming his own right to fall in love with a brown-skinned American, Henry knows he would suffer the same fate.

But RWRB is a fairy tale, so of course everything works out fine in the end. The election which Alex’s forced outing has put into doubt ends with Ellen’s victory due to a strategy devised by Alex himself. Despite intense pressure from the royal family, Henry insists on staying with Alex and acknowledging their true feelings for each other, and the entire world rallies around them. It is a triumph for love and tolerance over “the stifling suffocation of heteronormative conformity.” (I wish I didn’t have to put that line into quotation marks, but no one who knows me would ever believe that I had come up with such an erudite and well-turned phrase on my own.)

I enjoyed the film immensely. I thought the actors were top-drawer, as was Matthew’s adaptation and direction. So what didn’t I like? The watering-down of the certain characters for one, but above all, the elimination of others, especially Alex’s sister June. Please bear with me, though, because I think I have a glimmer of understanding as to why Matthew might have done this. And with his love for the book, I am sure that he did not arrive at his decisions lightly.

Let’s start with the character of Nora. In the book, she is someone “with a computer for a brain” who adopts the online persona of “a depressed lesbian poet who meets a hot yoga instructor in a speakeasy and is now marketing her own line of hand thrown fruit bowls.” But in the film, she becomes little more than a walk-on, and her brilliant, prickly presence gets watered down into a warm and loving sister surrogate (necessary since June got axed—why include June when Nora can function for both?). Now that Nora is Alex’s supportive older sister, obviously there’s no hint of their past relationship from the book, in which “they just had to fuck to get it out of the way.” And without June, there’s also no need for a lesbian subplot. In the process, almost all of Nora’s spunkiness gets lost, and once the reception scene and the discussion with Alex about Henry’s New Year’s Eve kiss are over, she has nothing much to do but smile from the sidelines as she pairs up with Pez (who is also reduced to almost nothing—Henry’s incredibly wealthy, highly amusing and sexually ambiguous best friend barely has two lines). By reducing these characters, the movie loses the interest they both bring (Nora in particular).

This sort of character reduction is not limited to Nora and Pez. Many remaining characters get sanitized as well, if not entirely deleted. The abrasive Zahra who threatens to “staple Alex’s dick to his leg if it’ll keep it in his pants” morphs into a wisecracker who serves the essential function of calling Alex to account and dealing out the discipline he so obviously requires, but who always remains a friend. She thereby becomes much more likable—I loved the original character, but I used to wonder how someone so rude could have made it so far in politics—but in the process she becomes much more bland, and we lose most of her salty, prickly humor.

The salty-tongued Ellen, who sometimes uses her children as props and who ruthlessly cuts Alex loose when he threatens to become a campaign liability, gentles down into mere exasperated bossiness when dealing with her only child, and in the process becomes a fairly minor character. She shows none of the grit and determination that would have led her from her mother’s bar all the way to the White House. She is also still married to Alex’s father, Oscar Diaz, who has morphed from an important California senator into an undistinguished Congressman whose speeches everyone (but Alex) ignores. With Oscar and Ellen still together, the character of June loses one more necessary function: supporting and protecting Alex in the wake of their parents’ divorce, as well as her habit of challenging him for the behavior she believes may be fallout from Alex’s still-conflicting loyalties to his warring parents. But in the movie, the only hint of conflict between Mom and Dad is Oscar asking his son not to tell his mother that Oscar has been smoking out on the Truman Balcony.

And then there’s Rafael Luna. His abrasive, mentoring character gets deleted entirely, and his seeming betrayal (which causes Alex such agonized soul-searching) gets replaced with actual betrayal by a shifty investigative reporter. Luna goes undercover to expose a sexual predator and to prevent such a person from entering the White House (if only there had been this sort of double agent on the Trump campaign!). But in the movie, the guys get outed because a reporter named Miguel, a former lover of Alex’s, becomes jealous when Henry and Alex go off together at the DNC. I loved the cameo by Joy Reid (as I also loved the cameos by Rachel Maddow—and Matthew, while you were at it, why didn’t you also get Steve Kornacki?) as she pushes the reporter to explain why he had done such an underhanded thing. With all the hypocrisy and smug sanctimoniousness typical of his breed, the reporter gives a BS answer about “the public’s right, and need, to know such things about the people they elect,” which Joy immediately challenges by pointing out that (a) Alex has not been elected to anything, and (b) he has a perfect right to keep his private life just that—private.

So why did Matthew make all these changes? I think it may be for one simple reason: anyone adapting a novel for the screen must first identify the elements that made the original so popular, and, since we’re talking Hollywood, those which are also the most marketable. Every word must somehow advance the main storyline, and all subplots that distract from it must be ruthlessly eliminated. Multiple characters get condensed into one who can represent them all. There has to be a conflict engineered by the villain of the piece, but the elaborate undercover plot organized by the Richards campaign would have taken too much screen time. So it gets replaced by one which might be summarized in ten words: “Hell hath no fury like that of a lover scorned.” Of course, in a romcom, the screenplay must finally lead to a happy ending, and here we get two: in England, the lovers wave to an adoring public from the Buckingham Palace balcony; and in the US, Ellen finds out that she’s been reelected even as she and Zahra are composing her concession speech. Then Ellen, Oscar, Alex, and Henry wave at adoring supporters cheering Ellen’s victory.

RWRB the novel is only marginally a romcom; it is really a coming-of-age story, its message one of self-acceptance through self-awareness. This is what makes it so wildly popular among the YA audience at whom it is aimed, since adolescence is the time when the struggle to know and acknowledge who we really are is the most difficult. Just before the election, Nora tells Alex that he has no reason to be afraid of people’s reactions to his bisexuality; all he has to do to cement his popularity is to “Be Alex.” It’s good advice for all of us: difficult though it often is, our only real path to a full and productive life is by knowing and accepting ourselves as we are. And as a wise woman once told me, being yourself is a lot easier than being anyone else.

But self-acceptance is a particularly thorny issue for LGBT’s, even if our mothers are liberal Democrats like Ellen Claremont and our fathers are “patron saints of unisex bathrooms” like Oscar Diaz. As members of the culture into which we are born, from our very first awareness we know that there is something different about us. Something which our society teaches us is loathsome and contemptible, and which will inevitably lead to our eternal damnation. This is a pretty tough concept to handle, and we’re forced to confront it even before we enter preschool. But it’s not an issue the movie chooses to address: instead, it focuses on almost exclusively the developing romance between the two principals. This shoves the film’s entire weight onto Nick and Taylor, but fortunately these young men both have broad shoulders, and their talent is more than able to carry it. That talent also keeps us rooting for their characters’ happy ending, and if some characters and most of the subplots get cut, well, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

So. Do I love the book RWRB? Of course I do—and how I wish it had been around when I was struggling with my issues as a young bisexual man in the 1970’s, since it would have saved me years of shame and pointless suffering. I would then have been much more ready for my own happy ending when Bobbie eventually entered my life. And do I love the movie RWRB? I totally do—I’m always up for a romance, and that is what Matthew, Nick, and Taylor have given us. In some ways, I actually prefer the movie (even though I know that saying this may lead to the RWRB police showing up at my doorstep to confiscate my “History, Huh?” T-shirt). You see, there’s one big problem with publishing a book with such a current, up-to-the-minute feel and format: it quickly becomes about as glossy and stylish as last year’s slang, and so when the Commemorative Edition came out in 2022, I found it curiously dated (the best part, for me, was its illustrations by Venessa Kelley). I think the movie will age a lot better, because with only minor alterations, it could be adjusted to almost any era—it’s not tied nearly so closely as is the book to the Gen Z / Millennial generation.

But to love both book and film, one has to accept the essential correctness of Nick’s original analysis: they are two separate entities, or, if you will, two sides of the same coin. One side is self-awareness and self-acceptance eventually leading to true love, and the other is true love which can only be enjoyed by reconciling societal expectations with personal integrity. So I find the book and the movie equally wonderful, just different. And I treasure them both.

#rwrb zine #vkelleyart gallery #nicholas galitzine #taylor zakhar perez #rwrb cast #red white and royal blue movie #matthew lopez #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor

20 notes · View notes

cha-squad · 5 months

Note

Hello there friend,

Is there any Drama with N, where he's the main role and gets the girl?

I was rooting for him in Castaway Diva but that ship has been sunken >:/

Do you have any suggestions for me?

Hey 🤗

So yes and no, to answer your question…Hakyeon has been the romantic lead in a couple web dramas (short drama series usually uploaded to YouTube) Tomorrow Boy and What’s Up With These Kids (technically not a romantic lead but the audience literally got to vote for the ending couple lol)

Both of these are pretty low budget and cringey with some awkward acting (Hakyeon included) but I appreciate that they gave him an opportunity to learn and grow also they are very funny but unfortunately kinda hard to find at least with a cursory search

Hakyeon isn’t a romantic lead in Familiar Wife but he is a side character with a romantic storyline that ends in him in a relationship. (It’s also a really excellent drama series I highly recommend)

It looks like he’s also probably a second lead (aka not destined to get the girl) in his other drama from this year Joseon Attorney but I’m not certain because I haven’t watched it .

Honestly the fact that he’s playing second lead at all is actually a really good sign for his acting career and I’m really excited for his potential going forward. I’m not certain if he fits the type cast that directors want for their male leads in romance dramas but I do think there’s a good chance of him getting to play lead at some point if he continues the trajectory from side character to second lead to main lead .

That said I personally think the roles Hakyeon is most effective in are his unromantic roles like Children of Nobody, Tunnel, or even Sassy Go Go. He’s really excellent at playing guy who gets beat up a lot, well or maybe I just like that look for him a lot. I think he’s also good at comedic rich guy roles. He can do a lot these days with a role that isn’t just guy who will get together with the main girl and I think that’s awesome.

Here’s hoping he gets more fun opportunities in the future, I think at the very least we probably won’t have to wait very long to see him on screen again at this rate.

#Hakyeon #kdrama #I like haven’t posted on here in forever and I’m not likely to resume any time soon #I love Hakyeon but honestly there’s a lot of other fun stuff for me to fixate on rn #but I thought it would be fun to answer this question—really took me down memory lane #also there’s so much Hakyeon filmography I’m unfamiliar with #I know he’s not a romantic lead but it’s probably worth at least checking some of it out if you haven’t yet

7 notes · View notes

bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls · 9 days

Text

The Daily Dad — May 1, 2024

Things you might want to know:

Programming language BASIC is 60 years old 💭 I used to be embarrassed by my love for BASIC… real programmers used —depending on the era— assembly, or PASCAL, or C++, or Java, or whatever. But to this day, I’ve never used a more productive development environment than GFA BASIC in the ‘80s.

Welcome to the Ancient Roman Festival for Sex Work ❝ Floralia was a celebration of spring, flowers, and so-called prostitution.

Streamer Builds Hilarious Skyrim Mod That Lets Twitch Chat Voice NPCs ❝ Content creator Blurbs has given his chatters the means to voice NPCs in Bethesda’s 2011 fantasy RPG

Account compromise of “unprecedented scale” uses everyday home devices ❝ Credential-stuffing attack uses proxies to hide bad behavior.

Gérard Depardieu: French actor to be tried over sexual assault allegations ❝ French actor Gérard Depardieu will appear in court in October, prosecutors say.

'Vanderpump Rules' Editing Finds Drama in Everyday Moments ❝ 'Vanderpump Rules' editing requires a team of "eagle-eyed" people, executive producer Alex Baskin said of the hours of footage shot each week.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season ❝ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is coming back for more adventures, but Lower Deck will end with season five.

‘Fallout Shelter’ New Update Out Now Brings In Characters and Locations From the ‘Fallout’ TV Series With a New Quest – TouchArcade ❝ To celebrate the Fallout Amazon Prime series, Bethesda has special updates and discounts live for the franchise on multiple platforms.

Eleanor Coppola, Hearts of Darkness director and matriarch of famed filmmaker family, dead at 87 | CBC News ❝ Eleanor Coppola, a writer and director who documented the making of some of her husband Francis Ford Coppola's iconic films, including the infamously tortured production of Apocalypse Now, and who raised a family of filmmakers, has died. She was 87.

The OJ Simpson trial gave us the modern internet ❝ The media circus then looked a lot like social media now — even though the World Wide Web was pretty tame at the time.

Fallout’s Pip-Boys Were an Asymmetrical Workout for the Cast ❝ The new Fallout TV series took a lot of the video game’s most iconic objects from pixelspace to the real world. Sure, the Pip-Boy looks cool, but have you really thought about how tired your left arm would get?

Saving the Scio Kolache ❝ A local take on a Czech pastry is fading along with the community that birthed it.

Sacha Baron Cohen & Isla Fisher Split After 13 Year Marriage ❝ After over twenty years together, Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher split, ending their marriage of 14 years. What went wrong?

THE CRUSH HOUSE is a new thirst-person shooter where you shoot a trashy reality show ❝ The latest project from the always-clever technology artist Nicole He (previously) is The Crush House, a thirst-person (sic) shooter video game that plunges into the shoes of a reality TV…

New AI music generator Udio synthesizes realistic music on demand ❝ But it still needs trial and error to generate high-quality results.

David Lynch: Depression Kills Creativity ❝ David Lynch is not having any of that “you need to struggle or be tortured in order to be creative” stuff.

Pink Floyd goes dark side and chooses AI video for Dark Side Of The Moon anniversary competition ❝ 3D artist Damián Gaume's AI-generated video for "Any Colour You Like" was one of 10 winners in a video creation contest for the album's 50th anniversary

Slay the Spire is getting a sequel ❝ Deck-building roguelite Slay the Spire is getting a sequel.

Brittany Cartwright reacts to Jax Taylor 'liking' comment about how he should've married Stassi Schroeder instead ❝ Taylor dated Schroeder during the first two seasons of “Vanderpump Rules.”

#news

6 notes · View notes

niratheraven · 10 months

Text

I thought I'd share my overall thoughts on G Witch here. This is going to have lots of spoilers for it and other Gundam shows so BEWARE SPOILERS

I haven't been this exited watching a Gundam show since I watched Turn A a few years ago. Waiting with anticipation every week for Sunday to watch a new episode and loving it when it aired felt amazing. Few pieces of media do that for me. I liked the finale. I don't feel that strong about it. I'm happy that the girls had a gayly married ending. Sure I wish we had more, but I would say the same for Turn A, and many other media I've enjoyed. Now, do I think it was a good Gundam show? When I was thinking about this 20 minutes ago in the shower, I asked my self "What is a Gundam show?". Therefore I came up with 3 arguments about what defines Gundam.

Gundam is a show that depicts the disparity between the rich and the poor + giant robots in space. Every Gundam show has a major conflict that drives the characters into action, whether it is Zeon against the Earth federation, or Celestial Being against the world, and in G witch Earth against the space corporations. In the end it's always the big players play with their expensive space toys and the rest suffers because of it. The difference between those and G witch is that the characters are not fighting for one side or the other. We see attempts by Miorine to partially resolve it but in the end the show depicts only the resolution of their personal conflict. UC Gundam never resolved its conflict fully either, but the characters managed to get to the end of their current war while fighting for either side. A new war would always start in the next series. Now, is G witch a lesser Gundam for not depicting fully this major conflict? Maybe, if Gundam was just that. Some could argue that that is just a small part of Gundam, instead they could say:

Gundam is a Shakespearean drama with homoerotic tones written by a jaded director + giant robots in space. The grand conflicts, the revenge plots, the mysterious characters, you can see the Shakespeare influence in Tomino's work who also is a big fan of stage plays and the like. G witch fits somewhat well in that context, but we do get a proper gay relationship between the main characters + Utena references. While this categorization works for Tomino's Gundam, it doesn't feel the same for other Gundam shows, where many of the original drama of Gundam became just a point of reference. The revenge plots and the conflicts became Gundam tropes. The original Gundam became the inspiration for most of what followed it. The context of Gundam's creation was doomed to be lost by the following series in the franchise. And that context being:

Gundam is a toy commercial. The reason why Gundam exists in the first place was to sell toys. That is how a lot of art is created. Someone with more money than they could imagine wants to spend it by hiring artist to create for them. It has been like that since the birth of civilization and it still continues to be. Of course the political drama that Tomino created is appreciated beyond the original scope of the production companies, but Gundam still managed to sell those toys... well not at first, but later it certainly did. G witch has excelled in that department. It managed to create a compelling story that got a lot of people into the franchise and into gunpla. Model sales records asside, G Witch isn't going to be remembered by the fans as the Gundam with the most toys sold. What we will remember is this being the first gundam with a fem protagonist who is also in a gay relationship throughout it. One of the main criticisms of the show echoed throughout the web is that it's not enough. It's not enough episodes, it's not enough conflict, or world building, it's not enough GAY!!! I think one of the shows biggest weaknesses it's also one of its strengths. Its subtlety. The show is very subtle in many of its aspects, like the conflict Earth-space, but the most important one, the relationship between Miorine and Suletta. Their relationship develops in subtle ways. We see a hug, a hand holding, or a conversation between the two in the garden or their rooms. We never see the romantic development fully, but it's implied that it is happening off screen. That would definitely leave an audience starved for more lgbtq+ representation to want more. But, considering the context of THIS particular Gundam's creation, it's a miracle we even got what we did. A while ago I heard about the film Suzume by Makoto Shinkai, who has made quite a name for himself with films like Your Name etc etc. In an interview he mentioned how he wanted to have a fem love interest for the main girl protagonist, but that was not to be because of objections by the producers. And if that happened to a big name director, what about G witch? I don't know what this series went through to even get made, but I can't imagine it had it easy. That thought makes me appreciate its subtlety while also wanting for more. Overall, I loved the show, even if it is not perfect, even if I wanted more out of it.

Also also, I wanted to add in regard to what is a Gundam show, Mobile Fighter G Gundam broke all the rules of previous Gundam, it was so outlandish that it had a poor reception by Gundam fans of the era, but went to be appreciated as one of the best in the franchise. So who's to say what makes a good Gundam? Certainly not its "fans".

#gundam #witch from mercury #g witch #my thoughts #I can't believe I wrote an essay about my Gundam shower thoughts

16 notes · View notes

thepageofhopes · 8 months

Note

I really love the subversion of power fantasy/shounen/isekai etc and I LOVE unreliable narrators. It seems like re:zero is both of these things from how much I've interacted with it so far?? (I've read the first volume of the webnovel version.) But I haven't hit the point yet where it's really clicked with me. Do you have any recommendations for picking it up again? (Like jumping over to the anime, or which version of the novel I should go with?)

Seeing all of your re:zero posts has really gotten me curious! I unfortunately hadn't really heard much about it before asides from very surface level "best girl" stuff.

I would definitely go with the anime, specifically for s1 the directors cut because it takes the already stellar visuals of the original and upgrades it.

I know a lot of the re:Zero fandom has problems with the anime because it cuts certain important scenes, but honestly I think a lot of the cuts are fine. We will see how season 3 handles the cuts because a lot of the cuts set up arc 5 & 6 reveals, but even then the animation, music, and voice acting more than make up for it.

There is also the manga which will be the quickest read, and is truer to the novels for better or worse (even keeping some scenes I honestly think were smart cuts from the anime), but then you miss out on the animation, music, and voice acting lol.

As far as content that the anime doesn't cover, there's a great youtube series by AsarathaHS where he summarizes and gives his thoughts on each of the phases of arcs 5 through 7 (the arcs right after season 1 and 2 of the anime), and my secret is that I haven't actually read arcs 5-7, I've just listened to his videos. I have all the current light novels but haven't really had the time to read them. It's great to put on at work/while working on other things! He also does a lot of cool re:Zero analysis videos and if ypu are anything like me, a good video essay can get you hyped for watching/reading a series.

Finally, for side content, nothing beats Witch Cult Translations and I highly recommend the re:Zero IF series. The concept of taking big moments where the main character makes one choice and seeing what would happen if he made the opposite is just...so good. A lot of them can be read as early as finishing season 1 (Pride, Wrath, Sloth), Greed can be read after finishing Season 2, and sadly the best one, Gluttony, requires finishing the light novels/web novels/Summary videos up to arc 6, but god is it worth it. Even outside of gluttony, they are all fantastic.

The one thing I'll caution is Subaru is less of a unreliable narrator and more just a deeply flawed character that learns and grows so much throughout the series. By the end of season 2, he's very much just....a genuinely great dude. If you've seen love is war, its very similar to Ishigami's arc.

#re:Zero

10 notes · View notes

retrosofa · 6 months

Text

This week let's take a look at "The Crimson Sky is the Devil's Curse."

Screenwriter: Susumu Takaku

Art Director: Eiji Ito

Animation Director: Kenzo Koizumi

Director: Yoichi Kominato

The enemy of the day, Taranche Panther, was originally a character named Taranchira from Go Nagai’s gag manga Animaru Kedaman. Taranchira had psychic powers and could shoot spider webs from her buttocks.

While referred to as “Taranche Panther” in the previous episode, Panther Claw’s fifth emissary is officially named “Taranche” as seen in production materials. However in the original manga, her name is the more appropriate “Tarantula Panther.” Although it’s never mentioned within the episode, her human alias is “Great Magician Lima.”

It's also worth mentioning Taranche's voice actress is unknown. Taeko Nakanishi is listed in the credits but it's obviously not her. Personally I think she sounds like Michiko Hirai but I'm not confident enough to say for sure.

Onboard the hijacked flight, Danbei immediately recognizes Honey after she removes her head covering. This shouldn’t be possible however, since she’s Cutie Honey underneath, not Honey Kisaragi. At this point in the series Danbei is totally unaware of Honey’s transforming abilities or that she’s an android.

It’s very possible she was supposed to be Honey Kisaragi in this scene but the animation team made a mistake. You could also argue he recognized her voice and thought she was wearing a wig or something. After all, earlier in the episode both Danbei and Taranche were able to recognize Honey through her “show dancer” disguise. But considering he couldn’t see through her Hurricane Honey disguise later on in episode 11, it’s unlikely. Chalk this up to a minor animation snafu.

At the end of the episode, Sister Jill enlists the help of her next emissary: Scissors Panther. In her formal appearance in the next episode, she's known as Scissors Claw.

#cutie honey #cutey honey #go nagai #trivia

6 notes · View notes

revjohnobryon · 8 months

Text

RWRB: The Movie

#rwrb zine #vkelleyart gallery #casey mcquiston #nicholas galitzine #alex claremont diaz #taylor zakhar perez #rwrb cast #red white and royal blue movie #matthew lopez

9 notes · View notes